Hello, I’m Melanie Jayne and I write romance with older characters. By saying that, I don’t mean women in their early thirties. Nooo, I am talking about women that have made more than a few laps around life’s track. I do this because I can barely remember my twenties and to be honest, my life didn’t get really interesting until many years had passed.

I find that too often in fiction, especially romance, the female characters top out in their early thirties or are into their sixties. The older women are portrayed as the meddling interloper or the crazy relative. Well I’m here to tell you that women can be so much more.

I love creating my female characters. They have had years to work through their issues with their families. Not that she can change things but she can anticipate, or won’t be surprised by actions and reactions. Hopefully, she is to the point where she has identified the negative influences in her circle and shed those “friends”.  She may not completely know herself but she has a good idea what she doesn’t like and what she doesn’t want around her.

I usually find that she has just made or experienced a major change in her life. She can start over and do things her way, the better way. In my latest book, You Only, Hale Cameron has just returned to the small town where she grew up. Years before she left her fiancé and the town behind. Now she must find her place in the community that has kept the story of how she broke Finn Webber’s heart alive.

Hale has her share of baggage, she was abused by her mother and fears that she may share some of Lydia’s traits. She left a successful career to take over the reins of her family’s farming operation. After years of therapy, she believes that she lost her chance at love. Perhaps she isn’t really worthy of romantic love?

Her close friends have her back and help her navigate small town life. She must also deal with Finn. He is now the mayor and a popular bachelor. He never understood why Hale left and demands an explanation. Her reasons confuse him, almost as much as his attraction to her.

As couple addresses their past, Finn learns that he did not really know Hale at all. The new and improved Hale excites and entices him with her intelligence and forbearance. She is trying to fit in and become a leader as expected due to her family name.

In the book, Hale has doubts but continues working toward her goal. She was so much fun to write because she wants to move forward. I love that she knows her faults, but accepts that we all have them. She is unapologetically sexual and is not afraid to discuss her past and what she hopes will come to be. She is human and has worked very hard to be okay with that. I think that is what I love most about her. She knows that she isn’t perfect and isn’t surprised when those close to her screw up. She looks deeper than the what but more into the why.

Women are so much more than the number of years that they have graced the earth and I hope that one day, we will stop seeing them as their age but more for their wisdom.

About the Author

Melanie Jayne lives in on a grain farm in Central Indiana with her long suffering husband and Ginger the monster dog. When she isn’t writing, she’s dealing with repairs their old farmhouse and she loves to read.

You are invited to follow her:

www.ReadMelanieJayne.com

@MJSmut on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram

Melanie Jayne on Facebook

I’ll be honest. I hate when people ask me, “What inspired you to write this story?” It’s almost like asking a dog what inspired you to bark? It’s in their nature to bark, as it is mine to write or come up with stories. It’s what I do.

Inspiration strikes at the strangest of times, and it’s not just one event that inspires a story, but a multitude of events.

Sometimes my mind is dead. I feel like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, If I only had a brain. (I’ll give you a moment to sing that little ditty in your head. Okay, moving on.)

Then other times, I can’t get the stinking thing (my brain) to shut off. I’ll see something, hear someone have a conversation, and something I see or hear will lead me down another path, then another, then another, and BOOM! Everything falls into place and a story is born.

JK Rowling thought up the idea for Harry Potter on a train ride. True story! Maybe that’s why Harry rode the Hogwarts Express to school? Who knows?

But, what I do know (and it isn’t much) is that my newest release, Text Me, was thought up on a treadmill at the gym. Text Me is a part of the Candy Hearts Romance Series with The Wild Rose Press. TWRP did a call for stories with candy hearts titles and “Text Me” began whispering in my ear so seductively, Write me. Write me. Then it started shouting, WRITE ME.

Okay, I can take a hint!

I jumped off the treadmill, jotted notes into my phone, and I’m pretty sure the water fountain at the gym inspired the whole interoffice relationship romance in Text Me. I always hear about coworkers gossiping around the water cooler, so I thought why not make it more office related? So I did, and it worked, and I liked it. I hope you do, too.

Text Me

When Erika’s ex becomes her boss less than a year after dumping her by text, she gets desperate to find a date to the corporate Valentine’s dance so he doesn’t suspect she still has feelings for him. Though not a fan of texting for the obvious reason, she doesn’t have much choice but to tap the keypad in order to gain the attention of the only viable candidate from the classified ads.

Grayson made the mistake of listening to his brother a year ago and has regretted what he did to Erika ever since. But his brother’s next suggestion just might be his salvation when he takes out an ad for a Valentine’s date…and Erika answers.

Using a pseudo name and keeping contact to text messages only, Grayson’s plans to make Erika fall back in love with him appears to be working…until the date of the dance draws near, and she pushes a meeting—face to face.

Excerpt:

Valentine’s Day.

She sank deeper into the couch. What was she going to do? She couldn’t show up alone to the company dance. Not with the chance of Grayson being there. No way.

“Maybe go to another speed dating session?” She grabbed a tissue off the coffee table and wiped the excess slime from her fingers.

“My hairdresser’s single. You want me to ask him?”

“Your hairdresser’s gay. I don’t think he’d be interested in me.”

“Really?” Megan gave her a funny stare.

“Really.” Erika snorted. “Have you not seen the picture of him and his ex-partner at his station?”

“That was his partner?” Her friend’s mouth gapped open. “I thought it was his brother.”

She shook her head. Her friend was one of the smartest people she knew, but common sense eluded the girl.

Megan popped more hearts in her mouth. “That explains so much now,” she mumbled around the candy. “No wonder my hair always looks good.”

“Yes, it does.” Erika sipped her wine.

Her friend swallowed. “Well, I’m sorry, honey. I don’t know any single guys. If I did, I’d try to date them myself.”

“That’s okay.” She sighed and slumped back onto the sofa.

“Is Grayson single?”

“I don’t know. Why are you asking?” She narrowed her gaze. “You want to date him?”

“No.” Her friend said “no” as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

“I’m thinking about you. You wouldn’t go back out with Grayson again, would you? Please say no.” Megan’s shoulders sagged.

Go back out with Grayson. She never thought she’d be given another chance. Would she go back out with him after the way he treated her? Of course not. She deserved better, despite how wonderful he had been.

“I don’t think so. He really hurt me. I can’t give him that privilege again.”

“Good for you.” Her roommate perked up and patted her on the back. “Stay strong. You’ll find someone.”

“You’re right. I’m going to have a date for that corporate Valentine’s dance, even if I have to search the classifieds.”

“Surely, it won’t come to that.” Megan held up her glass for a toast.

Erika clinked hers with her friend’s. “Yeah, surely.”

Her roommate sat her glass down on the table and reached for more hearts.

“Here, give me one of those.”

“I love reading the little sayings.” Megan passed her a heart and tossed her dark hair behind her shoulder. “What’s yours say?”

She flipped over the candy to see the phrase. Bright pink letters stared back at her. Oh, you can’t be serious. “‘Text me’. Seriously?”

Megan burst out laughing.

“You would find that funny.” Erika popped the heart in her mouth and obliterated the little saying she had grown to hate so much.

Erin Bevan

Erin Bevan is a wife and mother of three. An avid reader, one day she decided to try her luck in writing stories of her own, and the idea paid off. She spends her days deep in the heart of Texas, fighting mosquitoes, cleaning dirty faces, and writing when the kids nap. If it’s a really good day, she even finds time to brush her hair.

Links: 

https://www.facebook.com/erinbevanwrites/
www.erinbevan.com
https://twitter.com/ErinBevan

Twitter @ErinBevan

Buy links:

https://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=6601

https://www.amazon.com/Text-Me-Candy-Hearts-Romance-ebook/dp/B019G1FOR2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453662636&sr=1-1&keywords=Text+Me

I love when the hero and his best friend attempt to help each other with their romantic entanglements. I mean, they’re so unwilling to admit they’re in over their head. They can’t request help—it’s the ultimate in refusing to ask for directions. Sometimes they talk around the situation, using a sort of bro-code language that only men can decipher. And then there are the times they flat-out try to ignore how their world has changed drastically, even when everything is crashing down around them.

It’s so freakin’ adorable.

In a previous book, my current hero Troy was a bit cavalier about the romantic advice he gave to his friend Matt, a superstar baseball pitcher. Now it’s Troy’s turn to be on the receiving end. Let’s listen in, shall we?

“Who’s the sexy blonde behind the bar you keep staring at?”

Troy saw Matt’s grin, but he ignored it, returning his attention to the basket of baseballs sitting on the table in front of him. He wasn’t ready to answer questions about Bet just then.

Matt took the hint, thankfully. “Do you need me to sign any of these?”

“Nah, I’ve got plenty of the real ones.” Troy picked up a pen and started signing Matt’s name. “These are the ones I give to the real douchebags.”

“What are you putting on there?” Matt leaned forward to get a better look. “Is that a smiley face?”

“Actually that’s a heart. See? Right at the end of the swirly part of the s in your last name.”

“I don’t do a swirly s in my signature.”

“You do now.”

Matt snorted. “I’m never gonna make it into the Hall of Fame.”

Troy snorted right back at him. “You’re a shoo-in and you know it. And these guys deserve it. Like the one who got all grabby with Bet the other day—”

“The sexy blonde you’ve been staring at?”

Troy tossed the pen down and picked up his beer. “She’s not a sexy blonde. She’s my sexy blonde.”

“Well, that’s intriguing.” Matt clinked his bottle against Troy’s. “Care to explain more?”

“Nope,” Troy answered cheerfully. He guzzled most of his beer before adding, “And I’ll be happy to ignore any more questions you have.”

“Perfect.” Matt glanced around the room, completely unconcerned.

“Don’t you say a word. None of this ‘I told you so’ or ‘glad it was your turn’ shit.”

Matt nodded. “Got it.”

“I’m serious.”

“I said I got it.” Then Matt’s head dropped back and he laughed, for way too long. “Oh man, this is even better than I thought it would be.”

Troy slumped in his chair. “You know how I gave you a hard time about boo-hooing when you weren’t sure what to do about Allie?”

Matt rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t boo-hooing, but yeah, I know what you’re saying.”

“Well, I should apologize for that, but I won’t.”

“Apology accepted.”

“Thanks. Anyway, I get it now. What you were going through. Because I’m kinda going through it myself.”

Matt shook his head as if he’d just gotten beaned by a 90-mile-an-hour fastball. “Wait a minute. It sounds like you’re admitting to having feelings for a woman. Feelings way way above your jockstrap—”

“Hey! I have jockstrap feelings for her too. It’s just that they’re getting all mixed in with these other ones. And I’m not sure what to do.”

“I could say what you said to me,” Matt offered. “Something about she sounds fun and give me her phone number.”

“Allie’s gonna smack you, and then I’m gonna do the same. I need you to take me seriously here.”

“I am. And you know what you gotta do. You just gotta do it.”

Troy groaned. “Please tell me I was more helpful than that.”

~~~~~

Bio:

I have worked as an attorney, winery tasting room manager, and retail business owner, but nothing beats the thrill of writing humorously-ever-after romances.

I reside in New England, although I fantasize about spending the rest of my days in a tropical locale, wearing flip flops year-round, or in Regency London, scandalizing the ton.

I can usually be found on Twitter, talking about writing and coffee, and on Facebook, talking about coffee and writing.

Links:

Website: https://www.AllAboutTheWriting.com
Newsletter: https://eepurl.com/LRgT5
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BookEmDonna
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5349107.Donna_Cummings
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Donna.Cummings.Author
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/bookemdonna/

HEARTBREAKER’S BET

I need someone to help me become a heartbreaker. And I’ve picked you.

Bettina Knox’s dating life was a disaster. What she needed was some expert instruction on becoming the love-’em-and-leave-’em type. Luckily she found the perfect man for the job—a professional-grade flirter, adored by every woman he encountered. It was all fun and games until she started falling for her way-too-sexy teacher.

So you want me to give you all my secrets for breaking hearts. Even though I’m not convinced I’ve ever broken any.

Troy Callahan thought he’d heard it all in his years of owning a popular sports pub. Then this sweet, sassy woman waltzed up insisting he was going to teach her how to break hearts. He’d been a wingman forever, so why not help her unleash her inner bad girl? There was just one problem: turning Bet into a heartbreaking assassin had somehow put his own heart at risk.

Amazon ~ Apple ~ B&N ~ Kobo

UPDATE: Brenda Taylor is giving Donamurree Holmes a free copy of Highland Pearl!

* * * * *

Thank you Delilah, for hosting me on your fantastic blog today, and giving me the opportunity to introduce a new sweet romance in the Highland Treasures series. The series is set in the 16^th century Scottish Highlands. I will give away a digital copy of A Highland Pearl, the first book of the series to a commenter. A Highland Ruby is available for pre-order and the information is included in this post.

The Highland Pony

The Highland pony or garron (English) and gearran (Gaelic) is a hearty pony bred in the Scottish Highlands. The pony is one of the oldest breeds in Great Britain. Some maintain that the Highland Pony is descended from the ancient wild horses that migrated from Asia in the Ice Age. The breed is known for its great strength and docility. The garron was traditionally used as an all-purpose pony by the Crofters, tenant farmers. It is also used by deer hunters as a sure-footed carrier of game from the steep, rugged mountains.

Most Highlanders in the 16th century, the time of A Highland Ruby, rode garrons. The Highland ponies were used for war and work during the Highland clan period. Some of the nobility and clan chiefs may have imported horses from continental Europe, but at great expense. Many times the imported horses were bred with the garrons to introduce various bloodlines into the breed.

In A Highland Ruby, Chief Andrew Munro, rides a black Friesian war horse or steud (Gaelic) imported from the Netherlands. His brother, Gavin, rides a steud of a Friesian and garron mix. Possibly, Chief Andrew breeds his stallion, Scara, with a garron to produce a breed of greater statue and strength, yet with the temperament and mobility necessary for use in the Highlands. Other mounted warriors in the story and Flora ride garrons.

The Highland pony is a native Scottish pony, and is one of the largest of the mountain and moorland pony breeds of the British Isles. It was once a workhorse in the Scottish mainland and islands, but today is used for driving, trekking and general riding. They are very hardy and tough, they rarely require shoeing, and are very economical to keep. They are generally free from many equine diseases.

The Highland Pony is one of the three native breeds of the Scottish Highlands and Islands, the others are the Shetland pony and the Eriskay pony. Over many centuries the breed has adapted to the variable and often severe climatic and environmental conditions of Scotland. The winter coat consists of a layer of strong badger-like hair over a soft dense undercoat, which enables this breed of pony to live out in all types of weather. This coat is shed in the spring to reveal a smooth summer coat. This essential hardiness is combined with a kindly nature and even temperament.

A Highland Ruby

She must choose between a life of adventure with the man she loves or a settled, secure life with her betrothed. Flora Vass forced Gavin Munro out of her heart and mind until he returned to Scotland after an adventurous five years in the New World. Gavin leaves no doubt he returned to make the bonnie Flora his own and intends to fight for her. Flora’s betrothed, Iain MacKay, and Gavin’s brother, Chief Andrew Munro, have other plans. Andrew needs her to marry the MacKay and bring peace between the two clans. Iain MacKay desires an heir. War with England looms on the horizon, forcing Flora to make crucial decisions.

A Highland Ruby Excerpt:

