B.L. Blair's Blog, page 64

Friday Recipe - Strawberry Pretzel Squares

Strawberry Pretzel Squares

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/strawberry-pretzel-squares-53033.aspx

Dating Tips from Dad by Amity Jones #DTFDTour

A look at dating advice learned by a daughter from her father.
Publication Date: June 29, 2015Genre: Non-Fiction/Relationships
Growing up with my father had helped me to learn valuable ways of what to do and not to do regarding dating. I am so grateful he took the time with me to make sure I would have the best type of person in my life. This book is designed to help parents talk to their kids about dating. In addition, singles that have struggled and for those back into the dating world after being out of it for a long time. In this book you will find fast ways of how to meet that guy or girl; beginning of dating; who makes the first move; great conversation starters; and when to move on. As a bonus I have some tips I have learned along the way and have found helpful for me as well as my friends I have shared them with.
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Amity Jones grew up with her father from age 8 and on. Learning the simple steps of dating, among other things, were very helpful in finding the most amazing men in her life. After she did a personal survey of her friends the last 10 years and found that they didn't really learn "how-to-date" other than from trial and error, from their dysfunctional parents, and/or their peers that didn't know what they were doing. It led her to write this book to help others learn her dating tips from dad. 
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Monday Excerpt - Dead in a Park: Leah Norwood Mystery #2

When I stepped out of the front door of Scents and Sensibility, a dark blue SUV pulled up to the curb and Griggs stepped out.“Are you leaving?” he asked me as he shut the door.“Going to lunch,” I said pointing over my shoulder.He looked behind me at Nora’s Bakery and then smiled.  My stomach churned.  I wasn’t sure if it was the smile or hunger.  Although I wanted it to be hunger, I’m pretty sure it was the smile.“May I join you?”“What?” I asked nervously.“Come on,” he said taking my arm and leading me next door.It wasn’t until we were standing at the counter that I came out of my stupor.  I glanced at him.  He was dressed casually in jeans, a button-down shirt, and a light jacket.  Neither his gun nor badge were anywhere in sight, but I was sure he had both.  He looked relaxed and comfortable.“You’re not working?” I asked him.He shook his head.  “Day off.”When I looked surprised, he laughed softly.  “I do take one now and then.”“I know.  It’s just…”“Hi Leah.”  I turned back to the counter and gave Jake Turner a brief smile.  Jake is a college student who works part-time at Nora’s.  He is used to me coming over to get a bite to eat.  He returned my smile.  “What can I get for you?”I ordered the lunch special and a glass of tea.  Nora’s serves breakfast and lunch but has a limited menu.  Their main business is pastries and cakes.  Each weekday, they have a lunch special, usually some combination of a sandwich, soup, and salad.  “And a strawberry scone?” Jake asked.  He knows me really well, and Nora’s strawberry scones were the best I’ve ever tasted.  I get them quite often.  I nodded quickly and reached into my pocket for some cash.Griggs stepped a little in front of me and said, “I’ll get it.  Why don’t you choose a table?”I started to protest and then shrugged.  If he wanted to pay for my lunch, I wasn’t going to argue.  I had originally planned to pick up my food and leave, but Griggs obviously wanted to talk.  The store was mostly empty.  Only one table was currently occupied.  I chose a seat in the corner near the back.  It was out of the way so we had some privacy.  Griggs joined me a few minutes later with my meal and drink.  He had a cup of coffee and a strawberry scone for himself.  I guess he had already eaten lunch.After we were both settled, he asked, “How are you?”“Fine.”  I swallowed a bite of my sandwich.  “No one tried to break in last night.  With Leon in jail, Myra is planning to return to her house tonight.  You think that’s okay?”“Should be.  We can hold him for a few days.  Eventually, a judge will set bail, but until then, she should be safe.”  Griggs broke off a corner of the scone and popped it into his month.  I watched him a minute wondering what he wanted.  He was acting differently, causal, friendly.  It was bugging the hell out of me.“So what did you want to talk about?” I finally asked him.“Nothing in particular.”  He paused and looked around.  “I thought Tuesdays were your day off.”“Normally.  But Emma is on vacation so I came in to cover the lunch breaks.  Kara and Myra could have probably handled it alone, but I don’t like there to be only one person in the store so I came in for a couple of hours.”“But you’re off the rest of the day?”  When I nodded, he asked, “What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?”I leaned forward and lowered my voice to a whisper, “I’m planning to follow someone.  Dig up some dirt.”His face changed immediately.  I had known it would.  Griggs is a police officer through and through.  If he thought I knew someone was doing something illegal, he would expect me to report it.  I didn’t say a word while I watched the thoughts flick briefly across his face before his features settled into a blank stare.  I had followed Trent back in December when I was still trying to determine if he had been involved in Isabel’s death.  Griggs had yelled at me.  Well, maybe he didn’t yell – just told me I was interfering with the investigation.  I had thought he trusted me now not to cause problems, but I wasn’t sure.If I hadn’t been watching, I wouldn’t have seen the humor dancing in his eyes.  When he spoke, his voice was stern and unyielding, “Are you interfering in a police investigation, Ms. Norwood?’“Would I do that?” I asked innocently.“Hell, yeah,” he said with a laugh.  “But I don’t think you would have told me about it.  So, who is it?”I huffed out a breath, but couldn’t deny his accusation.  I shook my head and told him about Aaron.  Twenty minutes later, I was in the front seat of his SUV heading to the Weston’s house.
Coming in November. Available for pre-order:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Park-Leah-Norwood-Mystery-ebook/dp/B013VYOZBGApple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dead-in-a-park/id1030628578?mt=11B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dead-in-a-park-b-l-blair/1122527821?ean=2940152095425 Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/dead-in-a-parkSmashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/568893

