Midnight Secrets contest!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I'm sad to say that I'm a bit late with giving away a copy of Midnight Secrets since it came out last week! If you've read Confessions, you need to hop on over to www.lyricalpress.com/wendy_ely to get a copy or leave me a comment to be entered to win one! Why? Because the herione in this book is the sister of Chelsea in Confessions!





And here is an excerpt from the book:



“Guess who, Alli?” the male voice asked.

The voice. The nickname. She didn’t have to turn around to know who stood behind her. “Let go of me,” she demanded. She twisted to make him let go of her. Once she saw the face, she froze. It seemed as though all those years that had gone by came rushing back. So did the urge to slam her knee into his groin, which she never had gotten to do the last time she’d seen him.

Mitch laughed and patted her head as if she’d suddenly grown a long tail, sprouted fur, and turned to barking as a form of communication. “Oh, not happy to see me?”

She shoved his hand aside and stepped out of his reach. “Don’t ever touch me.” How had such a good day gone so shitty in a heart beat?

“Chill out, so we can talk.” He reached for her again, but she moved out of the way before he could put his slimy hands on any part of her.

Her arms crossed over her chest. “What should we talk about? Maybe the fact that you blew me off to marry some bimbo? Or perhaps it was keeping your children a secret and putting me down?”

His face froze. Shock maybe? “Oh, that.” Had he actually thought she’d forgotten what had happened? It was possible that the incident had completely slipped his mind. He reached for her, but she put her hand up to block his touch. “I came back to see you and our kids. Don’t you miss me? Don’t they?”

“You haven’t seen your son since he was two. You’ve never seen your daughter. Hell no, they don’t miss you. They don’t even know you!” She spun on her heel and stomped to the door. If she stayed outside with him one more minute, she was likely to knock his ass out. He’d deserve it too, but landing in jail wasn’t on her to-do list. She slammed the door a little too hard behind her.

“Go hide in your little hole, Alli, but you’ll have to see me sometime. Wilson is a small town and I’m back for good.” He must’ve walked up to the door to yell those words at her, because she could hear them clear as glass, even with the door shut.

Once she was certain he had left, she crumpled to the floor and leaned up against the counter. Her face dropped into her hands. She cried and then cried some more.He couldn’t be back. Why would he step forward now and claim to be a father? It just didn’t make sense, but that didn’t matter. He could take her to court, do a paternity test, and force visitation rights. How would the kids react? Probably not very well. Her body shook with deep sobs. She was so deep in her sadness, she didn’t even know anyone had come into the bakery until strong arms pulled her against the brawny chest she’d missed.

“Miguel,” she started to protest and put half an effort into pulling away.

He rubbed her hair and said, “Shh. It’s okay to cry, honey.”

She quit fighting and rested her head against him. Tears continued to run down her face. “I’m making your shirt wet.”

He held her tighter. “All I care about right now is that I’m here for you.” Miguel kissed the top of her head, making her heart swell.

After a few minutes, she pulled from his embrace. “I’m really sorry.” She stood up.

“For what?” He got up from the floor and looked at the bare walls.

“Not calling you at all and then making your shoulder all soggy.” She wiped another tear from her cheek. “I hate crying.”

He waved at her. “It’s okay. You can use my shoulder to cry on anytime.”

~~~~~

Don't forget to leave a comment so I can give away a copy of Midnight Secrets and I'll talk to you soon!

Wendy Ely

Naughty...Wicked...Fantasies...

*waves at all our Wicked friends* Howdy!! I hope everyone has had an awesome week? Mine week's been productive with writing, writing and woohoo more writing! I'm almost finished writing book 2 ~ Phoenix Rising ~ in my Hell series (my goth "horrormance" series) and book 1 ~ Pandora's Box ~ hasn't even been accepted yet!! Only been subbed 2 weeks and I'm antsy for a response already. Someone tell me to chill-out already!! *cheeky grin* I'm loving these characters so much and their world is so alive, I'm having no problem remembering the minor details. I'm eating, sleeping, daydreaming and falling asleep at night thinking about them. Being so focused on a storyline, puts me in a naughty frame of mind. I guess because I'm living the emotions and passions right along with them.

Okies, I'll shut up about my excitement with my characters and give you a photo that hit me hard this week (I can't remember where I found, but somewhere on the world-wide-wicked-web).....



Does this photo bring to mind any thoughts? Comments? Fantasies? lol

Woohoo!!! We've reached 100 followers!!! Let's see how many of our followers actually read our posts...leave me a comment in this post and I'll give away a pdf copy of Elfin Blood and/or a paperback book cover. Your choice or both...whichever the winner prefers. By the way, the contest ends TODAY at midnight CST.

~~~~~

Now....off to my review of Nostos The Homecoming, by Nancy Barone Wythe.




Blurb:

For over a thousand years, LORD AIDAN HARTLAND OF WESTLAKE and his lover have in turn been eating each other’s hearts in order to regenerate. Now he’s back with his new identity- and the perpetual mission of protecting his woman and mankind from the demon Zendor that has no mate and eats human hearts at random to survive.

FBI agent ROBYN WAINRIGHT, assigned to investigate the strange deaths, is still unaware of her past, and determined to nail Westlake, with his mad tales of demons, paranormal powers and his eternal love for her. But the erotic visions she keeps having are driving her insane…

Review:

My biggest beef is that this story isn't long enough.I wanted more time with the characters because they're both likeable and I would have loved to have gotten into the head of the demon Zendor. But, hey, I'm weird that way because I end up loving the evil characters as much as I do the hero and heroine. This isn't a real beef because it's a compliment that I wanted to spend more time with the characters. The first scene where Lord Aidan Westlake arrives with his Great Danes is a very strong visual. I got this mental image of Aidan standing on a hill, above everyone else, with his Great Danes (beasts) straining against their tethers and Lord Aidan restraining them with ease. I can't remember if the sun pierced through the clouds to shine on just him in that moment, but if it didn't, it should have! :-) I loved Aidan's arrogance—who doesn't love reading arrogant men?—and Robyn's snarky attitude was just as much fun. She was definitely a tough as nails sort of woman. I won't give away the shocking details of the moment I sat straight up and said "WTF". For several pages Nancy left me worried how I could give a favorable review after the way she traumatized me with what she did to her characters. lol Nancy cleared that dilemma up by the time she wrote "the end".


Nostos The Homecoming is a creative story, built with a great imagination. Action punched through scenes in short lively bursts and Nancy Barone Wythe sure knows how to wallop you with great descriptions. For example:

"He had the timeless gaze of an immortal to whom the world had entrusted all its
secrets."

Wow! Immediately I knew Aidan had the look of an 'old soul' in his eyes. Another great line is when Aidan said this to Robyn…

"'You are like daybreak in my darkness…you leave me stunned and bewildered…'"

Dear God, I want someone to profess that type of emotion for me! :D

To get your own copy of Nostos The Homecoming by Nancy Barone Wythe, click here.

Story of Bors is almost here!

To those who’ve been asking about when Bors’ story will be out, I now have an answer—October 2010! Yes, this funny and lovable Knight brother will test how well you liked him in Irresistible Knight.

 

 She’s a rich violinist. He’s an FBI agent always hanging out behind alleys and dirty dumpsters. Together, can they make a beautiful symphony or break each others heart?

*********************

Wolf’s Soul, my newly released paranormal received awesome reviews.

 

“This story is simply amazing! Tierney O’Malley knows how to write an Alpha make character that has both strength and an emotional depth that any reader will fall instantly in love with.”—Happily Ever After Reviews

“The characters just about leap off the page, and the plot is very exciting, but the real focus and best part is the love story between the wolf and the human.”—Coffee Time Romance

*********

Now that the second book of the Knight Brothers Series is almost here, it is time to burn my time finishing the third—Gawain’s story. :D

 

I love hearing from everyone!

 

Tierney O’Malley

http://tierneyomalley.com

Shapeshifting: Would Wasps Be On The Menu?

I miss all my wicked bloggers. Sorry I haven't posted lately but I've been too busy being a mom to three very active kids. I feel like a taxi driver..whew...when do we break for the holidays?! Happy Fall!

I have three minutes until midnight to post my blog so I'm in a giant rush. I'm on the last leg of my current shapeshifter novel.

Okay, so what if we could shapeshift into a gecko? Would you do this? I've been watching two geckos stalk a wasp nest on my front porch where I write. This picture isn't my wasps and gecko. This one is from Australia. Have you ever seen this down under, Mark?



Love and hugs to all!
~Alisha

So Much Has Happened

Okay, where do I begin? Well, first, the contest I ran last week was a great success! Thank you to all who posted. And a BIG, BIG thank you to Gracen who helped spread the word.

Now, seeing as the contest was a huge success (as I said) ALL those who posted a comment can get an eBook copy of Shadows of the Mind. Yes, you heard correctly! So...

Joder
Brandy B
Booklover0226
hotcha1
Gracen (yes, you, mate)
and even Wendy *grin*

Just give me a couple of days to email you your prize if you left your email address. If not, email me at markalders at yahoo dot com and I'll send it to you then :-) Simple hey

Missed out on the contest! Well don't fret, because right now, from the 15th to the 28th of September, you can get all of my titles for a crazy 25% off from All Romance eBooks. Here is the link! So, to start the Pembroke Eve Chronicles, there is no better time.

A lot has been going on lately. I have just completed the first round of edits for the second novel in the Keeper of the Land series, Centaur's Awakening. I can't wait for the series to begin, starting on the 1st of October with Unicorn's Peril! Then, on the 15th of October, the final for Pembroke is released, Hope of the Spirit.

Also, there have been two covers come out for my books since the last time we spoke. Here they are in all their glory:

First, Part five of the Pembroke Eve Chronicles now has a cover:

Then, my Christmas story, A Sangrille Christmas also has a shiny new cover! It's about a werewolf named Leroy with family issues and his boyfriend, Jordan, who convinces him to go to his parents house for Christmas dinner this year. Good times for all--not!

*phew* told you there was a lot! What with all that, there's my WIP's to do as well. Until next week!

It's my day here :)

So it is my blog day but I'm so dang tired. Last night I took my daughter and her best friend to the Jonas Brother's concert. Our seats were in the crappy section and we ended up standing. A little girl about the age of 5 stood in front of me. When Demi Levato (I'm not even sure that's how to spell her name!) took the stage, the little girl turned to her mother. Tears were in the little girl's eyes as she said, "Mom! That's really her! Demi is right there!" It took me back to when my own daughter had been 5 years old when she had gone to her first concert and the joy she experienced that night was renewed watching her favorite band last night. We ended up winning VIP tickets during intermission so when the Jonas Brothers went on stage we had great seats! We didn't sit down though. We spent the night singing and dancing instead.

Other than the concert, I have two tests in law to study for and a new release coming out next week! Here is a little peak of Midnight Secrets:

Will Miguel’s whispered midnight promises ever see the light of day?Content with her job as small town waitress and roll of single mom, Allison believes she's better off without a man. In her opinion, all they bring is chaos - and that includes the father of her child. So why has Miguel’s arrival shaken her so badly? It's not easy for Allison to keep Miguel a secret with someone set on shutting down her bakery and the local sheriff believing she harbors a vendetta against the town because of her tormented past. Keeping her secrets and clearing her name just might be harder than Allison ever imagined. Content warning; This book contains cold family situations during the day and hot nights.

Excerpt:

Even as she ran outside to her car, the temptation to dial his number remained strong. Tossing the phone on the front seat of her car, she locked the door. She would not call the man. Better to dive into her work instead, make herself so busy she wouldn’t have time to think about him.

She carried her notebook around and tried envisioning the diner. His face kept popping into her thoughts instead. It didn’t matter what part of the diner she tried focusing on, because an image of him always showed up there. Miguel sitting at one of the new tables, him walking out of the bathroom…once she even envisioned him in front of the stove and wondered if he knew how to cook. He had become imprinted in her mind so deeply she wondered if she’d explode if she didn’t have some sort of contact with him.

Allison closed her eyes. No thinking about Miguel. Only the bakery.

____

Talk to you soon,

Wendy Ely

Anne Marsh ~ Virtual Blog Tour ~ Bond With Me ~ Leave a Comment for A Chance to Win Big Prizes

I'm reposting my guest blogger here at Wicked Thorn and Roses to give all you wicked readers a chance to comment and win a gift package consisting of an autographed copy of The Hunt, a mother-of-pearl shell, shell necklace, tiare-scented bath salts, two monoi lotions, and monoi oil, all from Bora Bora ($75 value-See photo at the bottom of this blog. GO TO Alisha Paige's Blog and leave a comment for a chance to win!



Since Alisha’s getting herself a Nook…

As some readers know, Dorchester Publishing recently announced a rather radical shift in their publishing program. Instead of publishing mass market paperbacks, Dorchester decided to publish only ebooks for 2010 and move to a combination of ebooks and trade paperbacks in 2011. My fellow Dorchester authors and September 2010 releases learned about this change slightly more than two weeks before our release date. I’d read precisely one ebook before learning that I was about to become an ebook author: one of Harlequin’s very first Nocturne Bites. Despite (or perhaps because of) a day job as a technical writer creating online help for educational software, I loathe reading books in digital form. I adore my paper. I’d far rather stare at the Gutenberg Press than the Nook. But… all these people using ereaders have to know something I don’t, right?

Sure, I have the usual concerns: I don’t want (and can’t afford) to drop hundreds of dollars on an electronic doohickey; reading digitally is different (no matter what people claim, flipping electronic pages is simply not the same); eating and Nook-ing or Kindle-ing seems fundamentally wrong (because, while my new Kresley Cole has Cheeto stains on the edges, I wouldn’t dare do that to an ereader); and I can’t imagine taking an ereader into the tub given the number of books the Siamese has splashed when he decided that my bath time meant his playtime.

Five Things That Just Might Convince Me To Read eBooks:

1. Finding the sex scenes just got easier. Way easier. ‘Nuff said.
2. Publishers are teases. And this is a very, very good thing. Harlequin, for example, let me download five free Harlequins for Kindle. Sure, Harlequin wants me to buy more books, but I’ve never been offered a stack of print books to whet my appetite before. Dorchester has been giving away authors for a limited time as well; THE HUNT, my first release, will be available at least in part over on Border’s True Romance blog shortly.
3. Reading on the train just got more anonymous. While, in theory, I have no issue with the entire world knowing what I’m reading, in practice: I do. Particularly since the last time I was flipping through one of Lora Leigh’s racier books, I looked over—and the man sitting next to me was reading a very well-worn Bible.
4. My TBR pile no longer resembles the Leaning Tower of Pisa. While I’m secretly addicted to being surrounded by stacks of books (the unsurprising side effect of too many years spent working in libraries), I’m not a fan of the new airline luggage charges. Or dragging bags of books to and from the train station. Or running out of things to read when I get stuck on the train. Or waiting for the kids. Or… Portability is a good thing. I’d been holding out for an inter-dimensional portal space like the one Yaniff created in Dara Joy’s novels, but maybe an ereader would do the trick.

I’m still thrilled that BOND WITH ME, my new release, will be both a digital and a print release (even if the print release has been delayed until May 2011)—it seems like having my cake and eating it, too. Do you have a preferred format? What would it take to get you to change from one to the other?



Blurb for BOND WITH ME:

Fallen angels...They rule Moscow’s seedy underworld, promising untold pleasure to the females who dare to mate them. That promise – and Brends Duranov’s own raw sexual power – has hopefuls mobbing the velvet rope outside his elite club G2’s.

But Mischka Baran has no intention of hooking up with one of the Fallen. Not even after Brends gives her an unforgettable taste of the sin and seduction he can deliver with those wicked lips. She’s after information, not a stint as some Goblin’s toy of the month. What she doesn’t know is that with a sadistic killer carving up his brethren, Brends is playing for keeps, hunting the one woman whose bloodline can end the mayhem, whose bond can restore his lost wings.

Excerpt from BOND WITH ME:

Had his eyes darkened? Surely, he couldn’t smell her arousal. He couldn’t know what she fantasized about at night. He was a fallen angel, not a mind reader.
Then again, fallen angels specialized in bringing fantasies to life.
Self-consciously, Pell shifted on the leather seat, the slick material clinging to her bare skin. This was awkward. She knew Dathan had a certain reputation among her human friends, but she’d never seen this side of him. The charming, nonchalant companion had vanished.
Dathan’s hand, strong and sure, stroked an unfamiliar path across her bare thigh. His eyes didn’t release hers, and that hand—that wicked hand—continued its slow, bold march higher.
They’d been friends for ages, so why was he doing this now? And why was she so interested in letting him? Was this all because she’d told him about her stalker?
His hand nudged her thighs apart. She knew she should resist. But at the same time she didn’t want to. Nothing screwed up a friendship faster than sex, and yet…
His fingers inched to the edge of her thong.
“We’re in the middle of a club, Dathan. Someone will see.” Could he tell how wet she was for him?
He shook his head slowly. “This is mine.”
His fingers pressed against her, rubbing the soaked fabric of her panties against her pussy.
She heard herself whimper his name, the dark, needy whisper from her own mouth shocking her.
“You’re going to bond with me, Pell,” he said in the unfamiliar, hard voice. “And in exchange, I’ll keep you safe.”
From the man on her trail, maybe. She had no doubt he could do that.
But who was going to keep her safe from Dathan?



Anne will be giving away:~~for one randomly drawn commenter: a gift package consisting of an autographed copy of The Hunt, a mother-of-pearl shell, shell necklace, tiare-scented bath salts, two monoi lotions, and monoi oil, all from Bora Bora ($75 value).