Saturday, July 30, 2016

#GuestPost #ReleaseWeek - Dominated by the Dragon By Kryssie Fortune


 Dominated by the Dragon 
By Kryssie Fortune

~*~*~*~*~*~ 
Guest Post by Kryssie Fortune:
The Cullinan Diamond
Doesn’t look much, does it?
This a picture of the biggest uncut diamond ever mined. One Black diamond, the Serigio, was bigger, but some believe black diamonds are relics of a meteor that crashed into the earth and discount it. 

The Cullenen was mined in South Africa in January 1905. The chairman of the mining company, Sir Thomas Cullenen presented the diamond to King George Vll.

It weighed an unprecedented 3106.75 carats. Obviously it needed cutting and polishing. After studying it, Joseph Asscher decided to cleave it through a defective spot. He used a specially designed knife, but the knife broke on the first attempt. The story goes that he had medical professionals on standby when he tried again. This time, when he struck the diamond, it split perfectly in two. Rumor has it he fainted dead away once he’d made the cut. Another story—one I like better—is that he opened a bottle of champagne.

He split the stone into nine big diamonds.The largest stone was set in the royal scepter and weighs 530.2 carats.
(Picture by Sir Gerald Kelly(1879-1972) -Royal Collection object 403422)

The second stone went into the Imperial State crown. Both can be seen in the White tower in the Tower of London. I guess it’s true. A diamond is forever. But why my interest in diamonds?

My latest book, Dominated by the Dragon centers around diamonds. The heroine, Hope is heir to a diamond dealer’s fortune and an expert in diamonds.  I bet you can’t guess what happens. No, it’s not a diamond hoist, although I’m sure my dragon possessed hero would be up for that if necessary.

~*~*~*~*~*~ 
Blurb:
A former super soldier turned dragon demon must choose between his soul mate and saving the world from a nuclear winter. 

The British army’s nuclear testing bonded a dragon into Flynn Hemsworth’s soul. Military scientists vivisected and tortured him until he escaped two years later. Although he’s never aged, he’s been alone and on the run for almost six decades. When he prevents a naked woman from being the prize lot in a coven’s slave auction, he realizes she has an unexplored submissive streak.
Hope Mathews—a sassy blonde with killer keyboard skills—is a strong independent woman. When Flynn prevents her being sold to a demon, she discovers she enjoys spankings and light bondage. 
Together Hope and Flynn must shut down a coven of black magicians, rescue kidnapped demons, and stop a black ops nuclear missile hitting the UK. Even if they manage all that, Hope’s the granddaughter of a billionaire while Flynn’s still on the run from the military who want to dissect him again. Can they find common ground and build a life together? 


Reader Advisory: Contains explicit language, a virginal heroine who discovers she enjoys spanking and bondage. Add in some serious dragon demon loving, light the blue touch paper, stand back, and watch the sparks fly. 

PUBLISHER NOTE: Paranormal BDSM Romance – 63,094 words. BDSM, Exhibitionism, Orgies and Spanking.
 Buy links:
Luminosity | Amazon US  | All Romance           

Friday, July 29, 2016

#Review - Fenix - Set of 3 Gold XXL Extra Long Stylus Pen

I really like the size of these Extra Long Stylus Pens. I found them to be lightweight and very comfortable to hold. I have MS and some wrist issues that sometimes make it hard and uncomfortable for me to hold a pen. The size of these seem to be the perfect size that do not make it uncomfortable to hold for a longer period of time.

The micro knit fiber tip is very soft and I think works nicer than the rubber tips I have used in the past. It works very nice on the screen and is very easy to use. I didn't have any trouble with it going to something that I didn't want to open or accidentally touch. It was sensitive and I didn't have to push hard to get it to work on the screen.

I have to say I am impressed with the quality and looks of this very nice Stylus Pen. I chose the gold colored set and it's very classy. 

Overall I am extremely pleased and would certainly recommend these if you are looking for a stylus. They appear to be longer than some of the other stylus I have seen advertised but honestly I truly like the size. It makes it easier to find. 

