Spotlight on Victoria Smith and Sheltered

Congratulations to Victoria Smith on yesterday's release of Sheltered!

Taking care of the lost and scruffy Great Dane should be no problem for veterinarian assistant Izzy Burnett. That is until he turns out to be a shifter stuck in his animal form and on the run from a deranged kidnapper. Now trouble is dogging their every step. You’ll love Sheltered, a delightful, paranormal romance from author Victoria Smith. 

Izzy Burnett would rather hang out with animals than humans any day. Animals never judge you because of a few extra pounds, or because you refuse the lifestyle your mother believes you should live. 

Drugged and lost after escaping a deranged kidnapper, Dane Masters is stuck as his alternate self—a Great Dane. 

When Izzy rescues and cares for his bedraggled dog body, he finds comfort in her arms and realizes she's his predestined mate. All he has to do is convince Izzy—but first he has to save her. 

Content Notes: Sweet, Paranormal, Shifters, Other Weres, BBW, Contemporary 

By from: Liquid Silver Books | Amazon

The Birds Are Back!

I'm not a birder—though I've been birding, and I have a birding book with dates marked when I first saw certain species, but that's from decades ago—but I might as well be, with my levels of excitement about the birds that are in my back yard.

I didn't really notice, during this long, dark winter of a true winter, that there weren't any. The birds that typically hang around all year—sparrows, cardinals, a few robins—have been completely absent. I realized a few weeks ago that we didn't have swarms of starlings, which typically show up in January. Nor have there been juncos (again, that are usually hopping around outside my window in January) or finches or wrens.

About a week ago there was a pair of wrens in my rose bush, and that same day I heard something singing. Tuesday I saw a robin. And TODAY! It sounds like freaking spring out there! I literally dusted off my binoculars to see what was in my tree. We spotted a cardinal family (a male, female, and young male) and a blue jay, but I also saw a chickadee and then completely lost my head over a bluebird.

An actual, real, bright-blue-with-a-red-breast bluebird.

I haven't seen any of those for so many years I can't even tell you. I want to say decades. It's unbelievable how much joy I feel right now, with these guys hanging around. We had freezing rain yesterday (with yet ANOTHER day off school) and half my conversations with people are about the devastating economic impact the weather is taking on certain industries. It's still only mid-February. We have a minimum of six weeks when we could get more snow, more ice. We all keep talking about the two feet of snow we got in April sometime in the mid '90s.

But the birds are back. The end is near. And the weight has lifted.

So, This Winter Thing...

The bunnies had a meeting under the tree.

Raise your hand if you're cold.

Raise your hand if you're in the path of this "Nor'easter" charging up the East Coast right now.

Raise your hand if you are so friggin' tired of talking about snow and cold.

I know, I know, we're all talking about the weather nonstop. But WHAT THE HELL ELSE IS THERE TO TALK ABOUT?!

Obviously, there's better stuff to talk about. There's Michael Sam. There's every Olympic athlete with a heartwarming story. There's Greg Grunberg on Girl on Guy with Aisha Tyler (an old ep, but football season is over so I'm branching out into other podcasts—and Misha Collins is the new interview!). And there are sad, tragic, unhappy things to talk about, too.

But many of us in certain regions of the U.S. have nothing else impacting our day-to-day lives as much as the friggin' weather.

I love snow. I love the seasons. Normally, by the end of them, the extremes of winter and summer serve as the reasons I love fall and spring so much. But this year? I'm finally on board with all the complainers. SO DONE with 6-degree mornings and winter weather warnings and bars across the top of my TV shows flashing the latest closings and delays.

At least February is moving along at a brisk pace.

Now that I'm 43, I'm getting a better understanding of aging, too. It's not solely about the body changing. I mean, of course, part of it is, and will be more and more as those numbers change. But a hell of a lot of it is about being done.

I'm still perfectly capable of driving in the snow. I'm not afraid of it. It doesn't hurt (beyond the normal out-of-shape-ness of it) to shovel the driveway or clean off my car. I'm just tired of it. And it's not just because it happens every week. It's because I've been dealing with it for 20+ years. It's cumulative!

So while I don't think I'm going to lose my appreciation of spring and fall enough to move away from winter, I can definitely understand a little better the people who do.

Release Day Tasty Book Blast for TEXAS FANDANGO by Cynthia D'Alba

Texas Fandango

Texas Montgomery Mavericks

By: Cynthia D’Alba

Samhain Publishing

Blurb

KC Montgomery was eleven when she met the love of her life. Of course, seventeen-year-old Drake Gentry didn’t know she existed, but that didn’t stop her girlish fantasies from growing and changing over the years.

Now, after enjoying a front-row seat to his breakup with his latest girlfriend, she’s been handed an all-grown-up fantasy come true—two weeks at the Sand Castle Resort. With him.

Drake most definitely noticed KC a long time ago, but the timing’s never been right. Now that he’s facing a lonely vacation that was supposed to be for two, it seems only natural to accept KC’s offer to fill in. And as far as her terms go… No strings. No expectations. No holds barred. Drake is no fool—he’s all over it.

But once they’re back in Texas there are invisible strings still hanging between them. Strings labeled attraction, affection…even love. And the more they try to untangle the knots, the tighter they’re bound together.

Warning: Beware of sunburns, whirlpool sex and sand in delicate places.

Buy Links

Amazon | B&N |iTunes 

Click Here to Follow the Tour

Author Info

Cynthia D’Alba started writing on a challenge from her husband in 2006 and discovered having imaginary sex with lots of hunky men was fun. Her first book, Texas Two Step, released in 2012 to outstanding reviews and was a Samhain Publishing best seller. The second book in the Texas Montgomery Mavericks series, Texas Tango, was released by Samhain Publishing in November 2013. Texas Fandango, a novella in the Texas Montgomery Series releases TODAY by Samhain Publishing. Cynthia is currently at work on book 3 of the Texas Montgomery Mavericks series (Texas Twist).

She has stories in two anthologies released last year…Smoking Hot Firemen ("Something’s Burning") and the Mammoth Book of Medical Romance ("Wake Me When It’s Over"). She’ll have a story in Cowboy Heat ("Back Stage Pass") coming in 2014.  

Cynthia holds a bachelor's degree in nursing, a master's degree in business administration, a master's degree in curriculum and instruction, and a doctorate in higher education administration. She loves to chat online with friends and fans. You can find her most days at www.cynthiadalba.com  or www.everybodyneedsalittleromance.com.

Author Links

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Group Blog | PersonalBlog

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Today, Gregori Takes Flight

Hero's Name:  

Gregori CallenMali-son

Defining Characteristic: 

Career soldier...in an extraterrestrial military fleet

Goal in ANGELI: 

To save Terra (Earth) from shades, daemons, and general death and destruction

Why he digs the heroine (Adelita): 

She is clever and determined 

Why Adelita digs him: 

He's willing to die for her people

Motto: 

(*a skeptical stare*) (PS: He doesn't talk much.)

You can have Gregori TODAY! Buy Links: Amazon, B&N, All Romance eBooks,Kobo

He’s no angel…

Gregori’s last mission is to save Earth from the demons threatening to take control. He doesn’t care if he survives as long as he averts the impending apocalypse—until he meets Adelita, a human refugee, whose spirit and determination give him a renewed reason to fight. And live. He’s falling for her, despite the fact he’s told her nothing but lies and there can’t possibly be a future for them.

Adelita can hardly believe the archangel Gregori, sent to save mankind, has lost his faith and his edge. After he saves her from a demon attack, she vows to help him recover both by any means necessary. But can she keep her own faith when she learns the truth about who and what Gregori really is?

“Angeli has it all—a valiant hero, a smart heroine, delicious sexual tension, and an eerie apocalyptic world. This humorous, action-packed story is a refreshing take on alien invasion sci-fi romance!” – Heather Massey of The Galaxy Express (the internet’s primary site for SFR fiction fans)

“Reminiscent of Linnea Sinclair’s The Down Home Zombie Blues, Angeli is part apocalyptic save-the-world thriller and part science fiction adventure. Set against the majestic backdrop of the West, it’s full of Wallace’s signature wit and quirky, multi-faceted characters. If you like your blasters hot and your heroes hotter, not to mention a heroine who can save the day—and the world—don’t miss Angeli!” – NY Times/USA Today bestselling author Jenna Bennett

“A spicy, clever twist on post-apocalyptic science fiction that gives us pulse-pounding action and heroes worth dying for.” – Natalie Damschroder, author of A Kiss of Revenge

Read an excerpt here.

Regression by Advancement

Regular readers of this blog (as regularly [or not] as I post, anyway), might remember that time I got LASIK and was all excited and glowy about my new eyeballs.

It's been 21 months since then, and I just got glasses. *insert sad face*

I'm not being forced to wear glasses, insofar as my vision is perfectly adequate for day to day stuff and I'm legal for driving and everything. But I'm off just enough that the bagillion hours a day I'm on the computer has become a problem, mostly at night.

I was so freaking nearsighted that I was afraid they wouldn't be able to correct it fully. What they do is overcorrect, because during healing it rebounds and hopefully hits the center. Well, I didn't rebound enough, so I'm slightly farsighted. Which would be okay if my left eye hadn't regained or retained a slight bit of astigmatism. Add that I'm getting the "old age" issue where things are now blurry in the few inches right in front of me, and my eyes are fighting pretty hard, without the right tools (as in, youth and elasticity), to see the near mid distance.

So I caved, and I bought glasses. For computer use.

I hate them so freaking much.

First, I mean, look at them. I tried on a dozen pairs in my price range, and none of them looked good. I thought these were the best combination of vision field and "not making me look twice as ugly as I normally do anyway," but they're just way too wide for my face.

That doesn't really matter, as I assured myself and the technician when I bought them, because no one will see me (unless I plaster the pictures on my blog and Facebook, sheesh). They're for computer use. But that's only the most minor reason to hate them.

They're heavy. Oh, not really. The check-out scale at the grocery register would probably squawk at me suspiciously if I tried to bag them. They could probably be mailed for regular postage. But my nose says they're heavy.

They're also crooked. The tech said they looked very straight, and when I looked in the mirror, they did look that way. But, see, it doesn't matter how they look to everyone else. It matters that the top edge of the frame on the right is higher than the top edge of the frame on the left. So I'll have to get them adjusted.

Which won't help much, because geez looeez, those frames are intrusive! I think they might sit too far off my face, or maybe just further off my face than my old ones. They're certainly not as round and wide of coverage as my old ones. Which looks better, but my field of vision is so tiny. I glance down at my keyboard and it's 100% below the glasses. No peripheral vision, either, because the frames block it completely. Good thing I had LASIK so I can see around them.

The weird thing is that I put them on for about 78 seconds, and for 20 minutes afterward, I could still see the frames. Freaking annoying!

The good thing—duh—is how clear the computer screen is. Phew. That's the job they're supposed to do, after all. But I took them off and wanted to weep, because the difference was so huge, and I didn't think I'd be able to tolerate NOT wearing them, and that's just not acceptable. I mean, I have two more payments on the LASIK! My eyeballs aren't even mine yet! Luckily, my eyes refocused in a second or two and everything was fine.

But now I have a headache, and I wore them for no more than half an hour, tops. I guess there will be an adjustment period, as there is with anything. But I shall endeavor not to feel sorry for myself after today.

There's no percentage in that.

Sneak Peak Sunday Returns

And just in time for the release of Sunroper, which came out last Tuesday. So guess what I'm going to share with you? :)

Go here to link to all the other great excerpts offered this week and every week!

~~~~~~~

Marley wrapped both hands around the mug to absorb the heat. There was only one way to answer that question. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.”

He said it with such compassion and lack of judgment that she blinked back tears, tilting her head to stare at the shadowed ceiling as if it had the power to keep the emotion at bay.

“It’s okay to be sorry he’s gone.”

It was the perfect summation of everything she’d been analyzing a few minutes ago, and it broke her. She leaned to set the almost-empty mug on the nightstand and covered her face with her hands, suppressed sobs racking her body.

Gage’s fingers wrapped around her upper arms. He pulled her into his lap, settling her effortlessly and cradling her against his chest. He even rocked her. Marley’s sob turned into a giggle, a sound she hadn’t made in years.

~~~~~~~

In case you haven't heard, Under the Moon is only .99 for a few more days (until January 8.) So if you've been waiting to read the trilogy until it was complete, now it is! :) [Note: the sale price is in effect at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes.]

About Sunroper

Marley Canton is done being a victim. A year and a half has passed since she discovered her ability to nullify power in those who aren’t supposed to have it. She’s now on a quest not only to stop the brats who’ve become addicted to goddess power, but also to find the source of their addiction.

Like Marley, Gage Samargo is tracking down the goddess who went rogue decades ago. Insane with too much power from the sun, she’s selling that energy to Gage’s younger brother and his friends, who are no longer content to come into power naturally. While they work to find a way to neutralize the goddess, Marley discovers that every time she nullifies someone, she takes on some of the goddess’s insanity.

Gage falls for Marley’s sharp wit and intense desire to right wrongs. But once he discovers she’s turning into her enemy, is it too late to back away?

Sunroperby Natalie J. Damschroder
Paranormal Romantic Adventure
Entangled Publishing, December 31, 2013
ISBN 13: 978-1622660490

Preorder:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
IndieBound
iTunes/iBookstore

Goodreads Page

Reviews:

“I enjoyed Sunroper very much, as Natalie Damschroder has created a wonderful, exciting, non stop action story that was impossible to put down.  But most of all, she has created some wonderful characters.   So much so, that I have to go back now and read the first two books, just to learn more about their heroes, Quinn & Nick, and Riley & Sam.  If you want to read a book that is exciting, action filled, terrific friendships, a wonderful romantic couple, then Sunroper is for you.”—Barb at The Reading Cafe

“Having picked up this series at book 2, I was really eager to get my hands on more from this author. The writing style is great, the pacing is quick, and the story is addictive. This world that these books takes place is really unique and interesting, too.”—Carrie Reads a Lot

Surging Ahead without Resolution(s)

Photo Courtesy of the New England Patriots
@Patriots on Twitter

Happy New Year!

For some reason, I like even years better than odd ones. Which is strange, because my age is odd in even years (in other words, I'm 43 in 2014, and I don't like the number 43). But I write the year a lot more than I write my age, so we'll go with 2014 is going to be a great year. :)

Not that it's starting off any differently than last year. I stayed up until 1:45 a.m. working, and jumped right in today. I had a client website to proof, another client to invoice, new spreadsheets to create for the new year, accounting to log, giveaways to finalize and prep to ship, other promotional stuff to organize... There is NO time to reflect on 2013.

My inbox has 21 e-mails awaiting my attention. I hate that.

If you're supposed to start the new year in the way you want it to unfold, I'm screwed. :)

Seriously, though, I do have to make some changes. Or maybe not change so much as succeed better. I don't make new year's resolutions, because I believe if we need to do something, we should do it no matter when it is. That said, December really kicks my (and everyone else's) ass. There's stress and unhealthy food and no time to exercise. I'm not on deadline, so I haven't written in forever. All of those things need to be started, and coincidentally, they'll be starting in January.