Sunday Quote - Life

Channel Islands

In 2009, my sister and I went to the Channel Islands off the California coast. They were beautiful.

TGIFiBooks - Convince Me (Holton Series #1) is free on iBooks.

Anna is afraid of love, but Steven changes everything.
Anna West just wants to start over in a new town far away from her past. The only child of a mixed race couple, Anna learned about the ugly side of human behavior at an early age.  After watching her abusive father mistreat her mother, Anna knows that love is not for her.
Steven Carson has always known what he wanted, and from the moment he saw her, he wanted Anna.  Steven is ready for love.  He is ready to settle down, start a family, and he knows Anna is the one for him.  Now all he has to do is convince her.
Come visit Holton, Texas to see if Steven can convince Anna to take a chance on love. Convince Me is the first book in the Holton Series but may be read as a standalone novel.

Available now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/convince-me-holton-series-1/id685746830?mt=11

Dazzled by Maxine Nunes

During a brutal L.A. heatwave, four people are murdered in the Hollywood Hills and Nikki Easton's best friend Darla Ward has disappeared. The police think she might be one of the victims.
In her relentless search for the truth, Nikki discovers the hidden side of her friend's life, laying bare secrets buried before Darla was born, and uncovering widening layers of corruption that reach far beyond Hollywood to the highest levels of government.
Excerpt:What’s real? Darla used to ask me. How do you know what’s real? I never understood the question. But then I didn’t have platinum hair and cheekbones that could cut glass, and no one ever offered to buy me a Rolls if I spent one night naked in his bed. Darla was a brilliant neon sign flashing pure escape. You almost didn’t notice that those lovely green eyes didn’t blaze like the rest of her. She was both main attraction and sad observer at the carnival. Something had damaged her at a very young age. We never talked much about it, but we recognized this in each other from the start. Isn’t that what friendship is? The week she disappeared was as extreme as she was. Triple-digit heat in late August and wavy layers of smog suffocating the city. By ten in the morning, it was brutal everywhere, and on the sidewalks in front of the homeless shelter, with the sun bouncing off the film crew trailers and the odor of unwashed bodies and general decay, it was a very special episode of hell. Beneath an archway, a tall man with a filthy blanket draped over his head rolled his eyes heavenward like a biblical prophet. Or a Star Trek castaway waiting to be beamed up. In one of those trailers, where air conditioning brought the temperature down to the high nineties, I was being stuffed into a fitted leather jacket two sizes too small. Perspiration had already ruined my makeup and the dark circles under my eyes were starting to show through. Heat keeping you up, hon? the makeup girl had asked. I’d nodded. Half the truth.
Purchase Links:Special introductory price for the paperback is $6.37 (will be $12.99). And the Kindle edition is just $3.99.Amazon Paperback:  http://www.amazon.com/Dazzled-Nikki-Easton-Mystery-1/dp/069241617X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qidKindle: http://www.amazon.com/Dazzled-Five-Star-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B00G5K7XEA/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qidBarnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dazzled-maxine-nunes/1115624503?ean=9781432828844
Maxine Nunes is a New Yorker who's spent most of her life in Los Angeles. She has written and produced for television, and currently writes for several publications including the Los Angeles Times. Her satiric parody of a White House scandal won the Pen USA West International Imitation Hemingway Competition.
Website: http://www.maxinenunes.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DazzledMystery

