October 2012 – Behind Closed Doors

Do You Believe in Happily Ever After?

Welcome back once again for the final days of the Wicked After Dark Halloween Blog Hop. I hope this post finds all of you safe and able to have a Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhein. For those of you in harms way of Sandy and her aftermath, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your families.

I thought I would switch gears a bit for today’s post and look back at another guest spot I did for fellow author Kellie Kamryn last year about soul mates. Kellie and I bonded over our love of poetry and writing erotic romances. As we chatted with each other on Facebook, we discovered we shared a lot more, leading near parallel lives. Both of us were at a point in our lives where we were having to start again after some major heartache. Below is the post I did for her. It’s the overall theme of my Now and Forever series and my first book of poetry. Let me know what you think.

Blessed Be

~Tammy

Is Your Soul Mate Out There Waiting for You?

People always ask me if I believe in the idea of soul mates and I always tell them I do, for other people. I think that is why I started writing romance and erotic romances in particular. I wanted to experience that kind of love connection even if it was just in my fantasy world. I still had a hope that one day I would find my mo anam cara, my soul friend or soul mate. My Mom found hers with her second marriage, why couldn’t I find mine someday?

I thought I had found him when I reconnected with a man I had been in love with for over 27 years. Even though so much time had passed, we just fell into our old friendship as if we never stopped being around each other. I waited so many years to see him again. He joined the Marine Corps right out of high school and we lost track of each other. I never forgot him or stopped loving him as only a teen-aged heart could do. I was soon to find out that the boy I had loved all of these years was no longer there. Both of us tried to hold onto that fantasy, but it wasn’t meant to be. My heart was so broken, but still longed for the one that could make it all right.

After one too many failed relationships I thought I was just destined to go through life alone. I finally realized that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. I didn’t have to be in a relationship or married in order to be happy. The moment I accepted that, was the moment I found my always and forever.

I agreed to go on a date with a local man. Both of us weren’t looking for a long term romance, but dating other people, basically keeping our options open. Both of us had been burned before and we guarding our hearts, but something just clicked on that very first date. It felt like we had known each other for years and as the conversation went on, it felt like we had known each other in previous lifetimes.

I know, for many of you that sounds strange, but the sense of déjà vu was so strong between us, I couldn’t explain it any other way. He couldn’t either. It was so refreshing to actually find someone with similar beliefs. We shared a lot of our hopes and dreams with each other on that date and others. It felt so right, so why did I want to run?

That’s right. I said I wanted to run away from him as fast as I could. I felt such love and affection for him right off that it scared me. Never before had I felt as supported and loved as I did when I was with him. I knew I was falling head over heels for this man and I also knew he was not in the same place. I couldn’t put myself through that heartache one more time so I tried to break it off several times. We always found our way back to each other and slowly but surely those other people we were dating dropped out of our lives. It was just the two of us and it hit us hard. As soon as we admitted to ourselves that the love we have for each other was there to stay and in fact growing with each and every moment, our journey to find our happily ever after was just beginning. This time it was different. This time we were in it together, all the way.

Just like my characters in my Now and Forever series, I have been through hell and back and found my soul mate. In For the Love of Quinn, Quinn is blessed with the love of two men. Both of them hold claims on her heart, but only one of them completes her heart and soul. It’s her family and friends who help her find out which one, and more importantly help her find herself through it all. In The Island (Now and Forever 2) Quinn once again has to rely on family and friends to help her find her way back to the man who was and will always be her happily ever after.

310278_265797473438190_151589_n — Me with my Wifey Laura

I am blessed to have such friends who I call my Heart and Soul Sisters. The Celtic phrase “mo anam cara” can also be applied to them. They are truly friends of my heart and soul. Without them, I would never have made it through my separation and then divorce. I would have never made it through the loss of my heart to the love from so long ago, if these five other women were not there for me. They encouraged me to keep moving forward and never stop living and loving with all of my heart. Because of them I was able to be open enough to find my soul mate and happily ever after. I wrote a poem dedicated to these women that I want to share with you. I hope that all of you have friends such as these in your life.

Heart and Soul Sisters

Bound together by all but blood,
Two sets of three drawn together
After all of these years.
Mothers, daughters, sisters, friends…
Always supporting
Never to judge.
Loss of loved ones,
Empty nests,
We’ve helped each other through
Some of life’s hardest of tests.

Ups and downs.
Joys and fears.
Smiles and Frowns.
Laughter and tears.
Three by three we stand
Meeting each challenge hand and hand.

Fascinating women each and every one,
All on their own.
But together they are
An unstoppable force.
When one is in need
The others rally around
So they are never alone
But instead meet life’s challenges
Head on and full throttle
Which for these women is par for the course.

I am blessed to count myself
As part of this group of friends
I hold dear to my heart.
For without them,
I would have lost all hope
And fallen apart…
Whenever they’re in need
I will be there as I know
They will be for me.
For it’s now and forever
In my heart and soul
Will these sisters be.

©Tammy Dennings Maggy
4/17/2011

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Surprise Guest Crashes the #WickedAfterDark Party

Welcome once again to Behind Closed Doors and the Wicked After Dark Halloween Blog Hop. So far we’ve had several characters from The Island (Now and Forever 2) visit with us. I even got to spend time with Quinn and Jacob yesterday. I had intended on asking them questions, but somehow Jake turned it around to ask me a few questions. I didn’t mind. If it helped to solidify his decision about whether or not he was going to stay on the Island or go back to the real world to find Quinn again then I would gladly sit through hours of interrogation for him.

As most of you know by now, The Island is a prequel to For the Love of Quinn. One of my favorite secondary characters in that first book has been pestering me as of late. He’s wanted to weigh in a bit on the prequel. Since it’s very difficult for me to say no to this person, I thought it would be a good idea to bring him here today. He will show up again in book three, so why not get you all prepared for the whirlwind that is Anthony Mancouso.

Whirlwind? Really? Can’t you do better than that? You are the sassiest broad I know and yet you can only come up with “whirlwind?” Honey, please.

LOL! Can you stop with the melodramatics for once, Mr. Mancouso? How would you want me to introduce you? As the biggest pain in my ass? 😉

Well, that would be a bit better than a limp ass tornado. How about Typhoon Tony?

That is a good description of you. You zip in, take over and leave a person a complete wreck after you leave. Typhoon Tony it is!

(He crosses his arms over his chest and rolls his eyes at me. He knows I hate that, especially since he constantly reminds me this is how I look when I get upset with him. Another interview is going to be hijacked by a diva!) Oh come on! I wore your favorite purple shirt today. You are an author for Goddess sake and yet you stick with something silly as Typhoon Tony? I was joking, you know.

You are such a diva, Anthony! Did Steve put you up to this? He was here the other day and absolutely tortured me. He kept bringing up our past even after he promised to not to talk about it.

Of course I’m a diva and that’s why you love me. Seriously, did you actually think Steve wouldn’t try to turn the interview into a trip down memory lane? You are the one woman who got away. And don’t you say that was Quinn. We all know her time with Steve was just to get her to the point in her life where she found Jacob again.

So you’ve been paying attention to the story lines now, huh?

I always pay close attention when it comes to Stephen and those he’s allowed in his inner circle. You know better than anyone how he used to close himself off from anything but his work. I’m still not happy you had Quinn bring him out of his workaholic ways. It should have been you.

Stop it! This is supposed to be a discussion about Quinn and Jacob. Not about what could’ve been between me and Steve. You aren’t so innocent here. Aren’t you still in love with him yourself?

Just like you, he will always have a special place in my heart but I have found my always and forever now. As a matter of fact, it was Stephen who introduced us. Imagine that. He introduced me to you too.

For that I’ll be forever grateful. I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it, Anthony. Who would plan my vow renewal with Liam?

I wouldn’t let anyone else handle that. Your Liam is such a dreamboat, especially when he’s in that dress uniform. Who would have thought you’d end up with a hunky man in the Coast Guard? I always pegged you for a Marine Corps kind of gal.

LOL! Well, I do have a weakness for all men in uniform but let’s get back on track. Tell me about the first time you saw Quinn and Jacob together. Could you tell they were soul mates or were you still upset she wasn’t with Steve?

I will admit I was a tiny bit disappointed Stephen didn’t fight for her. Once I got over that, I understood why. He saw the connection between Quinn and Jake right from the start. I had to see it for myself to believe it and boy did I ever! I could feel the electricity between them even from across the room. It’s like those stories you read about in Reader’s Digest about someone who survives a lightning strike. Those victims could feel the static electricity in the air before they were struck. My skin literally tingles whenever they are around. Being able to see them on the Island helped put it all into perspective for me. When you are given a gift from The Three, it’s probably wise to not refuse!

I’ll have to agree with you on that one. Finding out you’ve been searching for each other for multiple lifetimes only to be torn apart again and again, has to be a bitter pill to swallow. I mean, is this time going to turn out like the others or will you finally get your happily ever after as promised?

(Anthony rolls his eyes at me again.) Honey, when the Goddess Fate herself gives her word, even a Sassy Vixen like you would have to think twice about doubting your foretold destiny.

You got me there, Anthony.

Here, there, everywhere. You know I always have your back, mi amor. So when are you going to let me start planning that vow renewal of yours?

When are you going to let me write more about you and the love of your life?

Meow! You sure have the snappy comebacks tonight. I’m serious. I have a ton of ideas.

So do I. 😉

Now who’s the one going off script?

Touche!

As much fun as we always have together, I’m afraid we’re going to have to wrap things up. There are many stops left in this blog hop and we shouldn’t keep everyone here. So many contests…so little time! Hurry up now. You only have until November 1st. Make sure you check out the Rafflecopter to see if you qualify to get more entries in our contest here. Also make a special trip to our sister blog Sassy Vixen Publishing to enter in that contest too. The frog linky below will take you to the list of the over 200 other participant. See you again tomorrow!

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Quinn and Jacob join the #WickedAfterDark Celebration

Welcome to Behind Closed Doors and the Wicked After Dark Halloween Blog Hop. For those of you who’ve visited every day since October 24th, thank you! If this is your first time here, I hope you enjoy what you see and visit the last posts as well as the next few days. You have several opportunities to win the naughty prize package I’ve put together. If you are the lucky winner, you’ll want to be sure you have someone to share the toys with. Sure they can be fun if used alone, but they are SIZZLING if shared. In case you’re wondering…yes, the package does include batteries! 😉

I’ve had a marvelous time chiming in on the blogs and letting my characters take over too. Well, letting Steve take over may not have been the smartest move on my part, but all in all I still had a nice time with him. I just wish he’d stop telling folks about our past. Sheesh!

Today I have a special treat. We’re headed over to the Island to visit with Quinn and Jake. They’ve spent a bit of time together in paradise. I want to check in with them and see how their doing. Maybe they’ve decided what they’re going to do. For those of you who don’t know their story, let me bring you up to speed.

These two people have been fated to be together for several lifetimes. Instead of being able to have their happily ever after, both of them have made choices that lead them away from each other. Their hearts continued to long for each other and their souls cried out to The Three to have mercy on them. The Goddess Fate listened and championed their cause to her brothers, Yeshua and Lucius. Together they agreed it was time these two star-crossed lovers got their happy ending. More importantly to the gods, Quinn and Jacob’s life paths crossed many others. If they didn’t find each other in this lifetime, the paths of the others would be altered as well. There was too much at stake for too many people in this life cycle and the next.

In order for us to travel to the Island, we have to go into a dream state. All you have to do is sit back, relax and let your mind settle. Clear your mind and leave this world behind. Don’t worry about your bodies. The Guardians will watch over them for us while we visit our heroine and hero. Go on. Let yourself go. Listen to the waves hitting the beach. The tide is coming in as the sun is setting. Open your eyes.

We’re here.

Look up the beach. There’s someone waving us over. Is it? Yes! It’s Jake. I hope you all don’t mind. I did send word to them we were coming. I didn’t want to show up to find them…well, you know! 😉

Come on over folks. Quinn and I have a whole barbecue planned for you. She’s inside working on some of the dishes and told me to keep you all entertained for a bit. My pop was here with Quinn’s brother Danny earlier. He said you had some questions you’d like to ask. Why don’t we start there?

Thank you for agreeing to see us today, Jake. You guys didn’t have to do all of this for us, but to be honest, I’m a bit hungry. Dream walking takes a lot of energy!

LOL! So I’m told. I haven’t tried it yet myself. Quinn will be happy to fill you in on her experience when she joins us. Come sit by me, Tammy. You and I have a lot of catching up to do.

What do you mean, Mr. Hartley?

Oh, don’t be coy with me. You are the one person who can tell me why I didn’t see the signs sooner about Julia.

You did see them. You just chose to ignore it. I think your heart was yearning so badly for Quinn, that you mistook what you had with Julia for what is destined to be with Quinn. You shouldn’t beat yourself up over it. You only wanted what your parents had, that once in a lifetime love that will never fade. You can have that.

I’m starting to believe it. This place has powerful magic. (his face lights up as Quinn walks through the sliding glass doors holding two large bowls of fruit.) And here’s the most powerful magic around.

What have you been saying about me out here, Mr. Hartley? (Quinn’s smile lights up her face and her eyes sparkle. I can definitely see why Jacob’s in love with her. She’s stunning!)

He’s just saying the Island has powerful magic. As a Wiccan, I have to agree. You can feel the energy here course through your veins. My skin has been tingling since we arrived. Can you feel it, Quinn?

(she stares into my eyes a moment before slowly nodding.) Yes. It was just a tingle when I first woke up here, but now after spending this time with Jake, it’s like something has reawakened inside of me. I don’t understand it.

I do. You’ve found your faith again. More importantly, you’ve found your faith in yourself and in your destiny. By the look on both of your faces, It seems we’ve come at the right time. You’ve made your decision haven’t you?

(Quinn places the bowls out on the banquet table and gestures to everyone to dig in. As we start to fill up our plates, she takes Jacob’s hand and holds it to her heart.) Yes we have. The sunrise this morning gave us both the sign we were waiting for. (Jake kisses her lips softly and smiles along with her.)

And?

Now and forever, Tammy. Now and Forever.

Well, how about we leave it at that for today. Join us back here tomorrow when I bring back a very special character from For the Love of Quinn to give his opinion of what has happened for our couple. Don’t forget to visit the other folks in the hop. You still have time to visit the over 200 blogs and get entered in their contests. Make sure you head over to my sister blog Sassy Vixen Publishing. There’s another prize package up for grabs there too. My alter ego, Lia Michael’s takes over the interrogation duties today. You don’t want to miss her guest!

Click on the froggy icon to take you to the linky list but before you go, make sure you get your entries for my contest here by following the instructions in the Rafflecopter. Good luck and happy reading!

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The Island’s Steve Reveals More for #WickedAfterDark

I was debating coming back here today with Steve. After he spilled the beans about how we met so many years ago, I’m not sure I want to be around when he lets more secrets out of the bag. Not that I’m worried my husband will find out about anything. I told him long ago about Steve and what we had together. I had to. Liam is my biggest cheerleader and I bounce ideas off of him. How would you think he would take it if I didn’t tell him about Mr. Vegas? Honestly, it was Liam who convinced me to come back today and finish the interview with Steve. When the love of your life says you should do something, it’s probably best to do it, no?

So here we are once again for another day of the Wicked After Dark Halloween Blog Hop. Many of you have taken advantage of the Rafflecopter and accumulated tons of entries in my contest for that naught prize package. Not sure what the prize looks like? Well, click HERE and it will take you back to the first post of the hop where I posted a picture of the items. Go on. I’ll wait for you.

Well, don’t wait too long. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover today. As for spilling the beans, I’m sure more than a few of your fans have already figured out that you and I have a past, darlin’. Instead of trying to ignore it, why don’t you just go with it. 😉

(there he goes again! It’s going to be another long interview!) As far as I knew, I was going with it and keeping you in the series. There was a time I was going to write you out. I was going to make you a tragic hero.

You were going to bump me off? Are you still upset with me that I didn’t tell Quinn about my illness sooner? You know it was the right decision at the time. I wasn’t sick and had been in remission for over ten years at that point.

I know. You were going to have a bad car accident and die of your injuries. Quinn was going to show up with Jacob and the gang and sing to you as you passed on. Unbeknownst to her, you had left your entire empire to her because—

But she did know. I told her about the change of my will. She didn’t like it one bit. She didn’t want to talk about me leaving her any time soon. That should have told you right there I made the right decision not to tell her about the Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Okay, I’ll give you that but you had to come clean about it when you got sick again. For a minute there, I thought you were going to go ahead and try to die on us anyway. You knew you couldn’t do that. Romance novels are required to have a happily ever after and my publisher would never allow me to kill you off anyway. What were you thinking skipping out on your doctor’s appointments like that?

As you recall, there was a lot going on around that time. I had a lot invested in getting Quinn and Jacob together. I guess I just got caught up in all the fun. I didn’t notice how run down I was getting until it was nearly too late. Lucky for me, the rest of the gang all had their blood tested to see if they could donate bone marrow. No one was more surprised than I was who matched.

I thought it would be a fun twist to have Jacob or Eric as donors, but that would make your relationship with Quinn even more complicated. Instead we were all surprised that Derek Quartermarsh matched you close enough he could be your sibling. Are you holding out on me here, Mr. Eischer?

Let’s just say I’m looking in to it. Derek was in foster care for all of his childhood. He was adopted by the Quartermarshs as an adult. It’s possible we could be related. There’s a lot about my parents I don’t know. My father kept many things from my older brother and me after my mother died. So how was it for you to write those scenes? Your dad passed away like Quinn’s because of Non-Hodgkin’s, didn’t he?

Yeah. He took eighteen rounds of chemo and still it thumbed it’s nose up at him. He left us ten months after he was diagnosed.

(Steve took both of my hands into his and squeezed tightly.) Just like Quinn’s dad?

Uh huh. Having to write the scenes where she is mourning Daniel’s death in The Island were hard enough, but having her talk about her dad’s death in the first book was difficult. Daniel talks about it again in The Island. He knows that his father is going to be taken away from their family. He’s torn because he can’t do anything to stop it. He is given the job of watching over you and Derek to be sure you both will be there for Quinn when she needs you the most.

Did you have anyone like me or Derek to turn to when your dad died? Besides your family I mean.

Here’s where you’re going to say Quinn and I are the same person. I did what she did. I buried all that pain and threw myself into my work. I shut myself off. I was in a marriage to a person who was more like a friendly roommate than a husband. It’s not his fault. We just didn’t mesh that way I guess. Living 2500 miles away from my family didn’t help. Can we talk more about Quinn and Jake, please?

You mentioned yesterday that you liked the way I enjoy fulfilling the dreams and fantasies of others. I wanted to thank you for giving me the chance to do that with the others in the Now and Forever series. Without Quinn and her sister Miranda walking into Saints and Sinners that night, I never would have met so many people I wanted to have in my life. Not only did I finally learn to take time away from work and enjoy all that my empire has given me, I get to share it with so many people.

And just what are you planning on doing next? You’ve started the ball rolling with Jacob’s ex-girlfriend Julia Santos. You’ve given her a chance to showcase her erotic art in Vegas and at the same time give her the opportunity to try to make amends with Jacob. That story will be told in The Surrender of Julia (Now and Forever 3). Who else will you be working your magic on?

(Steve’s chest rumbled with soft laughter.) Oh you know me. I’ll have my hands in everything, but I hear that Quinn’s cousin Samantha is not only a veterinarian, but she’s looking to publish her first novel. I just may have to introduce her to my first wife. She’s the acquisitions editor over at Sassy Vixen Publishing. 😉

There you go again. Making sure you end up in books 4 and 5. Well, no matter. I’ve got a surprise for you in book 4.

Are you going to introduce me to my always and forever? You know I only have eyes for you, darlin’. No point trying to hook me up with anyone else.

Didn’t you learn anything from the visit from Lady Fate and the Guardians? You will be with your heart and soul very soon, Steve. You know the feeling that hits you when you lock eyes with your soul mate?

I’ve heard it described, but never had it happen to me that way. Jake’s brother Eric called it being thunderstruck. That’s how he described what he saw between Quinn and Jake on the dance floor. I saw it again between Eric and Quinn’s friend Jillian. It’s powerful enough that everyone around them can feel the attraction between them.

Well, hold onto your britches, Mr. Eischer. You are about to be thunderstruck very soon. And yes, you will meet her because of Quinn’s family. I should say because of your family. Didn’t both the Quartermarsh and Hartley clans unofficially adopt you?

Let’s say it was more I adopted them first and they had very little choice but to go with it!

Well, thank you so much for sharing more with me today. I have to admit it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be after yesterday. I’ll let you get back to running your empire now, but the invitation is open for you to come back any time.

Well, if things go as you say they will I’ll just have to take you up on that. I’ll bring my lady love with me next time.

For the rest of you, don’t forget to get your entries in the Rafflecopter and check out a few more of the other participants in this hop. As mentioned in other posts, my sister blog Sassy Vixen Publishing is also participating. Stop in there and talk more with the Guardian Michael Hartley.

Tomorrow Quinn and Jacob make an appearance. You don’t want to miss that!

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The Island’s Steve Eischer takes over for #WickedAfterDark

Welcome to Behind Closed Doors. For those of you who’ve visited the last few days for the Wicked After Dark Halloween Blog Hop, I turned over the reins to one of my favorite characters, Brigid Moon. Today I’m happy to welcome to the hot seat another of my favorites, Steven Eischer. For those of you who read the first book in this series (thank you!), you will remember the Vegas tycoon who swept Quinn off her feet the moment she entered his casino. He was part of the love triangle I’ll never forget. You see, I never intended on having Quinn fall in love with two men. We’ll get back to that in just a bit.

First let me tell you a bit more about the hot, hunky man who as Quinn’s sister said “has more money than God.” He’s a self-made man, having worked his entire life for all that he has. Over the years he’s basically been married to his job and building his empire…2/3 of Las Vegas if anyone is counting! After two failed marriages, he wasn’t looking for a relationship when Quinn walked into his club at the MGM Grand. One look into her eyes and he was done for. Not that he was complaining!

Unfortunately, Fate and her brothers had other plans for Mr. Eischer that didn’t include having Quinn as his life partner. His intuition picked up on that right off when he witnessed the reaction between Quinn and Jacob the first time they laid eyes on each other on the club dance floor. How about I let him tell the story from here. Come on out and say hello to the gang, Steve.

I love what you’ve done to the place over the last year, Tammy. Purple is our, I mean you favorite color right? Oh, hello everyone! I hope Tammy hasn’t been filling your head with all sorts of nonsense like how I wouldn’t take a backseat and just have the one night stand with Quinn.

(I shake my head. It’s going to be one of those interviews. That devilish smile of his is coming out already and don’t get me started about how his emerald green eyes twinkle when he’s about to pounce. The Devil!)

Well, it’s true! I had intended on just having Quinn and Jacob’s story take off from the moment they come face to face in your club. You were the one who couldn’t stay in the background. One look at Quinn in that little red dress and you were smitten. It didn’t take you long to show her your penthouse, did it?

(Steve’s deep chuckle rumbles in his chest and makes my stomach do a few flips. Heaven help me. This is exactly what happened when he took over the first book!)

Well, you have to admit Quinn was smokin’ hot in that dress. I would’ve been a fool to let her slip through my fingers. Truth be told, I took a gamble that night when I asked her to let me show her my Vegas. She could’ve stayed away from me too. I have to believe it was all going according to plan.

Really? Whose plan would that be?

Yours. Quinn’s the spitting image of you when we were together all those years ago. You were the one who left me all brokenhearted.

(now it’s my turn to laugh) Brokenhearted my ass! Within an hour after I left Vegas you were in the arms of not one but TWO supermodels. We had a lot of fun, I’ll give you that but brokenhearted? Seriously?

Okay, maybe not brokenhearted, but I did miss you a hell of a lot. Until Quinn and her sister strolled into my casino you were the sassiest broad I’ve ever known. No one will ever take your place, darlin’.

You’re still the sweet-talker, Mr. Eischer! Let’s get back to business shall we? Knowing what you know now, would you have done anything differently when it came to Quinn and Jacob?

Not one thing. We were there for each other when it was needed the most. I was there for her when her entire world came crashing down. I helped Jake see the only woman he would ever be truly happy with was Quinn. Both of them brought me out the cycle of living, breathing, and eating my work. Nothing else mattered to me until they walked into my life. Now I’m even richer than I ever thought possible. At the time, I would’ve given everything I had, everything I was if it meant Quinn could be happy with me. But then I had a visitor…

Did you? Whose visit could have made you go from telling Quinn she was your always and forever to chasing down Jake to make him snap out of it and claim his love of a lifetime?

The Lady herself. Fate appeared to me along with her Guardians. Together they filled me in on a few things. I was given a choice. If I chose Quinn then the paths of many others would be altered for this lifetime and the next, including the one who was to be my happily ever after.

I’m…I’m a bit shocked. Why didn’t you tell me this before? This could have made an entirely different outcome to the series—

Exactly. By not telling you about their visit, the stories of the others in our group will be told. And of course, now I get to spend a hell of a lot more time with you. You know, consulting!

(he winked at me! Goddess help me, if I wasn’t married to my own soul mate, I would indeed start up those all night “consulting” sessions!)

Damn it! You get me all unnerved when you wink at me like that. We are supposed to be talking about The Island. What role do you play in this one?

This one is told in flashbacks. It starts out a year after For the Love of Quinn ended. I don’t want to give away too much. I want folks to read our story and of course follow the rest of the series. The last I peeked at your notes, the series is up to nine books. When are you going to put out book three?

Gee, can’t we enjoy book two’s release first? Don’t you worry. The Surrender of Julia (Now and Forever 3) is nearly finished and books 4 and 5 are coming along as well. And yes, you’re in these too. Funny how you just weasel your way into all the books of this series. 😉

I told you before. I can’t stay away from you for very long. Even if you are married to your always and forever, there’s a part of you that you only shared with me. Admit it.

Well, you got me there. Maybe that’s why I keep telling your story. I love how you enjoy helping so many people fulfill their dreams and fantasies. Is that why you own or at least co-own most of Vegas?

Could be. It’s the one place where adults can let loose and enjoy themselves with little restrictions. Why not set up shop here? I get to meet such fascinating people. It’s where I met you. It was about twelve years ago, right?

It was and now’s the perfect time to end for today. How about you come back tomorrow and we can pick up where we left off?

(he raises one eyebrow and flashes that damn crooked smile again.)

With the interview, Mr. Eischer. The interview.

Okay, but you know what it does to me when you say “Mr. Eischer” in that scolding school teacher voice. 😉

Do you see what I have to put up with folks? This is how it will be in every book. He is incorrigible! But I have to admit I wouldn’t want him to be any other way and neither will you when you read his story! Come back again tomorrow for the second part of Steve’s interview. Make sure to check out some more of the blogs participating. You will find some of your favorite authors and some new ones to enjoy as well. Today over on Sassy Vixen it’s the Guardian Michael’s turn. You won’t want to miss out on his story or the chances at the prize package over there.

Speaking of that…here’s the Rafflecopter to catch up on more entries here and below that will be the little froggy icon for the linky list of the participants. Have fun everyone and blessed be!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Promotional Banner for The Island

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#WickedAfterDark with the Eternal Siblings and Brigid Moon

Welcome back to Behind Closed Doors and Brightest Blessings to you. For those of you who missed my post yesterday, let me introduce myself. My name is Brigid Moon. I am one of the characters in the Now and Forever series written by the owner of this blog, Tammy Dennings Maggy. This week she’s asked several of us to give our take on our story so far. You know, the back story and all the insider information you don’t get to read about in the books. 😉

Today Tammy has asked me to interview two very important characters who have influenced the lives of all of us but in particular our star crossed lovers Quinn Quartermarsh and Jacob Hartley. Quinn is my cousin and fellow Wiccan. Her faith has been tested over the years and I’m happy to say she’s found it and herself again. She’s also discovered her special talent of dream walking. You will learn more about that in The Island, but for now I’d like to introduce you to my special guests.

They are the two of the three gods who are called The Three. Their older brother, Yeshua is the Master Creator and pretty much has the last word on everything. The Goddess Fate is the middle Sibling. She’s in charge of Destiny and making sure all of their creations continue down the right paths to their foretold futures. The youngest is Lucius. He’s the God of Trials and Tribulations and in charge of testing their creations to be sure they are worthy of all the gifts Yeshua wishes to bestow on them. The Eternal Siblings are known by many other names of course, but this is how they chose to reveal themselves to Tammy for our story.

I’d like to start off by thanking you both for coming here today. I know my cousins and friends have been keeping you rather busy as of late. Why did you feel it was necessary to intervene with Quinn and Jacob this time?

(Lucius chuckles softly) You want to take that one, dear sister?

(Fate rolls her eyes) Oh don’t be so melodramatic, Lucius. Brigid, as you know Quinn and Jacob have been fated to be together right from the start. Unfortunately, in each and every lifetime up until now, they’ve continued to choose paths leading away from each other.

(Lucius) And each time they did that, I had to develop more trials and tests for them to overcome. They had to prove to us they were worthy of having their always and forever. I mean, if your heart calls out for someone, shouldn’t you listen?

(Fate) Now you’re just teasing. Don’t think Yeshua and I haven’t noticed your special interest in Brigid over the years. (Both of them turn toward me and smile.) Now look, we’ve made her blush!

(me) Okay, um…this isn’t supposed to be about me. As for Quinn and Jacob, why not just let them keep trying in each life cycle until they get it right? Why send them to the Island and get the Guardians involved for just these two people?

(Lucius) Nice way to redirect the interview, Brigid! (His laugh unnerves me every single time. It’s not helping that he’s smokin’ hot!) The three of us had left them go as long as we could. There are just too many other destinies involved. Quinn and Jacob cross paths with many others. In order for all those life paths to be on course, Fate and the Guardians had to step in.

(Fate) Lucius and I don’t always see eye to eye, but in this matter we were in agreement. He’s thrown everything he has at them and they keep searching for each other. Their hearts continue to call out to me to help them. I couldn’t stay away any longer. Too many Destinies were at risk. Including your own, my dear.

(me) I’ll just leave that for Tammy to write in another book if you don’t mind, Goddess. I’d like to get back to the idea that in order for Quinn and Jacob to have their life together here on Earth, they had to choose the path that would lead them to each other. In fact, they had to choose to leave the Island without knowing exactly when they would find each other again. Why was that necessary?

(Fate) Yeshua gave humans free will. He wanted them to be able to make choices in their life that had consequences, both good and bad. He feels they are our greatest creations and if given the chance, they will choose the correct paths leading to their fated destinies.

(Lucius) I don’t agree with him on that one. I think most humans are only out for instant gratification. They fold as soon as they are put to the slightest of tests. They should prove they are worthy of that fated destiny of theirs. Their happiness can be so much more if they have to work for it. If it’s just given to them, they take it for granted.

(me) I understand that, but I thought you said these two had already been through enough. Why not just tell them the when and where and make it happen as soon as they returned to the Earth Realm?

(Fate) There were still people both of them would meet in their future. Lucius needed them to cross paths with them in order to complete the trials of those other people. On the surface it would seem that Quinn and Jacob would be tested yet again, but I assure you, their future together in this lifetime was secured as soon as they chose that path. We did let the Guardians Daniel and Michael tell them where they would find each other again, but we thought it best not to tell even them how long it would actually be before they would be reunited.

(Lucius) It was enough for them to know they would have their fated destiny together. They didn’t question it or ask for guarantees. They just believed. That is what clinched it for me. Plus I got to hang out at that club you used to perform at with your band. You are quite the entertainer, Ms. Moon. 😉

(now I’m blushing yet again. This time Lady Fate laughs and once again I’m unnerved…but in a good way. How can I not smile with these two together in one room and actually getting along?) Don’t think for one minute I didn’t notice you stalking me either, Lucius. You can take on the form of some of the sexiest actors around and I will still be able to tell it’s you!

(Fate) I told you she would be able to pick you out of a crowd. She’s not an ordinary human, dear brother.

(Lucius) No, Brigid is anything but ordinary. It’s time we leave her to her tasks with this blog for Tammy. Isn’t there some sort of contest the visitors can enter?

(me) Yes there is the contest. I’ll get to that in a moment. Thank you both once again for visiting this blog. I’ve heard from my cousin, Daniel that Fate will be visiting with him today over at Tammy’s sister blog Sassy Vixen Publishing. I’m sure you have more mischief to manage, Lucius.

(Lucius’s bawdy laugh makes Fate and me smile broadly.) That’s what I love about you, Brigid. You have a lot of spunk. I’ll be seeing you around, I’m sure. 😉

(Fate) Come on, little brother. It’s time to go. (She takes his hand as they fade from the room.) Take care, Priestess. We will be in touch!

LOL! I don’t know why Lucius gets to me the way he does, but whew! Sometimes when the gods appear, they take on the forms of what would be pleasing to our eyes. Lucius always turns up looking like Alcide from True Blood, but Lady Fate appears to me in many different forms. No matter. She’s always beautiful to me.

Sorry. I get sidetracked for a bit after one of their visits. Let’s get back to the task at hand. This blog hop is quite large with over 200 participants. You have until November 1st to visit as many as you can. Each one has it’s own contest, so check them all out! I’ve included the graphic to the linky list of the participants, and the link to the Rafflecopter for you to continue to accumulate your entries in our contest. Go to the post on day one HERE in order to see the prize package.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#WickedAfterDark with Brigid Moon from The Island

Brightest Blessing to you all! )O(

My name is Brigid Moon and I guess you could say I had a very special seat watching the journey of two of my favorite people find each other after many lifetimes of being torn apart. You see, I’m not just your average every day psychic. For one, I can actually see into a person’s past and their future. I don’t always know what the hell I’m visualizing, but eventually I can put it all together in order to offer some guidance. Secondly, I can see and talk to dead people, Angels and other spirits including The Three. I’ve been able to do this sort of thing for as far back as I can remember, and believe me I’m not talking about just this life cycle. Let’s just say, I’ve been around the astral plane block a few times. 😉

In this current life, I’ve been able to put my talents and passion for my faith to good use. I am a Wiccan Priestess and have the pleasure of presiding over many Sabbats and Esbats for the Michigan Covens. Whether one is a member of a coven or a solitary witch, these celebrations are a very large part of who we are. My favorite is Samhein or as many of you know it Halloween. This is the time of year where the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest. We can honor those who’ve gone before us, welcome their spirits into our homes and our hearts once again, and give thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed upon us throughout the year. In other words, it’s the Witch’s New Year.

My cousins love this time of year two. Unfortunately, one short month after one of the best Samhein celebrations, my cousin Daniel was killed by a drunk driver. Our family was devastated, but no one took it harder than Danny’s sister Quinn. She shut down. I tried to get through to her to let her know I could talk to him, that he wasn’t gone forever. But every time I looked in her eyes, the pain was just too raw. I prayed to the Goddess Fate to give me guidance and expected her to appear to me as she has done from time to time. Imagine my surprise to see one of the other Eternal Siblings…Lucius. Yep. The God of Trials and Tribulations himself stopped in for a chat. Sort of distracting isn’t he? 😉

Shhhhh…don’t answer that. You wouldn’t want to give him any more of an inflated ego than he already has. Trust me. One day I’ll tell you more about my run ins with the Sibling, but for now let’s just concentrate on why he was visiting me this particular time.

He told me that The Three had decided this was the lifetime Quinn was to find her always and forever, her soul mate, and the one person who she was destined to be with for all eternity. Pretty heavy stuff, huh? Well, hang on to your britches. There is more.

Fate was given permission to directly intervene this time and bring Quinn and her soul mate Jacob Hartley together on the Island, a beautiful tropical paradise where souls go to rest before continuing on with their journey in the Earth Realm, or moving on to the next lifetime. Some folks would call it Limbo, but it’s so much more than that. My cousin Danny along with his new Guardian Angel partner, Michael were given the task to convince Quinn and Jacob that their destiny together was there for the taking. All they had to do was choose to leave the Island and the love they found in each other’s arms and go back to the real world until they found each other again.

Sounds interesting? You bet it is. Their story is told by author Tammy Dennings Maggy in her Now and Forever series. I am introduced in the second book called…wait for it…The Island (Now and Forever 2) The book is due out on November 15th so keep watching for it. If you want to find out more about Quinn and our family, you can start off with the first book in the series For the Love of Quinn.

If you want to see what Daniel is up to this week, stop in on Tammy’s sister blog Sassy Vixen Publishing. For that blog as well as this one, you have chances to win the prize package listed on the first day of this Wicked After Dark Halloween Blog Hop. For Tammy’s blogs, all you have to do is follow the Rafflecopter instructions to get your entries. Now there are over 200 other participants in this hop, so please check out the linky list below to find old and new favorite authors to enjoy. I’ll be back tomorrow with my interview with both Lucius and his sister Lady Fate. You won’t want to miss it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#WickedAfterDark with the Wiccan Priestess from The Island

I’d like to welcome everyone here today. It’s the first day of the Wicked After Dark Halloween Blog Hop. Over 220 authors and bloggers are participating in this hop giving you many opportunities to visit with authors you already know and discover new ones…maybe even try out a new genre or two. Who knows?

On each blog you will have a change to enter a contest to win prizes ranging from ebooks and gift cards to something wicked or naughty to go along with the Halloween theme. Here on Behind Closed Doors, I’ll be offering a fun prize package that includes some adult toys for a fun night of role playing and maybe a little BDSM with the one you love…or just the one you lust over! 😉

I‘ll be putting up posts during the entire week of the hop starting tomorrow when Wiccan Priestess Brigid Moon takes over the blog. She’s one of the characters from the second novel in my Now and Forever series. The Island is to be released on November 15th and I couldn’t be more excited! Even though it’s the second book in the series, it’s actually a prequel of sorts explaining how it is Quinn and Jacob have been destined to be together through every lifetime.

Before I go any further, I’d like to give you a peek at the prize package I put together for one lucky visitor. All you have to do to win it is make sure you leave a comment on any of the days of the hop. You can do it every day if you wish to get more entries. The Rafflecopter link will be posted at the bottom of each day so you can check it to be sure you’ve collected every entry possible. Some are worth more entries than others so for your best chances, collect all entries available. Here’s a picture of the items in the package…

There is a feather boa, mask and of course a tickler/whip to play with. There is a battery operated “friend” in there along with a package of lubes and oils to make your play time special. As you can see, this is definitely and ADULTS ONLY prize. This is an ADULTS ONLY blog too. So if you are under 18 years of age, you should leave now.

On to today’s post…

I decided to give a basic overview of what to expect this week. Tomorrow will be Brigid giving us her insights and maybe even a guest appearance by two of the Gods I call The Three. Since Brigid can see them, she should be able to interview them, right? 😉 Since these two siblings tend to be at odds frequently, I’m sure Brigid will have her hands full keeping the interview on course. Just in case, I’ve given her two days at the helm. I’m sure she will handle it all with ease. Not much phases her!

After Brigid, we’ll get another special treat. Steve Eischer has agreed to stop in and fill us in on the stuff that went on behind the scenes in Las Vegas. Besides The Three, Steve knows the most about Quinn and Jacob and their journey to be together. Hell, he even took matters into his own hands when it looked like things were going awry in For the Love of Quinn. Not too much goes on without Steve knowing about it. Ahhh..the perks of being a billionaire!

My sister blog Sassy Vixen Publishing is also participating. Over there you will be able to see Quinn and Jacob’s story through the eyes of their Guardian Angels Michael and Daniel. Make sure you stop in and see what they have to say. You will be seeing a lot more of these two in the future books of this series!

Okay, so now you have a basic idea of how I’m going to run my part of the blog hop and contest. Make sure you come back tomorrow for the start of Brigid’s posts, start gathering your entries through the Rafflecopter link below, and make sure you take the time each day to check out the rest of the participants in the hop. All you have to do is click on the graphic at the start of the post and you will be taken to the list of the other blogs. Or you can click on the little Linky Icon below the Rafflecopter link to take you to your next stop. Have fun!

~Tammy

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Video Trailer for The Island (Now and Forever 2)

I’m in the planning stages for a virtual book tour to promote The Island, coming up with a variety of posts, a media kit with all my links, bio, covers and of course the video trailer. Recently I did a blog post for Writer’s Words of Wisdom about creating video trailers. I used the techniques described in it to create my latest video. Even though it took me a while to put it all together the way I wanted it, it really wasn’t hard to do.

Once I collected and purchased all the photos I wanted to use, I listened to the variety of royalty free music I had on my computer from iTunes and from Incompetech.com. The latter is a site put together by Kevin MacLeod. He has hundreds of pieces all for free to use in projects. All you have to do is give him credit somewhere in your work and you are all set. If you can’t or don’t want to give the attribution, you can purchase the music as well. Kevin also offers a service where he will create an original composition for you if you desire.

Well, being on a very tight budget, I of course went for the free music for now. One day I may have to hire Mr. MacLeod to compose something for me, but for now I’ll just enjoy the beautiful pieces he has on his site. The budget this time around was used to purchase a few more pictures from Shutterstock.com. I found several that just caught my eye immediately. The photos of the Goddess Fate, Michael Hartley, and Daniel Quartermarsh were the most striking. They captured my vision of these characters perfectly! I couldn’t be happier.

For my hero and heroine, I had to try to not get photos that were steamy, but not too risque. I also wanted to give an idea of how I pictured Quinn and Jacob, but didn’t want to make those the only images in the reader’s mind. The fun part is coming up with your own interpretation of the characters as you read their story, and maybe even put yourself in as one of them. During the upcoming Wicked After Dark Blog Hop, I’ll be doing character interviews and posting pictures of the actors who I used as inspiration. There is no right or wrong answer to how someone pictures my characters. I hope the posts generate a lot of discussion. It will be fun for me to see what folks think of my vision versus how they see the characters.

Enough chit chat! Here’s the video you all came here to see. Let me know what you think, and if you have a few moments, please stop by YouTube and view the trailer from there so the view count will go up. And if you can give it a like, I would really appreciate it!