~~Romance with a sparkling twist~~
~~author and lunch lady—what a combination~~

When I first self-published I needed some short tag line thingie to represent my writing. At that time, I wrote fantasy romance, filling my tales with a number of fey races, coming from an assortment of different worlds. These books formed the bedrock of my Keltic Multiverse.

So, I needed my one-liner to reflect that. I started with “romance with a twist”. Good. Okay. But just wasn’t “it”. I polled a few writer friends, and they told me since I love sparkles so much, that needed to be included. The sparkling twist was born. Romance with a sparkling twist suited me and the stories I love to tell.

Then somewhere along the line, the second statement came into existence. I can’t really remember how or why. But it also speaks to me of who I am—both in the regular world and in my writerly guise. Author and lunch lady—a simple enough description of what I do and who I am. But just those words, written like that, sound and look like a boring social media job listing. Although my life may actually be a little boring, I don’t need to advertise it! Isn’t it amazing what just adding “what a combination” does for my boring life?

It’s a combination that works well for me. For the time being. One never knows when a change-up might happen.

For instance, I no longer write strictly speculative romance. I’ve been staying down to earth and in a reasonably normal world with contemporary romance like Fortunate Cookie, a part of a multi-author series. Cookie releases in a couple of weeks, and now I’m busy planning my next Aspen Gold Series book.

For this next book, I’m also going back to my comfortable fantasy roots and bringing the Keltic Multiverse to a modern-day Colorado tourist town. This new book will definitely be romance with a sparkling twist!

Until that book is done, enjoy Cookie or any of the Aspen Gold Series books. And hey, the first six are available to read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited. Can’t beat that!

 Cookie

This woman. Wearing frosting. And nothing else…

Cookie Lamont owns a successful cupcake shop in Spencer’s trendy tourist center. Life would be perfect if not for the escalating unwanted attention from a self-important town trustee. She has everything she needs—and a man is the last thing on her mind.

Until he walks into her shop.

Treehouse builder and TV personality Anthony Burnham returns to Spencer and finds focus building cabins for a new camp. His passion for treehouses is rekindled as a sweet, sexy new love blooms.

But the past haunts his steps and threatens his growing relationship with the alluring baker.

Excerpt from Fortunate Cookie…

Coffee order hovering on his lips, Tony rose and, drawn like a moth to flame, moved toward the counter. A young woman had bent behind the clear display case, placing cupcakes in precise rows on a colorful tray. “Uh, excuse me?”

“Yikes.” She jerked and stuck her thumb into the thick, creamy white icing on a dark cupcake. “Well, shi— shoot.”

“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I, uh…” Words failed him when she straightened and looked at him with wide, chocolate-brown eyes. Dark hair, tucked up in a messy bun, highlighted her fair complexion. The contrast was a study in perfection. She lifted her hand as if to brush back a stray hair but stared instead at her frosting covered finger.

He had the insane desire to pull that finger into his mouth and lick off every bit of sweetness.

Seeming to pull herself together, she pasted on a perfect customer service smile and reached for a towel. “Hi, welcome to Cookie’s Coffee & Cakes. What can I get for you?”

He couldn’t look away. Her soft gaze held him in thrall. He wanted nothing, nothing but… “Coffee.”

Her pasted-on smile softened to a true grin. “Plain or fancy?”

Regaining some semblance of composure, Tony gave his order in a well-practiced manner.

She turned without comment and started his drink. He hadn’t specified a size, so was filled with relief when she grabbed the largest cup. Rooted in place, he watched her economical movements. When she placed the coffee on the counter, he pointed to the ruined cupcake. “Since I caused that, I’ll take the cupcake, too.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. One of the tribulations of baking. It’s not the first time I’ve worn frosting. It won’t be the last.”

The suddenness of the vision filling his brain made him draw a sharp breath. This woman. Wearing frosting. And nothing else. He gave his head a quick shake but couldn’t shake the thought from his brain—or his uncomfortably interested body. He cleared his throat. “Still, in this case, I’d love that cupcake for breakfast.”

*~*~*

Fortunate Cookie (Aspen Gold Series Book Eleven) will be available August 25^th at your favorite booksellers. Until then, check out the Aspen Gold Series at www.aspengoldseries.com or follow us on Facebook  www.facebook.com/aspengoldseries

*lizzie’s Official Bio

*lizzie starr always made up games and stories to keep her company. So, a cunning witch lived in Grampa’s weather research station and was only held at bay by waving a certain weed. An ancient road grader morphed into a boat carrying wild adventurers to islands filled with fierce lions and dangerous cannibals, which really looked a lot like sheep. When her 6th-grade teacher read to the class, *lizzie discovered the knights of old, Hobbits, and traveling through space and time. Her first written tales delved into fantasy worlds, and she passed many literature classes by handing in stories instead of essays.

Even though she’d turned up her nose at her mother’s love stories, long night shifts at a nursing home drew her to the facility’s library. There she discovered that romance made tales of fantasy and science fiction more delightful, and the focus of her writing expanded.

Filled with fantasy, love, and romance with a sparkling twist, the stories of her imagination swirl their way into the mundane world and into her reader’s hearts.

When *lizzie must return to a more routine life, she’s *the Lunch Lady* at a private school. Author and lunch lady~~what a combination!

www.lizziestarr.com
www.facebook.com/authorlizziestarr
https://twitter.com/lizziestarr
https://www.amazon.com/*lizzie-starr/e/B003F33Y0W
https://www.instagram.com/lizistarr/

Hello Happy Readers –

I can’t imagine what I’d do in this pandemic mess without books! Honestly, reading keeps me sane. It’s what I look forward to every day. I write until around 2 p.m. and then it’s time to read. How about you?

This time around I’m introducing Captives of Desire, a collection of short stories and longer pieces that have been previously published. These works have been revised and expanded, so if by chance you’ve read one of them before, you’ll find the new version even more enjoyable.

Rape, pillage, plunder. Those were the bywords of life in the British Isles from the time of the Romans in 50 AD until the Norman invasion in 1066. In each new wave of foreign conquerors, the native Britons – well, not actually the original natives because no one knows who they were – were pushed to the west. Those who maintained their Celtic culture survived in isolated Welsh, Irish, and Scottish strongholds.

Some of the Romans married Britons and their descendants became part of the normalized population clinging to the advancements Rome brought to the island. It is theorized by some authorities that the fabled King Arthur was of such a lineage, and the order he sought to establish derived from Roman law. Arthur and his cohort defended against the invasions of the Saxons, Jutes, and Angles, all Germanic peoples who found British shores inviting.

Three hundred years after the Saxon invasions, Scandinavian vessels bearing Vikings made landing bringing forces from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, all of them sharing a similar belief system based on pagan gods such as Thor. For five hundred years, the population of the British Isles grew to include thousands of invaders who made this place their home.

The final invasion of men of the North came to British shores in 1099 with the Norman invasion. These were a mixed breed of those living in Normandy, France, an area yielded to Viking invaders under Rollo in 911. Subsequent intermarriages between French, Normans, and English led to William the Conqueror’s 1066 Norman invasion of England, which established the early cohesion of Britain as a nation. This fascinating history is explained at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Saint-Clair-sur-Epte.

Throughout these centuries, it was the women and their (often unwilling) coupling with invaders that forged the people ancestral to modern Britons and, in consequence, the earliest settlers of the American colonies. These stories imagine the lives of the women who met such invaders with courage, fear, and not a small amount of pleasure. Not all such encounters ended so nicely, as we can imagine. But it’s lovely to think that in some cases, the worlds meshed and new generations sprang up from true love.

The stories are:

Ruthless Invader:  In the dangerous unsettled times of 5^th century England, native Britons join to fight off invading bands of Saxon warriors. With her husband Bedwyr off at battle, Nefyn lingers at their homestead hoping for one last visit from him before she flees to the mountains with the last of their belongings. The door latch rattles and she is suddenly confronted with a tall warrior and the risk of rape and death. (Short Story)

The Captive:  Lady Elspeth hides away to take her pleasure with a captured Danish warrior. He gives her much more than she ever imagined. (Short Story)

The Escape (sequel to The Captive): Elspeth Lady of Hystead rides through the night with Magnus, a Danish warrior whose lover’s skill woke a hidden trove of erotic pleasure in her heart. But outlaws intervene, and Magnus faces the challenge of a lifetime. Will Elspeth come to regret her escape? (Novella)

The Dane’s Bride: Married against her will in order to save her father and their village, a Saxon maid faces her wedding night with a brutish Danish warrior. He stands across the fire pit from her, leering as he demands she remove her clothing. Does he mean to take her on the floor like the animal he is? (Novelette)

A Taste of Love: A cruel wind blows across the midwinter lands of Northern Britain, flapping Senna’s cloak as she hurries inside the praetorium on the heels of the blustering Tutonius, legion cook and dear friend. In Rome, Saturnalia would last a week and include a day of relaxation for all the slaves. But, she sadly acknowledges, this is not Rome but a miserable outpost on the westernmost boundary of Roman-occupied Britannia.

Senna does her best to relieve some of her friend’s staggering workload as he prepares the holiday meal. The governor of all Britain will feast here tonight along with officers of three legions. Hurrying outside the fortress to the sprawling campgrounds of refugees, camp followers, and traders of all kinds, Senna shops for last-minute gifts for her enslaved Briton mistress Caerwin and food supplies Tutonius must have. But upon her return to the kitchen, Senna blushes as Teutonius shares a moment of personal pleasure. (Short Story)

His Only Love: As Saturnalia dawns and Rome’s Legio XIV Gemina prepares for the midwinter celebration despite their station on the far western border of Britannia, Greek slave Antius faces the disaster he set in motion involving his beloved master and legion commander, Marcellus. He takes refuge with his young lover even as an intimate betrayal unfolds between trusted friends. (Gay Erotica Novelette)

While these stories are available individually for only 99 each, this collection sells for only $3.99 – a $5.94 value. I don’t know about you, but more reading for less money is a hot bargain in a time like this. Enjoy!

UPDATE: This offer has ended!
*~*~*

Love a sexy story where a man takes care of all your needs?
Get a copy while you can! This is a limited time offer!

Yes, the butler did it!

When a newly wealthy woman purchases a remote estate in Virginia, a butler comes with the contract. His subtle manipulations fuel a desire she never expected.

Get your copy here!

These offers have ended…
*~*~*

First Notice

For those of you who don’t know it, I curate collections of themed erotic romance. Right now, on my Collections website, I’m offering a FREE copy of one of those anthologies…

It’s all Vikings. All over the world. And they are hot as hell! So, if you’d like to pick up a FREE copy, do it now! This offer won’t last long!

Get your FREE copy here!

Second Notice

Brian is about to leave Kindle Unlimited. So if you haven’t already snagged your free copy there, do so now!

Get your copy here!

You can still enter these contests!

1. A. Catherine Noon: The Great Pause (Giveaway) — Get a free app!
2. Flashback: Crescent Moon (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Open Contests & a New One! And Story Time — Your Story! — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Happy Mother’s Day! (and a Puzzle!) — Win a $5 Amazon gift card!
5. My Mother’s Day (Contest) — Win an Amazon Gift Card!

FREE Short Story

Hey there! I know many of you are self-isolating and reading like mad! Here’s a short story you can read quickly. Be warned: there’s a threesome involved! Enjoy!

Fraternizing just got hotter—before, during, and after business hours…

Zoe and her stepbrother Grayson get caught by Grayson’s boss “playing” in his pool. He holds their futures in his hands, and Zoe couldn’t be more thrilled…

Get your FREE copy here!

When I was last here, (April 6 to be exact), I chatted about my linked erotica titles, His Purchase and His Filly, before turning to what still consumes most of us—Coronavirus or whatever name you call it by. I mentioned that my son’s cancer surgery had been canceled at the last moment. We had no idea when it could be rescheduled. Well, two weeks ago he got The Call and a week ago today he underwent 7 hours of surgery. The operation took place in a major hospital five hours from where we live. Pulling rank, he and his brother insisted that Mom stay home and said brother would take, stay there, and retrieve him. (They actually spouted some nonsense about my ‘advanced’ age putting me in a high-risk category.)

I’m hugely relieved to report that the patient is home and recovering. (We live together.) We went to the local wound center yesterday where the nurse practitioner said the surgeon’s work was the best she’s ever seen. No infection. Wounds from laparoscopic surgery healing. He still has a long road ahead of him, but something happened to me on the way home I want to share.

For the first time since the diagnosis a year ago February, I truly want to write. I need to! I’ve pounded out words to meet contracts and because that’s what I do, but my heart and concentration hadn’t been in it. Now the damnable tumor is gone from the body of one of the two most important people in my life! (Of course, his brother is the other.)

I’d wondered and half-believed the drive, the need to create, that has always been a vital part of me was gone. I’d never get it back. That writing came in such a poor second to the risk to my son’s life that my career longer mattered. But it was there all this time, waiting for my mind and heart to unlock.

I’m more than halfway through my latest story. Diving back into it today will be a celebration. I want to share that celebration with readers. This is what I’ve come up with. If spanking stories are your thing and you’re one of the first five readers to contact me at VonnaWriter@gmail.com and mention you saw this on Deliah’s blog, I’d love to send you a free copy of either His Purchase or His Filly. No strings attached but if you leave reviews on Amazon and are so inclined, that would be wonderful.

To give you an idea what you’d be getting, here are a couple of Amazon links plus cover images.

His Purchase: https://www.amazon.com/His-Purchase-Society-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07FNHM37V/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=His+Purchase+by+Vonna+Harper&qid=1587579243&sr=8-1
His Filly: https://www.amazon.com/His-Filly-Society-Book-2-ebook/dp/B07FNHRK6S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=228PI8UYUL3CT&dchild=1&keywords=his+filly+vonna+harper&qid=1587579211&s=digital-text&sprefix=His+Filly%2Caps%2C220&sr=1-1

Hi! I’m Megan Ryder and I write sexy contemporary romance with several series all with everyday heroes with deep wounds and feisty women with their own difficult pasts who must come together to heal and find love. My stories feature humor, deep emotion, and sexy times, all in a roller coaster to their happy ever after.

My current series features three foster boys who came to a ranch in Montana, found a home there and a place to heal, yet it took many years before they found what they all truly needed – a family and love of their own. The third book just came out, A Cowboy’s Song, and finishes the trilogy (though I will be returning to the town and the characters in subsequent books for more stories). This book is about the youngest, Ty Evans, who lost his biological family to a car accident when he was twelve years old, and was then placed in foster care. He held himself apart, and even gave up music for many years, unwilling to open himself up after the loss of his family. But now, his brothers have both found love and their own paths forward in their lives and he feels like he’s standing still. He’s feeling a bit lost and wants to find his own place at the ranch and in his life, only he’s not sure the ranch in his place.

Piper is the daughter of country music royalty, only she hasn’t quite lived up to expectations either. Her last tour and album was a bit of a snooze-fest and she’s feeling the pressure to keep up with her parents and older brother, yet she’s not feeling the passion either. She’s invited to the ranch to be in Tara Rawling’s wedding, Ty’s older brother, and she meets Ty.

When Piper and Ty sing an original duet that Ty wrote for the bride and groom and it’s recorded and goes viral, it seems like they both have a new path in life. Piper’s career has a boost and Ty might have a new path – in Nashville. But the romance they started at the ranch may not be strong enough to deal with the outside pressures of the music industry and their own past insecurities.

This book is about finding your passion, your place, and that one person who sees who you really are and loves you for that.

If you like country music, check out the song that was written and recorded for this book, “Ruined Plans Aren’t Always a Bad Thing” by Sierra Bernal. It’s featured in the book and is available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon music etc. You can also check out my inspiration here on Spotify.

GIVEAWAY

As part of preparing for this book, I listened to a lot of country music, which had been my standard genre but I found I really liked it. This led me to developing the playlist above, so you can hear some of my inspirations for this book. For an ebook copy of this book, tell me what you think is the sexiest country song (or any genre of music) is!

Excerpt from A Cowboy’s Song

He put the travel mug down on the counter. “You call that a kiss? I lent you my dog, and everyone knows a cowboy needs his best friend. I hauled my ass out here in the cold spring night to chase coyotes away. And I apologized. And all I get is a tiny peck on the cheek? I’m feeling a bit cheated here.”

“You yelled at me, offered me your dog, and I never asked you to chase the coyotes. And I gave you my precious coffee. Twice. I’m not entirely sure why I owe you more.”

He pushed off the counter and gave her a lazy smile. “I never said you owed me, darlin’. Just maybe thinking you might want something a little more than that peck.”

A shiver ran up her spine. How could he tell that she wanted to know how his lips felt on hers, what it would be like to trace his muscles with her fingers, and see if his arms would hold her just right? She would be here for only a couple of weeks. It wouldn’t be awkward at all, even if it was bad, but somehow, she sensed it would be pretty damned awesome. And she could use some awesome in her life right about now.

She took a step forward, and his body radiated heat to warm her slightly chilled skin. Her hand reached out and stroked his arm, a tentative motion, then bolder when he stood still, staring at her with dark, fathomless eyes that seemed to see deep into her soul, to the secrets she held inside.

“You’re going to have to make the first move. I won’t have anyone say I forced you.” The deep rumble in his chest startled her in the quiet of the cabin.

She took another step until she was almost flush against him, until just a sliver of air separated them. She rested one hand on his chest, letting her fingertips curve around the muscle of his chest, his heart pounding just under the skin. Her head tilted, and she wet her lips and sucked in a breath. Why had her courage suddenly deserted her? She was inches away from the most desirable man she had seen in years and she was about to back out.

He ran his hand down her cheek and traced her lips with a fingertip then ran them under her chin, lifting her a little more. She parted her lips and her eyes fluttered shut as he pressed his lips on hers, a gentle, introductory kiss. She slowly relaxed under the unhurried tasting, opening her lips a bit more when his tongue stroked against hers. His hand circled her waist and pulled her flush against him, the hard planes of his body fitting neatly against her soft curves, and his tongue dueled with hers, parlaying and dancing in a tangle of passion.

Slowly, he pulled back and she found her hands painfully twisted in his shirt, holding him close, almost climbing him to get closer. She disentangled herself from him and smoothed the fabric of his flannel shirt, trying to ignore the muscles underneath, and the fact that she had a bed just a hallway away.

“I’ll see you in a few hours.” His voice sounded gruff and hoarse with passion.

A Cowboy’s Song

Can they build a future on a shaky foundation?

Tyler “Ty” Evans lost everything in a car accident when he was twelve, retreating into his shell so tightly that it took months for him to come out again. Music and the ranch saved him, and he will always be grateful to his foster family for saving his life. Now, with the ranch on financial tenterhooks, he wonders if he can use his music to contribute to the solution.

Piper Raines is the daughter of a legendary country music family. While her parents and brother are all famous, her attempt at an independent career went off the rails, and, with exhaustion and stress and bad press dogging her every step, she needs a place to recover. When Piper is invited to vacation at the ranch, Piper and Ty connect through horses and music. After a video duet of Piper and Ty goes viral, they’re invited to sing in Nashville, which also provides added pressure, stressing their new relationship.

Universal Links: https://books2read.com/ACowboysSong
Amazon: https://amzn.to/32kRGRr
B&N: https://bit.ly/37Fbos4
KOBO: https://bit.ly/2HG8QiQ
iTunes: https://apple.co/2SWvcle
GooglePlay: https://bit.ly/2xyBm43
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2HK41EV
Bookbub: https://bit.ly/2P9yNeA