Thursday, July 27, 2017

Sexy pirates and the feisty women they love - DAYS OF DESIRE - #TinaDonahueBooks #PiratesPrize #KensingtonBooks


Although I love an alpha hero as much as the next romance fan, I also like my guys to have a heart - at least when it comes to the women they love. They can be commanding, but also need to be cherishing.

When I set out to write my Pirate's Prize series, I wanted to create a pirate hero who was forced into a life of crime and didn't make that his goal. He wants more. That story unfolded as First Comes Desire and has led to book 2 in the series Days of Desire.

Join me on a lush, tropical isle where passion rules while danger lurks.

Meet the women and men who fight for their destinies
during balmy days and impassioned nights.

Days of Desire
Erotic Historical - Available Now
Book 2 Pirate's Prize



Blurb:

In a pirate’s lair, nothing is as it seems . . .

Shipwrecked! When Royce Hastings is found washed up on the shore of a verdant tropical island, he tells the natives he is a merchant headed for Mozambique. The truth, however, is far more mercenary. Noble by birth, the once favored Royce has lost his fortune and family; now he is a hired henchman on the trail of an elusive pirate. His “shipwreck” was a fake. He’ll stop at nothing to infiltrate the island and capture his prey. His mother and sisters’ lives depend on it.

The last thing Royce expects is to be captured himself. But the lovely young woman who tends to his wounds in the tropics quickly takes hold of his heart. Simone is the island’s healer, and her skilled ministrations not only awaken his soul but disturb his conscience. His path has been predetermined; his identity must remain concealed at all costs. Yet the passion he feels in Simone’s sultry, loving arms cannot be denied. With his loyalties torn, Royce must make an agonizing, unthinkable choice. . . .


Excerpt:

He squeezed past the door into the shadowed space. Simone’s fragrance surrounded him, the musky undertones muddying his brain.

She sat on the floor in the corner, grains, seeds, and berries to her side, spread out for the pigeons. They poked their heads through the metal slats in their cage and ate like gluttons. Chickens strutted freely, pecking their food.

Simone stood. The hens scattered. “Are you all right?”

Exhausted and aroused. “Fine.”

“You’re bleeding again.”

“Not much. You shouldn’t be doing this.”

Her chin trembled. “What? Speaking to you? Asking questions? You want me to be silent and unseen?”

He longed to be in her arms, comforted and warmed. Anchored to all the good he’d never really known. Her words proved true. This island had wonderful people. The best life had to offer. Nothing he deserved. “You’re a healer, not someone who tends chickens and birds. Peter should be doing this. Is he a lazy boy?”

She lowered her face, hiding her smile. “A surly one. He thinks he knows everything. Too many times, Diana has promised to thrash him.”

“Good for her. A proper man needs manners. Let me help you.” Eager to reach her, he strode recklessly.

A hen flapped its wings, going right and left to escape his crutch, its squawk ear-piercing. The other chickens scattered, many getting in his way. He twisted to keep from falling.

“Take care.” Simone slipped her arm around his waist, her precious breast pressed to his side.

Surrendering to loneliness and enchantment, he leaned in, his face to her hair. The English countryside couldn’t compete with her blessed scent. Nature had met its equal in her. He nuzzled her glossy tresses. No matter how wrong and irrational his desire, for some reason he’d found home at her side.

Pity he’d managed that too late.

He should have moved away but hadn’t the will.

She guided him to a bed nearly as large as the one in his chamber. This lavish room, like his, boasted a marble floor and whitewashed walls. A lovely place for a new life to take its first breath.

She laid his crutch to the side. “Sit before you fall.” Gently, she pushed him on the silk-covered mattress.


He made a show of falling down.

Her laughter pealed through the room.

Royce feigned insult. “Are you making light of me?”

“Oui.”

His laugh produced happy tears. “Have you no pity for a poor cripple?”

“I have never seen a stronger man.” She held her hands behind her, breasts thrust out, and swayed her hips slowly.

Aphrodite in the flesh. “Is that what you think of me?”

“What I know. You survived a storm that nearly tore our isle from the earth and flung it into the sky. You are no mere man. You are close to a god.”

He was a liar when honor demanded he do nothing to ruin anything here. He was a besotted fool when duty required he see to his family. His mother and sisters had no power to liberate themselves. Without his help, Katie, especially, would know nothing except a life spent in hard labor, cowering at harsh words, dreading the next beating or something equally horrible.

Simone cupped his face. “What is it? Is the pain bad again?”

The worse a man could face. Having to choose between angels: the one in here now with him, or those in his family who he’d been trying to save.



Website  –  FB  – FB Fanpage  – Twitter  –  Amazon Author Page

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Finding a Message in Your Books by @KathyKulig

As an author, do you write a message or have a specific theme in your books? As a reader do you look for messages, possibly hidden ones, within the books you read? And if you do discover a message, what ones are your favorite?

All these ideas came to mind after reading a blog post where an author asked: Do you have messages in your books? If so, how do your readers respond?

I think authors tend to write a similar theme in most every book they write, even if they write in different genres.

Here are a few themes:

  • without trust, true love won’t survive
  • good triumphs over evil
  • money can’t buy happiness
  • home is where the heart is
  • let go of the past to grow and move forward
  • money can’t buy love
  • the strength of family can overcome hardship
  • don’t be afraid to reach for your dreams
  • there’s no place like home
  • let go of fear and take a chance of love
  • with courage love finds a way


After writing several books, I realized that last one (with courage love finds a way) seems to be my message in my books. Most of mine have the hero and heroine struggling, sometimes for the lives, over an outside person or situation. This is common in many romance novels, and I think it’s what draws readers to this genre.

In my stories, there’s an element of danger or devastating disappointment if the hero or heroine doesn’t succeed through the obstacle. My books may touch on some of these other themes too, but courage appears to be the strongest element, besides the romantic element, that resonates with me. That’s why I like to write adventure-type stories.

So what types of themes do you like to read? Or do you like to write?
Another side thought that came to mind while reading that author's blog post was a question a young couple asked of me while I was on vacation recently. Dh and I were in Punta Cana and chatting with a nice young couple who had just got married. They were on their honeymoon!

We told them we had gotten married in the islands too(St. Lucia), but that was almost 16 years ago, and we were very happy. The groom asked me what our secret was to a happy marriage. What a great question for a young married couple to ask us older folks.


I said, have a good sense of humor even during tough times, do fun things together, and don’t sweat the little sh*t. They seemed to like that. Do you have any marriage advice for this young couple???



HIS LOST MATE, a sexy paranormal romance, is an example of 'with courage love will find a way' theme.

Googleplay: http://bit.ly/21bvxOZ

BLURB: While on an excavation in the jungle, archaeology student Lauren Halpern uncovers an ancient mystery far beyond the average artifacts. Ancient evil, tragic love and danger surround her and the project leader Deven Chandler. Lauren senses the supernatural connection between them holds the key to the dark secrets and explains the heated passion they're trying to resist. But Deven, the scientist that he is, simply won't believe her esoteric beliefs or warnings.

Once they tumble into a sizzling affair the real trouble begins. From the ancient ruins, a ghost of a Mayan shaman lures them deeper to into the jungle where lies the deadliest evil of all. When danger arrives, can Deven learn to trust her and risk everything to save her?

Thursday, July 20, 2017

The Power of Music

I graduated from high school in 1974. (You do the math.) Throughout school, I listened to The Beatles, The Monkees, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Bread, Bobby Sherman. (I had such a crush on Bobby Sherman!) Yep, I was a pop music junkie. While most of my friends had their radios tuned to country music (it was Texas, after all), I bebopped around my bedroom to The Partridge Family.

I've always loved music. Any job became easier if I could listen to my favorite songs. When I started writing, music naturally went along with it. The type of music depends on what I'm writing. Sometimes I want to bebop along with those great '70s tunes. Sometimes a movie soundtrack will put me in the exact mood I need. Classical, rock, pop, soft instrumental. It all depends on the scene and the characters.

Imagine a funky bubblegum song playing instead of the "da dum da dum" you expect when Jaws is in the water. Doesn't work at all, does it? It's the same with writing. The music has to be right or the mood is broken.

I write erotic romance. I have to concentrate when I write a love scene for I want it to be right. I want the reader to *feel* everything my characters feel...every sigh, every kiss, every whisk of fingertips over bare skin. Listening to songs with lyrics distracts me during those crucial scenes, so I turn to New Age instrumentals. The strings, harps, and flutes all go along with the sexy mood I'm trying to convey.

Does music play an important part in your life? Tell me about it.

Lynn

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Get A Review Copy of Naughty Getaways

Last chance to sign up for the NAUGHTY GETAWAYS review tour! Eleven Sultry romance Stories by The Naughty Literati, perfect for your summer reading pleasure.


Including Contemporary, Fantasy, Historical, Magic, New Adult, Older Woman/Younger Man, Paranormal, Rubenesque, Sci-Fi, Stepbrother Romance & Threesome 

Terracotta Warriors ~ Berengaria Brown
Branden loves Sloan but he’s bisexual and craves a woman too. Will adding Naomi to the mix be a disaster or the solution they all need? *This is an enlarged and re-edited version of a formerly published story.

Dirty Diana ~ Francesca Hawley 
It’s Amateur Night at Gunnar Thorson’s strip club and Diana Rav intends to rock his world. She’s lush and sensual with generous curves she’s not afraid to move. Not anymore. She’s learned to love her body and is out to win Gunnar back with a sexy lap dance. 

An Unexpected Discovery ~ Regina Kammer 
A Parthian princess searching for the lost throne of her kingdom engages the services of a palace eunuch and discovers a treasure far more precious. 

Sinfully Hot ~ Tina Donahue 
A hotter-than-sin reaper. A badass demon. Hell doesn’t get steamier than this. 

Ice Queen ~ Nicole Austin 
In school, he was the bad boy this good girl couldn’t have. At work, he’s the boss, I’m his intern. Oh, and his dad just married my mom. It’s so wrong. We shouldn’t be doing this, but I love it. 

Peter’s Story ~ Suz deMello 
Peter Fortune, Earl Darlingside, awakened beside a corpse. Accused of homicide, he must change his dissolute ways or face life in prison. Barrister Roxanne Fox, called Foxy Roxy, is charged with his defense. Will desire derail Peter’s case? 

NY TIMES & USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR 
Tattoo Witch ~ Kathy Kulig 
At a seaside resort, Sam and Anita meet a mysterious owner of a tattoo shop, a witch whose magical tattoos grant scorching, kinky sex beyond their wildest fantasies—but there’s a catch. Each successive tattoo comes with a curse. 

FEATURING: 
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR 
Dolphin Paradise ~ Kate Richards 
Dr. Karen Barrow has no intention of falling into the bed of the most notorious ladies’ man at Oleander College, but a week alone with him may be her undoing. After all, who will know what they do on Dolphin Paradise before the campers arrive for the summer? 

Tropical Heat ~ Alice Gaines A proper English miss, a rake, and a tropical island. Imagine what could happen. 

INCLUDING TWO BONUS NOVELLAS
Royal Alphas: One Night With The Alpha King ~ Belle Scarlett 
When Senator Anya Fortune snubs His Royal Majesty’s wedding offer, Shade wonders what an Alpha King has to do to get the woman to notice him… Claim the one, hot night he’s given by law to change her mind, naturally. Let the game of hearts begin. Winner take all. *This previously published title has been revised and reedited* 

Summer Lovin’ ~ Nicole Austin 
Cougar on the prowl, Larissa Cross is ready for a summer full of hot younger man lovin’. Rawr! Tattooed and pierced fireman JD Harmon is tempting prey but he intends to tame the wicked cougar and stake a claim on her heart. *This previously published title has been revised and reedited* 

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

The Joy of Writer's Block by Suz deMello

The joy of writer's block??? WHAT?!?!?

