I have always enjoyed watching cooking shows.  As a teenager, I never missed an episode of Julia Child’s show, The French Chef. What a hoot she was. I doubt I ever made any of her dishes, but I certainly admired her attitude. Cooking should be fun.

Nowadays, my favorite is Pioneer Woman.  Although I’ve never been on a ranch in my life, I often steal ideas from her. (Sorry, Ree.) For me, they are just a starting point. Depending on what ingredients I have on hand, I tweak things to suit myself. I rarely make a recipe as written. Fortunately for me, my dear husband is willing to eat my experiments.

I guess it was inevitable for me to blend cooking and writing. I began by editing a cookbook. It was a collection put together by the members of the Insurance Women of Pittsburgh as a fund raiser and cleverly titled Premium Recipes.

Then for a few years I entered recipe contests. I even snagged a couple small prizes—an apron, a cutting board. The best prize I won, however, was a trip to New York City to take a class at the Institute of Culinary Education. The contest, sponsored by French’s, entailed creating a sandwich using one of their products. This was when American Idol was first on the air, so I devised a sandwich and called it the Simon Cowell. The ingredients included roast beef as rare as musical talent, as I recall.

Isabella Ramos, the heroine in my third Calusa Town Tale Island Dream, has long wanted to open her own restaurant. That is something I’d never do myself. It involves a lot of hard work and a fair amount of risk, as Izzy soon finds out. I’ll confine my culinary activities to my own kitchen, but it’s fun to experience Izzy’s adventures in cooking vicariously.

Visit me at RusticatingintheTropics.com or FrancesOThomas.com.

Island Dream

Romance with a side of comedy

Zumba teacher Isabella Ramos moved from Miami to the quirky small town of Calusa to open a restaurant. Luc Girard arrives on the Florida island to become a painter, or so he says. The attraction is instant. But the secret he’s keeping threatens to deflate their relationship like a fallen soufflé. It takes the right mixture of ingredients for dreams to come true.

Island Dream is available on Amazon in paperback at https://amzn.to/2xFM6sj or on Kindle at  https://amzn.to/2iBtGWG.

Excerpt:

One step closer to her dream.

Isabella Ramos drove her refurbished van across the drawbridge and towards her home in Calusa.  After catering a breakfast at a golf club on the mainland, she had already dropped off the two women she hired for larger jobs like this one. She yawned and let go of the steering wheel long enough to rub her eyes.  It was only noon, but she had risen early to prepare three varieties of Cuban pastries along with the hot items she had served.

The society women who belonged to the club had oohed and aahed over her food, and many had taken her business card, promising to call her for future high-profile events around town. The manager of the club was a valuable contact too. Isabella was certain he had a vast network that she hoped to tap into when she finally opened her restaurant.

Isabella had loved to bake from the first moment she stood on a chair before her abuela’s kitchen counter back in Miami and wielded a miniature rolling pin. As she got older, and taller, she learned how to prepare the Cuban dishes that made her grandma’s home the place to be when mealtime rolled around. The seed of the dream to open her own restaurant was born.

Up ahead, she spotted a man standing on a ladder next to a utility pole.  She didn’t recognize him, and he wasn’t dressed in an official uniform of any kind.  She didn’t see a truck, only a rusty bicycle that lay flat on the adjoining bike path. Who was he? Was he up to some mischief?

But what if he was in trouble? Before she could stop to think twice, she pulled the van over to the side of the road and got out.

The man shaded his eyes against the Florida sun as Izzy approached. The light glinted off his brown hair, gathered in an untidy man bun. A beard obscured the bottom half of his face making his expression unreadable.

“Can I help you?” he called.

He spoke with an intriguing accent. French?

“Oh, no,” Izzy said. “I wondered if you needed help.”

“You mean you wondered what I am doing,” the man replied. He gestured to several open cans at the foot of the ladder, half hidden in the weeds. “I am painting.”

“Painting on that pole? Why?”

He chuckled. “Because it is there. Is that not what people say when they climb Mount Everest? Simply because it is there.”

When I consider writing a new romance series, I first look at what will make the stories different. What kernel of an idea sets it apart from other stories? I realized I wanted a series about how important women are to women. No matter how much we might enjoy the men in our lives. Women connect to other women in a unique way. Maybe, because we think alike or can share emotions men can’t understand, but women need women.

So then I asked, what type of situation would force four women together emotionally?

Okay, four women all lose their husbands at one time in a car accident. These women are connected only by their husbands’ jobs. They know each other, but are not what you’d call close—until their husbands are killed. This forever alters their world. Each has their unique problem.

Jen Larson is a realtor, who has for years lived as a married single. Her husband, Craig was her college sweetheart. She believes they had a good life, but less than a year after losing him, she’s ready to start dating again. This throws her relationship with the other executives’ wives into a tailspin. They don’t understand how she can do this, which makes for the first book in the series, The Marketing Exec’s Widow.

The truly fun part about a series like this is no one book is about only one woman. Each plays a part in the other book. Their stories continue and you learn more about what each woman is facing in her life. The happy-ever-after continues, and the reader learns how these women have grown to depend on each other.

