Callie Carmen’s Michael: Cover Reveal!

Michael is the sixth and last novel in the Risking Love series. The stories chart a group of friends through life and love. These steamy stories will have you laughing, crying, and your heart racing.
(Cover by Jessica Greeley https://www.facebook.com/JessicaGreeleyGD)

Blurb:
Olivia had spent enough time on memories of her ex-boyfriend’s abuse. She was going to put all of her efforts into her new business career. And try to convince her boss, Vice President Michael Evans, that the woman he’d been dating was nothing more than an opportunist and that she’d climb into bed with anyone that could get her to the top.

Michael, who lost his younger sister to an abusive relationship, was falling in love with Olivia. He kept his distance from her and waited patiently for a sign that she was ready for his love.

Buy link:
Ebook DEAL #99cents until publication 8/19.

Charity Sunday: Operation Homefront

How Charity Sunday works: for every comment made on this blog post, I will donate money to the charity named. The same promise is made for every blog site listed in the group–click the Linky Links link at the bottom of this post to see the list of participants and read/comment on any of them to see a donation go to that blogger’s charity. We’re all different! Thanks for your help and your participation!

I was raised in the Navy and always appreciated that my dad, my mom, and I were part of something bigger than our little family. My dad’s job was in the boiler room of ships, so when the ships were gone, he was gone. That could amount to three-quarters of a year at a time. That meant that Mom and I had to adjust to being on our own and then readjust to having “the head of the family” back home–not always an easy task. Dad had a dangerous job, grueling hours in tight quarters, and away from home. The military is serious business and vital to our country. Never more vital than in time of war, which the U.S. has been at for over twenty years now. Military personnel have served multiple and long tours of duty, often making life difficult for those left guarding the home fires.

It has always irritated me that civilians doing the same jobs as military personnel are routinely paid more, but usually without the time away from home. Many military families need food stamps to subsist. How can our men and women do their best away from home when they’re worried about their families at home? Because I saw the hardships placed on families when often the primary breadwinner was gone, I am choosing to donate this month to Operation Homefront. Their mission is “to build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive — not simply struggle to get by — in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.” I like Operation Homefront not only for who they serve but also because 92% of their expenditures go directly toward delivering their services to military families.

I wrote Naval Maneuvers as a kind of homage to Navy men and women, and in the book I talk about the difficulties placed on families with members in the service. Thanks to all those who serve their country and to those who serve their service member!

Blurb:
Men and women of the armed forces experience lust and love pretty much like everyone else. Except, well, there is that uniform. And the hard-to-resist attraction of “duty, honor, service” as a man might apply them to a woman’s pleasure. All things considered, romance among the military is a pretty sexy, compelling force for which you’d better be armed, whether weighing anchor and moving forward into desire, dropping anchor and staying put for passion, or in anchor home, setting a course for renewed love. Explore the world of love and the military and see just how hot Naval Maneuvers can be.

Buy link:
Amazon Kindle Unlimited

Excerpt:
Carie made her way around the side of the building and nearly ran into Todd, who lounged against the weathered wood siding. He looked better than good in a pale blue polo shirt and jeans. Top-Sider boat shoes with no socks gave him that naturally casual look that no model could successfully carry out.

“I was hoping you’d come,” he said.

“You were pretty obvious,” she said dryly.

“I knew you were smart enough to catch the hint. I just didn’t know if you’d follow it.”

How could she not? The moment she noticed him she’d remembered the feel of his being deep inside her. But that didn’t change a damn thing. They shouldn’t be here, not together.

She held her head high and tried to look down her nose at him—nearly impossible since he was taller than she, but she had perfected the attitude long before meeting Todd Baxter. Senior Chief Todd Baxter. “I wanted to walk the beach while I was here, that’s all.” Todd grinned and Carie melted inside.

“Lucky for me, I wanted to walk the beach, too,” he said. “Quite a coincidence, huh?”

She snorted in disbelief and slipped off her sandals. Brushing by him, she was glad he didn’t try to kiss her or hold her. But then she frowned. Why didn’t he try to kiss her? She’d wanted to jump his bones right there in that Norfolk hallway. They had to maintain propriety then, but here, no one would see them. What held him back? She knew an unfamiliar sense of self-doubt. Had she mistaken his feelings before?

Nonsense. Carie knew what they’d had was more than mere lust. It had been lust of stupendous proportions, far beyond a few days of burning out. Then what held him back? Knowing the military regulations preventing officers and enlisted personnel from having a relationship, you idiot.

Damn. She finally found someone she clicked with, and he had to be an enlisted man in the Navy.

Meet Dee/Anne/Jenna:
A few years ago, Dee S. Knight began writing, making getting up in the morning fun. During the day, her characters killed people, fell in love, became drunk with power, or sober with responsibility. And they had sex, lots of sex.

After a while, Dee split her personality into thirds. She writes as Anne Krist for sweeter romances, and Jenna Stewart for ménage and shifter stories. All three of her personas are found on the Nomad Authors website. And all three offer some of the best romance you can find! Also, once a month, look for Dee’s Charity Sunday blog posts, where your comment can support a selected charity.

Where to find her (them):
Website: https://nomadauthors.com

Blog: http://nomadauthors.com/blog

Twitter: http://twitter.com/DeeSKnight

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeSKnight2018

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/265222.Dee_S_Knight

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B079BGZNDN

Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/h8t2y6

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/dee-s-knight-0500749

Sweet ‘n Sassy Divas: http://bit.ly/1ChWN3K

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Charity Sunday: Tunnels to Towers

There are events in our lives that we always remember where we were when we heard it happened. For me, some of those events were when John Kennedy was shot, when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, when Captain Jeremiah Denton arrived home from his imprisonment in Vietnam, and, of course, when the towers and Pentagon were struck and the folks on United 93 made the ultimate sacrifice.

On the morning on 9/11/2001, Jack and I were living in San Francisco. Jack had a conference in San Diego the next day and we were on the road, making the drive. We had called his mom in Virginia before we left and she said a plane ran into the trade towers in New York, but gave no further details. I think, like most, she was in shock from what she had been watching on TV. We were in a hurry. We expressed some semblance of horror that such a thing could happen, but we still had a vision of a small plane glancing off the iconic buildings. We had no idea at all that the world had just shifted.

While driving down I-5 we found a radio station, and finally the sheer panic and awfulness of what had happened on the east coast began to sink in. We had gone a couple hundred miles when we turned around and went home, only to huddle in front of the TV, trying to understand how such a thing could happen—like the rest of the nation.

One of the good things to come from that miserable day was the Tunnels to Towers Foundation. The foundation helps families of first responders and military personnel who have fallen. These families not only have to deal with the loss of a loved one but also their income. Tunnel to Towers pays the mortgage on their houses—in full! The relief this must bring is a gift for the soul as much as the benefit of a physical structure. I am honored to gift them this Charity Sunday.
Please comment. Do you know about this organization?

Featured book: Mystic Desire anthology

Buy link:
Mystic Desire

Mystic Desire is a collection of short paranormal romance stories. This is a chance to read and discover the work of a diverse group of very talented authors.

The themes in this book are varied, as are the collection of characters and artifacts, including Native American dream catchers, mystical jewelry, and characters such as lustful vampires, hot warlocks, a grumpy leprechaun, a ghostly terrier, a zombie apocalypse and things that go bump in the night.

From soft and tender love to hot passionate, kinky sex, there is something for everyone in this anthology.

The Sweetest Magic of All – Alice Renaud
When a sexy apprentice witch and a hot warlock go back in time to locate a magical amulet, they find more than they bargained for. It’s May Eve, the most magical night of the year, and normal rules don’t apply…

An Awareness of Evil – Dee S. Knight
Only two things stand between evil and a small girl: the visions of Amanda McMasters and Detective Brendan Gilchrist. Neither can afford to be wrong.

Bewitching the Wolf – Zia Westfield
The Witch, Alice Humphreys has poured her heart and soul into creating a magical B&B where guests experience the fantasy vacation of their dreams! Brodie MacEwan has been sent to investigate the mysterious death of his uncle. He never expected to discover his soul mate in his dreams. But is the illusion real? Alice knows that there is something all too predatory about the Scotsman and he makes her body tingle in places it shouldn’t!

Calling All Angels – Lora Logan
Elijah Baker, an immortal tasked with fighting against demons that exist on earth, finds peace when he meets his new neighbor, Celeste. But when he realizes that their love comes with a cost, he is faced with choosing between his calling and a chance at true love.

Dream Catcher – Callie Carmen
Long ago, a medicine man had made a matched set of dream catchers as a wedding gift to protect the Chief’s daughter and her warrior husband. He had called upon the benevolent spirits to keep the two soul mates safe and in a loving, healthy marriage. It was foretold that if the two dream catchers were ever divided the new owners would be drawn together as soul mates. Was that possible?

Life Saving – Anne Krist
Saving lives isn’t just for adults. Sometimes the innocent magic of a child can do the job better.

Love from the Mist – Patricia Elliott
When Jace Warden learns that his brother plans to announce his engagement at a family get together, he flees to the other side of the world to escape the joyous celebration.

Or at least attempts to… His plane never makes it, and he winds up trapped on an island. Little does he realize, he’s not alone; there’s a mischievous little entity milling about, and she wants to play.

Love Knows No Apocalypse – Patricia Elliott
Getting stranded in the middle of a storm was not Samantha Wheeler’s idea of an ideal situation, especially in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. But fighting zombies was the easy part; her heart, though, was a whole other matter. Thanks to a man named Steve Jones.

When they find themselves in danger, she has to decide what’s more important – dying for someone she loves or surviving.

Love that Binds – Carol Schoenig
On the outskirts of a small town where nothing grows, a young girl, Ianthee, is being bullied and accused of being a witch. Young Caleb, inexplicably drawn to Ianthee, comes to her rescue. Before they can explore their feelings, Caleb and his family disappear. What happened to him, and what part does a long-ago legend play in their lives?

Love’s Ghost – R.M. Olivia
“Sorry, babe. I know it hurts to hear.” John frowned. I’ll make this brief. I spoke to the man in charge and he is giving me one last chance.”

“Come again?”

“I’m allowed to make love to my wife one last time before I have to cross over. So, are you ready for your husband? Are you ready for me, Ingrid?” He lifted my chin up and ran his thumb along my lips. I felt a chill go down my spine. How could this be real? How could this be happening?

The Anniversary – Richard Savage
A cruel twist of fate wrenched Evelyn and Peter apart on their wedding anniversary. Evelyn’s life descends into darkness. James enters her life giving her a chance of happiness. Evelyn discovers a piece of jewelry, that has the power to grant her time with Peter on their anniversary. She adores James, but needs Peter. Can she ever really let Peter go, while there’s still a chance they can be together?

The Mortal Vampire – Suzanne Smith
Remy enjoys life as a vampire, never giving a thought to sucking every last drop of tasty blood out of his unfortunate victims and leaving them door nail dead. But his cold and carefree existence changes the day he crosses paths with the beautiful and mysterious mortal Angela.

Through the Veil – Jan Selbourne
A beautiful March day in 1875 ends in tragedy when the wagon carrying Helen and Marcus plunges down the mountainside. Generations pass before Rachel Finlay finds an old sepia photo of a man and woman. She knows them but she’s never met them and now, for the peace of mind she desperately craves, she goes back to where it began. In time, through the veil, knowing she may never return.

Unconditional Lust – Breanna Hayes
The massive, hideous merrow leader, Muruch, craves the taste of human flesh. Confined to the ocean, he feeds his horde with sailors from ships pulled into the maw of the Bermuda Triangle. When US Army Captain, Nurys Shaye, puts her life on the line to save him after being captured, his hunger for human flesh is shadowed by the desire for her body and her love. Will she be able to see past his appearance and trust him to break down her walls and teach her to feel?

Author Dee S. Knight:
A few years ago, Dee S. Knight began writing, making getting up in the morning fun. During the day, her characters killed people, fell in love, became drunk with power, or sober with responsibility. And they had sex, lots of sex.

After a while, Dee split her personality into thirds. She writes as Anne Krist for sweeter romances, and Jenna Stewart for ménage and shifter stories. All three of her personas are found on the Nomad Authors website (www.nomadauthors.com). Fortunately, Dee’s high school sweetheart is the love of her life and husband to all three ladies! Once a month, look for Dee’s Charity Sunday blog posts, where your comment can support a selected charity.

Author links:

Website: https://nomadauthors.com

Blog: http://nomadauthors.com/blog

Twitter: http://twitter.com/DeeSKnight

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeSKnight2018

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/265222.Dee_S_Knight

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B079BGZNDN

Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/h8t2y6

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/dee-s-knight-0500749

Sweet ‘n Sassy Divas http://bit.ly/1ChWN3K

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JL Peridot: Enjoying fictional science, just because

Over the years, I’ve often heard that much of what we think of as “science fiction” tends to be fantasy with a sciencey or technological twist. Now, I don’t know how people feel about this idea, but I personally love it. And I love the fantastical science that comes with it.

I don’t care if it’s lazy science, junk science, handwavium, or a ghost in the machine. I’m not always hungry for a textbook when I pick up fiction. It’s nice when the facts add up, but if there’s a good story in the story I want to read, I will most probably eat my fair share of any-flavoured science and enjoy every bite.

Come, celebrate some unreal stuff with me…

Artificial gravity

They say the difference between “hard scifi” and “soft scifi” is whether the characters walk around their spaceship as if they were on earth. It’s a fun rule of thumb, but I wouldn’t put too much stock in it. “Harder” scifi like The Expanse addresses this with magnetic boots that enable a sort-of gravity-affected walking, though you’d still need to drink water out of a bag.

In my own It Starts With A Kiss, I treat artificial gravity like air-conditioning, something you can turn up and down at will, something that can degrade over time. I never go into the science behind it, but I like to imagine we’ve found a way to harness such forces the same way we harness electricity and water—to the point where post-gravity humans take it for granted like every other technology our culture has adopted.

Rotational gravity is the favoured scientifically plausible means of fictional spaceship gravity. Netflix’s Stowaway gives us a great example, including some of the quirks and challenges to needing to interact with it. Overall, humankind is still a ways off implementing it the way you’d see it on TV.

Instant communication across space

You know the lag you get when news broadcasters talk to reporters in the field? Communication across light years would be more like that, only worse. But like how popular spells such as Fireball, Magic Missile and Glamour that are accepted in fantasy fiction canon, faster-than-light communication is part of the cultural vocabulary of science-fiction-slash-science-fantasy.

I barely give this half a thought in my own work, basing my communication hurdles instead on local infrastructure and political conditions. But I love seeing this challenge handled in other works. Like in Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, for example, which borrows the term, “ansible,” from Ursula K. Le Guin. There’s also The Expanse’s tight-beam laser communications technology, which is already an emerging reality thanks to the European Space Agency’s SpaceDataHighway. And who can forget that earlobe business in Mork & Mindy?

Conversely, it’s fascinating to see how the challenge isn’t handled, like in the heart-touchingly poetic Voices of a Distant Star by Makoto Shinkai, focusing instead on how we communicate from the heart over space and time.

Teleportation of matter

You know the one. It’s the transporter in Star Trek, the wormhole in Sliders, the jaunte in Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination. In real life, the closest we’ve got is quantum teleportation, which can’t be used to transport matter, so it looks like we’re stuck with Uber Eats for now.

I think my favourite incarnation of fictional teleportation is the space-folding in Frank Herbert’s Dune universe. Where the previous examples come with a measure of risk, this universe’s space-folding enacts a price on the Guild Navigator, who must consume disfigurative amounts of narcotic spice Melange in order to do it.

I like that it asks us to consider what we’re willing to sacrifice to send something where it needs to go. As someone who often mails parcels overseas from Australia, I relate very heavily to this.

The earth has stopped rotating (lol)

One cannot write about junk science without mentioning The Core, that 2003 scifi-disaster movie notorious for playing fast and loose with scientific principles.

When a film gets as ham as this, I love it for a different reason. Ridiculous movies like this one, and Battleship and Sharknado, play an important role in a divisive, serious world that asks a lot from us each day. They give us something to laugh at together, and remind us not to take ourselves too seriously.

My friends and I have something new in common after consuming fiction like this, even if it is how willing we are to give into the snark. Even if I never watch it again, I reserve the right to laugh about it with them for the rest of my life. And who doesn’t enjoy having a smug laugh with friends every once in a while?

About JL Peridot
JL Peridot writes love stories and more from her home beneath the southern skies. When not working on her scifi manuscript, she picks up random skills that would be useful in a Martian colony, while attempting to keep cat hair out of her mechanical keyboard.

Subscribe to JL’s mailing list for banter, updates, teasers, and a free copy of her microfiction collection, Love, Nostalgia & Lights in the Sky.

Website: http://jlperidot.com
Blog: http://jayelle.pink

Love, Nostalgia & Lights in the Sky
A collection of tiny stories, featuring previously published micro fiction, #vss (very short stories), flash and short poetry by JL Peridot. This book contains adult content of a romantic and sexual nature, and is intended for readers over the age of eighteen.

Subscribe to JL’s mailing list, Dot Club, for a free copy of this book.

A new polyamorous romance from Lisabet Sarai! Sharing Leah

Sharing Leah: A Polyamorous Romance

How can she choose between her husband and her master?

Some women might think Leah’s existence heavenly – shared by two sexy men who both adore her. Ten years married to lusty, artistic Daniel, she still finds ecstatic release in surrendering to her master Greg.

But Daniel’s and Greg’s jealousy and possessiveness have made Leah’s life a hell. They bring out the worst in each other. And in some sense, it’s all her fault. If she loved only one of them, if she made a choice, that would be that. In theory, at least.

Unable to bear the continuous conflict, she escapes to the beautiful Maine coast to ponder her future. Gradually she realizes that she cannot live without either of her lovers. But if the two men can’t settle their differences, how can she bear to live with them?

Note: This book was previously published by Totally Bound with the title Truce of Trust. It has been revised, expanded and re-edited for this release.

Buy Links
Kinky Literature – https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/42-sharing-leah-a-polyamorous-romance/

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094XPD83D

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B094XPD83D

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1084055

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sharing-leah-lisabet-sarai/1139457298?ean=2940164905293

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/th/en/ebook/sharing-leah-a-polyamorous-romance

Add on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58040241-sharing-leah

Online Excerpt
https://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2021/05/they-bring-out-worst-in-each-other.html

Introduction:
Soul Mates. Plural.

I’ve always been susceptible to the myth of the one true soul mate. How seductive it is to think that your perfect partner exists somewhere out in the world, the one person with whom you can connect on every level— physical, mental and spiritual. All you need to do is find him (or her). I understand the sweet ache for that unique individual who complements, completes and fulfills you.

I’ve found my soul mate. Several times.

In reality, I believe I’m constitutionally non-monogamous. I have no difficulty whatsoever being deeply in love with more than one person simultaneously. During one period in my life, I had ongoing serious relationships with three men. By serious, I mean that the connection went well beyond recreational sex. I was sincere when I told each of them that I loved him. Somehow I’d managed the trick of concentrating on the lover who was present, dismissing the others from my mind.

What happens, though, when two of your soul mates collide?

I’ve written many times about my Master, the man who initiated me into BDSM and profoundly changed my view of myself and the world. I loved—indeed still love—him dearly. His insights, his rough tenderness, his generosity, the way we influenced one another in the astral or non-corporal realm, all combined to make me feel he was the One.

However, our relationship was never easy. We broke up at least partly due to misunderstandings about what each of us wanted. At the same time, the bonds between us remained strong.

Meanwhile, I met and married my husband, a man with whom everything was easy. Our life together began with a three week cross-country road trip, from the East Coast to the West. Travel can put serious strains on a relationship, especially when you don’t know someone well. In our case, it was a dream voyage, a fantastic adventure. We were so comfortable with one another, it seemed we’d been together forever instead of a few days.

Obviously he was my soul mate.

Time and life choices put significant distance between me and my Master. We didn’t see each other for years at a time, though we communicated by mail, email and the occasional phone call. When my path took me to his area, though, I always tried to arrange a meeting. A brief few hours—lunch, a walk in the park, maybe a bit of hanky panky—simultaneously frustrating and thrilling—then I’d return to my husband, grateful for his steady love and easy-going personality, as well as his tolerance of my attachment to my old lover.

On one such visit, though, I had the idea of introducing them. In fact, we arranged to have dinner together—my Master (“G”), my husband and me. I thought the two men would trust each other more if they’d met. After all, they both loved me, and I felt the same about them. Furthermore, they had other things in common, besides me: high intelligence, interest in things technical, liberal political views.

I was so, so wrong.

That dinner may have been the most awkward night of my life. No one threw a tantrum, but the men were barely civil to one another. Despite my desire to reassure them, to let each of them know how much I loved him, each saw a rival in the other. Afterward, my husband claimed that G. had explicitly threatened to steal me away from him. (I certainly didn’t hear him say anything like this.) Meanwhile, G. mocked my husband, telling me that he was too vanilla to ever satisfy me.

Every time I remember that meeting, I cringe. I may have done more harm than good, giving each of them a concrete target for their jealousy and insecurity. I’d thought we’d all be more comfortable, getting things out in the open. I even fantasized about making love to both of them at the same time.

Not bloody likely, as it turned out. After that fateful dinner, it became even more difficult for me to justify the occasional meetings with G., because I knew how much my husband disapproved of him.

Sigh.

Being a writer, though, I did manage to fulfill that fantasy, if only in a story. Sharing Leah was inspired by my relationships with these two soul mates. In that tale, the two men agree to live together with the woman they both love. However that doesn’t solve the problem of jealousy.

Excerpt:
When the magazine had hired her, bringing her from California back to Boston, the whole situation came to a head. Instead of being three thousand miles away from Greg, she was only thirty. The proximity magnified all the emotion—Greg’s, Daniel’s, and her own. The situation quickly became unbearable.

Finally, in desperation, she had suggested to Daniel that Greg move in with them. To her surprise, both men agreed.

That was more than six months ago. Six months of misery and bliss, open warfare and uneasy but welcome peace.

Tonight, the two men seemed to be on their best behavior. Daniel had outdone himself, serving up an incredible feast of poached salmon in pastry shells, scalloped potatoes, and a mesclun salad, with brandied pears for desert. Greg had complimented Daniel, quite sincerely, on the meal, then meekly helped her wash and dry the dishes.

Now the three of them sat out on the deck, finishing off the second bottle of wine and enjoying the residual warmth of early September. The air still smelled of summer, ripe raspberries and sun-browned grass. In the woods that edged the yard, night birds called. A crescent moon rose over the tree tops. The strains of Bach’s “Musical Offering” filtered through the screen from inside, mingling with the bird song.

At least Daniel and Greg share the same taste in music, thought Leah dreamily. She leaned back in her chair, finally relaxed.

When she glanced over at her husband, she saw that his eyes were closed. He was lost in the glorious melody. As though he felt her scrutiny, he turned to her, his handsome face luminous with joy.

Checking on her other lover, she found Greg was watching her, a gentle half smile on his full lips, with no hint of his usual mockery. Leah smiled back, grateful that he was acting like such a gentleman.

I’m incredibly lucky, she thought. Most women search all their lives for one true lover. I have two. Perhaps I should feel guilty, knowing that they have agreed to our ménage in order to please me. But all I feel is gratitude.

Hope and relief washed through her. Maybe this would work after all. They just had to adapt, to get used to living together. To give up some of their individual selfishness for the sake of group harmony. She’d been selfish herself, expecting them to suppress their natural jealousies and insecurities just to please her. She needed to be more understanding. It had to be difficult for them, sharing her. Both men were so dear to her—she needed to work harder to show them.

About Lisabet:
Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, GLBT, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website (http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html), along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com), she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. She’s also on Goodreads, Pinterest, BookBub, BingeBooks and Twitter.

Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh

A Mother’s Day Tribute with a gift attached!

Check out N.N. Light’s Mother’s Day Bookish Event! So many great authors with books about mothers–like mine: Burning Bridges.

Explore all books just in time for Mother’s Day and enter the giveaway to win a $30 Amazon gift card through RaffleCopter.

New! Cowboy Desire anthology from BVS

For me, Cowboy Desire is the best BVS anthology yet—the stories are all compelling and very different. Damn good writing!

Of course I didn’t review my own story in the anthology (paranormal Bird That Sings) but I do hope you’ll read and enjoy it!

Wild Thunder—Zia Westfield
Loved this old-fashioned cowboy type story. It starts with Gabe and Emmaline waking up next to each other. Emmaline wonders how she got there, in (she assumes) Gabe’s hotel room when suddenly a flashbulb startles them. The resulting photo gets Em fired and Gabe in hot water in a custody battle for his nephew. How the animosity and ager are settled is all about Em’s effect on two families and a large black horse. I loved the role Colton’s nephew played in the story. Zia, a really fine story, ma’am. (Tipping hat)

Ava—Callie Carmen
In this short story sequel to Callie’s romance novel Joshua (another 5-star!), she features Ava, the artist who lost Joshua, her childhood friend and first love. Now she’s back home in Kentucky and seriously focusing on her art—and Colton Maples, a successful rodeo cowboy who’s taking time out to help his dad in his art gallery. Colton has a reputation and sponsors to keep up, so even though he’s helping out at home, his mind is on the circuit. And speaking of reputations, rodeo cowboys have them in spades. Can Ava trust Colton to remain hers when he’s surrounded by rowdy colleagues and Buckle Bunnies? They discover in a strange and sweet way that love is met with Thunder and Lightning. Two great characters in a great story!

Orion—Virginia Wallace
What a great ad unexpected story! I don’t want to give too much away here because I want you to discover the story for yourself, but I’ll say that Daisy is a rancher’s daughter who’s trying hard to keep their ranch going when her father can no longer carry on as he used to. One night, while out riding, a strange light brightens on the horizon and then disappears. The next day, from nowhere and just when they’re desperate, a man arrives to help. Who is this Orion fellow? No one she knows. But he’s hired on anyway and soon proves to be their salvation. More than that, he seems to read Daisy’s mind…and her heart. They fall in love. Daisy expects Orion might ask her to marry him when he vanishes. Uh-oh. Virginia’s storytelling excited me when I read her story in Desire Me Again. In Orion she’s shown another wonderful example of appealing characters with an unusual take.

The Long Paddock—Jan Selbourne
This is one of my favorite stories in the book. Jan delivers a real taste of Australia and wonderful romance! Shelley and David—ex husband and wife—meet accidentally on a storied sheep and cattle trail/road known as the Long Paddock two years after their divorce. David had a drinking problem and Shelley finally gave up on his ever working on their marriage rather than spending hours at the pub with his friends. Now she’s dating someone and taking a much-needed time away to see her oldest friend. Traffic is held up by sheep being driven south and David is one of the herders. As fate would have it, they run into each other a couple more times and Shelley senses a difference in David. He claims to have changed. He claims never to have stopped loving her. He claims he’s ready to make a life. But is any of that true? How can she trust him, ever again? But as I mentioned, there is that pesky thing called Fate… This is a remarkable love story!

Space Cowboy Blues—Alice Renaud
Even a universe isn’t wide enough to keep love at bay! When Melynas escorts Jack, a cowboy from Earth who travels from planet to planet studying local “farm animals” for scientific reports, she longs to get close to him. But her planet and even her touch is deadly to him. Jack is a true gentleman and he shows that by acting respectfully toward Melynas, something other humans don’t do. Only when Jack is embroiled in a fight to protect Melynas do the two discover something fantastic. Alice usually captures us with her writings of Mer-people. This futuristic space romp is new from her but I hope it won’t be the end of her explorations—this story is worthy of a trip across the universe. I loved it!

Loving Jack—Estelle Pettersen
What a cool story! Olivia Bertrand married Angus Wilson directly after high school graduation. They had been going together but in no small part because her very best friend, Jack McCullen was already dating someone seriously. On their wedding night, Liv discovered Angus with another woman. What??! Furious, Jack beat Angus up and then screamed at Liv that she should have married him. That’s a fine time to tell her. After a quick escape from her marriage Liv goes off to London to work and stays away five years. When she finally returns home, she finds Jack is single—he never married. Is there any hope for the two of them, or has it been too long with too many misunderstandings? I really enjoyed this story of second-chance love.

Mail Order Mate—Eileen Troemel
Jack (short for Jackleen) and her niece are all that’s left of a family of nine after a pandemic sweeps across her planet. In an effort to solve two problems at once, the local government brings in human-like aliens from an over-crowded planet to form new family units and keep the planet’s agricultural base from total collapse. Jack agrees to accept a male (Ido) and his brother and wife to their station where they raise jumbos—kinda sheep on steroids. Jack missed the sounds and comfort of having people around, but will these aliens ever fill that void? And will she ever come to love Ido as a wife should? I was charmed by this story of family, no matter who or what makes up that group. Eileen makes you feel you’re there on the planet Loved it!

The Wyoming Way—Nancy Golinski
Spencer Campbell runs a ranch in Wyoming with his brother Paul. He’s married to a woman from Boston, a social butterfly named Charlotte. They have two daughters in college, so they’re living in that stage of life where empty-nesters struggle to find common ground after the kids have left home. Trouble is, Charlotte always seems to make it clear that she’s unhappy in Wyoming. The adjacent ranch is owned by Joey and his sister Jess—who left years ago for veterinary school and never returned. Joey has PTSD issues and really can’t maintain the ranch as it should be. Now Jess is returning home to pursue her career and help get the ranch back into shape. It’s so easy to be with Jess again. Spence has someone to talk to, someone who understands him and what he does. When they’re trapped away from home in a blizzard, they found they had more than common interests between them—know what I mean? What Charlotte does next sets off changes in both their lives. Complications in love are never good things. Can Spence and Jess find their way through them? What a great story, and unusual, too. I know you’ll love it as I did.

The Cowboy’s Heritage—Patricia Elliott
Magic strikes in this sci-fi story. On their island ranch, Reid McCloud goes searching for a lost lamb. It’s a prize-winner and Reid’s folks will kill him if the lamb is lost for good—or worse—when they return from their cruise. He chases a trail down a narrow, rocky path to the beach where he discovers not a lamb but (can he believe his eyes?) a mermaid. Before his eyes she shimmered and changed into a woman. Had he seen her correctly? Couldn’t have! Everyone knew there were no such things as mermaids. Regardless, she was injured. With the help of his friend, he got her back to the house. When she comes to, she tells Reid to call her Nerina. Meanwhile, far under the sea, a young mermaid who was caught up in s storm while trying to escape an unwanted marriage, is being searched for. Could she and Nerina be one and the same? And while she and Reid begin to fall in love, what will they do when she is found, as she inevitably will be? This is a very different love story with a surprise ending, and I loved it!

Craving Her Cowboys—R.M. Olivia
At the beginning of this ménage tale, Riva is a woman in a very bad situation, living with an abusive man. She making her escape as he returns home, and just in the nick of time…she’s free. Taking the back roads to Dallas so as not to be tracked easily, she breaks down not all that far down the road. Fortunately for her, she is stopped in the parking lot of a repair shop run by two brothers. Unfortunately, her car troubles are even worse than her personal ones. It will be days before she can get underway again. With no money and no where to stay, she reluctantly accepts the offer of the brothers for her to stay with them. They might not be able to fix her car right away but she has their engines roaring! The next day they take her home to pick up all the things she had to leave, and also give her worthless boyfriend what-for. Is it any wonder she doesn’t resist their offer to stay longer? Another hot tale from R.M. Oliver! Air conditioning required.

E-mail Ordered Groom—Starla Kaye
Gwenie (Gwendolyn) was a farrier—a most unusual career for a woman but she was damn good at it—and part owner of her family’s ranch. Her brother Thad has a surprise for her, something he says is the answer to her dreams. Who should climb out of a black SUV just arrived, but Drake Walters, her brother’s best friend, her old, secret crush, and a former football player. A serious injury spelled his exit from the NFL, and now he’s there, on her ranch, talking to his brother like they’re still the best friends they had been fourteen years ago. To Gwenie’s shame, Thad reveals that he’d emailed Drake that he worried about her. She was too much woman (meaning capable, stubborn, and not terribly feminine) for the men in their area, but that he knew she wanted a home and babies. Oh, and a husband, and that she’d been scribbling Drake’s name in the margins of the ranch’s records, over and over. Drake wanted to discuss a business question with Thad, so he came home to see about both issues. But once he’d seen Gwenie, could he remember that when he left she’d been just his friend’s kid sister? Did he want to? What a great story with two very likeable, engaging characters!

Pearl, Ben and REO—Alan Souter
This is perhaps my favorite story in the book. It’s so different, so sweet, so unexpected. Ben, a rodeo champion in 1909 Wyoming, and his Sioux Indian wife, Pearl, live on a little farm. When Ben arrives home after winning another calf roping event, the love between the two is so evident. “I’ve been thinkin’,” he said. “Every time I’ve heard that our lives have made a big swing from the well-traveled road.” And what Ben’s been thinking is that he’s getting a mite too old to rodeo for many more years. His horse is getting a hair slower and deserves a more fitting life. What he has in mind is indeed a big swing from the life they’re used to. The change is…REO, a brand new automobile. Pearl is not quite ready to jump on board with whatever this new change means. The thing takes two people to start, and then breaks down fairly often. They live in Wyoming, where the primary mode of transportation is a horse, not horsepower. But she sees Ben’s dilemma and never doubts that he needs this change but only if they can move forward together The question is how. Once you read this story you’ll treasure it as much as I do. It’s true love in under 10,000 words!

Bullets and Bustles—Suzanne Smith
Emma Tombs is a bounty hunter, and one of the very best. But she’s not happy doing it, not anymore. She confesses as such to the local sheriff when he pays the bounty for the latest man she’s gunned down. He tells her that the man she wants the worst, Johnny Romma, is in the area. She wants Johnny so badly because he killed her husband. Her husband had been no prize but killing him left her penniless and at a loss for a way to support herself except with a gun. Reluctantly, she gives up the chance to bring him in—dead or alive—and leaves town, her old life, and her reputation behind. She sets up a café in a distant part of the state. She’s a pretty women, which is the only reason the café hasn’t closed because she’s a horrible cook. One day, a gorgeous man wonders in for breakfast. They chat. He comes back and they chat some more. JD he says his name is. Emma is completely taken with him. He says he invested in a ranch outside town, though, he admits with a grin, he knows as much about ranching as she does about cooking. Says he’ll read a book to find out what to do. It’s practically love at first sight for the two—until Emma discovers JD’s secret. Suzanne’s skill at storytelling is on full-on display. This is a wonderful story of two unlikely lovers that leaves you feeling happy!

Charity Sunday: The Independence Fund

I missed the last couple of months due to a death in the family and recovery from a pretty bad injury. But I’m happy to be back participating once more in a Charity Sunday!
Charity Sunday: Dee S. Knight

This month I’d like to highlight The Independence Fund. The mission of The Independence Fund is “…to empower our severely wounded Veterans and their Caregivers to take control of their lives. We provide the resources and tools that enable Veterans to regain their independence and fight for their ability to sustain it.”

They support wounded Veterans of any era and use a “whole family” approach to achieve the greatest results and sustainability. They also partner with the VA to help stem the tragedy of Veteran suicides. And—and this is how I heard of this organization—one of the tools they provide is all-terrain wheelchairs so Veterans might experience life outdoors. I’d seen these things long ago but didn’t know where to support their distribution. They allow truer outdoor activities since they use tracks instead of wheels, and thus move across lawns and gravel and even go into the woods. I’m thrilled to support this organization that has a very high rating on Charity Navigator!

My book of the month is Burning Bridges, a romance that has its genesis in the Vietnam War, and which Coffee Pot Book Club awarded the Gold Medal for Best Romance 2020!

Blurb:
Not your typical “secret baby” book! This Southern romance packs in the emotion.

Letters delivered decades late send shock waves through Sara Richards’s world. Nothing is the same, especially her memories of Paul, a man to whom she’d given her heart years before. Now, sharing her secrets and mending her mistakes of the past means putting her life back together while crossing burning bridges. It will be the hardest thing Sara’s ever done.

Buy link:
Kindle Unlimited

Excerpt:
Sara stared at the letters arranged before her in numerical order. The moment in time she and Paul shared was long ago, yet her dream had conjured his presence as though she’d just seen him. In her mind, his blue eyes darkened with passion before his lips captured hers, and he moaned his appreciation when their tongues met. She tasted his sweetness and knew the steel of his arms as he held her. How many nights had she put herself through hell reliving those memories? Too damn many.

After the concert, they’d met clandestinely on weekends, mostly at Sandbridge, where they could walk and talk undisturbed. With each meeting, stirrings built deep in Sara that pushed her to want more, but Paul insisted they restrain themselves because of her age.

Then the weekend before he shipped out, she’d planned a surprise and her life changed forever.

The kettle screeched, bringing her back to the present. Sara prepared a cup of tea and then picked up the envelope marked twenty-eight. At one time, she would have given her right arm to hold this letter. Now, curiosity and the desire for a brief escape drove her more than the passion of youth. Blind love had faded when she’d had no word to bolster her during the long weeks after the ship left.

First had come the waiting. No letters arrived, even though she wrote him daily. There were no phone calls, no notes, no anything, for days that dragged into weeks then crept into months.

Anticipation morphed into anxiety. She worried he was sick or hurt and unable to write.

One day she admitted that Paul must be afraid to write for some reason, and she feared what he would say if she did receive a letter. That their time together had been a mistake, that she was too young to be in love. That he really loved someone else and Sara had been only a stand-in while he was in Virginia. Perversely, she began to sigh with relief when she arrived home and found no word.

Now, knowing why she hadn’t received mail, what would she feel if she opened this letter and her old fears proved to be true?

“Nothing,” she murmured. “Paul’s dead. He can’t hurt me anymore.” At the very least, his letters might allow her to put his ghost to rest. For that reason alone, she had to read them.

She slid her thumb under the flap and ripped the envelope open. A single sheet held his hurried scrawl.

After a while, Dee split her personality into thirds. She writes as Anne Krist for sweeter romances, and Jenna Stewart for ménage and shifter stories. All three of her personas are found on the Nomad Authors website (www.nomadauthors.com). Fortunately, Dee’s high school sweetheart is the love of her life and husband to all three ladies! Once a month, look for Dee’s Charity Sunday blog posts, where your comment can support a selected charity.

Author links:
Website: https://nomadauthors.com

Blog: http://nomadauthors.com/blog

Twitter: http://twitter.com/DeeSKnight

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeSKnight2018

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/265222.Dee_S_Knight

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B079BGZNDN

Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/h8t2y6

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/dee-s-knight-0500749

Sweet ‘n Sassy Divas http://bit.ly/1ChWN3K

Please check Sheri ‘s Lisabte Sarai‘s Charity Sunday posts.

New from Lisabet Sarai! Understudy: Acts of Submission

One look from him and I melt. One word, and I’m on my knees.

Blurb

When the Berks Hills Summer Playhouse offered me my first real acting job, I never expected to share a stage with theater legend Geoffrey Hart – let alone his bed. Nothing in my education or experience prepared me for the paradoxical pleasures of submission.

Now I’m devoted to my master, for better or worse. According to the rumors, though, Geoff’s heart is taken. Dumped by his long-time sub, he has escaped to the Berkshires to lick his emotional wounds. Geoffrey’s dark games arouse me beyond belief, but I fear I’m just a substitute for the real object of his affections. Am I willing to settle for the role of understudy in this perverse passion play?

Note: This book was previously published by Totally Bound. It has been revised, expanded and re-edited for this release.

Buy Links
Kinky Literature – https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/4427-the-understudy-acts-of-submission/

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092VYT8DN

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.th/dp/B092VYT8DN

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1080182

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-understudy-lisabet-sarai/1139312061?ean=2940164880460

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/th/en/ebook/the-understudy-acts-of-submission

Add on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57802100-the-understudy

Online Excerpt
https://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2021/04/like-snake-in-garden-bdsm-eroticromance.html

Myths, Cliches and Personal Experience
I’ve been reading, and writing, BDSM erotica and erotic romance for a long time. My first novel, deeply involved with dominance and submission, was published more than a decade before the appearance of FSOG. I know how difficult it is to create something fresh in these sub genres. Originality is possibly my most important personal criterion, both in selecting my reading and in creating my own stories, so I try very hard to avoid clichés. Sometimes, though, a BDSM cliché lies at the heart of what I want to say.

One somewhat overused and abused trope is the notion of the “natural submissive”. A woman who previously had no interest in power exchange meets a dominant man and immediately succumbs to his charisma. Despite her lack of experience with BDSM, she’s ready to obey his instructions, to let him bind her, punish her, and use her however he wishes. Instead of being awkward and terrified, she finds deep satisfaction in her submissive role. She’s thrilled when her Dom tells her that he’d intuited her secret desire for surrender, that he knew as soon as he met her that she craved a master.

The Understudy: Acts of Submission plays with this familiar scenario. As soon as she catches sight of him, aspiring actress Sarah falls under the spell of theater legend Geoffrey Hart. When he orders her to carry his luggage upstairs, she finds herself unable to refuse. And when he challenges her to consent and submit, she discovers joy and pleasure beyond anything she’d dreamed. Meanwhile, Geoff is delighted to find such an aptitude for surrender in a total novice, but claims not to be surprised.

I feel a bit guilty exploiting this trope, but I have to admit that I personally find it intensely erotic. That’s because it mirrors my own real world experience with BDSM. I was a horny but very vanilla twenty-something when I met the man who initiated me into dominance and submission. And the very first time we came together physically, I was hooked. Looking back, I’m still full of wonder at the trust that bloomed between us, when we scarcely knew one another. Forty years later, the intensity and beauty of that D/s relationship continues to show up in my erotic stories.

People in the kink community will tell you that trust takes time to grow, that both doms and subs need practice, that the instant connection glamorized in BDSM fiction is a myth. Maybe for some people, but for me, the myth turned out to be true. And I’m still sharing that revelation with my readers.

Excerpt
“It’s him!” Adele tugged at my shirt, almost hard enough to tear it. “Look, Sarah!” She pointed to the shiny black Lincoln cruising around the corner. “I still can’t believe it! We’re really going to have a chance to work with Geoffrey Hart!” The wooden porch shook as my friend literally jumped up and down with excitement. Adele’s temperament matched her fiery hair.

Of course my own heart beat faster than normal as the town car approached the inn at a sedate pace. Geoffrey Hart was a legend in American theater. Since his first appearance off-Broadway ten years earlier, he had won every award in the world of drama. He’d played every prestigious role from Oedipus to Willy Loman. One summer in Central Park I’d seen him as both Hamlet and King Lear. He was astonishing, equally convincing as the callow, indecisive university student and the bitter, world-weary old man. His magical voice, full of nuance and music, reached the back row without amplification. His body language was eloquent with emotion. In both plays, he’d made me cry. His performances were an inspiration, one of the things that finally made me settle on drama—much to my parent’s chagrin.

I’d been thrilled when the Berk Hills Playhouse offered me a place for the summer. I never in a million years expected that I’d meet the man who had been such a role model.

But why on earth was he coming here, to a little summer stock theater in the rural hills of western Massachusetts? The last news I saw, he was lead actor and part owner of the Gotham Repertory Company. What could possibly have induced him to abandon the city for the sticks?

“I heard that he broke up with Anne Merrill,” said Adele, sotto voce, as if she’d read my mind. “She dumped him. He’s come out here to the country to lick his wounds.”

“What? Who told you that?” I recalled the actor’s handsome face and imposing presence. It was hard to believe someone would dump him—he seemed like the type to do the dumping.

“I can’t reveal my sources.” Adele’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “But the word is that his heart is broken.”

“Oh come on!” I just couldn’t imagine someone like Hart moping about a woman. “Seriously?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you, would I?” She put her arm around my shoulders and gave me a quick hug. “And that’s not all. There are rumors about their relationship—that it was, well, kinky, if you know what I mean. According to the grapevine, she wasn’t just his girlfriend. She was also his slave.”

“Please! You shouldn’t believe every bit of gossip you hear.”

“I’m just saying…”

About Lisabet
Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, GLBT, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh

New from Kayelle Allen! Surrender Love

Surrender Love

Surrender Love by Kayelle Allen

Surrender Love is out in eBook and print.
Surrender Love by Kayelle Allen

This is one of the longest books I’ve ever written.

Over 500 pages.
Luc & Izzorah’s love story is a big one.

Strip away the power, immortality, and the body to die for, and you have a simple man with a deep desire for love and acceptance.

Luc is the most powerful man in a 22 planet empire, but he is alone.
Century after century.
Until he meets Izzorah, a catlike alien male
in need of immediate rescue.

But thankfully, taking care of someone is just what each of them needs…

I’ve been recommending books for a while now.
Today it’s time to recommend my own.
Surrender Love is a re-release of an old favorite in a new format. It’s far from “clean and wholesome” but not down and dirty. I’d say it’s just right. ;

***

If you read the old version of this book, you’ll want this one. This edition contains about 20k words not in the original.

Nomad Authors Blog

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