Continuing with Book 2 in Heather Long's Always A Marine trilogy...

Title: Retreat Hell! She Just Got Here (Always a Marine, Book 2)

Author: Heather Long

Publisher: Decadent Publishing (1NS)

Length: 10,000 words

Genre(s): Contemporary Erotic Military Romance (M/F/M)

Available at:

Decadent Publishing | ARe | Amazon | BookStrand

Reviews on Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13615384-retreat-hell-she-just-got-here

Blurb:

She's one of the few…

Jazz has been one of the guys for over a decade, serving her country with distinction, but she longs to explore her femininity, to be desired as a woman, to flirt, cavort and fulfill every sexual desire. When her mother of all people, signs her up for a 1Night Stand, she's not sure whether to be exhilarated or pissed. Flying to Las Vegas on the promise of a total escape, Jazz plans to be Jasmine for just one night, because tomorrow, she plans to re-up for another five years.

They're two of the proud…

Logan Cavanaugh grew up across the street from his best friend and brother-in-arms, Zach Evans. Inseparable, the two have shared everything, including women, until the year before when an IED attack during combat injured both of them. Zach suffered a concussion, but Logan's injuries were far more extensive. After a year of physical therapy, he can walk, but he'll never run or love a woman again, or so he fears. He’s ready to accept his impotence, but Zach has other ideas. He hopes a 1Night Stand date with the perfect woman will heal Logan's confidence and masculinity.  

They're all Marines…

They’ll share each other, but will one night be enough?

Excerpt:

Knocking on the door took more willpower than walking down the long, carpeted hallway from the elevators in the black Christian Louboutins with their fuck me red bottoms. The four-inch heels added a sharp definition to her already muscled legs. She’d been damn grateful for that uncomfortable wax job after she’d slipped on the satin and silk number that hugged every curve with just the slightest flare over her hips before it dropped down her thighs. The skirt’s slit left very little of her right leg to the imagination.

The heels forced a hip-rolling saunter and despite a brief moment of discomfort, every step increased the aura of the illusion she’d sought to create. She felt almost desirable by the time she knocked on the door to 2106. One deep breath and a roll of her head later, she smiled when the door opened to a heart-stopping blond man in a white dress shirt and black pants.

Holy crap.

The four top buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, revealing a well-muscled chest decorated by sprigs of white-blond hair. His sun-kissed face broadened into a hesitant smile, but no words came out.

“Mr. Evans?” She had little to go on beyond a brief physical description of each man and their names. The blond was Evans. The brown-haired one would be Cavanaugh. But she hadn’t caught sight of him yet.

“Zach, ma’am.” He found his voice and pulled the door the rest of the way open. “Would you like to come in?”

Ordering the butterflies in her stomach to don battle gear, Jazz slid past him, almost wishing he hadn’t stepped so far back. She wondered if he was as solid as he appeared. But whatever hesitation she experienced imploded when the second man in the room rose to his feet. A scar turned the left side of his mouth downward, but the right side tipped up. If she didn’t know better she would have read surprise in his expression.

“Mr. Cavanaugh.” She extended her hand, wanting to see if he would meet her halfway. Thankfully, he did. The weight of his hand closed on hers and a thrill skated up her arm to spread a wildfire through her insides. The mottled skin puckering his jaw and stretching down the side of his neck suggested an ugly burn, but did nothing to detract from his tanned, handsome face. If anything, it added gravitas to what might otherwise have been a sculpture of perfection.

Introducing Heather Long's Always A Marine trilogy...

Title: Once Her Man, Always Her Man (Always a Marine, Book 1)

Author: Heather Long

Publisher: Decadent Publishing (1NS)

Length: 11,000 words

Genre(s): Contemporary Erotic Military Romance

Available at:

Decadent Publishing | ARe | Amazon | BookStrand

Reviews on Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13596947-once-her-man-always-her-man

Blurb:

Fulfilling a favor and executing a business plan, Luke Dexter arrived at Dallas’ Sybarite Club for a one-night stand. He never imagined that in the darkened club with bluesy strains of jazz playing he’d come face to face with the woman he left behind a decade earlier.

Rebecca Rainier fell in love with Luke Dexter in high school and was crushed when he dumped her to join the Marines after 9/11. Now, waiting for a date her best friend and business partner set up, she’s unprepared when Luke walks in.

Can Luke and Rebecca bridge the pain of a decade long abandonment in one cold Texas night? 

Excerpt:

Luke’s chest hurt, but he braced himself against it. Shock wrinkled the line between her brows, the emotion far more brutal to him than a firefight in Kandahar or Kabul. She didn’t turn to look at him. But her reflection in the mirror didn’t soften. The familiar, flirtatious smile fled from the cool, firm line of her lips. Color drained from the face of the woman who shifted on the bar stool. Movement to his right caught his attention. A man approached, intent on her, but meeting Luke’s iron expression, the would-be interloper diverted to another table.

Satisfied, his attention returned to the girl—no, the woman—gazing at him, pain etching the softness of her lips. The memory of her lips got him through Paris Island. He’d thought about them, about her smile, every single, damn day.

“Hello, Luke.” Her voice poured over him like warm honey.

Life doesn’t always offer second chances….

“May I join you?” He nodded to the stool next to her.

“It’s a free country.” And just like that, she turned her back and the warm honey chilled, hardening over his chest.

“Thank you, ma’am.” He tacked the ma’am on as an afterthought. But the steel wrapped in her velvety voice jabbed his kidneys. Perching on the edge of the stool, he motioned to the bartender. “Two more of whatever the lady is having.”

She watched him from the mirror. Hungriness reflected in the gold flecked, tawny brown eyes, a perfect contrast to the tight jaw and stiff fingers wrapped around her wine glass. She tossed back a third of a glass like a shot of vodka.

A shot of vodka sounded like a great idea. But he needed his wits about him. IEDs laced the battlefield in front of him and patience and procedure and about eighty-five pounds of protective gear weren’t handy. But the trick to survival was to examine what was right in front of him and to react to it. He could do that in the field, he could do that with her. It was what he did best.

After the bartender served the drinks and took his credit card, Luke sat sideways, intentionally brushing his leg against hers. She didn’t recoil—exactly—but did shift away after a few seconds.

Definitely treading in dangerous waters.

About the Author:

Heather Long lives in Texas with her family and their menagerie of animals. As a child, Heather skipped picture books and enjoyed the Harlequin romance novels by Penny Jordan and Nora Roberts that her grandmother read to her. Heather believes that laughter is as important to life as breathing and that the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus are very real. In the meanwhile, she is hard at work on her next novel.

http://www.heatherlong.net

Http://www.facebook.com/HeatherLongAuthor

http://www.twitter.com/HVLong

Help!! The sagging middle is upon me again...

I am nearing the halfway mark of my latest work in progress and while for some writers that will be something to celebrate, for me it is the opposite. Why? Because it means the dreaded ‘sagging middle’ is right around the corner. Thus bringing my writing/plotting/creativity to a grinding halt and causing me to bang my head up and down on my desk all day, every day until I see light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

Now most of you would have heard of this ‘sagging middle’ phrase and know what it means, others won’t. Let me explain.

It is the part of my story writing that I hate the most and occurs every single time, with every single book. I am a blend of two kinds of writer. I am half plotter and half pantser. I always have a two to three page synopsis written as well as character sketches for my hero and heroine before I start writing. However, from page one to the end I continually write the first draft without stopping or editing. The hard work comes in drafts two and three.

The problem is no matter how much detail I feel I’ve put into the synopsis, no matter how much I have written it with my ‘sagging middle’ weakness in mind, there it always is. Bam, like a grinning little cartoon devil poised to poke me in the behind with his shiny trident as soon as I am about halfway through.

So the question is, how do I deal with it? The only way I know how. Keep writing. I dread going to my desk for these days. Have zero enthusiasm or belief in myself or my work. I sit my backside in the chair anyway. These days writing is like pulling teeth but I force myself to write at least a thousand rubbish words a day. The beauty of it is when I feel the sun reappearing as I climb out of the middle and start heading for the home run, I read back what I wrote through those torturous days and I can be guaranteed to keep at least half of it. Result!

