I’m busy today. As I’m sure you are as well! So, I’ll keep this short and sweet.

If you could be better at just one thing, what would that be?

Thank you to Delilah for having me today. I’ve been fortunate enough to have about a dozen erotic romance novels, novellas and short stories published, some with e-publishers and some now indie published. This is the Best Job Ever!  Before I pimp my latest release, I’d like to say a few words about non-writing things. And I imagine I’ll end up sounding like a crabby ole woman. Maybe I am.

HGTV. What the heck’s happened with that network?  There’s no more, or very little, design going on. When I first began watching, there were fun shows like Design on a Dime and shows with hosts like Candice Olson, David Bromstad and Sarah Richardson. I always considered these shows akin to romance novels. You start with a problem house, a team works together to design it and make it pretty, and then there’s a happy ending. There are other design shows on but they seem to be few and far between and hard to find.

When did the network decide that the viewers wanted to watch CONFLICT? All caps!  House Hunters. If I hear one more person demand two sinks in the master bath, I’m going to scream. Two sinks is just one more you have to clean. But in my opinion, the shows have gotten meaner and more conflict oriented. Love It or List It. The homeowners are overly rude to Hilary the designer and the realtor David. They look Hilary and David in the eye and snottily insult them. Of course, all the rehab looks gorgeous by the end of the show but for an hour the viewer is treated to bitchiness and nastiness. And of course, we know this is all scripted. I mean they use the exact same phrases on every show.

Contest shows like Design Star can be fun to watch. They hit the bell the first year with David Bromstad. But pitting neighbor against neighbor in a design contest is, again, too full of false friction and hostility for me.

I refuse to watch House Hunters any longer. Same old, same old. Same with Property Brothers although the brothers are pretty to look at. These shows are scripted. When you hear the exact same phrases in every show, it’s hard to keep the eyeballs from rolling out of your head.

I like Income Property with Scott McGillivray. Funny, handsome, an expert at rehab? What’s not to like?

My new favorite show is Rehab Addict with Nicole Curtis. You’ve got to love someone who takes houses near to being torn down and makes them beautiful again. She shows them the love and respect they deserve. Now that’s the new romance novel/design show I can believe in.

Ask my husband:  This isn’t the end of my rants. Don’t get me started about commercials with “real people.”  😉  I gotta admit those “real people” are good actors. And I do like some shows, just not CONFLICT shows. Two sit-coms – The Middle and Modern Family. They’ve become my go to for laughs since Seinfeld is off the air. And thank God for reruns.

Now, if you’re not completely pissed with my opinions and me, here’s some info about my latest release Lost and Found, an erotic M/F contemporary romance from Ellora’s Cave. Hunky Marine Marc Rahn enlisted after his high school graduation to escape the pain of his parents’ fatal car wreck. Now on leave after eight years and multiple Middle East deployments, he returns to his small hometown to put to rest his suspicions that the “accident” might actually have been anything but.

What he doesn’t expect is an intriguing flash of a pierced nipple from a new neighbor on move-in day. The breast’s owner, Phoebe Barnes, is a beautiful young jazz singer who plans to make it big in the music business. Her early years in foster care made her hungry for attention and fame, and she’s out to achieve both at almost any cost.

Despite their differing paths, Marc and Phoebe quickly give in to the sizzling attraction between them. But will their passion turn deadly when the person who killed Marc’s family decides two murders might not have been enough?

After reading this blurb, you might ask, “Well, what does make you happy, Jane?” Writing erotic romance makes me happy, when it’s not driving me nuts.

My first pen to paper and when I began writing, erotic words flowed freely. I was mildly surprised but not for long. I soon learned this is the best job in the world. Every book I’ve written is a gem in my eyes. Naturally enough. So, with this excerpt from Lost and Found, I hope you can see what I mean.

Excerpt

Nose to nose, her eyes still closed, their lips barely touching, she felt the heat rise off his skin. Then she realized what he’d suggested. Home. Oh no. They were so not having sex.

