When I am not writing, I bake. Quite simply, baking relaxes me and helps clear my mind. I have charted many a character’s path while separating eggs and creaming butter!

Taught to bake at the knee of my Slovak grandmother, I began taking formal cooking classes at age 10. Since then, no one and nothing has managed to keep me out of my kitchen! (If I had not begun writing at a much earlier age, I may have become a pastry chef rather than a writer.)

My two favorite recipes are turtle brownies, basically your standard fudge brownie recipe with a swirl of caramel, pecans, and mini-semi-sweet chocolate chips, and three chocolate mousse cake, which is a luscious four-layer devil’s food cake with white chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate mousse in between the layers. When feeling particular ambitious, I might even encase this chocolatey confection in whipped cream!

And when I want the sweet smell of fall, I make an apple-pie-in-a-bag, a local favorite in southeast Wisconsin, or a no-knead bread, made with good old Wisconsin beer!

While I bake everything from scratch, I have learned a few short cuts over the years. For example, when pressed for time, I may substitute a box mix for the brownies or cake, and simply add the extras. And sometimes, I may even make the mousse from store-bought faux whipped cream and mix it with pudding rather than melted chocolate. And I make apple pies two at a time, so I always have one in the freezer. Of course, when I am feeling the need to cut back on the sugar and/or fat, I may utilize natural sugar substitutes or pureed fruits. (Who knew Gerber’s pureed prunes worked so well as a fat substitute in brownies?)

When I am in a reading mood, I am likely to brew some cinnamon hazelnut coffee and bake one of the most mouth-watering coffee cakes I have ever eaten. It’s a recipe passed on to me by a librarian from the Missouri Court of Appeals when I was a law clerk. She spoiled us by bringing in baked goods at least once a week, and the recipe we loved most was her Cinnamon Coffee Cake. When you have the urge to curl up with a good book and a hot cuppa, this sweet treat will provide a nice little slice of heaven!

CINNAMON COFFEE CAKE

1/2 cup margarine 1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar 2 eggs
1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour, sifted 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream margarine, shortening and eggs. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Spread it in 9 x 13 pan. In a separate bowl, mix:

1 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine 2 cups chopped nuts

Layer on top of cake batter, swirl in slightly with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

KINKY BRIEFS, QUATRO

(released 2/9/18)

Take another kinky voyage through Lawyerland!

Indulge in a walk on the wild side with these sizzling short stories about lawyers in love, with a dash of kink. From painting well-hung nudes at a networking event or thwarting terrorists intent on harm to finding love despite a chronic illness or exploring kink on a train, these lawyers pursue love with a vengeance. And while affairs of the heart may come in all shapes and sizes—a law school ménage a trois, a middle-aged A.G. and a law firm associate, and a new marriage suddenly threatened by a spouse long believed dead—these relationships thrive despite the odds. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and yes, the resultant loin heating might even make you blush, but in the end, you’ll run out and buy a set of handcuffs. Because that’s the only way to defuse the sizzle created by these hot, sexy stories.

Buy Links:
Extasy Books: https://goo.gl/t6cCm8
Amazon: https://goo.gl/qtz4er
Barnes and Noble: https://goo.gl/s3svp2
Kobo: https://goo.gl/CtKrZE
Smashwords: https://goo.gl/rA8N7h

Get your copy now!

Former Army Ranger, Daniel “Dagger” Renfrew, has been a lot of things—an Army Ranger, a Seattle beat cop, a PI, and now, a bounty hunter, which, so far, suits him just fine. In his job, he doesn’t look for easy takedowns. He likes lying in mud or snow with his binoculars trained on a window, hoping for a glimpse of the dirtbag whose mugshot he carries in his hip pocket. If they’re badasses—all the better. Dagger prefers when assholes try to run, because then he has an excuse to mix it up, get physical, and blow off steam in an all-out brawl—when the situation warrants, of course. One morning when he’s working his side gig, repossessing cars, he discovers the car he’s taking belongs to his old high school sweetheart, and there’s nothing like sweet revenge…

Lacey Jones is furious when she finds a very large, scary dude trying to steal her car. It’s the last straw. She’s lost her job and is about to lose her apartment, so there’s no way in hell she’s letting him take her damn car! When she discovers its Dagger, her old beau, she jumps into the car with him. When she learns how he makes a living, she’s curious…and then determined to become a bounty hunter herself. How hard can it be?

If you want more stories featuring Montana Bounty Hunters,
check out these titles…

Big Sky SEAL
Head Over SEAL
Reaper

Hi Delilah Fans!

Great news today—lots of free reads, yours for the taking. These freebies are at Smashwords, Amazon, and Instafreebie. Download any format anytime but for today, the link takes you to Instafreebie. And there’s more free reads than those listed below, so check out Liz’s Author Page for more. Looking forward to your review!

Here’s the rundown (Click on the title at the top!):

Hers to Choose
Cannon Cousins Book I in this newly revised and expanded series

Bryn McClure is running out of time. With foreclosure in the last stages, she’s about to lose the beloved twelve-hundred acre Ozark farm she inherited from her grandparents. Her desperate last hope is to sell hunting rights for deer season.

Alex Cannon is running out of options. His cousin and property development business partner Dan has spiraled into a life-threatening depression. Alex hatches a brilliant idea of what might help Dan, and on advice from an old friend, contacts Bryn. A hunting trip might be the perfect route to a new outlook for Dan, especially with the extra touch Alex wants from Bryn.

When Bryn agrees to Alex’s special request, she’s thrilled not only with the promise of badly needed income, but also with the prospect of sexy kink. Her social life has languished during her lonely year of rural living. It seemed like such a good idea when she agreed to it.

But standing on her porch watching these two gorgeous men climb out of their truck and walk toward her, she thinks maybe she hadn’t fully appreciated how complicated things could become. Alex stuns her with his warmth and charm, but the cold and angry Dan is the one who expects her submission. By the second day, when the first spanking sparks her passions, she realizes she may be in for a lot more than she expected.

Dare to Ask

In this sexy novella, a spur of the moment dare forces a woman to blurt out an invitation to a younger man. Instantly regretful, she wants to drive away and never come back. Worse, he accepts. Now what?

Tess and the New Year
Short story spinoff from the House of Rae series.

When Tess answers her door, the last person she expects to find is Josh Carter. He comes on a mysterious mission. What a way to start the year!

This short story forms a new chapter for Josh and the House of Rae series, a continuing collection of stories that plunge deep into a near-future world of devastated landscapes, religious terrorism, legalized prostitution, and a spreading plague of brown death. Backed by desperate governments, a network of psions organize energy grids to distribute the healing effects of pleasure energy harvested from dance centers and sex houses. But that’s not all that comes to be expected of these native-born Indigos. Slowly the curtain pulls back to reveal dark energy rising from the ground and the dimensional shift that empowers them. Still learning the skills of his mysterious talent, Josh and his brothers in light gain strength from sex. Now it’s Tess’s turn to enjoy what Josh has to offer.

A Gift for Jarrod
Erotic Novella, the opening to the Jarrod Bancroft story

It started innocently enough. A rich young man in search of adventure in sadistic humiliation. An older woman intent on her profession as dominatrix. Their crossed paths should have been six weeks of a purely business relationship.
But things never go as planned.

His Only Love
An Erotic Gay Romance Novella. A spinoff to the Caerwin of Britannia series

As Saturnalia dawns and Rome’s Legio XIV Gemina prepares for the midwinter celebration despite their station on the far western border of Britannia, Greek slave Antius faces the disaster he set in motion involving his beloved master and legion commander, Marcellus. He takes refuge with his young lover even as an intimate betrayal unfolds between trusted friends.

Enjoy!

The winner of the free download is Donna Kenny!

*~*~*

The first installment in the Triplehorn trilogy arrived today! If you love stories about brothers, who also happen to be cowboys, this series is for you! All three brothers reunite with women from their pasts—the ones that got away. Plus, you won’t have to wait long to read the next two stories!

And if you have time, tell a friend about this story and, maybe, write a review. Readers trust other readers to let them know whether they should take a chance on a their next book boyfriend…

Enjoy! ~DD

Laying Down the Law

The Triplehorn Brand, #1

A teller implicated in a bank robbery seeks sanctuary from small-town sweetheart she left behind—who happens to be the new sheriff in town.

A lifetime ago, Zuri Prescott kicked the dirt off her boots and fled her small-time, small town, but lived to regret choosing a glam city life over her high school sweetheart. When she’s framed for a bank robbery, she flees to her home town, seeking refuge with her old flame while she figures out her next steps—only to discover he’s the last man she can confide in.

Sheriff Colt Triplehorn knows trouble when he sees it, especially when it’s one familiar naked trespasser, caught between an angry bull and her underwear. Sure she’s up to her usual no good, he grants her sanctuary at his ranch where he can keep an eye on her while he purges her from his system once and for all. When he realizes she’s involved with a robbery, he has to make a career-compromising choice between following the letter of the law and his heart…

Get your copy here!

Here’s what’s coming next…

In Too Deep
The Triplehorn Brand, Book #2
Coming March 20th!

Some things never change. And some things change everything…

Gabe Triplehorn can think of no better getaway from his heavy responsibilities at the ranch than to go back to a time and place where he didn’t have a care in the world. When there was just a campground, a river, and a girl. When he gets to Red Hawk Landing, the campground and the river are still there. He just never expected the girl would still be there, too. Only now she runs the place.

Lena Twohig can think of no better place to raise her young son than the family-owned campground that holds so many memories. Especially, the romance with Gabe that lit up one long-ago summer like a wild electrical storm. Now he’s back with a ranch-hardened body she knows she shouldn’t want so badly.
No amount of lies, or the years that have passed, can tame this tidal wave of passion.

Pre-order your copy here!

A Long Hot Summer
The Triplehorn Brand, Book #3
Coming April 3rd!

When two lonely hearts collide, age becomes just a number…

Sarah Colby’s marriage was over long ago, but she’s never shed the scars her abusive husband left behind. One shameful indiscretion, an affair with a younger man one long-ago summer haunts her.

Tommy Triplehorn is happy his brothers have settled down and started families of their own, but he’s feeling a little smothered by all that domesticity. Carousing and drinking no longer provide him any thrills, and he thinks he knows the reason why. He’s waited long enough for Sarah Colby to get over being ashamed of their past. He’s old enough to know what he wants, and he wants her.

Pre-order your copy here!

Contest

Win your choice of one of my recent releases (not Laying Down the Law!)!
All you have to do is tell me what you want me to write next!

I’m an author. I sure hope this doesn’t happen to me!
Without Warning! (Vigilance #2)
Now up for preorder!
Releases March 20!

Leave me a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of Book #1, Hide and Seek.

“The agents of Vigilance return to protect another high-profile target and capture hearts in the process. The stakes are somewhat higher when the history between the bodyguard and client dates back to high school. Clearing the air of past misunderstandings is almost as important as keeping the client safe. This is a fast-paced page-turner that makes for a quick and entertaining read.”– RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

When you don’t know how the story will end . . .

After years of hard work honing his craft, Blake Edwards is now an international bestselling author. But one thing he never imagined was that his fictional world would become all too real. When a stalker turns Blake’s latest book tour into a treacherous and nearly deadly trap, it’s time for Blake to hire protection. But the body assigned to keep an eye on him is someone he never wants out of his sight . . .
As a bodyguard for Vigilance, the private security agency in Blake’s hometown of Arrowhead Bay, Samantha Quenel has found the perfect outlet for her military experience. But her latest client is also a former high school flame, which might explain her willingness to protect Blake at all costs—even if that means staying in the same room with him, on the same bed, under the same torrid sheets . . .

***check out this picture of where Blake Morgan lives in Tampa, Florida.

Excerpt:

Blake Morgan parked his car behind Slater’s Books and took a minute to gather himself together. Another note had shown up today, this one under his windshield wiper when he retrieved his car in the parking garage at the hotel. No one would have paid any attention to someone leave a note under his windshield. Why would they? He wondered, though, how whoever this was had known the car was his? It was a rental.

Crap.

Three weeks. That’s how long ago this started. In the beginning he’d thought it was a joke. Or maybe even a case of mistaken identity. But after it happened so many times he got the message someone was definitely on his case. And he had no idea who or why? Was it his sudden celebrity? He’d heard war stories about obsessed fans stalking authors, but usually they left love notes.

After slogging in the trenches with his first three books, he’d finally hit the best seller lists with Number Four and Number Five. This one, Deep Cover, had been in the Top Ten for five straight weeks. Apparently someone was determined not to let him enjoy it. Today’s incident was another in a long string that rattled his cage, despite his best efforts to ignore them.

It started with one note, sent to him in the mail. One sentence on a plain sheet of paper, typed on someone’s computer

I know what you did.

He had no idea who it was from. The postmark was Boston, but he was pretty sure none of the people he knew in that city would be sending him a message like this. He had a lot of readers from that area but he never gave out his address to them.

I know what you did.

What he did? What in hell had he done? He couldn’t think of anything so terrible someone would attack him this way.

That note was the beginning. In the past three weeks he found notes left every place for him. When he checked in at one of his hotels they had one waiting for him that had been left there at the front desk for him in an envelope. No, no one could remember who left it. In a restaurant he went to the rest room and when he came back there was a note at his place setting. And of course no one had noticed anyone leaving it. Then came two emails. When he tried to reply to them they bounced back.

This week he twice received a text on his cell phone. On his publisher’s advice he had two cell phone, one for business and one for personal. This came in on the personal one.  How the fuck had anyone gotten that number? But again, when he tried to reply to see who this was came back undeliverable.

They all carried the same message:  I know what you did.

He wasn’t a man easily intimidated but too many incidents in such a short time could sure make a person uneasy. Who the hell was doing this to him and why? Sure, he’d made his share of mistakes in life. Pissed some people off. But he didn’t think anything he’d done was bad enough to provoke this kind of stuff. And he realized someone was going to a lot of trouble to find out his schedule so they could do this.

He picked up the crumpled piece of paper he’d stuck in the console cup holder earlier, smoothed it out and looked at it again. None of the notes were hand written. They were either printed with marking pen or typed on a computer like this one.

I know what you did.

*~*~*

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Dagger releases next week, and wouldn’t you know I’m running up to the last possible moment to get it finished and uploaded into KDP! Wish me luck! I’ll be writing my little fingers off today! Family obligations, which I’ve talked about here, put me way behind my schedule on EVERYTHING, so I’m scrambling, working long hours, and hoping I don’t let anyone down. In the meantime, I thought I’d share the opening “meet-cute” between my hero and heroine in the latest installment of my Montana Bounty Hunters series. Hope you enjoy! And there’s a contest—a bribe to make sure you read to the end! Want to win an Amazon gift card? Be sure to read on… 🙂

Pre-order your copy!

Enjoy the excerpt!

Daniel “Dagger” Renfrew had been a lot of things—an Army Ranger, until he’d mouthed off one too many times to his CO and decided mustering out was better for his long-term aspirations than spending time in Leavenworth; a Seattle beat cop, until he’d gotten bored spending his nights sitting in a squad car in front of corner gas stations; a PI, until he’d informed the wife of the man who’d hired him that hubby was looking for the goods to violate their pre-nup, so she better sue for divorce first; and now, a bounty hunter, which, so far, suited his ADD proclivities. And, in his job, he didn’t look for the easy takedowns. He liked lying in mud or snow with his binoculars trained on a window, hoping for a glimpse of the dirtbag whose mugshot he carried in his hip pocket. If they were badasses—all the better. Dagger preferred when assholes tried to run, because then he’d have an excuse to mix it up, get physical, and blow off steam in an all-out brawl—when the situation warranted, of course.

However, he hadn’t had a job like that in a while. So, in his off-hours, he looked for cheap thrills—sweet-talking easy women out of their clothes or taking repo jobs from the local car dealership.

This morning, he was “reacquiring” a 2014 silver Nissan Altima with a fluffy steering wheel and pom-poms hanging from the rear-view mirror. Read the rest of this entry »

When was the last time you went to a library? And for what purpose?

Like most readers, I love libraries, but at one point began to worry that the institution of libraries would become extinct, what with the advent of ebooks and news and information literally at our fingertips via computers. News stories also hinted at the likelihood of libraries closing their doors, limiting their hours or becoming obsolete. But, with great ingenuity, the libraries in my area have reinvented themselves.

Libraries of earlier centuries may have provided access to newspapers and books but these institutions were only accessible to paid subscribers. Then public libraries started popping up in cities, followed by more rural areas. In my neck of the woods, librarians carted books in saddlebags and rode mountain trails to deliver books to families in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Then, as roads became more widespread and reliable, book mobiles started their routes, bringing books to people who might not be able to make it to town and the local library.

Nowadays, libraries offer so many programs, including literacy programs, crafts and afterschool activities, as well as computer time and, of course, books and news through papers and magazines. Most of this is a result of industrious librarians finding out what the public needed and wanted from them and finding ways, including funding, to provide.

As a writer, I obviously hope that readers will buy my books, but to be honest, one of the greatest thrills I had when I first started publishing was finding my book in a public library. So, even while I purchase my books and ebooks, as well as audio, I will continue going to the library on occasion, whether it’s to research a topic, try out a new author or to simply smell the aroma of books!

About the Author

Kate McKeever was born and raised in the south and spent her childhood rambling in the woods and reading, often at the same time. She spent a lot of time in libraries as a volunteer and reader, then as a perennial student, so her mother thought. She tried several careers before settling down on her current one. Writing is a passion and joy. Kate loves to write sweet contemporary and paranormal romances. Check out her books at Amazon!