Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 10!

They Call Me Death by Missy Jane
Buy Paperback from Samhain Publishing
Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy

Blogging Bloggers and Being Bogged Down

Three years ago the word “blog” didn’t mean much to me. I knew what a blog was and the basic idea behind blogging, but I’d never thought of it as a tool I could use to reach out to the masses for any real purpose. I wasn’t a published writer yet and hadn’t seriously considered becoming one in the near future. Writing was something I did in my spare time to get the characters in my head to leave me alone. Then I took a beginner writer’s course, met a few authors and publishers and got serious. Now I’m published and blogging isn’t only available, it’s necessary. So, how in the heck do I start?

I’ve been extremely lucky to meet generous authors such as Tilly (the awesome [he he he, Missy, you're such a sweetie!]) who’ve invited me onto their blogs to test my wings. It’s been fun, entertaining and a learning experience. So after much debate I decided to create a blog myself. There are already a ton of blogs on writing, reading and reviewing. I wanted mine to stand out and be uniquely mine. I also brainstormed over how often I should post and exactly what to post. At the end of the day I decided my characters are really more interesting than I am. So, why not give them their own blog? And The Theodereiks Pack blog was born.

Located at http://www.theodereikspack.blogspot.com/, the blog is dedicated to the world of shape-shifters I introduced in my paranormal romance, They Call Me Death. Sandulf Theodereiks is the Alpha of an entire country of shifters called the Federal Nation of Therianthropes, or FNT for short. It comprises the entire northern half of North America. The southern half of the continent is inhabited by humans and called the Combined Human States, CHS. I gave a brief bit of history as well as introduced the main characters on the blog through Sandulf’s “voice”.

It’s been a couple of months now and the blog has been looked over by a few readers, but not much. I do plan to do a lot more with it, including posting small free stories on other minor characters. My biggest obstacle is the blogging format. It’s not like simply writing a story. I have to post as the character in short bursts. Some day I’ll get the hang of it. Overall I’ve been very happy with the blog and the whole blogging experience. That’s why I’ve decided at the end of June, and my “Birthday Blog Tour”, I’ll create a Missy Jane blog. There I’ll blog as myself and hopefully find something interesting to say at least once a week. Who knows, maybe Tilly Greene will then be one of my guests ;-) (hint, hint) [Hint taken and happily accepted!]

As promised I plan to add to the awesome prizes Tilly is offering with one of my own. For a complete run-down on the prizes visit http://www.msmissyjane.com/contests. Just add a comment here and I’ll pick one lucky reader. If you win you’ll also be entered for a grand prize at the end of my Birthday Blog Tour! Good Luck!

Missy Jane
*make reading a guilty pleasure…*

Buy Paperback from Samhain Publishing

Missy Jane Website│Blog

AUTHOR GIVEAWAY TODAY
Leave a comment and/or query today for Missy Jane to be entered in her special author drawing.


REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 9!

Good Cop, Bad Girl by Paige Tyler
Buy eBook from Ellora's Cave
Erotika

Gotta love a guy who comes with his own handcuffs!

When a hunky cop shows up at Julie Hanson’s apartment to tell her the police received a complaint about the noise from her birthday party, she assumes he’s a male stripper her girlfriends hired. Upon discovering the gorgeous Kirk Chandler really is a police officer, she’s completely mortified, especially since she teased him about giving her a birthday spanking.

Kirk appears at her door for a second time later that night, bearing gifts and asking if she got her birthday spanking. Julie not only gets her bottom nicely warmed, but is treated to a night of pleasure that qualifies as the best birthday present any girl could ask for.

Excerpt

Laughing, Julie yanked open the door and found herself face to face with the most gorgeous guy she’d ever seen. Tall, with short-cropped brown hair and a perfectly chiseled jaw, he had a wide, sensuous mouth and soulful dark eyes. More gold than brown, they were the kind of eyes a girl could end up getting lost in.

She forced her gaze to move lower, taking in his broad shoulders and muscular biceps before coming to rest on the shiny badge on the front of his dark blue uniform. Directly across from it was a nametag that read Chandler. This hot hunk was a cop?

Abruptly realizing she was just standing there staring at him, she reached up to tuck her long, ash blonde hair behind an ear. "Can I help you, Officer?"

He glanced at the other girls still sitting in the living room before those incredible eyes settled on her again. "Is this your apartment, ma’am?"

She stifled a groan. Even his voice was sexy as sin. "Yes."

"We got a complaint about the noise you and your friends were making."

Julie automatically opened her mouth to apologize, only to close it again as the obvious suddenly struck her. God, she was slow sometimes. This mouthwatering specimen of a man wasn’t a real cop; he must be a male stripper her friends had hired for her birthday. And if he looked even half as good naked as he did in that uniform, then she was in for a real show. Her friends were the best!

She glanced at the other girls over her shoulder and gave them a wink before turning back to him. Her lips curved into a sexy smile. "And you’re here to arrest me, right?" she teased. "Or maybe you’d rather give me a birthday spanking instead?"

He lifted a brow, clearly caught off guard by the suggestion.

Julie was a little surprised by it herself. So much for not being able to ask a guy she’d just met for a spanking. She wasn’t usually quite so bold. Then again, she was already on her second margarita. Not that she was tipsy or anything. She was just feeling a little naughty. And if she couldn’t be naughty on her birthday, when could she be naughty?

When he didn’t answer, she gave him a pout. "No? And one of my friends just gave me the cutest heart-shaped paddle, too." She shrugged. "Maybe later then. I’d much rather see you strip anyway."

His brows drew together. "Strip?"

Damn, he was really good at staying in character. She nodded. "Yeah, you know, take off your clothes. Though I wouldn’t do it out in the hallway if I were you. Not unless you want my neighbors to really call the cops."

When he didn’t move, she reached out and grabbed the front of his belt to give it a tug. He didn’t resist, but let her pull him into the entryway. As much as she would have liked to keep her hand right where it was, maybe even move it a little lower, she forced herself to release him. She should probably let him start dancing before she got too familiar. She waited, expecting him to make suggestive little moves with his hips and unbutton his shirt, but he only continued to regard her with that same authoritative expression on his face. Sheesh, this guy was seriously into his role.

Julie took a step closer to him. He was taller than she was by almost a foot and she had to tilt her chin to look up at him. Up close like this, she could see light flecks of green in his golden eyes.

"You’re really good, you know that? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were a real cop." She circled him slowly, running her hand up his arm and over his shoulder, then across his back. "The uniform looks real, that’s for sure." She let her fingers trail over his opposite shoulder and down his other arm, her gaze going to the gun in the holster at his hip as she walked around to stand in front of him again. "So does the gun. And the handcuffs." She ran a finger over the badge on his chest. "And that badge is the best I’ve ever seen."

As she studied the radio clipped to his left shoulder, she realized it looked real, too. She didn’t know male strippers wore such authentic getups. She was about to say as much to him when the radio suddenly hissed.

"All units in the vicinity of Bayview, we have a 2-11 in progress…"

She frowned. Bayview was a neighborhood in the southern part of the city, across town from where she lived in the Lower Pacific Heights section of San Francisco. Oh…crap. This guy wasn’t a stripper. He was a real cop! She jerked her head up to look at him, her eyes wide.

A slow smile curved his mouth as he folded his arms across his broad chest. "That’s right, ma’am. The uniform is real. The gun is real. The handcuffs are real. The badge is real. And you," he added meaningfully, "are in real trouble."

How Good Cop, Bad Girl came about...

When people ask me where I get ideas for my books, I tell them anywhere and everywhere, which is true. Sometimes, I'll read an article in a newspaper or magazine and it will give me an idea. Other times, someone will say something that will make me think, hey that'd be a great idea for a book. That's how I came up with the story for GOOD COP, BAD GIRL. One of the women who works in my hubby's office is a huge fan of the television show "Cops" and she was telling him about an episode in which a cop pulled over a pair of girls for speeding and they thought the whole thing was a prank because the guy was just way too good looking to be a cop.

When my hubby told me about it, I immediately had one of those hey-that'd-be-a-great-idea-for-a-book moments! Having the hero pull the heroine over for a traffic stop wasn't going to work in the book, though, so I decided to have him show up at her apartment because the party she's having for her birthday is getting a little too loud and disturbing the neighbors. And instead of thinking it's some kind of prank, she assumes the hot cop is a male stripper her friends hired for her birthday. Hmm, a hot guy in uniform that comes with his own handcuffs. You probably think you know exactly where this is going, don't you?

While I won't tell you exactly what happens between the hero and heroine, I will share a sexy excerpt with you! Hope you enjoy it! And if you decide to pick up GOOD COP, BAD GIRL let me know how you like it!
 
Watch the Good Cop, Bad Girl Trailer!

Buy eBook from Ellora's Cave

Paige Tyler's Website│Blog


REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 8!

Bound Odyssey by Michelle Polaris
Buy eBook from Ellora's Cave
Erotic Romance/BDSM and Menage

5 Star review from Just Erotic Romance Reviews
4 Star review from RT Book Reviews magazine
Reviewer Top Pick at Night Owl Romance

The year is 2067 and Earth is self-destructing from environmental cataclysms. A portal to a new world is ripped open and refuge there is Earth’s only hope. Enter Jace, cowboy diplomat, who is preparing for the negotiation of a lifetime. A sexually conflicted alpha male, he hates everything with a cock, especially himself. The last thing Jace expects is to fall in love with both a woman and a man.

His dark history presents the ultimate challenge to Mira and Roman, the sexual Dominant team hired to prepare Jace for the female-dominant culture of the new world. Tragedy has made Mira distrust her Mistress abilities. Survival is her priority, and she resists her deep attraction to Jace’s haunted eyes and sculpted body.

Roman, however, falls hard and fast for Mira and Jace, ready to honor Mira as his Mistress and force Jace to recognize him as Master. Bound in one another’s chains and pushed to the limits of arousal and pain, they must outrun sabotage and conspiracy to find salvation for their bodies, souls and hearts.


Excerpt

“Over here, Roman.”

Sweet Lord, even the sound of Mira’s everyday conversation had Roman fighting off an erection hard enough to make a Carolina fir tree proud. Her voice was smooth over a hot kick, like butter and jalapenos, and it drove him crazy. Had for the last two weeks since he’d met her. If their trainee didn’t hurry up and skedaddle his way to the institute to begin the waltz Mira had planned for the three of them, he was pretty sure he was going to shoot himself to stop the misery.

Instead, he sauntered over to where Mira stood on a stepstool, examining a pair of leather cuffs dangling from a chain anchored into the ceiling. A pulley system allowed them to raise and lower the chain to different heights. Slowly, they’d put together the equipment needed for this job. Their suite was in an old, high-end hotel converted for the institute, a stone’s throw from the state house in the heart of the new capitol. Top floor, probably to segregate them and their “shady” business from the other employees. Plus, the walls needed repainting, and the Persian carpet was well past its day. But the kitchenette came in handy. Lots of space in the main room too.

Mira fingered the leather, rubbing the grain between the pads of her digits with a frown on her gorgeous triangle-shaped face. She had her shining brown hair pulled back in a ponytail hanging down to the small of her back.

“What can I do for you, Darlin’?”

She looked down at him, her eyebrows lifting over her rich chocolate brown eyes at his greeting. “You do know I don’t allow subs to call me by nicknames? You’re tempting fate, Roman. That Smoky Mountain twang of yours, as lovely as it is, won’t save you if I hear ‘darling’ out of that pretty mouth of yours once we’re on the clock tomorrow.”

“Of course, Mistress.” He dipped his head but didn’t hide his smirk. Not worth bothering. Mira saw through him easier than a hound dog spotted a hare hiding in the bush.

She dropped her gaze farther down to where his dick pressed tight against his jeans. Mira rolled her eyes at him and climbed those long legs down from the stool. She was five foot seven, above average height for a woman, and those inches were all leg. Curves in all the right places; a nice flare to her hips. Child-bearing hips, his folk called them. An added bonus. And wasn’t he a son of a bitch to be thinking about having kids in this world. But he knew what he wanted. He was a man used to listening to his gut. And his gut had plenty to say about this woman.

As she descended, Roman automatically lifted a hand to grasp hers, helping her down the last steps.

“A gentleman.” She nodded to his manners.

“My momma raised me right.”

She perused him again, eyes taking in all of his blue-eyed, wavy blond-haired, six-foot height. “It seems she did.” She angled her head in a motion toward the dangling leather. “Take a look at the cuffs.” She gestured him up the stool.

He appreciated the hand-tooled leather, a fine scroll design of vines winding their way around the cherry-stained cuffs. The leather was thick but supple. And lined with fine lamb’s wool. Mira brought a lot of the smaller equipment and tools from her private stock to the institute. That was not surprising. A Mistress or Master always invested in a variety of play items. That way, favorites were handy to work a slave at a moment’s notice. What did surprise Roman was Mira’s added hobby. She crafted the majority of the leather tools herself. How she laid her hands on the cured hide he hadn’t gotten around to asking.

Roman looked more closely at the cuffs. There, on the left manacle, a crack down the entire length of the leather. Pretty uniform. Enough to have the restraint give way under pressure. Like the pressure of a sub hanging from it during training.

“This crack wasn’t there yesterday.”

“I know,” she said.

He’d watched her compulsively check and recheck every piece of equipment in their suite. The institute provided them with supplies, but he and Mira put together everything. She hefted a mean hammer.

He examined the cuff again. “Someone’s been in here.”

He glanced down to where she stood frozen with eyes glazed. After a good thirty seconds, she shook out of it, reached to run her hand behind her neck in a quick massage. If he hadn’t been above her, he might have missed seeing the slight tremble, gone a moment later. He didn’t know what it was about, but that brief moment of vulnerability pushed his buttons, stirred a need to attack whatever ghost had his Mistress trembling. Because even though he’d known her a brief two weeks, he already knew this woman was his Mistress.

Roman was difficult to anger and he counted on that fact. But the violent protective urges he felt in Mira’s presence, and the desire to wrap his arms around her curves, sink to his heels and offer worship, confirmed his suspicion. He’d acted as a Dom for too long. The relief of his reaction to Mira lapped through his body, the soothing waves of the ocean along Carolina’s coast from his distant memory caressing his muscles, relaxing away his tension.

“Holy conspiracy, Batman,” he said with his best Robin impression. The distraction worked.

Her head snapped up and her face brightened, shadows fleeing. “You son of a bitch. You got into my boxes.” But she was smiling. It was like the sun had gone supernova in his chest and lit all the dark places.

“You sent me to find the extra buckles in your bedroom. I thought it was another box of supplies. But several hundred Batman comics?” He let out a long whistle. “Damn, Darlin’, a collection of comics in mint condition like that nowadays is impressive. Not to mention worth a fortune.”

She shrugged. “Most I got before the explosions. But I wouldn’t sell. Not that anyone interested is left with money to buy.”

