31 March 2018

Where the Hell Am I?....The Vortex, Utah


Truth be known, Mike and I were going to California this time around but then we heard someone won the $541 million megabucks so we decided to head in the opposite direction. Utah is one of our favorite places to visit. We both love St. George, located at the south western side of the state. The drive to get there takes you through Arizona, along an Interstate carved through a mountain. I took some video of it, but it really doesn’t do the ride justice.

The hike we decided to go on is called The Vortex, located near Gunlocke, outside St. George. I’ll admit, I had no idea what The Vortex was, although I did ask if it was that weird place that Zak Bagans investigated on Ghost Adventures where everything is tilted and a ball rolls uphill. Mike said no, much to my disappointment. The hike begins immediately from the parking lot, a semi-steep decline to get to the canyon. The bushes at the bottom were blooming so there were a gazillion bees. Mike bravely marched through them and I skirted around until I found a bee-free way to the path.

Utah, in my opinion, is amazingly breathtaking. There are a lot of remnants from volcanic activity a millennia ago, and the mountainous rocks around look as if they had melted before solidifying. Red and white Navajo sandstone dot the landscape and this is what you’ll hike on. Because it’s not a usual trail, the landmarks are rock sculptures people have made along the way. Or you can do with Mike and I use, which is the AllTrail app. You can download the trail to your phone and pull it up when there’s no internet service.

The day was warm (85 degrees F) the sun was hot (we forgot sunscreen), and I really thought I was in better shape. The natural step incline of sandstone is deceptive making your think it’s an easy hike, but halfway up I’m panting and my calves are protesting. I make Mike check our altitude but we’re only at 4421 feet, which is nothing, so I’m at a loss.

Finally, we reach the top and the first depression is called The Bowl. Impressive. But over the hill is The Vortex and my acrophobia rears its head. I back away and let Mike take the picture of the massive hole that was formed by wind.  You can find more info at the official website: https://www.hikestgeorge.com/the-bowl-lower-sand-cove/


We each our sandwiches, rest and take in the scenery, before heading back down. The last fifty yards or so were a complete bitch because we had to hike uphill in sand, plus I had to find a way around the damn bees again.  But we get back to the truck and relax in the nice air-conditioned cab. Our last stop of the day is in Veyo, Utah, home of the best pies in the world. Seriously. Not too sweet with a buttery crust….Mike got a slice of banana cream and I ate strawberry rhubarb.  The perfect end to a fun hike.

To watch the video: https://youtu.be/60QZQW4pYEE



Thanks for visiting! Check back next Sunday for another off the beaten path adventure with Mike & Beth!

27 March 2018

Julie Shelton Visits to talk about her Alpha Chronicles!

Hello Julie! Thanks for visiting Written Butterfly! 


Q) How did you dream up the dynamics of your characters?

The first thing that came to me was the primary hero’s name—Jesse Colter. I loved the name. And I knew that MY Jesse Colter would have black hair and black eyes and be supremely masculine, self-confident, and ruggedly handsome. He would also be part Native American and the only son of a brutal father, who also happened to be the town drunk. At age 24, he leaves the town of Marshall’s Creek and joins the Navy, becoming a SEAL.

My heroine, Sarah Marshall, is the only child of a Circuit Court Judge, who has been raised by nannies and tutors within the sequestered confines of her ancestral, ante-bellum estate, Marshall’s Hill. She goes on to graduate from Harvard Law and returns to Marshall’s Hill to become the new County Attorney.

It is now eight years later and Jesse has just been hired as the new Police Chief who is scheduled to meet the new County Attorney.

Ho hum, you say? Well, you would be right. Unless…. Suppose there’s history between them? Suppose, thirteen years ago, when Jesse was 19 and Sarah 13, he worked for the summer as a gardener’s assistant on her estate? And suppose he rushed to rescue her from falling out of a 30-foot tree? Suppose they formed an instant bond? One that soon ripened into a forbidden love as Sarah matured? Suppose, before he high-tailed it out of town five years later, he rescued her once again? But, suppose that this time, he nearly gave in to Sarah’s pleadings and his own long-suppressed yearnings, and finally had sex with her? Only, he manages to push her away at the last minute. The next morning, desperate to see him, she rides her bicycle to his house, only to discover both him and all his belongings gone. He’s disappeared without a trace, leaving her devastated.

With all that history between them, suddenly this meeting eight years later becomes a much more interesting proposition.

And then, suppose he ducks out of the meeting, choosing instead to pull her over on her way home from work and give her a ticket for failing to signal a right-hand turn? Sarah’s still fuming over his ducking the meeting. And now he’s giving her a ticket?

That’s the explosive, emotion-packed beginning of Loving Sarah, Book One of The Alpha Chronicles.

Q) Is this book part of a series?  If so, can you tell us about it?

Yes. I originally planned for Loving Sarah to be one book. But my characters had been bottling up their emotions for eight years and had a lot to say and feel and express. Especially since Adam Sinclair had joined them to make their relationship a menage. So, it became two books, Loving Sarah and Owning Sarah. But as soon as I sent Owning Sarah off to be published, I didn’t want to let go of any of these characters. I had come to love them so much and I didn’t feel they were ready to be silenced.

So, I began thinking about what sorts of things I could write about in a third book. Since they were married at the end of Owning Sarah, why not start out with them on their honeymoon? Not exciting enough? Okay, then. Their honeymoon could land them right smack dab in the middle of an undercover, highly covert operation to take down one of Europe’s biggest sex trafficking operations! Make it part of a sex slave auction! And, just for laughs, let’s throw in an Albanian blood feud that nearly gets the three of them killed on their way TO the sex slave auction! That’s Keeping Sarah, Book Three of The Alpha Chronicles.

Q) What gave you the inspiration for your book?

I got the Albanian blood feud idea from an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Q) Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

I plan out a very sketchy plot idea, some background info about the main characters, but mostly I just wing it and allow them to develop as I write.

Q) How much real life do you put into or influences your books?

A lot. Many of my experiences wind up in my books.

Q) What are your upcoming projects?

I am working on Passion’s Reward, Book Six of my series The Doms of Passion Lake. Many of the heroes in this series were minor characters in my three Sarah books, so if, after reading those, you want to know what happens to Nik, Jay, Caleb, Raven, and others, they either already have or will be getting books of their own in the Passion Lake series.




By Amazon Best-Selling Author, Julie Shelton
Save 70% off original prices!

THE ALPHA CHRONICLES - The must-read series after you’ve read FSOG.

LOVING SARAH – Only $.99!!!
OWNING SARAH – Only $2.99!
KEEPING SARAH – Only $2.99!

“One of the best erotica/BDSM series I have ever read. The chemistry between these three is
blistering. Pure molten lava. The sex scenes are scorching and extremely well thought out. Jesse and Adam are super dominant, super strong, super hot. If you want your sexy, bossy, alpha males, you've got them here in spades.”

After an eight-year absence, retired Navy SEAL, Jesse Colter returns to Marshall’s Creek. Can he convince Sarah Marshall she’s the only woman he’ll ever love? Can he convince her to give him a chance? A chance that includes his best friend, Adam Sinclair? Can she forgive Jesse for leaving her eight years ago, devastated and broken-hearted? Can she submit to two powerful Doms? And when her stalker strikes, can Jesse and Adam rescue her before she’s lost to them forever?


BUY LINKS FOR LOVING SARAH
Barnes& Noble: http://bit.ly/2CGmbT8


Amazon Global Link: getBook.at/OwningSarahRevEd
Barnes& Noble: http://bit.ly/2sWUlmf



BUY LINKS FOR KEEPING SARAH
Amazon Global Link: getBook.at/KeepingSarahRevEd
Barnes& Noble: http://bit.ly/2sWUlmf



AUTHOR BIO
At various points in her life, if asked what she would like to be, her answer would have been (in rough chronological order, since some of these lofty ambitions overlapped): a fairy, a princess, a ballerina, Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, a paleontologist (until she realized that paleontologists spend much of their lives camping), Scarlett O’Hara, thin and beautiful, and an actress. Now, at age 75, her answer to that question would most likely be, “younger”.
Followed closely, of course by bestselling author. Oh, and a princess. Some dreams just never die.

25 March 2018

Q & A with Ian Smith!


Hello Ian!  Thank you so much for visiting Written Butterfly with me today!  It’s such a pleasure to chat with you.  So tell me…





Q) How did you dream up the dynamics of your characters?



Good question, and not easy to answer! I first created two of them in a 200-word flash fiction story, which proved to be a niggling idea I couldn’t help but think about.



I decided to let them “out to play” in a couple of short stories, and these let my imagination loose on the characters. I decided it might be fun to have a nice guy with the sort of physique which would almost always make him a dominant or alpha, involved with two women he finds really attractive and who are actually calling the shots.





Q) Is this book part of a series?  If so, can you tell us about it?



It’s the second book in a series called “Merely Players”. Yes, that’s knicked from Shakespeare! My idea is that their three-way relationship develops across the series. There will probably be six stories in all, each related to a TV show they’re all working on. The first three books have been published and I’m well on the way to a complete first draft of number four. I’ve tried to make each as stand-alone as possible, but the later ones inevitably refer to the earlier ones. This is the story in which their three-way romantic relationship starts, after some angst. You’ve got to have angst in a romance, haven’t you?





Q) Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?



It’s a mixture of both. I don’t write notes or outlines, but I do think about my ideas for a while before sitting down to write. As I write, I try to let my imagination take over. As I worked on the first story, my ideas about one of the characters changed and I let these shape the dynamics of this second story. It’s an interesting challenge sometimes having two female characters, as I want to make them both seem “real” and have different personalities.





Q) How much real life do you put into or influences your books?



It varies a lot, but I’ve found that having a relevant “real life” experience to inform a scene does seem to help. For instance, I’ve been a keen horse-rider for years, so I can slip in details which make my character’s experience seem more plausible. My idea about the character being a jousting performer came from watching some genuine jousting displays, and I was treated to a “jousting 101” day as a birthday gift. I wanted my character to use a longbow, so I went along for a “taster day” and found a new hobby





Q) What are your upcoming projects?



Chipping away at book four in the series, but I’ve also got a completely unrelated draft 50k novel in revision, another half-written novel I want to return to, and another completely new idea niggling at me to work on it, and two other ideas for novels which would be developed from short stories Ive already written...

  




Blurb

 Paul is Hayley's lover and now her leading man. But acting and portraying a hero on a period TV show takes far more than a suit of armour. He's totally out of his depth, personally and professionally.



Help arrives with dramatic lessons in leadership and courage, when strange events put him and his friends in harm's way.



Hayley's happy when her best friend Becky books hotel rooms with a bed big enough for three, which confuses Paul. Sorting out their relationships is even scarier than acting, jousting, and stunt fighting in front of the camera.



Life doesn't imitate art. Life shoulders art out of the way. Discovering a secret threatens Paul's trust in Hayley and Becky, and forces him to face his doubts and fears. He must decide if it's braver to walk away, or ask for honest answers. Even if they may break his heart.


Excerpt (18 rated)



I slid my hands under her tee shirt and managed to undo her bra fairly slickly. Well, for me. She sat up, wriggled, and somehow removed her bra through one sleeve without lifting her top. She threw the bra aside, took my hands and placed them on her breasts. Through her soft cotton top, they felt lovely in my hands and her nipples were firm little buds. She looked down at me with something approaching open lust as I fondled her breasts. And she shifted her hips around, teasing my constrained erection.

"Can't decide whether I want to take you, or have you take me," she murmured.

"Suppose I get all overenthusiastic? You know, forceful and pushy."

She grinned at me. "You? Mister gentle and thoughtful?"

I pulled her down onto me and rolled us over so I was on top. I straddled her thighs and pinned her hands on either side of her head. "So? Who says I can't be thoughtfully pushy, too?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Prove it, big boy."

I pulled her arms up and held both her wrists with one hand, then tugged her tee shirt up. She wriggled to help me pull it over her head, but I left her arms in it, not quite trapped, but restricted. While she giggled and struggled with that, I unfastened her jeans and tugged them down to the top of her panties, then I rolled to one side and pulled her clothing down as far as I could.

"You're cheating," she grumbled, throwing her tee shirt to the floor.

"How am I cheating?"

"I can't put up a decent fight, but I want you be all forceful and overpower me. And I'm half-naked but you're still fully dressed."

"Well, let's sort that out." I jumped up and stripped quickly.

Hayley got into her bed and grabbed the duvet to stop me getting in with her. But she didn't try all that hard, and squealed when I won and threw the duvet back. We cuddled and giggled, then she stroked my face tenderly.

"Paul, I know you're very conscious of being a lot bigger and stronger than me, and I love it that you try to be gentle. And you're probably trying to avoid me feeling too dominated. But sometimes I want you to be a bit rougher. Like we were in that feed room last night. I know you won't hurt me and if I want to give in to you, that's not you dominating me." She kissed me gently and ran her fingers through my hair, all the way from my forehead to where it was spread across my shoulders. "Sometimes, I just want to feel that you're completely hugging me, every little bit of me."

I took both her hands in one of mine, stretched her arms up above her head and kissed her slowly and deeply. "Yellow and red, okay?"

She nodded and smiled shyly.




Buy links

Universal Amazon link - myBook.to/KCMP2


Smashwords - http://bit.ly/2bJtBgv

Kobo - http://bit.ly/2c0rT6c

B&N Nook - http://bit.ly/2bY4X99

Bookstrand - http://bit.ly/2c6nGRR





To date, 10 reviews have been posted on Amazon.com, all giving my book four or five stars.





Author links





E-mail: ians2005@gmail.com




Biography

I'm a professional scientist by day, madcap writer in my spare time. I’ve lived in various parts of England, and am now settled in Cornwall, in the south-west corner of England. Not far from Poldark country, and only a few miles from the real Jamaica Inn.

My education was obviously science-based, but I've always been a keen reader - thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, horror, a few classics, and even some romances.

My writing started with scientific papers and technical reports, but one day I knew I wanted to do something different. I started writing general interest factual articles and giving public talks. Then I decided to try fiction and joined a constructive critiquing group, whose feedback convinced me to stick at it.

To date, I’ve had three novellas published by Fireborn, and six short stories published in anthologies.

24 March 2018

Where the Hell Am I?...Amboy CA


We took my car on this drive because it has good gas mileage and Mike’s truck doesn’t. I thought we were heading back to California to the volcano at the lava tubes (previous post), but much to my surprise, he directed me away from Interstate 15 once we crossed over from Nevada into California.  At this point, I had no idea where we were headed.



One thing I’ve learned once you go off the beaten path is that the further you descend into the unknown, the weirder things become.  Our trip to Rachel, Nevada for instance.  We stopped to get a bite to eat in the Lil’ Alieen’ Inn. I swear they were trying to serve me alien meat instead of roast beef.  I’ve never seen anything so shiny green in my life.  But I digress…



Several hours after our start, we pull into this tiny area that had a broken hotel, a café that didn’t
serve any food (except the prepackaged snack kind) and a post office. The post office declared it Amboy, California and it was only then that I realized what we were exploring.  The Amboy crater! 



It is hikes like this one where I challenge myself, because even though it was an easy mile to tread from the parking lot to the bottom of the extinct volcano, the problem was the hike to the top.  I am scared of heights, and it’s not the oh I’m so scared but I’m still going to ride the rollercoaster kind of scared but the I’m the breaking down into tears can’t move kind of scared.  However, I don’t want this fear to stop me from doing what I love doing, which is exploring with Mike.  I tackled the accent with the same mantra that I use whenever I want to climb…one foot at a time, don’t look behind.  If I concentrate on my feet, I can get through it.




Reaching the summit, I stepped into the center.  Yes, the volcano has long been extinct, and there’s no danger of it suddenly erupting.  But it was so amazing to walk through the part that had blown off a millennia ago. People had created drawings out of the rocks and I always respect other’s art. I even added a rock to the one of the designs to add my own energy.  Mike went ahead of me and climbed to the brim, and I wanted to do the same. But halfway up, I messed up my mantra and looked to the side, and I realized how high I was.  My concentration was shot and I froze. My brain kept screaming to move but my body was on safety mode.  If I was a turtle I’d have withdrawn into my shell.  Mike asked if I needed help but I said no. I wanted to move past this on my own.



Eventually I did, and I reached the brim. I had conquered the fear instead of letting it conquer me…this time. Every hike, every climb is different and I can’t promise myself that I’ve beaten this gameshow called acrophobia, but I’ll definitely play another round of it soon.



I took my obligatory photo from the top and then sat down on my butt and scooted the entire path
down.  I wore denims because I knew something like this was possible. I take away the center of gravity so I feel safer by sliding down on my butt.  I’m so thankful for Mike for understanding and lets me navigate this fear the way I need to in order to handle it. He’s an amazing partner in life.

 

Amboy might not be much to some people, but I found it really cool to explore. I hope you like the video I made, so make sure to follow the link at the bottom. And please come back next Sunday for another adventure with us!


Thanks for visiting! If you'd like to see the video I made of this trip, just click the link:

https://youtu.be/9MFs3b4UqSI

20 March 2018

Need a Spring Fling? Come check out this Romance Collection featuring Lynn Burke!

Spring Fling
A romance collection
Winter is fading into the distance and the season of love is upon us.
With desires building, passion explodes in this collection of steamy and must-read romances.
Come and join us, won’t you? Spring is in the air…
 Featured Stories:
Bossy Boots by Nicole Morgan
Hero by Stacy-Deanne
Inner Girl Rising by Jan Springer
An Unexpected Twist by Krista Ames
Love Potion by Cara Marsi
Fiery Kisses by Khardine Gray
Mister Write Now by Nikky Kaye
The Millionaire by Lisa Marbly-Warir
Why Not by Dana Kenzi
Without Reservation by Lynn Burke
Tempting Asher by Ja’Nese Dixon

Without Reservation
Sandy Ridge #1
by Lynn Burke
MMF Contemporary Romance
 Art studio vandalized and her mother in a fresh grave, Meg Winters heads off on vacation with her two best friends. She hopes for peace from her grief and the return of her muse. She doesn’t expect to run into the two men she idolizes, Trevor and Jack, the secretive wonders of the art world whose work she’s long admired.

She certainly doesn’t expect them to be sex-on-legs gorgeous and determined to fulfill her number one sexual fantasy.

They not only awaken her slumbering body, but also her creativity and the life she used to wield with her brushes. However, Meg carries a secret of her own which holds her back from surrendering herself fully to their desires. Will Trevor and Jack be able to overcome her reservations, or will the truth of her past ruin their chance for love?



GRAB YOUR COPY FOR ONLY .99 CENTS!
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Spring-Fling-Limited-Collection-Romance-ebook/dp/B079WNPVH8
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spring-Fling-Limited-Collection-Romance-ebook/dp/B079WNPVH8
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spring-fling-nicole-morgan/1128179687
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/spring-fling-8
iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1358849057

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT FROM WITHOUT RESERVATION!


Meg’s feet moved on their own accord, turning her around. She grabbed her pen flashlight and the throw off the foot of her bed to cover her nakedness, slipped on her flip flops, and made her way silently out of her room and toward the back door. It closed with a click behind her.

Heart racing and the inside of her lip between her lower lip, she picked her way through the blueberry bushes, her gaze flitting to the lit bedroom window. The floodlight flared to life as she stepped up onto their patio.

Their back door opened before she reached it, and she pulled up short.

Jack stood in the doorway, shirtless, his jeans slung low on his hips.

The silence rang in Meg’s ears as energy crackled between the short distance separating them.

“Just one night,” she finally whispered, her need moving her forward.

Jack opened the door wide and stepped back, his hazel eyes glued to her while holding his hand out.

She slipped her hand into his while crossing the threshold, and he tugged her forward into his arms. Jack’s full lips swiped across hers, slow and completely knee-weakening. The flashlight clanked as it fell to the floor beside them. Meg sagged against his hard chest and grasped at his back with her free hand, her hold on the throw covering her slipping enough it fell from her shoulders.

He licked the seam of her lips, and Meg opened with a sigh.

A groan sounded from beside them, but Meg was lost to the taste of Jack’s sweetness, inhaling his exhales as their tongues sought the other’s taste.

The door clicked shut behind Meg, and Trevor pressed against her back, his lips finding her neck, his hands grasping the flare of her hips, keeping the slipping throw from swishing to the ground and leaving her naked.

Jack’s hands tangled in her hair, angling her head to deepen their kiss.

Wetness coated her thighs, and she wiggled between the two hard bodies, needing to find the release she’d been riding the edge of since making her decision to give in.

“I’ve been dreaming about this since I first saw you,” Trevor whispered against her ear, tugging the blanket from around her.

Jack released her lips and tilted his forehead against hers. “God, yes.” He grabbed her ass and picked her up, and Meg wrapped her legs around his waist, her soaked core settling against the hard ridge inside his jeans.

Face buried in Jack’s neck, breathing in the woodsy remnants of his cologne, Meg gave over to the shivers of nerves pebbling her skin and sending tremors through her body. “I’ve never done this before,” she whispered against his skin. “Don’t worry.” Jack strode across the living room and toward the hallway leading to the bedroom. “We’ll take good care of you. Promise.” 


ABOUT LYNN BURKE 
Lynn Burke is a full time mother, voracious gardener, and scribbler of spicy romance stories. A country bumpkin turned Bay Stater, she enjoys her chowdah and Dunkin Donuts when not trying to escape the reality of city life.

Website: https://www.authorlynnburke.com/
Blog: http://authorlynnburke.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author-Lynn-Burke-555282497937461/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorLynnBurke

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