'Nuff said...

Reading? What's That?

Okay, that's a dumb question. We all read. All day long, every day. Cereal boxes, road signs, billboards, emails...thank a teacher that you can read! It's a blessing that I'll always be grateful for.



I'm a complete bookworm. Thank you.

Having said that, I can tell you I don't read anymore. Not for enjoyment anyway. I used to have a 45-minute commute to work. A six-mile distance took nearly an hour, because of city traffic. I kept a book in my car and would read at each red light because I never could get through the first cycle. So, I read while I inched my car forward. Once in awhile I'd look up to see the car in front of me, way in front of me, and the drivers behind me irate and honking. This was before texting and smart phones, so I'm thinking this isn't a problem anymore. Everyone is probably doing what I'd been doing all along. 

I remember when I used to sneak in moments all day long to snatch a few more pages in the current book I'd borrowed from the library. I'm a library geek. Love walking in and seeing the endless possibilities lined up like soldiers on the shelves. Same goes for a book store. Sheer bliss. 


I recall watching the clock after dinner, waiting for that golden moment when the kids would be in bed and I could get in bed myself and read without interruption. And I'm one of those weird people who can read in the car without getting carsick. In fact, I get carsick easily and reading is how I learned to deal with it. 

But I no longer read. For pleasure. It's such a rarity, I can tell you the last book I did read, but not when - JR Ward's latest Black Dagger Brotherhood book, Lover Unleashed. 


I have two Kindles and a Nook. I have over a hundred books downloaded on them, all with good intentions to be read. I'm hoping to read The Hunger Games before the movie comes out. We'll see.


Why don't I read like I used to? Because I'm busy reading everyone else's books. I edit. A lot. And by the time I'm done working on an author's book, I'm fried and don't feel like reading for my own pleasure (or writing either). Love my work, yet the side effect can be sad.


But a really strange thing happened recently. A few weeks ago, I was thinking about authors who'd influenced me with my own writing, authors whose voices, characters and themes helped me develop my own style. LaVyrle Spencer is at the top of my list (along with a couple of others). Yes, she writes in the older style of more narration, less deep internal POV. Doesn't matter. She weaves stories that fill your head and heart, make you cry and even though the conflict and resolution are over, quite satisfactorily in fact, you don't want the book to end. My favorite book by her is Home Song, an amazing tale of forgiveness. And I was thinking nostalgically about it, because, remember...I don't read anymore, and how I wished I had time to read it again... 


A few days later, we were camping in our motor home and I went into the campground laundromat. I glanced over at the little library that campers have set up to recycle old books and magazines for other campers' enjoyment. On the top of the pile was

Home Song

Coinkydink, you say? Nah, the message was clear. Clear your calendar, you need to read this again. And I am. 


What are you reading right this minute? You aren't reading for your own personal pleasure? That's criminal and I won't tolerate it! Leave me a comment (with your email address) and one lucky commenter will win an Amazon gift card. You can buy a book with it.
Congrats to ALEXA for leaving a great comment! I'll be sending your Amazon gift card soon!

Giving Thanks!

by Anne Holly

I wanted to wish all my American friends a happy Thanksgiving. I’m Canadian, so we’ve already had our Thanksgiving. Here, it falls in October, so it’s more of a harvest festival thing, and doesn’t celebrate any actual or legendary event. I like it that way – it’s further away from Christmas, the weather is still nice, and there are less guilty feelings about taking the turkey from the Native American neighbours, and promptly following that by taking everything else, as well. (No offense intended, there, just saying I always wondered if that would ruin my pie for me.)

So, then, how did a Canadian like me end up celebrating both Thanksgivings? Well, to add some complexity to my life, I married an American, making my son sorta-kinda “half-American” (is that even a term?), so I decided early on that I’d be dragging on the apron for that extra holiday every year. We’re vegetarians, so that means soy chicken breasts with the cranberry sauce, but I make a killer sage stuffing.

But why? Simply this – one cannot have too many nice, sit-down family dinners. Yes, they can get really obnoxious, I know, but when they work, they are lovely. Lots of food and a nice day to enjoy being together. And, the more you celebrate, the more chances we have per year to actually make the festivities. I, for one, am banking on my son growing up, getting married, and having to spend the Canadian Thanksgiving at his in-laws – well, I’m covered, because I can grab him in November. Or, he can cook, and I’ll go there to eat, which I like even better.

The long and the short of it is, eat, be with someone (or many someones) who matter, and be thankful for that, because there are a lot of people who don’t have food or loved ones. Those of us who do… well, we’re lucky as hell, even if it doesn’t always feel like it.

