Guest Blog: Avril Ashton

Avril Ashton

Topic: What are the keys to seduction? The things every man or woman should know?

The Keys to Seduction….hell to key to my seduction is cake, but really I’m not the most typical. Men and women are very different when it comes to seduction.

While women are about feelings and the heart, which is what men have to appeal to (not always, you understand, but more often than not), men are visual creatures. Men see, they appreciate and they want. If the object of their desire is available, they take.

Women not so much.  

Will you respect me in the morning is not a rhetorical question. We really do want the answer to that question. Understanding is the most important key to seduction, I think. Women need to understand that men aren’t necessarily after the same things that they are.

For a woman to allow herself to succumb, to be seduced, she has to like you. Really like you. For a man, he has to feel wanted.

Important things.

Communication is also a major key. Want to make sure you’re both on the same wave length.

Mutual respect goes a long way in setting the mood. Respect the boundaries she’s set, and the fact that he wants nothing beyond what you’re both about to get because once you’ve rung that bell…heh…it can’t be un-rung.

Don’t mistake me for an expert at this stuff. I’m simply sharing my thoughts on what should be important and in play once the game of seduction begins. When you’re both in agreement on what you want and need, go all in and allow the chips to fall where they may.

Trust me when I tell you they will.

Whether you’re a fan of the slow and soft or the fast and rough, the keys to seduction are really what you permit them to be. Your rules. Your tastes. Your pleasure or your pain.

About the Author:

A Caribbean transplant, Avril now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y with a tolerant Spousal Equivalent. Together they raise an eccentric daughter who loves reading and school (not so much school anymore). Avril’s earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing plot points of The Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys with an equally book-minded mother.

Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Av remains a believer of love in all its forms.

Author Links

Website / Facebook / Twitter

   Till Surrender

            by

     Avril Ashton

Paranormal Security Council, Book 2

Total-E-Bound Publishing

Paranormal, Erotic, MM

May 7, 2012

The key to his salvation is the one person he’s destined to love…and betray.

Tattooed half-breed, Takayo ‘Saint’ St. John, kills for the PSC with single-minded efficiency. He’s never questioned or failed his assignments…until he stares into the cornflower blue eyes of Ryken Valte, the man whose life he’s infiltrated under false pretenses. Harsh words and a cold shoulder isn’t enough to keep the distance between them, but Saint’s mission hangs over his head. His job is to kill the brother of the man he loves and he sees no way out of his predicament.

Ryken melts under the intense attraction between him and Saint, but the man keeps pushing him away, denying their connection. Ryken would give up everything, do anything to have Saint at his side and in his bed, but secrets bigger than them make it impossible. Ryken yearns for Saint’s surrender, but he’ll get more than he bargained for when dark forces neither comprehends return with a vengeance.

BUY LINKS

Total-E-Bound Publishing / ARe / Amazon

EXCERPT PG-13

“No killing the target until you hear from me.”

Takayo ‘Saint’ St John leant back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, and raised an eyebrow at his boss. Remi Parascu pushed a folder across the large mahogany  desk towards him.

Saint grabbed it and flipped open the brown folder. “Tell me again how I got chosen to babysit a freaking human?”

This wasn’t his normal assignment—most of Saint’s missions were in-and-out jobs, like the one he’d recently completed in Germany. . He hadn’t even disembarked the Council’s private jet when Remi showed up with this new gig. The Paranormal Security Council—known as the Council—marshalled the different paranormal sects in the US and abroad, providing security for high-ranking Para officials, and making sure Para laws were upheld. When anyone stepped out of line and broke those laws, the PSC also dealt with them. ‘Dealing with them’, more often than not, meant killing them, and Saint was one-fourth of the team given the termination assignments.

The president of the PSC met his gaze with unblinking eyes. “This is an elite’s job and, since Prescott’s on another assignment, you’re up to bat.”

That still left one other person. “And Voltaire?”

The female head of their team known as the Death-Bringer was the deadliest of them all. This job seemed more suited to her. Besides, Saint really wanted to sleep. And get laid. Though not necessarily in that order. It’d been a long-ass minute since he’d had a good dick suck and a balls lick. Fuck, but he was due.

Remi pushed her chair back and got to her feet. The tight grey skirt and blue blouse she wore clung to her lithe frame. Saint didn’t have to be into chicks to appreciate her gorgeous feminine form.

“Voltaire’s in Colorado.”

The words were spoken evenly, but he had a feeling more went on behind Remi’s direct stare.

“She’s mated with a wolf out there and is apparently still in the honeymoon phase.” Remi grimaced.

He chuckled. “Must be one crazy-ass wolf to risk mating with V. She’s a live one.”

“Yeah, well, at least she hasn’t left completely. In fact, she’s the one who recommended you for this.”

“No shit.”

“No shit.” A knock came on the door of her office and Remi headed towards it. “Read up on your cover and the target. Wheels up in five hours so I suggest you get that pesky hard-on taken of asap.”

Folder in hand, Saint surged to his feet with a grin and snapped a salute. “Yes, boss.”

Spotlight: Not My Mother by Ashley Rae

Not My Mother: 

A Memoir

Ashley Rae

Ashley Rae has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida and resides with her precious 3 year old in gorgeous Sarasota, FL.  She leads weekend retreats for psychics, kids, and writers, and teaches workshops on using writing as a self-healing tool, developing intuition, and about The Incredible Vagina, which is simply the best title anyone has ever come up with for any class, ever. She is presently working on her second memoir, tentatively titled “Sentence Interrupted: Memoir of a Moody Mama.” Also a professional psychic, energy healer, and a Love-Your-Life Coach, there is plenty to check out on her website at http://AuthorAshleyRae.com.

Not My Mother: A Memoir

Genre: Memoir/Non-Fiction

Release Date: July 13, 2012

By the age of twelve, Ashley Rae had survived incest, child abuse, and the deaths of both her biological parents. Born to Baptists but raised by Buddhists, Rae found peace and healing on a Pagan spiritual path while obtaining her college degree and starting the career of her dreams.

Rae thought the hardships in her life were over...until she lost her job, started a new relationship, and found out she was pregnant with another man's child all in the same week. Terrified of cesarean surgery, Rae vowed to give birth to her child at home – but first, she had to find one.

Alternately haunting, humorous, and heart-warming, Not My Mother: A Memoir follows Rae over a nine-month quest to break her family's generational pattern of abuse and victimhood in order to become for her unborn child the mother she had always wanted for herself.

Excerpt:

From the moment Dad rushed us through the dark living room, too quickly for me to see her body, I'd been looking for my mother.  Even after her funeral in Virginia, I kept looking for my mother.  She came to me in my dreams and told me it had all been a mistake, and she wasn't really dead at all.  I'd wake up and jump out of bed in a hurry to continue our conversation, then freeze and fold in half, hyperventilating as reality hit me.

At twenty-two, I had not yet explored how the violence that I couldn't remember witnessing affected my life and my relationships.  Ike died when I was five.  Mom hated him.  His mom loved him.  I, on the other hand, had never given myself permission to have feelings about this man who'd loved me and killed my mother. Until I saw him staring back at me through my mirror in the flickering light of a white candle.

Buy Links:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal and other good news

So It's been a busy month since my last update. Fall In Love has had it's first round of edits with Rebel Ink Press and is back with the publisher. This week I got the cover for Life in Suitcases. I love seeing art that goes with my story.

The second bit of good news is that my story Curve My Appetite got picked up by Decadent Publishing for their 1Night Stand Series.

Sally Austens is a plus size woman whose sexual experience is limited to a one time thing in college, which turned out to be the worst experience of her life. Now as she turns thirty and it is looking increasingly like the relationship train missed her stop. A friend tells her about Madame Evangeline and suggests that she try it because it might just change her life.

Dean Martorino lives his life in the public eye. Though, he is surrounded on a daily basis by what society claims to be stunningly beautiful women. What he really longs for is a woman with some meat on her bones and plentiful curves he can get lost in. When his long-time friend and manager suggests Madame Eve’s he hopes that all his dreams will come true.

Can Sally go through with her one night stand when she discovers who it is she has been set-up  with or is she doomed to spend the rest of her life alone.

So everything seems to be happening all at once and on top of that I am still busy working on my other stories and I even have a couple out on submission. Hopefully the next month will be filled with just as much good news.

Melissa Kendall

Guest Blog: Passion's Pain by Ella Jade

Passion’s Pain by Ella Jade

Thanks so helping me celebrate the release of my newest contemporary romance Passion's Pain. The idea for this novel has been running around in my head for three years, but it was one of those plots where I thought maybe I couldn’t pull it off. The more I tried to push it to the back burner, the more the story wanted to be told. Finally, I gave in and went for it. I'm so glad I did.

I grew up on soap operas. I started watching Dallas and Falcon Crest with my grandmother when I was eight. I may not have known what was going on back then, but the ideas and plots stuck with me. I honestly believe watching all of those love triangles, secret babies, faked deaths and sexy romances fueled my desire to become a writer.

When I came up with the plot for Passion's Pain, I knew I was attempting to break the mold of what we're used to in a romance novel. I've created a bit of an unconventional triangle. But, for me, writing has always been about stretching my imagination and seeing where the story takes me. I've fallen fast and hard for my characters in this book. Even Jackson, my villain holds a special place in my heart.

Here's the blurb...

One woman…two men. Who will she choose? The father or the son?

Lilli Daniels is down on her luck. She's been homeless, hungry and alone for far too long. Everything changes when she meets an intriguing, older stranger.

Successful attorney Jackson Avis maintains complete control of every aspect in his life. When he sets eyes on Lilli he's captivated. He tempts her with a life of privilege and security, introducing her to a world she never knew existed. Complications arise when Jackson's son and aspiring doctor Cameron expresses interest in his father's girlfriend.

Lilli fights the attraction, but Cameron wants to give into his heart. He's the complete opposite of his manipulative father and stops at nothing to protect the woman he's falling in love with.

Sometimes life leads you down one path only to bring you to your true destiny. Can Lilli figure out who her heart belongs to?

Here is how I envisioned the characters. I can't wait for you to meet them.

Cam

Jackson

Lilli

                               

Excerpt

Lilli glanced down at the floor for a few seconds before looking up and giving Jack a small smile. Her long black hair fell down the center of her back and curled slightly at the ends. Her eyes were a most alluring color. Jack couldn’t tell for sure in the dim lighting, but they almost appeared violet. He’d never encountered such a unique woman before. He knew right away a girl like her didn’t belong in a shit-hole like this.

“What would you like?” She looked down at the pad she held and waited for his order.

“For you to have a seat.” He got up, pulled the chair out, and then motioned for her to sit.

“What? No, I can’t. I’m working.”

Jack looked around and noted it wasn’t that busy.

“I think you can sit for a few minutes.” He smiled. “Pat said you should give me what I want.”

“I-I don’t do that.” She shook her head. "Some of the other girls here do, but not me."

“I’m only asking you to sit and I rarely ask twice.” He felt a sense of relief knowing she didn't prostitute herself to the customers in this disgusting place. “Please.”

“Just for a few minutes.” She looked around the bar and then quickly took a seat.

“It’s nice to meet you, Lilli,” he said. “Do you have a last name?”

“I do.” She was too busy looking into his eyes that he thought maybe she forgot to finish answering.

Jack smiled and cleared his throat when he realized she was staring at him.

“Oh, it’s Daniels.”

“I see. What do you do besides work here, Lilli Daniels?”

“I work at the bookstore over at the community college,” she said. “I’m hoping to save enough money to take a few classes there in the fall.”

“It’s only January,” Jack said. “Why wait so long?”

“Classes are expensive.” She nervously fidgeted with the cocktail napkin sitting on the table. “So, what do you do?”

“I’m an attorney. I have my own practice in the city.”

“Oh, that sounds interesting. I’d like to study law someday, too.”

“A pretty ambitious goal.” He teased. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

Well, at least she's legal. But, for a girl working in a strip club trying to save money for school, she seemed awfully naïve. He briefly wondered if it was an act to get men to feel sorry for her. Maybe she knew exactly how to get a bigger tip out of her customers.

“Getting a bit of a late start with school, aren’t you?” Jack asked. “My son is about your age and he's in medical school.”

“My father’s not an attorney.” She ran her fingers through her hair and Jack immediately recognized she was uncomfortable when she mentioned her father. The lawyer in him needed to investigate a little further.

“What does your father do?”

“Are you ready to order?” she said. “I should be getting back to work.”

“Not just yet.” He wondered why she changed the subject so quickly. “I’m curious as to what a girl like you is doing in a place like this.”

“Me, too.” She looked around the dark room. “I fell on some hard times and I’m just trying to get my life back together. It’s honest work.”

“What kind of hard times?” He was trying not to interrogate her, but he wanted to know more about her.

“I can tell you’re a lawyer.” Her full pink lips curved into a smile. Jackson wondered what it would feel like to have her mouth against his. She was probably soft and warm.

“It’s in my nature to ask questions.” He wanted to know more about this beauty.

“Do you always get your answers?”

“I always get everything I want.” He let his eyes wander down her body. She was flawless, but he shouldn't have been entertaining any possibilities at all. But then again, when did he ever let anything stop him from getting what he wanted?

Jack reached into his pocket, pulled out his business card, and handed it to her. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. “I have to get back to the office now, but I’ve rather enjoyed your company. If Pat gives you a hard time, please give me a call. I’ll set him straight.” He knew he should leave her alone. He wasn't sure he’d be interested in getting involved with a girl in her situation, but he wasn’t ready to walk away. Not yet.

She glanced down at the card. “I went to high school with a Cameron Avis.”

“Did you date?” That would be far too amusing.

“Oh, God no.” She laughed. “He was a year older than me, popular, and would never give a girl like me a second glance. I was from the wrong side of the tracks.” She rolled her eyes.

“Hmm.” Jack began to get a clearer picture of who Lilli was.

“I was shy and kept to myself,” she said. “He was gorgeous, smart, and came from money. Definitely not my type."

“Really?” Jack grinned as he got up from the table. “It seems to me I’ll have to have a talk with my son about not recognizing a good thing when he sees it.”

“Oh.”

Passion’s Pain –

http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=421

***

Oh, indeed;)

I hope I’ve piqued your interest. Thanks so much for joining me today.

I love connecting with readers. You can find me here…

http://ellajadeauthor.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ella-Jade-Author/186959391390708?ref=hl

The Trailer

About Ella…

Ella Jade has been writing for as long as she can remember. As a child, she often had a notebook and pen with her, and now as an adult, the laptop is never far. The plots and dialogue have always played out in her head, but she never knew what to do with them. That all changed when she discovered the eBook industry. She started penning novels at a rapid pace and now she can't be stopped.
Ella resides in New Jersey with her husband and two young boys. When she's not chasing after her kids, she's busy writing, attending PTO meetings, kickboxing, and scrapbooking. She hopes you'll get lost in her words.

Interview: D'Ann Lindun Author of Vaquero

When Cordero Ybarra and Aspen O’Hare meet, there is an immediate attraction. But he holds his secrets close, refusing to open up about the night racial prejudice almost killed him.

Aspen refuses to trust Cord—or any man. She’s been abandoned one too many times. When another woman lies and says Cord wouldn’t take responsibility for a child they created together, Aspen believes Cord is a deadbeat just like her father. It is only after she uncovers the truth that Aspen realizes Cord is nothing like the men who’ve deserted her before.

When an immigrant worker is hanged by the same two crazies who branded him, Cord sees the truth. The shame he’s carried about being the victim of a hate crime is going to cost him the woman he loves if he can’t let go of his past.

Today I welcome D'Ann Lindun to my blog. Join me as I ask a few questions to learn a little about this wonderful author.

·         Tell us a little bit about yourself? Sure! I live in SW Colorado with my husband and daughter. I love horses, and have 12. About half of them were saved from slaughter, something I am passionate about. We have 5 Australian shepherds and a Queensland heeler, along with 7 spoiled cats. Oh, can’t forget the pet ducks, there are 8 of them! We live on farm, which is leased out this year, and the farmers are growing corn. I work in retail, part time.

·         Tell us about Vaquero? In a nutshell, my hero is physically scarred (branded) by two racists, and the heroine has been abandoned by men her entire life. But they both overcome their past and learn to trust again.

·         What was your main inspiration for this story? While I disagree strongly with illegal immigration, I also know this country was founded on the men and women who emigrated from other places. Cordero is born and bred American. He has as much right to live and work as his tormentors do.

·         If your book was made into a movie, which stars would you want to play your Hero and Heroine? Hmmmm....I’m not sure. Emma Stone, maybe, for Aspen. I’m not sure for Cordero.

·         If you could go back and give your-struggling-author-self one piece of advice now that you are published what would it be? To e-pub sooner! I love it!

·         How do you stay motivated when the Muse is being temperamental? I don’t really believe in that stuff. I believe you can force yourself to write most anytime.

·         When you need to kick back and relax what is your drink of choice? I don’t drink alcohol, except on the rarest of occasions, so Pepsi or coffee.

·         Fast Five:

o   Tea or Coffee? Coffee with lots of cream and sugar or chai tea

o   Kindle or Nook? Kindle

o   Beer or Wine or Spirits? none

o   All-time favourite book? Laura Kinsale’s For my Lady’s Heart

o   All-time favourite Movie? Oh, boy. Just one? I’m a movieholic. The War with Kevin Costner ranks pretty high. The Breakfast Club, maybe. Or The Outlaw Josie Wales.

  Thanks for having me!

Excerpt:

She abruptly pulled out of his embrace and fastened her dress back together. “I need to get back. Daddy will be looking for me.”

Swallowing his disappointment, Cord said, “I’ll walk you back, chica.”

Her eyes were hard, or maybe it was just the moonlight playing tricks on him. “Chica? Don’t call me that. And you can’t tell anyone what happened between us. This was a mistake. I’ll see you around.” Before he could react, she vanished out the door.

“I’ll see you around.”Had she really just said that? He found his shirt on the floor and, after jerking it on, left the bunkhouse, slamming the door behind him. She teased him, got him hard as hell, then vanished? What the fuck had just happened here?

Just a few feet into the dark, someone stepped in front of him. In no mood to talk, Cord started to push by when the other man grabbed his arm. “You too good to talk to me, Mex?”

Buford LaDelle. Cord sighed. What was the guy’s problem with him? “No, just tired.”

“Worn out from work, or something else?”

Cord jerked his arm away from the bigger man’s grip. “Not that I feel like sharing my business with you, but yeah, I’m beat from roping all day.”

Another man moved out of the shadows. Buford grinned at him. “I think he’s worn out from that little joyride he just gave Shayla. How ’bout you, Spike? Think that’s it?”

“Yeah, I think that’s it,” Spike agreed.

Buford got so close Cord could smell the alcohol on the other man’s breath. “That it, Mex?”

“Get lost.” Cord moved to step around Buford, and the bigger man slugged him. Hard. In the stomach. Not expecting it, he doubled over, fighting to catch his breath. Before he could suck in enough air, one of the men slipped a lariat over his head, pulling it tight against his neck. The other one grabbed his wrists and bound them with a slick leather strap, a rein maybe.

What the hell? It was one thing to have a fistfight over a girl—all guys did it—but he’d never been attacked in the dark and roped like a wild steer before. Cord struggled, and the rope around his neck tightened until he feared passing out. Stars danced in front of his eyes, and his ears felt like they had cotton stuffed in them. He tried to speak, and his voice came out in a hoarse growl. “Let me go.”

Buford chuckled. “Not until you learn your lesson, son. I don’t know how things are done back where you come from, but around here, illegals don’t fuck our women.”

“I didn’t—” The rope dug into his neck, cutting off his words. He was as American as they were, the crazy bastards.

Like a prisoner being dragged to the gallows, Cord was hauled toward the corrals. Every time he tried to speak, one of them jerked the rope around his neck, making it impossible for him to call for help. At the branding pens, Buford yanked Cord up tight against one of the corral posts, securing him like a trussed hog. His nose pressed against the rough cedar pole. He turned his face so his cheek rubbed it instead. Spike pulled Cord’s hands around the pole and tied them, rendering him helpless.

“What now?” Spike asked.

Buford held up something that flashed in the dim moonlight. A knife. “I say we geld him. Cut off his nuts and feed them to him.”

The buddy chuckled. “Good plan. That’ll teach him not to go between the legs of decent white women.”

Cord struggled against the rope binding him until it cut into his neck. Warmth trickled down his neck, and he knew it had to be blood. They were only trying to scare him. No one in his right mind would do something so crazy.

Buford crowded up behind Cord, pinning him even tighter to the fence, and reached around and unbuckled his jeans. They slid down over his hips and thighs. He stood tied, half naked, his jeans and shorts pooling around the tops of his boots, as they discussed what to do next.

“We’re gonna need another couple of ropes to hold his legs apart,” the buddy said helpfully. “I’ll go get ’em. But you’re gonna have to do the cuttin’ ’cause I ain’t touchin’ no other man’s dick or balls.”

Buford considered that, turning the knife in his hands. “Yeah, you got a point about that. I ain’t no queer. But we gotta do something to teach this boy a lesson.”

Cord twisted his hands, desperate to get free, but the tie they’d used tightened with every move. He couldn’t catch a deep breath. Sweat beaded on his forehead and ran down his back. The joke had gone far enough. “Turn me loose and I won’t kick your ass,” he demanded in a harsh whisper.

“Oh my God.” A woman’s voice. Shayla. Out of the corner of his eye, Cord saw her take in the scene. Horror filled her voice. “What are you doing? This isn’t Deliverance. Let him go right now.”

A rough laugh rumbled out of Buford. “Not a chance. Your daddy told us to take care of the problem, and we have it handled.”

“I never agreed to this,” she said stubbornly. “Pull up his pants and turn him loose.”

“We’re just scaring him a little.” Buford’s tone changed to vicious, and he stepped toward her with his fist closed. “Now get on out of here.”

She turned and fled.

Buy Links: BookStrand

About the Author:

Falling in love with romance novels the summer before sixth grade, D’Ann Lindun never thought about writing one until many years later when she took a how-to class at her local college. She was hooked! She began writing and never looked back. Romance appeals to her because there's just something so satisfying about writing a book guaranteed to have a happy ending. D’Ann’s particular favorites usually feature cowboys and the women who love them. This is probably because she draws inspiration from the area where she lives, Western Colorado, her husband of twenty-nine years and their daughter. Composites of their small farm, herd of horses, five Australian shepherds, a Queensland heeler, eight ducks and cats of every shape and color often show up in her stories!

Site      Facebook    Goodreads

Spotlight: Across the Winds of Time by Bess McBride

Across the Winds of Time

by Bess McBride

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

While on a genealogical research journey through the Midwest, Molly Hamilton impulsively buys a 100-year-old Victorian house in the middle of a cornfield, and falls in love with the house’s owner...the original owner, that is. Can he be a ghost? The handsome, intriguing attorney certainly feels solid—and somehow her soul knows she has always loved him.

Darius Ferguson has no idea how he has come to present-day Iowa. The last thing he knew, the year was 1880, and he had just buried his fiancée, who happens to look exactly like Molly. He cannot separate the two women in his heart—to him, they are one.

In spite of being drawn to him, Molly thinks Darius is unhinged. Darius wonders if he has joined his fiancée in purgatory. If time travel is possible, will love be enough to build a future together?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT 

 “I can take care of myself, Darius.  I’ve done it all my life.  I’ll take care of us.”

Darius stared at me for a moment, his eyes hardening.  He rose abruptly and went to stand by the railing, staring down the driveway to the road beyond. 

 “I am unmanned by the thought, Molly.  How will we go on then?  Will I cook and clean for you while you take care of me and buy my clothing, my toiletries, my food?”

The bitterness in his voice frightened me, and I fell silent—unsure what words might make the situation worse.

He turned to face me, bracing his palms on the railing behind him, a harsh set to his jaw. 

 “I could wish that I had never “appeared” here—in your time—but I cannot bear the thought of losing you again.  I love you, Molly.  I think I must set about proving my worth to you.  I will rebuild this house such that it will protect you from all harm.  I will take care of you so that you have the strength to provide for us.”  The break in his voice tore at my heart.  “I will tend to your every need as best I can given my limited means.  And if you should find me a burden, you have only to say the word, and I will be gone.  If nothing else, I now know how to leave.”  On that bitter note, Darius turned and strode down the length of the porch and around to the side of the house and out of sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Bess McBride made her first serious writing attempt when she was 14. She shut herself up in her bedroom one summer while obsessively working on a time travel/pirate novel set in the beloved Caribbean of her youth, but she wasn't able to hammer it out on a manual typewriter (oh yeah, she's that old) before it was time to go back to school. The draft of that novel has long since disappeared, but the story is still simmering within, and she will finish the adventure one day soon.

Bess was born in Aruba to American parents and lived in Venezuela until her family returned to the United States when she was 12. She couldn't fight the global travel bug within and joined the U.S. Air Force at 18 to "see the world." After 21 wonderful and fulfilling years traveling the world and gaining one beautiful daughter, she pursued her dream of finally getting a college education. With a license in mental health therapy, she worked with veterans and continues to work on behalf of veterans. She writes romantic suspense, contemporary, light paranormal/fantasy and time travel romances and currently has eight novels published. She can be contacted through her web site at http://www.bessmcbride.com.

Links:

www.bessmcbride.com

http://willtravelforromance.blogspot.com/

Spotlight: A Date with Death by Louisa Bacio

A Date with Death

Louisa Bacio

Death sucks. It’s boring, and there’s no chance of getting laid. Stuck in the waiting room of Heaven, Maise fantasizes about all the pleasures of the flesh she didn’t get to experience. When Maise discovers a business card for the dating service, 1Night Stand, she wonders if there’s still a chance.

Reece normally wouldn’t consider being set up, but after his brother buys him a certificate, he feels obligated. A romantic night on the Southern California coast, with the full-of-life Maise leaves him wanting more.

Will a 1Night Stand be enough to overcome death?

Buy Links: Decadent Publishing / Amazon / Nook

About the Author:

Louisa Bacio is the author of five erotic novels, including the paranormal series The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf, and numerous steamy short stories.

Bacio enjoys soaking up the sun in Southern California, and spending time with her family. In addition to writing and editing, Bacio teaches college courses in English, journalism, film studies and popular culture.

Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

Excerpt:

He reached under the table, resting his hand on her thigh. “Want more?”

A zing of desire traveled through her body. “Not food.”

Maise worried her bottom lip between her teeth, thinking about the perfection of kissing him. Perhaps there was something to this dating service.

 He slipped his hand into hers and led her back inside. With his thumb, he caressed the C-shape between her index finger and her thumb, sending a current of sensations fluttering through her system.

“I might be able think of one or two things to entertain you. First, will you dance with me?”

He stopped to turn on the stereo, and a slow Latin jazz began. Warm guitars built a rhythm that matched the beat of Maise’s heart. Reece held his hand out in offering, and the look of hopefulness on his face touched her. A man who’d suffered more than one loss in his recent past, he’d come for this date to get away and maybe find a glimmer of hope for the future.

She couldn’t be the one to turn him down. She stepped within the comfort of his embrace. In his arms, it was as if her other problems didn’t exist. The tightness in her chest began to unwind. If only they could stay here, in this resort, forever.