Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts

Monday, March 12, 2018

Waltz into Fire #NewRelease #romance #suspense #PNR #NewSeries #books #reading


Fallon and Zane must trust one another if they hope to win the desperate race against time with their souls on the line.

Waltz into Fire
What would you do if you heard fire whispering in your ear? Would you listen? What if that fire led you to your soul mate...only to discover he had two weeks left to live? Would you walk away or seize the time remaining? What if, during those few days, you learned the man you loved was linked to an evil entity? Do you trust your love?

Firefighter, Fallon Anderson, believes she’s gone mad. While she searches for a young boy in a blazing house, the fire speaks to her, guiding her to his location. Once she has him safely outside, the boy is whisked off to the hospital while a handsome paramedic onsite tends to her injuries. Though she’s sworn off men since her last boyfriend broke her heart, she might make an exception for the attractive medic.

Zane West’s days are numbered. Down to less than three weeks, he spends what time he has left saving lives. He’s impressed by the sexy firefighter carrying the kid from the burning home. Attraction flares, but with only a few days of his life remaining, what would be the point of starting a relationship? However, her injuries dictate otherwise, and when he patches up Fallon, sparks fly between them…literally.

Passion ignites regardless of the secrets they both struggle to keep hidden. And it’s those very secrets that hurl them into a paranormal battle. Fallon and Zane will have to trust one another with their deepest fears if they hope to win the desperate race against time where the prize on the line is their souls. Only together can they hope to survive.

AVAILABLE Now at Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

Coming Soon! 
Book 2 of the Sentinel Series - Embrace the Earth. 

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#NewRelease #romance #suspense #PNR #NewSeries #books #reading

Monday, October 14, 2013

Why is the 1Night Stand Series So Popular? 200+ Books Tell the Story....


Debbie: Morning all! Today we are in sunny Destin, Florida, at the Castillo-Destin Resort talking to the creators of Decedent Publishing’s 1 Night Stand series.

LJ: Oooo! I can’t wait to talk to Kate Richards and Valerie Mann! I’ve read lots of the 1NS stories…written a few, too. LOL

Debbie: Gee, Really?

LJ: Uh yeah. Where were you?

Debbie: Hmmm…Writing them with you?

LJ: Wow, nice weather we’re having today. Look…here come Kate and Val now!

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LJ: Hey! So cool you could visit with us. Oh! (takes cup from Kate) Coffee! Awesome! How ever did you know? Thank you!

DEBBIE: (takes cup from Val) Hot chocolate? That’s so thoughtful. Thanks! (elbows LJ and whispers) Now I feel bad about how we’re about to grill them.

LJ: (whispers) No you don’t.

DEBBIE: You’re right. I don’t. (turns back to guests) Okay girls, so we hear you two are celebrating this month. What exactly is the excuse, I mean reason this time?

VAL: We’ll have over 200 1Night Stand releases by the end of 2013!

LJ: Wow! Well that is something to celebrate! Two hundred…that’s a lotta stories!

DEBBIE: That’s a lotta 1 night stands!

LJ: How long have you two known one another?

KATE:  Five years I believe

VAL:  October 2008. We bonded over a Halloween promotion.

LJ: Cool! How long have we known each other, Deb?

DEBBIE: Ahhhh, hmmmm. I know it was by 2009. Coulda been 2008.

LJ: Feels like a lot longer. Like eons.

DEBBIE: That’s a compliment, right?

LJ: Sure it is! So Val, Kate, what was the first thing you noticed about each other?

KATE: Val’s brilliance and leadership

VAL: Kate’s diplomacy. It offsets my shoot-from-the-hipness. She’s quite frightening, once you get to know her. You sort of bow down in homage.

LJ: Sounds like you two complement each other.

DEBBIE: How come you never compliment me?

LJ: Uh, I just did!

DEBBIE: I’m not so sure.

LJ: How did you two come up with the 1NS series?

KATE:  The two of us and Olivia Starke developed it the summer before, wrote a story each, and submitted the trilogy to Decadent.

VAL: July 2009, we discussed writing a little series. It actually didn’t start out as 1Night Stand. More like 1NS’s big brother. Madame Eve’s boss is in that series. And that’s all we’ll say about that. But you think she has power? She’s a one-trick pony compared to her boss man. That series was put on hold, but in January 2011, we went ahead and submitted three 1NS stories. We thought that would be the end of it. Ha.

LJ: Okay, you naughty girl. Now I’m intrigued. I would love to learn more about Madame Eve’s boss.

DEBBIE: I didn’t even know she had a boss.

LJ: Pft. Me neither. Hmm…so if there’s a boss, why did you choose Madam Eve to run the show?

KATE: Oh, I don’t know that we chose her. I believe it is her show. With Madame’s talents, I have no doubt she is capable of bringing herself to our attention.

VAL: I have no idea. Honest. It’s like she just appeared and said, “Move over, I’m driving.” And she’s been watching us in the rearview mirror ever since. We wave and smile back.

LJ: Go, Madam Eve!

DEBBIE: LOL

LJ: (digs in pocket) Ooo! M&Ms. Hey, Kate, since you brought me coffee, you want some M&Ms?

DEBBIE: This series seemed to just explode. What do you think made it so popular with both the readers and authors?

VAL:  Huh…Kate has nothing to say about this?

DEBBIE: Kate’s eating chocolate with LJ. Their mouths are full. They look like little chipmunks.

LJ: (glares at Deb) Mmph-mmph.

DEBBIE: Kinda sound like chipmunks too.

VAL: Well, I’ll answer. The key to a successful series is having at least one element that shows up over and over, and pulls readers in. Series don’t have to be super-complicated.  This isn’t Lord of the Rings. What 1NS does have is a trifecta of romantic goodness: a mysterious matchmaker, a service that guarantees results (even though Eve never promises anything, we know better), and sex that isn’t meaningless.

DEBBIE: What every single person hopes for I would think, which gives readers a lot to relate to.

LJ: Wow, those M&Ms hit the spot. Now I need more coffee.

DEBBIE: I think you need Ritalin.

LJ: Coffee’s better! So, I think it’s cool how you guys managed to make it so the sex wasn’t meaningless. I like how it all ties together, how some of the characters go into it thinking it will be a random no-strings-attached night of hokey-pokey and then it turns into something so much more.

DEBBIE: In my case, it’s one of the harder things to do as an author and make it believable in such a short story that (in most cases) these two strangers meet, have sex and fall in love. But I think every story I’ve read and written for this series has been very believable.

LJ: What are you looking for in a submission that makes you say, “YES, this is perfect for 1NS”?

KATE: We like to be surprised, which happens all the time. We want a new take on the concept. Also characters who appeal to the readers on their own merit. And a great love story.

VAL:  An author who brings something new to the series. There are only so many plots, but a cool twist will get our attention. Shampoo, rinse and repeat is not going to get our attention. But, I’ll tell you what will get our attention faster (in a bad way) than anything—authors who don’t submit clean manuscripts that have been critiqued and polished to within an inch of their lives. We’ve accepted well-written manuscripts that are a little dull, knowing they can be stellar when edited. And we’ve rejected great stories that showed the author hadn’t done her homework. Submitting a manuscript that’s full of plot holes, grammar errors, POV issues and all other newbie mistakes drives us crazy. And we’re already crazy, we don’t need any more crazy. Send us awesomeness and we’ll take it!

LJ: Awesomeness! That’s my word! J

DEBBIE: Nooooo, I do believe that’s my word.

LJ: What? You’re insane. I use that word all the time!

DEBBIE: Oh, PLEASE! I’ve never heard you use that word.

LJ: Funny, I was about to say the same to you. LOL

DEBBIE: Whatever. So, ladies, I’ve heard you take all different heat levels from sweet to erotic. What is a must-have if the story is going to be a 1NS? Beyond it having to revolve around the 1NS dating service and Madame Eve?

KATE: No, we don’t take sweet. Technically, every story in the series is erotic, but we run the gamut within the definition. It must have at the very least a HFN but most of the stories are HEA

VAL: *Echo* No, we don’t take sweet. A couple of authors have argued that it’s not fair they can’t write a non-erotic 1NS. The series is called 1Night Stand. That means one-night stands occur. Which means sex. Which means hook-ups. Which means…you get the picture.

What *I* look for when I get a submission is an alpha hero and a strong heroine. Throw in a good conflict and satisfying resolution, and I’ll send a contract.

DEBBIE: I take it you’ve never watched The Bachelor or The Bachelorette? With the three over-night dates. They always pick to stay the night together and they always say they talked alllll night. See, they had sweet 1 night-stand.

LJ: Riiiiight. Sure they did.

DEBBIE: Hey, that’s what they said on TV.

LJ: So, it must be true.

DEBBIE: You know it.

LJ: Ladies, what is your favorite thing about this series?

KATE:  The way readers respond. We travel all over the country for conventions and other gatherings, and everywhere we go we meet readers who read and love the stories.

VAL:  What she said. Plus, there appears to be no end in sight. Readers love these stories, reviewers love them.

LJ: I love them!

DEBBIE: I love them more!

LJ: Do you believe in love at first sight?

DEBBIE: Yes, I do.

LJ: Not you, Deb. (sigh) That question is for Kate and Val.

KATE: Yes.

VAL: Yes, Kate and I are proof. But, we fell in love at first email J

DEBBIE: Awwwwwww.

LJ: Awwwwwww. (elbows Deb and whispers) Okay. They’re all cozy-comfy. Bring down the hatchet, woman!

DEBBIE: Describe your bedroom. No, not your fantasy bedroom, the real one you sleep in at night.

LJ: Why am I not surprised you’re asking this?

DEBBIE: Because you shouldn’t be surprised by anything I ask anymore.

LJ: This is your idea of a hatchet?

DEBBIE: No, but you are already asking those questions later.

KATE: Very large furniture that my husband designed and had made. Big dressers, super high headboard…and three dog beds. We’re so lucky it’s a reasonably big room.

LJ: Yep. Or the dogs would be on the bed, and you’d be….hmm, in the tub?

DEBBIE: Wow, cool that your husband designed the furniture.

LJ: Yes it is. What about you, Val?

VAL:  Do you mean this very second? This is embarrassing. Well, the room is rather small. There is a pile of Thanksgiving dishes in one corner that I put there when we got our kitchen cabinets refinished (last April), but don’t feel like figuring out a new home for. A ginormous armoire that my husband thinks is a landing spot for anything he doesn’t know where to put. A bookcase that holds less books than usual, but lots of other crap I don’t feel like dealing with (you see a running theme going here in the Mann house, right?).  There are guns under the four-poster bed, say what you will, but I live in a house full of guys, they like to shoot stuff. And on top of the bed (currently) is one snoring man and a cat. Both sharing the same pillow. That’s going on YouTube if I can find my phone.

LJ: HAHAHAHA Send us the link! Too bad the cat isn’t snoring, too!

DEBBIE: Oh, please send the link…please.

LJ: Yeah, no worries. We would never post it on our site.

DEBBIE: Pft. Right.

LJ: Okay, so yeah, we would.

DEBBIE: Damn straight we would.

LJ: Give your thoughts on Karma.

KATE: I absolutely believe what goes around comes around, and try very hard to make that a positive thing.

LJ: Awesome! J

DEBBIE: Me too!

VAL:  I met Kate, didn’t I? LOL Karma plays out in my life every day. Just yesterday, I saw a cosmic example of it. I won’t tell you if it was good or bad, but I’m still laughing.

LJ: Sounds like you and Debbie would get along fabulously.

DEBBIE: You can tell us, we won’t tell a soul!

LJ: Sure. Just like we wouldn’t post that YouTube link.

DEBBIE: Exactly!

LJ: Word on the street is you’re an Angry Birds fanatic, Kate. What about Candy Crush, either of you play that?

