Welcome to the first day of our New Year's Reunion! So glad you stopped by to share with us. Over 30 romance, sci-fi, and fantasy authors are spilling the beans about their books, characters, and themselves, and you'll enjoy every minute of it! Psst. There's a Rafflecopter giveaway too.
The Reunion lasts 7 days, each post featuring 4 - 5 authors who's work has graced my blog at one time or another. Each author has chosen to do a book feature, tell us a bit about what we'll love about their hero/heroine, or help us catch up with what they've been up to lately.
Hope you'll join me and my guests for the next 7 days, too. Most of the authors are giving prizes as well as excerpts, and I've been really enjoying their interviews :-) Please make sure to leave your email address with your comments and enter the Rafflecopter. Did I mention the Rafflecopter? Oh, one more thing - Every day you visit and comment with your email address, you'll earn extra points toward the prizes. We've got quite a bit of ground to cover, so sit back and enjoy!
Vallory Vance

“The Beginning of Forever” by Vallory
Vance
Why You’ll
Fall in Love with Amber and Kevin
Amber
Grayson has a large personality, bordering on domineering. To understand you’ll
have to meet her mother or rather her step-mother.
You see in
the late seventies, Ellen Woods, child of the politically connected
African-American Woods of Richmond, VA married the widower, Sgt. Solomon
Grayson. She gained a life of overseas travel which she detested and a daughter
whom she loved beyond measure.
This should
have all been wonderful for Amber - a loving father and a doting step-mother.
But it
wasn’t quite. Ellen could be overbearing at times, pushing Amber to her limits
and fostering an idea of financial stability at all costs. The reader will meet
Amber as an adult with this type of upbringing.
Woven in
this idea of a sound future is the idea of the perfect man. And reader, that
man is not Kevin Miller.
While Kevin
is an inherited owner of his family’s ranch in the small Texas town of Buffalo
Pass, he receives little of the proceeds. His primary source of income comes as
the owner / operator of his independent contracting firm, Another Time. The
firm restores historical buildings to their former splendor with modern
touches.
Seems like a niche operation with
limited potential?
That’s what
Amber’s mom thinks. And maybe that’s just what Amber thinks. And Kevin fears.
I love Amber and Kevin’s story of how
to overcome the obstacles that fall in the way of true love but don’t listen to
me. I wrote this after all.
Take a look
at what others are saying:
Amazon Reader 5 Star Review:
…This story picks up with the two
planning to marry but also Amber trying to get pregnant. Amber's desire to have
a family with Kevin really test their strength, faith and love. For Kevin he'd give
her the world but not at the risk of her health, Kevin feels that the two of
them have enough love to adopt but his life wouldn't matter without her in it.
Wow! what a man. Kevin in his usual determined way must prove to Amber that
together they can make anything work, getting Amber to believe it herself is
her walk of faith. I just loved this couple they were real, funny, sexy and
just wonderful. …
Barnes & Noble Reader 5 Star
Review:
YES YES YES!! This book is so different from the typical romance
novel. I was getting bored with the typical young girl finds the rich
billionaire, they break up over something we saw coming a mile away, get back
together and end up married. zzzzzzzzzz
Amber is a 39 year old professional woman who is already in love with her cowboy, blue collar man. I will not ruin the book with spoilers but there is a huge surprise in the middle of the book. You will root for this couple who are perfect for each other. It's funny and heart warming. I give it a huge thumbs up!
Amber is a 39 year old professional woman who is already in love with her cowboy, blue collar man. I will not ruin the book with spoilers but there is a huge surprise in the middle of the book. You will root for this couple who are perfect for each other. It's funny and heart warming. I give it a huge thumbs up!
Goodreads Reader 5 Star Review:
Awesome book. Centers around a topic
that's not often written about in I/R books. Amber and Kevin is the couple you
will absolutely love ….
Get your
copy from these online retailers:
· Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beginning-of-forever-interracial-erotic-romance-vallory-vance/1116881076?ean=2940148646808
· Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/356812
Find out what Vallory is up to on her
blog, Vallory
V ~ Sweet and Sexy Romances
Doris O'Connor

Doris O’Connor
What’s Happening Now? Interview
1. First, looking back, how do you feel about your 2013 goals and how
well did you do in reaching them? What helped or hindered your success?
I really only had one goal, and that was to keep
writing and aim to release a book a month. I released seventeen
stories this year, so I more than met that goal. J
Life did get in the way at times. I have a very
active toddler, so writing time gets severely curtailed. Most of my writing now
takes place late at night and at the weekend, but somehow it works. My muse
also took itself off on holiday several times, but each time returned brimming
with stories, so I don't worry anymore when that happens.
I think the most helpful thing really has been
to adopt an attitude of what will be will be. There are days when I write lots
and days/weeks where I don't write anything, and that's okay too.
I have also joined in Tantalizing Tuesdays and
Flash Fiction Friday. I participate in those without fail every week. The aim
is to write a 200 word flash on Tuesdays to a picture of your own choosing, and
on Fridays we are given a picture prompt and have to write a 100 word flash.
I've found these incredibly inspiring and most of my recent writing has started
as a flash on my blog.
2. Life happens, and every writer is subject to its effects (positive
or challenging). What personal (spiritual, emotional, physical, professional)
life changes do you foresee affecting your writing this year?
Impossible to answer that one really. All I can
say is that I'll continue writing, come what may. I'm a decidedly grumpy person
to be around when I'm not writing. It's how I relax, and sometimes the only
thing that keeps me sane. When life throws you curveballs, my way of dealing
with them is to write.
And with my large brood, there is always another
disaster just waiting to pounce around the corner.
3. What have you learned about yourself recently as a writer (one
random thing)?
Resistance is futile. When the voices talk, I
need to write, and they're always, always right.
4. How many books have you published (include anthologies)? Tell me
about them (, bibliography)
I've published thirty eight. A
mixture of Standalones, Series, and Anthologies, anything from 2K up to 65K.
I write both contemporary and paranormal and
write in several subgenres under those. You could say I have an overactive and
unpredictable muse.
Series:
(The Spectrum Auctions)
September 2013 - Auctioned to the Honorable Dom
(Lure Series)
November 2011 - Lure of the Blood
March 2012 - Lure of Forever
(The Giovanni Clan)
January 2012 - Too Hot To Handle
May 2012 - Too Cold To Love
January 2013 - Too Devious To Tame
(Club Ink)
May 2012 - Riding Her Tiger
July 2012 - Tiger Scars
November 2012 - Masks Of A Tiger
(Mr. Satisfaction Guaranteed)
September 2012 - Mr. Satisfaction Guaranteed
March 2013 - Mr. Satisfaction Guaranteed –
Natasha
(The Projects)
July 2013 - The Orgasm Project
Coming in January 2014 – The Bear Project
Stand Alones:
December 2011 - Awakening
March 2012 - Goldie and her Bears
June 2012 - The Last Of His Kind
November 2012 – A Birthday Wish
December 2012 - For The Love Of Mutt
February 2013 - Sol and the Magic Fingers
May 2013 - The Billionaire's Unwanted Virgin
May 2013 - Under Orders
August 2013 - Man-Droid the Orgasmatron
October 2013 – The Housewife and the Film Star
October 2013 – Under the Alpha's Protection
Anthologies:
March 2012 - Virgins Behaving Badly
April 2012 - The Alphas
August 2012 - Lover Unexpected: Sappho Edition
October 2012 - The Eclipse of the Blood Moon
October 2012 - Just Vamps
October 2012 – Freaky Flashes
November 2012 – With Love from Val and Tyne
December 2012 - Vanilla-Free Christmas
December 2012 - Wine&Nine
March 2013 – Hot Flashes, Volume 1
June 2013 - Her Type of Guy
August 2013 - 7 Sinful Secrets
August 2013 – HIS
November 2013 – The Crimson Rope
November 2013 – Sinsperationally Yours
5. What can we look forward to from you in 2014 (special projects,
books and anthologies of course)
January will see the release of The Bear
Project, book two in my project series. Book three in that series, The
Mating Project is still in the niggling stages, but I will have to
write it soon.
I also need to finish book two in my Spectrum
Auctions series. It's half written and then other things boxed their
way to the top, as they do.
Trikus's story (book 4 in my Club Ink series)
is another one that's long overdue to be written.
And of course whatever my muse will throw my
way. I'm a complete and utter panster, so even I don't know what will happen,
until it does. It's a crazy way to write, but the only way I can write, so I'm
just embracing the organized chaos.
*winks*
6. Which of your books would you suggest to someone new to your
writing and why?
I usually suggest Too hot to Handle (Giovanni
clan, 1) for contemporary and Riding her Tiger (Club Ink) for paranormal.
It all depends what a reader is looking for,
really. Like I said I write all lengths, and hot to scorching. Heat level 3-4.
All of my books feature Alpha heroes, and strong heroines, and they all have at
least some kinky elements. Quite a few are BDSM stories.
So I tend to ask some searching questions before
I suggest anything, lol.
7. What’s your favorite online hangout (complete link – only one)?
Facebook without a doubt. I'm a member of
several fabulous book clubs on there J
Katie Jennings
A skeptic, a ghost hunter, a tech genius, and a medium. Will the
spirits win?
After the tragic death of her parents, Dr. Grace Sullivan
inherits more than she bargained for. An empty house she’s never heard of, a
nosy neighbor, and the restless spirits of a violent, century old murder.
A hard-nosed skeptic, Grace refuses to believe in ghosts
despite hearing sounds and seeing things that can’t be explained.
When she unearths antique furniture from the basement, the
spirits become agitated and dangerous. Ian Black and Alex Gallagher, a team of
ghost hunters, come in to investigate.
Still denying the paranormal events in her home, Grace can’t
bring herself to take the ghost hunters or the psychic medium who teams up with
them seriously. As Grace struggles with her grief and the feelings she’s
developing for headstrong Ian, the disturbing mystery of the house deepens. Now
she’ll have to face the unbelievable before the spirits claim her for their
own.
Get the eBook FREE when you purchase the print on Amazon!
Meet
Katie Jennings…
International
bestselling Author Katie Jennings is the author of seven full length novels,
including the popular fantasy series The
Dryad Quartet as well as the bestselling family drama series The Vasser Legacy.
She
lives in sunny Southern California with her husband and cat, who both think
she’s the biggest nerd ever. She’s a firm believer in happy endings and loves
nothing more than a great romance novel.
Sky Purington
I’d like to thank Dariel Raye for inviting me over for her
New Year’s reunion. It’s always such a pleasure to be here. In 2012, I
celebrated the completion and release of all three books in my Calum’s Curse Series. Two years later,
I’m pleased to announce that they’re now available in a book bundle. Today,
allow me to share a little bit about this series, including three short, super steamy
excerpts. Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win a $10 Amazon
Gift Card from me, along with lots of other prizes from the other Reunion
authors!
Calum’s Curse Series
Boxed Set (Books 1-3)
It all began hundreds of years ago when Calum O’Donnell
dabbled in dark magic. Seemingly betrayed, his newfound coven cursed him by
sending three creatures of the night into the world to destroy his descendants.
Yet Calum was both powerful and clever, trapping the creatures in various New
England homes. Centuries later, Calum’s descendants, Leathan, Devin and Seth,
find themselves at the heart of this unraveling age old curse.
THE VICTORIAN LURE- When Dakota Allerton’s dream home becomes a house of horrors that is holding her hostage, her only hope is a Scotsman who investigates the paranormal. The supernatural is nothing Leathan Stewart can't handle. Until he walks into Dakota’s cursed Victorian. Trapped together in the time-warping home, passion soon flares between them. Yet he shares his desire for her with the dark domination that possesses the house. A presence that will not let go until it gets what it wants. Even as their attraction grows, Dakota and Leathan must fight against unknown enemies, discover the secrets of Calum's Curse and defeat a vampire bent on finishing the legacy it began.
THE GEORGIAN EMBRACE- Devin O'Rourke is drawn to Isabel the moment he sees her ghostly image in a picture. While searching for proof of her existence, Devin soon finds himself pulled back in time. Eighteenth century, Isabel Savol, is on the run. Good fortune finds her sheltered and managing the construction of a house. When a handsome Irishman claiming to be from the future appears on her Georgian's worksite one day, everything she thought she understood about reality vanishes. Smoldering desire ignites between Devin and Isabel as they struggle to stay one step ahead of the time-warping house caught in Calum's Curse and the werewolf determined to finish the legacy it began.
