Lilly Rayman's Blog, page 3

Conflux

With the daily discord taking place worldwide, I wonder if the United Nations is up to the task of calming the numerous threats and wars that are occurring. From my vantage point, I’m skeptical that the U.N. members can maintain peace. Due to the numerous agendas maintained by the membership, I believe that their self-interests have created an atmosphere of apathy concerning issues that conflict or fall outside of their own agendas.In contrast, any actions the members do take, often serve to enflame the existing conflicts without resolving the underlying issues that exist.In addition, I believe the cost to the United States in membership dues is prohibitive. When you understand that the U.S. pays for 22% of the annual U.N. budget as compared to the nearly 8% provided by both the Republic of China and the Russian Federation combined, I become angry while realizing that our country is once again being taken advantage of. Understanding that the United States is considered a pariah nation by many of the U.N. members, I wonder why we continue to maintain our membership in such an ineffective and biased organization.In my novel, “Conflux Threat from the Troika” the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and her staff are discriminated against by members of many foreign governments. As a result of the overbearing discrimination and disrespect displayed toward the U.S. delegation to the U.N., the United States ultimately withdraws from the United Nations, producing panic and shock among the remaining members.The actions taken next by the U.S. are completely unexpected and result in utter chaos worldwide.What steps do you think our country should take in the future with regard to our membership in the U.N.?Find out more about Bill Brazzel at You can find his new book Conflux Threat from the Troika on Amazon.

Silently In The Night

A collection of tantalizing tales with more twists than braided hair:Here you will find mystery, murder and mayhem – plus a moment of romance. All the stories will make you stop and think, even question your role in the world and the universe. Just what are we doing here, and where are we going? Easy questions with problematic answers.This anthology of sixteen short and thrilling tales of unusual, extraterrestrial and conspiratorial stories is the latest compilation from Clayton Graham, the author of science fiction novels Milijun and the soon to come Saving Paludis. The characters in this eclectic collection are mostly ordinary people whose reactions to their fears and to unexpected events will have you guessing at every turn of the page.This collection is intriguing reading which, among many other things, encourages the reader to:Sympathize with a doomed husband and connect with an altruistic robot. Explore an isolated Scottish isle and touch down on a far-flung asteroid.From the light-hearted to the darkest depths of the human psyche you would be hard pressed not to find something to like about Silently in the Night.Many different visions of the future are within these pages. And as a bonus, there is an excerpt from the soon to be published Saving Paludis, which introduces the reader to two of the principal protagonists in this tale from the edge of mankind’s known universe in the year 3898AD.If you love mystery with a hint of the paranormal, and the interplay of human foibles, grab this smorgasbord of short stories then get yourself a copy of Milijun, the mind-bending sci-fi novel by Clayton Graham.

The Devil Inside by Jane Hinchey

GIVEAWAYBlitz-wide giveaway - open internationally and organised by Jane Hinchey directly.Straight to Hell Swag PackEnter NOW at The Devil Inside by Jane Hinchey (Hell’s Gate #2) Publication date: February 24th, 2018 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, RomanceSynopsis:God is missing…And Heaven is dying.And if that weren’t bad enough, I’m in a showdown with my brothers. I don’t care if they’re family—they pissed off the wrong sister. Those Arch Angels are going to pay the price for getting my lover, Levi Forrester dragged into another dimension by a vicious soul stealer.Retrieving Levi won’t be easy, but I’m Hellbent on taking back what’s mine. After all, when you play with fire, you’re going to get burned.Now, with God disappearing, lost souls multiplying, and a new threat on the loose, it’s up to me to make things right.I’m Lucy, the CEO of Hell, and come Hell or high water, I will get my way.Goodreads:Amazon: Purchase book 1: AUTHOR BIO:Aussie Author Jane Hinchey writes sexy, snarky, badass, paranormal romances and urban fantasy novels. Living in the City of Churches (aka Adelaide, South Australia) with her man, two cats, and turtle, she spends her days writing fantastical stories full of dark sexy vampires, hot shifters, sexy aliens, jaw dropping demons, sinful angels, and magical witches – and while they can be snarky and swear a lot, they mean well and you’ll grow to love them. Honestly. When she’s not in her writing cave she’s usually playing the Sims, Civilizations or something similar, binge watching Netflix or upping the ante in the crazy cat lady stakes. She loves to hear from her readers, so swing on by her website at www.janehinchey.com and say hi.Author links:WebsiteFacebookTwitterGoodreadsExcerptI woke to the sensation of heat. A lot of it. Rolling onto my back, I checked that I hadn’t inadvertently set the room on fire, but there were no flames in sight. Just Levi asleep next to me, radiating an enormous amount of heat. Worried, I placed my palm on his forehead. Shit, he was burning up.“What is it?” He mumbled, cracking open one eye to peer at me.“You’ve got a fever. How do you feel?” Worry tinged my voice. Had he brought back an infection from Xoelax?“What? No way! I’m fine.” He bounced out of bed, gloriously naked, and strode into the bathroom. I watched the magnificence of his muscled back, tight ass, and long lean legs before letting my hand drop to where he’d been laying on the bed only moments earlier. Definitely hot. What was up with him if he wasn’t ill?His head appeared around the door frame and he crooked his finger. “Coming?”The promise in his voice had me leaping from the bed and into his arms in record time. Our naked flesh collided, and I reveled in it, in the way every nerve ending sprang to life, from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. Threading his fingers through my hair, he angled my head the way he wanted it and kissed me. He kissed me like I’d wanted to be kissed my entire life—with everything he had. That kiss told me he was mine and I was his. That kiss touched my very soul. It branded me. My head swam with it, my knees buckled, and I sagged against him, consumed by him.“You’re so hot,” I whispered when his lips left mine to explore across my jaw and down my neck.“So are you, babe.” He nipped, then soothed the sting with his tongue. He was doing crazy things to me, things that made my blood heat in my veins.“No, seriously. You’re fucking hot.” I placed my palms on his chest and pushed, putting some distance between us. “As in, you have a temperature. Your skin feels feverish.”

It's Release Day for Unexpected by Kiera Jayne

Forever Valentine PR and More is proud to present the release blitz for Unexpected by Kiera Jayne.Title: UnexpectedWritten by: Kiera JayneRelease Date: January 12, 2018Cover Design: Soxsational Cover ArtWhen Kida and handsome British expat, Miles, crash into each other- quite literally- one morning, neither is expecting the instant attraction that draws them to one another. He is handsome, intelligent and looks at Kida in a way no man ever has before.As a shy, twenty-five-year-old single woman, living and working in New York City certainly has its challenges, but Kida's best friend, James, has always been there to lend a helping hand. He's a man Kida has always had stronger feelings for, but is afraid to take the next step with. After all, what would an outgoing, ex-footballer see in her?When both men start to shower her with affection, will Kida be able to choose between them, or will she lose them both forever?Authors note: This is not your traditional HEA or even HFN...things with Kida and her two love interests are unconventional, but totally worth the read. It is Part 1 of 3 for Kida, Miles and James’ story.One Click - Universal LinkAdd Unexpected to your Goodreads TBRMy ReviewI feel really lucky, because not only did I get to read this five star book before it released, but because I get to work with this fabulous author on one of my anthology projects this year. A guaranteed success with the team we have assembled, I am sure! So, keep your eyes peeled for Building Love: A charity anthology supporting Ronald McDonald House, Westmead.Kiera weaved a magic between her characters, allowing the reader to fall in love with everyone. There is tension, angst and love, enough to make you want everything fall in place nicely. You want everyone to win, and you will not be disappointed. I will tell you though, I was cursing Kiera! I COULD NOT put this book down and it was 3.30 am before I finally finished reading! I was up again at 6am with the kids!Excerpt“I'm Miles.” He extended his hand. A man who shook hands on the first meeting! He was endearing himself to her even more! Kida despised it when people insisted on hugging as soon as they met you.“Hi,” Kida said, placing her hand in his.As soon as she did, her throat went dry. Electricity arced through her. Where his fingers held her hand, her skin pulsed right along with her heart.“And you are?” Miles asked as he tried not to make it obvious that he was checking out this pretty little Australian standing in front of him.Kida lifted an eyebrow. “Maybe I'll tell you if I see you here again.”Miles was a little surprised by her answer, but he found it intriguing. “Maybe?”Kida reluctantly released his hand. She backed away from him. “Pretty good chance.”A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Tomorrow?”“Sounds like a plan.”Miles’ smile grew bigger and it was just as gorgeous as the rest of him. “Did we really just organise a date over spilled coffee?”“The world works in mysterious ways. Bye, Miles.”About The AuthorI grew up in country New South Wales, Australia and spent my formative years having all sorts of fun on the sheep and cattle farms my grandad and uncles helped to run, as well as spending lots of time in Tamworth, NSW, which fostered in me a love of the bush.In my early twenties, I spent a year in Europe, which I consider one of the best years of my life and would live there permanently given half the chance.I am a crazy dog lover, I love music, reading, history and traveling, Marvel films and epic television dramas such as Outlander and Vikings. I love the cold, I can’t stand the heat of summer and I will pick peas out of absolutely everything, because eew!I live in house full of books and music in Brisbane, Australia.Connect With The AuthorAmazon Author Page: Facebook: Reader Group: Twitter: Website:

Chocolate (no)Nut cups! Dairy, Gluten and Nut Free

I love chocolate, I mean, who doesn't? Towards the end of last year, I was told, for health reasons to go gluten and dairy free. So I did, and I've been steadily losing weight ever since, so I can't complain too much. Although I suddenly found myself missing out on the luxuries my family were enjoying, especially at Christmas. So I made sure I could find a way to make my own chocolate for my little luxury. It took a while, but I finally found the best way to make chocolate that had the crack of chocolate, tasted like chocolate and was scrummy yummy! Here is my most successful batch yet, (I made use of a failed batch of sunflower seed butter - NB: Rice Malt Syrup instead of Agave Syrup gives you a candied butter, not a spreadable one!)....they disappeared within 24 hours! So, basically this little beauty has a sunflower butter centre, surrounded by yummy chocolate. My husband is surprised at how much the sun butter actually tastes like nuts. He'd swear blind the centre was peanut butter.After how quickly these disappeared I had to make more, and thought I would share this recipe with you!Ingredients Needed:Cocoa Butter Cocoa powder (GF)VanillaAgave SyrupSunflower butter (or Peanut butter if no nut allergy)I didn't use specific measurements. However, its roughly 2:1 Cocoa Butter to Cocoa powder. I.E, 1 cup butter and 1/2 cup of powder.vanilla and agave syrup are to taste only. If you like your chocolate sweeter, and more syrup. Vanilla can be substituted with peppermint oil or flavour of your choice.Step 1:Grate your cocoa butter into a heat proof bowl, place over a double boiler to melt.Grating makes it easier to melt your cocoa butter.Don't worry about washing your hands when you have finished this step, just rub that excess butter into your hands. It will make your skin super soft, and is completely natural and chemical free.Step 2:For chocolate cups, lay out about 20 mini patty cases.Alternatively you could line a shallow tray with parchment paper a "block" of chocolate and skip the filling.While waiting for your cocoa to melt, place a dollop of sun butter into your paper cases.Step 3: Stir in your Agave Syrup, Vanilla and cocoa powder until it is smooth.Taste.Add more Agave syrup or cocoa powder as necessary to get the right taste. NB: It will be a darker flavour than milk chocolate, but more agave will sweeten it.Step 4:Spoon in your chocolate into the cases, fill them all up as you go. There should be enough chocolate from a round a cupful of cocoa butter to fill in all the cases.If you want to play it safe, half fill each cup, then go back and top them up.Step 5:When they are all filled up, place your chocolate cups into the fridge to set.Don't worry about spillage, it will set on your plate and you can scrap it off and eat it later.When your chocolate is all set, curl up with a good book and enjoy! S

Sexy Again - PreOrder

Amazon Link: amazon.com/dp/B07874GUniversal Link: books2read.com/u/bWZl8WRelease Date: December 21st, 2017PreOrder at 99c Release day goes to $1.99Synopsis:Desiree Quake is 42 years old, a mother of two, plus sized, and a widow. She led a very vanilla sex life with her husband but it was a happy one. Her daughter Dana has found true love with her girlfriend and checks in on her while her brother Julian ignores their mom since their father’s death.Desiree has tried to get out of all her friend Cammy’s invitations to go out on dates and move on. Until she finally gives in and has a date with someone where there aren’t any sparks. She thought the night was over until her friend decides to go out dancing and drag her along. What happens after that surprises even her. Rio Slade enters her life and the things he does and what he makes her do will heat up the sheets and blow her mind.About the AuthorHow does one tell so many about herself? I guess she just wings it and tells you. I am in my 30s and I have a strong sexual appetite. Maybe that is why I love writing erotica so much. I can write about all the dark erotic things inside my head deep in my imagination. See that’s the thing you never know what an author truly thinks or feels when they write the reader assumes naturally. Of course some erotic books are truly dark and twisted. So many love to have the bad boy be redeemed. However you would be surprised at how many want to just have that bad boy just be bad and deeply want to secretly be man handled and used. I break the mold I don’t follow the old rules I don’t play and my readers have grown to love that about me. I tend to read other authors who are like me or come close. I don’t want to fit into a story mold and be told your generic. I want people to crave my originality. I make hidden fantasies reality.I am married and happy I am no Martha Stewart unless she is hanging with Snoop Dogg. I love being naughty and relaxing and I listen to my readers. Every so often a reader will come to me and ask me to write about a certain plot idea and I will indulge and find out hey I love this idea. I will of course give that reader a free copy of the story as a thank you. I know my readers are important and I treat them like family and not the estranged kind haha.Connect with Misty RiceFaceBook Amazon:BookBub:FB Group:Newsletter:GoodReads: Twitter: Instagram: Website

Unexpected by Kiera Jayne Cover Reveal

Forever Valentine PR and More is proud to present the cover reveal for Unexpected by Kiera Jayne.Title: UnexpectedWritten by: Kiera JayneRelease Date: January 12, 2017Cover Design: Soxsational Cover ArtBlurb:When Kida and handsome British expat, Miles, crash into each other- quite literally- one morning, neither is expecting the instant attraction that draws them to one another. He is handsome, intelligent and looks at Kida in a way no man ever has before. As a shy, twenty-five-year-old single woman, living and working in New York City certainly has its challenges, but Kida's best friend, James, has always been there to lend a helping hand. He's a man Kida has always had stronger feelings for, but is afraid to take the next step with. After all, what would an outgoing, ex-footballer see in her? When both men start to shower her with affection, will Kida be able to choose between them, or will she lose them both forever?Authors note: This is not your traditional HEA or even HFN...things with Kida and her two love interests are unconventional, but totally worth the read. It is Part 1 of 3 for Kida, Miles and James’ story.Preorder Now: Amazon Universal Link: http://mybook.to/UnexpectedMFL1Add Unexpected to your Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36141404-unexpectedAbout The AuthorI grew up in country New South Wales, Australia and spent my formative years having all sorts of fun on the sheep and cattle farms my grandad and uncles helped to run, as well as spending lots of time in Tamworth, NSW, which fostered in me a love of the bush.In my early twenties, I spent a year in Europe, which I consider one of the best years of my life and would live there permanently given half the chance.I am a crazy dog lover, I love music, reading, history and traveling, Marvel films and epic television dramas such as Outlander and Vikings. I love the cold, I can’t stand the heat of summer and I will pick peas out of absolutely everything, because eew!I live in house full of books and music in Brisbane, Australia.Author LinksAmazon Author PageFacebookReader GroupTwitterWebsiteHosted By:https://forevervalentinepr.wixsite.com/welcome

Cameron's Unexpected Holiday Blog Tour

Cameron’s Unexpected Holiday Blog TourDecember 17 to December 31Finding Giveaways along the WayErotic romance author Cameron Allie is playing host to 14 sexy, sizzling romance authors this holiday season. Each day from December 17 to December 31 a different author will stop by her blog to tell us about their holiday traditions. They will also be sharing with us hot excerpts from their books, and let's not forget the giveaways!You can be sure to find tons of giveaways over those two weeks, ranging from ebooks, paperbacks, Amazon gift cards, and really cool swag! One author is even offering up a copy of her exclusive Christmas novel free to everyone who visits the blog, so be sure to stop by every day for excerpts, and giveaways!If you have a Twitter account Cameron invites you to help spread the word about the this fabulous tour for a chance to win an ebook copy of her holiday short story An Unexpected Christmas Gift. From now until the end of the month use the Rafflecopter below to Tweet about the blog tour. You can do so every day for even more chances to win! The Rafflecopter makes it easy to Tweet the message. Once you've Tweeted click the "I Tweeted" button to submit your entry.Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveawayFollow along with the blog tour by visiting Cameron's site:Cameron's Unexpected Holiday Blog TourFor even more updates about the tour visit her on Facebook: Cameron's Facebook PageOr follow her on Twitter: @CamAllieErotica

Guest Post "Silent Song coming to life"

Many authors I know pull from events or people from their own lives for inspiration or storyline. I’ve never been that way personally. I’m an extremely private person by nature, so its very unusual for me to use any of myself in my books. That is actually my favorite thing about writing, I’m able to fully create worlds and people out of thin air. It allows you to become whoever you want for the moment. I usually create a main character who is nothing like me because it allows me to be and do all the things I’ve always wanted to. I’ve had a very eventful life. Those who know me well always ask why I’ve never drawn from my real life for a novel, since my life is pretty much a lifetime movie. The idea of writing anything close to home has always been completely horrifying for me. (Super private remember?) I have a pretty unique situation where I lost my hearing at eighteen years old. (You can read more about it in my letter to the reader in Silent Song.) Deafness is one of those subjects that most people think they understand…but actually don’t. There is so much more to deafness than not being able to hear. There are levels (decibels) of sound that is so intricate that it is much more than just you can hear or not. A few years ago I read a book that had a deaf main character. The book was amazing, but there were so many things that weren’t accurate. It wasn’t glaringly obvious unless you were deaf, but it really bothered me. I had brought up the issue to a good author friend of mine and I’ll never forget what she said to me. “The only way to fix this problem Jaci, is to set it straight. That means you are going to have to write the story of a deaf person from their perspective. Show people not only your world, but help them understand the deaf world. Who else will?” I instantly shut her down. There's no way I’m writing anything close my life. A few months went by and then I had to explain a few things about deafness to people that they just never knew. Like just because you speak English doesn’t mean deaf people can write in English without struggle. Almost every hearing person I talked to didn’t know that American Sign Language is NOT English. It has its own structure and rules like any other language. ASL is my second language, but it’s the main one I use at home with my husband. It’s hard for my brain to switch back and forth between ASL and English. Because of this I tend to change tenses when I write, which is very frowned upon in writing. I’m pretty sure I’ve driven every editor I’ve ever had to drink over this little fact. After having to explain this to several people over a very short amount of time I finally came to terms with the fact that I was going to have to write a story with a deaf character. I decided to go home and just see if I even had a story in me. I don’t outline, ever. I just start writing. I usually write the end first, then the beginning and fill in the middle. (Yeah I’m weird.) So I went home and just started writing to see if I even had a story in me…and I couldn’t stop. I wrote through he night, and all weekend long. By the time I took a break I had almost written half of the book. This is the only book I didn’t have to re-write or revise. It was trapped deep down and apparently ready to be freed. I cried more while writing this story than I have probably ever cried in my life. But it was also the most cathartic thing I‘ve ever done. This story isn’t my own, but the feelings are completely mine. The pain, fears and passion is all mine even though the story belongs to Barrett alone.Silent Song by Jaci Wheeler is available on Amazon today.

Guest Post "World-Building 101"

The Realm, The Land, Middle Earth, Narnia – I presume you have spent some time visiting at least one of them. I know I have. And, if all goes well with the ‘travel brochures’, Drageverden will soon be another fantasy ‘tourist’ destination. However, I expect people will only visit if the place promises immersive adventure!World-building in fantasy is as critical to a plot as character development. When done well, it can transport the reader so absolutely that they yearn for the place long after finishing the book.I’ll share with you some of my challenges, and the process I go through in creating a land that I am confident is not only believable but tangible, tactile and immersive for my readers.One of the difficulties I’ve struggled with at times is purple prose. As writers, we sometimes lean to the flowery – long, buttery descriptives – waxing poetic, sprinkled with a fine, magical dust, like morning dew settling on the vine and… oh, I beg your pardon! I have learned to 1) be succinct, 2) alternate between long and short/slow and faster-paced sentences, and 3) avoid overuse of adverbs. Purple prose detracts a reader as much as a similar life scenario. We’ve all been in one of those awkward moments when someone has talked for well over twenty minutes about, say, fruit flies because, well, they’re a fruit-fly expert, and we nod, and nod, and nod and mm-hmm — until we nod off.Another habit I picked up came from kindergarten: Show & Tell. I love to tell people things. He saw a dog. Maggie was angry. The bird was tired. The danger is that by doing so, a writer creates a barrier rather than an invitation. We must ‘walk’ as we write, immersed in the land and noting its effect upon our character/s. I must show, not tell.Like all trips we take, we discover as we go. I make an effort to step from character interiority back into Drageverden regularly, to generate an interaction between the two. It is easy to blurt out all the details of a place, but that is not how we naturally absorb our surroundings, and it quickly becomes tedious. Our character must shake as she enters the darkness of the spider’s lair, snap her head back at the whisper over her shoulder, brace with teeth clenched as the dust cloud rises from the horde cresting the last knoll – and we must be there with them.Tolkien carried his readers along – experiencing the ground under a hobbit’s foot, smelling the foul mead and men of the Prancing Pony, and anticipating the Brandywine narrowing near the ferry, still far too distant to escape the Nazgul. He rarely tells. What’s more important is that no matter who you talk to, Middle Earth is different for everyone. Why? Tolkien let the scenes play out as much by emotion as he did geography and although he painted a vivid picture of the land, he left our conviction of and immersion in Middle Earth to fill in the deeper details.So I haven’t provided you much regarding DrageVerden. Oh, I could talk, believe me – ask anyone who knows me and you’ll soon discover I rarely shut up — but you must ‘walk’ alongside the giants crossing the Arvian Plains to understand the shock of it all, or spend a day with Ka the drakehawk to experience her love for the Swamps of Ierloquetze. Brochures never do a place justice. You have to book the holiday.Okay, okay! I’ll give you a little foreshadowing prior to your trip: Drage is Danish for dragon. Verden means land.Happy Trails!Simon Lindley is an author, musician and intrepid explorer in the real world and along the rolling landscapes of his imagination. His book, Mannethorn's Key, the first in the Key of Life Trilogy, will be released in print and ebook formats January 5, 2018 at fine retailers everywhere. It is also available for pre-order now.