Jessica E. Subject's Blog, page 114
July 18, 2014
Her Gargoyle turns into a full-size, naked man ~ THE POWER OF THREE #MySexySaturday #menage #PNR
Thank you so much for joining me for week 51 of My Sexy Saturday!
Have you entered my month-long giveaway celebrating 3 years published?
It’s SHIFTER WEEK!
While I don’t have any shifter stories in the traditional sense, I do have aliens who can shift their appearance, and even an inter-dimensional visitor cursed to live as a gargoyle.
So, for today’s My Sexy Saturday excerpt, I give you seven from THE POWER OF THREE, which is two-years published tomorrow. Enjoy!
Set-up: While Bo and Delayna were making love, Del’s gargoyle statue fell on Bo’s head. Now, there are fighting over it. Little do they know…
Did she know he was really in there? Could she feel him watching her, wanting her?
Bo lowered him to her palm, but didn’t let go. “You and your creatures.”
She leaned forward and kissed the bump on his head, her breast rubbing across Oscar. “But you love me anyway.”
And then a loud crack filled the air. Light surrounded him and he was falling.
As if being sucked out of the stone, Oscar sprang from his prison and landed on the floor on hands and knees. Taking a deep, refreshing breath, he stood and stretched his arms high into the air in all his naked glory. Being confined to such a small space had left him stiff, and not in a good way.
Delayna gasped, glancing from him to the broken bits of stone on the carpet.
“What the hell?” Bo grabbed the bed sheet and draped it over his wife, knocking the gargoyle remnants in her hand onto the carpet. “Who the fuck are you, and how did you get here?”
~ About THE POWER OF THREE ~
Cursed to live amongst several stone gargoyle statues, Oscar watches a young couple, yearning to participate in their sexual activities. For he has been away from his own lovers for over a year, and longs to touch and be touched again.
When he tumbles off the headboard onto the couple, he is released from the statue but must find a way home. His only thought: a ménage with the man and woman who freed him. But will they try something new to grant him his return passage, or leave him wandering Earth alone?
AVAILABLE FROM:
Be sure to check out other MY SEXY SATURDAY excerpts!
15 SEXY stories ~ Get the Sci Spanks 2014 Anthology for only #99cents! #newrelease
The SCI SPANKS 2014 ANTHOLOGY offers fifteen sexy spanking stories with a science fiction twist. You’ll find everything from sweet, tender romance to laugh-out-loud humor and references to old-school science fiction popular culture. You’ll find a mixture of romantic pairings, from M/F to F/F to M/M. Some stories are harsher, while others appeal to the softest-hearted romantic. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Available From:
All Romance | Amazon | Kobo | Smashwords
Editor: Anastasia Vitsky
Formatted by: Kate Richards
Cover Artist: The Cover Artisan
Stories included:
Bred for Love: Tika is Chosen by Eve Langlais
Abducted and raised in a commune on a planet with two indigo suns, Tika has no idea she’s part of a specialized breeding program created to provide healthy human females to men of power in need of a perfect mate.
But Tika has no intention of behaving. What she doesn’t count on is her new owner enjoying the challenge.
Taming the Wolf by Anne Odom
The time machine is broken, and there’s a wolf in the control room. What’s an inventor to do when his project is failing, his lover is wicked, and his patience is stretched?
Replicated Consequences by Jessica E. Subject
After Darryl Malloy’s wife is killed in combat, he doesn’t expect to find her standing on his door step. Only she is not his wife, but a clone, armed with a paddle.
Oh, What the Hell by Maren Smith
May has for a long time now suffered in her attraction to shipmate, Vek. That Vek is a praying mantis-like Klik’vok is entirely beside the point. Her fickle woman’s heart has spoken and tonight is the night she’s going to do something about it. Because surely, once a woman gets past the whole “bug exterior” thing, then any other obstacles must be easy, right?
What’s a Moon Colony without a Spanking Franchise? by Kate Richards
But Harlan, a simple college professor and trainee of The Trainer isn’t sure how well his tools will work in the lower gravity chosen by the denizens of this strange place. What he needs is someone to try them out on. But the client who presents herself is not exactly the girl next door…
Jen & Maddy by Cathy Pegau
When Maddy stops by her girlfriend’s lab, she helps by testing the mind-reading equipment. To her shock, all of her deepest longings are laid bare. Will she scare Jen away, or will they take their relationship to the next level?
No More Lizards by Sue Lyndon
Anya is determined to help her stern alien husband, Roc, find his sense of humor. Putting a native lizard-like creature known as an ebbra under their bedcovers seems like a good idea. It’s funny. At least Anya thinks so…until her husband decides a certain naughty little prankster needs to go over his knee. Will Anya ever succeed in coaxing a smile out of Roc, or is the cultural divide between them too great to find some common ground?
A Public Caning by Natasha Knight
Research Purposes Only by Eva Lefoy
From my research, species across the galaxy have one thing in common: they all have some hidden kink. Whether its tentacle restraints, breath play or even the more uncommon fire play, they all have tricks up their sleeve. Join me as I visit the Utai and get a first-hand taste of how sweet their punishment for a simple crime can be.
Red Moon Rising by Erzabet Bishop
When you can’t be who you are where do you turn? When you thought the love of your life was lost only to find her again how do you choose between yesterday and tomorrow.
A hereditary witch, Detective Devi Watson fought long and hard to become a cop in a witch hating world. Forced to turn her back on her coven and her family she lost everything that mattered most. Her girl Astrid included. Some choices a woman should never have to make. When witches begin to die and Astrid is threatened, the carefully constructed wall around Devi’s past begins to crumble.
Who is she? Hereditary witch or a student of law and logic? Can Devi reconcile the demons that haunt her and face the red moon rising…
Double Trouble by Louisa Bacio
Rumor Wasted laced up her skates, pulling the strings tight and thinking about the royal thrashing she planned on giving the other team. Adrenaline coursed through her body. The power and high she got on the track almost rivaled the glorious afterglow of a good fuck.
Almost, but not quite.
Tonight she planned on scoring on both fronts.
Skin by Leigh Ellwood
Different planets abide by different rules, and when Andromeda breaks one she must accept the punishment. When her ship’s captain elects to administer the penalty, she finds being the bad girl feels quite good.
A Lifetime by Olivia Starke
Flame on a Fire by Carole Cummings
Exposition and development masquerading as a PWP. Or vice versa. Depending on your perspective. But hey, either way—bondage!
Taliasman by Anastasia Vitsky
“If I had been born a boy, I would have followed in my father’s footsteps to become a tradesman. Because I was a girl, he sold me instead.”
So begins the tale of Talia, a woodworker’s daughter who is sold for a sackful of gold. Queen Vina appears at the cottage of Talia, a nineteen year old whose family is too poor for her to marry. Vina takes Talia to her palace, and the girl discovers unexpected love.
July 15, 2014
Vacation can be a killer ~ Read an excerpt from STRANGER AT SUNSET by @EdenBaylee #mystery
It gives me great pleasure to welcome fellow Canadian author Eden Baylee back to my blog. While her previous releases (Fall Into Winter, Spring Into Summer, and others) have been very erotic, Eden’s new release is a mystery. Enjoy an extended excerpt from STRANGER AT SUNSET!
~*~*~
The body plummeted two and a half stories into the sea. It bobbed between crests before foamy waves swept in and yanked it under the surface. The tide rushed out dragging its new possession deep into the ocean’s dark belly. Swells curled and collapsed against the shore. The evening breeze whistled an eerie tune.
Despite how tightly his fingers gripped the large barrels, the binoculars trembled in the man’s hands. He now wished he had bought the more powerful Porro-prism model. This less expensive design darkened the image, especially against a pale orange sky reflecting the chopped glass of the water. While adjusting the diopter ring behind his right eyepiece, he bit down on his lower lip.
A silhouette met his lens, haloed by the glow of the setting sun. With his breath thickening the atmosphere, he pressed the eyepiece harder against his face to stop from shaking.
The woman stood naked with her hair pinned up, loose strands trailing down the nape of her slender neck. Her palms rested on the metal railing of the balcony. As she stared out at the churning sea, he zoomed in on her face, then moved his binoculars downward to her breasts, lingering there longer than he should have. Slowly, he lowered his gaze to her flat stomach. Firm thighs extended off the arc of round buttocks. A dancer’s body—willowy and muscular, but not too muscular, she was beauty and grace, and yet, what she just did …
A hint of dark pubic hair blurred past his lens. While he re-calibrated the magnification, she drifted out of focus. When he brought her back in view, her contemplative mood had changed. She moved a chair to the corner of the terrace. Gathering up a pile of bed sheets, she crossed the threshold into the room and scurried out of view.
He dared not avert his eyes. The light was fading fast, and night would soon fall upon the villa like a magician’s cape. With his elbows pressed to his sides, he loosened his grip on the binoculars and tried to flex his aching fingers.
She had to come back, right?
The doors leading to the patio were still wide open. Secluded in his dark corner of the island, he spied the room as if ogling a dollhouse with its front wall sheared off, scaled down to about the same size too.
The naked woman strolled back into his field of vision as a cramp sneaked up on him. A painful twitch stabbed his wrist, reminded him of old wounds. He dropped the binoculars secured by a strap around his neck to shake out both his hands. By the time he brought the lens to his face again, she had disappeared, no … wait, she popped up from behind the bed carrying two pillows. With an unhurried pace, she stepped out on the balcony and propped the cushions on the chair, even fluffed them before re-entering the suite. She closed the wooden French doors behind her.
The light in her room replaced the sun’s blush, a poor substitute given a set of floor-to-ceiling jalousies bracketed his view. He waited to see what she would do next. His breathing deafened his ears as if he were wheezing through a mask; adrenaline pumped in his veins. She moved in front of the window facing him. With hands on her hips, legs spread apart, she stood full frontal and stared straight at him. He shrank back and jostled her image.
Could she see him?
With his naked eye, he peeked in her direction. Nothing had changed. Motionless, she continued to stand in position. Unable to resist, he gathered his wits and raised the binoculars once again, adjusted the focus ring on her legs—those legs that seemed to go on forever.
Horizontal louvers interrupted his view of her body as he slanted the lens upward, advancing an inch at a time. He paused at her navel, swallowed hard, paused again when his lens reached her breasts.
Blood pumped in his ears as he moved up the curves of her collarbone to her long neck. When he met her eyes, he expelled a bellyful of relief. She wasn’t looking at him; she was looking through him. Her almond-shaped eyes trapped him in irrational fear of discovery.
Like a leech, he clung to her to draw out her secrets, imagined the pulse at her neck racing, wondered how it would feel to pull the pins from her hair, to touch her porcelain skin. Only a tiny squint betrayed her otherwise stoic expression.
As if she could read his mind, she turned away and broke the spell. When she faced him again, the mischief in her eyes had disappeared. She cranked the window handle, tilting the slats in unison against one another, narrowing his view with each turn of her wrist. He held his breath with one last image of her—a lowering of her chin before the light vanished from the room.
A shiver crawled up his spine despite the warm night. He lifted the strap of the binoculars from his neck and placed the heavy lens on a table beside him. The glowing numbers on his Luminox watch showed it was not yet half past six. The dusky sky would fade to purple and then to black within minutes. Without thinking, he lit up a cigarette, watched the smoke curl around itself as it rose into the air. A chorus of crickets joined an orchestra of noisy night critters. From some deep crevice of his mind, he recalled a myth about crickets, their nocturnal mating call a foreshadowing of death. He knew the details of the lore once but was in no mood to scrape his numbed memory for it now. The irony, however, was not lost on him.
As he listened to the sounds of the night, he took another puff and butted out. He needed to quit; smoking no longer calmed his nerves. From his back pocket, he pulled out a device and tapped one of several pre-programmed numbers.
With the cell phone pressed to his ear, he waited for an answer.
STRANGER AT SUNSET
by Eden Baylee
Vacation can be a killer.
Dr. Kate Hampton, a respected psychiatrist, gathers with a group of strangers at her favorite travel spot, Sunset Villa in Jamaica. Included in the mix are friends of the owners, a businessman with dubious credentials, and a couple who won the trip from a TV game show.
It is January 2013, following the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The luxury resort is struggling, not from the storm, but due to a scathing review from caustic travel writer, Matthew Kane. The owners have invited him back with hopes he will pen a more favorable review to restore their reputation.
Even though she is haunted by her own demons, Kate feels compelled to help. She sets out to discover the motivation behind Kane’s vitriol. Used to getting what he wants, has the reviewer met his match in Kate? Or has she met hers?
Stranger at Sunset is a slow-burning mystery/thriller as seen through the eyes of different narrators, each with their own murky sense of justice. As Kate’s own psychological past begins to unravel, a mysterious stranger at Sunset may be the only one who can save her.
AVAILABLE FROM:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon worldwide
Eden Baylee left a twenty-year banking career to become a full-time writer. She incorporates many of her favorite things into her writing such as: travel; humor; music; poetry; art; and much more.
Stranger at Sunset is her first mystery novel, on the heels of several books of erotic anthologies and short stories. She writes in multiple genres.
An introvert by nature and an extrovert by design, Eden is most comfortable at home with her laptop surrounded by books. She is an online Scrabble junkie and a social media enthusiast, but she really needs to get out more often!
To stay apprised of Eden’s book-related news, please add your name to her mailing list.
Author Links
Website | Blog | Twitter @edenbaylee | Facebook
Goodreads | Youtube | Pinterest | Linkedin
Amazon Author page US | Amazon Author page UK
July 13, 2014
He will do anything to convince him they’re mates ~ WICKED HOT KILL by @Karly_Germain
Wicked Hot Kill by Karly Germain
#3 in her MM Canadian shifter series,
The Umbra Shifters
Series: The Umbra Shifters , Book 3.0
By: Karly Germain | Other books by Karly Germain
Published By: Evernight Publishing
Published: Jul 08, 2014
ISBN # 9781771309110
BLURB:
Cheetah shifter, Killian “Kill” McNamee is the deadliest of shadow hunters—an Ender. If anyone in the Umbra world stepped out of line, got in his way, or became a problem, Kill lived up to his name. Hardened and soulless, Kill didn’t expect a brief encounter in an alley with a strange man to turn into something more serious. And thanks to a run-in with a pack of Werewolves, Kill finds himself in the kind of trouble he’d never before experienced.
Torin Stone, Dhampir, has lived many lives and experienced multiple heartbreaks through his long life and is not looking for any kind of involvement, especially with a wild, sexy, out of control cheetah shifter who is his complete opposite. After an attack by the Weres, Torin is the only one who can help Kill survive.
The more time they spend together, the stronger the bond between them. Torin will do anything to convince Kill they are mates. How can Torin resist rubbing against some—wicked, hot Kill?
BOOK #3 in her paranormal MM shifter series: THE UMBRA SHIFTERS
#1- His Great Dane short story found in Alpha’s Claim: Manlove Edition Anthology
#2-Stone Cold Beast
The conversation stumbled along to the end of dinner. Kill stood, eager to escape. “I should be going. You all stay and enjoy dessert. Thanks for dinner.”
Daric stood and embraced him tight. “I love you, Killian.”
“Love you too, my brother,” Kill whispered in Daric’s ear.
As they parted, Torin also got to his feet. “I should make my exit. It’s been a long day.”
More good-byes and thank yous, and Kill and Torin found themselves standing on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.
“Need a lift?” Kill offered half-heartedly.
“I can walk. It’s not far.”
“My car’s in the parking lot across the way. Take the ride, it’s damned cold,” Kill said, the command sounded a little too brusque, but who cares?
Torin exhaled in exasperation. “Fine.”
The parking lot was dark and deserted. Kill fished in his coat pocket for his car keys.
Suddenly, Torin grabbed his arm and pushed him back against a truck. “I’ve wanted to do this all night. I wanted to do this that night in the alley….” Torin’s lips crashed against his as he cupped Kill’s face while taking the kiss deep. He plunged his tongue in, licking and tasting.
After the moment of shock passed, Kill groaned and returned the kiss. Passionate, hot, and wild. This was nuts. They were in a public place. Anyone could see. Fantastic.
“Come back to my hotel,” Torin murmured between kisses.
Oh shit, yeah. Kill had no idea what brought this on, but he’d take it. The fact that he had rattled Mr. In-Control not only stoked his desire, but touched him deep in unknown, dark places.
“Isn’t this cozy? And look, Joe, they’re both here together.”
Kill and Torin sprang apart. At first Kill thought the idiots were just a couple of drunks who got off beating on gay guys, but Kill sensed much more. His inner alarm rang loud and long.
The one called Joe stepped out of the shadows. A Werewolf.
AVAILABLE FROM:
AMAZON | ALL ROMANCE | EVERNIGHT PUB | BOOKSTRAND
and coming soon to Barnes and Noble
STONE COLD BEAST by Karly Germain
#2 in The Umbra Shifters
Blurb:
The Umbra Shifters, 2
Ethan Stone, lion shifter, had lived many lives. He’d been a biker, musician, and an Umbran, or shadow hunter. Everything changed two years ago when a nightclub fire killed the members of his rock band and left him the only survivor. Now scarred and living the solitary life of a nomad, Ethan just wants to be left alone in his isolated world.
Daric McNamee, a cheetah shifter and also an Umbran, has been given an assignment. Ethan Stone. Find out what happened the night of the fire and recruit Stone back into the Umbran. Not an easy task considering Ethan is stubborn and wary. Almost immediately, both men feel a mate connection, but the last thing Daric wants is to be a submissive to a scarred, terminally angry lion shifter.
However, the attraction between them can’t be denied—though Ethan tries. When it comes time for them to part, will they admit they are mates? Can Daric convince Ethan he is more than a stone cold beast?
Be Warned: m/m sex
Read The Umbra Shifters, 1 in Alpha’s Claim: Manlove Edition
EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING | AMAZON | ALL ROMANCE | BOOKSTRAND
HIS GREAT DANE by Karly Germain
#1 in The Umbra Shifters
Look for the short story in The Umbra Shifters ‘His Great Dane’ in in the bestselling ‘Alpha’s Claim: Manlove Edition’
Strength. Power. Domination.
The shifters in our Alpha’s Claim: Manlove Edition anthology have one thing in common—they won’t take “no” for an answer. Whether they lead packs of their own, or whether they walk a solitary path, these alphas won’t let anyone stop them from claiming their men.
Lose yourself in these ten sinfully delicious love stories. After all, who could deny an Alpha’s claim?
EVERNIGHT | AMAZON | ALL ROMANCE | BOOKSTRAND | BARNES & NOBLE
An erotic romance writer, Karly believes romance is for everyone, and she loves to explore every facet and emotion involved regardless of gender or number of partners. The more heat and spice, the better. Happily ever afters are a must. So are shirtless, hunky men.
Karly Germain Website | Facebook | Twitter
July 12, 2014
Coming Soon! The #SciSpanks Anthology releases July 16! #spanking #scifirom
Starting July 16, my first spanking story, REPLICATED CONSEQUENCES, can be found in the Sci Spanks Anthology. This is another first for me, in that this is my first anthology with other authors. I’m so excited to be involved with them all. And let me tell you, this won’t be my last anthology like this. Plans are in the works for more in the future. That’s all I’m telling you for now. 
For those of you who didn’t catch Replicated Consequences during the Sci Spanks event, it’s a story set in the same world as Made For Her.
After Darryl Malloy’s wife is killed in combat, he doesn’t expect to find her standing on his door step. Only she is not his wife, but a clone, armed with a paddle.
Sci Spanks the anthology offers fifteen sexy spanking stories for you in an easy-to-read, portable format. You’ll find everything from sweet, tender romance (Cathy Pegau’s “Jen and Maddy”) to laugh-out-loud humor (Maren Smith’s “Oh What the Hell”) and references to old-school science fiction popular culture (Eva Lefoy’s “Sweet Punishment”). You’ll find a mixture of romantic pairings, from M/F to F/F and M/M. Some stories are harsher (Natasha Knight’s “A Public Caning”) while others appeal to the softest-hearted romantic (Kate Richard’s “The Moon Trainer”). Sit back, relax, and enjoy!
HUGE thanks go to Anastasia Vitsky (and her helpers) for organizing the event and the anthology, to Kate Richards for all her work on the formatting and making the anthology available for you, and to The Cover Artisan for designing the fabulous (I’m in love with it) cover!
July 11, 2014
“Can I kiss you?” #MySexySaturday from ALIEN ADORATION #scifirom
Woo-hoo! 50 weeks of My Sexy Saturday!
Thank you to Lynn Crain for all you do for us authors!
Have you entered my month-long giveaway celebrating 3 years published?
This week is all about making sexy.
Making sexy can mean a variety of things. It can mean making love, making the one you love feel sexy, or to take someone and make them sexy like in Pygmalion. It can be a single person, a loving couple or a polyamorous group determined to make sure everyone feels loved and wanted.
Today I’ve decided to show some sexy from ALIEN ADORATION,
my story nominated for Best Indie Sci-Fi/Futuristic Romance Book.
If you get a chance to VOTE, I would greatly appreciate your support.
Set-up: Rachel has crushed on her neighbor, Luke Jones for two years. She is shocked when he finally asks her on a date, even more shocked with his next question…
“Can I kiss you?”
She gazed up at him, caught off guard by his question. “What?”
He smiled and ran his hand up and down her arm. “Can I kiss you? I don’t think I can make it through dinner if I don’t.”
His dark green eyes, a shade away from black, captivated her. They were so intense and full of passion. All for the woman she’d transformed into to spend the night with him. She turned away. She couldn’t do it. God, she wanted to feel his lips on hers, to experience the thrill of the man of her fantasies making love to her, but it could never happen. Not like this. “Luke, this isn’t me. The dress, hair style, and even the lack of hair south of the border is not who I am. I can’t be one of those women who leave you in the middle of the night.”
Would he back off, end their date before she had the chance to blink?
No, he stepped closer, backing her into the counter, his groin pressing against her belly. He cupped the sides of her face and stared into her eyes, his gaze more focused than ever. “I told you, I don’t want those women. While I’m flattered you went through all that trouble for me, I’d still want to kiss you if you hadn’t. I’ve wanted you since I moved in.”
His lips grazed hers, and she closed her eyes, forgetting all of her reasons to stop him.
~ About ALIEN ADORATION ~
Erotic dreams fill her with need…
Night after night, Rachel fantasizes about her sexy, playboy neighbor. But in her small town, no one changes, least of all the bad boy next door. But when Luke rescues her not once but twice from disastrous dates, she dares to believe her knight in black leather armor may be the right man for her after all.
Until she learns the truth…
Life on Earth has never been easy for Luke. Stranded as a little boy, he struggled to craft an existence for himself, but he never forgot the first human he met–and he never stopped wanting to see her again. Returning to Hanton, Luke longs for Rachel. Yet nothing goes as he plans, and Rachel barely notices him. Convincing her he isn’t like all the jerks she’s dated means telling her the truth, but can she handle it?
Can she overcome her fears, or will she deny her alien adoration and leave him stranded once more?
AVAILABLE FROM:
Be sure to check out other MY SEXY SATURDAY excerpts!
July 10, 2014
Author Liz Crowe’s #WorldCup Sale! @beerwencha2 #FREEread
Happy World Cup, Liz! It’s always great to have one of my favorite authors on the blog. To start, can you tell us what appeals to you most about soccer rather than any other sport?
Liz Crowe: The dudes in shorts….well, I mean…seriously.
Ok, I’m a fan of almost ALL sports (I’m even developing an appreciation for hockey). But I lived in Europe for a long time and was in Istanbul the year the Turkish national team made an amazing run all the way to the final game. And while in England “the footie” players are serious celebs so I got caught up in all that.
While in Japan I gave birth to my 3rd kid, a girl who is now a bit of a soccer phenom herself, and is being recruited to play in college.
Wow, that’s super exciting! Who are you cheering for during the World Cup?
Liz Crowe: USA! (not a prayer, I know, bless their young, sexy, eager little hearts)
So, really, SPAIN! They are the most technically efficient and fun to watch (and hot) team out there, followed closely by Germany in this fan’s opinion. I want Spain to repeat and win again but think it may be Brazil’s year.
Are any of the soccer players in your stories based on or inspired by real players? If so, who and why?
Liz Crowe: Yes, in a way. Soccer player “personalities” are like many pro athletes’: ego-driven yet focused. You do not get fit enough to play at their level by sitting around talking about “working out,” if you know what I mean.
I have a few prototypes: The aging player (according to my research which involved asking the coaches for my daughter’s club team you are “old” in soccer at 29 because of the wear and tear the game puts on your bod)…
The young, eager, whipper snapper with a chip on his shoulder/something to prove…
The female player (see above re: something to prove)…
The former international superstar brought low by personal tragedy and saved by the game…
The poor as dirt young man saved by the game but still haunted by his past…
The superstar injured in a World Cup match who swears he will give it up until he meets a lovely lady soccer player….
And because the Black Jack Gentlemen is a series about a team, you also get the dynamics of the “back office” for a new expansion project.
What else inspires you to write these sports stories?
Liz Crowe: I am fascinated by the type of personality that it takes to be a professional athlete. These people are driven beyond anything I have ever experienced to push themselves so hard physically they nearly collapse, only to get up and do it again the next day.
And, frankly, watching my own daughter become one of “those types” of people as she has grown up makes me both proud and scared for her at the same time.
How long do you think the average soccer player career lasts?
Liz Crowe: I know for a fact (see above, I asked some experts) that thanks to the fact that the game is literally running from one end of the pitch to the other for 90 minutes with a single, 15 minute between 45 minutes halves and the potential for concussion (a theme in SHUT OUT), and grievous leg injuries you are pretty much done as a pro when you are 29. You may keep playing but there are a slew of fresh-legged 17 and 18 year olds ready for your spot on the team.
Do the players in your books end up losing their careers and taking another path?
Liz Crowe: Not really, since the series revolves around a specific team and the players and staff on it. Although thanks to a concussion, Brody Vaughn (in Shut Out) ends up on another path, a surprising one at first but a lovely one by the end of the book. In Red Card, Metin Sevim is THE penultimate star, and would have stayed that way but for a horrific tragedy about halfway through the book. He is not physically injured but rejects the game after being bounced down from Real Madrid, through the rest of the Spanish league and finally landing hard back in Turkey and even being rejected there for his bad behaviour. The owners of the Black Jacks save him when they convince him to come to coach for them.
I hope to have a couple more books in this series for next year as well.
My short novel, CAUGHT OFFSIDE is part of the Decadent Publishing 1NightStand series and so is about a player who sustains a career ending injury and is giving up mentally and physically, until he meets a little boy wearing his national team jersey—in the lobby of the MGM Grand in Vegas—and looks up to fin the boy’s lovely mother, a former player who gave up the game for her family. This book contains one of my favourite (of many) “soccer action scenes” between those 2.
I think, if anything, soccer keeps many of my characters from losing their way.
What special promotions do you have going on for your sexy soccer player titles?
Liz Crowe: During the Duration of the World Cup of Soccer (June 12-July 13, 2014) You can get…
RED CARD (the Black Jacks coach’s story) for FREE!
MAN ON (the Black Jacks washed up European player meets fresh faced American whipper snapper who is in the throes of denying his sexuality) for just $0.99
SHUT OUT (about a tough, yet deeply troubled and unhappy Black Jacks goal keeper who gets and denies a concussion and the consequences of that choice on his part) for just $0.99
And my Decadent Publishing 1NightStand novella CAUGHT OFFSIDE, about an internationally famous player who blows out his knee (or has it blown out for him) DURING the World Cup who meets the love of his life in, of all places, Las Vegas is also only $0.99
Here are some handy buy links:
Black Jacks links: Amazon | Barnes &Noble
Caught Offside links: Amazon | Barnes &Noble | Smashwords
Thanks so much for having me Jessica!
Amazon best-selling author, beer blogger and beer marketing expert, mom of three, and soccer fan, Liz Crowe lives Ann Arbor. She has decades of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as a three-continent, ex-pat trailing spouse.
Her early forays into the publishing world led to a groundbreaking fiction subgenre, “Romance for Real Life,” which has gained thousands of fans and followers interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens After?”). More recently she is garnering even more fans across genres with her latest novels, which are more character-driven fiction, while remaining very much “real life.”
With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, in successful real estate offices and at times in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are unique and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, frustrate and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.
www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor
www.facebook.com/groups/lizcrowefans
www.amazon.com/Liz-Crowe/e/B00573TC7M
July 9, 2014
Read extended excerpt & enter to WIN! ONCE UPON A MARRIAGE by @SSaraDaniel
ONCE UPON A MARRIAGEBeyond Fairytales
by Sara Daniel
Time is running out for Armina Keer to have the baby she’s always wanted. Before she can move on with her life, she needs her estranged husband to sign their divorce papers. When she can’t get him to respond, her meddling uncles arrange for a trip to his inn. Despite vowing to guard her broken heart, she has to settle the past before she can have a future.
Ian Keer might not deserve a second chance with his wife, but he’s not going to give up one either, not with the immediate flaming attraction still between them. While her uncles’ antics wreak havoc on life at The Inn, he offers her the ultimate gamble: Spend the night with him, and afterwards he’ll sign the papers if she still wants to leave.
With everything riding on one night together, Ian must convince her that their love is strong enough the second time around, and Armina must decide if love is worth sacrificing her dreams.
AVAILABLE FROM:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | All Romance ebooks | Decadent Publishing
I had a lot of fun writing the “three surgeons,” the three elderly gentlemen who are the heroine’s only family in Once Upon a Marriage. Check out the mischief they get into in this extended excerpt:
Armina broke eye contact with Ian, glancing at her companions. “Lenny, what are you doing with your eye?”
Ian stifled a laugh. The man had his old prosthetic eye suspended between his thumb and index finger over his soup bowl, as if contemplating dropping it in.
“Eyeball soup. I’m going to serve it to Ned. Freak him out when he gets here.” He roared with laughter, his single eye patch bobbing.
“Lenny, you are not.” Armina gasped.
Frank grinned, evaporating the last of his moroseness over his missing hand. “I’ll buy you a flask of bourbon if he puts it in his mouth before he discovers it.”
“You’re on. Serves him right for being late.” Lenny dropped the old prosthetic eyeball, letting it splash into the bowl. He switched his bowl with Ned’s while the third surgeon shuffled into the room, squinting at the smart phone in his hand. He didn’t glance at the others as he settled into the last empty seat at the table.
Ian shifted his feet. He’d never witnessed such a direct sabotage of another guest before. As the Innkeeper, he had a responsibility to save the man from the ignominy of eating eyeball soup, not to mention head off a potential lawsuit.
Armina’s shared smirk with the other two surgeons stopped him. She’d grown up watching these men pull pranks on each other and apparently had no qualms over this one. He’d wait to step in until the situation reached the point of a potential choking hazard.
“My heart surgeon sent me the most amazing video.” Ned picked up his spoon, not making eye contact as he moved his finger around the screen of his phone. His buddies held their poker faces, but Armina looked ready to burst as she followed the progress of his silverware.
“This is going to blow your mind.” He rotated the phone toward her.
She stared at the screen, her face turning an unnatural shade of green. “What is that?”
“It’s a video of my heart surgery. This is the part where the doctor took my heart out of my chest.”
“Took it out?” Ian asked, sure he’d heard wrong.
Armina twisted the electronic away from her and in his direction, giving him a glimpse of the fist-sized organ.
“Heart transplant, but you knew that, right?” Ned glanced over his shoulder at him. “I thought you two were still together when I went into the hospital.”
“I left here to go to your bedside,” Armina said, her tone more frigid than when she’d confronted Ian in the lobby. “I haven’t been back since.”
Until now. Not for the first time, he sifted through his memories, trying to pinpoint the moment she’d left and what she’d said to him when she walked out, but he couldn’t. They’d never had any epic arguments that led to her storming out on him. Instead, he’d been so consumed with business he hadn’t realized she’d left him until much too late. “Did you tell me Ned was sick before you left?”
“I tried.” She looked resigned instead of angry or defensive. “If it didn’t have to do with the Inn, you weren’t interested in the details.”
“That’s not true.”
Her gaze called him a liar. Aloud, she said, “I left messages on your phone. If you really cared, you’d have at least returned one call to ask about my uncle.”
And he hadn’t. He hadn’t even bothered to listen to the messages. No matter that he’d been in the middle of a multimillion dollar expansion and fending off a lawsuit that threatened to destroy not only his company but also his reputation, he’d been a complete douchebag of a husband.
“Forget worrying about me. Didn’t you wonder where your wife took off to?” Ned demanded, scooping up a spoonful of soup, a suspicious rounded lump protruding over the top.
“I did. I made a huge mistake in asking my staff to call her instead of doing it myself.” Of all the duties he’d needed to delegate, the responsibility for saving his marriage belonged to him alone.
“One of your mistakes.” Ned opened his mouth and lifted his spoon.
“One of many,” he agreed. He’d do penance, beg forgiveness, whatever it took to keep those hideous divorce papers from flying out of her purse at him.
“For goodness sake, Uncle Ned, look at what you’re putting in your mouth,” Armina shouted.
The eyeball touched his lips before Ned lowered his spoon.
“Why’d you stop him?” Lenny complained.
“Besides how unsanitary it would be to ingest that thing?” Armina shuddered. “He could have choked to death.”
Between the disturbing video and the haunting mistakes of his past, Ian hardly registered the prank playing out.
“What the heck?” With his thumb and forefinger, Ned picked the prosthetic eye from his spoon. “Lenny, this is the grossest thing I have ever seen.”
“I’ll take the eye, and I’ll get you a new bowl of soup, too.” With a napkin, Ian plucked the eyeball from Ned’s fingers then set it on the tray behind them. He handed the soup bowl to one of the servers. “Please dump this and bring Ned a new bowl.”
The surgeon shuddered. “Don’t bother bringing anything else. My appetite is gone.”
“I’m looking forward to that bourbon,” Lenny crowed.
“I don’t owe you anything,” Frank replied. “He didn’t put it in his mouth.”
“It touched his lips, so it counts.”
Ned rubbed a napkin over his lips then scoured his mouth with his sleeve.
“And he damn well would have swallowed it whole,” Lenny continued, “if Armina had kept her mouth shut.”
AVAILABLE FROM:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | All Romance ebooks | Decadent Publishing
Sara Daniel writes what she loves—irresistible romance, from sweet to erotic and everything in between. She lives her own happily-ever-after romance with her hero husband. Connect with her online at:
Subscribe to Sara’s newsletter: http://eepurl.com/rx_AL
Enter to WIN a $25 Amazon.com GC!
July 8, 2014
Rocking, rolling & romance in NY City – Scottish Style! ZIPLESS by @DianeDooley #giveaway
Hi, everyone! I’m here to tell you about my latest release.
ZIPLESS is a rock ‘n roll romantic comedy set in New York City and starring Lou, the driven manager of a hapless band of Scottish dudes. One night she falls into the lap of a formerly famous rock star, and soon sparks are flying, songs are being written, guitars are being tuned and it’s time to rock ‘n roll.
The story was a ton of fun to write. I really enjoyed making up the names to the songs on the band’s roster, the very individual band members, and of course, Lou’s whirlwind romance with the man she nicknames ‘Zippy.’
I’m giving away an e-copy of ZIPLESS to one of Jessica’s readers. To enter just leave a comment telling me who your favorite band is.
Rock on! And thanks for hosting me Jessica!
ZIPLESS
by Diane Dooley
Rocking, rolling and romancing in New York City — Scottish style!
Unable to perform due to paralyzing anxiety, singer-songwriter Lou Marzaroli has been managing her brother’s band for years, driving them out of Scotland and into the big time. But days before their American network debut, the band is imploding and Lou is relieving her stress in a no-strings-attached sexual encounter with an aging scenester she’s nicknamed Zippy.
The Zipman is sometimes remembered as Crash Burns, formerly of seminal L.A. glampunk band, Snakebite. It’s been years since he’d trashed the eyeliner and hairspray, and he hasn’t written a song since. Now he’s penning lyrics about the mysterious woman he last saw sprinting barefoot in a miniskirt down West Twenty Third. She’s the muse he’s been longing for, and he’s determined to be more than her one night stand.
When the head honchos learn Lou wrote the band’s material, they agree to give her the TV spot, sending her to be coached by their performance guru, Crash Burns. Now Lou must put herself in Zippy’s hands as he coaxes a life-changing performance from her. And the man who used to perform in nothing but a leather thong must find ways to get her confident on stage- and content in only one bed.
AVAILABLE FROM:
Kensington | Amazon US | Amazon UK | All Romance | Barnes & Noble
July 7, 2014
SCANDALOUS AFFAIRS ~ a print anthology from @LaynaPimentel #eroticregency #historicalromance
Scandalous Affairs by Layna Pimentel
Three sensual tales of undeniable passion.
Scandal at Vauxhall
When the haute ton learns of a promiscuous tryst between the Dowager Duchess of Brimley and the Marquess of Stoughton, their credibility is at stake. They soon discover that nothing in life is simple, nor private, and all is fair in love and war.
A Sinful Education
Stunned and dismayed at discovering the arrangement between her mother and the Duke of Downsbury, Lady Emily Thompson searches for a way to break the marriage pact. Will she find a way out of marrying the duke, or will she find herself in the same predicament as the previous duchess? Which is dead.
Her Deviant Lord
En-route to a hunting trip after over-indulging the night before, the Earl of Wendelhem endures a frightful, and terribly embarrassing, swoon. He has seen a ghost, and her name is Cordelia Waite, the Duchess of Downsbury. Yet, his former mistress refuses to accept her dismissal and discovers the duchess is still alive. Second chances have never been more precarious.
AVAILABLE FROM:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | Barnes & Noble
McNally Robinson (Canada) | Secret Cravings Publishing
Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Layna discovered her love of reading at an early age. When she isn’t devouring salacious romance novels or writing, she enjoys losing herself in researching ancient history and mythology, weaponry, and hiking. She lives in Northern Ontario, with her husband and two daughters.
Layna is a member of the Romance Writers of America, creator of the Romance Author at Large blog, and is a monthly contributor at 69 Shades of Smut. For updates on her upcoming releases, or to leave her a comment, you can find at:
Blog/Website: www.laynapimentel.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LaynaPimentel
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorLaynaPimentel
Want to be the first to catch some sneak peeks into Layna’s upcoming releases, subscribe to her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/FOPP1
