I’ll be signing books this weekend in Ohio! Shiloh Walker, Susan Gable, Holly Jacobs, Tori Carrington, Carol Ann Erhardt, Tom Schafer, Georgia Evans, PJ Grondin and Sandy Wickersham-McWhorter will be there as well!
Multiple authors signing books Saturday at Book Exchange downtown!
The Book Exchange at 136 Madison St, Port Clinton, Ohio
00I know that I’ve featured Diego Stocco on my blog before with his Music from the Tree video but I had to stop and give him the spotlight once more. This guy is so talented that I find myself at a loss for words (and I write books for a living so that is saying something). Check out his Music from Sand video and tell me that you don’t agree with me.
Diego Stocco – Music From Sand from Diego Stocco on Vimeo.
To learn more about him visit here
00Romance author Geri Krotow handed President Obama a romance novel for her wife. Click here to read more about it (nice write up).
00The boys had National Rimfire Sporter Match with their CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program) this past weekend. Here are a couple of pics from it.
Private First Class Bencke, PFC Toots & PFC Rogers–all there to lend a hand.
00Its that time of the week again. This week for the Saturday Snippet we’ll be doing Openings. 
Here is the opening from my book Somber Resplendence
Prologue
Aland flashed into the locker room of the dance studio, Sirius, his best friend and brother-at-arms, near his side. They’d been on the hunt for a group of renegade Constellaziogēn warriors. Men who ignored the rules set in place by their king long ago. The renegades didn’t care that they were hurting, stealing and even killing human women. All that mattered to them was finding a mate, someone to sate their needs and spend their seed in with the hopes of reproducing. Whether or not that female was willing and was truly destined to be theirs was secondary. They hunted for women with psychic gifts, born under the same astrological sign as the legion in which the warrior served. Their actions sickened Aland. While he didn’t exactly believe humans were the be-all and end-all, he did respect their lives and understand their value to the way of things. They were part of the natural order. A balance needed to keep all realms healthy and happy.
The stench of a renegade was all around them. Tainted power and magik almost always accompanied the ones who had grown too bold, who thought themselves untouchable as did the main one they hunted now.
Xipil.
It was the renegades who still worried about being caught who proved the hardest to track. They bothered to cover their energy signature and looked for new ways to sneak paste the Gatekeepers undetected.
Blinding white light from a portal caused them both to lift their hands to shield their faces. Between the smell, the light and the strumming of power in the air around them, it was evident someone had opened an unauthorized portal. Not only that, they’d done so in a location that did not naturally lend itself to one. The physics of their society were far more advanced than that of humans. Even so, a heavy amount of constellation appreciation, knowledge and magik was required. To open a portal in a spot ill-equipped for one meant the person was desperate. They were unstable at best. While they wouldn’t do much in the way of damage to the surrounding area, they weren’t something Aland would willingly pass through—not if he wanted to come out the other side totally intact. This lot apparently didn’t care about safety.
Catching sight of Sirius, Aland reached out, nudging his friend. “Where’s Phoebe?” he asked, concern for his friend’s mate first and foremost on his mind.
The sound of a male voice drifted to them. It was coming from the other side of the locker room. “Tell me, Phoebe, when is the last time you visited your sister?”
“What’s wrong with Sidney?” Phoebe asked, her voice tight.
Sirius reacted first, rushing in the direction of his mate’s voice. Aland followed closely behind. Xipil, the renegade, had betrayed his own kind by trying to take what wasn’t rightfully his—a mate. He and others like him had orchestrated abductions all over the area the media was now dubbing the Zodiac Zone. So far, Xipil was the only renegade stupid enough to make another go at Phoebe.
“Nothing,” Xipil said. “Other than the fact she foolishly separated herself from you on purpose. With no mate present, and two powerful females in one location, you were like a beacon to us. She sensed this.”
Aland and Sirius slowed their pace, using a row of lockers as cover. If Xipil knew they’d arrived, he’d do something rash, like kill Phoebe. Sirius motioned to Aland to move around and flank Xipil from the other side. With a nod, Aland did as instructed, drawing upon his natural-born powers along the way.
“She even managed to keep us at bay,” Xipil said, still talking with Phoebe. Aland was confused as to who the “she” of the matter was but he held his questions for a later date. “There is even word that she managed to reach a Gatekeeper, summoning him forth to aid in protecting you.”
“What do you want from me?” Phoebe demanded. “You have to realize that I’m not about to run off into the sunset with you, and that my husband will kill you when he gets his hands on you.”
Aland slipped into position and let his magik trickle out and through the locker room in search of Sirius. When it found him, he formed a mental link with his long-time friend. It wasn’t something that could be done all the time between males who weren’t blood related but it was something that could be done in short bursts.
Your mate is in my line of fire, he pushed with his mind. Get her to go to the floor.
Xipil picked that moment to point at the television in the upper corner of the locker room. It sat just above Aland’s current hiding place. He stepped into the shadows more to get a better look at what the renegade was doing. The channel on the television changed. An image filled the screen, one Aland knew wasn’t being broadcast from anywhere other than Xipil himself. It was something he was determined to show Phoebe.
Three young girls appeared. One he recognized instantly as Phoebe as a child. Another he reasoned to be her cousin Heather. The third was one he’d not yet met but his deductive skills told him it was most likely Sidney, Phoebe’s sister—who now resided in a mental ward.
While too young for him, the girl was breathtakingly beautiful. It was easy to see she would grow up to be stunning. Something about her caused an odd pulling sensation to occur behind Aland’s navel. He tried to rip his gaze from the image of Sidney, but couldn’t.
A dog ran in a circle around the three girls as they played. Sidney bent, helping Phoebe tie her shoes.
“You were destined to be one of us,” Xipil said to Phoebe as she too watched the television screen, seeming as captivated as Aland was.
“The others, the Gatekeepers, do not see what we see,” Xipil continued. “The resistance knows the truth. You and the others like you, Phoebe, are more than connected to us. You’re not human like the others wish to believe. See for yourself.”
The image continued to play out on the screen. The girls all had chalk and were drawing upon the sidewalk. Phoebe near her sister, giving instructions on how best to draw symbols human children should know nothing about.
They were symbols meant for travel between the realms. Symbols used by his people.
Sidney glanced at Heather, giving a small sigh. “How long do you think she’s going to keep making us draw the same thing?”
Heather laughed. “You don’t want to know.”
“You’re not putting all of them on there again,” Phoebe protested, her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. “Why?”
Pushing her long black hair from her face, Sidney stared out from blue eyes, seeming annoyed with the child. “Because you just keep making up new ones so I have to draw more.”
“No I don’t,” Phoebe said. “Lynx is real. It’s just not as old as most of them. But it’s really up there. It’s another gate point. A secret one. Don’t tell anyone that it’s a gate point too because they’ll know I visit and they’ll get mad.”
Sidney and Heather stared at one another. “What do you mean ‘visit’?” Sidney forced a smile to her face as she centered her focus on her sister. “Phoebe, please tell me you’re just making up more stories.”
“What?” Heather asked, nudging Sidney lightly. “You don’t believe her, do you? I mean, no one can…” She seemed to ponder something for a moment, biting at her lower lip before speaking once more, “What if I told you I dreamed about this constellation?”
“Ooo, want to go for real? Here.” Putting her tiny arms out in the air, Phoebe began to twirl. Flower petals appeared out of nowhere, floating about the girls’ heads. Sidney and Heather raced toward Phoebe.
“Phoebe, stop!” Sidney pleaded. “They’ll sense you! They’ll come and steal you like Daddy said they would. Stop!”
“But don’t you want to see it?” the younger version of Phoebe asked. “It’s very pretty. It’s like when we go to stay at great-grandma’s house. Lots of trees, birds, really big birds. I saw a purple one before. Honest-to-Gods purple.”
Renegade warriors filled the screen, converging on the girls. One grabbed Phoebe and the dog bit the warrior’s arm, causing him to release the young girl. Sidney and Heather lunged for her, grabbing her and then tumbling into a heap. The renegades continued to come for them.
Pushing her way to the top of the pile, Sidney glared at the men, as if daring them to make another move. They did and when she spoke, it was with the native tongue of his people. Her words, loosely translated, were a call to open a portal to another realm. Aland couldn’t look away. Never had he seen any female, let alone a human one, do something such as that.
The renegade warriors were sucked through the portal quickly. A terrified Phoebe clung to her cousin all the while Sidney remained calm and collected. She whispered something softly, again in Aland’s native tongue. “Forget that which you have witnessed upon this day. I shall take the memories, the fear and the knowledge of this with me to my death for it is my duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”
The words were ones that would be spoken by ancient warriors. They weren’t ones said by a human child who was barely in her teens. The image faded to black and Aland almost foolishly revealed his location in hopes of seeing more of Sidney. How dare the renegade drag up memories best left forgotten. How dare he know anything about events that had obviously taken a toll on not only Phoebe but her sister as well—a female Aland felt an unnatural pull toward.
“Do you know what she did for you, Phoebe?” Xipil questioned.
Aland wanted to level the man but Phoebe was still in the way.
“Of course not,” Xipil said. “She cast a memory spell on you and Heather. She did it so you could both still sleep at night. Though in doing so, she isolated herself, never able to talk about what had happened, what she knew was going to happen.” He took a step toward her. “You see, Phoebe, your sister was well aware we would keep coming for you all. She shouldered that burden on her own to allow you, the baby girl, to live without fear. It drove her mad. You drove her mad.”
Phoebe shook her head. “No. I didn’t drive Sidney crazy. I didn’t. Did I?”
“Come. I can fix her, Phoebe.” Xipil extended his hand. “I can make Sidney whole again. All you have to do is agree to come with me. To join me.”
Phoebe got down fast. Aland struck without warning, as did Sirius, thrusting their power out and above Phoebe’s body. Xipil tumbled backward. A fellow renegade appeared, this one bearing scars on his arms.
Phoebe rose slowly, her attention fixed on the newcomer. Anger radiated off her in powerful waves.
He gave a lecherous smile. “Xipil, she is even more glorious than you said.” He took a step toward her and she laughed. “You think me funny, human?”
“Very,” Phoebe replied.
The scarred renegade blinked away only to reappear directly in front of Phoebe, blocking Aland’s clear shot of him. “I visit your sister often, Phoebe,” he said. “Shall I tell you what I do to her while she’s strapped down?”
White-hot hate filled Aland. For a moment, the only sound he heard was that of his heart thumping in his ears. He clenched his fists, his power coursing through his veins at the thought of Sidney being hunted by the renegade. All too easily Aland could picture her being tormented by the man.
He snarled, the desire to kill great.
Much to Aland’s surprise, Phoebe took matters into her own hands, delivering a wicked kick to the groin. “What have you done to my sister, asshole?”
“Well done, Phoebe,” Xipil said, clapping. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to take down a Constellaziogēn even when you are one yourself? I find it nearly impossible to believe one as young as you can do it. Had I not seen it with my own eyes I would not have believed it.”
The scarred warrior made a move for her again.
Phoebe surprised Aland more by tapping into gifts he wasn’t aware she possessed. She locked the scarred warrior in power, holding him in place. He tapped the force-field surrounding him. “I sensed this in you when you were just a child,” he said. “I knew. I told the others that you and the other girls were more than just human. I bet you’re as sweet to taste as your sister. I bet your—”
Aland roared, his magik breaking free of him. He lost himself in the moment, the primal need to kill the man who had dared to harm Sidney all consuming. He gave in. The room shook as a ball of yellow light shot forth from Aland. It struck the scarred renegade, going through Phoebe’s power, circling him, causing pain the likes of which the man had never known before.
Aland walked with purpose out from his position behind the locker, his gaze never leaving the scarred renegade. “What did you do to Sidney?”
“N-nothing. I-I swear,” the man said, stumbling over his words. “She doesn’t let anyone near her. S-she’s powerful.”
“You’re lying!” Aland shouted, thrusting additional power at the man. “What the fuck did you do to her? You had no right to look upon her, let alone touch her! No right!”
Aland’s magik continued to do as it pleased. It wanted to exact revenge. So did he.
Doing nothing to stop it, Aland watched through narrowed eyes as a funnel-shaped white portal opened directly behind the enemy. It was not his doing. This portal was forced open by Sirius as he thrust Xipil through it. Aland stared down at the scarred man as he prepared to deliver a killing blow.
Sirius rushed toward him, shaking his head. “Aland, don’t do this. Send him to the King’s dungeons to await trial. Killing him isn’t the answer.”
“He hurt Sidney,” Aland whispered, pain lancing his chest.
“You know my sister?” Phoebe questioned, sounding surprised.
Sirius grunted, his gaze still on Aland. “You can’t help her if you’re being held on charges by the King.”
His friend was right. Aiding Sidney would be impossible if he was sitting in one of the king’s cells. Pulling back on his power slightly, he tapped into Sirius’ residual energy, opening another portal. He kicked the scarred warrior through it, waiting until he was sure there could be no hope of rescue before forcing the portal closed at its midpoint.
If Sirius asked, Aland would tell his friend what he’d want to hear—that he’d sent the renegade to a cell in one of the king’s dungeons. The truth of the matter was far more grim.
The renegade was dead.
Nothing could survive a portal being terminated in mid-stream. Aland would risk the wrath of his king if it meant Sidney was safe. He turned to stare at the now-blank television screen.
One thought held firm.
She’s my mate and she needs me.
The image flickered and this time his magik latched onto it, causing his mind to see the truth of the matter. She was indeed all grown now and alone. For a split second Aland was positive Sidney’s soul called to his. He lost his footing and stumbled, catching himself with a hand to the wall. With a ragged breath, he gathered his wits about him and pulled his power back into himself. Soon, he’d make his move. Very, very soon.
Check out the following authors openings
Beth Williamson
Cynthia Eden
Elisabeth Naughton
Eliza Gayle
Jaci Burton
Jody Wallace
Kelly Maher
Lacey Savage
Lauren Dane
Marissa Scott
McKenna Jeffries
Michelle Pillow
Moira Rogers
Sasha White
Shelley Munro
Sylvia Day
Taige Crenshaw
TJ Michaels
Victoria Janssen
00This is a GREAT write up about the alternatives to photoshop. Check it out.
00This, by far, is one of the coolest vids I’ve ever watched. I’m a HUGE lover of music of all shapes and sizes. I can now at tree music to the list.
Diego Stocco – Music From A Tree from Diego Stocco on Vimeo.
To see and read more about this extremely talented young man, visit here
00
Here is a peek at a few of the new covers I’ve done
00Paranormal Payload by Mandy M Roth
Prologue
Sevan moved slightly, getting a better angle on the beauty below him. Lorelei had haunted his dreams now for months and although he’d come to understand that he’d wake to find his sleep quarters empty and the raven-haired goddess below him only a memory, he still caressed her tenderly. For the time being, she was his and he’d use that to his full advantage. He circled her bellybutton with his tongue as he looked up the length of her perfect body. Letting his eyes linger over her ample breasts and dark nipples, he could find no imperfection.
The Fates themselves must have taken pity on him. Loving someone wasn’t an option for him or others like him—the ones who carried the tiniest bits of supernatural DNA. Thankfully, Sevan’s blood carried so little that the Commission’s screening didn’t catch it. Only he and his family knew. If he dared to take a woman as his wife and attempted to have children, no one could be certain how much, if any of his gifts they’d receive. Already one of his cousins who had even fewer traits than Sevan had given birth to a son who could shift forms, leaving him no choice but to go into hiding. Even if he found a woman who didn’t want children, he’d never be able to explain away some of his oddities. Like how at random times when under extreme stress, his eyes tended to shift colors. The irony was, he wanted everything he couldn’t have. A wife. Children. A family.
Hiding under the Commission’s nose was the best place to be. If the Commission ever learned of his ancestry they would court-martial him if he was lucky. Death would be the alternative.
Now, coming upon the phase in his life where he wanted a family more than life itself, he daydreamed about his mate, what she would look like, who she might be. It was then that the dreams of Lorelei began. No part of Sevan believed she was truly the one for him. No. She was too perfect. Too beautiful. Too glorious to be real. He now looked forward to sleeping in hopes of dreaming of her. So far, in the six months since the dreams began he and Lorelei had been together each and every night.
Licking his way down her flat stomach, Sevan stopped when he reached the thin, well-maintained strip of black hair covering her mound. He parted Lorelei’s slit, revealing her pink bud and smiled wickedly. “Baby, you’re gorgeous. The sight of you all spread out before me makes my dick so hard that I can’t stand it.”
“Please, Sevan,” she whispered.
He couldn’t help but smile at Lorelei’s soft pleas for more. This woman his mind had created was so far beyond faultless that it was immeasurable. The idea of waking and losing even a second with her terrified him. Inching lower, Sevan dropped his head down and captured her clit, flicking his tongue back and forth over it.
She inched up on the bed, doing her best to try to escape him. Knowing that she loved when he did it, Sevan continued, hooking his arms around her thighs and pulling her to him. He licked, sucked and caressed her, bringing about tiny gasps and sweet moans from her lips.
“Please.”
Sevan sucked gently. His heart beat wildly. He knew she wanted him in her but he wanted her to come first. Her happiness meant everything to him. Of course, his need to please her was part selfish as well. When she came he was able to lick it, taste it, enjoy it coating his tongue as he shared in her joy, forever committing it to memory. Sliding a hand around, he inserted a finger into her tight channel as he continued to run his tongue over her clit.
Lorelei cried out and laced her fingers in his hair. The knowledge that she was close to hitting her peak spurred him on. He increased his pace and added a second finger. The moment her legs drew together, effectively clamping his head, he knew she’d reached culmination. Her pussy convulsed around his fingers and cream trickled freely from her. Sevan’s dick jerked painfully, needing to find solace in her—and soon.
Crawling up the bed quickly, Sevan took hold of his rigid cock and aligned it with her heated core. He entered, instantly burying himself to the hilt. He prayed silently that the dream not end, that he not wake before he had a chance to do everything he wanted to do to her and so very much more.
Lorelei bucked beneath him, grabbing hold of his ass and pulling him to her. He increased his thrusts. Her body took hold of his, fisting his shaft as he worked in and out of her. It was heavenly. Every dream always was. It was as though Lorelei was made especially for him. His subconscious had created a woman so perfect that no woman in his waking hours could compare to her. Sadly enough, he doubted that even his true mate would measure up next to Lorelei and the place she’d taken in his heart.
“Do you like that, baby?” he asked, already knowing she did.
Nodding her head, Lorelei bit her lower lip and stared up at him with eyes so blue they didn’t look natural. The walls of her pussy grabbed him and held his cock in her as she came again. This time Sevan joined her, pushing down and locking to her tight. Unable to stop himself, Sevan gave in and emptied his seed deep within her, filling her to the point she couldn’t possibly hold it all.
Lorelei’s grip on him loosened slowly, making way for tiny caresses. She ran her hands through his hair and hugged him, giving him the reassurance he needed that she was still there. “Thank you.”
http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/paranormal-payload
Check out prologues from these other great authors too!
http://www.laurendane.com
http://www.jaciburton.com
http://www.bethkery.com
http://mandyroth.com/blog/
http://michellepillow.com/blog/
http://myblog.bethwilliamson.com/
00Buy from MBaM!
Read An Excerpt Online
Genre: Romantic SciFi-Futuristic, Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 978-1-60504-615-0
Length: Novella
Price: 3.50
Publication Date: July 2, 2009
Cover art by Natalie Winters
Destiny lies along an uncharted course…
Project Exorcism, Book 1
Long ago, the Commission thought it had succeeded in ridding Earth of all supernatural beings. They were dead wrong. The supernaturals have not only survived the cold reaches of space, they have thrived. And grown more powerful.
Commission Captain Sevan Vasil has enough problems without the strange, erotic dreams that seem to be his mind’s version of a cruel joke. No woman could be that perfect a lover…except perhaps a mate. That’s the joke—no woman alive would dare answer a lion-shifter’s call. Until sassy, raven-haired Lorelei Janelle appears on his communication screen. The familiar face and angelic voice are straight out of his dreams.
Lorelei’s gut tells her not to let Sevan’s damaged vessel anywhere near her uncharted planet, but her hormones overrule her head. The all-too-cocky, all-too-sexy captain is all she ever wanted—and everything it’s not safe to have. Getting him and his crew safely off the planet before the planet’s ruling vampire sorcerer awakes will be nip and tuck.
Getting Sevan out of her heart…impossible.
This book has been previously published and has been revised from its original release.
Warning: Contains an entirely-too-full-of-himself alpha male, a vixen who is out of this world and a bad guy you love to hate.
http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/paranormal-payload
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