The joy of writer's block is that it gives a person the opportunity to exercise her creativity in different ways. A couple months ago, I blogged about what I do when I’m blocked, which is practically all the time these days. Below is one of my approaches:

Paradoxically: stop trying. Yes, I actually mean stop writing. Instead, do something else that exercises your creativity. My favorite is refinishing old furniture. I recently moved back into my condo, where a tenant’s been living while I cared for my elderly mother. She’s with my brother now, so I can resume my life, and I love being back in my home. But there were a lot of built-ins in my mom's house, including a huge dresser, where about a third of my clothes had been residing. And I gave my now ex-boyfriend the storage I’d been using—which itself had been a rescue-and-refinish item. So I get to do the same thing all over again. Yay!

I love the process of finding the right piece, deciding what colors to paint it, discovering the perfect drawer pulls. But you have to have the temperament for this. You have to love wandering around thrift shops and hardware stores. I happen to, so I’m good.

On a lark, a friend and I stopped by a Goodwill furniture store on Memorial Day, and spotted a solid maple dresser for only $90:



I instantly knew that I had spotted a great deal, so I bought it. And at checkout, I discovered that the deal was even better than I’d thought—Memorial Day was half-off day at Goodwill! So YES! I got this treasure for only $45!

I called a Lyft and got it home, where (as you can see) I put it on my lawn. Why, you ask?

Most paint should be used in places with excellent ventilation. I also knew I’d be sanding, and didn’t want to breathe in the dust. Plus, I’m clumsy and guaranteed to get paint all over the place despite how careful I might be. So the lawn is perfect. So the grass gets paint on it—so what? It grows out and gets cut.

Stage one: taking out drawers, sanding and applying the first coat.




I chose a chalk paint on the advice of a gal at my local hardware store, who seemed well versed in the Shabby Chic school of furniture refinishing, and that’s a look I love. So I tried it.






After sanding, I got a beautiful distressed look (above). However, that paint was not going to stay on and look beautiful. It flaked off when scratched with a fingernail. So I opted for a more conventional look—used primer and an acrylic based paint, topped by a spray varnish.

In the middle of the process, it unexpectedly rained:




But I was undeterred. Because of the rain and generally odd weather (anyone doubt global climate change? I don’t. It’s not supposed to rain so much in June in SacTown, and this year it rained a lot.) I moved everything undercover:





As you can see, I chose white with the drawer fronts in pale grey. I decided upon this color scheme for a few reasons—my default color for almost everything is white. I like my home to be light and bright. As for the grey, that was about the drawer pulls. This dresser has a bizarre number of drawer pulls—twenty. No, you didn’t misread that. There are twenty drawer pulls on a dresser with nine drawers. On top of that they are in two different sizes.

The ones that came with the dresser were hideous faux early American. Clearly intolerable. When I went to a hardware store to choose new pulls, only one type came in two sizes, the cup style ones I chose. They came in brushed silver, so I chose grey drawer fronts in hope that they would sort of blend together and the finished piece wouldn’t look so busy.

I also decided against the distressed look...after I had painted the thing with multiple coats of primer and paint, and then sprayed it with polyurethane finish, it was really hard to sand through all that to get the beat-up look. So I opted for letting it be.

And here it is, in place in my bedroom:




What do you think?

Friday, July 14, 2017

Annual CHRISTMAS IN JULY Contest at Romance Books '4' Us! by Marianne Stephens



HO-HO-HO! Romance Books '4' Us announces our BIG, annual "CHRISTMAS IN JULY" contest! Visit our website at http://www.romancebooks4us.com for details. 

Authors and prizes are listed. Gift cards, ebooks, audio books, print books, and other assorted items are listed. TWO winners will each receive a $25 GC for Amazon or B&N, and FIVE other winners will split the remaining 30+ prizes.
 
