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 theVampyrewas 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 ofJuliaand 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.
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!
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.
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
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 Tempestuouswith 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
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.
I’m thrilled beyond belief right now. I just received word that TheIslandhas been nominated for Best Erotic Romance of 2012 on Sizzling PR’s website. This is the first nomination I’ve received for my writing and it couldn’t have come at a better time. With all the craziness of trying to balance our writing with my evil day job, I’ve had some trouble concentrating on finishing some of my current works in progress.
Having someone acknowledge all the hard work I put into this series has given me that extra boost and put a huge smile on my face. What a way to start off the new year!
Won’t you join me in the fun and take a moment to stop into Sizzling PR’s website by clicking the following link. There you will find the list of categories and the instructions for casting your votes. We have until January 20th to get those votes in. Thank you all for stopping in today and sharing in my happy dance!
Welcome to Behind Closed Doors. Today it’s my turn to share a steamy excerpt for Oh MY! Monday. As luck would have it, this is the second week of my virtual book tour promoting The Island (Now and Forever 2). In just three short days, just 72 hours it will be LIVE and available to download from Bookstrand. Can’t wait that long? Well, you can still pre-order it today. It’s even being offered at an additional 10% off the list price until November 22nd. How great is that?
For those of you who’ve asked me if I really believe that there is a soul mate for everyone, the answer is a resounding YES! Have you ever met someone, not even said a word to them but just locked eyes with them and felt an overwhelming sense of deja vu? Then as you talk with each other, get to know one another a little more, that feeling grows exponentially to the point you are simply knocked for a loop? What about when you touch? Have you ever felt like you were struck by lightning and that you couldn’t pull away from the person if you tried? You my dear have experienced what one of my characters refers to as being “thunderstruck.” I even wrote about that in a poem with same title.
Thunderstruck
Dancing in the dark, bodies pressed tight against each other
The rhythm of the music takes me away
To another time, another place
Where laughter fills the air.
And the thunder of the drums calls out to you.
Spinning around the room, eyes closed,
Body swaying,
Keeping pace with the beat of the drums.
A chill runs down my spine.
Eyes fly open searching for the cause.
Thunder rolls through the room,
Leading the way to where I must go.
Feet suddenly rooted to the spot
A stranger’s eyes lock on mine, pulling me in
Reading my thoughts, my heart, my soul.
Can’t pull away even if I wanted to
And I don’t.
The thunder roars in my ears.
The lightning bolt zips through me
Head to toe tingling,
Breath catching in my chest.
Longing to touch, to caress
To never let go…not ever again.
The thunder explodes inside my mind
Telling me this is it.
We have found each other once again.
Heart pounding wildly out of control.
How can a stranger be so familiar?
Looking deeper into my heart, I know.
He’s not a stranger, he’s always been there.
He’s the one I’ve been searching for
The part that was missing from my heart
And from my soul.
Smiles slowly form as recognition dawns.
Could it be? Is it true?
After all this time?
Hands reach for each other,
Fingertips barely touching
The electricity nearly knocking us off of our feet
As we are thunderstruck.
But this time I know he feels it too.
Lost in each other’s eyes,
Holding each other tight
Thoughts of losing each other again melt away.
Not this time. Not ever again.
No longer will we fight it.
We will embrace it
And be thunderstruck
Together once again.
It’s that instant recognition that takes your breath away. You can try to deny it all you want, but your heart and soul will continue to cry out for the one who will make them whole. This is what it was like for Quinn and Jacob. The twist to their story is that they actually did find each other long before the locked eyes with each other that fateful night in Las Vegas. The Island tells that part of their story. I hope you get lost in this couple as much as I did writing their tale.
Blurb
After losing her brother in a fatal motorcycle accident, Quinn’s life spins out of control. Shutting herself off from friends and family in Michigan, she buries herself in her work, wishing for the pain to end. In her dreams she’s finally able to find the peace her heart craves on The Island.
Driven to recklessness over a heartbreaking betrayal, Jacob races his motorcycle on a rain slick California freeway. Near death in the hospital, he’s given a choice. Stay on The Island or go back for a second chance at love.
Destined to be together, but repeatedly torn apart, these two lost and melancholy people draw the attention of the Goddess Fate. As Quinn and Jacob’s lives hang in limbo, the soul mates are given a very special gift from the Gods, and the chance to finally have their love of a lifetime.
Adult Excerpt
His eyes found hers once again and she began to fall. She didn’t care. Thoughts of going back or staying there on The Island disappeared. All she wanted to think about, to feel, and taste was Jacob. Quinn pulled his mouth back to hers. The sweet taste of the berries, mango, and papaya dazzled her taste buds as their tongues teased and danced with each other, fighting for control one moment and surrendering to each other the next.
Jacob finally freed her tits from the laces of her bodice. Watching him tug at the strings with his teeth made her heart beat faster and she giggled before she could stop. He winked and kept up the slow pace. Quinn giggled even more. “I stand by my first assessment. You’re a tease, Jake.”
“Baby doll, you haven’t seen anything yet.” He pushed her dress down to her waist and simply stared. “I’m not the only tease here.”
“What are you talking about?” Quinn slid her fingertips up and down his arms. His muscles twitched and pulsed at her touch. She wanted those arms wrapped around her and to never let go.
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. You don’t flaunt it, but every move and noise you make turns me on. I wanted to take this slow, but I can’t.”
“Stop thinking so much and kiss me.” She pushed herself up to meet his mouth once again as they moved on the bed so she was now on top of him. Jacob’s hands slid up her thighs, leaving hot trails with his fingertips. Her body quaked and her pussy clenched as a rush of fluid soaked her panties completely.
Jacob hooked his thumbs in the band of her underwear, snapped them off, and tossed them onto the floor. His hands slid up her body, pulling the dress up and over her head in a flash. He sat up, holding her in his lap, nuzzling first one breast and then the other with his stubbly chin and cheeks. The roughness of his skin against her rock-hard nipples sent her rolling toward another orgasm. She clung to him as he suckled harder on her right nipple while kneading her left breast with his hand. Quinn arched her back and bit her lip before crying out. “Jake, please don’t—”
He pulled back quickly, moving his hands to cradle her face. Concern filled his eyes. “Did I hurt you?”
Her eyes glistened with tears. “No. Please don’t stop.”
* * * *
The catch in her voice nearly broke his heart. The raw passion was there. Her body given freely to him, and yet she still questioned his desire for her. He knew that pain all too well. Here with Quinn though, it all faded away. She did that for him and he wanted so badly to do the same for her. He wiped away the tears that spilled onto her flushed face. He kissed her softly and held her close. “I want you, now and for however long we can be together. I need to be with you. I won’t stop as long as you want the same.”
Quinn slid off his lap and knelt up on the bed, pulling him up with her. She held his gaze as her fingers unfastened his shorts and then slid them down over his hips. Jacob quickly took off his tank top before crushing Quinn’s chest against his. She smiled and his heart beat quickened. “I need you, too. Make love with me, Jake.”
He slid out of his shorts as Quinn eased back onto the pillows. Jacob took in her entire sun-kissed body, naked before him. God, she’s so beautiful. Quinn welcomed him into her arms as he joined her on the pillows, his mouth finding her left nipple this time as his right hand trailed down her stomach.
She arched her back and moaned as soon as his fingers found her throbbing clit. Another wave of fluid gushed out of her and over his fingers. Jacob brought them up to his mouth to taste her. “Mmmm. You taste fucking fantastic. Your sister was right. Wanna try?”
Quinn giggled and licked his fingers clean. That move sent his body over the edge. His cock was bouncing with his need for her, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by his lover. She reached inside the nightstand for the box of condoms, spilling several over the bed. Jacob smiled as he placed one in her open palm. Quinn slid her hands down his abs to his pulsing member. She wrapped her fingers around his shaft and squeezed a little, eliciting a gasp from him. Carefully she tore open the wrapper with her teeth and quickly covered his cock with the ribbed latex sheath. He thrust his hips forward, causing her hand to slide up and down his shaft. “Oh, now who’s teasing?” Jacob moaned.
He eased Quinn all the way back onto the pillows, and slid down her body toward his prize. He wanted more than just a taste. He wanted to feast on her cunt until she begged for him to take her. He positioned himself between her thighs and looked up to see her watching him, her chest rising and falling rapidly. He winked before popping her clit into his mouth and sucking hard. Quinn nearly bucked him off but he held her hips in place, enjoying her squirming and sighs. It wasn’t long at all before he was rewarded once again with her sweet nectar.
He teased her a bit more with his tongue and then slipped one, two and then three fingers inside of her hot folds. Her pussy clenched repeatedly over his fingers and her body convulsed over and over again. Quinn’s skin flushed from her tits to her toes, because of him, because of what he was doing to her. He wanted more, so much more. He couldn’t wait any longer. He wanted to bury his cock deep inside her, go over the edge, and never come back.
I’m thrilled to welcome back to my blogs an “old” friend. Rose Anderson was one of the very first authors to befriend me when I joined Siren a little over a year ago. She was the one who inspired me to make my own video trailers too. After a bit of an absence, she’s now back again with a brand new book. Loving Leonardo is set in the late 1800’s and is centered around three individuals discovering their true sexuality and maybe even love? You’ll have to read it for yourself to find out all the juicy details.
I’vedecided to change the guidelines a bit after reading Rose’s Thursday Thirteen. Now Behind Closed Doors and all of my blogs will feature any thirteen sentences you wish to share from the book you would like to feature. Rose was kind enough to not only send the first thirteen lines from her book, but also an additional set from later in the story.
So sit back, relax and enjoy the little snippets from Rose’s Loving Leonardo.
Happy Reading and Blessed Be!
~Tammy
Blurb
Bound by limits dictated by society, Art Historian Nicolas Halstead lived a guarded life until a tempest in the form of Elenora Schwaab blew into his world. At first Nicolas can’t decide if the audacious American is simply mad or plotting blackmail for not only does she declare knowledge of his homosexuality, she offers him a marriage proposal.
After Ellie tells him of a previously unknown work of Leonardo da Vinci, a book of erotic love poems and sketches dedicated to the artist’s long-time lover Salai, Nicolas joins her in a race to save the book from destruction. Along the way they encounter Historian Luca Franco and discover a comfortable compatibility that comes to redefine their long-held notions of love.
The trio embarks on an adventure of sensual discovery, intrigue, and danger. Little do they know Leonardo da Vinci’s book is far more than meets the eye.
First Thirteen Sentences of Loving Leonardo
Carlo Posateri shrugged his cloak back on his shoulders, the thin wool gone heavy from absorbing the September fog. He peered into the night then checked his pocket watch under the misty gaslight. Few people would be out in an evening fog like this and there was a word to describe many who were — Ladro. It was a perfect night to make deals with a thief. The acquisition ritual played in his mind. To start: a warm bath and a brandy, followed by an excursion into the most brilliant and salacious mind ever produced by the Renaissance. He envisioned the sinful eroticism the book was certain to contain; the impression settled heavy in his loins. Salivating in anticipation, he swallowed. He wasn’t a sinner. His disdain for the sodomite artists didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy their unique and compelling art. But he wasn’t one of them. He simply appreciated their artistic technique. Born and raised in Rome, he’d planned to return after his Silvia died. But her older brother Pietro encouraged him to stay because without other family, they were all each of them had in the world.
Bonus Thirteen!
He set his glass aside to rest his hand beside mine on the settee. “She seems an open-minded woman. I confess other than with my sisters, I’ve never found myself so comfortable in the presence of the fairer sex. She makes this easy.” My little finger stretched slightly, I swear by its own accord. “She does, at that. She declares herself a progressive in her world view. Ellie is extremely open-minded, and this is a truer fact than many know.” He raised his hand to the side of my face, and there his thumb traced along my bottom lip. My heart started to pound and my cock swelled. The hand slid around to the back of my skull and pulled me close for a kiss. A kiss I very much wanted. I could taste him under the sweet tang of grapes and wine.
A Message from Rose…
I’ve been happily married to my soul mate for the past 35 years and together raised our two children on one of the prettiest places on earth in America’s upper Midwest. We share our lives with five feathered and furred loved ones, and a loving and supportive extended family as well – family we were born into, and family built with dear friends. I’ve been writing for at least twenty years but kept it all to myself after several unsuccessful attempts to send manuscripts to New York knocked the wind from my sails. In the summer of 2010 all roads converged and before I knew it I became a published author. My goal is to learn all I can about this business through five romance novels, then take that knowledge and apply it to the series I’ve been working on for the past six years. Three romance novels are in print now and two to go! After that – love stories of a different sort.
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.
I’m in the planning stages for a virtual book tour to promote TheIsland,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!
Behind Closed Doors 
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