February 2013 – Behind Closed Doors

Two Special Guests for Our Last #ThursdsayThirteen! @LynnTylerBooks @kendallmckenna

Hello everyone! Today at Behind Closed Doors I have two very special author friends sharing the first thirteen lines or sentences of one of their new releases. Fellow Siren author Lynn Tyler will be sharing a snippet from her book Their Rebel Mate which is available for pre-order now. Author Kendall McKenna is here to share from her soon to be released Nights in Canaan. Both books promise some smokin’ hot love scenes between the characters. You won’t want to miss either one of them! Now let’s get the party started, shall we? Oh, and make sure you read all the way to the end. Kendall is offering a way for you to win a free ebook.

First up is the Lynn with the second book in her Helan Universe series. In this one, human females are being asked to mate with males from another world. Let me just share the blurb with you so you can get an idea of what obstacles the Helan males face convincing the human females to have sex with their hunky selves. Sorry…just had a brief hot flash with my day dreaming!

Chief of Communications Kerek and his mate, Ambassador Thantos are tasked with educating humans on Helan culture. It’s not an easy job considering there is a movement dedicated to making sure that no female mates with Helan males.

Kim McManus is determined to keep as many human women from being forced to mate the Helan males as possible. So what if the Helans have made mating with them voluntary? The Helans history of telling half truths makes them suspicious in her books. Suspicious enough that she hijacks a television signal to plead her case.

When she’s given a chance to stay on the Helan star ship for a month to learn about their culture, she grabs it with both hands. But what happens when she ends up bonded with Thantos and Kerek, two of the very males she’s been campaigning so hard against?

Now here’s her Thirteen Sentences

Gods, the humidity on this planet sucked the energy right out of him. Thantos breathed in another lungful of the sticky, heavy air and lifted his long hair off the nape of his neck. He really disliked the sweat that was rolling down his spine.

Disliked. That was ambassador speak for hated. At least that’s what Kerek, his mate, said.
But really, this humidity was disgusting. Every inch of him was damp and drooping, including the inches currently hanging left and limp between his legs.

Of course, he wasn’t the only thing that was limp. Even the trees were flagging. The grass had withered away to brown, straggly strands that would probably turn to dust at the slightest touch.

The scent of exhaust was stifling and burned his nostrils.
The house the United States Government had offered to put them up in loomed in the distance. It was a beautiful old building, the white paint seeming to shimmer in the heat.

More about Lynn and her books

Adult Excerpt for Their Rebel Mate featured at Sassy Vixen Publishing Blog

Saturday Spotlight at The House of Taboo March 2nd

And now for our second guest, Kendall McKenna who writes M/M erotic romances. Do you see why I paired these fabulous authors today for my very last Thursday Thirteen feature? What better to pair up with a MMF menage than a M/M? I knew you’d all see it my way, plus these ladies do NOT disappoint! So let me share the blurb from Nights in Canaan so you can get a little bit of a teaser before the opening lines.

Love and hate. Good and evil. Life and death. The universe requires balance, whatever the cost. An ancient vampire rises, time after time, threatening the survival of the human race. An ancient warrior is reborn, again and again, with the singular purpose of halting the vampire’s bloody rampage. With each encounter throughout time, their passions burn and their emotions deepen. The vampire shares his body and the warrior shares his blood. When they are no longer able to cause one another harm, the lovers hesitate to fulfill their destinies. Will the ancient warrior sacrifice the whole of the human race, in exchange for eternity in the arms of the vampire he loves?

Oooooo…she had you at vampire didn’t she? Then toss in an ancient male warrior who comes back lifetime after lifetime in order keep humanity safe from the blood drinker and you have me hooked. Top that off with the two of them falling for each other…OMG!

Here’s the opening lines from this amazing tale.

The night was moonless and warm. Jesse folded the edges of his bisht more snugly about himself. A short, bronze sword hung from his waist. A sword of considerable length was strapped to his back, his wings folded tightly over it. The sword was forged from a metal humans would not smelt for thousands of years.

Jesse pulled the end of his keffiyeh over his face as he strode between the dwellings constructed of mud brick and wood. His footsteps kicked up the dust and dirt that covered most of the pathways. Gina was a city in its infancy, still more village than metropolis, and had few paths paved with cobbles.

To the east, shouts of anger and aggression rose up and were carried to Jesse on the wind. That same wind held the scents of unwashed humans, penned livestock, and the waste products of both. Jesse hated when the mission for which he had been reborn pulled him from the desert and into a city. In the desert, the humans did not live so tightly clustered, wallowing in their own filth.

Now a word from Kendall about Knights of Canaan…

And that’s my first thirteen! I hope it gets your attention and makes you want to check out the entire story. It’s hard to get the full picture from just thirteen lines. Especially with this story, because it’s about two immortal beings who keep finding each other throughout all eternity. The story shows the Ancient Warrior and the Ancient Vampire at three different, distinct times in history, and the decisions they have to make in the face of their destinies and their love.

This isn’t your typical vampire love story. Like with my werewolves, I tried to write something different, out of the ordinary, not like all the other stories out there. I think I succeeded. So far, I’ve made two editors cry. If a writer’s job is to evoke emotion in their readers, I’m on the right track.

More about Kendall and where to find her book

Kendall McKenna’s first work of fiction was written at the worldly age of nine, and was a transformative work that expanded on the story told in a popular song of the time.
She tried her hand at vampire and cowboy fiction, winning high school poetry and short story contests along the way. It wasn’t until she discovered the world of m/m erotic fiction and found her stride with cops, Marines and muscle cars, that she felt inspired to share her stories with readers who enjoy the same things.

Putting herself through college by working in a newly-created HIV testing clinic in her local Department of Health, introduced Kendall to the gay and lesbian community. Understanding and empathy has made her a lifetime advocate of GLBT issues.

A brief bout of unemployment gave Kendall the time and focus she needed to finally produce a novel worth submitting for publication. Her first novel, Brothers In Arms, introduced the world to her authentic military stories and characters.

