Birthday Sale! September 1st through September 7th

Happy Birthday to meeee! Not really. My birthday isn't until September 5th, but I want to celebrate it with you! In honor of my birthday my ebooks have been reduced to .99 from September 1st through the 7th!


Here's the lineup:

My newest release: Dangerous Flames, Mafia Hearts Book 1 

Back from spending her teen years in Italy, Gabrielle Medini wants answer to the hard questions. She quickly learns that the Mafia still has a hand in controlling society and her father is the Don of the largest mob organization in the area. When a hit order is taken out on her father and one of his members will be doing the killing, Gabi’s mother demands Gabi’s disappearance. For good. This time she refuses to go alone. 

The Mafia doesn’t seem so glamorous any more. Not sure what Mik’s role in her father’s crime family is but sure he is involved, Gabrielle has reason to believe that her secret love's safety is in jeopardy too. 

Mikolas Russo is one hit away from becoming part of the Medini crime family. But is this what he really wants? Killing people for money is what he has been trained to do even though he’d give anything to trade the nightmares for sweet dreams of the forbidden Gabrielle. Thinking he has the chance to reveal his feelings to her, he arrives at her house to find her brandishing a loaded gun, ready to take control. 

Will the truth fulfill her desires, or will Mikolas be the one to shatter everything?  http://amzn.com/B00DUJ21HS

***

Jesse's Brother 

*Reader's Choice award winner! One woman, two men: a single summer to choose between them. Sacrificing a summer to fix her relationship with her mother and find out what’s troubling her father isn’t so bad...right? Wrong. Or so Samantha learns upon her return to Portland. As if family drama wasn’t bad enough, first comes Noah. Then comes Jesse. Samantha is torn between the way her heart skips a beat each time Noah looks at her, and the way Jesse’s touch make her yearn for more.

Will Samantha be able to choose between the men before their secret crushes her?

http://amzn.com/B009NWWW6G

*** 

Confessions, Desert Secrets Book 1 

Can Chelsea and Jordan find their child, and rediscover each other?

When Chelsea Montgomery vanished eleven years ago, her hometown thought she’d been abducted. In truth, she'd given up the daughter she'd secretly had with Jordan Case.

Now he confronts her to help find the child. With a little girl's fate hanging in the balance, will the uneasy partnership -- stained by the past -- transform into something else? 
http://amzn.com/B00A3FVT84

***







Midnight Secrets, Desert Secrets Book 2 

Will Miguel’s whispered midnight promises ever see the light of day?

Content with her job as small town waitress and roll of single mom, Allison believes she's better off without a man. In her opinion, all they bring is chaos - and that includes the father of her child. So why has Miguel’s arrival shaken her so badly?

It's not easy for Allison to keep Miguel a secret with someone set on shutting down her bakery and the local sheriff believing she harbors a vendetta against the town because of her tormented past. 

Keeping her secrets and clearing her name just might be harder than Allison ever imagined. 

Content warning; This book contains cold family situations during the day and hot nights. http://amzn.com/B004GHN46U




***

Cross the Line 

Leslie thought she had it all, until Chris showed her the rest.

Another move and a bigger paycheck are all Leslie Teague depends on. Living the ‘no strings’ attached lifestyle has always worked for her…until she arrives in Phoenix.

She doesn’t like bad boy types of men, so why can’t she keep her hands off Chris Matthews, who also just happens to be her new neighbor?

Content warning, this book contains a fulfilled fantasy, adult language, and a life saved. http://amzn.com/B004GHN4YW

***






                                               Dreaming of Him 

The dark brings romance…and death

Loneliness has clouded Amber Addaire's life, but now she's ready for a change. After a complete makeover still leaves her unhappy, it's only when she starts dreaming of an oddly familiar - and extremely handsome - man that she begins to feel happiness.

Trace Elkson is a spirit stuck on earth long enough to let his childhood friend, Amber Addaire, know how much she meant to him before he died. He can't tell her what he is, or that he's watching over her. He can only communicate with her through her dreams and hopes she will eventually realize who he is. 

In the dream realm, Amber falls in love with Trace but can she figure out who he is and join him before his spirit is forced to move on?

WARNING: A deep friendship, impending death, and a life saved. http://amzn.com/B006ZKBZD0

My Sexy Saturday: Cross the Line

What is sexy? Each person has their own idea and one thing that pops into my mind are neighbors. Have you ever had one of those sexy creatures that were so close to provide some temptation, yet to close for anything to come of it? This week I'm providing a snippet of when Leslie Teague meets her sexy as hell neighbor, Chris Matthews. By the way, if you are looking for a steamy hot read (the hottest that I've ever written!), Cross the Line is a book to get! You can find the book here: http://amzn.com/B004GHN4YW
When you're done, take a look at the other sexy bloggers listed at the bottom of my post. Happy reading!

From Cross the Line:

A knock on the door made me jump up from the box, making every strain in my muscles
and joints become more prominent. The pain quickly faded as a luscious vision in denim leaned
against my doorframe, looking sexy as sin.

A shot of heat spread through my body. I had no idea why he instantly turned me on. I didn’t
find goatees attractive, wasn’t into the whole tattoo bit, or the almost too tight t-shirt style, but it
all looked perfect on this man. This man definitely had the talent to pull off the bad boy look that
made women drop to their knees. Me included.

I quickly ran my fingers through my hair. It had once been in a complete ponytail, but was
only partially bound by a hairband at this point. I looked like a mess and knew it. What a great
way to start out meeting someone so handsome. But that’s my luck and I had accepted it long ago.
To make the best of the situation, I wiped my sweaty palm down my jean shorts before holding it
out to him. “Hi. My name’s Leslie Teague.”

“Chris Matthews.” He barely touched my hand before dropping it, as if scorched. He cocked
his head toward the front of my apartment. “Need help with that truck out front?”

“I would’ve taken you up on your offer a little earlier, but I’m done now.” The lie floated
from my lips as if the act came as a second nature to me. I never lied to people and never, ever
asked anyone for help. So why did I find myself holding my hands out toward the room full of
boxes as if presenting a prize? “Unless you want to assist in moving the mattress to my bedroom?”
A few suggestions as to what we could do on that mattress came to mind, but I did my best to
keep my mouth shut.

A ringing cell prevented any type of response from him. He pulled it out of the front pocket of
his black jeans shorts, took one glance at the caller ID and frowned. Stuffing the phone in his pocket
again, he nodded toward the door. “I just want you to move the truck. You’re blocking my spot.”

Heat rushed over my cheeks. When had I gotten so presumptuous? Okay, so no moving
mattresses with him followed by mind-blowing sex afterward. With my bubble burst, I took a step
back. “Just give me a few minutes and then it’ll be moved.”

Football Season Starts Today!

My family isn't one of those sporty types. You might be one of them or you know a family I'm talking about. Their week centers around what football games are on. They host parties or visit venues that host game parties. They have favorite teams and players. Nope. We are not one of these families. So why am I excited for football season? First of all, I'm talking about the high school football. Both of my kids are involved at the games this year. Tonight is their first game. My daughter plays the drums with the marching band and my son will be marching with his ROTC group. Dan, Mark (our other teenager), and I will be in the stands enjoying the excitement of the game tonight. Of course we'll take pictures. Check back later this week if you want to see some! I actually think we'll be there for all of the home games this season. GO VIKINGS!!

A new cover!

Dangerous Flames has a new cover! Do you love it? I do!!

Back from spending her teen years in Italy, Gabrielle Medini wants answer to the hard questions. She quickly learns that the Mafia still has a hand in controlling society and her father is the Don of the largest mob organization in the area. When a hit order is taken out on her father and one of his members will be doing the killing, Gabi’s mother demands Gabi’s disappearance. For good. This time she refuses to go alone. 

The Mafia doesn’t seem so glamorous any more. Not sure what Mik’s role in her father’s crime family is but sure he is involved, Gabrielle has reason to believe that her secret love's safety is in jeopardy too. 

Mikolas Russo is one hit away from becoming part of the Medini crime family. But is this what he really wants? Killing people for money is what he has been trained to do even though he’d give anything to trade the nightmares for sweet dreams of the forbidden Gabrielle. Thinking he has the chance to reveal his feelings to her, he arrives at her house to find her brandishing a loaded gun, ready to take control. 

Will the truth fulfill her desires, or will Mikolas be the one to shatter everything? http://amzn.com/B00DUJ21HS

An Author's Day...

When I tell people that I'm an author their eyes usually take on an excited shine as their face lights up. They often exclaime, "You're an author?!" Something is magical about that word! So I'm going to let you in on a secret... the average author's day. Here is a typical day for me:


4:00 a.m.- Yes, I start my day this early. My honey works in construction so he has to be up for work now. I get up too because it gives me an extra long work day. Once he is out the door, I wake my brain with a large amount of coffee, some breakfast, and check email (but don't respond yet!). The real key to my early morning wake-up is playing some strategic games (usually Candy Crush or Pet Rescue). After my lives are used up I'm ready to go.

I set my word count for the day. This week I'm writing a novella so I must make at least 1000 words a day. I'm delighted if I go over that word count though. At this time I respond to emails and then start writing.

5:45 ish: The kids are up for school. Our house a busy for awhile and it's hard to concentrate on writing the book. I'll often do some promoting and corresponding with readers and other authors. I might schedule blog posts and write some posts. I often update my Goodreads page, Twitter, and Facebook author page and regular Facebook page.

6:45: Daughter is off to marching band practice. Son is still here, but he is quiet so I get to refocus on writing. I'll reread what I wrote earlier to help get back into the zone. He leaves an hour later and by then I'm really ready to make my word count.

10:00: I'm ready to eat lunch. I also am ready for some conversation. I usually walk around while I eat to give my butt a break from sitting so long. Before I settle back in the recliner with my computer, I'll make calls to people, pay bills, and check emails again. Oh look: my cover artist wants me to choose pictures for my next cover! I must agonize over this before writing continues. And then... I am invited to special projects like another anthology. What should I write? It's hard to get my thoughts back to my current characters.

And then I decide that I've taken so long with "other stuff" that I just might not make my word count for the day. Back to writing I go...

Around 12:30: I put my computer up for a bit. I really need to move around, so I try to do a workout while the family is still gone. I have the Zumba program on DVD and this sparks up my day. After I workout I start some chores. When I'm finished I go back to the keyboard in hopes of meeting my word count.

3:00 p.m.: Both kids (plus daughter's boyfriend) are here. It's crazy. My mom was here yesterday and she mentioned how she finally realized why I don't work when the kids are home. I try to squeeze in a few more words, but that usually is unsuccessful. Dan gets home shortly after and the rest of the day is for family.

And there you have, readers!

Goodbye, Summer and Hello, School!

The heat hasn't left Phoenix yet but the long lazy days of summer are long gone. The kids are in their second week of school, and boy, this year is a busy one! Let me tell you, I'm so glad we moved across the street from the high school. Trevor is a freshman and Alexis is a junior (first day of school pic to the left). Neither kid drives yet so they get to walk to the school for all of their activities. Alexis plays the drums in the marching band this year and has to play at all the games. She also is a freshmen mentor so is required to do all of their activities. Trevor is in the JROTC this year and he's loving it. He plans on making the most of the program by taking extra PT in the mornings, be on the air rifle and drill teams.






Alexis is also in AP classes. She gets to take over a good portion of the living room to study and do homework. Can you believe that she has music blasting in those headphones?






What does this mean for me? My work schedule has returned to normal. I'm actually working on a novella for my publisher's anthology. I'll keep you posted on the progress of this. I also have entered Jesse's Girl in an RWA chapter sponsored contest. If you're waiting for the release of this book, you have to wait now until January or so.

Write at the Merge: Week 34

Hello, readers!

I decided to participate in the Write at the Merge: Week 34. The prompt is a sign Millie's Tavern sign and a Beastie Boys song. The prompts (especially the song) came at a great time and made a scene pop into my head. If you're a fan of my Mafia Hearts series, you will probably love this because you'll get a sneak peek at the next book.

Remember, this scene is done from a writing prompt and is unedited. I hope you enjoy!

Mia smoothed down her black miniskirt as she rushed toward the break room door, pausing a moment to stare up at the Millie’s Tavern sign hanging on the wall next to the row of employee lockers. This wasn’t Millie’s Tavern and she wondered about the story behind the sign. No time to worry about that now. She had a total of five minutes to be completely ready for her shift to start and on a Saturday evening in the casino, that might be hard to do with the hordes of people and random customers clutching her arm to grab them a this-or-that.

She hurried out into the hallway, made a sharp right, and pushed open the door to the casino’s club. The booming bass from No Sleep Till Brooklyn bounced her eardrums as people grind against one another on the dance floor. She hurried behind the counter to check in with her manager, who pointed to the far corner of the club. The VIP area.

Mia froze in her tracks. There he was. Sebastian. Her pulse pounded as she looked him over. He had the same shade of hair with soft waves. His pudgy face had given away to smooth contoured cheeks and jaw. The biggest clues to his identity were the small dimple on his chin and splash of freckles over the bridge of his nose. Yep, Sebastian had finally arrived.

Her heart raced  as she stared at the man she’d spent so many years planning to find and then searching for. No, she wasn’t one of those ex-girlfriends coming back to claim some undying love, or a baby she’d hid from him. It wasn’t anything like that. Finding him was all about business. So what was the stinging feeling in her stomach when a woman rested her thin hand on his bicep as she whispered into his ear?

There was no way she could approach him while he was on date. Mia didn’t need a catfight at her job. Hopefully he’d be in her section, giving her a chance to talk with him. He might even recognize her. With the classy black suit, shiny black Oxfords, and the twinkling diamonds in his watch, he’d qualify for her section, so it was possible. 

***