Tuesday, September 30, 2014

takes a look at JUST HOLD ON by Valarie Kinney



 Blurb:

Two strangers are thrown together through insurmountable tragedy.

Since his family disintegrated a decade ago, Jake has kept his heart safely ensconced within the protective walls he’s erected. Determined to live out his life alone and free of the burden of love, Jake’s world is turned upside down when the grief of a woman he hardly knows calls him to step out of his comfort zone. Once Marnie enters the picture, he tries not to notice how broken, how pitiful…and how beautiful she is.  Jake is torn between doing the right thing for himself….and doing the right thing.

Devastated by loss after loss, Marnie is left a shell of her former self. After losing her home in a fire and numbed by yet another heartbreaking tragedy, she is unable to communicate or even function on her own. Marnie finds she must place her trust in a quirky stranger and his three-legged dog. Desperate to reach out to the only stability in her life – Jake – but paralyzed by pain, she struggles to pick up the shattered pieces of hope. Marnie wonders if she will ever learn to live – or love – again.  

One year. One apartment. Two strangers, each wrapped in their own personal turmoil. Can Jake and Marnie overcome the obstacles before them and find love despite the odds?



 Longer Excerpt:
He sensed the same strange time warp sensation he felt earlier that night―the faster he tried to move, the slower it seemed he was going. Did she know what was coming? Jake reached out, connecting with her and wrapping his arms around Marnie as tightly as he could, wanting in some way to help strengthen or protect her from the truth that was only seconds away from destroying her world. There was nothing he could say; he knew nothing he could say would help or comfort her in any way at all.
He heard the EMT walk purposefully up beside them. He knew the man was talking to Marnie, but he couldn’t hear his voice. Jake knew what the EMT must have said, the same awful things he’d heard himself just a few moments before. He felt Marnie’s knees buckle. He felt sure the EMT was still talking to her, but the only sound he could hear was the gut-wrenching wailing of Marnie’s voice. He thought, right then, about how he would never forget that horrible sound―it was a low, primal keening, as if it was being physically torn from her body. He didn’t think it would ever stop.
Jake did the only thing he could think to do. He held on. He just held on.







Valarie Kinney is a writer, fiber artist and Renaissance Festival junkie with a wicked caffeine addiction. She resides in Michigan with her husband, four children, and two insane little dogs. Her work has appeared in The Prague Revue and IG Living magazine. Her blog, "Organizing Chaos (and Other Misadventures)" is available for your viewing pleasure on WordPress and she can be followed on Twitter @kinneychaos. “Just Hold On” is her debut novel. 

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Monday, September 22, 2014

Featuring CINDERELLA & PRINCE DOM by Sydney St. Clair


   Sydney is pleased to announce her new Once Upon A Dom series inspired by her love of fairytales and happy endings. But these aren’t fairytales your mother read to you as a child!  This kingdom is a whole lot hotter and spicier and populated by many naughty, sexy subjects, erm, perhaps she should say some naughty and sexy Doms and subs?

   Each participant has been invited to Pleasure Manor, owned by billionaire Bryce Langston, for a weekend of role-playing events, including a grand ball and a whole lot of fun, games, and sex. Come join us as we watch each couple struggle to find that perfect partner and their very own happy fairytale ending.

   The series starts off with Cinderella & Prince Dom, book one. Bryce Langston gets his second chance at love when ex-employee Jaimie Newberry submits and surrenders her heart. Cinderella will be available September 12 2014.

   Red & Her Big Bad Dom, book 2 follows in November when geeky Graham Winters tries to convince Lucy Sanchez that he is Dom enough for her. Snow & Her Huntsman will be out early 2015. Beauty, Rapunzel, and Wendy each make an appearance in 2015 as well.







