Diane Saxon's Blog, page 15
August 5, 2014
Paranormal Kitchen Activities - Week 1 Blackcurrant Jam
I love writing and the more I write, the more I love it. The characters in my head are allowed so much more freedom these days and many of the scenarios I dwell on don't actually make it to my books but they contribute to what I have learnt is "back story" or "world building.
In my latest paranormal short story - more about that another day - my heroine lives in a restricted environment, where she can only dream of her own passion of cooking, baking, creating. I won't spoil the storyline but I thought I would share my heroine's back story.
She has no name yet, but I hope by the time I investigate her world I may be inspired to name her. Or hopefully one of my readers will.
She stripped the canes bare, gently placing the black shiny fruit into her wicker basket. She'd heard it was a good idea to use an Afro comb, run it through the stems to pop the blackcurrants off, but she preferred to use her hands.
The cool shade of her house greeted her as she walked in through the side doorway.
Naked, Beau padded barefoot through her kitchen as she rinsed the blackcurrants in running water, tempted to flick its iciness at his bare ass.
"Going somewhere?"
He stopped, backtracked to come and peer over her shoulder, then snagged a handful of blackcurrants from the colander and popped them into his mouth. His lips touched hers in a brief kiss before he screwed up his face and the acrid smell of raw blackcurrants hit her senses.
"What the f...?"
"Blackcurrants, not really something you want to eat raw."
He spat them into the bin beside the sink, grabbed a glass and filled it with water, sluicing his mouth out while she smiled. Served him right for pinching her food again. He was always sneaking a scoop of something.
"Tastes like cat's piss."
"Can't say I've ever tasted that."
She roamed her gaze over his body, tempted to distract him.
His warm fingers on her chin encouraged her to look at him, the glow in his eyes made her mouth water, nothing to do with the smell of the fruit.
"I'll add sugar, make it into a lovely fruity jam, you'll like it."
"As long as it doesn't taste like cat's p..."
She smiled, touched her lips to his.
"It won't, I promise."
"I'm meeting my brother, I'll see you later."
"Okay."
With a sleek move, he disappeared down the hall, out of the front door.
Van Morrison played low and sultry in the background singing of lovers and the dark end of the street. She added water and sugar to the large pan, poured in the blackcurrants and rejoiced that she lived at the bright side of the road.
Fascinated, she turned up the heat and watched while the mixture foamed and bubbled, filling the air with a soft juicy aroma nothing like the cat's piss Beau claimed he tasted, the rich colour changing to a bright fuschia pink.
Once it started a hard rolling boil, she squeezed a whole lemon into it, enjoying the feel of the juice drizzling out between her fingers.
She reached for the coffee pot, still warm, and poured herself a drink while she waited for the concoction to reach setting point. Removing a clean, cold saucer from the fridge, she used a metal spoon to drip a few drops onto it, then pushed it with her finger satisfied it formed an instant blob that wrinkled at her touch.
As it cooled, she did a quick spin around the kitchen to Brown Eyed Girl before she cleaned down the benches, washed up, then sterilised the jam jars to Moondance and placed them in the oven on a low heat. She decanted the mixture into a jug, removed the jars from the oven and filled them almost to the top with the still hot mixture, delighting in the soft sound of it pouring thick and glutinous into the jars.
With a gentle touch, she placed the waxed discs on the top of the jam, covered them with clean tea towel and left them to cool down completely. She'd put the jam jar covers on later.
She turned, a flash of movement caught her eye and she smiled as her husband walked naked into the room.
"Just in time."
With a quick flick, she removed her apron and opened her arms to let him walk into them.
The Recipe
Blackcurrant Jam
4lb Blackcurrants
3lb Sugar
1/2 pint water
Juice of 1 Lemon
Use a heavy bottom metal pan, metal spoons & approximately 10 sterilised jam jars.
In my latest paranormal short story - more about that another day - my heroine lives in a restricted environment, where she can only dream of her own passion of cooking, baking, creating. I won't spoil the storyline but I thought I would share my heroine's back story.
She has no name yet, but I hope by the time I investigate her world I may be inspired to name her. Or hopefully one of my readers will.
She stripped the canes bare, gently placing the black shiny fruit into her wicker basket. She'd heard it was a good idea to use an Afro comb, run it through the stems to pop the blackcurrants off, but she preferred to use her hands.
The cool shade of her house greeted her as she walked in through the side doorway.
Naked, Beau padded barefoot through her kitchen as she rinsed the blackcurrants in running water, tempted to flick its iciness at his bare ass.
"Going somewhere?"
He stopped, backtracked to come and peer over her shoulder, then snagged a handful of blackcurrants from the colander and popped them into his mouth. His lips touched hers in a brief kiss before he screwed up his face and the acrid smell of raw blackcurrants hit her senses.
"What the f...?"
"Blackcurrants, not really something you want to eat raw."
He spat them into the bin beside the sink, grabbed a glass and filled it with water, sluicing his mouth out while she smiled. Served him right for pinching her food again. He was always sneaking a scoop of something.
"Tastes like cat's piss."
"Can't say I've ever tasted that."
She roamed her gaze over his body, tempted to distract him.
His warm fingers on her chin encouraged her to look at him, the glow in his eyes made her mouth water, nothing to do with the smell of the fruit.
"I'll add sugar, make it into a lovely fruity jam, you'll like it."
"As long as it doesn't taste like cat's p..."
