Wednesday, February 27, 2013

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DUSTY CRABTREE!


In case you haven't seen it on Facebook, Dusty Crabtree is throwing a huge party for Shadow Eyes's one-year anniversary - a one-month blog tour!


To top it all off, Dusty is giving away a KINDLE FIRE along with other prizes!


It all began on her blog with a list of tour stops and a link at the bottom to Rafflecopter. Below are the links to all the stops.

Let the games begin! And may the odds be ever in your favor…

February 24th – The Paperback Princess (Why Young Adult Urban Fantasy?)

February 25 – Little Hyuts (Shadow Eyes Behind the Scenes Excerpt)

February 26th – Nomi’s Paranormal Palace (Author Interview)

February 27th – More Than a Review (Review)

February 28th – Tina’s Book Reviews (Writing about Teen Issues from a Moral Perspective)

March 1 – YA Book Addict (Review)

March 2 – Living Fictitiously (Personal Experience in Shadow Eyes)

March 3 – Colorimetry (Author Interview)

March 4 – Melissa’s Bookshelf (The Story of My Cover Art)

March 5 – Becky’s Barmy Book Blog (Writerly Tips and Tricks)

March 6 – A Reading Daydreamer (Inspiration Behind Shadow Eyes)

March 7 - Ja citam, a ti? (Review)

March 8 – Urban Fantasy Reviews (The Theme of Hope in Shadow Eyes)

March 9 – Deborah’s Books (Review)

March 10 – Sharon Ledwith (5 Truths and 3 Lies)

March 11 – Coffee, Books, and Me (Cast for Hypothetical Shadow Eyes Movie)

March 12 - Blkosiner Book Blog (My Soundtrack for Shadow Eyes)

March 13 – Heart of a Bookworm (Review)

March 14 – Books are Sanity (My Journey in Becoming an Author)

March 15 – Buried in Books (Top 10 Ways I Shape a Character)

March 16 – For What It’s Worth (Top 10 Favorite Quotes from Shadow Eyes)

March 17 – Sarah Daniel (Character Interview with Patrick)

March 18 – Helen Katsnis (Author Interview)

March 19 – Anatea’s Bookshelf (My Top 5 Favorite Book Series)

March 20 – Reading Under the Stars (Review)

March 21 – Leisure Reads (Inspiration for the Main Character Iris)

March 22 – Books, Books, and More Books (Review)

March 23 – Book Briefs (Review)

Click the Rafflecopter image below to take you to the Rafflecopter giveaway where you can enter all sorts of different ways! Don’t forget you can post a comment on all the

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Have a wonderful week. I'll be back Monday with regency author Susan Lodge. Until then...

Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

Monday, February 25, 2013

MICHAELA’S EXPERIMENT
Book two in the Sex: Outlawed Series
Jan Springer
ISBN 978-1-78184-116-7
Total E-Bound Publishing
Ménage à trois


BUY LINK

BLURB:
When Michaela Long discovers a friend is engaged in illegal sex experiments, Michaela is forced to experience the same forbidden pleasures...

After learning her friend, Anica Maine, is engaged in illegal sex with the rebels, Michaela Long avoids a mind erase by volunteering to participate in a sizzling hot sexual experiment.

Doctors Flynn Campbell and Bryce Davids are immediately attracted to the cute brunette and swiftly introduce Michaela to incredible pleasure with their scorching ménages. Easily addicted, Michaela is determined to keep her newfound enjoyment and her sexy men a secret, even if it means facing Elimination if they are caught.

EXCERPT:

Earth Year 2304, Biosphere A1Z9

The moment she entered her boss Anica Maine’s apartment, intriguing moans whispered through the living room, making a rush of alarm snap through Michaela. Instantly she located the room’s Red Alert button on a nearby wall.

If she touched it, the Order of Authority would arrive immediately and assist. She took a step towards it but another seductive whimper drifted down the nearby hallway, stopping her cold.

The soft sound belonged to a female. Anica? She didn’t sound distressed. Contrary, she appeared to be enjoying something. But what in the world was she doing to create such unique noises?

