ANNIVERSARY TIME IS COMING!

Hello Readers,

My special guest today is romance author, Christina Cole. She has a very special topic to talk about, something that's dear to every woman's heart, and especially mine since my own anniversary is coming up July 16th. Yes, the hubs and I will be married thirty-seven years on that date. We plan to celebrate by going to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and on to Branson, Missouri. I always search for candle shops when I'm on a trip. I love discovering new fragrances. Of course, I hit the candy shops too. So readers, leave a comment and share with us how many years you've been married and your special plans for your next anniversary...

Tabs/Jaydyn

I’d like to thank Tabitha -- or “Tabs” as many of us affectionately call her -- for inviting me to be her guest today. I truly enjoy gadding about and visiting with other writers in this vast cyberspace known as the “blogosphere”.

Note: If you really want to have a good laugh, check out the Urban Dictionary and its definitions for “blogosphere”.

Urban Dictionary: Blogosphere

But, I digress...as I so often do.

Usually when I “guest” at a blog, I’m asked to write about writing. Dear, sweet Tabs, however, gave me complete freedom of choice. I could write about whatever I wanted, she said.

And today, I don’t want to write about writing.

I have enough writing to do later, so before I get busy working -- and make no mistake about it, writing is work, even though it’s something we authors love to do -- I’m going to play a little, and I’m hoping a few readers might join in the fun and help me out a bit.

Here’s the deal. Anniversary time is coming up. Hubby and I do have tickets to see one of our favorite musicals at a dinner-theatre, but we’ve also been thinking of trips we might take, special places we might go, things we might want to do to celebrate our anniversary.

To me, any time and any place can be romantic if you’re with the one you truly love. Yet I’m willing to concede that there are certain things that add to the romantic atmosphere. My list of “romantic props” would include candlelight, exotic fragrances -- jasmine, musk, frankincense, nag champa -- and classical music. Or maybe a bit of ambient “space” music. I’ve always loved rainstorms, and I think being snowbound could be very romantic under the right circumstances -- meaning plenty of food and necessities on hand, and no pressing obligations. Fireplaces are romantic, and so are campfires, if you ask me. Deserted stretches of beach...oh, yes. Hard to find, though. I also think strolling hand in hand, watching the sun go down, and going on picnics are all very romantic things to do. And flowers! How could I forget about flowers? Little surprises are always romantic, too. A gift doesn’t have to be expensive to express love. Sometimes it’s the simplest things that best show our feelings, I think.

As far as romantic places...I’d have to say Paris, most definitely. Maybe Venice, although I’ve heard it actually stinks...LOL. With my warped psyche, I’ve always thought there was something romantic about “the Badlands”, and for some reason I’d love to visit Quebec someday.

How about you? What places in this world do you consider “most romantic”? And if you’re more of a “stay-home-to-celebrate” sort of lover, what makes a night romantic for you? Is chocolate required? Wine? Strawberries? Steak? Fresh-baked cookies?

Please share your thoughts and help us make this anniversary a very special one.

About Christina:

Christina fell in love with words when she was very long, and it’s been life-long love affair. She’s published poetry, essays, short stories, inspirational pieces, confession stories, and several full-length historical romance novels. Her latest release is “Happily Ever After”, published by Sweet Cravings Publishing, and she will have a new title, “Summertime”, coming out in August.

You can visit Christina at her website,  Christina Cole’s Love Notes.  

Something A Little Different Today!

Hi Readers,
My wonderful guest today works in a different area of publishing than what I usually have for guests. She has some wonderful information to share in the editing process, so please make welcome, Sue Toth, Editor and Promotions Manager from my very own publisher, Secret Cravings Publishing.

Welcome, Sue Toth!

You’ve worked long and hard on your novel. You’ve slaved over the plot, fallen in love with the characters, researched to make sure the setting is just right. Your masterpiece is finally complete.  Now it’s time to put it in the hands of an editor.

Some time later, you get your manuscript back from the editor and it’s filled with—what is this??--red track changes! Lots of them! How could this be? This is your blood, sweat and tears, and the editor didn’t like it? This is impossible. How could the editor not like your book?

Contrary to popular belief, most editors don’t dislike a book. Even though it may seem that way, we editor types really are just trying to help you make your book better. So what, exactly, goes into the editing process?

Well, of course we correct things like spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. We make sure that periods are inside of quotation marks, things like that. We also check for consistency. If the hero’s eyes were blue in the opening scenes and suddenly turn green halfway through the book, we’ll ask you what color you want them to be, and then make sure they stay that color throughout the book. We also check for continuity in scenes. For example, if a character is in a room, we make sure that he or she got there in a plausible way, and hasn't just magically appeared in the scene.

One of the most important ways that editors can help, though, is to make sure your novel is as reader-friendly as possible. And that includes things like removing extraneous dialogue, shortening scenes that go on for too long, and just overall looking at your manuscript with an objective eye.

Don’t forget, editors are readers too. We just happen to be pretty good at those pesky rules of the English language. Most of all, we’re not you. We’re a fresh set of eyes, and we really are here to help, not condemn.  And we’re happy to explain changes, answer questions and work with you to make your novel the best it can be.

So ask us questions, and help us help you (thank you Jerry McGuire). A collaborative working relationship between an author and editor can only help make a novel better.

Please Welcome Multi-Published, Natalie Acres!

Good Morning Readers,
Please welcome romance author, Natalie Acres. Natalie has some interesting things to share with you. Be sure and leave her a comment!

A peek behind the scenes with Natalie Acres and on the set with the Cowboy Boots’ Operatives

Celebrating the Debut of Cowboy Boots and Inexpressible Longing on Sale Now!

When I began writing Cowboy Boots and Untamed Hearts, I knew the majority of the Cowboy Boots books would be classified as ménage and it made perfect sense to write the series as such since our heroes travel together as one unit.

Using vigilante-type tactics within a collective group, The Underground Unit is funded by private resources. Team members have relinquished their normal lives to serve and protect US citizens while fighting cartels and foreign threats. Ideally, each Underground Unit member would be able to separate work and recreation, but due to the nature of their dangerous careers, they’re often marked for dead as soon as they begin their first assignment. As one might imagine, it’s not easy to start a relationship when one’s home is a fortress, a compound complete with underground tunnels and security measures to insure a rapid escape should a terrorist come to call. The operatives must be willing and able to walk away from their homes and lives without any regard for what they will be required to leave behind. Relationships make for complications unless intimate bonds are formed with individuals who understand what is required of the Underground Unit and their significant others. The Underground fellows are fiercely loyal to the women they love and several of our heroines have strong family ties to some of the Unit’s original founding members. Since these women are accustomed to the life, some of them have become operatives. Others have simply embraced the adventure and danger because they realize if they want to hold and love the men they adore, they must accept their choices. 

Our heroines, for the most part, are very strong women. The exception would be Sydney in Cowboy Boots and Untamed Hearts. Sydney grew up living beside the Donovan brothers, all of whom were groomed for the Underground Unit.  As the daughter of one of the Unit’s founders, Sydney is under the Donovans’ protection and in many ways they’ve always loved her.  They’ve also guarded her to a fault. While Sydney isn’t as strong as our other heroines, she loves and supports her men unconditionally.  

The women in Cowboy Boots and Unfinished Business, Cowboy Boots and Unsettled Debts, and Cowboy Boots and Unadulterated Pleasures are operatives. They fight beside the fellows they love and their heroes work overtime to insure their women never receive so much as a scratch on their pretty little heads.
A variety of businesses are used to help our operatives conceal their covers. Farm operations and casino properties are fronts for the Underground Unit. Now, with the forthcoming installment, Cowboy Boots and Inexpressible Longing, we’ll step inside the Unit’s Underground Clubs. The first club in the series is The Underground Club in Las Vegas, a BDSM lifestyle club managed by Drew Remington from Cowboy Boots and Unfinished Business.
As personalities vary so do our operatives’ interests in their significant others. After loving and losing a woman he once shared with his brothers, Drew Remington is hell bent on a traditional relationship, in part because he has secretly carried a torch for a woman he has known for most of his life, a sexy vixen he has no intention of sharing with his unit or anyone else.
While writing Drew’s story, I spotted a number of opportunities for the Cowboy Boots series, particularly since a new group of operatives will soon emerge and receive their first assignments. Some of these men will work in teams while others will report to duty in major cities with the perfect covers as Underground Club owners.
The Cowboy Boots books with multiple partners/ménage situations are quickly spotted due to the number of male bodies on the cover. Additionally, readers can easily determine which books are multiple partner stories by looking for the prefix ‘Un’ in the second part of the title. The upcoming M/F romantic thrillers have the prefix “In” in the second part of the title. The M/F installments will have “The Underground Clubs” splashed across the top left.  All Cowboy Boots books contain BDSM elements.
Below, you’ll find a preview of Cowboy Boots and Inexpressible Longing, coming to Siren-Bookstrand on June 3^rd.  I hope you’ll join us for the Cowboy Boots journey. These operatives are gearing up to deliver one adventure after another!
Natalie Acres
http://www.amazon.com/Natalie-Acres/e/B002T575KC/
www.Twitter.com/NatalieAcres
www.Facebook.com/NatalieAcresAuthor

                                      Cowboy Boots and Inexpressible Longing

Cowboy Boots, Book Five, Part One in The Underground Clubs

Written by Natalie Acres

Coming to Siren-Bookstrand on June 3, 2013

His pain is far greater than his need for love

Master Drew Remington knows pain. He understands its fury.

He has walked through its unrelenting terror and remembers the torment in his brother’s eyes as he lay dying in front of him.

His affliction is too vast to overcome

Oh yes, Master Drew knows heartache. He watched as his father was gunned down by a hired assassin and understands what it’s like to feel helpless, utterly consumed by a harrowing tragedy that left his family in ruins.

Only one woman can heal his soul and mend his wounded heart

A former lover, Suzy Matthews, reenters Master Drew’s life. Suzy is determined to win her Master’s heart, but as she plans to embrace the love she and Master Drew share, an emerging war finally erupts. Soon, Suzy is used as a pawn in a very dangerous game set to unfold between old enemies looking to settle one final score.

Story Excerpt:

“He’s got her,” Drew said.

“No shit.” Crue’s voice filled his ears. “Gabe and I have clear shots in the guest room. We can take out all but one of his men. Esparza’s son is standing at his twelve o’clock.”

      “Don’t take those shots,” Drew whispered, easing closer to Esparza and Suzy. He couldn’t risk a complication. Suzy’s life was on the line.

“Damn it, Drew. If we don’t take them out, you won’t stand a chance when they scatter,” Gabe snapped.

      “Then I won’t stand a chance.” He tucked his weapon at his waist and walked down the hallway with his hands in the air. This was like déjà vu, only worse. Suzy was on the floor. Esparza’s gun was aimed at her head. Damn if he didn’t know how that felt. He’d been there. He’d done that.

Damn man must’ve liked reliving moments in life. As Drew locked gazes with Esparza, he reminded himself of where he’d been, what heartache he’d suffered, all at the hands of a monster.

      This damn devil had been at the root of all his problems. He’d taken away the heart and soul of his family. He’d killed his father and slaughtered his brother. Now, he had his woman!

He’d be damned if he’d let him take one more person he cared about. And he wasn’t about to lose his life to Esparza so another one of his brothers would face off with him in the future.

      It was time to end this. The moment had come. It was time to send a devil back to hell.

“What have we here?” Esparza cocked the gun.

      “You’ll never get away with this,” Drew told him, glancing at Suzy. “We have the place surrounded.”

“Really?” Esparza threw his head back and laughed. “My property is twenty-five acres and your team—your team of six or seven men—has my place surrounded?”

      “Your surveillance must’ve failed you somewhere, Esparza. We’ve pulled divisions from across the country.” Drew crept forward as he spoke. “I don’t foresee any way out of this for you.”

Esparza sneered. “I don’t see any positive outcome for your girl. Do you?”

      Drew flinched. “I still can’t figure out why you have her. She’s been in town for two days and you think there’s some sort of lasting connection between us?”

Suzy shot him a quick glance. He wanted to run to her as soon as he implied she wasn’t important to him. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and reassure her.

       Again, Esparza tossed his head back. “You’re living in Vegas now. Haven’t you learned the laws of the land, yet? You can bluff a skilled player, a player who cares about the end result more than the temporary win. But you cannot—or at least you shouldn’t—bluff a true gambler. These individuals will go all-in without considering the risks.”

“Let her go,” Drew said, still holding his hands high. Manny was behind him now. Drew had worked with him long enough to feel him like a second skin. Scott was positioned at the other end of the hall. There was a little red dot on the side of Esparza’s head.

      “Do you remember the time we spent together in Virginia, Drew?” Esparza grinned. “Of course you do. I’m the reason behind that drive you have now. When you rise every morning, I’m the only excuse you have to get out of bed. I’m your inspiration when you pound the pavement for four or five miles every day, and I’m—me, Drew, and no one else—the very reason you’ll never know a peaceful rest when you lay down at night and go to sleep.”

“You’re fucking insane.”

      “And I speak the truth,” Esparza said. “We share a history that can never been separated. Don’t you feel it, Drew? I do. We’re linked together by what I now consider a very beautiful past, one wrought with murder and deceit, fraud and manipulation. Death surrounds us. Your father took away my family. I’ve slowly killed off yours. We meet, separate, and reunite again. We are so much a part of one another’s lives now that we’re almost family.”

Esparza yanked Suzy’s head back. “When families play together, darling, they stay together. You understand that. Don’t you?”

Copyright ©2013 Natalie Acres
This post was prepared for specific blog owners and social media sites. No part of this post or excerpt may be copied or changed without explicit permission from the author or publisher. Contact natalieacres@yahoo.com for information.

 Adult Excerpt Follows Below:

      She loved him. Oh how she loved him.

Drew removed the vibrator and rose over her like a force to be reckoned with, a powerful surge behind a bolt of electricity. His broad shoulders, cut pecs, and muscular arms and legs were only part of the package. Drew Remington was indeed a beautiful man. He had features so dark they were haunting, a symbol of trouble. That’s what he represented. Danger and seduction, sex. Oh God yes, how much he resembled the epitome of sex.

      Even the disturbing shadows circling his brown eyes were enticing. They were part of what made the man intriguing, yet explained why he was so distant and reserved.

His fingers plunged inside her pussy and her hips shot off the bed. “Master Drew, please.”

      He smacked her bare mound and a gush of racing heat blasted through her channel. She slapped her hands against the mattress and used her heels to pump closer to those prying fingers, that manual stimulation now driving her wild.

Her head tilted forward and back as he fucked her with probing digits. His mouth fell open and his eyes grew heavy.

      Reaching for him, she pumped his cock, suddenly aware of the fact that he’d already suited up to play, already slipped the condom on when she’d apparently been too involved in the pleasure to notice.

“You will do what I tell you to do while you’re here,” he said, leaving one finger right inside her cunt as if to show her how well he could give, how easily he could take away. “Tell me you understand.”

      “Yes. I understand, Master Drew.”

He shoved three fingers inside her, rotating them in a scooping-like fashion. “And you’ll stay out of trouble, sub. Do you understand?”

      “Yes, Sir,” she replied, her pussy now an inferno as he continued to stir her juices, work with her arousal. “I understand perfectly.”

Bending over her body, he flicked her clit and she came apart. His head bobbed up and down as he sipped at the hardened bud, licked at her pussy lips and rigorously fingered her.

      Coming to his knees, Drew reached behind him and released her legs. “I want to feel those shapely thighs squeezing me, sub.”

Without another word, he slammed into her with one even thrust. Planting his hands on either side of her head, he worked his hips back and forth, moving them from side to side as he screwed her.

      “Now say it,” he rasped, dragging his lips across hers.

Her nipples throbbed. Her pussy wept. It was all she could do to keep from wrapping her arms around him while screaming out his name, chanting about her everlasting love and undying devotion.

      “Say what?”

Surely he didn’t want her to tell him again. Had Drew really changed that much while they’d been apart? Did he need her now when he hadn’t needed her in the past? Was he ready for more than he’d given her before?

      He pushed the weight of his cock high inside her quivering cunt. “Tell me.” His lips assaulted hers as his cock strummed inside her. “Now, sub. Fucking tell me now!”

As she started to profess her love all over again, her release rolled forward. Her pussy vibrated with the warning and she tried to resist, fought to hold back until her Master gave her permission.

      “Damn you! I need to hear you tell me you love me again. Tell me you love me as much as I’ve always loved you!”

There was no stopping her then. She came apart in his arms, screaming his name, crying out for more, and yes, oh God yes. She told him she loved him over and over again.

      Suzy would love him until the day she died.

 

From the Siren-Bookstrand bestselling ménage romantic thriller series, Cowboy Boots, comes a new division of the Underground Unit and an unforgettable M/F BDSM romance.

International bestselling eBook and trade paperback author Natalie Acres presents a new line of novellas for her Cowboy Boots series. Known for writing ménage BDSM thrillers and western contemporaries, Natalie introduces The Underground Clubs starting with Underground-Las Vegas and a familiar operative many readers grew to love in Cowboy Boots and Unfinished Business.

Readers following the Cowboy Boots series will see recognizable faces in The Underground Clubs. They’ll also soon meet a number of new sexy Alpha Underground Unit operatives as well.

Some extraordinary surprises are in store for readers of BDSM M/F erotic romances so grab a cool beverage, load up your favorite e-reader, and replenish those batteries in your favorite toy. We’re all set for an explosive new novella debuting at Siren Publishing on June 3^rd!

Start with Book One in the Cowboy Boots series or pick up your copy of Cowboy Boots and Inexpressible Longing and follow The Underground Clubs saga, a new beginning for the Underground Unit operatives with more installments on the way!

http://www.bookstrand.com/natalie-acres

Reviews for Cowboy Boots

The Cowboy Boots Series~2011 Nominee for Best Series All Around
                in LR Cafe's Loop

“4.5 STARS: "Cowboy Boots and Untamed Hearts is ménage to a degree not normally seen. The sex scenes of BDSM are not for the faint of heart but they are all consensual. The intricate nuances of relationships play out against a backdrop of danger that adds even more spice to this red hot offering... AlexJouJou, Manic Readers

“If you like cowboys, horses, men and sex that pushes the envelope, you're in for a helluva ride with Cowboy Boots & Untamed Hearts!"  -- Rie McGaha, Rie's Reviews

“Very seldom will you find an erotic romance with such a deep and pain-filled thread running throughout. Kelsie’s cancer touches all of the characters in this story, and you get a close and intimate look at how it tears at the heart and soul of these five men, as well as the newcomer, Veronica. The pain and suffering is not sugar-coated at all but then neither is the heat and passion they all share…" -- Lototy,Coffee Time Romance & More