I hope everyone’s new year is starting off great! I’m curious about what goals you’ve set for yourself. If you feel like sharing, post a comment or send me an email and let me know.
One goal many of my friends are setting is “read more books”. If you share that goal, try to be more specific. The more specific your goal, the more likely you’ll be to achieve them.
I can help you get started! Take a look!
One of the thing that’s magical about the holidays to me is how quickly time flies. I think the days go by so fast is because, well, as you get older, each year is a smaller percentage of your life. Think about it. When you are five years old, a year is a whole fifth of your life. When you’re 20, it’s 1/20th. When you’re 40, it’s 1/40th…and so on.
Specifically, I think the time goes by quickly because we are also busy. No matter what job I’ve held, it has gotten crazier starting in November. That maybe because I’ve always provided services to people in one capacity or another and holidays are hard for many of us—even more so when you’re vulnerable or disenfranchised in some way.
I’ve always found that reading helps me to slow down. Catch my breath and relax. Does it work that way for you, too?
Here are some books that I hope help you to slow down time and take care of yourself so you can enjoy the season. Just click on the pictures.
N.N.Light’s Book Heaven Holiday Gift Guide
Love is love.
Fantasy Romance
I’m so excited to be a part of N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Backlist Bonanza BookishEvent. Check out all books and enter the giveaway to win a $20 Amazon gift card:
House of the Rising Son is a Featured Book! Click on the picture!
Join me in welcoming Gale Stanley and her book, The Bathhouse!
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THE BATHHOUSE is a gay, multicultural, second chance romance. Enjoy!
BLURB
Reed Barton is a millionaire who can have anything he wants, except the one thing he desires most. His first love. He’s spent years trying to recreate the night they met in a San Francisco bathhouse. The image of the beautiful Filipino man who took his virginity is never far from his thoughts.
Reed’s life is turned upside down when his long-lost love reappears -- and not in a good way. Joseph Castro is not quite what he seems. Time and experience have changed both men, and there’s no going back. But maybe, together, they can go forward.
Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167085037-the-bathhouse
EXCERPT
The service center looked much as Reed remembered it. His eagle-eyed inspection didn’t miss much as he made his way around the crowded cubicles. Some workers weren’t as attentive as others and he made note of them.
Glancing up, he caught sight of a man entering a cubicle at the end of the aisle. Their eyes met and a shock of recognition hit Reed like a tidal wave.
No. It couldn’t be. Could it? Oh, God, let it be him.
The Filipino gave the barest nod of recognition and disappeared behind the wall of his workspace and just like that the years melted away and their night together seemed like only yesterday.
Reed’s heart beat fast and hard. Foolishly, he wondered if Babyboy felt the same electric charge that he did. Wishful thinking. More likely, the Filipino remembered him as just another encounter from the distant past. Did Reed want to find out? Yes, he needed to know. Reed took a few deep breaths and pulled himself together. It would be wrong to show too much interest in an employee. He forced himself to continue his tour and when he reached the man’s cubicle, he looked inside. The nameplate on the desk said Joseph Castro.
Joseph Castro had his headset on, apparently helping a customer. Reed stood transfixed, watching the Filipino at work. Joseph spoke calmly in slightly accented English that seemed to caress each word. It had been years, but Reed found himself getting hot just thinking of how that voice had whispered dirty talk in his ear.
Joseph ended his call and looked up. “Hello, Pogi.”
The words were so soft, Reed wondered if he’d really heard them. He mouthed back. “Babyboy.”
Joseph sighed, but didn’t speak another word. They stared at each other and it felt like a scene from a cheesy movie, where the room fades to a blur while the two heroes connect in a powerful silent dialog. Despite the intervening years, the emotions that washed over Reed were familiar. Caught in a time warp, Reed felt as if summer had finally arrived after a long severe winter.
AUTHOR INFO:
Gale Stanley grew up in Philadelphia PA. She was the kid who always had her nose in a book, her head in the clouds, and her hands on a pad and pencil.
Some things never change.
Blog: http://galestanley.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/galestanley
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gale.stanley.author
Instagram: http://instagram.com/gale_stanley
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/GaleStanley107/
PRE-ORDER:
AMAZON:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6J9RXVW
CHANGELING PRESS:
https://www.changelingpress.com/the-bathhouse-it-should-have-been-you-2-b-3519
BARNES & NOBLE:
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-bathhouse-2
SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1400253
THALIA: https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1068873384
VIVLIO: https://shop.vivlio.com/product/9798223070238_9798223070238_10020/the-bathhouse
Title: Ripening Passion
Series: Passion Series, Book Two
Can Max melt the Ice Queen? Should he even try?
Claire Johnson’s dedication to sex—the cornerstone of her career—led her to help found the Center for Sexuality and Sex Practices. Now in her fifties, she knows the Center must keep pace with the rapidly growing Baby Boomer market, so she agrees to go back on camera for a series on sex and aging. But work with her nemesis?
Former English Professor Max Wilson has championed the cause of the Center ever since his now deceased wife sought the Center’s help to rekindle the nearly extinguished sexual flames of their relationship. He loves working on camera and welcomes the challenge to perform with the svelte but icy temptress.
Sparks fly immediately on and off camera. The jury is out on whether either Max or Claire can transform those sparks into a fire of sexual desire for their viewers—let alone for each other.
EXCERPT
Max glanced up at her. “Do you always eat like a bird?
Claire didn’t crack a smile. She used her fork to separate another flake of her tuna niçoise. Deliberately, she snagged a small bite and lifted it to her mouth. She glanced around the early dinner crowd and chewed thoroughly, wondering briefly how many patrons were meeting for business and how many were meeting with other thoughts on their minds. She smiled at two women at a nearby table holding hands while sharing a flambeed flan.
Claire looked back at Max. “If you approve of this body as much as you claim, then you’d better appreciate how I eat. I’m not telling you what to eat.”
“I’m sorry,” he quickly said. “I wasn’t putting you down. It’s just that I’ve never known anyone so disciplined about eating.”
“I enjoy my food. I just avoid sugars and saturated fats as much as possible.”
“You rarely eat dessert.”
“Perhaps I prefer a different sort of dessert.” She slid her bare foot up the inside of his leg.
UNIVERSAL BOOK LINK (BUY LINK)
https://books2read.com/u/4D82BP
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adriana Kraft is the pen name for a married pair of retired professors writing erotic romance and erotic romantic suspense together. We like to think we’ve broken the mold for staid, fusty academics, and we hope lots of former profs are enjoying life as much as we are.
Having lived in many states across the Midwest, we now make our home in southern Arizona, where we enjoy hiking, golf, and travel, especially to the many Arizona Native American historical sites.
Together we have published more than fifty romance novels and novellas to outstanding reviews. Whether readers open our romantic suspense or our erotic romance, they can expect characters they care about, hot sex scenes, and a compelling story.
AUTHOR LINKS
Blog: https://www.adrianakraft.com/blog
Newsletter: Get your free copy of Swingers Light Up Vegas for Newsletter signups:
https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/d1c82f5e-9b43-11ed-8c5e-b712215e57d9
Twitter https://twitter.com/AdrianaKraft
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.kraft.5
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/adrianakraft
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1578571.Adriana_Kraft
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kraftadriana/
MeWe https://mewe.com/i/adriana1kraft
Mastadon @AdrianaKraft@mastodon.otherworldsink.com
Have you ever worked on something for so long you started to believe you’d never finish it? Or had a goal that seemed so out of reach you almost gave up?
I have. It’s been so hard. Suffice to say it was a huge challenge to be focused enough to be productive. And you know what happens—When you have less focus, the longer the task takes. The longer it takes, the less you want to keep going.
I wanted to quit. In fact, I almost walked away. Then I remembered my goal and why I wanted to accomplish it. I started again.
I made a reasonable timeline, and didn’t give up.
I finished. Oh. One more thing.
Ta daaaa!
In celebration of Pride Month, here is a selection of books, many with LGBT themes and/or protagonists. Let's let June 2023 be a reminder that we all deserve affirmation and the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Love, afterall, is love, isn't it?
Battle the winter blues at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Shake Off Winter Doldrums Book Festival. 27 books, 23 authors, a huge giveaway plus sure-fire ways to combat your winter melancholy! https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/shake-off-winter-doldrums
Join us for a holiday book fair featuring LGBTQ+ fiction. Find your favorite authors and discover some new ones!
I’m When I was a kid, Fall was tough only because it was the start of school. After the first day, it got better. But now, it seems the entire season is a challenge. Is it for you, too?
To make things worse, I've decided to once again take on the masochistic journey called National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). This is a bad idea on so many levels!
First and foremost, I can't let it get in the way of the release of Waiting on the Son, my newest, completed novel. This is not as simple as it sounds. Worth it, of course, but by no means easy. I'm also working on a new holiday short-story for you.
November inches me closer to the end of the semester when I'm the most busy with grading and advising students.
NaNoWriMo is during November, which of course makes Thanksgiving prep and celebrations quite challenging. It's not easy to write 1667 words a day, every day, when I'm also trying to bake bread, decorate cakes, and roast a turkey.
And yet, I love NaNoWriMo. I can commune and commiserate with my colleagues who are doing the same thing while simultaneously giving myself over to my creative energies. In fact, it's required.
I'm going to take the plunge. I have an idea burning in my head and heart which will be the first book in a new series. Now that I say it aloud, I'm getting excited to start. Yay, Nano!
Catch ya later. I need to make a plan.
I often come up with titles that, once I give some thought, I realize I should probably not use them.
The original titles for two books in my Living After Midnight series are great examples.
Slippery in the Middle
Fruit on the Bottom
Okay, I may still use Slippery. I love that title! But I’m well aware of the problems with Fruit on the bottom.
Here are some of my other ideas in the recycle pile:
Cheese Squirting Out
Chicken Noodle Loop
Desire, Deceit, and Destruction
What’s the worst title you ever thought of? Or have ever seen on a book?
Writing is hard.
But it’s a bit easier, in my opinion, when you write about what you like. I like music. I like fantasy creatures. Sure, there is a special place in my heart for sexy vampires, confident Weres, witches and wizards. As a teen, I fell in love with so many of them and immersed myself in their stories. But as I grew up, I wanted more.
Writing is a way of creating the world as I want it to be. All of my stories are connected to Unakite City. In this fictional urban setting, creatures live side by side with humans, “among them but unknown to them”, as one of my characters bellows (repeatedly). There are the usual urban fantasy cast of characters, but also less common creatures. The star, Cheyenne, is an incubus. His best friend is a huldra and his accountant is a dragon. And now there is Malik.
Malik is a character who is introduced in Waiting on the Son, the soon-to-be-released, long awaited sequel to House of the Rising Son. He is based on the caladrius that appears in Roman mythology. According to the legend, this small bird is often referred to as a harbinger of either hopelessness or hope. The caladrius can sense if you are going to live or die. He also has the power to heal you. For this reason, they often served royalty.
Malik was initially formed on one of my trips to the casino. (Don’t get it twisted. I mostly play the nickel slot machines and listen to the live music. But I digress.) I was sitting in the corridor between buildings eating a strawberry ice cream cone, when I noticed an interesting man. He was wearing a t-shirt and khaki green pants and moving from one person to another. Naturally, he came over to me and we immediately began a conversation about books. Every few minutes, he would politely excuse himself and scurry to another unsuspecting person. Then he’d come back to continue our conversation. I thought, What a cool guy.
My interaction with this fascinating man became the bones of the character. To build around these bones, I added the basics of the the legend and then using my creativity and knowledge of the story, Malik became his own bird. For example, he isn’t small. Most of the time he appears as human, but he can take the form of a bird at will. He can heal, but at a cost. He’s also a scout and can find just about anything you need.
Sometime soon I’ll talk about the huldra. This mythological creature turned into one of the most beloved characters, according to my readers. I won’t give away everything, of course. I want you to read the book and fall in love with Chey and the gang.
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