First, let’s take care of a bit of business! Thanks for your input on yesterday’s poll! I’ve closed it out and have narrowed the choices for themes for the next Boys Behaving Badly Anthology based on your input. Now, enter your vote in one last poll!
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.
The Puzzle
Now’s the puzzle because you should be rewarded after the stress of having to choose!
The Contest
Tell me what’s happening in that photo for a chance to win your choice of download from among the Boys Behaving Badly anthologies!
So, I gathered your suggestions from my post over a week ago regarding the theme for the next Boys Behaving Badly Anthology—#6. Now, I need to know which theme really grabs your attention.
So, cast your vote! You can choose up to three themes. I’m not guaranteeing that the highest vote-getter will end up being the one, but I promise to consider your choices!
And to entice you to play, I’ll offer a prize—a $5 Amazon gift card to one person who leaves a comment telling me which was the clear winner!
Thanks for adding your two cents to my decision-making process! ~DD
The Poll
Which themes appeal to you the most for the next Boys Behaving Badly Anthology? Choose up to 3 themes!
Cowboys and Ranchers (20%, 10 Votes)
Real Men, like lumberjacks, construction workers, etc. (16%, 8 Votes)
Silver Foxes, i.e., older guys (12%, 6 Votes)
Royalty...bad boys with a title...could be real world or a fairy king... (10%, 5 Votes)
Nerds and Geeks (10%, 5 Votes)
Military Men, any branch of service (8%, 4 Votes)
Second Chance stories (6%, 3 Votes)
Medical Men (6%, 3 Votes)
Bikers (4%, 2 Votes)
Captive--but not a rape scenario! (4%, 2 Votes)
Working Class Men (I'll find a sexier title, promise!) (4%, 2 Votes)
Take a Selfie, Win a Prize From now through July 31, Books 2-6 in The Phoenix Agency are ON SALE for just 99 cents.
ALL LINKS FOUND HERE (https://desireeholt.com/phoenix-agency/) Buy a book, take a selfie (print or cover on tablet) Hop on over to Desiree’s Darlings to enter for a $25 GC
The Books
#2 EXTRASENSORY
Mia Fleming’s precognitive her visions about Carpenter Techtronics are so vivid, she resorts to sending anonymous emails to the company. She’s also having visions of a gorgeous man who arouses her to the point she’s satisfying herself just to get some relief. She’s shocked when the man shows up in her office, demanding to know what she knows about Carpenter. Dan Romeo is just helping his friend track down the person threatening his company when he meets Mia. One look at her and he has a hard time thinking about anything but indulging in off-the-charts sex with the intriguing woman—until bodies begin falling. As Mia’s visions escalate, so does the explosive sex between her and Dan, as well as an unexpected emotional connection. When Mia is almost killed, Dan and his team must race to find the culprits before they can strike again—or put Mia down for good.
#3 SCENT OF DANGER
Kelly Monroe was shocked when her dog, Xena, a Caucasian Ovcharka seemed to bond at once with Rick Latrobe, a partner in the high profile Phoenix Agency. Ovcharkas are known for linking with only their owners. But Xena is picking up Rick’s wave length, very much aware when an attempt is made on Rick’s life and sensing all kinds of danger signals related to Rick’s current project: ferrying a shipment of arms to a private security cadre in Iraq. Rick is nearly killed when the shipment is stolen by terrorists who are hot on his trail. Only Kelly and Xena—coached by members of The Lotus Circle to expand the psychic link between the three of them—can keep him safe. As Rick scrambles to learn who’s behind the whole mess, the relationship he and Kelly have deepens. But Xena is the real star, not only signaling when danger is at hand but “sniffing” out the killers.
#4 FREEZE FRAME
Katherine “Kat” Culhane was a highly sought after remote viewer, but her gift was beginning to splinter, and just at a time when she needed it the most. Her sister Mari, along with Mari’s employer and his family, have been kidnapped. But Mike D’Antoni, a partner in the shadowy Phoenix Agency, is suddenly back in her life and could be the only person to help find the hostages. The chemistry between them is just as hot as it ever was, but they parted on very bad terms. Can they put the past behind them as they race to find and rescue the hostages? And what will happen when it’s time to say goodbye again?
#5 FEEL THE HEAT
Summer Cahill lives as quietly as she can, protecting her ability as a psychic healer. But danger brings former SEAL and Phoenix partner Troy Arsenault into her life—along with scorching nights and intense emotions. Resisting him isn’t even a question, in or out of the bedroom. He protects her from the evil stalking her even as he takes her beyond the physical boundaries of anything she’s ever experienced. When Summer is kidnapped, Troy’s world is turned upside down and he employs all the resources of The Phoenix Agency to rescue her. He won’t rest until she’s back safely in his life—and in his bed— for the rest of their lives.
#6 FORMULA FOR DANGER
Running back to Texas after an emotional disaster in San Francisco, J. L. Mitchell, microbiologist, is throwing herself into the development of a new, drought-resistant grain. Little did she expect to reconnect with Cole Martin, who rings al her bells, or to discover that her formula was at risk of being highjacked. As her work progresses, so does her relationship with Cole. When she is kidnapped, he brings all the recourse of The Phoenix Agency, where he has just become a partner, into play, hoping they will be in time.
Yesterday, I took the day off. I turned off my computer. *gasp*
Yes, I was tired after finishing two sets of edits on Wednesday. The thing motivating me to move away from my desk was that my daughter, SIL, and granddaughter pitched in to help me get control of my overflowing office/craft room. Since they moved in, I gave up my office and crammed it into the back of my craft room. Then my mother’s art supplies were also dumped into my craft room for sorting later. I’ve been living like a hoarder (and I know I already was moving in that direction, but I do try to have an orderly hoard). I had to circumvent boxes of mysterious things (I call them undiscovered treasures while my dd refers to them as trash).
It took three hours. We went through an enormous amount of stuff—and surprise! Most of it was actually usable treasure rather than trash. For instance, my mom had a box of still packaged paint brushes, acrylic and oil paints, stamps, and stamp pads, and on and on. Sorting was a matter of putting her things with my things and figuring out what was dried up or just excess packaging. Now, I can walk into my office without breaking toes (I kept stubbing my toes on boxes—and yes, I’ve broken two). It was time.
I still have work to do. My “library” was reduced from three large bookshelves to just two against the back wall of the craft room, and I have to find room for all my collectibles along with the books. I’ mean, doesn’t everyone collect McDonald’s kids meal toys? I have all the dragons from How to Train Your Dragon, all the Hotel Transylvania figures, bobbleheads from Marvel and DC superheroes, a singing bust of King Henry VIII that sings “I’m Hen-er-ree the eighth I am!” All things necessary to keep me happy when I’m writing. Truly. Uh-huh. But I’ll tackle “the library” another day…
Oh, and if you didn’t see this picture before… This is the shelf above my monitor. Yes, it needs organizing, but everything crammed into it is treasure! After all that clearing out, we all jumped into the pool for a well-deserved break.
It’s Lone Star Law! Animal Planet’s show about Texas Game Wardens. Men and women wardens… Married Wardens… and so many awesome moments… Alligator snapping turtles, Alligators, deer of all sorts… and people do NOT lie to these wardens for long. Sometimes it’s just a stern look or catching someone on Social Media being ‘stupid’ and then taking no lies.
So yes… I love writing about these amazing folks…
In Justice for Blyss, Blyss Hardy is the Game Warden and Owen Mercier is her old friend and often irritatingly hot nuisance alligator man. He’s got the charm to woo women right out of their panties… except for Blyss. She’s laughed off his attempts to get closer to her, but he’s finally wearing her down.
Not with the same old sweet words that he’s offered up before. Now, he’s cutting to the chase and getting real with his lady. It doesn’t hurt that he’s the one who literally pulls her out of a deadly situation. Owen is willing to do what it takes to show her is that his interest isn’t lip service…
Although his lips do get involved.
Very, involved.
Releasing August 18, 2020 – Find out what it’s like for a hero and heroine face the world at each other’s side and come out of it alive and in love.
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 5th 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: The winners are Pansy Petal, Debra Guyette, and Bn100!
*~*~*
I’m a workshop presenter at this year’s Chicago-North RWA Spring Fling conference, being held online due to COVID-19, and I’ll be talking about one of my favorite subjects: World-Building.
Imagine reading a story about vampires, but the author never tells you if these are creepy Nosferatu types, 80s-style heavy metal teen rebels, sword-wielding daywalkers, or sparkly high schoolers from the Pacific Northwest. What would you picture? What characteristics would you assign to them? How would you expect them to interact with other characters?
What if the story didn’t do any of what you imagined? That would be pretty disappointing—frustrating even—right? *This* is why World-Building is crucial… so a reader can immerse themselves into our stories and walk beside our characters without tripping up, taking a wrong turn, or thinking with a fair amount of annoyance, “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.”
I say all of this because, in spite of knowing better, I initially tried to cut World-Building corners with my newest book, Tin Man. I admit, I was a little tired of having to build a world completely from scratch, like a 90k ingredient cake recipe. I wanted something more familiar—a pre-made world that I didn’t have to invent. Like a cake from a box mix.
So, I decided to write a story located here on earth, in my current hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. Human beings in an earth city where I could say “tree” and not have to describe the color of the leaves… What could possibly go wrong??
Wellll, there’s the fact that my story is set about 150 years in the future, so the city will have changed, but how? And the fact that technology will definitely have changed, such as what phones look like. And the fact my story is about cybernetic individuals, so what do they look and act like? And how might society perceive toasters versus a fellow human with machine parts? And the basic fact that not everyone is as familiar with the city of Indianapolis as I am.
Sigh. I had forgotten the main reason why World-Building is so critical to a good story: Not every reader’s individual life experience and perception is the same as another’s.
A story set in Indianapolis might feel like home for one reader, but a trip to uncharted lands for another. Saying a character is a cyborg might incite positive emotions from one reader, but negative from another. Based on our individual experiences, even something as seemingly universal as McDonald’s or Amazon will bring forth a wide variety of responses. Authors must build our worlds to gently direct our reader’s responses and perceptions. Are cyborgs misunderstood humans living in fear of their own safety, or are they dangerous timebombs ready to murder innocent people at a snap?
I smacked my forehead for ignoring the main tenet of my own World-Building presentation: No matter if we authors build a world from scratch or with the help of a box mix, we HAVE to craft a believable world so readers can experience the story as we intend them to. And to experience it in such a manner they feel they have lived the story alongside our characters.
And that they know what color the leaves on the trees are. 😉
My cyborg story, Tin Man, is book one in my Silver Cyborg Series trilogy, and is currently on pre-order to go live on July 17th. Despite my initial stumble where the World-Building is concerned, I’m thrilled with how it turned out, and I can’t wait to share it with you! Below is the beginning of Chapter One to pique your interest.
Contest
What book “worlds” have been fascinating/engaging/immersive for you as a reader? Post in the comments, and on July 16th, I’ll select three winners for a Kindle version of “Tin Man.”
Excerpt from Tin Man
A slow start to the night promises a crazy ending… said no one ever. But, based on his years as a bouncer at the historic Vogue Bar and Music Venue, Adam Lehmann knew the saying was truth. This Saturday night shift was downright dull so far, and the tingle in his lower back—the part which didn’t have cybernetic sensors running through it—assured him tonight was doomed.
He didn’t yet know what or why, but something would swerve into shit creek territory, and the cops would be called.
Cops who had once been his friends and coworkers. Guys who’d had his back. Up until part of that back, his heart, his left arm, and an eye had been replaced with cybernetics. On the outside, Adam didn’t look any different than he had. But simply knowing he wasn’t entirely organic beneath the epidermis layer was enough to make him an object of fear and loathing.
The awkward shift from pal to persona non grata hadn’t been listed as a possible side effect when he’d allowed doctors to replace his shot-to-hell body parts with experimental cyborg systems. If it had, he might have let himself die on the operating table. Scratch that, he would have assumed his friendships were tight enough to withstand a few synthetic enhancements.
The joke was on him. And it wasn’t funny.
“You seem on edge, Lemon.” The automaton bartender handed him a bottle of water. Adam forced a neutral expression at the slight mispronunciation, which turned his last name into a proclamation of his derelict physical state. Adam’s glitching cyborg parts and mid-forties human body did not mesh well. A mid-life crisis of epic proportions with no hope of coming out on the other side any way but dead. Not that he would admit that to anyone.
“I seem? A bit of a subjective statement, don’t you think, Arthur?”
Arthur’s robotic Swiss army knife body rotated beneath its head, its multiple attachments a symphony of cleaning, stacking, filling, pouring, serving. Only its face held any humanoid features, and those looked like the poor schmuck who passed out first at a fraternity party. Someone had taken a black marker to the mechanized bartender, decorating it with a scraggly goatee, handlebar mustache, scars, anime eyelashes, a black eye, and the word dildo in bold caps across his forehead. Instead of paying to have the synthetic covering cleaned or replaced, The Vogue’s owner had shrugged at the vandalism and invested in costume hats to add to Arthur’s look. Tonight, it sported a red bandana skull cap and pirate’s eye-patch. Adam refused to laugh at the ridiculousness of it.
To be honest, he didn’t laugh, period. Looming demise did that to a person.
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