Here is something that I call a ‘Driscollism’. This comes from the hero in my book Unexpected Encounter (Singleton, #4) which released today. In the book my hero says some…let’s just say his views on things are interesting. I’ll let Driscoll Jacobs speak for himself.

Driscollism

When someone tells me I’m going to fail, it makes me even more determined to succeed then flip them off when I do – said by Driscoll Jacobs from Unexpected Encounter by Taige Crenshaw

I love this Driscollism because one of the things I believe is when something is tough or hard I won’t let it defeat me. I dig in and work harder to get it done.

Throughout Unexpected Encounter Driscoll has a unique way of putting things.

****

Taige Crenshaw is a multi-published author with books available at Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Liquid Silver Books, Loose Id, and Totally Bound. Taige has been enthralled with the written word from time she picked up her first book. It wasn’t long before she started to make up her own tales of romance. With novels set in today, in alternate dimensions, or in the future she writes with adventure, fun sassy heroine’s, and sexy hero’s. Always hard at work creating new and exciting places Taige can be found curled up with a hot novel with exciting characters when she is not creating her own. Join her in the fun, frolic, interesting people and far reaches of the world in her novels. You can find out more about Taige at her website: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com or blog: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/blog.

Unexpected Encounter –  An unexpected encounter leads to a lasting passion…

Buy here at Totally Bound.

So it’s last-minute, but who doesn’t love spontaneous? Okay, so Monday night’s not all that spontaneous, but it’s not a lot of lead time either. ANYWAY, I’m rambling again. Used to it yet?

On Monday afternoon 2:00PM to 6:00PM EDT, I’m hosting a FB party to celebrate the release of Once in a Blue Moon. I have friends lined up to join me. And as details about my guests emerge today, I’ll come back and update this page. But don’t you love a little mystery?

What you need to know for now is the time, which I’ve given you. And the fact that every half hour there will be a new guest author jumping in with contests and spicy peeks into their books. I have very nice friends, so you know they won’t be stingy.

So, head on over to this link and let me know you’re coming. And if you have suggestions for prizes, I’m open to them. And if anyone is any good at designing those banner thingies for Facebook parties, I could sure use something fun…

Delilah Devlin’s Facebook Party

PS—thanks to everyone who has written me about Once in a Blue Moon. I’m thrilled you’re loving it!

Every character must have one. The real test is figuring out the trick to creating a truly unique person. As an author, you want your hero to walk off the page, sweep the reader into his arms, and carry her off for the ride of her life.

The task can be easier said than done. Personally, I have tried any number of methods for fleshing out characters–from studying horoscope profiles to reading about the sixteen personality types. I’ve invested hours in studying the GMCs (Goal, Motivation & Conflict). In the quest to create memorable people that stand apart from the crowd, I’ve slapped my characters with scars, childhood traumas, and Tic Tac addictions.

Zachary Hunter, the hero of my erotic paranormal novel, The Mating Game, walked off the page Totally British. He’s a mystery suspense novelist and a sexy werewolf. He also possesses a dry wit and biting sarcasm. His voice was crisp and clean, but his vernacular presented an immediate issue. I, his author, am from Northern California. My familiarity with English accents derives primarily from Monty Python and Joss Whedon characters.

California has a great deal of diversity, so Brits are sometimes spotted in the wild, lurking about pubs and book stores. My early attempts into research began with tea and scones placed under a box trap, but the English are shy, wily creatures. The snare stood empty for days.

When I switched to baiting with hard liquor, I caught a fine Scottish lad immediately. Only I coldna understand a word he said. Not fer the life o’ me. Sadly, I set him free and turned to Google.

“The Best of the British” and “A Dictionary of Slang” are the top two hits to return when searching “British Slang”. Both are fun and interesting sites with a ton of useful information. I highly recommend them.  I had a blast doing the research, and it presented a real challenge to use the jargon sparingly.

Zach talking to the heroine, Theresa:

“I’ve got a deadline, love. My editor is an absolute slave driver. That’s why I’m in this state.” He indicated the odious apparel with a flourish.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course. Your editor made you run through the forest in an orange dress. Makes perfect sense. I’m sorry I asked.”

He frowned. “I was running on four legs, love, not two. You know that.”

“Of course I do, but you didn’t expect anything but a hard time—showing up here in that.” Grinning, she gave him a quick up-down.

Zach chuckled. “Not really. To make a long story short, I left my clothes in a hunter’s blind but when I returned, my clothing was gone.”

