7x7x7 Challenge and a New Book on My EVAH Growing TBR Pile! Thanks, Christy Reece!!

So, I'm trying to blog more because I recently received some advice about conquering what you're scared of but want with a passion. So being more dedicated about blogging is one of those steps. Buuut, I ain't gonna lie. My posts probably won't be really long or deep but more just random stuff that pops into this slightly neurotic, a lot crazy head. Fair warning... :-)

First up! Aliyah Burke tagged me for this WIP (Work in Progress) challenge of Facebook. I know. I should've posted this on FB, but I'm cheating. Sue me! So it's called the 7x7x7 challenge. I have to go to page 7 of my current WIP, then go to line 7, post 7 lines as is. These lines are from the book I'm neck-deep in now that's due at the end of the month and I have no title for yet. Scene takes place at a bachelor auction...since it's a Bachelor Auction novel. My heroine, Khloe, has arrived with her best friend to find--buy--Khloe a date so she can use him to get her man! Here goes!

***

Trouble was, she didn’t have a great résumé where men were concerned.  One had stolen a project idea from her, received a promotion as a result of her hard work then took off for a new European office, breaking up with her via a PM on Facebook.

The other? Well, the other had stolen her virginity and her heart...

Anyway, Bennett--with his genteel, warm manner, brilliance, and kindness--was her chance at a life filled with love, companionship, and stability. He wouldn't abandon her, leaving her confused and hurting.  

And he definitely wouldn't break up with her on social media.

***

That was eight lines...Hee-hee! Aaaand...There's a new book in the Last Chance Rescue series by Christy Reece! RUNNING ON EMPTY!! Aaaaarrrggghhh!! I can't contain myself! Can you tell? LOL!! Here's the blurb!

The Danger has begun...

Having survived a brutal childhood, Sabrina Fox believed she could handle anything. That was before she watched the love of her life die before her very eyes. Brokenhearted, her emotions on lockdown, she finds purpose and hope as an LCR Elite Operative rescuing victims from some of the most volatile places in the world.

Covert ops agent Declan Steele is used to a life of danger and deceit, but when the one person he trusted and believed in above all others sets him up, he’ll stop at nothing to make her pay. Finally rescued from his hellish prison, Declan has one priority—hunt down Sabrina Fox and exact his revenge.

Trusting no one is a lonely, perilous path. Sabrina swears she’s innocent and Declan must make a decision--trust his heart or his head. As memories of their life together returns, he realizes just how treacherous his torture had been and the target of his revenge shifts. But when Sabrina is taken, retribution is the last thing on his mind. With the assistance of Last Chance Rescue Elite, Declan races to rescue the only woman he has ever loved before it’s too late.  
I can't wait to get my greedy little paws on it!! You can buy here!

Y'all have a won-der-ful Hump Day!!

Meet My Character Blog Tour! My Turn!

I’m delighted to be joining a group of wonderful writers in the “Meet My Character Blog Tour”, where we tell readers about our super cool heroes and heroines. In my humble opinion, that is. J Today, I’m going to introduce my brooding, aloof and wounded hero, Chayot Grey from my most recent release, SECRETS AND SINS: CHAYOT, book 4 in the Secrets and Sins series available from Entangled Publishing on August 4th. A security specialist with a dark past, equally dark secrets but a desperate need to be loved—even if he doesn’t realize it.  

First off, let me give a rousing and boisterous thank you to the faaaabulous Stacy Reid for inviting me to join in on the fun! Have you read Stacy’s books? *gasp* Why the &%$#@!% not? You have no idea what you’re missing. She’s my newest must-buy-I-don’t-even-have-to-read-the-blurb author. Here’s her bio:

I am an avid reader of novels with a deep passion for writing. I especially love romance and adore writing about people falling in love. I live a lot in the worlds I create and actively speak to my characters (out loud). I have a warrior way, never give up on my dreams. When I am not writing, I spend a copious amount of time drooling over Rick Grimes from Walking Dead, watching Japanese anime and playing video games with my love, Dusean.

Stacy’s most recent release is THE IRRESISTABE MISS PEPPIWELL, Book 2 in her House of Calydon series, a sizzling historical romance series, is now available from Entangled Publishing. You can read an excerpt here!  You may find out more about Stacy on her website!

Meet My Character…

Chayot Grey is co-owner of Liberty Security Services, a very successful Boston based security firm. In the last few months, his life has been shaken, his valued privacy rendered non-existent as his life and those of his three best friends—men he considers brothers—have become fodder for the media. A secret the four men had protected for twenty years was exposed months ago, and Chay is silently reeling from the fall-out. His one joy has been witnessing Gabe, Mal, and Rafe find the women who are their other halves, and fall in love with them. It alleviates the guilt he suffers even as he acknowledges, the kind of happiness his friends have experienced isn’t for him. His secrets are too dark, his past too haunted—his soul too tainted.

The backdrop for the story:

The story takes place in current day Boston, Massachusetts. Chay and Rafe’s office is located in Beacon Hill, while he lives in the quiet, upscale suburb of Canton.

What drives Chay?

After the turmoil and pain of his childhood and the glaring, unrelenting exposure of the last few months, he seeks peace, solitude, anonymity. To be left alone. One of the fallouts of his secret and past coming to light is court-mandated counseling sessions. These sessions are a special kind of torture for him, as he has to relive what he’d rather forget—which he craves. Oblivion and forgetfulness. There’s a certain peace in numbness.

What thwarts his plans?

His fiery, stubborn, uncensored and sexy neighbor of three months—Aslyn Jericho. He’s been a fan of the dynamic concert pianist for years. So he is aware of the attack made on her life by an obsessed fan months ago. She’s suffered and is wounded herself, but her will, her spirit, her passion challenges him, hammers at the shield of ice he’s erected around his heart. And when the terror she’s survived seems to resurface with terrifying incident after incident, he cannot keep his distance—or his heart.

Here's where you meet the authors I hit up to keep this blog going... *crickets* See, what had happened was the people I asked were all like, I'd love to but... Sooo, I'm short my authors, but still hunting so check back here! Anyhoo, hoped you enjoyed meeting Chay! 

 

Oh Jesus.

If I had the sense God gave a gnat, I wouldn’t be approaching this dark house in an isolated section of Dublin, Ireland by myself…at night…armed with nothing but an Ipad and a recorder. Not that a gun or sword—or hell, a freakin’ nuclear bomb—could protect me from what waits on the other side of this door. Let’s face it. If the creature I’m here to see is in a bad mood, I’m screwed.

And soooo not in a good way.

One more knock on the door. Just one more, than story or no story, I’m outta here…

Day-aamn.

A petite, slim female with long, dark hair stands motionless inside her open doorway. Eyes the color of brilliant lightning stare at me, unblinking. Measuring. As if determining which of my body parts she should cleave off first.

Sinéad, the cruxim—the Black Angel—who hunts  in the territory of Dublin for vampires, the cruxim’s mortal, or rather immortal, enemies.

And the person—using that term veeery loosely—I’m here to interview.

Sinéad: (crossing her arms) Well aren’t you brave?

Me: Umm…excuse me?

Sinéad: Just showing up here… And assuming I won’t kill you on sight.

Me: Er, uh…wow. I think that’s against the rules…isn’t it? I’m human. You protect me, not slice ‘n dice me.

Sinéad: (shakes her head) You chroniclers. You totally miss the meaning behind “secret race”. And for the record, I don’t protect you. I hunt and execute vampires who just happen to find you a tasty snack. Let’s face it, if they decided to become vegetarians tomorrow, there would be a surplus in crops and you’d be on your own.

Niiiiice. I would respond, but as she shuts the door and turns around, the sight of the scabbard strapped across her back with the hilt of a silver gladius jutting out steals my voice. Nervously, I circle my throat with my hand and heave a silent sigh of relief. Whew. Still intact.

Me: (clearing my throat) Duncan MacLeod has a watcher, you have me.

Sinéad: (snorts) Turn off your fear, chronicler. The stink of it is offensive. I haven’t killed you…

“Yet” hangs in the room like a string of gaudy Christmas lights in mid-February. I swallow—hard—and try to summon a smile and hide my fear. Snicker. Riiiight. I’d forgotten the female is an empath as well as a fierce warr—

Me: (gasp) What the hell?

Sinéad: (whirling around in a crouch, her hand reaching behind her head) What? What?

Me: (horrified, pointing to the table in the living room) Potato chips. Cereal? What the hell? You drink vampire blood not, not…snacks! And what’s that on television? Television? Since when did you start watching—what is that? Twilight?

Sinéad: (slowly straightening and grumbling something totally unintelligible) Mimeumingow.

Me: What did you just say?

Sinéad: (whirling around with a snarl) I said, I’m human now. All I do is sit on the couch, eat and watch television. And cry at those damn Hallmark commercials.

Maybe my face says all the WTF racing through my head because she huffs out a breath and shoves a hand over her head. Another shock. On any other woman the gesture would be frustration, but cruxim don’t do frustration. They’re emotionless. They don’t do…anything.

Sinéad: Stop moving your mouth up and down like a fecking fish. Shite.

Fecking? Shite? Fu—Ohhh. The Irish accent through me off for a bit… Then the import of all she’s confessed rolls over me like that first wave of 4 am Black Friday shoppers at Walmart.

Me: Good. God. You’re, uh…I mean, what happened?

Sinéad: (sigh) A wounded hippogryph male. Blood. The only kind act I’ve ever done in my life and now I’m…this. Humans are right. No good deed goes unpunished. Now I’m a damn walking meat suit.

God. I feel so sorry for her. So sorry I don’t even take offense at being called a “walking meat suit”. I probably will be later, but not now.

Me: You should be out hunting. But obviously…

Sinéad: (viciously rubs the heels of her palms over her eyes. I can’t help but wince) All I’ve known for three hundred years is fighting, killing…blood. Now I’m in an unfamiliar body, with out-of-control emotions and an appetite for flat, deep fried potatoes. I’m so. Damn. Lost.

Me: (whispering) Are you scared?

Sinéad: (drops her arms and stares at me) I’ve never been afraid. Never feared dying. I still don’t. But I am terrified of every morning when the sun rises and it’s another day in this skin. Another day when I can feel my soul screaming…

As she trails off an uncomfortable silence fills the room. She’s probably horrified at the display of emotion, and I… Well I just don’t know what to say. Hallmark doesn’t have a card for “I’m sorry your life just went to hell in gasoline drawers. Thinking of you!” Yeah. Words are pretty much inadequate. Really there’s only one thing I can give her...

Me: Your secret’s safe with me. I won’t tell anyone.

Sinéad: (her eyes narrowing) A chronicler? Not telling a story?

Me: (shaking my head) Not this one. It’s yours to tell.

There’s a slight softening on her face that I would have never thought I’d see on one of these Black Angels.

Sinéad: (bows her head) Thank you then.

Me: No problem. I’m going to, uh, y’know, go. Leave you to your (I do a finger crinkle at her snack buffet and television marathon) whatever.

I turn around to leave, but damn… I just have to ask. I have to!

Me: One thing. (she arches an eyebrow) Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob? (My eyes widen as she slowly reaches for the sword behind her back) Gotcha. Nunya, right? Nunya bizness. Okay. See you, um, well. Yeah. See you.

I rush out of the room and the house as quick as my boots can slap the floor. Jesus, Mary and Joseph. I need a drink.

Buy Bitten by Ecstasy here!

Dark Judgment, Book Two

A brutal attack left Bastien Sarris for dead. But a chance encounter with a mysterious female drags him back from the brink of death—and transforms the hippogryph healer into a monster he doesn’t recognize. Now a terrible hunger consumes him—one that is becoming impossible to satisfy. Desperate for a cure, he hunts the cruxim who cursed him to a hellish existence. But the petite warrior ignites a fierce desire for her body that overwhelms the sweet call of blood.

For three hundred years Sinéad lived and hunted as a cruxim—a winged vampire hunter. But one sacrificial act stripped her immortality, leaving her human, vulnerable and unprepared for the reappearance of Bastien in her life. The hippogryph is harder and colder than she remembers…and he triggers an onslaught of need within her that is as powerful as it is unfamiliar. She craves his kiss, his touch. Yet even as she surrenders to this newfound passion, she faces a crucial decision—betray the man she’s come to love and regain her immortality or save Bastien and condemn herself to a human life and death.

The Mystery Men of Ignite...Gabriel Revealed!

Sigh.

Yeah, that’s what I do when I think about the men of Ignite, Entangled’s suspense line. Hot. Explosive. Dangerous but, whew boy, do they keep you warm…burning up…like feverish…

Yeah...

Riiight. Focus.

Gabriel Devlin, the hero of my Entangled Ignite book Secrets and Sins: Gabriel, embodies those qualities…and then some! When the book opens, Gabriel is volatile, combustible. He’s teeters on the edge because of the tragic loss of his wife and son two years earlier. He vacillates between grief, anger, and reluctant acceptance. And then throw in the growing, resented desire he’s feeling for his best friend, Leah Bannon…yeah, it’s a situation firmly set on 10…9…8…7…6…

While plotting Gabriel and visualizing who my hero reminded me of, one man immediately came to mind. You know that guy on—okay, you knew it wasn't going to be that easy!

Here is my inspiration for Gabriel:

 I can hear you now: His back. Then a whispered aside to the person next to you: This chick is loose! Is she serious?

Yes! Look at his back. Now get past the total hotness of the cut muscles. Notice the scars and the tattoo. The mystery man who inspired Gabriel wears his scars on his skin, and my hero wears his on his soul and heart. Both men have faced torture and survived to tell the tale. And also, the tattoo? Aside from its total hotness, the tattoo states he’s not afraid of commitment.

Do you know who he is yet?

Shh! Don't tell but one last cheating pic:

Okay, no more! You’ll drag no more info out of me! Not even if you threatened to pry my fingernails off. Or bust my knee caps…or make me sit through a 24 hour marathon of Mariah Carey’s Glitter.

Now all week from August 5^th to the 8^th Ignite authors Maya Blake, Kay David, Eve Devon, Stephanie Feagan, Joya Fields, Elle James, and Cathy Perkins will also be posting body part pics  and dropping clues to the mystery men who inspired their heroes. More man flesh and dangerous, sexy heroes!!

Here’s the line-up:

Monday: Kay David and Stephanie Feagan

Tuesday: Joya Fields and Maya Blake

Wednesday: Cathy Perkins and Me!

Thursday: Elle James and Eve Devon

Come give us your answers or best guesses at The Mystery Men of Ignite…Revealed! Facebook event on Thursday, August 8^th from 7 to 9 pm! We're dropping more hints, having tons of laughs and giving away prizes, including a special journal to record your own secrets and sins in from moi and a $100 Amazon Gift Card!

Make sure you visit these awesome authors all four days to pick up clues to their mystery heroes to win more prizes! Don't forget to join us on Thursday! See you there!!

The Grave - Part 4

Desperate, he escaped the room. He bolted through the back door and the cold, fresh air slapped him in the face. He sucked in a deep breath, thankful for air free of tears and pain, and dropped to the top step of the back porch.

Tears burned his eyes. Fear surged up in his chest and he blinked furiously. If he started crying he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop. With a sigh, he scrubbed his palms over his face, pressing them to his gritty, burning eyes. It had been forty-eight hours since he’d last slept. But it had also been forty-eight hours since the nightmares had plagued him. Forty-eight hours since he’d jerked awake, a hoarse cry razing his throat.

If only he hadn’t suggested they drive separate cars to the Christmas party. If only he’d driven in front of Maura instead of following her and Ian. If only, if only…so many damn “if only”s. Even now he could hear the squeal of rubber tires. The screech of metal colliding with metal. Maura’s whispered pleas to save Ian first…Ian’s terrible silence. The acrid scent of burning gasoline invaded the cold, crisp breeze, and Gabriel sucked in several breaths, his heart working double time to keep up. Gold dots appeared in his suddenly dim vision and black streaks encroached on his vision, threatening to drag him under …

The gentle touch on his back was a length of rope he grasped and clung to with frantic hands. The length of thigh pressed to his drew him back over the ledge. The delicate, familiar vanilla and peppermint shoved back the dark.

Leah rested her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his back and waist. She didn’t speak; she didn’t ask him how he was doing or offer condolences for his loss. She just held him. Unlike Ana, Gabriel didn’t have the urge to shove her away. As always, the woman with the bewitching green eyes, quiet strength and gentleness slipped under his guard. Since she’d been a child Leah had commandeered a piece of his heart, and where his best friends couldn’t offer him the comfort of holding him, touching him, she could. The warmth of her arms and body melted the chill encasing him.

How long they sat there, he didn’t know. When the tears came, he had no idea. He wasn’t aware of dragging Leah into his lap, clutching her to him, and sobbing out his grief into her neck.

Through it all Leah bore him up so he didn’t plummet into the abyss of insanity that clawed at him.

She was his…sanctuary.

***

To read Part 3, click here.

To read Part 2, click here.

To read Part 1, click here.

 

Twenty years ago, Leah Bannon’s beloved Uncle Richard vanished without a trace. Leah, now a private investigator, begins to suspect it was murder. When she reopens the cold case, Gabriel Devlin—-the man she loves but can never have—-inexplicably stands in her way.
          Only four people know the truth about Richard’s mysterious disappearance—-Gabriel and three childhood friends...who have all sworn to take that secret to the grave. But a hidden enemy wants those shocking secrets brought to light...even if he has to kill to make it happen.
          After experiencing an unimaginable loss two years ago, Gabriel refuses to put himself through the pain of loving someone who could be gone in an instant. But as he thwarts Leah’s investigation at every turn—-both to keep his friends’ pact, and to keep her safe from danger—-the sexy PI makes it impossible for him to protect his secrets. Or his heart...

Purchase here!

 

 

The Grave - Part 3

Hours later Gabriel threaded through his in-laws’ living room packed with mourners and well-wishers. He moved like a wraith, insubstantial, barely grounded to the floor. He dimly heard the murmured condolences, hardly felt the consoling touches. A dense, invisible wall had erected around him five days ago. A wall that didn’t permit compassion or kindness. If he allowed even the tiniest bit of emotion to filter through, than the grief—the horrible, clawing grief—would rip pass his defenses and splinter his mind into so many shards he wouldn’t be able to assemble them together again.

“Would that be so bad?” a dark, seductive voice whispered.

How many times in the past week had he pleaded with God to take him too? Let him go into a sweet sleep and never wake from it? Then he would join Maura and Ian in eternity; they would be a family once more.

But each morning he woke, alone and hurting so much he couldn’t comprehend how he continued to function. How a heart that didn’t exist could still pump blood to his organs, forcing him to live. And each morning, he hated God a little more. His very Catholic mother would gasp at that admission and perform the sign of the cross for her son’s blasphemy.

But it was true.

 “Gabe.” The hoarse cry echoed the depths of pain buried beneath the layers and layers of ice in his chest. “She’s really gone. My baby is gone.” Janie O’Keefe, Maura’s mother, lumbered forward, her gait unsteady and reeling. Before he could guess her intention, she threw herself against his chest. She enfolded him in her arms and wept, her body shaking with jagged sobs.

On reflex, Gabriel clutched her arms, prepared to wrench away. The shock of her touch and overwhelming display of emotion threatened the protective barrier around his own feelings. And perversely, a small part of him envied Janie her freedom to surrender to the pain.

“Come on, Mrs. O’Keefe.” Chay appeared out of nowhere, his quiet murmur both gentle and firm. His friend wrapped an arm around her shuddering shoulders and loosened her desperate hold. With low, soothing words, Chay guided the sobbing woman toward the brightly lit kitchen. Gabriel remained frozen, aware of the pitying glances cast between him and Janie.

It proved too damn much.

***

To read Part 2 click here.

To read Part 1 click here.

Part 4 of The Grave concluded on June 10th...

The Grave - Part 2

Leah.

His best friend. His mother had worked as housekeeper in her family’s home for years, and her father had been a father figure to him since his own had disappeared long before Gabe was born. Leah and James Bannon were as much family as the three men standing next to him.

“Gabe.”

He started, tore his gaze away from Leah and met blue eyes as familiar to him as his face. Ana Devlin, his mother, squeezed his hand, grief heavy on her face.

“It’s over, Gabe,” she whispered. “Are you ready to go?”

Panicked, he jerked his head back to the casket. Already employees of the funeral home were removing the flowers, and people headed across the cemetery to their waiting cars. No, his mind screamed. Terror and agony shredded him, and he wondered why his blood didn’t seep into the withered grass at his feet. Nothing should hurt this bad and not bleed.

He must have released a bit of that animal-like howl because Chay shifted closer and grasped his shoulder in a hard grip, as if bracing him. Or prevent him from leaping in the earth with Maura and Ian.

“You go ahead, Aunt Ana,” Malachim murmured. “We’ll stay with Gabe and bring him with us.”

“If you’re sure,” his mother stammered. “I can wait, too.”

“No,” Rafe assured her, his voice low, soothing. “We have him.”

Gabriel couldn’t rip his eyes from the white, large box that a crane slowly lowered into the ground with an eerie creak reminiscent of a raven’s caw.

He couldn’t leave, couldn’t force his feet to move from this place where his wife and son would find eternal rest. God help him, he couldn’t leave them behind.

***

To read Part 1 of The Grave, click here.

Part 3 of The Grave continued on July 8th...

The Grave - Part 1

When Gabriel Devlin's story begins in Secrets and Sins: Gabriel, two years have passed since the deaths of his wife and son. Below is the prequel to his story...where it really begins...

***

The grave gaped wide like a dark maw in the earth, eager to swallow up the casket that perched above it. Bouquets of colorful flowers draped the closed lid, seeming incongruous with the priest’s solemn prayer and the overcast, grey sky, heavy with the promise of snow.

Gabriel Devlin stared at the white casket, large enough for the wife and son that rested within its depths. Grief squeezed his heart in its icy grip. He shivered and wondered if he would ever be warm again. His gaze returned to the scarred earth and received his answer.

No, he would never know the warmth of love again.

His breath hitched and his throat burned with the tears he refused to shed. Though his mother flanked one side of him and his best friends, Malachim Jerrod, Raphael Marcel, and Chayot Grey positioned themselves on the other like tall, silent sentinels, he was alone, separated from everyone and everything else but his grief.

The priest’s monotone offered up a prayer, commending Maura and Ian’s spirits into God’s keeping. Rage clawed at his chest. God had entrusted them into Gabriel’s hands, why had He chosen to take them from him? Had he done such a horrible job?

He squeezed his eyes shut, guilt flaying the skin from his soul. When he reopened them, he stared off into the distance, needing to look at anything but the casket that contained his family’s remains.

As his gaze skimmed the crowds, only a few met his eyes, most skittering away as if unable to stare into the face of sorrow. Hell, he knew what he looked like. A gaunt, empty-eyed caricature of the man he’d been.

His gaze settled on a tall, slim figure. As he stared the woman lifted her dark head and eyes as green as the leaves on top of the casket met his. Unlike the others, she didn’t avoid his stare, but held it. Sympathy, sorrow, and love glistened, along with her tears.

Leah.

***

Part 2 of The Grave continues on Wednesday, July 3rd...

 

Twenty years ago, Leah Bannon’s beloved Uncle Richard vanished without a trace. Leah, now a private investigator, begins to suspect it was murder. When she reopens the cold case, Gabriel Devlin—-the man she loves but can never have—-inexplicably stands in her way.
          Only four people know the truth about Richard’s mysterious disappearance—-Gabriel and three childhood friends...who have all sworn to take that secret to the grave. But a hidden enemy wants those shocking secrets brought to light...even if he has to kill to make it happen.
          After experiencing an unimaginable loss two years ago, Gabriel refuses to put himself through the pain of loving someone who could be gone in an instant. But as he thwarts Leah’s investigation at every turn—-both to keep his friends’ pact, and to keep her safe from danger—-the sexy PI makes it impossible for him to protect his secrets. Or his heart...

 

 

Secrets and Sins: Gabriel Blog Tour and "Boston Strong" Swag Pack Giveaway!

The Secrets and Sins: Gabriel Blog Tour has officially started! The tour runs from June 24th through July 24th with various stops and blogs about secrets...sins...songs about stalkers... Hee-hee!

Up for grabs at the end of the tour is an Amazon Gift Card and Gabriel's "Boston Strong" swag pack, which includes a Boston Strong tee and matching tote bag! Just enter through the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here are the dates and places of where I'll be for the next month! Come visit me at these sites through the tour. I'd love to see you there!
Naima

Flowers, George Washington and My Trusty Kindle!

Stop #3 on my When-I-Go-To-Boston-I-Must-See-This Tour!

The Boston Public Garden. While my husband abandons me to go and visit Fenway Park after I've dragged him to Sondra Celli's dress shop, The Freedom Trail and Charles Street for shopping, I would stop by one of Boston's famous parks, located right in the heart of downtown Boston. It's like an oasis of vibrant, colorful flowers and trees with a lake, beautiful bridge and swan boats.

And the statues. Sigh. Did I mention the statues? The towering bronze figure of George Washington on his horse, the stately image of Massachusetts congressman, Charles Sumner, and the adorable bronze figures of a mother duck and her ducklings all in a row from the children's story, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. Just to name a few.

 

Oh yes. While the hubby basked in baseball heaven, I'd pick a bench, pull out a book--or a Kindle--then sit and enjoy one of Boston's beautiful landmarks--it's own slice of heaven.

So there's Stop #3! Remember, the GIVEAWAY for the Amazon Gift Card and Advanced Readers Copy of Secrets and Sins: Gabriel is still going strong until Sunday, the 23rd! You can enter through the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Headed to God's Country! Ooh! And My New Cover!

Ireland, here I come!

Yes! I'm going back to Ireland! God's Country! Eire!

Sigh.

I love Ireland. The history. The beauty of the land. The people. I first travelled there in 2007, and have been so eager to return ever since.



St. Patrick's Bridge

Why Ireland? I've had a grand passion for this country for years, and the blame can be placed squarely on Nora Roberts' shoulders. I fell in love with God's Country from her Born In series. How she described the beautiful land and people, the myths and history... She made me believe I could find my own Rogan or Murphy in this land of tragic lyrics, haunting music and never-say-die warriors. Well, I ended up finding my hero in Alabama, but still...



St. Finbarre's Cathedral

I leave for Cork City this July, and one of the things I'm looking forward to is carrying my notebook around and jotting down notes about pubs, landmarks, people and stories. I want to capture my impressions of the historical structures to the sounds and accents on Winthrop Street. Because when I return home, all of it will be applied to a new book set in my favorite country! A brooding Irishman with dark hair and blue eyes. A sexy brogue. Green, patchwork fields and rolling hills. A large bed and roaring fire as rain falls and mists outside. Yeah... I have no idea what the plot or character arc will be but it will have my sexy hero with an accent and a big bed!

But before I bow out to go dream about my trip and new hero, guess who has a new cover and release? ME! That's right! The second book in the Dark Judgment series, Bitten by Ecstasy, is coming out on June 21 2013!

Blurb:
A brutal attack left Bastien Sarris for dead. But a chance encounter with a mysterious female drags him back from the brink of death—and transforms the hippogryph healer into a monster he doesn’t recognize. Now a terrible hunger consumes him—one that is becoming impossible to satisfy. Desperate for a cure, he hunts the cruxim who cursed him to a hellish existence. But the petite warrior ignites a fierce desire that overwhelms the sweet call of blood.

For three hundred years, Sinéad lived and hunted as a cruxim—a winged vampire hunter. But one sacrificial act stripped her of immortality, leaving her human, vulnerable and unprepared for the reappearance of Bastien in her life. The hippogryph shifter is harder and colder than she remembers…and he triggers an onslaught of need that’s as powerful as it is unfamiliar. She craves his kiss, his touch. Yet even as she surrenders to this newfound passion, she faces a crucial decision—betray the man she’s come to love and regain her immortality—or save Bastien and condemn herself to a human life and death.

A Wonderful Birthday Gift!

I can FINALLY reveal the cover for my upcoming romantic suspence release from Entangled Publishing's Entangled Suspense line! You have no idea how I've been dy-ing to show it!

Secrets and Sins: Gabriel is the first book in a four-book series from Entangled Suspense, and I have to admit...I am in love with this book. It's a "first" for me in a couple of ways. It's my first book that isn't erotic. It's sensual, definitely, but less, uh, explicit than my previous books.
But the emotion, the tragic hero and strong, independent heroine and secondary characters I fell in love with maek up for the naughty words I had to dial back on. :D


Also, it's my first true, bona-fide romantic suspense. I've had books with suspense elements, but Gabriel has a strong suspense plot running alongside the beautiful, romance. I'm so excited about its release! And did I mention the release date is on my birthday? Yes! June 24th! What an awesome birthday gift! *hint! hint! nudge! nudge!*

Blurb
Twenty years ago, Leah Bannon’s beloved Uncle Richard vanished without a trace. Leah, now a private investigator, begins to suspect it was murder. When she reopens the cold case, Gabriel Devlin—-the man she loves but can never have—-inexplicably stands in her way.

Only four people know the truth about Richard’s mysterious disappearance—-Gabriel and three childhood friends...who have all sworn to take that secret to the grave. But a hidden enemy wants those shocking secrets brought to light...even if he has to kill to make it happen.

After experiencing an unimaginable loss two years ago, Gabriel refuses to put himself through the pain of loving someone who could be gone in an instant. But as he thwarts Leah’s investigation at every turn—-both to keep his friends’ pact, and to keep her safe from danger—-the sexy PI makes it impossible for him to protect his secrets. Or his heart...
 
Secrets and Sins: Gabriel is available for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes and Noble!

Ideas, Ideas. Wherefore Art Thou, Ideas?

I've been busy plotting away today...okay plotting, yes. But "away"? Umm, not so much. It's slow going. To stir my creative pot, so to speak, I called one of my critique partners, Jessica Lee, and we started talking about story ideas and where they come from. For instance, the idea for the third book in her Ariel Estates series--which she just sold to her editor at Resplendence Publishing!!--came to her while she was eating a taco at Moe's. Apparently that "Welcome to Moe's!" really got those ideas in her head cooking--pun totally intended. The idea for Slave to Fashion by Debra Glass, my other critique partner, came to her while watching the fashion makeover show "What Not to Wear".

I've read where several authors have notebooks and notebooks full of ideas for future books. Can I just get one of those pages? Because my ideas are like my kids in school--smiley faces one day, straight faces the next. Totally unpredictable. And unfortunately, I can't bitch 'n complain to my imagination about "doing right". Stories come from the most unlikeliest places and at the oddest times. Like tonight, while trying to plot a romantic suspense, I had this really cool idea for a contemporary romance while watching The Voice. I started picturing this Jude/Tommy/night-and-day romance like on "Instant Star". Hey. Don't judge! It was a great show! Anyway, my heart started racing with excitement. And all because I saw Usher waltz with this contestant as he taught her to sing to the melody by dancing with her. I thought it was beautiful! And it had my love-o-meter chiming!

I don't think I can really beat out the Moe's restaurant for oddest times and places, but one of the weirdest places--or most inappropriate, depending which side of the fence you're on-- an idea came to me was during bible study. My pastor was teaching about the kinsman redeemer out of the book of Ruth. And suddenly...ding! If I'd been in a comic strip, I would've had a light bulb blinking over my head! What if Ruth was this Boudica-type heroine that followed Naomi back to her homeland and caught the eye of the king? That one's still in my "Story Idea" file waiting to be fleshed out but I thought it was so cool! Who knows when or if I'll write the story one day but I loved the idea... I did end up telling my pastor about it, and he wants me to make sure I spell his name right in the Acknowledgments...

My complete, undying adoration for Donnie Wahlburg inspired my second book, Love and Protect. One day I was going through my daughter's closet searching for a shoe that she "Couldn't find annyywheeere!" and found an old folder with all these pictures and articles I'd clipped out and saved from those old teen magazines. You remember them! Tiger Beat and Bop! God, I'm old... Anyway, I found this story I'd written when I was fourteen about him and me, how we met and fell in love. How he chose me over all those other groupies, I mean, girls. Sigh. It was awesome. And the idea for the rock star hero just formed...

Speaking of Love and Protect... *Cue Dolemite music here* It is available in print today at Ellora's Cave! Whoo-hoo!

Ex-DEA agent Erin Montgomery is reluctantly back on the job, posing as the sex-kitten groupie girlfriend of rock star Sean Ledger. She’ll be joining his band’s tour to try to catch an obsessed, dangerous fan. Tormented by nightmares of her failed last assignment, Erin’s not exactly eager to be drawn back into the fray. But once she meets Sean, all rocker, all man and dripping with raw sex appeal, she knows she’s right where she belongs.

Sean is reluctant to have someone investigating his crew, but when he meets Erin, his objections fly out the window. The beautiful, hard-bitten agent turns him on like no other woman ever has. Sean’s caught glimpses of the fiery passion lurking under Erin’s cool front and he’s determined to break through her hard exterior and make her his.

But Sean’s stalker is still at large and she’s made it clear that she’s willing to stop at nothing—even murder—to get him.
 
Check it out here!

My Next Big Thing!

Okay, see, what had happened was... Hee-hee! Anything that starts off like that is guar-oon-teed to be an excuse about sumthin'!! I was tagged by the hysterical Jennifer Echols in this Blog Hop thing where writers answer questions about themselves and then tag others to reveal all...hopefully something really embarrassing and blackmail worthy, but really who gets that lucky these days? Sigh. Well, here's the dirt on my next book, the first in a romantic suspense series with Entangled Publishing...expected to be released in June of this year... *Cough! Buy it! Cough!* That was subliminal in case you didn't catch it...

By the way, I don't have a cover so here's a menage--I mean, collage, COLLAGE!--of my recent covers! Hee-hee! My bad...



1). What is the working title of your next book?

 Secrets and Sins: Gabriel. The next one in the series? That's Malachim. Why the angel names, you ask? Well, June's a-coming! Why, yes, yes. I am a promo whore...

2). Where did the idea come from for the book?
From some serious brainstorming sessions with my critique partners, Jessica Lee and Debra Glass.

3). What genre does your book fall under?
It is romantic suspense. A deviation from the erotic genre my books usually fall under. And lemme tell you, it was a huuuge change!

4). What actors would you choose to play the parts of your characters in a movie rendition?
Oooh. I Paul Walker as Gabriel. And for Leah? Aishwarya Rai!

5). What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
A private detective's investigation into a twenty-year old disappearance threatens her relationship with the man she's been in love with since childhood and ensnares her in the diabolical game of a madman bent on revenge. Dang! That was a super long sentence!

6). Who is publishing your book?
Entangled Publishing, more specifically the Entangled Suspense line.

7). How long did it take you to write the first draft of the synopsis?
Which first draft? I originally wrote this book during NaNoWriMo. But then did two complete overhauls. Soooo MONTHS!

8). What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I don't know! Uum... If a reader likes Cynthia Eden and Katie Reus' romantic suspense books, I think they'd give mine a whirl.

9). Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The alarmingly dwindling deadline. Hee-hee! Okay, seriously. Stand By Me and my favorite friends-to-lovers trope. I just can't get enough of that!!

10). What else about the book might pique the readers' interest?
The book has secrets galore, a tortured hero and a bromance between four friends....so does that make it a menage a quatre bromance? Hmm...

So here're my author peeps I'm tagging:

The brilliant Debra Glass, author of erotic historical romances!

The wonderfully talented Kerry Freeman, author of sexy m/m erotic romances!

The fantabulous Jessica Lee, author of beautiful paranormal romances!

The marvelous Paisley Smith, author of hot girl-on-girl erotic romances!

Check back with them to find out what they have going on!

A Beast of a Book!

Coming at ya on April 5th! The second book in the Breathlessly Ever After series, Bargain with the Beast! Ellora's Cave is re-releasing my fairy tale book based on the timeless classic, Beauty and the Beast. A scarred man. The woman who wantshim and hopes to heal him with her love. Le sigh.

“What will you have, Beauty?” said her father.

“Since you have the goodness to think of me,” answered she, “be so kind to bring me a rose, for as none grows hereabouts, they are a kind of rarity.”—Beauty and the Beast

 

 “Show me someone who says they don’t want anything from you and I’ll show you some real estate in the land of Wake the Fuck Up.”—Xavier St. James

In a last-ditch attempt to save her beloved community center, Gwendolyn Sinclair corners childhood friend Xavier St. James, brother of her dead fiancé…and the man who secretly owns her heart. Surely his wealth and contacts can save the run-down building from ruin. The arrangement he proposes confirms what she’s long suspected. He’s become a beast, and he offers a beast’s bargain, one that offends her pride even as it stirs her every desire and titillating fantasy—submit her body to his whim for seven days and the community center remains open.

Losing both his father and brother has left Xavier scarred in more ways than one, but forbidden lust overrules conscience when Gwendolyn appears, asking for help. He’s craved her for years. At last he’ll discover if the passion in her eyes blazes just as hot between the sheets. Her fiery surrender leaves him hungering for more, but their bargain is only for seven days and, ultimately, she could never truly love a beast.

A Romantica® contemporary erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Publisher’s Note: This story was previously published elsewhere in 2011 under the title Loving the Beast.

Nope. Not in My Book!

The release of my second fairy tale-based book in my Breathlessly Ever After series is eminent so that means I have to start thinking about the next one. What story do I tackle? What spin do I place on it? What genre? I've been kicking around ideas for the last couple of weeks and yeah, still stumped. The ideas are brewing but nothing's solidified into that perfect blend of characters, motivation, conflict and love. Y'know, like a good cup of coffee. Yet something did come out of my weeks-long ruminations. I know what I definitely DO NOT want in my book. Basing my books on classic, much loved tales, there are certain elements I have to include. Like in Bargain with the Beast, the hero had to be wounded both inside and out. And the heroine had to be able to look beneath his beastly appearance to the beautiful soul of the man.  In Stroke of Midnight, though the "evil" stepsister was the heroine, she was rejected by her family and for one night found magic in the arms of her prince. But...there are some things I refuse to incorporate. Why? Because they're just plain jacked up!

For instance...

Little Red Riding Hood - Besides the hood because it's just a tad bit too cliche-ish for me, there won't be any splitting of wolves' guts and people spilling out. Don't get it twisted, I don't mind a good disembowelment in a book but the only time my heroine is gonna be eaten is...well, you get the picture! In my story Red would kick ass and take names, not be taken down and saved by a passing woodsman. Unless she was taken down by the woodsman...

The Little Mermaid - Anyone within the sound of my voice or has 20/20 vision of their screen, please understand this...I detest Hans Christian Andersen's version. Like loathe. She gave up everything for the prince--her voice, her long lifespan, her heart and eventually, her life. Not to mention endured excruciating pain just to dance for that ingrate. And he was so blind to who stood right in front of him--the very woman he was holding out for!--that he broke her heart and married another woman. There won't be a stupid, short-sighted hero (with no redeemable qualities), a self-effacing heroine or a sacrificial suicide in my book. Damn, I wanted to punch that mermaid's face in... There's meek and then there's mealy-mouth... Grrr! Don't get me started!

Sleeping Beauty - None of that waking with a kiss stuff. I'm sorry. Halitosis, people! Nothing romantic about it! That's all I'm saying. After one night I've been known to have one helluva case of dragon breath! Now one hundred years?? Forget that--a week! Naw. If someone wakes from a coma, there will be breath mints running through their IV instead of saline.

Snow White - First, a huntsman almost takes her heart. Then a peddler woman laces her stay so tight she almost dies because her breath is cut off. After escaping that harrowing experience, another merchant woman comes by and pops a poisoned comb in her head, almost killing her...again. She's saved. Then another old woman comes by and offers her an apple. Which she bites and falls into a cryogenic state. Soooo which murder attempt should've been the tip off that an old woman was out to kill her? I mean, after the laces, I would've have 'ol girl's IQ tested. Therefore, no TSTL heroines in my book!

So two weeks later, I haven't come up with what my new book will be about. But I DEFINITELY know what it won't be about!