Claiming The Enemy

CLAIMING THE ENEMY by Lauren Hawkeye is available today! If you're a Grey's Anatomy fan or just a lover of steamy contemps and swoonworthy doctors, you do not want to miss CLAIMING THE ENEMY!

 

About CLAIMING THE ENEMY

Piper Dawson has spent a lifetime living by other people’s rules.

She’s worked hard to get what she wants—a residency at her first choice hospital—and no one will ever tie her down again, not even her severe yet incredibly sexy supervisor, Dr. Alexander “Ace” Lennox.

Ace is done with love. He’s had his heart shattered, and he never wants to go there again. But when he’s inexplicably enticed by the sexy, tattooed woman with blue streaks in her hair and a perpetual smile on her lips, he figures that maybe he can keep it to just sex.

The problem? He thrives on control, and Piper dances just around the edges of it.

But when they're together, control is the first thing to go...

Each book in the Pulse series is a standalone, full-length story that can be enjoyed out of order.

Series Order:
Book #1 Engaging the Bachelor
Book #2 Seducing the Boss
Book #3 Claiming the Enemy

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes and Noble | iBooks

Get a Sneak Peek at CLAIMING THE ENEMY:

“Are you just teasing me? Going to poke fun at me tomorrow for being all over you?”

Ace just stared at her for a moment—she was pretty sure she’d shocked him, but she had no idea why. Finally, a dark laugh escaped his throat, and those granite eyes locked with her own.

“I find this situation anything but amusing.” He closed the distance until there was nothing more than a slender ribbon of space between them. “I don’t get tempted...ever. And yet, ever since you kissed me today, all I can think about is what you’d look like with your legs wrapped around my neck.”

He did not just say that.

“Jesus, Ace.” Piper’s mouth went dry, and she ran the tip of her tongue over her lower lip. His eyes tracked the movement intently, and she felt a surge of moisture between her legs. “How the hell are we supposed to work together tomorrow?”

“No idea.” Sucking in a deep breath, he pressed his forehead to hers. “All I know is that I want you.”

Against every shred of good sense that she possessed, Piper felt her knees weaken. That wasn’t fair. Saying things like that while he stood there looking all smoldering and delicious—how was she supposed to put up a fair fight?

Danger, danger.

“I...” Closing her eyes, Piper stretched out a hand for the last shreds of self-control in her arsenal. “It’s a bad idea. A really, really bad idea.”

I can’t give in. I won’t.

“It’s a horrible idea,” Ace agreed, and when she opened her eyes the feral glint in his eyes had her pulse stuttering. “But right now, when I can see your pulse beating at the skin of your throat? When I can see the flush on your skin and know that it’s because of me? I don’t care.”

“Ace.” Piper’s voice was weak. “If we do this, it will be really hard to go back to what we usually are.”

“And what are we, usually?” Ace’s voice held no trace of the humor she’d expect during this absolutely bizarre conversation. No, he was completely serious.

Serious about seducing her.

“Pains in each other’s asses.”

About Lauren Hawkeye

Lauren Hawkeye/ Lauren Jameson never imagined that she’d wind up telling stories for a living… though when she looks back, it’s easy to see that she’s the only one who is surprised. Always “the kid who read all the time”, Lauren made up stories about her favorite characters once she’d finished a book… and once spent an entire year narrating her own life internally. No, really. But where she was just plain odd before publication, now she can at least claim to have an artistic temperament.

Lauren lives in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada with her husband, toddler, pit bull and idiot cat, though they do not live in an igloo, nor do they drive a dogsled. In her nonexistent spare time Lauren can be found knitting (her husband claims that her snobby yarn collection is exorbitant), reading anything she can get her hands on, or sweating her way through spin class. She loves to hear from her readers!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Reader Group

A Night Without Stars

Cover Reveal: Waiting For Tuesday

Today we have the cover reveal for Waiting for Tuesday by Taylor Sullivan! Check out this gorgeous cover, and be sure to grab your copy on October 10^th!

 

Title: Waiting for Tuesday

Author: Taylor Sullivan

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Day: Oct 10^th



About Waiting for Tuesday:

All I ever wanted was a home—stability, hard walls, and roots so deep they could withstand the strongest storm. Through long hours and determination, I was finally on my way, signing contracts for my brick and mortar ship, and beginning to feel settled for the first time in my life.

But the night I met John Eaton, I felt that stability crumble. His smile was a mixture of little boy and pure devil at the same time. I knew his type, knew the sort of games that came with men like him.

So I pushed. But he pulled harder. I tried to fight it, to shove away the connection that clawed at my heart, but it was too late. Roots dug in, grew deep, and twisted. John fell for me, and I for him. He was impossible to resist. I was his.

But a secret is a dangerous thing. Held for too long, it can rip a life apart.

Destroy the man I loved.

Destroy us.



About Taylor Sullivan:



Taylor is a contemporary romance author who loves writing stories about real people. Ones with hopes, dreams, fears, insecurities, and flaws. She loves to read as much as she loves to write, and is thrilled to share her first novel with you.

When Taylor isn’t writing, she can often be found with her nose in a book, her face behind a camera, or spending time with her husband and three young children.

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook

No Quarter

Title: No Quarter: Dominium – Volume 1
Author: MJL Evans and GM O’Connor
Genre: Historical Fiction / Action Adventure
Volume 1 of 6 begins in 1689 Port Royal, Jamaica with Atia Crisp and her sister Livia shipwrecked and sold into slavery. They are separated and Atia is used as a pawn in a deadly card game at the Swiftsure Tavern until she is liberated by sugar merchant Capitaine la Roche. Hunted at every turn, they take refuge at Cherry Red’s Boutique and meet up with allies including the medication loving Dr. Strangewayes.

Series Description:
Against the political stage of 1689 Port Royal, Jamaica, the unswerving Atia Crisp is thrust into the world of bondage, violence, beauty and love. Shipwrecked and sold into slavery with her sister Livia, the pair are soon separated and Atia is used as a pawn in a card game. Captivated by her beauty, Atia is swiftly liberated by sugar merchant, Capitaine la Roche (also known as the pirate, Gator Gar), whose past is stained with blood and grief. La Roche works with a network of friends and allies including local strumpet, Cherry Banks, Theodore Binge the card shark and the kindly, medication loving Dr. Strangewayes. Soon Atia and la Roche are ushered away to safety after a mysterious outbreak of scarlet fever wreaks havoc on the city.

Within the luxuriant tropical confines of Dr. Strangewayes’s plantation at the foothills of the Blue Mountains, bonds of friendship are formed and the fierce love between Atia and Capitaine la Roche becomes absolute. Atia is reunited with her sister, piratical father and unexpected old friends. However, nowhere is safe as spies seek out both Atia and la Roche for the bounties on their heads. Neither of them can escape the shadows of their former lives and must rely on each other’s strengths for survival. Their journey leads them to an inevitable conflict that threatens their world, but inches them closer towards freedom.

Now Available:
No Quarter: Dominium – The Complete Series and No Quarter: Wenches – Volume 1

Author Bio
MJL EVANS wanted to be a writer since she was ten years old. Her motto - it’s never too late in life to get your act together and do something you really love. No Quarter: Dominium is her first book series and she currently writing the next, No Quarter: Wenches. Her sense of humor has been shaped by Monty Python, Black Adder and Red Dwarf, while her dramatic side has been influenced by independent/foreign movies.
You can connect with MJL Evans on Twitter at @artistmjlevans or noquarterseries@gmail.com

GM O’CONNOR is a huge movie fan, writer and visual artist. No Quarter: Dominium is his first book series and he’s busy writing No Quarter: Wenches. A lover of sci-fi and history, half his brain lives in the 17th century while the other half sails perpetually through space. He hopes to one day bring the No Quarter Series to film and/or graphic novel format.
You can connect with GM O’Connor on Twitter at @gm_oconnor or noquarterseries@gmail.com


Links
Website: http://www.thenoquarterseries.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noquarterseries/
Follow us on Twitter at: @noquarterseries
Email us at: noquarterseries@gmail.com
Where to download:
https://www.amazon.com/No-Quarter-Dominium-Quarter--ebook/dp/B00SYVPPSO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1467731793&sr=1-1&keywords=no+quarter+dominium
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-quarter-m-jl-evans/1122594772?ean=2940151672146
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/no-quarter-dominium-volume-1
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/503124
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/MJL_Evans_No_Quarter_Dominium_Volume_1?id=reqnCgAAQBAJ&hl=en
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/no-quarter-dominium-volume-1/id954657478?mt=11


Book Excerpts
Excerpt 1
The ship collided against the rocks of Folly Bay. The hull shattered, releasing a loud groan, akin to a wounded animal in the throes of a death blow. Frantic passengers spilled onto the main deck from the hold. They climbed over and pushed one another, until they were finally tossed side to side and slammed over the edge of the ship.
Atia was pelted by flying debris. Her eyes briefly opened to behold a mountain of water as it rolled upon them. There was no air, only the rushing garble of the tide. Water relentlessly filled her ears and nose. Her lips recoiled into her mouth and her teeth clamped upon them. The water receded and she gasped, simultaneously sucking in air and spewing brine.
The rail began to buckle. Before her was a dizzying display of lightning. A short distance away, the rocks flickered and shined. Someone scrambled upon them. She recognized her ma’s long hair. The ship’s bow, only a few feet away, approached fast. With a potent hit, the front of the ship broke apart and her ma was crushed beneath it. Passengers flew mid-air, some landing in the water, others splitting apart on the rocks.
Atia opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. The rail broke loose and she was propelled forward, catching a ride along the spindrift to the stony beach. She landed heavily, her arms still gripped around the broken barrier. The scream finally escaped her throat and she belted it across the landscape. After unhooking her arms, she rose slowly, vomiting mouthfuls of salt water.
Behind her, the ship continued to splinter under the pounding waves. Flames erupted from the hatches of the hold. Unfortunate souls hurled themselves off the vessel to extinguish their clothes, only to be caught in the grinding undertow of the current.

Excerpt 2
Capitaine la Roche gazed through the window of his cabin aboard La Lune. The morning sunshine cast an orange glow on the English city of Port Royal. It was a miracle they made it with the sails in tatters and wreckage spread all over the deck. He fell in and out of consciousness fused to the helm all night. Only when he saw blue sky with seabirds floating overhead had he realized that they survived. He remembered Martel releasing the rope and de Kreep helping him to his cabin. After suffering a headache and waves of nausea, la Roche woke hours later, almost recovered.
His bluish gray eyes studied the many fishing boats and Turtle Crawls, where the city’s turtle supply was farmed in two large pens. Four years it had been since he set foot here and everything appeared the same. He however was now in his forties, his dark hair marred by silver streaks and he bore many more scars.
He finished buttoning his shirt to conceal purple bruises on his torso from being pinned against the wheel. After slipping on a respectable dark blue jacket and black trousers, the finishing touch upon his head was a black wide-brimmed hat. The leather belt around his waist held a cutlass and a Spanish stiletto. It would only be a matter of time before people realized he was back. Known by many names, he was Gator Gar and El Capitaine when he raided the Spanish, le Sage to the buccaneers of Hispaniola, and La Salle when he was sent to England with Henry Morgan to be tried for piracy. He managed to keep his true identity secret; after all diligence was paramount, enemies were everywhere.

Excerpt 3
In his study, Dr. Strangewayes sat in an easy chair beside the window, writing notes in a leather-bound book. For a moment he looked up to see the silhouette of a witch on a broomstick glide by. His eyes opened widely and he continued note-taking. “Long term use of laudanum leads to hallucinations.” He put down the quill and massaged his eyes. “Time for sleep, old chum.” He set the book aside. “Come along, Boots.” A large marmalade cat napped, sprawled out across the width of the desk. “Oh, never mind.”
From the back door came three knocks. “Oh, shit.” The doctor reluctantly headed downstairs. After monitoring the events outside when mobs roamed the streets with torches, he feared he’d meet his end with a pitchfork. He passed by the examination room and down the hall to the back. He held up an oil lamp and opened the door cautiously.
The doctor paused, stretching for the appropriate words. “Well, I must say, this is a switch, you knocking on my door for a change.”
Vie stood there boldly, broomstick in hand.
“Are you quite well?” His gaze stumbled onto her pointy hat and costume. “My dear girl, if you get caught dressed like that, the best solicitor in the world couldn’t get you off.”
“You don’t know how right you are, Doctor.” She adjusted her hat.

Excerpt 4
Everyone reached for their weapons. La Roche pulled a stiletto from the leather sleeve attached to his belt. He flicked the gold sword to le Picard, who caught it and spun around to defend the flank. Martel was slow on the draw to get his sword, but improvised effectively by kicking a thug in the groin.
“Good timing,” la Roche said. “You are due for a raise, oui?”
“You should have stayed in your cave, Gator Gar. You ain’t getting outta here alive!” Al hissed.
“I should have killed you a long time ago, connard!”
The adversaries lunged for each other. Their hats spun to the floor and their blades deflected, lightly grazing each other’s flesh. La Roche slipped by his opponent to gain better footing. Al winced as a point pierced his thigh and he fell off balance toppling the table. That’s when Dogfish and Big Fred moved in, jabbing swords with le Picard and Martel. A barrage of blades chopped through the air. One cut la Roche’s arm. He dropped the stiletto and took out his cutlass. The three Frenchmen arranged themselves in a defensive triangle.

Excerpt 5
Fort James guarded the entrance to the inner harbor. Cannons lined three sides. On the top level, next to the flagpole, Acting Lieutenant Governor Dorcas Dewar strolled along with a silver walking stick, dressed in a lavish purple suit, feathered hat, and heavily polished buckle shoes. His companion Chief Judge Lord Lawrence Llewellyn was decked out in a finely woven long coat and feather trimmed tri-cornered hat. They walked around the slaves cleaning up storm debris.
Following them was the Governor’s advisor, Mason Sleemans, dressed in a dark doublet and matching trousers with a tri-cornered hat.
“Splendid idea, Larry! Splendid!” Dewar clasped his hands together.
“Seems the appropriate thing to do after a hurricane.”
Sleemans’s eyebrows pointed up. “Pretend to give a bloody damn?”
“Oh, you’re so right. For spirit at the very least. That’s politics for you, it’s all about the people.” Dewar shook his head. “Bloody sods!”
“My thoughts exactly, sir.” Llewellyn shook his pen, a newfangled invention nick-named the ‘Pepys’ pen, inspired by Samuel Pepys, cousin to the harbormaster. “Why won’t this work?” He tried to write on parchment.
“You turn it. The ink’s inside,” Sleemans explained
“Supplies may be short, so we may have to dip into the reserves just a bit.” Dewar lifted his thumb and forefinger.
“Of course, sir. No problem. The audit is my responsibility, after all.” Sleemans bowed, exhaustion permanently etched on his face.
Dewar paused. “A hurricane is a disaster and that’s what the disaster fund is for, right? We’ll call it the I Survived the Hurricane Ball.”
Llewellyn clapped childishly. “Excellent choice, your Grace!”
Dewar breathed deeply. “I love when you call me that.”
Sleemans glared at Llewellyn. “Shall we impose a curfew for the lower classes?”
“Absolutely!” Dewar clapped his hands together. “We don’t want the riffraff spoiling our fun.” He watched a pair of city officials emerge from the top of the stairs. “Here comes the I Want, I Want Brigade!” The city’s engineer, Bill Chitty, and Councilman White charged forth. “Councilmen, what is it?”
“Ya wanted the damage report, sir,” Chitty replied.
“Ah, of course. Let’s have it.”
“Thames Street to High Street from the King’s House to the Admiralty Court is flooded,” White said, clad in a white suite, with a white wig and an ivory walking stick. “My house as well. I’m thinking of renting out the basement as a bath house.”
“The bridge to the Palisadoes is out again,” Chitty added. “We’ll need to appropriate funds from the disaster bank for a new bridge – a proper bridge.”
Dewar shook his head. “I’m afraid that’s impossible, funds have already been appropriated.”
“What?” White demanded. “I haven’t seen anything about that. You better not be planning another ball at our expense!”

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A Shattered Empire

Inside the Book:

Title: A Shattered Empire

Author: Mitchell Hogan

Release Date: September 13, 2016

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Genre: Coming of Age/Fantasy

Format: Ebook/Paperback/Audio

In this gritty and breathtaking conclusion to the Sorcery Ascendant Sequence, the award-winning fantasy series, a young sorcerer must learn to wield his extraordinary powers to defeat two warring empires.



In a battle of armies and sorcerers, empires will fall.



After young Caldan’s parents were slain, a group of monks raised the boy and initiated him into the arcane mysteries of sorcery. But when the Mahruse Empire was attacked, and the lives of his friends hung in the balance, he was forced to make a dangerous choice.



Now, as two mighty empires face off in a deadly game of supremacy, potent sorcery and creatures from legend have been unleashed. To turn the tide of war and prevent annihilation, Caldan must learn to harness his fearsome and forbidden magic. But as he grows into his powers, the young sorcerer realizes that not all the monsters are on the other side.



And though traps and pitfalls lie ahead, and countless lives are at stake, one thing is certain: to save his life, his friends, and his world, Caldan must risk all to defeat a sorcerer of immense power.



Failure will doom the world.



Success will doom Caldan.

 

Meet the Author:

When he was eleven, Mitchell Hogan was given the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to read, and a love of fantasy novels was born. He spent the next ten years reading, rolling dice, and playing computer games, with some school and university thrown in. Along the way he accumulated numerous bookcases filled with fantasy and sci-fi novels and doesn’t look to stop anytime soon.



His first attempt at writing fantasy was an abysmal failure and abandoned after only one page. But ideas for characters and scenes continued to come to him and he kept detailed notes of his thoughts, on the off chance that one day he might have time to write a novel. For ten years he put off his dream of writing until he couldn’t stand it anymore. He knew he would regret not having tried to write the novel percolating inside his head for the rest of his life. Mitchell quit his job and lived off dwindling savings, and the support of his fiancé, until he finished the first draft of A Crucible of Souls.



He now writes full time and is eternally grateful to the readers who took a chance on an unknown author.



A Crucible of Souls won the 2013 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel.



Mitchell lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife, Angela, and daughter, Isabelle.



Visit his website at http://www.mitchellhogan.com

Giveaway

Mitchell Hogan is giving away a paperback copy of Books One and Two of the Sorcery Ascendant (A Blood of Innocents and Crucible of Souls)!

Terms & Conditions:

• By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old - US Only Please
• One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive both books
• This giveaway ends midnight September 23.
• Winner will be contacted via email on September 24.
• Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

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———————

Tour Schedule

Monday, September 12 - Book featured at Books, Dreams, Life

Book featured at The Book Tree

Tuesday, September 13 - Book featured at Kristy Centeno

Book featured at I'm Shelf-ish

Wednesday, September 14 - Book featured at The Review From Here

Book featured at A Title Wave

Thursday, September 15 - Book featured at The Dark Phantom

Book featured at Book Cover Junkie

Friday, September 16 - Book featured at The Literary Nook

Book featured at Voodoo Princess

Monday, September 19 - Book featured at Bound 2 Escape

Book featured at The Writer's Life

Tuesday, September 20 - Book featured at CBY Book Club

Book featured at As the Page Turns

Wednesday, September 21 - Book featured at The Bookworm Lodge

Book featured at Inkslinger's Opus

Thursday, September 22 - Book featured at What is That Book About

Book featured at All Inclusive Retort

Friday, September 23 - Book featured at Bent Over Bookwords

Book featured at Lover of Literature

________

Going Home

Who's on a virtual book tour today?  John Arnold, author of GOING HOME: A COMEDY, is and is stopping off here!  Please leave a comment or question for John to let him know you stopped by!

The Things We Said Today

We're thrilled to be hosting Lise McClendon's THE THINGS WE SAID TODAY: A BENNETT SISTERS NOVEL Virtual Book Tour today! Please leave a comment or question for Lise below to let her know you stopped by!

Title:
The Things We Said Today - A Bennett Sisters Novel

Author: Lise McClendon

Publisher: Thalia Press

Pages: 274

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Five sisters, all lawyers, well-trained in the art of
demanding what’s necessary.It’s enough to drive a wedding planner to tears.
Then add in a European venue, a Scottish hunting lodge, and a reluctant bride,
and things get dicey. Can the middle sister, Merle, rally the troops, deal with
the in-laws, and stop a powerful storm from ruining everything? Merle has
powers of persuasion, especially when it comes to her French beau, Pascal, but
in Scotland she
has no clue how to corral her out-of-control sisters who are hellbent on wringing
every bit of drama from a bad situation.

Annie Bennett is getting married…. At the ripe old
age of 55. She’s turned down a few proposals over the years and stayed true to
her motto: Stay single, stay happy. When she met handsome Scot Callum Logan
she had no intentions beyond her own personal Highland fling. Then it happened:
she fell in love. Annie’s doubts about marrying a much-younger man continue to
plague her. Callum wants to get married in the bluebells of his native Highlands.
But does Annie want to get married at all?

Join the Bennett Sisters in their third rollicking
novel, after Blackbird Fly and The Girl in the Empty Dress, in another summer
adventure with romance, intrigue, men in kilts, plus wine and whisky, as they
navigate the treacherous waters of middle-age, self-discovery, and
understanding your fears.

For More
Information

• The Things We Said Today
  is available at Amazon.

Book Excerpt:

The
Scottish landscape sped by the window in flashes of greens, ruby reds, and
golds as Merle Bennett sat curled into the train seat, holding Pascal’s warm
hand. All the planning, coordinating, and anxiety of the last few months
evaporated as they passed fields of sheep, horses grazing on emerald pastures,
trees aglow with new finery, and tiny villages squatting low along roadsides.

As
a pessimist Merle never thought it could all come together, even with her
prodigious check-lists. But there is one important reason to be a pessimist. As
one you are subject to pleasant surprises, and Merle was experiencing one now.
Things had come together. Stasia, the hyper-organized sister, had
wielded her mighty binder full of maps, weather charts, and suitcase-packing
diagrams. Merle provided lists of clothing required for each day of the week.
Annie, the eldest and the bride, had floated along on everyone else’s plans.
The younger sisters were blissfully ignorant of all lists, treating the whole
thing as a big adventure. And it was, Merle supposed, if you looked beyond the
machinations to make it all happen.

Annie’s
wedding was in five days. Merle was crazy about Callum Logan, as he made her
sister happy. That was easy to see. But it would be stretching it to say that
she thought six months ago that this wedding would happen. Moving entire
families across the Atlantic Ocean, coordinating flights, getting passports for
some, renewals for others, hotel rooms, rental cars, all that plus the actual
wedding planning. Not to mention trying to make everyone happy. It was a
nightmare to Merle. In the end she only had to coordinate herself and Pascal.
And that, as it turned out, was easy.

He
had his head back, eyes shut, black curl drooping on his forehead. The sway of
trains made most people sleepy but Merle rode one almost every day. She rubbed
the back of his hand with her thumb. Almost everything about Pascal was easy,
she thought, and that made her twitchy. Life in general didn’t fit that
pattern. There were compromises and disappointments, failures and chaos. People
left you, grew up, moved away, died. There was so much room for loneliness and
disaster.

Life
was irritatingly random. So she made her lists, trying to control what she
could and cross the rest off.

They
slowed to a stop in a small town. The station was bright, cheerful, with
splashes of blue paint. Sunshine poured through glass panels in the roof.
Everything she’d heard about Scotland seemed wrong. It was beautiful,
peaceful, full of spring flowers, blue skies, and happy faces.

She
made a quick promise to herself to smile all week. Her son Tristan wouldn’t be
here to remind her. A glance at Pascal might do the trick. It shouldn’t be that
hard. She was happy for Annie, who despite years of protestations and bohemian
ways, was actually getting hitched.

It
was amazing. It was romantic. And it felt inevitable the way the best things
do, as if life had finally given up throwing obstacles in your path and wrapped
its warm arms around you and whispered those happy words you’d been longing to
hear.

This
is your moment. Go live it. 

About the Author

Lise McClendon writes fiction
in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. She has been a film reviewer, a film maker,
a journalism professor, and a PR flack. Since her first novel, The Bluejay
Shaman, was published in 1994, she has served on the national board of
Mystery Writers of America and the International Association of Crime
Writers/North America, as well as on the faculty of the Jackson Hole Writers
Conference where each year she critiques, speaks, and learns from writers new
and old.

Lise McClendon also writes as
Rory Tate.

Her
latest book is the women’s fiction, The
Things We Said Today.

For More Information

• Visit Lise McClendon’s website.
• Connect with Lise on Facebook and Twitter.
• Find out more about Lise
  at Goodreads.

 

Guest Post
Agony and Anticipation: Writing and Reading a Series
by Lise McClendon

When you pick up a book in a series you’ve read before, there is a moment of joy, the anticipation of renewed pleasure, like the days leading up to your birthday when you were a kid. Here come the goodies! There will be cake and ice cream and presents! With a mystery novel—or any series— the eagerness for the next book in the series can be powerful. Why can’t she write faster? What’s he doing off writing a stand-alone? I need my visit from my old friends and I need it NOW.

My first books were series mysteries where the main character solves the problem of who murdered the victim, and a few other issues as well. I love serial fiction, and adore finding a writer that I can follow from book to book. Someone steady who won’t let me down but is clever and funny, who takes me to somewhere I’ve never been with someone so real they seem like a best friend. Someone who is predictable but not boring. Reading as comfort food is a thing, and I’ve eaten it up in mounds.

As a writer it’s different. Ask any writer who is 20 or more books into a series and you will probably hear more about ‘product’ than amazing moments of excitement or imagination. Bless those writers who can fire it up book after book – you rock!

Myself, I got a little antsy after six series books. I wanted to stretch. Series fiction in all its glory has much to offer – easier world-building for a big one -- but I wanted to write about multiple characters, to dig into a fuller, deeper story. Longer maybe, definitely more complex. So I wrote what I thought would be the first book in a series of linked stand-alones, hoping to have the best of both worlds. Familiar characters but new situations, new points of view, new problems to open up the stories. Five sisters who would each have their own book, their own spotlight moment.

As it happened the first book, Blackbird Fly, ended up going rogue, leaving the cozy bookshelves of New York publishing to reappear as my first original title with my own Thalia Press. (We call this indie publishing now, right?) I figured it would just be a stand-alone after all, and that wasn’t bad. I went on to write a couple more stand-alones and let Blackbird Fly go off on a solo journey.

Then I went on a walking tour in France with five women, through the heart of wine country in Burgundy. It was fabulous (as you can imagine) and I decided I would use a similar event to anchor another story with the five Bennett Sisters from Blackbird Fly, called The Girl in the Empty Dress. I had always intended the sisters’ stories to continue and the first book was set in France. Now I found a way to do that. I changed the walking tour to the Dordogne, where the main character, Merle, has a stone house, and I was off and… well, writing.

Flash forward to 2015. I spent nearly two years writing and editing a delightfully whacky, darkly comic mystery with four other writers (Katy Munger, my partner at Thalia Press, plus Kate Flora, Gary Phillips, and Taffy Cannon.) Our labor of love was an unwieldy beast (until we polished it up) of laugh-out-loud sex, food, and murder caper called Beat Slay Love: One Chef’s Hunger for Delicious Revenge. I love our latest review: “Funny in a sick way.” But the time had come to do my own thing again and I returned to the continuing story of the Bennett Sisters.

I set up the new book with a novella, Give Him the Ooh-la-la, getting the oldest sister, Annie, engaged at the ripe old age of 55. A confirmed bohemian, her engagement shocks her sisters, and having all involved travel to Scotland for a destination wedding in a creepy hunting lodge set all sorts of possibilities into motion.

Wedding novels are a staple of romance fiction, but alas, I am not a romance writer. I enjoy an occasional romance novel but write one? I doubt if I could. So how could I make this novel about a wedding something else, something deeper, less frothy — something more me? I set to work and, well, somebody dies, I can tell you that. More than one somebody. But there is also humor, all sorts of events that Scotland is famous for including the drinking of whisky, plus allusions to the Pride and Prejudice namesake sisters in Jane Austen’s novel (my all-time favorite novel—surprise!) Have you ever wondered how you could weave a few choice Austen quotes into everyday life? I have an idea or two on that.

I adore Scotland, but its weather has sometimes failed to charm me, like the time I took my whole family there at the beginning of August and it never hit 60 degrees. Many lovely sweaters were purchased. Then I went again, in May, when the bluebells were blooming in carpets in the Highlands, when the skies were blue and the temperatures balmy. It was amazing, like summer in a week. It probably only lasted a week but I knew I had to set my new book in May.

Are the skies always blue in The Things We Said Today? No, that would be boring. The Scottish skies give us danger and drama. I hope the Bennett Sisters newest tale brings you drama, exotic locales, charm, insight into life, plus some laughs. Oh, and a few men in kilts. Happy reading.

The Things We Said Today is available now. The first Bennett Sisters novel is free right now. Details here.

Hillsong-Let Hope Rise Release Giveaway

I have posted previously with a teaser on Hillsong's movie entitled Let Hope Rise. Everyone get ready as it is releasing on Friday, September 16th! I am posting some sneak peek videos here so you have a little to hold you over until the release. But there is more great news! I am giving away 2 tickets to see the movie and a copy of the movie soundtrack. Please comment below to be entered!

Cover Reveal: Match Fit

Match Fit
Amélie S. Duncan
Publication date: October 11th 2016
Genres: Erotica, Romance, Sports

He’s cocky, dirty, and demanding. He’s a walking wet dream.

He’s also mine. Or at least he’s pretending to be…

Brooke

Notorious British bad boy footballer Dylan Pierce is scorching hot…

and he knows it.

With a mouth as filthy as his reputation, linking myself with him could ruin my public image.

But showbusiness is all about risk, and as a down-on-my-luck actress,

this could be the break my career needs.

Dylan

Brooke Sullivan is my most difficult opponent yet.

Being seen with a good girl like her may give me a chance at Hollywood stardom,

but I never expected to crave this feisty redhead.

I can’t lose my focus—I always keep my eye on the ball,

I’m always match-fit.

And winning her is the most important game I’ve ever played.

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Author Bio:

Amélie S. Duncan writes contemporary, erotic romances with a dark edge. Her inspiration comes from many sources including her life experiences and travels. She lives on the West Coast of the United States with her husband.

Find out more about her books by going to her website at http://www.ameliesduncan.com/

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Cover Reveal: Blood of Stars and Gods

Blood Of Stars And Gods
Melissa Petreshock
(Stars and Souls #2)
Published by: Swoon Romance
Publication date: October 4th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult

Forever does not go on unchanged.

Caitriona Hayden’s destiny as the Dracopraesi dragon’s North Star is no clearer to her than it was weeks ago. However, Cait’s eternal future seems a minor concern while the vengeful elves continue taunting the dragons, now using violence against the human population in their desire for war.

Battles of war aren’t the only ones fought.

King Corrin struggles to make peace with his coming end, and as his family bonds heal, stronger relationships and alliances form among Cait and her dragons. Theo may have won her heart, but Oliver fills a void long left by the passing of her uncle, and each dragon is a part of Cait’s family.

But a darkness bleeds through to change their world.

When faced with decisions of life and death, Cait, Theo, and demigod Dante must choose unpredictable paths, chance outcomes of eternal consequences, and make dubious promises. As Cait displays unexpected abilities, complications arise, more details of her destiny are revealed, and she discovers the inherent risks of fearing change.

Every era has a beginning and an end. There are things in the world no one is meant to stop.

BLOOD OF STARS AND GODS is book two in the exciting Stars and Souls trilogy, sequel to Amazon #1 Contemporary Fantasy: FIRE OF STARS AND DRAGONS!

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Sequel to:

Author Bio:

Romance author Melissa A. Petreshock lives in the Greater Atlanta area, writing whatever strikes her fancy and subsisting on unnatural doses of coffee, sarcasm, and music. Spending most of her time weaving reality and imagination into fantastical romantic tales, Mel often loses track of reality and is admittedly more than a tad eccentric.

Look for future works in the Stars and Souls Trilogy as well as additional projects of contemporary romance and whatever else the muse sends Mel's way..

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