Well, she’d handled that well. She’d insisted on going to her own house. On the porch, he’d leaned in for a kiss and now they were inside the door with her back to the wall, his long body pressing against her, chest to knee. His full lips covered hers. Clung to hers. It wasn’t just his mouth that devastated her soul. His arms surrounded her, one hand pressed against her back, the other cupping her head. Even if she wanted to escape him, she couldn’t.

He sipped and nipped at her mouth, the kisses so sweet, almost virginal. Virginal because he didn’t use his tongue. Hers was at the ready, just waiting, not sure what she was waiting for. His kisses went on and on, gentle and so mesmerizing.

She pressed his nipple with two fingers, circled the disk and squeezed the hardened tip. He sucked in a breath and rolled his tongue into her mouth. His grip on her head tightened while his tongue explored and grazed alongside hers. She responded, moaning, sucking and playing just as fiercely.

Her hips flexed against him, ground against his cock. He was so large, so hard against the softness of her belly. Her clit throbbed in answer. Moisture flooded her panties.

He lifted her off her feet. “Bed? Where’s your bed?” His voice was rough and purposefully seductive.

Oh God, I’m not ready for this. She shook her head and pushed at his shoulders. When he put her down, she took a step backward, tripped and landed flat on her back with a shriek.

“What the…!” She’d landed on some sort of cushion. Why would there be a cushion on the floor? There was supposed to be a clear path from the door across the living room to her bedroom.

A lamp flicked on. She saw Marc bending over it. Then her gaze landed on… “What the hell?” she repeated. Shock kept her on the floor in an indelicate sprawl. Her living room had been totally ransacked. Papers, books, throw pillows and couch cushions were ripped up and tossed everywhere. Glass vases had been broken and their fresh flowers and water soaked into the hardwood floor.

“Good God!”

Ellora’s Cave   ~  and Amazon  ~  and Barnes and Noble  ~  and  AllRomance eBooks

And check out my blog to find out about my smokin’ hot indie releases – https://janeleopoldquinn.blogspot.com

Enjoy! And I can also be found:

Jane Leopold Quinn
My Romance: Love With a Scorching Sensuality
Website   ~  Twitter  ~  My Blog  ~   Exquisite Quills! Blog 

Any comments about HGTV?  Tell me how you absolutely can’t live without two sinks in your master bath.   😉

I’ve been to New York City several times now, and by no means an expert on all the city has to offer, but I can guarantee there is always an adventure there. My first trip to New York City I can recall sitting on a bench on 5th Ave and staring up at the really tall buildings and the wide avenue and thinking, “Godzilla was really huge!” For the beast to swipe both sides of the street with his tail he had to be really, really big. And if you’re one of those people (like me) who follows the Avenger Movies (love, love, love!) the monsters that swept into the city had to be huge too!

But it’s not just the monsters that make NYC a great place to set stories. It’s the atmosphere, the subway, alleys, dark places, Central Park, historic buildings like the Central Library (remember the movie DAY AFTER TOMORROW?) and the people. My sister, Delilah Devlin, and I have an adventure every time we go. From riding the subways to the bicycle rickshaws, to buying knockoff purses in hidden closets in Soho shops. It’s fun, it’s exciting and I love it!

I’ve set all three of my DEMON series in NYC in Manhattan where I’ve created a Paranormal Investigation Team who take on the weird and unusual crimes that happen in Manhattan. My main characters are Katya Danske and Blaise Michaels. They solve the mysteries and struggle with their growing attraction and their own paranormal abilities. And what better place for paranormal creatures to blend in with society than a melting pot like NYC? And did I mention, these books are sexy HOT? Yeah, baby!

This month marks the release of the third book in the series TEMPTING THE DEMON.

Book #1 – HOT DEMON NIGHTS Amazon | Nook

Book #2 – DEMON’S EMBRACE  Amazon | Nook

Book #3 – TEMPTING THE DEMON Amazon | Nook| Kobo

Tempting the Demon

Tempting the Demon
Harlequin Nocturne Cravings
April 1, 2014

Amazon | Nook| Kobo

Dead demons keep turning up across the city. And it’s up to Katya Danske, member of the NYPD’s Paranormal Investigation Team, to stop whoever—or whatever—is behind the killing. But long, hot nights with her personal demon, sexy Blaise Michaels, are leaving her little energy to concentrate on her job.

