Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Writer Wednesday--Vella Munn

This week I'm happy to welcome Vella Munn to Writer Wednesday! ~NJW


 VELLA MUNN INTERVIEW

NJW: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment in your career so far?

VM: Nine Native American historicals that I got the rights back to an am republishing.

 
NJW: Who or what is your greatest inspiration?

VM: Setting always resonates with me, particularly the wilderness so I love getting away.
 

NJW: What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

VM: Slippers in winter, barefoot in summer. Seriously, it’s the friendships I’ve developed over the years.

 

NJW: Did you always want to be a writer?

VM: Yes. I started by writing and illustrating comic books using the Lone Ranger’s horse Silver as my protagonist.
 

NJW: Tell us something your readers might not know about you.

VM: It isn’t a big secret but I loathe shopping. That’s probably because I’m a hermit.

 
NJW:: What comes first for you, characters or plot?

VM: A bit of each. It starts with a tangled mess in my mind

 
NJW: Tell us about your latest release.

VM: Punish is the first in a three book series called Feral Justice that revolve around a pack of large gray dogs that go after animal abusers and the couples whose lives and romances are impacted by the animals

 

Rapid Answer Fun Questions

  1. Favorite author? Steven King
  2. Snacks—sweet or salty? Salty.
  3. Favorite season? Spring
  4. Guilty pleasure? Being alone with the muse.
  5. Do you have any pets? Yes. Two rescue dogs
  6. Favorite comfort food? Mac and cheese.
  7. Where would you go on your dream vacation? Alaska
  8. Introvert or extravert? Introvert.
  9. Favorite non-alcoholic drink? Water.

BIO:

Vella Munn writes, mostly romances, to satisfy the insistent voices in her head.

She's had more than 60 books published under her name plus a pen name. (Please don’t ask her to list them because her head will blow up.) She’s particularly excited about three recent series either out or in the process. One is the eight book Soul series of Native American historicals about America's first citizens.

Her contemporary romance series is called Montana Lakeside. Consisting of four books, each taking place during a different season with a different couple, plus a one-day novella, draws on her love of the wilderness as backdrop for new beginnings and love.

There’s also the three book romantic suspense Feral Justice series which feeds off her loathing of animal abusers and her desire to see them pay for their crimes.   

Vella lives in rural Oregon, is married, has two sons, and four grandchildren. She's owned by two bossy rescue dogs and is working on her master's degree as a certified hermit.

 
http://www.vella-munn.com/

 

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Carina Press Tip Tuesday.


Wicked Reads Reviews Embracing Silence



Wicked Reads has reviewed Embracing Silence.

"...she combines just the right amount of action, attraction, and romance to keep me coming back for more." ~Angela


"The story is romance, but it also has other elements of great storytelling: intrigue, betrayal and lust. I can't wait to see where the story goes." ~Mary Jo



 

 

Monday, November 28, 2016

Assassin's Awakening is here!


ASSASSIN’S AWAKENING is now available from Carina Press and other fine e-retailers.

 
This book was previously released in 2009 by another publisher under the title Have Mercy. It has been revised and updated for rerelease with Carina Press.

The pulse-racing Project Alpha trilogy continues as a rebel fugitive comes under the care of a woman whose touch means the difference between life and death

Logan is pure Alpha, a genetically enhanced human who has escaped from the brutal gated city in which he was designed, and from the creators who want him dead. Running for his life across a ravaged Earth, Logan’s goal is to survive. It’s in his blood. Until he awakens wounded, bound and naked, exposed to a beautiful stranger. Now he's vulnerable to sensations he’s never felt before.

Mercy Dockins has tended to many wounded men, but none as intoxicatingly perfect as Logan. Or as responsive to her curative strokes. But as passion ignites between them, Mercy’s very purpose in the bleak new world order is shaken to its core: Logan has brought her not only ecstasy, but danger, too. He's drawn the enemy to her sanctuary, and now their love could soon be just another casualty of war.

 
Buy links:






 

 

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving!



Happy Thanksgiving Day to all my friends in the USA. I hope you all have a wonderful day filled with family, friends and great food. If you're travelling this holiday weekend, stay safe!


Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Teaser from Drakon's Promise


I'm over at the ENANGLED PUBLISHING BLOG today with a Tuesday Teaser from DRAKON'S PROMISE, the first book in my Blood of the Drakon series due out on December 5th.

