Saturday, June 30, 2012

Men of Steel: Reeve, Reeves, Cavill and Clare Dargin!


If you’re like me your first memories of the “Man of Steel” were of George Reeves in grainy black and white reruns on early Saturday mornings.  Of course these were soon overshadow by the iconic Christopher Reeve who proved that he was Superman.  

Christopher Reeve’s Clark Kent/Superman was and is in my opinion hard to beat.  Did you know he was nearly booted for the part because the producers and the director thought he was too scrawny for the role.  However after sometime at the gym, his royal buffness, sufficiently convinced them to keep him on.  Good for us because he did it so well he actually made us believe that a man could fly.

Unlike the 2006 “Superman Returns” starring Brandon Routh, this recent incarnation ‘The Man of Steel’ promises to be the long awaited reboot of the classic DC Comics series.  Starring Henry Cavill, this movie is like its 1978 predecessor where it tells the life of Col-el/Clark Kent/Superman starting with his father Jor-El, portrayed by Russell Crowe to his life in Kansas to his eventual metamorphosis into Superman in Metropolis.  

A recent shot on the set shows a heavily muscled and bearded Clark Kent looking very much like Wolverine.  Could this be evidence of an edgier persona of Clark Kent than we are use to seeing?

The director and producers are being very tight lipped regarding details surrounding the story.  And rightly so.  Sometimes it’s better to be surprised.  

One thing for sure this star-spangled cast (Laurence Fishburne, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Christopher Meloni, Diane Lane and Amy Adams) has me looking forward to seeing this newest portrayal of the Man of Steel.

"Man of Steel" soars into theaters on June 14, 2013.

Clare Dargin is the author of science fiction including “Kybernatia” available now from Decadent Publishing and Bono Books.  You can visit her on the web at www.claresblog2thehaven.blogspot.com

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Welcome Mina Carter with HAREM MISTRESS!

What do a kid from the roughest part of the city and a prince have in common? In the second story in the Imperial Princes series, Harem Mistress, they’re both members of an elite commando group, Sector Seven. Sethan Kai Renza, the Imperial Prince and Jareth Nikolai have been friends since the first day of training, they’ve survived bloody battles, political intrigue and assassination attempts, as well as Seth’s five year search for the woman who stole his heart (Prince’s Courtesan). Now adults and well past their training, Sethan is the Imperial Prince and Jareth is Colonel of his armies. Known as the Stone-Cold Colonel, his reputation precedes him.
Cold, calculating and hard as nails, as a character he was a delight to write. I love to write a tough, elite soldier type and then give him a weakness. In this case, Jareth’s weakness is his longing for a woman he can’t have. Keliana is a slave who belongs to Sethan, a courtesan in his harem. The law says he can’t have her, but he just can’t keep away, carefully wooing her and leaving roses in the harem gardens, even though he knows that the law would demand their lives if they’re caught. But that doesn’t stop him…and Keliana is more than enough woman to keep him on his toes!
Illicit love, burning hot sex...

Keliana is an imperial harem mistress, but that doesn't stop Jareth Nikolai from wanting her. A colonel in the imperial fleet and the prince's right hand man, Jareth has earned his reputation as a loyal, stone-cold soldier, but thoughts of Keliana heat his blood to boiling--even though she's the property of his prince.

Keliana knows it's forbidden, but she can't get the handsome colonel of out of her mind, nor can she ignore her dreams of one day loving him openly as a free woman. When she's called before her prince and given to Nikolai as a gift, she thinks her dreams have finally come true. Until Nikolai is raised to prince and cannot marry his harem mistress.

And deep within the shadows, enemy machinations work to keep them apart forever...
Available now from: Amazon | Amazon.co.uk | ARe | Barnes and Noble | OmniLit | Kobo

Excerpt:  © 2012 Mina Carter
“Such a serious expression on such a beautiful face.”

The deep voice from behind made her jump. With a gasp, she turned on the bench in a rustle of silk. There, in the shadows of an archway, was a familiar, tall figure dressed in a black combat uniform, his dark hair caught at the nape of his neck. Just the sight of him was enough to weaken her knees.

Colonel Jareth Nikolai. Prince Sethan’s right-hand man and commander of his armies. The man who had been leaving her forbidden roses the color of the midnight sky and who occupied her lonely dreams.

Heat and excitement skittered through her like rabbits during spring as she rose from the bench. Instead of leaving her a rose, he’d come himself. Her initial pleasure at seeing him dissipated as she darted a look around the garden in case one of the women still here wandered out and saw him. Then it would be alarms and hell to pay. No man other than Sethan was allowed within the harem walls.

For a man like Jareth though, a member of the elite Sector Seven, breaking in and getting out without being caught would be child’s play. Leaving something was one thing…sticking around for a chat was suicide.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered urgently. “You have to get out of here before they catch you.”

She reached the archway and shivered as she stepped from the warmth of the midafternoon sun into the coolness of the shadows. For a moment she was blinded, blinking rapidly as she waited for her eyes to adjust.

His deep chuckle reached her ears a moment before his warm hands closed over her upper arms. Heat sparked between them and the merest brush of his hand sent a wave of longing through her so complete she had to bite her lip to stop the moan spilling forth. Hot on its tail was a gasp for his daring.

Not only had he broken into the harem, he’d touched her. Touched one of the prince’s women. Never mind that Sethan didn’t actually want her. Rules were rules. Rules bound everyone, even Jareth, commander of the Prince’s armies.

She wriggled. “Go, you have to get out. They’ll kill you if they catch you.”

“So fiery. You know you look like a kitten spitting when you’re mad?”

Her eyes adjusted and she could make out his face. See that damned little half smile and the heat in his eyes as he pulled her closer to his hard body. His hold was firm, his hands large enough and fingers long enough to wrap around her arms, shackling them above the elbow.

“What are you damn well smiling at? This is dangerous, you idiot!”

She squirmed some more, but he was stronger than her, his grip like iron. There was no way she was breaking loose, not without some form of physical violence she just wasn’t capable of.

Amusement ran through her for a second as she stilled and let him hold her. Over six feet and with the hard build of a professional soldier, there was no way she could stop him. Shivers of illicit excitement whispered over her skin as she looked up at him. He could do whatever he liked to her and she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

His face was partly in shadow, revealing one blue-black eye playing peek-a-boo from under the long fall of his hair. It was a less than regulation cut, but she’d heard rumors his mother had been Hestarian, the warrior-nomad race whose very name sparked fear into many hearts. It would explain the nearly black color of his eyes, the iris expanded with just a small ring of arctic blue around the outside.

“You’re hurt…”

Available now from:
Amazon | Amazon.co.uk | ARe | Barnes and Noble | OmniLit | Kobo
I’d like to thank Cerise for having me today and Tina at Topaz Promotions for organising the Blog Tour.
Mina Carter was born and raised in Middle Earth (otherwise known as the Midlands, England). After a slew of careers ranging from logistics to land-surveying she can now be found in the wilds of Leicestershire with her husband and young daughter…the true boss of the family.
Suffering the curse of eternal curiosity Mina never tires of learning new skills which has led to Aromatherapy, Corsetry, Chain-maille making, Welding, Canoeing, Shooting, and pole-dancing to name but a few.
A full time author and cover artist, Mina can usually be found hunched over a keyboard or graphics tablet, frantically trying to get the images and words in her head out and onto the screen before they drive her mad. She's addicted to coffee and Nutella on toast.
Where to find Mina... Twitter    Facebook



Wednesday, June 27, 2012

50 Shades, 30 years to hit best seller lists! PART I


Why 50 SHADES has hit the best seller lists?

