by Sarah | Aug 16, 2013 | Guest Authors, Saturday Spotlight, Writing
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Blurb:
Love smolders and the sex is red hot when Cassianna Baxter leaves behind a glamorous teaching career in Italy to return to her old Alma Mater, Lewiston Academy for Girls as the Deputy Head Mistress.
No sooner does she arrive at the Academy than she walks smack into sexy Lawrence Taylor, her first love and ex lover. He’s been looking for her ever since he was forced to leave her — now that she is back at the Academy, he knows he has to win her back. And not just in his bed.
Tour:
EXCERPT
Cassianna looked around her impressive wood paneled office and went right to the row of leaded windows that looked out on the Quad. She found herself searching for the ‘disappearing man’ she had seen a few minutes before. She could have sworn it was Lawrence. That was crazy. He had left Lewiston years ago and obviously had no intention of returning, judging by the speed at which he’d abandoned her so many years ago.
Across from her office was Mackenzie House, her old residence. The Virginia creeper had grown over most of the front of the building but she remembered her room well, it had a clear view of the riding arena and she used to rise early each day just to catch a glimpse of Lawrence as he went about his morning duties at the stables. She’d sit in her window late at night, reliving the intimate moments they had shared that day tucked away in his loft far from the prying eyes of the school. Those memories were best left unremembered, she told herself.
A knock at the door startled her.
“I hate to interrupt,” Millie said with hesitation as she stepped inside the office, “I know you’ve just arrived but there’s a family at the office, The Stevens family, and they’d like a tour of the school.” Millie paused, then whispered, “The girl’s parents are very generous benefactors of her brother’s school up in Newhaven.” Cassianna was well aware that benefactors were what funded private schools and were not to be taken lightly when they requested a tour. Jet lag or no jet lag, she took her first official school duty seriously and went off to meet the family.
Cassianna greeted the Stevenses and their daughter Penny, showing them around the grounds, the best she could remember. She wished now she had read up on the academy, so many things had changed since she was a student. Answering a multitude of the prospective family’s questions, they toured the Student Block, the cafeteria, the residences, and the sporting arena. Penny’s main interest was horses so Cassianna had saved the best for last.
“Would you like to see the Equestrian Center?” Cassianna asked the young girl.
“Would I? I love horses, Miss Baxter.” Penny beamed back at her and started to walk faster. Had it not been for her parents’ watchful eyes, she was sure the girl would have launched into a full gallop down the Equestrian Path.
Cassianna was as impressed as Penny and her parents with the brand new Equestrian Center. They admired the extensive stables and the new indoor and outdoor riding rings. Leading them to the outdoor Dressage Ring, Cassianna recalled stories of her horse, Raphael, and the painstaking hours she had spent practicing with him. She omitted the part about her torrid affair with Lawrence and her abrupt departure from the academy.
They stood ringside, the smell of hay and sawdust filling the sunlit air, watching a student being coached through a difficult dressage routine. At the far end of the ring a man called out instructions. Cassianna was glad there was such a high level rider in the ring to impress Penny and her family.
“Hello, can I help you?” A deep voice startled them from behind. Cassianna’s chest tightened and a spark shot through her heart.
Slowly, she turned toward the voice.
Those sensuous green eyes, that wavy sandy blonde hair. Her heart stopped for a moment.
“Lawrence?” Cassianna squeaked, in a voice that was definitelynot her own. His eyes held hers and her body trembled.
“Cassianna?” Lawrence asked, a stunned look on his face.
Silence hung in the air.
She had not seen Lawrence in almost twelve years, but there he was before her. His rugged, handsome good looks unchanged. His muscled body evident with his shirtsleeves rolled up, she could see those strong forearms and his adept hands. Oh, what he could do with those hands. She was unable to take her gaze from his. Words would not form in her mouth as she stared at him.
Lawrence stepped forward, extending his hand to Mr. Stevens. “I am pleased to meet you. I’m Lawrence Taylor,” his voice deep and confident, “chairman of the board of trustees for the academy.”
Cassianna’s jaw dropped, but she quickly closed it, struggling to regain her professionalism. She hoped she appeared cool on the outside, inside her mind was racing even faster than her pulsing heart.
She tried to center her thoughts; averting her gaze from Lawrence’s. She struggled with her composure and found her voice.
“The Stevens are here for a tour of the school and were just admiring the Equestrian Center,” she said in Penny’s direction. She feared that making eye contact with Lawrence would have her completely unglued. “And Penny is keen to join the riding team,” Cassianna stuttered, nodding to the young girl.
“Is that so?” Lawrence smiled encouragingly at Penny. “I’m a bit of a horse man myself.”
That’s an understatement, Cassianna thought, given the hours he’d spent coaching her years ago. And not just in the ring. Lawrence had been a talented and devoted lover, but now was not the time to think about that. She couldn’t help but notice that devastatingly charming grin that hadn’t changed, the way one corner of his mouth raised slightly higher than the other. She knew every nook and cranny of that mouth. A hot flush rushed between her thighs as her eyes lingered on him, remembering just how strong her attraction to him was all those years ago. Struggling to ignore those thoughts, she smiled at the eager young girl as Lawrence discussed the riding program in more detail with Penny and her parents.
Cassianna tried to gather her wits as she watched Lawrence, disbelieving that he was really there in the flesh. How could he be here? At Lewiston? And what is he doing being chairman of the board? That was what he said, wasn’t it? Now she couldn’t even think straight. She was trying to pull herself together, but she kept staring at his green eyes, as they flashed with animation.
There was an awkward silence as Lawrence and the Stevenses finished their discussion of the riding facilities while Cassianna just stood there lost in her thoughts.
“Well we’d best be getting back to the office,” Cassianna announced, rejoining the conversation. “Thank you, Mr. Taylor,” she said politely as her eyes met his, a bolt of intense heat rippled through her from head to toe.
*~*
About Kate: Kate Deveaux is a contemporary erotic romance writer and die-hard romantic. A former wedding planner, she has always been “in love” with love! Kate is currently working on several fictional stories – each filled with sexy romance, heroines who are no shrinking violets and heroes who make your heart skip a beat. She is a member of Savvy Author, Romance Writers of America (RWA) and their erotic romance chapter, Passionate Ink. Kate currently resides with her husband in Arizona.
Author website: http://www.katedeveaux.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kate-Deveaux/349294291841235?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KateDeveaux
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/katedeveaux
Total E-Bound: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=2139
Red Sage: http://eredsage.com/store/DEVEAUX_KATE.html
by Sarah | Aug 16, 2013 | All About Denver, Crap, Cystic Fibrosis, Special Needs
It’s the third day of school.
1…2…3.
This morning I made the first sick call of the year.
In fairness, it’s been coming on for over a week.
Denver hasn’t been well.
We were told to keep an eye on it, and we have. For a few days we thought he might be doing better.
Not so much.
He has yet to attend a cross country practice (and he LOVES XC)
After school yesterday the kid slept.
And slept.
And his fever returned to spike up before dropping again.
So he gets to go in for a sick appointment today (it was that or the ER).
Where we go from here is an unknown.
Hopefully it’s home with meds…and not another stay.
Hopefully.
by Sarah | Aug 15, 2013 | Friday Dialogues, Guest Authors, Writing
Have you ever had one of those days?
I decided after I dropped the kids off at school that I was going to clean the cat boxes. I get downstairs… no litter. I can’t even blame it on anyone because I clean the box and I buy the litter… so I decide to run to the store (I have to pick up a prescription anyway, they called yesterday and said it was ready).
I get to the store, get the litter – pharmacy doesn’t open for another 15 mins so I look around and, yes, I do have a problem, I’m an impulse shopper – which means 20 mins and $50 in stuff later I go to the pharmacy for the prescription. Um, yeah, it’s not ready. They don’t know why they called and said it was ready, ’cause it’s not. I can come back Monday and get it.
Ok, I figure, I’m out, I’ll get some nice fresh fruit and have fruit salad for lunch. I don’t like the fruit at this store, so I go across the street to another store where the fruit is better priced. I find some fresh stuff – strawberries, blackberries, raspberries – and I get some jarred stuff – not as healthy, I know, but tasty and I love jarred pears and peaches.
So, I get all my stuff, lug it out to the car, drive home and start bringing my goodies inside. And of course, it’s me, so the bag breaks in the driveway and all my fruit goes splattering everywhere. There’s glass all over, the strawberries and raspberries popped out of their plastic containers and are scattered across the driveway. I live in a suburban neighborhood, the houses are fairly close together. The woman two doors down does daycare out of her home, my neighbor is retired, the guy across the street works weird hours…
My reaction to seeing my beautiful fruit salad colorfully decorating my driveway is to yell “F—!” I then realize that someone may have heard me and yell “Ohhh S**t!” while looking around. Realizing that I’ve done it again, I mutter “Dammit! Dammit! Dammit” under my breath.
I decide to take my other purchases inside – I have some hamburger meat that I don’t want to get warm outside. So I take my blackberries – which has popped open, but is salvageable – along with my other stuff and put it inside the doorway. I figure I’ll throw the blackberries in some vanilla yogurt – not as good as the fruit salad idea, but at least I have my blackberries.
I get a broom and start cleaning up the sticky mess and proceed to cut my finger. Not a bad cut, just enough to p* me off a little bit more. I get the mess in the driveway cleaned up and leave the broom in the sink – now I have to rinse that because it’s all sticky – and get ready to put stuff away.
I find the blackberry container, but all the blackberries are missing. I’m thinking WTF. I look down and there’s a dog toy next to the plastic container. Oh S**t! And I mean Oh S**t because the damn dog can’t eat stuff like that cause it gives her the runs. I then start to put my stuff away… well, it’s all sticky. I have to rinse everything and I don’t want to put it away wet, so I leave all my stuff spread all over the counter.
Okay, now I can finally clean that cat box. I go down and start cleaning and realize that I’m going to have to drag the vacuum down two flights of stairs because my broom is sticky. As I’m vacuumming, I look over, and the cats are out of food. Dammit! That’s The Boy’s job! Why didn’t he feed them?
I decide I should go and check on Gus – the old man kitty – to make sure he’s ok. He’s got a nice little bed with a heater under it cause he gets cold – which is in the other room. I peek around the corner and – I’m not kidding – there’s a paper plate next to Gus’ bed filled with chips! The Boy fed the 19 year old cat chips!!
I feed the cats, finish the catboxes and rinse the broom. I’m sticky and covered in cat litter dust plus whatever else I’ve encountered on my travels through my house that has decided to stick to my fruity sweatpants, so I decide I need a shower.
I get in the shower and am all wet and realize dammit! I left my new disposable razor that I just bought downstairs. I end up using my old one which is totally dull – the reason I bought the new one.
I am ready to wash my hair and Oh My God there’s no shampoo!! Dammit! I find The Girl’s No More Tears Smurf Berry Shampoo and end up using that.
Now I am sitting at my laptop, it’s lunchtime, I haven’t gotten any work done, I don’t have any fruit salad, my armpits are stinging like crazy, I smell smurfberrylicious and I’m waiting for my dog to crap all over my house…
| Amazon | B&N | Breathless Press | Are | Bookstrand | Smashwords |
Blurb: Tessa is having one seriously bad day. After agreeing to dress as a cheesy mascot at a convention for her boss, her clothes get stolen, she gets chased through a sinister parking garage, and her apartment gets broken into and turned upside down.
Gray, an off-duty police officer, can’t resist the sexy legs he sees in costume at a hotel convention. When he catches sight of her running for her life through a dark car lot, he’s determined to find out what her story is and ends up promising to keep Tessa safe…even if that means taking her home with him.
Excerpt:
Gray stepped outside of the hotel ballroom hoping the air would be cooler out there. He hated stuffy gatherings. Hell, he hated weddings. How two people could think they’d love each other forever was beyond him. Gray didn’t do love. Which was why he was stag at a co-worker’s wedding. He’d originally planned to invite Monique, but several months back she’d become demanding and talked about moving into his place with hearts and flowers in her eyes. So he’d ended it. Deep down, he’d known that she didn’t really want him. She wanted any warm body that would take care of her. She had slowly been trying to mold him into some GQ tycoon, telling him what to wear, how to act, and even going as far as telling him what he needed to do career-wise.
A loud crash on the other side of the hall caught Gray’s attention. In the open ballroom across the way he saw legs. Glorious legs in strappy high heels. The beautiful legs were tangled on the floor and attached to an ass that was just as gorgeous. After taking a closer look, Gray realized that above the amazing ass was an enormous, white light bulb-shaped head with blue googly eyes. It had blonde hair and wore a glittery purple hat. The tangled-up legs and heels were flailing around in a pile of what looked like empty light bulb boxes. Several gentlemen nearby were quick to help Legs get her feet beneath her. From their smiles and laughter he could tell that they were all quite happy to be of assistance. Gray didn’t blame them.
He watched Legs find her balance in those high heels, and with a little wiggle and tug of her skirt she went on her way.
*~*
About The Author:
Edie Hart was born in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, where she now resides with her husband, two children, dog, and three cats. After spending her childhood making up stories in her head, she finally decided to put them on paper. What came of it was her first novella, One Bad Day. Edie is a die-hard romantic and believes that everyone deserves to be loved unconditionally—both in print and real life.
Edie also admits that “Edie Hart” is a pen name and an alter ego to an otherwise boring wife and mother. Edie is 20 pounds lighter, loves to skydive, travels to foreign places, and is a total sex kitten as compared to the uninteresting other half who is none of those things.
In reality the counterpart of Edie is a lackluster 40-something-year-old, whose main goal is to keep The Big One (The Boy) from torturing The Little One (The Girl). This week he hit her in the head with a 12-pack of Juicy Juice. Last week he left ravioli handprints on the back of her white T-shirt. The week before that he told her she was adopted and she believed him.
To learn more about her, and find out what The Big One and The Little One are up to, visit her via her website, Facebook, or Twitter:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
by Sarah | Aug 15, 2013 | All About Denver, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Learning, All About Molly, All of Us
Yesterday I put the kids on the bus.
Denver is now a Sophomore. A Sophomore.
Molly is now in Third.
Kennedy in Second.
Shortly after I put them on the bus, in the midst of de-lousing my house (a favorite activity when I have quiet) I discovered some pictures from when Denver was little – as far back as minutes after he was born.
Now he’s learning to drive (I weep).
Molly has big dreams of being a model and a superhero (Because they live in NYC, you know).
Kennedy is determined to be a teacher (and an author, bless her heart).
They are big, independent, strong and beautiful little girls.
Denver is almost a man.
They’re slipping away.
And I’m so conflicted about it, I never know when to be proud, or cry.
by Sarah | Aug 14, 2013 | Character Interview, Guest Authors, Thursday Tell All, Writing
- What is your story? Heartland (Black Irish #2)
- Who are you? Abigail O’Riley
- Do you think the author portrayed you accurately? I do. I think Tricia did a fantastic job.
- Do you have any special strengths? Patience. I live with a very sexy, fast tempered Irishman. I have to be able to soothe him at time while keeping myself in check.
- Do you have any special weaknesses? The same dark, sexy Irishman.
- What makes you happy? My husband, Sloan. And my extended family – my Mom, Gordon, Maggie, Bartholomew. Oh, and Robert. I guess.
- What are you afraid of? I am afraid of losing Sloan. There is a large price on his head and many evil men who want him dead.
- What in your past had the most profound effect on you? I was bullied in high school. It made me kind of an introvert. It also caused me to be very critical of myself seeing myself as the bullies saw me. Sadly, they didn’t change even though we’re adults.
- Who is your true love? Sloan O’Riley.
- What is the most important thing that ever happened to you? Why? The most important thing that happened to me was the day I married Sloan. The funny thing is that we did it so he could get a visa to stay in the United States. I thought he was gay. Little did I know he was telling me a little white lie so I would stay in New York City with him.
- Was there a major turning point in your life? When I discovered Sloan’s lie I ran. I didn’t know my ex-boyfriend stole all my money. I was left alone and penniless in New York City.
- What is your most closely guarded secret? My closely guarded secret is Sloan’s. Not many people know he used to be a member of the Irish Republican Army. And he’s still a wanted man for murders he didn’t commit.
- Do you have any hobbies? Writing, reading, running the gallery with Sloan.
- Name five items in your purse, briefcase, or pockets. My cell phone that I’m not allowed to turn off per my husband (“Non-negotiable” he says), pre-natal vitamins, Kleenex (my pregnancy is making me emotional), the gold shamrock pin Sloan gave me in New York City and a small sea shell we found on the beach in St. Thomas.
- How do you envision your future? I envision a house full of children with black hair and blue eyes, just like their Daddy.
- What is your most prized mundane possession? Why do you value it so much? My gold shamrock pin. Sloan pinned it on me personally before our meeting at Panda Publications to see our first book in print. Every time I see it I remember him smiling at me with his beautiful blue eyes.
- What was your family like? It was just Mom and me. I have no siblings. My dad left us when I was little. I’m glad. He wasn’t very good to my Mom.
- What is your worst childhood memory? My entire high school experience. There were three popular girls – Dani, Violet and Sami – who made it their personal mission to make my life horrible. Unfortunately they succeeded
- What is the perfect romantic date? Cuddling on the couch to watch TV after a wonderful dinner I cook with my husband.
- What is more important – sex or intimacy? Why? Intimacy. I want to be part of Sloan’s heart and soul. We can only get there through intimacy. Sex is just the bonus.
- How private of a person are you? Why? I am a very private person. Which doesn’t exactly work well when I’m married to the great Sloan O’Riley.
- If you were to gain an obscenely large sum of money (via an inhertiance, a lawsuit, a lottery, or anything else) what would you do with it? *giggles* Sloan is a billionaire. He has an obscenely large amount of money. I did buy a firetruck for our town, Mount Vernon. They desperately needed it.
- What would you wish for if you found a genie? To keep Sloan and our family together and safe forever.
*~*~*~*
| SCP |
Blurb:
Sloan and Abbey move to Abbey’s hometown of Mount Vernon, Iowa, to start their new lives together away from the chaos of New York City. And they are not alone – they are joined by Gordon, Maggie, and Bartholomew each looking for a fresh start and new love in the small rural town.
Their marriage is put to the test by the reappearance of Abbey’s father, bullies from her high school days, a business opportunity in Miami, and a new baby on the way. When a person from their past comes back looking to make Abbey his own again, will he be able to tear Sloan and Abbey apart forever?
Excerpt:
Abbey stepped aside to open the glass door wider. Nathan brushed past her into the spacious, opulent penthouse grasping the handles of a bulging leather briefcase. Before she could offer him a seat, he sank into the chocolate brown leather armchair.
She wrinkled her nose in disgust. That was Sloan’s chair. It’s where he sat to watch SportsCenter and read the paper. They cuddled in that chair. They made love in that chair. Seeing another man sitting in it seemed wrong. Very, very wrong.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Her voice slightly betrayed her insincerity. She really wanted him to leave.
“No, thank you. Sit,” Nathan commanded. He reached across to the sofa and patted the cushion. “We have a lot of ground to cover, and I have another appointment in an hour.”
Abbey complied hesitantly. “If we need to do this another day…”
Nathan unzipped his briefcase and pulled free a stack of documents. The pile was easily over two inches thick. “No, we need to do this today. Sloan insisted.”
“Do what?”
Nathan carefully arranged the stack of paper into several neat piles. “Sloan called me the other day to have me draw up some additional contracts for San Francisco. He told me the news of your nuptials and the little one coming. I advised him that we strong arm you into a post pre-nup to protect his investments.” Nathan looked up at her from sorting. His glare gave Abbey the chills. “By the way, congratulations.”
Classy. Abbey fought the sneer from her face. “Thanks,” she responded sarcastically. “So, this is the pre-nup?”
“No. I barely got the word pre-nup out before Sloan laid into me. Hard. I’m glad he’s in San Francisco, or he would have torn me limb from limb. After calling me some very colorful names, he very distinctly and clearly ordered me to add you to his accounts. Immediately.”
“His accounts?”
“As his wife, you share in his assets—bank accounts, properties, car titles, etc. Billions of dollars’ worth of assets.”
Abbey’s eyes flew open wide. “B-b-billions?”
*~*
Bio:
Tricia Andersen lives in Iowa with her husband, Brian and her three children – her sons, Jake and Jon, and her daughter, Alex. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in English and from Kirkwood Community College with an Associate of Arts degree in Communications Media/Public Relations. Along with writing (which she loves to do), Tricia coaches and participates in track and field, does kickboxing, reads, sews and is involved in many of her children’s activities. Tricia is also the co-host of Freshly Booked on Blog Talk Radio. Freshly Booked is a member of Writers Online Network.
Tricia is a member of the Romance Writers of America and RWA Chapter 177 From the Heart Romance Writers.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/t.l.andersenauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/triciaandersen
Blog: http://insidethiswritersmind.com/
Website: www.triciaandersen.com
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About Kate: Kate Deveaux is a contemporary erotic romance writer and die-hard romantic. A former wedding planner, she has always been “in love” with love! Kate is currently working on several fictional stories – each filled with sexy romance, heroines who are no shrinking violets and heroes who make your heart skip a beat. She is a member of Savvy Author, Romance Writers of America (RWA) and their erotic romance chapter, Passionate Ink. Kate currently resides with her husband in Arizona. 
