Monday, December 31, 2018

Happy New Years! Here's a sneak peek at what's coming soon!



Happy New Years Eve, everyone!

Well, another year has come and gone and so many things have changed, yet stayed the same. This passed year I have written over 400,000 words put out 12-15 books, some full length, some not so much.

It's also been a roller coaster of a year with more ups than downs.

I don't really like to make resolutions. With my ADHD brain, half the time everything I want to do and what truly happens are two vastly different things. It's just added stress I don't need for the time being.

But I will promise you this, there will be more of mine and Michele's Apache County Shifter series. In fact, we have written a Valentine's short for our TSU After Dark series. We are still working on Rapier, which is about 60k in, and what I would like to share with you today,  Entrapped. The second book of our Leaving the Past Behind series. After that, it's a toss up. I'll have to keep you posted on the rest.

So, until I see you all next year, here is a sneak peek of Entrapped.

Enjoy!

TL


The door closed behind her. “Who was that?”
Her heart lodged in her throat. “No one for you to concern yourself with.”
Charisma gathered her strength and headed into the bedroom. She found her suitcases in their closet and began throwing her shit into them, uncaring of what went where. It didn’t really matter; the clothes wouldn’t fit her much longer anyway. Thankfully, she had a well-padded bank account thanks to the generosity of her father. Buying clothes and supplies for her or the baby would never be a concern.
“Hey now, what’s this?”
She glanced up at her mate and saw the confusion in his eyes. The way he looked as though he’d lost his best friend should have torn her apart. Instead, the resolve deep within her built. Charisma Winters was doing the right thing. Later she’d grab her personal belonging like books and pictures.
She grabbed more of her clothes from the dresser and put them into her case. “I am going to help Penelope for a few days. She’s in need of some sister time. Since you find it convenient to continue to leave me, though you’ve supposedly told me the truth, this should make it easier on you to be ‘undercover’.”
Royce growled. “I have always told the truth, Charisma. I’ve never lied.”
“Is that before or after you took this job without telling me?” She cocked a brow before showing him her back. She pulled more of her things from the drawers. “I have to admit, you’re pretty smooth with the whole soulful puppy routine, but when it comes down to it, you’re just a dog.”
“I deserve that,” he said, crossing to her. “I deserve all of your venom. I assumed by me explaining the situation, it would ease your mind. I miscalculated.”
She snorted. “You think?” She hurried into the bathroom and grabbed all of her shower stuff. “It must feel good to believe you’re so convincing, you can dupe your mate whenever you feel like it.”
He shook his head. “No, Oasis, it doesn’t. I hate this. I hate how you look at me. I hate how you’re pulling away from me. I hate the fact nothing I am saying or doing is convincing you, I’m sorry.”
She dropped everything into the bag then zipped it up. “Well, sorry doesn’t cut it anymore. I have wasted three years of my life hoping I’d be given a sign things were going my way. Now, I’m making my own.” She carried the bag out of the room and wondered, probably not for the last time, if she should be carrying anything.
“What are you talking about, Charisma?” He grabbed her arm, tugging her back into his arms. The bag she held slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.
“I don’t know how much plainer I need to be about this, Royce Raferty, but I am leaving to go stay with Penelope and Saber. They at least will welcome me. At least there I am needed and won’t be ignored.”
“Charisma, baby, please tell me who called you. Is that why you’re upset? Did someone call and say something to you?”
“Why, Royce, what would anyone tell me that would leave you feeling guilty?” The sweetness in her voice made her sick. If she hadn’t wretched up the contents of her stomach a couple of hours ago, she would have then.
“Nothing. I told you, my dick is yours. Only yours. You’re my mate. I can’t go around fucking whoever I want to, and I don’t want to anyway.” He ran his fingers through his hair then gave the short locks a tug. “You’re scared. I asked because your heart is beating fast. I thought someone tried to harm you.”
She laughed. “Who’d want to harm me? I’m the fat cow, remember.”
His blue eyes turned a shade of chilling ice-blue. His lip curled as he growled. When they first started this ill-fated mating, he’d walk her to and from her classes, watching over her like a dutiful boyfriend. There were some who made sounds of approval and then those who mooed at her or talked shit behind her back. Brooklyn and her bitch friends had been the instigators of it. Tearing her down bit by bit, until Charisma began taking her classes online to avoid the hell of community college. The only time she saw Marie was when they were in the orphanage and, even then, their time together was limited.
“Fuck them,” Royce snarled. “Fuck all of them.”
Again, another pang of jealousy reared its ugly head. “You already did. Everyone knows the legends of the Raferty and Dryer families around here. You’re all lotharios. You all could fuck knots in trees if you knew it was legal. Spare me your disdain. Spare me your avenger complex, Royce. You can’t save everyone, and you’re sure as hell not going to save me. I’ll do it myself.”
Disbelief filled his features before he buried it. Could she have been wrong this whole time? Could her self-image issues cloud what stood in front of her? She glanced up at Royce. No. Not in the least. Three years she played the role perfectly. She didn’t question, and she didn’t run away. She’d been right there, in this apartment, a dirty secret until he decided to tell his version of what the truth may be.
Nope, she hadn’t made the wrong decision. A sense of rightness filled her. The little pep talk she’d given herself while trying to find an apartment had been just what she needed to walk out the door.
“Charisma.” Pain and disbelief filled his voice. His eyes were red rimmed from unshed tears. She made a direct hit on everything she said, and a little voice in the back of her mind whispered, you broke him.
Yeah...well, pot meet kettle. He’d done it a long time ago. He finished smashing her to pieces when he pulled his little scenario of telling the truth. Like she would believe something so asinine. So unbelievable. Truth went a long way with her. He could have been up front about it from the very beginning, and she would have listened. Hell, she might have given him the benefit of the doubt. She might have helped him. She definitely would have kept his secret.
“Royce,” she said, trying to muster all the strength she could. “It’s for the best I leave. You have to pull off this job still. I can’t be here right now. I can’t even stand being around you or myself. I let you pull me down this rabbit hole, and now I need to find myself.”
He took a step toward her, and Charisma flinched. She’d never flinched before. Never tried to pull away from any of his affection. However, knowing now what he’d been doing... She had to go.
“I can’t do this if you’re not here when I come home,” he whispered. “Don’t you understand? You’re the reason it’s easier to do this job. Coming home to you, even when I feel the guiltiest, eases the ache in my heart.”
“Well, you should have thought about what you were doing to me on all those nights I spent here alone. All those nights I cried myself to sleep. You were out pretending to care more for a fake girlfriend than you ever cared for me.” She wrapped her palm around the suitcase handle and stepped around him. “Goodbye, Royce.”

Entrapped will be available on Jan. 9th 2019.

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Celia's Favorite #Holiday #Recipes

Holiday Greetings, Dear Decadent Diva Readers!

I hope you're having a wonderful holiday season. To close out the year and the last holiday celebration, I'm sharing two of my favorite special occasion recipes with you today. They appeared in the blogosphere around this time least year, and here they are again, so you can enjoy them as much as my family does. Bon appetit and happy new year! xo, Celia

  Holiday Spritz Cookies

our holiday spritz cookies

Recipe compliments of my mother. Requires cookie press.

3/4 cup regular sugar (some recipes call for “powdered”, but mom swears by regular!)
1 cup margarine, or butter, or shortening (mom uses shortening; I use butter. Both are delish.)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a bowl, mix together margarine (or butter or shortening), sugar, vanilla, egg until fairly fluffy.
3. Stir in flour, salt, baking powder.
4. Optional: separate dough into bowls, add food dye of your choosing (see photo).
5. Fill cookie press; press dough onto ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes.
7. Remove from sheet and cool on cookie rack.
8. Eat. All. The. Cookies!

  Holiday Caramels

Recipe compliments of my grandmother.

1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups white sugar
2 cups white Karo Syrup
1 stick of butter (1/4 lb.)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Mix together the first three ingredients (milk, sugar, syrup) in a large bowl.
2. Melt the butter in a large heavy kettle, pour in the mixture and bring to a boil.
3. Stir continuously while mixture boils until it reaches the temperature of 245 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer (can take up to 25 minutes).*
4. Once the 245-degree temperature is reached, remove kettle from stove.
5. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, then pour mixture onto a large buttered cookie sheet or flat pan.
6. Cut into pieces, wrap with plastic wrap or your candy covering of choice (or eat All The Candy, LOL).

*Note: If mixture overcooks, candy gets too hard.

 

That's all for now, Dear Readers. Have a great January! I'll see you back here on January 30th with some book fun!

xo,
Celia


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Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Finally ... It’s Boxing Day !!!


Not that it’s a big deal for anyone outside Canada, Britain, or other Commonwealth countries. The main reason I love Boxing Day is that it means the craziness of the Christmas holiday is over.

The presents have been exchanged, the massive amounts of food consumed (notwithstanding leftovers), and most of the company has gone home. Not all, but most.

A wonderfully lazy day looms ahead of me as I plan for gift returns, plot out the after-holiday sale shopping, and am perfectly happy with a toasted turkey and cranberry sandwich for supper. With any luck, there will be one last helping of broccoli casserole and a piece of sweet potato pie left as well.

Then, for supper, I’ll make my favorite post-holiday casserole ... Turkey Chalupa. For those still looking for something to do with the last of the roasted beast, I’m happy to share:

Turkey Chalupa Casserole

  • 1 bag of Frito chips, crushed (may substitute plain tortilla chips)
  • 2 cups diced leftover turkey
  • 1 16 oz container sour cream
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers (from a jar) (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon juice from jalapeno jar (for extra spicy, also very optional)
  • 2 cups shredded cheese (divided) (I use a 3-cheese blend or Tex-Mex)

Instructions:
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Lightly butter or spray a 13x9 pan
  3. Cover the bottom of pan with crushed Fritos (or substitute)
  4. Top with diced turkey
  5. In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, canned soup (do not dilute), and peppers. If adding juice, mix that in as well. Stir in half of the shredded cheese.
  6. Pour the sour cream/soup mixture evenly over the diced turkey
  7. Top with remaining cheese
  8. Bake for 40 minutes until cheese is bubbly and brown on top.
  9. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

~ ~ ~
Once the casserole is in the oven, I usually curl up with a good book and cup of coffee or tea and wait for the oven timer to ding!

If you’re looking for a new read that’s as spicy as my casserole, may I recommend Do You Want Me, a modern re-telling of the Grimm fairy tale, The Devil’s Sooty Brother.

Decorated war hero Reece Michaels agrees to go undercover in order to bring down the Irish Mob. In return, the civilian life he’s coveted for the past six years will be returned to him.

Hired by mob boss Sean O’Malley to protect his youngest son, Reece soon discovers the young man needs more protection from his own family than its enemies.

What Reece doesn’t count on is his instant attraction to the police chief’s beautiful and willing daughter. Abby Mackenzie is the younger sister of a woman with whom Reece once had a torrid affair. He’s determined to not give in to Abby’s come-hither ways. After all, one Mackenzie woman was more than enough.
~ ~ ~

A Sneak Peek


Reece sat at the end of the long, mahogany bar nursing two fingers of Scotch.

“The boss is finishing up with some family business,” the bartender told him.

“Thanks, Eddie. I’m in no hurry.” He tossed back another mouthful of the hot, amber liquid and turned on the wooden stool to survey the room. Besides Eddie, the middle-aged bartender, three other ‘associates’ of O’Malley’s camped out in different corners of the half-empty bar. Obviously, O’Malley’s wealth was not dependent on his drinking clientele.

The door to the back office opened and a young woman stepped over the threshold. She looked vaguely familiar. As discreetly as he could manage, given the lack of a crowd, he studied her face. She smiled at him and then walked slowly in his direction. The gentle sway of her slim hips drew his attention like a magnet.

“Reece Michaels?” Her voice, a husky mix of warm honey and expensive whiskey, literally melted over his name. “Is it really you?”

“Uh….”

She laughed softly and tossed her head, her auburn curls swishing from side to side, dusting her silk-clad shoulders. When she met his gaze, her amber eyes widened. “Abby. Abby Mackenzie. You know my sister Lily and, as an unwelcome result, my dad.”

The breath he’d held came out on a whoosh. “My, my, haven’t you grown up? And quite nicely, I might add.”

“And you look like crap.”

Laughter bubbled up in his chest, but he tamped it down. “Thanks, I think.”

She made a show of waving her hand in a circle in front of his face. “What’s with the scraggly beard and God-awful slicked-back hair? If I remember correctly, and I’m sure I do, you used to be good-looking, in a clean-cut sort of way.”

“And you used to have freckles and braces. We all change.”

~ ~ ~
Hopefully everyone is recovering nicely from whichever winter holiday they celebrate.

Due to other professional constraints, this will be my last column for the Decadent Divas. I wish all of the other contributors much success and the readers many happy days of health, wealth and good reading!

Nancy

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Merry Christmas from all the Divas by Jennifer Kacey


From all of us here at the Divas......


May your holiday season be filled with wonder and delight....AND LOTS OF SEX!!! :P


Decadently Yours,
Jennifer Kacey






http://www.jenniferkacey.com/books.html


Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her miniman in Texas and New York. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.

Friday, December 21, 2018

Happy Solstice

Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. It’s also known as Yule and is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. To ancient people, the seasons and weather played an important part of their lives. To drive away the dark, they would light bonfires to light the longest night of the year. The tradition of the Yule log is actually a pagan one. As is the cutting of mistletoe.


Many cultures would celebrate with food, drink, music, and stories. From here on, the days would get longer until the arrival of spring. Definitely something to celebrate.

And if you’re looking for something to read during these long winter nights, why not check out Drakon’s Tear, the latest book from my Blood of the Drakon series.


Drakon’s Tear
Blood of the Drakon, Book 6


Dying isn't an option. I've survived a kidnapping, and now I'm on the run from the Knights of the Dragon who want my gift. There's nothing a dragon loves more than treasure. I'm Abigail Owens, and I can sense gemstones. When I find myself drawn to a beautiful stone bracelet at a tiny shop in Moscow, I can't help but have it — even though I can sense it's power. But I didn't realize with this one decision I've just put myself in the middle of a war between the Knights and a Drakon.


I guess I'm just lucky like that.


The only person I trust even a little is Vasili Zima, which is weird since I’m not sure if he wants to kill me or protect me. I'm drawn to him in a way I hadn't thought possible, and he feels the same way, or he wouldn't be risking his life to help me. He's wanted by the bad guys just as much as I am, and staying with me, well, there's a hundred percent chance I'm about to get us both killed. But I will not be going down without a fight.



Buy Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K6F5WC8/
Entangled: https://entangledpublishing.com/drakon-s-tear.html
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drakons-tear-n-j-walters/1129819271
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/drakons-tear/id1441318340
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/drakon-s-tear
 
 


N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.
 

Visit me at:
Website: http://www.njwalters.com
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Group: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/awakeningdesires/info
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

 

Saturday, December 15, 2018

IDEAS FOR THE GIFT-CHALLENGED

I always like to post some of the most ridicul--er, unique gift ideas for the season in case people are at a loss as to what to get that special someone.

If you can answer yes to any of the following prerequisites for the recipient of your gift, then you've found your winner. 

You're welcome! 





Sub-zero temps? Check.
Zero vanity issues? Check.
Pirates of the Caribbean nostalgia? Check.





Cold Ass Syndrome? Check.
Pimpmobile? Check.
Barbie? Check.





Full of crap? Check.
Reminder that coffee has a laxative effect? Check.
No one else has this mug. Check.





Bigfoot? Check.
Ugly feet? Check.
Sumo wrestler? Check.





Preoccupation with all things phallic? Check.
Love/hate relationship with cat? Check.
Death wish? Check.



HAPPY HOLIDAYS!




Tiffany N. York believes everyone should receive at least one unique gift this season even if they've been naughty. You can visit her website at tiffanynyorkauthor.com

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Upstate New York by Jennifer Kacey

I just got back from my house in NY last night. I've had the house a year and I love it even more now than when I bought it. It's a split level that makes me feel nostalgic for my grandparents in OH who have long since passed.

It's quaint with a wood burning stove in the bottom level. It's live-able but with tons of things I'll get to update when my health stops being such a douche waffle.

Going there makes me so incredibly happy. Especially when I'm there with The Amazing Boyfriend. :P

It's truly one of my favorite places in the whole world.

So what's your favorite place if you had to choose just one???



Decadently Yours,
Jennifer Kacey






http://www.jenniferkacey.com/books.html


Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her miniman in Texas and New York. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.

Monday, December 10, 2018

Almost Time for #RitetoReign


Hey Witches!

What’s more decadent than a smoking boxset stuff with awesome stories of witchcraft and magic?

I'm ready to celebrate!

Releasing on Tuesday, Dec. 11 for .99 cents!

Rite to Reign: 

A Limited Edition Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Boxset


Something wicked this way comes
Tales of sorcery and mayhem
In these addictive tomes
With a pinch of danger
and fights for powers
You'll be lost within the pages
For hours and hours.
So one-click today
For stories happy and tragic
And lose yourself in royal magic.
Tales you'll want to read again and again.
Over twenty stories in the boxset of RITE TO REIGN.
One-click today, but beware – these highly addictive stories will have you under their spell.

Get Hopping!


Join in on the release-week fun with a giveaway hop, grand prizes and more. Nine stops, nine fabulous prizes. I’ll be giving away a red Kindle Fire. Start on my Facebook page at midnight PST.

Don't forget to enter the PAPERWHITE KINDLE GIVEAWAY over on the Rite to Reign Official Page >> 
http://bit.ly/2zRUgB3

A complete list of stops can be found here >> 
http://bit.ly/2Eosgce

The hop will run until December 17th - participating pages/authors are responsible for their individual giveaways and the distribution of prizes.


Want more? If you’re on BookBub, then you can enter to win a $50 gift card and goodies in the Winter Snowflake Giveaway: