Lynn Cahoon's Blog, page 38

Release – Sins of the Undead Patriot by a.c. Mason

A Fairy Tale Life is proud to host  a.c. Mason and her hot, new Lyrical release, Sins of the Undead Patriot.

Sins of the Undead Patriot by a.c. Mason

To save the President, Vaihan must trust the woman who betrayed him.

Vaihan Louchian, Ancient Zombie and Special Advisor to the President, dabbles in contracts for Homeland Security in Washington DC, the only remaining demilitarized zone. His latest mission: to seduce delectable Leera Waltz so he can take down her boyfriend Rowley, leader of the anti-zombie terrorist movement. Vaihan and the President work the Bill of Undead Rights through the Senate, but terrorist attacks rise. The futures of the living and undead are in jeopardy, and Ms. Waltz is not all she seems. Vaihan can’t help being more interested in rescuing her than in his assignment. Any human female who’s willing to put up with the complications of lovemaking with him and his bouts of OCD is worth the hassle.

Vaihan is powerful, intelligent and kind. So not what Leera expected of an undead. When she’s forced to betray Vaihan, she knows he will never understand. She must return to Rowley, and slips deeper into the city’s dark underworld. Then Vaihan’s suspected in an assassination attempt against the President, and Leera has to find the courage to do what’s right and save him, or lose not only Vaihan and the leader of the free world, but her heart and soul.

WARNING: Questionable sexual situations that will disturb some readers, such as abuse, bondage and drug use. Graphic violence and sex, including taboo play. M/F. M/F/M. M/M. And the sexiest undead civil servant you’ll ever meet.

Excerpt:

“Leera.” Vaihan breathed out her name.

She darted a look at him, eyes shimmering with tears. Wind tossed her curls in all directions. What a horrid feeling indeed, to be trapped among the living when all you wanted to be was dead. Once, he too had longed for the cycle to end, but not anymore. Not in a long time.

“Don’t come over here. My mascara has made a mess of my face.” She bent toward the side mirror of the silver SUV, her plump bottom pushed out.

“It’s going to take a lot more than smudged makeup to do that.” He cocked his head to admire the seam between her thighs. “You’re gorgeous.”

The corner of her mouth twitched upward. “You are some kind of smooth talker.” She lifted upright then spun toward him.

Admittedly, he stood too close but he itched to touch her again.

When she attempted to step back, he scooped his arm behind her, resting his fingers against the bare skin of her open-backed gown.

A breath hitched at her lips. As her heart rate accelerated, her eyes widened with fear.

“Not so fast.” He steadied her. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

She wrapped her hands around the upper part of her body, creating a barrier. Goose bumps covered her exposed arms.

He unfastened the buttons of his jacket, slipped off the garment and then rested it on her shoulders.

“You don’t have to.” Her gazed traveled from his neck to where two buttons were undone on his dress shirt.

Did she like what she saw? For now, he’d content himself with not finding disgust in her eyes. As her dark gaze rose, it met his, and her body relaxed. A run of black makeup was smeared beneath her eyes. He pressed his thumb to her skin, wiping away tears and mascara.

She reached for his hand, then pressed his flesh to hers. “You’re so hot.”

“I’ll have you know, I’m not just good looks.” He let his hand rest in the small of her back.

“I meant your skin.”

“Of course you did. I’m undead. My appearance is usually a cause for fear.” Most of his kind paid for human female companionship. He’d never needed to. Zombies had their own underground scene. Lavish nightclubs, where humans offered themselves up blindfolded, tied up and bound to the wall or ceiling in exchange for a taste of poison. These places provided a safe environment where the undead could feast on the living in a number of ways.

Not his cup of tea.

“Hmm.” She angled her head. “Given the lines of your brow, nose and lips with the structure of your jaw, I’d say you’re easy on the eyes.”

In mere moments of knowing him, she’d been able to see him as more than his scary exterior.

“Undead of my persuasion have a body temperature that is about six degrees hotter than humans.” With his index finger, he tucked a rogue curl behind her ear.

“Guess that’s why I’m not chilly anymore.” She met his stare.

“Here I thought the change was your attraction to me.” He smiled.

Born from the union of her Scottish and Belgian mother and an African American and Cherokee father, a.c.Mason’s youth was filled with dichotomies and moving from place to place. She developed a curiosity to explore through writing the seedy side of our nature and desires. Given her own diverse background, 

It’s My Birthday Week! Help find a Cure.

So, in order to celebrate, I’m giving you a chance to help me support Komen’s fight against breast cancer.

Some of you know I’m coming up on my five year anniversary. In fact, the last day I had radiation treatment was October 3, 2007.  Time to party.

And since chocolate cake doesn’t mail well, especially with vanilla ice cream, here’s how you can celebrate with me.

Buy a copy of The Bull Rider’s Brother between now and Sunday night at midnight.  Send me a copy/scan of your receipt and I’ll donate a portion of my profits to Komen’s fight against breast cancer.

Easy, peasy.

Here’s the Amazon link to get you started. http://www.amazon.com/The-Bull-Riders-Brother-ebook/dp/B008195C2I

Or, if you’re in the St. Louis area, Main Street Books has copies in stock.  Or, if you see me on a daily basis, I’ve got a limited supply of paper copies to sell.

Buy the book, (digital costs less than a cup of good coffee…) send me a receipt, I’ll make a donation at the end of the week. 

Or just make a donation to your favorite charity.

Although I will miss the cake.  :)

Free Read – The Musical Matchmaker

In order to celebrate the upcoming release of A Member of the Council – Lyrical Press – I decided to post a free read.  Emma thought her life full, raising Lexi and managing her new business, but Lexi had other plans.

The Musical Matchmaker –By Lynn Cahoon

             “Don’t forget your piano lesson.” Emma Grey popped an apple and a homemade cheesecake brownie into Lexi’s lunch sack.  Since Emma switched jobs, she’d gained a few pounds mostly from her stress cooking.  She’d gone from managing a busy retail store to being a virtual assistant to a local authors group. Now her days were spent in front of the computer or in the kitchen. Thank God her skinny daughter liked to eat.

“Jenny and I are studying for Chemistry tonight.  What are you making for dinner?” Lexi finished the last bite of her waffle, rinsing the plate at the sink.

Ignoring the rumble the warm maple syrup smell caused in her stomach, Emma mixed her raisin bran with skim milk while she thought about Lexi’s question. Making dinner for her and her sixteen-year-old was the highlight of her day.  Friends accused her of watching soaps and talk shows but she had a different vice.

The food network.

“I’m been thinking about potato gnocchi. Maybe some sweet sausage marinara and a green salad?”

“Add some garlic bread and it will be heaven.”  Lexi grabbed her backpack and slipped in her lunch sack.  “Will there be enough for a guest?”

“Tell Jenny she’s welcome to stay.”  Emma sipped her coffee, enjoying a few minutes of quiet.

“See you tonight.”  Lexi called from the hallway.

“Don’t forget your piano lesson.”  Then added, “Love you.”

“Love you, too.” And with that, Lexi was gone.  Emma loved the boundless energy of her daughter.  After Neil had died, joy just disappeared, for both mother and daughter.  Lexi bounced back but Emma was stuck in pause.

What was she going to do with herself when Lexi went to college?

Emma glanced at her reflection, her brown curls bounced, her green eyes glinting with mischief.

Maybe we’ll travel.  Or sail?  Meet a Greek tycoon?

“Maybe pigs will fly,” she muttered.  Emma walked into her office. Working at home had one advantage, she could work in her pajamas all day.

Emma hung up the phone and turned off her computer.  Off the clock.  She quickly dressed in jeans and a tee shirt.  Lexi would be mortified if she came home with Jenny and her mother was in her pj’s.  Again.

Emma pulled out her notebook.  There, was the handwritten recipe she’d copied from her favorite show.

An hour later, the first two batches were in the trash. Emma blew her bangs out of her eyes in frustration. “You forgot to tell me something,” she accused the television.

This was her last try.  Then dried spaghetti.

The doorbell rang.  She opened the door to find Lexi’s piano teacher.  His lopsided grin told her that her apron wasn’t the only thing covered in flour.

She glanced around the man who looked more like a body builder than a piano teacher. Fear gripped her. “Did something happen?”

“Lexi said your piano needed tuning?”

Relief flooded through Emma and she held the door open. “Come in.”

“Cooking?”  He sniffed the air.  “Smells like Grammy Rossetti’s.”

“Trying, but so far, it’s gnocchi two, me zip.”  She grinned.  “Your grandmother was Italian?”

“Straight off the boat.”  He nodded to the music room.  “All right if I start?”

“Sure.”  Dark hair, dark eyes, she saw the part Italian in his face.

Emma went into the kitchen and dialed her daughter’s cell.  No answer, she left a message. “Call me.”

She started beating the eggs.  Going over the ingredient list one more time, she jumped when her cell rang.

“Lexi, where are you?”  Music flowed through the house calming her.

“At  Jenny’s.”

Emma stared at the doorway.  “The piano doesn’t need tuned.”

Giggles came across the cell.

She’d been set up.

“Now listen here young lady, don’t think…”

“Have fun!”  Lexi cut her off and the line went dead.  The music had stopped as well.

“Everything okay?” Derek slipped on a stool at the other side of the granite island.

“My matchmaker daughter.”

“I should have known.”

Mortified, she stirred the potato mixture.

“Is that the gnocchi?  It looks like paste.”

Emma sighed and plopped on a stool.  “I give up.”

Derek glanced at the recipe. “It’s been a while, but I think you’re missing a few ingredients.  Can I try?”  He reached for the bowl.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to hold you up.”

“Grandma Rossetti would roll over in her grave if I left you stranded.”  He pulled the bowl out of her hands.

“Thanks.”  Emma poured a fresh pot of water for the stove.

“You’ll be amazed my skills in the kitchen.  Next week, I’ll cook.”

“Next week?”

“When I ask you out on a real date.”  He smiled, whisking the eggs.

Maybe this was one music lesson Lexi could miss.

September musing

I’ve just finished a novella and sent it off into the universe with much well wishes.  This story started as a short, written for Women’s World.  When they passed, I added 20000 words, give or take, and made it into the current version.  I really love these characters. a heroine who can’t see her own value,  the knight in delivery clothing, and a cocker spaniel puppy to mix it up.

What is it with ideas that won’t let you go?  I’ve been playing with this idea since I worked at a long term care facility (read nursing home) and the Fed Ex gal and the UPS guy were married to each other.  I knew there was a story there, just haven’t been able to massage it until now.

Same happened with my first essay I sold.  I’d been carrying around the nugget for The Sweet Smell of Summer for years before I finally wrote the story about how my family all got together to freeze corn once a year.

Now I’m working on a new cozy mystery with series potential. Being a pantser in the discovery draft sometimes is a hard place to live.  But I know the story is there, somewhere.  I just have to remember it.

So, readers, what are you working on?  What book has caught your fancy this month?  Or are you still adjusting to back to school?

 

RT Wolfe – Debut Author- Visits A Fairy Tale Life

Please help me welcome fellow Crimson Romance author R.T. Wolfe to A Fairy Tale Life.  I’m so excited to be part of her book release blog tour. 

Without further ado, let’s get started. Tell us about your release.

First of all, let me say thank you, Lynn for having me on your lovely blog today!

Black Creek Burning is a romantic suspense. Set in upstate New York, it’s a story about taking chances with your heart… and about family, trust and passion.  Witnessing the murder of her parents was a brutal day for Brie Chapman. Learning her parents died in her place was almost unbearable. It took her years to overcome and move on as no suspects were found. Unknowingly, she ignites the dormant killer into coming back to finish the job. Nathan Reed moves in behind her with his two adorable nephews he’s raising as his own. Patiently, he transforms Brie from an icy self-proclaimed independent into a woman willing to accept not only the help of a strong man, but the love of a family.

How many books have you written?

Black Creek Burning is the first in the Black Creek Trilogy. Book two, To Fly in the Shadows, is a book about the most upcoming doctor of conservation and biology in the northeast who specializes in the banding and rehabilitation of eagles. She has a violent past her mother could not keep her hidden from as she grew older and the love of her life grew up to be a land developer. Sometimes love can conquer all obstacles. To Fly in the Shadows will be released after the first of the year and the final installment of the trilogy, Dark Vengeance, will come out next summer. So fun.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I’m not sure who loves working together more, my golden retriever or myself, but one of my favorite past times is training dogs. I’m quite an animal lover and can be found attending a flyover of human-raised endangered Whooping cranes or tending to the monarch and swallowtail caterpillars I enjoy raising in the summer months.

I’ve flipped two and a half houses, meaning I buy them, fix them up and sell them. The half of a flipped house is the one I bought, fixed up but decided to stay in! My husband and I are not your ordinary couple. I do all the work outside, meaning the landscape design, planting and outdoor building and maintaining. He works inside on the trim, cabinets, and furniture.

I also have my green belt in Tae Kwan Do and have taught Pilates and Kickboxing for a very long time. In the daytime, I have the honor of working with wondrous children as a teacher in the public school system.

What makes a good story?

Taking the reader out of this world and into another. Using the readers’ emotions and their senses to live the story, feel for the characters and see what the author is seeing.  A good story is when a reader contacts me to say, “I’m almost done and I don’t want it to end.” So sweet!

How do you come up with ideas?

Ha! You have the right to remain silent. What you do and say might be used in one of my novels.

You can learn more about R.T. and Black Creek Rising at her website - http://www.rtwolfe.com

R.T. Wolfe Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/RTWolfe2012
R.T. Wolfe on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RT_Wolfe
R.T. Wolfe’s Pinterest Page: http://www.pinterest.com/RTWolfe

Now, more about Black Creek Burning. 

Brianna Chapman learns to handle just about anything. Witnessing the murder of her parents had that effect. Knowing the unsolved arson had been meant for her is the one thing she can’t handle. Instead of dwelling, she stuffs her guilt soundly into her subconscious through diving into the teaching job she loves by day and the dirt of the landscaping business she owns by night. Her habit of remaining aloof to personal relationships is, well, working.

Will her guilt be as easy to keep buried if the killer comes back to finish the job?

 In the midst of juggling a scorched yard, dead animals on her doorstep and her vandalized car, the one thing she didn’t count on was the staggering Nathan Reed. A nationally renowned woodworking artist, Nathan and his two priceless nephews move into the run-down historical house behind her and over Black Creek. They have a canny way of maneuvering around her aloof demeanor and into her heart. Will they still want to be part of her life when they discover she is haunted by past memories and hunted by present dangers?

Leave a comment to be entered into R.T’s Blog Tour giveaway – $40 in Amazon or BN giftcards. Stop by her website to get a complete list of all the blog spots to increase your chances of winning. 

Pre-order Black Creek Burning at Amazon:  http://amzn.to/QM6dNU

Busy Fall – Even without Back to School

The last two weeks I’ve been running around, doing everything but writing.  But that’s going to change.  Soon.

St. Louis had a visit from the amazing Eloisa James at the first of September.  Listing to her talk about her life change after cancer, I wished I’d moved to Paris.  :)  Maybe it will go on my bucket list.

Tuesday I posted on Make Mine Mystery – and the effect 9/11 had on me and my family, even on the other side of the country.  Stop by and tell me where you were. http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/2012/09/where-were-you.html

Wednesday I’m featured on Christine Warner’s blog, What to Read Wednesday.  And there’s a giveaway. http://christine-warner.com/2012/09/12/what-to-read-wednesday-41/

And Friday, I’m back on New Kids. http://www.newkidonthewritersblock.blogspot.com/

Stop by one or more. And tell me what you’re doing to keep busy.  Back to school got you scrambling?

Care for a little Chicken Soup?

I’ve got an essay in the latest Chicken Soup for the Soul – Hope and Healing for Your Breast Cancer Journey.  The book releases on Tuesday so to celebrate – I’m blogging over at my good friend Elizabeth Lynn Casey’s blog – here - http://elizabethlynncasey.com/blog/posts/

 

I’m also over at You gotta Read Reviews… Talking about books I love and why…

http://yougottaread.com/category/guest-blog/

 

So stop by and celebrate with me.

Cover Reveal – A Member of the Council

Now, if you’re on Facebook you’ve seen my awesome new cover.   But I wanted to talk a bit about the makings of the cover, especially when someone else is building your dream cover.

So, on my first cover, I don’t even remember talking about what I wanted.  And if I did, it was probably generic – and not much help to my cover artist.  In my mind, I saw the couple sitting on a metal parade riser, she’s watching the parade in front, and he’s watching her.

Instead, I got the couple both lost in their own dreams (which is very thematic of the book) together but apart. Which also matches my thoughts I’d had originally about the cover.

It feels very country and even has a bull standing in the background watching my couple.

This time, when it came to filling out the questions about cover for A Member of the Council, I was better prepared. I had my picture of the guy on my muse board.  Her, I had to pull a few identifying markers out of the story.  He’s more aloof – professional.  She’s lost in being different.  And since it’s a paranormal, I wanted that feel. And blue.  Not soft powder blue, but deep, almost purple blue.   And I wanted a dart board somewhere in the mix.

Then I went on the publisher’s website and pulled examples of covers that had the feel I wanted.  

When I got the final product, my cover artist had blown me away.  Even with the pretty non-specific directions, she nailed my vision.

So what do you think?

Welcome to Annie Nicholas – Author of Sigma

I’m so excited to bring Annie Nicholas to A Fairy Tale Life.  Annie is a Lyrical author and is releasing this month.

And check out her cover – Now, here’s Annie…

 

To defend and protect, at any cost.

Sam is Sigma of his pack, defender of the innocent and frail. Too bad the one time it mattered most, though the urge to guard the weak runs strong in his shifter blood, he failed to protect his best friend from an attack. Just when his self-confidence can’t go any lower, he becomes entangled in a vampire skirmish and is left with an injured female in his arms.

Vampire accountant for Pal Robi, Inc., Clementine can’t believe her master would ask her to commit corporate espionage. She’s shot when discovered, but a shifter comes to her rescue. It’s as if he’s made of her fantasies, and in the few hours with him she lives more than the decades she’s spent among her clan.

Hiding with him on the streets of Chicago, in the midst of fighting together to stay alive, can a petite vampire break through her hero’s jaded heart?

WARNING: Hot dominating sex, an action packed evening, and a first date gone all to hell.

Excerpt:

Sam ground his teeth at Clementine’s stubbornness and hovered around her in case she fell.

Blood soaked the back of her pink t-shirt and dripped, leaving a gruesome trail as she walked along the exterior balcony toward their motel room on the second floor. “You paid with cash like I told you?” She weaved on unsteady feet.

“Yes, ma’am.” He barely had enough money in his wallet to buy a soda now. “No credit card to track.” He reached out to grab her elbow, but she swatted his fingertips. Reflexively, he shook the sting away. “Playing tough and insisting on walking doesn’t get you brownie points if you pass out.”

He unlocked and opened their room door. The scent of cheap air freshener and stale sweat swept over him. He turned and sneezed.

“Bless you.”

He wiped his mouth. “Thanks.” Wasn’t there some supernatural law against vampires being polite?

“It smells odd in here.” She leaned against the door frame and pointed to the faded yellow bed. “Can you pull off the blanket?”

“We got what we paid for, a cheap-ass room. At least they don’t charge by the hour.” He winked and did as Clementine asked, then watched as she crawled onto their bed, lying on her stomach. “What can I do to help?” The deep red stain continued to spread under his scrutiny. “When Daedalus was staked, he didn’t bleed like this.”

She twisted around and whispered, “You were there?” With her blue eyes wide, she appeared very young, but vampires were experts at fooling people. Clementine could be five hundred years old, for all he knew. With a wig, Daedalus looked twenty, younger than Sugar. He chuckled at the memory and recalled the expression of horror on Sugar’s face. “It happened in my old apartment.”

“You’re one of the original Omegas?”

“You make it sound like a bad thing.” They’d had five pack members at the beginning, before Daedalus came and changed everything. Now they numbered in the triple digits and were called the Vasi. He pointed at her wound. “Can you bleed to death?”

She rolled back onto her stomach. “No, but I’ll need to feed before the blood lust takes over me. You have to remove the bullet.”

He grabbed the edge of her shirt and tore it open, exposing her back.

She hissed and glared at him over her shoulder. “I could have taken it off.”

Pasting mock surprise on his face, he laid a hand on his chest. “Where’s the fun in that?” Not waiting for her response, he went into the bathroom and washed off his pocketknife. A pair of tweezers would have been handy. And some gauze. He grabbed a face cloth instead. “Do I need to sterilize my knife or find some antiseptic?”

“I’m a vampire. Disease doesn’t plague us.”

He shrugged off her prickly tone, betting she was as gentle as the sound of her name on his lips. “Good, because I can’t provide either.” On his knees, he straddled her legs and leaned forward to examine her wound. He planted his palm between her shoulder blades.

“What–” She struggled under him. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t want you to move.” Using his shifter strength, he shoved her flat against the bed and wiped the blood away. “Stop wiggling so much. It’s distracting.”

“Not like you can do more damage.” Her words came out muffled.

“No, but you’re turning me on.”

She went limp, her breathing heavy and strained.

Annie Nicholas

www.annienicholas.com

www.annienicholas.blogspot.com

World Building, one story at at time.

Busy weekend.  Yesterday, I attended my MoRWA board meeting which doubled my to do list.  And got to hear JC Hays talk about his four M’s of word building.  Great job JC!

 

This week, I’m over at Sweet not Spicy on Tuesday.

http://sweetnotspicy.blogspot.com/

Thursday I’m double timing – at the Ladies in Red, I’m talking about setting.

http://crimsonromanceauthors.com/ladies-in-red-blog/

And at the Long and Short Reviews, I talk about writing high concept versus what you know…

http://lasrguest.blogspot.com/

 

Stop by one or all.  I love to hear what you think.