Tara Chevrestt's Blog, page 95

Is it Time for a New Giveaway?

Last year, I tried something new. I had T-shirts made and had a grand bash in which I gave one away. I made them to promote myself as an author and put my website on it.


I purchased these shirts on ooshirts.com. I remember flipping out because I was afraid I didn't have the right pixels and the image would be blurry. I'm pleased to say they communicated with me via email about it, and the pixels/image on the shirt turned out fine.
I'm now thinking it's time for another giveaway...After all, I've changed the name of my site and my motto is now STRONG IS SEXY.
What would ya'll say about a Strong is Sexy T-shirt giveaway? And should I use my super-heroine logo?
Thoughts welcome. I'll keep you updated, but I see a T-shirt giveaway in the near future. Let the wheels start turning...
Meanwhile, those of you seeking custom T-shirts for anything, do take a moment to check out their site. It's easy to use and they take the time communicate with you. 

Strong is Sexy Heroine of the Week: Dorian North

Title: Soldier in Chains
Author: Megan D. Martin
Heroine: Dorian North
Dorian North a soldier in the United States Army, doesn't put up with anyone's crap. She's thrilled about finishing her last tour in Afghanistan before heading back to the U.S. and never coming back. Only she takes a serious detour when the helicopter she's a passenger on has to take an emergency landing. She soon finds herself the prisoner of man that she can't help her attraction to. She's never depended on or needed a man before in her life, at least not for anything but sex. When she wants something she gets it, and freedom from this man's clutches is her top priority at least until she finds out that there's something she wants more than freedom…him. Dorian has never thought of herself as a sexy woman, there wasn't time for that in the midst of her life, but her captor makes her feel sexy in ways she never has. In the end someone will bend their will to the other and Dorian is sure she will get her way.
Blurb: Dorian North, a soldier in the United States Army, is only hours away from being finished with her final tour in Afghanistan. It's only when she’s ambushed by al Qaeda that Dorian is knocked unconscious and awakens to find herself bound and gagged in a stranger's bed. She desperately tries to escape, but quickly finds herself enamored with her captor's alarming handsomeness.

Rob Hutcherson is a former Sergeant of the United States Marine Corps, who stumbled upon an al Qaeda ambush. He rescues the surviving soldier: the most beautiful woman he's ever laid eyes on. Taking her back to his home he finds his attraction to the fierce young woman to be overwhelming. When she wakes for the first time her goal is clear: escape. In fear for her safety he chains the little hell cat to his bed. He can't bear the thought of losing her, so he plans to show the little spit fire all the reasons she should stay… 

About Megan:
Megan D. Martin is a multi-published author, mother, student and editor. In her spare time she enjoys decorating her house with strange things that do not match, playing her old school Nintendo Entertainment System, and buying fish for her many fish tanks. To learn more about Megan, check her out on these social networking sites. Blog: http://www.MeganDMartin.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authormegandmartin
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Megan_D_Martin
goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6656963.Megan_D_Martin
Google+: https://plus.google.com/115096823539939478098/posts




Are you an author with a strong heroine in your book? Want to see her featured? Find out how here.

Conditions Are Favorable Here for Tara Staley

Do any of you use Goodreads Listopia? I do. I occasionally browse the historical fiction lists, even though I'm up to my eyeballs in books, cause you never know what you might be missing if you don't look, right?


And that's how I found this book and author. Ya'll know my aviation obsession...and what better story to tell than that of the Wright brothers...with a woman between them? Why were the Wright brothers confirmed bachelors? Did their obsession for flight control their lives or is there something more? Ms. Staley has a wonderful theory below that really adds a new twist things. I'll be reading this one and sharing my thoughts with you in the next few months, but meantime, please welcome Tara Staley as she tells us the inspiration behind this unique tale. I'm so happy to have her.

"I became a Wright brothers enthusiast when my husband and I visited the Wright Memorial atop Kill Devil Hills in ’99. I didn’t know much about them before then, but the park ranger’s presentation that day was electric, and I walked out of that room kind of in a trance. I’d been bit. I bought books, a model plane, a Christmas ornament, pencil sketch at the local Air Show, etc. and in the course of my reading, became fascinated at their behavior, particularly their bachelorhood. And the self-focus demonstrated in their letters annoyed me, to be honest. They were truly unique and talented individuals, but at the time I had no answers to their psychological disposition or what drove their obsession for flight.

What fascinated me the most was their extreme woman-shyness. It wasn’t that the Wrights were anti-woman—in fact, their sister Katharine was quite active in the suffrage movement and they supported it by attending marches and rallies with her. Their resistance to women was merely relational. They had both been turned down once in courtship and it was like the sting of rejection just never went away.

In 2002, we welcomed our first son into the world, William, only to be devastated when he was dx with autism 32 months later. He was nonverbal up to age 3, not even able to say or nod “yes.” He had very ritualistic behavior and seemed paranoid when we were out in public. Over the past 7-8 years, I’ve pursued all kinds of therapies, special education, medical regimens, diets, you name it. I’m beyond thrilled to report that William is high-functioning and making all A’s and B’s in a regular 4th grade classroom. His IQ has jumped nearly 50 points since he was first dx. And during this time, I was reading more Wright brother biographies, meeting other autism families and children, learning about the particular kind of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome and I came to the conclusion that the Wright brothers’ behaviors were symptomatic of Asperger’s. The high intelligence, their shyness, the self-focus and problems relating to other people. They were nowhere as severe as my son is, couldn’t even compare. Aspies tend to go years (or even a lifetime) without being dx, it’s so subtle. After I understood them in this way, everything about them made sense to the point I started predicting their behavior before I read about it in new biographies I bought.

How did Madeleine come to be—After understanding the Wrights in context of Asperger’s Syndrome, I realized it would take a very special kind of character in a novel to break through their social barriers and shyness “shells.” To not be afraid of their differences or oddities, but rather, be enamored by them. Madeleine’s a tough woman who regularly faces hurricanes, mosquitos and shipwrecks. Turn-of-the-century life on NC’s Outer Banks was absolutely brutal. The Wrights and the suburban, genteel way of life they represent appeal to Madeleine. I think this paragraph from the book sums it up: “…because all I ever wanted was to live in a house that wasn’t part-shipwreck lumber, to avoid the mosquitos, the graybacks, the whim of the weather. These Outer Banks, where you stumble over something and wonder ‘is it driftwood or a dead body?’ I’m tired of shoveling sand out of the kitchen. Flood waters raise houses off their foundations and entire families float by. Unfenced grazing, you have to clear cattle just to get to the outhouse. Sleeping with hot stones and cooking to stay warm. But the gentle-men said they’ve got gas lines, Selden road-engines, schools and bicycles . . . the thought makes me warm inside, like someone turned up the corner of a curtain and let in a slender ray of light.”

Madeleine is the type of woman who starts off with some emotional baggage. As the novel progresses, she learns to be independent and believe in herself, that she doesn’t necessarily need a gentleman to whisk her away to the mainland. She can get guts up enough and go herself. And flight becomes the symbol for that. Lessee…she also ‘adopts’ a Remington rifle to defend herself and can shoot at one minute of angle. Ventures out in the middle of a hurricane, drinks John Gagen…but the softer side of her falls for the Wrights, namely Orville. I had to develop the kind of heroine who could break through his shyness ‘shell.’"
***
Blurb: The year is 1900, when turn-of-the-century life on the Outer Banks of North Carolina consists of shipwrecks, shoot-outs…and flying machines. Orville and Wilbur Wright have arrived to conduct flight experiments, and their posh dignity stands in stark contrast to a community of rough old salts who believe in a “good God, a bad devil, a hot hell, and more than anything else, that the same good God did not intend for man to ever fly.”
The Wright brothers may be able to defy divine edicts, theorize about relative velocities and engineer the world’s first flying machine--but when it comes to women, they are terribly love-shy.

When Kitty Hawker Madeleine Tate meets these two odd bicycle mechanics from Ohio, she is struck by the brothers’ intellect, dandy appearance—and their grip on bachelorhood. Their shyness and fixation on flight puzzles her, too, but she finds her growing affections for Orville hard to resist. He represents a splendid taste of the Outside World, the place where she can escape the poverty and fear that define life on a stormy sandbar.

And Orville would reciprocate her affections, but he has long-accepted the fact that he and Wilbur are social misfits who let one bad experience with courtship harden their hearts forever. He finds his shyness, obsessions and memories tough enough to overcome. But when Wilbur sabotages Madeleine’s every move to connect with him, Orville realizes he must ultimately make a choice between bonding with the woman who loves him, or with a machine that can take him into the sky.
Find more about Tara Staley on her blog.

The Loom by Shella Gillus

This story had me on the edge of my seat. I honestly didn't think it would end well and I so desperately wanted it to...the suspense darn near killed me.


Lydia is a slave--a very light-skinned slave. She wants freedom more than love and this leads to her leaving her husband, a slave named John, because she discovers she can pass as white and does so. This lifestyle is not without its daily fear, lies, and repercussions though. 

Good points: I like the little message within...that Lydia merely traded one life of slavery for another, that women back then were slaves, no matter their color. Only the white MEN had true freedom.

I loved the romance between her and John, though I confess I liked John more than I liked Lydia and didn't feel she deserved him.

I loved how this book made you stop and look around you and realize it isn't material things that make a body happy; it's the emotional. You can be dirt poor and find joy. You can be surrounded by luxuries and be miserable. This is something we too often forget and need reminding of.

I liked the unique story line. I enjoyed learning about most of the slaves' lives, though I was left with a lot of questions, more questions than answers.

Bad points: I truly didn't for one minute buy into how easily Lydia turned her back on her own people and switched sides. No. There's no way a slave can just step into the role of slave-owner with such ease.

While I enjoyed the side glimpses into the others' lives, they went nowhere and ended up making no sense. Abram and his healing powers? What was that for/about? Cora's parentage..who cares? What did this have to do with the story?

Lots of things just didn't make sense in the end. 1. Why didn't John just TELL Lydia the truth once he found her at Jackson's, living as a white woman? All that pain, fear, running...for NOTHING? 2. If she was so dang miserable in the white world, why did she stay? Nobody was looking for her. There was no huge slave hunt. She could have walked away just as easily as she walked onto that land. 3. Why did Henry drop dead? What from? Seriously a huge WTF  moment. His buddies are fighting and behind them, HE suddenly drops dead?

And lastly, who was Lydia's mother? Why was she so white? Her father was not a light-colored person. I sensed an opportunity for a good sub plot here that was never explored.

I do recommend this though. It was intense. Three stars. I bought this on Amazon.

Editing Services

I have edited over a hundred manuscripts in the last two years, some for romance publishers, and some for self-published authors. I have extensive knowledge about head hopping, disembodied parts, comma usage, overused and unnecessary words, dialogue and action tags, telling versus showing, information dumps, passive sentences, and purple prose. I charge $3.25 for every thousand words and I require half the payment up front via paypal, the rest upon completion of the manuscript.

I'd be happy to edit a one-page sample for you and upon your satisfaction, schedule a week to edit your manuscript. The above fee includes content and copy editing and two read-throughs.

From my Authors:

"Tara Chevrestt has edited a couple of my books and did a wonderful job. Grammar is a tad hard for me and Tara has always taken the time to go over any questions I’ve had. She’s been patient and has taught me a few tricks to help me navigate my word program." --Kassanna, bestselling author of Interracial Romance

"I have known Tara for two years. It has been my pleasure to have her edit two of my titles. The experience became a partnership. She impressed me with her willingness to discuss the editorial process beforehand. Her technical expertise and creative solutions helped improve both manuscripts." --Lisa J. Yarde, multi-published author

"Tara is a wonderful editor and quite responsive to your needs and questions. She has a sharp eye for detail and an ear for dialogue. She also knows how to ask the right questions to get your creative juices working in the right direction for your story." --Dahlia DeWinters, multi-published romance author

"Tara has been insightful, encouraging, prompt, and above all, very professional in all her dealings with me. She’s a terrific editor. With her help, we have produced highly saleable novels for readers to enjoy. It was a pleasure to work with her." --Lorraine Nelson, bestselling romance author

Tasty Tour: Claiming Jeremiah by Missy Salick, Make Adoption An Option

At the age of ten, as the female body moves into puberty, we are taught to cherish our bodies and treat them as temples. We learn about virginity, puberty, breasts, and babies. The parents and parental figures of the world explain to you what will happen if you rush to grow up too fast. How nine months later a baby is born if you don’t use the right protection. Well, that all ends up forgotten, because when you turn fifteen and the new guy from the big city has just moved into the country town where they wouldn’t know fashion if, by some miracle, New York Fashion Week landed in the only mall for one hundred miles. This guy shows you some interest and your mind goes blank and your body takes over. You consider giving him the most prized possession you have to offer.

Fast forward fifteen years: you are married and have been trying to conceive for the past two years. You’ve tried treatment after treatment and nothing has worked. You regret walking in certain malls taking a glance at a baby store or a woman that’s glowing beautifully from her pregnancy, because you know this will send you into an instant depression and you couldn’t burden your husband yet again with another attack. You catch a glimpse in the mirror one day and ask yourself: Why do I keep doing this to myself, and to my body?

Every day you hear and read about these stories. About how women have been trying to conceive for two years, five years, ten years, and no one has even muttered the word adoption as a back-up choice or an option at all. Why is it that women turn to infertility and other drug treatments to become pregnant? Nine times out of ten, adoptions are nowhere in the plan and if it is, it’s quite far down the list. And even then if it makes the list of back-up plans it’s a foreign adoption or an adoption through a private agency. Very few people consider adopting from their local foster agency. With over sixty thousand children currently waiting to be adopted, I’m sure there is a match for everyone unable to have children the natural way and who wants to start a family.

When we are younger, we treat our body with the upmost respect. However, as the clock ticks closer and closer to forty, women begin to panic and poison their bodies with expensive drugs such as In Vitro or Clomiphene. So, what possesses women to do this and put the pressure on their bodies to have a family; especially when there are so many beautiful children in foster care? I mean seriously, has anyone read the side effects to these drugs: hot flashes, blurred vision, nausea, bloating, headaches, frequent bowel movements, multiple births. The list goes on and on. Fertility doctors give you drugs while taking data and experimenting to see the outcome. A woman’s body is no longer a temple, but rather a guinea pig for infertility treatments. Let me be realistic, I can see maybe doing this for a year just to weigh your options, but years and years of this cannot be healthy on the body or financially.

Okay, this may sound as if I’m being judgmental but I’m really not. I get it—I do: A family is what makes your life complete. Nothing is more pure than a woman carrying and giving birth to a child. It’s the natural order to “the American Family”. Every family has a different story and different way of achieving their goal of a “family”. Take me for instance: Some people will say that my husband and I have infertility issues because we have been married for six years and have no biological children. While that may be true, the fact remains that we have never tried to conceive, not once. When it comes to pregnancy I believe in the natural order. It happens when it happens. However, there is nothing wrong with planning and speaking about timing. When the hubs and I did start speaking about it, God blessed us with a beautiful baby boy from another mother. Our baby talk went out the window. Three years later, when the subject came up again, God blessed us with a beautiful girl, from another mother.

In the future, would I want another child “biologically,” if you have to label it? Of course I do, but only because I want more children. If God chooses to grant us with me becoming pregnant or bless us with another child from someone else, so be it. Who knows what is in store for us in regard to biological children. Maybe God has decided that I won’t be able to conceive and he will continue to grant me with angels from somewhere else, because for me adoption is always an option. In our home we believe the bond a child has with his mother and father is much thicker than blood and purer than water.

Note: Ladies, if you are experiencing infertility issues and never considered adoption, inquire into it. I will never say this is the best route to go, because only you and your family can decide that, but make it an option.
Blurb On the same night that twenty four-year-old Jordyn Sims has a miscarriage, her sister-in-law Tori Sims conceives a child. Nine months later, Tori, a long term heroin addict, abandons her two-hour-old drug addicted newborn Jeremiah, in a hospital stairwell. Jordyn receives the news and pursues foster adoption. However, Oscar, Tori's possessive drug-addicted boyfriend, is not about to give Jeremiah up so easily. While in confrontation with Tori and Oscar, Jordyn seeks help from the Administration of Children Services (ACS), only to discover she is faced with a maze of departments, regulations, legalities and overworked social workers. Jordyn, however, remains strong and continues to push through the uphill battle, even after she discovers she's pregnant.
With all odds against her adoption of Jeremiah, and her pregnancy at high risk from increasing stress, will Jordyn win this tough battle, or will her world crumble before her?
Buy LinksAmazon  /  Smashwords
Author InfoMissy B. Salick is a new author who has written her first novel, Claiming Jeremiah. Her fictional memoir on foster adoption is drawing a hefty buzz, with an online release date not until April 7, 2013 ( May 4 in paperback). The novel is small in size, but contains a powerful message. "Children in foster care need a place to call home."  Salick, a foster care advocate, wrote this book based on her personal journey of foster adopting her four-year-old son.Before self-publishing, Claiming Jeremiah, Salick spent several years as a freelance business writer for Fortune 500 companies such as: Shearman & Sterling, KPMG, Deloitte and many more. She also had a stint with song ghost writing. Salick's experience in the entertainment industry stems from working with entertainment companies and media including Violator, MBK, Village Voice and more. As the founder of J.J. Autumn Publishing, her publishing company is geared towards highlighting urban fiction dedicated to special causes and community awareness projects.
Author LinksFacebook Missy / Tweet Missy / Meet Missy

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Help Oklahoma Tornado Victims by Buying a Book This Month

Marie Fostino has daughters in Oklahoma. The stories have driven her to donate all the funds of her book this month to victims of the recent tornadoes.

According to Ms. Fostino, all profits for the below title are going towards the Moore AZ school fund that will help the schools replace what was ruined. One of her daughters was in the junior high with her students when the tornado went through. I'm sure many of you saw this on the news.


Anyway, I'd just like to share this today. I grew up in Oklahoma and know very well how scary a tornado can be and the loss is devastating.
Here is Marie's book:
When Jennifer finds her daughter is not home from school yet, her past flashed before her eyes with the memories of Jacy, love, death and becoming a mother at the age of sixteen.

People would stop Jenny and ask if the child she was with was her sister. "No this is my child." Yet the looks she got hurt her. She was 16 years old when her life changed forever. Despite being raised in a Christian home with strict religious values, some of her choices were careless, and they came with weighty consequences.

A strange combination of sadness and joy overcome her when she turns back the clock. Names and faces float through her mind like ghosts that still haunted her but as always, a smile forms on her face and she remembers only love.

Marie's blogBuy on Amazon

Ask Away Sunday: How I Forgave My Bulliers

I had someone ask me a good question. They had just finished reading Love Request and the bullying side-story struck a nerve. The question was: How did you learn to forgive them? The questioner prefers anonymity.

I had to really ponder my answer. Truth is, sometimes I wonder if I have forgiven them...but in the end, I came to the realization I have. I cannot pinpoint when but I can tell you how. For me, it wasn't anything anyone else said to me; it wasn't therapy; it wasn't church. It was just...well, realization that came over time.

I was bullied from second grade until I was a junior in high school. I was called names, beaten up on the playground, I had spit balls thrown at me, I was the brunt of endless jokes. The hearing-impaired girl could do no right.

A common "game" I remember the kids playing--this is sometime after elementary school when the kids no longer cared to risk rolling around in the dirt with me to place bruises and kicks on me and yet before they discovered drugs and sex and got distracted from their torture, so middle school. I always sat in the front of the class to better read the teacher's lips. Behind me, boys would constantly whisper--just loud enough for me and those around us to hear, but not loud enough for the teacher to hear--"Tara, Tara." This was followed by snickers.

If I turned around and glared, they'd laugh their arses off because OMG I heard them! If I didn't turn around, they'd laugh even harder because of course, they just assumed the dumb deaf girl didn't hear them...No matter what I did, I was laughed at. Sometimes this had spit balls involved.

This "game" stayed with me throughout my life for some reason. I think it impacted in me what I just said above: "no matter what I did, no matter how I responded, I could do nothing right."

Bullying continued into adulthood, just changed forms. As a hearing "impaired" person trying to work in the hearing world, I was denied jobs as soon as my "affliction" was mentioned. I was fired for not answering the phone--which I couldn't hear on. I was escorted off the shop floor because my hearing aid made me "unsafe". There was no end to the humiliation.

I tell you all this not because I'm bitter, but so you know.

So how did I forgive? HOW?

Well, as I told the questioner, over time I realized 3 things. And this was the catalyst, the point where I learned to let go.

1. These people (bulliers)  must feel real bad about themselves because they only feel good about themselves when they are making others look or feel bad.

Obviously, these people have issues with their own image and self worth. I have not walked in their shoes and I can't judge, but rest assured, they are the ones with the problem here, not me.
2. They are intimidated by me. It has been instilled in humanity for some time that deaf is dumb. Even if people don't say it anymore, they act it. When people look at us and start speaking really really slow and loud, they send a message to those around us--including their children--this person is stupid. Look how I have to talk to them. he he. And the cycle continues. Actions speak louder than words.

And here I was, handicapped from the get-go, making straight As. I was not and am not dumb. And when you have someone supposed to be dumb/retarded doing just as good or better than you...

3. Had they not treated me bad, I wouldn't be who I am today. Heck, I may have been the one treating people bad! Because of what I went through, I know better. I'd rather be treated bad than live knowing I treated someone else bad, that I possibly scarred them for life.
Conclusion: People fear what they don't understand. If you're being bullied (and adults get bullied too!), try to tell yourself these things and remember...you're not the one with the problem, no matter what they say. It's them. 

Will this make your problems go away? Nope. But it may help you face it.

Want to ask me a question about me, deafness, my books, editing, publishing, whatever, for next Sunday? Head over to this post to fill out the form.

Spotlight on Cassandra Dean's Diamond Series

THE DIAMOND SERIES, BOOK 1Owner of the Diamond Saloon and Theater, Alice Reynolds is astounded when a fancy Englishman offers to buy her saloon. She won’t be selling her saloon to anyone, let alone a man with a pretty, empty-headed grin…but then, she reckons that grin just might be a lie, and a man of intelligence and cunning resides beneath.
Rupert Llewellyn has another purpose for offering to buy the pretty widow’s saloon—the coal buried deep in land she owns. However, he never banked on her knowing eyes making him weak at the knees, or how his deception would burn upon his soul.Each determined to outwit the other, they tantalize and tease until passion explodes. But can their desire bridge the lies told and trust broken?

THE DIAMOND SERIES, BOOK 2Christmas in FreewillChristmas Eve, the Diamond Saloon is empty of its people, and Pearl la Monte has a hankering to retire early. A pounding at the Diamond’s door rids her of such a fool notion. Her irritation rises when she sees the prissy, polite-like Garrett standing outside.Ethan Garrett has a powerful need to gain succor. When the saloon’s voluptuous redheaded singer scowls at him from the threshold of the Diamond, he doesn’t stop to think on how his ire at her has disappeared. Or how he just wants to spend some time in her company.When a blizzard storms in, trapping them, will they spend their time arguing or find their irritation for each other disguises something more?  
Author Bio:  Cassandra grew up daydreaming, inventing fantastical worlds and marvelous adventures. Once she learned to read (First phrase – To the Beach. True story), she was never without a book, reading of other people’s fantastical worlds and marvelous adventures.
Fairy tales, Famous Fives, fantasies and fancies; horror stories, gumshoe detectives, science fiction; Cassandra read it all. Then she discovered Romance and a true passion was born.
So, once upon a time, after making a slight detour into the world of finance, Cassandra tried her hand at writing. After a brief foray into horror, she couldn’t discount her true passion. She started to write Romance and fell head over heels.
The love affair exists to this very day.
Cassandra lives in Adelaide, South Australia. 
Her website - http://cassandradean.com
Links for Cassandrahttps://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassandraDeanhttp://twitter.com/#!/authorCassDeanhttp://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5016740.Cassandra_Deanhttp://cassandra-dean.tumblr.com/http://pinterest.com/cassandradean/http://instagram.com/authorcassdean?ref=badgehttp://cassandraandlucy.wordpress.com/

Buy links:ROUGH DIAMONDDecadent Publishing | Amazon.com | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks | Barnes & Noble

FOOL’S GOLDDecadent Publishing | Amazon.com | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks | Barnes & Noble   


