Posts Tagged ‘Blogging’

I’m over at Marie Treanor’s blog today talking werewolves, Torger and Draven’s Crossing.

http://romanticthemeparty.blogspot.com/2011/10/welcome-selena-illyria.html

Comment and be entered to win a copy of the first in the DC series.

 

Se

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Okay, I was late with that. Sorry. It’s been a hectic couple of weeks and I’m still rushing to catch up. First things first, the website. I was switching over to a new server and things took longer that expected. Then the database with all my old posts and such wouldn’t take so I had to wait for a new update and try to plug that in and see if that would take. Lots of tech and swearing and almost tears later and here we are. The website is up and running but I now have to go in and redo posts. If you’ve read the fabulous Tara Lain’s post or the Wonderful posts from Lexxie Couper, Delilah Devlin or Jess Dee you’ll notice some ? where there should symbols. That is because I copied and pasted from word into here. So I have to go back and redo things. Pain the a** but what can I say, it’s got to be done. Also, some covers and pictures didn’t transfer over to the server which is no big deal because I can just ask for the photos again if need be. *Crosses fingers and hopes everyone has the pictures.* So for the next few days or weeks depending on how long it takes. I have to go through all the posts just make sure of things.

I just turned in edits for Dragon Kin: Binding Katrina and am working on a new story for the LIP antho.  As well as something for a charity antho. I have several stories on my plate, I’m just hoping to find the time and hoping my muse works with me. Writing has been slow. I’m putting together a playlist to see if that will help this time around rather than just one CD.

Next week will be Steampunk Week. I’m so excited and I’m also planning a big Blog Event. *Grin* I’m so excited.

I’m still speechless, I’ve been nominated for Best Paranormal Author 2010 and Best Series (Hades Helmet Series) 2010 by LRC. I’m just in awe. Thank you all! I’m just bowled over. That really made my day.

And more news: New Reviews for Tartan Mate:

Whipped Cream Reviews:
4 Cherries
“Tartan Mate appealed to me on many levels and I think it’s a great little story. For readers who like werewolf romances and are short on time, this book fits the bill and delivers a satisfactory validation of their happily ever after. ” -Xeranthemum
http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/2011/01/tartan-mate-by-selena-illyria.html?zx=285a1db7cbbf2e64

The Romance Studio:
4 Hearts:

“This book is a fun fast-paced read full of sexy werewolves and steaming hot sex scenes.” – Jacquelyn R. Ward

http://theromancestudio.com/reviews/reviews/tartanmateillyria.htm

New Song I’m obsessed with:

Imelda May- Inside Out:

Anything else? I’m sure I’ll remember more later and do the smack forehead thing. I’m just happy to have my site back.

Se

Book Title:? Damaged Cargo

Blurb:? When survival is of the utmost importance, it?s best to shoot first and ask questions later, especially if you won?t like the answers.

The 22^nd century is heinous.? Finding a comfortable life in the Levinese Galaxy grows increasingly difficult.

Emma Gardine, one of a handful of female pirate captains in this throwback Victorian society, begs, borrows, steals and cheats her way through the planetary system on the hunt of a profit.? An expert of guarding her heart and keeping people out, she never shows remorse and uses people until she gets what she wants, yet the hope for a normal life glimmers just beyond her reach.? Then she meets Tarik Vartouth and her world splinters with new emotions and possibilities.

Tarik survived the murder of his sisters and the collapse of his laid-back existence.? He?s sick of the mandatory breeding programs for genetic supremacy on Nazulara that sends innocent people to death and desires to campaign for democracy for his species.? When the opportunity to befriend Emma is presented, he takes it and makes a play for her ship in order to carry out his own plot for revenge against his father?the Premier and ruler of the planet.? Stakes are raised when sparks between him and Emma fly.?? Now their future and Nazulara?s, hangs in the balance.

Excerpt:? Tarik couldn?t forget the raw emotion that blazed in the green depths of her eyes?anger, hatred and stark, consuming need. Whatever drove the woman came crashing to a head in that one act, undoubtedly designed to catch him off guard.

It would have worked except for the shudder he felt shake her frame. He?d bet she managed to surprise herself. He refused to think about it further. It was one moment, nothing more.

Instead, he laced his fingers with hers, brought her hands slowly down, and held them behind her back while he plundered her mouth. Velvet lips gave way under the strength of his mouth. He thrust his tongue inside, demanding entrance, accepting her surrender, and seeking solace. He released her hands in order to capture her face between his palms and fit his mouth more comfortably over hers. When that wasn?t close enough, he pressed her body fully against the freight container, molding his lean length into her soft curves as if they?d become one entity. His erection strained against his pants and, for the first time, he was glad for the extra room the loose-fitting Nazulara trousers afforded.

And still, he kissed her.

He ran his tongue along her bottom lip and the lushness of it spurred him onward. Tarik felt her hands at his chest, sweeping along his torso before she buried her fingers in his hair at the base of his skull. He bit down gently on her lip, heard her whimper of acceptance, and once more, searched out her tongue.

Finally, he wrenched away for the mere reason that he needed to breathe. The whole episode didn?t last more than a minute?two at the most, but he felt as if he?d entered a new dimension, one so foreign he had no idea how to act or what to do.

That decision was taken from him when Emma slapped his cheek so hard he was sure he?d feel it two weeks from now.

Publisher?s website:? http://www.purplesword.com

Book video:? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFUr67nL4so

Heat rating: erotic romance

Author bio:? Sandra is a writer of romantic fiction.? Her portfolio includes historical, contemporary, sci-fi and paranormal romances.? She loves to blend genres and spice them up and often times will add humor as well.

