My first post.. phewww learning curves

Hi all!

I want to first thank the wonderful Kacey Hammell for inviting me to join and post on this great blog, for those of you don’t know me I’m Roxanna Cross avid loose leaf tea drinker and erotic romance writer. Now, now my love of teas doesn’t make me any less of a coffee addict. Yeah, I know I guess I should pick one of the twos, but I can’t! Anyoo, over the weekend as I struggled with another passion of mine massage candle making I discovered a new tea: English Toffee – sounds really sweet, but surprisingly it hit the spot bang on. Oh and when I meant struggled with the candle making I do mean struggle turns out I’d bought the wrong type of wax, so my first batch of massage candles well not so oily more waxy so xnay on the massage part. In the end I have aromatherapy candles. Lesson in all this -- don’t try to market new book that’s just been released to mass social media at the same time as candle making the two don't mix. On the bright side Wrecked in Love the Sequel has finally hit the market everyone. And check out this fabulous trailer https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=_3ZwqBHJS6g
my hubby help create for me,  got to love him! Hit me up anytime at https://www.facebook.com/roxanna.cross.180  or on my blog at https://roxannacross.wordpress.com

It's the little things that spark a romance. @LeoRosanna #amwriting

February is the month of love and romance, or so the card shops would have us believe.

My husband and I agreed to purchase Valentine's Day cards for each other but we drew the line there. This is an expensive year for us with lots of renovations in the home and neither of us wanted or needed a fussy gift for V Day.

Besides, I've always believed it's the little gestures that keep romance alive, especially in a long term relationship.

For instance, I don't think I ever feel quite as romantic as when hubby fills my car tank with gas and fixes my wonky windshield wipers. In fact, I've told him he's never as sexy as in those moments. What can I say? I hate pumping gas.

He's surprised me on many occasions with flowers and little gifts but tends to do it when I'm not expecting it. I love that. And quite frankly, who doesn't want flowers for
Flag Day?

Of course, chocolates go a long way especially when the sugary gift is unexpected. Cheap and cheerful chocolate makes me chirpy...and yes, I am trying to kill you with alliteration.

Does that mean one should ignore Valentine's Day and similar holidays? No. Those moments are nice too. However, it's the small, surprise gestures that keep me coming back every time.

Like your romance in convenient book-sized packages? I've got you covered!

My contemporary romance Vice is now 1/2 off at Samhain Publishing's site. ** Please note: due to the publisher closing, this book will only be available until the end of February. Don't wait to add it to your to-be-read list!

Buy link: https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5577/vice

He’s much more than a bad habit.

As a Vegas singer and volunteer counselor, Kate Callender has experienced life on both sides of Sin City’s bright lights. The thrill of performing, and gambling’s devastating effect on the addicts’ families.

Liam Doyle is just the kind of man she despises—a handsome, enigmatic businessman with a knack for seducing customers into his casino hotels. Determined to put a lid on his growing influence, she prepares to picket the opening of his newest casino, Vice.

When Liam spots the lone protestor hassling his customers, annoyance wars with instant attraction. And he quickly discovers the leggy redhead not only can’t be bought, she tempts him the way the sound of a roulette wheel lures a gambler.

They are natural enemies, but when a vile attack sparks Liam’s protective instincts, they begin a sexual odyssey that dances on the edge of addiction. Dangerously close to losing control...and losing themselves.

Say "Hello" to my Little Friend by @elle_rush

I don’t think anybody is going to call Scarface a romance, but Tony Montana does have a point.

The only thing I may like more than diving into a big, fat, juicy romance could be diving into a novella for a quick happily-ever-after fix. I’ve met some of my best friends that way.

Lora Leigh was one of the first romance writers I discovered. I read everything. Then I tracked down one of her novellas in “The Magical Christmas Cat”. Since I already had the book, I continued reading and found a quick story by Nalini Singh. The novella was just long enough to give me a taste of her writing style, and I fell in love with her Psy-Changeling world. I’ve since read the entire series. Then my good buddy Lora had another novella in “Must Love Hellhounds” and I discovered another of her fellow authors, Charlaine Harris (before True Blood was a TV series), and I read all her books.

Novellas (and short story collections) are awesome. They’re like a coffee date. It’s not a full commitment. You’re simply taking a little time to check each other out. If you like each other, then you can invest in a full meal of a novel.

They’re also great for busy people. Between work, and taking care of children and parents, and running to hockey practice and volleyball tournaments and piano lessons, and doctor’s appointments, a lot of readers simply don’t have time to invest in a four-hundred page novel. It takes so long to read that it’s hard to remember the characters and the various plot threads. A quick read that they can knock off in a couple days is the perfect solution.

For the budget-conscious, they’re also usually cheaper than novels, which minimizes the risk of trying a new author.

I had a novella in the Crazy Cat Ladies collection, which I’ll be re-releasing it in 2017. In the meantime, feel free to check out Dominican Stars, my latest Resort Romance short.

***

All Julie Beresford wanted was a vacation fling, something to distract her from the most important decision of her teaching career. What she gets is a man who not only captures her heart but pushes her to face her fears.

Contractor Dennis Wilson is supposed to be on a father-son bonding trip, but after that turns into a solo vacation at the last minute, Julie is an intoxicating distraction from the disappointment.

When his son arrives unexpectedly, Julie’s presence throws a spanner into an already tense situation. Can Dennis salvage both relationships, or is one doomed to break?

Amazon - iTunes

Valentines Day musings from the Daniels house. What would be the perfect gift? @tdanielsauthor

It's Love day ! 

Some of you, I'm guessing, have been busy planning the perfect day for you and your partner. A day to put everything else aside and show your love for each other. I've been thinking about it a lot myself. This is the first Valentines Day that Mr. D. and I will share together. I guess you might think that we're still in that honeymoon phase of our relationship. He's always attentive and caring and brings me home flowers and presents for no reason at all. I don't think that will ever stop because that's just the kind of guy he is.

As I mentioned in my last post, we recently merged households and live together in one tiny

townhouse. There are fewer opportunities for romance now. There is very little opportunity for

privacy. lol I never thought at my age I'd have to worry about being quiet. *wink wink*.  Mr. D. doesn't worry so much. His plans are to make as much noise as possible in hopes that the adult children will feel awkward enough that they move out. SOON. Although it seems like the opposite. Mr. D. is working the dreaded night shift tonight, and I'm sitting in the living room trying to decide what charming Daniels family tidbits to entertain you with. From the basement apartment I can hear disturbing sounds. Why can't they turn up the TV to drown out the moaning? That's What Mr. D. and I do. lol I try to convince myself that the loud grunting and groaning coming from the lower level is the result of a rigorous... sweating to the oldies work out. Where in the world did I put the headphones?  Gah! Earmuffs! I NEED EARMUFFS! I am now officially feeling uncomfortable.  

Sorry, back to my Valentines Day thoughts.  Despite the cramped quarters, there's so many positive things, about having Mr. D. here with us. My boys, for the first time, get to witness their mother in a loving relationship. I've blogged about how powerful young love can be. There's nothing better than witnessing it. But there's something equally beautiful and powerful in new love. We're not NEW, by any stretch of the imagination but neither of us is past our best before date either. We've been there, done that. We made mistakes and learned from them. The up side, is that my boys now get to witness a loving relationship based on respect. Mr. D. is a cuddly, mushy, and romantic kind of guy. He has no issues with intimacy or public displays of affection. He's a kind and patient man both in our relationship and the relationship he's built with my sons. It's only been a year but I can see the influence that he has had on my boys when I see them with their partners. Boys need a strong, positive male role model in their lives and they're lucky to have him.

Valentines day, in my opinion, is considered to be a holiday for the girls. Am I right? We all wait anxiously for the one day a year that we get 'spoiled'. We hope that our guys plan quiet romantic dinners, or maybe a night at the movies. Flowers, Candy... Jewelry! Then we'll reward them when we get home with a sexy nightie and some loving. There's my dilemma.  Mr. D. is good to me EVERY Day. He plans regular date nights and romantic weekend getaways. He buys me presents all the time when he sees things that he thinks I'd like. He protects me and keeps me safe. I want to do something extra special for him. I've spent hours in the past few weeks trying to find the perfect gift. I left no stone unturned. Weekends away, gift certificates for performance car racing... date nights to do all his favorite activities. But nothing felt right. Nothing felt 'good enough'.  After days and nights of wanting to plan the perfect Valentines day for him I think I finally figured it out.

Mr. Daniels isn't about what I buy, or what I plan. He's not about the money spent on gifts or events. It's about ME. I don't mean my body. I mean ME. My time. The best gift I can give my guy is to make him feel loved, wanted and needed. I will acknowledge the household chores he does on his day off and the things that magically get fixed. I will let him know how much I appreciate all the little things he does, for me and my kids. I'll Celebrate all his efforts to make me happy and forgive all the mistakes. Most importantly, I will return his gift of patience and compromise. An equal partner. In every way, emotionally, spiritually and unselfishly.

He reminds me all the time that he's not a perfect man. But he's perfect for me. Not just one day a year, but every day. He's a good man who deserves to be loved. And I do love him, with all my heart. I need to show him that. Whether you're celebrating a new relationship, rekindling an old one or still looking for the right one, I hope that you have a fantastic day!

Free right now from Tricia Daniels. A Valentines Bound4Ireland short story "Uninterrupted"

Smashwords Kindle

Haven't read the Bound4Ireland Series yet?  All 3 books of the series plus a Bound4Ireland short story all together in one collection for the Reviewers are calling this modern day story, with a few romantic looks into the past life of these soul mates, an emotionally charged series you don’t want to miss. Fate can change and destiny isn’t always an easy path. Sometimes the journey to the HEA is full of twists and turns, but love is the only true magic, for only true love transcends all time. Join this hot Irish alpha, for a journey of mystery, humor, and smoking hot sex scenes. #bound4ireland #series #irishalpha #triciadaniels #booksale #alpha

Smashwords  Kindle

Valentine's Day = Sweet Treats and Sales on Romance and Zombies! @jsubject #romance #99cents

Hello! I hope 2017 is starting off well for you. I know it's been an interesting and very busy year for me so far. And now it's two days before Valentine's Day, a day to celebrate romance and love.

But, sometimes the romance and love doesn't happen so easily as in my new release, It Took a Zombie Apocalypse, where two people who have lived next door to each other for years, but denied their feelings for each other. Put them under the right circumstances, and they can no longer fight their attraction.

Wait! What about the treats and sales?

I'm getting to that. I am part of four exciting promotions in the next few days, two of which are already happening. 

With the Sweet Treats 99¢ Book Blast and Giveaway, you can chose from several romance titles for only 99¢ each, plus enter to WIN a Kindle Fire + $25 Amazon GC!

If Zombies are more your taste, check out the Zombie Cupid 99¢ Promotion where you can choose from several zombie stories on sale for 99¢ each.

In the next two days, be sure to check out the Space Kissed 99¢ Promo & Giveaway and the Live, Laugh, Love 99¢ Promotion. Subscribe to my newsletter, visit my blog, or follow me on social media for more information. So, be sure to enter the giveaways for your chance to win some SWEET treats, and check out the deals on the books!

My books that will be 99¢ during these promotions are It Took a Zombie Apocalypse, Beyond Reach, and Alien Attraction.

  

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 go to fitness class and walk her Great Pyrenees/Retriever 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.

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Musings on the shortfalls of being hobbit-sized

I’m a fan of short things. Short work weeks. Short speeches, hobbits, short stories, and shortcake!

My bias comes in part because I am a short person. Slightly bigger than hobbit-sized, but not by much. In my twenties, I worked in the records office of a police department and wore heels to work every day. Not for fashion reasons, or because it was in the dress code. No, I wore heels because it was the only way I could reach the "not even close to the top shelf" without the use of a ladder.

Last weekend I did some early spring cleaning. I lugged a stupidly heavy bag of garbage down to the condo garbage room, and then struggled for ten solid minutes to get the damned thing into the Dumpster.

The lip of the bin comes to about chin height, and I was trying to toss about forty-five lbs of garbage over the edge. Physics was not on my side. I eventually had to give up and go back up to my suite to get a stool. I should probably just give in and carry one with me everywhere.

**Warning, making short jokes can become hobbit-forming** 

So, to summarize - Short things, I'm generally a fan.

I'm not really fond of the shortest month of the year, however. February is a dark, gloomy, time where the damp weather chill settles into your bones and sunlight is a rare, fleeting gift quickly lost behind the ever-present grey clouds that shroud the sky.

It's a good month to nestle in with a good book, spend time with friends, and if you're lucky, take a vacation somewhere with longer days and more sunshine. To beat the February blahs, I'm packing my things and taking a short trip to San Antonio this month. Barbecue, cowboys, sunshine (hopefully) and a whole lot of fun. (definitely.) I'll be attending Wild Wicked Weekend February 23-25th, signing books and hanging out with some truly amazing authors. (and readers!) I love traveling, and this time of year it's wonderful to be making a break for southern climes. If you happen to be in the San Antonio area, I hope you come down and say hi!

In keeping with the "short" theme for this post, I'm happy to announce that my new book, Wild Card, will be releasing shortly! (see what I did there?)  In fact, it comes out February 21st, which, thanks to a short circuit in my planning process, is the day before I leave for San Antonio. I expect to be bouncing around like a hyper-caffeinated hobbit for that entire week as I prep, pack, and celebrate.
See you next month, and until then, be happy, chase your dreams and keep reading!

Susan

http://susanhayes.ca

Susan lives on Vancouver Island, off the Canadian west coast where the waters are patrolled by orcas and the sighting of snowflakes leads to citywide panic. She’s jumped out of perfectly good airplanes on purpose and accidently swum with sharks on the Great Barrier Reef.

If the world ends, she plans to survive as the spunky, comedic sidekick to the heroes of the new world, because she’s too short and out of shape to make it on her own for long.

Praying for Spring

Reading through the posts here the last couple days from Michelle, Nathan and Kayleigh I can see a theme resonating with cold and warming everyone up.

I have to join in with them, because I'm praying for spring. We've had a fairly mild winter, but I'm counting down the days until spring (42 days!!!). The tundra swans have returned to SW Ontario earlier than usual and Shubencadie Sam and Wiarton Willie both predicted an early spring.

Although Puxtaney Phil said 6 more weeks of winter. Meanie.

I know, I know it's the same length of time. It's a totally mind game those rodents are playing with us. Still, the Tundra Swans don't lie right?

RIGHT???

*sigh*

I'm not a fan of winter, as you know, but we're getting closer to spring.

So close.

And I'm really looking forward to not wearing 18 layers of clothing and kicking off my socks again.



I guess I could have it worse. My brother & his S.O. are suffering through their first winter in the Northwest Territories. Did someone say cold? This is a picture of my brother driving across Great Slave Lake on an actual ice road.

Brrr.

I think I'll keep my winter ...but it's days are numbered! What part of spring are you looking forward to the most?

You can find out more about Amy at her website or find her hanging out on Twitter.

Hot Soup With A Side of Hot Fiction @MichelleGAuthor #recipes #romance

It's February. Yay. 'Nathan Burgoine's post yesterday really resonated with me. Winter is not a happy time for me usually and I have issues with everything from mood to attention span. Everything seems crappier and my coping mechanisms are stretched very thin.  All I really want to do is be at home, by the fireplace, reading or watching TV with my comfort food of choice. This quote from Edith Sitwell expresses it nicely:

Well, today happens to be National Homemade Soup day; it's the perfect comfort food for a cold, dreary winter day. A few days ago LD Blakeley shared her recipe for Carrot Butternut Squash soup. And here's my "recipe" for turkey soup.

Turkey Soup a la Michelle

1. Put the turkey carcass in a stock pot and fill with water to cover carcass and come within a couple inches of the rim. Put the pot on the stove and set on high. 

2. Quarter 2 onions and toss them in. 

3. Add seasonings. I used sage, summer savoury, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, sea salt, and whole peppercorns. Maybe a tablespoon of each? I didn't measure. 

4. Boil the crap out of it. Like at least two hours. I had it on for about 3.5. 

5. Pull out the big bones and chunks with tongs. Then pour the stock through a strainer to get everything out. Return the stock to the pot. 

6. At this point try the stock and see how the flavour is. You can add more seasonings if you want, or a couple OXO cubes or something similar. 

7. Chop up celery (I used about half a bunch) and carrots (I used 6) and add those to the stock. You can add more onions now too or just pick out the ones from before and toss them back in. You could add other veggies, too but I like to keep it simple. Turn the burner on low. 

8. Let the turkey bones/meat that you strained out cool a bit until you can handle it with your fingers. Then go through and pick all the usable meat off (if you boiled it long enough the bones will be almost completely cleaned and easy to pull out). If you have leftover slices of turkey, you can cut that into chunks and toss it in, too. 

9. The water will have boiled down a lot so add more in, especially if you're going to add noodles or rice. I added 2.5 cups of rice and it sucks up a lot of liquid. 

10. Cook for a while longer - 30-45 minutes or so. Then it's ready. Add more stock or seasonings if you want.

Now this takes a while to make, so what to do with all that downtime? You could clean or something, but that would be foolish. Better to settle in with a hot book to warm you up.

One of my publishers, Evernight Publishing, has a special line called Romance On The Go - stories of 15, 000 words or less that are designed to be read quickly. Like while you're waiting for turkey soup.

Here are some of my favourite Romance On The Go:

• Payback's A Bitch by our very own Kacey Hammell
• Dominating the Doctor by Laura Jardine
• Ready for Love by Jules Dixon
• Stranded by Pelaam

Of course, I have to mention that I have a few titles in this line - my Losing It series, the latest of which won the Readers' Choice Award for best Romance On The Go. I'm also thrilled that Evernight has recently contracted the 4th book in the series, Losing It Two At A Time, due out in April.

I hope you find some excellent short stories to read and enjoy your homemade soup today!

www.MichelleGrahamBooks.com

Loving All Things Short in the Shortest (but so darn long) Month with @NathanBurgoine

My breath froze my zipper.

Anyone remember where we put the sun?

It's February, and it might be the shortest month of the year, but wow, it feels like it just goes on forever. Especially up here in Canada, where the sun might be returning but it's sure taking its time, and there seem to be endless days of minus-you-must-be-kidding degrees outside, which is full of endless white stuff that isn't white hot chocolate.

At our house, we jokingly (but not so jokingly) refer to January-February as one long month, which we've renamed Suckuary.

Suckuary can really...well, suck.

So what do I do when it's dark, and cold, and even working up my usual levels of enthusiasm feels like too much work?

First, I check in on how I'm really feeling. There's a real stigma with discussing mental health, and I'm pretty forward about my own. I've been medicated before, and I am absolutely willing to be medicated again if I need it. My brain isn't always up to the task of producing the right chemicals, and it can go a bit off the rails when it's Suckuary.

But if it's not time to visit my doctor, sometimes it's just time to practice some self-care.

That's something else that has a bit of a stigma to it. It goes hand-in-hand, frankly, with mental health stigma, as far as I'm concerned. If we take time out to recharge, it's often seen as self-indulgent. We feel guilty over things we could be accomplishing—never mind that we can't accomplish anything on a flat mental or emotional battery. In theory, we're supposed to just "get over it" and "pull ourselves together" and any number of other completely useless and tactless phrases that don't actually help in the slightest.

So what do I do? Honestly, in the short days, with the short light, in the shortest month...

I go short.

I read a lot when I'm struggling to keep my chin up. Throughout January and February, I'm far, far more likely to read short fiction and novellas than any other time of the year other than maybe December (and, hey, December doesn't have a lot of light, either, no?)

Now, I'm a huge fan of shorter fiction already, and I read it quite a bit, but it's almost all I read these months. I love short fiction on its own merit, and I adore the tightness of a well-written piece of shorter fiction. I don't think of short fiction as "lesser" in any way other than word count. They're different animals than novels, and that's a good thing. You can do things with short fiction that you can't pull off with different formats. The same goes for novellas—done well, they run lean, and they can tell different stories than novels. 

Shorter fiction can get a bad rap. I think part of that is so often most readers are really only exposed to shorter fiction through classes in High School and University and... okay, I did a Lit degree, and can we just admit that a tonne of assigned reading is... uh...

Help me out here. I need another word for "mind-numbingly dry."

Okay, that's unfair, and I read some amazing stuff in university, but you get my point. It's Suckuary. I want fun, light, happy-ever-after, or super-smexy and scorching, or funny—or all of the above—and I want it in small, compartmentalized doses because I'm tired, cold, and grumpy and no one has brought me another white hot chocolate yet.

And as silly as this may sound, the sense of accomplishment and joy of reading a story isn't reduced by the length of the piece I've read. Every single one I finish and mark as read on my little tracker has me grinning to myself and thinking, Take that Suckuary!

I get to visit new worlds, I get to watch people fall in love, and I get to do it quickly. We all win.

So, when it's dim and cold and I'm trying to get things done when all I really want to do is find a blanket and (another) cup of white hot chocolate, I can give myself a dose of happiness with something short. Maybe that's a collection of short fiction from an author I love (right now, that's Trebor Healey's Eros and Dust), or maybe it's by diving into a novella series (which, most recently, was our own Kayleigh Malcolm's fantastic Craving His Love, the forty-seventh (!) in the Black Hills Wolves series), or maybe it's taking a chance with an anthology and potentially meeting a tonne of new-to-me or just-plain-new authors to love (I love the Best Gay Romance series for this very reason).

Whatever form it takes, short can be awesome.

White hot chocolate, on the other hand?

Go for tall.

Speaking of short stories... I have one that's near and dear to my heart. This short erotica story turned out to be only the first to use the characters that would end up with four more stories and two novels to follow. It's called Three.

Blurb

During the full moon, the vampires gather to renew their bonds. It takes three, and those in groups have total power over those who aren’t. For Luc, alone since he was created, the full moon is his only opportunity. 

Seeking blood to satiate him for the month ahead, Luc finds a rival instead: Anders, a demon just as alone, who’s also on the hunt. 

They choose the same prey: Curtis, a handsome young man resistant to their supernatural charms. When neither a vampire’s glamour nor demon’s passion work on him, it becomes clear their only chance of success lies in the unthinkable: working together. 

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