Excerpt from “In Need of Repair”

Biceps Boy started extra early the next morning. The compressor roared to life and her eyes flew open. Slam-bang from the hammers.  To top it off, one of the geniuses brought a radio and the serenade of some country boy done wrong sent the hair up on her neck. She grabbed her bedside clock. Six freaking thirty.

Samantha leapt out of bed, pulled on cutoffs and slid a t-shirt over her head, and barely blinked the sleep out of her eyes before stumbling down the stairs.

She spotted Biceps at the table saw and marched over, her flip flops snapping against her heels. “How long are you going to make my life a living hell?” she shouted over the noise.

He looked up at her with a shocked expression. Damn, he had the most incredible green eyes. Fringed with dark lashes and set in a face worthy of the gods, his eyes slowly crinkled as he grinned and looked her up and down. “Where did you come from?”

Of course. A fucking redneck construction guy who couldn’t see past her breasts. “I live right there,” she said, jamming her thumb toward the garage apartment.

“Nobody told me,” he said mildly, looking back at the saw. He turned off the spinning blade and picked up a battered travel mug. “Sorry about the noise, but we’re going to be here a while,” he said, taking a drink.

Against her better judgement, her gaze drifted. She was helpless to stop herself. Much as she wanted to be furious with this guy, she couldn’t ignore his appeal. Under that faded navy blue t-shirt, his shoulders stretched almost wide enough to block a doorway. Sprinkled with sawdust, his tanned forearms rippled with corded muscle. As if he could pick her up. Or hold himself over her for hours…

Everything about him made her think of sex. How fucking long had it been since she thought about sex? How completely inappropriate could this be?

She stopped herself before her gaze wandered past the tool belt and brought her attention back to his face. Big grin, all white teeth and dimples. A look that said he could eat her alive and make her like it.

Worse, he didn’t hide the fact that his gaze kept wandering down the front of her t-shirt which she realized, now that she’d come half awake, did nothing to hide her failure to put on a bra. Or the fact that her nipples reacted to his stare. Her bare toes curled.

“That’s just not acceptable,” she said, planting her fists on her hips. She considered taking a swing at that jaw. “You’ll have to wait three weeks to resume work here. I have a deadline.”

He laughed. “You’re kidding.”

She huffed. “I’m not kidding. I have to finish this project. There’s no way I can work with all this noise.”

“Lady, we have a deadline too. We’ve got more work to do than we’d planned and not enough time to do it. I’ve had to hire more guys. If anything, it’s going to get a lot noisier around here.” He studied her from under the brim of his battered ball cap. “Close your windows.”

Her teeth clenched as she resisted the urge to curse out loud. “My windows are closed. I can still hear every hammer strike and every note blaring from that damn radio. There’s got to be a law or something.”

“Sorry,” he said agreeably, adjusting his hat over his short sun-bleached hair. “Not.”

How could he be so nonchalant? Her entire future was at stake. “What about common decency?”

She looked up as three men rounded the corner.

“Hey, boss, that scaffolding…” one of them said, breaking off when they saw her.

The heat of their scrutiny swept up her face in a hot flush. What the hell had she been thinking, coming out here half dressed? These cutoffs weren’t fit for public view and she never went anywhere without a bra. She hadn’t had coffee, hadn’t even brushed her teeth. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to disguise the condition of her breasts.

“Give me a minute,” Biceps said, jerking his head sideways to send them away.

His eyes settled on her again. She didn’t like what she saw, this mixture of sympathy, curiosity, and lust. Was it just in this redneck’s DNA to make her feel helpless? She looked away.

“Go work at my house,” he said. “You’ll have the place to yourself. I promise, it’s quiet.”

She stared at him. He couldn’t be serious. “That’s absurd.”

~~~

Read the full steamy story for only 99¢

Buy links: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I5TOG3E and
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/647155

About the Author

Lizzie Ashworth lives in the wilds of the Ozark Mountains with her cats, hound dogs, and whichever child has taken up temporary residence between grad school and relocation. She’s been writing her entire life and can’t express how wonderful it is to share stories with readers like you. Every book comes from the heart in the hopes that readers will find a bit of pleasure within those pages.

Sign up for Liz’s free monthly e-newsletter, Liz’s Hot News. Free monthly newsletter with excerpts, freebies, pre-release deals, and much more. Sign up at http://eepurl.com/bHOyS9

Follow Liz for free erotic short works, hot photos, and the occasional rant on my blog at http://lizzieashworth.com/

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Okay, I’m gonna have to swear you all to secrecy. Trust me. You don’t want the Secret Society coming after you. It won’t be in your best interests.

I’ll give you a minute to take the super secret oath, paper-cut your thumb, and dab the blood onto your screen, device, whatever.

Done? Let’s do this…

What is the Secrety Society, you ask? They’re the extremely hush-hush corporation at the center of my thriller, The Secret Society. It’s complicated. Here…read the blurb.

Okay, are you back? Whew, that’s a lot of info (and secrets) I divulged. I hope “LMI” isn’t listening. They have eyes and ears everywhere. Turns out, um, they’re not quite as fictional as I thought.

Still, here I am, risking it all to tell you where the idea came from…or, at least, where I thought it came from:

“The Husband Bench”

Yep. That place where suffering men sit at malls and stores, waiting for their significant others to finish Epic Shopping. Some time ago, my wife parked me amongst several other bored guys, told me it’d be just a minute. Well, it wasn’t. But I started watching the men; men from all walks of life with nothing in common but sheer boredom. I began to wonder if some of them had other reasons for being there. Running with the idea, I thought the “husband bench” might be a particularly secretive, discreet, amusing, and unusual place for a clandestine meeting.

Now all I had to do was come up with a reason for the secret meeting. Hence, The Secret Society was born.

Or so I thought. Now, someone’s watching me. My cell-phone’s tapped, my computer’s being tracked, a dark Town car keeps following me. You’re my only hope, dear reader…you must find out the truth from my book and expose the evil conspiracy. And why they’re doing it! Before it’s too late!

My life depends on your buying this book!
Ahem…

A dark suspense thriller with an unhealthy vein of humor coursing through its veins, Secret Society is the first in a trilogy. A fictional trilogy…or is it? The second book you can get here: Serial Killer Thriller! Third and final book on the way.

What’re you waiting for?

Available now

Stuart

Hi Readers,

Did you ever do something when you were younger, you thought was for the right reason, but it caused something bad to happen that you didn’t plan? Like agree to partner with an unpopular classmate for a science project, but that left your friend to get partnered with someone who didn’t pull their weight, so your friend got a bad grade?

Well, in my upcoming book, HER HELL YEAH COWBOY, my contribution to Sable Hunter’s Hell Yeah! Kindle World releasing this Thursday, August 11th, the heroine’s right reason, when she was younger, changes the course of the hero’s life. Years later they meet again, but he doesn’t know it’s her, and she’s too afraid to tell him at first, so the longer she waits, the harder it is to reveal.

Sometimes assuming someone is going to react a certain way doesn’t mean they will.

HER HELL YEAH COWBOY is part of my ongoing Harland County Series and crosses over into Sable Hunter’s Hell Yeah! Kindle World. I was so honored Sable asked me to be a part of the launch to her world, and with such wonderful authors. I’m so excited for this launch!

Her Hell Yeah Cowboy

Years ago, he unknowingly rescued his soulmate, now she’s back in Texas and about to save his guarded heart.

Unlike his twin, Texas National Guardsman Sgt. Logan McCall would rather march barefoot and blindfolded through a cow pasture than date the same woman twice. After an active duty injury during a flood washed away his promising sports career and engagement years ago, Logan guards his heart more than his life until, fresh from deployment, he runs into a friend of the McCoys…literally. Hill Country’s newest resident is hotter than the wing sauce soaking into his shirt.

Mission on.

Graphic designer and carrier of misfortune, Chloe Davis is a danger to herself and those around her, so entertaining thoughts for the sexy cowboy wearing her hot sauce should be a no-no…not a hell yeah—especially considering he’s the guardsman linked to a horrible instance in her past. But when he turns out to be one of her clients, she can no more avoid him than the attraction sizzling between them. Chloe’s back in Texas determined to make a fresh start, and she succeeds in business but fails to resist the handsome soldier’s relentless pursuit.

But when he discovers her past, will he trust his heart or lose her forever?

Cover photo by Cover Me Photography with Orestis Papapetrou

Excerpt

Casual or not at all was Logan’s motto. The last thing he wanted was a soulmate.

The thing was, he believed in Cady and her abilities. So he did what any man in his position would do. He topped off his beer and enjoyed another healthy pull.

“Did you say soulmate?” Lincoln blinked at Cady, and when she nodded, his brother turned a shit-eating grin his way. “This I’ve got to see.”

Joseph smiled. “Me, too.”

Logan laughed. “Hate to disappoint you all, but look around.” He made a sweeping motion with his hand. “The place is practically empty, and the only woman here is Cady. Not a soulmate in sight.”

“She has big brown eyes that are going to melt that guarded heart of yours, Logan McCall,” Cady remarked leaning closer. “She’s near. Can’t you feel it?”

Feel it? What he was feeling was agitated. On edge. Restless. He had for some time now. But today he could add aggravated to that list. Cady’s dark, direct, Creole gaze, and the guys’ amused ones weren’t helping. Logan set his glass down and rose to his feet. “What I feel is the need to use the bathroom. Excuse me.”

The more distance he put between himself and the two chuckleheads at the table, the better he felt. And Logan was sure, once he was home, the weird restlessness—like he had unfinished business—would disappear. Hell, he just got off deployment. It was common to come back with baggage. This shit was normal. He’d deal with it.

What wasn’t normal was for him to run away. He didn’t really need to use the bathroom, but the urge to leave the table had been too strong to ignore. Cady knew. He could see it in her eyes and slight tug to her lips, but bless her, she didn’t call him out on it, just let him go without a word. Not only had his buddy married a smart, beautiful woman, she was sweet, too.

Going on the assumption the john was in the same place as before, Logan rounded the bar and—smacked into someone rushing down the corridor, all soft and curvy.

And hot?

He felt the heat right through his T-shirt. It scorched.

Inhaling on impact, he reached out to steady the distinctly feminine form, his mind registering a light, flowery scent, mixed with the mouthwatering aroma of…chicken wings?

“I’m so sorry. Are you okay? Did I burn you?” Her breathless voice had a sweet huskiness that spread awareness all the way down his spine.

He shook his head to clear it. “I’m fine,” he replied, staring at the mass of wavy brown hair obscuring the woman’s face as she tried to brush off the sauce that leaked onto him from the Styrofoam container she cradled in one hand.

“I’ve ruined your shirt.” She continued to try to clean him up but only made it worse. A second later, her palm stilled on his chest, and she drew her lower lip between her teeth.

“I’m fine,” he repeated, silently willing her to look at him.

With the initial shock of the collision wearing off, he realized the merit of the situation. Pressed against him was a soft, warm woman with an abundance of curves his body immediately wanted to get to know better. A little taller than average, she brushed his bottom lip with the top of her head, her riot of hair sticking to the chin he hadn’t shaved in two days. Logan wondered how their other body parts lined up, but most important, he wondered…what color eyes she had.

______________________________________________________

Keep an eye out for Her Hell Yeah Cowboy here:
http://donnamichaelsauthor.com/books/her-hell-yeah-cowboy/

~HARLAND COUNTY SERIES~
Unruly cowboys and the women who tame them…

Book 1: Cole – HER FATED COWBOY
Book 2: Conner—HER UNBRIDLED COWBOY
Book 3: Kade—HER UNIFORM COWBOY (Award Winner)
Book 4: Kevin—HER FOREVER COWBOY (Award Winner)
Book 5: Jace—HER HEALING COWBOY
Book .05: Jen & Brock—HARLAND COUNTY CHRISTMAS (prequel novella)
Book 6: Tanner—HER VOLUNTEER COWBOY
Book 7: Jesse—HER INDULGENT COWBOY
Book 8: —HER HELL YEAH COWBOY (Sable Hunter Hell Yeah KW Crossover Novella 8/2016)
Book 9: Keiffer—HER TROUBLED COWBOY (Citizen Soldier Crossover Novel-Rel. Nov/2016)

______________________________________________

This is the list of the 11 August 11^th Sable Hunter’s Hell Yeah! Kindle World release authors and their books:

Randi Alexander – Saddle and a Siren
