The other day I was listening to a conversation and was taken by the speech used. It got me thinking how dialect is not only inherent to where a person is from but to each person . How each person was raised, who they interacted with, what their parents and other people they were around showed them. When a person speaks they don’t think if what they are saying matches anyone else thinks or thought patterns. It is instinctually and that is what makes each and every one of us unique.

Words are powerful tools and using them makes each person who they are. People also use words based on what type of environment they are in. If you are speaking to someone in a professional capacity you wouldn’t use the same speech as you would in personal discussions. You adapt  based on who you are speaking too but the underlying speech of who you are stays the same. Your cadence, word usage and what makes your speech unique to you is all part of what you do when speaking.  I love having discussions with others and listening to how they speak.

****

Taige Crenshaw is a multi-published author with books available at Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Liquid Silver Books, Loose Id, and Totally Bound. Taige has been enthralled with the written word from time she picked up her first book. It wasn’t long before she started to make up her own tales of romance. With novels set in today, in alternate dimensions, or in the future she writes with adventure, fun sassy heroine’s, and sexy hero’s. Always hard at work creating new and exciting places Taige can be found curled up with a hot novel with exciting characters when she is not creating her own. Join her in the fun, frolic, interesting people and far reaches of the world in her novels. You can find out more about Taige at her website: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com or blog: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/blog or on twitter: https://twitter.com/TaigeCrenshaw.

Firestorm Encounters – –  What do you do when you find a man who sets your senses aflame but being with him could cause repercussions?

Buy here (https://www.totallybound.com/author/taige-crenshaw#books) at Totally Bound.

Here in the U.S. it’s winter time. Time to cuddle under blankets. Time to drink hot chocolates and lattes. Time to wear fluffy sweaters and my Ugg boots. I love all this. I do. But truth be told, on most days, I’d like to kick Ms. Winter where the sun don’t shine. 😉 So today I thought I’d go summer in Janaury and talk about my favorite place: the beach!

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net forever.” ~Jacques Cousteau

This is so true for me! Being a Southern California girl—I know what you’re thinking. She doesn’t like winter? She has NO IDEA what winter is like. And you’re right. But being born and raised here, well, um, I get cold very easily. Soooo, being a Southern Caliofornia girl, I’ve been lucky to spend a lot of time at the beach. Growing up, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I couldn’t get enough of the ocean and its sea life. I collected seashells like crazy! And the idea of studying all the things that made the ocean so fascinating filled my head with wonderful dreams… Until I got to college and discovered how much math and science I’d need to take to follow through with my childhood ambition. So I minored in biology (the fun part!) and since I was in San Diego, visited Sea World often.

Nowadays, if I could have the sand between my toes every day, I would. Plop me down on the beach with the waves at my feet, and I’m a happy camper. I love to breathe in the salty air, feel the sunshine on my back, catch sight of a dolphin, and people watch. I especially enjoy watching the surfers. 😉 So don’t tell my other heroes, but when I decided to write a book with a pro surfer hero, I maybe, sort of, had the best time ever writing him.

I feel like the beach is the kind of place where you can do absolutely nothing and be totally content. Or you can get busy – surf, swim, boogie board, snorkel, scuba dive, paddleboard, kayak – the list goes on for creating memorable adventures. Not many places can boast something magical from two different extremes like that.

“At the beach, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides and follow the sun.” ~ Unknown

How about you? Where’s your favorite place? Leave me a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of any book from my backlist.

Hope wherever you are, you’re warm and cozy! And if you want to keep in touch, I’d love that! You can sign up for my newsletter and find all of my social media links here: http://robinbielman.com

About Keeping Mr. Right Now…

A temporary agreement neither could keep…

Brainy, organized Sophie Birch is no beach bunny. In fact, she’s totally out of her element among the sun-bronzed crowd at a film festival in beautiful White Strand Cove. When a surf lesson introduces her to Zane Hollander, suddenly she’s up close and personal with the world’s sexiest surf star. But what can a great-looking, experienced athlete possibly see in a klutzy out-of-towner who’s never set foot in the ocean?

Zane Hollander’s playboy reputation has never been a problem…until recently. Now his management team wants him on his best behavior to entice a meaningful new sponsor. Sophie Birch is the perfect girl to help reform his image. She’s genuine and respected—and their relationship is purely fictional. But the more Sophie blooms under the beachy sun, the more Zane knows he’ll just break her heart. Because nothing’s more important to Zane than following the tide. 

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1qiqU09
B&N: http://bit.ly/1rhqFJ8
iTunes: http://bit.ly/YmKmST

January may be the start of the new year, but for me it’s always had the feel of an in-between month. Winter still has its grip on us, and the uplift of the holiday season is behind us. There’s something almost shamanic about January, as we dig down into the dark, struggling with any new year’s resolutions and looking for what’s next.

In shamanism, to move forward, first you have to go inward, and inward means down. Down’s not a bad place. The answers are there. But you sometimes have to go through some dark stuff to get to them. That journey can be painful, but it’s worth it.

To become a shaman, the shaman must go through some sort of spiritual dismemberment. Shamans have to break down their ego, freeing themselves to be their core self.

What does this have to do with my book, Spirit on Fire? The heroine, Samantha, went through a physical trauma before she became a shaman. But what I admire about her is that instead of letting it beat her down, she learned forgiveness and lifted herself up. It’s that heart full of forgiveness that makes her an equal match for her lover, Marek, who struggles with the desire for revenge. Because she’s gone deep into that black pool herself and come out of it, she understands the darkness in him.

Katlyn Conrad

Find her on Goodreads

Spirit on Fire

Samantha wants a normal life, but the were world won’t leave the sexy new shaman alone. An outcast, she has the potential to control were spirits of all kinds—if only she can figure out how. When she encounters a red-hot demon were, everything she never wanted to know about the supernatural gets turned on its head.

The fire demon Marek claims he’s been ordered to kill Samantha, but he’s disobeying the command. He’s come to save her instead, so they can work together against his sadistic vampire master. Demons are notorious liars, so Samantha has her doubts but no choice. A common cause—survival—draws them together and cool suspicion turns to sexual heat.

A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Spirit on Fire is available at: Amazon, Ellora’s Cave, and Kobo

Music has always had a huge influence on my writing. I have particular playlists that I listen to depending on what I’m writing and what my mood is. While deciding to write a novella for a box set, I was listening to Type O Negative’s October Rust album and I thought about what a great character the late Peter Steele would be in a rock and roll romance story. He had that tall, dark and handsome appearance along with the angry, broody and mysterious persona. He played bass guitar and his lyrics were laced with angst and despair. I wanted to write a hero like him.

All of us have, at one time or another, fantasized about falling in love with a rock star. So, I wanted to encompass that a normal, girl-next-door type could catch the eye of a rock star like Peter Steele. But just a normal romance where boy meets girl and they fall madly in love would be boring, right? So, I shook it up a little bit.

I thought about the challenges that rock stars face; the lack of privacy, over the top fans and limited time for a personal life. I wanted to give a realistic picture of that lifestyle but still keep it fantasy enough to feel like it could happen to someone like me or you.

In Unraveled, Evie is an unassuming girl who works a nine-to-five job and Lyle is the quintessential rock star women drool over. The two of them meet in a chance encounter after a concert and just as the chemistry starts to brew, enter a crazed fan that sees Evie as a threat and decides to eliminate her competition. For every action, there is a reaction and trying to keep two people apart sometimes has the opposite effect.

I really enjoyed delving into the rock and roll lifestyle and I currently have a second rock star story in the works. Unbreakable will release later this year.

Unraveled

Evie Brant lives quietly under the romantic radar until a coworker invites her to a concert where she meets Lyle Crane, the sexy singer of a heavy metal band. A little harmless flirting between the shy paralegal and the outgoing rock star provokes a crazed fan to eliminate her competition. Chemistry brews between Evie and Lyle when a gunshot rings out in the dark and the unlikely couple is set on a collision course neither of them saw coming.

Available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MMXGPE8

Alyssa Breck is an author of horror/urban fantasy, paranormal romance and erotic fiction. She grew up reading Stephen King and V.C. Andrews. The Shining changed her life and sparked a love of all things scary, spooky and spine-chilling. Add some romance to that and she found her niche weaving paranormal and erotic romance stories. Alyssa lives in the south with her family and myriad pets.

You can learn more about Alyssa by visiting her website www.AlyssaBreck.com and by following her on Twitter @AlyssaBreck and Facebook.

UPDATE: The winner of the free download is…Kim Smith!

* * * * *

DD, here! Just poking my head in the door to remind you that yesterday’s posted contest is still ongoing, and to tell you that you have a second chance to win the prize by commenting HERE today!  Check out Em Petrova’s sexy new cowboy story!

Reining Men

There’s no escaping ranch policy—anything to please a lady…
The Boot Knockers Ranch, Book 3

The Boot Knockers Ranch caters to women in all ways. And now rookie Paul is officially part of the team. He’s had six months to hone his skills with the ladies and prides himself on being a prime catch.

Jack would agree. He can’t get the rugged cowboy out of his system. He wants Paul in his bed more than anything, but his best friend has always been resistant to relations with other men. Jack’s instinct says different, but he values Paul’s friendship too highly to push it.

Then Jack takes on beautiful new client Lissy Lofton and finds himself falling hard for the confident show jumper. He’s not the only one. Lissy has caught Paul’s attention, and the attraction is mutual.

But now Jack has a problem. Lissy’s sexual appetite is so ravenous, he doubts he can last the week without backup. Which presents an irresistible opportunity to invite Paul into their bed—where the incandescent heat brings all their walls tumbling down.

