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About S.J. Maylee

S.J. Maylee fell in love with storytelling at a young age and with it came a deep-seated desire for everyone to find their happily ever after. She’s finding the happy endings for her characters one steamy story at a time. When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her caring for her garden, laughing with her two young sons, or dancing to her husband’s music. She’s a PMP (Project Management Professional), Nia instructor, and coffee addict. As a writer she has a tendency to break hearts, but she always glues them back together

Review: Stealing His Heart by Ella Jade

Happy Release Day, Ella Jade!! I read Stealing His Heart this weekend and I can tell you it is a must read. I love Ella’s writing and she’s given us another fabulous story. You’re going to love Pax. He’s definitely my book boyfriend, but I’m willing to share, lol. I’ve already written up my review, 5 stars, you can read it here.

Below you’ll find all the details on Stealing His Heart along with an excerpt, buy links, and Ella’s giveaway. Enjoy! I did. 😀

When the players take the field this spring come meet my players…
Will the bad-boy pitcher strike out when it comes to love?
 
Shy music teacher Sophia Ballis has sworn off men. After a bad experience with a college jock she decided it was better to be alone than to get burned again. She focused on her education and now her new job at a local private school.
 
Professional baseball pitcher Paxton Hughes is a player both on and off the field. He’s signed to the Kingston Crushers to bring home the coveted championship title. Nothing can get in his way. Serious relationships don’t mix with a life on the road and he never loses focus on the game. One-night stands are his specialty for a reason.
 
While out jogging one spring morning, the two collide, setting their course in motion. Pax is immediately drawn to the unassuming beauty. Sophia is aware of his reputation and decides one night of meaningless sex with the attractive Texas charmer is just what she needs to get over her self-imposed dry spell. Pax has more than a one-night stand on his mind, but will his bad-boy persona and demanding schedule ruin any chances of a happily ever after?
 
Content Warning: contains explicit sex and adult content
StealingHisHeart cover - click to see on Goodreads

Stealing His Heart

by Ella Jade

Released: March 17, 2014

Publisher: Beachwalk Press

ISBN13: 9781940744131

Buy Links: Beachwalk Press

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

“Can I walk you to your car?”

“Thank you.” Sophia got up from the table and took his hand. “I’m parked right out front.”

Pax led her across the dance floor, waving to the few people who were left, and then out to the parking lot.

“It’s that one.” She pointed to her beat-up car, the one she’d bought her freshman year of college. It was used then but it still managed to get her where she needed to go. “Probably not as nice as what you drive.”

He leaned her against the car and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her heart pounded hard against her chest, strumming loud between her ears. She could smell the beer that lingered on his breath. His hazel eyes narrowed as he swiped the tip of his tongue along his top lip before tilting his head.

“I have a feeling I’m going be seeing you in my dreams tonight.” He sighed as he brought his mouth to hers. “Give me something to remember these next few days.”

She nodded as she placed her hands on his broad shoulders and guided him to her, closing any space between them. When his warm lips touched hers, she thought she would explode. A burn coursed through her and settled between her legs. The mild tingling she’d experienced when they danced was nothing compared to the intensity she felt now.

As he deepened the kiss, his tongue massaged hers. Increasing his hold on her hips, he pinned her between the car and his massive thighs. She tightened her grip on him when his erection grazed her center. Every nerve ending in her begged to be satiated. The ache inside her stomach moved lower until the dampness invaded her panties. Her nipples poked against the thin material of her silk bra.

When she moaned into his mouth, he placed one last kiss on her lips before pulling away. He looked at her for a moment, pressing his forehead to hers, as he stuttered a few words.

“That was…well, I’ve never…” He ran his fingers through his hair. “You have me tongue-tied, sugar. That doesn’t happen often.”

Now she wanted to know what else he could do with that tongue.

“You best get in that car and drive away before I…”

She’d never wanted to have a one-night stand more than she did at that very moment. Maggie had said if there was ever a guy to have one with, Pax would be the one. He was a no-strings-attached player. Why hadn’t he asked her to go home with him?

“Be safe driving home.” He reached for the handle and opened her door. “You have some sweet dreams. I know I sure will.”

Sleep? That was the last thing on her mind.

About Ella
 
Ella Jade has been writing for as long as she can remember. As a child, she often had a notebook and pen with her, and now as an adult, the laptop is never far. The plots and dialogue have always played out in her head, but she never knew what to do with them. That all changed when she discovered the eBook industry. She started penning novels at a rapid pace and now she can’t be stopped.
Ella resides in New Jersey with her husband and two young boys. When she’s not chasing after her kids, she’s busy writing, attending PTO meetings, kickboxing, and scrapbooking. She hopes you’ll get lost in her words.
You can connect with her at:
 
GIVEAWAY
I’m giving away a Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitizer, A Keychain with the cover art and signed swag to three winners throughout the tour.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll consider adding Stealing His Heart to your TBR pile.

ROW80 Check-in #94 Hurry Up and Wait

Hello Weekend Writing Warriors. I’ll be taking a couple weeks off while I finish my latest WIPs. I’ll be back soon.

The writing challenge that knows you have a life.

I’ve been busting my butt on three manuscripts. One I’ve already sent to a beta, but couldn’t get the end of the story out of my head. Now, I know why. There was something missing. This week, I added that something missing and forwarded the updated chapter to my beta.

Nice.

I moved right on to another manuscript. Finished another read through/polishing pass and sent it to a different beta.

Score.

I didn’t stop there. I took another look at the third manuscript, realized it was ready for a second pair of eyes and sent it to yet a different beta reader.

Three manuscripts out to beta readers.

Love it!

To be honest. I have no idea which of the three I’ll get back first or which is in the best shape. Good news. I love each of these stories and I cannot wait to share them. I just hope one of them will be in its best possible shape soon so I can hit send.

I want to hit send.

So much work and now I have so much waiting to do. Ugh. I will not be twiddling my thumbs while I wait to hear back from the betas. I’ve begun work on a new short story. 🙂

The Goals – week-10 results

    • Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters- done.
    • Daily progress in writing craft, word count, editing, and/or plotting- done. I added 1k between the three manuscripts this week.
    • Take care of and be kind to myself (start w/ a relaxing ritual and daily breaks from technology)done. I had a crazy week. I busted my butt all week and then on Friday I drove to my home town and surprised one of my best friends. Our other best friend flew home from Seattle too. We surprised the heck out of our friend. It was AWESOME!! I may be exhausted now, but it was so worth it. I love those girls. They lift my spirits and inspired no less than 5 stories in one night. 🙂

What you might have missed here this week:

I had no new posts last week. Sorry about that, but I’ll have a few posts this week, including a review for a fabulous book by one of my favorite authors. Loved it! A cover reveal on Tuesday and new flash fiction at the end of the week. It’s going to be a great week here at the Maylee ehouse.

ROW80 Check-in #93 The End is Coming

Hello Weekend Writing Warriors. I’ll be taking a couple weeks off while I finish my latest WIP. I’ll be back soon.

The writing challenge that knows you have a life.

The end is near. I’m talking about this round of 80 days. 😉 I’m also nearing the end of three manuscripts. I’ve been working hard this round, but I’m not sure how I’ll feel if I don’t finish one of these projects soon.

This week, I worked on read throughs for two of my WIPs. I’d meant to work on the final scenes for one of them, but I just couldn’t concentrate on new words. I’m very anxious to get back one of my WIPs from betas and the read throughs kept my attention. I’m grateful I was able to be productive and find a way past my nervous jitters.

If I’m not able to hit send before the end of the round, I don’t want it to be because I let the last couple weeks fly by. There’s no time to slow down. It’s time to stay the course and continue to work past the nerves which are only going to grow as I get closer and closer to hitting send.

So, here’s to a big push to the end and to finishing at least one project. Have a great week everyone.

The Goals – week-9 results

    • Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters- done. I keep thinking about those endings. 🙂
    • Daily progress in writing craft, word count, editing, and/or plotting- done. I finished a read through on one WIP and almost finished the read through on another. Lots of little changes that only added up to about 100 words.
    • Take care of and be kind to myself (start w/ a relaxing ritual and daily breaks from technology)done. My birthday week was lovely. It ended with a great visit from my mom. 🙂 I only worked out once this week, but that’s more than last week.

What you might have missed here this week:

Happy Release Day- Make Me: Twelve Tales of Dark Desire

Inside Look with Doris O’Connor author of Through the Dom’s Lens

Inside Look with Donna Cummings author of An Encouraging Word

Inside Look with Donna Cummings author of An Encouraging Word

click to see all the Inside Looks at SJs

It’s not a mirage, Donna Cummings is here! Que the coffee and bring on the brownies. Donna always makes me smile and she’s definitely encouraging. When I heard about her new book, I just had to have her over to talk about it. So, relax with your goodies. Enjoy.

I want to give SJ a huge thank you for letting me come back for a visit. She indulges my silliness, and encourages me with endless cups of coffee, so really, I was ecstatic when she asked if I wanted to chat about my latest book.

It’s a little different than the other things I’ve published. Okay, it’s completely different. Instead of humorously-ever-after romance, it’s a compilation of posts from my blog, All About The Writing, where I’ve explored the writing process, and the writing life, the past five years.

First off, I’m not claiming to be a writing expert. My areas of expertise–drinking coffee, and avoiding stuff–don’t really have a bright career path included. (Dang it.)

Way back when, I chose the name of my blog because it was a catchphrase that encapsulated what agents were looking for. No matter what intrigued them enough to ask for a look-see of your manuscript–hook, theme, plot–in the end, the deciding factor was “all about the writing”.

Still, even with a snappy blog title, I had no clue what to blog about. At first I made a few announcements about contests I’d finaled in and/or won. That fell within the scope of “all about the writing”, and it didn’t cause my very-private-self too much agony–especially since I was pretty much the only one who saw the posts.

Then I took a trip to an Agent Pitch Slam in NYC, a speed dating thing where you pitch your book to an agent for three minutes and then move on to the next one. I was sure my blog audience (um, ME) would enjoy reading about my first solo trip into “the city” and meeting with agents.

I started by describing my 6 a.m. walk to the bus that would take me into Manhattan. It should have been uneventful, really. But there was slasher-movie fog everywhere, and two huge deer walking in the middle of the street. They stopped to stare at me for a while, and then darted off into the darkness. To this day I’m convinced they could sense my fear at being a quart low on caffeine.

After that surreal start to the day, I wrote about finally making it to the Javits Center:

It’s a freakingly huge monstrosity of an edifice. It sits on about fourteen thousand city blocks, and has easily 2.5 million entryways. I stumbled through one, and then walked and walked and walked until I saw a human being, who told me to continue the direction I was headed, and if I hit the Pacific Ocean, to turn around because I had gone too far.

After what seemed like days, I nearly wept when I saw an oasis: the round green sign stating “Nectar of the Gods” (aka Starbucks). Please please please don’t be a mirage. I hadn’t had time for coffee that morning, and would have easily taken out a payday loan for a thimble full of the stuff.

I quickly discovered blogging was a natural milieu for me. I loved it. I could explore a variety of writing topics–whatever sprang to mind–while I got to play with words and ideas in a humorous way. Blogging helped me get unstuck when I was feeling discouraged, and showed me how to work through tricky parts of several WIPs. I was delighted each time someone said my posts guided them through a troublesome patch, or were the exact words they needed to hear at that moment in time.

Although I hadn’t planned it, I had stumbled upon a theme: dealing with the endless writerly doubts and fears, and forging ahead when it seemed the muse considered my words a deadly virus that had to be eradicated to ensure the future of humanity.

An Encouraging Word is a compilation of 52 of these posts that I hope will bring cheer and solace, encouragement and renewed optimism, and even a chuckle or two. Think of it as a cheerleader on your e-reader or computer or mobile device. It’s there when you need a little boost. It’ll give you a well-deserved pat on the back.

And it won’t ever expect coffee in return.

click to see book on GoodreadsAn Encouraging Word
by Donna Cummings
Length: 117 pages
Published: February 19, 2014

Bio

I have worked as an attorney, winery tasting room manager, and retail business owner, but nothing beats the thrill of writing humorously-ever-after romances.

I reside in New England, although I fantasize about spending the rest of my days in a tropical locale, wearing flip flops year-round, or in Regency London, scandalizing the ton.

I can usually be found on Twitter talking about writing and coffee, and on Facebook, talking about coffee and writing.

Links:

Website/blog: www.AllAboutTheWriting.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/@BookEmDonna

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Donna.Cummings.Author

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5349107.Donna_Cummings

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/bookemdonna

Buy link: Amazon

Inside Look with Doris O’Connor author of Through the Dom’s Lens

click to see all the Inside Looks here at SJs

Happy day, Doris O’Connor is here! I love when Doris comes to visit. Her posts are so insightful and today is no exception. Today, is also the release day for Through the Dom’s Lense. Congratulations, Doris!

Thanks so much for having me here today. 🙂

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. No one knows that more than the hero of my story Through the Dom’s Lens. As a photographer he deals with a lot of models, and he’d be the first to admit that industry’s ideal of beauty is a size zero.

However, Junsako is looking for a very particular body shape for this photo shoot. I let him tell you in his words what he means.

****

“I had very specific terms for this assignment, and none of those models were the body shape I require for this set of pictures. I want to show off the beauty of a woman’s body. I want to enhance the soft flesh bound with my ropes. For that I need a real woman—like you.” Her soft gasp was music to his ears. “I want to make you fly. To see your skin flushed with arousal and need, to run my hands all over the abundant curves I can see under your dress. With your permission, of course.”

****

Now, when Sally turns up at the end of a long day, which meant a fruitless search amongst the usual stick insects sent his way, Junsako can’t help but take notice.

Not only is she the exact body shape he’s looking for. Sally is also a natural submissive keen to experience a taste of the life style, and he is just the Dom to give her that.

Junsako never gets involved with his models, but for Sally, he changes all his personal rules, and that little thing called love that he doesn’t believe in?

Yeah… he might just have to rethink that too.

Blurb:

TTDLSometimes doing a favor can change your life forever.

Never one to rate her curves, Sally thinks her glamorous sister has lost the plot. Stand in for her at a photo shoot with the most sought after bondage photographer ever?

She’ll be laughed out of the studio, or arrested, or both. However, the temptation to actually meet the man she’s been secretly lusting after for months proves too hard to resist. 

Junsako cannot believe his eyes, when Sally turns up. It’s been a long time since the Dom in him felt such an instant pull to anyone. All those curves will look beautiful in Shibari suspension, and Sally proves to be a born submissive. If only she would let go of her body issues and see the beautiful woman he sees through his lens.

Only one thing to do—convince her—with as much kinky sex as possible.

Excerpt:

“I want you to do something for me, pet. I want you to close your eyes and remember that feeling.”

She frowned at him, but her eyes fluttered shut and after a while she smiled.

“Good, you’re there in your mind?”

“Yes, Sir, I think so.”

“Good girl, now open your eyes and look at the screen again.” She tensed immediately and her smile slipped, but she did open her eyes and glanced at the screen. He’d changed the image to a slide of the process of her being bound. The first one showed her stood in front of him, looking nervous as hell, and she tensed even more when she saw it.

“What do you see, pet? Truly look at the picture, past the body, concentrate on your facial expression and remember how you felt.”

She bit her lip, and her nose screwed up in concentration, but eventually she answered him.

“I was nervous…” she glanced at him and then continued in a whisper, “and turned on.”

“Good girl, now the next picture. What do you see?”

In this shot she was half in her chest harness and blindfold, and Junsako hardened as he, too, remembered the heady thrill of binding her soft flesh in the rope. The picture didn’t do the eroticism of the art justice. In his mind’s eye, however, he heard her soft sighs and mewls, he felt the rope slide through his fingers and mark her skin, as she sank further into that blissful state of submission.

Sally remembered it, too, if her increased breathing and the dampness seeping through his sweat pants were any indication. He didn’t say anything else, afraid to break the moment, just continued to bring up picture after picture, until she wriggled on his lap, and he was hard enough to pound concrete again.

By the time they were back at the picture he intended to use, tears were falling down Sally’s cheeks, but she was smiling this time.

“Thank you, Sir, for helping me remember what it felt like. I still see a fat woman, though. I know I’m not skinny and … oh.”

The breath whooshed out of her lungs when he stood up with her and flung her over his shoulder. It was a matter of moments to cross the distance to his bedroom, and Sally shrieked when he threw her on the bed face down.

Before she had even stopped bouncing he grabbed her ankles and yanked her down until her ass hung over the edge with her knees on the floor. He kicked her legs apart, and took a moment to admire the view in front of him. With a flick of the remote he turned on the ceiling spotlights. The soft lighting illuminated Sally’s shapely ass. With her legs spread wide, he had a perfect view of her glistening pussy. Her cunt got wetter the longer he just stood there and watched her, and when she tried to push herself up on her elbows he urged her back down on the bed with his hand flat on the small of her back.

“Stay still, pet. It amuses me to watch you like this. You have the most perfect ass, my love. It will look even more beautiful when it’s pink from my hand.”

Sally whimpered, and more of her juices slipped out of her clenching hole.

“I’m going to spank that ass now, and then I’m going to fuck it.  My little pet will like that, I think. Give me a color, pet.”

****

Sally’s heart beat so fast in her ears she was sure she’d have fallen to the floor had she not been lying down already. Junsako’s dirty words made her so wet her juices were sliding down her inner thighs, and she found it difficult to concentrate on his words.

An open handed spank to her left ass cheek stung, and before she could open her mouth another one followed to the right side this time.

“I asked you a question, pet. What color are you?”

“Gr-green.” She murmured the words into the cover, as he dug his fingernails into her tender skin and grabbed a generous handful. That should have mortified her, but somehow it didn’t.

“I can’t hear you, pet.”

His strained voice soothed her concerns. He sounded like a man aroused, and it gave her an enormous thrill that he wanted her just as badly as she wanted him.

“Green, Sir. I’m so green. Please don’t stop. I—”

The next spank set her ass on fire and sent her further up the bed, until her hips dug into the edge. It was padded, with little hard nobbles, and just the right height to stimulate her clit, as she discovered with the next few well-placed open handed swats from his hands. He hit a different spot on her ass every time, and with the added stimulation from the torture devices attached to the side, she was close to coming in record time.

Higher and higher she flew until time lost all meaning, and all that mattered was the breathtaking pause before he spanked her again. When he finally stopped heat radiated from her ass all over her body in rolling waves of bliss, and she ground herself against the edge. So close, she was so damn close.

Junsako grabbed her hips and pulled her away from the bed, and Sally whined her protest.

He kissed her shoulder, and chuckled into her neck, as his whole body seemed to engulf her. His hard cock nestled in the cleft of her ass, and he delivered little bites along her back, parallel to her spine. Every sharp sting made her moan, interspersed as it was by his murmured words.

“So beautiful, my pet. This luscious body belongs to me, and you will not come without my permission, will you, pet?”

Available from Evernight Publishing. For all other buy links, please click here.

Check out a Bonus Scene from this story here on my blog.

****

Author Bio:

Doris Author PicGlutton for punishment would be a good description for Doris… at least that’s what she hears on an almost daily basis when people find out that she has a brood of nine children, ranging from adult to toddler and lives happily in a far too small house, cluttered with children, pets, dust bunnies, and one very understanding and supportive husband. Domestic goddess she is not.

There is always something better to do after all, like working on the latest manuscript and trying not to scare the locals even more than usual by talking out loud to the voices in her head. Her characters tend to be pretty insistent to get their stories told, and you will find Doris burning the midnight oil on a regular basis. Only time to get any peace and quiet and besides, sleep is for wimps.

She likes to spin sensual, sassy, and sexy tales involving alpha heroes to die for, and heroines who give as good as they get. From contemporary to paranormal, BDSM to F/F, and Ménage, haunting love stories are guaranteed.

Stalking Links

Website Blog Twitter  Facebook Pinterest  Evernight Publishing

              Amazon All Romance E-BooksBookStrandBarnes&Noble

Happy Release Day- Make Me: Twelve Tales of Dark Desire

MakeMe-CoverMake Me: Twelve Tales of Dark Desire

Take a trip to the dark side with 12 books by some of the hottest names in edgy romance, including USA Today Bestselling authors CJ Roberts, Eliza Gayle, and Aleatha Romig!

Pam Godwin – Beneath the Burn
Skye Warren – Wanderlust
Claire Thompson – Enslaved
Cari Silverwood – Take Me Break Me
Annabel Joseph – Comfort Object
Aleatha Romig – Consequences
Shoshanna Evers – The Man Who Holds the Whip
Annika Martin – The Hostage Bargain
Jasmine Haynes – Take Your Pleasure
Eliza Gayle – Play With Me
Pepper Winters – Tears of Tess
CJ Roberts – Captive in the Dark

For pre-order and release week only, this set will cost 99 cents. These full-length e-books would cost over $40 if purchased separately. This set will only be available for a limited time, so order your copy now!

Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

About the Authors

Thank you for considering MAKE ME: Twelve tales of dark desire. We hope you enjoy your trip! Please check out the contributing authors to find out more about their books and upcoming events.

Aleatha Romig – Consequences

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Skye Warren – Wanderlust

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Eliza Gayle – Play With Me

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Cari Silverwood – Take Me, Break Me

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Jasmine Haynes – Take Your Pleasure

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Pam Godwin – Beneath the Burn

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Annabel Joseph – Comfort Object

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Claire Thompson – Enslaved

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Annika Martin – The Hostage Bargain

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Shoshanna Evers – The Man Who Holds the Whip

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Pepper Winters – Tears of Tess

Website | Facebook | Twitter

CJ Roberts – Captive in the Dark

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Giveaway

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

MakeMe-Info

Excerpt from Wanderlust by Skye Warren

“The man over there has paid for your meal. He’d like to join you.”

I blinked, not really understanding. The gentleness of her voice unnerved me. More than guilt—pity.

“I’m sorry.” I fumbled with the words. “I’ve already eaten. I’m done.”

“You have food left on your plate. Doesn’t matter how much you want to eat anyway.” She paused and then carefully strung each word along the sentence. “He requests the pleasure of your company.”

My heart sped up, the first stirrings of fear.

I supposed I should feel flattered, and I did, in a way. He was a handsome man, and he’d noticed me. Of course, I was the only woman around besides the waitress, so it wasn’t a huge accomplishment. But I wasn’t prepared for fielding this kind of request. Was this a common thing, to pay for another woman’s meal?

It was a given that I should say no. Whatever he wanted from me, I couldn’t give him, so it was only a question of letting him down nicely.

“Please tell him thank you for the offer. I appreciate it, I do. But you see, I really am finished with my meal and pretty tired, so I’m afraid it won’t be possible for him to join me. Or to pay for my meal. In fact, I’d like the check, please.”

Her lips firmed. Little lines appeared between her brows, and with a sinking feeling I recognized something else: fear.

“Look, I know you aren’t from around here, but that there is Hunter Bryant.” When I didn’t react to the name, her frown deepened. “Here’s a little advice from one woman to another. There are some men you just don’t say no to. Didn’t your mama ever warn you about men like that?”

ROW80 Check-in #92 A Reason to Celebrate

Hello Weekend Writing Warriors. I’ll be taking a couple weeks off while I finish my latest WIP. I’ll be back soon.

The writing challenge that knows you have a life.

What a big week. I sent my WIP out to some betas and I pulled up two other WIPs that are close to done. One is now in the final read through before betas stage and the other needs an HEA. I have figured it out though. I hope to finish the final scene this week.

Big steps forward.

Huge.

Of course, all three have giants steps to take before I can hit send, but I’m really hoping one of them will be ready to go soon. Fingers Crossed.

pink cakeOh and today’s my birthday. Aw! Birthday cake for everybody. 😀 This is my first birthday as a published author. It feels good, so good, but I have so much more that I want to accomplish. I have many more characters I want to write and yes, I would love for my writing to support my family in some way. For now, I’ll concentrate on the projects in front of me. Eye on the ball. However today, I’m going to concentrate on  my favorite things like reading and enjoying coffee.

Have a great day everyone.

The Goals – week-8 results

    • Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters- done. 🙂
    • Daily progress in writing craft, word count, editing, and/or plotting- very much done. I finished a read through and sent a WIP to betas. I spent two days on craft and ended the week reading through two WIPs and plotting out a HEA. I added over 1k to my WIPs this week.
    • Take care of and be kind to myself (start w/ a relaxing ritual and daily breaks from technology)done. This goal is always easiest on a birthday week. I relaxed and took my breaks and prepared myself for another birthday. 🙂 I am going to have to start breaking out the healthy journey into a separate goal though. It needs my attention.

What you might have missed here this week:

My Writing Process

Spotlight: Amazon Heat by Valerie Twombly

Cover Reveal: Desired by Stacey Kennedy

Cover Reveal: Desired by Stacey Kennedy

DESIREDPublisher: Loveswept

(Random House Publishing Group)

ISBN: 9780553391183

Release date: July 22, 2014

 Readers of Fifty Shades of Grey are sure to love Desired, Stacey Kennedy’s latest seductive, electrifying novel of Club Sin, where fantasy becomes reality.

Kyler Morgan, Master at the legendary Club Sin in Las Vegas, knows how to give women what they want—too well. He hasn’t had a real challenge in a long time. Then Ella Snow enters his life. Beautiful, inhibited, and innocent in the ways of submission and domination, Ella is the new blood he’s been lusting after. Soon, the thrill of training her to embrace his world brings forth desires Kyler cannot control.

After ending an abusive relationship, Ella makes a promise to herself to start living life to the fullest. It’s one of the reasons she seeks out Club Sin. Here, Kyler’s every touch is a lesson in liberation, stirring passions that have no bounds. But as she falls under Kyler’s command, Ella discovers that some secrets are so dark they must come to light. Submission alone may not be enough to save her, leaving her Master with only one question: How can he help Ella heal while unlocking the deep pleasures she craves?

Desired is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Buy links:

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Desired-Club-Sin-Stacey-Kennedy-ebook/dp/B00IHMEBPS/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1392818265&sr=1-2

B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/desired-stacey-kennedy/1118636169?ean=9780553391183

More buying options – http://www.randomhouse.com/book/240353/desired-by-stacey-kennedy

Stacey KennedyAbout the Author:                                         

USA Today Bestselling Author, Stacey Kennedy is an urban fantasy lover at heart, but she also enjoys losing herself in dark and sensual worlds. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, who gave her a happily-ever-after. Together, they have two small children who can always make her smile, and who will never be allowed to read Mommy’s books. If she’s not plugging away at a new story, you’ll find her camping, curling up with the latest flick, or obsessing over Supernatural, True Blood, Lost Girl, and Sons of Anarchy.

Website – http://www.staceykennedy.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/authorstaceykennedy

Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/Stacey_Kennedy

Loveswept websitehttp://www.readloveswept.com

Check out the latest release in the CLUB SIN series…

rsz_1kenn_bared_9780804178884Publisher: Loveswept

(Random House Publishing Group)

ISBN: 9780804178884

Release date: February 10, 2014

 

“Bared is a seductively haunting tale of control and surrender that will tantalize existing fans of the series, while enticing new readers into the passionate world of Club Sin.” ~Eliza Gayle, New York Times bestselling author of SUBMISSIVE BEAUTY

In a novel that’s perfect for fans of Fifty Shades of Grey, Stacey Kennedy returns to Club Sin with another wicked and wild tale of submission, seduction, and love.

At Las Vegas’s exclusive Club Sin, Aidan Knight is the Master, unleashing the erotic yearnings of his submissive lovers. But his dominant façade conceals a devastating loss—something he instantly recognizes in his personally trained submissive Cora Adams. Sworn to unearth her secrets, Aidan uses his seductive skills to ignite her wildest desires until Cora yields to the pleasure she can find only with him.

Cora came to the BDSM club to act out her sub-and-dom fantasies without ever revealing the heartbreak that haunts her. But Aidan’s masterful touch is bringing her closer to the edge . . . and deeper into a world of control and surrender. He refuses to allow her to submit to any other man—nor does she want to. It’s a dangerous game they’re playing. For as they give in to passion, they must lay bare their souls for a love that could heal—and free—them both.

Bared is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Buy links:

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Bared-Club-Sin-ebook/dp/B00EMXC022/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379722717&sr=8-1&keywords=bared+stacey

B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bared-stacey-kennedy/1116525826?ean=9780804178884

More buying options – http://www.randomhouse.com/book/236825/bared-by-stacey-kennedy

Spotlight: Amazon Heat by Valerie Twombly

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Amazon Heat

Amazon Heat

by Valerie Twombly

Series: Demon Heat (#1)

Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Resplendence Publishing

Release Date: Nov 13 2013

Edition/Formats Available In:  eBook

Blurb:

When Katrina faces the death of her father, she is left with only one choice. Hire a local demon to help her retrieve a mythical healing stone from deep in the Amazon. However, when the two finally meet, sparks fly. The man is a walking sex god and when he offers to pleasure her in exchange for his services, she finds it hard to refuse.

Book Link

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Resplendence Publishing

Goodreads

Author Information

author photoAs a child, Valerie would often get into trouble for peeking at her mother’s favorite TV show, Dark Shadows. She can still hear her mother saying “It will give you nightmares.” She was right of course, but that did not stop Valerie from watching. As an adult, her love of the fanged creatures never waned. She would watch any vampire movie she could find.

Being a true romantic, Valerie was thrilled when she discovered the genre of paranormal romance. Her first read was one of Lara Adrian’s, Midnight Breed Series and from there she was hooked.

Today, Valerie has decided to take her darker, sensual side and put it to paper. When she is not busy creating a world full of steamy, hot men and strong, seductive women, she juggles her time between a full-time job, hubby and her two German shepherd dogs, in Northern IL.

Author Links

Website| Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |Google+

Excerpt:

Katrina stepped through the door of The Magic Cove. Music blasted across the room. The scent of alcohol and sweat assaulted her senses. She wrinkled her nose.

With sheer determination, her Aperlai heels carried her to the empty bar stool on the other side of the room. A smile slid across her lips at the whistling catcalls resounding from behind. No doubt, they were admiring her ass in the tight-fitting jeans she’d poured herself into. Her favorite pink top plunged to a deep V between large breasts. Looking one’s best never hurt, especially when negotiating a deal with the opposite sex.

Sources said the demon she hunted owned the club. If that was true, finding him should prove easy enough. She only needed to ask.

She plunked down on a stool and kept her gaze pointed straight ahead, not daring to look at the woman next to her. The overwhelming beauty of the female, along with the intricately designed copper bustier she wore confirmed she was a Valkyrie. Immortals known to be the most brutal of women. One wrong move and they’d shred you to pieces, all while laughing about it. She had to admire them though and wished she could be more brutal.

Kat observed her surroundings, noting pointed ears, clawed nails and drunks in various states of shape-shifting.

She shuddered.

This place scared the hell out of her, but then events from earlier that evening still raced through her mind and reminded her of the mission.

She’d been reading her father’s journal, taken aback by his findings.

Her father, an archaeologists, was one of the best in the world and able to read a variety of languages, including many immortal dialects. He’d been hired by several top leaders from the immortal realm to find artifacts long lost by their ancestors. There were hundreds of discoveries under his belt, except for one: The Orecha Emerald, believed to be a magical stone with healing powers.

With nothing to back up the stories woven through the centuries, the stone was a myth. Her father, however, always believed it to be real and his journal indicated he’d found its location.

When she’d visited, he’d looked worse than he had the last time she’d seen him, the cancer slowly eating away at his body. She’d tried hard to contain her emotions. Instead of letting the tears flow, she’d smiled, moved toward his bed, bent over and kissed him on the cheek.

“You look well today.”

He’d placed a kiss on her hand. “Don’t try and snow me. I know I look like hell.” He gave a weak smile. “But you are as beautiful as ever. You look more like your mother every day.”

She’d sucked in a deep breath and held the tears at bay. The loss of her mother still stung ten years later. She’d only been fifteen at the time, and her poor father had been left alone to deal with a rebellious daughter.

“Father, I read your journal. Do you truly believe the Orecha Emerald exists?”

Brown eyes had misted. “Yes, with all my heart. I only wish I had found it in time to save your mother.”

The breath had escaped her lungs in a loud sigh.

His brows had knitted together. “Kitten, you’re not thinking of seeking it yourself, are you?”

“Yes.” She’d squeezed his hand. “I’ll do anything to save you.” No longer able to hold back, the tears had rolled down her cheeks.

“No, I forbid it.” He’d reached up and wiped away her sorrow. “You are all I have left in this world.”

The concern on his face made her more determined. She would do anything for this man.

“And you are all I have left, which is why I must go. You cannot stop me. I’m firm in my decision.” She’d kissed his rough hand. If there was any chance in hell that stone existed, then she would find it.

“You’ve always been a stubborn girl, and I realize I’m too old and sick to stop you. It will be dangerous. I beg you to reconsider.”

She’d forced a smile. “You know I can’t.”

He’d sighed. “I know, but I had to try. Please promise you’ll be careful. You know what you must do?”

“Yes, I’ll go tonight.”

So, here she sat in a crowded night club, looking for a thousand-year-old Uoinota demon named Damis. She’d been told he knew every detail of the Amazon and would be the best escort to hire.

A red-haired pixie sashayed up, a white towel slung over her shoulder. “What can I get ya, sweetie?”

Kat leaned forward, blonde hair covering her peripheral view. “I’m looking for a demon named Damis.”

The pixie chuckled. “You and every other female in here. Take a number.”

She pushed back in the stool and fidgeted. She’d heard the demons were built like Greek gods and their sexual appetite insatiable. “No, it’s not what you think. I mean…I intend to hire him for a job.”

With elbows perched on the bar, the pixie leaned closer. “What’s your name, sweetheart?” She tucked a strand of red hair behind a pointed ear.

“Katrina, but please, call me Kat.”

“Kat, I’m Lilly. You seem like a nice girl, so I’m gonna do you a favor and tell you to run.”

Her throat went dry. “Why?”

“Damis is a very old and wise demon. He’ll eat you alive.” Lilly placed a glass on the bar and filled it with white wine. “On the house.”

She grabbed the glass and downed half its contents in one swig. “Thanks, but I have a job offer for him and was told he’d be willing to help.”

Lilly gave her the once over. “Oh, he’ll be willing all right. Question is will you? Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you must have heard about his sexual exploits.” She shrugged. “Wait here. I’ll see if he’s busy.”

Kat downed the rest of the wine. Sleeping with the demon hadn’t been something she’d even considered, but she did find the idea intriguing. It had been months since her last failed relationship. Too strong willed, David had called her. He’d been a lame fuck anyway. Providing the demon wasn’t hideous, perhaps this could prove advantageous in more ways than one.

Still, this was strictly business. The demon was the best guide money could buy. It also didn’t hurt that he was the oldest and most powerful of his species. No doubt, he could break any enchantments that surrounded the stone. I just hope he’s honest.

Lilly came back to the bar. “He’ll see you.”

“Thank you. Um, where is he?” Her gaze moved around the room, not having a clue what he looked like.

“Over there.”

She turned to where Lilly pointed. At the back of the room stood a man cloaked in dark shadows, arms crossed over a broad chest. Katrina swallowed, wanting to run. Remember, anything for father.

A faint laugh came from behind the bar. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Kat stood and balanced on her four-inch heels, abruptly aware how the denim clung to every curve and the pink tank-top molded to her breasts. Her hands glided down her rounded hips, smoothing her attire. Show time.

Amazon Heat Blog Tour Banner

My Writing Process

This post is actually a part of a blog hop. I’ve been tagged by the lovely Anne Lange and I’ve tagged three authors to follow my post in the hop. There are more authors to visit at Anne’s post and you can continue hopping from there or here. So, what is this hop about? It’s about authors offering others a glimpse into their work, their work schedules, and perhaps their innermost thoughts.  I’m having so much fun with this. I hope you hop and have fun too.

Friends with Benefits CoverBefore I get to the questions, I have to make sure you know about Anne. I fell for her writing style in one snippet. That’s all it took. She pulled me right in and each snippet and book since have left me hooked. You must check her out and of course her Writing Process post which can be found here. You can also click on her pretty covers to see that book page at her site.

Now for the questions …

Q. What am I working on?

A. I’m polishing the 2nd book in my Love Projects series. I hope to hit send very soon. Then I’ll be going back to a little novelette that’s almost finished. I hope to hit send on that soon as well. After that I’ll be working on finishing the first in a new series of novelettes about a fine group of criminals and the women that capture their hearts. Aw. Then I’ll head back to the Love Projects series. I’m only a few chapters into writing the 3rd book in that series. Lots to do and I can’t wait for all of it. Love my characters.

Q. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

A. I love romance and that will always be up front and center in my books. I also enjoy adding a bit of kink to my stories and the D/s relationship hits the spot for me. So far, all of my stories have been about strong career driven women who find their one and only in the middle of their work day. They love their jobs and they’re passionate about their men. Yes, my leading ladies are lucky, but I make them work for each of their happy endings.

Q. Why do I write what I do?

A. I write what I like to read. It’s that simple. I love hot romances. I love finding broken hearts and gluing them back together. It’s what I do and I love it.

Q. How does your writing process work?

A. I work on my WIPs every minute I get in-between taking care of my family, my home, my volunteer responsibilities, and the evil day job. Some days it’s hours and others it’s just a few minutes. My schedule varies and when an opening pops up, I have to advantage.

Once the first draft is done, a long series of read throughs begin. The first couple of passes I edit for story arch and then character arch. I usually add several thousand words during these read throughs. The last couple of passes are for sentence structure and anything else I find that I can tighten. Once my betas offer their feedback, it’s back to the read throughs until the manuscripts shines and then I hit send.

I’m mostly a plotter, but I pantsy my way through each book. Until I’m done with that last read through, you never know what I might change.

Q. Who will we meet next?

A. I’m passing the question baton to three fellow Evernight authors.

Iyana Jenna author of This Isn’t GoodbyeAn Omega’s Fate and many others will share her post on March 4th.

Nicola Cameron author of TricksterGrading the Curve posted her writing process on February 25th and it can be seen here.

Nikka Michaels author of Christmas with CadenChasing Matt and many coming soon shared her post on February 27th and it can be seen here.

I hope you enjoyed the walk through My Writing Process. 🙂