Blurb:
Jaimie Newberry is jobless, her rent is due, and her cat just died. On top of that, she was accused of embezzling before she was fired. When her friend invites her for a weekend of kinky fairytale role playing, she agrees to go as Cinderella. What has she got to lose when sex with a handsome prince is involved?
CEO Bryce Langston needs to know if Jamie is innocent of embezzlement or just very clever. He arranges for her to be his weekend sub but soon realizes the pretty scullery maid is naïve to the BDSM lifestyle. As her prince and her Dom, he intends to not only learn the truth but to make sure she has a fantasy come true.
Excerpt
“You don’t know me.” Her breaths became short gasps when his tongue swirled in her outer ear.
“By the time this weekend is over, I will know every inch of you.” He drew in her ear lobe and sucked the soft flesh, then raked his teeth over her lobe. “I will know every secret your body holds. I’ll find all those sensitive spots that crave to be touched, and when I find and touch them, your pussy will weep for my cock, my sweet Cinderella.” He hands slid around her waist.
Oh my god. Jaimie’s knees nearly gave out at the way he’d drawn out her role-play name, making it sound like he was saying Siiinnn-derella. No one had ever talked dirty to her like this. Mike’s version of dirty talk was to tell her he wanted to fuck, but that was it. Even his attempt to talk dirty had left her cold.
“First, you agree to be my sub. Think of it as though I’m your boss in the office.”
“This would be considered sexual harassment,” Jaimie said as she leaned back against her prince, shivering as his tongue traced the swirls of her ear.
He chuckled and lifted his head. “We’re creating our own fantasy world here. You ever been called up to the top floor to have sex with a rich CEO?”
“No. Where I worked, I was a peon. The CEO never mixed with us worker drones. Didn’t even have an office in our building.”
“That’s too bad. Did you have fantasies about being fucked by him?” His lips nipped along the side of her neck.
“No.”
“Why not?” He shoved the neckline of her top off her shoulder.
Jaimie wanted him to stop talking and keep kissing her. “’Cause he’s probably old and fat. With a beer belly.” God, don’t stop.
His laughter in the hollow of her neck sent delicious cravings for his mouth against her skin from her tummy down to her curled toes.
“How about we pretend that I’m the CEO and I’ve called my lowly, naughty peon up to my richly appointed office for a weekend of overtime.”
“What do I have to do?” His hands skimmed down her sides, following her waist to her hips.
“You must obey me and do everything I tell you.”
“And if I don’t?”
His hands cupped her ass and squeezed. He lifted his head and watched her in the mirror. “Then I’ll have to spank you.”
Jaimie, floating on a haze of desire, nearly choked. “What?”


 
Sydney St. Claire is the pseudonym of Susan Edwards, author of 14 Historical Native American – Western – Paranormal romances and the author of the popular “White” Series.


Buy Links:
KINDLE NOOK KOBO IBOOKS and other E-retailers
Visit Publisher page for release sale: 50% off for limited time.
Links for Kindle available on their site.








Sunday, September 14, 2014

THE KERR CONSTRUCTION COMPANY by Larry Farmer

I'm featuring Larry Farmer's new book: The Kerr Construction Company. Check it out!



Excerpt from The Kerr Construction Company


“I got a feeling you’re one of those guys that
meditates, McIlhenny,” Ira said as he lit up a cigar while
driving down a dirt road. “You can roll down the
window if the smoke gets to you, suck your ass.”
“I meditate at night,” I answered. “I have to put up
with you and this job.”
“I knew you probably did something weird like that.
I bet you do yoga, too.”
“No yoga.”
“Listen, numbnuts. So what the hell you doing
here? You don’t fit. It’s not that you’re so damn stupid.
You’re the smartest guy I ever met, at everything but
construction. You on some quest? Looking for your
head?”
“I grew up on a farm. Later I worked computers in
Houston, and it was the worst experience of my life. It
was the fastest growing city in America, a thousand new
families moving in every week. They all came for one
reason. Money.”
“So what the hell’s wrong with that?” Ira defied.
“That’s why the unskilled come here and why the skilled
go to Houston. You a back-to-nature freak? You like
living in your van?”
“America’s lost its soul,” I complained.
“I knew it,” he gruffed, blowing cigar smoke my
direction. “What else they teach you in college?”
“My daddy was a war hero,” I explained. “I got
uncles that are preachers. I don’t go to church much, but
I got a lot on me. I joined the Marines to go to Vietnam.
I need a cause, I guess. Now America’s just one big
party. So many in Houston were on drugs. New cars.”
“A Texan needing an Alamo to defend.” He
laughed as he again blew smoke my direction.
“I don’t like America anymore. Nothing for me
here.”
“And so you’re digging ditches in Gallup, New
Mexico?” Ira smiled wickedly. “That makes sense. And
you meditate to find your head? Smart people got too
much time. Nothing else to do.”
He pulled up to a big water pump. We looked to be
in the exact center of nowhere. Nothing except miles of
dirt.
“We’re going to strip mine here pretty soon,” he
said as he pulled a shovel out of the back of the pickup.
“I need you to dig a trough from this pump to those
boxes over there.” He pointed behind me at a stack of
tomato boxes about fifty yards away. “You can meditate
while you’re doing it, doesn’t bother me. Just dig
straight. I’ll be placing blasting caps in dynamite, so you
might not want to get too close.”
I was almost surprised he wasn’t smoking on his
cigar as he did so.
“This job sucks,” I mumbled after a while, as I dug.
He looked up. “What did you say?”
“I hate this,” I said sarcastically, straightening up
and leaning on my shovel. “It’s putting my chi at an
imbalance. My harmony at a dysfunction.”
“McIlhenny, shut up. People get fired for that.
Whatever it is you said.”
“Okay,” I mumbled as I returned to my digging,
“but this still sucks.”
Ira went back to squeezing blasting caps with his
pliers, then placed the sticks of dynamite in a box. He
moseyed to the pickup, got a rope, made a loop, and
began to twirl it. While I dug I suddenly felt the rope
wrap around me, felt it jerk and tighten until it pulled me
to the ground. Like some cowboy with a calf, Ira bent
over me and tied up my hands and feet. He then got out
a gasoline can from the pickup and, without blinking an
eye, doused the bottom of my jeans and lit them with his
cigarette lighter.
I felt the fire’s warmth and pretended it hurt so he
would get his stunt over with. It seemed to satisfy him,
and he bent down, rolling me in the dirt until it was out.
“Now get back to work, McIlhenny,” he grunted as
he untied me. “Leave me to my danged blasting caps.
Any other questions, queerbait?”
I kept a serious look on my face the rest of the
afternoon, but found it hard to do so. This was fun.
Maybe I brought all this on myself to break up the day.
“Quitting time, McIlhenny,” I heard Ira shout.
“Another five minutes,” I shouted back.
“I’ll load up,” he answered. “Oh yeah, another
thing.”
“What’s that?” I asked when he didn’t follow
through.
“Didn’t you say you used to play football?” he
asked.
“Yeah.”
“You’re a fast runner, right?”
What does that mean? “Yeah,” I answered again.
“You better be. This is a stick of dynamite here in
my hand.”
He lit it and threw it my direction. I didn’t look
back until I heard the explosion. There was a hole ten
yards from where I used to be.
“Come on,” he shouted again, not bothering to
laugh. “Let’s go home. Go get your shovel if it’s still
there.”
Later I thought of Ira’s shenanigans, sitting in the
restaurant, savoring the rich garlic aroma. He would
have made a good Marine, I decided. I never made it to
Vietnam, but I get to tell my grandkids about when I
worked for the Kerr Construction Company.
I heard Carmen’s voice come from beside me. “You
got a look about you, hombre,” she said as she walked
over to me and planted a small kiss on my lips. “Is that a
smirk? What wickedness are you contriving? Better not
leave me out of it.”
“Nearly got blown up by dynamite today,” I said as
my smirk turned into laughter.
“Good Lord, man. How did that happen?”
“Aw, not really,” I said. “It’s a long story anyway.”
“Don’t eat here tonight, Sweets,” she said with a
wink. “Mother has supper ready for us. She’s going to
bring up Monument Valley. She knows what the hell we
did there. And I ain’t talking the scenery or our intimate
little conversations. I’m talking she put two and two
together and she knows we’re not virgins.”
“She would’ve suspected what was going to happen
even before we left.”
“Yes,” Carmen said with a grin, “but we’ve been so
honorable that she felt she had to give us benefit of the
doubt. But she was blunt when I got in last night. You
coward, you knew it was coming, the way you dropped
me off and hightailed it. So, I thought the best defense is
a good offense and let her know how glorious it was. I
added about classical music and our talks, for effect. I
knew it wouldn’t work, but it kept her busy for awhile.”
“You admitted to her we made love?”
“You’re telling me that an ex-Marine and a divorcee
in their twenties don’t know what they want when the
stars align? She knew it was going to happen. She just
wants us to respect each other and not make it the
centerfold of our relationship. Wait, centerfold, that’s a
pun, isn’t it?” She laughed and gave another wink. “The
centerpiece of our relationship. She adores you. You
come over and exude virtue around her and she’ll let it
slide. She’ll settle for just letting you know that she
knows.”
Carmen leaned over and planted a long, juicy kiss
on me. I grabbed her as she readied to break away,
pulled her back to me, and gave her one in return.
“Behave yourself,” she said, feigning shyness. “The
customers are looking. I hope so, anyway. Have a beer
on me, mi amour,” she said with a smile that sparkled.
“Read your book and wait on me.”
As she turned to walk away, she stopped, turned
back, and embraced me. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever
been. I’m one hundred percent your woman. I feel
brand new."


A little bit about Larry Farmer:

A native of Harlingen, Texas, Larry Lee Farmer
grew up on a cotton farm. He attended Texas A&M but
dropped out to enlist in the United States Marine Corps,
where he attained the rank of sergeant before being
honorably discharged after three years. He worked as a
computer programmer in Houston and as a civil servant
for a US Air Force Base in Frankfurt, Germany, and
traveled and worked in Europe for two years, which
included flying to Israel in October 1973 to aid the
Jewish State in the Yom Kippur War. He was also in
Greece in the summer of 1974, when the war between
Greece and Turkey erupted over Cyprus, and he was
stuck on the Greek island of Ios for part of that war until
he managed to catch a boat to Athens just in time to
watch the Greek military dictatorship fold.
Back at Texas A&M, he finished his Bachelor's
degree in Business Management and then returned to
Europe and also Israel, where he lived for almost a year.
Later he taught English and was a model in Taiwan,
after which, while still in the Far East, he acted as a
stand in and stuntman in the Hollywood movie Inchon,
starring Sir Laurence Olivier. He then returned home to
get a master's degree in agricultural economics at Texas
A&M. With that in hand, he joined the US Peace Corps
and served for three years in the Philippines. He also
worked for several years as a computer programmer for
the Swiss government. While in Switzerland, Larry was
a country singer as well as a coach for the national
championship American football team Bern Grizzlies.
Since then he has been working in the IT department of
Texas A&M. He has three children.

You can connect more with Larry or get buy links at:
www.larryfarmerwrites.com