In the second book, IT Exec’s Baby, the reader already knows from the first book that Brie Sullivan is pregnant. She has had the baby and is facing the challenges of dealing with a newborn as well as postpartum depression.  She also has two other children she’s trying to raise alone. Life for her is not going well, and she’s searching for answers. During one of her more trying moments, she believes she has the answer and asks Jason Clark to marry her. He’s the son of one of the other executives’ wives, Marianne Clark. This is the beginning of their journey to finding happiness.

Book three, CFO’s Affair is about Sylvia Donovan. The reader finds outs in book one that Sylvia’s husband, Bob asked her for a divorce on the morning he left on the business trip in which he died. Sylvia is going through a difficult time with her daughter having just left for college. She’s suffering from empty nest syndrome. She needs a diversion from her loneliness and decides to help at the company where her husband once worked. This sets her on the trail of finding answers as to why her husband asked for a divorce. She discovers her husband had an affair, and his son is in an abusive situation. This rocks her world and forces her to make some very hard decision about not only her future, but also the future of her husband’s son.

The last book in the series, CFO’s Widow has not been released. Still working on this one, Marianne Clark is the oldest of the four women. She loved her husband and has done her best to deal with the massive hole his death has caused in her life. She is ready to give love a chance when she discovers a lump in her breast. Faced with her mortality, she has to make the hard decision of letting a man into her life or building a wall around herself. Shouldn’t she know the outcome before allowing a man she cares about into her life?

All of these books deal with major women issues. They show not only what women can endure during different phases of their lives, but how the relationship with not only men, but also women, help them deal with the problems they face.

Here are the blurbs for all the books…

Available at
Amazon | Smashwords |  B&N  | Kobo | Apple 

Marketing Exec’s Widow

Needing to revive her life and jump start her heart, Jennifer Larson is facing the biggest challenge of her life, moving into an unplanned future. While the rest of   the Executives Wives’ Club continues to mourn their husbands, Jen is tempted into the future by a sexy chiropractor, Hagan Chaney.

But does he really love her or is he only after her money?

On sale for .99cents

IT Exec’s Baby

Brie Sullivan has a new baby girl and there are a million things to do, but Brie doesn’t have the energy to keep up. Why? She’s still grieving for her husband and suffering from baby blues, but she won’t let that stop her. She’s come up with the answer–find a new husband to be the father of her kids.

Jason Clark has been doing everything he can to help Brie. He loves her but can he accept her proposal of marriage knowing she’s not thinking clearly about the future?

CFO’s Affair

Sylvia Donovan is emotionally wounded from the unexpected death of her husband and still haunted by their last conversation: his request for a divorce and his confession of love for another woman. Her husband gone, her only daughter off to college, Sylvia faces the challenges of learning to live alone and move on with her life.

Vince Wilshire, enchanted with Sylvia, is more than willing to do what it takes to capture the heart of the hurting and untrusting Sylvia.
Can he help her forget the past and make her believe in love again?

CEO’s Widow

After surviving the grief from her husband’s death, Marianne Clark has built a new life with the help of the other Executive Wives. She plans to enjoy grandchildren and friends until her doctor tells her he found a lump in her breast. Her world turned upside down. She re-evaluates her priorities and decides she will grab hold of life with both hands.

Knox Turner lost his first wife to cancer. He’s determined not to let Marianne face this challenge alone.

Can this couple face the trials ahead and build a future together?

Read the 1^st chapter on my website www.tinagayle.com

FREE READ!

My Future Step Brother – FREE when you sign up for my newsletter
https://tinagayle.net/newsletter.html

About the Author

Tina Gayle grew up a dreamer and loved to escape into the world of books.

After years of working in the business world doing a variety of jobs, she decided to try her hand at writing in hopes of incorporate the joy of being a mother into her books.

Currently working on a series about four executive wives, she is excited about combining elements of women fiction with the passion of romance. The first three books have been released and the last one is coming out in 2015.

Married twenty-five years, she and her husband love to travel and play golf.  She can’t wait for Mike to retire so they can do more of both.

Read the first chapter of any of her books by visiting her website.

Find Tina Gayle everywhere

Home – www.tinagayle.net
Blog – www.tinagayle.blogspot.com
Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorTinaGayle
Goodread – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1641826.Tina_Gayle
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Tina-Gayle/214633841921560?ref=hl
Google + – https://plus.google.com
Linkin – https://www.linkedin.com/pub/tina-gayle/11/689/759

Thanks to Delilah for having me as a guest on her lively blog! I love reading and writing and talking about books—all kind of books. Books have always been one of my great passions. My mother swears that her labor with me was so long and difficult because I was born holding a tablet in one hand and a crayon in the other and wouldn’t let go. I was ready to write. (My mother was prone to tall Texas tales, too, so I get it honestly.)

Many, many moons ago when I was a fledgling author with a couple of romance novels published and was cavorting with a group of romance writers at a conference in Houston, someone in our bunch of six or eight suggested that we go out for drinks that evening. One adventurous soul suggested that a visit to a local club that featured male dancers would be the perfect venue. So we went.

…The place was dim, very dim, and packed with screaming women; the music was so loud that I felt it vibrate under my feet, and spotlights illuminated several small stages. Each stage featured a costumed hunk gyrating and flirting with the women going wild at his feet. We found seats, ordered drinks, and watched the show. As an astute observer of human behavior, I began to laugh at the antics of the women there. (The only men I saw were employees.) Most of the gals waving bills and making suggestive comments to the dancers were twice the age of the guys—or had at least a few years on them.

Several of the well-muscled strippers looked about the same age as students in the college psychology classes I taught—and about the same age as my son. Good grief!

What if I had walked in and found my kid on one of those stages? What if . . .

And the premise for a book was born that night.

THE RIGHT MOVES became one of my all-time favorite romantic comedies, one of thirteen that I wrote for Bantam Loveswept. And it had one of the worst covers ever. It was so bad that the publisher sent two dozen roses to me—and fired the artist. When the rights of my backlist reverted to me, I revised and updated the story and published it as an ebook—with a beautiful new cover that I love. (It’s great to have a creative director in the family.) Check it out on Amazon.

THE RIGHT MOVES by JAN HUDSON

Chris Ponder was a tough little cookie, tough enough to drive a tow truck in Houston on the weekends to help support herself and her 18 year old stepson. But the young widow was in for some surprises when she stopped to tow Nick Russo’s car and found herself waiting in a club filled with screaming women and scantily clad young men dancing for them. And holy g-string! Who was that tall kid she spotted on the stage swiveling his hips in a little-bitty Viking getup?

What was the impeccably dressed Nick Russo, multimillionaire businessman, doing in such a sleazy place? And why did her insides turn to tapioca when he gave her the once over with his bedroom eyes? He was way out of her league, and she’d been badly burned by a charming rascal before. Uh-uh. No way was she getting involved with him. But when he seduced her on a quiet night with his own dance just for her. . .

https://janhudson.com/

The Interview

Q:   What’s your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about YOU?

KJ: I guess the reason people would want to interview me is because of the unique way I met Sean Wesley. His manager pulled strings to get him into treatment at the Danville, Illinois, VA because he was having trouble staying clean after he ODed during a recording session. I was there to address my food addiction.  I weighed three-hundred pounds when we met. Who’d ever expect a rock star like Sean to fall for someone that fat?

Q:   Can you tell us about your hero?

KJ: Sean’s tall, and drop-dead handsome with black hair and incredible blue eyes. He’s one of the lead singers of The Haystack, and I was in love with his music long before I met him. He’s kind, and intelligent, and incredibly brave. Can you imagine a pianist making a comeback after losing a hand?

Q:   What problems do you have to face and overcome in your life?

KJ: Having been morbidly obese most of my adult life was a pretty big one, pun not intended.

Q:   Do you expect your hero to help or is he the problem?

KJ: Sean and I support each other.  We have different addictions, so we’re not binge buddies.  Although, he says he was a fat kid and he has to watch his food, so I guess I’m a good influence on him.

Q:   Where do you live?

KJ: My apartment’s in Rantoul, Illinois.  It’s about 125 miles south of Chicago, ten miles north of Champaign, and forty-five miles northeast of Danville.  I was raised in Chicago, but rents are less down here and I’m close to my daughters.

Q:   During what time period does your story take place?

KJ: You would call our romance a contemporary one.

Q:   How are you coping with the conflict in your life?

KJ: Aside from having had a heart attack recently, I’m doing okay. I’ve lost about a hundred pounds so far and I’m still losing. I work out along with Sean when he does his physical therapy, and I’m healthier than I’ve been in over twenty years. My kids aren’t embarrassed to be seen with me anymore. 

Q:   Those’re all the questions we have for you. Thank you for speaking to us.

KJ: You’re welcome.  I really think Sean is much more interesting than I am.  After all—he’s the rock star.

THE THIN PERSON INSIDE

Kristen Jensen, a Navy veteran, tips the scale at a crippling three hundred pounds. In desperation she asks her VA therapist if she can go into addictions treatment with the guys where she meets Sean. With black hair, blue eyes, and a perfect body she figures the reason he’s speaking to her is that she’s the only other person in the room.

The Haystack told their lead singer, Sean Wesley, to get clean or get out. But none of the big-name clinics worked. Sean’s a Desert Storm vet, so they send him to a VA in the middle of nowhere. When he meets Kristen the first day, he thinks it’s tragic such a pretty girl’s trapped in a huge body. And her honesty, intelligence, and bravery are even more impressive. Sean’s drawn to Kristen, but she’s had decades to build layers of defense.

Review:

***** Amazon Review by Heather Haven September 12, 2015

Well done, Ms. Weber.

This is a raw and revealing account of addiction, with a sweetness to it that pulls the reader in from the first. https://www.amazon.com/review/RJPHI5QOBJPTH

Excerpt:

Sean Wesley went into the snack room to help himself to coffee and a roll. He’d probably gain weight while he was here without his personal trainer and weight room. He’d been a fat kid—always the last to be chosen for games, and stuck in right field when he did play. He’d been saved from a life of obesity by a growth spurt in his late teens, a judge who gave him a choice between jail and the Marines, and switching addictions from food to booze and then cocaine.

