Krista Ames's Blog, page 92
March 21, 2014
Author, author... A Wolf's Bane by Sherrie Henry @AuthorSHenry
A Wolf’s Baneby Sherrie Henry
Can a human and a werewolf overcome obvious obstacles to be together? Romy and Kai have been hiding their affair from Kai’s clan; it’s not only that Romy is human, but she’s also much older than Kai. Will Kai’s obligation to his clan and tradition tear them apart? Kai, the eldest and only son and heir to the family’s clan, has fallen for the forbidden, Romy, a human. His father has plans for the clan that doesn’t involve Kai mating a human; these plans drive them apart. But can they ignore their feelings and buck tradition? Will Kai’s decision lead to his death? Available in ebook format from: Amazon.com Smashwords.com AllRomanceEbooks A Wolf's Bane YouTube Trailer by Ashley Nemer Published: 2nd Edition 23 February 2014 ISBN: 9781311090485, Word Count: 32,980 Cover design: Soxsational Cover Art, Book design: Ashley Nemer Editor: Shannon Boyce Excerpt: Kai pulled her into a tight hug. He tried to ignore the way his skin was crawling – he hated the way he felt before he changed. “I don’t want to live without you.”
Romy held onto him, clutching his shirt, her tears staining it. “Compared to you, I don’t have much longer to live. Maybe 40, 50 years at the most, and you … your kind live for a couple hundred. We’d have to say good-bye eventually. Maybe it’s better to do it now.” Romy knew that her voice wasn’t very convincing, but she tried to be brave and hold back the tears as much she could. Kai swallowed, burying his nose in her hair. He took in her unique scent…the scent he would go to his grave craving. “I will follow you to the next life. We never really talked about it, but … Romy, I love you. I consider youmy mate. Mates die together.” His words took away any bravery that Romy had left. She felt the tears flow openly from her eyes. “But I’m not your mate. I can never be. You need …” Romy took in a shuddering breath. “You need to honor your father and produce an heir. Your clan needs you; they will need you long after I’m gone.”“I don’t care what they need,” Kai whispered in her ear.“I know. That’s what makes you so special.” Romy pulled away so she could look directly into his eyes. “I just ask one thing.”“Anything. Anything in the universe.”“Change here. Show me your wolf form.”Kai’s eyes went wide. “Romy … I … I don’t turn into a wolf, exactly. I don’t look … natural.”
“You are beautiful to me no matter what form you take. Give me this one last night. Show me Kai nodded, but there was panic in his eyes. “If I agree, I have to stay here until morning. I can’t be on the streets.” “I know. I’m not afraid. Show me that part of you that you’ve never shared with another human before.” “I won’t be able to talk. It would just be us staring at each other.” “I don’t need words. I need you. Please … one last night. Protect me.” Kai couldn’t refuse her. Even though Romy lived in a very safe neighborhood, the animal instinct within him would protect his mate if she asked. “Okay. I will change here. I will show you the other part of me.” Romy stepped back, wiping away the tears that had fallen from her eyes. She looked up at the clock. “It’s almost moonrise. What do you need?” She closed the blinds and dimmed the lights. “Nothing really. I just need to take my clothes off…unless I want to rip them to shreds.” “Allow me?” Romy stood in front of him and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Kai remained still, silently noting that this moment would be extremely erotic if he wasn’t about to literally crawl out of his skin. She tossed his shirt on the couch, then kneeled down to his feet, helping him step out of his shoes and socks. Her shaking hands went to his belt next, sliding off his jeans, then his underwear. “What’s next?” Kai was having trouble concentrating. He tried to find his voice. Already he could feel bones crack as they started to lengthen in places and shorten in others. “Nothing … it’s starting. I … love you.” He let his head fall back. A snarl came from his throat as his eyes turned black. Fine black hair sprouted all over his body, his nose elongated, his canines erupted. His heels separated from his feet, drawing upwards toward his knees, forcing him on his tiptoes, his palms lengthening, his nails turning to claws. Then it was over. He looked over at Romy, expecting to see horror in her eyes. To his surprise, she came to stand right in front of him, resting her hands on his mutated face. “You are so beautiful. Why did you think I’d be frightened? I’m more concerned that it was painful for you.” Kai shook his head, to tell her that it wasn’t as painful as it looked. He began to nuzzle her neck, but she jumped. He started to back away. Romy grabbed at him. “No you don’t! Your nose is cold and wet. It’s just not something I’m used to feeling on my neck.” She smiled at him. It was a genuine smile, even with the tear tracks on her face. He tentatively moved toward her and let his tongue lick her face, tasting the salty tears. “Come here, sit next to me.” Romy sat down on the couch, drawing her legs up underneath her. Kai ambled forward, unsteady on his legs so soon after the change. He crawled up on the couch and laid his head in her lap. She started to run her fingers through his fur, trying to comfort him. No other had been able to do to this to him. Whenever he changed, he was surrounded by other weres. He knew that he would cherish this perfect moment for the rest of his living days. They lay together on the couch, surrounded by their love for one another. When bedtime came around, they nestled in her bed, with his large form wrapped around her, protecting her just like he promised.
About the Author
Born and raised in Southern Indiana, this Hoosier transplanted herself to the Windy Cityafter graduate school. Her passion is teaching, with writing come a close second and gaining momentum. She spends her days teaching in the physical education department at the College of DuPage and her evenings spinning tales to delight just about any reader. Her first novel, “The Last of the Summer Tomatoes,” a Young Adult LGBT novel, was nominated for a 2013 Rainbow Award, run by Elisa Rolle and co-sponsored by the Rainbow Romance Writers of America. Her first short story, “Twenty-Four Hours,” a contemporary m/f romance story, was nominated as best short story by eFestival of Words Virtual Book Fair, host of the 2013 Best of the Independent eBook Awards. Her works have also been nominated for various bloggers’ book of the month awards. Ms. Henry writes in a variety of genres, including paranormal and contemporary, concentrating on romance between main characters, regardless of gender. Love comes in all forms and that is reflected in her work. Visit Ms. Henry's Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads Blog
March 20, 2014
Author, author... Win the Rings by K.D. Van Brunt
...read all about it !!!
Welcome KD, so great to have you here with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I live in the great state of Maryland with my wife and dog. During the day, I work in a law firm. I’ve written a number of non-fiction works, but this is my first novel—now,I’ve been trying to write this first novel for what seems like forever, but perhaps like a good wine it just takes time to come together.
Do real life events find their way into your stories?
Yes, but I try not to be too obvious. Also, real places I’ve visited or lived at.
Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
Not family usually (they’re kind of boring, actually), but definitely some of the more colorful people I’ve met over the years can see a hint of themselves in some characters. Bu usually, I find myself drawing on great characters I loved in books I read.
Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?
There are some themes I enjoy reading, and so they tend to reappear. I love underdogs. I love redemption. I love characters refusing to give up even in the face of hopeless situations and impossible odds. So, I want that stuff in my story.
When do you write? Early morning? During the day sometime or all day? After the kids go to bed?
A typical writing day for me begins at about 4:30am. I’ll write until 7am or so and then go to work. At work, I try to edit stuff I’ve already written at lunch, and then I’ll edit some more after work. So, my truly creative writing stage takes place in the early morning dark with a cup of coffee and a deadly silent house, interrupted only by the sound of my snoring dog who insists on sleeping at my feet wherever I am. Sigh.
How do you feel about marketing your book?
Writing the book was like running a marathon—Just put one foot in front of the other and don't think about how many miles you still have to go. Promoting it is beginning to feel like running a second marathon. There’s so many millions of books clamoring for attention that it’s a real chore trying to be heard above the din. I thought I was social media savvy before, but there is a lot I didn’t know and have had to learn—mostly the hard way.
You have to endure a ton of rejection getting a book published. I knew that going in. What I didn’t quite realize is that you have to endure another ton of rejection promoting your book too.
What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?
Definitely Twitter and blogs that focus on particular subgenres. You need to go where the people are at who are the readers for you type of book. And chef Boyardee, it bit ain’t easy—and with that, I think we may have the start of the lyrics to a really bad country song.
Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in?
Final manuscript, definitely.
Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing? If so, what is it?
Yes, science fiction. As a kid,I grew up hooked on the genre—I loved Andre Norton, Heinlein, Asimov, etc. One day I’m going to take the plunge myself.
Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
I’m always the anti-hero/heroine. The hero/heroine is always the person that made the right choices I didn’t make.
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions,
Favorite 5
1) Favorite Male Actor - Russell Crowe
2) Favorite vehicle – Chevrolet Camaro (my car)
3) Favorite way to relax – Listening to my playlists
4) Favorite ice cream – The darkest chocolate available
5) Favorite outfit – Plain, worn out jeans and a sweatshirt
And for a bonus: If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be? (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
I stay in the states, I like it here, but I’d probably go back to where I spent many years growing up–Seattle.
Where can our readers find you??
Email: kvbrunt@gmail.com
Twitter: @kdvanbrunt
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kdvanbrunt
Website/blog: www.kdvanbrunt.com
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/K.D.-Van-Brunt/e/B00IUFSVCG/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
My book WIN THE RINGS was published on March 7. You can read excerpts and bonus content and click through to Amazon to buy at my website ( www.kdvanbrunt ) or here ( www.evernightteen.com ).
Backcover:
Jace has been the property of the U.S. Army since they found out about her when she was five, and now she has become one of its most valuable weapons. But Jace is not the only one of her kind. Gray is one too, but with the help of his sister, he has spent most of his sixteen years hiding from the Army.
Now, the Army has found out about Gray and they cannot allow him to roam free. Operating on the theory that it takes one to catch one, Jace is send out with a special ops squad to hunt Gray down. But Jace is not the only one pursuing Gray, and the competition is after her too. What ensues is a desperate chase through city after city as duty and honor collide with love and sacrifice.
Okay, one last thing before we let you leave us today. Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share but it's totally up to you.
I love to cook too. Here’s a favorite of mine:
Reisling Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
4 medium leeks, chopped
2 tablespoons shallot, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped diagonally in one inch pieces
1-1/2 cups of a nice Alsatian Riesling (the rest of the bottle for the cook)
1 1/2 pound small red potatoes
2 tablespoons tarragon, chopped
1/2 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Steps
* Preheat oven to 350F with rack in middle.
* Sprinkle Chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
* Heat oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a wide 5-quart heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high heat and brown chicken. Transfer to a plate. Pour out the oil.
* Cook leeks, shallot, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in remaining butter, covered, over medium-low heat until leeks are pale golden.
* Add back chicken, skin sides up, with any juices from plate, carrots, and wine and boil until liquid is reduced by half.
* Cover pot and braise chicken in oven until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
* While chicken braises, peel potatoes, cover with cold water and add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are just tender (15 minutes or so). Drain in a colander, then return to saucepan. Add tarragon and shake to coat.
* Stir crème fraîche/heavy cream into chicken mixture and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, then add potatoes.
Giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway
Welcome KD, so great to have you here with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I live in the great state of Maryland with my wife and dog. During the day, I work in a law firm. I’ve written a number of non-fiction works, but this is my first novel—now,I’ve been trying to write this first novel for what seems like forever, but perhaps like a good wine it just takes time to come together.
Do real life events find their way into your stories?
Yes, but I try not to be too obvious. Also, real places I’ve visited or lived at.
Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
Not family usually (they’re kind of boring, actually), but definitely some of the more colorful people I’ve met over the years can see a hint of themselves in some characters. Bu usually, I find myself drawing on great characters I loved in books I read.
Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?
There are some themes I enjoy reading, and so they tend to reappear. I love underdogs. I love redemption. I love characters refusing to give up even in the face of hopeless situations and impossible odds. So, I want that stuff in my story.
When do you write? Early morning? During the day sometime or all day? After the kids go to bed?
A typical writing day for me begins at about 4:30am. I’ll write until 7am or so and then go to work. At work, I try to edit stuff I’ve already written at lunch, and then I’ll edit some more after work. So, my truly creative writing stage takes place in the early morning dark with a cup of coffee and a deadly silent house, interrupted only by the sound of my snoring dog who insists on sleeping at my feet wherever I am. Sigh.
How do you feel about marketing your book?
Writing the book was like running a marathon—Just put one foot in front of the other and don't think about how many miles you still have to go. Promoting it is beginning to feel like running a second marathon. There’s so many millions of books clamoring for attention that it’s a real chore trying to be heard above the din. I thought I was social media savvy before, but there is a lot I didn’t know and have had to learn—mostly the hard way.
You have to endure a ton of rejection getting a book published. I knew that going in. What I didn’t quite realize is that you have to endure another ton of rejection promoting your book too.
What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?
Definitely Twitter and blogs that focus on particular subgenres. You need to go where the people are at who are the readers for you type of book. And chef Boyardee, it bit ain’t easy—and with that, I think we may have the start of the lyrics to a really bad country song.
Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in?
Final manuscript, definitely.
Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing? If so, what is it?
Yes, science fiction. As a kid,I grew up hooked on the genre—I loved Andre Norton, Heinlein, Asimov, etc. One day I’m going to take the plunge myself.
Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
I’m always the anti-hero/heroine. The hero/heroine is always the person that made the right choices I didn’t make.
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions,
Favorite 5
1) Favorite Male Actor - Russell Crowe
2) Favorite vehicle – Chevrolet Camaro (my car)
3) Favorite way to relax – Listening to my playlists
4) Favorite ice cream – The darkest chocolate available
5) Favorite outfit – Plain, worn out jeans and a sweatshirt
And for a bonus: If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be? (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
I stay in the states, I like it here, but I’d probably go back to where I spent many years growing up–Seattle.
Where can our readers find you??
Email: kvbrunt@gmail.com
Twitter: @kdvanbrunt
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kdvanbrunt
Website/blog: www.kdvanbrunt.com
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/K.D.-Van-Brunt/e/B00IUFSVCG/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
My book WIN THE RINGS was published on March 7. You can read excerpts and bonus content and click through to Amazon to buy at my website ( www.kdvanbrunt ) or here ( www.evernightteen.com ).
Backcover:
Jace has been the property of the U.S. Army since they found out about her when she was five, and now she has become one of its most valuable weapons. But Jace is not the only one of her kind. Gray is one too, but with the help of his sister, he has spent most of his sixteen years hiding from the Army.
Now, the Army has found out about Gray and they cannot allow him to roam free. Operating on the theory that it takes one to catch one, Jace is send out with a special ops squad to hunt Gray down. But Jace is not the only one pursuing Gray, and the competition is after her too. What ensues is a desperate chase through city after city as duty and honor collide with love and sacrifice.
Okay, one last thing before we let you leave us today. Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share but it's totally up to you.
I love to cook too. Here’s a favorite of mine:
Reisling Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
4 medium leeks, chopped
2 tablespoons shallot, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped diagonally in one inch pieces
1-1/2 cups of a nice Alsatian Riesling (the rest of the bottle for the cook)
1 1/2 pound small red potatoes
2 tablespoons tarragon, chopped
1/2 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Steps
* Preheat oven to 350F with rack in middle.
* Sprinkle Chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
* Heat oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a wide 5-quart heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high heat and brown chicken. Transfer to a plate. Pour out the oil.
* Cook leeks, shallot, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in remaining butter, covered, over medium-low heat until leeks are pale golden.
* Add back chicken, skin sides up, with any juices from plate, carrots, and wine and boil until liquid is reduced by half.
* Cover pot and braise chicken in oven until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
* While chicken braises, peel potatoes, cover with cold water and add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are just tender (15 minutes or so). Drain in a colander, then return to saucepan. Add tarragon and shake to coat.
* Stir crème fraîche/heavy cream into chicken mixture and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, then add potatoes.
Giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway
March 18, 2014
Author, author... WELCOME TO PARADISE by Jennifer MacAire + #Giveaway
...read all about it !!
Welcome Jennifer, so great to have you here with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself? Thank you – it’s great to ‘be’ here! I’m an American, my dad was in the marines and my mom was a teacher – and both worked for the military so we moved around a lot, going from NY where I was born, to California, to Samoa, to the Virgin Islands, where I went to high school. I graduated and moved to NYC where I started modeling and landed a job in Paris, where I shared an apartment with my friend Andie MacDowell, and where I met and married my husband! He plays polo, and after living in England, Argentina, and Florida, we moved back to France where we raised our three children.
Do real life events find their way into your stories?
All the time – I remember my first art teacher telling me to ‘draw what I know’ (horses, of course, lol) and I often find parts of my life creeping into my stories.
Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
I will use speech patterns, sometimes physical descriptions, but my characters are all figments of my imagination.
Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?
It’s always something different. Once I’ve written about something, I move on. Well, except for the seven book time-travel series about Alexander the Great (Time for Alexander)!
When do you write? Early morning? During the day sometime or all day? After the kids go to bed?
Anytime is good for me – late, early – whenever I have a deadline looming works the best though, lol.
How do you feel about marketing your book?
It’s challenging – and fun, and it’s the best part about writing (which is, frankly, kind of lonely) because I get to reach out directly and ‘meet’ the reader! It makes writing worth all the while!
What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?
I use my website, Facebook, and Twitter – although I admit to being a Twitter neophyte and a bit helpless about tweeting. I kind of have to force myself to tweet, lol.
Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in? I prefer to have finished my story, because even if I do work best with a deadline, I never want to be in the position of having to rush a book. I’ve read too many books where the ending seems mashed up, and I wondered if the author simply didn’t have the time to finish it correctly.
Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing? If so, what is it? I’d like to try a historical novel – I love doing research. I’m toying with the idea of a story set in Jamaica in the late 1600’s, when the pirates ruled the Caribbean...
Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
I have to admit, if I don’t feel a connection with the heroine, I have trouble writing the story – so I guess the answer is always. But the heroine is never actually me – I would make a pretty boring heroine, lol.
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions, Favorite 5
1) Favorite Male Actor - Leonardo DiCaprio
2) Favorite vehicle - train
3) Favorite way to relax - reading
4) Favorite ice cream – vanilla mint chocolate chip
5) Favorite outfit – jeans and a cashmere sweater
And for a bonus: If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be? (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
Jamaica
Where can our readers find you??
Email: jennifermacaire@gmail.com
Twitter: @jennifermacaire
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evernightteenWebsite/blog: www.jennifermacaire.comAmazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Jennifer+Macaire&search-alias=books&text=Jennifer+Macaire&sort=relevancerankGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/271874.Jennifer_Macaire
TRR/Manic: http://www.manicreaders.com/JenniferMacaire/
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
My most recent is Welcome to Paradise, and I really love this book. I hope I hear from readers about it!
WELCOME TO PARADISE
JENNIFER MACAIRE
Blurb: Growing up on an island paradise isn’t as easy as one might think. Sugar is infatuated with the boy next door, worried she won't make the cheerleading squad, and even more worried that she will. She is paranoid that because of the horrendous scar on her face, no one really expects her to succeed at anything. Her sister is smart, her mother is a legendary model, and her father is a famous artist. Her family’s success sets a high bar for her to live up to.
Everything changes for Sugar when a plastic surgeon removes her scar. The surgery makes her beautiful, but she makes the shocking discovery that being beautiful can be awful. When she finally discovers who she is, and what she wants from life, it nearly destroys her tightly knit family. She must confront abuse, an elopement, loss, and a secret her father has kept from her all her life. Sugar is struggling to pull everything together and find her own version of 'Happily Ever After'.
* * * * * *
http://www.evernightteen.com/welcome-to-paradise-by-jennifer-macaire/ 14+ for sexuality, language, and adult situations Excerpt:
During spring break, I went to Tortola and had plastic surgery done on my face. I hadn’t had to wait until I was eighteen, new techniques had been developed and most of the surgery was done by laser. A week afterwards, I came home again. I was in bandages for a week more. It was awkward in school, I felt like the mummy in old horror films.
When I took off the bandages, it was impossible for me to see any difference. For some reason my old face was superimposed on my mind, and the face staring back at me in the mirror simply belonged to someone else.
My parents were ecstatic. The results seemed to surpass even their expectations. The scar was gone. My mouth was smoothed, my nose was straight. I was always startling myself when I looked in the mirrors; it was too sudden. Even Sadie started acting differently around me. She teased me less, and I’d sometimes catch her staring at me with the strangest expression on her face.
I had to stay out of the sun, wear total sun block and wide-brimmed hats for months. My tan faded, and with it the remainder of my scars. The kids in my class all seemed to appreciate my new face. I was even asked out on dates, but I wasn’t interested. I was in love, and Brett actually answered my letters. He wrote often. I wrote just as much, and in one letter I put in photographs of myself and my new face.
Mother had a professional photographer take my picture. I went in to the sitting rather nervously. The photographer was bright and chipper, talking, always talking.
“Okay, that’s right dear, that’s the spirit. Love it, love it! How’s about a smile? Eh, that’s the smile, that’s it! Beautiful! Okay, great. Look over there, yes, that’s it. Now, chin down, yeah, keep your chin down love. Okay. Great, good stuff. How’s about taking your top off? You got great breasts, I can tell, not too big, not too small. Well, what about it? Want to do some nudes?”
I was mesmerized. I took off my top, and posed for him. He didn’t stop talking; I was clothed in the sound of his voice. Afterwards, I was embarrassed, absolutely crimson. I realized my mother would see the pictures, so when she came to pick me up, I burst into tears in the car.
“Oh, sweetheart! They all do it! I never saw a photographer who didn’t want me to pose nude. It’s nothing dear. They’re artists, like your father. He always has nude girls trailing around his studio, you know that. It’s a compliment. Don’t cry!” Mother was amused.
I sent a picture to Brett of my new face. And one of me, topless. It was very good, actually. I was perched on the edge of a chair, looking straight at the camera, but poised as if I was about to leap away. I told Brett my father had taken the pictures as a study for one of his paintings. Brett wrote back that he’d put both pictures in his wallet. But the one of me topless was hidden, so that only he could find it. He also wrote that he was tired, that the treatments were painful, and that he was losing his hair and gaining weight. So while I was growing more beautiful, he was turning hideous.
I wrote back that I didn’t care, that looks were nothing. I’d spent years with a ruined face, so I ought to know. Hair could be grown back, weight lost. I told him to follow doctor’s orders and get well soon. I said I wanted him, that my body craved him, and that I hoped no one else was reading his mail.
His mother traveled back and forth every week, spending time with her son and husband. I’d heard somewhere that Southern women were tough as steel, but not Lacey. She seemed to crumble. She grew thin, and her eyes were perpetually red. I saw her a lot. She came to the house as much as possible to cry on Mother’s shoulder. I gave her some of my letters to take to Brett, and these fragile white missives seemed to give her strength. She would sit up straighter as she tucked them into her purse, and they were the only things that would make her smile.
**Optional** (but fun) Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share but it's totally up to you.
I love to cook too, and here is a recipe from the Caribbean that is easy (I use canned kidney beans, but you can use dried ones if you soak well overnight and cook thoroughly!).
Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice (or ground cloves)
1 12 ounce can kidney beans, including liquid
1 14 ounce can tomatoes (try to get good quality canned tomatoes – it makes a difference!)
1 1/2 cups rice (I like to use Basmati)
1 1/2 cup water (add more if needed so the rice stays moist)
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until onions turn soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add spices and cook for just one more minute.
Add the beans and the tomatoes, including the liquid from each. Allow this to cook for a few more minutes, then add the rice and water.
Cover and cook for about 30-35 minutes, or until rice is done and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Welcome Jennifer, so great to have you here with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself? Thank you – it’s great to ‘be’ here! I’m an American, my dad was in the marines and my mom was a teacher – and both worked for the military so we moved around a lot, going from NY where I was born, to California, to Samoa, to the Virgin Islands, where I went to high school. I graduated and moved to NYC where I started modeling and landed a job in Paris, where I shared an apartment with my friend Andie MacDowell, and where I met and married my husband! He plays polo, and after living in England, Argentina, and Florida, we moved back to France where we raised our three children.
Do real life events find their way into your stories?
All the time – I remember my first art teacher telling me to ‘draw what I know’ (horses, of course, lol) and I often find parts of my life creeping into my stories.
Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
I will use speech patterns, sometimes physical descriptions, but my characters are all figments of my imagination.
Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?
It’s always something different. Once I’ve written about something, I move on. Well, except for the seven book time-travel series about Alexander the Great (Time for Alexander)!
When do you write? Early morning? During the day sometime or all day? After the kids go to bed?
Anytime is good for me – late, early – whenever I have a deadline looming works the best though, lol.
How do you feel about marketing your book?
It’s challenging – and fun, and it’s the best part about writing (which is, frankly, kind of lonely) because I get to reach out directly and ‘meet’ the reader! It makes writing worth all the while!
What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?
I use my website, Facebook, and Twitter – although I admit to being a Twitter neophyte and a bit helpless about tweeting. I kind of have to force myself to tweet, lol.
Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in? I prefer to have finished my story, because even if I do work best with a deadline, I never want to be in the position of having to rush a book. I’ve read too many books where the ending seems mashed up, and I wondered if the author simply didn’t have the time to finish it correctly.
Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing? If so, what is it? I’d like to try a historical novel – I love doing research. I’m toying with the idea of a story set in Jamaica in the late 1600’s, when the pirates ruled the Caribbean...
Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
I have to admit, if I don’t feel a connection with the heroine, I have trouble writing the story – so I guess the answer is always. But the heroine is never actually me – I would make a pretty boring heroine, lol.
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions, Favorite 5
1) Favorite Male Actor - Leonardo DiCaprio
2) Favorite vehicle - train
3) Favorite way to relax - reading
4) Favorite ice cream – vanilla mint chocolate chip
5) Favorite outfit – jeans and a cashmere sweater
And for a bonus: If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be? (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
Jamaica
Where can our readers find you??
Email: jennifermacaire@gmail.com
Twitter: @jennifermacaire
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evernightteenWebsite/blog: www.jennifermacaire.comAmazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Jennifer+Macaire&search-alias=books&text=Jennifer+Macaire&sort=relevancerankGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/271874.Jennifer_Macaire
TRR/Manic: http://www.manicreaders.com/JenniferMacaire/
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
My most recent is Welcome to Paradise, and I really love this book. I hope I hear from readers about it!
WELCOME TO PARADISE
JENNIFER MACAIRE
Blurb: Growing up on an island paradise isn’t as easy as one might think. Sugar is infatuated with the boy next door, worried she won't make the cheerleading squad, and even more worried that she will. She is paranoid that because of the horrendous scar on her face, no one really expects her to succeed at anything. Her sister is smart, her mother is a legendary model, and her father is a famous artist. Her family’s success sets a high bar for her to live up to.Everything changes for Sugar when a plastic surgeon removes her scar. The surgery makes her beautiful, but she makes the shocking discovery that being beautiful can be awful. When she finally discovers who she is, and what she wants from life, it nearly destroys her tightly knit family. She must confront abuse, an elopement, loss, and a secret her father has kept from her all her life. Sugar is struggling to pull everything together and find her own version of 'Happily Ever After'.
* * * * * *
http://www.evernightteen.com/welcome-to-paradise-by-jennifer-macaire/ 14+ for sexuality, language, and adult situations Excerpt:
During spring break, I went to Tortola and had plastic surgery done on my face. I hadn’t had to wait until I was eighteen, new techniques had been developed and most of the surgery was done by laser. A week afterwards, I came home again. I was in bandages for a week more. It was awkward in school, I felt like the mummy in old horror films.
When I took off the bandages, it was impossible for me to see any difference. For some reason my old face was superimposed on my mind, and the face staring back at me in the mirror simply belonged to someone else.
My parents were ecstatic. The results seemed to surpass even their expectations. The scar was gone. My mouth was smoothed, my nose was straight. I was always startling myself when I looked in the mirrors; it was too sudden. Even Sadie started acting differently around me. She teased me less, and I’d sometimes catch her staring at me with the strangest expression on her face.
I had to stay out of the sun, wear total sun block and wide-brimmed hats for months. My tan faded, and with it the remainder of my scars. The kids in my class all seemed to appreciate my new face. I was even asked out on dates, but I wasn’t interested. I was in love, and Brett actually answered my letters. He wrote often. I wrote just as much, and in one letter I put in photographs of myself and my new face.
Mother had a professional photographer take my picture. I went in to the sitting rather nervously. The photographer was bright and chipper, talking, always talking.
“Okay, that’s right dear, that’s the spirit. Love it, love it! How’s about a smile? Eh, that’s the smile, that’s it! Beautiful! Okay, great. Look over there, yes, that’s it. Now, chin down, yeah, keep your chin down love. Okay. Great, good stuff. How’s about taking your top off? You got great breasts, I can tell, not too big, not too small. Well, what about it? Want to do some nudes?”
I was mesmerized. I took off my top, and posed for him. He didn’t stop talking; I was clothed in the sound of his voice. Afterwards, I was embarrassed, absolutely crimson. I realized my mother would see the pictures, so when she came to pick me up, I burst into tears in the car.
“Oh, sweetheart! They all do it! I never saw a photographer who didn’t want me to pose nude. It’s nothing dear. They’re artists, like your father. He always has nude girls trailing around his studio, you know that. It’s a compliment. Don’t cry!” Mother was amused.
I sent a picture to Brett of my new face. And one of me, topless. It was very good, actually. I was perched on the edge of a chair, looking straight at the camera, but poised as if I was about to leap away. I told Brett my father had taken the pictures as a study for one of his paintings. Brett wrote back that he’d put both pictures in his wallet. But the one of me topless was hidden, so that only he could find it. He also wrote that he was tired, that the treatments were painful, and that he was losing his hair and gaining weight. So while I was growing more beautiful, he was turning hideous.
I wrote back that I didn’t care, that looks were nothing. I’d spent years with a ruined face, so I ought to know. Hair could be grown back, weight lost. I told him to follow doctor’s orders and get well soon. I said I wanted him, that my body craved him, and that I hoped no one else was reading his mail.
His mother traveled back and forth every week, spending time with her son and husband. I’d heard somewhere that Southern women were tough as steel, but not Lacey. She seemed to crumble. She grew thin, and her eyes were perpetually red. I saw her a lot. She came to the house as much as possible to cry on Mother’s shoulder. I gave her some of my letters to take to Brett, and these fragile white missives seemed to give her strength. She would sit up straighter as she tucked them into her purse, and they were the only things that would make her smile.
**Optional** (but fun) Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share but it's totally up to you.
I love to cook too, and here is a recipe from the Caribbean that is easy (I use canned kidney beans, but you can use dried ones if you soak well overnight and cook thoroughly!).
Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice (or ground cloves)
1 12 ounce can kidney beans, including liquid
1 14 ounce can tomatoes (try to get good quality canned tomatoes – it makes a difference!)
1 1/2 cups rice (I like to use Basmati)
1 1/2 cup water (add more if needed so the rice stays moist)
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until onions turn soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add spices and cook for just one more minute.
Add the beans and the tomatoes, including the liquid from each. Allow this to cook for a few more minutes, then add the rice and water.
Cover and cook for about 30-35 minutes, or until rice is done and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Author, author... WELCOME TO PARADISE by Jennifer MacAire
...read all about it !!
Welcome Jennifer, so great to have you here with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself? Thank you – it’s great to ‘be’ here! I’m an American, my dad was in the marines and my mom was a teacher – and both worked for the military so we moved around a lot, going from NY where I was born, to California, to Samoa, to the Virgin Islands, where I went to high school. I graduated and moved to NYC where I started modeling and landed a job in Paris, where I shared an apartment with my friend Andie MacDowell, and where I met and married my husband! He plays polo, and after living in England, Argentina, and Florida, we moved back to France where we raised our three children.
Do real life events find their way into your stories?
All the time – I remember my first art teacher telling me to ‘draw what I know’ (horses, of course, lol) and I often find parts of my life creeping into my stories.
Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
I will use speech patterns, sometimes physical descriptions, but my characters are all figments of my imagination.
Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?
It’s always something different. Once I’ve written about something, I move on. Well, except for the seven book time-travel series about Alexander the Great (Time for Alexander)!
When do you write? Early morning? During the day sometime or all day? After the kids go to bed?
Anytime is good for me – late, early – whenever I have a deadline looming works the best though, lol.
How do you feel about marketing your book?
It’s challenging – and fun, and it’s the best part about writing (which is, frankly, kind of lonely) because I get to reach out directly and ‘meet’ the reader! It makes writing worth all the while!
What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?
I use my website, Facebook, and Twitter – although I admit to being a Twitter neophyte and a bit helpless about tweeting. I kind of have to force myself to tweet, lol.
Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in? I prefer to have finished my story, because even if I do work best with a deadline, I never want to be in the position of having to rush a book. I’ve read too many books where the ending seems mashed up, and I wondered if the author simply didn’t have the time to finish it correctly.
Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing? If so, what is it? I’d like to try a historical novel – I love doing research. I’m toying with the idea of a story set in Jamaica in the late 1600’s, when the pirates ruled the Caribbean...
Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
I have to admit, if I don’t feel a connection with the heroine, I have trouble writing the story – so I guess the answer is always. But the heroine is never actually me – I would make a pretty boring heroine, lol.
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions, Favorite 5
1) Favorite Male Actor - Leonardo DiCaprio
2) Favorite vehicle - train
3) Favorite way to relax - reading
4) Favorite ice cream – vanilla mint chocolate chip
5) Favorite outfit – jeans and a cashmere sweater
And for a bonus: If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be? (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
Jamaica
Where can our readers find you??
Email: jennifermacaire@gmail.com
Twitter: @jennifermacaire
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evernightteenWebsite/blog: www.jennifermacaire.comAmazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Jennifer+Macaire&search-alias=books&text=Jennifer+Macaire&sort=relevancerankGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/271874.Jennifer_Macaire
TRR/Manic: http://www.manicreaders.com/JenniferMacaire/
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
My most recent is Welcome to Paradise, and I really love this book. I hope I hear from readers about it! WELCOME TO PARADISE
JENNIFER MACAIRE
Blurb: Growing up on an island paradise isn’t as easy as one might think. Sugar is infatuated with the boy next door, worried she won't make the cheerleading squad, and even more worried that she will. She is paranoid that because of the horrendous scar on her face, no one really expects her to succeed at anything. Her sister is smart, her mother is a legendary model, and her father is a famous artist. Her family’s success sets a high bar for her to live up to.
Everything changes for Sugar when a plastic surgeon removes her scar. The surgery makes her beautiful, but she makes the shocking discovery that being beautiful can be awful. When she finally discovers who she is, and what she wants from life, it nearly destroys her tightly knit family. She must confront abuse, an elopement, loss, and a secret her father has kept from her all her life. Sugar is struggling to pull everything together and find her own version of 'Happily Ever After'. * * * * * *
http://www.evernightteen.com/welcome-to-paradise-by-jennifer-macaire/ 14+ for sexuality, language, and adult situations Excerpt:
During spring break, I went to Tortola and had plastic surgery done on my face. I hadn’t had to wait until I was eighteen, new techniques had been developed and most of the surgery was done by laser. A week afterwards, I came home again. I was in bandages for a week more. It was awkward in school, I felt like the mummy in old horror films.
When I took off the bandages, it was impossible for me to see any difference. For some reason my old face was superimposed on my mind, and the face staring back at me in the mirror simply belonged to someone else.
My parents were ecstatic. The results seemed to surpass even their expectations. The scar was gone. My mouth was smoothed, my nose was straight. I was always startling myself when I looked in the mirrors; it was too sudden. Even Sadie started acting differently around me. She teased me less, and I’d sometimes catch her staring at me with the strangest expression on her face.
I had to stay out of the sun, wear total sun block and wide-brimmed hats for months. My tan faded, and with it the remainder of my scars. The kids in my class all seemed to appreciate my new face. I was even asked out on dates, but I wasn’t interested. I was in love, and Brett actually answered my letters. He wrote often. I wrote just as much, and in one letter I put in photographs of myself and my new face.
Mother had a professional photographer take my picture. I went in to the sitting rather nervously. The photographer was bright and chipper, talking, always talking.
“Okay, that’s right dear, that’s the spirit. Love it, love it! How’s about a smile? Eh, that’s the smile, that’s it! Beautiful! Okay, great. Look over there, yes, that’s it. Now, chin down, yeah, keep your chin down love. Okay. Great, good stuff. How’s about taking your top off? You got great breasts, I can tell, not too big, not too small. Well, what about it? Want to do some nudes?”
I was mesmerized. I took off my top, and posed for him. He didn’t stop talking; I was clothed in the sound of his voice. Afterwards, I was embarrassed, absolutely crimson. I realized my mother would see the pictures, so when she came to pick me up, I burst into tears in the car.
“Oh, sweetheart! They all do it! I never saw a photographer who didn’t want me to pose nude. It’s nothing dear. They’re artists, like your father. He always has nude girls trailing around his studio, you know that. It’s a compliment. Don’t cry!” Mother was amused.
I sent a picture to Brett of my new face. And one of me, topless. It was very good, actually. I was perched on the edge of a chair, looking straight at the camera, but poised as if I was about to leap away. I told Brett my father had taken the pictures as a study for one of his paintings. Brett wrote back that he’d put both pictures in his wallet. But the one of me topless was hidden, so that only he could find it. He also wrote that he was tired, that the treatments were painful, and that he was losing his hair and gaining weight. So while I was growing more beautiful, he was turning hideous.
I wrote back that I didn’t care, that looks were nothing. I’d spent years with a ruined face, so I ought to know. Hair could be grown back, weight lost. I told him to follow doctor’s orders and get well soon. I said I wanted him, that my body craved him, and that I hoped no one else was reading his mail.
His mother traveled back and forth every week, spending time with her son and husband. I’d heard somewhere that Southern women were tough as steel, but not Lacey. She seemed to crumble. She grew thin, and her eyes were perpetually red. I saw her a lot. She came to the house as much as possible to cry on Mother’s shoulder. I gave her some of my letters to take to Brett, and these fragile white missives seemed to give her strength. She would sit up straighter as she tucked them into her purse, and they were the only things that would make her smile.