Be sure to stop by and check it out.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Weekend Book Club--The Obsession by Nora Roberts

I just finished THE OBSESSION by Nora Roberts. This book begins with the loss of a young girl's innocence when Naomi understands just who and what her father is. But can you truly escape the past? Naomi wants to, but when she finally decides to put down roots, the past comes back to haunt her once again. Only this time she's not a frightened child, but a woman. A dark story filled with hope. An amazing story by an incredible writer.

BLURB:

“She stood in the deep, dark woods, breath shallow and cold prickling over her skin despite the hot, heavy air. She took a step back, then two, as the urge to run fell over her.”

Naomi Bowes lost her innocence the night she followed her father into the woods. In freeing the girl trapped in the root cellar, Naomi revealed the horrible extent of her father’s crimes and made him infamous. No matter how close she gets to happiness, she can’t outrun the sins of Thomas David Bowes.

Now a successful photographer living under the name Naomi Carson, she has found a place that calls to her, a rambling old house in need of repair, thousands of miles away from everything she’s ever known. Naomi wants to embrace the solitude, but the kindly residents of Sunrise Cove keep forcing her to open up—especially the determined Xander Keaton.

Naomi can feel her defenses failing, and knows that the connection her new life offers is something she’s always secretly craved. But the sins of her father can become an obsession, and, as she’s learned time and again, her past is never more than a nightmare away.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Writer Wednesday--Kate Hill


Today I’m happy to have Kate Hill here for Writer Wednesday. Welcome, Kate! ~NJW


NJW: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

KH: I'm mostly a plotter because I prefer to work using a loose outline. I need to know how my story starts and ends and I need to know the major points in between. However, I prefer to leave the outline loose because details inevitably change during the writing process. I like wiggle room.

 
NJW: What comes first for you, characters or plot?

KH: I usually feel like the characters come first and they "tell" me their story.

 
NJW: Do you prefer writing series or stand alone books?

KH: I love writing and reading series books. I like to explore secondary characters and various parts of fictional worlds and see them tied together. As both a reader and a writer, I tend to get attached and can't get enough of the stories I love.

 
NJW: Name three fictional characters (not your own) that you find hot.

KH: They can be from books, movies, or TV. Scorpius from Farscape, Earth 2 Harrison Wells from The Flash, and John Clare/The Creature from Penny Dreadful.

NJW: Share a favorite quote from your latest hero, heroine, or villain.

KH: “You can’t just knock me out of bed to tell me you’ve seen Bigfoot and expect me not to look.” - Earl Eli from Love in the Wild 1: Knock on Wood.

 
NJW: How did you come up with the idea for your latest book/series?

KH: I wanted to write a contemporary romance with paranormal elements. I also love the Bigfoot legend and wanted to include that in the story. Knock on Wood is about two opposites who go on a search for Bigfoot and end up romantically involved. By the end of the story, the couple wasn't quite ready for marriage and they were left in a long distance relationship. The story tied up the Bigfoot plot, but the heroes still had more to explore with each other, so it became the Love in the Wild Series. Right now I'm just about finished with John and Earl Eli's second story, On the Prowl. They finished their Bigfoot adventure in Maine, now they're in John's home country--England--searching for a giant cat in a rural village. In this story, John and Earl Eli's relationship becomes more serious. I'll be soon be starting the last book in the series, Ghost of a Chance.

  

Rapid Answer Fun Questions

  1. Favorite holiday? Halloween
  2. Favorite season? Autumn
  3. Guilty pleasure? The Saw movies.
  4. Favorite ice cream? Peppermint Stick.
  5. Hobbies besides reading? Working out and watching horror and action movies.
  6. Do you have any pets? 2 cats and 2 dogs.
  7. Favorite meal? Lunch.
  8. Favorite non-alcoholic drink? Carrot juice.
 
About Saloni Quinby

The child of a painter and a psychic dreamer, Saloni Quinby feels spirituality and storytelling go hand-in-hand. She loves the scent of gardenia, the sound of wind chimes and the taste of honey. By listening to what isn't said, she creates works based on unspoken desires. Saloni prefers blurred gender lines and many varieties of romance. In a world where passion must at times be restrained, she believes erotica is a pleasure to be shared. With her stories she would like to make her fantasies yours and hopes you enjoy the ride. She also writes under the name Kate Hill. Please visit her online at http://www.kate-hill.com, http://www.kate-hill.com/blog and http://www.kate-hill.com/compbellingbeastsblog.

 

Social Media Links:

 

 

Friday, November 11, 2016

Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah



RIP Leonard Cohen
 
 

Lest We Forget...

