The inspiration for On an Escort’s Arm came, oddly enough, from listening to my grand-nieces and grand-nephew lament about school dances. Now bear with me as I walk you through the convolutions of a writer’s mind. They mentioned hating to walk into one without at least one person either they were to meet inside the entrance or that they walked beside as they greeted the entire group of their peers, some of whom were judgmental to the point of meanness. I remember my own similar feelings from when I was younger.

I don’t write YA so I advanced that person ten years into the future and gave her (in this case) a career she’s good at but one that has kept her somewhat isolated. I searched for a similar situation, still wanting to tap into those insecurities that in some of us never go away. What I decided upon was an awards ceremony where she’s to receive an award for developing a successful computer dating program but (ironically) doesn’t have a man in her life to bring along as a date. Hence, the need to seek a paid escort—the basis for the plot of On An Escort’s Arm.

She hired him for business, he promised pleasure.

Kimbra Wilburt has devoted so much time and energy to her new matchmaking computer program that her social life has withered. Shuddering at the idea of arriving dateless at a business awards dinner, she hires a male escort. But the younger man at her door is sex-on-a-stick and awakens a hunger she hasn’t fed in a long while.

While Dez Renato grows his house restoration business, he hires out as an escort to pay the bills. One look, and he knows exactly what strait-laced Kimbra needs and sets about relaxing her sexual inhibitions. But soon Dez has a tigress on his hands, and he can’t help but wonder if he’s in too deep.

BUY LINKS
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B01BRTH2WG
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/on-an-escorts-arm-layla-chase/1123414195?ean=2940157969844
KOBO Books  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/on-an-escort-s-arm
All Romance ebooks https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-onanescort039sarm-1989376-149.html
The Wild Rose Press:  http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/wildcatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200_86&products_id=1096

EXCERPT

He extended the forms in her direction. “If you could fill out the last few questions, this part will be finished.”

Remembering the content of those questions she’d left blank, she jumped to her feet and crossed to the bay window overlooking her terraced garden. “This…circumstance is new…and I wasn’t sure how to answer all the specifics.”

Rustling sounded behind her, and she braced. For what? She didn’t know. Large hands rested on her shoulders, his warmth immediately seeping through the fabric to her skin. After the initial shock, she almost swayed. How she missed the physical closeness of a confident male.

“Can’t have a frown marring your pretty face. Let me rub away that tension you’re feeling.” Strong thumbs rubbed along her shoulders and worked up the column of her neck.

Her eyelids drifted shut, and she let her head drop forward. “Mmm, that feels great.” This was special treatment she could get used to.

“At Galaxy, we know the first time may be confusing for clients.” His tone soothed while his hands kneaded. “We’ve discovered a great deal of success with conducting the final interview in person.”

“Do all the interviews come with massages?” The sensation of warm hands against her stiff muscles was heavenly. She envisioned them on other parts of her body, and suddenly her skin flushed with heat.

He chuckled. “Only if a massage will help.”

A nagging thought reminded her—his actions were just part of the company’s services. “I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t appreciate what you’re doing.”

“You’d be surprised.”

About the Author

On a dare from a close friend, Layla Chase challenged herself to explore the steamier side of romance and discovered all sorts of characters whose stories needed sharing. Surrounded by acres of mountain forest, she writes contemporary and historical stories about strong personalities who know what they want…or rather, who they want, and set out to get it.

WEB CONTACTS
Website: http://www.laylachase.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/layla.chase.52
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/229815.Layla_Chase
Amazon Author: https://www.amazon.com/author/laylachase

UPDATE: The winner is…Colleen C!

* * * * *

I’m awake. Sitting at my desk and blinking bleary-eyed at my computer screen. One morning soon, I have to let myself sleep in…

Today, I’m not writing. I’m heading to Little Rock to the Arkansas Art Center, all the kids in tow (yikes!), to see their current exhibits. I’m most excited about the one entitled, “Dorothea Lange’s America”. You may have seen this picture when you studied American History and the Great Depression. She was a Depression-era photographer. This one, called Migrant Mother, has always haunted me.

Anyway, be thinking of me today, walking through a quiet museum with my daughter and her kids, aged 12, 11, 7, and 2. Yeah, I’ll be frazzled trying to keep them from running around and climbing on things. And I’ll probably be hearing  “I’m bored” a million times—but they are going to suffer through it anyway! Someday, they will appreciate it!

Anyway, since I’m trying to get ready, this post will actually be short! All I have is a question. Okay, with a bit of a setup.

I belong to an art guild. And they are just a tad snobby about what they consider art. For sure, they consider my painted dominoes craft rather than art. When one of the group decided to add a photography contest to our annual calendar, I could almost hear what was going on behind their raised brows: Photography isn’t a “real art”. Well, until you see a photograph like the one above, you might believe that. Some folks think quilting isn’t an art (I do, especially when you see one with stunning colors or patterns).

So, what do you think?

Is photography an art or a skill? Is quilting, felting, card-making, etc., a craft or “real” art? And if you think it’s possible to raise it to the standard of “real” art, what do you think it takes?

Answer and be entered to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

TRIP UPDATE: The kids were awful in the car going to Little Rock, so we didn’t dare try taking them all to the museum. Instead, we took them to see Zootopia. Next weekend, we’ll have fewer kids underfoot. THEN, we’ll go see Ms. Lange’s exhibit!

Today is a special day for me. *BOUNCY*

I’ve been trying forever to get rights back for the books still being held hostage by EC. And the end of last year I finally got two back. YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the only one I’ve been able to re–release and today I’m sharing it with all of you sexy people! So excited to be able to put it back out with a super pretty new cover, new title and some tweaking throughout the story.

It’s book one in the Hypnotic Series about some of the patients of hypnotherapist Mackenzee Rogue. Buried Acceptance features Kerrington and Danielle. Best friends in love with each other but with a huge wall between them.

Don’t you LOVE the cover???

Ignoring their needs is no longer an option…

Kerrington needed her best friend Danielle in her life. Secretly she wasn’t just a need. She was an ache, buried so deep Kerrington couldn’t breathe without wanting her. But she’d promised her grandmother she’d make her proud and find a man to marry, to have children with, to love, and cherish…

Nothing else mattered more than following the straight and narrow path set before her. Until one night when a simple kiss changed everything and placed Danielle and Kerrington’s strained friendship into question.

Searching for answers, Kerrington finds the acceptance she thought lost forever—unearthed by hypnotherapist Dr. Mackenzee Rogue. Now Kerrington must convince Danielle they’re worth one last chance.

Is it too late or will they find the forever they’ve been searching for?

Amazon – http://goo.gl/pbZCN9
B&N – http://goo.gl/Dgqyeb
Kobo – https://goo.gl/ZiSGgx
Smashwords – https://goo.gl/f3hy4T
Are Café – https://goo.gl/XIwtF1
Ibooks – https://goo.gl/A866y9

Contest

How do you enter to win an e-book copy of Buried Acceptance for your reading pleasure?? Tell me if you’ve ever tried hypnosis!! I’m so fascinated with the research I did on everything it can help with. Smoking, weight loss, trouble sleeping, anxiety and all sorts of other things. Did it work? Did it not? Would you do it again??? And don’t forget to put your email address in the comment so I can get a hold of you if you win!!

Hope you love Buried Acceptance and there’s more where that came from!!

Decadently Yours,
Jennifer Kacey

About the Author

Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her miniman in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.

Website – Newsletter – The Decadent Divas – Amazon Page
Facebook – Facebook Author Page – Twitter – Goodreads – Pinterest

If you’ve been following my blog, you know I decided to change my diet. I confess I did not begin this journey alone. I consulted a GI Dr. who happens to special in weight loss/clean eating. Let me say I did not start this with the intent of losing weight. It started because I wanted to feel better, have more energy, and be more focused.  I have seen numerous ads for weight loss and more energy that come in the form of a pill or shot. I’ve always been leery of them. I know once you start putting foreign medicines in your body you run the risk of messing up your metabolism forever. I didn’t want that.  That’s why I consulted the Dr.

When we talked, she told me exactly what kinds of foods to eat and when. For years I did not eat on a regular schedule and sometimes I would miss meals. I knew that eating 5 meals a day was going to be a challenge for me. So I planned ahead and prepped my meals for the day while cooking breakfast.

Basically I cut out processed foods, sugar and wine. Yes, I said it. I cut out wine. I’m a writer and I love wine. But it had to go, as least while I was getting started on this program. I know once I am happy where I am then I can have a glass a couple of times a week or when I’m on vacation! Yay for vacation!!

So it’s day 10 and I wanted to let you guys know how it’s going. So far I haven’t had many cravings. I was shocked. I thought I would be dying but…no. I do miss wine at night when I’m sitting around the fire pit with my husband or watching The Walking Dead. But I’ve gotten used to having a cup of tea or coffee instead. Coffee, my Precious!

Now, that it’s been over a week, I’m happy to report I’m more focused, have more energy and feel amazing. To top it off, I’ve lost three pounds.

Going into this I knew that getting healthier starts with your mental attitude. I started out with a positive mindset that nothing was going to get in my way. I wake up every morning, pray and write in my gratitude journal. Keeping a food journal is very important as well.

There are some foods I can’t have, some foods I can have only in the morning and some only at lunch. But the foods I can have is overwhelming. I’m trying new recipes with vegetables I’ve never eaten before. I’ve gotten out of my comfort zone of just eating broccoli and squash and started eating beets, bok choy and chard.

You can truly DO anything that You set your mind to. Absolutely.

About the Author

Jodi is an USA TODAY bestselling author of the RISE OF THE ARKANSAS WEREWOLVES series and writes paranormal romance as well as contemporary romance. Born and raised in Mississippi, her deep Southern roots and love of the paranormal led her to write Southern Paranormal novels. When she is not conversing with characters in her head, she can be found at her home in Northeast Arkansas with her handsome husband, brilliant son, a temperamental swan, and yellow lab that is fond of retrieving turtles when duck season is over.

Find her on Facebook, Jodi Vaughn, author.
Follow her on Twitter and Periscope @JodiVaughn1
Sign up for her newsletter and check out her website http://jodivaughn.com
Find her on Instagram at VaughnJodi

Life happens, and last year I hit rock bottom. In an emotional whirlwind, I found myself unable to write mysteries or crime stories. They took me to a place that I couldn’t quite crawl out of. Their darkness I couldn’t so easily wash away.

But the love of writing didn’t just leave. Words continued to loop. I needed to write, to place words on a page—even if no one ever saw them. Simply put: I had to again find out who I am, and why I write the things that speak to me. Sometimes the sexy Highlander is just what this girl needs, but other times a vampire or two would be enough to keep reality at bay.

During my worst days, the comfort I found in a paranormal romance—the action, adventure, romance and smoking hot heroes—made it all worth it. I could curl up and enjoy the ups and downs, following their trials and tribulations. So, it wasn’t long until the muse showed up again with characters in tow. And the characters just happened to be of the fantastical kind, carrying the Viking sword called the Ulfberht.

The Ulfberht made it that the Vikings were fierce in battle, for the steel sword was strong, practically unbreakable (it was in such a demand and quality that there were even counterfeit Ulfberhts created and sold for those who could not afford or obtain the original).

Getting in bed with a paranormal romance has not been an easy feat for this crime fiction author. Sure, research is part and parcel of creating a story, but there is so much that I didn’t know. As the story unfurled, I then realized that I wished to tell more than what people might expect with Vikings—the stereotypical tale, especially since Viking is probably not a name that they called themselves, but a name given to them. There was no united Viking army, but instead they lived in factions, as tribes (and it must not be forgotten that these tribes, led by chieftains, fought each other).

I didn’t just want to throw in the names of Norse gods, but truly celebrate what we typically know and maybe even reveal things that we didn’t know. So, the what-if questions formed and elements of time travel mixed with Vikings, and the fantastical tale of a shape-shifting dragon. I wanted to build a world that provided enough of a backdrop that could embrace this fantasy with all of its magick.

Taking Delilah’s Plotting Workshop also helped tremendously in pushing me in the right direction with my story. Through this, I learned that my process is multifaceted. It will start with a simple idea, and then the layering begins. Surely, inside my head is a magnificent web of intricate information that I am not even aware of. When I’am inspired and the muse is talking, I am practically living a movie – watching as the characters interact, taking notes as to their performance, and trying to herd the cats struggling to take lead.

I am putting the finishing touches on my next release, and first paranormal romance, Snakes and Dragons.   Who doesn’t like men wielding swords?

Why Vikings and Dragons? The answer is why not!

So tell me, what do you like about Vikings and Dragons?

About the Author

TINA GLASNECK is the author of the Spark Before Dying Series, including Deadly Sins, and Angels Cry, as well as 7 Twisted Fairy Tales, a collection of fractured flash fiction fairy tales.

In 2015, Tina created a reader-centric blog called Celebrate with a Book, where she promotes authors and their works. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime Central Virginia, Romance Writers of America, and Virginia Romance Writers.

A proud geek-girl, Tina resides in Virginia. She holds a Masters of Arts in Religion degree; enjoys history, traveling, and cooking; and, when she is not creating a story, she can be found putting paint on a canvas or playing video games. Connect with Tina online at her website and join her newsletter to stay up-to-date on her next release.

UPDATE: Amazon completed publishing the corrected version of the book! 

* * * * *

Picture it. A dark, quiet space with only a pale blue light for illumination. Thick ropes tied off on a long, metal bar, each peg numbered with the rope extending into the darkness above. The wooden stage shrouded with black curtains suspended from metal bars. This is my favorite part of the theater. While many actors ran their lines in the dressing rooms or peered into mirrors framed in light bulbs and adjusted their hair or makeup, I found myself seeking the cool sanctuary of the rigging before the curtain opened, the spotlight turned up, and the show commenced.

In that solitude, interrupted only when a stagehand rushed by or the actors took their places just before the grand drape parted, I imagined the stories the space held secret. The trysts on the catwalks, stolen kisses while waiting to pull ropes or setting lights. Gossip and secrets shared or confessed in the darkness. It was the perfect place to escape for a few fleeting moments from the ten hour rehearsals for ten straight days before running the show for two weekends. As the shows ran, the next series of ten hour days began with rehearsals for the next show of the summer season.

Summer Stalked incorporates that sense of solitude in the rigging, as well as the drama happening behind the curtains, at a summer theater. One of the main characters, John-Michael Wolfe, seeks sanctuary on the catwalks and ropes as the other main character searches for him. Though I never pined for one of the other actors as John-Michael did, writing this story brought back many memories and experiences of waiting for opening or taking a deep breath in the pale blue light after the curtain closed before heading backstage to change and get ready for the next rehearsal.

You can read about Luke and John-Michael in Summer Stalked here.

Excerpt:

Disappointed he didn’t find John-Michael, Luke returned to the room he shared with Brayden at the small cluster of cabins by the theater. Brayden was changing into fresh clothes as he entered. Though not Luke’s type at all, he considered his friend an attractive guy with a work-in-progress body. Luke’s gaze roamed over his roommate’s hairy chest and noticed new definition both on his pecs and his arms before settling on Brayden’s caramel eyes. “You’re starting to show your work at the gym. Nice pecs, dude.”

With a smile, Brayden tugged the shirt over the slight roll at his sides and smoothed out the fabric over his stomach. “I’ve got a long way to go.”

“You’re not ripped like me,” Luke said as he pulled up his T-shirt. “You’ll get there if you keep it up, though.”

“I’m not going for the stick-thin anorexic look.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha.” Luke let his shirt drop and plopped down onto his unmade bed. “Why are you putting on nice clothes? You got a date or something?”

Brayden looked himself over in the mirror. “You could say that.”

Luke puzzled at Brayden’s words before realization dawned. “Booty call?”

With a smirk, Brayden turned to face him. “Maybe.”

Jumping up, Luke’s arms flailed into the air. “Dude! Who is it?”

“Well, since you’re stroking your dick for John-Michael, I need a little somethin’, so I got a date.”

Wrinkling his nose at an unpleasant thought, Luke dropped back onto the bed. “It’s not Colton, is it?” The mere idea turned his stomach.

“Good God, no.” Brayden frowned. “I’m not that desperate.”

“Then who?”

With a shake of his head, Brayden crossed to his own twin bed and slipped on his shoes. “You’re not getting it out of me, so stop asking.”

Eying his friend, Luke furrowed his brow. Brayden usually told him everything, most of the time in gory detail. “What gives? Is it on the down-low?”

“Definitely. Look, all you need to know is that I’ll be back about midnight.” Brayden stood and grabbed his keys from the table. “You got time for a quick drink at the pub?”

Luke brightened up. “Always time for that. You meeting your mystery man there?”

Brayden rolled his eyes and crossed to the door. “No, but it seems a good place to ditch you while I go and get me some.”

With a chuckle, Luke stood. “Okay, man, let’s go.” As Brayden strode out the door, Luke couldn’t help but worry about who his friend was hooking up with.

About the Author

Brent Archer began writing in 2011 at the nudging of his cousins. His first story sold, and he was hooked! The second story in his Golden Scepter Series, Pennington’s Conquest, will release in the Summer of 2016 with MuseItHOT Publishing. Stay tuned!

Visit his website to keep up on upcoming releases, and follow him on Twitter: @brentarcherwrit.