Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 8/24/14 Only Marriage Will Do ~ Damsel in Distress

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Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors!

 I’m continuing with more of my second House of Pleasure novel, Only Marriage Will Do, which should be coming out in 2015 from Kensington.  These are the next eight lines.  So far, Amiable Dawson has appeared at the Marquess of Dalbury’s townhouse in search of the woman he was supposed to marry, but who has married the Marquess instead. He hopes to assure himself that she is well, but hears raised voices inside.

Amiable barged past the stunned girl and strode down the hall toward the

The "fop" dressed in too much lace.

The “fop” dressed in too much lace.

commotion. He burst through the doorway, expecting to defend the woman he loved, only to stop dead at the sight of a man lunging across a sofa and grasping a woman by the wrist. Amiable had half drawn his sword before he realized the woman was not Katarina, but a complete stranger. He dropped it back into its scabbard–this was none of his affair.

The young man, foppishly dressed in a robin’s egg blue satin coat dripping too many layers of frothy lace at throat and wrists looked at Amiable, a snarl on his lips.

Taking advantage of the distraction, the woman wrenched her arm from the man’s grip and ran from behind the sofa to Amiable’s side, grazed a kiss over his cheek and whispered, “For God’s sake, help me. I am alone here and he is trying to take me away. Please, agree with whatever I say.”

The plot thickens! Keep tuned in to see who the lady is and just what is going on.  If you’re interested in the first book of the series, Only Scandal Will Do, it’s available on Amazon for just $1.99.

In the mean time, check out the rest of the Warriors here.  There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

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Posted in House of Pleasure Series, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Only Marriage Will Do, Promotion, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

P is for Pelerine

 

The Alphabet Posts are back!  Now that I’m not all over the place, I hope to make it through the rest of the alphabet before the end of the year!

Today P is for pelerine, a short woman’s cape made of lace, silk, or fur, with pointed ends at the center front and popular during the 19th century.

Printed wool afternoon dress (with matching pelerine), American, ca. 1835. Metropolitan Museum of Art

Printed wool afternoon dress (with matching pelerine), American, ca. 1835. Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pelerines could be of the same material as the garment worn, or of a different material.

According to one source, the pelerine was “often associated with relatively casual situations. The fashion press suggested ensembles including pelerines for visits to the country or the seashore.”

There were, however, also more formal  and elaborate pelerines. such as this one from 1835, made of embroidered silk.

Pelerine, British c. 1835 embroidered silk. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Irene Lewisohn Trust

Pelerine, British c. 1835 embroidered silk. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Irene Lewisohn Trust

In March of 1853, Godey’s Lady’s Book suggested lace pelerines for “ladies who, for convenience or lightness of dress, wear low corsages [bodices] in the evening, but do not like to leave the neck entirely exposed.”

Pelerine. American c. 1835. Cotton.  Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection.

Pelerine. American c. 1835. Cotton. Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection.

“This is a quintessential example of the multi-tiered pelerine collars of the 1830s that lay on top of the large gigot dress sleeves. The combination of floral embroidery, saw-tooth borders and various pointed edges creates a visually compelling effect.” Metropolitan Museum of Art

And my favorite, a formal pelerine made of jet and silk.

Pelerine, American 1890, jet, silk. Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pelerine, American 1890, jet, silk. Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Or this gorgeous specimen:

Silk satin Pelerine, glass bead embroidery, machine lace, silk lining . c. 1880. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Silk satin Pelerine, glass bead embroidery, machine lace, silk lining . c. 1880. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

One sometimes envies the fashions of prior eras, when elegance was a way of life.

Posted in Alphabet Post | Tagged , , , , , | 17 Comments

Horny Hump Day 08/20/14: To Woo A Wicked Widow ~ Time Ceases

 

 

WARNING:  MATERIAL NOT SUITABLE FOR THOSE UNDER THE AGE OF 18!

NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

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Participating authors in Horny Hump Day post three sentences from their published works or WIP, hot like a firecracker! LOL

I’m back for Horny Hump Day!

I thought perhaps a little more of To Woo A Wicked Widow, my Regency romance, would be fun this week. Here’s another kiss that takes place at Charlotte’s house party, where at two in the morning she has run into Nash, Lord Wrotham, in her library. He’s fully dressed she’s in her nightgown.

rnc_bhnd2847a-300smWhen his tongue thrust into her mouth she welcomed it, cherished it as it ravaged whatever it touched. An ache she had only felt once before began to pulse between her thighs, an ache that magnified as his tongue plundered where it would. Her knees buckled and she would have slid down the wall except he grasped her arms, steadying her; time ceased to be as he caressed her shoulders, her arms, her breasts.

 

 

 

That’s all for now. Hope you enjoyed my little Regency romp. I’ll keep you posted about how it’s going out in queryland.

Don’t forget,  the final installment of my medieval serial novel, Beleaguered, is available for just $2.99 at Amazon, ARe and Smashwords!

Please continue to the Horny Hump Day blog site for additional sites on the hop and go check out the other hot authors.

Thanks so much for visiting the Journal once more for Horny Hump Day!

betrothal-with-logo1Betrayal_logoBeleaguered3

Posted in Blog Hops, Horny Hump Day, Promotion, To Woo A Wicked Widow, WIP | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

And the Winner Is…

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We all had a blat last week with the Red Hot Authors’ Hot Days and Hotter Nights Blog Hop!  And we now have WINNERS!

Winners of the Grand Prizes are as follows:

 Ashley F has won a Kindle Fire

Michele B has won a $100 Gift Certificate

Dorothy R has won a $50 Gift Certificate

Pam R has won a $25 Gift Certificate

 

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Winners of copies of 7 Days of Seduction are:

Barrie Mac and 19thCenturyladyl

I will be contacting my winners shortly.  Congratulations to the winners and great thanks to all who stopped by during the blog hop!  Hope to see you back again soon.

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Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 8/17/14 Only Marriage Will Do ~ An Inauspicious Beginning

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Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors! If you’re looking for the Hot Days and Hotter Nights Blog Hop click here.

 I’m finally back, after three weeks away.  I’ve missed showing you my snippets.  And this week I’m starting off with the second book of my House of Pleasure series, Only Marriage Will Do, which should be coming out in 2015 from Kensington.  These are the opening lines.  The date is July, 1761 and the place is London.

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The brass lion-head knocker under Amiable Dawson’s hand sent a sharp rap through the dark walnut door of Dunham House for the second time. The hot July sun hadn’t done his temper any good as he waited on the marble stoop for entrance to the Marquess of Dalbury’s townhouse. He’d been in a foul mood ever since the news of his beloved Katarina’s marriage to the marquess had reached him. Blast it to hell, he was supposed to have married the girl; at least he could make sure she was well and well taken care of by this man she had married.

At last a short, dark-haired maid opened the door, who took one look at him, gasped, and stepped back into the house. Her eyes widened and she glanced to her right, wrung her hands, and asked, “Who may I say—”

A man shouted from within, “No, I do not believe you.”

“It is true, I tell you,” a woman’s voice, raised and sharp with terror, sent a chill through Amiable.

 

Something’s afoot, surely. 🙂  Keep tuned in to see what.  If you’re interested in the first book of the series, Only Scandal Will Do, it’s available on Amazon for just $1.99.

In the mean time, check out the rest of the Warriors here.  There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

betrothal-with-logo1Betrayal_logoBeleaguered3

 

Posted in On Weekend Writing Warriors, Only Marriage Will Do, Promotion, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Hot Days and Hotter NIghts Blog Hop

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August is known for being HOT.  And this August it’s getting even HOTTER with this sexy Hot Days and Hotter Nights Blog Hop, sponsored by the Red Hot Authors Café.

What’s HOT about it?  Well, the books being offered are by some of the best writers of erotic romance, in all its kinky variations.

What’s also HOT are the prizes!

A Kindle Fire donated by Blushing Books

A $100 Gift Card

A $50 Gift Card

A $25 Gift Card

A Prize on each Blog Stop

My part in this sizzling hop is to offer of two copies of my erotic romance 7 Days of Seduction.

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To enter to win a copy, all you have to do is leave me a comment and tell me what’s the name of Ashley’s mystery man in the following excerpt:

Ashley hung her robe on the hook, opened the frosted sliding door and turned the shower on. She stepped into needles of hot water shooting out of the shower head. Soon to be shooting onto her throbbing clit. She grabbed the Coconut Fantasies body wash and soaped up, breathing in the smell that made her long for a Pina Colada. Images of her mystery hunk resurfaced when she closed her eyes and slid her hands over her breasts. Almost time to get down to business.

The bathroom door opened and closed. Her hands froze.

“Damn it, Sam. Why is it every time I take a shower you have to pee? Couldn’t you just hold it for once? Or pee in a cup, for God’s sake?”

“I’m not Sam. And I don’t have to pee.”

Ashley’s eyes popped open and the bottle of body wash hit the tub with a loud thunk. The husky voice she’d heard on yesterday’s video and in this morning’s dream was richer in person. Sexier. Her heart took off like a deer after a shotgun blast. She peered at the shower door, seeing only a shadowy figure through the opaque glass. Well thank, God, for that. He couldn’t see her either.

“Hello? Are you there, Ash?” The amusement in his tone brought her back to earth.

“Yeah, I’m here. And just who the hell are you?”

“I’m Hunter Hopewell. Sorry we didn’t really get introduced the other night.”

“No shit.” Damn. The all-important name meant nothing. The spray from the shower roared in her ears and Ashley took a step toward the shower door.

“So who are you? I mean, you say Hunter Hopewell, but I don’t know you. And you know me.”

“Yes, I do. I’ve never met you, but I’ve been interested in you for a while now.”

Despite the hot water, chills raced over her body, standing her hair on end. Oh, my God. A stalker. I’ve attracted a stalker. And I’m shut in a bathroom with him. Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe.

“You work over in English at the university.” He knew where she worked. “And I’ve seen you around the campus.” He’d been watching her.

She wrapped her arms around her chest, shielding her body as best she could. Maybe Sam would come in.

“You’re a beautiful girl, Ashley. With lots of potential.”

Potential for what? Needing to breathe or pass out, she gasped in air.

“I think you should leave.” Where the balls came from to utter that sentence, she had no idea.

“Why?” His voice rose an octave.

“Because you’re scaring the crap out of me.”

~~~~~~~

Just a bit steamy, don’t you think?  But then, it is a shower scene. LOL

Now, to enter to win the other prizes, you need to go to the Rafflecopter and make  your entries.  Then go to the Linky List of Erotic Authors and continue to hop and enter to your heart’s content.

Hope you don’t cool down until you’re done. 🙂  And thanks for stopping by!

Posted in Blog Hops, Giveaways, Promotion | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

Blog Tour Winners!

untitledI have  a couple of winners to announce from Ella Quinn’s Facebook Party  for Enticing Miss Eugenie Villaret

 

 

 

and from the Rafflecopter Giveaway for my Blog Tour forBeleaguered3 Beleaguered.

 

 

 

 

 

betrothal-with-logo1The winner of a copy of Betrothal for Ella Quinn’s Facebook Party is Lesia Chambliss.

 

 

 

 

 

And the winner of the $25.00 Gift Card for the Beleaguered Blog Tour is Rita Wray.

I will be contacting the winners today and sending their prizes to them.

Congratulations, Winners!

And thanks to all who participated in these two tours.

Posted in Beleaguered, Giveaways, Promotion, Winners | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Horny Hump Day 08/13/14: To Woo A Wicked Widow ~ Flames

 

 

WARNING:  MATERIAL NOT SUITABLE FOR THOSE UNDER THE AGE OF 18!

NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

hhd 2014 2 (1)

Participating authors in Horny Hump Day post three sentences from their published works or WIP, hot like a firecracker! LOL

I’m back for Horny Hump Day!

Sorry I was not here last week, but I was off in a cabin in the woods writing.  Great retreat!

This snippet is from a current WIP that’s out to agents and editors at the moment.  It’s called To Woo A Wicked Widow, my Regency romance and this scene takes place in a stairwell at Almack’s.

rnc_bhnd2847a-300smWhen his hot mouth found hers, she gasped.

His tongue darted through her open lips, and she squealed, then quieted as his hands cradled her head. He explored every inch of her mouth—teeth, tongue, cheeks—with gentle thoroughness designed to kindle flames that licked at her soul.

 

 

 

That’s all for now. Hope you enjoyed my little Regency romp. I’ll keep you posted about how it’s going out in queryland.

Don’t forget,  the final installment of my medieval serial novel, Beleaguered, is available for just $2.99 at Amazon, ARe and Smashwords!

Please continue to the Horny Hump Day blog site for additional sites on the hop and go check out the other hot authors.

Thanks so much for visiting the Journal once more for Horny Hump Day!

betrothal-with-logo1Betrayal_logoBeleaguered3

Posted in Blog Hops, Horny Hump Day, Promotion, To Woo A Wicked Widow, WIP | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

3rd Annual Chesapeake Romance Writers’ “Finish the Damn Book!” Contest

Chesapeake Romance Writers

Chesapeake Romance Writers

For those of you who don’t know, I’m a member of the Chesapeake Romance Writers, my local chapter of Romance Writers of America.  Two years ago we inaugurated an annual writing contest in memory of our long-time member Judi McCoy, author of fourteen romances and the very popular “Dogwalker” romantic mystery series.

Judi was a driving force in our chapter, a mentor to new writers, a greatJUDI critique partner, and an avid dog lover.  Her beloved bichon frise, Rudy, was a rescue dog and Judy supported the Tidewater Bichon Frise Rescue organization where she adopted him.

To honor the memory of Judi and Rudy, Chesapeake Romance Writers is once again holding our “Finish the Damn Book!” Contest. That was one of Judi’s favorite pieces of advice to all of us writers and we thought it an apropos title for this contest.  If you’ve finished a book, at least 55K in length, please consider submitting it to our contest.  A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Tidewater Bichon Frise Rescue organization in memory of Judi and Rudy.

Complete details on the contest are now available on our Chesapeake Romance Writers website or you can email me crwc@rocketmail.com with any questions, but I’ll give you the highlights here.

The contest is open to both published and unpublished authors, although the work submitted must be unpublished AND remain unpublished or uncontracted until after the contest.  Should an entered work become contracted or published before the contest ends, the work will be withdrawn from consideration and the entry fee will not be refunded.

To enter you need to submit the first and last chapters of your unpublished 40K+ manuscript (no prologues or epilogues), plus a two-page synopsis of the entire work that will not be judged.  Total submission must not exceed 40 pages.

This year we are going GREEN–only electronic entries will be accepted.  You should submit two things: 1) the Contest Entry Form, available on the CRW website, and 2) the first and last chapters plus a two-page synopsis of the book in one single (1) Rich Text file.

Entrants will receive the First Round Judges’ Score Sheets with comments.  No comments will be made on the manuscripts themselves.  The three top scoring works in each category will advance to the Finals Round and will be ranked by the Category Finals Judge.

Contest opens:  August 1, 2014

Deadline for Entry Fee and Submission:  Midnight, September 30, 2014

Categories include:  Contemporary, Paranormal, Historical, Mainstream with Romantic Elements, Young Adult/New Adult, and this year we are adding EROTIC ROMANCE.

Finalist Judges for the contest are still being confirmed and will be announced shortly.

Winners will be announced at our chapter  meeting on January 10, 2015.

Entry Fee:  $15.00 for RWA members, $25.00 for non-RWA members.  Payments can be made by clicking here.

rudy+picAll Finalists will receive a certificate and a banner for their website.

First place Winners in each category will receive a Rudy Statuette and a check for $50.00.

I hope you will consider entering our 3rd annual “Finish the Damn Book!” Contest.  You’ll get great feedback and the chance to get your work before some excellent agents and editors in the publishing industry.  If you have questions for me, you can ask via comments or my Contact Me page.

I hope to see your name on a finalist list come October 31!

COME ON!  FINISH THAT DAMNED BOOK! 🙂

Posted in "Finish the Damn Book" Contest, Contests | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Spotlight on D.C. Stone: Intimate Danger and What Could Have

Intimate Danger Banner

intimate-danger-2Intimate Danger by D.C. Stone

When FBI agent Trent Rossi arrives to investigate a chain of crimes—devastating murders and violent rapes—an inexperienced small town Detective, Charlie, who’s assigned to assist, finds her desire surging for the agent—only to realize he is the primary suspect. A sleeping threat has awakened in the small town of Nyack. Crimes in the cozy village, garner the attention of the FBI, who assign two agents to assist Charlie in tracking down the sick and deranged perpetrator. Agents Trent Rossi and Dillon Echols work closely with Charlie, but as the crimes progress, dark secrets begin to cloud the air, blurring the line between who is on the side of the law and who’s against it. Being Charlie’s first major case, she’s unprepared not only for the menacing killer on the loose, but also with the unexpected feelings Trent draws out of her.  While Trent holds secrets, disappears at random, and seems to understand their perpetrator all-too-well, Charlie’s suspicions grow along with the pull she feels toward him. Her attraction could become fatal, yet she does not realize it until it is too late.

 

What Could Have by D.C. Stone

Annabelle and Lucas have just enlisted in the United States Air Force. The two live on What Could Have_Front Cover_jpgopposite sides of the country, but are drawn together by a common goal, and a common connection.

Their friendship blooms, their trust grows, and the lust between them explodes. There are two problems with this situation, though. Neither of them communicate to the other on how they feel. And both of them fight against it.

Choices are taken out of their hands when, upon graduating from training, Annabelle and Lucas find that instead of being on opposite sides of the country, they will be on opposite sides of the world.

Ten years later, a common website has brought Annabelle and Lucas back in contact. The two of them have found each other after so many years; however, now, both are promised to others.

A brief kiss.

A heartbreaking realization.

And an accident.

Choices made that are, once again, taken out of their hands.

 

Author’s Bio: D.C. Stone is a romance author and full-time fraud investigator. She lives in the north-east with her incredibly supporting husband and two kids. She’ll deny any association with the grumpy cat that also resides in the house, but he is there, never-the-less.

After serving eight years of service with the United States Air Force, she went on to transition into the world of financial crimes and became a lead investigator for many years.

Reading has always been a passion of hers, getting lost in a good, steamy romance is one of her favorite past times. She soon after discovered her own love for writing and recreating stories and characters in her head. Her writing concentrates on romantic with specifics in paranormal, suspense and erotica.

Now, when she isn’t trying to solve a new puzzle in the world of fraud, she is engulfed with coffee, her laptop, and all those crazy characters in her head. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, New Jersey Romance Writers, RomVets, RWA Kiss of Death, and the Liberty State Fiction Writers. She currently serves as the Vice President and 2014 Conference Chair for NJRW. Come stop by on Facebook, Twitter, or her website and say hello!

Real Crimes, Real World, Real Men

Webstie: www.authordcstone.com

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/authorDCStone

Facebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/dc.stone.92

Twitter: @dcstoneauthor

Giveaway: One of five copies to a lucky commenter during the tour

Posted in Book Spotlights, Promotion | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment