I’m busy today getting the last Planet Desire story ready to send out—in between dropping off and picking up kids for their mother who has other obligations today. So, while I’m diving deep into pirates-turned-colonists, how about you let me know what you’d like to see next so far as shorties are concerned…
You can choose up to 4! And if you have more suggestions for titles, leave them in the comments!
Which Stepbrothers Stepping Out title interests you most?
With His SEAL Team (20%, 25 Votes)
With His Pack (paranormal) (19%, 23 Votes)
With His Wranglers (12%, 15 Votes)
With His Pride (paranormal) (11%, 14 Votes)
With His Warriors (historical) (10%, 13 Votes)
With His Biker Club (8%, 10 Votes)
With His Roommate (6%, 8 Votes)
With His Starship Crew (sci-fi) (6%, 8 Votes)
With His Mistress (6%, 8 Votes)
Total Voters: 47
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And in case you haven’t already sampled my previous SSO stories…click on the covers!
I want to thank Delilah for having me back on her blog.
While I’m here to promote my new release, LOVE SUPERNATURALLY, I first want to talk about names. Character Names to be specific.
A lot of people want to know where authors come up with the names they use in their books. Some authors refer to baby books. Some run contests asking for suggestions. Me? I refer to life…most often my daughter’s life. She’ll be talking about school or social media, and mention a name, and I’ll say “ooooh, I like that” and pull out my little red book. To which I usually get “Mom, you’re so embarrassing.”
In my January release, Real Love, my heroine’s name is Monda. In real life, Monda is a girl that my daughter used to play volleyball with. (And no the real Monda is not an alien nor does she have blue hair.)
Also in Real Love, one of the secondary characters is named Demonna. Demonna was my friend’s mom, way back when I was in high school. The character references in the book that it rhymes with Donna. I used to pronounce it as De-moan-a, and the real Demonna corrected me with that Donna comment….something that stuck with me these 30+ years later.
And in California Blue, my heroine’s name is Halen. In real life, one of my daughter’s teachers had three daughters of his own. When discussing his family, he mentioned one was named Halen and I was like “ooooh, I like that.” That was before the days of my little red book, but the name stuck with me.
Zalika? One of my daughter’s best friends. Royce Langley? Very similar to another of my daughter’s friends. Winnie? Grandmother of fellow volleyball player.
My daughter is away at university now, but I still have a several unused names in my little red book. After that? I guess I’ll have to pull out the old Baby Name book.
Book Specs:
Title: Love Supernaturally
Theme(s): New Adult
SubGenre(s): Contemporary, Paranormal
Rating: Spicy (PG13)
Keywords: romance, supernatural, witch, angel,
Page Count: 70
Digital Price: 1.99
Release Date: 2016-05-18
Cassandra Wilson, angel and first-year nurse, spends her days helping other people. Day after day. Life after life. While her best friend feels the young nurse needs a little love in her life, Cassie avoids serious relationships. She saw what her mother went through, and unless Cassie can find another angel to spend her life with, love and a family are not in her future.
An innocent night out with Fraser, a university junior and varsity hockey player, leads to something more serious and Cassie begins to experience feelings she’s been trying to avoid. But the sudden discovery—by both herself and Fraser—that Fraser is a witch, combined with his need to please everyone around him, poses a challenge to the couple’s happily ever after.
Excerpt…
Cassie took the stairs two at a time and almost ran into her roommate as she came to the small landing at the top.
“Whoa,” said Gabriella. “What’s got you in such a hurry?”
“Nothing.”
Gabriella folded her arms across her chest and tapped her tiny bare foot.
“I’ve gotta shower. I’m going to the movies.”
Pink toenails beat an impatient pattern on the hardwood.
Did the girl have gypsy blood? Her psychic abilities were uncanny.
“With a hockey player,” Cassie explained.
Gabriella’s foot stilled and her eyes widened. “Which one?”
“Fraser something. I didn’t get a last…”
“Tall, with dark, curly hair?”
“That’s him.”
Gabriella laid a hand on Cassie’s arm. “Be careful, he’s a player. And I don’t mean hockey.”
That wouldn’t be a problem. She didn’t want a relationship and this wasn’t a date. And if the night did end with sex, well, she’d welcome a little…distraction. After all, she was an angel not a nun.
Charlotte Copper lives in Stouffville, Ontario – that’s in Canada, eh. When she isn’t working at her full-time job, Charlotte likes to craft, read, go to movies, and, of course, write. Charlotte hopes to have all of her stories published some day because, as a romance writer, she believes in happy endings.
Do you play with writing prompts? They can be a lot of fun. It’s a way to keep the writing muscles limbered up, like going to the gym or yoga class. Best part is they don’t have to be long; under 500 words is quite useful. Whether you come up with something you use later, or just play around like an artist makes sketches to train their eye, “It’s all good.”
Here’s an example. This prompt comes from Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones, but I’m paraphrasing: take something out of your trash can and write about it. What she said that stuck with me is this: “If you can’t write about trash, how can you do justice to beauty?”
One of the times I did this prompt, it went a completely different direction than I expected. Take a look:
* * *
Piperoncelo picked his way over the piles of newsprint, gingerly setting his paws down in the cleaner spots. He caught a whiff of something tantalizing but upon investigation turned up nothing but a wrapper for lunchmeat. The waxy texture of the paper stuck to his tongue and he rubbed it off with his paw.
“Hey! You – git outta there!”
The shout came, sharply out of the night, like it always did. Piperoncelo didn’t wait around for the fat man to kick him. He loped over the piles and streaked though a gap in the fence. He was almost too slow; a bottle shattered against the metal and wood of the fence and shards skittered past him, tinkling. It was almost a pretty sound.
Almost, but not quite.
Keeping to the shadows, Piperoncelo trotted down the alley to the Italian place on the corner. He was always hopeful there, even though they locked up their dumpsters.
Besides. It’s where he last saw his family.
As he came up even with the gate, he saw the young man who worked in the kitchen. This time, the youngster saw Piperoncelo and his eyes got huge, even browner than usual. He started yelling something unintelligible that the other dogs said was “Spunich.” Piperoncelo slowed, wary now.
“Piper!”
The joyous shout came from inside the kitchen. His boy and girl came barreling out of the door and nearly knocked him over in their eagerness, just like puppies. Man and Woman were there too, and Woman was crying.
“Oh, Piper, we missed you!” Boy was crying too.
Piperoncelo wagged his tail so hard he thought it would come off. Even the young man from the kitchen blinked a lot, that thing humans did when they were sad, but he didn’t smell sad. They all smelled like Piperoncelo felt – ecstatic.
And the best part? He didn’t ever have to eat trash again!
(Unless Boy put the pizza boxes out. He’d make an exception for that.)
* * *
If this sounds like fun to you, I hope you’ll join me next month for a workshop, “Having Fun with Writing Prompts.” No experience as a writer is necessary, just a willingness to try new things. Let’s use some writing prompts and limber up our story muscles. Using pictures, word play, and short scenarios, we will practice writing 500 word scenes for each other. Writing should be fun; let’s play!
It will be from Sunday, June 12 through Saturday, June 25, 2016, online at the Coffee Time Romance forums. Membership in the forum is free. I hope you come play with me!
—
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
– E.E. Cummings
Hi, there. Instead of Sophie coming to talk to you today, I decided it’d be more fun to come and share my favourite methods of making Nathe Amergin, a.k.a. Mr I’m-too-serious-to-smile, show his feelings. As if that was a dirty word or something. Trust me, I know much dirtier ones 😉 My name’s Sapphy and I’ll be your tour guide around Nathe’s emotions today. So, how to get this locked-down lover to show you he cares? Here are my top ten ways:
1: Attack him. First impressions count, right? He came after me and yet he got so mad when I sent him flying with my ninja-wind power. Hilarious.
2: Run from him. He tried to take me to jail. Have me hanged. All because of a little mistaken identity. Jeez, humour this guy does not have. Turns out running from him brings out the caveman from Mr Control – and he likes to chase.
3: Tug on his strings. Nathe is an ambassador of the realm, a queen’s enforcer and incredibly loyal. As soon as I implied the danger to his people, he was not happy. And when Nathe isn’t happy, he gets uptight and stiff and sulky. Makes you want to bite his lower lip.
4: Oh, a good one. Kiss him. Nathe gets embarrassed easily when it comes to attraction. His ears blush. So cute. Except when he kisses you back – and then the earth shakes.
5: Tease him. I swear, the man must have grown up where nobody cracked a joke or something. Sarcasm gets an eyebrow twitch, innuendo a strangled comment. And if you say you’re going to tell the uptight nobles where to get off, he goes this deep shade of red that’s hysterical.
6: Ah. Not my favourite. Get hurt. Nathe has this incredibly protective streak along with an archaic idea about women needing his protection. Anyone tries to hurt me, the earth trembles with his contained rage.
7: Push him to talk about his family. If there was ever a man in need of opening up, it’s Nathe. He locks his emotions away so he doesn’t have to deal with them, but he needs to grieve his past. You have to shovel some manure before you can grow roses. Even when he gets annoyed about your pushiness, it’s worth a few displays of irritation to get him to open up.
8: Get seen with other men. So along with that ingrained protective streak, Nathe also has a deep vat of hidden jealousy. See, he doesn’t let himself care for any woman until I pushed my way into his life and if he even thinks another man is making eyes at me, Mr Cool flips to burning point. Watch out for the sparks that fly …
9: Give him the green light. You’d think a man who’s all about control might be a dud in the bedroom, but oh. My. Gods. Enough said.
10: Finally, the tenth way of forcing Nathe’s emotions out from under lock and key? Tell him you love him. I guarantee a display to treasure forever.
For more ways of letting Nathe’s feelings free, I recommend you check out our book. Strap yourselves in – it’s a bumpy ride 😉
****
WHISPERS, Book 2 of the Divided Kingdom Series
He’s no pushover. And she ain’t no fairy princess…
No one would guess that Sapphy, awesome whirlwind of Maze badassness, grew up sheltered in the Fae realm. Witnessing a murder drove her into the humans’ broken cities to hide, but now she’s back, going undercover to keep history from repeating as the tournament to choose a new Fae queen dawns. The only pebble in her shit-kicking boot is the jaw-gritting interference of Nathe Amergin, a Fae Enforcer whose solemn violet eyes set her skin to sizzle.
After the loss of his beloved sister, Nathe saved his last shred of sanity by clamping a lid on his emotions and forging a path to justice. When this frustrating, blue-eyed, my-go-or-I’ll-blow female informs him of a possible threat to the realm, his offer of support is genuine, if reluctant.
While he’s willing to work with her to protect his people, this sinful smart-ass skates perilously close to unleashing an avalanche of passion that, as the final choosing looms and whispers turn to screams, could bury them both.
Product Warnings: Contains ear-blushing sex between a flighty Fae with a mean air jab and a grounded Elemental who makes her earth move. Add a murderous queen clinging to power, and sabotage that strikes out of thin air. Anyone got ear plugs?
With those puzzling words, Tomas slapped a hand on Nathe’s arm. “For all the good it may bring you, she’s on the stairs.”
Hit with a flood of relief, Nathe twisted to where Tomas now pointed.
And stood frozen.
His breath halted, his heart pounded once before forgetting its next action entirely. The dancers melted away, the shouts of laughter and revelry faded, even Tomas blurred until there was but the dark.
And her.
Sapphy stood poised at the top of the marble staircase like an angel from a painting, one graceful hand brushing the bannister, her face in profile as she looked away.
Her long, lithe body was wrapped in silk. The gown was a waterfall of blue, darkest blueberry at the bodice melting into crisp ice at the hem. Baring creamy white shoulders, it cupped her round breasts, slipped down to a waist he could span with both hands, before flaring out to the floor.
Her face had been painted, her lips a pale pink, her eyes a dramatic storm of smoke and ice. Sapphires trickled from her earlobes and graced her throat, simple, understated, elegant.
But it was her hair that was magnificent. A sweep of silvery-blue, the color of ice crystals on the verge of melting, it had been left loose to wave down to her hips, the different blues shimmering in the electric lights. A crown of bluebells adorned her head, a dramatic contrast between sensuality and innocence. The awakening.
She moved like the wind she called her own when she began to descend, a rolling of her hips that had Nathe’s blood sizzling, snapping, aching for her. His body stiffened, but he drifted toward her, unable to stop himself. Drawn together, he thought. Magnets.
And still there was nobody but them as he met her at the middle. She spoke not a word, but her eyes remained watchful, knowing. Even bluer now that her true colors had been revealed. They blistered him with a knowing look.
With a small smile, she held out a hand.
In the dreamscape, every movement was slow, and his taking of her hand was no different. Raising it to his lips, he inhaled the scent of her skin, brushing his lips over her knuckles, lingering.
His eyes flicked up. Breathless was how she looked, sensual and slumberous as she watched him out of hooded eyes.
His groin was on fire, his belly in knots as he longed to yank her to him, gather her skirts up and ride them both to ecstasy.
She waited for him to speak, but he couldn’t find the words to describe her beauty, every one trite and cliché. Every one fell short.
So he took the hand he still held and pressed it inside his jacket, against his racing heart. As her smile floated away, he moved in as close as the steps allowed.
“I burn,” he said softly. He held her gaze as his breath whispered across her cheek.
****
About Me:
Sophie H. Morgan is a paranormal romance author with a love for hot guys, sassy heroines, and HEAs that seem impossible. When not at the keyboard working out ways to drive her characters into each other’s arms, you can find her rambling about the English countryside with her crazy spaniels, shopping for one more pair of shoes, or devouring yet ANOTHER romance novel with ANOTHER bag of raisin cookies.
I’m writing this late Friday night. A family emergency may be calling me away from my desk tomorrow, so I thought I’d go ahead and knock this out. And because it’s so late, I’m yawning as I’m typing. I guess I shouldn’t say that because it might be like that reflexive yawn—you know, someone yawns, everyone yawns…yawning again.
Anyways, this next week is going to be crazy busy for me. Besides the usual helping out with my dd’s kids, trying to get the green grunge out of the pool, and doing my best to turn my gaze away from my craft table…(yawn)…I’ll be polishing up the last of the Planet Desire trilogy books, aptly named Planet Desire! The plan is to have it done, formatted, and ready for you to download by Friday. That’s the plan anyway.
I’ll also be working on edits for another author and trying to pound out the final three chapters of a new SEAL story. Wish me luck!
I’m pretty sure I have a couple of recent contests still in limbo. If you scroll down this page and find them, it’s not too late to enter! And because you’ve been patient, I’ll offer TWO COMMENTERS a chance to win a download of either Desire’s Prisoner, Desire’s Slave or my latest Cowboy on the Edge story, Cain’s Law.
Coming Next Week
Out Now!
Rogues
Thanks to everyone who purchased their copy of Rogues! We’re all excited that this anthology is out! Readers are excited too!
Here’s what a few of them had to say…
“Perfect Summer Reading!… Delilah Devlin has masterfully collected a group of stories with twists and turns on the handsome-rogue-and-damsel-in-distress theme…”
“…an awesome set of short stories with so much excitement, laughs and thrills…”
Rogues! With fourteen stories sure to satisfy the reader who craves that ultimate bad boy, prepare to have your heart stolen!
Just $0.99 or FREE for Kindle Unlimited subscribers! Get your copy!
And be sure to drop by my Collections website to see what’s happening there. Right now, there are prizes to be won, and soon there will be more announcements about fun things coming soon!
Stepbrothers Stepping Out: With His Doctor
I’m thrilled this story is doing so well! As of this writing, it’s still holding strong at #1 on Amazon’s short romances list!
Thanks to everyone who bought a copy. With His Doctor is also just $0.99 and FREE for Kindle Unlimited subscribers! And remember, there are five stepbrother stories before this one—not that you have to read them in order. They are each a standalone story!
She’s in luck! The doctor’s in…
With the ink barely dry on their D/s contract, big brother’s ready to introduce Sasha to a very special friend…
Years and years ago I had an idea for a story about a woman who’s only loved one man and a man who didn’t think he was worth it. Final Surrender was this love story and several years later it was published.
In Final Surrender, Campbell, Clay’s business partner and fellow bodyguard, shows up and makes himself so likeable in the big brother / womanizer / hot as hell but not to date kind of way ‘cause he’s a man-whore. So of COURSE I have to tell his story.
Ultimate Surrender was born and released the beginning of May!!
Here’s a taste of Ultimate Surrender available NOW!!!
He’s hired to protect her, but will her love save him?
Campbell Newbury could not believe who his new client was: Natalie Grant, philanthropist and pain-in-the-ass extraordinaire. Of all the security firms in New York, she had to pick his to protect her. But her flaming red hair and curves turn him on. Blond and toned, Campbell is a sex-with-no-strings guy and has bedded countless women. Love? Not an option. Forever? Not in the cards for him. But a bet with his best friend may change everything.
On their first official meeting, Natalie knew all the rumors about Campbell were true. If he weren’t the best security money could buy, she’d want no part of the cocky womanizer. But she needs him. The sudden rush of near hit and runs is proof of that. As the threats escalate, she sees a side of the bad boy he’s tried to hide—and his strong arms provide comfort and something more she didn’t know she needed. Still, she’s careful not to let her heart rule her head. They keep their relationship strictly business by day—and lustfully kinky by night. Will this unlikely couple find their way to forever or will their needs disappear once the dust settles?
