Brita Addams's Blog, page 11

Today is release day for Romeo Club #2: Rubbed the Right ...

Today is release day for Romeo Club #2: Rubbed the Right Way, a hot look at erotic massage. Romeo Club is a collection of erotica shorts, just a naughty little gift for my readers. Click the title and get your copy.

The first installment of the Romeo Club is also available. Surprises is a fun romp, a quick read, something to spice up your lunch or bedtime.

It's already the fifth of December and I want to put the brakes on the month. I haven't purchased one gift yet or even put the Christmas tree up, though my husband promises to help me to do that tomorrow. The tree will provide about of month of entertainment for our puppy, who thinks underneath it is a great place to play.

Christmas, 2010. Notice our Fiona under the tree (on the left)I've always been the person who had Christmas gifts bought by October (then added more in November and last minute must haves in December) but this year I can't seem to take the time out to get anything holiday-related done.

I'm researching a massive project that has my muse working overtime, while putting some words down as well. I've always loved old Hollywood, you know Clara Bow, William Haines, and Ramon Novarro. I love silent films and their purity.

My story will be a novel, spanning twenty to twenty-five years in the life of my main character, Jack Abadie. We begin in 1914 and will go through the inception of talkies. I've excited about doing this book. I won't rush through it, because I want to get each step of Jack's journey just so.

The research is massive, but takes me back to my youth, when I was steeped in a teenager's fantasy of being a movie star. I wanted to meet Clark Gable, kept alive by all the movies I watched over and over. I wasn't sure what I'd do with the fame should it ever come my way, but I wanted it.

Of course, you have to pursue those kinds of dreams. Hollywood doesn't come knocking at your door, which probably accounts for the fact that I ended up married with three children. I do think, though, I came out the winner in the deal.

I look forward to 2012, but if anyone would like to volunteer to do all the holiday work for me this year, I'd be ever so grateful.

Love you,
Brita

In an effort to give everyone lots of time to post commen...

In an effort to give everyone lots of time to post comments throughout the Noble tour, I've not selected winners  of prizes until now. The prizes are ebooks of the winner's choice (A Minute After Midnight, An Evening at the Starlight and Romeo Club are excluded) From all the winners, I'll select two to receive swag packs.

Thank you so much for being a part of the Timeless Desire Blog Tour. I've made some new friends along the way, and I treasure that always.

Much love,
Brita

Here's the list:

Week One - J.S. Wayne's Blog
Gabrielle - meingee@yahoo.com 
KevaD's Blog
Cheralyn@rocketmail.com

Week Two - Sarah Ballance's Blog
Kathryn Merkel - drainbramaged.gyzmo@gmail.com
Noble Romance Author's Blog
Shadow Kohler - shadowluvs2read@gmail.com
Jadette Paige - Bonus BlogAmy Smith - amysmith98@gmail.com
Lucy Felthouse's BlogMary Preston - marypres@gmail.com
Judith Leger's Blog - BonusCherylLyn@gmail.com
Week Three - Jess Anastasi's BlogKathryn Merkel - drainbramaged.gyzmo@gmail.com
H.C. Brown's BlogAndrea - ainfinger@comcast.net
Amara's Place - Bonus BlogJudi P - arella3173_loveless@yahoo.com
Week Four - Bryl Tyne's BlogJulianne - luvfuzzzeeefaces@yahoo.com

J.S. Wayne Talks Ancient Magic

Today,I am featuring an interview with J.S. Wayne, authorof Ancient Magic, available from Noble Romance Publishing.


Blurb:  More than two decades have passed sincethe Hodans invaded the peaceful kingdom of Jurav. In their zeal for conquest,they have mercilessly rent the Juravian national character asunder, startingwith the temples of their gods.
Varath was raised from a young age by his uncle to one dayassume his father's mantle— of the command warden of the Temple of Noradi, themost beloved goddess of the Juravian pantheon and the deity of heart, hearth,and the fires which burn in both.  
Melody would have been the High Priestess to Noradi, and herown family has groomed her with equal care against the day when the Hodanhordes would be expelled and she could assume her rightful place as the mostpowerful figure in the entire nation . . . and as Varath's bride.  
When Varath departed to serve in the Hodan army, Melody sawit as an unconscionable betrayal. Now Varath has returned to take his father'splace as the sole guardian of a temple where no one dares enter, and he hasmade overtures to claim the other half of his bequest: Melody herself. But canMelody see past the deceptions and lies his rebellion has forced and learn tolove the man who seems to have turned his back on his own people?
You can purchase Ancient Magic at Noble Romance.



Welcome,J.S. I'm thrilled to have you join me. Let's start with some quick questions for you as a reader:
   Where do you like to settle in for agood read?
 Sprawled out on the couch, kickingback in the late afternoon.
    Whatis your favorite genre?
Urban fantasy, bar none!
   What length do youfavor…shorts/novellas/novels?Novels.
    
Whose POV do youprefer…hero/heroine/villain?  The hero's*smiles* Writing a good villain is SO hard to do!

 Do you like first/second/third person?Third person's my favorite to read,but I love to write in first-person.
 What has been your greatest fear you've had to overcome as a writer?            That would be the little voice inthe back of my head that starts up about three seconds after I type "The End"and informs me, in scathing terms, my writing sucks and no one's going to wantto read it! Just for the tally books, that fear has yet to go away. *Sigh*Maybe on the next one, but I'm not holding my breath!
 What do you hope to accomplish with yourwriting? Do you have a goal?
            My ultimate goal with my writing isvery simple: I hope one day to generate enough money from my writing to ensurethat I can focus only on that and not have to cope with a conventional day job.I don't necessarily need or want to be rich, but "comfortable" wouldsure be nice!
 What makes your writing unique?
Hmm…thisis a tough one.Ithink the most unique thing about my writing is I have a very wide and diverseknowledge base to draw on. I'm familiar with at least the broad strokes of manyparanormal creatures, and I've studied many, many permutations of them. Betweenthat and a lifelong fascination with the occult, I use this to inform mywriting, from the most celestial angel to the basest demon and everything inbetween. I believe this gives my writing a very genuine, organic feel thatreaders seem to appreciate.
 What do you do when you hit a wall? (Can'tfigure out a character's emotions, where the plot should go next, etc.)
 What are you working on now?Since this is November, I'm also participating in NaNoWriMo,trying to finish off the last installment of the "canonical" Angels series anda WIP entitled Once A Knight's Enough. After those are done, I'm going to getback to work on a modern paranormal erotic horror story, The Hollow, featuringthe Headless Horseman.I've got two upcoming releases: "Dancing on Flames," whichis an m/m paranormal erotic romance featuring werewolves; and "Dead MeansDead," for the forthcoming Lesbians Vs. Zombies line from Noble Romance. And after I get all those plot bunnies skinned, I've got sixmore in various stages of development! Plus, I'm working on raising awarenessfor Writing Out Child Abuse, a coalition of writing professionals dedicated toproviding care, comfort, aid and hope to survivors of child abuse worldwide.

Have you always loved romance writing?             Ifyou'd asked me two years ago if I saw myself writing romance, I'd've laughedmyself sick before suggesting you seek out strong medication. I started outwriting urban fantasy and erotic horror; I had a stereotype, and I'm ashamed toadmit this now, of who the "typical" romance writer was. Some womanon the downhill side of forty, living with 47 cats and nary a man in sightwhile she dreamed of Prince Charming showing up was the vision that danced inmy head. I have since learned that this stereotype could not be further fromthe truth, and I'm proud to be one of the people working to dispel that myth!
What's the funniest scene you've ever written?             Theone that always makes me smile is in Shadowphoenix:Requiem, when Mark and his "houseguest," Michelle, get into ascreaming match over dinner. He's just biting into a taco when Michelle hurls astiletto heel and nails him in the ear! The dialogue is scathing, the physicalaction is quite funny, and the whole scene has a great feel that I think fansof "Moonlighting" would appreciate.
What's the most romantic scene you've ever written?             Sofar, the most romantic scene I've written was the very end of "AngelsWould Fall," where Moradiel tells Ariel in simple, direct terms what hislove for her means for his future as a member of the Angelic Host. . . and hiswillingness to accept the consequences for her. I always get a little lump inmy throat reading that, and I wroteit!

When you're not writing, what do you do for fun?             Hah!When I'm not writing, or doing something writing-oriented, I'm asleep. But inthe rare moments when I do unwind, I like to hang out with friends, watch amovie, spend some time with my wife, or play with my puppies.

A quick quiz:  Answer as fast as you can.

Favorite Hero: Batman
Favorite Dessert: Cheesecake
Favorite Villain: DraculaFavorite Song: Unicron's Descent

Have you ever written to music?  Always. I can't NOT write with music!What music? It depends on what best serves my mood and thestory, to be honest. If you'd like to see my YouTube playlist, you can go here:http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC0AC9A0603619473&feature=mh_lolzIt'll give you a pretty good idea what I'm up to!
   
     What would youadvise an aspiring author?
First, I don't like the term "aspiring" in context ofwriting. If you're writing, then quod erat demonstrandum, you're an author.You're trying to get published, which is a very different matter entirely.There's my first piece of advice: Delete the word "aspire" and allits variants from your lexicon with regards to publication. Use a machete, ifyou have to. A spork. Whatever's clever.  Second, you're going to have to put in a lot of time and hard work.You're going to have to cope with the fact that not everyone's going to fall inlove with your story. You're going to get some harsh criticism and some prettynasty reviews and comments.
Put on your big-girl panties and cope. Sounds pretty heartless, butthis is a heartless business, and until you're somewhere in the league ofStephen King or Danielle Steele, you CANNOT afford to let your ego get betweenyou and your dream. If you really want it badly enough, more than anythingelse, you've got to WORK for it. I've seen too many good writers fall by thewayside because they didn't care to put in the time or effort it takes to make itin the publishing world.
 Is thereanything you'd like to tell your readers?I honestly think I have some of the greatest readers in the world,and I love and appreciate every one of them! So, from the bottom of my heart,thank you all. J
 How can readersconnect with you?
·       Web Site ·       Blog ·       Twitter @jswayne702·       Noble author page ·       Amazon author page ·       Goodreads page ·       Writing Out Child Abuse
Thankyou for your time, J.S. I truly appreciate you stopping by. I truly lookforward to your next release.
Thankyou so much for having me here today, Brita! It's been a lot of fun!

http://jswayne.wordpress.com
 Thank you for your time, J.S., and good luckwith your future books!

Today,I am featuring an interview with KevaD, author of"D...

Today,I am featuring an interview with KevaD, author of"Desire Damned" and "A Dance with Bogie and Bacall,"available from Noble Romance Publishing.
Blurbs:
"DesireDamned": Satan wants the warrior Taka to bow before him. But Taka bows tono one except his gentle lover Har.
For thousands of yearsthe two men have been doomed to a life of torment. While one walks the earth,the other suffers under the devil's lash. Their only respite is an occasionalnight; a random, beautiful, love-filled night, knowing that with the dawn oneof them must die in battle and return to Satan's wrath.
On the war-torn fieldsof Gettysburg the two lovers are reunited once again. But this time somethingbeyond Hell's reach has happened. Something so wondrous, Satan may finally gethis wish.




"A Dance with Bogie and Bacall": Radio DJ Scott Kincaid's first caller of the night is a lady who diedforty-nine years ago. The second wants to knock his head off. And he thoughtfalling in love would be easy.
Maureen and Frank Johnsonshared the kind of romance most people believe only exists in movies. Until aballroom fire took Maureen's life.
Franci Johnson grew uphearing her grandparents' love story a thousand times and wishes to find thekind of undying love Frank and Maureen had once upon a time.
DJ Scott Kincaid justwants the ghost following him to go away. But Maureen thinks the hunky DJ mightbe just the answer to her granddaughter's dreams.

Welcome,KevaD.
Many thanks for having mehere, Brita.
I'm thrilled you stopped by and as a Civil War buff AND a huge fan of Bogie and Bacall, I'm definitely reading these two stories. 
Glad I struck a chord with you! Now, I'd like to add a bonus for your readers.I'll give away a $10 Noble Romance Publishing gift certificate to a commenterI'll randomly select.
Thank sounds great! Shall we get started? 
Whatmakes your writing unique?A really good question. Ithink it's that I'm not one who chooses the path less traveled – I make my ownpath. My mind writhes in stories I want to tell. I see inspiration everywhere.
Recently, I developed anentire storyline from the curve of a woman's brow in a picture. I wasfascinated. In her brow I saw her desire to please her current lover at thesacrifice of her own untapped needs, and her unshared fantasy of a man strongenough not to just unleash the woman inside her, but capable of understandingthat woman. Hers is a heart captured, but not yet earned, and it will take avery special man to compete for the right to uncover her true sexual cravings.
A haggard man drinking acup of coffee alone at a table in a crowded restaurant inspired another storyI'll start soon. In my mind, I saw the last of the anti-society activists fromthe 1960s. Pursued by the FBI for decades, he's tired, aged, and ready tosurrender, but he has one last public statement to make – one that will foreverchange the lives of several people in a small town.
Haveyou ever written to music?Absolutely. For "ADance with Bogie and Bacall" I played Bertie Higgins's Key Largo until my wife curled up on thefloor and begged me to stop. After that I turned down the volume. To set themood for my current work in progress I listen to Rod Stewart's Broken Arrow. The video's awesome. Itused to be one of my wife's favorites. Used to be.
Howdo you deal with criticism?Constructive criticismneeds to be listened to, and I always pay very strict attention to the comments.Then there's destructivecriticism, the kind meant to insult and make the critic appear humorous orintelligent – it never does. To me, destructive criticism just shows the personneeds a hobby, and maybe a life.
Whatgenre do you write mostly and what appeals to you most about your genre?Everything I write - beit comedy, suspense, mystery, or horror - contains a love story somewhere.Someone will fall in love. I insist on it. I love love with all its beauty,dangers, warmth, and heartache. I'm addicted to happy endings.
Whatdo you enjoy reading the most?Anything withwell-constructed characters and a clever plot. Seriously. There are so manyfantastic stories out there, and I don't want to miss a single one by limitingmyself to one or two genres.
Whatare you reading now? I just finished"Gangsters, Harlots, & Thieves: Down and Out at the HotelClifton." The book is a compilation of Todd Moore's gut-punching poems andessays about his childhood growing up in a low-rent, deteriorating hotel withan alcoholic gangster father who did odd jobs for the Capones. Honest to God,the book is like watching an old film noire movie. It's an incredible book puttogether by Todd's son, Theron Moore.
Tellus about your latest releases?"A Dance with Bogieand Bacall" is a delightful little story of two people stumbling throughlife, and the ghost bent on bringing them together."Desire Damned"is an erotic and dramatic tale of two men doomed for eternity and the sacrificeone will make to ensure the safety of the people he loves.
Whatare you working on next?"Hearts on a PaperBoat" is the story of two broken lives whose paths cross. After fourteenyears in prison for a murder he was convicted of while seventeen, LaytonLanders isn't sure he can make it out here in a world totally foreign to him.Hannah Preston, pregnant with her dead lover's child, is only living becauseshe has to – for her baby. Until she realizes that despite Landers's claim tothe contrary, Landers didn't commit the murder.Only by uncovering theirpasts can they find their futures.
Whoare your favorite authors?Whoever I'm currentlyreading. I'm a really tough audience, and for an author to hold my attention tothe last page requires some seriously good writing. But like I said earlier, Ienjoy any genre, so I don't tend to read more than two or three books by anyone author.
Isthere anything you'd like to tell your readers?Thank you, thank you,thank you!! The readers keep me seeking that next story and putting it intowords. You are my true inspiration. Without you to enjoy my mental instability,my wife would have committed me long ago.
Howcan readers connect with you?  
My web site http://www.kevad.net/ will link readers to just about everything I'm up to.
Purchase KevaD's Desired Damned
Purchase A Dance with Bogie and Bacall 
Thankyou for your time, Kevad, I truly appreciate you stopping by and good luck with your future books!

Sarah Ballance on the Noble Romance Timeless Desire Tour

Today,I am featuring an interview with Sarah Ballance,author of FAMILIAR LIGHT, available from Noble Romance.
Blurb:   Seven years of longing comes down to just one night.

Laney Kent returns to Barrier Shoals hoping to reunite with her first love, Bridger.She anticipates his reception might be chilly, but what she doesn't expect isto become the victim of a deadly obsession … or that this night with Bridgercould be her last.

Bridger Jansen tangled a lot of sheets trying to forget about Laney, but hisheart knew what the rest of him refused to admit: he could love no one else.He's determined not to forgive her for leaving him without explanation, butwhen he fails to protect her from a viscous attack, the person he can't forgivejust might be himself.
 Welcome,
Quickquestions for you as a reader:
Where do you like to settle in for agood read?
Mypractical answer is in bed, because the middle of the night when I put mywriting away is about the only time I even attempt to read, LOL.  Now, ideally I would love to be able to readon the beach or while lounging on the deck of our boat, but that kind ofrelaxing is NOT going to happen as long as my babies are little. Anytime I'maround water, I'm doing constant head counts to make sure no one has goneunder, and it's seldom we hit the water without them. So, bed it is!
Whose POV do youprefer…hero/heroine/villain?
I've found it easiest to write from the hero'spoint-of-view. I can't figure that one out, but it's been true for all five ofmy books thus far. I've only included the "bad guy" POV twice and Ifind that incredibly delicious, but so far it's only been in small snippets.Overall, the hero rules!
Do you like first/second/third person?
Iprefer third person, almost to the point that I have trouble reading any otherPOV. (I've certainly not tried to write another POV, LOL!) I have read some first person books I'vereally enjoyed, but my heart remains with third person.
What has been your greatest fear you'vehad to overcome as a writer?
Puttingmyself out there, first to crit partners and then to the public at large. I amTHE introvert. That said, my readers have made it SO easy for me to leave thehouse in the morning (virtually speaking) and have done a lot of embracing, blessingme far more than I could have ever hoped for. But even though I've now releasedfive books, the stage fright lingers.What do you hope to accomplish withyour writing? Do you have a goal?
Fornow, my goal is to improve with each book and to further develop my voice, orstyle. I don't believe an author can ever be "done" with this, and aslong as I'm writing I'm going to keep striving for that. The day I don't feel Ineed to improve, I'm done. (If I ever come to that conclusion, I'm also wrong, LOL, but once I lose that desireto better myself, it's time to quit.)
How do you deal with criticism?
Iwon't say it doesn't sting a little, but one thing I've found to be 100% trueabout criticism and me is this: if I walk away from it, when I come back anhour or a day later the emotion tends to have left the equation. This is truewhether the bad news comes from a crit partner or a reader, and at that laterpoint I can really look at what's said. More often than not, it provides achance to improve my writing, and what's not to love about that?
What do you do when you hit a wall?(Can't figure out a character's emotions, where the plot should go next, etc.)
Iskip ahead. I tend to write "clean," which is to say the rough draftlooks almost as good as the final draft. (I think this is because I need myclues woven "just so" for the suspense aspect, and one change earlycan lead to a domino effect of major rewrites). Needless to say, perfectionismhas a tendency to build roadblocks by the dozen. At one point, in the midst ofbeating my head against the aforementioned wall, I learned by skipping ahead Iwas able to shed that "perfect" criteria and write freely. Thisactually happened in the opening scene of FAMILIAR LIGHT. I needed to get toknow Bridger before I could write his reaction to seeing her, so I skipped tothe second scene, which is from his POV. As soon as I wrote from his side ofthings, the first scene fell into place. In TIDE OF LIES, the upcoming sequelto FAMILIAR LIGHT, I used the same technique and realized, quite by accident,that what my heroine did was pretty much unforgiveable. I was able to fix thatbefore it became a problem, saving myself a few headaches and rewrites in theprocess. 
Where do you get the names for yourcharacters?
Oh, this is hard! I tend to find my favorites in oneof four places: the Social Security Administration's top 1,000 list, a list ofthe top 1,000 surnames in the U.S., and two specialty lists—one of cowboynames, and one of Southern names. And that's only the beginning. I've actuallychosen a name only to find out in the early writing that the name didn't suitmy character at all. It's seldom an easy process, so that ol' drawing board canbe painful at times, LOL.

Whatare you working on next?
Ihave three more titles planned for my Packing Heat series with Noble Romance.The series kicked off in September with UNFORGIVEN and continues with LASTCALL, which I hope to finish within the next couple of months. Readers of thefirst book will recognize Maverick as he takes the lead in book two, but eventhough the books are related, they don't have to be read in order. Up next,however, is the release of TIDE OF LIES, which follows FAMILIAR LIGHT.
Isthere anything you'd like to tell your readers?. Yes!First, I love you all. :c) Second, I love you so much that I'm giving away agift certificate every single week to a blog subscriber—winner's choice of $10to Noble Romance or $5 to Amazon. All you have to do is go to my blog,sarahballance.wordpress.com, and check the top of the left hand sidebar. Enteryour email address and confirm your subscription. Just like that, you areautomatically entered to win my weekly giveaway for as long as you remain asubscriber!
Thanksso much for having me today, Brita. It has been an honor!
Thankyou for your time, Sarah. I truly appreciate you stopping by. I truly lookforward to your next release.
Formore information on Sarah, please, visit:WEBSITE  BLOG  AMAZON TWITTER FACEBOOK    NOBLE ROMANCE 
BUY LINK @ NOBLE ROMANCE    
Thankyou for your time, Sarah, and good luck with your future books!

Oh, to just see her smile

Today isn't a happy day, nor is it sad. It just is and that's the problem. I'm usually on one side of that spectrum or the other, mostly inhabiting the happy to be honest.

However, today is a day I must reflect on the past. Today is the anniversary of my mother's passing and like her presence in my life, it can't be overlooked.

 My mom was Gladys Isabelle Sweener Martinson, born in 1929 in a little town in Upstate New York. She was a tiny thing, 5'2", 100 pounds soaking wet. She was a whirling dervish, always on the go, ever cleaning something, cooking something, or washing something.


Mom came from country stock, had a sixth grade education, quitting to go to work in a button factory to help support her family. People did that back in those days and she didn't mind. Mom never knew a day without work,

My grandparents were simple country people, farmers. Gramp was eleven years older than Gram, and married her four days after her father died in 1927. Gram was sixteen and headed for an orphanage when Nelson Sweener stepped up and married her. They were a great pair until Gramp died in 1967. Gram survived him by just over a year and to this day everyone says she died of a broken heart.


Mom met my father at a grange hall dance one Saturday night in October of 1948. She was nineteen years old. From what I've heard, it was love at first sight. Their courtship was a whirlwind and they were married on January 22, 1949.

It turned out to be not such a great match, but there was nothing to be done. My mother rarely smiled, most often registering little more than a "Hmm" to frivolity that might accidentally find it's way into our home.

Mom had four children in six years, which no doubt kept her slim and trim. My brother Rick alone fit that bill quite well. That boy was a firecracker!





Mom with her four children.
Rick with the wink
My sister in purple and me, watchingMom loved nothing more than family and sadly there were many years that she was deprived of that small comfort. As we grew up and left the nest, my dad found one reason or another to alienate us and isolate my Mom from those who loved her most. He was a classic abuser, verbal mostly, physical when his anger took on epic proportions.

Her first grandchild was born in 1970, my son Chris. She adored him and whenever we visited, Grandma replaced Mom. Mom used to laugh when Chris crawled around with his Playtex nurser in his mouth. He'd suck away and get into mischief. The ultimate definition of multitasking.

All in all, there were five grandchildren, plus my brother's three step-sons. Mom loved them all, though honestly she didn't know my three very well. Military service for my first husband took us 1,500 miles away and we only got home every couple of years. I've always felt badly about that, but there wasn't much to be done then and certainly not now. Life is what it is, no?

Mom and Dad on the right, me, hubby Clint and his mom.
Chris and sister Kim. They served as our matron of honor
and best man
My children grew up, as they all have a tendency to do and by then, my father's moodiness (ie: chronic depression for which he sought no help) had developed into cycles of complete alienation for many years at a time and then an urgent need for reconciliation. My folks did come to my second wedding in 1980.

In 1991, my mom suffered a massive stroke at the age of 62. It left her unable to function as before and she never fully recovered. She learned to walk using a quad cane, but got around in a wheelchair for most everything she did. Her stroke angered my father, who lamented for everyone to hear, "Why did this happen to me?"

For years, I went to their home for a week every six months to care for Mom and give Dad a respite. Until he found a way to end that in 1994.

Last photo taken a month or so before she died.I received a phone call in mid-November, 1999, from my aunt, telling me that Mom had suffered yet another in a very long series of strokes. She was in the hospital and it didn't look good. "Please call your father," she said, and so I did, the first time in five years. I won't cover the pain my Mom and I suffered due to that particular alienation, sneaking in phone calls when he was at work and not seeing her hurt like hell.

Dad sounded the same, a bitter old man full of anger. Ultimately, my mother died on November 20th, alone in the hospital. Fifty years of marriage and knowing she would pass that day, my father decided to stay home. He didn't allow any of us to say goodbye either, nor did he have a funeral for her. At her burial, only the man at the cemetery was there was she was interred.

Me, brother Eric, brother Rick and sister Patty
at Mom and Dad's gravesiteI didn't cry when she died because she often told me she'd wished the first stroke had killed her. Being as active as she was, not being able to function as she had was sheer misery for her.

Death for Mom was a release, freedom, something she'd not had since her days of running through the country fields with her siblings back on the farm.

I like to think of and my grandmother having tea together. There's a comfort in that I can't begin to describe.

Mom never met any of her six great-grandchildren and she never knew that I became an author. Oh, how she would have loved each of those things. And so today, as with every year since, I mourn her passing even more profoundly than I do during the rest of the year. Christmas approaches, her favorite season, and it's always a bit emptier without her. But my mother lived in quiet dignity, imparting the lessons a mother should, her down-home country wisdom honed through experience rather than "book-learnin'."

I cry now for all she missed in her life and since her passing. I cry for her suffering and my loss - that of a woman whose smile I'd give just about anything to see again.


Till next time,Luv,Brita

Lucy Felthouse visits as part of Timeless Desire Tour

 As part of the Noble Romance Timeless Desire Blog Tour, I am featuring an interview with LucyFelthouse, author of Love Through Time,available from Noble Romance.  
Welcome Lucy, I am so happy to have you. I'd like to start out by asking you what has been your greatest fearyou've had to overcome as a writer?
I'mstill trying to overcome it. I started out as a short story – and I'm trying toovercome my fear of writing longer pieces. It's a learning curve to go fromshorts to novellas and eventually a novel (I hope), but I'll get thereeventually!
What makes your writing unique?
Probablymy writing voice. I only say that because several reviewers have commented onmy unique voice. I'm not sure what's unique about it – though I suspect theBritish-ness, slang and humour has a lot to do with it!
What appeals to you about your genre?
Ienjoy writing erotica and erotic romance because it doesn't feel as thoughyou're leaving anything out. I think if I were to attempt to write a mainstreamromance I feel I was leaving a huge hole where the hot sex should be. At leastthis way I get to write different stories and leave the naughty bits in!
What do you do when you hit a wall?(Can't figure out a character's emotions, where the plot should go next, etc.)
IfI really can't figure it out, I'll do something else. I have a seeminglyendless to-do list, so there is always promo to be done, client emails to beanswered, and so on. If I just forget about it for a while, it usually comes tome. I also have many good ideas in the shower.
What other works have you published?
FromNoble Romance, I have a contemporary m/f piece, A Bit of Rough and an f/f erotic romance, Bite with Height. From other publishers I have Weekend at Wilderhope Manor (a recently released f/f story), Loose Ends (a hot and sweet m/f reuniontale), and The Best of Lucy Felthouse, (acollection of my short stories) to name but a few. A complete list of mypublications is on my website,  http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk
 What are you working on now?
I'mworking on a novella for one of my publishers. I can't say much more than thatbecause it's a top secret project, but I'm enjoying the challenge of working onsomething so much longer than my usual works. Plus, because I have a deadline,I'm being pushed to get on with it!
What'sthe funniest scene you've ever written? I write quite a bit of humour in all my work, butone piece that stands out is Farm Hand, publishedin The Look of Lust anthology fromXcite Books. The heroine of the piece is secretly watching the sexy farmer workand pretends to be injured to get his attention. The trouble is, he quicklyworks out that she's lying. However, all's well that ends well…
What's the most romantic scene you'veever written? I don't write a *lot* of romance, but one prettyromantic scene is in my story SuccubusComes Home, a paranormal romance. I can't say too much about it becauseit'll give the plot away, but it's definitely one of my sweeter tales.
Whenyou're not writing, what do you do for fun?  I read, watch my favourite TV shows, explore thecountryside and spend time with my other half.
Aquick quiz:  Answer as fast as you can.

Favorite Hero: Dimitri from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy. I'm sure I couldprobably do better than that if I thought for longer – but the guys thatgenerally stand out for me are the bad boys, so not necessarily the 'hero' ofthe piece!
Favorite Dessert: Chocolate éclairs, homemade by my other half
Favorite Villain: Eric Northman from The Southern Vampire Mysteries – though ofcourse he's not always totally villainous…
Tell us about your work: 
LoveThrough Time:
Westbury Manor is a stately home with a fascinating past,and when book conservator Emily Stone starts uncovering it, she's startled bywhat she finds . . . .Emily arrives at Westbury Manor with a job to do. She's toclean and conserve all of the books in their impressive library, preservingthem for future generations. Not long into her stay at the house, she bumpsinto the night guard, George. She'd expected an old, balding guy with a combover, so the hunky chap she actually meets is a very pleasant surprise. Theintroductions complete, George leaves Emily in peace to get on with her job.But when a falling photograph sets off a chain reaction of ghostly events,Emily and George are thrown together in order to find out who—or what—iscausing them. Their investigation uncovers a tragic past, a lost love, and astunning secret.
Excerpt:
Emily received some strange looks and frowns from the peopleshe passed as she walked across the graveled drive toward the front entrance ofWestbury Hall. She could appreciate their confusion. It was closing time forthe stately home, and the last of the visitors were being politely ushered outof the building, yet she was heading inside. She'd been invited. She had a jobto do.
An elderly lady stood in the porch, smiling and nodding asshe held the door open for those departing the hall. Most of them seemed in nohurry to leave, stopping to make comments to the woman at the door, thankingher for a lovely visit and so on. Emily waited patiently to the side, allowingthe patrons to leave before attempting to enter. When the staff member—mostlikely a volunteer, Emily thought—caught sight of her, she gave her a politenod of acknowledgment.
Finally, the last of Westbury Hall's visitors moved out,leaving Emily free to enter. Climbing the single, stone step to the threshold,she took the hand already offered her.
Shaking Emily's hand with a surprising firmness, the womansaid, "You must be Miss Stone." Her smart appearance and the intelligencein her eyes indicated that despite her age, she was far from past it. "I'mMrs. Thompson, house supervisor."
"I am," Emily replied, dropping her hand back toher side, "but please, call me Emily. It's lovely to meet you. So, housesupervisor? Do you live on site?"
Indicating Emily should step inside the entrance hall, Mrs.Thompson proceeded to close and lock the porch and front doors of the house,securing them in.
"I do," the older woman said, turning back to faceEmily, "I have rooms in a separate building just off the back of this one.So you needn't worry about me disturbing you."
"Oh no," Emily said, worried she'd inadvertentlyrubbed Mrs. Thompson the wrong way. "I didn't mean that. I was justcurious. You're more than welcome to see me at work, Mrs. Thompson; although, I'mafraid you won't see anything terribly exciting."
Mrs. Thompson smiled now, the warmth reaching her eyes. Emilysighed silently with relief. She'd yet to see the extent of the work she had todo, but she'd been told it was no easy task, so she could be here for sometime. The last thing she needed was to upset any of the staff.
"Oh, you'd be surprised, my dear. This is a fascinatingold place. Of course, all these old houses have history, but Westbury Hall's isparticularly rich."
Emily smiled. The woman's enthusiasm was infectious. "Wellthen," she replied, "I can't wait to learn more about it. I hope you'llfeed me full of historical tidbits while I'm here?"
Mrs. Thompson gave an enigmatic smile. Then, startling Emilysomewhat, she turned smartly on her heel and walked deeper into the house. "Come,my dear, I won't hold you up any longer. I'll show you to the library, whereyou'll soon start uncovering Westbury's illustrious history for yourself."
Buy Love Through Time

