Thursday, February 21, 2013

Giveaway: Crazy Stupid Love New Adult Giveaway Blog Hop

Our first giveaway blog hop. Yay! And it's an international giveaway. Yay! We hope you're excited too—since this means free stuff! The Crazy Stupid Love hop is hosted by Talk Supe, and we're happy to participate.


This is an international giveaway for the winner's choice of paperback or ebook!

We're giving away a new adult book chosen by the winner from among any book mentioned in this post, or any book mentioned in the comments and then approved by Kenya or me. In other words, if this post doesn't mention a new adult romance (including paranormal romance) book you have your eye on, ask us in the comments if we'll include it as an option in our giveaway. If we approve in the comments, you're good to go!

Kenya and I have read a lot of New Adult books lately. In fact, Kenya's a little obsessed with them. Here are some of the ones we read and at least one of us loved (all of which are options for the winner):


Here are a couple that are on our reading list (also included as options for the winner):


The fine print: If the winner requests paperback, the book must be available from the Book Depository, which must ship to your address. The Book Depository ships to these countries. Otherwise, you're stuck with an ebook. If the winner opts for ebook, it will be gifted from an ebook store of the winner's choice that supports gifting. If the selected book is not yet published, we will preorder it or purchase it for the winner after publication.

You must be 18 or older to enter this giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The other blogs in the hop (giving away more new adult goodies) are:

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Guest Post: How I Write an Interracial Romance, by Ambrielle Kirk




I've written more than a few interracial romances to date. 





My first piece of published work revolved around an interracial couple. However, I don't classify myself as an interracial author for many reasons. I appreciate that books are categorized that way so that readers who do have a preference can easily find books and make their choices. 

Here are some points that I keep in mind when writing an interracial romance:



The story that I am writing is a romance, first and foremost. 

Skin color to me is only incidental to the story. People are attracted to each other for many reasons, and yes, sometimes skin color is one of them. But people don't fall in love with each other because of skin color. 


They fall in love with something unique to that person whether it's personality or just pure love at first sight. 

So it is very unlikely you'll find me writing chapters and chapters of the characters thinking about how Black she is or how White he is. They are thinking more along the lines of how good they feel in each other's arms or reminiscing about what they want to do with each other when they're apart. 

The romance should shine through, not the ethnicity.



The story that I am writing must feature "true to life" characters. 

They will never be perfect. They will have flaws, insecurities. They will make decisions that are stupid, and they will make decisions that turn out to be smart ones. This process is all part of life. 


There is a certain amount research that is done on each character. Depending on the personality, I may think about a time when I met a person like the one in my story. I may pay attention to people more as I go about my day shopping

The one thing I detest when reading a small percentage of interracial romances is the stereotype. Not all African-American characters are going to sound ghetto. And just because there is a Caucasian man attracted to an African-American woman doesn't mean he's going to flip the script and act ghetto. No. 

When writing an interracial romance, it's important to base the style of dress, manner, and lingo on that character's personality or lifestyle, not on stereotypes running rampant for their ethnicity.


When marketing something that is clearly an interracial romance, I seek to market my stories to romance readers because my stories are romance, first and foremost. 

The conflicts and triumphs are very much the same one's that we may have all encountered in life, will encounter, or may never want to encounter. These conflicts can be applied to any story whether it's interracial, multicultural, etc.




Not all these points will apply to everyone as each of us have our own goals in our writing, but those are just a few points that I keep in mind when I write any story.











Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Cover Reveal: Bitter Angel by Megan Hand

We have a cover reveal today for a New Adult thriller. Kenya and I are are really feeling New Adult books these days, so we're excited to participate in this reveal.

What do you think of it? I like the how the title fades up the left and down the right. It's very . . . thriller-ish, I guess. I like it!



Title: BITTER ANGEL
Author: Megan Hand
Expected publication: April 1, 2013
Genres: Thriller
Age Group: New Adult
Cover Designer: B Design
Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours


Book Description

Torn between two realities.
A choice that will mean life or death.
She won’t know anything… until she wakes up.

