Character Interview – Lady Elizabeth Blayneton

1. If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?

I’d visit all the sights in London that I’ve heard about but never seen. I’m not allowed out the house, you see. My Uncle August keeps me isolated in the hope that I’ll marry his son Frederick. The man stinks of hounds and gapes like a fish. I’d rather die a spinster than marry him.

2. What impression do you make on people when they first meet you? How about after they’ve known you for a while?

I don’t make an impression. I’m invisible, little more than a servant in a household that exists because of my fortune. I only have threadbare gray gowns. When visitors call on my cousins I’m banished to either my room or my stillroom. What with my silver blonde hair and my hideous gowns, I sometimes think my whole life is gray

3. What’s your idea of a good marriage? Do you think that’ll happen in your life?

I can’t marry without my uncle’s permission or until I turn thirty. Since I won’t marry Cousin Frederick, I’ll be an old maid before I can wed. If I ever find the opportunity, I’ll gladly give up virginity while I’m young enough to enjoy it.

4. What are you most proud of about your life?

My herbal skills. Before my parents were killed in a carriage accident, mama and I studied plants and their uses. Even my cousins want my potions. The good thing about that is I’m allowed out at dawn to collect herbs.

5. What about on a personal level?
Some people think my stubborn streak’s a bad thing – Uncle Augustus and my cousins among them. I don’t. I keep refusing to wed Frederick. Nothing could make me take him into my bed.

6. Do you think you’ve turned out the way your parents expected?

No. Papa made his will when my aunt was alive. She’d never have let Uncle Augustus treat me the way he does. Mamma and I were planning my come out when their carriage overturned and killed them. They wanted me to enjoy a couple of London Seasons, but obviously that never happened.

7. What would you like it to say on your tombstone?

She lived well, had fun, and helped those in need. It hurts that I can’t do any of that until I turn thirty and inherit my fortune. The only men who will want me then are fortune hunters. I want to live now, not in seven years’ time.

8. Describe your ideal mate.

I’d like a husband who sees me as I am and loves me for it. I don’t want my fortune to matter. I’d like him to be tall and dark-haired. Someone unafraid to stand up to Uncle Augustus. A dashing soldier maybe.

9. What are you most afraid of?

Dying a virgin – unloved and unwanted by anyone.

10. Are you lying to yourself about something? What is it?

I keep telling myself everything will work out find. Only deep down, I know it won’t. My solace is my herbs. If I concentrate on them and ways to heal people, then I can get through each day as it comes.

Wickedly Used

While he is no stranger to pleasurable company from ladies of the night, Major Richard Rothbury of the royal dragoons is not the kind of man who will stand idly by as a woman is taken against her will, and when he witnesses a disreputable cad attempting to force himself on a girl in a back alley, he does not hesitate to intervene.

But after the grateful young woman offers herself to Rothbury, he is shocked to discover that not only was she no harlot, she was a maiden and he has deflowered her. Furious at the girl’s scandalous behavior and her carelessness with her own safety, Rothbury chastises her soundly.

Though she is due to inherit one of the largest fortunes in England, the fact that she cannot touch the money until she marries or turns thirty has kept Elizabeth completely at the mercy of her cruel uncle, and for years she has been treated as if she were a servant. Her encounter with Lord Rothbury is by far the most exciting thing that has ever happened to her, but while he shows great concern for her safety, he refuses to believe that she is anything more than a serving girl.

Despite having made it clear that he doesn’t consider a match between them to be possible, when Elizabeth disobeys him Rothbury proves more than ready to strip her bare, punish her harshly, and then enjoy her beautiful body in the most shameful of ways. But can she dare to hope that he will one day make her his wife, or is she destined to spend her life being wickedly used?

Get your copy here!

Dagger releases next week, and wouldn’t you know I’m running up to the last possible moment to get it finished and uploaded into KDP! Wish me luck! I’ll be writing my little fingers off today! Family obligations, which I’ve talked about here, put me way behind my schedule on EVERYTHING, so I’m scrambling, working long hours, and hoping I don’t let anyone down. In the meantime, I thought I’d share the opening “meet-cute” between my hero and heroine in the latest installment of my Montana Bounty Hunters series. Hope you enjoy! And there’s a contest—a bribe to make sure you read to the end! Want to win an Amazon gift card? Be sure to read on… 🙂

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Enjoy the excerpt!

Daniel “Dagger” Renfrew had been a lot of things—an Army Ranger, until he’d mouthed off one too many times to his CO and decided mustering out was better for his long-term aspirations than spending time in Leavenworth; a Seattle beat cop, until he’d gotten bored spending his nights sitting in a squad car in front of corner gas stations; a PI, until he’d informed the wife of the man who’d hired him that hubby was looking for the goods to violate their pre-nup, so she better sue for divorce first; and now, a bounty hunter, which, so far, suited his ADD proclivities. And, in his job, he didn’t look for the easy takedowns. He liked lying in mud or snow with his binoculars trained on a window, hoping for a glimpse of the dirtbag whose mugshot he carried in his hip pocket. If they were badasses—all the better. Dagger preferred when assholes tried to run, because then he’d have an excuse to mix it up, get physical, and blow off steam in an all-out brawl—when the situation warranted, of course.

However, he hadn’t had a job like that in a while. So, in his off-hours, he looked for cheap thrills—sweet-talking easy women out of their clothes or taking repo jobs from the local car dealership.

This morning, he was “reacquiring” a 2014 silver Nissan Altima with a fluffy steering wheel and pom-poms hanging from the rear-view mirror. Read the rest of this entry »

When was the last time you went to a library? And for what purpose?

Like most readers, I love libraries, but at one point began to worry that the institution of libraries would become extinct, what with the advent of ebooks and news and information literally at our fingertips via computers. News stories also hinted at the likelihood of libraries closing their doors, limiting their hours or becoming obsolete. But, with great ingenuity, the libraries in my area have reinvented themselves.

Libraries of earlier centuries may have provided access to newspapers and books but these institutions were only accessible to paid subscribers. Then public libraries started popping up in cities, followed by more rural areas. In my neck of the woods, librarians carted books in saddlebags and rode mountain trails to deliver books to families in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Then, as roads became more widespread and reliable, book mobiles started their routes, bringing books to people who might not be able to make it to town and the local library.

Nowadays, libraries offer so many programs, including literacy programs, crafts and afterschool activities, as well as computer time and, of course, books and news through papers and magazines. Most of this is a result of industrious librarians finding out what the public needed and wanted from them and finding ways, including funding, to provide.

As a writer, I obviously hope that readers will buy my books, but to be honest, one of the greatest thrills I had when I first started publishing was finding my book in a public library. So, even while I purchase my books and ebooks, as well as audio, I will continue going to the library on occasion, whether it’s to research a topic, try out a new author or to simply smell the aroma of books!

About the Author

Kate McKeever was born and raised in the south and spent her childhood rambling in the woods and reading, often at the same time. She spent a lot of time in libraries as a volunteer and reader, then as a perennial student, so her mother thought. She tried several careers before settling down on her current one. Writing is a passion and joy. Kate loves to write sweet contemporary and paranormal romances. Check out her books at Amazon!

Damien Morgan and Serenity Hanscom were asked a few questions before I wrote Secret Tryst so these are their answers when I was getting to know these characters and why they were going to be perfect for each other.

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Serenity: To be left alone. Growing up it was my favorite time when my parents or sister were so self involved that no one cared what I did. As a spa owner, I teach people how to be alone in their thoughts and to let perfect happiness in. We don’t need anything in life and expectations are often what hurts. I wish more people understood this.

Damien: Being with my family, winning the game against my brother or anyone who thinks they can challenge me. Life is about winning in all things. I hated my father but he knew how to win, and perfect happiness comes from proving yourself the best.

2. What is your greatest extravagance?
Serenity: It’s probably my pretty pocketbooks. A friend of mine designs shoes for fun but when she makes me a pair, I just need to find the perfect compliment. Most of my clothes are single color but the pop of life my pocketbook and shoes brings always helps me feel fashionable. My mother wanted me to be a debutante so this is my ode to her I guess.

Damien: Let’s see. I own a plane, multiple properties around the world, but at least four times I year I still crave to be in Paris so I fly back.

3. What is your current state of mind?
Serenity: I don’t want to own it but I am stressed. My father was arrested for crimes he absolutely committed. My sister chose to follow in his path and she’s in jail, awaiting trial. She tried to kill a woman named Alice Collins because she had some vendetta against the Morgans. My mother is in the hospital and I’ve been invited to a Morgan wedding. I probably shouldn’t go, but my spa could use the publicity.

Damien: Current? I’m good. I moved to Miami to stay close to my family. I bought a mansion near my old man’s old place to show him that even the boys from the wrong side of the bed deserve the best. I have everything I want. Nothing could go wrong.

4. What is the quality you most like in a man or woman of the opposite sex?
Serenity: Reliability and honesty. My partner in life if I ever find him doesn’t have to be handsome or rich. He needs to have a job and respect that I own my business without being jealous, but honestly I’d like to just come home to some guy and be in his arms and know he’s there for me, no matter what happens.

Damien: The perfect woman would of course be beautiful on the outside but she’ll accept my family and get along with my mother. I don’t believe love exists or that there is one man for every woman. I’m not a fool. But I guess if there is one quality I’d like besides beauty it’s compatibility. She’ll need to accept my life style.

5. When and where were you happiest?
Serenity: Opening my first spa on my own. I worked and saved every dime I ever made. Fortunately I was able to do that because when the Feds came after my father, I kept my spa free and clear of any of his criminal activities. No one thought a spa would ever be a good investment but I’ve proven that very wrong.

Damien: I guess as a boy in Paris, before my sister was kidnapped. I remember a few Christmas’ where I believed in family and that life was beautiful.

6. Where would you most like to live?
Serenity: I don’t know. I’ve lived in 10 cities in 3 years opening spas. I would like to settle down and not travel so much, but I don’t want to just move home to Georgia either. So I’d just like to be somewhere where I can have my feet up and not stress.

Damien: Near my brothers and mother. Right now that’s Miami and I bought my new home. They are the only people I’ve ever been able to ever have my back, and I can go to Paris anytime I wish.

7. What do you most value in your friends?
Serenity: Their integrity and honesty. Kiwi, my best friend, is super talented and smart as a whip. But it’s her belief that we need to be honest even with ourselves and everyone we meet that I really admire.

Damien: My best friend is probably my brother Galen. He’s cynical I suppose, but he’s also the most trustworthy person I ever met.

8. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Serenity: I guess off the top of my head it would be Florence Nightingale. She helped people physically and I hope my spas help people relax mentally. I don’t know if I’d be a very good nurse during a war, but she was smart enough to see how to help people and to keep things sanitary. So I admire her.

Damien: John D. Rockefeller. He was a self made man, believed 100% in himself and proved he was capable of anything. He was smart enough to own every piece of the oil processing field, though my father would say we were somehow related to JP Morgan. Perosnally though, Rockerfeller’s strong belief in himself really tugs at my heart.

9. What is your greatest regret?
Serenity: I guess letting my parents control my life when I was younger. I wanted to please them when I should have focused more on pleasing myself.

Damien: That I didn’t have a chance to murder my father myself. We now know he was the one that kidnapped my baby sister and took her away from us. If he wasn’t already dead, he’d absolutely be now.

10. What is your motto?
Serenity: My motto? If you are peaceful within, you are peaceful in life.

Damien: Strange question. Winners prove themselves successful without talking about it. So just do it.

And this character interview really helped me understand my two characters. They had commonalities but they had a lot of differences. ~VP

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????????Sail on the high seas or into uncharted galaxies!
When it comes to love…pirates risk all!????????
OUT NOW! Get your copy!

I’m excited this collection is finally out there! This big sexy book is filled with 18 steamy stories about those bad boys of the seas and stars! And at just $0.99, you can’t go wrong. Indulge yourself!

All my author-contributor-friends and myself can’t wait for you to dive in. This book is truly a labor of love. I chose all the stories and did the final polish. My sister, Elle James, created this incredible cover! All the authors are thrilled and are getting the word out! They’ll be blogging about the inspiration for their stories at the Collections website over the next couple of weeks. There will be snippets from the book and PRIZES! So, be sure to check us out. Maybe you’ll want to subscribe to that website so you don’t miss a thing!

And something you can do? Tell a friend. Share the news. And if you have the time and inclination, write a review. We’d all be forever grateful! In the meantime, enjoy the 18 stories inside this lush volume of erotic short stories! Bon appétit!

This is the intro I wrote for the book…

Who doesn’t love a good thrust and parry in their romance? I’m talking about pirates, of course. Yes, I wish Jack Sparrow bathed more often, but I’d still rather sail with him than Will Turner.

Apparently, there are plenty of authors out there who love writing the swashbuckling hero, too. When I put out a call for pirate stories, I was deluged. However, I didn’t put any constraints on my writer friends. I wanted a delicious variety of golden-hearted bad boys.

In this volume, you’ll find familiar tropes revisited—the lady disguised as a cabin boy, a spirited miss bargaining with her virtue to escape a terrible marriage, and competing pirates seeking the same treasure—but you will also find surprises. Anyone for pirates stealing treasure on the moon? Or a rugged feline-species pirate flying a dirigible, high above the seas? Or how about a time-traveling jewel thief, who lands aboard a pirate’s vessel in the middle of a storm? Or modern-day pirates, who aren’t quite the scourge of the seas you’d imagine…

And for those of you who, like me, fantasized a differently-orientated tale after watching Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany in Master and Commander, there are three male-male romances, just for you!

In all, there are eighteen very different stories, some following familiar story-lines and some kicking out the sides of the box to deliver a delicious surprise—but all featuring sexy bad boys, naughty alpha males, unafraid to risk life and limb for treasure or a lucky lover’s heart.

So, sail on the high seas or into uncharted galaxies! When it comes to love, pirates risk all! ~ Delilah Devlin

Contest

For a chance to win a $10 Amazon.com gift card,
tell me how you plan to read this book! For instance, in the bath, with a partner, etc. Have fun!

P.S. I’m running a contest on my Collections website, too! So, be sure to click on Collections, see what new posting is there, and enter the contest!

Hi Everybody,

I’m Melanie Jayne, Romance writer, lover of fun, and wonderer. Now I’m not going to try to tell you that when a question enters my brain that I rush to ask Alexa or Google for help, nor do I pour over research books. I tend to be lazy. I usually make a cup of coffee, eat some chocolate, and make up different scenarios in my mind.

In my latest book, A Change of Plan, the heroine, Ramsay Kent, is complex, difficult, and a diva. When I was planning this series I didn’t intend for her to have a book. However, the badass Osi was a hit and he is the type of man who can easily have a woman anytime, but he wants Ramsay.

So I needed to figure out how this driven, successful fashionista was unable to put down roots and commit to a man who cared about her. When writing, sometimes things fall into place easily and because Ramsay never chooses the smooth path, nothing felt right. So I did what I always do when I hit a rough patch in my storytelling, I watch daytime TV, the treasure chest of dysfunction and ideas. My favorites are Divorce Court and Dr. Phil, sometimes it can be the major topic or a simple sentence that helps. On that particular day, Judge Lynn Toler counseled the wife not to let a label she acquired as a teen define her life.

Jackpot!

How many times have I used the term, “Only Child,” to explain my selfishness? Or I have pegged someone as a cheerleader, prom queen, or jock? I remember my mother reminding me to be neat and orderly with my belongings every time I packed for camp, and before I left for my freshman year at college, she worried that I would be a sloppy roommate (I wasn’t). However, to this day, I worry about it whenever I travel and share a room. I don’t want to be the slob.

So as I wrote Ramsay’s story, it became clear that she believed herself to be responsible for a terrible chain of events. She’d never discussed those feelings with a professional and they were allowed to dig in and fester. She wants to atone but worries about people finding out. She’s caught in a vicious cycle of blaming herself, wanting to make up for her sins, worrying that she can never do enough, falling short, and then blaming herself even more.

For 2018, I decided that I would try to work on my bad habits. Make better food choices, focus less on the negativity, set long-term career goals, and then list paths to achieve. I was amazed by the number of times that the words “I can’t” or “this won’t work” popped into my head based upon crap I was told in high school. Have I allowed those opinions to hold me back for thir…, er too many years?

Did my algebra teacher’s summation that I lacked focus and commitment stick with me all of these years? I do have a history of career hopping? Mr. Jewell spent one hour a day with me and somehow he knew me? I rarely spoke in class because I knew that I wasn’t getting the math. Did this virtual stranger shape my life’s decisions?

Today, I wonder how much those labels have shaped my choices? I’m not going to give Mr. Jewell that much power. He was a lousy teacher and I doubt that he was that good at summing up a teen that he barely knew. I attribute my career hopping to my interest in different fields, great opportunities, and life changes. Sure I know a little about a lot of things, but that makes me a fun dinner companion.

For 2018, because of this book and Ramsay’s influence, I added to my list of changes that when a negative thought occurs, I would ask myself three questions:
1. Where did this come from?
2. Why would I think that?
3. Am I doing this to please myself or somebody else?

I like myself, the good and the bad but I ultimately know that I’m good because I’m always working to be better.

A Change of Plan

Chapter One
Osi

“Five, four, three, two, one, Happy New Year!” The party guests counted down in unison.

I already had one arm draped around Ramsay’s slender waist. She allowed me to roll her into my body so that we were touching from chest to pelvis as I kissed her long and hard. “Better than last year’s.” I grinned.

She pulled away from me and gave me a haughty look, raising one eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I didn’t loosen my hold. God, she’d lost weight working so hard on, first, Tye and Billie’s wedding, then Cress and Brian’s, and finally this annual extravaganza. I could feel the knobby bones along her spine. “Last year, I had to track you down for my kiss. This year, you’re by my side.” Where you belong, I added silently. Ramsay Kent was an elusive woman. Although we’d been involved to some degree for over a year, we’d yet to make our relationship official. But I’m a patient man. One of the reasons I’m good at what I do. With Ramsay, I could settle in and wait a while longer.

“Well, I suppose kissing you is better than making out with some random guy.” She turned her head to look around at the other party guests, her green eyes narrowing as though to assess their kissability.

I gave her a hot glare. “Not going to work, Ramses.”

“What?” She drew her eyebrows together in confusion, as if she didn’t know what she was doing.

“You aren’t going to push me away or make me mad. Not tonight,” I said, resolution ringing in my words.

A hint of something like panic entered her gaze. “I’m working… I don’t know what time I’ll get out of here tonight, er, this morning.”

I shrugged, pretending I didn’t see her fear. “It’s not a problem. You know I like to watch you work.”

One side of her mouth hitched upward in consternation. I could almost see her plotting a way to make me go. Before she could blurt out something I didn’t want to hear, I bent toward her. “If I get bored, I’ll head back to my place and send a car to bring you home.” Of course, I wouldn’t get bored. I got off on watching her run the show. Ramsay in command was a thing of beauty. She could multi-task as well as any military strategist—make that better. Handling the rest of this party would be a breeze for her, just like breaking down and reassembling my rifle was second nature to me.

A faint line appeared between her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

I placed a light kiss on her vibrant red lips, not caring if I now wore the same color. “Go make someone miserable.”

“Asshole.” She snorted as she fought a smile.

“Shouldn’t they be putting out the food?” I asked innocently.

“Shit,” she hissed and spun around on her three-inch heels. “I’m seriously considering cutting the gratuity Tye left for them.” She took off in the direction of the kitchen. Perhaps it was the way her long legs ate up the ground or the red tint to her hair, the guests moved out of her way.

I was admiring the sway of her ass encased in some kind of silky material that was as sleek as her naked body, when I heard my name being called.

About the Author

Melanie Jayne has the best life. She spends her days chatting with feisty females, waking up to sexy men, eating chocolate and wearing pajamas. In March of 2015, she published her first book and never looked back. She currently has four series and will be adding to that number in 2019. Her books predominantly feature characters over the age of thirty-five, facing life head on. They are woman positive and advocate empowerment. She writes about the world that she lives in and collects many of her ideas from her friend’s lives and daytime TV.

She lives a quiet life on a grain farm in central Indiana with her very patient husband and their two mastiffs, Ginger and Duncan Keith. She has been employed in retail management, managed a federal courtroom, worked behind the scenes in a casino and closed home loans. By her own admission she was an inquisitive mind and gets bored easily.

She is an active member of the IRWA Chapter, an avid Reader/Author Conference Attendee, and avid Romance Reader. She is so grateful to the many authors and bloggers who have so generously supported her career and she in turn is giving back to new and aspiring writers.

Learn more about Melanie Jayne: www.ReadMelanieJayne.com, @1MelanieJayne, https://www.facebook.com/ReadMelanieJayne/.

Bewitching Myself: Everything Old is Wonderful Again

Nearly a decade ago, I sat next to the swimming pool attached to my fitness gym in the faint shade offered by the umbrella on the table. My then-eight year old child splashed in the water, slid down the water slide, and called to me repeatedly to “Mom, watch!” It was next to this pool that I wrote the first of a trilogy, and that book would later be sold and published and as has a way of things—the rights reverted to me last year.

Reworking the Past

I debated what I wanted to do with the trilogy, it’s different from my current work and yet, it’s an old, familiar friend. I debated, then I went for it. It was so weird to read through the manuscript, to see where my writing faltered and the tips and tricks I used then versus now.

Weirder still…technology has changed so much in less than a decade, everything needed updating. Fortunately, my editor and I went line by line, we tweaked the technology, the pop culture, and the writing. When we were done, we had Hers to Bewitch and I gotta admit, it’s been one of my favorite pieces to work on.

Growing, Changing, Moving Forward

I have a 300-page manuscript written when I was 16. I have short stories and novels I wrote in my 20s. This book—this book I wrote in my 30s, and now in my 40s, I’ve polished it. Writing, like wine, gets better as we age. I believe it! Do you ever look back at what you’ve done before and realize where you went wrong and how you can do it better today? Take the challenge and may you discover the magic of you!

Hers to Bewitch

Available now!
All Buy Links: https://books2read.com/HerstoBewitch

A woman on the edge.

Cassandra Belle is about to break the story of the century, but one well-placed bomb devastates her plans. She’s on the run, in a fight for her life and her heart. Caught between wild allure and primal need, Cassie struggles to reclaim her life even as she’s torn by the desire to submit to the two handsome strangers invading her life.

Enemies on a mission.

The sexy Fae lord Helcyon wants to protect her, but his pleasure leaves her quaking at the loss of control. The dangerous Wizard, Jacob wants to save her, but his war with the Fae frightens her, even as he captivates her with passion.

With her enemies closing in, Jacob and Helcyon must challenge everything they’ve ever known to work together or risk losing her.

*Previously released as Cassandra’s Dilemma, Hers to Bewitch has undergone significant edits and a new cover to be re-released.

Check out more Heather Long:
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