Monthly Archives: August 2013

Random Thoughts Part… the 8th

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It’s been a long while since I’ve had a random thought. Most of my thoughts have been pretty targeted. That happens when you got 3 back to back book releases while trying to hawk some more stories to various publishing houses. But for the last several weeks, I’ve taken a vakay from all things writerly to focus on other aspects of my life. Like getting my oldest off to college. And rediscovering how much I like READING books and stories and other people’s writings. What it’s really done is give me a chance to recharge, renew and get excited about MY writing again.

I hate getting older. Not only does time seem to be passing me by at warp speed, but my body seems to be failing at a scary exponential rate. It’s pissing me off. Every. Frickin’. Day. If I knew the person in charge personal like, I would be bitching constantly about how it’s not right to make time move so goddamn fast all the while my earthly vessel deteriorates like there is no tomorrow. See, in my opinion, it should be one or the other. Death should be flying rapidly to meet me -OR- not and, mind you, OR my body should be falling apart like a cheap Chinese toy. But not both. Never both. But I don’t the person in charge personally. So I have zero say in matters. Sucks to be me.

Even thought I am no longer in school, the end of summer is still signaled by kids going back to school. I don’t care what the calendar says. Fall starts when school starts. End of story. No other marker is needed. Period. Oh okay, if there is a holiday that might, just might, signal fall, it would be Labor Day. And who made the rule that a woman can’t wear white after that date. Seems arbitrary to me. Cause it should depend on the weather, season and where you live. I mean, it’s pretty damn hot in certain parts of the world. And white is a great reflective color. It gets the heat off your back. Literally and figuratively. But mostly literally. So white might be necessary after Labor Day. So there, you crazy fashion police bitches.

When are we gonna come up with an alternative fuel that doesn’t use oil? And by fuel, I mean for cars. I am so tired of paying through my nose to drive my gas guzzling vehicle. Yeah, I get the irony part of that previous statement. So what. I still want cheaper gas. And I still want fuel that doesn’t begin as dark sludge. And I want it yesterday. We’re smart. We could do it. My problem begins when I think about why we don’t. Politics. Plain and simple. Shit. Given the amount of money changing hands just to keep oil as king, we’re gonna have to run out of oil before we seriously start developing other fuel sources. Pisses me right the fuck off. Politics. Sucks.

That is all.

Snippet Saturday- FarSeen 1

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This will be the first of four or so FarSeen snippets that I will post until the official unofficial release date(s).

**Preorder: 6th September 2013 (the book becomes available to preorder through the TEB website)
**Prerelease: 20th September 2013 (the book becomes available to buy through the TEB website)
**General Release: 18th October 2013 (the book becomes available through all outlets)

FarSeen

Here’s the blurb:

 

Taking a break from finding the cure for a magic sickness killing witches, Evangeline (Evie) Parker picks up Drew for a night of hot sex. One night is not enough, however. In strange twist of fate, Trent, Drew’s partner also comes into Evie’s life. One night is definitely not enough when two becomes three. As they come together, they realize while separately they are good, together they are great.

All Hallows Eve is the time when the cure to the magic sickness is predicted to make itself known. Combining magic and sex on that special night cures more than the magic sickness afflicting the witch community, it also cures three lonely hearts.

FARSEEN is hot and sweet in a small tasty bite. It is filled with sex magic, lit up chakras and hearts slowly opening up to each other.

 

In the beginning…

 

Chapter One

 

 

 

Tonight was the night. She was going to get laid—have a bona fide one-night stand. Christ, it had been so long since another person had given her an orgasm. She needed one. She just needed, period.

Hot, slightly slutty dress. Check.

Killer fuck-me pumps. Check.

Blood-red lipstick. Check.

Several condoms. Check and double check.

With a last glance at her reflection in the mirror, she walked out of the door on a mission. A mission to have hot, sweaty, anonymous sex. It was on.

She glanced around the ballroom, taking in the sights and smells of people who were drinking too much, talking too loud and just trying too hard. Maybe a business cocktail function wasn’t the best place to pick up a random guy. She smirked at herself. Oh well, if she did some networking then the night wouldn’t be a total bust. So her perusal of the room went from looking for Mr Goodbar to whether she knew someone to start off the evening’s round of introductions and small talk ad nauseam.

She would need a drink for this. Disappointment always needed a cocktail…or two. Smiling, she walked to the cash bar and ordered another vodka tonic.

As she turned from the bar, her elbow struck a solid mass to her right.

“Oops. Sorry,” she murmured as her glance went from her drink to the face of the man she had just elbowed in the side.

Holy shit. He was gorgeous. Tall, blond and beautiful. Not pretty-boy beautiful, but the kind of beautiful that made a man stand out in a crowd. He had laugh lines around his mouth, kind eyes and hair that looked as if he’d run his fingers through it a time or two already. So it was the kind of beautiful that wasn’t polished, but was authentic. In a sea of plastic smiles and fake personalities, he stood out.

Lemons, Baby

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I love lemon recipes. Drinks, cakes and other desserts. Yummo. Lemons are refreshing in much the same way as mint. Cooling. Which is soooo needed in August. Well, late summer and early fall. At least, where I live it’s needed. Even if it isn’t, it’s still delicious.

The first recipe is for a poundcake. It will beat any coffeecake or loaf cake hands down. The second is an adult beverage. The ubiquitous Lemon Drop Martini. I had my first at the Brewhouse in Alaska. Haven’t looked back since. The last recipe is for Moroccan preserved lemons. Preserved lemons are fabulous in many recipes, not just middle eastern ones. But to do justice to any recipe from that region of the world, preserved lemons are a must.

 

Lemon Blueberry Poundcake

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 egg shite
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups fresh
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces) lemon yogurt

Glaze:

1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:
1. Grease and flour a 10-in. fluted tube pan. In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add eggs and egg white, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla.
2. Toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons flour. In another bowl, mix the remaining flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with yogurt, beating after each addition just until combined. Fold in blueberry mixture.
3. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to wire rack; cool for 15 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, mix confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Gradually brush onto warm cake, about one-third at a time, allowing glaze to soak into cake before adding more. Cool completely.

 

Lemon Drop aka Lemon Martini

1 & 1/2 oz  citron vodka (aka 3 tbsp)
Squeeze 1/4 lemon juice (1 tbsp)
splash fresh lime juice
1 oz sugar syrup (2 tbsp)

Sugar syrup is easy: one cup of sugar dissolved in 1 cup of water over heat, then allow to cool.

Shake it with lots of ice to make it really cold and bring out the bright lemon flavors.

Bottled lemon juice and bottled lime juice can be used.

 

Moroccan Preserved Lemons

5-6 lemons or 6-7 Meyer lemons
salt

1. Scrub the lemons with a vegetable brush and dry them off.

2. Cut off the little rounded bit at the stem end if there’s a hard little piece of the stem attached. From the other end of the lemon, make a large cut by slicing lengthwise downward, stopping about 1-inch (3 cm) from the bottom, then making another downward slice, so you’ve incised the lemon with an X shape.

3. Pack coarse salt into the lemon where you made the incisions. Don’t be skimpy with the salt: use about 1 tablespoon per lemon.

4. Put the salt-filled lemons in a clean, large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add a few coriander seeds, a bay leaf, a dried chili, and a cinnamon stick if you want. (Or a combination of any of them.)

5. Press the lemons very firmly in the jar to get the juices flowing. Cover and let stand overnight.

6. The next day do the same, pressing the lemons down, encouraging them to release more juice as they start to soften. Repeat for a 2-3 days until the lemons are completely covered with liquid. If your lemons aren’t too juicy, add more freshly-squeezed lemon juice until they are submerged, as I generally have to do.

7. After one month, when the preserved lemons are soft, they’re ready to use. Store the lemons in the refrigerator, where they’ll keep for at least 6 months. Rinse before using to remove excess salt.

To use: Remove lemons from the liquid and rinse. Split in half and scrape out the pulp. Slice the lemon peels into thin strips or cut into small dices. You may wish to press the pulp through a sieve to obtain the tasty juice, which can be used for flavoring as well, then discard the innards.

Summer Lovin Blog Hop- Rebel Ink Press

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Today starts the blog hop. It runs from August 15th through the 17th. Visiting more blogs means more chances to win a Kindle Paperwhite and other author swag given away by both Rebel Ink Press and the authors whose blogs you visit. The more blogs visited, the more chances you have of winning really COOL stuff. Plus, you get to read some cool blog entries written especially for the blog hop AND to learn about some awesome authors and the stories they’ve written. Don’t believe me? Well, read my entry below.  Just past my blog entry, you will find some tidbits about my Rebel Ink Press release, HOME RUN. Then scroll all the way down to find the button for the Kindle Paperwhite Giveaway and links to the other authors on the SUMMER LOVIN BLOG TOUR!

This is my first Blog Hop so I will be giving away a $25 Victoria’s Secret gift card to a lucky comment winner. I will choose a random commenter as the winner after the last day of the Blog Hop . It will be in the form of an e-gift card, so I will contact you and/or announce who the winner is the next day. So check back once the Blog Hop is over. Check my home page for the announcement. It is also possible, if I get a wild hair, for me to give a copy of the book to someone as well. Again, check back on the home page. How much more exciting can I make my first blog hop?!?!?!

SummerLovin_Button

Summer Love

Or is it the love of summer? Summer always brings to mind hot, hot days and sultry nights. Watermelon and cookouts and beaches and vacations. No matter how old I get, summer always makes me feel like I’ve been let out of school and the vastness of all the time and sunshine are just waiting for me to explore. Visits to relatives bring memories of hangin’ out my cousins and aunts and uncles and just being free to be me. Cause I don’t need to hide or make excuses for the craziness that is my family cause they ARE my family, ya know?

Summertime was when I said good bye to my first real crush as a young girl, even before I knew what crushes were all about. Summer was also the season I met my husband as well. So my first love and my final love are forever intertwined with summer.

The first date I had with my husband was a picnic at a huge park. Fried chicken, cheese, grapes and ice cold beer. Yes, I remember the menu even though it’s been more years than I care to count and there have been a gazillion other things that I’ve forgotten since that time. It makes me smile to remember how he took off his shoes and waded into ice cold water to pick a flower for me. It was silly and oh so romantic- it still makes me smile and swoon just a little.

So as much as summer is about love, I love summer too. Lazy reading of books, hanging out my girls and the smell of lilacs in the air. I yearn for summer in the winter and I am as giddy as newlywed when the first flower in my yard blooms. I can’t wait for the endless days and it makes me sad when summer draws to an end. Summer still means love to me. It still means vacations and free time and being outside. And no matter how many summers I live through, I want it to last just a little longer, come just a little sooner, and smell of sunshine and happiness and freedom and joy.

Summer was when I met my forever love, afterall.

Home Run

Home Run was released by just this month. It’s a sweet AND hot sports romance about two people who don’t have to take care of little kids, but do anyway. A chance meeting doing good deeds and their lives are changed much in the same way they change the lives of others. Making wishes come true… for others and themselves. And it’s only $2.99.

HomeRun_Cover

Amazon
ARe
Barnes & Noble

Blurb:

Daniela Sinclair is a trust fund baby who believes she can make a difference in the world by making the wishes of sick children come true. Noah Barker is a major league baseball player from a common background who agrees to fulfill a sick child’s wish. Together they burn up the sheets. Unfortunately, they also cause a family member to burn in anger. In a stunning case of betrayal, the home run ending they both envisioned is threatened and they teeter on the brink of striking out.

Snippet:

The snippet is racy- so BE WARE!

Chapter One

“Put your hands on the wall,” he told her. “Don’t turn around.”

At first she was startled. No one had been in the hallway. No one had been in the room. She was alone. At least she thought she was.

“And if I don’t?” she asked.

“Saucy,” he said. “Well, you know what happens to bad girls, don’t you?”

“Maybe. Tell me and I’ll decide if I want to be good or bad.” He couldn’t see the small smile that played on her face.

“Oh, you’ll want to be good. I have a feeling you’ll like what good girls get.” He punctuated his words with a brief touch of his groin against her ass.

She shivered. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” his voice was close to her ear, the breath whispering by, igniting her sense of want. He bit down gently. Her ear was delicate like everything
about her. His hands slide down the sides of her body, capturing her skirt then his hands slid up. Only this time, his hands held her skirt.

Just the nearness of him and she was ready to explode. She’d been dripping from his first words, his first touch.

She didn’t know it could be like this.

One hand rose to capture her breast over her clothes. It was frustrating. So very frustrating when what she really wanted was his hands on her bare flesh.

That thought disappeared the moment his other hand slipped into her panties.

He purred his approval when he felt how much she wanted him. If she wasn’t with him, she was thinking about him. Plotting when they could be together again. It scared her how much she anticipated when they could be together again.

 

Kindle Paperwhite Giveaway: Enter Here

 

Other blog participants. REMEMBER, the more you enter, the more chances to win!!!:

 

HL Wampler                                      DR Slaten                                            Vivian Proud

Nancy LaPonzina                              Joanne C Berroa                               Lila Munro

Melissa Keir                                       Lori J Gordon                                     Sarah Bella

Donna Steele                                    Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy     Juliette Springs

Suzzana C Ryan                                 Kate Roth                                            Anna Kristell

Wendy Smith                                    BethAnn Buehler                             Eden Glenn

Jane Wakely                                      Nora Snowdon                                  Erica Bayne

Britni Hill                                            BL Morticia                                         KD Ferguson

Bethany Cross                                   E Jaime                                                 Blair McDowell

Winfield H Strock III                       JL Oiler                                                 Alex Jones

Cassandre Dayne                             DH Black                                              Al Lohn

Jennifer Wilck

Summer Lovin’ Blog Hop T minus 3 Days

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SummerLovin_Button

 

Rebel Ink is going to give away a Kindle Paperwhite and some other swag just for following the blog hop. The posts will be about Summer and Lovin’. So be prepared for some heated posts. Hot. Hot. Hot.

Starts in 3 days. The count down has begun. 😉

August Blog Chain

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It’s that time of the month again- AW‘s blog chain is here!!! lol What did you think I meant?!?! My flash fiction piece is below. At the end is a list of the other participant’s blogs where their flash fiction pieces will be. It’s a kinda cool topic this month, so go read some of the others.

 

This month’s prompt:
Child of the devil

Whether the devil be literal, figurative, or Cruella. As always, can be prose, poetry, play, fiction, nonfiction.

Instructions:
Simply post your blog’s URL in this thread to join. I’ll let you know in this thread when it’s your turn. Once your turn comes up, you have two days to complete a blog post using the prompt. When you are finished, please add a link to your post on the thread.

1000 words or less

Date Night at the Devil’s House

“Don’t scare Trevor, dad,” she told her father. Then she turned to Trevor. “Don’t let dad scare you. I’ll only be a second grabbing my wrap.”

She turned and walked out of the room confident the two she’d left behind would get along. Her surety lasted only so long as it took to grab her wrap from her room and return. She almost walked into a low yet heartfelt discussion.

“I promise I only have the utmost respect for your daughter, sir.” She heard Trevor say so earnestly, it almost colored the room.

“Don’t stay out past her curfew. And if I find out that you’ve laid one single hand on my daughter, I promise I’ll make your life hell.” Her dad’s tone of voice was even, which was incongruous with the words he’d spoken.

She didn’t doubt her dad would make any guy who hurt her regret it. Could possibly make that guy’s life a living hell if he desired. Literally. He was the Lord of the Underworld. The proverbial devil- with a capital D,  after all. Satan. Beelzebub. And a host of other really odd sounding and spelled names.

She’d long ago given up the hope of having a second date with any guy while she still lived at home. Most guys took her out once.

Before meeting her dad, they would be all excited to have her agree to a date. Then they would meet her dad. Not wanting to offend him, they couldn’t very well turn tail and run on the spot. So invariably the date would proceed. But it would proceed in the sense that the guy would treat her like his kid sister and not an almost adult female. A few had given her a chaste kiss goodbye. Most just said ‘see ya later’ and then ran-walked as fast as they could far, far away from her and her house and her dad.

In the beginning, she’d just thought the guys were being nice in a gentlemanly sort of way. But as she waited and waited and then waited some more for a phone call about a second date, she’d finally gotten a clue they hadn’t been nice or gentlemanly. No, they’d been petrified of her father.

At first, her feelings had been hurt. But over time, she’d realized that such spineless ninnies weren’t for her anyway. Still, she’d wished that at least one of them had had a backbone. Seriously, was every guy such a wuss? Apparently, all the ones that came into her sphere of existence were.

Trevor would be the same. She had no doubt he would be like all the others. After overhearing her dad’s spiel, she at least understood why her other dates had all but peed themselves.

Resigned, she stepped back into the front room where Trevor was standing close to her father.

“I’m ready,” she said in a cheerful manner that belied her certainty that this date would be like all the others and just fizzle.

“I forgot to tell you that you looked fabulous, Lily,” Trevor said.

He walked over to her, pretended to help adjust her wrap and then kissed her lightly on the cheek.

She was so surprised by his actions, she couldn’t form a reply.

Her dad looked murderous. Whether it was because she was in the room, her dad kept his silence, however, just glowering in his dadly way. On anybody else, the the smoke coming out his nose would have been hypothetical. But since her dad was her dad, he had real little puffs of smoke coming out of his nostrils. Not a lot. But enough for her to know he was ticked.

She’d have to talk to him later. It wasn’t as if she were a child. She was 17 after all and a kiss on the cheek was pretty damn tame compared to some of the stories she’d heard from other girls.

She smiled. Maybe this date wasn’t going to be like all the others. It had certainly started out different.

She turned her head slightly so she could look directly into Trevor’s eyes. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Her dad followed her to the door and waited with the door open as they got into the car. As soon as the doors were shut, words tumbled out of her mouth.

“You’re brave, you know.”

“Not really. But if I had let him see I was afraid it would have colored our relationship.”

“Yeah? How?”

“I just wanted him to know he could care about you but so can I. Plus, it was a man thing. Trust me, he’ll respect me more for it and next time I come pick you up, he’ll be less intense.”

“Seriously? Is there like a handbook on this?”

“Nah. It’s just that my dad behaved like your dad when my sisters were dating. I figured it out then.”

“You’re dad’s a dick too?”

Trevor laughed. “Not normally. But the guys my sisters would date thought so. Until they started bring home guys he couldn’t intimidate. Then he chilled.”

“Great,” she muttered. “Wished I’d figured that out ages ago.”

Trevor broke out into a full on smile then. “No way, babe. Then you might’ve been taken when I was ready to ask you out. Besides, your dad’s gonna be more pissed when he figures out who my dad is.”

“Who’s your dad?”

“Michael.”

Well shit. What were the odds?

“Umm, my dad and your dad used to be friends. I overheard my mom talking about it once when she was complaining to her BFF that dad doesn’t get out for a guy’s night out anymore.”

“Yeah, I think they had a falling out.”

“Must have been serious. How long have they been on the outs?”

“A pretty long time,” Trevor told her. “But maybe if we keep going out, we can get them back together again.”

“The world might end if we do.”  Literally.

“True.”

“We’re going out again?” She couldn’t keep the hope and surprise out of her voice.

“Absolutely.”

“Cool.”

 

Participants and posts:

ishtar’sgate – http://chickenscratchbc.blogspot.ca/ (link to post)
orion_mk3 – http://nonexistentbooks.wordpress.com (link to post)
areteus – http://lurkingmusings.wordpress.com/ (link to post)
BDavidHughes – http://bdavidhughes.com/ (link to post)
Ralph Pines – http://ralfast.wordpress.com/ (link to post)
articshark – http://www.drslaten.com/blog (link to post)<———–me
pyrosama – http://matrix-hole.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
Anarchic Q – http://anarchicq.com/ (link to post)
meowzbark – http://www.lizzylessard.com/ (link to post)
MsLaylaCakes – http://www.taraquan.com/ (link to post)
grace elliot – http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
Angyl78 – http://jelyzabeth.wordpress.com/ (link to post)

milkweed – http://www.thistlequill.blogspot.com/ (link to post) [after 8/15]

Music Monday 8/5/13

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Thought I’d go back to some music I would listen to when I needed to unwind from studying all the time. Saved my sanity. It’s Reggae mon. lol

First up in the queue is Steel Pulse. Saw them many times in New Orleans. Their albums are good but they are GREAT live.

Next up is the great man himself, Bob Marley. Seriously. Can you have a Reggae line up without including him?

A little more modern and maybe more mainstream but still good is UB40.

 

Home Run Release Day Snippet

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So the release day for Home Run was yesterday. I had planned to post a snippet when the book released. But for some reason, my brain told me Home Run was releasing today. I was totally off by a day. lol Go figure. I think my dates got all mixed up because I was at the Nora Roberts Writing Conference and for some reason, my brain juxtaposed the dates. So for whatever reason, the snippet didn’t go out yesterday. Instead, it is being posted today.

The snippet is racy- so BE WARE!

Chapter One

“Put your hands on the wall,” he told her. “Don’t turn around.”

At first she was startled. No one had been in the hallway. No one had been in the room. She was alone. At least she thought she was.

“And if I don’t?” she asked.

“Saucy,” he said. “Well, you know what happens to bad girls, don’t you?”

“Maybe. Tell me and I’ll decide if I want to be good or bad.” He couldn’t see the small smile that played on her face.

“Oh, you’ll want to be good. I have a feeling you’ll like what good girls get.” He punctuated his words with a brief touch of his groin against her ass.

She shivered. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” his voice was close to her ear, the breath whispering by, igniting her sense of want. He bit down gently. Her ear was delicate like everything
about her. His hands slide down the sides of her body, capturing her skirt then his hands slid up. Only this time, his hands held her skirt.

Just the nearness of him and she was ready to explode. She’d been dripping from his first words, his first touch.

She didn’t know it could be like this.

One hand rose to capture her breast over her clothes. It was frustrating. So very frustrating when what she really wanted was his hands on her bare flesh.

That thought disappeared the moment his other hand slipped into her panties.

He purred his approval when he felt how much she wanted him. If she wasn’t with him, she was thinking about him. Plotting when they could be together again. It scared her how much she anticipated when they could be together again.

Home Run Release

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Home Run released today from Rebel Ink Press. Woohoo!! The blurb and buy links are pasted below. Enjoy.

HomeRun_Cover

Rebel Ink Press
Release date: 8/3/13
Amazon
ARe
Barnes & Noble

Blurb:

Daniela Sinclair is a trust fund baby who believes she can make a difference in the world by making the wishes of sick children come true. Noah Barker is a major league baseball player from a common background who agrees to fulfill a sick child’s wish. Together they burn up the sheets. Unfortunately, they also cause a family member to burn in anger. In a stunning case of betrayal, the home run ending they both envisioned is threatened and they teeter on the brink of striking out.