**Optional** (but fun) Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share but it's totally up to you.
I love to cook too, and here is a recipe from the Caribbean that is easy (I use canned kidney beans, but you can use dried ones if you soak well overnight and cook thoroughly!).
Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice (or ground cloves)
1 12 ounce can kidney beans, including liquid
1 14 ounce can tomatoes (try to get good quality canned tomatoes – it makes a difference!)
1 1/2 cups rice (I like to use Basmati)
1 1/2 cup water (add more if needed so the rice stays moist)
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until onions turn soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add spices and cook for just one more minute.
Add the beans and the tomatoes, including the liquid from each. Allow this to cook for a few more minutes, then add the rice and water.
Cover and cook for about 30-35 minutes, or until rice is done and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Welcome Jennifer, so great to have you here with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself? Thank you – it’s great to ‘be’ here! I’m an American, my dad was in the marines and my mom was a teacher – and both worked for the military so we moved around a lot, going from NY where I was born, to California, to Samoa, to the Virgin Islands, where I went to high school. I graduated and moved to NYC where I started modeling and landed a job in Paris, where I shared an apartment with my friend Andie MacDowell, and where I met and married my husband! He plays polo, and after living in England, Argentina, and Florida, we moved back to France where we raised our three children.
Do real life events find their way into your stories?
All the time – I remember my first art teacher telling me to ‘draw what I know’ (horses, of course, lol) and I often find parts of my life creeping into my stories.
Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
I will use speech patterns, sometimes physical descriptions, but my characters are all figments of my imagination.
Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?
It’s always something different. Once I’ve written about something, I move on. Well, except for the seven book time-travel series about Alexander the Great (Time for Alexander)!
When do you write? Early morning? During the day sometime or all day? After the kids go to bed?
Anytime is good for me – late, early – whenever I have a deadline looming works the best though, lol.
How do you feel about marketing your book?
It’s challenging – and fun, and it’s the best part about writing (which is, frankly, kind of lonely) because I get to reach out directly and ‘meet’ the reader! It makes writing worth all the while!
What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?
I use my website, Facebook, and Twitter – although I admit to being a Twitter neophyte and a bit helpless about tweeting. I kind of have to force myself to tweet, lol.
Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in? I prefer to have finished my story, because even if I do work best with a deadline, I never want to be in the position of having to rush a book. I’ve read too many books where the ending seems mashed up, and I wondered if the author simply didn’t have the time to finish it correctly.
Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing? If so, what is it? I’d like to try a historical novel – I love doing research. I’m toying with the idea of a story set in Jamaica in the late 1600’s, when the pirates ruled the Caribbean...
Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
I have to admit, if I don’t feel a connection with the heroine, I have trouble writing the story – so I guess the answer is always. But the heroine is never actually me – I would make a pretty boring heroine, lol.
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions, Favorite 5
1) Favorite Male Actor - Leonardo DiCaprio
2) Favorite vehicle - train
3) Favorite way to relax - reading
4) Favorite ice cream – vanilla mint chocolate chip
5) Favorite outfit – jeans and a cashmere sweater
And for a bonus: If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be? (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
Jamaica
Where can our readers find you??
Email: jennifermacaire@gmail.com
Twitter: @jennifermacaire
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evernightteenWebsite/blog: www.jennifermacaire.comAmazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Jennifer+Macaire&search-alias=books&text=Jennifer+Macaire&sort=relevancerankGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/271874.Jennifer_Macaire
TRR/Manic: http://www.manicreaders.com/JenniferMacaire/
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
My most recent is Welcome to Paradise, and I really love this book. I hope I hear from readers about it! WELCOME TO PARADISE
JENNIFER MACAIRE
Blurb: Growing up on an island paradise isn’t as easy as one might think. Sugar is infatuated with the boy next door, worried she won't make the cheerleading squad, and even more worried that she will. She is paranoid that because of the horrendous scar on her face, no one really expects her to succeed at anything. Her sister is smart, her mother is a legendary model, and her father is a famous artist. Her family’s success sets a high bar for her to live up to.Everything changes for Sugar when a plastic surgeon removes her scar. The surgery makes her beautiful, but she makes the shocking discovery that being beautiful can be awful. When she finally discovers who she is, and what she wants from life, it nearly destroys her tightly knit family. She must confront abuse, an elopement, loss, and a secret her father has kept from her all her life. Sugar is struggling to pull everything together and find her own version of 'Happily Ever After'. * * * * * *
http://www.evernightteen.com/welcome-to-paradise-by-jennifer-macaire/ 14+ for sexuality, language, and adult situations Excerpt:
During spring break, I went to Tortola and had plastic surgery done on my face. I hadn’t had to wait until I was eighteen, new techniques had been developed and most of the surgery was done by laser. A week afterwards, I came home again. I was in bandages for a week more. It was awkward in school, I felt like the mummy in old horror films.
When I took off the bandages, it was impossible for me to see any difference. For some reason my old face was superimposed on my mind, and the face staring back at me in the mirror simply belonged to someone else.
My parents were ecstatic. The results seemed to surpass even their expectations. The scar was gone. My mouth was smoothed, my nose was straight. I was always startling myself when I looked in the mirrors; it was too sudden. Even Sadie started acting differently around me. She teased me less, and I’d sometimes catch her staring at me with the strangest expression on her face.
I had to stay out of the sun, wear total sun block and wide-brimmed hats for months. My tan faded, and with it the remainder of my scars. The kids in my class all seemed to appreciate my new face. I was even asked out on dates, but I wasn’t interested. I was in love, and Brett actually answered my letters. He wrote often. I wrote just as much, and in one letter I put in photographs of myself and my new face.
Mother had a professional photographer take my picture. I went in to the sitting rather nervously. The photographer was bright and chipper, talking, always talking.
“Okay, that’s right dear, that’s the spirit. Love it, love it! How’s about a smile? Eh, that’s the smile, that’s it! Beautiful! Okay, great. Look over there, yes, that’s it. Now, chin down, yeah, keep your chin down love. Okay. Great, good stuff. How’s about taking your top off? You got great breasts, I can tell, not too big, not too small. Well, what about it? Want to do some nudes?”
I was mesmerized. I took off my top, and posed for him. He didn’t stop talking; I was clothed in the sound of his voice. Afterwards, I was embarrassed, absolutely crimson. I realized my mother would see the pictures, so when she came to pick me up, I burst into tears in the car.
“Oh, sweetheart! They all do it! I never saw a photographer who didn’t want me to pose nude. It’s nothing dear. They’re artists, like your father. He always has nude girls trailing around his studio, you know that. It’s a compliment. Don’t cry!” Mother was amused.
I sent a picture to Brett of my new face. And one of me, topless. It was very good, actually. I was perched on the edge of a chair, looking straight at the camera, but poised as if I was about to leap away. I told Brett my father had taken the pictures as a study for one of his paintings. Brett wrote back that he’d put both pictures in his wallet. But the one of me topless was hidden, so that only he could find it. He also wrote that he was tired, that the treatments were painful, and that he was losing his hair and gaining weight. So while I was growing more beautiful, he was turning hideous.
I wrote back that I didn’t care, that looks were nothing. I’d spent years with a ruined face, so I ought to know. Hair could be grown back, weight lost. I told him to follow doctor’s orders and get well soon. I said I wanted him, that my body craved him, and that I hoped no one else was reading his mail.
His mother traveled back and forth every week, spending time with her son and husband. I’d heard somewhere that Southern women were tough as steel, but not Lacey. She seemed to crumble. She grew thin, and her eyes were perpetually red. I saw her a lot. She came to the house as much as possible to cry on Mother’s shoulder. I gave her some of my letters to take to Brett, and these fragile white missives seemed to give her strength. She would sit up straighter as she tucked them into her purse, and they were the only things that would make her smile.
**Optional** (but fun) Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share but it's totally up to you.
I love to cook too, and here is a recipe from the Caribbean that is easy (I use canned kidney beans, but you can use dried ones if you soak well overnight and cook thoroughly!).
Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice (or ground cloves)
1 12 ounce can kidney beans, including liquid
1 14 ounce can tomatoes (try to get good quality canned tomatoes – it makes a difference!)
1 1/2 cups rice (I like to use Basmati)
1 1/2 cup water (add more if needed so the rice stays moist)
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until onions turn soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add spices and cook for just one more minute.
Add the beans and the tomatoes, including the liquid from each. Allow this to cook for a few more minutes, then add the rice and water.
Cover and cook for about 30-35 minutes, or until rice is done and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Spotlight on TWO FOR PROTECTION by Marissa Dobson
Two for Protection
Marissa Dobson
Murder…Courtney Mathews was in the wrong place at the wrong time when she witnessed two murders. After going to the authorities her life is turned upside down, and she’s forced to flee back to her hometown in Alaska to save herself.
Mistakes…
Tad Brown is third in line to take over his sleuth—bear clan—but his mistakes cling to every decision, making him question himself. Finding Courtney forces him to confront his past in order to embrace his future. Will he be able to put the past where it belongs, and keep Courtney safe, or will it cause him to lose the woman he’s destined to be with?
Changes…
With so many people depending on Milo, he must come into his own. Stepping into a role of authority has him doubting himself. Never before had he wanted to be a leader, content as one of the Elders guards. On a mission for the Alaskan Tigers, the three of them must work together to survive, with Milo taking the lead.
Buy Links: Amazon Nook ARe Smashwords Amazon Print
Author Bio:
Born and raised in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, Marissa Dobson now resides about an hour from Washington, D.C. She’s a lady who likes to keep busy, and is always busy doing something. With two different college degrees, she believes you are never done learning.
Being the first daughter to an avid reader, this gave her the advantage of learning to read at a young age. Since learning to read she has always had her nose in a book. It wasn’t until she was a teenager that she started writing down the stories she came up with.
Marissa is blessed with a wonderful supportive husband, Thomas. He’s her other half and allows her to stay home and pursue her writing. He puts up with all her quirks and listens to her brainstorm in the middle of the night.
Her writing buddies Max (a cocker spaniel) and Dawne (a beagle mix) are always around to listen to her bounce ideas off them. They might not be able to answer, but they’re helpful in their own ways.She loves to hear from readers so send her an email at marissa@marissadobson.com or visit her online at http://www.marissadobson.com.
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Tasty Tuesday & a Teaser ~ William Maltese
Every Tuesday we'll welcome an Author who will share a foodie type postwith a recipe or two and some book promo ! Today please help me welcome William Maltese...
* * * * * * * *
“MY LITERARY FOOD…FOR THOUGHT”
a blog on food in my books
My name is William Maltese. I’m a full-time author and have been for most of my life. When in university, I began writing professionally with my article “Ransom of the Inca” for “Argosy” men’s magazine, detailing a treasure-hunting adventure I experienced in South America between my Junior and Senior years; that story reached the stands while I was attending Basic Training at Ford Ord, California. My enlisted-Army stint lasted three years, culminating with an honorable discharge as an E5 (sergeant-equivalent).
After my military service, I had all intentions of advantaging my university degree in Advertising/Marketing, but I was detoured, during a summer hiatus, by reading an m/m book in a friend’s apartment that had me thinking, if merely as a lark, I could write one “just as good”. I did write one, even better, and it was immediately grabbed up by Greenleaf Press with a request for more of the same; from which, there was no turning back. My having now reached the point where I have over 200 traditional-press published books to my credit; so many of my old m/m and f/m erotic novels having become collectable classics, from “The Golden Age of Pulp-Fiction”, that traditional publisher Wildside/Borgo Press has released a 303-page reference book, DRAQUALIAN SILK: A COLLECTOR’S AND BIBLIOGRAPHICAL GUIDE TO THE BOOKS OF WILLIAM MALTESE 1969-2010, http://www.amazon.com/Draqualian-Silk-Collectors-Bibliographical-1969-2010/dp/1434411729/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393372689&sr=1-1&keywords=draqualian+silk
entirely devoted to my work, just to help interested people keep track of my pseudonyms (over 36) and my titles.
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, with its mighty cold winters, I, along with my whole family, spent a lot of time in the kitchen, warmest room of the house, gleaning wonderful memories of my mother’s expertise at the stove, along with the resulting comforting tastes and smells of her cooking. After my mother’s death, it was my sister and I going through her recipe box that resulted in the seventh of my seven cook books, MOM’S HOME COOKING (AND OTHER THINGS), due for release some time in the summer of 2014.
From the outset, though, food has played an important part in more than a few of my novels, in which my protagonist, in a chapter called “Through the Garden,” has intimate relationships with a cantaloupe, a cucumber, and a watermelon. beginning with my first one, the m/m sci-fi epic, FIVE ROADS TO TLEN.
Later on, I found there was no better way to give readers a real "sense of place" — whether local or international —than by mentioning indigenous foods (most of which I’d tasted in their countries of origin).
Writing as Willa Lambert, my first SuperRomance for Harlequin, LOVE’S EMERALD FLAME (reissued and now available from Wildside/Borgo Press),
http://www.amazon.com/Loves-Emerald-Flame-William-Maltese/dp/1434481522/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393373049&sr=1-1&keywords=love%27s+emerald+flame+by+william+malteseI opened with its now famous food scene:
Diana Green didn’t know the man. If her expression didn’t sufficiently denote that fact, she quickly reinforced it verbally.
“I beg your pardon?”!” she said, her forkful of cebiche de corvineinterrupted halfway to her attractively pouted mouth.
“I’m sorry I’m late, darling,” he said casually, as if he had known her for her full twenty-five years.
Diana felt suddenly as if she were a character in a low-budget film. The locale was certainly exotic enough.
“I see you’ve gone ahead and ordered the salmon trout,” he observed, flashing a wide smile. He had sensuously full lips that now revealed a wide expanse of large white teeth. Not only did the locale suggest some B-grade movie, but the man seemed to fit the bill, too. He had the rugged good looks that one would possibly attribute to an actor still quite handsome but past the attractiveness of youth.
Diana looked curiously around the room, wondering if she was unknowingly appearing on that popular old show called “Candid Camera,” but doubting that its crew would have been sent all the way to Lima, Peru.
I think maybe I’ll have the conchitas made with tiny scallops and anticuchos of chicken livers, shish-kebab style,” he decided. “What do you think?”
“Is this some kind of a joke?” That was what she thought!
Writing as Willa Lambert, in my second SuperRomance for Harlequin, FROM THIS BELOVED HOUR (since reissued and available from Wildside/Borgo Press):
http://www.amazon.com/This-Beloved-Hour-William-Maltese/dp/1434481530/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393373095&sr=1-1&keywords=from+this+beloved+hour+by+william+maltese
The menu was printed on disposable place mats, and Jenny found herself automatically searching for hamama, although she had no intention whatsoever of ordering pigeon. What she finally did decide upon was molokhhia—an exclusively Egyptian dish she had tried several times previously and liked. She had never been able to find out what name was given to the strange flat leaves that, cut up, were laced in the light meat broth to make the dish. They vaguely resembled grape leaves, but she had been told they were related to the mint family. The thick soup that resulted, however, had not a trace of mint in its strong flavor.
After making sure that it came from the sea instead of the river, Peter ordered samak—the fish of the day—which turned out to be sole. Although the restaurant had made its name with the tourist trade and could likely be trusted, Peter, like Jenny, had learned that fish from the Nile, especially if caught as far downriver as Cairo, could very well be contaminated. For side dishes Peter ordered torshi, which while translating vaguely as “pickle,” included a diversity of vegetables that had been soaked in a very spicy brine; wara einab, which were grape leaves stuffed with small quantities of rice; and khalta, a rice dish made with raisins, nuts and chunks of meat and liver. The bread, aish-baladi was unleavened, made of coarse whole-wheat flour and baked into wedges; it was like crisp crackers. Jenny and Peter both ordered shai bi-na’na—a mint tea whose deliciousness had to be tasted to be believed. Unlike the hotel that served tea in a small pot with an accompanying selection of milk, lemon and sugar, the Filfila offered small glasses of tea already saturated with sugar.
And, of course, in my third SuperRomance for Harlequin, LOVES GOLDEN SPELL (since reissued by Wildside/Borgo Press):
http://www.amazon.com/Loves-Golden-Spell-William-Maltese/dp/1479400300/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393373131&sr=1-1&keywords=love%27s+golden+spell+by+william+maltese
They were served hotchpotch of curly kale, a hearty Dutch stew of cabbage, potatoes, sausage, salt, butter, pepper and chicken stock. The stew was anything but pedestrian, served as it was from a large delft soup tureen into matching soup bowls and accompanied by a 1947 South African Cabernet Sauvignon from the country’s Groot Constantia vineyards outside Cape Town. The wineglasses were Baccarat...
“Koeksisters,” he identified their dessert. “It translates ‘cake sisters,’” he said, no doubt encouraged by the focusing of her eyes. “Braided dough, deep fried and then chilled in a syrup of water, sugar, cream of tartar, ginger, cinnamon and glycerin.”
In my m/m adventure novel SS MANN HUNT for Green Candy Press (since reissued and available from ManLoveRomance Press), all about a possible Nazi war criminal’s disappearance in the South American jungle and accompanying smuggling of archeological artifacts:
http://www.amazon.com/SS-Mann-Hunt-William-Maltese/dp/1608202607/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393373171&sr=1-2-spell&keywords=ss+mann+huntl+by+william+maltese
Jim points out the selection: scrambled eggs (of the powdered variety), bread (with a golden and flaky crust), peaches (from a can), honey (from a jar), jam (from a tin), and bananas (from a plant less than six yards from where we sit in the Brazilian Matto Grosso); wild pig (baked all day in a pit lined with plantain leaves and red-hot rocks); rodent capybara (basted in its own thick juices; bite-size pieces of succulent monkey (on small wooden skewers).
I don’t say so, because it’s my own particular hang-up, but the very idea of eating monkey conjures macabre visions of cannibalism reminiscent of those conjectured by one of the few journalists who hadn’t jumped on the bandwagon to smear Sebastian Mann’s name and reputation. The reporter had put Sebastian Mann, with the rest of the lost Kenner-Mann-Lexly expedition (my father included), into the communal cooking pot of hostile natives.
Certainly, I took the advantage of food in my best-selling SLOVAKIAN BOY for Green Candy Press (since reissued in Kindle format from ManLoveRomance Press),
http://www.amazon.com/Slovakian-Boy-William-Maltese/dp/1931160309/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393373219&sr=1-1&keywords=slovakian+boy+by+william+maltese%2C+MLR+Pressabout a young Slovakian innocent’s rise to movie-stardom in the world of international porn.:
INGRIDE:
Pavel has this thing for my cheese-flavored halusky—can’t get enough of it. He’ll eat himself sick if given the chance.
I tell this to all the local girls who are interested in Pavel. And what local girl isn’t interested in Pavel? Pavel is such a charming boy. Such blue eyes, so polite, such a gentleman.
If I were younger and unmarried, I’d kept the secret of my holusky to myself. I’d take full advantage of knowing how to use it to get to Pavel through his stomach. He’s such a great catch.
These days, girls don’t realize just how important food is to any man. Girls should forget all they’ve ever heard about sex being so all-important. Men tire of sex, at least as far as having it with their wives. I tell you for a fact, my Zlatko doesn’t have sex with me nearly as often, or nearly as passionately, as he once did. But does he still get exuberant over my holusky? Oh yes! Does he still approach my francusky pagacwith unbridled lust? Oh yes!
Will Pavel always come back to a wife who can give him his favorite Liptov-region goat-cheese halusky? You bet! He’ll keep on coming back to her, too, long after he’s grown tired of having sex with her. He’ll keep on coming back to her even after he’s unable to get his sausage up for anyone or anything.
I’m making my halusky right this minute. I do so as much for Pavel as for the busload of Danes who are scheduled to stop by for wine tasting and a good Slovak meal. I look forward to that glazed look of pure pleasure Pavel gets on his face whenever he sees me set my halusky down in front of him. Such an expression of joy! Such excitement in his eyes. Such passion in the way he licks his lips and makes little—decidedly sexual—sucking sounds.
Oh, if only I were younger! If only I were single. If only Pavel could be persuaded to look at me with the same ardor with which he eyes my halusky!
Remembering, too, that exotic locations aren’t the only ones to benefit from the ability of food to provide a sense of place, I, in the first novel in my Stud Draqual Mystery series, taking place in New York City, A SLIP TO DIE FOR, published by Prowler Books, London, (since reissued by Wildside/Borgo Press)
http://www.amazon.com/Slip-Die-Draqual-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0025VLD8K/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393373360&sr=1-1&keywords=a+slip+to+die+for+by+william+maltese%2C+borgo+press included:
We were interrupted by a waiter wheeling in six serving trays. My time and patience were both getting pretty short, and I realized I might have to excuse myself before Stan had finished eating. I was wrong. He was not only voracious but fast. He had cut through a duck pâté, oysters on the half shell, cream-sautéed mushrooms, three veal cutlets, and a medallion of beef before I had speared my last lettuce leaf.
Stan talked with his mouth full but managed to enunciate perfectly around the grind of his teeth and the pop of his jaw. I perked up considerably when he began to tell me how Dan had recorded highly incriminating smut about Clem Rollins which he, Stan, had no intentions of ever making public by publishing or otherwise, no sirree! He was only anxious to turn over the tape to Clem—anytime, anywhere. No need for hired hit men, for Christ’s sake!
“I wish I’d never heard it,” he said after inhaling some cheesecake which he decided to order after all. Then he started on a serving of chocolate mousse.
I checked my watch.
“Just ten more minutes while I have my pie,” Stan promised.
[Just by way of aside, Book #2 of my Stud Draqual Mystery Series, THAI DIED, published by Green Candy Press (since reissued as a Kindle by ManLoveMan Press),
http://www.amazon.com/Thai-Died-William-Maltese-ebook/dp/B004I1KSIQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393373421&sr=1-2&keywords=thai+died+by+william+maltese has references to Thai food].
Anyway, you get the idea. It was, in fact, because of my incorporation of food and cooking in so many of my novels, and my penchant for eating “local” whenever abroad, which was a good deal of the time when I was first starting out, that had Wildside/Borgo Press initially approach me about doing my series of wine books (WINE TASTER’S DIARY)
Wine Taster’s Diary (series Book 1 & 2) William Maltese's Wine Taster's Diary: Spokaneand Pullman, Washington
http://www.amazon.com/William-Malteses-Wine-Tasters-Diary/dp/1434411605/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393373528&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=wine+taster%27s+diary+series+by+william+maltese%2C+wildside%2Fborgo+press
In Search of the Perfect Pinot G! Australia's Mornington Peninsula (William Maltese's Wine Taster's Diary #2)
http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Australias-Mornington-Peninsula-Malteses/dp/1434435024/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393373700&sr=1-2-fkmr0&keywords=wine+taster%27s+diary+series+by+william+maltese%2C+wildside%2Fborgo+press and cookbooks for them. The latter presently comprise: THE GLUTEN FREE-WAY: MY WAY (with Adrienne Z. Hoffman)
http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Way-My-Guide-Cooking/dp/1434457192/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393373813&sr=1-1&keywords=the+gluten-free+way%3A+my+way
…BACK OF THE BOAT GOURMET COOKING (with Bonnie Clark)
http://www.amazon.com/Back-Boat-Gourmet-Cooking-Pool-Side/dp/1434411540/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393373846&sr=1-1&keywords=back+of+the+boat+gourmet+cooking
… EVEN GOURMANDS HAVE TO DIET (with Bonnie Clark) http://www.amazon.com/Even-Gourmands-Have-Bonnie-Clark/dp/1434435563/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393373883&sr=1-1&keywords=even+gourmands+have+to+diet
… GET-REAL VEGAN DESSERTS (with Christina-Marie Wright)
http://www.amazon.com/Get-Real-Vegan-Desserts-Recipes-Rest/dp/1434445992/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393373933&sr=1-1&keywords=get-real+vegan+desserts … DINNER WITH CECILE AND WILLIAM (with Cecile Charles)
Dinner with Cecile and Williamhttp://www.amazon.com/Dinner-Cecile-William-Cookbook-Charles/dp/1434445267/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393374047&sr=1-1&keywords=dinner+with+cecile+and+william
…Last but not least, my cookbook published just this last year, EVERYDAY GOURMET: A MEMOIR,http://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Gourmet-Memoir-William-Maltese/dp/1479400556/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393374085&sr=1-1&keywords=everyday+gourmet%3A+a+memoir is one of my favorites, detailing the very first times, and wheres, I happened to taste a few of my favorite dishes. From which, in closing, I’ve chosen to share with you the following excerpt, as well as the recipe that goes with it:
EATING THE VOLCANO
On 13 November 1985, after 69 years of dormancy, the volcano known as Nevado del Ruizerupted in the country of Colombia, South America, melting its mountaintop glaciers, and proceeding to bury several towns beneath the resulting onrushes of pyroclastic flows and lahars (volcanically induced mudslides), that came barreling down the mountainside.
The following chocolate mud-cake recipe comes to you via my South American host who served it up to me one evening over coffee at his home outside of Lérida, Colombia, not all that far (as the crow flies) from the resulting tragedy of Nevado del Ruiz; the dessert having resulted by way of culinary in memoriam.A second point of interest is how Colombia ranks as the third South American country, after Brazil and Ecuador, by way of cacao bean production, but since its demand exceeds its locally produced supply, it ends up importing 30% of its yearly cocoa consumption. Therefore, any chocolate served up to you in Colombia has a one in three chance of not being indigenous to the country in which you’re eating it.
That brings us to how this dessert ideally doesn’t end up being made from South American cacao beans at all but from those originating in Africa’s “Gold Coast” and packaged as the Xoçai Healthy Chocolate Nuggets® with which I’d gifted my host before he turned them over to his cook for incorporation in the resulting final recipe.
As a hearty advocate of Xoçai Healthy Chocolate®, which is cold-pressed, rather than heat-processed, thereby retaining far more of its vital nutrients than ordinary chocolate (candy), I’m always gifting my friends and relatives with the product as well as making conscious efforts to pass on whatever recipes can successfully be adapted for it.
[For more information on Xoçai chocolate, and for purchasing it, for cooking and/or eating purposes, go on-line to—-
http://www.mxi.myvoffice.com/wiliammaltese
—and click on SHOP NOW].
Nevado del Ruiz Barro Pastel
10 Xoçai Healthy Chocolate Nuggets®½ c butter1 TBS red wine (Merlot a good choice)1 tsp vanilla1 c confectioner's sugar (plus some additional for “dusting”)2 eggs, plus 1 additional yolk6 TBS flour1 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven 425°F. Butter 4 six-oz custard soufflé cups. Melt the Nuggets and the butter in a microwavable bowl on high until butter is melted (about 1 minute).
Whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in wine, vanilla, and 1 cup confectioner's sugar until blended. Add the eggs, plus one additional yolk. Blend in the flour and cinnamon. Divide mixture evenly between the buttered cups.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until edges are firm but center is still soft. Let stand for 1 minute. Loosen edges with a knife. Invert on to a dessert plate. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Serve immediately. Serves 4
NOTE: This is a great dessert to serve with coffee. That said … I recently experimented eating it with a red wine (7 Deadly Sins Zinfandel), a white wine (St. Chapelle Soft White), and Champagne(Veuve Clicquot), all three of which paired quite nicely with it.
P.S. If you’d be interested in trying the William Maltese Vegan Spice Cake, named after me, go to:
http://www.sexyveganmama.com/2012/05/maltese-vegan-spice-cake.html
P.P.S. And wherever you shop, ask for “William Maltese Hottie Spice” mix.
Author, author... Sofia Grey with CRASH INTO LOVE + giveaway
...read all about it !!
Thank You by Led Zeppelin
Music plays a huge part of my life and it feels perfectly natural when I’m writing, to weave it in alongside the story. I listen to music obsessively when I’m working on a book, and also when I’m curled up reading. One day I’ll either dedicate an entire room to being a library, or I’ll have a padded window seat to snuggle into. Until then, I’ll make do with a sagging-but-comfortable sofa. And if I have to put up with the TV in the background, well that’s where iPods and earbuds come into their own.
Where do you like to read? Do you have a favourite place?
Want some exclusive swag? One Lucky Commenter will get one of these gorgeous little fridge magnets, and yes, I will post international :) Don't forget to leave your email address in case you win !!
A lovely, gentle song to read to is Thank You originally by Led Zeppelin.
And so today, my world it smiles, your hand in mine, we walk the miles,
Thanks to you it will be done, for you to me are the only one.
Happiness, no more be sad, happiness....I'm glad.
I actually prefer the cover version by Chris Cornell.
http://youtu.be/PW74QmG5SsU
In Crash Into Love, Cass thinks longingly about curling up with a good book to pass the time, but that’s before she meets Jonah, the much younger guy staying next door.
~
Jonah lifted his head and opened his mouth to speak. I braced myself for the thanks-and-good-bye spiel.
“Can I hold you?” I blinked. Not what I expected.
“I’d love you to.” Cuddles as well? Maybe this was all a sexy dream conjured up by my inner romance author? I rolled over, and he spooned around me as naturally as if we’d been doing this for years. One arm pillowed my head, the other lay around my waist with his hand cupping my breast. Soft kisses peppered the back of my neck, and a warm sigh tugged at my heart. Don’t even think of wanting more than this. He’ll be going home in a few days. Don’t spoil the moment.
I relaxed into him, turning my head occasionally to kiss wherever I could reach. The rain renewed its frenzied dance on the roof, and I smiled at my earlier daydream. I’d wanted to snuggle up on the couch, but this was a million times better.
~
Blurb:
Cass thought spending a month at a beachside hideaway relaxing and collecting shells would be the perfect escape to finish her novel. When she meets the dark and brooding and much younger Jonah, who's staying next door, her book becomes the last thing on her mind.
Jonah would rather stay home alone than go on vacation with his brother and their friends, but does his best to tolerate the situation after being convinced to go. But when he sees the beauty next door, he can’t avoid his attraction.
Together, they break all the rules, but will Cass be able to bring Jonah out of his shell forever, or will he leave her with only the crash of the surf to keep her company?
~
Trailer link:
http://youtu.be/PGsW53sFGro
Book links:
Amazon Goodreads All Romance eBooks Entangled
Author links:
www.SofiaGrey.com
Catch me blogging with Allyson Lindt at www.GeminiGirls.com
Goodreads Facebook Pinterest Twitter: @SofiaGreyAuthor Amazon author profile page
Author bio:
Romance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in the fiction line, but she prefers her romances to be hot, and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and always makes them work hard for their happy endings.
Music is interwoven so tightly into my writing that I can’t untangle the two. Either I’m listening to a playlist on my iPod, have music seeping from my laptop speakers, or there’s a song playing in my head – sometimes on auto-repeat.
Check out my playlist on Pinterestand listen for free via Pandora.com(Sofia Grey –Crash Into Love station)
Follow the tour:
Date Host Address 10-March GeminiGirlsEva LefoySotia LazuMichelle Chew Writes www.GeminiGirls.comhttp://writery.wordpress.com/justsotia.blogspot.comhttp://michellechewwrites.blogspot.com/ 11-March Diane Saxon Talking Book Blogs http://www.dianesaxon.com/blogspot.html http://talkingbooksblog.net/ 12-March Patricia Bates Ramblings of a Book Lunatic (review) ofinkandquille.blogspot.ca http://booklunaticramblings.blogspot.com/ 13-March Kimber Vale Review From Here http://kimbervale.wordpress.com/ http://www.reviewfromhere.com/ 14-March Daisy Banks Flirting With Romance daisybanks.wordpress.com http://flirtingwithromance.blogspot.com/ 15-March Love, Lust & Laptops http://lovelustandlaptops.wordpress.com/ 16-March Jennah Scott Just Contemporary Romance http://www.jennahscott.com/ http://www.justcontemporaryromance.com/ 17-March James di Benedetto Becky on Books… and Quilts The La La Land of Books http://www.writingdreams.net http://beckymmoe.com/ http://saaratis.wordpress.com/ 18-March Krista Ames http://www.apassionforromance.blogspot.com 19-March Mina Khan Michelle Chew Writes (review) minakhan.blogspot.com/ http://michellechewwrites.blogspot.com/ 20-March Ella Dominguez Romantic Reads and Such The La La Land of Books (review) elladominguez.blogspot.com/ http://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress.com/ http://saaratis.wordpress.com/ 21-March Barbara Elsborg In The Pages of a Good Book www.barbaraelsborg.blogspot.com http://inthepagesofagoodbook.com/ 22-March Parker Kincade http://www.parkerkincade.blogspot.com/ 23-March Silken Sheets & Seduction http://silkensheetsandseduction.wordpress.com/ 24-March Emilia Mancini emiliamancini.wordpress.com/ 26-March Laura Kaye http://laurakayeauthor.blogspot.com/ 28-March Rosanna Leo www.rosannaleo.blogspot.com
Thank You by Led Zeppelin
Music plays a huge part of my life and it feels perfectly natural when I’m writing, to weave it in alongside the story. I listen to music obsessively when I’m working on a book, and also when I’m curled up reading. One day I’ll either dedicate an entire room to being a library, or I’ll have a padded window seat to snuggle into. Until then, I’ll make do with a sagging-but-comfortable sofa. And if I have to put up with the TV in the background, well that’s where iPods and earbuds come into their own.
Where do you like to read? Do you have a favourite place?
Want some exclusive swag? One Lucky Commenter will get one of these gorgeous little fridge magnets, and yes, I will post international :) Don't forget to leave your email address in case you win !!
A lovely, gentle song to read to is Thank You originally by Led Zeppelin.
And so today, my world it smiles, your hand in mine, we walk the miles,
Thanks to you it will be done, for you to me are the only one.
Happiness, no more be sad, happiness....I'm glad.
I actually prefer the cover version by Chris Cornell.
http://youtu.be/PW74QmG5SsU
In Crash Into Love, Cass thinks longingly about curling up with a good book to pass the time, but that’s before she meets Jonah, the much younger guy staying next door.
~
Jonah lifted his head and opened his mouth to speak. I braced myself for the thanks-and-good-bye spiel.“Can I hold you?” I blinked. Not what I expected.
“I’d love you to.” Cuddles as well? Maybe this was all a sexy dream conjured up by my inner romance author? I rolled over, and he spooned around me as naturally as if we’d been doing this for years. One arm pillowed my head, the other lay around my waist with his hand cupping my breast. Soft kisses peppered the back of my neck, and a warm sigh tugged at my heart. Don’t even think of wanting more than this. He’ll be going home in a few days. Don’t spoil the moment.
I relaxed into him, turning my head occasionally to kiss wherever I could reach. The rain renewed its frenzied dance on the roof, and I smiled at my earlier daydream. I’d wanted to snuggle up on the couch, but this was a million times better.
~
Blurb:
Cass thought spending a month at a beachside hideaway relaxing and collecting shells would be the perfect escape to finish her novel. When she meets the dark and brooding and much younger Jonah, who's staying next door, her book becomes the last thing on her mind. Jonah would rather stay home alone than go on vacation with his brother and their friends, but does his best to tolerate the situation after being convinced to go. But when he sees the beauty next door, he can’t avoid his attraction.
Together, they break all the rules, but will Cass be able to bring Jonah out of his shell forever, or will he leave her with only the crash of the surf to keep her company?
~
Trailer link:
http://youtu.be/PGsW53sFGro
Book links:
Amazon Goodreads All Romance eBooks Entangled
Author links:
www.SofiaGrey.com
Catch me blogging with Allyson Lindt at www.GeminiGirls.com
Goodreads Facebook Pinterest Twitter: @SofiaGreyAuthor Amazon author profile page
Author bio:
Romance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in the fiction line, but she prefers her romances to be hot, and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and always makes them work hard for their happy endings.Music is interwoven so tightly into my writing that I can’t untangle the two. Either I’m listening to a playlist on my iPod, have music seeping from my laptop speakers, or there’s a song playing in my head – sometimes on auto-repeat.
Check out my playlist on Pinterestand listen for free via Pandora.com(Sofia Grey –Crash Into Love station)
Follow the tour:
Date Host Address 10-March GeminiGirlsEva LefoySotia LazuMichelle Chew Writes www.GeminiGirls.comhttp://writery.wordpress.com/justsotia.blogspot.comhttp://michellechewwrites.blogspot.com/ 11-March Diane Saxon Talking Book Blogs http://www.dianesaxon.com/blogspot.html http://talkingbooksblog.net/ 12-March Patricia Bates Ramblings of a Book Lunatic (review) ofinkandquille.blogspot.ca http://booklunaticramblings.blogspot.com/ 13-March Kimber Vale Review From Here http://kimbervale.wordpress.com/ http://www.reviewfromhere.com/ 14-March Daisy Banks Flirting With Romance daisybanks.wordpress.com http://flirtingwithromance.blogspot.com/ 15-March Love, Lust & Laptops http://lovelustandlaptops.wordpress.com/ 16-March Jennah Scott Just Contemporary Romance http://www.jennahscott.com/ http://www.justcontemporaryromance.com/ 17-March James di Benedetto Becky on Books… and Quilts The La La Land of Books http://www.writingdreams.net http://beckymmoe.com/ http://saaratis.wordpress.com/ 18-March Krista Ames http://www.apassionforromance.blogspot.com 19-March Mina Khan Michelle Chew Writes (review) minakhan.blogspot.com/ http://michellechewwrites.blogspot.com/ 20-March Ella Dominguez Romantic Reads and Such The La La Land of Books (review) elladominguez.blogspot.com/ http://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress.com/ http://saaratis.wordpress.com/ 21-March Barbara Elsborg In The Pages of a Good Book www.barbaraelsborg.blogspot.com http://inthepagesofagoodbook.com/ 22-March Parker Kincade http://www.parkerkincade.blogspot.com/ 23-March Silken Sheets & Seduction http://silkensheetsandseduction.wordpress.com/ 24-March Emilia Mancini emiliamancini.wordpress.com/ 26-March Laura Kaye http://laurakayeauthor.blogspot.com/ 28-March Rosanna Leo www.rosannaleo.blogspot.com
Author, author... Happy Book Birthday to Constance Phillips and Resurrecting Harry !!!
Please welcome Constance Phillips to our humble abode !!!
Hi Constance, can you tell us a little about yourself?
I live in Ohio with my husband, daughter, and four canine kids. My son, now on his own, is planning a wedding, reconfirming that romance still lives and breathes.
When not writing stories of finding and rediscovering love, my husband and I spend the hours planning a cross-country motorcycle trip for the not-so-distant future…if we can find a sidecar big enough for the pups.
What did you want to be when you were growing up or did you always want to be a writer?
Always a writer. I tried to do that ‘get a job to pay the bills’ route in college and studying Sociology. I ended up getting married before I finished my degree and have done the ‘day job’ thing over the years, but writing was ALWAYS the career of choice.
When did you first start writing?
I was in my early teens when I started writing my first book.
What is a typical writing day like for you?
If it’s a day I’ve dedicated to writing, I try to have my blog posted and social media fun set aside by nine am. I then completely focus on writing until I take a lunch break (Usually between eleven and twelve). I then hit the computer again for a two to three hour writing session before tending to ‘business of writing’ chores.
Do you have any specific routine you follow or specific items you need with you when you write?
My drink (Coffee in the AM, Diet Coke after lunch), some music, and sometimes a munchy snack like pretzels or chips
What is your favorite part of writing? Is there anything you don’t like about being a writer?
Creating a new story is my favorite part. For me, it’s all about the discovery, learning about my hero and heroine and creating their romantic tale.
Least favorite, the waiting. And, there is a lot of waiting in writing.
What is your favorite length of book to write? (Short story, novella, full length novel) Why?
Before last year, I would have said full-length, single title novel. But in 2013 I wrote a novella and a short story and really enjoyed the process. The thing I like about single title is that I can incorporate a sub-plot.
How does your family feel about your writing and you being an author?
My entire family is very supportive of me and enjoy it. Well, except for the days that I lock myself in my office for hours and hours and they don’t get to see me .
Is there a to-be-read waiting on your bedside table?
My kindle is FULL of to-be-reads. At the moment, I’m writing toward a deadline, so the books will have to wait about a week and half before I decide what’s up next. It will really depend on my mood when I turn the kindle on.
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions,
Favorite 5
1) Favorite Holiday -- Christmas!
2) Favorite Drink – non alcohol – Diet Coke, alcohol -- Margaritas
3) Favorite Author – Sherrilyn Kenyon
4) Favorite Book – (you’re really going to make me pick?!) I’m going to say Acheron at the moment, but it’s subject to change.
5) Favorite Animal – I’m a dog person!
And for a bonus: What is a typical mood for you? And is your mood different when you’re writing?
I like to think I’m generally in a good mood. Although, I can be quick to anger (probably my worst fault.) I can also let stress build up.
My writing definitely effects my mood, when I’m working on a black-moment, I can become a weepy mess. I also tend to get a little euphoric when writing the happily-ever-after.
Where can our readers find you??
Email: Phillips.connie@gmail.com Twitter Facebook Website/blog Amazon Author Page Goodreads TRR/Manic
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
“Birthday” Book: Resurrecting Harry [Crescent Moon Press]
In order to save Bess from self-destruction, Harry Houdini puts his afterlife on the line by entering a wager with purgatory’s keeper. He gives Harry a younger face and body, and a new name: Erich Welch.Bess clings to his promise to deliver a coded message from beyond the grave, determined to provide the bridge for him to cross, even if that means befriending her husband's sworn enemy.
Erich needs to help Bess over her loss and put her on the road to healing, but will any good come from resurrecting Harry?
Buy links: Amazon POD Amazon Kindle B&N ARe
Local in her area, tv commercial: http://youtu.be/2ug8N3EFsKo Current Release: All That’s Unspoken [Turquoise Morning Press] http://www.theromancereviews.com/mypageprofile.php?location=CMPhillips
Coming in May: One Lucky Night (w/ Aria Kane, Ana Blaze, Grace Teague, Melinda Dozier)
Coming in August: The Ultimate Catch [Whiskey Creek Press] * * * * * *
One last thing before we let you leave us today, do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share but it's totally up to you.
I know we’re spotlighting Resurrecting Harry, But I do have a recipe for the Peppermint Hot Cocoa that is “seen” in All That’s Unspoken. Hailey's Hot Cocoa (All That's Unspoken) Making hot cocoa from scratch is one of those things that has been "made easier" by little white envelopes of instant powder. But Hailey (From All That's Unspoken) knows that some things in life are better when we put forth a little effort, and that's especially true for a cup of instant heaven. It has the power to soothe a heartache, warm a body and heart, and chase away the monsters from a little girl's dream. Even though, when pressed, Hailey kept her secret ingredient from Nate, she has decided to share it with all of you here. Peppermint Hot Cocoa Ingredients 1/4 cup cream1 Tbsp. sugar1 1/4 cup whole milk1/2 tsp. cocoa1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chip morselsA dash or two of peppermint oil (depending on taste) or replace 1/2 of the semi-sweet chocolate for chocolate mints.Toppings: marshmallows or whip cream and broken candy cane chips Directions:Add cream, sugar, milk and peppermint oil to a small sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a boil.Remove from the heat and add cocoa, morsels and chocolate mints (If didn't use peppermint oil) to the saucepan.Whisk until everything is melted and smooth. Pour into mugs and top with marshmallows or whip cream and then add pieces of a broken candy cane. * * * * Giveaway There will be 2 separate giveaways for this tour1st - $25 Amazon GC + Swag Pack provided by Constance Phillipshttp://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c7458f23/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway
2nd - Kindle 6” ereader w/offers and 3 books + a swag pack, provided by Constance Phillips, Shawna Romkey and Jody A Kessler for their joint “Book Birthday”http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28d51a18/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveawayd12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net...
March 17, 2014
Author, author... Tory Richards !!
...read all about her !!
Scent of a Wolf’s Mate
by
Tory Richards
You’d think a person who’s a syfy junkie like I am would write more in that genre. While syfy on TV seems to cover a multitude of different genres that can be anything from outer space, fantasy, paranormal, monster love and everything else that’s just plain weird, it’s not what I like to read. On the syfy channel I’ll watch it all, but I only like reading werewolf, shifter romances.
For the longest time I just wrote contemporary erotic romance. I ignored the voices in my head saying write that paranormal romance, you know you want to. But the truth was, I didn’t think I could pull it off, and I’m still not sure. Yet the more shifter romances I read, the more I felt the urge to at least give it a try.
So I wrote, The Mating Ritual, which is not a shifter romance, lol. It’s an erotic paranormal where the hero and his people, the Oh-Mah, are descendents of Bigfoot. No, it’s not monster love in the way you might visualize some young maiden getting it on with Harry like the Bigfoot in Harry in the Hendersons. Cormac, leader of the Oh-Mah people might have some very diluted DNA of Bigfoot, but he’s definitely a big hunk of human love.
Well, that story did so good that it encouraged me to write, Scent of a Wolf’s Mate, my second paranormal, and I can easily see another story coming out between the secondary characters, Max and Rose. Will I write it? We’ll see.
Before I forget I have a month long contest running on my website that begins March first. So please make sure you stop by and enter the Rafflecopter for a chance at one of three giveaways.
Below is a blurb and excerpt of Scent of a Wolf’s Mate. Enjoy!
Blurb – Accepting a job as a wildlife veterinarian at the Savage Hills Wolf Sanctuary is Serena's dream job. Finding out she's the mate of Savage Hill's alpha werewolf turns her world as she knows it upside down. Trying to resist the sexy man is impossible. She's in heat, and he's more than ready to claim what's his.
Excerpt – Serena left the bedroom quietly, unsure of what she was going to find. Deciding to follow the aroma, she made her way to a kitchen equipped with every modern appliance you could imagine. Standing at the stove in low hanging pajama bottoms was a man. He was flipping bacon. Doesn’t he know it’s dangerous to cook without a shirt on?
She stood in the entranceway, slightly afraid and very confused. He was a big man. His dark hair was thick and wild, stopping at the top of his shoulders, shoulders that were wide and muscular. The muscles rippled in his back as he moved, and she could see his well-developed biceps and forearms.
A breeze rushed in through the open window over the sink. Serena watched the curtains dance wildly. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply when the cool mountain air reached where she was standing. Wisps of hair moved about her face, and something else carried on the wind, something that spiked her awareness, flowing together with the scent of pines and wild lavender, and him, an untamed and basic entity that reached into her soul.
“I know you’re there,” he said without turning around. “Don’t come any closer.”
Well, that’s not very friendly. Serena didn’t know what to do at that point. She clutched his robe tighter against her. Without warning he turned, pinning his dark eyes on her. His rugged face was set as though in anger.
“I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed your robe. I couldn’t find my clothes.” She tried not to let her gaze wander, but there was no way she could ignore his hard, defined Pecs and six-pack abs. The man was powerfully built and sinfully sexy.
His gaze moved over her. Serena took note of the tic moving in his tense jaw, and she tried to imagine what she’d done to upset him. What did he expect that she would walk out there in her birthday suit?
“That’s okay,” he finally spoke.
“Where am I?”
“Do you remember anything about last night?”
“Some of it. I was running and tripped on something. The last thing I remember was a wolf pinning me down. Did you kill it?”
“I took care of it.” His tone was short and to the point.
“There was another wolf—”
“I took care of him, too.” He moved to the sink, put the plug in, and turned on the water, then turned back to face her.
“What?” She was confused. “But how? I, I…” She didn’t know what to say. “I never saw you.” She hadn’t seen anyone. “I guess I owe you my life, then.” Serena offered him a smile, hoping to erase the unfriendly look on his face. “My name is Serena.” She stepped further into the kitchen and held out her hand.
He just stared at it for a long moment as if it were a snake, and then finally said his name. “Connor.”
Links –
Tory Richards Website/Blog – toryrichards.com
All Romance Ebooks- https://www.allromanceebooks.com/prod...
Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Amazon author page- http://www.amazon.com/Tory-Richards/e...
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authortoryri...
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ToryRichards
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/authorat/
****
My next release also comes out this month on the 24th, Happy Birthday Baby! It’s
available for pre-order until then at Liquid Silver Books. Here is a blurb and teaser to peak your interest.
Blurb - What better way to spend your fiftieth birthday than with the hot male stripper you've been coveting for months! Proving you can have fun at any age, Happy Birthday Baby! from author Tory Richards is a celebration of life you won't soon forget !
Excerpt –
“Lana, wait.” I heard Joe’s voice and picked up my step, which was hard to do on gravel while wearing heels. He caught up with me in no time, gently taking hold of my arm and drawing me to a halt. “Are you okay?”
I knew we were looking at each other, but it was too dark to see his expression. “Yes. I just need some light to call a cab.”
“You’ve changed your mind about coming home with me?”
“I’m sure you can find a replacement,” I said, thinking about the waitress inside.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he asked angrily. “What did that asshole tell you?”
“Enough to know you won’t be lonely. I only hope my friends didn’t pay you too much to sleep with me.” The hand on my arm tightened, revealing either I’d hit a nerve, or he was growing angrier. “I’m okay with it, Joe, really. I should have known a man like you would have to be paid for a little, ah, extra special attention.”
“A man like me?” His tone was low and gravelly, and I didn’t need any light to know he was clenching his teeth. “Well, let’s go then. I want to make sure I give you their monies worth.”
Surprisingly, I wasn’t frightened of Joe. He brought out otheremotions in me. So when he began pulling me behind him I didn’t protest. He was just too damned sexy, and arousal still hummed through my body. I knew that with his talents he’d have me eating out of his hand in seconds. He was a tall man, his steps much wider than mine, and it was inevitable that I’d stumble. When I did, he caught me, and pulled me up into his arms without breaking stride.
“This isn’t necessary.” A thrill shot through me in spite of my mild protest. I couldn’t recall the last time a man carried me.
He just grunted. When we reached his car, he dropped me to my feet at the passenger’s side door. I barely had time to notice it was a Corvette before he crushed me against the door and kissed me roughly. Caught totally by surprise, at first, I stiffened, but within seconds, I melted against him like ice cream on a hot sidewalk. Oh my God, the man knew how to kiss! When he reined in his aggressive attack, his mouth turned soft and coaxing, dragging me into a realm of endless erotic possibilities.
Liquid Silver Books - http://www.lsbooks.com/Tory-Richards-...
Scent of a Wolf’s Mate
by
Tory Richards
You’d think a person who’s a syfy junkie like I am would write more in that genre. While syfy on TV seems to cover a multitude of different genres that can be anything from outer space, fantasy, paranormal, monster love and everything else that’s just plain weird, it’s not what I like to read. On the syfy channel I’ll watch it all, but I only like reading werewolf, shifter romances.
For the longest time I just wrote contemporary erotic romance. I ignored the voices in my head saying write that paranormal romance, you know you want to. But the truth was, I didn’t think I could pull it off, and I’m still not sure. Yet the more shifter romances I read, the more I felt the urge to at least give it a try.
So I wrote, The Mating Ritual, which is not a shifter romance, lol. It’s an erotic paranormal where the hero and his people, the Oh-Mah, are descendents of Bigfoot. No, it’s not monster love in the way you might visualize some young maiden getting it on with Harry like the Bigfoot in Harry in the Hendersons. Cormac, leader of the Oh-Mah people might have some very diluted DNA of Bigfoot, but he’s definitely a big hunk of human love.
Well, that story did so good that it encouraged me to write, Scent of a Wolf’s Mate, my second paranormal, and I can easily see another story coming out between the secondary characters, Max and Rose. Will I write it? We’ll see.
Before I forget I have a month long contest running on my website that begins March first. So please make sure you stop by and enter the Rafflecopter for a chance at one of three giveaways.
Below is a blurb and excerpt of Scent of a Wolf’s Mate. Enjoy!
Blurb – Accepting a job as a wildlife veterinarian at the Savage Hills Wolf Sanctuary is Serena's dream job. Finding out she's the mate of Savage Hill's alpha werewolf turns her world as she knows it upside down. Trying to resist the sexy man is impossible. She's in heat, and he's more than ready to claim what's his.Excerpt – Serena left the bedroom quietly, unsure of what she was going to find. Deciding to follow the aroma, she made her way to a kitchen equipped with every modern appliance you could imagine. Standing at the stove in low hanging pajama bottoms was a man. He was flipping bacon. Doesn’t he know it’s dangerous to cook without a shirt on?
She stood in the entranceway, slightly afraid and very confused. He was a big man. His dark hair was thick and wild, stopping at the top of his shoulders, shoulders that were wide and muscular. The muscles rippled in his back as he moved, and she could see his well-developed biceps and forearms.
A breeze rushed in through the open window over the sink. Serena watched the curtains dance wildly. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply when the cool mountain air reached where she was standing. Wisps of hair moved about her face, and something else carried on the wind, something that spiked her awareness, flowing together with the scent of pines and wild lavender, and him, an untamed and basic entity that reached into her soul.
“I know you’re there,” he said without turning around. “Don’t come any closer.”
Well, that’s not very friendly. Serena didn’t know what to do at that point. She clutched his robe tighter against her. Without warning he turned, pinning his dark eyes on her. His rugged face was set as though in anger.
“I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed your robe. I couldn’t find my clothes.” She tried not to let her gaze wander, but there was no way she could ignore his hard, defined Pecs and six-pack abs. The man was powerfully built and sinfully sexy.
His gaze moved over her. Serena took note of the tic moving in his tense jaw, and she tried to imagine what she’d done to upset him. What did he expect that she would walk out there in her birthday suit?
“That’s okay,” he finally spoke.
“Where am I?”
“Do you remember anything about last night?”
“Some of it. I was running and tripped on something. The last thing I remember was a wolf pinning me down. Did you kill it?”
“I took care of it.” His tone was short and to the point.
“There was another wolf—”
“I took care of him, too.” He moved to the sink, put the plug in, and turned on the water, then turned back to face her.
“What?” She was confused. “But how? I, I…” She didn’t know what to say. “I never saw you.” She hadn’t seen anyone. “I guess I owe you my life, then.” Serena offered him a smile, hoping to erase the unfriendly look on his face. “My name is Serena.” She stepped further into the kitchen and held out her hand.
He just stared at it for a long moment as if it were a snake, and then finally said his name. “Connor.”
Links –
Tory Richards Website/Blog – toryrichards.com
All Romance Ebooks- https://www.allromanceebooks.com/prod...
Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Amazon author page- http://www.amazon.com/Tory-Richards/e...
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authortoryri...
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ToryRichards
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/authorat/
****
My next release also comes out this month on the 24th, Happy Birthday Baby! It’s
available for pre-order until then at Liquid Silver Books. Here is a blurb and teaser to peak your interest.Blurb - What better way to spend your fiftieth birthday than with the hot male stripper you've been coveting for months! Proving you can have fun at any age, Happy Birthday Baby! from author Tory Richards is a celebration of life you won't soon forget !
Excerpt –
“Lana, wait.” I heard Joe’s voice and picked up my step, which was hard to do on gravel while wearing heels. He caught up with me in no time, gently taking hold of my arm and drawing me to a halt. “Are you okay?”
I knew we were looking at each other, but it was too dark to see his expression. “Yes. I just need some light to call a cab.”
“You’ve changed your mind about coming home with me?”
“I’m sure you can find a replacement,” I said, thinking about the waitress inside.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he asked angrily. “What did that asshole tell you?”
“Enough to know you won’t be lonely. I only hope my friends didn’t pay you too much to sleep with me.” The hand on my arm tightened, revealing either I’d hit a nerve, or he was growing angrier. “I’m okay with it, Joe, really. I should have known a man like you would have to be paid for a little, ah, extra special attention.”
“A man like me?” His tone was low and gravelly, and I didn’t need any light to know he was clenching his teeth. “Well, let’s go then. I want to make sure I give you their monies worth.”
Surprisingly, I wasn’t frightened of Joe. He brought out otheremotions in me. So when he began pulling me behind him I didn’t protest. He was just too damned sexy, and arousal still hummed through my body. I knew that with his talents he’d have me eating out of his hand in seconds. He was a tall man, his steps much wider than mine, and it was inevitable that I’d stumble. When I did, he caught me, and pulled me up into his arms without breaking stride.
“This isn’t necessary.” A thrill shot through me in spite of my mild protest. I couldn’t recall the last time a man carried me.
He just grunted. When we reached his car, he dropped me to my feet at the passenger’s side door. I barely had time to notice it was a Corvette before he crushed me against the door and kissed me roughly. Caught totally by surprise, at first, I stiffened, but within seconds, I melted against him like ice cream on a hot sidewalk. Oh my God, the man knew how to kiss! When he reined in his aggressive attack, his mouth turned soft and coaxing, dragging me into a realm of endless erotic possibilities.
Liquid Silver Books - http://www.lsbooks.com/Tory-Richards-...
Release Day Blast: EMERALD ISLE TRILOGY Boxed Set by Renee Vincent
Happy Box Set Release Renee !!!
EMERALD ISLE TRILOGY
Boxed Set
by
Renee Vincent
One man risks his life to save her.Another risks his heart to love her.Who will be the victor? Three of Renee Vincent’s bestselling and critically acclaimed historical Viking romance novels are now available in one spellbinding bundle—yours for only 99¢ (limited time offer) Full of fast-paced adventure, unforeseen plot twists, and courageous, to-die-for heroes like you’ve never read before, this extraordinary boxed set is sure to satisfy every readers’ craving for the ultimate in historical Viking romance. Available at:
Amazon B&N Kobo Smashwords
Raeliksen, Book 1
Mara, the daughter of an irish clansman, was raised to believe the men of the North are heathens - urderous pagans without a moral bone in their bodies. Despite warnings of the Northmen's raids, and the growing threat of another incursion, Mara is continually drawn to her favorite place - the River Shannon. Daegan Raeliksen, a wealthy chieftain from Norway's frozen fjords, secretly discovers Mara at the water's edge. He is charmed by her beauty and sensuous grace. As the days pass, his contentment with simply watching her grows thin. He can no longer deny his unabated desire for the young maiden. His search for a wife has ended. However, Mara and Daegan come face-to-face in a time when Ireland is in turmoil - when every Irishman is being called up to fight against the Nordic foreigners. In these times of upheaval, how can Daegan make peace with Mara's father and acquire the woman he treasures? Furthermore, can Mara move past her fears and find the noble man within the savage? Teaser Quote: "You are correct in saying that desires often come from things we cannot easily gain-mine, being that of your love. By all accounts, I do wish I could steal it. But I am not that sort of man. I will wait. Forever and a day...I will wait." Reviews: "This is my first read by Renee Vincent and she has undoubtedly earned a place on my auto-buy author's list. This book and author earn my highest recommendations and I feel privileged to have read one of the best." ~ 5 Stars TOP PICK ~ Night Owl Reviews "...a fast-paced, action-packed historical romance, which Ms. Vincent brings to life right before your eyes; a story you will remember long after the last page is read." ~ 5 Blue Ribbons! ~ Romance JunkiesMac Liam, Book 2
A tortured soul...
Breandan Mac Liam, the strapping young hunter from Ireland's lush forests, is in love with Mara, an ineligible beautiful princess. For seven long years, he has been vividly haunted by her memory, taunted by the throes of his heartache. And not even the thought of her marriage to a Northman can extinguish the fierce, burning desire running rampant through his heart and soul.
An innocent heart...
Mara, the spirited Connacht princess, has no idea she is the object of the Irishman's longing. She is living out her days on Inis Mor, raising a troubled son and trying to endure the cruel loneliness that afflicts her.
A deadly secret...
Ordered by the king on his deathbed, Breandan must return to mara and bring her through the perilous lands of Connacht to fulfill her father's last dying wish. But as their worlds collide, Breandan not only finds himself wrapped in the arms of Mara's embrace, but thrown into a struggle to defend his honor.
With Mara caught between the family she loves and the father she knows, can Breandan uncover the mystery of her past and still protect her from a secret that threatens them all?
Teaser Quote:
"Mara, you are my next breath. You are the reason I breathe at all."
Reviews:
"This is one fantastic historical...a must-read for anyone who enjoys historical romance and I cannot wait to read the final book of the trilogy as this story has stayed with me days after I read the last word."
~5 Hearts "5 Heart Sweetheart Award" ~ The Romance Studio
"Ms. Vincent surpassed all my expectations with her impressive writing abilities, while offering more incites and revelations that will keep readers coming back for more. Readers should be warned of the emotional turmoil they will face once again while reading this incredible story. I eagerly anticipate the next story in this trilogy, yet already mourn the finality."
~ 5 Stars TOP PICK ~ Night Owl Reviews
The Fall of Rain, Book 3
Leif Dæganssen, an archeologist from Norway, is determined to trace back his Scandinavian roots as far as the Dark Ages and find proof of their existence on the Emerald Isle. After several years of living off the west coast of Ireland, he finally uncovers an ancient artifact—an intricately decorated chest with pagan carvings—buried beneath the very porch of his coastal cottage. Knowing it only confirms the presence of a glorified Norse-influenced settlement on Inis Mór, he’s determined to establish a link between himself and those who once inhabited the rugged isle.For as long as she can remember, Lorraine O’Connor has had dreams of a Norse warrior kissing her. And even though she’s never fully understood the reason for her vivid subconscious imagination, she welcomes the meaningless and wanton pleasure of being in a Viking’s protective embrace—until the day she meets that brazen Northman on an impulsive vacation trip to Ireland.
Though blindsided by the relevance of her dreams and the strange familiarity of the man within them, Lorraine can’t help but feel a deep-seated intimacy toward Leif. And the more she gets to know him, the more she’s convinced they’ve shared a life together in a time long forgotten.
Are the clues to their ancestral past hidden within the contents of the chest or buried deep within their hearts? Teaser Quote:
“What Lorraine has told you is the honest truth. There’s no denying who you are. But until you go in that house and dig up the evidence for yourself, you’ll never know who you used to be. Oh, I know you’ll realize it one day. By then, I fear it’ll be too late. So, don’t be a fool and let the only woman you’ve ever loved slip through your grasp. Three days, Leif.”
Reviews:
"I didn't believe it was possible to take Daegan and Mara's incredible love story to another level, but I am extremely pleased to be wrong. Every word seemed to have a purpose in helping create a beautiful and poetic ending to an unforgettable trilogy. If you've never heard of the name Renee Vincent then you're missing out on quality reading that's worth every second of your undivided attention. It's an escapists dream and I will most certainly be back for more."
~ 5 Stars TOP PICK ~ Night Owl Reviews
"An ingenious ending to an amazing trilogy! This series has become my all-time favorite."
~ 5 Blue Ribbons ~ Romance Junkies Author Bio:
RENEE VINCENT is a bestselling Contemporary & Historical Romance Author. From the daunting, charismatic Vikings, to the charming, brazen Alpha male heroes of modern day, you’ll be whisked away to a world filled with fast-paced adventure, unforgettable romance, and undying love.She also writes lighthearted, fancy-free Chick Lit Romance as GRACIE LEE ROSE. For those who love to read fun, wholesome, and endearing romantic stories (with a smidgen of spunk) that your mother, sisters, friends, and daughters can enjoy.
Author Links:
http://www.reneevincent.com/
http://www.pasttheprint.blogspot.com/
http://www.twitter.com/ReneeVincent
http://www.facebook.com/reneevincentauthor
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3005290.Renee_Vincent
GIVEAWAY Renee will be giving away to 5 lucky winners, their choice of any one title in her backlist
a Rafflecopter giveaway
