Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 463
February 14, 2013
Guest Blogger: Phoebe Conn
I flat-out love men, they are such exciting creatures. They are simply fun to observe and appreciate even if it’s from afar. I enjoy men more close up, of course, and if they’re good-looking, so much the better. Rather than whistle the way construction workers do, I’m discreet and barely lift a brow. A writer of romance novels has to be an expert in her subject, right?
When creating a hero, examples are good to have, whether they’re photos of models or the workingmen on the UPS Calendar. The man has to be appropriate for the book. A dark mysterious vampire hero won’t resemble a rugged cowboy. I’m particularly fond of cowboy images. The men are usually fair-haired and lanky, and who doesn’t love a man in worn Levis, gloves and scuffed boots?
Perhaps you’ve noticed that romance heroes are usually tall. Do you remember Evan Lysacek, the Gold Medalist in men’s figure skating in the 2010 Winter Olympics? You’ll find him on You Tube. He’s 6’2” and his skates add another couple of inches. When he glides onto the ice, he already looks like the winner. He’s handsome, lean and perfect hero material. He seems like a nice guy in interviews, but using him for a physical prototype, I don’t expect to ever meet or know him.
I’ve created many heroes with fair hair and blue eyes, doubles for Brad Pitt. They fit in a Viking tale. They’d have built muscles swinging a broadsword and rowing a sleek ship through the North Sea. I’ve been to Scandinavia, and the men there are some of the best looking in the world. They’re also impressively tall.
People often say someone isn’t their type. I’ve never read any explanation of why both men and women tend to prefer one physical type over another. Tall, lanky blue-eyed blonde men appeal to me, but I’ve no idea why. I’m sure there are scores of dark-haired short men who are wonderful fun. We’ll never find each other. Do you have a type that appeals to you? More dark sexy men are on romance covers than fair-haired men. Perhaps they appear more intriguing, more romantic, and more dangerous.
My February 26, release, FIERCE PRIDE, has a hero who is built like Evan Lysacek. He’s handsome, tall, lean, black hair, brown eyes and a popular matador. He has a matador’s remarkable grace. Many romance heroes are described as moving like panthers, but panthers have a low prowl and then spring for their prey. No heroine wants to a hero who leaps at her. At least, none of my heroines do. Just thinking about it makes me laugh.
I hope you’re spending Valentine’s Day with someone you love, or reading a great romance novel that will warm you to the tips of your toes.
February 13, 2013
Guest Blogger: Charlene Wilson (Contest)
Charlene entered Delilah’s Blog and tugged on Kami’s red-gloved hand to coax her along.
“Relax, Kami. These people don’t bite, you know. They’re excited to meet the star of One for Kami. They’ll love you.”
Kami’s shoulders arched and she shook her arms, ending with a murmur. “Oh, it’s not coming to Delilah’s that has me on edge. It’s that cursed Ober.”
“Ober? The inter-dimensional transport…thing?”
“Yes.” She ran her hands down her hips and cringed as she curled into a slight bow. “All the training in the world couldn’t prepare me for what that thing does.”
Charlene quirked her brow and eyed her heroine. She definitely looked frazzled, her lush red hair frizzed to create a fluffy poof around her face and down her back. Instead of brilliant blue eyes, they look glazed, lids puffy. Certainly not the prim Villa she usually portrayed. Even in the grubbies she wore during hikes and romping with the dogs, Kami managed to look dignified.
“Ober did that to you?”
Kami huffed, irritation vivid. “Pressure, they said. It almost crushes me to death! Light headed they said. More like light everything! It turned my entire body to jelly. Have you ever tried to steady your balance with an arm that warped into goo before your eyes?”
“Um… Well, no, I…”
“And when you finally get through it all, every move you make is like an involuntary turn on.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “It’s like a pending orgasm when a man simply touches your hand. Condrad, one of my guides, pulled that one on me and laughed when I, um…” A scowl finished her statement.
“Ah. Sorry, Kami. You must have gotten a little worked up with panic for it to make you so sensitive in that way.”
Kami heaved a sigh and folded her arms. “Well, I’ll try to be congenial while we’re here. But this really isn’t the best time to hold a blog post appearance. I thought the Ober transport would be better the second time, but apparently not.”
“Well, let’s just introduce One for Kami and invite everyone to join in the tour wide giveaway. We have some great prizes to give away and they can get all the details at Charlene Blogs.”
A spark lit in Kami’s dull eyes and a genuine smile touched her lips. “Yes, we do! A One for Kami SWAG package, Juicy Fruit prize package—There’s got to be a way for me to nab that one—, a $10 Amazon gift card…”
“And your red gloves! We can’t forget the best part. KnitWit’s Knits & Crochet is making a special pair for this tour and offering One for Kami fans a 20% discount if they order something from their Etsy Shop by using the coupon code One4Kami! So cool!”
“I can’t wait to see my gloves with the Hearts on Her Sleeve pattern on them.”
“I ordered a pair for myself. That prize alone is a $20 value!”
Sighing, Kami’s posture relaxed to match the new glow in her countenance. “I love my story.”
Charlene leaned her head, pride seeping through her chest. “And so will everybody else, sweetie.” She takes her hand and gives it a squeeze. “I know they will.”
Thank you for having us here today, Delilah. It’s a real treat! Have your readers get those Kindles ready, because One for Kami will be FREE to download at Amazon tomorrow (Feb 14th)! It’s a Sweet Sci-Fi Romance, the perfect “lunch-time” read. There’s also a Rafflecopter contest going on. Just follow this link for the list of prizes and for your chance to enter! And if you follow Charlene’s blog, you can earn more chances to win!
Can love be true if shared with more than one? Kami doesn’t think so when she finds Ian is an elite and required to take three wives to eliminate the poverty-stricken population. Why can’t he be poor the way she thought he was when she fell in love with him?
Determined to find a realm that doesn’t have such dictates, she travels to dimension Three-Two-Three to begin her search. But is love truer in a place that only allows one spouse than it is in Ian’s heart?
What they’re saying
“Sweet, romantic, and heartfelt. A great introduction to the author’s world.”—J.D. Brown Book Club
“One for Kami is a story that will have you willing to give up everything for your one true love.”—Annette, Gothic Mom’s Book Reviews
“[Wilson] spins a tale of true love spanning time and dimensions that will inspire the reader to sacrifice everything to find their soul mate.”—Debbie, Read2Review
Voices surged and Kami clung to the illegible sounds. A low groan rode alongside them. The vocals ebbed from her mind. Mute gray light drifted before her eyes, a flash of white, and then a haze. Darkness covered her vision. A sour pang caused her to lurch and she heaved, the voices clambering from a distance. The back of her skull thudded against a hard surface. Words broke between melodic and static riffs.
“Kami, breathe.”
Another groan punctuated the din, so close she opened her eyes to find the source. A woman’s profile came to view, a bright silver aura hazing the edges. Her long arched nose and narrow chin set a shocking presentation to add to her crinkled eyes and white hair. Her thin lips moved with a soft sound. “Get that cleaned up before she sees it.”
The senior turned to her, and Kami’s focus zeroed in on her pale blue eyes. Eerie yet kind, they held her attention. Folds on the woman’s face deepened with her smile. “Well, you made it. You had us worried there.”
Kami blinked hard and swallowed, acid burning the back of her throat. “What happened?”
“You were a little nervous during the transport, that’s all.” The woman nodded to someone off to the side and Kami rolled her head to the side to see who it was. The silver-blue aura stretched to the edge of a circular platform and she realized she lay on Ober’s transport base.
“Let’s get you sitting up. It’ll clear your mind and help you focus.” The escort slid her hand behind Kami’s neck.
As she pushed herself up, heat pulsed in her lower abs, spasms rushing through her core. Her breath hitched and she leaned forward, pressing her arm along her hips until the sensations dulled. A heavy sigh rushed from her lungs, causing the ache in her breasts to intensify. She brushed her palm along her chest to relieve the sensitivity, but it sent chills down her spine. A shutter clenched her stomach and the process started all over again.
God, this is awkward. I need privacy here.
A chuckle rumbled to her left and she glanced at the man beyond the hazy stage. His blond hair curled around his forehead and tapered to a band of shaved hair along the back of his head. His white lab coat hung loose around his lanky shoulders. A wide smile bloomed on his lips as he knelt beside her and held out a bottle of water.
His brown eyes sparkled with humor. “You’ll be mighty sensitive in those regions for a while with the level of panic you emitted. But that side effect will let up.”
She accepted the drink, a question on the tip of her tongue she didn’t want to voice.
“All of this affected your nerves,” he motioned to her private parts as if he had every right, “and those there are the most sensitive parts of a body. I’d take you as my third right now just to enjoy the fallout. Yes, sir, close the quota with a redheaded elite.”
Kami leaned away from him and his offensive comment. That is wrong on so many levels. How rude could one person get?
The woman pursed her lips into a little grin. “This is Conrad. I’m Coral. We’ll show you around the city and get you acquainted with things before we let you roam on your own. We can show you key areas to envision so you can sync and not have to deal with the vehicles they use here. Horrid contraptions if you ask me. Just remember to be hidden when you do so nobody sees you disappear. Of course, we’ll be around should you need us during your stay.” She motioned with her nod. “Now, let’s get you off this Ober base and steady on your feet.”
Kami glanced at the platform. “Sure glad this fog isn’t a lingering effect.”
Conrad’s cheery chuckle burst into laughter and he held out his hand to help her up. She grumbled under her breath and with a glower accepted the offer. His fingers slowly wrapped around hers and his thumb brushed along the top of her palm with light caresses. The sensual touch sent a charge to her nipples and spasms to her core. Her breath hitched, fire burning her cheeks and ears as she flush.
Her gaze snapped to the glint in his eye. The idiot did that on purpose! She snatched her hand from his grasp. “I think I’ll let Coral help me up.”
Another burst of mirth spit from Conrad and his hand flew to his mouth, stifling it into a sloppy snort. He peeked at her through gleeful lids and turned his palm to her in an apologetic gesture.
Kami looked at Coral to find the woman’s lips pinched between her teeth, the corners fighting to keep a serious regard.
I have to deal with these people for a week? She swore under her breath and slid from the platform, abandoning the bottled water. Pushing herself to a stand, she steadied her feet and tugged at her blouse to regain any dignity she had left.
Coral’s head tilted to the side and her white waves brushed her cheek. “Oh, Kami, I’m sorry, dear.” She pulled her into a hug. “Things will settle down.”
Conrad sniffled and folded his arms across his chest, nodding with agreement as he calmed.
Her pale blue gaze sought Kami’s as she held her at arm’s length. Brows pulling together, she whispered. “You are still a Vella, correct?”
Kami hesitated, studying the lady’s demeanor. What does being a maiden have to do with anything? “Yes.”
