Monday, December 19, 2016

Are You Naughty or Nice?



Naughty or Nice?



Well we are less than a week away before the big guys squeezes his tushy down the chimney. Are you on the naughty or nice list? 

Us Canadian romance authors need to keep our inspirations going, and I have to admit, the last few months, I've ventured into the naughty zone!

Why? Well, I can only show you a few photos to really demonstrate the path of temptations, but once you see, I'd bet you wouldn't have resisted either!

Two recent outings with the girls have led me to the land of Down Under, where the men are gorgeous and their dance moves are hot! This girl was on fire!




Then last month, a handful of us devoted Shemar Moore fans ventured to Toronto to meet the man himself, and all I can say is WOW! Sexy, silly and flirty and that man knows how to work a crowd!



Don't get me wrong, the coset of eye candy and divine entertainment hits the spot, but I'm more than happy to come home to my own real life hottie, who dotes on me and makes me feel like a queen. 

So, what are some of your naughty experiences? Or are you just too good to be true? Will Santa be generous, or like me, will you be receiving a stocking full of coal?

Happy holidays, from the Willows household!








Saturday, December 17, 2016

Happy Holidays (with New Release info) from Kacey Hammell #Christmas #NewRelease #Author (@KaceyHammell)


Good morning and happy December all!

The year is almost done. Did you accomplish all your goals? I didn't but am going to work even harder to do so in 2017. It was a roller-coaster of a year and tragic in so many ways across the world.


Winter so far in my area of Ontario has been crazy already. Last night we got a major dumping, with more on the way tonight, as well as some freezing rain expected. Sigh. I'm tired of the white stuff already. And temperatures were frigid this past week!  I miss the sunshine and warmer temperatures. Fall is my favourite time of year but I'll take anything warm right now.

I have my decorations up for the holidays. Two of my faves are the ceramic trees my grandmother passed down to me, which were her grandmothers (so my 2 time great grandma), and I love them to pieces. I'm always so scared when I put them away every year that they will get broken. I've been so, so lucky. 





I haven't done much wrapping of presents yet. With how fast the holidays arrived, it doesn't really feel like Christmas is upon us. At least not for me. Seems like we skipped a number of months. 

I celebrated my birthday yesterday. It was fantastic. My kids were all home throughout the couple days, brought me cake and good food, lovely presents and lots of hugs and kisses. A Mom can't ask for more than that.

This past week, I also had a brand new release come out! Cover Me is a May/December (Older Woman/Younger Man) Contemporary Erotic Romance that was a lot of fun to write. It released at Evernight Publishing -- where it's currently 25% off right now.


Find more E-Retailer links and more information / excerpt from Cover Me HERE 


Until next month, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.  


Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Seasons Greetings All the Way from Sault Ste. Marie by @LaynaPimentel #happyholidays #contest #2017goals

In a few short weeks, we’ll all be ready to tear down our trees and we’ll be sick of the snow. Yet, a little part of me is excited for next Christmas. By then, I’ll be a grandmother for the first time, and can’t wait for the chaos to begin.

2016 has been a mix of sour grapes and bittersweet endings for friends and family. As we move into a new year, I’ve got a great feeling there will be some redeeming things the universe will share with us.

Our families, careers and life in general are due for a wealth of pleasantness and happiness. Out with the old, in with the new. Speaking of which, we have some new ladies joining us here on the blog, so be sure to give them a warm welcome on their days.

I’m personally excited to get cracking on some novels next year. So who knows how the year will end on what is actually published. The important thing is I’m working on new content for you. I have a secret historical (regency) project I'm working on for a Summer release and another regency novel I'm hoping to pitch to agents later next year. In addition, I have 2 paranormal romance novellas I want finished in between, and last but not least, a super sexy and intense contemporary romance that is bound to piss off plenty of people. Before anyone can get carried away (not that you were), there's romance no-no's, but the plot does revolve a rather sensitive topic. How's that for a bit of mystery? hehe

What are you most excited about for next year?

Don’t forget to enter in year end giveaway, and if we don’t chat on Twitter or Facebook before January 9th, I wish you all a very merry Christmas.

P.S. 

If y'all have a second to spare would you mind giving my most recent Thunderclap campaign a hand. The campaign is ending soon and I can use all the help I can get. Shadowed By Sin is on sale for only $2.99 which happens to be half off. I'm just looking for hand to help spread the word. No purchase necessary. :) 


- About The Author -

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Layna discovered her love of reading at an early age. She’s a bestselling author at All Romance eBooks and a multi-published author of historical, paranormal, and contemporary erotic romances. When she isn’t devouring salacious romance novels or writing, she enjoys hiking and researching ancient history, mythology, and weaponry. She lives in Northern Ontario with her husband and two daughters.



Monday, December 12, 2016

Author Jessica E. Subject shares a Canadian holiday #recipe @jsubject #romance

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Don't forget to enter the Romance Eh? Christmas Giveaway!

When I start planning for the holidays, the first thing I do is to ask my family what goodies they want me to make for the year. I have some tried and true favourites that I make every year, and on occasion, I get asked to make something new.

One of the foods I make every year is tourtière. It is a pork meat pie with French-Canadian origins. It was something my mother always made for us to eat on Christmas Eve, and I now do the same with my own family. Though, I also make it for other occasions as well. Here's the recipe I use...



JESSICA E. SUBJECT'S TOURTIÈRE RECIPE

I use store bought pie crusts. But, if you want to make your own, this recipe includes the crust...

Pie Crust:

5 1/2 cups flour
1 lbs lard ie. Tenderflake
1 tsp salt
(cut lard into flour/salt until well combined using a pastry cutter)
1 egg
1 tbsp vinegar
water

Take a measuring cup, gently beat the egg, add vinegar and up to the one cup mark with very cold water. Slowly pour into dry mix using enough only to moisten the dough until it sticks together into a ball. Divide into six equal portions and wrap for later. If needed refrigerate for 1/2 hour.

Tourtière filling:

2 lbs lean ground pork
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp butter or margerine
1 large or two medium potatoes (cooked and mashed)
1 large onion (chopped into tiny pieces)
2 teaspoons allspice
pepper to taste
1 tsp cinnamon

Melt butter in a large skillet, add onions until they've turned clear. Add the ground pork and beef until well cooked. Add the mashed potato and mix well. Add the allspice, pepper, and cinnamon, and mix well. Add enough water to totally cover the mixture and let simmer for a few hours allowing the potato to thicken the mixture. Add more allspice, pepper, and cinnamon to taste.

When mixture is thickened (very little water left), divide equally into prepared pie crusts. (I use deep dish pie shells, so I find this mixture is only enough for two pies). Cover with dough and pinch the edges. I always cut a star shape into the top of the pie.

Bake at 425 degrees F until edges are golden brown and pie dough cooked. Usually about 35 minutes. I will undercook one (25 minutes), so I can freeze it and pop into the oven to reheat without the pie dough getting burned during reheating.

Tell me, do you have any holiday recipes you like to make?



Jessica E. Subject is the author of science fiction romance, mostly alien romances, ranging from sweet to super hot. Sometimes she dabbles in paranormal and contemporary as well, bringing to life a wide variety of characters. In her stories, you could not only meet a sexy alien or two, but also clones and androids. You may be transported to a dystopian world where rebels are fighting to live and love, or to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. 

When Jessica is not reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk with her giant, hairy dog her family adopted from the local animal shelter.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Happy Holidays! Enter to win $50 Amazon Gift Card @StaceyEspino @KaceyHammell @JSubject @KaliWillows @TDanielsAuthor @KMalcolmAuthor @LaynaPimentel #Giveaway #Christmas


Happy Holidays to all our readers!! 



To celebrate the holidays, we're holding a giveaway. Enter to win via the rafflecopter link below. It's simple, just answer "What is your  favourite Christmas tradition?" and you're entered for a chance to win.  Open Internationally.




   

We wish each of you a safe and happy holiday with family and friends.
Travel safe and enjoy the fun and laughter.



Lots of love,

Your Canadian Blog Authors   xoxoxo



 



Saturday, November 26, 2016

Where in the world is Kayleigh now? (@KMalcolmAuthor ) #Writing #Author #Romance

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the cold?

Seriously, there has been many a day when I'm sure I was born in the wrong country. If it wasn't for the fact that I love Canada so much, I probably would have moved by now. But, that doesn't mean that I can't go and visit other places when it gets to chilly around here for me. :)

Mother Nature pulled a fast one on us this year and November has been WAY warmer than normal. It was 20deg (70F) last week which is almost unheard of. But then a cold....really cold wind kicked up and all those pretty numbers are fell into the single digits. Which would have upset me more except that we'd already booked a trip to one of my favourite countries. Jamaica!

Chris and I have hit the 20th anniversary mark this month (22 if you count the two years we lived together.) 

According to the Anniversary website, the traditional gift is china.....something breakable? no thanks. 

The modern gift is platinum...so something I'll probably loose.
But honestly I'm much happier with a stamp in my passport :)

As much as I hate the cold, I do love writing a hot romance to melt the ice ;) I have a short story in the Snowy Knights anthology. It's on preorder now for 99 cents until release day!


“I’ve seen things in my life that can’t always be easily explained. You were an ice cube ten minutes ago, and now you’re speaking to me. Just because my only rational conclusion is that I’m insane…which I know I’m not, that means that there is something outside scientific knowledge going on…aka magic. Which is what the unexplained is always referred to until science catches up enough to explain it.” She shrugged again, “But, to be honest you might wish you were still frozen because I haven’t figured out an exit strategy here.” ~ Kiss of Ice
Snowy Knights: 10 Suspenseful Contemporary and Paranormal Romantic Rescue Stories 
**10 Full short stories, not snippits or teasers!**
When the cold hits, only he can warm her…
This December, snuggle up with 10 BRAND NEW romantic rescue stories! From literal heroes in the snow, to the bad boy whose soul is saved by love. These sexy stories will burn up your e-reader while melting your heart.
------------------------------------------------------------ 
PREORDER NOW: 
iBooks
Amazon
Amazon UK
Amazon CA                   
------------------------------------------------------------
Featuring:
WINTER DECEPTION by Amy J. Hawthorn
ALASKA’S SNOWY MATE by April Zyon Author
WINTER’S STORM by Gracie Meadows
KISS OF ICE by Kayleigh Malcolm
SNOW-KISSED by Lizabeth Scott Author
FROST-BITTEN by Lori King
BY THE LIGHT OF A BLIZZARD by Michel Prince
STORM OF SEDUCTION by Nicole Morgan
SNOW ANGEL by Rose Nickoll
SNOW BOUND by TL Reeve
Romance Rebels Publishing brings you Snowy Knights





Monday, November 21, 2016

Escaping the winter... (@StaceyEspino) #Writing #Romance #Author

Winter is on its way to Canada! It was a beautiful, warm autumn...but, sadly, I think it's on its way out. And it'll probably be the first snow day tomorrow.

I've been on a too-long writing hiatus, but I'm slowly getting back in the swing of things. I'm nearly finished a couple books and have many others partially started. It feels good to connect with my characters again and build stories I love. It won't be too much longer, I promise!

My personal life has been busy, busy, busy. Traveling, adoption paperwork, business, and kids have kept me away from my writing. Our son and daughter-in-law are expecting their first child (our first grandchild) in January, and they just moved into their first house. My oldest daughter is doing well in her first year of university in Toronto, but I'll admit it's weird only have three kids at home now.

We're currently celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary in Turks and Caicos. We escaped just before the snow arrived in Canada! Even though we enjoy traveling, we honestly wouldn't want to live anywhere more than Canada (winter and all).

 


I am working on the first book in a new cowboy menage romance series. The following two books are both stand-alone cowboy menage books that I really enjoyed writing. Cowboys Mine was a bit more tender than my other menage books, and Cowboy Outcasts featured a character with Tourette's Syndrome which made it special to me. 

    

The following is the first book in a 7 book serialized series (titles listed in order below) with Bookstrand. It was so fun to write and I'm almost finished a stand-alone sequel that will feature the enemy wolf pack mentioned throughout the series. There's always a story to tell, always a happily-ever-after to be found...even for the bad guys.




Saturday, November 19, 2016

The Balancing Act (@KaliWillows) #Romance #Author #Writing

Hey there Romance Eh Peeps!



I've been quiet on here for the last few months, as I've taken on new challenges and now trying a concept I've become quite rusty at...Balancing!

Being a Canadian romance author is my first love, my passion, and something I wish I had more time to indulge in. Prior to the fall, I worked to balance being a married mother of two and all the responsibilities that come with it. I was doing pretty good most of the time.

Alongside writing, a bigger responsibility as an author is the need for promotion, of self, publishers, and fellow authors. I love spreading cheer about the written word, don't get me wrong, but when it comes to social media, book takeovers, blogs, posts, advertising, blurbs, teasers and everything in between, the time for writing vanishes in the blink of an eye.

Because I had SO MUCH extra time on my hands to write, I felt compelled to add another weight to balance: In September, I returned to school! Yup, you read that right. I'm working my way into a second career after leaving 25+ years in human services. Now, I'm pursuing the world of public relations.

Although part of my diabolical plan was to infuse my love of writing and social media blitzing into a tangible career, I forgot how much work I would be taking on. Assignments, projects, events. It's all wonderful, but I got even more ambitious and agreed to accept the prestigious invitation to contribute to two new anthologies *pulls hair out and screams hysterically*

You may be asking if I've lost my mind. My reply would be, most likely. I try to balance home, self-care, and school with the other pieces on my plate. I admit, I've taken off more than I can chew, but with the light at the end of the tunnel, I'm confident I'll get there!

So, now that I've typed out my explanation of my lack of presence, I must run and make dinner for my mini squad and continue with laundry, dishes, and housework before I dive back into homework and eventually, if there is any time left, into writing my next dragon story!

Happy reading,



Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Winter, Wood, Coming Soon from Kacey (@KaceyHammell) #Writer #Author #Romance



Good morning all! I hope you've had a great summer, and fall is shaping up to be awesome for you. I can't believe it's November already!! I'm about 3/4 through my Christmas buying. Our kids are getting older and while the presents increase in price, they don't need as much. So the shopping is going well and quite quickly but I've found doing most of it online saves so, so much hassle. I mean, our mall is already congested with people every day, traffic is a heart attack waiting to happen and it's impossible to get down any aisles in some stores as they are also congested. And I like buying people things that aren't always found in stores so doing it online makes it fun to find those unique gifts for everyone.

I helped the hubby with a lot of wood cutting and piling over the last few months. Many days looked like this ... 
 




and were a lot of fun. For the most part! It is hard, back breaking work sometimes but he and I enjoyed it. Plus, it's a necessity. We need it to keep our tushies warm in the winter and we have enough acreage to do it ourselves.







In writing news, Evernight Publishing has contracted 3 of my stories in the last few weeks. Coming up are -- 
COVER ME (Contemporary Erotic Romance) -- Older woman/younger man
PAYBACK'S A BITCH (Contemporary Erotic Romance) -- Previous release, scene added and re-edited for re-release
GUARDING HIS ANCHOR (Suspense/Contemporary Erotic Romance) -- Canadian Muscle Book 2 

I'm super thrilled to have new books coming out and am grateful that the last year is over. It was a difficult one but I've grown in strength and knowledge that I can't control everything. 

I am currently writing the sequel to "Stirring Up Dirty" (Stirred by Love series), and am enjoying the characters again. It's always refreshing to return to old characters and catch up on their lives.




That's all from me today. I'm off to work on my WIP and my newsletter.   See you next month.












www.kaceyhammell.com

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Bound4Ireland - How to piece the past and present all together by Tricia Daniels (@TDanielsAuthor)

Ireland October 2016

If you missed my last blog post on how the Bound4Ireland story came to be written, you may want to go back to last month and give it a read first. This segment might make more sense... or no sense at all. You may decide I'm completely crazy. lol

Let's continue... The message: It's time to let love in.

It's true. A failed marriage left me feeling about as low as a girl can feel. In my mind I had been a horrible wife, rotten mother and disappointment as a daughter. For survival purposes only, I locked it all down. Stopped feeling. Kept everyone at a distance. It was just easier. Now my struggle had become being haunted by my past life and dealing with my current one. That was a previous post as well. lol

I'm not going to lie, there were times I would wake from these dreams, (or memories if you choose to believe,) crying.  I never really figured out if it was because I remembered how it felt to be loved so completely... or if it was because I was afraid that I'd never find that love in this life. Maybe, just maybe that was part of the message. To remember that I am worthy of love.

I've already confessed that I'm not a literary genius. In fact, for the most part spelling and grammar despise me. Writing down my thoughts and dreams became more therapeutic then I could have ever imagined. A friend convinced me that it was a story that I needed to share. I had two concerns. Since I was only writing for myself, my story was pretty much a 191K word, single paragraph. Secondly, how do I write this story so that people would want to read it? I pieced together my thoughts and dreams and it all started to come together. Past life and current life started to make sense.

Some random things about the story that you should know. 1. A few characters in this story are based on real people in my life. 2. The extent of the abuse our heroin suffers is fiction, her ptsd (post traumatic stress disorder) is not. 3. This is not a historical romance. It's a modern day story about two soulmates drawn to each other in this life. The dream sequences in the story are the actual dreams (or memories according to the psychic) that I've had about two people in love, a long time ago, in a land far away.  Ireland.

Next month, I'll introduce you to the main heroin, Olivia James. Sometimes we write a little too much of ourselves into our characters. lol

Intrigued? The Bound4Ireland collection is now available in one ebook with a bonus short story. Right now you can preorder it for the low price of $2.99 USD on Amazon for a limited time. That's the entire eseries plus the Valentines short story for the cost of just one ebook. Don't wait.... This is the perfect series to read before the Holidays. You'll just have to trust me on that one. No Spoilers. lol



Bound4Ireland Collection on Amazon
Bound4Ireland Collection on Smashwords

Until next time!  Live your life so that it's a story worth telling... Even if you encounter a few non-believers. Choose to believe in love...