She smiled, touched her lips to his.
"It won't, I promise."
"I'm meeting my brother, I'll see you later."
"Okay."
With a sleek move, he disappeared down the hall, out of the front door.
Van Morrison played low and sultry in the background singing of lovers and the dark end of the street. She added water and sugar to the large pan, poured in the blackcurrants and rejoiced that she lived at the bright side of the road.
Fascinated, she turned up the heat and watched while the mixture foamed and bubbled, filling the air with a soft juicy aroma nothing like the cat's piss Beau claimed he tasted, the rich colour changing to a bright fuschia pink.
Once it started a hard rolling boil, she squeezed a whole lemon into it, enjoying the feel of the juice drizzling out between her fingers.
She reached for the coffee pot, still warm, and poured herself a drink while she waited for the concoction to reach setting point. Removing a clean, cold saucer from the fridge, she used a metal spoon to drip a few drops onto it, then pushed it with her finger satisfied it formed an instant blob that wrinkled at her touch.
As it cooled, she did a quick spin around the kitchen to Brown Eyed Girl before she cleaned down the benches, washed up, then sterilised the jam jars to Moondance and placed them in the oven on a low heat. She decanted the mixture into a jug, removed the jars from the oven and filled them almost to the top with the still hot mixture, delighting in the soft sound of it pouring thick and glutinous into the jars.
With a gentle touch, she placed the waxed discs on the top of the jam, covered them with clean tea towel and left them to cool down completely. She'd put the jam jar covers on later.
She turned, a flash of movement caught her eye and she smiled as her husband walked naked into the room.
"Just in time."
With a quick flick, she removed her apron and opened her arms to let him walk into them.
The Recipe
Blackcurrant Jam
4lb Blackcurrants
3lb Sugar
1/2 pint water
Juice of 1 Lemon
Use a heavy bottom metal pan, metal spoons & approximately 10 sterilised jam jars.
July 16, 2014
Tara Quan’s Operation Owl Tour of the Capital – Eastern Market
Five years ago, Maya Jain kissed her best friend only to have him run out of her dorm room and leave the state. When he shows up in Washington, D.C., a wanted fugitive sought after by every branch of the US government, she can’t bring herself to ignore his plight. As their physical relationship picks up where it left off, she decides it’s time to make him see her as more than the bespectacled, bookish girl he once called “Owl.”After being accused of espionage and treason, Zack Strong needs a forensic accountant to help clear his name. Not knowing who he can trust, this white-hat hacker has no choice but to ask his former best friend and math tutor for help. Together they unravel a cyber conspiracy at the Barn, an NSA facility tasked to intercept electronic communications. But as they traverse the nation’s capital to avoid capture, Maya insists on letting their simmering sexual tension take its natural course. Even though he’s never been able to shake the memory of their one kiss, he refuses to let her give up her life for a man with no future. Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy, Multicultural
Excerpt
Hesitating at the threshold of stalker-like activity, the logical part of his brain made one last-ditch attempt to stall his fingers. This wasn’t acceptable behavior, not by any stretch of the imagination. He should wait and see what happened. If push came to shove, he could always abandon his post and knock on her door.But he’d been sitting there for ages, an abnormal amount of time for anyone to spend in the bathroom. She could have passed out in there, and then where would they be? His brain’s paranoid frontal lobe ended up winning the battle. He needed a quick peek, a brief glance to confirm her location. If the trick gave him a glimpse of her in the shower, the curtain would obscure his view. If he saw even a hint of skin, he’d shut the damn feed off. No harm could come of this.He accessed her webcam and turned it on. As luck would have it, the computer was angled at the open bathroom door, the only part of her apartment he couldn’t see into from the street. With the wall-to-wall mirror completely visible on screen, it wouldn’t be hard to ascertain her presence. A few keystrokes allowed him to enhance the high definition feed and zoom in. A light coating of condensation blurred the reflection by a fraction, but the open doors allowed most of it to dissipate. The reflected image was clear enough to make out shapes and colors.The footage presented a profile view of Maya lying in a bathtub. Since he could only make out her face, neck, and left arm, he didn’t see an immediate need to cease and desist. Her head rested against the tub’s lip, cushioned by her long, dark hair. With her eyes closed and lips parted, he couldn’t tell if she was conscious. What if she had slipped in the shower and hit her head?He cranked up the microphone’s sensitivity. The great thing about modern-day computers was their much-improved capability to process audio and video. As soon as she made a sound or moved, he’d stop watching.A soft, throaty moan crackled over the speakers. Her left hand lifted in the air before clenching over the side of the tub. Her back and neck arched.“Shit.”Slapping down his laptop screen, Zack leaned back against the leather headrest and massaged his temples. Struggling not to draw any conclusions, he muttered, “Don’t go there, man. Just don’t go there.”
Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | AllRomance| Decadent| GoodReadsa Rafflecopter giveaway
About Tara QuanGlobetrotter, lover of languages, and romance author, Tara Quan has an addiction for crafting tales with a pinch of spice and a smidgen of kink. Inspired by her travels, Tara enjoys tossing her kick-ass heroines and alpha males into exotic contemporary locales, fantasy worlds, and post-apocalyptic futures. Armed with magical powers or conventional weapons, her characters are guaranteed a suspenseful and sensual ride, as well as their own happily ever after. Learn more at www.taraquan.com
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon
I owe Diane Saxon a huge thank you for hosting me today. Because of my impending move to Rome, I may soon experience a prolonged Internet blackout and have therefore prescheduled all my stops. My latest multicultural romance from Decadent Publishing comes out July 15, 2014 (so, depending on when you stumble upon this blog, it might be available now). For up-to-date buy links as well as a chance to win a $25 gift card, drop by my website:
TaraQuan.com/Owl
In honor of the place I consider home (what the government terms the National Capital Area), I’m dedicating the posts on this tour to Washington, D.C. and its surrounding suburbs. The romantic comedy I’m very blatantly promoting is set entirely in the US capital. A Beyond Fairytales adaptation of The Owl by Brothers Grimm, Operation Owl features a geeky hacker hero and his bookish best friend. They team up to expose a cyber conspiracy at the heart of the US government and end up indulging in some other equally exciting activities. Waypoint: Eastern MarketHaving grown up in Bangkok (with its preponderance of street hawkers), I tend to favor outdoor shopping. I also prefer to take snack breaks while I shop, which significantly improves a girl’s stamina. As such, I’ve become a huge fan of the Sunday Flea at Eastern Market. Located a short walk from the Orange Line metro stop bearing its name, this weekly gathering tends to attract local artisans and D.C.’s millennial generation. Whether it be cartoon-embellished belts, hand-crafted decorative soaps, cufflinks made out of old coins, humorous T-shirts, or second-hand suits, you’ll always stumble upon something interesting. If you didn’t have time to grab lunch, there’s usually coffee, popcorn, roasted nuts, empanadas, fruit, and even pickles within close proximity. To be honest, I tend to window-shop here more often than not (art tends to come with a high price tag), but the experience itself is worth a visit.Just remember to wear a hat, slather on some sunscreen, and carry cash!And thus concludes my Capital Area tip for the day. Follow along at TaraQuan.com/Owl as I continue my tour at the blogs of some awesome romance authors.
July 10, 2014
That Time of Year ...
It's that time of year when you need to start deciding on your summer reading list. Personally, between myself and my daughters, we tend to stuff our suitcases to the limit with paperbacks we know we will share. These days I also take the trusty kindle and slip it into my handbag, it's amazing how many books I can download and we share that too. Guaranteed to never run out of books again - provided of course you remember to take the charger.
Don't forget, you can always download my books to kindle (or any reader) before you go. Perhaps a nice short read for the flight :
Publisher’s Page http://bit.ly/IcMuoh Amazon.com http://bitly.com/ItNbJKAmazon.co.uk http://bitly.com/18EGEbAAll Romance http://bit.ly/1kqgzN3Kobo http://bit.ly/1gQsKTs
For more options go to http://www.dianesaxon.com/buythebooks.html
Then, there's always my Atlantic Divide Series,
Don't forget, you can always download my books to kindle (or any reader) before you go. Perhaps a nice short read for the flight :
Publisher’s Page http://bit.ly/IcMuoh Amazon.com http://bitly.com/ItNbJKAmazon.co.uk http://bitly.com/18EGEbAAll Romance http://bit.ly/1kqgzN3Kobo http://bit.ly/1gQsKTs
For more options go to http://www.dianesaxon.com/buythebooks.html
Then, there's always my Atlantic Divide Series,
July 2, 2014
Guest Spot - Haley Whitehall - New Release Wild and Tender Care
Welcome to Haley, fellow author and friend whose new historical romance, Wild and Tender Care is released this week.
The Gentle Alpha
The alpha male is a standard in many romance novels and perhaps even more so in historical romance. One reason for this is that throughout history women have held a subjugated place in society and second because of the popularity of the historical bodice rippers in the 80’s.
I’m not a big fan of alpha males myself. Too many alphas come across as controlling and even abusive. I am a proud feminist and do not believe women should be submissive to men. When reading books with a too-tough alpha male I often wonder why on earth did she fall in love with him? The leading men in my romances tend to be a beta or are able to tame their alpha side when the time comes if it will help their situation. Compromise is an art and a good one in any stable relationship.
William Steere in Wild and Tender Care is the most alpha male I’ve written to date. Ida Page is more of an alpha female, too. So they butt heads a lot. I like it when an alpha male gets a fiery woman, someone not afraid to stand up to him. Men like that need a challenge, a woman to match them step for step. In my opinion, a shy, mousey woman just won’t be a suitable match for an alpha male. Both the hero and heroine need to learn something and grow as they fall in love. I find it very believable when alphas learn to be humble or patient. Male or female, love can gentle an alpha.
I like my alpha tough but with a gentle side.
How do you like your alpha characters?
Here is a fun excerpt from my new release Wild and Tender Care:
He sucked in his lips. She hadn’t said she didn’t have feelings for him. That was a good sign. By the way she looked at him he could tell she was interested. He just had to persuade her somehow that they could be together in Big Rock.
“I see, Miss Page. Well, I will be by tomorrow to check on you.”
“Check on me? Now listen here, Dr. Steere, I didn’t get shot. I didn’t even break a bone. There is no reason for you to check on my sprained ankle.”
Fire burned in her eyes. He didn’t respond, merely headed for the door.
She liked him, wanted him. Usually it was the boy who showed he loved the girl by antagonizing her. Miss Page was flustered because she loved him. He’d bet all his money on it. Of course, he longed for her to say those words. Hopefully in time she could.
Stuck in the chair with her foot emerged in the bucket of water Miss Page couldn’t run after and chastise him. However, her glare scorched his back. “Did you hear me, Dr. Steere?”
