It's Labor Day weekend in the United States and I hope everyone has a delightful few days filled with fun, sunshine and of course, plenty of good loving. Enjoy this short excerpt from Awaken the Fire.

Tristan had undressed Genna completely, and she stood naked, her arms by her side. He pulled clips out of her hair, then ran his fingers through it.

“Lovely.” He cupped one full breast, and bent his head to kiss her nipple.

Once again, Star admired the petite woman’s body, and wondered what it would feel like to take one of those hard peaks into her own mouth. She’d never been with another woman in bed. In college, she’d been far too shy to join in the experiments her classmates seemed to enjoy. Her companions now would certainly welcome this move on her part, she was sure.

Genna moaned and tilted her head back. Tristan moved his lips to her neck, caressing her body with his hands. Star squirmed on the bed. The waves of intense need coming from Genna and Tristan were almost palpable. Adam must have felt it also. He stroked her thigh, his fingers sliding again into her wetness.

Still, underneath the heat, a tingle of apprehension surged, stronger now. Star pushed down her desire and concentrated on the deeper feelings beneath the surface.

“We need to stay alert. I can sense—” she began.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Lucas strode into the room, a gun in his hand.

Head over to another author for more hotness!

www.mysexysaturday.blogspot.com

Buy links for Awaken the Fire

Amazon

Total-E-Bound

All Romance

Kobo

Barnes and Noble

TooJay's Gourmet Deli has the most wonderful food. There are so many choices and at least two menus to peruse. I was there last weekend with my RWA group and decided to order dessert. Life is short, right? They had a selection, two dessert choices for those who can't decide. Like me.

My original post was going to be a complaint about the portion size. Look at that ginormous serving! This is why we have weight control problems in this country. Then I pulled up their menu online and read it more closely. 

Combo Dessert for Two
Perfect For Sharing
Your choice of any two slices of our signature cakes 6.25

Ooops, my bad. They didn't really expect me to eat this whopping plate of goo all by myself. Fortunately, I did stop shoveling forkfuls of yummy in time and managed to bring home a box to share with my honey. My lesson? Always check my facts first before I rant and read the menu more closely before I order.

Join me and other fabulous authors as we hang out at Long and Short Reviews and answer twenty questions. What a great way to get to know some of your favorite writers!

There's something about a fairy tale that brings out the kid in me. As a child, I loved to know that all stories end happily ever after. The woman finds her perfect man, the bad guys are suitably punished and the good guys rewarded. Now that I'm all grown up I know this doesn't actually happen and there are many monsters that roam free in the real world . Maybe that's why I especially like to see good triumph over evil in the movies.

Jack the Giant Slayer follows the fairy tale, sort of. Jack ends up with magical beans that he's supposed to deliver to a group of monks who protect them. The story behind the beans is mysterious and magical, right up my alley. One bean accidentally falls under Jack's house and gets wet, a big no-no. A huge stalk grows, taking Jack, his house and an unexpected visitor, a princess, along with it.

The princess Isabel is out seeking adventure (a woman after my own heart!) and accidentally winds up at Jack's house. She gets more than she bargained for when she's whisked away to the land of the giants.

There are some very cool additions to the original story. Along with magic beans there's a crown with great power, monks with a mission, witty conversation and of course, a sweet love story with a plucky heroine. I like that although Jack is a simple farm lad, he uses his wits to get out of trouble and rescue his friends. There's plenty of action, the plot is believable (if you believe in magic which of course you do!) and the love story is cute. There are several bad guys, all with different agendas, to keep us on our toes. 

Take a trip to another land and enjoy Jack the Giant Slayer.

Available on Netflix.

My winner is Renee B. Thank you so much everyone for participating!


Hello and thanks for visiting me. Big thanks to Under the Covers Book Blog for hosting this fabulous event! 

Sometimes I'm lovestruck with my honey, other times I just want to strike him. Come on, admit it, you too have wanted to bop your partner at some point. We all get aggravated with each other. When my guy is on my sh*t list, I try real hard to remember something I love about him. Here's a sweet example.

I recently had work done on my face and it looked kind of freaky. We're talking little red scabs all over my face! On Saturday date night I asked him if it was really bad and was he too embarrassed to go out with me.  He said no, he was just picturing me as a little girl with freckles. Awwwww! It's times like these I remember whenever I get mad at him and the warm fuzzies chase away the anger. Enjoy the excerpt below, where Star and Adam are having a disagreement. They need to get it together because they're about to work a menage ritual with Tristan. Can't be arguing during that!

For my contest, just leave me a quick comment and say hello. I'll choose a random name at the end of the hop and the winner will receive your choice of one of my back list Ebooks, that's anything except Awaken the Fire, or a bookmark goodie pack filled with delightful handmade items, if you're in the US. 

After commenting, hop on over to the next author. I hope you win lots of goodies! 

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“What’s going on?” Tristan asked after they’d left the room.

“Nothing that concerns you.”

“Everything concerns me right now,” Tristan said. He put a hand on her shoulder. “We really do need to be in tune with each other now. You look like you’re ready to spit nails.”

“Adam and I had a minor disagreement, that’s all.”

“Then kiss and make up. We need to have our heads right.” He dropped his hand from her shoulder and took hers. “Come on, wait till you see this room they have for us.”

They walked through the arched doorway to follow Genna and Adam, and Star caught her breath.

“Isn’t it beautiful in here? Walk around with me, and we’ll set up candles and get a feel for the space.”

Star had to agree—the room was lovely. One wall had floor-to-ceiling windows with a fireplace in the middle and a view of the tall, leafy trees in the back yard. Wooden beams lined the high ceilings and the floors were polished oak wood. Overhead fans turned gently, stirring a light breeze. There was a king-size bed in the middle of the room, with lots of pillows. A faint aroma of sandalwood caught her attention. Is that potpourri, or Tristan’s scent?

“This is gorgeous!”

Tristan smiled. “It is stunning. Genna told me this room is used for exclusive events. They removed the other furnishings and had a bed brought in, just for us.”

“Well, now I feel special.” Star leaned in close and whispered in Tristan’s ear. “Do you think they have listening devices in place?”

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” he whispered back. “Watch what you say.”

The two placed candles and gemstones in various spots around the room. Star detected hints of rose geranium and lavender wafting from the wax. Tristan always had a vast number of magical accessories. She had a brief image of what his closets at home must look like, and laughed out loud.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Nothing. Are those rose petals?”

“They are. I thought I would use them to make our circle.”

“Nice touch.” Star watched as he flung a few on the bed, then arranged them across the pillows. Her shoulders dropped a notch, and her neck relaxed. Tristan had a flair for the romantic, and recalling their last encounter, a definite aptitude for sex. A shiver ran down her spine despite the heat in the room.

“Sure you don’t want to talk about what’s going on with you and Adam?” he asked in a low voice, coming to stand next to her.

“Not right now. I don’t want to get distracted.”

“Then let it go. Keep your attention focused here. We’ll have fun, give the Vigilar what they want and head home soon,” Tristan said.

Adam had come to join them.

Tristan looked at both of them. “Genna, would you excuse us for another moment?”

“I’m not supposed to leave you three alone. I need to make notes on everything that happens tonight that the instruments don’t record, and I don’t want to leave this equipment. It’s very precisely calibrated.”

“I promise we won’t do anything noteworthy. I need to talk to my partners, alone. You do want us all on the same wavelength, don’t you? We could use a few bottles of water, if you would be so kind.”

With a concerned glance at her equipment, Genna left.

“Here, I brought a silk robe for you, and pants for Adam and I. There’s a full bathroom connected. I’m going to take a shower. You two might want to chat. Really, we have to go into this in the right frame of mind.” He turned towards Adam and frowned.

“What are you doing with Genna’s equipment? I told her we wouldn’t touch it.” Tristan and Star walked to the table where Adam was holding an apparatus, and using his phone to snap pictures.

“Apparently you lied,” Adam said quietly. “I want to know as much as possible about what these people are doing with us. Don’t worry, I’m being careful.”

“Remember, they may have lied also, and could be watching and listening to us right now.”

“I’m aware of that,” Adam snapped.

Leaning in close, Tristan lowered his voice further. “Whatever is bothering you, get rid of it. We can’t fuck this up. We need to put on a good show, and keep our power under control, not like the last time we were together. We don’t know what the Vigilar are up to, so we need to pay close attention.”

“I’m aware of that also. Didn’t I hear you say something about a shower?”

Tristan threw up his hands and walked away. Adam continued snapping pictures, until Star put her hand on his arm.

“Tristan’s correct, we need to focus right now. I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll stop asking you about the future and concentrate more on the present if you’ll keep me updated about what’s going on with you. Come on, let’s kiss and make up, or at least, let’s kiss.” She puckered her lips and thrust her face towards his.

He stopped his movements, and a grin played at the corner of his mouth. He touched her lips lightly, then traced the outline, bringing his index finger across her cheek and down her neck where he paused, resting in the hollow at the base of her throat. For just a moment, time stopped. They looked into each other’s eyes, and Star saw the universe.

He continued moving his finger, across her breast, lightly stroking one nipple through her shirt. As always, this gentle pressure aroused her, and a shudder ran through her body. He seemed to know exactly where and how to touch her, every time. Here she stood, fully dressed, with only his finger on her body, and her panties were soaked. As though he knew the effect he had on her, Adam pulled his hand away, stepped back and smiled.

The sound of a door opening pulled her attention from Adam.

“Here’s plenty of water for you. Where’s Tristan?” Genna asked, walking into the room.

“He’s in the bathroom.”

Genna looked at her watch. “We need to begin shortly.”

“I’m ready,” Tristan announced, coming from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. Star heard a sharp intake of breath, and stole a glance at Genna. The woman stood stock still, her pupils big as saucers as she watched Tristan. Well, well, someone is hot for our friend.

Star turned to nudge Adam, but he was heading for the bathroom.

“You two finish making preparations—I’ll be out in a minute.”

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

Buy links for Awaken the Fire

Amazon
Total-E-Bound
All Romance
Kobo
Barnes and Noble

I can't remember where I heard about this movie and it really looked kind of cheesy, but since I'm a big David Bowie fan and Netflix used the words 'erotic' and 'horror' in the description, I had to give it a shot.

The movie starts out strange, with discordant music and jarring flashes of several scenes. Not a great beginning, but it picks up. The pace is really slooowwww, but it was made in 1983. Eons ago! The music turns classical and gets much better though I would have preferred more dialogue, since the movie relies a lot on pretty, artsy scenery and effects. Yes, the billowing silk is gorgeous and the love scenes with Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon are really nice, but I would have liked a bit more storytelling. 

The basic plot is about vampires who live forever, except not really. One of them is dying (no! not David Bowie! Take someone else!) and tries some pretty awful things to keep from going. Alas. He perishes and his lover turns her attention to the lovely Susan Sarandon. There's not much of a story but hey, it's an unusual, creepy movie with just enough sexy weirdness to make it watchable.

Netflix lists this flick as horror, vampires, erotic, thrillers, cult horror. I'd say that pretty well sums it up. On sale at Amazon, if you must own it.

These past weeks have been very busy with clients which means lots of money. Yay! It also means less time for writing, Boo. So, today I'm going to share a few charming pictures with you. Here is mama duck with her babies by our pond. This morning I saw her leading them somewhere down the street. I worry about them out on the road. Too many crazy drivers. 

Here is my lovely cat Lola, reclining in a box. If you put a box on the floor, a cat will hop in. This is a special box. It has copies of one of my WIPS that I read  for Deep Dish. DD is what we do at my local RWA meeting. We make copies of the first twelve pages of a story, pass it out to the members and read it aloud. They critique the story verbally and also write notes. What a great way to get feedback! It was my first time doing this *teeth chatter* but it went very well and I got all kinds of useful tips. I'm going to save these copies and read the notes whenever I start feeling a little down about writing. Thank you, my wonderful STAR (Space Coast Authors of Romance) peeps!