I’m getting ancient.

My children bless their hearts, call me the Chief Wrinkly.

And that made me think, obscurely, about achievements in my life.

I wrote my first book about 20 years ago when I had just completed a development project in Sri Lanka and was awaiting my new assignment.  I was living on the edge of a huge coconut estate, and indeed my garden was three acres of mostly coconut trees.  There was a family of miner birds living in a hole in one tree on the edge of the small lawn in front of the house, and there was a verandah overlooking the lawn so that my breakfast was frequently taken on that verandah.

I used to tempt the miner birds onto the lawn by placing most of an overripe papaya fruit on the lawn.  Miner birds are great squabblers, and love papaya, and made a lot of noise as they competed to gobble as much of the papaya as they could.

The book?  I didn’t get that one published until 2014, just three years ago.  Since then I have written and published another 30 novels.  I can’t claim best seller status, but I did get a few good reviews, so please have a look at my website:

https://www.adammannauthor.com

You can also find my books on Amazon and Smashwords:
https://www.amazon.com/author/adammannauthor.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AdamtheMann

Motivation. Along with goals and conflict, it’s a major component of a great romance. A few years ago, I decided to write a series about some hot, successful football players whose unusual interests (call them fetishes if you must) played huge roles in how they lived their personal lives. GRIDIRON KINK includes the four BDSM romances that illustrate what events motivated each hero and heroine to embrace fetishes some readers may find strange—even a bit bizarre.

Romance is a must for me in everything I write, no matter what kinky actions turn my story people on. I lean toward conjuring up one hero, one heroine story lines, though there’s room for modification of that rule in some of my BDSM tales. In the GRIDIRON KINK series, I set out to write the stories of four mainly heterosexual couples for whom exploring their mutual fetishes—psychologically as well as literally—were integral parts of their journeys.

I hope readers will enjoy the four independent but connected short novels. In END ZONE, Jack and Tawny are young lovers who have embraced her 24/7 control over his sexual urges for his own good. Sid’s submissive dream girl learns to welcome his style of control by sensual rope bondage in place of her former master’s brutality in BEST RECEPTION. Jimmy miraculously finds his fantasy lover in the flesh, straight off advertiser’s billboards, in SACKMASTER. Finally, Matt is Keisha’s happy 24/7 slave, until circumstances force a switch of the D/s dynamic to save her life.

These stories have been updated and sanitized for their re-release in a brand-new box set featuring cover art by the fabulous Original Syn. I hope readers will enjoy all four in one handy package! Brand new and only $3.99 (or read for free with Kindle Unlimited) so get your copy now!

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

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that three of my five published contemporary romances take place primarily in the fall.

There’s something about this time of year, when the air gets a chill, the leaves turn, and swap sandals and swimwear for boots, sweaters and jeans. I love the smells, the foods, and fun— whether it’s lazy drive on sun-drenched backroads taking in the fall colors, or dressing up for Halloween.

As a kid, I dressed as a witch one year, a 1950s girl, another. In college, my costumes got a lot raunchier. One year several of my friends and I went as “Killer Bimbos from Outer Space.” We carried plastic ray-guns, wore mini-skirts, stilettos, Vulcan ears and inflatable boobs that transformed our modest B and C bustlines to epic proportions.

My only picture of the Killer Bimbo squad seems to have vanished, but I still remember the feeling of slipping into a sexy and outrageous disguise.

Recapturing that thrill was part of the fun of writing a sexy scene in my new release Shining Through.

Good girl heroine Tabitha, a well-known champion figure skater, goes to a dive bar in search of smokin’ hot Russian bad boy Daniil Andreev. Tabitha’s desperate to break out of her straight-laced public image and is (rightly!) convinced Daniil is the perfect guy to help her do it.

But as America’s wholesome blond ice princess, she can’t just march in and steam it up with sexy tattooed Daniil.

Her solution? A disguise, that transforms her into a blue-haired wild child, eager for a good time, and a man ready to show her one.

Enjoy this excerpt!

Heart pounding, she spun around, brushing his face with her synthetic hair. He stepped back, grinning a little as their gazes locked.

He wasn’t tall, which wasn’t unusual for a skater. But his well-defined upper body, tattooed arms and rock-star eyes made him look tough, cool and confident. She hadn’t a doubt he was good in a fight, and definitely not afraid of one.

She threw what she hoped was a sexy look. “Want to be on my team?”

“Sure.” He smiled and moved closer. “Which are we, stripes or solids?”

“Either. We made up our own game.” She leaned against the table and ran her tongue over her white frosted lips. “Whoever gets the most balls wins.”

He gave a low chuckle as he gazed into her eyes. “I’ll bet you play very well.”

“Actually, I’m quite new at it. But eager to learn.” She angled herself to show off her body, accented by a fitted black tank, and a red mini-skirt. His admiring gaze took in all her hard work in the gym. Even as he bent to take his turn at the pool table, his gaze lingered on her until the very last minute.

Pool balls collided with a sharp crack, and the solid-color green one rolled into a pocket at the opposite end. Tabitha licked her lips. “I like your technique. Maybe you could show me a few things.”

“Happy to.” A smile played at the corner of his mouth. “I’m Daniil. And you are?”

“Hildegard,” she answered. “Hildegard Snarski.”

“And people think Russian names are strange.” Peering at Tabitha, he followed her around to the other side of the table. “It’s funny. You don’t look like a Hildegard,” he said. “I think you look more like a Tabitha.”

Crap! He was onto her. She could either retreat in shame… or she could play the game. She looked up through her fringe of blue bangs. “Nope. Definitely not Tabitha.”

“I see.” His alluring sideways grin suggested he not only liked the game, he wanted to dial it up a notch. He gave a low chuckle and moved closer, so that his shoulder brushed against her bare arm. His nearness and the aroma of Polo Black filled her senses. “So tell me….Hildegard Snarski… is it true what I’ve heard about American women?”

She felt the familiar adrenaline rush that accompanied a daring leap. Usually it was a leap off the ice, but not this time. She twirled the square of blue chalk around the tip of the cue stick and blew away the excess. “Tell me what you’ve heard, and I’ll tell you if it’s true.”

He trailed his fingertip over her arm, whisper soft against her skin. “That they’re after a good time. No expectations, no strings. Just one night, and then goodbye.”

She blinked and her cheeks felt hot. Though she couldn’t possibly  date Daniil Andreev, the way he’d put the question front and center was disconcerting. “Is that what you’re after?”

He brushed the pad of his thumb over the swell of her bottom lip. And then his mouth was on hers, hungry and demanding, taking what he wanted.

She gripped the edge of the table, as his arm snaked around her, pressing against the small of her back. His tongue probed her mouth, triggering wild spirals of desire that blocked out the sounds of the bar, and awareness of people around them.

Blood pounded through her veins, and her core felt like liquid, soaking her panties, driving her wild. His warm breath against her ear sent shivers through her body.

“Want to get out of here?”

When the sweetheart of American figure skating falls for the bad boy of Russian figure skating, it puts her quest for Olympic gold on thin ice. Dirty Dancing meets Olympic figure skating in this sweet and sexy sports romance!

The Biggest Season of Her Career…

America’s sweetheart Tabitha Turner is on track to win figure skating gold in the Winter Games. Her family has sacrificed everything for her career, but the pressure is taking its toll. Burned out and living a lie, can Tabitha let off a little steam without melting the ice?

The Last Chance of His…

Russia’s bad boy of skating Daniil Andreev is determined to prove the toughest thing about him is his competitive fight. When Tabitha tempts him to help her take a secret walk on the wild side, he gives her a taste of the freedom she craves, never expecting that one unforgettable night could turn into something more.

Two Hearts on Thin Ice…

Chicago, Vancouver, Paris… the international figure skating season unfolds. Tabitha and Daniil compete and fall in love, but as the pressure mounts in a make-or-break season, can they set aside their painful pasts and spiral into a shining future together… or will their dreams shatter like thin ice?

At the Winter Games, the torch isn’t the only thing burning..

B&N | Kobo | Google Play Books | Goodreads
Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub | Website

I just wanted to show off my meager graphics skills today. I made that image in Canva, and I think it’s pretty darn eye-catching—don’t you? Helps to have great covers (thank you, sis!).

These are the first three stories in the series. Early next year, I’ll begin releasing the next three. After that? Well, it’s up to you. If you’d love more cowboys who ride hard and love harder, just let me know…

This coming Thursday, The Cowboy and the Widow releases. I know. It’s a clunky title, but it tells you what you need to know, right? And I promise it’s sexy as hell! It has these themes goin’ on: older woman/younger man, reunion, widow overcoming disappointment, a cowboy with all the right moves… Uh huh… Go reserve your copy! ~DD

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, answer me this:

What is your favorite romance genre?

Texas Cowboys

Wearing His Brand
Texas Cowboys, Book 1

An accident involving barbed wire gives Lyssa McDonough the chance to play damsel-in-distress to capture rancher Brandon Tynan’s attention. Brand promised Lyssa’s older brother he’d keep an eye on his kid sister when he went off to war, but the sexy cowgirl tempts his code of honor past the breaking point when her actions beg for his brand of sensual punishment.

A little TLC turns into one hot encounter neither can just brush off. Now, Brand is determined to put the brakes on Lyssa’s reckless behavior–just as determined as she is to find a way to stay in his bed, forever.

Get your copy here!

The Cowboy and The Widow
Coming November 2nd!
Texas Cowboys, Book 2

Following her husband’s death, Maggie McDermott faces the onerous task of running the family ranch. She doesn’t know the first thing about horses, so she knows she needs a capable hand. But Daniel? Guilty memories of the time she’d tempted the younger man keep her blushing.

Daniel Tynan is more than willing to show sweet Maggie the ropes. His gentle ways melt her heart, and his sensual passion burns away her inhibitions. He may be younger, but he’s not without the right kind of experience…

Pre-order your copy here!

Soldier Boy
Coming December 5th!

Fresh from war, “Mac” McDonough wants just two things: whiskey to drown the pain in his damaged leg and a woman. But one look into Suki Reese’s haunted eyes, and he knows she needs the kind of muscle only an ex-soldier can provide.

Mac’s brooding gaze and hard body leave Suki Reece breathless and disturbed. The rugged ex-Marine won’t listen to a word she says until Suki distracts him with a sexy striptease. That gets his attention.

While Suki may have gotten the upper hand, Mac is going to be on top.

Pre-order your copy here!

One of the joys of reading is escaping to places you’ve been or always dreamed of going. One of those places that should be on everyone’s bucket list is Venice, Italy. The city is magical! The canals, the alleyways, the people and Carnival are amazing and take you back to another time.

I chose Venice for Ronin’s Return because I so loved the city. Hotel Eden is a place where we stayed, and I described it just like it was when I went there. I’ve included a picture of my daughter standing beneath the sign at Hotel Eden. The picture of Venice on the cover is one I took while there. I loved the colorful buildings and the reflections of the buildings in the water. I hope you enjoy visiting Venice, even if only in the story.

RONIN’S RETURN

Amazon | Kobo | Nook | GooglePlay | IBooks | Print

Navy SEAL helps Italian heiress evade bounty hunters set on collecting the price on her head, while navigating the canals of Venice.

Navy SEAL, Ronin Magnus, has his first real vacation since his visit to Italy two years ago when he met the woman who continues to haunt his every day and night dreams. His mission: Find Isabella and prove to himself two years of fantasizing has blown her image and attributes way out of proportion. In order to move on, he has to get her out of his system.

Isabella Pisano, daughter of the multi-millionaire Pisano family of Venice had spent the past two years trying to forget a handsome Navy SEAL who’d turned her views on love upside down. Not satisfied to be just the daughter of a wealthy man, she had set out to make a difference in the lives of the women being raped, tortured and sold into slavery in the ISIS raids in Syria. Disguised as the gun-toting Angel of Mercy, she entered Syria and helped hundreds of women and children escape ISIS brutality. When ISIS puts a price on her head, she returns to Venice, resumes her life as Isabella and prays her alter ego and the bounty on her head doesn’t follow her

Unfortunately, their reunion is beset by killers who’ve discovered Isabella’s secret.

Chased through the streets and canals of Venice, Ronin and Isabella must elude their enemies or die. But they cannot escape the burgeoning love, threatening to consume them.

UPDATE: The winner is Buttons!

* * * * *

My favorite cause—finding forever homes for homeless pets—is also the inspiration for my Klein’s K-9s Service Dogs contemporary romance series. In fact, all of the pets in my books were adopted from animal shelters or rescue groups. There is a long-held, erroneous idea that shelter animals are pathetic mutts, flea-bitten cats, or vicious, antisocial pets. The majority are wonderful animals in need of love and a family. Through our writing, authors have the opportunity to reinforce that fact and encourage responsible pet ownership, such as spaying or neutering pets.

Smokey, my author logo and the Chinese crested hairless drug-sniffing dog from my first book, At Her Command, was adopted from a shelter. The idea of such a talented, tiny dog working for DEA appealed to my sense of humor, and I’ve included a crested in all of my books since.

Klein’s K-9s

My Klein’s K-9s series features wonderful working pets—from police and military dogs to service and therapy animals. In Racing Hearts, the first novella in the series, a toy-sized dog is a trained seizure alert dog. Tom Tyler, my race-car driver hero, suffers a traumatic brain injury and is at first skeptical that a dog who barely reaches his ankle can help him. But soon he’s relying on the little pooch and falling for Meg Klein, the dog’s trainer.

Buy Links for “Racing Hearts”

Amazon: https://amzn.to/1OzgWn9
Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/jnbntuu
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/racing-hearts-9
Apple: https://tinyurl.com/zkps7pa

The second in the series, 8 Hounds a-Howling, is a humorous story about the photographing of a dog-themed 12 Days of Christmas calendar. This novella includes 78 dogs, along with several cats and a pot-bellied pig. The third Klein’s K-9s novella, Nothing But a Hound Dog, finds a country music star working off his community service sentence at the local animal shelter. The fourth, Scrooge & the Secret Santa, pits an anti-Christmas police dog trainer against a holiday-loving therapy animal trainer. Love, of course, wins.

Contest

Not surprisingly, I enjoy stories that feature pets. I’d love to hear your favorite books, TV shows, and movies that include animals. Tomorrow, I’ll randomly pick several commenters to receive a free “Racing Hearts” ebook! I hope you’ll drop by my website to check out my books. Happy Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month and Happy Halloween!

About the Author

Marcia James finaled in 11 Romance Writers of America contests before selling her first contemporary romance. A national and international Amazon and Barnes & Noble bestseller, she writes hot, humorous romances featuring heroines you can root for, heroes to die for, and funny dogs. In her eclectic career, Marcia has shot submarine training videos, organized celebrity-filled nonprofit events, and had her wedding covered by People Magazine. After years of dealing with such sexy topics as how to safely install traffic lights, she’s enjoying “researching” and plotting her novels’ steamy love scenes with her husband and hero of many years.

Website: www.MarciaJames.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarciaJamesAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Marcia_James
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/marciajames/
Amazon Author Central page: www.amazon.com/author/marciajames

My youngest, who is seven, was ambivalent about her Halloween costume this year. She waffled between being a cheerleader or a princess. I wasn’t crazy about either choice, mostly because they seemed a little boring to me. And, to be totally honest, I was disappointed in the cliché of princess or cheerleader. Freckles plays tackle football. She lays out boys her age every week. She has older brothers and she imitates them, even tries to best them at the things they do. She’s fierce.

But she is also a girly-girl, and if my little warrior wanted to be a princess for Halloween, so be it. I’m determined to raise strong daughters who know their own mind and their own worth, which means allowing them to make their own choices.

