M.A. Church's Blog, page 104

Finicky Friday - Watermelon and Feta Salad with Arugula and Spinach

Watermelon and Feta Salad with Arugula and Spinach
Hey everyone, I thought it would be cool to post some recipes I had found online. I’m going to *try* to do some of these beforehand, but I’m sure there’ll be times I won't. I'm going to call this Finicky Friday. :)



Recipe by: BamaHaole"Sweet, salty, and refreshing salad with a little bite."
20 m 4 servings 191 calsPrep: 20 mReady In: 20 m

Ingredients3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups arugula 2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 cups bite sized watermelon chunks
~roasted sunflower seeds complement this very nicely

DirectionsWhisk the olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, and salt together in a small bowl; set aside.

Combine the arugula, spinach, onions, and tomatoes in a large salad bowl. 
Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad mixture; toss to coat. Add the feta cheese and watermelon to serve.

Trouble Comes in Threes... French translation!

Divine’s Summer Blog Hop Contest



Buy: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/jamais-deux-sans-trois-by-ma-church-7473-b


So, tonight was a busy night LOL. I was a guest in a release party for Sheena J. Himes, which was a lot of fun. Oddly enough, I gave away a copy of Trouble.

Several hours later an email popped up. It was DsP. Good news! Found out that Trouble Comes in Threes has been translated. It's being released in French August 30th. It's on the Coming Soon page at Dreamspinner. Yay!



Jamais deux sans troisBy M.A. Church
Toutes griffes dehors, tome 1
Une  tempête de neige dans le sud, le jour du Nouvel An, est la recette parfaite pour une catastrophe. Après deux incidents dévastateurs, Kirk attend qu'un troisième désastre se produise lorsque, tout naturellement, deux chats errants arrivent sur son palier durant la tempête et décident de faire comme chez eux dans sa maison. Kirk et son grand cœur les laissent rester, même s'il y a décidément quelque chose de bizarre avec ces nouveaux félins bien trop amicaux.
À l'abri du mauvais temps et remplis de thon, Dolf et Tal sont contents d'être blottis dans la maison de Kirk. Mais ensuite, leur humain se rend à l'extérieur à la recherche de bûches pour la cheminée et fait une chute violente qui le laisse inconscient. Les deux chats n'ont plus d'autres choix que de révéler leur identité.
Kirk se réveille et découvre que les deux chats sont en réalité Dolf et Tal ; deux chats métamorphes qui sont ses partenaires destinés. Faire partie d'un trio félin est déjà suffisamment difficile à encaisser pour Kirk, mais il apprend rapidement qu'ils viennent d'un clan qui ne croit pas que les humains et les métamorphes devraient se mélanger. Kirk a conscience que ces deux chats sont sur le point de faire basculer sa vie. Cependant, il ne sait pas que les vraies difficultés se trouvent devant lui.
Cover Artist: Paul Richmond
Translator: J.N.Series Toutes griffes dehors | Tome 1
Genres Holiday / M/M/M or More / Werewolves/Shapeshifters

Don't ask me what all that said lol. I didn't speak French. But hey, it's totally awesome it's been translated. That's a second language Trouble has been translated to!
While were on the subject of the werecats, don't forget that Behind the Eight Ball is being released in audio sometimes in August. Derrick McClain is the narrator doing it. YAY! He's awesome. That'll probably be one of those where I find out after it's done too. 
But that isn't all lol! It Takes Two to Tango releases September 26. So it should—should being the keyword here—be on the Coming Soon page by the end of August at DsP. 
Lots going on with the werecats! :) So don't forget...

Finicky Friday - Grilled Halibut with Strawberry-Mango Salsa

Grilled Halibut with Strawberry-Mango Salsa


Hey everyone, I thought it would be cool to post some recipes I had found online. I’m going to *try* to do some of these beforehand, but I’m sure there’ll be times I won't. I'm going to call this Finicky Friday. :)

LOL, yes, yes, there was indeed a trend for July. What can I say, I love strawberries! Next month I'm focusing on watermelon. I think. Maybe, lol. Watermelon and summer kind of goes hand-in-hand, don't you think?


Prep Time: 15 minutesCook Time: 7 to 10 minutesServings: 4

~Looking for a dish that's light and summery yet filling? Here's a recipe that captures all the flavors of summer and will leave you feeling satisfied.

INGREDIENTS1 package (16 ounces) Driscoll's Strawberries

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 ripe avocado, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, divided

4 skin-on halibut fillets (4 to 6 ounces each)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Pinch of salt


DIRECTIONSHull strawberries and cut into 3/4-inch cubes. Place in a large bowl. Add mango, avocado, jalapeño, lime juice, cilantro, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Stir gently to combine. Set aside.Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush halibut fillets with oil and season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Grill fillets, skin side up and covered, 4 to 5 minutes, turn over gently and continue to cook 3 to 5 minutes or until fish is opaque throughout. Serve with squeeze of fresh lime juice and salsa.
Calories:  315.12Total Fat:  13.72gSaturated Fat:  1.93gCholesterol: 36.29mgSodium:  328.72mgTotal carbohydrates: 2.42gDietary Fiber: 5.51gProtein: 25.56g
Recipe by: Driscolls.com

Cover Reveal for Wide Open Spaces by Renee Stevens

COVER REVEAL
BUY NOW


Publisher: Dreamspinner PressCover Artist: Maria Fanning
Pre-order Release Date:7/28/2016Official Release Date: 8/31/2016
Genre: ContemporarySeries: States of LoveLength: 35,659 WordsRating: Adult/Mature


BlurbDevon fled Wyoming as soon as he turned eighteen, leaving behind his high school love, Levi. After six years in the big city, Devon returns to his hometown. Not much has changed, except that Levi is no longer in the closet. He’s also single and living his dream—managing the local wild horse population. Both of them are very interested in picking up where they left off, but Devon is no more ready to reveal his orientation than he was as a teenager.
No one is going to shove Levi back in the closet—not even Devon. For a relationship to work, they’ll have to put the past behind them and find the courage to face the future as who they really are—a couple in love. But Devon doesn’t know if he’s strong enough. Maybe Levi would be better off without him—and his hang-ups.
States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.

ExcerptDevon sank down on his couch as exhaustion swamped him. Most of it was from moving in, but the change in elevation didn’t help. He’d gotten used to being closer to sea level, so going back to the dry air at over six thousand feet was going to take some getting used to.
Bloody noses had become the norm while he stayed with Blake. Devon didn’t want to deal with them repeatedly and considered getting a humidifier until he managed to acclimate.
He looked around his living room. Boxes were scattered everywhere, and he should be unpacking, but he was too tired. At least he hadn’t had to carry everything in himself. Blake, Travis, and Seth were waiting for him when he pulled into the apartment complex. They shrugged off his objections and insisted they had nothing better to do. Devon appreciated it, but he wasn’t comfortable around them anymore. He managed to be a proper host, but damn, he was glad they left after a couple beers each. They made noise about getting together again soon, but Devon had used getting settled in as an excuse to keep from committing to anything.

He stood and wandered into his small kitchen. He didn’t bother opening the fridge or any of the cupboards. He knew they were empty. His stomach growled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten for a while. Devon dug his keys out of his pocket and headed for the door. He’d get something to eat and then maybe stop at the store to pick up a few staples. Paper plates, sandwich fixings, some chips, and he’d be good for a couple of days. At least it would give him time to get a few things—like pots and pans—unpacked. Then he could do a full grocery shop.

An hour later he was comfortably full from a greasy burger, fries, and a shake. He’d never eaten a lot of fast food, but he had few other options. He headed to Walmart, determined to stick to his list of sandwich stuff and maybe some eggs. Surely he could dig out some pans before the food expired. He headed to the chips first and scanned for the familiar bag of Cheddar and Sour Cream Ruffles. They were his all-time favorite, though he also knew he’d want something else after a day or two. So he grabbed a couple of other bags and headed for the eggs and then the freezer aisle.

Sandwiches and chips would get old fast. He found some frozen breakfast sandwiches he could microwave, tossed them in the cart, and moved on. Frozen lasagna quickly joined the few other items in his cart, followed by some potpies, a few TV dinners, and a bag of chimichangas. So what if he wasn’t sticking to his mental list?

He was more focused on getting groceries for the next few days than on the people around him.

“Devon.”

He froze when a familiar voice spoke his name. He closed his eyes briefly, ducked his head, and steeled himself. He knew it would happen eventually, when he found out Levi still lived there. He thought he’d have more time to prepare. He swallowed—hard—and turned to face the man who had at one time meant everything to him. The man he’d risked being found out for. He lifted his head and gazed into the moss-colored eyes.

“Levi.”

About the AuthorRenee Stevens first started writing in her teens but didn’t get serious about being an author until her mid-twenties. Since then she’s written a number of contemporary stories, as well as delved into theparanormal. When not writing, or spending time in the outdoors, Renee can usually be found working on GayAuthors.org in her capacity of Admin,  Blog Coordinator, and Anthology Coordinator.

Renee resides in Wyoming with her wonderfully supportive husband and a menagerie of four-legged critters. Making the most of the nearly constant negative temperatures and mounds of snow, Renee spends much of the winter months in hibernation with her laptop, the voices in her headkeeping her company while her husband works.

When she needs a break from writing, Renee takes to the sewing machine to design, and make, beautiful quilts. When the snow finally disappears, usually around May or June, Renee can be found in the great-outdoors. She spends her time on the mountain, at the lake, and just anywhere that she can do some camping, take some photos, and ride the four-wheelers with her hubby. Once back at home, it’s back to writing.
Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Website

July swag winner and info on August giveaway

And the winner for the July giveawayis... Sherry_N_West!


Email has been sent :) For August there's going to be two signed books with the swag this time. What books, you ask? Well, lets just say if you like
Aliens? 
Spaceships? 
Breeding programs? 
And life-changing events that’ll take you on a journey which will lead to the love of a lifetime
you better make sure to check back in August. ;)~M

Divine Promotions presents Taken Back by Cali MacKay & Julie Farrell and a giveaway!

A Steamy M/M RomanceAuthor Name: Cali MacKay & Julie Farrell
Book Name: Taken Back
Series: (Taken Series, #1)
Release Date: July 27, 2016
Publisher: Tipsy Goat Press
Cover Artist: Cali MacKay
Pages or Words: 48000 words
Categories: M/M Romance, Fiction

=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=




BlurbSometimes you need to go back to your past, in order to move on to your future.

Jax Hunter has spent the last ten years trying to forget his first love Nathan Steele—and the brutal betrayal that derailed everything he’d worked so hard for. Jax has finally gotten his life back together, when Nathan returns to deliver another blow – his company is set to bulldoze the bar he’s built from nothing.

Ever since that summer in high school, Nathan has been denying his feelings for Jax—the only person he’s ever loved. Nathan knows Jax might never forgive him, but when Nathan’s uncle is murdered and Nathan might be next on the hit-list, Jax is the only one he can turn to.

Jax still doesn’t trust Nathan—not with his bar, and for damn sure, not with his heart. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to resist the undeniable passion between them. Can they overcome their past hurts and learn to trust each other again? Or will another betrayal tear them apart forever?
=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=Buy the bookAmazon US 
Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble
Apple
Kobo
=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=

An E-Copy of Taken Back

a Rafflecopter giveaway


=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=

Meet Cali MacKay & Julie FarrellCali MacKay and Julie Farrell are romance writers and long-time friends, who have combined their passion for M/M romance to write together, bringing you the steamy stories they've dreamed up. they've had a blast writing them, and hope their passion for the stories will come through in their writing, and you'll enjoy the characters they've brought to life, just as much as they do.
Where to find the authors:
Website: http://www.caliandjuliebooks.com/Mailing List: http://www.caliandjuliebooks.com/#!blank/c16fm

Divine’s Summer Blog Hop 2016 July 25 – August 8

Welcome to the Divine’s Summer Blog Hop 2016! The theme for the blog hop revolves around summer—either favorite summer memories, favorite summer tips, or summer recipes/activities.



I decided to share a favorite summer drink recipe. It's cute, fun, and tastes good... especially if you like watermelon. That's below. :)

FOR MY GIVEAWAY:  For my giveaway I'm offering the winner's choice of the ebook format of book #1 and book #2 of The Harvest. Leave me a comment and make sure to leave me your email too.


* * * * 


Grand Prizes for this Blog Hop*

18K Gold Filled Crystal Pearls Heart Party Dress Jewelry Set

Divine Promotions – 10 Days Promo Tour ($90)

Divine Promotions – 3 Day Release Blitz ($35)

$75 credit from Dreamspinner Press

$30 credit from Dreamspinner Press

*In order to be entered for the fabulous Grand Prize Giveaway you need to go to the blog hop page http://divinemagazine.net/summer-blog-hop-2016/ and leave a comment. Share your best summer memory, favorite summer tips or activities.


* * * * 


Watermelon Picnic Punch


Recipe by Cheeky Kitchen

Hey, how about some lemonade? How about some strawberry lemonade? How about some Watermelon-Strawberry Lemonade? Oh, yeah. We got you covered with this fabulous recipe.


Prep Time: 10 min

Total Time: 10 min

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 mini seedless watermelon8 ounces lemon juice2 cups frozen strawberries3/4 cup sugar2 cups ice



Directions

1. Slice the mini watermelon in half, using a spoon to scrape all of the fruit from the center of the melon. Place in a large blender.

2. Add the lemon juice, strawberries, sugar, and ice to the blender. Blend until pureed.

3. Pour lemonade straight from your blender, or pour into a pitcher. For an extra fun way to serve this drink, pour it into the two empty halves of the watermelon, add a skewered strawberry and lemon for garnish, then slurp your lemonade from a straw!


a Rafflecopter giveaway





Alexa's New BeginningsAlpha Book ClubAnna Butler FictionAuthor Susan Mac NicolBayou Book JunkieBFD Book BlogBlissfully Bookerized Boy Meets Boy ReviewsCathy Writes RomanceKiki's Kinky PicksKristine CayneLouise LyonsM.A. ChurchMan2ManTasticMM Good Book ReviewsObsessed by BooksOh My ShelvesPassionate ReadsRian's RandomnessSarah Madison FictionVelvetpanic

Finicky Friday - Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread

Hey everyone, I thought it would be cool to post some recipes I had found online. I’m going to *try* to do some of these beforehand, but I’m sure there’ll be times I won't. I'm going to call this Finicky Friday. :)

Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread



SERVINGS 12
TOTAL TIME: 1hr 10mins
PREP: 15 MINS
COOK: 55 MINS

INGREDIENTS
1⁄2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 (3 ounce) cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup milk (half 'n half)
1 1⁄2 cups strawberries, chopped
1⁄2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)


DIRECTIONS
With electric mixer cream butter, sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla.
In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend flour mixture with butter mixture just until blended. Add half 'n half and only stir just to blend -- do not overstir!Drain strawberries and blot dry. Carefully just fold in strawberries and nuts. Dough mixture will be thick.
Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Let bread mellow for one day and then serve.

Recipe by:  Seasoned Cook
If you are a strawberry lover, this one is for you! A rich creamy texture to enjoy. The nuts are optional but do add to flavor combination. If used, chopped pecans 

Blog Tour for Cosmic Inception by Alicia Nordwell and a giveaway!

Blurb:
Their journey will span the universe and back, but there’s no guarantee they’ll make it together.

Though Nick and Fieo are drawn to each other, their relationship has never been easy. Their differences go beyond their races, but they’ve managed to work together to prevent the spread of corruption, growing closer along the way. Nick still battles the effects of years of loneliness, fear, and pain but surprises everyone when he refuses to stay behind when Fieo is sent on a vital mission to find the Collectors. Fieo objects, but there’s no stopping Nick when he sets his mind to something. Over the course of their mission, it becomes clear Nick is more than anyone ever imagined, but the mystery of his past threatens to derail his future.

The search for the truth will take Fieo and Nick far from Caeorleia, to worlds both familiar and completely alien, and put stress on their already tenuous relationship. It’s a journey that will either tear them apart or finally bring them together. 





Excerpt:
Chapter One
“Look at you.” The humid warmth of the garden enveloped and welcomed me. I stroked one finger across the fluffy yellow pod of a waist-high flower. The small strands curled in and then opened back into a wider puff, sending out a glowing powder that drifted high into the night sky. I chuckled. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the small flower was ticklish. I rubbed the pollen off against my shorts, glad I hadn’t tried to smell it. “You haven’t told me about these yet, Jirulm.”The elderly Caeorleian was mumbling as he plucked clusters of hard orange buds off spindly stalks. I’d picked up the habit of talking to the plants from him, and it wasn’t hard to see why. They were so alive. I had flowers, and fruit, and vegetables. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d get to live on a planet with wild flora. My schooling and job training had focused on creating new strains of food crops that were grown in chemical vats in the midst of a planet covered in metal and concrete. Not exactly natural. Or very appetizing, if you knew where they got the basic building blocks for the food. No one had ever questioned it—I hadn’t either, until I’d taken the job with the Federal Food Service Corp after I couldn’t find a job anywhere else. Horrified when I learned the truth, I’d spent a few days unable to choke more than few mouthfuls down at a time, and they rarely stayed down. My mistake had been telling a coworker my plans to reveal everything to the public. Of course when you’re a prisoner and starving, you tend to ignore the fact your food was grown from cells harvested from composted humans, and you ate it anyway. Beggars couldn’t be choosers.And I’d begged. A lot. At least five years spent on a spaceship as the experiement of scientists had sucked all hope from me. But then the military scientists’ plans had gone wrong. Ryker and Seral had been sent to the planet in a bid for more information. The doctors assumed the Caeorleians would blame Ryker, one of the hated nelho scum they named the human soldiers waging war on their planet. Instead, something completely unexpected happened. Seral joined in besedad with Ryker, bonding them together.In a daring attack against the human military, using the nanos they filled Ryker with to spy on the Caeorleians, Seral had brought down the scientists’ enormous ship and spread the reengieeerednanos like a plague to the rest of the fleet. Along they way, they also rescued Dade and me, the only other two survivors of the scientists’ experiments. And once again, I was wide awake in the middle of the night. The memory of the moments right before rescue came, when I was forced to watch as the human scientists cut the alien woman open, and listen as the sadistic doctors planned to cut my belly open to compare organs, disturbed my sleep almost nightly and left me sweating and shuddering in my bed.I didn’t mind being awake in the early morning hours all that much. Some of the flowers in my garden only bloomed at night. Besides, I didn’t have much to do, so I could nap during the heat of the day. With a planet this tropical, it made sense for Caeorleians to be seminocturnal. Night was the only time I could count on finding Jirulm, the gardener who taught me about the plants in my garden. Ovrumi suggested I would enjoy gardening when he caught me wandering in the corridors, flinching away from the others passing by.“It’ll be time to prune those soon, Nicklaus,” Jirulm said. The hum of his voice was low, nearly indistinguishable from the light wind rustling through the plants.“But they’re just barely blooming.” Sure, flowers indoors brightened up the rather plain walls of the Residence, but all the ones in my suite were potted. I didn’t like to snuff out their already brief lives.“Good thing, too.” He examined the flowers, pulling at one of the fluffy heads. “When agvarali have absorbed enough energy to glow, the heads detach during the final bloom and migrate along the breeze.”“Oh, I bet that’s beautiful.” I could just imagine the small glowing fluff balls floating along a soft night wind, though I wasn’t sure if I’d get to see it. Fieo, the stubborn ass, refused to believe I’d be going to find the Collectors with his team, so I had no idea when the departure was planned. I’d assumed sooner rather than later, but maybe I’d still get to see the final bloom—some of the heads were already glowing a faint yellow.Jirulm snorted. “Beautiful… and dangerous.”I cocked my head sideways. “What do you mean?” Sometimes getting information out of the old alien was like pulling teeth. But when he did speak, he knew basically everything there was to know about plants on Caeorleia.“They gather energy, like sampanga trees, but so much in such a small sphere means when they touch something—or something touches them, like a careless finger—they explode.”I snatched my hand back. “Explode?” His lips twitched at the corners. It was probably the closest I’d come to seeing a smile on his face. “Oh, not enough to kill you, but you could easily lose a finger in the energy jolt that spreads the seeds. Luckily, these blooms are harmless.”“That doesn’t sound harmless! Why plant these in a garden if they’re so dangerous?” I couldn’t believe they were actually cultivating the damn things.“They attract insects to pollinate the other plants.” Jirulm tapped one long stem, and one of the creepy flying bugs crawled out of a waving puffball and flew to another vine a few beds over. “See.”That was one aspect of gardening I could do without. I did not like bugs. I had nightmares of them crawling inside my ears and laying eggs that would hatch into little buggy babies just dying to burrow into my brain. I backed away from the agvarali. “Well, feel free to prune these while I’m gone.”Thoughts of going into space again on the mission kept crowding into my mind, disturbing the peace I usually found in my garden. I tried pushing them away and succeeded for a while as Jirulm rambled on. After checking the natural spring fountain in the center of the garden that fed the irrigation lines, he left me alone. There was a small carpet of grass around it, the blades a dull gray in the silver light of the moons. Nighttime lent a certain somber feel to the garden, muting the usually vibrant displays; I sighed as I settled on the grass to stare up at the stars twinkling.There was a lot of beauty in the darkness.


Publisher: Dreamspinner Press  Cover Artist: Christine GriffinLength: 288 Pages, 110.5k

Buy Links:Dreamspinner Press: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/cosmic-inception-by-alicia-nordwell-7231-b
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cosmic-Inception-Saving-Caeorleia-Book-ebook/dp/B01HNGG5FM?ie=UTF8&qid=1467223649&ref_=la_B00BSNK0WQ_1_9&s=books&sr=1-9
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-cosmicinception-2061344-145.html
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cosmic-inception-alicia-nordwell/1124017736?ean=2940158348921



Where to Find More from Alicia Nordwell
Alicia Nordwell is one of those not so rare creatures, a reader turned writer. Striving to find something interesting to read one day, she decided to write what she wanted instead. Then the voices started ... Yep, not only does she talk about herself in the third person for bios, she has voices in her head constantly clamoring to get out.
Fortunately for readers, with the encouragement of her family and friends, she decided for her own sanity to keep writing. Now you can find her stories both free and e-published!She can be found quite often at her blog, where she has a lot of free fiction for readers to enjoy or working hard, or maybe hardly working, as an admin on GayAuthors.org under her online nickname, Cia. Oh yeah, she's a wife, mom of two, and lives in the dreary, yet ideal for her redhead complexion, Pacific Northwest. Except for when she disappears into one of the many worlds in her head, of course!    
Social Media:Cia’s Stories: http://www.ciasstories.blogspot.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/alicia.nordwell
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AliciaNordwell
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4479520.Alicia_Nordwell



Blog Tour Stops:
7-18: MM Good Books Review  :  Queer Sci-Fi Group


7-19:  Brilliant Disguise   :   Sinfully Gay Romance

7-20: M.A. Church   :  Prism Book Alliance

7-21: Love Bytes Reviews
7-22:  Nephy Hart  :  The Novel Approach
7-23:  Jim’s Blog   :  Carol Pedroso    
7-24: Mann Ramblings    
7-25:  Full Moon Dreaming    :   Dog-eared Daydreams
7-26:  Denise Wyant   :  Man2ManTastic
7-27:  Nature of the Heart   :  Bayou Book Junkie
7-28: Cia's Stories: Winners Revealed!






a Rafflecopter giveaway




~Name three things that would surprise your fans to know about you.
 Well I’m mostly an open book—some might call me an oversharer. Okay, more than some. Sometimes I have a serious twang to my voice, even though I live in the Pacific Northwest, because my family is southern. My kids love to tease me when I say winda instead of window, little monsters that they are. I spend a lot of time volunteering at my kids’ schools so even though I cuss like a trucker while driving, I’ve been knowing to mutter “Son of a bucket!” or “Fish!” when I’m at school. I nearly had the elementary librarian in hysterics trying to keep it clean no matter how many times the paper unstuck and fell on my head as I tried to turn the puppet theater into a 12 foot monster for the book fair. Last, but not least, I’m married to a wonderful man I met when I was just days after I turned 16. Yes, teenage love can endure! No, I am not telling you how many years ago that was!  
~ A lot of your writing contains non-human elements. What draws you to that?I can let my imagination go wild. It feels so much more creative than writing contemporary, so for me, it’s more interesting. I can combine old ideas with new twists and nobody can say, “That’s not realistic!” because it’s not meant to be. Plus I always worry that my contemporary stories are boring because while it’s not the reader’s life, it’s still real life... which can get really old sometimes.
~How do you come up with a title? Putting a bunch of suggestions on the page and doing the hand-over-the-eyes-blind-pick method? Random word generator? Pumping my fellow authors and beta readers for inspiration (poor M.A. Church and Renee Stevens, so ill-used!) I’ll never tell! Honestly, though, sometimes a story names itself, but usually it’s a lot of rattling off different ideas that might represent the plot/characters and then running it by the people who get my writing the most. I also try to always check sale sites and goodreads to make sure the title isn’t overused, especially in the MM genre.
~Where do you get your best ideas? Plagiarism. No, no, wait... put your eyes back in your head, I don’t really steal story ideas even though it feels that way sometimes. A lot of my paranormal or science fiction ideas come from twisting mythology, cryptozoology, or real life creepy animal attributes. Other stuff is just random. I have a cloak that projects an image of someone coming up from behind inspired by wearing a jacket with a hood during a rainstorm and being freaked out by someone touching my shoulder from behind/the shoulder where I couldn’t see them.

~Is there anything you’d like to tell? Maybe something in the works you would like to promotion? Feel free!
I post a 1k chapter each week with the Wednesday Briefers, and my current story is a paranormal werekin tale in an alternate Earth society. I did a poll of 4 different short stories to continue, so next in the pipeline for my flash fiction stories will be a scifi story focusing on touch deprivation, a post-apocalyptic mutation story, and a ‘what can it be’ story with multiple genre possibilities.
In my upcoming eBook releases I also have contemporary novella set in Washington State with Dreamspinner set to come out in October/November and a holiday themed self-published novella set to be released in November. 

Divine Promotions presents Average Gray by A.C. Katt and a giveaway

Author Name: A.C. KattBook Name: Average GraySeries: Sunset Club (You can read it as a standalone)Book: FiveRelease Date: July 19, 2016Publisher: MLR PressCover Artist: Lex ValentinePages or Words: 58,550Categories: Contemporary, gay, m/m, Jersey Shore
=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=

BlurbGrayson Grey spends all of his time working at the Sunset and taking care of his mother who has leukemia. He has a huge crush on Enzo Del Monte but Enzo seems to what to spend his time with the manager of the Sunset, Mike Green. Then Gray finds out that Mike is not gay, about to take Enzo for a large sum of money and is stealing from the Sunset. Gray attempts to ride to the rescue but winds up being rescued himself=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=ExcerptGray put Bobby’s Heineken in front of him and shot a dark glare at Mike down the end of the bar. Bobby raised an eyebrow. Gray grunted in disgust. “All Mike wants is his money. He’s a poser.” Gray finished polishing the highball glass and held it up to the light to check for fingerprints. He placed the glass next to the others on the mirrored shelf. “He’s been trying to tap into Enzo’s wallet since he met him.”“Why would you say that?” Bobby’s leg twitched. It always did that when he was upset. Up in everyone’s business as always, he was interested in why Gray disliked Mike.“Because he’s straight. He’s the only bartender in the place who is and Keith and Zach don’t know.”“Jason worked with the guy, he vouched for him.” Bobby’s leg twitched so hard he had to hold it down. Since his friend Jack married Carlo, Carlo’s extended family bonded with Jack’s adopted family. Bobby didn’t like the fact that Mike was playing games, not only with one of his husband’s customers, but with Enzo, Carlo’s cousin, who Bobby considered to be one of his own.“When Jason told Mike that a job was available at the Sunset, he jumped at the chance. He knew how much money he could make here. Besides, Keith couldn’t have refused him the job just because he’s straight. But even though he had to know that, he lied to Keith’s face.” Gray washed another glass. “Mike would have pretended to be a Martian if that would have gotten him the job. He knew if he was gay, he’d get better tips.”“How do you know all this, if Jason doesn’t?” Bobby’s voice switched to a lower, gruffer register and he tightened his grip on his glass.“I’ve seen him around town with his girlfriend. When he introduced me, he said her name was Cathy, that was it, no point of reference. I saw them at the mall. I needed to pick something up for Mom. Cathy left us to go to a store when he dragged me aside and told me she was his sister. Why wouldn’t he plain introduce her as his sister? Why would he draw me aside?” Gray put the last glass on the rack with a little more force than necessary.“Maybe his sister doesn’t know he’s gay.” Bobby’s brows drew together. At this point, his leg was banging against the rungs of the bar stool.“Do you play tonsil hockey with your sister? I was waiting in line to get into the movies last Monday night when I saw them. My neighbor sat with my mom so I could get away for a few hours. I didn’t want to talk work so I avoided him and he didn’t see me. I sat on the other side of the theater to the back. They made out throughout the entire show. Somebody has to tell Enzo.” Gray’s fist clenched around the bar towel.“Why don’t you tell Enzo?” Bobby asked with mistrust.“You know damn well why.” Gray snapped the bar towel. “Enzo doesn’t know I exist. I like Enzo, a lot, and I’d love it if he noticed me, but even if I can’t have him, I can’t let Mike do him dirty. Mike needs money. He’s going to ask Enzo for a loan. He’s planning on skipping town once he gets the check.” Gray wiped at the bar furiously. “He’s been playing Enzo since day one.”Bobby leaned over the bar, leg moving up and down like a carnival horse. “And you know this how?”“No one pays me much attention. I’m average, nondescript, plain faced, medium height—people tend to overlook average. They see handsome, ugly, tall, short, but not average—gray. My name suits me, Grayson Grey. Mike didn’t notice I was there when he was on the phone with Cathy. He told her he’d get the money from Enzo and they’d elope to Las Vegas. He said he’s been setting Enzo up since the bachelor party and she shouldn’t worry. Enzo was chaffing at the bit and would give it to him without a question. From what I could hear, and I admit, I stood there and eavesdropped, she was pissed because he gambled away their savings.” Gray sighed and took Bobby’s empty glass off the bar. “Enzo doesn’t see me either, but I can’t let Mike do that to him.” Gray swiped at his eyes with the bar towel.=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=Buy the book=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=

GiveawayFirst four books of serieshttp://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6d41b92d73
=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=Meet the AuthorAC Katt was born in New York City’s Greenwich Village. She remembers sitting at the fountain in Washington Square Park listening to folk music while they passed the hat.  At nine, her parents dragged her to New Jersey where she grew up, married and raised four children and became a voracious reader of romantic fiction. At one time she owned over two thousand novels, until she and her husband took themselves and the cat to New Mexico for their health and its great beauty.Now, most of AC’s books are electronic (although she still keeps six bookcases of hardcovers), so she never has to give away another book. AC is a late bloomer, however, she claims to have found her niche writing LGBT romance.
Where to find the author:Facebook: Mary Lynn Hansel & AC KattFacebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AC-Katt-62628106022Twitter: @ackattPinterest: A.C, KattBlog: ackattsjournal.com=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=