Friday, February 14, 2014

NOTHING BUT LOVE FOR YA, BABY

Spread the indie love today. You know you want it. We love you. We've got nothing but love for ya, baby. So, show us some sweet love in return. C'mon and give it up for some of the hottest new indie books around.



We know what you like.

Goodreads Giveaway Bookshelf HTML:


Up For Grabs at Spread Some Indie Love Blog Hop
Shadow Town
Under Glass: The Curse of the Butterfly
Meeting Destiny
Destiny's Revenge
Destiny's Wrath
The Hideaway
Blood Debt
Hereafter
Starlet's Web
Starlet's Run
Centaur Legacy
The Silken Edge
Pity Isn't an Option
The Atomic Circus
By a Thread
Pierced
Starlet's Light
Escaped
Counterclockwise
Tension





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As always, thank you so much for supporting indie authors and indie artists of all types. Your support means everything to us. Instead of buying that coffee in a disposable cup, why not purchase a book, music or some type of art from an independent artist? It might change your life. 


Monday, February 10, 2014

WHICH STORY FROM A CELTIC TAPESTRY IS YOURS?

Looking for a hot spicy romance to warm up these cold winter nights? Well, look no further. Moon Rose Publishing can offer you seven stories, all based on the wheel of the Celtic year. Each story is available as a short on Amazon. Take the quiz, find 'your story' and fall in love with A Celtic Tapestry.  

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=NjM2NzA1

Magic in Memphis is the short written by me. As fate would have it, it is also what the quiz gave me. Whatever, your story, snag a copy today!


Friday, January 31, 2014

AMBER LEA EASTON & ANONYMITY



A Blurb of Anonymity
New year, new beginnings. Alyssa McNeil is on a mission of breaking free of her comfort zone, reinventing herself, and forgetting the fact that her ex is getting married on New Year's Eve. She's in Belize for a week of sun, fun, adventure, and flirtation. Meeting Luke is an unexpected bonus…falling in love with him, though, simply isn't part of the plan.

Luke Picket is more than happy to go along with her idea of a no strings, uncomplicated weeklong fling. He embraces his bachelor lifestyle and can't see that changing any time soon. But when they find themselves trekking through the jungle and facing turbulent seas together, his hard heart softens.

But they'd agreed on anonymity, on a first-name-only-no-strings love affair, and neither wants to ruin the moment with unwanted declarations. Old beliefs are challenged. Doubts questioned. Will they stick to their deal and go their separate ways when the week is over? Or will the new year bring them a new attitude about love?

Excerpt of "Anonymity"

Her thoughts drifted to Luke. She'd admired how he'd laughed after tipping in the kayak, bantered easily with Rosie, smiled at her as if he'd known her for years, and had obviously made friends with the scuba divers who acted like he was a part of their group. He had a way about him, a magnetic pull. She grinned at the way his shirt had molded to his body. Yeah, even now as the rum haze wore off she wanted to strip him naked and explore that body. Laughing at her thoughts, she tossed the ring onto the pillow and closed her eyes.
The knock on her cabana door surprised her. Probably Rosie. Had she signed the bar receipt? She couldn't remember.
Showered and dressed in a loose yellow sundress, she walked barefoot toward the persistent knocking. She yanked the door open and stared. There he was, dressed in dry blue t-shirt, khaki shorts, and flip-flops. He tilted his head a bit to the side as he assessed her, his grin contagious as he held up the forgotten metal box.
"You forgot your treasure at the bar. I was a little hurt. I risked my life for this."
She rocked back on her heels, struck by how the blue of his shirt emphasized his eyes. "I thought you were going out with your friends."
"They're not my friends. I met them the other night, a diving club from Dallas or somewhere like that. We had a good time last night with my family at the bar that ended up with us all jumping in the pool fully clothed. I guess I left my shirt behind, but that's it." His shrug pulled the shirt tight over his shoulders. "We had a deal, didn't we?"
Every fantasy she'd ever had came to life in her mind. Sex on the beach, against a palm tree, on the deck, in the king-sized bed behind her...every image created a slow burn deep in her gut.
"Scared? I'm harmless, I swear. Rosie can vouch for me, she's known me for seven days now, that's the equivalent of a lifetime on this small island."
"Said the serial killer right before he pulled a knife."
"I know you want to." His voice had lowered to a seductive purr. "Come with me. Have some fun. Live a little."
She hadn't anticipated him showing up, not with the leggy brunette hanging all over him. She already had her e-reader prepped for a night of hanging out in the hammock listening to waves lap against shore. She gripped the frame of the door and stared.
"Dinner and a town tour. Simple," he said even as his gaze skimmed over her neck to her cleavage.
"Why do you want to keep our deal?" she asked.
His gaze snapped back to hers. "You're the most interesting thing that's happened to me in a long time. I want more of that. Simple."
"I'm not..." she'd almost said she wasn't brave, that she'd been dizzy from rum and travel, but the look in his eyes stopped her. "What's the matter?"
"Why do you think something's the matter?"
She squinted. Guilt shadowed his eyes, but there was something else there, too. "Did I miss something after I left?"
"I may have led people to believe you were my girlfriend." He winced without breaking eye contact. "Don't slam the door in my face."
"Are you afraid of the supermodel who was coming onto you, Luke?" She folded her arms across her chest and smiled at the idea of him using their brief flirtation as an excuse to ditch the group from the bar. "Do you need me to save you from the gorgeous brunette?"
"Save me, Alyssa. Please." He leaned a hip against the door and extended the box toward her.
"Are you bribing me with your found treasure? Interesting." She took the box and laughed.
"That's not much of a bribe. You should hold out for more." He winked, his good humor convincing her that she'd be a fool to say no.
She tilted her chin up, hoping the fact that her knees were buckling didn't show. Going or not wasn't a question of want...she definitely wanted. She caught her lower lip between her teeth and studied him through narrowed eyes. If she followed through with impulse, she knew she'd end up sleeping with him before the night ended. Did she want to cross that line? Did she really want to seize the moment, embrace carpe diem and all of that bullshit she'd been telling herself since getting on the plane in Denver? Those were the questions that made her hesitate.
"You won't regret it." His blue eyes danced with mischief, almost as if he knew exactly what questions tumbled through her brain. "Please come out and play, Alyssa."
She smiled at his boyish use of the word 'play.' "Since you said please...give me a minute to get ready."
Opening the box, she chose a bracelet laced with various colors of blue stones, brushed the sea salt and sand from it, and wrapped it around her wrist. She couldn't help but laugh.
Well, grandma, I'm definitely out of my comfort zone and taking chances.
Luke's gaze moved over her like a light caress. Rather than a predator or some sleezeball who picked up women on a whim, he resembled a confident man about to take a woman on a date. Black hair no longer stuck out in every direction; rather it fell lightly across his forehead and skimmed his ears. Salt no longer stuck to his neck yet the impulse to taste his skin beneath her tongue superseded all common sense. Exhilaration pumped through her veins at the idea of possibilities.
"I promised you fun and I always keep my word. Trust me," he whispered against her ear while she locked her door. His hand touched the exposed skin of her back.
Her hands trembled at her sides. Desire rushed through her like lava erupting from a volcano. Everything she'd wanted while sitting at the bar doubled in intensity. She turned within the small space between his body and the door and surrendered to temptation. Standing on tiptoes, she slid her hands over his chest and up to his shoulders.
"It's cliché to say I don't normally do this kind of thing, but I honestly don't. This is a first for me," she said.
"What part? The traveling solo part or the going out with a stranger in a foreign country part?"
"Both."
"No past, no future." He slipped his hand behind her neck and stopped within a fraction from kissing her. "No judgment, no regret."
He surprised her by stepping back and snagging her hand. Laughing, he pulled her to the sand and toward the beach.
"Tease," she said, bumping her shoulder against his.
"You've been bossy enough—stealing my treasure, bullying me into taking you out—tonight I'm in charge."
"Oh, really?" She liked that idea more than she'd admit. The thought of him taking charge, being in control, turned her on in ways she hadn't imagined.
From the way he looked at her, either he'd read her mind or they were on the same page. 
They walked along the beach into town, hands grazing each other, arms touching. The stars shone like crystals in the night sky that meshed with the blackness of the ocean. Wind tossed her dress around her knees and plastered it to her thighs.
"Any excursions planned?" he asked after a lengthy silence.
"Tomorrow I'm going on the Lamanai trip to the mainland to see the Mayan ruins. I booked it online when I made the reservation here, but now I wish I hadn't." She watched a water taxi speed buy them loaded down with rowdy tourists.
"I'm on that trip, too."
She squinted at him. "No, you're not."
"I am. My family was here all last week and I have little nieces and nephews. No one wanted to do the adventurous things with me so I waited until they left." He smiled down at her, black hair falling across his eyes with the steady wind blowing inland. "I did see the zoo, though. Fun times."
"What did they think of you staying behind?" She pushed her hair behind her ears, wishing she had brought a hair tie of some kind.
"They're used to me doing my own thing." He shrugged and looked toward a passing boat. "What did your family think of you coming down here alone?"
"It's uncharacteristic." She fell into step with him as they resumed walking into town.
"You seem pretty adventurous to me." He winked and then laughed when she looked away. "I meant it when I said this was a simple dinner...after that, whatever happens, happens. I don't expect anything. Don't worry."
She felt the blush heat her face and purposely averted her gaze to the sand in front of her feet. Maybe he didn't expect anything, but she did. She swallowed the sudden flood of saliva at the idea of getting him naked. 
It's official; I've lost my mind.
She sighed and forced her thoughts away from sex. Okay, so maybe she hadn't slept with anyone since Scott and only one other man before him, which was years ago. Horny was an understatement. Luke made her crave skin-on-skin. She'd wanted him to kiss her, was a bit annoyed that he hadn't.
When music wafted down to the beach from one of the bars, he snagged her against him and pulled her into a dance. She laughed at the spontaneity.
"You're deep in thought," he said with a smile. "That's not allowed."
"No?" She laughed when he dipped her backward before snapping her back up to face him. "Are you always so happy?"
"I'm on vacation and dancing with a gorgeous blonde in the moonlight, of course I'm happy." He moved her into a tight circle on the beach. The feel of his body against hers created havoc with her nerves.
"This is crazy," she whispered, not entirely sure if she was talking about her reaction to him, their date, or the entire situation.
"Madness."
Give in, a voice encouraged from deep within her psyche.
She skimmed her fingers over his neck before sliding them into his hair. Grinning because it felt good to abandon inhibitions, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.
He slid his lips against hers, eyes wide open and reflecting moonlight. His hands gripped her hips. Slowly, they savored the taste of each other.
Tremors of desire began where their lips met and rocked through her body to her toes until she felt certain she'd collapse. Shaken, she locked her fingers behind his head and teased his lips with her tongue. He opened his mouth and deepened the kiss. Intense. Hard. Perhaps it was the beach or the aftereffects of Rosie's special concoction, but she'd never felt like this from a kiss.
With a gasp, he lifted his face from hers and stared into her eyes. His chest rose and fell against hers with each steadying breath.
"Why do I feel like I just dove off a cliff?" he asked without letting her go.
"Just go with it." She smiled against his chin before sliding down the length of him until her feet were firmly on the sand. Emboldened by the knowledge that his reaction mirrored her own, she laced her fingers with his.
"Oh, I'm going with it." He pulled her against his side. "I'm the go-with-the-flow kind of guy, remember?"

Buy links:
Amazon: http://getBook.at/Anonymity
All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-anonymity-1379776-153.html




Author Bio:
Amber Lea Easton is a multi-published fiction and nonfiction author. For twenty years, she's worked in the fields of journalism and advertising with a brief detour into the financial industry. Although she holds a BA in Communications & Journalism, she is a perpetual student of life who enjoys taking classes on a wide variety of subjects when time allows.
Smart is sexy, according to Easton, which is why she writes about strong female characters who have their flaws and challenges but ultimately persevere. She currently has three romantic suspense novels out in the world, Kiss Me Slowly, Riptide and Reckless Endangerment, and a contemporary romance novella, Anonymity.
Her memoir, Free Fall, released on September 1, 2013, and is dedicated to suicide prevention, awareness, and helping others navigate the dark journey of grief.
In addition to fiction writing, Easton also edits and freelances. She also speaks on subjects ranging from writing to widowhood. Some of her videos on romance writing have appeared on the international Writers & Authors television network. Current radio appearances are linked via this site and her blog Kisses, Caresses & Whispers in the Night.
Easton currently lives with her two teenagers in the Colorado Rocky Mountains where she gives thanks daily for the gorgeous view outside her window. She finds inspiration from traveling, the people she meets, nature and life's twists and turns. At the end of the day, as long as she's writing, she considers herself to be simply "a lucky lady liv'n the dream."

Amazon Author Page: view Author Amber Lea Easton


Tuesday, January 28, 2014

First Amazon Review for FORTUNE CALLING

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging story January 27, 2014
Format:Kindle Edition
"Fortune Calling" by Hunter S. Jones is a short novel the first in a series, and it depicts a central moment in of Dallas Fortune, a musician in Tennessee, who is at a decisive moment in her private life and in her musical career.
The descriptions of the music scene, Dallas' talent and ambition (or lack of) bring immediate depth to an otherwise casual appearing plot. A fortune telling moves things forward and the future holds unexpected events.
Dallas is an engaging central character and her story is equally captivating. I loved this story.
Fortune Calling

Guitars. Hillbilly Music. Nashville, Tennessee.

Dallas Fortune is a small town girl with a gift for playing guitar. A member of her family has played the Grand Ol Opry since it began as a simple radio show in 1925. But, they are the minstrels, the troubadours--session players--not stars.
Dallas lives her life on the road. She’s just another guitar player with a dream until she finds an antique blue mandolin in a pawn shop. Her life comes into focus as the enchantment of the mandolin captivates her audiences. The Guitar God of Nashville beckons her. Everything is there for Dallas at last, until a stage accident sends her home and shatters her dreams. Blow after blow she fights the hand of fate. Is she destined to lose out in life? Hope, dreams, and love seem to be just out of reach. Every girl dreams of a happy ending. Dallas Fortune has the best Fairy Godmother in Country Music history. Will she help make Dallas’ dreams come true?

Is the future among the stars, in the cards or locked in your heart?

Fortune Calling is the first story in The Fortune Series. Set in contemporary Nashville and rural Tennessee, the series chronicles the life and loves of Dallas Fortune.

TAGS: Fiction, Country Music, Nashville, Tennessee, Guitars, Short story, Contemporary

© 2014 Ra Jones Publishing
Cover by Robin Ludwig Design

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Welcome to the Magical Mystical Worlds of Andrea Cooper



Today, please join me in the super uber mystical worlds of author Andrea Cooper. Lands where clans clash, fires flames and most importantly, lands where love still conquers all. Is there really anywhere else you would rather be? Thank you so much for sharing your stories with us today, Andrea.  
Viking Fire Blurb: In 856 CE, Ireland is a land of myth, magic, and blood. Viking raiders have fought the Irish for over half a century. Rival Irish clans promise only betrayal and carnage.
Kaireen, daughter of Laird Liannon, is suddenly forced into an arranged marriage with her sworn enemy, a Viking. She refuses to submit. With no mention of love, only land and the protection of her clan, she endeavors to get her betrothed banished from her country. Will love find its way around her stubborn heart?

Bram, the Viking, finds himself without future or inheritance as a younger son in his family. A marriage to the Laird’s daughter would grant him land if he swears fidelity and if his men will fight along with the Liannons against any foe—Irish or Viking. However, the Laird’s feisty daughter only holds animosity for him and his kind. Is marriage worth the battle scars of such a relentless opponent?

With the blame for a rival laird’s death treacherously set against the Liannons, Kaireen and Bram must find a way to lay aside their differences as an unforeseen darkness sends death snapping at their heels.


 Viking Fire Excerpt
Chapter One Ireland 856 CE (condensed)

“I renounce Father for this.” Kaireen threw the elderberry gown.

“Shame on you and your children for speaking such.” Her handmaid, Elva, gathered the damask and then dusted off the rushes. “It’s a wonder one of the clim has not scolded you from your hearth for such talk.”

“No, curse Father for a fool.” She plopped on her bed and a goose feather floated away. With a huff, she leaned against the oak headboard. Red curtains puffed like a robin’s chest around oak poles supporting her wooden canopy.

Her bare feet brushed against the stone floor.

“You know your da arranged a marriage within a season.” Elva smirked.

Kaireen shook her head. “To another land holder,” and waved a hand in disgust, “not t-this heathen. Twice they raided our land in the last month alone. Now father wants me as wife to one of them?” She clenched her fists. “No, I will not marry this Viking.”

Elva smiled, reminding Kaireen of the rumors of her handmaid’s uncanny foresight.
Whispers of Elva making strange things happen and often blamed as the cause of
Kaireen’s stubborn refusal to behave as a laird’s daughter should.

“You’ve not seen him yet.” Elva wiggled her brows.

“So?” Kaireen shrugged. “I would like to never see him.”

“Well then, would you not like to know if you have a handsome husband or not?” She waited for her response, but Kaireen scowled. Elva chuckled. “I would rather get a good look at him now than the morning after.”

Kaireen’s ears heated. “I am not marrying.” She shook her head for emphasis. “So there will be no morning, nor night, nor wedding.”

“If he is handsome, I may fight you for him.” Elva smiled, deepening the wrinkles around her eyes.

“Welcome to him either way.” Kaireen laughed.













The Garnet Dagger Blurb: Everyone knows what happens when a vampire bites a human…but what if the victim is Elvin?
Forbidden to cross the Elvin barrier into human lands, Brock cannot sate his curiosity. Cursed by a vampyre bite that forces him to feed on the life-essence of others, he is unable to touch another without taking their life. Chained by prophesy, he must find a witch, pierce her heart, and draw her blood for his cure. 

Celeste must escape the monks who have held her prisoner for years. Her magic has been kept dormant by her captors. An ancient powerful Warloc craves her powers. If he succeeds in devouring her magic, she and his world will die.

When Brock falls in love with Celeste before realizing her demise is his cure, will love triumph over his desire to be healed? Will he risk everything to save her from a Warloc, an oath breaker, who also wants her dead?
  
The Garnet Dagger Excerpt:  Chapter One (condensed)
I’ve known death. For over half a millennia, I escorted many to death at the end of my sword. In the eyes of the dying, I watched it shroud them. Foolishly, I thought many more eras would pass before death came for me. It came so swiftly that I could not run; I could not escape. At a village, dressed in human clothes, I took in everything.
I delayed my return to my people as I watched human jugglers bounce torches and knifes. It was autumn equinox and the festivities would continue well into the night. Children laughed as they chased each other. A trail of leaves from their costumes twirled after them. It was dark when I reached the forest.

I hiked slower than my normal speed, so as not to startle whatever human called out. My leather boots crunched upon dried, diseased leaves and bark. Horrified, I glanced up. Branches twisted around each other to suffocating. Lifeless limbs cracked in the wind. Flesh of the trees sloughed off in layers, exposing its bones. Gashes hollowed out chunks of warmth. Fragments of leaves clung to finger tips, marking sepulchers of the dying trees. Trees mourned with wails like splitting wood, and I brought my hands over my ears. I must flee before I became infected, they told me. Flee before the stain of this defilement creeps into you, they warned. Trees spoke to my kind, always had. Yet these trees were in such agony of death that I could not breathe. Felt as though my lungs had folded in on themselves, like a moth unable to break loose from its cocoon.
Cooper, Andrea R. (2013-03-25). The Garnet Dagger (Crimson Romance) (Kindle Locations 60-67). F+W Media. Kindle Edition.


Andrea’s Bio: Growing up in Houston, Texas, Andrea has always created characters and stories. But it wasn't until she was in her late twenties that she started writing novels.
What happened that ignited the writing flame in her fingers? Divorced, and disillusioned by love songs and stories. They exaggerate. She thought. Love and Romance are not like that in the real world. Then she met her husband and realized, yes love and romance are exactly like the songs and stories say. She is now a happy wife, and a mom to three kids (two boys and a girl).
Andrea writes paranormal and historical romance. When not writing or reading, one may find Andrea dancing in Zumba.
She believes in the power of change and counting each moment as a blessing. But most importantly, she believes in love.

The Garnet Dagger Book Trailer  http://youtu.be/ISi0u9LoseM
Viking Fire Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/m1bPZ3nUyzs
Author Website: www.AndreaRCooper.com

Buy Links:

The Garnet Dagger Amazon: http://goo.gl/rMEJ59
The Garnet Dagger B & N: http://goo.gl/Qp5i6A
The Garnet Dagger iTunes: http://goo.gl/s1Cugp
Viking Fire Amazon: http://goo.gl/71VAsf
Viking Fire B & N: http://goo.gl/EvBxwf

Viking Fire iTunes: http://goo.gl/fQuKBd

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Address to a Haggis - Robert Burns

Address to a Haggis


For my part in today's Burns Night Blog Hop, I write the following with love. So, gather round, bring the shortbread and pour a wee dram while I explain what has been told to me about this poem and this event. A wee word to my American friends...if you can eat fried Southern pork sausage, you can eat haggis. Now, off we go...

Address to a Haggis was written by Robert Burns in 1786 to celebrate his appreciation of the Haggis. As a result Burns and Haggis have been forever linked.

This poem is always begins the evening of Burn's suppers. The haggis is carried in on a silver platter at the start of the festivities.

As it is brought to the table a bagpiper plays a traditional, Scottish melody. An invited speaker then recites the poem before the theatrical and dramatic cutting of the haggis with the ceremonial knife. 

Due to his Scottish Lowlands, or Lalands dialect, (as the Scots still call it today, just like Burns did in his poetry) my late father-in-law was in great demand at Burns Supper events. This blog is dedicated to him, his love of the arts and his devotion to Rabbie Burns. 

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, 


Great chieftain o the puddin'-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye worthy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.


The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o need,
While thro your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.


His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An cut you up wi ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like onie ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!


Then, horn for horn, they stretch an strive:
Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
The auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
'Bethankit' hums.


Is there that owre his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi perfect scunner,
Looks down wi sneering, scornfu view
On sic a dinner?


Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as a wither'd rash,
His spindle shank a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit;
Thro bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!


But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll make it whissle;
An legs an arms, an heads will sned,
Like taps o thrissle.


Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies:
But, if ye wish her gratefu prayer,
Gie her a Haggis


Thank you for stopping by today! Three copies of Magic in Memphis, my Yule novella from A Celtic Tapestry, the Moon Rose Publishing anthology, will be given to the first three people who comment. Cheers!