UPDATE: The winner is…Alison Rush!
*~*~*

So, yes, we’re still talking about Cowboys: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, and next week, we’ll start a new round of contests and discussion about the authors and their stories over on the Collections website (which reminds me I need to head over there tonight and close out some contests—hint!), but I’d like to begin thinking about what’s next because these volumes take time to put together. The first big decision is the theme for the book. As you can see below, we’ve had some fun themes!

Put your thinking hats on! Offer some suggestions for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

I’ve been thinking maybe a holiday-themed Boys short story antho would be fun, but there’s also, Military Heroes, Real Men (lumberjacks, construction workers, etc.), Silver Foxes, Royalty, Paranormal Heroes, Aliens, etc. Let me know if any of these pique your interest or if there’s something else you’re dying for me to feature. I’ll collect your ideas then come back with a poll! Have fun with this!

If you could have more than one hot boyfriend, why wouldn’t you?

This is a question Emilia finds herself confronting by the end of Rook’s Palace, but before that, she’s already had to go through a lot. Her adventure starts out with a house-sitting gig. The house is more of a fake castle, so that is weird, but she can roll with that. But then, a video game turns on by itself, and Emilia gets sucked into the game.

She knows there is a way to finish the virtual reality adventure: free a vampire prince from his tower prison. She also knows that to get there, she will have to, erm, lose some of the scant lace clothing the game provides her with. As Emilia advances in the game, she begins to understand that it is not really a game at all, but a prison designed to look like a magical palace.

The five monsters Emilia meets don’t just get under her very short skirt but also under her skin, and Emilia decides that she will free them all. It is easier said than done, because the creator of the game doesn’t want his prisoners to escape.

Rook’s Palace has plenty of action: the running kind, and the gasping and moaning kind. And of course, you won’t have to pick a favorite love interest—you get to have all the five monsters on offer.

Rook’s Palace (Her Five Monsters 1)

Release Date: Nov 12, 2021

Drawn into a video game, Emilia falls for five sexy monsters and wonders if the game is real after all.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FUGn5P
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3vmvHI2
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3aPPw0Y
Apple: https://apple.co/3G0cEZa
Changeling: https://bit.ly/3bv88nj

Emilia is excited to start a house-sitting job, even if the house is creepy and more than a little on the odd side — as odd as the owner’s requests. When she finds an unusual gaming console, she is drawn into a lusty video game in which she crosses paths with five inhuman creatures. She is drawn to them all, but when the five men keep telling her that the game is very much not what it seems, Emilia realizes she can no longer play along.

As the path she follows offers not just desire and intense experiences but also sadness, cruelty, and hurt around every bend, Emilia’s resolve firms: she will free the five men, who tell her they are already a family, already lovers. Whatever she has grown to feel for them, she cannot let them suffer if saving them is within her power.

With the rules of a game she doesn’t understand forcing her to play along, Emilia must find a way to get to the end of the game and get everyone out — whatever the cost. The freedom of her five monsters depends on her.

Excerpt from Rook’s Place…

Copyright ©2021 Alexa Piper

Another flash of silver washed over Emilia just as she was about to follow a hallway that curved to the left. The lightning dyed the way straight ahead in gray, and at the end of it, she saw a door. The door was closed, unlike all the other doors on the first floor, so Emilia decided to try it. After all, if Blakely wants the shutters of his game room closed, it makes sense he’d keep the door closed as well, she thought.

A few steps in and with her arms out in front of her, Emilia touched the door and felt for the knob. She turned. The door opened, its hinges soundless. The room she saw beyond was the game room indeed. Emilia searched for a light switch instinctively, even though light fell in through the windows, some of which had their shutters shifted open by the wind. Emilia could make out a billiard table, a card table, shelves with games, and a large television set. She stopped looking for a light switch when she saw that, because the TV gleamed faintly.

“What the…” Emilia walked toward the large screen. She was pretty sure that no one else was here besides her. “Mr. Blakely?” she said. Maybe he’d cancelled her services after all, although she would have expected him to send her an email at least. “Hello?” she said, louder.

Emilia looked around, and finally spotted the light panel, higher up than she’d tried. She hit the switch, and the light that filled the room left no shadows for anyone to hide within them. The TV, though, was definitely on.

“Maybe the thunderstorm got you to work?” Emilia said and walked toward it. As she did, she noticed blinking lights from the shelf underneath it. There were several gaming consoles there, new ones she was familiar with. But those weren’t the ones that blinked at her, no.

The console that had caught Emilia’s attention was an oval design, smooth silver. She touched the casing, and found that it was warm, polished metal rather than plastic, with a smaller oval display set in the middle. As soon as her fingers brushed against the console, the display lit up with words.

“Play me? Huh,” Emilia said. “You’re strange. How do I play you?” she asked. There was no controller anywhere that she could see. The other wireless ones were neatly lined up beneath their respective console, but this oddity…

The screen brightened, and the words play me blinked at Emilia.

“Right. I want to.” She turned to look around. On the table behind her, on the chairs, there was no controller in sight either, nor did her search reveal one behind the cushions. Shrugging, Emilia hit the screen on the console. She felt the slight give of a button. “Ah.”

The television set flickered to life, and a suitably eerie voice echoed to Emilia from hidden speakers.

“Welcome to the Rook’s Palace,” said a male narrator. On the screen, the camera was following a path through a thicket of trees. It wound toward a castle that rose like a waking dragon in the distance.

“Wow, this looks super HD,” Emilia said. She pulled one of the floor cushions stacked to the right of the TV toward her and sat down cross-legged.

“Brave traveler, you have chosen to walk the paths to the palace, but beware,” said the narrator. “These paths are full of the pleasures of the flesh, and none that walk them may escape the lust and desire of those who call the palace their home.

“Traveler, should you choose to continue, there is a mission you must carry out.” The screen washed out, the scene shifting from the outdoors to a room. It could have been a room right here in Blakely’s castle. As the camera did a slow turn, Emilia gasped a little as a tall, dark-haired figure came into view. At that exact moment, the man turned and looked at the camera, almost as if he’d heard Emilia’s gasp. His dark hair ran down his back, and he wore what was probably supposed to be some sort of stylized Victorian garb. The pants were tight enough to show off muscular legs, and the pressed white shirt with the silver buttons — half of which were undone — showed a broad chest and a narrow waist. The man, whose hair trailed down to the small of his back and half hid his face, looked straight at the camera. His eyes were the color of amethyst, and a wild emotion stirred in their depth for a second before the man shut it down.

“Lord Radovan, the vampire prince, has been hidden away in the palace’s highest tower. Traveler, if you dare, it is your mission to free Lord Radovan from his captivity.”

Emilia wanted to look at this strange vampire prince more. The video quality was good, uncannily so, everything looked real. It was almost like all she had to do was reach out her hand, and she’d be able to touch the amethyst-eyed vampire prince.

Emilia lifted her right hand, but before she could actually try reaching for the vampire, the camera moved. It went for a window and flew straight out, down toward a hedge maze.

“The palace grounds are full of riddles and challenges. Those who guard the path and the palace will not be assuaged by anything less than taking pleasure in your body, Traveler,” the narrator said. “They will demand you give yourself to them, and if they have no mouth or know not how to use it, they will take pleasure on you regardless, split you open and fill you with their need.”

Emilia felt like she should be taking notes for her chat room work. This was good enough to make warmth run down her spine, to make her shift a little on her floor cushion.

“Traveler, if you wish to proceed to the Rook’s Palace, you must consent now to have your body used. On the path to the Palace, your body will be your token. If you dare not, you may turn back, though you will never know what pleasures hide behind these walls. If you consent, your pleasure will end only once Lord Radovan is set free from his tower.”

The maze opened up to the path again, and the camera rushed back to the spot it had first been in, the one with trees to either side of it. Words wrote themselves across the screen.

“Traveler, do you consent?” it read. “Say yes, and proceed. Say no, and never return.”

Once more, Emilia looked for a controller. The button she’d pushed on the console had gone dark now. She looked back up at the screen…

About Alexa Piper

Alexa Piper writes steamy romance that ranges from light to dark, from straight to queer. She’s also a coffee addict. Alexa loves writing stories that make her readers laugh and fall in love with the characters in them.

Connect with Alexa: https://linktr.ee/AlexaPiper

UPDATE: The winner is…Jennifer Beyer!
*~*~*

The kids, even the 17-year-olds, are eager for tonight! The older ones are going to dress up and escort the younger ones, hoping some candy will be tossed their way, too. You’re never too old. LOL

October was a crazy-busy month.

I had my first art show! It was so much fun and reaffirming! I signed up for some more online art classes, and away I’ll go, getting ready for next year!

I wrote two books and mucked around in one other book! My hands are still sore from that whirlwind of activity!

I’ve been editing like crazy for other authors. I have yet to figure out a way to nail down that particular schedule because some authors deliver late, plus work can go fast or slow depending on how much work is to be done on the book and how rested I am!!!!

Anyway, the important thing about October was that I had two new releases! And NO, I didn’t plan on having two COWBOY books go out in the same month, but that’s how it worked out. October’s theme was just meant to be about Cowboys! (Click on the covers if you want to know more about the stories!)

November’s going to be just as nuts!

First off, my son is coming for a visit on the 1st! We’ve been separated due to distance (he lives on the East coast) and COVID. But he’s staying for a little over a week, and he wants to spend time with me and his sister, and do some junking at local flea markets! You know I’m so in for that!

I have multiple editing projects to keep me busy in November. Plenty busy. ‘Nuff said. It won’t be until December before that train slows down.

And I have books to write. One anyway. I’m thinking, if I can get motivated, that I’ll write another quick, short Cowboys on the Edge story before I start into the next bounty hunter, Eli. We’ll see if I get lazy. I didn’t put the COE story up for pre-order because I wasn’t sure I really wanted to do it, but NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) starts tomorrow, and I’d love to participate, so maybe that will be enough incentive to keep my butt in the chair.

As for releases in November…

You can’t miss this one. It’s longer than I usually write. My hero is gobsmacked by the heroine from the start, but she’s hiding some dangerous secrets. It’s juicy and suspenseful, a isn’t the cover gorgeous? Have you pre-ordered your copy of Defending Evangeline? I’ll tell you a little secret: THE PRINT VERSION IS ALREADY AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!

However, that’s not the only book releasing in November, though. I haven’t hyped it enough, but I am republishing a book that Avon published back in the 2000s. I’ve been re-editing it and will release it on November 16th. I loved building this world filled with old Sumerian and Judeo-Christian mythology (okay, I’m geeking out!). It’s dark, sexy, and suspenseful. Did I mention sexy? AND it’s a loooong novel…

Check out Dark Legacy!

Is that enough for November?! Gah. I’m already tired. 🙂

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, let me know whether you’ve read any of my Cowboys on the Edge stories, featuring my firefighters and deputies in the little town on the edge of a canyon, AND whether a new story in the series would interest you!

Just $0.99!!
Order your e-copy here:
Kindle | Nook | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play

We (all 15 authors!) are very proud of this edition! Click on the cover above to read more about the stories in this anthology. They’re all spicy and fun and all feature cowboys—whether riding a horse in Texas or wrangling space creatures. We set the price low, not because we didn’t think people would be willing to pay a higher price, but because we want to share it with as many people as we can. There will be a print edition very soon. So, get your copy! The eBook costs less than a cup of coffee—even the straight, unflavored cup! Remember, I have a short story in this volume, too! One related to my Cowboys on the Edge series…

Also, please visit the Collections website for the next wee while. Starting tomorrow, the authors will be sharing photos that depict an aspect of their stories, plus, there will be contests! 

And reviews are always much, much appreciated! ~ DD

UPDATE: The winner is… Daun Ann Korty!
*~*~*

On Tuesday, a brand new “collection” arrives! Have you pre-ordered your copy? It’s 72,000 words of sexy goodness—all centered around COWBOYS—and it’s just $0.99!!! The authors are eager to share their stories, and we have some fun planned for the release. There will be contests; authors will be sharing snippets from their stories; and did I say contests? Where? Over at my Collections website. Go check it out now! While you’re there, be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss out on any of the fun!

Contest

You can check out the first five of my Boys Behaving Badly collections by clicking on the covers. And yes, they are all just $0.99—not because they’re not worth the full price, but because the authors of these stories want as many people as possible to devour their stories! They’re a great deal and great way to find new-to-you authors!

Comment for a chance to win the download of your choice of
one these anthologies!  There will be three winners!

  

 

UPDATE: The winners are…Colleen C, Pamela Reveal, Debbie Caswell, Bn100, and Cheryl!
*~*~*

I won’t actually do any counting here, because that’s too much like math and, well… ew. But over the past few years, I’ve come to love the concept of anthologies.

Firstly, I get a try out new-to-me authors. Yes, this can also be accomplished by buying random books from random authors, but this tactic is a tad inefficient. And if I’ve spent hard-earned money on a whole book that turns out to be poorly written, poorly edited, or just plain unsatisfying, it’s like biting into a chocolate chip cookie only to realize it’s oatmeal raisin.

But a whole selection of authors and voices in one purchase? That’s a buffet! A smorgasbord! A feast, and I’m sure to find at least one (usually several) author whose voice I now love and can’t wait to read more of!

Secondly, short stories rock. I still love thick books with massive world-building that transports me across the universe or deep into a secret world within the world I already know and takes my mind and heart on an operatic-level journey toward an epic conclusion. A full 7-course meal with all the pomp and circumstance in presentation, complete with three different forks, two spoons, and weird clamp-type utensils for the escargot.

But there’s something to be said for peeling back everything but the most essential, impactful details and getting right to the heart of the story. Skipping all the minutia and going straight for dessert. Getting my money shot and my Happily-Ever-After and my hand-to-my-heart-deep-sigh-of-satisfaction… while waiting to pick a kiddo up from whatever practice they have today.

Lastly, there’s the price. I could achieve all of the above without buying an anthology… and spend a fortune doing it. Ooooor, I can dip my toe in the waters of an anthology for a lot less financial outlay. The greater the price of a book (or ebook), the greater my expectations. And therefore, the greater my disappointment if it’s not awesome.

Buuuuut, a quality book from a sure source that only costs 99-cents? OMG take my money and keep the change!!

And funny that I should be extolling the benefits of anthologies… because Delilah’s latest Boys Behaving Badly Anthology is going live October 12^th. The Cowboys edition has everything you’d want in an anthology: great authors, rocking short stories, a can’t-pass-up-price, smokin’ hot cowboy heroes that will set your naughty bits aflame, and heroines you’ll feel in your heart because you’ve been them at some point in your life. I’m thrilled to be part of this year’s anthology, and (squee!!) have read most of the other stories… trust me, they are ah-mazing!!

GIVEAWAY

Please comment with something anthology-related (your favorite, a fun experience, why you like them, etc.), and I’ll randomly pick five winners to receive an Amazon pre-order of the upcoming Cowboys anthology.

An excerpt from “Solar Flare” in Cowboys by Ava Cuvay

Planet Crysceous, Iona Quadrant

“Dad, the Coronal Mass Ejection will reach us tomorrow. Have you hired the replacements to herd—” Solarne Vacca jerked to a halt halfway into her father’s office, her attention snagged by the three strangers standing there. Specifically, the tall drink of aqua at the front, one hip cocked and his arms crossed at his chest, far enough from the blaster strapped to his thigh to appear non-threatening.

One glance at his sharpshooter’s face was enough to know his relaxed manner was an act.

Her heart hammered in her throat. She’d seen this man on the “Wanted” holo-vids posted around this system, sporting a list of violent offenses. He was even more striking in person, lounging with all the self-assurance of a king. Nearly two meters tall, with a head of bedroom-mussed hair as dark as a starless night, eyes the color of a cloudy day, and a body built for sin. She wouldn’t be a woman if the view didn’t steal her breath and shoot heat straight to her core with laser-point accuracy. But she was also CEO in charge of her family’s sprawling crehdisth worm ranch. This was her kingdom. And this man’s visit was a threat.

He was not here for a casual social call. He was a hired gun.

UPDATE: The winner is…Jolene Durante!
*~*~*

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, let me know who this weekend’s book boyfriend will be! 

If you haven’t already chosen your boyfriend, here’s a suggestion. He’s the ultimate bad boy… 🙂

If you’re looking for something to read this weekend, I have a suggestion. Pick up a Night Fall story! There are 13 books in the series! Each story is unique. Each hero and heroine is unique. I worked hard to give each character their own story with their own issues and adventures.

If you’d like a taste of one of the stories, here’s Bad to the Bone, which features Viper, who more than lives up to the title of the book!

Get your copy today!

Excerpt from Bad to the Bone

One week ago…

Slim hips swished beneath a short, flirty skirt, drawing his gaze like iron filings to a magnet. The splash of large pink flowers on white stood out like a beacon in the darkness. Beneath the hem stretched a pair of nude legs, toned, and nicely curved at the ankles. Perfectly made to lightly clasp a man’s waist as he slid into moist heat…

He suppressed a low, rumbling growl from the beast rising inside. Something he rarely bothered to do in the squalid dens he roamed most nights. The creature lurking deep within was a sexual animal, a lustful, ravenous host who found partners only too willing to let him feast. But this woman was different. Her soul was pure. Her mind unawakened to the darkness.

He followed her as she left her apartment, sticking to the shadows, ducking into stairwells when she looked behind her as though checking whether someone followed. A frown marred her smooth brow, and her lips tightened. The clip of her heels on the pavement quickened.

Shoulder-length, flyaway brown hair bobbed across the tops of slender shoulders. The creamy skin of her exposed arms and legs swung in a rhythm that his heart picked up and matched, beat for stride.

Feeling more than ever like the true predator he was, he tamped down the shame that burned like battery acid in his stomach and continued stalking the woman who walked more briskly now along the darkened sidewalk.

When she turned onto a crowded walkway, her shoulders sank and her footsteps slowed as she relaxed.

Now, as she mingled with others strolling along the promenade, she believed herself safe. Little did she know, but her “spontaneous” decision to leave her apartment had been at his suggestion—a message telegraphed with tantalizing snippets of the smell of fresh salt air, the caress of a soft breeze, and a glimpse of sensual pleasure.

She hadn’t heeded her own natural inhibition. Hadn’t paused to check the clock and note the waning evening hours. Instead, she’d made her decision, wriggled into a sexy little skirt and snug pink tee, slid her feet into strapless sandals and bounded down the stairs, ready to kick off winter’s gloom in an unseasonably warm spring night.

He’d made sure she didn’t glance even once at the calendar resting on the bureau in her foyer. Nothing would trigger a fleeting memory. And while he’d provided himself the opportunity to see her, he’d decided days ago he wouldn’t use his persuasive gifts to bring her straight into his arms.

Tonight, he wanted to savor a natural seduction.

She paused along the gangway that followed the curving street through a long, outdoor strip mall. At the bottom of one set of stairs leading into a seafood restaurant, she lifted one foot, planting it on the first paved step.

As he drew back the suggestion that had led her here, her brow furrowed, and she shook her head. Her foot slipped off the step and slowly settled beside the other.

In a blur of movement no human would detect, he slid in behind her. “Did you forget something?” he murmured, careful to keep his tone innocently inquiring.

A gasp escaped, and her head jerked to the side then tilted up to meet his gaze. Her eyes widened, and then slid over his shoulders before rising again. “You frightened me.”

The deepening frown that bisected her brow amused him. She was annoyed and not bothering to hide it. Her eyes narrowed. “I know who you are.”

Viper jerked imperceptibly. His heart tripped, and then thudded dully again. She couldn’t mean what he thought. “I doubt that. If we’d met, I would have remembered,” he lied, giving her a rueful twist of his lips. More of a smile than most ever saw.

Her head shook, sending her fine, dark hair shivering silkily across her cheeks.

The urge to tuck her hair behind her ears was almost irresistible. He curled his fingers and stuffed both hands into the pockets of his faded jeans. “Who do you think I am?”

Gaze narrowing, she hesitated. “I’ve seen you before. At a club near the water. You’re the manager.”

Viper suppressed a grin, relieved her clouded mind hadn’t jumped to the right conclusion. She was talking about Dylan’s club. “I’m just filling in for a friend at The Cavern until he returns home. I have no ambition to run his place permanently.”

“The Cavern.” She nodded. “That’s the one. It’s a strange place. I did a piece there about the rise of Sanguinarian blood rituals. A whole subculture devoted to the practice exists, and most of them in this area hang out at your friend’s place.”

“You’re a writer then? Or are you a television reporter?” he asked, knowing full well she wrote a column for the social section of the Seattle Times.

Her casual shrug belied the fact she was serious about her work. Ambitious even. Or at least she had been. The social section wouldn’t encompass her ambition for much longer. A worrisome thought. However, he’d always loved that about her. She kept her eyes on the prize and rushed headlong wherever her curiosity and drive led. An excellent quality for a reporter, but one that had spelled disaster for him.

But then, she didn’t remember any of it. She hadn’t retained that lesson, because he’d needed her to remain safe.

“You know, they have a dress code here,” she murmured, eyeing his black leather jacket and T-shirt, and then sliding her glance quickly down his legs before rising again. A faint blush tinged her pale cheeks.

Viper’s eyelids dipped. “I’m not planning on going inside. I was waiting for someone.”

“Lucky girl,” she said softly, then shook her head again. “I don’t really have a reservation or anything, and I’m not dressed for it either. I’m not really sure why I stopped…”

His glance panned the line of people waiting patiently for their names to be called by the restaurant hostess who roamed outside, jotting on a clipboard. “Doesn’t look like my friend is planning to show. Would you like to go somewhere else?” he said quickly, not wanting her to decide to return home before he had a chance to chat her up and build a little trust and interest.

Time stretched between them. Her gaze flitted down the row of well-lit shops, still open with people walking leisurely along the covered walkway. A soft evening mist muted the glare of the streetlamps, as well as the sounds of the people passing them by as they stood at the bottom of the steps leading into the trendy restaurant.

“I promise I don’t bite,” he added, fighting the urgency building in his body to keep his words light and casual. “We can just take a walk. Find a cup of coffee, if you like.” He wanted her to say yes without any of his extra “persuasion.” Wanted her to choose him of her own free will.

A long indrawn breath lifted her chest, and she gave him a small, tentative smile. “A Starbucks is at the end of the strip.”

Warmth seeped into his chest. And although he knew tomorrow he’d pay a heavy price, he needed this night with her, whether it ended in her bed, as he hoped, or not. Simply standing this close, feeling the warmth of her body and breathing in her fresh, sweet scent flooded him with joy.