#EroticRomance #ShortStory Haley's Man #FREE Now through Labor Day!

Haley's Man

When Haley Miller posts on a sexual fantasies forum that she wants to have an orgasm while surrounded by her friends, one reply stands out. Intrigued and desperately aroused, Haley prepares for the orgasm of her dreams. But when she arrives at her friend’s house, she learns that the man of her dreams, Seth Gardiner, is back in town. Now she must decide if she wants to go through with her plans for public pleasure or go after her dream date with Seth, or risk losing them both.

Buy Link:

Amazon

Free! Now through Labor Day! Don't miss your final chance to download and read Haley's Man for free on Amazon!

Friday Friends - @dustycrabtree shares her poignant Tattered Flag

"The Tattered Flag" and an Inspirational Read
by Dusty Crabtree

What do you get when you cross a patriotic idealist and writer like myself with the sad vision of a tattered flag? A sad, patriotic poem about a tattered flag, of course. Through the sadness I hope I can spark some pride in our country and the flag that represents it.



“The Tattered Flag”

It flaps in the wind limply at one corner. The other is ripped to shreds, caught, hanging on a wire, dejectedly. Unable to break free.

It’s been windy. It’s raining. It’s nobody’s fault.

And yet…it just feels wrong. The moment I see it from my car, a whimper escapes my lips. A pain shoots through my chest. It aches. I want to cry. I might as well have witnessed a young kid being pushed down by a bully. How could someone treat the flag this way? A sense of injustice burns inside so strong that my world turns upside down.

Such a strong emotion for such a simple inanimate object. But it’s not simple, is it? It represents our country’s life. Our freedom. Us. So, I guess...in a way...it isn’t just an object treated with disrespect. It’s a living and breathing representation of hope. And if that’s torn and tattered, then what do we have left?

**************************************

Now that I've got you all warm and fuzzy, how about another riddle. What do you get when you cross an idealist writer like myself with a passion for teenagers and young adults? A YA urban fantasy called Shadow Eyes. For those of you (teens and adults alike) who love a good hope-filled, inspirational read but also love paranormal, romance, suspense, and mystery, check out Shadow Eyes this summer.

Iris Kohl lives in a world populated by murky shadows that surround, harass, and entice unsuspecting individuals toward evil. But she is the only one who can see them. She’s had this ability to see the shadows, as well as brilliantly glowing light figures, ever since an obscure, tragic incident on her fourteenth birthday three years earlier.

Although she’s learned to cope, the view of her world begins to shift upon the arrival of three mysterious characters. First, a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows; second, a new friend with an awe-inspiring aura; and third, a mysterious and alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend.

As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, she must ultimately revisit the most horrific event of her life in order to learn her true identity and become the hero she was meant to be.

Check out Dusty's blog.
Find her on facebook.
Follow her on twitter.
Buy Shadow Eyes and/or read its reviews at Musa Publishing or Amazon.
(also available at all major online bookstores)
View the book trailer.

#MondayMunchies - @HolleyTrent's Low-Fuss Summer Salad #recipe

from Holley Trent

Happy summer, everyone!

This easy cold salad is great for potlucks and outdoor parties, and travels well. Combine everything except the dressing the night before to save time the day of your event.

Holley’s Low-fuss Summer Salad

2 cup pearled barley, cooked tender but not mushy
2 small tomatoes, diced
1 large cucumber, diced
2 green onions—whites and greens—sliced thin
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
1/8 tsp. cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. water

Drain cooked barley and allow to cool.

Toss barley with tomatoes, cucumbers, and green onions. If serving the next day, cover and refrigerate.

Half an hour before serving, mix lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin with water in a small jar with lid. Shake well. Pour over salad and mix gently.

Serve salad at room temperature.

Easily serves 8.

*Mix extra dressing if you like a less dry salad.
**Salad can be easily doubled or tripled.

Here's a brief intro of my latest release for your reading pleasure.

The psychic didn't go looking for love, but she should have seen it coming.

Marcia Andrews is a freelance psychic consultant. Sick of living hand to mouth, she accepts a contract with Raleigh Police. A new gang called The Cardinals is terrorizing The Triangle, and Marcia gives the department an edge in tracking them. Help that she is, one cop isn’t so keen on her involvement, and makes sure she knows it.

Detective Nat McCoy would rather see Marcia in his bedroom than the bullpen. The gorgeous Scotsman isn’t the typical chauvinist pig, though. He’s keeping a secret that even the psychic doesn’t anticipate.

A close encounter with a Cardinal’s bullet knocks Marcia off her game when the police need her most. She loses hours to trances and ghosts haunt her sleep. She can hardly function, and everything she thought she knew about playboy McCoy suddenly seems questionable. McCoy thinks he knows the cure for what ails her—him. But can she trust him?

Love by Premonition is available for purchase now at the Musa store and also at third-party vendors such as Amazon.com and All Romance eBooks.

If you’d like to stay up to date on my progress with its spin-off, visit me on my blog or follow me on Twitter.

Holley Trent is the author of Executive Decision, Mrs. Roth’s Merry Christmas, and Her Resident Jester – all available now from Musa Publishing's Calliope Romance Line.

To see all of Holley Trent's Musa Publishing books, please click HERE.

Friday Friends - The Man in the Blue Flowered Shorts @pagehalffull

Susan Lodge has stopped by to answer a few questions about her new release, The Man in the Blue Flowered Shorts, a contemporary romantic comedy.

How do you decide the title of your book? Does it involve a lot of head scratching, pen chewing, and staring out of the window, waiting for a lightning bolt of inspiration? Or a laborious search for a snappy phrase that will encompass the spirit of the story and grab the attention of the e- book browsers?

That is how it was choosing the title for my first publication—but with the second it was easy. The Man in the Blue Flowered Shorts walked past me one day and wham! There was my book title and the seeds of a story all gained from a few moments of idle observation. I live on the coast and am quite used to holidaymakers ambling about in strange summery outfits, but this man cranked my literary detective into action. Who was this person who looked so on edge in his holiday clothes?

I never knew the real answer, as I only saw him once, but he had sparked my imagination with all sorts of questions.

He appeared to not want to be on holiday and he didn't seem to like his wardrobe, so who do you think advised him to wear socks with sandals?

I haven't a clue but would like to point out that I have nothing against men in sandals or shorts, especially of the blue flowered variety. But it’s that accessory thing. Shorts and sandals are fine—but worn with socks! The combination should be outlawed.

I know, especially here in the UK, the sandal wearing season is quite brief—in fact turning out be nonexistent this year due to the miserable weather. And that relinquishing the socks can result in strap chaffing to soft white toes and heels which have been cocooned for most of the year. But that is no excuse for socks with sandals, is it? After all, you can purchase those nice discreet clear plasters to protect those vulnerable parts of your feet.

I now feel this blog is getting a little shallow because we all know that clothes shouldn’t really matter and it’s the person inside that counts. And, to be honest, looking out on this freezing cold English July day, I might just get out those thigh high woolen socks I got for Christmas. Although I wouldn’t wear them with sandals—but then, I am not a man!

But however he was dressed, I will always be grateful to the intriguing man in the blue flowered shorts. He provided me with, not only a title to my latest romance, but the trigger for a sequel, The Man in the Buff Breeches. Then I might follow it with The Man in the ...well, I’m looking around right now for an inspiration!

Lyn enjoys reading romance novels, especially when she can combine it with relaxing in the Caribbean sunshine. But when a mysterious stranger joins the cruise ship, fiction and fact become dangerously confused.

When Lyn Redford’s sandal hurtles across the deck of the cruise ship, it makes her first introduction to Henry Matasie rather hostile. It wasn’t just that the man was seriously grumpy; he was a walking wardrobe disaster. Do you really need to wear woolen socks with your shorts in the Caribbean heat?

Following an embarrassing encounter in the cocktail bar with Henry, Lyn and her travelling companion Shona try to find out the reason for his strange behaviour. Later, when Lyn accidentally reads his e-mail, she is convinced the man in the blue flowered shorts is deadly dangerous.

When Henry swaps his awful holiday clothes for a dress suit to attend the gala dinner the transformation sets Lyn’s pulse racing. But she is convinced he still hides a guilty secret and she is intent on discovering what it is.

To read an excerpt from The Man in the Blue Flowered Shorts please click HERE.

Susan Lodge’s first publication was a story for a UK national woman’s magazine. Heady with this breakthrough, she went on to write her first novel Only a Hero Will Do. She loves writing contemporary and historical romance, usually with a large dose of humour. After working in several cities including London and Bristol, she moved down to the Hampshire coast to raise her family.

Once asked the most important piece of advice she had been given in pursuit of publication, Susan answered -
The only difference between the unpublished writer and the published writer is the fact that the published writer didn't give up.

Catch up with Susan on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

Charmed by @CateMasters #CoverReveal @DecadentPub #paranormalromance

Charmed

The Vitruvian Man, book 2

By Cate Masters

Dark fantasy/paranormal romance

Coming Aug. 30, 2013

Decadent Publishing

www.decadentpublishing.com

Blurb

Brought together by accident, bound by fate—and magic.  Love works its charm over Bruno DiCesare and Melina Weaver during his transformation from beast to man. But love likewise blinds them to the secrets each holds. Bruno thinks his secret will devastate Melina. Melina’s afraid Bruno will hate her for what she’s become. Neither guess the greatest danger lurks outside their door – and will force them to decide between love and life itself.

Excerpt

Wow, so fast. Melina held Bruno’s hand until his grasp went slack. The treatment seemed to take effect almost as soon as he’d swallowed it. He shouldn’t react immediately; his body should be able to handle it better by this time. Unless Eldie increased the dosage?

Suspicion drew her gaze to the bottle. Of course she couldn’t tell by sight, and she had no idea what ingredients the sorceress had used in the other preparations. She shouldn’t have agreed to it so readily, nor trusted Eldie so blindly. In any other situation, she’d have asked to review the complete specifications.

She stroked Bruno’s arm. I wanted him cured for me as much as for himself. If her selfishness harmed him in any way, she’d carry that guilt forever. Try to make it up to him forever.

For now, she’d have to occupy her mind with something else or drive herself insane. His deep breaths meant he’d sleep for at least a day.

A hushed sigh sounded from the other room.

“Eldie?” Back so soon?

No answer came except for a slight rustle. She crept to the curtain. “Who’s here?”

Even as she asked, she sensed a presence unlike any she’d encountered before. Everything remained as she’d left it, the lamp glowing in the center of the table, laptop beside the scattered books. Lucky the sorceress hadn’t seen them. Luck, or something more.

