I’m getting ancient.

My children bless their hearts, call me the Chief Wrinkly.

And that made me think, obscurely, about achievements in my life.

I wrote my first book about 20 years ago when I had just completed a development project in Sri Lanka and was awaiting my new assignment.  I was living on the edge of a huge coconut estate, and indeed my garden was three acres of mostly coconut trees.  There was a family of miner birds living in a hole in one tree on the edge of the small lawn in front of the house, and there was a verandah overlooking the lawn so that my breakfast was frequently taken on that verandah.

I used to tempt the miner birds onto the lawn by placing most of an overripe papaya fruit on the lawn.  Miner birds are great squabblers, and love papaya, and made a lot of noise as they competed to gobble as much of the papaya as they could.

The book?  I didn’t get that one published until 2014, just three years ago.  Since then I have written and published another 30 novels.  I can’t claim best seller status, but I did get a few good reviews, so please have a look at my website:

http://www.adammannauthor.com

You can also find my books on Amazon and Smashwords:
https://www.amazon.com/author/adammannauthor.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AdamtheMann

Motivation. Along with goals and conflict, it’s a major component of a great romance. A few years ago, I decided to write a series about some hot, successful football players whose unusual interests (call them fetishes if you must) played huge roles in how they lived their personal lives. GRIDIRON KINK includes the four BDSM romances that illustrate what events motivated each hero and heroine to embrace fetishes some readers may find strange—even a bit bizarre.

Romance is a must for me in everything I write, no matter what kinky actions turn my story people on. I lean toward conjuring up one hero, one heroine story lines, though there’s room for modification of that rule in some of my BDSM tales. In the GRIDIRON KINK series, I set out to write the stories of four mainly heterosexual couples for whom exploring their mutual fetishes—psychologically as well as literally—were integral parts of their journeys.

I hope readers will enjoy the four independent but connected short novels. In END ZONE, Jack and Tawny are young lovers who have embraced her 24/7 control over his sexual urges for his own good. Sid’s submissive dream girl learns to welcome his style of control by sensual rope bondage in place of her former master’s brutality in BEST RECEPTION. Jimmy miraculously finds his fantasy lover in the flesh, straight off advertiser’s billboards, in SACKMASTER. Finally, Matt is Keisha’s happy 24/7 slave, until circumstances force a switch of the D/s dynamic to save her life.

These stories have been updated and sanitized for their re-release in a brand-new box set featuring cover art by the fabulous Original Syn. I hope readers will enjoy all four in one handy package! Brand new and only $3.99 (or read for free with Kindle Unlimited) so get your copy now!

Website: http://annjacobs.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnJacobsAuthor
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/authrannjacobs
Email: ann@annjacobs.net

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that three of my five published contemporary romances take place primarily in the fall.

There’s something about this time of year, when the air gets a chill, the leaves turn, and swap sandals and swimwear for boots, sweaters and jeans. I love the smells, the foods, and fun— whether it’s lazy drive on sun-drenched backroads taking in the fall colors, or dressing up for Halloween.

As a kid, I dressed as a witch one year, a 1950s girl, another. In college, my costumes got a lot raunchier. One year several of my friends and I went as “Killer Bimbos from Outer Space.” We carried plastic ray-guns, wore mini-skirts, stilettos, Vulcan ears and inflatable boobs that transformed our modest B and C bustlines to epic proportions.

My only picture of the Killer Bimbo squad seems to have vanished, but I still remember the feeling of slipping into a sexy and outrageous disguise.

Recapturing that thrill was part of the fun of writing a sexy scene in my new release Shining Through.

Good girl heroine Tabitha, a well-known champion figure skater, goes to a dive bar in search of smokin’ hot Russian bad boy Daniil Andreev. Tabitha’s desperate to break out of her straight-laced public image and is (rightly!) convinced Daniil is the perfect guy to help her do it.

But as America’s wholesome blond ice princess, she can’t just march in and steam it up with sexy tattooed Daniil.

Her solution? A disguise, that transforms her into a blue-haired wild child, eager for a good time, and a man ready to show her one.

Enjoy this excerpt!

Heart pounding, she spun around, brushing his face with her synthetic hair. He stepped back, grinning a little as their gazes locked.

He wasn’t tall, which wasn’t unusual for a skater. But his well-defined upper body, tattooed arms and rock-star eyes made him look tough, cool and confident. She hadn’t a doubt he was good in a fight, and definitely not afraid of one.

She threw what she hoped was a sexy look. “Want to be on my team?”

“Sure.” He smiled and moved closer. “Which are we, stripes or solids?”

“Either. We made up our own game.” She leaned against the table and ran her tongue over her white frosted lips. “Whoever gets the most balls wins.”

He gave a low chuckle as he gazed into her eyes. “I’ll bet you play very well.”

“Actually, I’m quite new at it. But eager to learn.” She angled herself to show off her body, accented by a fitted black tank, and a red mini-skirt. His admiring gaze took in all her hard work in the gym. Even as he bent to take his turn at the pool table, his gaze lingered on her until the very last minute.

Pool balls collided with a sharp crack, and the solid-color green one rolled into a pocket at the opposite end. Tabitha licked her lips. “I like your technique. Maybe you could show me a few things.”

“Happy to.” A smile played at the corner of his mouth. “I’m Daniil. And you are?”

“Hildegard,” she answered. “Hildegard Snarski.”

“And people think Russian names are strange.” Peering at Tabitha, he followed her around to the other side of the table. “It’s funny. You don’t look like a Hildegard,” he said. “I think you look more like a Tabitha.”

Crap! He was onto her. She could either retreat in shame… or she could play the game. She looked up through her fringe of blue bangs. “Nope. Definitely not Tabitha.”

“I see.” His alluring sideways grin suggested he not only liked the game, he wanted to dial it up a notch. He gave a low chuckle and moved closer, so that his shoulder brushed against her bare arm. His nearness and the aroma of Polo Black filled her senses. “So tell me….Hildegard Snarski… is it true what I’ve heard about American women?”

She felt the familiar adrenaline rush that accompanied a daring leap. Usually it was a leap off the ice, but not this time. She twirled the square of blue chalk around the tip of the cue stick and blew away the excess. “Tell me what you’ve heard, and I’ll tell you if it’s true.”

He trailed his fingertip over her arm, whisper soft against her skin. “That they’re after a good time. No expectations, no strings. Just one night, and then goodbye.”

She blinked and her cheeks felt hot. Though she couldn’t possibly  date Daniil Andreev, the way he’d put the question front and center was disconcerting. “Is that what you’re after?”

He brushed the pad of his thumb over the swell of her bottom lip. And then his mouth was on hers, hungry and demanding, taking what he wanted.

She gripped the edge of the table, as his arm snaked around her, pressing against the small of her back. His tongue probed her mouth, triggering wild spirals of desire that blocked out the sounds of the bar, and awareness of people around them.

Blood pounded through her veins, and her core felt like liquid, soaking her panties, driving her wild. His warm breath against her ear sent shivers through her body.

“Want to get out of here?”

When the sweetheart of American figure skating falls for the bad boy of Russian figure skating, it puts her quest for Olympic gold on thin ice. Dirty Dancing meets Olympic figure skating in this sweet and sexy sports romance!

The Biggest Season of Her Career…

America’s sweetheart Tabitha Turner is on track to win figure skating gold in the Winter Games. Her family has sacrificed everything for her career, but the pressure is taking its toll. Burned out and living a lie, can Tabitha let off a little steam without melting the ice?

The Last Chance of His…

Russia’s bad boy of skating Daniil Andreev is determined to prove the toughest thing about him is his competitive fight. When Tabitha tempts him to help her take a secret walk on the wild side, he gives her a taste of the freedom she craves, never expecting that one unforgettable night could turn into something more.

Two Hearts on Thin Ice…

Chicago, Vancouver, Paris… the international figure skating season unfolds. Tabitha and Daniil compete and fall in love, but as the pressure mounts in a make-or-break season, can they set aside their painful pasts and spiral into a shining future together… or will their dreams shatter like thin ice?

At the Winter Games, the torch isn’t the only thing burning..

B&N | Kobo | Google Play Books | Goodreads
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One of the joys of reading is escaping to places you’ve been or always dreamed of going. One of those places that should be on everyone’s bucket list is Venice, Italy. The city is magical! The canals, the alleyways, the people and Carnival are amazing and take you back to another time.

I chose Venice for Ronin’s Return because I so loved the city. Hotel Eden is a place where we stayed, and I described it just like it was when I went there. I’ve included a picture of my daughter standing beneath the sign at Hotel Eden. The picture of Venice on the cover is one I took while there. I loved the colorful buildings and the reflections of the buildings in the water. I hope you enjoy visiting Venice, even if only in the story.

RONIN’S RETURN

Amazon | Kobo | Nook | GooglePlay | IBooks | Print

Navy SEAL helps Italian heiress evade bounty hunters set on collecting the price on her head, while navigating the canals of Venice.

Navy SEAL, Ronin Magnus, has his first real vacation since his visit to Italy two years ago when he met the woman who continues to haunt his every day and night dreams. His mission: Find Isabella and prove to himself two years of fantasizing has blown her image and attributes way out of proportion. In order to move on, he has to get her out of his system.

Isabella Pisano, daughter of the multi-millionaire Pisano family of Venice had spent the past two years trying to forget a handsome Navy SEAL who’d turned her views on love upside down. Not satisfied to be just the daughter of a wealthy man, she had set out to make a difference in the lives of the women being raped, tortured and sold into slavery in the ISIS raids in Syria. Disguised as the gun-toting Angel of Mercy, she entered Syria and helped hundreds of women and children escape ISIS brutality. When ISIS puts a price on her head, she returns to Venice, resumes her life as Isabella and prays her alter ego and the bounty on her head doesn’t follow her

Unfortunately, their reunion is beset by killers who’ve discovered Isabella’s secret.

Chased through the streets and canals of Venice, Ronin and Isabella must elude their enemies or die. But they cannot escape the burgeoning love, threatening to consume them.

UPDATE: The winner is Buttons!

* * * * *

My favorite cause—finding forever homes for homeless pets—is also the inspiration for my Klein’s K-9s Service Dogs contemporary romance series. In fact, all of the pets in my books were adopted from animal shelters or rescue groups. There is a long-held, erroneous idea that shelter animals are pathetic mutts, flea-bitten cats, or vicious, antisocial pets. The majority are wonderful animals in need of love and a family. Through our writing, authors have the opportunity to reinforce that fact and encourage responsible pet ownership, such as spaying or neutering pets.

Smokey, my author logo and the Chinese crested hairless drug-sniffing dog from my first book, At Her Command, was adopted from a shelter. The idea of such a talented, tiny dog working for DEA appealed to my sense of humor, and I’ve included a crested in all of my books since.

Klein’s K-9s

My Klein’s K-9s series features wonderful working pets—from police and military dogs to service and therapy animals. In Racing Hearts, the first novella in the series, a toy-sized dog is a trained seizure alert dog. Tom Tyler, my race-car driver hero, suffers a traumatic brain injury and is at first skeptical that a dog who barely reaches his ankle can help him. But soon he’s relying on the little pooch and falling for Meg Klein, the dog’s trainer.

Buy Links for “Racing Hearts”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1OzgWn9
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/jnbntuu
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/racing-hearts-9
Apple: http://tinyurl.com/zkps7pa

The second in the series, 8 Hounds a-Howling, is a humorous story about the photographing of a dog-themed 12 Days of Christmas calendar. This novella includes 78 dogs, along with several cats and a pot-bellied pig. The third Klein’s K-9s novella, Nothing But a Hound Dog, finds a country music star working off his community service sentence at the local animal shelter. The fourth, Scrooge & the Secret Santa, pits an anti-Christmas police dog trainer against a holiday-loving therapy animal trainer. Love, of course, wins.

Contest

Not surprisingly, I enjoy stories that feature pets. I’d love to hear your favorite books, TV shows, and movies that include animals. Tomorrow, I’ll randomly pick several commenters to receive a free “Racing Hearts” ebook! I hope you’ll drop by my website to check out my books. Happy Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month and Happy Halloween!

About the Author

Marcia James finaled in 11 Romance Writers of America contests before selling her first contemporary romance. A national and international Amazon and Barnes & Noble bestseller, she writes hot, humorous romances featuring heroines you can root for, heroes to die for, and funny dogs. In her eclectic career, Marcia has shot submarine training videos, organized celebrity-filled nonprofit events, and had her wedding covered by People Magazine. After years of dealing with such sexy topics as how to safely install traffic lights, she’s enjoying “researching” and plotting her novels’ steamy love scenes with her husband and hero of many years.

Website: www.MarciaJames.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarciaJamesAuthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Marcia_James
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/marciajames/
Amazon Author Central page: www.amazon.com/author/marciajames

The best part of writing in a Kindle World is the feeling of being invited over to a play with your best friend’s toys, in a playroom loaded with the latest gadgets and fun. Nowhere is this more true than Robyn Peterman’s Magic & Mayhem World. This isn’t my first time playing in the sandbox.

My first mini-series was The Witch Singer. We meet Bridget, a witch on the run with the power to create spells with her songs. She meets Martin the Skunk on the way to Assjacket, and the crazy just keeps going from there.

The Witch Singer Series within a Series:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B06X9GYKYT/

When I wrapped up that trilogy, I wanted to play again. It’s kind of like Supernatural, with a twist—my characters hunt bad boy and girl witches. They take wild and crazy risks, and well…the first one is out right now. Meet Madison and Grady…a bad ass and a hard case.

It’s the perfect recipe for a little Halloween fun, a trick and a treat.

Every Witch Way But Floosey’s

Meet Madison—badass lady who is always bringing in the realm hoppers. Her targets have horrible habits and steal things.

Meet Grady—he’s a hard case who brings in targets of his own. He’s got his own team and a penchant for flings. When the fairy tale collides with a legend…will they still be standing after the dust clears.

Discover more about Heather Long: http://www.heatherlong.net

What is Kindle Worlds?

Kindle Worlds is an Amazon exclusive program. The titles written for the world can NOT be purchased at other ebook retailers or anywhere besides the Amazon US site, but they can be read on any tablet, computer, or smartphone using the free Kindle App.

Who is Robyn Peterman? So glad you want to know!

Robyn is a fantastically funny and kind author.  I had the great good fortune of meeting Robyn while I was Romancing the Capital in Ottawa in 2016. What a great meeting that turned out to be. From the moment she clasped my arm, I knew I’d found a friend. More, I’d found someone who got me and who possessed a wickedly delightful sense of humor. When she invited me to participate in her Kindle World, I was over the moon, but I had no idea just how much. I immediately devoured all three books upon which the Kindle World is based. I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. Don’t miss all the fantastic authors who are also participating, I adore these women.  My tales are meant to illuminate the stories of witches who want one thing, but get something else entirely. Sometimes the best prayers and wishes are those that remain unanswered.

To see all the published books in Robyn’s Magic & Mayhem Series, visit her webpage.

Hellbeastly hot for Halloween—and the fact that I have a deep fondness for canines—this was my inspiration for twins, Zol and Zin. They are relentless and ruthless hellhound shapeshifters serving the underworld god, Hades. On the opposite end of the hero spectrum—when in human form—Zin and Zol are the epitome of true, sophisticated gentlemen. Yes, they enjoy the finer things in life.

I admit it, I have a penchant for writing multi-faceted characters, heroes who embrace their fierce alpha side and their romantic-gentleman side. For example, the fictional hero, Tarzan, survived and thrived in the wilds of Africa, yet as Lord John Clayton III, Viscount Greystoke, he successfully negotiated the drawing rooms of Britain. Yep, my kind of hero.

Yes, Halloween is lurking, and this is the season of the witch. Growing up, I adored the TV show “Bewitched”. I mean who wouldn’t? The good and beautiful witch, Samantha, could at the snap of her fingers, the twitch of her nose, clean her entire house. Now that’s impressive, especially to a young girl faced with the drudgery of housework.

Hey, I even learned how to twitch my nose. Although, it was never as good as Elizabeth Montgomery, the wonderful actress who played one of my all-time favorite fictional witches.

In this early sitcom comedy, Samantha performed magical miracles thus saving the day—that is, despite her human husband’s disapproval. Ah Darrin, an okay guy and a sorta loving husband. Yet, even as a kid, I asked myself, was he really good enough for Samantha?

No. He was not. That was my final conclusion.

Over the years—because I’m fascinated with most things paranormal, including the history of witchcraft—I did research on real life witches, on their various Wiccan practices. It all began with the infamous and fabulous Sybil Leek when she wrote her first book, “Diary of a Witch”, published in 1968.

Wiki info: “Sybil Leek was an English witch, astrologer, occult author and self-proclaimed psychic. She wrote many books on occult and esoteric subjects, getting dubbed as ‘Britain’s most famous witch’ by the BBC.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sybil_Leek

Decades later, when I wanted to write a Halloween-themed erotic romance, Kandace appeared in my storyteller’s imagination. Because of her untamed mane of red hair, and her love of Halloween, she’s affectionately called Kandy Apple by friends.

Kandy is a real witch in the sense that she was born with her many witchy talents. She doesn’t know how or why this is true, and few know about her witchiness. This  is because Kandace was adopted. Even with her supernatural abilities, she’s never been able to find her bio parents.

As I wrote KANDY APPLE AND HER HELLHOUNDS, I was determined to give her the mates she deserves. Zol and Zin admirably demonstrated their protective ferociousness, as well as their ability to cherish their chosen witch woman.

~~~~~~

HAPPY HALLOWEEN READING!

Savanna
Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance

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KANDY APPLE AND HER HELLHOUNDS

Kandace doesn’t know why she’s a real witch. Despite her powers, she can’t find her biological parents. When the Tuxedo Twins tempt her with knowledge about her heritage at a charity event, Kandace agrees to dance with the mysterious Supernaturals. Unexpectedly, they are threatened by the omnipresent evil she’s been warned about in her dreams. To keep from being enslaved, Kandace brings forth her greater magick. But, to save her homeworld, she needs her Hellhounds.

Zolivar and Zindale, two of Hades’s most mission-accomplished Hellhounds, see a witch sliding down the bannister after her heist of a painting. Spellbound, they know they’ve found just the right Kandy Apple to lick for Halloween. With every passion, Zin and Zol woo their chosen witch. Will their Triad mate stay once she learns they can’t fall in love like humans? Or will she return to her homeworld?

[Ménage Amour: Erotic Paranormal Ménage Romance, M/F/M, shape-shifters]

Excerpt:

Chapter One:

Zolivar and Zindale
August 14, 2009

“Ready to unleash your inner being?” Zol asked his twin. Utterly naked, he pulled off his gold and onyx signet ring, twirled it once on his finger, then slid it inside his tuxedo pants pocket.

Zin stripped off his dress pants and tossed them inside their black sports car, affectionately known as the Twilight Mirage. He shut the door with a neat twist of his wrist. “I’m releasing my inner beast,” he returned with dry amusement.

Standing side by side, they traveled their supernatural gazes over the Mojave Desert’s moonlit landscape. As one, they searched out their target, a corporate hit man. Currently, he followed a prominent woman herbalist. Using biblical herbs, she had recently created a formula that rendered any virus inert.

Since the woman’s products already sold well, several of the flu vaccine companies had decided to go Mafia, eliminating the threat to their profits in the old-fashioned way.

“The only good competition is no competition,” Zol and Zin uttered in unison. On mission, they’d recently infiltrated a Big Pharma company party and heard that phrase spoken several times.

Sighting the hit man, the enemy to humanity that they’d sworn to hunt down and deliver to Hades, Zol and Zin used their internal radar, locking in his position. A second later, their heads swivelled and their fiery gazes connected.

Mirror reflections of each other, their eyes flared simultaneously, flashing to hellfire red. Their features took on a reddish glow, their gazes remaining intensely brilliant.

Growling like thunder in their throats, Zol and Zin morphed into what they were, hellhounds.  Their guttural howls ripped through the night and seemed to strike the moon. Luna rode high in the midnight heavens, a glowing Halloween orange and nearly full.

As they gathered their sleek brute bodies, preparing for the chase, horrendous snarls issued from the twin hellhounds. Their coal-black lips curled upwards over their scimitar-like fangs, now dripping with poisonous saliva.

Together they leapt toward their prey. The explosive power of their beast muscles rippled beneath their hairless ebony hides. An impenetrable shield to most weapons and all manner of magic, their hides were composed of alchemically-arranged volcano magma.

Totally driven by the hunt, they raced in perfect concert with each other, their gargantuan paws skimming over the desert floor instead of striking fully. As they ran, Zol and Zin existed in two realms, the world above and the Underworld.

Scarcely aware of what else moved around them, they caught Geraldo’s scent and the smells of his expensively outfitted Jeep. With each giant-bounding stride toward their target, their hellbeast instincts grew.

Since Geraldo’s employers wanted the exact proportions of herbal substances used in Mary Sweetwater’s formula, and were willing to pay him a small fortune, Geraldo had first attempted to gain her trust but failed. He’d also tried ingratiating himself with her family and friends. That hadn’t succeeded, either, despite his vile seduction of her sister.

From their otherworldly vantage point, Zol and Zin had observed Geraldo ignore every divine urging not to continue with his corporate theft, then his murder of Mary. However, the hit man eventually crossed the invisible line and now belonged to their punishing jowls, to their boss, Hades.

~~~~~~

Kandace and her hellhounds, Zol and Zin, invite you to read their love story ~

Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered ~ What happens when two of Hades’ most mission-accomplished Hellhounds find just the right witch for Halloween?

Available at ~ http://bookstrand.com/kandy-apple-and-her-hellhounds ~ and the usual ebook and print vendors.

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You can find me at:
Savanna Kougar ~savannakougar.com~
ShapeShifter Seduction ~shapeshifterseduction.blogspot.com~
Title Magic ~titlemagic.blogspot.com~