Monday 27 August 2012

Jennifer Conner's Fantasies!

Hi folks!
I am extremely pleased to be able to bring you the dazzling Jennifer Conner today! She's one interesting lady, you know! She and I share an unhealthy obsession...Diana Gabaldon books! In fact, I think Jennifer and I should take that dishy Highlander Jamie Fraser to a quiet, little nook and...uh, sorry, got carried away!

Jennifer is here to tell us about her new anthology with Vee Michaels, and I couldn't be happier. Please welcome her and read on for our interview!



1) Did you always want to be an author?  If not, what else would you have done?

You mean besides being a kept woman with a giant pool with pool boys. J I worked as a wedding photographer and also managed a catering staff for years. We would work together for events. I even wrote a novella about all my CRAZY experiences called, Do You Hear What I Hear. A groom with a gun under his tux, a staff member slipping and breaking her wrist at a cater for 700 people, ugh… why I got out of it. Writing is difficult in a different way.

2) What is your favourite book of all time and why?

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, love this series, I have laughed, cried and become one with all of the characters over the years.

3) Describe your ideal hero (details please! *wink wink*)

Tall, dark and handsome! Since I am 5ft 10, I fantasize about that guy who could pick me up. Dark, full hair to grab on to, 6ft 2+ and a fit but not over muscled body. Pretty much anyone from the cast of Magic Mike of course! J

4) If you could share a romantic evening with any character from romance literature (any genre), who would it be and what would you do to him (ahem! With him)?

Any man from my stories. I get to fall in love and do many things on paper that will not get me in trouble with my husband. Rendezvous in secluded gardens with a fireman (Make me Burn) a sports star in a dressing room (Winner Takes All) or making love on a kitchen counter while sharing chocolate (Do You Hear What I Hear?) In literature, probably the phantom  from Phantom of the Opera. I’m a huge geek fan. Take me to you lair, tie me up (if you want) and SING to me for the rest of my days!

5) What comes first for you: plot or character?

It depends. I like to write series. If it is a series story, like The Regimental Heroes, then I have the plot arch and need to develop the characters. Same with The Mobile Mistletoe Series. The mistletoe headband is passed from friend to friend. With Brewing up Some Love, it was the character. A guy who has a terrible phobia of giving blood accidently follows a cute girl into the blood bank where she works.

6) Who is, hands down, the sexiest male actor of all time? Henry Cavill from the Tudors, Immortals, and now the new Superman, my dream man. OMG he is soooo handsome! Next, for all time would be Paul Newman. If you haven’t seen Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with he and Elizabeth Taylor, go and watch it. It is a great character driven story and they were both SO beautiful when they made that.

7) Describe your writing style please.

I write linear. I have the beginning, middle and the end plotted. I start and write through, then run it through my critique group who are super tough but I couldn’t do it without them.

8) Who is your favourite author and why?

Diana Gabaldon. She breaks all the rules as a writer. She writes in 1st and 3rd person, in a mixed up genre and the books are 1000 pages long! Great!

9) What is on the horizon for you? Any interesting news or books we should know about?

I have a time-travel romance series coming out soon. The first short story is, Walk With Me Through Time. Bookstores stand as gateway time portals for people to move into a different time. They feel they were born into the wrong period. The guides are Time Keepers.

I am working on the 4th story in The Regimental Heroes Series. The hero has dyslexia, which of course in the 1850’s they would have no idea what that was and marked him as stupid.

And the next the 4th in the Mobile Mistletoe series, Love comes for Halloween. Then on to Christmas stories!

And now, more about Fantasies!
Who doesn't fantasize about well-hung firemen, the next-door neighbor, athletes, or having multiple men? From new relationships to marriages to interracial romance, from sex toys to chocolate to voyeurism, from lust to love and everything in between.
Fantasies explores sex and intimate relationships. Imaginative, best-selling authors Vee Michaels and Jennifer Conner present playful, short, erotic tales sure to satisfy your cravings for good sex.
Warning: Every story is served up with graphic sex, wicked wit, and a healthy dose of romance. Enjoy.

Friday 17 August 2012

Love is a beach...or is it?

Welcome everyone to the Love is a Beach Blog Hop!


I am so pleased to be part of this hop and look forward to learning about all the great authors here today. Don't forget to comment on everyone's pages so you can enter for some terrific prizes. I can't wait to hear from each of you!

Our theme did get me thinking, I must admit. Love is a beach. That's what we've all heard before. After all, who can argue with golden sand, hot sun and palm trees? Laying on soft towels with a lover, feeling his strong hand reach out to graze your bikini-clad body. Smiling as he loosens your bikini strings....


It sounds magical, doesn't it?

What if the same setting were sinister instead?

It put me in mind of a scene from my current release, Sweet Hell. Sweet Hell is a paranormal romance about the Greek god Dionysus and a workaholic baker named Josie. Despite the face that they drive each other crazy, they are attracted to each other with a force that is new and compelling. Because of a threat to Josie, they must travel to hell on a deranged quest that threatens to tear them apart.

And hell is not what it would seem.

Read on for a short excerpt from Sweet Hell, and see what I mean when I suggest that perhaps love is not a beach at all.


Excerpt from Sweet Hell:

“I’ve seen this place before,” she uttered, staring at the waves, feeling suddenly hypnotized. She suddenly felt the need to abandon Dionysus, wanting, for some strange reason, to throw herself into the surf. Although she didn’t know why, she felt the compulsion to swim out to the open sea and venture deeper and deeper.

As if her new home ought to be in the blue darkness.

Dionysus turned her to look at him. His gorgeous face was etched in lines of worry as he gripped her arms. “Josie. Josie! Snap out of it.”

“I don’t understand…”

“We’re in the first level of hell. They call this place ‘The Ordeal,’” he explained. “It’s different here for everyone, but one thing is the same. This is a place where you are forced to face your worst fear. You need to tell me, Josie. What is your worst fear? Something to do with beaches? Are you afraid of the water?”

She couldn’t answer. Her mind felt so foggy. All she knew was that she wanted to swim in those tempting waves. They looked warm and clear, and she couldn’t help feeling they would just envelop her and rock her.

They would make her sleep the most peaceful of sleeps.

She tried to pull away from Dionysus.

“Josie! You have to stay with me!”

“But it looks so nice in the water…”

“It’s an illusion! Remember?”

He was reaching for her, grasping, but she was already sliding out of his grip. She never thought to question how she could do so. He was a big, muscled god with powers she’d likely never fully understand. And yet, one, little pull on her part, and she was free of his strong hold on her.

Good.

She wanted to swim, even though she could feel a distant memory tugging on her brain. Warning her to stay with Dionysus on the beach. Warning her to take note of the panic in his brown eyes, of the desperate way he was reaching for her.

But why? Nothing made sense. She just wanted to be in the coursing waves, wanted to feel their invigorating lick on her skin.

Spurred on by a sense of dreadful inevitability, she raced toward the surf. Even still, she could hear Dionysus shouting at her. Yelling something about facing her fear. About not being afraid.

Promising he would find her.

It didn’t matter. She was there. The water was already drenching her shoes, lapping at her ankles. And it felt so good! Without wasting another second, she ran until she was waist-deep and then dove in.

And realized immediately she’d made a horrible mistake.


Blurb for Sweet Hell:

Dionysus, Greek god of wine and theater, is the world’s original playboy. But lately, he has been restless, moody, and he knows something is wrong. His carefree and bacchanalian lifestyle is starting to feel like one long string of meaningless sexual escapades. Even worse, he is suddenly aroused by the idea of marriage. To top it all off, Josie Marino, the mouthy, disheveled, and eternally annoying woman who serves him coffee at the local bakery, sets him on fire. 

Josie, a Toronto baker of Italian heritage, is not looking for love or lust. Especially not with Dionysus Iros, the most aggravating, demanding customer she'd ever had to serve. With his rippling muscles and sexy, knowing eyes, he's obviously trouble with a capital T. Unfortunately, he's also the star of her every X-rated dream. She’s known players like Dionysus before, and one of them almost got the better of her. Josie determines she will not fall for his considerable physical charms, come hell or high water.

But Dionysus turns strangely protective when a sinister character arrives at Josie’s bakery, and they can no longer deny their unwanted feelings for one another. They are forced to embark on a bizarre, sexually-charged journey to hell itself, which threatens to either change them for the better, or destroy them.



Thanks for visiting, friends! Does everyone have their pail and shovel?

Rosanna Leo
www.rosannaleo.blogspot.com


Wednesday 15 August 2012

I'm serving Lorraine Nelson On the Rocks!

Hello friends!
It is my absolute pleasure to be hosting the fabulous Lorraine Nelson as part of her blog tour! Lorraine is a wonderful author and such a support to those of us in the community. She has a new book with a Canadian setting, and is here to tell us more about this great new read, as well as answer some of my hard-hitting questions.
Read on for our interview and more info on Love on the Rocks!


1) Did you always want to be an author?  If not, what else would you have done?

I’ve always enjoyed writing, but when I was younger, I wanted to teach elementary school. Why? To encourage a love of reading and writing of course!

2) What is the strangest job you ever had and why?

I sold dog tags one year, house-to-house. I’d ring the bell, could hear dogs barking, and the people would come to the door and say, “No, I don’t have a dog.” Really now! They expected me to believe them and go away, but I got paid by the tag, so I persevered.

3) What is your favourite book of all time and why?

The Proud Breed by Celeste De Blasis. It’s a three generational saga of the lives and loves of one woman and her family.


4) Describe your ideal hero or heroine (details please! *wink wink*)

My ideal hero is tall, dark, and gorgeous. He’s not afraid to commit, communicate, or care. He would be honest, dependable, and hard working. He’d make me feel as if I am his world and I’d gladly do the same for him. A companion for life, I’d look forward to hours and hours of pleasure in his arms. J

5) If you could share a romantic evening with any character from romance literature (any genre), who would it be and what would you do to him/her (ahem! With him/her)?

Oh, wow! That would have to be Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind. What would I do with him? Anything and everything imaginable! Why let a great opportunity go to waste? J

6) What comes first for you: plot or character?

Either/or. I’m a pantser so I take it as it comes and run with it.

7) Who is, hands down, the sexiest actor of all time?

Clark Gable

8) Describe your writing style please.

Style? I’m supposed to have a style? All I do is sit at the computer and start writing, er, typing. lol

9) Who is your favourite author and why?

I have so many…Danielle Steel, Mary Higgins-Clark, Nora Roberts, John Grisham. I could go on and on. There are so many fabulous authors out there. If they can draw me in and keep me reading, I consider them terrific at their craft.

10) What is on the horizon for you? Any interesting news or books we should know about?

Love on the Rocks was just released through Breathless Press.

Finding Baby J releases through BP on September 7th.

I have a short story, Hexed or Vexed?, that is releasing in October as part of an anthology with some author friends of mine.

I just signed a new contract with Evernight for Bad Boy Blake, a romantic suspense.

Currently working on Cameron’s Quest, Book 5 of my Thunder Creek Ranch series with Evernight.

I also have two requested partials with Harlequin…Intrigue and American.

That's awesome, Lorraine. We wish you the best! And now, for more on Love on the Rocks:

Here's Lorraine herself:


Let me tell you…I love this book!!! It's the one that set me on the path I'm now traveling.

Thanks to an infection in the bone of my thumb, it had to be amputated. In order to regain the flexibility in that hand and return to the full-time job, I began typing, but soon tired of typing tests and the like. An idea formed and I began to write, seriously write, an adult novel of the type I enjoy reading. Seven weeks later, Love on the Rocks was finished, although it's seen several revisions since that early, rough draft.

This story begins and ends at The Rocks at Hopewell Cape, NB. The stunning beauty of the rock formations is a sight to behold. Please join me as I share a little piece of my province.

I so love hearing from my readers! It’s important to know what works and doesn’t work for them as I continue to craft stories of love and mystery. You can find me at:

http://www.lorrainenelson.weebly.com

http://www.lorrainenelson.wordpress.com

http://www.facebook.com/LorraineNelson.Author

http://twitter.com/#!/lornelca

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5254629.Lorraine_Nelson

http://www.amazon.com/Lorraine-Nelson/e/B005XMAYFQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1


Purchase Links:
30% off for a limited time. 

http://www.breathlesspress.com/index.php?main_page=product_free_shipping_info&cPath=7&products_id=301&zenid=crki96t1shb272ct99v7jm3467

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-loveontherocks-907155-149.html

Thank you for helping me celebrate my new release. Leave a comment below to be entered in the draw for a free download of Love on the Rocks. Winner to be drawn August 31st.



Blurb:
When Sara attempts to save her daughter, she may also be escaping a fate worse than an abusive boyfriend…she may be running away from true love. The big question is: Which man will find her first?
Sara Compton, normally strong, independent, and fun-loving, is deeply distressed at having to abandon her baby, but she has neither money nor home and is hiding from an abusive and obsessive ex-boyfriend. The only way to keep her child safe is to give her up.
Anthony Jacobs has sworn off women due to a previous relationship gone sour. He finds the child, takes her home, and arranges care for her. When he places a public call for a nanny and a lovely woman arrives who seems to have a rapport with the abandoned baby, he hires her on the spot.
Sara is fraught with guilt and tension at the possibility of being found out. What will Anthony think of her if—or when—he finds out the truth? To add to her worries, trouble arises in the form of Sara’s ex-boyfriend, who appears on the scene with custody papers in hand. She makes a hasty escape, her daughter in tow, but in the process of avoiding the evil Elliot Saunders, is she leaving behind her one true love?

Love on the Rocks - Excerpt

"Since you slaved away to prepare such a feast, I insist on doing the washing up."

"What? No beeper?" Caroline chided.


"Not tonight. Guess I was too tired to arrange a get-a-way. I'll have to do better tomorrow," Anthony said with a wink and a chuckle.

Picking up Charity, she shot back, saying, "That figures. Oh, well, I'll enjoy tonight's respite and take our little princess upstairs to get her cleaned up. What do you think of that, sweetheart?"


"Fine with me," Anthony answered unexpectedly, then must have caught himself because he turned back to look at them as Caroline erupted into laughter. "Uh, you weren't talking to me just then, were you?" he asked sheepishly.


"No, but you sure do look good in red," she quipped, giggling at his embarrassment as she went on her way.


Anthony could hear her giggles as she went up the back stairs. To his astonishment, he had truly enjoyed thinking she'd called him 'Sweetheart,' and it had seemed so natural, too.


Oh, boy! Am I ever in big trouble, he told himself as he realized he'd fallen head over heels for the woman. What am I going to do now? How do I find out if she feels the same without bringing on a sexual harassment suit? Why did she have to be Charity's nanny...an employee...and a darn good one at that! He didn't want to scare her into running away. Think, Anthony! Think! He knew he'd figure out something. He'd just have to play it by ear and take a chance when the opportunity arose.


Wednesday 1 August 2012

Cherie Nicholls, meet Vin Diesel!

Okay, I couldn't resist being cheeky with the post title. However, when I heard that the wonderful Cherie Nicholls, my guest for today, has an unhealthy crush on the baldie actor, I just had to give her a little nudge. I know Cherie can take it.

Not only is Cherie Nicholls a wonderful author of seriously sexy books, she's also a Nuthouse Scribbler, fellow Liquid Silver author and all-around lovely gal!

Join us for her fun interview and make her feel welcome! Thanks for being here, Cherie!




1) Did you always want to be an author?  If not, what else would you have done?

I guess so, deep down, but I never thought it would happen. That’s why I am an IT geek by day now.

2) What is the strangest job you ever had and why?

My very first job was in a house removals company. My first job was at 19 and 40 odd men, I can honestly say it takes a lot to make me blush now. I also know how to move a washing machine on my own.

3) What is your favourite book of all time and why?

Can I have two??? Cause I do. One is more traditional Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Love it! And the other is just about anything by Shelly Laurenston or GA Aiken. I was introduce to humour in the shifter world in those books and it opened up my writing so much.

4) Describe your ideal hero (details please! *wink wink*)

Hehe..Well I like the tall scary looking, could kill me at the drop of a hat type heroes. One that is strong but has a heart. Vin Diesel is perfect especially in Pitch Black…or the Fast and Furious series.

5) If you could share a romantic evening with any character from romance literature (any genre), who would it be and what would you do to him (ahem! With him)?

An author friend of mine, Doris O’Connor as a book out soon called Tigers Scars her hero is called Ink…..very talented man that’s all I am going to say. I had the chance of a sneak peek and can I just say Yes please and thank you….

6) What comes first for you: plot or character?

Eh well neither to be honest. I usually get an opening line and then the story and characters grow from there. Yep it’s true I am weird.

7) Who is, hands down, the sexiest male actor of all time?

Vin Diesel…did I mention him already :D and Joe Manganiello…nomnomnom. If you could merge them. Good Gosh I would be one happy little author!

8) Describe your writing style please.

Panters, comedy loving nightmare who never knows where the story is going and tends to over think the little details. That’s about it.

9) Who is your favourite author and why?

I have several, depends on the mood I am in really. Shelly Laurenston, Doris O’Connor, Julia Devlin, Xandra James, Dana Marie Bell, Jorja Lovett, Arya Grey, Cooper McKenzie, Raven McAllan and Kiru Taye. I like them all because they give me something different each time, from shifters to history to BDSM. Like I said depends on my mood!

10) What is on the horizon for you? Any interesting news or books we should know about?

I have a book coming out on August 13th. It’s the second in the Shifters of Hillside series. Claiming Clara is the story of Clara and Wall.



Blurb: Harvey “Wall” Wallbanger—yes his mother actually named him that on purpose—likes to act the simple jock but he isn't. He is a man who knows what he wants, and right now, he wants one Miss Clara Marsterson. When she refuses his mark to make her his mate, Wall stands unmovable in her path, demanding an explanation. Before he lets her go, she’s going to have to explain to him why she is throwing everything they have away. Wall knows she is hiding something from him and sets his mind and his body to getting the truth. After all, he is a man of many talents…

Clara is a woman who has supported her brother's rise to Alpha, stood by him through everything, and will now do what she can to protect him from those who want to cause him harm. She turns away from the only man who understands her in an attempt to save both the men she loves. To protect them no cost is too high …not even if the price is her own life.
FB : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cherie-Nicholls-Author/191441327590566
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CherieNicholls
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5767237.Cherie_Nicholls

Look for Claiming Clara on Aug. 13 at www.liquidsilverbooks.com

And don't forget Cherie's other sexy books!





Thanks for spending time with us, Cherie! Next time I see Vin, I'll give him a little nudge in your direction!