Friday, August 30, 2013

When should you go on your honeymoon?

Is there a rule that you have to go right after the wedding?


Granted after all the planning, you and your lover can probably use a vacation.

The interesting thing about when my husband and I got married, we wanted to go sking.

We got married in June. Created a problem, but solved by delaying the honeymoon until April of the next year.

Then we took a wonderful trip to Baniff, Canada.

Luckily there is no rule to when you take the honeymoon. Do it when you want!!!

There is also no rule as to how long the honeymoon has to be. A few days, a week, or more, you get to decide and it can depend on how much money you want to spend. A tropical vacation or a trip to a nearby city, it shouldn't matter. After all, you are with the one you love and starting a new life together.

For all of you who are getting married best of luck and may you have many happy years together.

Romance is fuel for wonderful stories...spoken from a romance writer.

Tina

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Time Out to Reflect


Just thought I would take a time-out here.


Life is so busy at the moment and I find I'm struggling to get things done.


I have days that everything seems to be going great, and I’m on top of all my projects. Then there are the other days that I feel like a gun is being pointed at my head that’s about to explode.


That's when I try to take a time out and remember the special gifts in my life.


Wonderful friends,

the beauty outside my window,
great husband,
birds,
awesome kids,
flowers,
a family that loves me.


Give it a try and see if it helps you,


Tina

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Simple Things can create Romantic moments.

Ask your lover, wife, partner to sit next you instead of in their favorite recliner.



Hold hands while walking through the grocery store.



Give your lover a kiss when they do something special. Like hit a good shot in golf.



Leave a message or text saying "I love you. You are very special to me."

 

Try a few little things and see how they make a difference in the bigger picture.


Tina

Monday, August 19, 2013

Enjoy Your Local Wineries


There are wineries in almost state in the union.




As most of you know, I enjoyed visiting the ones in Nebraska while we lived there.

We have managed to visit a few while traveling to other states too. Mike and I went to a wine tasting room while in Utah. It was a little disappointing because we found out that the winery bought grapes from California and then combined them to create their own blends.

There is nothing wrong with doing this. It is still a Utah winery but I like it when the fruit is raised in the state where the wine is made.

Also, Mike and I have visited a number of wineries in our area.

If you are looking for a winery in your state.

Check out http://www.allamericanwineries.com/AAWMain/locate.htm

I hope you enjoy learning about a blooming business, where they create a piece of art in a bottle.

Have fun,


Tina

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Helpful Hint to Clean Jewelry


As a wife, mother, housekeeper, I'm always looking for helpful hints so I thought I'd share this.

Is your silver jewelry getting dirty?

Trying using a little ketchup to bring back the shine. Drop your jewelry in a small bowl of ketchup for a few minutes. Then if it has a detail surface scrub it down with an old toothbrush.

Don't leave it in the ketchup too long. Rinse and dry - then it's ready to wear again.

See, ketchup can be used for more than a condiment.

Have a great day,

Tina

Monday, August 12, 2013

Hand Me My Rose-Colored Glasses

Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.
— Nikos Kazantzakis



Some people believe this about romance writers. They think because we like a happy ending that we can't live with reality.

Wrong, all writers know that you can't have a story without conflict. Conflict means problems. Not simple little things like a paper cut or few simple bruises. No, characters in romance novels have problems.

Some stories, I'll agree, are funny, cute, heartwarming, but they have things that happen to their characters that make them change. And changed doesn't come easy.

So yes, I might like my rose-colored glasses and believe in happy ever after. However, like the rest of the world, I can face reality.

However, I want to escape when I read so bring on the tinted light and let me live in my fantasy world for a while.

May you enjoy a HEA in the real world,

Tina

Friday, August 9, 2013

Important Things to Know about Romance


There are two very different ways in which we celebrate and inspire Romance in our lives.

1. Special occasions - those days you have to remember like birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries.



2. Spontaneous or the daily version of romance -  these are random for most of us, but they don't have to be. I'd like to offer some optional time to enjoy romance like for a weekend get-away or on a slow day mail out a card or just surprised your lover with some flowers.