“Did someone find your clothes?” she asked with a worried frown. Such a minor thing might result in unforeseen troubles for the pack. As a rule, the local werewolves went to great lengths to conceal their presence from the human population. Normal people in the small Nevada town of Iron Stone remained blithely unaware of the wolves living amongst them.

“Not someone—something,” Zach said. “Raccoons: three of the scrotty little sods. They ripped my clothes to shreds and dredged the creek with my shoes.”

“Oh, no!” Laughter again threatened to split her sides. She pressed her hands to her ribcage and gasped for breath. “Did you eat them?”

“No.” Zach looked miserable for the admission. “It was a mum and two babes. I didn’t have the heart.”

Theresa reached out and touched his hand. “You’re a good man, Zachary Hunter.”

“Thanks, but I’d rather be a clothed man,” Zach said. “I stole this getup off a laundry line in the Widow Crawley’s yard.”

“For shame! Stealing from a little old lady.”

Zach rolled his shoulders to add emphasis to the voluminous dress. “Not so little.”

The Mating Game

The Mating Game
Melissa Snark
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: June 20, 2014
ISBNs: 978-1-62830-378-0 Paperback; 978-1-62830-379-7 Digital
Number of pages: 344
Word Count: 82,508
Cover Artist: Rae Monet

Two males…two friends…a competition for the right to claim The Heart of the Iron Stone Pack.

An alpha female at her core, Theresa Sanchez struggles to protect her young daughter, but rivalries and politics create volatility in the pack. As Theresa comes into heat, lust and need rule her body. Her pack demands only the most virile male have her. How can she choose only one mate when her body craves two—the virile beta and the man she loves?

Zachary Hunter will do anything to take Theresa as his mate, even if it means killing his best friend. However, Robert Blane is just as determined to ascend to Alpha. Both their beasts howl to mark her flesh, but only one can survive to claim her.

But with enemies circling, they must fight…for the pack, for Theresa, and for a future together.

Warning: Book contains wolf shifters, pack politics, gritty fight scenes, offbeat humor, and sizzling sexual adventures between a ménage of partners.

Available at:
Amazon Paperback
Amazon Kindle
All Romance ebooks
Barnes and Noble Nook
iTunes
The Wild Rose Press Paperback
The Wild Rose Press ebook

Fast Facts About Melissa Snark:

• Melissa Snark is published with The Wild Rose Press & as an Indie author with five unique titles: A CAT’S TALE, THE MATING GAME, LEARNING TO FLY, THE CHILD THIEF, HUNGER MOON.
• Her Loki’s Wolves series includes THE CHILD THIEF, HUNGER MOON AND BATTLE CRY (to be released in 2014).
• She lives in the San Francisco bay area with her husband, three children and a glaring of cats.
• She is a professional cat herder and unrepentant satirist who blogs about books and writing on The Snarkology.

Connect with Melissa Snark:
Author Website
The Snarkology
Email: melissasnark at gmail.com
Facebook Author Page
Twitter
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page

The Mating Game Excerpt (Chapter 1):  

Bright and early Saturday morning, Theresa Sanchez opened her front door to discover Zachary Hunter clad in a bright orange dress on her porch. The loose bodice fell low on his chest, displaying dark blond curls and showcasing his broad shoulders and powerful torso. The neon hemline stopped above the knees, revealing muscular calves, strong ankles, and shapely feet.

It was unusual attire for a dominant male werewolf.

She stepped closer and sniffed, seeking to satisfy the impulses of her she-wolf. The earthy scent of him flooded her nostrils—masculine and potent—inciting the heated ache of arousal between her thighs. She licked her lips, hoping that drool hadn’t dribbled down her chin. The man made her mouth water.

“My eyes are up here, love,” Zach quipped in a crisp British accent. His hand lifted and a long, elegant finger tapped her chin.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” She forced her roaming eyes upward, away from his buff chest, striving to remember that she and Zach didn’t play like that. The man was many things to her: best friend, confidant, and protector. He fixed leaky faucets and kept her ancient car running. But of all the roles he played, he remained “lover” only in her dreams.

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New book! GOD WHISPERER
10% of author royalties will be donated to the American Society for Deaf Children.

I am so happy to be here again. Thank you, Delilah.

When I posted in April, I was super-excited about the upcoming releases of our SEALS OF SUMMER Military Superbundle. Thanks to you wonderful readers, we hit the NY Times Bestselling list. Wowza, it’s still such a dream come true!

Since April, I’ve released another book in the SEAL EXtreme Team series, LOCK and LOAD, and am working on book 3. I love, love, love the SEALs. Writing about them makes my heart go pitter-patter. But sometimes I need to go in a different direction when a story grabs hold of my heart and won’t let go until I write it.

GOD WHISPERER is a romantic and inspirational suspense. I hope you all like it (she says as she chews her nails). It’s different and personal. My son was the inspiration behind the book because he was born with a very rare defect called Atresia—meaning no ear canal. He was also missing an eardrum. The surgeon at UCLA drilled a hole and created an eardrum from tissue behind my son’s ear. The auditory ossicles, or hearing bones, vibrated to sound on the operating table. When my boy could hear out of both ears for the first time? Holy moly, what a miracle!

While the book is pure fiction, a river of truth flows through the pages. The emotions? Those are mine. The fear of losing a child, the elation and gratitude of a surgery that changes everything, the joy? Mine, mine, mine. Wanting to help others? You guessed it. 10% of my royalties will be donated to the American Society for Deaf Children to help families and children. When you buy the book, you help, too. Thank you so much.

I’d love to hear what you think of the book. Honest reviews and emails make my day. You can write to me at kimberleytroutte@verizon.net.

Amazon   |   Barnes and Noble

A frightened mother on the run…

LONNIE HOGAN has lived and breathed fear for the eight years she and her son have been on the run. She cut ties with the past and is hiding out in a small offbeat Danish community in California. Will the killers find them? She’s ready to run again, or fight for her son’s precious life, but she won’t let anyone take David.

A desperate man searching for his family…

Few people on St. John, Virgin Islands, know their favorite doctor, MARK NORTON, is a desperate man searching for the life that was stolen from him. After hours, he surfs the internet for leads and retraces paths gone stone-cold to find his missing family. He’ll do anything to find them and get his son back.

Will sacrifice everything to protect the boy who hears God…

DAVID HOGAN is a regular kid, if you don’t count the one-ear thing. He didn’t mind being deaf in one ear, but it hurt his mom, way down deep, as if she caused it. Why won’t she see bad things can happen for good reasons? Like the ear surgery that allowed him to hear God. Talking to God is one of the greatest things to ever happen to him, even if Mom doesn’t believe it. But the killers can find them now. Can one little kid save them all?

Kimberley Troutte

NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Kimberley Troutte has been an accountant, substitute teacher, caterer, financial analyst for a major defense contractor, aerobics instructor, real-estate broker, freelance writer, homework corrector and caregiver to all the creatures the kids/hubby/dog drag in. She lives with her husband, two sons, a wild cat and a snake in Southern California. She writes romantic suspense and children’s fiction.

Website | Blog | Facebook | @KTroutte |NEWSLETTER

Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, Delilah. Writing romantic suspense isn’t the easiest subgenre since you have to blend two threads together—the suspense and the romance—and do it almost evenly. In Echoes of the Past, I took the challenge one step further. I added a paranormal component to the story, one that meshes with both the romance thread and the suspense, and hopefully draws the reader into my wild and crazy imagination.

When I first set eyes on the Lake of The Mountain, I knew I had to craft a story around its unique and mysterious nature. Discovering a Mohawk legend attached to the lake brought the story together for me quickly. When you think of lakes and suspense, drowning seems like the ready-made crime, but I added a dash of today’s drug problems to it and wove everything together.

In the romance thread, you need a heroine and a hero looking for love, but unable to find it. What if they did find it once, but lost it? How poignant would their search to find their soul mate and recapture their love be? That’s the angle I took In Echoes of the Past. My hero and heroine are madly in love with one another, but they can’t be together initially. Why? Because they’ve never met. Sound strange?

That’s where the paranormal thread fits in. Remember the Mohawk legend I mentioned? What if my hero and heroine were reincarnations of those doomed lovers, who died and were kept apart throughout eternity because of a curse? What if they meet in dreams and relive their time together, and awake alone and bereft? How can the curse be broken? Let’s bring in the Mohawk spirits who possess their souls. Those spirits are in trouble and need our hero and heroine’s help, but only together can they defeat the evil threatening the lake. So, after two centuries, our lovers will be reunited, but will they recognize one another in this world?

Now, we have the paranormal moving into the suspense. Let’s give it another nudge by creating a heroine who can speak to the spirits of those who die by drowning and have two bodies wash ashore at the Lake of the Mountain Resort. Now, we’ve added to our paranormal thread and pulled in the mystery. What will the bodies tell our heroine?

About Echoes of the Past:

Born Mohawk, raised white, forensic pathologist, Michelle Thomas is trapped between two worlds—this one and the spirit world where the ghosts of those who’ve drowned speak to her. Haunted by crippling nightmares of her own drowning death and erotic dreams of a phantom lover, she strives to make sense of her life. When two suspicious deaths occur at the Lake of the Mountain Resort, she’s sent to investigate. She’ll face the greatest challenge of her career when her past and her present collide. One of these men is her future, but which one—the rich and powerful Mayor Ron Davies, or Tony Steele, the hydrology professor who may be responsible for his students’ deaths? Charged by the spirits of her Mohawk ancestors to atone for her previous sins by protecting Lake of the Gods, can Michelle solve the murders, save the sacred waters, and fulfil her destiny?

Excerpt from Echoes of the Past:

Naked, she lies on her back inside the green, leafy grotto, which meshes seamlessly into the landscape. It’s late morning, and after last night’s storm, everything smells clean and fresh. She stares up at the man she loves, but darkness and his long, honey-brown hair shadow his face. Her body hums in anticipation of his touch. Her nipples harden. His large, calloused hands caress her, and where they touch, her flesh burns with desire.

He runs the fingers of one hand through her unbraided hair. His lips capture hers in a searing kiss, branding her his. She reaches up to him. She opens her mouth, and a deep moan escapes her as his lips meet hers.

The scene changes. He runs along the edge of the forest across the lake. Run, my love, she screams silently as all around her the women urge their men to hurry, pointing at him, screaming instructions. He stops, and once she knows he’s seen her, she turns away. They’ll catch him, and she can’t bear to watch him be killed. She pulls her marriage blanket tightly around her shoulders. Everyone thinks she’s made it for another. Sobbing, she hurries away from the beach…

Michelle Thomas awoke in tears as she had so many nights since arriving in Thunder Bay. Bathed in sweat, she shivered with need and a bone-deep cold invaded her body. The nightmares, usually terrifying, realistic visions of her watery death, exhausted her. Recently the dreams which had plagued her most of her life had changed, and these new ones in which she was both participant and witness, frustrated and grieved her. She preferred those old night terrors to these out of body erotic fantasies with a man whose face she never saw, but loved with every ounce of her being. Tonight, the thought of his capture and death made the pain of loss worse than ever. How could she go on like this?

Her wild weeping slowed to sobbing. She got out of bed and padded into the motel room’s washroom. She turned on the light and gasped at the mirror’s reflection. The face of a woman who closely resembled her—the Mohawk woman in braids she’d been seeing off and on for weeks now—glared accusingly at her.

“What do you want from me?” She yelled at the face in the mirror, anguish loud in her tear-filled voice. “You’re dead. He’s dead. I don’t have any answers for you. Go away. Leave me in peace.”

*~*~*~*

Echoes of the Past is available from Secret Cravings Press
http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/

Check Susanne’s website for other vendors.

About the Author:

Susanne Matthews was born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.  She’s always been an avid reader of all types of books, but always with a penchant for happily ever after romances. In her imagination, she travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into the future. Today, gets to spend her time writing, so she can share her adventures with her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.

Follow Susanne on her:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter @jandsmatt
Amazon author page
Goodreads author page

In 2009, I was finishing my Black Hills Brotherhood trilogy for Intrigue and hoping I could return to New Orleans as a setting for my next books. I spoke with my editor at RWA Nationals and pitched an idea that was beginning to gel in the back of my mind. I think I actually created the pitch as I was saying it.

Huey P. Long

One of the most infamous politicians in American history is Huey P. Long of Louisiana. He used all sorts of illegal and unethical tactics to get what he wanted as governor and in the Louisiana senate, but he was always popular among the voters. I’ve often wondered what the lives of the children and grandchildren of such a man would be like. So I created a fictitious politician named Con Delancey and gave him 10 grandchildren (including a bastard son), plus a great-niece.

Con Delancey of Chef Voleur, Louisiana, was one of the state’s most infamous politicians. His grandchildren are grown now and must live with his scandalous legacy. Each one of them has a past and a secret. And each one has a story.

The Delancey Mansion in Chef Voleur

I sent in a proposal and within a short time I heard back. They loved the idea and wanted to do all eleven books as The Delancey Dynasty.

Con Delancey’s grandkids include cops, private investigators, military and attorneys, despite the fact that each one of them received a substantial inheritance from their grandfather.