So what about you writers out there? Do you suffer with the same weakness as me? Yes? What’s your trick for beating this particular devil?

Or are you a reader? Have you noticed a ‘sagging middle’ in books? Maybe you see them more often than editors do, lol! I love to hear from you.

Rachel x 

Saturday Promo - Desiree Holt...

Twins Justin and Tucker Davis only want one thing--one woman to share for the rest of their lives. Angel Cruz wants two men who will cherish her forever. Sex between them is hotter than the Texas sun in August as they play out their fantasies at Rawhide, the private bondage club. But when her job threatens their livelihood, will their newfound connection be strong enough to survive?

Excerpt:

Tucker couldn’t take his eyes away from Angel’s full sensuous lips as her tongue peeped out and moistened the lower one. He immediately had an image of his cock resting on the plump flesh and sliding in and out of the hot well of her mouth. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her so she faced him, but over her head, his eyes met his brothers. They exchanged a look that their parents always called the twin signal.

I can’t tell you why, but I think she might be the one. Tucker sent his silent signals to Justin.

I agree. It feels right just this quick. 

Let’s find out if it works. But don’t go all broody on me right in the middle. Don’t bring Holly into the middle of this. That’s old history. 

Justin’s facial muscles tightened. You worry about yourself, little brother. I’m just fine. 

Tucker cleared his throat and put his hands on Angel’s shoulders.

“Okay, darlin’. First things first. Safe word, please.”

She looked from one to the other.. “Don’t laugh. Buckskin.”

He swallowed a smile. “Yes, ma’am. Buckskin it is.” He looked at his brother. “So. Think we might ought to unwrap our little package here? See what the ménage fairy brought us?”

Justin’s gaze heated. “I think that’s a damn good idea.”

Still keeping his eyes on Angel’s tempting mouth, Tucker carefully eased the little buttons on the buckskin vest through the openings one at a time, letting the fabric fall naturally apart. As soon as it relaxed away from her body, her breasts spilled out and he captured them in his palms, their smooth heat scorching his skin.

Holy shit!

Buy Link:

http://www.wilderroses.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=87&products_id=874

Welcome super prolific author and general all-round supporter of the rest of us, Shoshanna Evers! I discovered Shoshanna through her non-fiction "how to" writing book, "How To Write Hot Sex". If you have downloaded this mine of information onto your Kindle yet, I suggest you do it now! :)

Great to have you here, Shoshanna!

Okay, on with the questions...

 When and why did you decide you wanted to be a published author?

I started trying to get an agent and trying to get published back in 1999, back in the day when you had to mail paper manuscripts to people and use stamps. Thank goodness self-publishing wasn’t around then like it is now (used to be you’d have to spend thousands for print books and there was a huge stigma) or I’d never have grown as a writer. All those rejections made me continue to take writing classes and continue to read books about craft and publishing until I finally sold a book (to Ellora’s Cave) ten years later (in 2010). From there it snowballed ;)

What is the best and worse thing you have learned from an editor/agent?

The best thing I learned is that even good writing can be made better with the help of an editor. Outside input is so important, because as writers we are too close to our own work to see things that need work or clarification.

The worst thing I have learned is that just because an editor loves a book your agent sends her, it doesn’t mean she’ll buy it. But that leads to another best thing: a book can be loved but not considered commercially salable, and that’s okay. That’s what small presses who are willing to take a chance on a book and self-publishing are for.

Favourite author/s?

I have many favorite authors, my Kindle is filled with them. I worry that when I forget to list one here, they’ll notice and think they’re not on that list when they are. So... while I can’t tell you, take a look at the authors I chose for How to Write Hot Sex: Tips from Multi-Published Erotic Romance Authors, because you know they’d be on the list, lol. I also only tend to review books I can easily give 5 stars to, and the same authors come up on my reviews over and over because I love their work.

What is your typical day?

I wake up at 7:30am and hit snooze twice. Then I quickly scan my emails on my phone for anything that needs immediate attention, and then I pad out into the house in my pj’s and get my toddler ready for Pre-K. My super awesome, sexy-as-hell husband drives our son to school, and I have two glorious hours to drink coffee, take too long of a shower with water on as hot as it will go, and meticulously apply makeup for what might be my one venture out of the house: to pick up my son from school. Then it’s play time, family time, nap time, hang out with my girlfriends while the kids play time, what have you. And I’m constantly on Twitter.

I only start to get serious about sitting down at the computer around 3pm or 4pm, when my mother-in-law comes over to hang out with the tot and I go upstairs to my office to write. I don’t come back down until DH gets home in the evening, and we always have a family dinner together. This is probably so boring,  I don’t even know why I’m still writing it. Anyway, I usually let DH put DS to bed and I sneak upstairs to write more if I’m on a roll, or I take a night off and watch Netflix with my hubby if I’m not.

Reading happens throughout the day since I carry my Kindle with me, and right before bed too. Then I put the book down and... sorry, can’t say anymore. If you’re married you know what comes next.

Share your blurb or short excerpt from your latest release with us:

Dominatrix Fantasy Trilogy Set: Amazon, Smashwords, B&N

SPANKED, DENIED, & COLLARED is the trilogy set of the Dominatrix Fantasy Series (also available separately) and includes the bonus short story TAPE. These are adults-only erotic romance stories from Amazon Erotica Bestselling author Shoshanna Evers.

SPANKED, Novella 1: The beautiful woman Blake waited on at the diner left her business card, with this written across the back: You don’t deserve a tip, little Blake. You deserve a spanking. Call me if you agree.

Now Blake’s about to experience his Dominatrix fantasy come true…but can he willingly submit to his very first disciplinary spanking at the hands of the lovingly sadistic Mistress Victoria?

And…can he do it without falling for her?

DENIED, Novella 2: Blake’s been having so much fun learning to submit to the beautiful Mistress Victoria that he let his college grades drop…and now his Dominatrix has no choice but to punish her naughty school boy.

What Blake needs, she decides, is a male chastity belt designed to force him to focus on his school work instead of on sex. Until Blake gets his grades up, she’s the only one who will have access to his body. Without the key, he’s completely at her mercy.

…and as Blake knows, being at Mistress Victoria’s mercy is the hottest place to be.

Now Mistress Victoria has to come to terms with the evolving relationship…she’s starting to get attached to her devastatingly sexy submissive. It’s not just a game anymore…

COLLARED, Novella 3: Blake has given himself fully to Mistress Victoria as her live-in slave. His Dominatrix has one last test of Blake’s submission…will he submit to being lent out to her friends?

Blake wants to do anything and everything his Domme commands. But one of her friends happens to be a very large, very sexy cowboy. And this Dom has his eye on little Blake…

Blake wants to show Mistress Victoria exactly how much her collar on his neck means to him so they can take their relationship to the next level. Could it be…love?

Warning: this trilogy set of novellas contains adult spanking, anal play, numerous punishments and very kinky sex, including hot f/f/m ménage sex as well as f/m and m/m sex. There are handcuffs, sex toys, paddles, and silicone spike-lined male chastity belts involved. Consider yourself warned, this series is XXX-rated!

Bonus for trilogy set readers...the short erotic story TAPE:

She’s trapped in the office-supply closet at work with six feet of pure muscular male pressed against her back. Panties around her ankles, and tape around her wrists…it’s her fantasy come true.

Buy the Dominatrix Fantasy Trilogy Set here: Amazon, Smashwords, B&N

Who would you cast to play your hero & heroine in a movie?

I can’t really say, because if someone is reading my book and they envision the character a certain way, that’s the right way. I don’t want to taint it by putting a specific face in their mind.

Did you plan this book? Or write it as it came?

I write every book by the seat of my pants and then revise heavily.

What surprised you the most when you became published?

That getting published isn’t the end goal, it’s only the beginning. I was surprised by how quickly my goals changed and got bigger, more ambitious than simply “I want someone to publish my books.”

Do you have a dedicated writing space? What does it look like?

I do. The upstairs of my house is a large living room type area with huge windows overlooking my quiet street. There’s a guest room that I never go in adjacent, and a bathroom. The walls are lined with books in no particular order, and I sit at my desk with a big monitor and type. There’s been an abandoned Good-N-Plenty candy on the desk for a while now that I haven’t thrown out but am scared to eat.

 What’s next for you?

Next up is an anthology I’m editing entitled Successful Self-Publishing: How We Do It, And How You Can Too! It will be available at all the major ebook retailers, but it will also be available as a free PDF download on a website. Which website, you ask? Can’t tell you. It’s a huge secret, and I’ve actually signed a non-disclosure agreement. But when the site debuts I will shout it from the rooftops, because I’m super excited about it.

Thanks for having me! :)

Shoshanna Evers’ Bio:

Critically-acclaimed, multi-published romance author Shoshanna Evers writes for Ellora’s Cave, The Wild Rose Press, Cleis Press, and Berkley/Jove, as well as becoming an Amazon Erotica Bestseller, #1 Amazon Authorship Bestseller, and #1 Erotica Writing Reference Bestseller with her self-published books. Her favorite thing to do is cuddle up with a good book…and her husband.

Shoshanna lives with her family and two big dogs in sunny Florida. She welcomes emails from readers and writers.--

Sexily *Evers* After... ShoshannaEvers.com

Amazon Erotica Bestselling Author

#1 Authorship Bestseller & #1 Erotica Writing Reference Bestseller

Books on Amazon  Books on B&N

http://shoshannaevers.com/

http://www.facebook.com/shoshanna.evers

http://twitter.com/#%21/ShoshannaEvers

Really great to have you here, Shoshanna! I wish you all the luck in the world with your career and future sales. Okay, over to you guys for questions and comments... :)

Welcome erotic romance author, Louisa Masters!

Welcome to my site, Louisa! First of all, I have to say how much I love your covers, really sexy yet tasteful. Love them! Great to have you visit and wishing you all the best with your career - and of course, those all-important sales!

Let's get started with the interview... 

1)  Who is your favourite author and why?

People always ask this question and I always dither like an idiot. This time, I'm narrowing it down to genre: my favorite erotic romance author. That's pretty narrow, right? And still, it's too hard to answer. I'm a big fan of Michelle Pillow and Lora Leigh. For m/m, Lee Brazil is at the top of my list. He always tugs at my heartstrings.

2)  When did you first consider yourself a writer?

It's funny, you can be a writer your whole life but not think of yourself that way. It was like that for me. Until I saw the contract clearly spelling out that someone wanted to buy my book, I didn't think of myself as a writer. I still have to remind myself sometimes.

3)  Describe your writing space?

I live in a one bedroom apartment, and I'm not the neatest person in the world—in fact, pretty much the opposite. There's stuff piled everywhere. So my laptop and I usually take up residence on the couch. That led to the Great Computer Crash of 2010, when I stood up and tripped on the cord, sending my laptop to the floor and destroying my hard drive. It was a very difficult time for me…

4)  What are you reading now?

Jennifer Ashley's Shifters Unbound series in paperback and R. Ann Siracusa's All for a Dead Man's Leg in ebook. It's just been re-released and I loooove it!

5)  How many books have your written?  Which is your favourite?

I've written three: Inter-Office Relations, available from The Wild Rose Press, One Night in a Bar, due June 25^th from Total-E-Bound, and Diving In Deep, due later in the summer from TWRP. I also have the sequel to One Night in a Bar half written.

You may have noticed that I'm avoiding the "which is your favourite" part…

6)  What comes first, plot or characters?

Usually plot, although I say that loosely because I'm a total pantser. Mostly I have an idea, or a sentence or scene will come to me, and I go from there. I have a general idea of how a story's going to go, but I couldn't tell you exactly what the ending will be until it's written.

7)  Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?

Always. Although I try to take the advice of the great Nora Roberts and pretend it doesn't exist and write right through it, it can be really frustrating.

8)  What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Read. Read. Oh, and read. I also enjoy cooking sweets, and I'm pretty good with sewing and crafts.

9)  Tell us about your latest book?

Inter-Office Relations is loosely based on a crush I had on a colleague when I worked in the corporate world. Unlike Jeannie, I never had the guts to proposition my crush the way she does Tim. Her opening line? "Do you want to have sex in Conference Room B?"

They have a lovely time on the conference table, and then Jeannie backs right off. She's afraid that an affair may jeopardize their work relationship. Tim's determined to convince her otherwise…in the most interesting places.

10) What’s next for you?

One Night in a Bar is due on June 25^th. Karen loses her job when she maces her boss—after finding him in bed with her boyfriend. Unemployed and depressed, she lets a friend talk her into going to a bar she normally wouldn't go near. Enter dark, sexy Daniel, who flirts with her, asks her to dance and bangs her in the alley behind the bar.

The next morning, swimming in regret, Karen resolves to put it behind her…until she gets a new job and her biggest client is her one-hour stand.

Diving in Deep, also due this summer, is part of the Boys of Summer series from The Wild Rose Press, and is my first attempt at m/m/m. Geeky Cameron takes time out of his life to escape to Australia and reinvent himself. He meets Troy and Jake, co-owners of a reef diving company, and discovers things about himself that he never knew before…

For blurbs and excerpts, please visit my site, www.louisamasters.com

Great interview, Louisa! You should be immensely proud that every story you've written has been published, that's quite an achievement :)

Okay, over to you guys for your questions and comments...

Saturday Promo - Jennifer Cole...

Blurb:

Two volatile people, two different lives -- too hot to handle?

Dax Winslow never believed in love at first sight...that was before he met Kendall Zurich. While en route to the most important meeting of his legal career, Dax’s car breaks down in the small town of Milton Ville and he finds himself face to face with the owner of Kenny’s Service Station. The stunning mechanic knocks his otherwise structured psyche off balance.

Kendall Zurich is content with her laidback life. Too bad Dax's arrival disrupts her quiet existence and turns it completely upside down. She can only hope the dashing counselor doesn’t uncover her secret...and if he does, the deception isn’t too big for forgiveness.

Emotions of the past can provoke a burning struggle. Will very separate lives, misunderstandings, and outright lies be enough to keep them apart? Or has each finally found the spark that could ignite a lifetime?

Excerpt

The ride to Kendall’s took them to the outskirts of the town. They drove up the lane and parked in front of single story cottage-style log home, nestled in and protected by dense woods. A tire swing hung from a big old oak tree in the middle of the front yard. A colorful rose garden adorned the front of the house. A wrap-around porch held two rocking chairs and a porch swing.

On the seat of one of the rockers lay a big old orange cat.

They climbed off the bike and removed their helmets.

“Welcome to my little piece of paradise.” Kendall beamed proudly.

“Honey, it’s beautiful,” Dax replied honestly.

“Thanks,” she said with an accompanying shiver. “Come on, you’d probably like a shower. I know I would, and I’m famished.” She giggled, rubbing her belly.

The aroma of pot roast greeted them as he followed her through the front door. His own stomach rumbled angrily, reminding him he hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

At the end of a tour of her home, Kendall left him alone in a spare bedroom. After taking a shower in the en suite and putting on fresh clothes, he felt like a new man.

Wandering around again, Dax admired the simple, yet functional design and layout of her home. The furnishings were modern, accented with a light country flare and a gentle feminine touch. It wasn’t frilly and girly, but rather comfortably unisex and felt like home. He found his mind wandering and liked where it headed. This was their home, with a couple of kids running around, himself sitting on the couch bottle-feeding a baby while Kendall worked in the kitchen preparing their evening meal.

As Dax gave his head a shake to clear the vision in his mind, he found himself standing in the doorway to the kitchen watching Kendall dishing out their dinner from a slow cooker on the counter. The sight of her took his breath away. Freshly showered, her blond curls were still slightly damp. Clad in a pair of denim shorts that teasingly hugged her round rear and a pastel pink tank top. He saw she wore a black bra by the strap peeking out, and wondered if matching panties caressed the flesh under her shorts. The fresh clean scent she exuded drove his senses crazy.

As he stood in silence watching her, he noticed her stiffen suddenly, raising her head as if distracted from her task.

Buy: http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_12&products_id=219