Mary E. Thompson's Blog, page 14
September 29, 2017
#FiveOnFriday with Elizabeth St. Michel
FIVE THINGS ABOUT SWEET VENGEANCE
DUKE OF RUTLAND SERIES BOOK I:
HISTORY: My love of history, particularly the American Revolution is detailed in Sweet Vengeance, spanning from the shores of England across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and on to Boston. Privateering was a must for American Colonists to interrupt the trade of England, a powerful country at that time that possessed a larger and formidable Navy.
The lovely island of Martinique in the Caribbean was a French stronghold during the revolution and furnished a necessary port for Colonial privateers to leave off their contraband and resupply the Colonies with guns and munitions.
The Bahamas, lying off the Southeastern coast of Florida is an archipelago or collection of islands known as the West Indies. The island of New Providence in 1778 held a population of a thousand people. As a British Colony, it boasted a well-protected harbor that served as a convenient and favorite rendezvous place for British naval vessels and functioning as the chief British Naval station on the American coast.
During the American Revolution, Fort Nassau was taken by a dashing and daring force led by Captain John Trevett of the Colonial Marines and Captain John Rathburn of the Colonial Navy. One can imagine the dismay of sleepy townspeople when they awakened in the morning to discover the scarlet flag of England replaced by the little-known stars and bars of the United States.
LISTENING: To write strong characters you have to be a strong listener. You must know them down to their toes, listening to their complaints, joys, sorrows and dreams. Silence and thinking allows the creative faucet to flow. Often when I’m writing, I totally tune out of this world. I hear the waves lapping on a beach, the wind rustling through palm trees and the voices of my characters whispering their secrets. Listening builds deep characters, making us care about what happens to them.
LAUGHTER: I do love to laugh and intertwine my novels with humor. I have a special contract with my readers, presenting dialogue and foils of the story’s characters to make them laugh. Below is an excerpt of Sweet Vengeance. Lady Abigail, disguised as a cabin boy has to sew up Captain Thorne’s wound and he has just insulted her.
“Ouch! Take it easy. Do you know how exasperating you are?” He glared at her, and then after a long stretched out moment, his lean cheeks flexed. “A thought has crossed my mind.”
Abby froze mid-stroke. “That must have been a long and lonely journey.”
“I think you’ve had experience at this.”
Abby shrugged indifferently. So he would rather boil in oil! Piqued she thought of a million other tortures. “If you count the time I watched a donkey’s rear being sewed up after a mare took a chunk out of him.”
Thorne bellowed with laughter. “I hope you are not comparing me to a donkey’s rear.”
“Quit moving. I can’t stitch someone who’s so intent on braying. If you must know, I have complete respect for you, Captain. I would never compare you to a donkey’s rear.”
FAMILY: I love to emphasize family personalities and loyalties since family dynamics introduces an area that touches a cord with everyone. Sweet Vengeance and following sequels focus on the powerful Duke of Rutland and his four strong-willed offspring. From unseen enemies and in one catastrophic night, the fortunes of the family are changed forever. Sweet Vengeance details the journey of Lady Abigail Rutland, the only daughter and her father’s favorite.
LOVE: What is most important, is creating a hero and heroine who are pure of heart, strong of character, and who give and sacrifice. Of course, they must get over their baggage first. No doubt they are dragged through the bowels of hell but they come up fighting because they are made for each other. Oh, how I love happy endings!
And that was when he did the unthinkable.
He kissed her and none too gently, not like the chaste kiss some fop had once bestowed on her. No, the Vicar kissed her hard, as a lover would, crushing his mouth down on hers¾and instinctively, she parted her lips. She moaned with the taste of him, felt the kiss deepening in ways she’d only been able to imagine before that moment.
That terrible, magnificent, soul-shattering moment.
Sweet Vengeance
Some say life is a grand adventure—but for Lady Abigail Rutland, it’s a tremendous bore. As a woman of noble birth in eighteenth-century England, she is expected to keep quiet and marry well, but she longs for so much more.
“Be careful what you wish for,” the old saying goes. After a chaotic night, she wakes up in the hold of a former slaver with her body bound and her hair shorn. She is soon “rescued” by an American privateer, who assumes she is a cabin boy and puts her to work. Eager for adventure, Abigail maintains her disguise despite a budding attraction to the infamous Captain Jacob Thorne. Meanwhile, Captain Thorne schemes to spring his kin from a British prison.
What follows is a thrilling tale that tosses and churns with the high seas. Set during the height of the American Revolution, Sweet Vengeance contains accurate historical details that enrich and complicate the story. Abigail yearns for danger and excitement, and it isn’t long before she discovers that the most urgent peril comes from within her own wild heart.
About The Author
Elizabeth St. Michel is the author of The Winds of Fate, which reached number one on the Amazon bestseller lists. Her second novel, Surrender the Wind, garnered several awards, including the National RONE Award and the Holt Medallion in honor of literary excellence in romance writing.
St. Michel divides her time between New York and the Bahamas.
LINKS:
Website: http://www.elizabethstmichel.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006792437760
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-St.-Michel/e/B00NZICTDA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_5?qid=1504490915&sr=8-5
Email: Elizabeth@elizabethstmichel.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36052454-sweet-vengeance?from_search=true
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sweet-vengeance-duke-of-rutland-series-i-elizabeth-st-michel/1127011980?ean=2940154521410
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sweet-vengeance/id1275326144?ls=1&mt=11
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sweet-vengeance-8
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September 26, 2017
Ample & Alluring, first kiss
You know I’m a sucker for a first kiss. It’s hard for me to imagine this is the last first kiss in the Big & Beautiful series. I almost want to cry thinking about it! But first I have one more great story to share with you.
Are you ready for Peyton and Wyatt?
Excerpt from Ample & Alluring
When he pulled into my driveway, I was definitely not ready for the night to be over. Wyatt walked me to my door, leaving his SUV running.
“I had a great night,” I admitted with a grin. “If all our dates are as much fun as this one, you’ve got yourself a date for Valentine’s Day.”
“I’m glad I could entertain you. I have a feeling I need to step up my game for the next date though.”
“Why is that?”
He shook his head. “You’re not a woman who is easily pleased. The same thing over and over again will only make you dislike winter even more.”
“You’re more perceptive than I gave you credit for.”
He stepped closer to me. “I’ve been paying attention, Dr. Peyton.”
He swept the hair from my shoulders and wrapped his hand around my neck. He leaned in, giving me a chance to back away, but I didn’t want to.
His lips were warm when they met mine. Soft. A casual brush, nothing more than a peck. But I instantly wanted more from him. He eased back, his eyes catching mine. His lips tilted up in a grin, then he leaned in again, pressing his lips back to mine.
He shifted closer, not crowding me, but not letting me forget exactly who was kissing me. He was a perfect gentleman, with a burn simmering just beneath the surface.
I wanted to trace his lips with my tongue, to have him devour me, but he was Wyatt. My friend. The guy who was trying to convince me winter wasn’t the worst season of the year. We weren’t getting involved.
Although I was seriously second guessing that decision as he warmed me up.
He pulled back and looked at me. His eyes were darker than the night around us. His lips turned up, and he leaned in to kiss me one more time.
“Thanks, Dr. Peyton,” he said when he finally pulled back.
“Thank you, Mayor Ramsey.”
Preorder Now!
Ebook on Amazon | Kobo | iBooks | B&N
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September 24, 2017
Q&A Sunday: Reviews, part one
Lupita asked…
Do you read your reviews? If so, how do you deal with bad reviews? How do you deal with good reviews?
Sometimes I think reviews are the bane of my existence! Good ones always seem to carry less weight than bad ones, but reviews are so important for an author that we have to have them.
A little background… When a reader leaves a review on Amazon, or another retailer or site like Goodreads, it affects the ranking for that book. A good review will move the book up and it will become a little more visible to other potential readers. A bad review, obviously, does the opposite. Enough bad reviews and a book is essentially invisible.
In addition to that, if you want to offer a deal on a book, and want to list it on sites like BookBub, they will check out reviews. They want to know if reviews are overall good or bad. If you have 100 mediocre reviews and another book has 100 good reviews, the other book is going to get the listing.
Obviously authors want good reviews, but if you’ve ever read reviews, you know no one can please everyone!
So my reviews… For the most part, no, I don’t read them. I write my books the way I feel they need to be written, irritating characters and all. I know my characters aren’t perfect, but neither are any of us, and that’s what I’m always after – authenticity.
It’s hard to write, and read, a character that you want to shake and tell to do something different, but there’s a reason all the horror flicks show people running into the basement to hide from the killer. It’s instinct to hide. It’s instinct to be somewhere you think you can predict what’s going to happen. You might know the killer is coming, but you can see him coming instead of wondering if he’s going to catch up to you if you’re running through the woods. When you’re the third party looking in, it’s easy to see that it’s not a good decision, but when you’re that person, instinct and fear and, in the case of my books, other sometimes irrational emotions take over and control you. You do things that don’t always make sense. We all do it!
But readers don’t always like those decisions. So they leave reviews that say they didn’t like a character or something about the book.
Because of that, I frequently don’t read my reviews.
When I do, I do it in small doses. Maybe I’ll check in on one book and only read a couple reviews. I know myself enough to know that if the reviews are negative, it’ll bother me, so I usually only read reviews when I know they’re going to be positive.
But how do I deal with them?
The good ones make me feel really good. They make me smile and keep me going. Knowing readers like my stories keeps me writing more of them. Reading a good review from someone I don’t know always makes me so happy.
The bad reviews are tougher to deal with. I’m the kind of person who only likes to put positive things into the world. I definitely grew up with my mother saying if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. A lot of people never got that lesson! But that’s for them to live with. Bullying is accepted when it’s done in the form of a book review, which is sad. I can’t imagine saying some of the things I’ve read on reviews (mostly others since I rarely read mine). I accept and understand that not everyone will have good things to say, but a constructive bad review is much better than an emotional one that tears the author apart. I don’t see any reason for those.
I’ve judged a lot of contests. In a way, it’s reviewing the work of someone else. I also have a critique partner that I work with and friends who’ve asked me to review their work. In all those situations, my criticism is strictly about the work. In many judging situations, I’ve read stories in genres I don’t frequently read, but I removed my personal opinion from it and evaluated the story based on the story. I know reviews are opinions, but I would love to see people being kinder. You don’t have to only leave good reviews, but make sure your reviews are about the actual story and not the author, or you the reader.
I’m sure this answer will make some people angry. You’re absolutely entitled to leave scathing reviews. If you feel that strongly about something, I’m not going to stop you. Just make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons, that’s all I ask.
Come back next week for another question from Lupita about reviews!
If you have a question, about writing or anything else, send me an email (mary (at) maryethompson (dot) com) with Q&A in the subject, or post it in the comments below, and I’ll answer your question right here on the blog!
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September 22, 2017
#FiveOnFriday with Trixie Stilletto
Thanks to Mary for kindly sharing her blog space with me today!
Imagine yourself getting radiation. You are laying under a large robotic machine and told not to move a muscle. Then you are left alone in the room. It’ll be fine, you tell yourself. Claustrophobia you’ve never had before starts to build. The machine is so close, your mind tells you all it would take is one miscalculation, one slip of a cog or wheel and you’ll be crushed.
That’s what Jennifer Atkinson feels in the beginning of Do Grave Harm, my new mystery with romantic elements available at online retailers now.
Jennifer is battling breast cancer. It isn’t a fight for a wimp. I know, as I too battled cancer and felt the moment of panic with each radiation treatment I received. In Jennifer’s case though, there’s more afoot than just her own worries and misgivings. While she’s receiving treatment, a murder is happening outside the radiation lab. She finds the victim and begins a quest to discover the very dark secrets of the small-town cancer clinic someone will do anything to protect.
Nothing sinister happened during my treatments but I got the idea for this story while undergoing them. Soon, it became more than just a story of hospital intrigue. It became one of greed, pride and deadly devotion. I hope you’ll read the excerpt and consider checking out Do Grave Harm.
Because of my own personal battle with cancer, a portion of all proceeds from this book will be donated to cancer charities. In October, Breast Cancer Awareness month, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to these charities.
Thanks again!
Trixie
EXCERPTSomething wasn’t right. I didn’t want to panic, but I was starting to feel claustrophobic. Having a two-ton radiation machine sitting only inches from your chest will do that to you, especially when it seems you’ve been forgotten.
You’re not truly alone, Jennifer, I reminded myself. There were dozens of people down the hall in the waiting room. And this was a hospital. People were constantly moving around, even though they kept the radiation section closed off.
Repeating these things and more didn’t help. At that moment, I felt abandoned, as if no one knew where I was.
“Excuse me,” I finally called, hoping the radiation technician who’d brought me in here would answer, reassuring me.
Robert. I picture his name tag in my mind. Raising my voice, I called again, “Robert?” Nada. The room was probably soundproof with the door shut.
Panic sped up my breathing as I stared at the machine. It hadn’t moved after my radiation treatment had ended. That was the problem.
In my mind, the six inches between me and it had shrunk to three. My arms were starting to go numb, as well as my feet and legs. No one was coming to help me. I had to do something. Now.
Moving while under the machine was kind of tricky. I was a large woman, and I’d never been dexterous on my back, much to my rat ex- husband’s lament, I guess.
I kicked my legs out of their rubber support and, after several tries, scooted my butt down the metal table. Then I did an ungainly slide, like I was slipping under a barbed-wire fence. Except this particular fence was the size of a VW Beetle, and it seemed to be inching closer to me with each passing second.
When I moved enough that my head and neck were no longer in the plastic mold that kept me still during treatment, I banged the back of my skull against the table. “Ow, ow, ow,” I muttered, inching my way farther down it until I cleared the machine.
Finally, my legs dangled off the end. I sat up, took my first relieved breath in eons, and waited for my head to stop spinning. Freedom! I looked around the room, and everything seemed normal. Walking over to the plastic chair to my left, I picked up my long-sleeved cotton jersey and put it on. Since I got topless for my treatment, most of the time I didn’t bother wearing a bra when I came here. It would be one more thing to take off.
I moved to the doors. They’re made of thick steel and tightly sealed. No wonder no one answered me. They wouldn’t have heard me even if I’d shouted. I pushed on one a bit, staggering under the unexpected weight. When it opened a scant few inches, I peered around the edge. I don’t know why I was acting like a guilty person, doing something or going somewhere I wasn’t supposed to.
I hid a giggle behind a cough. Jeez, Jennifer, get a grip. Something still wasn’t right. In fact, I felt an overwhelming sense that things were horribly wrong.
“Robert?” Still no answer, so I pushed the door open a little wider. Now I could see the second lab and computer station. It was as dark as it had been when I came into the radiation lab at the Blue Bald Falls Cancer Center no more than ten minutes ago. I opened the door wide enough and stepped into the bright lights of the hall.
Robert had his head down on the computer keyboard like he was napping. The scalpel sticking straight out from the side of his neck and the blood pooling on the table down to the floor told me sleep had nothing to do with it.
BOOK LINKS
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2w68EVg
iBooks: http://apple.co/2vC6EBQ
KOBO: http://bit.ly/2w3Wuxa
CHARITY LINK
https://www.bcrfcure.org/founders-fund
AUTHOR BIOA southern girl, Trixie traveled north when she found the love of her life. Together, they enjoyed more than 20 years working as journalists. Now back home in Tennessee she’s writing stories that range from short hot romances with a kiss of humor to southern-flavored mysteries. She lives seven miles from the neighborhood where she grew up with two cats, an aging beagle and a host of characters waiting for her to tell their stories.
Get updates and win prizes by signing up for Trixie’s newsletter at: http://www.trixiestilletto.com/contact/
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September 19, 2017
Ample & Alluring, first look
I absolutely love Peyton and Wyatt. For two people who waited so long to find their happily ever after, they definitely had a few things to overcome along the way. Like telling their friends that they were involved…
Excerpt from Ample & Alluring
“You’re a really good mayor.”
He paused, his lips pressed together for a moment before he nodded. “That means a lot, Peyton. Thank you for saying that.”
I moved closer to him, toying with the lapels on his coat. “I mean it, Mayor Ramsey. You’ve done amazing things for this town. You listen to people, and you care. It shows.”
“I do care, Peyton.”
I knew he wasn’t talking about being a mayor anymore. His eyes dipped to my lips. My tongue ran over them before drawing the lower one between my teeth. His breath caught in his throat, and he slid his arm around my back.
I tilted my chin up and used his lapels to tug him closer. His lips lifted seconds before he lowered his head and met mine.
His lips were soft and cool. They were also sealed together. I opened mine slightly and ran my tongue over his smooth lips. They parted for me immediately, his tongue slipping into my mouth. We tasted each other, tentatively. A glide of tongues. A sample of his flavor. A brush of his breath over my cheeks.
He tilted his head and deepened the kiss. My body melted into his, wanting more from him. My hands drifted up, needing to feel his skin under my fingertips. I touched the rough stubble on his neck and was going for more when I heard…
“What the hell?”
Preorder Now!
Ebook on Amazon | Kobo | iBooks | B&N
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September 17, 2017
Writing Tips: Finding Time
Time is such a valuable commodity. We all have the same amount. None of us gets more hours in the day, unless you have one of those cool necklaces Hermione had. If you do, can you send me one?
So assuming you’re an ordinary person without magical powers, you have the same 24 hours I do. Most days it doesn’t feel like enough. Especially when I’m on a deadline and anxious to get a few more things done before the school bus gets home. Or before the kids wake up. Or before my favorite show comes on.
We have to have priorities, right?
If you’re adding writing in as one more thing to do in your day, you’re probably wondering where you can find the time to write.
Here’s the secret… you don’t need much!
Yes, a book is not something you can finish in a day. It’s going to take you a while. But you don’t have to kill yourself to make it happen.
Personally, I like to write in thirty minute blocks, or longer. But this is my full time job, so I have all day. If you’re looking for some time, you can find it in small places.
Can you get up thirty minutes earlier? Trust me, I hate this suggestion. It’s one I balked at for years and years and years. I’m not a morning person. At all. But I decided over the summer that I was going to do it because I wanted to. Because I wanted more time to dedicate to my work. I’m not as tired as I thought I would be, and I’m getting more done.
What about at night? Can you stay up a little later? Again, same rules apply. You don’t need much time, and if you think this could work for you, turn off the TV (my big issue with it because I never did) and write.
What about, you’re going to laugh, in the bathroom? Let’s face it, we all have longer breaks in the bathroom at one time or another through the day. Can you write on your phone? Not a whole book, but for five minutes? You won’t get much done, and you’ll take a really long time to finish a book if you only do this, but it’ll add up. Just make sure you don’t lose track of time!
Waiting, for anything. Just like above, there are going to be times in your day when you’re just waiting. Doctor’s offices, grocery lines, carpool, commute, anything. Can you, again, pull out your phone for a few minutes and write a hundred words or so?
Can you write on your lunch break? Some people can’t, but if you have access to a computer during your lunch break and your company will allow you to do something non-work related, write for thirty minutes. You’ll be shocked how much you can get done in that amount of time.
Try it!
I think the best thing is to give yourself a week or two and try a few different options. Try getting up early or staying up later for a week. Try sitting in your car on your lunch break with a notebook or a tablet and writing. Try five minute bathroom breaks. See what works for you, then keep doing it.
For me, I have to have a schedule. When I first get up, I check my email so I know there isn’t anything sitting there waiting for me to answer it. After the kids are on the bus, I start writing. I write until lunch, and then get back to it afterward. But if I need to do something during the day, like a doctor’s appointment, I like to schedule it in the morning so I don’t mess up my flow. Figure out what works for you and start writing!
What tips do you have for finding time to write?
If you have a question, about writing or anything else, send me an email (mary (at) maryethompson (dot) com) with Q&A in the subject, or post it in the comments below, and I’ll answer your question right here on the blog!
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September 15, 2017
#FiveOnFriday with Kryssie Fortune
Former soldiers make great heroes. They’ve fought for their country, they understand loyalty, and they come with solid muscle and faultless manners. That makes them perfect in my book. When Loose id requested submissions for three linked stories, I decided my heroes would be former soldiers who want to build a new life in the fictional North Carolina town of Westhorpe Ridge. I fell in love with my heroes and needed to revisit Westhorpe Ridge. Another stand-alone story beckoned.
Luke’s seen too many terrible things, and he’s suffered for it. His body’s scarred and his spirit’s crushed. Slowly, he’s clawing his way back to normal. It’s only natural that the other former military men in Westhorpe Ridge close ranks around him. The things PTSD sufferers go through can’t be underplayed.
The more I learned about Marines, SEALs, and Army Doctors, the more I respect them. Now I’ve added an Army trained mechanic to the list. While I’ve done all I can to bring Westhorpe Ridge to life, I need to thank my editor, Kierstin Cherry for “Americanizing” my very British expression. I hope my readers will love Westhopre Ridge and its heroes so much they’ll want to visit again and again.
Five Facts about my Luke Roberts, the hero of Submission, Secrets, and the Soldier
Luke enlisted straight from high school so he could help fund his father’s medical care if the insurance didn’t cover it.
Six years ago, while on a routine bullets and beans run, Luke got caught in the blast of IED. His injuries meant he was invalided out of the army. The blast left him with PTSD and flashbacks.
A river of scars run down the left side of Luke’s body. He can barely look in the mirror, and he hates how people turn away when they see him.
When Luke visits his old BDSM club, he meets Kathryn Johnson—an inexperienced sub—but once they are alone, he terrifies her when he has a flashback.
Despite everything, circumstances force Kathryn and Luke into sharing an apartment—and she still craves the spanking she didn’t get at the BDSM club.
Submission, Secrets, and the SoldierPublished by Loose id
Release date 5th September
She’s given him her heart, but will he break it in two.
#eroticromance #kryssiefortune #dominance #spanking #military #Romance #adventure #HEA
Approximately 63,500 words
Blurb
Luke Roberts, a former army mechanic, has a new sub. She’s shy and inexperienced, but willing. As he teaches her about sensation play, she fears he’ll really hurt her and screams her safewords at him. Her reaction causes Luke to have a flashback. Although he’s clawing his way back to normal, he suffers from PTSD. Determined to get well, he contacts a PTSD specialist in Westhorpe Ridge.
Kathryn Johnson has visited a BDSM club three times. When she hooks up with Luke Roberts, he unintentionally terrifies her. She swears off spankings and goes home to Westhorpe Ridge. The last person she expects to see there is Luke Roberts.
Circumstances force them to share an apartment. Can Luke protect her when danger threatens? Or is she just a temporary sub in residence?
Buy links
Excerpt
Katherine parked outside the auto shop, lugged her suitcase from the trunk, and unlocked the door. The stairs were steep and seemingly endless. Once she’d manhandled her bag to the top, she leaned against the wall, panting and wishing she’d snatched something to eat earlier.
A noise from the back of the apartment had her spinning around. “Who’s there?”
Luke Roberts sauntered from the bathroom, fresh from the shower. He’d slicked back his hair, and a towel looped loosely around his waist. “Kathryn Johnson? What are you doing here? You still craving that spanking, maybe?”
She couldn’t take her eyes off his damp chest. And damn, that drop of water running down his pecs enthralled her. Even the red scars mottling the left side of his body seemed sexy, but she’d never seen anyone with so many. His legs were bare too, but the towel couldn’t hide his erection. Then he went and mentioned a spanking. Yes, please.
Her eyes glazed as she pictured herself naked, draped over his lap with her hands on the floor and her ass in the air. She imagined the sting of the first slap, and the way it would echo as his palm struck her bare flesh. Thoughts of him turning her ass red whetted her sensual appetite. God, after the confrontation with her mom, she really needed that spanking to settle her nerves.
She’d never known a few simple words and a sexy grin could make her pussy damp and turn her nipples into hard peaks. Her worries evaporated into a lust-fueled haze, but as she blinked back to normal, she stared at the naked man in her apartment. Her common sense told her to pull back, but she wanted to tug the towel from his waist, drop to her knees, and suck his cock. Even stopping herself from reaching out and stroking his massive chest took effort.
She felt her cheeks heat and knew she’d blushed. “That spanking? Oh! Not here, not now. Only… Damn it, I didn’t come to discuss my needs, but… No. What are you doing here?”
Her gaze dropped. The scars on his face paled to the wounds covering his left leg and the left side of his chest. Red and deep, they pitted every inch of flesh. Tiny patches of shiny skin, badly healed burns, shone between the scars.
Much as his injuries roused her sympathy, they added another layer to the sexy Dom teasing her about a spanking. His mental toughness must be amazing to have survived such severe injuries. No wonder he had flashbacks.
Kathryn yearned to reach out and run her hand down his scars and tell him they didn’t matter—but they clearly did to him. Unsure how to reassure him, she said nothing. Besides, her brain couldn’t move past that spanking he promised her. Maybe afterward, he’d take her to bed. Good grief, screwing a stranger? What am I thinking?
More about Kryssie FortuneKryssie is never seen without her kindle. She reads everything and anything she can get her hands on. When she discovered hot, sexy reads, she felt like she’d found her home. The only books she hates are the ones that end with a cliff hanger or have unhappy endings.
Kryssie tries to set her stories in places she’s explored. Hopefully, it adds color to her writing. Anything can spark a story idea. Sometimes she takes liberties though. The North Yorkshire town of Whitby is one of her favorite places. To keep the details of her imaginary town, Westhorpe Ridge consistent, she mentally shunted Whitby over the Atlantic and renamed it Westhorpe Ridge.
When not writing, Kryssie loves to walk on the beach of home town, Bridlington, or potter in her garden. Popping down to London to see her family is her favorite thing to do.
Kryssie currently has thirteen books on general release along with a boxed e-book of the first three Westhorpe Ridge stories. All her stories are M/ F or M/M/F. All are edited by publishing houses in either the UK or the USA. While her stories sizzle with sex, plot comes before bed. Life’s always an adventure going on in Kryssie’s world.
Kryssie loves to hear from readers. Here are her social media links:
Or you can email her direct on Kryssie.Fortune@aim.com
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September 12, 2017
Introducing Too True To Be Good
There are always characters that make us smile. Characters that make us cry. Characters we want to strangle. Even characters we wish we could hug.
Zach is definitely one of those characters I know I won’t forget. He’s lived a life of fun. One without many cares or worries. That all changes when a little girl shows up claiming to be his daughter.
What do you think of the cover?
Too True To Be Good
His life was good…
Zach Bennett was content to go to work, hang out with his family and friends, and entertain a woman once in a while. As his family found love all around him, he was content to stay single. Unattached. Happy.
Besides, he had enough to worry about with a new chef breathing down his neck for his job.
She faced the truth every day…
Gianna Brooks always wanted to work with people. She saw enough growing up to know kids need all the help they can get. They deserved to be safe. Loved. Happy.
Which is why she’s determined to get her new client into a forever home.
But the truth isn’t always good…
The last thing Zach needs is a little girl showing up on his doorstep claiming she’s his. Her social worker hot on her heels, and demanding a place to stay, definitely doesn’t make it any better. Especially with Gianna’s curvy body and bedroom eyes, and his daughter’s sad sweetness, making him consider keeping both of them.
Gianna knows she should run. Zach knows he should send them away. But neither of them can resist the pull toward the other.
Coming November 14
Preorder Now!
Ebook on Amazon | Kobo | iBooks | B&N
The post Introducing Too True To Be Good appeared first on Mary E Thompson.
September 10, 2017
Writing Tips: Find Your Niche
I want to talk today about your niche. It’s common in business to look for a niche. A small section of a market you can serve. You want to be able to set yourself apart so people can find you.
Writing isn’t much different.
I write contemporary romance. That’s not very specific. There’s well over 100,000 contemporary romances available for sale.
I write small town contemporary romance. That’s not much better.
I write small town contemporary BBW romance. We’re getting a little better.
When I tell people what I write, I tell them I write small town contemporary romance based on ordinary people you’ll want to be friends with doing extraordinary things for love that will give you hope.
That’s kind of a mouthful, but it gets the point across.
When you write a book, you need to be able to tell people what you do quickly. You’d be surprised how many people lose interest when you say you are an author. They insist they don’t read, so you need to hook them before they assume your book isn’t for them.
Which goes back to your niche.
What books do you love? What books grab you? What books have you walked away from knowing they changed your life?
Harry Potter, all of them, were books that changed me. But I knew I didn’t want to craft an entire world.
Emily Giffin was one of my favorite authors when I was younger. There was something about the emotions and the way she drew me into a story that I loved.
Jill Shalvis is a favorite now. She’s basically my idol for romance novels. I taught myself what a good small town contemporary romance novel was by reading Jill Shalvis. I knew that was what I wanted to do.
The only problem was my niche was really a mansion. There’s nothing tiny about it, but I found my niche when I started writing about women I could relate to. Women who were overweight. Women who wanted love and friendship and cupcakes. Women I wanted to be friends with.
BBW romance is still a huge niche. But like I told a friend recently, if you go too small, you won’t have enough readers.
How do you find this though? How do you know when you’ve gone small enough? Or not small enough?
Unfortunately, I think you just have to keep trying.
Write a book. Write some more books. Never stop writing. Advertise, promote, and tell everyone you know. The right readers will find you. When you start to see that happening, you’ll know you’re in the right niche. That it’s the right size for you to be found.
Here’s my warning… Don’t go into a niche that you can’t get out of. You might love to write single dad romances, but you might not want to write them forever. Or food romances or military romances or any other different kind. It might be a niche that’s popular now, or that you like, but make sure it’s something you’ll still want to write if the popularity diminishes. Or in ten years. Maybe you won’t know, but at least think about it before you jump in.
If you want to write, at the end of the day, write. You will find your readers. They will find you. But make it easier on both of you by finding a niche that you love, and it’ll come across in your writing.
If you have a question, about writing or anything else, send me an email (mary (at) maryethompson (dot) com) with Q&A in the subject, or post it in the comments below, and I’ll answer your question right here on the blog!
The post Writing Tips: Find Your Niche appeared first on Mary E Thompson.
September 8, 2017
#FiveOnFriday with MJ Schiller
I thought I’d do something a little different today. Writing is creating pictures with words. As much as I love doing that, I also enjoy creating pictures with…well, words and pictures. So today I wanted to share a few teasers from the first book in my chick lit DEVILISH DIVAS SERIES, TO HELL IN A COACH BAG!
Danielle (Dani), Samantha (Sam), Maxine (Max), and Alexis (Alex)- They are four lunch ladies on a wild cross-country trip. Will they find love? Or are they headed TO HELL IN A COACH BAG?
The first teaser is from the opening scene of TO HELL IN A COACH BAG. Dani and Samantha are on their way to a rock concert…
The second teaser is from a love scene between Kyle and Sam. To give you an idea of what these two are like, in the third book, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, which I’m editing now, Tucker says that something is insane, but follows it up with, but so are Sam and Kyle…
The third teaser is Kyle and Samantha again, but this time they’re not getting along as well. Sam is having a hard time admitting that she’s interested in Kyle, and claims to be at the hockey game because she’s a big fan…
Teaser number four is from an intense tennis game that Dani and Tucker engage in…
And number five, well, it’s Sam and Kyle again.
To Hell in a Coach Bag
The first in the DEVILISH DIVAS SERIES ~ “Funny, sexy, emotionally deep, imaginative, well-written, addictive. Enjoyed it very much!” -Amazon reviewer
Four Midwest lunch ladies on a cross-country road trip…
DANIELLE~When a twist of fate reunites the widowed Dani with the hot roadie she met at a concert, will she have the guts to open up to Tucker and perhaps start a new relationship?
SAMANTHA~Wild divorcee Sam discovers Kyle, the Canadian referee she met at the same concert, is in town for a Colorado Avalanche game. Although Kyle’s logged some serious ice time, Sam’s cold shoulder may put his heart in perma-freeze.
ALEXIS~What can save Alex’s marriage when her unemployed hubby’s driving her crazy?
MAXINE~When mid-life hormones make Max a sex-starved loon, can she ever feel close to her man again when he doesn’t put out?
Two women whose marriages are on the rocks~Will time apart from their spouses help them weather their matrimonial storms?
Two single women who equate love with pain~Will they open themselves up to new possibilities?
Four friends~Could their destination be Love? Or are they simply headed to Hell in a Coach bag?
Excerpt (from Tucker’s point of view) ~
Well, this is working up to be one hell of a morning. I stared at Sam’s door. First, Dani’s acting strangely. Then Kyle’s throwing a gasket. Why not go for the crazy trifecta?
I knocked on Sam’s door. “Sam? It’s me, Tucker. Can I come in?”
Maxine and Alex stood with their mouths wide open. I waited several seconds, but received no reply. Fed up, I went back into Dani’s room—luckily, the door hadn’t shut all the way. I knew there was an adjoining door to Sam’s room in there, so I went for it. I knocked on it. Probably thinking it was Dani, Sam opened right away.
“Oh, Tucker, I-I—”
Her eyes were red and puffy. She held a Kleenex in her hand and other used tissues were wadded on the bed and nightstand. Why was I suddenly starting to feel like I checked into the Hotel California instead of a resort in Colorado? You can check out, but you can never leave.
“Sam, what’s going on? Did Kyle do something?”
Her chin started to quiver, and then she wailed, “No!” She flung herself on my chest, sobbing. I patted her awkwardly on the back and wondered if I clicked my heels three times, could I just go home. On second thought, maybe this hotel was really located in Beverly Hills 90210, because the drama was epic.
“Okay, okay. If Kyle didn’t do anything, why are you mad at him?”
“I’m not mad at him, damn it.”
A throbbing began in my right temple. “You’re not? Well, it sure sounded like it.”
“That’s because I wanted him to go away,” she said, blubbering.
I knew I was going to regret asking the next question, but I guess I felt compelled. “But, why did you want him to go away, sweetheart?”
“Because,” she answered, as if the answer was obvious, “I think I might be falling in love with him.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. “MAXINE! ALEX! GET IN HERE!” Obviously, I did not speak girl, because this conversation made absolutely no sense to me.
Buy Now
Amazon: http://mybook.to/ToHellInACoachBag
Barnes and Noble, paperback: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-hell-in-a-coach-bag-mj-schiller/1126065861
Nook book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-hell-in-a-coach-bag-mj-schiller/1126065861?ean=9781614179542
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/to-hell-in-a-coach-bag-the-devilish-divas-series-book-1
Thank you for having me! I’ll be back soon to share more from TO HELL IN A COACH BAG!
Author Bio ~
M.J. Schiller is a lunch lady/romance-romantic suspense writer. She enjoys writing novels whose characters include rock stars, desert princes, teachers, futuristic Knights, construction workers, cops, and a wide variety of others. In her mind everybody has a romance. She is the mother of a twenty-two-year-old and three twenty-year-olds. That’s right, triplets! So having recently taught four children to drive, she likes to escape from life on occasion by pretending to be a rock star at karaoke. However…you won’t be seeing her name on any record labels soon.
Website: http://www.mjschillerauthor.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MJ-Schiller-Romance-Author/286382241460365?ref=hl
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mjschiller/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjschiller
Tumblr: http://mjschilz.tumblr.com/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/mjschiller
Google + : https://plus.google.com/u/0/110797684036386240402/posts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6479377.M_J_Schiller
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/M.J.-Schiller/e/B009JOQFQQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
The post #FiveOnFriday with MJ Schiller appeared first on Mary E Thompson.
