Happy Halloween

Hi all,
Today is the last day to enter the contest. All you have to do is become a follower of the blog and make a comment. I will post the winner on Wednesday's blog.

Being in the festive mood today, tell me about any spooky encounters you have had in your life. My own story has to do with the best apartment hubbie and I ever had. (It was the best because it was the only one with a dishwasher. If you are a follower of the blog, you know my dream is to own a dishwasher.) The apartment was in a house built in 1812 and was supposed to be haunted. The hubs told me this after we signed the lease, of course. Everything seemed fine but every time I was alone in the apartment the stove alarm would beep and it only happened when I was alone. It didn't particularly scare me. One night, though, as it was beeping the foot of the recliner on which I was sitting on also flipped up causing me to spill my wine all over myself. I think I was more angry than scared, because what a waste of good Pinot Noir. So I screamed, "We can both live here. Don't bother me and I won't bother you." It must have done the trick because the beeping stopped. I didn't hear it again until the landlord sold the house and we were moving out. The oven started beeping when we started packing. Maybe "the ghost" was telling us goodbye.

What's your scary story?

Peace out,
MRD

Fated Mates Excerpt

Liz woke up with the sounds of waves crashing in her ears. Confident of the lack of beachfront property within her condo, she wondered what destiny had in mind for her now. She sat up looking around at her surroundings. Lying under a beautiful canopy tent draped with yards and yards of gauzy royal blue material swaying gently in the breeze, and keeping the rays of the sun from beating down on her body. Liz ran her hands over the bedding beneath her. It felt softer and smoother than the highest count Egyptian cotton sheets bought in Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

The beautiful beach reminded her of pictures of exquisite Caribbean beaches with turquoise waves and miles and miles of powdery white sand. The gentle breezes lightly ruffled her hair as she walked down the beach to the edge of the water which rose up to meet her feet, tickling her toes.

“Well, Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore,” she said looking up at a foreign sky with two moons in the distance.

“I must be dreaming. I read so much information about Serralia I’m dreaming about it in Technicolor. Damn! This is one realistic mother of a dream.”

Suddenly, her senses went on high alert. She didn’t know if the air around her had changed or if her body sensed another person behind her, but she knew she was no longer alone and somehow her mate stood behind her.

Two strong bronze hands slowly encircled her waist, pulling her gently back to into a lean, hard body. Liz sighed. This felt right. She snuggled deeper into the embrace. Nothing ever felt this right before. She could stand here in the safety of his arms forever.

“I’ve been waiting for you. I thought you would never get here,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry it took so long. I never let myself believe you existed.”

“I read your file.” The hands moving on her stomach stilled. “I’m sorry for what you had to go through alone. I would have been there for you if I had known.”

“I wouldn’t have been there if I had faith I would find you someday.” Dragon’s chest expanded letting her love and comfort wash over him. “So you know?”

“About everything that happened to you when you were taken prisoner? Yes, I know. I know you lost an eye and still wear an eye patch. I bet it makes you look rakishly handsome.”

She felt the chuckle in his chest before she heard it. The heat of his body warmed her back and aroused her body.

“I have never been told such a thing.”

“Well, I’m sure it does.”

She stroked the muscular forearms at her waist with light caresses. His body trembled behind her.

“We’ve never met in person, but I already feel connected to you. Is it normal?”

“The bonding happens when we are connected as mates. Normal. I don’t know. Right, yes.”

“Do you know about me?” she whispered.

“I know you are perfect.” He leaned down and sweetly kissed the top of her head.

Liz stilled, she might as well tell him about her marriage. She didn’t want any secrets between them.

“I was married before,” she blurted out nervously. “He was not a nice man. He hurt me, not only physically, but verbally too. It took a long time, but I left him.”

Dragon fully stilled behind her. All the wonderful stroking stopped. Her stomach dropped down to her feet. Shit! I’ve ruined this already. She knew her mistake of a marriage would follow her around for the rest of her life. She knew it.

“You don’t know how much pain it causes me to know how much pain you had to endure. I would gladly be tortured again if it meant taking it away from you. You never have to be afraid with me. I would sooner cut off my own arm than hurt a hair on this beautiful head.”

Liz nodded, the lump in her throat making any physical speech impossible.

“I realize it might be a while before you believe this, but it is true.”

“I do believe you. I don’t know why, but I do.”

“Good. Now, we can continue what we started here.”

Callused thumbs again stroked her stomach making it quiver and her pulse quicken. If this was what he could do to her body with only his thumbs, she might actually die from pleasure. She smiled thinking about what her obituary would say. Woman dies from having the most intense sexual experience of her life, then her brain stopped working; her body took over and went into overload.

Five Reasons to Love Dragon

I hope all of you are enjoying the Halloween Blog Hop. Remember, you can't win if you don't play. For my contest to win a free copy of Fated Mates and a $15 Amazon Gift Certificate, all you have to do is become a follower of my blog and make a comment. The winner will be announce in the Wednesday, November 2nd blog post.

Dragon is the hero in my book Fated Mates. Here are five reasons to love him. I know I do and hopefully you will to.

1. He is a scarred war hero. Let's face everyone loves a hero, especially one who puts themselves in danger for their country, or in Dragon's tale his planet.

2. He is dark and hard. He would sooner growl at you instead of smile but when he is around in Mate Liz, he is all gooey inside. His tough exterior melts for her.

3. Dragon is devoted. Liz doesn't have to worry if he'll ever stray. There is room for only one woman in his life and it's her. It's been fated by the Goddess.

4. He is sexy as hell!!!! He is a big sexy man with muscles upon muscles. His abs are the type you want to lick chocolate sauce off of. Yummy...

5. Dragon has a lot of sexy friends who want their stories told. So watch out for a lot more sexy Serralian men!!!!!

Peace out,
MRD

Halloween Blog Hop

Today kicks off a multi-author blog hop for Halloween. You have the opportunity to win prizes on every bloggers site.

To win with mine, please become a follower of my blog and leave a comment between today and Halloween. I will be posting each day, so the more you comment, the better chances are for you to win. I will be giving away a free copy of my book Fated Mates and a $15 dollar gift certificate to Amazon!

I will announce the winner on the Wednesday, November 1 blog. 

Check our the other author's and see what goodies they are giving away!

Happy Trick or Treating!!

MRD

Again!

Hi all,

Ever wonder about an author's secret cravings? Join me and other Secret Cravings Publishing authors and find out.

http://jeanjoachim.blogspot.com/

In typical "Marie" fashion (so much going on and head not screwed on straight), I think I am being interviewed over at Linda Kage's Blog. (Linda, if I got the date wrong I am truly sorry.) http://lindakage.blogspot.com/

I would have posted later but apparently the school district has blocked all sites deemed as "entertainment" with all of our computers. What can I say? That dreaded day job has got to go!!!

Peace out,
MRD

Guest Blogging

Hi all,
I am guest blogging. Come and play with me.

http://www.stinalindenblatt.com/2011/10/writing-book-isnt-hardest-part.html

Guest Blogging

Hi all,
Come over and visit me. The wonderful Nina Pierce invited me to do a guest blog over at her place today.


http://www.ninapierce.com/blog/

Have a great weekend,
MRD

New Contract

I received my second contract yesterday! Can I tell you it came at a time when I really needed it? It was a hell day at school, there was a consultant from our new reading program touring the school and watching instruction. So I played tour guide. The things these teachers pulled in front of this woman was actually astounding. One asked, as we sat down to watch her teach a reading group, "Do you want to see the program or what I normally do?" WTF!!! Seriously! Another teacher, who teaches from her chair constantly, I wonder if I removed all the chair, if she could still teach? Talked about how she didn't have a whiteboard to write on for her reading groups, while sitting in front of a wall, covered entirely with a whiteboard!!!!!! But, of course, she would have to get up off her ass to write on it! Sometimes I don't understand people!

Back to the contract, Irish Rising will be release in March because it's set in Ireland. It is a contemporary/fantasy novella about a mermaid's gift, a sexy pub owner, and an American romance writer. My publisher thought it was a really cute premise and loved it. The only thing she wanted me to work on was making Aiden sound more Irish with his dialogue. So this weekend, I'm going to be doing some investigating. Maybe reading some books or watching some movies where the main character is Irish. It was just a suggestion from her, it wasn't a deal breaker.

When I fill out the cover questionnaire, I'm going to have to be very specific. I don't like "cheese" unless it's paired with wine. I am super critical about covers. As a reader, if I don't like the cover, I won't read the blurb. So, in fact, there could be a huge number of books out there that I might love but because it doesn't have a good cover...

Peace out,
MRD

Reading again

Irish Rising is done for now and in the hands of my publisher. Let's have all things crossed that they'll like it and give me another contract!! If not, I hope at least they'll give me ideas on how to fix it and resubmit. Here's to hope!

Since I'm done with that book, I spent the weekend in one of the best ways possible. I spent it reading. In fact, I read four books this weekend and highly recommend all of them to you. They were:

Slade by Laurann Dohner
Valiant by Laurann Dohner
Mercury's War by Lora Leigh
Sweet Inspiration by Penny Watson

Sweet Inspiration is a new take on a Christmas story where not typical Santa has five sexy sons. This was the story about the oldest son Nicholas. He's torn between his love of baking (He runs the bakery.) and his duty to be the next Santa. Throw in a lovely baker who makes the best sugar cookies around and you have one heck of a story. Sweet Inspirations was a sweet convection that had you wishing you still believed in Santa, if only to meet one of his sexy sons! It was a great way to get lost in a book for a few hours. I also wanted to read this one before the next one in the series comes out next month. Can't wait!

Laurann Dohner is a favorite author of mine. I have many of her books. She tends to write them in series and for me as a reader, it has me jumping up and down. If I like the first book in the series than I'll bet you my Dunkin Donuts money that I'll buy the rest without even reading a blurb or excerpt. Her new series, New Species series, is about genetically altered humans. In a series of government experiments, human DNA has been spliced with animal DNA. These stories are all about how this new species is trying to find their own way after being liberated from the labs. She's taken a lot of heat because the story idea resembles Lora Leigh's Breed series (which I also read one this weekend. Hmmm... I might see a trend in my reading here!) For as many similarities it has to that series, it is also it's own identity. Let's face it, there really are only a few original stories in the romance genre. The rest of us are putting our own spin on them and it doesn't make them any less enjoyable to read. Heck, before meeting Penny Watson, I started a story about one of Santa's sons looking for love. It was immediately scrapped!

I must say I'm excited about started the next book in the Fated Mates series. The universe is going explode wide open! I hinted at the end of Liz and Dragon's story that something was happening, not all of the inhabitants of Earth are happy the sexy aliens are here to stay and taking human mates!

Have a good day all!!

Peace out,
MRD

Expectations. Are they good or bad?

I normally view expectations as a good thing. It's something to strive for, a type of goal. Also though, expectations can be a bad thing. We can put expectations on ourselves that are unrealistic and the pressure we put on ourselves can be brutal.

Think about this, close your eyes and picture yourself as a child. What did you expect your life to be like? If you have actually found the life you pictured, I am standing up in my living room applauding you right now. In many cases though, your life isn't totally what you expected. We live it, we adapt, we adjust.

Last night, I was extremely happy. I finally finished Irish Rising which should be a good accomplishment. My second novella is ready to be subbed to my publisher. This weekend I will be writing the synopsis and sending it off. Now back to the phrase, "should be a good accomplishment". First of all it is a good accomplishment but... I originally hoped to have two books subbed by the time Fated Mates came out. What I expected of myself didn't happen. I could make excuses by saying, the book came out two months before the original release date or work has been crazy or the world was revolving on its axis too fast for me. But when it comes right down to it, I am a super slow writer. There, I've said it. One of the contributing factors is that I need to at this point still write out everything in a legal notepad. Then I have to type it into the computer, which takes time because usually I have hours of typing to do at one time. So again, we live, we adjust, we adapt.

Don't even get me started about expectations in my real life. Those are hard. Life is messy and never what we expect. We say things to ourselves like, "If I only had (fill in the bland), my life would be perfect." It's really not true. Sometimes we actually get what we want and it doesn't make us truly happy. We always want more or it's not how we really expected it to turn out. I'm going to give a very bland example from my real life. I always say, "My little house would be perfect, if I only had a dining room." A dining room would mean I could have people over for dinner because I love to cook. My mother, sister, or brother always hold holiday dinners at their house. If I did it, there would be nowhere to sit and we would be crashing into each other because we'd be crammed into the kitchen. So my dream fix, is a dining room. But that would really bring up a whole new set of problem because it wouldn't make my house perfect. I really could never hold a holiday dinner. My sister and one brother do not talk. So I would have to choose who I would want to invite. I really think that's ridiculous, so I would end up inviting both and no one would come. The amount of work would be massive and between the dreaded day job and my writing, I don't have the time to cook and entertain for hours on end. My husband would also hate it! So there we go...

Have a wonderful weekend!

Peace out,
MRD

Congrats Miranda Stowe!!!!!

Miranda was reviewed by Happily Ever After Reviews. Come help me celebrate a great author with a great book!!!!!

Review: Taken by a Killer by Miranda Stowe

Taken by a Killer by Miranda Stowe


Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 2






Blurb

With seven women missing, six of them dead, Miners Bend has issued a protective curfew for women between the ages of twenty and thirty, which plays havoc on Reece Daggert’s sex life. Only one woman, strapped with a gun, knife, and pepper spray is brave enough to risk her safety and seek an active nightlife-- Emily Hayden-- the one woman seemingly immune to Reece’s charm.

Determined not to fall under his seduction, Emily fights her own attraction for Reece until his sister becomes the eighth victim of the Miners Bend Woman Snatcher. When he turns to her in his biggest time of need, Emily can’t deny him. But her comfort soon becomes too explosive to handle as Reece demands more and more of not just her body, but her heart and soul as well.


Monica's Review

The fist book of The Snatcher Series will leave you in tears. All I could think about was the what if’s, what if it was my sister, cousin or even my daughter that was kidnapped and it was just a matter of time before they found her body tortured and raped. How would it feel to live day in day out with the agonizing feeling if today is the day that she is found? Hoping and praying that she is found alive.

Well the book started with a sexual tension that radiated off of Reece like there was no tomorrow. From the moment that he laid eyes on Emily he feels the arousal in full force. The only problem is that he loves to make Emily mad and the madder he gets her the more turned on he gets. He has liked her since he was in kindergarten but from the moment he tried speaking with her she insulted him and the torturing began.

Emily fights her feelings for Reece but from the moment that he called 911 and she answered she became weak and all she wanted to do was comfort him when learning that his sister was kidnapped. When she volunteered to take him home she never thought that she would fall into his arms and have the most passionate, explosive sex with Reece. She felt as if he needed her body, sex in order to deal with the disappearance of his sister. Emily has to guard her heart and soul but too late she has fallen in love with him.

It seems that every time they come in contact with each other they are practically pouncing on each other, it seems that they both cannot get enough of each other. Fear settles in Reece and he finds himself needing Emily more and more and fears that she will leave him. Most importantly fears that she will be next the next victim of the snatcher. Then you have Emily that will give him what ever he asks for even if it means that she stays broken hearted when his sister is found.

This book will have you at the edge of your seat from beginning to end. It will actually have you thinking who is the snatcher and could he be someone from the community and if so who. Can there wild escapades be more than just sex. Will they realize that they truly love each other and it’s not just sex between them they actually have true feelings for each other? I can not wait to read the 2 book to this series Saved from a Killer. Pick up this book you will not regret it.


5 Tea Cups!

Ants, crock pot, allergy eye- Oh my!!

Ants, crock pot, allergy eye. Oh my! This is how my day started or should say how it continued from the moment I came home last night. The first words out of the hubby's mouth were, "Keep an eye on Sasha's eye. It was weepy today." What I don't understand is why this comes as a surprise to my husband every fall. My cat Sasha gets this every year at this time. We've had her and her brother, the Dread Pirate Roberts, for six years now. Last year, the hubby conned me into taking her to the vet and $125 later, guess what? She has allergy eye! So here we go again...

Ants. I hate ants and it seems I can't get rid of these small brown ants that have invaded my house. This morning they were everywhere in the kitchen. So I had to dig out my pet safe spray and fumigate! "Trolls in the dungeon?" The hubby asked when he stumbled to the bathroom at 4:30 after my battle. Do you think?

The crock pot has become my new best friend. This morning I set up beef stew in it. So by the time I get home from work, I don't have to take precious writing time to cook. It makes my life so much easier and I need that right now. If you have any good recipes, send them my way!

As you all know, one of my brother is getting married in July. One of my friends is also getting married in March. I have set some weight loss goals for myself. I need to lose 30 pounds by Debbie's wedding and 60 by the time my brother gets married. I am on my way. I am not going to get obsessed with the scale at the beginning but my clothes are fitting better lately and I started exercising again. A teacher at my school is teaching Zumba three days a week in the gym. So I will be sweating with the rest of them.

Fated Mates is doing well in the sales. Modest but I think well for an unknown author. I thank all of you for your support. I am in the middle of doing some self edits on Irish Rising before I send it off and then I start on another in the Fated Mates series. I have some big plans!!!

Peace out,
MRD

Is print dead?

Over the weekend, I attended my local writing group RIRW. I love this group. Sitting with such a group of authors is inspiring. How many people can say that they are sitting in a room with Hannah Howell, Annette Blair, and Amber Skyze? Well, I can. A funny thing happened though this weekend, many people came up to introduce themselves and asked if I was new. Um... no been a member since February but I don't take offense, I am extremely quite and Amber wasn't able to make this meeting.We normally sit together, so maybe people didn't have a frame of reference. Missed you friend, BIG HUGS!!!!

Back to the point of the blog, the speaker was talking about promotions, how to promote yourself and your book. She was excellent. Penny Watson, if you ever look at this little blog, I bow down to your knowledge. I received some excellent ideas on how to promote Fated Mates and she is even going to work on a plan for me for future books. She said something on Saturday that was a little controversial for my group. "In five years, there will be no more bookstores. Print is dead. If you were to get on a train for survival wouldn't you get on the one that is going to survive instead of staying on the one that would mean ultimate death." One thing about being quiet is that we are very aware of what is happening around us. You could almost see a ripple effect going through the room. We have some people who are very passionate about their printed books.

So the question is, is she right? Are print books going to die? It probably would be good for the environment. Maybe? I just think about my husband who actually feels the paper in a bookstore before buying a book. "It's all about the paper, hon!" To my husband, the feel of a book could make or break it, never mind the content. Would he be able to switch over? Or how about my mother, who has carried a Harlequin book in her purse for more years than I care to remember. Would she be able to convert? Now let's take me. I read, when I have time in the bathtub. I am notorious for dropping my books in the water. My copy of Night Play is a disaster because of this but I love it so much, I feel I would betray it if I got another copy. Can't drop a Kindle in the bath. Don't think it works that way.

As a writer, I love that my book is an e-book but as a reader I'm a little sad because I fear that Penny is right. Soon everything is going to be electronic.

I better start breaking the husband's paper addiction soon. You never know what would happen if he went cold turkey.

Peace out,
MRD