Then I came across Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, a book of 100 stories about empowered women from Queen Elizabeth I to Serena Williams. One of the stories was about Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen of Ireland, who lived in the sixteenth century. Grace inherited her father’s lordship, despite having brothers, and led a life fighting against British rule of her land. She led raids on ships, pillaging and plundering with the best of them, using the treasures to help fund the cause for Ireland. When Freckles saw this, she changed her mind. “I’m going to be the Pirate Queen!”

“What makes her special?” I asked, my feminist heart soaring.

“She was smarter than her brothers,” she said. “That’s why she became the leader in her family.” Ah, something that resonates with the baby of our family!

We had fun putting together her costume and talking about Grace, as well as the many other strong women in the book. She is already talking about being Jane Goodall next year. But should she change her mind and decide she wants to be Sleeping Beauty, instead, I will happily support her. Because I do feel you can believe in fairy tales and dream about princesses, and still be a strong empowered woman. I am a romance writer, after all. Fairy tales and happily-ever-afters are my bread-and-butter.

One of my goals when writing romance is to create heroines who aren’t helpless, who aren’t “saved” by the hero. These heroines experience the same heartbreak, the same doubts, have the same flaws that we all have at one time or another, but persevere nonetheless. The hero may aid in her self-discovery, but it’s she who finds her own strength and resilience.

In my latest release, Love Me Like You Do, the heroine had a crappy childhood and it’s soured her on love. She hasn’t dismissed the idea of committed love entirely, but when she has it, it will be on her own terms. The hero, throughout most of the novel, tries to show her how she’s wrong, that marriage and children are something they can have together. He’s stunned and disbelieving when she informs him that she doesn’t want children. Surely, it’s only because of her own dysfunctional upbringing, and once she sees that he is different, she’ll embrace the traditional commitment he craves. He’s not a bad guy, or even a jerk. He’s just like many people today who are confused when they meet a woman who doesn’t want a husband or children. That’s the role women have been pigeon-holed into for centuries.

Thankfully, it’s starting to change, as slow-going as it may seem at times. Women are turning traditional roles upside down. Our voices are louder than ever and we’re standing up for ourselves, as well as for our mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends, in numbers that scare some men. Those who should be scared. We aren’t going to be pushed around.

Haley, my heroine, does go through a change in heart as far as trust and love go. But she holds fast to her principles. She knows what she wants and she’s secure in it. How in the world can these two ever reconcile their own wants and needs? Well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out. *wink* But I do promise it’s a happy ending.

My kids’ school held Fall Fest recently, which gave us a trial run for Halloween costumes. Freckles donned her pirate dress and flaming red wig, and grabbed her plastic sword. Most people didn’t know who she was, and thought she was a female Jack Sparrow. She corrected them. “I’m Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen. She fought for Ireland and she was smarter than her brothers.”

My hope is that we start to see more Grace O’Malleys, Jane Goodalls, Serena Williamses, or Katherine Johnsons at Halloween, along with Rapunzels and Elsas. Whatever and whoever they want to be. Because giving girls more choices empowers them. And empowered girls turn into empowered women who change the world.

What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid? (Or as an adult?)

Love Me Like You Do

Though florist Haley doesn’t do love and marriage, sexy and sweet handyman Will tempts her into reconsidering. But Will is hiding something and if he doesn’t come clean to Haley, it might mean losing her forever. And when secrets and lies from the past threaten their fragile future together, each must decide if it’s worth risking their hearts to find a happy ending they both can live with.

Link: https://www.catetayler.com/love-me-like-you-do.html

About the Author

Cate Tayler is a beach baby, born and raised on the Connecticut coastline. She met the love of her life while serving in the US Air Force, and after extensive overseas travel, they are now raising their four children in the wild suburbs of Maryland.

When she’s not living her own happily ever after, she’s creating them in her small-town romances. Because the world always needs more happy endings!

You can connect with her at her website: https://www.catetayler.com.