UPDATE: The winner is…Laura!
*~*~*

The past month, since the release of the latest Boys Behaving Badly collection, has been a whirlwind of activities! Today, I posted the last in the series of “In One Picture” blogs, so if you want to see inside the authors’ minds and want a chance to win prizes, head on over to the Delilah’s Collections website to check them out!

But back to today’s challenge. I have to start thinking about what I want to do next. Plus, I want to know what readers want to read and what authors would love to do next. So…

Below are the covers for the seven BBB anthologies we’ve already published. All are nice sized volumes of multiple sexy short stories, offered for only $0.99 each (for the eBook versions, anyway) and written by some authors you know and some you get to read for the first time. You can see we’ve already had a variety of themes from naughty rogues, blue collar hotties, pirates, heroes coming to the rescue, first responders, cowboys, and silver fox ex-military types. What would you like to see us do next?

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me what you’d love to read or write! This will start me thinking, and later I’ll do a poll to try to narrow down the options. For now, throw out some ideas!

UPDATE: The winner on the Collections website is…flchen!
*~*~*

If you didn’t know, we’ve been running nearly daily contests over on my Delilah’s Collections website to celebrate the release of the latest Boys Behaving Badly anthology. I invite you to head over there and enter as many of the contests as you can! Many are still open, some of the older ones, not for much longer—and be sure to read the snippets from the Silver Soldiers stories! You’ll be hooked!

And remember, I also have my newest book—Book #1 of the WE ARE DEAD HORSE, MT series—ready for you to read: COLD HARD CASH!

Star Diplomacy by Kimberly Dean
With the threat of an interplanetary war looming, a hardened military negotiator must find a way to connect with the enemy’s beautiful ambassador.

When I saw Delilah’s call for proposals, I’d just finished a sci-fi space opera romance titled FALLING STARS. It was a new genre for me and so much fun to write. I conceptualized a whole galaxy with alien (yet very human-like) races. One of the planets was Terrene. It had a patriarchal society, and its inhabitants were known for their physical rigor, determination, and adherence to rules and order. Their unique trait was striped skin. Another planet was Maelstrom, the water planet with an egalitarian society. Inhabitants were known for their empathy, foresight, and adaptability. The galaxy was on the verge of war throughout the book as the alien races struggled to coexist.

Delilah’s theme of SILVER SOLDIERS fit right in with that world. I immediately knew what I wanted to write, and it was also my chance to fix a loose thread I hadn’t been able to tie up in the original book!

So, my picture is of Colonel Stone Evren, a former Terrene soldier turned negotiator. (Do you like my mad Photoshop skills with those stripes? 😊) He’s looking up at the planet of Maelstrom, getting ready to “negotiate” with the beautiful enemy ambassador.

A snippet from “Star Diplomacy”…

These talks weren’t going to be easy.

He gave a nod, and the soldier opened the door.

The guard on point entered first, automatically evaluating the room for threats. He did the same, even though the all-clear had been given. Old soldier, old habits. They were meeting in a hotel conference room, and the Maelstromian contingent was already present. He mapped out the personnel in his head and finally focused on his counterpart.

He’d known where she was the moment he’d stepped into the room.

“Colonel Evren,” the facilitator said, announcing his arrival.

The ambassador flinched as if caught by surprise. She turned swiftly, and her colorful skirt flared. Her eyes were wide when they locked with his, and Stone stopped where he stood.

Beautiful. He’d gotten that right.

The material of her dress swung like a pendulum against her legs before settling into place, but the look in her eyes lasted a split-second longer. He frowned. What was that? Resolve? Uncertainty? Fear? Instinctively, he took a step forward, but the emotion quickly cleared.

He dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “Ambassador Nova.”

Of course, she was on edge. They were adversaries.

Order your Ebook here: Kindle | Nook | Kobo | Apple Books | Google Play
Order the print version here: Amazon

About the Author

Kimberly Dean has been published by Avon, Black Lace, Ellora’s Cave, HarperCollins: Mischief, and Samhain Publishing. She’s known for creating strong emotional connections and sizzling chemistry between her characters. She’s the author of over forty published stories including the Storm Chaser Alliance sci-fi alien romance series.

Follow Kimberly at: Website | Newsletter | BookBub | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, head to DELILAH’S COLLECTIONS to post!

And I can’t be more excited! This has been a labor of love from start to finish. Silver Soldiers is the 7th BBB anthology, featuring authors you know well and authors you’re going to love meeting for the first time. What’s more exciting? This 81,000–word book is only $0.99! We want as many people as possible to read it, so we’re making it accessible and affordable to all. If you haven’t already picked up your copy, all the links to your favorite online shops are below.

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who contributed stories to this collection, as well as to the authors who submitted but didn’t make it into this book. Thank you for the privilege of letting me read your stories! Well done, all!

Take a peek below to see why I’m so excited! There is truly something to suit everyone’s tastes. Heat levels vary but all stories are explicit. The genres are varied—historical, science fiction, contemporary, and paranormal. And every one of the tales has a happily ever after or at least a happy for now/hint of happy in the future.

If you read the collection, please tell someone else what you enjoyed. Write a review. That’s the best reward a reader can give an author (or group of authors) for their hard work.

Happy reading! ~DD

SILVER SOLDIERS: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY will satisfy the reader who craves stories with older alpha male heroes—those salt-and-pepper hotties with crow’s feet earned through rugged training and years of combat. Former soldiers finding their footing after their first careers, or current soldiers nearing the end of their military careers. They’re ready to find the right partner to put down roots, ones who aren’t afraid of scars and rough edges.

Fight Like Cats and Wolves by A.J. Harris – After their helicopter is forced down by a rogue war machine, an Army veteran must use wits and fangs to survive with his mysterious pilot

Handfasted to the Highlander Warrior by Aurora Russell – A hardened warrior reluctantly prepares to release his vivacious bride from their handfasted union…until a sweet, sexy surprise changes everything.

SNAFU—Situation Normal, All F***ed Up by Ava Cuvay – A sidelined Army cyborg’s only joy is the dimpled smile of a curvy Pentagon admin until she offers him a proposition he should refuse

Operation Purple Sparkle Diamond by Brenda Margriet – A resolute Afghan veteran deploys on his most desperate mission yet—wooing the hesitant heart of his daughter’s kindergarten teacher

Ripples by Delilah Devlin – A former Special Forces soldier, looking forward to the peace and quiet of his new houseboat, finds his solitude shattered by the arrival of his neighbor and her kid.

SEAL in Distress by Denise De Marco – While dealing with an unwanted inheritance, a former SEAL confronts his toughest battle yet against an unexpected woman

Storm on the Bayou by Elle James – A retired Navy SEAL and a pretty parish deputy hole up in a bayou fishing shack, weathering a violent meteorological and unexpectedly passionate storm

Star Diplomacy by Kimberly Dean – With the threat of an interplanetary war looming, a hardened military negotiator must find a way to connect with the enemy’s beautiful ambassador

Take Me to the Water by Michal Scott – An unexpected dare holds the key to a second chance with the disgraced Buffalo soldier she’s never stopped loving

This Time Forever by N.J. Walters – A retired Delta Force operator thwarts a holdup, saving the life of the woman he left behind twenty-seven years ago

Weathering the Storm by Natasha Moore – During a violent storm, a stranger walks into a woman’s bar who reminds her of the lover she lost who died behind enemy lines years ago

Sarge in Charge by Reina Torres – When lowlifes threaten the curvy bar owner in his Arizona town, the president of the Broken Arrow MC proves he’s the sarge in charge

Broken Trust by Rhonda Lee Carver – A retired SEAL must protect an old flame who’s feisty and more dangerous than any criminal—and dead if he can’t earn her trust

Clear to Engage by Sukie Chapin – One struggling bookshop owner, one hot-as-hell former SEAL-turned-carpenter, one line drawn in the sand—until the job is done, they’re not clear to engage

UPDATE: The winner is…Mary Preston!
*~*~*

Silver Solders: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology will release late tonight after midnight, so I thought it might be fun to play a game. I do love puzzles! And this one was so much fun coming up with one word to describe a particular story. Okay, three stories shared the same clue, but that’s okay. I didn’t want you searching forever. No, I want you to be intrigued and decide that Silver Soldiers is a book you can’t ignore.

So, solve the puzzle. Then let me know if any of the word clues I used in the puzzle made you wonder what the story could possibly be about. Comment below for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Stephanie!
*~*~*

Silver Soldiers: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology is the 7th BBB anthology! And I think it’s the fattest, too! That’s over 81,000-words of hot goodness! The release date is May 9th—so that means, tomorrow at midnight, you can have this book in your Kindle or iPad and you can hop around to read the stories you know you’re going to love before reading the ones you didn’t know you’d love (but you will!).

Take a look at the list of stories below. There is truly something for everyone.

So, for a chance at getting a FREE copy of one of the previous BBB anthologies, tell me TWO things: 1) Have you already pre-ordered your copy of Silver Soldiers? 2) Which stories listed below are you most interested in diving into first?

