Teasers - Trying Again

Unless you're willing to have a go, fail miserably, and have another go, success won't happen. ~ Phillip Adams

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Blogging at ARE

I’m blogging at ARE. Check me out here.

Ink Motions with Villette Snowe

Love Me Not

by Villette Snowe



Heath is an Ivy League graduate, a published writer, and a widower. He’s also a gigolo. After his wife’s infidelity and suicide, he lost himself in sex with other women.

When he meets Kimber, he struggles against his feelings for her but, eventually, accepts that he’s fallen in love. But Heath’s sister tells her how he makes money, and Kimber leaves. Heath turns his back on his sister and his clients and struggles with the urge to follow in his wife’s footsteps. He settles on a compromise, a one-year deadline. If he doesn’t feel he can move on with life after one year, he’ll allow himself to end it. Will Kimber realize the honesty of his feelings and forgive him in time?

 

 

 

 

Buy Links:

Liquid Silver Books (Publisher—all formats)

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Google Play

Author Bio:

Villette Snowe is the girl you sat behind in advanced English class, the one whom you thought was an angel. She makes the best dirty jokes that so few people hear, the girl who rarely looks you in the eye but makes you nervous when she does. She’s the one writing the intense romances you won’t admit you read.

Visit her at www.Twitter.com/VilletteSnowe.

Excerpt:

A few hours later, I was still helping women buy scented bath oils and lotions—and doing a damn fine job. I knew I was doing exceptionally well when Penny rolled her eyes. I grinned at her tauntingly while I helped the woman I was assisting carry her purchases to the counter. After ringing the woman up, I returned to the sales floor.

“Is this made with natural ingredients?” a woman asked as I passed.

I glanced around to make sure she didn’t have a man with her—good idea before flirting commences. Learned that the hard way.

No men in the shop, except me.

“Honestly,” I said, “I don’t know all the technical stuff.” I moved a little closer. “But I know this scent is amazing on a woman.”

“Is that so?”

I grinned. “Yes.”

“Well, I’ll just have to try it then.” She reached for the matching lotion and body wash.

I didn’t know why so many different products were necessary to... The door opened, and a woman walked in.

All I could do was stare.

Her hair was like the reflection of autumn leaves on a pond. It flowed over her shoulders, and she tucked it behind her ear as she walked. Her neck was creamy white. I wanted to kiss it, to see if it tasted like cream. The freckles across her cheeks and nose made her look like she was smiling, though she wasn’t. I wanted to see where else she was freckled, taste each one, like sprinkles on ice cream. It’d been awhile since I had ice cream.

I saw so many women, beautiful women. They undressed in front of me, slept with me, sighed my name...but none of them made me feel like this, off balance, warm, out of my mind.

She walked right past me—and didn’t look at me. Her scent was something flowery, not rose, maybe gardenia mixed with body chemistry that smelled like home, a home I didn’t know but wanted to.

I glanced back. Her ass was tight, nicely curved but firm. Maybe she jogged or did yoga. She had to do something to look like that. Bodies like that didn’t occur naturally, at least none that I’d seen, and I’d seen a lot. But she wasn’t like some of the women around here, not over tanned and body so hard it was like kissing a boulder. She’d be soft to the touch, yielding to my lips.

Fuck, Heath, what’s wrong with you?

I forced my attention back to the woman in front of me and smiled at whatever she was saying.

Then her words came back into focus. “So, how would you know what smells nice on a woman?”

I winked. What was I supposed to say? I’ve screwed several dozen women who wore that scent, and it turned me on? I didn’t think that would help my cause.

“Well,” she said, “it seems to do something to you.” She glanced down at my crotch.

I realized I was hard, like a fucking petrified tree trunk. My smile crawled over my lips like a panther on the hunt.

“So, do you come with the purchase?” she said.

“Depends.” ...on how much cash she gave me.

While I led her up to the cash register, I fought not to look at the auburn-haired girl now talking with Penny at the other end of the counter.

I rang up the woman’s purchases, and she handed me a card.

Then she laid two one hundred dollar bills on the counter.

I slipped them into my pocket. “So, how did you hear about us?”

“Jane Murphy.”

“Lovely woman.”

“I’d been thinking about it, and then I heard you were working the shop today. I figured I could get a nice look at the merchandise.”

I smiled. “We only carry quality.”

“That’s quite apparent.”

“Thank you.” From the locked bottom drawer, I took Penny’s tracking book. I flipped to the “M., Jane” page. The name on the woman’s credit card matched number three on Jane’s list of referrals. One and two had already made appointments.

Penny insisted on the list. It helped protect us. I only slept with women who’d been referred by one of my more trusted clients.

I flipped to the front of the book, which was where my schedule was, and turned it around so she could see it better. “Would you like to be on our mailing list?”

She wrote her name in on Tuesday afternoon.

I put the book away and closed the drawer. While I bent down to lock it, I glanced over at the auburn-haired girl. What in the hell was she talking to Penny about for so long? It obviously wasn’t about an appointment. Penny would’ve come to get the book. Damn.

I stood straight and smiled at the woman in front of me. “We hope to see you again soon.”

“I’m sure you will.” She took the bag filled with her purchases and walked away.

Now to think of a way to talk to the girl, without letting Penny see how attracted I was.

Shit, Heath, what are you doing? How many times had I told Penny I wasn’t interested in dating? Penny used to ask me all the time. It drove me nuts. She used to worry I’d eventually want something different, that I might eventually want to get married again. A year ago, the idea was preposterous. Several years ago, it literally made me ill. Now it was less of a choice and more that this was just the way things were. I slept with women—I didn’t date them. I had no right to get any more involved than that. I was good at fucking, and I was incapable of getting anyone pregnant. This life was ideal for me.

At least that’s what I told myself.

Gadgets/electronics love....

I have this thing for gadgets/electronics. Well...it's more of my eyes glaze over and I start to chant mine in my head and sometimes aloud (get funny looks when I do that :) ). Then before I come back to my senses I've bought all these shiny, pretty new . *grin* My wallet is loads of money lighter but I have my lovely things to play with. So...I've been a good girl and been avoiding going near anyplace that can tempt me...but I have gadgets/electronics that is about to conk out on me. *wide grin*

I'm heading to get a new shiny, pretty to replace my gadgets/electronics. Yay...um..no must not give in...will be firm and just buy what I need I will not be seduced by the shiny, sexy pretties. *snort* Yeah I didn't believe me either. *already chanting mine in my head* Ohhh...I'm also gonna stop at the office supply store (I also have a thing for that too. 0-0 and that is even more since I do a little dance as I put things in my cart and chant mine. Yep I get weird looks for that too).

Anyway I'm heading in and my wallet is already crying for what I'm about to do. I hear that siren call and all I can do is give in. I'm bout to commit some major mayhem...with gadgets/electronics....and office supplies.

See ya all later. *whistling and giving a hop as I head off*

Saturday & Caption This Costume Party

Ahhh...Saturday! Loving it. Today I'm going to the movies. Going to see The Judge & The Equalizer. Yay! Can't wait. Going to enjoy a relaxing day then wrap it up with a nice meal out.

Today is the Caption This Costume Party: The Naughty Edition it starts at 10am. Later at 7:00-8:00 PM I'll be hanging out and giving away prizes. Go on by then come join me between 7pm to 8pm - https://www.facebook.com/events/365352383639044/?source=1

Guesting at Beyond Black & White

Today I'm at Beyond Black & White. I'm talking about that when I was growing up I never saw a person’s color. And this lead to how I feel about love - Love has no color or boundaries. Also talking about Hurricane (Singleton, Book # 1). Check me out here.

Promo Items...

I asked this the other day and thought I would also ask here too.

I've figuring out some promo items I want to get. So much pretty things and It's hard to narrow it down. So I decided to ask for your help.

What are your favorite types of swag or promo items?

Ink Motions with Normandie Alleman

 

A former psychologist, Normandie has always been fascinated by human behavior. She loves writing quirky characters that are all too human. Fiber arts, baking, and Pinterest are a few of her favorite pastimes. She lives on a farm with a passel of kids, an adorable husband, and a pet pig who’s crazy for Red Bull.

Follow her on:

Twitter at @NormandieA  https://twitter.com/NormandieA

Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/NormandieA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NormandieAlleman

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Normandie-Alleman/e/B00BNUDVFW

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6893037.Normandie_Alleman

Her website: www.normandiealleman.com

 

Interview with Normandie Alleman

How do you get an idea for your novel?

My ideas come from my life or my imagination. Each book is different.

 

What is your writing style?  Do you just sit down and write or do you create

I create a loose outline and then once it’s about 80% complete I dive in and start writing.

 

Who is the "Writing Muse" in your life?

My husband for sure. Tomorrow is our third anniversary but it still feels like we’re newlyweds. Without him I’d probably be writing cozy mysteries.

 

 How many novels have you written including all work in progresses you are currently working on?

I’ve written two full-length novels and am working on two more. I’ve also written and published four novellas and a short story.

 

Who is your "writing idol"?

F.X. Toole, best known for writing the short story that became Million Dollar Baby, would be my writing idol. I love how he takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride with his stories.

 

What is you favorite plot line type?

I love a good man vs. nature plot. I plan to have a bit of that in book 3 of the Pirates of the Jolie Rouge trilogy coming late this Fall.

 

Is there any advice you can offer to anyone who would like to write?

Being an author is a game of attrition. You must keep trying. Keep learning and never give up.

 

 What is a good villain?

One who is sympathetic as well as despised.

 

  

Excerpt from the new release, Bound by the Buccaneer.

“You love knowing I can’t escape, don’t you? That I’m all yours,” Frederica teased, tugging at the restraints that bound her wrists to the bed.

Gaston raised a brow to her. “And what if I do?” He asked, untying the ropes from her wrists. “You know how much it excites me to see you all bound and helpless. Don’t you like being my own personal little whore?” Mischief danced in his visible brown eye. The other hid behind a black patch, injured in battle.

She touched a finger to her lips and rolled her eyes in mock consideration.

Before she had a chance to answer his rather rhetorical question, he pounced on her. His weight upon her gave her a feeling of warmth and security she felt at no other time than lying under him.

“Liar,” he whispered into her ear, his mouth trailing down her neck. “Tell me how much you love it.” Then he proceeded to tickle her ribs which sent her into a gale of giggles.

“Must I resort to the gag again?” He waved a red kerchief in the air playfully.

Her laughter made it difficult to speak. “Yes, yes, I love it.” Her voice reached a high-pitched squeal.

He ceased the tickling and sensually covered her mouth with his hand. “You must remain quiet or I will be forced to quiet you.” With each word his mouth traveled lower on her body, accentuating every word with a kiss.

Gaston hated for her to be too loud during their lovemaking. He worried that if the crew heard them, it would cause trouble. It wasn’t exactly fair for the Captain to be the only man aboard with a woman to bed every night. It was unclear to her whether he was more worried the pirates would rape her or if he feared they would stage a mutiny of his leadership, or both. Either was a potential problem if the men grew irritable enough.

