Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 53
May 22, 2024
Gabbi Grey: How to have fun writing a short story (Contest)
Hello Delilah! Thank you for letting me visit today. I’m here to share another charity anthology (big surprise), but this is not like my other ones. Deity Bound: A God and Goddesses Paranormal Anthology is about, well, gods and goddesses. Norse, Greek, Indian…gay, straight, lesbian…we’ve got it all! And proceeds for Breast Cancer Research, no less.
When I signed up, I had no idea what I was going to write. Often, I don’t. Another writer was contemplating doing a Native American god, so I knocked the Canadian version off my list. I have an Aussie friend and I asked about their Aboriginal gods. My friend, though, had a different idea. She asked me for a trait that could be either a negative or a positive. I was like…? Uh, stubbornness. I related it back to myself. I’m stubborn in that I never give up with my writing. Okay, sounds great—I never abandon a story—I finish everything. Except, sometimes, there are projects that should be abandoned. They’re not working. They’re taking up too much brain space for little or no reward. While I was contemplating this, she took to Googling.
Enter Pertinacia—the goddess of, essentially, stubbornness. Daughter of Nix, Granddaughter of Chaos, sister to Chronos and a bunch of other gods. Nix really got around (good for her!). Anyway, my Aussie friend and I (I call her the plot whisperer) came up with a story set in North Vancouver, Canada, and involved Pertinacia being knocked out of time by Chronos and sent to a park on Earth in 2024.
From there, I flew with writing my story. I had Dani, a woman who’d just had her heart broken by her long-term girlfriend. I had Pertinacia the demigoddess. And, for fun, Pertinacia’s family came to visit. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was the closest to a rom-com that I’d ever written. My beta readers and editor love it. I’m hoping readers will as well. All that from stubbornness. Who knew!?!?
As a gift, I’d like to give one commenter a $5 Amazon Gift Card. Is there a God or Goddess whose story you’d like to see? Or a favorite movie? I saw Hercules as a child and Medusa still gives me nightmares. Comment and you might randomly win! Thanks again, Delilah!
Deity Bound
Deity Bound features my story, My Fair Goddess.
Eternity breaks the smallest souls, but a god will never be ruined…except perhaps by the one who holds their heart.
The one who can rip at their soul or soothe it because it was always theirs.
But after an eternity alone, can a god give back the love given them, or wreak havoc upon a mortal’s soul?
Read the best USA Today best-selling and award-winning romance authors in a spicy gods and goddesses collection for charity curated by The New Romance Cafe, with all proceeds going to the fight against Multiple Sclerosis.
Authors:
Chele MacCabe
Francis Black
Lily Kindall
V.V. Strange
Katey Tattrie
Niki Brazen
TL Hamilton
Emmy Dee
Cecelia Conway
Jane Poller
Kataya Moon
Alexa Santi
Nicole Sondelle
Cameron J Quinn
Serafina Jax
Michaela Brent
Mikayla Rand
Tati B. Alvarez
Raven Hush
Kathleen Ryder
Niki Trento
Sonja Flowers
Ariel Dawn
Kathia Iblis
Christine Ashworth
Annee Jones
Gabbi Grey
Glori Medina
The anthology will only be available for a limited time.
Links:
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/TNRC2024DeityBound
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Deity-Bound-Goddesses-Paranormal-Collection-ebook/dp/B0C7NXZWCP
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176294379-deity-bound
In the ominous light of the coming storm, the disheveled petite woman I rescued seemed helpless and in need of protection. Big miscalculation. Tina’s a demigoddess—a pint-sized powerhouse stranded in the twenty-first century—but far from a damsel in distress. Still, first impressions linger, and I can’t be in awe of someone I taught to use a toaster and to make microwave popcorn. I’m falling hard for her when her grandfather, the god of chaos, demands her return. Can our love and courage stand up to the old gods, or will we lose each other to an ancient land and powers I can barely understand?
About Gabbi GreyUSA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.
The post Gabbi Grey: How to have fun writing a short story (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.
May 21, 2024
Delta Heat, Book #2 is out now! Enjoy FOURNICOPIA!
So, maybe I had too much fun with this series’ countdown titles. I wanted the countdown, but I also wanted some humor. If you love a sexy story that will also make you smile, well, I have the story for you. And it’s FREE in Kindle Unlimited! Follow the link to read the opening of the book—but be prepared to have your eyeballs scorched. It starts right in the “action.”
Order your copy now! | Read an excerpt!
The post Delta Heat, Book #2 is out now! Enjoy FOURNICOPIA! first appeared on Delilah Devlin.
Forget the sugar. Send her the spice.
Gus Taggert knows a setup when he sees one. The doughnut shop his police officer buddies have sent him to, Cornucopia, is too frilly, too pink. Then the woman behind the counter serves up a mini-lesson in submission that leaves him ready and willing to obey her order to see her tonight at La Forge BDSM club.
The large, burly cop is exactly the kind of alpha guy that newly minted Domme Aislinn Darby has been dying to tie up and spank. Yet after she puts him through his paces, she finds herself eager to let him take control—something she’s never before enjoyed with a man.
Determined to find out once and for all if she has what it takes to control a scene, she orders him up for one more go. Only this time, she intends to ensure he remembers who’s in charge. She’s even willing to offer a little bribe: accept her dictates, and his reward is her—any way he wants her.
Except when it’s time for payback, it comes with several twists she never sees coming.
Product Warnings: When a male sub decides to turn the tables on his pretty Domme, he calls for backup from his best friends. Contains scenes with m/m/f, m/f/m, f/f, spanking, restraints, and an orgy of pleasure no woman can resist.
Note: This book was previously published.
May 20, 2024
Loretta C. Rogers: Brand New Release — 8 SECONDS TO DIE (Excerpt)
When veterinarian and amateur sleuth, Dr. Tullah Holliday reluctantly agrees to help a former high school bully, now ex-con on parole, and a breeder of rodeo bulls, who is being threatened by a drug syndicate, she finds herself in a world of corruption; especially when she digs up dirt on a dishonest sheriff and his deputy.
From a rattlesnake delivered in a giftwrapped box, to a vicious bull attack, as Tullah puts together the pieces of the case, a killer is preparing to strike again, and this time, it could send this nosy veterinarian to an early grave.
Excerpt from 8 Seconds to Die…
The silence that permeated the room had never sounded so loud. I finally said, “What happened then? Did you call the sheriff, or 9-1-1?”
Caleb poured another drink. It was halfway to his mouth when Caroline admonished, “That’s enough, Caleb.”
He racked a trembling hand over his face before downing the bourbon. He grimaced. “Yeah, sure, it’s just that I keep seeing Pop’s mangled body.” He heaved a deep sigh. “We rushed to the barn. Diablo had blood on both horns where he’d gored Pop. My ol’ man lay in a heap like a broken doll. I wanted to shoot the bull. I guess it was a good thing Rex and Baily stopped me. “We called Sheriff Coffey. He came with two deputies and the medical examiner, Reed Duckworth. Duckworth put Pop’s death at approximately two a.m. He said it appeared almost every bone in Pop’s body had been broken by the mauling.”
I had to ask, “Was there an investigation…did you request an autopsy?”
Both Caroline and Caleb gave me owlish looks. Caleb said, “Investigation…what was there to investigate? The bull broke out of his pen. He gored my father to death. End of story. And no, we didn’t request an autopsy. We knew how Pop had died. I don’t understand why you’re asking these questions, Tullah.”
Not satisfied with the shortened version of the answer, I persisted. “From the way you’ve reinforced the pens with metal bars, how did the bull get out? Was your father gored in the front or in the back? Wasn’t there a door or a ladder to the loft that he could’ve used to escape the attack? Was there any evidence of tampering with the latch on the gate of Diablo’s pen?”
Caroline and Caleb sat silent. Their silence cued me that there was more to the story. I waited. “Listen, you two, you’ve asked for my help. I’m getting a bit weary of the pranks and the evasiveness. What is it you’re either hiding or not telling me? Was Carl’s death an accident or murder?
“Does his death have anything to do with the threats you’ve received, and especially threats against your children? Have the perpetrators made demands for money or for something otherwise?”
*~*~*
8 Seconds to Die is book #5 in the Doc Holliday Mystery Series.
Books are available at:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Seconds-Die-Doc-Holliday-Mystery/dp/1509254919/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/8-seconds-to-die-loretta-c-rogers/1145014706?ean=2940186042167
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209767678-8-seconds-to-die
Loretta C. Rogers is a fourth generation Floridian. She has rounded up cattle and participated in a couple of twenty-five-mile endurance trials with her mustang mare. She uses her life experiences to create stories. For example, rodeo is her favorite sport. Years ago, she and hubby were at a rodeo in Kissimmee, Florida. They were camping out and had to skedaddle when someone opened the gates to the bull pens. Thankfully, only their tent suffered. On the upside, Loretta got to meet Michael Landon, who played Little Joe Cartright on Bonanza. These and other past life experiences spurred the idea for “8 Seconds to Die,” a rodeo themed contemporary mystery that includes murder, drug syndicates, rattle snakes, and laced with a thread of paranormal.
Contact Loretta at:
https://www.facebook.com/loretta.rogers.3591/
https://www.lorettacrogers.blogspot.com/
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/loretta-c-rogers
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Loretta-C.-Rogers/author/B004948XP2
https://twitter.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2FBooksbyLoretta
https://www.instagram.com/rogers.loretta2018/?hl=en
May 19, 2024
Report Card & Open Contests!
Last week…
I finished one editing job for another author, plus, I worked on two others.I finished revising, formatting, and uploading Fournicopia, which releases Tuesday.I worked on art for #The100DayProject.I did not write ONE WORD on the book due to release next month, Cyrus. I was too covered up with edits. [image error]This next week…
I will work on four editing projects for other authors, finishing two!Carried over from last week: I will try to find art for the next anthology, Secret Identities. Plus, I’ll work on the webpage on the Collections site, adding loglines for each author’s story.I will begin editing the stories in Secret Identities.I will complete revising the third story in the kink series I’m republishing and get it uploaded.I will begin writing my next Montana Bounty Hunter story, the first in the West Yellowstone office, Cyrus . (This is carried over, too. I made NO progress.)I will continue creating small art daily for #The100DayProject. Plus! I will attend a papermaking workshop next Saturday and Sunday!Carried over from last week: I’ll work on a gazillion administrative and cleanup duties I need to catch up on. My office is a disaster at the moment.I’m so ready for a vacation…
Open Contests
May 18, 2024
Saturday-Puzzle Contest: Couple in Waterfall
It’s Saturday! There’s one more week ahead of getting kids up early for school, then we can ease into lazy mornings! I can’t wait. But it’s not today. Too much to do. So many pages to edit!! Enjoy the puzzle!
For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then tell me something about the couple you see here. Why are they there? Does their setting cause some issues? Can they breathe? Have fun with it.
The post Saturday-Puzzle Contest: Couple in Waterfall first appeared on Delilah Devlin.May 17, 2024
What would you like to see here? (Contest)
It’s Friday. The kids have one more partial week of school before they’re FREE for the summer. I love summers. Not only do we spend an inordinate amount of time in the pool, my daughter is very skilled at finding things for them to do that are fun. We, of course, like to snack around the pool and cook around the pool. When the bugs aren’t horrible, we bring the outdoor projector out at night and shine a movie against the chicken coop wall (I know that sounds ridiculous, but it is fun! Imagine watching episodes of Jimmy Neutron while sitting in lounge chairs under the stars.). We try to float the river at least once during the summer. We go to the beach at the local lake. We like movie nights inside, where we snack on finger foods. We have special meals where we’re all involved with prep. Do you own a raclette grill? We bought one maybe five years ago, and we bring it out to set up in the middle of the dining table to melt cheese over meat and veggies. It’s like fondue, I guess, but everything is grilled in individual trays. Then you place your grilled bites on hard crackers or bits of bread and gobble it up. Tasty and fun! We head to the movie theater several times during the summer. We buy the refillable popcorn tubs and eat before we head out to the movies to save on expenses. And we buy tickets to the matinees as opposed to buying full-price tickets for nighttime movies. We have craft projects—painting days, for example. So many things. We head to the library. We have plans. Lots of them. But we’re always looking for fresh ideas.
I’d like to do the same here and look for fresh ideas for this blog. I talk a lot here. It’s my daily habit to open up a blank screen and word-vomit about what’s happening with books and share the space with other authors who want to be seen. We play games (do you still love the puzzles?). While contemplating clearing my bookshelves, I instituted a new contest this last week, the “Clear My Bookshelf Giveaway,” that you apparently like, at least for this first outing, because the comments have surged. Yes, I prefer giveaways of cyber-gifts because I hate going to the post office, but I also hate the thought of consigning books to the burn barrel—it seems like a crime to even consider, but I have a finite amount of space in my office, and it’s time to thin out those books.
So, there’s a point somewhere in this post. Maybe I’ll find it. My fingers are typing, but they often speed ahead of my brain. Thank goodness, otherwise I’d never write a book.
I’m pausing now, because I do need to find the point. Today’s question… What was I talking about?
Oh, yeah. New ideas. Things you’d like to see. I’m glad I put that at the top of this post in the subject line, or I’d just keep rambling. Tell me what you like seeing here in this space. What sorts of prizes do you like? I can do signed books, downloadable books, bookmarks, small pieces of art, gift cards… Gift cards are easy, but they do add up. Mailing things isn’t so easy, but I do like to change things up, and I can enlist my dd to head into town for me. Yeah, she’s going to be busy with the kids this summer, but she’s a great multi-tasker. She rarely reads this blog. I hope she doesn’t decide to do so today.
Comment for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!
The post What would you like to see here? (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.May 16, 2024
Word Search: Things to Cook on Our Blackstone Griddle (Contest)
Last weekend, my daughter and SIL splurged on a new Blackstone griddle. Frankly, I’d never heard of one, and when they explained it to me, I thought, yeah, a new barbecue, right? Well, my daughter is very, very serious about her new griddle. She has never once expressed interest in our grill or our smoker. In fact, the first night we had it, after she seasoned the griddle, she cooked our entire breakfast-for-dinner (eggs, bacon, sausage) on the griddle in a quarter of the time and dishes we would have normally in the kitchen. Plus, we ate at our patio table outside, steps away from the griddle. The following morning, the 19-year-old made a ton of French toast in minutes, and again, we enjoyed our meal on the patio.
Okay, I’m sold. Instead of multiple pans and cooking times, everything is done on one surface at the same time—outside. And clean-up is quick! Cool. We’re going to make hibachi and smashburgers this coming weekend, and I can’t wait.
For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then make some suggestions for other things we might cook up on this new outdoor griddle.
The post Word Search: Things to Cook on Our Blackstone Griddle (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.May 15, 2024
Gabbi Grey: Retelling a tale as old as time… (Contest)
Hello, Delilah! Thank you for welcoming me back to share my new release. As you might know, I’m always game to try something new when it comes to writing. I was approached last year to write a gay romance retelling of a fairy tale and to say I was excited was an understatement. Several tales were still available, and I snagged The Beauty and the Beast. I didn’t know much about the story beyond the two Disney retellings, so I set about doing some research. Which, of course, included buying the Disney combo and watching the movies again. The one stipulation on my story was that I couldn’t include magic. No singing candelabras, dogs as footstools, or little boys as teacups.
Undaunted, I tackled the project and…came up blank. I knew I wanted to set the story in my Mission City, British Columbia world, but beyond that…I had nothing. One day, I was chatting with a friend from Australia. She said she wanted me to either write a story with a Canadian bloke in Australia or an Australian bloke in Canada. Something clicked. That morning (about 4 a.m. for me and about 9 p.m. for her), we plotted out a basic story. About an Aussie forester coming to Canada to study, well, forestry management techniques. So that was my Beauty – a lumberjack of sorts. Then I needed a beast. Since I was already flipping the trope, I decided to go with a slender, petite former model. In stereotype parlance – a twink. From there, we crafted out a story figuring out how Beauty (Dean) would wind up at Beast (Adam)’s castle (and yes, I have a real castle…of sorts…) Throw in a dog named Chip, a cat named Maurice, and a pile of characters from the world I’d already created…and I had the skeleton outline of my story.
Executing this book turned out to be more challenging than I’d anticipated, and at one point I despaired of ever getting it ready to publish. Toss in two amazing beta readers (one Aussie) and a fantastic editor and…we made it. I hope readers will love the book as much as I now do. A very different telling than the Brothers Grimm might’ve planned, but still something worth reading, I hope.
Thank you for letting me visit today. I would love to give away a $5 Amazon Gift Card to one commenter. Either tell me which fairy tale you would like to see modernized or feel free to mention an adaptation you’ve recently enjoyed. Random Number Generator will select one lucky winner!
