The house my grandmother owned in the 50s and 60s was supposedly haunted by a ghost she named Ethel Beth. This house was located in Los Angeles, not far from Century City, in a neighborhood of homes. In fact, it was a rather nice neighborhood (probably still is). Nothing spooky about it, really.
Ethel Beth had been known to open windows (the kind that had to be pushed upward), turn on lights, and throw hats out of a closet. I never witnessed any of her antics, but more than one person admitted to seeing these things. Now, whether this was a story that people loved to get in on, or Ethel Beth really existed, I’ll never know.
And while I loved to visit my grandmother and listen to the stories, I wasn’t always so keen on spending the night. Every noise spooked me! I never saw any sign of Ethel Beth, though (maybe she knew I was scared).
But the stories always intrigued me. Ghosts intrigue me. So when my husband suggested I write a book with a ghost, I thought, why not? And that’s how Ghostly Liaison was born (to be released on January 19, 2015 through Lyrical Press/Kensington).
Avoiding love is hard. Catching a killer can be fatal…
When Rob’s sister passed away, she left him her dog and her house. He can handle the dog part, but he doesn’t need another home. Especially a fixer-upper the neighbor swears is haunted. Then he meets Bridget, who’s working on getting her life back together after a car accident left her scarred in more ways than one. She can’t pass up Rob’s offer of free lodging, regardless of the shape it’s in. Or the roommate that’s part of the package. She’s never believed in ghosts, but now she’s living with one who wants Bridget’s help in catching a killer. There’s only one problem: the killer has unfinished business…
So… If you saw ghosts (and didn’t die of fright), would you tell anyone? How might you go about doing that? Well, this is how Bridget tells Rob in the following excerpt from Ghostly Liaison:
Rob scooted closer and placed his hand on her knee. “The whole incident was in the papers. Could we please talk about something less depressing?”
Bridget’s heart sped up from his touch. “Like…like what?”
“I don’t know. Movies, TV, the weather.” He removed his hand from her knee and stroked her fingers. His warmth zinged through her extremities.
Her heart went from double-time to whoa-baby-come-to-mama. She had to stop his advances and sitting with her legs wide open was probably inviting him in. She lowered her knee and straightened. Wrong move. That only gave him more room and he scooted closer.
He smelled good—of soap and wood—and grasped her hand before she could pull it away. “What are you afraid of, Bridget? Did some guy break your heart?”
“Sure, what girl hasn’t had her heart-broken.” She stared at his lips. Would it be so bad if they kissed? Kisses were just kisses, not a commitment. “How is it you’re still free? You a playboy?”
His smile made his eye gleam. “Not a playboy. Never found the right woman. Until…maybe…now.”
He held the back of her head. With the sound of blood rushing in her ears, she closed her eyes. He brushed his lips across hers and she leaned into them. What started out soft gradually became hard, almost as if he was staking a claim. She opened to him and he thrust his tongue in, exploring. He tasted better than she imagined, a mix of beer and pizza and something uniquely him.
He rubbed his thumb against her nipple and she moaned into his mouth. It had been too long since someone had last touched her. She craved everything he had to offer.
Slowly, he trailed his hand down her body, ending at her core. Frozen in place, she gradually thawed as he stroked her. She grew wet for him. Tentatively, she placed her hand on his chest, wishing the shirt would disappear. The buttons were at her fingertips. Could she slip her hand in?
He was nuzzling her neck when her mind cleared. Shit! Charlie was probably in the room.
Watching.
“I see dead people.” Hell’s bells. That had come out all wrong.
Stacy McKitrick fell in love with paranormal romance, decided to write her own and found her passion in life. She used to work in accounting, now she spends her time with vampires, ghosts, and aliens. Born in California, she currently resides in Ohio with her husband. They have two grown children. www.StacyMcKitrick.com
I was asked this the other day. Never thought about it before actually. It was just an “is”. An “is” I am immensely thankful for!
So I sat down and actually thought about it. I have quite a few reasons. So go get a nice cold….err….warm beverage and get comfy.
1. Sex sells. This one is really easy and pretty much genre wide. Sex is awesome. People like it and they like to read about it.
2. The advent of the e-reader. You can be ANYWHERE with an e-reader and you can read ANYTHING without being afraid people will judge you. That’s hot for a lot of people. You could be reading War and Peace, or The Bible, or Debbie does Cleveland. That’s awesome! So as long as you don’t start moaning in the middle of the park you’re all set. Well I guess you can moan in the middle of the park but make sure you know how to cover it with a cough.
3. And since we’re on the topic – let’s talk about people feeling judged. Seriously. I think some people have decided to take it upon themselves as the judge and jury of the entire human race and they are vocal about it. Damn. I wished they’d just shut it. Yeah. That would fix a lot of the problems in the world. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Yes They Are!! No doubt about it. But you know what? THEY DON”T HAVE TO SHARE IT. With social media, forums, blogs, groups, etc. Lots of like-minded people can come together to discuss their favorite books. No judging. Just awesomeness!
4. Empowerment – I think a lot of readers of erotic romance feel empowered by reading things that turn them on. Things that maybe made them feel less than in the past but now their desires are more main stream. Validation is intoxicating.
5. And I’m going to end with More is MORE. I know for me personally soft and sweet romances just don’t do it for me. It’s nice…and all…but it’s just not what I’m looking for to fill my precious free time. And I read one and I NEED another one when I’m done. I NEED to know I have more yummy smut waiting for me.
So to celebrate smutty awesomeness let’s have a giveaway! To one lucky poster I’ll be giving one spanking “giggle” new e-book copy away of Nico’s Curse.
Just leave me a comment below and let me know why erotic books cream your twinkie!!
And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter! Awesome new releases and giveaways and tidbits of yummytastic info about me.
Thanks for reading and here’s a bit of info to tantalize you into giving Nico a chance to win your heart…
Domenico was cursed six long years ago by a witch determined to teach him a lesson. A lesson in life, loss, and understanding that to love is to put someone first…always.
His only escape from his beautiful prison is a dating site called Crossroads. He can choose only one woman a year to contact. One woman to convince, in nothing more than a week, that he’s worthy of her love. But there’s a catch. She must fall asleep during a video chat so he can crawl through his laptop into her world. Then all bets are off.
His curse becomes his salvation when his beautiful submissive Rose is nothing but a dream away.
A Romantica® BDSM erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her family 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.
I got nuthin’. Woke up late after a very nice day of excess—big midafternoon dinner, then a lazy evening crocheting on a couch with my dd while the kids played around us. I need a cup of ambition to get going today. I’m trying to do that with music.
Gotye made me want to go back to bed. Enrique’s “Bailando” was more on track. Had to follow with Gypsy Kings–“Bambaleo” and “La Bamba” but then my dance music ran out. Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” is better for late at night. Katy Perry annoys me. David and Disturbed are too…disturbing…right now.
Any suggestions for music that will get my blood going? Oh! I forget I have Bruno’s “Uptown Funk.” That will keep me going for a few minutes. Suggestions, please?
I don’t like leaving anyone out! I wish everyone a happy holiday!
The Devlin family celebrated yesterday. Two of the grands’ visitation schedules with their other families collided with Christmas, so my dd asked Santa for a favor. He dropped gifts early morning Christmas Eve.
There’s nothing more fun than sending kids early to bed, then listening to them whisper.
“Shhh. We have to go to sleep or Santa won’t come.”
An acorn fell on the metal roof and rattled to the ground.
“Shhhh! Santa’s on the roof!”
My quick-thinking dd did a muffled “Ho-Ho-Ho!” And there was dead-silence. Ten minutes later, we checked. Everyone was snoring.
My daughter loves Christmas. Loves the Elf-on-the-shelf, the German traditions we brought home—St. Nicklaus morning when he leaves coal or a gift in a shoe to forewarn them how Christmas will be and the countdown advent calendar with its candies or small gifts they get every morning leading up to Christmas. Next year, we’re adding the Christmas spider to the tree.
She asked me, “What will we do when they stop believing?”
“You’ll tell them exactly what I told you—‘Santa stops coming when you stop believing.’ How old were you when you said you didn’t believe?”
“Mom, I never told you I don’t.”
“Exactly.”
I hope you all have your lovely Christmas traditions. Things you have to do or disappoint your family. Christmas isn’t supposed to be easy. It’s work. It’s time to reflect. It’s a celebration—whatever your beliefs—and children, if you have them, make it precious.
Do you have special rituals? Things your family does that if you skipped, someone would notice and complain? We’re doing our Christmas dinner early afternoon today. That date we couldn’t move. 🙂
Christmas is always a great time for movies. This year I’m going to see the new Hobbit movie, mainly so I can drool over Kili. (I know some of you are nodding!) Of course, the Hobbit isn’t a Christmas movie and I’m here to talk about movies set during the holidays.
I have three all-time best holiday movies. Two romances and one comedy. You may have seen them, but if you haven’t, definitely find time to make hot cocoa and watch them.
The Holiday is my number one pick. I just love this charming movie about two girls who’ve had bad luck with the men in their lives. They are strangers who meet on a home exchange and swap houses for the holidays. Iris lives in England and heads for American while Amanda goes to England. Of course, they find exactly what they aren’t looking for: a new romance. The movie stars Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black and Jude Law, who is so romantic in this movie when he starts crying.
While You Were Sleeping is one of my favorite Sandra Bullock movies. Lucy is your average, lonely working girl who dreams of Prince Charming. The man of her dreams gets mugged and goes into a coma. Of course, the fun begins when Lucy stops by to check on him and the nurse tells his family Lucy is his fiancée. Then, Lucy ends up falling in love with Peter’s brother, Jack. Of course, that makes for complications as Jack thinks she’s his brother’s fiancée. It is a fun, romantic movie. Definitely the kind of story I’d love to write.
Christmas Vacation is a classic. What can you say? Chevy Chase and Randy Quaid are hilarious. The Griswold Family Christmas is one of the funniest events ever. 20,000 outdoor lights and a trees too big for the living room. You think can things get worse? Then Cousin Eddie shows up. Randy Quaid just stole the movie is all I can say.
Do you have a favorite Christmas movie? If so, tell us about it in the comments.
I do hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas Eve today and that you will have a wonderful Christmas tomorrow!
Also I have a Christmas special offer available for readers on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day only. Get a copy of “The Yard Sale” FREE at Amazon. It is a fun story with 21 5-star reviews!
If you’re in the mood for a historical romance that features a dashing captain, an elusive lady, romance & adventure in old New Orleans, To Save a Lady, is $1.99 countdown deal on Amazon.
Patricia Preston is a Southern author who writes historical and contemporary romance as well as humorous Southern fiction. Her publishers include New Love Stories, True Romance, Affaire de Coeur, Cloverdale Press, The Blue and Gray Magazine, Sea Oats Review, and Carina Press. She won the William Faulkner Award for Short Fiction, the Lone Star Writing Competition for Historical Romance, and Harlequin’s World’s Best Romances Short Story Competition.
Her current titles include a historical romance, To Save a Lady, two humorous short stories, “The Yard Sale” and “Laid to Rest” available on Amazon, and a historical novella, Almost an Outlaw.
Today, I woke up late again. I think that’s what this week is going to be like—until the morning the kids wake up to open their presents. Then all the adults will be haggard from lack of sleep. I remember back in the day, hearing children stirring at five in the morning and telling them to go back to bed because Santa still had work to do, and he could still come back and take away their prezzies. 😉
So, I’m trying to work on titles for the next couple of Night Fall books. I liked my first title because it used the word “Knight” and I thought it was a lovely tease for the old series title. The next books will also be reworked, expanded versions of the My Immortal Knight stories that I have the rights back to.
From my previous post, you aren’t too annoyed with Sm{B}ittenfor the title of Emmy Harris’ story. So, I’ll go with that. Now I want to think about the next book. Naughty Quentin’s story.
Here’s the old writeup:
To no-nonsense cop Darcy Henry and her task force, the only good vampire is a dead one. When their leadership seeks expert advice to capture a serial-killing vamp, Darcy is embroiled in a steamy love triangle between her partner, Joe, and Quentin the vampire. Darcy’s unable to resist both men’s relentless seduction or her sensual curiosity about a vampire’s “kiss”.
I’ve been playing with titles, and this list can be added to if you have any ideas… Vote for the ones that don’t suck…
Which titles do you prefer? Choose more than one if you like more than one!
A Knight Living Dangerously (30%, 11 Votes)
When Night Falls (22%, 8 Votes)
Tempted By The Knight (From Stephanie) (14%, 5 Votes)
Bitten by the Deep Blue Sea (This book is set in Vero Beach, FL) (8%, 3 Votes)
Dark Playground (5%, 2 Votes)
Bitten Curiously (From Stephanie) (5%, 2 Votes)
Darkness Times Two (From Shirley) (5%, 2 Votes)
Dark Seduction (From Shirley) (5%, 2 Votes)
Love in the Dark (From Shirley) (5%, 2 Votes)
My Lover, My Vampire (0%, 0 Votes)
A Lick and a Nibble (Okay, so I'm really reaching there...) (0%, 0 Votes)
Playa Del Vampire (Again, really reaching!) (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 15
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And, I’ll be working on my December newsletter today. If you haven’t already subscribed, you’ll want to. I’m including a gift to all subscribers. A free short story entitled, “Drive Me Crazy.” Sign up here!
Tagged: vampire Posted in General|5 People Said|Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Stephanie - Ginger Robertson - Shirley Long - Sharon Chalk -
Before I start, I want to thank Delilah for hosting me again. I’m excited to be here, and I’ve got something to give away later.
This is the time of year a lot of people are thinking about goals, new and old. Did they make all their goals for the current year? What goals to set for the next year? Other people are simply thinking about their plans for the season: meals, parties, gifts, vacations. And some of us (like me!) whose day-jobs revolve around making sure other people’s lists are accomplished only want to make it through this month so the new year can begin.
Still others just go with the flow, taking everything as it comes along.
I admit to being a goal-setter. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I can check something off my to-do list. For example, I was very pleased with myself when I finished this blog post. Then panicked when my email program ate it. Gone. Poof, into the ether. Picture a frantic author still in her pajamas muttering and wailing in her office, digging through every nook and cranny of her computer she could think of to try to retrieve the file and failing. Rewriting it wasn’t in the plans, but a necessary deviation from the to-do list.
I’m not a strict by-the-list sort of goal-setter. I tend to leave myself some leeway and extra time to reach the goals I’ve set for myself. I’ve actually set my writing and life goals for next year already, thanks to a terrific class Delilah and her sister did earlier this month. Now, thanks to an unexpected development this week, I have to make some adjustments to those writing goals. Good thing I leave myself a little breathing space. Having to adjust my timeline for that first goal means I need to tweak all the ones that come after it, but even with a few more wrenches thrown in during the course of the new year, my goals are still achievable, and if I’m lucky, I’ll still have some time to just catch my breath.
Andi, the heroine in Hunting Medusa, has a short list of life goals: make a steady living; keep her head down to keep off the radar of the men hunting her; and to stay alive. Easy, right? Until Kallan, one of those hunters finds her. Then she’s forced to improvise, and it turns out she’s better at that than she expected. Kallan’s plan is also simple: find the Medusa, kill her, and steal a protective amulet. Piece of cake. But he had no idea that doing one of those things would make another impossible. Kallan is careful, so having his plan in ruins might send another man into panic mode. He simply comes up with a new plan. And then another when the second one goes to hell, too.
Are you a planner, a careful goal-setter? Or do you just go with the flow, letting things happen as they will? Something in between? I’d love to hear, since I’m always looking for tips to improve my own planning. Plus, for everyone who posts their tendencies, I’ll be doing a drawing on Wednesday, Dec. 24 for a copy of Hunting Medusa in the ebook format of your choice.
Author bio: Elizabeth Andrews has been a book lover since she was able to read. Almost as long as she’s been enjoying great books, she’s been attempting to write her own. When she found her mother’s romance stash as a teenager, it was a natural progression to write romances. Along with her enormous book stash, she lives with her husband of twenty years, two young adult sons, and belongs to two cats. When she’s not buried in her personal library, writing, or at the day-job, there’s a garden outside with flowers, herbs and vegetables that requires occasional attention.
www.ElizabethAndrewsWrites.com
Hunting Medusa, The Medusa Trilogy, Book 1
One murderous mission. One killer case of PMS. Who said “the curse” was a myth?
When Kallan Tassos tracks down the current Medusa, he expects to find a monster. Instead he finds a wary, beautiful woman, shielded by a complicated web of spells that foils his plans for a quick kill and retrieval of her protective amulet.
Andrea Rosakis expects the handsome Harvester to go for the kill. Instead, his attempt to take the amulet imprinted on her skin without harming her takes her completely by surprise. And ends with the two of them in a magical bind–together. But Kallan isn’t the only Harvester on Andi’s trail…
Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her family 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.
While You Were Sleeping is one of my favorite Sandra Bullock movies. Lucy is your average, lonely working girl who dreams of Prince Charming. The man of her dreams gets mugged and goes into a coma. Of course, the fun begins when Lucy stops by to check on him and the nurse tells his family Lucy is his fiancée. Then, Lucy ends up falling in love with Peter’s brother, Jack. Of course, that makes for complications as Jack thinks she’s his brother’s fiancée. It is a fun, romantic movie. Definitely the kind of story I’d love to write.
Christmas Vacation is a classic. What can you say? Chevy Chase and Randy Quaid are hilarious. The Griswold Family Christmas is one of the funniest events ever. 20,000 outdoor lights and a trees too big for the living room. You think can things get worse? Then Cousin Eddie shows up. Randy Quaid just stole the movie is all I can say.
So, I’m trying to work on titles for the next couple of Night Fall books. I liked my first title because it used the word “Knight” and I thought it was a lovely tease for the old series title. The next books will also be reworked, expanded versions of the My Immortal Knight stories that I have the rights back to.
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