So she tried to be quiet, but it was difficult considering the way Gaston brought her to such heights of ecstasy. Though she’d been a virgin when they met, and therefore inexperienced, she had no doubt he had talents in the bedroom that exceeded those of most men.

All he had to do was look at her a certain way, and Frederica’s body responded to him. His kisses awakened a fire inside her that only he could douse. “I know how you can keep me quiet,” she breathed huskily.

Blurb

Two years have passed since Frederica joined Gaston aboard the Ocean’s Knave, and with every passing hour they have fallen more deeply in love. By day she is the ship’s physician, but at night she serves her captain in his bed, offering her body for him to punish and pleasure until she begs for more. But after a successful run of raiding other pirate ships, the couple have a target on their backs.

Their only hope is to form an alliance with a trio of like-minded captains, but in order to guarantee the cooperation of these unyielding, battle-hardened men, Gaston is forced to offer them a night with Frederica. Reluctantly, she agrees to be shared with the men, but afterwards Gaston finds it difficult to forgive himself for bartering Frederica’s charms. As jealousy and desperation threaten to consume him, will Gaston lose his beloved Frederica or can he weather the storm and find a way to bind her to him forever?

Publisher’s Note: Bound by the Buccaneer is the second book of the Pirates of the Jolie Rouge trilogy, which began with Rescued by the Buccaneer. It is an adventure and erotic romance novel that includes spankings, sexual scenes including a foursome, anal play, elements of BDSM, and more.

 

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/kcgqmgq

Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/oe2or3c

Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/pf4sa6z

ARe: http://tinyurl.com/ml2ra5j

Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/ljhyhp6

Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/nclg55o

 

 

 

 

New adventure...

Happy Friday!

An early Friday and I've been up for a few hours already. Got a lot done and off to do even more. :)

Started a new book today and already loving how it is going. The couple is very intense and I can't wait to see what they do next. :)

Off to get some more writing done.

Between the Covers - Hurricane

Today's Between the Covers is a few lines from my book.

Here is a few lines from Hurricane (Singleton, Book # 1). Enjoy.

Julianne wrenched open the door, gesturing for him to leave. Keenan took her silent urging and passed her. Julianne followed. He turned suddenly, crowding her. Gasping, she stepped back instinctively before she caught herself and stood her ground. Scowling, Julianne glared at him.

“I unsettle you.” His grin was smug.

“You startled me,” she retorted.

“Deny it all you want, but you’re intrigued by what there might be between us. I’m a patient man. I can wait until you come around. You have my number. Call me when you change your mind.” Keenan shrugged, turning, then strode away.

Copyright © Taige Crenshaw, 2012.
All Rights Reserved, Total E Bound.

Buy here

More about Between the Covers

Read all Between the Covers here

Ink Motions with A. Catherine Noon

Greetings; Noony here.  Thank you to Taige Crenshaw for hosting me today!  I’ve been thinking about “Ink Motions” and how I might incorporate that into a post and then it hit me: ink, as in body art.  Voila.

 

My coauthor, Rachel Wilder, and I like to incorporate body art into our books.  Many of our characters have ink that’s important to them for various reasons.  We used it most extensively for our lamia, or snake shifter, clan.  In mytholody, the lamia is depicted as a woman: half snake and half female human.  We got to thinking: where are the male lamias?  (Or, using the Greek convention, lamiae.)  Baby lamiae have to come from somewhere, right?  What if the male lamiae either are human males or male snakes, but no intermediate half man/half snake shape.  And, since we write male/male romance, what if these clans of male lamiae stay separate from the females except during mating season?  Poof, bachelor tribe.

 

Taking that one step further, we decided these shifters aren’t wereanimals in the biological sense, (if one can seriously talk biology when discussing weretigers and werewolves and werebears, oh my).  They are shifters in a magical sense and their alternate forms were a gift from a god (Shiva, in this case).  So how to they identify themselves in the murky hierarchy that is shifter politics?

 

Tattoos!

 

See?  Wasn’t that obvious?  So now, we got to think about what kinds of tattoos?  As it happens, they have a large central tattoo, usually along the spine and up around the neck, identifying their specific clan.  They add other images based on their age and preferences.

 

So that leads me to my question for you, Dear Reader:  if money were no object, what kind of body art would you either give to yourself or, if you’re not into inking your own body, what would you give to a character and why?  What meaning does that body art have to you?

 

 

--

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
- E.E. Cummings

**New** SEALED BY FIRE is available from LooseId LLC. An All Romance eBooks Bestseller!

 

The Chicagoland Shifters series:

Book 1 BURNING BRIGHT, available from Samhain Publishing.

Book 2 TIGER TIGER, available from Samhain Publishing. An All Romance eBooks Bestseller!

 

The Persis Chronicles:

**Coming Soon!** Watch for EMERALD KEEP from Torquere Books, out April 2015!

Check out EMERALD FIRE, available from Torquere Books.

Check out "Seeking Hearts", available from Torquere Books.

 

Check out COOK LIKE A WRITER , available from Barnes and Noble.

Check out "Taking a Chance", available from Torquere Books! An All Romance eBooks Bestseller!

 

My links: Blog | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | LinkedIn | Pandora

Knoontime Knitting:  Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Ravelry
Noon and Wilder links: Blog | Taurus and Taurus (NSFW) | Website | Facebook

The Writer Zen Garden:  The Writers Retreat Blog | Forum | Facebook | Twitter | Meetup

Team Blogs: Nightlight | Nightlight FB Page |  Beyond the Veil | BtV FB Page  | Nice Girls Writing Naughty | NGW FB | NGW Twitter
Publishers: LooseId |  Samhain Publishing | Torquere Press

Teacher’s Pet Contest – Zyric From Power of Rhythms

Today is the NGWN blog hop, Teacher’s Pet!

Once you have checked out facts about my hero be sure to return to the NGWN blog to enter the information and gain a chance to win that $50 gift certificate!

I'm also giving away a prize here on my blog. For a chance to win $25 e-book bucks from All Romance E-Books! All you have to do is comment on this post. Yep, that's it as easy as that!

 

My Teacher's Pet is:



 

Zyric is the hero from my latest release, Power of Rhythms. Here are some fast facts about Zyric:

1. We didn't have high school in the sense of how humans do. As a Shadower we have a different way we handle our schooling.…well it's called training. When we came to the end of our training I was known as the…hmmmm…ummmm can't say that in mixed company.

2.  I wanted to be a warrior who would protect those who I love. *smiling slyly* I succeeded beyond my imagination.

3. On Friday nights we went to this little spot in Shadow World that me and my siblings and some of my friends hung out at. One of my friends had powers to dampen the area so my dad the Shadow King wouldn't find or sense us. *chuckling* It was where w plotted a lot of our…well let's say adventures.

4.  As mentioned we don't have high school or college in a traditional sense. But for training well…we promised to never speak of the craziest thing we did. :)

Those are some fast facts about my Teacher's Pet! How was your high school/college career?  Find out in Zyric and Pandora’s book, Power of Rhythms:

Power of Rhythms
By: Taige Crenshaw
Totally Bound
Available Now
ISBN #: 9781784301705
Series: Blackstone Haven, Book # 4
Genre: Paranormal
Length: Short Novel
Format: E-Book

Unexpected revelations lead a woman on a path that will change her destiny…

Pandora Zahi is used to being in control of her life—both professionally and more importantly personally. She doesn’t have time for a mate and sure as hell not one she isn’t sure if she’d rather eliminate or kiss. Zyric has her off-kilter and for a Siren, that isn’t a comfortable feeling at all. It’s time for her to take back the power and show Zyric that although he thinks he’s the one in charge, she is. She knows that he still has secrets and she will unearth each one and teach him he should never hide what shouldn’t be hidden.

Zyric has many secrets and in one touch, Pandora unravels most of what he has hidden. With the revelation he is now clear to pursue the one thing he wants above all else—Pandora. He will push through her walls to break that control. He wants to get deep beneath the exterior Pandora portrays to the world to the woman underneath. She is his future and his soul craves hers. However before they can have a future, he must take care of a past wrong that will affect them both. Zyric knows if he was a better man, he would walk away…but he isn’t able to leave the woman who’s his match. Together they will create a melody that resonates under the power of rhythms.

Buy Power of Rhythms at Totally Bound here

And don’t forget to go back and fill out your entry for the NGWN Teacher’s Pet Blog Hop Grand Prize!!!

For the contest here on my blog. For a chance to win $25 e-book bucks from All Romance E-Books! All you have to do is comment on this post. Yep, that's it as easy as that! The contest will run from today September 27, 2014 through September 28, 2014 midnight EST. The winner of this contest will be announced September 30, 2014.

Firestorm Encounters – Available for Pre-Order

Firestorm Encounters (Phoenix Intelligence Agency, Book #5) is now available for Pre-Order here. It will be released by Totally Bound on November 7, 2014.

Joy of my Soul

Wednesday already! Where did the week go? A busy week so far but I love it because I get to do what I enjoy - writing. Yay! When you do what brings you contentment, feeds your soul, and fulfills you its the best thing in the world.:) Yeah sometimes there are things that creates bumps and derail me when I have to deal with it but at the core of it when I shake off the other things I have to deal with I'll always get to go back to what I love - writing.

That's how I shake off the issues or things that come up. How I celebrate those happy moments. I write to clear my mind, soul and heart. I write through the bad and good times. Writing to me is in my blood, is my soul, and my heart.

Have a Happy Wednesday!

Ink Motions with Annette Mardis

Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog. I’m a Florida girl through and through, and I’ve always been fascinated by creatures that crawl, swim, and slither in the sea. One of my all-time favorite shows when I was a kid was Flipper, which spurred my lifelong love affair with dolphins.



I’ve learned a lot about these intelligent, complex, and charismatic mammals since then, and I know their lives in the wild and in human care are nowhere near as idyllic as I once believed. I don’t attach mystical qualities to dolphins like some people do, either. I’ve learned to appreciate them for what they are and what they aren’t.

Dolphins play a pivotal role in my new Gulf Shore contemporary romance series, which begins with The Shore Thing, just released by Liquid Silver Books. Those who know me won’t be at all surprised that I’ve chosen to write about an aquarium and a west-central Florida beach town. Both locales are near and dear to my heart.

Gulf Shore Aquarium isn’t based on any one facility I’ve visited or yearned to see. It’s a composite of the best of what they have to offer. I’ve tried not to idealize, but I want readers to see GSA as a place where the animals are as content as they possibly can be and where their needs are paramount.

That’s  not to say, however, that GSA is controversy free. Animal rights activists, for better or worse, are keeping a close eye on the place. And even the employees there struggle at times with the seemingly never-ending argument about freedom vs. captivity. My characters and my books wouldn’t be realistic if those topics didn’t come up, but my intent isn’t to preach or draw any proverbial lines in the sugary white sand.

My primary mission is to entertain and make you fall in love with the animals and the people of Gulf Shore and its aquarium. And who knows? You just might learn something, too.

Gulf Shore is a popular tourist destination that’s managed to maintain its small-town feel. It’s a place where you’ll feel the warm sun on your shoulders and a sea breeze ruffling your hair. You’ll meet swoon-worthy alpha males who aren’t embarrassed to cuddle a rescued baby dolphin in their muscular arms, and accomplished women looking for an equal partner who thinks that smart is sexy.
You’ll get up close and personal with sea life and fall in love with a talking parrot named Ozzie who acts like a little boy in a bird suit. You’ll go behind-the-scenes at the aquarium and out to the beach to rescue marine animals in distress.

Like many writers, I draw on my personal experiences when creating my fictional worlds. For instance, there really is an African grey parrot name Ozzie. He’s one of my extremely spoiled pets, and he does talk in context sometimes, as he does in The Shore Thing.

I’ve also learned a lot about undersea life and aquarium operations as a volunteer at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, home of movie star dolphins Winter and Hope from the Dolphin Tale films. Let me be clear, though, that I most definitely am not writing about the people, policies, and animals at the world-famous Clearwater facility in my Gulf Shore series.



 

Here’s a taste of what Book 1, The Shore Thing, is about:

 

Danielle “Dani” Davidson vows to just say no to workplace romances after her first post-college job is soured by a messy breakup with a manipulative coworker at a fish hatchery.       That’s just one reason she doesn’t trust any man with her heart, let alone one who swims with sharks for a living. So why can’t she get cameraman Evan Sanders out of her mind?
Evan is twice shy, too, after an alluring but self-absorbed colleague at Gulf Shore Aquarium takes a bite out of his heart. Thought he’s dead set against dating anyone else he works with, he’s intrigued by Dani’s shyness and tempted by her intelligence and low-key sexiness.

Their attraction smolders until an unfortunate encounter with a stingray sends Dani to the emergency room and Evan steps up to help her through her recovery. The two also bond over the rescue of an orphaned baby dolphin. But will Evan’s vindictive ex-lover, his career ambitions, and Dani’s inhibitions tear the young lovers apart?

 

Here’s an excerpt from The Shore Thing:

Evan Sanders felt his swim fins touch bottom as he settled into position with his camera pointed at the two ten-foot nurse sharks circling above him. It was feeding time, and Fred and Barney were restless and hungry. Evan watched as black drum, striped mullet, mangrove snapper, and other smaller fish scurried out of the predators’ way.

He was in full scuba gear and had only his camera for protection, but he wasn’t worried. He’d shot still photos and video in Gulf Shore Aquarium’s Florida Fishes tank many times, and the nurse sharks hadn’t shown the slightest interest in him.

Still, the usually sluggish bottom-dwellers did have thousands of tiny, serrated teeth capable of crushing shellfish and delivering a nasty bite to errant hands or feet, so Evan couldn’t afford to be careless.

Leaning against the clear face of the tank for support, he noticed an attractive young woman watching him. She had her long chestnut hair pulled back in a neat ponytail and wore khaki slacks and the aquarium’s standard-issue teal polo shirt with the GSA logo. A small crowd gathered around her, and Evan knew she was regaling them with facts about how nurse sharks in the wild use vacuum-like suction to snatch fish, mollusks, and crustaceans from their hiding places, sometimes even yanking a sea snail right out of its shell.

He wished he had time to take a closer look at her because he liked what he could see. But duty called.

Evan zoomed in and fired off frame after frame as Fred sucked a freshly thawed herring from the stainless steel grilling tongs a trainer held just beneath the water’s surface. He tracked Fred with his camera as the shark circled around for another handout.

Suddenly, Evan’s peripheral vision picked up a hulking shape closing in fast on his right. He pivoted to find Barney’s snout within inches of the camera lens.

Pulse pounding, Evan barely had time to react. He bumped the shark’s nose just hard enough to discourage him from coming closer. The lumbering fish veered away at the last second and swam up to a second trainer, who enticed him with a hunk of squid.

On the dry side of the Plexiglas, the young woman stared wide-eyed. Evan gave an exaggerated shudder and patted his chest over his heart. She laughed, and he grinned around his regulator mouthpiece and wiggled his fingers. She waved back.

As Evan held her gaze for a moment longer, the young woman blushed.

 

* * * *

 

Fifteen minutes earlier, Danielle “Dani” Davidson had returned from an early dinner break to see the diver standing on the concrete deck of the tank, looking like he belonged on the cover of Hot Hunks Monthly. He checked his air tank and hoses, spit in his mask to keep it from fogging, and collected his camera gear. He’d zipped up his wet suit only as far as his flat waist, and it was only natural for Dani to pause and admire the wide set of his shoulders and the muscles rippling over his tanned arms and chest.

Just then, he raised his head as if he felt her gaze roaming his body and, face reddening, she hurried toward the stairs. She stopped on the top step, hidden by a sign identifying the animals in the tank, and watched as he worked his arms down the sleeves of his wet suit and then zipped it closed.

The show over, she headed down to the underwater viewing area to narrate the nurse shark feeding.

Now, as Dani’s heartbeat returned to normal, the guests gave her an expectant look, obviously waiting to hear what she had to say about the diver’s close call.

“Barney was just making sure our photographer got a nice close-up of his handsome face,” she ad-libbed, adding a reassuring smile for good measure.

“You wouldn’t catch me in the water with those monsters,” one woman proclaimed.

“Sharks are awesome!” the boy with her enthused. “During Shark Week on TV, they showed a great white leaping out of the water with a seal in its jaws, and the seal was all bloody and flopping around and stuff, and its guts were hanging out, too. It was so cool!”

“Eeeewww,” a girl behind him squealed. “That’s totally disgusting.”

“Well—” Dani began, but was interrupted by the man beside her.

“So, would that shark have bitten that diver just now?” he asked.

“Nurse sharks usually aren’t aggressive and are tolerant of people,” she told him. “Unless, of course, someone is careless enough to step on the shark or foolish enough to pull its tail. Our diver is anything but an inattentive imbecile.”

Several people laughed.

“Then why did that shark charge him?” the man pressed.

“‘Charge’ is an overstatement. Sharks are attracted by bright and shiny objects, like a camera flash.”

“Won’t they eat those other fish in there?” someone else asked, setting off a flurry of questions from the group.

“Not as long as we keep Fred and Barney well-fed,” Dani said. “Nurse sharks are lazy hunters who forage at night when their prey is resting.”

“How often do you feed them?”

“Four times a week.”

“Why don’t you just throw the food in there instead of using tongs?”

“The trainers need to keep track of how much fish and squid each shark eats,” she explained. “And they also get vitamin supplements in their food.”

“How big do nurse sharks get?”

“They average seven to nine feet, but it’s possible they can reach fourteen feet.”

“How long do they live?”

“About twenty-five years in human care.”

“Human care? Let’s call it what it is—captivity.”

“Well—”

“Are these, like, the only sharks you have? Because they’re, like, totally lame,” said a bored-looking teenage girl.

“We have a lot of other species at Shark Pier, which is near the back of the property,” Dani answered.

“So, um, why are these here, then?”

“Fred and Barney came to us before we built Shark Pier. A local man had them at his home and gave them to us after they outgrew every tank he bought. They’ve settled in here, so why move them again? Think of them as the aquarium’s greeters, like the ones at Walmart, but with much sharper teeth.”

Dani smiled, but the teenager stayed stone-faced.

“What’s the most bloodthirsty shark in this part of Florida?” asked a man wearing a floppy fishing hat and a sticky layer of coconut-scented suntan lotion.

“We prefer not to use words like bloodthirsty and vicious. Yes, they’re top predators, but sharks don’t hunt humans. Of the more than three hundred and fifty species, fewer than ten are considered dangerous to people.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” the man accused, his hands folded across his chest. Then he spoke with a deliberate pause between each word, as if she had rocks for brains. “Which sharks should we be most afraid of when we’re in local waters?”

“Bull sharks. They’re aggressive and unpredictable.” Dani’s smile wavered, but she kept it pasted on her face.

“Anybody been attacked?”

“Off Gulf Shore? No. None reported, anyway. South of here, in the Tampa Bay area? Yes, but not many. You don’t have to worry. I swim in the Gulf all the time.”

“Hey, it only takes one bite! What happened with those attacks? This is stuff we have a right to know!”

“Yes, sir, absolutely,” she agreed. “Nobody’s trying to keep secrets. In 2000, a nine-foot bull shark feeding on mullet killed a retiree who jumped off his dock near St. Pete Beach and Gulfport.”

Several guests gasped, and someone muttered, “Good Lord!”

“That happened in Boca Ciega Bay, where nine years later a teenage girl was swimming—”

“Wait a minute. Boca Ciega Bay? Oh! My! God! We’re staying right near there!” shrieked an older woman who looked like she’d just come off the beach and now regretted sticking even a toe in the surf.

“Did that girl get eaten?” the young Shark Week fan asked before Dani could say anything else.

“No, she was bitten just below the knee. It was serious but not life-threatening.”

“We need to stay someplace else if there are killer sharks in that bay,” the woman insisted, on the verge of a full-blown frenzy.

“Ma’am, sharks are found in every major body of saltwater in the world,” Dani said.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better, young lady?”

Dani’s shirt was sticky with sweat. “Your chances of being attacked are about one in eleven million,” she assured the woman. That didn’t seem to satisfy her, so Dani launched into tips for lessening that already minuscule risk.

“Don’t swim alone, at twilight, after dark, or if you’re bleeding. Don’t wear shiny jewelry. Be extra cautious in murky water. Don’t splash a lot or let pets in the water with you. Avoid going in the water where people are fishing.”

The woman’s face looked like she’d just sucked on a lemon, and the man who’d raised the specter of shark attack gave an impatient huff.

Geez, what’s with these people? Dani thought, sneaking another look at the diver with the camera. I’d be safer in there with him, not to mention with Barney and Fred.

 

The Shore Thing is available from Liquid Silver Books and from other online e-book sellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Buy Links

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Amazon

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All Romance Ebooks

I’d love to have readers visit me at my website, www.AnnetteMardis.com, my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AuthorAnnetteMardis and my Pinterest boards at www.pinterest.com/annettemardis/the-shore-thing/ and  www.pinterest.com/annettemardis/getting-her-moneys-worth/. Follow me on twitter: @AnnetteMardis48

 

Firestorm Encounters – Cover Art

Cover art for Firestorm Encounters (Phoenix Intelligence Agency, Book #5). Love getting cover art. Firestorm Encounters (Phoenix Intelligence Agency, Book #5) will be released by Totally Bound on November 7, 2014.It goes up for pre-order on September 26, 2014.

Ink Motions with ?Leela Lou Dahlin?

 

How do you get an idea for your novel?

I get them from everywhere. Watching people when I go to the store, television, news…ideas are everywhere. I’ll look at a couple and create a story for them and it’ll just branch out from there. My story “A Haught Date” started when I was working as a labor delivery nurse and there was a woman who had two boys and had delivered another but she didn’t make it. I’d always wondered about the little boy who’d been born that day and what his life would be like. This series is my tribute to them in a way.

 

What is your writing style?  Do you just sit down and write or do you create?

I’m big on outlining first. I start with the characters and figure out who they are and what they want then I move to the dark moment and resolution. After I have the blow up and the calm down it makes it easier to figure out the beginning of the story.

 

Who is the "Writing Muse" in your life? 

I don’t know if I have an actual Writing Muse. I love to write and I escape into the stories, but I do love shopping for characters (i.e. hot guys) on Pinterest. Looking at people just start stories in my head.

 

How many novels have you written including all work in progresses you are currently working on?

At this very moment I have one published “A Haught Date”, one in edits tentatively titled “Rumor Has It”, and I’ve turned in another that I’m waiting to hear back on. I have a lot of books planned and outlined so I’m looking forward to putting all the good information I’ve learned in previous edits on my new works.

 

Who is your "writing idol"? I.E. Who do you like and what is it about there writing that captures your soul?

I have so many favorites Barbara Freethy, Amy Lane, Shiloh Walker, Kendall Ryan, Abbi Glines, Daisy Harris, KA Mitchell, Jan Meredith, Robin Covington, Cathryn Fox just to name a few. I'm leaving so many people out and I'm so sorry. I like an emotional read. Something that pulls me into the story and makes me feel strongly for the characters. I want to stay up late to find out how the story ends and be a little sad that it’s over and my new friends are gone.

 

What is you favorite plot line type?

My favorite is older brother’s best friend with younger sister and mistaken identity. It doesn’t matter how many books I’ve read with this plot line I’ll buy it almost automatically if I see it.

 

Is there any advice you can offer to anyone who would like to write?

Just get started writing. You can take a couple of classes online, meet up with an author group, learn more about the craft or any other number of things but if you want to be a writer you have to start writing.

 

What is a good villain?

 A good villain is someone you know is doing the wrong thing but you feel for them because you know why they are doing it. Very few people are all good or all bad so a well written villain is a bit of both. When you can understand the villian’s point of view it becomes harder to dislike them even when you dislike what they are doing or their motives.

Blurb –

Gemmi Brooks was humiliated at the last family reunion when her boyfriend was found in bed with her cousin. With her self-esteem shaken, and to offset the pity party her family has been throwing in her honor, she invented the love of her life. Now the gig is up and she needs to find the boyfriend she’s told her family she’s been dating for the last 5 months.

 

Camden Haught, the sexy bachelor and bartender/owner of The Haught Spot, is always willing to help a woman in distress, so when the local heartthrob offers himself up to play the role as her boyfriend he can’t understand why she’s so resistant. As he tries to convince her he’s the right one for the position he finds himself wanting more.

 

Excerpt

 

“How do you like it?” he asked.

“However you want to give it to me,” she responded, still staring at the hard abs, smooth pecs, and sculpted arms. His laugh tugged at something deep in her belly.

“I like the way you think, but I meant what temperature do you want the shower?”

“Oh…very warm, but not hot.”

“How’s this?”

“Just like I like it,” she said as she stepped into the shower. She turned to watch him follow her, and the immense shower didn’t seem so big with him in it. She thought he was a vision regularly, but naked and wet was unquestionably the look for him.

A container on one of the walls held shampoo, body wash, and conditioner. The lemon-sage aroma saturated the air as he filled his hands with soap.

He rubbed her neck with the thick, clean-smelling fluid before moving down to her chest. She’d never felt so treasured. He gently moved over her body, touching here and there, but when he started on her back, she almost moaned. The pressure of his strokes released tension she hadn’t known she had in her shoulders, but another type of tension was building in other areas.

He washed down one leg to her foot and repeated on the other side. When he was done with the second foot, he placed it on the bench and resumed his place behind her. After washing her arms, he put his hands on her stomach. She was sorry she’d asked him to make the shower warm, because his showering routine made her temperature more than hot.

He moved one hand to her breast and the other between her legs. “Do you want to get clean, or do you want me to make this dirty?”

She could barely answer, as she was already trying arch into his touch. He was rubbing so softly and going around the spot she wanted him to rub the most.

“I love to hear your voice, Gemmi,” he murmured in her ear. “You have to answer the question. Clean or dirty? Which one will it be?”

“Dirty.” She wished her voice sounded as confident as his did. Hers was a whisper, but he must have heard it.

“That’s my girl.” He plucked her nipples with his slippery fingers and slid his other hand over her clit. Then he pulled back and did it again as she tried to tug his hand closer and thrust into his movements.

“Do you want it harder?”

“Uh…huh,” she said.

“Faster?”

“Ohhhh, yes.” At least that came out a little more forceful.

“Did you really want it dirty, Gemmi? Because I can give you what you want.”

“Yes…please.” The whimper in her voice made that sound less than confident.

He got a dollop of conditioner and placed his hand on her ass, stroking the groove before finding the small rosette of her anus. She’d never been touched there before, but now, as he caressed the area, she squirmed, and that bundle of nerves was a direct route to her clit. She didn’t know whether to pump to get more friction against her ass or her clit. She ended up doing a deep rocking motion that was amazing—until the pressure of Camden’s hands grew so light she could barely feel them. She glanced over at his face, trying to figure out what happened.

“Tell me more, or you’ll get less,” he said when their eyes met.

Who knew demanding alpha-male talk made her more aroused? Gemmi could barely put a thought together, and he wanted her to tell him what she wanted. She knew she’d better think of something to say, because if he didn’t hear something, all those good sensations he was providing would cease.

“Please, Camden, do it faster…harder…don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

He groaned behind her, but she didn’t get to enjoy it for long, because he followed all her instructions. She could feel the pressure to both her clit and the sensitized rim of her ass. He hadn’t gone deep; he just pushed in a bit, and she could feel herself climbing higher toward climax with each touch…each push…each moan.

“Let me hear it, Gemmi.” His deep voice murmured so deliciously in her ear, and she knew her orgasm was going to be a big one.

She clutched at his arms as the ball of arousal tightened in her belly. When Camden pinched her clit on the next pass of his fingers, her orgasm hit hard, and her abs contracted like she’d done too many sit-ups. Her moan was as shaky as her legs as she came harder than she ever had before. It was a good thing he was holding her up. She tried to get her breathing under control, unable to believe how warm, satisfied, and decadent she felt.

He returned to her front and pulled her close to him so he could squeeze her buttocks and kiss her mouth. She returned his kiss, trying to show him how much she appreciated the treatment she’d been the recipient of since she’d been in his care. The erotic sound that came from him was so arousing she gasped and clutched at his arm.

“You like sex noise,” he whispered. “I’ll be sure to remember that.”



 

Another proud Aunty Moment...

After months of getting the surprise ready for my nephew of his dad (my brother-in-law) coming to surprise him it went off without a hitch. :) He was shocked and very happy to see him. Yay! Love it when plan comes together *smile*

Then the last few months of pushing to get him ready for college it is all completed. This weekend my big sister, brother-in-law and I took him to college and then got him all settled to start the next step in his journey. He's all settled in college and excited to be starting his program of study. As for the rest of us we're tired but pleased at getting everything accomplished now it is up to him to do the work. We're so proud of my nephew. Love him.

It's been a busy summer and my big sister and brother-in-law are here for a little while longer then they head home.

Blackstone Haven: Vol. 2 - Available Now

Now in print Blackstone Haven: Vol. 2 – includes book 3 & 4 of series – Power of Enticement (Blackstone Haven, Book #3) and Power of Rhythms (Blackstone Haven, Book #4).

Blackstone Haven – Vol. 2
By: Taige Crenshaw
Totally Bound
Available Now
ISBN: 9781784301934
Series: Blackstone Haven
Genre: Paranormal
Format: Trade Paperback
Buy Here

Includes Books 3 and 4 of the Series


Power of Rhythms
Book three in the Blackstone Haven series.

Unexpected revelations lead a woman on a path that will change her destiny…

Grayson Blackstone sees possible futures but cannot see the outcome of her own. After long months away, she’s returned to Blackstone Haven. She has already seen the man who’s hers and comes to him, cloaking her presence. He’s part of the legend that was foretold from her birth. powerofenticement_800_USARevealing the truth of the prophecy sets off a chain of events that will change the very foundation of what she knows. She will enjoy every moment she has with her mate and to hell with what is to come.

Savage Dubhán knows better than most how fate can change on a whim. For his kind, there is only one shadow that matches their soul. He never expects to find his soul mate, that is, until a woman storms into his office. Her brazenness confuses him until she drops her shield and he’s staggered with his destiny. Her family curse will not get her—she is his and nothing will get in his way. Yet, Grayson isn’t a woman who is seeking protection—she can handle herself. Her strength humbles him while her determination sets his soul ablaze.

When the shadows rise, it overcomes legacies, destiny and prophecy and all that is left is… Power of Enticement.


Power of Rhythms
Book four in the Blackstone Haven series.

Unexpected revelations lead a woman on a path that will change her destiny…

Pandora Zahi is used to being in control of her life—both professionally and more importantly personally. She doesn’t have time for a mate and sure as hell not one she isn’t sure if she’d rather eliminate or kiss. Zyric has her off-kilter and for a Siren, that isn’t a comfortable feeling at all. It’s time for her to take back the power and show Zyric that although he thinks he’s the one in charge, she is. She knows that he still has secrets and she will unearth each one and teach him he should never hide what shouldn’t be hidden.

Zyric has many secrets and in one touch, Pandora unravels most of what he has hidden. With the revelation he is now clear to pursue the one thing he wants above all else—Pandora. He will push through her walls to break that control. He wants to get deep beneath the exterior Pandora portrays to the world to the woman underneath. She is his future and his soul craves hers. However before they can have a future, he must take care of a past wrong that will affect them both. Zyric knows if he was a better man, he would walk away…but he isn’t able to leave the woman who’s his match. Together they will create a melody that resonates under the power of rhythms.


Buy Blackstone Haven: Vol. 2 Here

Power of Rhythms – Available Now

Power of Rhythms
By: Taige Crenshaw
Totally Bound
Available Now
ISBN #: 9781784301705
Series: Blackstone Haven, Book # 4
Genre: Paranormal
Length: Short Novel
Format: E-Book

Unexpected revelations lead a woman on a path that will change her destiny…

Pandora Zahi is used to being in control of her life—both professionally and more importantly personally. She doesn’t have time for a mate and sure as hell not one she isn’t sure if she’d rather eliminate or kiss. Zyric has her off-kilter and for a Siren, that isn’t a comfortable feeling at all. It’s time for her to take back the power and show Zyric that although he thinks he’s the one in charge, she is. She knows that he still has secrets and she will unearth each one and teach him he should never hide what shouldn’t be hidden.

Zyric has many secrets and in one touch, Pandora unravels most of what he has hidden. With the revelation he is now clear to pursue the one thing he wants above all else—Pandora. He will push through her walls to break that control. He wants to get deep beneath the exterior Pandora portrays to the world to the woman underneath. She is his future and his soul craves hers. However before they can have a future, he must take care of a past wrong that will affect them both. Zyric knows if he was a better man, he would walk away…but he isn’t able to leave the woman who’s his match. Together they will create a melody that resonates under the power of rhythms.


Buy Power of Rhythms Here