Friday 28 August 2015

Write This Picture #1

Welcome to the first, of what I hope are many, “Write This Picture” blogs. The premise is simple…Show 20 authors the same picture and you’ll get 20 different stories. J

There is only 1 Rule: A picture is worth a thousand words but we only get 250 to let our muses run wild!

Tonight, I’m creating under a cloud of hair dye fumes. (Nutrisse Cream #42 if you’re curious) I’m not sure if it will affect the final outcome of my writing but as long as no one lights a match I should be fine. 

There are times that I write scenes to help me get to know a character in a book I’m working on. This is a peek at one of my characters in the book I’m working on for the Black Hills Wolves series. My main hero has screwed up and has no idea how to fix it. I’m not sure if this will make it into the final book but it helped me work out some details. J

This picture makes me think of a place where you could go to think and mentally sort out a difficult puzzle. (Like if you make a really bad first impression and now you have no idea how to correct it.)





I fucked up.

Stone stomped along the river’s edge as rain spit down from the dark clouds overhead, adding to his already bad mood.  He realized now that he’d come on too fast and too strong and that had scared the hell out of Josh. Courting and dating were useless gestures in their world. When you met the other half of your soul, you didn’t knee him in the balls and take off running for the hills. But apparently Josh hadn’t gotten that memo. Now he had to try to figure out a way to convince his mate that he wasn’t a dominate monster.

A soft mewing noise cut through his thoughts and he looked around wondering how the hell a kitten made it into a forest all alone. Following the sound, he discovered the corner of a tattered garbage bag sticking out from under a fallen log. It was obvious that it had been torn into by wild creatures searching for a meal. His nose picked up the scent of several creatures and the remnants of their prey but it appeared they’d missed one.


An impossibly small kitten was caught up in layer of plastic. Dirty and covered in bugs, it lay deathly still in Stone’s palm. His first thought was to put it out of its misery before it too became a wild animal’s snack. Unless, I can save him and somehow convince Josh I’m not a monster.

~~~~~~~~

Now, as I got to the end of that I started envisioning Lennie from Of Mice and Men...which makes me sad so my brain quickly shifted to the Bugs Bunny rendition. LOL

Stone is certainly more bad ass than the big white snow monster but it might not hurt if Josh viewed him as a safe harmless cuddle monster.

I also realized then that is was past time to rinse the fumes out of my hair.



~~~~~~~~

Be sure to check out how the other phenomenally talented authors participating this month have translated the same picture!! I was lucky enough to meet both these authors at RTC this year and I can't wait to see them again in 2016. You'll LOVE them!



Kadian Tracey 

Comments are always welcome below! Say Hi let me know you're here :) If your an author and you want to join in next month. Find me on FB and I'll add you to our group. 
(Here I'll make it easy. Kayleigh Malcolm

Thursday 13 August 2015

Another awesome day with Anne Lange!!

Yesterday Anne teased us with blurbs from her book The Final Quarter. Today she is going to tease us some more with blurbs from the second book in her Vault series, Wicked Indulgence. This one looks hot enough to melt your e-reader!!



Title: Wicked Indulgence
Series Title: The Vault Series: Friends and More, Book 2
Author: Anne Lange
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic, Ménage, Light BDSM
Heat Level:  Scorching - Sexy, creative and hot, almost anything goes - not for shy readers
Length: 76,600 words




Buy Links 


Blurb
Two men. One woman. How wonderful wicked can be.

Jamie prefers one-night stands to the risk of hurting someone he loves. He's not willing to repeat the past. Years ago his naïve attempts at Dominance left his girlfriend bruised and frightened, and she mysteriously left town rather than show her face around him again.

Daniel wants something more. He hopes that one day he and Jamie will find that perfect woman to share forever. As members of the prestigious BDSM club known as The Vault and co-owners in a veterinary clinic, he never thought she'd walk through their door. Or ask for his best friend.

Melissa has done everything she can to protect the only man she's ever loved. Finally rid of her abusive ex, she's living on her own terms. Only she never counted on Daniel, a man who ignites enough sizzle in her body to compete with her passion for her first love, Jamie. And in order for them to be happy, she needs to find a way to put the past, and the people who won't remain there, behind her for good…and convince Jamie that he was never the monster he thought himself to be…


Reader discretion: contains spanking, bondage, voyeurism, sex club, m/f/m ménage romance elements

Short Excerpt

“Let’s walk. We can head over the park. If we see a bench and feel like it, we can sit.”
“Sounds good.” Jamie spun around, and she followed just a step behind him. Until they crossed the center of the square, dodging a dog chasing a ball, they didn’t say a word. Melissa sipped her coffee, closing her eyes in appreciation of the dark roast with a hint of hazelnut.
They reached the path that meandered through the park. He slowed his steps so she could catch up, and they walked side-by-side. Melissa searched for words.
“I apologize if my appearance yesterday angered you. I didn’t mean to upset you in any way.”
Jamie darted a quick look at her, his mouth curled up at the corners as he shrugged his shoulders. “You showing up there just surprised the hell out of me and I acted like a total jerk. I’m sorry about that.”
Was he apologizing for the kiss too? Because she didn’t want him to be sorry about that. It was the best kiss she’d had since…well, since the last time he’d kissed her.
“That’s OK. The last time we saw each other, I tucked tail and ran like my ass was on fire. I’m sorry.”
“So we’re both really sorry. How about we start over again?” he offered.
She smiled at him. “I’d like that.” She took a generous sip of her coffee and then a hearty breath. “Jamie. I’m…” She stopped before saying the ‘s’ word yet again. “I know you’re angry with me for the way I left back then.”
He lifted one shoulder and looked off into the distance. “It wasn’t your thing. I get that.”
“No, that’s not it all,” she rushed to say. Did he really think that? She loved what he’d done to her. “I—”
“I knew going into that night, it was a big mistake,” he interrupted.
A mistake? He thought making love to her had been a mistake?
“I tried for months to tell you that, Mel. The stuff I was interested in then…the stuff I’m into now, it isn’t for somebody like you.”
“But, Jamie, that’s—”
“I’d had too much to drink and I was so fucking hot for you that I let your pleas and your pretty face get to me.” He was hot for her. That’s good. Hopefully he still was. “I listened with my dick rather than my head. I should have driven you straight home from that party.” No. She started to shake her head but he kept going. “Maybe if I had, you wouldn’t have felt the need to invent a reason to leave.”

Longer Excerpt

Striding forward as if she knew exactly where she was going, Melissa entered the hallway. Several doors opened off each side, and people had gathered around a few of them, their attention trained on whatever was happening inside. She moved forward, pausing at the first doorway to peek in, but even on tiptoe she was too short to see over the crowd. Eventually a couple in front of her shifted their stance, and she managed to sneak a peek between their leather-clad bodies.
She stifled a gasp. A raised platform was centered in the room that held a large mattress covered in a plain white sheet. On the mattress were two women and one man. The man, who appeared to be about forty-five, lay flat on his back. One of the women, a busty brunette with a butterfly clip in her hair, straddled his chest on all fours, letting her big breasts dangle over his flushed face. They were huge compared to Melissa’s own small handfuls, and the man had captured both and squeezed them together. He tongued and sucked on her nipples, switching back and forth between the two. Above him, the woman’s back was bowed, her neck stretched long as she tilted her face up, squeezed her eyes closed and held her bottom lip between her teeth.
The other woman, a pixie of a thing with a matching haircut and long, dangly earrings gripped his cock in a tight fist while she bobbed her head, stroking her hand up and down to meet the movement of her mouth. The guy thrust his hips up in time with her downward motions. Between the slurping and the groaning and moaning going on in that room, it was only a matter of minutes before at least two of them managed to snag the stars they were reaching for.
A group of people lined one of the walls watching, and few others stood cuddling and petting their partners while their eyes were glued to the scene in front of them.
Melissa decided to move on. She could definitely see how watching stuff like this could turn someone on, but she was on the hunt for a specific person and she needed to find him before one of her watchdogs discovered she was here and hunted her down.
She continued to the next room, which contained two women, one of them leaning over a bench while the other spanked her with a paddle. The one on the bench was stark naked, her blond hair gathered in a ponytail that hung down the right side of her face. The redhead doing the spanking wore the slimmest stiletto boots Melissa had ever seen. She had partnered it with a pair of black leather boy-cut panties and a black with purple trimmed bustier. Dark coal liner rimmed her jade green eyes and a slash of red lipstick stained her cheeks.
Since that scene didn’t do anything for her—and frankly, the redheaded woman scared the crap out of her—Melissa decided to keep going. A large crowd seemed to have gathered at the next room and there seemed to be a fair amount of grunts coming from in there. Melissa strode in that direction while trying not to draw too much attention to herself.
When she got to the door, she had to push past two other couples and a big burly dude with a shaved head, wearing a dark suit with a red tie. The seams of his jacket looked like they might burst with teeniest flex of his muscles and the tie looked like it was strangling him. He was handsome as hell, as were many of the men here, but he wasn’t the man she was looking for. He gave her a questioning look, then looked over her shoulder and around.
“Are you here with anybody, miss?” He kept his voice low to avoid interrupting the show
“Ah…”
He turned, fully blocking her path as well as her view. Damn it. Behind him, a whistling sound wailed through the air, followed by the sharp sting of leather against flesh. A low grunt came next, with a long moan in its wake.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”
“Um, no, I’m new. Tonight’s my first night.” Crap. If she didn’t get past this guy soon, Kyle or Gabe would be sure to find her. And then she’d be in trouble.
“I don’t recall Mr. McBride telling me there would be any newbies tonight.”
Melissa tried her best for contrite. “I’m sure it was simply an oversight.” They were going to kill her.
He snorted. “Have you met Mr. McBride? There’s no such thing as oversight.”
He had that right. Unfortunately she knew Mr. McBride well. Didn’t matter which one he was actually referring to.
“Look, I’m sorry, but until I speak with one of the boss men, I don’t know who you are or how much freedom you’re supposed to have around here. So you’ll need to—”
“She’s with me.”
Melissa closed her eyes as those three words surrounded her. Sadly, she couldn’t do anything about the sizzling effect this voice had on her blood. Or the way it played havoc with her senses, her pussy, and her nipples.
She had wanted to find him, but not like this.
“Master James.”

KOBO | ARe  | B&N | EtopiaPress  | Amazon.com  | Amazon.ca |

Author Bio

Shoes are her addiction, but books are her passion.  Anne Lange grew up with a love for reading. If you take a close look, she’s got either a book, her Kindle or her Kobo nearby at all times. You know, just in case there’s time to sneak in a chapter or ten.  Anne reads many genres of romance, but prefers to write sexy stories, often with a dash of humor, and usually with a side of those sinful pleasures your mom never told you about.  And always with a happily ever after. 

While embarking on this wild journey of becoming a romance author, Anne juggles a full time job and a family. Though not always successfully. Who needs a clean house every day?  And what’s wrong with cereal for dinner? She lives in Ontario, Canada with her wonderfully supportive husband, three awesome kids who are growing up way too fast, and the family pets, Rocky the bearded dragon and Lily the chocolate lab. 

Author’s Social Links
Email: Anne_Lange66@yahoo.ca






 KOBO | ARe  | B&N | EtopiaPress  | Amazon.com  | Amazon.ca | Amazon.uk

Wednesday 12 August 2015

Welcome Anne Lange!!

Me, Anne & Deb at RTC 2015
I met Anne Lange (my tiara sister) at RTC 2015. We were both helping Deb Cook with her Knights vs Dragons event.

Anne was handing out tickets that attendees earned and I was in charge of handing out truffles. Yes, Deb Cook gave me a large bag of chocolate and then trusted me to hand them out! LOL Since her event was the first of the day I kept referring to the truffles as the "Breakfast of Champions".


Anne has been awesome enough to agree to visit on my blog for a couple days. Today we're featuring her book The Final Quarter. Be sure to come back tomorrow when she gives us a peek into Wicked Indulgence! :)






Title: The Final Quarter
Series Title: A New League, Book 2
Author: Anne Lange
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Heat Level:  Burning - Sexy, creative and hot, almost anything goes - not for shy readers
Length: 40,635



Buy Links 


Blurb
A quarterback facing the end of his career must come to peace with his past, and accept his present, before he can move on with his future.
Mitch Ryland accomplished what his father said he never would—he made something of himself.
When his wife suggests she’d like to start a family, Mitch is thrown for a loop. He’s never told her about his life before he ended up with his foster parents or his plans never to become a father. So when he’s taken out of the game, his failings from the past come back to haunt him, and Mitch blames his injury on his loss of focus. He’s unprepared for his career as a professional quarterback to be over. Nor is he ready to tell his wife about why football is so important to him. He’d rather put emotional and physical distance between them and focus on getting back in the game.
Serena Ryland has dreamed of becoming a mother. But when she mentions the idea to her husband, he freezes her out and she has no idea why. She’s worried that if they don’t start talking soon, she’ll lose him forever. When he refuses to come home to mend from an injury, she takes matters into her own hands, determined to spend more time with him, hoping to reignite the romance in their relationship. But she’s unprepared for the things she learns on this trip. Her husband has been carrying a few secrets that just might change the outlook of their future.
Reader Advisory: This book contains oral sex in a public environment and light bondage.
Publisher's note: This book is part of a series but can be read as a standalone title.

Short Excerpt
Mitch sighed and shifted in his chair. The knee he could handle. Bruised and sore, he’d limp for a few days, but it was his shoulder he worried about most. This was the third time he’d dislocated it. The first official time the team doctor knew about. His fingers itched to massage the joint, but he didn’t dare. No way in hell would he show any sign of weakness. The one thing his father and grandfather had drilled into him from a young age. A lesson he’d learned well.
“It’s more than just a simple sprain or a bad bruise, Mitch, and you know it. This is potentially career ending, especially if you don’t do as I’ve instructed. You need to rest it. Whatever you’ve been doing to keep this from us isn’t helping. Today’s proof of that. And it’s not going to get better until you do something about it. And you can’t do something about it until you’re not on the field every day.”
Noah took a deep breath, his expression full of compassion. “Apply ice to reduce the swelling three times a day for fifteen to twenty minutes. That shoulder needs to be kept stable. We need the swelling to go down so we can take a good look at it. I want you to wear an arm sling for the next three weeks. 
“I’ve scheduled an appointment for you three days from now then we’ll have a better idea what we’re dealing with. You’ll probably need to go through some therapy regardless of whether you end up heading down the surgery path or not. With some rest, maybe some therapy, and a light training regiment, we’ll see if there’s been any change.”
Panic swept through Mitch. He clenched his hands into fists on his thighs. “And if it doesn’t get better?”
“We’ll discuss that when the time comes.”
Mitch, well aware of the consequences, filled in the blanks. Surgery. Rehab. Months off the field. If he ended this season on the injury reserve list for next season, he’d miss training camp and wouldn’t be allowed to practice or play until the doctor cleared him. And if he did practice and aggravated the injury, or possibly made it worse, he’d be out for the rest of that season. Or longer.
On top of that, he’d have to deal with his standings. Out of play meant his rating would be affected and his stats would tank—and not only his. The team would take a hit as well. He’d disappoint the fans. He’d disappoint his friends and family.
He might never be the same afterward.
He’d end up a nobody. Just like he’d been told.
His football career may already be at the top of the spiral, just waiting for that push to send him off the edge and into the vortex. He’d always compared his life to a house of cards. Painstaking to build, easy to destroy. The king sits perched at the top, but then one slip, one tiny tug or poke on one of those cards and the whole thing would come tumbling down.
A tremor now rocked the house beneath his feet.


Longer Excerpt

A shiver of anticipation vibrated through her. I can do this.
Rising once more, she picked up her drink and held the glass out to him. “Can you hold this for a moment, please?”
“Sure.” His deep rumble set her on fire. That was his sex voice. Each time she heard it, awareness skittered along her nerve endings. Her senses sharpened. And it had been a while since he’d used it, so the fact that he did now thrilled her and urged her on.
Serena placed the papers on her chair, then turned and dipped back into her briefcase. A low growl came from behind her this time. With an added wiggle, she retrieved a linen tablecloth from her bag and twirled around. His gaze shifted to her hands. “I don’t want to get the papers wet,” she explained. “Excuse me, please.”
She nudged his arms out of the way, careful not to jostle him too much so he wouldn’t spill their drinks, while she draped the white tablecloth over the round table. It puddled on the floor. “Perfect.” She flashed him another smile, set her papers atop the table again, and reached for her water, though she set it down without taking a drink. Her stomach was a pile of nerves.
“All set to get down to business.”
“And are you going to tell me what the business is?”
Her husband clearly remained leery. She couldn’t fault him for that. This was so out of character for her. He was typically the aggressor in their relationship. She’d always preferred to let others take the lead, even as a child. Maybe because her mother simply rolled right over everyone in her way, a trait of her legal position. Serena had simply found it easier to stay out of her path.
But whatever was going on with her husband was affecting their marriage, and that she wouldn’t stand by and watch while it withered away. She loved him too much to let him go that easily.
Which meant she needed to step up her game if her husband wasn’t prepared to. But maybe it was more than that. Maybe this was about her suggestion a few weeks ago. Didn’t he want a family? She needed to convince him she loved him more than anything, perhaps even more than fulfilling one of her own dreams.
“It’s like I said, Mr. Ryland, we need to discuss a few things.”
“What’s with this Mr. Ryland shit? What game are you playing, Serena?”
“I know you’ve always enjoyed game nights,” she said instead.
He shifted in his seat and looked down at his drink. His clenched the glass in his hand.  
“The rush of the game, the physical and mental challenge, the excitement of a win. The devastation of a loss.” She felt bad that they’d lost tonight and almost regretted her words. “I bet the endorphins are flying through your system, even right now.” She cocked her head. “Is it like sex?”
He coughed, very nearly spitting out the mouthful of tea he’d just taken. “Excuse me?”
She put on what she hoped to be an innocent face and mentally prepared herself to forge forward. “Well, I think the high of the game must be like foreplay, then the party afterwards, like an orgasm. So game nights are like having sex.” At least she hoped, because she needed all the help should could get tonight. And she felt utterly foolish saying this crap. But how else was she supposed to lead up to her plan for the evening?
“Ah…”
Serena almost let loose with another giggle, watching Mitch trying to figure out where the hell she was going with this ridiculous conversation “You know,” she purred, “I’m well aware that you couldn’t actually play tonight.” She toyed with the papers. Spun her glass around a little.
“No.”
And her poor baby was pissed and hurting about that. Well, he needed to learn that she had his back. That when shit like this happened, he needed to talk to her. Knowing her husband, he was probably worrying himself sick that he was letting his coach down, his team down, the fans down. And he probably thought he was letting her down too.
The fact that he wouldn’t meet her gaze confirmed it. So she’d just have to help him forget for a while and remember the benefits that went with having somebody who cared for him. Somebody who loved him and was willing to fly across multiple states, plan some pretty special and erotic nights for him to take his mind off his troubles. If he wasn’t going to come home to her, then she would damn well to come to him.
“I have a something that might take your mind off your current situation.” Serena pulled her gaze from the man across from her and scanned the bar. Nobody paid them a bit of attention. She slipped off the stool, dropped to her knees and scurried under the table, letting the cloth provide the cover she needed.
“Serena.” Mitch’s harsh whisper reached her ears, but she chose to ignore him, instead she tucked her hands beneath his pants and ran her hands up his legs.
He jumped. “What the fuck?”


KOBO | ARe  | B&N | Totally Bound  | Amazon.com  | Amazon.ca | Amazon.uk
  
Author Bio

Shoes are her addiction, but books are her passion.  Anne Lange grew up with a love for reading. If you take a close look, she’s got either a book, her Kindle or her Kobo nearby at all times. You know, just in case there’s time to sneak in a chapter or ten.  Anne reads many genres of romance, but prefers to write sexy stories, often with a dash of humor, and usually with a side of those sinful pleasures your mom never told you about.  And always with a happily ever after. 

While embarking on this wild journey of becoming a romance author, Anne juggles a full time job and a family. Though not always successfully. Who needs a clean house every day?  And what’s wrong with cereal for dinner? She lives in Ontario, Canada with her wonderfully supportive husband, three awesome kids who are growing up way too fast, and the family pets, Rocky the bearded dragon and Lily the chocolate lab. 


Author’s Social Links
Email: Anne_Lange66@yahoo.ca






KOBO | ARe  | B&N | Totally Bound  | Amazon.com  | Amazon.ca | Amazon.uk

Sunday 9 August 2015

Say What? Eh?

inindigo
Canadians and Americans are similar in some ways but very different in others It isn’t until you travel somewhere or speak to someone from another province or country you notice that while we all speak English, not all words are used the same way.
As a Canadian author with an American publisher and American editors, this cultural language difference has cropped up more than a few times. I’ll admit that one of my favourite parts of getting “edits” back on a manuscript is reading the comment bubbles from my editors. Aside from the typical “u” and the “re/er” changes, I’ve been questioned on words like
Hydro Bill:  “Do you mean water or power because we just call it all, electric?”  
And Runners: “I think you mean tennis shoes or sneakers (?), please revise.”
I wrote a series of books set in a small town outside of Algonquin Park and then countered my editor with the reasoning that since the books are written in Canada, I'm using a Canadian dialect and should get to keep all my "u"'s.(Even if you don't hear them). Thankfully, I have awesome publishers that agreed it was fair but that didn't stop them from teasing me in the comment bubbles.
usa-canada
Out of curiosity I started looking for the differences and found a list in one of my husband’s books,  Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Perpetually Pleasing edition.  (You can laugh but they’re a great resource when looking for obscure facts.)
This is a few examples from their list:
Canada:                                                      USA:
Elastics                                                       Rubber Band
Chocolate Bar                                           Candy Bar
Rippers, Peelers, or The Ballet                Strippers
Tap                                                            Faucet
ABM                                                           ATM
(Automated Banking Machine)                (Automated Teller Machine)
Pencil Crayon                                             Coloured Pencil
Now there was a couple I didn’t entirely agree with…
Bunny Hug                                                 Hoodie
This must be a Canadian regional thing, because I’m sure I’ve heard the term Bunny Hug (out east or west, maybe) but I’ve always called them Hoodies.
BFI Bin                                                       Dumpster
I’ve used Dumpster all my life and had to google BFI Bin to see what that actually referred to. Do any of you use BFI Bin when referring to the …dumpster?
smarties
They have a serious case of candy confusion...Did you know that In the US they call their "Rockets", Smarties?
Smarties, the chocolate filled/candy coated favourite is totally a Canadian thing. Who knew?
Are there any similar examples you've noticed in your travels? Have you ever noticed a different in East Coast and West Coast terminology or expressions you've heard in another country that you weren't quite sure what they were talking about?
((reblogged from my social media course at Algonquin College))