Author Wednesdays-Cristal Ryder

                                             © Astine | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images  

Hello and welcome to Author Wednesday. Today, Cristal Ryder aka Honey Hotness of the Cabal of Hotness fame is here. Thanks for stopping by today Cristal and answering some questions.

What was your ideal career when you were a child?

 I never really thought much of this but a jockey was top on my list. I loved and still love horsese, 

so it was going to be somethig to do with them. I grew too tall for a jockey and there wasn't enough money to be a show jumper. So those dreams were dashed.

Tell us about a typical writing day for you.

 I live between two houses so it gets complicated. Ideally, during the week I write for an hour

at lunch and then for an hour or two when I ge home from work - depending where I am. If I can get 1 - 3 hours in per day I'm happy but the past year has been crazy so it hasn't really happened and my writing time has been significantly reduced.

Do you have a favorite writing snack?

Hmm a rum and diet pepsi does that count :D chips but normally nothing because I don't like sticky fingers on my keyboard so I tend not to eat and write. Hey, maybe I should write more - better than Weight Watchers!

Do you have any writing rituals?

 No. Can't say that I do. Is that boring?

Do you prefer to write in silence or with music?

 I can't listen with headphones to music. If there is sound around me I can tune it out but I don't need

music to spark my muse. The tv is too distracting though, so I never have it on if I can help it.

Where’s your favourite place to write?

 Anywhere I can. But I've written more books at Mohawk Racetrack during the winters. We'll go to the racebook and I tune out the world and dive into the writing. What's nice about it there, is the little cubicles. I can do my thing and Meat Man can do his. I'm very productive there - when we go.

What’s your biggest writing achievement? 

I have big news that I'm waiting for finalizing before making public...so watch my 

blog and tweets and Facebook over the next few days. Why? Because I've wanted this since I was in my twenties :)

Can you tell us about your current book,

 Watch Me. Is my most recently submitted book to Ellora's Cave. Its a moresome menage. Yes you read that right, a girlie getting love from three dudes! The setting is back in Desire After Dark, the sex  club in Plus One, an Ellora's Cave release. Fingers crossed she accepts it!

What can readers expect next from you?

 Not so sure just yet. This goes back to the big news. It depends on that :D but there seems to be a lot in the works right now.

If you could travel in a time machine, would go back to the past or to the future?

 Gee, this is a difficult one. So much of past would be great to visit, but not stay there. The future is also intriguing and the Star Trek future is more what I'd like to visit, not the Alien type future. But in honesty, I'm quite happy where I am today.Oh! Wait, maybe I'd like to go back to my twenties and change a few things. 

Other than writing, what are some of your passions in life?

 Travel, family time, nature, pets, to live life to its fullest!

Fun Questions

Pepsi or Coke? 

Pepsi

Salty or Sweet? 

Salty

Shoes or barefoot? 

Barefoot

Favorite ice cream? 

With caramel and fudge swirled into a nice vanilla. But I LOVE drumstick with the chocolate plug at the bottom of the sugar cone.

Early bird or night owl? 

Both, try to get the most out of each day.

Blurb:        Book One

Jenna takes a big risk and decides to live in the moment. After months of communication by social media, she accepts an invitation to Colorado where she finally meets her cowboy. Burned by past romances, Jenna is determined to move on and goes with one goal in mind—a booty call with a tall, dark, sexy cowboy.

Chet is a romantic at heart and when Jenna arrives, he knows there’s more to her than a pretty face and a hot body. A casual fling won’t do. He’s smitten and decides to woo her the old-fashioned way with time and patience. And of course, hot sex.

Their chemistry is elemental and they come together with heat that sears the snowy peaks. When Mother Nature steps in, Jenna is forced to face the feelings she’s tried so hard to keep buried and Chet has to draw on his mountain skills to save the woman he has come to love.

Buy Links:

Ellora's Cave

Blurb:      Book Two
Unable to stay away from her sexy cowboy, Jenna flies back to him and the Colorado Rockies. A part of her stayed in the wild and rugged west after she left and she wants to rekindle their passion. And uncover the potential riches hidden in this majestic landscape.

Chet sets out to mine a special place in Jenna’s heart with love and their undeniable chemistry. Their steamy affair has Jenna searching for more than gold in the mountains—she wants Chet’s rock-hard love, anywhere she can get it.




Buy Links:

  Ellora's Cave

Blurb:
After fleeing her hometown years ago, Kara Sinclair has returned to breathe life back into the bakery her deceased grandmother left behind. She has a history in this town—one that involves her one true love. A boy she’d thought she’d give her life to before circumstance got in the way. She needs to focus on her task, but one look at Maxwell Stone and all the old feelings return. And it isn’t long before she can think of nothing else but reigniting the passion they once shared.

Max never understood what drove Kara away all those years ago, and once she returns to their Canadian hometown, he’s hell bent on getting her back into his life…and his bed. But when he uncovers the reason she left him behind, he must decide if he can move on from the past and trust his heart with the only woman he’s ever loved.


Buy Links:

Ellora's Cave

Blurb:
A girls’ night out for a pole dance workshop at her friend’s upscale sex club takes a wild turn for normally timid Karen. She knew what to expect, but not how far she’d be willing to go.

Rob comes to Desire After Dark as a plus one. His only expectation is visual stimulation, not participation. But that soon changes when he spots the buttoned-up-to-there beauty hanging around on the sidelines.

Thrown together, Karen and Rob find the sexual heat between them undeniable. Surrounded by twosomes and moresomes, they step on an unexpected and steamy path. But when another joins in, they have a plus one of their own.

Buy Links:

Ellora's Cave


Blurb:
Steve wasn’t sure how finding a match on a dating site could have gone so wrong—or was it so right? Younger than him by ten years, Clare exudes confidence, sexuality and an erotic allure that leaves no room for misinterpretation. She wants him. And he wants nothing more than to bury himself in her heat. But Clare comes with some baggage. Literally. Once his predatory minx breaks open the suitcase and the toys come out, Steve knows he’s in for the wildest ride of his life.






Buy Links:

Ellora's Cave

Blurb:
The virgin whose carefully planned hymen removal doesn’t work out the way all the romance novels told her it would. A busty broad doing what she can to get over her penis anxiety—assisted by a cadre of male strippers. A not-so-bright (and not so “big”) alien who comes to claim his life mate, and the Earth girl who wants to be claimed at all costs. A cursed, mute shapeshifter who needs to pop his cherry with his unsuspecting fated mate.

If you’re looking for the perfect romance with the perfect hero and heroine, this isn’t it! This is a series of spoofs, parodies, just-for-fun lighthearted take-offs. It’s for all us longtime, hard-core romance readers who can laugh at the clichés, purple prose and “suspend your disbelief” plot devices that haunt our beloved favorite genre.

Buy Links:

Ellora's Cave

Blurb:
His plan was to find a mate to give him offspring, not to bear the children himself! Can a centuries-old city vampire and a honky-tonk country honey accept each other’s unusual sexual needs? The perfect dream lover is definitely too good to be true, especially when you’ve been drinking in an Irish pub. What’s a male erotic dancer actually thinking during that lap dance?

If you’re looking for the perfect romance with the perfect hero and heroine, this isn’t it! This is a series of spoofs, parodies, just-for-fun lighthearted take-offs. It’s for all us longtime, hard-core romance readers who can laugh at the clichés, purple prose and “suspend your disbelief” plot devices that haunt our beloved favorite genre.


Buy Links:

Ellora's Cave

Author Bio:
I want to run away to a tropical isle. Give me warm sand,sun, a turquoise lagoon, palm trees and sunsets, something to write with and I’m happy girl.

I’ve loved telling stories for most of my life. In fact this past Spring I was at my high school’s 50th reunion and an old school friend remembered me telling a story in Grade 3. Apparantly, I yakked about my dad falling in the driveway, hitting his head and slicing off his hair. Really! A penchant for drama maybe?

Anyway, I love to write about places I’d like to be. Somewhere I could escape to and live life as my characters do. I hope the passion comes through to you, and you can let go of the harsh realities of life, even if only for a little while.

I hope you look for me at Ellora’s Cave, Sybarite Seductions and Lyrical Press.

Cristal read her first romance at age twelve. Taylor Caldwell introduced her to passion and romance that fueled a craving to read anything she could get her hands on.

Cristal wrote her first story at fifteen, and spent many hours escaping into worlds she created on the walk to and from high school with her friends.

Cristal lives in a small Canadian town, is a single mom of two college aged sons. Along with her writing,
Cristal works full time, loves horses, the outdoors and will jet off at any given opportunity to see the world.

Cristal is multi-published with Ellora's Cave, Sybarite Seductions and Lyrical Press.

Contact Cristal:
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Website


Thanks again, Cristal for taking time out of your busy schedule to be here today. Cristal is the last of the Cabal of Hotness Authors, and it's been a blast hosting all the craziness that is the Cabal!

Please stop back next Wednesday, when my guest will be Victoria Vane!!!

BTB-Virginia Kelly In the Arms of A Stranger Author Spotlight & Giveaway!!

Welcome to For Whom The Books Toll. Today Virginia Kelly is here for my stop on the Buy The Book Tour and giveaway. First prize is a $15.00 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and a copy of Dancing in the Dark, the prequel novella to In the Arms of a Stranger. Second prize is a $10.00 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and a copy of Dancing in the Dark, the prequel novella to In the Arms of a Stranger. Just fill out the rafflecopter to be entered. Good luck!!

Title: In the Arms of a Stranger
Author: Virginia Kelly
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Entangled Publishing- ignite imprint
Publication date: Oct 28, 2013


Blurb:
A dangerous man on the run…

Wounded and accused of treason, CIA operative JP Blackmon is on the run from his own agency and desperate to clear his name. When he finds out his old partner is dead, he’ll do anything to get to the truth…including using his partner’s widow.

Finds a vulnerable woman looking for answers…

Abby Price wanted nothing more than a family and a safe home. But her late husband kept big secrets from her—secrets that got him killed and has government agents watching her every move. And she’s started fearing for her life. The only man who can help her is a mysterious stranger who suddenly appears out of nowhere. But can she trust him?

Together they discover a passion worth dying for.

As danger stalks them at every turn, unexpected passion flares between JP and Abby. But the last thing either wants or needs is more complications. Romance? No. Way. That would involve trust—something neither is willing to do. But in the end, sharing their deadly secrets is their only hope for survival…their only hope to hold onto the love they’ve just begun to share…


Excerpt:
“Is JP your real name?”
He smiled, and she realized she hadn’t seen one of his real smiles before. This one lit up his face, made his eyes laugh. There was devilment in the smile. “I don’t know you well enough to tell you that yet.”
Yet?
The look of him, the timbre of his voice, as if he really would know her well enough to—
Her breath caught. She couldn’t look away. That well?
She wanted to frown, to be outraged. But his eyes… Good heavens, his eyes. Everything about him, from his short dark hair, to his smile, to his broad shoulders, he was all captivating male.
Instead, she laughed. It was a totally unexpected reaction. She’d never reacted to anyone the way she did to JP. If that was his name…
And what came out of her mouth next was a total surprise. “When do you think you will?”

Buy Links:

Barnes & Noble

Setting of In the Arms of a Stranger: the South

Ancient live oaks heavy with Spanish moss, the scent of honeysuckle drifting on a warm breeze. Summer evenings spent sipping mint juleps under a ceiling fan spinning lazily overhead. Fried green tomatoes, corn bread, and seafood gumbo.

All of these evoke the American South to me. I’m an import (from Peru). I moved to rural North Alabama when I was eleven. There are no live oaks draped in Spanish moss in North Alabama, no mint juleps (I was eleven, after all). My first sight of grits made me cringe at what someone had done to white rice. My first real taste of good Southern cooking came from my best friend’s mother. My favorites? Fried yellow squash and corn bread. Now I thoroughly enjoy my husband’s friend okra. Yum.

In the Arms of a Stranger begins in rural South Alabama where Abby Price, the heroine, lives. She’s a school teacher who hasn’t strayed far from home. When sexy, intense JP Blackmon crashes into her life, he turns her world upside down. Suddenly, Abby’s chasing answers along with JP as they struggle to stay alive. There’s no time to stop and enjoy the slower pace of the South as they race from Alabama, to Mississippi, to Louisiana and beyond. No time to enjoy the beauty, the scents, food and drink.

JP’s not the mint julep type. A few beers are more to his taste. His cooking abilities are rudimentary at best. He’s lived the kind of life that meant MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). He’s at home with canned ham, canned vegetables, canned sweet potatoes. Well, at his safe house anyway. Oh, and danger. He’s at home with danger.

Abby is a country girl through and through. She knows how to cook the southern classics, but In the Arms of a Stranger doesn’t challenge her to cook. The story challenges her core belief in herself, her judgment and her sense of trust. She handles a bull named Petunia with as much ease as she handles her fourth grader students. She’s at home on a barely there country road—unless there’s a storm and she gets stuck. Practical and determined, she’s a match and a challenge to JP. A challenge he fights, but she’s tough to resist.

Magnolias are often associated with the South. We’ve all heard of “steel magnolias.” Abby’s experiences cause her to grow into a strong and confident woman. However, I like the symbolism of honeysuckle when I think of Abby. I looked up the lore behind the honeysuckle vine. Love, generosity and passion were the most consistent meanings. And that, I found, was who Abby became to JP.

But back to those things that represent the South. What’s the iconic image that represents the South to you? What’s your favorite southern food? Leave a comment and enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win. I hope you’ll come along with me on this blog tour. You can easily follow along on the tour by checking my Facebook Page. I’ll post the stop of the day there.

PS-Curious about me? Pop over to World Wranglers today for a look at how the idea for In the Arms of a Stranger came about. 

Author Bio:
An RWA Golden Heart® finalist, Virginia Kelly’s first book was published as To the Limit and finaled in several contests such as the Holt Medallion, The Golden Quill and The Aspen Gold.

Virginia has always loved adventure novels, but romance is at the core of her stories—romance with the adrenalin rush of danger. Against the Wind, a full-length novel, and Dancing in the Dark, the prequel novella to In the Arms of a Stranger, are about dangerous men and the adventurous women willing to take a chance on them.

Traveling is a passion that came early in life. Her first airplane ride was a trip over the Andes Mountains in Peru at the ripe old age of two months. Her travels provide the settings for her novels, whether it’s a fictitious Latin American country based on Peru, the country of her birth, or Florida and the American South where she now lives.

A graduate of the University of Alabama with a master’s degree in Library Science, Virginia is an academic librarian. She tries to include a librarian in all of her books as either the heroine or as a minor character. Having taught high school and college, she has a great appreciation for teachers and often uses that as the profession for her heroines.
Contact Virginia:

Facebook    https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaKellyAuthor
Goodreads    https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3151712.Virginia_Kelly
Pinterest        http://www.pinterest.com/virginiagkelly/
Twitter      https://twitter.com/virginiagkelly
Website     http://www.virginiakelly.net

a Rafflecopter giveaway



TOUR SCHEDULE:
Monday, October 28, 2013
M.J. Schiller, Romance Author {Guest Post}  

Tuesday, October 29, 2013
For Whom The Books Toll {Guest Post}
WordWranglers {Author Interview}  

Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Kristy Centeno {Guest Post}    

Thursday, October 31, 2013
Romance Me {Guest Post}          

Friday, November 1, 2013
Talk Supe {Guest Post}                    
Deal Sharing Aunt {Guest Post}      

Monday, November 4, 2013
Sarah Ballance {Guest Post}        
Pretty Girls Read Books {Guest Post}  

Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Authors’ Cafe {Author Interview}        

Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Have Novel, Will Edit {Guest Post}  

Thursday, November 7, 2013
What Readers Want {Guest Post}              
Margo Hoornstra – Writing Inside & Out {Guest Post}  
Just Romantic Suspense                  

Friday, November 8, 2013
Loralee Lillibridge – Blogging Across the Back Fence {Guest Post}  
Just Romantic Suspense                

BTB-Margery Scott Her Rocky Mountain Guardian Author Spotlight & Giveaway

Hello and welcome to my stop on the Buy The Book Tour Her Rocky Mountain Guardian by Margery Scott Author Spotlight. Margery is here with her spotlight post. So sit back, relax and enjoy! First prize is a handmade afghan (US and Canada only) and second place is a $10.00 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Just fill out the rafflecopter to be entered.

Title:Her Rocky Mountain Guardian
Author: Margery Scott
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Entangled Publishing-ignite imprint
Publication Date: Oct 28, 2013




Blurb:
An unforgivable disappearance…

Four years ago, Jennie Brooks and Sheriff Brae Colton were engaged to be married—then Jennie disappeared without a word.

Leads to a mysterious reunion…

Brae hated Jennie for deserting him just as they were set to begin their life together. But when he finds her badly injured in a hit and run accident on a snowy mountain road, he can’t deny the love he’s never forgotten—until she regains consciousness with no memory of her identity, or what they once shared.

Where love holds the key to everything…

Brae wants to know why Jennie’s come home. Despite everything, she’s still the woman he fell in love with in high school—the woman he’s falling for again. But when the bullets start flying, his first priority is to protect her and catch her would-be killer. And if they can’t find a way to restore her memory soon, they may both end up dead.

Excerpt:

Jennie gazed out the passenger window as Brae steered the SUV through downtown Eagle Ridge. Ever since they’d left the hospital, he’d been tense, his eyes constantly shifting and taking in the vehicles around them.

“Do you think we’re being followed?” she asked finally.

“Probably not, but I don’t want any surprises.”

She stayed silent then, letting him concentrate. A lock of hair hung over his forehead, and she had an almost irresistible urge to brush it back. The muscles in his face were tense, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Those lips… Her thoughts strayed back to the kiss they’d shared in her hospital room.

Obviously they’d kissed before, and more than likely they’d done a lot more than kiss. She didn’t remember those kisses, though. His kiss from a half hour earlier, she’d never forget. Something about the way he held her, the way his mouth slanted over hers, the heat pooling in her belly when his tongue had touched hers…it felt so familiar, so right.

“You look like you’re thinking hard,” he said, his baritone voice filling the interior of the car.

She felt her cheeks heat. If he only knew where her thoughts had taken her.

“Remembering something?”

Oh, yes. She remembered every detail of the kiss they’d just shared. Although she would like to know whether the memories of his kisses back then were as exciting and breath-stealing as the reality of the one they’d just shared. She doubted that was what he was asking, though.

Buy Links:

Barnes & Noble

I am SO not a winter person. I love spring and summer – heat, sunshine, flowers blooming and the world filled with vivid colors.

But winter is coming, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. I live as far south as possible in Canada, but it’s not far enough south that I don’t have to deal with sub-zero temperatures, snow and ice for several months a year.

In my attempt to survive yet another winter without being thoroughly miserable, I’ve decided to look on the bright side. There has to be one, right?

So here are my top three things to do to take the chill off while the snow swirls outside.

1. Curl up in front of a roaring fire with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book. I grew up without central heating, so we had a fireplace in every room. The distinct smell of wood burning, the crackle of the flames and sitting close enough that my shins get singed all bring back heartwarming memories of my childhood. Add a good book to escape the cold weather and chocolate. What’s not to like about that?

2. Make soup. To me, soup is supposed to be steaming hot, so when it’s blistering outside in the summer, I can’t bring myself to make – or eat - soup. But once the temps drop, let me loose in the kitchen. There’s always a pot of soup on the stove. It’s hot, comforting, and the best part – most of the time, it’s healthy.

3. Knit. Nights are long in the winter, so it’s a good time to work on a new project. I can’t knit in summer because my hands perspire and the yarn sticks. In winter, though, there’s always an afghan or a sweater or something warm and cozy on the needles.

Her Rocky Mountain Guardian takes place in Colorado in the winter, but Brae and Jennie aren’t like me. I hibernate until the snow is gone, whereas they’re outdoorsy people. But at night, they, too, snuggle in front of a fire and sip on hot chocolate. But instead of a book, well, they have other ways to occupy themselves 

What about you? Are you a winter person, or are you like me, count the days until spring?

Author Bio:

As a little girl in Scotland, I loved reading the words in books, and using those words even when I had no idea what they meant. My favorites were consecrate (my version of concentrate), and puncture (meaning temperature).Within the pages of those books, I lost myself in the fantasy worlds the authors created. But I had no idea that someone – a real, live person – was writing the stories that enthralled me. And it never occurred to me that I could write stories, too.

When my family left Scotland and settled in Canada, I began to write – not stories, but long, rambling letters to my grandparents. Looking back, they were really mini-novels, filled with my adventures and tales of growing up in a new country. In school, I loathed English class. So what was I destined to be? Yes, you guessed it. A writer.

It wasn’t until my children left home, that I started writing and seriously pursuing a new career as a published author. These days, I’m lucky enough to be able to combine my love of travel (thanks to my father’s wanderlust) and writing by personally researching the settings in my books.

Now, I live on a lake and I’m lucky enough to wake up to this gorgeous view every morning (it does tend to distract me from the computer, I admit).

When I’m not writing, I can usually be found wielding a pair of knitting needles or a pool cue. Oh, and dealing with that wanderlust thing …

Contact me:

Blog:   www.margeryscott.com/blog

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

Goodreads     https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4928986.Margery_Scott

Newsletter:  www.margeryscott.com/newsletter

Twitter       https://twitter.com/margeryscott

Website    http://www.margeryscott.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway


TOUR SCHEDULE:
Monday, October 28, 2013
Dr. Pepper Diva {Guest Post}                    
For Whom The Books Toll {Guest Post}      

Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Kristina Knight, Romance Author {Guest Post}              
As the Pages Turn {Guest Post}                              

Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Pretty Girls Read Books {Guest Post}          
WordWranglers {Author Interview}            

Thursday, October 31, 2013
M.J. Schiller, Romance Author {Guest Post}      

Friday, November 1, 2013
Snarky Mom Reads… {Guest Post}      

Monday, November 4, 2013
Authors’ Cafe {Author Interview}          

Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Margo Hoornstra – Writing Inside & Out {Guest Post}    

Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Open Book Society {Guest Post}                
Deal Sharing Aunt {Guest Post}                    

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Regina May Ross’s {Guest Post}              

Friday, November 8, 2013
Loralee Lillibridge – Blogging Across the Back Fence {Guest Post}    

Thanks for stopping by today Margery!

Halloween Hunt & Giveaway Hop!!!

Welcome to the Halloween Hunt & Giveaway Hop!  From now until Halloween hop around and visit blogs, -they will have giveaways too,- and collect the Halloween Hunt "words" to enter the grand prize of a kindle Paperwhite and an Amazon gift card.  [Hunt words on each blog will be featured in a mini image of the hop button] Happy hunting!  A big thank you to herding cats & burning soup for hosting this hop. Good luck everyone.

Entry-Form

Author Wednesdays--Amy Ruttan Guest Post & Giveaway!!!

                              © Astine | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

It's that time of the week again here at For Whom The Books Toll, Author Wednesday!!! Today The Cabal of Hotness member is Amy Ruttan aka Glacial Hotness. Amy is doing a guest post about the recent Romanticon 2013! I also attended this wonderful event and had a blast. Amy is giving one lucky commenter their choice of an e-book from her back list. All you have to do is leave a comment about if you've ever attended Ellora's Cave Romanticon. Please make sure to include your email addy so you can be contacted if you win!!!!    Take it away, Amy.

This year’s Romanticon was so much better than 2011’s in my humble opinion.

I mean, 2011 was great. I met so many awesome people, but 2013 was the year I got to meet the Cabal of Hotness in person.

It was also a year where I came more out of my shell.

I can be extremely shy and I have a hard time talking to new people.

I blush a lot, and if anyone who saw me, can attest to this. LOL!

This year was about doing something and not regretting it later.

This started well before Romanticon and that was getting involved with the Cabal of Hotness and their crazy plan to write spoofs.

I’d never written anything humorous before, but I thought why not?

And it was one of the best things I’d ever done and because of those humorous shorts the Cabal was awarded FOR THE LOVE OF ROMANCE award at Romanticon from Ellora’s Cave.

                                          

I was so thrilled!

Another thing I did, which helped me come out of my shell, was I posed with the Cavemen. I may have been blushing and giggling the WHOLE time, but I did it.

If I didn’t I would’ve regretted it, so I did. And this is that result:

Yeah, I’m laughing because Nick is telling me to squeeze his butt.

See, just writing about this has me blushing again. It was also my 11^th anniversary and I got tell my hubby that I spent my anniversary feeling up two other men. *sigh* Thankfully he’s a good sport about it!

All in all, it was a great Romanticon. I loved meeting new people and seeing all my friends again and Ms. Julianne here had a lucky streak this year, winning a tiara and a basket at Bingo.

This was the best shot I got of her winning her basket. She was right beside me and I was a bit distracted as well!

Will I go next year? Heck yeah, if I can!

Bio:

Amy started writing at a very young age. Life and responsibility got in the way and writing was put on hold. It wasn't until the birth of her second child and spending countless hours in a NICU she realized that life is precious and it shouldn't be wasted.

Now years later --and a healthy baby later--Amy has realized her dreams. She was first published in 2007. Her alter ego, A.C. Ruttan writes dark paranormal and urban fantasy.

You can find Amy here:

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Website

The virgin whose carefully planned hymen removal doesn’t work out the way all the romance novels told her it would. A busty broad doing what she can to get over her penis anxiety—assisted by a cadre of male strippers. A not-so-bright (and not so “big”) alien who comes to claim his life mate, and the Earth girl who wants to be claimed at all costs. A cursed, mute shapeshifter who needs to pop his cherry with his unsuspecting fated mate.
If you’re looking for the perfect romance with the perfect hero and heroine, this isn’t it! This is a series of spoofs, parodies, just-for-fun lighthearted take-offs. It’s for all us longtime, hard-core romance readers who can laugh at the clichés, purple prose and “suspend your disbelief” plot devices that haunt our beloved favorite genre.

Buy Links:

Ellora's Cave
                                                                                                                                                  
His plan was to find a mate to give him offspring, not to bear the children himself! Can a centuries-old city vampire and a honky-tonk country honey accept each other’s unusual sexual needs? The perfect dream lover is definitely too good to be true, especially when you’ve been drinking in an Irish pub. What’s a male erotic dancer actually thinking during that lap dance?
If you’re looking for the perfect romance with the perfect hero and heroine, this isn’t it! This is a series of spoofs, parodies, just-for-fun lighthearted take-offs. It’s for all us longtime, hard-core romance readers who can laugh at the clichés, purple prose and “suspend your disbelief” plot devices that haunt our beloved favorite genre.



Buy Links:

  Ellora's Cave

Blurb:

Taranis had one thing on his mind since the Romans enslaved him. Revenge. Until he laid eyes on the innocent beauty of Lavina, a daughter of his enemy. It was then that he knew how to wreak revenge against those who’d wronged him—by taking one of Rome’s daughters, over and over again.
Lavina is humiliated by the decadence, greed and violence of Rome. When she meets the gaze of the condemned gladiator across the Circus Maximus, he stirs a deep yearning in her heart, but it is not meant to be. She is destined to marry a man who’s soul is as black as night.

On a whim, Emperor Nero grants Taranis freedom with his choice of a wife. Taranis chooses Lavina, much to the horror of her parents. Only Lavina is not disgusted by this prospect and revels in Taranis’ touch. He finds himself caring for and falling in love with the little Roman.

Yet, a shadow falls on their happiness and soon Lavina will have to choose between her home and her heart.

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Ellora's Cave

Blurb:                                                                                        

When Eratos gains his freedom from his violent master he has only one thing on his mind—atonement. He chases his former master Thelonius back to Antioch, and a ghost from his past emerges from the shadows, none other than his master’s wife—a woman who hates the man as much as Eratos does.

Helena detests her husband, but thankfully he is never home and doesn’t desire her. Now he has returned home to lick his wounds and Helena wonders what has him so nervous. When she spies a shadow lurking she is thrilled Eratos has returned and realizes why her husband is fearful.

Helena decides to get her own revenge on the man who destroyed her life, and to finally taste ecstasy in the arms of Eratos, the man who stirred her dormant passions long ago. Eratos has thought only of Helena from the moment he first saw her, and having her under his former master’s nose sounds like sweet revenge indeed.

But Thelonius stands in their way, a man who they both want dead.

Buy Links:

Ellora's Cave


Blurb:
Darius and Jason have been hiding secrets. Several secrets, including the fact that Darius is still a slave to the Roman Empire. They have vowed to keep Darius’ identity safe, but both of them are lying to each other and neither of them know what the other knows, until an Egyptian seductress is placed in their midst.

Husn can immediately tell the men desire each other as much as they desire her, and she feels it is her duty to bring them together—as it is her duty to kill them both.

Husn will fight the purist sect that wants to place a Ptolemy heir back on the pharaoh’s throne, but they hold her sister’s life in their hands. Husn must decide if she can turn to the two men she loves, or if she will have to use their secret to destroy them.

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Ellora's Cave


Blurb:                                                                                      
Gordon Thomas isn’t just an ordinary constable of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, he’s also a bit of a bear—literally. He’s been on his own for so long he’s shocked when he discovers another Mukswa in his territory, and a female at that. The woman brings out the true beast in him, one which he's been controlling for far too long.

Sheridan Stevens is on the run. When she crashes on an isolated road, her savior is the only male of her kind within one hundred kilometres. He’s kind, gorgeous and stirs her desire to a burning crescendo.

A snowstorm causes them to seek shelter. As the mercury drops outside, the temperature inside is rising. Neither Gordon nor Sheridan can contain the primal lust singing in their blood. But even as their passion burns brighter than the northern lights, Sheridan’s predator stalks them…ready to make his kill.

Buy Links:

  Ellora's Cave


Blurb:
Jared Stevens hasn’t been the same since he was shot. His duty is to marry a Mukswa woman and be a strong leader. He lets the elders of his clan choose his bride, because the woman he wants is only in his fantasies, the only woman who brings him to exquisite release.

Adele Banks loved being a Mountie, but one shot ended her career and altered her world forever. Adele is determined to make a life for herself. She’s hired to recover Beare Enterprises’ embezzled funds, but what she didn’t count on is being extremely attracted to her client upon meeting him for the first time—when he’s naked in his shower.

Adele is Jared’s mystery woman, but she’s taboo. He bonds to her, but has to keep his society secret, as much as he wants to mark her as his own. As Jared fights his own inner beast, remnants of the prior chief’s wrath are affecting the clan and Adele. To save her life, Jared may just have to betray his clan’s secret and risk his heart.

Buy Links:

  Ellora's Cave

I hope you enjoyed Amy's post about Romanticon and maybe a few of you will check it out and attend next year! Thanks for stopping by today Amy! Don't forget to leave a comment about if you've ever attended Romanticon and include your email addy so you can be contacted in case you win. Winner will be chosen Monday morning October 28. Good luck everyone. Please stop by next Wednesday, when Cristal Ryder, the last of the Cabal of Hotness members will be joining me.

CBP-Kara Leigh Miller Jilted Blog Blitz

Hello everyone! Welcome to For Whom The Books Toll, today I'm hosting Kara Leigh Miller's Jilted Blog Blitz.Thanks for stopping by today. Don't forget to fill out the rafflecopter for your chance to win!!!!

Book Title: Jilted                                                             
Author: Kara Leigh Miller
Publisher: Books To Go Now
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance
Heat Rating: Scorching
Release Date: 9/15/2013
Length: 49k








Blurb:
Amy and Brett have been friends since they were kids; and their friendship has withstood the test of time. But can it withstand Brett's fiancée, Vanessa?
Brett Hudson has often wondered what it would be like to be more than Amy's friend, but when he's chosen as the newest professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars, he meets Vanessa, one of the shows costume designers and it's a whirlwind romance that ends in a wedding proposal. As the big day draws closer, Brett begins to think that marrying Vanessa might be a bad idea. She wants him to give up Amy. Completely. Will he give up his best friend for the woman he's supposed to marry?

Amy King is heartbroken to learn that Brett is marrying another woman. But, when Brett is jilted at the altar, he begs Amy to go on his honeymoon with him. A week on a tropical island with her best friend, the man she's fantasized about for years is a dream come true for Amy. But when Brett suggests crossing the line from friends to lovers, Amy is reluctant. Will she risk years of friendship for one night of passion?

EXCERPT #5:

Amy awoke early the next morning, wanting to get out of bed and dressed before Brett woke. She allowed herself a moment to admire his naked body. He was gorgeous, sexy, and holy hell did he know what he was doing in the bedroom. She closed her eyes and let the memory of last night fill her mind. Her fantasies did not do the man justice. Holy crap, he was fantastic. And big. Good God, he had the biggest cock she'd ever seen. But their one night was over and all she had now were her memories of the best sex of her life. With a sad sigh, she gently tried to ease out of bed.

     Before she got too far, Brett reached out and grabbed her around the waist. In one swift movement, he pulled her to him, rolled her onto her back, spread her legs with his knees, and pushed into her. Then he just stopped.

"Brett, what are you doing?" she gasped with surprise--and pleasure.

Without a word, he rolled them over so that she was on top of him. Instinctively, she brought her knees up to rest on either side of his waist and straddled him. He put his hand on the back of her head and brought her down to his lips, and kissed her slowly. She moaned into his mouth, the desire to move on him, to ride him  was overwhelming.

"Brett, no, we agreed. One night, remember?" She looked down at him, but made no effort to move.

"One night wasn't enough, Amy. I want more." His voice was deep, heavy with sleep, and sexy as hell. He ran his hands down her back and gripped her ass, squeezed her cheeks, and then pushed her down on his cock as he lifted his hips to meet her.

"Oh, God," she moaned. Christ, how was she supposed to think when he was buried inside of her?

"The choice is yours again," he said, kneading her ass with his hands. "You can get up and we;ll move on like last night never happened, or we can do this again." He rotated his hips ever so slightly, just enough so that she felt the movement.

"Brett." She tried to sound serious, but it came out as needy. Amy put her hands on either side of his head and stared at him. His eyes weren't the normal crisp blue that she was used to seeing. No, they were hazy and filled with desire. How much more did he want? Once? Another full night? It was one of those questions that she wasn't sure she really wanted an answer to. So, she did the only thing she could--she eased her body up and off him.

Brett grabbed her waist. "Amy, please," he pleaded.

Buy Links:

Barnes & Noble

Bio:

Kara is a multi-published romance author who dabbles in young adult, new adult, paranormal, and contemporary romances. However, her genre of choice will always be erotic romance. She's a member of the CNY Writers Haven and the Romance Writers of America. Writing is her passion and she loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with her fellow authors and her fans.

Today, Kara resides in Upstate New York with her husband, five kids, three cats, and two dogs. When she's not reading or writing, she's spending time with her family and friends.

Nothing excites Kara more than hearing from her fans. So, send her a note. She'll go total fan girl over it!

Social Media Links:
Website/Blog
Email: karaleighmiller@yahoo.com
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Unearthly Musings	10/22- Tue
A.M. Griffin	10/22- Tue
Perusing Princesses	10/22- Tue
I am a book addict...and proud of it	10/22- Tue
For Whom The Books Toll	10/22- Tue
Writing About Love	10/22- Tue
A.M. Griffin	10/22- Tue
Lusty Penguin Reviews	10/23- Wed
Jayne Kingston	10/23- Wed
Anya Richards	10/23- Wed
Virginia Brasch	10/23- Wed
Love Between the Sheets	10/23- Wed
Literary Nook	10/24- Thur
deal sharing aunt	10/24- Thur
Lea Barrymire	10/24- Thur

Legal Information:
- Entering this contest means you have read, understood, and agree with all rules and regulations stated.- Entrants must be 18 or older (or age of majority in your country) to enter and to win.- No purchase necessary.- Void where prohibited.- All stated rules are subject to change without notification or reason given.- Chances of winning vary widely based on the number of entries received.- Prize is as stated. No substitutions or exchanges. Residence of the United States only.

- Contest host/organizer is not responsible to misrepresented/mis-typed email addresses, spam filters, mailer demons, and other internet wackiness that may crop up at the time of winner notification.

- Winners are final.- Contest Starts 00:01EST October 22, 2013 and Ends 12:59EST October 24, 2013 and open to US residence participants ONLY- Winners will be notified via email, twitter, or facebook no later than 12:00EST October 27, 2013 -Respond by date to collect prize is 14 days from notification date.