Warning: Contains one at-odds couple who like nothing more than to satisfy each other’s kinkiest desires in a no-strings attached hookup. Danger and an unseen threat bind them closer than ever before.
So in honor of finally getting to tell Campbell and Natalie’s story let’s have a giveaway!! This is open to all of my lower 48 states peeps and is for a Signed Print copy of Ultimate Surrender and some kinkylicious swag!!! How do you enter? Simple. Comment below and tell me your love story. One you’ve lived through, heard of, seen, dreamed of. Anything that means a love story to you!
Can’t wait to hear what you guys share and then I’ll pick a winner in a couple of days! Good Luck!!
Decadently Yours,
Jennifer Kacey
About the Author
Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her miniman in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.
What image does the word winner conjure up for you?
Champion? Hero? Conqueror?
For me, it represents reader satisfaction.
To win an award for writing means that readers have enjoyed and applauded the story that has been woven for them. As an author, there is no greater reward than knowing that your work has given joy and pleasure to another. With fiction, we are able to escape to worlds and eras that can transform us. Truths can be disguised as entertainment, lessons can be learned, and our souls refreshed. For a writer to be applauded for their work signifies that they have succeeded in conveying the reader to a better place, if only for the few hours it takes to read their novel.
Simply the Best is a collection of International Digital Award Winning Romances
Six First Place authors of the International Digital Awards, have combined their winning novels together in a boxed set priced at $0.99. This is an opportunity to read the stories that others have found exceptional. This multi-genre set spans different times and worlds. There is historical, contemporary, suspense, science fiction, and young adult combined in one set.
THE BOOKS
HAUNTED BY DEATH by Dale Mayer Suspense Winner
Death haunts anthropologist Meg Pearce… In her last summer before college, an innocent camping trip ended in a friend’s disappearance…and destroyed her life.
ANGEL’S ASSASSIN by Laurel O’Donnell Historical Winner
Damien is an assassin, a man with a tortured past. Sold into slavery, he is trained to kill. Lady Aurora of Acquitaine is the epitome of purity and goodness. When Damien enters Aurora’s life, tempting her with promises of forbidden lust, he threatens to tear her peaceful world apart.
BE MINE THIS CHRISTMAS NIGHT by L.A. Sartor Short Contemporary Winner
Children’s author Annie Hamilton’s dream of having a family resurfaces when Cole Evans moves next door with his two young boys during the Christmas season. But the lure of happily-ever-after with the brilliant scientist is overshadowed by the risk that revealing her secret will destroy this chance.
AHUNTER4RESCUE by Cynthia A. Clement Paranormal Winner
A unit of elite alien warriors, known as Hunters, crash lands on earth and their leader is torn between getting his men to safety or protecting the human woman he has bonded with.
THE FINE ART OF KEEPING QUIET by Charity Tahmaseb Young Adult (Contemporary) Winner
No one expects the girl who has mastered the art of keeping quiet to join the speech team. But Jolia does. When a crush-worthy rival offers to coach her in secret, she can’t say no. But secrets have a price, and this one might cost Jolia everything.
THE MAPMAKER’S WIFE by Kathy L. Wheeler Short Historical Winner
A flippant proposal and an attack on her person finds one young woman married to the mapmaker who only needs someone to take control of his ungovernable child. Feelings quickly shift into something less platonic and when the enemy gains vital secrets, her suspicions land her in jail.
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Charlotte Copper lives in Stouffville, Ontario – that’s in Canada, eh. When she isn’t working at her full-time job, Charlotte likes to craft, read, go to movies, and, of course, write. Charlotte hopes to have all of her stories published some day because, as a romance writer, she believes in happy endings.
Do you play with writing prompts? They can be a lot of fun. It’s a way to keep the writing muscles limbered up, like going to the gym or yoga class. Best part is they don’t have to be long; under 500 words is quite useful. Whether you come up with something you use later, or just play around like an artist makes sketches to train their eye, “It’s all good.”
Sophie H. Morgan is a paranormal romance author with a love for hot guys, sassy heroines, and HEAs that seem impossible. When not at the keyboard working out ways to drive her characters into each other’s arms, you can find her rambling about the English countryside with her crazy spaniels, shopping for one more pair of shoes, or devouring yet ANOTHER romance novel with ANOTHER bag of raisin cookies.
Thanks to everyone who purchased their copy of Rogues! We’re all excited that this anthology is out! Readers are excited too!
About the Author
What image does the word winner conjure up for you?