IF I can balance things better. I had more freelance work in December than in the entire previous year. Which is great, but difficult. I need to be more efficient about addressing it and dealing with the millions of little things that suck up my time. And I MUST write. I have three projects I need to get ready for submission, people keep asking me about Hart and Soul, and just for my own sanity, pleasure, and fulfillment, it needs to be a bigger priority.

But balance means rest and fun stuff, too. So as soon as I post this blog (and do that invoice thing...oh, and use that coupon that expires today), I'm taking the rest of the day off. Popcorn and a movie sound pretty good for the afternoon, no? :) Then some reading and maybe TV, and after that I'll get a good night's sleep and get up bright and early (but not 5:00 a.m.) to hit the to-do list.

How do you approach the flip to a new year?

What is YOUR Christmas Reality?

This is our 2011 tree because I'm too busy
to go take a picture of  this year's tree.

The other day, someone in my Facebook feed posted about ice cream, and said it might be weird to talk about ice cream at Christmas but it's great after a hot day at the beach.

First, when is ever it weird to talk about ice cream?

But it got me thinking. We didn't used to be such a global society. I grew up in Massachusetts and I don't think I even knew anyone in or from Florida or other southern states, never mind people from the other side of the world. Christmas is Christmas, and it meant snow and cold, and that's what all the Santa Claus traditions are founded on.

As I got older and the world shrank and we all started moving around more, it was laughing about how those poor people down south had to endure warm weather and no snow on Christmas, but we still didn't really *think* about it.

Now I talk routinely to people all over the world. When closing an e-mail, I have to be careful whether I'm wishing someone in Canada a happy Thanksgiving in the wrong month, or someone in England happy Independence Day (whoops!). I know people in South America and Australia are starting their summer, as we're starting our winter.

But what I really started wondering last week was how that changes the details of Christmas. I mentioned this to someone at work, and she looked at me like I was dim. "Santa has a sleigh. He needs snow."

Well, yeah, our Santa has a sleigh. But maybe the Santa in Australia doesn't have a sleigh. Maybe their stories say that he starts his "one-night" ride in a bathing suit, riding the clouds on a wagon-toting surfboard or something. I mean, does the Santa who delivers presents in Australia even live in the North Pole?!

I'm hoping some of you who read this blog live down under (or in South America or Indonesia or anywhere not the US!) and would be happy to share your Santa Claus with us.

If poor Santa hauls your presents around in that heavy, fluffy suit, I hope you leave him ice cream instead of cookies and milk! LOL

In the meantime, wherever you are, whatever you do this week, I wish you the loveliest of holidays and/or "the last week of the year." :)

Merry Christmas!

Today's Farce is Brought to You by Natalie's Brain

The morning routine has changed this year, what with Number One being gone and Number Two being spoiled...okay, not spoiled, but she doesn't take the bus to school, so she doesn't have to leave at 6:45 a.m., so all three of us are leaving at the exact same time every morning, so we're all trying to take showers at the same time.

That's reason number one.

Reason numbers two, three, and four are my recent blog tour, my new day job hours (starting at 8 instead of 8:30), and my increase in freelance work as well as awkward timing of that work.

Those are the reasons I've been getting up at 5:30 every morning.

Due to ice and snow earlier this week, I was getting up at 5. I didn't have as productive a day as I wanted yesterday, so I had to get up at 5:00 a.m. today so I had time to do some stuff and turn it in.

You with me so far? Good.

One other bit of background you need to know: I wake up almost every morning 1 or 2 minutes before my alarm goes off so it doesn't wake my husband. Also because it's effing obnoxious.

So this morning I wake up at 5:00 a.m., turn off the alarm, take a shower, get mousse and conditioner in my hair and moisturizer everywhere, and go out to feed the cats. Only one shows up.

I spend some time searching for BG and can't find her in any of the bedrooms. She's not locked in the downstairs bathroom as she is most nights, nor under beds or desks or tables as she might be when she thinks we are going to lock her away. I even checked outside, concerned she snuck out and no one noticed. Can't find her.

I boot up my computer, start up some programs, and glance at the clock. Huh. Why does it say 2:46 a.m.?

With a sick feeling, I hit the home button on my iPod. Yep. 2:46 a.m.

Well f**k.

I went to bed at 12:25, so I got just about an hour and a half of sleep before I started my day. That's not gonna work. But I'm wide awake, and my hair is wet. I can't just get back into bed. Plus I have all this work still do to. Should I go lie awake, struggling to sleep, and doze off around 4 only to get up at 5 so I can get the work done? That's stupid.

(Uh, yeah. This whole thing is stupid.)

So I worked until 3:45, prepping for today's blog stop and the promotion that has to be done, as well as completing three client projects and updating the checkbook with today's paycheck. During that time, BG (pictured above) shows up at my door with that same accusatory expression. While she ate the food I'd set aside for her (after some coaxing, cuz come on, it' THREE FORTY FIVE A-FREAKING-M) I took Maya into the bathroom (lest she eat BG's food) while I dried my hair.

Then I put on clean pajamas and went to bed.

Woke up at 6, made sure the shower was going, and dozed until 6:30. Got up, brushed my teeth for a second time, realized I needed 5 minutes to get dressed and 5 minutes to redo my hair, and got back into bed.

As you can guess, I got a venti mocha with an extra shot for breakfast. It kept me feeling alert, but did not make me articulate or keep me from making stupid mistakes all morning, at which my boss laughed every time because she was so amused by this story.

I know there are some of you who routinely get up at 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. (I'm looking at YOU, MJ), but how many times have you done it by mistake?

I don't think I'll be recovering from this until the middle of next week. Good thing I got copyedits yesterday...

December Goodreads Giveaways for Goddesses Rising

Sunroper will be out in 20 days, and to celebrate the completion of the Goddesses Rising trilogy, I'm running three giveaways over at Goodreads. Go enter!

And while you're at it, check out all the stops on my blog tour for A Kiss of Revenge. You can enter at each stop to win an iFrogz GoLite Battery and Flashlight. Don't know what that is? It's portable electricity. Charge the battery, and then you can charge your phone or tablet or e-reader or any USB device on the go! This giveaway ends tomorrow, so don't delay! :)

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Under the Moon

by Natalie J. Damschroder

Giveaway ends December 31, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Heavy Metal

by Natalie J. Damschroder

Giveaway ends December 31, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Sunroper

by Natalie J. Damschroder

Giveaway ends December 31, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Frozen Heat Catches Fire

Scorch, mascot for the Harrisburg Heat

Everything I did last weekend seemed to be about temperature.

On Friday, Number One and I went to see Frozen, the new Disney movie. I kept hearing that it was so much better than its trailer—from adults, no less—and I was in the mood for that kind of thing.

Well, it wasn't as great as I was led to believe, but I liked it a lot. It got me teary, and made me laugh... Okay, full disclosure. Olaf saying his carrot nose was like a "weetle baby unicorn" cracked me up so hard I HAD to see the movie.

It was well animated, and the sister relationship broke my heart. It was great to see that as the core of the story rather than the love stuff, though you know I'm all about the romance. :) There were some predictable plot twists that disappointed me, and Number One and I had a writerly discussion on how we would have done it, which was also fun. She liked the songs. They felt a little too High School Musical to me, and both of us agreed they didn't fit smoothly into the story.

Immediately after Frozen, we joined the rest of the family for Catching Fire. I really liked it. It's been years since I read the book, so I wasn't driven to compare like I usually am when I see a book adapted into a movie. I adore Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks! They did a magnificent job, and the film was well weighted. One review (EW, I think) said that events happen around Katniss without her being a real catalyst, and that amused me. I mean, that's the whole point! She doesn't WANT to be a symbol or launch a revolution. And she doesn't want it in a way that's very different from the typical Hero's Journey. She never really embraces the role, which I think makes her more relatable than the typical hero. I left the theater feeling well satisfied and looking forward to Mockingjay. I hope they have more on the screen than was in the book (too much happened off the page with Katniss unconscious, IMO), but I have to admit I dread the Peeta brainwashing part.

Saturday night we went to the Harrisburg Heat game, local pro indoor soccer. We finally won a home game! And it was a good one. Very exciting, with a mascot soccer game at halftime that was quite funny. The poor Whoopie Pie goalkeeper couldn't ever see the ball! LOL

How was your holiday weekend?

Making Beautiful Music

This really has nothing to do with the post contents,
except that it's got a guitar in it. Not that anyone played
a guitar last night. It's music, and I don't like posts
with no pictures! And...Jason Manns.

Number Two got to have a really cool experience over the past week.

She was selected to play in the county orchestra at the 2013/14 festival. Ten or so schools from all over the county supplied a couple dozen musicians and a couple dozen singers. They spent about two days rehearsing together, and then put on a concert last night.

It was pretty intense! Sunday from 2:30 until 8:45 they got their music and learned the basics for it and then did auditions for placement. Monday they started at 8:30 and finished about 5:15. Tuesday Number Two had a test and two quizzes, then regular orchestra, then lunch, then bused over to the other school to rehearse until dinnertime. After dinner they changed for the concert at 7.

The music was incredible. The choir sang for about 40 minutes, then the orchestra played for about 45, then they got together and played/sang three more selections together, including Over the Rainbow and the Battle Hymn of the Republic. The orchestra section included a suite from Carmen, and OMG, they sounded so good! It's a huge difference hearing high school kids who really want to do well and work hard to do it, compared to those who just kinda wanna, or are forced to.

I'm really looking forward to the opportunities she'll have over the next four years and beyond.

~~~~~~~~~~
To all of my American readers/friends/fans/family, I wish you the very best of Happy Thanksgivings!

A Kiss of Revenge is Here!

A Kiss of Revenge

Available Now
from Entangled Ignite

Marriage is completely over-rated, especially after Reese Templeton’s quadratic failure. She’d rather settle down to a solitary life of owning a bakery—after she tracks down the man responsible for her husband’s death and making her a human Taser full of enough electricity to short out a city block or send a man into cardiac arrest with just one kiss.

But alluring P.I. Griffin Chase is stirring up those feelings of need again. Only this time, her desire to be in his arms has nothing to do with her fear of loneliness and everything to do with the current charging through her body every time he looks at her…touches her.

Griffin hasn't remained at Reese's side just because of the spark that has nothing to do with her super-human talents. He's willing to compromise his rock-solid principles so she can find closure. But before they can move on, he must help her catch her late husband’s killer, staying on track before she has a chance to exact her revenge. Because leading Reese to jail in handcuffs may just break his heart for the final time.

A Kiss of Revenge
by Natalie J. Damschroder
Romantic Adventure/Romantic Suspense
Entangled Ignite, 2013
ISBN 13: 9781622662067

Purchase From:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
iBooks/iTunes
Diesel eBooks

Goodreads

Lots of Stupidity...But Not Totally Sure Where It Lies

WOW it's been a long time since I posted here.

Hi, everybody! *waves*

Understand, not posting is not for lack of wanting to post. I just get so busy, and then I can't think of anything to post about, and then I make a note of something I *do* want to post about, and I go so long not getting around to it that the topic is no longer timely.

Not like anything I ever say here is REALLY all that timely.

So. Stupidity. Yeah.

It started with my car. I took it for service last week, and they were supposed to check out my left blinker. It sometimes works quite normally, sometimes doesn't flash at all, sometimes clicks in double time but doesn't blink. If I adjust the signal arm a tiny bit and hold it just off place, I can keep it working. So last week they claimed to have narrowed it down to the flasher, ordered the part, and said they'd call my cell phone so I could come in and get it installed.

The next day, they called my home phone (not cell phone) and said my part was in and I could pick it up any time during business hours.

:/

I finally had a chance to call yesterday and went in today to get the part replaced. An hour and a half later, they said "Nope. Still not working." The good news is that I don't have to pay for the part that didn't fix the problem. The bad news is that the new part will be $100 more. The stupidity is that they have decided it's the signal switch that's bad. Which makes total sense, right, considering what the problem is and how I'm dealing with it?

The guy was very apologetic, but that's an hour and a half out of my day, plus the 40 minutes of travel time, totally wasted. (Well, not totally. I didn't bring my laptop, thinking it would be quick, so I didn't work at all. But I did get to read a really good book during that time. That's never time wasted. :) )

I ran a few other errands and came home with Super Glue to repair my Harry Potter mug, which spontaneously disconnected from its handle when someone put it...so they say..."very gently" into the dishwasher. I read the directions on the bottle. "To pierce the seal, rotate tip until clicking stops." Turnclickclickclick. Turnclickclickclick. It was still clicking when I felt a puff of air against my hand. Then I got an uh oh feeling and looked down at said hand, which was, you guessed it, covered in Super Glue.

I managed to get a bunch off with olive oil and salt, and then went to the store to get nail polish remover with acetone (Super Glue's nemesis), which got some more off. But the bulk of it, down between my fingers? That's not coming off, and of course that's the most ANNOYING place for it to be. *sigh*

Okay, that's enough about stupidity. How about Almost Human?

We're really enjoying the show, which is a relief because I really wanted to like it. I love both Karl Urban and Michael Ealy, and of course I've loved JJ Abrams' stuff and always want a show with his name on it to be as good as shows that came before. So far, this one has the potential to be.

The first two episodes were pretty different from each other. My friend Gail said in her recap of "Skin" that some people have said that episode was supposed to air later in the season but they
moved it up because of the "appeal" of the sex trade. I guess they either assume their demographic is straight males, or that they have the female/gay male demo locked up with Urban and Ealy.

Okay, they're probably not wrong.

Anyway, the first episode was about How Kennex Got Dorian, and there's a lot of darkness there. His partner's death, his ex-girlfriend's secrets, his memory loss and his inability to assimilate his synthetic leg, the deep rage against the enemy and inability to trust a synthetic partner. The second episode had more humor. Karl Urban...I mean, John Kennex smiled a lot more, he was more comfortable with everyone around him. The crime was also a much lighter one, despite the horror of what they were doing to the abducted women. So it will be interesting to see what comes next, and if it's jarring because it connects better to the darkness in the pilot.

That's all for me today. I have a crick in my neck from looking around the cat who thinks 3:45 is a good time for dinner, and a book coming out Monday that I have to prep for. Oh, and client work pending! Almost forgot about that! I better get to work!

Let me know what you think about Almost Human, and if you have any good recommendations for removing Super Glue from skin. :)

All Entangled Eve Blog Hop

Visit all the authors in this hop to see what they have to say and enter their giveaways!

Halloween is supposed to be all about the scary, but really, for most of us, isn't it all about the candy? :)

When I was a kid, we used to haul in our bags and dump them out on the floor to see what we had. We'd swap what we didn't like with each other (it was often my brother and/or my cousins and/or a friend or two). We'd eat a bunch just because we could. And then we'd hoard it. Fights often ensued when I found out my brother had snuck a full-size Kit-Kat out of the bag in my room when I wasn't there.

Some of my favorite trick-or-treat candy was stuff I didn't normally buy the rest of the year. Bit-o-Honey. Charleston Chew. Now and Laters. Sugar Babies. Yeah, all the stuff that stuck to your teeth!

My tastes as an adult are much more refined. I prefer dark chocolate, especially containing bits of something: toffee, salted caramel and almonds, peppermint bits. That's not trick-or-treat kind of stuff. The stuff I buy to hand out is usually Dove or Whoppers or Peppermint Patties. LOVE the years we don't get a lot of kids!

In recent years, candy companies have been coming out with holiday-specific flavors, like candy corn M&Ms. There's a bag of those on my table right now. Which limited editions are your favorites?

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Lucky 13 Trick-or-Treat Blog Hop

From today (October 13) to the 26th, you can visit any/all of the blogs participating in the Lucky 13 Trick-or-Treat Blog Hop and enter to win a great grand prize! Read our thoughts on trick-or-treating, Halloween recipes, our stories, and more! Individual authors are also doing their own giveaways, so there will be many chances to win!

Read all the way through for my giveaway, the Hop links to all the other authors' posts and giveaways, and the overall hop giveaway at the end! The prizes include a Kindle Paperwhite!

October is my favorite month of the year. Crisp, clear air and lots of sunshine. Wood smoke. Football. And usually, for some reason, a lower level of stress. :) And then, of course, there's Halloween.

I like Halloween. I like the way a neighborhood feels with everyone out and about, exclaiming over the kids' costumes, and I like the candy. I don't like that here in central Pennsylvania, they think it's too dangerous to have trick-or-treating ON the actual holiday, so with rare exceptions (like this year), it's on the Thursday before. Which means last year, I was done with the holiday a whole week before the rest of the world.

But when I was a kid, it was different. We started when it got dark and kept going until we'd exhausted every street in every accessible neighborhood. And I was WAY more into costume planning than I am now.

I remember the year I was a punk rocker with my best friend. My mother teased my hair about a foot and a half off my head and sprayed it with all kinds of glittery spray paint/hair spray. I don't remember what my clothes looked like. There's got to be a photo somewhere...

Another year I was a gypsy. My brother's was better that year, though. He'd broken his foot so he wore jammies and a robe and put a bandage around his head so he could be a complete accident victim. I think he was missing a tooth, too.

We often went with my cousins. One year, my Pink-Panther-obsessed cousin insisted on a PP costume. It was, of course, cheap plastic, and it split up the legs. She was so upset it pretty much ruined the whole night for her. :( But every year that we did this with my cousins or with friends, we came home to warm our hands on hot cocoa and talk about what we'd seen.

And then we'd inventory our candy so our annoying, sneaky little brothers couldn't steal any.

What were your Halloweens like as a kid?

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The Road So Far (aka, My Thoughts on Fall TV Premieres)

Regular readers of this blog (for some value of "regular" that equates to my haphazard posting schedule, of course) know I'm a pretty rabid TV fan these days. It's my vital relaxation/revitalization time, but I'm also seeking good writing and good characterization to feed the evolving author in me. And I'm always full of opinions! So let me offer some on the shows so far:

Revenge
This is the show I watch with my boss. I mean, we both watch on our own, and eagerly go to work the next day to discuss. So far, it's hitting me at the same level the first two seasons did. I thought they did a masterful job sweeping away loose ends from last season. In just a few sentences, we have Nolan out of jail, the Initiative gone, and justice served. We also have Charlotte no longer pregnant and alone, though she's pretty lost.

Nolan is still my favorite character. Emily is really pushing the bounds of likability, though they managed to pull her back just in time (barely, and almost). I don't really want the return to season one that they promised, though. It feels redundant and stale to go backwards. I want her to evolve. How about Emily decides the best revenge is helping people at the expense of those she hates, rather than tearing down people who are actually trying to atone for their sins? And maybe building some relationships of her own, instead of destroying them as fledglings.

I don't buy that Aiden is fully on Victoria's side. All he'd have to do is tell her, oh, everything. He went looking for the box, so why hasn't he just SAID that she's really Amanda?

And then there's Jack. Guh. He did and said the only thing he could do in that moment, but I call BS that he doesn't feel anything for Emily. He's right up there with Nolan as my favorite character.

How I Met Your Mother
So far, so good on the season-long one-weekend concept. Not much to say about this show. It's enjoyable, and I'm glad it's finishing up.

Castle
I've seen pictures of Nathan Fillion on set, and while he's already looking great on screen, I think he's going to be looking even better. But let's not be superficial or anything. :) The show's been hit or miss so far. The serious stuff has been great, but the attempts to make Castle be Castle and have some fun with the crime-of-the-week have been, well, weak. I won't say the storyline has failed, because the relationship stuff has also been great, but I just really want the gang back together.

I'm behind on Bones, but can I just say puh-LEEZE put the Pelant crap to rest? And if they make such a huge deal of Cam's identity theft and then just drop it, I'll be very annoyed.

Sleepy Hollow
I had a few reservations before the season started, but I'm really liking this show. Someone posted somewhere about getting Crane some new clothes. NO THANK YOU. I LOVE LOVE LOVE his period clothing. It's washable, geez! There is a high level of creepiness here, but they've definitely put the right focus on the characters and relationships. Irving is very intriguing to me. He's not the skeptical, hard-assed obstacle typically put in that role. So of course I'm suspicious about his motives.

