Friday 26 February 2016

Guest Blog - Alexa Sinclaire is here with her Dark Beast!

Happy Friday! I've decided to try to make Fridays my regular guest blog day, so let's kick off with Alexa Sinclaire's new release. Sounds like a good'un!



Scarred and bitter, all former soldier Kieran Thomson wants is a wife, a beautiful bride he can control and manipulate. And use for really hot sex. He isn’t supposed to fall for her. He isn’t supposed to actually care about her. He just wants to lock her up in a gilded cage and use her for his own pleasure. But when she finds a way past his barriers with her sensual touch, Kieran realizes he must either set her free or let her into his heart. 

Despite being ignored and shunned by her family, Josephine Richmond is willing to protect them at any cost. Even if it means marrying a man she’s only just met. They say he’s a beast, scarred inside and out. She knows she should be afraid, she knows she should hate him for trapping her, but she can’t. Unable to resist her attraction to her husband, Josephine’s determined to make the marriage work. Especially when she has her own secret scars that only Kieran seems able to heal.

Where to buy it

Evernight Publishing
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA

Read on for an excerpt!


Wednesday 24 February 2016

The Inevitable Return of the Great...Wednesday Snippet

So this Monday I found myself at a loose end writing-wise. My current Amber Morgan WIP is finished and needs to be edited before I submit it. I thought I was going to finish off another Amber short story next, but when I started writing, I found myself writing about banshees and vampires.

This was not the plan.

However! I'm kind of enjoying it. Actually I'm enjoying it a lot. Having been eyes deep in MC romance since November, getting stuck into some good old-fashioned urban fantasy is really appealing right now (and this is one of the reasons I like having a pen name and writing totally different genres under that pen name - it keeps my creative juices flowing so well to switch projects up this way).

So I figure I'm just going to see where this story takes me and keep writing as long as I'm having fun with it. And because I love you or something, I'm bringing you along for the ride. So here's a Wednesday snippet from what I believe will be called Crow Called. Enjoy!


Thursday 18 February 2016

Guest Blog - Rose Wulf with Found in Flames

I'm delighted to welcome Rose Wulf here today! Werewolf romance always sounds good to me, so I'm looking forward to discovering this series. She's here today talking about book two, but you can find out about book one, CAUGHT IN DARKNESS, at her blog. Now, onto FOUND IN FLAMES...

Found in Flames
by Rose Wulf

Hello everyone! I’m author Rose Wulf and I’m here today to tell you all about my latest release, Found in Flames! Found in Flames is Book 2 in my Night Shadows series, which is set in a world full of vampires, werewolves, witches, and humans called Slayers. This installment focuses on the powerful, sexy Luka Craige – Alpha werewolf with a mission – and unassuming, overworked Joella Harp – a human caught in the crossfire.


All his life Luka Craige has been haunted by the witch that killed his family. Finally, having chased him across the country to the edge of vampire territory, Luka has his chance at vengeance. But not before his Beta is killed and Luka finds himself protecting a woman he doesn’t know. A woman who arouses him like never before. Could he possibly exact his revenge and find his mate?
     
A burning body was the last thing Joella Harp expected to find when she rounded the corner. Let alone a body with a man standing over it. After that her droll life becomes a whirlwind of werewolves, wild sex, and deadly fire. The witch wants her dead, she can barely think past her mouthwatering rescuer, and in no time she realizes this adventure could be more than a fantastical memory…. If she’s brave enough.

Excerpt:

“Are you a werewolf?” she asked as soon as Luka came to a stop. He’d led her to a large, shallow cave a couple of rock formations away from the now-collapsed wolves. There was a small pile of clothes off to one side, just inside the mouth of the cave.

Luka turned to face her and lifted one thick brown brow high on his forehead. “Figured that out all on your own?”

Scrunching her nose at him, Joella crossed her arms and said, “Listen, I’m still attempting to accept that I haven’t just been drugged, okay? So could you try to be nice?”

“What if I told you you had been drugged?” he returned as he lowered himself to sit on the patches of grass near the center of the cave.

From his tone she couldn’t tell if he was joking. “That’s not funny,” she snapped, following him into the cave on reflex.

He was already sitting, one long leg stretched out and the other bent at the knee. The jeans looked sinfully good on him, and combined with the tight, muscle-revealing shirt, it was safe to say she was distracted. Still, she opted to blame her lack of sleep or food and, in an attempt to retain her sanity, she sat carefully a couple of feet away, facing him. “Let’s say I can swallow the ‘werewolf’ pill,” she allowed, “and the guy you saved me from, he’s a witch? Like, ‘abracadabra, hocus pocus’?”

Luka snorted and shook his head. “More like ‘fires of hell’,” he replied. “Witches have element-based powers. And the longer back the lineage traces, the stronger the witch.”

Shrugging as if that all made sense, and hoping someday it would, Joella asked, “But then why would this witch come after me?” A terrible thought occurred to her, then, and her hands flew over her mouth as she gasped. “Your friend… He wasn’t trying to protect me … was he?” Had she gotten a complete stranger killed? Would she be able to forgive herself if that were the case? And why on earth would she even need protection, let alone from a witch? It wasn’t like she had any enemies that she knew of….

“No,” Luka assured her, his voice harsh with pain he probably wouldn’t admit. He was glaring at the dirt somewhere beside his bare foot, and his glare never wavered as he elaborated. “Char will come after you simply because you interrupted him.”

Releasing an inappropriate breath of relief, Joella said, “I suppose that makes—wait, ‘Char’?” He’d said it like a name, but she had to have misheard him. Who names their baby ‘Char?’

“It’s an alias,” Luka said. He released a breath and lifted his dangerous eyes back to hers. “Witches never reveal their real names to their enemies. I only know what family he’s from by his scent.”

“This is ridiculous,” Joella mumbled. “Why did he…?” She couldn’t ask that. Whatever the answer, it wasn’t her business. Asking would just be hurtful. Especially if the almost-invisible wince she caught on Luka’s face was any indication. The hand hanging over his knee clenched in a tight fist and she could practically feel his anger. And for some inexplicable reason, she found that she didn’t like the sight. The pain in his eyes, in the tightness of his jaw, and the white-knuckled grip of his fist, it was all wrong. Everyone else had found comfort in each other. Why did Luka have to suffer in solitude? Did they blame him? Did he blame himself?

Whatever the reason, she disagreed with it powerfully. Human, werewolf, she didn’t care. Luka was a man with feelings, just like any other. And just like any other person who’d lost a good, close friend, the last thing he needed was to be alone. She was as sure of that as she was of the slowly rising sun.

She was moving before she could think better of it, letting one hand land solidly on his shoulder as she reached over and caught his chin with the other. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered when his slightly-widened eyes met hers. “Maybe if I’d gotten there a few seconds sooner…. Maybe I could’ve done something.”

Her words hung in the air and the tension in his shoulder slowly eased as he unclenched his fist. He held her eyes captive for several long, quietly intense seconds. Then his lips were crashing over hers, he’d tangled one hand in her shoulder-length hair, and her chest was pressing wholly into his. He was kissing her with a barely-contained ferocity that was both overwhelming and exhilarating. She was powerless as he sucked her lower lip into his mouth and nipped it with his teeth, and her blood was quickly coming to a boil as her body began to feel things it hadn’t felt in far too long. It was all she could do to keep up with the pace of his kiss, her arms instinctively winding around his neck.

His tongue swept into her mouth, stroking and sliding, demanding more from her even as his arm coiled around her waist and hauled her into his lap. She felt herself moan into his kiss as she let her fingers slip into his head of full, thick, chocolate-brown hair. The softness of his hair was in such stark contrast to the rest of him. The rest of him was deliciously hard and muscular, full of dangerous, primal promises. Promises her body was startlingly eager for him to fulfill. If he made love the way he kissed, a night with him would bring an entirely new definition of passion and pleasure. She’d certainly never been kissed the way he was kissing her.

He’d taken full possession of her mouth, one hand now fisted in her hair, the other cupping her ass and holding her tight against his chest. She could barely breathe and she absolutely could not get enough. Her tongue rolled shamelessly along his with every opportunity.

You know better, Ella, some piece of retained sanity whispered in the back of her mind. And oh how she wished that part of her were wrong. But it wasn’t and so, with more effort than she was willing to admit to needing, Joella pulled back from his hungry lips.

The moment she applied pressure to his shoulders, his grip loosened, and she watched, transfixed, as his Adam’s apple bobbed with a heavy swallow. She kept her hands on him, just under his shoulders, as she worked on catching her breath.

“Why,” she said with a gasp. “Why did you bring me here last night?”

Luka’s expression fell into a frown and his hands slid to her hips, but he made no effort to remove her from his lap. “I told you,” he said. “Char will come for you now.”

“Right,” she acknowledged, barely resisting the urge to dance her fingers around the collar of his shirt. He was way too distracting for her health. “But, why is that your concern? Why do you care about whether I live or die?”

Buy Links:

About Rose:

Rose Wulf is a giant romance fangirl. Hot, protective, sometimes even downright barbaric heroes and spitfire heroines are her favorites. Rose has been writing for as long as she can remember, and over the years she’s only grown fonder of it. The bonds between characters have always captivated her, and as an author those are Rose’s favorite things to play with – not always to the relief of her fictional babies!
           
Behind the scenes Rose is a quiet personality. She enjoys spending her non-writing time with her four year-old German Shepherd, Shadow, her mom, and her friends. Be it a fun game of Cards Against Humanity or a relaxing movie night, Rose believes everything is better with company. As for her own romance, she’s still searching for her hero (and hoping that, when she does find him, he’ll be willing to cook!).

Where you can find Rose:


Wednesday 10 February 2016

"The Wild still lingered in him and the wolf merely slept."

Jack London - White Fang

My writing policy last year was to write what I felt compelled to write, not try to stick to a pre-determined list. It worked really well - 2015 is, I think, officially my most successful year as a published author. Huzzahs! So obviously I'm sticking to that policy this year. At the moment I'm finishing an Amber Morgan project...and then will probably move onto another Amber Morgan project...and then maybe another. I don't know for sure, but all the ideas at the forefront of my mind right now are Amber ideas.

That's not to say there aren't Naomi ideas. There are! But I think they all need a less pantsy approach than I normally take with my books. There's Blood Canticles 3 (probably titled Through Fire), which will probably require two POV characters and needs a whole new world built for it. I'm still putting together that second world (if you've read DARK DAYS, you know what that world is!), and I don't feel ready to start writing until I've nailed down a few more details.

There's the languishing Mercy's Gate, which I started in 2014 (then called Nightmare Moon). It's the book of my heart. The Book/Series that I most want to write and find a home for, and that alone is making it weirdly hard to write. I need it to be exactly so, which to be honest isn't a great frame of mind to write a first draft in, because first drafts are not for exactly so in my opinion. First drafts are just for getting the bloody thing out of your head. But I've been stalling for over a year now and I need to gather my courage, put aside my internal editor for a bit, and just write the damn book.

And, maybe foremost in my head right now, there's a new Urban Wolf book. I loved writing COLD NIGHT MOON so much, it made me go dig out the Urban Wolf novel I started a while back, then shoved away for reasons I don't quite recall anymore. The working title is Black Dog, and I do think this will be the next Naomi project I tackle. It's going to be a tough one - sixth book in the series, time to really, really explode the world and set Ayla some new challenges. I've had a Big Idea for ways to progress the Urban Wolf series for a while now (in fact, I even started a spin-off called In Cold Blood that was going to help me do it), but other projects took precedence and Black Dog ended up almost forgotten. COLD NIGHT MOON reminded me that I still have a lot of stories to tell for my werewolf girls (including that spin-off, which introduces a whole new cast of werewolf girls!).

So I think I can safely say that Black Dog is next on my to-do list. Time to unearth all my werewolf folklore encyclopedias!

Oh, and I'd like to introduce you to my new writing assistant. She's not as good as Fergus yet, but she's showing great promise. Meet Yuki.


Monday 8 February 2016

Guest Post - April Zyon and her Warriors of Light!

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Revealed

Warriors of the Light 2

by April Zyon

Published by Evernight Publishing

Cover art by Jay Aheer (Simply Defined Art)

divider5 Blurb: Hector is a born warrior and protector. But in the war against evil, he cannot fight alone. While he has his brothers-in-arms by his side, a new element is necessary for this battle. That's when he finds Riley, and he realizes dreams can come true—even for one cursed to walk forever throughout time. Riley Jensen is sensitive to lies—the lies others tell, and any she has ever tried to tell. Seeking out sanctuary behind thick walls is her only escape from the pain. Except now it appears she might be the hunted. Not one to sit back and wait, she goes on the offensive with the help of a powerful warrior. As the danger grows thicker, lies will blend with truth. Only Riley can discern fact from fiction with her gift to keep all the warriors walking the true path.

This is a previously published work. It has been revised and edited for Evernight Publishing.
  Be Warned: BDSM, spanking divider5

Purchase Links: 

Amazon US     |     Amazon CA     |     Amazon UK     |     All Romance eBooks
divider5
Excerpt: He slid a finger down her cheek. “The bond is strong, especially when the woman you care for carries something so amazing and precious within. When she is your other, better half, you need to be close to her in the hope that some of that goodness will rub off on you and help to lighten the load we all carry.”

“And you’ve found her?” Damn him for making me ask. She leaned into his touch, all but purring when he stroked his finger down her cheek again. She was as close to him as she could possibly get, her hand resting lightly on his chest as she looked up at him. “Tell me,” she whispered. She had to know that she wasn’t alone in this feeling, that he was as attracted to her as she was to him.

“I did,” he answered. “She is an amazing beauty, a pure and kind soul, elegant, poised, and much too good for a warrior like me. She could have any man falling at her feet, yet she seems to have taken an interest in only one. For which I am grateful.”

