UPDATE: The winner is…Carol LaGatta!
*~*~*

For a chance to win your choice of download from among my backlist of books, solve the puzzle then share whether you have a hobby you pick up when the weather cools. Or perhaps, you have one you want to start this fall/winter…?  Have fun!

Open Contests

1. Favorite Kisses Word Search! (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Gabbi Grey: Why I Chose a Polarizing Subject for my Story (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Saturday Puzzle Contest! (Plus Open Contests!) — This one ends soon! Win a FREE book!
4. Diana Cosby: Who Knew Birds Had Expressions – Mad Birds! (Contest) — This one ends the 18th! Win a SIGNED BOOK!
5. Story Cubes — Tell me a story (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Desiree Holt: What’s App? (Contest) — Win a code to get a FREE book!
7. Cameron Allie: The Siren and the Water Witch is here! (Contest–2 Winners!) — Win a FREE book!

UPDATE: The winners are…Jen Todd and Katherine Anderson!
*~*~*

In a realm where deadly creatures lurk, there’s a town that functions as a haven for all species. Magic enchantments cast by the witch’s council protect its borders, and hellhounds police the streets.

Mortals can co-exist and even breed with vampires, demons, werewolves and witches. You can stop by The Gilded Scroll and chat with the elvish bookshop owner, or visit Tina’s Treats for the realm’s tastiest desserts, or even pick up a love potion at The Broomstick.

But be wary of the magical fountain in the center of town.

Severn the siren lives there with her many daughters. Legend has it she seduced a witch while out at sea and convinced him to build her a home in the heart of Clayridge. Fed up with the dangers in the wild, she tricked him into creating a fountain in the safest place in the realm.

Large gates warn you not to enter. Pity, since its beauty shouldn’t be missed.

Cobblestones surround it, and a gorgeous carved stone balustrade encircles it. Inside, its waters are deep. Aside from the sirens, no aquatic creature exists there. Their home consists of glass, gold, and rock. Above the water, it looks a bit like a mountain, with some sandy surfaces and rock faces for the sirens to sunbathe on. But like an iceberg, the bulk of it sits, suspended below the surface.

Hive-like, their rooms face outward, providing them with lovely views of clear blue water, and deep within the fountain are the common rooms. Places where they gather when the weather is poor, or to eat or shop.

Vendors from across Clayridge travel to the fountain to exploit the sirens’ controversial wealth. Market days are very busy in the fountain, as sirens like expensive material items and fancy new electronic devices. They’re driven by base pleasures, and if they have the coin, why shouldn’t they indulge?

You can spend a night with one of these seductresses if you have enough money or attend one of their parties. Or attend a party held in their home, though beware, you’re likely to bump into a vampire or demon. Riffraff are commonplace in the fountain, and gossip is nearly currency.

If you’re willing to take a risk and have little to lose, a trip to the fountain is a perfect stress reliever, as Ezra is about to discover. Too bad he has more to lose than he realizes…

*~*~*

Dear reader,

I have two new releases this fall. The Siren and the Water Witch releases today (YAY!), and Drew releases on October 1. The former is a fantasy short story that is part of the Clayridge Chronicles ongoing series, and the latter is a paranormal romance wolf shifter novella.

Below are the blurbs for each story. Comment and tell me which of the two stories you are more interested in reading, and I’ll select two winners and provide them with an ebook copy of their preferred story.

 The Siren and the Water Witch

Ezra is about to discover just how much one night of pleasure is really worth.

Star athlete and academic wizkid, Ezra Graves, is acing his classes at the Barrett Academy, all except botany. After scoring a passing grade on the midterm, Ezra considers ways to celebrate, and nothing sounds more appealing than a trip to the Clayridge fountain to indulge in the forbidden with a siren.

Ezra doesn’t need to vie hard for female attention as the Academy’s golden pupil, but he’s dying to shed his good boy image and taste the forbidden. Visiting the fountain could damage his reputation and academic career—even get him kicked out of the Academy. More could be at stake, as he receives a gentle reminder that half-blood witches have been disappearing lately. Being away from the protection of the school grounds—particularly at night—could prove deadly.

Armed with enough gold coins to pay for a night with one of the fishy seductresses, Ezra ignores his better judgment and heads for the fountain. But little does he know something dangerous is lurking in the shadows, with Ezra’s name and the promise of a significant paycheck if the witch can be caught and delivered to the notorious vampire, Nixon Castor.

Order your copy today!
Read the excerpt here: https://www.cameronallie.com/siren-water-witch/

Drew

Her scent changed everything.

Alyssa Mayer’s scent is intriguing. It’s sweet, sensual and ignites Drew’s blood like nothing before. His body burns for her, his mind is occupied with thoughts of her, meaning only one thing. She’s his fated mate.

The problem? He doesn’t recognize her from a local pack, nor any pack he’s ever smelled before. Is she human? She is his fated mate, but if she’s human will he dare to break the species barrier? It wouldn’t be the first time a wolf shifter mated with a human, but such a bonding brings its own mess of troubles, and that’s before considering a neighbouring alpha wants Drew to agree to an arranged mating.

After spending her youth drifting from one foster home to the next and spending her adolescent and adult life homeless and alone, Alyssa wonders how long she’ll be able to stay in the small town. She can’t risk anyone discovering her secret. All she wants to do is paint and find a forever home, but as an oddity, a freak of nature, she knows that can never be, no matter how much she’d like to stay.

When she meets Drew, her instinct tells her to run, but for the first time she might just have a reason to stay, despite pack pressures and hidden foes are threaten to keep them apart.

Read the excerpt here: https://www.cameronallie.com/pack-trouble-series/

Autumn has arrived with all her splendor. It’s time to pull out the cozy sweaters and wool socks and put the flannel sheets back on the bed. (Did I mention I really dislike being cold.)

This is my favorite time of year. Don’t get me wrong, I love summer—those long, hot days that seem to last forever. But fall is the time of new beginnings for me. There is nothing quite like inhaling the first lungful of crisp, autumn air to make me feel invigorated and alive.

Maybe it goes back to my childhood where each September heralded the start of a new school year. Remember those days of new school clothes, new teachers, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones? The smell of chalk and new textbooks mingled with the unmistakable scent of new sneakers and blue jeans with the tags barely clipped off. There was always such anticipation in the air. The possibilities were limitless.

Nature senses the impending transformation, too. Trees change color, their green leaves turning to a brilliant array of gold, red, yellow, and burnt orange that sets the countryside ablaze. They are putting on their final show before bidding us adieu until next spring. Birds start to migrate, heading for warmer climes. They drop in on feeders in suburban backyards, filling up for the flight south. The small, furry animals that inhabit the woodland areas are scurrying to stock up food for the impending snowy season. Everyone is busy as they sense the coming change.

If autumn is a time of new beginnings, it is also a time of endings. Summer vacation is over and the long, hot days are replaced with shorter, cooler ones. The sun sets earlier each day, inviting the darkness to take precedence.

The nice thing about this time of year is that there are plenty of holidays that invite us to celebrate all the change that surrounds us. Halloween arrives with its ghosts and goblins, encouraging all of us to embrace the dark of the season instead of fearing it. Thanksgiving offers us a respite from the onset of the cold and dark. It is a time of gathering. A time of giving thanks for family and friends and the fact that there is food on the table and a roof over our heads, something I never take for granted.

So instead of bemoaning the end of the summer this year, embrace the arrival of fall. It has vibrancy and life in the midst of death, new beginnings in the midst of endings and limitless possibilities!

Ancient Desire
Forgotten Brotherhood Book 5

Nothing was supposed to wake half dragon, half human Lucius from his Deep Sleep. Nothing. And yet something, or rather someone has. The unexpectedly attractive human not only touched him. She kissed him. Now Lucius is awake, and more powerful than he has ever been in his 4,000 years of existence. And once he finds out who led her to his cave, he’ll deal with his 300 years of hunger…

College professor Raine Carson spent her life obsessed with myths and legends. And now she’s woken one up. Only, Lucius is nothing like anything she’s ever seen or read about in her history books. Because this man is part sexy badass and part terrifying…monster. Yet she wants him with a hunger like nothing she’s ever felt before.

Lucius used to be part of the Forgotten Brotherhood—a ruthless group of paranormal assassins. Now he’s unsure if his former Brothers are their allies…or enemies. All he knows is that someone is hunting him, and Raine is just as tangled up in this mess as he is. And he’ll protect her—even if it means unleashing his Dragon and all of its power.

Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7G3QHRK/
Entangled Publishing: https://entangledpublishing.com/books/ancient-desire
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ancient-desire-n-j-walters/1141872172
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ancient-desire
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/ancient-desire/id6443213388

Check out the rest of the series: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086BT7QJL/

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit her at:
Website: https://www.njwalters.com
Blog: https://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: https://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

UPDATE: The winner is…ButtonsMom!
*~*~*

Leave a comment for a chance to win a code for an App download.

The latest thing to hit the reading world is Apps, where you can buy and read books in bite-size pieces. Twelve hundred to fifteen hundred words at a bite. And why is this good? Because if you are waiting in line for food, or riding in an Uber, or even on a bus, sometimes a whole chapter is too much, and you have to shut down before you finish. Bummer!

There are Apps for all purposes: entertainment, research, and education, all in bite-size chunks that make it quick and easy to absorb.

Also, you can quickly adjust the fonts and size of the book’s text which makes reading easier and more convenient. And when people can comfortably adjust these things, they end up reading more often and therefore read more books.

For those of us that have always associated reading with school and textbooks, reading books on tablets and our phones can actually be pretty fun nowadays. Perhaps it is still rather difficult to believe but that’s the truth—your perception is playing tricks on you. While one of the greatest advantages of reading on a mobile device is the convenience of having a huge portable library, there are many more features that the reading app and their counterparts bring to the table that can make your reading experience fun.

Probably the number one reason people love their reading apps is convenience. They are able to carry their entire library on one lightweight smartphone or tablet. This is especially appreciated by those who live in small spaces or who just don’t have room for one more bookcase and have a sky-high pile of books. How about travelers? A reading app saves on valuable suitcase space and is lightweight and easy to tote around. It also solves the problem that many readers run into. Have you ever chosen a selection of books to take with you on vacation only to find when you get there you’ve lost interest in all of them? With a reading app you can simply choose another. Some will even let you download books from other sources.

Another reason is accessibility. If you have vision or hearing difficulties, the ability to change and increase font size or have your book read to you can make reading a pleasure again. Book reading apps are accessible on almost any device, making them invaluable to those with other health problems that make reading hardcover books painful to impossible. While almost all book reading apps allow you to adjust the font, not all offer the text to speech function and on those who do, not all books are text to speech enabled. Depending on the publisher, you will find that they may have chosen to refuse to allow their books to be enabled. Still, there are still a wide variety of book reading apps available to suit your personal needs.

And finally, book readings apps are inexpensive if not already free for your device with access to many e-books that are cheaper than their paper equivalents. In addition, there are a plethora of free books available. One of the real joys of using a book reading app is discovering new authors through these free book offerings. Using book reading apps is also a green practice, saving paper and as a result, trees.

I have jumped into it with both feet. Several of my books can be found on apps like Kiss, Webnovel, Magatoon, AnyStories, iReader, Kindle Vella, NovelCat and others. This is a good and inexpensive way to try my books. Just click on the link below from my web page, go forth and search. Remember, just pennies can bring you hours of enjoyment.

https://desireeholt.com/reading-apps/

About the Author

USA Today best-selling and award-winning author Desiree Holt writes everything from romantic suspense and paranormal to erotic. and has been referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, and is a winner of the EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice nominee. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.

UPDATE: The winner is…Anna!
*~*~*

©Diana Cosby 2022

One thing I discovered since I began taking wildlife photos is that birds have a variety of expressions.  My favorite expression to catch a photo of is their ‘Angry’ look, so I thought I’d share a few of my favorite ‘Mad Bird’ photos.

I always thought Bluebirds were so sweet, but after watching them, I’ve learned they’re very territorial.

Red-Tailed Hawks are intelligent hunters, so I wasn’t surprised to see their intimidating stare.

It’s always wonderful to see eagles, they’re such majestic birds, and they have a fierce look.

I was impressed by the ferocious expressions of the starlings, made more so when they’re trying to keep other birds away from their food.

After taking many bird photos, I think the best ‘Mad Bird’ expressions are from grackles as their fierce look is so intense.  Take care, and I wish you the best.

Contest

***ONE winner will be drawn from everyone who posts on my guest blog post about, ‘Who Knew Birds Had Expressions – Mad Birds!’ on Delilah’s blog between 11 September 2022 – 18 September 2022, and will win a signed copy of His Woman.”

About Diana Cosby

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 into 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 and The Oath Trilogy, she released the bestselling The Forbidden Series.

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

God bless,

Diana Cosby, International Best-Selling Author
www.dianacosby.com
The Oath Trilogy
MacGruder Brother Series
The Forbidden Series

Social Media
Website:  https://www.dianacosby.com/
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/978803.Diana_Cosby
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Diana-Cosby/e/B003YJ1MR4/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1417447922&sr=8-1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Diana-Cosby-Romance-Author-150109024636/?ref=ts

I know you love those HOT SEAL stories! A new one is out now, written by my good friend, Cynthia D’Alba! You don’t want to miss it!

Hot SEAL, Girl Crush

A Navy SEAL is fearless, focused, and resolute when it comes to his mission. But what if the mission is something he never trained for?

Navy SEAL Eric “Thor” Thorsten welcomes his sister and her best friend out to California for a vacation. He’s never forgotten the one kiss he shared with his sister’s friend ten years ago, but he has no intention of digging up the past. He’s far from perfect, but there are lines he won’t cross. Having a fling with his sister’s best friend is one of them.

Have you ever been in love-lust-craving for a person who doesn’t know you exist? Well, Isabella Paxton, aka Izzy, knows the feeling. She has been in love-lust-craving for her best friend’s older brother since the day she met him. She’s sure Eric Thorsten knows she exists, but only as his sister’s friend. How can she make him see her as the adult woman she is?

Eric’s past unexpectedly lands on his doorstep in the form of a four-month-old daughter. The daughter’s mother has died, and either he takes her or she will go into the foster system. Izzy Paxton steps forward to help. Eric and Izzy form a marriage of convenience until Eric gains full custody of his daughter. But both of them are keeping secrets…from each other and their families. The problem is the more time they spend together, the more the line blurs between gratitude and love.

Get your copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Kobo

Also in the Hot SEAL, Song series…

Hot SEAL, Under Pressure by Cat Johnson
Hot SEAL, Brown-Eyed Girl by Becca Jameson
Hot SEAL, Night Moves by Parker Kincade (releases September 20)
Hot SEAL, Open Arms by Teresa Reasor (releases October 25)

I love writing for my publisher, The Wild Rose Press.  When they put out a call for erotic stories set in exotic locales for their hottest line, I was all-in.  I’d written a story for them earlier that I set in my favorite city in the world — Vancouver, Canada.  When my editor confirmed that Canada was considered an ‘exotic location’, I knew where I was going to set my story.

Now, I’m Canadian.  Aside from politics, guns, and a few other diverging issues, we are a lot like Americans — we consume much of the same media, face the same climate change threats, and speak the same language (although the accents vary — and I threw in a character from my ancestral province of Newfoundland for that extra Canadian diversity).

Anyway, I had my location.  I brought in a couple of characters from a previous book (don’t worry, this new book is a complete stand-alone), then I needed a scenario.  In a moment of solemn reflection, I realized the story I wanted to tell — the story I needed to tell.  I had a studio executive from Hollywood heading to Vancouver to wait until a crisis blows over.  My previous story set in Vancouver involved the movie business (a huge industry up here in Canada), so I had everything I needed. Oh, I needed another hero.  Enter a genuinely nice naïve young man, making his way in a world he doesn’t always understand.

Okay, I named him Seamus (a good Newfie name).  I named my studio executive Frank and called the book Vanishing in Vancouver.  I wrote the book, felt good about it, and sent it off to my editor.

The editorial team came back with a few changes.  Like the title.  It didn’t really say sexy.  This was supposed to be a story about an American coming to a foreign land and having a sexy affair — the series is, after all, named Passport to Pleasure.  (Other titles included Sorrento Seduction, Steamy Cairo Nights, Hot Highland Fling, Getting Lucky in London, and Pacific Persuasion. Oh, and also, Frank didn’t scream hero to them.

I wracked my brains. Then pulled in a couple of friends.  One suggested Valentino — named after Rudolph Valentino, the sexy Hollywood actor.  And the character could be nicknamed Val.  Hence Valentino in Vancouver.

The editorial team loved it, and the project got the green light.

I worried about the sensitive nature of the topic, and a friend who was reading the book for me expressed concerns after the first chapter.  In fact, she wrote to me and asked if she was safe to proceed.  I assured her I’d never do anything against my own moral code — and this is a gay romance, not a political statement.

But can a book be both?

I’m inviting readers to take a gander through the book.  Go in with an open mind.  This is one take on a very real issue facing workplaces today. (And other scenarios as well, but I went with work to set my story.)

And I’d love to hear from you.  For a chance to win a $5US Amazon Gift Card, can you think of a book that tackled a tough topic?  A book that resonated with you? One you think the world should read?  Feel free to comment, and a random commenter will receive the GC.

Valentino in Vancouver

Hiding out may be the hottest thing he’s ever done.

Val

When I need to get away from the heat in Los Angeles, I head to a friend’s house in Vancouver, Canada.  I just need to hide out. Oh, and that cute redhead? A mighty fine way to pass the time. Will this fling become something more by the time things cool down?

Seamus

When I’m invited to my boss’s house for a party, I’m thrilled.  And nervous. Then I meet a guy who helps me relax. Even when I find out who he is, I keep coming back for more. Only it turns out I might be way over my head. Can I get out before I fall for him?

Links:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Valentino-Vancouver-Passport-Pleasure-Gabbi-ebook/dp/B0B8XNB5FX
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Valentino-Vancouver-Passport-Pleasure-Gabbi-ebook/dp/B0B8XNB5FX
Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/Valentino
Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/valentino-in-vancouver-gabbi-grey/1141978548
KOBO:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/valentino-in-vancouver
iBooks:  https://books.apple.com/ca/book/valentino-in-vancouver/id6443282261
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61953018-valentino-in-vancouver

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up:  https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey