Hope and Cabin Fever
These are terrible times. We are seeing humanity at its dumbest (stay home, people!) and its cruelest (hoarding without regard for others). Our leaders are failing us and increasing the risk to our lives by putting corporate greed over the health and safety of their constituents.
Yet, some businesses are taking it upon themselves to make sure their workers have sick leave pay. Stores are saving special times for their most vulnerable populations to shop. Our doctors and nurses and researchers are working around the clock to keep up with the carnage. Without the proper equipment, they do this at risk to themselves. Our restaurant, grocery store and pharmacy employees, never before recognized for how critical they are, are still going to work, every day, so we can find a way to carry on.
This gives me hope.
Like you, I’m home, quietly doing all I can by staying home. This is no sacrifice; it is my responsibility. It is THE responsibility of the rest of us. The only other thing I can do, I do happily–Free books.
Just click on the picture for the opportunity to collect a bunch of stories offered for free. If you’re like me, the distraction will be welcome.
#stayhomesavelives #washyourhands
A picture of spring flowers, with the words, Spring into Love.
A Sad Goodbye to My Darling Chloe
I am so sorry to have been away so long. It has been an unusual and stressful month—as I imagine you all have experienced. Mine started in early March. About two weeks before the world changed, my 16 year old puppy died. My Chloe.
One day, she began to cough and couldn’t stop. She also was having trouble catching her breath. A two day ordeal at the veterinary ER then hospital revealed she had developed pulmonary hypertension. She was unable to get enough oxygen into her body. They treated her with medication, put her in an oxygen filled kennel, and kept her comfortable. The prognosis early on was good. Since they’d figured out what was wrong, they knew how to treat it.
After a couple of days in the hospital, it was clear she wasn’t responding to the treatment. She continued to need oxygen. Just a few moments out of the enriched air she struggled to breathe. And she looked so tired. My usual feisty baby girl barely responded to my voice or my touch. The vet sadly told us that at this point, given her lack of response to the medication, Chloe would get much worse, suffering terribly. We made the only decision left to make.
It was horrible. I still can’t think of those moments without crying.
After this sad ordeal, there was barely time to grieve before the rest of the world turned on its head. But I’ll write more about that another day. In the meantime, remember your pets cannot transmit the COVID-19, #washyourhands, and #staysafe.
Kiss? Yeah.
Do you remember your first kiss?
For some reason, the recent holiday, Valentine’s Day, brought to mind my first kiss. Actually, I consider that I’ve had two, but more about that in a minute.
My first kiss took place in a movie theater. It was Christmas day, and I was 13 years old. My family had invited their best friends—my godparents—to our home to celebrate with us, and they brought Daewon with them. He was an exchange student living with them at the time. Daewon was older than me—16. Whew.
I’d never met anyone like him before. He had the curliest and longest long blond hair I’d ever seen on a boy. Moreover, he spoke with an Israeli accent, which was so exotic and sexy to me.
After spending the afternoon with him, my older brother, his wife, and my sister decided we should all go to the movies. To my surprise and excitement, my new friend came too.
My sister’s boyfriend met us at the theater. They sat with my brother and sister-in-law in the back rows, leaving me and Daewon alone in a more crowded mid-row. I think they thought I’d be safe in the middle of the crowd.
Here it gets a little fuzzy. We talked softly to each other during the movie, and at some point, he gave me a peck on the cheek. And then he kissed me. Really kissed me, like, a full-on, grown up kiss.
I think I levitated. A chorus of angels sang.
We continued to kiss all the way through the rest of the movie. I think that first kiss changed my life. I don’t know how, but I think I would be a different person if Daewon hadn’t kissed me.
Of course, after that I kissed a number of people as I navigated my teen years. Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t a kiss-aholic. Let’s see. I think I kissed 4 more people, including the person I would be with for the next 20 years.
And then, after kissing all the wrong people, I had my last, first kiss with my soulmate. My forever love. Long-distance friends for years prior, we danced around the issue of attraction for a long time. Not that we talked about it. But one day, we both suddenly realized maybe we were meant to be more than friends.
The moment we saw each other again, we kissed. A full-on, grown up kiss.
It felt like home. And that kiss, it absolutely changed my life. I am a different, better person than I was before.
Your turn. Tell me about your first kiss.
All Creatures Can Celebrate Valentine’s Day!
Valentine’s Day is a day created for lovers. You might think it would be a romance writer’s favorite holiday. Candy, flowers, and wine sales are booming.