How can readersconnect with you?
Mywebsite is at http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk.I'm also on Facebook,Twitter and Goodreads.
Thankyou for your time Lucy, I truly appreciate you stopping by. I truly look forwardto your next release.
Formore information on Lucy Felthouse, please visit: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk

Jess Anastasi on the Timeless Desire Blog Tour

Today,I am featuring an interview with Jess Anastasi,author of the Sanctuary seriesavailable from Noble Romance Publishing
Blurb:  
Cadmiel, the Angel of Destiny, knows better thananyone what a bitch fate can be. Five hundred years ago, the only woman he everloved was killed, shredding his soul and leaving a void in place of his heart.Now Archangel Michael comes to him with a shocking and forbidden proposal. Hewants Cadmiel to travel back in time and save Emilyn. Though Cadmiel wishesbeyond all reasoning to do as the archangel asks, messing with time goesagainst his own beliefs and the very foundations of angel lore. But Michaeldoesn't give Cadmiel a choice and thrusts him through time and space, back to2012.
The first time Emilyn saw the gorgeous man, she wasaffected on a level she couldn't comprehend. Cadmiel isn't like any other guyshe's ever met, and he makes her wish love at first sight were true. But thereare forces at work she never dreamed real. In the space of a day, she goes fromnormal, every-day college student, to a pawn in an apocalyptic war betweenangels and demons.
Emilyn's very life is in Cadmiel's hands. Will herisk the future of the entire universe to save her, or let her die and destroyhimself in the process?

Welcome,Jess, so nice to have you visit. Let's begin with some quick questions for you as a reader:
1)    Where do you like to settle in for agood read? Anywhere I can get fiveminutes of peace and quiet away from the family!
2)     Whatis your favorite genre? My tastes arevery fluid, I like a lot of different genres. Right now I'm really intofuturistic/sci-fi romance, but I also love paranormals, urban fantasy,historicals — it just depends on what mood I'm in when I go to pick up a book. 
3)    What length do youfavor…shorts/novellas/novels? I'll readnovellas or novels, but am not so keen on shorts.
4)    Whose POV do youprefer…hero/heroine/villain? Nopreference, as long as the character can draw me in, I'm sold!
5)    Do you like first/second/third person? Third person.

6)What has been your greatest fear you've had to overcome as a writer? Trusting my own skill. I still have troublewith this as I'm sure many authors do. Seems silly, but I live in fear that mywriting isn't good enough. Whenever I submit to my editor (or anyone else) I'vealways got that worry in the back of my mind that someone's going to tell mewhat I've written is really terrible.
 7) What/who has been your greatestinspiration? Though he's not a straightauthor as such, Joss Whedon has been a huge inspiration for me. I think thestuff that comes out of that man's mind is pure genius. Author wise I'd love towrite like Suzanne Brockmann, or J.R. Ward, or Kresley Cole (or a dozen others)when I "grow up."
 8) What do you hope to accomplish with yourwriting? Do you have a goal? My currentgoal is to get an agent! But overall, career-wise I'd really just like toeventually get around to writing all the ideas spinning around in my head andtaking up space in my notebooks.   9)What appeals to you about your genre? I'mstill not sure what makes me so excited about sci-fi, or speculative fiction. Iguess it's the possibility of doing pretty much anything you want in the worldand to your characters, so long as you have a plausible reason for doing it. Ina lot of ways, it means there are no boundaries on what you can do. Its easy tolet your imagination fly free.
 10)What do you do when you hit a wall? (Can't figure out a character's emotions,where the plot should go next, etc.) Gofor a walk, take a shower, go for a drive to get groceries, something away fromthe computer. Usually this lifts whatever blocks I'm having trouble with and Ican get back to it with a clear head. If none of those measures work then I'llgo and work on something else. I always have 2 or 3 projects on the go at one.
 11) What other works have you published? The books in my Sanctuary series -Sanctuary, Severance, and Singularity are all available from Noble RomancePublishing.
12)What are you working on now? As I said,I always have several books on the go at once. Right now I'm working on Sinner,the fourth Sanctuary book, another sci-fi/fantasy type book called Heart of theWarlord, and a half-finished romantic suspense. I've got other completedmanuscripts that need editing, but I'm not sure what I want to do with those sothey're simply taking up space on my hard-drive at the moment.
When you're not writing, what do you do for fun? You mean there's something else to dobesides writing? Seriously, though, at the moment I don't do much else. I have2 toddlers at home, so I'm a full time mom mostly. I seem to remember before Ihad kids I used to like doing things like playing Netball (its an Aussiething), doing yoga, swimming, going out with friends… etc. 
A quick quiz:  Answer as fast as you can.

Favorite Hero: Woo, that's a hard one.Right now it's a toss up between Dean from Supernatural, Eric from True Blood,and Damon from Vampire Diaries. 
Favorite Dessert: Christmas plum puddingwith brandy custard 
Favorite Villain: Easily Spike fromBuffy. But I don't really know if he's a true villain since he became agood-guy. For a true villain I really like Michael Rosenbaum's portrayal of LexLuthor in the Smallville series. 
Favorite Song: Wildat Heart by Birds of Tokyo.

Have you ever written to music?  Allthe time!
What music? Dependson which book I'm working on, though often its bands like AC/DC, Foo Fighters,Metallica, Silverchair, Birds of Tokyo, Butterfly Effect, Blink 182, RobbieWilliams, Creedence Clearwater. Some of those bands won't be recognizableoutside of Australia. I have a broad taste when it comes to music.

Thankyou for your time, Jess, I truly appreciate you stopping by. I truly lookforward to your next release.
Formore information on Jess, please, visit:www.jessanastasi.com www.jessanastasi.blogspot.com
Mybooks available from:NobleRomance Publishing: Amazon
 Thank you for your time, Jess, and good luckwith your future books!Thanksfor having me. Please enjoy this excerpt and don't forget to leave a comment togo into the draw for exciting prizes!

Excerpt from Savior:ChapterTwo
Phoenix, Arizona, 2012
Cadmiel groaned as he rolled onto his back. Every muscle inhis body ached and his head pounded a relentless, throbbing rhythm. On theceiling above him, a fan rotated in lazy silence, wafting the dry air aroundthe room. He turned his head to the right and took in the furniture,identifying one of the many residences he'd kept over the centuries. The recognitionof the place hit him like an asteroid. He had so many bittersweet memoriesattached to this dwelling. After Emilyn had died, he'd razed the place to theground.
He forced himself up to sit, cursing Michael as his headswam. Cadmiel closed his eyes and tried to send himself to the future where hebelonged, but nothing happened. He didn't get even a stutter of power.
Oh no. Hell no. Instead of doing something that wouldrequire a vast reserve of energy, he tried something simpler, like conjuringhimself up a bottle of whiskey for him damn splitting skull. Nothing happened.
Fury pushed him to his feet, and he swayed, catching himselfon the back of a recliner.
"What the hell, Michael!" He yelled into the emptyroom.
The archangel had not only sent him into the past against hiswill, but had also stripped his powers so he couldn't return right away. If hedid embark on this damned torturous mission to try and save Emilyn, how theheck was he meant to do it without his abilities?
Cadmiel abandoned his crutch on the chair and limped over tothe coffee table to a couple of remotes. Damned if he could remember which oneworked the TV; it'd been five hundred years, after all. He went through two,tossing them in annoyance when they didn't work, before the third made theflatscreen flick to life.
He surfed a couple of channels before finding a twenty-four-hournews broadcast that had the date and time displayed in the corner.
7:48 a.m., Tuesday, July 11, 2012—
—The day he'd finally worked up the balls to talk to Emilynthe first time.
He had a bit over a week until she died.
In around forty five minutes from now, she'd be stopping atthat café on East Monroe Street for a coffee and a muffin before her classesstarted at Arizona State. He'd sat in that café every morning for a month,exchanging a smile or two with her before they'd finally chatted. She'd ditchedher class, and they'd gone to the Zoo at Papago Park. They'd had lunchtogether, which had turned into dinner, which had turned into late nightdrinks—
His breath caught as he recalled where the rest of that nighthad led, how as crazy as it'd seemed, they hadn't spent a second apart all weekuntil she'd gone home with a friend to Canyon City but never made it. Asemi-trailer had mowed down their car on the highway. The truck driver had beenhigh and claimed he didn't remember hitting anything.
Cadmiel ran a hand through his hair, feeling the pain burnfresher than it had for years.
Could he do this? Was he actually standing here, seriouslyconsidering breaking every lore he'd religiously followed? Michael had saidEmilyn wasn't meant to die. But Cadmiel knew nothing ever happened by chance.Fate had plans for them all, so what had the archangel meant by his words?
The clock above the TV ticked the seconds away, and thoughCadmiel still argued with himself, he knew the decision had been made theminute Michael had called him to Sanctuary. He might be about to break morecosmic and angelic rules than he could comprehend, but he would not stand byand let Emily die again, not when the chance to save her had been presented tohim on a platter.
Cadmiel went to dematerialize—and swore when nothinghappened. Right. No powers. Damn, that meant he was going to have totravel downtown like any other human would. With the morning traffic, he'd bepushing it to get there before Emilyn went off to class.
And he'd need money. He raided the house, found a couplehundred dollars and some change scattered about and then ducked out into theearly morning heat to wave down a passing cab. As the driver took off from thecurb, Cadmiel offered the guy extra to get him downtown a bit quicker.
He sat back in the seat as the taxi wound in and out oftraffic. His heart skittered, and for the first time in five hundred years, hefelt alive. He was actually looking forward to something, instead of goingthrough his day to day motions.
The trip into the heart of the city took longer than he wouldhave liked, but the cabbie still made it there in good time. He'd cut it finethough, a glance at the taxi's dashboard as he slid out of the car showed itgetting close to nine. Emilyn might have already headed across to theUniversity campus.
Cadmiel dodge a couple of cars and a guy on a bike to getacross the street. He didn't stop until he was entering the swinging café doorand almost plowed into someone coming out.
"Damn, I'm sorry—" His voice cut out as he lookeddown.
Emilyn stood less than a step away, dark brown hair plaitedand mocha skin gleaming in the sharp morning sunshine. Her chocolate eyes litup when she saw him, and her plump, pink lips curved into a grin. His chestconstricted, and for a second he couldn't breathe. Damn it all. Hewanted to crush her in his arms and get a deep lungful of that raspberry scentof hers. Instead, he stood frozen in the doorway.

H.C. Brown Talks about her Time to Live

Today,I am featuring an interview with H.C. Brown, author of Time to Live , available from  Noble Romance Publishing
Blurb:    Seth Bannock is living a lie. Nothing in his life is workingout. He likes women . . . he respects women . . . but when he tries tokiss a woman and she does that tongue thing, he wants to spew.
Confused by his body's reaction to the men at his gym, Sethseeks help from the only gay club he knows—Floggers. Is the man crazy? Seekinganswers, the sweet, vanilla virgin marches into the BDSM club to speak to theowner Rio Knight.
Realization that he has been on the wrong team all his lifecomes in the form of a six-foot-seven Adonis by the name of Matt Duffey.Instantly attracted to the leather-clad alpha male, Seth must leave his oldlife behind and embrace his newfound sexuality Seth thought his life had complications before he met Matt,but nothing comes close to the rollercoaster ride in the big dom's arms.
https://www.nobleromance.com/Books?author=40


Quickquestions for you as a reader:
  Where do you like to settle in for agood read?   In bed     Whatis your favorite genre? Historical romance     What length do youfavor…shorts/novellas/novels? Novels     Whose POV do you prefer…hero/heroine/villain?  Hero
    Do you like first/second/third person? Third
What has been your greatest fear you've had to overcome as a writer?Rejection
 What/who has been your greatest inspiration?  Diana Gabaldon
 What do you hope to accomplish with yourwriting? Do you have a goal?   Well Iguess like most authors, I want to make the New York Times Bestsellers List
 What makes your writing unique? My voice.
 What appeals to you about your genre?  I write many genres and I love them all.
 How do you deal with criticism?  Goodor bad constructive criticism—I takenotice – those that are out to hurt and trust me these people do exist, Iignore . . . or laugh at, because most of those nasty people are jealousidiots.
 What do you do when you hit a wall? (Can'tfigure out a character's emotions, where the plot should go next, etc.) After22 published books, I have yet to hit a wall. I guess I have that to come.

 Whatother works have you published?
 Time to LiveATryst of FateHawke'sPurr-fect MateBetrothedto the EnemyPurr-fectSeductionMyPurr-fect AlphasASavage LustHotDamnBurnShifters& Demons,CyborgDomsFloggersHoliday SaleNoChoice But LoveMurderby DesignForbiddenLoveLoveRevisited Nash & PaulBiteHereBiteHere TooDon'tPress EnterALong Hot Delicious SlideRedRoses & Shattered GlassATaste of Nox
 What are you working on now? An unnamed fantasy novel, 2x M/M BDSM novels  Hurt MeGood  and Obsession. I have four other WIP, Nox book 5 of the Pride Brothers Series, Dance for the Wolf-M/M paranormal plus plus plus.

When did you start the adventure of writing? For publication 2006
Have you always loved romance writing? No, I write mystery too.
Where do you find your inspiration?  I walk on the beach, there I find peace and my mindfloods with inspiration. Some songs lead to a story too.
What's the funniest scene you've ever written? I think a scene in Purr-fect Seduction where theheroine, Jill, rolls down a snow covered embankment.
What's the most romantic scene you've ever written? The last one . . . always.
When you're not writing, what do you do for fun? Walk on the beach, and shopping— I love shopping.
A quick quiz:  Answer as fast as you can.

Favorite Hero: Jamie Frazer
Favorite Dessert: Cherries
Favorite Villain: VoldermortFavorite Song: Entertainment by Adam Lambert

Have you ever written to music?   Iwrite to rainforest or ocean sounds.

Do you have a writing tip to share with our viewers? Don't assume the reader sees what you see in thestory—show them.

Thankyou for your time,       I trulyappreciate you stopping by. I truly look forward to your next release.Formore information on H.C. Brown    ,please, visit:
Website BlogNoble Romance Author Page

Thank you for your time, HC, and good luck with your future books!
Thank you for having me. Please leave your emailwith your comments to go into the draw for a prize. Then click on the tour logoto go to the next blog in the tour.

Bryl R. Tyne talks Timeless Desire and his book Immortal

Today,I am featuring an interview with Bryl R. Tyne, authorof IMMORTAL, available from Noble Romance Publishing.  
Blurb:  Foundabandoned as a child and taken in by Sefton Nevsky and his family, the man Ivisnow feels the call of the water, the sea, but his family, one of the mostinfluential vampire clans in Russia, isn't about to let Ivis go. As Ivis'spowers grow--powers unknown to him--Sefton's instructed to detain him at allcosts to tilt in his favor the balance of power in an endless struggle betweenthe Bogdanov water gods and Nevsky vampires. Sefton's left with a choice: poweror love, which is the greater cost?

Welcome,Bryl.
Quick questions for you as a reader:
    Where do you like to settle in fora good read? In a pile of pillows on the loveseat.    Whatis your favorite genre? I like action/adventure andsuspense best.    What length do youfavor…shorts/novellas/novels? Because of my ADD, Itend to stick with shorts and novellas. Even if the book is a great book, Iseldom can sit still long enough to finish a novel, and once I set it down,it's forgotten.     Whose POV do youprefer…hero/heroine/villain? I don't care who's POV the story's written in as long as having it inthat POV makes it exciting to read.     Do you like first/second/thirdperson? I find that most of my favorite books are written infirst person.

What makes your writing unique? I've been toldthat I have a unique voice, and after reading a wide range of authors who writegay fiction and m/m, I do see a difference.
What do you do when you hit a wall?(Can't figure out a character's emotions, where the plot should go next, etc.) If Sugar Daddy'shome, I usually call him into my office, give him a brief summary of where I'mat, and ask him to start shooting off scenarios. He's a great resource.
What are you working on now? Currently, I'mworking on a gay horror collection for 2012, and a lesbian zombie novella atthe same time.
Whenyou're not writing, what do you do for fun? If I'm notreading, I'm watching movies with the boys.
Aquick quiz:  Answer as fast as you can.

Favorite Hero: Aquaman
Favorite Dessert: Brownies
Favorite Villain: Snidely WhiplashFavorite Song: Bent by Matchbox Twenty

What do you like most about writing?I like the release it gives me. For so long I've kept all these ideas in myhead I thought I'd explode! Not now.
Where do you get the names for yourcharacters? Most times Imake them up, but if I'm writing a symbolic story, I'll look up name meaningsonline.
Who are yourfavorite authors?My favorites update every time I run across a new author whose work I love. Ihave so many, I'm sure I'll leave someone off the list, but I enjoy thefollowing authors because of the satisfaction I feel when I close one of theirbooks: Aleks Voinov, Victor Banis, Alan Chin, James Buchanan, JM Snyder, andAndrea Speed.
Is thereanything you'd like to tell your readers? Thank you for letting me knowwhen you enjoy one of my books. I especially like hearing from you.
Thankyou for your time, Bryl. I truly appreciate you stopping by. I truly lookforward to your next release. For more information on Bryl R. Tyne, please,visit: http://bryltyne.com


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