I have a few ideas why it is, ahem, A LONG TIME COMIN'! 30 years of struggling to get books out there that women want to read, not what others think they should read!
Having been pubbed in the romance genre (in print and now digital) for more than 2 decades, I have witnessed trends. BIG ONES.
The appearance of this erotica series of 50 SHADES… on the best seller lists at numbers one through three seems unbelievable until, I think, you look at the trends in romance and in society over the years.
In the 1980s, the romance genre exploded into the marketplace. With boomer women getting college degrees and getting fabulous jobs, they wanted relaxing entertainment at night. (Yes, they needed it after all those household chores were done!)
By the 1990s, these same women had grown older, wiser and began to read more serious fiction. While these novels were female-focused, they were also relationship books which more often than not included a romance. The boomers’ younger sisters came along—and so did the boomers’ daughters—wanting to read the romances Mom and Big Sis had liked. What had begun as women reading romances that were 15% of the paperback sales, climbed steadily to more than 50%!
But in that decade of the 90s, other events occurred within the publishing industry and society as a whole.
Within the industry, costs of producing a book rose. This included the cost of paper and ink, copyediting and design. But also the venues where books were sold declined in number. With fewer places to buy books, readers had to go to Big Box stores to find them. Did they? Yes, but in fewer numbers.
This meant that back in New York Traditional Publishing Houses [NYTRPH] the accountants began to run the editorial decisions and the marketing ones, too. They told editors what they could buy and should buy. The Big Boxes added to the fray by telling publishers what sold quickest and best. Other types of books, said Big Box, will not be ordered in any great quantities.
In the offices of NYTRPH, the scissors came out. Authors who didn’t write this popular sub-genre or that one, saw their order numbers drag, their covers reduced to flowers or objects that sold few if any books. The result? These authors either conformed and wrote what “was selling” (vampires or fairies, anyone?) or the “newest trend” or died on the vine. Amid all this, if an author wrote a steamy book, she might get published, but more often than not, she was asked to temper her prose. Use euphemisms. Allude to passion in metaphors.
In society as a whole, tolerance for all types of lifestyles and parenting choices meant that readers were more open to bigger themes in novels. But were they finding those novels except in what we call literary fiction? I would answer, No.
By the turn of the century, many readers frustrated with few choices in the genre, began to ask, Is that all there is? And publishers in the U.K. and in the U.S., began to respond. Using the internet as the distribution means, publishers like Ellora’s Cave saw the way to distribute erotica in a manner that was safe, secure from prying eyes and immediate. And between the covers, readers got what they had not seen in novels. What had been verboten to them because of Big Box tactics or publishers’ demurring from printing hot sexy stories was now available.
The sales of erotica blossomed. The number of publishers did too. Most of them were on the internet using that platform to sell the books. Readers responded in the millions. While I generalize here, I will say that word-of-mouth and ease of access to the internet certainly provided the impetus for this proliferation.
Suddenly readers had erotic romances at their fingertips and with a few clicks could have instant gratification of purchase and reading!
To say that the internet and on-line publishers have changed the publishing industry is a given. To recognize that both have spawned the rise of self-publishing mechanisms is also a fact.
The 50 SHADES success story is, I am certain, built on the 3 previous decades of growth of the romance genre from Harlequin category types to single titles that have broadened women’s perspectives and their aspirations. These millions of romance titles have also broadened women’s appetites to read about marvelous, intimate, mind-blowing sex.
Women not only desire to be entertained by well-written stories that help her escape to another world. They demand it. And 50 Shades is the explosive proof that erotica is not an aberration on the book shelves. It is a manifestation of readers’ growth and sophistication.
True, 50 Shades had a fabulous marketing and PR introduction. The well-oiled machine that created the series’ business plan is one we authors would love to learn more about! While we are not likely to hear those secrets, we do applaud the success.
It means women are becoming more savvy about their bodies, their inter-personal communications and their intimate relationships. It also means we will see more and more erotica on the best seller lists. Already, we have seen three to four in the top 20 in the past few weeks. Move over 50 Shades. We’re coming through!

Here is a jpeg of my newest, and erotic romantic western suspense and comedy, IS THAT A GUN IN YOUR POCKET? 99 cents on Amazon http://tinyurl.com/7o7guuk


And LADY STARLING’s STOCKINGS, Regency erotic romance and suspense, FREE everywhere!  Amazon link: http://tinyurl.com/83hlkgp

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Male strippers, BDSM demo, GOT YOURS?

Go here to sign up: http://sassyseven.com
Ever attended a convention with BDSM demo, sex toy demo and male strippers?
Say wha? Did not hear you. I know you've attended lots of conventions in your day. My 9-5 type conferences focused on financial planners. Stock brokers. Team bonding. TOTAL SNORES, right?
But I have one for you that you won't EVER FORGET!
The Sassy Seven's Naughty Sleepover in February in San Antonio at The Menger Hotel.
And for ladies who want to have a great weekend, laughing and learning about stuff that perhaps you've not known too much about before, this is your weekend. In a safe environment. Controlled. Only with other women.
Women who read erotica.
Women who write it.
Women who enjoy getting away from their significant others and maybe taking home a bit of knowledge to spice up their love life.
And if that cake needs icing, we have all of this:

  • GIVEAWAYS of books and bling.
  • A great little city that you can safely walk in. 
  • A hotel, historic and comfortable, as well as affordable.
  • The Alamo across the street, just in case you need a shot of history with your strippers, BDSM demo, line dancing, fun games and Tex-Mex dining. 
  • A conference fee that includes 4 meals and one Chocolate Extravaganza.
  • Authors to schmooze with.
  • Editors to pitch your story idea to!
  • Sassy Seven babes who are giving away tee shirts, books, bling of their own!
  • Raffle baskets.
  • (Yes, you will need another suitcase cuz your carry-on will NOT hold all this!)
  • And love.
  • So what are you waiting for?
  • Got to http://sassyseven.com 



Saturday, June 23, 2012

IS THAT A GUN IN YOUR POCKET? 99 cents on Amazon & ARe until July 6!


Need a good romance, great erotica and a hearty chuckle? 
Only until July 6, IS THAT A GUN IN YOUR POCKET? is 99 cents on AMAZON AND ARe!
That's right 99 cents!
Get yours today.
Need more inspiration?
Two Lips gave the book a Recommended Read and 5 Lips!


A Sheriff, A Hot Gal and his gun.
What’s a girl to do when she has the hots for the local sheriff—and he’s playing it cool? Mae Montaine knows the man has a gun in his pocket and he’s always happy to see her.
So why won’t he come over and see her sometime…for a date? A hug? A kiss? More?
West Farraday yearns for the All-American knock-out who lives next door, but Mae’s got problems and secrets. He’d love to help her out…of her problems. And her clothes. Then into his bed.
When timing seems right, West makes his move. He’s happier than a colt in clover.
Mae’s skeptical they can make it as a couple. After all, town gossip says the good sheriff is hard on the ladies.
But when three bad coyotes invade Mae’s life, West tries to prove to her that a man who’s hard in the sack can be easy to love.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Creativity, how to get it and keep it!

A best seller I wrote in a haze of FLOW.
http://tinyurl.com/d3b8qxp.
     Most authors (painters, sculptors, poets, actors) adore their work. So much so that they seem to live in another time and space. This is true of me! I step into my work and call it FLOW.
     In the mornings when I sit down at my desk, FLOW comes quickly. And over the decades that I have written whether fiction or non, FLOW has happened more and more quickly for me. Yes, what used to take me 20 minutes, takes me two!
     But I have one problem. Or not. You tell me.
     If I have left a work for a long period of time, say 2 months, I have totally forgotten what the piece is about. BLANK. STARES. OVERCOME ME. I cannot even recall the names of the h/h.
     LAME?
     I used to worry about this. But no more. It is not age or stupidity that afflicts me. No, no. It is the way my brain works.
     Some artists can work on more than one creative piece at a time.
Not me!
     I have to totally walk into a story...or I cannot inhabit the protagonists' skins, cannot feel their pain or their sorrow, cannot know in my heart their challenges.
     How did I get this way?
     Practice.
When I first began to write, I had little people--three of them!--in diapers. I had moments, really, to find my center and write. Usually, that meant at five in the morning before anyone was up! Least of all, me!
This is about the woman who would become Lady Featherstone's sister-in-law!
http://tinyurl.com/8a8b9y7
Now, I arise when I wish. Ah. The joys of having adult children who live in their own homes! I write when I get to my desk, usually by 9. But I punch no clock. And I don't feel guilty about that, either. (TOO MANY years hitting journalistic deadlines and producing pieces for my corporate bosses had me creating on the spot. That, thank heavens, is done.) I produce now in my own good time.
    Even these current edits that I just cannot seem to start.... hmm.
    But I do know one good thing about creativity: Perhaps the reason I am not yet starting the edits is because I have not yet walked into the story once more. I have not fully grasped my editor's requested additions. I have not yet "seen" them with my Third Eye.
So. As Scarlett said, tomorrow is another day. Then I will edit with a fuller vision and greater understanding.
And in the meantime, I will do my little yoga, take a tiny walk, plant my impatiens that sit so patiently waiting for me to honor them with a bigger pot, for godssakes, please Cerise come do this, they say and wave to me from the garden!
After all that, I will edit.
In FLOW.
What does your FLOW look like, feel like? Do you enjoy it? Do you remember what happens in that delicious other universe of yours?

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Welcome Tim Smith with his newest, LIDO KEY!


She’s a young trophy widow involved in a bizarre sex scandal. He’s her former lover, a busted cop turned Private Investigator she turns to for help. Consider the possibilities. 

BACK COVER BLURB: 
Vic Fallon had worked on some strange cases since he left the police force to become a Private Investigator, but when a former lover asks him to look into a bizarre blackmail demand, it’s one for his memoirs. Vic hadn’t spoken to Ariel Weston since his last trip to Siesta Key, Florida three years earlier. The end of their affair wasn’t amicable, and Vic swore that the next time he saw Ariel he’d drown her with the nearest Pina Colada. When Ariel gets caught up in a potentially embarrassing sex scandal, she appeals to him for help. Vic reluctantly agrees but finds himself in a real quandary when he realizes they still have feelings for each other.
The case pulls Vic out of his northern Ohio comfort zone to the Sunshine State, where he crosses paths with a corrupt local cop, a famous writer with a taste for booze and women, and a sleazy strip club owner who knows more than he’s letting on. Throw in one very cute Latina who develops a crush on him, and the puzzle gets more complex. Can Vic solve Ariel’s problem before the blackmailer ruins her life? Will Ariel succeed in convincing Vic to give their failed relationship another chance?
Teaser Excerpt: Copyright 2012, Tim Smith. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Vic sat on a white plastic chair on the beach at his resort, watching the setting sun. People walking along the water’s edge were silhouetted by the mix of yellow, purple and blue while the evening tide lazily lapped ashore. Vic had spent the afternoon doing research on the Internet, but he found it difficult to focus. Part of me wants to solve this puzzle while another part isn’t in a hurry to go back home. Which one will win?

Vic smiled at the memory of their poolside romp the night before and he found himself drawing comparisons to the previous times. I shouldn’t do that but it’s hard not to. Ariel still has it – looks, passion and more heat than a kiln. I almost wish she hadn’t dragged me into this. Almost.    

He was startled by a familiar smoky voice over his shoulder.

“How did I know this is where I’d find you?”

Vic looked up at Ariel, dressed in a light blue sarong with a floral print. She held a silver bucket filled with long-necked green bottles and had a folded beach blanket draped over her arm. Vic looked her up and down.

“Slumming?” he asked.

Ariel laughed then held out her hand. Vic took it, stood then walked with her toward the water. When they were within fifty feet of the incoming tide, Ariel spread the blanket on the sand. She set the bucket in the middle then sat cross-legged and pulled her dress just over her knees. Vic joined her and took two of the Mojito wine coolers from the bucket. He opened them and handed one to Ariel.

“Just like old times,” he commented.

“Remember how we sat out here, staring into the night and talking about who knows what?”

“That who-knows-what covered a lot of things, as I recall.”  

Ariel smiled shyly and looked down. “What did you do today?”

Vic took a drink. “I ran into a friend of yours this afternoon.”

“Who?”

“A cop named Broussard.”

Ariel took a long swallow of her drink then cradled the bottle in both hands while looking ahead. “Yeah, I know him.”

“What’s the story with that guy?”

“Former high school football jock who became a cop when he blew his knee and couldn’t get a college scholarship. Pretty good at his job, from what I hear.”

“Uh-huh,” Vic skeptically replied. “Ariel, I’ve been doing this long enough to know a peevish lover when I see one. Broussard’s more protective of you than I am of my mother. Try again.”

Ariel took a deep breath. “Eric Broussard was a mistake. One night before Hal died we had one of our knock-down drag-outs and I stormed out of the house. I went to The Dry Dock to drown my anger and there was Eric.”

“He give you a shoulder to cry on?”

“And a pillow to wake up on. I broke things off after a couple of weeks but he had trouble letting go. Since I became single he’s been sniffing around me like a bloodhound on a manhunt.” 

“That explains the third degree he gave me. He can’t stand the idea of someone else sitting in his canoe.”

Ariel laughed and looked at him. “I’ve been called a lot of things, but never a canoe.”

Vic smiled. “No offense intended.”

“None taken.” She took a long swallow. “So what’ve you been doing the last three years?”

“I spent the first few months trying to get over you.”

“Did you succeed?”

“Barely. After that I got on with my life. What about you?”

“The same. You may not believe this, but I really had a tough time getting you out of my system. You don’t know how many times I was tempted to pick up the phone and call you, to explain why I did what I did.”

“What stopped you?”

Ariel looked at him. “I figured you’d hang up on me. Was I right?”

Vic glanced down for a moment. “Maybe. Since we’re being up front, there were times I almost called you, too.”

“And?”

He looked up at her. “I was afraid of what I might say. I was pretty angry when I left here and even after time passed I didn’t know if I could be civil toward you. It’s also the reason I never came back here. I think I was afraid I’d run into you and say something I’d regret.”

“I knew you were a hard-ass but I never figured you for the vindictive type. But I think you not calling and telling me what a self-centered bitch I was backs up something I always liked about you.”

“What’s that?”

“You were always considerate of my feelings. The whole time we were together you didn’t try to control me, you were interested in what I had to say, and you treated me like a person instead of a one-night stand.”

Vic grinned in embarrassment. “Stop it. I treated you the same way I treat everyone.”

“And here I thought it was because I was special.”

Vic gazed dreamily at her. “You are special, Ariel. That’s why I was so attracted to you.”

She gave him a playful smile. “You mean it wasn’t because I was good in bed?”

“Okay, that didn’t hurt your attractiveness factor, but I realized I liked you for what you are.”

“And what’s that?”

Vic paused a moment. “Someone who’d been knocked around by life but didn’t let it get them down. You just got back on your feet and kept punching. It’s a quality I’ve always admired.” 

“Thank you.” 
    
She leaned over and kissed him. Vic placed his hand under her mane of hair and massaged her neck while thrusting his tongue deep into her mouth. Ariel’s scent was natural and intoxicating, a bit of perfume mixing with her personal chemistry to arouse his senses and libido. The sound of the tide rushing onto the beach provided the perfect background music, bringing back memories of long-ago nights. 

He pulled back slightly and peered into her eyes while playing with a strand of her hair. “You still know how to get to me.”

“That goes both ways. In fact, I’m going to let you in on a little secret-- I don’t think anyone’s ever gotten to me quite like you do. Does that surprise you?”

“Yeah, it does. Why?” 

“When we make love, you’re more interested in making me a part of it.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“A lot of guys make me feel like a spectator. You don’t.” She brushed his cheek. “To the victor go the spoils. Remember when I said that after we made love?”

“Uh-huh. Remember what I called you?”

She giggled. “Love Buns. I always thought it was cute.” 

“Know why I called you that?” Ariel shook her head. Vic placed his hand on her butt and gave her a firm squeeze. “Because you have the cutest butt I’ve ever seen. It even looks good when you’re naked.”

She cupped his cheek. “Thank you. Want to take your canoe for a ride?”

“I don’t know, Captain. The water looks rough.”

“Take some Dramamine.” She kissed him again then whispered in his ear. “Let me be your little plaything tonight. Anything you want to do. Just let your imagination run wild.”

“After last night, I don’t think there’s much imagination left.”

She ran her fingers over his brow. “Last night was make-up sex. Tonight it’s all about making love. You do remember the difference, don’t you?”

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Menage, a quatre? Or one at a time?

What is your fancy?
I have a few ideas for you.
Two partners are better than one. Three better than one? Or one at all times?
Can sex be so creative with one partner that two sounds like too many in bed together? A lot of my writer friends claim two is definitely the trend for popularity.  But what are the dynamics of that coupling?
Do you not wonder how every person in the melange feels about all of the others? I do. Big time. In fact that is what I spend my time and attention on in every book I have written where more than two people enjoy each other at the same time sexually.
In HER THREE-WAY MERGER, the heroine explores her feelings for the two boys who used to live next door to her.
In HAT TRICK, I created a fine Texas lady. A cougar who wanted one man to love her well, my heroine wound up with two men who did. And were they hard to handle? Hmm. You have to go read.
Now in my KNIGHTS IN BLACK LEATHER series at EC, I have created an entire town with a shortage of women. The men are creative about finding good ones, too. In ROPE ME IN, we have Cara Ford offered some good lovin' by three brothers. Can she handle them? Why would she want to?
All of these emotional issues she must come to terms with before she agrees to their offer.
What would you do if more than one man wanted you in his bed for the night? For the rest of your life?
Find all my menages and a quatre at: www.jasminejade.com/m-560-cerise-deland.aspx

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Laci Paige here with Let's Keep On Truckin'


Welcome, Laci Paige today with her newest, Let's Keep On Truckin'!

Lily loves traveling on her job since no one can do it better than her. Being out on the open road gives her plenty of time to reflect and avoid unwanted attention, but somehow it always finds her.

When she comes across Ryder, first at a grocery store, then at a rest stop, sexual desire sparks and she knew she had to have him. If only her ex hadn't shown up, igniting a fantasy she never thought possible.

Seeing Alex in a whole new light, Lily realizes second chances are in order, but will she have to choose between the two men? Or could she be happy with both?
Excerpt: Copyright, 2012 Laci Paige. All rights reserved.
In the candy aisle, I felt someone looking at me. Turning my head, I gazed past a man standing near me. A very nice looking man, but I ignored him, or at least I tried to. His green eyes locked on mine. Warmth and tingles spread throughout my body causing my knees to go weak. The man’s face held sharp features, and his sultry lips rewarded me with a demure smile. I would’ve loved to feel them on mine. He stepped closer to me. My heart rate spiked. Nodding to the shelf in front of us, he focused in on something and reached for it. He stopped mid-reach, and our gazes met again. His arm lowered. I knew I couldn’t look away, and I had a feeling he couldn’t either. I bit my bottom lip, and I saw him take notice. He leaned in close to me, mouth parted to speak.
“Excuse me,” a voice requested. We stepped away from each other so the woman behind us could retrieve candy from the shelf. She sure took her time. Separated by the woman, I kept glancing over at the man. He, too, continued to gaze my way. There was something about him; he made something stir inside me.
Author Bio:
When Laci’s not reading or writing she can be found spending time with her husband supporting their children. Laci enjoys camping, hiking, & photography. And she loves to chat with fans on Twitter and Facebook. Laci and her family currently reside in Hampton Roads, VA.  

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

I know details about Marilyn Monroe and Napoleon!



I know strange and wonderful facts. I use them in my novels.
What might I know?
What's Marilyn Monroe got to do with vintage clothing?
And why might Napoleon have had arsenic in his blood?
These are burning questions I, as an author of many types of romances, have answers for. And you definitely want to know them, don't you?
Recently I did research on Marilyn for A LONG TIME COMIN', my TOYS-4-US series story with my SASSY 7 pals. (It made it to #30 on Amazon's Best seller list!)
Marilyn's gown, into which she was sown, for her Birthday tribute to President John F. Kennedy once went on the auction block in the late 90s'. It was one of a kind. When it sold, the price was more than $2 million. In A LONG TIME COMIN', my heroine owns a vintage clothing shop on the River Walk in San Antonio. She has the only other copy of the dress. Of course, this is fiction I created! But she also wears it and waddles in it along the River Walk. Giggles. Do come read about Cait and her Delta Force hottie lover, Ram!
MM sings happy birthday to JFK


And as for Napoleon?
Once historians learned his autopsy showed he had arsenic in his blood, many thought he might have been poisoned. Not so, says research now. But a recent discovery about wallpaper may give a clue. REALLY?
Yes.
In the nineteenth century, green was a favorite color for room decor. In fact, green wallpaper was the craze. But the wallpaper's color was secured with arsenic and mercury. People in the rooms breathed this in to their own despair.
In which of my novels do I talk about Napoleon?
COME post and tell me which one. The person with the most right answers wins one copy of a book from my backlist!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

A book by Kaylie Newell, proceeds to animal rescue!


Please welcome Kaylie Newell who has a new romantic suspense out, 40 % of price goes to animal rescue.  This is favorite charity of mine, too, having rescued two great doggies.

Enjoy here and excerpt of Falling In Danger by Kaylie Newell, buy link: Available in ebook and paperback- http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=falling+in+danger
 
 A journalist stumbles onto the story of a lifetime. And finds herself falling in danger.
 
Peeling off her clothes, she stepped into the warm torrents of water and tilted her head back until her hair was soaked. She closed her eyes and leaned against the tiled wall, forgetting for a moment where she was, and letting the shower lull her into a kind of stupor. Slowly, the tension in her exhausted muscles began to ease. The water ran from her shoulders, over her breasts, and down her belly in hot little streams, whose miniature currents twisted and turned from the texture of her skin.
She must have fallen asleep, at least for a minute, because when the door opened, she didn’t hear it consciously.
“Hey.”
She jumped and nearly hit her head on the showerhead. Fitz stood outside the frosted door, holding a towel and averting his gaze.
“Oh my God,” she panted, trying to cover her chest and other unmentionables.
“I knocked. You didn’t answer,” he said matter-of-factly. “Here’s your towel.” Setting it down on the counter, he didn’t make any move to leave. Instead, he stood there, head down, large shoulders hunched, his hand resting on the white terry cloth fabric.
She stayed absolutely still, the water pouring over her body and pooling at her feet before disappearing down the drain. Her heart quickened as she took him in. But not for all the logical reasons it should have. She should have been panicking. After all, she was completely naked. Completely exposed. And he was a deviant. A low life. He kept company with thugs. But it was as if something in her brain had clicked off. All she could wrap her thoughts around at that very moment was how he had looked standing over Albert. And how he’d felt when she’d curled in to him afterward.
“Do you think you can hold on for just a few more hours?” he said, his voice so low she could barely hear it. “I’m going to get you out of here. But you have to trust me.”
She stared at the side of his face, unable to make out his exact expression, but sure it was serious. Hard.
Trust him. Two little words, but how complicated they were. How intricate.
She didn’t know how, or why, or even when she’d started to change over the last twenty-four hours, but of one thing she was certain—she already did trust him. Completely. God help her.
She opened her mouth to answer, the water streaming down her face, her saturated hair just barely touching her shoulders.
He turned to her, his movements deliberate and measured. Her pulse thumped in her neck, her body heating in areas it shouldn’t have. The tops of her breasts swelled over her arm which attempted to cover them, and she was aware of every single inch of exposed skin that he’d be able to see, even through the cloudy glass of the shower door. Still, she didn’t move, the words that she wanted to say thick and catching in her throat.
Condensation dripped down the glass, creating jagged lines of clarity where there weren’t any before. She could tell his eyes were moving over her. He didn’t bother hiding it. They took her in, from her ankles, up the curve of her legs, over her hips, and toward her dripping chest. The knowledge sent a thrill through her. She was painfully self-conscious by nature; never in her life had she stood naked in front of a man. And certainly not one like this, a brooding, dangerous stranger. Yet she could feel the incredibly erotic, feminine power she had over him, simply by standing in one spot and staring right back. It was enough to make her body tremble in places she didn’t even know she had.
Just when she couldn’t stand the tension one second longer, just when she thought she might actually open the shower door and pull him in with her, he turned away.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said, and walked out the door.
 
Content Warning: Contains sensual sex and explicit language

Genre(s): Romantic Suspense/Contemporary
 
*40% of the publisher's proceeds from the sale of this book will go to The Pixie Project animal rescue.  Read a steamy romance and help a homeless pet :)