I received this lovely set so that I may share my thoughts with you. As always it has been my great pleasure to share my thoughts with you on this lovely Stylus Pen. Go grab your set now on Amazon.  

#GiveAway #Interview - In Her Own Time by Christine Potter


In Her Own Time
The Bean Books, #2
by Christine Potter


Crystal: Today I have the pleasure of hosting Christine Potter. Welcome Christine! I'm so excited to have you here today.

Christine: Sure!  I’m writing these words in a hotel room on my way home from Prince Edward Island, where I go most summers to say thanks to Lucy Maud Montgomery for writing Anne of Green Gables.  I always spend a little time at her grave, which is covered with giant red geraniums at this time of year. She and Madeleine L’Engle, who wrote A Wrinkle in Time, are my big heroes.  L’Engle is why I write time travel.  (Well, she and Jack Finney).  And Lucy Maud Montgomery’s book are why I set my books back in the time when I was a teenager.  The present just isn’t cozy enough for me.  Otherwise I’m a pretty standard issue YA author—the world’s oldest young adult.  Married to a patient man who plays the pipe organ for a living.  Oh, and we live in a haunted house.  So maybe that’s a bit odd.

CrystalWhat are you currently working on? 

Christine: I’m working on the third book in the Bean (Time Runs Away With Her) series.  Bean Donohue is a 16-year-old aspiring folk-rock musician who lives in the year 1970.  And she is a time traveler, except she can only go backwards, into the past, and she can’t control when that happens.  In the first book, Bean gets together with her boyfriend, Zak, and gets to the bottom of a local ghost story by visiting the ghost in the ghost’s lifetime.  She’s sort of drawn back into it—it’s nothing she sets out to do, at least at first.  The second book, which was just released, is called In Her Own Time, and it has a 1970 FM radio station, another really unlikely time traveler who appears unexpectedly…and the American Revolution.  Also: vinyl LP’s, the escalating Vietnam war, the draft, and Bean’s prickly mom, Julia.  And fireworks.  And of course, The Grateful Dead.  Book Three skips ahead to 1972, with Bean in college. 

Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for for either your current release or the WIP you are working on now? 

Christine: Like I said before, my current book and the WIP are kind of mash-ups of wanting to write something set in my own past and wanting to write time travel.  The books are set in the Hudson River Valley, which is full of ghost stories, old houses, and villages with cool little shops and walkable downtowns—both in 1970 and now.  I’m a pants-er, not a planner, as writers say.  Pants-ers fly their narratives by the seat of their pants.  And I love living in 1970 again.

Crystal: Do you have a favorite snack that like to munch on while writing? If so would you mind sharing what it is with us? 

Christine: I hydrate; I try not to snack.  I alternate between Diet Coke and iced coffee with lots of milk in it.  That’s good because if you hydrate…well you WILL have to get up every few hours to UN-hydrate, if you know what I mean. And that’s easier on the back. I know lots of writers with aching backs for sitting too long.

Crystal: Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Christine: I like this piece, from when the story is just getting rolling.  Bean is having breakfast at her house with her impossible mom gone on a business trip.  She’s enjoying her boyfriend Zak, and her gal pal Sam when she unexpectedly slips back in time and watches her own parents bringing her baby self home from the hospital sixteen years before:

…And in the next moment, Bean found herself alone, just outside the house. The air was sharp. Tall trees that had just been in full summer leaf were suddenly bare, and smaller than they’d been seconds before. Bean tried to peer back in through the kitchen window, but the lights were off, and she couldn't see anything. She stood in her side yard, sometime in the past. It was happening again…
            And It was enough of a shock that she didn’t even know how she felt. She’d been glowing from the night before with Zak, happy to have had Sam pound on her door with music and laughter. Bean stuck her hands in the pockets of her thin blue cotton robe, and looked up. The sky looked like early afternoon: pale sunlight behind a thin, high layer of clouds. In front of her house, underneath the living room windows stood three overgrown barberry bushes. Bean had never seen them before. The ground was hard and cold, and she was barefoot.
            Alrighty, then. Damn it. Lately, Bean had been perfectly fine with life in 1970. What year is this supposed to be? She had no idea.
            Zak said love is always why this happens, she thought. But then she felt the happiness beginning to leak out of her. If Zak were right, why had she slipped backwards just now? She had a whole June weekend to spend with him, feeling nothing but love…and now, this.
It made no sense. All she could do was watch, deal, and try to keep warm.
            It really was pretty chilly. She tried jogging in place to warm up, which helped a bit. Her toes were soon numb, though.  After a few minutes, a black car with big, round bumpers pulled into the driveway and clattered to a halt. There was the rasp of an emergency brake being set.  And Beans father — very young, and too thin for his thick, grey winter coat — got out of the drivers side. Bean put a hand over her mouth, and watched as he ran urgently around to the passengers door. He yanked it open.
            “Can you make it?” Bean’s dad called into the car.
            “Of course I can make it,” said her mothers voice. A high-heeled shoe and a nylon stocking-covered leg emerged. Then came the rest of Bean’s mom, wearing a brown tweed overcoat and a floppy green beret. She walked a bit unsteadily, clutching a bundle of white blankets wrapped around a baby, which began to wail.
            “Sh-sh. Sh-sh-sh,” said Julia as she wobbled up the walk. She stopped when she got to the front door.
            “You wouldn’t happen to have remembered the house keys, would you, Tom?” she called. Tom patted down three pockets in his coat before something jingled. He rushed a key into the lock. Then he looked back at the car. Both its front doors now stood wide open, and he sprinted back down the walk toward them. Bean sucked in her breath hard, taking it all in. Was that her days-old self, crying, inside the house? Sixteen-year-old Bean felt a little weepy, too.  It’s 1953, then, she thought. Just after my actual birthday. Wow…
            The wind blew and she shivered.
            And then there was a hand on her arm.
            Bean gasped, turned her head and found herself face to face with a guy who looked about her age. Or was he a little older? She couldn’t tell. He wore a blue and yellow Kent State football jersey. His wavy, black hair was pulled back into a ponytail that ended just below his neck.
            That’s crazy, Bean thought. People never talked to Bean when she time traveled. Or touched her. People weren’t even able to see her when she time traveled. And the guy standing beside her really didn’t look like he came from almost seventeen years ago — not with all that hair. 
Am I still in 1953? she thought. Or back in 1970?
             

CrystalWhen you are not busy writing wonderful stories to keep us lucky readers entertained, what do you like to do? Do you have a hobby?  

Christine: I DJ at an internet radio station my friends and I run, Area24radio.com.  And I sing and play guitar and dulcimer. Also, I’m obsessed with cooking and making drinks.


CrystalDo you have a favorite background noise you like to having going while you write (TV, Music, kids playing)?

Christine: I like it really quiet: snow falling, the creek outside my house gurgling, the cats walking around upstairs knocking stuff over…

7. CrystalThank you for visiting today. It has been a pleasure to visit with you. Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Christine: You’re welcome!  I’d like to cheerlead even a little more for In Her Own Time.  It’s funny, it’s scary in places, and I’m super-proud of it :)!

BLURB:

Summer 1970: Bean Donohue’s sixteen, she’s finally got a good band together, and she’s crazy in love with her artist boyfriend Zak. 

She’s also about to get the coolest summer job ever, and her
impossible mom’s conveniently out of town.  

So why does she keep ending up in 1953…or 1779?  

And who's that guy with the black ponytail and the Kent State t-shirt?  

He knows way too much about her.  Should Zak be worried—or should Bean?


Romance/Time Travel/Suspense

63K,

Evernight Teen Publishing
  

Buy Links:




 14+ due to sexuality and adult situations


Excerpt:
Bean found herself alone, just outside the
house. The air was sharp. Tall trees that had just been in full summer leaf
were suddenly bare, and smaller than they’d been seconds before. Bean tried to peer
back in through the kitchen window, but the lights were off, and she couldn't
see anything. She stood in her side yard, sometime in the past. It was
happening again…
And It was enough of a shock
that she didn’t even know how she felt. She’d been glowing from the night
before with Zak, happy to have had Sam pound on her door with music and
laughter. Bean stuck her hands in the pockets of her thin blue cotton robe, and
looked up. The sky looked like early afternoon: pale sunlight behind a thin,
high layer of clouds. In front of her house, underneath the living room windows
stood three overgrown barberry bushes. Bean had never seen them before. The
ground was hard and cold, and she was barefoot.
Alrighty, thenDamn
it.
 Lately, Bean had been perfectly fine with life in 1970. What
year is this supposed to be?
 She had no idea.
Zak said love is always why this happens, she thought.
But then she felt the happiness beginning to leak out of her. If Zak were
right, why had she slipped backwards just now? She had a whole June weekend to
spend with him, feeling nothing but love…and now, this.
It made no sense. All she could do was watch, deal, and try to keep warm.
It really was pretty chilly. She tried jogging
in place to warm up, which helped a bit. Her toes were soon numb, though.
 After a few minutes, a black car with big, round bumpers pulled into the
driveway and clattered to a halt. There was the rasp of an emergency brake
being set.  And Bean
s father—very
young, and too thin for his thick, grey winter coat—got out of the driver
s side. Bean put a hand
over her mouth, and watched as he ran urgently around to the passenger
s door. He yanked it
open.
“Can you make it?” Bean’s dad called into the
car.
“Of course I can
make it,” said her mother
s voice. A high-heeled
shoe and a nylon stocking-covered leg emerged. Then came the rest of Bean’s
mom, wearing a brown tweed overcoat and a floppy green beret. She walked a bit
unsteadily, clutching a bundle of white blankets wrapped around a baby, which
began to wail.
“Sh-sh. Sh-sh-sh,” said Julia as she wobbled up
the walk. She stopped when she got to the front door.
“You wouldn’t happen to have remembered the
house keys, would you, Tom?” she called. Tom patted down three pockets in his
coat before something jingled. He rushed a key into the lock. Then he looked
back at the car. Both 
its front doors now stood wide open, and he sprinted back down the
walk toward them. Bean sucked in her breath hard, taking it all in. Was that
her days-old self,crying, inside the house? Sixteen-year-old Bean felt a little
weepy, too.  It’s 1953, then, she thought. Just after my actual
birthday. Wow…
The wind blew and she shivered.
 And then there was a hand on her
arm. 



Book 1 in The Bean Books series is now available:



Time Runs Away With Her



About the Author:

Christine Potter lives in a small town not far from the setting of Time Runs Away With Her, near the mighty Hudson River, in a very old (1740) house with two ghosts.  According to a local ghost investigator, they are harmless, “just very old spirits who don’t want to leave.”  She doesn’t want them to.

Christine’s house contains two pipe organs (her husband is a choir director/organist), two spoiled tom cats, and too many
books.  She’s also a poet, and the author of two collections of verse, Zero Degrees at First Light, and Sheltering in
Place.
Christine taught English and Creative Writing for years in the Clarkstown Schools.  She DJ’s free form rock and roll weekly on Area24radio.com, and plays guitar, dulcimer, and tower chimes.

Twitter: @chrispygal

*  *  *
Giveaway: Ask Christine a question or answer one of these two questions below.

1. Suppose you were my main character, Bean.  What time period would you like to be swept back into--and why?


2. These books believe in ghosts.  Do you?  Ever seen one?


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, July 28, 2016

#GiveAway - A Gentleman and a Rogue by Stephanie Burkhart

 

A Gentleman and a Rogue
by Stephanie Burkhart

Stephanie will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the RaffleCopter below to enter. Don't forget to follow along with the tour to increase your chances of winning. You may find the other tour stops here


 ~*~*~*~*~*~
BLURB:

Lady Keira Russell is destined to bring compressed natural gas to Britain. Her inner courage and mental toughness rarely falter – except when Prince Edmund Windsor is involved.

Edmund of Wales is from the future. His last jaunt through history muffed up the time line. Now, he's here to set it straight and win Keira's heart.

For Keira, if it isn't one obstacle, it's another. Queen Victoria has sponsored a competition to find a cleaner fuel source than coal. Keira's father is trying to build a windmill and the Ridgecrofts are working with gasoline. Then there's Edmund, whose sensual kisses and heated stares distract her down to her bones.

Keira has a choice: trust Edmund's notorious mischief-making or put her faith in Queen Victoria to make the right decision, but if Keira makes the wrong choice, the future of Great Britain will be changed forever.

GENRE: Steampunk romance

Buy Links:

Amazon  | B&N | ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS | PUBLISHER'S BUY LINK



 ~*~*~*~*~*~
EXCERPT:

The song ended and Edmund grabbed her hand, tugging her toward the nearest hallway. At first, she wanted to protest; call out for her father and defy Edmund's wishes, but then reason kicked in. She wanted -- no, needed -- answers. And, she had plenty of questions.

They entered the main wing, and passed two rooms before Edmund opened a door and dragged her inside. Books littered the shelves. The library. A beam of light from a full moon shined through the window, casting Edmund's features in sharp, contrasting shadows. He leaned against the door and crossed his arms. His eyes narrowed, giving his expression a dark, hard edge. He looked like a devil in this moment. She steeled her shoulders, ready to do battle with him.

Silence grew between them as they both set their postures. Damn Edmund. She wanted to kiss the devil senseless. Thankfully, she still had her wits.

"What are you doing with Jonas Byron?" Edmund's voice was cold and exact.

"Dancing." She surprised herself with the ease of her retort.

"Looked more like flirting to me."

"Jealous?"

A muscle twitched in his jaw. "No."

"You are a horrible liar."

"Keira, you can't trust him."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Curious, you're the second man tonight to tell me that."

"Grayson has your best interests at heart. You need to listen to him."

"He's been missing for four years." She paused, glaring at him. "Like you have. And I thought you weren't coming back."

"I'm here now, and I'm not leaving you again."

She tilted her head and laughed. Oh, yes, he'd leave her again, and she had no intention of letting her heart get broken.

Edmund lunged forward, placed his hands on her waist, and pulled her against the length of his hard, muscled body, trapping her arms between them so her hands rested on his chest. His emerald eyes flamed with desire. Her heart turned over in response. His unique scent, spice and currants, weakened her resolve. As her memories flooded through her mind, her lips ached for his.


"God, Keira, don't test me like this."

 ~*~*~*~*~*~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Author Bio: Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD.  She was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire.  After serving 11 years in the US Army she currently calls Castaic, California her home. Stephanie was married in Denmark in 1991 and has two young sons. She adores chocolate, is addicted to coffee and enjoys early morning walks.  She's also an assistant den leader for her son's Cub Scout den and is a Boy Scout mom. She writes paranormal, contemporary, and steampunk romance and has two children's books published with 4RV Publishing.

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:

WEBSITE:

TWITTER:

FACEBOOK:

GOOD READS:

YOU TUBE CHANNEL:

PINTEREST:





a Rafflecopter giveaway

#ReleaseBlitz - star spangled cowboy By paige warren



star spangled cowboy
By paige warren


Combat-wounded vet, Tyson Braxton, feels like half a man since losing his leg in Afghanistan.  After returning to the family ranch, he wonders what any woman would see in him now. His scars and self-doubt run deep, and while feeling desperate, he hires a prostitute to ease his sexual tension.

Dacey Morgan has lived a life of horror since the age of seventeen when her pimp lured her into a life of prostitution and depravity. She wants out, but the last girl who tried to run ended up dead in a ditch. So, Dacey tries to do what she’s told—but she has one guilty pleasure, her two nights a week she gets to see Tyson.

Dacey longs for the day she’s free to love the man she’s falling for, but she knows that freedom will come at a cost.


Erotic Western Romance
Evernight Publishing
Heat Level: 3 
Word Count: 20, 610

ISBN: 978-1-77233-936-9



Buy Links: 






Excerpt:
Tyson slowly
kneeled and took her hand in his, his touch gentle. “I know that we only have a
business arrangement, Dacey, and I have no claim on you. That being said,
despite the fact I use your services, I don’t like your job. I don’t like the
thought of other men’s hands on you, or that you have to sleep with random
strangers just to pay your bills. I once offered to help take care of you if
you would just give up that lifestyle. Why won’t you let me?”
“I’m not a
problem for you to solve, Tyson. My life may not be perfect, but it’s mine. My
trailer isn’t much, but at least I own it. And my job may not be as glamorous
as it looked on Pretty Woman, but I’m
careful.”
His hand
tightened on hers. “I don’t like it, but I know I can’t force you to quit. One
day, you’ll decide you’re ready for a respectable life, a home, and a family.
What are you going to do when that happens?”
She already
wanted those things, desperately, but how was she supposed to get away from
Carlos? She wasn’t as popular as the other girls, but she still brought him a
steady income, and he wasn’t going to let her go anytime soon. He owned her,
and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. If she went to the police to
turn him in, they’d just arrest her as well for prostitution. And she couldn’t
let Tyson go after Carlos, not with his disability. He might act all big and
tough, but she knew he was still recovering.
“No one’s
going to want a washed-up whore, so I guess I never have to worry about that.
Besides, I don’t think I can have children. Back when I first started working,
Carlos took a few months to get my birth control lined up, and he didn’t always
make the customers use a condom. I think I’d have gotten pregnant if it were a
possibility.”
She’d gotten
frequently tested during that period of her life, and she still went every
month. Of course, she also made sure her customers used condoms and refused to
service the ones who wouldn’t. It had been the cause of many fights between
Carlos and her, but knowing she wasn’t doubling her chances of an STD was worth
the beatings.
“You can’t
save me, Ty,” she said softly. “I appreciate that you want to, really I do, but
it’s too late for me. I’ve been working this job since I was seventeen. I’ve
seen things and done things that I’m not proud of, but I’ve done whatever was
necessary for me to survive. You think someone’s going to want a woman who’s
been a whore for five years? Someone who never graduated high school? What’s my
marketable skill, that I can make you come in less than a minute?”
He smiled a
little at that. “I’m not sure I would consider that skill. I like it when
things are dragged out for a while. The anticipation and incredible sensation
of feeling you wrapped around my cock are even better than coming.”
“You get my point,
though.”
Tyson
caressed her cheek and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I will do whatever it
takes to protect you, Dacey. Anything. If it hadn’t been for you, I probably
would have blown my head off months ago. Knowing I’d get to see you twice a
week has been the only thing keeping me going, and yeah, I know I pay for your
time, but I also know that you enjoy being with me.”
She leaned
into his touch. Just thinking about him ending his life was enough to make her
cry, and for once she was thankful for her job. If she hadn’t been a
prostitute, they never would have met. He’d gotten Carlos’s number from a
friend and she’d just been lucky to be the girl her pimp sent out that night.
Ty had made her life so much better, even if she didn’t get to spend much time
with him. They’d laughed and talked, and just genuinely enjoyed one another’s
company. He’d been so cute that first night, unsure of himself to the point of
refusing to take off his pants. It had taken her weeks to get him to undress in
front of her, and when he had, she’d taken the time to kiss all of his scars,
including what remained of his left leg.
“You’ve made
me whole again,” he said. “You never cared that I only have one leg now, or
that I’ve had more holes in me than a pin cushion. My scars don’t disgust you,
and I was finally able to see myself through your eyes and come to grips with
the body I have now versus the one I had before the explosion.”




About Paige Warren:


Paige Warren spends her days weaving tales about alpha male cowboys and the women who love them. There's nothing
hotter than a man in tight Wranglers and a pair of well-worn boots. You have to admit, there's something sexy about a man who knows how to use a rope!

A cat lover, she has more than one furbaby running around, keeping her company in the wee hours of the morning as she tries to find just the right way to say "His skin gleamed, the early morning rays caressing his sun bronzed flesh, as he studied her from beneath

the brim of his Stetson." Or, you know, something similar.

When Paige isn't dolling out tons of affection on the furbabies, or slurping down a pot of coffee (Yes! A whole

pot!) so she can get in her daily word count, she enjoys reading and watching movies - romances, usually.

Author Links: