Tara Chevrestt's Blog, page 133

Musings of Shyla Colt on Real Life Romance and her upcoming release, What the Heart Knows

[image error] One of the assumptions people make about me as a romance writer, is that my life mirrors my writing. Now I’d love to say that’s true. Picnic style dinners on a lawn with an orchestra playing, or a wine tasting where I’m being fed strawberries would be amazing! The reality is, I’m the mother of two tiny tots with a marine husband. With his erratic schedule and the demands of two children under three, we rely on ingenuity and creativity to keep the flames going. It’s the small moments that make my heart race. Dinner and a movie at home after the kids have gone to sleep can be just as satisfying as anything I’ve dreamed up on paper. Last week the most romantic thing my husband did for me was let me sleep in. You’re laughing, but after staying up till five in the morning three nights in a row with an infant, a little bit of rest felt like a cruise to the Bahamas.My writing allows me to experience the first moments of a relationship all over again. When your lips meet and fireworks go off behind your eyes lids, making your knees shake, and the world around you disappear. The first time you hear those magical three words and tears well in your eyes; because you know this special persons feels the exact same way you do. Those are all great moments! But to me, there’s a depth to true love that can’t be topped.  Real love is enduring. It’s been tested.  It’s gone through hills, valleys, and our own issues and insecurities. Yet still triumphed  to come out on top. That is the kind of love I strive to write and live. If you don’t leave my story feeling like my characters are going to grow old together, I haven’t done my job.
My characters, Oliver, and Juniper from What the Heart Knows are a great example of forever love in my mind. They come together broken and flawed, and find happiness as they heal and lay themselves bare. Oliver is a widower who’s having a tough time moving on, and Juniper is a woman determined to move on from a painful past.  From the moment they met sparks fly, and possibilities seem limitless. When their past resurfaces they make the decision to stay together and attack insecurities, past hurts and the paranormal as a united force.
Here’s a taste of their tale.****This has content not suitable for people under 17.****



Juniper was amazed at the reverence Oliver paid her scar. It was as if he was determined to heal her from the outside in. When the shirt cleared her head she reached down to bury her fingers in his silken hair and arched her back to allow him more access.  He reached around to unhook her bra like a pro and she trembled as he laid her down across the couch.  “I want to taste you, Juni.”  His words were gruff, and she felt her face heat as she propped up on her elbows to glance down at him. “No one’s ever done that before,” she said.“They didn’t know what they were missing.” “Actually, I think they were terrified of giving me a heart attack.”  His eyed filled with understanding as he unbuttoned her pants. “Makes it easier for me to spoil you for any other man. Now be a good girl and lift your hips.”Her heart thudded in her ears as she watched him peel off her pants and move between her legs. He reminded her of a panther. His body was lithe and toned and his movements were full of purpose. She felt stalked. He glanced up and pierced her with those jade green eyes and she was incapable of looking away as he lowered his face to her sky blue boy shorts. He purred as he inhaled deeply. “You smell good, Juniper.” He traced down the seam of her lips and pulled her damp underwear between the lips of her pussy. “You’re so wet; you soaked through your panties.”   She cried out at the friction he created as he rubbed them against her sensitive clit. “That’s it, baby, drip for me.”  Her hips moved with the rhythm he created as her tiny nub became engorged with blood. She gave a whimper of protest when he pulled away only to cry out when he eased a finger inside her. “You’re so tight.”  He removed his finger and lifted it to his lips. “Mhmm, and sweet.”  He eased the slender digit back inside her and pulled out again. “Have you ever tasted yourself?”          “No,” she said. Her voice was barely above a whisper in the silent room. “Then you have to try it.”  He offered her the glistening finger and she twirled her tongue around it. It wasn’t bad, salty and rich with a hint of musk.“Fuck, who knew you were such a dirty girl?” “I did say I wanted to experience everything I never got to before.” “You will.” His words were a vow as he undid the bows on either side of her hips, and removed her sky blue boy shorts, which had become a torture device. He spread her wide and licked a path that made her cry out as she bucked. “That’s it. I want to hear how much you’re enjoying it.” He pulled back to place a kiss on her neatly trimmed bush. “I can tell you’ll need to be restrained.”   His arm was a dead weight as he came up to hold her hips in place. His stiff tongue plunged deep as his nose stimulated her clitoris. Juniper’s world narrowed to the swirls, thrusts, and flicks he skillfully applied. Her hands came up to grip the arm of the couch and she clamped her thighs around him as tremors came over her body. A searing heat burned its way through her body as she found her release. “Oliver!”  His name flew from her lips as she ground her pussy into his face and rode out the most explosive orgasm she’d ever experienced. He continued to lick her slit as her breathing evened and her eyes refocused. “I want to be inside you, Juniper. I want to feel those wet walls around me.”  He peered up at her from beneath long blond lashes. “Do you want that?” “God, yes.”“Not here.” He moved away and held out hand to help her off the couch. “When I make love to you for the first time it’s going to be in my own bed.”“And that’s what we’re going to do?” she asked.  Her eyes narrowed as she studied his face carefully. They’d never really spoken in depth about their emotions. “Would you rather I fuck you?”  The crude word made her eyes shine with lust.“I’d rather you do both. You did promise me everything on my list.” He growled low in his throat, wrapped an arm around her hips, and pulled her body flush against his. “Don’t tempt me, Juniper. You’ll find yourself ass up in my bed, begging for mercy.”The words made her lick her suddenly dry lips. The thought of him pounding into her from behind while she held on to the bed for dear life made her pussy flutter. This was what she’d been dreaming about since that night up against the wall at Cupa. “Interesting, I think you might like that,” he said.  She met his gaze and nodded, unable to break the intense connection as one his hands stroked up her back.   His warm hand cupped the back of her neck and he pulled her closer. She melted against him as he walked backwards, never breaking their lip lock.  She was a quivering mass of need by the time they reached the bedroom.  When her knees hit the edge of the bed, she allowed herself to fall back. She propped up on her elbows, tense as she anticipated his next move. She watched the fingers that had brought her so much pleasure just moments before unbutton his jeans and lower his zipper. She sat up and licked her lips as his cock sprang free. He was thick, about eight inches long, with a prominent vein that ran down the side. Pre-cum leaked from the swollen red tip.
          “Can I taste you?” she asked. Her gaze fixed on the milky white drop that threatened to fall. “You can do whatever you want to me.” She bent down and licked the pearl-colored liquid. It was brackish with a hint of musk that belonged to Oliver. Her tongue darted out to explore his slit and cum flowed freely. “God, Juni.”  She moaned when his hips bucked, and he buried his fingers in her hair, pulling her closer. Her throat relaxed as she licked, sucked and stroked him to a trembling mess of man. The control he’d relinquished was heady and she found herself approaching her own climax right along with him. “Stop, baby, stop!” He pulled free and she frowned, licking her lips. “I wasn’t done.” “Unless you want me to come, you are.”  His hands were gentle as he pushed her back onto the bed. Oliver followed suit once he’d kicked his pants and boxers away.  He eased two fingers inside her and stirred. Her hands fisted into the bed sheets as she sought more friction. “You’re ready for me, aren’t you?” “Yes. Do you have a condom?” “I bought some, especially for you.”  He leaned over her body and opened the top drawer of the nightstand beside the bed.  He tore the top off the silver square with ease, and rolled it down his shaft before he settled in between her legs. He teased her with his thick head, easing in and out until she was desperate for real penetration. 


What the Heart Knows will be available July 23rd.

Hooked Book Trailer

Having read Liz Fichera's Captive Spirit and Craving Perfect and enjoyed them both, I'm excited to say she has a new one coming out next year. First she gave us a historical love story, then she gave us a witty ConRom, now she brings us a YA. The woman has many talents!


Blurb: Sparks fly when a Native American girl with a killer swing joins the boys’ varsity golf team and takes on the boy with the killer smile. Don’t miss this heartwarming and emotional new romantic contemporary!


Expected publication: January 31st. You won't want to miss this one.

Please Welcome Ed Griffin. How Did a Real-Life Friend Become a Character in His Book?

It's rare that one finds me speechless. I mean, really, I'm one of those petite chicks with a big mouth and lots of opinions I'm not afraid to voice. The following post has pretty much left me speechless though. I hate to use the word entertaining when it's such a sad story. I feel kind of wrong. But I was truly riveted while reading about Ed and Ricardo. I'm happy to be hosting and posting this today. Please, welcome Ed Griffin. Ed, take it away.
"I had two amazing men in my prison writing class. Mike was a boxer before he was arrested in Mexico for smuggling drugs. He was a talented writer, who could produce an entertaining story in a week’s time. The guys in the class loved his work. One time I said that many men wrote romances using a female name. The next week he came down to class with “Breach of the Heart,” and he read chapter one aloud. Again the men in the class liked it.One guy asked, “Mike, how did you do it? How did you get inside that chick’s head?”I will never forget Mike’s answer, and only he could say it in a prison and get away with it. Mike said, “I just got in touch with the female part of myself.”But it is the other man that I based a character on. His name was Ricardo. He had a million ideas for TV shows and he wrote a novel about an Italian drug king. (Write what you know, the saying is.) He loved his Italian heritage and his novel was full of characters named Rocco, Alfonso, and Vincenzo. They hung out in a restaurant called La Dolce Vita. He had real talent to promote and to write.Together the two of them energized my class.Ricardo got out on parole first. I knew that the first days out of prison are very hard for a man, so I met him for coffee and we chatted. He told me how much he hated prison, and I reminded him that the best thing he could do about that was never go back. It was clear to him that I expected him to go straight, but lurking behind him, I saw the high life he used to live. I knew he had little money and I worried about what he would do to get it.I set up another coffee the next Saturday at the Starbucks by Science World. He lived downtown and that would be convenient for him. I took the Skytrain from Surrey and I waited a half hour for him. I called his cell and got the answering message. He never showed. He knew what I expected.The rumors started – he had gone back into crime and Ricardo did nothing in a small way.Mike got out a year later and he went straight – poor but straight. Today he’s in a great relationship and has his own business. The writing will come back, but earning a living is on his mind now. He told me he’s seen countless crime opportunities, but he’s turned them down. Often he runs into old friends who present him with tempting plans, but he refuses.I kept hearing of Ricardo’s rise in the crime world. One night he rented a downtown nightclub to have an invitation-only party to announce his engagement. Of course, I wasn’t invited.The next day I read the papers. On the way to the party a rival gang gunned him down. His fiancé and their six-month old baby were not injured, but were badly shaken.I went to his funeral where six beefy gang members carried his coffin and the police photographed everyone there. It was a Godfather rerun and this also made me sad, that there was no mention of the artistic side of the man.I’m writing a novel now about a new kind of prison, one that is about rehabilitation, not punishment. I have a character there named Nino Mandaro. He’s just like Ricardo, used to the high life and making big drug deals. Neither Mike nor Ricardo used drugs, but they dealt them. Mandaro is the same, he doesn’t use, but he deals – and in a big way. In the story he even figures out a way to get drugs into the prison.Mandaro loves his Italian heritage and he sings Italian songs while he works in the prison.I tried hard with Ricardo, but failed. Every time I drive by the cemetery where he’s buried, I say hello to him. Tears come to my eyes. Such a creative young man dead in his early thirties. To handle my grief, I write. I write Nino Mandaro. He is my tribute to Ricardo."
Ed Griffin teaches creative writing in his community and in a federal prison in Canada. He’s written five novels. He’s an ex-everything, ex-politician, ex-businessman and ex-Catholic priest.
Find Ed online atPersonal FB  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1024992482 FB page  https://www.facebook.com/EdGriffinWriter Twitter  https://twitter.com/#!/EdGriffin2 Personal Blog  http://edgriffin.net/ Writer’s Write Daily Blog  http://writerswritedaily.wordpress.com/ Prison Uncensored Blog  http://prisonuncensored.wordpress.com/

Release Day!

[image error] Hi all! Today I'm pleased to announce the release of Maiden Behind the Mask, a historical lady Zorro romance. It's now available from Ruby Lioness Press. I had great fun writing this, immersing myself in another time. I even incorporated some family names. Can you guess what they are?

Special thanks to Bev Pettersen for her guidance/help with one scene. Really appreciate it.


Meanwhile, here's a blurb:



When Catalina Rodriguez is attacked by a would-be rapist and rescued by the dashing Ricardo Garcia, she not only becomes more aware of the handsome man, but also vows that she’ll never be a damsel in distress again. Using the timeless method of blackmail, she convinces her uncle to teach her to fight and becomes a masked crusader in the night, saving other damsels from robbers and rough handling.However, scandalous rumors and dwindling funds force Ricardo and Catalina to marry. Not immune to each other’s charms, their marriage starts fiery, but when one of Catalina’s nightly escapades results in dire consequences, she is forced to spurn her husband’s amorous advances…or reveal a secret that could turn him away from her forever.Ricardo’s not a man to be cuckolded or left in the dark. Is his wife having an affair with El Capitan, the masked savior? If so…they will both pay.It can also be found on Smashwords and Amazon.

Blessed Homecoming by Lorraine Nelson

[image error] I'm not big on Christian Fiction. My blog followers will know that. However, when this manuscript hit my inbox, I saw a real good story. Even if you don't go for God this or God that, there's strong theme of forgiveness and letting go of your demons... because if you can't let go of the past, how can you move on into the future?

Wendy is pregnant and alone. Her husband is in jail after beating her. She heads home to her parents to recuperate and give birth. She never wants to love again. That leads to a world of hurt.


Jake is the handyman just going house to house to escape his own past. He doesn't want to be around a pregnant woman remind him of all he's lost...but there's something about Wendy, and there's something about the Danforth family. Slowly his faith in people is restored.


Love blooms. But we all know that past comes back to haunt us and it does for these two. Wendy must escape her ex husband again, and Jake needs to forgive someone himself.


A sweet, clean read that explores love, learning to trust again, forgiveness, and the close bonds of family.


Available from Breathless Press

Sizzling Scoop! Sign Up Now!

Sizzling Scoop, is your one stop for all your book news, interviews and blogs with your favorite authors, as well as articles, reviews, book news (release information, and events), submission calls and more.If Sizzling Scoop can reach 500 signups on Mailchimp by launch (September 1st) we will give away a Kindle Fire. There will also be giveaways for a $25 gift card for Amazon, and two $10 gift cards for Amazon. The winner’s will be announced in the first issue of Sizzling Scoop. To sign up for Sizzling Scoop please follow this linkhttp://eepurl.com/nzghD
Sizzling Scoop will launch September 1st, 2012.
Upcoming themes:September – Self publishingOctober – ParanormalNovember – Erotic (warming up a chilly night)December – Christmas/HolidayJanuary – Tips & Tricks on writing, publishing, & marketing
Sizzling Scoop is open to submissions of articles, blogs, short stories, and any other information you think readers would be interested in.
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Hot Wheels by Stephanie Campbell

I love stories featuring disabled heroines. This story not only is about a girl in a wheelchair, but also touches on the issue of school bullying.


Though a YA book, I think adults would enjoy it as well.


Lindy is in high school and when one day, she opens her favorite poetry book to find a note from a secret admirer to Hot Wheels, she's floored and suspicious. And why shouldn't she be? Nobody in school is very nice to her. Surely, it's a joke when the popular guy, Mark, not only fesses up to being her admirer but asks her to the school dance...


And there's a lesson here...for all involved. Lindy hears some stuff and is mighty quick to make assumptions. Remember when you assume...I don't need to finish that quote, do I?


But the greatest part of all is the moment Lindy realizes something: "It was her insecurities that were the problem."


The kids are dicks, but Lindy can have the last laugh if she realizes that in time. Don't let the losers win.


Well told. It felt juvenile, but it is a YA book so the simplicity of the narrative makes perfect sense. I think they should make this required reading in school, especially middle school.


I bought this on Amazon.

Please Welcome D.F. Krieger and To Honor

I had the pleasure of reading this book pre publication and it was one of the saddest and yet funniest pieces I've ever read. That may seem strange to you...how can a story be both?

Well, in To Honor, you have a military wife who has been dealt a really bad hand: the loss of a child combined with a misbehaving spouse. The wife's pain and frustration and anger radiates off the page. She loves her husband, but he hurt her. When she needed him, he wasn't there. How can she get over it and forgive him?


But see, he's got some parts too, so we also get his POV: his grief, guilt, frustration. 


I found myself cheering for the couple, wanting them to work things out, hoping their love would be enough. But where does the humor come into this?


The heroine is so spunky underneath her grief, has so much great attitude. I LOVED how she put her doctor in his place and handled her roommate, and that's all I'm gonna say.


Meanwhile, I asked D.F. to come on Book Babe and answer a question. This is an extremely emotional and honest post. I hope you all take the time to read it and remember: not all illnesses are visible.



How did your own experiences tie into writing To Honor?
Most people don't know, but To Honor strikes home for me in many ways. It is the story of my own experience in a parallel fashion. My time in a psych ward from attempting suicide allowed me to effectively write this story as realistically as possible.
Taking my wedding rings off and shuffling around in unlaced shoes were some of the most degrading and painful things I've ever been through. My roommate was highly OCD and constantly rearranged my things...Unfortunately rearranging hers got me put in one on one therapy with the "principal." Being accused of having a drug addiction because I overdosed on over-the-counter pills was demeaning  and I found that I could argue until I was blue in the face, but my word meant nothing because I was considered insane.Little Known Fact: The psych ward almost didn't accept me. They said my issues were too complicated for them to handle. I still laugh about that to this day.
For two years straight I was hit up one side and down the other with the worst things that could happen to someone. A wreck, cancer, my mother's unexpected death, my husband's constant absence due to the military, a miscarriage that lasted seven months, and finally, discovering my husband wanted a divorce because his girlfriend told him to divorce me. In the end, I broke and took the wrong way out. I suffer from compound Post Traumatic Stress along with anxiety and depression. These things shape every day of my life and some days it is a struggle to get out of bed and face the world around me.
My therapist suggested that I use my passion (which happens to be writing) to express my pain and release it. I don't think she ever expected me to pursue publication with it! LOL. However, so many people suffer from invisible illnesses and our number one myth is that we believe we are alone in it. We're not alone! No matter what you've gone through, I can guarantee you someone else in the world has or is going through it too.
If I'd stopped for a moment and talked to others about my pain, instead of bottling it up thinking no one wanted to hear it, I would have sought help sooner. Suicide is not the way out, if anything it only complicates and makes matters worse for yourself and your family. Now I know that if I speak, I have people who will listen. I want anyone who feels alone or suicidal to read To Honor. It will show them that just because it feels like the end of the world, it doesn't mean it is.
I'm still not healed, and I never will be. People don't understand that with an illness like this, there is no secret cure, no overnight success that will allow you to greet the next day cured. I have to take it one day at a time and do my best. I hope that along the way as I fight my inner darkness, that I inspire others to do the same. ~ D. F. Krieger

Buy this fabulous book here

What Kicked Off Jennifer Starks' Current WIP?

[image error] This week, I'm pleased to say, I have Jennifer Starks visiting. She is going to tell us about her current work in progress and how it came about.. I love the title: Messy Death. What kicked off Messy Death?
"An idea. I know that seems like a pretty lame answer, but that's the truth. I took a break from writing to start college. Because I had so many things going on along with school, I just stopped. At the time, I thought it was the right decision. Two years later, as I struggled to find my author voice, trust my characters and remember how to make that prose of mine sparkle, I realized it was definitely NOT the right decision.
The novel I intended to start then was titled The Madness of Sorrow, but the characters were not speaking to me, I didn't feel connected to the story at all and Messy Death kept begging me to write it. One day, after a particularly frustrating stint trying to connect with characters that didn't want to play with me, I said forget it! I'm starting Messy Death and it WILL be the one I finish.
Last night, June 29th 2012, after an incredibly long day of writing, that goal was accomplished and I've never felt such soaring relief, pride, nostalgia or fear in my entire life. To be in these uncharted waters is completely invigorating. Also, mildly terrifying.
The idea for Messy Death was not a complete one. I didn't know until I started writing the first chapter that it would be set in the future or that the cast of characters would be as heavy as it is. I didn't know how the main character would resolve her mystery, who her love interests would be, if there'd be sex or how in the world it would end.
In short, I knew jack squat. Wait, I take it back. I had a vague plot line and hot guy characters. Is that enough to make a novel? Hell no! And yet, it was. With a crew of pretty kick ass cheerleaders, Liz Sogard you are the bomb, I was told day in and day out to keep writing,  trust the character. Trust myself and the single most important piece of advice: remember its a FIRST DRAFT! You've got plenty of time to make it pretty. Once I let go of the belief that a first draft should be damn near perfect, I got a hell of a lot more accomplished.
This journey has taught me So much. Messy Death will always be more than "an idea" to me now. It's the book that taught me how to a be writer that finishes her work and isn't afraid to put herself out there for the world to judge."
Jennifer Starks has been writing since the tender, but still wise beyond her years, age of eight. She gets giddy at the thought of visiting a bookstore, loves that good ole Library smell, is most at home on the couch reading or at her desk writing. She adores her children (though they make it entirely difficult to keep any kind of writing schedule) and is humbled beyond belief to have a mother who fostered her love of the arts and a husband who supports the lifestyle even when it means listening to her type at 5 AM. Messy Death will be Jennifer’s debut novel. Updates on its progress can be found at www.jenniferstarks.wordpress.comTwitter: @princessjen20               Facebook: www.facebook.com/princessjen2020000Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Minshall-Starks/376756749003411Email: princessjenjs202000@gmail.com

The Great Escape by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

This book was just so fun... I didn't expect much from it either. I've never read this author before and I did not realize until it landed on my doorstep that it was part of a series, so I was afraid that I would be lost...

Not only does the book standalone just fine, but I loved it so much and laughed so hard, I immediately made sure a previous one is on its way to my door.


Lucy is the heroine and she was adopted by the president...so she has always felt out of place and naturally, every time she turns around. she's told how lucky she is and this has led to feelings of "owing" her adopted parents...that means no misbehaving...


But we all have to misbehave sometimes. In her early thirties, Lucy finally does, beginning with running away from her groom at the altar and jumping on some stranger's motorcycle and going on vacation with him. That's where Panda comes in, with his own personal demons in tow, under those offensive Tshirts he wears. LOL


I just roared with laughter and chuckled so hard in so many different spots. Lucy and her dreads and skank clothes...we've all been there. I think women everywhere will be able to relate to her, her conflicts, her "what I am?" feelings. And Panda, despite his gruffness, is just sexy as hell.


The sex scenes were more playful than sizzling, but in a time when every darn book is nothing but sex, it seems, I appreciated this.


There's a side story too. Bree and Mike and Toby, adoption, forgiveness, moving on. Temple and Max are another story, along with body image, expecting too much of oneself, coming out of closets.


To sum it up: It's a very funny, engaging read with serious notes and lessons between the pages. Five stars.


I received this from the publisher.