Mandy M. Roth's Blog, page 67
December 24, 2013
Merry Christmas!
To all those who celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a safe and happy holiday! To those who celebrate other holidays this time of year, have a safe and happy one(s) as well!
December 22, 2013
Yes, Virginia there is a Santa …
*This post is from the vault (meaning its an old post that I’m copying and pasting in).
Dear Santa,
I’m writing to you in hopes that I will find a man with the following traits/interests under the tree come Christmas morning:
Enjoys the sound of Nine Inch Nails blaring while I clean.
Can tolerate 80’s music.
Does NOT believe that Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Bach & Beethoven sound identical.Also, does not mind if I clean to this instead.Also, cannot think the music originated from the “Beef: It’s what’s for dinner” commercial.Must NOT believe Fantasia is the easiesr way to learn about classical music.
Likes wine and does not think that buying me a bottle of Boones qualifies as good wine.
Must be willing to have a glass of wine with me while I put in old black and white movies, turn the sound down and make up my own version.Must also be willing to sit on the floor while we do this.
Must not laugh when I say I want to watch MY FAIR LADY again.(or the Wizard of Oz)
Must know more about cars than where the gas goes.I’m not asking for much here.I’d settle for understanding where the wiper fluid goes.Oh, and he must also get the fact that a brand new truck still needs oil changes and does NOT dub as a garbage can.
Must not only be willing to wear a black turtleneck/ribbed long sleeved shirt, v-neck with or without undershirt, but enjoy the experience as well.
Does not wear underwear with holes in them. OR t-shirts that are shredding as we speak.
Must not believe that tossing on a pair of black combat boots and staying in your pajama bottoms is acceptable store attire.
Must enjoy wearing the cologne I buy him.Hugo Boss fan myself.Others tend to bother me.Sneezing is never fun, Santa so be sure he understands this.
Must not find my affinity for black attire odd.And must not think a woman is sexiest when she looks like a deadhead.
Must not think Molly Ringwald is the sexiest woman in the world.
Must not be obsessed with Anne Coulter.
Must understand that I do understand politics.I just don’t like talking about them ALL the time.
Must not call home every thirty minutes to ask for updates regarding political information.
Must understand that when I’m quiet, I’m not mad at him.I’m just quiet.It happens.It’s rare but there.
Must not try to hug me ALL day.Must not expect me to hug him all day. Must understand that it is possible for two people to interact while not holding hands or hugging.
Must fully understand #18.
Does not require cuddling after intercourse.
Does not attempt to “help” with household duties unless proficient in the finer art of NOT shrinking my clothes.
Understands I am a bitch and does nothing to change this.And is not surprised that I not only never grew out of it, I got better at it.
Does not think the perfect woman is a redhead who enjoys making sloppy joe’s, frozen pizzas, pizza rolls, two gallons of ice tea a day.All while wearing a long flowery dress.
Likes asparagus, artichoke hearts, chicken more than steak, coffee (lots of coffee), hearts of palm, and anything else I’m doing at the moment.
MUST like to read.And NO I do not expect him to like what I write.I just expect him to enjoy some sort of reading (other than Calvin andHobbs).
Must not try to send me away when I’m trying to explain the finer points of forensic science.
Must not think that my having an extensive collection of material on every subject makes me a closet nerd.
Does not think that singing the song “Mandy” to me is original.
Must enjoy golfing with the guys.
Must be willing to out with his buddies.
Must be fine with me going out with the gals.
Understands that I love him even though I don’t remember to say it often (okay, almost never).
Understands that I am sarcastic about everything in life.
Must not ask me to stand in line for Star Wars movie tickets.
Must not think Monty Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail is the best movie ever.
Must be willing to watch 80’s movies with me when I get the notion.Must think it’s funny to randomly toss out a movie quote.Example:“I want my two dollars.”
May like football, but does not count the days down until his Sunday Ticket begins.
His mood on the weekend may not be determined on how well his team did.
Must entertain the idea of going to plays with me.
Must want to go sit a Chinese food restaurant before heading over to a independent movie house to watch a foreign film.
Must be willing to embrace my freakiness.
THIS IS THE BIGGEST—must be tall dark and handsome.Blonds need not apply. LOL.
That’s about it, Santa.Hope I’m not being too greedy.
Mandy (who has been a very naughty…err…I mean good girl this year)
This post first appeared here
December 18, 2013
Boo Haters… Yay Non-Haters…
Haters gonna hate. I understand this. Still, sometimes they really go for the cheap thrill, ugly comments, nasty mail. I know that because of what I do for a living that I’m putting myself out there. I get that. I get not everyone will love what I do. In fact, some downright hate it with a white hot passion. Instead of taking all the negative energy that was building up because of a#$hats I decided I’d focus on all the GOOD peeps out there.
So… to all my readers who are awesome, I say to you, thank you so much! Thanks for the positive comments, the encouraging posts/emails and for the great reviews. I’m a writer who actually can’t find enough words to express my gratitude that you’re all there to outweigh the negative.
THANK YOU!
December 15, 2013
Somebody’s Watching Me
Wondering how many watch lists I’m on because of my google searches as well as my book order habits. I’m going with MANY.
December 14, 2013
News for fans of Immortal Ops!
Immortal Ops “Fans” (I kind of hate the word fan. I prefer reader): In addition to the upcoming releases of the next books in the Immortal Ops Series I’d like to announce here that there is a spin-off series coming in 2014 too! Series name PSI-Ops (Paranormal Security and Intelligence Ops)… for those of you who follow and love the series you’ll recognize this organization as the one that Missy and Eadan work for and that works closely with the I-Ops.
Be on the lookout for Tactical Magik (Immortal Ops)–Eadan’s story. Separation Zone (Immortal Ops)–Jon’s story. Act of Mercy (PSI-Ops). Here is the working cover. If this passes marketing and merchandising check then its a go.
December 11, 2013
Excerpt: Bella Mia by Mandy M Roth
Bella Mia by Mandy M Roth
Daughter of Darkness 3
Paranormal Dark Fantasy Vampire Romance
The sins of our past are never far behind…
On the run from two men who want her, Gwyneth Stevens finds herself at the door of a third-Giovanni Baldassare, master vampire and former henchman of her father, the King of the Dark Realm. When Pallo and Caleb resurface, all
hell breaks loose and old habits die hard. Out of time and places to hide, Gwen must face her destiny head on if she ever hopes to find happiness. Can the triangle of lovers make welcome a newcomer, or will the group succumb
to old enemies resurfacing and centuries-old grudges, allowing history to repeat itself?
Rating: Carnal. This story contains mega hot alpha heroes who aren’t about to take no for an answer, a gutsy heroine, a woman torn between multiple men, chilling villains, sizzling sex, and violence. It is not intended for the faint of heart. Author recommends reading the series in order of release.
EXCERPT
Chapter One
“Check mate,” Giovanni said, his voice smooth.
I stared across the chessboard at him and rolled my eyes. “There’s a shocker!”
He’d beaten me three times in a row, somehow perfecting the art of annihilating his opponents in the shortest amount of moves possible. No surprise, he’d had almost five hundred years to master the game of chess. I’d had less than thirty. Guess who was better.
Twirling the end of his long, black hair, he gave me a wicked little smile. It was entirely too sexy, as I’m sure he already suspected. “I could let you win next time.”
I had a sneaky suspicion he had tried to let me win the last one, which had ended in much the same fashion as the rest—me as the loser.
“Oh, yeah, I want a pity win, thanks … but, no.”
He laughed and stood with the same grace he had in all his actions. He put his hand out to me, his gaze darting over my body as he pulled me up to him. My long burgundy, belled slacks gave the look of a skirt and the flow of a gown. My overly exaggerated breasts were pushed up towards him in the matching corset top. I looked like I could be starring in a late night soap opera.
For the supernatural and super horny.
Giovanni glanced down at the mounds of white flesh and bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment of my beauty. No, I wasn’t being cocky. He’d done it so many times over the past four months that I was used to it. Trust me when I say getting used to being treated like a queen is friggin’ awesome.
The first time he’d acted like that, I’d stopped and made a point to question his behavior. He simply explained he was paying his respects for being allowed to be near me. I laughed him off, thinking he was joking. I mean, come on, who would buy that response as the right answer?
Giovanni was one I was never able to read well. I knew all about him being a big-bad-vampire and I knew all about his role in killing me my first time on this earth. That was over two-hundred years ago. Wait, it gets even more confusing. He also played a key role in saving my life on two different occasions this time around.
Warning: Concentrating too hard on my own life could lead to an aneurysm.
Being reincarnated was hard enough to live with. Try adding the fact that ninety percent of the people I knew in my past life were immortal and still around. Apparently, I had a history, sometimes sordid, with each of them. Yeah, I was beginning to think I’d make a great movie of the week. If I was lucky, someone famous would play me. Doubtful though.
“Dance with me, Bella.” He made no attempt to hide his accent like so many vampires I know did. Giovanni had lived most of his life in Italy and made no bones about it. He was what he was and that was that. I admired him for it.
“Who is this?” I was curious as to what composer I was listening to now.
“Busoni,” Giovanni said, as if this one name declaration would sum it all up for me. I smiled and gave up trying to figure it all out. I decided to enjoy the moment. “Busoni, had a tremendous range of expression, would you agree? Not to the extent of many of the masters, but I enjoy him all the same. Pity he had to die. Such a mortal thing to do.”
I nodded, unsure what, exactly, I was agreeing to and smiled again. I wouldn’t know range of expression if it bit me in the ass. I also found little shocking about his comment on mortals dying. It was a sad truth. Giovanni was full of many of those.
For the first time in a long time, my smiles weren’t forced. Giovanni made me happy. Italy made me happy. It felt like home.
I let him put his hand on my waist and take my other in his. He led us across the marble floor in such a perfect, fluid motion that it felt as though we’d been doing it for centuries. Perhaps we had. My memories of my past life were sporadic at best. Whatever was happening between us seemed right.
My heels clicked along as I let myself be swept up in the moment. Giovanni had a way about him. He was sophisticated, yet full of humor and charm. He was so very different from the men I’d left behind four months earlier. He was also a great deal more dangerous. Maybe that was part of the lure.
He spun me around and around. Lifting me off my feet, he continued around once more before setting me back down gently. When he was finished, I was left dizzy, breathless, and clinging to him. I knew he enjoyed being this close to me. I enjoyed it, too. More than I should but it was hard not to appreciate the feel of his toned body pressed to mine. We’d been staying together for the last fourteen weeks and in that time he and I had never had sex or even shared a kiss. Horny didn’t even begin to cover my body at present.
There’s only so much Italian stallion a gal can take before she’s biting her lip and thinking of easing her own sexual frustration.
Giovanni was turning out to be someone I enjoyed spending time with. He’d been gracious enough to take me away from the chaos of my father’s–King Kerrigan, Leader of the Dark Realm–home. My father had been well meaning in his attempts at throwing an extravagant engagement party for me, but he hadn’t been aware that circumstances had changed. Caleb, the man I had agreed to marry, and I had had a falling out. My father especially liked Caleb, because he, like me, is a faerie. Being intimate with a faerie is a feeling that cannot be duplicated even with the most loving of partners. As much as Caleb and I seemed perfect for each other, the engagement went sour fast. He’d been running around town with other women and I’d been sleeping with other men. One man in particular that I’d chosen to share myself with had upset him—Pallo D’Alessandro.
Pallo happened to be a master vampire and longtime on and off again boyfriend of mine. Did I forget to mention that Giovanni sired him? You know what they say about the webs we weave.
“What would you like to do today, Bella?”
Giovanni had made sure to set it up so that I didn’t have to do anything on my own if I didn’t want to. It sounded very glamorous in the beginning, until two women showed up in my bathroom trying to clean me. I had had to draw the line and set limits then. After a two hour limit setting session Giovanni seemed to understand I didn’t mind living my own life or bathing myself.
“I don’t care. You decide.”
“My dear, Bella, everyday it is the same. I ask what you want and you volley it back to me.”
“Volley? My, aren’t we the hip vamp? Are you taking notes on how to sound like you come from this century?” I batted my lashes. “Oh, I want to see them.”
His smile widened. “Shall we try horseback riding again?”
I let out a long, exasperated breath. “The horses are scared to death of you. Why don’t you get some sort of demon-breed? Maybe they’d be less skittish.” The last time we’d attempted to go for a ride Giovanni had sent the horses into a dither. They were beside themselves with fear. They could sense he was a vampire and they were not cool with that. Hell, I wasn’t always cool with it either. Couldn’t really blame the things. Our planned night out ended up with me coaxing an upset horse back to its stable while trying to convince Giovanni that, no, I really didn’t need his help.
“How about tennis… would you like to play?”
This was going nowhere fast. “I don’t know how to play. Maybe, if you did you could teach me.”
Laughing, he threw his hands up. “Arrèndere—I surrender. It is up to you, Bella.”
“Can I ask you something?” I hedged, unsure how much I wanted to push him because I was positive his answer wouldn’t be to my liking.
“Of course.”
“Why is it you have a pool, a tennis court, horses and all this other stuff if you can’t, or don’t want to use them?”
A slight smile appeared on his handsome face. “I told the people who took care of this property that I wanted it kept up to date. They followed my orders.”
“That part I get. It explains some of the stuff, but not the horses.”
Coming close to me, he touched my cheek and his soft hands ran over my skin lightly. “Bella, it is you who liked horses. I simply continued to keep them around after you were gone. They reminded me of you. I used to watch you care for them and go for morning rides to see the sun come up. Though, I was not able to accompany you due to obvious reasons, I did so enjoy knowing you were happy.”
I didn’t know what to say. He’d kept a stable full of horses around for over two-hundred years because I’d liked them? It was too much even for me. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He’d kept a room of the house stocked full of my old clothes. Over the years he’d picked up things here and there that reminded him of me, even though I had been long dead. It wasn’t very endearing. It was weird.
“Giovanni, you’re creeping me out again.”
“I do have a tendency to do that.”
A nervous laugh escaped me as I glanced around the large sitting room. It was beautiful. In fact, it was the most beautiful room I’d ever been in. It wasn’t just that he had decorated it in antiques that seemed very touchable, it was how much time he’d put into every piece of furniture and artwork that went into his home. He seemed to have a thing for deep, rich colors in the main living area and more subtle ones throughout the rest of his home.
My gaze wandered to the fresco of Jesus tending his sheep. The irony of the devil having Jesus hanging on his wall was not lost on me. A vampire with the desire to have a holy figure depicted in his home—just another example of Giovanni’s quirks. Part of what made me like being around him so very much. It was also something I’d miss.
I looked back at him with a heavy heart. “I’m going to have to go home soon.”
There. I had said it out loud.
He moved his long black hair over one shoulder and began to take his jacket off. The man wore designer suits almost every day. I wondered if he wore designer underwear, too. Shocked to find myself thinking about him sexually again, I couldn’t pull my eyes away as his long, pale fingers unbuttoned one of the three buttons of the single-breasted black jacket. He casually tossed the jacket onto the sage-colored chair behind him. My cheeks flared red because only yesterday I had been picturing him nude in that very chair. The soft feel of the velvet and the ornate features matched him, so well. Having him waiting naked in it for me seemed like the perfect fantasy.
Giovanni was doing the most casual of things, yet I couldn’t seem to tear my gaze from him. His matching black button up dress shirt was open, down to his mid-chest. My toes curled at the thought of touching him. I was shaken. I’d gotten used to looking at men bare their chests to me since I’d known Caleb and Pallo. Caleb was a fan of the no-shirt look and Pallo liked to show his chest off through the wonders of designer clothing. Giovanni was a lot like Pallo in that respect, but he seemed to think more was better. I had seen him once in a mesh black shirt. It showed off his tanned and toned upper body, but I’d never seen him in anything quite that revealing again.
Moving onto my tiptoes, I tried to sneak a peek into his shirt. He caught me doing it and smiled.
“You have only but to ask me and…”
I put my hand up to stop him from going any further. I’d been the one to insist sex stay out of our relationship, but being next to an Italian stud twenty-four hours a day could make a nun second guess herself.
I’m certainly no nun.
“No. Really, I’m good. I was just wondering about something.”
He walked over to the side table and poured two glasses of wine, keeping his back to me. I knew it was on purpose. His tall, toned frame and long hair made him slightly androgynous from the backside. Thankfully, his shoulders were wide and his face masculine or people would begin to wonder.
Giovanni turned and handed me a glass of red wine. As I took it, my body reacted to his touch, heating, tightening, aching for more. Yanking my hand away, I gave him a nasty look. “I thought I told you not to use your vamp-mojo on me.”
His black eyes softened and the corner of his mouth dropped into a frown. “Bella, I am not using any mojo on you. I promise you that.”
If he was telling the truth, then I was in deep shit. Having feelings for him could be deadly. I knew that for a fact. I set my glass of wine down and walked towards the stairs. “I need some time to myself.”
What I really should have said was that I needed to put distance between us.
He put his glass in the air and nodded to me. “Of course.”
December 7, 2013
I’m under Nora Roberts and I couldn’t be happier!
I’m #2 (behind Nora Roberts) in Author Rank on Amazon’s Top 100 Paranormal Romance Authors! What an honor! You all did it! You’ve gone out of your way to spread the word about my books, to buy them and to just be super awesome… I really cannot thank you all enough!
Immortal Ops Box Set is still kicking butt! So is the Daughter of Darkness one, the Sweetest Seductions one and the Zodiac One! Thank you all so much!
Michelle Pillow is kicking backside on the Top 100 Para Author Chart as well! VERY PROUD to be BFFs with her and to have her as a partner with The Raven Books Publishing!
December 1, 2013
#1 Bestseller on Amazon! Immortal Ops Box Set!
I don’t have the words to say how happy I am or how thankful I am to my readers. Immortal Ops Box Set Books 1-4 is a Number 1 Bestseller on Amazon! It also made it into the Top 100 Overall Books on Barnes and Noble!
November 26, 2013
The Unforgettable by Rory Michaels
Contemporary Western Threesome Romance
A Macon Valley Ménage 4
Twin brothers, Levi and Lyle Ackerman have had their sights set on Sally Young for years now. Lyle manned up and asked her out, beating Lyle to the punch. Sally had always seemed so sweet, so untouchable. Now, she’s within the boys’ reach and their ready to spend a night exploring every inch of her, giving her pleasures she can’t deny.
Warning: This short story contains ménages a trios, explicit sex, strong language and cowboys who will melt your socks off. This short story also has explicit, graphic sexual content and is not for the faint of heart.
http://ravenhappyhour.com/The_Unforge...
Things you may not know about me.
Things you may not know about me.
1. I had my first son when I was just barely 19.
2. I had Hyperemesis when pregnant with him. So bad that I was hospitalized more than once and had home health care nurses come when I wore a backpack that plugged in and IV was hooked to me from it as fluid pumped into me to keep both myself and my son alive.
3. Because I was so sick during the pregnancy I had to drop of out my freshman year of college.
4. Mind you, I do not come from a rich family. I had to work my ass off to go to college. This was devastating to me. I decided that while I may be out of the running for 9 mos I would not be out of the race for an education.
5. I gave birth to a wonderful, healthy baby boy when I was, like I mentioned above, just barely 19. His father had just turned 21 at the time.
6. We did not marry right away. He asked. I said… uh, let me think about it.
7. He wouldn’t give up on the idea of us being married. I gave in. We married. When we told peers some of them (okay, many but not all) laughed in our faces and said I give you a year or two at most. (side note: Its been 20 years… suck it)
8. Since I had to leave the university I was at and it was no longer a viable option because I had a newborn and had to work even more than when I was going to school, I signed up for a community college that was still nearly an hour drive each way. Mr. Mandy did as well. We worked and went to school at opposite times. We did not see each other much at all our first two years of marriage. We were too busy trying to make sure we had the skills to provide for our new family.
9. He went on to a four year school and had to drive nearly 3 hours each way twice a week for almost two years. He finished.
10. I finished my four year as well. By this point I was in my late twenties. I worked my ass off at every job I could that related to my desired field of employment (Marketing at the time). I took shit jobs, got treated like ass but still did it because I knew I needed it on my resume.
11. Mr Mandy did the same thing. Finally, he landed what would be his “adult” job for nearly 15 yrs. They sold the plant and without notice he and many others at his level were handed walking papers.
12. During this 15 year period he worked at his “adult” job we found out our youngest son was developmentally delayed… for a while they kept suggesting autism. Stunned, we decided that no matter how hard I’d worked towards my goal in marketing, it wasn’t worth sacrificing our kids. I stopped working at once. I dedicated all my time to helping figure out WTH was going on with our youngest.
13. Youngest was diagnosed with food allergies. Yes, these can be devastating to a child’s development.
14. Label in hand and a direction to go (oddly enough the therapies for getting him on track were the same ones used by children with autism) I noticed my nights were free (well, not if I wanted to sleep but what mom does that LOL). So I read a lot. Read everything the library had in the genre I liked. Decided, huh, guess I’ll have to write something. Laughed that idea off. Then got ticked about a junker car we had, started drafting a letter about it and it spawned into a novel… Yes, this is where Daughter of Darkness car scene where she is complaining out the rain leaking in comes from.
15. A close friend of mine found out I’d written an full-length novel in less than eight weeks. Asked to read it. Said, you need to send it in. Do it or I will. That was ten years ago in Oct of this year.
The rest you already know.
