I can’t start things off without thanking Delilah for this opportunity. For a debut author, getting to guest blog on a well-known, established author’s blog is a BIG deal. So, HUGE thank you!

I’m a little nervous, to be honest. I spent more than a few days trying to come up with something to blog about. I finally asked another author what I should talk about and she said share what people are saying about your book. Well, you can go read the reviews for yourself, so I won’t rehash that, but one of the things that keeps coming up in reviews is the relationship between my heroine Bree and her best friend Denise. So I’m going let you in on some of the inspiration that drove Bree and Denise.

Bree and Denise met in Iraq while deployed…just like me and my best friend — we’ll call her Sue (no, that’s not close to her name). Sue is badass. Seriously. If Special Forces had been open to women when she was younger, she’d have kicked all their asses. There is a lot of Sue in Denise. We were trailer mates for more than six months. We saw each other at our best and our worst and we came out the other side stronger for it.

She is my heterosexual life mate (kudos if you get the Jay and Silent Bob reference). We’ve already planned it out — when I retire, I’m going to build a house on part of her five acres and we’re going to raise our kids village style.

Bree and Denise’s friendship is as important to the story in Stitched Up Heart as the relationship between Bree and the hero, Jase. So with that, here’s one of my favorite scenes between Bree and Denise:

“Uh huh. You’ve got it bad, sister. I’ve never seen you like this. Not even when we got tasked to that SEAL team for two months in Jalabad.”

Bree stared off into space. “Mmm…that was good times.”

“My point is you’re completely distracted by Jase.”

“I know.” Bree folded her arms on the stall door and rested her chin on them. “He’s only been gone a few days. It’s ridiculous. I feel ridiculous and I don’t know what to do. I’m being all… what’s the word for it?”

“Girly.”

“Girly!” Bree snapped her fingers and pointed at Denise like she had just solved the world’s energy crisis. “How do I quit being all girly and emotional?”

“Don’t look at me. I haven’t done girly since I went through puberty. I’m void of emotions.”

“You do emotions,” Bree said.

Denise lifted the latch on the half door and entered the stall. The dog’s tail thumped on the ground as Denise knelt next to her head. “I do some emotions, none of which are girly emotions. My emotions usually involve fireballs and razing insurgent strongholds to the ground.” Denise pat the dog on the head and checked the water and food bowls.

Bree quirked her mouth. “Valid point. Either way, I need to figure out how to quit doing them.”

“Why?” Denise asked.

“Why?” She opened the door for Denise. “Because I don’t want to be girly. I don’t want to moon over some guy and lose who I am in the process.”

“Who says you have to lose yourself?” She swung the door closed and checked the latch. “Why can’t you figure out a way to be who you are and still fall in love with Jase?”

“Um, first, no one said anything about being in love.”

Denise gave her that look again.

“Fuck.” Bree drew the word out as she groaned. She hated it when Denise called her on her bullshit. It was easy to avoid the truth without her around. “I can’t. It’s way too soon.”

“Not according to Gran it’s not,” Denise pointed out.

“Okay, Gran lived a fairy tale. We know that’s not how life really works.”

“Says whom?”

“Says everyone except Gran. Hell, even Elsa said you can’t fall in love with someone you just met.”

“You’re referencing animated characters again.”

“Hello? Fairy tale?”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Whatever. You love my face.”

“At the moment, I want to high-five your face,” Denise told her.

*~*~*

I hope you read Stitched Up Heart and at some point call your best friend and say, “Listen to this, it’s so us!”

Thank you for having me!

Tarina

Stitched Up Heart

As an Air Force medic, Bree Marks saw the worst the War on Terror had to dish out. Now a physical therapist, she uses her experience to help other veterans heal from their physical wounds; while she battles her own emotional damage.

Blaming himself for his best friend’s suicide, former Army Ranger Jase Larken, retreated from life. To honor his best friend’s memory and assuage his guilt, he started an outdoor adventure company to help veterans with PTSD.

Bree had better things to do than catch her cheating fiance in bed with another woman. Jase is something better – for a night at least. For the first time in years, Jase wanted more. When he finds her again, he doesn’t give her another chance to run.

Jase’s protectiveness grates on Bree’s independent nature. She’s dealt with her fair share of alpha-male, door kickers and doesn’t need one telling her what to do now. But as a new danger emerges, Bree and Jase must face their pasts, before someone’s obsession with Bree destroys any chance they have of a future.

Add it to your TBR: http://bit.ly/2bRg3fa
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Hey there! If you saw my post the other day, you know life’s crazy around here right now. First, the 7-year-old is doing well after her surgery. A metal plate was installed in her leg, a donor fibula replaced the tibia she lost to cancer, and bone material from her pelvis was inserted into the donated bone. We’re hoping it will “take” and grow. She was playing video games hours after the surgery. Nothing keeps her down.

My grandmother is surprising everyone with her recovery after breaking vertebrae in her back. The doctor saw her yesterday and said he’d thought she’d be there longer, but she might be home in a month. She wants to be back sooner.

Today, I’m doing my part, babysitting the little one while my daughter’s at the hospital. I’m not getting much done. I had to wait until she took a nap before I could post this blog. September was a wash, but I’m hoping October will be better. I’ll try to post my monthly recap later.

In the meantime, here’s a reminder that my friend, Lindsay McKenna’s latest romantic suspense released yesterday! Go get your copy!

Unbound Pursuit

Captain Talia Culver risked her heart again for Navy SEAL Wyatt Lockwood. The brave, cocky Texan was worth the risk and Talia couldn’t be happier. Still recovering from injuries she received from her last mission in Afghanistan, Wyatt whisks her away to meet his family on their sprawling Texas ranch. But things don’t go as planned when Wyatt hears the local gossip that his drug dealing ex-friend is out of prison and planning a drug run across the Lockwood ranch. Wyatt wants to enjoy some hard-earned down time with Tal, but he can’t ignore the danger at his backdoor.

As Wyatt plans a dangerous operation to catch the drug dealers, Tal fears she could lose the man she loves.

Get your copy!

Hi, it’s me again, Donna Michaels, and this whole summer has been cowboys for me. Yep, I’ve been in my writing cave all summer with these handsome fellas! I do love my job!!

This past June, I released HER INDULGENT COWBOY, Book 7 in my hot, humorous, heartwarming Harland County series. For over a decade, Lacey has had the hots for her brother’s buddy, Jesse, but the cowboy’s preconceived ideas about her always kept him at bay. Worn down by a desire too strong to ignore, the two eventually give in to their heated attraction, but will they give up control long enough to discover the truth behind their attitudes? Lacey was a hoot to write. Even I had to rein her in when her mouth got in the way.

As you may have read earlier this month, I was asked by the wonderful Sable Hunter to help launch her Hell Yeah Kindle Worlds! It was an honor and I’m thrilled HER HELL YEAH COWBOY, my Harland County/Hell Yeah KW crossover novella has been in the top 3 bestselling Kindle Worlds Western this month. Thank you so much for help making that happen!  My heroine, Chloe is a lot like me in the fact we sometimes channel Lucy and/or Ethel. Poor girl. The one cowboy she did not one to meet when she returned to Texas is the man I made her literally walk into with her hands laden with an order of Buffalo wings. 🙂

Chloe Davis is a danger to herself and those around her, so entertaining thoughts for the sexy cowboy wearing her hot sauce should be a no-no…not a hell yeah—especially considering he’s the guardsman linked to a horrible instance in her past.

And finally, I’m so excited to have a release date and to finally share the blurb to my very first release with Entangled Publications!! IN THE RANGER’S ARMS is the first book in my cowboy series The Men of At Ease Ranch, releasing November. 28^th!

No amount of training could’ve prepared him for her.

Former Army Ranger Stone Mitchum doesn’t have time for sex. Since starting a company with his brother and two buddies, he’s had more important things on his mind. Like transitioning veterans back into society. But when his curvy new tenant falls into his arms—literally—his libido snaps to attention.

