Today, I'd like to welcome Dawn Atkins to my blog. Yay Dawn. :) Dawn will be giving away 2 (two) $15 Kindle gift cards. The blog is yours, Dawn, so take it away!
I’m
so happy to be a guest here to talk about my new romantic suspense
TWO CAN PLAY. I thought it would be fun to give you an exclusive look
at the Real Life Lounge, the gamer arcade where the book is set--and
where Lounge employees work and live as one big happy gamer
family--by taking you along as Rena Novo, the book’s heroine, takes
Gage Stone, the hot new hire she’s supposed to mentor, on a tour of
the highlights of The Life. Make a comment and you’ll be entered to
win one of two $15 Amazon Kindle gift cards to be awarded at the end
of the tour. For
additional chances to win, follow the tour and comment on each tour
stop.
Rena’s
suspicious that Gage wasn’t truly interested in joining The Life
and she’s been testing him as they move through the Lounge, judging
him by his reactions and questions.
He’s
not scoring well at this point, despite the fact that he’s a strong
EverLife player--EverLife is the immersive virtual reality game
beloved by Lifers and outside gamers. Despite her doubts, she finds
herself attracted to the man. His fingers tracing her status tattoos
left her skin tingling…Now they’re headed up to show him the
Living Quarters.
STOP
SIX…LIVING QUARTERS…I LOVE THE SMELL OF RAMEN IN THE MORNING
Rena
passed her key card over a security box in the elevator, getting the
green light. She pushed the button for the first floor.
“Secure
elevators, huh?” Gage asked.
“Entrance
to the Residence Tower is by invitation only. Until you earn Quarters
you have a midnight curfew. Lifers can’t get above their own level
unless accompanied by a Higher-Level.”
“No
exceptions?”
“Why
would there be? We work hard to climb levels. It’s a privilege. We
want to keep it that way.”
“Sure.
Makes sense.” But she wasn’t convinced he meant that.
The
elevator opened on the first floor. “This is Level One Quarters.”
She waved him onto the landing. “What you smell is Top Ramen. First
Levels live on it. It’s cheap and they can cook it on the hot plate
you can buy in the Level One catalog.”
“There’s
a catalog?”
“You
buy clothes, furniture, house wares and electronics from the catalog
on your level. The higher you go, the more extensive and expensive
the items.”
She
pushed through glass doors that opened onto a beehive of three-deep
cubicles, each with blinds for doors, like a Japanese capsule hotel.
“Tight
fit,” he said.
“We’re
the NiGo Training Center, so we had to conserve space to make room
for the trainees from all the Lounges.”
“I
don’t see a TV or game console.”
“Not
until the Level Four catalog.”
“That’s
a big sacrifice for people who live to game.”
“The
early levels are designed so we connect with each other, get a team
feeling. In the Dead World, we were isolated at our separate
keyboards. In The Life, we’re Family.”
“How
long does it take to make First Level?”
“Two
million points is about a month if you work hard, take overtime and
do a lot of social interactions and Quests.”
“Whatever
it takes,” he said, which startled her. He
sounded…motivated…determined. That altered her opinion somewhat.
“Come
on. I’ll show you what Level Five Quarters look like.” They’d
stepped into the elevator when Rena’s cell phone rang.
The
call was from the Dome Commander. “Need you down here pronto. The
first fighters aren’t ready.”
“Okay.”
She sighed and hit the L button. “Guess this will have to wait. I’m
needed for a battle.”
“Where
the green-screen is, right? And all the seats?”
“You
haven’t seen a performance?” More evidence he hadn’t spent much
time in the Lounge.
“Never
noticed.”
Really?
The staged battles were a big deal to the Dead World gamers who
filled the Lounge all weekend.
“We
do free style battles. It’s a combination of dance and martial
arts. We wear a reflective suit and our avatars are projected onto
them. A clearing in the Forest of Atalan is projected on the green
screen.”
“So
I get to watch?” He took a slow look down her body.
She
got a stab of adrenaline and a tight feeling between her thighs.
“Unless
you’d rather start your first shift.”
“And
miss you in action? Not a chance?”
“You
going to win?” Gage asked.
“That’s
my plan.”
She
realized abruptly that she liked his attention, that she’d show off
for him. Boscoe, her opponent, would be in for it.
Title: Two Can Play
Author: Dawn Atkins
Publisher: Entangled Publishing - ignite imprint
Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance
Publication Date: October 28, 2013
Blurb:
“Woot! Strap yourself in for a fast paced thrill ride with TWO CAN PLAY by Dawn Atkins. I could not put it down! Rena Novo is a refreshingly strong heroine matched perfectly by her handsome counterpart Gage Stone. The heat that ignites between these two while they try to solve their own personal quests positively scorches. This is a do not miss!” —Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling mystery author
Live. Breath. And Believe—to Rena Novo there’s nothing better than being a part of the most popular virtual-reality game—EverLife…until she’s given a Quest to evict her best friend from the society she’s come to love. If she completes the job—she’ll rise to the top, but a sexy recruit is stirring a different kind of passion within her and making her question everything that makes her life complete.
Hunting for his missing sister, investigative reporter Gage Stone goes undercover in the gaming cult that’s taken over his sister’s life. But his biggest obstacle is the sizzling attraction between he and Rena, the extremely hot gamer assigned as his trainer. As their attraction builds, Gage realizes his sister isn’t the only one he can’t leave without. Now he must convince Rena the rhetoric the company’s pushing is just a plot that will culminate in the deaths of hundreds… before she turns him in and gets them all killed.
Excerpt:
“What’s not to like?” He caught her gaze and got a full-on punch of heat. The two of them naked on all that bed sounded pretty damn good to him. The spark in her lake-blue eyes said she agreed. When she held out her hand, he almost yanked her close for a taste of those soft lips of hers.
“Your jacket?” she said, tilting her head.
He shrugged it off. She watched him, her blue eyes flaring hot, like the pilot light to her sex drive. Should he go for it or take a pass?
He wanted her–he was a man with a pulse, for God’s sake, of course he wanted her–but he had to do what was smart.
He dragged his gaze away, cleared his throat and looked around. “You’ve got some pricey stuff in here. God help him, he found himself staring at the bed again.
“I go after what I want,” she said, low and sexy, her eyes glowing hotter than ever.
She smelled sweet…edible. Was it coconut? Maybe just a taste.
“And what is it you want?” he asked, telling her he wanted it, too with a tone that registered in her eyes like the flick of a gauge needle.
She hesitated, stepped back, on guard. “It’s more important what you want, Gage. Why are you here? In Lounge Life?”
His answer counted big, he knew. “I’m a gamer. I needed a job.” What would a true believer say? “I like what’s here. It’s like a family.”
“You don’t have one already?” Her eyes glittered with suspicion.
“Not really.” His sister Beth was all he had and she was missing. That was his real reason to be here.
“Lifers are my family,” Rena said, emotions rippling beneath her words, like muscles under an animal’s pelt.
Their gazes locked and the connection went abruptly personal. He saw a lonely little girl behind her eyes and she, no doubt, caught a flicker of the grim kid he’d been.
The past reeked, but it was gone.
An electric thread sizzled between them. “What I want is right here.” He looked her up and down, wanting in, letting her see that. He liked the spark in her eye, the challenge in her half-smile, not to mention that tight, strong body of hers—everything in the right place and then some. He was pretty sure it was her hair that smelled of coconut. “How about you?”
She moved grabbed his belt and tugged, telling him all he needed to know.
Buy Links:
Barnes & Noble
I always wanted to be a writer–from the moment I put fat pencil to brown-lined paper in second grade to write an elaborate story using all the spelling words on our list.
Though I always wanted to be a professional writer, I wasn’t sure I had the stuff, so I graduated from college with a teaching degree and taught elementary school–second and third grades (the best)–and then began freelance feature writing for newspapers and magazines, local and national.
I left teaching to work in public relations–skills I use today in my job as a writer/editor for the Arizona Education Association.
I met my husband, David Weiss, my very own hero, in 1980, on an airplane. We made the “love thang” permanent in 1985, when we married taking our Hobie sailboat to San Diego for our honeymoon. Then in 1990, we welcomed a son into our lives. He continues to be the light of our life together.
My first romance credits were two stories in True Love magazine. I went on to write a sexy romance in 1983, which was rejected–sniff.
Years later–1996–I got serious about getting published. Though I endured some rejections as I honed my craft, in 1998, I sold the first of two short romantic comedies to Kensington Publishing–Getting Zack Back, published in December. In July 2000, Baby Makes Three was released. After coming in second among published authors in a Harlequin Duets contest, I sold to Harlequin in 2001, quickly selling another comedy. In addition to Duets, I write for Temptation, Blaze and, the new comedy line Flipside.
Most of my hobbies–sailing, scuba-diving, playing the piano (badly)–have gone by the wayside as I devote all my non-family spare time to writing. I live in the Phoenix area with my husband and son, who proudly brings my books to his teachers and swears he doesn’t read them–except for the funny parts.
Contact Dawn here:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dawn.atkins1
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/290337.Dawn_Atkins
Twitter https://twitter.com/dawnatkins
Website http://dawnatkins.com/
Thanks again, Dawn for being here today. Remember to leave a comment with your email address so you can be contacted if you. And for extra entries, fill out the rafflecopter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
TOUR SCHEDULE:
Monday, October 28, 2013
Authors’ Cafe {Author Interview}
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Paranormal Dimensions {Guest Post}
Deal Sharing Aunt {Guest Post}
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Musings and Ramblings {Author Interview}
Paranormal Realms {Guest Post}
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Margo Hoornstra – Writing Inside & Out {Guest Post}
Friday, November 1, 2013
Loralee Lillibridge – Blogging Across the Back Fence {Guest Post}
Monday, November 4, 2013
For Whom the Books Toll {Guest Post}
Romance Me {Guest Post}
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Nancy Jardine Features {Guest Post}
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Amberkatze’s Book Blog {Guest Post}
Pretty Girls Read Books {Guest Post}
Thursday, November 7, 2013
What Readers Want {Guest Post}
Friday, November 8, 2013
Talk Supe {Guest Post}
Awesome guest post, Dawn - Thanks for sharing!!!
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