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Flashback: Her Next Breath (Contest — 2 Winners!)
Tuesday, August 30th, 2022

UPDATE: The winners are…Debby and Laura!
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I love doing flashback highlights! It’s not only a reminder to you but also to me of the many stories I’ve written. Did you know before I wrote bounty hunters that I had this entire series of SEAL-hero stories? Read an excerpt from the second “Uncharted” book!

Enjoy! ~DD

Watch Over Me   
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Baby, It's You Before We Kiss Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Between a SEAL and a Hard Place 
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  Head Over SEAL 

Click on the covers to learn more about these stories!

Contest

Win your choice of one of my Uncharted SEALs stories! There will be 2 winners! All you have to do to enter is answer me this…

What author’s older series have your recently discovered and devoured? Spread some love!

Her Next Breath

Her Next Breath

 

Ex-SEAL Jackson Keller’s first mission with the Charter Group’s spec ops unit is a bust. Instead of capturing a drug lord in his Mexican compound, he finds a beautiful, naked woman. But she may have information they need to nail the narco-terrorist, so he takes her, sealing his fate. She’s his to watch, his to “manage” until the op’s done.

Suri McAnally’s made some mistakes—mainly trusting her college roomie who just so happens to be the son of one of Mexico’s most dangerous drug lords. If Jackson can save her, she’ll do whatever he says, mirror his moves, and try to keep her insta-lust under control. Her next breath depends on it.

Buy at Amazon!

Excerpt from Her Next Breath…

When Suri awoke, it was to discover she was resting inside the curve of Jackson’s arm, her thigh draped over his, her head on his chest. She didn’t know who’d moved the blanket. Maybe they’d both naturally gravitated together. She hated to think she might have been the one to cross the line demarking their personal space.

Partly because she didn’t want to wake him, and partly because it was a new experience lying inside a man’s embrace, she held her breath and remained perfectly still. She breathed in his scent, which was a sagey musk combined with the remaining odor of the paint he’d worn on his face. His skin was smooth, warm, tanned and cloaked a hard, very muscular frame. Her fingertips tingled, and she very nearly gave into the temptation to run one tip over his hard abs. Instead, she curled her hand into a fist.

Last night when she’d seen him fully for the first time—without the paint, his body nearly nude—she’d felt her knees wobble. He was devastatingly handsome, not in a pretty-boy way. He was too manly, too large, all hard angles and lovely bulges, with short, nearly dark-brown hair and those cloudy gray eyes. Even the stubble on his chin made her thighs clench.

Suri hoped she didn’t sleep beside him for many more nights or she’d grow accustomed to his physique. Any man she met after this little adventure would pale in comparison.

Her glance traveled downward to the sheet barely covering his hips. Maybe it was the fold of the sheets, but the fabric was tented.

“Playing possum?”

She raised her head and met his gaze, blushing because she’d been caught staring at his sex.

“Didn’t want to disturb you.”

“You’re breathing, aren’t you?” he muttered in a graveled tone.

She frowned, not understanding, and then pushed away from his body although she instantly regretted the loss of his warmth. When she’d first awoken, she’d felt sheltered, safe—and not just from Diego and his henchmen. She’d felt…cherished.

Ridiculous, she knew. And slightly pathetic. Was she really so needy for human connection that she was romanticizing over Jackson?

But in the morning light, his face wasn’t quite so hard-bitten. Scruffy, dark bristles covered his chin and jaw; his gaze rested on her rather than spearing her.

His glance cut away, and he looked at his watch. “Chow’s nearly over. We should dress.”

“I’m starved.”

The corners of his mouth twitched.

His first smile?

And then his features grew remote again, his mouth firmed. “Get dressed. I need to check in with Teague.”

Aware his gaze followed her still, she rose and stretched her arms high, and then headed to her pillow case.

“You do that on purpose, don’t you?”

She aimed a grin over her shoulder. “Why, whatever do you mean?”

His gaze narrowed, but a one-sided smile curved.

Feeling as though she’d accomplished something noteworthy, she entered the bathroom, closing the door against the temptation that was Jackson Keller.

Kennedi Darling: Ash — Tattered Souls MC, Book 3
Monday, August 29th, 2022

Ash (Tattered Souls MC: Book 3)

Universal Link: mybook.to/AshTSMC
Available on Kindle Unlimited and Amazon

 

Note from the Author: To prepare yourself for this book, find a comfortable place to sit, grab your snacks and refreshments, and make sure to have plenty of tissues handy. This whirlwind rollercoaster will have you glued to the pages so tuck in and enjoy the ride.

**Author is not responsible for the wide range of emotions brought out from within the pages of this book but will happily collect all the tears shed for her tear jar.

What the book is about…

Lyric:

Moving back to my hometown, determined to tell Ash I was in love with him, was always the plan after getting my degree. Meeting Saint was not. He caught me by surprise with flirty banter, a bossy attitude, and the way he cared for his sister.

I wanted them both but wasn’t prepared for the challenges that laid ahead.

Ash:

Lying in that alley, desperate for a fix and living as the most broken version of myself I’d ever been, he was my savior.

When the nightmare of my past resurfaced, bringing with it the memories I tried to drown out years ago, I teetered on the edge of being lost forever.

Now I wondered if I cared enough to come back and face reality.

Saint:

Everything I wanted was finally within my grasp—freedom, happiness, and an official place in the club. Everything except Ash. Keeping him in the dark cost us our friendship, which in turn may have cost us the future we’d planned. That future looked brighter when I met her, and she brought us all together in a way I’d only dreamed of.

Then disaster struck, sending Ash on a spiral I never anticipated, and it threatened to ruin everything we’d built. I didn’t know if I was strong enough to take it all on this time.

But maybe I didn’t have to . . . not on my own anyway.

**Ash is the third book in the Tattered Souls MC series. This book features an interracial MMF relationship. This story includes a HEA, no cliffhangers, and no cheating. It is recommended that the series be read in order as there are continuing elements that follow the club from book to book, however, each story can be read as a standalone.

Adult Content Warning: This book contains explicit language, sexual scenes, and violence.

Trigger Warning: This book contains subject matter surrounding physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. It also features a character who struggles with PTSD, depressive episodes, and addiction. If any of these subjects affect you negatively, this book may not be right for you.

10 things to do with your notebook stash! (Contest + Open Contests!)
Sunday, August 28th, 2022

UPDATE: The winner is…Claire Reed Warren!
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If you’re anything like me, you have a stash of notebooks sitting in a drawer or on a shelf that you haven’t used and have probably forgotten that you even own. I get notebooks from family members because they know I hoard paper products and office supplies. I’ve never been able to pass by the $1 aisle at Target and not pick up some cute notebook. And yes, I do use some of them. Every purse I own has a notebook stashed inside for times when story ideas hit, but I still have sooooo many sitting around. The kids know this and hit me up for sketchbooks all the time. I love being their favorite “store”—but those requests don’t make a dent in my stash. The picture above is of notebooks I had stuffed into the bottom of my inbox tray!

So, I thought it might be fun to create a list of ways to use up my stash and give those lonely notebooks a purpose!

  1. 🎁 Birth dates and gift lists
  2. 🤶 Christmas lists
  3. 💻 Computer app passwords
  4. ✨ Happy thoughts and sayings
  5. ⚰️ List to help family sort your stuff when you die, also who gets what!
  6. 🖥️ Blog ideas
  7. 🛍️ Grocery/shopping lists
  8. 🎨 Craft/Art project ideas
  9. 📚 Story ideas
  10. 🗒️ To Do lists

Wow, that made me think. Now, I’m going to hit up my daughter for labels for my notebooks!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, share another idea for using up those notebooks!

Open Contests

  1. Romance Trope Word Search! (Contest) This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
  2. Michal Scott: Hiding in Plain Sight: Belle da Costa Greene (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
  3. Favorite Heroes Word Search! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
  4. Saturday Puzzle-Contest! — Win an Amazon gift card!
Saturday Puzzle-Contest!
Saturday, August 27th, 2022

UPDATE: The winner is…Carol G!
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I’m late posting today because a friend messaged my dd to tell us there was a garage sale we could not miss this morning! The woman was selling vintage Pyrex dishes, which my daughter collects. My SIL was game to drive us there and patiently waited while we picked through her junk to find hidden treasures! We came away with so many pieces of Pyrex my daughter doesn’t have room to display them! It’s a great problem for an addict to have. I worked my way down one end of the table, snagging items I knew she’d want, and when we met in the middle we were both thrilled at all our finds.

Then I went through the rest of the tables looking for strange and wonderful treasures, which are what I collect—not that most of my treasures are worth anything, but I’m always looking for the thing that makes me happy.

The item I came away with cost an entire dollar! You have to solve the puzzle to see the tarnished brass (tarnish just means it has been around a while, like me). We looked on eBay to see what similar things go for. The ones we found were promotional type items produced in the 50s. Mine was sold at Knott’s Berry Farm—Ghost Town, California—I have no idea when. The top part flips to change numbers. The screws on the sides change other settings. Now, you have to see what the little treasure is, right? It’s found its forever-home on my desk. 🙂

Puzzle-Contest

Share one garage sale/junk shop find that makes you smile for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Let’s celebrate Women’s Equality Day!
Friday, August 26th, 2022

Another of those throw-away holidays no one knows about. And it’s a cryin’ damn shame.

You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but back in my youth, I was the girl in bellbottoms and embroidered headbands. I was sent home from school to change when I appeared wearing peace signs on my blue jeans. When I was a young woman, the thing I wanted most from my nation was for the passage of the ERA—the Equal Rights Amendment. It’s long, long overdue. Can you imagine if our equality under the law was guaranteed? Sure, we’ve had piecemeal protections put into place, but depending on the flavor of government that exists, those can disappear with the stroke of a pen.

Not to get political, and I don’t think this example is, but can you imagine if we used that amendment to make sure that government dollars going toward research for things like for heart disease had to pay equal attention to a woman’s pathology as they do men’s? Maybe doctors would actually have a better understanding of what happens when WE have heart attacks and better advice for prevention.

Equality—when did it become a bad word? And why does the majority (women) put up with being less than? Okay, I’ll take a deep breath now and push down my former flower child into the deep recesses of my heart and wish you all a very happy, thoughtful Women’s Equality Day! ~DD

Favorite Heroes Word Search! (Contest)
Thursday, August 25th, 2022

UPDATE: The winner is…Beverly!
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It’s another Play Date for all you “word nerds”!

Solve the puzzle then tell me your favorite types of romance book heroes for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

 

N.J. Walters: The Forgotten Brotherhood is Back! (Excerpt)
Wednesday, August 24th, 2022

I’m absolutely thrilled the Forgotten Brotherhood is back. ANCIENT DESIRE is the latest installment in the paranormal romance series. Those of you who have read my Blood of the Drakon series will be familiar with drakons. If you haven’t, I hope you’ll fall in love with Lucius as much as I have. There’s nothing more possessive and protective than a drakon with his treasure.

Who are the Forgotten Brotherhood? They’re a group of paranormal assassins, the misfits that other paranormal creatures fear. They aren’t the monsters lurking under the bed. They’re the ones that kill them.

They live by a strict code: Kill only those that truly deserve it and let their gods sort them out. Kill them before they kill you. Never, ever betray a fellow assassin.

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.

TEASER:

“Who am I kidding? I’m going to die here with a stupid stone dragon who won’t even talk to me.” The glare she sent him was fierce. “This is all your fault.” She sniffed and pointed her finger at him. At him. He didn’t know whether to smite her or applaud her bravery. “If you hadn’t been here, I would never have come. I can’t figure out Mack’s angle. Why lead me all the way out here and trap me with you? The whole ‘an angel told me to do it’ adds another layer of weird. He could have killed me on the hike in, if all he wanted was my death.”

She wasn’t wrong. The whole thing seemed to be some kind of elaborate setup. He waited impatiently, wanting to know more.

“It has to tie in somehow with the grant I got to write my book from—wait for it—the Angel Foundation. That’s not a coincidence. Talk about too good to be true. I should have suspected something was up. My field of study isn’t exactly one that gets a lot of funding.

“I love teaching, don’t get me wrong, but I wanted time to write a book, maybe even two. And the grant was enough for me to take an entire year off work. Yesterday was my first day of my new adventure, and it probably marks the beginning of the end.”

She lifted her sleeve and rubbed it over her face. “I’m sorry to dump all this on you, but let’s face it. You’re the only one here.”

Giving a sigh, she leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. “It’s my own fault for believing in myths and legends. Did you know there are urban legends about werewolves and vampires in North Carolina?” She took a tiny sip of water. “But you’re real. You’re a freaking stone dragon.

Her insistence on referring to him as a dragon was beginning to annoy him.

“Are you based off some prehistoric flying dinosaur? Maybe they found some fossilized bones and this was their interpretation of what you might have looked like. Yeah, you’re probably nothing more than a flying dinosaur.”

The rumble came from deep inside him. Cracks appeared in his stone covering and traveled down to the ground beneath him.

“Holy crap.” Raine jumped to her feet, her hand pressed to her chest, her eyes wide.

The thick casing that had protected him for centuries crumbled. His limbs were stiff after so long, but there wasn’t enough room for him to stretch, not unless he wanted to bring the ceiling down around them.

He swiveled his head in her direction. “I’m no dinosaur. I am a drakon.”

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 N.J. 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