Taste of Kiwi

My special guest today is fellow Ellora’s Cave author, Eve Cassidy. Eve has a new release this week, her debut release with EC, called Southern Comfort and she’s talking about favorite hangouts.

One of my favorite things in real life, television, movies or books is discovering a cool new place where people like to hang out. Not necessarily a place you go to party (although it can be) but generally the feel good place you and your friends always seem to congregate and eventually you get to know people who work there and frequent there on a first name basis. It becomes your home away from home for you and your friends.

That’s exactly the kind of place my upcoming ebook with Ellora’s Cave is all about. Southern Comfort is a bar and is loosely based on “the” bar me and my friends used to hang out at many years ago when I was an active duty marine stationed at an air base in North Carolina.

It was just outside the front gate so it offered easy access for everyone but it was still off base so it didn’t carry all the same rules an on base bar did. Honestly the place was a bit of a dump but it was a good size with multiple rooms stuffed with couches, tables, a dance floor, 2 bars and a good number of pool tables. I considered myself quite the player back then so I played a lot of pool there. But more importantly, all my friends were there.

Practically any day of the week, I could show up and there’d be a crowd of people I knew well and hung out with. Those were some good times and great memories.

It was that atmosphere that inspired me to write Southern Comfort and actually I am writing more stories around the same concept of a bar outside every front gate that caters to the boys of service.

Now a days my friend hangout is a French Bakery Café that is located in my city’s arts district about 20 minutes from home. Besides delicious food, decadent desserts and free wi fi, they are the only place open 24/7 365 days a year. The perfect writer hangout. When deadlines loom, you’ll find me there writing late into the night. Although some days you have to fight to get a table. It’s beloved by the entire city.

Whenever I meet someone who hasn’t been there I am more than eager to take them there for the quirky décor and an unbelievable salted caramel brownie. No wonder the place is so popular.

So what about you? Do you or did you have a favorite friend hangout? I’d love to hear about it.

Here is the blurb for Southern Comfort:

Two guys. A girl. One incredible game of pool…

Scarlett wants to escape, even if it’s just for a little while. So she heads to Southern Comfort where she’ll find a certain Marine she can’t keep her mind off of and he won’t be alone.

Michael spies the uptight woman of his dreams the minute she fights through the crowd. Sexy as sin, he can’t take his eyes off her while she flirts over some liquid courage. When she finally heads his way, it’s time to find out if she can live up to her end of the fantasy.

Red-hot chemistry may call the shots, but once you take the double hit… The game is on.

Purchase from Ellora’s Cave on 2 September.

CONTEST: Tell us about your favorite hangout and go into the draw to win a download of Eve’s new release, Southern Comfort.

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The theme for this week is holidays. Since I love travel quite a few of my characters take holidays. This week I’ve chosen an excerpt from my story in the Ellora’s Cave Cavemen anthology, Summer Lovin’. My heroine, who lives in New Zealand, goes over to Australia for a holiday and finds much more than she expected.

Dreams of the Oasis III: Summer Lovin’ by Shelley Munro

“Sophie Walker? Is that you?”

The dark haired hunk grinned before grabbing me in a bear hug, right in the middle of the Burleigh Bowls Club.

Who was this Cutey Pie? My mind screamed questions even as I cozied up and savored the experience. I mean, what was not to enjoy? He possessed lots of muscles and was downright hunky with his tanned face and sexy grin. Pity we were in the middle of the Bowls Club. My heart kick-started into a racy beat, while I inhaled deeply to counteract the effect. He smelled wonderful—of ginger and exotic spices, all wrapped up with the tang of the sea.

Tall, dark and cute grasped my upper arms and pulled away before dropping a chaste kiss on my cheek.

Aw, call that a kiss, my inner siren taunted. Rev it up and lay one on me. For once I didn’t care if I ended up being the floorshow. Like a kid in a candy store, I wanted to touch and taste. I wanted it all.

“Sophie, what are you doing here on the Gold Coast?”

I stared and still came up blank. The petite redhead who stood at his side didn’t look too happy. If I was in her shoes I’d have felt exactly the same way. Possessive. Heck, in her place I would have bared my teeth and warned me off.

“I used to go out with Sophie’s daughter,” Cutey Pie said.

Redhead’s frown smoothed out like magic.

I groaned inwardly. Well, that sure put me in my place. Cutey’s name popped into my mind. Isaac Shepherd. I’d liked him back when Susan was going out with him. Since my daughter was notorious for being late, I’d spent a lot of time chatting with Isaac. We had a lot in common. It had taken me a long time to forgive Susan for letting him get away.

“Susan is married now,” I said.

Isaac’s brown eyes glowed, making me intensely aware of my body and the way my clothes fit. The word desperate came to mind. I hadn’t kissed a man for a long time let alone got down and dirty. My hormones were protesting the lack of action. For a moment there, they’d thought they’d got lucky. Disappointment was a bitch.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his husky voice strumming across my senses in a very delicious way.

“I’ve come over on a RSA trip, with a group of golfers. Ostensibly to keep an eye on my father, but he doesn’t really need it.”

“What’s the RSA?” Redhead asked in her Aussie twang.

“Returned Services Association,” Isaac answered.

“Hey, Sophie!” It was my Uncle James, my father’s partner in crime. “There’s a dance on here tonight. Fred and I are gonna grab us a granny!”

I did a mental eye roll. “You can’t say that.” After all, I wasn’t exactly a spring chicken. My fortieth birthday was practically staring me in the eye, so I felt I should offer up a defense for the dozens of more mature women in the club. “It’s not P.C.”

“Aw, Sophie. Don’t start,” my father said. “Look at those women over there. If it walks like a duck…”

Scowling, I glanced in the direction Pop indicated. Three elderly women were giggling like young girls. I shrugged. I didn’t intend to act the stern chaperon. Pop and Uncle James could get up to all the shenanigans they wanted.

“We must meet for a drink,” Isaac said, sending a wave of flattered satisfaction through me. Bigheaded of me I know, but the redhead’s scowls made me want to cheer. Score one for the visiting team.

“Why don’t you come back for the dance?” Uncle James said.

One look at Redhead popped my bubble of optimism. Isaac wouldn’t be here tonight.

Isaac glanced at Redhead too. “Maybe.” His voice was noncommittal. “We have to go.” His brown eyes caught my gaze, and for a long moment, we stared at each other. “It’s been great seeing you, Sophie.”

And damned if he didn’t grab me and kiss me right on the lips. It was brief. Intense. And left my knees knocking. I stared after him in bemusement, my trembling fingers rising up to touch tingling lips.

A soft whistle from Pop jerked me from daydream land. “You’ve made a conquest there, Sophie.”

“I’m old enough to be his mother,” I protested, and inside, I railed at the fact. Sometimes, life plain sucked.

Uncle James looked me up and down. “You don’t look your age. You don’t look old enough to be that boy’s mother. You’re fit, you don’t look like one of those god-awful beanpole models, and you have your own teeth. Always check the teeth,” my uncle ended sagely.

“I’m not a damned horse!”

“No, you’re a woman, Sophie,” Pop said. “That’s all any of us simple men want. A luscious handful of woman to cuddle up to at night.”

He winked at Uncle James, and they both discreetly checked out the three giggling women over in the corner.

“Ooh, not while I’m looking,” I said in a firm tone, although secretly, I was flattered, my confidence boosted. A bit of life in the old broad yet, I thought. I licked my lips and imagined I could taste Isaac. Damn, I didn’t think I’d shower for a week.

Purchase Dreams of Oasis III from Ellora’s Cave in either print or e-format. Also available at Amazon in print or e-format.

To read more excerpts follow the Snippet Saturday trail below:

Mari Carr
Shelley Munro
Vivian Arend
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Lauren Dane
Jody Wallace
TJ Michaels
Lacey Savage

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The topic for this week is food. As much as I enjoy food and cooking, I don’t have many foodie scenes. Most of them are picnic scenes. In the end I chose this scene from Lynx to the Pharaoh, a historical romance with a feline shapeshifter hero.

Lynx to the Pharaoh by Shelley Munro

“I’d love to visit the oasis,” Charlotte said, ignoring the feminine pride inside warning her she would not look her best after sleeping in her clothes. And the knowledge that she shouldn’t go anywhere with a man she didn’t know. She risked another glance at him, and the silent gleam of approval in his eyes warmed her all over. This early in the morning, she couldn’t blame the heat of the sun.

They passed the camp, and as Sethmet had said, no one stirred apart from the servants. Charlotte told herself her brother would never know. They arrived at the edge of the oasis more quickly than she would have liked. Countless questions trembled at the tip of her tongue. Curious as a cat. That’s what George used to say, always in a chiding manner. Could she help it if she liked to learn new things and gain knowledge?

Sethmet stopped by the edge of the lake, in a small private spot screened from the main path, glad Lady Charlotte had agreed to accompany him.

A gentle breeze played a musical tune as it blew through the reeds. Not far from them a heron stabbed the water with its beak and came up with a wriggling silver fish.

He placed his basket down and helped Charlotte sit on a flat rock. Her lack of primping and fussing gained his approval, not that she needed to preen. Sethmet opened his woven basket. He had to stop the urgent need to touch, to run his hands across her silky cheek. A bark of laughter escaped at the thought. No doubt the lady would slap his face at the presumption.

“Is something funny?”

“Not a thing,” Sethmet said. “Would you care for flat bread and cheese?” He spread a blue woven cloth on the ground beside them and set out the food. The instinct to serve and nurture Lady Charlotte, or Charlotte as he thought of her, came as a surprise. Most women ran after him, but being with Charlotte felt right. He didn’t feel pressure or hunted for matrimony. He wanted to protect her, even if she came from the English camp and was possibly an enemy.

Charlotte was no longer committed to a man.

Satisfaction swelled within Sethmet along with an urge to kiss her. Hell, he wanted to do more than that. He wanted to claim her as mate. The thought gave him pause because he knew nothing of her. Yet he didn’t worry overly. Swift courtships were normal in his family, and their decisive nature when taking a partner was one of the gifts that came with feline powers. Everyone in his family married for love. They might argue at times, but he had no hesitation about following his heart.

He glanced up from laying out the food and saw Charlotte studied him avidly. For an instant, open desire shimmered in her blue eyes before her lashes lowered to screen the emotion.

Sethmet acted on instinct, going with his gut. He leaned toward her and took possession of her lips in a slow kiss of exploration. When she didn’t object, he deepened the contact, sliding his tongue across her soft, pink lips and urging her to open her mouth so he could taste. She was so soft, tasted so sweet, and he wanted more.

Purchase from Ellora’s Cave or Amazon Kindle

To read more Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the links below:

Mari Carr
Shelley Munro
Vivian Arend
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Lauren Dane
Jody Wallace
TJ Michaels

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There’s no doubt about it – writing humor is difficult. Something I think is hysterical, you might consider only worthy of a yawn. What I think is funny might offend you. People who live in different parts of the world have different senses of humor. That said, there’s nothing better than reading a book that makes you laugh.

Our Snippet Saturday topic this week is characters interacting with humor. Reviewers often state my books contain humor and one that was particularly popular is Fancy Free. Just to get you all up to speed – Alice has inherited a condom company. She’s finding the condom business a bit different and, after her first day at work, she drinks more than she should when she visits the local pub. James, the company manager, escorts her home and ends up staying the night…

Oh, I should mention…there are a few naughty words ahead…

Fancy Free by Shelley Munro

“Ooh,” she murmured when she finally floated back into her body—because this had definitely been a wonderful out-of-body experience—and relaxed liked a cooked spaghetti noodle.

“Was it good for you?” James asked.

Alice belatedly remembered that she had and he hadn’t come. Tactful answer required. Guys, she’d heard from various gossipy sources, became a little tetchy when it came to sex and not getting any. Alice stared at his erect penis. It looked large and red and bad-tempered. It gave an angry twitch while she gawked.

“Um…” Alice glanced up to scan James’ face. “I…yes…” She stared. The man’s face screwed up as if he suffered great pain or else he—

The wretch was laughing at her. She tapped him sharply on one bulging biceps. “Yes, it was good for me,” she snapped. “Why are you laughing?”

A tentative knock sounded on the door and his laughter cut off abruptly. They glanced at each other in silent communication mode, Alice scrunching her brows together in answer to his raised brow.

“Alice? Are you awake? Breakfast is ready.”

She stared at the wooden door in horror. Had she made a lot of noise? Her gaze darted to James and he pantomimed for her to answer.

“I’m up. Won’t be long,” Alice called out. She strove for a woman-of-the-world tone, but her reply fell in the feeble, scared zone. It must have reassured Lindy because she heard receding footsteps before silence fell. She turned to stare at James.

He shook his head, a rueful grin on his lips. “Well, Ms. Beasley. You’re not the only one who’s up. A fine mess you’ve got us in this time.”

“Why is it my fault? I’ve heard you’re a playboy and a cad.” The minute she said the words she wanted to take them back.

“Ah, you’ve read Ms. Knowall’s column. You’re quite right. I am a playboy and a cad.” He stood and picked up his clothes, dressing with an elegance that she admired. “You should remember that and stay well away from me.”

“I’m sorry.” Obviously she’d said the wrong thing.

“No problem. I’ll see you at work.” He strode over to the door, opened it and stepped into the passage. A soft click sounded when he closed it.

Alice heard footsteps and then the murmur of voices. Color swept to her cheeks when she imagined what Lindy would think. If inheriting a condom company hadn’t already ruined her reputation, then she’d probably done the job now by letting James Bates, sexy bad boy, spend the night in her bedroom.

Alice climbed from the bed, self-conscious of her nakedness now. Avoiding her reflection in the mirror, she scuttled through to the small en suite and jumped under the shower, letting the water pour over her hair and face. Five minutes later, dressed in a gray trouser suit, she made her way into the kitchen for breakfast. The wooden table was set for three with floral placemats and coordinated napkins. A posy of spring flowers in the center of the table added to the Victorian theme. The rich scent of coffee floated in the air. Lindy Redcliff stood at the stove, spatula in hand, humming along to a top-forty hit. Jake, her husband, sat at the table and had already started on his breakfast.

“Morning,” she mumbled. “Sorry I’m late.”

Jake glanced up from his scrambled eggs with a smirk. “We know why you overslept. Been doing the wild thing with Sloan’s playboy.”

“Jake!” Lindy put a world of remonstration into her husband’s name but it didn’t dampen his smirk.

“No,” Alice said. “We were discussing work.” The first thing that came into her mind.

Jake’s lips twitched. “Condoms. Care for some eggs and toast. Muesli?”

Alice met his gaze with difficulty. “I’m not hungry.” The truth. She’d lost her appetite. “And yes, we discussed condoms as part of our business meeting. Appropriate since Fancy Free sells condoms.”

Jake set his knife and fork across the center of his plate. He lifted his wrist to check his watch. “Hmm, I hope your company pays overtime for such a long meeting.”

Purchase Fancy Free from Ellora’s Cave or Amazon Kindle

To read more Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the links below:

Mari Carr
Shelley Munro
Vivian Arend
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Lauren Dane
Shelli Stevens
Jody Wallace

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I’m visiting The Romance Reviews today and answering questions about my dark side. You didn’t know I had one, did you?

House of the Cat received a Reviewer Top Pick from Night Owl Romances. ” House of the Cat was a fun and erotic story that will have you coming back for more by Shelley Munro.”

Romance Reviews Today reviewed Tiger By The Tail – “Erotic exploration and engaging characters make TIGER BY THE TAIL a captivating story, whether you’ve read the previous books or not.”

Congratulations to Heidi who is the winner of my newsletter members only contest for July. All you need to do to be eligible to win future prizes is sign up for my newsletter. A signup form is at the top right of my blog.

I’ve completed edits for Resisting Tamaki, a sci-fi romance, for Ellora’s Cave. I should have a release date for Resisting Tamaki very soon. Edited to add: My release date is 1 October.

It’s Friday the 13th today. Do you think Friday 13th is unlucky? Is it unlucky for you?

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I have a special guest today–Lynn LaFleur. Lynn is a fellow author at Ellora’s Cave, and she’s thinking purple in honor of her Lavender Lace series and her release, Two Lovers For Molly. Lynn is giving away a download from her Ellora’s Cave backlist today. See below for details of how to enter the draw.

Thirteen Shades of Purple

1. Heather
2. Lavender
3. Orchid
4. Lilac
5. Eggplant
6. Plum
7. Violet
8. Wisteria
9. Amethyst
10. Thistle
11. Iris
12. Grape
13. Hydrangea

Two Lovers for Molly by Lynn LaFleur
Book 3 of Lavender Lace Series

Blurb

A chance meeting with Julian Forrest changes Molly Ross’ mind about her bad luck with men. Julian is not only gorgeous, but intelligent and charming. Finally, her luck with men has changed.

Julian loves the sexy underwear Molly buys at a store called Lavender Lace that makes his mouth water every time they make love. It takes less than a week for him to know he’s falling in love with her.

Then Lane Edison comes back into Julian’s life. Despite being apart for a year, one kiss from the handsome man and Julian tumbles. He wants both Molly and Lane, but doesn’t know how that can happen…until he reads a threesome scene in a book Molly is writing.

Molly loves Julian, yet feels an instant attraction when she meets Lane. Discovering the two men were once lovers is a huge turn-on for her. When Julian suggests a ménage a trois, she’s more than willing for the two men to fulfill all her fantasies.

Purchase Two Lovers For Molly

Visit Lynn’s website

CONTEST
Prize offered: Winner’s choice of download of any of Lynn’s books. To enter the draw either ask Lynn a question about writing or her series, tell us your favorite shade of purple or mention something that’s purple.

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Yay! Blue Lady, book ten in my Middlemarch Mates series, is out today. Blue Lady features Emily and Saber who were first introduced in Scarlet Woman.

Read the Blue Lady blurb and excerpt

Purchase Blue Lady

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My special guest today is fellow Ellora’s Cave author, Wynter Daniels. Wynter was lucky enough to attend the recent RWA conference in Florida and is here to tell us about both that and her latest release, Getting Even With Warren.

Thanks so much to Shelley Munro for inviting me to guest blog here! I want to tell you about my trip to the RWA National conference in Orlando. This was my first, but I can assure you, it won’t be my last.

Aside from the awesome parties, the plethora of free books and the great info at the publisher spotlight sessions, there were the workshops. Before I attend a conference, I make myself a spreadsheet of my schedule including which workshop of the 7 or 8 being offered at any given time. My organized self sighs contentedly at the neat chart I tuck into a folder.

Then I arrive at the conference and I blow that all to hell! I listen to the buzz from other authors, scratch one program off in favor of another. The time rolls around and I change my mind yet again. The offerings were great this time and I would love to give you a detailed recap from each workshop I attended. But that would make a ridiculously long post, so I will try to give you a pearl from each of my favorites.

Linda Howard’s Twelve Steps of Intimacy is always a crowd pleaser. If you ever have the opportunity to attend this program, go for it. You won’t regret it. One thing that stands out – leapfrogging the steps can intensify or shake up the intimacy experience.

Donald Maass’ Fire in Fiction II program was standing room only. The pearl there – imagine the standout emotion from your scene then recall a moment in your own life that exemplifies that emotion. Include the details of what you were feeling at the time to give your writing better impact.

Nora Roberts, aka J. D. Robb, was the keynote speaker at the opening luncheon. She spoke about the incredible changes in technology in the thirty years since the first RWA conference in 1980. Manuscripts were typed on typewriters with carbon paper and research was done at the library. She said she’s heard people say it was so much easier to get published back then but she disputes that. Getting published is supposed to be hard. Hard makes it that much more special when you achieve it. She also talked about the huge number of opportunities available today like e-publishing. She credits the camaraderie of RWA members for helping writers survive and flourish in a difficult field.

I also listened to sessions on police procedure, upping the heat in romance and diversifying an author’s portfolio and attracting the biggest audience for your books. Overall, the conference was a winner and did I mention free books?

CONTEST: Please leave a comment and I will draw one name to receive a free copy of my latest ebook from Ellora’s Cave, Getting Even with Warren.

Here’s a little about the book and a link to an excerpt:

Widow Macy Halstead learned of her much older husband’s voracious appetite for cheating shortly before his death. Now it’s too late to get back at him. When she meets his bi-racial illegitimate son at the funeral, a mutual attraction flares. She leaves with him and the two share a night of hot passion.

Alex Jackson set out to get back at the father who treated him like dirt. Bedding his old man’s widow fit the bill—until he forgets his reasons and realizes he really likes Macy. But after a steamy fling, she seems to have second thoughts. Can they overcome their initial agendas and explore the possibility of a relationship?

You can find Getting Even with Warren HERE.

Bio: Wynter Daniels is the naughty alter ego of contemporary romance author Dara Edmondson. She lives in Central Florida with her husband of more than twenty years and their two nearly grown children. They are all the slaves of two very demanding cats. After careers in marketing and the salon industry, Wynter’s wicked prose begged to be set free. She currently writes for Ellora’s Cave, Loose Id and Red Sage Publishing.

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This week’s theme is black moment. According to Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Your Romance Published by Julie Beard, the black moment is the point in a romance where the relationship appears doomed because the characters are unable or unwilling to resolve the core inner conflicts keeping them apart. Neither the characters or reader can see how the problem will be resolved.

Every romance has a black moment, and they usually come toward the end of the book. Since I don’t like to give too much away, I thought I’d take an excerpt from Leticia’s Lovers. I think many readers hesitate to pick up this story because the heroine has FIV, the feline version of AIDs. Although the story is sad—I cried while I was writing it and I picked on Leticia during this story with an entire series of black moments—I do manage to give her a happy ending. You’ll just have to trust me on this.

Leticia’s Lovers by Shelley Munro

Morning came all too quickly. They shared a quick shower with only mild groping before they both dressed for work.

“Will you come and stay tonight?” Gavin asked.

Charlie tossed his damp towel aside and strode the two steps needed to reach Gavin. “The idea of not being with you hadn’t occurred to me.” He dragged Gavin into his arms and kissed him, not roughly but slow and gentle, pouring every writhing emotion inside into his kiss. When he lifted his head they were both breathing hard.

“Damn, I wish I didn’t need to go to work,” Gavin said with a glance at his wristwatch.

“I know the feeling. Do you have time for a coffee at the café?”

“No, I have a patient arriving in half an hour. I’ll have to prepare the surgery.” Gavin lifted his head, glancing toward the surgery with a frown. His shoulders tensed beneath Charlie’s hands. “Fuck.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” Gavin didn’t sound very certain.

Charlie heard the tap-tap of shoes and turned to the door. “Your patients come to your bedroom? Is there another door I should have locked last night?”

“The one to the surgery waiting room,” Gavin muttered. “I forgot to check it. I had other things on my mind.”

“Gavin, I thought I’d—” A decidedly feminine form skidded to a halt in the doorway.

Leticia—the woman from last night. Today she wore tight jeans and a formfitting T-shirt in pale blue. She wore a cap on her head, her blonde hair poking through the back in a long ponytail. What little color she had in her face flooded away when she took in both Gavin and Charlie. They both wore trousers but neither had donned shirts and they stood way too close to try the casual friends ploy. The scent of sex hung on the air and the rumpled bed gave more than a hint of how they’d spent their night.

Leticia’s brown eyes swept over Charlie, coming to rest on the mark. His skin prickled as if she’d physically touched him and he automatically covered the raised site with his fingers.

“You marked him?” The pain in her voice had Charlie wanting to comfort her. He noted it had the same affect on Gavin. Collectively they took a step toward her.

Leticia slapped her hand over her mouth and backed up, her eyes wide with panic and betrayal.

“Leticia, it’s not what it looks like,” Gavin said.

“Oh yeah?” Bitterness filled her words. Her eyes swept over both of them, skimming their bare chests and the obvious marks on their shoulders. “He bit you too. You can’t—I thought we…oh hell.” Leticia turned and fled.

Purchase Leticia’s Lovers from Ellora’s Cave or Amazon Kindle

To read more Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the links below:

Mari Carr
Shelley Munro
Vivian Arend
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
TJ Michaels
Lauren Dane

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Greetings, all! Kris Starr here. I write erotic romance and erotica, and I am so very happy to be hanging out today at Shelley’s blog – thanks, Shelley, for the opportunity!

I am also thrilled to be a Carina Press author along with Shelley and a bunch of other absolutely fabulous folks. There are some great books available from CP, so if you haven’t checked ‘em out yet, do so! My novella is called Lovely, and it’s an erotic historical set in Paris in 1900.

But I’ll get to that shortly.

Lovely launched on June 21st, and as some of you may know, I got the best launch-day gift ever. On June 22nd, I gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl. So needless to say I am slightly brain-dead as a result, and I hope you can forgive me if this blog post meanders into the realm of “WTF is she talking about??”

Shelley suggested a baby-related TT, and I figured, that’s a great idea, and hey, how hard can it be to come up with thirteen baby items?

Um, remember that brain-dead comment from earlier?

Yeah.

But I did plug along, so without further ado, here’s your Thursday Thirteen!

1. Your brain somehow atrophies with the birth of your child. Or disintegrates. Or completely vanishes. Or, or…something. Whatever it is, I forget.

2. Time becomes like something out of an episode of Star Trek – before baby arrives you’ve got more of the damned stuff than you know what to do with. You read books! Spend time on your hobbies! Linger over lunches with friends! After baby arrives you can barely squeeze in five minutes for yourself to have a shower, toss in a (neverending) load of laundry or unload the dishwasher – and which activity you choose can be determined by whether you have any underwear left, just how gross your hair has become, or if there are any plates in the cupboard.

3. You no longer have anxiety dreams about appearing naked in your high school chemistry class, late for your final exam – you now dream about forgetting/losing/dropping the baby.

4. Five straight hours of unbroken sleep is the most decadent, delightful thing on the face of the planet.

5. You can no longer go anywhere without fifteen minutes of prep time before you go out the door, and you now must lug seventy-three extra things with you. Every single time. Because if you don’t have extra diapers, wipes, burp cloths and clothing with you, you’re screwed.

6. It’s only when you’ve got the baby bundled up in a wrap/carrier that she spits up all over herself…and you.

7. Along the same vein as #6 — all known infant bodily fluids (drool, poop, pee and spitup) now become a part of your regular, everyday life and you are guaranteed to get at least one of them (more likely two or three) on you on a daily basis.

8. And along the same vein as #6 and #7 — you thank whatever higher power/spiritual being you believe in that you have access to a washer and dryer and are not required to scrub baby clothing and other items on rocks in the riverbed.

9. Just as you sit down to dinner, the baby begins to fuss. You forget just what hot food and/or eating with the rest of your family feels like.

10. Forget makeup, hairstyling and dressy clothes. Now it’s sweats and tees, ponytails or headbands and that “natural” look. For all occasions.

11. A receiving blanket or burp cloth becomes a fashion statement that goes with anything. Trust me. Bunnies, daisies and hearts are hot this season.

12. Sex? What’s that?

But most importantly…

13. There is nothing more beautiful or precious on this planet than the sweet, tiny angel asleep in your arms, and you realize every time you look at her just how lucky and blessed you really are.

And that none of the other stuff matters in the least.

Now, to Lovely…

As mentioned earlier, Lovely is set in Paris in 1900, and it’s the story of a prostitute named Angelique. Here’s the blurb:

They call me Lovely. But I know I am not.

Once I had another name. Now, as Angelique, I do what I can to please les messieurs. What would they say if they knew I felt no pleasure? To them I am wanton, insatiable. I alone know the truth.

So I am mystified by my reaction to my latest caller. Alexandre. Handsome. Well-bred. With an air of innocence that intrigues me. And true pain in his eyes. A mere kiss on the hand inflames me as never before. In moments this man disconcerts me like no other, and soon I can think of nothing, no one else. And yet, he barely touches me.

I know my true purpose is to mend his wounds, but I wonder what lustful appetites are buried deep within him. I will do what I can to discover his secrets…

Lovely is available now from Carina Press.

Well, the baby is starting to fuss in her cradle, so that means it’s time for me to wrap up. Thanks again to Shelley for having me, and I hope you’ll swing by my blog or shoot me an email and say hello or let me know what you thought of Lovely! You can also follow me on Twitter (I don’t Tweet much yet – I’m still trying to get the hang of it in general. That brain thing, y’know?).

Cheers!
Kris

Kris’ Bio:
Kris lives in the wilds of Northern Canada with her two daughters and science geek husband. She spends her time attempting to control household chaos, indulging her crafty side with various knitting, sewing and miscellaneous handmade projects, and creating stories for Carina Press and Ellora’s Cave. Kris has been writing since the age of ten, beginning with a Nancy Drew-style mystery story featuring herself and a couple of her friends. Future leanings became clear, however, when she started penning naughty stories for high-school friends, featuring Scott Baio, Rick Springfield or any member of Duran Duran.

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