UPDATE: The winner is…Mary McCoy!
*~*~*

I told you I collect things. Well, one of my newest collections (meaning, I’ve only been collecting them a couple of years, not twenty) is by bee pin collection. All of these are Joan Rivers bees. I love the enameled ones in all their glorious patterns. My dd gifted me the leopard-print one at the middle bottom of the photo for Mother’s Day this year. I like pinning them to purses and jeans jackets to show my solidarity with the bees.

But, “Why bees?” you might ask.

Well, there would be no life without bees. I think I heard it said that one in three spoonfuls of food you eat every day exists because of bees. They don’t just pollinate flowers. They pollinate crops. And scientists are worried about dwindling bee populations because, again, there would be no life without bees.

I know some of you fear them. Yes, I’ve been stung, but not since I was a kid because I don’t excite them when they fly around me by getting excited! Plus, I’ve decided to figure out how I can do my little part to help the bees. For instance, what flowers do they love? I want to plant them!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, share something about bees. Love them? Hate them? What flowers do you think I should plant?

 

Romance is well known for its series. It’s rare to see a stand-alone book that doesn’t connect in some way to a previous work by an author. Why do we love series so much?

There’s comfort in the familiarity of going back to visit places and people who are as recognizable to us as our next-door neighbors and friends. Being able to immerse ourselves in a world where we know bad things can and do happen, but there will be retribution and a happily ever after at the end. Sometimes when the world’s gone crazy, it’s a nice escape to visit one of these make-believe worlds.

The same reasons I love to read series are also the same reasons I love to write them. In fact, I can’t seem to not write them. Every time I start to write a book, before I’m finished it, I’m already thinking about one or more of the other characters, and I know they must have their story told. But with my latest series, I’ve taken it a step further.

I first met the Salvation Pack wolves a decade ago. I’d planned on a five-book series. You know what they say about the best-laid plans, right? Nine books later I was done. Or I thought I was. All the original pack members had their stories, along with new members we met along the way. But I couldn’t stop thinking about the pack or about the children, the next generation. Who would they grow up to be? What would happen to them?

Turned out I wasn’t the only one with questions. Readers kept asking for more, so I dove back into that world and created the Salvation Pack: The Next Generation series. I’ve planned for five-books—everyone gets their story told.

It’s been a joy to revisit characters I love and create brand new stories.

Wolf Meets His Fate features Aaron LaForge, the youngest son of the alpha from the original series. He’s set out to find his fate, but it—or rather she—finds him.

Be sure to check it out.

Wolf Meets His Fate
Salvation Pack: The Next Generation, Book 4

Orphaned at birth, Jesse is raised in the Louisiana swamp by powerful witch Lottie Broussard. Hated by her father and shunned by the pack that should be hers, she is forced to run for her life after Lottie’s death.

Searching for his life’s purpose, Aaron LaForge has left his pack and is living on a farm in West Virginia.

When their paths cross in a local bar, he sees it as fate. At first, he only wants to help but quickly realizes she’s his mate. Jesse isn’t ready or willing to trust anyone—let alone a male wolf. But Aaron is as stubborn as he is convincing. As their relationship heats up, the dangers around them mount. Can their love survive their fight to stay alive?

Teaser from Wolf Meets His Fate

Closing her eyes, she tried to catalog everything she remembered about him. It had all happened so fast, but he’d left an impression. And it wasn’t only his physical appearance.

Yes, he was handsome in a primal way with his broad shoulders and muscular build, but there’d been something in his eyes—compassion, understanding—that made her want to run toward him instead of away. That made him dangerous.

If you want to read more, you can find Wolf Meets His Fate here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y88YHNF/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1143126
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolf-meets-his-fate-n-j-walters/1141379428
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wolf-meets-his-fate
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/wolf-meets-his-fate/id1620590154

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

You may notice that some authors are using platforms like Patreon as a way to connect with readers and offer exclusive or “you read it first” content. Like many writers and artisans of the past, a patron is someone who shows support by contributing in a financial way to show support for the person making the art. 

Unlike in the past, you don’t have to be a wealthy person and that creator is not your responsibility to house, feed, or any of those other dramatic past gestures of support. Instead, you can contribute as little as a dollar a month (varies by creator) and get access to rough drafts, initial sketch concepts, sometimes the ability to weigh in on decisions, etc. It all depends on the artist and what they offer and at what level. 

If you like to feel like you are contributing to someone’s art, this is a neat way to do that. Maybe you don’t have time to read everything they write, this is an excellent way to help them cover the costs of covers, edits, and more. Maybe you have a friend and you don’t read their genre, but you want them to know you support them. Again, an excellent way to do that. My mom was a patron for the first two years until I started getting actual readers showing support by joining. Then she said, okay, you got it from here. She still shows support by buying the books! 

Every creator runs their Patreon differently, but the one thing I think most of us have in common is offering something exclusive to those patrons. My patrons get access to the first draft as I write it in serial form. They are my first choice when I need beta readers. I send them mail quarterly and the fourth quarter mailing is filled with goodies I have collected from other authors and fun things I pick up just for them. 

There are many platforms, but Patreon is the one I use for mine. Check it out. Ask your authors if they have an account and get in on all the exclusive fun! 

The Swift University contemporary reverse harem (RH) is a Patron-first read.

Links:
Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/musesandsirens
Website: https://www.creativewritingwithdrnagle.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCaraNorth
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caranorthauthor/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caranorthauthor
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/caranorth_author/?hl=en
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20650398.Cara_North
BookBub : https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cara-north
Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B002BLLE1U
TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdht9Kg1/

UPDATE: The winner is…Linda Crawford!
*~*~*

I’m 63, almost 64, and I am obsessed with toys. It gets worse the older I get. The kids in the house know this, so when they get a kid’s meal from Micky D’s, they don’t keep it for themselves. They bring it home to me so I can find it a “forever home” like a lost pet. I’m not even kidding. The 8-year-old sometimes comes into my office to take down a toy or two to play with on the carpet. She even says it’s better than keeping it herself because she’d just lose it in her messy room.

I have certain collections—all the dragons from How to Train Your Dragon, superhero figurines (and a Funko Pop RGB—because who doesn’t?), Star Trek’s Enterprise models, a SEAL time on a boat with all the weaponry, and on and on. It’s truly ridiculous. I know it. But now that the kids are involved with finding things that make me smile, it’s endless. And the clutter will be their mom’s problem when I’m gone. 🙂

Here’s one little collection of weird things I collect. I love tin wind-up toys. They don’t have to be vintage or precious. These are cheap ones made in China. I have a couple of keys around to wind them up. It’s fun to get them all pecking, walking, and hopping at the same time.

I don’t know why I have this obsession. Maybe it’s because I was the oldest kid and my toys got passed down to be destroyed by the younger kids. I don’t know. And if joyful toy collecting is an early sign of dementia, well, I won’t know it, will I?

In the meantime, I’ll pause when I’m bored with words and play.

Contest

Do you have a toy from your childhood? Or do you collect some toys? If not, do you have a favorite memory of a certain toy? My favorite memory was of a Barbie clothes case that my mom filled with home-sewn outfits for Barbie. Answer for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

One of the most common questions I’m asked as an author is where the inspiration for my stories comes from. The answer isn’t as straightforward as people expect. Like snowflakes, each story has its own unique inspiration. I usually credit my imagination, dreams, habit of people watching, and the accumulation of random facts for fueling inspiration. All of that is true. I love creating backstories for strangers across the room or speculating what the future holds for the characters after the movie credits roll. My latest release, Accidental P*rnstar is a romantic comedy I wrote a few years ago and sat on wondering if it was funny enough on paper. I was also hesitant because for once a few of the moments are (very) loosely inspired by an experience or two of mine. The rest is the idea of seeing just how many awkward and embarrassing things I could put Jules through as she falls in love for the first time. (Oops! Spoiler Alert…. Kidding… I said it’s romance. Happily ever after is a given)

I had so much fun writing this book. I decided to publish it after the last two years, which I think for everyone have been hard. It was a good escape to get lost in the quirky adventures of the characters.

Accidental P*rnstar

My college career was going great…Until it wasn’t.
I lost my job, scholarship, and apartment in a trifecta of crap luck.

The last thing I wanted to do is run back home to my parents with my tail tucked. As luck would have it, my old roommate, Mason Davis, had a compelling—if slightly unorthodox solution—to my financial dilemma.

His suggestion?
A live stream feed of me enjoying a little steamy fun with HIM. The smoking hot guy I’ve fantasized about countless times before. Surely, a tenacious bookworm like me can figure out how to let go of her inhibitions for one night.

After all, going viral is a good thing…right?

 If you want to read about Jules and Mason, get your copy here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09B5HQXW5/
Other retailers: https://books2read.com/u/bPg91R

 

Greetings from Melbourne, Australia, and as always, thanks to Delilah for making her blog page, one of my favourite places to visit.

Let’s talk firsts.

First crush. First kiss. First love.

Katelyn Jennings can answer all three with one name. Dane Browne.

Most know him as the GOAT of Australian Rules Football. A midfielder with a pile of accolades who has a humble nature and is generous with his time.

Katelyn remembers him as a sweet and sometimes goofy teen who stole her heart. Her crush on him, before their fifteenth birthday, came after his mother lost her battle with ovarian cancer. Their first kiss on Valentine’s Day, six months later was the start of their love story.

As she discovers, promises can’t always be kept and at eighteen, their split is heartbreaking. After moving to Kingston Creek to be with her family, she makes a new life for herself. That is, until a trip to the supermarket changes her fate…

 

Excerpt from The Athlete by Deb Robinson:

Dane Browne followed Jess, his brother’s fiancé, down aisle after aisle while navigating the wonkiest trolley known to mankind.

When he considered exercise to combat his fatigue from the three hour drive to Kingston Creek, this was not what he had in mind. A run would’ve been better. Or some warm up drills. He was usually at peace with himself whenever he exercised.

‘Crap!’ Jess exclaimed when they were halfway down the final aisle. ‘I forgot to get toothpaste. We have to go back to the personal care section. Then I promise we’re done and we can get some lunch.’

On the way back to aisle seven, his trolley collided with another, steered by an elderly lady. The woman gave him the filthiest glare. And as he rounded the corner, he almost wiped out a cereal display. That was followed by lingering stares from two guys and one female. Just as well his on-field skills weren’t like this. He pushed his niggling thoughts aside and concentrated on the task at hand.

‘Dane?’

Here we go…

‘Dane Browne, is that you?’

He prepared himself for the stock standard football conversation he’d undertaken more times than there were days in a year. And as his head turned, his gaze latched onto familiar and pretty amber eyes. The surprised yet beautiful smile was just as familiar.

‘Katelyn!’ He was as flabbergasted as she appeared to be. ‘What’re you doing here?’

‘I could ask you the same thing.’

He saw Katelyn’s gaze slide across to his shopping companion before it lingered, long and hard.

‘Congratulations!’

Huh? 

‘Obviously your engagement hasn’t been unearthed yet or it’d be splashed across every media site there is.’

‘No…’ He looked from Katelyn to Jess and saw the rock gleaming brazenly on her ring finger. ‘Shit, no!’

Jess honed in on him, hands on hips as a scowl crossed her face. ‘And just what’s that supposed to mean?’

‘I didn’t mean that…’ This was going from awkward to painful, by the nanosecond. He took a calming breath just as he did right before he lined up to kick a goal. ‘Katelyn, this is Jess, my soon to be sister-in-law.’

‘Oh!’ Katelyn’s expression softened before a grin broke out. ‘Which Browne brother are you marrying? Ooh, can I take a guess?’

‘Sure,’ replied Jess with a bright and friendly grin.

The three of them took up the space in the middle of the aisle and as an elderly man approached, they moved aside while waiting for him to slither past.

‘It can’t be Zane. And from what I remember, I always doubted that Blaine… I mean Blayze, would ever marry, so that leaves Dane’s older brothers.’

While she spoke, he took in the honey blonde hair that was pulled up into a ponytail. He couldn’t tell if it was shorter than he remembered.

‘I’d have to guess Kane.’

‘And you’d be right…’ Jess laughed. ‘You obviously know the brothers well.’

‘Katelyn was my girlfriend in high school,’ he explained.

‘Okay…’ Jess looked from Katelyn to him. ‘How about I take the trolley and make a start at the checkout? You guys catch up. It was lovely to meet you, Katelyn.’

‘Thanks, Jess…’ Katelyn’s tone sounded a little breathless. Unsteady. ‘It was nice to meet you, too.’

As Jess wheeled the trolley away and much to his annoyance, quite easily, his gaze returned to Katelyn.

‘So, how’ve you been?’ He’d never really been good with small talk. It always felt uneasy and forced. ‘It’s good to see you.’

Trying to act nonchalant, he rested his elbow on the nearest shelf. And subsequently knocked down multiple boxes of condoms. Their weightless drop to the floor was as audible as a pin dropping in a silent room.

‘Shit!’

He and Katelyn hadn’t seen each other since they were eighteen. This moment eight and a half years later was far from a best on ground performance.

The Athlete

‘Dane was easy. All he wanted, was to play footy.’

Recently ‘The Great Dane’ Browne has been questioning whether he can return to the elite level of Australian Rules Football and more importantly, whether he wants to.

Katelyn Jennings has never really made peace with her breakup with her high school sweetheart and for good reason. But a chance meeting will put her heart and her life through the ultimate test.
They’re about to discover whether you can move on from your first love. And for Dane, it’s about discovering who he really is AWAY from the game.
This sexy, contemporary romance is sweet & spicy and will warm your heart. It includes brotherly banter and a HEA.

Book two in the 5 Shades of Brothers Browne series.

Pre-order your copy here!

The Athlete is the second book in the 5 Shades of Brothers Browne series and is Available on e-book as a pre-order NOW with official release expected on July 3^rd.

High school sweethearts √

Second Chance at love √

Sweet and Spicy √

Browne brothers’ banter √

FREE Read

To celebrate the pre-order and my third blog with Delilah, I have a FREEBIE…
Book 1 in the series, The Cop is now available on e-book for a limited time at
Amazon and with KU

Follow Deb Robinson on her official Facebook page
Follow on Twitter @DRobinsonbooks
Follow on Instagram @debrobinsonbooks

UPDATE: The winner is…Margaret!
*~*~*

Last Wednesday afternoon, my dd and I were watching the dogs play in the backyard, while we sat on the covered patio. We heard the nearby air-conditioning unit start up, make a horrible chuffing noise, and then stop. Then it repeated that over and over. As we stared, we saw smoke begin to rise from the unit. Quickly, we called my SIL, who was preparing for his nightly shift with the PD. He came down, opened the panel to peer inside, and we all saw flames coming from around a group of wires. He simply blew out the flames, cut off the power to the AC, and I dialed American Home Shield to let them know we’d need to have our AC fixed.

Well, apparently, every local AC repairman is booked up. Who’d have thought that, when AC season finally arrived, EVERYONE would need their services? We still don’t have a technician assigned, and in the meantime, we’re trying to cope with a very hot house. On Thursday, we actually had the highest temperature on record in 104 years. So, you know we’re pretty miserable.

My office and art rooms are in the basement, so I can keep cool-ish hanging out there, but the upstairs is awful. My granddaughter has the garage-converted-into-a-bedroom space—with its own AC—so guess where all the animals and all the folks who reside upstairs hang out?

Tempers are fraying. No one wants to cook. We’re taking cool showers. Lots of take-out is happening. We’re to the point where we’re freezing Tupperware containers of ice to put in front of fans to cool the air the really old-fashioned way. When it cools into the 70s at night, we’re opening windows. And you know, I live in Arkansas, so we’re being eaten alive by mosquitoes. So, if I sound grumpy for the next wee while, you know why! In the meantime, I have to write and edit, and you know that’s not going well, because, again, I’m grumpy and it’s showing!

Puzzle Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then share something in the comments about how you beat the heat!