There’s an overarching mystery that runs through the books—Who really killed Con Delancey? Although his personal assistant went to prison for his murder, the man declared his innocence until the day he died. With the final two books in the series, Sanctuary in Chef Voleur (July) and Blood Ties in Chef Voleur (August,) that mystery is solved, amidst kidnappings, murder and two very steamy, very moving love stories.

Outdoor cafe from Her Bodyguard

Sanctuary in Chef Voleur hit shelves on July 1, and the final Delancey book, Blood Ties in Chef Voleur will be released on August 1. An incredibly fun thing I did to celebrate the release of these two final books was to throw a live on-air release party on June 25, 8-10 pm, on Blogtalk Radio’s Hummingbird Place, Your Home for Romance. It was SO much fun talking about my mini-series, all my characters and how I went about writing an 11 book series. But the most fun was being live on BlogTalk Radio with the host, Donna Wright. She’s an amazing host. I was nervous about having enough to say to fill up two hours, but we actually ran out of time—which wasn’t a bad thing, because the reason was all the call-ins and questions from listeners. Some of the things we talked about were:

• keeping up with everybody in a multi-book series,
• my favorite hero and heroine,
• the ending that made me cry,
• the book that took place in one night,
• the goriest beginning I’ve ever written,
• the heroes and heroines who get themselves into impossible situations and expect me to get them out, and much much more.

I gave away a lot of swag and got to talk to some fans I’d never met or spoken to, and I got to discuss what might be the best experience I’ve had writing. Putting together eleven books about one family was a daunting task for me. I’ve written three book mini-series, but this was different. I truly feel as though I know each of these couples and am friends with them.

Tarot reader in Jackson Square, Like Rose from Death of a Beauty Queen

A great thing about BlogTalk Radio and Hummingbird Place is that the programs are archived. So, although you may have missed the live broadcast, you can listen to us and all the fun we had at BlogTalk Radio, The Hummingbird Place Archives. I invite you stop by and find out just how much fun we had. Go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hummingbirdplace/2014/06/26/delancey-dynasty-release-party   And keep an eye on Hummingbird Place. Donna is having more release parties with some of your favorite authors. Meanwhile, check out my Delancey Dynasty mini-series on harlequin.com or amazon.com and other e-outlets. My 10th Delancey book, Sanctuary in Chef Voleur is on shelves now and the final Delancey book, Blood Ties in Chef Voleur will hit shelves August 1.

Visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMalloryKane, on Twitter: twitter.com/mallorykane, and on my web page (under construction, excuse my mess) at mallorykane.com.

Mallory

What do you think of when you hear the words, “Summer Lovin’”? Does the phrase conjure up fond memories of that cute guy…the one who manned the fry basket at the fast food joint where you worked during your college summer breaks? Maybe you think of John Travolta hitting the high notes in Grease, or Justin Timberlake singing Summer Love.

I think back to those days fondly, and to be honest I miss them.  The days weren’t always carefree and full of fun.  Sometimes they were filled with angst, love, pain, drama and even sex!  Really, really great sex where we were just learning about our bodies! The best thing about being a writer is we can go back to those times through words, and using our experiences we can recreate everything we felt, loved and hated.

When I, along with five other authors decided to do a project together, we started brainstorming ideas.  In no time at all we found ourselves swapping some really fun stories about our own lives. Perhaps not surprisingly, most of those stories took place during our respective college years…those summers when we were on our own for the first time, exploring what it meant to be an independent adult.

Those magical summers during college have a really specific feel and fit perfectly with our Summer Lovin’ theme, so we decided to make all six books in the series New Adult contemporary novels. Each story takes place over the same summer, at the same vacation resort in Canada, so there’s quite a bit of fun character overlap!

So tell me, what are some of your fondest memories from your twenties? 

To learn more about the Summer Lovin’ series, check out our facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/SummerLovinNewAdultRomance

We’re releasing a book every two weeks starting July 7^th, starting with Cathryn Fox’s Crashing Down.

Each couple’s story is unique, emotional, and as hot as the summer temps!

The Summer Lovin’ authors are also hosting a giveaway!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b6ff204/

To learn more about each book on Goodreads:
July 7:  Crashing Down by Cathryn Fox
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22046235-crashing-down
July 21: Losing It by Audra North
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22047639-losing-it
Aug 4:  Loving Lies by Renee Field
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22046428-loving-lies
Aug 19: Surviving Nikki by Lilly Cain
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22048922-surviving-nikki
Sept 1: Taming Tess by Jan Meredith
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22046428-loving-lies
Sept 15: Saving Sullivan by Sara Hubbard
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22043110-saving-Sullivan