Sweet Saturday Sample: 01/19/13 Betrothal ~ “Speechless Again”

Welcome back to Sweet Saturday Sample!  All excerpts here are rated PG-13 or milder.

With a three-day weekend, it is certainly a Sweet Saturday for me. Here’s another offering from my medieval trilogy WIP, Time Enough To Love, Book I – Betrothal.  

Betrothal with Logo

This series is set in England and France in 1348.  Part 1, Betrothal, takes place at the court of King Edward III.

This excerpt comes just after my last post on Six Sentence Sunday.  Geoffrey and Alyse are talking just after the banns for their marriage have been read for the first time.  Geoffrey has just told her of a great honor that has been bestowed on her. If you’d like last Saturday’s excerpt, it’s here.  If you’d like the next six sentences, they are here.  Today, we start with the next sentence, and yet another honor to come.

To think she owed such an honor to the man she would soon call husband, that he had asked the king himself to grant the favor, made her heart beat an unsteady march in her chest. She parted her lips to thank him when he swooped forward, secured her chin in his hand and kissed her. Strangely soft, yet very sweet, his lips sent a searing bolt straight to her stomach, setting it afire. After moments that seemed an eternity, his mouth slackened on hers as though he would release her. Then he flicked the tip of his tongue across her lips, testing for another invitation.

With a gasp she jumped back, drawing a chuckle from Geoffrey, who had the grace to glance around to make sure they had not been observed. “Be not discomfited, sweet. We are safe in our conversation.”

“’Twas not in our conversation that I feared harm, my lord.” So difficult to sound outraged.  She could still feel his lips on hers

“Come, my lady, ’twas only courtly affection I did show you.” Geoffrey’s words might have been believable if not for the wicked grin that accompanied them. “And I have one more piece of news for you ere I go.” She took a step back, and Geoffrey laughed softly.

“Nay, ’tis only that I would have you decide which knight of the Round Table you would accompany to the field. You may choose any save Arthur or Lancelot, for those are reserved for King Edward and the Prince of Wales.”

He had struck her speechless again. To allow her to choose their roles…The enormity of the task soaked into her.  They would be judged by the king and queen in part on how appropriately she chose. Choose wrong and the entire court would whisper scandal. She could not fail Geoffrey when he had entrusted her with this critical decision.

“You do me great honor by your request, my lord,” she said finally, dipping him a curtsy. Such trust in her demanded nothing less than her utmost respect for him.

He stood expectantly, his eyes sparkling as he awaited her decision. Names from the tales she had read with her Uncle Antoine as a young child whirled through her head. But the choice for such an honored position should not be rushed. After a pause, Alyse twisted her hands and lifted her gaze to him.

“Need you an answer this instant, Sir Geoffrey?”

He raised his eyebrows then shook his head. “I think not, my lady. I believe that we will be placed in the procession according to my rank as knight, not by the rank of the Knights of the Round Table. Therefore, I need give the name only to secure our clothing for the procession. Tomorrow should suffice.”

“Then if I may, I will give you my choice this evening at supper that I may weigh the possibilities during the afternoon. I would have my choice portray both a knight of your chivalrous bent and a lady worthy of such a champion.” He laughed, and her heart beat faster.

Will he be so bold as to steal another kiss?

Does she even doubt it? LOL  Alyse may be thawing a trifle, don’t you think?

I hope you enjoyed this latest sample from  Betrothal.   And be sure to click here to visit more Sweet Samples.

Posted in Betrothal, On Sweet Saturday Sample, On Time Enough to Love, Promotion, WIP | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

Horny Hump Day 01/16/13: As Long As You’re Mine:

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

NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

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

Today I’ve got three sentences from another WIP, As Long As You’re Mine.  I’m now querying this one to agents.  So cross your fingers for me!  Hope you enjoy! 

In this snippet, Samantha is pleasuring Rafe with a hand-job in order to “soften” him up so he’ll let her stay in England rather than accompany him to Virginia.

He groaned—the sweetest sound she’d heard tonight. She took a deep breath, summoned her courage and stroked back up toward the tip, with two fingers this time. Sensations abounded—the softness of his skin wrapped around a steel rod, the musky scent she’d noticed after they’d spent themselves last night and the sound of her husband’s pleasure—a symphony of small groans and moans that indicated what he liked and what he liked better as she relaxed and began to experiment with tension and rhythm.

Please check out the Horny Hump Day blog site for the other sites on the hop and go visit the other hot authors.   The site also gives the details of how to sign up for next week if you’d like to play with us. 🙂

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

Posted in Blog Hops, On As Long As You're Mine, On Horny Hump Day, On Works in Progress, Promotion | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Spotlight: Cade by Margery Scott

Howdy, everyone.  Have I got a treat for you today.  Friend and author Margery Scott’s newest western romance is out and I’ve got a piece of it to show off to you today.

Cade 600x900 72dpiThe cover alone makes your mouth water!  As for what’s inside…Here, take a peek:

Blurb for Cade:

When revenge leads Cade Morgan to hold up a stagecoach and kidnap his childhood friend, Isabella Morrow, he discovers his feelings for her are stronger than ever. He suspects Bella feels the same way, so why is she intent on marrying another man? And  what kind of future can he offer her now that he’s wanted by the law?

Excerpt for Cade:

Colorado, 1861

Isabella Morrow closed her eyes, blocking out the landscape outside the stagecoach and wishing it could be that easy to shut out her travelling companion. She’d been listening to the drone of the man’s voice all morning until she was ready to open the door and hurl herself onto the trail outside just to escape.

Through hooded lids, she cast a glance at him. Benjamin Wick. Slim to the point of appearing gaunt, he’d always made her uncomfortable. Why her father had sent him of all people to escort her home, she couldn’t fathom. She’d always thought man was arrogant, overbearing, and downright insufferable. Now that she’d been forced to endure his company for the past few days, she was sure of it. He reminded her of death. Why, she couldn’t say, but something about his appearance, his demeanor, even his voice, made her think about dying. Yet her father trusted him implicitly.

He sat opposite her, his long legs stretched out, one arm slung across the back of the seat. “Please stop talking, Mr. Wick,” she begged, “I have a dreadful headache. I’d like to try to rest for a little while.”

“Ah, headaches,” he murmured, quieter now, but still rattling on. “Now when I served under General Zachary Taylor back in … when was that? Oh, yes, back at the Battle of Monterrey, I had a headache almost every day. Made me violently ill, too—”

“Mr. Wick! Please. Stop.”

His eyes narrowed. He glared at her, but at least he stopped talking. She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes again, hoping this time the silence would last for more than thirty seconds.

She heard him muttering, but although she couldn’t quite make out his words, it sounded like, “Dobson’s going to have his hands full with that one.”

At the mention of her future husband’s name, a shudder swept over her. Edward was almost twice her age, his body gone to flab and his hair already thinning. Which would be a little easier to overlook if he didn’t have the personality of a lizard.

She never would have agreed to this marriage if it wasn’t so important to her father. Every day, he pressured her, reminding her that she wasn’t getting any younger, that he wanted an heir to take over the ranch one day. She understood. He’d built the ranch from a small patch of dirt into one of the wealthiest properties in the state. He’d raised her alone, and given her everything she’d ever wanted. How could she refuse the only thing he’d ever asked of her?

But how could marry a man she didn’t even like?

For the past several days while she was caring for her ailing aunt in Colorado Springs, she’d fantasized about disappearing instead of going home. But her father would be frantic with worry, which certainly wouldn’t help the heart condition he’d recently developed.  No, she couldn’t do that to him.

Then, as if her father had been able to read her mind, Mr. Wick had arrived on her aunt’s doorstep to escort her back.

And now, here she was, only a few miles from Silverdale, only a few days from a wedding she dreaded.

“What the blazes–?”

Isabella’s eyes flew open at Mr. Wick’s outburst and the sudden jostling of the stage as it bounced over the uneven ground. Straightening, she grabbed the strap dangling from the roof of the coach. “What is it, Mr. Wick?”

“Look for yourself,” he said. “Outlaws.”

Isabella’s heart lurched in her chest. Outlaws! Killers! The ridiculous thought popped into her head that at least if she was murdered on her way home, she wouldn’t have to marry Edward.

She peered through the window, squinting through the clouds of dust at three figures on horseback approaching from behind.

Mr. Wick drew a gun out of his holster and pointed it out the window. He took aim at one of the riders bearing down on them. Before he had a chance to fire, he let out a howl and the gun  flew out of his hand. He pulled his arm back inside the coach and cradled it against his chest.

“Are you hurt?” Isabella asked, her eyes widening.

“No,” he replied. “He shot the gun right out of my hand.”

Other shots rang out. Loud voices carried through the open window, and the stage stopped with a jolt.

“Do something, Mr. Wick!”

“What the devil do you expect me to do without a gun, Isabella?”

Suddenly, the door flew open, crashing against the side of the stage. A tall, broad-shouldered man filled the small space, his nose and mouth hidden by a black bandanna. A pale blue shirt clung to his wide chest and disappeared into the waist of black canvas trousers. A few strands of sun-streaked chestnut hair had escaped from the dust-covered hat covering his head and curled on his forehead. Eyes the color of fine whiskey and ringed by dark lashes met hers.

Isabella scrambled as far back into the corner of the coach as she could. Her pulse skittered as her gaze slid from the outlaw’s face to the six-shooter in his hand. “What … what do you want …?”

Cade is the first of Margery’s The Morgans of Rocky Ridge series, so there are more goodies to come just like this one.

Cade is available at Amazon, Kobo, and Smashwords.  Go on and grab a copy.  You’ll be glad you did!

 

 

Posted in Book Spotlights, Guest Bloggers, Promotion | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Six Sentence Sunday–01/13/13 Betrothal ~ “An Honor”

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday!  I’m working on my medieval novella, Betrothal, so I thought I’d share six sentences of that this week.

Betrothal with Logo

This snippet continues from where I left off yesterday on Sweet Saturday Sample, which you can read here.  Geoffrey has just given Alyse some unexpected news about the coming joust and the part she is to play in itAn.

Alyse’s mouth dropped open and a thrill coursed through her body. “But I am only Princess Joanna’s attendant, Sir Geoffrey. Usually such honors are reserved for the Queen’s and Princess Isabella’s ladies, or the Duchesses and Countesses in the Royal Family. Why did they choose me?”

“Because I am to be one of the knights, and I begged a boon of the king to allow you to be my lady.”

She stared at him in shock, almost unbelieving, though she knew he would not lie about such a thing. 

Thanks so much for visiting me today.  

Now pop over to the Six Sentence Sunday list and check out the rest of the snippets.  See you there!

Posted in Betrothal, Cover Art, On Only Scandal Will Do, On Six Sentence Sunday, On Time Enough to Love, On Works in Progress, Promotion | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Sweet Saturday Sample Returns! Betrothal ~ “News”

Welcome back to Sweet Saturday Sample!  All excerpts here are rated PG-13 or milder.

It’s so good to be back with Sweet Saturday. Here’s another post from my medieval trilogy WIP, Time Enough To Love.  Over Christmas I got the edits back and am busily revising.  I’m hoping release day is going to come sooner rather than later.

Betrothal with Logo

This series is set in England and France in 1348.  Part 1, Betrothal, takes place at the court of King Edward III.

This excerpt comes just after my last post from this novella.  Geoffrey and Alyse are talking just after the banns for their marriage have been read for the first time.  If you’d like to read the excerpt that leads up to this point, it’s here.

He kissed her hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm as he led her away from the chapel toward Princess Joanna’s apartments. Although loath to admit it, his words, as well as his attentions, had soothed her ruffled feelings. She smiled inwardly to think that his regard for her ran so deep. A quick peek at him from lowered lids showed her his countenance bore a smile as well. They seemed to have come far in but two days’ time.

As they approached the door of the Princess’s chamber, he turned and took both her hands. “My lady, I have news that I would share with you.”

He seemed both solemn and excited by whatever message he had brought. It had to be news indeed, for she had heard nothing, either last night or this morning, that would touch upon them. This mystery so bemused her that she almost failed to see him lean down, bringing his mouth mere inches from hers. She gasped, snatched her hands from his and ducked around him before he could draw closer.

“Would you share something else besides news, Sir Geoffrey?”

“That I would, little maid.” He spun around before she could back away. He darted his hand out to secure hers again and raised it to his mouth. “It seems, however, that I must be content with this.” He grazed her skin with his lips, skimming over the surface of her flesh with a floating touch that made her shiver. “And with my news. You know the king called for a joust, a Round Table, at Windsor next week to celebrate the princess’s betrothal?”

Alyse nodded and frowned. The mere thought of jousting set her stomach to churning. But his statement was hardly news; the court had been preparing for the tournaments for weeks.

“It has been decreed by His Majesty that on the first day the festivities will begin with a procession of ladies and knights of King Arthur’s court, starting at the Tower of London and winding through the town out to the lists. There are to be twenty-five knights on the king’s side who will joust and fight in a pas d’armes. So there needs be twenty-five ladies as well, to escort them to the field.”

She nodded again. “Princess Joanna rides in this procession.” Her part in the festivities had been determined last week. Did he have anything truly new to impart?

“You have been chosen to be one of the ladies.”

Quite an honor for a young girl.  Will Alyse be properly appreciative of this?  Maybe next week… 🙂

I hope you enjoyed this latest sample from  Betrothal.   And be sure to click here to visit more Sweet Samples.

Posted in Betrothal, On Sweet Saturday Sample, On Time Enough to Love, Promotion | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Romance The Write Way

Wanna do something exciting this February?  Want to kick-start your writing for the new year?  Well, if you live within driving distance of Virginia, you can do Romance the Write Way!

crwlogo

Just about a month from now, the Chesapeake Romance Writers chapter of RWA is hosting a writer’s conference, Romance the Write Way.  It’s a one day conference, but we’ve packed in a ton of stuff–workshops, pitch appointments, 1st Pages critique, book signings,

The Rudy Statuette

The Rudy Statuette

a raffle, swag table, and the announcement of the winner of our “Finish the Damn Book”
Contest, and the first recipient of The Rudy.

The Romance the Write Way Conference will be held on February 9 at the Beth Sholom Village in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Our Conference hotel is the Holiday Inn & Suites in Norfolk (but only about 3 miles from the conference site) and they are offering suites to our participants at a fantastically low rate.

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

The conference registration of $25.00 for RWA members/$35.00 for non-RWA members includes:

  • a workshop on writing, with historical romance writer, Laurin Wittig
  • a panel of editors on publishing in today’s market
  • a workshop on self-publishing
  • lunch
  • the option of a 10 minute pitch session with one of four acquiring editors
  • early bird registrants may submit your 1st 25 lines of a manuscript for critique by our editors.

For details, check out the Chesapeake Romance Writers website and this article in The Daily Press.  It should be an exciting day and I would so love to meet you!

We are located in the southwest corner of Virginia, but we’re an easy drive from North Carolina, Maryland and the DC area, and even Pennsylvania isn’t too far (we have a chapter member who lives there!).  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments section below.

Here’s hoping to see you there!

Posted in Chesapeake Romance Writers, Conferences, On Writing, Workshops | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Horny Hump Day 01/09/13: 7 Days of Seduction Day: “Almost There”

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

NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

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

7-days

Since this work is on tour for the next few weeks, I’m going to give you three sentences from my erotic novella, 7 Days of Seduction.  Day 1, not long after Ashley watches the sex video of her, Sam, and the gorgeous stranger.  She and Sam are so turned on they need a little “together” time. 🙂

 

9672130_s (2)His cock felt so good in her aching pussy she started to come almost immediately. “Sam, I’m almost there, babe.”

“God, me too, Ash,” he moaned as he gripped her hips and redoubled his thrusts.

 

Please check out the Horny Hump Day blog site for the other sites on the hop and go visit the other hot authors.   The site also gives the details of how to sign up for next week if you’d like to play with us. 🙂

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

Posted in Blog Hops, On As Long As You're Mine, On Horny Hump Day, On Works in Progress, Promotion | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Blog Hop Winners!

WooHoo!  The New Year’s Bloghop and the Naughty New Year’s Hop were the best ever for my blog.  One I got 99 comments, the other 102!  And thank you to every one who came by and told me your fondest memories or your naughtiest book. 🙂  Hope you had a fantastic time!

Now, time for the Winners!

Happy New Year - champagne and party decorationFor Carrie Anne’s New Year’s Blog Hop the Winner of a signed print copy of

    Only Scandal Will Do is

Shannon Kurta

hop

For Skye Warren’s Naughty New Year’s Bloghop the winner of an e-copy of

7 Days of Seduction is

Cindy Barton

I’ll be emailing you ladies ASAP to give you instructions for claiming your prize.  Thanks again to all those who hopped with me!  See you next hop!

Posted in Blog Hops, Giveaways, Promotion | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Six Sentence Sunday–01/06/13 7 Days of Seduction ~ Last Friday Night

Happy New Year!

To ring in the New Year with something new–well, sort of new–for Six Sentence Sunday this week, I’m putting up six from my latest novella, 7 Days of Seduction.  The story’s been out since October–my how time flies–and I’ve just started a blog tour for it.  First stop is an interview with me at Sizzling Hot Books, so if you want to hear a little something naughty about me and my book, go take a peek!  Then come back for Six Sentences of Seduction here.

7-days

These six are from Day 1, the very beginning of the novella:

A fast, staccato beat pounded inside Ashley Thompson’s head, not unlike the new Nikki Menaj song playing on the radio. She breathed slowly, trying not to throw up. The worst part of Friday night was throwing up Saturday morning.

The mattress shifted as someone rolled over, and a leg landed on her.

Oh, crap, revise that previous thought. The possibility of waking up with a stranger trumped throwing up anytime.

Thanks so much for visiting me today.  7 Days of Seduction is available now at Amazon, New Dawning Bookfair, and ARe.  If you wanted a copy, now’s your chance! Ring in the New Year with 7 Days of very colorful adventure. 🙂

Now pop over to the Six Sentence Sunday list and check out the rest of the snippets.  See you there!

Posted in On Only Scandal Will Do, On Seven Days of Seduction, On Six Sentence Sunday, Promotion | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

The 411 on Jenna

Hello, everyone!  Thought I’d catch you up with what’s been going on with me.  I’ve been sort of blog silent except for my regular memes (HHD and SSS) and the current blog hops and some guest blogs.  But I haven’t been putting up any of my own posts.  Sorry about that.

Truth is, up until the last few days I’ve been working non-stop on edits on two historical novels.  I just sent the second one, As Long As You’re Mine, off to its editor this morning!  Hooray!  The first one, Only Marriage Will Do, is with beta readers.  Also hooray!

Betrothal with Logo

Today, I’m starting on the last of my projects–revisions to my medieval historical Time Enough To Love, Book 1:  Betrothal.  I’m going to push to get it done by late Sunday, as my school starts back up on Monday.  Wish me luck!  I’m hoping to self-publish Betrothal by late January.

After I finish that one, I’m on to working on the other two books:  Book 2: Betrayal and Book 3: Beleaguered.  They’re written but need a good bit of revision.  Once each one is completed, it will be released, approximately six weeks after the last one.  Really wish me luck on that one!

Today also marks the beginning of my latest blog tour for my most recent release, 7 7-daysDays of Seduction.  My first stop is an interview at Sizzling Hot Books.  I hope I’ve answered the questions in such a way that you get an idea of me and of my sizzling little book. 🙂  The rest of the tour–interviews, guest blogs, and a spotlight–can be found on the BLOG TOUR page above.  If you want to join me on the tour, you’ll get a little reward.  I’m giving away copies of 7 Days of Seduction and Seduction Swag Packs at each stop.  The swag packs include a couple of “naughty” items inspired by the book.

 

onlyscandalwilldo-41I also have very exciting news!  Only Scandal Will Do was nominated as Best Historical Romance in the Sizzling Hot PR Awards! Squeeeeeeee!  I’ve never been nominated for an award for writing before, so this was a totally fantastic discovery.  I’d like to ask you all to vote for me and Scandal in the Historical Category, and while you’re voting, check out the other nominees in the various categories and vote for the ones you’ve read.  I’d sure appreciate it. 🙂

Other than my blog tour and my regular posts, I’m going to try to publish one post each week that is writing or reading oriented.  I’ve got several topics I’d love to explore, several experiences to share, and some questions I’d love to get opinions on.  So that’s my New Year’s Resolution–at least one meaty blog post per week.

Except for those, I may be rather quiet.  I’m trying to fulfill another resolution:  publish at least eight novels or novellas in 2013.  Crazy?  Maybe.  Three are in revision right now.  Two more are written, just awaiting revision.  And I’ve got two more with outlines written and one with a mental outline almost complete.

So if the blog is quiet, you’ll know my fingers are flying!  Do you have any New Year’s resolutions for 2013?

Posted in Betrothal, Blog Tours, Guest Bloggers, On As Long As You're Mine, On Only Scandal Will Do, On Seven Days of Seduction, On Time Enough to Love, On Works in Progress, Only Marriage Will Do, Promotion, Sizzling PR Blog Tours | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments