Thursday 13 :: Lynda Aicher

I'm back to share another lightning interviews with my authorly peeps. Enjoy!

1. Latest release? Bonds of Trust
2. In the hottest scene...kisses or condoms? Condoms.
3. What are you working on? Wicked Play #3, Bonds of Desire
4. What have you Googled for research? Ha! Just looked up the definition of Hoity-Toity.
5. What do you drink when writing? Coffee, water, Coke in that order as the day progresses.
6. Do you have a writing uniform? Anything comfortable. Definitely, no jeans.
7. Where do you write? My office. I just redid it in February and love it.
8. What was the last thing you read? Starfish and Coffee by Kele Moon
9. Paper, audio, or ebook? ebook all the way.
10. Favorite book in the last few months? Sidecar by Amy Lane
11. Favorite social network? I'm becoming a Twitter girl. Never thought that'd happen.
12. Secret super power? Teleporting. Skip flying or invisible jets. Just get me there.
13. Guilty pleasure? Reality TV. I always watch Survivor, The Amazing Race, So You Think You Can Dance. Others come and go, but those three are a must.

Lynda Aicher
http://lyndaaicher.com

Caribbean Christmas Release Day!

It's finally here! The release of Caribbean Christmas and launch of my new series, Under the Caribbean Sun. It's exciting for me, I hope everyone enjoys a little holiday escape.

’Tis the season for unwrapping the gift of pleasure.

Under the Caribbean Sun, Book 1

When Saskia snags a last-minute ticket home to the Caribbean isle of Anguilla, she intends to surprise her workaholic father and to reconnect over Christmas. When she finds he’s away on business, there’s still plenty to fill her time while she waits. Sailing, snorkeling…and an unexpected, very adult attraction to her girlhood crush.

Joe Prinsen is certain Saskia has returned to the island only to ask for money. He feels it’s time she learns the truth about her father’s depleted financial situation from the man himself. And he intends to make sure she sticks around long enough to hear it.

Except the girl he remembers has matured into a devastatingly sexy woman. She's taking all his noble intentions and unwrapping them, one by one, until their shared desire is revealed in the warm Caribbean water. Saskia’s only home for Christmas. And once she finds out the secret he’s hiding, she’ll no doubt leave the Caribbean, and him, for good.

---

Product Warnings

The only thing hotter than the tropical sun is the sex—in the surf, on the water, against the bookcase… Readers will be wise to monitor electronic devices, and themselves, for overheating.

 

Excerpt 1

"I can't go to sleep before I've been in the ocean. Drop me off before you head
up the hill, will you?" Saskia gave a languid stretch that pressed her breasts
against the thin silk of the scarf she called a dress.

If he got any sleep tonight it would be a miracle. Every time he blinked, he
kept imagining undoing the simple knot holding the dress on her shoulder and
finding she wore nothing beneath it. He had a semi and he was simply driving a
girl home.

Continued...
http://jennabayley-burke.blogspot.com/2012/11/caribbean-christmas-excerpt_24.htm\
l

Excerpt 2

By the time they got their clothes on and made it back to his truck, Joe knew
he'd made a critical error. She'd taken off her dress and his brain had shorted
out. That never happened. Even as a hormonal adolescent he'd been able to think
with the right head.

As he jammed the truck in gear and climbed the gravel road up the hill, he tried
to think of anything but that Saskia wore nothing beneath the wisp of a dress
currently plastered to her lithe body. His dick was still telling him to race
home, and his brain had to agree. He needed to get home and get his ass in a
cold shower.

Continued...
http://jennabayley-burke.blogspot.com/2012/11/caribbean-christmas-excerpt.html

The idea came from...

 

Hope y'all like it! - Jenna

My Week in the Blog-a-verse

I'm spreading the joy that is Caribbean Christmas far and wide. Feel free to do the same, and peek in at these blogs :

Monday : Nikki Duncan & An Ecclectic Author
Tuesday Maggie Jamieson (Q&A)
Wednesday : Cynthia D'Alba
Thursday : Donna Alward
Friday : Lissa Matthews

Caribbean Christmas excerpt...

I'm getting excited for the release of Caribbean Christmas on Tuesday. Really excited. It launches my Under the Caribbean Sun series, so I have everything crossed in hopes everyone loves the concept.

To relieve my anxiety, I'm sharing another excerpt of the story. This one shows Sass driving Joe to distraction. Such fun!

*excerpt*

"I can’t go to sleep before I’ve been in the ocean. Drop me off before you head up the hill, will you?" Saskia gave a languid stretch that pressed her breasts against the thin silk of the scarf she called a dress.

If he got any sleep tonight it would be a miracle. Every time he blinked, he kept imagining undoing the simple knot holding the dress on her shoulder and finding she wore nothing beneath it. He had a semi and he was simply driving a girl home.

"Here? At Blowing Point? It’s a dock, not a beach." She gave his arm a playful swat that should not have turned him on. Damn it.