A band of warriors on steuds broke through the trees and approached the place where Gavin sat. The deerhound ran ahead of them with his long legs flying. The animal ran to Gavin and licked his wounded leg. He pushed the large shaggy head away, then took a step to meet his brother. Andrew, with his untied raven hair flying, reined in his horse, dismounted, and hastened to Gavin.

“Brother, what have you gotten yourself into this time?” he asked, picking up Gavin’s arm and examining the bloody bandage. “Bha sibh treun thar glòir.” Andrew’s grey eyes darkened with emotion as he searched Gavin’s.

“Aye,” the warriors agreed in unison.

“He was brave beyond praise,” Erskin added.

Stepping back Andrew said, “We brought you a fine horse to ride.” He motioned to the large grey steud Erskin led—Gavin’s warhorse he had left behind at Fàrdach five years earlier. Maith appeared the same except for a few more grey hairs around his nose.

Gavin nodded toward the luchd-taighe.  Erskin immediately dismounted. “Sir Gavin, may I assist you in mounting the horse?” One corner of his mouth turned up and a twinkle lit his eye. “I imagined you were hiding with the band of outlaws. Instead you’re out here in the forest of Fàrdach fighting wild animals.”

The other nine men, including Andrew chuckled. The hound licked Gavin’s hand. He immediately jerked it away. Andrew patted the large dog’s head. “Rab helped us find you, and Flora.”

“He came to me on the morn, then left when someone whistled. A lot of leading he did.” Gavin placed the foot of his good leg in Erskin’s strong cupped hands.

“Aye, but he led Flora to Torey. The boy had Rab out running deer for the hunt when the hound ventured off, found Flora, then led her back to the lad. I suppose Rab thought you unable to go with him this morn, but he knew exactly where to bring us later.”

Gavin patted Rab’s large shaggy head. “He’s a good dog, I reckon.” Turning to Erskin, he said, “Ne’re you mind about me fighting wild animals, ‘twas a small thing, really. And you’ll find its carcass in the woods.” Erskin gently lifted, placing Gavin across Maith’s saddle. Gavin bit his lip with pain and weakness but did not cry out in front of the warriors.

A Highland Ruby is available for preorder:

Historical Heartbeats | Apple iTunes | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords

About the Author

The desire to write historical fiction has long been a passion with Brenda B. Taylor. Since elementary school, she has written stories in her spare time. Brenda earned three degrees: a BSE from Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas; a MEd from Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas; and an EdD from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; then worked as a teacher and administrator in the Texas Public School system. Only after retirement could she fulfill the dream of publication.

Brenda and her husband make their home in beautiful East Texas where they enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling, and working in Bethabara Faith Ministry, Inc. She crafts stories about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people in her favorite place overlooking bird feeders, bird houses, and a variety of blooming trees and flowers. She sincerely thanks all who purchase and read her books. Her desire is that the message in each book will touch the heart of the reader as it did hers in the writing.

Brenda’s Contact Information:

Historical Heartbeats | Facebook | Twitter |
Amazon Author’s Page | Pinterest | Goodreads

True love awaits. Passion burns bright…

Carrick is an Alpha werewolf preparing for the annual Pack Gathering. Pack law dictates he must have a mate by his thirty-sixth year or forfeit his rule. But what if he’s already found her and lost her in a swirl of cinnamon-scented dreams? Can this Alpha brave a sea of single wolfy females to find the one woman who enchanted his heart?

She’s a kitty girl, in a wolfy world…

Sage is the curvy owner of the Hot Whips Café. Bound by pack law, even as an adopted cat, she must attend the Gathering for the Alpha to select a new mate. Heading to a wolf ball isn’t high on her list of fun activities, but damned if she can’t get the image of a certain amber-eyed wolf out of her head.

Release date: February 1, 2016
Publisher: All Romance

Buy link:
Amazon — https://rxe.me/SNMBZA
All Romance: https://goo.gl/IPNZTi

Excerpt:

Carrick stood with his back to his second in command, his wolf pacing beneath his skin. He wanted to break the double doors open and bound into the woods rather than face the torment waiting for him in the grounds outside. Women. Hundreds of single wolfy females. All vying for the privilege of putting his cock and balls into their handbags like some godforsaken trophy.

Fuck.

Ever year he’d dodged the bullet, but this year one of the hungry piranha circling his house would become his mate.

Double fuck. He’d been through this before. He already had one. He just needed to find her, but the elders wouldn’t listen.

“You have to make a choice, Alpha.” Reid crossed the room and stood in front of him, blocking his view.

Carrick growled and spun away. “I’ll find her.”

Reid’s lips flattened, his dark eyes flashing in his anger. “You know the rules. Thirty-six is the last year an Alpha can rule without a mate by his side. The pack needs an Alpha female to be whole.”

“The pack is stronger than it’s been, or are you forgetting how I got here?”

Reid swallowed and backed up a step. “No. Justin was a horrible Alpha. You were right to destroy him. He was wrong for the Westmore Pack. Evil.”

And the bastard had been. He’d abused his power as Alpha to enslave his pack rather than uplift it. The amount of victims he’d unearthed in the days that followed would disturb him for the rest of his days. He could still see the faces of the women Justin had taken against their will and the shivering form of his sister and the strange girl who stood up to a monster.

Hers was the face that haunted his dreams. Her need reached out to him and made him into who he needed to be to overcome a near impossible situation. He had been up against a being far superior in strength but what he lacked in brawn, he’d more than made up for in sheer bullheadedness. And the electricity he felt when he touched her. His wolf recognized his mate and so did he. Now all that remained was to find her. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been looking. No one knew her name and, with her face partially shifted, her image was only a fleeting ghost in his mind.

“You’re damned right.” Carrick leaned back against his desk and rubbed the bridge of his nose. His father would be proud of the work he’d done. He’d turned the Westmore Estate from a near financial ruin to a lucrative operation centered on the newly formed security company owned by him and his second, Reid. Where people had once feared shifters for their propensity for violence because of Justin and his henchmen, he’d turned the tide and people paid for their protection. Handsomely. So much so that when the media had heard about the weekend’s festivities, he’d been dubbed the Ultimate Bachelor.

It made him fucking nauseous.

The one person he needed to find and he couldn’t and it made him crazy. Now, in a matter of a few days, he would either have to relinquish his role as Alpha or marry a gold digging piece of arm candy. The closest person he’d found was a barista at the coffee place he frequented but she didn’t look anything like the girl in his dreams. And now whenever she saw him coming, she hightailed it for the hills.

But she had popped a whisker.

Just like his goddess.

Jesus. He was losing his shit. Completely.

About the author:

Erzabet Bishop is an award winning author who loves to write naughty stories. She is the author of Lipstick, Crave, The Science of Lust, Wicked for You, Arcane Imaginarium: Spirit Board, Holidays in Hell, Mallory’s Mark (upcoming 2016),The Devil’s Due (upcoming 2016), Charity Benshaw’s Enchanted Paddle Emporium (upcoming 2016), Sigil Fire, Glitter Lust (upcoming 2016), Written on Skin, Club Beam, Pomegranate, A Red Dress for Christmas, The Black Magic Café, Fantasies in Red, Sweet Seductions: The Erzabet Bishop Collection, Holiday Cruise, Fetish Fair, Temptation Resorts: Jess, Temptation Resorts: Marnie, Taming the Beast, The Erotic Pagans Series: Beltane Fires, Samhain Shadows and Yuletide Temptation along with being a contributor to many anthologies. Erzabet has been a finalist in the GCLS awards for 2014 and 2015, winning the Goldie for her spot in two anthologies. She has been nominated for the Golden Flogger Award for Crave. She lives in Texas with her husband, furry children and can often be found lurking in local bookstores. She loves to bake, make naughty crochet projects and watch monster movies. When she isn’t writing, she loves to review music and books.

Follow her reviews and posts on Twitter @erzabetbishop.

Links:

Google +: https://goo.gl/YJnNmd
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Authorgraph: https://www.authorgraph.com/authors/ErzabetBishop

I want to share with you today some highlights from a wonderful vacation my family took last summer to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Dubrovnik is a charming small city on the Adriatic Sea (across from Italy). It was a major maritime power in medieval times. Today it is a fairy-tale tourist destination (but not overrun with crowds and high prices which you might find in more major European sites).

My top photo is the Old Town itself, which was built 500 years ago, and has been well-preserved. You can walk around the old walls, which served to protect the city, and were never breached until the Yugoslav war in the 1990s when airplanes dropping bombs did what medieval enemies never could. The citizens worked hard in the last twenty years to re-build their city, which was heavily damaged in the war. They did an excellent job.

Within the walls of the Old Town, you can find history, shops, restaurants, churches, medieval architecture and, most of all, people enjoying the outdoor spaces.

I knew I had to write a story here. We found an outdoor bar perched on a cliff overlooking the Adriatic Sea. You literally have to go through a small tunnel in the outer walls of the old city to reach the bar. It’s called the Buza Bar and is a fairly well known spot where you can only order drinks. (There is no plumbing at the Bar.) You can enjoy your drinks at the bar or down on the rocks. I knew this was the perfect setting in which my hero and heroine could meet.

Dubrovnik is just as romantic at night, with fantastic views in all directions. My daughter took a photo of a gorgeous yacht all lit up, which we could see from our windows. I knew that this is where my hero and heroine could have some fun. 😉 After all, the hero is a billionaire, and this yacht is just one of his toys.

Dubrovnik is the setting for my novella, Love Charm for Gillian.

Tall, Dark & Loaded

Gillian traveled to the Dalmatian Coast to close the door on tragedy. But an adventurer with a private yacht may be just the type of enticement she can’t resist…for better or for worse.

This story is available only in the all new anthology Tall, Dark, and Loaded, on sale for a limited time for only 99 cents.

Please check out the anthology at these sites:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/1XHwiea
iBooks: itunes.apple.com/us/book/tall-dark-and-loaded/id1067454022
Google: play.google.com/store/books/details/Mel_Curtis_Tall_Dark_and_Loaded?id=RhkuCwAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/tall-dark-and-loaded
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tall-dark-and-loaded-mel-curtis/1123150457?ean=2940157675646

You can see more of my pictures from Dubrovnik (several of which feature in my story) on my Pinterest page: https://pinterest.com/carlycarson/

You can also find out more about me at:

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Thanks for joining me at Delilah’s today. Have any of you ever been to Croatia? Would you like to go? Where is your favorite vacation spot, either that you’ve been to, or would like to visit? Which photo that I’ve shown is your favorite? Please share.

Be sure to read further for news about Kishan’s giveaway and the contest she’s running! ~ DD

Music and I used to have a special kind of relationship. I could usually see myself as the one singing or the one being sung about. I spent a huge chunk of my teenage years locked in my bedroom, belting out Against All Odds by Phil Collins with a hairbrush stuck to my mouth. I only stopped long enough to hit rewind on the cassette player, so I could make another attempt at getting the emotion and inflection just right.  Most kids outgrow this stage once they mature – not me. That teenager grew into a college girl, who drove around town singing along to Bonnie Rait’s I Can’t Make You Love Me on the radio. Sigh, those were good times. Once a random guy in the car next to me was singing the same song. Ours eyes locked as we mouthed the words to each other until the red light turned green. It was fortunate for my then-boyfriend-now-husband that my car had manual windows. If they had been power, I’d have pushed that button, lowered the glass, and professed my undying love to the stranger.

Once I started writing, music became less egocentric. Instead of imagining myself as the person in the lyrical story, fictional characters took my place. This was both freaking awesome but also sad, because I was no longer singing or dramatically acting out the song. Nope, just staring out lost in space as the creative juices in my brain flowed. In fact, many of my favorite scenes have originated from those moments. When I wrote my contemporary romance, Blind Love, Taylor Swift’s Treacherous came on in the car. Suddenly, I was transported into my female character’s world. It wasn’t until I heard the sound of brakes that I came back to reality, just in time to see the woman driver, whose fender was just inches from my passenger door, making the sign of the cross. Likewise with Phillip Phillip’s Gone, Gone, Gone. So many scenes for my male MC in The Second Wife were inspired by the emotions in that song, and yes several stop signs and red lights were run in the process.

Although I love that music inspires me in this way, I miss the dancing and singing. It was an outlet for me. As a therapist, I’ve suggested to many stressed out clients to sing along in the car, because it helps relax them as it once did me. With balancing motherhood, a counseling practice, and a new writing career, I need stress relief more than ever. It took me a while, but I am finally able to find the balance. Emotional songs will probably always belong to my characters, but Eminem and PIttbull—they are all mine. One day, I may create a character that is “the original gangster” or a “biggity boy” who’s a “doggity dog.” If that day comes, I will have to find others to take their place because the booty-shaking and fist-pumping I do when I’m singing with them are so very important to my sanity.

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About the Author

From daring escapes by tough women to chivalrous men swooping in to save the day, the creativity switch to Kishan Paul’s brain is always in the “on” position. If daydreaming stories were a college course, Kish would have graduated with honors.

Mother of two beautiful children, she has been married to her best friend for over seventeen years. With the help of supportive family and friends, she balances her family, a thriving counseling practice, and writing without sinking into insanity.

Her novella, Taking the Plunge, is currently available in the Love Least Expected Anthology on Amazon.

She can be found at:

Website: https://kishanpaulauthor.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KishanPaulAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@kishan_paul
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kishanpaul
Amazon: https://amzn.to/1JQBudd
Sign up for her newsletter at: https://mad.ly/signups/119110/join

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Blind Love

She doesn’t need a hero. But a sexy Marine…that’ll work.

At twenty nine, psychologist Lauren Baxter has a successful counseling practice. Since becoming legally blind at fifteen, her world has been a blurry mess of colors. Her greatest fear is also her ultimate reality. One day that fuzzy realm will forever turn black. Refusing to let blindness define her, she builds a life for herself with her dog, Jack Sparrow, and best friend, Sunny Daye.

Lauren has no tolerance for pity or for Superman swooshing down and rescuing her. She is capable of saving herself just fine. That is until Gabe, the great smelling, former Marine, from Texas moves in next door. Her attraction to him is immediate and, unfortunately for her, mutual.

When Lauren’s ex-husband shows up begging for another chance, she is confused and fragile. She also finds herself in the arms of her secretive neighbor. Little does she realize that her decision for a steamy roll in the hay with Gabe will suck her into his mysterious past, thrust her ex-husband back into her life, put her in the middle of a murder investigation, and place her life in danger.

Gabriel Briggs has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Short term flings are all he can afford for more reasons than one – reasons he never plans to share. Until he moves in next door to the beautiful, green eyed, feisty, Lauren. One night with her and he’s reconsidering promises he made almost a decade ago. When a woman from his past is murdered, his world is turned upside down. Secrets are revealed and innocent lives are threatened. Can Gabe win Lauren’s love and save her life before it’s too late?

Product Warnings: Contains a blind therapist who doesn’t consider herself impaired; a meddling, erotic-novel-writing best friend; a hot ex-Marine with a shady past; and a loyal guide dog that howls “I love you” and is probably the sanest one of the bunch.

Add the book on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/1LDxXNx

Where to buy:

Publisher: https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5449/blind-love
Amazon: https://amzn.to/1JQAu8M
ARE: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-blindlove-1802895-149.html?referrer=5259b43e439d3
BarnesandNoble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blind-love-kishan-paul/1121848544?ean=9781619229549
KOBO: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/blind-love-31
Ibooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/blind-love/id991255390?mt=11
Blind Love Trailer: https://bit.ly/1JQAVju

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The Second Wife

If you want to live, you must let go of the past…

Twenty-eight-year-old psychologist, Alisha Dimarchi, is abducted by an obsessed client and imprisoned in his Pakistani compound for over two years. Forced to change her name and live as his second wife, her life is filled with trauma and heartbreak. Thrust into a world of violence and oppression, Ally must fight not only to keep herself alive but to protect the lives of the people she now considers family. At night, she retreats into her memories of the only man she has ever loved—a man she believes no longer loves her.

Thirty-four-year-old handsome surgeon, David Dimarchi, has spent the last two years mourning the disappearance of his wife. After a painful and isolated existence, he begins the process of healing. It is then he is visited by a stranger, who informs him that Ally is very much alive and needs his help. In a desperate attempt to save her, David enlists the help of a mercenary. Together they find themselves in the center of more than just a rescue mission. Will he be able to reach her in time, and if he does, will she still want him?

Add the book on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/1JgPBTF

Trailer for The Second Wife: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zH8RRevEE4&feature=youtu.be

Where to buy:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/1WJsSd8
Barnes And Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-second-wife-kishan-paul/1122662622;jsessionid=E60DE7A16D77B14EDEB4ABB461BE9043.prodny_store01-va15?ean=2940152223033
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1040692792
KOBO: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-second-wife-5

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Taking the Plunge

Kishan Paul’s Novella, Taking the Plunge is FREE

Since graduating high school, Eve Cambridge has dropped ten dress sizes, became an RN, and dumped her jerk of a boyfriend—all on her own. So when her high school crush shows up in her life, she does what any normal self–reliant woman would do—pepper spray him.
Since inheriting the family plumbing business, Pete Russo has tried to make the best of a career he never planned for. He’s made his share of mistakes, but he’s worked hard to learn from them. Now that he’s run into Eve, he’s not so sure he isn’t making another one. After all, she did almost blind him.

When logic and emotion don’t agree, which path should they follow?

Add the book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27270259-taking-the-plunge

 Where to buy:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Plunge-Kishan-Paul-ebook/dp/B0172DZ2YG/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Barnes And Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taking-the-plunge-kishan-paul/1122845075
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/taking-the-plunge/id1051985092?mt=11
KOBO https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/taking-the-plunge-8

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