Blaise understands Katya’s need for space, but now that he’s claimed her, he refuses to let his mate out of his sight. Not when a soul-sucking succubus and a massive storm threathen to throw the city into chaos. Besides, she needs his help to harness her own newly discovered powers. But can he convince her that the passion that binds them makes them stronger together than they are apart?

 

Chapter One

Heat built low in my body, firing synapses and sending electric currents from where his hand touched my hip all the way to my core. The fog of sleep slipped away as my demon’s fingers glided across my abdomen and down to the apex of my thighs.

I shifted, spreading my legs to allow his finger to slip between my folds and stroke that sensory-packed nubbin of pleasure. From dead sleep to heated passion, I awoke. “Hurry,” I whispered.

Blaise Michaels knew how to build the sensations, to guide my body to a fevered pitch. I want you to come with me.

“I want to sleep more before my alarm goes off.”

He withdrew his hand. Sleep, my sweet.

“Really? You stop now and I’ll kill you.” I grabbed his hand and returned it to that spot that was screaming for more attention, more strokes, more…more…more…

His low chuckle warmed my neck, adding to the heat of his palm cupping my sex, his finger dipping into my channel, swirling around in the slippery liquid coating my entrance. I wanted him, wanted the finger to travel back up to the special place he’d stroked to life, nudging me from sleep to full awareness.

He dragged his thick, wet finger up to my clit and stroked it once.

A shot of extreme pleasure ripped through me. I jerked my knees back, dug my heels into the mattress and arched my back, moaning.

Do you like that?

“Yes!”

He stroked me again and I closed my eyes, concentrating on prolonging the sensations, not catapulting over the top, extending the ecstasy of the moment as long as I could.

He stroked me again and I thought I’d come apart.

Blaise knew exactly what it took to make me scream. The demon exercised his control over my body every chance he could get. We’d made love until midnight and now…. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Damn, it was nearly four o’clock in the morning. My alarm was set for five. But I couldn’t just turn off what Blaise had turned on. I had to see it through, ride the wave of hot, molten passion to the end.

My demon rolled over on top of me. My knees dropped to the side. I was ready to take him, to welcome his full thickness into my body.

For a moment, his cock nudged my entrance.

Before I could raise my feet to wrap around his waist and urge him in, he slipped downward, pressing kisses to my breast, sucking my nipple in his mouth, pulling hard. Again I arched my back, pressing the breast deeper.

He rolled the nipple between his teeth, biting gently. I wanted him to hurry, to fill me, to slide his member deep inside me.

Letting go of the nipple, he moved lower, his lips searing a path along my ribs to my belly and below.

“Yes, there. Use that tongue.”

Patience, my dear.

“Fuck patience!” I dug my fingers into his thick black hair and urged him lower.

His tongue took me, lapping at that nubbin of sizzling nerve endings, flicking, teasing and setting me on fire. I felt the tingling begin at my core and quickly spread throughout my body. I shot into the stratosphere, all thoughts of getting up on time wiped from my mind as I rode the tsunami of pure, fiery desire.

Blaise climbed up my body, pressed his cock to my entrance and thrust deep and hard, filling me, driving inside until he was completely sheathed. Then he moved, sliding in and out, slowly at first, then faster and faster, the friction prolonging my orgasm until his final thrust.

Buried all the way inside me, he held me, his member throbbing, pulsing, hot and thick.

When I returned to earth, to the sweat-dampened sheets of my bed, I lay there drained, satiated and amazed at how often we had sex, and how still I couldn’t seem to get enough of this demon.

As the passion cooled, I lay staring at the ceiling, wondering what I’d do with this man who wasn’t a man at all. I worried I might become too dependent on him.

I like taking care of you. Would that be such a bad thing?

“Yes,” I replied. “I do my own thing. I don’t want to answer to anyone.”

“You don’t have to answer to me. All I ask is that you include me in your life.”

“What if I asked you to quit following me around?”

No.

“What if I told you that you’re crowding me?”

“We work well as a team,” he pointed out.

“I’d really like to have some time apart.”

No.

“You don’t control me.”

“You are your own demon.” His hand drifted down my arm and across my breast, setting off a barrage of tingles, zinging from my skin to my core.

“Damn you,” I muttered, sleep slipping further from my grasp.

“I can smell your passion.”

“Why do you do this to me?”

“I do nothing you do not wish for. I only want to protect you from harm. It isn’t often a demon finds his perfect mate.” His gaze captured mine, holding me in the power of those brown-black eyes. He cupped my chin and leaned in to brush his lips across mine. “Your strength, your spirit and your heart enchant me. I would rather die than lose you.”

Though I wanted to fling his words back in his face, warmth stole over me. Sometimes I caught myself enjoying being taken care of and it shook me to the core. Having grown up fending for myself, I had difficulty allowing someone else to take on that responsibility. Especially when that someone was a demon. A very sexy and dangerous demon. “Smooth words. I swear you’re manipulating me,” I grumbled.

He grinned and tweaked my nipple between his thumb and forefinger, setting off a renewed aching desire in my center. “Is it working?”

“Damn you.” I rolled over and straddled him, lowering myself onto his hard length, taking him fully inside me. “What do you think?”

 

About the Author

Elle James spent twenty years livin’ and lovin’ in South Texas, ranching horses, cattle, goats, ostriches and emus. A former IT professional, Elle is proud to be writing full-time, penning intrigues and paranormal adventures that keep her readers on the edge of their seats. Now living in northwest Arkansas, she isn’t wrangling cattle, she’s wrangling her muses, a malti-poo and yorkie. When she’s not at her computer, she’s traveling, out snow-skiing, boating, or riding her ATV, dreaming up new stories.

You can reach Elle James at www.ellejames.com or email her at
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Copyright 2014 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher
Cover Art used by arrangement with
Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved.

Delilah, it’s a pleasure to visit your blog today. Thank you for the opportunity to tell readers about my newest release, A Kiss of Promise, and the new direction of my writing.

I am excited to announce that  A Kiss of Promise, a Blush historical romance, was released on April 3^rd as an ebook by Ellora’s Cave and is available at all ebook outlets.  Readers who enjoy historical romance with an edge of intrigue will enjoy A Kiss of Promise.  

 Settings: A change of direction

A Kiss of Promise is a real departure from my previous novels that are set in England during the Regency Period.  This new release shifts from the elegance of the English ballroom and its strict rules of conduct and decorum to the streets of Boston and into gambling halls and brothels.  Martin and Alaina take fear-filled and treacherous journeys before they can deal with their turbulent relationship.  No easy trip to a happy-ever after ending!

I truly enjoyed sending Martin and Alaina off on a voyage to America. I found that delving into the research of sailing ships and life in Boston in the early nineteenth century was not only exhilarating but led me into an even greater departure of settings with the manuscript I am presently working on that takes place in New England.

From the past to the present

Martin Blackstone and Alaina Craymore in A Kiss of Promise have a past history as children of the peerage. I first introduce the Blackstone brothers, York and Martin, in Regal Reward, my debut Regency. Martin and Alaina first meet under tragic circumstances in Regal Reward and their attraction to each other must take a back seat to Martin’s older brother York’s struggle to regain the titles lost to him when their father is falsely accused of treason.

In A Kiss of Promise, Martin is the main character. He is a man wounded by his past and who runs from it, choosing adventure in America over commitment.  Alaina leaves for America under duress. Alaina has been preparing to reenter English society after a family  scandal and a year of mourning.  Circumstances pull her back into her late father’s despicable past. A conniving scoundrel, Phillip Harrington, demands her cooperation to close a lucrative business deal her father left unfinished before his death.  She must present herself as his fiancée in Boston or see her brother, Richard, suffer dire consequences.  Only Martin who left her behind in England with only a kiss of promise can save her from ruin.  She may need his help to rescue her, but she doesn’t need to accept a proposal out of pity.

Answering readers’ requests

After Regal Reward was released, I began my second Regency, A Convenient Pretense, a joy to write because my heroine is a poetess and I had the opportunity to include original poetry. A Convenient Pretense was released in 2013.

Readers of Regal Reward wanted me to write a sequel after Martin, Alaina and her brother Richard became favorite characters.  A Kiss of Promise tells their stories.

