No, no… I know what you’re thinking, but don’t let the cover fool you… this is not a BDSM story!! And it ain’t your typical werewolf tale either.

JC Jensen, a hairdresser in Hoboken, New Jersey, is happy living alone and focusing on her career. JC decides that maybe a dog might be a better companion than the boyfriends she’s had, so she heads off to her local animal shelter to find a puppy that needs a home. Like a cute ball of fluff, ya know?

When she comes home, it’s with a beast that the shelter says is part wolf — and destined to die. He’s mean, he’s ornery, he has enough fleas to require fumigation, and he’s a hairdresser’s nightmare, but JC is compelled to adopt him. The shelter is amazed when he only responds to her (no surprise for you there I’ll bet). After a trip to PETsMART and a bath, JC dubs her new buddy Fluffy. Fluffy loves steak and hates her ex-boyfriend Jess, which is just fine by JC. He’s her perfect match — so perfect she thinks if only he were a man they could pick out china together.

But Fluffy likes to roam and when he takes off one night JC’s new neighbor Max Adams consoles her by inviting her in for pizza. Max is hot and he has a great head of hair. JC and Max have nothing in common — he’s a country boy and she’s a city girl — but sexually speaking (you knew that was coming, didn’t you?) Max is like no other man she’s met. He does have some peculiarities though…like a strange affinity for red meat, and his allergic reaction to anything silver. All of this has JC wondering where Max comes from and why — despite their differences — she can’t keep her hands off of him…

Oh, and the biggest plus of all? Max really digs her big, mangy mutt Fluffy…

Buy Now

**Contest**

You can win a copy of Dakota’s latest Berkley release Kiss and Hell by commenting to this post and telling us your favorite Dakota Cassidy book!

Find out more about Dakota and her books by visiting her website.

Tags: Uncategorized, Way Back Wednesday // 50 Comments »

Kinda to the point, don’t ya think? I have two books, one already officially out since Tuesday, Darkness Burning, and one coming next Tuesday, Tempted by a Cowboy. Two books, two completely different genres! And I have a slew of prizes to offer as I run my contest (which doesn’t end until July 6th), so be sure to check out the instructions here: Contest Rules

I would have included pictures of the covers of both books here, but apparently I’m WordPress illiterate, at least for this site, because nothing worked! But if you click on the links I provided above, you can gaze on two very different, very sexy covers and read excerpts from both stories. I promise you’ll be tempted to place your order now!

Then, be sure to post a comment here and be entered for another prize, a signed copy of Seduced by Darkness, the prequel to my latest release! How simple can it be? If you’d like more opportunities to win and want to read through some of the sexy excerpts from the books, be sure to visit my blog often over the coming days!

Thanks to the Fallen Angels for having me, and if you invite me back, I promise I won’t spend the whole time pimping my contest! I’d love to hear from you all!

Tags: Author Days, Contest, Uncategorized // 32 Comments »

Calder must infiltrate the local BDSM community for a magazine article. All he wanted was a clinical, unprejudiced view of the world of BDSM. He wasn’t counting on the Black Widow.

Kelly’s profession as the infamous Dominatrix, The Black Widow, has brought her fame and fortune, but not love. She accepts a passionate challenge from this man who won’t submit.

Their journey of discovery will lead into the depths of both their souls where dominance and submission have no meaning. But through it all, Calder must keep his occupation secret, or risk the bite of the Black Widow.

Buy Now

Find out more about Lena Austin and her books at her website http://www.lenaaustin.com

Tags: Uncategorized // Add Comment »

Can you tell us about your historical release Celtic Destiny’s? Yes, I would love to. I’ve always wanted to write a ghost story. I got an idea for a sweet novella and the ghosts came with the castle ruins. My main character leaves Georgia to be a nanny in Scotland. Readers get a double romance with this one. One supernatural and one of the human sort.

Describe to me your ideal hero and your perfect villain.  My ideal hero is one who loves his mate no matter what- flaws and all. My perfect villain wears black and has a face like the Joker from Batman. He usually wreaks havoc because of his need for revenge.

What’s the last movie you went and seen in a theater? Wolverine. I love all of the comic book movies and Xmen was one of my favorite. I’m now looking forward to Captain America.

What’s your favorite invention? Indoor plumbing! I couldn’t imagine life without it.

What’s the theme song to your life? The Pink Panther http://www.televisiontunes.com/Return_of_the_Pink_Panther_(The).html  Always lurking around and looking for something new and exciting to do. (In a cartoonish sort of way!)

Thanks!

 Kissa Starling

You can find out more about author Kissa Starling and her books by visiting her website at www.kissastarling.com

Tags: Author Spotlights // 3 Comments »

One doesn’t recognize the really important moments in one’s life until it’s too late. ~ Agatha Christie

Often I’m asked what my romantic suspense series is about…in a nutshell. That quote from Ms. Christie about sums it up and you will even see that quote show up in the 3^rd novel of the series. Think about our own lives. We get so wrapped up in the day-to-day doings that we don’t realize that we are living those important moments.

In the case of my characters, it is more about gaining control of their lives, admitting what is most important and seizing the day…oh, yeah and catching the bad guy too.

The NovelTea series centers around Grant Gerard, government agent (a spy) and Juliet Truesdale, bookstore manager. The tone is humorous and fun. The stories and books are written in first person and switch back and forth from one story to the next in view of whose perspective it was written. For example: Book 1 (A Night of NovelTea) is from Juiet’s POV, Book 2 (NovelTea Next Door) is from Grant’s POV, Book 3 (A NovelTea Murder Mystery) is from Juliet’s POV again, and Book 4 (A NovelTea Christmas) is also from Grant’s POV. It’s been interesting, educational and a whole lot of fun writing these stories and novels. In fact, I’ll be giving away a copy of A Night of NovelTea today. If you’d like a copy just leave a comment. If you’ve read Book 1 just let me know and I’ll give you book 2.

A Night of NovelTea brings us into the world of secret agents aka: spies through the eyes of the naïve bookshop owner, Juliet. She doesn’t know what’s going on, but she has no choice but to go along with it. I mean, this very attractive man just came into her shop, kissed her and left her instructions to meet him later with an envelope he left in her pocket. Does she really have any choice? Especially as she was just complaining about how mundane her life has become. She makes a decision to live in the moment, takes the challenge and meets her mystery man. Her life is never the same.

In the second book, NovelTea Next Door, I had to bring this spy world to life even more. That included creating a villain. I found this exercise completely freeing and exciting—getting into the head of a psychopath. And by the end of the story, I had to decide what to do with my villain. Does he die or does he live to see another day? That is the question. This is the book where the reader really gets to know Grant, and understand what it’s like being a spy. Not only the lingo and seeing an operation go through the motions but how he reacts when he realizes he cares for this woman as more than an asset to the mission.

If you want to understand Grant even more, make sure to stop by the NovelTea Blog and read his interview. It’s quite enlightening. Boy is he cocky, but I just love him. http://novelteaseries.blogspot.com/2008/09/interview-of-grant-gerard-by-juliet.html

Book Trailers:

I have two book trailers for the first two released books.

A Night of NovelTea

NovelTea Next Door

Grant was even highlighted on Helen’s Heroes. Want to know more about my inspiration for creating him and what makes him tick, take a look. http://helensheroes.blogspot.com/2009/05/mondays-hero-grant-from-noveltea-series.html

Books 3 & 4 are due out next year. There was a little bit of a hold up on releasing the third novel but I think fans will be very happy with what my editor and I have worked up. I’ll tell more as the release date nears on the NovelTea blog.

A NovelTea Murder Mystery starts out just like the title suggests—as a murder mystery. It takes place on an Island out in the Outer Banks off the coast of NC just as a tropical storm is moving up from Florida. The players are introduced and then Juliet finds out that one of them may be a murder and a traitor to their country. Grant goes undercover to see what the suspect is up too and then the suspect ends up dead but who in the small Inn could have done it? In this book, Juliet figures out what she wants—wants with her life and with Grant. It’s the last time we’ll be in her POV and I wanted readers to know where she is at when the last and final book comes out.

A NovelTea Christmas takes places two months later back in the DC area. There are so many things going on in this final installment to the series—like mysterious gifts showing up for Juliet and Grant being attacked in the bathroom of a secured building. Grant also continues to work on locating the criminal he’s been after throughout the entire series. He’s figuring out his relationship with Juliet which he is not very good at. Things get very rocky between them. And things don’t improve when a sexy woman from his past shows up but it just might connect to his current case. Then his sister hounds him to show up for Christmas and his boss wants to promote him to a desk job. It’s going to be a great finale!

Thanks for reading about my series today. I leave you with an excerpt from the upcoming final book: A NovelTea Christmas. (from Grant’s POV)

“Juliet, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” I voiced my opinion.

“Why?” Her hand popped onto her hip just as she said the word. Her face filled with sarcastic ill humor. “Are you one of these techno-geeks who figure out all the complicated scientific conundrums?” She stepped around the desk to stand right in front of me. “No, I didn’t think so. It belongs to me and if the US secret services say it’s safe then that about does it for me.”

I snagged her arm as she turned away. “This conversation isn’t over,” I said to her. We started down between the cubicals together.

“Let go of my arm,” Juliet warned in a raised whisper when we were out of earshot of the analysts.

“Hold tight and I will.”

“You’re holding tight enough for the both of us.”

We turned a corner and entered a conference room. I closed the door, locked it and drew the blinds. Juliet and I had decided to keep our relationship on the quiet for now at DSA. Having this conversation in front of a crowd just might leak out our secret.

I found Juliet standing defensively on the other side of the room with a table between us when I pivoted around. “How could you do that to me…again!” She was angry. “It’s the same package I saw you with last night, isn’t it? Don’t deny it!” She wagged her finger at me.

“Are you finished?” Usually my anger flared when someone blew up on me like this, but for some reason I almost wanted to laugh. Juliet being angry was quite a sight. Her cheeks were rosy, her lips just as red and her hazel eyes bright and full of fire.

I stood up straighter and cleared my throat. “Yes, it’s the same package.”

“You didn’t trust me.” She leaned on the table between us as she spoke. “I thought things were different now, but I was wrong. You’re not any different than when I first met you. You’re just as cocky, just as emotionally unavailable, just as…as aggravating.”

“Come on, Jules, is that fair. I’m different.” She raised her eyebrows and frowned. “Okay, I might still be cocky, but I’ve really been working on the aggravating bit.” I grinned.

No affect.

“I did it for you, all right. For your safety.”

“And you couldn’t have maybe…Oh, I don’t know, told me about it last night? Don’t you think that I respect you? That I listen and take your point of view under advisement?”

“What can I say? I’m not used to people trusting me.”

“No, that’s not it. You don’t trust other people. Not even me. And that hurts.”

She looked me in the eye and I watched her breathe in and out a couple breaths before she made her way to the exit. I blocked her path with my body. I took her around the shoulders. “I’m sorry.” I could have said a whole lot more but those were just words. She was one-hundred percent right. If we were going to go the long stretch together I had to relearn how to interact with people. Juliet wasn’t like every other woman I knew. She wasn’t out for her own interests. She did trust me and love me.

“I’m an idiot.”

“Yes, I know you are.” Her mouth cracked into a slight smile and a tear skittered down her cheek.

I wrapped her up in arms and just held her for a minute. She inhaled deeply, her breath catching in her throat. Releasing her just enough to look in her eyes, I smiled and then kissed her. “I’m sorry, Juliet,” I whispered again.

“That’s just it, Grant. You’re always sorry, but I don’t know if things will ever change.”

__________________________________________________

You can learn more about the NovelTea Series at the NovelTea Blog or my website. Leave a comment today and I’ll enter you into a drawing for a copy of A Night of NovelTea or NovelTea Next Door.

**********
Cindy K. Green is a multi-published author with degrees in History and Education. Previously a middle school English & History teacher, she now homeschools her own children and writes in several genres: Inspirational, Contemporary, Suspense, Fantasy and Historical romance. But whatever she writes she always throws in a bit of humor and fun. Find out more about Cindy and her books at www.cindykgreen.com and http://cindykgreen.blogspot.com/. To join her newsletter email her at  newsletters@cindykgreen.com, and she will send you out all three parts of her FREE READ serial,  “Valentine’s Challenge.”

Tags: Author Days, Contest, Excerpts, Uncategorized // 11 Comments »

Autographed copy of Saints and Sinners: Billie Jean

Copy of Seducing the Saint: Cathy M

Copy of Hunting Mila: Laura K

Congrats Ladies!

Please email me at fallenangeljoann@hughes.net

Tags: Contest Winners // 2 Comments »

Liberty Wainwright needs a man and not just any man. She needs Brady St. James, otherwise known as the Saint. His skills and knowledge make him the only choice to rescue her father. Now, if she can convince him to help her, she’ll just have to ignore her cravings for the man she’s never forgotten.

Brady is stunned the woman who left him high and dry is back and asking for his help. Their affair had been doomed from the start. Libby liked to live by the rules and Brady lived to break them. He’d sworn she’d be back, but he hadn’t expected it to take over six years for her to return.

The moment he accepts her mission, they discover their passion for each other is still smoldering. Unable to resist each other, their attraction sparks into an inferno that threatens to overpower all rational thinking. Libby and Brady realize they still might have a chance at love and happily ever after. If they don’t get themselves killed first.

Buy Today

Visit Melissa’s Website to find more good reads:

www.melissaschroeder.net

Comment to this post and you could be one of three lucky winners! What can you win you ask? Well Melissa Schroeder has graciously donated three wonderful prizes: One autographed print copy of Saints and Sinners, a copy of Seducing the Saint and Hunting Mila.

Post before Midnight (Central Time) for your chance to win. Winners will be announced shortly after Midnight.

Tags: Way Back Wednesday // 6 Comments »

By Guest Blogger Shelia M. Goss

I know you’re probably wondering: what does romance have to do with doing a job interview?  Well, in my upcoming book His Invisible Wife it has a lot to do with Brianna Mayfield and Jake Banks as they tangle with mixing business with pleasure.  I like to mix in a little reality in my fiction, so keep reading for Brianna’s take on dating and job interviews.

Thank you Shelia for letting me take over your blog post. As a former serial dater, I, Brianna Mayfield, have a few things I would like to share about dating.

Dating these days isn’t as simple as it used to be. Even when a friend or family member introduces you to a potential mate, you have to be selective and interview them. You need to know more about them than what kind of car they drive, cell phone number and email address. In my case, I know exactly where Jake works, he’s my boss.

Before getting seriously involved with someone there are things you need to know before letting them into your personal life. Have you met any of his family or friends?  If you have, how does the guy act around them? I hate Jake’s uncle so that’s been a thorn in our relationship. But this blog post isn’t about me. How do they interact? What is his religious preference? What information is he volunteering? Most men live by the motto:  “Don’t ask and don’t tell,” so get your list together and the next time you’re face to face, ask. Ask, not interrogate.  Although if your man is like Jake, he’ll get on the defensive whenever you do ask a question. Be prepared however to answer the same questions honestly. Some men can’t handle the truth so you might have to leave out some information.

If you have any doubt about something or find something questionable, why not invest $29.95 and do a background check. You’re probably saying,”If I have to go through that much trouble, why bother?” Wrong. Think about it. If you were hiring an employee you would do a background check; so why not check out the guy you’re willing to bring into your world. Whether you pay $29.95 or ask probing questions to him or those who may know him, check him out before making a committment. Wouldn’t it be nice to have three relationship references as required when applying for a job?

Brianna Mayfield is a fictional character. Read more about her in my upcoming book - His Invisible Wife.

More about His Invisible Wife:
How far would you go for a million dollars?

Texas businessman Jacob “Jake” Banks is about to lose his business and everything else he’s worked for until his uncle dies and leaves him as the executor of his estate–only catch is, he has to marry and marry a specific woman in order to cash in on the inheritance. Big problem, since Jake has vowed to be a bachelor for life.

Brianna Mayfield is at her last rope. Her father lost his business due to Jake’s uncle turning down a loan. She’s convinced this caused her father to fall into a deep depression. She blames the Banks and vows to pay them back one day. When she sees an ad in the paper for a job at her self-proclaimed enemy’s company, she feels her luck is turning around. She applies and is later approached by Jake with a proposition she can’t turn down.

His Invisible Wife can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com. It will be in stores in July 2009.

Shelia M. Goss is the Essence Magazine Best-Selling author of My Invisible Husband, Roses are thorns, Violets are true, Paige’s Web and Double Platinum. His Invisible Wife is her fifth women’s fiction novel.  Shelia is also the author of the young adult series The Lip Gloss Chronicles. For more information, visit her website www.sheliagoss.com.

Tags: Uncategorized // 6 Comments »

TOUCH OF FIRE hits bookstores on April 28 and I like to call it “the poor little book that could” because it was a story that almost didn’t get written.

Three things occurred at nearly the same time to make it possible. A friend of mine encouraged me to enter a publisher’s best hook contest, I read a newspaper article about the Mayan calendar that day, and much to my surprise…I cleaned off my desk and found an old snippet I wrote about two unlikely lovers.

Within a matter of weeks these disparate items melded into a story that had to be told.

I love post apocalyptic stories, but many are a little too gritty and negative for me. What’s wrong with writing about a post-apocalyptic world that was surviving quite nicely despite the loss of technology? People in the Middle Ages did it for centuries. It could work again. We humans are survivors to the core. It’s written into our DNA.

TOUCH OF FIRE is set 1200 years in the future, so it gave me plenty of time to let the world change on its own. It was a challenge to figure out what parts of the 21^st century would last and what would disintegrate, but the research was also the most exhilarating. I was building my own “brave new world”.

I was determined not to make survival the issue, but rather the motivating factor for how my characters interacted with one another.

Once I had my base civilization I threw in a few substantial monkey wrenches. In the story, a secondary race called the Elementals rose from the ashes of the apocalypse. No one really knows how they came about, but their arrogant manner and separatist attitude immediately creates prejudice and rivalry with the non-magical humans known as plainfolk.

But the biggest conflict revolves around an ancient book, one that threatens to reintroduce technology to a world that knows only magic. It’s a race against time for the Elementals to find the book before the plainfolk do, and it’s left to Leda, a fire Elemental to pick up the trail and find it.

What she finds is Greyhawke Tams, a surly, uncooperative plainfolk scavenger, and the last man known to have possession of the book. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep her from succeeding, but it isn’t long before they both realize there is a more dangerous man on their trail.

It quickly makes them unwilling allies –and lovers.

I hope you’ll buy TOUCH OF FIRE and let me know how you like it. I promise you, it’s a world you won’t forget.

If you’d like to learn more about this world visit my website for more of New Earth’s back story.  

Follow my blog.

Follow me on Twitter!

Read an excerpt of TOUCH OF FIRE.

Visit my website or blog for more info on a terrific contest to celebrate the release of TOUCH OF FIRE.

Thanks for reading!

Tags: Author Days, Contest // 2 Comments »

Guilty Pleasures—what a great title for a romance novel. Doesn’t it just evoke all kinds of images in your head? Well, come on, we all have them. What’s yours? Is it chocolate? Okay, if you are female and breathing that one is a given. Shoes or shopping in general?? What is it?

My guilty pleasure is watching period drama films. I love them! In fact, my sister comes over every Tuesday for a weekly dose of handsome, dashing men in cravats. I often wonder why I love the Period Drama so much. I’m sure it stems from my love for classic literature, history and romance. And darn it those lovely British men in cravats are just too beguiling. I did mention the cravats, didn’t I??

It seems that the Period Drama started a trend of reading classic literature again. When all the Jane Austen films erupted in the 1990’s, her books grew in popularity once more. And even now we have North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. The miniseries starred Richard Armitage and was highly successful. How many of us who viewed the show had to read that novel after seeing the series, I wonder? We just had to know if John Thornton was as irresistible in real life as he was portrayed by RA.

I truly believe that this surge in the period drama has not only increased the reading of classic literature but of the historical romance novel as well. I know that after watching Rupert Penry-Jones play my favorite Captain Wentworth in Persuasion or James McAvoy as Tom Lefroy in Becoming Jane that I am primed and ready to begin writing my historical stories or novels.

How great it is to gain inspiration in your writing from a Guilty Pleasure?? We want to indulge in those pleasures anyway. Why not make it a practical part of your writing process. For me the Period Drama has jump-started my inspiration, fueled my creativity and assisted me in finishing a historical piece. In fact, just this year I had two historicals release. A historical western—The Heart Never Lies. And a post-Civil War historical—Dilemma of the Heart. Guilty Pleasures and Inspiration. Yeah, I like the sound of that. How about you?

An excerpt from Dilemma of the Heart:

Frederick began to move toward her, his strides determined and sleek. “And how shall I address you when you’re married?” His voice drawled into a low and provocative tone, making her heart give a little leap.

She made the mistake of gazing into those deep, wonderful eyes of his and forgot to breathe as his eyes, no longer playful, seared into her, down to her beating heart. When she was finally able to gulp some air, her lungs began to pump again. “You may call me Cassandra as you always have…I hope.” Her voice came out breathy and weak.

“Oh, no, I don’t believe that would be proper.” He stepped right in front of her face and touched his forehead to hers. In that moment, it felt as if a dozen butterflies had been released inside her stomach. He grabbed her around the waist, but before he had the chance to kiss her, she returned to her senses. Pushing off from his chest, she moved down toward the stalls, keeping her back to him as she held a hand over her galloping heart.

He was not going to kiss her before he explained everything—his miraculous appearance, his incalculable behavior, and what his future intentions were. “No, Frederick that wouldn’t be proper and I have never known you to be anything but proper.” She glanced back at him over her shoulder. “Well, maybe not quite always.” A fraction of a smile escaped her before she could help it.

He crossed his arms again and lifted his chin up a notch. “No, we have both had our lapses in propriety. So, maybe you can tell me why you’re here, in my barn, unaccompanied after nightfall. Was it possibly to gloat over your engagement?”

She quickly pivoted her body until she was standing directly across from him. “I am only aware of one engagement…No!” She shook her head. “I am not going to speak of this until you clarify something first.”

He titled his head and raised his eyebrows. “Oh and what might that be?”

“Frederick, you were dead…well, you were pronounced dead. Your name appeared on the list. We had a funeral. We mourned for you.”

“And then you moved on to better pastures, I see.” He glanced at her hand. “And where is your ring? Left it at home to avoid thieves, I assume.”

“No, it’s here.” Feeling a bit bold, she opened her pocket to retrieve it. “Shall I put it on?” she asked as she held it out.

“As you wish.” He nodded his head as he pulled his mouth into an impertinent smile, appearing far too charming.

“Frederick, please drop this nonsense. We were never ones to play such games.”

“No, we weren’t.” His attitude again turned serious. “What do you want to know, Cass? Where I’ve been? Why I’m still alive?”

Cassandra nodded her head while a chilling wave of uncertainty struck her. All of a sudden she wasn’t so sure she wanted to know. Maybe it would be more than she was ready to hear. She turned her back on him again. “Yes, tell me how you went gadding about the South on some mission of glory.”

Frederick grabbed her about the shoulders and swung her around. “Glory? Do you think that’s what this was all about?” His eyes were startlingly bright and intense yet she wasn’t fearful. As angry as he might seem, she could see in those big, brown eyes the man who had always loved her.

She stepped back away from him. “Call it what you like, Frederick. The truth is that you ran away to the call of battle—away from your responsibilities, away from those who needed you.” She searched his face while biting her lower lip in an attempt to fight back the threatening tears tightening her throat.

His glare softened at her words. “Before I left, we both shared beliefs that slavery was wrong…that ceding from the nation was wrong.” There was a pause of silence between them. “Glory, as you call it, was never my calling. Six months ago, when you thought I was killed in battle, I very nearly was. I was shot.”

Available Now at The Wild Rose Press!

Also at Fictionwise

**********
Cindy K. Green is a multi-published author with degrees in History and Education. Previously a middle school English & History teacher, she now homeschools her own children and writes in several genres: Inspirational, Contemporary, Suspense, Fantasy and Historical romance. But whatever she writes she always throws in a bit of humor and fun. Find out more about Cindy and her books at www.cindykgreen.com and http://cindykgreen.blogspot.com/. To join her newsletter email her at  newsletters@cindykgreen.com, and she will send you out all three parts of her FREE READ serial,  “Valentine’s Challenge.”

Tags: Author Days, Excerpts // 8 Comments »