UPDATE: The winner is…Rita!
*~*~*

Puzzle-Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me what’s about to happen here! Have fun!

Ending Soon!

1. Cratered Weekend? (Puzzle-Contest) — Last day to enter! Win a FREE book!
2. FREE Read! See what happens when Beauty meets Beast! — Last day to claim your copy! Everyone gets a FREE book!
3. Tell Me a Story (Contest) — Win a $5 Amazon gift card!
4. Short Story Anthologies (Contest–3 Winners!) — Win a FREE book!

UPDATE: The winners are…Mechelle, Cheryl Bowers, and Ani!
*~*~*

I’m working away at a new collection of short stories from some very talented authors—sexy stories all centered around cowboys! In the meantime, because I love to share these books and introduce you to authors you might not know, I want to make sure you know where to find these books. All my anthologies are listed on my Collections website. They are full-sized books—none less than 60,000 words—and ALL of the ones we published ourselves are available for just $0.99! A STEAL. We want you to read them, so we’re making sure cost is not an impediment! Be sure to visit the site and peruse the available titles: Delilah’s Collections

Contest

Comment for a chance to win a download of one of the full-size books below. You can tell me whether you love short stories. Tell me what theme you’d like to see for the next one. Or just ramble about what you’ll be doing while you’re reading the sexy shorties in this collection (passing time in a dentist’s office, reading sexy stories to your significant other in bed at night, etc.). Just be sure to comment!

Here’s what you might win (click on the covers to learn more):

Open Contests & Giveaways

1. Cratered Weekend? (Puzzle-Contest) — Win a FREE book!
2. FREE Read! See what happens when Beauty meets Beast! — Everyone, get your FREE short story! (It’s a sexy one!)
3. Tell Me a Story (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Carol Cox!
*~*~*

I bought this little brainstorming tool years ago at some writers’ conference. “Story Cubes” is (that looks wrong, but I promise it’s not) a brainstorming game. You roll the dice and whatever pictures appear face up are the ones you use to riff off a story.

Here’s the roll…

Do any of these symbols tell you anything? You can pick some or use all of them. Tell me a story, or just a glimmer of an idea, for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!  

I should know. I wrote it. And yes, this is my unabashed reminder that you NEED to read this story. It’s a celebration of our military heroes—both on the battlefield and here at home. So, if you’re looking for something to read this weekend, or to re-read, here’s my suggestion. Just click on the picture below and go get your copy. You’ll laugh, get hot, and cry. And forever after, if you think of just two words, you’ll remember the journey and the final scene… Hey, Zig… 

Open Contests

1. Procrastination Queens (Contest–3 Winners! Plus Open Contests!) — Win a FREE story!
2. Where are they? Tell me their story! (Puzzle-Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Anna Hague: It’s all in the Name (Word Puzzle-Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Finding Motivation… (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
5. Yvette Hines: Will Travel for Food and a Story (Contest & Cover Reveal) — Win a scented candle!
6. Kimberly Dean: Friendship Takes Time (FREE Book!) — Everyone, get your FREE book!

UPDATE: The winner is…flchen1!
*~*~*

All through my family, coworkers, readers, and friends, it is well-known that I will travel the world for food. Foodies Unite. I have always been a person who never could settle for the status quo when it comes to my food. My family would get very frustrated with me when I was younger because when it was my turn to cook, I always imagined some dish then prepared it for dinner for the household. I will honestly say it wasn’t always executed well. LOL. I was trying vegan meals before I knew the word vegan. I’m not a vegan now, but it is one of the foods I love to eat, but I also like bacon.

I once wandered into a natural health food store and grabbed a pack of peppermint gum that tasted wonderful but smelled like soil, dirt, the Earth in your mouth, to the annoyance of my entire family each time I placed a piece in my mouth. LOL. They honestly never knew what to expect from me.

Food is something readers will see placed inside most of my books. Food from all types of cultures. In 2019, my daughter, my road buddy, and I traveled to Quebec City, Quebec. All the pictures here are from that trip. We ate our fill of poutine, crepes, sweet and savory, pastries, gelato, creamy ice cream, and coffee. The dark brew is another love of mine. We had tickets to go to Toronto in 2020. However, everything got canceled. I sometimes wonder if we would have gone if we would have been stuck on the other side of the border when they closed their country to America. Hm, it is a thought. LOL. We also lived in Germany for five years and could not believe how fantastic the food was there and in the many surrounding countries. My waistline can attest to that fact. ROFL. We couldn’t leave the country or the state during the pandemic, so we had to be selective about the restaurants we set out to eat in. Usually, we went right when a place opened to beat the crowds.

Coffee. Some call it a “Cup of Joe,” but I think it should be renamed as “Cup of Convo”. I’ve never sat across from anyone named Joe (I know it has something to do with grieving sailors), but I have sat with family, friends, strangers, and readers over a cup of convo and shared bits of my life or my work. A stranger has become a lifelong friend by the time we have drained the French Press dry just through the brew and babble. Even wine hasn’t connected me with another person as much as coffee. Lastly, I will say that one of my favorite things to do while traveling is finding a café or small coffee shop with my journal and pen and writing down whatever unique, new story idea that the place/country inspires, while I nibble drink some fancy latte.

Are you a “Foodies Unite” member? If you are, let me know about a new place you recently ate and what you had there or about the best cup of coffee and conversation you have ever had. 😊

COVER REVEAL for 
To Kiss a Flame

The one thing that Aubrey Carsen always wanted was to be a firefighter with her two friends. She returns home to her small town and new firehouse, with secrets following her, only to prove herself like a proby. But she can take it. Soon she discovers that a man from her past, an old high school crush—a man too sexy to be wrapped up in a suit all day—is too close for comfort. The day she rescues a little boy from a tree, things begin to unfold in a way she never expected. Now, being back in town has a whole new outlook. Is it possible that her time has finally come and everything she’s wanted will fall in line? Even as she is afraid to believe it.

Pierce Emory, the bank loan manager, has been burned by love for the last time. His ex-fiancé walks out on him the week before their wedding, and he can’t see himself getting lost in love again. Then his beautiful, tough neighbor comes knocking at his door in a storm.  She’s sexy as hell, but there’s something about her he can’t place. When he discovers the curvy beauty was the good girl from high school, the home before dark and straight A’s, quiet type, he can’t believe her transformation. Now, she’s back in town, and the old spark between them has ignited into a flame that threatens to scorch them both.

To Kiss a Flame will be sold at Amazon, BN, Kobo, Draft 2 Digital, iBooks

Yvette Hines Social Media
Website https://yvettehines.com
Twitter @sasseYvetteH
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BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/yvette-hines
Amazon Author Page: https://smile.amazon.com/Yvette-Hines/e/B005SEBSKE/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

Get to know Yvette Hines better by signing up for an email newsletter: https://yvettehines.com/newsletter-stay-connected/

CONTEST

Drawing ONE winner from those who comment on my Will Travel for Food and a Story post on Delilah’s blog between 26 May 2021 – 2 June 2021. The winner will get an e-Copy of To Kiss a Flame on release day, a Hero candle, and a $10 Amazon GC.

UPDATE: The winner is…LL!
*~*~*

Hello, my name is Anna Hague, and thank you to Delilah for letting me be a guest blogger.

As I’m sure many authors do, I get asked many questions about my creative process. Where do you get your ideas? How can you come up with so many stories? Are your characters hard to write? Where do you get your names?

Bingo! I think that may be one of the hardest parts of writing. Your characters’ histories and personalities are important, but their names have to be perfect for their character. I was once halfway through writing a book for a publisher, and it wasn’t working. I didn’t have a tight deadline, but nonetheless, I had a tentative deadline for a book I wasn’t happy with. What was wrong with it?

I read through the entire manuscript searching for the problem. Every time I read the hero’s name, I cringed. This guy wasn’t a Jason Mathews—not at all. His name removed every bit of sex appeal I knew this guy had. Who was he?

One evening, I was watching Dateline. I love analyzing where exactly the criminal went wrong in case I need to commit the perfect crime. The lead detective’s last name on this murder investigation was Caldera. The name danced into my brain, reclined on red velvet sheets all while eating 70 percent dark chocolate. Conjuring up images of my dark-haired hero with olive skin, the name Caldera personified who I wanted him to be.

Now, for the first name. This is where I have a treasure trove of possibilities. In my other job, I’m a sports journalist, and for the last several years I’ve taken a less stressful version of the job and do freelance reporting for our local high school sports. Every event I go to, I grab a program or lineup list. These team lineups are priceless, and almost every name I have in a book has come from these lists.

The women in my novels, written and to be written, include an Allee, Haley, Emma, Sabrina, Evangeline, Rose, Avery, Lily, and more. My men are Jamey, Cameron, Tyler, Keller, Devon, Adrian, Maverick and Jordan.

Maverick was perfect for Thunderstruck because it’s set at a ranch in South Dakota. When I was writing the paranormal story, I found two kids on the boys’ soccer team named Maverick and knew I had the right name. Who became Mr. Caldera? Jordan. Jordan Caldera replaced Jason Mathews, and then the story sizzled.

Still on my list of athletes are Cannon, Thunder (who incidentally batted back to back in the baseball lineup), Gator, and Tremor. These are real names, not nicknames, and somewhere there has to be a story for all of them, but right now, they’ve yet to wander onto the page. Right now, I’ve got a Rose and Aaron and a Devon and Lily to deal with.

Thank God for high school sports.

Contest

Check out the word search below and find ten names I mentioned in my character list. Email me with your answers, and I will choose a random winner for a $10 Amazon card. Contest ends June 1. Email me at annahague80@gmail.com.

About the Author

Anna Hague spends part of her days in the writing cave creating her own spin on love stories. The other part of her days, she is a freelance sports reporter crafting stories about a variety of athletic events including high school, college, and professional level sports.

Anna reads all sorts of love stories, and she writes the same way. She has an erotic romance series with Wild Rose Press and has published the contemporary romance Heart Series and opened up the paranormal Storm Canyon Series with the first book Thunderstruck.

She lives in Central Indiana with her husband, three parrots, and two dogs.

Her motto: Creating different paths to love because different is the only way I know.

Social Media links:
E-mail: annahague80@gmail.com
Website: www.annahague.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AnnaHagueAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010050496430
Amazon Books. https://bit.ly/3hEPjlYAnnaHague
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AnnaHagueAuthor/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/anna-hague

The Word Puzzle

UPDATE: All 6 commenters are winners!
*~*~*

“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”
~ Spanish Proverb

Are you like me?

I just finished a quick, intense gig editing for another author, and now have time to pay attention to my own writing. However, here I am, sleeping in late, not wanting to make my bed, not wanting to look at my work schedule, which if I don’t begin my new project soon, I’ll be crunching words to get the book done in time. “I write better when adrenaline kicks in anyway!” I say.

I tell myself I can start tomorrow. I can add an extra page to my next few days’ work to catch up. The pool is still pretty cool, I can wait to brush the sides to get rid of any algae. I can dust tomorrow. Doesn’t binge-watching some TV series sound like more fun (I’m watching True Blood for the first time)? I need to rest, right?

Excuses, all.

I love this quote: “Procrastination gives you something to look forward to.” ~ Joan Konner

She gets it. We know we’re being stupid, but argh, I just don’t wanna do nuthin today.

How about you? Do you know any funny procrastinator’s quotes or sayings? Do you have days when you look away from the dishes exploding in the sink—not because you have something more important to do, but because you plain ol’ want to do absolutely nothing?

Comment for a chance to win a FREE short story of your choice.
I’ll choose 3 winners!

Open Contests

1. It’s a family affair… (Contest–2 Winners) — Last day to enter! Win a FREE book!

2. COWBOYS COVER (CONTEST) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!

3. Diana Cosby: Nature’s Inspiration – Kits!!! (Contest) — Win a FREE SIGNED book!

4. Sunset? Dawn? What’s happening here? (Puzzle-Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!