College sophomore, Lila Spencer lived Friday night twice. She doesn’t know how or why, just that she did. As if she split in half and went in two different directions.

Out clubbing with her friends, Heather and Nilah, the girls rock it out and party hard. What begins as an innocent night will lead to a deadly fight for their lives, and Lila might be their only chance for survival.

In bed with her boyfriend, Jay, Lila is safe and warm as she drifts to sleep in the arms of the man she loves. Until she is sucked into a horrifying nightmare of her friends’ deaths.

As the sunlight warms her face on Saturday morning, the two scenarios collide. But there can be only one outcome. Will she wake up in her warm bed with Jay by her side, devastated and grieving for her friends? Or was she there to save them?

The answer is just the beginning.

About the Author

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

At twelve, Megan decided to write a novel. A month later, she quit. A reading junkie by nature, she started writing again in her twenties as a way to get the voices out, because who wouldn't want to create a Real Living Person out of thin air? Megan also plays the piano and sings. She teaches little kids and takes pictures of pretty butterflies. She eats way too much chocolate, is sort of a mad scientist with her blender, and spends an unhealthy amount of time LOLing on Facebook and Twitter. She lives in Ohio with her husband and very smiley son. Bitter Angel is her first published novel.


Monday, February 18, 2013

Excerpt for Giving Up The Ghost by S. A. Price

 
 
 
BOOK SUMMARY:

Rhys Bellamy is the front man for the wildly successful 13 Shades of Red, a band hailing from New Orleans that is just a bit more then they appear. He’s sexy, caustic and on a path of self destruction that has everything to do with the fact that he can speak to the dead. A man hounded by the death of his fiancée, Rhys is a lothario of the highest caliber. His life, his band, and his agony celebrates his lost love, Phaedra, and it has made him a very popular man with the ladies, even if they will never mean anything to him. Too bad Phaedra has never and will never contact him.

When the band’s first US tour meets with some unforeseen management issues, Saffron Richards is brought in to take care of it. A veteran of the business, Saffron knows all about Rhys and his reputation and doesn’t want to become another notch on his belt. Too bad fate has it in for the both of them, and gives them an attraction neither can deny.

But life on the road with an up and coming band has its problems, from bosses to groupies to just plain old flat tires. And Phaedra, who has been watching from the mists and reveling in the misery of her lost lover doesn’t want to see him happy. Being together is harder than it sounds, especially when Phaedra crosses the veils on All Hallows Eve to reignite the love that Saffron has set to ash in Rhys. And Phaedra is not giving him up without a fight. Not because she loves him, but because she doesn’t ever want him to forget.


Warning: this is considered a New Adult genre release. Reader discretion is advised.



EXCERPT:

Sound check. It figured she would get there late. She figured a straight flight from JFK would have gotten her here on time, but a torrential storm and a 5 hour backed takeoff were the culprits. No matter, she was here now, and ready to work.

Xxieda had told her to find Nyx, she would have all the info for her, so after she had made it up to her room, she came back down to the event space to search for her new employers.

She walked in to the drummer and guitarist playing a song, an instrumental, Nyx nowhere to be found. She stood there, listening. Regardless of the style of music, these guys had talent. Loads of it.

The drumming got softer and she saw Rhys walk out and scream out the beginning of the one song she knew. Holy shit. She blinked. Wow. Talk about a 180 from what she first heard. He wasn’t to playing to the crowd, because there wasn’t one.

He turned as the bridge started, but didn’t look out yet. She had a chance to look him over and sighed.  Tall, emo sexy in the ‘I don’t work out but I’m cut as hell’ way, his ass and better things hugged perfectly in the jeans he wore, leaving nothing to the imagination. She had ten bucks that said he didn’t wear underwear.  Perfect emo haircut, long in front, falling over a side of his face, shorter in the back, didn’t have any product in it but she was sure it was because he wasn’t pandering to the crowd just yet. His skin was pale, in contrast to the bassist he was standing next to, who had the sexy caramel color of a guy used to being in the hot Louisiana sun. Clearly Rhys Bellamy wasn’t a hug fan of the sunshine.

That was when he turned and started singing to the crowd, or more appropriately, her. His eyes locked on her and Saffron had chills. Holy Hell. Now she knew why girls got wild over him. That look was pure sex, so at odds with the screaming coming out of his mouth. His eyes flashed in the lights hitting him, giving him a more sinister air but it didn’t matter, that look had done its job, and Saffron tried not to fidget as he watched her.

Once again the music changed up and he started singing, really singing. He was good. He sang a line and looked right at her and winked and then turned and the music changed again and he started screaming, the breakdown getting heavy. If she was in the pit right now and there were fans there, she knew she would be getting her ass kicked. Well she was sure if she was on the east coast she would. West coast hardcore kids, by all accounts, couldn’t hold a candle to their east coast counterparts. East coast kids were brutal.

The song ended abruptly and they all looked at each other. Rhys turned towards the sound guy. “Perfect Jerry. Thanks.” He said and hopped down off the stage and strode, well, it was more like a swagger, towards her.

“This is a closed sound check. How did you get in Cher?” he looked her over and licked his bottom lip.

She cocked her head, getting a really good look at him. Hot damn, the Cajun was hot and the accent, she tried not to squirm under the scrutiny of his eyes. She was in trouble. His eyes were green, but with honey running through it. Most would call them hazel, but the green was just too vivid, like moss after a rainstorm. She could feel the cool around her. Damn.

“I’m looking for Nyx.” She said with a clear, non lust drenched voice. She was quite proud of herself.

“Nyx? Why would you look for her?” he asked and walked closer. The accent was thick, and sexy.

“Is she around?” she asked and looked around him, trying to ignore the effect he was having on her. In all her years, men didn’t effect her as such. Why of all people would she get the urge from a guy reported to be an even bigger slut then Madonna in her heyday.

“She is. Backstage. I could take you back there.” He looked her over. “I don’t see a pass anywhere on that amazing outfit.”

Saffron rolled her eyes. Okay so he was digging on her. That went with what she knew of him and his exploits. All signs pointed to the fact that he was quite the lothario and she was sure he was getting a semblance of his full come on.

She smiled at him. “Nyx? It’s kinda important.”

He pouted and shrugged, clearly not happy with her impervious nature. He probably relied on his charm and accent with women. It wasn’t that she didn’t like it, she did, more then she cared to admit, but this was work, not play and while She would revisit that look he gave her later after she had gone to bed, Right now was all about proving she could do this.

She followed him behind the stage to a corridor and then through to a set up of rooms. He walked to one and rapt loudly on the door. “Nyx? Some hot chick is here to see you, and she is not fazed by my charm whatsoever.”

Nyx opened the door and looked at Rhys, then at Saffron and smiled. “Oh thank god!” she said and went to Saffron and hugged her.

Rhys leaned back against the wall and smirked. “Now that’s what I’m talking about. So who is she? Cousin? Sister? Nah you don’t hug family like that. Ooh Nyxie did you happen to start playing for the other team? Not a bad choice if I do say so myself. Can I watch?”

Saffron almost choked. Nyx turned to Rhys and frowned. “Hardly, you oversexed bastard. This is Saffron, our new tour manager.”

Saffron smiled at him and he just paled and shook his head. “Knew this was too good to be true…”

“Why?” she asked and detangled from Nyx, surprised on how okay she was with the other woman’s affection. Normally she didn’t get chummy with other women. It lead to catty bullshit.

Rhys smirked and looked her up and down and pushed off the wall. “Forget I said that, I reserve the right to pass judgment until a later date.” He winked. “Welcome to the insanity Saff.” Then he turned and walked back towards the stage and the waiting band.

Nyx sighed. “Well he just threw down the gauntlet. Good luck with that.”

 
About the Authors:

               Website                    Twitter
 
Bi-continental, Stella and Audra break all misconceptions about siblings. Writing as a team they have produced well over eighteen novels as well as several novella's and short stories. And nary an argument has come from it.



On their off time from writing, Audra is a makeup artist and Stella is a graphic artist and web designer, as well as the convention director for the Authors After Dark convention. They both love animals and have several including several snakes and a peacock.



Audra lives in Scotland with her husband and children, while Stella Lives in South Carolina with her dogs Moo and Poe and her husband.

Fashion Inspired by Fantasy Books, Movies, etc

Floozie Kenya, here.

If your not familiar with Katrina over at Kindred Dreamheart then get familiar!

Not only is she a great fantasy and sci-fi blogger that recommends good books, she's a freaking fashion designer and uses books, movies, and anything else as her inspiration!



I'm impressed. So, as usual, I contacted her and asked her to send me some of her designs and tell me the thing that inspired it.

Here we go!



Model: Kristin Denise
Hair & MUA: Kayla Fenwick
Photographer: Connie/Killion Photography
Fashion Designer: Katrina/Kindred Dreamheart




Katrina's Inspiration: I call this the Neteru suit. I was inspired by the Vampire Huntress series by LA Banks. 

I thought, "What would Danali wear?" 







Model: Jennifer Pearse
MUA: Naomi Whitted
Photographer: Eric Hiltner
Fashion Designer: Katrina/Kindred Dreamheart






Katrina's Inspiration:  I was inspired by Tim Burton's various movies with the very awesome wardrobe designer, Colleen Atwood.  

I made this for my 2011 Summer fashion show in Cordova, TN. This was my final piece to my whimsical collection entitled, Timeless Evolution.

  






Model: Cora Zon
Photographer: Ken Marks
Hair & MUA: Katherine Gray
Fashion Designer: Katrina/Kindred Dreamheart









Katrina's Inspiration:  I was inspired by vintage Hollywood!  I designed this for the formal attire part of my Timeless Evolution collection.







Model: Paula Jo
Hair & MUA: Erica Wilson MakeUp Studios
Photographer: Tomeka A.
Fashion Designer: Katrina/ Kindred Dreamheart













Katrina's Inspiration: All those pretty porcelain dolls my mom bought "for me"
as a kid, but NEVER allowed me to play with.  

Twenty years later, all my old toys (I.E. the dolls) currently reside at her house; and I
still can't play with them. lol!







Model: Skye Cooper
Photographer: Arekah Dunlap (Arekah the Goddess Photography)
Fashion Designer: Katrina/ Kindred Dreamheart










Katrina's Inspiration: I created this during one of my more silly moods, using the draping technique without taking notes.  
Allowing my hands to simply move and create with a mind of their own.  I wouldn't be able
to recreate this one even if I tried.  

Like so many of my pieces, this
is truly a "Kindred Dreamheart original."



Thanks again Katrina!!! I hope to see more fashions from you on here!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Best & Worst Places to Write a Sex Scene


Don't forget, there is a great Giveaway below for the book Queen of Hearts!

 BOOK SUMMARY: 
Maya Cobb is a classic Gemini. She’s adaptable, affectionate, versatile, cunning, and she holds a deep-seated fear of commitment. Which means she’s the perfect match for Aquarius Erica.


Erica Jones, also true to her astrological sign, is friendly, honest, loyal, fiercely independent,  and detached. She hasn’t found a satisfying relationship in ages, and is ready to give up on love, even though she runs a dating service.

After a one night stand, fate keeps throwing them together in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day. Maya offers to help Erica plan the Queen of Hearts Matchmaking event, though she doesn’t know much about dating women. 
Erica quickly realizes that while Maya bolted after their first night, she might be the only hope Erica has to save her business.
Astrology says they’re compatible, but neither woman can be sure. 



Hi there Fantasy Floosies and hello to your loyal readers!
I’m back again to talk about one of my favorite subjects… SEX. J

Let’s talk today about the best and worst places to write a sex scene. Let’s go with the best first and then the worst.

Three favorite places to write a sex scene.

On a train! 

    Writing sex in a public place like a train really works well for me. It helps me focus on the writing and block out the rest of the world. I put on my music, and let it roll. The opening scene of my first erotic romance, An Affair Across Times Square was written while I was travelling around the south/center of France. J It was great.








   At Barnes & Noble!  

     Okay, so it’s a total writer cliché to be sipping a drink at a coffee shop/bookstore and typing genius on your laptop. But it works for me as well. The bulk of my third book, Queen of Hearts was written in the coffee shop of my local B&N, as was Spicy with a Side of Cranberry Sauce.

    I like to spend all day there writing. So it’s not always sex scenes, but a lot of the time it is. I usually only write the really naughty ones with my back to the wall so I know that no one is looking over my shoulder and reading it! Drafts are not meant to be read in public after all.

   In my basement office – late at night!

    There’s nothing like writing the sex scene in the middle of the night, with the electric fireplace roaring, and low light, while the stars twinkle outside. It’s romantic and sexy. 

    Sometimes, if I’m stuck on a scene or whatever or need inspiration, I’ll do some research at this hour of the night as well. ;-p Research usually consists of me googling “best places to have sex” or a certain position. Sometimes it includes texting friends in the middle of the night to ask their faves.



And now for the worst places to write a sex scene:

While in a room with your family members. Nothing is less sexy than trying to write a sex scene while your parents, grandparents, siblings, children, or other relatives are in the room. I mean, ew, right? So if I’m editing a book, I can do it while watching some TV with them or in the same room as family members. Other than that? No way! Just can’t do it.

    During nap time. 
     The kids’ nap time, not mine. I don’t get naps. L I work with kids, and we get 2.5 hours of nap time every day. A lot of days I’ll use this time to work on guest blogs like this one, but when I’m on a deadline, like I was for Queen of Hearts, I’ll work on it during nap. 

    But writing a sex scene here is complicated! I have to worry about constant coitus interruptus! A kid wakes up, or another staff member needs something… or any other number of things. It doesn’t bode well for a cohesive scene. That’s why I’ll start a scene and there’s no condom and then by the end, Amy and Mason are rolling it off and throwing it out. No good.

    While on a bus at night. 

    The brightness of the screen makes it too easy for nosy little old ladies to read the book from over my shoulder.

So there it is folks – the best and worst places to be while writing a sex scene. Care to share your thoughts? Perhaps you could give me your list of best and worst places to HAVE sex instead of write it? C’mon, your top three best and worst.

I’ll give away a free copy of my latest release, Queen of Hearts to one lucky commenter who leaves their email address along with their comment.

Queen of Hearts is on sale now wherever ebooks are sold.





I am a Contemporary Erotic Romance author, currently publishing with Loose Id. I love words. I love reading and writing and languages.


I'm also an avid traveler. I've been writing for more than a dozen years and I've written everything from haiku to novels. I live with my black cat, Godiva, AKA little evil.


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Book Release, Kindle Freebie, & Grand Giveaway! by Tara Chevrestt

Book Release, Kindle Freebie, & Grand Giveaway!
Love Request by Tara Chevrestt



I’m pleased to share with you my latest release, Love Request. 



This one is special to me because it’s not only the first romance I penned, but it features a “hearing-impaired” heroine, like myself.
I say “hearing –impaired” because really, there’s nothing wrong with Ciara. She’s not damaged or in need of repair. She just can’t hear as well as others.

As a reader, I grew tired of all the women in romance novels being perfect. In real life, many of us have disabilities—and they are disabilities others can’t see. And worse, they are disabilities others can’t understand, and a lot of times what people don’t understand becomes something they fear…and belittle.

This is where the bullying comes in. You see, this is more than just a romance novel. Open its pages, hit that Kindle “next page” button, and find out for yourself. Learn. Be enlightened. Relate.

