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Katlyn Conrad: Spirit on Fire
Wednesday, January 21st, 2015

kcAbout Marek

January may be the start of the new year, but for me it’s always had the feel of an in-between month. Winter still has its grip on us, and the uplift of the holiday season is behind us. There’s something almost shamanic about January, as we dig down into the dark, struggling with any new year’s resolutions and looking for what’s next.

In shamanism, to move forward, first you have to go inward, and inward means down. Down’s not a bad place. The answers are there. But you sometimes have to go through some dark stuff to get to them. That journey can be painful, but it’s worth it.

To become a shaman, the shaman must go through some sort of spiritual dismemberment. Shamans have to break down their ego, freeing themselves to be their core self.

What does this have to do with my book, Spirit on Fire? The heroine, Samantha, went through a physical trauma before she became a shaman. But what I admire about her is that instead of letting it beat her down, she learned forgiveness and lifted herself up. It’s that heart full of forgiveness that makes her an equal match for her lover, Marek, who struggles with the desire for revenge. Because she’s gone deep into that black pool herself and come out of it, she understands the darkness in him.

Katlyn Conrad

Find her on Goodreads

Spirit on Fire

kcSpiritOnFire_LoRes

Samantha wants a normal life, but the were world won’t leave the sexy new shaman alone. An outcast, she has the potential to control were spirits of all kinds—if only she can figure out how. When she encounters a red-hot demon were, everything she never wanted to know about the supernatural gets turned on its head.

The fire demon Marek claims he’s been ordered to kill Samantha, but he’s disobeying the command. He’s come to save her instead, so they can work together against his sadistic vampire master. Demons are notorious liars, so Samantha has her doubts but no choice. A common cause—survival—draws them together and cool suspicion turns to sexual heat.

A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Spirit on Fire is available at: Amazon, Ellora’s Cave, and Kobo

A Question…
Tuesday, January 20th, 2015

I don’t know what I dreamed last night. My cat kept waking me, and if I don’t think about the dream the moment I open my eyes, it’s gone. The cat doing her paddy-cake thing with her claws tends to get my attention. Anyway, I woke up startled, grumbled at the cat, and then knocked over a bag of runes I had on my bedside table. While picking up the pieces, I wondered…

I have occult things all over my place…a collection of fortune-tellers tea cups, a palmistry hand, a crystal ball, two sets of Norse runes, and three sets of tarot cards. Oh, and tons of books! I have more “stuff” but I don’t want to catalog it all.

What I’m wanting to know is whether you do too—
Do you have tarot cards? Do you have a crystal ball sitting
on a shelf gathering dust? Do you have a Ouija board?

Alyssa Breck: Rock Star Fantasies
Monday, January 19th, 2015

Music has always had a huge influence on my writing. I have particular playlists that I listen to depending on what I’m writing and what my mood is. While deciding to write a novella for a box set, I was listening to Type O Negative’s October Rust album and I thought about what a great character the late Peter Steele would be in a rock and roll romance story. He had that tall, dark and handsome appearance along with the angry, broody and mysterious persona. He played bass guitar and his lyrics were laced with angst and despair. I wanted to write a hero like him.

All of us have, at one time or another, fantasized about falling in love with a rock star. So, I wanted to encompass that a normal, girl-next-door type could catch the eye of a rock star like Peter Steele. But just a normal romance where boy meets girl and they fall madly in love would be boring, right? So, I shook it up a little bit.

I thought about the challenges that rock stars face; the lack of privacy, over the top fans and limited time for a personal life. I wanted to give a realistic picture of that lifestyle but still keep it fantasy enough to feel like it could happen to someone like me or you.

In Unraveled, Evie is an unassuming girl who works a nine-to-five job and Lyle is the quintessential rock star women drool over. The two of them meet in a chance encounter after a concert and just as the chemistry starts to brew, enter a crazed fan that sees Evie as a threat and decides to eliminate her competition. For every action, there is a reaction and trying to keep two people apart sometimes has the opposite effect.

I really enjoyed delving into the rock and roll lifestyle and I currently have a second rock star story in the works. Unbreakable will release later this year.

Unraveled

Unraveled

Evie Brant lives quietly under the romantic radar until a coworker invites her to a concert where she meets Lyle Crane, the sexy singer of a heavy metal band. A little harmless flirting between the shy paralegal and the outgoing rock star provokes a crazed fan to eliminate her competition. Chemistry brews between Evie and Lyle when a gunshot rings out in the dark and the unlikely couple is set on a collision course neither of them saw coming.

Available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MMXGPE8

Alyssa Breck is an 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 lives in the south with her family and myriad pets.

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

Em Petrova: Reining Men
Sunday, January 18th, 2015

UPDATE: The winner of the free download is…Kim Smith!

* * * * *

DD, here! Just poking my head in the door to remind you that yesterday’s posted contest is still ongoing, and to tell you that you have a second chance to win the prize by commenting HERE today!  Check out Em Petrova’s sexy new cowboy story!

Reining Men

reiningmen

There’s no escaping ranch policy—anything to please a lady…
The Boot Knockers Ranch, Book 3

The Boot Knockers Ranch caters to women in all ways. And now rookie Paul is officially part of the team. He’s had six months to hone his skills with the ladies and prides himself on being a prime catch.

Jack would agree. He can’t get the rugged cowboy out of his system. He wants Paul in his bed more than anything, but his best friend has always been resistant to relations with other men. Jack’s instinct says different, but he values Paul’s friendship too highly to push it.

Then Jack takes on beautiful new client Lissy Lofton and finds himself falling hard for the confident show jumper. He’s not the only one. Lissy has caught Paul’s attention, and the attraction is mutual.

But now Jack has a problem. Lissy’s sexual appetite is so ravenous, he doubts he can last the week without backup. Which presents an irresistible opportunity to invite Paul into their bed—where the incandescent heat brings all their walls tumbling down.

Warning: Contains two smoking-hot cowboys whose drive to please the same woman spurs a desire to please each other.

Excerpt

“This lower lip is as ripe as a juicy peach. And this upper one”—he dragged his thumb over the rounded edges—“is a man’s wet dream.”

His dirty words spiked her desire. She wrapped her fingers around his strong wrist. Wide, sprinkled with light hairs, warm from the sun. Damn, she wanted to touch his every inch. For a week, Jack was hers to worship.

And she planned to take total advantage and make the big fee worth it.

His lashes lowered over smoldering eyes the color of sea glass. As a child she’d gathered the remnants from the beach and kept them in a little wooden box her parents had given her. What had happened to that collection?

Who cared? Now she had a new kind of sea glass to admire.

Jack tipped closer until the brim of his hat bumped her forehead. With a warm chuckle, he nudged it up. “Hat on or off, Lissy?”

Her mind bounced around the question. What did she want her first kiss to be like? He was allowing her to choose her path. Her heart swelled with the knowledge of her own power.

“On,” she whispered, her voice a stranger’s.

He angled his head, nose brushing hers. She filled her lungs with his scent—leather, man, hay. All the things she adored clinging to one perfect cowboy.

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Reining-Men-Boot-Knockers-Ranch-ebook/dp/B00NOM4IOK
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reining-men-em-petrova/1120375387?ean=9781619223813
Samhain:
https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5286/reining-men

 

Em Petrova lives in Backwoods, Pennsylvania, where she raises four kids and a Labradoodle named Daisy Hasselhoff. Her dream is to buy an old pickup and travel small-town USA meeting people and hearing their stories. Her heroes are hardworking—in bed and out—and she is known for panty-scorching erotic romance.

WEBSITE https://empetrova.com
GOODREADS https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4342760.Em_Petrova
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE https://www.amazon.com/Em-Petrova/e/B005D0EXCI
BLOG https://hardworkingheroes.wordpress.com
FB FAN PAGE https://www.facebook.com/empetrovahardworkingheroes
TWITTER https://twitter.com/empetrova

Flashback: Strokes, Vol. 2 (Contest)
Saturday, January 17th, 2015

UPDATE: The winner of the free download is…Kim Smith!

* * * * *

Are you a fan of short stories? Have you ever read one? I love reading and writing them. Good thing, because one of my jobs is “editor” for sexy anthologies for Cleis Press.

I love short stories for many reasons.

  • It’s a very short, satisfying journey to THE END.
  • I can experiment with genre and see whether I’m any good at writing something different.
  • Writing shorts cleans my writer’s palate much like eating bread at a wine-tasting.
  • It’s just plain fun.

I write short stories for the collections I edit, but I also love to write them for other people’s collections. I get rejected the same as anyone else, so it’s still a rush to make the cut when a story is accepted. And because I normally retain all rights for the stories, I like to bundle them up occasionally into my own little self-pubbed volumes of Strokes. So far, I’ve published two. In a month or two, I’ll be publishing the third.  Today, I’m giving away a copy of the first volume to one lucky commenter. The second volume had to be republished a few months ago, and I lost all my reviews. 🙁 So if anyone happens to pick up a copy, I’d love you forever if you posted a review!

If you post a comment today, you’ll be entered
to win a free download of Strokes, Volume 1!

Strokes, Volume 2

Strokes Volume 2

Click to Buy

 

From New York Times bestselling author, Delilah Devlin, comes another naughty collection of seven bedtime stories—a week’s worth of nighttime reading pleasure.

Ride along with two soldiers, just returned from war, who find sweet release in “The Long Ride Home.” In “Tailgating at the Cedar Inn,” a woman has one last fling with two sexy construction workers. A cowboy kidnaps his “Runaway Bride” to get some sweet satisfaction. A woman travelling alone in Europe enjoys a hot steamy sauna in the “Textile Free” zone. In “Love in Bloom,” a florist tempts her high school crush. A naughty nooner with an office colleague ends in a “Quick Draw.” A dispatcher kicks inhibitions to the door when she seduces a younger truck driver in “Drive Me Crazy.”

Four of the stories have appeared in separate Cleis Press anthologies. Two of the stories were featured in Penthouse magazine! All the stories are featured in one sinfully hot collection…

Excerpt from “The Long Ride Home”…

White-hot sun beat down on the tops of our helmets. Sweat pooled between our shoulder blades and dampened the necks of our t-shirts. However, it was a hot, humid East Texas heat—so unlike what we’d endured for the past eleven months that none standing in formation really minded. We were home.

I watched it trickle down the side of one particular soldier’s neck as he stood in the row in front of me. Not for the first time, I thought I’d like the chance to lick it away.

Not that Staff Sergeant Mason Haddox had a clue how I felt. We’d been part of the same platoon—played volleyball and shot hoops, drove trucks over long, barely paved expanses of desert and mountains, and cleaned our weapons, side by side—but he hadn’t seen me as anything but another private who needed looking after.

And yet, his tall, muscled frame, black close-cropped hair and wintry blue eyes had made quite an impression. I’d lusted after him since the first time he’d shown up drill weekend, a month before we’d deployed. His steadfast calm during the most nightmarish day of my life had only cemented his attraction.

My nose started to itch, and I wrinkled it, hoping formation would break soon so I could scratch it. My feet were roasting in the boots sticking to the black pavement.

True to his word, our commander kept his speech short. A good thing, since SSG Haddox fidgeted, hands tightening and easing, swaying slightly on his feet as though waiting to spring into action. I knew he scanned the crowd seated in the bleachers from the corners of his eyes, hoping she’d show, that she’d changed her mind. I’d looked too and knew she wasn’t there—and wouldn’t be coming. I felt bad for him, but was also secretly hopeful he’d be ready to let go, that he wouldn’t do something stupid now we were back.

Just a month before we began preparations for our unit’s return from Afghanistan, Haddox had gotten the Dear John letter from his girlfriend, informing him she’d moved his belongings from their apartment into a storage unit. She’d included two keys taped to the page—one for the storage unit and one to his Mustang. She’d written she was sorry, but had he really expected her to wait all those months?

Had I been in her shoes, I would have. But then, I knew the feeling of being so far from home that Skype and email couldn’t fill the loneliness. I’d survived it once. However, my husband’s second tour had severed our connection—that and the emails I’d discovered when I’d hacked his Gmail account. Ones he’d sent to a female corporal stationed in another province who was planning a little R&R rendezvous. As quick as that, my love for him dried up like a closed tap. I’d forwarded the email to my account, then sent it to him along with a request for a divorce.

So I knew what Haddox felt. The searing betrayal. The anger. Maybe she’d been a decent person, but personally, I consigned her to hell. The worst thing the person at home could do to a deployed soldier was abandon him when he was too far away to do a damn thing about it.

I hoped he didn’t plan to go find her now.

“Company, attention!”

I snapped into position.

“Dismissed.”

Cheers from our unit and from the family and friends who filled the armory motor pool rang in the late afternoon air.

Head down, Haddox stomped away, not bothering to share a word with anyone.

My sister waved and made her way through the throng spilling from the bleachers, a wide smile splitting her face. I gave her an answering smile, but couldn’t help darting a glance to watch that broad set of shoulders move toward the open motor pool gates—the only space large enough to hold the formation and the guests who’d come to welcome the Reserve unit home.

The buses that had delivered us from the airport were pulling away. Most of the soldiers and their friends and family were heading inside the armory for the welcome home celebration, but Haddox strode toward the parking lot.

I gave my sister a quick hug. “Go say hi to Shelby—he’s got it bad for you.”

She laughed and blushed. “Where are you goin’?” Then her gaze followed mine. “Seriously? I thought you said he was an asshole.”

“He grows on you. I’m sorry. I have to go.”

She gave me a smile and hitched her purse over her shoulder. “Don’t worry about me. But you better call.”

“Tell Shelby to grab my gear!” Out the gates I sped.

Haddox was already dropping his duffel bag into the trunk of a car—an older model black Mustang.

I halted beside him, trying to figure out what I could say to keep him from driving away.

“You forget something, PFC Hollister?” he asked, glancing to the side as he slammed down the trunk lid.

“Megan,” I said, suddenly breathless. “Thought you might like some company.”

His gaze narrowed. “Did you, now? I’m gonna blow the carbon out of the exhaust. The ride’s gonna be bumpy.”

“I don’t want to get in the way—if you have plans.”

“No plans.” He snorted. “Don’t even have a place to sleep. Didn’t your sister come to pick you up?”

“Yeah, but she’s all right with me leavin’.”

This time, his mouth twisted into something between a smile and a snarl. “Shelby?”

“Yeah. You know they’ve been writing each other.”

His gaze trailed straight down my body, then up again. “Get in.”

I strode quickly to the passenger door, opened it, and slipped into the bucket seat. Then I tossed my hat in the backseat and began unbuttoning my ACU-camouflaged jacket.

When he slid in beside me, one dark brow lifted, but he didn’t say a thing when I threw it into the back as well and sat in my sweat-damp shirt in the musty car.

“Better roll down the windows.” Then he said a little prayer under his breath and turned the key in the ignition. I buckled my seatbelt. The engine rumbled into life. With a quick, tight grin, he jerked the stick into reverse, and then punched it forward. We rolled out onto the street, heading west rather than east into town.

Hot wind whipped through the interior of the car, dispelling the musty air and tugging at my blond hair looped into a clip at the back of my head. I reached back and released it, then laughed as the Mustang roared.

Glancing toward Haddox, I noted the hard edge of his jaw, the hand wrapped so tight around the steering wheel, the muscles in his forearm tensed. I didn’t have to crawl inside his head to know he didn’t want me there, but I was.

Maybe I could help him out a bit. And maybe, he’d see me as more than a fellow soldier who’d shared the bench seat of a deuce-and-a-half truck a time or two. One I’d been driving when he’d had to talk me through a hail of gunfire when our transport convoy came under attack.

I unbuckled my belt, ignoring his deep frown. I turned in the seat and reached for the buttons of his jacket, flicking them open then parting each side.

He didn’t say a thing, but his nostrils flared, his jaw sawed tighter.

I gripped the front of his t-shirt, bunched it in my hand, and tugged it from his ACU trousers.

His stomach jumped, and he sucked it in, making just enough room for me to get my fingers behind the waistband as I unbuckled, unbuttoned and tugged down the zip.

“Dammit, Hollister,” he said, his voice rough as gravel. “You’re gonna get us both killed.”

His gruff tone spurred me on. “Not if you keep your eyes on the road,” I said, tilting up my chin. Then I leaned over his lap, folded down the elastic band of his boxer briefs and pulled his cock upright.

Anne Kane: Insanity Prevails!
Friday, January 16th, 2015

It’s a good thing I don’t expect life to be fair, or organized, or simple, or even sane because it never seems to turn out that way. As I’m sure anyone over 30 knows, making a plan is like begging for something to happen to thwart it. Despite all that, I am quite content with my life. In the final analysis, it’s never boring!

Last year marked a milestone in my career life ( the evil day job career) After fifteen years with the same firm, there was a management shuffle at the top and I found I couldn’t stomach the new company policies. They may have made great financial sense to someone but I like to be able to look myself in the eye without feeling sick. So, I left and started my own firm. I think that was one of the scariest moments in my life, but I felt I had no other choice. I may not be getting rich as an entrepreneur, but I am so much happier and I have all that free (unpaid) time to play with the grandkids and plot world domination, or at least my next book.

It took me the last six months to get my new business in order, but now things are looking up! So, on to career #2! Writing. Prudence dictated that I spread my works out in order to protect myself from unforeseen disasters (see paragraph one) So I now have two publishers and I have embarked on the scary road to Indie Publishing. It’s really not all that scary once you take the plunge. Sort of like jumping off a cliff – once you’re committed you start to enjoy it.  My first release on Amazon is a re-release of a title that never sold very well in its original incarnation. I reworked  the story, gave it a sexy new cover and voila! Love and Wishes is up for sale.

One of the choices I was forced to make on this journey was whether to publish on a variety of platforms such as Amazon, Nook, Apple and Smashwords, or to enroll the book in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program. The catch to the program is that you have to give Amazon exclusive rights to the book for 90 days at a time. The upside is that theoretically the program will help you to find new readers. I decided to go with it for the first 90 days and see what happenes. I won’t get paid a per book price for this, but a share of  the pot based on my sales through the program. I’m curious to see how well this works out. So far 75% of the book’s distribution is through Kindle Unlimited so I’m hoping that translates into a reasonable payout as well as some new readers for me.

All in all, it’s been a year of firsts and I’m looking forward to seeing what this new year will bring!

Anne Kane
www.AnneKane.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/annekane
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anne.kane.author
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sassic123/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/2870136.Anne_Kane

 

LOVE AND WISHES

Genres: Paranormal, Futuristic
Themes: Magic and  Mayhem
Release Date:  January 1, 2015
Author: Anne Kane
https://www.annekane.com
BUY NOW!

akanne-kane-loveandwishes500x750

Jenna has a secret— her alien blood makes her completely lose control during sex. It takes a strong man to be able to stand up to her demands, and so far she hasn’t found one strong enough to want to come back for more. On the eve of the biggest Sci-Fi convention in the known universe, she makes a wish. Now it’s up to Doug, the sexy troubleshooter from the Wishes Gone Wrong department of Wishlabz Inc. to make sure it comes out right. Because a wish gone wrong can be a very dangerous thing…

EXCERPT:

Jenna eyed up the green-skinned alien, making sure to keep a healthy distance between them. Maybe she should have been a little more specific when she’d wished for a lover with stamina. Like, maybe she should have specified that he be a nice male, a nice human male. She’d never met a demon, but this character seemed to fit the description. He had the horns, the fiery red eyes, and that total lack of consideration for anything anyone else said.

“Go away. I have no intention of going back to your place, wherever that might be.” She had a sinking feeling his place might be in a whole other dimension. Taking another step backward, she felt the cold cement of the wall behind her. “This is one huge mistake.”

The monster roared something unintelligible and stomped his big green foot. Glowering at her with those demonic eyes, he moved sideways, cutting off her escape route. If the drool dripping from the side of his mouth was any indication, he might be planning to make a snack out of her.

She snuck a look past him, hoping someone would notice the big green alien and come to her rescue. Unfortunately, at the biggest Sci-Fi convention on the known worlds an alien really didn’t stick out the way he would on Saville Row or at the opening of a new play on Broadway. She sighed, flicking the safety on her tazer to the off position as she pulled it from the top of her knee-high boots. Sometimes a girl just had to get mean.

“What will it take to convince you that I’m not going anywhere with you?” She brandished the tazer in front of her, hoping it held a big enough charge. She didn’t recall “oversized alien demon” being one of the settings. “Now run along and play nice with the other Trekkies.”

“Oh, I love a gal with her own tazer.” Read the rest of this entry »

Barbara Meyers: Chemistry 101
Thursday, January 15th, 2015

bm5-17-14M&EI remember the first time Matt brought Erin home.  They were sixteen and had a project to work on together for English class.  Erin stayed for dinner and like mysterious liquid in beakers heated by Bunsen burners chemistry sizzled between them.  They teased each other, one-upped each other and laughed non-stop.  They were so cute together.

Erin wouldn’t date Matt for fear of losing his friendship.  But they attended prom and weathered a lot of stuff together before graduation.  When Erin was in college they (finally) started dating.  When they broke up you’ve never seen anything sadder than my son with a broken heart.  They got back together briefly (after all the warm fuzzies I’d had for Erin were gone) and broke up again.

They went their separate ways and had relationships with others.  For long periods of time there was no contact between them.  We never said anything to Matt but in the minds of the rest of our family, we all agreed he was trying to replace Erin.

Fast forward fifteen years.  They were both in a time and a place and a maturity level where reconnection was made possible.  The chemistry was still there.  I’d never see Matt happier.  The two of them literally glowed when they were together.  Those warm fuzzies?  They came back.

That was two years ago.  Erin had just finished law school and job hunting was tough.  Matt suffered through a debilitating, undiagnosed illness and major surgery.  Erin was with him every step of the way and twenty-four seven during a long hospitalization and months of recovery.

Valentine’s Day 2014 they got engaged.

I asked Matt if he regretted all the years they were apart.  He says he can’t.  Everything they experienced apart made them who they are now and led them back to each other.  Erin says in the back of her mind she always felt they’d find each other again.

I started writing NOBODY’S FOOL the year after Matt and Erin graduated from high school inspired by that chemistry between two BFFs.  Although it is not based on their relationship at all, I wanted to capture that soulmate feeling of “no one knows you like I do.” And loves you anyway.  NOBODY’S FOOL is my story, not theirs, but I couldn’t seem to finish the book until I knew how their story would end.

Nobody’s Fool

bmNobodysFool300

She’s home to make amends. He’s out to get a little revenge.

But the heart he breaks could be his own.

The Jolie Kramer who left Oak Ridge at eighteen isn’t the same one who’s home for her ten-year high school reunion. The old Jolie hid her secrets and insecurities behind her popular-girl image.

The new Jolie has returned triumphant from NYC older, wiser, and ready to make amends for the bridges she burned. Especially the one between her and Court Harrison, her biggest supporter since childhood.

Court hates to admit he’s still hung up on Jolie, and he’s vowed to finally put the past way, way behind him. She wants to kiss and make up? He’ll give her a taste of her own medicine. Make her fall for him—only this time, he’ll be the one walking away.

But his plan works a little too well, and by the time he realizes their feelings are real, it’s too late. She’s onto him, and he’s lost the only woman he’ll ever want. Unless she falls for plan B, which contains two things she can’t resist: a career challenge, and a chance to get a little revenge of her own.

My web site: www.barbarameyers.com
Buy Link for Nobody’s Fool: https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5303/nobodys-fool
My WordPress blog:  https://barbmeyers.wordpress.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraMeyersAuthorPage
Twitter: @barbmeyers

I am running a Catch My Release contest during the month of January.  There will be five winners and multiple ways to enter.  Details on my web site and FB Author Page.  Posting a comment on this blog post during the month of January 2015 equals one entry.  Winner will receive their choice of one of my books.