After catching the writing bug at the young age of ten, she?s gone on to grow her unique writing style.? She?s a regular contributor for the Paranormal Romantic?s blog and has a great time keeping things interesting at the Believing is Seeing blog.

When not immersed in creating new worlds and interesting characters, Sandra likes to read, bake and travel.? Her favorite place to spend vacation hours is Walt Disney World.? It?s where dreams come true and the soul can play.? That suits her just fine.

Writing is her ultimate dream job.

You can write to Sandra at sandrasookoo@yahoo.com, visit her website at http://www.sandrasookoo.com or look her up on Facebook and Twitter.

Prize offering?a collection of book swag which includes postcards, magnets, a beaded bookmark and a few surprises.

Here are:

Interview with Trey Sandoval (character in HAT TRICK by Cerise DeLand)

The unique aspect of my relationship with my partners?Belle Sterling and my old buddy, Gage Wagner?is that we each know how to share.

True, for two men to share one woman is different. For one woman to enjoy two men together and equally, even more rare.

But the three of us do it. Every hour, every day.

How can that be, you ask?

It started when Gage and I went to college together and learned that cooperating was better than competing.? Years ago, we formed a business together and we?ve made a fortune. In real estate development.

And in our private life together?

A few months ago, Gage and I found Belle together and made a fantastic life.

Belle is older than Gage and me. But that doesn?t worry any of us. We adore Belle, sexy, funny, savvy lady that she is.? She loves us both equally in and out of bed. So Gage and I count ourselves among the luckiest men alive.

To have one woman who loves you, admires you and adores you back is one big bonus. That for the three of us, we?ve got a rare thing going on is the best hat trick of all.

BIO: What?s a gal to do if she hails from D.C., lives now deep in the heart of Texas, travels often everywhere, and adores Paris, Florence, London, Tokyo and all points east and west?

Ah.

She becomes an author who can write about those romantic places. And if your sweet tooth craves spies, pirates, body guards and gutsy women of today and yesteryears of medieval and Regency England, then she is the author you crave for smoldering erotic encounters and delicious love affairs!

Her name? Cerise DeLand.

What?s more is that Cerise is the award-winning author of 18 print novels of mystery, mainstream and romance with St. Martin?s Press, Pocket Books and Kensington. Her books have been on every book club list you can name, including Featured Selections of The Mystery Guild, Doubleday and Rhapsody. And when she isn?t dreaming up fiction? Cerise also writes non-fiction.

Busy lady. Happy writer.

Find her books at?Ellora?s Cave,?Resplendence Publishing,?Wild Rose Press and?Total-E-Bound!

Blurb:

A story in the Cougar Challenge series.

Fit, fab and forty-five, Belle Sterling chomps at the bit to accept the Cougar Challenge. But finding a younger man in her one-horse Texas town is one giant problem?until two scrumptious men stroll into her office.

Gage Wagner and Trey Sandoval have been best buddies since college and know how to share?everything. When they meet luscious Belle, they know she needs the good lovin? two men can provide?together.

Belle?s a regular gal and putting two men in her saddle seems like a dream. Then she tries it. More than once.

Excerpt:

An Excerpt From: HAT TRICK

Copyright ? CERISE DELAND, 2010

All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

Chapter One

?I know for certain, honey,? Belle Sterling told her newest client, twenty-two-year old bride-to-be Marilee Betterton, ?that sleeping single in a double bed does not make for a happy life. Not after you?ve been married to a man you adore.?

She smiled at the young woman who sat opposite her in her office. ?In fact, I have just three pieces of advice for each new bride who hires my planning services. Love the man you marry. Love him so well that ?keeping only unto him? is no hardship. And commit to doing whatever you each want in bed where all great marriages are made.?

?Oh, you needn?t worry on that score, Miz Sterling. My mama says exactly the same thing.?

Does she now? That?s why Doreen?s had more lovers than a bonobo monkey in her forty-five hectic years on this earth? ?Not hard to do, either. To love a man.?

?I reckon I have loved Brent since we were in kindergarten. And definitely since high school. He?s going on to pro football, you know.?

?I heard.?

?I?m just so excited. We?re moving to Dallas and I get to meet all the men on the team.? Her eyes lit up like the year-round Christmas lights on her mama?s front porch. ?Imagine that.?

Belle did. And she tried not to wince at the feeling Brent Fuller was gonna get when he saw his new little wife bat her baby browns at his buddies. ?Well, Marilee, let?s meet again next week. Is this a good day and time for you?? Belle looked at her calendar on the computer screen as the young woman agreed. ?Good. Do bring your tentative list of invitees and we?ll see what our potential sites are for the reception.?

?Mama wants to come, too.? The girl was fishing for feedback.

Doreen Betterton and Belle were not friends. Never had been since Doreen tried to scoop Walt Sterling from Belle when they were all in high school. But Belle was ready to let bygones be bygones. Walt had never cottoned to Doreen. Never took her bait, either. Besides, Walt was gone now and their married life had been twenty-two years of the finest bliss a woman could imagine. Plus, Doreen was welcome to the pickings around here. No man within a hundred miles interested Belle enough to get her pussy wet, and even if he succeeded, he wouldn?t know what to do with it.

Belle cleared her throat and smiled. ?I hope she does come with you. There are so many things to decide, Marilee, and your mother will be a great help to you in this.?

?That?s right. Mama says I?m gonna be a better wife than she ever was.?

Belle couldn?t resist the lure. ?How?s that??

?She says she just knows that Brent is the right man for me and that we are going to be married forever.?

But minutes later, watching spoiled-rotten Marilee preen, rise from her chair and strut her toned little ass out of her office, Belle wasn?t going to give a plug nickel that the young filly would or could take any of her suggestions.

?Of course, the girl is twenty-two,? Belle muttered as the tiny bells on her door knob rang out Marilee?s exit. ?Who knows what love or marriage is all about at that age?? Belle whispered to herself.

I did.

Yeah. Well. I had a mother and father who taught me how to love. Totally. No one and nothing else greater than the union. Not too many who know how to do that nowadays.

Belle sighed, hit a few buttons on her computer screen to close the files on the Betterton-Fuller wedding and pushed away from her desk. She stood, ran her hands down her slim skirt and strode to the window. The brilliant Texas sun hit her in the face and even though she had jacked up the air conditioner to seventy-five this morning, August in southwest Texas meant triple digit heat by noon. She inhaled the steamy beauty of her little hometown. Main Street was humming. The Duck?s Bill Bakery was jumping with customers hot for their German crullers. Jack?s Auto Shop was buzzing with a couple of ranchers who had scraped the paint off each other?s pick-ups yesterday. And one of her two best friends, Aurora Mansfield, waved at her while watering her geraniums in front of her flower shop.

And me? I?m standing here wondering if my life is now only about helping twenty-somethings get hitched.

Sure. She loved the wedding business. The organization. The cake. The bouquets. The fun of invitations and receptions and gowns.

The romance.

The thrill of watching a man eye his bride. The way his gaze would flow over her face, her throat, down to her breasts.

Belle would often play a silent game with herself noting how long it took for the bride to sense her groom?s eyes on her. How long before she would squirm, feeling the cream in her pussy, the throb of her labia, the need to have his fingers play with her and open her wide for his mouth. And his cock.

Belle squeezed her own thighs together. Felt her own insides gush with moisture. Remembering desire.

Remembering Walt Sterling. His blue eyes on her lips. His firm mouth on her throat. Her nipples. His teeth nipping her areolas. His rough tongue licking her until she squealed. His fingers drifting down her ribs, caressing her stomach, twining in her cunt hair. ?Love your pretty red pussy hair, Belle of mine,? he would croon as he?d lift her against him, by that time both of them stark naked. ?Like a beacon. Gonna make you come hard for me, baby. How would you like me today?? he?d whisper as he bit her earlobe. ?Slow or fast??

Wild. Often. Furious. She?d tell him anything she wanted that day.

?In my mouth? In your sweet ass?? He?d offer her a few more options.

She loved sex with him any way at all. All the time. Any time. Day. Night. In the barn standing up. In their truck sitting down. In their kitchen on their table, their breakfast dishes bumping to their body-rocking rhythm.

So long ago. Three years to be exact.

?God. I loved you, Walt.? Belle jumped, stunned at herself that she?d said it out loud. ?Isn?t there any man alive who?s your equal? I?m lonely here, honey.?

Her gaze ran up and down Main Street and the answer she got this morning was the same as the one she?d had yesterday and the month before and the year before that.

?I?m not finding one I want to be with. In bed or out.? Not in this one-horse town. Too small to offer variety. And few strangers strolled in.

Problem was, Belle knew precisely two local men who were eligible. Both were widowers. Nice guys. But over sixty. Fifteen years older than she! And frankly, she needed a man who could not only get it up, but get it going on for more than five minutes of slam-bam. She liked sex. Really liked sex. Funky, funny, feverish sex. Walt, who had been two years older than she, had taught her to need it, crave it and initiate it. So she wasn?t about to settle for lukewarm lovin? when she knew how lusty, sweaty, energetic fucking could improve a woman?s attitude, to say nothing of her complexion or the ability of her hungry little kitty to howl.

?I can?t go on like this,? she muttered and strode back to her computer. ?I need a young man with class, imagination and raging hormones. But damn if I know how and where to find one!? She plunked herself in her chair, revved up the internet and surfed over to her friends? blog at Tempt the Cougar. Belle had discovered their exciting personal stories about hooking up with younger men, then three months ago she?d begun to correspond with a few of them individually. Over the last year, each of the women had consciously decided to seek out younger men to satisfy a need for great sex. To date, each of them developed satisfying relationships with their partners. Belle didn?t need a long-term relationship so much as she needed a good romp in the hay.

BUY Link for HAT TRICK www.jasminejade.com/ps-8700-50-hat-trick.aspx

Hi! My name is Larissa Cross but I?m better known as Rissa. Thanks, Selena, for giving me this opportunity to tell others about myself, the Cougar Challenge and the author who wrote my story, Nicole Austin.

I first heard about the challenge quite by accident while surfing the net for pictures of hot younger men and stumbled across a very interesting blog, Tempt the Cougar www.TempttheCougar.com. Discovering other women who enjoy younger men and were willing to share their experiences was a welcome surprise. Monica?s challenge for each of us to get out there and find a younger man to fulfill our fantasies couldn?t have come at a more perfect time for me.

You see, with the big four-oh looming, I was in the process of making major changes in my life, going from Army widow and soccer mom to cougar on the prowl. My son left for college and I was living alone for the first time.? I sold the house, bought a condo, shopped for a sexy new wardrobe, traded the mini-van for a red convertible and got tattooed. With eight weeks of vacation from teaching grade school, I was looking forward to a summer full of hot lovin? with younger men and headed for the beach to stalk my prey.

That new-to-me used convertible had some problems. A former student and his friends?a rather protective band of alpha males-in-training, helped save the essentials, including my precious e-book reader loaded with yummy erotic romances. But as my car went up in flames so did my wonderful summer plans.

Yeah, to heck with that! I decided to take advantage of the situation and have some fun checking out the emergency workers. My luck changed when sexy fire god JD Harmon, a prime hunk of cougar bait, headed right for me.

Score! First time out and a tall, buff younger man asked me out. Whoo-damn!

With his shaved head, tattooed biceps and erotic body piercing, JD was just what I need for my first tumble. While the only thing on my to-do list was a one-night stand, JD had plans of his own. JD was out to tame me and capture my heart, and it turns out there?s a lot more to him than those bad boy good looks. He?s the kind of man Nicole Austin would refer to as a triple threat?sexy, sophisticated and charming.

I finally got to meet all the other ladies from the blog in person at RomantiCon. What a blast! If you get the chance to attend, I highly recommend doing so. Having your picture taken with the delicious Cavemen cover models is a thrill every woman should experience at least once. Meeting them out on the dance floor? Heaven!

While at RomantiCon, I also met my favorite erotic romance author, Nicole Austin. Her scorching hot, provocative stories push boundaries and release inhibitions, resulting in extreme reader satisfaction. Read my story, Summer of the Cougar, and you?ll discover why a book reviewer dubbed Ms. Austin, ?The queen of steamy romance scenes.?

The following is an excerpt from Summer of the Cougar for your reading enjoyment!

Copyright ? NICOLE AUSTIN, 2010

Rissa plopped down on top of the sturdy molded-plastic cooler with a heavy sigh as her wonderful plans for the summer disintegrated. In need of some emotional support, she longed to call one of the cougars.

What would they do in this situation?

A wicked grin tugged at her lips. The cougars would tell her to check out the emergency workers and if possible get pictures. They?d also tell Rissa to flirt her ass off and get one of those hot young studs to take her home.

?Who owns the car??

She looked up as one of the firemen headed in her direction while scribbling information on a battered clipboard.

?Uh?me. I do.?

Oh yeah, I do. Please and thank you!

Damn, the man was gorgeous. Better than any of the pictures the girls posted on their Tempt the Cougar blog.

He was tall, at least six-one, and had a shaved head. A bit of dark stubble covered his scalp, ran along his square jawline and above his mouth. A very sexy mouth. He had to be in his early twenties by her estimation. Not too young or old. Perfect age for cougar prey.

?Name??

Yes, what is your name, hot stuff? Please tell me.

Broad shoulders blocked out the sun as he moved to stand before her. What she wouldn?t give to have him strip off the fire gear and let her see his body. From his solid build she guessed he had lots of yummy muscles. Maybe even a six-pack. She easily pictured running her fingers over his tanned skin, feeling the sinew ripple beneath her fingertips.

?That?s Miss Cross,? Tyler, her proud protector, stated. ?She?s a teacher in Tampa. Elementary school.?

What a wonderful, helpful boy.

The fire god nodded toward the police officer ready to ticket the boys? pickup. ?If that?s your truck, you might want to move it.?

?Aw crap,? one of the boys groaned. The group loped off, leaving Rissa alone with the hunk whose sharp focus all of a sudden made her nervous and fidgety.

He might have been preoccupied earlier but now she had his undivided attention. Coal black eyes took a slow journey from the top of her head down her see-through cover-up, pausing at breasts nearly spilling out of tiny bright blue triangles before dipping down to linger on her tattoo then stroke her legs. And boy did his gaze ever have the impact of a physical caress. Everywhere his eyes touched her skin tightened and long-ignored nerve endings tingled.

If he can do that with a look, imagine what he?d be able to do with those big, strong hands.

That thought notched up the temperature by a good ten degrees and had sweat trickling between breasts that felt swollen. Her body hummed with sexual need and her nipples were standing at attention, clearly visible beneath the thin material of her bikini top.

?Hi. I?m JD Harmon.?

He extended a hand and she slid her fingers into his firm grip, biting back a gasp as lightning bolts raced up her arm and headed straight for her core. All those erotic stories she?d been reading had left her ready for some action. And JD the fireman was looking like a prime candidate.

?They?re going to send a wrecker for your car. Insurance company will probably total it since the entire electrical system is toast.?

Rissa held on to his hand as if it was a lifeline and stared up at those mesmerizing dark eyes. She knew he was talking to her but the words didn?t penetrate the haze of lust that had swallowed her whole.

?Miss Cross??

?Rissa,? she absently mumbled. He let go of her hand and a wave of disappointment crashed over her. But then he turned and bumped her hip with his, making a space to sit down. Right next to her on the narrow cooler. Close enough she caught a whiff of sandalwood cologne and clean, masculine sweat. Mmm?he smelled wonderful. Hot and spicy. The right side of his body pressing against her from shoulder to ankle felt even better and gave her a rush of positive vibes.

I am cougar, hear me roar!

?Do you have a way home??

?I?home?? Her voice once again disappeared, along with the original question.

Good idea. Your place or mine?

Summer of the Cougar is currently available in e-book from Ellora?s Cave Publishing and will be part of the print anthology, Cougar Hunt, coming soon. The anthology includes Locked and Loaded by Samantha Cayto and Copping A Feel by Lexxie Couper.

Nicole?s Bio:

Nicole lives on the sheltered Gulf Coast of Florida, where inspiration can be found sitting under a big shade umbrella on the beach, sipping cold margaritas and watching all the hunks at play. Always an overachiever, Nicole stayed busy earning three college degrees and now splits her time between working in a health care career and writing.

A voracious reader, she never goes anywhere without a book, but started looking for something more. Something hotter. Her passion for erotic romance lead to Nicole?s creation of sizzling characters and boundary pushing stories. Now she lives in an incredible world where fantasy comes to life in bold, vivid detail.

