D.C. Stone's Blog

Heart Strike #newrelease #romance with M.L. Buchman #giveaway

Today, I'm here to tell you all about a new release by Buchman. I really enjoyed reading this one, and it's a story you don't have to read in series order. I hope you all enjoy!

Series: Delta Force, #2
Author: M.L. Buchman
Pubdate: August 2nd 2016
ISBN: 9781492619253
 
SERGEANT RICHIE “Q” GOLDMAN: The smartest soldier on any team
 
SERGEANT MELISSA “THE CAT” MOORE: Newest on the team, determined to be the best
 
Rescued from an icy mountaintop by a Delta operative, Melissa Moore has never met a challenge she can’t conquer. Not only she will make Delta Force, she will be the best female warrior in The Unit, and woe to anyone who says otherwise. Technical wizard Richie Goldman is Bond’s “Q” turned warrior. A genius about everything except women, he takes point on the team’s most dangerous mission yet. When the Delta Force team goes undercover in the depths of the Colombian jungle, surviving attacks from every side requires that Richie and Melissa strike right at the heart of the matter…and come out with their own hearts intact.
 
M. L. Buchman has over 35 novels and an ever-expanding flock of short stories in print. His military romantic suspense books have been named Barnes & Noble and NPR “Top 5 of the year,” Booklist “Top 10 of the Year,” and RT “Top 10 Romantic Suspense of the Year.” In addition to romantic suspense, he also writes contemporaries, thrillers, and fantasy and science fiction.
 
In among his career as a corporate project manager he has: rebuilt and single-handed a fifty-foot sailboat, both flown and jumped out of airplanes, designed and built two houses, and bicycled solo around the world.
 
He is now a full-time writer, living on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife. He is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in Geophysics. You may keep up with his writing at www.mlbuchman.com.
 
Buy Links:
Amazon
Books-A-Million
Barnes & Noble
Chapters
iBooks
Indiebound
 
 
The first book in my new Delta Force #1, Target Engaged was called “His best yet” by Booklist and was also named a finalist for RWA’s prestigious RITA award.
 
Well, my answer to that is Heart Strike, releasing August 3rd, 2016. But it got me thinking. What are my favorite sequels? For a change-up, I focused on the action side rather than the romance, and here’s what I came up with.
 
5. The Color of Money
Paul Newman and a very young Tom Cruise in The Color of Money. The original Jackie Gleason and a very young Paul Newman The Hustler was a master work of a tight psychological drama. They upped the stakes and made it utterly captivating in the highly energetic sequel.
 
4. Jason Bourne
Jason Bourne #2 & #3 didn’t disappoint…for a single second. They sustained the tension, remained true to the character (an essential), and found ways to ratchet the tension higher in each successive one. Number 4? Not so much.
 
3. The Wrath of Khan
The Wrath of Khan notoriously took one of the most disappointing movie launches ever, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and created a massive and incredible franchise that has continued ever since. Khan is still one of the great, over-the-top, out-of-control villains.
 
2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Sometimes a great sequel comes third rather than second. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade pitted Harrison Ford against Sean Connery in gloriously foolish father-son mayhem that completely honored the first film.

The Dark Knight Rises This choice surprises me. I like the Dark Knight reboot, but I’m not a big fan of the comic book heroes in general and frequently skip them. It took me a couple of years to catch up with this one and what I love about it isn’t the acting (which was wonderful), or the action (which was dramatic). It was the story. The writer and director completely set us up to thinking this story was going one direction…then in the last half hour it went another way entirely. AND that twist was perfectly in character, just wholly unexpected.
 
Now, I write romantic suspense, so the ending is fairly predictable, but I certainly hope that you enjoy the journey of my latest Delta Force novel, number 2, Heart Strike!​ EXCERPT
 
Action sequels, even romantic suspense ones, only have a short moment of introduction before it’s time to get everyone moving…and moving fast! Delta Force #2, Heart Strike, opens with the team from Delta #1, Target Engaged, mapping coca fields in Boliva. They’re targeting them for massive defoliant drops from the CIA’s 747 tanker plane.
Trouble comes when command issues an order for the team to pull out ahead of schedule to pick up a new team member and a new assignment.
Thankfully, no one anywhere adapts faster to a changing situation than a team of Delta Force operators.
 
Sunrise was less than an hour off when Chad jostled his shoulder.
Richie hadn’t been asleep and barely managed to suppress an oath as Chad shook him hard enough to wake the dead—his idea of humor. Richie noticed that he was a little more cautious with Duane who often woke with his knife half-drawn. Kyle and Carla were already at the hut’s entrance.
Kyle had taken one look at the order and, in minutes, outlined a plan of how they were going to exit the farm with hopefully minimal exposure and risk. The guards they were anticipating would be off duty and the patrol timing would be wrong, but Kyle’s plan was as solid as they could get with what they knew.
No way would Richie be missing this place. Dirt floor, woven grass mat, and a thatched roof that could really use some thatch before the next rainstorm but wasn’t going to get it.
He felt sorry for the laborers. Some of the farmers were about to have an even worse season than the last one. At a big site like this, they were little better than slaves. Once the coca was gone, they’d be free, but with no assets and no working farm crop. In the coca business, locals just weren’t part of the profit equation.
Rolando and the drug lord’s other armed guards Richie liked well enough, but had less sympathy for.
The Delta team slipped out into the darkness, just a hint of the blue in the sky that was already washing out the fainter stars. They passed the farmers’ huts and were almost to the road leading out of the camp.
“Where are you going, amigos?” Rolando, his AK-47 no longer over his shoulder but now in his hands.
“Hey, buddy.” Chad started forward, but stopped and tried to look stupid when Rolando flicked off the safety.
Carla stepped forward with an easy sway of her hips. Her dirty blue work shirt unbuttoned far enough to reveal that her assets weren’t all that much less impressive than the fabled Mayra’s.
Rolando’s eyes dropped to her cleavage.
She moved a hand up to his chest. With a little flick of her wrist, she revealed the long KA-BAR military knife she was holding and rammed it up under his chin and into his brain.
Rolando twitched once.
“That’s for trying to ram it up my backside without asking.”
“He what?” Kyle snarled, but Carla didn’t waste any time answering. If there was ever a woman able to defend herself, Richie knew it was Carla Anderson.
Then Rolando collapsed to the ground and his finger must have snagged on the trigger. A single 7.62mm round gave a loud crack and zinged off into the trees.
“Shit!” the whole team said pretty much in unison.
With their clandestine departure blown, Chad swept up the AK-47 and fired a security round into Rolando’s forehead.
In seconds, they were fifty meters away and moving fast. Kyle had Rolando’s sidearm and Carla had a subcompact Glock 27 that she’d produced from somewhere—where was one of the questions Richie suspected he’d be better off not asking. Still, it was an interesting problem because they’d all been checked on arrival as being unarmed. Richie had pre-buried his GPS and satellite gear in the jungle, carefully crossing then recrossing the mined perimeter before they’d come into the camp so that he could retrieve them once the team had been accepted.
The two guards at the main gate were half-awake when they stumbled to their feet. They went back down fast and Richie and Duane now had AK-47s as well. Chad stripped them of a pair of Makarov handguns, tossing one to Richie that he caught midair.
There was an old Jeep parked by the gate, but neither of the guards had a key. It was probably back in the open, on Rolando’s body. Chad started hot-wiring it while the rest of them stood watch.
Then Richie heard it. Distant at first, but building fast. The four-engine gut-thumping roar of a loaded 747.
“Come on, Chad,” Carla pleaded. “Get us out of here.”
The Jeep’s engine roared to life and they piled in.
Duane tossed his AK-47 to Chad and dove into the driver’s seat—he was the best driver they had. He’d been working up the sprint-car circuit toward NASCAR when he’d taken his detour into the military.
Kyle and Richie dropped two more armed guards who came rushing from the huts, half-dressed and scared awake.
Duane raced the Jeep out of camp along the road, praying for no booby traps.
Then the largest tanker plane in the world descended and began its run.
The 747, converted for firefighting, had been put into deep storage in the Tucson desert when its owners went out of business. The CIA had found another use for the massive plane, which now began its dump of twenty thousand gallons—over eighty tons—of defoliant across the exact coordinates that Richie had sent to them just six hours ago.
His Delta team had been to twelve coca farms in the last six months. And the 747 tanker had visited each in turn. Twelve farms that wouldn’t produce a single leaf of coca anytime soon.
“Down,” Chad shouted.
They all ducked and hung on as Duane rammed the heavy wooden outer barrier at thirty miles an hour. It blew apart. A four-by-four shattered the windshield and Carla knocked the remains of the glass clear with the butt of a Chinese QBB machine gun she’d acquired somewhere along the way before turning it around to shoot a guard who’d been standing well clear of the gate.
Richie kept an eye out to the rear, but no one was following. If they were, they’d have a long way to go. The team had been pulled out of Bolivia. They were being tasked to a new assignment.
That was fine.
After six months training together and another six in the field, it was the last line of the message that had worried them all.
Proceed to Maracaibo, Venezuela. Acquire new team member.
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Send Coffee Stat ... #NotOneNight

So apparently moving across country, keeping up with two crazy kiddos, working a full time job, and trying to keep my ass from growing to the size of the nation isn't as easy as I thought it would be. But then again, most women think their Wonder Woman at times, right? Which reminds me of when my local romance chapter had given me that nickname about two years ago. Ahhhh....to go back in time and have that kind of energy again. *laughs*

Anyhow, things are on the horizon in the world of DC Stone. First up, I'm currently trying to finish a short, dark erotic story. This one has been titled, Not One Night. To give you a brief overview without giving too much away? 

Hmmmm....

"Two friends finally snap."

Not enough? *laughs* Okay, okay. Not One Night is a bit different than any other story I've written and it's a bit darker, too. Think of these two childhood friends, a proposition, and some hidden urges. Toss in a cop and a vigilante, and what do you have? Sparks, heat, anger, and raw love. It should be a good time....once it's done. *winks* Which should be before the end of the month, then this baby is off to the edit-tor. 

After that, it's a month off so I can move across country from New Jersey to Southern California. While I'm settling in, I'll also be editing an Anthology for four lovely ladies. I'm excited to get started on that, then get back in a routine of writing. 

So for now, until there's more, I'll leave you with this teaser. Make sure to let me know what you think and stop back in soon!

"​Her lips were right there, blood pooling in at the plushiest part, and it was a damn tempting sight. To just take her, say fuck it to the entire night, it’d be so easy. But he’d held himself back this long, what was a bit longer? He wanted to draw this out, make the anticipation last for as long as he could. Have some fun with her. She’d end up hating him for being unable to give her anything more than an orgasm. A relationship between a psychopath and an angel of justice was like having the sun shine at night…it’d never happen."

Under the Surface with Anne Calhoun #newrelease #romance #q&a

Today, we have Anne on talking about her new release and the steps she took to get this wonderful read together!

Welcome to Eye Candy, the East Side’s hottest nightclub where the bartenders are hot, the cocktails are fancy, and danger lurks just under the surface…

​DC: What kind and how did you conduct research for this book?
 
ANNE: I did a little of research for UNDER THE SURFACE. I've worked in the restaurant industry but the specifics of Eve Webber's chosen profession - running a nightclub and tending bar - were new to me. I've written cop heroes before, so that part didn't require as much research. The hero's brother, Luke, is paralyzed, so I researched spinal cord injuries, too.
 
 
DC: Any funny moments that came up during the writing of this story you want to share?
 
ANNE: I learned only after I'd finished the book that the night club I based Eye Candy on was actually a gay bar featuring leather clad bartenders. Also, Caleb Webber, the heroine's smart-mouth brother, was tons of fun to write. I ended up cutting several of his best scenes. ;)
 
 
DC: HAHA! If you could meet any character from this story, who would it be and why?
 
ANNE: I'd want to meet Eve. She's so determined to follow her dreams and make her life meaningful at the same time. I love her passion. 
 
 
DC: What drove you to writing?
 
ANNE: Drove me to writing is probably the most apt way to put it...I worked in corporate America for a decade. Ten years in a variety of cube farms would either drive me into the loony bin or into writing. I picked writing.   
 
DC: Chocolate or vanilla? :)
 
Chocolate. Unless it's really good vanilla, and has chocolate sauce on top. 

DC: Can you share an excerpt with us?

One of the most basic components of police work was learning to control a situation. A good undercover cop adjusted his personality and attitude to manage the situation according to his objectives. Matt was as good as they came, and that bluff should have worked.

Except Eve Webber raised the stakes without blinking an eye, and suddenly white-hot, explicit images of exactly how they’d finish what she’d started flashed in his brain . . . the skirt that barely covered her upper thighs, her desk, and that sleek mass of black hair she kept tugging free from the glossy color on her mouth. Heat flashed through him, the sensation shockingly intense.
Your job is to keep her alive, not get her into bed.

Eve emerged from her office around seven, iPhone in hand, and once she started working the room the vibe punched up several notches. Watching her smile and talk to the customers triggered something he couldn’t put his finger on.

During a brief lull, he turned to Tom, the steroid-buffed player working the station next to his. “She looks familiar.”

Tom hit the button on the blender to mix a raspberry daiquiri. “She won the newspaper’s sexiest female bartender contest two years running before she switched over to events management at the Met.” “Fucking moron” was implied at the end of that sentence.

A niggling memory surfaced of the newspaper’s Arts and Culture section getting passed around before the shift briefing a couple of years ago, right before he made the leap to detective and started working long-term undercover assignments. The article’s text meandered alongside a full-length picture of Eve, hair tumbled into her face, hands braced on the bar behind her, wearing a white blouse unbuttoned deep in her cleavage, a tight, short black skirt, black stockings, and heels. Her slim legs were crossed at the ankle, and the angle of the shot made them seemed endless. He should have been focused on the briefing, but he’d given the photo a good thorough look before handing it to his partner, who’d looked even longer.

The provocative shot actually masked what won Eve the contest. In person she radiated vitality, a sheer visceral force that drew light, glances, attention. Even more surprising was the way she didn’t hoard the energy but rather turned it back on whomever she was talking to. Like that person was the only person in the room. Like she heard what they were saying, and maybe even what they weren’t saying.

Life flowed into this woman. She amplified it and sent it back out into the world, and he couldn’t stop watching her.

She checked in with her bouncer, the size of the Hulk, with gang ink disappearing into the sleeves of his T-shirt.

“That’s not an off-duty cop,” he said.

“Friend of the family,” Tom replied over the music. “Someone her dad knew.”

“Bars this busy usually hire the pros,” Matt said as he pulled out a fresh rack of glasses.

“You know what those assholes charge? They’re fucking expensive,” Tom said as he handed the drink across the bar. “And they’re nosy. Hot Stuff doesn’t like strangers in her business.”

Matt would bet his Jeep that Eve wouldn’t like being called Hot Stuff, but if Tom hadn’t figured that out, Matt wasn’t about to enlighten him. He watched as she cleared a couple of abandoned glasses off the bar in front of him and handed them to a passing busboy, then came around the corner of the bar, trailing her fingers along the polished wood. He handed the drink to a customer and gave her his full attention.

“How are you doing?” she asked, scanning his station.

“You tell me,” he replied, and if he got a little closer than necessary to hear what she was saying over the thumping dance music, well, he was just doing his job. Given the heat in the bar, he expected perfume, something musky and sexy. Instead the faintest scent of mint and rosemary drifted into the air between them when she tucked her hair behind her ears.

“I’m satisfied,” she said, not backing away. “The job’s yours if you want it.”

She was less than a breath away from him. A shift of his weight and a deep inhale, and they’d be breathing together like they were naked and horizontal. The heat sizzled and popped between them and it didn’t take training in body language to read the signals. Eve Webber wanted him.
Chad Henderson. His undercover identity, the man he was pretending to be. Not him.

No matter who he was today, neither he nor Chad could have her. He was supposed to keep her safe, make sure she didn’t change her mind about working with the department, monitor any appearances Murphy made in Eye Candy.

He wanted her.

“I want the job,” he said, not bothering to hide what he really meant.

She looked at him through the layered, sweeping fall of hair he wanted to brush back so he could see her eyes, her mouth. “Hang around after close. I’ll give you the paperwork to fill out and bring back with you tomorrow.”
​
He leaned in, as if he needed to speak with her, employee to employer, but didn’t want to shout over the music. “See you later, boss,” he rasped.

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Add it to your TBR here

An Interview, Giveaway, and New Release with Julie Ann Walker!

I have the extreme pleasure of welcoming a friend, mentor, and all around fabulous gal to my site today. In anticipation of Julie Ann Walker's new release Too Hard To Handle, she's answered a few questions, and, below is hosting a giveaway. Make sure you enter to win, and check out her new book! It's fan-friggen-tastic!DC: Too Hard To Handle is a little different from the other books in the series, but it works. What was your thought process behind this?

JAW: It's funny, when I get questions regarding plotting or story design and structure, I feel like my expression becomes the quintessential deer-in-the-headlights.  Because the truth is, I don't plot or plan or scheme or design.  I simply get to know my characters really well -- we're talking ten page character outlines that delve into all aspects of their person from their appearance to their histories, motivations, the way they walk, the way they talk, their quirks, their pet peeves, their family connections, their occupations, so forth and so on.  And then I let them tell me the story.  So for Too Hard to Handle, I enjoyed going along for the ride as Dan "The Man" Currington and former Secret Service agent, Penni DePaul chased a CIA mole through the Andes mountains and the rough and tumble city of Cusco, Peru.  I loved watching them battle the traitor and their attraction for one another.  And I adored that they both had pasts that tried to pull them apart as much as push them together.  The struggle these two faced, both physically and emotionally, before reaching their happily-ever-after was very satisfying.        

DC: What made you go from being a mathematician to a romance author?

JAW: Ha!  Dumb luck!  I moved from Michigan to Chicago and had a tough time trying to wrap my head around teaching in an urban environment.  (I had previously taught advanced mathematics at rural or suburban schools, and really liked that small town teacher lifestyle.)  So when my husband, who's crazy supportive, told me to take some time off, I jumped at the chance.  And during that "time off" I decided to sit down and write a story on a lark.  It was a tale that had been in my head for a while.  After I finished writing that story, I entered it in a writing contest where, to my great surprise, it became a finalist.  From there I snagged an amazing agent who made a deal with an amazing publisher.  That story I wrote, the one that had been in my head for a while, was Hell on Wheels, the first book in my Black Knights Inc. series.  And the rest, as they say, is history.  So I sort of stumbled into the job of romance writer.  And, baby, I haven't looked back! 

DC: What do readers have to look forward to in the series?

JAW: So much!  Some of the characters who have become reader favorites, Ozzie, Angel, and Ace, have yet to find their happily-ever-afters and are certainly due.  There's an old villain from way back in the beginning of the series who will reappear and need to be dealt with.  There will be awesome motorcycle chases, and steamy sex scenes, and alpha men who finally meet their matches.  You know, all the good stuff.  *wink*  So, yeah, so much more fun to come!

DC: Out of all your heroes and heroines in the series, who is your favorite? Both male and female.

JAW: This is a total copout answer, but the truth is my favorite hero and heroine are always whoever I'm writing at the moment.  Like I said, I really get to know my characters.  And I find myself falling in love with them during the writing process.  Right now, I'm finishing the second novel in my Deep Six series called Devil and the Deep.  It stars Brando "Bran" Pallidino, a former Navy SEAL, and Madison "Maddy” Powers, a philanthropist.  Currently they are my absolute favorites!  *grins*

DC: Give me three things you'd take with you if the apocalypse was hitting tomorrow?

JAW: My husband, my handgun, and my multi-tool.  Obvi.  Ha!

Thanks so much for having me on today!  What a treat!

About the Book

Title: Too Hard To Handle

Author: Julie Ann Walker

Release Date: September 1, 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Genre: Romantic Suspense



Summary

"The Man" is back
Dan "The Man" Currington is back in fighting form with a mission that takes him four thousand miles south of BKI headquarters, high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. He's hot on the trail of a rogue CIA agent selling classified government secrets to the highest bidder, when Penni DePaul arrives on the scene. Suddenly the stakes are higher, and keeping Penni safe becomes Dan's number one priority.

And this time she's ready
A lot has changed since former Secret Service Agent Penni DePaul last saw Dan. Now a civilian, she's excited about what the future might hold. But before she can grab onto that future with both hands, she has to tie up some loose ends-namely, Dan Currington, the man she just can't forget. And a secret that's going to change both their lives-if they can stay alive, that is.

Buy Links


Amazon: http://amzn.to/1M9j6Mn

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1Q5vXyc

iBooks: http://apple.co/1RfS4En

IndieBound: http://bit.ly/1OUhLZ0
Author Biography

Julie Ann Walker is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling Author of the Black Knights Inc. romantic suspense series. She is prone to spouting movie quotes and song lyrics. She'll never say no to sharing a glass of wine or going for a long walk. She prefers impromptu travel over the scheduled kind, and she takes her coffee with milk. You can find her on her bicycle along the lake shore in Chicago or blasting away at her keyboard, trying to wrangle her capricious imagination into submission. For more information, please visit www.julieannwalker.com or follow her on Facebook www.facebook.com/jawalkerauthor and/or Twitter @JAWalkerAuthor.

Social Networking Links

Website: http://julieannwalker.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jawalkerauthor 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JAWalkerAuthor 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5342916.Julie_Ann_Walkera Rafflecopter giveaway

Release day for GIRL CODE

We're super excited to bring you all Girl Code, which, in general is about four childhood friends who work through difficult times, and find love in the process. I've share an excerpt below from my piece, Persistence, below. And below that, you'll find the links on where to get your copy. All proceeds go to support Wounded Warrior Project!

I hope you enjoy!

XO,
DC Laydi Michaels woke with a start. The glare of sunlight stabbed like a two-ton sledgehammer into her pounding brain, and she slammed her eyes shut. Not that a two-ton hammer existed, but with how she felt—headache, nausea, and alarmingly, yet deliciously sore in certain places—that was the only apt description.

She had the hangover of all binge drinkers. One that rivaled her high school days, where she would disappear with Dad’s fifth of Jack, a bag from Burger King, and her best friends, until not a drop remained in the bottle and they’d mastered the latest Pop hit.

At the top of their lungs.

Forward and backward.

Her stomach recoiled at the memory, and away from any mention of alcohol. Keeping her eyes closed—because yes, her spinning vision didn’t do anything for her nauseous stomach—she took stock of her surroundings. From the brief glimpse, she hadn’t recognized the bare white walls, or the rose-colored drapes hanging in front of a large window.

This wasn’t her room, where the walls were a sage green and the windows had blackout curtains—something required in her investigative line of work, due to her overnight surveillance cases.

Next noticeable concern? She was completely naked, just as the day she was born. The sheets against her skin—not that she moved much; no, her stomach revolted against that—were soft, smoother than the Egyptian cream-colored ones back home.

And the most alarming detail of all? The very heavy and thick arm wrapped around her waist. She lay slightly on her side, but her hip touched a warm thigh. From the uncomfortable poking sensation and the stillness of this male body next to her, something was up before the actual man was.

Raking her mind, she tried to remember anything, something from last night, a clue to explain where she was and who she lay next to. But all she could come up with was how she’d started the night by meeting, and then making an absolute blathering fool of herself to her boss, Andrew Cox.

She paused and gave a little girly sigh. Tall, well over six-feet, built like a Greek God, and not the ones learned about in History class. No, this guy had romance novel written all over him. Combined with the charm of a gentleman, and the resemblance to Chris Hemsworth; ladies fell all over themselves in his presence. And with his dating history, Andrew wasn’t one to shy away from attention.

His hair was dark blond and a few weeks past needing a haircut. Bangs fell across his forehead when he typed furiously on his computer, or when he interviewed a suspect and got really into the story. His eyes changed colors depending on the shirt he wore. They could be either blue or green, and were wide-set, startling to the female population. She’d seen many women trip over their feet when taking in Andrew, and if his height, six-days-a-week I-work-out-at-the-gym body, hair, or eyes didn’t do it, the silky velvet of his voice caused thighs to tremble with anticipation.

He should have been a radio DJ, or a phone sex operator, instead of the CEO for Off The Record Private Investigations.

He had a smooth southern drawl that spoke of being raised somewhere in the state of Georgia…sexy as hell. She shuddered at the memory.

Two things happened next: her stomach lurched and bile rose, her body’s way of telling her she had indeed indulged in one or two too many drinks last night.

Second, as she snapped her eyes open and dove from the bed, she caught a glance at the mysterious stranger with her, who was really no stranger at all.

Gloriously sexy, sleepy—and familiar—blue eyes widened in surprised and concern before she bounded across the room for the bathroom, where she promptly regurgitated last night’s fun.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/ebook/dp/B00X602S8I/
Amazon/uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1514773457
CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/5591052
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/564340
All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-girlcodeanantholog…
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/girl-code-2
Apple iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1024223247
Inktera: http://www.inktera.com/…/2ccbd018-d9b4-4f3f-beba-12d54d3abe…
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25181055-girl-code
Pinterest: https://no.pinterest.com/caitjarrod/girl-code/

Teaser Tuesday #INTIMATEFEAR

I'm getting some questions about a promo tweet I sent out two weeks ago. Of course my answers are causing giggles. So I decided to share a bit of an excerpt from the specific scene. Just to lay the background, Brooke has a thing for John Mayer's voice. Enjoy!


Hailey left shortly after. Brooke pivoted to him and shrugged. “I have no clue how she gets away with it, playing that cute little face on me when she wants something. Am I foolish?”

He flashed a grin and followed her out of the dugout. “Not at all. Hailey has a good head on her shoulders. She knows to take it easy and understands she’ll only hurt herself more if she doesn’t.”

Her sigh reached his ears. She turned to him again and stopped walking. “I know, but still, a mother will always worry.” She glanced around, but instead of following her gaze, he kept his on her. Hair matching the color of her daughter’s, the soft light behind her seemed to give it a glow, brightening the golden highlights sparkling over the tendrils. Azure eyes gave a startling contrast against the afternoon sunset. The color and uniqueness grabbed him by the balls and refused to let go.

“What are you doing tonight?” He didn’t realize the words came from his mouth until she turned to him, arching a brow. Why had he asked her that? He knew better than most that Brooke was not someone to mess with. Asking her out would only have her drawing back, especially after her past.

“Probably falling into the tub with John, a bottle of wine, and a good book. Why?”

His brows furrowed. “John?” Who the fuck was John? Moreover, when the hell did this happen? And why did the surge of jealousy in his gut feel more like rage?

Her expression danced with humor. “Yeah, John. As in John Mayer?”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Ah, got me there.”

She grinned and poked his stomach. “Was that jealousy I heard in your voice, Dwayne?”

“No.” Fuck yes.

“What, you want to be the only man for this town?” She laughed.

“No,” he grumbled. Actually, not for the town, just you. Always you.

Want to read more? Check out the links here to get your copy today!

A Cringe Worthy Matter--Twitter Went Horribly Wrong

Sometimes things backfire. An author knows this best, as do many world leaders I’m sure. But today this saying took a whole new meaning on Twitter. EL James, author of the Fifty Shades of Grey series, either decided herself, or her publicist decided (it’s not real clear) to do a Q&A session on Twitter. The basis of this was to ask her a question and she’d respond. Hashtag: #AskELJames

Oh boy.

Few things to get clear here:

1.       We live in a society where bad news is reported before good news. Bad news also sells. You can turn the channel on any news or weather station and see this. It’s human nature that we go looking for the biggest piece of something that will refuse to let us look away. Train wreck anyone? And today on Twitter, this was a prime example.

2.       I’ve read the FSOG series. I wasn’t a true fan, could barely get through them, but pushed on. There are several reasons for this, but none of it had to do with the decisions or actions of these fictional characters (okay, that one scene had me gagging, but that’s different). It was the writing. Plain and simple. The writing turned me off. The concept behind the story was the only thing that kept me turning those pages.

3.       That said, I will admit that in the beginning of the #AskELJames session, I laughed a few times. While a few tweets were snarky, they were also funny. However, that humor quickly took a turn for the worse and this Twitter session soon turned into a nightmare (let’s call it what it is). The bashing on an author, for whatever reason, got to be a bit much. So much so that I had to shut down Twitter. But of course, that human nature part of me reopened it again an hour later. And I tell you, it had just gotten worse.

Now, none of this is going to change people’s opinions of Ms. James. I’ve heard many of them, some of which are rumors, and some of which come from those who have experienced her actions first hand. This spans a big range of time going back to when she first attended a breakfast with her fans here in NY years ago. I tell you, the writing industry isn’t that big of a place. And word gets around very quickly. So authors behaving badly, or behaving great, or stating their opinion about something controversial, any of it, is going to get around the community quickly.

But the point I’m trying to make (and trust me, there is one somewhere in here) is this is just a book. Sure, it contains some sensitive material, some controversial topics, and may or may not show a character who exhibits some mental instability, but it’s just a book. This book should only be read by adults and those adults should be smart enough to make their own decisions between right and wrong. One book (or four!) isn’t going to change that. If that were the case, more people (than the few we already have out there) would be making horrible decisions on a daily basis. 

If you don’t like the book(s), don’t read it (them). Simple as that. Move on with your life and focus on what’s important. Don’t let the sensitive topics of books bring you to a level that could be classified as bullying. If we were to bash all authors for what they write, there’d be a hell of a lot more on that list, some of which are big favorites. I mean, just look at other books, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. That right there should have more people up in arms. But it doesn’t. And you don’t hear about it. At all. 

So sure, EL James may act a certain way to some, she may come off short to others, many may not like her books, some may love them, and we all know she may not have originally created these characters, but Ms. James wrote a series of books that hit the market and took it by storm. People bought them. Some loved and hated them. She made a whole slew of money. End of story. Nothing is going to change that, nor do I doubt she’s crying in a corner over how she was treated on Twitter today. 

I’m not discounting women who have been victims of domestic abuse or rape. Trust me. I get it. More than you will ever know. But what I am saying is this is just a book. It doesn’t outline how people have to live their lives, nor does it dictate how someone should act. 

And in the end, it’s the world looking at those mean and nasty comments and judging you. They are looking at you and wondering why there is so much hatred, why so much negativity, and especially if it’s an author, they are wondering just what kind of individual you are. I don't know Ms. James personally, nor am I writing this to defend her. But I was honestly embarrassed for many on Twitter today, so much so that it turned my stomach. Bashing or bullying someone online isn’t attractive, nor is it a trait of anyone who is healthy. Just take care, try to remember that there are often VERY REAL people on the other end of the computer (even if they are famous!) and again, remember…it’s just a friggen book. 

Intimate Fear RELEASED TODAY!

I’m super excited to bring you all the second book in my romantic suspense series, INTIMATE FEAR. Many met Dwayne, my hero in this story, in book one, INTIMATE DANGER, who is Charlie’s best friend. Dwayne is known for his quirky, yet professional ways, and as the town’s playboy, so I had so much fun bringing him to a level that knocked him on his ass! I hope you all like him, too, and please make sure to let me know your thoughts!

About Intimate Fear: Dwayne Gonzalez has always had a thing for the beautiful Brooke Mason, but she married another man, had his child, and started her life without him. Now, years and a divorce later, he’s still on the sidelines, yet in Brooke’s and her daughter, Hailey’s life, but not in the way he wants. 

A drug investigation brings Dwayne on the front step of Brooke’s life. With his attention distracted, Hailey is kidnapped and engulfed in a human trafficking ring. Dwayne marches in and toes the line between the right side of the law, and in it, pursues his heart’s desire.


Giveaway & Contest: Want a chance to get your hands on Intimate Fear? I will be giving away three copies on Goodreads next week, so make sure to mark your calendars and keep watch.

I'm also running a contest with readers who take a picture of them next to her cover of Intimate Fear. This can be done through any ereader or computer shot. As long as you tag me in the picture once you post it, you’ll be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card, a HUGE bundle of autographed ARCs from various authors, AND receive a free book from any of my backlist!
Book trailer: http://ow.ly/OsYtO

Excerpt:

Worried about Hailey, exhausted to the bone, and slightly swaying, Brooke clung to Dwayne, took strength from this solid, very real protector. She would have to be dead not to notice his firm body beneath her fingertips, the hardness of his chest pressed to her breasts, and the wicked, clean scent drifting from his skin. While they were no longer hugging, but more her clinging to him, she didn’t want to turn away, couldn’t find the power to do so. How easy would it have been to end up with this man? She’d caught the looks he had given her before. But that had all been in the past, a separate life for them both. 

She had become a mother, someone who dedicated her entire being to making sure her daughter was well-rounded, cared for, and knowingly loved. Not only that, but she wasn’t a young pup any longer, and from the few women she’d seen Dwayne with, his type seemed to have a list of traits all very similar: young, perky breasts, tight asses, single, and free of major responsibilities.

His hand tightened on her back and she held her breath, waiting to see if he would push her away.

Just a few more minutes, please.

She needed him, this close contact with another being. It had been so damn long. 

Hailey refused to slow down to cuddle on the couch as she had once done as a young girl. Her daughter had her own life now, one currently held in peril, but Brooke had faith they would find her. They had to. Failure wasn’t an option.

Dwayne trailed his hand up her back and pressed a palm to her head, his other arm tightening around her waist. She went with the direction, pressed her face into his warm neck, and breathed. His skin emitted heat rivaling the summer’s sun. She grasped the back of his suit jacket, wishing she could be closer. He shifted their bodies, and her aggravation spun to something else. His lips brushed her temple, and moist air fanned across the side of her face. He hovered there. So close, all she had to do was turn her face and take his mouth. She knew he would let her, too. 

So near to him, starved for human contact, she wanted to get lost for a while. She trailed her nose along his neck, took another deep breath, and pressed closer. 

He grumbled something unintelligible, the sound coming from his chest more than his mouth. His hand at her waist laid flat on the small of her back and urged her closer still. 

The situation was moving fast out of control. Tendrils unraveled, but she was helpless to stop it. This strong male held her as if she were a treasure. He had the power and ability to make her forget everything, to make all the stresses and danger go away. 

His hand slipped beneath the back of her shirt and made direct contact with her skin. They both hissed and his breath pushed her hair from her face. His cruel yet sensual mouth continued to drift in a teasing caress across her temple. She turned her head, like molasses on a cold day, up and toward him. Her lips tingled in anticipation, waiting for his kiss. She brushed her mouth across the line of his jaw, a hairsbreadth from his skin. 

His heart thudded against hers, a matching hammer between their bodies, telling her he was just as affected. The hand at the back of her head tightened. She trailed the caress over his cheek; his lips were right there, centimeters away. 

The rest of their surroundings faded. She didn’t know if it was because of this man drawing her absolute attention, or because of her exhaustion. 

She touched the side of her mouth to his and thought she’d be prepared for the rush of desire. 

She was so wrong.

Where can you get more?

Evernight: http://ow.ly/OvN84

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1IorthL

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1K1IKSp

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1FqQmHz

Cover Reveal - INTIMATE FEAR!

I'm super excited to reveal my next cover for book 2 of the Empire Blue suspense series. This book is Dwayne's story, which many met in book 1, INTIMATE DANGER, as Charlie's best friend. It's due to release this Friday, 06/19/15, and I have many exciting things in store for it! So make sure to keep on the lookout for ways to win soon!

Without further adieu, I bring you INTIMATE FEAR. (Hint: Hit 'read more' for an excerpt!) Worried about Hailey, exhausted to the bone, and slightly swaying, Brooke clung to Dwayne, took strength from this solid, very real protector. She would have to be dead not to notice his firm body beneath her fingertips, the hardness of his chest pressed to her breasts, and the wicked, clean scent drifting from his skin. While they were no longer hugging, but more her clinging to him, she didn’t want to turn away, couldn’t find the power to do so. How easy would it have been to end up with this man? She’d caught the looks he had given her before. But that had all been in the past, a separate life for them both.

She had become a mother, someone who dedicated her entire being to making sure her daughter was well-rounded, cared for, and knowingly loved. Not only that, but she wasn’t a young pup any longer, and from the few women she’d seen Dwayne with, his type seemed to have a list of traits all very similar: young, perky breasts, tight asses, single, and free of major responsibilities.

His hand tightened on her back and she held her breath, waiting to see if he would push her away.

Just a few more minutes, please.

She needed him, this close contact with another being. It had been so damn long.

Hailey refused to slow down to cuddle on the couch as she had once done as a young girl. Her daughter had her own life now, one currently held in peril, but Brooke had faith they would find her. They had to. Failure wasn’t an option.

Dwayne trailed his hand up her back and pressed a palm to her head, his other arm tightening around her waist. She went with the direction, pressed her face into his warm neck, and breathed. His skin emitted heat rivaling the summer’s sun. She grasped the back of his suit jacket, wishing she could be closer. He shifted their bodies, and her aggravation spun to something else. His lips brushed her temple, and moist air fanned across the side of her face. He hovered there. So close, all she had to do was turn her face and take his mouth. She knew he would let her, too.

So near to him, starved for human contact, she wanted to get lost for a while. She trailed her nose along his neck, took another deep breath, and pressed closer.

He grumbled something unintelligible, the sound coming from his chest more than his mouth. His hand at her waist laid flat on the small of her back and urged her closer still.

The situation was moving fast out of control. Tendrils unraveled, but she was helpless to stop it. This strong male held her as if she were a treasure. He had the power and ability to make her forget everything, to make all the stresses and danger go away.

His hand slipped beneath the back of her shirt and made direct contact with her skin. They both hissed and his breath pushed her hair from her face. His cruel yet sensual mouth continued to drift in a teasing caress across her temple. She turned her head, like molasses on a cold day, up and toward him. Her lips tingled in anticipation, waiting for his kiss. She brushed her mouth across the line of his jaw, a hairsbreadth from his skin.

His heart thudded against hers, a matching hammer between their bodies, telling her he was just as affected. The hand at the back of her head tightened. She trailed the caress over his cheek; his lips were right there, centimeters away.

The rest of their surroundings faded. She didn’t know if it was because of this man drawing her absolute attention, or because of her exhaustion.

She touched the side of her mouth to his and thought she’d be prepared for the rush of desire.

She was so wrong.

Anticipated Trailer Release for #GIRLCODE!

Hi guys! We're excited to bring you the trailer release for GIRL CODE! And guess what? GIRL CODE is available for pre-order on Amazon, too! Here's the link, and below is the trailer. Enjoy, and let us know what you think!


PREORDER HERE