Well, yesterday was a complete blast. The all-girls trek to Hot Springs to the nearest movie theater to watch The Little Mermaid was about more than seeing the movie. During the hour’s drive, we listened to Disney music. The kids knew every word of every song. And they sang the songs well! We all had our teary moments watching the movie. I cried at the end of the song where Ariel wished she could be “part of that world.” Halle was lovely and her voice divine. My dd cried at “Kiss the Girl,” I think because she was so nostalgic about the original, and they did a wonderfully fun job with the song. We love the original, but based on reviews we made the mistake of reading beforehand, we weren’t prepared to love the movie quite so much—but we did! The prince was HAWT—and not in a pretty boy way. Ursula was eeeevil. The way she climbed the walls of her cavern was creepy! After the movie, we stopped for a meal, and when we came home, we swam. Perfect, perfect day. And summer hasn’t started yet. (Today’s the last day of school!)

Change of subject. I had to share this video with you. I love anyone who can make me laugh. So, I love Jack Black. His version of “Wicked Game” is pretty good, too! Now, try to unsee this!

Open Contests

1. 1. IN ONE PICTURE: ELLE JAMES’S “STORM ON THE BAYOU” (CONTEST) — Win an Amazon gift card!
   2.  IN ONE PICTURE: AURORA RUSSELL’S “HANDFASTED TO THE HIGHLAND WARRIOR” (CONTEST) — Win an Amazon or B&N gift card!
   3. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Is it pool time yet?  — Win an Amazon gift card!
   4. Useless Facts? (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
   5. Help me find my next BOYS BEHAVING BADLY theme! (Contest)
   6. IN ONE PICTURE: MICHAL SCOTT’S “TAKE ME TO THE WATER” (CONTEST) — Win an Amazon gift card!
   7. May into June (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
   8. Word Search: The Little Mermaid today! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Diana Sallens!
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School ends tomorrow, but we’re letting the kids play hooky today. We planned on taking them to see The Little Mermaid on Saturday, but the matinee today has it in 3D, sooooo… We’re going today!

It’s an all-girls outing, and I’m not sure who’s more excited. Our age ranges: 9, 14, 18, 38, and 64. Yes, we’ll all likely be singing along.

I thought it would be fun to make today’s word search about Disney movies we love. Here are some of mine. (My absolute favorite is MOANA!)

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me your favorite Disney “princess” movie—plus, tell me which you’d love to see as a live-action movie that isn’t already! (I can’t wait for MOANA!)

UPDATE: The winner is…Laura!
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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 is…Jennifer Beyer!
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I’m a bookaholic. Or maybe there’s another word for a person who compulsively buys those mini-books in the racks near the bookstore counters? Mini-bookaholic? If the cover has a catchy title and bright colors, it catches my eye. If I open it, and it has numbers….? I’m done.

For example…

This is the cover for the Snapple Real Facts book. The book is maybe 4″ x 3.5″. It has a hard cover and glossy pages—yellow background with pretty fonts. The “Real Facts” are numbered!! I don’t know why that always excites me so much.

Anyway, I opened the book this morning to a couple of random pages, and these are a few of the facts I read (BTW, maddeningly, the facts aren’t listed in 1,2,3 order) …

Real Fact #22 — “Alaska has the highest percentage of people who walk to work.”

Really? How can that be? It’s the largest state and among the least populous (I think). Plus, it’s freezing cold during its long winter. I have to know. Does someone know why that is?

Real Fact #167 — “You have to play ping-pong for 12 hours to lose one pound.”

Who did a study to determine that fact? Then, I think: So, basically, this is telling me exercise, for the purpose of losing weight, is useless. Hmmm…

Real Fact  #160 — “One alternate title that had been considered for NBC’s hit “Friends” was “Insomnia Cafe.”

What do you think? Would the show have been as big a hit if they’d stuck with that title?

So, you learned three useless facts today. For a chance to win a FREE download of your choice from my backlist of books, tell me one useless fact (doesn’t have to be true!). Have fun with the challenge!

UPDATE: The winner is…Sara D!
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Argh! So far, I’ve only been in my pool maybe one handful of times. The weather here in Arkansas simply isn’t cooperating! I’m soooo frustrated. After tons of chemicals and scrubbing the sides and bottom, the water is crystal clear, but it’s too dang cold to swim comfortably.

We’ve had the pool since 2008, I think. In all these years, I’ve mustered the courage to brave a cool pool in April, knowing that by early to mid-May, it will be a comfy with the water temperature in the mid-80s. However, this year, Mother Nature is being a bitch. The outdoor temperatures here are still crazy cool for this time of year. Last night was in the upper 50s. Today’s temperature will only rise to 83.

It’s not that I have to swim in bathwater, but I’m actually allergic to the cold. The condition is called “cold urticaria.” If I’m submersed in water cooler than 80 degrees, I get welts all over my body and my skin itches like crazy. My symptoms get progressively worse the longer I’m exposed.

So, here I am. I’ll spend time today testing the water and treating it with some algaecide and looking at its crystal-clear depths. Maybe I’ll venture in for ten minutes just because I can’t stand not to (I am a water baby).

Anyway, that’s my gripe session for the day. I’ll keep busy editing some projects and cleaning up my space. I had a busy week working, and I let things pile up around me. I’ll keep busy so I’m not thinking about that lovely, ice-cold pool!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon GC, tell me what you’ll be doing today! Enjoy the puzzle! The image makes me sad. 🙂

I have a ton of edits to get through today and throughout the weekend. Not fun. I want a day off! Okay, so maybe I’ll squeeze some family time in tomorrow. More about that—tomorrow! Anyway, it’s Friday. I can’t wait for a couple of no-alarm mornings. You be sure to check out this ridiculously long list of open contests below! Good luck!

Open Contests

1. Genevive Chamblee: Summer Scents (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win a mystery gift!
2. Anna Taylor Sweringen/Michal Scott: A Little Strategem Will Do Ya — Charlotte E. Ray — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. IN ONE PICTURE: N.J. WALTERS’ “THIS TIME FOREVER” (CONTEST) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. IN ONE PICTURE: BRENDA MARGRIET’S “OPERATION PURPLE SPARKLE DIAMOND” (CONTEST) — This one ends soon! Win a FREE book!
5. Saturday Puzzle-Contest Plus COLD HARD CASH reminder! — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
6. IN ONE PICTURE: A.J. HARRIS’S “FIGHTS LIKE CATS AND WOLVES” (CONTEST) — This one ends soon! Win a FREE book!
7. COLD HARD CASH arrives tonight after midnight! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
8. IN ONE PICTURE: REINA TORRES’ “SARGE IN CHARGE” (CONTEST) — Win a FREE book!
9. IN ONE PICTURE: DENISE DEMARCO’S “SEAL IN DISTRESS” (CONTEST) — Win an Amazon gift card!
10. IN ONE PICTURE: KIMBERLY DEAN’S “STAR DIPLOMACY” (CONTEST) — Win an Amazon gift card!
11. IN ONE PICTURE: ELLE JAMES’S “STORM ON THE BAYOU” (CONTEST) — Win an Amazon gift card!
12. IN ONE PICTURE: AURORA RUSSELL’S “HANDFASTED TO THE HIGHLAND WARRIOR” (CONTEST) — Win a gift card!

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