She returned to the volume she’d left open. A page rippled, lifted straight up and fell over. Another muffled sigh escaped. Melina. The whisper so slight, it was barely audible. Yet without a doubt, she heard her name.

She traced a finger down the spine. It quivered beneath her touch like the plucked string of a guitar. With a gasp, she jerked her hand back.

Uncertain she hadn’t imagined it, she repeated the move and got the same result.

How? She pulled the chair close to the table and examined the pages. Nothing out of the ordinary, except perhaps how finely executed the handwritten entries appeared, each letter as perfect as the last. Almost like they’d been printed to fool the eye of a curious reader. An Italian reader. If only these were in English.

The longer she studied the text, the clearer it became. The letters blurred, shimmered, then shifted, rearranging themselves into… English. She didn’t need to enter the words into the translator site on her laptop, she understood every sentence.

She ran her fingers lightly over the page. The letters shifted again, scattering at her touch, as if she’d disturbed the surface of a pond.

“What the…” It changed back to Italian, the letters appearing to float. She swirled a fingertip across the surface, and the words formed a swarm, like a school of fish following bait. Like fish, they seemed to nibble at the tip of her finger. Impossible, but it tickled.

Fascinating. But this silliness got her nowhere. She’d never learn anything if this kept up. “Stop.”

The scripted words froze in a jumbled, nonsensical order.

She hovered her hand above the passage, and the letters stretched up off the page in tall columns to meet it. The pull of the connection reached inside her skin, as if it had been magnetized.

This is crazy. But obviously it’s not. It’s happening. It’s real.

Cate Masters has made beautiful central Pennsylvania her home, but she’ll always be a Jersey girl at heart. When not spending time with her dear hubby, she can be found in her lair, concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her at http://catemasters.blogspot.com and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.

Cate loves to hear from readers! Email her at: cate.masters@gmail.com

Catch up to Cate

Blog     Facebook     Goodreads   Amazon

Tuesday Toolbox - The Care and Creation of a Time Travel Series by @sharonledwith

Today's Tuesday Toolbox is a guest post by Sharon Ledwith. Thank you Sharon!

The Care and Creation of a Time Travel Series
by Sharon Ledwith

My journey to publication started in the mid-90s. One evening while I was reading, I thought how simple the structure and dialogue was in this particular novel. You can write, you can do this, a voice urged inside my head. Let me tell you, I almost fell off my chair. But those words rang true for me. So, I decided to act on this truth, and took a writing course—Writing your Novel—where I met a great couple of like-minded would-be writer gals. Together we started a writing support group, and I wrote my first novel—a paranormal romance. This manuscript caught the eye of an agent, but I was hardly ready, and I see that now. What I needed to do was to hone my craft and get better and better with the process of writing. And that takes making many mistakes at the expense of your ego. In other words: lots of rejection, rejection, rejection! Ouch!

Then one night, during my writer’s group, one of my friends said something that floored me. She mentioned that I hit my twelve-year-old character’s voice bang on. So, this got me to thinking—how hard would it be to write a young adult novel? It was a stupid question. Of course it was hard! After thinking about what my friend had said to me, I decided I’d challenge myself and write not just a novel—but a series—that would appeal to my son, who at the time was the target age of my audience. Since I’ve always loved the time travel genre, it was a no-brainer for me.

The idea for The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis came to me in a dream I had around 1998. In this dream, I saw seven arches, and there were seven people (five kids, two adults) with crystals in their hands, walking up to these arches. It definitely had an Indiana Jones feel to it. I wanted to create a book series for adolescents that had a different slant to the time travel genre. I love history. I also love myths and legends. There’s a few time travel series out there, but nothing that has roots leading back to Atlantis—at least what I know about or have read. Since there’s no concrete evidence that Atlantis did exist, then that left the door wide open to possibilities. I had to do a lot of digging into the legend of Atlantis, reading many books—especially Edgar Cayce’s psychic readings—and surfing the internet, until I had a fixed idea on how to present this in story form, and into a series of books.

The whole idea of the series is based on not changing our past, because it’s been written—a huge challenge for my time traveling characters who must keep time safe from an evil Atlantean force released back into the world. In the first book of the series, The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, the Timekeepers time travel to Nottingham, England in 1214 where they must find an adolescent Robin Hood and his band of merry teens before history is turned upside-down.

FYI—originally I had called the series The Timeliners, because their prime directive was to keep time in line. Then, it became The Timekeepers, and finally The Last Timekeepers, as the series became more evolved and developed.

It took 15 years of writing in the trenches—querying publishers and agents, writing more books, getting rejected again and again—before I finally signed a publishing contract with Musa Publishing for The Last Timekeepers series. And after all this time there was still one catch—I had to rewrite the entire manuscript in the point of view of only one of the characters. Originally, I had written the series with each kid having their own chapter throughout the book. My newly assigned editor Kathy Teel found this confusing and suggested I write the first book in only one of the character’s voices, starting with Amanda Sault. That way, the next book would feature another character’s point of view. However daunting a task this sounds, it was sage advice, and made the book stronger and fresher.

Now a year has passed, and under the tutelage of another fine editor by the name of Tricia Schwaab, the prequel of my series Legend of the Timekeepers is set to make its debut this August 30th. So get your time portals ready and put on your Babel necklaces! It’s going to be another thrilling, crazy ride into the past!

If you haven’t already checked out my young adult time travel read, The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, here’s the blurb…

When 13-year-old Amanda Sault and her annoying classmates are caught in a food fight at school, they're given a choice: suspension or yard duty. The decision is a no-brainer. Their two-week crash course in landscaping leads to the discovery of a weathered stone arch in the overgrown back yard. The arch isn't a forgotten lawn ornament but an ancient time portal from the lost continent of Atlantis.

Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers--legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial--Amanda and her classmates are sent on an adventure of a lifetime. Can they find the young Robin Hood and his merry band of teens? If they don't, then history itself may be turned upside down.

To read an excerpt of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, please click HERE.

Check out The Last Timekeepers series Facebook Page.

BUY LINKS
Musa Publishing
Amazon Link
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, The Last Timekeepers, available through Musa Publishing. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, yoga, kayaking, time with family and friends, and single malt scotch. Sharon lives in the wilds of Muskoka in Central Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, a water-logged yellow Labrador and moody calico cat.

Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

#MondayMunchies - Barbecued Chicken #recipe from @MarciBoudreaux

Barbecued Chicken
by Marci Boudreaux

Though summer is closely associated with barbeque pits and charred bits of meat, there is another way to get great tasting BBQ Chicken or pork…without risking the loss of facial hair.

This year will be known (at least in my family) as the year I discovered the glorious wonders of a slow cooker. Yes, my friends, I no longer stand over a hot stove (or pit) for hours cooking for my starving family. Our home cooked meals are now done slowly, with minimal effort from me.

And this recipe is one of my personal favorites!

Marci’s BBQ Chicken
4-6 uncooked boneless chicken breasts (or small pork roast)
1 bottle of your favorite bbq sauce (Hey, this still counts as homemade!)
¼ cup white vinegar
1tsp. red pepper flakes
¼ cup brown sugar
1tsp. minced garlic
½ small onion diced

Mix bbq sauce, vinegar, pepper flakes, brown sugar, garlic and small onion in medium sized bowl. Place meat in slow cooker. Pour bbq sauce mixture over meat. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Done!

Seriously?? YES! And it is delicious!

I shred mine and put it on a bun with coleslaw, but my kids eat it straight up with a side of baked beans

This is a great way to have summer flavor without adding to the summer heat. And it’s so easy!

Here's a little from Unforgettable You, my latest contemporary romance, for your reading pleasure while you sit back with a glass of chilled wine and wait for that terrific chicken to slow cook.

Is their love strong enough to survive their real lives?

Desperate to keep her ailing mother-in-law Doreen in the family home, Carrie Gable agrees to board a few of Hollywood’s elite actors. Despite her resentment of their demands, she can’t stop her attraction to actor Will Walker.

Will, out to save his failing career, agrees to a project that bores him. The more time he spends with his egotistical co-stars, the more drawn he is to their hostess. Long nights talking with Carrie make him realize he wants a simpler life, but his ties to L.A. refuse to let him go.

The temptation to regain stardom pulls Will in one direction while the obligation to family tugs Carrie in another. Against all odds, the couple struggles for a solution to save their new found happiness.

To read an excerpt from Unforgettable You, please click HERE.

Check out the trailer for Unforgettable You HERE.

Learn more about Marci Boudreaux on her website. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

Friday Friends - The Demon's Mate by @samcheever

Book 1: Royals of Sheoldris by Sam Cheever

What if real love began in the pages of a paranormal novel? And what if that love leapt off those pages, and into an avid reader’s arms?

Terra fell in love with Jacobin when he was the hero in a sexy paranormal novel, but when he showed up at her door she thought she was losing her mind. Imagine how she felt to learn her fate had been scribed onto magic pages and could just as easily be erased. Would she be willing to give up everything, just to hold onto a love she never dreamed she’d have?

~~*~~

They left her alone for hours. At some point someone brought her a meal of fruit and cheeses with a dark, sweet wine but other than that she saw nobody except the two big men wearing diapers who guarded her door.

Finally, the woman who’d put her there returned, bringing the two big men into Terra’s rooms with her. And she was demanding that Terra take a bath. With all three of them in the room. Terra of course refused.

“If you do not cooperate, I’ll have the eunuchs carry you to the bath and hold you in the water as they bathe you.”

Terra glared at the demoness she’d learned was called Gemma. “I’m not going to polish myself up like a piece of fruit for that bully.”

Gemma nodded at the two men standing behind her. They stepped forward and grasped Terra’s arms, and she shrieked in outrage.

“Leave us!”

The two eunuchs and Gemma bowed low, stepping away from Terra. “Sire. We were just trying to do as you asked.” Gemma slid Terra a look of such hatred she wondered if the woman would murder her in her sleep.

“It seems my mate needs to learn some manners. I’m the one who must handle that little chore.”

Terra gave an outraged chirp. “I need to learn manners? Me? I didn’t drag you from your house and your… planet to a strange place and turn you into a prisoner.”

The demon king glared at his three servants until they left and then turned to her, his densely muscled arms crossed over his chest. Despite her anger, Terra couldn’t help noticing how hot he looked in the tight leather pants and sheer shirt that was open to the waist, showing a perfect, golden-brown chest. “You wouldn’t be treated as a prisoner if you didn’t act like a fool.”

She gave another outraged chirp and advanced on him, her hands clenched into fists. “I’m just trying to retain some kind of freedom --”

“Freedom? By chaining yourself to a low-level demon like the lowliest concubine?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know? I don’t know anything about this stupid place. They offered to help me, and I was grateful for their help. Once I got past the gate --”

Jacobin stepped closer, lowering his angry face to hers. “Once you got past the gate he would have locked you up and tried to ransom you to me. All the while enjoying your lush body for his own pleasure.”

Terra’s mouth slammed shut on an angry retort as his words sank in. “You’re lying.”

He lowered his head until his lips hovered over hers, his hot breath sweet against her face. “You know that I am not.”

Unfortunately she realized, far too late, that he was probably right. In her desperation and ignorance she’d almost put herself in greater danger. At least there, in the castle, she was under the=king’s protection. But Terra was too angry to back down. “It wouldn’t be any worse than being kept prisoner here.”

His big hands came out and grasped her arms, pulling her to her toes as he stepped closer. Terra bit her lip against a wave of lust as his heat and hardness pressed against her. “Then you shouldn’t mind that I stopped you, mate.” Without warning, he gave her a gentle shove, and she fell backward into the huge, sand-bottomed pool.

She came up sputtering with outrage, her hands skimming water out =of her eyes. “You ass! Now you’re trying to drown me?”

Toeing off his soft boots, the king reached to tug the shirt off his broad chest. “It appears I will need to bathe you like a babe, since you refuse to do it yourself.”

Book info and more…

Hot Summer Heroes Blog Hop - #TeamZane or #TeamWyatt - Vote for the Hottest!

What could be better than a hot hero for a hot summer day? How about two hot heroes!

Read the blurbs below and let me know whether you think Zane or Wyatt makes the hottest summer hero. I'll pick one random winner and send them their choice of Zane's Art OR Wyatt's Guilt in their preferred e-reader format.

Zane's Art
A high school art teacher must choose between her students and the artist she never stopped loving.

High school art teacher Julianne Truman's last chance to save her beloved art department from budget cuts is to sell the old sketches that her former boyfriend—and now famous artist—Zane DeMonde drew for her. But is she prepared to let go of his artwork and the last traces of him in her life?

Desperate to save his artistic reputation from the exposure of his early works, Zane returns to the home town he wanted to forget. He accuses Julianne of profiting from his success and demands she take his art off the market and cancel the auction.

Their high school attraction flares back to life, forcing Julianne to choose between the students who count on her and the man she never stopped loving.

Wyatt's Guilt
Nicole trusted Wyatt with her heart once. She won’t make the same mistake twice.

Nicole DeMonde’s car breaks down the moment she returns to her hometown for her brother’s wedding. The cop who stops to help her is none other than local hottie Wyatt Truman, who slept with her then dumped her when they were teens. She has no choice but to accept his help. However, she knows better than to trust him with her heart twice.

Wyatt is determined to earn Nicole’s forgiveness and make amends for his callous past. Once he lays eyes on her, he can’t help wanting a lot more than forgiveness, despite his intention never to hurt her again.

Just as Wyatt starts thinking his best intentions are of the forever variety, Nicole decides to work Wyatt out of her system with a one night stand. Can either of them make peace with the past in a single weekend, let alone survive with their hearts intact?

Zane or Wyatt??? Leave a comment with your pick! Don't forget to leave your e-mail address so I have a way to contact you.

#TuesdayTeaser - Room service from the sexy investigator next door in #WiccanHaus Psychic Lies

“It’s Armando,” he called. “I’m sorry if I offended you earlier. Listen, I feel really bad that you didn’t get to finish your dinner, so I had the staff box it up for you. It’s still warm, and I’ll feel better if I know you ate it before it turned cold.”

Complete silence. He felt like a fool.

“I’ll set it outside your door. Please eat, Fiona. I’m worried about you.”

To his surprise, the door swung open, and Fiona stood in front of him, her gray eyes wary. “Why would you worry about me?”

“Because you look like you need a friend.”

“I don’t have any friends.” She took the box, her fingers brushing his as she spoke.

I don’t have any friends—truth.

Someone needed to erase the shadows from her eyes and show her she wasn’t alone. He wanted to be that person…until he had to return to his Syndicate duties. “Now you do.”

Her tentative smile blossomed, twisting his stomach into a woozy knot.

Buy Links:
Musa Publishing
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
Smashwords
Diesel
Kobo
iTunes

Psychic Lies

Fiona must keep her ability to read minds during sex a secret from those determined to exploit her, especially a sexy truth-finding investigator who needs her psychic power to save his job.

Fiona has spent her life hiding her sexual mind-reading power at the risk of being exploited by the government. Instead, she pretends to have lifebond vetting powers like the rest of her family. When her fake power results in the death of an innocent woman, her life of lies unravels and she retreats to the Wiccan Haus.

Armando is the head of the Department of Truth-Finding for the Syndicate. To prove his unit’s worth to the government, he follows Fiona to the Wiccan Haus to expose her as an infiltrator of an enemy faction. The truth about Fiona is even more valuable to his people and his career.

Fiona uses her power to seduce Armando and stop his plans to betray her. But nothing is strong enough to keep her from falling in love with this man whose power threatens to destroy her. Now she must trust him, not only with her life and her psychic lies, but also her heart.

#MondayMunchies - Polka Dot Cake #recipe from @MarciBoudreaux

by Marci Boudreaux

Something can be said for Pinterest. I have learned so much from that site about gardening, decorating, and fashion. So when it came time to plan my daughter’s birthday party, I pulled up my Birthday board and took a gander.

Oh, polka dot cake…my daughter loves polka dots. So much so, that I painted her room pink with purple polka dots just last summer.

Now, anyone who has ever tried something off of Pinterest knows that, generally, it’s not going to go as smoothly as assumed. Well…let me tell you about the polka dot cake.

The first sign of trouble was when I read the directions and I didn’t have the required cake ball pan. Well. I have a mini muffin pan, I can improvise. I’m good at that…as you’ll soon see.

So I took out my three cake mixes, stirred one together, and split the batter. So far so good.

Then I dyed the batter. Well…my colors didn’t come out nearly as vibrant, but that’s okay. We can go with dingy pastel shades. So I made the mini muffins.

Then I mixed up the other two batters and layered the first bit on the bottom of the pan. And suddenly, like a light bulb going off, I realized my polka dots would look like…well, mini muffins. So I gently pried the muffin tops off and decided that was close enough. (These are a bunch of eight year olds, really, they’re just happy there’s cake, right?)

I cover my make-shift muffin polka dots with the rest of the batter and…wait…my muffin-dots are rising. I push them down and hurry up and put the cakes in the oven. Because we all know, the quicker you get it in the oven, the faster we can pretend that everything is resolved and all will work out.

Twenty five minutes later, the timer dings and I tentatively open the oven door to find…more muffins?

Oh, yes, perhaps I overfilled the pans just a touch in my attempt to cover my muffin-dots. The cake had grown up and over the cake pans, making giant, yet thin muffins.

Hmmm. These are supposed to layer, right? How can I layer muffins? I considered this for a long time. I even had an in-depth discussion over the phone with my husband who obviously didn’t care in the least about the ins and outs of layering cakes that looked like muffins.

Finally, it was decided. I’m just going to decorate one cake. There are only a few girls anyway, so I chose the better looking of the two and slathered it in white frosting. I did this because we had picked out lovely glitter infused purple icing (the package said it was pink, that stuff was purple) to put on lovely little polka dots and polka dot sprinkles to go with the awesome polka (muffin) dots inside.

So the icing is set and I get out the purple-not-pink decorative icing and start putting on the polka dots. But even icing doesn’t play nice when it is going on a Pinterest cake. It smeared, it smudged, it taunted me at every turn. I’m fairly certain I heard some of those TV bakers laughing at me as I tried to mimic their squeeze, push, and pull technique for making dots.

Well, at this point all the warm and fuzzy Betty Homemaker feelings were gone. I grabbed the biggest meanest looking spatula I could find and I smeared that damned icing, not giving a crap what it looked like. Damn it, it’s just a cake. They only want it for the sugar buzz anyway.

Then I stood back and I smiled because, despite all the trouble, I had just made a beautiful white and purple-not-pink tie-dye looking mini muffin-dot cake.

And it was lovely.

I set it aside, ready for the glittery candle to be placed, headed straight for my laptop, and deleted that damned polka dot cake recipe from my birthday board. But, I’ll share it with you, just in case you want to give it a try.

Polka Dot Cake
2 boxed white cake mixes (plus the oil, water and eggs to make them according to the package)
You favorite frosting (I used my butter cream recipe, doubled, which you can get by clicking HERE.)
Sprinkles or candy to decorate the cake.

Preheat oven to 350°F

Make one of the cakes according to package directions.

Divide batter evenly into smaller bowls based on the number of colors you want to use (I did 4).

Color the batter using color gels (I love the Wilton brand in particular because it gives such a vivid color)

Following the directions for your particular cake pop maker, make cake balls using each of the colors.

While cake balls are cooling, preheat oven to 350F, and make the second cake mix according to package.

Spray 3 – 6″ round pans with non-stick spray and set a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of each one (to keep your layers pretty!)

Spread a thin layer of batter in the bottom of each pan, place cake balls on top in any pattern you choose and divide remaining batter over the top of the balls so they are completely covered.

Bake layers for about 30 minutes. You can use the toothpick test (I recommend it!) but be careful to hit cake and not cake balls…you can kind of tell where they are- they bump up just a bit.

When cooked all the way through, tip over on a cake rack to cool completely.

Trim, if needed, to flatten layers and use frosting to stack all three layers and cover the entire cake with frosting. Decorate as desired.

To see what the Polka Dot Cake should look like, please click HERE.

Here's a little from Unforgettable You, my latest contemporary romance, for your reading pleasure while you sit back with a glass of chilled wine and forget you ever thought of baking.

Is their love strong enough to survive their real lives?

Desperate to keep her ailing mother-in-law Doreen in the family home, Carrie Gable agrees to board a few of Hollywood’s elite actors. Despite her resentment of their demands, she can’t stop her attraction to actor Will Walker.

Will, out to save his failing career, agrees to a project that bores him. The more time he spends with his egotistical co-stars, the more drawn he is to their hostess. Long nights talking with Carrie make him realize he wants a simpler life, but his ties to L.A. refuse to let him go.

The temptation to regain stardom pulls Will in one direction while the obligation to family tugs Carrie in another. Against all odds, the couple struggles for a solution to save their new found happiness.

To read an excerpt from Unforgettable You, please click HERE.

Check out the trailer for Unforgettable You HERE.

Learn more about Marci Boudreaux on her website. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

Today Only! #KindleDailyDeal 99 Cents on Bliss Books!

The Bliss Imprint of Entangled Publishing is a featured sale on Amazon today, August 10th, only. The normally $2.99 titles are on sale today only for 99 cents! This includes Construction Beauty Queen and Love Him or Leave Him. So, if you've been considering buying but haven't yet, today is the day to take the blissful plunge!

Construction Beauty Queen

She's on the job...and out of his league.

Chicago socialite Veronica Jamison is determined to shake off her sheltered lifestyle and overbearing parents. She heads to her grandfather’s small town of Kortville, ready to roll up her sleeves and work for the family construction business. She’ll prove her worth, even if it means answering to the company’s ruggedly handsome co-owner, Matt.

Matt Shaw just wants to run his business, spend time with the niece he’s raising on his own, and give back to the townspeople who have stood by him. Managing a spoiled-rotten princess he knows he’ll never be good enough for? Not part of his plan. But as he gets to know Veronica, he learns there’s more to her than her beautiful looks and designer clothes. She’s got a heart as rich as her background.

With the quirky townspeople rallying against Veronica inheriting her grandfather’s business, it’s up to Matt to try to drive her out of town. But how can he, when instead she’s driving her way into his heart?

Sample the first chapter of Construction Beauty Queen here


Love Him or Leave Him
Sometimes dreams are where you least expect them.

Connor O’Malley and Becca Sanders were once high school sweethearts, ripped apart by rumors in the small town of Kortville, Illinois. Connor left to join the military, and Becca stayed, waiting for her younger brother to graduate so she could live her dreams of traveling the world. But now that Connor's back as the town sheriff, Becca finds herself struggling to resist the too-handsome man who once broke her heart.

Connor loves Kortville—its quaintness keeps at bay the painful memories of Afghanistan he’s sure make him unworthy of any woman, particularly the beautiful brunette he’s always secretly dreamed of a future with. But when a scandal rocks the town, suddenly Connor and Becca must trust in each other if they want to weather this storm…and come out on the other side of it together.

Sample the first chapter of Love Him or Leave Him here

Both books are part of The Small Town, Big Dreams series--sweet and sassy small-town romances published by the Bliss imprint of Entangled Publishing. This is an on-going series with more books to come! For pictures that inspired me as I wrote Construction Beauty Queen and Love Him or Leave Him, check out the Small Town, Big Dreams series board on Pinterest.

Friday Friends - New Release for @OliviaStarke from @DecadentPub #DirtyLove #1NS

 DIRTY LOVE

A 1Night Stand story by Olivia Starke

Buy Links HERE

BLURB

Kat goes on the prowl looking for a one night stand to rile up her new friends. A little shock and awe to keep her sane in a life no longer hers. When she’s matched with Jared through 1Night Stand, he seems perfect for her plans. Conservative, sweet, and sexy as sin, she’s ready for one hell of a ride.

But Jared is more than she bargained for—much more. And when her plans for amusement turn dangerous will the two find a way to stay alive?

EXCERPT

“Come on.” She winked. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“I thought these things were urban legend. I never imagined I’d see one in real life.”

His date’s gaze glimmered with mischief. “There are lots of big hairy surprises out there for those brave enough to search for them.”

“Like you, for one.” He cleared his throat. “Except for the hairy part. I hope, anyway.”

A slight blush colored her cheeks, and he brushed his knuckles over the soft skin there. Shadows marred the smoothness beneath her eyes. Had she been sick? Or maybe her party girl lifestyle drew out too much. She stepped back.

“Cowboy up, sugar.” She grasped his hand and pulled him forward, again surprising him with her power. Under the softness of her curves lay a fair amount of muscle. He swallowed. She could ride him without tiring, take his maddened pounding for hours. It’d take all night to spend the pent up energy boiling in his veins. He’d passed the point of return; jerking off wouldn’t satiate his needs. Without sex, and soon, he’d run howling through the streets, a crazed animal.

After taking an elevator to the basement level of the parking garage, she led him to a red door and rapped on its freshly painted surface. Dark corners closed in on them. The hairs on his arms and neck rose. He sensed being watched. More cameras. Were as many inside? And maybe a live Internet feed his family could run across in some improbable way?

Don’t create imaginary monsters. He squared his shoulders.

A partition slid open. Dark eyes narrowed, focusing on Kat who lifted a pale brow. The panel slammed closed, and Jared let a small sigh slip. Could he be off the hook? This night had turned out to be more than he’d bargained for, leaving him ready to tuck tail and run. Find somewhere else to indulge his feral wants with his date. The door swung open, and the odor of incense assaulted him. His escape option evaporated.

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Tuesday Toolbox - Twitter Party #BlissBall August 7th, 9-10pm EST #giveaway

As every writer who intends to write for more than an audience of one soon discovers, you can't just write a great book. You have to promote it too.

Luckily, promotion can be fun. It can even be a PARTY with other awesome authors who write the same time of books as you. Which means readers come to party because they're a fan of one author, discover you, and might just fall in love with the books you write too.

In the midst of this glorious exposure, you and your soon-to-be readers are having fun chatting up the Twitter-sphere, and your readers are winning cool swag that they'll love and remember the awesome author who gave it to them. It's a win-win plan for readers and authors alike.

Iif you'd like to check out a Twitter party with cool giveaway prizes (including those cool antique bronze "live your dream" charms pictured above), join the sweet and sassy authors of Entangled Bliss on Twitter on August 7th from 9-10pm EST. Use the hashtag #BlissBall, and you'll be entered for our random giveaways.

#MondayMunchies - Chicken Wings and Cranberry Martini #recipe from @kings_falcon

by Nancy DiMauro

This is a DiMauro family favorite. I have no idea where my Mom originally found the recipe or if she made it up herself. One of these days I’ll remember to ask. But summer always included barbeques on the grill and her marinated chicken wings. I have the recipe written down as both “single” batch and “double”. Can’t remember ever making a single batch. I wrote the recipe down from my Mom’s index card when I was still in high school (many moons ago). These wings went to Beach Week in college and what I was asked to make at most pot-luck parties. The steno book page with the recipe is stained with drops of soy sauce and lord knows what else from the years of use. While these are great hot, they’re amazing cold the next day. That’s why I always make the double batch. If you choose to do so simply double all the ingredients.

It’s one of my favorite recipes and I hope you like it to.

DiMauro Chicken Wings
Soy Sauce ½ cup
Oil ¼ cup
Meat Tenderizer/ Accent 1 tbsp.
Dry Mustard 1 tbsp.
Lemon Juice ¼ cup
Molasses 1 tbsp.
Crushed Garlic ¼ tbsp.*
Chicken Wings 2-4 lbs

* I always use more garlic than the recipe calls for. So if you like garlic, don’t hesitate to use more.

Mix all ingredients, cover, marinate at least overnight, and stir occasionally


Preheat oven to 350°F

Place chicken wings on foiled and greased cookie sheet. Cook for 50-60 minutes and baste occasionally.

If you want something cool and smooth to go down with it, try this Cranberry Martini recipe from my second mom, Phyllis Hussey.

Cranberry Martini
Vodka 1 shot
Cranberry Juice 2 shots
Lime juice to taste – about ½ tsp.

Shaken not stirred.

That’s it - enjoy.

Now relax. Nibble on these yummy wings while you sip a marvelous martini and read a little from Shots at Redemption my latest speculative fiction.


Sometimes even mythical beings need a second chance at love.

We all make mistakes. In this collection, a witch, a goddess, and a dragon each have a second chance at reclaiming lost love.

In "Best Dressed and Obsessed, Janelle, a graduate-level witch, chooses a magic dress to enthrall her professor. Sadly, the dress is cursed. At her graduation ball, will she kiss the man she loves? Or kill him?

Eons ago, Zeus decreed that Odysseus leave Kalypso. In "Kalypso's Song", Odysseus is reborn as a scholar. Can Kalypso convince him to reclaim the love they were denied?
The sea dragon Ryu spares a ship crossing her domain when a human child aboard reminds her of her own lost children. Ryu finds an unlikely surrogate family in "A Sea Serpent's Tale". When her new family is attacked by another dragon, can Ryu save them?

Shots at Redemption. Even supernatural creatures want them. But, do they get them?

BUY LINKS
Musa Publishing
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

To read excerpts from Nancy's other Musa Publishing books, please click HERE.

Learn more about Nancy DiMauro and her impressive work on her website Falcons Fables and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

#MySexySaturday - Psychic Lies #WiccanHaus @MusaPublishing @MySexySaturday

He began the uncorking process with an ease and expertise that proved he knew his way around a good wine. The nearly translucent contents sparkled in the sun, as he handed her a glass. Then he poured himself a matching flute and clinked it with hers. “To passion and new prospects.”

“To new beginnings.” She sipped the cool, citrus tang of the white wine and leaned back on the blanket, staring up at the blue sky. She could almost believe a new beginning and prospects were possible. She’d spent the entire morning painting and hadn’t had to lie once about who she was.

Now she was having a picnic with quite possibly the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on. As long as he never learned the truth about her, she could enjoy this mutual seduction and savor a few days of normalcy.

“What cheese do you recommend?” Armando asked, surveying the platter. “I can’t tell what any of these are.”

Fiona set her wine aside to join him in studying the variety before her. She tasted a couple, considering. “Oh, try this one.” The moment she bit into it she wanted to share the experience. “It’s cranberry cheddar. I thought it’d be tart, but it’s actually really sweet.” She lifted another cube off the plate and leaned toward him, pressing it to his lips.

He took the square in his mouth, his tongue darting out and tasting her finger. His dark brown eyes never wavered from her face. “Very sweet.”

Her breath hitched. She let her finger linger on his lower lip, sliding across its fullness, longing to kiss him, afraid of moving too fast and losing herself in the way he made her feel.

Buy Links:
Musa Publishing
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
Smashwords
Diesel
Kobo
iTunes

Psychic Lies

Fiona must keep her ability to read minds during sex a secret from those determined to exploit her, especially a sexy truth-finding investigator who needs her psychic power to save his job.

Fiona has spent her life hiding her sexual mind-reading power at the risk of being exploited by the government. Instead, she pretends to have lifebond vetting powers like the rest of her family. When her fake power results in the death of an innocent woman, her life of lies unravels and she retreats to the Wiccan Haus.

Armando is the head of the Department of Truth-Finding for the Syndicate. To prove his unit’s worth to the government, he follows Fiona to the Wiccan Haus to expose her as an infiltrator of an enemy faction. The truth about Fiona is even more valuable to his people and his career.

Fiona uses her power to seduce Armando and stop his plans to betray her. But nothing is strong enough to keep her from falling in love with this man whose power threatens to destroy her. Now she must trust him, not only with her life and her psychic lies, but also her heart.