THE TUDOR REVIVAL- Ghost hunter and dare-devil, Seth, is flung into the afterlife. His one draw to reality? Alana. He died. She lived. But he can't let go. There is something more than friendship between them and he can't say goodbye. The last thing Alana expects to encounter when she inherits her grandmom's Tudor Revival is the spirit of her deceased best friend and crush, Seth. But everything is not what it appears to be. He is determined to live again. When his investigative team, The Worldwide Paranormal Society shows up at her door, Alana soon learns that she's in for a wild ride. Calum's curse visits one more house. Things get hotter and more paranormal than ever before. Love, as always, struggles to overcome the odds. Time is limited though and the creature set to destroy Seth and Alana is the most cunning of all.
NOTE: These books contain very strong sexual content and are recommended for a mature audience.
THE VICTORIAN LURE- When Dakota Allerton’s dream home becomes a house of horrors that is holding her hostage, her only hope is a Scotsman who investigates the paranormal. The supernatural is nothing Leathan Stewart can't handle. Until he walks into Dakota’s cursed Victorian. Trapped together in the time-warping home, passion soon flares between them. Yet he shares his desire for her with the dark domination that possesses the house. A presence that will not let go until it gets what it wants. Even as their attraction grows, Dakota and Leathan must fight against unknown enemies, discover the secrets of Calum's Curse and defeat a vampire bent on finishing the legacy it began.
THE GEORGIAN EMBRACE- Devin O'Rourke is drawn to Isabel the moment he sees her ghostly image in a picture. While searching for proof of her existence, Devin soon finds himself pulled back in time. Eighteenth century, Isabel Savol, is on the run. Good fortune finds her sheltered and managing the construction of a house. When a handsome Irishman claiming to be from the future appears on her Georgian's worksite one day, everything she thought she understood about reality vanishes. Smoldering desire ignites between Devin and Isabel as they struggle to stay one step ahead of the time-warping house caught in Calum's Curse and the werewolf determined to finish the legacy it began.
THE TUDOR REVIVAL- Ghost hunter and dare-devil, Seth, is flung into the afterlife. His one draw to reality? Alana. He died. She lived. But he can't let go. There is something more than friendship between them and he can't say goodbye. The last thing Alana expects to encounter when she inherits her grandmom's Tudor Revival is the spirit of her deceased best friend and crush, Seth. But everything is not what it appears to be. He is determined to live again. When his investigative team, The Worldwide Paranormal Society shows up at her door, Alana soon learns that she's in for a wild ride. Calum's curse visits one more house. Things get hotter and more paranormal than ever before. Love, as always, struggles to overcome the odds. Time is limited though and the creature set to destroy Seth and Alana is the most cunning of all.
NOTE: These books contain very strong sexual content and are recommended for a mature audience.
Mini Excerpts:
THE VICTORIAN LURE (Book One)
With a protective arm around Dakota, he peered into the dark
recesses of the room. Someone whispered. She trembled. He peered closer.
Nothing. The temperature rose and returned to normal. Leathan stroked her
shoulder reassuringly. Whatever it had been hadn't stuck around long. While he
wanted to explore the area more the feel of her body against his drove away all
logical thought. Their hearts pounded. Breath rushed from their lungs. They
were caught in a heady mix of adrenaline combined with lust.
At last she spoke. "Did you see anything?"
What scent was she wearing? It smelled sweet and inviting.
"No." He continued stroking her shoulder, then the side of her neck.
"Are you okay? Frightened?"
"At first," she admitted, her body relaxed and
pliant between his and the wood stack.
Without consciously realizing it, he had her sandwiched with
his front nestled against hers. His renewed arousal pressed against her with
interest. Spirit activity, no matter how slight, usually kept him enthralled.
But right now nothing but the feel of her lithe body flattened against his
mattered. Lust overwhelmed him. He wanted her so much. Leathan pressed closer
and gently kissed the side of her neck, said very softly, "Should I
stop?"
"What do you think?"
Hungry, eager, he found her mouth. Willing, her lips opened
beneath his and as before, her hands came around his neck. Wedging a knee
between her legs, he found her backside and lifted until he held her locked and
secure, inescapably lodged between him and the woodpile. Her firm backside
filled his palms perfectly. Her slender athletic thighs straddled his leg. Heat
emanated from her core, and he nearly groaned. Tilting his head further, he
explored her mouth, their tongues and lips in perfect unison.
Grinding his thigh against her, he protected her backside
with his hands. The ache rose sharp and hard when he felt the heat increase
between her legs, when a small whimper left her lips. All he could imagine was
the moist clinging heat within her.
What would she taste like? Feel like?
THE GEORGIAN EMBRACE (Book Two)
Devin’s low chuckle warmed her insides. “You think to get
answers from me by flirting? Good luck, lass. I invented that method.”
Isabel’s eyes flew to his. Insolence! She almost faltered at
the devilish twinkle in his gaze, the languid way his come-hither eyes roamed
her face. Indeed, he did flirt well. She squelched the lop-sided grin she felt
beginning to erupt. “I see no reason for your secrecy.” Isabel again leaned
close and whispered in her best co-conspirator tone, “Then you really are a spy.”
His thick-lashed eyes fell to her lips and he leaned closer
as well. “In my own way, that is exactly what I am.”
Now she was getting somewhere. “Ah, I knew it.”
“Did you?” His gaze slowly slid down her neck and she’d
swear his finger grazed the soft skin. Goose pimples rose on her flesh.
“Yes, I did.” She continued to follow his gaze, could almost
feel how he saw her…feminine…enticing. “It makes perfect sense.”
“Aye.” Devin’s gaze fell to the swells of her breasts
peeking out from the top of her dress. “You found me out.”
A deep inhale, then he exhaled slowly, his hot breath
flaming across her chest. Nipples tightened. Searing warmth flooded between her
thighs. Isabel inhaled sharply. His eyes met hers, knowing. How did he do that?
What exactly had he done without moving an inch?
“What did I find out?” she murmured, her mind swimming in
pleasure, relaxed, not nearly as sharp as it had been moments before.
A ravishing grin crinkled the corners of his eyes, made
enticing sweeps of his dark eyelashes. “That I’m not quite who I seem to be.”
“No,” she whispered, body suddenly afire. When his hand rose
to cup her cheek, she leaned into it, cherished, worshiped. Blazing heat burned
her flesh, the calloused touch of his palm an enticing contradiction to her
soft cheek. Isabel closed her eyes, lost in a strange and incredibly arousing
lull. When his smooth lips gently touched hers, she moaned. Isabel tingled with
awareness. When his lips covered hers more thoroughly, carefully guided, she
followed his lead.
THE TUDOR REVIVAL (Book Three)
Alana slowly opened her eyes. All she wanted to do was
fight.
Seth’s eyes matched the blue sky behind him. How many times
had she imagined this? Hoped for this? But fought it. His handsome face hovered
over hers. His wide shoulders blocked the rising sun. Strange how every
sensation in her body seemed overly acute, every fine hair on her body, every
pore in her skin. She’d swear steam burned off the sun between the rock and the
sky, concaving them in sensuality.
No lie; she had wanted him to shove her off him. She’d
wanted to fall backward until all of this went away. Surprisingly, she wasn’t
all that shocked to discover she could summon the dead. It fit in with all the
stories her grandmom had told her. And there was the fact that she could hear
Seth when he was ‘dead.”
But right now, pinned beneath him, she felt a whole new rush
hovering just out of reach.
She’d managed to keep Seth at bay for months.
No more.
Rather than crashing down, his lips found hers with
tenderness. Slow and easy, he worked his tongue into her mouth. Alana met him
just as gently, wrapping her tongue with his. So fluid and seductive, she fell
into his slow, lapping pattern. A sharp wind blew in from the east but she
didn’t feel it. Protected by his strong body, it was all heat and kindling and
the sparks of a brand new fire.
“Alana,” he murmured. His mouth left hers, trailing to the
soft area just behind her ear, then further down the overly tender portion of
her neck. She raised her hands over her head and he pulled her shirt free.
The Calum’s Curse Boxed Set is now available at Amazon,
Barnes
& Noble, Smashwords
and many online bookstores.
Comments
It's great to meet new authors and also to have a "peek behind the scene".
Hugs
foulkes.susan@gmail.com
tammyfaris1966 at gmaildotcom
Melissa
daringzoey@yahoo.com
kaylyndavis1986@yahoo.com
cam231948@gmail.com
Maya
lovebitesandsilk at gmail dot com
I am going to have to make notes.
Thank you Dariel!
Deb T
mammy4423@yahoo.com
cjlps23 at gmail dot com