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Lurking Musings

~ Musings of a newly published writer

Lurking Musings

Category Archives: Guest posts

Freebie Blitz: Volkov Mafia Series and Secrets & Whispers by Samantha Harrington Jan 30th – Feb 3rd

30 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Giveaway, Guest posts

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Tags

author, Author signing event, Erotic dark fiction, free books, Kindle, Samantha Harrington, Volkov mafia series


Samantha Harrington Author giving away free booksI met Samantha the night before the Manchester Author signing event in August last year. She dragged me out to a pub near the venue and there was entertainment galore. This week many of her books are on free as she builds up to her attendance at the West Midlands signing event.

*´¨✫)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨)
✮ (¸.•´✶ (¸.•` 🔫Freebie Blitz: Volkov Mafia Series and Secrets & Whispers by Samantha Harrington Jan 30th – Feb 3rd 🔫

💕

@ Author_S_E

#VolkovSeries #SamanthaHarrington

Obsession (Volkov Mafia #1)

 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25842236-obsession?

 Faith

I had it all, friends, designer everything and money.

With my degree in the bag it was my time to shine, a new beginning just for me. To live my life my way and not to conform to anyone else’s plan.

One day changed all of that and everything I knew was taken away from me.

When It happened that one catastrophic event, the person I was before was ripped away from me in the blink of an eye.

How could I deal with the pain of betrayal?

Will I ever be able to deal with what happened? To find my inner strength to get me through or will the person I once was cease to exist?

After everything that happened and everything I learn, can I ever go back to who I was before?

Who can you trust, when you lose yourself?

 
Purchase Link: books2read.com/u/mV7WJP

 
Unexpected Christmas (Volkov Mafia #2)

 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28115780-unexpected-christmas

Faith

We have been to hell and back, So our love is treasured. We have overcome so much. We are stronger than ever. As we wait for the impending arrival of our baby, and the joy of spending our first Christmas together. Will it all go to plan? Or will fate have other ideas.

Damien

The past Six Months have been bliss. Watching Faith bloom everyday, knowing that she is carrying my child. Doesn’t get better than this. She is strong. She is mine.

I fly back out to Russia, end up stuck here longer than I expect, will I make it back in time for Christmas, or will I miss more than just that?

Join Faith and Damien as the celebrate the holidays, will it turn out how they hope? Join them in this little holiday treat..

Mature readers only 18+ due to graphic and sexy scenes 

Purchase Links: books2read.com/u/mqzQJO

 
Fractured (Volkov Mafia #3)

 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28423555-fractured

 Malcolm

She destroyed me, she fractured my heart too many times. I still need her, I still want her, now all I have to do is go get her. Show her I’m the only man she needs.

Camilla

I’m lost, I’m broken, I’m ruined.
Through the torment and the suffering he brought me back from the brink, then I took our son and ran from the only man who ever loved me.

I can’t be in his world, I’m not strong enough to fight for him, the only man I will ever love.

Can Cami and Malc overcome everything that has happened, to get their happy ever after, or is the past and present to much to fight against.

18+ due to mature content. some parts of this book maybe difficult for some to read. may have triggers. and lots of steamy content.

 Purchase Link: books2read.com/u/m0z1Z0

 
Redemption (Volkov Mafia #4)

 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30532203-redemption

Synopsis

Alekzander

Guilt eats away at your soul. Pride makes you foolish. I want to be more for her.
Scared to try and petrified of failure.
She came into my life showing more fight and courage than anyone I had ever meet.
Through my wrong doings, she was saved!

As time goes by, she brands herself on my heart.
I have to walk away, I have to say goodbye.
But having her once will never be enough.
Redemption comes at a price and I’m just scared that’s it’s going to be Emma!

 Purchase Link: books2read.com/u/mvY0J8

 
Secrets and Whispers (Club Secrets & Whispers Book 1)


Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29479217-secrets-and-whispers 

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors?

Well now you don’t have to.
Follow the journeys of the members of club Secrets & Whispers.
See how they really feel about their clients, and who they enjoy most.

These little shorts will leave you wanting more, needing more. craving more.

Are you willing to go behind closed doors?

18+ due to adult content, scenes of a sexual nature, may cause triggers

 Purchase Link: books2read.com/u/bOrWY0

 
Author Bio

I wouldn’t say that I wanted to be a writer from when I was little.
I only really started reading often when I had baby number five, as he was born very early and spent thirteen weeks in special care. It was then that I discovered my love for reading.
From then on, I was hooked. I read all types of romance books.
It dawned on me that I wanted to be more than a mum/reader/blogger. I wanted to write, as I have a very active imagination, so I put pen to paper.

I write romance – contemporary, dark and erotic.

I like to write about loss, pain and love, and what it’s like to fight for your happy ever after. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SEHarringtonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Author_S_E

Ben Ireland interview

12 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Giveaway, Guest posts, Musings

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Ben Ireland, Interviews, Kingdom City, Revolt, Xychler Publishing


Today we have an interview with Ben Ireland, author of Kingdom City: Revolt. You can also check out the Rafflecopter and other members of the blog tour on this link.

1. How did you come up with the concept of your story?

Before I wrote books, I thought to myself “I want to write something, but it needs to be KCRevolt_Webkit_Authorcool.” I decided that epic items, like swords, are cool. And then those epic items being needed for something completely unexpected. It was around the swords Fury and Serenity that the entire Kingdom City universe grew. Admittedly, it’s a much more manual thought process than i’ve had with most of my other story ideas; they usually just come to me. But I don’t think that Kingdom City is any less rich or exciting for that.

2. How did you come up with the title?

My little brother LOVES Dungeons & Dragons. Years before I called myself a writer, he was drawing a map for a campaign he was planning and I walked up behind him. He couldn’t think of a name for the capital city of the kingdom, so he called it Kingdom City. I thought that had an amazing ring to it so I stored it away for later use. Once you read the books, you’ll understand why they are subtitled Resurrection, and Revolt.

3. Please provide some insight into or a secret or two about your story.

Revolt is not just about the physical fight against what the Representative is trying to do to the population of Kingdom City, it’s also about the internal revolt of the characters against their internal natures. Paul is torn between leading the revolt and forsaking everything to save his family. There are also several characters that are dealing with internal conflicts that aren’t apparent at first. Through a careful reading, I think you’ll be able to figure out who is hiding something.

4. What was the most surprising part of writing this book?

I was most surprised by how dark it was. I was always fascinated by things that were a little dark and gritty, so I set out to create something edgy. Once I was done and I reread the book, I was taken aback by how dark it had actually become. Reading the first chapter again after not seeing it for several months made me think ‘oh gee, I wrote that?’ I think darkness in art is important to help us see the light and good in life. Though I believe some authors take that too far. RR Martin is a prime example. I feel that artists that write darkness simply because it’s “realistic” miss the point of art.

5. What was the hardest part of writing your book, and how did you overcome it?

Finding time! I love writing and I love telling stories. I haven’t experienced writer’s block, so to speak. My mind it brimming with stories and ideas and the fountain hasn’t run down, let alone run out. As a worker and a father I did the only thing I could do to find time. Sleep less. Some weeks I was going on three and a half hours a night when I had to.

6. What is your preferred writing genre?

I lean towards fantasy, especially urban fantasy. I get a rush when someone isn’t only smart enough to solve their problems, but they can also solve them with fire. Lots and lots of magically invoked fire.

7. Who is your favorite author? Who has most influenced your work?

Early on, I loved The Hobbit—it was the first big-kid book I read twice (One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish was the first little-kid book I read more than once). I read a lot of Azimov growing up, too. Just prior to my writing really taking off, I fell in love with Harry Potter. JK’s world is so colorful and engaging it’s hard to not fall in love. Today I’m an avid fan of Harry Dresden. The engrossing characters and thoroughly conceived world that Butcher has created is something I’m constantly trying to emulate.

8. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always loved creating. Probably the worst thing that happened to me is when I took a creative writing class in college. The professor told me that my story was the best thing he’d read “in a long time.” I’ve been spiralling since then. That story ended up being a scene of Kissed a Snake, in Xchyler’s A Dash of Madness short story anthology.

KCRevolt_Webkit_Blurb.jpg9. Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment?

Somewhere close to my kids. A window with a view of the forest would be great, too.

10. Where do you actually write? Do you write on a schedule?

We recently moved and I managed to get an office in the new house. It’s actually a storage closet. But it has a map of Kingdom City on the wall and Slifer the Sky Dragon above my desk, so that’s all I need.

I don’t have a specific time to write. I’m still on the ‘wait until the kids fall to sleep and write until I fall to sleep’ schedule.

11. What is your writing drive? The power that keeps you going when your writing gets difficult?

My brain is full of story ideas and it hurts when I don’t let them out. Writing isn’t a choice, it’s a compulsion.

12. Name one entity that you feel supported your writing, outside of family members.

Tori. Tori supported my writing. Tori, you’re awesome!

And you know, Xchlyer. My publisher.

13. How does writing impact other parts of your life?

It makes me very, very tired. I love creating stories that talk to people that can relate to darkness. My mother doesn’t approve.

14. What activities best give your brain a break? How do you unwind?

Anime and X-files. Though i’m all caught on on X-Files.

15. What are some of your other published works?

Kingdom City: Resurrection (Kingdom City Book 1) http://amzn.to/202KFQE

And two short stories. Kissed a Snake in A Dash of Madness anthology http://amzn.to/23rKi1f, and Fairykin in Moments in Millennia http://amzn.to/23rKopB

16. What is your advice to writers?

Figure out who to listen to and who to ignore. If you don’t have people in your life who challenge your creative work, then you’re handicapping yourself. Peter Jackson and George Lucas stopped listening to people that challenged them, and the result is the Hobbit movies and Star Wars episode 1-3. No matter how successful you get, listen to your trusted critics.

17. What’s up next for you?

Kingdom City part3. Working title is Retribution. The original working title was Redemption, but that sounded way too optimistic for Kingdom City.

18. What is your favorite snack while writing?

Chocolate milk. Heaven help me. I drink too much of the stuff.

19. If you had three wishes, what would they be?

A happy, happy birthday to you from me, to earn enough from writing to support my family, and my kids to be healthy and happy. That’s it.

20. Is there anything else you’d like your readers to know about you?

I want my readers to get to know me through my work. Please pick up any of my stories and see what you find.

Just for fun nerd list:

Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Trek

Hunger Games or Divergent? Hunger Games

James Bond or Jack Ryan? Who is Jack Ryan? (Googles it…) I still don’t know who he is.

Sherlock: Robert Downey, Jr. or Benedict Cumberbatch? Downey.

Spock: Leonard Nimoy or Zachary Quinto? They’re both so good in different ways. Not a fair question.

X-Men or Avengers? I would have said X men up until the recent Avengers movies.

Aliens or Predators? Aliens. I mean, there is no escaping them. I don’t care how many wrist mounted bombs you have.

Minions or Penguins? I’m insulted by this question.

Batman or Superman? I’ll get back to you after I see the movie.

Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean? Is it even a comparison? Harry Potter.

Beatles or Rolling Stones? Beatles.

Peter Jackson or James Cameron? James. Peter lost my respect with the Hobbit movies. Seriously, though, how could we not see that coming after he made King Kong?

Steven Spielberg or George Lucas? Steven. George lost my respect with episodes 1-3.Go watch the Red Letter Media review on Star Wars 1 -3 and get back to me.

Vampires or Werewolves? To fight with, against, or to kiss passionately?
LARP or MORPG? MMORPG.

Creak by Elizabeth Morgan

13 Sunday Sep 2015

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Giveaway, Guest posts

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Amazon, Creak, Elizabeth Morgan, Erotic suspense, Silver Creek


Today we have a guest post by long time Tea Society member and Vampire Month regular, Elizabeth Morgan. She is here to present to us her latest release – erotic suspense novel Creak. I’ll leave her to tell you all about it.10723079_929879940405806_557017422_n

“What happens in Silver Creek…stays in Silver Creek.”

After spending the summer as a recluse due to a bad break-up, Nicole Saunders agrees to go to The Heat Wave Festival with her best friends, Kacey and Tyler.

Along with three other friends, they plan to take a shortcut through the small town of Silver Creek. The last thing any of them expect is to become lost and end up pulling into a motel for the night.

The Creek Motel is isolated and the last place Nicole wants to be, especially after meeting the glacial owner. But her discomfort is soon forgotten as she finally gives in to her feelings and asks Kacey and Tyler to spend the night with her.

This should be bliss, but it quickly turns into a nightmare when she discovers that one of their friends has mysteriously disappeared from her locked room in the middle of the night.

Worried, Nicole presumes the worst, but she will soon discover that isolation can be the perfect stage for those who have something to hide…and that Jayne’s disappearance is more disturbing than any of them could have guessed.

This title contains explicit language and scenes of a sexual and/or violent nature which some readers may find disturbing.

Buy Links:
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Creak-Elizabeth-Morgan-ebook/dp/B014LZJV3G/ref=sr_1_16?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1440865613&sr=1-16&keywords=Elizabeth+Morgan
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creak-Elizabeth-Morgan-ebook/dp/B014LZJV3G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1440865472&sr=1-1&keywords=Elizabeth+Morgan
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-creak-1876668-356.html
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/572894
Barnes&Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/creak-elizabeth-morgan/1114301340?ean=2940152122718
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/creak/id1035056199?mt=11
~ * ~

11259833_929880420405758_1520929928_oExcerpt:
I pressed my head to the wood, mentally preparing myself for the hard stare of a nosey redhead, but when I turned round, I found an empty bed.
“Jayne?”
No reply.
I walked over to the bathroom and pushed the door open only to find the small room empty. My unease began to twist further as I looked round the room. The dishevelled covers and pillows confirmed that I wasn’t going crazy and that she had been in bed, but her case appeared to be missing. I pulled the door to the built-in wardrobe open, hoping like hell she was playing a childish prank to get back at me for my absence, but found it empty, and strangely cold.
A knock on the door caused my heart to flutter. “Who is it?”
“It’s Shauna.”
I walked over and unlocked the door, pulling it wide. “Is Jayne with you?”
Her brow furrowed. “Er, no. I actually came to see her.”
“She’s not here.”
“Well, where is she?”
“I don’t know.” Guilt stabbed at me. “I, er—I kinda couldn’t sleep so I went and had a few drinks and then crashed with Kacey and Tyler last night.”
Shauna arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow. “You guys got wasted last night? You should have told us. We were so bored.”
I shrugged. “We thought you two would want some ‘alone time’.”
She snorted. “Oh, heck, Craig’s good, but he’s not that good. Trust me. Getting wasted would have been a nice break.”
I looked round the room. “I locked the door behind me, so how did she get out?”
Unease began to rapidly turn in my stomach.
“Maybe she climbed out of the window?” Shauna walked over to the window and pulled the curtains open—a single panel of glass had been welded to the frame. “Okay, maybe not.”
My gut twisted. “Oh, God, what if something’s happened to her? What if someone broke in and—”
“Nikki, be serious. You would know if someone had broken in. The window would be smashed, or the lock on the door would have been broken.” She walked over to the bathroom doorway and glanced inside. “And your bathroom window is as small as ours is. So, no one got in.”
“What if the lock was picked? What if—”
“Are you seriously suggesting that someone picked the lock, kidnapped Jayne, and then locked the door behind them? That’s insane. Plus, ten minutes with her and they would have brought her straight back.”
I wanted to find this ridiculous. I wanted to believe that Jayne had somehow gotten out and was playing a trick on me as payback, but my gut wasn’t buying it. Something was very wrong.
“Jayne was locked inside this room. Tell me how the hell she got out?”
“I have no idea, but I’m sure there is a logical explanation.”
She looked doubtful, and the sight made me all the more sick.
“Something’s happened to her. I don’t know what, but—” The steady humming of wheels caught my attention. I turned and looked at the window, watching as Sarah’s shadow moved across the closed curtains. “I saw someone outside Kay and Ty’s window last night. I don’t know who it was. One of the other guests, or maybe the owners…and they have spare keys, don’t they? Technically, they would be the only other people able to get into this room—”
Shauna appeared in front of me. She grabbed my arms and looked me dead in the eyes. “Nikki, you’re talking crazy, and it’s starting to freak me out. I don’t know what happened, but let’s not jump to conclusions. There has to be a reasonable explanation for this.”
She let go of my arms and glanced round the room once more as if there was some corner I had forgot to check. “Just get ready and go get Tyler and Kacey.” A faint smile fluttered on her lips as she looked back at me. “Craig and I will go check at reception and ask the owners if they’ve seen her. Okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, all right.”
“Just relax. She could have gone for a walk or something,” she stated before disappearing from sight.
Perhaps, but that still didn’t explain how she got out of a locked room.

~ * ~
About the Author:

Elizabeth Morgan is a multi-published author of urban fantasy, paranormal, erotic horror, f/f, and contemporary; all with a degree of romance, a dose of action and a hit of sarcasm, sizzle or blood, but you can be sure that no matter what the genre, Elizabeth always manages to give a unique and often humorous spin to her stories.
Like her tagline says; A pick ‘n’ mix genre author. “I’m not greedy. I just like variety.”
And that she does, so look out for more information on her upcoming releases at her website: http://www.e-morgan.com
Away from the computer, Elizabeth can be found in the garden trying hard not to kill her plants, dancing around her little cottage with the radio on while she cleans, watching movies or good television programmes – Dr Who? Atlantis? The Musketeers? Poldark? American Horror Story? Heck, yes! – Or curled up with her two cats reading a book.

Where to find Elizabeth Online:
Website: http://www.e-morgan.com
Blog: http://www.xxxxmyworldxxxx.blogspot.co.uk
Twitter: @EMorgan2010
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/ElizabethMorgan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.morgan.944
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/elizabethm2012/boards/
TSU: https://www.tsu.co/ElizabethMorgan
Zazzle: http://www.zazzle.co.uk/elizabeth_morgan
~ * ~
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[Cover reveal] Dianna Hardy’s Summer’s End

13 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts, Publicity

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Cover reveal, Dianna Hardy, Once times thrice, paranormal romance, Romance, Summer's End, The Spell of Summer, Vampire


Today we have a cover reveal by an old friend – Dianna Hardy of Vampire month fame (I believe she has done other things too… 🙂 ). I’ll say no more and let the cover speak for itself.

Once Times Thrice is a series about loving big, living big and trusting big.

Contemporary romantic fiction, with just a touch of magic.

eBook Cover

Title: Summer’s End

Author: Dianna Hardy

Genre: Contemporary Romance with a Touch of Magic

Release Date: Autumn, 2015

Series: Once Times Thrice #2

Book 1: The Spell of Summer

ON SALE FOR 99c

ON AMAZON


Continue reading →

[Cover Reveal] Popstars: Friends and Lovers by Karen Gordon

21 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts, Publicity

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Cover reveal, Karen Gordon, Popstars, Promotions


“The poorest man is not the one with no penny in his pocket, but the one who has no dream.” 
– The Burnouts, Class of ‘99

Popstars, Friends, & Lovers (Burnouts #2)

Karen Gordon

Goodreads

Genre: NA Romance

Blurb

For two weeks Steve Shrader lived a dream. A dream that he didn’t even know existed until he felt it. For two weeks the kid with no mom had good food, clean clothes and sheets and Christmas. For two weeks he had love – in the form of Hello Kitty bandaids and hot soup and his best friend, MG. Then he screwed up, like he always did, and the dream he was living went away. 

Now school is over, MG is gone and he’s headed down the same path as all the adults in his life; drifting along, dodging or dealing with one sh*t-storm after another, numbing themselves with cigarettes, drugs and alcohol. But he’s seen a better life. He’s seen what he wants. He wants MG. The question is how to get to her from where he is now.

MG dreams of living large in New York City. (OK, to tell the truth, it’s her mom’s dream, and she is just along for the ride.) But she’s gonna make it work – in a kick-ass, cool apartment, with a glam fashion job and photo shoots with rich friends in magazines – or not. She left everything she was sure of back home in St. Louis and almost everything she thought she knew about Manhattan and life isn’t turning out to be true. 

When her false dreams crumble and fall though her hands she’s left with what’s real. A real life with a real job and real love; and it can all be hers if she’s brave enough to believe in herself and go after what she truly wants. 

Their love story started in Burnouts, Geeks & Jesus Freaks: a love story, now it continues in Popstars, Friends & Lovers: a dreamer’s tale. MG, the best friend with a talent for trouble, and Steve, the most laid back hero in romance novel history, are back. With old friends from high school and a crazed array of new ones they go for a win in the game called life.

Expected Publication Date: November 2, 2014

 

Excerpt 

Junior Prom, 1998

They all piled into the limo, ready for food and a reprieve from the stares and drama that had been prom. Steve scooted across the bench seat to make room for his dates: Carrie, Casey, Gina, and MG. Casey wanted the window seat so she crawled over his lap, almost kneeing him in the balls on her way.

 “Case, jezus!” He doubled over, protecting himself.

Her look of surprise said she hadn’t really noticed who she had just climbed over.

Gina and Carrie arranged themselves on either side of him, popped off their high-heeled shoes and draped their legs across his to rest their feet. He unconsciously grabbed their toes and started rubbing, causing both of them to moan in ecstasy. But his mind was on MG, kneeling on the rear facing seat with her butt squarely in his field of vision while she gave the driver directions to the all-night pancake restaurant.

At least fifteen different guys must have come up to him tonight and high-fived or fist bumped him for having four dates to prom. Fifteen guys who normally never talked to him but probably talked about him as a burnout, drug addict, loser. He’d never considered himself the smartest guy, but he was sure as shit smarter than them when it came to girls.

It started when he was fourteen. Girls started coming on to him, usually older ones. That was the summer he grew five inches and towered over all his friends at a gangly six feet tall. That was also the summer that his dad stopped making him get his hair cut. Women of all ages couldn’t seem to keep their hands out of the dark brown waves.

Desiree was sixteen and lived in his apartment complex. She gave him his first joint and first kiss and he was hooked. He loved everything about both, especially the way they made him feel. Having grown up with only his dad and brother, girls were exotic to him and he couldn’t get enough time hanging out with them. He wanted to hear what they had to say, study their bodies, taste them, smell them, make them smile. Desiree and her friends taught him how to do just that in a way that guaranteed they couldn’t get pregnant. He had hours and hours of oral lessons from his first girlfriends. When he met MG he volunteered to teach her, then Casey, then Gina (though they never got that far). He’d be happy to go over the finer points with Carrie too if she ever asked.

“Don’t stop!” Carrie moaned and he went back to rubbing her feet. Casey took off her shoes and stuck her feet on his lap too. He rotated rubbing Carrie’s, then Gina’s, then Casey’s. MG’s were notably missing.

♪   ☺   ♥

The tough-looking night shift waitress at Paul’s Pancakes flirted with him. She teased him about what he had to keep four dates happy then passed him her number on the back of the check.

Gina saw it first when she grabbed the check to divide the total by five. “So, who do you think this is for?” She joked as she held it up to show the others. They all smirked at Steve.

He shrugged off his innocence. “What?” There was no jealousy in the group. If he wanted to call the waitress he could. But that was the problem too, there was no jealousy, especially not from the one he wanted it from.

MG wiped the last of the syrup from her plate with her finger and licked it off. Steve watched her with rapt attention. Try as he might he couldn’t give up the hope that she might really care, that he hadn’t majorly fucked up when he told her that he loved her. He breathed out his frustration and looked away. Carrie caught him and gave him a small smile of understanding. She had it just as bad for her neighbor Ben as he did for MG.

He thought back to the two weeks when he had lived at MG’s house. His older brother Tony (better known as Stony) had come home wasted and beat the crap out of him. When he got to a pay phone the only person he wanted to call was MG and she didn’t hesitate to drive in a snow-storm and come get him. Then she took care of him, well, her and her mom. She put Hello Kitty band-aids all over him and made him laugh through his pain. She made stupid airplane noises and fed him soup because he could hardly move his shoulder and his lip was too swollen to eat solids his first day there. She fell asleep, spooned against him, watching movies on the couch in her upstairs TV room. He even stayed through Christmas. She bought him fingerless gloves and a hat, and her mom spent way too much on a new leather jacket for him. Best damn Christmas he could ever remember. Best two weeks he could ever remember. He wanted more of it.

But he fuckin blew it. Somewhere in the middle of telling her about his memories of his step-mom, he told MG that he loved her. He meant it, but he should have kept his mouth shut. Ever since then, they were still friends, but … it just wasn’t the same. She barely touched him anymore.

♪   ☺   ♥

After pancakes they were all back at MG’s house where Steve was sprawled on the couch in the upstairs TV room. He had changed out of his tuxedo and was waiting for the girls to finish changing. It was past two a.m. and he had really had enough for the night, but MG insisted they needed to stay out all night. He slumped over the plump arm of the soft chenille sofa. Gina came in and flopped across the giant bean bag chair, looking like she had had enough too. Carrie and Casey both stretched out on the carpeted floor, sharing one of the big floor pillows for their heads.

“Don’t go to sleep,” he warned. “She’ll drag your ass down the stairs and out the door.” When it came to fun, MG was determined. If she wanted to stay out all night, they would all stay out all night, even if she had to drag them kicking and screaming.

But MG took too long to get ready (nothing new there) and they were all breathing deeply, sound asleep, when she came in the room.

“Come on you guys,” she pleaded to the silent room, then gave up when no one stirred and pulled a pile of blankets from the hall linen closet. Through half-open eyes Steve watched her drape a blanket over Carrie and Casey, then Gina. He closed his eyes when she sat on the coffee table in front of him, wondering what she would say or do if she thought he was asleep. She reached forward and twirled some of his wavy hair around her finger. She had been doing that ever since they met sophomore year. It made his hair stand up and her laugh.

He was half on the couch, one leg still on the floor. She laid the blanket over him and leaned in and sniffed his shirt when she tucked it around his neck. Hopefully smelling his cologne (not that he owned any). He had stopped by Walgreens to use a sample on his way to her house.

His heart lurched when he felt her climb over him and under the blanket and snuggle into his back. Her arm wrapped around him and burrowed into a warm spot against his chest. He opened his eyes and swallowed, willing his traitor heart to slow down before she could feel his reaction to her, that stupid hope he worked hard to keep buried. In his mind “Love Sucks” by the Addicts played in a loop ‘til he fell asleep.

 

Burnouts, Geeks, & Jesus Freaks (Burnouts #1)

Goodreads

Publication Date: February 24, 2014

They’re burnouts – a little short on parents, money and plans for the future, but they’ve got each other and a whole lot of fun. With a world of crazy at home, Carrie Gould needs them to keep her sanity. To stay in their world she needs to keep dating the guy with the party house, which would be fine, if she hadn’t fallen in love with someone else. 


He’s such a geek. Ben Gorman is obsessive, smart, strong-willed and on the fast track to his dream of becoming an Army Ranger. He’s also the only geek with a girl. Joelle Welker is perfect for him; a self-proclaimed Jesus freak, who is dedicated to her beliefs and to building a future with Ben. But those plans don’t include his neighbor, Carrie, or Ben’s dedication to her. 

Their friendship started by chance. Their love started with trust. 

***This book is recommended for readers age 17 and older due to sexual content. 

Purchase Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK  

 

 

About the Author

Karen Gordon was born and raised in the suburban paradise of St. Charles, MO, on the outskirts of St. Louis. She earned a B.S. in English from the University of Central Missouri (BS being the operative term) and a M.A. in Media Communications from Webster University, where, always a rebel, she graduated in a hot pink mortarboard because she didn’t like the school colors.


She currently resides in Olive Branch, MS (formerly Cow Pen) on the outskirts of Memphis, TN with her 2.5 super-smart kids, and an amazingly-funny, cute, geeky husband.
When not writing, she is a stay-at-home mom (chick in charge) and part-time teacher. Any down time is spent reading, catching up with friends and obsessively worrying about every little thing.


Her first novel, “Burnouts, Geeks and Jesus Freaks: a love story” was published in March of 2014 with the second novel in the Burnouts series, “Popstars, Friends & Lovers: a dreamer’s tale” being released in November, 2014. She is currently working on the third, and final, novel in the series, tentatively title “Boi H.E.A.”

Contact the Author

Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Twitter: @joiedemidvivre | Email | Pinterest | Google +

 

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Why I blame Erica Hayes

29 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Erica Hayes, guest post, Lurking Miscellany, Self Publishing, Transitions, writing


I did a guest post on Erica Hayes’ blog today… and I have to say that it is all her fault (in a good way).LurkingMiscellany-lg

http://erica-hayes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/guest-author-da-lascelles-on-why-its.html

Click on the link to go to the post and see why.

 

Love and other Demons – The Witching Pen Blog Tour

23 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Giveaway, Guest posts

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

blog tour, Book Release, Dianna ha, ebook release, Free book, Giveaway, paranormal romance, The Last Dragon, The Witching Pen


Today we are yet again invaded by the ever wonderful Dianna Hardy as she enters the final, frantic run up to the release of the final book in The Witching Pen series – The Last Dragon. This epic finale emerges from its cave to sniff the air on the 4th of The Last Dragon front cover smallOctober.

Below we have some extracts and also a giveaway. Anyone who comments on this blog will be in with a chance of winning a Dianna Hardy Swag Bag which contains:

– 1 signed M’Angeal Fridge Magnet
– 1 Witching Pen Omnibus Keyring
– 1 Witching Pen Omnibus Bookmark
– 1 Witching Pen Omnibus Postcard
– 1 The Last Dragon Coming 4th October postcard

If you have not yet read The Witching Pen series, these posts may contain spoilers, as we are now on the last book!

See here for all blog tour dates and posts: http://www.thewitchingpen.co.uk/1/post/2013/08/not-long-to-go-now.html

With The Last Dragon released on 4th October, we’re having a little recap at everything that’s happened in this paranormal fantasy romance series so far. After the last post talking about the “love triangle” between Amy, Pueblo and Paul, we thought we’d treat you to a couple of small exclusive excerpts!

Amy Choices

All excerpts of The Last Dragon are copyright © 2013, Dianna Hardy. All rights reserved.

Excerpt 1 (Amy & Pueblo)

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I know, babe. I don’t want to go either.” His warm hand rested on her still flat belly, the both of them lying on the even warmer sand beneath them.

“You’ve got two babes now,” smiled Amy.

Pueblo laughed, rich and deep, sending delightful waves of pleasure all through her body. “As if you’re not enough to handle on your own.”

“Hey!”

“You know it’s true.”

“Would you have it any other way?”

“Not a chance.” His lips captured hers, and she relaxed into the feel of him, not quite managing to forget that it wasn’t quite as real as she’d like. She blinked back tears, refusing to cry in front of him – he’d seen too much of her crying recently. He was doing his best – no need for her to pile on the guilt.

He pulled away.

This isn’t enough! screamed her mind, but she kept her mouth shut. “Tell me about your training. Is it going well?”

“I don’t wanna talk work. I want to talk about you – us…”

“But I want to know you’re all right. You never tell me about what’s happening. Are you safe?”

“Always safe. I have a family to come back to.”

She almost lost the tear-free battle right then … almost. “Will I see you again tomorrow night?”

“Every night. Every night you dream, I’ll be here.”TWP n Last Dragon Blog Tour List

***

Excerpt 2 (Amy & Paul)

Amy threw her keys back into her bag, before throwing the bag on the kitchen counter. “I don’t think what I’m asking for is unreasonable.”

“You don’t—Amy, we’re living in an apocalyptic world!”

“And because we’re living in an apocalyptic world, I want to give birth in a nice, safe hospital.” Paul was near the end of his tether, she could tell – he had his kill-me-now face on.

“Home births are really much safer than people think, and since when are hospitals all that safe?”

“Since they started stocking painkillers. Can you see the size of this baby? You’re tall and Pueblo’s massive. I’m not giving birth to a thirteen pound baby at home.”

“The doctor said it was nearly ten pounds.”

“And does that sound like a breeze to you?”

“The hospital isn’t staffed – you heard him.”

“So we’ll find another hospital.”

“And which would be the apocalyptic hospital of choice, madam?” Oh, great. Kill-me-now face and sardonic-husband tone.

To find out how Amy found herself sandwiched between two men, start at the beginning: Witches, angels, demons, Heaven and Hell all come together in a dizzying story of friendship, love and forgiveness.

Before The Last Dragon explodes into publication, read book one of the series, The Witching Pen, currently FREE to download across most retailers! See here for download links: http://www.diannahardy.com/the-witching-pen.html

The Witching Pen eBook Cover SmallBLURB
It’s hard being the most powerful witch on the planet. It’s even harder when you’re a twenty-five year old virgin who’ll lose all of that power the moment you sleep with someone … that’s why Elena’s never slept with her best friend and flatmate, Karl, despite the true feelings they harbour for each other.

Elena’s about to discover that there are even more difficult things in life to deal with. One of them comes in the form of a pen she discovers one day, a pen that allows anything she writes to come to pass…

Suddenly, it’s not just her powers or her heart that’s at stake, but her very soul, as a dream demon with a seductive pull uses the pen to try and turn her away from her reality, and from Karl.

But the pen is just the beginning. Everything Elena has believed in is a lie, and her world is about to fall apart…

The entire series can be viewed here: http://www.diannahardy.com/the-witching-pen-novellas.html and mark 4th October on your calendar to know how it all ends with The Last Dragon.

Author of The Witching Pen and the international bestselling Eye Of The Storm series.

Dianna combines a titillating mix of paranormal romance and urban fantasy into her writing to bring you stories that are action-packed, fast-paced and not short of heat, with the focus on both character development and the plot. She writes both full-length novels and short fiction. All further info can be found at diannahardy.com

Want to know more about Dianna Hardy? Well, check out the following links…

Website: www.diannahardy.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authordiannahardy

Twitter: www.twitter.com/thewitchingpen

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Dianna-Hardy/e/B003AGRHFC

Google +: www.plus.google.com/u/0/110398750519005724804/posts

[Guest Post] Why Spy by Aaron Smith

22 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Aaron Smith, Edward Snowdon, Espionage, Game of Thrones, Ian Fleming, James Bond, John Lecarre, JRR Tolkien, Liam Neeson, Nobody Dies For Free, Spy, Spy Genre, Star Trek, The Walking Dead, Tom Clancy, True Blood


The last time I did a guest post here at Lurking Musings, the subject was horror and some of the ways in which I find it to be a rewarding genre to write within. I’m still writing horror stories, with a few new ones coming out this year, but I’ve never been one to stick to the same thing all the time, so today I’m here to talk about a different genre and how I became interested in it and how all the pieces recently came together for me to participate in it.DSC00358

There are certain things that I suppose it was inevitable that I would eventually do once I took my first steps on the road of being a writer. Looking back on my life and the interests I’ve always had, the sort of books and movies I’ve enjoyed, I had to eventually write something in the espionage genre. On one hand, I’m surprised it took this long, but on the other, I’m glad it did. I didn’t rush into it. I waited (though not consciously) until the pieces came together and the time was right, and I’m quite happy with the result.

Looking back on my life, I can pinpoint the exact event that made me a lifelong fan of the spy genre. It was a flood.

The year was 1984, I was seven years old, and we lived in Paterson, New Jersey, just across the park from the banks of the Passaic River. It was April and it rained constantly. That grimy old river could only take so much and it overflowed, vomiting dirty water up into the park, drenching the baseball field, submerging Totowa Road, intruding on our street, and filling our basement to within an inch of coming onto the main floor. In fact, it was so bad that the mayor of the city had to come in a rowboat and coax the old lady next door out of her house! We had to get out of there.

So we packed our suitcases and escaped. It was me, my parents, my four-year-old sister and my toddler brother. We ended up spending a week at my grandparents’ house. Grandma and Grandpa had something we didn’t. At the time, they were still pretty new and quite expensive: the amazing technological wonder known as the VCR!

My father, happy to be in the presence of one of the marvels of the modern age, wasted no time running out to the local lawnmower shop/ video rental place (I’m not making that up. Somebody actually ran that very odd combination of businesses, as there weren’t too many places yet that concentrated solely on renting out movies) to get his hands on something he’d been wanting to see but had missed when it ran in theatres a year earlier.

So, despite the protests of my violence-hating mother, that night I encountered a character who would become one of my favorite fictional heroes: Bond. James Bond. The film was Never Say Never Again, the “unofficial” Bond movie, which was a remake of Thunderball and not part of the Eon Productions series, but it featured Sean Connery, making his return to the role after more than a decade away, so it certainly counts as a real Bond movie in my book.

That was it. I was a lifelong Bond fan, not just of the movies but of the original Ian Fleming novels and some, though not all, of the continuations written by later novelists.

Bond was my gateway drug into the world of spy fiction and I discovered many other such characters over the years, in books, in movies, and on television. There were the books of Tom Clancy and John LeCarre, the Jason Bourne movies, and Taken, starring Liam Neeson.

Eventually, I started writing seriously and began to have work published. I wrote in genres including mystery, horror, fantasy, science fiction, and even did some war and western stories. Occasionally, one of my stories would include elements of the spy genre, but it took a long time before I finally set my sights on penning a true espionage novel.

It was a convergence of three events that I think—now that I look back on it—finally got me to try writing in the spy genre. I found a big bargain and managed to acquire the first twenty James Bond movies on DVD for under a hundred dollars, so I was able, for the first time in my life, to watch them all in order and relive many of my favorite 007 moments. I discovered a wonderful British series called Spooks, which ran for 86 thrilling episodes and turned out to be one of the most addicting and also heartbreaking TV series I’ve ever watched. And I said—and I have no idea where this particular combination of words came from—“Nobody dies for free,” which I immediately knew was going to eventually be the title of a spy novel. So the ball started rolling and it didn’t stop until I’d written the book.

But, strangely, for all the years that I loved the spy genre and all through the time it took me to write Nobody Dies For Free and then go through the process of editing it and eventually seeing it published, it never occurred to me to really sit back and ponder the question of just why stories of secret agents and clandestine missions have been so popular for so long. In writing this blog entry, that’s the very question I’ve decided to attack, and I’ve come up with four answers that I suspect are quite valid. I know they apply to me and I’d be curious to hear what others have to say about it once they’ve read this little essay.

Secrets and Scandals

When it comes to most aspects of life, but especially when the government is involved, many of us understand the need for some degree of secrecy. Certain things must remain classified, for the more we in the public sector know, the more those who are currently considered our enemies also know. But despite this, many of us wish we could personally know everything. The recent Edward Snowden business is evidence of this. We want to know exactly what our government (and all the other governments in the world) are doing, especially the dirtier business. Realistically, we can’t have access to this information. But in the world of the spy novel or movie, we can. For the time it takes to watch a film or read a book, we are insiders, seeing the world in all its intricate ugliness and backstabbing brutality as we share an adventure with the protagonist. Human beings are curious creatures who can’t resist an opportunity to inspect the president’s dirty laundry or sneak a peek at the sins of the king. Spy fiction satisfies our need to be part of the shadow realm.      

Patriotism

The world is a mess. It always has been and it probably always will. Most people seem to have mixed feelings about the countries in which they live. I’m glad to have been born American, I respect what the ideals behind the nation’s founding stand for, but that doesn’t mean I have to like everything my government does. For example, I’m currently quite irritated by the fact that the president’s new health care system is going to cost me several thousand dollars in wages this year. If I polled a thousand other Americans, I’m sure I’d get hundreds of different complaints about the way the country is run and how it interacts with both its allies and its enemies. And I’m sure my friends in Europe and Japan and Canada and various other places have conflicted feelings about their own countries. But I think most of us want our nations to be the best they can be. Spy stories, with their heroic government operatives, give us this courageous, honorable (and sometimes ruthless in that honor) side of the nation’s activities. Regardless of party affiliations or political opinions, we can all root for a James Bond or a Jack Ryan to do the right thing and act in the best interests of his fellow citizens, rising above the political mess to save the nation and maybe even the world.

A Socially Acceptable Mythology

Fans of certain genres of fiction are lucky to now live in a time when Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and True Blood are among the most popular series on television, when superhero movies are hugely successful, and when some of the world’s most popular authors are writing about vampires and teenaged wizards. But this wasn’t always the case. It wasn’t so long ago that people of certain ages might be laughed at if they publicly admitted enjoying Star Trek or comic books or the works of JRR Tolkein. So I’ve come to suspect that one of the reasons for the success of the spy genre for most of the twentieth century may have had something to do with the way it contains the very same elements as classic adventure fiction and mythology but puts it in a setting that seems to be a bit more adult-oriented, thus making it all right for a grown man in the 1950s and 60s (including President Kennedy) to be seen reading Casino Royale or From Russia With Love. As for those elements I just mentioned, let’s look at some of the basic ingredients of some of the most popular science-fiction and fantasy stories and compare them to what you might find in a secret agent movie.

Someone is chosen to go off on a quest to stop a great evil from causing harm to the world. They’re sent by an older, wiser person, usually an intermediary between them and a king or other such ruler. They are given some sort of special weapon which will aid them in their mission. They travel through many exotic locations, encountering strange beings, until they finally come face to face with the great evil and its frightening minions.

So was I just talking about Frodo Baggins being guided by Gandalf to put an end to Sauron’s plans, with a ring in his possession as he travels from the Shire to Rivendell and eventually to Mordor, meeting Aragorn and others along the way? Or did I mean James Bond being handed a mission by M, given a gadget-enhanced car by Q, and sent across the globe from London to Istanbul to the Caribbean to the Swiss Alps to face various henchmen with the help of a few beautiful women and Felix Leiter, until he finally confronts Blofeld in a final showdown? Or I could have meant the plot of Star Wars, or an episode of Spooks. The façade shifts, but the classic storytelling elements remain the same.

The Hero in his Prime

If you really want to narrow the types of heroes in fiction down to the least number of possible types, I’d say there are three. On one hand, you have the young hero being thrust toward destiny and fumbling his way along the path while struggling to make sense of the new point of view that’s been forced upon him. Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins, Harry Potter, Neo from The Matrix.

On the other hand, you have the old wizard/ guide, an older character, maybe worn out from decades of trying to keep evil in check, but possessing great experience and wisdom. Obi-wan Kenobi, Merlin, Gandalf, Van Helsing.

And then, smack in the middle of the two extremes, you have a balance between age and youth, action and experience. These are characters old enough to know how to handle a dangerous situation, but still young enough to do the fighting themselves rather than sending in a young apprentice. Captain James T. Kirk, Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and Batman, to name a few examples. This might be the sort of hero who readers and viewers most often dream of being. In the spy genre, particularly the more action-oriented espionage stories, this is the category into which many of the primary protagonists fall: James Bond, Jason Bourne, the Saint, the Mission Impossible characters, and the various lead field agents throughout the 10 year run of Spooks.

So there we have four big ideas about what might be responsible for the ongoing popularity of the spy fiction genre. As I said earlier, I hadn’t really thought about those things until I started to write this essay, but I now realize that I included all those elements in my own spy novel, the recently released Nobody Dies For Free. I hope readers of my book will enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed some of the other spy stories I’ve mentioned here today.  

Nobody Dies FCHere’s a look at the cover of Nobody Dies For Free, along with the back cover blurb.

After years of loyally serving his country in the CIA, Richard Monroe wants nothing more than early retirement and a peaceful life in Paris with the only woman he’s ever truly loved. But when an assassin’s bullet takes his happiness away, Monroe embarks on a quest to find the man responsible for the tragedy. Monroe is soon recruited back into the clandestine services, but with a difference. Now he’s a lone agent reporting to a supervisor so mysterious that the official agencies don’t even know he exists. In his new position, Monroe will deal with situations too delicate and too dangerous for the CIA or FBI to handle. On his first assignment, he discovers a connection between the mission and the criminal mastermind behind his wife’s killing. Business becomes personal again and Richard Monroe sets out to teach his enemies a brutal lesson: NOBODY DIES FOR FREE!

Nobody Dies For Free is available in print or for Kindle or Nook.

At Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Dies-Free-Aaron-Smith/dp/1490367586/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374860949&sr=1-7

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nobody-Dies-Free-Aaron-Smith/dp/1490367586/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374861049&sr=8-1&keywords=nobody+dies+for+free

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nobody-dies-for-free-aaron-smith/1115568615?ean=9781490367583

For further information on Nobody Dies For Free and all my other books, visit my Amazon author page at http://www.amazon.com/Aaron-Smith/e/B0037IL0IS/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1374366653&sr=1-2-ent

Or visit my blog at http://godsandgalaxies.blogspot.com/

 

[Guest Post] Paige Dearth – write what you know.

18 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Believe Like a Child, books, guest blogging, guest posts, Paige Dearth, Thriller, When Smiles Fade, Write what you know, writing


Making Connections Paige Dearth

Today we focus on the work of Paige Dearth, author of Believe Like a Child and When Smiles Fade.

In her debut novel, Believe like a Child, the main character Alessa is the victim of child abuse from her uncle. The story is one of redemption and of a woman taking control of her own life.

In When Smiles Fade, her latest novel released this year, the main character Emma is also abused as a child as you can see from this synopsis:

Emma was unloved from the moment she was born. Her earliest memory is being severely beaten by her father, Pepper Murphy, when she was just eight-yearsold. Seething with resentment over the sacrifice of his dreams for a woman he cares little about and children he never wanted, Pepper chooses to blame his older daughter. Her mother, Valerie, makes matters worse with her verbal abuse, leaving Emma isolated with a man that had no boundaries in punishing his daughter, taking his abuse to unimaginable levels. Emma’s father’s coldblooded beatings and the ultimate abuse to which he subjects her, lays the foundation of the person she becomes. As she matures into a resourceful teenager, she is unwilling and unable to stifle her desire for revenge. Reaching her breaking point she can no longer control the impulse to fight back and finally takes matters into her own hands. Having learned the art of hatred from her father and the mastery of manipulation from her mother, young Emma now sets out to make a better life for herself, leaving the memory of the abused child she had once been behind her. Hardened by the heartless brutality she encounters and the dangerous situations she must overcome in the course of her journey, she faces every challenge that comes her way in her quest for a normal life for herself and for those she loves. Finally a person emerges from within that guides her toward a better life until she learns of a secret that sets her on the path of ultimate redemption.

Both stories contain inspiration taken from Paige’s own life. She herself was a victim of child abuse at an early age and spent her childhood not believing that she had the potential to much in the way of ambition. When she finally went to college at the age of 29, she did not even believe that she was capable of passing the college level courses and yet she finally left college with an MBA 8 years later and a feeling that she had conquered her fear of learning. There followed a successful career in corporate America and finally a writing career that has seen her earn a finalist place in the thriller category of the National Indie Excellence Book Awards. Paige’s own life is an example of someone seeking to improve their lot.

So, both novels mirror events in Paige’s life, she has used her real life to inspire her writing. This ties in with the common author’s adage of ‘write what you know’. This saying is often mocked, especially in fantasy and SF, because you cannot ‘know’ what it is like to be a Dragon or an Orc or a wizard. However, this is applying an ad absurdum argument because there are still elements of a person’s life which will apply to any fictional character. Likewise in a suspense thriller, there are almost certainly going to be things in there that an author has not experienced but the trick is to take the things that have happened to you and apply them. Writing what you know is all about adding a level of emotional veracity to the writing that is conveyed to the reader. The use of the term ‘what you know’ is actually a misnomer as it really is not about knowledge at all. Knowledge is what you get from books and, these days, from the internet – whether by looking something up on Google or (as commonly happens) asking a question on a forum populated by experts in that area. Instead it is all about the experience – the emotional and physical impact that this has on you as an individual. I believe that this level of veracity is important. You don’t need to necessarily add emotional context to every event in your story but it does help if you have some personal life experiences you can call upon if needed. They may not be as traumatic as those described here, I would not wish such things on anyone if it could be at all avoided, but any life event can be useful – the tastes of food, the smell of the inside of a car, what it feels like to spend all day in a library reading ancient books. An author should be prepared to reflect upon their experiences and consider what they can learn from them and what they can use to improve their writing.

You can find out more about Paige on her website: www.paigedearth.com.

You can buy her books on the following links:

Believe Like a Child (US)

Believe Like a Child (UK)

When Smiles Fade (US)

When Smiles Fade (UK)

Later this year she also plans to release her third novel so please keep an eye out for that.

[Guest Post] Jill Sanders

08 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Jill Sanders, Lasting Pride, Romance, romantic suspense, Secret Seduction


Today we have a visitor in the form of Jill Sanders, a highly successful romantic suspense author with a #2 Bestseller on Amazon and a shortlist in the Amazon Breakthrough awards. She is here to promote her latest releases. That’s right… Releases. Because, not content with merely producing one novel like other authors do, she’s produced two of them. So below we have extracts from the latest in Jill’s Pride series, Lasting Pride, and her new novel, Secret Seduction, which is the first part in the Secret series. Read, enjoy and please click the links to find out more about Jill and her work.

Click the image below to go to her site for a giveaway and to find out details of the other blogs involved in this tour!

blogtour

LASTING PRIDE
An hour later, she walked into his room to wake him and check on him. When she walked in, she was shocked to see his large bed empty. There was a soft light coming from under the bathroom door. The first thing that flashed in her mind was fear that he’d passed out on the bathroom floor. Rushing into the large room, she looked around and she saw him. Lying in the large jacuzzi tub with it’s jets still on and she could see steam rising from the water. His head was rested against a pillowed head rest and his eyes were closed, he looked completely relaxed and wonderfully naked.4LastingPride

Walking over, she took in her fill of him. The man had some great muscles, she could see the bruises running up and down his side that he must have landed on.

He was resting so that his left shoulder and arm were dangling out of the water, keeping his stitches dry. Her eyes ran down his chest and enjoyed the view of his pecks. His stomach was tight and she could just make out a very sexy six pack. His sandy blond hair ran in a light trail, pulling her eyes downwards. Noticing that he was hard all over, she smiled. Then, she moved down to his thighs, which were very muscular and covered with a light coating of blond hair. He was too tall for the bathtub so his feet hung off the ends, resting on the ledge of the tub.

Looking back to his face, she watched his dark eyelashes. How was it, that this man was lucky enough to get very long eyelashes? She was cursed with short thin ones.

His face looked totally relaxed. Walking closer to him, she sat on the edge of the tub.

“Damn it Ric, you should know better than to fall asleep in this thing.” When he opened his eyes, she saw him focus, then she noticed the wicked look in his eyes. She tried to pull away, but he was too quick. Before she knew it, she was crushed to his wet body. Her sleeping t-shirt and shorts were soaking wet. Her hair, which had just dried from her own shower, was wet and in her eyes now.

“I was just dreaming of you and this,” his mouth was on hers again. This time, the passion was undeniable. He held her head to his with his right hand as she tried to get away. “Mmmm, you taste so good,” he tried to pull her closer.

***

SECRET SEDUCTION:

1Xseduction768When he’d barged in, she’d jerked her head up, slamming it on the corner of the sharp metal faucet.

“Ouch, damn it, Jason!” She rubbed her head with her fingers, near the spot she’d just hit.

Recovering, he quickly shut the door behind him, locked them in, and walked over to her. He dropped his bag next to hers then took her head in his hands and looked at the small injury.

She was still bent over the sink, her wet hair dripping in her eyes and face. “Here, let me see. Oh, man. You’ve got a small cut here. The faucet must have been sharp.”

“Can’t I just have a few minutes to clean up without having you barge in here acting like you’re a white knight trying to rescue me?” He could see tears of pain in her eyes as she looked up at him. Then again, he thought, maybe they were from the shampoo dripping into her eyes.

“Shh.” He pulled her head back towards the sink. “Here, let me help.” He started splashing water over her soapy head.

She braced her hands on the sink ledge and held on. He could see her shifting her feet to bend over and knew that the position was probably uncomfortable for her.

“There was so much flour in my hair, I just had to clean some of it out,” she said over her shoulder, while trying to look at him.

He turned her head back and placed it over the sink, then he cupped his hands, scooping the water up and gently dumping it over her hair, washing the bubbles from it.

She became very still while holding onto the side of the sink for support, so he continued rinsing her hair until it was clean. When he was done, he bent over and picked up the small hand towel she’d dropped.

He turned her around so she faced the mirror and slowly rubbed her hair dry. He leaned her head down so he could gently part her hair where the small cut was. He noticed the bleeding had stopped thanks to the cold water, but he still made sure it was clean before continuing to dry her hair.

***

Find out more about Jill Sanders and her work:

Jill Sanders survived 80’s pop music, and life as an identical twin in a chaotic family of nine.  A feat by any standard!  She was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, relocating to Colorado for college and a successful IT career at IBM in Boulder.

Narrowly escaping before all creativity was squashed, she jumped at the chance to trade the mundane world of computers for the sexy, exciting world of her own imagination.  She now lives in charming rural Texas writing wonderful novels such as the Pride series.

Her debut novel, Finding Pride, was shortlisted in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards 2013, and has since climbed to #2 on Amazon Bestsellers – Romantic Suspense. Each book in the Pride Series has found a regular home on Amazon’s Bestseller lists.

Stay tuned for Jill’s newest romantic suspense series – The Secret series.

Coming soon, a new Contemporary Romance Series of three sisters struggling to save their ranch in Texas in the Cowgirls Ride series.

This Christmas unwrap a steamy Christmas romance tale – Red Hot Christmas.

To learn more about Jill, visit her website www.jillmsanders.com, where she blogs daily, or follow her on Twitter: @jillmsanders.

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