UPDATE: The winner is Gail Siuba!
*~*~*

Here’s me wishing all dads a Happy Father’s Day! This is the second year I don’t have one to spoil with a gift or a card, so cherish yours! I can smell breakfast. I’m guessing my dd is going all-out for Father’s Day today. And the little ones are up—I can hear their voices and their feet, so they must be “decorating”. 🙂

I’ll be writing and editing today. Plenty to keep busy with. Enjoy your day!

The Puzzle-Contest

Solve the puzzle, and then tell me what story you see for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Enter these contests while you can!

1. What’s Her Fairytale CONTEST? Plus, check out all these open CONTESTS! — This one ends tomorrow! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Reina Torres: I Confess! I love Reality Shows! (Contest) — Win a first in a series book!!
3. Fun things to do in COVID-Times…? (Contest) — Win a download of your choice!

Meanwhile, down on the farm…

My dd was in the midst of cleaning out the goat pen and got a little unwanted help from Lil…

Tending the goats is one of the highlights of our days because they are as playful as puppies. Just had to share her picture. We have two goats, two horses, ten dogs (I think, last count anyway), four cats. A menagerie. The 6-year-old wants a bunny, but we all get a glazed look on our faces and quickly change the subject. We’d like to get a cow or steer to raise for the freezer, but that’s maybe next year. Next year will also be the garden we’ll plant. So many things to do! Who has time to be bored in COVID-time?!

Now, onto some good news…

See the little orange flag on the picture above?

Thank you to everyone who’s ordered their copy! It releases on June 30th and is chock full of fun stories. Something for everyone’s tastes, so long as you like a sexy story…

Pre-order your copy here:
Kindle | Nook | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play

Enter these Collections Contests while you can…

Over at the anthology website, we have contests still open! Prizes include books, and more books, Amazon gift cards! Be sure to head over there to enter!

1. Megan Ryder: Claiming Lyla (Contest–4 Winners!) — Last day to enter! (Okay, so this one’s right here! Still counts!) Win books or a gift card!
2. January George: Blackout (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Tray Ellis: Falling Off the Single Track (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Melanie Jayne: Drive (Contest) — Win the ENTIRE NOVUS SERIES!
5. Megan Ryder: Claiming Lyla (Contest — 4 Winners) — Win an anthology or an Amazon gift card!
6. Reina Torres: Far From Over (Contest — 2 Winners!) — Win an anthology!

UPDATE: The winner is…Michelle Oxrider!
*~*~*

This was me with the fam yesterday (dd is taking the pic; the guy second from the left is my grandaughter’s boyfriend). While we have plenty to do to keep us busy around the old homestead to combat boredom, we really needed a break. Since we had our own innertubes, we loaded up and headed out early yesterday to avoid any crowds on the river. Other than some kayakers, we had the river to ourselves for four hours! Doing it on a weekend would have been out of the question because—too many people, and we’re still self-isolating as best we can.

Yes, self-isolation is still a thing here with numbers in Arkansas on the rise. We have way too many people who still think COVID is no worse than the flu, and who refuse to mask or keep their distance. Our schools are trying to figure out what next year will look like—whether they will offer at-home options to folks who’d rather not let their kids mingle and bring home the virus. We’re praying we’ll have a choice, or we might have to go the official homeschool route, which we really don’t want to do.

So, back to our tubing day… We brought water and snacks and plenty of sunscreen. The river is shallow in a lot of places, so we floated, hit the shallows, and picked up our tubes to walk to the deeper waters and floated again. I’m not as nimble getting in and out of a tube onto sifting, silty riverbed, but my SIL is a big guy and strong, so he helped me when I needed it. We laughed and paddled and lazed. The little ones had their tubes tied to the adults’ tubes. We’re all swimmers, so no vests. All in all, it was a lovely morning.

We’re already trying to map out our schedules to see when we can do it again. The kids are ready for more adventures. We’ve been trying to think out of the box. We’re lucky we live in the country, so there’s plenty of outdoor area for them to play. We have a pool—another huge plus. Still, we all get cabin fever.

We bought an outdoor projector to watch movies, but with mosquitoes already out in force, we can’t do an outside movie night until Fall.

Do you have any suggestions for things a family can do “out in the world” and still be safe? Answer for a chance to win your choice of a download of one of my books!

It’s been a stressful year and many of us will be staying closer to home this summer. If you expect to be spending more time in the backyard this season, here’s a cool and refreshing adult beverage you can make ahead of time and enjoy whenever you like.

Summer Slush

Ingredients:
1 – 12 oz can of frozen orange juice
1 – 12 oz can of frozen lemonade
¾ cup of sugar
5 cups of water
2 cups of vodka

In large freezer proof container, mix in order given and freeze.
Serve ½ glass of slush with 7 up or ginger ale.

Things you can do at home!

Now that you have your drink, here’s some things you can do at home this summer.

1. Throw an indoor picnic. On a rainy day, spread a blanket on the living room floor, thrown down some pillows and enjoy picnic foods—fruit, cheese, crackers, fried chicken, pasta salad, or whatever you desire. If it’s an adult picnic, you can throw in a bottle of wine, light a candle and make it romantic.

2. Have one night a week where you try a new recipe. Get your family involved and all of you take turns choosing. They don’t have to be complex recipes—unless you’re so inclined. Keep it simple and fun. Fire up the grill if you have one.

3. Dessert night! I’m sure you’re seeing a theme here. Spend a day baking some tasty treats and enjoy. Or recreate a traditional English tea, complete with scones and cream.

4. Have a movie marathon day. Pick a movie series, load up on snacks, and watch them back to back. Lord of the Rings, Die Hard, Bourne Identity, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Mummy. There are plenty to choose from. Or have a theme movie day—Disney, horror, comedy.

5. Take a walk or a drive somewhere different. Doesn’t have to be far. We all tend to be creatures of habit and take the same routes or go to the same places.

6. Read a book. Take yourself out to the backyard, the balcony, or walk to a park (maintaining social distancing) and enjoy a few hours.

And if you’re looking for something to read, you might want to check out ARCTIC BITE, the second book in my Forgotten Brotherhood series, out now.

Arctic Bite
Forgotten Brotherhood, Book Two

Being immortal doesn’t mean you can’t die. It just means you’re damn hard to kill.

When Alexei Medvedev joined the Forgotten Brotherhood—paranormals hired to assassinate other paranormals—he knew it wouldn’t be a cake walk. But his next target is one of Death’s own Reapers gone rogue. For the first time since he started this gig, “damn hard to kill” feels more like “damn near impossible.”

Tracking Cassie Dobbs brings him to a remote bar in small-town Alaska, where this hot-as-hell Reaper is casually serving drinks, as if she doesn’t have a bounty on her head from Death himself. Alexei is dangerously intrigued. Everyone in the Brotherhood knows the first rule: don’t fall for your target.

But Alexei soon has bigger problems to face than an unexpected attraction. They only send assassins after those who deserve to die…or so he’s been made to believe. Now that he’s met Cassie, though, he’s not so sure.

What if everything he’s been told is a lie, and the person he’s been sent to kill is the only one who knows the truth?

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0867QY8W2/
Entangled: https://entangledpublishing.com/artic-bite.html
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/arctic-bite-n-j-walters/1136703731
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/arctic-bite
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/arctic-bite/id1504086378

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, 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 me 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…Charlotte!
*~*~*

Project Runway. Face Off. Skin Wars. Top Chef. Hell’s Kitchen (only while I’m editing). Bar Rescue.

Okay, I could go on, but I won’t. Because this episode of Binge Watch Confessions is about Bar Rescue.

It started at first because, apparently, my muse likes the soothing background music of men screaming. I’m sure there’s a lot for a therapist to unpack there, but that’s for another day.

But I was flipping channels, and there was Jon Taffer yelling at a beleaguered bar owner who is too stuck in his own way to get out of his own way.

That part wasn’t all that interesting, but then he brought in his bar experts. A mixologist for the drinks and a chef for the kitchen. Now, I get my fill of foodie stuff in other places, but the drinks.

Oh, that was interesting. Drink programs tailored to the bar, either by theme or location. Or both. It was fascinating and I ate it up. I watched as they explained why stirring a drink or shaking it made a difference. As they used fresh ingredients and explained the reason it made drinks better. For a person who got a degree in the background tech of theater, it spoke to me.

I like to craft. To make. I guess it’s not all that off base that I became an author. Crafting stories.

Well, in XAVIER, the heroine is True Sinclair, and she is a mixologist hired to craft a drink program for “The Majestic” a bar at a resort that caters to shapeshifters. It’s a resort that is being brought back to its heyday after years of being dormant.

The idea is to create a place where shapeshifters can just “be” and not worry that they have to protect themselves from humans or people who are curious. The entire town is a place where shifters have been open about their lives since its foundation.

So, when I was researching drinks to “transform” into shifter-themed drinks, I was shocked to find out that somehow I’d tied a plot point into a neat little bow. Without realizing it.

My hero, Xavier, is a panther shifter. He crafts his own moonshine for himself and his friends. During my research, I discovered that a slang name for moonshine is PANTHER’S BREATH.

Well, goodness…wasn’t that…odd.

Xavier releases next Tuesday and is on a preorder sale that will continue for a short time after release.

Xavier

He thought he wanted his freedom and his solitude more than anything else in the world… until he met her.

Xavier Salazar lives the life that he wants. He has his friends and his home carved into Mystic Mountain. It’s his retreat, his refuge. When a gorgeous woman shows up in town to help make the resort’s bar a brilliant success, he’s torn. Xavier is determined to drive her away, but his panther wants to touch her all over, hide her away in their den, and add to the family that he was slowly creating around himself.

Oh, he was going to fight… hard. And yet, even he knew he was probably fighting a losing battle.

True Sinclair is at the top of her profession. Being a world-class mixologist means she knows how to blend all kinds of things together. She just can’t fathom why Xavier treats her like he’s oil and she’s water. There was no doubt that he was combustible around her.

At first, he can’t seem to force himself to be civil or even make an effort to share the same town, but she finds herself drawn to the dichotomy warring inside of him.

True knows what he is and she knows what she wants, but she won’t wait around forever if the man who makes her blind with love and drunk with passion won’t even meet her halfway.

Pre-order your copy here!

Contest

I’m happy to offer an ebook copy of Book 1 of the series WINTER.
All you have to do is tell us their favorite mixed drink and why you like it!

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

Enter while you can!

1. Ava Cuvay: The Tentacle Dilemma (Contest — 4 Winners!) — This ends soon! Win an anthology or a cool T-shirt!
2. Megan Ryder: Claiming Lyla (Contest–4 Winners!) — Win books or a gift card!
3. Okay, I’m officially tired of… (Plus, a Puzzle-Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. January George: Blackout (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Diana Cosby: Nature’s Beauty – At The Marsh (Contest) — Win a signed book!

What’s Her Fairytale Contest?

I found a very cool puzzle for you to solve. Solve it. Then think about what her story might be. Tell me her story for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Have fun with this! ~ DD

UPDATE: The winner is…Lindsay Ramos!
*~*~*

©Diana Cosby 2020

Along with writing, I enjoy photography, and I’m amazed at the variety of incredible nature that I see. I wanted to share a few recent photos that I took while walking at the marsh. I was thrilled to come upon this gorgeous young buck with his antlers just beginning to show. I remember seeing him and his sibling last spring when they were fawns.

The Osprey have built their nests throughout the marsh. The bond between the couples is amazing. A few days ago, I watched an Osprey eating a fish. When the bird had finished half of the catch, it flew back to the nest and the mate came and finished the meal.

One of the neatest things is to discover a new bird. This year I saw my first Ruddy Turnstone at the marsh. They’re about the size of a small dove, have feather coloring like a calico cat, and tend to travel around in small flocks.

Another bird I enjoy seeing is the Willet. These sleek, quick, and very vocal shore birds run up and down the beach in search of food.

Laughing Gulls are appropriately named. Their call sounds like someone laughing. Until I took this photo, I didn’t realize how ruby red the inside of their mouth is. I hope you’ve enjoyed some of the photos I’ve taken during my walks to the marsh. Take care, and I wish you the best.

About the Author

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, The Oath Trilogy, and the first four books of The Forbidden Series, she’s thrilled with the release of book #5, Forbidden Realm.

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

Contest

ONE winner will be drawn from everyone who posts on my guest blog post about, ‘Nature’s Beauty – At The Marsh,’ on Delilah’s blog between 15 June 2020 – 21 June 2020. The winner will receive a signed copy of His Destiny.

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