She can often be found conducting research for her steamy stories while chatting with her muse and people watching. Turns out those voyeuristic tendencies are useful after all, who could have guessed.

Website: http://www.nicoleaustin.net

Blog: http://nicoleaustin.wordpress.com

Locked and Loaded Interview:

Samantha: Welcome Grace. Thank you for giving all of us some insight into how you ended up in the Cougar Challenge. I won?t ask why you looked for a younger man; that?s pretty obvious. <g> But how did you work up the nerve to take that first step and answer the challenge?

Grace: The truth is that I didn?t have to because Mark called me first. I had made up my mind to do it, although I can?t say my decision happened for any particular reason. It was a bunch of little things adding up.

Samantha: Such as?

Grace: Mostly my growing awareness that it was time to do something for me. I had been so focused on others for so long that I pushed aside my own needs and wants. Frustration, longing if you will, built up slowly until I acknowledged that I had to make a move. It helped, too, that my friend, Elizabeth Winters, kicked my butt in gear!

Samantha: So were you always interested in younger men?

Grace: Well, obviously, I used to be interested in guys my own age, and we all just happened to be young. Then as I got older, I found the guys I wanted were staying the same age! LOL But I was in the army and fraternization rules are very tough. It wouldn?t have been appropriate to pursue younger, lower ranked men.

Samantha: Military guys are so hot. It must have been torture to be around them all the time, looking and not touching?

Grace: Oh, yeah! Give me a man in sweaty fatigues and I?m a goner. Now I have my own soldier to play with. Sometimes I have Mark drop and give me twenty as foreplay. Yum.

Samantha: Mark?s still on active duty. How do you cope with the separation and fear of losing him?

Grace: God, it?s hard. I miss him, of course, and I worry. That?s the story for a lot of women (and men) these days. I try not to think too far ahead. I?m hopeful, though. Mark is the perfect man for me in so many ways. His age is really just a bonus ? a really, really arousing bonus!

Bio:

Samantha Cayto is a Boston-area native who practices as a business lawyer by day while writing erotic romance at night?the steamier the better. She likes to push the envelope when it comes to writing about passion and is delighted other women agree that guy-on-guy sex is the hottest ever.

She lives a typical suburban life with her husband, three kids and four dogs. Her children don?t understand why they can?t read what she writes, but her husband is always willing to lend her a hand?and anything else?when she needs to choreograph a scene.

She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the New England Chapter and credits RWA, NEC and the wonderful friends she?s made there with helping her become a published author.

http://www.samanthacayto.com/

Excerpt:

An Excerpt From: LOCKED AND LOADED

Copyright ? SAMANTHA CAYTO, 2010

All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

Chapter One

?Here you go, Doc Mac, the film for your next patient.?

Dr. Grace McKinnon took the x-rays from the emergency room nurse and flipped through the patient?s file. She raised her eyebrows. ?Drunk and hitting walls at four o?clock in the afternoon. My, my, this young man is ambitious.?

Silvie, a veteran of the ER, merely shook her head. ?I don?t think he?s drunk.?

Grace frowned and took another look at the patient?s chart. ?It says he?s acting belligerent and had to be persuaded to get the x-ray.?

?That?s right. His friend brought him in under protest and cajoled him into being seen. There?s a lot of tension in that young man, but the good news is that the friend not only seems to have the upper hand, he?s also totally ripped. I didn?t feel the need to call in security or anything.?

?Great,? Grace replied with a complete lack of enthusiasm. She was at the end of her shift. Tackling an angry guy who may or may not have been drinking, and who was not happy to have her help was not something to look forward to. She braced for confrontation as she entered the treatment cubicle.

She stopped short when a set of hard eyes locked onto her. Light blue and crystal clear, they were set deep into a square-jawed face right above a strong nose with bit of a crook from a long-ago break. Every detail stood out starkly because the man?s blond hair was cropped short. Not quite a buzz cut, but close. He was tall and muscular, his impressive biceps visible under his t-shirt, and his hands jammed inside the pockets of his jeans.

The sight of this man took her aback. She stood staring at him, drinking in the primal perfection he provided. Her tired body perked up with interest, and she forgot what she was doing for an instant. He was military, had to be given his bearing and the hint of a dog tag chain around his neck. Seeing him brought her back to her own army days. A wistfulness joined the heat flaring in her belly. She had loved serving and loved soldiers, too. But the doctor in her couldn?t ignore the look on the young man?s face. His expression was both weary and concerned.

?Finally!?

Grace pulled away from the lure of the man in front of her and turned to the man who had spoken. He was sitting on the examination table, an ice pack over his right hand. This was her patient, not the guy she?d spent a second or two, or hell three, ogling. This one was equally well-built and made her think military, too. His face, though, was haggard and angry, his hair a shaggy mass of reddish curls and his clothes were worn. His expression was pure mad. She worked to be patient.

?Mr. Conroy? I?m Dr. McKinnon.? She put her best doctor tone into her voice, the one that said she was both the detached professional and the caring one. When he didn?t answer, she continued anyway, taking the film out of its folder and shoving it into the light box.

?I have your x-rays here.? She stood back to take a look at the film and bumped into something hard. Blue Eyes had moved up behind her for a closer look. He pulled back with an apology.

?Sorry, ma?am.? There was a slight Southern drawl to his voice. ?I?m worried about Sean?s hand.?

?I understand we have you to thank for getting him in here,? she replied, keeping her tone even, trying not to show how his proximity unnerved her. He was only a kid, for goodness? sake. She could have fifteen years on him, and damn her soul if that point didn?t tickle her deep inside.

Hands still in his pockets, he shrugged and glanced at his friend who stared at the floor, petulant look still plastered on his face. ?I was afraid he?d broken it.? With a nod toward the x-ray, he asked, ?Did he??

Grace pulled away from the lure of the unnamed friend and concentrated on her patient?s test results. ?No, fortunately not.?

?Shit, Mark, I told you so.? Conroy was surly and ungrateful. He was also suffering emotionally. It didn?t take a doctor to see it.

?Watch your language, mister,? the friend, Mark, retorted. ?Sorry, ma?am,? he added with a rueful grimace aimed at Grace.

?Not a problem,? she assured him. ?I?ve heard the word before. I served in the army for over fifteen years.? Now why had she gone and told him something so personal? It was unlike her, unprofessional. Mark?s face lit up at the news, however.

?Really, ma?am??

?Who cares?? muttered Conroy, but he shut up and stared at the floor again when Mark shot him a stern look.

Okay, time for her to get her head out of her ass and get these guys on their way. Besides, there was something far more important for her to speak to this Mark about than her military service. ?Mr. Conroy, I?m sending in a nurse to bandage your hand.? Turning to Mark, she added, ?May I speak with you a moment??

?Yes, ma?am.? He gave his friend another look that said, ?Behave yourself? before following Grace out.

She gave the high sign to Sylvie before continuing farther away from the cubicle so she could talk freely. When she judged they were far enough away from Conroy, she turned and hit that wall again. Mark muttered another apology as he backed up a pace. He acted as flustered by the contact as she felt. But that was ridiculous. Her reaction was normal. He was young and ripped and designed by God to get a woman?s juices flowing. She was forty-two and while pretty and fit, also ragged from a tough shift in the ER. No way this guy was into her. A pity because as a younger man, he fitted her idea of a fantasy lover. This wasn?t one of those erotic romance stories she loved to read, however. She put aside her growing attraction and tackled the important issue at hand.

?Why isn?t your friend being seen at the VA hospital?? She crossed her arms as she demanded the answer, trying to put emotional distance between them. This wasn?t a bar, after all.

Mark opened his mouth and then shut it again. A few seconds ticked by before he finally answered. The look on his face told her he had waged some inner battle before picking a reply. ?I had a hard enough time getting him to come here and it?s right around the corner from his apartment.?

?I?m not talking about his hand, Mr.?? She paused waiting for an answer. She was surprised at how interested she was.

?Bennington. Mark Bennington.? He cleared his throat. ?It?s ah, Captain Bennington, actually, of the United States Army.? He grinned briefly, a boyish grin with a cute-as-a-button dimple on the left side. The kind of grin that said he was proud as punch. As well he should be because God, if he was older than his late twenties, he wore it well, and to have the rank of captain was a real achievement.

He extended his hand and she took it. ?Grace McKinnon,? she supplied which was stupid because she had already announced that she was Dr. McKinnon. Everybody knew that doctors stressed the title because they were proud as punch, too, of their achievement and needed to maintain a professional detachment from their patients. Of course this was not her patient. Still.

His hand was warm and rough and squeezed hers with just the right amount of pressure before he let it go. In fact if she used a little bit of imagination, she?d think he held her hand a few seconds longer than necessary. Wow, she must be really tired to think a thing like that. Focus, Grace.

?Okay, as I was saying, Captain Bennington, why isn?t Mr. Conroy being treated at the VA for PTSD? You do know he?s suffering from it??

His expression turned pained. He stared at his feet and rocked back and forth on his heels a few times before heaving a big sigh. ?Yes, ma?am.? When he looked at her again, his eyes were clouded with worry.

It was a kick to her gut. Hot and vulnerable, a deadly combination. She wanted to wrap him in her arms and hold him tight, make everything better. Crazy but the urge was strong. Instead she went with the mundane. ?You don?t have to ma?am me. I?m not in the army anymore.?

He shrugged. ?I am. Habit. Besides, I?m from the South so I grew up calling every woman ma?am, from my mother to the gal serving me fries with my burger.?

?I understand.? To be honest, being called ma?am by this guy turned her on even more. Best not to think about it. She was revved up enough. ?How long has your friend been out?? Yes, talk about your patient, Grace. That?s your job, remember?

?Almost a year. He was up and didn?t reenlist. I had hoped being a civilian would help him. The emails he?s been sending me said otherwise. I?ve got twelve days left of a two-week leave before I deploy again. I?m worried about him.?

?Does he have family around here??

?Yes, ma?am. Sean?s from Boston, but they?re not much help. His father has always told him to man up and deal, you know??

She did know. It was hard for men, especially military men, to face emotional problems. Yes, she had seen plenty of good, strong men fall prey to post-traumatic stress while serving. She was worried. It helped, though, to have a friend who cared. Sean was lucky to have Mark, if only for a few days. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her business card and handed it to him.

?Here. I?m not a psychiatrist, and I?d really like your friend to get the help he needs from the right people. But call me if things get worse and you need to talk to someone.?

He took the card and studied it for a moment before putting it into his own pocket. ?Thanks, I will.?

He smiled and man it made him even more attractive and younger looking. Her body jolted in reaction, arousal erupting in all the usual places. Good thing she had crossed her arms. As a doctor, she understood she couldn?t help her body?s response. Her female parts were capable of imaging how good the captain?s male parts would make them feel. They didn?t care that his body wasn?t looking for her middle-aged one with its wrinkles and sags. It wanted an equally young, hard female body to rub against. Even if she was wrong about that and this was the perfect chance for her to take the Cougar Challenge that her friend, Elizabeth Winters, kept urging her to do, the situation was all wrong. Captain Bennington was not her patient, but his friend was and hitting on a guy in the ER was unethical if not downright illegal.

The really dumb part was how much her brain was getting in on the act. Images of her tangled with all those perfect male muscles popped up unbidden. Her body didn?t care about the practical or the ethical. It only knew what it wanted and what it wanted at that moment was Captain Perfect naked in her bed. She mentally shook herself. The whole attraction was ridiculous under the circumstances. This was reality, not a romance story.

She was tired, that was all. All she really needed was to clock out, go home, order delivery from her favorite Chinese restaurant and catch up on episodes of 30 Rock. Then she could retire to her comfy, albeit empty, bed and read her latest book until her body exploded with a sleep-inducing orgasm. Wow that sounded pathetic. A little self-help once in a while was fine, but it had become her way of life. She needed to get out more and date real men, age-appropriate real men. Or, maybe she did need to take the Cougar Challenge. She?d been lurking for a while on the Cougars? blog site. Those women were obviously happy with the way their challenges worked out. They inspired her, although she was still uncertain. She had always been such a sensible, duty-bound woman. Throwing caution to the wind and having a fling with a younger man was so unlike her. Could she do it? She didn?t know. Hanging around any longer with the tempting Captain Bennington wasn?t making her head any clearer. Seeing Sylvie leave the cubicle, she jumped on the opportunity to make a getaway.

?Looks like your friend is all set. Take care and good luck.?

Mark glanced over his shoulder, his mouth tugged in a hard line. ?Thanks.? Wagging her card, he added, ?For everything.?

?You?re welcome.? Grace wheeled around and walked away, trying not to hurry. It was hard. She sensed Mark?s eyes on her all the way down the hall. Damn, maybe she?d better pull out her DVDs and run a Johnny Depp marathon. She needed to put this guy out of her mind and fast.

http://www.jasminejade.com/pm-8371-546-locked-and-loaded.aspx

Hi everyone I’m taking part in the TRS Spookapolooza as well as Night Owl’s Scanveger Hunt. Details below:

TRS Spookapolooze is being held from the 6-31st Stop by every day fro awesome excerpts, a chance to chat with wonderful authors and win amazing prizes including a Kindle!

The Scavenger Hunt:

Good Luck!

Se

Book Title: All the Good Men

Tagline: Good things come in forty-something firefighter packages…

Blurb:

Dahlia is sure the hackneyed platitude is true: After a certain age, all the good men are married or gay. She feels her thirty-eight years put her well past that ‘certain age.’ Her best friend and her sisters dare her to put her fate where her mouth is. The terms of the challenge? During the month of October, she has to end her five-year-long man fast and go on dates with men of their choosing. Oh, and she also has to go out with anyone else who asks.

As the date disasters pile up, the vindication almost makes the torturous evenings bearable for Dahlia. But a handsome new neighbor, Jackson Carmichael, moves in, changing the rules of the game. Retired after twenty-six years as a pro firefighter in Boston, he volunteers with the local fire department, coaches a youth hockey team, and appears for all the world to be the perfect man. He just might throw a wrench into Dahlia’s plan to die lonely and single…that is if she doesn’t scare him away first.

Excerpt (Adult)

Her fingers slid over the ripples of his abdomen. Caressing her cheek, he moved in and brushed his lips against hers. Dahlia relaxed against him.

One button at a time, she worked until the shirt fell open. Smooth, cotton fabric glided over his shoulders and fluttered to the floor. She grimaced at his undershirt; just another layer of clothes separating her from his fragrant skin. Pulling it over his chest, she was forced to break away from his embrace to liberate him from the garment. He seized the opportunity to strip her of her t-shirt as well.

Large hands skimmed along her collarbone and followed her bra strap to the swell of her breasts. He folded his arms around her again. Despite the heat that passed between them, his touch gave her goosebumps. His tongue traced the curve of her neck, making her shiver.

Slow, deliberate kisses worked up her throat, brushed past her ear, then captured her lips. A deft motion behind her unsnapped her bra. Shimmying free of it, her bare breasts grazed against his torso. More tremors of excitement darted through her.

Jackson scooped her up and carried her to the bed. Her ruffled comforter felt cool against her back. He leaned in and covered her mouth with his. The dim light filtering through the curtains, the whir of the ceiling fan, even the intrusive red light from her alarm clock on the bedside table?everything else faded away until she was aware only of his warmth, his scent, and the feel of his lips against hers. She lost herself in the rhythm of his heartbeat, her own pulse picking up speed.

A hand slid underneath her skirt and up the length of her thigh. She let out a long sigh as he settled his hand between her legs. Slow, gentle strokes over her silken panties created a throbbing ache she could hardly bear. It’d been so long since anyone had touched her much less so handsome and sensual a man.

Jackson slid down her abdomen and left a trail of kisses in his wake. Her stomach quivered with each light brush of his lips across her skin. Reaching the junction of her hips and legs, his tongue skipped along the crease of her inner thigh. She gave an involuntary gasp and twitched at the shock of sensation, but Jackson didn’t relent. With increased pressure he kissed and nibbled and laved, seeming to take great delight in her shudders and groans.

She grasped his shoulders and hooked a leg around him. He needed no more invitation. Peeling off the thin layer of silk that had kept him from tasting her, he buried his face in her thighs once more. This time his tongue meandered over her soft folds and he nuzzled her little patch of hair. He licked and sucked at the tight bud of nerves nestled there. Her hands clenched onto the bedspread, her pelvis arching upward of its own accord.

Buy-it-now link: http://moongypsypress.com/jacks.php

email: cindy@cindyjacks.com

website: http://cindyjacks.com

Today we?re sitting down with Jason Prescott, Erik Hale and Randy Richmond of Daze on End, an indy band out of Indianapolis that?s starting to make some waves on the Midwest music scene.

Interviewer: Guys?let?s start with how you all met each other. Have you been friends for a long time, or no?

Erik: Jason and I have been friends since we were kids. We kind of grew up together. When we put the band together we looked for a drummer and we finally found Randy on the Internet.

Interviewer: On the Internet?
Jason: Yeah, we put out an ad and he showed up and now we can?t get rid of him.
Randy: I eat all their food.
Jason: Not a bad drummer, though.
Randy: Thanks.
Interviewer: You guys aren?t signed with a label yet?are you working toward that or are you surfing the DIY wave that seems to be getting popular in the indy crowd?
Jason: We?re DIY right now. We might find a point in the future where a label would be a good thing.
Erik: Or we might make our own label.

Randy: We don?t need no stinkin? labels.

Jason: It?s nice the way it is because we can do whatever kind of music we want?no pressure from a company just trying to make money.

Interviewer: How are things on the road? Do you guys get along?

Erik: Yeah, we get along fine.
Jason: It?s a small van. We?re guys. It smells bad.

Interviewer: How about romance? I hear a rumor there?s a lady in the picture?

Jason: No comment.
Erik: No comment.
Randy: I know nothing.
Interviewer: How about this book that?s just come out? Your manager Faith Talbot wrote it? I heard it pretty much answers all the questions we might have about romance on tour.

Jason: Read that, then, and don?t ask the questions.

Erik: Jason?s a little touchy. I don?t think he knew Faith was going to go into so much detail.
Randy: I?m not in the book much.

Jason: Cheer up, maybe you?ll get your own book later and then I can mock you.

Interviewer: Must have hit a sore spot, there. Anyway, if you want to find out what Jason is touchy about, and who Jason is touching?and apparently Erik, too?check out Beautiful Music: Daze on End, by Faith Talbot, now available at Changeling Press. And take a look at Daze on End?s blog for further news about the band.

Daze-on-end.blogspot.com

Faithtalbot.com

Buy link: http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1383
Book Summary

When Kayla gets an extra ticket to a rock concert from her assistant, she never dreams she’ll be hooking up with the far younger lead singer before the show. It’s a great one-night stand — until the bass player, Erik, calls her a few nights later. Jason is sick, and only Kayla can help him.

Jason and Erik of Daze on End have navigated a strange, energy-based sexual puzzle their whole lives. When Kayla enters their lives, some of the answers begin to fall into place as the three of them find themselves beginning an erotic journey that will change all their lives.

EXCERPT:

Eyes burning with something beyond desire, he reached for the buttons of her shirt, undid them, and peeled it open. His big hands cupped her breasts. His hands were beautiful, the fingers long and graceful, a musician?s hands. The calluses at the tips of his left-hand fingers moved roughly over the delicate material of her bra, then he popped open the catch between the mounds of her breasts. Pulling her to him, he pressed his own chest hard against hers, then shifted her body to close his mouth around one straining nipple.

She cried out, a soft sound that seemed to fill her mouth like water before it leapt free. Everything felt strange, as if a fine layer of? something? lay between them, over them, grew against the places where skin met skin. It almost felt like she could mold whatever it was against him, mound it between her hands and press it down into his body.

What was this? It was so strange, and yet it felt like she?d known it would happen. She arched back as his teeth tightened on her nipple, his other hand cupping the mound of the other breast. Reaching between them, she found his zipper and pulled it down, moved her hand inside to feel the ridge of hard flesh under the soft cotton of his briefs.

She wanted him inside her. Deep inside, so deep she couldn?t tell anymore where he ended and she began. Wanted him to thrust inside her until she could taste him at the back of her throat. Wanted to devour him with her body, her mouth, consume him with her hands.

Her clothes were in the way, and so were his. She fumbled with them, drawing back too fast so that a painful stab sliced into her nipple just before he realized what she was doing and loosened his teeth. ?Sorry,? she heard him mumble, but she just shook her head. His hands slid up her sides, moving her shirt off her, then down her hips to shove her pants out of the way. She struggled with his jeans, his briefs. It was a strange, awkward, writhing dance, and suddenly his hips lifted and he was inside her.

She froze over him. She could feel every inch of him, hot and hard, and when she squeezed down he closed his eyes and tipped his head back. Then in a sudden, not-quite-expected move, he rolled her over, pinned her to the bed, and fucked her.

God. She spread her legs impossibly wide, pressed her heels against the bends of his knees as his hips pushed her thighs even farther apart. His mouth went to her neck, biting there, then biting her shoulder, her upper arms, her breasts. The thrusting was as strong and sure as he had been weak and broken when she?d come into the room. And the heat, the strange, soft something?

Power. It was power. What kind of power, she didn?t know. It felt like a current of water but not like water at all. She arched her back, feeling it flow between her breasts, down her body, over the curve of her neck. She could see nothing, but the tendrils pouring over her skin were unmistakable.

Jason?s thrusts had gone deep, hard and shallow, and she could feel his whole body hardening between her legs and within the curve of her arms. Her own body was spiraling in on itself, a deep, dangerous whirlpool of sensation gathering where his body joined hers.

Anticipating his orgasm, and her own, she turned her head to one side.

Erik still sat on the other bed. Watching.

Her eyes met his in a moment of sudden, startling realization, and she came. Above her, inside her, Jason climaxed simultaneously.

And Erik sat, unmoving, and watched.