Saturday, June 26, 2021

Sizzling Romance Between A Lord of Shadows and A Bringer of Light

Embrace Your Destiny in the Dream Realm


Shadows Fall hits the shelves June 30th and is a summertime must read. This paranormal/fantasy romance is the second book in the Stories from the Dream Realm series and follows Jade and Dree. Belong to rival clans they must come to terms with their feelings and save the Dream Realm all while protecting a rare child Dreamweaver.


To celebrate the new release, paranormal romance author, J.R. White, is running a sale on the first book in the series. Reckless Dreams. Between June 28th and July 2nd the ebook will be on sale for just 99 cents on Amazon. Click here to grab your copy!


About Shadows Fall:

Running from an arranged marriage, DjinnRa Jade is hiding out in the Waking Realm and performing the duties of a Watcher. When she crosses the path of a lonely child without family she must put her own interests aside and return to the Dream Realm.



Stuck in the shadow of his enemy, Kree is left with nothing more than his voice to fight back with. He’ll soon find that warring clans and nightmares from the Realm Beyond are the least of his worries inside the Djinn Clan’s royal line. Can he and Jade come together and protect the destiny of the Dreamweaver child?


Review for Reckless Dreams:

“The writing is exquisite. The characters are beautiful written, the story pulls you in and makes you hungry for more.” ~ Amazon Reviewer


Find your copy of Shadows Fall on Amazon (CLICK HERE) or through your favorite Books2Read (CLICKHERE) digital store!

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Full Moon New Releases (April 2021)

 

It's time again for a round up of some full moon releases. I hope you find a new beastie to fall in love with in these newly released and upcoming titles.


Vampire: A Dark Protectors/Rebels Novella by Rebecca Zanetti

Vampire (Dark Protectors, #12.5) by Rebecca Zanetti

Dr. Mariana Lopez has finally stopped bailing friends out of difficult situations. Well, except for substituting as the leader for another anger management group, pitching in as a campaign strategist for a prospective sheriff, and babysitting three dogs. Even with such a full life, she can feel the danger around her—a sense that something isn’t right. Nightmares harass her, until the real thing comes to life, and only the dark and sexy male sitting in her group can save her. However, with safety comes a price she might not be willing to pay.

Raine Maxwell is one of the Maxwells out of Montana, which means he's not only one of the most deadly vampires alive, but his path is set and his mate has been chosen for him. To save him—to continue his line. Unfortunately, his mate is an enhanced human female who has no idea of her abilities, of his species, or of her future. He’d like to lead her gently into this new world, but his people aren’t the only ones who’ve found her, which puts her into more danger than she can imagine. Plus, in order to follow his laws, he only has one week to convince her that immortality with him is what she wants—and needs.

Released by 1001 Dark Nights April 13th

 

The Warlord: A Novel (Rise of the Warlords Book 1) by Gena Showalter

The Warlord (Rise of the Warlords, #1) by Gena Showalter

For centuries, Taliyah Skyhawk has prepared to become Harpy General, leader of the deadliest female army in existence. One of the requirements? Remain a virgin. But, for a chance to save her people, she must wed the fearless leader of the Astra Planeta, Alaroc Phaethon.

The time has come for Roc to sacrifice another virgin bride to his god. There has never been a woman alluring enough to tempt him from his path. No warrioress powerful enough to overcome his incredible strength. No enchantress desirable enough to make him burn beyond reason. Until now.

With the clock ticking, war between husband and wife ignites. Except Taliyah never expected the merciless king to challenge the future she once envisioned. She certainly never anticipated the thrill of their battles turning into games… The problem is, only one spouse can survive.

Love is a battlefield in Showalter’s The Warlord.

Released by HQN Books on April 20th

 

A Wolf in Duke's Clothing (Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde, 1) by Susanna Allen

 A Wolf in Duke's Clothing (Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde, #1)

A Duke in want of a wife...

Alfred Blakesley, Duke of Lowell, has long been an enigma. No one dares to give a man of his status the cut direct, but there's simply something not quite right about him. What would the society ladies say if they learned the truth―that the Duke of Lowell is a wolf shifter and the leader of a pack facing extinction if he doesn't find his true love? So now he's on the hunt...for a wife.

Felicity Templeton has a goal of her own: to remain unwed until her twenty-fifth birthday, when she will inherit a significant fortune. But that all changes when she meets Alfred, the dashing duke who's determined to have her for his very own...

 Releasing April 27th from Sourcebooks Casablanca


The Nightborn (Stormbringer, 2) by Isabel Cooper

The Nightborn (Stormbringer #2)

Raised from childhood to be weapons, Sentinels spend their lives fighting the monsters that prey upon humanity. Their hands will shape the world, and their swords will seal its fate.

As war looms, Sentinel Branwyn seeks military aid from the High Council, attracting interest from its youngest member, Zelen Varengir. He's intrigued by Branwyn but can't risk helping her cause. Instead, he must learn all he can about the intriguing newcomer―especially who's behind framing her for the murder of the High Lord and threatening to tear apart the world as they know it...

 Releasing April 27th from Sourcebooks Casablanca

 

That's it for this month. If you know of any great new releases let me know and I'll include them in the list.

 

Peace and Love

 

 

Friday, April 23, 2021

Dangers of Being an Author

 Today's post offers a little insight into being an author. Most people think of an author as carefree, maybe writing everything with a feathered pen. Some people think of the much more common struggling author that's fighting to pay their bills. Both are real and so are all the different levels in between. Still, there are a few things all authors have in common. 

One of the biggest dangers of being an author is falling in love with your characters. You don't even have to be a romance author for this to happen. It can and does happen in every genre. These characters are created, nurtured and grown in the minds of their authors. That can lead to a deep connection. It can also lead to not wanting to put the character through scenes that would hurt them. It's even been known to stop the planned death of a character. 

Of course, falling in love with your character can also help the author build their story. It can also make them look crazy when they have one sided conversation with fictional beings.

Bad posture is a big risk for authors. While we're having our crazy talks and mental break downs we don't always pay attention to the correct way to sit or stand or sleep. This can cause a lot of problems physically. (Currently dealing with a pinched nerve in my arm because I just spent too much time at my computer and not stepping away every twenty minutes or so.) Back pain, neck pain, headaches and even fatigue can all be caused by bad posture. Authors just seem less likely to notice until it's too late. At least this one is.

Being an author includes the risk of being crushed alive. All those books we stock pile for research or for escape have to go somewhere and sometimes the shelves don't hold the weight. With ebooks a big part of day to day life this risk is less, but I don't know many other authors that don't have an overflowing book shelf that's ready to tip at any moment.

Finally, I want to address something that not just authors but many people face day to day. We're all working and doing our best to advance ourselves, our work and our families. Getting caught up in an editing deadline or a contest manuscript can be really good for the career, but it can be very bad for your family. Things have to get done, yes. Don't stop doing them, but make time for your friends and family. Chances are your doing this as much for them as you are for yourself. 

And your family misses you. They support you and they love you. Make time to spend with them. Right now more than ever. If they're not supporting and loving then find those that are, because we all need that kind of support in our lives. Be that support for them and help each other. 

 There are a lot of dangers when it comes to creating fiction and living day to day with what you've created blended in with the real world around you. Most authors look crazy at least once or twice. Some stay in that semi insane state all the time. Others hold themselves together perfectly and make the rest of us sick with jealousy. 

That's all for today my lovely readers.

Peace and Love

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Romance Grab Bag Giveaway (April 2021)


https://ellenmint.blog/romance-mystery-bag-giveaway/ 

ROMANCE GRAB BAG GIVEAWAY

April 7th


Fill your eReader with a surprise!


Is your eReader full of tumbleweeds?  

Do you need something to read but have no idea where to start? 

Let my mystery box pick for you!


Forty authors teamed up to bring you TWENTY-NINE mystery bags of romance. 

Alpha heroes, untouchable bosses, sexy vampires, kilted pirates, and more wait to sweep you away.

There will be numerous winners!


You get to pick between the three categories what interests you most:

 Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal


Enter whichever genre is your catnip, or go for all three if you love everything romance.


Do you want a sneak peek hint of which books are available in the bundle? 

 Visit the giveaway page to check them out and enter.


The giveaway is sponsored by these wonderful authors:

Ellen Mint • N.J. Adel • Kara Kendrick • Jaqueline Snowe • Megan Slayer • 

C.J. Burright • Aurora Russell • Tina Gallagher • Melissa McClone • January Bain • 

Sheri-Lynn Marean • Jennifer Wilck • Angela Addams • Robert Herold • PE Kavanagh • 

AE Lister • Katherine McIntyre • Maggie Blackbird • Renee Regent • 

Anna Taylor Sweringen • Amanda Uhl • Angela Taylor • TJ Finn • Jessie Harper • 

Cassie O’Brien • S. J. Coles • M.C. Frank • Brooklyn Knight • Sue London • 

Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple • Laurie Benson • J.P Bowie • Tia Didmon • 

Zoe Beth Geller • Sandra Carmel • J.R. White • Robecca Austin • T. Strange • 

Janis McCurry

 

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

So Much Life To Share

 Hello dear readers. 


I haven't posted anything in a while but I have to get back to it. This month Reckless Dreams hit the shelves and as the first book in a brand new series, Stories from the Dream Realm, I had lots of plans for it's release. Not in the least a set of Tuesday Teasers that were going to be posted her. 

However life was a bitch. Earlier this year my 15 year old dog, Shader, started going down hill. A lot of my work was pushed to the side as I took care of her and tried to improve her health and quality of life. I hate that term "quality of life". The moment our vet changed her meds and used that term something in me started breaking. 

You see, Shader was more than just a 15 year old dog. She was family. She was there when I moved in with my husband and when my daughter was brought home from the hospital a year later. She was there on camping trips and when my daughter took her first step and promptly fell on her second. Shader was there when I got my first acceptance letter. She was there for everything.

I know this isn't a blog about a dog, but I'm going to share the story of Shader.

It was 2005 and I had just moved back to South Carolina from New England. My boyfriend decided we should have a dog. I already had a cat and a rat, but a dog added sounded nice. I'm an animal person after all. So off we went to the sad little animal shelter on Poor Farm. The place was under funded and honestly doing the best they could. 

We walked around and saw all the dogs. Even offered to walk some of the friendlier ones. Then we heard the rumbling from the back corner. We made our way over and saw as no less than seven brown puppies came charging from the back of the kennel up to a fresh bowl of food. It was a touching site, but these were young puppies and a sign pointed out they were still on hold before they could be adopted. 

Thinking we'd seen them all we were about to walk away when this little gray and black one came stumbling in from behind. She climbed over all her litter mates and nose dived straight into the tray of food. She then proceeded to stretch out over the food and eat everything in front of her. The other puppies nudged her away, but this little pup was able to protect a few mouthfuls of kibble. My boyfriend laughed and said, "That's the one!" 

I knew it too. 

We paid an adoption "holding" fee and waited a week before the puppy could be adopted. Her brothers and sisters were adopted quickly too. No pup left behind! The only thing the shelter could tell us about her was that the litter were under the porch puppies and had some cattle dog in them. Our sweet puppy would also be called a mutt. 

The puppy came home and like most shelter dogs she was of course scared after the entire ordeal. We just didn't realize how scared. The puppy spent a lot of time huddled at the end of the hallway. I had to go and pick her up and put in on the mattress which had to be moved to the floor for her comfort. This let her sleep with us and over the course of weeks she felt safer.

Boots had to be removed when we got home. She was terrified of them. Later we found out live music scared her too. 

Over those first few weeks we struggled to find a name for her. Finally one of us came up with her being a summa dog. Some of this and some of that. Because of her coloring it changed into a shade of this and a shade of that. That was how the name Shader came into being. She answered to it instantly.

Time began to fly. Shader was a happy and growing pup. We noticed her back hips weren't quite right and were told she had hip dysphagia and that she would grow out of it but it would cause problems when she got older. 

Time kept flying and my boyfriend and I called things off. He went back to New England and I stayed in South Carolina with Shader. At just under two she was full grown and very happy, even with a yellow streak. Living by yourself can get lonely and Shader helped keep that at bay. It was also scary. 

It was a few months after my ex had left and I was on my own at home with just Shader and my grumpy cat. Things hadn't been going well for a family member and I'd cut him off. I don't even remember what he came crashing through the front door demanding, but I do know he had me back into a corner, fists pulled back ready to beat me to a pulp before I could blink. 

Then I heard a growl. Standing between me and this family member was Shader. Her tail was tucked between her legs but she was baring her teeth at the man and growling so loud it drowned out everything else. Step by step she backed him away from me. The conflict ended and the man left. I collapsed on the floor, hugging my whining Shader. 

That family member didn't come around me much after that and never stepped foot back into my home when I was living alone. 

Time flew and Shader was two when we moved in with my now husband. He had a dachshund named Missy. This little ten pound pup got along okay with my 60 pound Shader. She was a little thief and very territorial but she played with Shader and even tried to romance her a time or time. 

I became a wife with Shader stealing half the bed and Missy still sleeping curled up to my husband. That summer we found out we were expecting and I hugged Shader as I cried because I was so scared. Sadly Missy didn't make it to the birth of our daughter. She died of an illness just a few months before. 

Shader had an instant "grandmama" feeling with our little bundle. She was protective but also gave us looks when the baby would cry that clearly stated "take care of her and make the noise stop." If our daughter was sleeping in her swing or seat and I had to step into the next room I'd say "Shader, watch Louie." Shader would push herself up and huff as she walked over and stared down at the baby. 

When Lou started solids Shader and our other pup, Demon, would circle her highchair cleaning the mess. When Lou started walking Shader or Demon were always close by to offer her a hand hold. When Lou started playing tea party Shader was an honored guest. Shader was even painted pink with yogurt once.


By the time we all moved into our current home in 2013 Shader was eight years old and was already starting to slow down a little. She still loved to play, but she didn't enjoy camping anymore. Her last camping trip was my daughter's first back in 2016. 

Slowly over the years Shader couldn't get up on the bed anymore and then the couch. We put a ramp up over the steps so she could make it in and out of the house easier. Every now and then she'd still bow down, butt in the air and play with me, but she didn't play with the other dogs much anymore. In 2019 we had a growth removed from her shoulder. It was the size of a soft ball and she was under for over an hour. We were scared her heart might not take it and she might not wake up. 

Shader did wake up and when I went to pick her up she drug me out of the vet's office with the strength of a bull. It became more clear after that how hard it was for her to get around. We started talking about leg braces or maybe even a doggy wheelchair. I moved things around to make it easier for her to get around without bumping into things. 

She was put on meds to help manage the pain and arthritis in her hips. Shader spent almost two years getting a nightly slimjim treat stuffed with her pills. Then it started. Even with the meds she wasn't able to get up on her own anymore. She needed help. That was last summer. 

Shader's meds were changed a few times, but her condition kept degrading. At 15 years old it was expected, but that didn't make it easy. Finally at the beginning of this year she was put on "quality of life" meds and we were told the vet was there for us and Shader whatever we needed. 

By the end of February it became clear that Shader's quality of life was eroding quickly. She couldn't walk on her own at all by this point. I carried her into the vet's office with the help of a few nurses and had to hear the worst things I've ever heard. "I think its time."

That was my daughter's birthday. We waited before telling her and that weekend we spoiled Shader. We gave her treats and she got her own plate at diner. Popcorn chicken, hot dogs, hamburger steak with gravy french fries. She got whatever she wanted, because that next Monday I carried her into the vet's office and said good bye for the last time. 

I carried her into my life night after night moving her to my bed when she was a puppy and I carried her out of my life over 15 years later. She would have turned 16 this month. 

Shader was more than just a dog. She was family and her story needed telling.


Peace and Love




Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Full Moon New Releases (Jan 2021)

 

A new year means new releases and more fictional beasties to fall in love with! 



Pushing Up Posies (Grim Dating Book 1) by Eve Langlais

 Pushing Up Posies (Grim Dating #1)

Netflix and Chill takes on a whole new meaning when Posie starts dating the Reaper.

Poor Brody. As reaper leader for the Canadian guild, he and his crew don’t get as much work as other countries until the Dark Lord gives them a new mandate: Establish a dating service on Earth that will facilitate the meeting between citizens of Hell and humans with the end goal being babies.

In other words, become a pimp.

It’s a cruel demotion for a reaper who just wanted to guide souls to their final destination. He is dying to return to Hell, until he meets the stubborn woman living across the hall.

The Devil wants Posie mated, but she is resisting all attempts. What will it take to make her see the light?

And how will she react when she finally discovers that death has been knocking at her door?

Released Jan 7th

 

Blood Heir (Kate Daniels World Book 1) by Ilona Andrews

Blood Heir (Aurelia Ryder, #1)

 Atlanta was always a dangerous city. Now, as waves of magic and technology compete for supremacy, it’s a place caught in a slow apocalypse, where monsters spawn among the crumbling skyscrapers and supernatural factions struggle for power and survival.

Eight years ago, Julie Lennart left Atlanta to find out who she was. Now she’s back with a new face, a new magic, and a new name—Aurelia Ryder—drawn by the urgent need to protect the family she left behind. An ancient power is stalking her adopted mother, Kate Daniels, an enemy unlike any other, and a string of horrifying murders is its opening gambit.

If Aurelia’s true identity is discovered, those closest to her will die. So her plan is simple: get in, solve the murders, prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled, and get out without being recognized. She expected danger, but she never anticipated that the only man she'd ever loved could threaten everything.

One small misstep could lead to disaster. But for Aurelia, facing disaster is easy; it’s relationships that are hard. 

Released Jan 12th by NYLA


Dragon Revealed: A Dragon Kings Novella by Donna Grant

 

The capture of a Dragon King is cause for celebration. Jeyra never dreamed she would actually face one of the creatures who destroyed her home. But the longer she’s around him, the more she finds herself gravitating to him. All it takes is one reckless kiss that unleashes desires and the truth that has been hidden from her to set them both on a course that could be the end of them.

Varek, King of Lichens, has known nothing but a life with magic. Until he finds himself on a different realm unable to call up his powers. Worse, he’s in shackles with no memory of how it happened. When he sees an enthralling woman who leaves him speechless, he believes he can charm her to free him. The more she rebuffs him, the more he craves her, igniting a dangerous passion between them. Can he protect the woman he’s fallen for while uncovering the truth – or will peril that neither see coming tear them apart?

Released by 1001 Dark Nights Press on Jan 12th 

 

Big Bad Wolf (Third Shift Book 1) by Suleikha Snyder

  Big Bad Wolf (Third Shift #1)

They call him a monster. More wolf than man—more dangerous than any predator.
They have no idea.

Joe Peluso has blood on his hands. He took out the mobsters responsible for killing his foster brother, and that one act of vigilante justice has earned him countless enemies in New York's supernatural-controlled underworld. He knows that shifters like him deserve the worst. Darkness. Pain. Solitude. But meeting Neha makes him feel human for the first time in forever.

Lawyer and psychologist Neha Ahluwalia knows Joe is guilty, but she's determined to help him craft a solid defense...even if she can't defend her own obsession. Just one look from the wolf shifter makes her skin burn hot and her pulse race. When a payback hit goes wrong, Neha's forced to make a choice: help Joe escape or leave him to his fate. Before long they're on the run?from the monsters who want him dead, from their own traitorous hearts, and from an attraction that threatens to destroy them.

  Released by Sourcebooks Casablanca on Jan 26th


That's all for now lovely readers. Hope you've found a new book for the night stand!

Peace and Love