Showing posts with label Evernight Publishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evernight Publishing. Show all posts

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Productivity, WIPs, and Julie Andrews ♥ @LDBlakeley

I'm the world's slowest writer. No, really. I've been working on my current WIP for two years. TWO. YEARS.

Granted, it's not my only WIP and it did get put on hold a few times for other (since published) projects. But I've recently had to slap on blinders, so to speak, to the dozen or so other stories waiting in the wings vying for my attention. And they can be incredibly loud. Not to mention persistent. So it's off to the writing cave for me.

In the meantime, I'll take my scheduled blog date to wish a Happy 81st Birthday to the absolutely incomparable Dame Julia Elizabeth "Julie" Andrews.

Please enjoy her in one of my childhood favourites! :-) 


Oh, yeah. That WIP I'm determined to finish before the calendar flips? It's the sequel to Opportunity Knocks. So if you'd like to check it out...

Opportunity Knocks by L.D. Blakeley

Series: Laissez Faire
Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Small-town security guard, Gill Martin, has lived in Mystique Pointe his entire life. His dating prospects are non-existent and he doesn’t particularly like his job, but at least it’s better than unemployment. Besides, he hasn’t got any better ideas.

Big-city artist, Tommy Hearne, knows exactly what he wants out of life: a successful art career and a successful relationship. He also knows that living in Liberty City is his best chance for pursuing both. Unfortunately, for him, neither of these pursuits seem to be panning out quite to his liking.

When Tommy and his misfit band of friends roll into town for the Laissez Faire, Mystique Pointe’s annual music & art festival, worlds definitely collide. A fiery tryst sparks more than just a lust connection, but what happens when the weekend is over?



✽ EXCERPT 
Tommy followed closely behind Gill as they made their way out to the parking lot. He did a quick head count and realized that there were only five of them and that lap-sitting wasn’t going to be on the menu after all. But when Kat took out her keys to trigger the unlock remote and Tommy saw the responding lights on a tiny Fiat 500, he almost cheered. There was barely room for two grown men in the back seat. Good thing he was willing to make the sacrifice and let the others ride in comfort.
“Amy, why don’t you sit up front?” Kat had opened the driver-side door and was about to climb in when she added, “You can pull the seat forward and let the two leggy boys have a bit more room. Sorry, Tommy—looks like you’re gonna have to squeeze in on top.”
Tommy had never been so happy to be the short man out. He waited to see which side of the car Alec chose, and made sure he was at the opposite door. And when Gill climbed in, his T-shirt rucked up slightly, giving Tommy the most delicious glimpse of skin above the most perfect denim-clad bubble butt he’d ever seen. Oh, thank goodness for well-lit parking lots.
“You getting in?” Gill had an expression on his face Tommy was unable to read. Although, if it they’d been working with a bit more than car lot lights, he was sure he’d be able to see another blush staining that handsome face.
Poking his head inside the car, he carefully leaned across Gill’s lap and braced himself on Alec’s leg before climbing in entirely and sitting carefully on top of Gill. There really wasn’t a lot of room in Kat’s car. Despite only being five-foot-eight, Tommy still had to keep his head ducked down to avoid bashing his skull against the roof. He also used it as more excuse to snuggle down closer to Gill. But, hey—not my fault the girl drives a Fiat!
“Sorry it’s such close quarters guys. The car was a graduation gift from my grandparents. I wouldn’t have picked it, but who says no to a free car, right?” Kat caught Tommy’s eye in the rearview mirror and winked. Yeah. Definitely not his girlfriend. Tommy didn’t get the feeling she was upset about his crawling all over Gill. Potential matchmaker, maybe? “Luckily the campground isn’t that far, so you won’t have to suffer long.”
“I don’t mind. Really.” Tommy wriggled slightly and rested his fingers at the back of Gill’s neck. It couldn’t be classed as a grope. He still wasn’t a hundred percent sure if that would even be welcomed. But it was a touch, and a delicate one at that. And it was enough for Tommy to feel the shiver that it elicited from Gill.
“Sorry, Gill. Hope I’m not crushing you.”
“Oh. No. You’re fine.” Gill’s voice was low and slightly hitched. His glasses had started to creep down his nose and Tommy reached up, without thinking, to adjust them.
“Don’t want to lose those.” They were so close that, had it been a colder night, Tommy’s breath would have fogged Gill’s lenses. And, fuck, didn’t that send indecent thoughts straight to his groin. Images of fogging up the car windows with Gill or, to be precise, images of what they might be doing in order to cause said situation, sent a message straight to Tommy’s dick. He fidgeted slightly, not wanting to reach down and adjust the hard-on he’d hoped he could keep at bay.
He was about to fidget again when the sound of Gill clearing his throat distracted him slightly from the problem at hand. And alerted him to another. Of course, describing the feeling of Gill’s answering erection under his ass as a problem couldn’t have been further from wrong. Gloriously, heroically magnificent, perhaps. But not a problem.
Tommy turned slightly to make eye contact with Gill but found the other man uncomfortably looking in the other direction. He twisted slightly, making sure his ass did a slow grind into Gill’s crotch as he did so. Yep. That got his attention.