In Regal Reward York Blackstone fights to reclaim his father’s title, his family’s honor, and win Marielle who has been claimed by the son of his father’s accuser.  Martin, his younger brother, has no claim to a title and must decide his own future. In A Kiss of Promise, he plans a new life in America free from commitment until Alaina appears and he’s forced to dig deeper into his motives for his escape.

A Kiss of Promise

Adventurer Martin Blackstone escapes the stuffy rituals of England to seek his destiny in America. He leaves Alaina Craymore behind, believing she is better off without him. Suffering under the scandalous circumstances surrounding her father’s death, only Alaina’s love for Martin and the memory of their one stolen kiss have kept Alaina steady. But she hasn’t heard from Martin in far too long and cannot wait forever in the hopes that he will return from America. Just as Alaina begins to recover, one of her father’s associates emerges from the shadows with a choice—she must pose as his fiancée in America or he’ll send her brother to prison on charges of forgery. Willing to endure ruin and an uncertain future, Alaina agrees—she can do no less for the brother who’s spent his entire life protecting her. Only the man who spurned her can save her from the black mailing scoundrel and a ruined reputation.

Martin hasn’t forgotten Alaina or the kiss they shared. When word of her sacrifice reaches him, he’ll move heaven and earth to find her and make her his, no matter the cost.

A Blush® historical romance from Ellora’s Cave

Biography

Elaine holds a BS in English Education from the University of CT and an MS in Educational Leadership from Central CT State University. When she’s not writing, she teaches public speaking part time at a local community college. She enjoys drawing, kayaking, traveling, and most of all, being with her husband Drew, her children and grandchildren. While her newest release, A Kiss of Promise, leads her characters from England to American shores, her present work, still in the manuscript stage, takes place in New England and deals with prejudice and its power over love. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, CT Romance Writers (CTRWA) and Charter Oak Romance writers (CORW). Elaine is available as a speech coach and presenter to help authors hone their public speaking skills.

Buy links:
A Kiss of Promise available at Ellora’s Cave:
https://www.ellorascave.com/a-kiss-of-promise.html

For your Kindle:
https://amzn.com/B00HQH99V6

For your Nook:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/A-Kiss-of-Promise-Elaine-Violette

On her website:
www.elaineviolette.com

Visitors can follow Elaine on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elaineviolette/author and Twitter, https://twitter.com/elaine_violette.

Elaine’s other books mentioned above:
Regal Reward (print and ebook)
https://amzn.com/1419956256

A Convenient Pretense (ebook)
https://amzn.com/B00B3YV24A

I have been fascinated with the influence of birth order on personality for a long time. Probably ever since I met my husband. J

I’m the oldest of two girls. My husband is the youngest of seven—and six of those seven are boys, with his sister being the oldest.

I’m a decision maker.  I’m even what some people (my first grade teacher for instance) might call bossy.

My husband… isn’t. He goes with the flow.  The first three Thanksgivings we had with his family, I offered to bring something.  Something good to impress them right?  Something real.  But my husband was in charge of asking his sister what we should bring.

Dinner rolls. Brown and serve.

Yep. That’s what we brought. Because my husband just went along with whatever they said and his sister would never dream of having the baby actually do something.

New to the family I went along with it. For awhile.

But we’ve been together almost twenty years now. We no longer bring dinner rolls.

And my husband is no longer in charge of making family plans.

I love writing about families.  There’s just so much built in drama and emotion J Family always plays a role in my characters’ lives—for better or worse—but I’ve written a new series where the family is the core, driving force behind many of the attitudes and conflicts in the books.

Specifically, a group of siblings.  A boy and four girls. An older brother with four younger sisters.

Yep. FOUR. YOUNGER. SISTERS.

If you’re thinking “poor guy”… you’re right.  Conner Dixon has been tortured for four books by having to watch his sisters—who are more than just younger siblings, he’s raised these girls since their father died—fall in love.  And not just in love… in love with four of Conner’s best friends.

Yeah, poor guy.

Well, now it’s his turn.  And it was absolutely as entertaining to write his love story as I thought it would be.

As I’m finishing this series up, I have to admit that the sibling bond was even stronger and more a part of the books than I’d expected. Sometimes you can’t plan this stuff.  And when it happens naturally, it’s even more fun.

The birth order of the Dixon siblings is, oldest to youngest (and this is not the exact order of their booksJ)

Conner:  the protective big brother

Amanda: the oldest girl who tries to take care of her little sisters and protect her big brother

Emma: the wild child. The one who tests all the boundaries.

Isabelle: the side-kick. She’s right there with Emma getting into trouble and raising hell, but Emma’s the instigator.  Usually.

Olivia: the baby of the family. The sweet one. The optimist. The one who wants everyone to be happy.

Conner took this quiz and turned out as a typical first born.  How about you? 🙂

Birth Order Quiz

You can get to know Conner and his four feisty, fun sisters in the Counting in Love series!

She’s the One– Amanda Dixon

It Takes Two– Isabelle Dixon

Best of Three– Emma Dixon

Going for Four– Olivia Dixon

Up By Five– Conner Dixon

Up By Five

Releasing: April 8^th, 2014

He’s in the middle of the last thing he wanted… and the best thing to ever happen.

Ace paramedic Conner Dixon has sworn to never live with another woman after raising his four younger sisters. They have been giving him gray hair since they lost their father fifteen years ago. Now they’re all in love and Conner’s ready to retire—from worrying, fixing problems and cleaning up messes.

Of course, when his fellow paramedic, Gabrielle Evans, needs a place to stay after her apartment burns down, Conner can’t say no. But it’s no problem—Gabby’s just one of the guys.

Gabby’s penchant for poker and her ability to overhaul a transmission definitely make her different from Conner’s usual women. She also has no interest in getting involved with him. Conner’s crazy mix of family and friends is the last thing Gabby needs right now. She has her sights set on medical school in the fall and knows success depends on focus and commitment.

But within forty-eight hours of moving in, Gabby’s in the middle of a family crisis that could disprove all her I-don’t-need-anyone bluster and Conner’s in the middle of the last thing he wanted—a girl and all her stuff, all over his stuff. Still, the more she makes herself at home, the more he thinks that’s maybe exactly where her stuff should be. For good.

Warning: Contains a girl who thinks she wants to be just one of the guys, a guy who happily proves why that won’t work, and a very good reason to buy cinnamon roll icing-you know, other than for use on cinnamon rolls.

Tour Schedule:

4/1     I am, Indeed
Redheads Review it Better
4/2     Rage, Sex and Teddy Bears
4/4     Riverina Romantics
Delilah Devlin
4/7     S.J. Maylee
All I Want and More
4/9     Housewife Blues and Chihuahua Stories
All Things Romance
The Book Pushers
4/11   A Book Lovers Review
Ex Libris
4/15   Reading Between the Wines

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20526645-up-by-five

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Five-Counting-Love-Erin-Nicholas-ebook/dp/B00IYG08J0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395432920&sr=8-1&keywords=up+by+five

Author Bio:

I’ve been reading romance since my mom first let me into her book cupboard when I was about fourteen. LaVyrle Spencer, Julie Garwood, Debbie Macomber… they took my ‘happily ever after’ ideas from animated princesses to real people in the real world.

I’ve been writing romance almost as long. Many a family car trip was spent with my head bent over a spiral notebook in the back seat. I’ll confess that my very first attempts at fiction were fantasy and paranormals, influenced by my father’s love of the Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the original Alice in Wonderland. If Harry Potter had been around, I’m sure he would have been on the bedtime story shelf as well.

But it wasn’t long until I started writing about true love and that’s where I’ve been ever since.

I’m so thrilled to be able to share these stories with you! I hope that they make you smile, sigh, maybe even choke up a little. Most of all, I hope that they help you believe in magical things like first kisses, the spark of passion, and the power of true love.

