Thursday, September 6, 2018

She's one of them.... #Paranormal #Romance #Aliens @AbbeyMacMunn

Violet Souls tag line

Blurb

While searching for clues to her past, shy single mum, Bree Mills discovers a subculture of aliens with supernatural abilities living on Earth.

And she’s one of them.

Finding herself hurled into a world of possibilities, it’s made more alluring by Quinn Taylor, the violet-eyed Evoxian from her childhood dreams.

324-year-old Quinn knows his destiny is entwined with Bree’s, but before he can confess his love, he must wait for her to sense the Akui, a mysterious force tied with ancient Evoxian law.

At a Cotswolds country manor, passions awaken and ignite a love more magical than the once-Utopian planet, Evox. Then Fate delivers a cruel and heart-breaking blow when Bree is kidnapped by a malicious alien who wants her and her power.

Will Quinn be there for her when she’s faced with protecting her half-human daughter… whatever the cost?

Buy Links - only 99 cents from now until September 9th!







Excerpt

Bree perched on the edge of the sofa. “Did you hear about the attack at the local shop?”

Yeah, it’s all over Facebook,” her sister replied.

I was there.”

Shit. Are you okay?”

I’m fine. Someone saved me.” Her cheeks warmed. “It turns out he has the same pendant as me, and similar, violet-coloured eyes.”

He?” Jane raised an eyebrow. Ruby red lips twitched in a smile. “Brianna Mills! The original Miss I’m-off-guys-forever, actually likes someone. I never thought I’d see the day.”

No, I don’t…well, maybe I do, but that’s not it.”

They laughed, and Jane made immature wolf whistle sounds.
Okay, okay.” She let Jane have her fun before continuing. “Jane, I need to tell you something.”

Yes, something huge, you said that already. Spill.”

It’s amazing…or weird, depending on your views.” She bit her lip. What if Jane freaked out?

Get it off your chest, sis.”

You know how I’ve always been a bit different to other people?” She took a breath, then blurted out the words as she exhaled. “It’s because I’m not from this planet.”

What?

You heard.”

Are you mad?”

No, I’m not mad.” She fidgeted on the sofa’s edge. “All I know is that it’s the most extraordinary feeling, Jane. I finally have a sense of who I am.”

Jane folded her arms. Her mouth opened to say something and then clamped shut again, repeatedly, like a goldfish. Bree imagined the expression on Jane’s face was something similar to how she must have looked when Quinn had told her. Except Jane didn’t have the ruggedly handsome Quinn Taylor gazing back at her with those intense, soul-piercing eyes of his. Alluring amethyst eyes.

What do you think, Jane? Weird or amazing?”

Please be okay with this.

Jane took a few moments to answer. “Weird…but in a good way, I think.” She rubbed her temple as though trying to make sense of it all. “Bloody hell, I feel like I’m in a science fiction movie or something.”

Yeah, that’s what I thought. But it is amazing, isn’t it?”

If you think so, Bree.”

The hesitation in her sister’s voice didn’t go unnoticed. “I do, Jane, more than anything.” Bree flung her arms around her sister and squeezed tight.

Jane returned the hug, much to her relief. “Ooh, I’m hugging an alien. Now that is weird!”



About the Author

 
Abbey MacMunn writes paranormal and fantasy romance. She lives in Hampshire, UK, with her husband and their four children.
When she’s not writing, she likes to watch films and TV shows – anything from rom-coms to superheroes to science fiction movies.
She is a proud member of the Romantic Novelists' Association.


Contact Links


Twitter @abbeymacmunn







Wednesday, September 5, 2018

What is she running to? #BookBlitz #Giveaway #SciFi @edhoornaert


Runaway Moms banner


The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Check out my review of this book here.


Blurb

When her abusive lover tries to take custody of her baby, Audra flees where even he can’t follow: the aliens’ forbidden cities underneath Kwadra Island.

But can the safety she wants for her daughter survive a search party, violent alien criminals—and the love of an emotionally damaged Kwadran?



Excerpt

The Kwadran let out a sigh before plopping to the damp ground beside her. She cringed away from him.

Frightened, lost little cheechako. Look up there. Go ahead, look.”

No matter how she stared, though, she didn’t see an eight-foot oval ventilation shaft into the hillside. No illicit backdoor into a safe haven in the now-abandoned underworld where Kwadrans had holed up when the environment of their alternate Earth went bad.

What do you see?” he asked.

She had no reason to play his game. Also no reason not to. “Okay, okay. I see an overgrown granite cliff. A bunch of trees, half of them dying—your forest isn’t adapting well to this Earth. Some bright red berries. A bunch of bushes. And a guy I don’t trust.”

His eyes twinkled. She was hard-pressed not to smile.

Notice anything about the bushes?” he asked.

They’re, you know…bushes, okay?” Stroking the downy blond hair atop Roxie’s head, Audra looked again. “I have no idea what kind they are, if that’s what you’re after.”

He waited. Though this conversation was weird, it didn’t feel threatening, so she looked uphill again.

And after several seconds, she saw something.

Something invisible.

A hundred feet uphill, shrubs were bending to and fro as though in a stiff breeze—yet she felt no wind. Feeling like Lewis and Clark exploring the wilderness, she licked her forefinger and held it up in all directions. No breeze.

It’s wind from the ventilation shaft’s fans!” She was inordinately pleased with herself, even though she didn’t care what this guy thought. Obviously.

The twinkle spread from his eyes to his whole face, revealing a different man underneath his impassive, unresponsive exterior. He was the opposite of Kwadra Island. Its buried cities were old and abandoned, but his buried features were young and full of life. For a second—maybe two—she was so startled by the change that she yearned to trust him.



About the Author

Edward Hoornaert is not only an author of science fiction, romance, and non-fiction, he's also a certifiable Harlequin Hero; he inspired N.Y. Times bestselling author Vicki Lewis Thompson to write her favorite Harlequin Desire, Mr. Valentine, which was dedicated to him. In the past, he wrote contemporary romances for Silhouette Books, but these days he writes science fiction adventures—usually with elements of romance. In addition to novelist, he has been a teacher, technical writer, salesman, janitor, and symphonic oboist.

After having 30 different addresses in his first 28 years, his rolling stone slowed in the mountains of British Columbia and stopped in Tucson, Arizona. His high school sweetheart has been his wife for more years than he has fingers and toes to count. Ed and Judi have three sons, a daughter, a mutt, and the Milky Way Galaxy's most adorable grandsons.

Contact info

email: edhoornaert [at] yahoo [dot] com


Join Ed’s World newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Psqmn



Buy links








a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, September 3, 2018

Two Free Erotic Romance Novels @Apky11162 #freebooks #newrelease #EroticRomance



Happy Monday!

Just popping in to share the news that my friend and colleague A P von K’Ory has dropped the price of the first two books in her Golden Shana series to zero, to celebrate the launch of the third volume, The Untouchable.

You can download both books to your Kindle here:


My review of Golden Shana: The Chase is here and Golden Shana:The Capture, here. Don’t miss your chance to read this original and dramatic erotic romance – at zero risk.

Meanwhile, I am eager to read the third installment of Roman’s and Shana’s story, available now:




Job Interviews are Changing - #hockey #sportsromance #romcom #99cents @LindaOConnor98

Job hunter

By Linda O’Connor (Guest Blogger)

Have you ever walked out of an interview wishing you could go back and do it over?

Well, maybe you shouldn’t beat yourself up – there are probably more factors than you think influencing the hiring process, and there’s growing evidence questioning the usefulness of the traditional interview process. Professor Jason Dana of the Yale School of Management has done some fascinating research. I caught the podcast of his interview (Ha!) on CBC radio Spark with Nora Young. Prof Dana pointed out that the common “tell me about yourself” open-ended type questions might not be the best predictors for job success. It’s often used, but an interviewer has to be somewhat arrogant to believe that they can accurately assess someone based on their first fleeting impression.

If the purpose of an interview is to determine if a candidate will be the best “fit” for a company, then there has to be well-defined parameters for what that entails. Having some standardization in the interview process is an improvement, but even more useful is asking the candidate to perform a task that is typically part of the job. Assessing skills or having the person work briefly in the job setting, rather than trying to assess personality traits after a short first impression, gives a more accurate measure of the candidate’s ability. Whatever the process, if you’re heading to an interview or an audition, smile, make eye contact, be enthusiastic and confident, and keep in mind that interviews can be just as challenging for the interviewer!

In Beyond the Face-Off, Kelly Danali sails through auditions and doesn’t have any trouble being in the limelight. For Jake Ross, though, it’s a different story…



Kelly Danali has a big personality. She runs a pharmacy by day and lights up the local theatre scene by night. There’s nothing she craves more than a spot in the limelight. Jake Ross is a homegrown hockey star. He’s been traded back to the Clarington Quakes and spends most of his time avoiding the press and hockey-crazed fans.

Kelly wants to curb an alarming trend of drug abuse in local teens, and Jake, with his athleticism and sex appeal, would be the perfect spokesperson. Except there’s one problem – there’s nothing Jake craves more than privacy and solitude.

Jake finds Kelly irresistible and skates around the possibility of falling in love, but is she more attracted to hockey, fame, or him?
There’s more to love…Beyond the Face-Off.

Beyond the Face-Off is only 99cents. Buy it here: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G6XMD6B

About the Author


Award-winning author Linda O’Connor started writing romantic comedies when she needed a creative outlet other than subtly rearranging the displays at a local home décor store. Her books have enjoyed bestseller status. When not writing, she’s a physician at an Urgent Care Clinic. She shares her medical knowledge in fast-paced, well-written, sexy romances – with an unexpected twist. Her favourite prescription to write? Laugh every day. Love every minute.

Linda loves to connect with readers ~


Sunday, September 2, 2018

Charity Sunday: Girls Who Code – #femtech #GirlsWhoCode #mentoring #CharitySunday

Charity Sunday banner


Welcome to another Charity Sunday! 

What’s the deal here? Once a month, I give you an introduction to a cause I think is worth supporting, plus an excerpt from one of my books (often related). Then, for every comment you leave, I donate one dollar to the charity of the month. So please – if you're here at the blog, don’t just read this silently! Take the time to comment at least briefly, and make a difference!

Today I am supporting Girls Who Code, a non-profit focused on increasing the technology literacy of females, helping them to acquire skills that improve their employment prospects as well as their self-esteem. My cause today is quite personal, since I’m a female techie myself. I’m fortunate I had the chance to learn programming, which has led to a challenging, fun and well-paying career.  

A lot of girls are discouraged from pursuing tech-related interests. The media tend to present the world of computers as a male domain. Most Silicon Valley companies are led by men and the dominant culture is pretty female hostile. Popular culture treats male nerds as genius superheros and female nerds as unattractive weirdos.



Actually, I wanted to support the Dharavi Diary project, which focuses on teaching girls in one of the worst slums in Mumbai, India. However, I couldn’t find any obvious way to donate. I’ll keep looking.

Another reason for choosing this charity today is that it’s very similar to one I created in my fiction. In The Gazillionaire and the Virgin, the awkward but brilliant hero Theo grew up in the slums of Los Angeles. Now a professor of Computer Science at Stanford University, he has founded Code in the Hood to offer computer-related training and mentoring to slum kids, both male and female. My heroine Rachel, who’s an equally smart Silicon Valley entrepreneur, organizes a benefit cocktail party to solicit donations for Code in the Hood from her billionaire peers. Shy and socially uncomfortable, Theo’s reluctant to go along with her plan, but Rachel knows how much his pet charity means to him. Here's an excerpt that sets the scene:




I wait until the fundraiser’s all arranged before getting in touch. I don’t want to give him too much time to obsess about the prospect. I call him from home, about seven a.m. My spies have discovered he’s a morning person.

Um—hello?” His voice is a bit gravelly, but deeper and more sonorous than I’d remembered.

Hello Theo. This is Rachel Zelinsky.” Dont hang up, I think during the ten second pause that follows. Dont even consider it.

Oh—um... Hi, Rachel.”

So far so good. I wait for him to continue, but he’s silent.

How are you?” I prompt, finally.

Okay.” Two beats. “And you?”

I’m great. Busy, but that’s normal. Anyway, I’m calling about the fundraiser.”

Huh? What are you talking about?”

For Code in the Hood. Remember? I told you when we met I’d try to organize an event to raise more cash for your organization.”

Oh, yeah, right. I thought you were just being polite.”

I chuckle. “Not at all. As you’ll learn when you get to know me better, when I say I’m going to do something, I do it. So it’s all set, for seven tomorrow night, at the Computer Museum in Mountain View. I’ll pick you up around six. 1263 Redondo Palms Avenue, right?”

Ah—ach—what? No! No, I can’t, Rachel!” He sounds as though he’s choking. “Really—you don’t need me. I’m grateful, but—”

We most emphatically do need you, Theo. You’re the founder of CIH, its public face, the man behind its success. People want to meet you.”

Oh, God—what kind of people?” He’s breathing heavily, almost hyperventilating.

Rich people. People who want to give you money to help the poor kids in the ghetto learn about modern technology. Millionaires, Theo. Billionaires!”

I don’t want to meet them...” He’s almost inaudible.

You’ve no choice, Theo, not if you care about CIH. Look, you don’t have to make a speech or anything. Just attend the function with me. Smile, Drink a bit of champagne. Shake people’s hands. I assume you have brochures and other PR material, right?”

Yes, yes....”

Bring that and let my people pass it out. Then all you have to do is be yourself, Theo. Share your passion for CIH, and let these people see how they can make a difference. I guarantee that if you follow my instructions, you’ll rake in at least a couple million in one evening.”

A couple million? You’re kidding.” His astonishment has overwhelmed his anxiety, at least for the moment.

Dr. Moore, another thing about me: I never kid about money.”

Theo is silent. I press my advantage. “The function’s black tie—I love to get dressed up, even if most of the Valley crowd would be happier wearing polo shirts with company logos seven days a week. So I’ve taken the liberty of ordering you a tuxedo. The tailor will deliver it this afternoon, and make alterations if necessary. You will be at home, right? Your department secretary says you have no classes or meetings today.”

Dr. Zelinsky, you have no right to go snooping into my life.” I hear genuine anger in his tone. A little chill shimmers through me. “Talking to my secretary! Finding my street address! What, did you do a secret 3D scan to get my suit measurements? I’m not one of the pawns who inhabit your virtual world. I care about my privacy.”

Sorry—Theo, please, try to understand. I just want to make this as painless as possible for you. I apologize if you feel I’m being intrusive. If I’d asked you whether you wanted a tuxedo, though, you probably would have refused my offer.”

Damn right I would. I’m not wearing some penguin suit just to please you, Rachel Zelinsky.”

A little thrill shoots through me. There’s something about the way my name rolls off his tongue—as though he’d been saying it, or at least thinking it, a lot...

Theo.” I soften my voice, add a note a pleading. “It’s not for me. It’s for the kids in South Central. Can’t you do it for them?”

Humph.” When that’s all he says, I know I’ve won this round.

Pick you up at six. I’m looking forward to seeing you again, Theo.”

He hangs up without any reply.

I find that my nipples are like stone and I’m soaked with sweat.

* * * *

Want to find out what happens at the fundraiser? Get yourself a copy of the book!

Kinky Literature

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In any case- I do hope you’ll leave a comment and help build the next generation of female engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs!

Saturday, September 1, 2018

Doughnuts, vodka and #mermaids... #recipes #guestpost @Lyncee

A Mermaid's Wish cover

By Lyncee Shillard (Guest Blogger)

 
Hi everyone!!!! I’m so glad you stopped by…And thank you Lisabet for hosting me.

Since this is the first time I’ve hung out on Lisabet’s blog, I thought I’d start off by sharing some of fav’s…. doughnuts and vodka. They complete me. :-p

These recipes are featured in my new release A Mermaid’s Wish

While doughnuts are my hands down favorite retreat food, cookies are a close second. And these – A Day at the Beach Cookies– are at the top of my list...

What You'll Need

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
  • ¼ cup coconut vodka
  • ¼ cup pineapple vodka
  • ¼ cup vanilla vodka
  • 1/2 cup flaked coconut

What to Do

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat cookie sheets with cooking spray.
     
    2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
     
    3. In a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, pineapple, and vodka; beat thoroughly. Gradually add flour mixture and blend.
     
    4. Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of coconut. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.
     
    5. Cool slightly and remove from pan with a spatula.

Okay so we have the food covered now let’s move on to the drinks… these are a favorite everywhere I go. Sometimes I think I’m invited just for this drink…

The tropics in a glass…

What you need:

  • 1 1/2 ounces vanilla vodka
  • 1 ounce coconut rum
  • 1/2 ounce cream of coconut
  • Splash of pineapple juice
How to Make It:
  • Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
  • Shake well.
  • Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
  • Garnish with a pineapple wedge and/or coconut flakes.

So when I’m not baking cookies or making drinks, I write.

A Mermaid's Wish

Aislynn gives up her position in Neptune’s court for the chance to experience human emotions. Especially passion. Before her wish is fulfilled, she finds herself the target of a serial killer.

A teaser.... 

(I do this a lot…I can’t help myself…)

Aislynn’s role as a negotiator for Neptune’s court had taught her to divide and conquer. Scott wanted her to work up an entire professional pitch for saving Camille’s homeland and she needed to get Finley to fall in love with her. The computer hummed as Aislynn clicked her way from website to website.

For the campaign to save the land sprit’s homeland Aislynn knew she would need to prove how doing so would improve profits. While the movement to become more environmentally aware was gaining support, the bottom dollar still ruled. She outlined two of her strongest ideas and requested back-up material from several organizations.

Excitedly, she switched over to finding ways to make Finley fall in love with her. She read several articles describing love, how to know if a man loves you, and twenty foolproof ways to make a man fall helplessly in love with you.

And we all know that what we find on the internet is true and excellent advice... ;^)

Come and hang out with me... we will talk about doughnuts and vodka...





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