The news about Anthony Bourdain’s death today made me very sad. I didn’t know him, but I felt as though I did. I adored his Parts Unknown. If anyone loved life…

UPDATE: The winner of is…Janelle Beaver! 
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I think all writers are inherently curious people, ones who love figuring out all the different ways to answer a simple question that starts off, “Hey, what if…”

An example of that in my own writing career stems from a lifelong interest of mine. Although I was an English major in college, I’ve always found geology fascinating.

I grew up in Missouri and live in the Pacific Northwest, both of which have interesting geological features and forces at work. Missouri is famous for its caves while Seattle has its Underground, leftover from when the city was rebuilt after a fire in the late1880s.

Both states also have fault lines that sometimes shiver and shake, making life interesting. Those same fault lines gave rise to the volcanoes scattered along the western side of North America. There are five in Washington State alone.

About ten years ago, I got to thinking about the geology I found so interesting and how I could incorporate it into a paranormal romance. Answering that particular “Hey, what if?” gave rise to my Paladin series. I decided there was an energy barrier that separated our world from another one. That barrier collapsed whenever an earthquake or a volcano decided to act up. If that happened, the people from the other world would come streaming across in a murderous rage. The Paladins are the warriors who stand the line to defend against the invasion. Their headquarters are located in the caves in Missouri and in the Seattle Underground.

Just to make it more interesting, the Paladins have some very special abilities. They’re stronger and have more highly developed senses than normal humans. They heal faster and can even come back from death—but only some many times. And where did they get these gifts? From those very same aliens they’ve been fighting for centuries.

The Paladins have a lot of the characteristics I love in a paranormal hero. They’re bigger than life, have secrets they must protect, and a willingness to sacrifice themselves to save everyone else. I always say the women who love them have to find some way to convince them that it’s just as important that these guys be willing to live for the people they love as they are to die for them.

What other characteristics do you look for in a great romantic hero? Do you prefer a three-piece suit, jeans and a T-shirt, or a uniform?

Leave a comment for a chance to win an Amazon gift card.

Alexis Morgan

In Darkness Transformed

The USA TODAY bestselling author of the Paladin series returns with this sexy, original title featuring a man discovering the paranormal world of the paladins.

Dying hurts…but not as much as living.

Eli is lucky to survive the helicopter crash that killed the rest of the passengers. But when he notices his wounds healing before his eyes, it seems like his survival may have come from more than luck.

Safara knows what Eli does not—Eli is a paladin, a mortal enemy of someone like Safara, someone from Kalithia.

Still, after Eli saves Safara’s life, and Safara introduces Eli to a whole new world, they just can’t seem to treat each as enemies.

Get your copy here!
Amz: a.co/4UvqCQC | BN: bit.ly/2DGOmWC | iB: apple.co/2n42b7g | Kobo: bit.ly/2DGEiwI

About the Author

USA Today Best-selling author Alexis Morgan has always loved reading and now spends her days imagining worlds filled with strong alpha heroes and gutsy heroines. She is the author of over forty-five novels, novellas, and short stories that span a variety of genres: American West historicals; paranormal romances, fantasy romances, and contemporary romances. She is excited to say that next year will see the release of her first cozy mysteries series.

Thank you, Delilah, for letting me contribute to your blog.

I am Anna, and I am a writer. I write all the time and am published in non-fiction – not in what I want to write. I love to write romance, with a Happy Ever After (HEA), a good handsome hero, a smart heroine, and an entertaining villain who gets his/her comeuppance.

Not having a published romance – not yet I mean – does not stop me because, quite frankly, I am a writer – a romance writer. Whether I am tired or dealing with the kids, or even if I am simply not in the mood to write… I am still writing. A story will come at me no matter what I am doing. I am currently editing two books, with another five calling loudly for my for attention.

I joined Romance Writers of America because I wanted to be a better writer, and I have become one through practice, exercises, seminars, my chapter’s group writing meetings, and courses like those taught by Delilah. I study writing, grammar, plot lines – even the “eight-scene three-act plan”. Amazingly, I am able to take so much of what I have learned trying to improve my romance writing, and apply it to my non-fiction writing, also known as my “day job”.

Increasing my writing skills allow me to proofread proposals, editing them to achieve a sharp, interesting offer – and it is hard to make a database procedure attention-getting. Our job interviews have an “all hope is lost” dark moment section, with a redeemer explaining how we will work together to solve a candidate’s weakness, alluding to, “You should work for us.”

Using what I have learned from writing instructors, we now have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that are clear, very easy to follow, and keep employees interested. Having been forced to use dull SOPs in the past, I take pride that my writing helps others, even though I wish I were writing my romances.

My “day job” allows me to watch and interact with people, observing their actions and interactions. Using what is probably too much of an analytical view, I will look at the people in a room and try to do a quick demographic outline, then compare that to my city’s statistics. I also make notes to include what a location really looks like, and how hard it is to both get there and park. I use these observations to build interesting characters, and the location descriptions to help move the story forward.

Another thing I have developed from learning to write fiction, is the “what ifs” of people and situations. Writing “what ifs” helps us develop questions that shake up the interviewee and get them speaking. Developers and programmers can be very factual, and tend to use “yes and no” answers, when I want to hear about their passions. “What ifs” have become a standard interview tactic that has resulted in our company hiring the best “fit” from the candidate pool. On a side note, I helped write one of our engineer’s engagement speech; it was super romantic and his fiancé loved it, but it was, alas, more non-fiction.

I am fortunate to work with people who will indulge my quick “mind breaks”, where I look at someone and see a romance, or as I love romantic suspense, how they could die. An example of this is if a candidate lies on their resume, falsely claiming to be qualified for a position, and manages to get an interview, know this: At least one person in the interview wants to kill them for wasting our time. They, the “Resume Fluffer”, is going to fictionally be electrocuted when a pick-up truck bumps a power line and the explosion causes a bus to roll over their time-killing body. Since I write romance, the man they’ve been seeing will meet his HEA, and they live off of the insurance the Resume Fluffer forgot to cancel. I love happy endings. 🙂

I need to go back to work and write something new. Please know that no matter how many hours I work per day, even mostly writing non-fiction, I will write at least a little romance. One day, I will say, “Yes, I have three romance books out.” For now, I’ll continue to take courses, like those taught by Delilah Devlin, and use all I have learned – because I am a romance writer.

Readers, I hope you have lots of books on your To-Be-Read list this summer. What’s better than a book poolside, or on the beach, or even in the early morning with a good cup of coffee before the rest of the family gets up? Even in summer, though (or maybe especially in summer), time is at a premium, and that’s why I thought it would be the perfect time to put out a collection of short stories. Small Town Tease releases on all retailers in both ebook and print later this month, and I’m super excited to share the cover today. Want a peek at what’s inside?

A small town bad boy and a city girl in town for a wedding…

A teacher who’s sworn never to date a co-worker…

A high school playboy and a choir girl dreaming of her first kiss…

A stranded motorist and the hunk who stops to help her…

Enjoy all these and more in this collection of romantic short stories. From sweet to steamy, from first love to rediscovered love to heart-pounding lust. These stand-alone stories all provide the perfect happy-ever-after you’re craving. Read one in a few minutes to fill your need, or settle in and read all eight! Bonus: includes teasers to new works and never-before-seen extra scenes from my full-length novels.

Make sure you’re following me on social media or sign up for my newsletter to know when Small Town Tease is available—and to nab it at the release-week sale price before it goes up to regular retail pricing.

Happy summer and happy reading, everyone!

Allie’s Website
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I love time travel. It’s one of my favorite story concepts. The idea of going back in time and seeing some part of history is fascinating to me.  Imagine hearing Lincoln give the Gettysburg address or watching the Wright Brothers fly the first airplane.  There are so many events in the past that changed the course of history and so many interesting people.  But the past is also filled with a lot of horrors and difficulties. Popping in for a short visit would be one thing, but having to survive in the past while trying to get home is quite another.

This is the concept I explored in my first book in the Love through Time series, A Second Chance.  Journalist Jessica Winters finds herself in a small mining town in 1876 and has to survive while trying to find a way home.  She meets Captain Harlan Jefferson Baylor, a Civil War confederate cavalry officer and they fall in love, but she’s forced to return to her own time to save their unborn child.  In the second book of the series, A New Beginning, I explored the opposite concept, going forward in time.