KATE: I alternate Candy Crush and Angry Birds. J

VAL:  Candy Crush. Level 107 is kicking my confectionary butt though. As Kate says when stuck on a level: I’ve got a condo there.

LJ: I’ve got a condo on Level 86. Sigh.

DEBBIE: Stuck at 165. That damn game is bad for my writing!

LJ: OMG! That’s what you’ve been doing instead of sending me chapters??

DEBBIE: Uhhhh…

LJ: I knew it!

DEBBIE: What is your worst bad habit that has to do with your writing life?

KATE: Not putting my writing first.

VAL: Ditto. If there was a place after dead last, that would be it.

DEBBIE: Ditto!

LJ: Cause you’re playing CANDY CRUSH! (smacks Deb upside the head) At least Val is editing and handling a Decadent line and a slew of other stuff.

DEBBIE: Hey! She’s playing it too! She sends me lives all the time. So, there, yeah, it’s VAL’S fault. (whew, got out of that one.)

LJ: You think? Not!

DEBBIE: Any deep, dark secrets you two want to share?

KATE: About Valerie? Wait…no, nothing.

VAL: Kate picks her nose.

LJ: OMG So does Debbie!

DEBBIE: I do not!

LJ: Wait, did I say that out loud?

DEBBIE: Ummm, yeah, ya did. Speaking of which, what’s your favorite food?

KATE: Anything chocolate.

LJ: More M&Ms?

VAL:  Squirty cheese, Triscuits, Double Stuf Oreos. A jar of Biscoff spread and a spoon.

DEBBIE: Did I tell you my hubby is the Oreo rep? You move up the release of our next 1NS and I’ll hook ya up.

LJ: Yeah, she’ll hook you up. And there’s a bag of M&Ms in it for you, Kate.

DEBBIE: Damn straight. Do you believe in the Boogieman?

KATE:  No, but I do believe in Cat Woman.

VAL:  Suh-weeeet! She just revealed her Halloween costume. It’s a secret no more.

DEBBIE: Hmmm, and what are you gonna be Laura?

LJ: A mom following three little boys around the neighborhood. Whee! How about you?

DEBBIE: A couch potato.

LJ: Favorite sexual position?

DEBBIE: I’m not sharing that with you. Don’t you think that goes a little bit beyond our relationship, I mean really, LJ, what are you thinking?

LJ: Not you, Debbie. Our guests!

DEBBIE: Oh, well, in that case, ladies?

KATE: I’ll take the 5th

VAL:  That’s a position?

LJ: If it isn’t, it should be.

DEBBIE: I can’t picture it.

LJ: Here. (draws on a napkin)

DEBBIE: (cocks head) huh, looks painful.

LJ: Then you’re not doing it right…or wait, maybe you are. I forget.

DEBBIE: Favorite flavor of lube

KATE:  No idea

VAL:  Liar.

LJ: HAHAHAHA I bet it’s chocolate sauce!

DEBBIE: Or squirty cheese? LOL

LJ: Favorite sex toy?

KATE:  My husband

VAL:  Her husband. Wait, er….  Well, I guess I’m never getting invited back to her house.

DEBBIE: BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You move up our release and I wont tell Kate.

LJ: Wow, Val! Debbie keeps your secret AND you get Double Stuf Oreos….

DEBBIE: Now who could pass that up?

LJ: Who indeed? (nudges Deb) Looks like this interview thing is working out in our favor!

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Quickies:

Spike heels or knee boots


KATE:  Knee boots

VAL:  Spikes
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Free to roam or tied up


KATE:  Tied up

VAL:  Don’t even think about binding me.
 <!--[endif]-->

Beef or Broccoli


KATE: Beef, but they are so good together

VAL:  Beef. Raw. Okay, very rare.
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Football or Volleyball


KATE: Volleyball

VAL:  Football
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Night on the town or curled up on the couch


KATE:  Couch

VAL:  *Copycat* Couch
 <!--[endif]-->

Mountains or Ocean


KATE:  Ocean

VAL:  Mountains
 <!--[endif]-->

Eyes or ass


KATE: Eyes

VAL:  *bats lashes* Thank you.
 <!--[endif]-->

Reality TV or prime time drama


KATE:  Reality TV (Big Bang isn’t an option here! It’s always first)

VAL:  Hey. Duck Dynasty, Jack. And CSI. So, I guess both.
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Nook or Book


KATE: Kindle

VAL:  Kindle
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FINAL QUESTION:

.....You two are at a rally in Destin, Florida, protesting Senator Calvin Bishop’s bid to run in the next Presidential Election. Val, you hand a sign to Kate so the both of you can picket.
.....“Wait a minute,” Kate says. “Val, there’s a typo on this sign.”
.....Eyes wide, Val looks at her handiwork. “What?”
.....“Um, it says ‘Eat Mor Chikin’.”
.....“So? Everyone knows how that scumbag Bishop covered up the cow mutilations down in Polk County.” She sets her hands on her hips. “He’s hatin’ on the bovine population, and I won’t stand for it.”
.....Kate huffs loudly and rolls her eyes. “I hear you, sister. I love bovine as much as the next person. And California bovine are the best! But as far as this sign you made goes…where’s the exclamation point?”
.....“Well, sh—”
.....“Lucky for you, I have a marker in my purse.” Whips out a fat red marker and fixes sign. “That’s better.”
.....“Check out what I got in my purse.” Holds open bag.
.....“Wow!” Kate's eyes widen. “How many eggs are in there?”
.....Smiles proudly. “Four dozen.”
.....“That’s quite an omelet.”
.....“Hey, you gotta break some eggs to save the cows.”
.....Kate nods sagely. “Not to mention the country.” She balls her fist and raises it over her head. “Save the cow. Ditch Bishop now.”
.....“Cool.” Val grins. “But I thought we were going with bovine.”
.....“Oh, yeah. Right, um…” Frowns, purses lips then her eyes glint. “Got it.” Circles fist over her head and chants, “Bishop hates bovine. That is asinine.”
.....“Perfect!” Val points toward a hotel. “We should go up to the roof. Better trajectory. Is it me, or does that place look familiar?”
.....“It’s the Castillo Hotel and Resort-Destin.”
.....Val grabs Kate’s hand and drags her through the crowd. “We’ll check out the lobby and get room rates while we go.”
.....An hour and forty-five minutes later, you both stumble onto the hotel roof.
.....Below, Senator Calvin Bishop is already speaking. “And as your next President, I promise to lead this country to its former greatness, to lower taxes, to get rid of the deficit, to lower unemployment, and to ensure everyone in our great nation has the opportunity for a college education.”
.....Val smirks. “I notice he didn’t mention anything about saving the bovine.”
.....“Me either. Jerk.”
.....Val opens her purse, a fierce expression on her face. “Let’s do this thing.”
.....Kate grabs two handfuls of eggs. “Absolutely!”
.....They take aim at the senator below and—
.....A huge explosion erupts. The rooftop beneath them shakes and shimmies. Dust plumes into the air, and people start screaming. Kate stumbles, tips, and topples over the knee wall. Val reacts on instinct and grabs her longtime pal’s hand – the eggs smashed between their palms akin to the dream of making Bishop pay for his bovine hate crimes.
.....“I got you!” she says.
.....“Good.” Kate looks down at the crowd below where six military men rush onto the scene. “Wait, are those—”
.....“Pararescuemen,” Val finishes. “The tall one is Captain Colin ‘Ghost’ Beckett – Air Force, Special Ops. I’d recognize him anywhere.”
.....“And the one next to him is Tech Sergeant Bobby ‘Bobcat’ Martin.” She sighs. “Hey, when he gets close enough, you could just drop me. I’m positive he’d catch me.”
.....“No way. I’m never letting go. We’ve been through too much together.” Val adds her own sigh. “Besides, they’re both already taken. Madame Eve matched them to their soul mates.”
.....Kate’s fingers slip a little. The wall Val is leaning against shifts, bits of mortar falling free.
.....“Watch it!” Kate yells. “I’m dangling down here!”
.....Val glances down to gauge how long the wall will hold. A red light blinks back at her. “What the…?”
.....“What is it?” With her free hand, Kate grabs Val’s wrist.
.....“We have a problem.”
.....“Other than me falling to my death?”
.....“Yes.” Val looks down at Kate. “There’s another bomb, and it’s in this wall.”
.....Kate’s eyes widen. “The one you’re leaning over? The one I’m hanging next to?”
.....“That would be the wall,” Val confirms. “And we’ve got less than five minutes.”
.....“Well save me, then!”
.....“How? What do we have?” She glances at her purse. “I’ve got four dozen eggs up here and a pack of sugar-free peppermint gum.”
.....Kate frowns. “How was the gum meant to help derail Bishop’s campaign?”
.....“It wasn’t.” Val gives her a sheepish grin. “It was for after we have Mexican for dinner later.”
.....“Oh, right. Good thinking.” Kate releases one hand and tosses her purse up to Val. “See what else we have.”
.....She rummages through the bag. “You’ve got a red marker, a room keycard, a…what the heck are you doing with a whip in your purse?”
.....“Book research.”
.....“Oh, yeah right.” Val digs around more. “And half a pastrami on rye?”
.....“Thought we might get hungry while we protest.”
.....She nods. “Good thinking.” Val meets Kate’s concerned gaze. “No way we’re gonna let Senator Bishop continue to mutilate the bovine population willy nilly.”
.....“Not to mention the country.”
.....“Right.” Val glances at the bomb timer. “Three minutes. But don’t worry. We’re gonna get out of this.”

What do you two do?
VAL:  Oh, this is easy:
KATE: Oh, this is easy:

VAL: “That cow-hating senator is so going to regret letting us anywhere near his rally.” Valerie dug around in Kate’s purse with her free hand and pulled out a Kindle. “Hey, does this thing get Internet?” She waves it over the edge for Kate to see.
.....“Yes. I could show you how to turn that feature on. If I weren’t dangling here.” A stiff wind blew and she crossed her legs at the ankles. “Dang, I knew I shouldn’t have worn this skirt.”
.....“It’s killer, though. And who knew you’d be swinging from the top of Jackson Castillo’s hotel today?”
.....“True.”
.....Val pulled the whip out of the deep recesses of Kate’s bag. Tying the end to a nearby railing, she tossed the handle down to Kate. “Here.”
.....“What’s this for?”
.....“Something to hold onto. I need both hands free.” After letting go of her hand and ignoring the yelp from the other side of the wall, Valerie dumped the purse contents. Eyeballing the meager offerings with disgust, she leaned over the wall. Kate swayed gently in the tropical breeze, eating a pastrami sandwich.
.....“Didn’t you ever watch MacGuyver?”
.....Kate tipped her head back, chewing. “Mmmphh?”
.....“You should have. Because if you had, you’d know I can’t save us with only a Kindle and gum. There are no paperclips, not a single bobby pin, your lighter is out of fluid, and the batteries in this weird contraption are dead.” She waved it in Kate’s face. “What is this thing, anyway?”
.....Kate swayed some more and whistled innocently. “You may want to put that down.”
.....Val eyed it with more interest. “Not until you tell me what it is.”
.....“Given your highly-developed phobia of body fluids, you really should put it down.”
.....Val screeched, fumbling the contraption like a hot potato. It sailed out of her hands, shot past Kate’s head and rocketed toward the crowd below. They watched in horror as it tumbled, end over end, picking up speed, then bounced off the senator’s head.
.....“Holy crap,” they stereo-d.
.....Only the wind off the ocean and the creak of the leather whip broke the silence.
.....“He’s down,” Kate said, at last.
.....“Like, totally down,” Valerie agreed. “That’s karma.”
.....Sagely, Kate added, “Cow karma.” They laughed for a moment in shared companionship. Then Kate’s grin faded. “Hey, what’s that beeping noise?”

KATE: “No more time to hide our super powers now.” Kate gives an enormous kick against the wall and somersaults onto the roof. “Let’s get this cow ciller…err…killer.”
.....“Just a minute.” Valerie points her laser vision at the roof and with a dull pop and thin stream of smoke, the bomb is destroyed. “No sense ruining a perfectly good building.”
.....“Always practical.” Kate pauses and muses to herself, “Which is why I was so surprised at your willingness to waste so many eggs.” She slaps Valerie on the back in a friendly way with her hand.
.....“I thought the use of eggs would help prevent a greater loss.” Valerie stares off into the distance. .....“Like that time when I was thinking I would like an omelet when I was on a cruise and hey what’s that flying in over the building across the street?

LJ: AWESOME!! I say you saved the cows! Extra points for taking care of the senator, too!

DEBBIE: Yeah, but we’ll have to revive him. He still needs to be in the last two stories.

LJ: Thanks so much for dropping by, ladies! Hope you come back for another interview when you hit your 300th book! J

DEBBIE: Or whenever you have a new release or news to share. We’d be happy to have you.

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LJ: Oh! Another M&M! (drops) Oops! (picks up and brushes off candy) Here, Deb. Don’t say I never gave you nothing.

Debbie: I think we’ve been through this before.

LJ: (bats eyelashes) What?

Debbie: Go ahead, play innocent. Anyway, while we are here, lets go find our PJ’s and see if they have any input into the next story. Hmmm, Zeke’s story is the one that Kate and Val have now. Who’s next again?

LJ: Junior Lieutenant Kyle “Raven” Alvarez. He’s the guy who eats Twinkies and razzes Bobby about his Skittle addiction. He’s the team medic and I have no clue what kind of woman it would take to tame him.

Debbie: Hmmm, bet he’s happy Twinkies are back. Have to remember to harass him about that, among other things.

LJ: Speaking of Twinkies, let’s go parasailing.

Debbie: I’d ask what the two have in common but I’m very afraid of what the answer will be, so fine, lets go.

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To Feel Again

Valerie Mann
When Leah loses her fiancé, Mark, in Afghanistan, it takes nearly a year to get to the point where she’s ready to live again. Although she doesn’t want an emotional commitment, a night of consensual sex, even with a stranger, might help bring her some closure after Mark’s death. Enlisting the services of Madame Evangeline’s high-end, online dating service, One Night Stand, promises exactly what Leah is looking for—sex with a man she doesn’t have to see again, but one who will satisfy her physical needs now that she's ready to move on with her life.

Jackson Castillo has no desire to go on a date with one of Evangeline’s clients. One Night Stand uses his hotel for its client’s rendezvous, but otherwise, he never gets involved. When Eve threatens to take her business elsewhere unless he helps her with a particular case, he’s no fool. He’ll go on the date. But he won’t sleep with the woman.

When one thing leads to another, his good intentions to stay out of the bedroom with Leah are shattered. The sex is phenomenal, but there’s more to Leah he wants to explore. After she leaves the next morning without a goodbye, he’s both disappointed and royally pissed. Will he let her go or find a way to convince her she’s ready…to feel again?

Genre: Contemporary romance, erotic romance, interracial
Heat level: 4
Cover art by Dara England
The Virgin and the Playboy
Kate Richards

Julie, accidental virgin, has waited longer than she ever planned to lose her virginity and join everyone else she knows in dating reality. Embarrassed at her plight, she has made arrangements with 1NightStand.com to meet with a handsome stranger for one night of no commitment required sexuality, without having to admit she'd never made love before.

Mark is the one single guy left in his group of friends. As such, he is known for the bevy of lovelies he dates, and his stories of wild exploits between the sheets. His participation in 1NightStand.com is on a dare, and he has no idea that his date is...less experienced than he is used to. And so much more...

When they enter the penthouse suite in Las Vegas, they enter a chamber designed for luxury and booked for a 1NightStand.

Genre: Contemporary romance, erotic romance
Heat level: 4
Cover art by LFD Designs
BUY LINK

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Monday, August 12, 2013

Jessica Subject talks about Sci-Fi Romance #SFR #eroticromance @jsubject

Debbie: Howdy all! Today we are down under the ground to talk to Jessica Subject about her latest release in her Underground Series. (turns to LJ) You’d think they’d do something about all the worms around here. And the lighting really sucks.

LJ: It does. And the coffee tastes like dirt. (pulls out a thermos)
Debbie: What’s that?

LJ: Um, coffee from home. Got fresh from my Keurig before I left. (waves at readers) Hey, Keurig fans! You guys know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout.
Debbie: I don’t even know what to say about that.

LJ: Hey, there she is!

LJ: (waves) Hey, Jessica!
DEBBIE: Hi, Jessica!

LJ: So glad you’ve come back again, Jessica! Love your Underground Series…and well, all your stories! So, let’s get to know Jessica Subject, the author…. Are you a pantser or a plotter?
JESSICA: I’m a hybrid. A bit of both. Though, I seem to be plotting more and more.

LJ: Ooo! Us, too! We knock around a lot of ideas then end up using them all! We need an outline to work everything in.
DEBBIE: Yeah, and what we don’t use always gets a story of their own.

LJ: (hangs head) I know. The list is long. (looks at Jess) Where do your story ideas come from?
JESSICA: From every aspect of life. Sometimes a dream, a conversation with someone, a television show, news story… And occasionally, ideas just pop into my head out of nowhere. The Underground series was based on a story I wrote for my high school science fiction English class.

DEBBIE: Good Lord, I don’t even remember high school!
LJ: Hmm…where do our ideas come from, Deb?

DEBBIE: Flashbacks?
LJ: What? Wait, is there something in that water you’re drinking? You’re trippin’, aren’t you?

DEBBIE: Noooooooooooo. Just plain old water here.
LJ: Hmm…protesting a bit much there. So, Jess, why SFR?

JESSICA: I’ve always enjoyed science fiction and wondered about life on other planets. It just seemed to fit. And the romance comes from my need to see everyone happy and getting along.
DEBBIE: Describe the place where you write.

LJ: (elbows, Deb) Good gosh, woman! First you nose around Becca Dale’s house. Now you’re asking Jess for details?? I’m telling ya, you’re gonna get labeled a stalker.
DEBBIE: Wouldn’t be the worst thing I’ve been called. Besides it’s a public service I’m providing. Readers want to know all this stuff ya know.

JESSICA: I usually write on the loveseat in the living room, in my AirChair outside, or in the vehicle while traveling long distances. I write wherever I can. With young kids around, I’ve had to. When I first started writing, I used to sit on the floor of my son’s bedroom while he had tummy time, and later started crawling around. Once he began to walk, I had to be more flexible.
DEBBIE: I’ve heard yoga comes in handy for that.

LJ: HAHAHA I don’t think she means yoga… Oh, never mind. Tell us a little about your home life, Jessica. Family? Pets? Hobbies?
JESSICA: I live with my husband and two kids. We have a rabbit and are looking at getting a dog. Not a puppy, though. When I’m not writing and promoting, I like to read and also go hiking. Now that my daughter knows how to ride her bike, we go for family bicycle rides, too.

DEBBIE: Wow, we have tons in common! I like to read and go hiking, too. It ends there though. You can keep the bike rides, lol.
LJ: I love biking. Especially mountain biking. Tons of fun!

DEBBIE: Figures!
LJ: (snort) Jess, when did you start writing and why?

JESSICA: When I was on maternity leave with my son, my daughter was learning how to read. She’d come home with books from school and get so frustrated. Though, if the book was about something she enjoyed, she would actually try to read it. So, I wrote a book for her about one of her stuffed animals to encourage her to keep reading. It worked, as she now reads above grade level. And after that, I kept writing, but focused on books meant for adults rather than children.
DEBBIE: Wow! That’s awesome that you were able to help her that way. And, great for us too that you focused on adult stories, lol.

LJ: Very cool!
DEBBIE: What was the one thing you learned as an author that you would share with aspiring authors?

JESSICA: The one thing I learned is that the first draft is NEVER perfect. It can always use revisions and edits to make it better. I was lucky enough to find a great critique group and critique partners to show me how to make my stories better.
LJ: Critique partners are important. They can give a lot of insight on things you as an author never see because you’re too close to your own writing. Course Deb’s all about critting. I can never see the error of my own ways, but others (i.e. Deb) are helpful and always point them out for me.

DEBBIE: Hey! You stole that from me.
LJ: HAHAHAHA Maybe. (turns to Jessica) So, here we are underground, in this strange and amazing place you created. Tell us about Never Gonna Desert You.

JESSICA: Never Gonna Desert You is the second story in The Underground series. It is filled with deception and revelations that are surprising to all those involved. It is also the story of Melina and Brook, and they both must prove how far they will go to be together. Here’s the blurb:
Determined to find and bring back her girlfriend, Brook enlists in the next mission to the foreign planet, Airondelle. But the deception at Planet Core continues, and Brook doesn't realize the depth of her father's involvement until he orders her terminated. Struggling to stay alive, she quickly learns nothing is as she believed. 

Will she ever find Melina? Or will Brook be stuck light years from home, alone, and with a fierce predator hunting her down?
DEBBIE: Ohhhhh, sounds exciting.

LJ: I read the first book, Never Gonna Let You Go, and it was awesome. This one sounds like a must read to me!
DEBBIE: I might even have to cross that line into Sci-Fi!

LJ: Oh, well there you go, Jess! You’ve converted Debbie. Go you! And since she’s interested in SFR (at last), what inspired you to write this series?
JESSICA: I was looking through my school memories book, and found the intro to a science fiction story that I wrote in high school. I thought I’d continue the story. Though, it turned out much different than my original idea.

LJ: Yeah, I wrote a full length novel based on a short story that I have in an anthology. You’d never know the two were related. LOL It’s strange how things work that way sometimes.
DEBBIE: It’s strange the way your mind works sometimes.

LJ: Gotta keep you guessing, girly. J (turns to Jessica) Tell us about Brook.
JESSICA: Brook is the daughter of Benson Malock, the president of Planet Core. She is a biologist at the corporation and is involved in creating hybrids and cloning plants and animals. Though she had bad luck with relationships, she finally found love and happiness with Melina. Though, they must keep their relationship hidden.

LJ: Oh, the plot thickens! Brook’s daddy is the president of the evil Planet Core! Love it! LOL
DEBBIE: Hah! Awesome twist!

LJ: It is! Let’s dig deeper. Describe Brook in three words.
JESSICA: Dedicated, Curvy, Loving

LJ: Sounds like a nice heroine.
DEBBIE: Me to a T!

LJ: Hmm…okay, close enough, I guess. What is Brook’s biggest fear?
JESSICA: Never seeing Melina again.

DEBBIE: Bet she doesn’t even think about the danger she is putting herself in to find her.
LJ: She probably doesn’t. Aww. Sad. My hubby was overseas during skirmishes over there, and I worried I’d never see him again.

DEBBIE: Yup! Very familiar with that feeling and my daughter when she was in Iraq and Afghanistan.
LJ: It’s tough, and I like how you’ve worked in an aspect of life that a lot of people deal with every day.

DEBBIE: When Brook was a kid, what did she want to be when she grew up?
JESSICA: A mother. Just like her mother.

DEBBIE: Nice!
LJ: What is her hobby or what does she do in her spare time?

JESSICA: With Melina always gone, she dedicates herself to her job, not giving herself any spare time. Though if Melina she would spend time with her, visiting the last remaining green spaces in the city.
LJ: Wow, just to go to a park and see grass. We all seem to take that for granted. That the grass will just always be there. But I can see how eventually it might become scarce.

DEBBIE: Not to jump on any crates here and start preaching, but if we humans don’t smarten the hell up, that’s exactly where we are headed.
LJ: Yep. And I think sometimes SF/Futuristic/Alternate Reality/Dystopian authors paint that picture so we here in the present can get a clue. LOL

DEBBIE: Tell us about Melina.
JESSICA: Melina is a bit of a free spirit, or as much as she can be in the future world she lives in. She started out as a sanitation worker for Planet Core, but is now training to lead a mission to the foreign planet, Airondelle.

DEBBIE: I’m a free spirit.
LJ: What, you think that qualifies you to lead a mission to a foreign planet? Cause if so, there must be something in that water you’re drinking.

DEBBIE: All I said was I was a free spirit. I said nothing about leading a mission to a foreign planet, but I could if I wanted to. I navigate conversations with you daily don’t I?
LJ: Of course you could! (arches brow at Deb) I have no doubt whatsoever. And I know I’m not the easiest person to follow in conversations, so I’d like to make that up to you with this gift. (holds up garment) Let me just help you put this on. (puts shirt on Deb) Oh, yeah. You look great in that red shirt. Now you’re totally ready to lead a mission to a foreign planet. You look great in red, by the way. (turns to Jessica) What is Melina’s biggest flaw?

JESSICA: She’s quick to make decisions, not thinking about the possible consequences.
LJ: Wow, I can so not relate to that. Nope. I’m steady, think my decisions through, coming up with a long list of possible outcomes. Now, Debbie? She’s the quick decider around here.

DEBBIE: Ohhhh she sh*ts you not!! Think and overthink and think again. I’m like “just lop their heads off already”
LJ: You’re so cut throat. LOL But we usually do hack ‘em up, don’t we?

DEBBIE:Is there any other way?
LJ: Uh, nope. Jess, what was the first thing Melina noticed about Brook?

JESSICA: The curve of her hips and ass.
LJ: Getting’ right to it. Yes, ma’am. J

DEBBIE: Is there any other way?
LJ: Uh, nope. (elbows Deb.) Your turn.

DEBBIE: What kind of life did Melina have growing up?
JESSICA: She was an orphan under Planet Core’s rule. Her parents inspired her free spirit, but Planet Core squashed that after killing her parents for trying to escape the city.

DEBBIE: Holy cow. That’s damn unfriendly.
LJ: Awww. Sad. Planet Core must be brought down! Melina needs revenge! Off with their heads! Wait…that’s your line, Deb.

DEBBIE: Yes it is!
LJ: Is there any other way? J

DEBBIE: You are a downright thief today!
LJ: Hey, we share one brain, remember? All thoughts are community property! So, Jess, tell us three things about Melina that aren’t mentioned in the book.

JESSICA: 1. She hates eating replicated food.
2. She keeps a picture of her parents in her nightstand drawer. And one of a cow. One day, she hopes to fulfill their dream by leaving the city and seeing a cow for herself.

3. Before Brook, she’d never met a woman she wanted to be with.
DEBBIE: Replicated food??? Sounds nasty.

LJ: How bad can it be? You’re drinking recycled potable water. That means you’re chugging down some stranger’s p—
DEBBIE: OMG! I’ll have you know I get my water directly from the rain clouds!

LJ: I’m sure you do. Okay, now that we know about our heroines, let’s entice our readers. What are the first seven lines of the story?
JESSICA: It’s time to take our relationship to the next level.

The text had Brook’s heart racing ninety miles a minute. Jason had to mean marriage, right? They’d been together for almost a year. Engagement is the obvious next step.
Sucking in a deep breath, Brook opened the bedroom door. What would she find on the other side? She stepped inside and stared.

LJ: Ooo! Nice! What the heck did she find??
DEBBIE: Wait? That answers absolutely none of my questions? And where did the dude come from?

LJ: Exactly!
 
Quickies:

Boxers or Briefs: boxer briefs
Ocean or Mountains: mountains

Broadway Play and midnight dinner or Movies and popcorn at home: My answer isn’t quick, so I’ll just say movies at the theatre.
Head or gut…JK. Always wanted to say that. I think it was a Bruce Willis movie.

Rag top Jeep or Lamborghini: rag top Jeep
Dog or Cat: Eek! Can I say both?

Blue ink or black ink: both
 

Final Question…..
....You were craving a seafood feast and snuck onto a fishing boat to snag some fresh yummies to cook up. Suddenly, a huge mother ship hovers over in the sky. Everyone around you vanishes. Yep, just poof –gone. And crap, the thieving aliens took all the seafood with them. What the--? Well, that sucks. You shake your fist at the spacecraft, secretly wondering why you were excluded from the party. “Hey, I make a mean crab shalaw,” you screech.
....Without a response, the craft shoots up into the sky. The sudden departure creates a vacuum and the boat tips. A huge wave splashes over the side, bogging the deck. Thank goodness you’re near a crab basket. You clutch the side while the boat rocks, but a wily crap gets frisky and pinches your fingers. You let go. The bastard shuffles toward the other hand. “Don’t you dare. I’ll fry you up and serve you with biscuits.”
....He doesn’t blink. (Wait, do crabs even have eyelids?) Needless to say, you slide across the deck, the ocean sucking you out to sea. Your feet slam into the railing. You sigh…then spot the huge cage skidding toward you—the bastard crab waving it’s pinchers in the air. Yeah, he needs to be dropped in some boiling water.
....Course, then you realize it’s YOU who’s in hot water. The boat has taken on too much water and is sinking. All you have is a crab basket, a buoy, and two tow lines. Oh, and a frisky crab who wants to go toe-to-toe…well, toe-to-claw. What do you do?

JESSICA: I’m doomed if I don’t get off the ship right away. I have to swim as far away as I can, and as fast as I can or risk being pulled down with the ship.
....Of course, I have my life jacket on as well, so I loop the buoy through my jacket with one of the tow lines and jump. As much as I want to eat that annoyingly delicious crab, I won’t have a chance if I go down with the boat.
....I fall under the water, trying not to swallow the briny water, and am pulled quickly back to the surface by the buoy and jacket. But, I’m too late. The force is sucking me toward the vortex. I’m swimming, breast stroke, front stroke, anything to get away. Nothing works. Closer and closer to the spinning center I’m dragged. The sound is deafening, the sucking, and something else, a rhythmic pulse. Water splashes in my face. I can’t see, but I don’t stop fighting, struggling to escape. My muscles ache. My chest is heavy as I fight for air. I can’t swim any longer. I’m ready to give up.

....A heavy force wrenches against my stomach. Plucked into the sky, I gasp, surprised by the sudden rush of air to my lungs. What’s happening?
....Something is holding me tight. I have little room to move, but I know I’m not in the ocean anymore. My legs are dangling and I don’t feel the resistance of the water.

....“Ma’am, are you okay?”
....Okay? I don’t think so. I’m imagining things. Some guy is talking to me. Am I dead?

....My body is twisted around. I feel like I’m falling. Then, I’m flat on my back.
....“Ma’am, are you okay?”

....That voice again. I dare to open my eyes. Helmet covered faces stare down at me. I see lips and noses, whiskered chins, but their eyes are covered with dark glasses.
....“We got to you just in time, Ma’am. Was there anyone else on the boat with you?”

....“No.” I shake my head in case they didn’t hear me. Though, I don’t elaborate. They would likely think I’m crazy if I told them everyone else had been abducted by aliens.
....Shivers overtake my body. I’m suddenly so cold. Right down to my bones.

....“We’re going to remove your wet clothes now, and get you into something dryer.”
....My teeth chatter so bad, I can’t respond. I hear the snip of scissors as my outfit is cut apart. I’m lifted up, and my clothing is removed. I’m naked in front of these strangers, but I don’t care. I just want to be warm again.

....I expect a blanket to be wrapped around me, but instead, large, warm hands caress my body. All four men are touching me, their fingers tracing the outline of my nipples, stroking between my legs.
....I’m no longer cold. Now, a fire of lust rages inside of me.

....One man leans in, as if to kiss me. But he removes his helmet first. My husband. I suck in a quick breath.
....“Jessica, are you okay?”

....The other men dissolve away, and I’m in bed with the man I love.
....“Were you dreaming or something?”

....I rub my eyes. Was I dreaming? It all felt so real. “I must have been. That’s the last time I watch Deadliest Catch before bed.” Though I know that’s a lie.
....I snuggle up to my husband, hoping to continue the end of the dream. ;)

 
DEBBIE: HAHAHAHA! Love it!
LJ: I’d say you survived it—especially since it was all a dream! And now, I’m hungry for seafood….  Thanks for coming by, Jessica! Come back anytime…we love interviewing you! J

DEBBIE: Yes, we do. Stop by again and you can let us know if the dream continues.
 

Debbie: Grab some of these worms and we can go fishing. Do lobster and crabs like worms?
LJ: I think they like chum. Fish like worms. Oh, and birds. But I have no clue where we’d find birds down here. (jumps and grabs Deb’s arm) Oh, crap.

Debbie: Don’t tell me. (puts hands over ears) lalalalalalalala. I can’t hear you!
LJ: (yanks arm) Hey, you wanted to lead a mission on a foreign planet. Here’s your chance. Lead the way. I’m right behind you!

Debbie: (Rips red shirt off and tosses it back to LJ) I said I could if I wanted to. Key word WANTED. This damn hooded dude is getting annoying. Time for a confrontation! Lets go!
LJ: OMG! She's wearing a red bra? This isn't going to be good....
 
Never Gonna Desert You
The Underground #2
By Jessica E. Subject
Erotic Lesbian Sci-Fi/Dystopian Romance
ISBN: 978-1613335468
Available From:
 
BLURB:
....Determined to find and bring back her girlfriend, Brook enlists in the next mission to the foreign planet, Airondelle. But the deception at Planet Core continues, and Brook doesn't realize the depth of her father's involvement until he orders her terminated. Struggling to stay alive, she quickly learns nothing is as she believed.
....Will she ever find Melina? Or will Brook be stuck light years from home, alone, and with a fierce predator hunting her down?
 
EXCERPT:
....“Let’s go, Malock.” Jager raised his eyebrows. “Or did you change your mind?”
....She stood and released a deep breath. Even with her trepidation, she refused to back out now. Melina waited for her. “No, I’m looking forward to seeing Airondelle for myself.”
....Brook spun away and rushed to catch up with her comrades. If she revealed her plans, she’d be stopped before she could find her lover. She would have to hide Melina right under their noses to bring her home. She pushed her shoulders back. I can do this. I have to.
....The all-terrain vehicles sat loaded with equipment for the mission in front of the swirling mass of the portal. Her father certainly wasn’t wasting any time getting a team back to Airondelle. Crewmembers already filled the first vehicle, so she hopped into the back of the second.
....Jager passed around everyone’s mission directives then shoved in on her left. Thank goodness he was the last to load. With his bulk, he occupied both of the remaining seats.
....Before she had time to read her personal orders, they proceeded into the portal. She passed through the spinning matter, her body pulled and stretched in every direction. Unknown forces pushed on her chest, making it difficult to breathe. She gripped the seat, hoping she wouldn’t get pulled out. But the awkwardness didn’t last long. The transporter room light years away, clean, fresh air poured into her lungs. The alien vegetation of the foreign planet lined the rough dirt road they traveled. She yearned to explore the flora and fauna on a more intimate level. And she would, after setting up camp.
....She opened the folder with her mission directive inside. Instead of the stack of papers detailing what Planet Core expected of her, she found a single sheet.
....Her father’s handwriting scrawled across the page. You can never know the truth.
....Hard, cold steel pressed against her temple. A gun. Her breath caught. What the hell is going on? She grabbed her knapsack and launched out of the vehicle.
Read the rest of the series.... 
 
 
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Jessica Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotica. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. 
When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk. Fast. But she just may slow down if there is a waterfall nearby.
Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.