He turned around and grinned. “Yes, I heard you, Miss Page. I’m just doing my job. All my life I’ve had to work extra hard for the things I’ve wanted.” And I want you.
His piercing lust elicited a tiny shiver from Miss Page. His gaze having the effect he wanted gave him silent encouragement. Oh yes, she wanted him. “It was hard getting into medical school as a half-breed. I wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Blurb:
Ida Page has seen the worst the west has to offer. Snubbed by the citizens of Big Rock, Colorado, ever since the town cleaned up its act and became civilized, she has tried to change with the times. No other line of work available, she became a laundress after the mayor shut down the whorehouse, but the good people will not allow her to forget her past as a shady lady. She has given up on ever being accepted, let alone falling in love, until a handsome half-breed stranger arrives in town.
After the War Between the States, William Steere has been looking for a town to build a medical practice. He answered a newspaper ad placed by the mayor of Big Rock and hopes their desperate need for a doctor will overrule their race prejudice against his half-breed status. At the Independence Day picnic, he is introduced to all the town citizens except for one woman sitting off by herself. This redhead draws him to her with merely a gaze.
Can the two outcasts find love and acceptance in each other's arms or will the town’s cruelty and a smallpox epidemic tear them apart?
Buy Links:
Liquid Silver Books: http://www.lsbooks.com/wild-and-tender-care-p914.php
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Tender-Care-Haley-Whitehall-ebook/dp/B00LE4QQBI/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Tender-Care-Haley-Whitehall-ebook/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-and-tender-care-haley-whitehall/1119722878?ean=9781622101139
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-wildandtendercare-1559660-157.html
Author Bio:
Haley Whitehall lives in Washington State where she enjoys all four seasons and the surrounding wildlife. She writes historical fiction and historical romance set in the 19th century U.S. When she is not researching or writing, she plays with her cats, watches the Western and History Channels, and goes antiquing. She is hoping to build a time machine so she can go in search of her prince charming. A good book, a cup of coffee, and a view of the mountains make her happy. Visit Haley’s website at http://haleywhitehall.com.
Where to find Haley Whitehall:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/HaleyWhitehallFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/LightonHistory Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5752677.Haley_Whitehall Blog: http://haleywhitehall.com/blog/Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Haley-Whitehall/e/B0078EO6CE/ Newsletter: https://tinyletter.com/HaleyWhitehall
June 30, 2014
Winner of Finding Zoe
Well, can you believe I almost forgot to choose a winner of Finding Zoe from the Summer Lovin' Blog Hop? Thanks to all who entered, it was a great hop.
The winner is GingerRing who said a quiet place by the water was her favourite summer location - a woman after my own heart. Trickling water, a book, a flask of coffee and piece of chocolate cake. Uh oh, here I go getting carried away with thoughts of food and drink.
Congratulations, I hope you love it.
For those of you who didn't win, why not treat yourself to the download anyway.
Diane Saxon Buy the Books http://bit.ly/164ccDv
Liquid Silver Books http://bit.ly/1fBVyls
Amazon.com http://amzn.to/1blakaP
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/15EXvne
June 20, 2014
Summer Loving Blog Hop
Being English, I’m used to wildly changing seasons, and mainly I love them all, but a long wet winter has dragged this year and I for one am delighted to greet summer.
Summer to me is about walking through the footpaths that meander through fields of crops, across meadows of wildflowers and alongside trickling streams and gushing rivers. Accompanied by my Dalmatian, Skye and soon I imagine our new puppy Beau, this is where I get my inspiration from. Not the beaches and the bars, but the quiet, solitary walks I take in the Shropshire countryside.
This is the setting for Book 3 in my Atlantic Divide Series, Finding Zoe.
ExcerptAlmost eleven years had passed since he’d been there. Right at this very spot in the heart of Shropshire, England. Eleven years and his heart soared as he stood at the top of Major’s Leap on Wenlock Edge, careful not to get too close to the bluff in case his fear of heights got the better of him. He breathed in the fresh English air, filled his lungs with it.
He gazed over the acres of rich land. He’d forgotten the contrasts of color in the bright English countryside. The lush bottle-green of the trees against the bright emerald and pale jade of the square fields with their acres of crops swaying opulent and thick, contrasted with handkerchiefs of vivid yellow rapeseed fields sitting comfortably next to the mud-brown of the newly plowed areas. Forest-green hedgerows divided the land, populated with poppies splattered randomly over the landscape like droplets of blood.
As the warm English summer wind buffeted him, he closed his eyes and wondered why it had taken him so long to come back.
“Mr. Blunt?”
He knew why.
“Mr. Blunt, sir…are you ready?”
It was because of her.
“Mr. Blunt…”
“Yes. I’m ready.”
Opening his eyes, he sighed. He took a moment longer to scan the landscape, tracking the clear, pale blue sky; he drew his gaze across the horizon. He smiled as he recognized the rise of The Wrekin in the distance and remembered her telling him the tale of some giant dumping a shovel of dirt on the plains of Shropshire, which made the hill.
With a wry smile he turned away, saddened for a moment as he wondered what had become of her. From time to time she still managed to make his heart ache.
He turned away from the view, from the memories, from the dull throb in his chest.
Giveaway
For this Summer Loving Bloghop I’m giving away a copy of Finding Zoe. Leave a comment telling me your favourite summer location and I will give one lucky winner an ecopy.
For more prizes, do this:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Have a great hop and bag so more prizes, click here:
www.hopswithheart.blogspot.com
June 18, 2014
Craving blog tour
Secret Cravings
Why is it that I always crave the things I can’t have? Like when I’m on a diet and I long for McDonald’s fries, and moist sweet carrot cake with cream cheese frosting? Or when I only have plain vanilla ice cream in the freezer, I have a desperate craving for Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream?
Actually, I’ve craved Ben & Jerry’s ice cream ever since moving to New Zealand, some 6 years ago. That and Marks & Spencer chocolate mini bites… OMG, they were divine.
In Craving (Talisman #2) , my hero—Dante—craves the woman he shouldn’t have. Of course! I don’t like to make things easy for my characters J Excerpt
“You’re too good for me, Kitten.” Keeping our hands linked, he stood up and closed the final distance between us, wrapping his free arm around me.I dipped my head to rest against his chest, engulfed in his embrace. It felt as though I’d come home.He dropped a gentle kiss on the top of my head and sighed deeply. “I don’t want you to become another casualty of my fucked-up life. Everyone who means anything to me, ends up getting hurt. Or worse.”“Hey,” I murmured, unwilling to move. “I’ve managed to fuck-up my own life, I didn’t need any help from you.”I heard a muffled laugh. “Baby, you don’t even come close.”Burying my nose in his shirt, I inhaled the rich, sinfully erotic scent that I now associated with Dante. A hint of leather, something dark and spicy, and a whole lot of sexy. Lifting my head, I pressed my lips hard against his, catching him by surprise. “I’m still mad at you.”
Craving (Talisman #2) is available 10 June 2014, from Time & Tide Publishing. Tagline
A deal with a demon, a biker psychic and the girl who might just be his salvation... if the demon doesn’t get to her first.
Blurb
Dante isn’t your typical medium. With his leather jacket, tattoos and piercings, he looks more at home on his motorbike than he does holding a séance and Katherine has no intention of getting involved with him. He's the complete opposite of the kind of man she wants and represents everything she's tried to leave behind, but she needs a medium and he’s the best one around.
Dante’s never allowed himself to get close to anyone for fear of putting them in danger. His cravingfor Katherine is about to bring his worst nightmares to life.
Video trailer http://vimeo.com/89876177
Giveaway
I’m giving away 3 copies of Craving , to 3 lucky commenters across the tour. Just leave a comment at whichever site you visit, and you’ll go into the draw. The more sites you visit, the more chances you get to win J
Links
Amazon | All Romance | Barnes & Noble | iTunes| Goodreads | Time & Tide Publishing
www.SofiaGrey.com
Catch me blogging with Allyson Lindt at www.GeminiGirls.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sofia.Grey.R... http://www.pinterest.com/sofiagrey1/T... @SofiaGreyAuthor
Blog Tour
Date Host Blog post 11 June Rosanna Leo The darker side of night life 12 June T'irla's Talk Peeling the onion 13 June Cover Reveals
14 June Love, Lust & Laptops What drives you 15 June
16 June Eva Lefoy When good friends go bad 17 June Kimber Vale Things that go bump in the night 18 June Diane Saxon Secret cravings 19 June Anne Kemp My invisible friend 20 June Sotia Lazu Family ties 21 June Loralie Hall Footloose and fancy free 22 June Tina Carreiro Where did you just come from? 23 June Barbara Elsborg From start to finish… in only 16 years… 24 June The BookChick Footprints in the sand 25 June Theresa Cole A dream of ponies and airfields
About Author
Romance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in the fiction line, but she prefers her romances to be hot, and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and alwaysmakes them work hard for their happy endings.
Music is interwoven so tightly into my writing that I can’t untangle the two. Either I’m listening to a playlist on my iPod, have music seeping from my laptop speakers, or there’s a song playing in my head – sometimes on auto-repeat.
Check out my playlists on Pinterest
If you haven’t read Obsession, book 1 in the Talisman series, you can download it NOW for a limited time at $0.99!!!
BUY LINKS
Amazon / All Romance / Barnes & Noble / iTunes
Also available in print
Blurb:
Josh Delaney is the ideal honey trap. His charm and model good looks would be enough for most women, but coupled with his psychic ability to read their thoughts, he’s impossible to resist. Suspicious husbands employ him to test their wives, to see if they can be tempted to stray.
High profile couple Suki and Gabe Bridgewater have the perfect marriage, or at least, that’s the image they portray to the world. Behind closed doors, Gabe’s dominance in the marriage is unravelling and he decides to test Suki, using Josh as bait.
For Josh it should be just another easy job, but two things go horribly wrong.
One, Josh falls in love with Suki.
And two, Gabe refuses to let her go.
Why is it that I always crave the things I can’t have? Like when I’m on a diet and I long for McDonald’s fries, and moist sweet carrot cake with cream cheese frosting? Or when I only have plain vanilla ice cream in the freezer, I have a desperate craving for Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream?
Actually, I’ve craved Ben & Jerry’s ice cream ever since moving to New Zealand, some 6 years ago. That and Marks & Spencer chocolate mini bites… OMG, they were divine.
In Craving (Talisman #2) , my hero—Dante—craves the woman he shouldn’t have. Of course! I don’t like to make things easy for my characters J Excerpt
“You’re too good for me, Kitten.” Keeping our hands linked, he stood up and closed the final distance between us, wrapping his free arm around me.I dipped my head to rest against his chest, engulfed in his embrace. It felt as though I’d come home.He dropped a gentle kiss on the top of my head and sighed deeply. “I don’t want you to become another casualty of my fucked-up life. Everyone who means anything to me, ends up getting hurt. Or worse.”“Hey,” I murmured, unwilling to move. “I’ve managed to fuck-up my own life, I didn’t need any help from you.”I heard a muffled laugh. “Baby, you don’t even come close.”Burying my nose in his shirt, I inhaled the rich, sinfully erotic scent that I now associated with Dante. A hint of leather, something dark and spicy, and a whole lot of sexy. Lifting my head, I pressed my lips hard against his, catching him by surprise. “I’m still mad at you.”
Craving (Talisman #2) is available 10 June 2014, from Time & Tide Publishing. Tagline
A deal with a demon, a biker psychic and the girl who might just be his salvation... if the demon doesn’t get to her first.
Blurb
Dante isn’t your typical medium. With his leather jacket, tattoos and piercings, he looks more at home on his motorbike than he does holding a séance and Katherine has no intention of getting involved with him. He's the complete opposite of the kind of man she wants and represents everything she's tried to leave behind, but she needs a medium and he’s the best one around.
Dante’s never allowed himself to get close to anyone for fear of putting them in danger. His cravingfor Katherine is about to bring his worst nightmares to life.
Video trailer http://vimeo.com/89876177
Giveaway
I’m giving away 3 copies of Craving , to 3 lucky commenters across the tour. Just leave a comment at whichever site you visit, and you’ll go into the draw. The more sites you visit, the more chances you get to win J
Links
Amazon | All Romance | Barnes & Noble | iTunes| Goodreads | Time & Tide Publishing
www.SofiaGrey.com
Catch me blogging with Allyson Lindt at www.GeminiGirls.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sofia.Grey.R... http://www.pinterest.com/sofiagrey1/T... @SofiaGreyAuthor
Blog Tour
Date Host Blog post 11 June Rosanna Leo The darker side of night life 12 June T'irla's Talk Peeling the onion 13 June Cover Reveals
14 June Love, Lust & Laptops What drives you 15 June
16 June Eva Lefoy When good friends go bad 17 June Kimber Vale Things that go bump in the night 18 June Diane Saxon Secret cravings 19 June Anne Kemp My invisible friend 20 June Sotia Lazu Family ties 21 June Loralie Hall Footloose and fancy free 22 June Tina Carreiro Where did you just come from? 23 June Barbara Elsborg From start to finish… in only 16 years… 24 June The BookChick Footprints in the sand 25 June Theresa Cole A dream of ponies and airfields
About Author
Romance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in the fiction line, but she prefers her romances to be hot, and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and alwaysmakes them work hard for their happy endings.
Music is interwoven so tightly into my writing that I can’t untangle the two. Either I’m listening to a playlist on my iPod, have music seeping from my laptop speakers, or there’s a song playing in my head – sometimes on auto-repeat.
Check out my playlists on Pinterest
If you haven’t read Obsession, book 1 in the Talisman series, you can download it NOW for a limited time at $0.99!!!
BUY LINKS
Amazon / All Romance / Barnes & Noble / iTunes
Also available in print
Blurb:
Josh Delaney is the ideal honey trap. His charm and model good looks would be enough for most women, but coupled with his psychic ability to read their thoughts, he’s impossible to resist. Suspicious husbands employ him to test their wives, to see if they can be tempted to stray.
High profile couple Suki and Gabe Bridgewater have the perfect marriage, or at least, that’s the image they portray to the world. Behind closed doors, Gabe’s dominance in the marriage is unravelling and he decides to test Suki, using Josh as bait.
For Josh it should be just another easy job, but two things go horribly wrong.
One, Josh falls in love with Suki.
And two, Gabe refuses to let her go.
June 7, 2014
Delicious Delay by Tara Quan – 99c SALE!
Thank you for letting me share my multicultural contemporary romance, Delicious Delay. The book is currently on sale for a limited time. You can grab it for only 99c from Amazon, B&N, AllRomance, and Decadent. After my own not-so-delicious delay in the Middle East, I set out to write something funny, sexy, and set entirely in an airport lounge. It’s a quick summer read meant to make your mouth water (from the food...) and your toes curl. I hope I’ve piqued your interest enough to give one of the links below a click. ~Tara QuanDelicious Delay
Stranded in a Middle Eastern airport, Michelle Day finds herself the object of interest for an abrasive, but all-too-sexy stranger—a stranger who tempts her with the forbidden in a land where indecency could get her killed. But how does one say no to such a deliciously, relentless pursuit?Khalid Al Dehri takes one look at the red-headed spitfire in the business class lounge and knew he’d either been transported to heaven—or hell. Her tart response to his surliness intrigues him beyond all propriety and the longer he spends in her company, the more he can’t deny his forbidden attraction. But will she explore the sensuality between them or will society’s rules keep them apart?Genre: Contemporary Romance, MulticulturalBuy Links: Amazon | B&N | Decadent | AllRomance | GoodReadsAmazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HHMQ71UB&... http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/delic... http://www.decadentpublishing.com/pro... https://www.allromanceebooks.com/prod... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
About Tara Quan
Globetrotter, lover of languages, and romance author, Tara Quan has an addiction for crafting tales with a pinch of spice and a smidgen of kink. Inspired by her travels, Tara enjoys tossing her kick-ass heroines and alpha males into exotic contemporary locales, fantasy worlds, and post-apocalyptic futures. Armed with magical powers or conventional weapons, her characters are guaranteed a suspenseful and sensual ride, as well as their own happily ever after. Learn more at www.taraquan.com
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon
Excerpt
He grinned. “So I have a proposal.”She tried to get her breathing under control, without much success. “Why am I sure it’s an indecent one?”He motioned his head toward the far end of the lounge. Latticed wooden screens gave that particular section more privacy. In an L-shaped room, the tucked-away location prevented a direct line of sight from the dining or reception areas.He got up and offered her his hand. She hesitated for a long moment before taking it. With faltering footsteps, she followed him. More private or not, limits on how far this could go existed due to them being in an airport lounge. Since her self-control had chosen today to take a vacation, she appreciated the imposed constraint.He lowered himself onto a plush leather sofa deep inside the cordoned area. With walls on either side and screens strategically angled, the space seemed to have been designed as a spot for people to nap.On the brink of crossing a dangerous line, she hesitated. “What exactly do you have in mind?”“I’m just giving you the opportunity to have your way with me,” he offered, his face the picture of innocence.She hadn’t expected that answer. “I don’t quite follow.”He kicked one of his legs out and tangled it with hers. She stumbled and instinctively moved her hands forward to brace herself. Her palms flattened over his hard muscled chest when she landed.She traced the shape of his pectorals. “What do you do all day? Work out?”He chuckled, the low rumble all male. “I have access to the best personal trainers money can buy. They help keep me honest.”She shook her head in disbelief as the man preened. “Have you heard of a concept called humility?”“It’s not one of my virtues,” he admitted. “I’ve never understood the point.”She sighed. “It’s the polite thing to do.”He placed his forefinger under her chin and tipped her head up, his expression playful. “So what is a sweet, polite, goody two shoes doing on top of me?”
June 4, 2014
Another Fabulous Review
Heather book whore & shifter slut extrordinaire's Reviews > Flynn's Kiss
Want to ReadRate this book1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 starsFlynn's Kiss
by Diane Saxon (Goodreads Author)
Heather book whore & shifter slut extrordinaire's review Jun 03, 14
4 of 5 starsbookshelves: book-4-in-series, contemporary-human-couple, perennial-fav-author, location-farm-ranch
Read in May, 2014
Bill's is still my favorite book in this series but Flynn's sure comes close. I liked Flynn when we met him in Mac's book - who doesn't like the guy who tortures the big scaredy cat "action hero" who is afraid of heights? Hehe - gotta admit I would die 1000 deaths if anyone asked me to get on anything other than a chair and even then you better be hanging onto it and me!
Flynn is an antisocial, viciously and horribly scarred man who has not been the same since he came home from his last Special Forces mission . He expected to return as "the hometown hero" and be the same golden boy he was before, but instead he was met with reactions that scarred him even deeper. He has spent the last 3 years with his cousin Mac in the shallow, glamorous world of Hollywood where he learned over and over that beauty may only be skin deep but the skin is the only thing that matters - at least there. He finally gets a chance to return home to the ranch and is surprised to be welcomed home by family and meet some new friends. Liberty is a friend of Kate's from school who is taking a break from her solitary work to catch up with Kate and her family and meet Kate's newest family members on the ranch. Liberty is a sweet and charming person with an amazing and generous personality. Unlike Flynn, her scars are only on the inside and they hide with her fear; both are deep marks leftover from her childhood.
On the surface, these two people could not be more different or have less in common than a dog and an eagle. Yet they are both deeply scarred people who present a mask to society to keep them from seeing the real person. In fact, these two are complete opposites in the only way that matters to them - their scars. The author manages to take these two on a ride of sexual tension and spontaneous combustion of lust followed by confusion and laughter at themselves in pain and at each other in joy. The road these two travel to come together is filled with interfering and eavesdropping family and friends, misunderstandings of actions and words by each other and assumptions that get each other in boatloads of trouble! It made me laugh and sigh and smile and is a great addition to one of my favorite series.
I wonder who will be next - maybe Ethan...?
This paragraph appears in each book review of this series
The reality of a series is not only do you have to write a good (first) book with interesting characters that your readers will enjoy interacting with, you have to surround these characters with a supporting cast that also interest the reader. This is essential for any series to survive because the reader has to want to be drawn back into the world that the author has created. The reader has to want to go back and interact with the characters again and again and watch and learn as the supporting characters in one book are brought to the forefront in another book and given a chance to find their HEA. If a reader isn't drawn deeply into the world the author creates, if the reader doesn't care about the characters the author creates then no matter how many books an author writes or how much they promote or discount their books no one will be interested. In my opinion, Diane Saxon is a master of the series!
Want to ReadRate this book1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 starsFlynn's Kiss by Diane Saxon (Goodreads Author)
Heather book whore & shifter slut extrordinaire's review Jun 03, 144 of 5 starsbookshelves: book-4-in-series, contemporary-human-couple, perennial-fav-author, location-farm-ranch
Read in May, 2014
Bill's is still my favorite book in this series but Flynn's sure comes close. I liked Flynn when we met him in Mac's book - who doesn't like the guy who tortures the big scaredy cat "action hero" who is afraid of heights? Hehe - gotta admit I would die 1000 deaths if anyone asked me to get on anything other than a chair and even then you better be hanging onto it and me!
Flynn is an antisocial, viciously and horribly scarred man who has not been the same since he came home from his last Special Forces mission . He expected to return as "the hometown hero" and be the same golden boy he was before, but instead he was met with reactions that scarred him even deeper. He has spent the last 3 years with his cousin Mac in the shallow, glamorous world of Hollywood where he learned over and over that beauty may only be skin deep but the skin is the only thing that matters - at least there. He finally gets a chance to return home to the ranch and is surprised to be welcomed home by family and meet some new friends. Liberty is a friend of Kate's from school who is taking a break from her solitary work to catch up with Kate and her family and meet Kate's newest family members on the ranch. Liberty is a sweet and charming person with an amazing and generous personality. Unlike Flynn, her scars are only on the inside and they hide with her fear; both are deep marks leftover from her childhood.
On the surface, these two people could not be more different or have less in common than a dog and an eagle. Yet they are both deeply scarred people who present a mask to society to keep them from seeing the real person. In fact, these two are complete opposites in the only way that matters to them - their scars. The author manages to take these two on a ride of sexual tension and spontaneous combustion of lust followed by confusion and laughter at themselves in pain and at each other in joy. The road these two travel to come together is filled with interfering and eavesdropping family and friends, misunderstandings of actions and words by each other and assumptions that get each other in boatloads of trouble! It made me laugh and sigh and smile and is a great addition to one of my favorite series.
I wonder who will be next - maybe Ethan...?
This paragraph appears in each book review of this series
The reality of a series is not only do you have to write a good (first) book with interesting characters that your readers will enjoy interacting with, you have to surround these characters with a supporting cast that also interest the reader. This is essential for any series to survive because the reader has to want to be drawn back into the world that the author has created. The reader has to want to go back and interact with the characters again and again and watch and learn as the supporting characters in one book are brought to the forefront in another book and given a chance to find their HEA. If a reader isn't drawn deeply into the world the author creates, if the reader doesn't care about the characters the author creates then no matter how many books an author writes or how much they promote or discount their books no one will be interested. In my opinion, Diane Saxon is a master of the series!
May 27, 2014
Uriel's Fall by Loralie Hall - Cover Reveal
BlurbWhat's a corporate demon to do when the voice in her head is devouring her sanity from the inside out, and the hosts of heaven and hell would rather see her destroyed than surrender a power they shouldn't possess?Ronnie has the job any entry-level angel or demon would sell their soul for—she's a retrieval analyst for the largest search engine in the world. Ubiquity is a joint initiative between heaven and hell. Because what better way to track all of humanity's secrets, both good and bad, than direct access to their web browsing habits.She might appreciate the position a little more if a) she could remember anything about her life before she started working at Ubiquity, b) the damn voice in her head would just shut up already, and c) her boss wasn't a complete dickhead.As she searches for the solutions to the first two issues, and hopes the third will work itself out in performance reviews, she uncovers more petty backstabbing than an episode of Real Housewives, and a conspiracy as old as Lucifer's descent from heaven. On top of all that, if she forgets the cover sheet on her TPS report one more time, she's absolutely going on final written warning. Now Ronnie’s struggling to keep her sanity and job, and stop the voice in her head from stealing her life. She almost misses the boredom of data analysis at Ubiquity. Almost.
ExcerptI materialized from the ether, already anticipating the comfort of Lucifer's office in hell and being enveloped in the closest thing I recognized as feeling like home. His door was open when I got there, and I saw him at his desk so I pushed in with a brief announcing knock. I exhaled in relief as his familiar aura seeped into me. As one of the three remaining originals, he had his own little corner of hell that was all his and no one else’s. Instead of being generic day to day blahness, it radiated the fact that he’d occupied it for millennia. As I got far enough inside to see the rest of the room, I froze, all coherent thought evaporating.It’s not… Maybe? Mikkel?Lucifer wasn’t alone. The stranger looked up, steel-blue eyes locking on mine. A few days growth of black stubble decorated his chin, and his mud-caked boots rested on Lucifer’s desk, the occasional flake dropping down to mar the shine. It wouldn’t scuff the oak finish—Lucifer liked his polished-until-it-was-almost-a-mirror wood finishes too much to let that happen, but it still had to be irritating the hell out of my mentor.It wasn’t always easy to tell the difference between an angel and a demon—since technically we were all made from the same stuff, and just accomplished our goals differently. But a real angel. One served order instead of looking for the loopholes that allowed chaos, had a different aura. A smooth glow instead of a kaleidoscope of fractured light. And the arrogant man with his feet on my boss’s desk was more distinctly angel than anyone I’d ever met. Something about the situation, on top of the last twenty-four hours of my bizarre life, amused me. Who was he? Angels in hell weren’t unheard of, but they disliked our methods enough that visits were rare. I stepped toward him. With dark hair, light eyes, and an obvious disdain for the most powerful demon in existence, he was sexy, and compelling, and—If you’ll stop swooning, I can kill that fucker. Right here and now. Draw your sword.
Find Loralie Hall OnlineFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoralieHallTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/aszrealBlog: http://blog.apathyshero.comWebsite: http://urielsfall.com
About Loralie HallLoralie Hall is a full time corporate geek and a fuller time writer. Her spouse is her muse and their cats are very much their children. When they’re not spending way too much time gaming, they’re making the world more good by vanquishing one fictional evil at a time.
