Monday, December 3, 2012

In the Hot Box with Brock Logan



Hi All. I had the opportunity to interview one of my newest characters, Brockridge Logan, from Winter’s Thaw coming Dec. 7 from Evernight Publishing. He asked me to meet him at his place of employment, the U.S. Marshal office. I’m not a big fan of government building. I can’t bring my cell phone inside and these places are so poorly lit I’m literally blind for the first five minutes after I enter. The security guard got a little snippy with me, until I showed him my cane. 
Anyway I’m having a little trouble locating Deputy Logan at the moment. *peers around the large waiting area* An official seal is on the aged tiled floor and metal detectors cover the entrances. As I stand trying to collect my bearing and give my eyes time to adjust two men approach.
“W. Lynn Chantale?” One says. He stands in the only available light, so I can’t see his face.
“Uh, yeah.”
“You got identification.”
I reach in my pocket for my license and both move a hand to their hip. “Relax, you asked for ID and I’m trying to comply.” Once my identity has been verified yet again, the goon squad escorts me to a windowless room. Before I can blink they have me handcuffed to a chair.
“Really? I usually get names and dinner before the relationship goes to kink.” Great. Just great. This is what I get for creating big bad government characters. I lift my arm, setting the chains to rattling. “Seriously is this necessary?”
“They stay on until I determine if you’re a threat.”
Wait. I know that voice. The two men exit the room. The door snapping shut has a ring of finality to it. Clothing rustles and a man...well muscled man emerges from the shadows. I’m such a sucker for a man in a suit and his is tailored to accentuate all his assets.
“A threat. Pu-leeze,” I scoff. “Half the time I run into the walls in my own hallway. Who have I allegedly threatened, Brock?”
“Michaela Winters.”
I sit back in my chair, the cold metal resting against the back of my hand. “Is this because you were dangling over a balcony?”
He crosses his arms. I try not to sigh in appreciation when the fabric moves with him.
I arch a brow. “So you’re mad?”
“These are very serious allegations, W. Lynn.”
I shrug. “That’s fine, but the longer you keep me here, the longer you dangle over a balcony, or get shot at, or maybe never find Michaela.” I lean forward and look him in the eye. “Remember how long it took to get you two together the first time?”
He nods, a speculative gleam in his honey-brown eyes.
“I can delete that whole scene or better yet not write the ending at all.”
He grabs the chair across from me, flips it around and sits folding his arms on the metal back. “If that’s the case, then I’ll just keep you here, until you see things my way.” A long pregnant silence fills the room. 
Each tick of the clock on the wall is audible. Faint voices drift through the door as footsteps shuffle past. Sweat trickles between my shoulder blades. Did I mention it was hot in here too? I resist squirming in my chair beneath his scrutiny. I will not be bullied.
The chair squeaks as he stands. The metal legs scrape against the cement floor as he returns it to its correct position. “Perhaps some time alone will help sway you.” He crosses the room.
“Could I at least get a bottle of water while I wait?” I holler as he exits and the door closes. I glance at the shackles on my wrists. I really need to stop writing characters with handcuffs.


Blurb:
The holidays can be murder. Someone is out to kill Michaela Winters, but she has more important things to worry about, arguing with her husband and when to tell him he’s going to be a father come to mind.
Brockridge Logan realizes the mistake he’s made and he’s willing to make amends. His solution is to whisk her away to their cabin up north where he can seduce and keep her safe.
When an ice storm closes the roads and traps them in the middle of nowhere for the duration of the holidays. A marriage will be mended, but will it be too late with a killer on the loose.

