29 May 2014

Q & A with Lola Drake!



Hi Lola!

Thank you so much for letting me read “Wrong Time for Love”.  I’ve read a lot of time travel stories so I can safely say that it’s difficult to write about battles, fights and history interestingly!

Q) You’ve written about a particular time in history.  What drew you to Scottish fight against the Norsemen and how did your muse come up with this story?

I’ve always been a history buff. Most historical romances seem to be set in the same time periods, so I wanted to try something new. A number of years ago I read a book that featured a battle between the Scots and the Norsemen. It had one offhand line about the Vikings carrying their ships across land to invade Loch Lomond. That sentence intrigued me, prompting me to do some research on my own. When I read more about all the circumstances of that final war between Scotland and Norway, I thought it could be a fascinating setting. I did way more research than I needed to, and learned a lot more than I could use in one book without turning it into a history lesson, so I might set another book there in the future.
I came up with Tristan almost immediately upon choosing the setting. Since all the Cupid’s Conquests books are set in the present, I had the idea to do a time-travel story. I also wanted to be able to explain to readers what was happening in Scotland at the time. Having a heroine from modern times allowed me to do that in an entertaining way, since she’d have all the same questions as the readers.

Q) Have you ever visited Scotland?

            I’ve been lucky enough to visit twice. I lived in London for four years (2002-2006), so I went there once as a tourist to see Glasgow and Edinburgh. Then I went a second time with some friends for New Year’s Eve in Glasgow, which was awesome. The Scots definitely now how to celebrate!
I haven’t been to the highlands, unfortunately, although I did a lot of research and looked at a lot of pictures in order to set my book there. I also spoke to friends who have been fortunate enough to travel through the highlands. Hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to go myself one day. It’s a stunningly beautiful place.


Q) “Wrong Time for Love” is part of the series Cupid’s Conquests.  You’ve done FBI in the first one, time travel in the second…can you give us a hint of the next book?

            At the moment I’m working on a stand-alone novel instead of another Cupid’s Conquests book. It’s romantic suspense, like my first book, but this time it’s set at a ranch on the Arizona strip – one of the most isolated areas in the U.S. The guests get stuck there due to a flash flood, only to discover there’s a murderer among them.
            I do have an idea for another Cupid’s Conquests book, though. One of my favorite parts in Wrong Time for Love was including Cupid as an actual character instead of merely a device in the prologue and epilogue. I’d like to do more with that. For my next one, I plan try a more comedic tale with Cupid trying to get couples together faster than ever before through a dating service.
            Since this series is made up of novellas instead of full-length novels, it’s a wonderful opportunity to try out multiple sub-genres of romance. As an author, that’s been invaluable to help me hone my skills and find the sub-genres I most enjoy writing. You can also see the styles of other authors who have written for the series.
            When I do write another novella for Cupid’s Conquests, I’ll be sure to let you know

WHERE TO BUY: 

http://www.evernightpublishing.com/wrong-time-for-love-by-lola-drake/

http://www.amazon.com/Wrong-Time-Love-Cupids-Conquests-ebook/dp/B00IDIFTFW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401372766&sr=8-1&keywords=lola+drake

BLURB:
Cupid's Conquests

Cupid decides something drastic is needed to help the once burned career-focused Raina open herself up to love. Breaking all the rules, he takes her back in time to medieval Scotland to meet the ultimate alpha male and rekindle her confidence in relationships. He doesn’t plan for them to fall in love, but even Cupid can't control the passion that ensues.

The 13th century was a treacherous time, and any alpha male in that era accumulated dangerous enemies. Will Raina survive long enough to find the love of her life? Will she want that love to be her Scottish Laird or the mystery man Cupid promised her back home?

EXCERPT: 

Raina felt her breath catch at his touch. His eyes shone like two jades as they wandered across her face more passionately than any embrace. She felt consumed by his stare. Part of her longed for him to look away and release her, while the other desired nothing more than to remain captive and free to follow his lead without thought or consequence. His warm breath wafted across her face like a cloud enclosing them in their own little world. Her own hand lifted, to gently touch the dimple peeking out on his cheek before brushing a lock of hair falling across his forehead back away from his eyes.

The contact seemed to release something in him. He transferred his hold from her neck to her hips. She couldn’t help but notice his powerful warrior hands easily spanned her waist, making her feel more feminine than ever. The breeze flowed around them, blowing the skirt of her thin chemise against his muscled legs. He pressed his lips together, never taking his eyes from hers.

She swallowed hard. Dear God, how was she supposed to think with him looking at her like that? She knew the dangers of beautiful men with women lined up to seek their beds. A warrior like this, away for months at battles, surely would seek the company of camp followers, or tavern wenches and the like. Did men of this time even dream of staying faithful to one woman? At the same time, Chris had assured her he hadn’t brought her here to fall in love. If she only had Tristan for a short time, did she really care about his morals or loyalty? Could she simply let herself go and enjoy a night in his arms?

Having made up her mind that she could, no one was more surprised than she herself when she turned her face at the moment he moved forward to kiss her, leaving his lips with just her cheek. His eyes, blazing only a moment before, turned to ice as he released her.

“Forgive me, My Lady.” He gave a slight bow, surely meant to mock her with his emphasis on the formal title. “I must have misunderstood.”

Raina opened her mouth to protest, only she had no idea what to say. She wanted him desperately. No woman with blood in her veins could resist such a male specimen as Tristan. And for some extraordinary reason he wanted her, boring plain workaholic Raina. Yet she stayed silent as he turned on his heels and walked away.

With a sigh, Raina started to turn her gaze back to the stars when she noticed Chris standing on the wall-walk sadly shaking his head in disappointment. 

MY REVIEW:
 
If you're unsure about the Cupid premise, don't be. This was a frickin' great book! I love it when I can't put a story down and this was such an interesting story I kept turning the pages, devouring the story in one sitting. In fact, the only thing I have to criticize is that it was too short! I would've loved to have more time with Raina and Tristan. Sure, there were certain issues like I wanted to know what happened to her first love to make her so distrustful of love, and I would've liked for Tristan to learn she wasn't from his time, but the story was written so beautifully that I really didn't mind those oversites. The author was well versed in her history, and I enjoyed learning about a time I knew nothing about. Many time travels put in the same old place but I really liked reading about the Norsemen trying to invade Scotland, and she wrote it in a way that wasn't boring! This is how you learn history. Fans of Diana Gabaldon will love this book, but if you're like me and never read her stuff, you'll still love this book because who doesn't love a hot Scotsman?

26 May 2014

Release Day for the Dreams & Nightmares Anthology!



Welcome to the release day of the Dreams & Nightmares Anthology featuring the awesome writing by D.X. Luc, C.E. Black, Amy Gregory, Danita Minnis, Kenra Daniels, Jennah Scott, and of course, Charlie Daye!  


Dreams and nightmares are like twilight; that misty place between fantasy and reality.
When your mind takes you on an adventure you didn’t sign up for and you become someone or something else, it can be delectable, terrifying, or both.
Dreaming of that sexy bad boy who seems out of reach? Be careful what you wish for, sometimes dreams really do come true. If you have the time, we have the past life to seduce you. Whether your fantasy is a lustful mermaid, an irresistible incubus, a vampiric predator, or an insatiable ghost hold on tight. You are on the most erotic ride of your life.
When your desires blend so thoroughly with the truth that you don’t know the difference, that’s when romance is but a dream.

My story for the anthology is titled “Across Everlasting” and there’s quite a story behind it.  About fourteen years ago I packed everything up and moved across country with two friends to live in Hollywood, California.  I knew I wanted to try to be a writer, and at the time I thought I wanted to write screenplays.  I diligently read books, got a job in a post-production house, and tried to go to parties to “mingle”.  I even had some success, although nothing too big.  I was an intern for Morgan Freeman’s company and it was my job to read screenplays and write impressions.  And I helped write a segment for the MTV Movie Awards.  Cool, huh?

But I quickly learned I didn’t like writing screenplays because they are very constrictive in how to unfold the drama.  Regardless, I had written three screenplays.  One was titled “Paper Kisses” which I turned into a novel.  Another was called “The Treasure Hunters” which I’m still trying to turn into a novel.  And the last was called “Across Everlasting”.  When Charlie asked me to be a part of this anthology, I knew exactly what story I was going to submit.

Blurb: 
Kellen Tavist has had the same dream almost all her life.  A dream of battle, of war.  Of loss.  During a Halloween séance, she and her friends try to conjure the spirit of a departed loved one.  Instead they conjure a ghost from Kellen’s past life.

Unnerved, as well as a bit skeptic, Kellen’s life begins to unravel. Not only are her dreams growing stronger, but someone seems to want her dead.  As she tries to figure out her past life, freelance journalist Raney Williams tries to figure out what she saw that warrants shutting her up forever. 

The past and present are intertwined and she can only have a future if she can figure out the conflicting feelings that have come across everlasting time.


Excerpt:
 


“Tell me about this spirit,” Mary said.
            “It’s comforting,” Kellen replied softly.  “Yet it’s warning me.  I can feel it’s terrified.  For me.  It’s worse than when I died.”
            With a loud cry, she is thrust out of the vision and out of the trance.  Kellen looked first at Mary and then at Raney, who sits with his mouth open.  His eyes are dark with some type of emotion she couldn’t identify.
            “What did you see?” Mary asked.
            Kellen reached up and wiped the tears off her cheeks.  “My death.”
            Without another word, she rose and grabbed her purse.
            “Please wait,” Mary said.  “You need to talk about this.”
            “No,” Kellen said.  “I need to forget.”
            She left the shop and made a beeline for her car.  She was almost there when Raney grabbed hold of her arm and brought her to halt.
            “I don’t want to believe!” she snapped at him.
            “I understand,” he said calmly.
            That took some of the wind out of her sails.  “But I don’t know what’s going on.  I don’t understand what’s happening to me.”
            He pulled her to his chest and cradled her.  She closed her eyes, pulling in his warmth and strength.  He felt so good…so right.
            “I may not know all what’s going on but I think I know who you saw that night on your balcony.”

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There are some prizes being given away!  Please stop by the Facebook release day party & enter to win free books!

To buy:  http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Nightmares-Anthology-Charlie-Daye-ebook/dp/B00KKRP058/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401136785&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Dreams+and+Nightmares+Anthology
(right now it's a special release day price of only  $0.99!)

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Where to Find Me:
Amazon author page:
http://www.amazon.com/BethD.Carter/e/B00EOTD1T0/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1385417145&sr=8-1


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit the others in the Release Day Hop!
 http://ceblackbooks.weebly.com/blog/new-release-the-dreams-and-nightmares-anthology-reverie

 http://welcome-to-the-island-of-dxluc.blogspot.com/2014/05/its-here-dreams-and-nightmares.html

 http://blog.danitaminnis.com/2014/05/dreams-nightmare-anthology-blog-hop/

 http://www.jennahscott.com/

 http://www.amygregoryauthor.com/






16 May 2014

HAHAT - Military Partners


Thank you for visiting with me for Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia.  May 17th is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.  To learn more, please visit their website:  http://dayagainsthomophobia.org/

My blog this year for HAHAT centers around the organization called The American Military Partner Association. There is, perhaps, no greater challenge than the call to defend our country.  Like police officers and fire patrol, the men and women serving in our armed forces are ready to lay down their life to protect our freedom.  Sometimes we forget that they are normal people like you and me, with a desire for love, happiness and home.

About The American Military Partner Association:

It is a non-profit organization for the partners, spouses, and families of LGBT service members and veterans.  By connecting, supporting, honoring and serving the partners of our nations "Silent Heroes", supporting them through the challenges of military services, honoring them for their commitment to our country, and serving them by advocating on their behalf.

Throughout the years of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, gay and lesbian service members were forced to either forego a relationship and a family or go to great lengths to hide their relationships in order to continue to serve in the armed forces. This situation rendered the committed civilian partners of gay and lesbian servicemembers virtually invisible. They could not be acknowledged, they could not be brought to unit or military functions, they could not access spouse and family support networks, and they were denied the family readiness services made available to the spouses and partners of heterosexual troops. This isolation was always particularly devastating when same-sex couples had to move together to rural posts and bases and especially when the active duty service member was deployed overseas. It is this disadvantaged plight that motivated Servicemembers United and the American Military Partner Association to step up back in 2009 and begin to serve this underserved – and often ignored – part of our American military family when DADT was officially repealed.

I want to thank all the men and women giving their service, and to their families for their unconditional support!

Check out all about who and what they are about at www.MilitaryPartners.org/About

or at Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Military-Partner-Association/219835711370632

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I have a PDF e-book available for two lucky winners...all you have to do is leave a comment & a way to contact you.  (No contact no win.  I promise I won't spam you, I just don't have the time to hunt you down)  The winners will be chosen at random by my trusty assistant (AKA: son).  

 

Winner can chose either "You Can Run" or "A Wanted Man".  Blurbs are:

Delaney Vance is a trucker.  He works hard and works alone, which includes no hitchhikers.  Until Kyle.  The young man turns Del’s life upside down, emotionally and physically. Unfortunately, Kyle didn’t tell Del about the men hunting him…

 

                          OR


The world has changed.  No one knows how the Z-disease happened, but no cure is available.  Humanity is a forgotten concept and to survive the scavengers and roaming plague scouts, one must blend in or become invisible.  And above all never trust anyone.  

 

 

 

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My Links: 

https://twitter.com/BethDCarter 

https://www.facebook.com/bethdcarterauthor

Amazon author page:
**Be Sure to Visit the Others in the Blog Hop!

15 May 2014

Welcome Casey Moss! A look into Open World – C.O.V.E.N.



Available now at Evernight Publishing ~ Open World – C.O.V.E.N. by Casey Moss

The world of C.O.V.E.N. (Clans of Vegas – Endless Night) first appeared in Evernight Publishing’s anthology Keyboards & Kink (available here: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/keyboards-and-kink/ & at other fine e-tailers) in Casey’s story, AFK. 

In AFK, we saw a peek into I-D-8 Entertainment’s in-production MMORPG: Clans of Vegas – Endless Night, also known as C.O.V.E.N. when Beth and another gamer got sucked into the game for real.

Now, when it comes to Open World, it’s actually made up of parts from two novellas that had been previously published. Those stories were my very first published ones released in 2008 under my alter ego’s name. A few years ago, I received the rights back on them, and they sat in a file until this year. There’s been some major work done to revamp them from a sci-fi’ish plot to the computer gaming one present in the book today. I am so excited these stories, and more to come in the C.O.V.E.N. world, have found new life and a great new home with Evernight Publishing.

In the story, Open World, some of the employees of I-D-8 have joined together for a LAN party to test the game. For definitions on the computer gaming term: open world, check out http://www.techopedia.com/definition/3952/sandbox-gaming).

Here’s a look into the story…
~ Blurb ~
The world has broken out in wars. Las Vegas has been ravaged by chemical warfare and is now home to several clans and creatures.

Welcome to I-D-8 Entertainment’s newest game: Clans of Vegas—Endless Night.

Friends and family have gathered for a crunch time playtest of C.O.V.E.N.. When a horrible thunderstorm hits, everyone’s sucked into the game for real. In the MMORPG, Hope Collins is kidnapped by Buzz and forced to submit to his whims. Her boyfriend, Alden, has to delay his quest of defeating a clan’s prince to save her, but time and circumstance don’t seem to be on his side. Faith Collins is bombarded by strange dreams brought on by Buzz. Her boyfriend, Tavis, learns to dream walk, but can he help break the spell she’s under and save her before she’s lost to him?

C.O.V.E.N. is more than just a game. It’s a whole other world.

~ Excerpt ~
A hot trail of sweat trickled down behind Alden’s ear and slipped beneath the collar of his shirt. The world around him all of a sudden seemed off. Not sure if it was the spring heat of southern Nevada, the fire in the grill’s shallow pit or a twinge of foreboding raising his temperature, he shifted his stance and studied his surroundings. The atmosphere rippled away from him in an agitated wave, giving him the impression it wanted to consume everything it touched. Fine hairs lining the nape of his neck rose to attention and tickled his skin.
Feeling as if something menacing stared at him, Den spun from the barbecue. He held a pair of foot-long tongs in his hand like a weapon and scanned the small groups of people nearby. Coworkers wandered about. They ate from paper plates and laughed and talked about office antics, appearing to enjoy the afternoon. Others hung out under the open-air, wooden pavilion next to the community’s club house.
They all act as if they have no cares in the world.
But then why should they? The C.O.V.E.N. project hadn’t hit too many glitches. Several more months, God willing, the latest and greatest massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Clans of Vegas: Endless Night would hit the shelves. They’d all get their bonuses. He and Hope could finally take their relationship to the next level. Life promised to become great real soon.
Yet, despite his positive thoughts, another shiver swept through him. Not wanting to dismiss his ‘gut feelings,’ he squeezed the utensil, gritted his teeth and focused in on close conversations. People discussed the previous morning’s meeting. One man remarked, and those around him agreed, how wonderful it was when everyone functioned ‘on the same page,’ especially in terms of the C.O.V.E.N. project. It made each person’s workload progress much smoother. A pair of women walking toward him compared notes on their daughters’ recent ballet recitals. Some teens behind the adults chatted about an upcoming dance and who planned to take who. Innocuous topics.
Dammit. So then why do I feel uneasy?

~ Bio ~
Casey Moss delves into the darker aspects of life in her writing, sometimes basing the stories on reality, sometimes on myth. No matter the path, her stories will take you on a journey from the light-hearted paranormal to dark things unspeakable. What waits around the corner? Come explore…

~ Casey Moss Links ~
Website: http://caseymossbooks.com/


~ Buy Links ~
  Evernight Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/open-world-by-casey-moss/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Open-World-C-O-V-E-N-Casey-Moss-ebook/dp/B00KCE12JW
All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-openworld-1514409-147.html BookStrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/open-world

 

13 May 2014

Wrong Time For Love Review

Wrong Time for Love is book two in the Cupid's Conquests series. 

Blub:
Cupid decides something drastic is needed to help the once burned career-focused Raina open herself up to love. Breaking all the rules, he takes her back in time to medieval Scotland to meet the ultimate alpha male and rekindle her confidence in relationships. He doesn’t plan for them to fall in love, but even Cupid can't control the passion that ensues.

The 13th century was a treacherous time, and any alpha male in that era accumulated dangerous enemies. Will Raina survive long enough to find the love of her life? Will she want that love to be her Scottish Laird or the mystery man Cupid promised her back home?


If you're unsure about the Cupid premise, don't be. This was a frickin' great book!

I love it when I can't put a story down and this was such an interesting story I kept turning the pages, devouring the story in one sitting. In fact, the only thing I have to criticize is that it was too short! I would've loved to have had more time with Raina and Tristan. Sure, there were certain issues like I wanted to know what happened to her first love to make her so distrustful of love, and I would've liked for Tristan to learn she wasn't from his time, but the story was written so beautifully that I really didn't mind those oversites.

The author was well versed in her history, and I enjoyed learning about a time I knew nothing about. Many time travels are played out in the same old place in time but I really liked reading about the Norsemen trying to invade Scotland, and she wrote it in such a way that wasn't boring! This is how you learn history.

Fans of Diana Gabaldon will love this book, but if you're like me and never read her stuff, you'll still love this book because who doesn't love a hot Scotsman?
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Where to buy:  http://www.evernightpublishing.com/wrong-time-for-love-by-lola-drake/

 
Check out  Lola Drake's latest books: https://www.amazon.com/author/loladrake

06 May 2014

Welcome Carlene Love Flores! Touch of Sin Excerpt!

Written Butterfly is so happy to have Carlene Love Flores visiting today!  Why?  Because I love Rock-n-Roll romance!  And because "Touch of Sin" is a FREE download!  How can you possibly go wrong?  I just downloaded mine!  WOOT WOOT!  I got a hot read tonight!  But enough on how happy I am right now...let's hear from Carlene...
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Hi everyone! Sorry if I’m a bit distracted but this always happens when I visit someone’s web home. I start wandering around, seeing what cool stuff they have. I love Beth’s Signature Songs tab. These Muse lyrics are crazy good and I’d never heard them before. “You may be a sinner, but your innocence is mine”. I also can’t keep my eyes centered because off to the left are all these cute studs! Hello Handsome, I’m Hard All Over For You, and yes, I’d be crazy not to like those tats! Let’s see, what was I going to talk about today? Oh yeah! I have a somewhat sizzling hot pic to share too. It’s my Touch of Sin cover! Do you like it? I’ll tell you this much, Luke, the hero of the story has a thing for losing his clothes, but in a really good way. Anywho, I’m very excited to say that it’s a Free Read and I hope you take Luke home with you tonight. You have my permission to devour, his story. ;-) Happy Reading everyone! Thanks for having me, Beth! Xoxoxo, Carlene

Touch of Sin (A Sin Pointe Novel Free Read) Blurb:
Lonerby guitarist Luke Willoughby and his band are under tight scrutiny since a press conference was ruined by a band member’s sudden vomiting attack. They’ve been suspended from the Sin Pointe tour and Luke fears they’ve blown it for good. The last thing he expects is the cute management spy sent to observe him.
No-nonsense Sarrie Walker knows exactly what she’s there to do, and makes no secret of it. Luke is impressed—and powerfully attracted to Sarrie’s strong and sexy innocence. When they end up stuck together in close quarters, Sarrie becomes dangerously irresistible—and very much off-limits. Does she hold Luke’s second chance? And if he gives in to her powerful allure, what happens to his heart?


Excerpt:
            Sarrie stepped carefully and mostly on tip toes out of the tiny, grime grouted shower. She’d had to waste one of their two usable towels for a floor mat and made sure to land on it.
             The good news was that she no longer teetered on what she’d tell Mr. Keller when they made it to D.C.
Noah was sick and while he’d managed himself at these smaller gigs, he didn’t belong on a massive, nationwide Sin Pointe tour. She tried to picture him night after night and the binge drinking sessions. It hurt her heart to think of it but worse than that was picturing the landslide of sleepless nights Luke would have to suffer through caring for him. Sure, they might all hate her as a consequence, but that’s why it was called tough love. The truth hurt at first. And sometimes for a very long time after. But at least the person would be alive.
            She grabbed for the towel she’d left on the toilet seat and found a loosely folded bunch of clothes. Not hers because they were too big and, she pulled the shirt to her nose, they smelled like Luke. “Mmmm.”
            Her eyes popped open so wide she felt her lashes touch her brow bone. Yes, she’d just sighed at a man’s smell. It was a first. Maybe it was because her decision no longer hung over her head, but she could get lost in the fact she held the shirt he’d played in. She inhaled and the smell brought back visions of him serving as master of his guitar and the beads of sweat that had dotted his forehead, the one that hung from his nose, and the slick mass that had wet his chest hairs showing through the top of his V neck shirt. He’d been so lost in the music that he hadn’t seen her staring or cared about the sweat. She’d noticed more than she realized and had to stop and breathe through what that meant.
            “So that’s it, Sarrie? You’re going there now?” she whispered to herself. “Unbelievable.”
            Why shouldn’t she?
            Because she’d never had these feelings for a man before? Because the two days she’d known Luke were clearly not long enough and she was here to study him, not fall into a foolish one-sided infatuation? Or was it that his life situation was too close a reminder of the one she’d finally saved herself and her father from? The heaviness of all those truths bowed her shoulders inward and down.
            He’s gonna be dealing with Noah’s addiction for a long time to come, especially if he can’t stand to see his baby brother suffer. That’s what enablers did. She knew because she’d watched her mom tiptoe around her dad until the day Mom just didn’t come home.
            Plopping down on the toilet seat, she bundled Luke’s jeans together with his shirt and hugged them. A sock fell from the pile. She found its match and could have cried at his selflessness. He was a good guy and he had a ton of hurt coming his way. For a second, she forgot where she was and nearly let her head fall back against the dingy bathroom wall.
            Cold air leaking through the thin motel walls made her shiver. So did the thought of wearing Luke’s clothes. But after she made sure to dry off with the one towel, she pulled on her old panties and bra and then his jeans, which nearly fell right back down, and then slipped his V neck shirt over her head. The baggy look reminded her of the girls from TLC, but not one single day in her life had she ever felt crazy, sexy or cool. Well, maybe she could identify with the crazy part. Completely foreign to her was the thought of what Luke would think. And then she had an altogether more shocking thought. If his clothes were in here, what was he wearing?
            Hot gusts of air puffed out from her lungs until she managed to calm them down. But all she could really think about were bare, strong shoulders and more than just the tiny glimpses she’d gotten of his chest in the V cut shirt she currently wore. She needed a drink of water. Badly. She wiggled her toes in his giant socks.

A Bit About Carlene:
Carlene Love Flores is a big fan of the stars (especially Orion), honest music (especially Depeche Mode), and her traveling family (no favorites there-she loves them all). These things inspire her intimate style of romance writing. She feels honored to be a member of Washington DC Romance Writers (WRWDC). Carlene currently lives in the D.C. area where she can often be found listening to live music and looking up at the sky on clear nights.  If she could touch someone’s heart with her writing the way others have done for her, she’d say truly there never lived a luckier girl.  

Find Carlene Here:

Find Touch of Sin (A Sin Pointe Free Read) Here:

01 May 2014

Hot 'n Sprung Blog Hop - Contest!




Thanks for visiting with me for the Hot ‘n Sprung Blog Hop!  
A great spring or summer read….

Every summer my mom, dad, & I would drive from Missouri to Delaware to visit my grandparents, and I remember going to the used bookstore to load up on Zebra historical romances to read on the 1800 mile trek.  Back then, I would have to bring a flashlight and extra batteries so I could read at night.  My father blamed my bad eye sight on my reading habits.

Now-a-days, we have e-readers and no use for flashlights and batteries.  And I have about fifty unread books waiting for me to dive into.  So what makes a great summer read?  It seems the trend is leaning toward smaller books, shorter stories.  I remember my Zebra’s being 300-400 pages, which caused me to become a speed reader.  When a book is good, when it’s interesting and captures my attention, I love long sweeping stories.  Like “Transcendence” by Shay Savage, or “Beautifully Damaged” by L.A. Fiore. 

But, now, I find my attention span drifting if the book is too long.  Maybe it’s because I’m a mom and rarely have a moment to myself.  Maybe it’s because I’m constantly thinking up my own stories.  But I write what interests me and “Paper Kisses” is a book that took me back to my own hometown with a what if idea.

Now, “Paper Kisses” has a very long history behind it.  It started out titled “The Love Dance”, and then several years later morphed as a movie script that I wrote when I first moved to Hollywood & wasn’t sure what type of author I wanted to be.  Then I decided to turn it back into a story, but decided Sky needed a bit of spicing up. 

The story starts out with the heroine, Alannah, going back home during the beginning of summer.  Her husband has left her with the devastating news that, after several years of marriage, he finds her boring.  Shaken and wanting to find the woman she used to be, she heads back to the place where her life took a detour...her hometown.  She meet us with Skylar Randall, now the sheriff, and much to her surprise, fireworks bloom between them.  Only Sky has a kinky side she didn’t know, and she discovers she likes being blindfolded & tied up because it shuts off her brain and just lets her feel.
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Blurb Paper Kisses:

When Alannah’s husband tells her she’s boring and he doesn’t want to be married to her anymore she spirals into a world of hurt and confusion.  She decides to go back to her hometown in Missouri to figure out where she lost the confident girl she used to be. 

Speeding into town, she’s pulled over by her old best friend, Skylar Randall, now the town sheriff.  He’s still mad at her for leaving twelve years ago without a word of good-bye.  But suddenly Sky isn’t just her high school friend anymore, he’s morphed into a man who goes after what he wants, and he’s just declared he wants her.

But Sky’s private world is one full of bondage and in trying to silence the doubts in her head, he will tie her up as long as it takes for her realize that what she really left behind was faith, hope and whole lot of kisses.

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Thank you for visiting with me!  If you’d like to win a PDF copy of “Paper Kisses” for your summer reading pleasure, all you have to do is leave a comment & your contact info.  No contact, no win. (I promise not to stalk or spam you- I just don’t have time to track you down!)  Please visit the others on the blog hop for more chances to win, including entering the BIG GRAND PRIZE (see below!)
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