The Beauty of the BeastA Contemporary Fairytale MM Romance
About the Author
Dean
All my life, I dreamed about making the long trip from Australia to Canada to study forestry amid the old-growth stands of the Pacific Northwest. Now here I am, living the dream. Of course, nothing’s perfect. The only housing I can find is renting a room from a grumpy, reclusive guy who doesn’t seem to want me around. I should keep out of his way and focus on my studies, but there’s something about him that keeps drawing me in. I feel less homesick when I’m with him, and maybe I can make a difference for more than just the trees.
Adam
Life as I knew it ended with my horrific accident ten years ago. There’s no point to my existence now, but I can’t seem to stop living, so I hide my battered carcass in my mountain home. There, I can wander from room to room and no one stares, no one laughs, no one even remembers I exist. Until I make the mistake of offering a stranded Aussie a room to rent. It should’ve been a simple favor—two men with our own spaces, ignoring each other. Instead, he’s always close by, and he won’t let me wallow, and what’s worse, I think I’m starting to like that. But there’s no way someone like me can have a future with someone like him. Right?
The Beauty of the Beast is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, set in the wilds of British Columbia, where an Aussie forester a long way from home falls for the untouchable man he shouldn’t want. The novel has moderate angst, a feisty foreigner, and what happens when someone trusts again.
Links:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Beast-Contemporary-Fairytale-Romance-ebook/dp/B0CN4VXZ2T
Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/TheBeautyoftheBeast
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-beauty-of-the-beast/id6499569892
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beauty-of-the-beast-gabbi-grey/1145522583
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-beauty-of-the-beast-5
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1558154
USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.
Personal links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up: https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey
Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Grey/e/B07SJVFX1M
Audible Profile: https://www.audible.com/author/Gabbi-Grey/B07SJVFX1M
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GabbiGrey
May 14, 2024
If you like stories on the spicy side… FIVE WAYS ‘TIL SUNDAY is out today!
I have a 5-book series that will be arriving one per week for the next few weeks. The first in the series is Five Ways ‘Til Sunday! It’s available for only $0.99 and FREE for Kindle Unlimited subscribers! Just remember, they are erotic romances. Sex-fest fantasies. Yes, I’m not the least bit ashamed I wrote them. *wink* Enjoy!!
Order your copy now! | Read an excerpt!
The post If you like stories on the spicy side… FIVE WAYS ‘TIL SUNDAY is out today! first appeared on Delilah Devlin.
A Memphis cop bent on marrying an unconventional woman turns to his friends to tick every sexy item off her bucket list to get her to “yes”…
The more Marti Kowalski tries to convince Memphis PD Officer Jackson Teague she’s not the right woman for him, the more he wants to marry her. It’s crazy, and he won’t listen to reason. Of course, she’s tempted, but there are things she wants to experience before she ties the knot. All sorts of kinky things that involve knots—just not the marital kind. And she’s written them down.
When Jackson finds out what’s on Marti’s mind, he knows just what to do. He calls on his brothers in blue, four men he trusts with his life. Between the five of them, he’s sure they can check off each and every item on Marti’s bucket list in one wild, wicked weekend.
Of course, Marti has to agree to follow through, and he has to decide if he can bear to share her.
Product Warnings: Contains scenes with m/f/m, spanking, restraints, and an orgy of pleasure no woman can resist.
Note: This book was previously published.
May 13, 2024
Clear My Bookshelf Giveaway (Contest)
I’ve got a hoarding problem. This picture is of one section of my bookshelf. I have a s@#t-ton of my books, collected over my 20 years of publishing. So, I thought it’s time to do something about them. The burn barrel seemed too…tragic. So I thought maybe a bunch of giveaways might be fun. Then the giveaways needed a name. The only thing that came to mind was, the Clear My Bookshelf Giveaway. Afterall, I need more room for things like my Funko Pop bobbleheads or some Star Trek action figures. Important stuff.
So, for a chance to win a randomly chosen by me (I might say, do you want a western, an erotic novel, or a paranormal?) book, which I will of course sign and fill with a bookmark and a postcard, painted by me, tell me whether you’re as excited as I am for summer to come!
If you like this contest, we’ll do it again, and again, and again, until I have space on my bookshelves!
The post Clear My Bookshelf Giveaway (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.
