Sloan—The Country Town With Heart

Back in late 2003 I started reading erotic romances and, in particular, books from Ellora’s Cave. I also started wondering if perhaps I could write one of these hot and spicy romances. Not a bad idea, I decided. My mind turned to aliens crash landing near a small country town, and my first Ellora’s Cave book Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters was born.

Along with the characters, the country town of Sloan where I set my story took on a real personality. I liked the town so much I’ve set two different series there. (Talking Dogs and Fancy Free)

Here are a few interesting snippets about Sloan:

1. It’s a reasonable size town, not far from Auckland, New Zealand, but surrounded by countryside.

2. The café is the place to go for great coffee and to pick up all the local gossip.

3. UFO sightings are a common phenomenon in this area. Strangely enough, the sightings often occur just after a juicy piece of gossip starts circulating. I wonder why?

4. Some of the locals make big money, taking tourists to view crop circles.

5. The Women’s Division usually sets up a stall and sells tea and scones.

6. The Thirsty Cricket, the local pub, is also a good place to catch up on gossip.

7. One of the main employers in the area is Fancy Free. They manufacture condoms and sex aids.

8. The board of directors of Fancy Free consists of retired people who took a chance investing in their school friend’s dream of developing a condom company.

9. The Children of Nature cult also makes their home in Sloan. They are totally against the use of birth control and often stage demonstrations.

10.  Unknown to most residents, aliens live and love among them. There’s even a talking dog.

11. There are lots of great picnic spots around the town. Couples can picnic by the river, swim at the waterfall or find a private spot to get romantic. They should, however, watch out for Peeping Toms!

12. Sloan is a vibrant town with a lot of younger people who live in non-traditional relationships. Watch this space.

In Biding His Thyme, book four in my Fancy Free series, readers get their first inside look at the Children of Nature cult. Things are not as they seem! There’s definitely something strange going on.

Question: I’ve given you a list of things that have occurred in Sloan to date. Use your imagination and tell me what you think should happen in the town of Sloan next…

Contest: Complete the rafflecopter and go into a draw to win a $20 Amazon OR All Romance eBooks voucher (winner’s choice). Winner will be drawn on 15 April 2013.

Rafflecopter code – a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note – if the code doesn’t work use this link – https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MGU2NDU3NmU4ZjgyMDYyNTRhYTFjNjRiOGU1YWYxOjc=/

Blurb: Biding His Thyme

Born in the Children of Nature cult, Sorrel “Bitter” Thyme is destined to spend the rest of her life there, but not if she has her way. She’s perfected the dream cream that enhances orgasmic pleasure in those who use it. Now she must approach Fancy Free management with her invention while making sure the cult leader doesn’t learn of her idea and steal Sorrel’s chance of escape.

Jake Ramsey, a Special Air Services soldier on sick leave, agrees to go undercover in the cult to help local police close a case against the leader. Sorrel is his inside contact, a woman who is constantly ridiculed by the other cult members.

The partnership works well and kisses meant to cement their cover take on new possibilities. Jake uncovers secrets, and their loving heats up, passion coalescing into more than friendship. Then Sorrel is tossed into danger. What began as a favor is now deadly serious—-a game Jake must win to keep Sorrel safe.

Books set in Sloan:

Talking Dogs:

1. Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters – https://www.ellorascave.com/talking-dogs-aliens-and-purple-people-eaters.html

2. Never Send a Dog to do a Woman’s Job – https://www.ellorascave.com/never-send-a-dog-to-do-a-woman-s-job.html

3. Romantic Interlude – https://www.ellorascave.com/romantic-interlude.html

Fancy Free:

1. Fancy Free – https://www.ellorascave.com/fancy-free.html

2. Christmas is Coming – https://www.ellorascave.com/christmas-is-coming.html

3. Feeling the Buzz – https://www.ellorascave.com/feeling-the-buzz.html

4. Biding His Thyme – https://www.ellorascave.com/biding-his-thyme.html

Bio: Shelley Munro

Shelley Munro is tall and curvaceous with blue eyes and a smile that turns masculine heads everywhere she goes. She’s a university tutor and an explorer/treasure hunter during her vacations. Skilled with weapons and combat, she is currently in talks with a producer about a television series based on her world adventures.

Shelley is also a writer blessed with a VERY vivid imagination and lives with her very own hero in New Zealand. She writes mainly erotic romance in the contemporary, paranormal and historical genres.

You can learn more about Shelley and her books at https://www.shelleymunro.com. Also, feel free to drop her line via her website or join her newsletter via the link from her blog to hear more about new and upcoming titles.

https://www.shelleymunro.com/blog

https://www.facebook.com/shelleymunro

https://www.twitter.com/shelleymunro

Before we talk, I want to remind you that two contests will be ending on this coming Thursday…

First, I’m giving away a pendant on the Smokin’ Hot Firemen website. There are two things you have to do to be eligible for the drawing. (Both are easy and painless!). Don’t miss out!

Second, my Two Signed Books Contest I’m hosting on this site also ends. And all you have to do to be eligible is post comments on blogs.

Okay, so back to our little chat. I’m up to my ears as usual. So many projects in so many differing stages. My mother asked me what I was working on, and by the time I finished listing them her eyes glazed over. It’s that bad. I did finish one little project on Sunday. Whew. So glad to mark another done! Have I shown you my work chart lately? It lists everything due January through June. Keep in mind it’s what I HOPE to accomplish.

It’s completely ridiculous, right? But some of these are very short. One is something I parcelled out, because the publisher wants it parcelled out. But still… And I’ve started the Smokin’ Hot Firemen blog. Another blog for the High Octane Heroes will be coming shortly. And three different book campaigns will begin.

I’m tired just thinkin’ about it. And now you know why I have so many guests lately. So if you see me screwing around, remind me about priorities. I don’t mind nagging. I respond very well to the crack of a whip. 😉

So here’s the question for you…

If you could build a recreation area atop a penthouse rooftop of a 20-story building, what would be the theme of your elevated playground? Would you open it to the public? Or would you keep it for yourself and your besties?

Collaboration and a Strip Club

Thank you for having me on your blog today, Delilah!

Recently, I’d been asked to join a brand new blog, along with nine other authors. Being a relative newbie to the industry, I was honored by the request and jumped at the chance to be a part of this talented group. This was the opportunity to interact and collaborate with other writers that I’d been looking for.

The idea of writing an anthology started with a chain of e-mails that was mostly kidding around. The discussion started with a note about Valentine’s Day and progressed to the topic of St. Patrick’s Day. Of course (we are romance writers, after all), the discussion then shifted to a sexy leprechaun and the “treasure” at the end of his rainbow, to which the response was “Lucky Charms!” It was mentioned that Lucky’s would make a great name for a strip club…with its strippers called Lucky’s Charms. Then, someone said, “Hey! We should write that!”

See, folks? This is one way plot bunnies are born. Collaboration, even when unintended, can be magical.

After the initial shock of agreeing to write an anthology wore off, we got to work. With four weeks to go until St. Patrick’s Day, the clock was ticking. Unlike other anthologies, our stories are connected to each other through common theme. All of the stories are set in or around Lucky’s Bar and Strip Club. We were able to quickly hash out the details and interworkings of the club. Our resident attorney checked into the laws that govern strip clubs in NYC. Not that some of our guys didn’t (accidentally) break them, but it’s always good to know the rules.

We utilized Dropbox as a way to share documents. This is an invaluable tool for long-distance collaboration. It gave us a central location to store things such as marketing materials and cover art. It also helped to keep things on track as we went through the editing process. And it reduced the number of “Lucky’s Charms” titled emails in my inbox. 🙂

Have you ever wondered how things can come together so perfectly, despite writers block, time constraints, surgeries, illnesses and general life stuff? Because all of these things occurred during the process of creating Lucky’s Charms.

Synergy.

We came together as women. As writers, sisters, and friends. We worked together and got the job done. Through collaboration, we’ve created a blog and an anthology I am very proud to be a part of.  I can’t wait until we do this again!

A Love, Lust and Laptops Publication:

From the ladies of Love, Lust and Laptops comes a special anthology filled with sexy tales of the men and women of Lucky’s Bar and Strip Club.

Anything could happen at Lucky’s Bar and Strip Club. Underneath the neon lights, the loud music, and the tear-away costumes, new lovers meet for the first time and old flames ignite anew. Shifters claim their mates, and leprechauns pay unusual gambling debts. Undercover operative solving crime? Advertising executive seducing the boss? All business as usual at Lucky O’Reilly’s.
Have you gotten lucky tonight?

Currently available for FREE at Smashwords.

Coming soon to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance eBooks.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

Sex and the Strong Woman 

I’ve never cared for stories that feature mistreated women waiting to be rescued. I prefer books where the victim turns around and bites her abuser. I guess that’s why when I started writing my own heroines they all kick butt and resist taking orders.  🙂

In my recently released Eclipse Heat series title, Wolf’s Tender, Naomi Parker, my heroine, is a school teacher who uses her wits and limited powers of seduction to save her kidnapped students. Do I think such a scenario is possible? Yes. I think history proves that women have always used seduction as a means of survival.

Do I think Naomi chooses well when she picks Charlie Wolf McCallister to seduce? Double yes. Naomi finds the best tracker in Texas and uses sex to persuade him to help her. Why? Because we all know that saving her students is a lot more important than saving her virginity. (And besides, Charlie Wolf is a half-Kiowa hunk who makes her blood sizzle.)

I think one of the greatest compliments I’ve received for Wolf’s Tender was from a reviewer who said “…This entire book has a gentle message of female empowerment that appealed to me greatly, [a surprise] since it was in a historical Western that normally features damsels in distress…” [Book Vixen: Reviewer: J9]

About the Author

Gem Sivad is an award-winning author with a reputation for creating multi-faceted characters simmering with passion in the Old West. Dubbed by many reviewers as the “Queen of Historical Naughty Romance” Gem loves turning up the heat.

Preceded by Quincy’s Woman, Perfect Strangers, and Five Card Stud—Wolf’s Tender is the fourth book in Gem’s Eclipse Heat series published by Ellora’s Cave. Trouble In Disguise, the next Eclipse Heat book, will release in summer, 2013.

Subscribe to Gem’s monthly Dreamcatcher Newsletter
Visit Gem’s website
Like her Face Book Author Page
Follow her on Twitter
Find her @ Amazon

A book in the Eclipse Heat Series

Charlie Wolf is half Kiowa, all bounty hunter and a no-nonsense man—until he meets a schoolteacher with cornflower-blue eyes. After marauding outlaws attack Naomi’s school and kidnap her students, she’s desperate and will do anything to rescue them, even seduce the best tracker in Texas to secure his help.

Naomi offers one night of sexual favors, underestimating the power of Charlie’s predatory charm and his determination to claim her as his mate. She’s impatient with his decisions, questions his authority and generally ignores his warnings. But she melts in Charlie’s arms when he makes love to her.

Blood is spilled, past murder avenged, desperadoes captured and lust assuaged as the two set out to rescue Naomi’s young ladies.

A Romantica® historical Western erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Wolf’s Tender Buy Links:

Ellora’s Cave: https://www.ellorascave.com/wolf-s-tender.html

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Wolfs-Tender-Eclipse-Heat-ebook/dp/B00BR070N2/

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolfs-tender-gem-sivad/1102940087?ean=9781419938061

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-wolf039stender-1114154-340.html?referrer=203d1555227662f5a48dc2e310466f41

The Grand Adventure Continues for Sabrina York. Also, Win A Tiara.

Long ago, in a time shrouded in myth and mystery (circa April 4^th, 2012), a virgin author, a tender soul, ventured out into the cold, hard world, unsure of what she would find. Would there be slavering wolves with long glistening fangs? Hideous trolls? Wicked witches cackling with glee at every misstep?

Oh, sure. There were a couple of those.

But to our heroine’s delight, she met come champions along the way, valiant souls who became companions, and then friends.

And Delilah Devlin is one of those souls.

Okay. Yeah. I am waxing poetic. But I’m in a poetic mood, damn it all.

It’s been a year since the release of my first book (Adam’s Obsession). A year since I dipped my toe into the publishing pond. A year since I wrote my very first blog (for one Delilah Devlin, in fact).

As I reflect on all the other firsts of the past year—the glorious triumphs as well as the…ickier moments—I can’t help but smile. It has been a rollercoaster ride, for sure—but a grand adventure. Now I have nearly a dozen titles with many more in the wings and, I am delighted to report, fans all over the world.

Who knew?

I wanted to thank you, Delilah, for welcoming me into your welkin, for embracing my work and encouraging me giving me opportunities to succeed. You are a champion. An inspiration.

And because of your encouragement, and that of many others, I am about to embark on another adventure (one that has me nibbling my fingernails to the nub).

I am releasing my first self-pubbed book.

There were a lot of reasons for trying this—not the least of which is the ability to offer a book for free once in a while to THANK MY READERS for their loyalty. But to be perfectly honest, my secret motivation is to prove to myself that I can.

Yep. Yet another grand adventure for a girl who always dreamed of being a writer but was told she was far too dyslexic to try.

There are always people willing to tell you reasons you shouldn’t take a dare.

It’s a good thing I never listen.

(Pssst! I had to include this screen shot! ~DD)

Sabrina’s First Novel-Without-A-Net…

Rebound is Book One of the Tryst Island Series—following the romantic adventures of a group of friends sharing a vacation house on the fictional Trystacomseh Island in Washington State’s San Juan archipelago. The series was inspired by my visits to a family cabin on the coast. I’ll share a picture of the view, so you get an idea why I couldn’t stop myself from writing these stories.

Sigh. I know. Right?

Here’s a taste of Rebound. It’s scheduled to come out April 4^th on Amazon. I hope you check it out.

Rebound by Sabrina York

A Tryst Island Erotic Romance

Kristi Cross has had the hots for her friend, Cameron Jackson as long as she could remember, but she knows she’s not his type. She’s nothing like the women he dates. So when he suggests they play for a kiss over a game of Hearts, Kristi can’t resist. Even if she loses, she wins. Because she’s finally going to taste him.

Of course, one kiss can quickly become something altogether steamier, especially when both parties are on the rebound…

An Excerpt of Rebound

Cam nodded and dealt the cards. They were halfway through the first hand when he broke the silence.

“Do you remember the first time we played?”

“You had to teach me.”

“Took me all night.”

“That was hardly my fault.” She rearranged her cards. “You kept pouring me shots.”

“You’re the one who kept drinking them.” Read the rest of this entry »

I loved that movie! And I’ve always wanted to steal that title. But I’ll commit only a misdemeanor today…

I’m blogging in two places, and at both, you have a chance to win something. So don’t be lazy. Click on the links below. And remember, next Tuesday will be the end of the Two Signed Books Contest here. Every comment on THIS blog earns you another chance to win!

Today, you can find me at:

Wild and Wicked Cowboys

Smokin’ Hot Firemen 

So, I’m always experimenting, trying to figure out how to find readers and introduce them to what I do. My latest project is my “Collections” website. If you look up at the scrolly-orangey thing just beneath the pretty picture in the header of this page, you will see “Collections” to the far right. Click on it. Every anthology I have edited for Cleis Press has its own page, and it’s own life, I hope. If you click on the book covers, you will head to a site that describes the book, tells you about the wonderful authors involved, and there’s a blog that you can sift through for excerpts and reviews.

The next book coming, Smokin’ Hot Firemen, has its own page now too!
https://smokinhotfiremen.delilahscollections.com/

So far, I’ve only posted a welcome, but today, I’ll invite you to “like” the accompanying Facebook page, and in another couple of days, I’ll run the first of many contests from the Smokin’ Hot website. My suggestion to you, if you don’t want to miss a thing, is to subscribe to the blog. Look in the left sidebar on the Smokin’ Hot webpage for the button. It’s easy and painless. And you won’t be inundated because we won’t be posting every day, just a couple of times a week.

I was up early this morning—wonderful nightmares plagued my dreams. Remember that Nic Cage movie, The Wicker Man? Well that big bundle of twigs was chasing me most of the night.  I’ll have to check my dream dictionary to see what it means. Anyway, I was up early, so I put together a new Facebook page. One just for Smokin’ Hot. I’d love it if you “liked” the page. Again, I’ll be hosting some contests there as well, so you’ll want to be aware of what’s happening. Here’s the link: Smokin’ Hot Facebook Page

If you collect trading cards, be sure to check out the Smokin’ Hot trading card on the freebies page!

And that’s all I’ve got! Remember,  there’s one week left on the Two Signed Books Contest! Be sure to post those comments! How do you like that Smokin’ Hot cover, huh? And how many times did I say Smokin’ Hot is this post? 🙂