 
 
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
 
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
 
~John McCrae


Wednesday, November 09, 2016

Writer Wednesday--Ann Jacobs

This week Ann Jacobs is here to tell us about her Courthouse Connections series! ~NJ
 
 
Courthouse Connections—a series of steamy romances between larger-than-life heroes and heroines, set in a busy city on Florida’s west coast (my home town).
 
 
The series, now up to eight books, the latest of which will come out soon, began years ago, with a bad-boy hero/criminal defense attorney who wouldn’t get off my mind--and an idealistic heroine who believed he was evil incarnate but couldn’t resist him. That book was In His Own Defense. It spawned seven more books, so far. FRAMED, the latest, finds that first hero defending the estranged wife of a murdered politician, who just happens to be the girlfriend of his partner, the firm’s rainmaker. Lanie is innocent, of course—but for a while, it’s touch and go, as details of her affair with JD goes public—and years-old secrets come to light.

 




FRAMED… it’s hot, it’s romantic suspense, it’s look into how three people’s shameful secrets can come back to haunt them, but also of how love can triumph in the end. It’s a book that was a long time coming, a story I’m very excited about! I hope readers will love it, too.

 

With luck, FRAMED should be released early next month. Look on my website for pre-order and release information and buy links, or keep up with me on Facebook or Twitter.

 
 

Here’s a short excerpt from FRAMED. It’s the first time the hero and heroine connect:

 

Everybody seemed to have paired off after the morning session, most of the lawyers combining a weekend of continuing education at this luxurious beach resort on Key West with a mini-vacation with their families or significant others.

 

Lanie Winstead sighed. She still had a husband, legally speaking, even though they’d been separated for over a year. That didn’t mean, though, that she’d come down here looking for a new significant other.

 

The marriage that had begun with her foolish hope that it might grow into a love match had been over long before she’d moved out of Wayne’s house and into her own apartment. Adrift, on the cusp of hitting thirty, she had no immediately pending cases at the Tampa satellite office of Wayne’s firm. She’d signed up for this continuing education seminar primarily to occupy time while fulfilling the Florida Bar’s continuing education requirements.

 

Over a year ago, Wayne had given his blessing for her to go her own way while he went his, but she hadn’t taken him up on the invitation. Lonely in this subtropical paradise, she envied the couples around her, whose happiness they seemed to take for granted.

 

Alone. That’s how she felt now, but it wasn’t all that much different from the way she’d been before the separation, envied for being married to the popular state senator. All the time she’d felt trapped, forced to take care that no one would guess they lived separate lives except for the public moments they shared in the limelight of political rallies and other media events.

 

Restless, she finished the fruity drink she’d been sipping and headed out for a walk along the beach. Unlike some of the unescorted women she’d talked with during breaks in the seminar schedule, she hadn’t come alone to troll for a bedmate. Not that she couldn’t, of course. Even before she’d moved out and asked Wayne for a divorce, they’d both been free to enjoy sex whenever, however and, wherever they chose—as long as they did it discreetly.

 

When she stepped onto the long pier that jutted out into the Gulf of Mexico, she spotted another solitary soul who’d escaped temporarily from the seminars. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was that had attracted her attention to the big, dark-haired lawyer who looked more like an NFL player than the successful attorney he was. For whatever reason, though, he attracted her. Not only had JD Ackerman just given the lecture on torts she’d attended earlier in the day, Lanie had met the partner in the prestigious Tampa firm of Winston, Roe and Associates when they’d been introduced a couple of years ago during a fundraiser for one of Wayne’s reelection campaigns.

 

Wayne had mentioned the guy being a rainmaker—a torts specialist whose claim to fame was a recent multi-billion-dollar class action settlement he’d exacted from a tire company whose executives had cut too many corners and sold defective products to unfortunate drivers.

 

She couldn’t deny that an aura of power surrounded Ackerman He even looked the part—very tall and muscular, like a guy nobody would mess with. No one could miss picking him out of a crowd, because he had to be at least six-six, a head taller than most men—and almost all women.

 

The man exuded competence, but he also had way more than his share of sex appeal. The overall package—dark-brown hair, chiseled features, and the way he’d filled out his obviously custom-tailored suit at the lecture she’d attended earlier—made him a bona fide chick magnet. Lanie had been tempted to walk up to him and run her fingers through that slightly mussed, wavy hair, but of course she hadn’t done it.

 

What drew her to him most now, though, was the shuttered expression in eyes that reminded her of rich, dark chocolate. She looked with envy at a fringe of eyelashes women would die to have for themselves as she moved closer to the spot where he stood. He drew her as if she were metal and he a magnet too strong to withstand.

 

It wasn’t just that he looked good enough to devour whole, casually dressed as he was now in khaki shorts and a pale T-shirt. The look of sadness in his eyes made her want to gather him in her arms, comfort him, and wipe away the quiet despair that shadowed his expression.

 

Lanie stopped beside him at the pier railing and looked out over the calm, aqua water. A few yards away, a pair of bottle-nosed dolphins cavorted in the water, apparently oblivious to the gentle waves, the Gulf tide’s ebb and flow. A pelican swooped across the surface of the water, dived, and came up with a good-sized fish.

 

Ackerman turned away from the water and looked at her as though he’d just noticed he was no longer alone. “You’re Elaine Winstead, aren’t you? I noticed you at my lecture on torts this morning.”

 

When he spoke, the deep, compelling tone of his voice made her glance up and meet his gaze. She thought she detected a slight easing of whatever it was that had been making him seem so sad, perhaps even the beginnings of a healthy interest in her as a woman. “Yes. My name is Elaine, but everybody calls me Lanie. You’re JD Ackerman. I believe we met at a political event a while back.”

 

“You’re right. I’m surprised the senator didn’t join you this weekend. It’s a great place to bring a spouse—almost like a tropical honeymoon paradise.”

 

Yes, she imagined it was for most couples, but she and Wayne had never teamed up for events that didn’t have political significance. When they’d spent time relaxing together, it had always been to make a point of togetherness for his constituents. “Wayne and I have been separated for over a year now, but don’t apologize for not knowing.  We’ve tried to keep the split quiet until the divorce is finalized.”

 

“I’m sorry. Losing a loved one is difficult, however that loss occurs.” He paused, as though he were trying to decide whether he wanted to continue their conversation. “Would you like to join me for a walk along the beach?” he finally asked, his tone a little hesitant.

 

“I’d like that.” She glanced at his left hand, saw the telltale pale circle on his finger that said louder than words that he’d worn a ring there for a long time and removed it very recently. “I take it you came here alone, too.”

 

“I do pretty much everything by myself these days. My wife died a little over a year ago. We weren’t blessed with children.” His expression turned bleak, though he obviously tried to mask the pain that accompanied his comment.

 

She yearned to reach out and touch him, but she looked up at him instead. “God, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

 

He turned to her and rested both hands on her shoulders. “Please don’t apologize. When I saw you walking along the pier looking a little bit lost, I felt something other than grief for the first time since Miriam passed away. Before I spotted you, I’d been thinking how it would feel to dive into the water, swim and swim and swim until I couldn’t go any farther—wondering how it would feel to let the Gulf claim me.”

 

“You were thinking of joining your wife?” Lanie couldn’t believe that. Not really. JD was too strong, too vibrant…

 

“No. Not that. I don’t believe in resurrection or life after death, not really. I was thinking more about—just ending a life I’d begun to believe was no longer worth living. Does that shock you?”

 

She’d never known love like he must have lost. To be honest, she’d never known love at all except the silent devotion of the two felines Wayne had always complained that she treated like children. For long moments she held JD’s solemn gaze, trying to formulate an honest reply.

 

“Yes. No. I don’t know, JD. I’m very glad I came along, though, if me running into you has helped make you want to stick around.” She tried for a light tone as she twisted the engagement and wedding rings Wayne had insisted she keep. The thought hit Lanie that she had nothing other than casual friendship and perhaps the use of her body to drive away the pain that still was evident in the faraway look on JD’s handsome face.

 

Not now, in any case.

 

“It did. How about that walk? I’m game if you are.” He dropped his hands off her shoulders and took her right hand in his left as he adjusted his long stride to accommodate her shorter one.

 

Saturday, November 05, 2016

Guy Fawkes Night

Today is Guy Fawkes Night, aka bonfire night. If you're having a bonfire, please be safe. It's a strange holiday. It goes back to November 5, 1605 when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while placing explosives beneath the House of Lords in London. It had all kinds of political and religious implications at the time. I remember it as the night of the community bonfire when I was a kid.
 
Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...

Thursday, November 03, 2016

Throwback Thursday--Book Edition (Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh)

I was a big fan of Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series, but I'd never read any books in her Psy-Changeling series. And then I read the blurb and an excerpt from HEART OF OBSIDIAN and I was hooked.

Kaleb Krychek is one of my all-time favorite anti-heroes. He's dark and dangerous and deadly. They stole the woman he considered his. It's taken him years to find her and he'll destroy anyone who tries to take her from him again. And those that had a part in her disappearance? Let's just say they won't survive his need for vengeance.

Blurb:

Step into New York Times bestseller Nalini Singh’s explosive and shockingly passionate Psy-Changeling world…

A dangerous, volatile rebel, hands stained bloodred.

A woman whose very existence has been erased.

A love story so dark, it may shatter the world itself.

A deadly price that must be paid.

The day of reckoning is here.

From “the alpha author of paranormal romance” (Booklist) comes the most highly anticipated novel of her career—one that blurs the line between madness and genius, between subjugation and liberation, between the living and the dead.


Wednesday, November 02, 2016

Writer Wednesday: Mia Hopkins

Please welcome Mia Hopkins to Writer Wednesday! ~NJ


Thanks for hosting me today, N.J.! I’m so happy to share an excerpt from my latest release, Cowboy Karma. It’s a standalone and book number 4 in my Cowboy Cocktail series.
 

Thirsty? The Cowboy Cocktail boys are strong, sweet, and smooth going down…
 

ABOUT COWBOY KARMA

 
Who needs luck when you can get Lucky?

When Harmony Santos’s boyfriend dumps her on her birthday, she doesn’t get mad. She gets lucky…with a mysterious cowboy whose bedroom eyes and rough edges bring out her inner bad girl. But when their one-night rodeo turns into more than a rebound, Harmony worries her heart hasn’t healed enough to take on someone new—even if that someone is as sweet as he is sexy.

Tie-down roper Lucky Garcia can’t believe his good fortune. A shot at national finals and now this—his longtime crush, in his arms at last. The more time he spends with Harmony, the harder he falls for her. But financial demands and family responsibilities take him further and further away from her—as does his secret fear she hasn’t quite gotten over her dickhead ex.

Behind closed doors, Lucky and Harmony are filthy perfection. But when reality comes knocking, the star-crossed lovers must decide: walk away intact, or risk it all for a chance at happiness.

Get ready for rope tricks, spanking, self-pleasure, and a smoking-hot cowboy who puts the big D in Dominant.

 

EXCERPT

Where are you, Lucky?

 
She was in a hot lather when at last his truck appeared on the street. He parked and turned off his engine. He jumped right out and strode to the entrance of her building without hesitation. Harmony’s heart was pounding. She went over to the telephone and picked it up as soon as it rang.

 
“It’s me.”

 
“I know.” She hit the button and the gate buzzed open.

 
She counted down in her head. He’d take the elevator to the fourth floor. He’d walk down the hall. He’d find her apartment. Blood pounding in her ears, she stood by the front door, pussy already wet, nipples already hard. In one wild night, he’d turned her into an animal. There was no way she’d think of sex the same way again. There was nice sex. There was pleasant sex. There was even satisfying sex. But sex with Lucky? He’d turned her whole world upside down.
 

He knocked. Trembling, almost too horny to see straight, she forced herself to stand still for a moment, savoring the anticipation. Thirty seconds passed. She opened the door.

 
Lucky looked up under the brim of his hat. Staring at him, she untied her robe and held it open. His dark gaze slid down her naked body and back up to her face. If someone had walked by in the hallway, they would’ve gotten an eyeful. Lucky sure did.
 

Two big steps and he was inside her apartment. He slammed the door behind him.
 

“You crazy motherfucker,” she whispered.
 

He said nothing, grabbed her, and pulled her hard against him. His clothes and hands were cool against her bare skin. But when he kissed her, his lips were scorching. She took his face in her hands. Feverish. His mouth tasted like coffee and cinnamon gum. When his tongue found hers, she caught his true flavor, the taste of his body. Salt. Sex.
 

For more about Cowboy Karma
Amazon | Goodreads

 
For more about author Mia Hopkins…
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

 

“Mia Hopkins is an imaginative author who doesn’t take the easy road to a formulaic book.”

USA TODAY

 

“Filled with sizzling chemistry, hot sex, and just enough sweetness to leave me wanting more…And those sex scenes…Holy hotness!”
CRYSTAL BLOGS BOOKS

”Mia Hopkins knows how to put characters on a page.”
HEROES AND HEARTBREAKERS

”Mia Hopkins is an imaginative author who doesn’t take the easy road to a formulaic book.”
USA TODAY

”Sweet and filthy at the same time, just the way I like it. This book made me so happy.”
READ ALL THE ROMANCE