Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 95
February 23, 2023
Sliding-Puzzle Challenge: Woman Fleeing Dragon (Contest)
I’m coping with the hand. I’ve been doing a ton of edits. Yesterday, I finished another chapter of Mica! So, while I’m slow, I’m also steadily getting the work done.
I also decided not to throw in the towel for the #The100DayProject—that annual art challenge I so love. I decided my weakened, hobbled right hand could be an asset and tried this…
They are “twinchies”—two-inch squares—and used a dip pen (plus a blower bulb on the second one) and acrylic ink to draw these squiggly, shaky flowers. So, Day 1 is done! Woot!
I decided I’d give another kind of puzzle a try. Just to switch things up. And it’s easy-ish to operate, but challenging like a Rubik’s cube to move the puzzle pieces to the right places. See the grayed square? If you tap on any regular square around it, those two pieces will change places. The numbers tell you the order the pieces should be in. So, good luck. I got three in place before I had to take a break. I’m leaving that screen open so I can come back to it and not start all over again!!
So, today’s contest? Play with the puzzle. Then in the comments, 1) tell me how many pieces you got into the right place before you threw up your hands, and 2) whether you want me to give you this kind of puzzle again sometime. I’ll choose a random commenter to win a $5 Amazon gift card! Have fun!
The post Sliding-Puzzle Challenge: Woman Fleeing Dragon (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.
February 22, 2023
N.J. Walters: Dark Days of Winter
Unless you’re a vampire, you’re probably not fond of the shorter days this time of year. I know I’m not. It’s February, the time of year where winter still has you firmly in her icy grip and spring is still far out of reach.
What do you do to get through these dark weeks?
Personally, I enjoy burrowing under a fleecy blanket on the corner of the sofa with the television remote control and a book. Add the occasional cup of tea and bowl of snacks and I’m set. If you’re being honest, you probably do the same thing too…and there’s nothing wrong with that. We all need some comfort these days.
It’s easy this time of year for physical activity to fall by the wayside. It’s bitterly cold, snowy, and windy where I live, and I’ve never been a fan of outdoor sports…or cold, for that matter. That’s not good for me, considering my job means I spend endless hours sitting at a keyboard. I try to make myself get up and walk around the apartment many times throughout the day, do some easy yoga a few days a week. It all helps.
It’s a great time of year to take up a new hobby or rediscover your love of an old one. Maybe dig out that new recipe you’ve been meaning to try. There are plenty of ideas online if you’re looking for inspiration. You can find videos about practically anything on YouTube. It’s fun to see what other people are creating.
Whatever you do, I hope you take advantage of these long, dark days of winter. Enjoy yourself and make the most of this quieter time of year.
And if you’re looking for a new book and enjoy sexy, immortal assassin Viking warriors, you might want to check out my lateset release.
Hunter AvengedForgotten Brotherhood Book 6
It’s taken Viking hunter Sven Knutson six frustrating months to find her. To track down the angel responsible for compromising the Forgotten Brotherhood and waking the drakon. She may be clever. Resourceful. But no one ever gets away from Sven. Ever.
All Rivka longed for as an angel was a chance to serve on Earth and help humans. Instead, it all went impossibly, horribly wrong, and she still doesn’t understand how or even why. All she knows is that she’s on the run—not only from Heaven’s dangerous elite guard, but also from the Brotherhood, who want answers.
She might just have to trust the immortal Viking whose icy blue eyes make her feel almost wickedly human. Because someone wants Rivka dead and the Brotherhood eliminated. Someone powerful enough to take on the most dangerous assassins who have ever lived. Someone who could unleash the fury of both Heaven and Hell…and Rivka is the key.
Find HUNTER AVENGED here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMYKZQ2T/
Entangled Publishing: https://entangledpublishing.com/books/hunter-avenged
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hunter-avenged-n-j-walters/1142718008
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/hunter-avenged-2
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/hunter-avenged/id6444414711
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/N_J_Walters_Hunter_Avenged?id=zPqcEAAAQBAJ
N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.
Visit her at:
Website: http://www.njwalters.com
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters
February 21, 2023
Little Update, Minimal Whining, and Giveaway Reminder!
This is just a quick flyby like all my posts lately. I’ll be so happy to be rid of this stupid hand splint thingy. Tapping keys with three fingers is a pain. Doing shift key things is an even bigger pain because it slows me down while I use my right thumb them hunt and peck to find the keys with my left hand. My left-hand doesn’t know where the keys I hit with the right are, so I have to look down at the keyboard. Again, *whine*whine*whine*
I’m such a baby. And how I hate to call a kid or my daughter to pick things up for me or carry things downstairs for me. It’s endless, and then they get mad at me if I attempt it on my own. Gah
How are you doing today?
This is just a quick reminder that this freebie will go away soon,
so download your copy now!
The Runaway Bride
February 20, 2023
Gabbi Black: Romances Around the World! (Contest)
When The Wild Rose Press put out a call for steamy romances set in foreign lands, I took note. A good friend suggested I write one about Canada. I was like, uh, hang up…aren’t we almost like America? As I sit, mere miles from the US border, I feel the weight of our neighbor the south—the politics, the entertainment, the sports teams…
She checked, and yes, Canada isn’t part of the 50 states, so go for it! I knew I had to write about my favorite city, Vancouver. I’d already set a book in the Vancouver film industry, so I took a couple of characters I knew, created some new guys I hoped readers would fall in love with an, under my penname Gabbi Grey, wrote the gay romance novella Valentino in Vancouver.
Meanwhile, I had the opportunity to get to know some of the other Passport to Pleasure authors. They set books in Cairo, Sorrento, Scotland, the South Pacific, and London. Recently, more books have been added—Ireland, Deutschland, and, excitedly, another Canadian stop. Some of the writers are US-based, while others are international, like myself. We all bring a flavor of the exotic to our readers.
I enjoyed writing Valentino so much that I knew I wanted to do another book. I’m happy to share my cover and my new story with you today! Bonding in Buenos Aires comes out March 15th and I hope you’ll snag a pre-order copy today. As you can see, it’s an MMF menage with plenty of action – in all forms, if you know what I mean. I also bring some of my Gabbi Black Vancouver BDSM world from my In Their Eyes trilogy.
Thanks for checking out my tale of international (steamy and hot) novellas. For a chance to win one of your choice, let me know – where would you like to see a book set? Random winner will be chosen in the coming days.
And thank you, Delilah, for letting me talk about this great series with your readers.
About Gabbi
From a ménage of friends to forever lovers.
Argentinian Joaquin Perillo met MacKenzie and Kimberly at a cybersecurity conference two years ago. Another conference in Houston and video chats sealed his attraction for them both. Now they are visiting him in Buenos Aires, and he has so many plans for them—in and out of bed.
Canadian Kimberly is a security analyst by day and a Domme at Vancouver’s premier BDSM Club Kink at night. She can’t wait to see her men again so she can whip them into shape.
Texan MacKenzie is a computer geek who spends all his time with code. That is until he meets the beguiling Kimberly and the fun-loving Joaquin. Suddenly, he’s ready to break out of his self-imposed exile.
The triad have ten days to enjoy their ménage before they have to return to their prospective countries. Because their relationship can’t cross borders or become permanent…right?
Book Links:
Universal link: https://books2read.com/Buenos
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BS6VGGWX
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/bonding-in-buenos-aires
Passport to Pleasure series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WYVTPKM
Even though Gabbi Black is a firm believer in happy endings, she makes her characters work for it in every romance she writes, no matter what the genre. From contemporary to BDSM, they are penned early in the morning in her home in beautiful British Columbia while her trusty ChinPoo dog keeps her company. She also writes gay romances as Gabbi Grey and contemporary small town romances as Gabbi Powell.
Author Links:
Website: http://gabbiblack.com/
Newsletter sign-up: https://sendfox.com/gabbi
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/2763198834
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbiblack/
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/Author-Gabbi-Black-106666354460589/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/authorgabbiblack/boards/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GabbiAuthor
February 19, 2023
Sunday Tarot (Contest)
I’m attempting get back to as close to normal this week as possible, starting with Sunday being my planning day. Before I begin, I always shuffle my favorite tarot deck and choose a card to represent the week.
There was no shuffling, of course. I cut the cards again and again, then chose the top card. I revealed the Queen of Pentacles. Pentacles, again. Hmmm. So, I study the card. She’s pretty and voluptuous. Mature. She holds a gold pentacle in one hand and grapes in the other, so I can assume she likes her comfort. Is she supposed to be me? I’m not wealthy, but I live comfortably. Is she offering the grapes to others? I offer my “grapes” to my friends and family. So, what does it mean for me? Perhaps the week is about seeking and sharing comfort with my family. I like that thought.
Now, I’ll check the book. This is the Lydian queen Omphale. She purchased Heracles in a slave market. He was a rough barbarian, and she coaxed him into wearing rich clothes and enjoying the “comforts” she provided. She shared her largesse freely with him. So, my reading falls in line with the book’s. I’ll continue with a limited work schedule while my hand continues to heal and enjoy time spent with the family. I’ll pop for takeout and coax them into some sort of entertainment—a movie night, perhaps? We’ll chill. So, back to my calendar…
So, my question to you is do you have some sort of weekly practice that helps you sort out your week? Do you open your journal or planner and jot down appointments? Do you check the local theater schedule or make reservations at a restaurant? Do you own a tarot deck to help you “meditate” or divine your week? Comment for a chance to win a hand-painted bookmark!
The post Sunday Tarot (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.February 18, 2023
Saturday Puzzle-Contest! Happy World Pangolin Day!
Don’t know what a pangolin is? It’s a medium-sized mammal that looks like an anteater wearing armor. They live in Asian and Sub-Sahara Africa. Why do they have a day all to themselves? Their numbers are dwindling, and conservationists want to shine a light on these homely little creatures. Don’t know what one looks like? Solve the puzzle!
Solve the puzzle then tell me how you’re going to spend this very special day for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift certificate!
The post Saturday Puzzle-Contest! Happy World Pangolin Day! first appeared on Delilah Devlin.February 17, 2023
Open Contests + a FREE book!
I’m being lazy today. Saving keystrokes. I have an editing job to finish today. Two to start tomorrow. I’ve given myself a break from having to type full sentences of my own for another week. Hand is losing some of the swelling. Using my middle finger now. Chicks are getting big and are very chirpy. If ever you write a horror story, keep that incessant sound in mind. 
February 16, 2023
Anna Taylor Sweringen/Michal Scott: A Phoenix Rising from the Ashes — Hannah Elias (Contest)
Passing as white in a racist society was more commonplace than many would think and generally enabled the passer to thrive if not survive. As in the case of Belle DaCosta Greene, passing enabled her to receive renown as the librarian of the J.P. Morgan Library. The truth of her race wasn’t uncovered until long after her death. Hannah Elias never claimed to be white, but never acknowledged her blackness either. When asked what she was she’d say either Sicilian or Cuban. The discovery of her true race didn’t lead to admiration and accomplishment but to trial and tribulation.Hannah was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1865. Her father was mixed-race (African-American and Native American). Her mother was light enough to pass for white. An enterprising “better-to-ask-forgiveness-than-seek-permission” type, Hannah “borrowed” a dress from her employer in 1884 to wear to her sister’s wedding. The act landed her in Moyamensing Prison and thrown out of her family’s home.
She made a living as a sex worker in Manhattan’s Tenderloin neighborhood, where she met rich glass factory owner John R. Platt, who was forty-five years older than she. She left the brothel and engaged in an affair with him, although some resources state they were married. Platt lavished her with gifts and money, enabling her to amass wealth through investments and real estate. She moved into a mansion on Central Park West. Their happy-for-now existence was shattered in 1903 when famous city planner Andrew H. Green was shot to death in a case of mistaken identity. The killer, Cornelius Williams, a former tenant in one of Hannah’s boardinghouses, mistook Green for Platt.
The case brought to light Hannah’s true racial identity. Her home became a stop on a sightseeing tour, and she found herself harassed and assaulted by White New Yorkers outraged that a black woman could be living in Central Park West, own various real estate properties, and be worth millions of dollars. In 1904, Platt’s family bullied him into filing a blackmail complaint against Hannah to strip her of her wealth. She took the stand in her own defense, prevailing against Platt at the original trial and in the appeal.
In 1915, she lived in the penthouse of one of her own buildings and by then had joined in business with African-American real estate developer John E. Nail to turn Harlem into a mecca for African-Americans arriving from the South in search of decent housing.
She went to live in Europe and died there of a heart attack at the age of 73.
As a New Yorker I’d always heard of or read accounts about the murder of Andrew H. Green but not until reading Shomari Willis’ Black Fortunes did I learn of Hannah Elias and her role in his death. Another great account of this phoenix who rose from the ashes is the Barbara Chase-Riboud novel, The Great Mrs. Elias.
Discovering hidden histories like that of Hannah Elias feeds my hunger to learn all I can about the lives of African-American women and fuels my desire to help put the spotlight on them.
For your chance at a $10 Amazon gift card, comment on Hannah’s life and/or share similar hidden histories of women you’ve learned about.
Better To Marry Than To Burn
Freed Man seeking woman to partner in marriage for at least two years in the black township of Douglass, Texas. Must be willing and able to help establish a legacy. Marital relations as necessary. Love neither required nor sought.
Excerpt:
She sidled up to him, cupped his erection and fondled his balls.
“Ready for bed or ready to bed me?”
He moaned, placed his hand atop hers and increased the pressure. Already hard, he hadn’t imagined he could get any harder.
“Is that beautiful brass bed new?”
He gulped. “Ye—yes. Bought it—bought it for the honeymoon.”
“I’m ready to be bedded now,” she whispered. “Or is that something we must negotiate?”
All thoughts of dinner vanished.
“No,” he rasped, leaning forward, as hungry for her lips as he was to be inside her.
“Good.” She stepped back, out of reach. “But, let’s be clear…” She bent over, so her butt protruded toward him. She massaged each buttock so her crack parted invitingly. “Tonight it’s the Greek way or no way.”
He blinked, stunned by this demand to be taken anally. His master had had books filled with drawings, depicting naked Greeks wrestling. Those pen and ink depictions flashed before him now. Arms constrained by arms, legs entwined with legs, butts and groins enmeshed in snug contortions. He’d love to take Queen that way, experience first- hand the erotic intimacy etched in the men’s struggle-laden features.
He took one step toward her then stopped. No. One day, he would…but not tonight. Not their first time. Their first time would be the nose-to-nose, chest-to-breast, cock-to-vagina coupling he’d hungered five years for.
*~*~*
Buy link: https://amzn.to/2KTaGPH
Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/106e6b05cdfe/michal-scotts-newsletter
Michal Scott Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/2TSHzRn
Twitter: @mscottauthor1
February 15, 2023
*whine-whine-whine* (FREE Story)
I think every day until my splint comes off, I’m going to gripe. Today, I have a bumpy rash between my fingers. After I shower, I’m going to leave off the splint and let my hand dry with some anti-yeast cream to see if that helps. My fingers being forced together all day is likely making it humid there. *whine-whine-whine*
I pushed around a vacuum cleaner with my hip and left hand yesterday. Tried to dust, but it took too long, so I decided I’d live with the dust until I can bribe a grandkid to do it for me. I directed the cleaning of Loki’s fish tank, but my daughter was horrified by the smell of fishy water and the poop. Again, I’ll bribe another kid to help with that, too. *whine-whine-whine*
I wish I’d broken my left hand because I can’t write with my left, so I’m abandoning my planner for the time being. *whine-whine-whine*
Tonight, after I do some real work today (editing), I’ll clear my desktop which has been a gathering place for coffee mugs and mail I can’t open without ripping it to shreds. All my scissors are naturally right-handed. I’ll give the 9-year-old my letter opener and have her go to town opening all my mail and laying it on my newly cleared desktop. *whine-whine-whine*
EVERYTHING IS A FUCKING PROCESS THAT HAS TO BE PLANNED. I’ll shower today and maybe forgo underwear to make my life a little easier. Wish I had a muumuu to throw over my head so I wouldn’t have to deal with pulling up my pants. *whine-whine-whine*
You folks have been wonderfully patient reading through my whine-fest. Here’s your reward:
February 14, 2023
Health and Book Release Update, and a Question (Contest)
I went to the ortho guy yesterday. He was set to give me a hard cast for my right hand, but I told him I’m a writer and I really needed mobility in a few of my fingers. So, instead, he gave me a removable splint. I have my thumb and forefinger back! Mousing is still slow as a snail, but I’m much less frustrated having to mouse with my left hand. Yay! As the swelling goes down in the hand, I might get my middle finger back. I saw the ex-ray, too. The break is in the bone that connects the wrist to the finger and is closer to all those tiny wrist bones. He said my bones look surprisingly good. He didn’t add “for an old lady.”
Anyways, I can edit more easily, but tapping out lines of a book is still difficult. However, the good news is that Amazon took pity on me and allowed me to move my release date for Mica out a month. So, all my book release dates are being pushed a month so I can heal without stressing about the deadlines or losing pre-orders. Not good for readers, I know, but I hope you all understand. Have your pre-ordered Mica…?
I’m still wearing loose clothes, so I can pull my own pants up. TMI? And my hair is frightful because I can’t blow-dry and style it like I usually do. Everything is harder to do one-handed. Took me 15 minutes this morning to straighten my bed. I’ll have to remember all the inconveniences, big and small, the next time I write a disabled character…
In the meantime, I’m rejiggering my work plans and editing a story for someone very close to me. A story you’re going to love.
I have a question for you. Answer for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card.
Since I have been able to move some book releases around, I might have room to fit another title in during early summer. Would you prefer a Brotherhood Protector story, like Guarding Hannah? Or Dead Horse, Montana story? Or something else?
The post Health and Book Release Update, and a Question (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.