By rights, Sean shouldn’t be at a VA facility. Celebrities like him usually got sober at places like the Betty Ford clinic or Hazelden. Actually, he’d come from Betty Ford, but he’d still felt shaky so his manager, Don Nelson, had done his homework. Danville, Illinois, was in the middle of nowhere. The program was different, based on Rational Emotive Therapy, and Sean was a veteran. While he made too much money to be treated at the VA, there’s money and then there’s money. Sean had money—the kind that opens doors and breaks down barriers. The kind that makes even the Federal Government say, “We’ll see what we can do,” and then do it.

So here he was in the middle of a cornfield in bum-fuck Illinois at a shabby old VA hospital. An enormously obese woman came into the snack room interrupting his reverie, and Sean thought, That could’ve been me. What a shame—she’s so pretty.”

* * * *

Kristen noticed the table of goodies and the drop-dead-gorgeous man perusing them in the break room when she went in there to put her lunch in the refrigerator.

“Want one? I heard they send ’em over every morning. I guess they’re yesterday’s leftovers.”

That’s right. Offer sweets to the fat lady. She managed a tight grimace. “Thanks, but I’m here because I’m a food addict.” She held up her orange.

“I’m Sean.” He prob’ly wouldn’t give a fat chick like me a second look anywhere else. Still, what is it about men with black hair and blue eyes that makes me go all mushy?

“Hi.”

“I’ve heard of food addicts, but what makes ya call yourself that?”

“When my kids were little, I left them without a babysitter while I went to the store and wrote a rubber check for ice cream and M&Ms. I’d say I’ve been about as desperate for my fix as any addict or alcoholic.”

“Wow! Yeah, I guess so.” He held the door for her as they exited and then followed her into the Day Room.

Kristen sat on a love seat, taking up the whole thing, while Sean sat in the chair on the other side of the end table next to her. They were the only two people in there since there were classes going on. She was sure the minute other people came out he’d find someone else to talk to. She pulled out her crocheting. She was fairly certain Eric would propose to Viki at Christmas and had already begun work on a tablecloth for them. She worked on it a minute and then decided to be polite. “So, what’s your drug of choice?”

“Cocaine. I’ve been clean a coupla months, but it’s hard ta stay clean.”

“I’ve heard that. I was at a halfway house fundraiser and they said it takes something like over a year for cocaine to completely leave the body, and during that time a person can still have random cravings. They were raising money for an extended treatment program.”

“That explains why I’ve been having such a hard time. I hope this treatment helps.”

“Yeah.”

People started coming into the Day Room from classrooms just down the hallways. Several of them gave Sean and Kristen curious looks. Yeah, what’s a great looking guy doing sitting with a fat chick?

Rochelle Weber Biography

Rochelle Weber is romance author, a Navy veteran, and holds a BA in Writing from Columbia College, Chicago. Her two previous novels, Rock Bound and Rock Crazy are available in all formats.

Ms. Weber has over twenty year’s editing experience and publishes the Marketing for Romance Writers Newsletter, winner of the 2013 and 2015 Preditors & Editors Readers’ Polls for Best Writers’ Resource. She battles bi-polar disorder, quipping, “You haven’t lived until you’ve been the only woman on the locked ward at the VA.” She lost about a hundred-fifty pounds and has kept it off for about three years, and has incorporated these experiences into her books. Ms. Weber lives in Round Lake Beach, Illinois. She has two married daughters, eight assorted grandchildren and step-grandchildren, and a cat who has her very well-trained.

Contact Rochelle At:

Website:  www.rochelleweber.com
Blog:  https://rochelleweber.blogspot.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rochelle.weber2
Facebook Author Page:  https://www.facebook.com/Rochelle.Weber.Author
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/#!/RochelleWeber
Amazon Author Page:  https://amazon.com/author/rochelleweber

THE THIN PERSON INSIDE:

Trailer:  https://youtu.be/DLJBtjXWwRk

Buy Links:
MuseItUp Publishing, Inc.:  https://tinyurl.com/rwmusettpi
Amazon:  https://tinyurl.com/rwttpiamz
BN:  https://tinyurl.com/rwttpibn

Like anywhere, there are pros and cons about living in a small town. On the upside, you know your neighbors, or at least many of them. (That can be a downside too.) There is a sense of community in most smaller towns, a sense of pride in the place.

Of course, gossip is always alive and well in small communities. A person’s reputation can be easily called under scrutiny for the slightest infraction. There are always certain people who seem to have their heart on the pulse of the town, while others will have more control, more sway in the local politics. It’s not easy to keep a secret, but they are always there behind closed doors.

Services and shops can be limited as well. Many small towns have the basics—grocery store, pharmacy, diner, hair salon, hardware, and usually a few more businesses thrown in for good measure.

Small towns are interesting and have personality. They are also filled with people who have a story to tell. It’s one of the reasons I created my fictional town of Jamesville more than 20 years ago when I wrote Discovering Dani. That book wouldn’t get published for another 10 years. Eventually, I wrote 7 books in that fictional town. I love all the characters who allowed me to tell their stories.

I’m even more thrilled that the series is getting a second life and is now available once again.

Books in the series: Discovering Dani, The Way Home, The Return of Patrick O’Rourke, The Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke, A Legal Affair, By the Book, and Past Promises. (The first two books in the series are “sweeter” in tone. The rest are all steamy.)

Discovering Dani

Jamesville, Book 1

Dani O’Rourke is no stranger to hard work. She’s been raising her two brothers alone since their parents died and she owns and operates her own business, O’Rourke Cleaning Services. Spending all her time working and looking after her family means she’s never had time for men. And if she was going to look for a relationship, it wouldn’t be with an arrogant and cynical man like Burke.

A brush with death has successful businessman Burke questioning his priorities. He’s come to Jamesville for some peace and quiet to figure out what to do with the rest of his life. Catching a woman breaking into his cabin certainly isn’t part of his plan, nor is being attracted to her after her finds out just how wrong he was about her.

Burke finds himself caught up in Dani’s family, but is there room in such a gentle woman’s life for a man as hard as him?

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074DYVLJF
Entangled Publishing: https://entangledpublishing.com/discovering-dani.html
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/discovering-dani-n-j-walters/1013241610?ean=9781640630048
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/discovering-dani/id1265731269
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/discovering-dani-2

To find all the books in the series, as well as links to other venues, just go to my Author Page at Entangled Publishing: https://entangledpublishing.com/author/n-j-walters

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit me at:
Website: https://www.njwalters.com
Blog: https://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Group: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/awakeningdesires/info
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

Hello and Happy Sunday All….

So I thought I’d share a little of what I’ve been dealing with lately then share a little about my books.

So last Saturday night while I was sleeping at 11:54 Illinois, but 9:54 LA, California time, a hacker hacked my bank account, and by this past Thursday had hacked into all my accounts.  Now, you would think that after the first one when I had asked my bank if my other accounts were safe and after going through and changing passwords, etc., that everything would be okay.  That was a BIG FAT NO.  By the time the hackers were done, all my accounts were frozen and in the negative by, oh yes hold on to your panties, almost 11,000 dollars.  YES, $11 Grand.

So, here I am a Veteran of 23 years in the US Army; I am a 100% disabled Veteran; and now, I have no access to my money well for, as of today, 9 more days at the least and max time 24 more days.  Now, having 3 kids in college and paying for books, etc., there are no savings anymore, so I sit, and I wait.  But the reason I am telling you this is to recommend that you get credit monitoring, get bank monitoring, and watch your accounts.  Now, I have been informed that the hackers most likely got mine, my husband’s and my children’s information from the Pentagon and the Office of Personnel Management Hacking from last year.  Which would explain how the hackers were able to pretend to be my husband and create a profile connected to our accounts through our bank. Yes, the hackers called our bank and set up a profile linked to our account.  How did they do this?  Well, they had all the information from mine and my husband’s security clearances from the Army, so it was easy for them.  I was not the only one affected in this hacking. There were other Veterans and Active Duty personnel who also got hit.

So, what I am telling you is this: I did have all the monitoring available through Experian and through my bank.  So, pay attention! Do not rely on these companies to protect you, because like what happened to me, they were able to fool the bank into thinking they were talking to my husband.  Now we have safe words and sentences that the bank has to ask, and get the right response from us, in order to discuss anything with that person. So the public service warning is, always beware and be on guard.

A Little about Me…..

If I’m new to you I will go through the whole speech. ???????? I hope you don’t mind. ????????????

I served in the US Army for 23 years, and well, at 45 I decided my time had come. I retired out with a 100% service-connected disability. long story. So, now I am here to introduce you to my work and to me. (Scary I know but hold on for a wild ride)

I write Military Romance with SMOKIN’ ALPHA males and STRONG ALPHA females mixed with some suspense. I will always have strong male and female characters in my stories. Romance and action will always grace my stories, as well as some suspense and mystery. ALWAYS, ALWAYS my stories have an HEA—A Happy Ever After.

I am currently working on my second novel of the Warranted Series called Warranted Desires, due out in soon.  My first Book Warranted Pleasures is being released by Limitless Publishing July 25th. And I am an author in four upcoming anthologies. Craving Soldiers and Craving Secrets, which release on Aug 29th. Craving Christmas releases Nov 29th, 2017, and Counting Stars around Feb 2018.

I started my writing career while still serving in the US Army. I am a mother of 4, grandmother of two little girls, and a wife of 24 years.

I have made it a MISSION of mine since retiring that I recognize Fridays As “Buddy Check Friday’s”. Where not only do I call or text fellow veterans and family, but I put a post on my group page, my author’s page, and my personal page to remind all to check on your Battle Buddy. As a Veteran and sufferer of PTSD, I recognize first and foremost how important friends and family are, and to know to remain vigilant, and to seek help when I need it. That is where fellow Veterans, friends, and family come in, because we will a lot of times not seek you out. You must seek us out.

Now, let’s Be Book Buddies!

Like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/srnemechek
My Readers Group Shannon’s Sinful Sirens:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/603162766528399

The Men of the 9th

So, I am going to introduce you to a couple of the Men of the 9th today. My first one is kinda my favorite. I guess it’s because he was my first. He broke my writing cherry. 🙂

Who wants to meet Chief Warrant Officer Raleigh Fitzgerald? He is my Alpha, all male, and the main lead in what is now becoming a whole new series about the 9th Special Forces Reapers.”Bringers of Death and Destruction” is their motto.

Eventually, it will be an entire world of hottie, alpha and the strong women who fall for them.

Ok, this, my dears, is my Raleigh from my Warranted Series. I seriously want to lick him. I really don’t care where! LOL We can stare at him for a moment then I will show you an excerpt from Book 1 of Samantha and Raleigh’s story. The insignia next to each is special forces unit insignia, and the other is the warrant officer branch insignia.

So my novella, Snowed In, introduces you to the youngest member of the 9th Special Forces. I think you’ll like him. He’s a cutie from Georgia—a young and all Southern stud. 🙂

This novella is set during the time that Warranted Pleasures is set and is the story of Jackson and Annabelle. Jackson is a member of Raleigh’s SF unit.

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Warranted Pleasures

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Excerpt  WARRANTED PLEASURES

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4.7 out of 5 Stars on Amazon

57 ★★★★★ Ratings

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Raleigh opened the door to O’Shea’s Pub and walked in. He scanned the bar—no Sam. He scanned the tables—no Sam. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her as she emerged from the bathroom. Her long, blonde hair draped over her bare shoulders, and her legs were so long they could almost reach the sky. She was tanned from head to toe, and the dress she had on left nothing to the imagination. It melted into her skin like it was made for her. The heels she wore inched her almost as tall as him. WOW! She is amazing! He could lose himself in those eyes and that smile. He could forget about everything this world offered and just concentrate on making her every wish come true. Because right then, at that very moment, she was everything he had ever wished for and so much more. He wanted so badly to take her in his arms and whisk her away to a remote island and make her his forever. He could feel himself shake as he walked towards her. He knew he had to get it together, or he would look like a fool.

***

Sitting here with Raleigh was almost a dream come true. She could smell his musky scent from across the table; the smell enticed her senses. She could feel her skin get warm and beads of sweat made their way between her breasts. Thoughts crept into her mind of all the heavenly things she would do to him if she got him alone in a room. It had been too long since Sam had felt a man’s touch—a real man’s touch. She wanted to be taken—body, mind, heart, and soul. Her heart ached for the love and tenderness of a man; Raleigh reminded her of the emptiness she had been feeling for quite some time. Could a guy like Raleigh make all her hopes come true? Or for one night, make her forget all her troubles and be a woman again? She didn’t care either way. There were carnal, sexual needs that she wanted to follow.

As she sat so close to the man of her dreams, the man who could fulfill her deepest desires and the fantasies she had yet to share, she had a feeling she could share any one of them with him and he would be more than willing to make them all come true.

In his deep southern twang, he asked, “Have you ordered yet?”

“Just a drink. I thought I would wait to order food once you got here.” Sam’s voice trailed off as she felt the distinct touch of Raleigh’s leg against hers. The heat she felt skyrocketed to pure pleasure. Is that by accident? Or is he playing with my emotions? She moved her leg just inches, testing the hypothesis that his touch was an accidental one. But his leg moved between hers and pressed them apart. Her heart quickened and her breath hitched. Without control, she had allowed his leg in deeper and could feel her wetness envelop her. She had deliberately gone without panties to avoid panty lines; now she worried he would inch ever so close feeling the wetness soak his jeans. The tablecloth had hidden what was going on under the table, so Sam was happy to oblige Raleigh’s advances. For one night only, she would put away her emotions and her inhibitions and just let the chips fall where they may. She already had a few drinks in her before Raleigh arrived. She was now relaxed enough to let herself go and enjoy where this may go. If she ended up in his bed, she would count it as a notch and let it go. She couldn’t fight her feelings anymore. She needed to be taken, and she needed it now.

The table hid Raleigh’s intentions, and he slid one hand on Sam’s leg and up the length of her thigh. The higher he moved up, the warmer it got. He hoped once he reached her spot, she would be ready and willing to take his length and the pleasure he had secretly sworn to give her the moment he laid eyes on her. He could feel her legs tighten as he inched closer and felt her breath quicken the closer he got to her folds. I pray she isn’t wearing panties. As he reached within centimeters of her warmth and folds, the waitress arrived.

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Craving Soldiers

Craving Soldiers
Operation Codename Wolverine
Unedited Excerpt

amazon.com/dp/B073KM3H7H

Sergeant First Class Logan Macalister stood steadfast as the dust and sand flew and laughed as he watched the young woman fumble around.  He had been waiting for this CIA agent for the last few hours, and he was ready to get back to the poker game he and the guys had started.  He was ahead a few hundred dollars and didn’t want to miss out on his winning streak.  He couldn’t see her quite well, but he could make out the figure and damn it was impressive.  “What I wouldn’t give to have those legs wrapped around my neck.  If the rest of her looks are as good as they are from the neck down we in business.” He thought as she approached him.  It had been months since he had seen a woman let alone been with a woman so lucky for him she was extremely nice to look at.

“Are you SFC Macalister?” she asked

“Yep, that’s me!” he said as he held his hand out to her “Logan Macalister, but everyone calls me Wolverine.”

“Well, Wolverine how about getting me out of this dust-up and inside so I can sit down.”

“Yea, no problem.  Let me take your bag for ya.” He said as he reached for the bag draped over her arm.  “Looks heavy.”

“Yea, a bit!  I’ve been lugging it around for the last several hours.  I am beyond bushed.  I need a shower a bed and a drink.” She complained as she handed him the bag.

Logan grabbed the bag then motioned her to follow him.  “Follow me, ma’am, I will get you over to the command tent first.  You need to report to the commander first then personnel will get you set up with a bunk and a private area.  Once you get set up, I can show you where the shower facilities are.”  As they walked into the small makeshift building that looked as though it had been put together with cardboard and duct tape a blast a cool air finally hit her face.  “Whew, finally.” She thought as she stopped for a moment to take it all in and to take the scarf down from her face.  Realizing she was no longer following him Logan stopped and turned just in time to see Mackenzie as the scarf fell. 

His breath hitched, and his heart raced as he took the sight all in.  “My God! he thought she’s the most beautiful women in the world.  Why the hell is she in this rat hole?  Yep, he thought definitely have to get those legs wrapped around my neck.”  When she looked up at him, he realized her eyes were the darkest brown eyes, and her hair was long and dark drown with hints of auburn scattered about.  Then she smiled at him looking up thru her eyelashes, and that smile reached down to his dick and pulled it up and stretched it hard.  He now had a hard on from hell, and there was not a thing he could do about it.

“You good? He asked can we head on?” he knew he sounded like an ass, but he also didn’t want to stand around too long and reveal the raging hard on he had that was pushing against his pants.  It seemed obvious to him that his cock was trying to inch its way closer to her.  “Down boy.” He whispered to himself.

“What was that, Sergeant?” she questioned, looking back at him over her shoulder.

“Nothing all good back here!”

“Oh ok, I thought you said something to me!”

“Nope, all good back here.” He said as he pushed down at his crotch

“Good.  How much further to the commander’s office?”

“Just turn to your right up there, and he’s in there.  I will wait out here.” He said fumbling with his waistband.

“You’re not going in?” 

“Nope, no need. I’ll wait for you out here.  Would you like coffee or water?”

“Water, please. As she turned into the commander’s office, I’ll grab it when I come out.”

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Craving Secrets 

Craving Secrets 
Breach of Trust
Unedited Excerpt
https://a.co/g0VBHhj

Madison’s heart sank when she heard her name. She was frightened, so she grabbed the broomstick again and prepared to smash whoever popped their head through the exposed hole in the old building. Gretchen grabbed Jasper. Madison hoped he would not bark, but it was too late. He was a small, strong little dog and had easily jumped from her arms and into the opening in the bricks.

Jasper’s barks echoed throughout the building. Madison could hear the man’s voice calling for her. As he got closer to the opening, she heard him say, “Madison, if you are in there, this is Chance Maxwell. I am with the CIA. Agent York sent me to come get you. I swear I will toss you my wallet so you can see I am who I say I am.”

Chance tossed his wallet toward the opening, and Gretchen popped her head out to retrieve it. Chance grinned as the old woman snapped him a look of disgust then went back into the building. Handing Madison the wallet, she then popped her head back out like a turtle from its shell.

“Is it him?” she asked Gretchen.
“Yes, child, it is the same man,” Gretchen answered.
“Okay, let him in,” Madison said.

Gretchen leaned back out of the hole, “Okay, you can come in,” she said. “But watch what you do, or Jasper will bite your cock off.”
***
Chance laughed.

“Don’t worry, ma’am. I am only here to help Ms. Madison,” Chance replied.

Chance crawled through the opening, his head down, watching for hidden items in the rubble that might hurt the knee or hands as he crawled through. Once he got all the way inside, he looked up then over to the right, and he saw her. She was even more stunning in person; her hair was a mess, her clothes torn, and she had on a pair of mismatched shoes. Her makeup had long since run down part of her face, but despite all of that, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on. Her eyes were deep green, and although her hair was disheveled and matted, it was blonde and hung past her shoulders. Even in this state, his cock took over his mind, and his cock started to thicken. What the hell, man? Get a fuckin grip. This is a woman in need of help, and a bath. He grinned to himself.
***
Madison peered at him, still holding the broken broom handle at the ready. “And what the hell are you laughing at?” she asked, waiting still holding the broomstick above her head.

“I am laughing at you, miss. Do you seriously think that would do any kind of damage whatsoever?”

“Well, it could, if I hit hard enough,” she replied.

“Doubtful, but I’ll take your word for it,” Chance replied, standing up and walking over to her and grabbing the broom handle.

“If you don’t mind, I will take that. I have something that will do a little bit more damage than that, so you are perfectly safe with me. I promise,” he said, winking at her then focusing on the small barking dog at his feet.

“Now, who is this little guy?” He bent down to pet Jasper’s head and scratch his ears. Jasper was now on Team Chance and was currently in the process of rolling onto his back for a belly rub.

Gretchen replied, “That, my dear, is Jasper, my guard dog. This is our home. Welcome. Welcome, young Chance, my name is Gretchen.”

“How long have you and Jasper been here?” Chance asked.

“Oh, we have been here for, oh, say, ten years. Well I have had Jasper for only four years. I found him abandoned down at the city center, not far from the cathedral. We have been together since. He protects me, and I protect him,” she answered.

“Well, you have a very nice home, Frau Gretchen.”

“Ah, poppycock! It’s a shithole, but thank you for saying so,” Gretchen announced as she laughed.

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Shannon Nemechek

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Ready for some history? In 2004 I finally sat down to write a book. It would be the realization of a dream finally come true. And of course, it would be easy peasy. Nothing to writing a book, right? I think  my head still hurts from banging it on the desk!!

First of all, I had planned to write a straight mystery, because, along with my mother and sister, those were the books I had always read. I even had that first book plotted out, chapter by chapter. So computer, I said, here I come.

Turns out writing a book is a lot harder than it looks. After three months I still had only three chapters written and the head banging began. But then I read Cry No More, by Linda Howard, and a whole new world opened up to me. I wasn’t meant for mysteries. I was meant for romantic suspense. So back to the computer I went, and I wrote that first book in an effort to create a hero as memorable as Diaz in Cry No More.

And I wrote it in a week! 85K words!

Of course, I was the only one who thought it was so wonderful. But it did prompt me to reach out and find the local RWA chapter, which is where I met the fabulous Delilah Devlin and was privileged to be in the critique group with her. The  biggest thing I learned? I had a lot of work to do on that book.

Time marched on. I wrote other books. Eventually a publisher even bought some of them. Wow! I was a published author. But that first book that began my writing life, Run For Your Life, still sat on my hard drive, getting constantly revised.

After five years it was finally contracted as Target and it became the initial book in a series called The Protectors. Well, time marches on and the four-book series did okay, but it became outdated and my style of writing changed and, I hope, improved. So this year my editor at The Wild Rose Press and I dusted it off, I revised every one of the books (one of them with a whole new twist) and we are rereleasing them as Guardian Security. Four hot, suspenseful stories. Four hot, hot heroes.

Take a look. OH, and Run For Your Life/Target is now Moving Target and is set in the town where I lived in Texas for sixteen years, and Quinn’s house is actually my house. Just so ya know!

Oh, and be sure to let me know if you think Quinn is oh so sexy.

Moving Target

Kathryn Burke knows only that she has to get far away as fast as she can. In a frantic, cross-country odyssey, she transforms from pliable Kathryn to feisty, determined Kate Miller, staying one step ahead of the killers on her trail. Then Fate delivers her into the hands of a dark knight with a tortured past. The safety he offers is as tempting as he is. After having his perfect life ripped apart, recluse Quinn sees protecting Kate as his chance for redemption. He never plans on wanting the guarded beauty, never mind falling for her. Denying the explosive chemistry between them is useless, and as danger closes in he must fight to expose the killer or risk history from repeating itself.

Silencing Memories

Just when architect Lindsey Ferrell thinks she’s gotten her life back on track, the terrible nightmares return, and out of nowhere, a stalker sends note to her office. Photos follow, then emails, and she can’t dismiss the threat any longer. Hiring security seems the logical answer, but there’s nothing logical about her body’s reaction to the sinfully sexy expert bent on keeping her safe. Guardian Security partner Nick Vanetta believes there’s more behind the situation than a simple fixation, and he wonders if the answer is buried somewhere in her past. As they dig deeper into her family history, the sizzling attraction between them burns hotter and the job becomes much more than playing bodyguard to this headstrong woman. To protect the woman he loves, he must find the stalker…before it’s too late.

Killing Lies

After her husband was killed and she lost her unborn child, Sarah Madison believed she’d never find love and happiness again. Instead, she has channeled all her energy into her job as assistant to the sexy CEO of Guardian Security. When he proposes a marriage of convenience, the chance to become a mother is tempting, and so is her new prospective husband. His only flaw—the distance he keeps between himself and his sweet little daughter.

Reno Sullivan’s life is a mess. His first marriage was based on a lie, and the fiery death of his wife left him to raise a baby—a constant reminder of his wife’s deceit. He desperately needs someone to mother the child and take charge of his personal life, and his no-nonsense assistant is perfect for the job. Unfortunately, the alluring woman in the bedroom next to his chips away at his determination to maintain the hands-off clause in their agreement and the ice around his heart. A near-tragedy and Reno’s fear of love could kill Sarah’s hopes of turning their fake marriage into happily ever after…

Check them out here:

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