I also have a friend who like to give tips that are not gender-specific. Man or woman can take the tips and use them to help create a little more romance in their relationship. It is not the responsibility of one person or the other. Both need to do what they can to spark the excitement in a relationship. It takes a 100% from both parties to make a relationship work.

Check out her site where she gives daily tips http://anitaphilmar.wordpress.com/

And last if you are questioning as to why romance is important?

My answer -- what would your life be like without it?

I personally need it like air. It fuels my soul and makes life worth living.

Add a little to your life and see what a difference it can make.

Tina

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

20 Questions with Koo from Keeper of My Pleasure @kayelleallen #BDSM


Join me as I play Twenty Questions with Koo Ayakura from my book, Keeper of My Pleasure. The object of this game is for Koo to give a short answer off the top of his head to a simple one-word prompt. It's designed to tell us a about him without going into detail. The first part is multiple choice, such as "chocolate or vanilla." Koo, are you ready?

Koo: Absolutely. Fire away.

iPad or Kindle: Kindle

Desktop or Laptop: Laptop

Jeans or Trousers: Jeans, unless I'm with Rai

Boxers or Briefs: Um... commando? :)

Vacation or Staycation: Vacation please!

Twitter or Facebook: Twitter ... no, Facebook. Can I have both?

Belt or Loose: Pardon?
(Do you wear a belt, or like your pants loose?) Oh! *blushes* Belt when I'm with Rai, and loose when I'm alone.

Restaurant or Diner: Diner

Study or Procrastinate: Study

Drive or Walk: Walk in good weather; Drive in rain

 

This part is where you answer with a word that pops into your mind.

 

Ice cream -- chocolate

Car -- Jaguar XKE

Color -- red

Food -- steak

Book -- Kindle

Sleep -- Yes, please!

Sex -- Yes, please! LOL

Position -- woman on top

Lace -- skin

Kink -- spanking

 

Koo, thanks so much for playing with us today. You've done a great job. :)

 

Giveaway

Inside Peek: Keeper of My Pleasure This free, illustrated eBook provides insight about the book, its characters, and its creation. When you click the link, it will either offer you a download, or open in a new window, depending on your settings. To read it, you need Adobe Reader, available free. http://is.gd/meet_Rai_and_Koo



 

Keeper of My Pleasure by Kayelle Allen

Rai trusts Koo to submit. To keep him, she must trust her heart.
A Romantica® BDSM erotic romance from Ellora's Cave
This book is in the Taboo line -- one of the Ellora's Cave Quickies

Blurb

A recent college graduate, Koo hires Rai as his attorney after thieves total his car and then dare to sue him. She wins, and takes him out to celebrate. Dinner leads to the hottest sex in his life, and a long-term relationship as her submissive. He adores the way she makes him feel, and the way she makes him burn. He longs to show her he has more to offer. He has a heart, and it's hers, if only she'll let him give it.
A successful attorney in her late thirties, Rai has a penchant for handsome young men with long hair. Koo, her newest client, becomes more than her usual boy toy. He likes being tied up and whipped, and he yields the way she'd always dreamed. But he has a future ahead of him, and she's a jaded lawyer. He wants sex, not love. Right? He wouldn't stay with her forever. She trusts him to submit. To keep Koo, Rai is going to have trust her heart.
 

Excerpt:

This scene takes place in Rai Whethen's estate home. She and Koo Ayakura have spent the evening enjoying dinner, flirting, anticipating their session, and now it's time for him to perform for his mistress.
 
In Rai's bedroom, Koo stood before her. She'd stretched out on the bed and was watching him, hands tucked behind her head, legs crossed at the ankles.
"I'm ready to see you strip, Koo. Do you need music?" She lifted one eyebrow.
"No, mistress, but if you want music, I'll use it."
"Hmm." She picked up a remote and pointed it. A dance tune started, and she skipped it, listened a moment, and skipped again. Two more songs and she turned it off. "No. I only want you. No distractions. Strip for me." She tucked her hands behind her head again. Quite unlike her, she added, "Please."
Koo began by unfastening his hair. Straight, healthy, it reached halfway to his waist, and shone like raven's wings. He'd inherited it from his Japanese father. His Irish mother had imparted the splash of freckles across his nose and shoulders, and grey eyes. Rai liked his hair down, and he ran his fingers through the long tresses, shook his head, and let it fall.
Rai's eyes gleamed, and she licked her lips.
He lifted one foot at a time to unfasten the plain black shoes, and slipped them off, pulling off each sock. He crossed his arms over his chest, slowly opened them, and pulled his tuxedo coat down his shoulders. It slipped down his arms, and he caught it, held it, and then slid it all the way off and tossed it over the hassock.
He reached up to the front of the vest, unfastened it one button at a time, doing it as slow as he could, taking care to keep her gaze on his hands. He pulled it open, let it slip down his arms, and then caught it at his elbows. He crossed his hands over his chest, hands spread.
Rai pushed herself up, hands braced on the bed.
Koo opened his arms, and let the vest fall. He caught it, tossed it after the jacket.
He opened each button on the shirt with the same slow care. Rai tugged up her skirt, and sat with legs folded, watching him like a cat in front of a mouse hole.
He opened the cufflinks, slid them into his pockets, and then shrugged out of his shirt. He held the collar between his teeth, folded the sleeves, and laid it aside.
Rai chewed on a knuckle, but didn't speak.
He reached over his back, pulled off the T-shirt in one move, and cast it onto the pile of clothes. Bare from the waist up, he tucked his hands behind his head, lifted his hair, and let it fall over his shoulders. He'd always worked out; he also ran, and swam. He knew his body pleased women. But the way Rai looked at him, as if he were a tasty treat she craved... that made this more than a strip show. He was preparing himself for his lover.
Koo unfastened the waistband of his trousers, lowered the zipper, and then eased them partway down.
Inside Scoop: Our hero willingly submits to his Dom lady love and all her toys in their BDSM play, including whips and bindings and more.
Buy links:
Word count: 7170
Genre: BDSM Romance
ISBN: 9781419946592
Author: Kayelle Allen
Editor: Victoria Reese
Cover art: Ellora's Cave
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Trailer for Keeper of My Pleasure
http://youtu.be/pXmsf8gb6DI
Music is "Road Adventure" from iStockPhoto, used with permission.
 

Giveaway

Inside Peek: Keeper of My Pleasure This free, illustrated eBook provides insight about the book, its characters, and its creation. When you click the link, it will either offer you a download, or open in a new window, depending on your settings. To read it, you need Adobe Reader, available free. http://is.gd/meet_Rai_and_Koo
 

About the Author

Kayelle Allen is a multi-published, EPIC Award winning author. She writes Contemporary Romance, Gay Romance, Erotic Science Fiction Romance, Mainstream Fantasy, BDSM, and non-fiction. She likes to attend Science Fiction conventions, and has been a speaker at DragonCon, Outlantacon, and Gaylaxicon. Kayelle is the founder of the author-mentoring group Marketing for Romance Writers, and manages the successful Romance Lives Forever blog. She is a US Navy Veteran, and founded the graphics and eBook conversion company The Author's Secret. Kayelle is married to her personal hero, and makes her home in the southeast.
 Thanks Kayelle for stopping by and best of luck with your book,
 
Tina

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Bama Bride by @joanchandler1

 
 
Bama Bride
by Joan Chandler

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:

Neal Sinclair meets David Bankston in a college town bar. He’s tall, dark, and handsome, and wears a Stetson like nobody’s business.

When they dance, inner passion heats up while inhibitions melt away. Neal quickly discovers David’s not a Southerner at all. He’s a Boston architect, in Tuscaloosa for only one night. The next morning, they struggle to walk away from something that caught them both by surprise.

Time doesn’t diminish the ache they feel in each other’s absence. Unable to stay apart, David arranges to take Neal to watch her beloved Crimson Tide play in a football bowl game. Reunited, they’re determined to make it work. When separated, they perfect the art of open communication. They each know that true love is a long shot.

But distance isn’t the only thing standing in their way. Unbeknownst to her, Neal’s overprotective father is, too. With so much conspiring against them, can a natural disaster turn the odds in their favor?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt -

He trailed his mouth up toward hers and then covered it with a delicious kiss. “Mmm, you taste so good on my tongue.”
Neal melted into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I could say the same thing, David.”
They kissed until the room seemed noticeably hotter. Finally, David broke their embrace and said, “If we want to see the outside of this room, perhaps we should take a breather and go exploring. Much more of this and I won’t be responsible for what happens next.” He winked at her and then walked to the window. He pulled the curtains back to reveal an excellent view of the city. “What do you want to do first?”
“I need to hang up a few things,” she told him as she began to unlatch her suitcase.
“Take your time. I’m in no hurry.”
He sat on the side of the bed while she began to pull garments out one by one. By the time she’d hung up three dresses and pulled out two pairs of boots and a pair of high-heeled pumps, his mouth was hanging. And she still had a few items still to go.
“Okay, first of all, how did you get all of that in one piece of luggage? And secondly, we’re here for two nights. How can you possibly need that many outfits?”
“Don’t rain on my parade. You have no idea how tough it is to decide what to wear to the football game. I had to bring extras in case I change my mind.”
“It’s a no-brainer, Neal. Blue jeans and a sweater,” he said with a smug expression.
“You’re way off base. I want to look my best at a game this important. I’m perfectly happy to wear sweatpants to class, but ball games are held to a higher standard.” It occurred to her that David might not have brought any nice clothes with him. She quickly added, “But you should wear whatever is most comfortable to you. Sweats, jeans, a hoodie…whatever.”
He shook his head but told her, ‘It’s all right. I think I’ll manage to scrounge up something that doesn’t look like I’m a vagrant.”
“I’m sorry if it makes me seem prissy. I’m really not. But it’s a tradition at games. We always dress to the nines. Hey, if you think we’re bad, you should walk through The Grove at Ole Miss at any home game. Those girls are absolutely breathtaking. They give me Venus envy.”
He did a double take. “Venus envy? What does that mean, dare I ask?”
“It’s just something my friends and I made up. You know what penis envy is right? Of course you do. Well, this is the equivalent for sorority sisters. Some chapters are just so perfect and the girls are all so exquisite, that they achieve a level of perfection no one else comes close to. Since Venus is the goddess of beauty, we started saying they gave us Venus envy.”
David threw his head back and laughed. “I guess I missed out on a lot by having only brothers. When I was in college, the toughest decision I had to make was how many times I could wear my jeans before I absolutely had to wash them. I had no idea you girls have it so rough.”
“Tease me all you want. I’m still going to do my best to look like a model as I make my way to our seats in row quadruple N, or wherever they are.”
He pulled her into his embrace. “Neal, you’re beautiful no matter what you wear. I’ll be so proud to have you on my arm these few days.”
They kissed again, the experience still new and heady. They had talked for hours on end over the last month, getting to know each other and cementing their friendship. But being able to share physical contact was a privilege they didn’t take lightly. Their time together was very limited, due to the distance between them. And when David skimmed his hand along Neal’s skin, his touch made her tremble.
“Mmm,” she whispered. “I have so missed breathing the same air as you.” She ran her fingers down his arm, gently squeezing his bicep before trailing down to his wrist and then lacing her fingers with his. She looked up into his eyes.
“You shouldn’t look at me that way while we’re standing in a hotel room with a bed only a few feet away.”
“How am I looking at you?”
“With adoration. And trust me, it’s a fucking great aphrodisiac. I want to do so many things with you, Neal. And we never have to leave this room to accomplish most of them.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Joan Chandler is a Florida native who has lived in the Deep South all of her life. She is married with two children who are her pride and joy. She lives a double life of sorts, holding down a nine-to-five job during the day, and writing steamy romance at night—often with her black cat curled up in her arms as she types.

When she’s not spending her spare time working on her next novel, she loves to go camping, sharing girls’ night out with her friends, walking her two dogs, and watching college football.


BUY Links:

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Bride-BookStrand-Publishing-Romance-ebook/dp/B00CT35YFW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369583017&sr=8-1&keywords=bama+bride

BOOKSTRAND PUBLISHING: http://www.bookstrand.com/bama-bride

BLOG: www.joanchandler.wordpress.com

twitter account: @joanchandler1

Find me on facebook: Joan Chandler

email: joanchandler13@gmail.com

Joan will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to a randomly drawn host.
 
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 
 


Thanks Joan for stopping by,

Tina