Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Guest Blogger: Jean Joachim

Thank you Elizabeth for having me on your blog today.

I’ve been a non-fiction writer for the past fifteen years until last year. My first two sensual contemporary romances are the first two books in the Now and Forever Trilogy. The first book, Now and Forever 1, a Love Story will be released on July 29. Here is a bit about the story:


Now and Forever 1, a Love Story

Callie Richards was no stranger to heartache. Her parents were killed when she was sixteen. Left with her older sister, she fell into a romance with good-looking, Kyle Maine. They became engaged and Callie’s future was set until he was killed in Iraq. Two years later, she pulls herself together to get her Master’s degree and restart her life on her own.

Working and studying at Kensington State University, Callie meets Mac Caldwell, the handsome dean. Together they fight a deadly campus drug ring with heart-breaking but victorious results. This is an emotional story that will make you laugh and cry as Callie struggles to make a new life and find love with a new man.

The second book in the Trilogy is “Now and Forever 2, the Book of Danny” which is being released on November 2. Here is a little bit about that story:


Now and Forever 2, the Book of Danny

Danny Maine, Kyle’s younger brother, leaves the Army after becoming an expert sharp shooter, killer and womanizer. He gets a job teaching English at Kensington State University where he seeks out his brother’s fiancée, Callie Richards, the sister he never had.

He meets Eliza Baines, a beautiful widow and is smitten immediately. Danny struggles to overcome post-traumatic stress syndrome and make a new life when his parents are released from prison and seek him out. He hates his abusive, drunken father…the temptation to kill him is overwhelming. Danny strives to leave his violent past behind and forge a new path that includes love, success and having his own family but dark forces and emotional obstacles block his way.
The Book of Danny is an emotional story of love, loss and ultimate triumph that will touch your heart.

Both books will be available at my publisher’s website: www.secretcravingspublishing.com and on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com Bookstrand and Are about a week after release date.

Here is an excerpt of Now and Forever 1, a Love Story

Chapter One


Callie put the check for $15,000, half of all the money she had in the world, on the counter of the bursar’s office. Her palms were sweating, her eyebrows were knitted in a frown. Kyle, her fiancé killed in Iraq, left her the money. She hoped to do well enough to remain in the Masters of Education program at Kensington State University through the first year and earn a scholarship to pay for the second year. She needed to win this big gamble to get her life back on track.
She walked out of the building in the sleepy little town of Willow Falls in upstate New York, turned the corner and plopped down on the grass, leaning against a tree and thought about her last day with Kyle. It was Thanksgiving at his friend, John Weston’s house. While the turkey was cooking, some of the men played touch football. Callie went to take a nap in the guest room. Kyle wanted to be alone with her as they only had one more day before he deployed for the last time.
Callie undressed quietly and got under the covers. When he joined her, Kyle pulled the covers down slowly, aware of how bashful she was by the blush in her cheeks, even after being his lover for several years.
“Kitten, don’t be shy. I want to remember every inch of you,” he said, first placing his hand gently on her cheek then leaning over and kissing her softly.
When he got into bed, his kiss became passionate. Kyle was so alive, the air around him crackled with his energy. He moved his hands slowly over her body, memorizing every inch of her with his fingertips. She moaned as he kissed her beautiful breasts. He touched her inner thigh and moved his hand up, to caress her gently, as her growing passion took over her senses.
“Kyle…” she moaned while his lips and hands brought her to a fever pitch. Finally, he satisfied her need for him with the ultimate ecstasy. Afterward, they rested in each other’s arms. Callie rested her head on his shoulder, drinking in his masculine scent and the feel of his skin, so familiar to her senses. She slipped her arm across his chest, tightening it, as if a firm grip on him could keep him there with her forever.
Callie loved him deeply. She looked with great hope and expectation at the modest engagement ring resting on her finger. She remembered the night he proposed and a smile came to her lips, thinking about how awkward and shy he was with words. Always a man of action, when he couldn’t find the right words to express his feelings, he grabbed her hand and jammed the ring on her finger.
His fingers tangled in her long hair as his other arm pulled her closer to him.
“Remember, you promised to come back,” she said.
“I’ll love you forever, Callie. I’ll be back to make you my wife and then we can do this every night,” he said, kissing her.
After this last dangerous tour of duty, they would get married, settle safely on a base somewhere and begin their life as husband and wife. Though he promised her he would come back, it was a promise he couldn’t keep.
The Weston’s guest room, the last place Callie and Kyle made love and spent the night together, was a cozy room. She will never forget the small lily flower pattern of the wallpaper, the scent of pot pourri from a dish on the old-fashioned oak dresser and the feel of Kyle’s smooth skin, his cheek needing a shave, his soft lips tempting her, coaxing her to give herself to him passionately yet again.
During their last night, after making love with Kyle one more time, Callie awoke at four a.m. Kyle was scheduled to leave at eight. She put her shyness aside and turned to him, waking him with a passionate kiss, making it clear what she wanted one last chance to make love. Kyle rubbed sleep out of his eyes, turned to her and raised his eyebrows.
“Now?” He asked her.
She nodded, running her hand down from his strong chest, her eyes gazing at his body.
The look of surprise when she touched him followed by his wicked grin indicated his delight at her uncharacteristic boldness. He traced the lines of her delicate jaw with his finger, staring at her with a look of true love on his face, before he turned toward her and took over, igniting a fire inside her. He tried to please her, satisfy her hunger for him. They started slowly, both aware this could be their last time making love forever. Callie tried to concentrate on every caress, every kiss, so she would never forget, but he fanned her to flame more quickly than she anticipated.
She urged him to take her, but Kyle waited as long as he could to prolong the memory forever. However, their mutual passion took over and he took her to completion with him. As they stayed in each other’s arms, Callie buried her face in his neck and cried softly, afraid she would never feel his arms around her again, feel his touch, or his lips again, feel him make love to her again. Kyle stroked her hair, and teared up, too, knowing without words she was reacting to the possibility he wouldn’t come home.
“Kitten, no matter what happens, I’ll love you to eternity.”
“Don’t say that! Don’t say that. Say you’ll be home. Be with me. I need you so much, Kyle,” she said, crying.
“You know I will. I promise. We’ll be together forever.”
It was a promise he couldn’t keep.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Guest Blogger: Tabitha Rayne


Uniform of Writing by Tabitha Rayne
Lovely to be here today, thank you.

While daydreaming about being a ‘real’ romance author – you know, pink dressing gown, flouncing on a chaise-longue, libation in hand, I started thinking about how clothing really helps to define a character. It is true for me that I always seem to have any ladies in my stories wearing a skirt and blouse, sometimes with stockings, never tights. Oh no, no, no! In fact, I think without exception, every woman I have written about has this uniform. I know in my own daily life there are different outfits for different occasions, I do love wearing skirts, blouses, always with stockings underneath (what a secret thrill to know you have them on!). But far from being dressed for writing in these garments, I am usually fresh in from the garden, dirt under my nails, welly socks over worn out leggings, ancient cardigan… not an erotic or even pretty sight! So I always have to at least imagine myself in something a bit sexier and always seem to fall back on the good old pencil skirt/blouse combo. I think on one occasion in Mia’s Books, Mia swaps her usual outfit for nothing but a long sheepskin jacket, - but that’s a fair exchange!

Any authors I read, especially erotica, I like to imagine them tapping away on their keyboards either in a billowing nightgown (the idea couldn’t wait until morning) or skirts and blouses. It may be a romantic notion, but then again, I am a romance writer so, I think, it is an excusable fancy.

*****

Mia’s Books

Ghost lover or mortal—can Mia have both?

Mia has a big problem. She is in love with two people, and one of them happens to be a ghost. After a late night seduction in a deserted library, Mia brings home a haunted book. The book contains a ghost which instructs her to seduce strangers on its behalf. Mia falls in love with one of her conquests and finds herself in a romantic tangle. Can she keep both her lovers, or will she have to choose?


Also available from all good eBook retailers, including Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Barnes & Noble and many more!

*****

Tabitha Rayne loves her romance with the heat turned up. She lives in the country with her partner who has the difficult job of having to listen to new ideas and help her to focus on one project at a time.



Mia’s Books excerpt

The book had changed colors. It was now jet black and lay seductively by the bed. Gently lifting her sheets off, Mia slowly made her way over to it as if she were trying to capture a bird.

Her fingers were trembling. Cold air chilled her hands as she reached out and picked it up. Thick raised letters on the cover gave her instruction. Open Me. And she did.

Rows upon rows of names and numbers merged into each other. It was a phone directory. Mia was disappointed, but curiosity kept her flicking the pages, watching number after number fly by. She was about to close it and just go back to bed when she realized the numbers were all the same and the name wasn’t a name at all—it was another instruction.

Call Me.

Mia flushed with excitement. Was this her ghost lover contacting her for real? She reached for the phone and dialed before she could change her mind.

Silence.

Mia flopped back onto the bed and let the phone fall by her ear. She began to ponder the fear that she might actually be going mad when a voice startled her.

“Hello?” She thrust the handset to her ear and strained to hear. “Hello?” she repeated, barely able to breathe in her excitement.

“Mia?” came a breathy whisper that set her nerve endings alight.

“Yes?” she whispered back.

“I need to s…” The voice faded, and Mia started to panic.

“What? You need to what? Please...don’t go.”

“...see you.” The sound was so faint that Mia had to strain to catch it. “Meet me at the park at dusk.” The line went dead.

Mia was exhilarated. It hadn’t been a dream. She was going to meet her ghost lover once more! She hadn’t been on a date in ages. Not since the insomnia had made her feel like a grumpy old hag. She suddenly felt young again—young and ready for anything…

Monday, July 18, 2011

Guest Blogger Adriana Kraft


Okay, I’ll confess, I’m a pushover for a handsome balding college professor. I should be – I fell in love with one and married him. I won’t say Max Wilson’s character is based on him – well, maybe a tad. Certainly Max’s playfulness and his patience resemble my husband’s. And his distinguished bald head…

But who I’m really in love with in this tale of a pair of Baby Boomers is our heroine, Claire Johnson. She’s pretty close to my age, so for sure she lived a lot of the history I witnessed. I think she lived it to the hilt and left nothing out. Woodstock? She was there – I just read about it. Sex? She’s been a busy lady, and it’s become her cause célèbre, the focus of her life. She champions sexual freedom among consenting adults – two, three, or more, of whatever gender.

So I’m thrilled to announce that Ripening Passion is now available at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid, released on Friday July 15! Here’s a blurb and an excerpt to whet your appetite:

BLURB

Claire Johnson’s dedication to sex—the cornerstone of her career—led her to found the Center for Sexuality and Sex Practices. Now in her fifties, she knows the Center must keep pace with the rapidly growing Baby Boomer market, so she agrees to go back on camera for a series on sex and aging. But work with her nemesis?

Former English Professor Max Wilson has championed the cause of the Center ever since his deceased wife sought the Center’s help to rekindle the nearly extinguished sexual flames of their relationship. He loves working on camera and welcomes the challenge to perform with the svelte but feisty temptress.
Sparks fly immediately on and off camera. Can either Claire or Max transform those sparks into a fire of sexual desire for their viewers? And if they succeed, what will happen when the movie’s over?

EXCERPT

“Do you always eat like a bird?”

Claire didn’t crack a smile. She used her fork to separate another hunk of tuna salad. Deliberately, she snagged a small bite and lifted it to her mouth. She glanced around the early dinner crowd, chewing it thoroughly, wondering briefly how many patrons were meeting for business and how many were meeting with other thoughts on their minds. She smiled at two women at a nearby table holding hands while sharing a pudding. Claire looked back at Max.

“If you approve of this body as much as you claim, then you better appreciate how I eat. I’m not telling you what to eat.”

“I’m sorry,” he quickly said. “I wasn’t putting you down. It’s just that I’ve never known anyone so disciplined about eating.”

“I enjoy my food. I just avoid sugars and saturated fats as much as possible.”

“You rarely eat dessert.”

“Perhaps I prefer a different sort of dessert,” she said, sliding her bare foot up the inside of his leg.

“Damn.”

Max coughed, then glanced quickly around the small Italian restaurant.

Claire smiled. It wasn’t exactly like anyone was paying attention, and with the long, white table cloths nearly touching the floor, no one could see what she was doing. What would Max do if she slipped under the table to give him some head? She chuckled. He might not survive, and she didn’t need that on her conscience.

“What’s so funny?” Max asked, suspiciously.

“Just pondering dessert. I guess I can wait until later. We haven’t practiced for more than forty-eight hours. I assume you’re ready.”

“I’ve been ready since the plane landed. So where are we going to practice?”

“I noticed you didn’t say your place or mine.” She reached behind her, retying her ponytail. “I’ve given that a lot of thought. The Center is to damn sterile. Sex in front of a camera is one thing. Spontaneous sex there is another, but planned practice,” she scrunched her mouth, “feels rather sterile, too. I don’t want to go to a hotel. I’ve had enough hotels for a while.”

Claire looked at his placid features. He wasn’t about to bail her out on this one.

“Oh, okay. You can come over to my place.”

His face immediately lit up in a broad smile.

“But I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. You are not sleeping over.”

Adriana Kraft
Adriana’s Author Pages at Amazon.com and All Romance Ebooks
Adriana’s Author Pages at Amazon.com and All Romance Ebooks

Sunday, July 10, 2011

The Constellations - Perfect Day

I heard this song on "Suits" and I love it. It's "Perfect Day" by the Constellations.