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Archive for the 'Contests!' Category
Wednesday, April 7th, 2021
UPDATE: The winner is…Colleen C!
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I love the word “wonder.” The second I read it I see me, with my eyes wide-open radiating awe, my mouth rounded in an O of surprise, my mind bright with amazement. Songs like “God of Wonders” and “Wonderful Wonderful” make my heart sing. So imagine my delight when I started the research for this post on my favorite fairytale and learned that another description for fairytale is “wonder tale.”
The term “fairytale” is derived from the French conte de fées, i.e., short stories that contain all manner of nonhuman characters, not just fairies, and wonderment. I date my love for fairy/wonder tales back to my NYC public school days. In September during the first week of class, you received your subject books, one of which was a reader. You wrote your name and class on a bookplate then dug in for a year’s worth of reading. These books were broken up into three or four sections. I can’t remember what they were, but the final section always contained illustrated fairy tales. It is from those school readers that I first read about Rumpelstiltskin, the Shoemaker and the Elves, Puss in Boots, and the Three Billy Goats Gruff. I particularly loved the ones with talking animals. My favorite of all is The Bremen Town Musicians, a story that appeared in Grimms’ Fairy Tales in 1819.
Briefly, it’s about a donkey, dog, cat, and rooster, all who have become old and of no use to their different owners. They set out to find the freedom they deserve as musicians in Bremen. They come upon a cottage in which thieves are counting their booty. The animals scare them off and enjoy the food left behind. When the robbers send one of their band to retake the cottage, the animals vanquish him. He hurries back with tales of a monster from which he barely escaped with his life. No longer troubled by humans, the animals settle down in the cottage to the life of freedom and plenty they deserve. Although the animals never made it to Bremen, the town has a famous statue erected in their honor. Take a look at the statue here: https://www.bremen.eu/tourism/attractions/bremen-town-musicians.
I think about the little girl I was, who enjoyed reading over and over about these animals’ exploits. As an adult, I can see how each animal determining their own destiny and supporting one another would appeal to an urban kid growing up in the turbulent and heady days of the Civil Rights movement. How could the spunk of the Bremen Town Musicians not inspire me when I was seeing on television or overhearing adults talking about African-American people working together and not allowing others to determine their worth? I even see the Kwanzaa principles of kujichagulia (self-determination) and ujimaa (collective work and responsibility) at work in the story which adds another level of enjoyment to my favorite “wonder tale.”
So how about you? Do you have a favorite fairy/wonder tale? Share its title in the comments for a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card.
Better To Marry Than To Burn
Freed Man seeking woman to partner in marriage for at least two years in the black township of Douglass, Texas. Must be willing and able to help establish a legacy. Marital relations as necessary. Love neither required nor sought.
Excerpt from Better to Marry than to Burn…
She sidled up to him, cupped his erection and fondled his balls.
“Ready for bed or ready to bed me?”
He moaned, placed his hand atop hers and increased the pressure. Already hard, he hadn’t imagined he could get any harder.
“Is that beautiful brass bed new?”
He gulped. “Ye—yes. Bought it—bought it for the honeymoon.”
“I’m ready to be bedded now,” she whispered. “Or is that something we must negotiate?”
All thoughts of dinner vanished.
“No,” he rasped, leaning forward, as hungry for her lips as he was to be inside her.
“Good.” She stepped back, out of reach. “But, let’s be clear…” She bent over, so her butt protruded toward him. She massaged each buttock so her crack parted invitingly. “Tonight it’s the Greek way or no way.”
He blinked, stunned by this demand to be taken anally. His master had had books filled with drawings, depicting naked Greeks wrestling. Those pen and ink depictions flashed before him now. Arms constrained by arms, legs entwined with legs, butts and groins enmeshed in snug contortions. He’d love to take Queen that way, experience first-hand the erotic intimacy etched in the men’s struggle-laden features.
He took one step toward her then stopped. No. One day, he would…but not tonight. Not their first time. Their first time would be the nose-to-nose, chest-to-breast, cock-to-vagina coupling he’d hungered five years for.
Buy link: https://amzn.to/2KTaGPH
Website: www.michalscott.webs.com
Twitter: @mscottauthor1
Tagged: excerpt, fairytale, Guest Blogger, historical romance
Posted in Contests!, General | 13 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: bn100 - Debra Guyette - flchen1 - Anna Taylor Sweringen - Delilah -
Tuesday, April 6th, 2021
UPDATE: The winners are…Jennifer Beyer, Ann Ivey, and Arlene Miklovic!
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The Montana Bounty Hunters series located in Bear Lodge is complete. I am three books into the spinoff series, Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT. I loved writing the original series, and I can’t wait to immerse myself in writing many more of these heavy-duty, gritty guys in the near future. Have you seen the cover for Chase, which will release in June? Yeah. Some of the guys you love from the original series will continue to pop up here and there in Dead Horse—after all, they all work for Fetch Winter. Someday, he’ll get his happy-ever-after, too!
Cochise
MONTANA BOUNTY HUNTERS: Authentic Men… Real Adventures…
Former Army sniper, Cochise Mercier, left Denver SWAT under a cloud of controversy, which was why he ended up back home in Montana, and where he heard about the Montana Bounty Hunters. The “cloud” didn’t seem to bother his new boss, so he’s “all in” and finding he enjoys hunting down fugitives for bounties, encumbered by fewer rules.
Sammy McCallister is a by-the-book sheriff’s deputy, who has a beef with bounty hunters. Forced to stand by with her gun in her holster, while hunters take down scumbags, she’s particularly irked by the new guy in town. Cochise, with his long black hair and thousand-yard-stare makes her uncomfortable, itchy in ways she’s never felt before. When she finds herself needing his help late one night, the reason for her irritation becomes all too clear. She wants him. But first, they have to make it out of the mountains alive…
Contest
Are you all caught up reading the Montana Bounty Hunters?
For a chance to win a download of one of the stories you may have missed
(I’ll pick three winners!), tell me this:
Are you ready for more sexy bounty hunters?
Here are all the Bear Lodge Montana Bounty Hunters!
MONTANA BOUNTY HUNTERS
Authentic Men… Real Adventures…
Reaper: https://amzn.to/2NztLpv
Dagger: https://amzn.to/2zo6Dav
Reaper’s Ride: https://amzn.to/2KKkisI
Cochise: https://amzn.to/2zq4avV
Hook: https://amzn.to/2UrpyYh
Wolf: https://amzn.to/2yUTjr5
Animal: https://amzn.to/2H4Roob
Big Sky Wedding: https://amzn.to/33GprwK
Quincy: https://amzn.to/2QlleM8
Brian: https://amzn.to/2ZV8m2G
Excerpt from Cochise
Cochise Mercier, the new hire at Montana Bounty Hunters, took a deep breath to force his heart to slow its pace. A trick he’d learned as an Army sniper to make sure a jerking breath didn’t mess up a shot. The trick worked in most situations when he needed his mind to slow and for his focus to home in on a target or a situation. Clearing his mind meant he was able to take in more of what was happening around him and enabled him to discard the things that weren’t important—like the way the wind beat a tree branch against the side of the house, a steady thump that sounded almost like clomping footsteps. Instead, he concentrated on the way the light, beaming through the tall arched windows at the front of the house, flickered whenever his target paced left or right, telling him where their mark was. An important fact, because in minutes, he’d have to breach the oak front door and be ready to take him down—with his weapon or his body, depending on whether Randy Pinter was armed. A fact Cochise would have to ascertain in a split second.
“Can’t see any movement in the back rooms,” came Jamie Burke’s voice through his earpiece. “I think he’s alone.”
He still wasn’t used to hearing a woman’s voice on the comms. He’d never had a female as part of any of his missions on the ground with the Army, and Denver’s SWAT had, at the time, been all male. That voice interrupted his calm. His instinct was to protect women and children, but she was a part of this team—and his boss—so again, he drew a deep breath, pushed aside his concern, and concentrated on his target. Pinter was pacing in front of the window to the right of the front door.
“Girlfriend’s car isn’t in the garage,” came Sky Reynold’s deep voice. “Must have gone for takeout. I’m moving around to the front.”
“Deputies just arrived,” Lacey Jones’s too perky voice sounded. “I’ll go brief them about what’s about to go down. Make sure they know we have the owner’s permission to be here.”
Cochise could hear the excitement in her higher pitch. Thank God, she was back at the road with the vehicles. The thought of her cotton-candy sweetness being anywhere near Pinter made him shudder. The girl might have qualified with her weapon and might be doing well with her self-defense classes, but she had no real experience going head-on with bad dudes. He didn’t want to be around the first time she was truly tested.
“You call it, Cochise,” Jamie said.
With his heart as slow as when he slept, he felt the familiar ice-water chill flow over him. “Ready,” he whispered and then stepped away from the bushes beside the porch. “Moving toward the door… On three. One…two…three.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tagged: alpha males, bounty hunter, contemporary romance, excerpt, Montana Bounty Hunters
Posted in About books..., Contests! | 11 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Debbie Caswell - bn100 - Cheryl - Debra Guyette - Delilah -
Monday, April 5th, 2021
Posted in Contests! | Someone Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Kandi Candelas -
Saturday, April 3rd, 2021
UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*
Thank you to Delilah for inviting me to be on her blog!
I’m Ella Quinn, and I write light-hearted Regencies. My latest release is The Most Eligible Viscount in London, book 2 of The Lords of London. I’m also an Army veteran stationed in Germany with my husband who’s trying to recover from his second retirement. He’s going to have to figure it out within the next 18 months. I’m ready to get back to my boat. We also have a Great Dane who has been on the boat and loves meeting people in marinas and a cat who has not yet been on the boat.
Contest
For a chance to win a FREE download tell me whether retiring on a boat is your idea of heaven too!
The Most Eligible Viscount in London
In bestselling author Ella Quinn’s intriguing new Regency trilogy, a dashing suitor must decide if love and marriage are mutually exclusive…
Viscount Gavin Turley is convinced that love matches cause nothing but trouble. Still, after months of courting, he’s fallen for Miss Georgie Featherton. He’s passionate about her, in fact. But words of love are not an indulgence he will allow himself. When he presents Georgie with his marriage proposal, he will lead with his head—not his heart. His qualifications as a husband are excellent, after all. What could go wrong?
No sooner does Gavin kneel on one knee than Georgie’s heart goes aflutter with joy. Finally, the proposal she longed for had arrived. Yet Gavin seemed to be listing his credentials for a business partnership, not a romantic union. Without a declaration of love, Georgie can only reject his offer—unless the ladies of the ton, and Georgie’s grandmama, have anything to do with it. For sometimes it takes a wiser eye to see the love behind a guarded heart—and a clever scheme to bring it out of hiding…
The Most Eligible Viscount in London Buy Links:
Amazon https://amzn.to/31RKPid
Amazon CA https://amzn.to/2O1Qkby
B&N https://bit.ly/31TpWTN
BAM https://bit.ly/38iarJh
Google https://bit.ly/31PIvsj
Kobo https://bit.ly/30SYQ00
The Bookshop https://bit.ly/2O1QYpu
Tagged: Guest Blogger, historical romance, regency romance
Posted in Contests!, General | 7 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Raydeen Graffam - bn100 - Debra Guyette - Courtney Kinder - Delilah -
Friday, April 2nd, 2021
UPDATE: The winner is…Pansy Petal!
*~*~*
It’s Friday but feels like Saturday. I’ve been a day ahead all week. I even woke the 17-year-old to put out the trash the day before the trashmen came. Gah.
We had freezing weather last night, so dd was looking for sheets to cover her newly planted garden. The local hardware store didn’t have any garden mesh. So far, it looks like everything survived, except perhaps, the lettuce. 🙁
The pool is still green, but I hope to get that fixed over the next two weeks. The long-range forecast isn’t great for swimming in April, but I’ll be ready for May!!!! I’ve hit it with algaecide, floc, and lots of chlorine. And I’ll have to do it all again in a day or two. The pool is a time and money suck—but so worth it when the summer heat is miserable. We love swimming at night and watching the bats fly overhead. (Yes, that wasn’t a typo!) We also moved our grill to the pool enclosure and have big plans for meals, drinks, etc., at poolside this year.
As for this weekend, I am hoping not to work too hard. I do have a looming book deadline, but I’ll try to only write the # of words I need for the day. I do have a set of edits that need to go out, but again, I’m not killing myself this weekend. I want some rest and to spend some time outdoors since it looks like we’ll have sunshine! I hope you all find some balance this weekend, too!
Puzzle Contest
For a chance to win a Texas Cowboys or a Cowboys on the Edge story, solve the puzzle then tell me what this cowboy is thinking!
Tagged: game, jigsaw, puzzle
Posted in Contests!, Real Life | 14 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Kelley - Eileen Airey - AnnaMarie Melchiorre - Raydeen Graffam - Delilah -
Thursday, April 1st, 2021
UPDATE: The winner is…Mary Preston!
*~*~*
I know that during the pandemic and stay-at-home orders and such, most people have developed fantastic new hobbies, discovered talents they never knew they had, blah, blah, blah. (Me totally jealous) I’ve started working on a degree, so I have no time for anything new between that, work, and writing.
But Spring has come to shine down on me anyway.
Spring is here, and I am so excited. The first bloom of flowers is out. Honestly, I don’t know if they have sprung up or someone had planted them. I don’t have a green thumb at all. I have tried to grow plants, but they all die on me.
Now, you would think that a woman, whose mother had a menagerie of green plants and flowers all through the house when growing up, said woman (me) would know how to at least keep a succulent alive. Sadly, no. In 48-hours, I killed a succulent given to me for Mother’s Day two years ago. It should have been a hint when my daughter started laughing when the event greeter handed it to me with happy day wishes.
When the greeter offered with cheer, “It is almost impossible to kill this plant.”
My daughter answered, “Not for my mom.”
“Oh, ye of little faith.” I shook my head at my daughter as we walked out. Only to hold my head in shame two days later when it was withered, brown, and dead in its little mason jar.
Am I the only one who can’t grow flowers and lush green plants? Please, someone, tell me I am not alone. LOL.
Since I can’t seem to get my green thumb on, I do many clicks with my phone camera when I see flowers around me. It doesn’t matter if I’m at work, or walking in the park, or if they are the plants growing at my neighbor’s house. I wish I knew what the plants were, but I’m not generally concerned about the type only if it is pretty or interesting. Like the picture below that is a cabbage-like-looking plant or flower. I walked by them again a few days ago, and now they look completed different; there’s no pink, not so pretty after they finished blooming, so no new picture.
If you happen to be a ‘blooming beauty’ and know the name of any of these flowers/plants, let me drop me a line. 😊
Claiming Caroline by Yasmine Hyde
Grover Town Discipline Series
Book # 6
Destitute after her father’s death, Caroline Douglas finds herself in a bind when the sleazy, rich business owner wants her father’s debt in full. He won’t take ‘no’ or ‘I owe you’ for an answer. She finds herself dragged to the Harlot and the Hero, forced to work off her payment. When she thinks things can’t get worse, they do. To save her reputation, she finds herself saying ‘I do’ to a sexy, overbearing cowboy. Tired of following the rules of men, Caroline decides to push back. Especially against her sexy, all-consuming husband who’s too quick with his discipline techniques.
Garrett Rand, a dairy farm owner, and brother to the local sheriff, has spent the last six months requesting the hand of one ‘crofters’ daughter. Blocked at every turn, he starts to give up on ever having her, only to discover she’s in the brothel on the outskirts of Grover Town. Willing to stop at nothing to finally claim the beauty as his wife, in his bed, he makes a deal to get her out of the clutches of one of the richest men in town. However, marrying her is one thing; keeping Caroline out of trouble is another. He’ll just have to keep her over his knee until she learns. When danger strikes the area and threatens the safety of his wife, he will do what’s needed to protect her.
Where to buy Claiming Caroline
Publisher: https://www.blushingbooks.com/brand/yasmine-hyde/
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/29rpaapp
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/claiming-caroline-yasmine-hyde/1138831345?ean=2940162276791
iBooks https://books.apple.com/us/book/claiming-caroline/id1553769012
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/claiming-caroline
Yasmine Hyde Social Media
Website https://yvettehines.com/yasmine-hyde-erotica/
Twitter @sasseYvetteH
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yvette.hines.16/
Pinterest: yvettehines16
Instagram: _hinesyvette_
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8017749.Yasmine_Hyde
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/claiming-caroline-grover-town-discipline-book-6-by-yasmine-hyde
Amazon Author Page: https://smile.amazon.com/Yasmine-Hyde/e/B0157KNEXC?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1615143087&sr=1-3
Get to know Yasmine Hyde better by signing up for an email newsletter: https://yvettehines.com/newsletter-stay-connected/
CONTEST
Drawing ONE winner from those who comment on my Spring Is On Its Way post on Delilah’s blog between 1 April 2021 – 5 April 2021. The winner will get a signed book, candle, and $10 Amazon GC.
Tagged: cowboys, Guest Blogger, historical romance, Western
Posted in Contests!, General | 14 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Nikki Tigner - Debra Guyette - ButtonsMom2003 - Jennifer Lindsey - Yasmine Hyde -
Wednesday, March 31st, 2021
UPDATE: The winner is…Mechelle!
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March
March was… It’s hard to describe. Crazy busy, super annoying. Big happy wins and crotchety pain-in-ass (literally) setbacks.
On the health front… I started the month still recovering from a busted tailbone, but by the third week, I sat comfortably (with a donut, still). My hand (last September’s fall) is still wonky and I met with the ortho guy who said the continued tightness and swelling are all normal, and if I keep doing my hand exercises, I should, someday, be able to curl my fist again and open a damn jar. Good news on the medical front? I had my second COVID shot and my dd had her first! Now, we have the 16 and 17-year-olds scheduled, too. We’re slowly getting there, but still masking and distancing, and will continue to do so until they have vaccines for the little ones.
On the work front… I finished writing Hardman and published it! Woot! Thanks to everyone who read it and left a review. Reviews are so appreciated! I also completed 5 editing projects, two of which were loooonnng. They kicked my ass, but they are out the door! I got the rights back to some old books I published through some traditional houses a while ago, so I added them to my work schedule because they need a refurb, and one set of stories needs a readthrough because I want to write more in the series. To say the least, I’m super stoked.
On the art front… I am still slogging through the #100daychallenge, although I’m about ten days behind. Here are some of my favorites so far…
    
April
I completed my April calendar yesterday, and it already needs some fixes. I think April is going to be that kind of month—one where I have to be fluid and roll to evade the bombs and sinkholes. The big thing in April is that I have to write a book and publish it. Yeah, I haven’t written page one, but I generally do best when I’m running on adrenaline, and a hard deadline gooses me into creativity.
That book is Hot SEAL, In His Memory, and it’s going to be a hard one for me to write because it deals with the loss of a friend and a husband. If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy…
Pre-order your copy here!
As for editing gigs, I presently have two scheduled, but I had that many scheduled for March as well, and look what happened! So, I’m hoping I’ll have the first couple of weeks pretty free to dive into my new story.
On the homefront, I’ve begun work to get the green scum out of the pool. That’s always a weeks-long thing. I can’t wait to swim!!!!! And my dd is putting in a garden. We’re hoping it does well and that we have a summer full of lettuce, cucumbers, strawberries, blueberries, peppers, and more! I love admiring the “fruits” of her labor, but diggin’ in dirt is not my thing. I’ll maintain the pool, thank you very much.
And I plan to catch up on the art challenge, too. I’m getting better at it, I think. But the purpose is to connect with my creative center. Writing has become a job in my mind. I need to find that spark again.
So, I’d love to hear whether you had big wins in March and plans for April! Chime in for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!
Tagged: action-adventure, arts 'n' crafts, bounty hunter, contemporary romance, Montana Bounty Hunters
Posted in Contests!, General, Real Life | 14 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Tara Q. - flchen1 - Debra Guyette - AnnaMarie Melchiorre - Delilah -
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