Thursday, December 6, 2012

A Ghost For Christmas be Kacey Hammell


After receiving a long weekend at an elegant hotel beside the majestic Niagara Falls as a Christmas gift, Jodie Gibson is determined to do nothing but relax and enjoy the scenery. And, okay, just maybe meet someone who makes her toes curl.

Sebastian is sophisticated, tall, dark and gorgeous--everything a woman fantasizes about. But he's also an 18th century ghost. He haunts the halls of the hotel, seeking the one true love that can help him find peace… 



Excerpt © Kacey Hammell

As she peered into the reflective glass, a face appeared behind her. Jodie whipped around and fell back against the window. 
Oh my fucking God!
Before her, in what looked like a shimmering bubble, stood the most breathtakingly beautiful man she’d ever seen. Dressed in a white shirt and black pants, he had dark unruly hair and striking, magnetic blue eyes that held her in place.
Jodie blinked, uncertain, scared and breathless.
How was it possible? She’d read the newspaper clippings, yes, but it was unimaginable to think ghosts might actually walk among the living. 
Not everything made sense. She only believed in things that could actually be seen, felt and touched. This seemed surreal.
Stunned by the apparition before her, dressed in what looked like centuries-old clothes straight out of Esquire, he seemed to look straight through her, and his smile warmed her clear to her toes. Lord, she was in trouble. 
“Hello.” Soft and gravelly, his voice alone seduced her…all the way to her toes. Her body quivered and her center tightened. 
Whoa. What the hell am I thinking?  There’s a ghost in front of me and I’m ready to jump his bones. Not bloody likely.
“What are you doing here? Get out.  I don’t care who you are, you’re leaving, right now.” 
He frowned. “No need to be frightened.  I’ve been here for centuries.”
Jodie laughed, and not one to wilt like a scared little girl, stood tall. “This is all a joke.” She looked around, up and down, and all over the room. “Are there hidden cameras somewhere?  Hey, Ashton, if you’re behind the camera, you can come out now.  I’ve been Punk’d good. Thanks and all, but I’d like to get on with my evening without you.”
 “Who is this Ashton? What is a punk?  A rake, perhaps?” he asked.
Jodie squinted.  “A rake?”  She hadn’t ever heard that term spoken, but had read it in historical romances. No one talked like that these days. “No. Never mind, it’s not important. Listen, I just want you to go. I want to enjoy my evening.”
His smile was gentle. “I’m sorry, my dear, but this evening every decade is the only time I am visible to the human eye. I never miss a chance to watch the Falls.”
Every decade…
“You’re telling me you do this every ten years? How old are you?”
“I was born in 1781. That makes me—”
“Two hundred thirty-one,” Jodie whispered, legs weak. She grabbed the back of the chair nearby and sat down. Were such things even possible?
Jesus. 
An eighteenth century ghost stood before her. 
Merry Christmas to me. 


Available at…



Readers can learn more about Kacey’s books/contact her via …




Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Meet Michaela Winters


Good Day fans and readers of Decadent Decisions. I’m very pleased to be here today. W. Lynn Chantale asked that I fill in for her as she’s been, uh well, detained at this time. Let me introduce myself, I’m Michaela Winters, Mike to my friends. My story, Winters’ Thaw, releases this Friday from Evernight Publishing.

I’m a well known defense attorney in Genesee County and after this last case, I’m looking forward to having time away from court and all the fun that goes along with it. Thankfully my vacation coincided with the holidays.

Lynn did ask if I had any holiday traditions, well I don’t have many. I didn’t have the best home life and celebrating things like Christmas was just another reason for my family to get twisted.

That’s why I was hoping to start a few new traditions with my husband, Brock Logan. He’s the strong, silent, overprotective type and generally will drive me crazy keeping me safe, but I know he loves me...well maybe. Things haven’t been that great between us and that’s probably why he decided we needed to spend the holidays at our cabin in Northern Michigan. He did the whole nine, tree, presents, but there was one thing he forgot to tell me. Someone is trying to kill me. Well I have a surprise or two for my husband. He’ll just have to wait for Christmas day.



“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...


Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Some Are Sicker Than Others by Andrew Seaward



In A.A. they say to wait at least a year before entering into a relationship, the idea being before you can love someone else, you must first learn how to love yourself. But what if loving yourself just isn’t possible? What if in order to love yourself, you must first know that you can be loved? 
During a mandated recovery, Monty Miller, a young, suicidal alcoholic, falls deeply in love with a cocaine addict named Vicky, who offers him a reprieve from his life of self-sabotage. Against his sponsor’s warnings, Monty hinges his entire recovery on Vicky, believing he can stay sober for her rather than doing it for himself. But when Vicky is killed in a hit-and-run on their way home from a meeting, Monty is forced to confront the truth; he didn’t really love her. He was just using her as a way to cope without alcohol.  
Filled with the guilt of this revelation, Monty embarks on a mission to drink himself to death. But, his family intervenes and has him committed to Sanctuary, a rehabilitation facility high in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. There he meets Dave Bell, a former all-American track star turned narcissistic crack addict, and the driver responsible for Vicky’s death. 
Can Monty forgive Dave for his unspeakable atrocity and finally find the courage to forgive himself? Or will he follow his addiction to its inevitable conclusion, using self-pity and blame as excuses to give up on life?
Based on the author’s own personal experience with substance abuse and addictive relationships, SOME ARE SICKER THAN OTHERS transcends the clichés of the typical recovery story by exploring the incomprehensible demoralization of addiction and the thin, blurred line between codependence and true love.   


Author Bio:
Name a hospital in Pennsylvania; I’ve been there. A rehab in Texas; I’ve stayed there. I’ve been strapped down to hospital beds, thrown into drunk tanks, and locked in padded rooms no bigger than a broom closet. I’ve woken up on railroad tracks, passed out on park benches, and even slept in a dumpster once because I was too drunk to realize what it was. And for what? A moment of numbness, a flicker of tranquility? No. I realize now, that the reason I drank was because I was too afraid to admit who I really was. I’m an artist. A storyteller. A writer. An author. It took me a long time to finally admit this, and now that I have, I can’t stop. 
My debut novel, SOME ARE SICKER THAN OTHERS, takes you on a hellish journey inside the diseased mind of the addict. From a codependent alcoholic wracked by an obsession to drink himself to death to a former all-American track star turned washed-up high school volleyball coach with a dependency on crack…the characters in my novel will haunt, taunt, and challenge your preconceived notions of what it means to be an addict or alcoholic. Some of you will laugh, some will cry, others will see themselves in the characters’ lives. Either way, I hope you enjoy the story, because, in the end, it’s not only my story…it’s everybody’s. 
Do you have a tag line: I used to think I was a pretty sick person. Then my parents sent me to drug & alcohol rehab in Anaheim, CA. There I learned a universal truth about addicts and alcoholics; though we may all be sick…Some Are Sicker Than Others. 

Excerpt: 
“It was a beautiful night. The moon was out and the stars were shining, like diamonds impregnated in a coal-black sky. What a wonderful night to be clean and sober. What a wonderful night to be alive. To think, all he had to do was quit drinking and he could’ve felt like this his entire life—no more shaking, no more seizing, no more getting up to puke in the middle of the night. If he’d just listened to his parents and stopped a little sooner, he could’ve avoided all those years of suffering and pain. All those nights of lying face down in a puddle of his own blood and urine, praying for God to come and take him away, his hands around a bottle, his head above the porcelain, and that sick, vile poison bubbling inside his veins. Those trips to the emergency room in some random state hospital just so he could get pumped full of fluids and strapped down to a bed, while nurses with bad breath, bad hair, and bad makeup stuck a tube down his dick just so he could pee. Christ, what a fucking nightmare. Thank god it was finally all over. Thank god he finally found a way to stay clean.” 

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...




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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