Friday, September 13, 2013

5 Rules to Setting a Sexy Table for Romance and Kindle Fire HD Giveaway with Laurel Cremant


I love to throw dinner parties. From casual Friday night dinners to the more formal holiday feasts, but I’m sure it’s no surprise that as a romance author my favorite types of dinners to plan are the intimate romantic dinners for me and my hubby.

We both have insanely busy schedules so to make sure we never become one of those nasty statistics, we make it a point to have at least one “date” night a week. They range from a simple walk in the park, watching a movie together (at home or out) to packing an overnight bag and taking a day cruise to the Caribbean (a perk of living in Florida). However, I love setting up a romantic dinner. Good food, candle light and conversation is the best prelude to a sexy evening in. I do however have some rules to my sexy dinner planning.

Rule #1 The Setting
The first rule in setting a sexy table is to think outside of the. A romantic dinner doesn’t have to always be at the dining table. I have a huge cushy ottoman in my living room, that’s large enough for a dinner for two. I throw some big cushions on the floor, place food on trays and have and I’m good to go. One of the key components to feeling sexy, is being comfortable and relaxed with the person you’re with, and big cushy pillows are always a good start. Setting up a picnic on your lawn or patio also works. Just remember to have citronella candles ready and burning because mosquito bites are not sexy.

Rule #2 Music
I always have music playing softly in the background. And when I say softly, I mean softly. Try to remember that your goal is to be able to listen to your partner, not be distracted by Beyonce’s latest lyrics. Aside from helping to set the mood, music also helps establish a transition from, the normal everyday dinner to “romance time”.

Rule #3 Drinks
Liquor is never a requirement for a romantic dinner but, beverages definitely are. Don’t fall into the trap that your dinner requires wine or champagne. Have something that you both enjoy ready, whether it’s a craft beer, lemonade or sparkling water. The point is for both parties to be content with the dinner, not follow some belief that romance requires wine. If you’re into beer I highly recommend Three Philosophers. It tastes delicious and comes in a great looking bottle.

Rule #4 Candles
This is more of a personal preference. I love dimming the lights and setting up candles. Plus every woman looks great in candlelight. Cause let’s face it this dinner will end with you naked at some point, might as well  make sure it’s in optimum lighting.

Rule #5 Feel Sexy
Don’t act surprised. We all know the purpose of these dinners. Sex isn’t a requirement or a forgone conclusion, but feeling sexy going into one of these dinners usually helps the final outcome. Where your favorite lingerie with your favorite outfit. Hell, were your lingerie as your outfit. Rock. It. Out. Remember you’re grown and sexy and not afraid to show it.


So those are it, my five simple rules to planning a sexy, romantic dinner. They work for any budget and space. In my latest book, Persuasion Skills, my hero Jax manages to set the perfect table using these rules, a kitchen island and his charm. Who doesn’t love an opportunity for intimacy and romance? What are your suggestions for planning a romantic dinner? 



Persuasion Skills
Boardroom Acts
Book One
Laurel Cremant

Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-77130-473-3

Number of pages: 107
Word Count: 31, 000

Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs




Book Description:

In the aftermath of a major health scare, Pepper Holts makes the relief-inspired decision to seize the day. Unfortunately, most of her “seizing” involves a bit of merlot and her best friend's pants! After a shared night of passion she realizes that her feelings for Jax are a lot more complicated than she ever thought.

Jax has finally realized that his allergy to marriage has nothing to do with the institution itself, and everything to do with the women in his bed—or more specifically, the one woman not in his bed. Her reaction to their one night together has him scrambling to regroup. So he does what he knows best—he disappears, and he thinks. The plan?—convince Pepper into staying with him at a secluded cabin for one week. One week of pretending to be a happily married couple to show her how great they could be together.

About the Author:

Laurel is a romance author, who like most writers loves to read. Her first love (pun intended) has always been romance. From the sappy YA romance novel to the more risqué erotica novels, Laurel is a sucker for a good love story.

Laurel writes paranormal and contemporary romance and is a self proclaimed, out of the closet nerd. She admits that she can't seem to avoid adding a bit of "nerdology" or "geek-dom" to all of her books. Living in Miami, she also admits that she can't seem to avoid giving her heroines gorgeous shoes, "In Miami, we worship everything strappy, open toed and just plain hot!"

Website: www.LaurelCremant.com   




Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/LaurelCremant

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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

How a quirky little beach read was born from the ashes of rejection by Tawna Fenske




My journey to publication was sometimes bumpy.

That’s a bit like saying strippers occasionally dress provocatively.

The short version of the story is that I wrote a couple crappy novels before selling a book to Harlequin’s “Bombshell” line in 2005. Then my editor called—on my 32nd birthday, the same day my cat died and I was told I’d be fired from my job for disobeying the company’s pantyhose requirement—to inform me the line was being cancelled a month before my scheduled debut. I spent the next several years cycling through an agent that didn’t quite work out and writing manuscripts that almost-but-didn’t-quite sell.

When my agent landed me a three-book deal for my romantic comedies in 2010, the joy was somewhat dampened by the fact that my marriage of 13 years crashed and burned that year like a short-circuited vibrator hurled angrily at the bedroom wall.

*cue the violins*

It’s okay, I don’t need sympathy. I’m doing great now, with multiple published books at three different publishing houses, awesome feedback like a nomination for Contemporary Romance of the Year from RT Book Reviews and cool publications like the Chicago Tribune not only spelling my name right, but writing things like, “Fenske's wildly inventive plot & wonderfully quirky characters provide the perfect literary antidote to any romance reader's summer reading doldrums.”

I’m also in a pretty amazing relationship with an awesome guy, so like I said—it’s all good.

Well, sorta.

See, the thing about writing is that it’s rarely a straightforward trajectory from typing “the end” and eating bon-bons while a shirtless male model gives you a piggyback ride to the party celebrating your #1 slot on the New York Times bestseller list. There are bumps and bruises along the way, and if you’re lucky, you’re able to see them as learning experiences instead of reasons to hide under your bed rocking back and forth and humming “I’m a Little Teapot.”

Take my new novella, Eat, Play, Lust, for example. Wanna know how that story came about?

The novel I'd written as the third in my three-book romantic comedy contract with Sourcebooks was deemed excellent, but "not the right next book for your career." My editor and I were struggling to see eye-to-eye on what the right next book would be, and I was frustrated, exhausted, and—I’ll admit it—as close as I’ve ever been to throwing in the towel.

“You need to take a break and write something fun,” my agent told me. “Something to remind you why you started writing in the first place.”

She suggested I try my hand at a short novella for Entangled’s Flirt line. “Just 10,000 to 15,000 words,” she coaxed. “You can do that.”

So I sat down and thought about the things that make me happiest. Gourmet cooking. Yoga. Standup paddleboarding. Tater Tots. Sex. Men with facial hair. Sunshine. Risqué humor.

I smushed it all together and took off running with a story about a yoga instructor with secret cravings and a hot gourmet chef with a habit of putting his foot in his mouth. The story flowed easily, and I finished Eat, Play, Lust in record time. More importantly, I found myself in love with the writing process again.

So that’s the behind-the-scenes story of how a lighthearted romantic comedy novella was born from the ashes of something not all that lighthearted or comedic.

Questions about my writing journey or general sanity? Leave ‘em in the comments, and I’ll be happy to answer!


September 2 Spotlight
http://literarynook.com/

September 2 Review

Chill Reviews Blog
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September 3 Guest blog and review
Faerie Tale Books
www.faerietalebooks.org

September 4 Guest blog

Fangs, Wands &Fairy Dust
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September 4 review

Musings From An Addicted Reader 
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September 5 Guest blog

Victoria's Gossip
http://victoriasgossip.com/blog/

September 5 Spotlight and review

Butterfly-o-Meter Books
http://butterfly-o-meter.com/

September 5 review

Random Reviews by Leanne 
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September 5 review

Meredith's Musings 
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September 6 Interview (review)

Paranormal Romance Fans for Life
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September 9 Interview

Books Books The Magical Fruit
Http://booksbooksthemagicalfruit.blogspot.com

September 9 Spotlight

Book Suburbia 
www.booksuburbia.com

September 10 Guest blog
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
www.creativelygreen.blogspot.com

September 11 Interview (review)

Snarky Mom Reads….
www.snarkymomreads.com

September 12 Spotlight 

http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/

September 13 Guest blog

Ex Libris – 
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September 13 Spotlight and review

Brooke Blogs
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Eat, Play, Lust
Tawna Fenske

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, Flirt Imprint

Date of Publication: 8/26/13

ISBN: 978-1-62266-245-6

Number of pages: 57

Book Description:

Cami Pressman is a yoga instructor with a lifelong secret love of junk food. Not even an irresistible man can replace the mouthwatering wickedness of her favorite foods.

Until, that is, Paul Hammond signs up for her class. He’s a gourmet chef looking to score some fitness tips, and a date with Cami. Suddenly Cami’s lust for junk food isn’t the only thing making her tingle.

When this sinful chef and hot yoga teacher eat, play, and lust together, they just might bring their obsession to a new level.

* Tawna will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Eat, Play, Lust to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation.


About the Author:

Tawna Fenske traveled a career path that took her from newspaper reporter to English teacher in Venezuela to marketing geek to PR manager for her city’s tourism bureau. An avid globetrotter and social media fiend, Tawna is the author of the popular blog, Don’t Pet Me, I’m Writing, and a member of Romance Writers of America.

She lives with her gentleman friend in Bend, Oregon, where she’ll invent any excuse to hike, bike, snowshoe, float the river, or sip beer along the Bend Ale Trail. She’s published several romantic comedies with Sourcebooks, including Making Waves and Believe it or Not, as well as the interactive fiction caper, Getting Dumped, with Coliloquy.









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Sudden Sexual Awakening – A True Story – by Kathy Lyons



I wasn’t going to write about this.  Seriously, I wasn’t. But enough people have asked after the publication of One Night in the Spa that I’ve decided to come clean.

Yes, I was a racquetball pro–for 2 weeks–and then I blew my knees. I didn’t even fill out the paperwork, so technically, I suppose I wasn’t at the pro level. But I competed in pro divisions and in my mind, I was there. I’d spent years training, practicing, and climbing in the amateur levels. And then–pop–bye bye knees. Well, not exactly. There were warning signs that I tried not to ignore, but I was ambitious and I love the game. So when they finally blew, I was a very sad woman. Here’s a picture of me playing recently. Not at my peak, but it’s me!

Back to my embarrassing past. There I was, after years of constant training, forced to sit on my ass and not do anything. Well, nothing that could use my knees. I could eat, which I did a lot. I could read romance novels, which I definitely did a lot. And I suddenly had time to fantasize. Not about the perfect racquetball kill, not about getting a few more hours of sleep or about living pain-free, but actual sexual fantasies. Um...wow.

Before my injury, I’d never really looked at a man’s body except in terms of how it would perform. Not sexually, but athletically. After all, I competed against men all the time. I practically lived at the club and saw people lifting weights and working out. I learned to evaluate good form in squats or restricted rotations. It wasn’t until after I was sitting weeks on my butt that I saw Joe Lando (Sully in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) take off his shirt and HUBBA HUBBA! Suddenly I was thinking sex. Not, gee, I wonder how much he has to train to get those pecks. Not, he’d have trouble swinging a racquet at full power. But, wow, what would it be like to have that guy... um, well, you get the idea.

Holy moly, I was horny. It’s like my body built to 30% body fat (I’d spent years at 21%), and whammo–the hot-to-trots hit hard. Now here’s the shocker. I was married and had two kids already. I’d already experienced love and sex, but suddenly my sexual interests were turbo-charged. Yowza! All those hot guy pictures I put on my FB page? Yeah, I didn’t start looking until after Joe Lando.

So there you go.  One Night in the Spa is based on my personal experience. I’m blushing, but it’s true, though Kim’s experience in the story is more extreme than mine. I’ve confessed, so I’m going to go back to hunting for hot guys to post on facebook. And in the meantime, please tell me if you think I’m nuts or if you know whereof I speak...


One Night in the Spa
Kathy Lyons

Publisher: Entangled: Ever After

August 26, 2013

Print Length: 74 pages

ASIN: B00EGJE2WS

Book Description:

What starts out as a simple massage treatment for spa manager David’s best friend Kim, turns into a night of seduction and sexual discovery.

Always relegated to the friend zone, David is determined to show Kim what she’s been missing…one erogenous zone at a time. Sure, their friendship is on the line. And sure, David’s hiding a motive larger than either him or Kim. But the second his hands touch her smooth skin, he just doesn’t care anymore.

Kim’s been so focused on the loss of her sports career that she’s had no time for romance or sex. But her response to David can’t be denied. Is it just that her body’s been missing out, or could her heart be involved too?

Amazon     BN

About the Author:

Kathy Lyons writes light, funny, sexy stories for Harlequin Blaze.  She loves the faster pace of category books and that her humor can shine through.

She leaves the dark, tortured love stories to her alter ego, USA TODAY bestselling author Jade Lee.

Visit them both on the web at www.kathylyons.com  or www.jadeleeauthor.com 





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Monday, September 9, 2013

Dangerous Pursuit by Margaret Daley







Dangerous Pursuit
The Protectors
Book One
Margaret Daley

Genre: romantic suspense

ISBN: 9781301248940
ASIN: B00E7HNG6M
BN ID: 2940148824664

Number of pages: 172
Word Count: 59,000 words

Cover Artist: Laura Marie Altom


Book Description:

Reading about danger never prepared Samantha Prince for the desperate phone call from her brother in Brazil that sent her from the safety of her New Orleans bookstore into the rugged, inhospitable Amazon in search of him and a hidden treasure. And reading about romance never prepared Samantha to resist the mysterious appeal of Brock Slader, a guide she hired to help her in her quest.

Alone with Brock in an alien world of orchids and anacondas, primitive headhunters and very up-to-date gunmen, she struggles to keep their relationship strictly business. Will Samantha survive the dangers in the jungle only to have her heart broken by a man who lives on the edge—no strings attached?

About the Author:

Margaret Daley, an award-winning author of eighty-four books, has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love.

When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her household.

To find out more about Margaret visit her website at http://www.margaretdaley.com.










Hot Flashes: The Drakkon Volume 1 by Leila Gaskin



September 9 Guest blog
Fang-tastic Books

September 10 review
Adrienne Woods Books and Reviews

September 11 Interview
Pembroke Sinclair.  

September 12 interview
Author Karen Swart

September 13 Guest blog
Reading In Twilight

September 16 Interview
Bia's Wonderland

September 16 Spotlight
Sapphyria's Book Reviews

September 17 guest post -
Eclipse Reviews

September 18 Interview
Musings and Ramblings   

September 19 Guest blog
Bookin' It Reviews

September 20 Interview
Roxanne’s Realm

September 23 Spotlight
Jody's Book Reviews & Giveaways

September 24 Guest blog
Guest Post

September 25 Interview and review
Ebook Escapes

September 26 Spotlight
elfie books

September 26 Spotlight
Wicca Witch 4 Book Blog

September 27 Spotlight and review
Faerie Tale Books

September 30 review
trips down imagination road

October 1 Spotlight

October 2 Interview
Dalene’s Book Reviews

October 2 Spotlight
Book Suburbia

October 3 Guest blog
Cloey's Book Reviews and Other Stuff

October 3 Spotlight and review
Mommasez...blog

October 4 Guest blog
Rose &Beps Blog - 

October 4 Spotlight
Share My Destiny

October 7 Interview
Butterfly-o-Meter Books

October 7 Spotlight
The Writerly Exploits of Mara Valderran




Hot Flashes
The Drakkon Volume 1
Leila Gaskin

Genre:  Urban Fantasy

Number of pages:  300
Word Count: 85,988

ISBN: 978-0615871851
ASIN: B00ER1W88U
Smashwords: 9781301209422

Cover Artist:  Tatiana Vila

Book Description: 

“Dragons do not exist.” Ella Hixson shrieked as the mythical beasts dive from the sky shredding her car with their impressively long talons and sending her careening across the road in an attempt to avoid the being flambéed. Escaping her car, she grasps the car door in order to prevent herself from tumbling down the slippery embankment. Pouring rain soaks Ella’s interview suit and her dress shoes as she searches the sky for the attacking beasts to find nothing but clouds heavy with their payload of rain.

Hallucinations, relationship destroying fights with her only surviving relative-her mother, and, thanks to a bodaciously bosomed, bottle-blond, jobless, Ella needs the universe to cut her a break.

Be careful what you wish for.

Circumstances conspire and Ella’s mundane existence evaporates when she discovers she is Drakkon, the hidden heir to an ancient dynasty, and she has an enemy who would see all the Drakkon race enslaved or dead.

No more ordinary days for Ella as she learns what it is to be Drakkon, tries to save a world she knows nothing about, and still be home in time to feed her dog.

About the Author:

Born on a dark and stormy night on the other side of the world from Richmond, VA, Leila Gaskin began a life full of imaginative wanderings. Inspired by her journey, Leila takes inspiration from the places she’s lived. She is the author of several short stories ranging from horror, speculative fiction, and science fiction. HOT FLASHES is her debut novel.

With her dog as her co-pilot and the cat as the navigator, Leila explores her world and tells her stories.


Twitter: @leilagaskin



GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/Leila_Gaskin
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