Carly Fall's Blog, page 20

Shameless Summer Blog Hop

Thank you for stopping  by for the Shameless Summer Giveaway Hop!   I’d like to thank Jen at Red Hot Books, Brie at Romance Around the Corner and Michelle at Michelle’s Book Blog for hosting the hop.

Today I’m giving away one ebook of each of my titles.  Click on the pictures for excerpts, pick your poison and enter to win below.

Book 1 of the  Six Saviors Series

Book 2 of the Six Saviors Series

Book 1 of the Dark Forces Series

Book 2 of the Dark Forces Series

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks again for stopping by, and don’t forget to visit the other great authors and bloggers who are participating!

“Sins of the Mind (Red River, Book 1)” by L.J. Garland & Debbie Gould

Today I’m happy to have L.J. Garland and Debbie Gould, and their book Sins of the Mind.  They’ve been kind enough to offer up a free copy, so leave a comment to win!

Title: Sins of the Mind (Red River, Book 1)

Author: L.J. Garland & Debbie Gould

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Length: 87,000 words

Genres: Contemporary, Mystery/Thriller, Suspense, Romance

Available at: Decadent Publishing

What it’s About:

Seven years ago, Abby Montgomery survived a brutal attack. Now she is ready to put her pain in the past and move on with her life. The problem is, one by one the men in her life are being viciously murdered.

 The detective assigned to the case, Ethan Parker, has demons of his own to hide. As the danger gets closer to Abby, so does Ethan. But can they get past his secrets before the killer gets to them? Sometimes the sins of the mind are more depraved than the sins of the heart.

Excerpt:

“Moment?” He raised his eyebrows, tried for a surprised expression. “We were having a moment? Where was I?”

A husky laugh escaped Abby’s lips. She gave him a playful shove, but he caught her hand, his fingers encircling her delicate wrist. With great care, he bowed his head and pressed his lips to the center of her palm. Her sharp intake of air told him she liked it.

“Is this the moment you were referring to?” He kissed her wrist. “Or this?” His mouth grazed along her skin, up the side of her neck to the tender point below her ear.

“Mmm.” She shivered.

He inhaled, reveled in her unique scent. A mixture of spicy vanilla and exotic flowers invaded his senses and sent the room slowly spinning. Primal lust roared through him, demanded he possess her in a rush of carnal passion.

But Ethan resisted.

Intent on enticing Abby into a wild, heated frenzy, he trailed the tip of his tongue along her throat. Her pulse hammered beneath his ardent attention, and he reveled in her response. His fingers slid over her supple skin. One hand sought the silky tresses adorning her head while the other coaxed her legs across his lap and then slipped around her waist.

He pulled back, stared into her lovely face. Eyelids fluttering, she sighed in his arms. When she looked at him, desire burned bright in her eyes. His heart stuttered at the sight, and hot need rushed to his groin.

“Abby.” Her name rolled from his tongue in a mix of desperation and lust. A voracious hunger to taste every inch of her body washed over him. The urge to kiss the small of her back, to run his tongue along her skin, delving and dipping into her secret, sensitive places, all but overwhelmed him. “Tell me to stop. If you’re not ready, honey, tell me to stop right now and by all that’s holy, I will. But you need to know how much I want you right now.”

About the Authors:

L.J. Garland ~ Though born and raised in the south, L.J. Garland has lived on both the east and west coasts. She adores traveling, the latest adventures added to her Bucket List: Machu Pichu and Australia’s Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef.

Married to her best friend for over twenty years, she spends her time home schooling three rambunctious boys, editing in the epub industry, and writing stories that she hopes catches her readers’ imaginations as much as the characters and plotlines captivate her. In her spare time (what there is of it LOL), she has a multitude of hobbies, including building archery equipment from scratch and creating stained glass. She has a passion for anything that goes Boom!…from fireworks to high-powered combat rifles…it’s all good. She and her husband are both rated helicopter pilots and spent their 10th anniversary flying cross-country from east to west coast…an adventure she highly recommends.

A member of RWA, she has several published books, and is hard at work, brainstorming and writing her next romance story.

Visit L.J. online at http://www.lj-garland.com.

Debbie Gould ~ Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, at the age of two Debbie Gould and her mother moved to New Jersey, spending many happy years on her grandparents’ horse farm. You’ll sometimes find this setting as a backdrop in her work.

As a teenager, she and her mother found a new home in Vermont, where she currently resides. With a daughter in the Air Force (along with Debbie’s six-year-old grandson), and two sons working for the family Well Drilling business, Debbie Gould now shuffles her time between a husband, full time job as a nurse and her writing career.

About seven years ago, while looking at over three hundred treasured books lining her shelves, she realized there was a multitude of stories of her own clamoring for release. Since then, she’s seriously persevered in keeping the keyboard in constant motion.

With three published books, Debbie is now working with a partner, L.J. Garland. Together, they have finished one manuscript, Sins of the Mind.

Debbie has been a member of KOD, FTHRW, ELEMENTS and RWA Online.

Visit Debbie online at http://www.authordebbiegould.com.

For the rest of the tour, go here:

BW: Spirit of the Rebellion by Debbie Peterson

Today I’m happy to have Deborah Peterson here, and her book Spirit of the Rebellion.  She has been kind enough to offer up a giveaway, so make sure you enter below.

Spirit of Rebellion

By Deborah K Peterson

Blurb:

Souls touch and emotions flare when a historian and an embittered spirit form an unlikely alliance to investigate the centuries-old riddle surrounding his death…

Ready for a fresh chapter in her life, Shae Lynn Montgomery accepts a job translating a cache of Civil War documents from Wisconsin’s famous Norwegian regiment. The assignment takes her to Chickamauga’s haunted Starling Plantation and face-to-face with a handsome captain—its angry ghost in residence.

Tristan Jordahl, falsely accused of treason, has no use for the living—not even the lovely translator invading his home. Despite Tristan’s best efforts to frighten her, Shae Lynn refuses to leave, and reluctantly, Tristan enlists her help to clear his name. But as they grow closer to the truth—and to each other—an evil spirit makes it clear he will do anything to stop them.

Can a love that transcends time overcome all obstacles?

Link to booktrailer: http://youtu.be/l-eiGN33Kp4

Excerpt:

“You’ve got to let me in, you have to let me explain, please,” she begged through the barrier that separated them.  “I swear on everything dear to me, I’m not moving from this spot until you do.  Do you hear me?  I’m not leaving!”

“I am not interested in anything you have to say,” he growled back.

“I don’t care.  I’m staying right here until you hear me out!” she shouted.

As the minutes ticked by, the Captain tried desperately to ignore her presence, but finally, his shoulders slumped in defeat.  The chiming of the clock told him over an hour had passed since Shaelynn obstinately decreed her intention to remain in the small hallway until she said what she wanted to say.  He hoped her wet clothes and the trauma of her earlier experience, would force the issue otherwise.  But true to her word, she still waited outside his door.

Stubborn little hellion.

With a sigh of resignation, he opened the door and met her defiant gaze.  She stood against the opposite wall, with one foot resting against the baseboard.  Her arms wrapped tightly around her waist as if seeking warmth against her wet, torn clothing.  On top of all that, she shivered with the cold.  She looked so pathetic standing there.

“Shaelynn, you need to get into some dry clothes,” he said.  The words surprised him.  They weren’t anywhere near what he planned to say.  The soft tone didn’t match either.

Shae clenched her teeth and shook her head.  “Not until we’ve talked.”

About the Author:

Debbie Peterson, author of “Shadow of the Witte Wieven,” is introducing, “Spirit of the Rebellion,” through The Wild Rose Press. This paranormal romance centers on a murdered civil war captain, falsely accused of treason, and a beautiful Norse historian determined to clear his name. She invites you to come along on this incredible adventure, filled with mystery and romance.

Debbie has always had a soft spot for fairy tales, the joy of falling in love, and happily ever after endings. She incorporates these aspects into all of the paranormal stories she writes. When she is not busy conjuring her latest novel, she spends time with the beloved members of her very large family. She also pursues her interests in family history and all things ancient and historic.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BW: Serial Date By DV BeRkom

Today I’m happy to host DV Berkom and her book Serial Date.  She is also offering up a giveaway to one commenter, so make sure to leave your comment to win.  DV is going to give us a little insight to how the character of the killer in the book evolved, and then you can find out more about the book.

 

Inside the Mind of a Killer: Researching your Antagonist / by DV Berkom

So there I was, minding my own business writing one of those truly twisted novels that grabs hold of you and has to come out when I came to the killer’s debut. I’d never attempted to write a character quite so creepy and wasn’t relishing that first passage. In fact, I continually wrote around him, putting off the scene until I felt I could do justice to him instead of creating a killer cliché. Yes, I could have abandoned the effort and gone on to something else, but a disturbing dream I’d had several months prior provided the inspiration for the story and I felt compelled to follow it through. The result was my novel, Serial Date.

How do you write a fresh psychopath? Readers today have been clubbed over the head with serial killers (pardon the pun) to the point that it’s become a joke in many literary agencies and publishing houses. The only way I could think to do it was to go to my default: research. I love learning new things. Researching has a way of surprising you with oddball connections, often to be used in ways you’d never expect. A reference here, a notation there, it’s similar to a treasure hunt. Like I said, I love research.

Until I started to investigate killers.

Now, I haven’t lived what anyone would call a sheltered life, but I’d so far avoided learning specific details about the habits of serial killers. The information I came across in my search made my skin crawl.

Reality is so much more frightening than fiction.

The information creeped me out to the point I’d find myself vacuuming the living room, unsure how that Hoover ended up in my hand. One thing to understand about me: I don’t like housework. I’ll let dust and dirt accumulate until I can’t find the couch or someone decides to visit. Apparently, I found something I like even less.

I followed this routine whenever I delved into the bizarre world of a psychopath, and though you could eat off my living room floor, my manuscript was going nowhere. No closer to fleshing out my killer, (I know- another pun. Sorry) he wouldn’t budge from the twisted caricature of a human being I’d created and I was close to giving up. Sure, I could give him odd quirks and mannerisms, but it felt as if I was making him play dress up: all show, no substance.

That is, until I dug a little deeper and discovered the science behind the psychopath. A series of articles on NPR.org (http://n.pr/vVfWlF ) discussing the biological basis for psychopathic behavior led me ever deeper into the complexities of a killer’s mind. Fascinated, I began to read white papers on personality disorder, multiple personalities, cannibalism and the like. Where once I’d been stymied by what motivated someone to kill, an ocean of ideas began to form around what my antagonist’s early life was like, his taste in music, food, what made him tick.

Soon, I had seventeen pages of articles, notes and sketches, all revolving around my antagonist. I knew him, knew what made him get out of bed in the morning, why he chose the victims he did. Most importantly, I knew how he justified killing. That was my ‘eureka’ moment.

Understanding my antagonist helped me move past the visceral recoil from the heinous crimes I read (and wrote) about and gave a more human face to the killer. I learned there’s an entire area of scientific inquiry emerging that uses genetic testing and MRIs to map the brains and biological processes of psychopaths, on occasion admitting the results of these tests as evidence in court trials.

Can the fact that a person has the genes and/or brain structure associated with violent behavior be enough to reduce a defendant’s culpability in a trial? It’s a new take on an age-old question.

Whatever the answer may be, for now I can’t wait to write the killer’s scenes and try to work in some small kernel of research to help the reader understand him better. Yeah, still pretty creepy, but it worked.

Now, where the heck is that couch?

About the Book:

A retired assassin. A serial killer with a social agenda.

A politician with a fondness for free-range livestock.

Determined to leave her old life behind, retired assassin Leine Basso accepts a job working security at one of television’s most popular reality shows, Serial Date. When a contestant is found dead in the prop closet, it appears the killer is one of the ‘bachelors’ on the show- an ex-con billed as a serial killer- but the detective in charge of the case isn’t so sure.

Santiago Jensen, a homicide detective with a playboy reputation is assigned to the reality show murder case. There’s instant attraction when he meets Leine Basso, but until they catch the murderer, he has to keep his distance.

When Leine’s estranged daughter is abducted by a man claiming to be the real killer, she’s forced to rely on old skills to find her, and must come to terms with who she really is. She soon realizes the murderer may be a grisly remnant from her past and she’ll need to use all of her cunning to stop him and rescue her daughter.

EXCERPT:

Peter Bronkowski peeled himself away from the prop closet. He needed air. The onlookers parted to give him space.

Oh my God, oh my God, they’re going to shut us down. When this gets out the motherfuckers are going to crucify me. All the hard work, the hustling, the endless lunches listening to that blowhard Senator Runyon, all of it would be for nothing. Peter shook his head to clear it. His breath came out in fast gasps, threatening to hyperventilate.

At first, Peter thought it was a grotesque looking mannequin with fake blood stains down the front and side of its torso. The moment reality clicked, a jolt of shock split him, pooled behind his eyes and slid to his gut. With dawning comprehension, Peter realized the blood was real. And it was no mannequin.

It was Mandy.

Peter turned back to the prop closet. Everyone stared at him, as if he had the slightest idea what to do now. Fuck. He couldn’t see a way out of this. Too many people had seen the body. He thought of his brother, Edward, but brushed the idea away.

Mandy was dead. Murdered. Sweet, small-town-sexy Mandy. Who would want to kill her? Now Tina, yeah, he could sort of see that, she could be quite the bitch. But Mandy? And which one of the cons did it? No getting around it, he’d have to call LAPD. They’d be swarming all over the place. Better find another home for Edward. He wasn’t going to like that one bit. Edward didn’t do well with change.

Gene Dorfenberger walked toward him, pushing people out of his way.

“Give him some room! The man can’t think with you crowding him like that.” Reluctantly, the small crowd began to disperse, a few stealing one last look at the gruesome sight.

Gene glanced at Mandy’s body and shook his head. “Now why would somebody go and cut off her arm?” He edged closer, squatting to take a better look. “And an ear? What kind of sick fuck would do that?”

Peter froze. “Her ear’s missing?”

“Yeah.”

Peter shook his head to clear it. It can’t be. He took a deep breath to try to stop the dizziness. Everything was spiraling out of control.

Originally slated as low-cost filler for summer, Serial Date had turned into the most watched reality show on television. Less than a year and a half ago he couldn’t get the mailroom clerks to return his calls much less the now regular invitations to private parties and dinners with the network brass. They all wanted a piece and Peter had happily parlayed the lust for the extraordinary profits generated by the show into extra bargaining power.

This is it. It’s over. We’ll never recover.

“It’s going to be rough. You’re going to have to do some major damage control.” Gene’s sharp gaze traveled from the massive amount of blood soaked into the costumes scattered around Mandy back to Peter.

Peter nodded, his expression grim. “We’ve got to get somebody legit in here so the cops’ll think we’re taking steps to keep the contestants safe.”

If Gene took offense at the comment, he didn’t show it. “I think I know just the person. It’ll take some doing, but I hear she’s strapped for cash.”

Peter looked at Gene with disbelief. “She? Gene, we need somebody who’ll keep the fucking cops at bay, not another broad on the set.”

Gene shook his head. “Oh, this one ain’t just another broad, believe me.”

BUY LINKS:

Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/Serial-Date-ebook/dp/B0076RXI1S

About the Author

DV Berkom grew up in the Midwest, received her BA in Political Science from the University of Minnesota, and promptly moved to Mexico to live on a sailboat. Several years and at least a dozen moves later, she now lives outside of Seattle, Washington with her sweetheart Mark, an ex-chef-turned-contractor, and writes whenever she gets a chance. You’re welcome to email her at dvb @ dvberkom.com or chat with her on Facebook and Twitter- she loves to hear from readers as well as other writers.

For more information, you can visit her website at www.dvberkom.com.

 

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website: http://www.dvberkom.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/dvberkom

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/DV-Berkom/e/B004EVOYH6

Smashwords Author Page: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/dvberkom

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/dvberkom

Bad Spirits Book Trailer http://www.blazingtrailers.com/show/1...

For the rest of the tour, click the button below

BW – Drasmyr by Matthew D Ryan

Today I’m happy to host Matthew D. Ryan, talking about his book Drasmyr.

Vampire as Study of Evil in Drasmyr

(spoiler alert—though not a particularly big one)

The vampires in my novel “Drasmyr” are not particularly friendly. They harken back to the tradition of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” as opposed to Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight.” The master vampire, Lucian val Drasmyr, in particular is intended to be a quasi-demonic force of evil. He is human-like in appearance, even somewhat human-like in his musings, but at his heart he is a creature of darkness. He exists to kill and bring ruin to those who oppose him.

The first “lesser vampire,” a warrior woman named Clarissa, who falls under Drasmyr’s power is something of a study of corruption. Many modern vampire tales focus on the power of a vampire’s bloodlust, how good vampires must struggle day in and day out against their bestial urges, always coming within a hairsbreadth of crossing the line, but, through a supreme struggle of will managing to hold back. In my book, the bestial urges ultimately win. Clarissa begins the book as a human warrior with a code of honor and a set of strong moral principles, but when she is sent to destroy Drasmyr, she succumbs to his power and is transformed into a creature of the night. As a newly-formed vampire, though, she still clings to her human morality. There is a time in which she believes that she can adapt to her situation and remain a good, albeit inhuman, creature. She believes the can channel the bloodlust to positive ends and retain control of her innermost soul. But the bloodlust takes no prisoners.

Over the course of the book, she is forced to wage a battle against her growing animalistic desires, a battle she finds is growing harder and harder to win. Step by remorseless step, she slides deeper and deeper into a pit of darkness as the nature of the vampire twists and corrupts the very substance of her inner being. By the end of the process, she has completely succumbed to the bloodlust; she is now a willing minion of Drasmyr’s, fully engaged in waging war on his behalf and seeking the destruction of the wizards guild and the mercenaries they have hired.

The relationship between Drasmyr and Clarissa is one of master and slave. From the outset, his cruelty in his treatment of her is apparent; he does not “need” her in any sense of the word, though he does come to appreciate her in a tentative sort of way. His views of her could not, of course, be termed as anything like love, but is more like the affection one might feel for a pet. He enjoys her reliance upon him, and his own hand in her ensuing corruption, a corruption he knows all too well will ultimately come to pass. Finally, it is her destruction at human hands which spurs him on to his final confrontation with the wizards guild. He seeks vengeance, not because he truly loved her, but because his foes have deprived him of the tool he had in her, and have, therefore, earned the full fury of his ire.

About the Book:

In a world of wizards and vampires a clever man may make a fortune. But hunting the undead is no small task, as Coragan the bounty hunter will soon find out. He will need all his wits and the help of his comrades to succeed this time. Together, they must pit themselves against a creature so old time itself bends knee, an ancient vampire by the name of Lucian val Drasmyr. Read Drasmyr , a dark fantasy novel by Matthew D. Ryan.

We vampires do not make easy prey. Our weaknesses are few, our strengths many. Fear is something we do not know, and death but a distant memory. So tread softly, pray to your god, and gird yourself with silver when the moons arise and night’s dark prince awakens. We fear not the wizard, nor the warrior, neither rogue, nor priest; our strength is timeless, drawn from darkness and we know no master save the hot lust of our unending hunger. We long for blood, your blood and no blade, nor spell, nor clever artifice, can keep us long from our prize. Feel our teeth at your throat, your life ebb from you, and know as darkness comes to claim you that the price of your folly is your everlasting soul.

Author’s Smashwords Page: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/matthewdryan

About the Author

Matthew D. Ryan is a published author living in upstate New York on the shores of Lake Champlain. He has a background in philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. He also has a black belt in the martial arts and studies yoga. He has been deeply involved in the fantasy genre for most of his life as a reader, writer, and game designer. He believes he saw the legendary Lake Champlain Monster (a.k.a Champy) once and he has a cat named Confucius.

Blog: http://www.atoasttodragons.com

Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000038781652

Twitter Handle: MatthewDRyan1

BW – “Disappear” by Mary Martinez

I’m happy to welcome Mary  Martinez today and her book Disappear, and she has been kind enough to offer up a book for a giveaway!  But first, Mary is going to share a little bit about the book.  Read about it, and enter below…

Thank you for hosting me during my book tour. I am very excited to be here.

 I thought, I would sort of go with the theme of the blog today. Where Fantasy Meets Romance, except insert paranormal for fantasy. Maybe you’ve heard the term, write for the market? My perception of that is to write a story that will fit in with the most popular craze of the moment.

 This can be rather hard to do if you’re writing a novel and it takes you more than a few months to write it, because craze’s tend to change or evolve into something the same, but a little different.

 I decided to test this with my series. It was a couple of years ago at the Romance Writers of America National conference in D.C. Paranormal was all the craze and workshop after workshop and author after author was recommending that if possible you fit your story in the paranormal genre.

 The Beckett Series is suspense, very far from paranormal, but my roommates tried to help me by brainstorming to bring a bit into the story. I wrote pages of notes, came home and revised the first book appropriately, had a prologue in each of the books, which I revised to fit each Beckett, etc. I think I worked on it for a few months—all time I could have been working on polishing to submit, or a new WIP. But I had to try it.

 It just didn’t work. I won’t go into all the details of what I’d done, but it made it pretty much Fantasy. Because even in a paranormal suspense the story line wouldn’t have been believable to the reader. So I removed all the extra added paranormal elements. And polished it and left it at plan ole Romantic Suspense.

 However as I read through my manuscript during the edit/polish process I found one bit of the ‘paranormal’ left in. I was about to take it out, but thought, why? It doesn’t ‘make’ anything magic or fantasy or paranormal, it’s just a reference that I’d forgotten to take out. Instead of reworking the scene, I left it. It worked and it gave one of my characters another dimension.

 Anyone who has read Disappear, do you have any idea who or what I’m referring too?

 Do you live in Salt Lake City? Well I am having a Book Signing and Boutique extravaganza at the only winery in Salt Lake City on June 1, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. I’d love to meet you! You can check all the details here: http://www.marymartinez.com/Book%20Signing%20and%20Boutique%20Extravaganza.pdf

 Bewitching Tours will be doing something called the Rafflecopter. It keeps track of everyone who follows me on Twitter or ‘like’s my Facebook page, follows my blog, or anyone who subscribes to my newsletter will all have entries for the drawing that will take place at the end of the tour on June 4th. There will be four winners and they will have their choice of a download or print book of any of my books.

 Thank you, Carly, for hosting me today! I’m thoroughly enjoyed my book/blog tour!

What Disappear is about

After two years undercover as an FBI agent to infiltrate a crime organization and discover the identity of a hit man, Tyler Beckett’s cover is blown. Tyler’s new assignment is to protect the only witness who can identify the mysterious killer. If only he didn’t find her so attractive. Each day it becomes harder to keep his objective, especially since he knows the interest is mutual.

Keira Cavanaugh is the only witness to a hit ordered by a crime boss.  The safe house is compromised and the same hit man shoots Tyler. Fearing Tyler is dead, Keira plans revenge on the crime organization. She must fake her own suicide in order to survive.

When Tyler discovers what Keira plans, he realizes he must stop her before he loses her for good.

 Trailer for The Beckett Series http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C5UVa...

About the Author:

Mary lives in Magna, a little town west of Salt Lake City, Utah. Together with her husband, she has six grown children, and five wonderful grandsons and 2 beautiful granddaughters.

Mary and her husband love to travel, especially to the Caribbean for relaxing and Italy for the wine. With the experience from the exotic places she has visited, she is able to fill her books with colorful descriptions of cities, painting a colorful backdrop for her characters.

Mary and her husband are avid college football fans. They have season tickets to the UTES, University of Utah Football and they tailgate every game. They love tailgating so much, that they were married at a tailgating in 1999.

Mary is a member of the Romance Writers of America and several sister chapters. She has published several articles for her local Utah RWA newsletter. They have appeared in several other chapters’ newsletters.

Web Site http://www.marymartinez.com

Blog http://marysbooksblogger.blogspot.com/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Ma...

or http://www.facebook.com/mlmartinez33

Twitter @marylmartinez

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

For the rest of the tour….

Six Sentence Sunday 5/27/12

Thank you again for stopping by.  Your comments are always appreciated and welcome.

I’m backtracking a little this week on the third installment of my Six Saviors Series, that yes, is still untitled BUT finally in the full editing process.

(Fist bumps and high fives, people!)

Beverly witnessed – by accident -  Hudson having sex with another woman.  And Hudson knew she saw it.

There was purple fuzzy handcuffs involved…

 

Beverly shut her eyes.  How many times had she fantasized about exactly that since that night?  Dozens?  More?

“If you want me to do that to your body, Beverly, if you want me all over you, my mouth between your legs, if you want me inside you, all you have to do is say yes.  And I’ll do it.”

For more SSS, you can go here:  Six Sentence Sunday

It’s my birthday

Since it’s my birthday, I’m going to do a little wax poetic on you and tell you my thoughts.

Unfortunately, I find that most people over a certain age dread their birthdays, and I find this pretty sad.  I mean, let’s be honest – the alternative to having another birthday isn’t very appealing.

Well, at least to me.  I prefer above ground.

So these are my thoughts as I turn another year older:

Well, there’s that, but also a couple of other things on my mind…

The past year has been an incredibly amazing adventure for me.  My family is healthy, and we can still say at the end of most days that we are furiously in love with each other.  I’m physically  stronger than I have ever been in my life.  Seriously.  I know most of you know this, but for those that don’t, I’m in training to compete in a Strong Man competition in the near future.

I can totally kick her ass!

 

I’ve realized that my son is screwed if he needs my help in math beyond the second  grade, because I suck at math even worse than I thought I did.

No matter how intelligent or cute I try to make my math explanations, I'm an epic fail

 

I’ve had four books published.

I’ve made some amazing new author friends who read unpublished, unedited books for me that I’ve written and give me honest, solid feedback with kindness and grace.

I’ve learned to deal with reviews I haven’t particularly liked.

I’ve connected with fabulously wonderful people who read my books and love them.

I’ve learned a lot over the past year, and although it has been a roller coaster of the serious ohmyGodI’mgoingtobesick kind, for all its ups and downs and arounds and arounds, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

I can honestly say that I’m happier now than I’ve ever been in my life.

And YOU have added really good stuff to this crazy ride, and for that I say THANK YOU.

So, I as I  turn another year older, in a nutshell, I’m very thankful for YOU.  Thank you for your support, thank you for buying and reading my books, and thank you for your feedback on them.

With love,

Carly

 

CBLS: “Raven’s Quest (Raven Grace – Part 2)” by Toni Lotempio

Today I’m pleased to be hosting Toni Lotempio and her book, Raven’s Quest.  I’m also reviewing the book, and I will post my review within a week when I finish it.

Tony has been kind to also offer up an ebook for a giveaway!  To win, leave a comment.

What I can tell you so far is that it is a fun, interesting read with an interesting premise and characters.

What it’s About

In this short novella, Shapeshifter Raven Grace and her psychic lover, Finn McPhee, are back, traveling to parallel time in search of a demonic killer.

EXCERPT

The woman staggered into the center of the floor, weaving like a drunk. She looked to be in her early thirties, her full red lips matching the nearly non-existent dress she wore of the same color. “Death to all” she rasped, staggering forward. Her hand shot upward, and the large butcher knife there gleamed with fresh, red blood.

Raven pushed forward, her eyes darting around the large room, desperately seeking Finn. She caught sight of him. He’d been pushed back against a marble pillar, and was slowly inching forward.

His voice, inside her head: Got your weapon?

She nodded grimly, even as her fingers reached inside the useless purse slung carelessly across one slim, bare shoulder. She pulled out her weapon, cocked the safety, and plowed forward.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hedy do the same.

And then the air was rent with another, commanding voice, a feminine one.

“Drop it. Drop the knife now.”

The knife wavered wildly in the air as the woman took a step backward, her eyes glazed over and glassy. The speaker moved into the center of the room, and both Raven and Hedy stopped in their tracks, taking in the tableaux before them. The woman who stood calmly training her stunner on the knife-wielder, was thirty if she was a day and looked to be in perfect shape, if the curves beneath the form-fitting white Dior number she wore gave any indication. Her black silk fall of hair, parted in the middle, framed a face Raven knew George would describe as “million-dollar”, but there was a steely set to her jaw, a coldness in the thin set of her lips, that kept her from being beautiful. Still in all – she was a package no man would kick out of bed, of that Raven was certain.

The newcomer moved with the speed of a striking cobra, gripping the knife hand and twisting it backward. “I said drop it.”

Fingers went limp, and there was a sharp clink! as knife met floor. The woman whipped one hand out, and the next second shiny handcuffs had been slapped on the offender.

“I need help here,” the brunette snapped. “She needs a doctor, she’s obviously drugged. Someone get a medic – what are you all waiting for?”

On the podium, Sully cleared his throat. “You’d all best listen to her, and get used to it. I realize this isn’t exactly the best introduction, but…” His arm swept out, indicating the woman. “My successor…Captain Darla Barnes.”

You know you want it, now go and get it!

BUY LINKS

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Author Bio: Toni is an admin by day, author by night. In between working and writing, she’s also mom to four bratty cats, including ROCCO the Blogging Cat, who has his own blog (www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com) Toni is at work on more novels – you can write to her at, or through her agent, Josh Getzler, at HSG Literary Agency.

Blog: www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com

Website: http://www.tonilotempio.webs.com/

Review and Interview at Paromantasy: http://www.paromantasy.com/search/?q=...

 

Six Sentence Sunday 5/20/12

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Your comments are so appreciated!

Today I’m back to my WIP of the third book of the Six Savior Series, which is still untitled, and still unedited (head-desk).  This is Beverly’s POV…

 

His hands and mouth were everywhere, and she felt her body explode in desire again.  When he entered her, she gasped for a moment getting used to the invasion.  He hovered above her and looking at her with his dimple grin she loved so much.  He began moving slowly, and within minutes, she felt the tsunami within her building, getting stronger by the second.

As the waves overcame her, she felt Hudson’s strong arms encase her, and somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that she would never, ever experience anything like this again.

No man would ever compare to Hudson, sexually or otherwise, and she fought an almost overwhelming crush of sadness – but quickly pushed it aside -  as she allowed herself to be lost in him.

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