Love Easy & Love Hard by Roe Valentine

Love Easy
by Roe Valentine
Genre: Roaring Twenties Historical American Romance
Age category: Adult
Release Date: February 22, 2014

Blurb:
News reporting is the main joy in Norma Hill's life. She is hell-bent on being more than a weather reporter, but new tyrant boss, Henry Chapel, doesn't agree. While she is following a news lead, Henry saves her from a handsy heir. His words warn her of danger, but his actions stir deeper emotions. Despite his gruff words, can she find the love forever absent from her life?

Pompous and determined, Henry Chapel revives sagging rags and brings them to their former glory. When Lawson Publishing begs Henry to take over the Chicago Daily News, he is more than happy to comply; after all, it had been his favorite newspaper as a child. What he didn't anticipate was a fiery sass-mouthed weather reporter to contend with. He also didn't anticipate finding what he'd been looking for his whole life in the press room.

Book Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
B&N
Kobo

Heat Index: Spicy
Note: Love Easy contains explicit scenes. Intended for adults.

Excerpt:
A loud crash startled him from his nostalgic reverie. The hefty door to his office swung with the full force of a motorcar barreling down Michigan Avenue, one with an ossified driver behind the wheel, no doubt. The metal knob crashed into the plaster, leaving behind a round imprint.What the hell?Behind the ruckus was a tiny brunette standing in the doorway with defiance in her eyes. The little dame slammed the door shut and stood in front of his desk with her tiny palms planted firmly on her hips—her sweet tiny hips.“I know you said things will change around here, but I refuse to be a slave to you, Mr. Chapel! I am a professional reporter, and I will not be bullied by the likes of you.”Her face was beet red, masking her beauty. Exotic amber eyes twitched, and her loose raven curls swayed around her face with every head movement.He remained near the window, compressing his initial need to blow his top. His blood boiled with her blatant reproach. He’d never seen any female employee react that way. Mostly, he’d seen female employees pout and shed tears. This female did neither, and it stimulated him in a way he didn’t expect.He narrowed his eyes. Sure, he remembered her. If he wasn’t mistaken, she’d stood with her arms crossed and a sneer on her lips during his introduction speech. He studied her lips, her very kissable lips. His mind rattled with aversion and intrigue. He should’ve known then she’d be trouble.Moments passed, and he couldn’t figure out why he didn’t fire her on the spot for insubordination. After all, he would’ve done it at any other newspaper he managed. But she was just so small and…breathtaking. Perhaps that had something to do with his softened heart.He surveyed her again. Drab clothes and Victorian hair style. She wasn’t the stylish Sheba he’d been acquainted with. No eye kohl or painted red mouth. She was natural. But the fire in her eyes gave her face an unnatural semblance. It was his turn to say something when the space between them grew thick and tense as the seconds passed. If only he could stop staring at her mouth, especially when she drew in her bottom lip for a quick chew.
Love Hard
by Roe Valentine
Genre: Roaring Twenties Historical American Romance
Age category: Adult
Release Date: July 1, 2015

Blurb:
Ingrid Crawford isn’t the careless flapper everyone thinks she is. In fact, she’s carrying around a heavy load, thanks to her loose-fisted father who’s gambled the family fortune away. While moonlighting at the Tease, she meets a man who might get her out of her financial troubles for good.

Jovanis Koulis is a Greek immigrant who works as a courier, but he strives for much more. While visiting a burlesque joint, he is hit by Cupid’s arrow in the worst way when he lays eyes on the Veiled Vixen. Though he doesn’t tell the fair lady who he really is, he lets her believe what she wants…until he meets her face-to-face days later and neither are who they thought they were.

Will they be able to live up to each other’s expectations without finding themselves in hot water first?

Book Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
B&N
Kobo

Heat Index: Spicy
Note: Love Hard contains explicit scenes. Intended for adults.
Note: Love Hard is a standalone novel, but best when read after LOVE EASY

Excerpt:
“And you lied to me, Vixen.” They stared, chests rising and falling with hard breaths. He didn’t care for her name calling. The heat of a hundred fires lashed his insides, eased up to his face until he had to wipe his sweating brow.“You said you were a businessman.” Her full pink lips remained thin somehow. Her body remained tense, shaking somewhat.“No, I didn’t. You said that.”“And you didn’t disagree.” She placed both hands on her hips. He followed the movement, taking in the curves of her suited body and remembered how luscious she was without clothes on. A twitch in his crotch jerked his eyes back to her blushing cheeks.He smirked. “Well, I was in the middle of something.”Her angel face reddened, proving to him how angry she was. In fact, the steam of her anger misted into the air between them. “You’re just a con!”“If I’m a con, what are you?” Her eyes widened. He’d hit a nerve. But he had to continue. She wasn’t going to get off so easy. “Does your employer know you dance at the Tease? Do they know you strip for money?”He was being cruel, and he should stop. Or he should take her and kiss her like she needed to be kissed. Only his mouth would shut her up—he’d proved that the night before. Though, she might not be screaming his name there.“How dare you!” Her large eyes glossed over.Just as he was going to say something, apologize for being a brute, the elevator doors opened. Both sets of eyes turned to the empty vessel waiting for passengers to enter. One foot in and she grabbed him by the bicep. “We aren’t done.” Her gaze went to his mouth, lingered there in that split second that could have been a lifetime. To test her intention, he licked his bottom lip slowly. Sure enough, her stare moved with the motion, and her lips parted in time to release a small whimper.Something overcame him. The same something that overcame him last night to even be so bold with a woman. He pulled her into the elevator with him, pressing her back against the elevator wall just as the doors closed.


About the Author:
Roe Valentine was born into the right family. Not only does the name Valentine suit her, but her grandmother, unknowingly, introduced the young Ms. Valentine to her first romance novel. She hasn’t read anything else since. She calls herself a romantic at heart and believes that love conquerors all.

The San Antonio native, who now lives in Houston, attempted to write her first contemporary romance novel when she was nineteen years old. That attempt didn’t take, but her story has a happy ending. She kept pursuing the dream until she landed her first publishing contract in 2013.

When not busy writing or reading love stories, Roe can often be found in a yoga class or chatting with friends at her favorite coffee shop. Enjoying margaritas with some girl-talk isn’t unusual for her either. For a night in, she watches reruns of her favorite TV shows and, of course, romantic comedies on her Roku, usually with a glass of wine.

She writes spicy Contemporary, Historical, and Erotic romance novels.

Roe Valentine also LOVES talking to readers. You can contact her in the following ways:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Email: info@roevalentine.com

Book Blitz - Dead in a Dumpster

Follow the tour and enter to win a Dead in a Dumpster gift pack which will include a tote bag, t-shirt, and bookmark.

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Sunday Quote - Hope