Here we go, another fun-filled blog hop with Fated Desires Publishing and Hearthrob Haven (love that name). Boy, do they have some great prizes lined up for readers who comment on the blogs!
 
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack

In addition, the authors you visit will also be offering prizes, and fun glimpes of those heroes we love so well. Remember, when you leave a comment on any website, Make sure to comment with your email address to be eligible for the grand prizes.

Here's my contest: Name a favorite hero from a movie or TV show. Do you love him (or her) because they're smart, funny, sexy, strong? My prize will be an Amazon gift certificate and  the winner's choice of an  ebook from my backlist (that's anything except Creatures of the Night), so take a peek at my Book List page to see which one you'd like. Leave your comment, then click on the picture above or the link below to hop on over to another author. Good luck, and happy hopping!

 
Enjoy this short excerpt from Creatures of the Night. Kyle is a real hero, so cool in this scene! He has to convince the evil Joe Sandori to leave his house, so Maya and Sasha can sneak out.

Kyle felt a drop of sweat on his brow. He wiped it away and turned up the air conditioner in the car. He could not appear nervous. He had to be confident and in control. How hard could this be? He would be talking to a bunch of hired thugs and then another thug who couldn’t be any smarter than the many clients he had dealt with in his previous life, as he now considered his days in the city.

This time, there was more at stake. Possibly two people’s lives depended on him pulling off his role as a hot-shot lawyer. I am a hot-shot lawyer. He relaxed a little with a grin. He thought about the many times he had assumed that persona and remembered how well that role worked. So many people loved to be around a self-assured, even arrogant man, assuming, because he had such confidence in himself, they should too. Today would be the ultimate test of that character.

Pulling up to the gate, Kyle prepared for the guard at the entrance. He rolled down his window and handed him a business card.

“I have an appointment with Mr. Sandori,” he informed the security man.

“I don’t have any appointments on my list,” the guard told Kyle. “Mr. Sandori don’t see visitors this early in the morning.”

“I assure you, he will want to see me. Unless he wants to forfeit his portion of the inheritance, I suggest you let me in,” Kyle said.

The guard scratched his head, checked out Kyle’s Ferrari, then picked up the phone and made a call.

“All right, you can come in. Stop the car inside. I got to search you and check the car for explosives.”

Kyle drove through the gate and got out of the car, while the man ran a device around the vehicle, looked in the trunk, then patted him down. He hoped his pounding heart didn’t give him away.

“Nice wheels,” the guard said. “Go to the front door, Mac will meet you there.”

So far so good.

Another guard greeted Kyle as he pulled around the circular driveway and stopped in front of the house.

“Nice car,” he said, while Kyle stepped out. “What kind of business you got with Mr. Sandori? He didn’t tell me he was expecting anyone.” Kyle handed Mac another card. Thank goodness he saved some of the richly embossed company cards.

“Kyle Stepington with Hornsby, Goldstein and Feldermac. I’m here to see Joe Sandori regarding an inheritance matter. My office was to have called him yesterday, but apparently they didn’t,” Kyle said, pulling up his jacket sleeve to flash an impressive Rolex.

“Time is of the essence. Would you please inform your employer we need to be at the office in one hour?” Kyle said.

Mac looked uncertain.

“Mr. Sandori don’t like to be woke up this early,” he said.

“I can assure you, he’ll be more than happy to wake up for this. Get him, please,” Kyle said, with a touch of impatience and all the authority he could muster.

“Wait here.” Mac turned and went inside.

Kyle looked around the grounds, wishing he could be sure Maya was safe inside. It didn’t appear he was going to be invited into the impressive house, and even if he were, he doubted he would see her. The plan called for her to stay hidden until Joe left the house.

A few moments later, a scowling man appeared still in his pajamas and robe.

“What the hell is going on?” he asked Kyle, as he trudged down the front steps. “Who the fuck are you?”

Kyle extended his hand, though he wanted to haul back and punch this repulsive man.

“My name is Kyle Stepington and I represent Hornsby, Goldstein and Feldermac. I don’t mean to rush you, but we really need to get going. Apparently, my office did not contact you yesterday, so I’ll try to make this brief. Willard Stevens recently passed on, and you are named a beneficiary in his will. He stipulated that all beneficiaries must be present when the will is read, or they will be disinherited. Mr. Stevens exhibited a bit of…eccentric behavior in his later years, as I’m sure you well know.”

Joe nodded slowly. “Yeah, he always was kind of nuts, wasn’t he?”

Kyle smiled and made a show of checking his watch again. Joe stared at the Rolex, then the Ferrari. Kyle could almost see the dollar signs flashing in his eyes.

“I do apologize for this late notice, but the will is due to be read in less than an hour. We really must go. If you’ll follow me, it should only take us half an hour to arrive. I assume you want to change your clothes and…freshen up a bit?”

“Yeah, yeah, give me ten minutes; I’ll be good to go. Say, you wouldn’t happen to know how much my cut of the inheritance is, would you?” Joe asked.

“No, sir, I really couldn’t say, but I do know Mr. Stevens had a large number of properties and holdings. Most of his family has also passed, leaving only you and a few other trusted friends to inherit.”

“Good old Willard!” Joe said, slapping Kyle on the shoulder. “You hold tight, I’ll be down in ten minutes. Mac! Bring a car around. I’m going out.” 




                                                                                    

When I saw this in the store, I again had to wonder. Sure, it would be great not to clean a litter box, but do I really want to share a toilet with my cat? The answer is, No, I don't. I don't even want to share it with my honey. Seperate bathrooms are good for humans and really good for humans and pets. Hand me the scooper!

Total-E-Bound is rewriting the classics with a twist of sex and romance in their new book line, Clandestine Classics. Judging by the many comments from different forums, this topic is hitting a nerve with some folks. Of course other people, like Jimmy Kimmel, are taking advantage of the opportunity to look at the light side. The books go on sale at Total-E-Bound at the end of July, so we'll let the sales figures do the talking.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/07/17/classic-books-added-sex-scenes_n_1678522.html

Everyone has secrets. Some are small and silly, some are big, deep, dark and scary, ones we will take to our grave. We entrust our good friends with our secrets, and do our best to keep them from people we know will spill the beans.  If we're starting a relationship, eventually, some of the important secrets will come out. When do we reveal our mysteries to a potential lover? 

Join me at Long and Short reviews as I talk about relationships and secrets.

http://wcguest.blogspot.com/

This past month I've stayed up late and slept late a few times each week. That pattern seems to work out for me. Early to be and early to rise works well for others. I'm a big fan of sleep, so I found this article about sleep cycles by Dr. Mercola most interesting. Most of us have to be awake at a certain time each day, but what if we didn't? How would we sleep? I'd like to try it sometime!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/18/the-myth-of-the-eighthour-sleep.aspx?e_cid=20120618_DNL_art_1

This is a gigantic party, with more than 400 prizes! Log in and join the Sizzling Summer Reads 2012 party. Play games, join the fun and win goodies. Meet your favorite authors and chat with them. I'm hanging out on Tuesday, July 10th, so be sure to visit.