My book is out now! I hope you love it! Don’t take my word for whether you will enjoy it or not. Here’s what readers are saying!

“This book has suspense, danger, intrigue and wonderful characters.”

“Excellence…expect a mystic story with history, mystery and lots of surprises.”

“Action, suspense, humor, and love. It’s a great read.”

“This is a well written story with great characters. This is one you will need to take your time with, or you will miss things. This one is action packed.”

“Suspense, romance, ancient digs, danger and a HEA.”

Tyson’s Mission

A former Navy SEAL is tapped to provide security for a team of archeologists working to uncover Mayan ruins deep in a Mexican jungle that a local drug cartel is targeting.

After surviving a catastrophic helicopter accident, former Navy SEAL Tyson Quigley is taking well to his new life with the Brotherhood Protectors in the Yellowstone, Montana, office. Life’s looking up. He’s working with old teammates and feeling stronger and more himself every day.

Then he gets a call from his university professor brother, who is worried about a colleague working on an archeological dig in southern Mexico. The team has had problems with thefts of equipment and supplies. Now, one of the dig team members has been kidnapped and held for ransom, but they quickly figure out the finger they were sent in the package demanding payment is from an already dead person. Now, they have no idea whether their team member is alive or dead and worry that the attacks on the site aren’t over. After a quick conference with his Brotherhood Protector teammates, Ty heads down to Mexico to pose as his brother’s friend’s boyfriend to provide her protection for the remainder of the dig.

Cara Woodward doesn’t need a babysitter. Sure, things have gotten scary since a team member was abducted, but she thinks having a bodyguard is overkill. Their sponsors are pulling the plug on the excavation due to the kidnapping, so they’re working furiously to close the site for the season. Tyson’s everywhere she is, and it’s getting on her nerves. His looming presence is distracting, to say the least. He’s too handsome, too intense.

As the dig team continues documenting their work before they pack up and leave, they suffer a series of attacks—this time, too close to Cara for Ty’s comfort. He’s locking her down, with no daylight between them for the duration.

Get your copy now!
Available in print!
FREE in KU!

Here’s just a quick reminder! Sometime after midnight tonight,
Tyson’s Mission will be available for you to download!

Pre-order now!

UPDATE: The winner is…Pansy Petal!
*~*~*

Around all the company we had leading up to and then after the eclipse (I have the T-shirt and the poster!), I wrote the last chapter of the book coming your way on April 23rd!

It’s an exciting one, set in the Yucatan jungle. My heroine is feisty, independent, and brave, and my hero is a SEAL—nuff said about him, right?

Do you see the book’s cover?! He’s every bit, Tyson Quigley. I also found a background photo that perfectly captures the setting of the story. And that look he’s wearing? That’s when he puts his foot down.

I can’t wait for you to read the story. It’s filled with interesting tidbits about the work my heroine is involved with and characters you’ll love and hate. There are some pulse-pounding moments—sexy times and ones filled with danger. And there’s humor. You know I can’t write without a bit of that thrown in, too.

So, my question to you is, have you pre-ordered your copy? For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me whether you’ve pre-ordered or tell me what about the description below appeals to you.

Tyson’s Mission

A former Navy SEAL is tapped to provide security for a team of archeologists working to uncover Mayan ruins deep in a Mexican jungle that a local drug cartel is targeting.

After surviving a catastrophic helicopter accident, former Navy SEAL Tyson Quigley is taking well to his new life with the Brotherhood Protectors in the Yellowstone, Montana, office. Life’s looking up. He’s working with old teammates and feeling stronger and more himself every day.

Then he gets a call from his university professor brother, who is worried about a colleague working on an archeological dig in southern Mexico. The team has had problems with thefts of equipment and supplies. Now, one of the dig team members has been kidnapped and held for ransom, but they quickly figure out the finger they were sent in the package demanding payment is from an already dead person. Now, they have no idea whether their team member is alive or dead and worry that the attacks on the site aren’t over. After a quick conference with his Brotherhood Protector teammates, Ty heads down to Mexico to pose as his brother’s friend’s boyfriend to provide her protection for the remainder of the dig.

Cara Woodward doesn’t need a babysitter. Sure, things have gotten scary since a team member was abducted, but she thinks having a bodyguard is overkill. Their sponsors are pulling the plug on the excavation due to the kidnapping, so they’re working furiously to close the site for the season. Tyson’s everywhere she is, and it’s getting on her nerves. His looming presence is distracting, to say the least. He’s too handsome, too intense.

As the dig team continues documenting their work before they pack up and leave, they suffer a series of attacks—this time, too close to Cara for Ty’s comfort. He’s locking her down, with no daylight between them for the duration.

Pre-order your copy now!
Read the opening scene now!

Here’s their first meeting…

In the distance, an engine sounded, but it was coming from the north rather than the south, where the dig team would be coming from. “What now?” she muttered and headed toward the motor pool—which was no more than the flattest, unforested spot on the edge of the camp. They’d erected a makeshift fence around the motor pool with cleaned cans from the mess tent hanging from the wire to alert the camp to anyone looking to steal parts or an entire vehicle, which had happened the previous year.

A jeep pulled up to the gate, and the driver rapped the horn once.

The jeep’s poorly painted camo pattern meant their visitor was Gino Acevedo, the local man of all trades with whom Cara met when she needed manpower or materials.

Cookie kept pace with Cara as they moved toward the gate where the jeep stopped.

Gino stepped down with a huge grin on his face. “I have a surprise for you, Señora Woodward.”

The passenger side door that faced away slammed. A tall figure appeared and circled the front of the vehicle. It was a man—a rather tall, well-built man. As he neared, Cara’s breath caught. Lord have mercy, the man was handsome.

His mouth moved into a tight line before stretching into a half-smile as he drew closer. Then, before she had a chance to wonder why he was moving in so close, he reached out, gripped her shoulders, and kissed her.

Ty barely had time to note that Cara was a very attractive woman before he made his move. She appeared to be in shock. Her eyes widened as he pressed a light kiss against her mouth. Damn Bradon. He hadn’t called to warn her.

He put his arms around her and hugged her to his chest. Then he bent toward her ear. “Play along,” he whispered.

Her head jerked back, and her eyes narrowed as she searched his face.

“I know I shouldn’t have sprung this on you,” he said louder for the benefit of anyone watching. “But I knew you’d be short-handed, and Bradon got me set up on a flight to come down and help with the tear-down.”

He moved back but kept his arm slung around her waist as he turned to greet the other female, who was tanned with spiked, platinum-blond hair. He reached out his free hand, “I’m Ty Quigley, a friend of Cara’s,” he said, giving extra emphasis to the word friend.

The woman grinned widely as she gave Ty a handshake that would’ve caused a lesser man to grimace. “Nice to meet you. Everyone calls me Cookie. Cara never mentioned she had a hunk like you at home.”

Cara wriggled inside his embrace, but he clapped his hand on her hip to keep her leaning against his body. He had to sell this with or without her cooperation. “She’s probably still a little pissed at me after the last time we spoke. I had some time off from work and thought I’d better come down here to mend some fences if you know what I mean.”

“Well, that’s some gesture,” Cookie said. “If it doesn’t work out…” She waggled her eyebrows and then gave a gust of laughter. “Any chance you have a brother…?”

UPDATE: The winner is…Stacy Hartley!
*~*~*

I’ve had tons of fun writing stories within Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors world. At the moment, I’m working on wrapping up my next entry, Tyson’s Mission, which will be released on the 23rd of this month! Have you pre-ordered your copy?

And since I’m buried in writing the story, which is taking me away from a lot of fun stuff like family time, painting, and bingeing Andromeda, I thought today would be fun to reacquaint you with the stories I’ve written within that HUGE series of books—at least the ones I’ve written. Today, I’m highlighting the one that released just last October. I’m not even sure where the idea came from to write a story about a team of scientists dealing with a murder in their midst atop an ice floe in the Artic Ocean, but someone had to do it, right?

Gunn’s Mission

After surviving a catastrophic helicopter accident that left him scarred and unable to continue serving on the Teams, former Navy SEAL Gunnar “Gunn” Nielson is settling into life as a Brotherhood Protector in the Yellowstone, Montana, office.

When a request from the U.S. government arrives for a protection detail for someone with extensive cold-weather experience, Gunn, born and raised in Minnesota, is tapped for the job. He soon discovers that he will be the lone protector for a group of scientists working at a research facility on a floating island in the Arctic Ocean.

After discovering that one of her team members was murdered, Facility Chief Maddie Russo is grateful for Gunn’s expertise. Thinking the murder might have been committed by someone trying to interfere with a military-sponsored study, she and Gunn have to keep her team safe as the work continues.

Maddie and Gunn grow closer as the weather turns colder and the threats to the facility and its inhabitants continue.

Read an excerpt and order a copy here!

All the Brotherhood Protectors stories I’ve written, so far…

Click on the covers to learn more about them!

 

Contest

For a chance to win one of the stories shown above, tell me whether you’ve read any of these, and what settings/worlds you prefer!

UPDATE: The winners are…commenters 1-8! Congrats, all!
*~*~*

Yes, I’ve said it before—I am a word nerd, a true logophile, a “lover of words.”

When I was a kid, I loved finishing my reading assignments because then I could go to the front of the class and read through the very large dictionary my teacher kept open on a podium. I loved learning new words and finding out their etymology (their origins). I studied Latin for four years during junior high and high school and loved it because I learned even more about the origin of everyday words. So, yes. I’m a complete nerd, and I was meant to be a writer and editor—it just took forty years for me to discover that!

Today is an unofficial holiday: Dictionary Day. It’s a celebration of Noah Webster, born on October 16, 1758, who is best known for publishing An American Dictionary of the English Language. It’s the great-grandfather of today’s The Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

If you’re a word nerd like me, check out the Merriam-Webster website! There, you have access to their on-line dictionary and thesaurus, plus you can play word games and pick out gifts for the word nerds you love! You can even subscribe to “Word a Day” and MW will send you a new word to love every day. There’s also a phone app you can download!

So, do you love words and dictionaries? Do you have a favorite word? For a chance to win a downloadable book on my backlist, comment below!

Also, don’t forget…

Releasing tonight after midnight…

Pre-order the eBook now!
Or order your print copy now!

UPDATE: The winner is…Colleen C!
*~*~*

September

Work-related:

1. I completed work on Book #2 of We Are Dead Horse, MT — Hard Knox — and released it!
2. I wrote over a third of my upcoming book, Gunn’s Mission! (Have you pre-ordered your copy?!)
3. I revised and published an erotic/menage short story that was originally published by Harlequin Spice years ago—Eye of the Storm.
4. I completed 6 editing projects for other authors in September.

Health-related:

1. Swimming ended for me after my trip to my sister’s place in North Arkansas because I came home to a green pool.
2. Through medicines and some diet tweaking, I’ve managed to keep my blood pressure down to 130-150. I haven’t had a bad spike in a while.

Happiness-related: 

1. I have been working on and making more great progress organizing my art room, getting ready for the next push for art shows and reopening my Etsy store. I have accumulated the supplies I need to begin painting in encaustic wax BUT HAVEN’T DONE IT YET because I’ve been buried in work.
2. As for making new art, again, work has kept me too busy to do much. I attended the monthly art guild meeting, and as a group, we worked on sketching cats. The only piece of art I completed this month was this cat, which I watercolored yesterday because I wanted SOMETHING to share…

October

For work-related, I plan:

1. To complete writing Gunn’s Mission, a Brotherhood Protectors story,  which releases on October 17th!
2. To begin & hopefully complete work on a standalone story I’ve been dying to write for years and years, called Little Green Dreams. We’ll see.
3. To complete 5 editing projects in October!

For health related, I plan:

1. To not make promises about counting points for my Weight Watchers diet, because it’s that time of year and I know I’d be setting myself up for failure. However, I will try to make healthier choices!
2. To continue to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas).
3. To acquire and begin using a treadmill.
4. To do more housework because my art room isn’t finished! Cleaning is exercise, too.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To work on art and jewelry-making to get ready for the Art Festival this month!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier, or tell me what you plan to read in October…
Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Are you looking for a sexy, suspenseful read? A 45-minute punch of SEAL yumminess? Well, I have just the story for you!

Along Came a Spider started out as a novella in the Men in Uniform anthology published by Entangled, but I recently got the rights back. So, I re-edited it, had my sister make me a gorgeous cover, and now, here it is! If you’ve never read it, or if you want to read it again, here’s your chance. And as a plus, it’s FREE for the next little while in Kindle Unlimited!

Along Came a Spider

All this SEAL wants is time alone to recharge after a grueling mission, but what he gets is caught in the crossfire of passion and danger.

After Spider follows a fellow SEAL’s advice to take some downtime and try fishing to get over his restlessness after back-to-back missions, he finds himself even more irritated until his fishing lure gets caught in the bushes, and while trying to free it, he notices men armed with tactical equipment moving through the forest. Curiosity piqued, he follows and is just in time to prevent the men from harming a lone female camper.

Jessie Tamberlin hoped to hide out in the woods until after her wedding to a billionaire, following her discovery that he is an illegal arms dealer. However, she knows secrets he’s determined to keep silent; he’s never going to let her go. When she finds an ally in the woods, who helps her escape, she has to make an on-the-spot decision to trust him.

Together, they work to stay one step ahead of her ex-fiancé while trying to ignore their growing attraction for each other.

Get your copy here!
FREE in Kindle Unlimited!