Kendall was born and raised in Southern California, where she still lives and works. A non-conventional relationship has kept her happy for the last decade. Her four dogs enjoy it when she writes, as she sits still long enough for them to curl up around her.

Website/blog

Facebook

Twitter

Email: kendall.mckenna3@gmail.com

MLR Author Link

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure you click on the Rafflecopter link above to take you to Kendall’s giveaway!

Thank you all for celebrating my last Thursday Thirteen on this blog. Special thanks to both Lynn Tyler and Kendall McKenna for sharing their new releases with me today and every time they visit.

Thrilled Beyond Belief! The Courtship of the Vampyre Is Running Up Amazon Rankings!

I am shocked. Literally shocked. I was working on a blog post for Sassy Vixen Publishing and getting a link for one of my guest authors when I decided to check on my books to be sure that all of them made it to my Amazon Author Page. For some reason two of the formats weren’t there last week. I rectified it as soon as I found that mistake and was determined to be sure that it didn’t happen this time with the second book of poetry…and my second self-published book.

What caught my eye right away was my sales ranking at below 130,000. I’ve NEVER been that low for any of my books and sure as heck not on the day it went live on Amazon. My eyes then went a little further to see at that moment in time, The Courtship of the Vampyre was ranked at #20 for epic poetry.

Number TWENTY!!!

Thank you all for supporting me in this and spreading the word. Without you, I would never move up the ranks this quickly. This has just solidified my decision to concentrate on The Kayne Legacy full time once I finish up The Surrender of Julia and get that off to Siren for consideration.

I’m still waiting for Smashwords to finish their review of the book to see if it’s included in the Premium Catalog. Once it’s there, you’ll be able to find it not only on Smashwords, but with Apple, Sony, Barnes and Noble and many other retail outlets. It’s available in print from Createspace AND Amazon as of today too.

Smile on my friends!

~Tammy

New Release! The Courtship of the Vampyre is Now Available #vampires #poetry

I’m thrilled to announce that I finally finalized and uploaded The Courtship of the Vampyre to Smashwords and Amazon. It’s going to take a little time for Amazon to have it live, but right now you can get all ebook formats at Smashwords…go on! You know you want to zip on over there and get your own copy. I’ll wait. 🙂

I still have to wait a few more days to see if it’s been accepted into Smashwords’ Premium Catalog, but it’s worth it. If it’s accepted, then it will be out to Barnes and Noble, Apple, Sony and many other outlets within the next week or two.

I decided to make this book only 99 cents. It’s a small collection and a fast read. For those of you who’ve been following my posts, you’ll know these poems are a small outline of the story lines in another series I’m working on about how vampires came to be. The Kayne Legacy is turning out to be a much larger story than I had anticipated. Much like with the Now and Forever series, the secondary characters have absolutely taken over. All of them are demanding their own scenes if not entire books. I swear, they are a spoiled bunch! LOL

I’ve also decided the next poetry book will be inspired by witches and other magical creatures. Well, I sort of started that with The Vixen, the Witch and the Daemon…the poem and the novel. The poem was the outline for the novel and the start of the entire Songs of Fate series that will be written by my alter ego Lia Michaels. I would do it, but that’s another thing that taken another life of its own. There will be multiple menage couplings in that group of books so that’s Lia’s territory. LOL! But so she doesn’t have all the fun, I get to write the poetry book that goes with that series. Look for witches, warlocks, mermaids, elves, and many others to make appearances in those books!

In the meantime, look for me and my books on Amazon, Smashwords, iTunes, Barnes and Noble and well, just about anywhere. I’m trying to get my stuff out there!

Thank you all for going on this ride with me.

~Tammy

Second Poetry Book Nearly Finished! #vampires #erotica

I’m celebrating a few things tonight. First of all, I finally purchased the domain name for this site so now I feel like an official website/blog owner and author. Whoohoo! You can find this page now by typing in authortammydenningsmaggy.com Can you believe it? I know that may sound funny to some of you, but it’s just one more step making my dream a reality. I have also purchased sassyvixenpublishing.com . It’s going along with our LLC and soon my husband and I hope to get our little publishing house up and running enough to handle more than just me, Lia and Stephanie. Yes all three Sassy Vixen authors are me, but you got to start somewhere right? LOL

Now for the next surprise I’m celebrating. I had thought that I had a complete set of poems for the new book all set and ready to go. I was wrong. Several more ideas popped into my head over the last few days. What’s a poet to do? Keep going of course! I’m still planning on releasing the book on or before February 28th, but just in case let’s all keep our fingers, toes and any other appendages crossed! I thought I would share another poem from the collection and it’s one of the more sensual ones. Most of them are basically telling the story of the various characters in The Kayne Legacy series, but a few like this one, focus more on individuals. Who knows if they will actually end up as additional players in the series? We shall see.

So without further adieu, here is one of my latest finished just this evening.

Encounters in the Dark

The hours of the day pass ever so slowly
Causing my anxiety to rise.
My heart races at the memory of our coupling
From the night before.
Every touch, every kiss we shared only heightened the experience,
Making me feel even more alive.
The heat between us was more than I’ve ever known
And it’s shaken me to my very core.

Over and over again our bodies come together,
Mouths exploring, limbs completely entwined.
With one last feral thrust, you take me over the edge,
Your fangs at my neck leaving your mark.
When asked why must you always mark me so,
Your eyes flash with renewed lust before you whisper in my ear
“So ALL will know you are forever mine.
And although they’ll heal, my brand is upon you
So you’ll never forget our encounters in the dark.

Exhausted beyond belief and yet I still cling to you,
Unwilling to let you go with the approaching dawn.
You possess my heart and soul with one last kiss
As tender as it is brutal and hard.
Just as quickly as you entered my life,
In a flash you were gone,
Leaving me lost and alone with the fading memory
Of our last encounter in the dark.

©Tammy Dennings Maggy

2/20/13

8:25pm

#OhMyMonday @SloanArcher Shares A Bit of Female Shower Fun from Mercy’s Debt

Welcome to Behind Closed Doors. It’s time for our Oh My! Monday feature where we share adult excerpts from various novels from all ADULT genres. Since I write erotica and erotic romance, there won’t be any books featured here that could be considered for the Young Adult audience. I don’t want to freak anyone or their parents out with the content on these pages. So if you are not at least 18 years of age, please leave this blog now. If you continue to read, you acknowledge you are over 18 years of age and that you’ve been warned that the content in this post and in most of the others on this site could be considered offensive to some people. If you are one of those folks, kindly leave this page. If not, stick around and enjoy!

This week I’m happy to have a new author here with me today. She’s sharing the first book in her paranormal romantic thriller series about those sexy vamps! You know how I love those fanged ones in all genres and heat levels! Anyhoooo…today author Sloan Archer is sharing an excerpt from Mercy’s Debt. Two days ago, she did the House of Taboo Spotlight Interview with my alter ego Lia Michaels. There you’ll find one steamy excerpt. Today you’ll get another between two FEMALE characters.

I thought that would get your attention! LOL

First a bit about the author…

Sloan Archer is a bona fide California native who works full-time as a writer, occasionally in the desert as an archaeologist, and has a ten-year employment history in marketing. She has been penning fiction since childhood; her first stories were spooky mysteries inspired by horror films and the howling coyotes on her family’s farm.

She is a seasoned world traveler whose journeys have taken her from Madagascar to Indonesia, and many countries in-between. In 2007 she founded a jewelry label, VIVI+VIVI, and received international recognition for her creations, her most coveted designs worn by celebrities and carried in trendy boutiques like Fred Segal in Los Angeles. In 2012, she closed her business to focus on her true love, writing.

When Sloan isn’t composing books, she enjoys traveling, running marathons, painting, reading, baking, and spending time at the beach. She is currently working on two novels: Mercy’s Doubt, the second installation of the Montgomery’s Vampires Series, and Lilac Coma.

Now the BLURB

After graduating from the prestigious Dewhurst University, Mercy Montgomery finds herself in a bit of financial trouble: over $108,000 worth of financial trouble, in fact. She can’t find a job to save her life, and with bill collectors constantly at her heels, she has no idea how she will ever come up with the money needed in order to keep her head above water.

Mercy’s monetary worries seem to be over after a chance meeting with mystifyingly pale Michael Graves, who offers her a high-paying job at his company, Dignitary. But there’s a catch; the seemingly harmless Dignitary is an underground organization that offers human chaperones to wealthy bloodsucking clients.

As if congregating with the undead doesn’t make life complicated enough for Mercy, there’s a savage killer on the loose who appears to have a craving for her blood. Soon Mercy is torn between a dark and dangerous underworld of supernatural desire and a simple life of practicality, and business magnate Robert Bramson is the man she blames for her confusion. If he just wasn’t so damn sexy… And dangerous. As the killer closes in, Mercy realizes that she must make a decision. But will she make her choice too late?

And without further adieu, the EXCERPT

Liz stepped into the shower first with her back turned to me, and then I followed.

The balminess of the air alleviated my headache almost instantly, but it also had the secondary effect of bringing back my buzz.

Liz handed me a bottle of mango scented shower gel and a puff. “Could you wash my back, please?” she asked coyly.

“Oh, you’re really pushing it.”

She bent over slightly, resting her forearms on the wall. I went to work behind her, rubbing the sudsy puff in a circular motion up and down her back.

“That feels incredible,” she cooed.

She lifted her arms, and I scrubbed at the pale skin underneath, moving down the back of her ribs. She took a step back, arching her back slightly, indicating that she wanted me to scrub higher. I pulled the suds under her cleavage, coming close to, but still avoiding, the apex of her chest.

“Don’t be shy,” she purred, turning around to face me. She leaned back against the tiled wall, widening her stance to steady herself. Her dewy folds pulled open, and I caught a quick peek of the rosiness hidden within. She’d shaved her pubic hair in a soft V-shape, which was atypical of her characteristic baldness. The downy pelt contained an auburn hue that complimented the plump pinkness beneath it perfectly.

I ran the puff across her areolas and something stirred inside her. She let out a suggestive whimper, shifting her body so close to mine that our hips touched. Without a second thought, I dropped the puff and went to work on lathering her with my bare hands.

She moaned louder, rubbing her slippery breasts against mine, the warm water cascading down her beautiful figure in a mango-scented stream. She abruptly embraced me. We kissed, then, tasting each other with our tongues, continuing to explore the intimate areas of our bodies.

My foot slipped on a glob of shower gel, and I threw my arm out to my side to maintain balance. Not in the clearest frame of mind, I put all my weight behind my panicked reach and toppled over when my hand plunged through the flimsy shower curtain. My knees cracked as they made contact against the edge of the tub. Liz fell over, too, landing hard on her tailbone.

The stumble had hurt something fierce, but it provided a brief moment of clear-headedness.
I blinked up at Liz, bewildered.

“What in the hell are we doing?” I exhaled.

“I… I don’t know…” she stammered.

“You fell pretty hard on your ass,” I said. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine,” she mumbled awkwardly.

“Okay. That’s good. I’m, uh, just going to get out.”

“K,” she said.

Hmmmm…will Liz and Mercy revisit their attraction again? You’ll have to get the book to find out for yourself! Mercy’s Debt is now available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

To learn more about Sloan and her work check out these links

Thursday Thirteen at Sassy Vixen Publishing 2/21/13

Annette Bower’s Book Tour for Moving On – A Prairie Romance

Welcome to the second stop in Sensuous Promo’s Book Tour for Annette Bower’s, Moving On – A Prairie Romance. She has one fantastic prize she’s offering up on this blog tour. After you read about her book, stop by the bottom of this tour stop to find out how you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

Regina Beach’s residents know everyone’s business and they are very interested in discovering Anna’s roots while she is enjoying being a mysterious business woman who drove into town. Nick, an injured sergeant in the Canadian Army, helps Anna feel safe and comfortable in her new environment, just as he has always done for his men in strange, dangerous places. Meanwhile, he focuses on preparing for his future physical endurance test to prove that he is capable of active duty.

Anna doesn’t talk about her loss, and Nick doesn’t talk about his future and therefore she is shocked to discover that his greatest wish is to return to active duty. She won’t love a man who may die on the job again. Intellectually, she knows that everything must die, but emotionally, she doesn’t know if she has the strength to support Nick.

Moving On, A Prairie Romance is about when life throws you a curve and the dreams you were dreaming are no longer possible. Anna and Nick both have to grieve their pasts and make a decision to move on toward a different life and different dreams. I believe that this is a universal experience. The parents dream of a child and as the child develops they notice that their child doesn’t react that same as others, they need to decide how to leave one set of dreams and move on to another dream. The same happens when a relationship fails or physical health changes or we lose a job or we realize a fortune we didn’t expect. These events change our view of our present world and we as humans, adapt the very best we can with the support systems we have around us.

This is Anna’s first view of the place she has come to change:

“The windows were dirty and the exterior paint cracked and flaked. This was just the place she needed if as they say, your environment reflects your state of mind. Maybe in this place they would get off her back. She locked the doors to ward off thieves from her black suitcases piled in the car. What was she thinking? The street was empty. Besides, a battered guitar case shared the passenger seat with empty water bottles and take-away food wrappers, so it looked as if someone had already rummaged through her belongings.”

Later when Nick is in this cottage with her they have this conversation:

“She was drawn to the large windows that revealed waves washing onto the shore while his voice rose and fell in the background. She jumped when he spoke from behind her. “Looks like you’ve got a big job to make this old man’s house a place you’d want to live.” He had picked up a ship in a bottle and held it to the light.

She stood with determined confidence. “They say work is good therapy.” She felt a pang of intuitive kinship with him again. She smiled, “Do you ever wonder if they really know what they are talking about?”

Nick raised his hand and gently touched the side of her face, turning it towards him. He looked deep into her eyes as if he was searching for recognition. “Yeah, they’re probably just a bunch of clowns who think up euphemisms to confuse the rest of us.”

Both Anna and Nick have to find their way out of their old dream that won’t work and into a new one. A short except follows with their first community function.

“He handed her the dew-covered glass which she pushed into her lips. He clung to his bottle and tipped it evenly, watching her through half-closed eyes. She was an enigma. Pain and party. Her face had shown shadows of solemnity and joy of life.

He wanted to know her, but at the same time, not know her. Her pain both called to and repelled him. He didn’t want to complicate his life. Everything was fine the way it was. Besides, maybe he would be leaving soon, which wouldn’t be fair, or maybe he’d be the pegged-leg yokel staying in this town.

When he looked around, he saw his neighbors. Laurie had a bandana around her bald head. Hank’s right leg left a ridge in the dance dust on the floor. With a gulp, he reminded himself that a dance does not mean a lifetime commitment. He led her to the community table of singles. Ruth Anne was crooking her finger at him and smiling broadly. He had a job to do.

“Anna, we have a job to do.” She looked at him as if he had two heads.

“All the single unattached residents have to dance with the other singles so that everyone has a good time,” he whispered in her ear.

“Everyone, meet Anna.”

“Anna, everyone.”

Men and women nodded, lifted hands in acknowledgement. She heard, “Hi, Anna.”

“Hello, everyone.”

Before she could put her glass on the table, a round, short man reached up to her, squeezed her hand and led her through the polka. Anna watched out of the blur of fast stepping turns, while Nick held onto a blue-haired woman who smiled up at him.

After everyone at the table seemed to have had a spin with either Nick or Anna, he finally held his hand out to her and led her back to the dance floor. The line was forming as the music began. They positioned themselves behind the line and Nick slowly showed her the sequence of steps. He sensed when her body and the music blended together in movement.

Anna was no stranger to music but she was a stranger to the dance steps. However, the stomps, kicks and grapevines became less complicated with each repetition. She liked moving to the music. She watched the red boots and skirt of the woman in front of her. She saw the added swing of her hips and suggestive dips of her shoulder. Anna added these movements. When she glanced at Nick’s face, he smiled. She smiled back and tried harder to keep up with the line. During the next set, they held onto each other and swung in unison.

When they stopped at the bar this time they each had a glass of ice-cold water. She brushed the back of her sleeve across her mouth, wishing that he would trace the vagrant drops with his thumb.

She laughed. “You seem to be my thirst-quenching hero.”

“Water and hydration is a specialty of mine,” he teased.

He felt his stump which was cradled in his prosthesis throb. “I’m ready to sit out the next set. You?”

“I’d like to watch the moves. I seem to have missed this phase of dance.”

NOW ONTO THE PRIZE AND HOW YOU CAN WIN!!!

To be eligible for to win the $10 Amazon Gift Card, simply leave a message below with your email address and let us know what you think about Annette Bower’s Moving On – A Prairie Romance.

Learn more about Annette and her work:

#TheVixen Has Thrown Down the Gauntlet!

It’s been a busy week around here as of late. I have nearly caught up on ALL of my back log and am putting the finishing touches on the special gift package to one special blog hop winner. My hubby and I are both on the mend with his last round of tests showing NO CANCER!! Now it’s my turn for the round robin of testing. With changing up our health plans at work, I have to break in a new doctor. I’m both nervous and excited about it. I’ll get a new outlook from this doctor and hopefully together we can come up with a plan to get my health at 100%. I promised my husband that I would take care of me now.

Of course, having sent my alter egos Lia and Stephanie on “vacation” for the last week has helped me focus on me and my projects but nothing can stop The Vixen! That part of my personality will not stop working and continues to fight the good fight when it comes to defending erotica and erotic romance. Why is it that so many want to “clean up” this genre? It’s separated from mainstream fiction and romance for a reason. Both showcase very explicit and detailed sex scenes. If a novel or short story doesn’t have this sort of detail, then it belongs in the mainstream categories.

The news media has made it an “in” thing to call something erotica or erotic romance. I wish for once, they would do some actual fact checking before they start with the labels. Because of their erroneous descriptions, readers who don’t like the explicit materials have flocked to Amazon and other ebook outlets in order to get themselves some “erotica like that Fifty Shades.” Unfortunately, when they read what really makes up a good erotic romance, they are often appalled and call it “porn” or “blatant smut.”

It doesn’t help matters when editors, authors and even some publishers try to redefine what makes up an erotic romance. No wonder readers are confused! Quite a few discussions have been going on around the Internet via blogs, Twitter and Facebook about this and a few of my fellow authors and myself have been personally attacked and our work more or less belittled.

Well…I’m not going to sit back and keep quiet about it. I’m going to keep defending my chosen genres until there is no longer any debate about it. I’ve started it off with my Sinfully Sassy Sundays with The Vixen spot on Four Seduced Muses. Having the descriptions of body fluids in a sex scene be called “icky” by an editor was just too much for me. Click on the link and see what I had to say. It’s a bit tongue in cheek, but at the heart of it, I’m ticked off that I have to take up this fight in the first place.

You can’t have it both ways. You don’t allow explicit detailed sex scenes in mainstream romances, then you can’t call the mainstream stuff erotica or erotic romances. Taking our genre name away won’t make us leave. We are here to stay!

#Tempestuous #ThursdayThirteen with #SirenAuthor Nicole Morgan

I’m very happy to have my friend and fellow Seduced Muse Nicole Morgan here Behind Closed Doors today. On January 24th Siren released the second book in her Incessant Passions series and today, Nicole shares the first sentences of Tempestuous with us for Thursday Thirteen. So without further adieu, I’ll turn things over to Nicole.

BLURB

Michelle Englehurst finally has her dream job working in a tropical paradise doing what she loves. A routine day at work proves to be more than what it seemed. Her new client Brad Conrad is charming, handsome, and causes a reaction in her like no other man has.

Brad is on a forced vacation by his father, who claims he’s overworked. Begrudgingly, he takes his sabbatical with no intention of enjoying himself. A chance encounter with a woman he can’t get out of his mind changes Brad’s workaholic ways. He finds himself extending his trip and doing everything in his power to spend more time with her.

For days and then weeks the two of them walk a fine line of casual friendship to lascivious intentions. With time working against the two, they are faced with two choices, take a chance or throw caution to the wind and be…tempestuous.

First Thirteen Sentences

Michelle took several calming breaths, trying to untangle her frazzled nerves before opening the door to the small massage room. His mere presence turned her into a klutz, and she prayed today she would be able to keep her cool. Normally, she was the picture-perfect employee, always professional and cordial with all of her clients, but something about this one kept her feeling like she was constantly trying to walk a tight rope. Despite her occasional mishaps, he always remained kind and never made her feel foolish.

She did, though. In fact, she felt like a goofy teenager with her first crush every time he was near her. While a part of her wished he would request someone else for his daily massage, the other part of her—the woman—didn’t want anything of the sort. Michelle relished her hour-long sessions with Mr. Conrad, regardless of how much they threw her off-balance. Once she relaxed a little, it was hard to not enjoy his company. He was easy to talk to, charming, and sometimes made her laugh so hard that her cheeks hurt from being frozen in such a wide smile.

Mr. Conrad, or Brad as he insisted she call him, had been a distraction from day one. Each day that he came to her little massage room, she became increasingly attracted to him. The pull she felt had been building for the past couple weeks as their casual conversations had become lengthier and more intimate.

Click on the above graphic to take you to excerpts from this fabulous book!

About the Author

Nicole Morgan is a multi-published author of erotic romantic novels, which more often than not have a suspenseful back story. Erotic romance mixed with a good old-fashioned whodunit. While she’s written everything from contemporary to paranormal her leading men will more than likely be wearing a uniform of some kind. From military to police officers, she has a love for writing about those who protect and serve. From her very first novel (which turned into a four book series) about Navy SEALs to her more recent releases you will be sure to find a few twists and turns you were not expecting.
In additional to her books, Nicole also has a recurring column called, “Sex and the Single Woman” in BT Showcase’s online eMagazine. Also, she has recently partnered up with three of her author friends and became Four Seduced Muses, a blog dedicated to the steamier side of romance.

Nicole’s Website

Nicole’s Blog

Oh My! Monday on The House of Taboo for Impetuous

Oh My! Monday on Sassy Vixen Publishing for Impetuous

#NextBigThing: Showcasing Vampire Inspired Poetry

I’ve done this hop once not too long ago on my sister blog Not Enough Time in the Day. This time I was tagged twice by my alter ego Lia Michaels and by fellow Seduced Muse Nicole Morgan. I’d like to thank both of them for the tag. To learn more about them, just click on their names and you will be directed to their blogs/websites.

What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way for readers to discover authors new to them. I hope you’ll find new-to-you authors whose works you enjoy. On this stop on the blog hop, you’ll find a bit of information on me and one of my books. Normally, I would list five more authors for you to visit next week in order to continue the hop. Unfortunately, just about everyone I know has been tagged at least once for this hop and just don’t have more to share. In lieu of that, I hope you will check out some of the guest authors who have visited this and any of my blogs.

In this blog hop, my fellow authors and I, in our respective blogs, have answered ten questions about our current book or work-in-progress (giving you a sneak peek). We’ve also included some behind-the-scenes information about how and why we write what we write–the characters, inspirations, plotting and other choices we make. I hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!

1: What is the working title of your book?

The Courtship of the Vampyre: Poetry Inspired by the Guardians of the Night

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?
Well, another fellow Seduced Muse, Maya DeLeina suggested I give writing vampire inspired poetry after I published my first book of poetry. She writes vampire erotic romance and loves anything and everything to do with the creatures of the night. I had already starting plotting out a vampire series called The Kayne Legacy, and the poetry seemed like a great companion to help me continue to plot out those books. Much like how the first book of poems were a companion to my Now and Forever series, this collection would do the same.

3: What genre does your book come under?
I think I will call it paranormal fantasy poetry. LOL!

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I haven’t thought about that yet. Since this is a companion book to The Kayne Legacy, I’ll have to think about those character descriptions when I’m ready to see them fully in my mind. I’m thinking I need a rugged redheaded man to play Cain/Adam Kayne. The legends and lore about the Biblical Cain usually say he was a ginger!

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Poetry inspired by those that rule the night…both good and bad!

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?
I’ll be putting this one out myself through Sassy Vixen Publishing.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It’s ongoing. I think I have the collection I want now, but I have to give it a few days to be sure. Right now it’s 13 poems strong and some of them are long ones. This way I can offer a small ebook for a very low price!

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I’m sure there are some out there, but I haven’t read any yet. Usually vampires are portrayed as just the blood-thirsty demons, or those sexy lovers who roam the nights. I wanted this one to touch on the tales of both the good and the “evil” vamps and how both lines of immortals came to be.

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Well, Maya DeLeina was a big inspiration as was Robin Badillo. Another author who has helped me with different takes on the fanged ones is Tara S.Wood. All three of them have created worlds where the vampires don’t follow the old “rules” we’ve all come to know through the movies or whatever. And although I enjoyed the Twilight series of books and the movies, they didn’t inspire this book or The Kayne Legacy at all.

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I’ve incorporated a bit of my own beliefs in this collection/The Kayne Legacy. As a Wiccan, I’ve come to challenge many of the common Christian beliefs and I feel it’s time to take them back. LOL! Seriously, so many of our faiths are intertwined and have similar beliefs. The study of religions and the paranormal fascinate me. That’s why I wanted to tell this tale. What really happened between Cain and Abel and what was the real reason that Cain was marked to protect him from being killed on sight? What happened to the first woman created…Lilith? Where do the paranormal realms come into play in all of this? The stories are there. I just have to write them all down!

So there you have it! My contribution to the Next Big Thing Blog Hop…again! LOL Stay tuned for future guests on Behind Closed Doors, Sassy Vixen Publishing, Not Enough Time in the Day, and Four Seduced Muses to find new fabulous authors and their books. The links are at the tabs at the top of the page.

Have fun and happy reading!

~Tammy

Donna Michaels’ Book Tour–Captive Hero

Welcome to the eighth stop in Donna Michaels’ Book Tour for Captive Hero. She has two great prizes she’s offering up on this blog tour. After you read about her book, stop by the bottom of this tour stop to find out how you can win a free download of any of Donna’s back list, plus a $15 Amazon Gift Card!

Test flying an invisible plane—unreal
Time-shifting to WWII—unbelievable
Capturing a hero—unavoidable.

When Marine Corps test pilot, Captain Samantha Sheppard accidentally flies back in time and inadvertently saves the life of a WWII VMF Black Sheep pilot, she changes history and makes a crack decision to abduct him back to the present. With the timeline in jeopardy, she hides the handsome pilot at her secluded cabin in the Colorado wilderness.

But convincing her sexy, stubborn captive that he is now in another century proves harder than she anticipated—and soon it becomes difficult to tell who is captor and who is captive when the more he learns about the future, the more Sam discovers about the past, and the soul-deep connection between them.

As their flames of desire burn into overdrive, her flying Ace makes a historical discovery that threatens her family’s very existence. Sam’s fears are taken to new heights when she realizes the only way to fix the time-line is to sacrifice her captive hero…or is it?

Can love truly survive the test of time?

PG-13 Excerpt:

The door suddenly jerked in and to the right with such force Sam stumbled forward into the cabin.

Son-of-a…

Before she could regain her equilibrium, something big hit the back of her calves and knocked her to the floor—hard.

Intruder? So help me, if he hurt the captain…

Instinct kicked in. Knee thrust upward, she made contact with a solid object and heard a muffled oath before she rolled in the opposite direction. Large hands gripped her waist, and despite her clumsy attempt to hold on to the threshold, he yanked her back.

Yeah, coming here without a weapon had been a real good idea.

Fast and precise, she drove her elbow into the vicinity of her assailant’s jaw and sent a sharp jolt up her arm. She swallowed a cry of pain and rejoiced in his second muffled oath. Two for me. With a quick roll, she scrambled to her knees and began to rise when a heavy weight hit from behind, dropped down and pinned her face-first to the cold, wooden floor.

“Not so fast. Sam is it?”

That familiar, deep voice split the silence, while hot, panting breathes stirred more than the hair on her neck. Uncontrollable shivers covered her skin as recognition stole the fight out of her. This wasn’t an intruder. It was Captain Mitchell. Thank God. He was safe.

But she wasn’t.

The instant she stopped struggling, her body became deliciously aware of every hard, solid inch of the six-foot-two-inch frame completely covering her from head to toe.

Holy Black Sheep.

The urge to wiggle just so he’d press tantalizingly closer was almost more than she could bear. If only I was on my back… The errant thought sent a wicked quiver straight to her core.

You’re a Marine. You don’t give in.

Sam tamped down her burgeoning desire and willed her voice to convey calm. “Let me up, Captain. I can explain.”

“No, and damn right you can.” He lifted up slightly, easing some of his weight.

Thank goodness…I think.

Instead of knocking him off balance and regaining the upper hand, she drew in a few breaths and refrained from retaliating. She’d abducted the man. He was out of his element. She needed to keep things civil.

Mistake number one.

A swift motion had her arms yanked behind her back, while he wrapped her crossed wrists with something strong and thin. Fishing line? Oh, hell no!

“What in the world do you think you’re doing?”

No answer.

“Damn it, Captain. You let me go, now.” She thrashed from side to side, trying her best to free her legs from his shifting weight.

“No,” he said, and granting her earlier wish, pressed closer.

Funny, she wasn’t as happy about the pinning as she’d originally imagined.

Unable to move, and barely able to breath, she stilled. Best to see what he wanted, and bide her time until he let his guard down. And he would let it down, of that she had no doubt. Men always did.

Cold from the floorboards cooled her heated skin as she twisted her face to the side. What little breath his weight would allow funneled into her lungs. “You can get off me now.”

No answer.

“Captain.” She tried to draw in another breath but only coughed. “I c-c-can’t brea…”

He lifted a mere fraction, but the extra space was enough to fill her lungs with a proper amount of air. “Thanks.” She coughed again.

In the next instant, he hauled her up off the floor and pulled her to the center of the sprawling living room. Alarm raced down her spine. He’d moved the furniture to the side. Damn man must’ve had this planned for days. Could she blame him? Of course not. He was a Marine. She would’ve done the same.

Plopped onto a wooden chair, arms hooked around the back, she clenched her teeth against the pain ripping her muscles. Dammit. If he wasn’t a Black Sheep, she’d kick his ass. Turning the tables on him would not be a problem. But she refrained. Barely.

He doesn’t understand, her mind reminded. You plucked him from the middle of war and dropped him in the middle of nowhere. Therefore, you will not give him a permanent limp.

Discipline once again kicking in, she relaxed her shoulders and the stiffness from her arms, and soon the sting of her restraints lessened.

“Now, Captain,” she said as calm as possible. “Kindly tell me what the hell you think you’re doing?”

“Why, I should think that was obvious…Sam.”

The Marine’s unfriendly tone sent shivers of the wrong kind down her spine. Her blood froze. This can’t be good. She lifted her chin, refusing to be intimidated. She also refused to look him in the eye. The last time had completely disoriented; not at all what she needed right now.

With her gaze fixed on his regulation tan shirt, she stared at the uniform, hoping to find the view safer.

Wrong.

Broad shoulders forced the material to hug his lean frame. Damn. He sure had wonderful muscle definition for someone born before the fitness craze. Her mouth dried. And the waxing craze. Ah hell. He had hair, too. A light sprinkling peaked out from his collar, teasing her with thoughts of what else his uniform concealed. She gave herself a mental shake and concentrated on the situation at hand.

“What’s obvious, Captain, is that you’re being a jerk. So you’d better spell it out for me. What are you doing?”

He stepped closer without a reply.

More intimidation tactics. Instinct cried out he wasn’t going to speak until she looked up. Damn, stubborn…

“I’m not interested in playing ‘who’s the baddest Marine’ with you. It’s been one hell of a long week. I’m tired, hungry, and thanks to you, I’m sore, so let’s call our tussle a draw.” Composed, her voice belayed the turmoil swirling in her gut. Fine, he wanted her to look up, she’d look up.

With fingernails biting into her palms, she tipped her head and stared into a pair of unmerciful, cold, blue-green eyes. Beset with an overwhelming urge to swallow—okay, gulp; his unfriendly gaze demanded she gulp—Sam’s cowardly side did an about-face and her chin lifted higher.

“Well? Do you always treat women this way? Does man-handling make you feel big and strapping?”

Frosting further, eyes now more blue than green narrowed as his clenching jaw cracked out an ‘I’m losing my control’ tune.

Way to go, Sam. She pushed him into pouncing tiger mode and was the only flesh around. At least she possessed the good sense to back down. Usually. Too bad she left good with common back on the base.

“Okay.” Keep your mouth shut. Zip it. “Can I take your silence to mean there’s a reason you attacked me and tied me up?”

Muscled arms folded across a broad chest, while a humorless grin crossed his face. “Oh, there’s a reason all right, Sam. A very good one.”

“And your reason is?”

His grin disappeared, along with her breathing.

“To capture the captor.”

R Rated Excerpt:

What the hell was he holding? A slingshot?

A very expensive, sexy slingshot. No, Mitch’s mind insisted. It was underwear. Samantha had a matching top. His gaze shot to the purple bra. The skimpy scrap of satin had to be underwear. Fuck me. His mind instantly conjured up a vision of the temptress wearing the decadent scraps. His groin dutifully hardened.

Damn, sexy spy.

Spy…

His gaze sought the purple satin in his hand again. Son-of-a-bitch! Maybe it was both. Underwear which doubled as a weapon. A small shaft of admiration broke through his haze. Ingenious.

“Um, if you’re done inventorying my bag, I’d like my clothes now.”

He dropped the slingshot at the same time his gaze ricocheted to the towel-wrapped agent dripping in the bathroom doorway.

Holy mother of God.

She was naked. Thanks to him.

In a towel. Thanks to him.

Dripping in the doorway. Thanks to him.

Try as he might, Mitch couldn’t get his mind past those facts. The same thoughts shot through his head over and over again. Probably because the sight of the sexy vixen sent all the blood rushing to his groin—where it now throbbed with painful precision.

Damn. She was pin-up worthy. The fierce urge to nibble, stroke, and lick had him squirming in his seat. That…and his zipper bit unmercifully into his swollen dick.

“Well, Captain?”

He blinked and attempted to focus on her face. Nothing doing. What a pair of gams. His gaze stayed glued to the legs he had known would be a sin to cover. Long and lean, curvy and supple, they gleamed under the glow of the fire since the sun had set. I should be the only thing allowed to cover those beauties.

Shit. Where the hell had that thought come from?

“Yo? Captain? Earth to captain? My eyes are up here.”

He heard her words, followed by a clicking noise. Mitch blinked again, and realized the woman was not only snapping her fingers, she was smiling.

“That’s better,” she said. “So, can I have my clothes back?”

“No.”

Hah! That wiped the smile from her smug face. Shit. Wait. Now she was striding closer, green gaze glistening like twin emeralds, a bounce rippling through gorgeous, full breasts, despite the tightly wrapped towel.

“No?”

Heaven help him, she grabbed the edge of the table and leaned closer. His mind went blank. What a view! Her delectable cleavage and all that silky skin filled his horizon. She was flawless, supple and he wanted desperately to explore.

“What do you mean, no?”

Yes…

“Captain!”

He jumped, and reluctantly ripped his gaze from her mind-drugging curves. “What?”

“I want my clothes. Now.”

She reached for a pile. But he was quicker. He grabbed her wrist, and a damn fission shot through his body again. What the hell? She yanked free and stepped back.

Ignoring the pounding in his veins—and both heads—he slowly rose to his feet, positioning himself between her and the table. Hell if he’d allow her to take anything until he knew it was safe.

“I’m not done yet.”

“Oh, for crying out loud.” She groaned. “It’s just my clothes.”

His brows shot up. “Really?” He reached behind him for the strange little packet of pills he’d found. “Then where the hell do you wear these?”

A small smile tugged at her lips, and son-of-a-bitch, a spot of color seeped into her cheeks. She was blushing. Why was she blushing? Spies don’t blush. Do they?

“You don’t wear them. Y-you take them.”

He waved the packet. “No shit.” What did she think, he was an idiot? His heart hammered and he wondered just what she’d planned on doing with the pills. He stared hard at his blushing abductor, but spoke soft. “You plan on drugging me, Samantha?”

Amusement flittered through her remarkable eyes. “No. Not unless you’ve grown a pair of ovaries.”

There wasn’t anything funny about…Wait? Ovaries? He glanced at the pills.

“They’re my birth control pills, Mitch. Give me them.” She stepped closer and reached for the packet.

Birth control what? He held the pills out of her reach and frowned down. “Control birth?” Shit. “Are you pregnant?” Cripes, he hoped not. Not after the way he manhandled her today.

“No!” She shook her head, her shoulders rounding in exasperation. “I’m not pregnant. The pills prevent pregnancy.”

Was that even possible? Maybe. He wouldn’t put anything past the Germans.

He folded his arms across his chest, his body heating before he even got the words out. “So, you are planning to seduce me.”

“What? Oh for the love of…” Her mouth clamped shut, eyes glittered and body stiffened. “If you must know, I need the hormone therapy to help with cysts. I have to take one pill a day at the same time every day, and I’ll need one first thing in the morning. Now, give me my damn pills!”

Before he could react, she lunged for the packet and gripped the bottom edge. Damn, she was fast. He pulled while she tugged, and he tried desperately to ignore the soft curves brushing his body or the mouthful of wet hair tickling his face. God, she smells great. More vanilla. He inhaled and a layer of warmth increased the heat already throbbing inside. Touching her was out of the question. He’d just have to keep twisting and lifting.

Several more seconds of sweet torture and he finally got the upper hand. Success. He ripped the pills from her grasp.

“Dammit, Captain,” she growled, her warm breath hitting his chin.

Didn’t the woman know how to give up? Apparently not. She continued her delicious assault, pressing against him, reaching, trying to crawl up his body for the damn packet. Fuck. She was potent.

And naked.

All the struggling loosened the towel which softly thudded on to his right foot.

“Shit!” She released him and bent down to grab the wayward towel, brushing his throbbing body along the way.

He went still. Very still. He didn’t even dare to breathe. But he did look. Oh, hell yeah, he looked.

The whole right side of her was in his line of vision. Her smooth back and fantastic ass mesmerized, drew him in until he became dizzy from not breathing. He closed his eyes and gulped in air. Damn, the things he wanted to do to her. Eyes opening, he stared at the naked beauty clutching the towel in front of her in a feeble attempt to cover up.

Too late. He saw every last glorious inch of the front of her body. God, she was mouthwatering.

And hairless…

How? His racing pulse stopped for two beats, then tripped into hyper speed. She was unhindered. No hair. Nothing. Just smooth, soft, silky…

His gaze lingered in the barely concealed section where her hand now held the towel in place. Was it a German thing? Hell, it didn’t matter. A strong urge to touch her and taste her, to sink deep inside tore through his body with unrelenting force. He fought back a groan. Fuck. He was hard enough to pound spikes into concrete.

“P-please, Mitch,” her soft plea rattled him.

Make that railroad ties. His dick was hard enough to pound railroad ties. With one swing. And no hands. He dragged more air into his lungs, praying it would unfog his brain as he slowly lifted his gaze to her face.

A Word From Donna…

Captive Hero –Book One in my Time-shift Heroes Series: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009XLK6CY is available now at Amazon. The second book –Future Hero will release this summer.

I also currently have a novella out through The Wild Rose Press. Cowboy-Sexy is part of their Honky Tonk Hearts Series, and is now available in several eBook formats. And on Amazon for kindle here: http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Sexy-ebook/dp/B009KEXE2S/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1

A little bit more about me…

Multi-published in eBook and print, I write from short to epic, sweet to hot across several romance genres through The Wild Rose Press, Whimsical Publications, and this book–Captive Hero marks my first foray into self publishing.

I’m married to a military man for over twenty-six years. We have four children, several rescued cats, and live in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where we enjoy all four seasons…although, I’d love to enjoy summer a bit longer and winter a bit less.

NOW ONTO THE PRIZES…

HOW CAN YOU WIN?

READ BELOW AND FIND OUT!

To be eligible for a free download of any of my backlist plus a $15 Amazon Gift Card, simply sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of my Home page www.donnamichaelsauthor.com then email me with the address you used to sign up so I can verify and then add your name to the ‘pot’. At the end of the tour, one name will be randomly drawn and I will email the winner.

Thank you, and good luck!

~Donna

Learn more about me and my titles at my website: www.donnamichaelsauthor.com

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