Supernatural
We've only had one episode so far, but my feelings are mostly good. Mostly. I mean, how many times do we have to visit the "lying for your own good" and "carrying secrets as burdens" territory? That said, I thought they motivated it well. Dean isn't choosing to keep this secret, he has compelling reasons for being forced to. I would like to see a storyline for him, which we haven't had to a strong enough degree since he was the first seal. But I thought Jared did a nice job channeling Tamoh, and he seemed excited to have the opportunity to do that.

I can't wait to see what they do with Crowley, and Misha always does fantastic with whatever they give him, good or bad. I liked to think Cas's pleasure drinking the water was Misha's pleasure getting rid of the damned trench coat. :)

S.H.I.E.L.D.
Because my expectations here were so high, they were also pretty low. So far, I'm enjoying the show. I like all the characters/actors and the storylines have been fine so far. Clark Gregg's tweeting adds an extra dimension, though, that might be influencing me. :) There's definitely room for improvement, of course, as the chemistry develops and everyone settles in, and the writers can get deeper into things now that they're past the initial intros and have familiarized us with the world.

Trophy Wife
I would like to like this better. Characters are all fine, acting fine, love the littlest kid. I just think that putting Kate in a helpless, eager position destined to lead to her failure is going to get very old, very fast. I hope they don't make it the focus of the show.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
I added this to my DVR because it had big buzz and the concept appealed even if some of the actors didn't. It made me laugh some, and I didn't hate anything about it. But it doesn't stick in my brain much. On the bubble for me.

New Girl, Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, Glee, Hawaii 5-0
These are pretty much status quo for me, with Modern Family leading the bunch.

Revolution
Way behind on this one. Only watched the first episode. Whoa at how dark it's gotten, enough to make me laugh at how everyone wondered if they'd have to lighten it up for the 8:00 time slot. The actors don't seem to have missed a beat over the hiatus.

Arrow
I like the new direction here, and the maturing of all the characters. Felicity is probably my favorite female character on TV right now.

The Tomorrow People
I didn't know much about this show except Robbie Amell's relationship to Stephen and that the kids have powers and Lucifer (aka Mark Pellegrino) is the bad guy. It had more nuance than I expected. I'm sufficiently intrigued.

The Michael J. Fox Show and The Crazy Ones
I freely admit I'm watching both of these for the lead. Nostalgia plays a role, as does missing both Michael J. Fox and Robin Williams on TV. The vehicles give them both a chance to do what they do best. Fox has a better chance, IMO, because it has heart and balances the schmaltz with a bit of edge. Williams is the best part of his show, but the established dynamic might be too grating and I just don't like SMG enough.

How are you feeling about your favorite shows this season? Which new ones do you like best?

October Ignites Cover Reveals

Next month, the cover of MY Entangled Ignite, A Kiss of Revenge, will be up here! But today, I'm participating in the global cover reveal for the October Ignites. And Entangled is doing a giveaway! Help share the covers and buy links (below) for the September Ignite releases, and you'll be entered to win a $15 gift card.

Click here: a Rafflecopter giveaway to enter the giveaway.

Sizzling Hot September Releases from Ignite:
Secrets and Sins: Malachim by Naima Simone  http://amzn.to/1ag9W db

Sweet Treason by Gail Ranstrom http://amzn.to/16vWeTq

Dangerous Desire by Annie Seaton http://amzn.to/16vWeTq

For Love or Vengeance by Caridad Pineiro http://amzn.to/19yhnJb



And now, without further ado, I introduce:

October Ignites Covers

Welcome to Guest Blogger Felicity Heaton!

It’s wonderful to be here at Natalie’s blog to talk about my latest release, Her Wicked Angel, which is the sixth in my Her Angel romance series.

I’m going to be sharing an excerpt from the book with you today, but I also wanted to let you know that I’m celebrating the release by giving away the first book in the series, Her Dark Angel, for FREE at selected Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, and Apple iBookstore sites.

FREE EBOOK: You can find all the links for the Her Dark Angel free ebook offer (and two other free paranormal romance ebooks) at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-romance-ebook-offers.php

Here’s more about Her Wicked Angel, including an excerpt from this long angel romance novel.

Her Wicked Angel
Felicity Heaton
The King of Demons and the Devil’s right-hand man, Asmodeus is a dark angel born of evil and created for destruction. When his master orders him to venture into the mortal world and retrieve a female for him, he seizes the chance to leave Hell for the first time, uncaring of what the Devil has planned for her…until he sets eyes on the most beautiful woman he has ever seen—a female who awakens new feelings within his black heart, unleashing passion so intense that it controls him and desire he cannot resist.

He will not let his wretched master have her. She will belong to him.

Liora is a witch with a bad reputation and an obsession with fighting demons. A mission gone wrong sees her sent to Paris to cool off, but when a dark and deadly warrior with a gaze of golden fire lands in her life, she ends up burning hotter than Hell for the wicked angel. Nothing will stand between her and the immense, forbidding male. Not her cousin. Not Asmodeus’s sworn enemy and twin, Apollyon. And certainly not the Devil.

Caught up in a tempest of danger and soul-searing passion, can they survive against the odds and seize their forever after?

Her Wicked Angel is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores, and many other retailers. Also available in paperback. Find the links to your preferred retailer at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Wicked%20Angel

Her Wicked Angel – Excerpt
Liora stared deep into the incredible swirling gold depths of Asmodeus’s eyes. She had countless reasons not to trust him, but she couldn’t bring herself to listen to them or her head where he was concerned.