When I started writing, oh, about 100 years ago, I never wanted to be a household name.  Nora Roberts, Beatrice Small, Kathleen Woodiwiss, these were the authors who had notoriety and success attached to them. All I really wanted was to be personally successful. To me, that meant being able to support myself financially with my writing. If people enjoyed what I wrote and I got paid for it, well that was good enough for me.

As I said, that’s what I thought when I started writing. Now, decades later, 6 years away from 60, I find I want the same thing, but times have changed. With the advent of my first romance novel’s publication this month, I am over the moon and blown away with delight. But just having the book published seems to have been the easy part. Now that it is out in the universe for all and sundry to delight in, I find that I need to learn an entirely new profession that I didn’t go to college for, and have no knowledge of: marketing.

I’m not a salesperson. I’m not that girl who can sell ice to Eskimos and sand to Bedouins.  I don’t like the high pressure sale’s pitch and I loathe when I enter a store and the clerks follow me around, solicitously asking if I need assistance. This is probably why I do so much of my shopping on-line. So, when faced with the prospect and arduous task of now hawking my book to the masses, I panicked.

Really. Full-fledged anxiety blow-out. I had no knowledge of where to even begin to get my name and book promoted. I couldn’t afford to hire a publicist – didn’t even know where to find one. I looked in my local phone directly. Nope, not listed there. The few on-line promotion sites I Googled  sounded shady at best.

What to do? The book was coming out soon. Really soon. And I had no plan.

Then I took a breath and realized I had excellent resources to cull from. Since I am a member of RWA and I love my local chapter, I turned to my published chaptermates and was given a plethora of advice – and all of it was golden. They told me the reputable sites to use for on-line promotion and romance friendly blog tours. They gave me invaluable tips for in person promotion such as book club signings, library discussions, and even garden club lectures. My chaptermates had been through the fire of self promotion and had come out unscathed, educated, and successful with sales, so I took all of their knowledge and ran with it.

So far my endeavors have paid off. My book launched last week and the word has gone out to the Twitter-verse, Facebook-land, Pinterst- pinners and many more.

I still feel a deep sense of personal success at having achieved my life long goal of being a published romance author. But now, with the way publishing and the reading world has changed, I feel I have become a much more successful promoter as well.

How do you define personal success? What are some of the ways you’ve been able to get the word out on your books? I’m always game for learning new things. More so now, since I need to market myself.

Drop me a line and let me now how you’ve managed to develop a plan for marketing success.

And much thanks to Delilah for hosting me today. It’s been an exciting ride so far.

 Skater’s Waltz

Figure skater Tiffany Lennox is busy with rehearsals for an upcoming ice show when the only man she’s ever loved comes home after a two-year overseas stint. She needs him to see her for the woman she’s become and not the child he knew to ensure he stays home, this time, for good. With her.

For all his wanderlust and hunger for professional success, Cole Greer comes home wanting nothing more than to rest, relax and recover. He is delighted in being Tiffany’s hero and has a special place in his heart reserved for her. But faced with the oh-so-desirable woman she’s become, he starts questioning his determination to keep their relationship platonic.

When forced by the television network to go back on assignment, Cole – for the first time in his life – is torn between his career and his heart.

Skater’s Waltz Excerpt:

One delicate auburn eyebrow rose almost to her hairline. “Cocky self assurance has always been one of your greatest assets,” she commented dryly. Read the rest of this entry »

Hey all, I’m Sasha white, and I write White Hot Fiction in a variety of genres. Mostly, contemporary, and all with an edge of kink. That said, I’m not going to talk so much about MY books today, but instead,  about what puts a book on your keeper shelf!

For me it’s all about the characters. I think that’s why I read so many different genres. The books filling my shelves are from contemporary, paranormal, science fiction, suspense, thriller, romance, erotica, and even some non-fiction biographies and travel stories. To me, it doesn’t matter what word or universe the story takes place in, as long as I can connect with the characters. And I seem to be drawn to anti-hero’s. Like Gin Blanco in Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series. Or Kate Daniels in Ilona Andrews Magic books. I love to read a series with secondary characters connecting them, and groups, like Delilah’s Dark Realm books, and Pamela Clare’s iTeam series. I’m not a super huge fan of Nora Roberts, (she tends to be hit or miss for me) but I’m a rabid J.D. Robb fan. (Yes, I know they’re the same woman.) Eve, Roarke, Peabody, Mavis, Feeney, Sommerset, and McNabb, they’re all like friends to me.

Each of those series that I mentioned have characters who are real to me. Yes, I know vampires and werewolves and shape shifters don’t exist, but these characters are real because of the job did the author has done by bringing me into their minds and into their world. Once I’m drawn in I’m hooked. It’s not the cars they drive, the swords they swing, or the cities they live in that hook me. It’s them, the characters. Because this is the way I feel as a reader, as an author I strive to make sure my characters come alive on the pages, and, hopefully, in readers minds as well. Only you can tell me if I succeed or not, but I can tell you that when I’m writing they’re very alive to me. Each with their own voice and personality.

However, when I’m writing, sometimes I have a hard time finding something that isn’t already on my keeper shelf to read. And it seems that when I’m in the middle of writing an intense story, I crave new-to me- stories. I have no idea why, I just do. But because I’m writing intensely, I seem to have less patience with the hit and miss of new-to-me-authors, even when I crave them.  So, I’m asking you for YOUR recommended reads. What characters stick in your mind, and have earned a spot on your keep er shelf? Tell me in the comments, and be entered to win a $15 Amazon GC.

PRIMAL

Primal

BDSM club owner Adam Kessler is no one’s hero. He joined the army to get away from the gang-life that had taken his brother, only to come home to heartache. He doesn’t hide his dominant side, and he doesn’t hesitate in his need to protect or enforce his particular brand of retribution on those who’ve earned it. There’s no way in hell he could walk past a man hassling a woman in an empty parking lot and do nothing. Only when the confrontation is over and the voluptuous blonde turns eyes filled with desire to him, does Adam realize he’s in trouble.

Psychologist Olivia Hamilton grew up with the proverbial silver spoon, and has never regretted spending more time on her career than on romance, until she meets Adam Kessler. He’s dark, he’s dangerous, he’s deliciously dirty…and she wants him.

Passion burns quick and hot between them and soon they’re caught up in an intensely carnal relationship that neither can deny. But when Olivia’s life is threatened and Adam shows her just how dangerous he can be, will it be too much for the civilized psychologist to handle, or will she truly accept the man and win her hero’s heart?

Buy Links: All Romance eBooks * iBooks * Barnes and Noble * Amazon.com * Amazon.ca

Visit Sasha’s website to learn more about her and her books: https://www.sashawhite.net

Laila’s Lies, the latest taste of the Members Only Series, is now available for your reading pleasure!!
This is actually the ninth story in this series so if you haven’t read it yet you can have a book hangover as quickly as tomorrow!!! Don’t miss out!!

Buy it now and any of these fine retailers!
Amazon
B&N
Are
Ellora’s Cave
Kobo

Members Only, Book Seven

Laila Harris was a fake, a phony, a fraud.

Being sent to dig up proof The Library was actually a private BDSM club was her ticket to a promotion. Simple. Easy. But it wasn’t.

Not when she would have to betray the three men who captured her heart from the very first heated stare. Not when she would have to turn her back on the women who saw who she’d kept hidden from everyone. A submissive.

Choosing between her past and future will rock the foundation of everything she holds true. Until she understands the power she holds when she’s on her knees.

A Romantica® ménage erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Would you like to win a copy of Laila’s Lies to binge read of your very own? Or any one of my Members Only series?!?

Super!! I’d hoped you would!

All you have to do is go sign up for an amazingly awesome blog I’m on with several other authors!

The Decadent Divas!

Just click on the I understand and wish to continue button that says you’re an adult (and your heart can stand epic levels of decadence)! Then on the right under followers click on follow this site and just follow the instructions. Super easy. Then come back here and tell me what you think is Decadent in romance books! Especially in kink, cause I LOVE kink!

Happy posting! And please include your email address in the post so I can contact you with the shiny new copy of something wonderful to read!

Decadently Yours,

Jennifer Kacey

Need a bit more on the kinky and naughty side before you can get your fill of Laila and her 3 (yes I said 3) sexy men? I’ve gotcha covered!!

The books in the Members Only Series can be found here…

Together In Cyn
Haleigh’s Ink
A Very Ménage Christmas
Duke’s Valentine
Orgasm University
Accidental Voyeur
Roman’s To-Do List
Jenna’s Consent
Laila’s Lies

Stand Alone
Buried Permission
Beneath the Pages
Nico’s Curse
Elite Metal

Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her family in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.

Website – https://www.jenniferkacey.com/
Blog – The Decadent Divas – https://www.thedecadentdivas.blogspot.com/
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Facebook Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/jenniferkaceyauthor
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Amazon Page – https://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Kacey/e/B00GXHUB30/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d9_al1?_encoding=UTF8&refinementId=618073011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0G8ZPDQJVKJPKXNBRY10&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6941549.Jennifer_Kacey
Pinterest – https://pinterest.com/jenniferkacey/

March is Women’s History Month. There are many who made their mark in history and one of my favorites is Elizabeth I of England (1533–1603, reigned from 1558 to death).

Elizabeth’s greatness lies in two parts.  The first that she survives to become Queen, and second that she guided England from the disastrous state she inherited to a wealthy and stable country.

As the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was born a princess, but as Henry progressed through his six wives, she was declared illegitimate, shifted from pillar to post and eventually reinstated third in the succession after her younger half-brother Edward, her older half-sister Mary (who also went through the legitimate/illegitimate back and forth).

Nine year old Edward VI succeed at Henry’s death and he pushed the English church further into Protestantism.  To maintain the change in religion started under Henry, Edward and his advisers changed the order of succession leaving out both Mary and Elizabeth.  He left the throne to Lady Jane Grey, a great-grand daughter of Henry VII and Edward’s cousin.  However on Edward’s death, the country, however, supported Mary Tudor.

Unfortunately, Mary tried to bring England back into the Catholic fold. While Mary was queen there were several rebellions as protest against the reinstatement of Catholicism or against the marriage to Philip of Spain.  As the Protestant heir to the throne, Elizabeth was the focus of any attempt to end Mary’s reign.  Mary had Elizabeth in and out of the tower or under house arrest with these rebellions.

Her early childhood and her confinements taught Elizabeth to keep her innermost thoughts and feelings to herself, and she continued to do so throughout her queen ship.  She managed to survive a stint of house arrest as she was a focus point for those against Mary’s policies.  Then with Mary’s death, Elizabeth came to the throne.

The second part of the Elizabeth’s greatness was her forty-four year reign that brought stability to England.

At the time of her ascension Scottish preacher John Knox published “The First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Reign of Women”, predicting disaster in France with the regency of Catherine de ’Medici, in Scotland with Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I in England.

France was racked by religious wars under Catherine and her sons, Mary was forced from Scotland and lived as a prisoner in England.  Only Elizabeth and England prospered.  She became the Supreme Governor of the English Protestant church, saying she did not want to make windows into men’s souls, only requiring their outward conformity.  This evolved into today’s Church of England.

Early in her reign she refused to marry, for to do so would tie England to another country.  Her predecessor Mary had married Philip of Spain which tied England to the Spanish war with the Low Countries.  This resulted in the loss of Calais, the last English possession on the continent. Elizabeth was pressed by her advisers to marry and produce an heir.  Although she was often ‘engaged’ to various European royalty, these were more in the area of an alliances that helped the country.  She often spoke of England as her child.

Other major events under her reign included the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, which let England rule the seas and develop her colonies in the Americas.  This was the time of the Elizabethan Renaissance as under her reign prosperity and stability bought forth a burst of literary figures such as William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlow and Edmund Spenser.

Not too bad for a women born, grew up and came to reign in a man’s world.

I’ll be giving a workshop at the California Dreamin’ Conference https://caldreaminwritersconf.org/ titled STEP BACK IN TIME: Creating Realistic Historical Heroines which brought Elizabeth I to mind. 

Terry Irene Blain was lucky enough to grow up in a large Midwestern family with a rich oral tradition. As a child she heard stories of ancestor’s adventures with Indians, wild life, weather and frontier life in general. So she naturally gravitated to the study of history completing a BA and MA in History and taught History at the college level. Married to a US Navy sailor, now retired, she’s had the chance to live in various parts of the United States as well as travel to foreign places such as Hong Kong, Australia, England and Scotland.  She currently writes contemporary as well as historical romance based in the American west.

https://www.facebook.com/TerryBlainAuthor?ref=hl
https://twitter.com/TerryIreneBlain
https://www.terryireneblain.com/

For months, my youngest has been preparing to move to Florida. My hubby and I have joked about her leaving and how happy we’d be to have the house all to ourselves. I went along with him until now.

