Saturday, November 30, 2013

Shards of My Heart Blog Tour






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Blurb

When I took the vows for better or worse, I meant them. Then I started to wonder if there was a limit as to how much worse I was supposed to endure. Am I supposed to stay if worse means that me and my daughter are in danger? What if the worse was because of a mental illness? When is enough simply too much?

This is a different kind of love story. Read Nina’s journals for a tale of hope, strength of spirit, and unconditional love.



 
Excerpt

I remember when I met Shane.  He was several years younger than I was, but he seemed much more together, and so much more mature than my almost ex-husband.  Here was a man who had a career.  Shane had been in the same field for ten years, employed by the same company that entire time.  He owned his home and drove a nice new truck.  As a neighbor, I had watched him maintain his lawn, service his vehicle, do all those things that men were supposed to do.  Even the interior of the residence was neat, despite having two really lazy roommates.  
We dated for a while growing closer and closer.  Finally, he made some admissions that touched my cold, brittle heart…
Shane: No one knows me as well as you do.  No one has ever been allowed to get this close.
It was such an honor, and soon I was so crazy in love that I knew...I knew nothing could tear us apart.  For a while, it seemed that we were destined to be together, forever.  He made me feel safe and loved.  Every moment spent together was incredibly special.  That’s why I vividly recall one night when we were alone in the house and Shane was walking around without a shirt on.  He loved showing off his muscular physique.  Honestly, I loved seeing it, loved touching his bare skin.  In that moment, he leaned his back against the counter and faced me.  Without thinking, I walked into his open arms, inhaled his scent to imprint it upon my soul, and kissed the broken heart tribal tattoo on his chest.
Shane: Are you trying to heal my broken heart?
Shaking my head, I responded.
me: Nope.  Just loving you.
Shane: Good.  It can’t be fixed.
He looked down and instead of wrapping me up in those muscular arms and pulling me closer to his washboard abs and ample pecs, he stiffened and stood straight.  
Shane: Sometimes, I think you are only attracted to me because you want to fix me.
His demeanor had me tensing up.  Somehow, I knew what I said next was going to be really important.  Shaking my head, I found the words I sought.
me: Baby, until I got to know you, I didn’t even know you were broken.
That softened him.  My words worked.  They were magic.  He admired my ability to communicate, to speak eloquently, and to make an impact through simple speech.  Words did not come easily for him.
He held me close.  Bending his head, his chin in my hair, he finally spoke what was clearly bothering him.
Shane: You make me want to be a better man, but I don’t want to change.  What are we going to do about that?
With my chin on his chest, staring up into his pained eyes, I told him the truth.  There was only one way I knew to make this work.
me: I’m going to love you through it.  No matter what, I promise I’ll love you the best I can with all that I am.
I meant it, too.  
Must be he liked my response because within seconds, his lips closed the distance to mine.  That kiss.  That love.  
That was five years ago.
Life has changed, much different from what I knew...all because I said, ‘I do.’  


 



Nicole has lived in Charlotte, North Carolina for the past twelve years and now...she lives in secrecy in another state.
  Her journey of elf-discovery and recovery has barely begun and she faces it with her head held high, her shoulders back, a smile on her face, and hope in her heart. Every day of her life seems to bring new adventures, some bigger, better, shinier and prettier than others. 

For fun, she spends time with those she cares about, cooks, reads, writes, and especially lives to travel. The current travel goal: visit every Margaritaville. Three down! (Eleven to go?)

In May, Nicki started the blog Stories and Swag to promote authors. Several months later, she started Stories and Swag Tours, a blog tour company offering cover reveals, release blitzes, release parties on Facebook, and blog tours. In addition, she started Dominatrix Publishing, a boutique publishing company, to help other authors achieve publishing success.

Her writing can also be found on Shine, where she is a Shine Parenting Guru and an award winning Yahoo! Contributor on YourWisdom as the relationship and dating expert. In addition, she has been published by McClatchy News in their syndicated papers. 

Her books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, and Smashwords in ebook, paperback, and even some audiobooks.



Friday, November 29, 2013

Seducing Anne by Chanse Lowell Blog Tour


 


Title: Seducing Anne
Author: Chanse Lowell
Genre: Sci-fi Erotica
Expected Release Date: November 29th 2013
 
 
 
 
 
Synopsis:
 
Symptoms of time travel are never fun—ask Guy Moore. He just returned, and now he's being thrown back in time. His assignment? To impregnate Anne Boleyn. As an agent of SHROAG, he's completed more assignments than any other agent, and is ready to retire. Too bad Elizabeth I needs to be born to preserve history, and his DNA is the only one to do it. How will Guy seduce Anne, the woman who kept Henry VIII at arm's length for over seven years? And how will he keep from falling for her in his efforts?
 
“I will be there tonight—for you. Not for him. And I will touch you. If you do not want me to do that, then I will not be there.”
She sucked in some air, and her gaze went up to the ceiling.
“Lavender lady—do you want me there? Do you want me to touch you in front of the king and everyone else?”
She remained mute and stoic.
“When you make a decision, find me. I will await your answer.” He dropped his grip, releasing her chin.
“Yes, sir.”
“What was that? Are you saying I can touch you at dinner?”
“Yes, sir,” she repeated.
His groin tightened. She really was sweet and very beautiful, and her submissiveness came to her naturally when she wasn’t struggling to fit herself into a man’s world.
“I will protect you. I will be there for you, and Henry will not touch you while I am around. If I am to play with you, then you are mine. No one else’s. I do not share, Lady Anne. So, when you are ready to take him as your lover, then you release me, and I will be gone from your life.”
She made a quiet whimpering noise and her eyes twisted as if in pain.
“Look at me—eyes on mine,” he said.
Her gaze roamed down to his.
“As your lord and sir, you will always wear your hair down like this when you are around me. I want it soft, straight and virginal—pure like you. I want you always smelling of lavender and finding some way to please me each day, even if it is something small.”
She sagged for a moment. Were her knees buckling on her?
He gripped her by the upper arms. “Follow these guidelines, and I am at your disposal. Any time you need me, you ask, and I will be there.”
Her lips drifted into a small, but sweet, smile. “Thank you, sir.”
“You are a naturally kind woman. Court life has hardened you—and I intend to undo that.”
Her face fell.
His hands on her arms loosened.
“That would be the death of me. We all have parts to play at court,” she said, her voice soft.
“And you have yours—serve and please me, and you will have everything you have ever desired. That I vow.”
 
CONTENT WARNING — This story contains scenes of an explicit, erotic nature and is intended for adults, 18+. Story includes bondage, dirty talk with crude language, dubious consent, and graphic consensual sex. There is also a graphic birthing scene that some might find offensive. Characters portrayed are 18 or older.
 



 
Author Bio:
 
Chanse Lowell grew up in the desert southwest and still lives there with her husband, children, and pet cactus. She’s addicted to three things—reading erotica, writing erotica and sandwiches with a side of erotica to aid with digestion. She grew up watching programs with science fiction and historical fiction themes, and is determined she can combine her three favorite genres, creating a new breed of novel with scifi, historical and smut sandwiched in the middle.
 
The last thing she ever thought she’d do was pursue her dream to be a writer since her family tends to keep her busy. When she was introduced to fan fiction, she realized she wanted to see more science fiction and historical fiction to fill in the gap with lots of naughtiness thrown in, of course. Her true passion is creating her own worlds from scratch, letting her imagination go and take her to another place.
 
Having recently entered the BDSM lifestyle and discovering she’s a submissive herself has opened her eyes to how few stories there are exploring the softer side of the lifestyle. She enjoys chatting online with others with similar kinky interests and has advisers in the lifestyle that help make sure her stories remain true and don’t veer off into outer space. Although aliens probably enjoy kink, too, since they like to dress in rubber fetish-wear while traveling. At least that’s her argument for why her new genre she’s created is valid

 

 
 
 

 

{AUTHOR CONTACT LINKS}

 





 

 

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Stop # 13


 

 

Welcome to the 13th stop in Kallypso Master’s “How it Began” two-day blog tour. Thanks for having me, I Heart Books.

If you’re just joining in, you can get a list of the tour stops in order at my Ahh, Kallypso…the stories you tell blog page.

 
 
Damián, the young Marine who suffered a horrific injury in Fallujah, is the hero in Nobody’s Perfect, book four in the series. Originally, the plan was for Marc and Angelina to move toward a Happily Ever After in this book, too, as a subplot. I’d decided perhaps the man just didn’t have an inner pain to heal from, as the others did. Then I started to write Perfect and, boy, was I wrong.


The Queen Bitch of the Universe, Melissa (you met her on day two of this blog tour), opens up a can of worms for Marc and Angelina at the New Year’s weekend at Marc’s parents’ family ski resort. About a month before publishing Nobody’s Perfect, I realized these two stories needed to be told in separate books, or Marc and Angelina would become a distraction to Damian and Savannah’s (Savi’s) romance. Damian and Angelina are on the sidelines at the slopes watching Marc give ski lessons.

 

… He’d never been on skis before in his life.

Beside him, Angelina sighed. She’d seemed subdued at breakfast, too, but he reminded himself it was none of his business.

Old Dom habits die hard, though. At the club, he needed to look out for all of the subs and that need didn’t end outside the club’s doors. “What do you think of Marc’s family?” This was Angelina’s first time to meet them since she and Marc had moved in together a few months ago.

Her smile seemed genuine. “They’re wonderful. I can see where he gets a lot of his personality traits. They’ve been very welcoming…” Her smile faded; her voice drifted off.

“Except…” She sighed even more heavily. “His late brother Gino’s fiancée is driving me crazy. There’s something…I don’t know. Something Marc hasn’t told me about his relationship with her.”

Okay, so this was a conversation she needed to be having with Marc. “Have you talked with him about her?”

Angelina shook her head. “We haven’t really had a chance.”

“Bullshit, and you know it.”

She looked taken aback at first, then nodded and smiled sheepishly. “Yeah.” She looked down at her lap. “I think I’m afraid of hearing the answers to my questions.”

“You know he’ll tell you the truth. He’s already been bitten in the ass once for lying. I can assure you that the man learned his lesson.”

Angelina stared out at the slopes, and Damián followed her gaze. [spoiler deleted]

“I sometimes feel that Marc wears a mask.”

He turned to Angelina again. “He hasn’t worn one at the club for a couple months.”

“Well, he didn’t stop wearing it voluntarily.” She glanced down. “I…um, well, Karla and Cassie and I were…oh, hell, I destroyed his wolf mask last October.”

Damián raised his eyebrows. Damn. He fought the urge to laugh out loud, not wanting to encourage a sub’s bratty behavior, but it was about time someone got rid of that asinine thing. Marc needed to admit who he was, no matter who might have a problem with it. Chances of any of the people he said he was hiding from, especially his parents, ever seeing him in the club were nonexistent. Maybe he wasn’t hiding from them at all, though, but himself.

Realization struck Damián. Just like—

“Marco taught me to ski in college.”

Damián looked up at a stunning Italian woman dressed in an expensive-looking ski outfit he’d guess had never come near touching the snow. She sat down on the bench on the other side of Angelina, who stiffened and inched closer to Damián. Was this the woman Angelina had just been talking about?

“You went to college with Marc?” Angelina asked. He heard the tremor in her voice.

“Yes. I’ll never forget that September he brought me up here to meet his family.”

Angelina clenched and unclenched her hands. Was she debating whether she should deck the woman or just run away from her?

“Mama D’Alessio invited me over last night to welcome Marco home, but I hardly got to speak with him the way you monopolized his time.”

Angelina’s body tensed.

The catty woman bared her claws as she tried to get a rise out of Angelina. Damián hadn’t heard Marc talk about anyone special who had gotten under his skin before he’d enlisted, certainly not like Savannah had affected Damián.

He reached over and squeezed Angelina’s hand. Surely, she knew Marc thought the world of her. How could she think this woman had any influence over Marc anymore, if she ever had?

Angelina sat up taller. “Marc’s his own man and can decide who he wants to spend his time with.”

“Well, I’m just saying you shouldn’t try to keep Marco away from us. We missed him at Christmas especially.”

The woman made it sound like she was more important to the family—or had more of a right to be here—than Angelina.

“Family is very important to both of us, Melissa. I’ve enjoyed meeting his family very much this weekend, but we couldn’t be in two places at once. He spent Christmas with my family.”

Now it was the bitch’s turn to clench her fists. Apparently, Angelina had hit a nerve. Good for her.

Melissa stood and pranced off in a huff, and Angelina’s body relaxed. Soon she began shaking. He caged her chin and forced her to focus on him. “Breathe deeply.” She didn’t respond. “Now, Angelina.”

She took several shallow breaths, but it didn’t erase the tears in her eyes. At least her shaking stopped. He released her face but took her hand and squeezed it. “Just ignore her. She’s only trying to make trouble. Marc’s with you, not her.”

“Thanks. I’m okay.”

“Talk to Marc. Tonight.”

She nodded. “I’ll try.”

“Don’t try. Do it.”

She pulled away. “I’m going up to the room. I’ll probably see you at dinner.”

Damián watched her walk toward the chair lift and wondered if she had any intention of dealing with the issue. Ultimately, that was between her and Marc. He had his hands full...

 

Free and Almost Free Books Available in the Rescue Me Series

For those wanting a free glimpse into the Rescue Me world, you can get started with the FREE introduction, Masters at Arms. This book introduces six characters who will go on to have happily ever after Romances shared about them. (Adam & Karla, Damián & Savannah, Marc, and in a small part here but with more to come later, Grant.)

 

Better yet, because I don’t want you to stop there, I’ve just released a new combination e-book download of the first TWO books in the series—Masters at Arms & Nobody’s Angel—for only 99 cents! You save $3 off the cost of purchasing Nobody’s Angel as a single. Nobody’s Angel introduces you to Angelina and shows her exploration into the world of BDSM, but Marc remained so closed off still in this book, it won’t be until the December release, Somebody’s Angel, that readers will come full circle with this couple. The paperback version of Masters at Arms & Nobody’s Angel is 467 pages long, so this is a bargain at 99 cents! You’ll find buy links to all of my books, which currently are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks, Kobo, Apple, and Smashwords, at my Ahh, Kallypso…the stories you tell blog page.

Here also are the direct links to this new title at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

 

Giveaway Time! Free eBook in the Rescue Me Series!


At each of the 15 stops, I’ll be gifting one randomly chosen reader a copy of a book in the Rescue Me Series (a $4.99 value), chosen from Nobody’s Hero, Nobody’s Perfect, or the soon-to-be-released Somebody’s Angel. Fill out the Rafflecopter for your chance(s) to win! As with all of my giveaways, this is open internationally. And we’ll also send through the mail some cool swag items, including this red Ka-thunk! pen, hand fan, a Masters Brat button, and other cool stuff!




 

Next Stop!

Your next stop in this blog tour will be at For The Love of Books (www.ftlobblog.blogspot.com ), previous stop was http://www.bookishandbushytailed.com . You also can get links to all of the blogs at my own Ahh, Kallypso…the stories you tell blog. By Friday, we’ll be sure to update with the direct links to each of the entries so you can follow easily and start gathering those answers to the 15 trivia questions!