Report Card

Last week…

1. I worked on one author’s edits! A not so productive week, but after spending a good part of the previous week in the hospital, I finally feel more myself.
2. The only medical appointment I had was a quick visit with the oncologist for a checkup post hospital stay and a blood draw. The blood draw let me know that my Cancer Antigen test result was finally in normal range, which lets me know the chemo is doing its job. Yay!
3. My daughter and the 15-year-old have been troopers, changing out my bandages and packing gauze into the wound (TMI?) twice a day since coming home from the hospital after my surgery to remove my port. It’s painful, yes, and now my IVs during chemo will be delivered by a vein, rather than through the much more convenient port, but I’ll be damned if they put another port in. My body didn’t like it one bit!
4. I began the daily Advent giveaway on my Facebook friends page. If you’re not there, you don’t know what fun you’re missing! 🙂
5. We watched National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation—it’s an annual thing! It’s still as silly as ever.

This next week…

1. Chemo is tomorrow! I’ll be there bright and early in the morning and sitting in the chair until around 3 PM. It’s a long day, but they start it off with a bag of Benedryl, so I get a long nap, too. Silver linings, folks!
2. Although I’ll be pretty miserable all week long, I have two sets of edits for other authors to work on, one to finish. I’ll piddle five pages here, five pages there between naps and get ‘er done.
3. I do plan to putter around my office a little bit during the week to clear out some more clutter—mostly to just get in some movement, if not real exercise. My In Box is beyond the teetering phase, and there’s still dust on my bookshelves…

Open Contests

Be sure to check out these posts and enter to win the prizes that are still up for grabs:

1. Anna Taylor Sweringen/Michal Scott: Alice Ruth Moore Dunbar Nelson — More Than a Famous Poet’s Wife (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Gabbi Grey: Audio Love (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win a FREE audio book!
3. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Advent begins tomorrow! — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. November into December (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Word Search: Things on My Christmas Tree + Open Contests! (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Flashback: Brotherhood Protectors — Tyson’s Mission (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win a FREE book!
7. Gabbi Grey: Trying Something Completely New (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
8. Tonight is Krampusnacht (Krampus Night)! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
9. Happy St. Nicholas Day! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
10. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Christmas Shopping at the Mall — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Ani!
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I used to be one of those shoppers who waited until the last dang minute to do all her shopping in one marathon of a day—even sometimes on Christmas Eve. I’d head to the mall with a list and hope there were still treasures to find. It was stressful as hell. My daughter broke me of that habit.

She begins in summertime, a few gifts at a time, with a more and more refined list until she pretty much has everything on her list purchased well before Thanksgiving. As soon as she starts talking about it, I follow her lead and begin purchasing gifts one at a time in a leisurely fashion until I’m done. I have all the gifts bought for folks in the house. The only things left to buy are gift cards to mail or email, and I’ll be done.

Another thing my daughter does very, very well is keeping track of when sales happen at her favorite stores. Like yesterday’s… She headed to the city to hit Bath & Bodyworks annual candle sale. She stocked up on candles for her house and a few to gift. She brought me one home that’s gorgeous—a Bridgerton-themed one with a pretty glass topper. Candles that usually go for over $25 apiece, she was able to purchase for $9. And we use those candles. I have one burning on my desk right now. She even wrangled her hubby into going with her. He was a good sport to pose for this picture…

He’ll kill me if he sees me posting this! LOL

Anyway, I thought about Christmas shopping and my old mall days. You wouldn’t catch me dead in the mall these days. I love to roam the online sites and like it even better when I can find gifts from local artists or crafters. For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then tell me whether you’re braving the mall this year, whether this was or is a thing you like to do…

UPDATE: The winner is…Donna O’Brien!
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Don’t know what it is? Don’t celebrate it?

St. Nicholas of Myra lived in the early part of the last millennium. He was a bishop for the church and was known for his kindness to children. He left gold coins in socks hung out to dry for needy children. He was named a saint by the church in 343 A.D.

I learned about St. Nicholas Day when I was stationed in Germany, twice. The second time, I had two children, and we had fun adopting local customs. St. Nicholas day “stuck” for our family. In the U.S., German immigrants in the 1600s brought the holiday with them, so it does exist here in places where they settled.

How does it work in our household? We put out shoes on December 5th, and the kids wake up on the morning of the 6th, eager to see what was left. If they were good, they get gold “coins”—actually gold foil wrapped chocolates, or lumps of coal (also chocolate) in their shoes, along with little gifts. My daughter knows I’m a big kid at heart, so she has me leave out a shoe as well. I got chocolate Grinch kisses because I was good, but not that good. LOL. I also got fuzzy socks, pretty pens, and a lovely notebook. I was as thrilled as the kids who received toys.

So, there weren’t many folks who wanted to start a Krampus tradition in their house when I talked about it yesterday, but does St. Nicholas Day sound like a tradition you’d like to start? Something to jumpstart the “giving” season? Leave your answer in the comments for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Laura K!
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I know, I know. He’s horrifying, isn’t he? I became familiar with Krampus when I lived in Germany. He accompanies St. Nicholas when he visits homes to let kids know who has been naughty and nice in early December. That gives kids a chance to change their ways before Christmas morning. When our kids were small, we ignored Krampus because he’s well…so dark. He frightens small children. While St. Nicholas leaves little gifts in shoes with coal or gold-wrapped chocolate to indicate whether a kid has been naughty or nice, Krampus delivers birch rods to naughty kids. And sometimes, he kidnaps them to scare them into being good. (In some stories, he eats them!)

We like to acknowledge Krampus, and maybe watch the movie for fun, but we always put emphasis on St. Nicholas Day, which is tomorrow. We’ll be leaving shoes out tonight!

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, do you think Krampusnacht will catch on here? LOL. Have fun with it.

UPDATE: The winner is…Stacey Kinzebach!
*~*~*

Hello, Delilah! Thank you for welcoming me here to share my new release! I hope you’ll bear with me as I share the journey for this book.

For me, as an author, 2024 was the year of saying yes. Not, just yes, but hell yes!

What did that wind up looking like? Well, I’ve published 8 novels, 3 novellas, and 16 short stories. Okay…that’s kind of nuts. Or brutal. Or adventurous. Depends on your perspective.

In practicality, that involved writing 6 books, 2 novellas, and 13 short stories in the past eleven months. That has meant pushing my editors to the brink. It has meant asking heroic feats from my proofreaders. It meant requesting help from my brutal beta reader to tackle some tough books. It has meant writing over 750k words so far this year.

I’ve also embarked on different types of stories this year. A duology of MMF high-angst books. An FFM BDSM story. A lesbian owl shifter reality show rom-com. Trapeze artists. Bodyguards. Bad boys, Goddesses. Friends-to-lovers. Opposites attract. Second chance. Fake dates. Regency. Cantankerous photocopiers. Domestic violence, Rockstars. Trauma. Joy.

So yes, a busy year.

Which brings me to my new release.

Eight months ago, a friend asked me if I would be interested in writing a Daddy book.

I was like… Uh…

Then I remembered this was the year of hell yes. I was flattered to be asked, and so I readily agreed.

At that moment, I kind of got stuck. What did I know about Daddies? I’ve met a few in the BDSM community, so I wasn’t entirely ignorant. I’ve also read quite a few wonderful books, so I had a panoply of stories to draw on. Specifically, though, I had a memory of a trio of pups I met at a BDSM convention. Those women have always stuck in my memory because they certainly had fun. The other attendees gave belly rubs and scritches. The pups clearly enjoyed their roles.

I kind of wanted that.

So, I decided I’d write about a pup finding his Daddy. A heart-warming gay romance. Then I realized that my pup would be different than other pups. He was older. He lived a life apart and hadn’t come out in his community. And he was Black. Okay. Then I had to find my Daddy. I realized I’d written an Indian lawyer into my series without knowing he was a Dominant. Everything came together.

I hope readers will enjoy Foster. I like to turn tropes on their heads. Not just because I can — although I have fun doing it — but because I know from experience that not everyone falls into the stereotype. Into the mold. Foster and Arnav don’t. I hope readers will check out this love story and see that acceptance comes in many forms. Throw in a large family, close friends, and an epic New Year’s party, and my Daddy for Christmas book has come together.

Thank you, Delilah, for inviting me here today. I would love to hear from your fans! What makes you one-click a holiday book? What’s the one ingredient you’re always looking for? One lucky commenter, chosen by Random, will win a $5 Amazon Gift Card. Good luck!

Foster: A Daddy for Christmas 2

Foster

I’m a successful entrepreneur who’s made a good life for himself. I’ve had a few intimate relationships, but none have lasted. Probably because I haven’t been able to be my authentic self. See, in my heart, I’m a pup. I want to curl into a wonderful Daddy‘s lap and be petted, stroked, and praised. I long for piles with other puppies where we play and I can make friends. But who’s going to accept a forty-five-year-old man into that puppy pile?

Arnav

I met Foster on Halloween, and I wanted him because he was good-looking and hot, despite being twenty years my senior. Now, when I spot him across a BDSM playroom, I’m struck by his forlorn look. I haven’t seen him here on puppy-play night before, but I’m not surprised when he tells me he wants to be a pup. I was born to be a Daddy. For Foster, I’m ready to dive into the world of sweet pups and handlers and see if I have what it takes to make Foster’s Christmas wish come true.

Foster is an age-gap interracial gay romance about a lonely pup, a younger Daddy, and the best Christmas imaginable.

A Daddy for Christmas 2 is a multi-author series. Holiday tales of lost boys in need of Daddy’s love and in some cases, a firm hand. Naughty or nice, it’s all in Santa’s hands now. So why not dive in and read each standalone and enjoy the holidays alongside our boys.

Links:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Daddy-Christmas-2-Foster-ebook/dp/B0DBSPTT9H
Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/Daddy2Foster

About Gabbi Grey

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.

Personal links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up: https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey
Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Grey/e/B07SJVFX1M
Audible Profile: https://www.audible.com/author/Gabbi-Grey/B07SJVFX1M
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey

UPDATE: The winner is…Cindy!
*~*~*

I’ve had tons of fun writing stories within Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors world. The last two books, Gunn’s Mission and Tyson’s Mission, were especially fun because the task was to write about a mission in a foreign country. In Gunn’s Mission, I sent poor Gunnar into the Arctic Circle on an ice floe. Tyson went to the Yucatan jungle to guard a woman working on an archeological dig. Both stories required quite a bit of research, which was challenging and added interesting complications to the characters’ journeys. I hope you read both, but if not, maybe you’ll win one of these or another of the BP books I’ve written. Keep reading…

Tyson’s Mission

A former Navy SEAL is tapped to provide security for a team of archeologists working to uncover a Mayan temple deep in a Mexican jungle that a local drug cartel is targeting.

After surviving a catastrophic helicopter accident, former Navy SEAL Tyson Quigley is taking well to his new life with the Brotherhood Protectors in the Yellowstone, Montana, office. Life’s looking up. He’s working with old teammates and loves volunteering in the national park.

Then he gets a call from his university professor brother, who is worried about a colleague working on an archeological dig in southern Mexico. The team has had problems with thefts of equipment and supplies and has received veiled threats from a drug cartel because their dig is in their territory. Now, one of the dig team members has been kidnapped and held for ransom, but they quickly figure out the finger they were sent in the package demanding payment is from an already dead person. Now, they have no idea whether their team member is alive or dead, and they think the labor they’ve hired to work on the site is on the cartel payroll, too.

After a quick conference with his Brotherhood Protector teammates, Ty heads down to Mexico to pose as his brother’s friend’s boyfriend to provide her protection for the remainder of the dig.

Cara Woodward doesn’t need a babysitter. Sure, things have gotten scary since her friend’s abduction, and she doesn’t like the fact the university wants to leave her recovery to the local police. However, Tyson’s everywhere she is, and it’s getting on her nerves. His looming presence is distracting, to say the least. He’s too handsome, too intense. Thankfully, after arriving on site, the lead archeologist on the dig quickly puts Ty in charge of overseeing site security which splits his attention.

As the dig team continues documenting their work before they pack up and leave, they suffer another theft and an attack—this time, too close to Cara for Ty’s comfort. He’s locking her down, with no daylight between them for the duration.

Read an Excerpt Here

All the Brotherhood Protectors stories I’ve written so far…

Click on the covers to learn more about them!

  

  

Contest

For a chance to win one of the stories shown above, tell me whether you’ve read any of these, and what settings you prefer!

UPDATE: The winner is…Krystal!
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We have several trees around our house. It seems we “grow” more trees, large and mostly small, every year. Many of the ornaments are ones we’ve inherited or collected over the years. Some are handmade by the children. All hold memories.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, and then tell me about one ornament you have that you cherish!

Open Contests

1. Memory Puzzle: Dead Horse Bounty Hunters (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win a FREE book!
2. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Turkey Day is Coming! — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Anna Taylor Sweringen/Michal Scott: Alice Ruth Moore Dunbar Nelson — More Than a Famous Poet’s Wife (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Gabbi Grey: Audio Love (Contest) — Win a FREE audio book!
5. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Advent begins tomorrow! — Win an Amazon gift card!
6. November into December (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!