Friday, May 30, 2014

Tina's Titillating Teaser - Family of Strangers by @JanisSusanMay

FAMILY OF STRANGERS is a Gothic novel of Victorian Scotland where a young widow discovers that an unexpected legacy has turned her husband’s unknown family away from her while a callous predator plotting her death wears a smiling face.


Both orphaned and widowed within weeks, Linnet MacLellan journeys to Scotland to seek the protection of her late husband Duncan’s kin. Instead of the happy home and loving family she hopes to find, she meets hostility and disbelief. From the moment that the telegram to Jura House announcing her arrival goes astray and she is almost run down by an unknown rider Linnet is drawn deeper and deeper into problems. To her emotional distress she finds that her late husband’s brother Dougal is his exact twin, while the two aged aunts who raised both boys detest her and want her gone. Simon Fordyce, their closest neighbor, inhabits the Castle, the palatial house the MacLellans regard as their rightful home and intend to reclaim, no matter what the law says. To make things more tense, Fordyce is intent on putting a mill into the valley in direct contravention to the traditional farming industry Dougal wishes to revive.
Tension reaches a fever pitch as both men court Linnet, then all is unsettled even more when someone starts making attempts against Linnet’s life.

Except 





My head hurt, my entire being hurt, and in a way I was glad of it, for it showed me still to be alive. With an unknown instinct directing my cloudy consciousness, I slithered like some swamp creature through the weeds of the ditch back onto the lane; that tiny distance, measurable in inches, cost me more in energy and pain than the entire long walk from the station. I knew I had been unconscious and that I would soon faint away again, but no matter what, I could not simply wait for the Angel of Death to claim me as his own.
I lay in the rutted road, the gaudy profusion of stars above me, hovering between painful awareness and the smoky region of unconsciousness, when once again the ground beneath me vibrated from the impact of hooves. It was over, I thought. Now I could not move even to save my life, for my bones had turned to ice from which my flesh shrank with no power nor will to move. I drowsed, aware, yet as one dead.
The hoofbeats stopped not a yard away from my prostrate form. There was a jangling of harness and a creak of leather as a startling apparition spread his dark wings and swooped toward me. My mind murmured a prayer consigning my soul to God’s mercy that my lips could not. Our Father, Who Art in Heaven . . .
“Well, Annie,” said a voice too intensely masculine and disapproving to have anything to do with the celestial regions, “what have you done to yourself now? If you must sample the whiskey, at least do it at your croft, where you won’t be a menace to traffic or yourself. What the Devil . . . !” His voice changed from disapproving to angry amazement as strong hands turned me where my face was visible in the faint light.
“You aren’t Old Annie,” the voice challenged roughly, even as surprisingly gentle fingers sketched the outline of my face. “You’ve been hurt. Now where did you come from, so late at night in the middle of nowhere?” Softly he brushed away the tangled wreckage of my coiffure. “A beauty, too, but you won’t last long if I don’t do something about you right away.”
It was humiliating to be talked to and touched without even the opportunity of a reply, but my sullen body refused to heed any command of my mind. Barely on the edge of consciousness, I could only lie and hear myself discussed, a state of affairs my strong will could not tolerate.
“Did you,” I whispered with painful effort, “come back to finish the job?”



About the Author
Janis Susan May/Janis Patterson is a 7th-generation Texan and a 3rd-generation wordsmith who writes in mystery, romance, horror, children’s and scholarly. Once an actress and a singer Janis has also been editor-in-chief of two multi-magazine publishing groups as well as many other things, including an enthusiastic amateur Egyptologist. Janis’ husband even proposed in a moonlit garden near the Pyramids of Giza. Janis and her husband live in Texas with an assortment of rescued furbabies.

Author links

​Twitter - @JanisSusanMay
website - www.JanisSusanMay.com
LinkedIn - Janis Susan May

Thanks Janis for sharing your books with us,

Tina

Thursday, May 29, 2014

A Hiss or to Kiss - Tina's Titillating Teaser by @KatyaArmock


Blurb:
Chloe can “talk” to animals…so why can she hear the thoughts of this hot, green-eyed man?
 
Abandoned by her mother and raised by a father who’d given up on life, Chloe doesn’t let anyone get close. Lucky for her, she can communicate with animals—telepathically. Animals are the only people she needs. When a suspected dogfighting ring comes to her attention, Chloe decides to do a little spying. In her rush to win the dogs’ trust, she almost gets caught.
 
Until a sexy stranger intervenes, and she finds she can overhear his thoughts. She’s never been able to hear people, and this man’s about as sexy as she’s ever seen. It’s more than intellectual curiosity that drives her to discover his secret: he’s a jaguar shape-shifter, and the presence of this cat among the dogs might be a bit too much to handle. But the animal attraction is just too hot to resist, and the passion between them makes both the sparks—and the fur—fly…

Excerpt:
Jorge and I are fast asleep after our antics in bed, when I feel a wetness on my hand and I hear Ringo calling out to me.
“Chloe, wake up. I really, really, really need to pee.”
I moan and sink deeper into Jorge’s arms, pulling my hand back.
“Chloe, wake up. I’m dying here. I have to pee.”
Ugh, why won’t that voice go away? I crack my eyes open and see Ringo by the bed, prancing around, doing the doggy version of a potty dance.
Ringo starts hotfooting toward the bedroom door. “Thank goodness. I’ve got to go.”
With a sigh, I extricate myself from Jorge, which causes him to groan in his sleep. I get out of bed and throw on one of his T-shirts.
His voice is groggy. “Where are you going?”
“Ringo’s got to pee.”
He nods and closes his eyes.
Gee, thanks for the assistance. I roll my eyes as I head to the front door.
The other dogs all crowd around as I near the door. Guess Ringo was just the messenger. They all go flying out when I open the door. I send out a telepathic reminder to stay close to the house.
Suddenly I see headlights flip on, and a van pulls into the end of the driveway. Ringo, who is closest, starts to bark and lunges toward the van.
“Ringo, no, come back!” I yell at him aloud, but he keeps on going. I mentally tap him, but he is in the zone and doesn’t respond.
I watch in horror as the van door slides open and a man catches Ringo with a rabies pole and then hauls him into the back. I scream as the door shuts and the van tears out of the driveway. It peels away, dust flying in its wake.
The van is still in sight when Jorge rushes up behind me. His hair is mussed, and he’s wearing only a pair of jeans, which under other circumstances would have been a treat for me. “What happened?”

“Ringo just got pulled into the van, and they sped off.” I don’t know if I’m more pissed off or worried.

Buy links:
Author Bio:
I like books that are funny and fun to read (and hot!) but also make me think or look at the world in a new way. I am influenced by magic realism, comparative mythology, and esoteric spiritual practices from around the world.
These days you’ll find me writing, pet sitting, juggling a number of freelance gigs, and reigning as my home’s domestic goddess. I live in the Midwestern U.S. with my husband, dog and cats. Alas, I have, as of yet, been unable to teach my husband how to purr.
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KatyaArmock

Katya Armock
Steamy Paranormal Romance

Thanks Katya for sharing and happy birthday,

Tina

Monday, May 26, 2014

Tina's Titillating Teaser - Dream Student by J.J. DiBenedetto








Blurb
What would you do if you could see other people's dreams? 







What if you could watch their hidden fantasies and uncover their deepest, 
darkest secrets...without them ever knowing? 







What if they could get you killed? 
 
Sara Barnes thought all she had to worry about was final exams, Christmas 
shopping and deciding whether she liked the cute freshman in the next dorm that 
has a crush on her. But then she starts seeing dreams that aren't hers and learns 
more than she ever wanted to know about her friends, her classmates...and a 
strange, terrifying man whose dreams could get her killed. 
 
"Dream Student" is the thrilling first installment of the Dreams series.

Excerpt
... Sara is awake, sitting in a chair, her eyes wandering around a large, expensively furnished bedroom.  There are details that seem familiar, but Sara can’t quite remember why: a Rolex watch on a dresser, an expensive painting on a wall.  And then, suddenly, a large man and a much younger, much smaller girl come through the door. 

What happens next is also familiar, and terrible: frantic shouting from the girl as the man throws her onto the bed, and screaming from Sara, which no one else hears…  
 
***
 
…Something’s wrong.  I’m awake.  Someone is screaming.

It’s me.  Goddamn it, I hate this!

I turn on the light, and what I see doesn’t make me feel any better.  The first thing I notice is the blood on my pillow.  I can taste it in my mouth.  I guess I must have been biting my lip to keep from screaming, and I bit so hard that I drew blood.  And then I screamed anyway.

No more sleeping.
 
***
 
It’s almost three o’clock in the morning now.  It seems like it’s three o’clock a lot lately. 

The door opens, and Beth comes tip-toeing in.  She takes one look at me and she knows she doesn’t need to worry about making noise.  She doesn’t need to ask what’s wrong, either; she can see it’s last night all over again. 

I haven’t looked at myself in the mirror, but I can picture what she sees all the same: dead eyes staring out at her, clutching my bloody pillow as though I’m drowning and it’s a life preserver.  Beth doesn’t say a word, she just throws her coat on her bed and strips down to her underwear.  I never really gave it much thought before, but she really does that awfully quickly.  She puts on the double extra-large Van Halen t-shirt she always wears to bed–she keeps telling me there’s a really juicy story behind that shirt, but after two and a half years of not hearing it, I’m not sure I believe her.  “Move over.”  It’s the first thing she says to me.  “You obviously need someone to hold you.  Scoot over.”

I do, and she gets into the bed with me.  “You really ought to be doing this with a boyfriend.  When are you going to start dating again?”

Buy Link



---
Read about my writing: www.writingdreams.net
Buy my Books: Amazon.com or Smashwords.com

Author Bio:
J.J. (James) DiBenedetto was born in Yonkers, New York. He attended Case Western Reserve University, where as his classmates can attest, he was a complete nerd. Very little has changed since then.

He currently lives in Arlington, Virginia with his beautiful wife and their cat (who has thoroughly trained them both). When he's not writing, James works in the direct marketing field, enjoys the opera, photography and the New York Giants, among other interests.

The "Dreams" series is James' first published work.

Author Links:




Thanks J.J. for sharing,

Tina

Sunday, May 25, 2014

#AuthorTips - Taming the Time Eating Monster



Make Quick Decisions
This may sound elementary but a quick decision can save time and money.

For example that stack of mail that you just brought in. What is the best way to handle it?



Let’s look at some options:
  • My option, which I must admit is the wrong one, is to lay it on the table and deal with it later.
  • Get rid of the Garage - throwing away the ads* and junk mail, set the letters aside to open later. (This may sound simple but if you can make a quick decision on the things you don’t need that less you’ll have to deal with later.)


  • * Point here is if you do look through ads, only pick the ones where you will shop, or only keep the ones that you will have time to visit this week.

  • Open everything and sort by need – bills, things to be shredded, letter that need action.

  • The bills get sorted by their due date and put in a place where I can write out the checks and send in. (A quick five-minute task)

  • A box next to the shredder will get the shredding stuff to let the kids do or if (I have a few minutes)

  • Letters that need attention, will be set up in another area for when, you got it (I have five-minutes)

  • Do everything at once.
As you can see there are many ways to break a task down into small bites. The main point is to make a quick decision on what you need and what you don’t. If the out come is not important – a quick decision can save time and teach you how to make a decision without regrets.
Don’t get drug down by the undercurrents of life’s tides.
Ride the waves and enjoy life.

