A Reminder about CONTESTS!

These contests are still open! Enter while you still can!

1. November’s Getting Away From Me! (Contest)
2. Reina Torres: Almost a Mermaid (Contest)
3. Tell me a story… (Contest)
4. Flashback: Tarzan & Janine (Contest)

The first two end at midnight tomorrow night! So be sure to enter now!

The Puzzle

And because, maybe, you need a little romantic inspiration, here’s a puzzle just for you!  Believe me, you want to solve this one! 🙂

For those of you who don’t know, my sister Elle James and I started out writing stories together. We were busy learning the craft and leaning on each other’s strengths. One of us was better at dialogue, the other better at description…one of us was better with love scenes…  In the end, we wrote several stories together before heading off in our own directions. One thing we loved writing together was romantic comedy. When we brainstormed a new story, we’d have each other in stitches from laughter. We wrote a series of comedies, all set in Texas (we were both living there at the time!), about friends who’d made it big but hadn’t yet found their true loves. This post is just a reminder that there’s an entire series of fun awaiting you…

Here are all the Texas Billionaires Club stories…

  Click on the covers to learn more!

Contest

Win your choice of one of our Texas Billionaire Club stories!
There will be 3 winners! All you have to do to enter is answer me this…

What’s your favorite romantic comedy movie?

Tarzan & Janine

See what happens when a secret billionaire and an aspiring actress get a little wild in Texas

A man with a soft spot for women…

Closet Texas billionaire, Tanner Peschke has three months to prove he can make a profit at the family used car dealership or he will lose his job, disappoint his father and break his promise to his dying mother. The root of his problem is women. He can’t resist them—any of them. All it takes is the scent of delicate perfume or a misty-eyed gaze from an elderly woman with a sob story, and he becomes silly putty in the hands of his feminine customers. Until, with a stroke of luck and a buck of a mechanical bull, he hires Janine Davis to star with him in the dealership’s live TV ads.

A woman who won’t let a handsome cowboy get in the way of her dream…

Determined to make a name for herself, Janine needs to pay the bills between acting jobs. The offer to do a series of commercials for Peschke Motors is a chance to get her face “out there”. Recognizing a player when she sees one, Janine agrees to co-star with her handsome employer fully intending to keep their relationship strictly professional. First break she gets, she’s heading to Hollywood.

Their jungle-themed commercials take a crazy twist, and Tanner finds himself falling…from a sales banner while chasing a monkey. But more importantly, he’s falling for Janine. She’s just the one woman to tame this cowboy’s wild heart. Convincing her to stay with him might be harder than catching a mischievous monkey.

Order Ebook: Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks
Order Print: Amazon

Excerpt

“It’s time, Miss Davis,” came a male voice, not Tanner’s, through the hollow panel of the bathroom door.

“I’ll be right out,” she called. Alternating between tugging down the hem of the bottoms to cover her fanny, and pulling up the top to cover her breasts, she stormed out of the bathroom, across the showroom floor, and out into the lighted car lot.

Judging by the gauntlet of wolf calls she passed through to get to the television crew, every salesman in the dealership must have stayed late. They all wanted to witness the live filming by a group of college students Tanner hired to keep the budget low. As part of the crew’s curriculum requirement, the commercial would air live on the university’s public television station.

A man carrying a spider monkey approached and shoved the critter into her arms. “This is Spunky. You need to keep a hold on the monkey at all times, or he’ll take off. Catching him will take us hours.”

“Hey! Nobody said anything about a monkey.” Janine pushed the little guy back at his handler, but the jerk turned and trotted to a position beyond the spotlights. Her chances of being taken seriously as an actress slipping through the seams of her skimpy costume and the busy fingers of the monkey, Janine suppressed the urge to scream.

“Quiet, everybody. Two minutes to take,” the young director’s voice boomed through a megaphone. “Where’s Tanner?”

The animal handler called to Janine from the sidelines. “Remember, whatever you do, don’t let go of the monkey.”

“Right, don’t let go of the monkey.” Janine’s head swiveled side to side in search of the nutcase who’d talked her into this crazy commercial. She’d felt more in control on the bucking mechanical bull at the convention than she did right now.

Suddenly, the crowd of used car salesmen parted. Tanner strode toward her with his long, loose-limbed gait and all the confidence and charm of a professional actor. Tanner, dressed casually in his ever-present blue jeans, chambray shirt, cowboy hat and cowboy boots, smiled as he worked his way through the crowd of onlookers.

Janine snorted. I’ll bet he’s never ridden a horse a day in his life.

He walked right up and turned the full force of his smile on her.

Damn. Her knees went weak, complementing the butterflies in her stomach and the monkey fidgeting in her arms.

As the cameras moved into position, panic filled her. “You never told me what my lines were. What am I supposed to say?”

“Just stand over there and look beautiful. I’ll do all the rest.” He adjusted his hat with enough confidence for both of them. “And smile when I introduce you. That frown makes you look mean.”

Janine opened her mouth to carve his enormous ego down to size and remind him she was an actress, not a model.

Before one word could cross Janine’s lips, she was cut off by the cameraman. “Mr. Peschke, I hope you’re ready because this is not a rehearsal, you’re going live in five…four…three…two…” He pointed ‘one’. The camera was trained on Tanner, the red button lit, and the feed was direct.

Without missing a beat, Tanner smiled, looking completely at ease in front of the camera. “Howdy, folks. It’s a jungle out there. We know how difficult wading through the gimmicks and sales jargon is when buying a used car.”

She had to admit he sounded charming and genuine. After sabotaging her job with BS-Squared, he’d conned Janine into taking this job. She bet he could sell ice to Eskimos.

Spunky’s hairy little hand slipped beneath the bra of her outfit.

Janine slapped at his hand, eliciting a shriek from the monkey. “You must be a male,” she muttered, wishing Tanner would fall on his pretty face in front of the camera.

“Are you sick of the new car prices and immediate depreciation when you drive a car off the lot? Let us take the monkey off your back…” Tanner swung an arm in her direction.

Spunky crawled up on her shoulders and played with her hair. How about getting this monkey off my back? Crap. She’d spent hours trying to fix her hair beautifully for the commercial. Great, when they finally get the cameras on me, I look like the monkey.

“…and show you what we’ve got in low mileage, pre-owned vehicles at rock-bottom prices.”

At that moment, the creature latched onto the strings holding her halter-top in place. She felt her boobs dip and her stomach knotted.

“Stop that, Spunky,” she whispered, making a grab for both of his tiny, dexterous fingers and the tail that seemed just as facile.

The monkey ignored her, chattering happily, hands and tail dodging her flailing attempts.

“Join us this weekend for our ‘Monkey Off Your Back Sale.’ We’ll be servin’ free banana milkshakes to all the folks who come out.” Tanner’s voice kept up the running monologue despite the monkey’s antics, true to form for a car salesman.

Janine simmered as she struggled for control. Let’s get this over with before this monkey craps on me.

Win a small Amazon gift card! All you have to do is tell me a little story. See the picture of the sexy guy below? Tell me what you think this picture is all about. Maybe start with why he’s there, why his clothes are torn, what’s that look in his eyes mean? Is he wanting conversation or a fight? And what are you doing while you’re watching him?

So many possible scenarios! You can be brief or tell me a little story. I can’t wait to read your takes! NOW, GO!

Have you ever felt like you were someone else… just inhabiting your current humdrum life? Like the little girls who were sure they were really princesses and that someday they’d be swept away to their kingdoms and live happily ever after?

Maybe it’s because I’m from Hawaii that, in my head, I was a mermaid.

But here’s the irony… I can barely swim.

What?

Yeah… I know. Silly? Absolutely.

I had a near drowning experience as a child. It was odd, but I won’t go into the details. Just imagine a pool and peer pressure. Yeah, peer pressure sucks.

But for a while in that pool I felt like a mermaid… I didn’t feel out of air… I felt happy, peaceful.

And my astrological sign is crazy… it’s picquarices (or some other odd spelling like that). I was born on the cusp between Pisces and Aquarius – the Fish and the Water Bearer. My Asian zodiac sign – the ox, but more specifically the WATER Ox.

So, what’s my point?

I seem to draw my inspiration from water.

If I have a tough plot hole or a strange question I can’t answer, I go and take a shower or I go to the pool for my exercise. WHAM – answers! But I have to remember the answers until I’m out of the water… If I’m lucky, I can plug the tub, run some water in the shower, and when it’s pooled around my feet, I turn it off and sit there wiggling my toes in the water.

Aaaaand, I’m good.

At least I hope I’ve got it figured out. You’ll have to let me know when you read my books!

I’d like to do a giveaway/contest…

Tell me… What Element inspires you?
Does it link to your zodiac sign? How so?

A random commentor will be selected as a winner to receive their choice of my ebooks available on Amazon.com.

Get My Books!

The Tiger’s Innocent Bride – https://a.co/d/1V9U0GZ
Her UnBearable Protector – https://a.co/d/a3eZnEo

I had such big plans! A workshop to run, NaNoWriMo to complete, family events…

It’s the 17th of the month, and I’m falling behind, big time!

First, the Mindmapping workshop is ongoing, although I haven’t been there much to prod folks along to create their 2019 Writing Mind Map. I haven’t even begun mine!!!! How crappy is that of me to abandon them?

Next, I’m only 11,552 words into NaNo’s 50k wordcount requirement. There’s no way I’ll get there now!

I have tons of great excuses…

A sh*t-ton of last-minute, short-fused editing jobs plopped into my inbox. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not very good at budgeting my editing time. I want to help everyone! So, I shove other commitments aside and go to work.

I’ve done a crapload of babysitting and petsitting for my dd while she’s been up to her eyeballs in kid’s events and medical appointments. No way will I ever tell her NO! She does so much for me in return.

Supporting my dad through rehab and his transition back home haven’t been horribly time-consuming, because my brother is visiting and doing everything he can to take the pressure off of us! So lately, that’s not been a huge time-suck.

Because I haven’t had a lot of time to write on my own projects, I’ve had to push back release dates.

I’ve pushed the release date for Wolf from November 20th to December 7th. I’m hoping I’ll finish the book sooner, but I thought I’d better give myself room to fail (that sounds so negative, doesn’t it?). Thanksgiving’s coming up, so I’m sure I’ll have more household duties, since it looks like we’ll have 20 people coming for dinner, and many of those will be staying in the house with us! I am hoping to release it by the end of this month but don’t hold your breath. Are you horribly disappointed?

I have two more books up for pre-order—the last pre-orders I’ll get for a year because I had to change my release dates. I hate losing that privilege with Amazon, but there’s just been too much happening. Worse than not knowing whether you’re eager for the book (as evidenced by your pre-orders), I won’t have hard deadlines, and I’m not good about producing without deadlines! Y’all will just have to nag me for what you want next!

As for those two pre-orders, have a look here. I can’t tell you how excited I am about Animal! I hope you are, too! I don’t know much about it yet, because I haven’t written a single line, but I do have a great, really funny opening scene in my mind. With that cover pic, maybe you can imagine one, too! As for With His Client, I’ve started that story, and a strongman with the Russian mafia is our girl’s target for seduction…

With His Client is a shorty coming December 18!
And Animal is scheduled to release January 22nd!

 

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me two things:
1) Which story are you most eager to read?
2) Does the cover for Animal inspire any ideas for scenes in your own imaginations?

UPDATE: The winner is…Betty Sue Payton!
*~*~*
©Diana Cosby 2018

Several years ago, I receive a digital camera for Christmas. I had no idea how to adjust the settings, so I kept the camera on auto. A couple of photographers, plus a night class at a local college, helped me understand a bit more about using my camera, a Canon SX60HS, but I admit having a long way to go. One thing that I have learned is the composition of the photo is as important the correct settings.

Though I had zero knowledge when I began taking photos, I did have a background in art; I can draw and paint. So, when I look through the viewer, I try to create a ‘painting’ through the lens. This has me trying to find a background that will compliment the subject, or make it stand out in a unique way.

For example, if I’m taking a picture of a bird and it’s late in the day, I’ll shift my camera so that I have shadows behind the subject, which makes it stand out, and in a sense ‘frames it.’ When the background is brighter than the subject, I use the ‘backlighting’ to create an interesting picture.

Another thing I’ve learned is when taking a photo of a vibrant subject, like a skipper on a Black-Eyed Susan, I angle the camera so that I have a solid background which keeps the focus on the subject.

I also love taking photos of birds, bees, and bugs. When you zoom in, which is a fun challenge as often your subject decides to move, I’m amazed at the micro-detail. The trick I’ve learned is if the subject moves, take a lot of pictures. Digital cameras are forgiving, and any unwanted pictures are easily deleted.

I hope you’ve found my tips helpful, and I want to thank Lyn Washington who asked me to write this blog about how I take photos. My favorite advice, when you’re taking pictures, have fun!

About the Author

A retired Navy Chief, Diana Cosby is an international bestselling author of Scottish medieval romantic suspense. Books in her award-winning MacGruder Brothers series have been translated in five languages. Diana has spoken at the Library of Congress, Lady Jane’s Salon in NYC, and appeared in Woman’s Day, on USA Today’s romance blog, “Happy Ever After,” MSN.com, Atlantic County Women Magazine, and Texoma Living Magazine.

After her career in the Navy, Diana dove into her passion – writing romance novels. With 34 moves behind her, she was anxious to create characters who reflected the amazing cultures and people she’s met throughout the world. After the release of the bestselling MacGruder Brothers series, The Oath Trilogy, and the first two book of The Forbidden Series, she’s now working on book #4, Forbidden Realm, of the five book series, which will be released August, 6th, 2019.

Diana looks forward to the years of writing ahead and meeting the amazing people who will share this journey.

Contest

***ONE winner will be drawn from everyone who posts on my guest blog post about photography on Delilah’s blog between 11 November 2018 – 17 November 2018. The winner will receive one of Diana’s mugs and a tote.

Diana Cosby, International Best-Selling Author
www.dianacosby.com
The Oath Trilogy
MacGruder Brother Series
Forbidden Series: Forbidden Legacy/Forbidden Knight/Forbidden Vow/Forbidden Alliance‒Aug. 6th 2019/Forbidden Realm TBA

Hi! I’m new here, so don’t mind me as I get comfortable. I have recently hired an assistant, and what a God send. However, I’m still doing things last minute as I do my day job (editing) while trying to meet writing deadlines…and that doesn’t count family time!

I recently had a close brush with death (mid October). I have asthma. I had an attack. I was alone and losing consciousness. My daughter messaged me until I answered. Then, when I started losing consciousness again, a friend called and kept me awake until I made it to the hospital. I was disoriented. Had no idea where I was… Still not sure how I made it to the hospital.

Life is precious. Don’t forget that in the midst of daily life.

I’m a writer, painter, editor, et al. I write everything from urban fantasy zombies to romance with happily ever after. My latest few stories have had magic in them. And Scotland. And Highlands. I am sensing a theme here. But what does it have to do with the aforementioned asthma attack?

I realized how badly I wanted to make it as a writer. I mean, I sort of knew that already, but it remained after the life changing moment. That writing really is important to me. More time hugging my kids. Check. More time talking to friends. Check. And more writing… Not so check. It is November. To me, it starts the magical holiday season. (Honestly, I am not sure why I don’t have more Christmas stories out!) So, I need to remember the simple magic of being alive and following my dreams.

My recent brush has helped me keep on track for my dreams, even as my personal life is falling apart and this will be one of the worst Christmases I have ever lived through. I have hope and belief that this trial will leave me out on the other end better and more powerful as a creator.

So, in writing a story, I’m terribly mean to my characters. It’s a great way to work through a little angst in your life. I put them through things to make them stronger. To give them character and dimension, and plus, it has the added benefit of making things more fun to read. Hmmm…. Maybe I should be a little nicer to them?

Nah. *grin*

Even in the “light hearted” tale I recently released (Enduring Legacy series, each book can be read alone), erm… I may have killed off a few people. *shifty eyes*

Christmas makes me smile. I want to bake and cook and craft to my heart’s content. I like to curl up with a good book, drink coffee or hot chocolate, and gaze out on the snow. I don’t get as much time to do that as I like. It may be time to make it a priority again.

What are your favorite books to read during the holidays? Your favorite place?

What is your priority during the festive season?

I will give a free book to one lucky commenter. 😊Your choice of A Hunter, a Witch, and a Shrew, or Zombie Infestation.

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Leona Bushman is a crazy writer taught by dragons and known as Dragon Queen of the North. She loves to write and paint, even when her muse tries to muck things up. She chases after the three out of the five children still at home, and sometimes after the other two and the grandbaby around her freelance editing jobs. She has many hobbies like SCA, painting, quilting, sewing, and gardening. Or, as one blogger succinctly put it, Leona Bushman is a whirlwind made of sheer will with a dash of clumsy to keep her grounded.

She can be found solving mysteries, exploring space, making art, and loving dragons and other creatures of the supernatural at these places:

Twitter: @L_Bushman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLeonaBushman
Facebook artist page: https://www.facebook.com/LeonaBushmanArtisteExtraordinaire/
Website: www.leonajbushman.com
Blog: www.lbushman.blogspot.com and www.lbushman.wordpress.com
Newsletter: https://madmimi.com/signups/374285/join

I frequently post under the hashtags #thenextleonardodavinci and #thenextleonardodavinciandson

Also available by Leona Bushman (romance):
The Ulfric’s Mate, book 1 (War of the Weres series)
The Midwife’s Moon, book 2 (War of the Weres series)
Bearly There, book 1 (War of the Weres Chronicles)
Fox in the Wolf Den, book 2 (War of the Weres Chronicles)
Pirating Christmas
The Shot, book 2(Traincoach of Death series)
Luck of the Draw
Winds of Fire (Eagle Claw series)
Murder by Succubus
Magic and Weres (anthology)
Masked Pain
Over a Dead Body
Slow Fever
Darkest Death, book 1 (Darkest Series)
In for a Penny, book 1(Traincoach of Death series)
Highland Magic, book 1 (Highland Magic series)
A Hunter, a Witch, and a Shrew

Also available by Leona Bushman
writing as LJ Bushman (non romance):
Demons and Wraiths
Death’s Car
The Fight of the Sorceress
Zombie Infestation
Cerisa’s Quest, book 1 Quest of Riverhand

Coming Soon:
Darkest Death, book 2 (Darkest Series)
The Panther’s Hunter, book 3 (War of the Weres series)
Evil in the Highlands, book 2 (Highland Magic)