Now it’s a reality. She will be moving at the end of March. Her job transfer came through and she’s finishing packing. Not sure how I feel about this. Unhappy. Apprehensive. After all, she is my baby. When they said don’t blink, they’ll be grown in an instant.

It’s true.

Yesterday, we were bringing her home from the hospital all cute, tiny and cuddly, in need of our help to make her strong and teach her right from wrong.  We patched her skinned knees. Kissed her boo-boos. Watched every game of every sport she decided she wanted to play. Brushed the knots from her hair.

I’m not ready for her to leave. Where’s the handbook on how to let them go? Unfortunately, I know I have no choice. It’s a fact of life. Kids grow, mature and fly away. All I can do is hope she realizes the door is always open if she ever needs to come home. Any suggestions on how to make this easier? Besides wine. It’s not working. LOL.

Sincerely,

Tara Nina

*~*~*~*~*

Dual Release

Book five in the Cursed MacKinnons series.

A lead on a demonic cult lands Cait and Jenny in the arms of a pair of scrumptious twin Scottish lairds. Hot sex fueled by danger tightens their bonds with these men. But sunlight plays against them. Dour and Donnell MacKinnon are cursed. Just the girls’ luck—they finally find the perfect men and they’re gargoyles.

The cult wants the MacKinnons dead. Cait and Jenny want them in their beds. Men by night. Gargoyles by day. It’s a battle against evil these women are determined to win.

https://taranina.com
https://facebook.com/tara.nina1

Buy Link: https://www.ellorascave.com/dual-release.html

My new paranormal romance release, Phoenix Inheritance has three things I’d never thought I’d write in a romance:

A cat, dogs, and a kid.

I suspect I’ve gone sentimental in my old age though, I promise, there is a moment when stuff blows up.  What it also has, and not for the first time, is a  main character who happens to be a person of color.

Daz Montoya, who is of mixed Filipino and African-American heritage, is the third non-white hero in my novels, joining African-American Aloysius James of Luminous and Ghosts of Christmas Past, and Gregor Sherringford, the Indian-British consulting detective in The Curse of the Brimstone Contract. One could argue Philip Drake of Phoenix Legacy is also a person of color, as he’s a quarter Native American, but if someone can pass for white, they don’t experience our society’s prejudice in the same way as one who’s recognizably the other.  Therefore, I don’t count Philip.

Daz has been around since I included him in the supporting cast for the first Phoenix Institute book, Phoenix Rising. By the time I started writing Phoenix Inheritance, I never thought “hey, I’m writing a POC as a hero.” I thought “I’m finally able to give Daz his own story. Awesome.”

However, Daz was originally part of a deliberate choice to include people of color to my Phoenix Institute universe after I’d talked to several friends who felt they weren’t being properly represented in romance. One friend, Rita-nominated author Karen Harbaugh, herself Japanese-American, is the reason the heroine of Phoenix Rising, Beth Nakamora, is Japanese-American. Why? Because Karen and the others were right: why was the fictional world so white if the real world is so diverse?

I grew up reading comics books and science fiction and fantasy novels and I know what it’s like to be missing from your favorite genre. Finding three-dimensional female characters at the heart of SF/F and superhero stories was like finding a diamond amidst mounds of coal dust.  I held close to my hear those few female characters who, even if they weren’t main characters, at least had powerful moments, like Eowyn in Lord of the Rings.  I nearly cried at 13 when I realized that Lessa in The DragonRiders of Pern was a main character. And I bought every single issue of Batman Family Comics that featured Batgirl.

So how could I write stories excluding whole swaths of people? Answer: I can’t.

But you shouldn’t buy Phoenix Inheritance because it’s a blow for diversity. You should buy the book because Daz is an awesome hero that anyone can love.

That he breaks the mold is just a bonus. Below, I hope you’ll see why I adore Daz. And you can enter to win a copy of Phoenix Inheritance by commenting here or liking my Facebook page.

EXCERPT: CHAPTER ONE, Phoenix Inheritance.

Daz Montoya’s lungs burned with the need for air. The fifty pounds of dead weight in his backpack pushed down on his shoulders and his belly scraped the bottom of the pool. He kicked several times, short, sharp strokes designed to close the distance to his goal: the far wall. Read the rest of this entry »

I consider myself a voracious reader. Growing up, I lugged countless stacks of books from my hometown library. I cannot tell you how many pages my face creased because I fell asleep while reading in bed. I was the child who snuck a flashlight under the cover so I could finish reading a book. I burned quite a few batteries (not for that reason…at least not at that age). And don’t ask how many paperbacks I’ve dropped in the bath water over the years. Who knew my elbows required that much room?

Recently, I settled in for a wait at the doctor office. Hooray! A perfect opportunity to read. I search my cavernous tote bag for my iPad. Wait a minute. I know I had it when I left home. A sense of doom rolls over me quick as a dust storm. I rummage through my bag again. I can’t have lost it. Oh, Lord! Not my books. How on earth will I make it through the day without the wonderful stories I lose myself in at every opportunity?

My palms dampen. Sweat trickles between my breasts.  My throat constricts. I stand up, eager to escape the office and retrace my steps. Hopefully, I can locate my reader before someone else considers this his or her lucky day.

“Ma’am?”

I look over my shoulder.

An older lady two chairs away from me smiles and gestures at the floor. “You dropped something.”

God bless her. I want to kiss her, but it is a doctor’s office. She’s probably sick. I know I am.

Blood roars in my ears and I feel faint with relief. I pick up my precious piece of real estate which apparently rested on my lap beneath the huge tote. That’s it. I’m carrying a backpack from now on.

When I’m finally called back to see the doctor, she kindly informs me that I have the flu.

“Fantastic.” I smile from ear to ear, giving the Joker a run for his money. When the doc stares at me with a frown then writes additional notes in her file, I wonder if she’s recommending me for a psych exam.

My body can fall to pieces but as long as I have my beloved stories, all is right with the world. This passion for books is similar to the passion my heroine, Trella Arnold, has for painting.  What do you feel passionately about?

*~*~*~*~*

PAINTED PASSION
ISBN:  9781419949395

Excerpt Choice #1

Trella’s luminous eyes searched his as if seeking reassurance. “I’m not a damsel in distress,” she muttered.

Carlos cradled her face in his hands. “Far from it.” He touched his lips to the space between her arched eyebrows. The kiss was meant to be comforting, but as soon as his mouth made contact with her soft skin, his body’s wiring sputtered from shock.

“I know you’re strong, but we have to be smart.” Incapable of avoiding her heat, he kissed the bridge of her nose. He needed to stop before he did something he couldn’t take back.

Her fingers entwined with his. “Hector won’t get away with this.”

He kissed her right temple. “I agree.”

“We’ll take him down and anyone working for him, too.”

Her words, uttered without an ounce of mercy, fueled his arousal. Carlos was beyond ready to be turned out, burned and fried by the release of her passion. He kissed her left cheek. “He’ll have no idea what hit him.”

“We’ll nail his ass to the wall.”

He wanted, no needed to taste her. “No one pisses off my girl,” he whispered. He didn’t know when he began thinking of her in such a manner.

He touched his lips to hers, his entire being fusing with the spirit of this amazing woman. He didn’t bother fighting what he’d wanted to do since he’d arrived yesterday. He nibbled at her softness, wishing he was feasting on every inch of her.

She tensed for a second then relaxed as her mouth moved against his. She parted her lips, permitting him entrance.

He groaned at her submission. She tasted of citrus fruit, juicy and luscious. The patio, the pool, the night—everything around them disappeared, leaving him aware of nothing but her. Their tongues touched and met, and the softness of hers, sliding over his, triggered an erection that spurred him on.

He moved his hands to her waist, lifting her off the ground, their bodies melding, pelvis to pelvis. Ever since he saw her again, kissing her had been in the back of his mind. Being around each other, it was bound to happen sooner or later. He much preferred sooner.

He wanted to carry her upstairs, but the timing was wrong. He didn’t care if she kissed him out of shock. He’d take her lips on his for any reason.

Buy Links

Amazon: https://amzn.to/1xuBeeZ
Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/1x7Rgcz
Ellora’s Cave: https://bit.ly/1wjHxe9
All Romance Ebooks: https://bit.ly/1tK6qFT

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