Man Candy Monday 2012~

Wow!! The last Monday of 2012! Now you know I couldn't choose just 1 tasty  morsel for such an occasion....Enjoy!  
And Happy New Year!!!

Man Candy Monday!!

Continuing with my salute to the sexy men of Country Music, here's the talented Keith Urban!
What's your favorite Keith song ?

Enjoy!

Man Candy Monday!

Any Brad Paisley fans out there?? I think he's so cute in a guy-next-door kind of way!
Enjoy!

Man Candy Monday!

Here's one of our favorite Jake Owen! 

Enjoy!

Man Candy Monday!!

Anyone want to go to the river............???? I hear the view is realllllly nice ;)
Enjoy!

Friday Fun! Meet Paige Tyler and her BUCKLE BUNNIES Series!

Thanks so much for letting me guest blog, Jennifer!

What's better than a hot cowboy? Two hot cowboys, of course! Which is exactly what you'll get in RIDE OF HER LIFE, the first book in my new BUCKLE BUNNIES SERIES!

A while back I mentioned that I hadn't written many westerns, but after the success of, and reader response to, my bestselling KARLEIGH'S COWBOYS and AND THE RANCH HAND MAKES THREE, not to mention how much fun they were to write, I couldn't wait to come up with some more! This time, though, I'm going to focus on hot, hunky rodeo riders and the women who can't get enough of them!

The rodeo is a nod to one of my aunts. She was crazy about the rodeo (only she pronounced it row-day-o, like in Rodeo Drive) and couldn't get enough of her cowboys! My books might be a little too risque for her, though. She was very old-fashioned and read the kind of romances where the man and woman held a hanky between their hands when they touched. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea! All the skin-on-skin contact in my books would have scandalized her!

Okay, back to the series! It'll be filled with menages - both M/F/M and F/M/F - spanking, bondage and, of course, hot, sizzling sex! There'll even be some surprises tossed in along the way! Hope you'll check them out!

Happy Reading!

This ride lasts a lot longer than eight seconds!
Barrel rider Daisy Hollins has run into bronc riders Sawyer Jones and Beau Monroe quite a few times on the rodeo circuit. She’s flirted with both of them, but things have never gone any further than that. Before an event, they're all too focused on the competition, and afterward, they’re usually too sore and tired to do anything but fall into bed.

When she runs into the two hot cowboys in the hotel bar at the Rodeo Finals in Las Vegas, however, there’s a different vibe in the air. When the flirting starts this time, it doesn't stop, and Daisy goes upstairs with both of them for a completely different kind of rodeo ride.


Excerpt:

Daisy turned to ask Beau which way his room was and found him standing six inches from her.

“I can't wait any longer,” he growled, pushing her up against the wall beside the elevator and kissing her hard.

She kissed him back, even though she knew the elevator door could open at any moment, or that someone—another family even—could come down the hall. She couldn’t wait any longer, either.

Beau twined his fingers in her hair and pulled her mouth tighter against his own, his tongue bulling its way in. She met him halfway, giving as good as she got. One of her hands slid down his side to his grab his ass and yanked his crotch into perfect contact with hers. She wrapped one leg around his thigh and ground against him.

Dear God, she’d never been this hot in her life. She might just explode on the spot.

Beside her, Sawyer cleared his throat. She ignored him, moaning into Beau’s mouth.

Sawyer cleared his throat again, louder this time.

She dragged herself away from Beau to see Sawyer leaning against the wall beside them.

“Sorry for the interruption, Daisy,” he drawled. “It's not that I'm concerned you’re grinding against Beau out here in the hallway where anyone can see you — it's that you're doing it without me.”

Daisy laughed and reached out with her free hand to grab Sawyer's shirt front and pull him in for a kiss.

His style of kissing was completely different from Beau, but no less captivating. His mouth slowly moved over hers, his tongue teasing hers. She would have kissed him harder, but still trapped in Beau's arms like she was, she had no choice but to let Sawyer take the kiss where he wanted it to go. The effect was intoxicating.

She felt Beau's mouth on the side of her exposed neck, trailing kisses up and down from her earlobe to the top of her shirt collar.

Between the warmth of his lips and the light scrape of his scruff, she thought she was going to go crazy.

She whimpered, close to tearing off both men’s clothes right there where they stood.

Fortunately, the two women coming down the hall made enough noise for the three of them to drag themselves apart just in time. Sawyer still waited until the very last moment, and when he did, it was so abrupt she was left reeling. Daisy leaned back against the wall, trying to look as casual as possible.

The elderly woman smiled politely at Daisy and her two cowboys as she poked the elevator button, but other than that she took no notice of them. The younger girl with her, however, immediately sensed something was up. She looked at Daisy, then at Sawyer and Beau, then back to Daisy again. Her expression went from curious to knowing in the blink of an eye. A huge smile spread across her face.

“Ride 'em, cowgirl,” she said with a barely controlled laugh.

Heat suffused Daisy’s face. How the hell had the girl known? Were her lips plump from Beau and Sawyer's kisses? Had she drooled on her shirt? Did she have an I'll-begetting-it-from-two-hot-studs-within-the-next-fifteen-minutes expression on face?

The older woman turned to look questioningly at the girl. “What was that, hun?”

A smile played around the girl’s lips as she motioned to Daisy. “She’s with the rodeo, Aunt Margaret. I just told her to have a good ride.”

The woman looked at Daisy closely, her eyes searching behind her big glasses.

“They let women in the rodeo now? That's nice. Do you get to ride ponies?”

Thank God the elevator arrived before Daisy could answer. If she had, a comment about how women could even vote now may have popped out. The girl quickly hustled her aunt onto the elevator, then turned to give Daisy a wave. “Have fun riding your ponies!”

Daisy heard the aunt murmur something just as the elevator doors closed.

“Can you believe that?” was all Daisy could say.

Beau’s mouth quirked. “The part where Aunt Margaret thinks you ride ponies, or the part where her niece figured out you’re going to be riding the two of us?”

Daisy groaned. “Both. But enough about them. Where the hell is your room, Beau?”

The two men grabbed her hands and practically dragged her down the hall. Beau fumbled with the key card for a second before getting it straight. Daisy felt like snatching it out of his hand, but was concerned hers would shake so much it would take even longer to get inside the room.

The moment the door swung open, Sawyer had his hands on her ass herding her in.

As it closed behind them, he gave one of her belt loops a yank, spinning her around to face him. She melted in his arms as his mouth captured hers. Beau moved up behind her, pressing his jean-covered cock against her ass as he swept her hair off her neck and began to nibble.

Their hands roamed over her body freely, touching her anywhere and everywhere they wished as they used their lips and tongue to drive her crazy. She wasn't sure if she’d survive the incredible sensations racing through her body.

She dragged her mouth away from Sawyer’s. “Whoa there, boys. Let's slow down before I pass out. This isn't supposed to be one of your eight second rides, you know?”

Both men laughed, but backed off, giving her room to breathe. She felt a little chilled without the heat of their bodies pressed up against her. She had no doubt she'd be wedged back between them soon enough.

Daisy took the opportunity to look around the room, and was immediately struck by something total unfair.

“Hey, why is your room so much bigger than mine?” she asked.

The bed was a king-size monster, complete with four posts that ran as high as the ceiling, gauzy curtains and half a dozen ornate throw pillows.

She wandered over to peek into the bathroom, and gaped.

“Dang, you have a Jacuzzi tub, too?”

Daisy had seen swimming pools smaller than the big heart-shaped thing.

“They didn't have anything else left,” Beau's said from the bedroom, “so they gave me a honeymoon suite.”

“Huh.”

She wished they’d offered her one. It would have been nice to have that tub to soak in every night after riding.

She walked out and looked around the rest of the suite. It was obvious to anyone who walked in that Beau was a rodeo rider. The room was filled with the unmistakable scent of leather and horse. There was also a saddle sitting on the small couch, along with a pile of tack piled beside it. She walked over to look at the gear. It was pretty standard rodeo stuff—bridles, bits, halters and a surcingle rig that bareback riders used to stay on their horses. It was the saddle that threw her. It was damn nice. Well worn, but expensive looking.

“I thought you only rode bareback, Beau. What's the saddle for?”

He came up behind her, casually resting his hand on her ass as if reminding her of his fascination with that part of her body. Would he do what he’d described downstairs to her bottom soon?

“Rodeo riding doesn't pay all the bills. I do a little ranch work here and there when I can get it. I don't trust leaving my saddle down in the trailer.”

She ran her hand over the smooth leather. “I can understand why. It's beautiful.”

Beau chuckled in her ear. “Not that I don’t appreciate the compliment, but do you really want to talk about my saddle right now?”

Daisy turned to see both men standing side by side regarding her with evident heat in their eyes.

She smiled. “I do love a nice saddle, but you're right. How about you show me some of your other gear instead?”

Without waiting for an answer, she reached out and unbuttoned Beau's shirt. As the band of bronzed skin became exposed, she had to fight the urge to lean forward and kiss it. She had two men to think about now.

So she moved over to Sawyer and did the same thing to him. Once both shirts were unbuttoned, she stepped back and raised an eyebrow. “You two aren't going to make me do all the work, are you?”