Tina


    Friday, May 23, 2014

    Tina's Titillating Teaser - Wolves' Pawn by @pjmaclayne


    Wolves' Pawn

     

    Wolve's Pawn
     

    Blurb:

     

                Dot McKenzie is a lone wolf-shifter on the run, using everything available to her to stay one step ahead of her pursuers. When she is offered a chance for friendship and safety with the Fairwood pack, she accepts.

     

                Gavin Fairwood, reluctant heir for Fairwood pack leadership, is content to let life happen while he waits.  Old longings surface when he appoints himself as Dot’s protector and becomes more than a friend.

     

                Dot goes into hiding again when her presence puts the pack and her new friends at risk. When old enemies threaten the destruction of the Fairwood pack, it will take the combined efforts of Dot and Gavin to save it. But can anything save their love and Dot’s life when she becomes a pawn in a pack leader’s deadly game?

     

    Excerpt:

     

                “Thought you might want to change into fresh clothes before we go out for supper,” Gavin said. “Dmitri parked your bike out back where it can’t be seen from the road.” He sat her bags down on the dresser. “If you need anything else, just knock on the door and let us know.”

                “Answers,” Dot muttered softly. She didn’t expect a response, but Gavin nodded.

                “Soon,” he told her. “Food first, and then you’ll get your answers. We may not have all of them, but hopefully we can clear up a few things for you.”

                The other man pushed around him and held out his hand. “I’m Dmitri Gromav, by the way. I apologize for Gavin’s lack of social skills, but I’m his best friend and I’m used to it. I like your bike. She has a few new scratches on her, but I think I can buff them out.”

                She studied him closely as she shook his hand. He was not as tall as Gavin, or as broad shouldered, but still muscular. His eyes had the same yellowish tint as his friend’s. His hair was as black as hers and long enough to touch his collar. She’d remembered to put her contacts back in, hadn’t she? She saw dried blood on Dmitri’s cheek. “I’m sorry if you got hurt on my account.”

                “This? This will heal up in a few days,” he reassured her, touching his cheek and laughing. “Until then, it’s a reminder to duck when going under low branches. Your helmet was too small for me.”

                Gavin coughed. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m hungry. We’ll get out of here so you can change, Dot.” He paused at the doorway. “You’re not a captive. You are free to leave any time you want.” He nodded towards the exterior door. “Nothing and no one will stop you from going. But I hope you will stay long enough for us to explain things.”

                Dot made sure both doors were locked before she pulled fresh clothes out of her saddlebags. While she was at it, she did a quick check of their contents. Everything seemed to be there, including the banker’s bag that held her remaining cash. Dmitri had put the keys to her bike on the dresser next to her helmet. She dressed quickly, still uneasy, and ran her comb through her hair. She hesitated as she pulled out fresh socks—her boots were still wet from running through the stream, but she didn’t own a second pair of shoes. They would have to do for now.

                She caught a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror and sighed. Sometimes she didn’t remember what she looked like without a disguise.  She could make it through supper, get her answers, and if she needed to, disappear in the morning. She couldn’t trust anyone, she reminded herself, and hadn’t trusted anyone since the first time she shifted.

                So why did she want to trust these two men so badly?

     

     


     

    Author Bio: P.J. MacLayne is a computer geek by day and a writer by night. She grew up among the rolling hills of Pennsylvania where she sets much of her writing, but currently makes her home in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains.

     


                          https://twitter.com/pjmaclayne

    Thursday, May 22, 2014

    Tina's Titillating Teaser - Seeing Red by @E_L_Esch

    ebook



    Book Blurb: What would you do if you lost five years of freedom? If everything you'd ever known was torn away from you, all because the one person you counted on to save you didn't come through?

    This is the cruel reality for Gabriel “Red” Thatcher, convicted at age nineteen for the murder of his father. Now twenty-five and eight months out of prison, Red has nothing to his name and no one to help him. He is carrying close to him a rage hotter than white flames. Had his sister just testified on his behalf in court, he could have been spared the horrible things that happened to him in the doghouse. Things that'll make him never look at intimacy the same way again.

    Red can't take swallowing his bitter rage alone anymore. Unable to kill the growing loneliness and ire with time, he heads into the Flower District in search of a gay bar to drown his sorrows. There he meets the bubbly, easy-on-the-eyes Silo Winters.

    When Red learns that Silo did three years in prison for an accidental oil fire, he brings Silo home, not so much for a wild romp as to relieve his aching loneliness. Besides if anyone will understand Red's pain it'll be Silo, who's gone through some of the same horrors he has. However, he definitely doesn't count on Silo becoming so much more than a sexy shoulder to lean on. Now, if only Red can learn to let him in.






    Book Excerpt:
    The Flower District was named for what many men lost there—that moment when the lily white of a pure man’s soul turned red with his first taste of carnal lust. This was not my case, however. I’d lost the purity of having an untouched body years ago, and to a man I didn’t even love…or want.

    I sat in the district’s most renowned bar, Divano Messia. I could practically feel eyes cruising over me, but I paid them no mind. I felt bad for the first guy who’d offer to buy me a drink, because I was that one-in-a-million man who wasn’t looking to get laid in a place meant for people looking to get laid. I just wanted to be left alone and drink.

    Despite this, I let my gaze wander. I hadn’t gotten any in more than eight months, so I let myself have some eye candy at least. Those times in prison didn’t count. I didn’t exactly find the idea of being forced against some concrete wall by a man I hardly knew a good time. If I wanted, I could have one of these men on my arm in an hour’s time, but because of the past, because of prison, I didn’t. I would never take a one-night stand—that was the promise I’d made to myself eight months ago on my first day outside my prison cell, my first day of freedom.

    Besides, I didn’t have much money to buy a guy a drink. All I had in my wallet today was a twenty, enough for two drinks at most and, if I was lucky, a taxi ride home.

    I looked down at my reflection in the bar top and sneered. The twenty wasn’t even mine. I hadn’t been able to find work since I’d gotten out of the doghouse, and it stung worse than a rough first time that the money I did have I was leeching off of my sister. I had been for eight months for rent, food, and now alcohol. But as much as I hated being out on the town using my sister’s money, I desperately needed the booze, because if I penned through another to-be-ignored job application sober, I knew I’d blow a gasket.

    Thus I ordered the driest cocktail Messia served—a Stinger. It hurt my throat to swallow it, but I sucked up the burn and smacked my lips. It wouldn’t get me drunk, but twenty bucks wouldn’t anyway, so at least I could take my mind off all the shit going on in my life by scalding my tongue.

    When I grimaced at my second sip of the cocktail, a man a few seats away from me laughed. I looked up at him, but he wasn’t looking back. I wondered if he’d even been laughing at me as I profiled his average build and cleanly shaven skull. What attracted my attention the most about him were his ice-blue eyes. I only caught a glimpse when he turned to look behind him, but they were astounding. A pale winter blue, almost stark white, just like icicles reflecting the color of the sky. I could almost smell the clean air and feel the frigid chill of winter when I saw them.




    Author Bio: Hello everyone! I'm E. L. Esch, a contemporary adult fiction romance writer! I like to try to focus on difficult but realistic life topics, stuff everyday people are challenged with in everyday life. Recently, I've been branching into some sci-fi as well.



    Thanks for sharing,


    Tina

    Wednesday, May 21, 2014

    Tina's Titillating Teaser - His Source by @YolandaAshton




    His Source
    Love is the best revenge…Devastated after an emotional break-up, Alexis decides to finish her fall semester and leave East Brook College and the town of East Brook forever, certain starting over in a new place will soothe her wounded heart.  Her plans are derailed when her ex-lover returns wanting another chance.  Despite the chemistry between them and their sensual history, should she risk her heart again for a man who told her she wasn’t good enough for him or his tribe?

    Excerpt-

    “I don’t want you anymore.”
    Startled, Alexis caught the glass of iced tea before it fell out of her hand and hit the floor. Alexis couldn’t believe he was doing this now, on their date night, in the middle of Thursday’s, in front of everyone. This was the first date night they’d managed to fit in for weeks. Alexis suddenly realized that wasn’t a coincidence. The bastard had started dumping her weeks ago. Taking a deep breath, reaching for strength from an unfamiliar place, she looked up into blue eyes and watched the lips that had brought her so much pleasure repeat the words.
    “We can’t be together.”
    Licking her lips, she began to say something, anything that would help make sense of the craziness spewing from Sean’s mouth. The word why was forming on hers when he held his hand up, stopping Alexis before she could speak.
    “It’s been fun while it lasted, but I need to be with someone like me.”
    His cold words stabbed my withered heart. Someone like him. So she was a freaking loser because she wasn’t Native American? 

    - Purchase links: 

    - author short bio
    Yolanda Ashton is the alter ego of a thirty-something mother of three. Throughout daylight hours she’s an educational professional and during the nights (when she’s not daydreaming, reading and/or  watching vampire drama) she’s writing, hanging with family and trying to recover from a day spent with middle school students.

    - author links -
    image
    Yolanda.Ashton
    The Darker the Romance... The Sweeter the Love
    Preview by Yahoo
    image
    Yolanda Ashton
    The latest from Yolanda Ashton (@YolandaAshton). The darker the romance the sweeter the love. #PNR #NA #Reader #Writer #Libra #TVD...
    Preview by Yahoo

    Thanks Yolanda for sharing,

    Tina

    Tuesday, May 20, 2014

    Tina's Titillating Teaser - First and Again by @JanaRichards

    ebook
     
    Blurb –

    Bridget Grant is back in Paradise. Paradise, North Dakota, that is.
     
    She’s swallowed her pride and moved back to her hometown with her daughter after her divorce and the loss of her catering company. Now she’s trying to navigate the strained relationships she’d left behind – including her first love, Jack Davison.
     
    Jack never forgot Bridget, or the day she left town – and him. When Bridget caters a lunch at Jack’s tourist ranch, old flames reignite. They have more in common than ever – Jack’s also a single parent. Though they both try to keep things casual, Bridget, Jack and their girls are starting to look a lot like a family.
     
    But Bridget’s only planning to stay in Paradise until she’s saved enough to relaunch her business. Jack’s invested too much in his ranch to leave. And with their daughters involved both have a lot more at stake than heartbreak. How can they risk falling in love?
     
    Excerpt –
    “Oh, Jack.” She took one of his hands. “You’ve been caring for Leslie by yourself for so long you don’t even realize you do everything for her. You dress her, you bathe her, you cut up her food for her, all things she should be doing for herself. You won’t even let her ride around the ring on Molly without two people holding on to her!”
    “She could fall!”
    “So she falls! That’s what kids do.” She looked into his eyes and he found he was helpless to look away. “She doesn’t know how to protect herself. She has no idea how to live safely out in the world. The day I took her to the city with me, she wandered off at McDonald’s. I was frantic with worry. Finally, I discovered that she’d followed some kids out into the parking lot. She has to be taught to be wary of strangers, just like any other kid.”
    “You lost my daughter in McDonald’s?” Why was he just hearing this now? What else had she kept from him?
    “The point I’m trying to make is that she has to be given an opportunity to learn. She’s been sheltered to the point of it being dangerous for her. Tell me, if Leslie were ‘normal’, would you do all these things for her or would you have taught her to be more self-sufficient?”
    His chest tightened with anxiety. This was territory he didn’t delve into, even on his own. “Don’t think because we slept together you’ve got any kind of right to tell me how to raise my daughter.”
    She took a step back, dropping his hand. “That’s not what I was trying to do.”
    “Isn’t it? You’re not Leslie’s mother, so don’t make any presumptions about her or me. Your own daughter has more than enough problems to deal with. Leave mine alone.”
    He regretted his words the instant they spilled from his mouth. She stared at him a moment, hurt flickering in her eyes. Then she looked away, blinking rapidly.
    “Don’t worry, Jack. I won’t presume anything.” She headed for the closet at the back door.
    “Bridget—”
    She pushed her arms through her jacket. “I thought I could talk to you as a friend. But I see that’s not possible. It’s too bad Leslie will have to suffer because of your stubbornness.”
    She was out the door before he could reach her. He saw her run to her car and race out of his yard as if she couldn’t wait to get away.
    He couldn’t blame her. He’d hit her with a couple of low blows.
    But she had to understand that there was no way he was taking Leslie out of Paradise school. His chest tightened at the thought of sending Leslie away. Who would look after her, who would make sure she didn’t hurt herself?
    No, Leslie was staying right here where she belonged.
     
    Purchase links:
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Bio:
    Jana Richards writes romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and historicals set in WW2. She loves to create characters with a sense of humor, but also a serious side.
    Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband and a dog named Lou. She can be reached
     

    Personal Links:
    Newsletter signup:  http://www.eepurl.com/m3UnT
     
    Thanks for sharing,


    Tina

    Monday, May 19, 2014

    A Saint's Salvation by @ovalleba is a Tina's Titillating Teaser


    Blurb:
    Corporal Nicholas 'Saint' Santiago needs to go home to reclaim the man he used to be. To be the man he was before Operation Enduring Freedom slowly hardened his heart. He needs to reconnect to the values and the reasons he is doing what he does. Saint also needs to try to forget the courageous woman he knows was meant to be his.
    Petty Officer Angelina Jones' life changed the moment Saint saved her life. She survived the blast but now has to deal with the fact that she will never be whole. Knowing Saint received a 'Dear John' letter, Angelina has no intention of being his rebound romance. She needs to be loved for herself. She needs to forget about the one man she knows was meant to be hers.
    They each try to find someone to help them forget.
    But what does fate have planned for them?
    Excerpt:
    Nick could see kids playing in the dirt. In the distance the locals were harvesting the poppy fields. Some of the largest poppy fields in the world were right outside the walls of the FOB. Beautiful when in bloom, they were more pervasive and did more damage than the terrorists.
    “Anymore threats?”
    “When aren’t there threats?” Every damn day there were threats. “Why, is there a problem?”
    “The brass is making noise. When they do something stupid, we end up paying for it.” Hamilton sounded disgusted. As Hamilton spoke, shots were fired over and through the fence, adding more holes to the dilapidated barrier. Nick and Hamilton hit the ground, rolling toward the sandbags to return fire through the cracks. “See what I mean?”
    “Yeah it’s been a while since they shot at us, at least a couple of days.” Nick’s sarcasm caused Hamilton to laugh.
    “Probably someone is coming to pick up something from the poppy fields and they want to keep us from seeing who.” Hamilton glanced at him. “You doing okay?”
    “Gettin’ there. It was just a shock, ya know?”
    “Yeah, damn women. The least they could do is be faithful while we’re out here fighting.”
    “Yeah, it sucks. I just can’t help thinking it’s my fault.”
    “Fuck. How the hell could it be? You weren’t even there. The bitch knew you were gone, were going to be gone.” They fired shots, aiming at the muzzle flash in the distance. More Marines headed their way, sprinting from cover to cover. Perez came running, bringing out ammo and providing more fire power.
    Another crack and Perez went down with a cry.
    “Fuck! Medic! Man down!” The cry went out, passed through until the call went to the corpsman, while Nick tried to stem the blood flow. Hands pushed his away. Nick looked up. Petty Officer Jones, better known as Doc, had bandages ready.
    “Help me roll this on until we can get him out of here.” Her voice sent a ripple through him. Nick had always ignored the attraction he had felt for her. He’d had his girl back home, and fraternization out here could get him thrown in the brig. Not to mention the brig out here was a hell hole.
    Nick was leery about approaching Doc now. The Dear John letter had been a shock. He had known Leila for years. Hell, they had been friends since they were little. Her betrayal was unexpected. Nick didn’t even really know Doc. He could trust her with his life, but he wasn’t ready for another go around with his heart, no matter the attraction he felt.
    Nick looked toward the fence line, rifle at the ready. Shots were firing sporadically around him. That’s when he saw it, the trail from a grenade launcher, unmistakable. Shit!
    Buy Links:
    http://www.amazon.com/A-Saints-Salvation-Beverly-Ovalle-ebook/dp/B00II8OTU8/
    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-saints-salvation-beverly-ovalle/1118637570?ean=2940148157076  
    https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-asaint039ssalvation-1425306-149.html
    http://www.bookstrand.com/a-saints-salvation
    http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=824&zenid=0273b80c166317bb654c8145d5a109c2  
    http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/416352 
    Author Bio:
    Beverly Ovalle lives in Wisconsin with her husband Edmond of 24 years and two Chinese Water Dragons. Having her own Dragons is expected as she is dragon crazy and anyone that walks in her house can tell. Her son Nicholas visits when he is on leave from the Marines.  Her daughter Susannah visits to check on the 'old people'.

    Beverly has traveled around the world thanks to five years in the US Navy. She is active with the veterans, acting as adjutant for her local AMVETS.

    Author Links:
    Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BeverlyOvalleAuthor
    Tumblr:  http://ovalleba.tumblr.com/
    Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ovalleba 
    Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/ovalleba/
    Website: http://ovalleba.wix.com/beverly-ovalle
    LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=236055547&trk=hb_tab_pro_top
    Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SSLYblog
    Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SslySmileSomebodyLovesYou
     

    Sunday, May 18, 2014

    #AuthorTip - Planning a Website?


    One of the first things authors are asked is

    Do you have a website?



    Some have authors use wordpress or blogger to host their site while other seek other hosting sites.

    As a former programmer, I wanted a site that I could have on a separate site, but as you can see by looking at the top of my blog. I still use blogger to gain access to my home site.

    When planning a website, an author needs to decide on a number of things.

    Branding- what do you want to show on your site?

    Number of pages?

    What type of pages?

    Here are some example of the different type of pages one can have.
     

    1.  Home Page / Welcome page  – is like the entryway to your house.  It is an introduction to you. It should include things like author’s picture, available books, a welcome note, brief biography and links to all the other pages on the site.


    2.  Books Page – as an author you want people to find your books. This page should contain all the books you’ve written with either blurbs, excerpts or reviews. Or links to this information.

    3.  Bio Page – a page to tell people about yourself. Who you are, what you write, more about your personal interests and other information you want to share.

    4.  Links Page – this page gives visitors to your site links to other places on the Internet where they can find you. Also, it can include links to your friends and publisher. This is important because links to other sites that link back to you increases your rating on the Internet. (This also increase your SEO rating—see definition below.)

    5.  Other Pages – the possibility for other pages are endless. Here is where you make your site your own.

    6.  Picture page - share pictures.

    7.  Contact page – where you give fans your email address.

    8.  Excerpt pages – giving excerpts of your books or the ability to read the first chapter.

    9.  Video Page – to display video you’ve made. (A great way to connect with readers.)

    10.  Some sites also have chat areas.


    Each author has to decide what they want and why?

    Feel free to hop around mine  and see what you like and don't like. Viewing other sites can help you decide what you want on yours.

    Once these things are decided then comes the creative part of the process - colors, pictures, type print, headers, footers, etc.

    This is not a one day project. Take some time and thing about what is best for your site.



    Best of luck,

    Tina