N.J. Walters's Blog, page 245
September 5, 2011
Discovery...
It's amazing how we take the city or town we live in for granted. We get used to doing the same things and going the same places over and over. That's just human nature.
Yesterday, hubby and I took a walk around a lake path. It's a lovely spot near the university and the hospital, and we've taken this walk many times before. Hubby jogs there often. There are open grassy fields, which wind into wooded paths. You can see birds and squirrels and it's quite a serene walk. Yesterday, I discovered something quite new.
The main path splinters off into shorter paths from time to time. I've always stuck to the main path. (Hmmm, wonder what a psychiatrist would have to say about that?) But, yesterday, we took one of the short paths and discovered something wonderful.
It was a small area with benchs and outdoor musical instruments. There were drums, a Xylophone, and these really wonderful freestanding pipe chimes. I couldn't resist and played every one of the instruments. Did I mention I'm musically challenged and can't play a note. Not that it mattered. There was only hubby and the squirrels to hear me, and neither of them complained. :)
The large, freestanding pipe chimes were my favorite. One of them sounded like it belonged in a Buddhist temple calling the monks to meditation. It resonated for quite some time after being struck.
I had a wonderful time discovering this small oasis off the beaten track. It made me stop and wonder how many other wonderful things exist within my city that I've never taken the time to discover. Who knows what I'll do next weekend.
Have a great Monday!
Yesterday, hubby and I took a walk around a lake path. It's a lovely spot near the university and the hospital, and we've taken this walk many times before. Hubby jogs there often. There are open grassy fields, which wind into wooded paths. You can see birds and squirrels and it's quite a serene walk. Yesterday, I discovered something quite new.
The main path splinters off into shorter paths from time to time. I've always stuck to the main path. (Hmmm, wonder what a psychiatrist would have to say about that?) But, yesterday, we took one of the short paths and discovered something wonderful.
It was a small area with benchs and outdoor musical instruments. There were drums, a Xylophone, and these really wonderful freestanding pipe chimes. I couldn't resist and played every one of the instruments. Did I mention I'm musically challenged and can't play a note. Not that it mattered. There was only hubby and the squirrels to hear me, and neither of them complained. :)
The large, freestanding pipe chimes were my favorite. One of them sounded like it belonged in a Buddhist temple calling the monks to meditation. It resonated for quite some time after being struck.
I had a wonderful time discovering this small oasis off the beaten track. It made me stop and wonder how many other wonderful things exist within my city that I've never taken the time to discover. Who knows what I'll do next weekend.
Have a great Monday!
Happy Labor Day!
HAPPY LABOR DAY!
I hope you're all having a safe and fun weekend!
I hope you're all having a safe and fun weekend!
September 2, 2011
Mystery Box Drawing at The Romance Studio
The Romance Studio is having a Mystery Box Drawing now through midnight September 5, 2011 for just a really great collection of print romances for some lucky reader and you can enter to win too.
Click HERE to enter
If you do enter, when you get to the section where it asks who sent you, tell them I did. :)
Have a fabulous Friday!
Click HERE to enter
If you do enter, when you get to the section where it asks who sent you, tell them I did. :)
Have a fabulous Friday!
September 1, 2011
September Newsletter Now Available!
The September 2011 issue of Awakening Desires—the Newsletter of Romance Author N.J. Walters—is now available.
Be sure to check out all the latest news, my husband's popular column—Confessions of a Romance Author's Husband—an excerpt, and this month's interview with the wonderful B.J. McCall.
As always, some lucky newsletter subscriber wins a prize. All you have to do to be eligible to win is go to the Awakening Desires Newsletter and join. While you're there, you can check out back issues of the newsletter.
August 29, 2011
Early Review for The Gift of Shayla
Even though my Carina Press release, The Gift of Shayla won't be released until September 12th, the Rage, Sex and Teddy Bears Blog has posted an amazing review.
Here's a snippet of what the reviewer had to say:
"If this little short story doesn't roast your chestnuts, then check their expiration date. This is hottness squared...Ms. Walter's has a true gift for combining scorching erotica with deep emotion, and she uses that gift with a master's touch in this story. I just wanted to eat Adam up with a spoon, not that Rob was any less droolworthy, but a big sweet blonde will get me every time. If you haven't indulged in N.J.Walter's brand of erotica, The Gift of Shayla is the perfect starting place. If you're already a fan then you know what I'm preaching. This lady can flat write her butt off. This would be a terrific story to read by a cozy fire with a significant other while the elements rage outside. It is a guaranteed heart pumper."
Read the entire review!
Here's a snippet of what the reviewer had to say:
"If this little short story doesn't roast your chestnuts, then check their expiration date. This is hottness squared...Ms. Walter's has a true gift for combining scorching erotica with deep emotion, and she uses that gift with a master's touch in this story. I just wanted to eat Adam up with a spoon, not that Rob was any less droolworthy, but a big sweet blonde will get me every time. If you haven't indulged in N.J.Walter's brand of erotica, The Gift of Shayla is the perfect starting place. If you're already a fan then you know what I'm preaching. This lady can flat write her butt off. This would be a terrific story to read by a cozy fire with a significant other while the elements rage outside. It is a guaranteed heart pumper."
Read the entire review!
August 26, 2011
First Line Friday--Embracing Silence
This week, I'm featuring Embracing Silence in First Line Friday.
FIRST LINES:
Fog blanketed the outer city, wrapping it in dampness and filtering out what little light managed to penetrate from the moon and stars that hung in the night sky. The air was thick with the stench of garbage and human waste.