“Then I suggest you keep a little distance between you and fellows while you’re here. They’ll flock to you with that beautiful hair and those sweet blue eyes. And you’ll find them hard to resist in your current state.” She winked. “Gotta save yourself for marriage, you know.”
Riotous cackles exploded and Conrad doubled over, staggering to catch his balance.
Kami’s mouth dropped open. “God, give me a break!” Shrugging out of Coral’s touch, she marched along the cobbled path toward the exit. “I’ll find my own way around.”
As she gripped the doorknob, realization caused her to pause. She glanced at her snickering guides. “Um… Is my new boss a man or a woman?”
Conrad’s mirth rose to a new level and filled the arboretum. She huffed and marched out the door, his snorts and cries following her until he choked on his own breath.
Get your copy of One for Kami at Amazon: http://bit.ly/OneforKami
About the Author
Charlene A. Wilson
Creating worlds where dreams become reality.
Charlene is an author of paranormal tales that take you away to other dimensions. She weaves magic, lasting love, and intrigue to immerse you into the lives of her characters.
Author Links
Author site: http://CharleneAWilson.com
Blog: http://bit.ly/CharBlogs
Facebook: http://bit.ly/CharleneAWilsonFan
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AuthorCAWilson
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/CharleneAWilsonGR
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/charleneawilson/
February 12, 2013
Guest Blogger: Cat Johnson
Saturday’s winner is Toni Whitmire! Toni, congrats!
Email me to arrange delivery of your prize! ~DD
* * * * *
If I should die… The truth about research
If I should die before I wake, I pray hide my laptop before the FBI can take…
Ask any author and she’ll agree, there are some interesting, and often frightening items in our search histories. Things that probably wouldn’t look so good to an outside observer who doesn’t realize we’re really only researching a book. Mostly, anyway. LOL
What do authors go through when researching a book? Personally, I do anything and everything I can to get what I need. At times, I basically turn into an internet stalker.
For instance, right now I’m writing Three Weeks with a Bull Rider (Oklahoma Nights, Book 3). It’s a contemporary western romance and the hero is, you guessed it, a bull rider, and the heroine is studying to work in sports medicine.
I’ll admit I do have some interesting search histories thanks to this book, but that is par for the course when writing. In just the past week, I’ve searched the following things online…and yes, for dramatic effect I’m drawing a comparison between points one and two in the book.
Size and dimensions of an average grave
Dimensions of a bucking chute
Degrees in Sports Medicine
Map of Oklahoma
SEBRA (Southern Extreme Bull Riding Association)
Probably nothing there that could get me in trouble with the FBI, unlike in the past. If my online searches while writing my military scenes for A Prince Among Men (Red, Hot & Blue series) that encompassed 1980s Soviet weapons available to insurgents in Afghanistan today didn’t land me on the Homeland Security watch list, nothing will. The clit piercing research I did for Flanked (Studs in Spurs series) was also pretty eyebrow-raising.
But Google can only get a girl so far, and that’s when the stalking begins. Do you know that the Canadian Pro Rodeo Sports Medicine Team has a Twitter account? Guess who I’m following now? I also recently added a bunch more bull riders and bull fighters to my Twitter list.
My keeper shelf has morphed since I became a full-time writer. Now, amid those classic romances I can’t part with are little non-fiction gems such as War by Sebastian Junger. Also a memoir about a woman who spent time in a real life modern-day harem, a book that follows the lives of pro bull riders, and one written by a homicide reporter about the rash of murders of Army wives in Fayetteville, NC in the early 2000s. Right now, I have a browser open to the Journal of Neurosurgery page for a study on concussion rates in sports. Tantalizing stuff, huh? But necessary to add those layers to a story that make my fiction, resonate as real with readers.
I’ve found research helps me in the creative process as well. Sometimes searches will lead to plot ideas, or fun scenes—such as the fried bologna sandwich on the menu at Joseph’s Fine Foods in Drumright, OK that inspired a sexy scene in One Night with a Cowboy (Oklahoma Nights, Book 1) and has led to a great friendship with the restaurant’s owners. You can read all about that strange collaboration on my blog at http://catjohnson.net/2012/10/17/the-infamous-fried-bologna-scene/ .
Nope, you never know where our internet travels might lead. I guess you just have to hang on and enjoy the ride!
Cat Johnson
www.catjohnson.net
Look for ONE NIGHT WITH A COWBOY from Kensington Brava on preorder now for a February 26 release in both paperback and eBook!
An Oklahoma Nights Romance, Book 1
One Sweet Ride…
Oh yeah. A single look at the leggy blonde in the stands and Tucker Jenkins is
ready to buck all night long. It’s time to forget all about his cheating ex and his usual hands off policy.
One Hot Night…
Becca Hart is an East Coast professor. Not a buckle bunny. But no degree can prepare her for the moves of the sexy bull rider she hooks up with at her first rodeo … Or the shock of finding him at her first Oklahoma State University staff meeting.
One Happy Ending…
Tuck knows it’s all about holding on, no matter how wild the ride. Now he just has to convince Becca that a rough start out of the chute doesn’t mean they aren’t a smokin’ combination …
“…a sweet and hot hero you’ll want to keep around for longer than one night! Cat Johnson knows cowboys and the Oklahoma Nights series is a must read for fans of western romance.” ~ Lorelei James, NY Times Best Selling author
Winner of the Chocolate, Roses, and Handcuffs Contest!
The winner of the Chocolate, Roses, and Handcuffs Giveaway Hop is…June M! She was chosen by a random number generator! Congratulations, June! June, I’m sending you an email now!
Thanks to Kallypso Masters, Cari Silverwood and Full Moon Bites for hosting the contest! Thanks to everyone who played!
February 11, 2013
Where in the world is Titan?
I have to start this by saying I’m a ”wierd” magnet—one of those people that Ripley’s could include in their Believe It Or Not fact books for the sheer number of wierd happenings that occur around them.
Let me tell you about the wierd thing that happened today.
My office is maybe 12′x12′ and cram-jam-packed with a corner desk, three bookcases and a tall file cabinet which sits to the right of my big desk. Atop the file cabinet is my 18″-tall James Brown doll that sings “I Feel Good,” a Russian pencil holder with some of my stranger, collectible pens, a clay figurine of a shark with a man’s hand reaching out from inside its belly, and my little betta fish Titan’s bowl.
Today, I left to run errands in town while the lady who helps me by cleaning and organizing my “stuff” worked. When I returned, she was already gone, so I went to make a cup of hot chocolate before beginning my day’s work. I reach for the fish food to feed little Titan and I don’t see him in the bowl.
WTF? 
So, I got to thinking. My little fish took a turn for the worse about ten days ago, and I Facebooked the fact he looked like his health was heading south. But in recent days, he’s been looking more active, more like his spunky self. I thought maybe I’d been fooling myself that he was doing better and someone in the family found him floating while I was gone. Maybe they took care of his remains, knowing how upset I’d be if I’d been the one to find him. I canvassed everyone. No one was in my room today. Except my friend, the organizer whiz.
I called her, and she told me that when she cleaned the top of the file cabinet she noted that Titan was missing and assumed he’d died since the last time she’d been here. So no one who had access to my room knows anything about his disappearance.
I began to worry that he channeled his inner dolphin and leapt out of his bowl. I inched close to the wall behind the cabinet to search for his little body, searching the coffee cups on the table beside the cabinet in case he’d flopped there, and then looked everywhere else I could think that he might have wound up.
No Titan. I’m flummoxed. But now, I’m so intrigued I’m not grieving much for my little companion.
February 10, 2013
Guest Blogger: Serenity Woods (Contest)
I have a confession to make—I have a thing about fireworks. Okay, so that might seem obvious considering I write erotic romance! But I don’t just mean of the bedroom kind—I also love professional pyrotechnical displays, so much so that I made the hero of my latest friends-to-lovers romance, Mr. Insatiable, a pyrotechnician.
Did you know that the Chinese invented fireworks back in the 7th century? Fireworks continue to play an important part in Chinese culture, which also features in the book as some of is it set in the magical city of Beijing. Do you know your Chinese zodiac sign? Click here if you don’t: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac
If you’re having a baby this year, the Chinese New Year beginning 23-24 February 2013 is the Year of the Snake and people born under this sign tend to be attractive, graceful, private and sometimes unemotional, exciting and dark at the same time.
In England, fireworks are mostly used on Guy Fawkes Night, which is a celebration of the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot—the attempt to kill King James Ion November 5, 1605, and here in New Zealand we tend to use them mainly on November 5 too. Currently, the largest annual pyrotechnic display in North America is Thunder Over Louisville which kicks off the Kentucky Derby Festival.
I love the names of fireworks—many are named after flowers or plants, such as peony, chrysanthemum, dahlia and willow. Others have equally evocative names such as spider, hearts, diadem, horsetail and time rains. I adore these names and so does Kit, my hero—so much so that he writes a poem for a best friend who’s getting married. This is one of the verses from it:
The diadem of stars frames her pale face
The spider spins fragile gold like lace
Time rains silver, dazzling their embrace.
Yeah, it’s a bit soppy, but then Kit’s a romantic soul. He’s also sex on legs, and here’s another snippet that’s a bit racier…
She rested her palms on his chest, surprised at the firmness of his muscles beneath her fingers. She’d seen him shirtless in the summer, hugged him and given him teasing pushes a gazillion times, but she’d never touched him. With his lips still slowly brushing hers, and her heart thudding, she moved her hands up and traced his collarbone beneath the white shirt, and then lifted her hands up over his shoulders and around his neck, expecting him to draw back, laughing.
Instead of pulling away, Kit’s arms came around her, strong and tight, his hands sliding down her back to her hips. He pulled her against him, and to her complete and utter shock, pressed the hard length of his erection against her, obvious proof he didn’t feel as if he were kissing a sibling either.
Enya’s mouth opened and she gasped, inhaling sharply when his warm tongue brushed hers. For a second she froze, completely taken aback by his reaction, as confused as she had been in her dream by what he was doing and her reaction to him. He stilled, but before he pulled away, desire shot through her, and her instincts took over. Plunging her tongue into his mouth, she threaded her hands through his hair, pressing herself against him, molding her body to his.
Kit groaned, his hands tight on her butt. Unfamiliar yearning swept through her, and she tightened her hands in his hair, grazing her teeth against his bottom lip, pleasure mounting as he deepened the kiss.
She’d forgotten about the heels. She didn’t wear them very often, and when she lifted herself on tiptoe to press her breasts against his chest, she lost her balance. His weight pushed her back the six inches to the wall behind her, and she hit it with a jolt hard enough to make her gasp and break the kiss.
Kit stepped back. “Shit.” He ran both hands through his hair and then surveyed her, hands on hips, apparently lost for words.
Enya pressed shaking fingers to her lips, her head spinning.
I kissed Kit Fawkes!
Buy now from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Click here to read more about me or my books: http://www.serenitywoodsromance.com
If you like fireworks, have a weakness for friends-to-lovers stories, and/or adore sexy love scenes, then maybe Mr. Insatiable is your kind of book! For a chance to win a copy, leave a comment below and tell me about fireworks where you live – do you have fireworks at home, or do you attend professional displays? What time of year do you celebrate with them?
Serenity x
February 9, 2013
Snippet Saturday: Action
I’ll be back later to post the winner of the Chocolate, Roses and Handcuffs Giveaway! ~DD
Today’s round of snippets is all about the action! Grab the “Oh-shit-handle” and get ready for a wild ride! 
If you post a comment today, you’ll be entered to win
a free download of this book!
“With amazing suspense, and hot, dominant lovin’ this cowboy and his high school sweetheart take the reader on an amazing emotional journey. Mixed with a bit of humor, sizzling bedroom scenes, and cowboys that steal your heart, Ms. Devlin has created a beyond 5 Book worthy start of an incredible new series… Once again, thank you, Ms. Devlin, for stealing my heart with complex and witty characters, hot sex and riveting suspense!” ~5/5 Books, Reviews by Molly
“Devlin has done it again! I pretty much gobble up anything she writes and “Laying Down the Law” is another hit… Fun and fast, “Laying down the Law” is great for fans of western romances or someone looking for that great next “hot” read!” ~The Brunette Librarian
Seeking sanctuary could be the hottest mistake she ever made.
The TripleHorn Brand, Book 1
A lifetime ago, Zuri Prescott kicked the dirt off her boots and ditched her small-time small town for the glam city life—and lived to regret it. When she’s framed for a bank job, she lights out for home, seeking refuge with her old high school sweetheart while she figures out her next steps. Only she discovers that the boy she left behind is the last man she should trust.
Sheriff Colt Triplehorn knows trouble when he sees it, especially when it comes in the form of a familiar trespasser, caught naked between an angry bull and her underwear. Sure she’s up to her usual no good, he grants her sanctuary at his ranch—the better to keep an eye on her, and purge her from his system once and for all.
Reconnection is sweet and hot, but the heat can’t hide the truth. When Colt inevitably finds out what Zuri’s running from, it’s too late to put the fire out, and he’s got a career-compromising choice on his hands. Follow the letter of the law, or follow his heart.
Product Warnings: When a sheriff captures the girl who got away, expect revenge so hot it leaves brands on two lonely hearts…
Zuri woke slowly. Something tickled her nose and a bad, bad feeling snaked down her spine.
A shout sounded from the yard in front of the house, Scout’s excited barks punctuated the air. Her eyes fluttered open. Even though it was the dead of night, light chased across the walls of Colt’s bedroom. Bright red light that flickered and waved. The smell of smoke filled her with dread.
“Fire!” came more shouts. Boots thudded on the porch.
Instantly alert, Zuri pushed up from the bed, heart racing. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and ran to Colt’s chest of drawers, found another tee and too-large pants and dressed. She put on socks to protect her feet, then ran out the bedroom and down the hallway toward the front door.
Just as she reached for the doorknob, she felt a presence behind her. A moment later, a large hand closed around her mouth. Something hard nudged her ribs and she knew.
She smelled his cologne, felt the gust of his hot breath against her cheek. She went still as her blood chilled
“Have to stop meeting like this,” he whispered in her ear. His hand slid away from her mouth.
Torn between screaming and fighting, she quivered against him. Outside was chaos. Even if she had the courage to shout, they’d never hear her above the roar of the fire, the shrill whinnies of frightened horses and the shouts from the men as they scurried to put out the fire.
Tamping down her fear, she lifted her chin. “What did you do?”
“Set a fire in the barn,” he said, his tone weirdly gleeful. “It’ll give us a little time.”
She thought fast. Had all the hands left to take care of the fire? Even the ones watching the house? Stillness surrounded them. He’d done something. She just knew it.
“No one’s coming. Your guard’s gonna have a helluva headache when he comes to.”
A shiver racked her frame, but she stiffened her back. “I don’t know who you are,” she said, lying, because this time she recognized his voice. “You’ve already got me in the FBI’s crosshairs. You should have just let them find me. What more damage can you do?”
“I can make sure they stop looking. Point all eyes your way.”
“Bastard.”
A finger toyed with the hair beside her ear. “Too bad your sheriff didn’t show better judgment. If he’d locked you up, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“Leave him out of this.”
“Can’t. It’s too late now. He already harbored a person of interest. You disappear on his watch, they’re gonna think he let you escape. That maybe he knew all about the money and you cut him in so he’d look the other way.”
“He’ll be cleared. No one will believe he’s involved.”
“But it will take some time. Long enough for me to get far, far away.” He shifted behind her. “Open wide.” His hand appeared in front of her face, holding a wad of fabric
She didn’t want to open, but she didn’t really have a choice. He had a gun to her side, and she didn’t want anyone else hurt. She opened her mouth and waited while he stuffed the fabric inside. Panic welled because it was too large to push out with her tongue, and he wasn’t done. The gun fell away and tape covered her mouth, holding the wadding in place.
Then he dragged her toward the kitchen and the door leading to the driveway, away from all the commotion in front of the house. Opening the door, he pulled her out sideways, past the prone body of one of the hands.
She sobbed, the sound muffled. The urge to vomit rose up, but she tamped it down because she’d choke.
“Like I said, he’ll wake up. They’ll think you started the fire. That you hit him over the head making your escape.”
She dragged her feet, anything to slow him down, hoping like hell someone would see, but there was no one. The quiet enveloped them as he forced her quickly through a pasture toward the vehicle parked on the highway.
He didn’t pause at the fence. The barbed wire was cut. Another nudge on her ribs and he forced her into the passenger seat of the sedan and quickly restrained one hand with metal cuffs dangling from the oh-shit handle above the passenger-side window.
As he pulled away from the shoulder of the road, sirens sounded in the distance from the opposite direction. Fire trucks heading to the ranch.
Zuri watched as the Triple Horn Ranch faded in the distance.
She laid her head against the headrest and closed her eyes, praying for intervention, because she knew the farther down the road they got, the less her chances of ever being found were. She couldn’t imagine what Colt would go through when he discovered her gone. He loved her, had told her so, but would he hold onto that last nugget of uncertainty and believe she’d left willingly?
At least she’d had a chance to set things right. They’d had two days. Two perfect days. She could almost die happy. Almost. Except it would mean that David had won, and that thought made her mad as hell.
* * *
Colt jammed the truck into park in the middle of the road and yanked open his door. Two more county trucks pulled in, spitting gravel from beneath their tires, forming a barrier at the highway intersection. He’d used graveled ranch roads and a cutoff to get here quickly. He’d planned for just such an eventuality, coordinating with the sheriff from the next town over.
Wade stepped down from his truck. “If he makes it through this road block there’s another forming on down the road.”
The radio squawked. “Colt? Colt?”
Colt cussed under his breath. Gabe had never got the hang of the police radio.
“Got his taillights in front of me now. We’re about a quarter mile from you. Get ready.”
Colt clamped his hat on head, pulled out his rifle and opened his truck door to rest the barrel against the bottom of the window frame. In the distance, he saw the glint of metal in the early morning sunlight.
Wade clapped his shoulder. “We’ve got him boxed-in tight. No place he can go. We knew it was a diversion the second the barn went up.”
“Didn’t count on the fact he was already inside the damn house,” Colt ground out. “We were watchin’ the pastures, the roads.”
Gabe had seen him and Zuri slip across the pasture, but the bastard had a gun on her, and his brother had to hold back so Satterly wouldn’t spook and kill her on the spot. “Gabe’s been followin’ with lights off so he wouldn’t know he was bein’ trailed while I called in support. Should’ve arrested his ass the moment he nosed around the Roy’s garage.”
“Didn’t have cause,” Wade said from where he stood, rifle braced in the window on the other side of his truck.
Colt gave him a glance across the cab. “Wouldn’t have mattered. Zuri’d be safe. I should’ve been there. Should’ve stuck to her like glue.”
“You’re the law. It was your duty to alert the feds. When Satterly moved out of his hotel room, the deputies scrambled me. Had to call you, boss. It’s what you’ve been waitin’ for.”
Colt narrowed his gaze on the car approaching at a fast clip. The glint was Satterly’s sedan. He reached into the dash and flipped the switch to set the blue lights strobing. The other trucks followed suit.
The sedan slowed. Colt bent his head and stared through his rifle sight. It was Satterly behind the wheel all right. Beside him sat Zuri, her hand hanging from a set of cuffs. His gut tightened. She looked scared.
The car weaved then swerved, running off the road as the wheels turned and Satterly began to make a U-turn but discovered his way was blocked by another set of vehicles coming from the direction of the ranch.
Gabe slowed and flashed his headlights. Behind him were three more trucks, all from the ranch, ranch hands crammed in the cabs and tail beds, all armed.
“Hope they know not to let off a shot while she’s inside,” Colt growled.
“Your brother Tommy might think he’s so good with that rifle of his that he could take him out where he sits.”
“I’d have his ass if he tried.”
Satterly’s car halted, half in the ditch, then lurched back onto the road and headed slowly toward Colt and his deputies’ cars.
“Come on, buddy, do the smart thing.”
The car kept coming, the engine building. No sign from the driver he was going to stop.
Colt shook his head, pulled his rifle from the window and slammed his door closed. With his rifle held against his thigh, he strode down the center of the highway toward the car.
* * * * *
Be sure to check out the snippets on these other authors’ blogs:
Lauren Dane
Shiloh Walker
Jody Wallace
Shelli Stevens
TJ Michaels
McKenna Jeffries
Taige Crenshaw
Felicity Heaton
Eliza Gayle
Caris Roane
Myla Jackson
HelenKay Dimon
February 8, 2013
Guest Blogger: Sharon Hamilton
I admit it. I am addicted to the US Navy’s finest, the SEALs. Ever since I began writing these luscious characters, after a steady diet of dark angels, angels or golden and dark vamps, I knew I had found my groove. I knew I could spend the rest of my writing career telling their stories without running dry.
I find it easier to get into the “zone” when I write about them. The pages fly by, the stories bloom and intensify. Their love life is hotter than hot and their character only questioned by those who don’t know them. Just something about a man with bulging arms covered in tats, who wears Superman or Batman underwear, and who can roll around on the ground with his dog, or one of his kids. And he likes to sleep commando-style. He is the perfect hero, a soft-spoken guy who doesn’t much like getting public attention, but is confident and knows that he will do what others won’t or can’t. And he loves his fellow warriors as true brothers in a bond that is perhaps stronger than kin.
Book 2 of my SEAL Brotherhood series, Fallen SEAL Legacy, was released in December. It tells the story of Calvin Cooper, the “gadget guy” on SEAL Team 3 who “knows where to put the oil and where things need greasing.” He’s spent his early life under pickups and tractors on his daddy’s farm in Nebraska. Falling hard for the daughter of a prominent San Diego psychiatrist, he finds in Libby that missing piece, especially after the tragic death of his own family back home on the farm.
Upon graduation, every SEAL is given a KA-BAR knife inscribed with the name of a fallen SEAL who came before, usually in their chosen field. It is a solemn ceremony not attended by family or friends, as it demonstrates the path laid down by others who have made the ultimate sacrifice, in an unbroken chain from fallen to the living. No SEAL will ever forget whose name he is entrusted to stand remembrance for. In my story, Coop will fall in love with the niece of the man whose name he carries.
I am working on Book 3 now, Armando’s story, which should be out before the summer. Book 1, Accidental SEAL, came out last June.
I find inspiration in several musical artists when I write SEAL romance. Two Steps from Hell is a group I love listening to when I write. Here is a YouTube of one of the pieces I listened to almost one entire day while I was writing. With song titles like “Invincible” and “Protectors of the Earth” this music is perfect background for my characters, who workout to this music.
What about you? What do you love about the military hero, especially the SEALs?
Excerpt, Fallen SEAL Legacy:
Libby turned to go and Coop grabbed her arm. “Sorry.” He dropped his grip. “Stay for a bit. Then you can go.”
The two stood close enough that he could feel the heat from her body. She was a lethal, complicated, combination of spirit and emotion. Cooper liked girls who were easier to figure out. Though it wasn’t wise, he found himself making nice.
“I’d invite you in, but that wouldn’t be appropriate. Besides, the housekeeper has the day off. And Bay has had his way with the decorating and all.” His little smile was returned. Her eyes softened. Even in the dim light he could see her full lips, painted a deep pink, pucker as she formed her careful words.
“No problem.” She searched his face. He wanted to step to her, see if she would shrink if he slipped his hand up under her cotton top. But he held firm.
“You cold?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Let me go get a blanket. We’ll sit outside and finish our talk, okay?”
“Fine.”
That word again. Why do women like to use it all the time?
Coop unlocked the door and in two strides grabbed the throw on his dinette couch without turning on the lights. He bid the dog stay curled on the dog bed inside the kennel. He didn’t want Libby to see the interior of his soul. After all, this wasn’t a date.
He walked down the beach toward the surf and she followed slightly behind. He placed the blanket around her shoulders, feeling the smooth texture of her neck and upper arm as he did so. She grabbed the blanket together at her chest and sat down in tandem with him.
She was looking out to sea, the last remnants of the now-purple sky turning grey. A few stars began to come out. She leaned back and scanned the blue twilight ceiling.
“I love how you can see the stars here. Not like where I live,” she said.
“You don’t live in San Diego?”
“No. I’m in San Jose. I was going to the University of Santa Clara.”
“Was?”
“I’m taking a semester off.”
Coop didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t gotten his college degree yet, though he had started. “Time off can be a good thing,” he said but didn’t mean it.
“I’m getting my Master’s in psychology. I’ve been going to school non-stop for seventeen years. I don’t know, I just needed a break. Probably a stupid idea, but the thought of plunging into another year of studies frightened me for some reason.”
“So you’ll live at home, then?”
“No. I can’t think there.”
Coop was going to let her tell him. He didn’t want to ask, but he was dying to know.
Better stop this or you’ll get your dick in a ringer. Last thing he wanted to do was report back to Timmons that he’d not made contact with the brother, but fucked his daughter.
Shit. Cooper, you’re a fuckin’ asshole.
“I think best here. Everything seems right with the world when I’m in the water, or at the beach. Especially just after sunset.” Cooper chastised himself for being such a fucking romantic.
What the hell are you doing?
Libby turned her face to his. He watched as her pretty eyes fluttered over his features, ending with his mouth. Unless he had totally gone off his rocker, the lady was feeling something for him. Although excited, he wasn’t sure he should be.
“I’m sorry about your family,” she whispered over the sounds of the waves in the distance.
This unexpected painful reminder he was a damaged soul bothered him. He understood why she said it. Why do women always want to heal guys? He’d seen his share of relationship train wrecks in the SEAL community. He wasn’t sure he believed it was possible to do it successfully. But if he did, she might—
Damn. Stop this right now.
Cooper tore himself from her eyes and sifted sand between his bent knees. She was barely touching his thigh with her own. He hadn’t noticed that before. The warm glow tingled up his leg, sending his junk into alert status.
“My father had no right to treat you that way. I want to apologize for his behavior. That isn’t who we are. We’ve never met—” Libby stopped, her voice wavering. This was hard for her.
Her eyes searched his. It was so simple and happened so fast. He leaned in and placed his lips over hers to stop her from talking. He was going to back away, but she moved forward and increased the pressure. His tongue slipped along her lower lip until she parted them and he was in.
He touched her cheeks with the back of both hands, and then sent his fingers into her hair at the back of her head, pulling her into him. She did not resist, but melted into his chest. He kissed her neck and heard her moan. Her smell, her breath, the taste of her lips put him in a trance. He wanted her. It was so wrong, but he wanted her more than he’d wanted a woman in years.
* * * * *
Hope you’ll enjoy the journey I’ve created with my guys of SEAL Team 3, and will come back for Armando’s story this summer.
