In the time of the wily Victorians, summertime meant CROQUET! The outdoor game involved hitting wooden balls with a long-handled wooden mallet through “wickets” [bent metal hoops jammed into the ground] on a grass playing court.

And according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “the oldest document bearing the word ‘croquet’ is the ‘set of rules’ registered by Isaac Spratt in November, 1856 with the Stationers’ Company in London.” But records also reflect a similar game called “crookey” being played at Castlebellingham, a village in County Louth, Ireland as far back as 1835. And by 1860, croquet had become one of the most popular social spring/summer/fall pastimes in England.

Throughout the years, the number of ‘wickets’ were added or detracted, but the game’s simple outline has remained. Knock the little round ball through the wicket course, ’til reaching the final stake.

Of course, along the way, the ladies & gents would send their opponent’s ball off course with a well-placed strike. And there were dozens of terms bandied about when they played the game, among them were: Run a hoop – to send the striker’s ball through a wicket; Double tap – a fault in which the mallet makes more than one audible sound when it strikes the ball; or even a Triple peel – to send a ball other than the striker’s ball through its last three hoops, and then peg it out at the end of the course. Indeed, so many phrases made (and still make) this lawn game of skill an exciting pastime of summer!

An Unlikely Hero

AN UNLIKELY HERO (book three in the bestselling ‘The Cutteridge Family’ series)

He’s a hard-as-stone man with a broken past…and she’s a reminder of all he’s lost.

Rugged army scout Dillon Reed has met his match in spoiled Boston debutante Alma Talmadge, but an unwanted assignment escorting the beauty across the wilds of America soon evolves into a journey of monumental change for them both. With killers hot on their trail, the odds of staying alive are stacked against them…and yet, falling in love was nowhere in their plans for survival.

About Cindy

Say hello to Bestselling Historical Romance writer, CINDY NORD…author of NO GREATER GLORY, book one in her bestselling, award-winning four-book ‘The Cutteridge Family’ series, a USA Today Lifeblog ‘Recommended Read’, as well as the #1 Civil War Romance at Amazon for over one full year! WITH OPEN ARMS, book two, as well as #1 bestselling western historical romance, continues the journey of characters that appeared in the first novel. And book three, AN UNLIKELY HERO, just debuted on July 1st, and by that evening had surged onto the coveted ‘Top 100 Romances at Amazon’ list thxs to her beloved readers. She is now hard-at-work crafting BY ANY MEANS, book four in her series, which is set to debut the winter of 2017. Cindy is also honored to be a contributor alongside many NYTimes writers in the delightful non-fiction anthology SCRIBBLING WOMEN & THE REAL-LIFE ROMANCE HEROES WHO LOVE THEM [all proceeds from the sale of this book go to the ‘Women In Need’ shelter in NYC]. A member of numerous writers groups, Cindy’s work has finaled or won countless times in competitions — including the prestigious Romance Writers of America National Golden Heart Contest. A luscious blend of history and romance, her love stories meld both genres around fast-paced action and emotionally driven characters.

CONNECT with Cindy via her SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Webpage:   https://www.cindynord.com
Amazon Author Page:  https://amazon.com/author/www.cindynord.com
An Unlikely Hero buy link:   https://amzn.com/B01HMVIAYW
No Greater Glory buy link:   https://amzn.com/B008GWOI9S
With Open Arms buy link:  https://amzn.com/B00KT23WO0
Barnes & Noble NOOK link (With Open Arms) buy link:   https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/with-open-arms-cindy-nord/1119742281?ean=9781619225435
Barnes & Noble NOOK link (No Greater Glory) buy link:    https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-greater-glory-cindy-nord/1112120177?ean=9781619212435
Barnes & Noble NOOK link (An Unlikely Hero) buy link:   https://bit.ly/29irk5j
Apple/iBooks (All Three Books) buy links:   https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/an-unlikely-hero/id1128489909?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Facebook ‘Coffee Klatch’ site:    https://www.facebook.com/cindy.nord.9
Twitter:   https://twitter.com/cnord2
LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=25784664&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/+CindyNord9/posts/p/pub
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/cnord2/

BLUE COLLAR:  A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY
Editor: Delilah Devlin
Deadline: September 30, 2016

BLUE COLLAR is open to all authors.

Editor/Author Delilah Devlin is looking for stories for a romantic erotica anthology tentatively entitled BLUE COLLAR:  A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY.

Following the successful releases of CONQUESTS and ROGUES, Delilah’s ready to get to work on her next delectable anthology—this one filled with stories about those sexy blue collar men. Delilah hopes you’re ready to set aside your sexy billionaires long enough to enjoy writing more accessible, realistic, everyday bad boys. They may have dirt under their fingernails and wear tool belts instead of Rolex watches, but they’re those earthy alpha males who aren’t afraid to get down and dirty when faced with helping out a woman in need—whether she needs rescue from a broken pipe or a new, built-in closet to hold all her toys…

BLUE COLLAR: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY will seek stories that satisfy the reader who craves the romantic idea of that sexy, capable man set in everyday settings, with a few exotic International settings thrown in for fun! The anthology will be sold at a low price—Delilah’s intent is exposure for you and your writing. The more readers we reach, the better! You will retain the rights to your story, so that at a later date you can republish your stories individually.

She’s seeking hot and inventive stories from authors with unique voices, and above all, she’s looking to be seduced by tales filled with vivid imagery and passion.

Published authors with an established world may use that setting for their original short story.

This is erotic romance, so don’t hold back on the heat. Stories can be vanilla or filled with kink, but don’t miss describing the romantic connection between two strong-willed individuals learning to trust and love one another. A deep sensuality should linger in every word.

Keep in mind there must be a romantic element with a happy-for-now or happy-ever-after ending. Strong plots, engaging characters, and unique twists are the ultimate goal. Please no reprints. Delilah is seeking original stories.

How to submit: Prepare your 2,500 to 5,000 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12 point, black font Word document (.doc, NOT.docx) OR rich text format (.rtf), with pages numbered. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space (regular double spacing, do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). US grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.

In your document at the top left of the first page, include your legal name (and pseudonym, if applicable), mailing address, email address, and 50 words or less bio, written in the third person, and send to bluecollarbadboys@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories. Delilah will respond in November 2016 with decisions.

Payment will be $50.00 USD ninety days after publication.

Delilah Devlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of erotica and erotic romance. She has published over a hundred sixty stories in multiple genres and lengths, and is published by Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Grand Central, Harlequin Spice, HarperCollins: Mischief, Kensington, Kindle, Kindle Worlds, Montlake, Penthouse, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing.

Her short stories have appeared in multiple Cleis Press collections, including Lesbian Cowboys, Girl Crush, Fairy Tale Lust, Lesbian Lust, Passion, Lesbian Cops, Dream Lover, Carnal Machines, Best Erotic Romance (2012), Suite Encounters, Girl Fever, Girls Who Score, Duty and Desire and Best Lesbian Romance of 2013. For Cleis Press, she edited Girls Who Bite, She Shifters, Cowboy Lust, Smokin’ Hot Firemen, High Octane Heroes, Cowboy Heat, Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors and Sex Objects. She also edited Conquests: An Anthology of Smoldering Viking Romance and Rogues: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology.

Direct any questions you have regarding your story or the submission process to Delilah at bluecollarbadboys@gmail.com.