It was a perfect night for hunting.
Anyone with any sense at all was inside, tucked away in whatever dubious shelter they could find. In a lawless land, even the criminals and killers weren't out on such a night. It was just too dangerous.
Tienan waited in the shadow of a burnt-out building, the bricks darkened with soot, dirt and age. Motionless. Nothing, not a twitch or a sound, betrayed his position. He could stay like this for hours. And would, until he found out who was following him.
A man in his position couldn't be too careful.
Read an Excerpt.
Buy the Book.
August 25, 2011
Scorpions - Rock You Like A Hurricane
This is the Scorpions 1984 song Rock You Like a Hurricane.
With Hurricane Irene making her presence known it made this song pop into my head. Everyone in the path of Irene--Stay Safe!
August 23, 2011
Two New Releases!
Today is a very special day. I have not one, but two books releasing today. The first is Dreams of Seduction from Samhain Publishing. This book can be read as a stand alone read but is part of the Spells, Secrets and Seductions trilogy.
BLURB:
Spells, Secrets and Seductions, Book 2
Maggie O'Neill goes along with her two best friends' candle-magick spell to summon a lover only because, well, they are her BFFs. She doesn't really believe in this stuff. Yet the aftermath of the spell leaves her strangely hot and bothered, and then the dreams of a man start—and not just any man. Jed Bearson. Pity, since she's sworn off men for the foreseeable future.
Jed, part-time deputy and painter, doesn't tell many people that he has the ability to let his spirit travel outside his body. One night, despite his self-imposed rule to never invade anyone's privacy, he follows an irresistible pull to Maggie's bedside. He's astounded to find her crying out his name in private pleasure. After months of giving her space, maybe it's time to approach her.
Maggie and Jed's first touch is lightning hot—and their passion is a thunderclap of erotic pleasure. But when Jed reveals he's a spiritwalker, Maggie's reaction is like a curtain of cold rain descending between them. Leaving him wondering what she's afraid of. Magic? Him? Or of following her heart?
Read an Excerpt.
Buy the Book.
Also releasing today is The Mammoth Book of Hot Romance, which contains my short story "Blind Date."
BLURB:
When her best friend sets her up on a blind date Audra Simmons is more than a little reluctant. She's still trying to get over her break up with Tyson Brewer. It's been eight long months since she's seen him. She thought their relationship was headed somewhere special. Instead, it ended up in heartache.
She shows up at a local jazz bar for her "date" and is shocked to find it's none other than her ex—Tyson. She thought she was over him, but it only takes one look for the passion to surge between them. He wants to talk. She wants a night of hot sex. This time, she's going to be the one walking out the door.
But Tyson has a plan and it doesn't include losing Audra for a second time.
BLURB:
Spells, Secrets and Seductions, Book 2
Maggie O'Neill goes along with her two best friends' candle-magick spell to summon a lover only because, well, they are her BFFs. She doesn't really believe in this stuff. Yet the aftermath of the spell leaves her strangely hot and bothered, and then the dreams of a man start—and not just any man. Jed Bearson. Pity, since she's sworn off men for the foreseeable future.
Jed, part-time deputy and painter, doesn't tell many people that he has the ability to let his spirit travel outside his body. One night, despite his self-imposed rule to never invade anyone's privacy, he follows an irresistible pull to Maggie's bedside. He's astounded to find her crying out his name in private pleasure. After months of giving her space, maybe it's time to approach her.
Maggie and Jed's first touch is lightning hot—and their passion is a thunderclap of erotic pleasure. But when Jed reveals he's a spiritwalker, Maggie's reaction is like a curtain of cold rain descending between them. Leaving him wondering what she's afraid of. Magic? Him? Or of following her heart?
Read an Excerpt.
Buy the Book.
Also releasing today is The Mammoth Book of Hot Romance, which contains my short story "Blind Date."
BLURB:
When her best friend sets her up on a blind date Audra Simmons is more than a little reluctant. She's still trying to get over her break up with Tyson Brewer. It's been eight long months since she's seen him. She thought their relationship was headed somewhere special. Instead, it ended up in heartache.
She shows up at a local jazz bar for her "date" and is shocked to find it's none other than her ex—Tyson. She thought she was over him, but it only takes one look for the passion to surge between them. He wants to talk. She wants a night of hot sex. This time, she's going to be the one walking out the door.
But Tyson has a plan and it doesn't include losing Audra for a second time.
August 22, 2011
A Very Special Day
Twenty four years ago today, I married a man who still makes me laugh and smile every single day. He challenges me to think and he makes every day an adventure. Every day I give thanks. I know how lucky I am to have found him.
We started the day with a walk and breakfast out. (We've never run out of things to talk about in all these years.) We'll probably go to an early movie this afternoon. It's all about spending the day together.
Have a wonderful Monday!
August 19, 2011
First Line Friday--Discovering Dani
Welcome to Friday! The first lines today are from Discovering Dani, the first book in my Jamesville series. The first meeting of the heroine and hero is a case of mistaken identity. :)
First Lines:
"Don't just stand there, man, push!"
Dani O'Rourke flinched inwardly even as she stepped up to the beige Mercedes and placed her mitten-covered hands next to a large pair of leather-gloved hands on the cold, hard bumper. She shoved as hard as she could, while the car's wheels spun crazily in the slush.
Read an Excerpt.
Buy the Book.