Excerpt:
“Are you sure we’re stuck here?” This was not the way she envisioned spending her two weeks away from court. Her last case had been grueling and she’d only won on a technicality, but knowing she had time to recharge before she went back to defending the sometimes guilty and unjustly accused innocent eased the sting of the almost loss. Having to spend the next several days with Brock Logan...well she’d rather be in contempt of court.
Warmth enveloped her back. She stiffened. When had he moved? The crisp scent of his soap and masculinity teased her senses. She bit her lip against the moan of pleasure. One of the things she always liked about him was he didn’t wear cologne just the natural musk God gifted him.
Now he’d trapped her between the heat of his hard body and a cold window, her scooped-neck tee insufficient barrier to both. She closed her eyes as he shifted and his arm circled her waist. Desire simmered in her veins and dampened her panties.
“You heard the officer. The roads are closed,” he murmured near her ear.
His breath tickled the delicate shell, sending shivers of want to her nipples. They puckered painfully beneath her shirt. She tried to move closer to the window, only he held her more firmly against his unyielding frame.
“That doesn’t mean you should invade my personal space.”
He chuckled. The low sound wrapped around her like warm fudge. She wanted nothing more than to hear him laugh in the confines of a bedroom while they were both naked and sweaty. She tamped down on the thought, but his solid physique at her back and the bulge wedged against her buttocks conjured all sorts of naughty images.
His lips feathered over the exposed skin just below her ear. Need ignited and blazed a fiery path from tit to clit. She locked her knees to keep the ache in check. As if sensing her state, he cupped her breast and his thumb circled the taut nipple through her shirt.
She couldn’t stop the moan of pleasure from easing between her lips.
“I plan on doing a lot of that while we’re here,’ he whispered.
With great effort, she wrenched from his arms and stared at his reflection in the glass. Was she so easy that a few caresses and some kisses could muddle her brain? This man ruined a case for the greater good, nearly destroyed her career, not to mention wedged a nice little chink in their relationship. Michaela couldn’t let her traitorous body dictate to her heart, no matter how wanton he made her feel.
She drifted her gaze over him. He was rugged, all sharp edges and rough planes. Sandpaper would only refine and hone his persona. He needed someone soft yet strong enough to withstand his arrogance. Why she ever thought she could maintain a relationship with the man and remain unscathed spoke more to her belief in love and romance rather than the logic of them as a couple. What a fool she was.
Still, the man was absolutely gorgeous. Average height, but she loved to run her fingers over his taut, chiseled muscles.  This time her pulse leapt in response. No use in thinking like that. There was no way she was going to let him get that close again, at least not for a long while. She scanned the room. Logs for the fire were piled next to the hearth, the kitchen was well stocked and when they arrived, Logan hadn’t brought anything into the cabin other than their bags. That meant...




And if you're still in the mood, join me on various hops this week and next. Join me here for a chance to win a giftbag of goodies.
Until next time, Indulge Your Inner Romantic.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Christmas on St. Charles Ave. by Jillian Chantal

I just love this cover and the premise sounds wonderful. Check it out. Jillian Chantal's latest release is free. That's right. Free. Go to the link provided and download your copy today.




New Orleans, Christmas Eve, 1947: Brothers, Dirk and Beaumont McSwain are both about to become fathers. Dirk's wife has had a number of miscarriages and at thirty-six years old, is afraid this is her last chance for a healthy baby. Bo's wife is pregnant for the first time. Both are due to give birth soon. The brothers arrange a surprise ride for their women in Papa Noel's sleigh which is actually a horse drawn carriage with fake reindeer. The evening starts out merry and bright but before the night is over, they will need a Christmas miracle.

Desert Breeze

Friday, November 23, 2012

Lash,, Weresnakes, and Romance


At his request, I allowed Trystan Valeras a.k.a. Lash to be the one to pen this post at Decadent Decisions. A heartfelt thank you to him for this, and also a warning: watch the language, and don’t be threatening anyone. - Tara Fox Hall


ROMANCE IS NO FRIEND OF WERESNAKES




I’m Lash. Those of you who frequent the Internet might have already heard of me. I’m trying hard to get the word out there about my exploits, promoting my series that bears my name as the title of the first book. If this is your first time seeing my name, don’t worry. I guarantee it won’t be the last.
The title above says it all. Romance is something that I gave up in my youth, when everything fell apart with Mara. See, like a lot of people, I started out poor and had to work my way up. It was hard work, sure, but I was well on my way to getting a decent life, if not a memorable one by the time I was sixteen. In the years that followed, my life became a constant struggle to go straight. My gangster father, Jared, pushed me from the first to join him in his life of crime. I admit I didn’t put up much of a fight, either. Accepting his dirty money gave me my one shot at the beautiful Mara. 
With my father’s money in my corner, I was able to get close to her, to be first friends, then her fiancĂ©e. There were so many complications, with her being human and me being snake. But I stupidly told myself that didn’t matter. I told myself that if she loved me, she had to love all of me, including the sometime scales. But her family hated me, and did the unthinkable to stop us getting married. Just like a long chain of glass dominos, all my dreams I’d worked so hard and hoped for came tumbling down to shatter, leaving me with nothing.
Later on, after I began working for my vampire boss, Abraham, I got together with Britney. She was a whore...um, prostitute, and I wanted her to stop, but she wouldn’t. I didn’t like that, but I accepted it, until the night she partnered with an enemy, playing bait to draw me in. Like a fuc…um, like a sap, I fell for it, and nearly got killed because of it. In the end, I killed her in self-defense. 
There was another woman named Gretchen that I cared about. We got together years ago, and I’d always wanted more. Finding her again was a miracle. Having her for my own seemed like a sign from God, so much so that I bought a ring. But she also died, after provoking me to bite her because she didn’t have the strength to take her own life.
Now all that tragedy was just in Lash. I’ve not even gotten to the events of the next book, Shadow Man. So you tell me, are romance and love my enemy, or what? How damned unlucky can a guy be? Hear the rest, then judge for yourself.
I decided to take another tack in Shadow Man, and tried with Abraham to order myself up a mistress. The Great Depression was in full swing, so women that might have ignored me before were willing this time to take a look, especially with my having a job. That’s where I met Nancy. She was good, and I liked her. But I’d been hurt before, and I wanted to move slow. She didn’t. 
When she left, I went back to Arlene’s, in search of a woman I’d seen singing there, Cassandra Nile. She still wanted some of me, and I took her up on that. We make a good pair, I think. But I thought that a lot of times before, and it turned out terrible. I’m worried that this time is going to turn out like all the rest.


Blurb:
A renegade vampire begins amassing a flock of true believers, threatening America’s vampire hierarchy. Weresnake Lash partners with old enemy Danial and new allies Burl and Spiderboy to track down and annihilate them. Betrayed and left for dead, Lash reemerges the victor, edging ever upward in the Assassin’s Ranking, and catching the eye of the sultry nightclub singer Cassandra Nile. Drawn into drugs by Cassie, Lash begins to doubt himself, yearning to leave his life of violence, even as enemies close in from every side.

Excerpt:
“So, anything else you like, besides dicks?” I asked with a leer.
“I don’t want presents,” Cassy said after a moment. “I’d welcome food, if you brought some for both of us like you did today. But I don’t want to be mated.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I said uncomfortably. “I don’t want to be mated either.”
“Good,” Cassy said, her beautiful face breaking into a smile. “Bring me some first-class meat, enough for us to gorge ourselves. And maybe a bottle of wine, or some cheese?”
I wrote it down, just in case I forgot. “Anything else?”
“Anything to eat, or drink. But other than that, just bring yourself.” She smiled. “Think you can do that?”
“Have I let you down yet?”
She laughed and shook her head, and then she was kissing me.
***
Two weeks went by like this, until finally Abraham called me in and asked me what was going on. I explained to him about Cassy, and how happy she’d been making me.
“I’ve heard of her,” he said, giving me a peculiar look. “She’s been around a long time.”
“What’s that fucking mean?” I snapped. “So she’s older than I am. You’re older than Winnie by what, fifty or sixty years?”
“Seventy,” he said, cracking a smile. “But that’s not bad, for a vampire and a human who fell for him.”
“She makes me happy,” I said contentedly. “Why aren’t you happy for me?”
“I am happy for you,” he said seriously. “I just need to know if you’re going to be gone most Saturday nights and Sundays until dark.”
“I am. Is that going to be a problem?”
“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “But I can see you’re happy, so I’m willing to try it. If we need someone to fill in for you besides Spiderboy, I’ll hire a few more men. The economy seems to be improving. They say 1935 is going to be a good year.”
“Thanks,” I said warmly.
“You might want to know that Nancy’s doing well. She’s gotten herself a little house in France, near the Louvre. She’s attending a college there for art, and also learning French.”
I squirmed in my chair a bit. “I’m glad for her. Does she need money?”
“No. Winnie reports Nancy’s doing fine financially, and has gotten a part time job as a seamstress. She said to tell you she misses you very much, and hopes you’re doing well.”
All my happy thoughts were buried in a steaming pile of guilt that rained down on me like shit on an outhouse floor. “Tell her I hope she’s happy.”
“I’ll have Winnie add that to her letter,” Abraham said, shuffling some papers. 
“I need to go see to the guards,” I said, looking at my watch. “We need to target practice.”
“Then you’d better get to it.” His tone was curt.
I nodded and left, my happy mood gone.
***


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For info on my recently published series books Lash: Shadow Man click here: http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Man-Lash-ebook/dp/B009UHDZHY  

Bio:
Tara Fox Hall’s writing credits include nonfiction, horror, suspense, action-adventure, erotica, and contemporary and historical paranormal romance. She is the author of the paranormal action-adventure Lash series and the vampire romantic suspense Promise Me series. Tara divides her free time unequally between writing novels and short stories, chainsawing firewood, caring for stray animals, sewing cat and dog beds for donation to animal shelters, and target practice.




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Monday, November 19, 2012

Votes for Vixen


Usually on these blog tours, authors talk about themselves and the book. Well, I want to talk about someone else and my book, a woman that when I came across her, inspired me so much, I put her in the book. I made a spot for her! It’s one of these scenes an editor would arch a brow and say, “Is this relevant to the story?”
No, but I wanted this woman in my book. She is a true inspiration.
Her name was Mary Church Terrell.
She was the daughter of slaves and in a time when people of African descent were treated in the cruelest manner, she refused to submit. You know what this lady did? She got a college degree! She attended Oberlin College with all white men! Can you imagine how awkward she must have felt? I mean, I know what it’s like just to be a woman in a building full of men, add racial tension to that…and this was the 1880s.
Nevertheless, she earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree both and went on to teach and run her own school. She spoke at least three languages. She was very active in suffrage, thus her appearance in Votes for Vixens.
Terrell was the first president of National Association of Colored Women. This was an organization that helped many African Americans in need, focusing on education and ending discrimination.
In 1904, she was the only African American woman at a major conference. She wowed the crowd and received a standing ovation for reciting her speech in three different languages.
Her activist movements did not stop with obtaining the right to vote, either. In the 1950s, she was at the helm of the fight to integrate eating places. She participated in picketing and protesting well into her eighties.
This woman was just not taking NO for an answer.
I think we should all fight for what we believe in.
To find out more about Mary Church Terrell:

The scene Mary’s fictional character is in was, sadly, a common scene back then. Even though women in general, women of ALL colors and races were being denied the same right, many white women refused to march/work side-by-side with women of non-white heritage. They too often forgot they were all fighting for the same thing. And that is why women like Mary Church Terrell were important. She didn’t back down and continued to fight for African American women everywhere, when others were so eager to deny them a voice—even their own sex.
Is there a woman in history, readers, that inspires YOU? Have you ever just come across a memento, a biography of someone that just hit you somewhere deep inside? Inspired you to keep chugging along? Made you sit on the computer for hours, Googling for more information?
Feel free to comment.
Votes for Vixens is available on Amazon, Smashwords, and All Romance Ebooks.
Blurb: 
Elizabeth is a small-town Kansas girl who has grown up under her domineering father's shadow. When she finds out that her father has denied her hand in marriage to the town's most eligible bachelor--a man she's long secretly desired--she snaps. Her father punches her for the last time. She realizes she has no future and with stories of suffragettes, women's rights, and voting in her head, vows to be free.

She escapes to New York City where she meets Margaret. Margaret believes in the right to vote for women and engages Elizabeth to join in the National Women's Party activities.

Operation: Opera House is underway. In a month's time, President Wilson is due at the Metropolitan Opera House to give a speech. The NWP hopes that a peaceful protest will convince the president to gather congress in order to ratify the 19th Amendment.

As they prepare and plan, Margaret shows Elizabeth how to live and love. Under Margaret's sensual touch, Elizabeth begins to heal from numerous emotional wounds. But on March 4th, 1919, their "peaceful protest" becomes a riot on the streets of New York.

A riot ensues in Elizabeth's heart as well when her former flame shows up in the city…
***
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.
Tara also writes as Sonia Hightower. Sonia writes the racy stuff and argues that she was here first. She just wasn't allowed to be unleashed until the last year.
They both agree, however, that strong is sexy, and they don't write the average, simpering damsel. They write about women who see what they want and obtain it.
While Tara and Sonia continue to fight over the laptop and debate who writes the next book, you can find buy links, blurbs, and other fun bits on their website: http://tarachevrestt.weebly.com/index.html or their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Chevrestt-Sonia-Hightower/218383211513877.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Her Perfect Man by Nona Raines


Kim Hansen has terrible luck with men. When her sexy downstairs neighbor shows a more-than-neighborly interest in her, she's suspicious. She's been burned too many times, by too many guys. Steamy sex is one thing, but Charlie Keller is smart, hot and successful—so what more could he want with her?
Though Kim does her best to shut him down, Charlie's not put off by her attitude. He doesn't scare easy. Kim thinks she's clever, using sex to maintain an emotional distance and to keep him off guard. But Charlie sees through her tough exterior to the tender heart beneath.
But Kim needs to be won over. Sure, their bedroom action is awesome, but given her past mistakes, she's convinced Charlie is too good to be true. Just too perfect. But if Charlie has his way, he'll prove that he's the perfect man for her.
Genre: Contemporary erotic romance m/f

Nona Raines became hooked on romances when she first picked up "The Flame and the Flower" by Kathleen Woodiwiss (and she's not telling how long ago that was). Romances may have changed since then, but her love for a good love story has not. She's been writing off and on for years, but it was only when she joined the Central New York Romance Writers Association that she finally gained the support and confidence she needed to complete a manuscript. 
Nona lives in upstate New York with her many pets and is currently working on her next novel. A former librarian, she enjoys reading books of all genres and discussing them with others. She is thrilled to finally be able to call herself an author and looks forward to hearing from readers.
Excerpt:
Kim pulled open the door and began "Look, I just want to…" Her voice trailed off and her mouth went dry as she got a good look at him. This was Charlie?
Gone was the preppy polo shirt he'd had on last night. Today he wore a black T-shirt that stretched tightly over his chest. A warm, hard chest that she remembered touching last night. Kim's heart thumped.
He'd changed last night's Dockers for a pair of jeans that hugged his thighs. Heat flashed through her as she recalled sitting on his lap and how hard he'd been for her. Oh, God, she couldn't help it. Her gaze went to his package, which filled the front of his jeans beautifully.
Her eyes flashed to his. "You like?" he asked. The same words she said to him last night.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. He was the same man, but different. And not only had the clothing changed, so had his demeanor. This Charlie was not the geeky schoolteacher or the helpful downstairs neighbor. This Charlie was a really hot guy. And from the way his blue eyes lasered her, he thought she was hot, too.
"Are you sober now?" His voice was taut.
"Huh?" She blinked. "Yeah."
"Good." Before Kim had time to wonder at his question or feel insulted by it, he stepped inside, kicked the door shut and hauled her into his arms.
He didn't so much kiss her as devour her—as though he were taking up from where they left off last night, before his conscience made him leave. Kim had no trouble catching up.