UPDATE: The winner is…Armenia!

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What’s sexier than a cowboy? How about SEAL who’s also a cowboy? How about a SEAL/Cowboy who also doesn’t give up on love? I had fun writing this story about a woman wooed by her high school sweetheart relentlessly over the years of their separation—due to her stubbornness and his many tours of duty. In the end, what woman could resist such a heady combination?

Comment for a chance to win your choice of one of my Lone Star Lovers books! 

Rules of Engagement

Callie Murphy had never been one to moon over a man. Fairytale romances were best left to novels. After all, she’d seen first-hand how transitory love could be after watching her mother drift in and out of three marriages, only to be left disappointed when “true love” faded. However, the video Callie watched for the thousandth time stirred a wistfulness inside that left her feeling restless and thinking about what might have been.

Just the sight of that warm, steady gaze enveloped her in warmth. The deep timbre of his voice as he sang raised the fine hairs on her arms and caused her nipples to prickle, because she remembered that same voice murmuring in her ear in the darkness.

Knowing she’d never get his approval for security’s sake, she’d snuck this recording of their Skype session using a plug-in installed on her computer because she’d wanted something of him to linger after they’d said their goodbyes. This recording been made before their final breakup. Now, watching and listening to him was a form of self-torture. Wearing desert camouflage pants and a brown tee stretching across a well-muscled chest, his dark hair a little shaggy and his beard scruffy, he was all man. All complication. Those piercing blue eyes stared into the camera at her, steady and determined, and Callie couldn’t help the tears welling in her eyes.

Prickles of dismay swept over her as she imagined some other woman, someone not her, on the receiving end of one of his calls, being serenaded with that husky, smooth-as-silk voice. The last time he’d proposed, she’d been firm, making it clear she had no interest in leaving behind the life she’d built in Two Mule, Texas while he was set on a career in the Navy. Rightfully, he should have moved on. No one here in Two Mule would ever fault him. No one really understood why she kept refusing him, but then they hadn’t walked in her shoes through her childhood.

Her mother had followed that “broken road,” uprooting Callie three times, from the friends she’d made, from the roots she’d tried so desperately to sink deep into every place she’d lived. She’d never make that same mistake. Love faded, turned bitter and dark. When love ended, good people drifted apart, or worse, struck out at each other. She’d lived it, first-hand.

So when Derek had stood on her doorstep that last day before heading back to Little Creek, where no doubt his team would be deployed on more dangerous secret missions in the Middle East, Africa, or whatever foreign hellhole the powers that be scrambled a SEAL team for, she’d shut the door on everything he’d offered, despite the fact he’d been sincere—and despite the fact her own heart had twisted inside her chest at the disappointment darkening his eyes.

Watching the video now, him seated on a narrow cot strumming a guitar while he sang about roads leading him straight to some other woman, Callie couldn’t help sniffling. He’d known even before that last proposal that she’d say no. And yet, here he’d been, reaching out to her, letting her see inside his heart as he strummed out his pain.

Watching him as he’d given her a smile, and then sat back to pull his guitar across his legs, she remembered everything she’d felt—nostalgia for their long-shared past, irritation he’d never give up, and joy, deep inside, that his love had never waned, because she was selfish like that. Although she’d been unwilling to hitch her star along with his, she’d depended on his love. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ll share a little secret. When I sit down to write a blog, I don’t have a list of topics I’ve brainstormed ahead of time like most efficient/professional/great bloggers do. I wing it. But sometimes, I sit staring at that blank screen and can’t come up with a single light bulb idea to write about that day. So, I have tools at hand to help me when I run up against that hated blank screen/blank mind moment. I cheat.

I shared a “blog cheat” earlier this week. The Story Cubes post. Readers had fun devising themes and plots based on a game I keep on my desk. That I had this game for years and never opened the plastic—well, that’s the fun. I was surprised by how well it worked, and now, I’m wondering what would happen if I turned to the cubes when I run up against that blank page moment in a middle of book. I found a new, exciting tool.

I’ll share another “cheat”. One I have used before.

I’ve found a couple of different versions of this conversation starter—one in a book store, another on Amazon. This is how it works. The container is filled with little cards with questions you can ask. Usually, I read the question and “riff” off the idea to come up with something more appropriate for my audience. I tend to run with my own questions, because I love keeping my blogs personalized.

At random, just now (I swear it’s kismet!), I pulled a card from the case.

The question reads:

In your opinion, what is the best book title ever conceived?

So, now you know another of my secrets. And you have a brand new question to answer. Have fun with it!

Lots of us dreamed of growing up to be princesses. With a little help from Disney, we twirled through our girlish play dates in lacy dresses and plastic heels and pretended to be Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, and Belle.

As adults, some of us still enjoy dressing up for costume parties. Whether you’re one of those people or not, we have this is common: We never grow out of our dreams to experience our own special Happily Ever Afters.

In my upcoming release – Designed For You – the first scene in the story is a job interview. Interior Designer Jillian Lang must decide if the smoking hot Holland Sparks who walks into her office without an appointment is too good to be true. At first, she’s afraid he might even be connected to her cyber stalker.

Give the choice, would you hire Prince Charming to work for you? Even though he doesn’t need the money? What if he’s the best candidate for the job? With the most experience. And the most relevant skills. Would you be willing to swallow your concerns and risk hiring a man you need more than he needs you? Or would you rather spend your time training a fresh, gum-chewing college grad?

This is the decision Jillian has to make in Chapter #1. And that’s just the first few minutes of the heart-pounding suspenseful ride she must take in search of her Happily Ever After.

Join us for the Designed For You journey, book one in an all new series. For a limited time, you can reserve your copy for 99 cents (almost a 70% discount from normal price after release day).

Happy reading!

Jo

Designed for You
For You Series, Book #1
Coming – April 19, 2016

Despite a string of personal tragedies and setbacks, Jillian Lang’s interior design company is an enormous success. If she doesn’t count the cyber stalker who hounds her daily…

Knowing she can’t keep up with her fast-growing list of bids and contracts without help, she reluctantly breaks her number one personal rule of “don’t depend on anyone” and hires an office manager. Not only does Holland Sparks do an incredible job of running Lang Interiors, he provides a much-needed buffer between her and the cyber stalker, while steadily chipping away at a thousand barriers she’s put up to keep men out.

When the stalker suddenly moves his game from the cyber world to the real world, Jillian discovers no one in her immediate circle is exactly who or what he claims to be. Not her landlord. Not even her two brothers.

Will Holland be the one man she can turn to, or will his own secrets be reason enough to scrap her designs on the man of her dreams?

Excerpt:

I know who you are.

Jillian Lang’s insides froze as she read the email with its dreaded XX signature. She was tempted to run to the front door of Lang Interiors to make sure she’d locked it after closing time.

“Of course you know who I am!” She threw her arms up at the computer screen. “Any moron with Internet access can find my company website.” And exact street address. Her hands shook as she returned them to the keyboard.

More than likely, it was just some junior high prankster. Still, it unnerved her to receive the cryptic email message day after day. Who was sending it and why?

She shook her head at the screen. Should she report her stalker to the police? Would they even care? They had bigger fish to fry investigating the daily burglaries and muggings that plagued the city. Probably earn her little more than a good chuckle from them if she complained about someone who simply claimed to know her identity. The emails were creepy and obnoxious but hardly criminal.

She punched a few keys and carefully filed the email, hating how powerless she was to do anything about it.

Jillian preferred being in control. Climbing her own mountains. Putting out her own fires. Unfortunately, the emails from XX weren’t the only thing testing her patience today. She was in the process of hiring her first employee.

Another thread of her precious control tore loose with a nearly audible snap. Depending on others inevitably led to problems, at least in her experience; but she needed the help too badly these days to hold off the inevitable any longer.

She kicked her favorite strappy silver heels beneath her desk and shrugged out of her pumpkin-hued blazer. Nearly seven o’clock already. An hour past closing time, despite all the work that had piled up while she’d interviewed candidates. She unfastened her all-business bun and shook out her honey-blonde waves. A mother of a cramp knifed its way across her shoulder blades. She stood and placed her hands on her hips, threw her shoulders back, and stretched, eyes closed.

“Hello?” the smooth baritone resonated through her system, jolting her back to her uptown storefront office.

Her eyes flew open to regard the owner of the voice. A haze of fear clouded her vision. She blinked to clear it. Guess I didn’t lock the front door after all. “Hello. Ah…we’re closed for the day, sir.” She reached for the button under her desk, the one she’d stretched her budget to install a few weeks ago. A button that connected her one-woman office to the security firm her two brothers claimed was the best in St. Louis.

“No problem.” The man held up both hands, a gesture of full surrender that made her pause before pushing the button. “If you’re willing to give me an appointment, I’ll be happy to come back at a better time.”

He was tall. Certainly was no stranger to the gym, not with the way his shoulders and chest stretched the crisp creases of his shirt or the way his stone-colored slacks hung on his hips. But was he dangerous?

She nodded, forcing herself to swallow the golf ball-sized lump of misgiving clogging her throat. “Just give me a moment, and I’ll pull up my calendar.” She gave herself a mental high-five for keeping her voice from trembling and studied him from beneath her lashes while she fumbled with her keyboard.

Not a client or subcontractor, yet he seemed to fit the general ambiance of her design studio. A perfect blend of mod and complexity, much like the infinity art print displayed to his left—a single splash of color against the white walls and minimalistic white couch that comprised her tiny waiting area.

Dark hair waved its way down to the collar of his navy dress shirt in a style she instantly dubbed as touchable. It was slightly tousled as if he deliberately avoided appearing too slicked up but not tousled enough to dent his air of sophistication. His fair complexion hinted at a life that didn’t include a great deal of time outdoors, or he wore plenty of sunscreen when he did.

She swallowed again, forcing her thoughts back to her crammed schedule. “How does tomorrow sound? Noon sharp.”

“Perfect.” The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes indicated he was accustomed to smiling. It should have put her at ease. Instead, his smile along with his faint Northern accent stirred a fresh swarm of butterflies in her midsection. Scandinavian, perhaps?

“Your name, sir?”

She might be a little rusty on the dating scene, but interest lighted the man’s gray eyes. His gaze travelled across her face, dipped briefly lower, and returned to look her in the eye.

“Holland Sparks.”

She quickly straightened her shoulders, feeling exposed in her scooped white tank top with its lacy neckline and spaghetti straps. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so quick to discard her blazer.

“What sort of appointment can we set up for you, Mr. Sparks? Renovation, addition, landscaping?” She pasted on what she hoped was her best professional smile, warm enough to appear welcoming without coming across as desperate. Not the kind of smile that begged a customer to buy something so she could afford her next meal. She hoped that category of smiles was far behind her. For good.

His gaze leisurely roved the room and returned to hers, glinting with unspoken questions.

She hoped speaking in plurals would give him the impression she possessed another employee or two on the payroll. But he if was up to no good, there was always the emergency call button within reach.

“Actually, I was sitting in the coffee shop across the street, scanning the local news when I ran across your advertisement.”

My help-wanted ad? Jillian straightened her spine and clasped her hands in front of her. Though preposterous, his statement was firmly planted in safe territory.

He shrugged an apology. “Figured it would take longer to dial your number than to walk over here.”

“You’re, ah…applying to be my office manager?” Her voice rose to a higher pitch than she intended. She cleared her throat. He hadn’t simply lost his way to the modeling agency down the street?

“Yes.” He offered a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. It made her think of frivolous things like bathing in sunshine and dancing in the rain—sensations her dazed mind was beginning to vaguely identify as his unique brand of magnetism. Administrative duties aside, holy Batman! With a hunk of burning man-candy like him running her office, women would form a line to sign up for remodeling projects whether they needed them or not.

BUY & TBR LINKS (Please Complete The Ones You Use Feel Free To Add Others)

AMAZON KINDLE US – https://amzn.com/B01AU8SEAO
AMAZON KINDLE CA –  https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01AU8SEAO
AMAZON KINDLE UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AU8SEAO
BARNES & NOBLES NOOK – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/designed-for-you-jo-grafford/1123296144?ean=2940152837261#productInfoTabs
ITUNES – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/designed-for-you/id1077543099?ls=1&mt=11
KOBO – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/designed-for-you

About the Author

An award-winning author from St. Louis, Missouri, Jo has served as a corporate trainer, junior college finance instructor, and high school business teacher. Along the way, she discovered the only thing she enjoys as much as teaching is writing. Especially writing romance!

In her stories, the stakes are always high and there’s nothing her heroes won’t risk for the brilliant, sassy women they love.

A typical day finds her with her laptop balanced on her knees, a caffeinated beverage within reach, and a cat snoozing nearby who dreams of taking over the world.

Jo writes across the genres and is presently writing three series:

• For You Series – heart pounding contemporary romantic suspense
• Lost Colony Series – the epic historical saga of the Lost Colonists of Roanoke Island
• Vikings Saga – a collection of fantasy novellas

When Jo’s not writing romance, she’s reading it. She adores alpha males, strong-minded women, humorous sidekicks, diversity, Vikings, dashing lords, vampires, zombies, cyborgs…you get the idea.

She loves to stay in touch with readers on Facebook, Twitter, BookBub, and Amazon. Plus you can read free chapters of all her books on Wattpad. To receive a free copy of one of her bestselling stories, visit JoGrafford.com to sign up for her newsletter.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS (Please Complete The Ones You Use Feel Free To Add Others)

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE –  https://www.amazon.com/Jo-Grafford/e/B00G56XKS2/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
WEBSITE / BLOG – www.JoGrafford.com
FACEBOOK – www.facebook.com/JoGraffordAuthor
TWITTER – www.twitter.com/JoGrafford
GOOGLE+ – https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JoGrafford/posts
PINTEREST – https://de.pinterest.com/JoGrafford/
GOODREADS – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7360736.Jo_Grafford
OTHERS – WattPad – https://www.wattpad.com/user/JoGrafford

When I wrote the first book in The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, SNAP: The World Unfolds, five years ago I had thoughts the Chronicles would be a trilogy.

Why a trilogy? I don’t know. Trilogies seem to be a popular, finite number, like Twilight. After the second book, SNAP: New Talent, I knew I fallen under the spell of the Kandeskys and had to tell the stories of how they came to be. So the third and fourth books, Plague: A Love Story and Danube: A Tale of Murder are novellas centered on two of the main vampires, Baron Stefan Kandesky and Jean-Louis.

I’d left the protagonist and Jean-Louis’ love interest, Maxie, in a nasty cliffhanger in book two so I had to get her out and safe. After that…it just grew.

I didn’t set out to write a series about vampires. I was a mystery writer and had seven books plotted out in the Amy Hobbes Newspaper Mysteries.

But those Kandesky men! They really got into my blood! I was hooked on them, as were my fans. As I was writing the second, then the third, of the mysteries, I’d get notes on facebook, “When’s the next Kandesky book coming out?” And, in truth, I love living in the world of the Kandeskys. Oceans of money, European living and travel, jewels and designer clothes, surrounded by celebrities. It’s heady stuff and was becoming an addiction.

Amy Hobbes, my small-town newspaper editor is interesting, smart and clever. She has a sexy love interest in San Francisco, Phillipe, a Quebecois, but so far she’s travelled to Monterey…not Paris.

In February, I published the ninth book of The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, SNAP: I, Vampire.

Nine! Is that the end of the series? I don’t think so. Another of the Kandesky men, Nik, is moving in, has charmed the pants off Maxie’s assistant, Jazz, and asked her to marry him. It means not only marriage but being turned into a vampire. Can Jazz do it? I don’t know yet, she hasn’t told me, but book ten is looming.

I don’t know how many books will ultimately be in The Kandesky Vampires Chronicles. The combination of sex, money and danger is a lure that I can’t ignore, my readers and fans will have to say “Enough, already”.  Hope they don’t say that for a while!

About the Author

Michele Drier was born in Santa Cruz and is a fifth generation Californian. She’s lived and worked all over the state, calling both Southern and Northern California home.  During her career in journalism—as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers—she won awards for producing investigative series.

Her Amy Hobbes Newspaper Mysteries are Edited for Death, (called “Riveting and much recommended” by the Midwest Book Review), Labeled for Death and Delta for Death.

Her paranormal romance series, SNAP: The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, has received “must read” reviews from the Paranormal Romance Guild and was the best paranormal vampire series of 2014. The series is SNAP: The World Unfolds, SNAP: New Talent, Plague: A Love Story, Danube: A Tale of Murder, SNAP: Love for Blood, SNAP: Happily Ever After?, SNAP: White Nights,  SNAP: All That Jazz, SNAP: I, Vampire .

Visit her webpage, www.micheledrier.com

facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMicheleDrier or her Amazon author page, https://www.amazon.com/Michele-Drier/e/B005D2YC8G/

UPDATE: The winner is…Dina!

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My mornings always start with me opening this blog. Sometimes, I have some author’s interesting content to post. Love those days. I don’t have to do the thinking. If I have a new book out—again, a no–brainer—I talk about the new book. Then there are mornings like this one…

I was supposed to be writing today. My daughter was going to take all the kids to Little Rock (one of them has an appointment), then treat them with a trip to the comic book store. But last night, one of the girls threw up in her hands and the other had a 101-degree fever. So Nina is babysitting. And I’m due across the street in about twenty minutes, so this blog has to be quick! No time to leisurely drink my coffee waiting for inspiration to hit.

So, I glance around my desk—my very cluttered desk—hoping something will jump out at me. And something just did.

I bought this little brainstorming tool years ago at some writers’ conference. I’ve never opened the package! It sits in a corner, kind of buried next to notebooks, and I only notice it when I dust (which isn’t often enough!).

This is perfect really. “Story Cubes” is (that looks wrong, but I promise it’s not) a brainstorming game. You roll the dice, and whatever pictures appear face up are the ones you have to use to riff off a story.

Here’s the roll…

Do any of these symbols tell you anything? You can pick some or use all of them. Tell me a story, or just a glimmer of an idea, for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!  

Author Erzabet Bishop presents the story “Hedging Her Bets” from this wonderful book set!

Alpha Fever: 22 Sizzling Contemporary and Paranormal Romance Stories

(Alpha Heat & Alpha Fever)

Freebie Alert!

A Gift from us

to you!

22 Sizzling Contemporary and Paranormal Romance Stories

 The Authors

UPDATE: The winner is…Wulfie!

* * * * *

When I was growing up, vampires weren’t pretty, sparkly-in-the-sun beings. They were dark and evil creatures steeped in European mythology. They were inspired by the Strigoi, Vlad the Impaler and Bram Stoker’s Dracula among others.

The vampires I knew of fed on the blood of hapless victims and slept in coffins. They were walking corpses that preyed on the living intent on death and destruction. Interesting for sure. Lovable? Nope.

I’m picky about what appeals to me when it comes to bloodsuckers. Some of my favorites in modern fiction include Louis and Claudia (Interview with a Vampire), Xan Marcelles (Crooked Fang) and Eli (Let the Right One In). These vampires all represent beautifully that essential struggle in balancing the monster they’ve become with what’s left of their humanity. They’re likable despite what they are. They invoke emotion and feeling which is essential to any good character but is especially effective with vampire characterization where you’re taking something that is inherently bad and making it into something people can relate to and even see a little of themselves in.

My vampires don’t shine like diamonds when exposed to daylight and, in fact, will burn up like a sparkler on the Fourth of July. They fight, love and fuck like humans but are always battling the monster that lurks just below the surface. Sometimes they win that fight and sometimes they don’t.

Some say vampires have had their day and are out of fashion. I call bullshit. In my opinion, vampires will always be relevant in fiction. As an author, you have creative license to build your world however you like. It’s up to you to lay down your lore and make it believable and engaging. At the end of the day, or night, vampires can be written any number of ways as long as their journey is a real one.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, subscribe to my newsletter here https://eepurl.com/bPAbOL and then tell me who your favorite vampire is! I’ll pick a random winner from the comments on March 27, 2016.

If you like vampires, check out my new release Love Voodoo.

After a chance tarot card reading in a New Orleans voodoo shop, vampire Luca is intrigued by Collette, an alluring woman with an uncanny intuition. Getting intimately involved with a human is the last thing Luca has in mind, but Collette wins his trust and their friendship grows into something deeper. When Luca’s clan learns that he has asked Collette to perform a spell to bind his psychotic sire, a deadly chain of events unravels that will change their lives.

Love Voodoo is available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CO27BZI

Alyssa Breck is an award winning author of horror/urban fantasy, paranormal romance and erotic fiction. She grew up reading Stephen King and V.C. Andrews. The Shining changed her life and sparked a love of all things scary, spooky and spine-chilling. Add some romance to that and she found her niche weaving paranormal and erotic romance stories. Alyssa hangs her hat in the South with her family of humans and fur-babies.

You can learn more about Alyssa by visiting her website www.AlyssaBreck.com and by following her on Twitter @AlyssaBreck and Facebook.