He unhooked the cuffs from the chain and climbed down. He held out the leather. She hesitated but took them.

“Why collect the comics?” he asked.

“One of the signs I was a budding Domme was when I started fantasizing about Wonder Woman tying up Batman with her golden lasso, with me starring in the role of Amazon Princess. The Caped Crusader’s had a soft spot in my heart since then.”

He laughed. “I always imagined it was Batman tying up Robin. Thought Robin was the luckiest son of a gun around.”

Her answering smile, eyes a chocolate sunrise treat, started his palms itching. He ached to trace the lids with his fingers, travel them down to outline her cheek and jawline. He had no doubt if he tried without permission he’d be down on the ground, screaming uncle. And the idea of that revved him almost as much. Roman might be a sexual switch, a person ready, willing and able to play either Dominant or submissive depending on the circumstance, but his body responded to her as all sub.

Buy eBook from Ellora's Cave

Michelle Polaris Website│Blog


REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 7!

Love is My Sin by Julia Knight
Buy eBook from Samhain Publishing
Fantasy Romance

Break his oath, he loses his soul. Keep it—and he loses his heart.

Oathcursed, Book 2

Devastated crops force regent Lord Hunter to do the one thing he always swore he’d never do: form an alliance with the neighboring tribal kingdom. The oath to offer his beloved foster son in marriage, however, begins digging holes in his heart the moment he meets the intended bride. He can’t afford to fall in love with the alluring Reethan Chieftain, not if he’s to keep his oath—and his soul—intact.

Nerinna has always used her charms to manipulate her tribal chiefs, as tradition demands. But Lord Hunter’s honest, passionate nature intrigues her like no other man’s has before, challenging her cynical notions. Her wiles have no effect on him. In fact, her every action only seems to alienate him more.

Although their desire hangs thick and heavy in the air, Hunter keeps to the letter of his oath—until the god of justice decrees that Hunter must die. Nerinna knows of only one way to save him: offer herself in exchange. It’s a sacrifice Hunter can’t allow her to make, but to defy the priest means he must choose a side.

With his god—or against him.

Buy eBook from Samhain Publishing

Julia Knight Website

Oathcursed Series [each can be read as a standalone]
Book 1 - Ilfayne's Bane [EPIC Winner!] [ebook / print]

Free Reads, some attached to the Oathcursed series and some not, are available on Julia Knight's website!

AUTHOR GIVEAWAY TODAY
Leave a comment and/or query today for Julia Knight to be entered in a drawing for an ebook of hers.


REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 6!

Rocky Mountain Haven by Vivian Arend
Buy eBook from Liquid Silver Books
Contemporary Western Romance

Beth Danube has escaped to a small Alberta town to make a new start for herself and her three little boys. Her emotionally abusive husband may be dead and buried, but so is her heart. What she doesn’t want is another man in her life—not now, maybe not ever. Yet when her libido reawakens after ten years of unsatisfactory sex in the missionary position, is any woman strong enough to turn down sex-in-boots, Daniel Coleman?

The middle child of the rowdy Coleman boys, Daniel’s the quiet one who has always subdued his desires and acted as peacemaker. His powerful attraction to the young widow takes him by storm, and he’s willing to pursue her until they both find satisfaction—in and out of the bedroom.

Only Beth isn’t sure she’s ready to cross the line. Becoming friends with blazing hot benefits means she’s still the one in control. Letting her heart trust again? She isn’t that brave—or foolish. Daniel is going to have to be mighty convincing to help her overcome the past.


Excerpt

The porch boards squeaked softly and he looked up from where he’d settled on the porch swing. “You’ve got awesome kids. I’m sorry again about the swimming hole thing. It really never crossed my mind you didn’t know.”

She waved it away. “I’m embarrassed I didn’t figure out where they were disappearing to. I should have kept much better tabs on them. I’m so grateful you had an eye on them.”

He stood and peeked in the window. “Will you need to go and get them into bed?”

She nodded. “They’ll start on their own, but they’ll get distracted soon.”

Daniel smiled. “I think my Mama used to say it was like trying to herd cats to get us all in bed on time. I won’t keep you long, but…” He reached for her hand, linking his fingers in hers. She swallowed hard. Oh lord, it felt so good and scared her mindless. She stood, as still as a statue in spite of her pounding heart.

“I’d like to see you, Beth.”

She bit her lip. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

He turned over her fingers, his thumb brushing the groove on her ring finger that was slowly disappearing. After ten years of wearing her wedding band, the sign was still there, even though the ring was not. “You’re not married.”

She shook her head. “He’s gone.” He raised a brow and she had to say it, knowing the confusion not speaking plainly would cause. “He’s dead. He died in the accident that injured my leg.” Her throat went tight. Images flashed through her mind, the icy road, the glaring lights. The pain.

The guilt.

His fingers stilled. “I’m sorry.”

He pulled away, and she caught at his hand. Damn her indecision.

“It’s…okay. We were having troubles when he died, and I’m not grieving for him. Not really. I just don’t think it’s a good idea for you and me…” She couldn’t speak anymore. What she wanted and what she should do–why was it so damn hard to know which was which?

He squeezed her hand softly then let go and paced away. “There’s a whole lot I think you’re not saying right now. That’s fine. I’m still the man you met one night while you were in a drunken state and you don’t really know me.”

“I wasn’t drunk.”

He chuckled and she felt her face heat. “We call that liquid courage around here, darling, and you had some. I just want you to know I was serious back then when I said I was interested in you. I’m even more interested now, knowing you’re not a city girl living in some high-rise apartment hours away from me.”

“Maybe I’m not staying.”

“And maybe I’ll have time over the next months to convince you staying is what you need. I’m a good man, Beth. I’m not talking about taking over your life. I’m saying you intrigue me and you make my body ache. I think our attraction is something worthwhile exploring together.”

He moved closer. Her pulse pounded and she tilted her head up involuntarily to keep their eyes in contact.

Another step.

“I want to kiss you,” he growled. Their bodies were close enough their heat meshed and a little gasp of need escaped her throat. “Do you want to kiss me?”

Oh god. “I shouldn’t.”

“But do you want to?”

Desire and being responsible warred within her. Accepting his touch tonight would make it all that much harder to turn him down the next time.

He pressed still closer and their torsos connected, his erection rubbing her belly. Her back hit the wall as he caged her without using his hands. Their lips brushed together and she sucked in his air, the full body of his flavour rolling over her tongue like a fine wine. He kissed her tenderly, not the white-hot passion she’d replayed over and over in her mind from the bar scene, but a worshipful caress that started and finished with their lips.

When he pulled away his pupils were huge, his smile even wider.

“Goodnight, Beth.”

And he walked away, down the path that led into the trees.

Buy eBook from Liquid Silver Books

Vivian Arend Website


REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 5!

Alex Rising by Dita Parker
Buy eBook from Ellora's Cave
Paranormal Erotic Romance/Menage

Wrote a book, take a look at that mantastic cover, about a wife, a husband and a third, a lover. The catch:  hubby’s dead, he now shares the third’s head, a man who will share the marital bed.

Confused? So was Alex, coming to, feeling used. Tristan had to rewind, speak up and remind a spell saved his life, he wants back with his wife in the body of another, Alex, the lover.

Tragic? No, magic, the New Orleans kind. Two men living as one, a man loving for two. When they head home to NOLA, what will Lin do?

Alex is hot, he is, is he not, ready and willing to show Lin what he’s got. Wrestle Tristan for power, in bed, in the shower, for a shot, a chance with his wife. But sharing, it’s tough, when the going gets tough will sex and seduction be enough? Can three become one, have more than just fun, have a future together, a life?

A paranormal ménage to take on the adage that three is indeed a crowd. It’s my first with EC, (fingers crossed, not my last!) of which I am quite proud.

I’m an author untried? To help you decide, you’ll find deets at EC. They’re not written in rhyme, yes, I know, it’s a crime, but just think how hard that would be.

The book’s name? Alex Rising, and hardly surprising, it’s out from Ellora’s Cave, click here to save dollars.

Should you own a Kindle, look-see. Own a Sony? Me neither. Should you win the reader, here’s the place to be.

To do just that, drop your name in the hat. I wish you luck sublime. Come back every day (June’s a reader’s buffet!), now thank you all for your time.

My next book will be out I’m not sure when, I’ll keep you all posted at Dita’s Den.

Yours truly madly deeply,

Dita Parker


REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 4!

Having Patience by Debra Glass
Buy eBook from Ellora's Cave
Erotic Historical Romance

Throughout their long engagement, James Camplyon, Earl of Somerset, has fantasized about Patience Hadley Mims’ silken skin and voluptuous curves. He expects his witty, beautiful bride to be timid on their wedding night. But Patience is far more than shy. She’s terrified.

James presents his reluctant bride with a box of risqué novels, ordering her to choose a passage each night for them to act out. Despite her fears, Patience thinks being bound and blindfolded will undo the hard‑learned lessons of a lifetime. But she doesn’t count on her husband’s patient resolve to strip away the dark secrets threatening to prevent her from giving herself to him completely.

Buy eBook from Ellora's Cave

Debra Glass website

AUTHOR GIVEAWAY TODAY
Leave a comment and/or query today for Debra Glass to be entered in a drawing for an ebook copy of Having Patience.


REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 3!

Caged by Diana DeRicci
Buy eBook from Purple Sword Publications
Erotic Shapeshifter/Science Fiction Romance

A cat shifter trying to fit into a world that didn't start as hers. The man who would love and protect her with everything he had.

Mira never expected to find the one man she would grow to trust and love among the human men. Living with humans had grown to be a skill for the Felids. So long as they didn't expose themselves, they were safe.

Rhys never thought he'd find the love of his life or that she would turn out to be an alien cat shifer. What she could do with her shape was amazing. He vowed to protect her and her people.

Unfortunately, someone has learned of their existence, and is hunting for Mira.

Excerpt

Mira watched his sleeping form with unblinking eyes. Steady breaths made his chest and shoulders rise and fall. She’d only recently realized she liked to watch him when he was this relaxed. He was a hard worker, constantly doing something at the house, or concentrating on something at work. His mind rarely slowed down, except for sleep. All that energy kept his lean body trim. His own version of weightlifting kept him toned. She licked her lips.

Rhys was a walking god. Dark brown hair and luscious eyes, he was always able to make her heart race. Even sitting in the chair across the room by the window, simply watching him sleep, he drove her crazy to be near him. Their relationship hadn’t started out on the best foot, but they’d somehow managed to survive each other. The first thing she’d wanted to do was run, then kill him and then run had become an option, because he’d discovered her secrets. How quickly she found out he was a man who was worthy of her secrets.

Burying her sigh in the crook of her arm where it rested on her lifted knee, she let her gaze wander to stare out the window again. It was afternoon. He was due back at work the next day. Their weekend away at his grandfather’s cabin in the Catskills was a total disaster.

Because of her. She winced, toying with the rolled seam edge of the chair cushion between her fingers. How had they known to set the net? Rhys was right. What was the chance that a cheetah would be found in the mountains?

In this form, unless she needed blood, she was undetectable. She bled red, the same as a human, only her blood never lost its red oxygenated color. She didn’t have a blue vein in her body anywhere. So maybe she wasn’t exactly like a human, but whoever noticed had to be damned close to catch the difference.

Except for Rhys, no one ever had been.

Felids were home schooled or tutored, because they couldn’t pass the blood work needed for public schools. They didn’t need the vaccinations because of their immunity, so that was another strike against them, though none had ever been infected by the many ailments that seemed to plague mankind. Fitting in had never been easy, regardless.

There weren’t only the public aversions, but the cat needed to run. That was essential. A cat with cabin fever grew cranky and hard to control. Mature Felids could control the cat easier, but it still wasn’t a pleasant experience for the Felid, or anyone they were cooped up with.

That was why Rhys had taken her north. Since admitting to their bond and letting the relationship happen, she’d been pacing the townhouse for weeks. His grandfather’s cabin should have been perfect, a long way out of the city. Secluded. Unknown. But someone had known.

Then a thought occurred to her. Something he’d said…only them, not with the family. He was right. Who knew the two of them were going there for the weekend? No one else in his family knew her secrets. He’d glossed over a lot of her background and childhood with his mother, refusing to divulge anything she wouldn’t say on her own. Rubbing her chin on her knee, she knew she loved him for that alone.

The world outside the window was mostly quiet. The suburb where his townhome was located was well out of the inner city. Birds flew from tree to tree, chirping and discussing their moment to moment. Squirrels raced up and down large elms and oaks, their brown tails fluffy banners of their passing.

A tiger trotting down the sidewalk would create havoc and terror, she was sure of it, though the idea of doing it still brought a smile to her, just because it would be interesting to say the least.

Her brow scrunched as she tried to sift through memories and possibilities. Had someone discovered what she was, what they were, and were hunting for them, like Rhys feared? She wasn’t sure how many Felids still existed, only the five from her home pod. She knew there had been over a hundred on the initial mission sent to Earth, but beyond that, much of what had been was lost to memory. To help the younger generations integrate easier, the elders had even ceased using their own language. As different as a sponge to a turnip, the Felids had managed to hide among the humanoid race, though their biology and anamorphic ability set them apart irrefutably.

Laying a cheek on the crook of her arm, she wished she had answers to what had spurred yesterday morning’s capture. Maybe it was simply because she was a cheetah caught in the Catskills. Though the net had to have been set well in advance. Was she a catch that had caught them by surprise? What else had they expected to trap? And why by the cabin? Mira rubbed her face trying to replay yesterday morning. She was going to get a headache trying to understand what had happened. The longer her mind ran in circles, the tighter that circle shrunk, giving her no answers. Maybe she wasn’t the only one using the area for a running ground and had been captured instead of another Felid.

Or maybe they were just cruel, heartless poachers really only out for whatever was caught in their net.

She must have made their jaws drop, she thought. Either way, now that someone knew there were cheetahs in the Catskills, people would be combing the range looking for more—or just for her.

A sigh drew her attention to the conked out man lying on his side on their bed. Considering the day before, the long night and that morning, he was probably exhausted. She hoped someday to have children with him. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t impossible either, as previous couples had discovered. Their humanoid DNA was close enough to merge and essentially create a hybrid, but the Felid remained dominant. She hoped their species never lost that uniqueness. She could imagine children with his solid shoulders and his eyes. Cloud gray and brown, like winter bark.

Mira followed his hand when it appeared from beneath the sheet at his hips. His fingers spread and wove down his chest to linger over his flat stomach. Her pulse hitched, and she was unable to look away. Flicking upward, his eyes were still shut. She wondered if he were asleep, or if he knew she was watching every single motion he made.

Compelled to follow that wicked hand, she watched as it drifted over his pecs to inch beneath the sheet edge, where the noticeable bulge created by his erection was impossible to miss.

“You’re evil,” she teased him, knowing without a doubt he was awake, and was aware of her captivation.

“No, I’m trying to be tempting,” he told her. “I’m all alone in this bed.” His lips stopped moving to form a slight pout.
Buy eBook from Purple Sword Publications

Diana DeRicci Website / Diana Castlilleja Website


REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 2!

Blood Claim: Tainted by Selena Illyria
Buy eBook from Loose Id
Multicultural Vampire Paranormal Erotic Romance

Syrus was seeking revenge. Jessye was just trying to adjust to having a new leader. Their desire burns hot, but the past and stubbornness stands between them.

Syrus will claim Jessye as his consort and gain the revenge for the murder of those he loved. Jessye will submit to him. Like hell, Jessye says. She is no one’s consort. She stands on her own and doesn’t need him. But her hunger for him haunts them both between the hunt for a murderer and political games.

Dark magick and blood, anger and desire will bring them together but also push them apart. Love, lust, need, revenge can all be tainted. Forgiveness and acceptance can heal it all.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content and graphic language.


Excerpt

The moon hung full and luminous in the sky as Jessye and her team hugged the western wall of the property. The mission was simple: capture Lorrie, dead or alive. If alive, she would be tried in the high court for the murder of Syrus and Rysen's family.

But only if she was taken alive. Jessye preferred her dead.

Over the past few months, Lorrie had managed to capture and kill too many of Jessye's people. She glanced at Syrus in front of her. Correction: their people. The last one had been taken from one of Syrus's safe houses.

Anger trembled through her before she could gain control of it. Syrus paused in front of her and looked back at her in question. She shrugged. He shook his head and moved forward.

She crept after him. A shiver of unease traced its chilly fingers up her spine as the seconds slipped by. Syrus paused again, his dark head turning this way and that in the pale moonlight. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong but closed it when she saw him give the signal to keep moving. She blew out a relieved breath and crept along until he stopped again.

“Halt! Who's out there?”

She rolled her eyes. Moron. Like someone trying to break in is going to answer. She shook her head and waited. Her grip on the dagger in her right hand tightened. She wanted revenge, but first they needed to get into the compound.

“Jessye, I'm going to send some people on ahead. You're with me.” Syrus's voice slipped into her mind seamlessly, raising goose bumps over her skin. It still made her uncomfortable having this mental connection to him.

The sounds of a scuffle ahead brought her out of her thoughts. A soft groan floated on the air as she and Syrus moved forward.

“Threat's taken care of.” Adrian, Syrus's second in command, shifted from wolf back to man and returned to the group.

Lights flashed on, and for a second, Jessye was blind. A whip cracked, and pain stung the side of her neck.

A woman encased from head to toe in leather appeared before her, a bright red band on her arm signifying she was one of Raphael's guards. She flicked her wrist, and a sharp crack rent the air. Pain burst on Jessye's neck again. Not too far from her, she heard the sounds of Syrus and Adrian fighting off their own attackers.

Jessye growled and took a step forward. She focused her energy into her hands and threw a burst of power at her opponent. Jessye aimed her power at the woman's wrist.

The whip flew from her hand to the ground. It didn't stop her, though; she flicked her wrist again, and a burst of power hit Jessye on the cheek. With a growl, Jessye rushed her and took her down. Jessye got the upper hand and managed to land a few blows to the woman's face. Her rival finally stopped moving.

All around her, the sounds of fighting filled the air. “Fall back. There's too many of them,” Adrian yelled.

A hole opened up in the enemy line, and Syrus rushed through it.

“Shit.” Jessye ran after him. She refused to have him captured or killed because he'd lost his head in the name of revenge.

“God damn it, Syrus. Get back here!” She didn't care if anyone heard her; all she cared about was getting the team back to the safe house alive. Their footsteps rang across the cobblestoned walkway as he ran around the side of the house. She swore, her legs working overtime to catch up. “Get your ass back here, you meathead. You're going to get us killed.”

Either he didn't care or he couldn't hear her, because he ran faster, climbed up the gate, and went over the top. A soft thudtold her he'd landed.

Jessye grumbled as she followed, tired, her energy nearly spent. She looked around for Syrus and found him a few feet away. “The mission is shot. We need to go, now.”

He stopped moving, much to her relief. “Lorrie's in there. I know she is.”

“And we'll come back and drag her out by the hair, but we need to go now. Think of your people. They need you.”

I need you, she added silently.

He turned around, and for a moment hope bloomed inside her. But the feeling was short-lived. A lithe blonde encased in a pearlescent silk sheath came into view. One pale hand held a wicked-looking curved dagger with serrated edges.

Lorrie.

“Syrus, look out!” She ran toward him and watched in slow motion as Syrus turned around. His face contorted in a mixture of shock and anger. He lunged for the woman and missed, and the blade sank into his side. Syrus tried to reach for her again, only to have her move out of the way.

“I'm going to kill you.” Syrus lifted his arm. A dagger gleamed in the moonlight. He thrust it at her.

Lorrie sidestepped him. “Missed me. Try again, mongrel.”

The dangerous dance happened in flashes of awkward movement. His steps stumbled as she moved with fluid grace out of the way. Syrus tripped and fell to a knee. A cruel smile curved on her lips. The dance slowed down until both parties were standing still: him kneeling, his dagger hand planted on the ground while his arm covered his midsection, and Lorrie standing over him.

Dark red stained his shirt. The blot grew bigger with each movement. Lorrie raised her knife again. The shock wore off. Jessye leaped into action, rushing toward him. Lorrie looked up. A sneer contorted her pretty face. She turned and ran into the darkness. Jessye would have gone after her had Syrus not sunk to the ground, holding his side. Jessye dropped down beside him. Taking him in her arms, she tried to cover the bleeding with her free hand.

“Lorrie… Go after Lorrie.” Syrus struggled to get up.

A quick survey of their surroundings showed that Lorrie had disappeared.

“Shut up and lie still. I'm not leaving you. We'll get her next time. I can't teleport. I don't have enough energy.”

The blood felt hot against her palm. The pungent scent of his liquid life floated through the air and grew thicker with each second. He was losing so much blood that she wondered if he would be able to heal.

She looked around, panicked. Her heart thudded against her chest, and a sense of dread took hold of her. Exposed, in the middle of what appeared to be a driveway, she heard the sounds of a scuffle drift through the night toward her. No help was coming for them.

Sweat soaked her brow and ran in rivulets down her face. Her damp shirt stuck to her like a second skin.

Moving as quickly as she could, she laid Syrus on the ground, shrugged out of her jacket, and wadded it against the wound.

Closing her eyes, she reached out with her mind for help. “Don't you dare die on me.” She hit him in the shoulder with her free hand.

He coughed. “If I didn't know any better, I'd think you cared about me. You've done a damn good job of avoiding me these last few months.”

“I don't care about that,” she lied. She looked around, but no one had answered the call. The sounds of battle continued to drift toward her. “You're the leader of our little motley crew of rebels. I refuse to try and lead them without you. I'd just end up killing them all.”

A light breeze brushed her face, and she shivered. Goose bumps broke out over her skin as the sweat cooled.

“I'm not healing.”

“What?”

“I'm not healing, and I feel odd, like fire is lapping through my veins and swirling around my stomach.” He struggled again to sit up. “My heart is pounding so fast.”

His voice sounded hoarse, as if he had been yelling.

No, no, no. It can't be…

Not voicing her worry, she raised her blood-covered hand to her nose. A light, bitter odor wafted to her nostrils. With great trepidation, she flicked her tongue over her palm. A burst of acid washed over her taste buds, chased by a sickening sweetness.

He'd been poisoned.

“I'm dying, aren't I?” he asked softly.

“Not on my watch, meathead. I'm going to get you out of here if it's the last thing I do.” She gathered as much of her energy as she could and focused on teleporting them. Warmth flooded her body and pulsed through her veins. A sense of floating surrounded her. The sensation stopped. The gates they had climbed over came into view. They had moved only a few feet.

A sense of weariness took hold of her. Panting softly, she tried to push back her exhaustion and gather more energy.

“Sassy, you okay?”

She slapped him on the arm. “Stop calling me that, or I'll have to start calling you sugar britches in front of your troops.”

He chuckled. “What else should I call you? Honey seems to be too sweet for such a firecracker like you. How about I start calling you Sparky?”

She winced. “That's even worse than Sassy.”

“Then Sassy it is. Just as long as you don't start calling me sugar britches.” A fit of coughing cut off his laughter.

Her heart stuttered in her chest. He opened his mouth, but she shook her head and put a finger to her lips.

Voices floated toward them. It sounded as if they were arguing.

Her energy still hadn't recovered. She couldn't move them just yet, but she could shield him. “I'm going to get up. Don't move, do you understand? Regardless of what you see me do, don't move.”

“What are you doing?” He struggled but couldn't sit up.

Jessye moved out from under him and laid his head on the ground. “Don't move. I'm too tired to deal with distractions.” She stood up. Her fangs lengthened, and she bit into her palm. Blood welled up fast, and a pang of pain hit her abdomen. Hunger mingled with a gnawing ache that quivered in waves through her body. I need to feed.

With that reminder, she called on her remaining power and focused on what Blyder had taught her about protection magick and blood.

Apprehension dogged her steps as she began to walk in a circle. She made two complete loops, muttering in the old language, and turned her palm downward to let the blood drop to the ground. With each drop that hit the stone, a small beam of light shot upward to the sky. She continued to walk the third circle until Syrus was completely encircled in light.

“Sassy—”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him try to rise. “Stop moving. If you break the beam of light, it will cut you in two. Besides, I don't want to tell Rysen I lost you.” Her head swam, making concentration difficult.

She muttered the last of the incantation and slammed her palm down onto the ground. When she lifted her hand, what remained was not a bloody bite wound, but a perfect pentagram. She straightened up and swayed on her feet.

“What's wrong with you?”

It took a bit more energy than she had to regain her balance.

“Damn it, Sassy. Answer me. By the laws of blood claim, as I have declared you my consort, I order you to tell me what is going on.”

“I'm fine.”

“Liar.”

“Shut up and stay where you are. If you hurt yourself trying to get to me, I swear I'll kill you. You and Rysen need justice for Lorrie killing your family. Don't let stupidity stop you.”

The voices came closer. She reached down and unsheathed a small knife from her boot.

“Jessye, please.”

“It's okay, ma chère. Just us.” Adrian came into view, and her shoulders sagged in relief. Golden eyes flashed at her. Shoulder-length dark brown hair blew in the breeze. Rips in his black outfit showed off peeks of his muscular body. “The house is abandoned. Everyone fled once they saw the bursts of light coming from this direction. They probably thought bad magick was happening, and frankly, so did I. Glad to see it was just you protecting le capitaine. Temar will take down the barrier. You should lean on me, oui? You look about ready to collapse.”

He held out his hand, and she looked down at it.

“It's clean. I promise you. Washed off the blood before we came over.”

“Don't be stubborn, Sassy. Take his hand,” Syrus said. “And once we get back to the compound, and I'm able to see straight, I'm going to spank your ass.”

She whirled around too fast, and the world tilted on its side. She clenched her jaw and glared down at him. “Try it, and you'll be pulling back a stump.”

Syrus's sapphire blue eyes glowed, making her pause. “You'll do as you're told, Consort, and I'll do as I please.”

Adrian grabbed her biceps and held her back. “Calm down, chérie,” he whispered against her ear. “He is worried is all. Be still and let this pass. Come let us patch you up, then you can proceed to tear each other apart, oui?”

Fire roared through her veins. Warmth seeped into her body. She could feel her energy supply begin to rise. With the surge of power came the tingling reminder of a need for sex and more blood.

“Fine. Wouldn't want to kill my consort before I've had a chance to teach him some manners.” She pulled out of Adrian's arms, but it wasn't anger that made her walk away. Syrus looked so pale that his skin was almost translucent.

She marched off and joined the rest of their mission party. She rested for a bit, and as her power rose, her body mended itself. A few minutes later, she had enough energy to teleport. “I'm going on ahead.”

Not waiting around for a reply, she traveled with her mind to the compound.
© Selena Illyria, May 2010 [All Rights Reserved]

Blood Claim Series from Loose Id
Prelude
Trapped
Tainted NEW!

Selena Illyria Website│Blog

AUTHOR GIVEAWAY TODAY
Leave a comment and/or query today for Selena Illyria and your entered in a drawing for a gift credit and fabulous promo pack!


REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 1!

Good, Bad and Kinky Duet by Tilly Greene
Call Me Lucifer
Buy eBooks from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid│ARe│Amazon│Fictionwise
Paranormal Erotic Romance / Bondage and Light D/s

My Angel
Buy eBooks from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid│ARe│Amazon│Fictionwise
Paranormal Erotic Romance / Bondage

Book settings are very important. So important, the entire story won't work if the locations are wrong, unbelieveable, or too convoluted to grasp.

When I'm setting up a book and thinking about the basic details [who, what, and where], I remember a particular book where the author used a place I knew and made a simple logistical mistake. Ultimately, I was pulled not just from the scene, but the book of which I had been enjoying, and the author. I never picked that author up again and I really liked them. Harsh, but if that mistake is still in my head almost 15 years later, I have a feeling it would be there if I were to pick up their latest.

Why not just make it up? You'd think that would be the answer for contemporary or paranormals, but the problem with creating a location is that an author can get too heavily detailed [gasp, horror :-)] or, even worse, over compensate and not offer enough information so the reader has no idea where everything is taking place.

So what is the ultimate solution?

Do what fits. Sounds simple, but it's actually far from it, and to mix the real with the made up is even more of a challenge, and I loved doing it.

You see, the Good, Bad and Kinky duet is, out of necessity, a mix of actual and created. They are paranormals with locations required by their plots that are well known to readers, Heaven and Hell, except they aren't available for research visits and many readers already have their own images set for them. Tricky to work with in those parameters and to up the [unintentional] difficulty, there comes a time in each story when the action moves to the surface, and suddenly they're contemporaries with actual locations used. The opening chapters of Call Me Lucifer dabble in a LA courtroom, moves to Hell, and then ends in a beach front house in Malibu. My Angel begins in Heaven and then shifts to small village, Knaresborough, in the north of England.

For the real settings, I visited each place, and took pictures and notes. Confession time: I knew them both Malibu and Knaresborough quite well, lived in one of the towns, but things change over time. Because I wanted to put the reader there, tempt them to visit if ever given the opportunity, I didn't want to rely on memory alone. Let me give you an example. In My Angel Tom and Ann walk from town to his home on the river:

"They walked through the police station car park and into the castle yard. There were a few people playing lawn bowling and some others walking around the grounds, taking in the view. A train chugged over the impressive viaduct and, as they started the making their way down the steep hill, she discovered with each step how beautiful the small town nestled in the valley truly was." [© Tilly Greene, May 2010 [All Rights Reserved]]

And this is the picture I took during my research trip:



Well? Did I put you there? Make you want to visit Knaresborough if you were ever in England?

Hang on, I hear you, what about the paranormal places, like Hell. Can a writer do anything to make someone want to visit Hell?  Probably not, but I can give you an idea of what this particular version of Hell is like. Confession time 2: Heaven and Hell were both fun settings to play, probably because I was able to twist things around to suit me and my characters, without doing too much to interfer with the set image a reader may have of both places. For instance, in Call Me Lucifer, there are no shrill screams echoing down the hallways or people being tortured with whips, but because this is a romance, there are elegant fireplaces, large enough for Satan to walk through with fires blazing. Cool. Sorry, sizzle hot :-)

Now it's your turn: How do you like your settings? Real? Created? Heavy on the details or showing the reader nothing but what's happening on the bed?

Other books of mine where I made research visits:
Extreme Speed, Total Control [Paris, France, Laguna Beach, CA., and Edinburgh, Scotland]
An Invitation to the World: India [Mumbai and Chennai, India]
The Leather Bride [NYC, NY.]
Taming Marie Antoinette [Paris, France]
OohRah! [Laguna Beach, CA.]
The Gilded Cage [London and York, England]
Highland Heat [London, England and Inverness to the Isle of Skye, Scotland]
Double Punch [San Francisco, CA.]
And She Scores! [Laguna Beach, CA.]

and...
Call Me Lucifer [Malibu, CA.]
Buy eBooks from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid│ARe│Amazon│Fictionwise

My Angel [Knaresborough and Leeds, England]
Buy eBooks from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid│ARe│Amazon│Fictionwise

Tilly Greene Website│Blog│Facebook│Twitter

AUTHOR GIVEAWAY TODAY
Tell me what type of settings you like to read about and you're entered to win a gift certificate to All Romance eBooks [ARe]!


REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest!

June is a big month and I'm in the mood to share the love. What makes it such a big deal?

• A major seasonal shift takes place around the world [Northern Hemisphere gets Summer and the Southern gets Winter].
• Julius Ceasar gave a 30th day to June in 46BC.
• Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and West Virginia all became states and Hawaii was oraganized as a territory.
• Sweden, Romania, Denmark, Argentina and the United States all celebrate a flag day, and
• 5 years ago I submitted my first manuscript [Come, Sweet Creature] to Whiskey Creek Press Torrid and it was accepted - woohoo!

Obviously the last one was big, huge, for me personally, but let me mix in a bit of a confession for good measure.  Before writing, I had already started to lean away from buying traditional books with the purchase of my beloved [and unfortunately lost to the washing machine] Toshiba e335 Pocket PC for a summer holiday. With its arrival came a new sense of joy and freedom to my reading selections, and I haven't looked back.

Now, as I mentioned above, I'm in the mood to share the love of reading, specifically with ebooks and I'm going to do that by giving away a Pink Sony Digital Reader Pocket Edition and a three boxes stuffed full of goodies I brought back from RT Booklovers Convention on the 1st of July.

Okay, that was why the big huge reader contest is here and what some of the prizes are, now for the really important question: how to enter!

Every day of June on this blog [http://tillygreene.blogspot.com/], with the help of 28 authors, will be a blog about a book/ebook - call it an a month of Book and eBook Talk!.  They may showcase a new release, new genre or it may be new to you author or an old favorite, and what you need to do to enter is leave a comment/query [authors will stop by when they can] and some way to contact you if you win. Whatever you want to say is good and at the end of each day I'll take a comment from each person and put it in a bowl. That means you can enter 30 times - great odds to win an ereader!

Besides the four prizes noted above, random authors throughout the month will have something special to giveaway on their book days, so keep an eye out for those days.

There you go, a big huge reader contest which will have us all talking and buying books to enjoy.

Good luck everyone and get ready, it all starts tomorrow [June 1st] morning!

Memorial Day

This is more than a day off, the unofficial kick off to summer, or a day to do nothing. We remember our fallen heroes. I'm lucky enough to have two wonderful Marines who grew up next door to us and think they are fabulous men. One left Afghanistan on Thursday and the other arrived home for a weekend break on Saturday - it's a good Memorial Day.

In this same veign, recently I came across an article that mentioned something I'd never heard about and yet was very touched - yup, I supported the high humidty levels with tears. It's about the Arlington Ladies who escort the fallen to their graves.

The simple things really do matter.

Idea for a story from a friend...

It's hot, very hot lately, and my friend T sent this idea for a story - I adore my friends!

Thank you T and we'll meet up for breakfast, I want to hear all about your trip to jolly ol'.

Odd Coincidence

I'm working through the admin piles and need to run errands but putting it off, so not delving into anything that needs my full attention. That means I have the tv on and playing something I'm not that interested in, but has the potential to pull me in. Usually I choose a decorating show or something I call a documystery.


Documystery is half hour to hour show that lays out the facts of a crime, murder, and ends with a judgement. Yup, in case you haven't noticed from my some of my Book Talk! days, I like a good mystery. Anyway, City Confidential was one of the originals and I found one replaying on the Biography channel.

Cool.

So, what's the odd coincidence?

I used to work in an independent bookstore that, amongst other things, was the approved book supplier for the local correctional facilities. It meant family could stop in and purchase books for their loved one and we'd ensure it's delivery or the incacerated person could purchase books for family members, friends or themselves and, again, we'd deal with delivery. Somehow I ended up as the contact for the ladies facility and thoroughly enjoyed helping them find the right books - all via letters. The deal was, don't tell me why you're in there, and we'll be fine. I immediately stopped the day one new to me woman went into detail, from her point of view, about the crime she was accused of and it terrified me.

That's the background and the odd coincidence is that the murder being shown, which ended with a gentleman being incarcerated for murder, was someone a lady I worked with from our local facility bought books for and I sent to him at the state facility. Apparently they became friends as their court cases were going on at the same time.

I never knew of his crime and now can't quite connect the man who wrote the thank you note and request to be his supplier with the one on the stand. She bought a few books and I think I found a few out of print books for him before I stopped, but can't remember what they were.

Like I said, an odd coincidence, and curiousity has questions popping in my head like fireworks.

A bit of random ridiculousness...

How do I know Summer is here even though the calendar hasn't said it is?

Easy.

My shoes by the backdoor say it all.

Slippers on the stool, Doc Martins [never move], new sneakers [still glowing white their so clean], and four pairs of thongs. A girl can never have too many thongs. Light pink, purple, black, and newer black are not the only ones I have, but they are the ones I've worn recently.

Love my thongs.

They aren't flip flops, that is the noise made by those who don't know how to wear these fine foot adornments properly. Since the Fred Flinstone foot event, I Have to admit to this sound randomly escaping from my usually quiet tred, and I am ashamed.

Now, for those who think I never wear proper shoes, theirs a black pair up in the bedroom [in the suitcase not fully unpacked] and, in the spare room a red pair still in the box. Not to worry, I'll put them away, soon.

When Fashion and Movies Collide

While the Cannes film festival was going on in southern France, I was keeping my eyes opened for some fabulous fashion statements, and found a word or two, but no statements.  There was no joy on the other side of Cannes:  the films.

It wasn't their fault, if you visit the official website you'll notice they actually took part in all sorts of social media, which probably worked for them - it just never filted through to me.  Now, I did hear [on NPR] that  Tim Burton was President of the Jury, and shall look for a theater showing the film that won the Palme d'Or [Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives by Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul].

Okay, Cannes failed on the movies and fashion extravaganza, so where was my love for both fed? Now that we're members of Netflix, I can watch some films right on my laptop, and that's what I did to get a bit of fashion and flicks.


First up was Valentino: The Last Emperor.  It's a documentary and showed how cruel the business truly can be.  However, it was much more than that, and the scenes between Giancarlo Giammetti and Valentino were my favorites.  These two have known, loved, and worked side by side for 45 years, and made it look easy.  I didn't learn anything new, but did see inside the various homes of Valentino, saw a hint of the monumental workload the seamstresses who stich everything by hand on those fabulous Haute Couture gowns carry, and then there was a peak at Valentino's incredible retrospective was wonderful.  I cried a couple of times, laughed a few others [one of the pug's getting his teeth vigorously brushed], and even cringed at the occassional ego outburst.  The end result:  I really enjoyed the 90 minutes and wanted more fashion.


Next, I watched The September Issue, another documentary that looks at what it takes to put out an issue of Vogye.  Now, I never read or saw The Devil Wears Prada [supposedly about Anna Wintour] so had no opinion of her, although I do know of her reputation.  Is she a bitch?  No, from what I saw she was a desicive decision maker who wasted no time in getting things done.  Fine and dandy.  In the end, the film opens with 5 months before the close of the September Issue, the largest of the year.  Ultimately, it was a fascinating look into how the pages of a magazine are created from conceptual to final product.  One of the more interesting things is that I remember reading this issue and as I saw the various spreads, remembered my opinions of them, and realized I may not wanted to have known how the pictures are chosen - or not chosen.  Ever read a magazine and wished a spread had been longer or shorter?  You'll understand that particular issue more after seeing this flick.  The politics in the fashion industry are ugly and necessary, although maybe not to the extent they are currently - no one person should be claimed a leader of fashion trends.  Anyway, the end result:  Another well spent 90 minutes!

By the way, a uniquely creative fashion editor, Grace Coddington [one of the more interesting people in the film] gave some sound advice, no matter who you are:  Keep your eyes open because you never know what will inspire you. 

I like that, maybe because I do it.


UPDATED: A fiscal award, from Vogue and CFDA, was mentioned in The September Issue and I found a documentary on Netflix that follows three candidates seeking the first one. It's called Seamless and while I don't like the way the camera moves around, I like this one. Yes, more fashion, but like many things, all three films have been connected and if you have an afternoon to while away on 7th Avenue only can't make it to NYC, try it this way - relaxed and in your own space.

By the way, I was rooting for Doo.Ri and Cloak, and I won't spoil it by telling you who won, but I will suggest you watch to the end to see what happened to the ten finalists.

My Sexy Signature

Reading the June InStyle magazine, I came across seven pictures with the title Sexy Signatures: a very incomplete history, and it had me thinking what my sexy signature would be. Not for me personally, but in relation to my books.
The seven sexy signatures they offered are:

Lady Godiva - long hair
Bettie Page - blunt bangs
Marilyn Monroe - beauty mark
Sophia Loren - cleavage
Farrah Fawcett - winged hair
Tine Turner - legs
Jennifer Lopez - derriere

Interesting list and I could see what they were focused on.  Each woman and their signature are one. So, what do I write, intentially or not, that is always there?

Body image.

Whether the heroine is skinny, curvy, tall, short, athletic or not, they are all content with their shapes. It's everywhere,women aren't comfortable in their own skin, and often unknowingly pass this displeasure with their body to their daughters, who will likely share it with their daughters. So, with that rotten fruit sitting in my mind, I decided at the onset of writing that my female characters wouldn't be physically perfect and would still be happy.


So, in Ride 'em, Sunny is bone thin and flat chested. Fine, she dresses to enhance what she has, and downplay what she doesn't. Then there's Nia from Call Me Lucifer. She is beyond short, has serious curves, and always wears stiletto's [the higher the better] and will know she's found her man when he looks beyond her bust.

Think about it. A person wears what they want, knows they look good, exudes confidence with every step they take. That's sexy and therefore someone who is comfortable in their skin, no matter what shape, color, or proportion it's in, is sexy.

A hint about what's coming this June!

This is just some of what is going to be given away at my Big! Huge! Reader Contest! this June.

Three of the boxes each hold bags, books, and goodies I brought back from the RT Booklovers Convention and one box holds a t-shirt, blanket, water bottle and, amongst other things, a Pink...um, actually, you'll have to wait until June 1st to find that out!

So, my advice to this contest is use the "follow" button I added to the right column for just this occassion and prepare to talk books. It's all happening right here on Tilly Greene's Hot Thoughts Blog throughout June and the more days you visit and comment, the more chances you have to win that one box.

Naughty Thought for Monday

Would you put an iTit Optical Wireless Mouse on your desk?

In an office?

I imagine a lawyer, stockbroker or possibly an accountant would, but then again I write erotic romances.  It's part of my job to imagine what type of person would use an iTit.

Professional, button upped, and tidy - the iTit is tidy.

Or, would they be more apt to use the G-Spot Mouse?

I've Taken the Plunge

Now that our local Hollywood Video has closed it's doors and the nearest place to rent movies is the Redbox in WalMart or is it the Shop Rite?  Either way, the offers were seriously limited and not always to my taste, so I've signed us up for a NetFlix trial.

For almost two hours I've rated films I liked to help them narrow the field for me, but am already finding that not really all that helpful.  Because I liked the 1st season of The Office: Series 1 [British version], they assumed I'd like Trainspotting.  Fair enough, I did, but they have nothing in common except for being British based and I watch more the British tv and movies.

Another unusual connection I found when I rated Babette's Feast a 5 stars, it noted that I might like Food, Inc.  Interesting, but I'd already given it 5 stars as well, only now I'm left to wonder if it was decided the two went together because they were food related.  Personally, I wouldn't recommend one to someone who had seen the other.  But that's me, not a computer.

Anway, I'll keep an open mind, and hope for the best.  I like watching films of all sorts and hope to share more gems here.

Top 10 Iconic Fashion Ensembles in past 50 Years

This one kind of surprised me, then again, I should've looked through the entire list [see nos. 5, 7 and 9], and known it wasn't "fabulously" iconic list.  The most iconic dress worn in the past 50 years was...Ginger Spice, of the Spice Girls Fame, Union Jack dress! I kid you not! Honestly, I didn't remember it as a dress, and all these years later - I still don't.

Funny thing is, I don't remember the Kylie Minogue gold hot pants [only item not a dress] or the Cindy Crawford red Versace dress [Googled this one in a variety of ways and had no luck, guess I'm not the only one who didn't remember it either].

The poll was conducted by British online retailer Offers Supermarket. Okay, I've never heard of them, and so maybe they known more for their bargins on tv's than they are fashion.

Decide for yourself, here's the list:

1. Geri Halliwell – Union Jack dress – 82%

2. Liz Hurley – Versace safety pin dress – 79%

3. Marilyn Monroe – White dress – 74%


4. Audrey Hepburn – Black dress and pearls in Breakfast at Tiffany’s – 67%

5. Lady Gaga – White outfit and wig worn to the Brit Awards – 63%

6. Diana, Princess of Wales – Wedding dress designed by The Emanuel’s – 58%

7. Kylie Minogue – Gold hot pants – 56%

8. Jennifer Lopez - Sheer green Versace dress worn to the Grammys – 53%

9. Björk - Swan dress worn to the Oscars – 49%

10. Cindy Crawford - Red Versace dress worn to the Oscars – 44%