The men shrugged off their shirts, then stood there looking buff and magnificent.

They were both of the same build—long and lean with wiry muscles—and Daisy couldn't help but stand there and admire them. Dang, they were something to behold.

Daisy stepped closer and placed a hand on each of their chests. The muscular planes of their pecs gave way to equally hard abs as she trailed her hands down. This close, she could define the slight differences between the two men. Sawyer was just a bit broader than Beau, and had a light trace of dark hair that ran down his happy trail from just above his belly button and disappearing into his jeans. Beau's abs were more defined, and she had a crazy urge to drop to her knees in front of him and trace her tongue along every nook and cranny. The idea of being on her knees in front of both of them was doing all kinds of wild things to her tummy.

She was about to do just that when Beau slipped a finger under her chin and tilted her head up.

“Do I need to remind you about the basic rule?”

“Rule?”

He grinned. “You show us yours if we show you ours?”

It took a moment for that to sink in—she was a bit distracted by all the manliness on display. But when it did, she laughed.

“No problem.” She reached for the buttons of her shirt. “Fair's fair.”

“And go slow.” Sawyer gave her a lazy smile. “I like a girl who takes her time.”

Daisy was surprised they still wanted to take it slow, especially after all the verbal foreplay and downright scorching hot kisses. But if they wanted her to take it slow, she could do that.

She started at the bottom of her shirt, undoing one button slowly, then taking a good, long time working her fingers up to the next button, making sure they got a good look at the skin she was exposing.


Buy it at Amazon!
http://www.amazon.com/Ride-Life-Buckle-Bunnies-ebook/dp/B0098ABK34/ref=sr_1_44?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347375670&sr=1-44


Buy it at ARe!
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-rideofherlifethebucklebunniesseries-938320-144.html


Buy it at Barnes & Noble!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ride-of-her-life-paige-tyler/1112814894?ean=2940015464641&itm=21&USRI=%22Paige+Tyler%22&

To check out my other sexy romantic fiction, visit my website at http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/ You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter and my blog there!

*hugs*

Paige

Man Candy Monday!

Who doesn't need a handsome cowboy to start the week off right...??
Enjoy!

Man Candy Monday!

Here a hot pic that inspired me while I was writing Rafe's Redemption ;) 
Hope you like!! 

Friday Fun: Meet Author Lynda Bailey + Give*Away!!!

Please help me welcome my dear friend LYNDA BAILEY!! She's not only a fellow historical author but a fellow 2010  Golden Heart® finalist !

For those of you who love Western Historical her new novel WILDFLOWER is a must buy! 

Learn all about Linda at her website but come on back and leave a comment for your chance to win a an e-copy of your choice from Lynda's titles :)

JJ~  How ya doing, Lynda?

LB~ Great, Jenn! Thanks so much for having me here today. It’s always fun to hang out with you.

JJ~ First things first, love the cover of your new book, Wildflower. Who did it for you? Jenn winks.

LB~ Oh, gee. Lynda winks back. Let me think. That would be the fabulously talented Kim Killion of Hot Damn Designs. Ever heard of her?

JJ~ Laughs. I think I may have heard the name once or twice. Tell us a little bit about your story.

LB~ Wildflower is a total “ugly duckling” story. Set in post Civil War in Indian Territory (which is modern day Oklahoma) Matilda, aka Matt, Townsend has grown up working as a cowhand on her father’s ranch. Her mother died when she was a little girl so she’s had no feminine influences in her life. Matt doesn’t even own a dress. Of course, she longs to be more than just another ranch hand. The question is, will she achieve that dream?

JJ~ Sounds interesting. I gotta ask, though, why Indian Territory?

LB~ It was kinda a protest decision as well as a practical one. Tons of historical westerns are set in Texas or Wyoming or California, but very few are set (at least the ones I’ve read) on the Midwest prairie. Having grown up on the prairie, so to speak, it was easier for me to write about that rather than someplace I’d never lived.

JJ~ So when did you first write Wildflower?

LB~ Ohhh, good question there. Wildflower was the third book I ever finished, like maybe twelve years ago. Of course, then it wasn’t titled Wildflower. It was first titled Washita Woman (for the actual Fort Washita in Indian Territory). Then I think I called it Washita Wildflower, then Winter Wildflower. Finally I settled on just plain Wildflower.

JJ~ Why the emphasis on wildflowers?

LB~ Matt always smells like flowers, even in the winter.

JJ~ Huh. What gives on the huge gap between writing your book and publishing it?

LB~ Well, back in the day, I was still learning the ins and outs of storytelling. As I became a (hopefully) better writer, WF went through rewrite after rewrite. When I finally thought she was ready for primetime, no one was too interested in historical romances. So she got tucked away with the dust bunnies under my bed while I pursued other projects. Once I learned western romances were making a bit of a comeback – and were turning erotic, I dusted WF off, spiffed and sexed her up a bit, then entered her in the 2010 Golden Heart®. I’m both honored and humbled that I was a finalist that year. Guess you could say Wildflower is an example of never giving up.

JJ~ True that. Where can interested folks find Wildflower to buy?

LB~ Wildflower is available exclusively through the KDP Select program. Here’s the link. http://amzn.com/B008KFBYXE

JJ~ Anything else you want to add?

LB~ One lucky person will get his/her choice of any one of my titles. Just leave a comment, along with your email addy. Sorry, at this time I can only send a PDF copy. Thanks Jenn for hosting me today!

BLURB:

Indian Territory 1882

She made a deathbed promise.

Matilda Townsend has always dreamed of escaping Indian Territory and finding the acceptance she never had with her own father. As he lies dying from a fever, he asks her to marry so she’ll be safe. She’s then torn between winning her father’s approval and being free.

He gained an unwilling wife.

Logan Cartwright has loved Matt since he first started working for her father. Now the old man is dying and wants him to marry her. Logan knows how much Matt wants to leave. Can he set aside his dream for hers?  

A contest of wills sparks passion.

While Matilda clings to her refusal to share her husband’s bed, Logan coaxes her into exploring the other many and varied ways a man and wife can please each other. Even as their passion blazes hotter than a prairie fire, they must confront a danger that threatens to destroy the ranch and divide them forever.

EXCERPT:

Like a June bug on a hot skillet, Matilda Grace Townsend couldn’t stay still.

Every time she sat, nervous energy forced her to stand. She paced the short distance to the window and drew aside the faded calico curtain only to spin on her heel and retrace her steps before her gaze could fix on anything outside. Her boot heels clacked a steady beat on the wooden floorboards as her denim pants swished in time to the macabre tune. The fire crackled at her back, but she didn’t feel the warmth.

Only cold dread.

She darted her gaze to her father’s closed bedroom door. Again. Influenza or no, Pa should’ve cussed a blue streak at Doc Bingham then tossed the good doctor out on his ear for being so meddlesome.

Yet it was quiet. Too quiet. Like that awful stillness right before her mother died. She might have only been four at the time, but she remembered.

Anxiety churned in her stomach. She clenched her hands into tight fists, her stubby nails stinging her palms. Lordy, she wanted to hit something. Someone.

She glared at that door. She’d give them to the count of five and then she was going in, her father’s temper be damned. Might do him good to get riled up.

The sound of a door opening whipped her around. Logan Cartwright barreled into the house on a strong gust of wind. He shouldered the door shut against the wicked March weather.

The sight of the tall, blond-haired Kentuckian quieted her ragged nerves and thawed some of the iciness in her chest. “What are you doing here? I thought you were riding out to the herd.”

He pulled the well-worn Stetson from his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “I was.” He nudged his chin toward her father’s bedroom. “But Chuck said your pa wanted to see me.”

Her eyebrows knitted. “Why would Pa send for you?”

“I don’t know. Figured it was important, though. He wouldn’t have sent Chuck otherwise.” He hung his lambskin-lined coat on a peg beside the door. “What’d Bingham say?”

“Doc’s still in there.”

Logan’s intense gray eyes, the color of an Appaloosa horse, met hers. “Still?”

“Yes.” Frustration again starched her spine. “And I’m sick of waiting.” She stepped toward the bedroom door. “I’m going in there.”

Logan laid his hand on her arm. She jerked away and faced him, fists up.

“Whoa, easy there, Matt.” He raised his hands and stepped back. “Causing a stir won’t help anything. Let Doc do his job.” He moved to the fireplace and the coffee pot hanging on the hook. He poured a cup. “You want some tea?”

“Chuck has yet to get to town,” she bit out, whatever calm she’d felt vanishing like snow on a summer day. “And I drank the last of the tea two days ago.”

He poured a second cup. “Then have coffee. Last time I checked, we still had plenty of sugar.”

He set both cups on the table before sitting in a straight-backed chair. Matt again balled her hand into a fist. His head made a tempting target.

He took a sip. “Either hit me or have a sit. Your choice.”

She didn’t want to sit so to keep from swinging at Logan’s thick skull, she resumed her pacing. She felt his gray gaze on her every step.

“He’s gonna be all right, Matt.”

She rounded on him. “What makes you so dang sure of that?”

“I just am.” He kicked the other chair out from the table with his foot. “Sit down. You’re wearing a rut in the floor.”

“Am not,” she retorted, not caring that she sounded more like a child than a grown woman of nineteen years. Still, she plunked her backside into the chair and reached for the second cup. After spooning in a generous portion of sugar, she took a sip and grimaced. No amount of sugar could make coffee taste better than bull piss.

“Have you seen him this morning?” Logan again inclined his head toward the bedroom door.

She shook her head then tucked her too short hair behind her ear. “I was mucking stalls when Chuck found me. Said Pa wanted to see me, too.”

Logan’s full lips twitched. “Figure Chuck likes his new job as a carrier pigeon?”

Matt fought to smile back. “He’d rather cook a pigeon than be one.”

After the shared quiet chuckle, silence blanketed the room. It bore down on Matt, making it hard to breathe. She straightened her shoulders with a toss of her head and blinked at the burn in her eyes. “I talked to Roscoe about me getting back on guard duty at the herd.”

Logan stiffened. “What the hell for?”

She hitched a shoulder. “I need to stop lollygagging.”

“You haven’t been lollygagging. You’ve been needed here.”

“To do what?” Anger and a good dose of fear spiked her words. “It’s not like Pa lets me take care of him. He’d rather go hungry than have me spoon broth down his throat.”

“You’re his daughter. Your place is here.”

She crossed her arms and jutted her chin. “Roscoe’s the foreman and he agrees I should get back on guard duty.”

A muscle popped in Logan’s cheek. “Like hell. I’ll take your shifts.”

“You’ve taken every one of my shifts for the past three weeks. And with half the men still recovering, you’ll end up with this dang influenza yourself.”

“Doubtful. Doc says if I haven’t gotten it by now, I won’t. Besides, it’s temporary. Once Gene and everybody else are back on their feet, things will get back to normal.” He calmly sipped his coffee.

Scowling, she opened her mouth to inform Mr. Logan Cartwright that she didn’t need him or anyone treating her like a ninny little girl. But the creak of her father’s bedroom door cut off the words. Doc Bingham stepped out of the room. She jumped to her feet, as did Logan, their chairs scraping the floor.

“How is he?” they asked in unison.

The doctor took his sweet time closing the door before eyeing first Logan then her. “Reckon that’s for him to say.”

A chill settled at the base of her spine. “What does that mean?”

Bingham scrubbed his hands down his face with a sigh. “It means your father wants to see you.”

She started for the bedroom.

“But first, he wants to see you.” Bingham pointed to Logan.

Stunned, Matt halted in her boots. She swerved her gaze to Logan who stared back, his eyebrows arched high. After a pause, he pushed his chair under the table then walked to her father’s room. With a last look, he disappeared through the door.

Man Candy Monday........buffet closing ?

As some of you have probably read online, an author has been sued over her use of an image she got from just searching Google images. She is advising EVERYONE to be careful and use only images you are sure you have rights to. http://pubrants.blogspot.ca/2012/07/blogging-authors-beware-you-can-get.html
This one of Jimmy Thomas I purchased to use on the back of my RTC of Rafe's Redemption. However, I can't afford to purchase a new image for every Monday so I'm not sure how much longer Man Candy Monday will continue. I am searching to see if there are royalty free sites with low prices or true free images sites I can join.
I will keep looking for images I can use because I have a sweet-tooth for Man Candy just as you ladies do. :)
Thanks!

New Release Wednesday + Give*Away!

Please help me welcome my RWA chapter-mate and friend, LYNN CAHOON!
Lynn has had much success this year with not only her newly released novel but her short stories! (Yay! Congrats, Lynn. )
You can find out more about Lynn at her website
But come on back and leave a comment for your chance to win an e-copy of THE BULL RIDER'S BROTHER!

Thanks for being here today, Lynn.

*****

Writing the Modern Western

Okay, so I was surprised when one of my reviewers called my debut release a ‘modern western.’ I think anytime you have cowboys and rodeo together, western must be the definition. I guess I just see the book as a normal life.

Growing up in Idaho, my life surrounded farm life, riding horses, and cowboys. Kids at school wore boots more often than tennis shoes.  And jeans were wranglers, bought at the farm store. Attending rodeos were entertainment.  And when the rodeo parade came to town, life was good.

The memories I’m pulling from all surround life in the country. Even though I’d consider myself a city girl, at least now.

But is The Bull Rider’s Brother a modern western?  I guess. Even though the setting isn’t a Texas ranch, the story surrounds life in a small mountain town.  A town with a church or two, a small general store, and small bars dotting the highway that flows through the town right next to the river. My kind of place.

If that makes it a western, I’m happy with the definition.

So, readers – how do you define a western?

Lynn

Author Bio 

Growing up in the middle of cowboy country, Lynn Cahoon was destined to fall in love with a tall, cool glass of water.  Now, she enjoys writing about small town America, the cowboys who ride the range, and the women who love them. Contact her at her website – www.lynncahoon.wordpress.com

Blurb for The Bull Rider’s Brother

Rodeo weekend is the start of the summer for the entire town of Shawnee, Idaho. On a girl's night out, Lizzie Hudson finds herself comparing her life as a single mom with her best friend's successful career when James Sullivan, the cowboy who got away, walks his Justin Ropers back into her life.  Seeing him shakes Lizzie's world but James is in for an even more eventful weekend, learning he has a son.  James has enough on his plate trying to manage his brother's bull riding career.  Can he learn to redefine family and become part of Lizzie's life before she gives up on him and marries another?

The Bull Rider’s Brother is a series contemporary romance about Lizzie Hudson, a single mom who wants to keep her life just the way it is, thank you.  The problems you know are less scary than the problems you don’t.

When James Sullivan comes back for the town’s rodeo weekend and finds out that his high school sweetheart had his child, six years ago, Lizzie’s world is thrown into turmoil and she must decide if safety and certainty are worth giving up on a chance for love.  A love that an emotionally damaged James may never be able to return, breaking her and her son’s heart in the process.

Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Bull-Riders-Brother-ebook/dp/B008195C2I  (also available at Barnes and Noble and i-tunes.)

Friday Fun: Hero Interview - Meet Win Fairchild!!

  

“Ladies, I have Win Fairchild with me today. Win is the hero of of my very, very good friend Vonnie Davis’s recently released novella for the Honky Tonk Heart series—Those Violet Eyes. He’s an ex-Marine who cooks part-time at the Lonesome Steer Honky Tonk. He’s also started a ranch for children with amputee limbs. An interesting mix, don’t you think?”

“Tell me, Win, what is Those Violet Eyes about?”

“Lost dreams, Jennifer, and what it takes to achieve them. Did you ever read the poet, Langston Hughes? There are a few lines from a poem of his that suits Evie and me. “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up, like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore. And then run?” You see, I’d lost my dream of military life, so I had to refocus to get a new dream. Evie, well, her lost dreams festered like a sore. I guess in a way you could also say our story is also one of healing. She helped me feel again and I gave her courage to focus on her dream deferred.”

I lean toward him. “I have to ask. What’s it like being one of Vonnie’s heroes?”

A slow, sexy badass smile spreads. “Oh, Jen.” His head tilts to the side and hazel eyes regard me. “May I call you Jen, or do you prefer Jennifer? My name is Sherwin, but I much prefer Win.”

Ladies, I can see how Evie was charmed. “Jen is fine.”

“Well, Jen, in the service, you get used to standing in lines. But nothing prepared me for what it was like to stand in line in Vonnie’s mind while she methodically worked her way through all the men clamoring for her attention.” He shakes his head once. “Was damn near impossible to get her attention.” 

“What did you do? How did you get her to focus on you?”

“I rode into her bedroom one night…”

 

“You…you rode into her bedroom?”

“Yup. Yup, I did. Rode my Harley right into her bedroom. Not once, but twice. See the first time, she shot me a scowl, mumbled something about another man being the last thing she needed and then she rolled up against her husband’s back. Gotta tell ya, was glad Calvin had his hearing aids out and couldn’t hear me. He’s a couple inches taller than me. I was especially glad he slept through my crawling in bed with Vonnie…”

“You crawled in bed with your author?”

“Hey, I was desperate. A Marine does whatever it takes to achieve his mission. Semper fi. Besides, I needed her to tell my story. She sat there and listened. ‘Course had I known she’d make that goof, I might have chosen another author.”

“What goof, Win?”

“She wrote that my Humvee exploded after it ran over an IUD in Iraq. An IUD, Jen, one of those birth control devices…” He pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. “Damn woman. What kind of crack was she smokin’?”

I’m laughing so hard by this time. I mean, just his annoyed expression is priceless. “How did you point it out to her?”

“Hunh, can’t tell Vonnie anything. She’s almost as hardheaded as my Evie. It wasn’t until the final galleys came back that she noticed it. Good thing the people at The Wild Rose Press took pity on her and fixed it.” He shakes his head again. “Had to be one strong birth control device to stop a team of Marines, I tell you.”

“Let’s talk about Evie. What did you think the first time you saw her?

That she had the most incredible eyes. They’re violet and magnetic. Pulled at me, you know?

“What was your second thought?”

That she had nine feet of attitude crammed into a petite body. I do love a spirited woman.

“Did you think it was love at first sight?”

For me, yes. I mean she rocked my world, you know? Wait, is that a cliché? Vonnie has a problem with clichés sometimes. But back to Evie, I’d been emotionally numb since the IED explosion that took three of my buddies and part of my leg, but a couple minutes with her and I started feeling traces of emotion again. My Evie is something else.

“What do you like most about her?”

“Hey, what’s not to like? She’s like a tornado in a pair of pink cowgirl boots.”

“How would you describe her?”

“Fierce, spirited, intelligent and funny. She was the first person to make me laugh after Iraq.”

“How would she describe you?”

Another badass smile spreads. “Well, I’ve heard “Neanderthal” tumble from those pretty lips of hers. ‘Don Juan on a Harley’, ‘Macho Marine’, ‘Mr. I-Gotta-Chip-On-My-Shoulder.’ ‘Course that was all in the beginning. Guess you could say we had a rocky start. We were both pretty touchy. As time went on she found out I was a hard working man, self-reliant, caring, passionate. Oh, yeah, with her, most passionate.”

“What made you choose cooking as a profession/career?”

 

“My respect for Uncle Gus. He owns the Lonesome Steer Honky Tonk and was my father figure growing up. Gotta tell you there’s no man I respect more than him. He took over when my dad left us. Uncle Gus kept me on the straight and narrow. I watched him cook a few times at his bar and got the idea I might like to do that, too. So I went to chef’s school. Things were pretty hot in Iraq when I got my chef’s hat so I joined the Marines. They were my first choice with Uncle Gus having served in The Corps back in the day.”

“How do you relax?”

“Evie and I ride horseback over Solace, my ranch. She’s a glorious sight on a horse, I tell you.”

“What is the best piece of advice you ever received?”

“My momma told me the best way to get over your own pain was to immerse yourself into helping others. That’s why I started the ranch to help children with amputee limbs. Helping them gets the focus off me. Hell, I can be damn boring at times.”

“Did Vonnie let you bring an excerpt with you today?”

A blush creeps up his neck. “Yes. And I never read over it until just now. Should have picked one myself. But this one is from the time she came to apologize.”

“What was she apologizing for?”

“Damned if I could remember once I got a look at her. Woman messes with my mind.” His gaze lifts to mine. “And my libido. There’s no one like Evie.”

Evie turned onto the lane leading to his ranch and passed a hand painted sign that read, “Solace—Private Property.”

Half-a-mile later, the ranch house came into view. Her mouth went dry and her stomach did a freefall. Win sat on the porch steps…waiting. He stood; six-foot of muscled male in jeans, torn at one knee, and a snug navy T-shirt. He came down the unpainted porch steps and her body went on full hormonal alert.

When she turned off her car’s motor, Win opened her door. Evie sat staring straight ahead, not sure if her trembling legs could support her if she got out of the car.

Win waited.

When she swiveled in her seat and started to climb out, he extended a hand. She laid her trembling palm on his warm one, stood and saw his gaze take a slow journey from her black stilettos up her legs to her short denim skirt to her black low-cut tank top. Her nipples, evidently remembering his attentions from the last time they were together, puckered into hard points as if to announce they’d come along for the ride, too. When his smoldering gaze finally reached hers, she could have sworn she had a mini-climax. There were most definitely little tremors.

Good Lord, he hasn’t even touched me sexually yet.

His eyes stayed locked on hers while his hand slowly reached out and settled at her waist. Another mini-climax hit and a soft moan escaped. They stood there, not saying a word, gazing into each other’s eyes. Win took one more step until their thighs touched. Her belly did that twitchy thing, stronger this time.

He splayed his fingers in her hair and lightly ran the pads of his thumbs over her lips.

“You’re beautiful.” His voice was soft and sensual like naked skin shifting over black satin.

Very slowly, he lowered his head and covered her lips with his. Soft, moist kisses that caressed her lips. Her hands slid up his muscled chest and around his neck. He angled his head and his gentle kiss turned passionate and hungry. He groaned and pressed her back against her car. When he leaned into her, his erection created a sweet, painful friction. He broke the kiss for a split second and moaned her name against her lips before taking control again.

His tongue delved into her mouth. When it touched hers, her body responded in a strong, powerful, feminine way, as if red and pink fireworks were exploding in her core. And still his mouth assaulted hers as if he couldn’t get enough of her.

Merciful heaven, imagine what he’d be like in bed.

*****

THANK YOU VONNIE and WIN for being here today!!  

To learn more about Vonnie Davis and the stories she creates go to:  www.vonniedavis.com

To purchase Those Violet Eyes, go to http://bit.ly/ThoseVioletEyes or amazon at http://amzn.to/TVEVonnieDavis

Friday Fun: Meet Author Emma Lai!

It's my pleasure to welcome the fabulous EMMA LAI! She's brought her hot new release, RIDING RODEO. *Yummy cover, Emma* 

You can find out all about Emma and her work at http://emmalaiwrites.wordpress.com/ including Buy Links to all her delicious stories :)

 Emma is giving away a copy of her book to one lucky commentator, so get typing, ladies! LOL  You know you want to read about these hot cowboys.

Hi, Emma! Thanks for being here today.

Was your road to publication a delightful stroll in the park or a tiring jog over hot coals?

Anyone who’s heard my story probably hates me. I wrote a short in two days, submitted it, heard back in three weeks requesting increased length, sent revisions in, got a contract.

 However, I’ve had my ups and downs. I’ve been asked to cut a scene I was highly attached to. I’ve had my first full-length rejected (really, a rewrite and resubmit--but it’s a painful rewrite, though thankfully not like the scene that ended up on the editing floor.) I’ve received reviews that made me cringe. I’ve met rude writers, though thankfully not editors. I’ve ranted and raved and pulled out my hair, but in the end I return to my keyboard.

 As long as I have readers, I will write.

What music are you listening to lately?

I listen to a wide array of music. As I type this, I’m listening to old country: “When You Say Nothing At All” by Keith Whitley; “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On” by Mel McDaniel; “Convoy” by C.W. McCall; “Crazy” by Patsy Cline; “Daddy’s Hands” by Holly Dunn...among many others. Feel good songs that remind me of carefree childhood days and crazy teen years on a cool Houston day.

The country song I best associate with Riding Rodeo would of course be “Ride a Horse (Save a Cowboy)” by Big & Rich. Though if anyone is a fan of The Sing Off on NBC, Darmouth Aires did an awesome a cappella rendition that was loads of fun. 

Tell us about your real life romance.

I have been married to my amazing husband going on seven years, with no itch in sight. We started off as coworkers twelve years ago and became fast friends because we have similar senses of humor. When we went through our respective nasty divorces to our college sweethearts, we helped each other deal with the anger and depression and all the other negative emotions associated with the process. (Yes, it is true, friends get divided by divorcing couples.)

 The general advice you receive when going through a divorce is not to date for at least two years, but when you find that person who can see you at your worst, support you through it--even make you laugh through it--you don’t let them go.

 We’ve moved halfway across the country, had jobs we hated, lived in places we despised, but none of it mattered because we were together making each other laugh. We’ve had other challenges--financial difficulties and the birth of a child--that tested the strength of any relationship. (Yes, a child is a blessing, but it also puts stress on relationships in never before tested ways.) Now, here we are on the upswing--companies are doing better and the boy-child is a precocious two--and we’re stronger than ever.

 Everything we’ve gone through together only makes us appreciate each other more. He’s my best friend.

What was the best advice you were given leading you to getting published?

If you don’t submit, you don’t get published. So, submit, submit, submit!

If you could switch places with one of your characters would you?

Every time I write, get into the head of one of my characters, I am essentially switching places with them. But while I enjoy the mini-vacation from my life, I would never trade fantasy for my reality.

Tell us a little about your WIP.

Riding Rodeo is my latest release. It’s part of the Cowboy Kink series from The Wild Rose Press. This, of course, means it’s HOT, HOT, HOT!

Blurb:

The last person Amanda Goodson expected to walk into her bakery was Sean Cassidy, the bareback bronc rider who rode her hard one night and left without a good-bye the next day. Since then, she'd sworn off one-night stands and cowboys, but one look at the man she called Rodeo leaves her hankering for another ride. 

A nasty injury ended Sean's career and left him with nothing but time to contemplate past sins, especially the most damning one...walking out on Amanda, the one woman he couldn't forget. Eager to right the biggest mistake of his life, he finds Amanda--and learns he has competition. Never one to back down from a challenge, he offers to fulfill her darkest fantasy--taking two cowboys for a ride. 

When the dust settles, will Sean's plan to win Amanda's trust backfire or will she risk her heart for one more shot at Riding Rodeo?

What is your favorite time of year?

I have two favorite times of year. Both are when the weather in Houston is in the 60s or low 70s and the sky is clear and beautiful--though a few gray days are fine as well. It’s perfect weather to be outside without being too hot or too cold.

Tropical or European vacation?

Both? I love to travel. I’ve been to Costa Rica in November and Austria in May. The tropics are lovely when the weather at home is cold and Europe is beautiful when spring is in the air. Hubby and I both dream of traveling the world in a couple of years, once the boy-child gets old enough to yell, “Stranger! Danger!” (Though, he’s actually not one to wander beyond our sight, or even outside of 10 feet from us.)