Add Opportunity Knocks (Laissez Faire #1) by L.D. Blakeley to Goodreads





Until next time,

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Top 10 Carrie Fisher Quotes #MayThe4thBeWithYou @MichelleGAuthor


Of course I have to do something Star Wars related on Star Wars Day, but I had no idea what. In truth, it didn't take long to figure it should be something related to Carrie Fisher, an iconic writer and actress, whose death impacted me more than I would have expected. As a little girl seeing Star Wars for the first time, I fell in love with the spunky Princess Leia who wasn't afraid to speak her mind or do what needed to be done.

So in the spirit of speaking my mind, here are my Top 10 Favourite Carrie Fisher quotes (from this article in Rolling Stone).

10. "They always do [ask me to lose weight]. They want to hire part of me, not all of me. They want to hire about three-fourths, so I have to get rid of the fourth somehow. The fourth can't be with me."

9.  "Everyone drives someone crazy. I just have a bigger car."

8.  "I don't think I was ever suicidal, and that's probably because of drugs."

7.  "Instant gratification takes too long."

6.  "I feel I'm very sane about how crazy I am."

5.  "I'm not happy about being older, except what are the options?"

4.  "Resentment is like drinking a poison and waiting for the other person to die."

3.  "The only exercise I get lately is running of at the mouth and jumping to conclusions..."

2.  "Shame is not something I aspire to."

1.  "Sometimes you can only find Heaven by slowly backing away from Hell."

It's fair to say that the world lost a brilliant mind when Carrie passed away. Thank goodness we can still enjoy her words through her books and the wonderful internet!

I can't sign off without letting you know about my latest release, Running Home, that's in the Owned By the Alpha anthology from Evernight Publishing.



NEW Dark Paranormal Romance Stories by Bestselling Evernight Authors!
amazon-bestseller-icon.png 
OWNED BY THE ALPHA 
The Alpha lives for the hunt...
Driven by instinct, an Alpha shifter recognizes his fated mate from one scent, one touch. He'll pursue his woman, regardless of the cost, and anyone else would be smart to get out of his way. He won't stop until he takes possession of his prize.
Although the hunter doesn't need convincing, his mate certainly does. The Alpha will have to prove himself as a lover and convince his woman that he plays for keeps.
160,000 words

Scent of Destiny by Rose Wulf
Taken Mate by Sam Crescent
Finders Keepers by Stacey Espino
The Hunt by Doris O’Connor
Alpha at Altitude by Lily Harlem
Fated to the Razorback Demon by Maia Dylan
Running Home by Michelle Graham
Alpha’s Sunshine by Elyzabeth M. VaLey
Checkmate by Wren Michaels
Frozen Heart by Beth D. Carter
Wolf Hunter by Elena Kincaid
Returning to the Coyote by Roberta Winchester



Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Las Vegas, Reflections on Virginity, & A New Release @MichelleGAuthor

Howdy, friends! It was touch and go to see if I'd get this posted in time but the internet gods have smiled upon me and restored my connection.

So much to discuss! But where to start?

First, I promised some details about my trip to Vegas. As expected, I had an amazing time! We spend just under a week there and crammed in so much that I couldn't possibly go into it all here. Instead, here's the highlights:


You can't visit Vegas without taking in at least one adult show, and we chose to see Fantasy at the Luxor hotel. The singing and dancing was good, the mostly naked girls, even better. After the show, they signed calendars for those who bought them (us included). I was nervous about being a female in the audience, but I was amazed at how many women and couples were there. We also saw Zumanity from Cirque du Soleil and it also featured mostly naked people, women AND men, but the show was so artistic that it couldn't even compare to Fantasy. If you have the chance, definitely check it out! Hubby and I sat in the love seats in the first row and at one point I had two hot guys wearing only thongs making out beside me. *fans self* WOW!

On the G-rated portion of our trip, we visited the Grand Canyon. Absolutely breathtaking! It was a 4 hour drive through the desert but it was worth it.
Taken from a ways back because I was really nervous about getting too close to the edge.

I'd never seen a real Joshua Tree before. They're really beautiful in a deserty kind of way.

A wise warning.
But I figure you mostly want to hear about the naughty stuff. ;)  We went to the Erotic Heritage Museum. I found the historical pieces particularly interesting. When you see a stone dildo that's more than a thousand years old, you realize how central sexuality is to the human existence.

This delightful piece of art is made out of pennies.



The museum is right beside a Gentleman's club (which we didn't visit) and an adult store (which we totally visited). This was my purchase!
Oh my.

Part of the exhibit in the museum included information about the physiological side of the reproductive system, as well as about sexual identity and sex and society. And these next two pics provide a nice segue into my latest release.


What is virginity? In a nutshell, it's a social construct which has little to do with whether or not a woman has a hymen. Although in our time the definition of virgin has expanded to include men, in its strictest definition it's about a sexually inexperienced woman. These days, it's hard to define it as only penis-in-vagina intercourse given the varying gender identities and multitude of 'sexualities' out there. I love this quote from the large blue box: "[S]houldn't we think in terms of what was gained - a new experience, intimacy with a partner, pleasure, a better idea of likes and dislikes?" We as a society tend to be so uptight about sex, worrying constantly about perceptions and moral absolutes, that we forget that being sexual creatures is central to the human condition.



Who says three's a crowd?
This is part of the reason why my Losing It series (apart from the first book) doesn't deal strictly with women with no sexual experience. Book one, Losing It In Vegas, involves a woman who's decided to take charge of her sexuality and finally experience the joys of sex. The second book, Losing It All Over Again, is the wish fulfilment of a woman who's prior sexual experiences were unsatisfactory. Losing It In the Closet has no women at all, but rather a young man who wants to experience sex with another man for the first time. And in my most recent release, Losing It Two At A Time, two women who are married to each other want to have a baby and they decide to go the 'old-fashioned' route to conceive, despite the fact that neither one has been with a man before. I wanted my series to focus less on the act of "losing it" and more on gaining those first experiences.



Whew! This is a long-winded post. Thanks for sticking with me. My latest book, Losing It Two At A Time, just released!

Blurb
Alexa and Vivian Parker have been together since high school. Neither one has ever been with a man, nor have they feel the need. Until they want a baby and can only get one the old-fashioned way. So they turn to hook-up site, Losing It, to find a sperm donor.

Carter Michaels didn’t anticipate having two virgins to please, but he’s more than up for the task, and he’ll help them as often as needed.

None of them planned on it being more than a one-shot deal.
Available now!

And the first book in the series, Losing It In Vegas, is on sale for a limited time.

Blurb
Many people remember losing their virginity as an awkward experience filled with pain and followed quickly by regret. Online hook-up site Losing It, hopes to change that. For those who’ve made it to adulthood with their virtue intact, Losing It matches virgins with experienced lovers who will make their first time unforgettable, with no embarrassing emotional entanglements.

Losing It in Vegas is the story of twenty-one year old Rowan Cassidy who is sick of being a virgin. With no romantic prospects in sight, she turns to Losing It to find her a man willing to do the deed and leave it at that. Bruce McGovern is between lovers and stuck in a dry spell so he takes a chance with Losing It. He and Rowan meet up in Las Vegas and somewhere in the midst of all the hot sex, feelings emerge that neither of them expected.

$0.99 for a limited time!

 See you next month!



Friday, March 17, 2017

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! (@KaceyHammell) #Writing #LuckOtheIrish #Sale







It’s a day of everyone in the world putting their best green and having the luck of the Irish. Being over 70% Irish, I used to do the day up huge for the kids. Green pancakes, juice, potatoes, cupcakes and decorated the whole house. Now, I don whatever green I have and appreciate the memories and stories learned at my Grandfather’s knees. The kids have grown and don’t find the same enjoyment in the day like they used to. I wish my Grandfather was around as they grew up to share the stories from Ireland that he told me as a child, which some he remembers from being a boy and then from his folks when they moved over here. Even as a storyteller myself, there’s something missing when I retell them to the kids. Sad and true, but they do get some enjoyment over hearing the old tales.

Nonetheless, I love watching the news for all the St. Pat’s celebrations on the news, and still wish it was a national holiday. I mean, it would be great to drink Irish Whiskey all day and not have to worry about work. Oh right, I work from home at present, and I can. LOL But I don’t. Long gone are my drinking for hours kind of days. I’m not that young any more. *g*

One interesting thing about my Irish heritage as well, is that unbeknownst to me when I decided on a pen name, I didn’t know that “Hammell” was indeed a surname dating back centuries from Ireland. I’d come up with the name because it was the surname of my favorite figure skater, Dorothy Hamill, who I greatly admired. Imagine my surprise when I learned it dated back many ancestors of mine. Things happen for a reason I believe.

On a side note, my one publisher, Evernight Publishing (and sister site, Evernight Teen) is having a St. Patrick’s Day sale of 25% OFF your website purchase Friday and Saturday (17th & 18th). Take advantage of the sale and get yourself some great stories for yourself. Sit back with some Irish Whiskey and relax.  

Click the links below to go shopping!

www.evernightpublishing.com 




May the luck of the Irish always be with you!!


www.kaceyhammell.com













Saturday, March 4, 2017

Sin City, Here I Come! @MichelleGAuthor #LasVegas

According to my research, there are a number of "days" today. For example, it's Pound Cake day, Toy Soldier day, Grammar day, March Forth and Do Something day, and (my favourite) Hug A GI day. I could think of lots of things to say about any of those, but I'm a bit distracted because in just one short week, the hubby and I will be leaving the Great White North to head to Las Vegas!!!

This trip marks the first time we've really gone on vacation together in our 20+ years together. We've had weekend excursions alone and done several trips around Canada and the Northeaster US with the kids, but as a couple, we've never really had a vacation like this.

And we figured if we weren't taking the kids, we might as well go someplace with loads of adult entertainment!

We'll be doing the usual tourist things like going to the Grand Canyon, walking the strip, gambling a bit, and hanging by the pool, but we're looking forward to some spicier activities.

Did you know there's an Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas? We had no idea, but you can bet as soon as we found out, it got put on the list. According to their website, the museum "is dedicated to the belief that sexual pleasure and fun are natural aspects of the human experience, that such pleasure must be made available to all, and that our individual sexuality belongs to each of us." Amen! (Apparently it was co-founded by a preacher?!?)

In the spirit of sexy fun, we're planning to take in a burlesque show, though we haven't decided which one yet, and hubby wants to do a tour of some of the strip clubs. I can't say that watching someone take their clothes off onstage has ever done much for me, but if he's happy, I'm happy. And with a visit to the Hustler Hollywood store on our list, I suspect we'll both be feeling fine.  ðŸ˜‰

I'm looking forward to lots of writing inspiration on this trip. Losing It In Vegas, the first book in my Losing It series, was written without my ever having been there. My characters don't spend a lot of time outside the bedroom so it didn't matter as much, but nothing compares to actually being there when it comes to writing descriptions.

Many people remember losing their virginity as an awkward experience filled with pain and followed quickly by regret. Online hook-up site Losing It, hopes to change that. For those who’ve made it to adulthood with their virtue intact, Losing It matches virgins with experienced lovers who will make their first time unforgettable, with no embarrassing emotional entanglements. 
Losing It in Vegas is the story of twenty-one year old Rowan Cassidy who is sick of being a virgin. With no romantic prospects in sight, she turns to Losing It to find her a man willing to do the deed and leave it at that. Bruce McGovern is between lovers and stuck in a dry spell so he takes a chance with Losing It. He and Rowan meet up in Las Vegas and somewhere in the midst of all the hot sex, feelings emerge that neither of them expected.

Have you been to Vegas? What were some of your favourite things to do? What would you like to see there? Next month, I'll share some of my pics and stories!




Saturday, February 4, 2017

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:

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

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

Thursday, April 16, 2015

New Release and Heading to the Capital ... #RTC2015 @KaceyHammell



Good morning everyone!! It's been crazy month -- make that 2 months -- and I haven't posting in that time. In addition to some vehicle issues, finishing TWO stories (and submitted them already), finalizing edits for my latest release (info below), and getting ready for the Romancing the Capital Conference, I've been a bit off my rocker. LOL


So, starting today (I leave in about an hour), I'm heading to the Capital -- Ottawa, Ontario -- to enjoy a few days "off" and meeting a lot of CDN authors, and some US ones too, and embracing all the readers who also love romance.

If you happen to be near Ottawa on Saturday, the big booksigning is from 2-4pm. It's open to the public and the more the merrier

More info ...
http://orc.evelanglais.com/wordpress/




And the newest release I mentioned, GUARDING MIDNIGHT, is already receiving some great reviews...




“The suspense part of the storyline is fantastic. Fast paced, exciting and dangerous it keeps you turning the pages of this wonderful book. This is the first book I've read by this talented author, and it won't be the last. I wholeheartedly recommend this book and give it five out of five stars.” ~ 5 Stars from Julie, JJ’s Kinky Books



“…doesn’t disappoint…characters, plot and storyline was amazing, overall this was an easy contemporary romance that will have some enjoying on how the story unfolds.” ~ 5 Stars from Beckey, In the Pages of a Good Book



“… an amazing book…background story was amazing and the main character and background characters, I fell in love with them right away. I couldn't put this book down.” ~ 5 Stars from Stephanie, Goodreads


“…very well written with amazing plot and storyline.” 5 Stars from Chantale, Canadian Book Addict



Guarding Midnight by Kacey Hammell
Canadian Muscle 1
Contemporary/Suspense/Erotic/Romance
ISBN: 978-1-77233-292-6



Blurb:
Canadian Muscle …

When Desires Need Protecting.

No one knows sacrifice better than former Army Sergeant Gavin Bennett. He’s witnessed
firsthand the emotional, physical and mental toll of being caught in the crossfire. Being a bouncer-slash-bodyguard may not be Gavin’s dream job, but he’s willing to do just about anything to help out family. When Gavin reports for his first day of work, he quickly discovers a woman who threatens to crack his legendary cool.

Shree Walker is on the run from a dark past she tried to shut away. Battered and broken, a happily ever after doesn’t exist for her. Ready to start fresh with a new life in a new city, she is happy dancing at the Vixen Club. She’d be even happier without the presence of the prickly new bouncer who won’t let anyone or anything get past his carefully guarded defenses. He’s a distraction she doesn’t need. And a temptation she can’t resist. 

When Shree is kidnapped by the criminal mastermind hell-bent on taking the club at any cost, Gavin has to make a decision. Hold tight and continue to keep Shree at arm’s length. Or break down his walls and take a chance on something more powerful than them both: Love.
 








I hope you all have great day ahead!