Friday, November 30, 2018

Twelve Days by Hope Waters (VBB, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT






by
Hope Waters




Blurb: 
Zoey Blake is having a perfect holiday season. Finals are over and it's time to head home for Christmas, but when she wins the Hartbreakers True Love contest to join them of their tour, she has a chance to follow her favorite band for twelve days -- and twelve steamy nights.

Mackenzie Hart has been a player since and joining Hartbreakers has only edged up his game, that is until he meets Zoey. She's turned his world upside down and only she can make it right. Now all he has to do is convince her to stay with him forever. For a guy like Mack, that shouldn't be too hard but it's gonna take all he has and twelve days to win her true love.






 

Excerpt

“Zoey,” Nia yelled from inside her bunk, where she had been talking to Josh. “Mack wants to say good night.”

I heard a chorus of approvals from the back of the bus. I stuck my tongue out at them and they laughed. I took the walkie-talkie from Nia and went back to my bunk.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Zoey.

“I just wanted to say goodnight,” Mack said over the crackles.

I smirked. “Why don’t you just call me?”

“Isn’t there something romantic about saying good night over a two-way radio channel in the wilds of Texas where a dozen truckers can hear us?”

I rolled my eyes. “I guess it’s romantic,” I said with a laugh. “Thank you. That is very sweet. Good night Mack.”

“Night.”

Before I shut off the walkie-talkie, I heard from over the waves, “Aw, you kids are cute.” I let out a laugh and turned it off as I handed it back to Nia. I closed my curtains and laid down to sleep as visions of Mack danced in my head.






NOTE: The book is on sale for $0.99.
(Please check price before buying)
 
Amazon buy link

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About the Author: Straight out of fandom, Hope Waters has been writing for over thirty years. From a young age, she was crafting stories to entertain others of all ages and continues to do so to this day. Hope uses she/they for pronouns and enjoys a good book with a cup of coffee and snuggles from her cats.

Website
Twitter
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E-mail






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GIVEAWAY

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Hope Waters will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The tour dates can be found here




Thursday, November 29, 2018

An Alien Exchange by Keri Kruspe (VBB, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT ADULT title







by
Keri Kruspe


Aimee Gwiazdowski has a passion for Alien Abduction romance stories. She vicariously lives through the heroines of her books to escape her lonely, loveless life. Until one morning, she wakes up in a strange, white room where an alluring voice invites her to the “Exchange” to find love and adventure in another world. Did she dare believe it? Could she leave everything behind and take a chance to become one of those heroines who finds true love among the stars?

Exiled Prince Qayyum E’etu and commander of the space vessel StarChance has a mission—transport the human women to the Exchange along with an offer he can’t refuse: find evidence against rumored human trafficking connected with the Exchange. If he can successfully bring the traitors back to Zerin for justice, it would give him a chance to return home. How was he supposed to know that meeting a human woman would put everything he was working for in jeopardy?

As unforeseen evil slowly brews discord within the galaxy, it works to tear Aimee and Qay further apart. If they don’t learn to overcome their fears and trust the love they have for each other, the coming cataclysm will devastate not only Zerin, but Earth as well.

An Alien Exchange is the first book in a sci-fi romance that features intergalactic action, engrossing plots, and courageous individuals. If you like fast-paced action, raw emotions, and sexy aliens, you’ll love this new space adventure.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to those who are alone in a crowd. To those who are desperately trying to right a wrong they’ve done in the past. Sometimes taking a chance may seem crazy, but you’ll never know until you try.


 

Excerpt

Star struck, she gawked at him with her mouth open. Any preconceived notion she had about masculine beauty changed. His overt, exceptional maleness matched the images she’s conjured while reading her sci-fi romances.

His skin was a light russet brown nestled by a pearlescent sheen. Hair black as midnight layered with strands of cobalt blue reflected when he moved. A subtle widow’s peak crowned a smooth, wide forehead. A tiny intricate braid at his right temple ended in a long curl at the front of his crotch, framing his manhood. Pulled hair bared ears larger than a human’s, the tips ending in a slight point. A small gold hoop pierced the left tip, twinkling as it danced and teased in the light. Aimee’s lips moistened as she envisioned savoring the combination of warm flesh and cool steel.

She took in his matching black eyebrows. They rose up and down like an upside down V over his almond-shaped eyes framed by a set of thick lashes. Instead of black, his pupils were a dark iridescent green, oval-shaped and surrounded by a ring of dual color. The first ring was a dark emerald with the outer ring a contrasting shade of lighter green. His full lips parted in a patronizing smile and displayed small fangs where human eyeteeth were.

He pulled his arms away from his chest and she noticed he had three fingers on each hand instead of four. Those fingers were long and thick, one digit not any shorter or smaller than another— his thumbs no different than a human.

She sighed, trying to picture how many toes he had.

“Satisfied?” His amused accented tone left no doubt he was making fun of her. “Believe in aliens now?”




The book is on sale for $0.99 during the tour.
(Please check price before ordering)

Buy An Alien Exchange to experience the first installment of this exciting trilogy!


Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Apple
Kobo
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About the Author:
“Author of otherworldly romantic adventures”

A writer since the age of twelve, Keri Kruspe has always been fascinated with otherworldly stories that end with the dream of Happily Ever After.

A native Nevadan, Keri resides with her family in the wilds of Northwest Michigan where she enjoys the stark change in seasons and the pleasures each one brings. An avid reader, Keri loves an enjoyable bottle of red wine, a variety of delicious foods and watching action/adventure movies…usually at the same time. You can find her most days immersed in her fantasy world on her latest novel while foot tappin’ to classic rock. When not absorbed in her writing, Keri works alongside her husband in building their dream home or discovering intelligent life in America in their RV.


Why I wrote this book

I was reading one of my favorite Sci-fi romances on my electronic reader after watching the latest’s news about computer hacking. It got me thinking…what if aliens hacked into my reading habits to find someone like me who liked alien romances. Wouldn’t that be a perfect way to find women who might be willing to leaving Earth to find love among the stars…

I envisioned Star Wars meets Pretty Woman. And that, they say, was that. My story An Alien Exchange was born.


Social links:

Facebook
Pinterest
Website
Twitter
Goodreads


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GIVEAWAY

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Keri Kruspe will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.



a Rafflecopter giveaway


The tour dates can be found here




Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Twisted Tales of Deceit by P.D. Alleva (VNBtM, guest post, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) ADULT title



I am happy to share a guest post by author P.D. Alleva, who shares...




ELF: What is your writing process?

PDA: Writing is a process the same and yet different for every writer. We write, that’s what’s the same but we’ve all got our own little quirks with how we develop ideas and characters and ultimately get into the mood to write. Some take our time, others belt out the story in a rush of creative prowess.  Naturally, the story always begins with an idea, the thought that begins the process to complete a story that satisfies our creative itch with the hope that we can drive into the reader’s mind the entertainment we writers wish to project onto the reader. The idea can come from anywhere really. An observation or something we overhear, an emotion or personal experience, or a book or movie that had a profound impact. Personally, once the idea is brought to light I like for the story to manifest, this takes time, and more than likely I’m engaged in writing another novel, but I’ll open up a blank word document, type in a potential title, usually something to do with a song or the concept that relates to the story and write a few notes on the plot, character names and history and what the issue or concern will be.

During this time of manifesting the story, long walks help, adding any ideas and little nuances to the word document as they arrive. These notes serve as a kind of outline for the story, although not a true outline like one that’s used for a high school English assignment. When the book or project I’ve been working on is complete I always wait about a week to begin a new one. Being a multi-genre author I need to switch up the mojo to transition between the different genres. The book that I just published, Presenting the Marriage of Kelli Anne & Gerri Denemer is a dark love story with an inspirational message, compared to book three in the series, The Rose, a scifi dystopian novel. As I’m sure you can understand transitioning between the two takes a different mindset to drive the story. Sometimes I’ll write poems or a short story in between novels to help facilitate the transition, but once I’ve gotten into the right frame of mind I delve into the novel.

The process has now begun, and music drives the mood. I always write in the morning, usually waking up between four thirty and five am. Drink a few cups of coffee with headphones on to create what I call a capsule of creativity. Less distraction the better. During this time I’ll open the word doc, read over what was written yesterday, then let it sit while returning to the music, developing the next step in the story. It’s important to note here that the story takes on a life of its own, quite often the plot and character development along with any plot twists change dramatically when the actual writing is happening. If necessary I’ll Google certain details the story requires to lend plausibility, like the correct horsepower for a particular car or what parts are called to a stealth fighter. Also, if I’m looking to give a character the appropriate name I’ll look up names online until I find the perfect name that reflects the character. Usually this process is used for supporting characters; I’ve always found the main characters names come naturally.

I write for a few hours each day, sometimes more but always at least two to three hours. Oddly, I can spend a few hours just on a few pages, especially if it’s a driving force behind the plot, rewriting if necessary or adding little tid bits that’ll make sense to the larger plot later on in the story.

The book is completed within a few months, after which, I’ve always experienced a bit of satisfaction, take a few days off sometimes more, close to a week and then delve back in from the beginning strengthening by identifying and changing up any discrepancies or “holes” the story may have. Sometimes what we write in the beginning was changed mid way through or towards the end, so tidying these inconsistencies is the purpose behind the first read through, afterwards the word doc is sent for editing. Now that’s a whole process in and of itself, talk about having to switch hats and disconnect from the story, quite a difficult task but considered the most important. When your writing with such strong emotion, cutting it to the bone is painful although highly necessary. Editing is where the architecture behind the story comes from. The first process is poetry; the second is architecturally designed prose.

My experience is that I’m crossing t’s and dotting i’s up until the moment just before publication, because once its out there, that baby is on its own in the world.


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by 
P.D. Alleva
ADULT title
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GENRE: Dark Fiction

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BLURB:

Twisted Tales of Deceit is the first installment in the Beyond the Chamber Door series. Featuring three tales (The Calculated Desolation of Hope, Somnium, & Knickerbocker) chronicling an evil influence on the human psyche, tipping our hands into the engagement of what is most horrifying; our dastardly, human deeds steeped in self-destruction, desperation and the loss of dreams. Metaphorical warnings have been constructed inside these pages to reflect the everyday signs the universe provides under the guise of reflective light that return to mirror how evil tempts our hand so to not fulfill the dreams of the soul. Our doubts, our sadness, our indecisions rooted in fear, are toiled with by the presence of imps bent on hatred and in need of our nightmares to survive. Here, the human spirit is dripped like honey, tasteful to the dark corridors of human malevolence and taken advantage by the corrupt and seamlessly endless parade other worldly dimensions have on what should be our earthly utopia, creating rage in the cosmic hedonism of jealousy.

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EXCERPT

He remembered the wolf, roaming in the room. Saw the gamer and the boy he had saved with their throats cut out as the wolf fed on them. Their black eyeballs staring at William.

Remembered how the bodies were taken from the room. Remembered how he screamed but had no strength to do anything about it.

And how Katarina appeared again, another needle in hand. Remembered how he wanted it now, to help him forget. She shot him up and his world became smaller, the walls closing in to squeeze all that he knew in between the four walls of that tiny room, now no bigger than the bed he lay on.

He remembered how the world disappeared, melted away like ice.

Remembered how the darkness invited itself into his space, and how the world had gone mad.

“What the fu…” he grumbled, collapsing to the floor. His heart fluttered, and his skin flushed pale white and red. He leaned against the wall, watching the final dissipation of daylight outside the window. And the room grew dark with a sliver of moonlight that broke through the window as his memories faded and an unnerving hunger cried out from his veins. A tiny voice in his head.

“More,” it called. “Please, more.”

His body felt pain, pain like he’d never felt before. His mind felt confusion, he couldn’t put a thought together. His eyes turned wet with tears and he started to wail. He wailed until his voice gave out.

And then the footsteps. Loud, clunking footsteps against the wood floor. The massive image half hidden in the darkness, half illuminated by the moonlight, seemed to drift toward him with a mindful caution only to disappear just before reaching him. His vision wavered as the hunger grew.

In front of him, nose to nose, Mephisto shined his yellow eyes on him. And Mephisto grinned, scooping him in his arms like a baby and delivering him to the bed.

“Rest,” Mephisto said, pausing as he looked on William who saw the death of stars gleaming in Mephisto’s eyes.

“And welcome…to oblivion.”

His grin was sinister, daring and satisfied.

Amazon purchase link


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

P.D. Alleva is an author, psychotherapist and hypnotherapist specializing in trauma, addiction and mental health. He is the author of several books, including fiction novels, Indifference and A Billion Tiny Moments In Time…, Seriously Twisted; These Gods of Darkness (Poetry), Let Your Soul Evolve (1st and 2nd ed), and Spiritual Growth Therapy: Philosophy, Practices and Mindfulness Workbook (non-fiction). He has developed behavioral protocols for addiction and mental health and teaches mindfulness, Buddhist meditations and manifestation techniques to his patients as a means and alternative to using pharmaceuticals. Go to spiritualgrowththerapy.com to learn more. Mr. Alleva offers a special discount on his video tutorials for his readers, so please use Promo Code 7474 for a special 90% discount. He is currently in private practice with his wife, Lisa. He lives with his wife and children in Boca Raton, Florida.


Follow the Author:
Instagram: pdalleva_author
Twitter:      pdalleva_author
Facebook:  @pdallevaauthor




 
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GIVEAWAY

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway


The tour dates can be found here



Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Life Without Shoes by Emma Cyrus (VBT, guest post, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT




I am happy to share a guest post by author Emma Cyrus, who relates...


Putting the Microscope on How I Write

by

Emma Cyrus

Many thanks to The Reading Addict for hosting a tour stop for me this week.

In stepping back from writing Life Without Shoes and comparing that to how the second book is taking shape, I observe that they are pretty different writing processes—in terms of how they were created as well as how they were edited.

Life Without Shoes started in 2010 with the title, a part of the first chapter and beginning research notes in a OneNote notebook. For various reasons, I continued research (into the locales in Northern California where I created fictional settings, into mainstream spiritual communities, into the county and city governance structure, and so forth) throughout 2010.

Then, there was a break in the work for almost five years, when a friend of mine recommended I take a memoir writing course at Gotham Writers Workshop. I had no intention of writing a memoir, but I got good feedback on my writing, so I plunged forward and took Mystery I the next term. I pulled out the little work I’d done on Shoes and dusted it off. I was more than a little nervous about facing the professor and fellow students with something completely untested.

By January of 2016, I’d made a commitment to finishing Shoes. I was taking Mystery II, and I realized I had to get serious or else. I was at the end of where I could go with other students’ feedback. The biggest change that term was moving from omniscient POV to two-person POV. I realized I didn’t yet have the skill to pull off omniscient.

After I finished that course, I hired that professor as a mentor, and he got me through the first draft by November. I did most of the work in Scrivener, with good and bad results. It took me another year to get through the edits and all the pre-publication preparation. I found an excellent copy editor and a cover design artist. I was learning to do everything myself from scratch.

Life Without Shoes was published by my own imprint, Square Root Press, on November 28, 2017, more than seven years from when I started. Most of that time now seems like a gestation period – not so much of the book but of me considering myself a writer.

Before I’d finished the edits on Shoes, I ‘heard’ (from my muse?) the general title and first chapter of this next book. As soon as Shoes was published, I gave myself a few months off, took a Character Development course, and then jumped back in, with this new professor as mentor. I’m now on track to have a complete draft by the end of this month, which will go out to BETA readers for the month of December.

This one is happening very differently. First, I have all the feedback from the first book to show me where to improve. While Shoes was more of a ‘pantser’ project (with a little resistance to questioning that approach), this next book is following a more classic method—a general plot outline, character sketches, help from editorial software that picks up things like passive voice, consultations with my mentor at strategic points, more knowledge about structuring scenes and chapters.

This more in-depth approach is paying off. I can dictate my first draft and then go back and improve. Just that little bit of distance helps me see where I need to tighten or elaborate, enhance a POV or take clichés out of dialogue.

If you’re a writer and are interested in some of the technical assistance I’ve been using (software, online instruction, etc.), send me a note at emma@emmacyrus.com.


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by 
Emma Cyrus




GENRE: Mystery


BLURB:

In the great tradition of The Name of the Rose, the Brother Cadfael mysteries and Grantchester, Life Without Shoes confronts a modern-day monastic with a horrifying crime.

Father Ambrose has found a simple life leading a spiritual community in Northern California. He spends his days on guiding the farming and teaching meditation. Then, someone dumps a body in one of their orchards.

Now, the violence of the modern world has come crashing through the gates. He wants Sheriff Charlie Cormley to believe the body has nothing to do with them, but it’s not that easy. He must take on the role of sleuth to protect his community and find the truth. He finds himself moving out into the world in ways he never imagined, and life at New Life will never be the same.

EXCERPT


She slipped the paper out of the sleeve and looked with amusement at the cover story: “Exclusive: Interview with Father Ambrose at New Life!” Under the headline was a large photo of Ambrose sitting at his desk, smiling at the camera. The text started below, continuing to page two.

“Do you want me to read it to you?” she asked.

“No, I signed off on it last night. I’ll look at it later. If it’s different from what I approved, that’s likely to ruin my day, so I’ll just postpone it awhile. He’s got this thing about picturing me heroically. I can’t fault his logic from a journalistic standpoint, but it’s very uncomfortable for me. I just hope New Life benefits from all the attention.”

“If the only one who doesn’t see you as a hero is you, we’ll be fine. Like you said, we’re faced with an opportunity. You might not like it, but this is the way it’s playing itself out. We don’t want reporters accosting our folks at the Farmers’ Market or banging down the gate here, so we have to give them a story that satisfies their readers. Just remember, you can create pretty much any picture you want to. Let’s tell our story by telling stories about you!”

Ambrose groaned. “I don’t want to be famous! I just want a nice, quiet harvest with good sales, no drama, no bodies in bags, no policemen.”

“We’re a little beyond that, don’t you think? I don’t usually say things like ‘suck it up,’ but that’s what I mean. We all need you to do this, and we appreciate that you have the capacity.”




NOTE: This book is on sale for $0.99 
(please check price before purchasing)

Amazon


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Emma was born in West Virginia and lived there until she was in high school, when her family moved to Pittsburgh. After high school, she went to Boston to go to college. She worked in different small and startup businesses until she moved into a yoga community in Pennsylvania. There, she’s worked on various projects and taught yoga.

She started the Father Ambrose series as a way of pulling together her love of good mystery stories with her deepening appreciation of the real-life magic and mystery of inner work. Father Ambrose has many characteristics in common with the leaders of her community, but his voice is probably hers, or at least what she thinks her voice would be, if she were living inside the parameters of his life.

She’s discovering the compelling nature of writing fiction and the surprises of working with what other writers have called their ‘muse.’ The creative process seems to have its own timetable and logic. The best results seem to come from stilling her own personal voice and allowing that ‘muse’ to speak.

Links



Facebook Page:
@emmacyrusbooks


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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway



The tour dates can be found here



Monday, November 26, 2018

The Sea Archer by Jeny Heckman (VBT, guest post, and GIVEAWAY) GFT


It is my pleasure to host one of the WRP Roses today as author Jeny Heckman answers my question...




ELF: What scares you the most or makes you the happiest about writing?



JH: Being a new writer has its ups and downs. There are many moments of elation, and then times you want to boil your keyboard in acid. My mom always said at dinner to eat the things you hate first, like squash, and cover them up with the good, like flank steak, so I’ll take her advice here. 



What scares me about writing isn’t the story or plot or anything to do with the actual writing of a novel. I’ve never, knock on wood, had writer's block or any of those other kinds of writing challenges. My provocation comes in all the things that follow such as editing, marketing, and social media. Everyone appreciates and values their time, so it’s hard to know what things people will like or be interested in for all the giveaways, blogs and shares, at least it's a little difficult for me. And editing is like carving up a loved one. You spend hours, upon days, upon weeks, upon months, creating characters that become your friends, settings you want to live in and plots you’d like to be a part of. The hardest thing in the world is giving it to someone else and have them say they want to cut this scene or that character. Things you wrote that are vital for the story, at least in your mind. It’s so challenging. However, I must admit, most things my wonderful editor has corrected or suggested have been choices that ultimately aided or progressed the story and made it better. There was even one instance she cut something and said use it later as a plot twist and I was incredulous because it wasn’t the obvious choice but worked brilliantly.  



What I love or what makes me happiest about writing is just that, writing. When you have a million ideas and nothing but time in front of you, is pure bliss. That is exactly what happened last week when I was able to write eight to ten hours each day. You get on a roll and become so involved in your story, you can forget about the time. You wind up coming out of your den only when your stomach growls and even then, not always. I love developing characters and giving them a voice. I love how they interact with each other and their world. Sometimes all your carefully laid out plotting goes right out the window and the characters like to take control of what’s happening, or at least mine do. I suppose being a writer isn’t unlike being an actor and trying new people on for size. Sometimes a character can be infuriating, like Raven. You want to run up to her and say be strong, you can do this. However, people are wonderfully flawed and thankfully unique. Sometimes they need to learn things for themselves, for it to take root. Sometimes they must learn that on their own timeline. It’s also been fascinating to go to some of these places I set my scenes in. You can write a scene and maybe look on Google Earth or pictures, to get your bearings, but you can’t authentically write about arriving at a Hawaiian airport and the smells, humidity, sounds, and atmosphere, unless you’ve been there. Finally, I love hearing the response of readers. It’s been fun to find out which character is people’s favorite (so far, it’s been a resounding Dee) and who they hate (an equally resounding Donovan). It’s that investment someone else has made into something you created, and it’s a true privilege.



I’d like to thank Reading Addict, for having me here today. I appreciate the time you've devoted to me and I’ve had a lot of fun. To those of you that joined me, thank you for doing so. I hope you'll come visit me on my website.

 I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. I sincerely hope you enjoy The Sea Archer. 


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by Jeny Heckman

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GENRE:   Paranormal Romance

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BLURB:

Raven Hunter, a musical prodigy, flees to the Hawaiian Islands to pick up the pieces after her
marriage to her manager collapses. Instead, she experiences extraordinary and unsettling
events that are beyond her understanding.

Living in paradise, marine biologist, Finn Taylor has
the unconscious but effortless ability to understand the needs of the animals he cares for. His playboy lifestyle is most men's fantasy. That is, until the night he meets the shy and elusive new island resident. Suddenly his life no longer feels like his own.

The attraction is undeniable. However, vastly contrasting lives, peculiar dreams, and an unbelievable proclamation that they could be the direct descendants of Poseidon and Apollo threaten to divide them forever. Will they accept their destiny and begin the quest of a lifetime or will they remain in their comfortable yet separate existence?


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EXCERPT

 

"Where's the one place you've never been?" Que asked, trying to keep her on track.



“Someplace you've always wanted to go to?" Wyatt asked. Enjoying herself, Raven turned pink.



"You'll think it's stupid."



"No, I won't," both said in unison.



"I've never been to Hawai‘i."



"Hawai‘i?" Que's brow furrowed. "That's here. Don't you wanna go to, like, the Bahamas or something? How have you not been to Hawai‘i?"



"Donovan always wanted to play the massive arenas and big cities, and for some unfathomable reason that didn't include the islands."



"You should do it then. Take some time, figure it out."



"What about my tour dates?"



"You'll get ‘em from, whoever, then call and cancel them. Hell, you can even interview new people to run the works while you're there. You're in the position to do that now, Rave. People would fall all over themselves to come to you. The point is to go away and figure it all out."

She bit her bottom lip and thought about all the problems this idea would bring until her brother spoke the next words.



"What're you afraid of Rave? What do you have lose?"


Links for Purchase:


Chapters
iTunes
KOBO


~~~~~~~~~~~~~



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 Jeny Heckman, loves romance. She especially loves romance with a paranormal and/or historical twist. When not ignoring her family and friends by writing you will find her time exclusively on them and photography. Jeny lives in Stanwood, Washington.







Contact:





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GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway


The tour dates can be found here



Sunday, November 25, 2018

The Christmas Ballet by Constance Bretes (Blog tour, except, and, GIVEAWAY) RBC ADULT title




The Christmas Ballet  

by
Constance Bretes

ADULT title




About The Christmas Ballet:
Laura Hemmingway cut herself off from men and her family when the man she loved married her sister. She moved across the country and was doing just fine until she received a devastating call to return to New York. She had to face the death of her sister, her sister’s little girl, Maria, and Maria’s father, Stefan—the man she had once loved. She figured she would pay her respects and leave as soon as possible. She never anticipated on the beautiful little girl stealing her heart. And she never expected that seeing Stefan again after twelve years would stir up old feelings.   

Stefan’s life was complete. He had a successful career as an attorney, a beautiful wife and an adorable six-year-old daughter. Although he and his wife had been married in name only for the past several years, he cared for her deeply. Then her unexpected death brought him face-to-face with his former lover, and the guilt he’d carried for years. 

Stefan is still in love with Laura and wants to give her everything she deserves. He and Maria are racing against time to convince Laura to stay with them in New York. 

Can a little girl’s love, and the true magic of Christmas, help Stefan convince Laura to stay and give their relationship another chance?  



Content Warning: contains some sexual content  
Genre – Contemporary Romance  
Heat Level - Hot




Excerpt


He smiled as he thought about the look on her face when he’d stroked her. Maybe she was more interested in him than she either believed or cared to be.

Then he thought of something. “One more thing, Laura,” he called out to her, and she stopped at the door and turned around.

“On the nineteenth, the law firm is hosting the annual Christmas party. It’s quite grand and lasts all evening long.”

“You want me to be sure to be available to babysit Maria,” Laura said.

“No. I want you to plan to come with me.”

“What?”

“Remember that beautiful, green, velvet dress we saw at Macy’s? I want you to get that dress, and the accessories to go with it, and attend the party with me.”

“Stefan, really. You know I don’t go to those types of events, and I don’t wear those kinds of clothes. I’m not comfortable with either of those things.”

“You need to get comfortable.” He smiled.

“This is not a part of a job for the nanny and teacher. It’s out of the range of the job description. You need to get Ginger to go with you. I’m not going.” She gave him a defiant look.

“Laura, I want to take you to this event. I’m not taking no for an answer. I will arrange for Rhonda to take you shopping to help you get what you need. You will charge all the purchases to a credit card I will give you that’s for your use only. This is the first of many social parties you will be attending.”

He watched her as she clenched her hands into fists and released them.

“Who do you think you will get to care for Maria on these…occasions?”

“Usually Lillian is available.”

“Stefan, it’s my job to care for Maria, not be your date to your parties. I don’t like being told what I will or won’t do. I don’t like social parties, and I don’t like wearing expensive clothes. It’s not me, and you’re not going to change me.”

“I don’t want to change you. I want you to attend an event by my side. It won’t hurt you to have some beautiful clothing to show your feminine side. I want the world to see the beauty I see. Be glad I want to show you off. Some men might decide they don’t want others to see what they see.”

“Flattery doesn’t work with me. You can tell me what to do as far as Maria is concerned, but my personal life is off limits to you.”

“That’s good to know. At least I know you won’t get carried away and escape my grasp by someone making flattering remarks to you. Your personal life interests me.”

“Stefan, you just don’t get it. I am not going to this party,” she said, enunciating each word slowly and carefully. “Besides, your mother would be horrified to see me walk in with you.” Her face hardened as she stared at him.

“Look at it this way—you’d be doing me a big favor.”

“How?” She raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not interested in the other women that come to this social party looking for an eligible bachelor. With you on my arm, it would send a clear message to all the others that I’m taken.”

“God, you’re impossible. Ginger is more than capable of providing you that kind of service.”

“I don’t want Ginger. You have the grace, quiet beauty, and finesse I want in a date, and I will not take no for an answer. After Maria’s recital, you and Rhonda will set a shopping date. And one more thing. When you get your hair done, I’d like you to wear it down.” He smiled at her.

“This is not going to happen.” She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

“It will. I’ll just have Maria work on you.” He eyed her.

“What?”

Stefan grinned. “You heard me. You’d never turn down anything from Maria.”

“Grrrr.” She growled and stomped up the stairs.

He laced his hands and put them behind his head. Oh yeah, it’ll be a night she’ll never forget.










About the Author: Constance Bretes is an author of contemporary romance and suspense. Her romance books are often set in different parts of the country, but her favorite site is Montana. She retired from the State of Michigan after 38-plus years of service and now writes and researches full time. She is married to her best friend and has recently moved from Montana to Alabama. Her hobbies include basket weaving, sapphire digging, and checking out old ghost towns.  




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