"On any other island I might agree with you. But I grew up on this beach. It’s sandy and clean and calm, and the place I would race down to every morning for a splash before my folks snatched me up to head to work."

He parked the truck to the north of the ferry dock and followed Saskia down to the small stretch of beach he’d found her on earlier. Only the moon and stars lit their way, making the deserted sweep of sand seem even more private.

With everything so dim, it was as if the world was in grayscale, an old black-and-white movie of a beautiful woman taking unhurried steps along the sandy shore. Like it was happening to someone else, someone who didn’t need to remember this woman was the only child of the man he respected most in the world.
"Are you going to join me, or do you only like to watch?" Saskia untied the knot on her shoulder with slow precision.

He cleared his throat. "I don’t think it’s safe for you to be out here alone."

"I live in Miami. I can handle myself. Besides, Anguilla is known for the lack of crime. And I’ve been swimming since I could walk."

She slipped out of her sandals and he watched her toes curl into the fine sand. Then her dress fell atop her bare feet and he closed his eyes, not sure he was strong enough to look up without his mood turning feral. Maybe the full moon had turned him into some kind of werewolf, because mating was all his mind could think of, and his body primed in wait.

"This watching my every move thing you have going on is starting to feel a little voyeuristic, don’t you think? Is that your kink?"

It took everything in him not to growl when he opened his eyes to see her standing before him, hand on her trim waist and a sexy tilt to her hip. Her tight body was on display in a bandeau bikini top and nothing but a few tiny crocheted flowers and string for bottoms.

"See, when you look at me like that, I’m not convinced you’re worried about me swimming alone at all." She winked and turned towards the water, confirming that there was in fact next to nothing covering her from behind.

The pulse in his painfully hard cock echoed in his ears. He wished they were standing on the edge of the frigid North Sea, instead of the sensual sand of the Caribbean. Following her into the warm water would lead him nowhere good.

And yet his polo wound up on the sand beside her dress, his sandals next to hers and his shorts didn’t even make it to the water’s edge.

*Want more?*

 

Caribbean Christmas is on sale this Tuesday

Amazon -- Barnes & Noble -- Samhain

If you can't wait, there's another excerpt here.

 

Thursday 13 :: Donna Alward

I'm inviting my favorite Author Peeps to Jenna's Romantic Notions every Thursday for a lightning quick

 

1. What's your latest release?
INTO THE FIRE with Samhain Publishing. It just came out on Tuesday.
2. In the hottest scene, will we see kisses or condoms?
Condoms. J
3. What are you working on?
Right now I’m doing NaNo and writing my next book for Harlequin Romance – a Christmas story for next year and part of my Cadence Creek series.
4. What have you Googled lately for research?
Christmas wedding stuff! It’s been tons of fun. I’ve been putting a lot of it up on pinterest on my Christmas board. Everything from wedding favours to cakes to dresses and shoes.
5. What do you drink while writing?
In the morning: Coffee. Afternoon: water. Evening: wine. J
6. Do you have a writing uniform?
Yoga pants and a hoodie.
7. Where do you write?
In my office. It’s my “zone of productivity”. I get too distracted somewhere else and it doesn’t feel right.
8. What's the last thing you read?
Nobody’s Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
9. Paper, audio, or ebook?
Paper more often than not, and then ebook. Most of my tbr is paper. I’m looking at getting a new e-reader for Christmas which may translate into me reading more digital.
10. Favorite book released in the last few months?
Sweet Laurel Falls by RaeAnne Thayne
11. Favorite social network?
TWITTER! @DonnaAlward
12. Secret super power?
Invisibility. There are tons of times I wish I could just be invisible…
13. Guilty pleasure?
Dark Chocolate, esp with sea salt. NOM NOM NOM.
www.donnaalward.com
 

Booksigning Dish

I love doing events at Jan's Paperbacks, my local bookstore. It's so important that we support small businesses, especially bookstores.

Plus, Debbie makes cookies. And Jessa Slade made salted caramel brownies. No joke, our bait was out in force!

The devoted customers at Jan's also make a point to support local authors. It's lovely to get to connect to readers on that level.

However, I need to stop leaning in pictures. Like my grandma always said...SIT UP STRAIGHT!

Our booksigning behind the scenes gossip? Terri Reed just finished her 28th book for Love Inspired. Jessa Slade has a not-so-secret holiday book out. Maggie Jamieson just finished a secret project we all have high hopes for. Linda Mercury got the cover for her third book with Kensington. Gina Fluharty is waiting to hear back on requests for her high-concept paranormal. Christy Carlyle is THE person to go to for all design needs, especially bookmarks, blog headers & bookcovers.  Nancy Brophy may hunt me down to get her tablecloth back.  AND...

So many people responded to the Drive Me Crazy free offer from Samhain, they're ending the promotion early. So, if you still have your code and haven't downloaded it yet...do it before Cyber Monday.

Thursday 13 :: Jenna Bayley-Burke

I'm joining the Thursday 13 bandwagon again, this time with Lightning Interviews of my Authorly Peeps. Up first is yours truly. Because it's my blog and all that.

1. Latest release? Drive Me Crazy
2. In the hottest scene...kisses or condoms? Condoms
3. What are you working on? Caribbean Casanova & Caribbean Crush
4. What have you Googled for research? Joe Manganiello, Cam Gigandet, Anguilla, hurricaine, Celiac
5. What do you drink when writing? Tea, all kinds
6. Do you have a writing uniform? lounge pants, wool socks, a t-shirt and a zip-up sweater
7. Where do you write? in my office, or in front of the TV in my bedroom
8. What was the last thing you read? It Looked Different on the Model by Laurie Notaro
9. Paper, audio, or ebook? Audio
10. Favorite book in the last few months? The Winter Lodge by Susan Wiggs
11. Favorite social network? Pinterest
12. Secret super power? Able to come up with an excuse for any situation.
13. Guilty pleasure? Reality TV

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Caribbean Christmas excerpt

It's release month for Caribbean Christmas, the lead title in my new series, Under The Caribbean Sun. I've never linked stories before, so this has been an exciting gamble for me. Fingers crossed everyone loves Joe & Saskia - and the isle of Anguilla - as much as I do.

By the time they got their clothes on and made it back to his truck, Joe knew he’d made a critical error. She’d taken off her dress and his brain had shorted out. That never happened. Even as a hormonal adolescent he’d been able to think with the right head. 

As he jammed the truck in gear and climbed the gravel road up the hill, he tried to think of anything but that Saskia wore nothing beneath the wisp of a dress currently plastered to her lithe body. His dick was still telling him to race home, and his brain had to agree. He needed to get home and get his ass in a cold shower.

He might have to stay there all damned night to make sure he didn’t do something stupid. Again.

Maybe if this damned island were bigger, he would have figured out his next move by the time he pulled up beside the house.

"Someone is in a hurry." Saskia undid her seatbelt and climbed out of the truck.

He winced, realizing she thought he’d powered home for an entirely different reason. He rubbed the tense muscles in his neck, willing his mind to come up with some kind of escape route. Some way to rewind time so he hadn’t been stupid enough to get in the water.

But thinking brought to mind visions of Saskia naked, the feel of her nipple ring beneath his tongue, the taste of her. Maybe the only way out of this was to chop his own head off.  

Either one would do.

He huffed a breath and got out of the truck, peering in the darkness for Saskia. The water had reflected the moonlight, but up here the world had been reduced to dark outlines. He thought of how she’d bounded towards the hammock when she’d first arrived and checked there. Finding it empty, he climbed in himself.

Maybe he could fall asleep out here, dream up some solution and fix everything in the morning.

"You’re kind of freaking out, aren’t you?"

The sound of her voice startled him and his heart hammered even faster. "I’m sorry."

She had a sweet laugh, light and almost musical. "Sorry that the two minutes it took to drive here gave you time to have second thoughts and now your balls ache? Or sorry that in your head I was still a bratty kid and now we’re about to do some amazing things on your bed?"

"Both?" Neither. She was Dutch’s daughter, but it was more than that. She’d somehow had the power to make him stop thinking. He’d done that once before and wound up wrecked.

"It’s very sweet that you want to be noble." Her voice moved closer, yet he still startled when she laid a hand on his chest. She trailed over the contours of his muscles, pausing to roll a nipple between her fingers. Damn if it didn’t seem connected to his cock. "Or do you want me to come on to you? Is that your kink?"

"You are awfully interested in kinks. Every time you ask I wonder what yours is."

"I’m working on it."

He bit back a groan. "Listen, we need to slow this down." To a dead stop. He tried to remember why he’d been so frustrated with her just a few hours ago, but there was too much testosterone flowing through him for logic.

"I don’t beg. So if that’s your thing, you’re going to have to get over yourself." She pinched his nipple, but didn’t release it. Just kept holding until the sharp pain eased, a heavy ache taking its place. "Do you want to take me upstairs?"

"Yes," his traitorous mouth spoke for him. No doubt his greedy tongue wanted more of her. "But I’m not going to. You just got here, and you were drinking tonight…"

"I drank champagne." She released her hold, only to flick his tender peak with her fingernail. He covered the spot with his hand, pressing to hold the feeling in. "But I do have one request."

"You can have any room you want. I’ll stay out here."

"Johannes." Her hot breath puffed against his ear, her hair whispering against his shoulder. "No touching yourself. If you’re hard for me, it’s for me, not for you."

Her words went straight to his cock, filling it and deepening the ache in his balls. He wanted to squeeze himself, but didn’t. It was only fair.

Caribbean Christmas inspiration Pinboard - http://pinterest.com/jbayleyburke/caribbean-christmas/

Available on ::
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Samhain Publishing