Wednesday, May 28, 2014

COVER REVEAL: Hot Blooded by Kendall Grey

If Robert Rodriquez (Sin City), Tony Soprano, and David Lynch (Twin Peaks) made sweet love to a Hawaiian version of The Bride (Uma Thurman’s character from Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill), the resulting spawn might look like Kendall Grey’s upcoming mystery/suspense/supernatural thriller, HOT-BLOODED.
The first installment in the Ohana series, HOT-BLOODED is set on the island of Maui and is wrapped in the light and dark watercolors of Hawaiian culture, history, and mythology. It’s about guns, drugs, surfing, and tiki monsters. HOT-BLOODED tells the tale of a ballsy, half-Hawaiian angel-turned-demon, the duplicitous assassin who falls for her, and the blessings and curses of family—all wrapped up in freaky, supernatural gift paper.
Here’s the description:
WARNING: HOT-BLOODED does NOT end with a happily ever after. It contains drug use and graphic sex, language, and violence. The story is intended to entertain, not to condone or glorify illegal or immoral activities. This book is unsuitable for sensitive readers and those under the age of 18.
*Written in 3rd person. Contains a massive cliffhanger and multiple POVs.
Ohana is everything…
When an accident claims her mother’s life, Keahilani Alana must take charge of her ohana (family) or risk losing what little they have. With an underage brother to care for and no education, she has few options. The door to a heavenly hellish opportunity opens when she stumbles upon a valuable secret her mother left behind on the slopes of an extinct volcano—a legacy that tempts the family with riches beyond their wildest dreams. But the secret is much bigger and more sinister than they realize. As reality unravels and exposes eerie truths about the ohana that should have remained deep under the mountain, Keahilani must either resist the call of her blood or risk being consumed by its darkness.
Blake Murphy is an assassin working to infiltrate a new Hawaiian cartel. His investigation reveals that Keahilani, the sexy surfing instructor he pegged as an informant, is much closer to the drug ring than he thought. Passion ignites between them in the bedroom, but their ironclad ties to opposing interests pit them against each other everywhere else.
When tensions reach the breaking point and her ohana is threatened, the only cure for Keahilani’s hot-blooded fury is a loaded clip with a body bag chaser.
They don’t call her Pele for nothing.
Here’s the cover, designed by Renee Coffey:

So, are you up for a steamy, violent descent into tropical-island madness with a supernatural twist? If so, you can add HOT-BLOODED to your Goodreads TBR here. The release date hasn’t been announced yet, but Kendall is shooting for the end of June or early July. Stay tuned!
You can stalk Kendall on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon, or her web site.

Monday, May 12, 2014

New Release: A Different Class by Leigh Ellwood

I got lucky enough to be involved in Leigh's cover reveal a couple months ago and now she's back with her book officially available. Here's a special message just from her: 

I am thrilled to be part of the Decadent family! The idea for A Different Class came about after an invitation arrived for an upcoming high school reunion. I asked myself what might happen if somebody felt reluctant to attend because of bad experiences and memories, and how one night arranged by Madame Eve changes everything.

Right now I am halfway into the follow-up to this story, another hot M/M. I hope you’ll pick up A Different Class, and if you enjoy it drop me a line on Twitter at @LeighEllwood. J

Blurb
FDR High Class of 2004 graduate, Glenn Carson contacts fellow alumni to get a list of who will be attending the upcoming festivities. One call to a disgruntled former student leaves him shaken—apparently, not everyone is looking forward to the reunion. Hoping to ease his frustration, he contacts the 1Night Stand service for a relaxing and passionate encounter.
Known as “Mumbles” to former classmates, Rod Maloney would prefer to focus on the present and his successful business. However, past tragedies continue to haunt him, so he requests Madame Eve find him a man to show him a hot time and help him forget his troubles.
Will their one night together lead to a reunion after all?

Buy: 

About Leigh
I am Leigh Ellwood. I write smutty stories about people who like getting naked and having sex. Some have more sex than others, some have sex with people of the same gender, some have sex with more than one person, and still others have sex with toys and things that require the use of batteries. My stories range from a few thousand words to well past 70k. My books are available at Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, Kobo, and ARe.
Visit Leigh at her: 

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Dragonfly Moments 1st Birthday Blog Tour & Sale! #Giveaway

Thank you to Landra Graf for hosting me on Rise of the Slush blog.
It's the tenth stop of my tour today. Don't forget there are still great prizes to be won. Enter by clicking the rafflecopter link below.
Today, I’m giving some quotes from my book (specifically from Ryan's Point of View) and its reviews.
 Blurb:
Seven years earlier, a young and serious Tessa Calitz wrote a letter to free spirit Ryan le Roux promising her undying love. As time passed she forgot about that letter...but Ryan did not.
When he walks back into her life, Tessa is in a relationship and busy setting up her art gallery in Johannesburg. She has plans to start a family, and the arrival of Ryan throws her for a spin. He is the worst thing that could happen to her dream of stability...or is he?
When everything she clung to starts to crumble, Ryan is right beside her to inspire her to greater things. But her compulsion for having marriage and children on her terms alone pushes Ryan away--until she falls in love with an orphaned baby.
What can Ryan do to make Tessa realize that being with him is what her heart has longed for all along?
Here's a trailer of the book for a foretaste: Dragonfly Moments Book Trailer
Excerpt:
The swish of the door opening wider and the squeak of rubber-soled shoes on the polished floor caught her attention. A customer. Precious gold—so rare and so needed. Turning to face her potential sale, she put on a bright smile…that turned to jelly. The breath froze in her lungs.
“Ryan. Is that you?” she said with a whisper.
The man who had filled her dreams and inspired her whole art career years ago stood before her, taller, broader, tanned, and smiling wide. She had somehow thought he’d disappeared off the globe. Not much had changed. That slight curl to his hair, the dark halo a perfect frame for his broad-jawed, rugged face. Thick, velvet locks, the color of dew-soaked mountains and earth. Piercing eyes, like planets orbiting her heart. The longing of years seemed to converge on this particular moment. She pulled back, frightened by the intensity of her feelings.
“I like your new gallery.”
She shivered and clasped her chiffon top close to her chest. His voice had deepened over the years. He had matured like she had grown up, changed, and moved on.
“Thanks. I’ve been open for three months already.”
Her voice came out like a squeak. Her palms were moist and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. He truly was the best artwork in the world—the way his body moved—the whole picture of him.
“May I?” He pointed to the art she’d spent days arranging perfectly on the walls.
“Of course.”
He paused before each painting as she held her breath, longing to read his mind on what he thought of them. Then he spent longer before her latest work. She moved up behind him and stared at the misty oil canvas in muted colors of a figure standing on a pier, overlooking a churning sea. The man appeared pensive and peaceful with the grey, choppy waves around him and the dark, billowing clouds above him. She followed the shape of the real man in front of her with her gaze. Who would have thought he would come here? All these years, she’d figured him gone forever. Buried under new dreams and desires. Little did she know her need for him could resurrect just with a brief encounter.
“How come they’re all landscapes?”
She shrugged. “Landscapes are my genre.”
Except for those crazy mother and child paintings stashed away at home that no-one’s ever seen. Days and days of her spare time were taken away painting a picture of an African mother with her newborn twins, a Chinese mother with a toddler in a pram, and the hippie mom with her baby in a pouch attached to her middle. The feeling bubbling inside her while she painted them had been unsurpassed by any other. What would Ryan think of them? It was safer that he didn’t know. Better he believe she was a landscape painter and nothing else.
He moved on to one of the other artists’ works. Did he hate her landscapes? Why did it matter to her so much what he thought of her art? Not like she still loved him. Not after all these years. But he had inspired her art in a way—got the ball rolling because she used to spend hours sketching him while he romanced her best friend and roommate, Annie. That felt like decades ago, yet was only seven years. Ryan had been the highlight of her waking hours then, her shy and aimless period when she worked in a mindless job for little pay, before she realized she could study her passion. Art.
“Where are your sketches?” he asked.
She frowned. “They’re at home. I stopped sketching my second year in college because that’s when I developed my best painting style. My sketches didn’t get me top marks.”
“But they’re so realistic.”
“You never looked at them.”
“I’ve studied the one. Constantly.”
She turned away, her face hot and the hairs rising on her arms in a wash of tingles. Had he come into the gallery on purpose? She strode to her desk, reaching it in a moment, relishing the distance between them. If Ryan could evoke such feelings in her now when she was with another man, would she ever be free from his grip? The heat of the room suffocated her, and she tried to take in several breaths. If only she had the power to block out the effect he had on her. So, he’d been thinking of the letter she sent him. The same one that disclosed her heart’s feelings toward him. Too late to come here now and talk about it. Stir up feelings she had no right feeling anymore. And why all the questions about her art? As if he really cared. Ryan didn’t care. If he did, he’d have come back to her years ago.
Hero Point of View Quotes from Dragonfly Moments:
Now he’d found her, and she didn’t love him anymore. She’d moved on. The Tess in the letter wasn’t real. The Tess he’d loved years ago had changed, grown up, and her heart had moved away.
Ryan pulled off his bandana, threw it into his car, and ran up the pathway to Tess’s home. His heart pounded with the adrenaline rush of getting there so fast. For so many years, he’d wondered how she was doing. Not on the outside only, but deep inside. She was a sensitive soul behind the independent façade she tried to erect. Mark had hurt her, he could tell. The guy didn’t deserve her.
“Listen, I’m not going to try to win your heart because I can see you don’t want that. We can still be friends though, like old times, right?”
She shrugged. “I suppose.”
He pulled her close for a hug, and then knew he couldn’t possibly just be friends with Tess. Her form against his body brought the male urge to full alert. Snagging a breath, he pulled away.
How could he give up on her already? Although she wasn’t the same innocent girl he remembered from all those years back, she still was special to him. They’d been friends, and he cared for her. He didn’t like to see her hurting. And she was hurting bad. More than she realized.
Quotes from Reviews:
“His words serenaded her soul” Who wouldn't fall for a hero like that? Thanks for a lovely read. Amazon Review
What I liked about this story is that it isn’t predictable - it doesn't follow a typical romance novel template, so there are some nice surprises along the way. Amazon Review
Ms Bosman once again provided her readers with an emotional read, one that will stay with the reader for quite some time after finishing the last sentence. Amazon Review
This book is surely one among the best romance novels that I've ever read. Goodreads Review
Buy Links:
Where to find me online:
If you click on the Rafflecopter link below, you could either win the grand prize of a $15 Amazon voucher or one of 5 dragonfly swag bags. I've made beautiful beaded necklaces in a variety of colours and designs - one for each bag.
Here's a pic of one of them:

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Swag, swag, and more swag!

When I hear the words 'Book Convention' all I can think about is books, books, and more books. I know that I'm going to come home with books. I'll buy them, win them, and gift them. 

But even more than books I'll come home with SWAG! Swag comes in all shapes in sizes from pens and notebooks to postcards and pins. Some authors give out playing cards, lip balm, hats, and all sorts of awesome goodies. I plan on walking away with a bunch from my favorites. 

This year things are super special though. I get to giveaway my own swag. Yippee! Now, I'm the laid back very laissez faire type about collecting my own swag. My husband told me I should have ordered notebooks and pens by the hundreds over the last several months. Did I listen? Do doughnuts grow on trees? Of course not! 

So instead of having a bunch of everything I have a little of everything... and then came my hubby's big surprise. Psst... this is also why he's my hero. He got me 300 SHOT GLASSES! 

I think I need to say that again: 300 SHOT GLASSES! 

Ironically, my book is titled What You Need, and of course, you'll need a shot when in New Orleans. I'll have these available starting Thursday. So make sure you stop and ask me to tell you what you need. :D 


Tuesday, May 6, 2014

RT Travel Prep!

Update: All the immune boosting I discussed yesterday didn't do me a lick of good. My day consisted of a visit to the doctor and being put on antibiotics. The plus side is I should be sufficiently guarded from any infections while in NOLA. 

Now travel prepping. These are the things I've been thinking about: 
 - Clothing
 - Snacks (you will get hungry in the hotel room)
 - Booze (you will want to drink in your hotel room without paying $5 a glass)
 - Shoes (you need at least one pair of tennis shoes, flipflops, and sandals) 
 - Bathroom necessities (don't forget all the things you need to stay pretty, as well as bare essentials)
 - Costumes (so, I totally bombed this department. I don't have a single costume and may settle for a mask)
 - Books (I'm going through my books on Friday)
 - Swag (will discuss more tomorrow)
 - Cash (at least $100, but I caution anymore then that.) 
 - Laptop, writing utensils, and notebooks
 - Chargers for all electronics 

Whoo, that's a lot of stuff. My main issue is clothes. I desperately have trouble figuring out what to wear. I want some business casual attire, and comfy clothes. At the same time I don't want to over pack, but you never know when plans or the weather may change and you need something besides your original choice. 
Regardless, the big things are nice tops for nights on the town, jeans for travel days, shorts because it will be hot, and my wrap around black shawl because I get chilly easy. 

As to the laptop, some say no because you won't have time to get on it. I don't leave my laptop anywhere so it's traveling with me. Even if I never turn it on the safety of having it close will provide me with a bit of relief. 

And don't forget the chargers. All those tweets and instagram posts can't happen if your phone is dead. The good news is that most likely you're RT roommate also has an iPhone so you can possibly pilfer theirs for a few hours. ;) 

What are your convention travel must haves? Maybe I'm forgetting something. 

Monday, May 5, 2014

New Orleans or Bust--- Countdown to RT!

In a few short days, 7 to be exact, I'll be headed 10 hours south to New Orleans, LA. My friend and I will descend upon the city like flies on rotten fruit. That doesn't sound sexy, but regardless we're pumped.

I'm going to the Romantic Times Convention and this time I going for the whole thing!

No, Big Book Fair Saturday only event. Nope, I want workshops, social events, and dancing the night away with trips to the bar.

I'll be posting all week about my preparations for the trip and the crazy things I'm doing to get ready. The first is preparing my body. That's right, I've got to physically prepare. For the last 2 weeks I've been lifting weights, going on 1-2 hour walks every other day and hitting the ab lounger to try and shed a few pounds. Plus it doesn't hurt to get familiar with the lengthy amount of time you'll spend walking or on your feet at an event like RT.

I've increased my intake of Vitamin C. It's time to super boost the immune system. No sense taking chances and getting sick won't allow me to have as much fun in The Big Easy. I'll admit to waking with a sore throat this morning from turning on a ceiling fan last night, but no more of that.

The last thing I'm doing is purchasing my new shoes... today. I'll have 1 week to break them in. Hopefully that's enough time. :)
If, not then I'll pack some extra essentials.

Till tomorrow.