A familiar flush of excitement zipped through Michaela and she bit her bottom lip and paused. Unfortunately, over the past several weeks her excitement had been getting her into a bit of trouble. She’d been warned by the Order of Authority to get herself adjusted yet again for her emotion problem or risk Elimination. Numerous attempts to curb her excitement by the OA had been unsuccessful and it was why she refused to push that Red Alert button now.

If nothing was wrong in Anica’s apartment and Michaela alerted the OA, it was one more black mark against her. One step closer to Elimination.

She blew out a frustrated sigh. She just wanted a peaceful existence, but the interesting sounds intrigued her, luring her deeper into the apartment. Michaela tiptoed down the hallway to Anica’s sleeping room and froze in the open doorway.

Sweet biosphere! What is going on here?

A volley of grunts, moans and naked flesh greeted her. Limbs were tangled together as three people writhed on the air bed. Her friend Anica was one of them! She was intertwined with two males, with her waist-length honey-blonde hair being illegally dishevelled. Her hourglass figure gleamed pink with exertion and sparkled beautifully with perspiration.

What in the world were they doing?

Anica was lying face down, the length of her body fully upon a brown-haired male who lay face up. Kneeling between their wide-spread legs was a black-haired male, his hips pistoning madly against Anica’s naked behind.

A low keening exploded from Anica. The foreign sound...the shocking scene...they made Michaela...excited. The exquisite expressions of joy lacing their flushed faces seemed to her...curious.

But why wasn’t Michaela feeling what Anica was so obviously enjoying?

Press the panic button. This is abnormal. Illegal!

But if she did that, the authorities would come, and because of the seriousness of what was happening here, whatever it was, the OA would bypass re-adjustment and go straight to Eliminating Anica. And more than likely Eliminate Michaela too, for simply watching.

Despair pushed away her excitement. Have mercy, she was so in trouble just seeing this, whatever this was. She should leave. They hadn’t seen her yet. The males were too involved with Anica.

BUY LINK



Jan Springer lives in Ontario, Canada and writes full time. She enjoys kayaking, hiking, photography and gardening. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Passionate Ink and The Author’s Guild. She also loves hearing from her readers.

Learn more about Jan Springer on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.


I'll be back Wednesday with a new menu. Until then...

Happy Reading!

Sloane Taylor
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

It's Wednesday. So What's Cooking?

How about Carrie’s Best Ever Homemade Pancakes from my good friend, romance author Marci Boudreaux? I've made these and they are marvelous. Take it away, Marci!

Widow Carrie Gable, the heroine in Unforgettable You, has taken over the role of caregiver for her ailing mother-in-law Doreen. Determined the keep the woman in her family home for as long as possible, Carrie has agreed to board several movie stars who are filming in her small town. Though resentful of the demands placed upon her, Carrie does her best to abide by the wishes of her guests, even when she finds them over the top.

When health conscious starlet Juliet Ramirez insists that her hostess stop tempting her with fried meat and eggs at breakfast, Carrie agrees but refuses to remove her signature pancakes off the menu because, as she insists, serving breakfast without pancakes goes against everything she’s ever learned about being a good hostess.

Carrie’s Best Ever Homemade Pancakes

Dry Ingredients:
2 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
5 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. sugar
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon

Liquid Ingredients:
2 ½ cups milk
2 ½ tsp. white vinegar
2 eggs
6 tbsp. melted butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Fresh fruit can be added if desired. Frozen fruit can change the texture of the batter, fresh is better.

Mix vinegar and milk together and set aside for five minutes to sour. (2 ½ C buttermilk can be used in place of soured milk.)

Whisk dry ingredients together into large bowl.

In separate bowl, mix eggs, soured milk, and vanilla. Slowly mix in cooled melted butter.

Add liquid mixture to dry mixture and whisk until combined. Fold in fruit if desired.

Pour ¼ cup portions onto hot griddle lightly coated with cooking spray. Flip with spatula once edges brown.

Serve hot with your favorite syrup.

Here's a little from Unforgettable You for your reading pleasure.

Is their love strong enough to survive their real lives?

Desperate to keep her ailing mother-in-law Doreen in the family home, Carrie Gable agrees to board a few of Hollywood’s elite actors. Despite her resentment of their demands, she can’t stop her attraction to actor Will Walker.

Will, out to save his failing career, agrees to a project that bores him. The more time he spends with his egotistical co-stars, the more drawn he is to their hostess. Long nights talking with Carrie make him realize he wants a simpler life, but his ties to L.A. refuse to let him go.

The temptation to regain stardom pulls Will in one direction while the obligation to family tugs Carrie in another. Against all odds, the couple struggles for a solution to save their new found happiness.

To read an excerpt from Unforgettable You, please click HERE.

Check out the trailer for Unforgettable You HERE.

Learn more about Marci Boudreaux on her website. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

I'll be back Monday with with the Queen of Hot Jan Springer. Until then...

Please pass the syrup!

Sloane Taylor
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

Monday, February 18, 2013

Reading Feeds the Soul

by Eleni Konstantine


For the last year, I had been part of conference committee and I also began studying. So much of my spare time was tied up with those activities that I noticed that my reading had gone downhill. My current reads are at 25 for 2012 whereas in 2011 I had read 74 books. That’s quite a difference. Please check out my reading list at Eleni’s Library.

The other thing I noticed was I felt down that I couldn’t get more reading done. Gone were the days when I used to read all night. With chronic fatigue syndrome, if I’m tired, I can’t read past a few pages.

That is very sad. Don’t you think?

I’m of the belief that reading feeds the soul, especially the writer’s soul. Nothing is like escaping into a book, reading about events and characters as if it were happening right in front of you. And when that isn’t happening - it’s like losing a piece of yourself.

I was finding that my own writing and creativity suffered because of this. I couldn’t really get settled into my work. Editing was fine (thank goodness because I had releases to work on), but writing something new felt stifled. No new idea grabbed hold or felt right.

However for the first time in months, I wrote something new the other day. It’s different, and still forming, but I like the basic idea.

Why the change?

Conference is over for 2012, I dropped a couple of subjects at school and I’ve started reading more again. In the last month, I have read six stories. Not all of them were novel length, but it’s still more reading than I’ve done for ages. I feel so much better for it.

My muse is rubbing her hands together and saying, “Yes, we can work on this and this, and that. Oh, and this one as well.”

It’s a good feeling to have choices for writing after a year where it really didn’t seem to.

How about you - does reading feed your soul?

~Eleni


Zeta will protect the one she loves, even if it means living in Hell.

Mastering a unique power was much safer for Zeta Kosmos with a mentor to help her along. Now that he’s disappeared, Zeta must continue alone with her calling—closing Gateways to Hell.

Daniel Richards is in the family business—Warding supernatural evil from causing havoc on humans. As such, he’s only interested in the safety of one-night stands. Until Zeta. This bad boy now wants a long, lasting relationship.

But Zeta can’t let go of her past, nor can she ignore the secret demonic threats against Daniel’s life. She’d rather fight demonic spawn and be dragged into Hell than allow anything happen to him. Can Daniel convince her to stay? Will she have to pay the ultimate price?

To read an excerpt from Gateway to Hell, please click HERE.

Eleni Konstantine is Fantasy and Paranormal fiction writer, with a number of shorts published. Her stories range from flash fiction to novels. She blames her mother for her writing bug because as a child she was given many books, including illustrated fairytales. That and a love of Greek mythology, and Eleni was destined to become a writer.

Eleni lives in Adelaide, Australia, with her family and feisty American Staffy.

Learn more about Eleni Konstantine on her website and blog.

I'll be back Wednesday with a new menu. Until then...

Happy Reading!

Sloane Taylor
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Free from Musa Publishing and Sara Daniel

In celebration of the most romantic holiday of the year, Musa Publishing is offering every romantic a free download of Second Chance Valentine by Sara Daniel. Click HERE to claim a copy, then sit back and enjoy.


What would you do if you got a second chance at love…with your husband's best friend?

Rick has always been a shoulder for his best friend's widow to lean on, but to him she will always belong to his friend. Gianna is ready to move on with her life, and no other man affects her like Rick. To give them both a second chance at love and life, Gianna must convince him that her husband would have wanted him to be the man she moves on with.

EXCERPT:
Gianna Viterelli-Smith was conspicuously single as she followed the maître d’ to the table for two. The beachfront restaurant on Florida’s southeast coast was elegant and in demand on a slow day. Today, Valentine’s Day, was not a slow day. In fact, it was impossible to get a table unless one had made their reservation weeks in advance, which Gianna had.

She might not have been on a date in over four years, but she had made the decision to jump back in the dating pool and try again. What better time to start than the mushiest, most romance-friendly day of the year?

LINK TO FREE READ

Learn more about Sara Daniel on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

Be sure to subscribe to Sara’s newsletter for updates on her latest books and contests.

I'll be back Monday with Eleni Konstantine and next Wednesday with a new menu. Until then...

Happy Reading!

Sloane

Monday, February 11, 2013

A Highly Recommended Read

LETHAL REFUGE, a spine-tingling suspense novel by Vonnie Hughes, is set in seldom seen New Zealand. The story griped and held me because Hughes expertly wove fear throughout while adding twists and just enough reality to make the story plausible. LETHAL REFUGE is a book I believe you all will enjoy. It left me afraid to turn the lights off.

LETHAL REFUGE
Vonnie Hughes
Print ISBN 1-60154-996-2
The Wild Rose Press


Available in both paperback and e-book from:
The Wild Rose Press
Amazon

Who can you trust if you can’t trust your own mother? Through the clammy fog, Celie Francis hears the chilling message. “I know who you are, Celie. I know where you live.” And in the terrifying aftermath she reconnects with her dysfunctional family in ways she had never imagined.

BLURB:
Abused and abandoned as a child, Célie Francis knows better than to trust anyone. But after she witnesses a murder, she's placed in the Unit "New Zealand's witness protection program" where she's expected to trust strangers with her life.

It's psychologist Brand Turner's job to ease witnesses into their new identities, not to protect them, but Célie stirs feelings in him that are far from professional. When it appears someone is leaking critical information that could endanger Célie, Brand will do anything to protect her. But first he has to convince her to trust him.

Adrift in a frightening world, Célie would like to believe the handsome psychologist is everything he seems, but as witnesses are murdered and danger swirls around them, Célie must decide "can she trust Brand with her life?

EXCERPT:
Célie Francis ran faster than she ever had in her life. Fingers of fog rolling in from the sea grabbed at her as her feet alternately flew and stuttered over the uneven pavement of the ocean road.

Where was he? How much time did she have?
The wash of the sea was a calm counterpoint to her harsh, frantic breathing. Above the sound of her thudding feet, the shriek of a bird pierced the air.

No, not a bird. Something was squeaking. Occy’s old bicycle.

He had found her.

Faster, Célie, faster, shouted the little man on the treadmill in her mind.

I can’t, she sobbed.

Fancy the consequences?

No God, no!

Then run faster.

But her aching legs could not obey. And on the roadway the relentless squeak, squeak kept pace with her.

Frantically she zigzagged, seeking a haven in the fog. It was barely dawn on the lonely North Auckland cliffs above the Pacific Ocean. No help anywhere.

Have to hide. Have to hide. Her shoes slapped a rhythm.

Salty sweat stung her eyes. Ignore it.

The slap of her running shoes echoed then died in the mist. Died...

Her brain, tumbling in an endless whirl of fear and futile questions asked—-why Occy? Why had he killed a man this time?

Up ahead loomed a deep grey cloud of mist. Thank you, God. She blasted into the fog bank and the squeaking receded behind her. This is your chance, the little man said.

Veering off the sidewalk, she streaked across a pristine lawn and crouched behind a lavender bush. Her chest heaving, she struggled to gulp another breath of sodden air.

Squeeeak. He was back. This was it. Eyes streaming, she curled into a ball on the cold ground and waited.

Something yellow zinged past her face and tickled her arm. A needle-sharp sting pierced her elbow, then another. Bees, irritated by her invasion, were trying to drive her out. No you won’t. What’s out there is a lot worse than what you can do, bees. As the pinpricks tingled and burned, she pressed her lips together so hard that the muscles on the side of her face ached.

Louder now, the squeaking advanced and receded. He was casting up and down, looking for her. Please, please...

A sibilant whisper reached her through the clammy fog. “I know who you are, Célie. I know where you live.”

Available in both paperback and e-book from:
The Wild Rose Press
Amazon

Learn more about Vonnie Hughes on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Goodreads.

I'll be back Wednesday with a new menu. Until then...

Happy Reading!

Sloane Taylor
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

Wednesday, February 06, 2013

A Tasty Treat is Berry Dark Chocolate Pie

Dusty Crabtree dropped in today to help me out while I conquer edits on soon to be released novels. Her book and recipe are both awesome. Take it away, Dusty. :)


I've been an overly creative person, my mind constantly swimming with artistic things and creative ideas. Before I started writing, that creativity often found an outlet in cooking. I started with intricate recipes, then added my own spin on them, and turned some of them into my own.

This is one of my favorite creations, mainly because I absolutely love berries and chocolate together! It's tart and fruity with the intense dark sweetness of chocolate.

Also, seeing as how Iris, the main character in my YA urban fantasy Shadow Eyes, has violet eyes and her favorite color is naturally purple, I thought this strikingly dark purple pie would definitely be fitting. I hope it wins you over like it would Iris.


Berry Dark Chocolate Pie
2 chocolate piecrusts
16 oz. package frozen blackberries, thawed and drained or 2 cups fresh
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
½ cup blackberry jam
3-4 tbsp. or ½ package of Jell-O sugar-free chocolate fudge pudding mix
1/3 cup lemon juice
½ tsp. almond extract or vanilla extract if preferred
1 container 8 or 9 oz whipped topping
1-2 oz. dark chocolate squares, grated or shaved or use chips

Combine blackberries, sweetened condensed milk, blackberry jam, pudding mix, lemon juice, and almond extract. Beat on medium high speed until well blended and thick, about 2 minutes.

Spoon blackberry cream mixture over 2 chocolate crusts evenly. Refrigerate for a total of 4 hours.

After about 1 hour, top with whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings. Continue to refrigerate for another 3 hours or until set.

Serves 16

While the pie is chilling, pour yourself a lovely glass of wine and curl up with Shadow Eyes.

Iris thought she could ignore the shadows...until they went after everyone she loved.


BLURB:
Iris Kohl lives in a world populated by murky shadows that surround, harass, and entice unsuspecting individuals toward evil. But she is the only one who can see them. She’s had this ability to see the shadows, as well as brilliantly glowing light figures, ever since an obscure, tragic incident on her fourteenth birthday three years earlier.

Although she’s learned to cope, the view of her world begins to shift upon the arrival of three mysterious characters. First, a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows; second, a new friend with an awe-inspiring aura; and third, a mysterious and alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend.

As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, she must ultimately revisit the most horrific event of her life in order to learn her true identity and become the hero she was meant to be.

EXCERPT:
I meandered slowly to my locker. Even though I didn’t need anything, I rummaged through it as if I were searching for a tool on a job that paid by the hour. The longer I waited, the less people and, therefore, shadows would be waiting for me when I stepped into the parking lot.

I hated crowds and tried to avoid them as much as possible. Three years of dealing with the visions had taught me how to cope in various ways, but I’d never gotten used to walking among herds of people that were ignorant of the truth I was forced to see. It was like being the only one wearing ultraviolet glasses that unveiled every germ and bacteria around me and having to constantly witness unsuspecting people touching things and getting into things that are disgusting and potentially dangerous. Some people would feel lucky to have such insight. Me? I felt trapped, helpless, and exposed.

Luckily, since it was Friday, everyone wanted to get away from school as quickly as possible. By the time I stepped outside, the parking lot was basically empty. Only a few cars belonging to football players remained.

I began to trek the long distance to my car, which was at the end of the lot due to my near tardiness every day for the same reason I always left late. However, even though the lot was void of people, a couple of dark figures loomed over and around a yellow Camaro to my right. I recognized it as Marcus Beaman’s new car. He was a well-known football player and had been bragging about the birthday present for three months since he got it in June.

Why were these shadows out in the parking lot without any humans around? The bizarreness of it made me pause, and my mind began fabricating all possible explanations—none of which I could do anything about. Lost in my thoughts, I must have peered at them with critical eyes just a tad longer than was safe. One of them stopped, inclined its head to glare at me, and flashed an evil grin. I shuddered, closing my eyes tightly in an attempt to erase the image and pretend the scene away as I cowered toward my car like a timid little girl.

I threw open the driver’s side door, jumped in, tossing my backpack on the passenger seat, buckled my seatbelt, and locked the doors. As if that would help.

Watch Shadow Eyes book trailer on YouTube.

BUY LINK

Learn more about Dusty Crabtree on her blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

I'll be back Monday with the Queen of Hot Jan Springer. Until then...

Happy Reading!

Sloane Taylor
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

Monday, February 04, 2013

Like Tiger and Vin, only prettier

by Holley Trent

There’s this bit in my new release Her Resident Jester where my protagonist, Shane, waxes poetic about her identity:

I’d almost forgotten about that ultrasound. I didn’t generally volunteer for medical studies, but one of my coworkers’ kids was on the investigative team and I got strong-armed into it because I’m from an underrepresented ethnic group. That is to say no particular ethnic group. I’m more mixed up than Vin Diesel, but far less coy about it. I leave that to Marcia. She’s really uptight about that sh*t.

Shane and Marcia are sisters (you’ll meet Marcia formally in April in Love by Premonition), and constituents of the Great American Melting Pot. They can’t simply itemize what they are, because at some point in the family tree the colors blur. They’re sort of a lot of things and nothing in particular.

Shane’s fine with that. She’s okay with her ambiguity and having people ask her about it. Culturally, she’s North Carolinian, Southern, and American. Marcia is far more sensitive about her perceived identity. She’s not self-hating, exactly, but as a lapsed physicist, she sort of likes being able to put things into neat little boxes. So, when people question her on what she is (and isn’t), she dances around the subject and deflects. It’s not easy for her to answer, and she doesn’t like other people guessing about it, either. She could hedge and say “I’m black,” but she isn’t. Bi-racial wouldn’t be accurate, either. Tri-racial would work, but it’d be imprecise.

Shane doesn’t mind imprecision so much, but it makes Marcia twitchy.

I made this a “thing” with Marcia because I think people should sometimes come in shades of gray (even if they don’t have cool names for themselves like Cablinasian)…and I think sometimes they should be sensitive about not having a tidy label.

Although I identify very well with characters like Shane and Marcia (good luck trying to itemize all my components), they make requesting cover art extremely tedious. I could spend an hour scanning through stock art depositories looking for models who are suitably ambiguous and only come up with one or two.

For Her Resident Jester, we stepped around that casting issue and put the hot doctor Derek on the cover instead of Shane or a couple. (Isn’t he pretty?) We’ll see what happens with Marcia’s story.

Here’s the gist of Her Resident Jester:

Marketing executive Shane Andrews’s reluctant participation in a research study leads to the stunning discovery she needs immediate surgery.

Out of sorts, and in a moment of spectacular tactlessness, she insults a man wearing a red rubber nose and big floppy shoes. He turns out to be Derek Palmer: Edenton’s hottest young surgeon…and the resident observing her operation.

With her body and pride both on the mend, Shane hides out to prevent further humiliation. She can’t avoid the gorgeous clown too long, however. Edenton is a small town, and Derek isn’t content with letting her wallow. What kind of clown would he be if he did?

Her Resident Jester is available for purchase in most major eBook formats at the Musa store and also at third-party retailers like Amazon and All Romance eBooks.

To learn more about Holley Trent, visit her website or watch her navel gaze on Twitter.