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Archive for January, 2016



Kishan Paul: How Writing Rocked Her Love Affair with Music (Contest & Giveaway!)
Sunday, January 17th, 2016

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

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

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

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

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About the Author

kpJessy-5From daring escapes by tough women to chivalrous men swooping in to save the day, the creativity switch to Kishan Paul’s brain is always in the “on” position. If daydreaming stories were a college course, Kish would have graduated with honors.

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

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

She can be found at:

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

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Blind Love

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where to buy:

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

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The Second Wife

KP_TheSecondWife_600x900

 

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

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

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

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

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

Where to buy:

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

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Taking the Plunge

Kishan Paul’s Novella, Taking the Plunge is FREE

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

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

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

 Where to buy:

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

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Rafflecopter Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Frannie and The Private Dick — Chapter One (Contest)
Saturday, January 16th, 2016

UPDATE: The winner is…ButtonsMom!

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I have a new-old story out! One of the stories returned to me by a former publisher. I’ve been working hard to get them all revised/expanded/refreshed so that I can share them with a brand new audience.

This time, it’s Frannie and The Private Dick! If you’ve read the rest of the Night Fall stories, then you know what to expect—humor, some suspense, and lots of sexy bits. Frannie has an extra pinch of humor. I’m sharing the first chapter here for you to sample. I hope you enjoy it—my gift to you!

For a chance to win a free copy of one of Frannie’s prequel books,
tell me how you plan to spend your Saturday!

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Hope you enjoy this peek inside! ~DD

Frannie and The Private Dick

FrannieDick600

Bent on catching her cheating fiancé in the act, Frannie Valentine got sidetracked by a little thing like dying. When she awakens, Frannie learns her pampered life will never be the same, so she turns to the man responsible for her undeadness and demands he take on the responsibility of giving her a little job training—in the PI biz.

Niall Keegan never intended to make himself a mate, but Frannie’s string of minor disasters, which ended with her dying in his arms, took the decision right out of his hands. While the mating part isn’t bad, making the disaster-prone Frannie a PI may just be the death of him.

FREE FOR KINDLE UNLIMITED SUBSCRIBERS!
Get your copy here: Frannie

Chapter One

Francesca Valentine had died and gone to hell. No other explanation made sense. She swam back to awareness through a molasses-thick void to find herself suddenly spat out from a dark womb into a cold, hollow space. Blind, and so still she knew she didn’t breathe, her mind turned over like a sluggish engine before revving into high gear.

Quickly, she assessed what she knew. She lay on a hard surface, covered with a scratchy square of thin fabric, unable to move a muscle. A low whine, like that of an air-conditioner, came from the opposite side of the space. Harsh light shone from above, warming her face, but hurting her closed eyes. So, she probably wasn’t blind after all. But she was definitely dead. Stone-cold. Her chest wasn’t moving in and out, but she didn’t feel starved for air.

She knew who she was and what had killed her, but hadn’t a clue what new fix she’d landed herself in. From nearby came the scrape of footsteps and a tentative humming, then… Read the rest of this entry »

Jennifer Kacey: Violet’s Shadow (GIVEAWAY)
Friday, January 15th, 2016

UPDATE: The winner is Nancy G.!

* * * * *

I wrote a paranormal wolf shifter book. OMFG I loved writing it. Not gonna lie I wouldn’t do it unless I actually felt like I did the genre justice. I fell in love with the history behind the Swooning Shadow fable and this series is based on that story.

Violet’s Shadow – Book One is out now!!! And you know what that means…..A CONTEST!!! Comment below on what your perfect mate is. Man. Woman. What they look like. Sound like. Smell like. *swoon* Whatever creams your twinkie. Why are they perfect? And have you ever met this person???? I’ve met mine and he’s…..incredible.

I’ll pick my favorite to receive a brand SPANKING new e-book copy of Violet’s Shadow!! And please leave your email in your comment with some spaces in it. I’ve had a rash of winners that I haven’t been able to get in touch with and nothing is worse than trying to give stuff away and can’t. Here’s a taste of Violet’s Shadow while you think about the perfect man or woman you’re going to tell me about. And you never know…maybe it will show up later in the series….*GRINS*

jkVioletsShadow

Violet’s spent her whole life searching for where she belongs. When she finds it and her shadow comes to life, it’s only the beginning.

Two weeks alone in a secluded cabin is music to Violet’s ears, until she sees a shadow in the forest with red glowing eyes. Red eyes she’s seen in her dreams for as long as she can remember. Eyes that make her want to forget the rest of the world. But she doesn’t believe in fairy tales anymore.

Rayden was sent to protect her.  To keep her safe.  Nothing more than to guide her as she transitions into a Shadow and takes her rightful place in the pack.  What he finds instead is the mate he’s been unwilling to search for and a passion so fierce he’ll never be able to walk away.

Violet’s spent her entire life aching to belong and she finally finds it in the pack of Shadows she is destined to join.  Everything she’s ever wanted in life and love is finally at her fingertips if she’s brave enough to embrace…her Shadow.

The past. The future. Truth. Lies. Nothing is as it seems when two shattered hearts are finally given the chance to heal.

Buy Links
Amazon – http://goo.gl/dGhdfx
B&N – http://goo.gl/bZQHmK
Kobo – http://goo.gl/5Itoa5
Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/599487
Are Café – https://goo.gl/WBQHP3
Ibooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/violets-shadow/id1067180804?mt=11

Hope you love it!!!

Mwah!!

Decadently Yours,
Jennifer Kacey

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Other Novels By Jennifer Kacey
Beneath the Pages
Elite Metal – Book one in the Elite Warriors Series
Elite Ghosts – Book two in the Elite Warriors Series
Final Surrender – The Surrender Series
Violet’s Shadow – The Shadow Mates Series
Aslan’s Stranger – Fantasies A-Z Series

jk10178312_10203571568597727_1797997400_nJennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her miniman 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 | Newsletter | Blog – The Decadent Divas | Facebook | Facebook Author Page  | Twitter | Amazon Page  | Goodreads | Pinterest

Jacqueline Brocker: Story transformations – Edras and the Dragon
Thursday, January 14th, 2016

Writers, they say, often dread the question ‘where do you get your ideas from?’ Neil Gaiman has a lovely post about how he used to answer it and how he does it now. For me, I usually have a fairly concrete memory of how an idea came about, and in the case of Edras and the Dragon, I can even point to the book that sparked it off.

But first, a bit of a history lesson. Aelian, a Roman writer of 2nd and 3rd centuries CE (AD) came up with (or, more likely, collected) this tale:

Of the Gratitude of a Dragon.

Patræ is a City in Achaia. A Boy there had bought a young Dragon, and brought it up with care, and when it was grown bigger, used to talk to it as to one that understood him, and played, and slept with it. At last the Dragon growing to an extraordinary bigness, the Citizens turned it loose into the Wilderness. Afterwards the Boy being grown to a youth, returning from some Show with other youths his Companions, fell among Theeves, and crying out, behold, the Dragon came and slew them; which stung some, slew others, but preserved him.

(If you really want, you can read more of the original here)

As you can see, it’s one small paragraph. But it was enough that when Roger Lancelyn Green, famous for retelling Arthurian myths, decided to put together a collection of dragon stories (A Book of Dragons – see on Goodreads), he chose this as one of them. He extended it beyond the limits of the original and made it a touching story about friendship and loyalty. He of course mentions of Beowulf and Sigurd and other more famous dragons, but Lancelyn Green’s retelling and embellishing made it one of the most striking tales in the book.

Now, give something like that to an erotica writer… well, the possibilities begin to emerge. For me,

it felt a good start for something, something potentially erotic, that married the comfort and warmth of friendship with the excitement of something new and definitely unusual. A man and a dragon – definitely a bit unusual. (Though in these days of dinosaur erotica, perhaps not so much…)

My original idea was to take the tale and essentially extend it. My editors had other ideas. Not that I blame them – the first version wasn’t great. Luckily, they saw something in it could be worked on. After a bit of hashing it out (and a full draft of a very different story that I put aside because it was too awful) we finally arrived at the idea of the boy – or rather, a young man – not living with his family, but rather alone in the moutains, hunting and gathering to survive, and the dragon arriving already fully formed as well. Rather than a youthful story of growing up, it became about the development of a relationship between two vastly different creatures.

The setting remained Greek, but I didn’t want it to be ancient like the original, nor especially modern. And I wanted a forest-like setting rather than the rugged, arid hills that the country is often known for. Internet searches yielded a territory called the Pindus mountains, so I chose that, and for an era I settled on that of the Byzantine Greeks somewhere between 800-900 CE (AD).

But enough of this history: what will you, the reader, get out of it? It’s a love story, yes, but it’s also a friendship between a lonely man and a curious, adventurous dragon. It’s about the dangers that arise from living off the land and outside society, and also the beauty and power of the natural world. A story about how life is more than just mere survival, but also, dare I say, about friendship and love.

jbEdrasDragon_CvrPRT

Edras has grown accustomed to his life alone on the mountain, hunting and foraging and selling animal skins in the nearby town. When Dragon falls from the sky, almost dying, Edras chooses to take him in and nurse him back to health. What blossoms is a friendship, and more. So when Dragon tells Edras of the real reason he was flying over the mountain, Edras fears another loss in a long line of many. (M/M)

Buy Links

Publisher site for info and content notes
Fantastic Fiction Publishing

Excerpt

As he prepared to skin the rabbits he heard a rush of air followed by a heavy boom on the ground. Trees swished harshly, and there was a cry of birds and a flutter of wings.

Edras frowned. He’d never heard such a crash before. It couldn’t have been far from the cave, probably just near the copse. He picked up his spear and his short club, and left the cave, careful to replace the thatching once more.

Outside, the beech and fir trees of the copse were still swaying, needles and serrated-edged leaves falling, a strange sight for early summer. Rabbits dashed from the copse, birds continued to shriek – there was a deep sense that the world had been disrupted, everything running from its natural place. Edras trod lightly, prepared to defend himself if needed, and circled the copse to what he thought was the crash site.

There was something there, a kind of animal. It was camouflaged by the grass, lying across the rocks near the drop, as if it were part of the landscape. Edras came closer to get a better look, and halted. He’d never seen one before, but he knew from its shape and features, that it was a dragon.

Edras approached, every step measured, and circled it to get a better look at its face. The dragon’s head rested right on the edge of the cliff. Its head was long, and had two short, pale yellow horns. It had a nose like a crocodile and ears like a horse, and under its lulling jaw was a small beard. It was limp, and as Edras drew closer, he saw that its eyes were closed.

It was, however, still breathing.

Edras tried to recall what he knew about dragons, but his mind yielded very little. The only certainty was that they were magical creatures, and came from the lands south, beyond Mesegeios, the sea—Libya, was that what it was called? Apart from that, there were the various and contradictory tales he heard from travellers. He always thought dragons to be enormous creatures, the size of a rich man’s house, or even a mountain. This creature was much smaller. Its torso perhaps the size a small horse, though its neck and tail were both long and snake-like, especially its tail, twice the length of its body, and tapered to a point. One wing spread out from its body, about the same in length as the body itself but far wider. The wings were attached from what would have been its shoulder to half way down its back. The wings were bat-like, as he’d expected, but its skin was not especially scaly—more like that of a lizard than a snake. It was smooth, or seemed it. The other wing was tucked under its body, and from the angle, it looked like it was broken.

Some stories said dragons were peaceful. Others said they were cruel, and loved to eat human flesh.

Some of the tales told of dragons as if they had minds almost like humans, but others suggested they were like other wild animals, and wild animals were seldom safe when injured. As such, Edras wasn’t sure if he wanted to wake it or not.

He held his spear up and stepped closer. Cautious as he was, the creature dazzled him. Even in its fallen state, and despite being smaller than he’d have thought, it was strangely beautiful. Its very existence was amazing.

jbJacquelineBrocker_AuthorPic copyAbout the Author

Jacqueline Brocker lives and writes just north of Cambridge, England. Her short erotic fiction has appeared in anthologies such as More Smut for Chocoholics (House of Erotica), Best Bondage Erotica 2014, and Best Gay Erotica 2015 (both from Cleis Press). Her novellas Body & Bow and Gods Among Men, along with several short stories have been published by ForbiddenFiction. Originally from Australia, when not writing she is a Scottish Country Dancer and a dabbler in foreign languages (current dabblings being German, Korean and Spanish).

Links

Website: http://jacquelinebrocker.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacqueline-Brocker/350975778281809
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ms_jacquelineb

PJ Sharon: Tips for Rabid Readers
Wednesday, January 13th, 2016

cute furry alienAlong with writers, desk dwellers, and gamers, avid readers have a hard time balancing their sitting life and their moving life. If you’ve ever engrossed yourself in a page turner, you know how hard it is to stop and put the book down. Reading is such a wonderful escape from the routine of our own lives, the temptation to slip into another world and someone else’s head for a few hours is simply too great to resist.

PJs2015BioPic5There are also those people who must read for a living—the involuntary rabid readers. Agents, editors, proofreaders and data entry folks spend hours a day pouring over digital material. Hobbyists may have more flexibility with their time, but some are prone to devour five to ten books per week, ignoring their screaming necks and their ever widening backsides.

Don’t worry. I wouldn’t think of taking away your right to read to your heart’s content, but consider these suggestions, straight from Overcome Your Sedentary Lifestyle (A Practical Guide to Improving Health, Fitness, and Well-being for Desk Dwellers and Couch Potatoes), my recent debut non-fiction book. I’m happy to bring relief to my reading warrior pals who live for the next “happily ever after.” #OYSL, as I’m calling it for my twitter community, is a holistic living, self-help book, written to get you motivated and moving toward a more balanced and active lifestyle.

PJ’s Top Five Tips for Readers:

1)            Find a comfortable, ergonomically supported place to read. Don’t get sucked in by the couch monster where you’ll find yourself sitting folded into a ball in the corner, your neck and back in agony at the end of an hour. Use pillow supports to keep you upright and rest your arms over a few pillows in your lap to support the book so it’s at eye level.

2)            Read in sprints. As I suggested for your computer/screen time, set a limit on your reading time. Commit to moving for at least ten minutes every few chapters or every thirty minutes—whichever comes first.

3)            Switch to audiobooks. Or at least alternate between print, digital, and audio. The variety will broaden your experience as well as giving you the flexibility to get your brain candy while you’re doing your housework, exercising, or even walking on the treadmill. Most treadmills have a shelf for your e-reader these days, so you can even read yourself to good health.

4)            Drink plenty of water (always have a water bottle nearby and refill as needed). This will force you to take bathroom breaks and discourage snacking.

5)            Snack healthy. Many readers love to snack as part of their “escape” mentality. The problem—beyond the unhealthy choices we make—is that we are so into our stories that we aren’t mindful about the quantity or quality of the foods we are putting into our bodies. Choose low calorie, nutrient dense snacks such as almonds, carrots, or apple slices rather than chips, chocolate, or ice cream. Pay attention to serving sizes and only have that amount on hand as you read.

Make these conscious choices ahead of time so you don’t fall prey to mindless eating or get sucked in by the couch monster.

Do you have any tricks for overcoming a sedentary lifestyle?

PJSharon_OvercomeYourSedentaryLifestyle_eCover_800[1]

Is a sedentary lifestyle killing you? Are you gaining weight, developing neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, back problems, or other health issues that are interfering with your ability to achieve your goals or live life to the fullest?

Sedentary Lifestyle Syndrome (SLS) ™ is one of the fastest growing health care crises of our time. In this digital age of techno-overload, where most of our waking hours are spent sitting, or otherwise “connected” to some device, we are quickly realizing the negative effects. If you can answer yes to the following questions, you may be suffering from SLS.

  • Do you sit for at least 6-8 hours per day without adequate breaks?
  • Have you gained significant weight from lack of exercise and poor nutrition?
  • Do you suffer from headaches, fatigue, listlessness, and lack of motivation?
  • Have you been diagnosed with one or more health issues aggravated by prolonged sitting and lack of movement? (i.e.: Obesity, depression, heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome)

Overcome Your Sedentary Lifestyle is the practical guide you need. Author and Holistic Health Care professional, PJ Sharon, includes tips to keep you healthy—even if sitting is in your job description. Ms. Sharon offers easy to implement solutions for proper work station set-up, exercises for injury prevention and treatment, and a practical plan for self-care success—whether you’re perched on the couch, or on the way to fulfilling your dreams.

Isn’t it time for you to stand up for your life?

PJ Sharon, PTA, LMT, CPFT

OVERCOME your SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE
(A Practical Guide for Improving Health, Fitness, and Well-being for Desk Dwellers and Couch Potatoes)
Available Now
www.pjsharon.com

Needing inspiration! (Contest)
Tuesday, January 12th, 2016

UPDATE: The winner of the gift card is Mary Preston!

* * * * *

I was looking for an inspirational quote from one of those inspirational quote books to begin my day. The book fell open to this one:

To live is to suffer,
to survive is to find meaning in suffering.
Viktor Frankl

That’s meant to inspire? Reading that might inspire suicide!

Here’s another:

The more the marble wastes, the more the statue grows.
Michelangelo

Okay, I get it. Kind of like a writer staring at a blank page has to find words to fill it, a sculptor has to find the shape living inside the stone. That’s better, but I need more quotes to pull out today when my attention begins to wane. Feels like that kind of day—it’s freezing outside, the sky is overcast, my bed looks way too inviting. I need a reason to stay at my keyboard.

So, that’s your mission today. Should you choose to accept it. Find me a quote, something that will keep my fingers on the keyboard, my mind pressing forward in the story! Best quoter (hmmm, my online dictionary says that’s not a word—well, it should be!) wins a small Amazon gift card! Okay, so that “best” thing can be intimidating, and I don’t care if your quote is corny or terrible, just fill the comments!

While you’re pondering, ponder these covers for stories coming very soon…

FrannieDick600 BabyItsYou_600 DD_Strokes3_600

Bibi Rizer: Charity Anthologies
Monday, January 11th, 2016

brCaptureA great way for authors to build their brand while also contributing to a good cause is by publishing stories in charity anthologies. If you’re a reader, it’s also a great way to support good causes while satisfying your craving for hot romance.

This is why, if you’re a fan of Motorcycle Romance (or even if you’re not!), you should check out BIKER CHICKS. Not only will proceeds from BIKER CHICKS support the amazing charity BIKERS AGAINST CHILD ABUSE (the local chapter  where our editor AJ Downey lives), but BIKER CHICKS also seeks to bring biker romances into the 21st century (and beyond!), by telling stories about women who ride.

BIKER CHICKS includes stories by some awesome authors, both established romance authors and some new names. It comes out on Valentine’s Day but is available for pre-order now.

The romance is HOT, and the authors didn’t shy away from kink, gender fluidity, same sex or poly-romance, so you’ve been warned. Pre-order your copy from Amazon today, but meanwhile, here’s a taste from my dystopian City of Dark Pleasures story, Her Queendom:

Standing, I can see she’s as tall as me, the silver light of the moon makes her look metallic, hard and impenetrable. Magical, almost.

“You want to know what freedom feels like?” she asks. “So you’ll know, in case you ever find it?”

“I guess so.”

She takes my hand, leading me up some stairs from the river deck to the road above. There, parked in the moonlight, like a faithful transport bot, is a motorcycle.

“Wow. Is that yours?”

“That’s my baby. You like it?”

“Where did you get it?” Motorbikes have been outlawed in the Free City and the Pleasures for years, since before I was born. The only way I know about them is from contraband magazines, stolen out of the ruins.

“I built it mostly. Bits of this and that.”

I admire the bike as we get closer. An elegant love child of leather and steel, its large black tires seem eager to get into motion, almost as though it’s unhappy being stationary. “Is it self-driving?”

The woman snorts a laugh. “No way! Where’s the fun in that? Hop up.”

She invites me into the rear seat. The soft leather seems to welcome me, cushioning my ass and thighs like it was molded to my shape.

“Thermo shaping foam,” the woman says.  “Also,” she clicks a switch and welcome warmth rises up into my numb flesh. “Heated seat. Warm up those shrunken testicles.”

Warmth shoots down from my face too. I’d forgotten all about my sex parts. Up to this moment I was as emasculated as a Cull, but with the warmth of the seat my cock and balls wake up, tingling, as though reminding me of their presence, reminding me that they, and I survived the Expiation that so many did not. I wasn’t killed. I wasn’t culled. I became one of the Alphas, a reluctant harem husband with a small party of brides I never particularly loved.

They gave me children I loved though. And they’re safe. My children are safe.

The woman turns, swinging her leg over the seat in front of me, her round ass, pressing into my newly awakened manhood.

“What’s your name?” I ask. I just feel like it’s something I should know.

“Spark,” she says, rising up onto the kick starter. The bike bounces as she slams the starter down, then roars to life. “Hold on to me, or the back rest,” she shouts back at me, cranking the throttle. The tires squeal as we blast into motion.

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Bibi Rizer

Bibi Rizer (http://www.bibirizer.com) is a mom, blogger, teacher and writer living in the Pacific Northwest. While she’s been writing professionally for many years, romance and erotica are relatively new pursuits.

Bibi likes writing about strong kinky women and brave willing men living in realistic and imperfect worlds.

In her spare time Bibi sings Karaoke and hangs around on film sets with child actors. Having the the firm belief that no one can be too weird or too funny, she happily admits that most of her favorite people and characters are both.

Also by Bibi Rizer

Electrify Me: A New Adult Novella http://amzn.to/1NApcDE
Objectify Me: A New Adult Romance http://amzn.to/1NApiv1
The Obsidian Stairway: The City of Dark Pleasures – Book I http://amzn.to/1Ns6Zdk
The Amber Columns: The City of Dark Pleasures – Book II http://amzn.to/1YllJTJ
Conquests: An Anthology of Smoldering Viking Romance http://amzn.to/1k5u7UC
The Shield Maiden’s Revenge http://amzn.to/1QvYxNX
Morag’s Honor http://amzn.to/1OzvHWX

By Bibi Rizer and Gabrielle Prendergast
Cover Your Dreams: Tips for Indie Authors to Help Them Get a Book Cover They Love http://amzn.to/1NApBpu

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9854368.Bibi_Rizer

https://www.facebook.com/Bibi-Rizer-845707895448516/