Book Spotlight~Michael Mandrake’s I Like Em’ Pretty

I Like Em’ Pretty (N’awlins Exotica #1) by Michael Mandrake

Erotic M/M Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Categories: Interracial/Multicultural

Publisher: Triad Literary

Heat Level: Steamy

Word Count: 70,000

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Like-Pretty-Nawlins-Exotica-ebook/dp/B00C8T4JQM/

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-ilike039emprettyn039awlinsexoticabookone-1152601-145.html

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/303665

Description

The city of New Orleans is rich in tradition, diverse, and known for the inspiration it provides. In the “Big Easy” there lies the hunger for the erotic as well as the unknown. The residents here feel that sexual energy and it reveals itself through their various creative activities. 

Join the characters as they take a wild ride on the edge, enjoying their town for all it has to offer. There’s a certain magic in the air, an erotic magic that cannot be ignored.

New Orleans is supposed to be the big easy. One night changes everything for Frankie Choteau.

New Orleans. A city rich in tradition, diversity, and on the comeback trail from hurricane Katrina. Francois “Frankie” Choteau, a resident of this town, a cop with a hot temper and low tolerance for bs. Kajika Fortier, a transplant from Oklahoma came here looking for a dream and unfortunately it’s turned into a nightmare. On a hot summer night, they meet and cross paths during a very difficult situation. Despite this, the attraction between them is evident and loneliness for both men is a fate worse than death. They’d both like a chance at happiness but will the circumstances and Frankie’s uneasiness prevent their happy ever after? 

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.

 Teaser Excerpt:

“Damn!” Francois Choteau yelled at the top of his lungs. His favorite coffee cup—the one that read ‘My job is to find the killer’—slipped from his tight grip. It was his mother’s last gift to him before her passing. She always knew exactly what to get him for Christmas.

“Ah, Frankie, can’t you do anything without dropping stuff? Ya klutz!” Kenina Porter rushed to his side. She bumped him with her large frame as she attempted to assist him in the cleanup.

“Damn, woman, you’re dressing kind of sexy these days. Who you going after?” Frankie noticed the low-cut black blouse underneath the same color blazer showed ample pale cleavage. 

“Someone who works here with me and claims to play for the other team.” Kenina wrinkled her lips. Her nasally New York accent came out whenever something angered her. “You’re lucky this didn’t break into a million pieces, Frankie. Your mama might’ve came out of the grave haunting your ass!”

Frankie grinned and tilted his head to the side. “You’re right about that, Kenie. My mama always gave me grief about having butta fingers. Wasn’t really my fault, though. It’s hot as hell in this mother! My hands feel like they been drenched in water!” Frankie wiped his brow and sighed. The air conditioner was running full blast, but it didn’t seem to do a thing about the summer heat in New Orleans. Temps in the low hundreds and high humidity made living in the Big Easy practically unbearable.

“Yeah, it is, but you still drinking hot coffee.” She grimaced and shook her head. “Not even iced, Frankie!” She dropped paper towels on the floor and smeared them over the spilled beverage. While toeing the rags with her heel, she handed Frankie his most prized possession.

Frankie set it inside his desk, out of harm’s way. “I got to, baby. It’s the only thing keeping me awake. We been working on this fucking Metairie murder case nonstop for over a month with no damn leads. Nobody’s talking so we can bring these fuckers to justice.”

“Nope.” Kenina nodded and knelt to pick up the trash from the floor. “Be more careful with your drink next time, man. Leslie just scrubbed these floors, and you know she’ll curse you out in her native tongue if she finds out you spilled something.”

“Yeah, I know.” Frankie rubbed the nape of his neck, attempting to get out the kinks. Homicide cases were piling up quicker than detectives could keep count, especially since the precinct was located in the middle of a crime hotbed. Due to the amount of work and the low pay, most detectives moved on to another line of investigation or left altogether, but not Frankie and his partner Kenina, who’d started at the police academy together. They’d been through thick and thin for the past ten years. Frankie considered the redheaded vixen to be his best friend, his girlfriend, and at times the momma he didn’t have. Kenina Porter showed more loyalty than any man he’d ever had and he’d always stick by her side.

“Well, yeah, you know, but…” She stood with her hands on her hips. “You still aren’t being all that careful.”

“I was, woman!” Frankie frowned in her direction and propped his feet up on the corner of his desk. “You right, you right, I’m a klutz but I’ll have you know, I’m tired as hell, ain’t fucked anyone in over three months and, on top of that, I’m not getting a lot of sleep!”

“Shhh!” Kenina glanced from left to right and scolded him for being so loud. “What the fuck’s wrong with you, Frankie! You wanna get found out? You can’t say shit without people calling you on it in this department.”

Frankie waved his hand. “I know, Kenie, I’m just…” Frankie leaned back and blew raspberries. His head slipped down from the top of the chair and tears welled up in his eyes. “I’m so tired of hiding, babe. It’s hard being…” Frankie mouthed gay. “And not able to tell the people you work with.”

“Well, you could, but it might be more trouble than it’s worth. I don’t mind keeping up the charade for you, love. You know you my boy and I’d do anything for you!” Kenina sat on the edge of the desk and stroked his shoulder.

“I appreciate that, Kenie, I really do. Too bad you ain’t got the right equipment, woman, because I’d date you for real!”

 About the Author:

Michael Mandrake pens complex characters who are already comfortable in their sexuality. Thorough these characters, he builds worlds not centered on erotica but rather the mainstream plots we might encounter in everyday life through personal experiences or the media. To find out more please visit http://tabooindeed.blogspot.com.

Connect with Michael Mandrake

Email: michaelmandrake71@gmail.com

Website: http://thelitriad.com

Michael’s Blog: http://tabooindeed.blogspot.com

N’awlins Exotica/Paranormal on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nawlins-Exotica-Series/126864880830524

The Literary Triad on FB: https://www.facebook.com/TheLiteraryTriad?fref=ts

Giveaway Info:
Prize is $15 Starbucks GC, a copy of Magic Mike, a mug and other New Orleans themed items. Contest is tour-wide and ends May 14. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Follow the book barrage schedule at http://www.cblspromotions.com/2013/05/blogbarrage-i-like-em-pretty-nawlins.html

To enter the contest, fill out the raffelcopter below

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Book Spotlight~Inventing Herself

Inventing Herself by Sommer Marsden

Sophie Calhoun has a good job writing for a hot women’s magazine. Her latest assignment is to do an article about how a strong, confident woman can look deeper into herself to find her centre. The only problem is Sophie feels lost. On a whim one morning, looking for the answers to her unwritten article and the silent turmoil in her heart, she takes a hike. In the wilderness she finds a very large man sitting alone, calm and still and smiling – everything Sophie wants to be. When he opens his eyes and that smile is directed at her, Sophie begins to find herself…

Available from:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CHQV93M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00CHQV93M&linkCode=as2&tag=lucyfelthouse-21

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CHQV93M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00CHQV93M&linkCode=as2&tag=lucyfelt-20

*****

Excerpt:

‘Now we move into downward dog.’ Joel’s rich caramel voice smoothed over Sophie.
If only she could feel gooey and bendy like caramel. Instead, she felt awkward and clumsy. She pushed back with the heels of her hands as she’d been instructed. Tried to “sink” into the stretch with the heels of her feet.
All she could think was what if I slip? What does my ass look like? And, of course, who farted?
Turned out that wasn’t so much of a myth. Someone had let one go and everyone was acting as if it was no big deal at all.
Which, technically, it wasn’t. It was just a fart, after all. Everyone had gas at some point in their lif –
‘You’re drifting,’ Joel said, his voice very close to her. So close it made Sophie go rigid. ‘Let me help you straighten your pose.’
He stepped up between her spread legs and settled his hands on her hips. Then he proceeded to move her a little here, a little there, until the stretch blazed up her calves and the backs of her hamstrings. It blazed somewhere else too, Sophie noticed as he lingered, tweaking her pose.
When he stepped back from between her legs, his hand stayed on her lower back for a beat before being removed. ‘Good,’ Joel said.
He was big and tall and obviously fit. A shock of dark – almost black – hair and grey eyes. His voice was as smoky and sensual as his body.
Sophie felt colour come to her face that had nothing to do with yoga or being inverted. The class lowered slowly to a plank pose and her muscles started to tremble. In her mind’s eye it was easy to put a face to it now. This man, down between her legs, his mouth on her. His fingers separating and skating over her nether lips. Finding her slick opening and plunging deep, curling to tease her G-spot until she gasped. Then taking her own juices, running up to find the needy swell of her clitoris. Circling and circling until plunging back into her cunt to stroke her most secret places again, his mouth sucking, his tongue nudging, licking, licking, licking until …
‘Now lower down into cobra pose,’ Joel said.
Sophie did, but as she did a noise burst out of her. Her body, on the verge actually coming, supplied the small blip and flutter deep inside of an almost orgasm. The sound was half sigh, half moan, and very, very sultry. Way too sultry for muscle stretching.
Joel chuckled softly. ‘Glad to know you’re enjoying class, Sophie. We’re glad to have you.’
She counted the heartbeats until class was over, she was so mortified. When Joel finally told them to stand and everyone gave what seemed to be the customary “Namaste” a woman in green leggings and a bright blue pullover whispered, ‘Don’t feel so bad. He has that effect on most of the newcomers. Once he touches someone … they’re toast.’
Sophie tried to smile and waited to self-combust.
She nearly set a record changing back into her work clothes, but when she came out Joel called out to her.
‘I was wondering –’ he said, sort of grinning at her.
Sophie caught the gaze of the green-legging woman. She was smiling, her look knowing.
‘Could I … call you? Take you out? Bring you wine and woo you with wild yoga tales?’ He smiled at her and the lust that smile inspired struck right down through the centre of her like a lightning bolt.
‘Um, yeah … sure. In fact –’ She broke off, thinking maybe she shouldn’t say what she was about to say. But fuck it. This whole “finding her centre” thing had taken her very close to thinking she was nuts. Might as well act nuts, right? Maybe Joel was that missing something. ‘How about you come to my place tonight. Bring that wine you mentioned and I can make a nice steak or – wait – do you eat meat?’
He nodded, eyes flashing with amusement. ‘I do. But thank you for asking.’
‘Good,’ she hurried on. Yes, this was it. This was a good thing. Maybe she was just in need of a date. Maybe she was just horny. ‘And maybe a salad and whatever. We can just … we can talk. Get to know one another.’
‘It’s a date,’ he said. He gave her his number so she could text her address.
‘Yes. It is a date,’ she said and hurried out of the studio. Kate was going to kill her!

*****

Bio:

Sommer Marsden’s been called “…one of the top storytellers in the erotica genre” (Violet Blue), “Unapologetic” (Alison Tyler), “…the whirling dervish of erotica” (Craig J. Sorensen), and “Erotica royalty…” (Lucy Felthouse).

Her erotic novels include Restless Spirit, Boys Next Door, Big Bad, Learning to Drown, Wanderlust and the Zombie Exterminator series. Sommer currently writes erotica and erotic romance for Xcite Books, eXcessica, Ellora’s Cave, Pretty Things Press, Resplendence Publishing and Mischief Books. The wine-swigging, dachshund-owning, wannabe runner author writes work that runs the gamut from bondage to zombies to humor.

Sommer’s short works can be found in well over one hundred (and counting) erotic anthologies. Her short stories have also been included numerous adult and romance magazines–both in print and online.

 

 

Suz deMello’s Gypsy Witch

Gypsy Witch by Suz deMello

The Sacramento Sheriff’s Department is no place for airy-fairy wimps, and Ben McCullough is the toughest of the tough. He tells himself he’s bedding the luscious Elena Lautari only because she’s a babe, not because she’s a card-carrying member of the Northern California Church of Wicca. Ben thinks she’s a feather away from an arrest for fraud, since she makes a living telling fortunes and making charms for the lovelorn. He can’t see her as a lifelong mate even though she’s more than a match for him in the sack, and losing her is unthinkable.

But Elena is the real deal, a modern witch of much power and even more restraint. When her daughter, Gina, steals her mother’s spell book and uses it to shatter the fabric of existence and release an ancient evil, Elena must put reality back in place—even if she loses Ben in the process. Will Ben and Elena’s fragile love be lost with the revelation of her magic?

Maybe, but there are others ready to heal her battered heart. When Ben’s partner attempts to claim Elena, will Ben move aside or move in?

 

If you like what you read, click below to buy the story and check out the rest of Suzie’s sexy books:

https://www.ellorascave.com/author/suz-demello

*****

Author Bio:

Best-selling, award-winning author Suz deMello, a.k.a Sue Swift, has written over sixteen romance novels in several subgenres, including erotica, comedy, historical, paranormal, mystery and suspense, plus a number of short stories and non-fiction articles on writing. A freelance editor, she’s worked for Total-E-Bound, Ai Press, and Liquid Silver Books. She also takes private clients.

Her books have been favorably reviewed in Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and Booklist, won a contest or two, attained the finals of the RITA and hit several bestseller lists.

A former trial attorney, her passion is world travel. She’s left the US over a dozen times, including lengthy stints working overseas. She’s now writing a vampire tale and planning her next trip.

Find her books at http://www.suzdemello.com

For editing services, email her at suzswift@yahoo.com

Befriend her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sueswift

She tweets her reading picks @ReadThis4fun

Her current blog is http://www.fearlessfastpacedfiction.com

Welcome Hope Tarr today

Many thanks for having me here to chat about THE CINDERELLA MAKEOVER, the second novel in my Suddenly Cinderella Series of contemporary fairytale themed romances for Entangled Publishing.

Internationally famous fashion photographer, Francesca St. James (Ross’s ex from OPERATION CINDERELLA) gets considerably more than she bargained for when she leaves New York for Los Angeles to join the cast of a newly launched reality TV show as a fashion coach. “Project Cinderella” aims to remake fashion frogs into styling Cinderella princes and princesses. Silicon Valley CEO Contestant Gregory Knickerbocker is a geek with a heart of gold, a six-foot three leanly-muscled hunk in need of a mercy makeover. Fortunately Francesca loves nothing more than a challenge and serving as Greg’s “fashion fairy godmother” promises to be that and then some. Can a pair of vintage Saks Fifth Avenue red slippers help her look beyond Greg’s center-parted hair and gray hoodies to the Prince Charming that lies beneath? 

MEET Francesca St. James

Age: 34

Eye Color: Emerald green

Glasses or contacts: Neither
Weight: 118

Height: 5 foot 8
Type of body/build: tall & elegant
Skin tone: pale

Skin type: creamy
Shape of face: oval

Distinguishing Marks: none
Predominant feature: eyes

Hair color & type: shoulder-length black-brown waves
Character’s typical hairstyle: chignon
Resembles: Emily Blunt
Physical disabilities: jaded heart J

Favorite Book: SENSE AND SENSIBILITY by Jane Austin

Hometown: London, England

Extremely skilled at: fashion

Worst thing that could happen: wearing navy stockings with black shoes

Rainy day? Hot bath, good book

MEET Gregory Knickerbocker:

Age: 33

Eye Color: deep blue

Glasses or contacts: First glasses, then contacts
Weight: 175, later more

Height: 6 foot plus
Type of body/build: leanly muscled
Skin tone: medium

Shape of face: square-jawed

Distinguishing marks: none
Predominant feature: eyes

Hair color & type: black-brown, thick and straight
Character’s hairstyle: short
Resembles: a young Christopher Reeve
Physical disabilities: fashion disaster J

Favorite Book: THE TIPPING POINT by Malcolm Gladwell

Hometown: San Jose, California

Extremely skilled at: technology

Worst thing that could happen: server crashing

Rainy day: hacking code 

I hope readers in search of unusual heroes and heroines will love Francesca and Greg as much as I do. And, if you enjoy THE CINDERELLA MAKEOVER, please check out my previous Suddenly Cinderella releases: OPERATION CINDERELLA (Macie and Ross’s story) and the in-series novella, A CINDERELLA CHRISTMAS CAROL (Starr and Matt’s story).

Hope Tarr is the award-winning author of twenty historical and contemporary romance novels including THE CINDERELLA MAKEOVER, Book #2 in her Suddenly Cinderella Series of contemporary fairy-tale themed romance novels. Hope is also a cofounder and current principal of Lady Jane’s Salon™, New York City’s first, and so far only, monthly romance reading series now in its fifth year with five satellites nationwide. Visit Hope online at www.HopeTarr.com and www.LadyJaneSalonNYC.com as well as on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/HopeC.Tarr.com) and Twitter (@HopeTarr).

 

 

 

Welcome Kendall McKenna~Win an e-Book Contest

Hello! My name is Kendall McKenna (www.kendallmckenna.com) and I write M/M Erotic Romance novels. Yes, that’s right, not only do I come bearing the man-love, but it’s also the yummy, graphic kinda man-love. Just wanted to say that in the interest of full disclosure.

Are you still here? I didn’t clear the room with that paragraph? Awesome.

If you have never read one of my books, the first thing you need to know about me is that I write about U.S. Marines. My tag line is Love and Dog Tags! One of my swag items is a set of authentic dog tags embossed with the names and ranks of one of my romantic pairings. When I decided I wanted to try to become a published author, I realized that I could write a high quality military romance that wasn’t like most other military romances out there. I have carved out a niche for myself by writing about regular Marines; no USSOC or MARSOC (the closest I get is Force Recon), and by writing stories that are technically accurate and have a great deal of action and combat scenes.

Each story I write, I set out to do something different. Either different from what I’ve done before, or different from what other authors are doing. My first book, Brothers In Arms, was more plot than romance, which really set it apart. I turned right around and wrote a story that differed stylistically from myself, just to show that I could! It was a more traditional short love story (the relationship IS the plot), almost venturing into insta-love territory. When a friend challenged me to write about werewolves, I deliberately didn’t go out and read paranormal stories so that I couldn’t be influenced. Strength of the Pack is vastly different from most shifter stories, because of the positive way I integrated the werewolves into a world that looks just like ours. Also, my werewolves are not self-loathing, and they’re not a secret.

When my publisher, MLR Press, put out a special submission call for vampire stories, my editor (who wasn’t my editor at the time, but became my editor when the crook who owns Silver Publishing went into breach of contract and I pulled my rights) challenged me to write a story for the submission call. I’ve been reading vampire fiction for a couple of decades now, so I couldn’t avoid that influence. What I did with Nights In Canaan was write a story that doesn’t fit into any kind of existing mold. I took my favorite aspects of vampire lore, and wrote a story with a very different structure and an atypical HEA ending.

While I tried to set my story apart from others already out there, it was more important to me to write in a way that set me apart from myself! Because I write about active duty Marines, the ‘voices’ of my POV characters, as well as my narrative voice, have a certain style and tone. My narratives have been direct and perfunctory. They’re stripped down and no-frills. One reader even remarked that it almost felt like one of the after-action reports one of my characters would write. That’s intentional, because it suits those types of characters. I used Nights In Canaan as an opportunity to demonstrate that I can write a different style of narrative. I showed that I could write a character’s voice in a less technical, more lyrical manner.

The sequel to Brothers In Arms (which is Book #2 of The Recon Diaries) is called The Final Line and is currently in the hands of my beta reader. I set out to make Book #2 different from Book #1 by giving my Marine a civilian love interest. It opened up an opportunity to write a less brusque, more casual character voice. It gave me dialog options that I don’t have with two Marines, because the civilian isn’t quite so hesitant to talk about his feelings! (I tell you, sometimes these alpha males are annoying with the whole not wanting to talk thing.)

At this point, it might sound like I’m calculating different ways to sell lots and lots and lots of books! I won’t lie, it’s kinda cool when that happens! But don’t forget; I’m a reader, too. I don’t like picking up book after book that’s the same as the last 10 I’ve read. I’m disappointed when an author I like writes a book that is the same as their previous ones, seeming as though a ‘find and replace’ was done on names and descriptions. Readers are the real winners, if I succeed in making each book stand apart from the crowd, and stand apart from the others I’ve written. Readers are the winners when I try something new or learn something new because it results in a fresh idea and a change in my writing style.

And the best part of all, is when readers recognize the effort, and mention it. It’s very gratifying when I work something into a story and a reader writes a review that says, ‘I see what you did there!’

It makes me happy, cause I do it all for you!

If you’re curious about any of the stories I talked about, you can find more information on them here on my website. http://kendallmckenna.com/books/

My most recent release is Nights In Canaan. It came out last Friday. Yes, it’s about vampires. I warn you, I’ve made four readers cry with this story, and a couple of others have threatened to hurt me for almost making them cry.

Blurb:
Love and hate. Good and evil. Life and death. The universe requires balance, whatever the cost. An ancient vampire rises, time after time, threatening the survival of the human race. An ancient warrior is reborn, again and again, with the singular purpose of halting the vampire’s bloody rampage. With each encounter throughout time, their passions burn and their emotions deepen. The vampire shares his body and the warrior shares his blood. When they are no longer able to cause one another harm, the lovers hesitate to fulfill their destinies. Will the ancient warrior sacrifice the whole of the human race, in exchange for eternity in the arms of the vampire he loves?

Excerpt:
Reaching over his own shoulder, Jesse silently unsheathed the powerful sword at his back. With his free hand, he pushed aside the cloth covering the dwelling’s doorway. Jesse burst into the small room, knowing he held the strategic advantage of surprise.

The sight that greeted him froze Jesse in his steps. A beautiful young man lay sprawled on the dirt floor, his thin clothing askew. His skin was dark and smooth, his shoulders broad, hips narrow. An equally gorgeous man lifted his face from the neck of the first. He tilted his head back, a look of ecstasy on his features. Dark blood covered his mouth, running down his lightly bearded chin. He smiled, baring a set of wicked fangs.

Jesse gasped when the man ran his tongue over his full, bloody lips and slowly opened his eyes. The pale blue irises shone bright in the darkness, confirming this was no blood-drinking minion, this was evil in the flesh.

“Saul.” Jesse’s rough whisper was loud in the quiet of the room.

“Hello again, Jesse,” the vampire greeted languidly.

Jesse lifted a hand that felt almost too heavy, and removed the cloth that obscured his face. Saul knew very well what Jesse was and how he looked.

“You were in Yerushalayim.” Jesse accused. The fingers that clutched the hilt of his sword were numb.

“And now I am in Gina.” Saul’s elegant, long fingered hands caressed the smooth skin of the young man in his lap. He lifted the nearly lifeless body in his arms so that he could nuzzle the young man’s throat while holding Jesse’s gaze.

Jesse ached with the memory of those hands gliding over his own body. He swallowed hard, the human heart in his chest racing uncontrollably. “Set the boy aside, Saul,” Jesse ordered.

“Wouldn’t you rather join us?” Saul punctuated his question by dragging the flat of his tongue over the wound in the boy’s throat. “He’s going to be beautiful when he turns. A lovely angel of death. Can you picture it?”

“No!” Jesse tightened his grip on his sword. His wings burst into visibility as he unfurled them as much as the confined space would allow. “You will not turn him. Let the boy alone!”

Saul’s suggestive smile displayed his fangs and Jesse remembered the feel of them on his own flesh, pressed to the back of his neck, nipping sharply at his hip.

“I’ve drained him, Jesse,” Saul replied, just above a whisper. “If I don’t turn him, he’ll die.”

“And if you turn him, he will die, along with all your minions, when I kill you.” Jesse lifted his sword higher, fanning the tips of his wings.

Saul’s smile faded. He let the boy fall from his arms as he slowly rose to his feet. “After Yerushalayim, I thought perhaps this time you would finally join me.”

Jesse’s face flushed as memories assailed him. He could almost taste Saul’s skin on his tongue, feel the coarseness of Saul’s sparse beard along his throat. “After Babylon, I thought you had grown wise enough not to return.”

Saul’s expression grew hard and angry. “Why do you protect them? They are not worthy of your attention. Do you not realize what we could be if you joined me, and I turned them all?”

Of course Jesse realized. He had known for millennia. No matter his desire for Saul, or whoever he was or will be, Jesse was reborn each time for a sole purpose. That purpose was to ensure the humans did not become an army of blood drinkers while their race was mere children.

“You are defeated, Saul. I will always defeat you,” Jesse said angrily, taking a step closer. “Why put us both through it?”

“Why do you put us through it?” Saul demanded, stepping over the now dead body of the young man and reaching for Jesse.

Their lips met and Jesse tasted sweet blood and bitter ashes. He fisted his free hand in Saul’s bisht, opening to Saul’s aggressive tongue. How he hated being the immovable object to Saul’s irresistible force.

Saul broke the kiss abruptly. He slowly backed toward a cloth draped window, watching Jesse with a thunderous expression. “There is no Hittite army at your back to drive us from Canaan.”

Righteous anger flared hot in Jesse’s belly at the memory of how many Amorites had fallen victim to Saul before Jesse had driven them out of Babylon. His chest tightened when he remembered Saul on the tip of Jesse’s sword as the Euphrates rushed past.

He lunged, but Saul was already fleeing out the window. Jesse tucked his wings and pursued.

Nights In Canaan will be available from MLR Press on March 15^th.
http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowAuthorBooks.php?list=_ABKLIST130&author=Kendall!McKenna

ENTER TO WIN AN E-BOOK COPY OF NIGHTS IN CANAAN!

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Welcome Jane Beckenham

Hi and welcome to my blog, Jane Beckenham. Please make yourself at home and grab a drink from my hunky cabana boys, Zeke and Jake. 

To get us started can you tell us a little about what you are working on or have coming out? 

Hi Raine, thanks for having me here.  Right now I’m deep in revision mode of a contemporary.  In November my Entangled Publishing novel – THE BACHELOR PRINCE  is being released, plus I’m awaiting release dates of 3 of my books that have been contracted to a Manga company in Japan. So exciting times ahead.
How would you describe yourself using only five words?

Loyal, dedicated, loving, a painful perfectionist (sometimes) and exhausted.

 
Do you have any guilty pleasures?

Chocolate, but I try not to indulge.  I’ve actually also started to enjoy shopping!!!

 

If we asked your muse to describe you using five words, what do you think they would say?

Obsessive, dedicated, insecure, hardworking, oh yes, and exhausted!

Name one thing readers would be surprised to know about you.

I’ve just died my hair carrot red and I love it!

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Here in New Zealand, where life is good and green, or in Israel where it’s full of wonderful history.
How do you get yourself in the mood to write?

I don’t have time to say I don’t want to do it.  I just sit down, head down and get on with it.
If someone hasn’t read any of your work, what book would you recommend that they start with and why?

He’s the One is my best seller.  A writer friend – Sophia James – who read it phoned me one night and said she was ½ way through and loved it, then the next a.m. she phoned again and said that she had stayed up till the wee hours until she’d finished it.  She loved it and it was in her top five fave books – I burst into tears. 

Is there something special you do to celebrate when one of your books is released? 

Sigh with relief!  And get down to write again.  And keep checking the sales rankings – sad puppy that I am. 

Could you tell us a couple of favorite books that inspired you to write?

As a child I adored Island of the Blue Dolphin, loved the story of King Arthur when a teacher read it to us at school.  I would lose myself in these stories – even though they’re completely different.

If you could collaborate with one author who would it be?

I’d love to write with Sophia James, with Sandra Hill.     Both write historical, and Sandra writes contemporary as well, and they’re very different voices.  But I love all their works.

 

What is the strangest source of writing inspiration you’ve ever had?

About 10 years ago I was in hospital on bed rest for a month after surgery.  I saw this cloud go past and it inspired a book called To Kiss an Angel.  I imagined my angel falling from her cloud and wondering what happened.

If your muse were to talk behind your back, what secrets would they tell?

Oh goodness, probably that she should whip my … (you know what) so worked harder, longer, faster!

Are your characters able to love or do they need to be taught?

I think there is the ability, but each needs the right person to bring out that love ever-lasting. 

Do you have a book that was easiest to write or one that was the hardest?

Actually they all have an easy factory, I see the stories as a video in my head (yes call out the men in white coats!), the hardest – all of them too, at one point in time.

What can readers expect next from you?

THE BACHELOR PRINCE  is being released next, but I’ve already written one of the sister’s story, plus a Regency is in the works and another contemporary.  So lots in the works, just not enough hours in the day.

Thanks for coming. Is there anything else you want to add? 

If you want to get my newsletter/blog, go and sign up, it comes out weekly with news/interviews/general chit chat about the world.  And free books from time to time.

 A little about He’s The One by Jane Beckenham

Virginity is overrated.

Taylor Sullivan doesn’t trust Cupid, but she plays one for a living. As a successful wedding consultant, she creates a couple’s ultimate fantasy—even though she’s never managed to create her own. And when her clients start asking her for wedding night advice, she’s sensible enough to know when to enlist help.

Cade Harper knows two things about women. They either abandon him, or use him as a walking bank. He doesn’t do commitment, and marriage is a dirty word—witness the string of broken hearts he’s left in his wake. Yet Taylor’s business proposition intrigues him. In exchange for one night of no-strings passion, she’ll develop a promotional plan for his business. Who could say no?

Never one to buy anything sight unseen, Taylor tests the waters with a kiss. In an instant she has the only answer she’s ever wanted—that Cade is the one she wants.

As business starts tumbling into pleasure, Cade finds himself falling hard and fast.

It’s a fantasy come true—if they can turn heartache into forever…

This book has been previously published.

Warning: Contains explicit, straight-to-the-heart sex between a hopeless romantic heroine and an abandon-all-hope hero. No need to dress up for this party—just curl up with a glass of bubbly and a box of tissues!

Teaser Excerpt:

The moment Cade turned, everything changed.

Cade Harper. Bad boy. One sexy guy.

Taylor’s voice stalled in her throat, and she knew, when his smiling eyes captured hers, she was in way over her head.

Cade wiped his hands on a cloth and again Taylor’s gaze followed. Long, lean fingers. Fingers that would touch… Oh, boy!

He smiled. “You wanted to see me?”

She nodded and felt herself drowning in that smile. His dark eyes twinkled, a swirl of gold and chocolate brown. Just like Hershey Kisses.

Kisses!

Yep. She was definitely going under.

“Lady, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve got a bar to run,” he said, grabbing a knife and cutting a lemon into wafer-thin slices.

Taylor shook herself. Okay. Come on. Just say it. “I’ve got a favor to ask.”

“Ask away then,” he said, not looking up.

Taylor burned and eyed the milling crowd. “Actually, it’s a proposition.”

He definitely looked then, and his gaze focused on her. He placed the razor-sharp knife on the cutting board. His mouth quirked at one corner, smiling, gaze assessing. “Sounds intriguing.”

Sounds stupid.

He leant forward and rested both hands on the bar, the flex and tension in his forearms a powerful tease. Taylor swallowed hard.

“Is there anywhere we can talk—privately?”

“Out back in the den.” He flicked a hand toward a door behind the bar.

“More like going into the lion’s den,” she muttered.

“You say something?”

“Ah…no.” She dropped her gaze. Damn. Why hadn’t she chosen a different career? One where her clients didn’t ask about sex?

Holding herself stiff and feeling as if all eyes followed her movements, she walked behind the bar. As she brushed past him, the musky scent of his cologne teased her senses. Taylor willed the butterflies dancing a tango in her stomach to abate. They didn’t listen.

No more than a storeroom with boxes piled high along three of its four walls and a desk barely visible beneath a pile of papers and computer sheets, this room wore many different hats.
Every word Taylor had practiced dissolved from her memory as Cade closed the door behind him. The soft click of the latch echoed a thousand-fold. She spun around. He leant against the door, arms folded across his formidable chest, his gaze candid. He looked dangerous—but very delicious.

Buy at Samhain Publishing

About the Author:

In books, author Jane Beckenham discovered dreams and hope, stories that inspired in her a love of romance and happy ever after. Years later, after a blind date, Jane found her own true love and married him eleven months later.

Life has been a series of “dreams” for Jane. Dreaming of learning to walk again after spending years in hospital. Dreaming of raising a family and subsequently flying to Russia to bring home her two adopted daughters. And of course, dreaming of writing.

Writing has become Jane’s addiction—and it sure beats housework.

You can contact Jane via her web site www.janebeckenham.com or email her atneiljane@ihug.co.nz.

Free Read now Available for limited time

I have my first short m/m paranormal story up for free at Smashwords till March 15th.

Check out A Summer Night Fling, was formally in the Hot Summer Fun anthology

 

Cal Larson wasn’t expecting to find a hot sexy man stuck in a tree as he took his morning walk in the woods. When he meets Alex, sparks fly and these two find that love is waiting to claim them. Except Alex has a secret…one that may bring danger to Cal’s doorstep. Can Cal find it in his heart to accept Alex and let this summer fling turn into something much more?

Smashwords link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/295396

Will be $0.99 after Saturday at Amazon Kindle, Smashwords and ARe

 

Welcome Sarah Cass

 

Hi and welcome to my blog, Sarah Cass. Please make yourself at home and grab a drink from my hunky cabana boys, Zeke and Jake. 

*Sarah grins and takes a margarita.*  Why thank you.  I always love a hunky cabana boy welcome, so does the muse.  It makes her feel at home.

To get us started can you tell us a little about what you are working on or have coming out?  

Well, my first novel, Changing Tracks just released in February, and it’s the start of a series so I’m working on book 2 (edits) and book 4 (re-writing) as we speak.  Just last week, the anthology HerStory released with a short story of mine called An Uncivil War in it. I’m about to dive into edits on my standalone novella Masked Hearts for its April release.  Outside of my contracted work I have two works in progress going now, both very different genres than my currently contracted works.

 

Is there something special you do to celebrate when one of your books is released? 

A party in my pants. ~giggle~  No, seriously.  I just do a little dance at home, and my husband and I usually go out to dinner.  Unfortunately as I’ve just started this career I haven’t the funds or time to have a celebratory ritual yet.  I plan on starting that once my series gets moving with book 2’s release.

 

 

What influenced you to get published? How long did it take for your first book to get published? 

I was writing for fun, without any designs on getting published.  A friend suggested that my story was really good and I should try to get published.  I dove in without the faintest idea what I was getting into.  It took me seven years from that first floundering story to get published.  I started when traditional pub and agents were the only way to go, but the publishing world, and my writing, evolved a lot.  I might have gotten published much sooner if I’d stopped clinging to my first novel like a two year old with a candy bar. I really wanted Lisabeth to work – but I was too attached and couldn’t see the flaws.  Once I moved on, I was able to create my Dominion Falls series which was publishable two years ago, but I went the agent route first and then decided I was tired of waiting on long-long-long delayed responses (seriously, one of them had my ms for a year and a half and never responded to my ‘I have an offer’ nudges), and dove into the smaller press world – and I’ve never regretted that for a minute.

 

Do you have a book that was easiest to write or one that was the hardest? 

Hmmm, trick question.  They are all very easy and very difficult.

Honestly, my Dominion Falls series was mostly very easy to write.  I wrote the original trilogy in a span of about two months, and the 2 follow up sequels in one month.  But, Book 2 (Derailed due out in July) is always a very difficult book for me because, being that it’s the middle of the trilogy there is a lot of emotional upheaval and one scene near the end breaks me up every time.

The hardest for me would be Masked Hearts because it was a first for me in many ways. I have a tendency to write series, and very long books.  I wanted to challenge myself. So I planned for it to be under 50k, and I prepared a timeline – which I never do in first drafts. I tried to make it close to publishable in first draft so there was no rewrite. I pretty much accomplished all those goals, and while it was really tough for me, that story went from concept to contract in 3 months time, a record for me.

 

Could you tell us a couple of favorite books that inspired you to write? 

My first true inspiration into not only my (typical) genre but into reading and stories all together was the Little House series. Beyond that my reading preference is so wide and varied, it’s hard to nail down favorites. A Discovery of Witches was one of my most recent favorites as is the Mercy Thompson series; but I’ve read everything from Shakespeare, to Harry Potter to Long Time Coming (by Jennifer James). I definitely have to include Jennifer in there because it was because of her that I found the motivation to keep going when I was thinking of quitting – we found each other randomly on the internet and she pulled me into a critique group and my life has been forever different since.

 

Is music a factor for you while you are writing? Do certain songs put you in the right frame of mind to write certain stories? 

Oh yeah. Music is required. I can’t write and watch TV, or talk or anything, but music is essential. It sets the right frame of mind.  If I’m writing one of my HWR’s I use love songs, if I’m working on my PNR or Steampunk it goes into the hard rock territory. I can’t write without my music. It feels wrong, somehow.

 

If you could collaborate with one author who would it be? 

Hm, that’s a tough call.  I’m already collaborating with a few. I co-write with my good friend, Mary Terrani, and my crit group is working on a project together.  But a dream project? Odd as it sounds, I’d have to say Stephen King. I write some horror but I think working with him I could write some kick ass horror.

 

What is the strangest source of writing inspiration you’ve ever had? 

Another tough call. All my inspiration is pretty random. Plus, much of it is really macabre. The inspiration for Masked Hearts came from reading about an Indian massacre. The inspiration for my steamp-punky UF/Fractured fairy tale came from playing a video game.  It helps that I like to mix genres because my inspiration often leads me in weird places.

 

If your muse were to talk behind your back, what secrets would they tell? 

What do you mean, IF?  That crazy loon talks behind my back all the dang time.  LOL. She says I’m lazy and undisciplined and moody.  Then again, she could be talking about herself with that – she’s the one that likes to run off to Mexico and get drunk on tequila.

 

Other than writing, what are some of your passions in life? 

My kids & husband, of course. Beyond that? Well, you name it.  I’ve been in theater (singing & dancing, I miss them terribly).  I sew, knit, crochet, and do photography to name a few things.

 

What books are currently on your nightstand?

 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – I’ve been rereading the series.  I’m also reading Hunger Embraced by Jennifer James and Silent Tears by Lacie Nation.

 

What can readers expect next from you? 

Well, obviously as mention, they can look forward to Masked Hearts next month and the rest of my series – books 2 & 3 will be out in July and September. I’m also working on that fractured fairytale and hope to have it done before the end of summer and ready for submission. It has good possibility to be a series, but right now I just need to get through Into a Mirror Darkly.

 

Thanks for coming. Is there anything else you want to add?  

In my everyday life I blog over at Redefining Perfect: http://redefiningperfect.com

My author blog is Sarah’s StoryLines: http://authorsarahcass.com

You can also find me on Facebook: http://facebook.com/SarahCass.Author

And on twitter: http://twitter.com/sadiecass

 

Blurb:

There’s nothing simple about forgetting your past.

Cole Mitchell runs the busiest saloon and brothel in Dominion Falls. He keeps his women at a distance, unwilling to relive a past he worked hard to forget.

Until the night Jane Doe falls into his saloon bleeding and near death.  She wakes with no memory, only the firm belief someone tried to kill her. In the strange world of amnesia she manages to find solace in Cole’s arms and he finds home in hers.

While they work together to solve the mystery of her appearance, their pasts – her lack of, and his buried – build a barrier between them.

To make matters worse, Jane’s past isn’t willing to let her go. A stranger proves he’ll kill to keep his secrets safe. With those she loves in danger, Jane’s errant memory is all that stands between them and death.  Cole can only do so much to protect her, will it be enough?

Buy Links:

Secret Cravings Website -  http://bit.ly/14XQPTl

Amazon -  http://amzn.to/11DDgcG

Barnes & Noble -  http://bit.ly/XcTs0R

All Romance Ebooks -  http://bit.ly/WJxSiA

Bookstrand -  http://bit.ly/12dl2PB

 

Excerpt:

She slammed the door to her room, only to come face to face with Cole. The shriek escaped before she could stop it.

“Jane.”

“Blast, Cole. You scared the daylights out of me.”

“Sorry. Took the shortcut.”

“Please, just go. I can’t think straight. I can’t.” She couldn’t. The way her head kept spinning, conversation wouldn’t be possible.

He didn’t argue, but he didn’t leave either. Once again she found his arms tight around her. In one swift move, he provided a sanctuary against the turmoil. For several minutes he helped her find peace.

Selfishly she soaked in it. Relieved to have just a few minutes to ignore her past that had just shown up on her doorstep. Forget a man who claimed to be her husband. That she was no longer a nameless person.

“I hate saying it.”

“Then don’t.” Jane Doe wasn’t real. This Clara was. Jane didn’t want to give up everything she’d gained. But she couldn’t turn her back on her past. With a sigh, she rested her head against his chest. “Sorry. I’m overwhelmed.”

“I get that. He seems like he means it, though. Did you hear him?”

“I couldn’t hear anything. It’s just too much. I don’t know how to do this.”

“He said he ain’t seen you in seven years. That you left one day and he never saw you again. It was winter. He thought you’d died out there.” Cole’s finger hooked under her chin. “It scares you. Knowing something.”

“Just as much as knowing nothing. I just started to feel like a real person.”

“Feel damn real to me.”

 

 

Upcoming Blog Hop I am involved in

 

Lucky in Love? Well, are you? It’s a time of luck and wealth…or not. With each romance we find ourselves in a new world of love and memories. Are these just by chance? Is it luck? Welcome to your second annual Lucky in Love Blog Hop where we want to hear about your love, your romance, and how much you love St. Patrick’s Day!!! Are you wearing green? Ready to get pinched…or wait…do you like that?

 

Almost 300 bloggers have giveaways and posts about those men we love!  

But that’s not all….

We have TWO grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

 

Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

2nd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

 

New Cover Reveal~A Summer Night Fling

*bounces*

I got my new cover today for my short paranormal m/m story that was in the Hot Summer Fun anthology. I am loading it up as a free read at Amazon, All Romance and other places over the weekend.

I absolutely love this cover and think Sable Grey is an artist. What do you think?

A Summer Night Fling
A Paranormal m/m short story

Can a broken-hearted man let love back into this life when a sexy werecat shifter falls for him?

Links coming soon.