“Home … is where your heart beats.” Welcome Keren Hughes!

We are happy to welcome Keren Hughes and her new book, Home. Be sure to check below for Keren’s contest.

Home - Keren Hughes

~Home isn’t a physical place, it’s the place where your heart beats.~

Drew Wright always said he had the “reverse Midas touch”; everything he touched turned to shit instead of gold.

As a child, he was beaten, neglected, and abused by drug addicted parents whose next fix was more important than having food in the cupboard.

Plagued by flashbacks of a past that haunts him, he’s worked hard to become a paramedic and help others often caught in the grip of the same trauma he experienced.

After being set up on a blind date with the love of his life he thought he’d lost, it seemed his luck was turning and fate was giving him a second  chance. Happily married with two children, he has everything he ever dreamed of.

But then one tragic moment throws his world into upheaval and lands Drew in the middle of a battle to hang on to the life he loves.

Can he separate the past from the present and save his future?

Or will the demons that have stalked him his whole life finally devour him?

Home--Keren Hughes

Buy on Amazon

About Keren
Keren lives in the UK and is an avid bookworm. She fondly remembers the Keren Hughesdays where she would lie in her bedroom away from distraction and get lost in the world of make believe.

Her first real memory of reading something she fell in love with was The Hobbit. In her teenage years, she became addicted to Point Horror books like RL Stine’s The Boyfriend, but she also enjoyed light summer reads like What Katy Did and What Katy Did Next.

Over the years she has come to realise that she is a bit of an OCD freak about books. They have to be in perfect condition without the slightest bit of damage. She has been a book reviewer for the last few years and a book hoarder for a LOT longer. You can NEVER have too many books! Her shelves are bulging and overflowing but she always wants “just one more.”

Keren had her first book published by Limitless Publishing in November 2013. It’s a YA Paranormal Romance novel called Stolen. Her second book was published with LP in May 2014. This time, an NA Contemporary Romance called Nothing Like the First Time. She couldn’t have been more surprised when NLTFT appeared on the Amazon Best Seller list! That was a dream come true.

Since then, Keren has gone on to have her books published in box-sets by Crave Publishing. She is also published by Black Velvet Seductions.
Keren is currently working on more NA Contemporary Romances for you to fall in love with.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Visit her author blog here: www.authorkerentshughes.wordpress.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/kerentshughes
Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7239538.Keren_Hughes
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Keren_Hughes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keren_hughes/

Home--Keren Hughes

Rafflecopter Giveaway here or
on the Black Velvet Seductions Facebook page!

Writing While Not Naked #MFRWauthor

I said in last week’s post that I don’t wear any special clothing when I sit down to write. That wasn’t exactly true. For instance, lookee here. This is Glamorous writeran example of how I look when I go into the office for a couple hours at the keyboard. Hair coiffed, mani/ pedi done to perfection, fuck me stilettos, and designer gown. And let’s not forget the special illumination that shows off the highlights in my hair.

Yeah…no!

My writing attire is not quite that glamorous. It’s closer to this: pajamas Comfort casualand bunny slippers. Because after all, what’s the point of working from home if you can’t be comfortable?? When I give up the pajamas, I like loose-fitting pants, a tee shirt, a wrap over my shoulders and upper arms, and yes, slippers. This is why I don’t hie off to Starbuck’s to write—they frown on bunny slippers.Bunny slippers

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

First Light a Candle, then… #MFRWauthor

I’m kidding. Incantations, invoking the muse, and even lighting candles aren’t parts of my writing ritual. And I don’t chant or dim the lights or listen to a particular song. In fact, I don’t really have a writing ritual. Usually I go back and read the last thing I wrote and then plan in my mind what would come next. In fact, this planning is so minuscule that it doesn’t even really count as planning.

Oh, God! I need some writing rituals!!

Maybe I should make a list of acceptable things to do each time I begin writing. It can’t have to do with music because I like to have it quiet when I write. Or read, for that matter. And it can’t involve eating or drinking because once I do start hitting the keys I forget food and drink. There’s no Candles as inspirationneed organizing particular things to wear (“clothes to write in…”) because that’s too much trouble. Surrounding myself with inspirational photos and books won’t work because there’s too little space in the office for such things. And besides, what about when I write in the living room using my Alphasmart or the laptop?

Now that I think of all this, I think I’ll stay ritual free after all.

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

Dr. Mel Crandall has quite a problem!

Meet Mel Crandall on RLFDr. Crandall is a great person. She’s smart, well liked and respected, has interesting hobbies. One problem. She was raised in the military (the Marine Corps, no less!) and has a firm grip on her decision not to live the wife of a military man. How sad then, that she’s let herself fall in love with a naval officer! Find out more about Mel in my blog post on Romance Lives Forever (RLF)!

Mel and David Stimson fall in love hot and hard in Weighing Anchor, Naval Maneuvers.

Thanks!
Dee
Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

Not your usual ghost story – Kayelle Allen’s Lights Out #SpaceOpera #SciFi

Welcome Kayelle Allen!!

What if today was “lights out?”

Read Lights Out in The Expanding Universe #SpaceOpera #NewRelease by @KayelleAllenIf you knew this was your last day to live, what would you do? Would you face the end with a clear conscience? Would you fight for one more day?
Look for that person you wronged and make it right? Run away? Turn and fight? What would you do?

In Lights Out by Kayelle Allen, the hero knows his end is near. Instead of running, Tornahdo makes a choice. He will face death with a clear conscience and the knowledge that his death will serve mankind. He will join…
GHOST CORPS


He can save mankind. After he does one important thing. Die.

Join the Ghost Corps, they said. You’ll live forever, they said. You’ll save mankind, they said. They didn’t say that to do it, first he had to die.

When Tornahdo signs on the dotted line, he puts his life into the steady hands of the mighty Ghost Corps. Three grisly deaths and three agonizing resurrections later, he’s assigned duty on Enderium Six.

He’s facing his most dangerous mission yet, the very reason the corps exists.

Do they expect him to win? Fat chance. Tornahdo and his team are already dead and this mission is codenamed “Lights Out.” No, there’s more to this than he can see.

To discover the truth, he must face an unbeatable, unkillable enemy, and this time–somehow–find a way to keep himself alive…

Excerpt, Lights Out by Kayelle Allen

The air reeked of antiseptic and starch stiffened the pillowcase. If only the mind-numbing jabbering would stop.

Tornahdo pried open his eyes. The flattened blood bag above him, stenciled equipment and gray walls screamed military hospital.

He’d died. Again.

Spanish curses slipped out. His abuela would’ve taken a switch to him. He made the sign of the cross and kissed his fingertips.

After yanking the tube out of his arm, he pressed a thumb over the entry point. Thankfully, this time, he wasn’t writhing on the floor in agony. Well, not yet.

A faceless android in a Ghost Corps uniform loomed over a bank of equipment displaying Tornahdo’s name and vitals. First impression was right. Military hospital.

The weapons-grade yapping continued.

“Did you hear?” a youthful voice bragged. “He killed six of ’em last night.”

“Yeah, but they don’t stay dead. They never do.”

“If Ultras didn’t come back to life, their plasma wouldn’t bring our own people back.”

The transfusion of enemy blood healed the hole in Tornahdo’s arm in seconds. He thumbed off the red smear and rolled over on the gurney.

An open door led to a sink and toilet built to let gravity do its work. Which meant this was a planet. You hadn’t lived until you were in space, floating in zero gravity while your body’s final twitches sent your corpse spinning.

Notices on the wall confirmed this was San Xavier in the Colonies of Man. Same place he’d bought it the first time.

This was getting old.


Lights Out
part of the Science Fiction/Space Opera anthology
The Expanding Universe Vol 4

edited by Craig Martelle
Available Sept 17, 2018
Exclusively on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
https://kayelleallen.com/lights-out-save-mankind/

Peek Inside Lights Out

Go behind the scenes with the world and characters of Lights Out with an exclusive illustrated PDF book. Nothing to sign for or opt in to get. Just click and read:
http://bit.ly/peek-lights-out

Read Lights Out in The Expanding Universe #SpaceOpera #NewRelease by @KayelleAllen

About Kayelle Allen

Kayelle Allen writes Sci Fi and Space Opera with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She’s a US Navy veteran who’s been married so long she’s tenured. She is the author of seven books, three novellas, and multiple short stories.

Kayelle’s Contact Information

Website https://kayelleallen.com
Facebook http://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author
Twitter http://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/kayelleallen/
Amazon Author page http://amazon.com/author/kayelleallen
Join one of Kayelle’s reader groups and get four free books right away https://kayelleallen.com/reader-groups

Cover Reveal: Worth the Wait (The Harvest Ridge Series, Book 1)

Worth the Wait by KL RamseyTag Harrison never met a woman as stubborn as Piper Flynn. Fifty-two times, he’s asked her out, and she has turned him down each and every time. Will Tag be able to help Piper get over her painful past to move on to a future with him?

Worth the Wait by KL RamseyBlurb:
Taggert Harrison knows what he wants, and he wants Piper Flynn. She is the most stubborn woman that he’s ever laid eyes on. He has spent the last year begging her to go out with him. Every Monday morning, for the past fifty-two weeks, he has asked her out only to be rejected fifty-two times. He wants to give up, but he knows how good it could be, if he could just tear down her walls. Will Tag be able to help Piper get over her painful past to move on to a future with him?

Piper Flynn witnessed the horrific murders of her parents when she was just twelve. She grew up isolated and afraid to let anyone get too close to her, for fear of losing them. When Tag asks her out, everything in her wants to tell him yes, but her past ghosts keep her from taking what she wants. Tag could be her first, in every way, if she could just free her heart from the walls that she has carefully built up around it.

K.L. Ramsey’s Worth the Wait excerpt:
“I get it, being here with me isn’t what you signed up for. Honestly Piper, you are just proving my point for me.” Tag was pretending to busy himself with clues around the room, but Piper could tell that he was only going through the motions.

“What do you mean, I’m proving your point?” She grabbed Tag’s hand as he tried to pass her, effectively stopping him in front of her. Without his jacket, she noticed his tattoo sleeve that circled his lower arm. It was a scene of a forest with snowcapped mountains in the background. It encircled his entire forearm and seemed to perfectly fit who Tag was.

He gently pulled his hand from her grasp, “What I mean, honey, is that you have made your point. It may have taken me an entire year to catch on, but I get it. You’re just not into me. Message received, loud and clear.”

Piper could hear her own breath catch. How could Tag think that she wasn’t into him? Just looking at him made her body react like it never had before. For so long, she’d wanted to just tell him that she’d go out with him, but she was also so afraid. She couldn’t let herself suffer another loss. She wasn’t strong enough. She guarded her heart like a sentry standing watch. She knew her limits and Tag pushed every one of them.

“How can you think that I’m not into you? You own a mirror, right?” Piper felt her own smile, unfortunately, Tag didn’t return her humor.

“This has nothing to do with the way that I look. You have turned me down fifty-two times.” She cringed at Tag’s words. “I like you Piper. I thought that you might like me too, but I guess I was wrong.” Piper could feel her head shaking, denying his words. “You don’t have to deny the truth. I was there every Monday, when I asked you out and you politely smiled and turned me down.”

“You just don’t understand, Tag. I can’t let you in. If you tear down my walls, what will I have left?” She felt her hot tears running down her face and she crudely wiped them with her shirt sleeve. Tag put down the clue that he was working on and moved slowly across the room to where Piper sat.

“Piper, you would have someone who cares about you. You would have a partner, maybe even love. But you will never find out what you could have if you don’t let me in. Just give me a chance, that’s all I’m asking.” Tag wiped away her tears with his thumbs, pulling her in to gently kiss her lips. Piper froze, not knowing what to do next. A part of her wanted to see where this all led but her brain was overloading her emotions.

She pulled away from the kiss, “Tag, I can’t.”

Author K.L. Ramsey
KL RamseyK. L. Ramsey was born and raised in Maryland. As a child she struggled in school, having to attend speech and reading therapy. Her teacher told her that she would never be a very good reader; that English was just not her thing. She continued to struggle until eleventh grade, when she signed up for a Creative Writing class. Her high school teacher saw her potential and submitted a short story, that K. L. had written for class, to a local literary publication. The story was not only published but won an award for best short story. Knowing that someday she wanted to become a writer, K. L. received her BA in English from Salisbury State University.
K. L. Ramsey currently resides in West Virginia (Go Mountaineers!). She lives with a hunky scientist, two now not-so-little people, and six fur babies. In her spare time, she likes to read romance novels, attend WVU football games and drink wine with girlfriends.

K.L. Ramsey’s social media links:
Pre-order  Worth the Wait (The Harvest Ridge Series Book 1)
Facebook  (OR) K.L.’s Facebook page
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Goodreads
BookBub
Amazon.com

Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest is also available on Alternative-Read Facebook page
And as a mobile Facebook link

Talk about a Totally Useless Talent! #MFRWauthor

I don’t really think of myself as having any real talent. I mean, I can’t sing, play an instrument, dance, or even balance a ball on the tip of my Conversationnose. What I can do is recite a conversation word-for-word, complete with gestures and intonation. Unless I become an informant for the FBI or a spy, what good is that?

In fact, it’s a worse than useless talent. Once I launch into repeating a dialogue, people tend to get bored. They only want the summary, or even not that much, and here I go, voicing chapter and verse. I tend not to share my talent often for just that reason. 😉

I have found one place where my talent shines, however. Whenever my Gossipingmom, aunt, and I get together, we have fun—harmless fun, since “news” never goes beyond the three of us—sharing what we know about other people. What better time to let my talent shine than then?

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

 

Dee
Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

Moving Cures the Desire to Collect Things, Odd or Not #MFRWauthor

First of all, I’m not sure what makes a collection odd. Is it collecting the unusual, exotic, rare, or just kitchy? Second of all, as the title suggests, I stopped collecting when I started moving so much. Packing is hell.

When we lived in Virginia for a number of years, I loved to cook. At one Cookbookspoint, I think I had 300 cookbooks. Whenever any family member traveled anywhere, they knew what to bring back for my collection. I read them like novels and used them often. In the same line, I collected Bon Appetit magazine. I didn’t try their recipes as often as say, Betty Crocker’s, but they were still fun to read. When we left Virginia I had nearly 10 years’ worth. So you can see that holding on to all of that after two-four-six moves in a few years’ time was not enviable and I let them go. It was a sad day. ;(

Later, I collected magnets for the refrigerator. They were small and could easily be tossed into a box. I had a crystal from the science museum in Richmond, wooden shoes from Solvang, CA, a lighthouse from the OuterRefrigerator magnets Banks, a red phone box from London, a variety of stocking stuffer magnets, and one I kept from my mother-in-law when she died: “Dull women keep immaculate houses.” And so many more! Each magnet brought back memories. But two moves back, I think I lost the box. So temporarily, I’ve given up collecting anything. It’s not a bad thing. Now I’ve taken to giving away items I have for other people’s collections. It’s just as fun!

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut… #MFRWauthor

I love almonds. Well, I love most nuts but almonds are definitely my favorite nut (except for hubby, who is his own special brand of nuttiness!). I’d never paid much attention to nuts and how they grow until we wereAlmond tree trucking years ago and saw almond trees up close and personal in California. They’re very pretty. But what they produce is even better.

Here are some fun (probably useless) facts about almonds that I “borrowed” from Danielle Omar on The Blog.

  • Almonds need really hot weather and cool winters to grow
  • They are 100% reliant on wild bees and honey bees for crop pollination — No bees, no almonds
  • Almond growers rent bees for pollination and it’s one of the most costly issues for growers
  • Bees are fussy little fellows; they don’t work in the rain, at night, in the early morning, or when there’s frostBees at work
  • The immature green almond can be preserved and pickled — some consider it a delicacy
  • Of the 8 major varieties of almonds, the Nonpareil are the most prized (all have the same nutritional profile)
  • There are 98 published research papers to date (with 19 more in progress) on the health effects of almonds, in particular their effect on heart health, diabetes and weight management
  • Almonds were one of the first foods awarded a qualified health claim in the US
  • Almonds help to slow absorption of sugar and carbs
  • Recent studies show almonds eaten mid-morning can help moderate your blood sugar throughout the day

AlmondsAll I know is, almonds crunch, they taste good, and they help me get past that hunger stage when I’m too close to dinner to eat more. A great snack that isn’t a secret anymore!

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

The Three Heroines of Naval Maneuvers

Naval Maneuvers is a book in three parts. In each, the heroines show off their talents in very individual ways. In Weighing Anchor, Dr. Melissa Crandall is a woman raised in the Marine Corps and who developed a real distaste for military life. What is she to do when she falls in love with a Navy man?

In the back seat, Mel reached for him immediately and he embraced her. “You must think I’m pretty fast,” she said.

“You’re perfect. I think this taxi is too damn slow, though.” He nipped at her neck until he reached her ear. “I want you, Melissa.”

“I hope so,” she whispered against his neck. “I think tonight is a pretty sure thing.”

In Anchor Home, Patricia Wells meets her first love again after thirteen years, heartfelt secrets, and a deep distrust lay betNaval Maneuvers by Dee S. Knightween them.

Pat Welles stopped dead as she entered the elevator. An instrumental rendition of “The Way You Look Tonight” played on the Musak. She hadn’t heard the song in years, and immediately she went back in time, back to her senior prom and the boy who’d held her close.

“Excuse me,” a voice said from behind her, and she gave herself a mental shake to bring her back to the present. But as she moved to the corner and plastered herself to the elevator’s mirrored wall, her heart took on a staccato beat and she drifted again. Sam Turner. Lord, she hadn’t thought of him in years. But the magic of music—of that song in particular—led her to feel his arms around her once more, if only virtually.

My favorite heroine in the book, Carissa Walker, is a JAG lawyer in Dropping Anchor. Unbeknownst to her, the man she meets up with and falls in love with is also a Navy man, but not an officer. Developing a relationship goes against military regulations–regs she is duty bound to uphold. She’s a strong, very sexy woman and when she finds Todd Baxter in the North Carolina woods (or rather, when he finds her!) her fate is decided.

Sighing, she dragged herself to her feet and started up the five yards of hillside that looked more like a mountain. When she was close to the top, he extended his hand. She took it and another spark sizzled up her arm, across her shoulder, ran circles around her nipples and zipped right to her core. Good God! He was like a sexual magnetic pole. If she pointed her compass at him, the needle would snap right to S-E-X.

Come and meet Carissa and learn some of her secrets on the Romance Lives Forever blog. I hope once you visit with her for a few minutes you’ll want to learn more about her–and about Mel and Pat, too!

Thanks!
Dee

Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!