Month: February 2015

Large Print Edition of BORROWING ALEX!

The Large Print edition of BORROWING ALEX releases March 1st, but yesterday I received the author copies from Linford Romance in the UK and it’s a cute cover! This is the second of my novels that Linford Romance has put out in Large Print. They’ll be available in libraries and institutions in the UK and also some copies will find their way into Canadian libraries. The Large Print edition is also on Amazon US and Amazon Canada, available for sale now. And Amazon UK, of course!

It’s a limited print run (number of copies printed). So if you’re hankering for a romance for yourself or someone else who requires Large Print, bedroom doors are closed in Linford Romance editions, making this edition a “sweet” or “clean” romance.


BA_LargePrint

 

Allie McBeagle Claims Shared Lineage with Westminster Best of Show Winner “Miss P”

“Claims” being the operative word.

Since it was announced the other day that Miss P the beautiful beagle soundly won Best of Show at the prestigious Westminster Dog Show, I have been hounded day and night (by Allie) to prove they share a lineage.

Alas, all I can turn up is that they hail from the same kennel, owned by Ms. Lori Crandlemire, and from whom we purchased the rights to house the “princess” Allie McBeagle in our home, to walk her twice a day, hike her on the weekends, provide her laps, try to evade her attempts to steal cat food, allow her a Dairy Queen ice cream cone now and then, and generally be her slaves.

Yup, Allie might not come directly from champion stock (ain’t got a clue), but she has a pedigree. Her official name is Tashtin’s Allie McBeagle, and her mom and pop are Carbonwillis’ Twilight Melody and Laponderosa’s Humphrey Bogart.

Upon discovering that Miss P was in competition with a dog that belongs to Patti Hearst and another that claims cousinhood with American President Barack Obama’s pooch, Allie said, “Woof!” (Translation: “Go, Beaglah!”)

Allie would like to announce that although she is now 13, has grown several fat lumps since the age of 10, is getting a tooth pulled Monday, has a stage three heart murmur and melanoma of the iris (which might render her a one-eyed dog sooner or later), and is on human health-food-store supplements to prevent kidney stones, she is still enjoying life to the fullest, as every beagle does. Go, Allie!

And congratulations to Miss P.

La Baby Beaglah:

Two months old, December 2001.
Two months old, December 2001.

In Regal Old Age:

allie_closeup

Spotlight on Kate St. James and TEASE Sizzling Romps

My writing pal, Kate St. James, has joined the self-publishing ranks with her series of erotica short stories and short novellas, TEASE Sizzling Romps, set in Vancouver, B.C.

Today Sugar Rush, Story 2 of the series, released from Amazon, and Tea for Three, Story 1 (originally published with Ellora’s Cave) has been available since the end of December.

Right now, Sugar Rush is only 99 Cents for a limited time and Tea for Three is FREE today and tomorrow, February 9th and 10th!

Just a note, these are sizzling hot stories, so if reading about super-hot erotic encounters between consenting adults offends you, it might be best NOT to download or purchase Kate’s stuff. If, on the other hand, you love naughty tales, have at ‘er!

Tea for Three – FREE Today and Tomorrow! (Always Free for Kindle Unlimited Subscribers)

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It’s gonna get steamy!

Uninhibited tea shop manager Layla Aziz adores her scorching hot relationship with blond and buff construction worker Gil Cuthbert. Her worry is that over the years she’s slept with countless dudes who tickled her libido. Now, can she go the distance with one guy?

Then Gil surprises Layla by arranging a ménage with his best friend, dark and serious Hunter Cole. Gil, it seems, will do anything to keep Layla satisfied. That includes sharing her with ultra-sexy Hunter again and again—not only for a passion-filled night, but for many more to come.

As long as Gil is in charge of her sensual needs…sign her up!

 

Sugar Rush – 99 Cents for a Limited Time! (Free for Kindle Unlimited Subscribers):

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Her sweetest addiction…is him.

Tea barista Siri Jorgensen believes in monogamy—until she discovers her ex is a cheat. What bothers her most is she tolerated his lackluster moves in bed. Never again! From now on, if a guy doesn’t satisfy her craving for extra-sweet, extra-hot loving right away, he’s out the door.

Enter Caribbean-born architect Lucas Haines, the star of her wildest fantasies. With Lucas, Siri yearns to scorch the sheets—the armchair, the counter. She isn’t picky. For one incredible night, he more than satisfies her lusty addictions.

But when he wants dozens of replays, can she resist?

 

A Little Q&A with Kate:

Me: Congratulations on the release of Sugar Rush and Tea for Three, Kate! Can you tell us a little about the series?

Kate: Thank you, Cindy, and thanks for having me on your blog! Tea for Three introduces Layla Aziz, Siri Jorgensen, and Grace Delgado, each of whom appears or is mentioned in Tea for Three, Sugar Rush, and Grace’s eventual story, Sweeter than Cream. Each story focuses on its heroine’s sexual adventures–along with some emotional surprises along the way. So there’s some girlfriend bonding and dishing, but these stories, ranging in length from 10,000 to 15,000 words, are focused on the women’s physical relationships and sexual journeys.

Me: Tea for Three is a menage story, right?

Kate: Yes, my first menage story. Before Tea for Three, which is decidedly erotica, I wrote erotic romance, three novellas and a single title romance (information on these can be found on my website) from both the hero and heroine’s points of view. However, Tea for Three and the other TEASE Sizzling Romps stories are all/will be told solely from the heroine’s point of view.

Me: In Tea for Three, Layla is already in a relationship with Gil when he introduces her to Hunter, and in Sugar Rush Siri meets Lucas during what she thinks will be a one-night stand, but Grace is already married in Tea for Three. What do you have planned for her?

Kate: Grace is married to a hot Argentine tango instructor, Nico Delgado. The reader gets little peeks into their relationship in Tea for Three and Sugar Rush, but Sweeter than Cream will focus on Grace and Nico’s marital adventures.

Me: Such as…?

Kate: Well, let’s just say their first anniversary is rapidly approaching and Grace is busy brainstorming erotic ideas to enhance their special day. But Nico is going to get more than he bargained for. Just because you’re married doesn’t mean sex has to be boring!

Me: Oh, sure, don’t answer my question! Do you have excerpts for Tea for Three and Sugar Rush?

Kate: Yes, on my website. Just scroll down on the Tea for Three page and the Sugar Rush page, and you’ll see excerpts for both stories.

Me: Great. How can readers find out more about your books or keep tabs on the development of Grace’s story?

Kate: I don’t have a blog (so thanks again for having me), but readers can keep up to date with me on Facebook or Twitter, and I have a newsletter called Kate St. James’s New Release Alert that I only put out when I have a new release or other important news to share. Signing up for the newsletter is the best way for readers to ensure that they hear my news.

Me: I think I’m on that newsletter list! So, Kate, will TEASE Sizzling Romps feature just the three stories we’ve discussed here or do you have anything else in the works?

Kate: Originally, I conceived of TEASE Sizzling Romps as three stories, but as I wrote Sugar Rush, I discovered a new couple and a new heroine who might want her own story, which would become the fourth story of the series. However, I’ve also had readers request more of Layla, Gil and Hunter (Tea for Three). That’s the wonderful thing about indie publishing. I have a lot of choices, and I have a lot of control. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve enjoyed working with my various publishers over the years, but the TEASE Sizzling Romps series has the potential to go in different directions and indie publishing allows me a lot of leeway as to how I proceed. Will I write a second Layla, Gil and Hunter story following Sweeter than Cream? Or will I write a fourth heroine’s story? There are so many options. I really don’t want to box myself in. Sweeter than Cream will come next. That’s what I know for now. 🙂

Me: What about a cover for Sweeter than Cream?

Kate: There’s a small version of the Sweeter than Cream cover on the Coming page of my website. All three covers were designed by Kim Killion of The Killion Group. We did a lot of brainstorming to come up with the series concept, and I love it!

Me: They are gorgeous covers! Thanks for dropping by the blog, Kate. I’ll end with your contact information.

Kate: Thanks for having me!

~~~~~~~

Tea for Three on Amazon

Sugar Rush on Amazon

Kate’s website

Subscribe to Kate’s New Release Alert Newsletter

Kate on Twitter

Kate on Facebook

Diamonds Really are Forever

In mid-January, I had a milestone birthday. My Liege and I celebrated by flying to Cuba for two weeks. I would say I’m gonna blog about the trip, but we know how well I did with China (2012) and Australia (2013)….

A couple of days before we left for Cuba, he surprised me with a beautiful three-diamond necklace in a gold setting. Stunning. I love it. Adjustable chain, so it can be worn short or long.

I thought, if only I hadn’t lost my tiny diamond stud earrings–or one of them–last summer, they would go perfectly with my new diamond necklace (except the earrings, a gift for my university graduation decades ago, are a lot smaller).

Too bad, so sad, I had lost one of my earrings. I cursed my neglectfulness and went on with packing for our trip.

We’ve been back for a week and I’ve been digging myself out from under a ton of laundry while catching up on biz-of-writing stuff. Something kept clunking in the washer. After about four loads (and a few half-hearted attempts to find out what was clunking), I did a super-sweep of the washing machine. You’ll never guess what I found. The tiny diamond solitaire stud earring I lost last summer! Looking so sparkly and new!

Just this morning I was wondering WHERE it had gone. Under the dresser? No, I checked. In the return air thingie in the floor? No, I checked that, too, before we left for Cuba. When we returned, I emptied my jewelry box and checked every square inch (and the rectangles). I began to realize I might never see my university graduation earrings again. Le sigh.

After finding it–IN THE WASHER???–I announced my discovery to my husband, then ran upstairs and found the match. The match doesn’t look anywhere near as sparkly. I would put it in the washer, but it might get lost in one of the holes the water swishes around in.

I can not believe I found my diamond stud earring!

But I guess I should not be surprised.

My husband and I will have been married thirty years this coming August. In 1984, he gave me a diamond engagement ring comprised of two tiny diamonds and a larger one in the middle. It’s a very delicate ring–thin band, simple setting. In fact, it’s darn near wore out. The band part is very narrow and has worn away so much over the years that it’s about to wear through (even though I did get it repaired once already). Also, the band part is…bent (I got my hand stuck on something in the washer one year). Unless we’re traveling, I wear a simple 14k gold wedding band with my engagement ring, no diamonds or other stones on the wedding band at all. I wear them opposite from how you’re supposed to. Instead of wedding band THEN engagement ring, I wear the engagement ring first. I have to, because it’s so worn out that last summer, when it was in its traditional position, it slipped off my finger into a bag of movie theatre popcorn just because my fingers were…slightly butter-drenched. Sheesh.

Anyway, after about seven years of being married, we were in the midst of raising babies and toddlers, and I guess I hadn’t kept up with the professional ring cleaning like I should have. So one day I’m doing laundry (a common theme in my life), and as my hand came up out of the washer, I realized the middle stone from my engagement ring was missing!! Agh!! My Liege and I scoured the house, but the diamond could not be found. He said he’d buy me a new diamond. I didn’t WANT a new diamond! I wanted the diamond he gave me when he proposed. I was so incredibly upset.

I went to bed with a heavy heart.

The next morning, I got up and picked up the cat’s water dish (which sits on the portable dishwasher so the dogs we’ve had over the years won’t steal the cat food) to refresh the water…when I noticed something sparkly in the bottom of the cat’s clear water bowl.

It was the diamond from my engagement ring!

I kid you not.

I can not lose diamonds. They always find their way back to me, it seems.

Or maybe it’s what they represent that I can’t lose. A young love that I never expected, when I met him, to endure for thirty married years (and seven years of dating before that). When I moved hundreds of miles away to attend university only four months after we met, I thought, that’s it, one of us will meet someone else and move on.

But we never did.

I feel blessed.