Cassandra Dean's Blog: Blog of Bloggy Blogness, page 28

Six Sentence Sunday – WTF 2: The Reckoning #sixsunday

Six Sentence Sunday is here again, peeps! As always, a big thank you to the peeps behind this wonderful initiative, and to all the lovely people who comment on my sentences

So this week, it’s WTF 2: The Reckoning! Awesome title, hey?

A follow up to ROUGH DIAMOND, WTF 2: The Reckoning features secondary characters Pearl (Red) and Ethan. Hope you enjoy!

Ethan strode into the saloon and threw his hat on the counter. “Red, put me out of my misery, make an honest man of me, and marry me.”

Pearl looked at his hat, and then at him. “Whiskey?”

Exhaling, he cast his gaze to the heavens. “I thought that one would work…Ah well, maybe tomorrow.”

…Man, I hope I get to keep that title. Probably not, though. Some people have no taste *sniff*

Thanks for stopping by, peeps!

 

PRINT COPIES OF TEACH ME HAVE ARRIVED! #soexcited

Peeps! Look what arrived in the mail today! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

I’m holding a PRINT copy of Teach Me in my hand!

 

Printed words *I* wrote!

 

A BARCODE!

 

The box they came in!

Revealed – ROUGH DIAMOND Excerpt!

Peeps. Are you ready? It’s ROUGH DIAMOND’s excerpt.

Click the continue reading to ENJOY!

 

ROUGH DIAMOND

Joining him at his table in the Diamond saloon, Alice pours Rupert a glass of whiskey…

unedited, etc

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.”

WINNER! Romancing the Hop Blog Hop! [CONTEST] #RomHop

Peeps, we have a winner! Congratulations…

 

Jesse Kimmel-Freeman!

 

Jesse has won a USD$5 Amazon.com Gift Card, a signed ENSLAVED postcard, a signed TEACH ME postcard, an ENSLAVED magnet and a TEACH ME magnet. Congrats, Jesse!

I’d also like to extend a massive THANK YOU to all who participated. This was a brilliant hop, and I’m so honoured you all chose to celebrate with me

Also, after over 9,000 comments, the Grand Prizes have been awarded! Congratulations go to:

Kindle Fire Winner:


Laurie Goudge


(from It’s the Journey that Counts’s Blog)

$130 Amazon Gift Card:


Ellie


(from Carrie Ann Ryan’s  Blog)

Swag Pack:


Cassandra


 (from Dana Delamar’s Blog)

 

The grand prize winners have already been notified and have their prizes or the prizes are on their way.

 

That’s it for now, peeps. I hope you had heaps of fun, and that you visit again soon!

xx

Welcome Nishi Serrano to the blog!

Hi peeps,

Please join me in welcoming Nishi Serrano to the blog! Nishi’s steampunk novella, MILE BELOW PEEP SHOW, is NOW AVAILABLE from Decadent Publishing, but first, we have a mouthwatering recipe courtesy of the saucy peeps of the Mile Below resort. Check it out!

 

Steampunk Yummies Under the Sea!

 

Have you ever wondered what a vacation under the sea would be like? If you enjoy steampunk and erotica then let me introduce you to Rose: she is a character I met on one of my adventures, and we’ve become quite close. She divulges her secrets to me so that I may write them down for you, the readers in my world, to enjoy. She’s a member of a secret club known as the MILE HIGH AIRSHIP CLUB. Being a member has its advantages. You get invited to all manner of interesting shindigs, usually erotic in nature. Her most recent foray was a vacation at the Mile Below resort under the sea, and what a tale she spun! Delicious mermen, exotic peep shows, cocktails, a lusty labyrinth, and all manner of sexual follies wound themselves into a mouth watering novella that is sure to put a blush on your cheek.

In honor of yummies from the sea, here is my recipe for Shrimp Linguini:

Ingredients:

Two packets korr garlic herb sauce

One packet korr alfredo sauce

One packet korr pesto sauce

Three cheese parmesan kraft cheese (in the plastic shaker bottle)

Broccoli

Red bell pepper

Sweet onion

Mushrooms

Shrimp (or you can substitute a good sausage for the shrimp)

Milk

Butter

Crushed red pepper

Salt

Linguini pasta

First chop your broccoli, red pepper, onion, and mushrooms and put them in a large deep-sided skillet. Put about a table spoon of oil in the skillet, and add some crushed red pepper, cover and cook for about five minutes—until the veggies start to get soft–then add the shrimp (or sausage) and cook until done. Set aside.

In a large sauce pan mix all four packets together following the directions on each packet except for the pesto packet—do not add what it says on the back of the pesto packet. So, you should basically just be adding milk and butter (I added one extra tablespoon of butter). Add to this a large helping (about ½ a cup or more) of the Kraft three cheeses. Cook until thick, then pour over the veggie and shrimp mix in the skillet and set burner on low while you cook the linguini.

Cook linguini, and strain. Then serve sauce over the linguini.

This recipe is good to make a large batch and freeze some for later!

 

MILE BELOW PEEP SHOW is now available at Decadent Publishing.

It is also available at most online book buying sites frpm August 29th: B&N, Amazon, Bookstrand, and many more.

I would love for you to visit me at these places too:

Twitter

Facebook

Cheers,

Nishi Serrano

“Creating worlds imaginative enough to hold the unexplored …”

http://www.nishiserrano.blogspot.com

 

Lady Rose fears her best friend Abigail Bertram is growing lonely and embittered by her life as heir and sole proprietor to her family’s business. After experiencing the pleasures of induction to the Mile High Airship Club, Rose and her husband William devise a plan to cure their friend of her prim ways and introduce her to a new—freer world—of carnal desires.

Taking Abby on their special vacation, they embark on a steampunk carnival soiree under the sea brimming with mermaids, a cast of lusty characters, and of course—exotic peep shows! However, a surprise none of them expected shows up to test Abby’s brass, and possibly melt her heart.

Will their adventure open Abby’s eyes to what she’s been missing, or will her heart stay chained to business as usual?

 

A lifetime of cosplay and appreciation of all things sci-fi and fantasy drove Nishi Serrano to recognize her passion for writing Steampunk, and wandering haunted forests, canoeing on lakes lurking with monsters, and creeping through abandoned abodes.

Come visit her for more cocktails, stories, and adventures!

Romancing the Hop Blog Hop! [CONTEST] #RomHop

The Romancing the Hop is hosted by Carrie Ann Ryan. Let the celebrations begin!

Hi peeps,

Welcome to Romancing the Hop! There is some awesome stuff on offer from the authors and blogger participating, so make sure you hop all over the place PLUS you can win an awesome grand prize! More on that later. First, let’s talk all things romance.

For me, romance isn’t grand gestures, flowers and chocolates. I mean, those things are lovely, but I think real romance is in the every day little things people do for one another. The one you love and who loves you noticing that you’ve had a crappy day and offering to cook dinner. A phone call just to say hey, I was thinking of you. Someone who accepts you as you are and loves you because of it.

*sniff*

Goshdarnit. How can I make myself teary with this??

Anyhoo, in the spirit of the hop, I thought I’d offer some movies and books that I think are the epitome of romance.

When Harry met Sally…

This movie. Seriously, this movie. Oh-so-good. If you haven’t seen it, rush to do so immediately. NOW. I’ll wait.

…

…

Have you watched? How brilliant is it? The scene at the end, where Harry declares his love for Sally, and he details all the things specific to her *sigh* How can you not see this as romantic?

Also, the little interviews interspersed throughout with the couples telling of how they met…perfection. Then, at the very end – chocolate sauce on the side, peeps!

North and South

Purely for the scene at the end (although the rest of the series is pretty awesomesauce). At the train station. He doesn’t say a word, she nervously babbles. Then the kiss…oh, the kiss…

FarScape (TV Series)

The love story between Crichton and Aeryn is PHENOM. Check it out, peeps. Seriously. It is SO VERY ROMANTIC.

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

This book is just amazingness all round, but my favourite bit is where the hero, Dain, is panicking and despairing that the heroine, Jessica, is going to leave him. Finally, he bursts out and tells her and she looks at him as if he’s insance. “Of course I’m not going to leave you, what a stupid notion.” She then proceeds as if his notion is a silly one, and he realises he was overreacting. I LOVE this. The no-nonsense approach, and the implication that she never even dreamed of leaving him, hammers it home to him better than any other sort of denial. ROMANCE ABOUNDS, for what is more romantic than being secure in one’s love?

Alrighty, I think I’ll leave it there, or I’ll go on forever!

 

And now, the contest#!

What do you guys think is romantic? What are your favourite romantic tales? Let me know!

One lucky commenter will win a USD$5 Amazon.com Gift Card, as well as a signed ENSLAVED postcard, a signed TEACH ME postcard, an ENSLAVED magnet and TEACH ME magnet. International entries are welcome – if Australia Post can reach your country, you can enter!

 

THERE’S ALSO A GRAND PRIZE, PEEPS!

Comment below and leave your email address to go in the running to win the below:

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack!

 

How cool is that?

Thanks for hopping with me, peeps. I look forward to reading your comments!

xx

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL PARTICIPANTS

=====================================================================

# The small print: Comment before midnight on 4/09/2012 (Australian Central Standard Time) to be entered to win a USD$5 Amazon.com Gift Card, one (1) signed ENSLAVED postcard, one (1) signed TEACH ME postcard, one (1) ENSLAVED magnet and one (1) TEACH ME magnet. Winner will be selected via random.org, with winner’s name posted on this blog by 05/09/2012. Cassandra will also contact the winner by e-mail; the winner will be required to reply with their postal address so Cassandra can send the prize to them.

Only one entry per ISP address. Entrants must be over 18 years of age. By entering, you agree Cassandra can use your name when announcing the winner if you should win. If potential prize winner forfeits or does not claim the prize, prize will be re-awarded, in Sponsor’s sole discretion. All prizes will be awarded. International entries are welcome. No purchase necessary to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Void where prohibited by law.

Cassandra is not responsible or liable for the GRAND PRIZE competition. Winner will be picked by hosts of blog hop.

Quick update from the salty word mine

Hey peeps!

The writing is going quite well, so I thought I’d check in:

Roman Man – 8 (very crap) chapters. First draft 65-ish% done.
WTF 2: The Reckoning – Just over 1000 very rough words. Currently in banter mode. I do love banter mode (and not banger mode, as I just tried to write. Although, banger mode does have its time and place)
Duchess & Tutor – Stalled, but percolating

 

In other news, edits on ROUGH DIAMOND are almost complete, and we’re on track for a September release date. I hope to have some more info real soon!

Also, have you seen that TEACH ME is available all over the place in PRINT?? Check out TEACH ME‘s page for linkage and the like.

Finally, this weekend I’m headed off to Sydney for an historical fashion exhibit. Looks to be some awesomesauce things on offer!

Right, that’s about it, peeps! Stay tuned on the blog for blog hops and interviews and stuff, such as:

Wed 29 August: Jessica Subject’s blog – Interview & Giveaway
Fri 31 August: Romancing the Hop Blog Hop
Mon 3 September: Nishi Serrano visits

Cassandra

xx

Romancing the Hop is nearly here! #RomHop

Hi peeps,

Well, just for something different, another hop is nearly here! Romancing the Hop, in fact!

What’s your favorite thing about Romance? Well, we authors are ready to share our romantic tips and favorite romance reads! Starting on Friday 31st August, over 100 Authors and Bloggers will share their favorite things about romance, reading romance, and dating.

But that’s not all! It’s a hop, so of course each author will be hosting GIVEAWAYS! Over 100 of them! Visit all the blogs to enter for all the prizes…oh, prizes, glorious glorious prizes *drools*

But wait! There’s more!

There will also be THREE GRAND PRIZES. Go to each blog, leave a comment with your email address and you’ll be entered to win. You could enter over 100 times! How’s that for an offer you can’t refuse??

I hear you ask, Cassandra, what are these prizes of which you speak? I’m glad you asked!

 

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack!

 

How excitement, right? Come back Friday and over the weekend to enjoy some wonderful posts about romance, and to have the opportunity to win!

Welcome to the blog, Tamara Gill!

Hi peeps,

Please join me in welcoming romance author Tamara Gill to the blog. Tamara’s latest book, A STOLEN SEASON, is available TODAY! Let’s have a little chat with her, shall we?

 

Cassandra Dean: Welcome to the blog, Tamara, and congratulations on the release of A STOLEN SEASON! Would you tell us a little about it?

Tamara Gill: Hi Cass, first I’d like to thank you for having me today and helping me celebrate the release of my latest book! A STOLEN SEASON is a Regency time travel romance where my heroine Sarah travels back to 1818 and gets herself into a whole lot of trouble. Here’s the blurb to wet your appetite:

Archaeologist Sarah Baxter had a clear directive: travel back to nineteenth century London to retrieve the measuring device she left behind. But her bungled attempt at thievery left an English Earl dead and his brother bent on revenge. Sarah must once again go back in time to find the device and return to her own time before her tragic mistake puts a noose around her neck. Unfortunately, the only way to get close to the device is to befriend the very man who wants her dead.

Eric, the new Earl of Earnston, was determined to catch the woman who killed his brother, but she’d disappeared without a trace. Twelve months on and there are still no clues to her whereabouts. As luck would have it, he finds a distraction. A new family have arrived in town and Miss Sarah Baxter is a delightful diversion among the stale debutantes in the ton.

Sarah knows it is madness to seduce the man who would want her dead should he know who she was, but the Earl is an alarmingly persistent gentleman. Can Sarah procure the device without her secret being revealed? And what will the Earl do when he finds out the woman he’s in love with is not the woman he thought he knew?

CD: What inspired you to write A STOLEN SEASON?

TG: A STOLEN SEASON was the very fist story I ever wrote. So it’s really my baby of books. I don’t know what inspired me so much to write this story, but lets just say reading romance novels which sometimes included time travel novels certainly helped. I LOVE this story and have always believed in the premise even though the first few drafts were horribly written. I let the manuscript sit in a drawer for a few years and came back to it last year planning on doing a full re-write. I completed the re-write and had terrific contest feedback, so I subbed it to Crimson Romance. They wanted it and so I sold it and I can’t wait for everyone to read A STOLEN SEASON and hopefully fall in love with Sarah and Eric as much as I have.

CD: In A STOLEN SEASON, you combine paranormal (time-travel) elements with historical. How did you go about melding the two?

TG: I had to be careful not to make my twenty-first century heroine slip into Regency narrative. She spoke when speaking to people from 1818 in their tone, but otherwise she was very modern in her thoughts and communication with her time travelling partner Richard. I love mixing these two elements and some of my favorite books are time travels so hopefully what I’ve done will work for readers.

CD: What is it that you love about writing historicals? Do you have plans to write a book exclusively in another genre?

TG: Believe it or not I originally started writing in the Regency period solely due to the Empire style gown. I love the cut of this dress, its so feminine and elegant and that’s why I choose Regency. That and because I love Stephanie Laurens’ books. I’m currently working on a Regency series which I’m editing book two of at the moment. Book three is my WIP. So keep an eye out for these in the future, I’m determined to have these published as well.

CD: What is your writing process?

TG: What’s that??? No seriously, I write when my kids are in bed or at school. I have a ten month old at home too, so time is a little tight in our household, but I write whenever I can.

CD: What do you believe to be the most important factor in portraying a believable romantic relationship?

TG: I think growth of the characters (or arc) that shows the character may start off in one direction and believing something entirely different to what they want and believe by the end of the book.

CD: You’re published with several different publishers. What made you choose to do so?

TG: I wanted to have broad readership really, which is why I’ve pubbed with three e-publishers so far. It’s sort of worked out well because Noble Romance Publishing have my erotic stories, Decadent Publishing have a sweet one and Crimson have my time travels. Who knows who’ll get my Regencies. ;p

CD: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

TG: Keep writing and take all the feedback you receive with a pinch of salt.

CD: What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?

TG: Get a critique partner who’s strong with my writing weaknesses.

CD: Who is your greatest writing influence?

TG: Karen Marie Moning. I LOVE HER!!!

CD: What do you enjoy reading?

TG: Karen Marie Moning and any one who writes Regency or historical romance.

CD: What’s your favourite television show? Favourite movie?

TG: Gone with the Wind. Love that movie!

CD: You live in the Barossa Valley, one of Australia’s premier wine-producing regions. Do you drink wine and, if so, what’s your favourite? ;p

TG: You’ll never believe this but I hate wine and champagne. I know…I think I’m an alien. ;p

CD: If you were stranded in the middle of London in 1816 through the magic of television (or time-travel, whatevs ;p), what three things would you wish were with you?

TG: Money. Letters of introduction. Lots of money.

CD: Where can readers find you?

TG: Website http://www.tamaragillromanceauthor.com

Blog: http://tamaragill.blogspot.com

Links to facebook and twitter can be found at both sites.

CD: Thanks so much for stopping by, Tamara, and the very best of luck with A STOLEN SEASON!

 

Archaeologist Sarah Baxter had a clear directive: travel back to nineteenth century London to retrieve the measuring device she left behind. But her bungled attempt at thievery left an English Earl dead and his brother bent on revenge. Sarah must once again go back in time to find the device and return to her own time before their tragic mistake puts a noose around her neck. Unfortunately, the only way to get close to the device is to befriend the very man who wants her dead.

Eric the new Earl of Earnston was determined to catch the woman who killed his brother, but she’d disappeared without a trace. Twelve months on and there are still no clues to her whereabouts. As luck would have it, he finds a distraction. A new family have arrived in town and Miss Sarah Baxter is a delightful diversion among the stale debutantes in the ton.

Sarah knows it is madness to seduce the man who would want her dead should he know who she was, but the Earl is an alarmingly persistent gentleman. Can Sarah procure the device without her secret being revealed? And what will the Earl do when he finds out the woman he’s in love with is not the woman he thought he knew.

Now available from Crimson Romance, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and more!

For more information and buy links, please visit Tamara’s website.

Tamara Gill’s love of history started from an early age, but her reading of historical romances only began when home on maternity leave with her second son. Her writing career started as a hobby but soon turned into an obsession—just ask the members of her family, who have suffered many a whipped up, burnt meal.

Member of Romance Writers of Australia, Romance Writers of America, South Australian Romance Authors and The Beau Monde keep her occupied and focused on her craft and the changing trends of readers. Tamara lives in the beautiful Barossa Valley in South Australia and enjoys hearing from readers and writers alike.

Six Sentence Sunday – Rough Diamond pt nineteenlicketytoo #sixsunday

Six Sentence Sunday, peeps! Yay! As always, a big thank you to the peeps behind this wonderful initiative, and to all the lovely people who comment on my sentences.

Because I’m on an editing roll, again another six from ROUGH DIAMOND! I hope you enjoy

Rocking back on her heels, Alice swept her tongue over her lips to taste him. A low groan drew her attention, and she found Llewellyn watching her, eyes hot as he stared at her mouth. Blood thrumming, she licked her lips again. His expression turned pained, his hands clenching at his sides.

In an explosion of motion, she pulled him to her even as he tugged her to him. Their mouths collided, and the taste of him exploded in her mouth, better than any whiskey she’d ever savored.

Thanks for stopping by, peeps!