When someone from the future ends up in the past, they at least have some knowledge or point of reference to work with.  Even if you slept through most of you history classes in school, you’d still have some sort of an idea what ancient Rome was like, or the Middle Ages, or the American wild west.  But if you traveled over 150 years into the future, especially if you were born at the time of the Civil War, you’d have no point of reference point at all.  How would you react to seeing your first car, or a helicopter, or an airplane?  How would you survive in the world of modern technology with no concept of a cell phone, television, a computer, or a radio? All the things we use every day and take for granted would appear as terrifying magic to someone from the distant past.  The other part of the problem is all the social changes.  Our language has evolved over the last 150 years, what is acceptable behavior and what is not has changed, not to mention the difference in clothing and hairstyles.

The future is a scary place, and personally I’d rather take the slow road to get there.

If you could time travel, where would you want to go?

A New Beginning

How do you pack for a trip through time?

Mai Ling’s legs tremble as she steps out into the unknown. But step she must. One group of miners in a rough nineteenth century town is out for blood, including hers. Carrying her few possessions and her family’s precious secret, Mai Ling leaves her mother and the world she knows to venture into a new century. Her escort is Captain Harlan Jefferson Baylor, who is joining his wife and his unborn child in the 21st century. They step through a crack in time, not knowing what they will find. Will Harley be able to reunite with Jessica, even though he has no idea of how to drive a car or use a telephone? Will Mai Ling survive in this strange time and find the love that has eluded her so far?

The answers are in A NEW BEGINNING, book two in the Love through Time series.  Coming June 28^th.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Augustina Van Hoven’s Social Media Links

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UPDATE: The first 7 commenters are all winners!

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Sometimes, an erotic romance author has to write a story with a six-person ménage. It’s a rule. I swear. Sometimes, the author doesn’t even know it’s going to happen, and then…boom! It’s there on the page, and there’s just no way she can cut those very naughty words.

Well, love it or not, this is my six-person ménage. And I love Tetrick and Mora, They’re both strong personalities, although she doesn’t realize it until she meets him. And oddly, it’s a sweet story. Go figure.

If you comment below, you might be one of three people who will win a free download of this story. I know you want it, if for no other reason than to see how it works. Keeping track of all those limbs and, um, appendages takes some skillz, y’all. 🙂

Warlord’s Destiny

Mora has no illusions she’s anything other than the sacrificial lamb to ensure peace between her peace-loving planet and the warlike world that demands a royal union with one of their own. However, when she meets the rugged warlord who will be her husband, Mora decides in that moment to win his heart—she’ll settle for nothing less.

When Lord Tetrik suspects his wife harbors tender feelings, he wonders if he can be the husband she desires. After all, love for a woman is a frivolous thing—and not a warlord’s destiny.

Warning: Readers should beware. Wedding customs on other planets do not resemble tender newlywed customs on Earth! Expect a smidge of voyeurism and a 6-person ménage. And yes, Kronaki warlord’s bed is built large enough for just such an event!

From the opening…

So, that’s what Kronaki warriors look like!

Every story ever whispered about the fearsome warriors came rushing back to set Mora’s body trembling. How they fought like ravaging beasts, cutting bloody swaths through Graktilian mercenaries during the war. How they lived in rough, stone fortresses made of blocks carved from their frozen mountains. How they fostered their children to rival clans so they would be raised without gentleness.

How they fucked with such fury their women’s screams echoed throughout their valleys.

Mora felt a tremor rumble beneath the polished, marble floor of the great hall, so explosive was the swell of conversation that arose at the warriors’ arrival.

They were seven, dressed in furs and leather, armed with bows slung across their shoulders and scabbards at their sides.

She couldn’t drag her gaze from the man at the head of their formation, striding toward her—her husband in name, if not yet by deed. Although she had never seen him before this day, she knew it must be him, for he looked the fiercest, the strongest—only one such as he would be chosen to rule from amongst their ranks.

He was from a race of barbarians, seemingly as proud of their reputation for brutal warfare as their orgiastic sexuality. The latter, Mora could well believe for the man stalking her now looked every inch a sensual marauder. Read the rest of this entry »