Have you been Naughty or Nice? Enter the RB4U contest and see what Santa decides! Contest ends 23 July so enter NOW!

RB4U has lots of authors and their books for your to see...check each author's page!

 Marianne Stephens
http://www.mariannestephens.net
http://www.romancebooks4us.com
 

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Attempting to write longer stories



The Naughty Literati are planning a project for next year with longer stories in it, around 30,000 words or a little more. Most of my books are short. I get bored quickly and like a lot of action, so of the more than 100 books I’ve written 70% of them would be 25,000 words or fewer. And most of the longer ones got that way by accident. The characters kept running off on tangents instead of solving the problem and riding away into the sunset together.

Characters do that sometimes. Refuse to listen to the writer, I mean. There was this ghost… but that’s another story.

One classic case of my inability to write longer books was a Regency romance I began that was meant to climax at the Coronation of King George IV. I spent weeks researching that coronation—the clothing, the event itself, the people who were there and more. The coronation was a really big deal, costing twenty times as much as George’s father’s coronation, the equivalent of around 26 million dollars in today’s terms. All for a one-hour-long ceremony. I even planned to mention that George’s wife, Caroline of Brunswick, was banned by George himself from attending the event.

But hey, the characters refused to cooperate. My hero, the Reverend Barnabas Ridley was in such a hurry to marry the heroine, Georgina Arnott, that the book was finished in barely 20,000 words instead of my planned 45,000.



It was also finished well before the coronation, so I wrote the story of Barnabas’ sister, Theodora. But once again the main characters seized hold of the storyline and raced off with it.



Undaunted, I began the story of the stunningly beautiful Miss Sapphira Arnott, but the Earl of Mitcham appeared out of nowhere and took control of that. I never did write about the coronation.

So wish me luck with this new project. The plan is for one longer book to go in the boxed set. Not a series of three shorter ones that won’t be right for the group.

The Regency books mentioned above are the Virgins No More series, https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B00YX5ANK0/kindle/ref=sr_bookseries_null_B00YX5ANK0

And the ghost?
Oh, he took over an entire series of books, the “Forever Yours” series.


https://www.amazon.com/Forever-Yours-Intensity-Complexity-Publishing/dp/1610342526/
or available separately as ebooks:
“Intensity”: https://www.amazon.com/Intensity-Siren-Publishing-Menage-Amour-ebook/dp/B003LSTKLI
“Complexity”: https://www.amazon.com/Complexity-Siren-Publishing-Menage-Amour-ebook/dp/B00440E0H6/
“Eternity”: https://www.amazon.com/Eternity-sequel-Intensity-Complexity-Publishing-ebook/dp/B004FV54L0/

Berengaria Brown

Thursday, July 6, 2017

From the Past to the Future

by Katherine Kingston

I’ve just finished releasing the Passions series of Medieval historical stories. I love the period and it’s been great revisiting it as I got these books ready for their re-release. But now it’s time to move onto something different. Something really different.

I’m jumping from the past to the future for my next re-release. This novella was so much fun to write! It was an assignment from my publisher at the time to write a novella to be included in an anthology of stories about space pirates. I set my imagination free to roam the universe and brainstorm the most out-there story I could come up with.

I think it worked. The story, Checkmate, has a hero and heroine who are both space pirates, though for very different reasons. They meet and fall in love, then are parted when a significant secret comes to light. But when they cross paths with the Sangari, they get trapped into competing as a team in a series of bizarre “games” that include various sorts of gladiatorial type of combat scenarios, but also some other contests that include odd sexual tests among other things.

A quick taste of one of the contests:

************

“I’ll worry about today’s problem today. I hate to ask, but…have they assigned me something to wear?”

The two men looked at each other. “I fear so.”

She sighed. “Just hand it over. I’ll do what I have to.”

He handed her a pile of fluffy, gauzy stuff that would obviously cover nothing. “You put this over it,” he added, passing something of a heavier material.

Devonne shook out the lighter fabric to find harem pants, tied together with ribbons at hips and ankles, and a tunic top also fastened with ribbons at shoulders and sides. It was all in shades of pale pink and green. “Yech. Somebody’s got really terrible taste. And pink is not my color at all. I hope it doesn’t put Raje off.”

The lawyers looked at each with a shade of relief lightening each face. They really had been worried about her reaction. Then his attorney grinned. “I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

“Well I hope not. He’s got the tougher job today. I can hardly wait to see how they’ve outfitted him.”

“It’s…interesting,” Whetlock said. “I think he may be more embarrassed about it than you are.”

************

Want to know what Raje is wearing?

Checkmate releases on August 1 and is now available for pre-order.

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0735WJ4Q4
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/checkmate-katherine-kingston/1020150183
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1252141121
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/checkmate-71

Blurb: Devonne and Raje are space pirates who were once also lovers, until the revelation of secrets in his past drove them apart. But when they’re kidnapped and forced to compete in a drastic and devastating series of contests, they need to find a way to work together, or they’ll each end up with a one-way ticket to a slave labor camp.

Monday, July 3, 2017

American Revolution Erotic Romance for July 4th!

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day, where Americans celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, severing ties with Great Britain and starting the American Revolution.

So of course I've written some American Revolution erotic romance!

The General’s Wife: An American Revolutionary Tale

An English Lady and a handsome American Patriot in a battle for her heart – will she submit to the enemy?

Seduced Into Marriage
Lady Clara Hastings is forced to leave her beloved England by her wicked husband, the infamous British general Lord Jeremy Strathmore. They arrive upon the shores of the uncivilized American colonies amidst the outbreak of that young nation's struggle for independence.

Kidnapped And Held For Ransom
Among Strathmore's enemies is a man Clara secretly desires. As his captive, she learns of her husband's debauched and sadistic past, and discovers her own passions and proclivities.

A Quest For Freedom
In the clutches of Patriot fighters, Clara’s beliefs are challenged, her values are threatened, and she is caught up in a battle for her heart in the arms of a handsome American revolutionary.

Epic Passion During the American Revolution
The General's Wife: An American Revolutionary Tale is a high-heat historical romance set in New York of 1777. This coming of age action and adventure romance follows a young woman’s adventure as she discovers new desires in rebel arms. Each man she encounters enlightens her to the varieties of love, including that of a man for another man, a man for both men and women, and the excitement of mingling pain with pleasure.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble/Nook Press * Google Play * iBooks * Inktera * Kobo


Winter Interlude: An American Revolutionary Novelette

On a cold winter’s night in 1778, two patriot soldiers recall their first sensual encounter and ponder their future together with the women they love.

Winter Interlude: An American Revolutionary Novelette is a prequel and interquel companion piece to The General’s Wife: An American Revolutionary Tale. This story delves into the relationship between Captain Samuel Taylor and Lieutenant Patrick Hamilton. Much of the action of Winter Interlude takes place in the gap between Chapter Twenty-Three and Chapter Twenty-Four of The General’s Wife.

Winter Interlude: An American Revolutionary Novelette appears in Naughty Chances: Take A Chance on Romance produced by The Naughty Literati.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble/Nook Press * Google Play * Kobo


About the Author

Regina Kammer is a librarian, an art historian, and an award-nominated, best-selling, multi-published writer of erotica and historical erotic romance. Her short stories and novels make history sexier, whether the era is Roman, Byzantine, Viking, American Revolution, or Victorian. She’s even sexed up contemporary settings, Steampunk, and Greco-Roman mythology. She has been published by Cleis Press, Go Deeper Press, Ellora’s Cave, House of Erotica, Story Ink, The Naughty Literati, and her own imprint, Viridium Press. She began writing historical fiction with romantic elements during National Novel Writing Month 2006, switching to erotica when all her characters suddenly demanded to have sex.

Keep up with Regina on her website
Subscribe to her newsletter Kammerotica News
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