Cynthia D’Alba – Cadillac Cowboy
Lana Dempsey  – The Song of Her Sighs
Desiree Holt – Man of My Heart
Maddie James – Seducing Sarah
Donna Michaels – Her Hell Yeah Cowboy
Lexi Post – Cowboy’s Break
Jodi –  Cowboy Kinky
Kandi Silvers – Boardroom Cowboy
Ciana Stone – Until There Was You
Sabrina York – – Gun Shy

Hell Yeah! KW trailer:
https://youtu.be/MLKeGvSFmUE

Landing page on Sable’s website:
http://sablehunter.com/hell-yeah-kindle-world.html

Facebook Release Party:
https://www.facebook.com/events/165244600563375/

Join us in the Hell Yeah! Reader room for daily news and author interaction.
http://bit.ly/2asU3Hi

______________________________

About Donna Michaels:

Donna Michaels is a NYT & USAT bestselling, award-winning author who writes romance through the H’s-Hot, Humorous and Heartwarming. Her heroes are strong alpha cowboys and military men who are equally matched by their heroines. With over twenty books of various lengths and heat levels, she’s published through Entangled Publications, AmazonEncore, The Wild Rose Press, Whimsical Publications, Kindle Worlds, as well as having several self-published titles and one Japanese Manga. Donna lives in northeastern PA with her military husband of 30 years, and a house full of her now adult children, many rescued cats, and even her parents! There’s never a dull moment, which means there’s plenty to write about!

Hook up with Donna here:

https://www.facebook.com/DonnaMichaelsAuthor
https://twitter.com/Donna_Michaels
http://donnamichaelsauthor.blogspot.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/donna-michaels/8/879/408 http://www.goodreads.com/Donna_Michaels
http://pinterest.com/donnamichaels/
http://www.amazon.com/Donna-Michaels/e/B008J24XR2/

Newsletter Sign Up:
http://tinyurl.com/zaxbqe6

Thanks for reading,

~Donna

When I was a kid playing ball at recess, everyone in the schoolyard wanted to walk away with a victory. We all wanted to win the game. But when someone missed a turn or someone else stepped out of bounds, they were allowed another chance. We called that a “do-over.”

There have been so many times since then that I’ve wished I could have a do-over:

The day I snapped at my husband because I was distracted and worrying about something completely unrelated to him. The night I opened my mouth at a party and nerves made me say the wrong thing. The time I forgot to look at my calendar and missed the most important appointment of the week.

Luckily, those were all relatively minor problems. I rescheduled the appointment. My friends at the party laughed off my comment knowing it came from nerves. Yes, my husband even accepted my apology. And yet I still wanted to rewind the clock and have the chance to do those things all over again without messing them up.

But what if any of my minor problems had been something much worse?

What if someone made a huge mistake that completely changed the course of his or her life, and there was no do-over, no chance to apologize, no hope of making things right?

That was the what-if that turned into my current book.

I knew Jason and Layne were teenaged sweethearts, that they had gotten married and she became pregnant, that he left her before their baby was born, and that they’d gone through a divorce. I also knew Layne had later married someone else. After those bare bones of story, everything else was up for grabs…except the fact that Jason returns home.

He wants to see his son. He wants to accept the responsibility he’d once walked away from.  And if the heroine doesn’t agree, their story will never have a happy ending.

What do you think she’ll do?

If you were the heroine, would you let the hero have a do-over?

Excerpt

“What happened between you and your ex?” He hadn’t meant to ask, but now the question hung there, he realized how much he wanted to know.

“That’s not any of your business. And I told you, he’s out of the picture.”

“All the more reason for me to man up and take responsibility.”

“I don’t need your money. I do fine.”

“Mommy.”

Scott’s voice startled them both. They turned toward the door to the hall. The boy stood framed in the doorway, rubbing his eyes just the way he’d done the past couple of nights after Jason settled him in bed.

Tucking his son in at night and reading him a bedtime story—two things he’d never thought he would get the chance to do.

Two things he’d probably never do again if Layne insisted on going back to work and kicking him out of her life.

“The sheriff is coming?” Scott asked.

“No, honey,” Layne said. “That siren you heard was on television.”

“Oh.” He crossed the room and climbed up onto the edge of the couch. Layne still sat back with the pillow against the arm of the chair. Scott leaned against her side.

Jason eyed the boy, then looked at Layne again and said quietly, “I’m not buying into your doing fine, either. Not when you wake up in a sickbed and the first thoughts you have—after your kids—are about the bills you need to pay.”

“Everybody’s got bills.”

“Right. Responsibilities they take care of. So let me take care of mine.”

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Single mom Layne Slater thought she’d seen the last of Jason McAndry when he chose the rodeo over her and their unborn son. Now Jason’s back in Cowboy Creek and just as handsome as ever. But Layne can’t give in to those feelings again. She has to protect her children…and her heart.

Jason wants to try to make up for the pain he caused when he left. The least he can do is help Layne while he’s home. Before long, Jason realizes he’s finally ready to be the husband, father and man his family deserves. But can Jason prove to Layne that this time, their love is forever?

Find the book:
Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Charge-Hitching-Post-Hotel/dp/0373756283

Barnes & Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cowboy-in-charge-barbara-white-daille/1123353803

Books-A-Million
http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Cowboy-Charge/Barbara-White-Daille/9780373756285

Harlequin
http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=65377

IndieBound
http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780373756285

Kobo
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/cowboy-in-charge

About the Author

Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom.

Cowboy in Charge is the latest book in The Hitching Post Hotel series. Other books in the series will follow. And at the end of 2016, she begins a new sweet romance series for Entangled Bliss.

You can find more info about Barbara and her books at the following locations:

Website  http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
Blog  http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/blog
Newsletter  http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter
Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
Twitter  https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille
Amazon author page  http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-White-Daille/e/B002J6B0QQ
Harlequin author page  http://www.harlequin.com/author.html?authorid=1244
Goodreads author page
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/529361.Barbara_White_Daille

Sometimes dreams do come true. When I was a small girl, I had 3 aims in life. I wanted a horse. I wanted a piano. And I wanted to be a writer. I attained all three, but not in the way I always thought I would. The horse was my first love, but the needs of our church and my father’s wisdom decided that the piano would come first. Yes, it was a good decision. I ended up taking piano for 12 years and served my community in countless ways playing for weddings, funerals, church services, etc. I even taught piano to 40 students at a time. The horse came too. A family friend gave him to me and he, Comanche, and I were best friends forever. The writing thing, however, was derailed. While I imagined myself spending my days sitting at a desk with a vase of flowers by my notepad, creating memorable prose – my mother had another idea. She was old-school, you need a career you can count on, she told me a thousand times. Her litany to me was, “Be an accountant, like Lowery Pickard, you’ll always have a job.” I won’t bore you with who Lowery Pickard is, but I can tell you that I became an accountant because I didn’t often buck my parents.

I didn’t realize my dream to be a writer until the day came when I was trying to influence a younger male relative who, I thought, had a wealth of natural talent with the written and spoken word. He didn’t think making a living as an author was possible, but I was determined to show him it could be done. This was about the time that kindle and amazon self-publishing began, and I was one of the first to try this. To say I was blessed is putting it mildly. I actually had been writing. I love a particular kind of book – woman faced by challenges, feels unworthy, finds man who thinks she is perfect just the way she is – and when I couldn’t find one to read, I’d write one. When I uploaded my first book on amazon, I didn’t expect it to sell. Well, lo and behold, it did – now eight years and fifty-something books later, I’m still writing and my young relative is selling real estate.

So, yes, dreams come true.

When I first entertained the thought to have a kindle world, I laughed at myself. Who am I? I am the most country, plainest, most boring, unassuming human being ever! But the idea persisted and when I got the opportunity, I pitched the idea and it flew! Then, came the horror of actually asking authors to participate. I want you to know I was terrified. I am reclusive. I have never done a conference or a book signing, the only contact I have with other authors are those that I have done projects with online. But, in doing those projects like the Six Pack, the 12 Pack, and other projects, I have amassed an association with some of the most amazing authors on the planet. And when I asked them, to my utter shock, many of them said yes. At present, I have 34 or so authors who have agreed to write in my Hell Yeah! World. And I will be eternally grateful to them for it – I owe them, for sure! They have written some amazing books.

Kindle World has approved four release dates so far – the debut launch is August 11^th with 11 books. I will also release a Hell Yeah! World Handbook that will tell everything one needs to know about the original canon, plus give insights, funny stories, recipes, and a new McCoy novella. The handbook will also have all of the info and glimpses into the other authors kindle world books. Let me show you a few things:

This is the list of the 11 August 11^th release authors and their books:

Randi Alexander – Saddle and a Siren
Cynthia D’Alba – Cadillac Cowboy
Lana Dempsey  – The Song of Her Sighs
Desiree Holt – Man of My Heart
Maddie James – Seducing Sarah
Donna Michaels – Her Hell Yeah Cowboy
Lexi Post – Cowboy’s Break
Jodi –  Cowboy Kinky
Kandi Silvers – Boardroom Cowboy
Ciana Stone – Until There Was You
Sabrina York – – Gun Shy

Feast your eyes on this trailer:
https://youtu.be/MLKeGvSFmUE

Now, look at the landing page on my website:
http://sablehunter.com/hell-yeah-kindle-world.html

And this is just the first wave of releases!

I’d invite you to party with us at the following Facebook event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/165244600563375/

And join us in the Hell Yeah! Reader room for daily news and author interaction.
http://bit.ly/2asU3Hi

And while you’re at it – dream a little dream, you never know when it might come true.

Thank you, Delilah, for having me. I can’t wait for you to write your Hell Yeah! Book – and I thank all of our faithful readers for their support.

I love you all,

Sable Hunter

Hi Readers!!!

When I began to write Forged in Fire, book 3 of the Delos series, it was to introduce Matt Culver, one of the three Culver children who would eventually take over and run Artemis Security. It would be a Delos charity secret, in-house firm created to lend security to the 1,800 charities they had around the world.

The more I got into Forged in Fire, Beau Gardner, a West Virginia hill boy, who was a sergeant in Delta Force and in Matt’s unit at Bagram, just kind of took a more important part in the over all plot.

As always, I have a plot, but when I sit down in the morning to start another chapter, I may have a vague idea of what’s going to happen, but not “exactly” what will emerge in the plot.

Beau Gardner was that kind of secondary hero, in the background, but he emerged later in the book to take on a far more important part in it. And by the end of Matt’s book, I knew I had to write Beau’s book, and his story of escape with Callie McKinley, Dara’s sister.

Their story was no less intense, cliff-hanging, filled with danger and with life-and-death situations than Matt and Dara’s escape from the Taliban in Afghanistan was. But it was a different story and unique to the characters themselves. When Dara and Callie go to an Afghan village to render medical aid, Matt Culver and Beau Gardner go along as their security escort. Little do they know that the Taliban is going to attack them before they can get there.

In a hail of bullets, Matt and Beau get the women out of the vehicle and run. But they run different directions, Matt and Dara to the mountains, and Beau with Callie, to the plains and river. They split up, hoping to split the Taliban force so they have a better chance of surviving this assault. Forged in Fire is how Matt and Dara survived. Hold On is how Beau and Callie survived. Two stories with two very different twists, turns, surprises and challenges.

You see, Callie and Dara McKinley were sisters from Butte, Montana. Raised on the Eagle Feather Ranch where they grew up being independent, hard working young women. Dara went on to become a pediatric physician. Callie went on to work with Hope Charity, usually spending six months out of every year in Kabul, Afghanistan. There, she worked with Maggie, the American owner, caring for fifty Afghan orphaned boys and girls.

Callie loved her service work, loved children and defied the danger that was all around them when she worked overseas to help orphaned children.

In HOLD ON, you will get to see Callie and Beau (who play a nice part in Forged in Fire), in a different and direct light. Because it is their story. I loved creating this title because that’s exactly what it was….you were, as a reader holding on for dear life, wondering what could happen next.

If you have not read Forged in Fire? I’d suggest you do it first because it will give the nuances even more importance in HOLD ON. They are a two-book sequel and while they can be read individually, as stand-alone books? You will see things from a different perspective if you’ve read Forged in Fire first.

I hope you enjoy the sequel, HOLD ON! My model I chose for it was Jason Aaron Baca. He had the look of Beau Gardner: that intense warrior that he could become when things turned violent and dangerous.

The background for the book cover? The thunderstorm? That is a photo I took of a monsoon thunderstorm coming our way where we live in the Verde Valley of Arizona in 2006. Really cool to meld these elements together! There’s more tidbits coming about this book. So, HOLD ON !!!!

Hold On

Romantic suspense that will have you gripping your chair — Delos series

Callie McKinley has been burned by love before, and has learned to carefully guard her heart. Especially from smooth-talking alpha males like Sgt. Beau Gardner. Callie is wary of the Army Delta Force operator, but she is soon taken in by his slow West Virginia drawl, his honesty and his surprising gentleness. Could Beau be worth risking her bruised heart for?

Being black ops, Beau Gardner isn’t afraid of a challenge. And beautiful Callie McKinley is a big one. He has wanted the beautiful redhead in his bed since he first saw her belly dancing at the annual holiday show at Bagram. But once he begins to break through Callie’s defenses and get to know the woman inside, he realizes he wants more than her body. He wants her heart.

To get closer to Callie, Beau volunteers to provide security for her and her sister while they work at a local orphanage. But when a routine visit to a Afghan village results in a Taliban ambush, Callie and Beau find themselves on the run. And it will take every bit of training Beau possesses to keep them alive. Can he get Callie to safety so that they can explore their growing love or not?

HOLD ON by Lindsay McKenna
Book 5, Delos Series
Callie McKinley and Beau Gardner’s story
SEQUEL to: FORGED IN FIRE, Book 3, Delos Series
Publishing Date: 8.3.16
290 pages
Pre-order: available now!
$4.99 (ebook)
Ebook/POD on pub day 8.3.16
Audio—Tantor Media – available 11.1.2016
https://tantor.com/author/lindsay-mckenna.html

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:
http://lindsaymckenna.com/newsletter/exclusive-excerpt-hold-on/

LINKS:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1TJY8bA
iBooks/Apple: http://apple.co/1OTOra0
Kobo.com – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/hold-on-25
BN.com – to come on pub day, 8.3.16

My website:
http://delos.lindsaymckenna.com/book/hold-on/

Join my newsletter and keep up with my books! www.lindsaymckenna.com

UPDATE: The winner is…Mia McKimmy!

* * * * *

A storyteller, a writer and an author walk into a bar…

…and the punch line is—they’re three different people.

Say whhhhat??? Isn’t a storyteller a writer, and isn’t a writer an author? To my way of thinking, no.

You see, I’m a born storyteller. I love weaving tales about pretty much anything. Ask me about our fabulous house, and I won’t give you the boilerplate rendition of how hubby and I got the best house ever. No. I’ll tell you the story of how we had the longest short sale in history (17 months!), how we looked at countless other houses, but couldn’t imagine any other than the one we got, how our realtor was an angel of mercy, how I got the news we’d be closing on our new house the day after my back surgery…. In other words, a story.

As a storyteller, I sometimes find the actual act of writing beyond frustrating. I know the story, but putting it on paper can be quite challenging for me. There’s no writing a scene three-quarters of the way through the manuscript then jumping to the beginning then the Black Moment. I have to start at the beginning, move to the middle, then the end. And heaven help me if I’m 40k words in only to realize I made a plot boo-boo in chapter three. I can’t simply make a note and move on. Oh, no… It’s back to where I made the fatal mistake, fix it, THEN move on.

A writer, on the other hand (and IMHO), undoubtedly has the discipline to put their butt in a chair and write every day. I believe the folks who pen those books about how to write 10,000 words a day are writers. I can’t image getting 10,000 words written in a day. I’m lucky to get that kind of word count in a month—hell, in two months.

Writers can also quite probably write about almost anything—they can follow the *trends* in the industry. Regency England midget vampires—got it! Teen-aged werewolf bikers—got that, too! My storyteller isn’t nearly so…flexible. A story gets stuck in my head, and I’m sorry, but that’s…the…story…period. Nothing else happens until THAT story is done. (It’s like have a bulldog for a muse…*sigh*)

And what of the *author* you ask? For me, an author is someone who most likely makes BIG BUCKS with his/her writing. So while it’s safe to assume they’re a writer, they may not be a storyteller. Allow me to explain with a well-known example I shall not name. And please, no hate mail if you know who I’m talking about. I sincerely congratulate the author on all her awesome success… However, I take strong issue with her *storytelling* abilities. Case in point—and again in my most humble opinion—there’s no story between the hero and heroine. A lot of sex, yes, but no story. What’s her GMC (goal, motivation and conflict)? What does she want? Why does she want it? What’s keeping her from getting what she wants? After reading the first book in the trilogy, I couldn’t answer those three questions—questions that should be answered after the first chapter. If the main character’s GMC isn’t defined, there’s no structure for the plot. And without a plot, there can’t be a story.

Now, can a storyteller be a writer and also an author, even by my definition? You betchum! I’m sure there are countless storytelling writers who make serious bank with their stories. Unfortunately, I am not one. As an innate storyteller, I must force myself (everyday!) to be a writer. And while I make some money with my books, it’s not what I consider author money or even moderate author money. But despite the many and varied obstacles in my way, I plan keep doing what I love—and that’s telling stories. <grin>

I want to give a huge THANK YOU to the FABulous Delilah Devlin for hosting me today!

Contest

Leave a comment for the chance to win one of the following titles:

Battle-Born Love
Battle-Tested Love
Erotic Escapades of a Married Couple
Naughty Neighborhood
On the Corner of Heartache and Hopeful – MIC
On the Corner of Heartache and Hopeful – KIRA
On the Corner of Heartache and Hopeful – GRACE
Shattered Trust
Wildflower

Excerpt

Please enjoy the following excerpt from my newest release, On a Knife’s Edge – rated R.

Lynch broke the kiss and grasped the pull tab of the sweatshirt zipper. With purposefully slowness, he lowered it. He bore his gaze into hers, giving Shasta the chance to stop him. She just stared at him with eyes so huge, so round, he thought he’d die within their brown depths.

Once the jacket hung open, he flicked it off her shoulders then skimmed the t-shirt up her torso. She lifted her arms and he pulled the shirt over her head.

He snagged her wrists. “Keep ‘em up, kay?”

Her delicate throat muscles labored as she nodded.

He ghosted his palms over her sports bra then wormed his fingers under the bottom. Still holding her gaze, he tugged it up. She licked her lips and her arms quivered slightly, but didn’t lower. Within seconds, her breasts were bared. He devoured them with his gaze.

They were flawless. The perfect size with two perfectly pearled nipples.

He outlined one areola with his finger. Her body trembled. He shifted her position so she laid prone on the seat, her feet near the handlebars and her head resting on the passenger cushion.

He kissed her again. His balls ached and his cock pounded at twice his heart rate. His hand molded around one breast. The satiny feel sent another shaft of hunger through his blood.

He kissed her eyes closed before nipping his way to her ticklish earlobe. Goose bumps erupted across her skin and her body arched toward him. His mouth journeyed down her delectable flesh to lick the velvet hollow of her neck, then down farther to a rigid nipple. Her body went completely still—almost like she’d stopped breathing—as his lips closed over the puckered crest.

Lynch stroked his tongue over the peak while his hand skimmed across her flat belly to the snug waistband of her jogging shorts.

Shasta braced her heels on the handlebars and elevated her hips. Lynch pulled while she wiggled. At last, he peeled the offending garment off one leg then the other, along with her running shoes. He replaced her socked feet to the outside edge of the handgrips.

Air back up in his chest as he feasted on her spread before him in all her naked glory. Her skin held a slight rosy hue and her earthy, sexy scent filled his senses. Her nest of pussy hair tightened the knot in his belly. He never dreamed he’d see her like this again.

He again gently gripped her wrists and placed her hands on the passenger seat. “You best hold on, Shaly,” he croaked.

*~*~*

Where you can find Lynda:
Website: https://www.lyndabailey.net
Blog: http://www.lyndabailey.net/category/blog/
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/LyndaBaileyRomanceAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorlyndab
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/baileylynda/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6472849.Lynda_Bailey
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Lynda-Bailey/e/B007UQHW9E/