Want A Kindle Autograph?

Do you read from a Kindle but miss getting that personalized autograph that comes with print books? Well, now you can enjoy the best of both worlds! With Kindle Graph, you can request a personalized autograph from your favorite authors and a digital version will be sent straight to your Kindle.

Want to get an autograph of one of my books sent to your Kindle? Then visit my page and start requesting!

Friday 56: SPIRIT OF THE LAKE By Paty Jager

Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Post any sentence from that page (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog. (If you do not have your own blog) post it in the comments section of this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Dove’s shoulders shook. She may have stood strong against her father, but now that she stood alone, her defenses floated away like the fuzz of a cottonwood tree.

Wewukiye knelt beside her. He wished to put his arms around her and take away the hurt of her people. The reason for her anguish kept his arms tucked against his sides.

* * * *

Past The Print credits Freda's Voice for the great

Friday 56 meme:

Other Friday 56 Blogs:

Wake-Me-Up Wednesday

Ben Hill

American Model
Ranked #5 of the Top 50 Male Models

Modeling Website

Photo Credits:
John Balsom
Alexi Lubomirski
Josh Olins
HugoBoss
Blair Getz Mezibov

I was made aware of this man by fellow TMP author Madison J. Edwards. Ben is her muse for her hero, Cian, in her paranormal WIP Dark Desires. And I just fell in love with him the moment I saw him. I think he's better suited to wake us up than coffee....what do you think?
Happy Wednesday!

This one is my favorite...look at those eyes!

New Release: BEACH RENTAL By Grace Greene

Beach Rental
by Grace Greene
(Women's Fiction Novel)

Available at: Smashwords | Turquoise Morning Press | Kindle | Nook | ARe | Bookstrand | Coffee Time Romance

Blurb:

On the Crystal Coast of North Carolina, in the small town of Emerald Isle…

Juli Cooke, hard-working and getting nowhere fast, marries a dying man, Ben Bradshaw, for a financial settlement, not expecting he will set her on a journey of hope and love. The journey brings her to Luke Winters, a local art dealer, but Luke resents the woman who married his sick friend and warns her not to hurt Ben-and he's watching to make sure she doesn't.
Until Ben dies and the stakes change.
Framed by the timelessness of the Atlantic Ocean and the brilliant blue of the beach sky, Juli struggles against her past, the opposition of Ben's and Luke's families, and even the living reminder of her marriage-to build a future with hope and perhaps to find the love of her life-if she can survive the danger from her past.

Friday 56: HAWTHORNE By Sarah Ballance

Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Post any sentence from that page (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog. (If you do not have your own blog) post it in the comments section of this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Before the echo of Emma Graceʹs cries had died in his ears, the woman twisted and sneered—a lurid, heartless upturn of her face. It was the last thing Noah remembered before he blew right through her, running in terror to the edge which had taken Emma Grace, as if he could somehow catch her and make things right.

* * * *

Past The Print credits Freda's Voice for the great

Friday 56 meme:

Other Friday 56 Blogs:

Guest Blogging at Two Blogs: Romance Books R Us and Sweet N Sexy Divas

Stop by Romance Books R Us where I'm talking about the last book in the Emerald Isle Trilogy and what it means for me to be "Closing In On The Climax."






And I'm also at Sweet N Sexy Divas: with "Quotes And A Contest And A Prize, OH MY!" I'm giving away an an ebook copy of SILENT PARTNER. All you have to do is list who said some of my favorite quotes from the post. Some are from books, some are from movies, TV shows and cartoons. Many are famous, others are just quotes I can't forget. Whoever has the most correct wins! Visit Sweet N Sexy Divas blog for complete contest details.

Wake-Me-Up Wednesday

Ruben Cortada

Cuban Model
Facebook


Photo Credits:
Pablo Vicente
Sight Management
Guess

As I continue to stare into this gorgeous man's green eyes, I'm reminded of why bad boys are so appealing. This guy makes me want to write another steamy contemporary. Perhaps an Alpha male hero on the rebound, vacationing in the Caribbean, leaving a path of broken hearts in his wake. I can just see it...

Well anyway, happy Wednesday to you all. Hope you enjoy!

Guest Bloggers, Authors Sarah Ballance & Elaina Lee

Today I've brought a slightly different kind of guest blog, and I'd first like to thank Renee for offering her blog so fellow author Elaina Lee and I may share this with you. As you read through this information, please keep in mind our new titles—Elaina's TO URN HER LOVE and my story HAWTHORNE—are available for just $3 each with all proceeds to benefit the relief efforts highlighted below. We hope you'll consider a donation through a book purchase, and thank you very much for your time as you visit with us today.

WHEN DISASTER STRIKES, there's a moment when we forget all boundaries. Geographic, political, and socioeconomic divisions fall, and there, for some of the most painful, beautiful moments in time, we are one.

Then—hour by hour, day by day, week by week—the vast majority of us lucky enough to do so will move on. As the headlines change our focus moves elsewhere, and save for the occasional media update, many of us don't look back.

Some, however, struggle to look ahead. Here's a glimpse at the staggering numbers and the broken realities affected residents of Alabama and Japan must face every day.

ALABAMA TORNADOES – April 27, 2011

The mile-wide F5 tornado that literally sliced the state of Alabama in half stayed on the ground for an astonishing 300 miles—a record-breaking distance, according to National Geographic. It also left a path of utter devastation in its wake, and recovery hasn't been easy, as evidenced by these facts reported by blog.al.com.

• 25,081 families were denied FEMA insurance, including many whose homes had been wiped completely off their foundations. FEMA's reason? Insufficient damage.

• Following the April tornadoes, FEMA deployed 523 inspectors to the region. Together, they've inspected over 5,000 properties a day. That's a lot of destruction, folks.

• Of the $4 million in initial FEMA aid for Alabama, $3.1 million went for temporary housing alone. 

JAPAN EARTHQUAKE – March 11, 2011

A June 29 update from Red Cross Japan reveals the following sober statistics:

• 75,215 people from the three most affected prefectures are still living in shelters or other temporary housing. 7,427 are still missing, their loved ones fearing the worst. 

• 119,776 claims for unemployment were filed between March 11 and June 8 in the three most affected prefectures. 

• 97,183 people have been evacuated from the area surrounding the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant. 35, 514 have left the Fukushima prefecture, forced to start over with nothing.

You Can Help … Today 

Authors Elaina Lee and Sarah Ballance, through the generosity of the Astraea Press charity program, are proud to announce 100% of profits from their novellas below will go toward Alabama and Japan Disaster Relief, respectively. To help raise awareness, every comment on their individual blogs or guest blog posts (including this one!) from July 12 through August 8 will double as an entry into a weekly drawing for a $10 gift e-certificate or a free e-book. Winners will be announced on their blogs and contacted via e-mail. As an additional token of appreciation for your support, if you have purchased either of their titles you are invited to contact Elaina or Sarah for a free gift (while supplies last).

TO URN HER LOVE
By Elaina Lee
BUY LINK | BLOG

Caylie Abrahms bad day gets worse when the teen brother she's responsible for proudly hands her a gift. Just wanting to show how much he appreciates all his sister does for him, Kyle steals what he believes is an ornate glass vase. The gift is anything but however, and now Caylie has to find the owner of an urn. Worst yet, she has to explain her dear brother stole someones loved one.

Against all odds she learns the urn belongs to Rick Marshall, her best friend from college, the man she'd poured her heart out to and been rejected by. She never thought she'd see him again, let alone have to hand him back his father in glass. Will her resolve remain strong in his presence, or will she suffer another broken heart?

HAWTHORNE
By Sarah Ballance
BUY LINK | BLOG

After a terrifying encounter with the unexplained, it took ten years and the news of her grandmother’s passing for Emma Grace Hawthorne to return to her childhood home. She sought peace in saying a proper goodbye, but what she found was an old love, a sordid family history, and a wrong only she could right.

Living in the shadow of Hawthorne Manor, Noah Garrett never forgot about Emma Grace. In a house full of secrets, his search for missing documents revealed a truth that could cost him everything. What he found gave Emma the freedom to walk away from the mansion, her heart free and clear, but at what price to Noah?

If you'd like to receive free promotional materials, please contact Elaina @ forthemusedesigns at gmail dot com or Sarah @ sarah at sarahballance dot com. Available while supplies last.

SOURCES: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/04/110428-tuscaloosa-birmingham-alabama-news-tornadoes-science-nation/ | AL.BLOG.COM http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/06/alabama_tornado_recovery_fema.html |RED CROSS JAPAN http://www.jrc.or.jp/vcms_lf/kokusai_290611.pdf | Photos by Elaina Lee (July 9, 2011)

New Release: CRAZY FOR YOU By Maddie James

Crazy For You
By Maddie James

Previously published in print by Kensington.
Now available in ebook formats from Turquoise Morning Press!

Available at: Smashwords | Nook | Kindle | ARe| Bookstrand

Who knew getting naked could be so funny?

Blurb:

She’s Tofu

A lovely nineties-style flower child, Tasha Smith enjoys her laid-back life at the shop where she sells organic fruits and vegetables, even though lately she’s been in a funk over a broken engagement. Determined to shake her blues, she heads down to a resort in sunny Jamaica, and along the way, hooks up with a most unlikely companion—a workaholic salesman who has no idea how sexy he looks in his Brooks Brothers suit!

He’s Beefsteak

Andrew Jacob Powel III reluctantly heads to Jamaica after winning the trip for high salesman of the month. He figures while there, he’ll handout business cards and make some new connections. But when he connects with Tasha, his professional poise begins a slow unraveling. She is at turns enchanting and exasperating—and adorably determined to tease him out of his conservative shell, not to mention that Brooks Brothers suit.

Even as a sultry passion takes them both by surprise, Andrew and Tasha know they’ll have to return to their very different lives—but their hearts keep telling them they belong together. And hearts never lie…

Friday 56: BLADE OF THE WOLF By Nicole North

Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Post any sentence from that page (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog. (If you do not have your own blog) post it in the comments section of this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Could it possibly be true? His family alive again?

“There’s no need for you to worry or grieve for them anymore. It was their time to go in that life in 1404, Scotland, and you couldn’t have prevented it.”

Ronan’s throat constricted so tightly he could hardly breathe. Dear God, his family, whom he had missed above all others to the point of near obsession for over a hundred years after their violent murders. How many nights had he lain awake, yearning for their presence?

“Ailsa and your children missed you. They didn’t like leaving so soon, but they never blamed you. You protected them to the best of your abilities, but Ualraig was too strong for you then.”

* * * *

Past The Print credits Freda's Voice for the great

Friday 56 meme:

Other Friday 56 Blogs:

Wake-Me-Up Wednesday

Chad White

Male Fashion Model


Fansite

Photo Credits:
Arnaldo Anaya Lucca Photography

Gregory Vaughan

L’Officiel Hommes

Daniel D'Ottavio

Dolce & Gabbana

Today, I am officially the mother of a teenager. *Argh!* So, I decided to treat myself to a VERY pleasant and very hot Wake-Me-Up Wednesday. Hey, I deserve this, 'cause realizing I'm old enough to have and raise a teen is more of a slap in the face than a wake-me-up, don't you agree?

Happy Wednesday!

I'm all smiles here......

Guest Blogger Author Eliza Knight

Ten Ways for Writers to Stay Healthy and Active 

For most of us, the day consists of sitting at a computer and typing, the only exercise our body’s encounter being the constant movement of fingers on the keyboard and walking to an from the bathroom or to the pantry for chocolate or to the coffee maker…

And we all know what happens right??? Our butts become squarish, flat and WIDE.

This year, I decided to make the behind shrink… And here are ten things I did to change to widening of said rear.

1. Go to the gym at least 3-4 times a week. I don’t do treadmills they are boring… I take a Zumba class (dance aerobics), pilates, and a weight training class. I go in the morning so that the rest of my day is free (and also because if I don’t, I will come up with a lot of excuses later in the day why I can’t go, such as the mile long “To Do” list that tends to have my eyes twitching.) You don’t have to join a gym like I did, you can start walking (jogging) outside, do an exercise video, play a game of ball with the kiddies, play fetch with your dog and race him to the ball. Run up and down your stairs. 
2. No snacking. I tended to graze all day. Now I chew gum between meals. 
3. Drink water. Not only is water good for you, helping your body to function better, but it keeps you fuller longer. 
4. About every hour, I jump up from the computer and move. Whether that is laundry, playing the kids, vacuuming, a quick walk around the house, taking the dog out, it doesn’t matter, just as long as you are moving once an hour for about 5-15 minutes. Get your blood flowing again.
5. Park far. This is the age old easy one we hear a lot. Park further away and walk more. It may seem like a small thing, but in the end it can mean a lot. 
6. Smaller portions. I joined Weight Watchers, and having to go by the points system, I saw that my portions were much larger than they should have been.
7. NO JUNK!!! I do not drink soda, I don’t each junk. (Except for the occasional Hershey’s Kiss, and I do mean occasional. I no longer eat candy daily. Sad I know…)
8. Raw sugar. Instead of using refined sugar, I buy raw sugar.
9. More fruits and veggies. With Weight Watchers, most fruits and veggies are zero points, which means I can eat as much as I want and not feel guilty. Fruits and veggies are jam-packed with nutrients—vitamins, fiber, water, all good things.
10. Willpower. No matter how much strength I give my characters, it doesn’t always trickle down to me. I have to WANT it, and WANT it bad. Like our writing careers, if we want it, we will have to literally work our butts off to get it. 

Tell me, what do you do to stay healthy and eliminate the squarish, squishiness of writer’s ass?

Stay healthy!!!

Eliza Knight is the best-selling, multi-published author of historical romance and erotic romance. Visit her at www.elizaknight.com.

A Pirate’s Bounty:

Blurb:

1764 ~ When Faryn is captured by the mysterious and sensual dread pirate Captain Wraith Noir, who delivers her as a slave to the flesh-hungry court of the pirate queen, she expects her future will be bleak and death imminent. Lucky for Faryn, Wraith offers a different destiny—he wants her for his own.

Duty, desire, passion, revenge and treachery besiege Faryn and Wraith. With the future uncertain, only fate, love and the truth will set them both free.

Reader Advisory: Contains a heroine experiencing the diverse pleasures of a pirate queen’s court, including f/f touching and scorching public sex, as well as mentions of traditional pirating endeavors.

An Excerpt From: A PIRATE’S BOUNTY

Copyright © ELIZA KNIGHT, 2011

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Chapter One

The Coast of the Greek Isles, 1764

The crack of the whip stung as it struck the flesh of Faryn’s bare buttocks. She bit hard on the inside of her cheek, refusing to cry out as she knew the crew liked to hear. She would not try to jump overboard again.

Metal clanked against the masts as men shouted, “Heave! Ho!” to get the sails down now that they’d come into port. Instead of a white sail flying prominently against the mainmast, this ship’s sail was a flag. Large and intrusive, its image would shake any ship or person who neared it. Eerie wisps of clouds dusted the night sky, and the large silvery moon shone in flashes on the design, which sent an involuntary shudder through her now, just as it always did. Against the wide black backdrop, sewn in white, a large skull, and beneath it two silver swords crisscrossed. Below that was clearly an image in white of the top half of a man, well-muscled, who held the two swords.

“School your hands, mate! Orelia will not be pleased that you marred the flesh of one of her slaves.” The voice was filled with authority, and though he spoke English, she noted a slight undertone of French, something she ought to remember as he could prove to be an ally, but as soon as the thought entered her mind it was quickly gone again.

Slave.

The word echoed in Faryn’s mind over and over in tune to the throb of the welt on her flesh. She looked around with glazed eyes. A rough crew this was. Weapons covered their bodies, some crude, some elegant—and so very out of place, with their rough clothing. They smiled, some with teeth and some without. They leered at her with one or two eyes, some covered with a patch. Some grabbed at their crotches and waggled what little bits of male flesh hid beneath the layers of grubby breeches. Except for one. The captain. He stood out—dark, mysterious, large and eerily handsome. A cut above the rest.

Slave. Slave. Slave.

This was why they’d taken her in the middle of the night. She cursed her sleeplessness and need to walk on the beach that dreadful evening. They’d ripped her from everything she knew, tied her hands behind her back, tossed her over their shoulders and disappeared into the fog. She would be slave to Orelia. But who was Orelia? She’d never heard the name before now.

“Avast, ye wretches, down ye go, else prepare to feed the fish!” a man shouted, as he hobbled up and down the line of slaves on one foot and a wooden pegleg.

The captain’s gaze held hers, catching her breath in her throat. She was frightened…yet another feeling had her belly twisting into knots. Without taking his gaze from hers, he flicked his hand toward her and sliced through the rope tying her arms around the mast. He jerked his head toward the other gangplank and Faryn hurried to line up with the other beaten and naked men and women who would serve as slaves to the mysterious Orelia, eager to have her feet walk on steady ground again. They’d traveled far, she was sure. And as she stepped down the gangplank, splinters sinking into the tender flesh of her feet, she was hit with the knowledge that escape would not come easy.

Ocean stretched far and wide. The sounds of water crashing against the shore, and the scents of salt and ocean surrounded her. Loud voices shouted all around her, mixed with the creaking of boards, boot heels clicking on wood and other ship sounds. From the dock came people, she could barely make them out with only the small lanterns they carried. Naked bodies trembled and wobbled down the planks in front of her. She was delirious from hunger and pain. Cold and wet.

Gooseflesh rose along her limbs, her nipples were hard and stung as her hair whipped violently against her chest.

She cried out and lost her footing. Arms flung out, she sought hold of anything, her hands catching the slippery back of another slave, who jumped forward at her touch. Her knees dropped to the wood of the gangplank.

“Get up!” shouted one of the men wielding a whip. But she could not. She was so weak…too tired. Her vision blurred.

“That one won’t make it. Captain, ye want her back? Might be best to toss her to the sharks.”

New Release: CONTENTMENT by Margaret Ethridge

Contentment
by Margaret Ethridge

Available at: Kindle | Smashwords | ARe Books | Bookstrand | B&N
Trade paperback at Turquoise Morning Press

Blurb:

Tracy Sullivan seems to have it all, a handsome, devoted husband, three beautiful children, a steady career, and the perfect suburban home; but she isn’t happy.

The petty resentments that have built over fifteen years of marriage surface when Tracy tells her husband, Sean, that she is no longer interested in sex, and their marriage threatens to implode.

For the sake of their children, Tracy and Sean agree to lead separate lives under the same roof. With the help of a healthy dose of adult-rated fiction and some gentle prodding from a good friend, Tracy begins to rediscover who she is, what she wants, and the reasons she fell for Sean once upon a time.

After two years of soul-searching, Tracy is finally ready to embrace her happily ever after having learned that while happiness may be fleeting, contentment can last a lifetime.

Saturday Soulful Quotes by Renee Vincent

Visit Nice N' Naughty Authors blog today for another does of Saturday Soulful Quotes. If you like Highlander romances and hunky hot Scots, you don't want to miss this segment!