Shyla Colt's Blog, page 2

Little Things Blog Hop

 

Renewing My Spirit

This month is all about renewal, balance, and relaxation for me. I had the wind taken out of my sails the first few months of 2016. Situations rocked me, made me give the side-eye, and had me thinking long and hard about a number of things. In response, I’m taking the time to find my footing, and rediscover what really makes me happen and re-ignite my passions. I lost a bit of my love for this writing thing. That happens sometimes when your voice gets quiet and everyone else’s grows louder. It’s important to stay true to your vision.

That waning love terrified me. Writing is like life’s blood to me. Its breathing, expression, and such a vital part to my happiness. I went to work immediately. I pulled back. I put the Vlog hold, posted less, got outside, and then decided to really take it a step further. I’m taking a brief hiatus. Now that doesn’t mean I’ll be going cold turkey and disappear from all social media. But it does mean I’ll be catching up on the things I’ve put on the back burner to write, and really getting in some quality me and family time.

It’s my birthday month, and I think this is the best gift of all. When one is lost, they’ve only to pause, look for the light, and remember why they began the journey in the first place.

What are you going to be seeing from me? That’s the easy thing to answer, tons of exploration, travel, and research of my favorite topics When will I return? I can’t say. I’m playing it by ear. I can say this, when I return to writing my work will look differently than it did before. I’m very much a butterfly in that sense. I always have to take the time to transform before I can emerge from my cocoon.

For now my loves I’m off to have adventures, sleep in, let me brain rest, and my love grow. I’m excited.

New Release from Iyana Jenna!

Released as a part of Forbidden Love line from Torquere Press, Where the Heart Belongs tells the story of two brothers Zach and Drew with their unnatural relationship. When something terrible happens to Zach, an African American FBI Agent, Eugene Harris comes into the picture adding more complications. This is #1 of the Triangle Series.

 

Where the Heart Belongs

By: Iyana Jenna

Published By: Torquere Press

Published: Feb 03, 2016

Word Count: 8,200

Heat Index

 

Blurb

 

His brother slash boyfriend, Drew is leaving him. It makes Zach unaware of his surrounding and a hate-crime psycho takes him off guard. He is kidnapped and tortured. Zach is saved by the FBI and as a surviving witness, he is brought to stay with FBI Agent Eugene Harris.

Gradually, Eugene gets to know Zach. He should have been disgusted, but instead, all he wants is comfort Zach.

Will Zach accept that Drew is not coming back? Will Eugene finally have the gut to tell Zach how he feels?

Excerpt

 

“Come with me, Zach.”

“Hush…” Zach whispered. He wanted to treasure the moment as much as he could but it was him who pulled back first. “Let’s go,” he said harshly. “You will miss your bus.” His heart bled at how Drew stared at him in confusion, hurt in his eyes. But he knew he had to let go now or he would never be able to.

He helped Drew with his bags and grasped Drew’s jacket sleeve, hugging him tight and kissing him again, not caring who might be watching. Drew clung onto him just like he used to during those cold nights whenever they were alone in a motel room, and squeezed him for the last time, pulling back. Their eyes met.

“I’ll come back for you.”

Long after the bus was gone, Zach was still standing at the bus station, his heart heavy. Drew was his brother and his lover. Zach realized the unnatural nature of their relationship, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. They only had each other in their lives.

Zach remembered one night. He had been nine at that time and Drew had been five. Rain had been pouring down the Earth for like hours now but there was no sign of stopping from the sound of it. Zach shot a wary gaze to the wide window and the thin lacey curtains covering it—a useless thing in his humble opinion—they could not stop him and Drew from staring right through the rain, let alone from the thunder and lightning that cracked almost every five minutes.

Alone only with little Drew in their small apartment—their father had yet to return, Zach did not dare shut his eyes even for a second. Not in this weather. Not when closing his eyes meant letting Drew out of his sight, although the kid was curled up right here with him, never far from his embrace.

BUY LINKS

Torquere  ~ Amazon ~  All Romance Ebooks  ~ Bookstrand ~ Smashwords

 

New Release from Dahlia DeWinters

I don’t know about you guys, but i get into reading slumps. Those times where nothing I have on my Kindle , my tbr list or see advertised hits the spot. It’s miserable. For this reason, I’ve committed myself to sharing new interesting releases, and book sI’ve read and loved. Please feel free to share your own experiences with books.

I may be a writer, but I’m an avid reader as well. I just have to work a little hard to get my reading time in. *laughs.

This book is one off the beaten path. Zombies, Adventure, and Romance, Oh my.

One More for the Road

Stay safe. Keep moving. Stay hidden.

Jude and Sky hit the road, following a radio promise of a survivors’ camp. Hope spurs them onward through a world populated by zombies, bandits, and crazies. En route, the couple encounters Elias, a brash, outspoken paramedic whose desire for Jude, and hers for him, is no secret.

Sky realizes Jude harbors an attraction for Elias. Knowing tomorrow is not promised to any of them, he desperately wants Jude to be safe if something happens to him. But at what cost?

Jude feels herself drawn to Elias’s playful, yet serious courtship, but fears for her relationship with Sky if she gives in to her desires. Is three really a crowd, or can it be the magic number?

Elias feels an immediate attraction to Jude and doesn’t mind sharing, as long as everyone is in agreement. The last thing he wants to do is ruin any relationship, which is so hard to come by in this new, unforgiving world.

Drawn together by necessity, the three soon learn that functioning as a unit is the only way to survive the harsh landscape of their collapsed civilization.

Purchase Link 

Power & Love: A Compilation of 10 BWWM Romance Novels

Need an Interracial book fix? Check out this fabulous compilation with 10 stories for just .99cents!

This collection of full length novels are highly rated by hundreds of readers on Amazon. Find your new favourite author today for 99¢ or FREE with Kindle Unlimited! Today’s top authors in the genre have collaborated to create Love & Power, a compilation of 10 full length, BWWM, stand alone romance novels.

This collection of novels includes:

1. Run This Town by Sadie Black

2. The Billionaire Scoop by Mia Caldwell

3. BOMBSHELL by Xyla Turner

4. Nya’s Wolf by Roxy Wilson

5. A Highland Summer: The Billionaire’s Nanny by Imani King

6. Back to Hollywood by Destiny Davis

7. Skin Deep by Vivian Ward

8. The Billionaire’s Private Dancer by July Knight

9. Love is a Crime by Stacy-Deanne

10. Run This Town 2 (The Conclusion) by Sadie Black

Purchase

The Diverse road to happily every after can be fearsome

Man, today I’m talking about something near to my heart. Diversity. You know it’s important to me to bring diversity into the romance genre. I remember too many times growing up how much I longed to see heroines who look and acted like me. It’s why I make my characters a variety of colors and sizes. It’s important to me that they come from different backgrounds and have different goals, because as unique as we all are, I feel our characters must be equally diverse, to be convincing. With that being said, it’s hard to stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone, push boundaries, and go out there doing something left of center. I always do my best to write honestly and realistically. But I realized the other day, I was afraid. My stories are dealing with some heavy hitting issues and I wasn’t sure how it’d be taken.

That bothered me. That I would feel that way about my own writing. I took some time out to examine the emotion and quickly slay it. I think to keep this community thriving, we need fresh ideas, new blood, and different options. That means stepping out of the realm of what we know and like to experiment and support different things. I hope you’ll join me today and listen with an open mind.

Speak Life

Conceptual image of an open black umbrella suspended midair giving shelter from a strong downpour of rain with the text – Kindness is Life Fuel – under the portion protected from the raindrops

I’m back guys. Sorry, I missed you last week. I was so sick the Vlog would’ve been garbled. I’ll be playing catch-up next week when we’ll have two Vlogs. :D

Life is funny. It has a way of sending you exactly what you need at just the right time. I’ll be honest, lately I’ve found myself stretched thin and uninspired. With my oldest starting school this year, activities for her and her sister family obligations and deadlines and book signings/conventions it’s been a rough couple of months. I’m a self-motivator who always wants to get to the next step, so at times I push myself… occasionally too hard. Right now is one of those times. I’ve hit a major case of not just writer’s block. I can deal with that. This is a lack of inspiration. For any artists, that’s a scary thing. I’d been battling the blues when this box came, and it was an eye opener. It’s at our lowest, that we’re the most unkind to ourselves. This was a perfect reminder to do the exact opposite.

I came up with a plan of attack. Spend time with family and friends, read, get out into nature, and do the things I enjoy in abundance. This is week one of a the self-imposed break. I’m in the process of re-reading the Odd Thomas series. so I can read the final book, crafting, and relaxing. I’m ashamed to say, it’s been harder than it should be to remember how to simply be. But I think this time is so important.

Sapphire Soul UnBoxing & Q&A

Today I’m doing a Sapphire Soul Unboxing, and talking new releases, Breast Cancer Awareness, and answering the question, does my mother read my Romance. I love doing Q&A’s for you, so please keep those questions coming my way.

Cover Reveal for Power Privelige & Pleasure: Queens of Kings: Book 4 by LaQuette

Blurb:

When truth isn’t the best answer and duty must come before love.

Alexis-Jeovonni Tenetti is the most prolific legal mind of her time. She uses her genius to create intricate solutions for the problems her clients often find themselves in. Her mind sees what most can’t, providing her with the ability to initiate and master the manipulative games she’s accustomed to playing. Her ability to outthink everyone else around her has kept her successful and in control of almost every aspect of her life, and the lives of the clients she serves.

After all, control is necessary to keep things in order. Order is the only thing that keeps chaos away and allows most people to embrace the illusion of freedom. She was all too aware that freedom came at a cost and was often a privilege of those in power. The one time she’d forgotten that fact and relinquished her control had resulted into the living nightmares that chased her even in her waking hours.

Life had taught her in a very vivid way that there were only two options in her world…control or be controlled. And the latter just wasn’t an option she was willing to entertain.

Sometimes the only way to regain control is to stop playing the game…

Elliot Alan Quillen was raised in big business; he had everything at his fingertips until a tragic accident stole the most important thing in the world to him. Deciding the brass ring that had been dangled in front of his face was no longer an incentive for letting others control him, he walks away from everything his privilege has offered him.

Cast aside by his overbearing family, Alan is left to pick up the tattered pieces of his life and soul alone. He’s resigned himself to feeling nothing but the pain of loss for the rest of his life until his first encounter with his new boss’ lawyer clues him in that he might just be ready for something more.

Arrogant and frustrating, Alan quickly learns to suppress his desire for the lady lawyer and her infuriating mouth. If only he could stop daydreaming about what that mouth would taste like on his tongue, then maybe he could stop the desire that he’s been fighting like hell to bury along with the rest of his emotions.

When secrets from A.J.’s past come spilling out of her tightly sealed closet and bring danger to her door, Alan has to make a choice. Willingly step into another set of manipulative power games, stand by her and forgive her secrets, or let a murderous maniac decimate A.J. and her entire family.

Or will they both realize that her power combined with his privilege could equal the ultimate pleasure?

 

Available October 16, 2015 on Amazon!

Excerpt:

“Are you having second thoughts about this, Quillen?”

“No, I just don’t want you to think this is all about the sex to me. I hoped when we finally arrived at this point I’d have time to wine and dine you before we ended up screwing like bunnies. Not to mention, this is your brother’s house. You sure he’s not going to come for me if he finds out I’m screwing his baby sister?”

She crawled over to him, straddling his hips, planting the seat of her jean-clad cunt over his hardening dick. Damn, he hadn’t even gotten her completely naked and he could feel his balls inching up.

She pushed against his chest, and he leaned back, taking her with him, until his back was flat against the bed. She placed her hands on either side of his head and braced the weight of her slim build on her locked arms.

“Funny enough, just before my brother told me to bring you over here, he insisted that I get laid.”

“Your brother told you to bring me here to have sex with me?” He didn’t care how cool John was, there wasn’t a man alive who cared about his sister that would invite some shit like that to go on in his house.

She laughed a bit and shook her head. “No, John doesn’t know that you and I have been seeing each other. He is concerned that I’m working too hard and not spending enough time enjoying the important things in life like fun, food, and fucking.”

Alan nodded his head, that he could definitely picture her gruff brother saying.

“You took care of me, Alan. You didn’t have to, and even when I threw myself at you, you didn’t take advantage of me. I’ve never met another man who’d do those things and didn’t expect anything in return. I’m not sleeping with you because I feel as if I owe you something. I’m sleeping with you because I’ve wanted to fuck your brains out since you first walked into my office five years ago. The fact that you did all that nice shit for me beforehand, well, that just makes me want to get naked with you even more.”

“God woman, that mouth,” he chuckled against her lips

“If my memory serves me, you said, ‘You have the sexiest fucking mouth I’ve ever seen. It would look so much prettier stretched around my cock than spewing the venom you insist on spitting.’ Did I get that right, Quillen?”

“Every fucking word,” he growled.

“Then let us make better use of our time and my mouth,” she suggested.

 

About the Author

Bio

2015 Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award Finalist in Erotic Romance, 2015 Swirl Awards Finalist in Romantic Suspense, LaQuette, a native of Brooklyn, New York, spends her time catering to her three distinct personalities: Wife, Mother, and Educator.

Writing–her escape from everyday madness–has always been a friend and comforter. She loves writing and devouring romance novels. Although she possesses a graduate degree in English Lit, she’d forego Shakespeare any day to read something hot, lusty, and romantic.

She loves hearing from readers and discussing the crazy characters that are running around in her head causing so much trouble. Contact her on Facebook, Twitter: her website: http://www.LaQuetteLikes.com, Amazon, her Facebook group: LaQuette’s Lounge, and via email at LaQuetteRomanceAuthor@gmail.com.

 

http://www.LaQuetteLikes.com/Amazon/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads

~2015 Maggie Award Finalist

~2015 Swirl Awards Finalist

~Member of Romance Writers of America

~Member of Cultural, Interracial, & Multicultural

Special Interest Chapter of RWA

~Member of Passionate Ink:

Erotic Romance Special Interest Chapter of RWA

~Member of Romance Writers of America:

New York City Chapter

~Member of PAN of the Romance Writers of America

H.O.P.E…. Dueling Devils update.

Today I’m doing a reading got an upcoming Dueling Devils story, Hold On, Pain Ends. You guys asked for more, and I’ll be delivering in a major way.

I’m also talking about renewal and Inspiration. I also answer one of my FAQ’s What’s the hardest part of writing? Writing.

Remember the Rose of Jericho I received in the past Sapphire Soul Box? Well i’ll be sharing what happened with a little water and sunlight.

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