Now, Thanksgiving might not seem like a sexy season, or the most romantic time of year, but I included it in my five holiday sensual-romance series from Rebel Ink Press, and I hope I managed it. Charity is the story of a city girl without a family or a real home who finds both, as well as a heck of a lot of food, with a cowboy in the Montana wilds. In return, she helps him hold on to a family legacy that matters more to him than he understood.

I hope you enjoy this little excerpt:

“Sorry,” Joshua said softly, as her eyes opened the next morning.

“Hmmm?” she asked as she stretched. Her muscles bore a new soreness that hadn’t been there before. His sex had been rough, manful, and even she felt delicate in its wake.

He traced a small, blue mark on the inside of her arm with a fingertip, his touch now lighter than a feather on her ravaged body.

“I shouldn’t have...”

“Shhhh,” she said, pressing a kiss to his beloved lips. “I certainly didn’t mind,” she offered, smiling. “It was your turn to use me.” The gentle whisper of her voice took the bitterness out of the words and she put an arm behind his head to pull him into a hug.

“I should’ve treated you more gently,” he said, but the self-condemnation in his voice was easing. He bent over her and without meaning to, she knew their need was rising again, only this time like a soft breeze instead of a storm.

“I hate to ruin the mood,” she whispered into his neck, “but I really gotta pee.”

Laughing, he rolled back over on to the mattress and let her up.

“Good God, girl,” he groaned, his eyes pinned on her nude body padding towards the bathroom. “You’re good enough to eat – you better get back to this bed, pronto. I’ve got another need.”

Giggling at his compliments, Charity hurried to the washroom, “You better save some of that appetite for turkey,” she tossed over her shoulder as an afterthought.

“Oh, shit,” he groaned. “It’s Thanksgiving, isn’t it?”

She laughed as she closed the bathroom door, knowing he was contemplating lunch with a whole house filled with old biddies invited by Daisy and Kate which meant having to mind his manners when he least felt like it.

They’d have their morning in bed but she had some work to do. Whether Joshua liked it or not, Charity was going to help save him from himself.

For more info, please visit my Seasonal Tales page: http://annehollyholiday.webs.com/thanksgivingtales.htm

*

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope we’re all warm, filled and loved this holiday season and beyond.

- Anne Holly

Sexy Aliens

by Jessica Subject 

Although not always, many science fiction romance stories deal with a relationship between an alien and a human or an alien and another alien. When it comes to the intimate scenes, can you suspend disbelief and find the aliens sexy as the characters do? How about these aliens, do you find them sexy?

Sure, these aliens look very humanoid, but what if the alien looked like this? Would you still find them sexy?

What if you meet someone who looks very human, in fact, like your dream date? You get to know them, are ready to become intimate with them, and they tell you they’re an alien. You see their true form which look something like this:

Would you run away screaming? Faint? Would you be curious? Or would you say, “Let’s get it on?”

That’s exactly what happens to Carrie Cooper. Find out how she reacts in Celestial Seduction.

Celestial Seduction Book Trailer

Excerpt

“Remember how I said I needed an open-minded partner?”

She nodded, her eyes catching a quick glance from his before returning to her stomach.

Just a couple more minutes and he’d be finished. He prepared to hold her down should she freak out when he told her he came from space. “I’m not exactly like you and most of the people on Earth. I’m….different.”

“Like a demon or a guardian angel?”

He laughed. It sounded forced, but he needed to stay focused on healing Carrie rather than mating with her. “No, you’re thinking paranormal. Try science fiction.”

She began to squirm under him, but he didn’t need to restrain her. “A….clone? Artificial intelligence?”

He finished healing her and lay down beside her. His thumb ran across her lips, wanting to taste them again, but knowing he probably wouldn’t. “Try alien.”

Buy Links:

http://www.markofthestars.com/wp/?page_id=6661

Bio:

Jessica Subject started writing to encourage her daughter to read. Now she writes to keep herself grounded. Although she reads many genres, she enjoys writing Science Fiction Romance the most and believes everyone in the universe deserves a happily ever after. She lives Southwestern Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids and loves to hear from anyone who has enjoyed her stories.

Website/Blog: http://www.markofthestars.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/jsubject

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-E-Subject-author/205759796126370

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4959083.Jessica_E_Subject

Google +: https://plus.google.com/100079570422204018357/posts

Find your Soul Mate!

with Jane Rochester

Thanks, Val, for letting me crash your blog today. I really appreciate it!

Writing isn’t an easy job. Anyone who tells you differently only wishes they were writing a novel. First, you actually have to make time to do it. (I dream of a day where I can quit the day job and spend all day writing in my pajamas.) Then there’s what to write. Anyone who’s tried (I think) can tell you about getting everything together and sitting down at the computer, hands poised over the keyboard…and then nothing happens. Words do not fall from fingertips like rain. You sit and stare at that very scary white screen.

The key is to write. Anything. Even if it’s just “the cat sat on the mat” over and over again. Sometimes just breaking into that white space helps. It makes it less intimidating. Don’t worry about what you’re writing. That’s what editing is for. Get the words out. Shudder over your grammatical errors and comma splices later. For now, let it flow.

Somewhere along the way, you’ll discover that your characters will do things you hadn’t intended. They’ll throw something into your plot you never intended to be there. And you’ll sit back, scratch your head, and then shrug and go with it. Some of the best ideas are accidents.

But it’s worth it. There is nothing like the thrill of receiving an offer from a publisher. The only thing that tops it is receiving a great review, or better, a comment from a reader about how much they love the story. That is a rush I’ve yet to find anywhere else.

So I’m pleased to be able to announce that my novella, Soul Mate, has been released as part of the 1 Night Stand Series from DecadentPublishing. I’ve included the cover (isn’t it GORGEOUS?!) and the blurb. I hope you’ll check it out!

Soul Mate:

When her friend buys her a date from Madame Evangeline’s 1Night Stand service, Nora isn’t sure she can go through with it. Especially when she sees her date walk in. He’s way out of her league in more ways than just looks.


Angus MacInnes knows his time as Enforcer of his vampire clan is slowly driving him mad. When his brother sent him on a date, he assumed it would be a bust from the beginning. He didn’t expect to find the one woman he’s been hoping would appear for the last few centuries.


But can a vampire Enforcer smooth his rough edges enough to convince Nora that they’re Soul Mates?


Buy Link

Popping the Man Love Cherry

Welcome guest blogger, Liz Crowe!

When I wrote Turkish Delights, the first of my 1NS trilogy of stories, I created a secondary character I really loved.  Caleb Blessing is personal assistant to ElleKensington, the heroine of Turkish Delights, her long time friend as well.  He's a California boy, tall, blond, beautiful.  And gay.  And he literally sprang from my head fully formed that way.  Matthew Morrison will play him in the movie....

I never intended to jump into the very busy, very sexy and sometimes annoyingly trite "m/m" romance world ... not just yet.  

But when I think about how I create characters, I can honestly say nearly 90% of the time, they just create themselves and I translate them to paper..um...screen.  Turkish Delights was one of those stories that did the same thing.  I swear on a stack of malt sacks I woke up one morning and had the whole damn thing in my head, in a big knot of hot cougar action, ready to be shared.  So when Elle, a just-named CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, turned to talk to her PA--there he was in all his hunky, man-love glory: Caleb.

He is based on a real human.  My best bud in college and beyond is a gay man. He owns his own biz in a different state now, but he is my touchstone on so many things. He was my spouse's fraternity brother, we shared an apartment for 2 summers while in college, he planned and implemented my wedding, and were I to EVER require a personal assistant, it would be he.  

It's Caleb who convinces Elle to get off her ass and over to her 1Night Stand date...with Emre, the young man who is ready to confess his love over a veeeery steamy massage.  "Naughty massage boy" is a favorite theme of mine....but I digress.

If you are a fan already, you know I love to interweave my characters' stories.  So it seemed fairly natural the Caleb would be in love with Emre's twin brother Tarkan.  Their story is hot, but I'll tell you now...do NOT get too attached.  Without spoiling anything since today is my Big Release Day, I'll warn you:  bring the tissues.

Blue Cruise is my first m/m love story.  I plan to write more.  It's fun to research, via some of the better m/m authors out there.  I'm sure we all have our favs, but can I say right here and now you gotta get your hands on some of Lee Brazil's stories if you haven't already.  

I hope you enjoy it!  

Cheers, 

Liz 

Blue Cruise excerpt:

And, if you are comfy, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this excerpt, but it's a hot one:

The boat trip had only been the two of them, to his pleasant surprise. In the powerful fancy speedboat, Tarkan had torn away from the shore, one hand on the wheel, the other in the air waving to the dockworkers. Caleb sat and watched the man’s body, covered only in khaki shorts and a tee shirt, and tried to will his cock down from its compromising position of extreme hard, bordering on agonizing. They cruised down the shoreline slowly. Tarkan pointed out various historical views and regaled Caleb with stories of growing up with a proud Turkish father and stubborn American mother. By the time they reached a spot about an hour down the coast and had pulled into a dock that looked to be an historical relic on its own, Caleb was drunk with lust.

Tarkan lead him up a steep grassy hill, dotted with the odd remnant of ancient temple or church or whatever, Caleb had no idea. History was not his thing. The man in front of him was though. He guided Caleb into what looked like a small, elegant restaurant on the outside but was obviously a private home. One table was set, in front of a blazing fire, for two. A few people appeared, poured wine, put some food down and disappeared. Caleb was nervous again. He wanted Tarkan so badly at that moment he didn’t think he could control himself. And he knew damn good and well Tarkan felt the same way.

“Afiyet olsun.” Tarkan gestured to the food, which was a delicious simple meal of lamb, rice and fresh vegetables. Caleb stared at him, not sitting, not moving any closer. The room hummed with chemistry, electricity, and primal need.

“Are we alone?” he ground out. “Because if we aren’t we should be, and soon.”

He was thrilled to see Tarkan finally appear unsettled. The guy was one cool customer for certain. Calmer than anyone had a right to be. He glanced around, motioned with one hand, and the lights were dimmed, leaving the room lit by a single candle and the flickering flames in the grate. He took a step toward Caleb, ran a finger down his face, palmed his cheek. Caleb’s entire body broke out in a chill and if it were physiologically possible, his cock got even harder. “We should eat.”

“I’m not hungry,” Caleb growled and reached for him, yanking his face close, covering his lips with his own, hungry beyond imagining for the Turkish treat in his arms. They melded together, nearly identical in their six-foot-two-inch bodies, arms wound around each other, tongues colliding with passion. Caleb groaned into Tarkan’s mouth as the other man’s hands slid down his arms, around to his ass, and pressed their bulging groins together, grinding into him so hard Caleb nearly came in his shorts. He yanked his face away and stared into the dark-skinned man’s eyes.

“I am one pent-up guy, I have to warn you. I...oh, shit....”

Tarkan dropped to his knees and tugged Caleb’s zipper down in one fluid motion, releasing his throbbing cock to the air. “Lovely,” he murmured, before dipping his tongue into the weeping slit, licking his way around the edge of the head and finally swallowing Caleb’s shaft all the way down, pressing his nose into the curls at the base.

“Jesus, I...oh....” Caleb bit it back, cocked his hips and held onto Tarkan’s hair, fucking his lovely mouth like an animal, making noises he didn’t know he had in him. The man moaned, clutched his ass and deep-throated him, again and again, sucking and tugging until Caleb saw stars at the edge of his vision, felt the orgasm gathering at the base of his spine. “Baby, I’m gonna blow.” His voice was a whisper in the nearly dark room. “I can’t hold back.”

In response, Tarkan pulled his mouth off with a final bit of suction, stood, and yanked his own shorts down. He possessed Caleb’s mouth, sweeping his talented tongue in and through, owning him with his lips. Their erections pressed together, the hot, hard sex between them beautiful and urgent.

Liz Crowe

www.lizcrowe.com (currently under construction)

www.brewingpassion.com

www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor
www.twitter.com/beerwencha2

Thanks, Liz! So glad to have you spice up my blog! 

Leave a comment to win a free copy of Blue Cruise! And if you're really nice, I'll include a copy of Turkish Delights cuz Val loves it so much and wants to share!

And coming soon, Emre and Tarkan's sister, Lale's story ~ Tulip Princess

Vampire Dream Come True

By JoAnne Kenrick

Thanks, Valerie, for allowing me to take over a guest post on your blog! [Curtsies] It's a real honor to be here, oh 1NS master.

Yes. I'm being series.

Believing vamps to be a hard to sell to any editor even though the genre is still very much so loved by vampire romance fans, the paranormal callout for 1NS books was a dream come true for me. I threw caution to the wind and pitched the vampire tale that was in my heart. Needless to say I was full of excitement when it was given the go-ahead.

Using the cheesy yet classic vampire movies I love so much from the 80s as my inspiration, such as Embrace of the Vampire, I let my goth self loose on a .doc. Thus, Dracula's Kiss was born. I didn't think much about characters or emotions etc... before writing this story. It was a truly organic experience for me. Setting was the only thing I did decide before typing the opening sentence, and the blurb I used to pitch to Decadent Publishing. I wanted something dark and spooky, something fitting for my classic vampire tale. Once I had decided on some key locations in Scotland that are connected to Bram Stoker, there was nothing else to do but to write. Catherine Ela's , aka Cathela, name just came to me. And as it was set in Scotland, so I just had to have a Scottish vampire as her love interest. His name didn't come as easily, and I had a little bit of help from my friends.

I thought I would struggle to meet the paranormal call-out deadline, but in just three weeks, I had a story. A story I loved! I was a crazy three weeks of solid writing; normally, I'm not that focused. Life distracts me, as does my attention starved (yeah right, but to see him nudge for loves, you'd think so) cat, and my motherly duties and love. But I kinda lost myself in this story, and in Cathela. Infact, I did actually have a few dreams that I was Cathela. They were surreal, but gave me plenty of material to work with. You might find it odd, or not, when I say I'm a lucid dreamer. If I realize I'm dreaming, I can change the events as they happen. So dreaming, for me, is just another opportunity to make up stories.

Dreams and Scottish vampires brings me to another book...

I have other kind of dreams, though. Nightmares, actually. And usually when I'm stressing about something and feel out of control of a situation. I'm helpless in those dreams, a slave to the horror of...zombies. EEP

Slow in their chase, they still always catch up to me and just as they reach out to get me, I wake up. I've been unable to watch a zombie movie, not a serious one, because of this. They scare the bejeezus out of me.

Enter Literal-Addiction-Paranormal-Book-Club and a freebie zombie book I wrote for them.

It all started with a fun-packed author chat there in September, to celebrate the release of Sweet Irish Kiss. Upon mention of Dracula's Kiss, and my fear of zombies, somehow, we were plotting and planning a hilarious sounding vampire verses zombie romance spoof type story about a Scottish vampire wearing nothing but a kilt, battling zombies with a leaf blower. And it was decided, to help me over come my fear, that I would write this story in time for their Samhain Spectacular.

And guess what? The story is now out there...for free...and I think you agree with me when I say Literal Addiction arranged a fantastic cover! Syd Gill, the cover artist, did an amazing job! She even added in zombie parts. WOOT.

It's spoofy, be warned...

Be Stihl My Unbeating Heart

Leaf blower in tow, and his secret weapon at the ready, Archie focuses on getting back to his damsel in distress at all costs. But zombies, while slow, are tenacious, and it just might cost him an arm and a leg.

Can Archie battle his way through zombieland and save his lady love before the sun comes out to play again? Will Aquanet sufficiently hold his hair in place so he can maintain his hero good looks til the end of our tale? Will we ever discover if he’s a true Scotsman?...erm, will he sufficiently use his head for something other than zombie food?

Available to read online via Scribd, or as a PDF download. If you hit the 'mobile' selection in Scribd, and you have your reader plugged in, it will also send the story to your reader:   http://www.scribd.com/doc/70718704/Be-Stihl-My-Unbeating-Heart

Book details.

Dracula's Kiss  – “ JoAnne Kenrick writes with passion and excitement. She brings her characters to life through lavish attention to emotions and character. She weaved a tale that entranced my imagination leaving me wanting more.” – Night Owl Romance TOP PICK

Decadent Publishing | Kindle US | Kindle UK | ARe | BookStrand | SmashWords

Blurb:

Cathela's Office Halloween Ball is a complete bust. She spills out her Dracula's Bride costume, and her vamp fetish chases away her boyfriend. Only redeeming feature to the night? Necking multiple shots of Dracula's Kiss—a lush Black Cherry Vodka cocktail—and an interlude with a gorgeous man dressed Gary Oldman style.

No one comes close to satisfying Alec Murray's needs until he meets Cathela during some lame-ass party for bankers. One taste of her blood, sweet yet darkly dangerous, he knows she's perfect for him.

A night of goth bondage is planned for one. For the other, a night of sexual control is a must. A perfect fit. Alec is compelled to reveal his true nature, but can their relationship survive his dark secret?

JoAnne Kenrick, an ex-Ghost Tour Guide turned Romance Author, is a Welsh lass who has lived in various countries around the world. She now calls North Carolina her home, where she lives with her husband, two children and a lazy cat. When they aren't demanding her attention, she can most likely be found watching a vampire movie, reading or baking up a British favorite in her N.C. kitchen. That is, when she isn't writing or chatting up a storm on social networking sites. www.joannekenrick.com

**Leave a comment with your email address! One lucky commenter will receive a copy of her choice of one of JoAnne's books at Decadent Publishing!**