UPDATE: The winner is ButtonsMom!

* * * * *

I bought a little brainstorming tool years ago at some writers’ conference. I’ve used it only twice—here, on my blog! “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 even just a glimmer of an idea, for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Thank you to Delilah Devlin for having me here today!

Facebook posts come in four flavors—funny, sad, poignant, and informative. I thought those were the only four.

Until recently.

A little while ago, a friend posted, “I’ve been diagnosed with a disease and can’t keep up with all the things I used to do. How do you cope?” I was sad to hear of her condition and wanted to help. So first I read the comments, to see what had already been recommended. And here’s where I learned there’s another type of post, or at least a type of comment. Surprising.

Most of the responses started with, “I meditate.”

At first I thought I’d read the comments wrong, that people were saying, “I medicate”, lol. But no, her Facebook friends and acquaintances, a broad mix of women and men of all ages and walks of life, were recommending meditation, a practice that for decades was primarily associated with Eastern mystics and New Agers.

Why were her friends suggesting meditation? These weren’t yogis or monks. These were regular people, a normal mix of spiritual and skeptic. What could possibly appeal to them all about meditation?

It’s simple. It works.

As an introverted performer, I get stressed a lot. I’ve tried all the cures. Picturing the audience in their underwear doesn’t calm me—with my writers imagination I start putting them in red velvet heart-fronted thongs and plaid boxers, lol. If I’m pitching to an editor or agent, knowing they’re another human being like me doesn’t bring my heart rate down—I might feel comfortable going with her for a beer, but then I start wondering what kind of beer she likes or if she even drinks beer or is more of a wine person…and oh-oh, what if she’s allergic to red wine and maybe we should go out for coffee instead? In the long run I only get more wound up.

Meditation unwinds me. And it must unwind all those commenters, too.

And it’s simple! At its most basic, all you have to do is breathe. I can get rid of a whole day’s worth of stress simply by breathing in for five counts—following the air with my mind. Through the nose, the trachea, filling the lungs. Then breathing out, following the air, relaxing every muscle. Breathing in, slowing the counts, letting go of all the things that bother me. Whatever task that got botched or trial that’s coming, they’ll still be there when I’m done, and I can let it go completely for now. Breathing out, following the air, picturing myself in a place that is perfect peace. Breathing in, following the air. And out.  (Do you feel yourself relaxing just reading this? ☺ )

I do a ten-breath meditation at bedtime. Well, when I say “ten breath” I really mean seven or eight before I relax so much I’m asleep, lol.

So here’s my question for you. How do you cope when life gets impossible?

Night’s Caress

Join me on my Night’s Caress release blitz! KINDLE FIRE giveaway. See the full details on my blog: https://maryhughesbooks.blogspot.com/2017/09/new-release-new-kindle-fire-giveaway.html

Night’s Caress Opposites attract when a small-town artist meets an FBI vampire over an Oktoberfest murder. First in a new series. Get yours today.

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074DZH8YK
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nights-caress-mary-hughes/1126893855?ean=9781640633360

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/nights-caress/id1265727902?mt=11
Entangled: https://entangledpublishing.com/night-s-caress.html
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/night-s-caress
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Mary_Hughes_Night_s_Caress?id=DtsuDwAAQBAJ
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074DZH8YK
Kindle CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B074DZH8YK
Kindle AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B074DZH8YK

I’m a newly minted USA Today bestselling author! I write steamy paranormal romances and wickedly fun romantic adventures, stories that crackle with action and love. Challenging, smart alpha men—and women not afraid of a challenge. Oh, do the sparks fly when he meets THE woman guaranteed to infuriate and inflame him most.

In real life I’m an author, a spouse and mother, a flutist, a computer geek, and a binge-TV-watcher of The Flash, Elementary, NCIS, and Wynonna Earp.

I’d love to hear from you!
Newsletter https://www.maryhughesbooks.com/Newsletter.html
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryHughesAuthor
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/MaryHughesBooks
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-hughes
Website https://www.maryhughesbooks.com/
Blog https://maryhughesbooks.blogspot.com

UPDATE: The winner is Kathryn Green!

* * * * *

 Achieving Your Goals!

By Diana Cosby ©2017

Dreams are visions of what we can become.  But, dreams are also an invitation to doubt, to wonder if you’re good enough, or if you have what it takes.   When I retired from the Navy, I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a published author.  After 100 rejections, I quit counting as I figured I knew how to achieve a rejection.  Then, after 9 ½ years, I’m humbled to share I finally sold.  The journey taught me many things, which I’d like to share with you.

-Take yourself seriously:  Until you take yourself seriously, no one else will.

-Associate with people who inspire you, and encourage you to achieve your dreams.  Encourage and inspire others as you grow.

-Set a clear goal:  Once you know exactly what you want, break down steps to achieve it.  If you’re unsure how to start, read biographies of people who have achieved your dream.   What steps did they take?  Are there any similar avenues you can pursue?

-Each step forward is exactly that:  Success is a compilation of small steps toward one focused goal.

-Affiliate yourself with professional organizations:  Join groups where you can learn the craft you desire.  In addition to net-working, there may be opportunities to learn from on-line or local sources about your area of interest.

-Self affirmation:  Each morning reaffirm that you are good enough as well as clarify your goal of the day.  Then, move forward with positive, focused steps.

-Inspirational quotes:  I’m a huge fan of inspirational quotes that inspires me.

-Permission to fail:  Success is more than a moment, but a journey.  As we grow within our craft, there will come times when we fail at a certain steps.  Focus not on the failure, but on the lessons learned.  What worked, what didn’t?  Move forward and make wiser decisions with that knowledge.

-The way we act and talk about our goals reflects our commitment to them:  What are you telling yourself?  “I WILL do this!”  Or, are you assuring yourself that one day you’ll really try?

-A gift of example:  When you make the choice to follow your dream, you are doing more than commitment to self, but teaching your children an important life lesson — to dare to dream, and more, to dare to follow your dreams.  So, be bold, believe in yourself.

I hope you’ve found inspiration from my comments.  Remember, there is no right path, but the steps right for you.  Believe in yourself, YOU have what it takes!

Sincerely,

Diana Cosby, AGC(AW), USN Ret.
Romance edged with danger
www.dianacosby.com
International Best-Selling Author

Diana’s 13th novel, Forbidden Vow, book #3 of The Forbidden Series, will be released May 15th, 2018!  *Available for preorder.

Contest

Comment for a chance to win this prize!

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 books #1 & 2 of The Forbidden Series, she’s now working on book #3, Forbidden Vow which will be released in May 2018.

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

www.dianacosby.com

UPDATE: The winners are Vickey Kennedy, Tamara Kasyan, and Debra Guyette!

* * * * *

It’s hard being mommy! And no, I’m not just talking about the fact I just birthed my 12th Uncharted SEALs tale. My dear daughter is halfway across the country helping out with her dad’s business, so I’ve pretty much moved in across the street with her family to watch kids, keep things orderly, and walk her way-too-fucking-many dogs. I get only a very slim window to escape to my office, check my email, and post a blog before I have to pack up for another day of challenges. Writing has taken a hit. Which isn’t good because I need to be making page count on my next story—something longer than I have been writing, but something I think you’ll enjoy—my first Montana Bounty Hunter story. So far, I only have one chapter. 🙁

She’s been gone a week, and I have just one more week to go. Did I mention that she has seven dogs that have to be rotated in and out of the yard in twos and threes or there would be war? And cats! And guinea pigs! Yeah, I much prefer my life with my solitary cat. I only occasionally have to watch my mom’s three Yorkies. And in the meantime, my bamboo plants are getting yellow. Isn’t it bad luck to kill them?

Anyways, what I would like is: 1) for y’all to go find a copy of my new release, SEAL Escort (of course!), and 2) tell me whether family puts impossible demands on you sometimes. 

Contest

Comment for a chance to win one of my previous Uncharted SEALs stories!

SEAL Escort

In case you couldn’t find it… And just because this cover’s so lickable…

[click on the cover to get your copy!]

I have been working INSANE kinds of hours at my real job lately. HUGE tons of stuff going on and just not enough hours in the day to get it all done. Got me thinking about jobs in general. That we all have them. Some love them , some hate them, some have jobs because it’s a calling and others it is always nothing more than a means to an end. I get all of that depending on what day you ask me!

But I also absolutely love the people I work with. They are super duper amazing and I love coming to work to talk to them and get ALL THE THINGS done and well!

If you want to read about a group of men and women who love what they do and believe in it then you should try the Elite Warriors. Yummo! Elite Metal is where is all began……

For decades the US Marines funded a top-secret unit known as Elite Recon. A deadly group of men and women sent to infiltrate dozens of countries completely undetected. Mission objectives so extreme casualties were not only probable, but expected.

The current batch of operatives had returned from hundreds of assignments unscathed…until one mission went horribly wrong. Several men lost their lives and the group disbanded. The remaining leathernecks were scattered in the wind with new identities.They were told to blend in. Be normal.Or face being forever silencedjust like their fallen brothers.

Now, two years later, each living member of the group is kidnapped and given a chance to make things right. But this time they’re no longer under the thumb of Uncle Sam. A mysterious private backer who knows about their past has brought them back together. No longer are they forced to turn a blind eye to the lostand forsaken.

Duty is their salvation.

A new life. A new future…Elite Metal.

Bound by Steele – Jennifer Kacey and Anna Alexander
Chrome’s Salvation – Jennifer Kacey
Adamantium’s Roar – Anna Alexander
Pure Copper – Heather Long
Sterling’s Seduction – Sabrina York
Platinum’s Choice – Rebecca Royce
Mercury’s Poison – SarannaDeWylde
Forged in Silver – Roxie Rivera

BUY LINKS:
Amazon – https://goo.gl/5kvz98
B&N – https://goo.gl/NxsdBy
Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/515601
Kobo – https://goo.gl/rnGTaC
First For Romance – https://goo.gl/xe5Djg
Itunes – https://goo.gl/ofHYGN

**GIVEAWAY – US ONLY**

So I want to hear all about your jobs. A first job, a last job, a retirement job, a favorite job or the most awful job in the history of ever that you couldn’t wait to leave from!!

And let’s have a giveaway with an AWESOME bag of goodies for one lucky poster! Three print books and lots and lots of other swag and kinky goodies! Plus a tshirt and a pretty purple WIP bag to hold it all!

Just look at all the awesomeness you could win!! So tell me the story of your favorite animal!!

I’ll pick a winner on Monday the 18th!! Good Luck!! PS –It’s always great to leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you! Hate not being able to give winners their goodies!!

Decadently Yours,
Jennifer Kacey

About the Author

Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her miniman in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.

Website – Newsletter – The Decadent Divas– Amazon Page 
Facebook – Facebook Author Page – Twitter – Goodreads – Pinterest

UPDATE The winners are…Katrina Whittaker, Gail Siuba, and Jana Leah!

* * * * *

For those fans of the Night Fall series, here’s another tale—slightly removed from the timeline by a few centuries… You honestly don’t have to read any other story in the series to enjoy The First Knight. And isn’t that cover droolworthy?

The story is set back in Merry Old England, in a musty old castle. My heroine’s plucky and determined to trap her former betrothed in marriage, but he has brought back an “affliction”, which makes his lust a dangerous thing to tempt. And once the deed is done, another problem presents itself that only a naughty ménage can solve. Of course. Ahem. I do love my job. Enjoy! ~DD

The First Knight

While hiding her true identity, Maddie must seduce the mysterious Lord Garon to cement their marriage contract and ensure she won’t be returned into her lecherous stepfather’s care.

Fresh from Crusade in Palestine, Lord Garon has a secret he must hide, a hunger that must be fed, and a dark and uncertain future. Having shed himself of a fiancée he’d never met, he’s home to lick his wounds. The only thing he wants is a warm-blooded meal—but the new housekeeper is strangely insistent on giving him so much more.

Maddie’s seduction doesn’t progress without complications, but one secret from her own past might put an end to the love she nurtures for her dark, tempestuous lover.

Get your copy here!

Contest

To celebrate the release of The First Knight, I’m giving away copies of Night Fall stories, one each to three winners! All you have to do is answer two little questions!

Do you like ongoing series? How many sequels do you prefer? 

And excerpt from The First Knight…

Maddie shivered at the creaks and groans the portcullis made as it slowly rose. The rain-laden wind carried the noises and filled the silences in between with a howling that sounded like the hounds from hell had arrived at the castle gate.

Shouts outside the curtain wall had alerted them only minutes before of Lord Garon d’Albermarle’s arrival. With only a bliaut covering her sleeping shift, Maddie stood on the first step of the keep, holding a tray with a goblet of wine, ready to offer a proper greeting to her overlord.

“Are you sure this is the way you wish to go about this, M-Maddie?” Egbert asked, fidgeting at her side.

She swallowed against the sudden dryness in her mouth and nodded.

“It be on your head then,” he said, his always-mournful tone as dire as one of Father Ansel’s Sunday sermons. She sent thanks above that the cranky priest was away, or her deception wouldn’t last past the introductions.

The clatter of dozens of hooves on the cobbled bridge beyond the gate filled the castle yard with thunder. From the encroaching darkness, the sounds were as ominous as the dark shapes looming on the gatehouse walls. The torches she’d ordered lit sputtered and flared, distorting and elongating shapes, so the men riding through the entrance appeared as tall as giants.

Already tired and on edge because she hadn’t slept since a messenger had arrived, warning the castle of his lordship’s arrival days before, Maddie’s fevered imagination painted them darker and larger still.

“Be they devils?” Egbert asked, his narrow shoulders shaking. “No one travels on a night with nary a speck of light in the sky.”

“Hush!” The storm whipping at her clothing and the fatigue from months of worry over this very moment combined to make her hands shake and blackened an already foul mood.

The horsemen entered the bailey, and a large figure separated from the contingent who approached the keep. As he drew closer, her fears weren’t eased one whit. The warrior sat atop a huge black destrier, forcing her to raise her gaze quite high to seek his face.

He wore a helm that left only his square, stubbled jaw exposed. The darkness cast by the metal nose guard concealed his eyes. Only his mouth gave a hint of his mood—a thin, straight line with the corners crimped downward.

Under his stare, Maddie’s knees trembled, but her tray never rattled. She squared her shoulders and shot a glance about her at the castle folk. “Stephen!” she called to the stable master. “See to their horses.”

In moments, boys scrambled to accept reins, and the creak of leather and the clank of iron filled the air.

The stable master himself approached the dark warhorse at the foot of the steps, but the mounted warrior’s gaze never left Maddie.

She licked dry lips with an even drier tongue. “Lord Garon?” she asked, although there could be no question who led this contingent. All gazes remained on his intimidating figure. “Please come inside, milord. Your people will see to the comfort of your men.”

His mouth twisted. “And who will see to mine?”

Maddie’s heart leapt to the back of her throat. “I will, milord.”

A long pause indicated he looked her up and down. “And who might you be, madam?” he asked, his voice a deep, hollow rumble.

Maddie remembered to curtsy, and then straightened, girding herself to speak the lie aloud. “Your housekeeper. I take care of things now.” The latter, at least, was the truth.

Lord Garon grunted. Without a glance at the stable master, he tossed down his reins and dismounted.

When he turned toward her, Maggie’s breath caught. Lord, he’s a tall man. I thought it was just the horse.

Maddie lifted the ornate chalice from the tray to deliver her much-rehearsed welcome.

Instead, his lordship’s lips pressed into a tighter line, and he brushed past her.

She was left gasping on the bottom step. “What a rude ogre!” she exclaimed, annoyed he hadn’t fallen in line with the first step of her plan.

“Watch your tongue, madam,” an accompanying knight said tersely as he followed the lord up the steps. “He has exceptional hearing.”

“M-Maddie?” Egbert said, nodding toward the door.

She shoved the tray at his belly and grasped her skirts high to rush up the steps.

The plan had seemed so simple. All she needed was to get him alone and addle his sight with a little wine or ale, so he’d not care she wasn’t the comeliest creature in the keep. Then she would seduce him.

And the sooner, the better. The longer she took losing her virginity, the greater the risk he would discover her identity. The truth was, she would rather copulate with the devil himself than be returned home.

However, this business of copulation, which had seemed a simple, messy, perhaps even enjoyable act—according to the cook—now promised to be a daunting trial.

The lord of the keep had turned out to be a giant and as dour as a priest at confession. The thought of being naked with him and accepting his manstaff into her body frankly petrified her.

She rushed through the massive doors, hoping her preparations would meet with his approval. Nothing else could be allowed to mar her well-thought-out plan.

His lordship stood in the center of the hall, his hands fisted on his hips. Unlike his men, he wore no chain mail, only a leather hauberk to protect his body. He’d removed his headgear, revealing hair as black as midnight and a face as hard as carved granite.

He was everything she’d remembered and more—more frightening, more imposing—and more beautiful because of the differences. Thanks be to God, he hadn’t recognized her.

His gaze narrowed on the hall, and she looked around to see what might already have displeased him.

Around him, servants scurried, delivering warm food to the men-at-arms as boys eagerly divested them of their armor. If she hadn’t been observing him so closely, she might not have detected the change in his posture. He scarce seemed to notice the din of activity. His mouth lost a little firmness, his hands unclenched on his hips, and his chest rose and fell deeply.

In that instant, Maddie lost a measure of her fear. Here was a man savoring his first night home after a long absence. He had a heart and cared for something at least. Perhaps he wouldn’t be a complete troll when making her his wife.

UPDATE: The winners are…Brenda Gremli, Charlene Michael, and Jackie Wisherd!

* * * * *

It’s 6:27 a.m. The latest I’ve slept in all week. I’ve had a ton of books to edit—for other people—over the course of the past two to three weeks. I feel like my body is solidifying into this humpbacked, gnarled-fingered gargoyle, perpetually bent toward a computer screen. But one last manuscript to finish polishing, and then I can get back to my own imperfectly-written masterpieces.

Yeah, it’s way to early to be thinking in words longer than one or two syllables. I’ll stop. Now.

So…. You know I have a new release this week, right? A sexy menage with cowboys. Can’t get any more decadent (Oops! Three syllables) than that! Anyways, (Ugh! Did it again!) Family Values is out there, ready for your enjoyment (Ack! I give up!).

Well, it being a long weekend holiday (urg!) for some folks, I’ll remind you that I had several (ridiculously many) stories arrive in August…

Psst! If you have read some of these, do me a favor and post a review!

Toodles! (Yes, too much Mickey Mouse Fun House!) Have a great weekend!

What you might have missed in August…

Reined In

Released August 10!

Who says a cowgirl can’t have it all?

Stormy is a rancher’s daughter through and through, and although she went away to college, her soul is firmly rooted in home ground–and the cowboys she grew up tormenting. When she hears her father might be selling the ranch, she packs her bags and high tails it for home, terrified she might never get another chance to lasso the heart of one of her cowboys before the hands scatter to the four winds.

For Cam and Joe, foreman and wrangler on the ranch, Stormy was a pain in the seat of their Wranglers. But when she roars back onto the ranch, the spoiled brat they remember emerges from the cloud of dust in skin-tight jeans and spike heels and all grown up.

It only takes a hot second to figure out she’s hell-bent on seduction. But if she thinks they’re going to make it easy for her to pick which cowboy she wants most, she’s sadly mistaken. And who says she has to choose one?

Get your copy here!

*~*~*~*~*

Long Howl Good Night

Released August 15th!

Werewolf Aila Mack is ready to get her groove on during a full moon. Because she prefers to keep her liaisons strictly about the sex, she’s a part-time were-hooker. She’s had a taste of were-domination, but now prefers to be in charge of her own destiny.

Brothers Kynan and Jack Parker are on a mission. When their Dark Mountain clan finds an agency dealing in female werewolves, they aren’t happy learning that women are selling their bodies to satisfy their monthly howl. However, they have to take action once they discover there’s a fertile female in the agency’s stable. Their species is in dire need of breedable females.

Kynan and Jack are given the job of bringing home their mate, but they quickly discover there’s more going on beneath the surface than simply a stubborn female who refuses to be collared. Aila’s tempted like never before, as the brothers, one gentle and one fiercely intense, peel away the hard shell surrounding her Wolfen heart.

Get your copy here!

*~*~*~*~*

The Entire Delta Blue series!

Released August 21! Click on covers!

*~*~*~*~*

Everything, so far, in the Delta Heat series!

Released August 21! Click on Covers!

*~*~*~*~*

Handy Men

Released August 24!

Two very handy men mend a divorcée’s broken heart…

Rather than cry over spilt milk, a newly divorced woman throws caution to the wind and decides to seduce her neighbor’s handsome handyman.

Jeff isn’t stupid–Pamela tossed those screws into her sink to get his attention! The fact she’s beautiful and vulnerable convinces him she needs “special” attention. When he has her hot and horny, he surprises her with his partner Casey and a threesome.

What starts for Pamela as a wild, no-holds-barred fling quickly gets stickier as the guys push for something lasting.

Get your copy here!

*~*~*~*~*

Family Values

Released August 31!

Three brothers in love with the same woman make a pact….

Angelina Flores lived a perfect ranch-kid childhood, complete with three princes on horseback who treated their housekeeper’s daughter like a princess. At age eighteen, the fairytale came crashing down when she realized she had to choose between Brand, Nate, and Eli McAffee. And when she did choose one–she lost all three.

She’s older now. Wiser, thanks to her college education and a few years’ distance. A distance she’d planned to maintain…until her mother begs her to fill in at the ranch while she takes care of a sick relative.

The minute her boots hit the front porch, the memories come flooding back, right along with the hunger. It’s tough to put the past behind her when temptation is so close. Especially since the brothers seem bound and determined to woo her. Separately. Together. Whatever it takes to keep her right where she belongs–in their arms.

Get your copy here!

*~*~*~*~*

Contest! 3 Winners!

So, you have plenty to read over the long weekend, right? Something for just about anyone who likes a sexy read!  Winners’ choices of any story in the Lone Star Lovers series, the Night Fall series,  or the Planet Desire series! To win, all you have to do is tell me this…

What are you reading this weekend?