Pre-Order eBook
Kindle | Nook | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play

This collection features “silver soldiers”—those salt-and-pepper hotties with crow’s feet earned through rugged training and years of combat. Former soldiers finding their footing after their first careers, or current soldiers nearing the end of their military careers. 

Table of Contents

Fight Like Cats and Wolves by A.J. Harris – After their helicopter is forced down by a rogue war machine, an Army veteran must use wits and fangs to survive with his mysterious pilot

Handfasted to the Highlander Warrior by Aurora Russell – A hardened warrior reluctantly prepares to release his vivacious bride from their handfasted union…until a sweet, sexy surprise changes everything.

SNAFU—Situation Normal, All F***ed Up by Ava Cuvay – A sidelined Army cyborg’s only joy is the dimpled smile of a curvy Pentagon admin until she offers him a proposition he should refuse

Operation Purple Sparkle Diamond by Brenda Margriet – A resolute Afghan veteran deploys on his most desperate mission yet—wooing the hesitant heart of his daughter’s kindergarten teacher

Ripples by Delilah Devlin – A former Special Forces soldier, looking forward to the peace and quiet of his new houseboat, finds his solitude shattered by the arrival of his neighbor and her kid.

SEAL in Distress by Denise De Marco – While dealing with an unwanted inheritance, a former SEAL confronts his toughest battle yet against an unexpected woman

Storm on the Bayou by Elle James – A retired Navy SEAL and a pretty parish deputy hole up in a bayou fishing shack, weathering a violent meteorological and unexpectedly passionate storm

Star Diplomacy by Kimberly Dean – With the threat of an interplanetary war looming, a hardened military negotiator must find a way to connect with the enemy’s beautiful ambassador

Take Me to the Water by Michal Scott – An unexpected dare holds the key to a second chance with the disgraced Buffalo soldier she’s never stopped loving

This Time Forever by N.J. Walters – A retired Delta Force operator thwarts a holdup, saving the life of the woman he left behind twenty-seven years ago

Weathering the Storm by Natasha Moore – During a violent storm, a stranger walks into a woman’s bar who reminds her of the lover she lost who died behind enemy lines years ago

Sarge in Charge by Reina Torres – When lowlifes threaten the curvy bar owner in his Arizona town, the president of the Broken Arrow MC proves he’s the sarge in charge

Broken Trust by Rhonda Lee Carver – A retired SEAL must protect an old flame who’s feisty and more dangerous than any criminal—and dead if he can’t earn her trust

Clear to Engage by Sukie Chapin – One struggling bookshop owner, one hot-as-hell former SEAL-turned-carpenter, one line drawn in the sand—until the job is done, they’re not clear to engage

UPDATE: The winner of the GC is…Cindy!
*~*~*

Another month flew by! How does that happen? And while I accomplished a lot in April, I dragged my feet on a lot too! Which will make May a very, very busy month for me!

April

Work-related:

1. I compiled the boxed set of Danger Zone stories, and I published it! (I hope you got your copies! For now, it’s FREE in KU!)
2. I’m 3/4 of the way through my Silver Soldiers short story.
3. I, along with the other Silver Soldiers authors, have been posting “Getting to Know” blogs on the Collections website to get readers ready for the release on May 9th!
4. I began work on Cold Hard Cash.
5. I completed only 3 editing projects for other authors in April.

Health-related:

1. My hand is mostly healed from the recent break. I still have some nerve problems and have to do physical therapy to improve my hand’s function.
2. I had an ultrasound and EKG done of my heart. Not great news there. I have Moderate Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (a thickening/stiffening of the heart muscle), which is likely caused by my high blood pressure.
3. I restarted Weight Watchers in the latter part of this month to help with my heart and blood pressure issues and have severely limited my salt intake. I managed to gain weight back, but after my diagnosis, there’s not any room for procrastination. I’m down 3.9 pounds as of today.
4. As for physical activity, I’m still not doing enough. I’m feeling tired all the time. Which I know has to do with my weight, my heart, and inactivity. All my issues are interrelated. I just need to get my fat ass off this chair and move more often, along with the dietary changes…

Happiness-related: 

1. The family is trying to do fitness-related outings, which include me. We hiked a local trail to the bluff overlooking the river. It wasn’t a long trail, but we all enjoyed it very much. We also did a couple of shopping/flea market outings, which helped with steps.
2. I am still participating in the #the100dayproject online art challenge. As of today, I’m on Day 66. Here are a few of my April pieces…

May

For work-related, I plan:

1. To complete my short story for the Silver Soldiers anthology.
2. Publish Silver Soldiers on May 9th!
3. To complete and publish Cold Hard Cash, the first of the We Are Dead Horse series.
4. To complete 4 editing projects in May!

For health related, I plan:

1. To continue counting those points for my Weight Watchers diet and hopefully shed at least another 5 pounds, remembering, as always: Slow is good!
2. To continue to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas, red wine).
3. To continue working on getting the pool ready for swimming!
4. To begin walking and counting my steps.
5. I’ll re-dedicate myself to doing more housework, too, because my art room is a disaster. And cleaning is exercise, ahem.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To attend the 18-year-old’s high school graduation!
2. To continue producing some small piece of art every day as part of #the100dayproject. I’m volunteering several times a month to sit in the Art Center to keep it open.
3. To blog about art (on my Emerald Casket site) just to keep myself honest!
4. To work toward re-opening my Etsy store! I just about have enough art to do so!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier. Tell me what you plan to read in May…
Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Diane Sallans!
*~*~*

Psst! This blog is doing double-duty—also appearing over on the Delilah’s Collections website! Comment in both places for a chance to win! There are two prizes! And while you’re there, be sure to check out the posts and prizes from previous days!

May is nearly here, and it’s the final stretch of the school year. Even as merely a substitute teacher, I’m feeling very much the “What’s my Name? Who am I?” brain fatigue. And it’s also lacrosse season, which takes up the rest of the waking hours for my family. All of which is really too boring to blog about (and I’m honestly not sure I could cobble a cohesive blog together on any of those topics)… but the upcoming release of the Silver Soldiers: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology *is* something to talk about!

I’m thrilled to be part of this anthology! I’ve had a short story included in the past two anthologies, and it’s a treat to be in the company of such creative, masterful writers, and to see the variety of ideas that stem from a simple phrase such as “Silver Soldier” or “First Responder.”

I recently celebrated publishing my seventh book in seven years (not including an array of short stories in various anthologies, or the three children’s books I’ve written and illustrated). It’s easy enough to look at the company I keep with the other authors in this anthology and get depressed at my own slow progress… comparison can do that to a person. But this is one of the reasons I love the Romance community: we cheer each other on and remind each other that every step forward is cause for celebration.

So, I continue my writing progress, however slow-and-steady it may be. Because I love to write. And I love to tell the stories bouncing around in my brain, which lean toward futuristic, fantastical, or in a galaxy far, far away. I’m born and bred in a small city in Indiana. We have corn and basketball and the Indy 500. None of which light my fire. But when Star Wars came to the big screen, I was seven… and it rocked my world. My impressionable years were filled with strange creatures, droids with personalities, spaceships, lightsabers, and (of course) the wonderful sexual tension between Han Solo and Princess Leia. My love of aliens and the extraordinary—and falling in love—was solidified.

The upcoming Silver Soldiers anthology hits a little different for me than the previous anthologies. The timing is perfect because I am wrapping up a seasoned-romance, slightly-futuristic cyborg series set in my neck of the woods: Central Indiana. The second in this series, Tin Toy just released in December. The third and final book in this series is Tin Soldier, scheduled to release this August, tells the story of an older-soldier-turned-cyborg, and his love interest who is dealing with breast cancer. This anthology marks the first one where my story actually ties into a full book and series. The challenge was different this time. Everything mattered this time (names, backstory, goal, etc.) because it leads into the rest of the story. Yet I wanted it to have its own decisive HEA for the reader.

Fingers crossed I’ve succeeded!

If you haven’t already pre-ordered the Silver Soldiers anthology, do so today!

Contest: For a chance at a $5 Amazon gift card, what childhood movie was most influential in your life?

About Ava

Ava Cuvay is an award-winning bestselling author of out of this world Sci-fi and Paranormal Romance featuring sassy heroines, gutsy heroes, passion, and adventure… often set in a galaxy far, far away. She resides in central Indiana with her own scruffy-looking nerfherder and kiddos who remind her daily she’s not nearly as cool as she thinks. She believes life is too short to bother with negative people, everything is better with Champagne, and Han Solo shot first. When not writing, Ava is thinking about writing. Or wine. And she’s always thinking about bacon.

Her story inside Silver Soldiers: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology was “SNAFU—Situation Normal, All F***ed Up.”

A sidelined Army cyborg’s only joy is the dimpled smile of a curvy Pentagon admin until she offers him a proposition he should refuse…