by Sarah | Jun 29, 2014 | Books, Challenge, Tuesday Tales, Writing
Welcome back to Tuesday Tales! This weeks prompt is to be inspired by the word Sea.
Well, The Wolf is done, and while I must work on Witch Way, this weeks word prompt just didn’t fit. It also didn’t fit into Natural Selection. So this week I’m starting a new story. I believe it’ll be fantasy, but I haven’t figured it out completely yet.
I was inspired in part by our word this week, Sea…but also by this image on Pinterest, which I could not use b/c I don’t have permission to do so…but please go check out what Aingael looks like HERE.
So here is the start of a new, as yet unnamed, story. Queen Aingael Fluerette Taverna was born and raised the Princess of Lyach. At the proper age she wed Gunnar, the prince of a neighboring country, and became Queen. It is not a match made in heaven…and two years ago she learned of a plot:
Clamoring tones of bells across the kingdom coalesced into a jilting melody of parting. From her position on the parapet overlooking the sea Aingael ran her fingers along the string of bells lining the stone’s edge.
Against the rising sun the entire fleet of the kingdom of Lyach moved further away. The chiming of bells were to wish the men luck on their journey, but Aingael knew the truth, their departure meant the end of her kingdom as it was.
A pact made in secret she was never meant to be privy to, but being Queen did have its privileges, as did being raised in the castle. She knew every hidden nook and cranny, even those her husband, King Gunnar, thought only he knew.
He’d made a pact in blood two years prior, one she’d taken steps to ensure would not succeed. Gunnar thought he left her undefended, only old men and boys to protect their inlet kingdom from the oncoming attack.
Aingael turned to her lady in waiting as the sun rose too high for her to safely stare into. “Cherette. Help me remove these garish clothes. We haven’t much time.”
As soon as Aingael sat on a stool, Cherette set to work. Her handmaiden pulled her blond locks free of their bindings and carefully removed the gold and jewel headdress. Once it was set aside they carefully removed the garish diamond adorned gown Gunnar insisted she wear to display wealth the kingdom did not have.
In its place Aingael donned a simple black blouse and pants over which she could place her armor without problem. She handed off the gown and headdress to Cherette.
Cherette placed them in an iron trunk they’d had made for this purpose. She carefully placed the dress on top of the rest of the jeweled gowns and headdresses. “I will have Shane put these on the carts, miss.”
“It’s Aingael now, Cherette. As my husband sold all of our heads to the highest bidder, we are now all in this together.” Aingael set her hands on Cherette’s shoulders. “I am no longer Queen. I am with my people.”
“Aye, but you always have been, Miss.” Cherette bowed.
Aingael kissed her on the forehead. “Now go. Get Shane and go out with him to the warded sector. I wish you as safe as these jewels. Remember where I asked you to hide them.”
“In the recesses of Croche valley, under the village square. I shall guard them with my life.”
“You’ll guard yourself. If the past two years have been worth it, hopefully you’ll not have any need to guard a thing.”
“Are the woman prepared for the sort of battle you are expecting? It will be a battle against men, savage men.”
“Aye. Savage and unfeeling. The Cairn are raised for war, but they are not defending their home.” Aingael glanced toward the sea. “And I must pray to the Goddess that they are not prepared for the way a woman fights. They are under the impression that we aren’t prepared for their attack, that they will be able to come in and destroy.”
“By Her grace your preparations will not be for naught, my lady.”
“By Her grace, Cherette, we will survive.”
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by Sarah | Jun 26, 2014 | Book Spotlight, Guest Authors, Writing
SYNOPSIS
Naomi Porter was once witty, fun, and outgoing, but she has scratched outgoing off the list, along with men. She has a mediocre tech job in fabulous New York, a large smut book collection, and awesome friends, both tangible and in an online gaming community. She just doesn’t date. A future filled with cats and housedresses beats having her heart broken again.
But Naomi still likes men, even kind of stalks—mostly fantasizes about—a gorgeous one at work during lunch.
Her best friend, Kara, is determined that Naomi will be outgoing again. When Kara finds out who, as in a notorious playboy, Naomi is stalking at lunch, she plans to break Naomi of her lunchtime habit and bring her back into the real world. It’s just going to take a bit of deception.
Between all the deceiving, fangirling, and bumbling, Naomi might not be able to resist the temptation of turning her seven-month fantasy into reality. And really, so what if he’s a playboy or a demanding jerk? Her fantasies don’t include love or even like, just a bed or a couch or the back seat of a limo…
Reality might be just what she needs.
*A sexy romantic comedy intended for audiences 18+
BUY LINKS
~Meet Naomi Porter ~
– They each had some kind of jackass drink: dry martini, cosmopolitan, Manhattan, Caipirini, and one neat, overpriced single malt scotch. Except for me. I drank beer. American beer. From the tap, thank you very much.
-Whoa. Wow. Whoa. Between his gaze and his words, I imagined jumping on his lap and experiencing some of that.
– What was better than fried tortillas? Nothing. Well, except Doritos. But they were fried tortillas with cheese-flavored dusting.
-Could sharks jump out of the water? The ocean lay more than a hundred feet away. I wanted a shark to swallow me whole and drag me to the deep, salty depths of the sea after that ramble.
– But he is also hot, delicious, and the star of my day and night dreams.
-I didn’t cook. I constructed dips.
-I wanted to grab a toothpick and stuff it up my roommate’s nose. Two toothpicks to be precise, one for each nostril.
– Seriously, I never imagined being a tux girl, but holy hot hell, I could dry hump his suit. Preferably with him in it, but…
-You can never, ever, go wrong with bacon.
– I was going to faint. Or let out a whoop. Or tackle him. And it wasn’t just because he was removing his pants.
EXCERPT
“Keep an open mind. First impressions aren’t always correct,” she said from behind me as we strode down the hall.
“I’m not expecting Prince Charming but those three are wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am all the way. Is a little interest, a little romance, a first date with a toe-curling kiss too much to ask for?” I inquired over my shoulder.
“Maybe you need a wham-bam to get back into business. Like get it over, then move on to the romance and the toe-curling kisses.”
“Harrumph,” escaped me before we came out of the hallway and into the main bar. Three steps into the room, I stopped dead in my tracks. I became a deer in headlights when I noticed a person sitting sideways at the bar. Dark brown hair. Square jaw. Dark winged brows. Sensual lips with a rocks glass pressed to them. I gaped as he tipped the glass higher and amber liquid touched his lips.
Kara ran into my shoulder. “What the hell?” she asked, rubbing her jaw and stepping next to me. “Don’t pull this again. It’s only one more drink.”
“It’s him,” I somehow said, though still in shock. “My lunch guy.”
“Him? What are you talking—” She followed my frozen gawk. “Holy shit, Naomi! He’s the guy you watch at lunch? That’s not a bike—that’s a luxury car! Like an Aston Martin!” Kara had a thing for luxury cars. And shoes. And clothes. And purses.
I nodded as the woman next to him gave him a sultry stare. Jealousy flared within in me. Hopefully the daydream kind, but yeah, he was an Aston Martin compared to the three ten speeds waiting in the other room.
Kara smacked her forehead. “I should have known. Why didn’t my stupid ass put two and two together when you described him? You know who he is, right?”
Locked on him, my eyes turned huge. “What? No.”
“He’s—”
“Aggggg, not listening to Kara.” I covered my ears. “Don’t tell me.” Sure, I stalked him at lunch, but I didn’t want the possibility of becoming a full-time stalker. More than that, I didn’t want my lunchtime lustful fantasies ruined by reality. I was more than aware of it being a fantasy. I liked it as a fantasy.
AUTHOR BIO
I write young adult and romance novels. I read a lot too. I even do a bit of cooking, which is actually quite good. I also golf a lot in the summer with my awesome husband and son, but I cook way, way better than I golf.
I am Represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.
SOCIAL LINKS
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jean-Haus/227196784023975
Twitter – https://twitter.com/JeanHaus
Website – http://jeanhaus.com/jeanh/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5403174.Jean_Haus
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by Sarah | Jun 25, 2014 | Book Spotlight, Guest Authors, Writing
SYNOPSIS
In A Cry for Hope you meet Jamie’s carefree younger brother, Will. Now read his story…
Will McAdams is a New York City firefighter who has always lived in the shadow of his older brother, never quite measuring up to his parents standards. He lives his life without regrets, and answers to no one. The women love him and he uses that to his advantage, making it clear that he only has one use for them.
Gabby Spencer is a nurse in the burn unit of a busy New York City hospital. Her guarded personality doesn’t allow many people into her life and her patients take the place of her lack of family. She masks the pain that she is harboring deep inside with quick wit and sarcasm.
When Will becomes one of Gabby’s patients they form a special bond and soon become each other’s solace. But Will doesn’t see her like every other woman in his life. She means the world to him and he feels an underlying need to always protect her – most of all from himself. Even though he wants her more than he’s ever wanted any other woman, he’s not willing to take that next step and jeopardize everything they have. When jealousy and pain begin to overtake their once perfect friendship, will Will’s fear of falling in love and never measuring up, cause him to lose the one and only woman to ever own his heart?
* This is a companion novel to A Cry For Hope and can be read as a stand-alone.
BOOK TRAILER
EXCERPT
Gabby rambled on until our food came, only stopping when her eyes lit up at the size of her burger.
“Told ya!” I teased.
“Told me what?” she asked, taking a bite from her fry.
“I saw the look on your face when you saw the size of that burger.”
“This little thing?” she asked, looking down at her plate. I nodded. “Oh please, Will. I’ve had bigger ones than this in my mouth.” I almost spit my ice tea all over the place. “I meant burgers, pervert!”
“Mmm hmmm, I bet you did!” She smirked as she smothered her burger in ketchup and relish. “Geez, Gabby. Why don’t you have some burger with your ketchup and relish?”
“I love ketchup!” she said, licking it off her fingers.
“I can see that!”
“Don’t you?” she asked, opening her mouth wide and taking a bite.
“Yeah, but not half the bottle. Definitely not relish, though.”
“Mmmm….you don’t know what you’re missing!” she said, taking another huge bite. “Here, taste.” She held the burger up to my mouth.
“Gabby, it’s drenched in -.”
“Come on, Will. Don’t be afraid to try new things.” I opened my mouth and took a bite. It wasn’t half bad. “Not bad, is it?” she asked with her adorable grin as she picked up the napkin and wiped the ketchup off my face.
I took the top bun from my burger. “Lay it on me, Gabby girl!”
She held her hand up to give me a high five before picking up the bottle of relish and ketchup. “Woohoo! Sister Gabby has made you see the error of your ways. Bless you, Will,” she giggled.
She squirted on the ketchup and relish, and lifted her burger up to her mouth. “Come on, Will. Let’s do it together,” she teased in an overly sexy voice.
“You are a piece of work, you know that?” I chuckled.
She took a bite of her burger at the same time as me. I never thought that someone could actually look adorable chewing food, but Gabby proved that theory wrong. She swallowed it down and took a sip of her milk shake. “Was it good for you?” she asked. Neither one of us were able to control our laughter. It didn’t get any better than being here with her.
AUTHOR
Ever since I can remember, I have always enjoyed Creative Writing. There was always something about being able to travel to a different place or become a different person with just the stroke of a pen – or in today’s world a touch of the keyboard. I am the author of The Exception To The Rule, An Unplanned Lesson, An Unplanned Life and Drowning In Love and A Cry for Hope. I am currently working on A Will To Change the companion novel to A Cry For hope….stay tuned!
My life is not as interesting as my books or the characters in them, but then again whose life is? I was born and have lived in New Jersey my whole life. I’m a mom of twin teenage boys, a teenage stepson, a crazy Border Collie and a cat with an identity crisis! I guess you can say writing is my form of Calgon! I am married to a wonderful guy – but we’ll keep that between us, I don’t want him getting a big head!
Thanks for taking the time to learn about my books and me! If you decide to read them (and I hope you do!) please be sure to go on and review it for me – yes, even if you don’t like it!
SOCIAL LINKS
by Sarah | Jun 24, 2014 | Book Spotlight, Guest Authors, Writing
Kingdom of Celosia Blog Tour
Crystal St. Clair
My first novel is a first of its series, a fantasy erotica romance, called Kingdom of Celosia : Hearts On Fire Amongst Cold Shadows.
Princess Faith faces a life of duty to the Kingdom of Celosia, but she dreams of freedom.
She is daily reminded of the burden she will one day carry as she is educated to become a Queen…
The greatest of these reminders is a pendant given to her by her mother which is imbued with magical properties. Matters of the heart also hinder Faith from accepting her role. She is engaged to Prince Merek, but has no feelings for him. She secretly longs for true love, despite the fact that her rank keeps her from loving the man she desires most, the stable-hand Justus. Feeling trapped by the arrangement, there is little she wouldn’t consider doing to stop the wedding, but it seems her fate is sealed.
On the borders of their land is the Dark Forest, a home for many creatures with elemental powers of untold might. In that realm, the Troll King plots to kill her father and the wolves in his court are on the hunt for her, believing she is easy prey. But Faith is much stronger than they suspect, and against all odds, she sets out to protect those she loves.
Armed with her bow, riding on the back of her trusted mount, Ruby, she must confront the forces of evil that threaten to take everything from her and conquer them in the name of Celosia.
Amazon | Smashwords
Crystal St. Clair is a busy mother who lives in the multicultural country of Canada not in an igloo, but wishes she had a pet beaver who likes syrup and pancakes. She can usually be found playing soccer with her kids while their dog steals the spot light, making others laugh, writing poetry and other stories go to her loved ones or someone in need of a smile. She is a proud sponsor member of Plan Canada – I Am A Girl foundation and volunteers for Canine Connect A Care Rescue. She is a Law Clerk graduate but hopes to become a full time author writing novels for adults and the young generations. Crystal St. Clair played Momma Bear in a Middle School production of The Bernstein Bears and wrote her first story that started her publishing interest.
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crystal-StClair-Author/520802144671029
Twitter: @mzcryz
Website: http://www.crystalstclairauthor.blogspot.ca/
Tumblr: www.mzcryz.tumblr.com
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by Sarah | Jun 23, 2014 | Book Spotlight, Guest Authors, Writing
Synopsis
Where there is NO life there s Hope Hope has always been a bit of a freak. But when her mother crawls from her grave and her undead corpse goes MIA, Hope s last thread of normal snaps with a vengeance. Enrolling in a militia-style school for monster hunters seems her best bet for tracking down Mommy-dearest and putting what s left of her mother to rest. But the stakes are raised when she s partnered with three unique male recruits each with their own personal demons to slay if they want to survive basic training. But does Hope have a true killer s instinct? If she finds her mother, will she have the guts to do what must be done to save her soul? In a place like Le Manoir, all bets are off. What could be creepier than hunting down your own zombie mommy?….A single page in, I was hooked. Jacqueline Mitchard, author of What We Lost in the Dark and The Deep End of the Ocean Killer s Instinct is going to knock other YA monster-battling books off the shelves. Gary Braver, bestselling and award-winning author of Tunnel Vision
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dawn Dalton is the author of creepy young adult fiction. When she isn’t dodging monsters, you can find her at creepy crossroads with her husband and two hounds — you know, just skulking around. Dawn also writes adult thriller, romantic suspense ad contemporary young adult under the last name Ius. She is represented by Mandy Hubbard at D4EO Literary Agency.
Judith Graves has multiple young adult novels and short stories published with Leap Books, Orca Book Publishers, Compass Press, and, under the pen name, Judith Tewes, is also published with Bloomsbury Spark. In addition, Judith is abscreenwriter and playwright, writes freelance articles for literary magazines, and facilitates writing workshops for both adults and young adults.
Giveaway:
—Giveaway is open Internationally | Must be 13+ to Enter
1 Winner will get $20 Pay Pal Cash + an eBook of KILLER’S INSTINCT
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Welcome back to Tuesday Tales! This weeks prompt is to be inspired by the word Sea.
