Musings on…the Weather?

Huge thanks to Delilah for hosting me today. I’m excited to be here!

I grew up in Michigan and Ohio, but I’ve been living in Texas for nearly a decade. We were warned about the weather, but at first Texas tried to deceive us. Two weeks after we moved in, we had a snowstorm on Valentine’s Day with five inches of snow. And that summer, it rained for almost the entire month of June. By the time July rolled around, Texas started to show its true colors, and we knew we were in trouble. I’ve been known to offer to trade my firstborn for a cloudy day during the summer. Needless to say, I still haven’t adjusted to the weather.

During mid-July this year, with afternoon highs well into the 100s, nighttime lows hovering in the 80s, no rain to speak of, and backyard swimming pools as warm as bath water, I was diligently working on edits to my forthcoming debut release. It’s a Regency historical set in London. So naturally, I started daydreaming about the weather there as I edited.

I visited London in June 2009. Average highs were in the mid-70s, and average lows in the 50s. I wore jeans! And sweaters! It was cloudy much of the time, and drizzled a bit. Never mind the sights – the trip was worth it just for the weather. But the sights were pretty fabulous, too.

Windsor Castle – check out those gorgeous clouds!

So you’re probably wondering if I added rain and below average temperatures to my story. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until November to find out.

Ally’s Bio:

Ally Broadfield lives in Texas and is convinced her house is shrinking, possibly because she shares it with three kids, five dogs, two cats, a rabbit, and several reptiles. Oh, and her husband.  She likes to curse in Russian and spends most of her spare time letting dogs in and out of the house and shuttling kids around. She writes historical romance and middle grade/young adult fantasy. Her first book, Just a Kiss, is coming from Entangled Publishing in November 2013.

Please stop by my website in November. I’ll be participating in a blog tour with giveaways in celebration of my debut release.

website: http://allybroadfield.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/allybroadfield
Twitter: www.twitter.com/abroadfield

UPDATE: The winner of the free download of Raw Silk is…Rebecca Merz!

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Just quick commercial, and then I’ll get back to the regularly scheduled program… 😉

Right now, Shattered Souls is available for just $.99! So if you haven’t bought the story, now’s the time! The book’s chock full of gooey goodness—a sexy, kick ass hero you’ll find just as irresistible as the heroine does…a heroine with a really bad attitude and a past she can’t escape…magic and mayhem… Get the picture?

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Flashback: Raw Silk

Post a comment and you’ll be entered to win a free download of this book!

“… This is one hot book. This is my first m/f/m, m/f/m/f, f/f, and m/m all in one book! And whoa nelly, this was a smoking hot story….” 5 Stars and Top Pick, Night Owl Reviews

“…Delilah Devlin has a scorching hot read on her hands with RAW SILK…Ms. Devlin gives her readers a sexually charged romance…Ms. Devlin turned up the heat with her intense love scenes and memorable characters. I loved Raw Silk, and I would recommend this story to every reader.” 5 Angels and Recommended Read, Fallen Angels Reviews

“…The always exhilarating author Delilah Devlin knows exactly what her readers want – daring, erotic and wicked delightful stories filled with amazing characters, exciting story lines, passion and an abundance of emotions that will keep them riveted to the pages and once again she delivers the goods with RAW SILK…” 4 Hearts, The Romance Studio

A wicked, no-strings one-night stand turns unexpectedly complicated when three lonely hearts collide…

Camille sacrificed romance for success long ago. Now that the lingerie company she and her best friend built is hugely successful, she has a few regrets. Wanting to let down her hair and explore the possibilities, she agrees to meet a man at a bar for drinks only to wind up needing help when she rebuffs his sexual overtures.

Jake and Daniel are two firefighters hitting the bar for a quick drink after a long shift when they see a classy beauty fending off an overzealous boyfriend. With a flex of biceps they chase him off then settle in to seduce the lovely woman whose eyes reflect a hunger they understand all too well. What starts as a simple, pleasurable one-night stand, quickly burns up the sheets.

While Jake knows he can’t let Camille crush their relationship because of age differences, Daniel still thinks he can walk—until he gets a whiff of Camille’s best friend Lacey. Suddenly three isn’t enough.

Reader Advisory: Burning up the sheets is putting it mildly! Inhibitions are out the door with scenes of m/f/m, m/f/m/f, f/f and m/m.

Nothing was better than a lip-gloss kiss—sweet, silky, made for savoring.

Jake Lassiter picked up his beer and drew on the froth, imagining another kind of cream slipping between his lips while he stared at the woman’s shiny pout. She didn’t seem to realize anyone stared as she slicked her lips with a clear lube, tucked a stray blonde curl behind her ear and closed the mirrored compact. Or maybe she did and the performance was just a tease.

“Dayum, bro. Gotta have me some of that,” Daniel Parker murmured.

Jake shot him a glare, just to check, and sure enough, his best buddy was staring at the same honey-haired beauty.

“I call dibs.” Danny scowled, humor gleaming in his dark brown eyes.

“Can’t call dibs. I saw her first. I watched her come in the door while you were paying for the drinks.”

“Oh yeah? What color is her hair?” Jake asked, leaning toward the bar to cut off Danny’s view.

“Who gives a damn? Did you see her ass?”

Jake snorted, annoyed they were talking like two never-been-laid teenagers, but that’s what usually happened after a long week when both of them were too worn out to rub a single brain cell between them. That either had been able to lift bleary eyes past their beers said a lot for the woman’s appeal. She shone like a beacon in the badly lit bar.

“Why not let the lady make her own choice?” Danny drawled.

“Like she’d come near either one of us,” he muttered, his gaze sweeping the expensive cut of her navy suit, the sleek fall of her chin-length hair and understated makeup. She wore “class” like he did a pair of well-washed jeans—comfortably.

Still, it had been her expression that had snagged his attention. Something soft and wistful shone in her large, dark eyes. She wished she was anywhere but here. Read the rest of this entry »

The Time to Give Thanks

Thank you, Delilah, for allowing me to stop in and visit with you and your readers again. The last time I was here, my post was about the Canadian long weekend in May, our Victoria Day holiday, which is when my current release Worth the Risk takes place.  Due to the timing of this visit, I thought I’d talk about another holiday—this weekend is our Thanksgiving.  So, yes, I’m spending the weekend cooking. Hmm, not unlike most weekends, but this one’s special – it’s turkey time!

Just like in the U.S., Canadians give thanks for a good harvest and any other good fortunes over the past year, and we take time to stuff ourselves with turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries and pumpkin pie, well, I actually prefer apple.  😆  However, our Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated earlier, on the second Monday of October.

Traditionally, this is a national public holiday for most of us, and although we do tend to get together with family on the Thanksgiving weekend, the holiday itself is not as big a celebration in Canada as it is in the U.S. While the actual Thanksgiving holiday is on a Monday, many will actually celebrate it on the Sunday.

Last time I was here, I talked about how we generally used the May long weekend as our springboard into summer—we open everything up—our pools, our camps and summer cottages. Well, we use this one to close them all up.  Summer is officially over, all done. It’s time to pack it up, sweep it away, and pull out the winter wear. Yuck. Coats and boots we’ve been hiding in the basement. *shiver* We look longingly at our shorts, swimsuits and sandals.  If we’re lucky though, it’s a beautiful warm fall day, the leaves have already turned to bright reds, oranges and yellows, and they’re gently falling from the trees.  Just in time for the kids and hubby to rake them up!  Pumpkins, squash and Indian corn are in abundance and adorn dining room tables, front entrances, and create beautiful crisp masterpieces that (hopefully) last through Halloween.

A few interesting facts:

• Canadian’s don’t have a Black Monday.  Our biggest shopping day is Boxing Day
• Similar to the U.S., Canadians have parades and watch football on the holiday Monday
• Kitchener Waterloo hosts Oktoberfest – if you’re looking for German music, beer and Schnapps, Kitchener is the place to be (if you can’t actually be in Germany of course 😀 )
• Quebec Francophones don’t consider it an important holiday – it’s simply a day off!
• The Canadian Thanksgiving coincides with the U.S. observance of Columbus Day

Now, remember when I said we took the time to express our thanks?  Every day, I’m thankful for my family and friends, both close and extended, my health, and my job. But this year, I saw my dream of becoming published come to fruition. And before the end of the year, I should see my second book hit the e-market. For that, I’m especially thankful too everyone involved in making that happen.

In my upcoming release, Friends with Benefits, Tyler is most thankful for the woman he shares his life with.  When he finds out that his best friend is moving to town, Tyler decides this may be the opportune time to surprise his wife, the woman he loves more than life itself, by fulfilling some of her fantasies, and Connor is the one man he trusts to help him do just that.

You trust your friend.

You love your wife.

Is your relationship with both of them strong enough
to put it all to the ultimate test?

There’s only one way to find out…

All images are for promotional purposes only and do not reflect the actual cover
or character images.  Author as appropriate rights for the use of all images.

I want to wish all my American friends a happy Columbus Day and all my Canadian family and friends a happy Thanksgiving!  Tell me…what are you thankful for?

To purchase Worth the Risk:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | All Romance Ebooks | Kobo | Bookstrand

To connect with Anne:

Web Page/Blog | Facebook  | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

A Cowboy and a Guitar

Thanks for hosting me today, Delilah! I’m excited to chat with your wonderful readers.

Country Western singers play a huge role in my fantasy life. A few years ago, I attended a concert with my girlfriends. We had too much fun planning naughty stolen moments with the opening act.

I just imagined what it would be like to get invited backstage by him, into his dressing room, accept a glass of whiskey from him, and sip it while watching him strip off his shirt. “Sure, I’ll wait while you take a shower,” I say, and he grins at me, takes the glass from my hand, and shakes his head. “You’re commin’ in with me, sugar.”

Hmm, should I risk messing up my makeup…oh heck, who am I kidding? I’m naked and in the shower before he can get his boots off!

Our first kiss is whiskey flavored, hot and slow. He likes to take his time. But he is intense, knows exactly what he wants and (woo-hoo!) exactly what I need. Do we ever see each other again? Of course we do! This is a romantic fantasy. Somehow, he tracks me down and we start a crazy-wild relationship that lasts happily ever after.

Fantasies are wonderful, aren’t they? Who’s the country star you daydream about? Are you sneaking backstage with him? Or do you have a different fantasy planned for him? Leave a comment for a chance to win!

Book 1 of the Hot Country Series: Country music superstar/actor Chase Tanner has yet to be denied anything–and he’s never wanted anything or anyone more than gorgeous screenplay writer Reno Linden. So when the film they are working on is finally finished, Chase decides to turn up the volume on seducing Reno.

Reno Linden lived a quiet, rural life until she was thrust into the Hollywood scene when her book was adapted to film. Chase Tanner is larger than life, sinfully sexy and hell-bent on getting her into bed. Skittish after a failed wedding engagement, Reno risks the plunge into Chase’s arms, and is surprised that her good girl self can keep up with bad boy Chase.

Though Chase returns to his cowboy roots often, and Reno cherishes the time spent with him on his ranch, the two find their careers pulling them in different directions. Will their attraction survive the glitz and stress of fame?

Excerpt from Chase and Seduction – Book 1 of the Hot Country Series:

Reno looked at Chase for a minute, losing herself in the dark passion in his eyes. Fisting her hand in his silky hair, she pulled him down to her and kissed him. Her tongue plunged in, twisting with his.

He took over, his lips slanting on hers, his breath hot and sweet as he explored every crevice of her mouth, teasing and caressing. His arms wrapped tightly, and he spread his feet apart so his hips could grind back and forth across her mound.

Her mind numbed to everything but the throbbing of her slit, the trickle of cream dripping from her opening onto her swollen lips, wetting her panties. She pulled his head back, still gripping his hair, and took huge breaths. “I’m drowning, Chase. Don’t let me go.”

“Reno.” His voice caught. “Never.” He walked her backward three steps and flattened her against the hard wall. His eyes bore into hers, his pupils dilated, making them look black, sensual, intense. He ran a hand up under her shirt, up to her breast. Her nipple grew rock hard as he teased it with his thumb, circling then squeezing it.

The pleasure ached, shivered down her belly, down low between her legs, making her cry out with the urgency of her need. He had to take her. Now. She couldn’t wait.

Chase tugged up her bra and fit her breast into his hand. “Oh baby, this is so fucking much better than I imagined.”

She stared at him, his face so close it seemed like a dream. Her voice seemed to come from far away. “Did you, Chase? Did you think about this? About making love to me?” She wanted to cry, for some insane reason—cry and hold on to him forever.

He gyrated his hips against her, hitting her clit through her clothes. “Yeah, I thought about this. Every time we talked, every time I saw you across a room.” He took her nipple between his finger and thumb again and caressed it. “And a hundred times a day when I could only see you in my mind.”

The ecstasy streaking from her breast to her pussy was outrageous. Sweet, heavenly contractions began, and she tipped up her hips to better feel his cock against her clit. The increased pressure flooded her pussy with heat as her climax neared.

“Reno.” He captured her mouth with his, demanding and driving, his need becoming frantic. He moved his hand from her breast to the waistband of her shorts and slid his fingers in, catching her lacy underwear with it.

Wanting to prolong her ecstasy, she pulled away from his kiss and caught her breath while she unbuttoned his shirt and yanked it open. Seeing his muscular pecs and abs, she lost all control and ran her hands over his hot, satiny skin, making circles with her fingers in the auburn hair lightly covering his chest. She leaned forward and bit him on the collarbone.

He cried out. “Oh yeah, baby, I like a little pain.”

She kissed the spot she’d just bitten. “And a little pleasure?” She’d never been so bold with a man. All her inhibitions had packed up and left.

He yanked her shorts and underwear down to the floor then stood and cupped her pussy with his big hand. “A lot of pleasure.”

**********

Leave a comment sharing the name of your fantasy ‘cowboy with a guitar’ for a chance to win an e-copy of Cowboy 6 Pack plus a box of swag.

Thank you!

Randi
“Rode Hard and Put Up Satisfied”
RandiAlexander.com

-Chase and Seduction is Book 1 of the Hot Country Series, and is available digitally at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks, and in paperback at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Createspace

A big thank you to Delilah for letting me play in her sandbox for a bit.

October has to be my favorite month of the year for a number of reasons. It’s my birthday month. Fall weather has usually rolled in. Boots and sweaters can be pulled out of the back of the closet. And I get to decorate for the spooky-ooky season, Halloween.

Even before I had children, I loved putting up cobwebs, flickering candles and tombstones. Now they help me drag stuff out of the attic. We end up with stuff all over the living room, foyer and front yard. Despite having boxes of stuff, we still add to it every year.

And costumes? I’ve lost count of how many we have. But like the decorations, almost every year I think of a new one to put together. This year I’m thinking Firefly (the show, not the insect).

My love of the odd, unusual and paranormal is probably why I was so drawn to Tullamore Castle, the setting for the Emerald Isle Fantasies series.

Tullamore is an enchanted castle-turned hotel, set in Ireland that is home to ghosts, witches, werewolves, vampires, selkies and other creatures that go bump in the night. While all of those paranormal beings might seem frightening to some, erotic delights can be found around almost every corner.

My book, Ghostly Persuasion, is the fourth book in this multi-author series.

When American-born Katie Ward takes her mother’s ashes home to Ireland, she finds hunky but spell-bound Seamus MacDonhnaill loitering in her suite at Tullamore Castle. Seamus is surprised Katie can see and hear him because he was turned into a spirit three hundred years earlier.

Seamus acts as her personal tour guide around the castle and estate. Not only does he show her the historical sights but Seamus introduces her to voyeurism and a variety of other cardinal delights. As frustrating as it is for them to not be able to touch each other, they push the limits as far possible.

Katie is determined to help Seamus break the spell cast on him by the wife of one of the previous lords. A woman he refused to take as a lover. Seamus only knows the spell will not be broken until he finds and claims his one true love. With help from a few castle ghosts and the local witch, Katie’s cousin, they break the spell.

Katie and Seamus fulfill her mother’s last request by spreading her ashes along the shoreline then begin their life together.

Get it now:
Ellora’s Cave  /  Amazon  /  Barnes & Noble

Stop by my website later this month. I’ll be participating in a blog hop and giving away prizes.
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

You want to know where my story ideas come from? Everywhere! I’ll show you what I mean…

I took this photo when my family went on a trip to northern Arkansas this last summer. When we travel, we tend to stop wherever we see interesting signs along the side of the road. “Quigley’s Castle”—had to see what that was all about—think a house built of concrete with bits of shell and crystal stuck into the bricks. Very strange and wonderful. If there’d been a “Biggest Ball of Twine” sign, we’d have been there, too. After all, what’s a family trip if you don’t enjoy the journey as much as the destination?

We stopped at a country store that had half a dozen horses lined up and a sign that read, “Horse rides–$6.”

Now, I look at this picture of the 9-year-old who was lead around the grassy yard in front of the store again and again, and I think… hmmm… a little town’s 4th of July celebration… cowboys giving kids rides on horses… a single mom watching her little girl ride a horse… a cowboy who sees the little girl’s joy… Where might that lead?

Now, it’s your turn…

THE MANY HATS I WEAR

As I’m writing this blog, I’m listening to my 3-year-old grandson screaming his head off, in a temper for the hundredth time this week. That’s right, my daughter and two grandsons are living with me for a short time until they can get moved into their own house. I love my grandsons and I love that I get to know them better since they have lived so far away from me (Guam) for so long. It’s been a tough transition for us all to get used to each other and I have to remind myself, he will grow out of the “terribles”. Count ten and insert earplugs.

Not only am I a grandmother, I’m a mother to three children, now grown. Well, mostly. The twenty-one-year-old is still in college and very dependent on us when she needs money and very independent when she has a pocket full of cash. I try to be there for my grown children when they need a shoulder to cry or lean on, or want someone to vent to.

We also own a business with 16 employees. I’m the president and I try to go to the office at least once a week to run the status meeting. That once a week becomes even more quite often. The business is expanding and I’m in charge of placing ads, interviewing and hiring the new employees.

Then I’m the writer. Sometimes I feel like that role takes the back seat to everything else. And it really shouldn’t. Because my schedule is flexible, writing gets pushed to the back burner all too often and I find myself writing in crunch mode more than I should. Not only that, but I write under two pen names. And in this digital age, I have to keep enough content to keep my readers happy for both pen names.

I love my jobs, all of them! And I love being a writer and creating exciting stories that I can get engrossed in. It’s my escape sometimes from a very disjointed life. It’s my grounding place where I can get back to the fantasies that take me to far off places where I get to meet or be other people if only for a short time.  I started out as a reader and I still am, because I like to take those trips into other people’s lives. It helps me tune out the screaming, or shut off the worrywart mamma in me, or forget for a moment that I have a schedule to pull together for the office.

Come…escape with me!

And I hope you enjoy the following blurb and excerpt from:

COWBOY RESURRECTED
Covert Cowboys Book #4
by Elle James aka Myla Jackson
Amazon | Nook

An expectant mother’s protection is a cowboy’s promise in Elle James’s Covert Cowboys, Inc. miniseries 

Thorn Drennan stares death in the face when he’s nearly shot by a ranch trespasser. But this is no ordinary trespasser. Pregnant and running for her life, Sophia Carranza has crossed the Mexican border, leaving a trail of ruthless enemies behind.

Sophia’s protection is Thorn’s first assignment as an undercover agent and he senses trouble. Inexplicably drawn to Sophia’s beauty and fighting spirit, Thorn fears his growing desire for Sophia could jeopardize the mission. And when Sophia’s captors finally catch up to them, will Thorn trade his own life for another?

Standing to the side of the door, Thorn balanced his rifle against his hip, grabbed the doorknob, shoved open the door and darted out of range.

An explosion erupted from inside the cabin, and wood splintered from the door frame, bouncing off Thorn’s face. He ducked low, rolled through the doorway and came up in a crouch, aiming his rifle in the direction from which the last bullet had come.

“Vaya, o disparo!” Another shot blasted a hole in the wall near Thorn’s shoulder.

He threw himself forward in a summersault, coming up on his haunches. The rifle lay across the cot, pointed at the side of the shooter’s head.

“Por favor, no disparar!” a shaky female voice called out. “Don’t shoot!” Slim hands rose above the other side of the cot.

“¿Hablas Inglés?” Thorn asked.

“Sí. Yes. I speak English. Please, don’t shoot.”

“Place your weapon on the floor and push it toward the door.”

The thunk of metal hitting wood was followed by the rasp of it sliding across the floor.

Thorn hooked the gun with a foot and slid it toward himself. “Now you. Stand and walk toward the door.”

She hesitated. “Do you promise not to shoot?”

“I’m not going to shoot, as long as you don’t do something stupid.”

A slim figure emerged from the shadows, rising above the cot. Long, straight hair hung down around her shoulders, swaying slightly as she moved toward the door, picking her way carefully. For a second, she stood silhouetted in the light filtering in from the moon, the curve of her hips and breasts in sharp contrast to her narrow waist.

She glanced toward him, moonlight glinting off her eyes.

Thorn stared, transfixed.

Then, before he could guess her intentions, she flung herself outside, slamming the door shut behind her.

Thorn shot to his feet, ripped the door open and ran outside. He turned left, thinking she’d go for the motorcycle under the lean-to.

Just as he rounded the corner of the house, he realized his mistake.

Little Joe whinnied, then galloped by with the woman on him.

Thorn tore out after them, catching up before Little Joe could get up to speed.

He grabbed the woman around the waist and yanked her out of the saddle, the force of her weight sending them both to the ground.

The wind knocked out of him, Thorn held on to his prize, refusing to let go, a dozen questions spinning through his mind. Who was she? What was she doing on the Raging Bull, and why did her soft curves feel so good against his body?

Elle James’s Bio:

Elle James spent twenty years livin’ and lovin’ in South Texas, ranching horses, cattle, goats, ostriches and emus. A former IT professional, Elle is proud to be writing full-time, penning intrigues and paranormal adventures that keep her readers on the edge of their seats. She has 39 works with Harlequin, self published works under pen name Elle James, over 40 works with other publishers including Samhain, Elloras’ Cave, Kensington and Avon and 18 works self-published under pen name Myla Jackson. Now living in northwest Arkansas, she isn’t wrangling cattle, she’s wrangling her muses, a malti-poo and yorkie. When she’s not at her computer, she’s traveling, out snow-skiing, boating, or riding her ATV, dreaming up new stories.

Social Media:
ELLE JAMES  Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads