Tawdra Kandle's Blog, page 28

Always Our Love #TeaserTuesday Sneak Peek!

 

ALWAYS OUR LOVE
releases in ONE week!
Let’s celebrate with a little teaser, shall we?

~~~***~~~

I wasn’t sure if she was aware of it or not, but Jenna’s fingers had begun stroking the back of my hand. It sent shivers up my spine and reminded other parts of my body that I wasn’t dead yet. I shifted, moving a little closer, so that my face was near hers.

“Do you think maybe you’re ready to move out of maintaining and into real life, Jenna? Are you ready to be brave?”

She swallowed, and I could see the rise and fall of her throat. “I don’t know. Maybe. I want to . . . try. I think.”

“Let us be part of that, the kids and me.” I took a risk and repeated my move from earlier, turning my hand and capturing her fingers. She froze, but she didn’t pull away from me. “We can help you start moving on. Let us into your life. Open that door.” I paused for a breath, as something occurred to me. “It would be good for Becca, too. She’s stuck in her own form of limbo, where she feels like if she can keep everyone safe, life is controllable. I’d like her to realize it’s okay to start being brave again.”

“What does that mean? Letting you into my life. You mean . . . we’d be friends?”

I wanted to laugh at that. Yeah, friends was a start, but it wasn’t where I wanted to end. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for anything else. I hadn’t been looking for anything else. But the idea of possibility, with this woman, kind of intrigued me.

“Sure. Beyond just work friends. I want you to step out of your safety zone, and we’ll help you do it.”

“How far out of my safety zone?” She frowned, suspicious.

“Let’s say coming over for dinner. Hanging out with us. Inviting us to your place. Having a social life and interaction beyond and outside of your family.”

Jenna was thinking about it, I could tell. Uncertainty and eagerness battled behind her eyes. I waited to see which would win.

“Okay.” She nodded. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll give it a shot. It won’t be easy. I’ve been shutting people out for a long time.”

“I know. But this is good, Jenna. For all of us. And we’ll move slow, as slow as you need.”

“All right.” Her fingers curled around my hand, holding tight. “Thank you, Linc. Thank you for listening. Thanks for not making me feel like an idiot.”

I fought the urge to lift her hand to my lips. Baby steps.

“Any time, sugar.”

Above our heads, there was a sudden explosion, and color filled the black sky. I moved a little so that my back was against the side of Jenna’s chair and leaned, looking up. She was close to me, our hands were linked, and although I hadn’t yet dared to take the time to figure out what the hell I was doing here, there was no place else I wanted to be.

~~~***~~~

Preorder your copy now!
iBooks/Amazon/Nook/Kobo/Google

Feel The RUSH of Passion!

Don’t waste a single second… preorder RED HOT SIZZLE now so you’ll have it on your ereader the second it releases! Stock up for summer reading with ONE phenomenally

sexy, hot box set!

 

Fourteen new book boyfriends are here to woo you in this big box! Sit back, send the kids outside to play, and indulge in this sinfully delicious sampler of NYT, USA Today, and best-selling authors. Are you ready to dive into decadent stories about hit men, tech moguls, shifters, new neighbors, bosses, lumberjacks, military men, motorcycle guys, and rock stars?

These great books are just the thing for those long, lazy summer days sunning at the beach, hanging out beside the pool, or lounging around on vacation. Some are sweet, some are just for fun, and some are Red Hot!

Pre-order to get this special box set of best-selling books before it’s gone forever!

Amazon

B&N

Google Play

Kobo

iBooks

This sizzling set includes the following red hot stories:

Chloe by Lacey Silks ~ Axel Wagner saved me in more than one way, and then I ruined it by letting him touch me. He’s no longer just an employer–he’s my everything.

Dream On by Blair Babylon ~ A new story about Alexandre and Georgie, the Duke and Duchess of Valentinois, and other rock stars.

Bumpy Ride by Olivia Rigal ~ You’d think I’d know better. Better than to fall for a biker, and one from a different MC. Better than to get knocked up by a Nomad who vanished without a trace. Better than to try and hide it from my family.

Banshee by Sarah M. Cradit ~ I was eighteen when I died. But then, at eighteen, I was reborn.

Picked by the Billionaire by Daizie Draper ~ The fiery rebound-sex arrangement a dumped and already broken florist dives into with a tech mogul puts her heart in peril again.

Two Much for You by Sky Corgan ~ Two hot men just moved in across the street. I never thought they would show up on my doorstep. And what they want is far from conventional.

Two Wingmen and a Baby by Daisy Prescott ~ Hold onto your ovaries because this short features John, Tom Cat, and sweet Baby Day. Surely two alpha men can take care of one baby, right?

Witch In the Window (Bend-Bite-Shift Next Gen-1) by ~ Olivia Hardin ~ As if college finals aren’t bad enough, Chelsea’s witch radar tells her the delivery man who frequents her front door is more than he seems to be.

Right: A Hitman Romance by V. J. Chambers ~ Giovanni Gallo meant to kill Sable Clarke, not fall for her. What seems wrong actually turns out to be something so right.

Tutoring the Wolf by Jacqueline Sweet & Devon March ~ When she’s forced to tutor to a bad boy shifter, Cassie has no idea how much she’ll learn about herself, or how much fun she’ll have doing it.

Yours by Kim Linwood ~ Bianca met the man of her dreams in paradise, but their real lives are an ocean apart. Can he convince her that their love is worth the risk after the fairy tale ends?

Blooming Hearts by Felicia Tatum ~ First love blooms as Francesca and Cade slowly begin their descent into the depths of true love.



Taking Charge by Shannon Macallan ~ Miranda expects Charleston to be hot, humid and boring as hell. What she finds instead is an entirely different heat with a cadet from a South Carolina military academy.

Chasing Shadows by Sophia Barron ~ When Delilah’s witchy ways threaten to pierce Joe’s shadows; the jaguar shifter must choose between darkness and light for eternity. Will bonds of love save their world or destroy it?

SO PRE-ORDER IT NOW!

Amazon

B&N

Google Play

THEN Enter to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#MusicMonday Always Our Love Play List

 

All of my Burton books are set to the best country songs. So it was only fitting that ALWAYS OUR LOVE, the third book in the Always Love Trilogy, includes some of my favorite hometown hits!
You can check out the list below and on Spotify (where you can follow me and see all of my books’ playlists).

I Can’t Make You Love Me     Bonnie Raitt

Die A Happy Man                   Thomas Rhett

Cowboy Take Me Away           Dixie Chicks

Come On Get Higher              Sugarland

This One’s For the Girls        Martina McBride

For My Broken Heart             Reba McEntire

No Place That Far                  Sara Evans

Summer                                   Cassadee Pope

Long Hot Summer                  Keith Urban

Different for Girls                   Dierks Bentley, Elle King

The Boys and Me                    Sawyer Brown

You and Forever and Me        Little Texas

Song of the South                    Alabama

Something to Talk About         Bonnie Raitt

Preorder your copy now!
iBooks/Amazon/Nook/Kobo/Google

Faith might not look like you think it does.

Last week, I launched this new weekly feature of the blog. What does faith on Friday mean?

It means that for many of us, it’s easy to have faith on Sundays, when we’re in church, perhaps, surrounded by people who believe at least a little what we do. It’s probably easy to have faith while we’re singing worship songs or timeless hymns, or praying together, or taking part in Eucharist.

But then we go out into the real world, with people who don’t believe what we do and with people who are actively hostile to our faith. The world is not designed to foster an easy growth of faith; in fact, we know for sure that it can be just the opposite. The cares and worries and challenges can erode us until we’re clinging by the thinnest thread to what seemed so clear on Sunday.

So how do we keep the faith when it seems impossible to find? I don’t have tons of answers. I know talking about what’s hard sometimes helps. Realizing that I’m not alone is always comforting. Reading about how others are coping is encouraging, too. And reaching out to lift up others who might be struggling, too, always ends up helping me as much as it does them, if not more.

Realizing.

Reading.

Reaching.

Hey, I didn’t even plan that. But for those of us who are people of faith, that’s not surprising, because we know that the plans of He who is greater than us are far better than our own.

 

 

Always Our Love

Preorder now!

 

 

Feel the Rush of Passion!

Stock up for summer reading with ONE phenomenally

sexy, hot box set!

Fourteen new book boyfriends are here to woo you in this big box! Sit back, send the kids outside to play, and indulge in this sinfully delicious sampler of NYT, USA Today, and best-selling authors. Are you ready to dive into decadent stories about hit men, tech moguls, shifters, new neighbors, bosses, lumberjacks, military men, motorcycle guys, and rock stars?

These great books are just the thing for those long, lazy summer days sunning at the beach, hanging out beside the pool, or lounging around on vacation. Some are sweet, some are just for fun, and some are Red Hot!

Pre-order to get this special box set of best-selling books before it’s gone forever!

PRE-ORDER IT!

Amazon

B&N

Google Play

This sizzling set includes the following red hot stories:

Chloe by Lacey Silks ~ Axel Wagner saved me in more than one way, and then I ruined it by letting him touch me. He’s no longer just an employer–he’s my everything.

Dream On by Blair Babylon ~ A new story about Alexandre and Georgie, the Duke and Duchess of Valentinois, and other rock stars.

Bumpy Ride by Olivia Rigal ~ You’d think I’d know better. Better than to fall for a biker, and one from a different MC. Better than to get knocked up by a Nomad who vanished without a trace. Better than to try and hide it from my family.

Banshee by Sarah M. Cradit ~ I was eighteen when I died. But then, at eighteen, I was reborn.

Picked by the Billionaire by Daizie Draper ~ The fiery rebound-sex arrangement a dumped and already broken florist dives into with a tech mogul puts her heart in peril again.

Two Much for You by Sky Corgan ~ Two hot men just moved in across the street. I never thought they would show up on my doorstep. And what they want is far from conventional.

Two Wingmen and a Baby by Daisy Prescott ~ Hold onto your ovaries because this short features John, Tom Cat, and sweet Baby Day. Surely two alpha men can take care of one baby, right?

Witch In the Window (Bend-Bite-Shift Next Gen-1) by ~ Olivia Hardin ~ As if college finals aren’t bad enough, Chelsea’s witch radar tells her the delivery man who frequents her front door is more than he seems to be.

Right: A Hitman Romance by V. J. Chambers ~ Giovanni Gallo meant to kill Sable Clarke, not fall for her. What seems wrong actually turns out to be something so right.

Tutoring the Wolf by Jacqueline Sweet & Devon March ~ When she’s forced to tutor to a bad boy shifter, Cassie has no idea how much she’ll learn about herself, or how much fun she’ll have doing it.

Yours by Kim Linwood ~ Bianca met the man of her dreams in paradise, but their real lives are an ocean apart. Can he convince her that their love is worth the risk after the fairy tale ends?

Blooming Hearts by Felicia Tatum ~ First love blooms as Francesca and Cade slowly begin their descent into the depths of true love.



Taking Charge by Shannon Macallan ~ Miranda expects Charleston to be hot, humid and boring as hell. What she finds instead is an entirely different heat with a cadet from a South Carolina military academy.

Chasing Shadows by Sophia Barron ~ When Delilah’s witchy ways threaten to pierce Joe’s shadows; the jaguar shifter must choose between darkness and light for eternity. Will bonds of love save their world or destroy it?

SO PRE-ORDER IT NOW!

Amazon

B&N

Google Play

THEN Enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Is football the sexiest sport?

We’re going to say yes.
The Keeping Score Trilogy
Sports Romances
Choose your favorite retailer
and get your Liam fix.
Now.
When We Were Us
iBooks/Amazon/Nook/Kobo/Google Play
Hanging By A Moment
 Amazon/iBooks/Google/Nook/Kobo
Days of You and Me
Coming in September
Preorder exclusively at iBooks today!

 

 

 

July Multi-Author Giveaway!

Welcome to the 4th of July Summer of Reading Giveaway!

The authors below are offering up $150 Amazon Gift Card to you can get your read on!

Please check out the books below, some are Free, Free with KU, or Inexpensive.

Young Adult

New Adult

Sweet Romance

Contemporary Romance

Women’s Fiction

Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy

Science Fiction

Want to win a $150 Amazon Gift Card? Follow the authors in the rafflecopter below for a chance. Open WW 18+ Ends July 20, 2016 @ 11:59 PM EST

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It’s Hard to Have Faith on Fridays

{For a long time, I’ve had plans to write a weekly post on faith and what it looks like today. I even set up the category on my site here: Faith on Fridays. I hoped to begin at Advent last year, and then again earlier this year. For a variety of reasons, that didn’t happen. But this morning, I woke up and knew today was the day. 

I am an author, and my site is about that. But I am also a woman of great faith, and not allowing myself to express that in some form is not being true to myself. I don’t force my beliefs on anyone else, and I don’t ask that my readers agree with me. You don’t have to read this weekly post. But I have to write it. I hope you’ll stick with me through it, and perhaps comment and start a dialogue, no matter your background and your own beliefs.}

~~~***~~~

Last night, I was just about to go to sleep, skimming through social media for one last check before bed. I saw the first posts about a shooting in Dallas. This time, it wasn’t police shooting an unarmed black man; it was police who were being shot during a protest. I stayed up, watching CNN until I couldn’t take it anymore. When I went to sleep, they were saying ten had been shot and two were dead. When I woke up this Friday morning, the numbers had changed; twelve shot, five dead.

It’s hard to have faith on Fridays.

Earlier in the week, I had been sickened and frustrated and angry about the two black men who were shot by police officers–one in Baton Rouge, one in Minnesota. I was horrified. This is America. On Monday we celebrated the anniversary of our freedom, of our proclamation that ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL. All men. All women. Black, white, and every other color in between or beyond. Regardless of sexual identity, gender affiliation, religion, lack of religion and cultural background. All men are created equal. We have defended that peculiar notion for over two hundred years, we have bled for it and our soldiers have died for it. Yet we do not live it out. Not by a long shot.

It’s hard to have faith on Fridays.

My faith is rooted deep, from seeds planted in my childhood, carefully cultivated by so many men and women and books who helped shape what I believe and in Whom I believe. I follow Jesus, who tells us that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. I try my best to make my everyday choices reflect that belief. I know that He is still in charge. I know that He is the ultimate victor. I know who wins this war.

But it’s hard to have faith on Fridays.

Several thousand years ago, on a Friday in Jerusalem, a man of peace, a man of love, Son of God, son of man, of His own free will, gave up His life for me and for you (whether you believe it or accept it or not) in a shameful, horrific death on the cross. He’d been the hope of a generation, beloved of His many followers, and within hours, he was dead, laid in a borrowed tomb.

It’s hard to have faith on Fridays.

If that were the end of the story, then what I believe would be futile. If that were the end of the story, then we could look around our nation and our world and have no reason for hope. If that were the end of the story, we should just give up.

But it’s not the end, because on Sunday, that tomb broke open and Jesus rose again, defeating death.

In the face of pain and horror and devastating loss, communities pull together. We support each other. We love despite differences. We embrace strangers. We march for peace. We hold our legislators accountable for making and enforcing laws that will make our nation safer and stronger, a country where ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL and are treated equitably and with dignity.

It’s hard to have faith on Fridays. But we hold on. We believe for a better day and a better way. We walk in His way, offering compassion and grace and love.

This isn’t the end. Love bats last, and there is not a single doubt in my mind about Who wins.

Keep the faith, even on Fridays.

Character Counts

I’ve written and spoken before about my tendency to be a character-driven writer. For me, it’s the people, their past, their motivations and their relationships that make me want to know more.

Nowhere has this been more evident than in the book about to be released. In Always Our Love, the main characters are Jenna Sutton and Lincoln Turner. I am fairly certain that this is first of my books where both main characters were introduced in earlier books in separate series (the Crystal Cove Romances do have previously-introduced leads, but all from the same series).

Jenna Sutton was first mentioned in The Only One, as a cousin of main character Rilla Grant. I needed a babysitter for Mason’s daughter Piper, and since Rilla had just ‘found’ her absentee mother’s brother Boomer, it worked to have his daughter jump into the fray. At that point, all we knew was that Jenna was the youngest of the Sutton. I knew Boomer had all daughters, because he had bemoaned to Sam (in The Last One) the fact that he was overrun by females at home.

When I knew there would be three more books set in Burton, Georgia, I knew that Maureen Evans, sister of Flynn, would be the lead in one book, and one of my readers suggested Jenna as another. I noted her mentally, but to me, Jenna was young and pretty one-dimensional. I wasn’t sure she would work.

But as it turned out, a lot happened to Jenna Sutton between her babysitting gigs and her book. And it all had to do with Trent Wagoner.

At this point, I had Maureen as a lead for one book, I had Jenna as a lead for another but I needed one more. For some reason, Trent Wagoner kept popping into my head. I’ve written elsewhere that Trent was not my first choice of lead, but he grew on me. But what made this admitted man-whore changed his stripes?

We first heard about what happened between Trent and Jenna in Always For You, when Maureen tells Smith the story she’d heard. We got a little more insight when Trent showed up in Crystal Cove for the Christmas short Underneath My Christmas Tree, and even more during Trent’s book, Always My Own. But we never actually see Jenna until she stops in at Kiki’s bakery in the short My One and Always.

Writing from Jenna’s point of view was a huge relief after nearly a year of telling her story through others’ eyes. We’d gotten bits and pieces of Jenna–clues about her character, how she had changed since her introduction–but finally, we could see why she’d made some of the choices she did, as well as what was she was struggling with currently.

Jenna and Linc are both in recovery from different trauma. (We’ll talk about Linc next week.) Their wounds are what make them both interesting and appealing, and how they move on, both together and alone, is what makes the story.

~~~***~~~

You can preorder
ALWAYS OUR LOVE
now!
iBooks/Amazon/Nook/Kobo

 

And the first two books
ALWAYS FOR YOU
iBooks/Amazon/Nook/Kobo/Google
and
ALWAYS MY OWN
iBooks/Amazon/Nook/Google/Kobo 
are available now.