Jovy Larson has four weeks to prove she’s worthy of taking over the family business. Her challenge? Sell gluten-free, vegan food—in the middle of cattle country, Texas. It’s a tough task, but not half as tough as fighting her attraction to her sexy, surly landlord.

Before she knows it, Jovy’s tangling sheets with the hot cowboy, stalked by a jealous cow, and strategizing ways to help Stone’s ranch. But by the time her lease runs out and the test is over, she’s faced with a new challenge…competing against Stone’s sense of duty to win his heart.

You can find all of these cowboys at my website: www.donnamichaelsauthor.com

Speaking of these cowboys, all of them are also military, so I have a question for you.

Do you like reading about military cowboys? Or do you prefer your heroes to be one or the other—cowboy, or military?

A big thank you to Delilah for hosting me!

Thanks for reading,

~Donna

ABOUT DONNA MICHAELS

Donna Michaels is an award winning, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of Romaginative fiction. Her hot, humorous, and heartwarming stories include cowboys, men in uniform, and some sexy, primal alphas. With a husband in the military fulltime, and a household of nine, she never runs out of material to write, and has rightfully earned the nickname Lucy…and sometimes Ethel. From short to epic, her books entertain readers across a variety of sub-genres, and one has even being hand drawn into a Japanese translation. Now, if only she could read it.

If you’re interested in keeping up with Donna’s news, and exclusive contests, please sign up for her newsletter here:
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You can also find her here:

Website:  www.donnamichaelsauthor.com
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Follow my Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Donna-Michaels/e/B008J24XR2/
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UPDATE: The three winners are…Galina Sulaiman, Jen B., and Pansy Petal!

* * * * *

I am at my desk today. No babysitting. How did that miracle happen? The 7-year-old didn’t need 3-4 days of recovering in the hospital! The doctor sent her home the next day. He told her he’d had football players who’d undergone the same surgery and they hadn’t been able to stick the pain like she could. They were “weenies” compared to her. So, she’s home, ensconced in her “infirmary” (the living room). Her poor mom is exhausted, and I will spell her, but not until after I get one bit of work completed first! So, the cancer-filled tibia is gone. Completely. We hope that took care of the issue, but she will be checked for recurrences of her cancer pretty much for the rest of her life.

In the meantime, I have a brand new naughty stepbrother story out! I had so much fun writing it. My heroine’s a phone sex operator whose SEAL brother catches her “on the job”. Let’s just say, he’s not pleased… 🙂 Don’t have your copy? It’s only $0.99! And KU subscribers can pick it up for FREE!

Stepbrothers Stepping Out: With His SEAL Team

When Sara’s stepbrother surprises her with an early return from
a mission, he brings two of his Navy SEAL teammates along…

Get your copy!

Contest

Three winners will choose one of my previous Stepbrothers Stepping Out stories! All you have to do to enter is answer me this…

If you had all the money in the world, where would you be right now?
And what would you be doing?

You can win one of these stories…

I just wrote a novella in a very short time-frame, and it reminded me how much I have to be thankful for in my chosen career of writing. I have a wonderful sister, Delilah Devlin, I know I can count on for anything writing related. Don’t have a plot? She’s a great sounding board. Need to share some writing-related coolness with someone who understands the language? She gets me! I couldn’t have gotten this far without her.

But it also reminds me of all the friends I’ve made along the journey. From my writing retreat buddies, Cynthia D’Alba, Parker Kincade and Mandy Harbin, to my Harlequin author friends who are always an inspiration to me and there when I need someone to keep me straight, Julie Miller, Delores Fossen and BJ Daniels. And then there’s Susan Stoker, an author I met at the Romantic Times Convention one year and had such a good time talking to her at other conventions, I feel I’ve found a kindred spirit. She makes me laugh and is as passionate about her writing as I am about mine. And it’s always fun to do group projects with my author friends. Remember that project I just finished with a short fuse? That would be the novella for Susan Stoker’s Kindle World. It’s a crossover novella between her Delta Force series and my Brotherhood Protector series. I hope you will check it out and all of the other books in Susan Stoker’s Kindle World.

Cowboy D-Force

Amazon

Former D-Force bodyguard, protects mega-star’s body double from a predatory stalker’s deadly hunting game

Fresh out of the military, John Wayne “Duke” Morrison is back in his home state of Montana, starting a new job in the Brotherhood Protectors security service. First assignment, protect film star and diva Lena Love from a stalker leaving her threatening messages. After fighting terrorists in the Middle East, Duke assumes this assignment will be a walk in the park.

Angel Carson, lovingly known as “The Angel of Death”, is a woman with a death wish. Her main claim to fame is her uncanny resemblance to Lena Love. Prior military, she’s seen combat, lost friends and now works as the stunt woman for the mega-star. When Miss Love is threatened, Angel steps in as bait to draw out the stalker on the diva’s 6,000-acre ranch in the foothills of the Crazy Mountains. To cover Angel’s back, Lena has engaged a bodyguard to watch her six and be there when the stalker reveals himself.

Unable to tell Duke she isn’t the real Lena, Angel must perform like a diva. As the stalker closes in, she reluctantly accepts Duke’s help to stay alive. In forced proximity, tempers and passions ignite, leaving Duke and Angel struggling to resist an irresistible attraction while alluding the stalker’s predatory game. When the stalker becomes the predator, the power of Delta Force brotherhood becomes a force to reckon with.

Check out today’s shiny new releases in Cat Johnson’s Hot SEALs Kindle World! I’m so envious of the excitement! Alas, I’m not part of this release. I couldn’t manage to get my butt in gear to finish my story in time, but yay for you! There are 11 new titles ready for you to download now by some of the best military romance authors in the biz!

Okay, so the banner makes it hard to see the yumminess. Guess, you’ll just have to click on the titles below to check them out!

Surrender to a SEAL by Normandie Alleman
All In by Aliyah Burke
Claimed by a SEAL by KaLyn Cooper
SEALed in Texas by Marissa Dobson 
Homebound for You by Yvette Hines
Revealing Love by Maryann Jordan
SEALed for Life by Donna Jane McDonald
A Daye with a SEAL by Donna Michaels
Darwin’s Evolution by Siobhan Muir
My SEAL Bodyguard by Paige Tyler
Herding Cat by Sabrina York 

I know you’ll enjoy the stories! And in April, I will be a part of another release blitz. I’ve already got my story started. I won’t mind one bit if you nag me to make sure I finish in time! 🙂

Good luck to the authors! And congrats to Cat Johnson!

It’s heeere! I’m excited it’s finally out, ready for you to read! As I wrote him, I loved everything about Sam. He’s kind, loyal, doesn’t back away from the gritty emotions, and he doesn’t give up. Wouldn’t we all love a guy who doesn’t walk away when things get real?

I hope you’ve already got this loaded to your Kindles! Remember, it’s free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers! If you want to do an author a favor, be sure to page through every page of the book. And if you have time, why not leave a review? Let another readers know what your experience was. Who else can they trust to give them the straight scoop?

I’m out of here! I have other books to write! If you want more Uncharted SEALs, let me know.  🙂

After losing her partner and lover in a shootout, New Orleans police officer Aislin Dupree is tormented by memories of the past and the day she lost Marc LeBrun. At her darkest hour, she discovers that Marc had planned a romantic getaway on a Caribbean island before his death . All expenses paid. She decides to take the trip, hoping the island getaway will help her come to terms with her sorrow. Instead, she meets a man, a friend of Marc’s from his time served as Navy SEAL.

Sam Blalock is like Marc in so many ways that he makes her ache for what she once had. Strong, rugged Sam is her rock, holding her when she breaks, encouraging her to move on, because he knows about the pain of loss and the horror of violence all too well. She soon finds her waking hours consumed by Sam while she roams her dreams in search of Marc. As the time approaches for her to go home, she’s afraid to let go of the connection she’s found, and she fears she might be holding onto Sam for all the wrong reasons while she imagines another reality where dreams do come true.

Read all the Uncharted SEALs:
Watch Over Me | Her Next Breath | Through Her Eyes