But humans aren’t the only creatures that can celebrate. What about the paranormal community? What are they supposed to do? Vampires never drink—Well, at least not wine. And candy is iffy. Toffee and jellied fruits, or gummies and other confections could create tooth and other dental problems in several species.
I bet paranormal creatures have their own traditions when it comes to Valentine’s Day. I imagine it would look like this:
Vampires—Blood in a heart shaped bag might make a nice gift.
Shifters could enjoy a picnic (steak sandwiches?) and a moonlight run.
Dragons—Ah, gold jewelry would do the trick.
Witches may appreciate a beautiful journal for spell books.
Incubi—These feast on lust and other emotions, so perhaps a weekend at a honeymoon hotel would be exquisite.
In my story Indigo Dreams, you get a peek at how one wraith spent his Valentine’s Day. Sign up for my VIP Reader email list here and get your free copy!
An Update, a Question, and Free Books!
I’m excited to be back into a project that has taken a back seat through much of last year. I have one novel, the sequel to House of the Rising Son, a book that has been neglected while I prepared the novella for Fire and Ice, and two short stories that were published in anthologies.
Thankfully, now I am able to concentrate on the project I call Slippery. I’m anxious to see what Cheyenne and Zander get into next. Ok, I’ll admit I plot my stories so I already know what they are going to get into, but that isn’t the same as being into the rhythm of writing their stories. I’ve missed them through the other projects but now I can give them the focus they deserve.
I’m also adding words to another story, so far titled Wolves, which I started awhile ago. It’s another urban fantasy in the same world as Chey and Zander’s story but with different characters.
I have so many responsibilities that take me away from my writing. I’m settling into a routine so I know I will have more to report as time goes by.
What takes you away from projects you really want to do, and how do you get back on track?
While you wait for Slippery and Wolves, here are a couple of promotions offering free short stories and novels, including my latest short story, Indigo Dreams. Take a look and enjoy!
A graphic promoting the Great Tales of Fantasy promotion.
Find great Urban Fantasy and Paranormal books here!
A graphic promoting a February UF Giveaway.
More books and short stories are available. Get them here while you can!
Handyman? Handy Woman
For reasons still unknown, the handle to my storm door stopped working and locked me inside my house. In order to open the door, I had to take the entire mechanism off. I’m pretty sure I did not remove it according to specifications as a hammer and crowbar were my primary tools. Once removed, there was no hope of the handle working ever again but YAY, I did get the door to open.
Today, I went to the hardware store and purchased a replacement lock with a plan to install it. I think the manufacturer was either playing a horrible joke, or assumed that only experienced door handle repair people would try to install the product because THERE WERE NO WORDS in the instructions. No description of the parts included in the package or their use. No directions as to how to put it together. Just pictures. Vague, confusing pictures.
I was on my own.
The process was ugly. It took me 60 full minutes trying to figure out how to get the little plastic doohickey onto the rectangular metal thingy before it occurred to me the pairing wasn’t meant to be. I tossed out the doohickey. The next issue was figuring out which of the eighteen screws provided were supposed to be inserted in the SIX available holes—which, of course, didn’t line up with the holes already in my door.
Enter the my friend the hammer.
Three hours and a box of unused parts later, my door handle is in and working. The door opens, closes, and locks. More importantly, there’s a pretty hefty metal door backing it up.
Next on the Handy Woman List? A new doorbell.
Where’s my crowbar?
A Holiday Confession
I have a confession.
My Christmas tree is still sitting in my living room and I turn on the lights every night. It’s not because I am lazy, although there may be a little of that involved. No, it is still here because I love the way the room feels when lighted by the soft glow of the tree.
The world is beautiful through the Christmas season. Stores are decorated, and what’s more, personal homes are covered in lights and decorations. There is real joy in driving to and from destinations because it is fun to see the everything so beautiful. The world is softer, brighter, and hopefully happier.
After Christmas, the stores rush to get their Valentine decorations on display. But when holiday decorations are removed, the world feels darker and harsher and colder. I don’t want to see the lights go away.
Here, on January 21st, as I drove home tonight, holiday lights brightened the dark. Colored snowflakes decorated houses, penguins lined driveways. And yes, Christmas trees were shining from many of the homes we passed.
Apparently I am not the only one holding onto the light.
Three Ways to Sabotage Your Resolutions
Admit it. You made a New Year’s resolution or two. Like so many of us, you looked back at last year and found things you wished you’d accomplished, or want to do differently in the upcoming year. “I want to lose weight.” “We need to save money.” “I’m going to hit the gym/relax more/pay off my debt.”
Although we set out determined to achieve our objectives, often our energy and focus quickly start to fade. We get in our own way, sabotaging our progress well before we’ve really gotten started. Here’s how:
1. Our intentions are vague. If we don’t know precisely what we want to accomplish and when we want to accomplish it, we won’t recognize when we’re done or whether or not we’ve been successful. How much weight do you want to lose? What amount of money do you need to save? By when?
Being specific gives us a clear target and offers clues as to how much effort we need to achieve it. Wanting to lose 20 pounds requires a very different level of effort than losing 50 lbs. For most of us, saving $100 is not quite the same as saving $1000.
Make sense?
2. The goal is too big. We all start off excited and filled with energy to make our vision real. If we don’t see progress, our motivation starts to evaporate. It gets exhausting to keep doing something you’re failing at. For example, paying off your credit cards is a good idea, but you can chip away at it for an extended period of time and not see any progress.
It’s important to break big goals and resolutions into smaller pieces that can be accomplished and celebrated. Pay that credit card down $250. Woohoo! Next step, $500! When we achieve these smaller goals, we feel great about what we’ve done and are motivated to keep going.
Still with me? Here’s the third and final mistake.
3. We don’t have a plan. Sure, I bet you can think of something you or someone you know accomplished successfully without a plan, and that’s awesome. When that happens, however, it’s because of enormous amounts of trial and error, reworking, and luck. Do you really want to rely on the possibility of those stars falling into alignment? Wouldn’t it be better to increase the probability of achieving your goal?
When you don’t have a plan, you can waste a lot of time, energy, and resources, and it isn’t likely you’ll succeed. When you have a well thought out plan, it increases your chance for success. If you want to lose weight, you might have to do some research about how many calories to eat each day, and what foods are best for you. With this knowledge, you can create an action plan we call a menu. If you want to save money, you need to determine how much you want to save and develop the plan—the budget—that can tell you how much to set aside each time you get paid and what, if anything, you might have to sacrifice.
You’ll be able to keep your resolutions if you are specific about what you want to do, break it into smaller chunks that will help you to stay motivated, and develop a doable action plan. I know this works—it’s how I wrote and sold my first book.
Good luck with your resolutions. You got this!
The Busiest Time of the Year—and Free Stories!
It’s a hectic time of year, isn’t it? For me, it starts at Thanksgiving, really gets rolling at grading time, and then barrels through Christmas and New Years Day.
Except for grading, it’s mostly fun. Decorating the trees and the house. Holiday crafting. Making cookies. Oh, and people watching at the mall. Good times.
It’s also time to do some reading and relaxing. In case you’re looking for some new books and stories, here are a few promotions—Click on the picture. Happy Holidays!
Enjoy! Happy Holiday and Happy Reading!
Paying it forward: Three Tips from a Writer's Retreat
A woman writing on a laptop, coffee at the ready. What else do you need for a writing retreat?
Writing is hard. Lest you think differently, ask any writer you know to tell you the honest truth. Sometimes, telling a story well feels like you’re bleeding on the page, even if you’re working on a light comedy. From having a good idea to turning it into something engaging, it can be a grueling process.
Don’t get me wrong. There is joy in the process, too. Finding the right word, the right tale, and taking beloved characters on an important journey is exhilarating. And when readers find you…and “get” you…Well, nothing beats that.
But writing is hard. And try doing it, as so many of us must, with day jobs and busy families and in my case, needy, senior pets and NaNoWriMo.
Recently I was fortunate enough to participate in a brief retreat with a segment of my writer tribe. It was to be a full day and two halves of getting some much needed rest, as well as an opportunity to network and learn with and from my peers. All was accomplished. My love of the process was rekindled, and I even gained a few surprisingly helpful pointers.
Writing sprints ARE hokey, but they work. The first evening after grabbing a quick bite and an even quicker nap, I joined a few authors for a writer’s sprint. I was skeptical about participating as I am usually a comparatively slow writer. When the organizer announced the first sprint would be for 10 minutes, my heart sank.What was that going to be, 5 words for me? But it wasn’t. I wrote around 150 words. Say what?? During each subsequent sprint, my word count increased.
Margins matter. I attended a micro-workshop on book formatting. As a hybrid author, I know there is much I need to learn about formatting—especially covers—so attending seemed a good use of time. The presenter showed examples of self-published books where the words were difficult to read because the author/publisher hadn’t used the minimum required measurements for the inside margins. The presenter noted, “This screams amateur.”
I had two books waiting for me when I arrived home, delivered by Amazon. Traditionally published by two of the Big Five New York publishers. Guess what? HORRIBLE MARGINS. One was a coffee table book in which the margins bisected the pictures. Excuse me, the pictures are the point. The other one, a novel, had inner margins so off I could not open the book wide enough to read entire pages without ripping the book apart to read it. I returned the book.
Marketing is a necessary evil that you CAN master. One of my favorite authors and all around kind person Jamie K. Schmidt gave two presentations on marketing. One of the things that makes her presentations so cool and so helpful is that she shares her successes and failures and actual numbers with us, in terms of cost and results. Most presenters don’t. I gained some knowledge about Facebook ads/boosts. Basically, the most critical step is selecting your audience, and that seems to be largely a matter of trial and error. Simply understanding that is enough to give it a reasonable try. Oh—that and limit the amount you want to spend or Facebook will keep going, and going and going.
In the second, more informal talk, Jamie spoke about marketing and shared a relatively new tool with us: StoryOrigin. OMG this is a wonderful site that facilitates newsletter swaps and group promotions for sales and list building. I only just started to use it, but I am happy to share my results as I experience them. Stay Tuned!
Dress Up/Dress Down Wednesday with Kryssie Fortune
Please join me in welcoming Kryssie Fortune to Living After Midnight.
Congratulations on your new release, Kryssie! Tell us about your hero’s or typical style of dress. What is the condition of the clothing?
My book is set in the Regency era. When he first meets my heroine, he’s wearing a black topcoat and muffler. The topcoat would be thick and warm, probably pure wool. It’s not mentioned, but I imagined it with short black capes that hung from the shoulder and fell around his arms. His muffler is basically a wool scarf. Since he’s riding, he’d wear glossy top boots. My hero, Viscount Stonehurst has his specially made to disguise his false lower left leg. He’d be wearing black leather goods, but he chooses not to wear a hat.
What does the choice of clothing tell us about him?
He’s a power dresser who likes to be in charge whatever the situation, especially in the bedroom. Nowadays, we’d call him a dom.
What happens when or if he wears the opposite style?
He wears anything with swagger and panache. Even in London, he wears plain clothes, all black. It’s his way of keeping the costs down since his wardrobe always matches.
How do his or outfits set your hero apart from other characters?
Regency men were peacocks. Stonehurst isn’t, but he can dress up if need be. For a special occasion, he wore black pantaloons and black cut away tailcoat. Pantaloons were high waisted trousers with a buttoned flap at the front for convenience. They fell to just below the knee. He’d tied his neckcloth in the Trone d’amour style. A neckcloth is wide strip of fabric that can be tied in various ornamental ways. The Trone d’amoure style is austere. The cloth goes around the neck with the centre at the front, in a wide starched band. The ends are tied in neatly at the front. The wearer puts one single dimple in the wide band at the front.
He sounds awesome. Now tell us about the book!
Blurb
![theviscountspet_full[37103]-1.jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b2d51762487fde977e02596/1571081520282-EV3CKPM4VZFYZDMWUVIH/theviscountspet_full%5B37103%5D-1.jpg)
When her brother tries to force her into a marriage with a detestable baron, Julianna Halstead flees the family estate she has helped manage since the death of her parents. But as she makes her escape late at night, Juliana’s carelessness nearly results in her being trampled by a galloping horse, and the steed’s handsome rider takes it upon himself to correct her right then and there.
Though having her bottom bared and soundly spanked on the side of the road leaves Juliana blushing crimson, the punishment arouses her intensely and her body’s helpless response cannot be hidden. To make matters worse, the gentleman over whose lap she was so firmly chastised turns out to be none other than Viscount Stonehurst, someone she has known since childhood.
When Stonehurst learns of Juliana’s predicament, he decides to make her his bride. She will be no ordinary wife, however. She will be something much more shameful. But even as she is leashed, collared, and put on display in a cage wearing only a tail, then brought out to be used in ways no proper lady should enjoy, will Juliana come to love her new life as the viscount’s pet?
Publisher’s Note: The Viscount’s Pet is a stand-alone novel which shares the Regency-era setting of Wickedly Used and His Innocent Bride. It includes spankings and sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.
Buy links
Excerpt
As they rode, her brief spark of anger faded into despair. She never made a sound, but tears flowed down her cheeks.
“Damn it,” Stonehurst muttered under his breath, “don’t cry.”
Despite the balmy summer night, she couldn’t stop shivering. He tightened his arms, pulling her toward him. When he buried his face in her hair, she thought he inhaled in her favorite floral perfume. She hoped it pleased him. His citrus and herbal cologne certainly delighted her.
When he reached the rose garden, the musky scent of the flowers lingered, heady and intoxicating. Despite his wooden leg, he slid easily from the saddle and helped her dismount. His hands rested a few seconds too long on her waist. She relaxed and leaned toward him, but his severe expression condemned her. While her past actions deserved his scorn, it still crushed her.
As if he couldn’t stop himself, he tugged her against him. His mouth slammed against hers, claiming, dominating, and possessing. A soft moan flowed from her. When she nestled into his embrace, her heart told her she’d come home.
He tangled his hands in the loose strands of her hair and anchored her lips to his. As his tongue traced the seam between them, she opened for him. He tasted of fresh lemons and spearmint. His kiss was all-consuming and addictive, a sinful delight that flooded her soul with joy.
The longer he held her, the more she relaxed. Everything about him made her feel sheltered and safe. Deep down she knew it was an illusion. He’d already sided with her brother, and her ribs would suffer for it.
Confused by the feelings he roused in her breast, her grip on reality faded, and she responded with unexpected eagerness. Wrong or not, she’d savor this moment of pleasure. Something hot and sensual sizzled between them. Unable to resist, she slid her arms around his neck, and ran her foot up and down his right calf.
When he crushed her against his chest, the added intimacy made her heart pound and her knees weak. Only, given their past, they could never have a future.
About Kryssie Fortune
Kryssie Fortune writes the sort of hot sexy books she loves to read. Her paranormal heroes are muscular werewolves, arrogant Fae, seductive vampires or BDSM loving dragons.
Kryssie likes her contemporary heroes ex-military and dominant. Her Byronic and brooding Regency men are troubled survivors of Waterloo. When it comes to women, she writes kick ass females who can hold their own against whatever life - or Kryssie - throws at them.
Kryssie's pet hates are unhappy endings, and a series that ends on a cliff hanger.
Her books are all stand alone even when part of series. Plot always comes before sex, but when her heroines and heroes get together, the sex is explosive and explicit. One review called it downright sensual.
Naughty Heroes: In and Out of Uniform by the Naughty Literati #CoverReveal
A collection of UNFORGETTABLE HEROES
Featuring NY Times, USA Today, Amazon & International bestselling authors!
Written by
the Naughty Literati™
Coming December 2019
Marine on a Mission
When Mitch McCoy left rural Kentucky to join the U.S. Marines he never thought he’d return. Now he’s undercover with a state drug task force. He’s not only facing his past, but also Sara Hawkins, the woman who broke his heart. This investigation will risk their lives and their hearts.
Sex Bomb
From first sight I knew Marine Lieutenant Harlie Savage wasn’t fragile like a flower—she was fragile like a bomb. Definitely not some princess who needed to be saved, either. She was a queen who only lacked a sword, and I vowed to be her weapon.
Her Soldier of Fortune
Leia has no idea who ex-Marine Major Tate McIntyre is when he saves her life in a dark alley. Yet Tate’s certain Leia is his to have, hold, and protect. He vows to keep her safe at any cost. His only price is her heart. Semper Fi!
The Night Watchman
A disabled vet rescues a woman on a mission to collect evidence, saving her from the men chasing her. As Jace and Shannon race to survive and outwit a traitor, a deep connection grows between them. But staying alive long enough to explore the attraction will take everything they’ve got.
Military Blues
Luke is struggling to recover from a career shattering IED blast that sees him permanently discharged. Milly’s career self-destructed and she’s moved cities in the hopes of starting again. Can this new life and new relationship be a second chance for them both?
AMAZON
B&N
Kobo
iBooks
You can find excerpts from each story at https://naughtyliterati.com/naughty-heroes/.
And now for the gorgeous cover by Nicole Austin:
To celebrate, the Naughty Literati is offering a very special GIVEAWAY! Enter to win a FREE 7" Kindle Fire loaded with Naughty Literati books! Many ways to enter here https://naughtyliterati.com/contest/