Want to sample it first? 

No problem. Available on Kindle and FREE for the next five days, is a humorous Valentine short story, Mating Instinct.

You’ll find the first chapter of Love Request at the end.
Thank you, readers, for celebrating this special time with me. Happy Valentine’s Day! 

In honor of you, I’m giving away a print copy of Love Request, a plush dog, a lipstick for that special date, and 5 pheromone-soaked chocolate incense sticks! 
WARNING: Be careful if dogs are in the vicinity.





 Blurb: When Ciara Littleton finally joins Facebook to socialize without the limits her hearing impairment gives her, she looks up a childhood friend on a whim. In sending him that first message, she ignites the memories of a crush from twenty years ago. Can a simple friend request fix all that stands between them and maybe even lead to something more?                                                    
Hunter's plate is full. A recent divorce, a pregnant sister, and now, he realizes he's in love with a woman who lives states away. Can he overcome the boundaries of Internet romance to make this desire turn into something real, or will adversity and distance be their undoing?

This book was formerly titled A Facebook Affair and has been revised with a new ending.

Love Request has been named a LASR Best Book and is now up for vote on Best Book of 2012 Poll. You can cast a vote here. I’m so excited and so grateful!

FREE on AMAZON

Blurb for Mating Instinct:

This is exactly what you need!
It’s Valentine’s Day and when Ariel receives a package of incense in the mail from her Pagan friend and mentor, she isn’t sure what to make of the enclosed note. 

Sure, she has some issues, but who doesn't?

When the smoke releases its magic, Ariel gets an evening of surprise humor and romance, and it is indeed exactly what she needs.



Her theme is Strong is Sexy.                                  Tara Chevrestt is a deaf woman, former aviation mechanic, writer, and an editor. She is most passionate about planes, motorcycles, dogs, and above all, reading. That led to her love of writing. Between her writing and her editing, which allows her to be home with her little canine kids, she believes she has the greatest job in the world. 

She is very happily married. She shares a website with her naughty pen name: Tara Chevrestt and they have a Facebook page.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Cover Reveal: A Terrible Love by Marata Eros

I just love cover reveals, and today we have a good one for you! It's darkly romantic, so I'm sure it will appeal to a lot of our readers.

So here it is!



Title: A TERRIBLE LOVE
Author: Marata Eros
Expected publication: February 13, 2013
Genres: Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Cover Designer: Phatpuppyart
Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours


Book Description

Jessica Mackey is living a meticulously fabricated lie of necessity. She's left the secret tragedy of her past behind along with who she was and is forging ahead with a clean slate. Jess soon discovers that passion can't be left behind; her own and that of the one man that sees who she really is. Whose presence caresses her soul in a way that may breach the peaceful life Jess has made for herself.

Devin Castile sees a young woman that is the missing puzzle piece to his existence and who is also the victim to a heinous crime. Devin convinces himself that he can remain emotionally distant even while indulging his physical desire for her. When the lies that Jess has made crumble before their attraction and the truth is revealed, one of them might pay with their life... or their very being.

About the Author

Website
Facebook
Goodreads

Marata Eros is a mixed-genre writer of dark erotica and fantasy with elements of romance and horror. She has completed her first contemporary romance, A TERRIBLE LOVE as her next new release. Marata is a passionate reader who loves interacting with her readers and is more grateful than she can express for their support.


Sunday, February 10, 2013

Fate's Kiss Episode #2 by J.N. Sheats

We're back for another episode of Fate's Kiss. If you didn't see the first episode click HERE!
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 




 

"I may not know how to do it, but I sure can learn..."

A motto that has earned Jacqulene Sheats the title Jack of all Trades. Sticking her paws into animation, illustration, game development, and writing there is nothing she won't try at least twice.

The creative drive starting with Disney classics early in life, and fanning the flames with a deep seeded love for anime. She has been chasing a dream to release wild storms of fantasy upon the world one pencil and key stroke at a time.