Known at his law firm as “King of Torts,” JD Ackerman’s not even in the game when it comes to love. Since losing his wife, he’s buried himself in his career—until he runs into fledgling attorney, Lanie Winstead, who’s temporarily caught up in an inconvenient marriage that can’t be dissolved until after her estranged husband wins his re-election bid.

The attraction’s electric and irresistible, but when Lanie’s senator-husband is murdered, she’s charged with the crime. JD’s out of his element, so he enlists help from his law partners who specialize in criminal defense…

Great premise, I thought—but FRAMED was an entirely new direction for me, incorporating major elements of suspense—even a bit of the legal thriller—into what wanted to be a romance between a grieving widower and a young and vulnerable woman.

This book was two years in the making, and a result of many stops and starts as I felt my way through the conflicts and complications of a complex external plot having nothing to do with the inner feelings of Lanie and JD. I must have written 200,000 words to arrive at the final, 72,000-word novel!

My thanks to Julie Naughton for the expert editing that has made FRAMED a project I’m very proud of. I hope readers will enjoy it as much a I’ve loved stretching my wings and creating a story that’s as much suspense as romance, yet one that celebrates the triumph of good over evil, love over hate as these two story people find their way to happily ever after!

Contact info:
Website: https://annjacobs.net Email: ann@annjacobs.net Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/authrannjacobs
Facebook: https;//www.facebook.com/AnnJacobsAuthor

Buy info:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Framed-Courthouse-Connections-Book-8-ebook/dp/B01MSWYKLP/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/framed-ann-jacobs/1125304684?ean=2940153553177
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/framed/id1184696357?mt=11 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/framed-38

Another year has come and gone. As we look back over the wonderful memories and the challenges we faced, our thoughts eventually turn to the year ahead. What will the New Year bring? What goals should we set for ourselves, not only as writers and readers, but as mothers, fathers, siblings, and even neighbors? Leading up to the New Year, we contemplate setting resolutions with the best intentions. Some are doable, some necessary and some simply unattainable (despite our best intentions). Some are even laughable or silly. And that’s okay too. Laughter is good for the soul.

Here are some of the silliest New Year’s resolutions I’ve run across over the years. They made me laugh, reminded me not to take this thing we call life so seriously. I hope you enjoy them too.

I will always replace the gas nozzle before driving away from the pump.

I will cut down on exercise. Too much is bad for your health, it can even kill you.

I will drive more carefully; people are starting to notice the dozens of dents in my car.

I will not hang out with girls – they think you love them and that sucks.

I will never again take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

I will stop saying,” Ooh, that feels good” when the security guy frisks me at the airport.

I resolve to stop poisoning my family with my cooking.

I will work less. Take it easy. All work and no play makes for a very dull woman.

I will take up a worthwhile new habit, like smoking – it helps keep tobacco workers in jobs.

I will eat only white snow!

I resolve to find out what the hell ‘resolution’ means anyway.

And finally…I promise this year to stick to these resolutions for more than a week.

What about you? Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Do you find it hard to stick to them? We’d love to hear about your resolutions for 2017. Or about a silly New Year’s resolution that made you laugh. Share with us by leaving a comment below.

Thank you so much, Delilah, for hosting me on your blog. Wishing you all a very blessed and prosperous New Year!

Keta Diablo

Check out Keta’s New Adult Romantic Suspense, Season, Unforgettable

 

*Finalist* Independent Author Network 2015 Book Awards, Romance Category

Season Scrimshaw isn’t selling the land her parents left her when they died, not even to the gorgeous Rann Brogan who saves her life in the forest. Especially not after she finds out he was in the woods to survey her property.

The company Rann works for—his mother’s company—wants the land for a luxury condo development and they want it bad. He never dreamed they’d go to such extreme lengths to get it.

Lives spiral out of control, lies and betrayal play center stage. Caught in the middle between his rich and powerful mother and the woman he loves, Rann discovers love is complicated…and sometimes lethal.

(A stand-alone contemporary romance with elements of suspense.)

Buy Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/1K1nXBr
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/season-unforgettable-keta-diablo/1121878222?ean=2940151329125
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id992988050

About Keta

Keta Diablo lives in the Midwest part of the United States on six acres of woodland. When she isn’t writing or gardening she loves to commune with nature. A lifelong animal lover, she also devotes her time and support to the local animal shelters.

Keta is a bestselling Amazon author who writes in several genres, including western romance, historical romance, paranormal romance and the occasional contemporary romance. Her books have received numerous Top Pick, Book of the Month and Recommended Read reviews.

You can find her on the net at the following places:

Author home: https://ketaskeep.blogspot.com
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Keta-Diablo/e/B002BODURI/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KetaDiablo.Author
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ketadiablo
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ketadiablo

I have an exciting year planned. I can’t wait to share everything going on.

First, my last book in the Devil’s Shroud series with Harlequin Romantic Suspense released yesterday. I think you’ll love Andrew Stratford, his daughter Leigha and their protector Dix Reeves. Prepare yourself for an exciting conclusion to the series and to fall in love with the characters.

At the end of January, my sister, Delilah Devlin and I have a co-authored book coming out SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT. It’s book #2 in the Texas Billionaires Club series. It’s a light-hearted romantic comedy you’ll enjoy.

And watch for more exciting things coming from the BROTHERHOOD PROTECTORS Series.  I have 3 books planned and Amazon has given me a Kindle World for this series! That’s right. There will be many authors writing stories in this world. I can’t wait to see these stories. I know you will love them and the authors contributing to them, to include my lovely sister, Delilah Devlin!

DEADLY FALL

In a Gothic mansion on a windy coast, former soldier Dixie Reeves and her client, billionaire Andrew Stratford, are in grave danger. The single dad has hired her to help him protect his daughter from a mysterious threat. As their enemy closes in, even tough-as-nails Dixie has to hold her nerve…and keep her guard up to stop herself from falling for Andrew and his adorable little girl. The long nights pass, and Dixie and her handsome boss can’t deny they’re barreling toward the kind of love that changes lives. That is, if they can somehow keep their instant family safe from the danger at the door!

Amazon | Amazon UK | Kobo | Nook | iBooks | GooglePlay

SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT

What happens when a young Martha Stewart teams up with the Oscar Madison of radio talk shows?  Sparks fly, romance blooms and their audience goes wild

Diane Denton is a cool, sophisticated home and garden talk show host on K-YAK 102.5 radio station.  All she thinks she wants is to talk about fertilizer and place settings, while fending off her well-meaning country club parents’ attempts to push her into marriage with the “right man.”

To Diane, fellow talk show host, Rip O’Rourke, is nothing more than a rebellious, overgrown teenager flaunting his baseball-capped, Hawaiian-shirted, ex-football player physique to “score” with anything with breasts.  Proof of his perversity is the crude, but popular, hour of programming he hosts that discusses such manly topics as wet T-shirt contests and sports statistics.  Diane wouldn’t spit on Rip if he were on fire, while Rip on the other hand, wants to do more than spend time with Diane.  She is a challenge to mankind as a whole and his goal in life is to see Diane’s crisp shirts and tailored slacks properly rumpled, just once.

Rip gets his opportunity when the radio station is sold to a large corporation and the station manager is challenged to come up with a prime-time show that will set the city on its ear.  From one of Rip and Diane’s public arguments springs the idea of a show about the differences between men and women giving their audience, “Something to Talk About.”

Amazon | Kobo |GooglePlay

UPDATE: The winner of the pretty shell necklace is Debi Mueller!

* * * * *

Hi Delilah, thank you for inviting me on your blog today. Hope you and everyone had a happy New Year.

I’m here today to talk about my latest release: Alien Heart (Chronicles of Arcon book one). It’s a science fiction romance. Aliens need love too.

~*~

Here’s the Blurb:

Divorcee and single mom, hardworking Audrey Westberry is the host of a cable TV show called Miz Fixit.
Romance was the last thing on Audrey’s mind when two handsome extraterrestrials join the audience of her show.
Soon Audrey finds out a single word “mated” has different meaning when you are born a galaxy away. After a wonderful night of passion, Audrey finds herself far from home, impregnated and her life turned upside down.
Will she ever be able to leave the alien compound, see her son again, or get home in time to film the fall season of her Miz Fixit show?
But what’s a girl to do with two aliens that smell like candy, and their kisses taste like it, too?

~*~

Before we get to the excerpt, I want to explain…I didn’t intend to write a series. I planned on one book and that’s it. But then, Saki the Goth girl in Alien Heart kept asking for her own book about how she got her mates. So, I wrote Alien Desire.

And then, one of my critique partners mentioned enjoying reading about space and space travel, and just like that, a story came to me about a reluctant intergalactic gladiator named Chase. And Alien Enslaved was born.

Look for both this coming year.

I only meant to write one… but Chase has his friends and…well… they need love too.

There are also three free reads that will be release on Amazon soon, which will be the start of the Chronicles of Arcon and introduce my aliens: Keefe, and Blade. And so on.

Oh dear, how did that happen? I have twelve books not counting the free reads.

And did I mention a book trailer? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGPOad55gdA

It all starts with my aliens who are from Planet Arcon. They came across the solar reaches of space to reach Earth, leaving their unstable sun, and their planet on the verge of being vaporized, and then tragedy struck.

Maybe it’ll be better if I let Keefe explain…

Excerpt from Alien Heart:

“This is what I did on my planet,” Keefe explained. “When I wooed my mate.”

“Okay.”

“I wooed my Aziza, for a long time. She worked for our government and was busy with her career. She was my heart, my soul, my mate.” He looked down, blinking rapidly. “She only had me. I enjoyed being alone with her.”

“Sounds wonderful, so where is she?”

“Something happened to her, which happened to all the females.” Again the dreadful emptiness filled his heart as he thought of his Aziza. I’m betraying her as I attempt to woo another. He wiped his eyes.

Audrey joined him on the couch, setting her hand on his back. “Can you tell me?”

He laced his fingers together, squeezing them tight. “We fled our world just in time, a massive solar event washed over our planet from our unstable sun. It ripped off the remaining ozone before burning our world to a cinder. As we raced out of our solar system, a solar storm caught up with our colony ships…,” he trailed off realizing he was leaking, but it couldn’t be helped. This happened every time he got overly emotional.

Audrey sniffed loudly. “Do you smell something?”

“Uh?” Keefe swallowed in a dry throat. Does she smell my pheromones?

“It smells like burnt vanilla.” She sniffed again, but then glanced at him. “Oh, I’m sorry. Please, continue with your story.”

Goddess, she does. Keefe took a deep calming breath. “All right.” He had to think back to where he stopped. “Our females by their nature were vulnerable to the radiation. Their place on the ships had the thickest shields our engineers knew how to make. Unfortunately, the radiation from the solar storm was stronger than our scientists had calculated, and our females were the hardest hit. While they died, their special built shielded compartment protected the rest of us, and we slept on unaware.”

“Oh, that’s terrible.” She rubbed his back.

“We didn’t know…” He wiped his face with a shaking hand. “Until we got to your galaxy and the hibernation cycle ended. The wakeup crew was the first to find them. They kept the rest of us out of their section.”

Keefe looked at Audrey, surprised by her sympathetic expression. “I wasn’t allowed to see my mate. I was told it was better if I didn’t.”

“Did you have a funeral at least?” Audrey ran her hand down his ponytail.

Keefe shivered at her touch. It was marvelous. A female hadn’t touched him in a long time. “We had a memorial service to release the bodies one at a time into space. Near the planet, you call Saturn. My podlings had to hold me up when they came to my Aziza. Then they kept me from flinging myself out the airlock after her.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. It’s terrible to lose someone you love so much.”

“I lost a piece of my heart along with her.” Overwhelmed with gratitude that she sat there, hearing him go on about his tragic past, he kissed her forehead. “Thank you for listening.”

Audrey lifted her face, so he kissed her again. When her tongue touched his, it was softer than he expected. It was different, but he didn’t mind. As he deepened the kiss, an overwhelming need filled him. Mine, I want her to be mine.

His three erections throbbed. A slight sheen of sweat covered his body as his pheromones released in full.

Audrey moaned against his mouth, clutching his shirt.

Keefe’s hand slipped into the low top, touching her breast and teased a nipple. He shoved Audrey back on the couch to continue to touch and kiss her.

A car horn sounded outside. Startled, Keefe broke the kiss and jerked his hand away.

“My apologies, I was forward.” Goddess, what am I doing?

“Don’t be.” She grinned. “It was nice.”

~*~*~*~*~

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Alien-Heart-Chronicles-Arcon-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0N73OF/

Janice’s Website: janice-seagraves.org/

Contest

Comment for a chance to win this pretty conch shell necklace!

 

Hi everyone! I’m so excited to be visiting the fabulous Delilah today. Thank you for having me over, Delilah!

Since we are moments away from the end of the year, I couldn’t help but think about endings. It’s that time when so many people are taking stock of what they’ve accomplished to begin mapping out their goals and plans for the next few years (or at least the next one). Hell, it was at this time a few years back that I’d finally scribbled down some writing goals myself, and one of them was to write my first erotica novel. I happened to have a little time off to work on The Assignment, which helped the process along—but there were some real “ends” pushing me forward, too. The first was that there was something magical about writing the book at the end of the year to usher in a new one; the second was that the urge to dive in had been sparked by the end of a relationship. At the time, I had a lot of hurt, a ton of unfocused energy, and a bounty of passion all tangled up in my limbs…so, naturally, it formed the perfect motivation to do exactly what I’d planned: write that first erotica novel.

And I did.

Fortunately, I had so much steam, I poured that baby out in a matter of seven weeks. I had in my head that it could be the start of a series…but ultimately, I didn’t know where The Assignment would lead or even end, for that matter. I just knew I was writing this sexy erotic romance thing and at some point, I had to wrap it up. (For that installment, anyway.)

As I worked, I kept wondering—how do you know when it’s done? How do you know as a writer, but also, is there a special signal when you’re reading, too, to let you know the end is near?

On the writer side, I know that when I drafted The Assignment all those years ago, I accidentally wrote the ending before I was officially done writing the book. That is, I wrote about the last page or two, and then yanked my fingers off the keyboard freaked out because I recognized that the scene I’d written had to be the end. Those special words were supposed to be the final words, but somehow my linear writing self had jumped ship and left me there to figure out how to backtrack and fill in some story to get to where the end needed to be.

I’m still not sure how I knew it was the end, but I felt it. I had the same feeling for the two subsequent books, and, while I’d outlined, one sentence describing the goal doesn’t at all explain how the feeling comes out from who knows where to alert you that the end is actually happening.

I definitely have the same sense when I’m reading—and it has nothing to do with the fact that I can thumb over the pages and see that there are only a few more to go. It’s a vibe, I guess. Loose ends are getting tied up and tightened. Characters are starting to elevate and reflect having gone on some awesome journeys. If it’s a romance, things have probably gotten bad for a second but there’s a sparkle of hope on the horizon. The pacing might even shift, gaining speed toward that final moment when all is right and good (or not, if the book doesn’t have a happily ever after—which is certainly a post in itself). Nonetheless, something is ringing a bell in my head, alerting me that the end is Right.There. Perhaps that’s why we have such strong reactions to the ends of books when we read. We are expecting one thing, or at least have a sense of where it could go—and if a story or series doesn’t satisfy that forward moving, the end-is-so-close feeling, than we might not love the book as much as we originally did or thought we would.

Looking at the entire Lessons in Control series, I had a sense of when the arc would be done. Still, the end of the series completely surprised me. I had a plan—oh dang, did I have a plan—but my little lovelies Maya and Dean went their own way, as characters are apt to do once they’re fleshed out with lots of solid traits and rich back story. And, after I wrote it, I got that “The End” feeling, but I remember rubbing my eyes and raising an eyebrow, because it’d come out of left field and did something I hadn’t expected. I attempted to rewrite it as planned (yes, I really did this—twice), but those two kept doing what they wanted to do, no matter how many times I tried to force them another way.

That, to me, signaled the true end. One that I couldn’t even control—Maya and Dean’s fate was in their hands, not mine. As an author, I don’t think you can really ask for more. My characters took on the ride and closed it off exactly where it needed to be finalized.

It was a good ending feeling!

So, now that I’ve finished drafting the Lessons in Control series with only a couple rounds of edits on book three to go, and it’s this close to the end of the year, I’m ready for some new writing goals, with new stories to tackle and craft before they, too, call the end (with or without me steering). I will also need to get my hands on some fantastic new reads, because I like seeing where every author goes with his or her endings.

What about you? Do you find yourself ready for the end of the books you read once they arrive, or often feeling not enough closure and wishing there was more—even if just for the sake of more?

An Excerpt of The Assignment, by Jade A. Waters:

I lost track of time once we left the table. There was an abrupt wave at the hostess, a quiet walk across the wooden slats of the pier and an awkward wait for the elevator. Dean didn’t take his eyes off mine as three other people boarded with us. His chest kept lifting, widening like a promise of what would happen the moment he had me alone. When the elevator doors parted on our floor, he looped his arm in mine and tugged me close.

The earlier tease had me ready and curious. The alcohol in my body didn’t hurt either, and as Dean led me down the hall, I pinched his side playfully.

“You’re so serious. Are you always like this?”

He backed me against our suite door, twisting his mouth while he fumbled in his pocket for the key. “Honestly?” he said.

“Yes.”

“I’m incredibly turned on and trying not to fuck you right here in this hallway.”

“Oh.”

He had the key out in the next second and swiped it over the sensor. The lock process lagged, but Dean moved ahead anyway, blocking me between him and the door. His cock was firm on my belly, his hips urging me.

“I want you,” he said.

The door fell open as he lowered his lips to mine, and he had to catch me when I tumbled backward. Then it was a race—Dean slamming the door and yanking me against him, his hands cupping my ass, his mouth taking mine in a more masterful kiss than he’d bestowed me with before dinner.

I sucked in a breath, lost in the movements, the force of his lips. His body overpowered me, a mass of muscle that smothered and caressed. I rocked up my hips and he groaned, one hand sliding between my cheeks and the other gripping my waist, my back and my shoulder. When he twined his fingers in my hair, he jerked back my head.

“Wait,” he said. I froze, my lips parted.

What the fuck? “I—”

“Shh.” Dean tightened his hold on my hair, and my heart pounded loudly. He pulled my head farther back, exposing more of my neck. “Fuck, you’re irresistible. I just want to slow down and take you all in.”

I’d never had a man look at me as entranced as Dean did now, and it made my knees wobble.

The Assignment by Jade A. Waters

What would you do if someone offered to fulfill your wildest fantasies?

Seductive.

Charming.

Dominant.

Dean Sova is everything Maya Clery craves. From the first touch, their connection is intense. After leaving her troubled past behind, Maya thought she was happy—she is happy—but meeting Dean forces her to acknowledge dark needs she longs to explore yet has never had the courage to face.

Her perfect match, Dean encourages Maya to set loose the submissive urges inside her in a series of assignments intended to open her mind and test the limits of pleasure…but Maya isn’t sure she can fully let go of her inhibitions.

What would you do if someone offered to fulfill your wildest fantasies?

The answer seems obvious. You take the offer and hope the price isn’t too high.

Book one of Lessons in Control

This book is approximately 81,000 words

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise! Find out more at CarinaPress.com/RomancePromise.

Pick up your copy of The Assignment at:

 Amazon US     Amazon UK      Barnes & Noble      Google Play      iBooks      Kobo

About the Author

Jade A. Waters is an erotica author and poetess in sunny California. A lover of candy, coffee, dancing, and endless karaoke, she is happiest when surrounded by words—be they on the page or shared in good conversation. Her short fiction and poetry is featured in over a dozen anthologies from Cleis Press and Stupid Fish Productions, and currently, Jade is hard at work finalizing the last book in the Lessons in Control series from Carina Press. Visit her at https://jadeawaters.com, or follow her at https://twitter.com/jadeawaters.

First of all, huge thanks to Delilah for having me again.  I always have a great time here.

I’ve been working for a while now on my goals for the next year (if you’re a writer and haven’t participated in Delilah’s Write 50 Books workshop, you should put it on your list now for next December!), and now am hoping that by the time you all read this, I will have finished fine-tuning them.

Before I could look ahead to what I want to accomplish in the next year, I had to go back to my plans for 2016 and see what I accomplished from last year’s goals list.  2016’s list was doable.  I had built-in time for adjustments to the timeline, because something always crops up to mess with your plans, doesn’t it?  Turns out even that wasn’t enough to make up for the things that cropped up in my world this past year.  Nothing that other people don’t also have to deal with.  Nothing that will change anyone else’s world but my own.  But enough to really throw a wrench into my own aims for the year.  So for the next year’s goals list, I built in a lot more time to handle the things I’ve been handling for more than half of this year, because they’re not going away any time soon.

Kinda makes me want to take it easier on my characters in the book I’m working on now.  But I can’t do that.  Their problems are different from my own, and sometimes life-threatening, so they don’t always get to look as far forward as I do.  Sometimes they only get to look as far as how they’re going to get past the current obstacle or danger they’re facing.  They might want to look farther into their futures, but life (or the villains!) keep throwing monkey wrenches into their plans.  They usually reach a point where they can’t imagine making it past their current problem, let alone imagine a happy ending.

So.  How many of you set goals or make resolutions for yourself for the new year?  Anything you want to share?  Or maybe just your method of setting achievable goals (or at least goals that don’t make you feel like a complete failure if you don’t quite make it)?  Maybe the rest of us can pick up some pointers.  And everyone who answers that by midnight on Dec. 31, 2016 will have their name entered into a drawing for an e-book of Hunting Medusa.

Hunting Medusa

One murderous mission. One killer case of PMS. Who said “the curse” was a myth?

Ever since the original Medusa ticked off Athena, her cursed daughters have been paying for that mistake. To this day, successive Medusas play cat and mouse with the Harvesters.

When Kallan Tassos tracks down the current Medusa, he expects to find a monster. Instead he finds a wary, beautiful woman, shielded by a complicated web of spells that foils his plans for a quick kill and retrieval of her protective amulet.

Andrea Rosakis expects the handsome Harvester to go for the kill. Instead, his attempt to take the amulet imprinted on her skin without harming her takes her completely by surprise. And ends with the two of them in a magical bind—together.

Though their attraction is combustible, her impending PMS (Pre Magical-Curse Syndrome) puts a real damper on any chance of a relationship. But Kallan isn’t the only Harvester tracking Andi, and they must cooperate to stay one step ahead of a ruthless killer before they can have any future, together or apart.

Get your copy here!

About the Author

Elizabeth Andrews has been a book lover since she was old enough to read. She read her copies of Little Women and the Little House series so many times, the books fell apart. As an adult, her book habit continues. She has a room overflowing with her literary collection right now, and still more spreading into other rooms.  Almost as long as she’s been reading great stories, she’s been attempting to write her own.  Thanks to a fifth grade teacher who started the class on creative writing, Elizabeth went from writing creative sentences to short stories and eventually full-length novels. Her father saved her poor, callused fingers from permanent damage when he brought home a used typewriter for her.

Elizabeth found her mother’s stash of romance novels as a teenager, and-though she loves horror-romance became her very favorite genre, making writing romances a natural progression. There are more than just a few manuscripts, however, tucked away in a filing cabinet that will never see the light of day.

Along with her enormous book stash, Elizabeth lives with her husband of more than  twenty years and two young adult sons, though no one else in the house reads nearly as much as she does. When she’s not at work or buried in books or writing, there is a garden outside full of herbs, flowers and vegetables that requires occasional attention.

www.ElizabethAndrewsWrites.com