I love recipes, and I am terrible at cooking! This summer, I am sharing my two favorite quick and easy treats that anyone can make in a pinch! 

First: Strawberry Fruit Dip

What you need: 1 jar strawberry preserves or jelly, 1 container of whipped topping such as Cool Whip. 

Mix, keep cool, serve with assorted fruits!

Second: Chocolate Pie

What you need: 1 chocolate crust such as Oreo, 1 instant chocolate pudding, milk, whipped topping, chocolate sprinkles. 

Mix the pudding and milk per directions, put in pie crust, let set, put whipped topping on, add sprinkles, serve!

If you are in a pinch and have limited time, these are 2 easy recipes that are party favorites. 

💜Check out this HUGE #giftaway!💜

🎁You could snag a BIG BOX OF PAPERBACKS, sponsored by the Rituals & Runes authors!🎁

#charmedmagic #shiftersunleashed #ritualsandrunes

➡️Clickity-click: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1be7623382/

(Fa**book is not Responsible for this opportunity. No purchase necessary to enter.)

📘Be sure you have your copy of Rituals & Runes reserved so you can get lost in over 25+ ALL NEW stories by your favorite bestselling authors including Gina Kincade, C.D. Gorri, Bella Roccaforte, C.A. King, Piper Stone, J. C. McKenzie, J.E. Taylor, Serenity Rayne, Cara North, and so many more!📘

➡️Buy Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oz9aGJ
Universal: https://books2read.com/rituals

Author Links:
Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/musesandsirens
Website: http://www.creativewritingwithdrnagle.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCaraNorth
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caranorthauthor/
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Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20650398.Cara_North
BookBub : https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cara-north
Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B002BLLE1U
TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdht9Kg1/

It’s always hard to say goodbye.

As a writer, I love all the characters who’ve shared their stories with me, but the Salvation Pack holds a very special place in my heart.

When I met them a decade ago, I’d planned a five-book series. Nine books later I was done. Or I thought I was. All the original pack members had their stories, along with new members we met along the way. What else was there to write about?

You know what they say about the best-laid plans, right?

I couldn’t stop thinking about the next generation, the kids of the original pack members. And I wasn’t the only person with questions. Readers kept asking me for more, so I dove back into that world and created the Salvation Pack: The Next Generation series.

While there may be more stories to tell in the future, Wolf in the Night is the last one I’ve planned for this series. The original pack is aging. I need to stop while everyone is happy and vibrant and loving life. It’s my happily-ever-after for a wolf pack I’ve loved for almost a dozen years. They’ve brought so much joy to my life.

I’ll be forever grateful to Jacque LaForge, Armand LaForge, Cole Blanchard, Gator Rollins, and Louis LaForge for changing my life forever.

I hope you enjoy Wolf in the Night as much as I do.

Wolf in the Night
Salvation Pack: The Next Generation, Book 5

Driving home from a trip, Emma Matheson is run off the road in an abduction attempt. Seems the alpha of her father’s former pack never forgave his defection. To settle the old score, he plans to force her to mate with a male of his choosing—his son, Dmitri.

Dmitri Gribkov wants no part of his father’s revenge. A loner by choice, nothing has prepared him for sexy, stubborn Emma. He’ll do whatever it takes to protect her—even if it means losing her.

Determined to control her destiny, she does her best to escape, even as the attraction between her and Dmitri sizzles. Doesn’t take long for her to realize this huge, sexy wolf is a protector at heart.

Tracking and killing are what he does best. Before this is over, he’ll have blood on his hands, but winning her love will be the hardest battle.

From Wolf in the Night…

Fear had a taste, something she’d never realized until tonight. It was metallic and nasty. Her shirt, damp with sweat, clung to her torso. Some of her hair had escaped her braid and fell into her eyes.

She’d thought she was going to die.

Her throat throbbed. Her ribs ached. And tears filled her eyes.

Not yet. She couldn’t break down until she was safe. She sucked air into her starving lungs, unable to remember ever being so winded. Exhaustion, along with an adrenaline dump, was making it difficult for her body to heal.

It was the first time in her life anyone had intentionally tried to harm her. Growing up with an overprotective father and overprotective siblings, she’d lived a charmed existence, filled with love and acceptance.

None of it had prepared her for this … hatred. Ivan despised her, had enjoyed hurting her. Now he was gone, driven away by this mountain of a male.

She blinked several times, but he didn’t disappear, wasn’t a figment of her oxygen-deprived brain. The wolves of her pack were the deadliest she’d ever known. This one, the one Ivan had called Dmitri, might be the most dangerous she’d ever met.

Shaggy black hair fell around massive shoulders. The lower half of his face was covered by a thick beard. His eyes were the same color as the dark amber honey she used to sweeten her tea. Every muscle was sculpted and rippled when he moved. There wasn’t a spare ounce of fat on him anywhere.

*~*~*

If you’d like to read more of Emma and Dmitri’s story, you can find Wolf in the Night here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2JHXWMG/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1149225
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolf-in-the-night-n-j-walters/1141575164
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wolf-in-the-night
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6442893846

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 me at:
Website: http://www.njwalters.com
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

UPDATE: The winner is…flchen1!
*~*~*

I’ve participated in several charity anthologies before, but they’ve always been when I sought out the project.  For this anthology, I was contacted by Xio Axelrod and offered the opportunity to join.  I’d seen previous volumes in this series and when she messaged me, I thought huh??? She can’t possibly mean me. She must be mistaken.  I’m a newer author in the gay romance genre. At the time, I’d published four novellas, a short story, and one novel.  I kept thinking, there must be some mistake.  That being said, I sent back my agreement right away and started writing a novella.  I figured if I gave it to them, they’d have to include it, right? (Assuming the story was good enough, of course.)

I wrote my heart out and Page Against the Machine is the result.  I’m happy with my novella, and I’m hoping readers will enjoy it as they gobble up the other stories in the anthology.  The two organizations we’re giving the money to are near and dear to me.  Of course, I know the Matthew Shepard story, and with all that is going on in Texas right now, I’m happy to lend my support to Equality Texas.  In fact, as I look around, I realize how blessed I am to live in Canada.  We’re not perfect, but we don’t actively have people trying to take away our rights.  As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I found stepping up even more important.

I hope you’ll buy the anthology.  I hope you’ll enjoy all the stories.  We, as authors, pour our hearts into these stories.  We do it out of love.  Inclusive love.  Abiding love.

And, I wouldn’t be a good guest (thank you so much Delilah), if I didn’t offer a prize.  For a $5 Amazon GC, drop a note.  Have you read an inclusive story of some kind that moved you? (Doesn’t have to be a gay romance.)  Good luck!

Love is All

The fifth edition of Love Is All features nine brand new stories from bestselling and award-winning authors, including BL Maxwell, Chantal Mer & Susan Scott Shelley, Connor Peterson, Gabbi Grey, Nic Starr, R.L. Merrill, Sean Michael, Sophia Soames, and Xio Axelrod. They celebrate the universal human right that is to love and be loved.

All proceeds from the anthology will go to two organizations that support and defend LGBTQIA+ rights: the Matthew Shepard Foundation and Equality Texas.

The anthology will only be available for a limited time.

Links:
https://books2read.com/liav5
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Love-All-5-Xio-Axelrod-ebook/dp/B0B3Z4ZY4H/
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61212762-love-is-all

About the Authors

Xio Axelrod
Xio Axelrod is a USA Today bestselling author of different flavours of contemporary romance. She also writes what she likes to call strange, twisted tales. Xio grew up in the music industry and began recording at a young age. When she isn’t writing stories, she can be found in the studio, writing songs, or performing on international stages (under a different, no-so-secret name). She lives in Philadelphia with one full-time husband and several part-time cats.

Chantal Mer
Chantal Mer is an author and optimist. Her stories explore relationships and what it means to be family. When she’s not writing about strong women, strong men, and strong love, she can be found walking her adorable dog, volunteering at her kids’ school (in the library, of course), teaching at the local university, and reading.

Chantal lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband, kids, Toffee the Wonder Dog, and vicious cat, Gracie.

Susan Scott Shelley
USA Today bestselling author Susan Scott Shelley writes stories with heat and heart, where love always wins. Her romances give readers lighthearted and emotionally satisfying escapes into happily ever after. In addition to crafting stories, she is also a professional voiceover artist and enjoys lending her voice to a wide range of projects.

She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and is an avid fan of her hometown sports teams. Her favorite things include running (honestly, it’s more like jogging), sports (especially hockey), hard rock (but will listen to anything from heavy metal to show tunes), and writing about people from all walks of life finding their special someone.

R.L. Merrill
R.L. Merrill brings you stories of Hope, Love, and Rock ‘n’ Roll featuring quirky and relatable characters. Whether she’s writing contemporary, paranormal, or supernatural, she loves to give readers a shiver with compelling stories that will stay with you long after. You can find her connecting with readers on social media, educating America’s youth, raising two brilliant teenagers, writing horror-infused music reviews for HorrorAddicts.net, trying desperately to get that back piece finished in the tattoo chair, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more Rock ‘n’ Romance.

Rochelle Merrill brings you Fun, Fresh Fiction with Feeling. If R.L. Merrill is your local hard rock/metal radio station, Rochelle is her Adult Contemporary alter ego. Spinning feel-good stories to make you laugh and swoon, Ro writes romance for grown-ups who use their words (mostly) and take care of business. She’s a mom and wife who’s on hiatus from a career in education while she explores the new terrain of mid-life adventures. You can catch her walking and gardening in her neighborhood by the Bay, spoiling her rescue pets, and dreaming of attending concerts and theaters again someday. Stay Tuned for more hits coming your way…

Sean Michael
Often referred to as “Space Cowboy” and “Gangsta of Love” while still striving for the moniker of “Maurice,” Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and persuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to “Chicago.”

A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.

Barring any of that? He’ll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.

Sophia Soames
Sophia Soames is a Scandinavian, UK based, Author of contemporary MM romance. She writes stories of everyday people with kids and families living real life fairytales.

Nic Starr
Nic Starr lives in Australia where she tries to squeeze as much into her busy life as possible. Balancing the demands of a corporate career with raising a family and writing can be challenging but she wouldn’t give it up for the world.

Always a reader, the lure of m/m romance was strong and she devoured hundreds of wonderful m/m romance books before eventually realising she had some stories of her own that needed to be told!

When not writing or reading, she loves to spend time with her family–an understanding husband and two beautiful daughters–and is often found indulging in her love of cooking and planning her dream home in the country.

Connor Peterson
Connor Peterson is a USA Today bestselling author of LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and dark, paranormal romance, local to the Philadelphia, PA area. The madman behind Deathspell and Temptation in Neon, Connor has also contributed to the story cycle Red Phone Box – published by Ghostwoods Books – and the anthology Nocturnal Embers – published by Crimson Melodies Publishing. He is also an active participant in the Philadelphia writing community, and volunteers as a municipal liaison for National Novel Writing Month.

BL Maxwell
BL Maxwell grew up in a small town listening to her grandfather spin tales about his childhood. Later she became an avid reader and after a certain vampire series she became obsessed with fanfiction. She soon discovered Slash fanfiction and later discovered the MM genre and was hooked.

Many years later, she decided to take the plunge and write down some of the stories that seem to run through her head late at night when she’s trying to sleep.

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.

Hello lovely readers, I’m back again, this time with a limited-time sale AND a cover reveal!

Today I’m raving about my new cover. I’m thrilled to have such a lovely, and colourful cover for my upcoming story, The Siren and the Water Witch.

If you aren’t already familiar with the Clayridge Chronicles, this story will be part of that universe. It will include some characters from Love Spells, Full Moons, and Silver Bullets, as well as introduce new ones that we can look forward to reading about in future books.

The Tails from the Clayridge Fountain, will be a series of novella-length stories with a primary focus on the fountain in the middle of the town that houses the sirens. These ladies are basically the town prostitutes, so you can imagine what the emphasis will be on!

Fair warning, The Siren and the Water Witch has a HFN for the couple but ends on a cliffhanger. Don’t worry, we’ll see Ezra and Misty again in the next Clayridge Chronicle novel.

Check out the blurb for The Siren and the Water Witch…

Ezra is about to discover just how much one night of pleasure is really worth.

Star athlete and academic wizkid, Ezra Graves, is acing his classes at the Barrett Academy, all except botany. After scoring a passing grade on the midterm, Ezra considers ways to celebrate, and nothing sounds more appealing than a trip to the Clayridge fountain to indulge in the forbidden with a siren.

Ezra doesn’t need to vie hard for female attention as the Academy’s golden pupil, but he’s dying to shed his good boy image and taste the forbidden. Visiting the fountain could damage his reputation and academic career—even get him kicked out of the Academy. More could be at stake, as he receives a gentle reminder that half-blood witches have been disappearing lately. Being away from the protection of the school grounds—particularly at night—could prove deadly.

Armed with enough gold coins to pay for a night with one of the fishy seductresses, Ezra ignores his better judgment and heads for the fountain. But little does he know something dangerous is lurking in the shadows, with Ezra’s name and the promise of a significant paycheck if the witch can be caught and delivered to the notorious vampire, Nixon Castor.

You can preorder The Siren and the Water Witch today!

Now, onto the sales!

I have three ebooks on for .99 cents each!

Playing with Michael is a contemporary short novella. It’s a cute, but steamy friends to lovers story. It kicks off a series of novellas that all focus on different couples.

Drew, my paranormal romance novella, is my first ever wolf shifter story. It was featured in the Shifters Do It Better Anthology, which is available in KU, and for this month it’s also on sale for .99 in the U.S. and the U.K. through Kindle. It’ll be unpublished at the end of the month, so grab it now before it’s too late. It’s got 19 sexy shifter stories inside! Note: This sale is in effect from June 23-29^th 2022.

Lastly, for this week only, I’ve put Love Spells, Full Moons, and Silver Bullets on sale for .99 on all ebook platforms. This is the first story in the Clayridge Chronicles, and is a whooping 115K. It’s a big book.

So take advantage of these sales while they last, and as always, if you sign up for my newsletter you’ll receive a FREE short story. It’s a contemporary cop romance called, Arrested Valentine.

About Playing with Michael:

When his long-time crush Nikki gets dumped, Michael decides to make his move. She’s the perfect girlfriend — so perfect so that she’s never single for long. Michael knows his window of opportunity is limited. It’s now or never.

When her best guy friend Michael breaks all the rules and kisses her at the bar, Nikki’s stunned. Michael’s the guy Nikki always turns to when her heart is broken — again. He’s a friend, a confidant, and, best of all, he’s safe. She can tell him anything. But once the shock wears off and she has time to sort out her feelings, she decides he’s worth the risk. Time to find out just how compatible they really are!

About Drew:

Her scent changed everything.

Alyssa Mayer’s scent is intriguing. It’s sweet, sensual and ignites Drew’s blood like nothing before. His body burns for her, his mind is occupied with thoughts of her, meaning only one thing. She’s his fated mate.

The problem? He doesn’t recognize her from a local pack, nor any pack he’s ever smelled before. Is she human? She is his fated mate, but if she’s human will he dare to break the species barrier? It wouldn’t be the first time a wolf shifter mated with a human, but such a bonding brings its own mess of troubles, and that’s before considering a neighbouring alpha wants Drew to agree to an arranged mating.

After spending her youth drifting from one foster home to the next and spending her adolescent and adult life homeless and alone, Alyssa wonders how long she’ll be able to stay in the small town. She can’t risk anyone discovering her secret. All she wants to do is paint and find a forever home, but as an oddity, a freak of nature, she knows that can never be, no matter how much she’d like to stay.

When she meets Drew, her instinct tells her to run, but for the first time she might just have a reason to stay, but pack pressures and hidden foes are threaten to keep them apart.

About Love Spells, Full Moons, and Silver Bullets:

What do you do when your ex’s werewolf boss wants to feast on the mortal you’ve sworn to protect?

Quinn was unaware of the love potion her meddling cat dumped into her tea, so when Ian Hannigan ends up injured on her property, she thinks she’s dealing with another mortal, not the man who can help mend her heart. Her life becomes a balancing act as she attempts to keep him safe while hiding secrets better left buried with the dead.

In a realm filled with things that go bump in the night, Ian didn’t expect to find security and happiness in the arms of a green-skinned witch, yet for the first time since his parents’ tragic car crash, he’s found some measure of peace. The rumors he hears in Clayridge aren’t pleasant, but Ian knows there’s more to Quinn than what people would have him believe. If he’s placed his trust in the wrong hands, he’ll be paying with more than just his heart. He’ll pay with his life.

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*

It’s sooooo hot here; a fresh heat wave is coming today. And wouldn’t you know it? The AC doesn’t work. My SIL’s very handy, and he’ll look at it after his shift with the local PD ends. However, I already have a service request submitted through our home appliance insurance to get someone out here. We’ll probably be roasting for days.

So, I’m thinking cool thoughts and keeping in the basement because the temperature down here never gets dire. I’m really thinking about an escape, wishing I could head to some beach. My sister and I have been playing with the idea of taking another trip to Hawaii next year. I’ll have to dream about sand squishing between my toes and swimming with the sea turtles until then.

In the meantime, we need a contest, right? Something fun!

Because I love reading about what’s going on in your lives, let me know. Tell me what you’re cooking. Tell me what you’re reading or watching on TV. Tell me about any trips you have planned. You choose the topic. Comment for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

In the meantime, I’ll be here, working on edits that are almost overdue, and putting the final touches on the story I have to get to my sister… Have a fabulous Sunday!

UPDATE: The winner is…Colleen C.!
*~*~*

We had a 7-hour power outage yesterday due to heavy thunderstorms. It started in the morning and lasted well into the afternoon. We pulled the generator out of the shed to power the refrigerator and make cups of coffee (priorities!). Working by candlelight in my basement office was impossible. It’s a daylight basement. From the front of the house, you think it’s a one-story home. From the back, you see two stories. Well, my office is tucked into the way back of the basement and has no windows. I call it my “mole hole” and that lack of windows is perfect for a writer with W.A.D.D. (writer’s ADD).

However, my basement craft room has windows, so that’s where I settled. The light that reached my worktable was dim, but I had to do something. I’ll be cutting out the watercolor flowers for collaging so the ugly marks around them don’t matter (I didn’t like looking at all the white space!). The ink drawing was kind of fun. I used the dropper on my ink bottle to draw it. I’m going to practice with it more. So, not a wasted day. I learned something.

Puzzle Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me what you want to read right now! (My picture clues you into the genre of book I wish I had right now!)

Open Contests

1. May into June (“Me in My Mind” Puzzle-Contest — and More Contests!) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Diana Cosby: For the Love of Nature! (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win a signed book!
3. Hump-Day Contest! —  Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Cara North: 10 Free Ways to Support Your Favorite Authors (Contest) —  Win a Kindle Fire!

Want a peek inside the book coming out on June 21st? It’s part of the Athena Project series, which includes these books written by the fabulous Desiree Holt, Reina Torres, Jen Talty, and Regan Black inside Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors World!

(And yeah, I know the picture says June 28, but it’s the 21st!)

Victoria’s Six

Read an excerpt!

A hard shoulder butted against her belly, taking away her breath. Not that her adversary today had given her the full might of his movement. Still, he managed to fold her over that said hard shoulder as he straightened and swept her off her feet. As she sailed behind him, she forced herself to go with it instead of tensing in anticipation, tucking in her chin before landing. Her surrender to the move lessened the impact when her back slapped the mat.

Dragging in a deep breath, Victoria Cross gave her sparring partner a stern glare. “You could’ve warned me we were starting again.”

He arched an eyebrow.

Yeah, that had been the point. He’d wanted to surprise her and check out her moves. He’d already made his opinion of her fitness for close-in, hand-to-hand combat measures perfectly clear. If they ever faced that sort of attack, she was to let him lead. Step behind him. Let his superior size and strength take the lead. Always.

Logically, she could see the sense of it. He was an ex-SEAL, built big and tall, not an ounce of lazy flab on his muscular frame. At thirty-seven, he was still in his prime. Battle-hardened.

And dear Lord was he hard.

Shoving that thought aside, she accepted the hand he offered her and let him pull her up in front of him. “You were holding back,” she said, frowning. Something that irritated the shit out of her because it was becoming a pattern. One she was trying to break because he needed to learn to trust in her skills and abilities.

“I used an appropriate amount of force,” he said, one corner of his mouth kicking up.

That half-smile and the deliberate deepening of his southern drawl had her seeing red—he was patronizing “the little woman.” She shot out both hands, slamming them against his chest while at the same time sweeping out a foot to catch him behind the ankles.

He didn’t budge.

She’d used the same move when sparring with her last partner and had planted his butt on the mat numerous times.

Logan Tackett sighed, gripped one of her arms, and turned her, folding her into his embrace so tightly she couldn’t use her elbows to strike his gut. Further, he quickly kicked out and hooked a leg around her ankles, preventing her from stomping on his foot. He had her completely trapped and under his control.

His head lowered, and he spoke into her ear. “You done?”

Seeing as they’d already spent an hour beating punching bags and each other, she relaxed, glad none of her friends were there to see her so overmatched. They’d have laughed themselves silly. “You can let me go now.”

“You sure?” he asked, his breath stirring the hair sticking to her cheek that had come loose from her ponytail.

“We have a meeting with Jake Cogburn in the conference room,” she reminded him while gritting her teeth.

His leg released hers. His arms fell away. When he stepped back from her, she felt a stirring of cool air against her sweaty back and strangely missed his warmth. “I’m heading to the shower,” she said. “See you at the meeting.” Then she quickly moved away, trying to leave behind some conflicting feelings—irritation with herself for not meeting the moment because she’d been working hard to earn his respect and disappointment that he’d let her go.

That last realization had her shaking her head. Logan was her partner. She’d never go there. Besides, she’d noted that he tended to have some old-fashioned views about a woman’s place in this organization. He’d have been fine with her if she kept to her lane—something she’d never accept.

Have you pre-ordered your copy? No?
Pre-order now!