“I have a feeling that she would move heaven and earth for you,” Riley admitted quietly, her face turned up to him as she spoke. Licking her lips, she all but shivered at the need that was in his eyes. “I really think you should kiss me again.”

“I think you may be right.” His arms came around her, pulling her up close to his chest, and his head lowered. But he didn’t kiss her immediately. Instead he brushed his nose over hers, then over her cheek. As the anticipation began to build to a nearly explosive point, he finally pressed his lips to hers in a hard, demanding kiss. Riley gave in completely to his passion. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Her hands fisted into his hair. She shuddered and opened to him, his tongue brushing over hers before he took full control. He was dominating her in that moment, and she was fully willing to allow it to happen. Hector’s arms tightened around her as he bent her back over an arm. One hand was soon up in her hair, holding it tight. His mouth devoured hers, and he let out a low growl that shot through her entire body.

Then his lips were gone, but his heavy and hard breathing was still a hot brush over her skin. “We should talk first,” he said, his voice not entirely steady.

Riley nodded and moved so that she could hug him. Her feet were off the ground, and he was keeping her up, but she was fine with that. She pulled back and smiled teasingly. “You running from this?”

He huffed out a breath. “It’s called a strategic retreat, for your information. It’s either that or I have you naked, on the table, with my cock buried inside of you, without a care for the fact that there’s someone else in the house with us. We need to talk before we do anything like that. You need to know what’s going on, and I made you a promise.”

Stepping back, he grabbed one of her hands and tugged her up the stairs and down the hall to the room they would be sharing. divider5

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Friday 5 February 2016

"The Cat is Classic."

HP Lovecraft

Let's not talk about the name Lovecraft chose for his own cat. He was an unrepentant racist, but he was right about cats.

So it's Friday again! I still don't have a laptop! But I do have a three-day weekend, and I will have a laptop (probably) by Sunday. Mine is officially dead. The company who built it offered to give us a quote for repair, but it's more than likely a motherboard issue, which will be a bare minimum of £200 to fix. So, through a convoluted chain of events, I am buying a laptop from a friend and then swapping that laptop with one Kyle loaned to my brother. Everyone gets a laptop! Except my friend, but presumably he knew this when the deal was made.

I also still don't have a working debit card, because my bank seem incapable of doing anything right. I have a general policy of not being a shithead to people in customer service jobs, because...well, there's rarely a need to ever be a shithead to anyone, frankly. But it's been hard since this whole debacle started, and I can't help but wonder if I'd have a working debit card by now if I'd been an asshole three weeks ago when my account first got hacked. Ugh. I don't know. Complaints have been lodged. I'm sure it will make no difference, and I fully expect to still be without a debit card in a week's time, because that just seems to be my fate at the moment.

But it's not all bad news! DARK DAYS is out and quietly sneaking into a few Top 100 lists over on Amazon, so huzzahs!

And tomorrow, best of all, Kyle and I are bringing home a lovely little tabby cat from the local shelter. I'm sure every animal-lover will understand when I say it's been so hard coming home to a cat-free house since we lost Fergus. Last weekend, amidst all the bank drama and laptop chaos, I went to the shelter on impulse and fell in love with this little lady. I realised that, as much as I'm still grieving, I'm also just not happy in a house without a cat. So Yuki (née Holly) is joining us tomorrow, and I'm so excited about getting to know her!

And of course, there will be writing. There will always be writing.


Wednesday 3 February 2016

DARK DAYS are upon us!

Or is upon us, technically speaking. Release day was yesterday, but I'm still laptop-less and couldn't post very much about it here. So here's the usual round-up of purchase links, a day late but still just as good!



Blood Canticles Book 2
Vampires on the loose. Monsters on the streets. And a demon in her bed...
Lola Guntram's life is not getting easier. She's no longer wanted for murder, but there's still danger everywhere she turns. Isaiah's sinister influence still lingers in Fort Rosser, and her friends are breaking under the pressure.
To make matters worse, a new threat stalks Tristesse, and the demon duchess might not win this war. As more blood is spilled and evil draws ever closer, Lola has to ask herself what she's prepared to do—and what she's prepared to sacrifice—to keep her loved ones safe.
Available right this second from Evernight, All Romance Ebooks, Amazon US, and Amazon UK, and probably wherever ebooks are sold!
And, incidentally, if you're interested in trying one of my Amber Morgan titles, TANNER'S WAR is just 99 cents on Evernight right now. That's a whole lot of bikers and snake cults for a tiny, tiny price! I'd do the whole "less than a cup of coffee" thing, but look, if you want coffee, go buy your coffee and don't let anyone tell you different.