Excerpt:ROUGH DIAMOND
Lifting the glass, Alice studied its contents. “There is nothing quite like the enjoyment you get from a good whiskey. There’s the look and color of it, and the way it burns in the light.”
“It’s the same color as your eyes,” Llewellyn breathed, his own wide and empty of thought.
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. That’s right. Fool me into thinking there’s not an ounce of calculation to your words. “Is it? Mighty kind of you to notice.”
A happy grin was her response.
Well now, she was surely going to enjoy this. Setting her own half-smile, she tilted her glass, watching as the whiskey caught the light of the candle. “Have you ever noticed the feel of glass? It’s smooth against your fingers, and though the whiskey burns you, the glass is cool. It seems strange, doesn’t it? That such fire could come from something so cool.”
Intensely aware of his gaze upon her, she brought the glass to rest on her bottom lip. “You lift the glass to your lips, and all that coolness rests upon your flesh. The scent of the whiskey hits you, sweet and fiery. Your mouth waters, and you can’t wait to have it inside you. Slowly, so slowly, you tip the glass, teasing yourself as long moments in want of its taste stretch unbearably.”
He no longer wore a smile. Dark eyes watched her as strong fingers dug into the glass before him.
A prickle washed over her skin, her heart a steady beat in her chest. With hushed voice, she continued. “Liquid slides down your throat. The flavor explodes inside you, a glorious rush of sensation that overwhelms and consumes. You curl your tongue, enjoying the lingering sensation in every part of your mouth. Then, you look at the bottle.” Finally, she met his gaze direct. No subterfuge. No tease. “And you know you can do it again.”

FOOL’S GOLD
Turning on her heel, Pearl marched off toward the stairs.
A weird kind of panic jolted through Ethan, one he’d never felt before in all his days. It was…he didn’t…. She couldn’t leave him. “Where are you going?”
She whirled to face him, her irritation plain. “I was seeking my bed before your arrival, and now I’m seeking it again. Help yourself to whiskey this one time. I got better things to do.”
Shoving to his feet, he strode to her. “Don’t just walk away when we’re discussing things.”
“We ain’t discussing nothing. You’ll be down here, waiting out the blizzard. I’ll be in my bed, doing what I was gonna before you arrived. That’s the end of it.”
Taking a step, she made to leave him. Again.
He grabbed her arm. “Don’t leave me.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.” Glaring at him, she stood before the bar, her magnificent hair slipping from its pins, her breasts rising and falling.
Abruptly, his mouth went dry. Clearing his throat some, he said, “You’re supposed to offer succor to those in need.”
“We’re closed, remember?” Paint-less lips pressed tight together, she glared up at him.
They were so close he could see the faint marks of freckles on her skin.
Pearl La Monte had freckles.
A kind of haze came over him, tightening his skin and bringing with it something all-fired powerful and completely unstoppable. All the years he’d known her crashed through him, all the times she’d flirted with him and meant something else, all the times he’d seen her perform on stage and wished he could have held such fire.
Grabbing her upper arms, he hauled her against him and, ignoring her shocked gasp, he covered her mouth with his.

When Does Alpha Become Asshole?

In my editing career, I've edited some books I found distasteful...namely...forced seduction.

Call me old-fashioned, but I believe no means no. I don't care if she's enjoying and in the throes of ecstasy two minutes later, no means no.

The BDSM craze has made forced seduction "okay" in many publishers' books.

"Oh, he's just an alpha male."

To me, an alpha male is a man who takes charge, argues,  probably feels the need to prove his masculinity every 5 sentences (You can tell I don't like the traditional alpha. LOL), and often needles and teases the heroine.

An asshole is that man who stalks a woman, terrorizes her, makes her live to please him, and doesn't respect the word no. When the heroine says, "I don't like doing it this way", he just does it anyway.

I spotted a review (No, I did not read the book) on Amazon that made me really think hard on this. It was a one-star review for some erotic book and the reviewer said "Honestly, ask yourself as a woman, would you really relish being raped by the next service guy (regardless of his "Alpha Male" persona), who visits your house? (Alpha Male, seems to be a term now used to excuse rapists.)"

I actually agree with her. Are authors taking the "alpha" to extremes and making their heroes assholes instead? *Not ALL authors are doing this, but let's take a good look at the erotica industry for a moment.*

When does alpha become asshole? Where's that fine line? Where do YOU draw the line?