Sharon Hamilton
Life is one fool thing after another.
Love is two fool things after each other.
Sharon’s Blog ** Sharon’s Website ** Facebook**Twitter
Accidental SEAL
SEAL Encounter Fallen SEAL Legacy SEAL Endeavor all available through Amazon
Heavenly Lover
(Amazon) (Nook)
Underworld Lover
(Amazon) (Nook)
Honeymoon Bite
(Amazon) (Nook)
Accidental SEAL Book Trailer
February 7, 2013
Guest Blogger: Jenna Ives (Contest)
Authors (both traditionally published, and new Indie or self-published authors) know that the cover of your book is one of your biggest marketing tools. It’s your calling card, your chance to catch the attention of a potential reader and entice them to take a moment read the story blurb and then hopefully to buy your book. So I worked very hard on the cover of Programmed For Pleasure. It’s my third title, but my first full-length book. Programmed For Pleasure is a slightly futuristic erotic romance. Does my cover convey that other-worldly feeling as well as the sexual element?
The title of any book is also important. A reader should be able to tell just from the title what the book will be about. My title may convey erotica, but it’s actually an erotic romance. And the story, pardon the pun, is more than skin deep…
Here’s the premise:
Tau Cetus police agent Jai Turner is being sent undercover as a Beautiful Dolls sex robot in order to bring down the planet’s most notorious arms dealer, Marque Callex. The police have never been able to get close to Callex, and Jai’s assignment is to use her sexual skills to satisfy Marque, and to coax information out of him on his illicit weapons dealings—information that will lead to his conviction.
Notoriously reclusive arms dealer Marque Callex only accepted an invitation from Beautiful Dolls because he needs a little stress relief. With his deadly line of work—and the dangerous secrets he’s keeping—he rarely lets anyone into his life. That’s why a week of free, no-commitment, no-holds-barred sex—in return for giving Beautiful Dolls owner Anson Carron feedback on how his newest model of sexbot performs—is perfect for him.
But neither Jai nor Marque are what they seem, and their week together has consequences neither expect.
What do you think? Have I created an attention-grabbing cover with my heroine’s starburst blue eyes and too-perfect robotic face? Does the title convey what the book is about? Is my premise interesting enough to entice a reader to want to buy the story? And do you agree that these elements are important in marketing a book?
Let me know what you think! I’ll be giving away a free copy of
Programmed For Pleasure
to one commenter chosen at random.
Jenna
www.jennaives.com
February 6, 2013
Guest Blogger: Lisa Carlisle
Hello, I’m Lisa Carlisle, author of the Underground Encounters series at Ellora’s Cave. I’m here to talk about how I use music when developing a character. I’ve used the character development worksheets and interviews, but what really helps me picture a character and develop him or her more fully is knowing what kind of music he or she listens to.
For example, in my latest release Fiery Nights, Tristan Stone is a brooding character who avoids people, thinking he is cursed. Already prone to dark moods, he sinks even deeper when he loses Maya, the light to his darkness. In his bleak moment, he listens to what else but Nine Inch Nails. When writing these scenes, I turned out the lights and listened to Something I Can Never Have and Hurt many times to evoke the misery Tristan experienced at her loss.
And then I had to listen to something more upbeat so I wouldn’t sink down into the darkness with him!
Music is a big part of my series since it is set in an underground goth club. So on my Web site I include playlists for each of the books, as well as other playlists that I think readers of my books might enjoy. Check it out and leave a comment if you have others to recommend.
Lisacarlislebooks.com/playlists (check link)
Now I have a question for you. Does knowing what kind of music a character listens to help you envision the character more? Or is it just me? 
Here are blurbs for my first two books in the series, Smoldering Nights and Fiery Nights. Books 3 and 4 will be released this year so follow me on your social media of choice to stay tuned. Thanks!
“If you are looking for a short story full of action and passion then pick up Smoldering Nights and get ready to be hooked on the series.” ~ Sizzling Hot Book Reviews.
Fiery Nights
He may own a Goth nightclub, but Tristan Stone avoids people—the darkness that surrounds them drains him. When he sees Maya for the first time, alone on the dance floor, a light surrounds her. He must discover who she is and what gives her power. He wants her, must have her.
Maya sees a man with haunting eyes watching her from the back of the club. She feels their connection, but thinks it’s merely physical attraction. Their passion ignites, overpowering them, and they must work together to understand their connection. The heat of their passion could send their world up in flames.
A Romantica® erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Read an excerpt
Buy Now at Ellora’s Cave
Buy Now at Amazon
Smoldering Nights
Nike loves visiting the goth club Vamps—she can exchange her firefighter uniform for a slinky fantasy outfit. There she runs into the man she’d been admiring from afar at a rock climbing gym. He’s been the star of all her fantasies, so is it any wonder they end up in his private room upstairs? Just when things begin to heat up, Michel’s enemies appear.
Only Michel isn’t an ordinary mortal. And someone from his past is on the hunt for vengeance. Michel and Nike are forced on the run and hide out in a coastal cottage in Maine. They can’t resist their attraction and spend the nights exploring each others’ bodies while trying to sort out how they feel about each other. Can they overcome their differences to be together? And how will they evade the predators who are chasing them?
Read an excerpt
Buy now at Ellora’s Cave
Buy now at Amazon
For More on Underground Encounters
For more info on the series, including photos, playlists, reviews, and more, visit www.lisacarlislebooks.com.
