Is this me shape-shifting? No, sad to say, I'm a normal, boring human. I belong to a group that helps feral cats so once a year, I dress up and work at a fundraising event. It's fun to get into character and pretend I'm a cat. 

My new book, Ruled by the Moon, features real shape-shifters and they have sooooo many issues. Maybe I'm better off being a normal, boring human after all. Enjoy this spicy excerpt from Ruled by the Moon.


A psychic vet, a secretive werewolf, a menace stalking the shifters. Welcome to Nocturne.

 Dylan is a werewolf with a problem. He shifts at the new moon as well as at the full moon. He was born a werewolf, not made like most shape-changers and due to these unique traits he's avoided joining a pack and has given up hope of having a normal life. Morgan is a veterinarian, ready to be on her own for a good long time after leaving a cheating, spineless husband. She has a plan for her life that doesn't include a bossy, furry man.

 Both are drawn to Nocturne, a town filled with magic due to a strong convergence of ley lines in the area. Morgan and Dylan recognize a connection when they meet, but neither one is looking for romance. After a harrowing encounter with a panther shape-shifter, they must combine forces and work together to uncover a menace that threatens the town. If they can learn to trust each other and let their guard down, they have a chance to solve the mystery and open the door to love.

Excerpt:


He rose slowly, and she stood also, inches away from him.

“Kiss me.”

He stared at her, frowning. “You want to get close to me, after what just happened?”

“Dylan, I like you. Our little session at the clinic got my motor running and I think we should be able to pursue this.”

Lust and caution battled inside. He really did feel calm, and Morgan seemed intent on getting her way. Still, the thought of hurting her again was unacceptable. “If we wait a few days, I won’t be so aggressive.

Morgan put her arms around his waist. “Let’s give it a try. You kissed me back at my office and nothing happened. Do it again.”

He did. It was just as fine as before. Her lips parted and he slid his tongue into her mouth, meeting hers. The wolf prodded at his senses as his pulse sped up, but he pushed it away and concentrated on the sensation of touching Morgan. He ran his hands along her torso then stopped at her breasts and rubbed her nipples through his flannel shirt. She moaned into his mouth and his cock hardened again.

“So far so good?” she asked, pulling away.

“So far so good. I can feel my body trying to change, but I’m fighting it.”

“Is this too difficult? Do you want to stop?”

“No, let’s keep going.”

He pulled her close again and buried his face in her neck. He licked her skin then gently bit her earlobe, and she moaned. Despite her attempt to cover it, he smelled her woman scent. He shuddered with deep longing. He’d almost forgotten the feeling of holding a woman close, of having a warm body next to his.

He unbuttoned the shirt with shaking fingers. Lowering his head, he kissed her collarbone, then lower, until he reached her nipple, already stiff. He took it lightly into his mouth and flicked it with his tongue while he squeezed her breast. She began to squirm. He pulled his mouth away and with his thumb, rubbed the hard peak then pinched it lightly and rolled it between his fingers. He did the same on the other side, now sucking harder, and pulling the engorged tip with his lips.

The feel of her hand on his cock almost made him jump. She squeezed, tentatively, then harder, pulling slowly. He tried to focus on her warmth and softness, not her musky scent that made him want to drag her down with him to the floor, spread her legs and take her.

It was no good. Try as he might, he couldn’t halt the primitive force that raged through his body and demanded release. With a growl deep in his throat, he pushed her away. “That’s all, Morgan. I can’t control it anymore. We need to stop.”

Her chest rose and fell rapidly and her face was flushed. Damn, she looked good, all hot and ready, her nipples standing up straight, her scent drifting toward him. He took another step back and cursed. Why had he even tried? Why torment himself this way? He would never have this again. Never.

She buttoned the shirt. “Do you want to…”

“No! I don’t want to do anything but finish getting drunk. Just go. Now.”

“But…”

“Go!”

He turned his back, and after a moment heard the door open then close, bringing in a gust of chill air and wafting a last scent of Morgan.


Buy Links for Ruled by the Moon:

Liquid Silver Books:  http://bit.ly/1FjkVls

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1tpS6LI

Barnes and Noble:  http://bit.ly/1uRHgn1

Kobo:  http://bit.ly/11qACIw

Google Play:  http://bit.ly/1v3ptb6

All Romance:  http://bit.ly/1pg3ZIr

The winner is Connie. Thank you so much to everyone who entered.





Mixing business with pleasure has never been so much fun

Amber’s life sucks. Her ex got her thrown out of college, then fired from her job. When she’s hired for a mystery shopping assignment, she hopes this is exactly what she needs to kick-start her life and get her back on track.

Jaeger is all business when he hires Amber to check out the spa he’s purchasing. If she can help him prove that the venture will be a success, then he can build his own future, not the one his family has mapped out for him. Becoming attracted to his sexy spy isn't part of the plan.

Amber can’t see how she fits into Jaeger’s world, and he’s too uptight to ever fit into hers. Circumstances bring them together, in bed and out, but when a secret from his upper-class life is revealed, Amber must decide if she can trust him. Or is her life going down in flames all over again?

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


Don't Say No is now available at your favorite e-book retailer. You can read an excerpt here on my website and I'll be at The Romance Studio's Thanksgiving party November 21 to 25 sharing more snippets. Yikes, is it almost Thanksgiving? I know I'm thankful for so many things every day. It's nice to have a holiday dedicated to remembering all the good in our lives. 

Join me in celebrating this book release and don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter below.

Click! - No, not the sound a frogger makes. It’s the switch that goes off in your head when an idea or thought smacks. You know what I mean -- the divine moments that represent the best creative place. I know I’ve been hit at the oddest times.

 My process is to write down the bare bones of my story then layer and layer and layer, submit for critique, and layer and layer. During the layering process, a word or phrase will -- click! -- pop in my head. Most of the time, the word or phrase is perfect, better than what I’d originally written. When this happens, pure creativity is working in me.

One day, I was walking through my closet and glanced at my husband’s colorful array of ties. Click!–- an idea blossomed. I grabbed a sticky note and scribbled down a couple of things. Later on, I went to my desk to write a short story, “Christmas Ties.”

 Another time, I walked through my closet and got the idea to write my third book, “Bad Dates.” (Note to self: maybe move desk to closet. lol)

 As I sipped drinks with DARA friends at RWA National, we began describing first dates. Click! Our innocent war stories stimulated my friend with ideas for several books. She pulled out her iPhone and began working so not to lose the thoughts whirling in her head. Cool.

I’ve heard if you think long and hard about some spot in your writing and then sleep on it, you will wake up with a pure thought. Click! How about that? Your creativity is at work while you’re sleeping.

 Do you pay attention to your clicks? Do you scurry around with pieces of paper, ticket stubs, grocery receipts with prize bits written on them? Do you send yourself texts with your ideas?

 Pay close attention to the little voice in your head, the little thought that passes through, the “ah ha” moments. These clicks! could be what makes the difference in your writing. But it won’t make a difference unless it is on the page.

 How do you save those Ah Ha moments?


 Blurb: 


New Job. New Love. And Murder.

Hattie Cook's dream job is down the toilet and her new SUV violated. Desperate for cash to cover the basic necessities of rent and food, she takes a temporary job at Buy Rite Insurance Company where she uncovers an embezzling scam tied to the death of a former employee--the very one she replaced.
 
Detective Allan Charles Wellborn has secretly adored Hattie all his life. When the police determine there's more to the death of a former Buy Rite employee, he steps in to lead the investigation. Overly dedicated, always perfect, he puts his job first, even if doing so ultimately hurts the one he loves.
 
Can the killer be found before Hattie's time is up?


Excerpt:

“Yuck.”

Pretty much covered the whole freakin’ day. 

A blinding red-white, red-white strobe, reflected in my brand new Wrangler’s rearview mirror, seized my attention. The police. I tossed my hands skyward, ready to surrender. I shouldn’t have been too surprised. Like I'd commented this a.m. to my roommate, Jenny, “Today, anything’s possible.”

My Bad Day checklist included:

- Crappy job interview, one which might have provided desperately needed         income.

- Wore gut-busting panty hose on a hot day which had now worked past my waist and strangled my diaphragm.

- A barely blowing air conditioner indicated something had malfunctioned in my new, fun car.

I stole another glance in the mirror, and with great reluctance, flipped the right turn indicator. My vehicle coasted to a stop on the shoulder of Boston Avenue in my hometown of Sommerville, a nice suburb located between two large cities. Four lanes of cars and trucks zipped by as I sat there where every single one of my family, friends, friends’ friends, and their friends—including Rat Fink Suzanne—would see a police vehicle positioned right behind mine. Gleefully, drivers would chant the “Ha-ha, got you, not me” ditty.

How embarrassing.

After killing the engine, I flopped back in the seat. Shooting the morons the finger was an idea. Nah. I'm too exhausted to care.

A litany of:  "No, not hiring." "Just filled the position." "You're over qualified." "You're under qualified…" tornadoed through my head. Coupled with the intense job search through various outlets like the internet and completing numerous online employment applications, no wonder my body had been depleted of all life force.

Not even a breeze blew to take the edge off the unbearable summertime heat. Tangled wild trees and dry scrubby bushes banked the roadside. The grass had taken on a scorched look. Rolling down the driver’s window, I surveyed my surroundings. Nothing great. Nothing new. 

I stole a glance in the side mirror at the policeman who strode purposefully along the shoulder. The gravel crunched under his boots. He looked huge, probably because his uniform, which appeared to be bulked with a bullet-proof vest, made him resemble a buffed-up superhero in size. Exceedingly intimidating.

Sigh. When things went wrong, they were really wrong.



Author bio:

Like some of her characters, award-winning author, Vicki Batman has worked a wide variety of jobs including lifeguard, ride attendant at an amusement park; a hardware store, department store, book store, antique store clerk; administrative assistant in an international real estate firm; and a general “do anything gal” at a financial services firm--the list is endless, giving her plenty of crazy material for her writing.

Writing for several years, she has completed three manuscripts, written essays, and sold many short stories. She is a member of RWA and several writing groups and chapters. In 2004, she joined DARA and has served in many capacities, including 2009 President. DARA awarded her the Robin Teer Memorial Service Award in 2010. Most days begin with her hands set to the keyboard and thinking "What if??"


Find Vicki at:

 Website: http://vickibatman.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1ipdLkv
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VickiBatman
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/vickibatman
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4814608.Vicki_Batman  
Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/author/vickibatman
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=116288777&trk=hb_tab_pro_top
Google+: bit.ly/1zUggDF
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/vickibatman
Plotting Princesses: http://plottingprincesses.blogspot.com
Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/o1515093723
Email: [email protected]

Buy links for Temporarily Employed

Amazon ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Temporarily-Employed-Vicki-Batman-ebook/dp/B00N4J5FDQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410893535&sr=1-1&keywords=temporarily+employed

Amazon paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Temporarily-Employed-Vicki-Batman/dp/1628304979/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412359358&sr=1-2&keywords=temporarily+employed

The Wild Rose Press ebook: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=5829

The Wild Rose Press paperback: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=5896

Once again, I'm going to let pictures do the talking for me. My honey and I took a short cruise and I'm still trying to recover. Not only from the rocking of the ship during rough weather (I'm still weaving so I look a little drunk when I walk around) but from not having Internet access for three days. You have to pay for it on the ship and I'm cheap, plus, I wanted to see if I could do without. I survived, but it makes for a lot of catch-up when the trip is over.

I've come to the conclusion that there are two types of people who go on cruises. Those who really want to relax and those who want to run around and do everything. My honey and I are that second crazy bunch. Since neither of us has ever been on a cruise, we had to explore. And, since the water was too rough for us to make it to our island destination to snorkle, we had extra time to spend on the ship. We ate, we drank, we bounced, we rock-climbed, we ate, we watched a movie, we drank, we saw two shows, I entered a sing-the-last-lyrics contest, we ate, you get the idea. 

Lots of fun but hard on the body. I'm finally feeling almost physically back to normal and getting close to caught up on my email. Just in time to dive into promotion for my two book releases coming out this month! So, it's back to work I go, until the next adventure.

Liz Crowe is here with her new series, Love Brothers. Book one, Love Garage, will be out soon. Can't wait? Check out the excerpt and trailer below, then head down to the Rafflecopter and enter to win some awesome goodies.

The Love Brothers: A family saga with humor, heat and heart—not to mention beer, bourbon and basketball.


Love Garage
Book 1
January 5, 2015 (ebook)
March 14, 2015 (Print)

Blurb

Antony Love is the quintessential responsible oldest brother of a boisterous, Italian/Irish family, placed in charge at a young age by his parents who are busy running the family business. He manages his siblings with a fair but iron hand, until his life is shattered by personal tragedy leaving him the shell of the man he once was.

 When outspoken matriarch Lindsay Halloran Love becomes ill, the youngest brother Aiden shows up at Antony's garage, having dropped out of school (again), needing work and a place to crash. Antony provides both, with three caveats: "Don't smoke in my truck, don't be late for work, and don't mess with my girlfriend."

 But Aiden Love, budding novelist, gets one glimpse of Rosalee Norris, young widow of Antony's lifelong best friend and all bets are off.

Set in horse country near Lexington, Kentucky, The Love Brothers Series is a saga of family devotion that runs as wide and deep as the Ohio River--except on Sundays when brothers Antony, Kieran, Dominic and Aiden work out their frustrations on the basketball court, Love brother style.

Love Garage Excerpt:

 Love Garage opened bright and early the next morning, a Saturday, a day Aiden had hoped to spend recovering.

 “I get so many oil changes and random small jobs on Saturdays, it doesn’t make sense to be closed and let the jackasses with the Quickilube at Walmart get the business,” Antony insisted when Aiden groaned with dismay upon being awakened after two hours of drunken sleep. It didn’t help that the awakening occurred at the business end of a thrown pillow. “Get up, Romeo. You owe me rent money.”

He did, slowly, queasily hitting a shower, sore all over, his skin mottled from bug bites. But nothing topped the glorious agony of a bourbon hangover like the one that had him firmly in its evil grasp.

He slouched out the door, cursing Antony, cursing Tricia, cursing her ex-husband for throwing her in his path last night. But mostly cursing his own weak-ass uselessness. He rested his head against the cool comfort of the truck window until Antony hit a bump or two, which sent extra pain jolting down his spine.

“Sorry,” his brother muttered, glancing over at him.

“No, you’re not.”

“Got me there. And you’d better warn me if you’re about to toss your cookies. I won’t have that in my vehicle, got me?”

Aiden rubbed his neck and nodded, swallowing the urge to throw up all over the pristine interior on principal. “Why d’you hate me so much? You used to like me.” He stared over at his brother, heart thumping, ears humming, throat closing up with nausea. He despised waking up still drunk.

“I don’t hate you.” Antony turned onto the main road headed into town.

“Could’ve fooled me. You’re a real asshole anymore. Worse than Dom.”

Antony merely shrugged, not rising to that tried-and-true bait. So they spent the rest of the ride to the garage in silence. Once there, Antony sat gripping the wheel. Aiden waited, hoping he’d get something out of him—something he would assure him that the man he thought he remembered as the protective, funny, and loving guy he’d grown up with still existed inside the guy walking around wearing Antony’s skin.

Finally, he let go of the wheel, exhaled, and squared his shoulders as if prepping for battle. Aiden made a mental note to talk to Kieran about how badly Antony had descended into his life of non-stop mourning and jerk-hood.

“So, Rosalee, not putting out for you or what? You need to get laid maybe? Knock the edge off?”

The glare Aiden got for saying those particular words did make him worry Antony might punch his aching head through the passenger-side window.

He clenched his jaw in the way Aiden remembered from their childhood. “That is so far outside the realm of your business as to be in another galaxy. Get to work and don’t say her name to me again.”

And with that, Aiden was left with the fleeting thought that mentioning Rosalee directly was probably not a good idea. He surely didn’t need Antony to guess that her name was on his lips, or front and center of his mind.

He shook his head—a Bad Plan because it summoned the pounding agony back with a vengeance. Groaning, he climbed out and shuffled over to the door.

A new day began at Love Garage.

 

Amazon pre-order link:   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P4GJCL8


Goodreads Link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22294474-love-garage
 

TRAILER, produced by Fiona Jayde Media, starring model Scott Nova, photography by Taria Reed. Narrated by Daniel Dorse, who will record all the books for Audible.com

 

About Liz Crowe 

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

Amazon best-selling author, beer blogger, brewery marketing expert, mom of three, and soccer fan, Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville currently living in Ann Arbor. She has decades of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as a three-continent, ex-pat trailing spouse.

Her early forays into the publishing world led to a groundbreaking fiction subgenre, “Romance for Real Life,” which has gained thousands of fans and followers interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens After?”). More recently she is garnering even more fans across genres with her latest novels, which are more character-driven fiction, while remaining very much “real life.”

With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, in successful real estate offices and at times in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are unique and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, frustrate and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.

Don’t ever ask her for anything “like a Budweiser” or risk bodily injury.

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