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Archive for 'Guest Blogger'
Wednesday, August 14th, 2024
Have you ever thought you knew where your path in life was going only to have the bottom fall out? Paige Kramar thinks she has it made with a role on the TV show, Charmed Lives. Then everything changes when her co-star Lance’s bad behavior gets him suspended from the network. Her role is put on hold because she was about to be revealed as his secret sister. She was already getting pressured by her family to study something in school that would lead to job security in the future. She winds up doing a journalism internship where she’s not taken seriously since she’s an actress. Then one day she steps up in a big way to help out a sportscaster named Ted who sees she has an eye for putting together news stories.
Ted gives her an opportunity to work with him and mentors her. She goes from feeling insecure about her future to believing in herself and her abilities. Along the way, she meets a hockey player named Viktor who is also dealing with his own self-confidence issues. Paige and Viktor begin to find support in one another and fall in love, but they are both fresh off of break ups and dealing with trust issues. Then her pop star ex-boyfriend comes back into the picture. Can Paige find true love and purpose?
Find the book here. ***Free in Kindle Unlimited ***
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Falling-Star-City-Hockey-Romance-ebook/dp/B0CVXHF8DL
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Falling-Star-City-Hockey-Romance-ebook/dp/B0CVXHF8DL
Amazon CAN: https://www.amazon.ca/Falling-Star-City-Hockey-Romance-ebook/dp/B0CVXHF8DL
Amazon Aus: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0CVXHF8DL
Add it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208865198-falling-for-a-star-in-the-city
Check out the playlist here
Ceilings by Lizzy McAlpine: Captures the unsure feeling of falling for someone so perfectly.
Deeper Well by Kacey Musgraves: Paige becomes more introspective as her life changes and this song really plays into that as you start to become more of yourself as you do through adversity.
Say Something by A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera: This song fits how Paige feels as things fall apart with Walker.
Without Me by Halsey (I listened to the version performed by Halsey & Kelsea Ballerini): This was how I imagined Paige feeling after Walker’s career took off after their breakup.
Let You Down by NF: I felt this song was something Walker would have been listening to after everything happened with Paige.
Style by Taylor Swift: This one reminded me of Walker and Paige.
Dreams by Jon Connor: This song encourages people to dream and Paige struggles as she sees her acting dream slipping away. Also, Paige and her friend Jake are both originally from Flint, Michigan (where I was born) and so is Jon Connor.
This is Called “Me” by Marina: A song about staying true to yourself and being resilient. It fits the journey that Paige is on dealing with staying true to herself while life throws her curveballs.
Take Your Time by Pebbles: A song about resilience and to keep going and not giving up. Fits Paige and her journey so well.
About the Author
Krysten Lindsay Hager is the bestselling author of the Stars in the City series, the Cecily Taylor Series, Star Series, Landry’s True Colors Series, and the standalone, Dating the It Guy. Cecily in the City recently won the Readers’ Favorite award for Best YA romance. She is also a guest host on the Michigan Avenue Media podcast.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Krysten-Lindsay-Hager/author/B00L2JC9P2
Website: https://www.krystenlindsay.com/
Tagged: contemporary romance, Guest Blogger, New Adult, sports romance Posted in General | Someone Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Krysten Hager -
Wednesday, August 7th, 2024
UPDATE: The winner is…flchen!
*~*~*
Hello Delilah! Thank you for inviting me here today to share my new release! It comes out next week, but I wanted to give your readers a sneak peek. Love on the Clock is a new anthology I’m partaking in, and it is about…wait for it…relationships formed at work. I have to admit I like this setting. You can fit so many tropes into it: enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, rivals-to-lovers… Okay, there are others. But you see what I mean.
I, of course, sought the advice of my Plot Whisperer (I swear I can plot stories on my own, and I have a few coming up that will prove that). Still, I sought help. I needed a short story in a workplace. Oh, and I wanted to set it in the small town I’ve created. And it’s a gay romance. Plot Whisperer rolled her eyes (can you see an eye roll through chat with people on opposite sides of the world? I say you can…). We went through any number of different potential places of employment.
We settled on an architect’s office. With…wait for it…an architect. Then we figured he needed a coworker. Specifically, an interior designer. Oh, and the two had to be complete opposites. The designer is (stereotypically) a peacock, while the architect is strait-laced. Dresses more like a funeral director. Doesn’t do color. Yeah sure…but you know the designer is going to take issue with that.
Throw in a demanding client, a tight deadline, frayed nerves, and a cantankerous photocopy machine and…voila. A rom-com short story set in a workplace.
Man, did I have fun writing these two characters! In my beloved favorite town. The story is so tight that I couldn’t include cameos. Have no fear, though. I suspect these two will turn up again. Anyway, I hope readers fall in love with Orlando and Knight.
Thanks, Delilah, for letting me visit! I would love to offer a $5 Amazon GC to one lucky commenter. Let’s talk settings! I have to write another workplace romance later this year – where would you love to see one set it? Random will pick the winner so go ahead and comment!
Love on the Clock
Never mix business with pleasure
This collection of CEOs, assistants, partners and consultants have forgotten Office Rule No.1.
Whether it’s passion over the printer, scandal in the stationery cupboard or loosened ties in the boardroom, these co-workers are getting hot under the collar.
Join us around the Romance Café water cooler to discover the latest office scuttlebutt.
Authors:
Clarice Jayne
Sharon Michalove
Keighley Bradford
Kristine Charles
Élodie Garroway
Lisabelle Chretien
Katherine Moore
Harper Michaels
Sonja Flowers
Abigail Sharpe
Toni Bolton
Francis Black
Gabbi Grey
The anthology will only be available for a limited time.
Links:
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/tnrc2024loveontheclock
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Clock-Romance-Anthology-Collection-ebook/dp/B0CLN4864V
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200569229-love-on-the-clock
The Office Hotshot by Gabbi Grey from Love on the Clock…
Orlando
I’m a go-getter. Right out of interior design school, I’ve landed a plum job in a well-regarded architecture firm, and I’m ready to help the lead architect meet his deadline. Except the man’s a jerk, strung so tight it’s a miracle he hasn’t exploded. Offering a little stress relief is practically a service to humanity. But in the dark in the copy room, Knight’s a lot more human than I thought. Now stress relief isn’t the only thing I want to give him, and I’m dreading the day I’ll have to leave.
Knight
I’m working under a tight deadline, and all I want is peace, quiet, and an assistant who doesn’t give me lip. Right now, I have none of those things. The new hire is perky, pushy, and unfairly attractive. One hot encounter in the copy room isn’t breaking my oath to never get involved with a subordinate, right? Unfortunately, that one interlude leaves me craving more. What’s so special about Orlando, that he’s making me think about breaking all my rules and asking him to stay?
This is a 15k word gay romance novella with a successful architect, a quirky younger interior designer, and a cantankerous photocopier.
About Gabbi Grey
USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.
Tagged: contemporary romance, gay romance, Guest Blogger, office romance Posted in Contests!, General | 8 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Mary Preston - BN - Debra Guyette - Jennifer Beyer - flchen -
Friday, August 2nd, 2024
UPDATE: The winner is…Mary McCoy!
*~*~*
I am an accidental historical romance writer. I didn’t intend to become one of those folks who gleefully researches fashions and famous people and language of the past, but somehow, I keep coming up with ideas where I must. Where I diverge from the usual territory of “historical romance,” though is that I don’t write Regency (yet). I’ve written a lot set in the 1980s—the era of MTV and Ronald Reagan—and now I’m diving into steampunk with an erotic novella entitled The Blossoms of Summer.
When I sat down to write something steampunk, I discovered that it was much more fun to approach it like a Victorian alternate history than to completely invent whole cloth.
I started with my inspiration in the real-life story of adventuring botanist Robert Fortune, who was sent to China as a spy to steal the secret of tea-making and, if possible, to make off with ten thousand seedlings so that England could start tea plantations in India and break the Chinese monopoly. That’s a bit of a downer, of course, if you’re anti-colonialist, but I decided I did really like the idea of the adventuring man of science who is flung into unknown circumstances. What a recipe for an erotic adventure!
Venturing into the unknown, of course, is excellent fodder for erotica. The thrill of the unknown is a classic spice for adding heat. So is the thrill of the forbidden. Thus, I have sent my naturalist, via airship (of course, it is steampunk), into the hidden valleys of Canton, where truly exotic pleasures await him—though, of course, he is unaware of the nature of what lies in store.
And being a proper Victorian gentleman, my Robert is accustomed to repressing his desires. This also added much more heat than I was expecting. I often write heroes who are un-repressed about their sexuality—rock stars who are kinky doms, for example—so delving into the realm of self-restraint was a delicious change of pace.
The third bit of crucial spice I added in The Blossoms of Summer is one of my favorites and one I don’t see very often: the language barrier. Maybe this one is a bit of a personal kink, but I really enjoy reading stories where the characters can’t actually speak to each other, but the smoldering erotic attraction is undeniable, and they come up with ways to understand each other. Maybe call it “the universal language of love/lust” trope? I don’t see it often, so I have to write it myself!
If you’d like a taste of my steamy recipe, the first segment of The Blossoms of Summer is now live on my patreon, and the novella will be released as a book/ebook on August 20.
What about you? What’s your personal kink, what’s your catnip? Comment for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!
About the Author
Cecilia Tan is an award-winning writer of passionate fiction, romance, and erotica. She has written over 30 novels, including the Magic University series, the collection Black Feathers, and many other books. She was inducted into the LGBT Writers and Editors Hall of Fame in 2010. RT Book Reviews awarded her Career Achievement in Erotic Romance in 2015 and her novel Slow Surrender (Hachette/Forever, 2013) won RT Reviewers Choice and the Maggie Award.
Links:
Tagged: erotic romance, Guest Blogger, LGBTQ+, steampunk, Victorian Posted in Contests!, General | 3 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Mary Preston - BN - Mary McCoy -
Thursday, August 1st, 2024
UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*
On January 21, 2017, Delilah Devlin sent me a rejection letter. I hadn’t had many emails like that in my fledgling writing career. Probably because I hadn’t sent many projects out on submission. If you don’t put yourself out there, then you can’t be rejected. That’s a great theory, but it doesn’t get a newbie writer published. Somehow, in my mind, Delilah gave me brilliant feedback on how to make my short story better. For posterity’s sake, I pulled it up to reread just now. Nope. It’s a standard if kindly written, rejection letter.
It spurred something inside me, though. I took that short story, worked with an editor, and made it better. Eventually, I found a publisher. The Wild Rose Press took a chance on me and published For the Love of Max. The story they published was substantially changed—because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Today, I didn’t reread the old story I submitted because I knew I’d cringe. I meandered way too long before getting to the core of the story. The love scene wasn’t nearly sensual enough. The point of view wasn’t deep enough. Hell, I’d never heard of Deep POV.
I’ve worked with that freelance editor for almost ten years now. She poked, prodded, cajoled, and finally shoved her way into my head. I know what she expects from me. The same thing my readers do—a well-crafted, heartfelt, strong story with great characters. I am more confident now I can deliver that. Do I waver? Type the end and think…is this brilliant or garbage? Yep, all the time. But I keep going. I keep weaving stories, fabricating worlds, and creating characters I know my readers are going to love. Writing isn’t just a hobby—it’s a vocation. I love my day job. One of the reasons I work so hard in it is so I can afford to hire editors, cover designers, and marketing people so that I can keep publishing stories.
Delilah was absolutely right to reject that story. When I spotted that she had another anthology coming out this year, I sat down and wrote “Thought You Were the One.” I actually wrote another story under a different pen name because I wasn’t certain which she might want. I was okay with another two rejections because I know the quality and quantity of stories Delilah gets for her anthologies every year. I sent the stories off and tried really hard not to dwell on the fact my darlings were out on submission.
When Delilah emailed me to let me know I’d made the cut, I yelled so loud that I woke the dogs up. Then I realized she hadn’t told me which story. Ironically, I thought she’d pick the other one. But she didn’t, and I’m so glad to bring representation to this wonderful anthology. I plan to submit more stories in the future. Undoubtedly, there will be more rejections. It’s not personal—sometimes, the story doesn’t fit, sometimes there are too many similar ones, and—gasp—sometimes you just didn’t write a good story. Happens to the best of us. I have more than forty publishing credits, and my editor lobbed one back at me last year and said, “Oh hell, no.”
Wait—I had two editors each lob one back. Huh. So yeah, even when you think you’ve got it all figured out, you discover you’ve written a dud. But I dusted myself back off, have plans to edit and fix those stories, and will keep creating more.
Thank you, Delilah. Both for saying yes and for giving me the space here today to share my story.
I would love to give away a $5 Amazon Gift Card to a commenter. Have you ever faced rejection and found a way around it? Over it? Under it? Moved on? Feel free to share a few words of encouragement with a writer who might be struggling. Random will select the winning commenter.
Secret Identities: A Bad Boys Anthology, #8
Inside Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, you’ll find stories by some of the hottest romance writers out there for readers who crave mysterious, enigmatic men and women who may not be who they claim to be. Perhaps they’re the new next-door neighbor with a secret mission, an alien from a far-away galaxy looking for his fated mate, or a spy trying to catch a foreign agent. Whatever their secrets, intrigue and passion follow…
Secret Garden by A.J. Harris – Hired by werewolf matriarchs to track down a bad-boy photographer, a private investigator discovers a deep connection with her past—and a secret garden of unspoken, sensual pleasures
What That Alien D Do by Ava Cuvay – A cosplayer at a popular Sc-Fi convention stalks her favorite MyFans content creator only to discover his alien “prosthetic enhancements” are real
Masquerade by Brent Archer – After accepting an invitation to a masquerade, a coffeeshop owner finds himself on the run from a mafia hitman with a handsome harlequin
Claimed by her Naga Bodyguard by Cameron Allie – Escaping her dorm for a night of fun with friends takes a turn for a witch-in-training when demons attack, and a mysterious creature comes to her rescue
Mayday by Cindy Tanner – A miscommunication isn’t the end of the world—unless it is the end of the world—and your “ride or die” might just be undead
Matsuri by D.S. Dehel – An American woman searching in Japan for the man haunting her dreams is chased by a wily kitsune into a magical place where she meets a samurai warrior
Most Wanted by Darah Lace – A bounty on the line, a hunter who bedded then betrayed her, and a strip club—she’ll bare it all to get her man
Heartthrob by Delilah Devlin – Determined to recast his image from heartthrob to action hero, an actor hires on incognito with an Oklahoma ranch whose owner is trying to stay out of foreclosure
Sex, Spies, and Subterfuge by Elle James – Scottish UK SAS Agent on an undercover weekend assignment tangles with a beautiful Russian seductress and potential assassin.
Thought You Were the One by Gabbi Grey – He’s in for a surprise twist when he seeks a second chance to win the attention of his handsome, unrequited, high school crush
Baby, Take My Hand by M. Jayne – After surviving a bullet to the brain, a detective hunting a serial killer is drawn to a mysterious man
Her Heavenly Phantom by Michal Scott – Forced into a marriage of convenience neither wants, a mild-mannered banker with an intriguing secret discovers his reluctant bride has a secret, too
Perfect Stranger by N. J. Walters – An undercover DEA agent must keep his identity secret from the woman he’s falling for, a woman he’s also investigating
In the Dark by Reina Torres – During a blackout, an undercover NSA agent in Hawaii falls hard and fast for the military guy living across the hall with secrets of his own
Links:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Identities-Behaving-Badly-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0D5SQ4P2P
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secret-identities-delilah-devlin/1145674531
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/secret-identities/id6503634546
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/secret-identities-8
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214187714-secret-identities
About Gabbi Grey
USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.
Tagged: anthology, contemporary romance, gay romance, Guest Blogger, short story Posted in About books..., Contests! | 6 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Mary McCoy - Mary Preston - BN - Debra Guyette - Jennifer Beyer -
Friday, July 26th, 2024
UPDATE: The winner is…Paula J McGhee!
*~*~*
Sources aren’t sure when Julia Collins was born, but a number of them place her birth in 1842, Williamsport, Pennsylvania. All sources believe her to have been freeborn and possibly the stepdaughter of Enoch Gilchrist a noted abolitionist, Underground railroad conductor, active member of the local African Methodist Episcopal Church, and ardent fighter for African Americans’ legal rights.
She married Stephen Collins, a barber, Civil War veteran and commander of a veterans’ organization for African American civil war soldiers in Williamsport. They had a daughter, Annie, and raised her with Stephen’s child from his first marriage, Sarah. Both are believed to have been under ten years of age when Julia died.
She was appointed a teacher for the African children in Williamsport and began teaching on April 11,1864.
The Christian Recorder, a newspaper of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, published six essays by Julia from 1864 to 1865. The essays titled “Mental Improvement”, “School Teaching”, “Intelligent Women”, “A Letter from Oswego: Originality of Ideas”, “Life is Earnest”, and “Memory and Imagination” dealt with racial uplift and empowerment. Because Julia references the works of writers like Shakespeare, Longfellow and Tennyson in her essays many assume she belonged to a highly educated middle or upper middle-class family.
In 1865, The Christian Recorder serialized Julia’s novel, The Curse of Caste, or The Slave Bride, every week for eight months. The story focused on the trials and tribulations suffered by a mother and daughter due to the issues of racial identity and interracial marriage. Julia died of tuberculosis in November 1865, leaving incomplete one of the first novels ever written by an African American woman. Doing research on a different topic, two scholars, William Andrews and Mitch Kachun, learned of Julia and her works. They had her novel published with the Oxford University Press in 2007.
A Pennsylvania State Historical Marker honoring her in Williamsport celebrates her for three firsts: the first marker in Lycoming County to honor a woman, an African American and someone in the arts. The marker was dedicated on June 19, 2010 and unveiled on Williamsport’s River Walk near where Collins’ home and school are believed to have been located. Julia’s descendants were present for the unveiling. One of them as well as a picture of the full marker can be seen here: https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/discovering-julia-collins. The marker’s citation begins, “Essayist, teacher, and author, her work, The Curse of Caste, is considered to be among the first published novels by an African American woman.”
As I learned about Julia, I couldn’t help but think of these words penned by John Greenleaf Whittier in his poem Maud Muller:
“For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: ‘It might have been!'”
If tuberculosis hadn’t cut short her life, who knows what other works Julia may have produced. For a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card, share your thoughts about Julia or any “it might have beens!” that you’re aware of.
“Her Heavenly Phantom” by Michal Scott
from Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology #8
Forced into a marriage of convenience neither wants, a mild-mannered banker with an intriguing secret discovers his reluctant bride has a secret, too
Excerpt from “Her Heavenly Phantom”…
Prim, proper, and modest.
Not at all the adjectives Harold Broadman would have used to describe his dream bride. But then the woman standing to his right here in his mother’s parlor, saying “I do” was not his dream bride.
Relaxed, seductive, and flashy.
Those adjectives described his dream bride. His lady of the balcony. What circumstances could have made that dream woman his intended?
The minister harrumphed. Harold shook himself out of his thoughts and answered, “I do.”
His father and father-in-law exchanged hearty congratulations.
“Welcome to the Hampton family, William,” Emily’s father said. “I see great things in our future.”
Unwed and pregnant, Emily Hampton needed a husband. Newly freed and hungry for a foothold among the ranks of the Black elite in 1880s Brooklyn, William Broadman had the answer.
His son Harold.
The warmth shared between the two men stood in stark contrast to the cold chaste kiss Harold and his bride shared. Their coolness continued as they walked up the aisle. Guests, oblivious to their shared contempt, showered them with hugs and handshakes. Harold shivered even more as his father and father-in-law back-patted themselves and toasted the couple’s future happiness at the wedding reception. No doubt the arctic chill between the couple would extend to their first lay as man and wife, too.
Preorder buylink: rb.gy/vv3268
Tagged: African-American, anthology, Guest Blogger, historical, historical romance, short story Posted in Contests!, General | 12 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Mary Preston - BN - Paula J McGhee - flchen - Delilah -
Wednesday, July 24th, 2024
Summer is here! It’s time to get out there and enjoy every second of it. Here’s my foolproof plan for enjoying a summer’s day at home.
Step #1
Get an adult beverage. Wine is always an excellent choice but here’s one that’s been a family favorite for years. Mix it up, put it in the freezer, and it’s a cool, refreshing drink whenever you want one.
Summer Slush
Ingredients:
1 – 12 oz can of frozen orange juice
1 – 12 oz can of frozen lemonade
¾ cup of sugar
5 cups of water
2 cups of vodka
In large freezer proof container, mix in order given and freeze.
Serve ½ glass of slush with 7 up or ginger ale.
Step #2
Snacks. There should always be snacks. Unlike winter, when I admit to going heavy on the sweets, this time of year I crave the fresh fruits of summer—apricots, cherries, watermelon, grapes. These are not always easy to get where I live. Some cheese and crackers, maybe some hummus. For dessert—because there should always be dessert—some excellent dark chocolate. These backyard picnic-style snack foods are also a great way to avoid having to cook.
Step #3
A good book. Reading is the way I relax and let go of all my worries. I live in an apartment, so I love to take my book out on my balcony, relax in my lawn chair, and enjoy a refreshing beverage—iced tea or something with a little more zip. (See Step #1)
And if you’re looking for something to read, you might want to check out the Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology. The great thing about an anthology is the stories are shorter and you can sample a variety of authors—perfect for a relaxing afternoon in the sun
Inside Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, you’ll find stories by some of the hottest romance writers out there for readers who crave mysterious, enigmatic men and women who may not be who they claim to be. Perhaps they’re the new next-door neighbor with a secret mission, an alien from a far-away galaxy looking for his fated mate, or a spy trying to catch a foreign agent. Whatever their secrets, intrigue and passion follow…
My contribution is “Perfect Stranger” – An undercover DEA agent must keep his identity secret from the woman he’s falling for, a woman he’s also investigating.
Coming July 30th. Preorder your copy today.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5SQ4P2P/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secret-identities-delilah-devlin/1145674531
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/secret-identities-8
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, assassins, 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 her at:
Website: https://www.njwalters.com
Blog: https://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: https://eepurl.com/gdblg5
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
Tagged: anthology, erotic romance, Guest Blogger, recipe, romantic suspense, short story Posted in General | Someone Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Mary Dellenbusch -
Monday, July 15th, 2024
UPDATE: The winner is…Flchen!
*~*~*
Hello Delilah! Thank you for inviting me here to share news of my new release! Cole’s Reckoning is the second book in my Bonded By Love trilogy, and I’m thrilled to tell your readers all about it!
Initially, this trilogy began as one book—Caressa’s Homecoming. Pretty early on, though, I realized I couldn’t tell Caressa, Cole, and Michael’s story in just one book. The best friends-to-lovers story deserved more than that. The three grew up in horrific poverty and came from abusive homes. Their lives diverged in huge ways—and Caressa suffered more trauma. Trauma she never shared with her best friends. Because of some of that, she went overseas as a nurse to volunteer with Médecins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders). She came back to Canada even more traumatized.
Her best friends saw that. And Michael was there first—to both comfort and to admit his feelings had changed for her. In turn, she realized her feelings for him had deepened as well. Friends-to-lovers is a tricky trope. The evolution has to feel like it works—like the progression is natural and was always meant to be. I tried to portray it as accurately as I could.
Cole, however, didn’t want to be left behind. Because when Caressa left, he realized he loved both his best friends. He’s bisexual (although in the closet about his dalliances with men). Michael’s straight. This set up an interesting dynamic for me to work with. Oh, and Cole’s into BDSM—something Caressa and Michael know nothing about. Caressa’s Homecoming ends with Caressa having discovered Cole’s dungeon and confronting Cole…after he and Michael have exchanged some pretty steamy kisses.
This second book was a challenge for me. I needed a pivot point. Something that would push their relationship along. Something that wasn’t artificial. I realized early on what that would be. I wrote the story and then sent it out to my editor and proofreaders—asking them to read the story blind—without having read the synopsis. All three admitted they didn’t see the twist coming. All three admitted it made sense and, as I’d hoped, deepened the dynamic of the relationship between the members of the triad.
I’m excited to release the book because I’m hoping readers will enjoy the twist. Will find the book isn’t the saggy middle novel of a trilogy—which can sometimes happen. Often, readers read a trilogy and think, “That could’ve been two books instead of three.” Now, I have a different throuple for my conclusion—so stay tuned.
Thank you, Delilah, for hosting me. I love sharing my books, especially the ones that pushed me. MMF definitely does that! I’d love to give away a $5 Amazon Gift Card to a commenter chosen by random. Have you ever read a good menage book? One that stuck with you? If not, is it something you would consider, or are you happy with just a couple? Let me know and you might win!
Cole’s Reckoning
Three inseparable friends—now three insatiable lovers?
Actor Cole Hamilton has finally convinced the two people he loves most in the world, Caressa Klein and Michael Dubois, to move in, join him in a throuple relationship, and set his bed on fire. But he fears his secrets—his real self—will drive them away.
Michael is stressed by his latest engineering project, but his two best friends turned hot lovers worry him more. Cole is too reckless, and Caressa keeps him guessing.
Caressa adores her two sexy men, but her past and tragedies in her nursing profession haunt her.
Can their love and friendship survive secrecy and the reopening of old wounds?
Links:
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/ColesReckoning
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Coles-Reckoning-Bonded-Love-Book-ebook/dp/B0D3KCG7QG
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/coles-reckoning-gabbi-grey/1145488881
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/coles-reckoning/id6502349359
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/cole-s-reckoning
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213029211-cole-s-reckoning
About Gabbi Grey
USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.
Personal links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up: https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GabbiGrey
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey
Tagged: BDSM, contemporary romance, Guest Blogger, menage Posted in Contests!, General | 7 People Said | Link
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