Warning: Contains two smoking-hot cowboys whose drive to please the same woman spurs a desire to please each other.

Excerpt

“This lower lip is as ripe as a juicy peach. And this upper one”—he dragged his thumb over the rounded edges—“is a man’s wet dream.”

His dirty words spiked her desire. She wrapped her fingers around his strong wrist. Wide, sprinkled with light hairs, warm from the sun. Damn, she wanted to touch his every inch. For a week, Jack was hers to worship.

And she planned to take total advantage and make the big fee worth it.

His lashes lowered over smoldering eyes the color of sea glass. As a child she’d gathered the remnants from the beach and kept them in a little wooden box her parents had given her. What had happened to that collection?

Who cared? Now she had a new kind of sea glass to admire.

Jack tipped closer until the brim of his hat bumped her forehead. With a warm chuckle, he nudged it up. “Hat on or off, Lissy?”

Her mind bounced around the question. What did she want her first kiss to be like? He was allowing her to choose her path. Her heart swelled with the knowledge of her own power.

“On,” she whispered, her voice a stranger’s.

He angled his head, nose brushing hers. She filled her lungs with his scent—leather, man, hay. All the things she adored clinging to one perfect cowboy.

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Reining-Men-Boot-Knockers-Ranch-ebook/dp/B00NOM4IOK
B&N:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reining-men-em-petrova/1120375387?ean=9781619223813
Samhain:
https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5286/reining-men

Em Petrova lives in Backwoods, Pennsylvania, where she raises four kids and a Labradoodle named Daisy Hasselhoff. Her dream is to buy an old pickup and travel small-town USA meeting people and hearing their stories. Her heroes are hardworking—in bed and out—and she is known for panty-scorching erotic romance.

WEBSITE http://empetrova.com
GOODREADS https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4342760.Em_Petrova
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE http://www.amazon.com/Em-Petrova/e/B005D0EXCI
BLOG http://hardworkingheroes.wordpress.com
FB FAN PAGE https://www.facebook.com/empetrovahardworkingheroes
TWITTER http://twitter.com/empetrova

It’s a good thing I don’t expect life to be fair, or organized, or simple, or even sane because it never seems to turn out that way. As I’m sure anyone over 30 knows, making a plan is like begging for something to happen to thwart it. Despite all that, I am quite content with my life. In the final analysis, it’s never boring!

Last year marked a milestone in my career life ( the evil day job career) After fifteen years with the same firm, there was a management shuffle at the top and I found I couldn’t stomach the new company policies. They may have made great financial sense to someone but I like to be able to look myself in the eye without feeling sick. So, I left and started my own firm. I think that was one of the scariest moments in my life, but I felt I had no other choice. I may not be getting rich as an entrepreneur, but I am so much happier and I have all that free (unpaid) time to play with the grandkids and plot world domination, or at least my next book.

It took me the last six months to get my new business in order, but now things are looking up! So, on to career #2! Writing. Prudence dictated that I spread my works out in order to protect myself from unforeseen disasters (see paragraph one) So I now have two publishers and I have embarked on the scary road to Indie Publishing. It’s really not all that scary once you take the plunge. Sort of like jumping off a cliff – once you’re committed you start to enjoy it.  My first release on Amazon is a re-release of a title that never sold very well in its original incarnation. I reworked  the story, gave it a sexy new cover and voila! Love and Wishes is up for sale.

One of the choices I was forced to make on this journey was whether to publish on a variety of platforms such as Amazon, Nook, Apple and Smashwords, or to enroll the book in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program. The catch to the program is that you have to give Amazon exclusive rights to the book for 90 days at a time. The upside is that theoretically the program will help you to find new readers. I decided to go with it for the first 90 days and see what happenes. I won’t get paid a per book price for this, but a share of  the pot based on my sales through the program. I’m curious to see how well this works out. So far 75% of the book’s distribution is through Kindle Unlimited so I’m hoping that translates into a reasonable payout as well as some new readers for me.

All in all, it’s been a year of firsts and I’m looking forward to seeing what this new year will bring!

Anne Kane
www.AnneKane.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/annekane
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/anne.kane.author
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sassic123/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/2870136.Anne_Kane

LOVE AND WISHES

Genres: Paranormal, Futuristic
Themes: Magic and  Mayhem
Release Date:  January 1, 2015
Author: Anne Kane
http://www.annekane.com
BUY NOW!

Jenna has a secret— her alien blood makes her completely lose control during sex. It takes a strong man to be able to stand up to her demands, and so far she hasn’t found one strong enough to want to come back for more. On the eve of the biggest Sci-Fi convention in the known universe, she makes a wish. Now it’s up to Doug, the sexy troubleshooter from the Wishes Gone Wrong department of Wishlabz Inc. to make sure it comes out right. Because a wish gone wrong can be a very dangerous thing…

EXCERPT:

Jenna eyed up the green-skinned alien, making sure to keep a healthy distance between them. Maybe she should have been a little more specific when she’d wished for a lover with stamina. Like, maybe she should have specified that he be a nice male, a nice human male. She’d never met a demon, but this character seemed to fit the description. He had the horns, the fiery red eyes, and that total lack of consideration for anything anyone else said.

“Go away. I have no intention of going back to your place, wherever that might be.” She had a sinking feeling his place might be in a whole other dimension. Taking another step backward, she felt the cold cement of the wall behind her. “This is one huge mistake.”

The monster roared something unintelligible and stomped his big green foot. Glowering at her with those demonic eyes, he moved sideways, cutting off her escape route. If the drool dripping from the side of his mouth was any indication, he might be planning to make a snack out of her.

She snuck a look past him, hoping someone would notice the big green alien and come to her rescue. Unfortunately, at the biggest Sci-Fi convention on the known worlds an alien really didn’t stick out the way he would on Saville Row or at the opening of a new play on Broadway. She sighed, flicking the safety on her tazer to the off position as she pulled it from the top of her knee-high boots. Sometimes a girl just had to get mean.

“What will it take to convince you that I’m not going anywhere with you?” She brandished the tazer in front of her, hoping it held a big enough charge. She didn’t recall “oversized alien demon” being one of the settings. “Now run along and play nice with the other Trekkies.”

“Oh, I love a gal with her own tazer.” Read the rest of this entry »

I remember the first time Matt brought Erin home.  They were sixteen and had a project to work on together for English class.  Erin stayed for dinner and like mysterious liquid in beakers heated by Bunsen burners chemistry sizzled between them.  They teased each other, one-upped each other and laughed non-stop.  They were so cute together.

Erin wouldn’t date Matt for fear of losing his friendship.  But they attended prom and weathered a lot of stuff together before graduation.  When Erin was in college they (finally) started dating.  When they broke up you’ve never seen anything sadder than my son with a broken heart.  They got back together briefly (after all the warm fuzzies I’d had for Erin were gone) and broke up again.

They went their separate ways and had relationships with others.  For long periods of time there was no contact between them.  We never said anything to Matt but in the minds of the rest of our family, we all agreed he was trying to replace Erin.

Fast forward fifteen years.  They were both in a time and a place and a maturity level where reconnection was made possible.  The chemistry was still there.  I’d never see Matt happier.  The two of them literally glowed when they were together.  Those warm fuzzies?  They came back.

That was two years ago.  Erin had just finished law school and job hunting was tough.  Matt suffered through a debilitating, undiagnosed illness and major surgery.  Erin was with him every step of the way and twenty-four seven during a long hospitalization and months of recovery.

Valentine’s Day 2014 they got engaged.

I asked Matt if he regretted all the years they were apart.  He says he can’t.  Everything they experienced apart made them who they are now and led them back to each other.  Erin says in the back of her mind she always felt they’d find each other again.

I started writing NOBODY’S FOOL the year after Matt and Erin graduated from high school inspired by that chemistry between two BFFs.  Although it is not based on their relationship at all, I wanted to capture that soulmate feeling of “no one knows you like I do.” And loves you anyway.  NOBODY’S FOOL is my story, not theirs, but I couldn’t seem to finish the book until I knew how their story would end.

Nobody’s Fool

She’s home to make amends. He’s out to get a little revenge.

But the heart he breaks could be his own.

The Jolie Kramer who left Oak Ridge at eighteen isn’t the same one who’s home for her ten-year high school reunion. The old Jolie hid her secrets and insecurities behind her popular-girl image.

The new Jolie has returned triumphant from NYC older, wiser, and ready to make amends for the bridges she burned. Especially the one between her and Court Harrison, her biggest supporter since childhood.

Court hates to admit he’s still hung up on Jolie, and he’s vowed to finally put the past way, way behind him. She wants to kiss and make up? He’ll give her a taste of her own medicine. Make her fall for him—only this time, he’ll be the one walking away.

But his plan works a little too well, and by the time he realizes their feelings are real, it’s too late. She’s onto him, and he’s lost the only woman he’ll ever want. Unless she falls for plan B, which contains two things she can’t resist: a career challenge, and a chance to get a little revenge of her own.

My web site: www.barbarameyers.com
Buy Link for Nobody’s Fool: https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5303/nobodys-fool
My WordPress blog:  http://barbmeyers.wordpress.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraMeyersAuthorPage
Twitter: @barbmeyers

I am running a Catch My Release contest during the month of January.  There will be five winners and multiple ways to enter.  Details on my web site and FB Author Page.  Posting a comment on this blog post during the month of January 2015 equals one entry.  Winner will receive their choice of one of my books.