Website: https://www.erinnicholas.com/
Blog: https://erinnicholas.blogspot.com/
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/ErinNicholasBooks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErinNicholasAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErinNicholas
Nine Naughty Novelists Blog: https://ninenaughtynovelists.blogspot.com/
NNN Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the9NN

Giveaway:

Erin will be doing a few things. She is hosting a tour-wide giveaway of a $25 gift card with Amazon/Barnes & Noble. She also wants to have a giveaway of any one (1) of her backlist books at each tour stop. And as a thank you to all the bloggers participating, she will be giving away a $15 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card. Bloggers have to post on their appointed day by 8 a.m. (PDT) in order to be entered. Please put the rafflecopter on your stop. For individual stop giveaways, please limit the time to 7 days.

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter Link:
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NmU0NzZhNDU2ZTQ4YWU2MGQwYTFjOGUzM2IzZjY4OjM2/

With my book coming out I started to Google “launch parties” and everything I found dealt with large venues that were rented and inviting the businesses in town with the town’s officials. It was all about sales and presence.

And that is not what I wanted. I didn’t want an “event”. I wanted a celebration with my close friends and family of what I had accomplished.

I took the concept of ”launch party” and I pulled it into an intimate setting and started planning what I saw as the perfect way to celebrate years of hard work.

Invitations were done word of mouth and by Facebook. Nothing fancy.

Food was planned; just a cake and ice cream with a variety of beverages. For the cake, it took three calls in town to find a baker who could make one with a photographic image on it instead of mere icing.

Suggested decorations for the venue:

* About six or eight small place cards set around the room with character facts. In my case “Jaime doesn’t like chocolate” (above) and “Stephen doesn’t listen to anything produced after 1979.”

* A playlist that represents your book playing softly in the background. For us, it was Stephen’s classic rock.

* Recipe cards might be featured. One recipe that works for him, one for her. I made the Sangria that Jaime loves and served it in cups the color that matched the cover of the book. Guests took the cards home.

* 8.5 X 11 covers of the book displayed in acrylic frames. Not only for this book, but others, if you have them. I put them around the room with a note on two: “Ask Me about My Next Book.” It was a great conversation starter.

* A couple of disposable cameras for guests to use to capture spontaneity.

* Balloon bouquets, steamers, silk rose petals here and there. Things that say “party”.

* Most important: Your new release displayed. Stacks standing next to one that stands alone and strong.  Keep a pen handy if someone wants a copy autographed. We sold ours at cost to our friends and family.

A Launch Party doesn’t have to be an official occasion to promote name and sales. Sometimes it can be a mere celebration of this wonderful thing you worked so hard to achieve. Let your family be there with you. Have your friends come and see why you were always so busy. And have fun. In the end, that’s all it is about sometimes!!

I’ve been a sport flirter since the first grade. I played first string in middle school and was a varsity flirter in high school and college. I was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia for my tour in the Navy, and with a ratio of one hundred men for each woman in that town…well, you do the math. Talk about a kid in a candy store.

But wait. Why is the title about age if this blog is about acting confident, sensual, and flirty? Simple. Harry S. Truman may have been president when I was born and I may write about heroes and heroines who are younger than my children, but I’m not giving up flirting any time soon. I plan to be a force to be reckoned with when I check into my nursing home some day.

In French Women Don’t Get Fat, Mireille Guiliano has this to say about older women: “The French rightly acknowledge there is a particular mystique to une femme d’un certain age, an expression with layers of meaning, including respect but also worldliness and hits of seduction. In Europe men naturally find women of this age group desirable, even sexy, and are often caught turning to look at them.” Embrace it, ladies. Just because one has reached a certain age, doesn’t mean she can’t continue to let her confidence and sensuality shine through in a look or a smile—that might possibly be held a nanosecond too long. On purpose.

I’m a happily married woman of 37 years, so the kind of flirting I’m talking about is no longer wooing some guy into bed (unless it’s Mr. Ashby, who has no complaints about being married to a romance author.) It might be a little banter with a salesman at the hardware store. Or striking up a conversation with a handsome man while waiting for your train. Maybe sharing a laugh about something witnessed together in public. Perhaps a smile with your thank-you for a gentleman who has held the door for you. Instead of seduction, it’s more “Catch and Release.” You get the rush of catching the fish, but you’re not planning to take it home.

Sometimes it’s not appropriate to actively flirt, but that doesn’t stop me from checking out guys I might want to put in a book. As a romance author, I get to chalk it up as “research.” I write a Navy romance series called “Love in the Fleet.” Since I live near the Navy base about which I write, there’s plenty of research available. If I go to the base gym to work out around 0730 on Friday mornings, the crew of the USS Stud Muffin is there performing Command Physical Training. I get to watch the show—completely incognito in my old lady body—and they have no idea I’m taking mental notes. I mean, who knew a man’s pecs could behave that way when he’s doing pull-ups? Just because you’re on a diet, doesn’t mean you can’t look at the menu.

One day I was standing in line at the base post office, silently ogling the back of the flight-suit-clad pilot in front of me. I’m sorry, but there’s just something about a guy in a military flight suit. Not sure if all the pilots are sexy as hell or it’s just the addition of the flight suit—which is doubly sexy when they roll back their cuffs—as this pilot did. Now, flight suits have zippered pockets on the arms and legs to stow survival gear when flying. So this hot pilot goes to pay for his postage by unzipping his shoulder zipper and pulling out a credit card—which was pretty sexy in itself. But then he turned his head, smiled at me over his shoulder, and said, “You won’t tell anybody about my little secret hiding place, now will you?” I managed to smile back and say, “No,” which was difficult because I had already melted into a puddle of goo on the post office floor. Here’s how that experience played out in Book 2 in my series, Forget Me Not, about a playboy Navy pilot named Sky Crawford:

Sky flipped through his Rolodex of smiles, selecting just the right one because he would need the receptionist on his good side if he was going to get on any side of Dr. Untouchable. Usually chicks that didn’t fall for his I’m-the-bad-boy-of-your-dreams-honey smile succumbed to his aw-shucks-golly-gee-ma’am grin. Worked like a charm.

Certain he had Lillian’s attention, Sky unzipped a shoulder pocket in his flight suit and extracted his credit card. He glanced around dramatically, leaned over the desk, and said in a low voice, “You won’t tell anybody about my little secret hiding place, now will you, Lillian?” She took the card, her smile filling the room with sunshine. Too bad he wasn’t interested in the receptionist because it was clear he had her hook, line, and sinker.

Ladies, why do many of us read romance novels? Because we love that rush of new love, affection, and attention. Just because you may no longer be a teen, a twenty-something, a thirty-something, or even a forty-something, (and some of us will keep counting) age is just a number. Attitude is everything. Stand proud, embrace your sensuality, and let your beauty shine through—especially when there’s a hot guy around. Just don’t forget to throw the fish back if you’re not supposed to be taking home trophies.

Thanks for inviting me today, Delilah. I’d like to leave a question with your readers and an e-copy of Forget Me Not for one lucky commenter. Do you enjoy a bit of flattery and flirting now and then? (And if you’d like to stay in touch with the captain of the sport flirting team, Sky Crawford, feel free to LIKE his Facebook page: facebook.com/SkyCrawfordFanClub)

Blurb for FORGET ME NOT:

Suffering from Peter Pan Syndrome and survivor guilt, Navy helicopter pilot and renowned playboy, Brian “Skylark” Crawford, swears he’ll never marry, uncertain he deserves happiness—besides there are too many hot chicks to choose from. War widow and veterinarian, Daisy Schneider, swears to love only animals after her Marine pilot husband is killed in Afghanistan—but work fails to ease her loneliness or the guilt that she might have saved him. Between one matchmaking, rescue cat and a fiery battle with drug runners at sea, the fur flies as Sky and Daisy learn valuable lessons about life, love, and second chances.

Forget Me Not: https://alturl.com/wb6ru

AUTHOR BIO:

Heather Ashby is a Navy veteran who taught school and raised a family while accompanying her Navy husband around the United States, Japan, and the Middle East. In gratitude for her Army son’s safe return from Afghanistan and Iraq, she now writes military romance novels, donating half her royalties to causes that support wounded warriors and their families. Forgive & Forget, Book 1 in “Love in the Fleet,” was voted “Best of 2013” by Suspense Magazine. She lives in Atlantic Beach, Florida with her husband and two rescue cats.

www.heatherashby.com
Twitter: www.@HAshbyAuthor
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