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Sunday, October 19, 2025

Back to...writing!

 

Famous Murders 

As I've said here before, the summer months are usually slow for writing. I take notes, but I rarely sit down at my computer to work on a novel. Now that the days are shorter and the weather is rainy and windy, I have more time and enjoy sitting at my desk with a cup of coffee and my cat on my lap. I read what I’ve written so far and find my way back to the scenery.

FBI Agent Nicolas Hayes is confronted with a female serial killer who charms her victims, promotes their careers, and demands their devotion. When they fail her, she leaves them dead and looks for another man to manipulate. She has successfully evaded the FBI’s investigation thus far by changing states, locations, looks, and behavior.

It’ll be fun to write about how the FBI team deals with the case, and maybe even solves it in the end (Yes, I wrote stories in which the killer is not found in the end,)

Writing crime novels was never my goal when I started writing. I was more into science fiction and adventure, but when my muse suggested a loving couple and asked me what his profession might be, we agreed that a career agent in the FBI would be a perfect choice.

Here’s an excerpt from one of my previous novels, Famous Murders (book 2 in the series).

 

A killer on the loose, an FBI-agent in love, and a famous actor in danger.

After three murders in the Washington, DC, vicinity, the FBI Agents Hayes and Beckham are assigned to solve the case. Although the murders seem incoherent at first, it becomes clear that there are connections between them. It turns out that the murderer is far from having reached the end of his deadly list.

Aside from the investigation, Agent Hayes has to find a way to get on with his demanding girlfriend and her challenging love games. Can he do both and not lose himself?



Excerpt

“What are these?” Nick asked when she picked up a pair of unique handcuffs.

“Hands front.”

“As you say.” He held up his hands to be bound.

“These are handcuffs designed for hanging. They don’t squeeze your wrists, but spread the pressure on the inner wrists and along your palms.”

“Great. Does all that stuff come with a manual?”

“Step on the stool and reach above you. There’s a protruding beam.”

He looked up. “Don’t say you got that prepared while I was in the shower!”

“It wasn’t that much work, and I found a ladder around here. Or do you think Richard would pull out stacks from down here to have the rest tumble on him?”

“From what you told me, I wouldn’t take him to be a man to bother with carrying firewood.”

“Point taken.” Jacklyn made a face. “Now, reach for the beam and put the chain above it.”

Nicolas stretched to get it done. He tested the beam to carry his weight, and it held.

“Now, step down from the stool.”

“You want me to hang here? Like some piece of meat?” Nicolas breathed deeply when she didn’t budge and slowly stepped off the stool to find his toes hardly touching the sandy ground. “I’ve had more comfortable positions, that’s all.”

“You look ravishing, my lover. All those muscles are showing, and I’m free to kiss every one of them.”

“Not that I wouldn’t allow it at any other position.”

“That’s not the same.” She put the stool aside to brush her lips along his bare chest. “And now, let me show you why this is a perfect position.”

“Yeah, that argument will need some convincing elements. I already feel as if I’ll have arms as long as my legs.”

Jacklyn laughed merrily, and Nick knew he’d done something right. It was one thing to trust your partner. It was another to find true common joy.

“You’re still standing on your feet.”

“Toes. Only on my toes. What’re you doing?”

“Hmm, I’m thinking about heightening your pleasure by blindfolding you. Oh, I see, that’s a no-go. I understand.” She dropped what was in her hand and fetched a bowl with steaming water, two towels, and a razor. “That look on your face is worth the whole drive up here.”

“If you wanted to shave me, we could’ve stayed in the bathroom, right?”

“Not for this.” Apparently, Jacklyn took unearthly delight in lathering his chest and armpits to shave him smooth. “You don’t know how wet I am,” she whispered, smiling seductively. “Imagine me already dripping with expectation. I’m so hot for you I could touch myself now and come. Would you wanna watch?”

The razor elegantly swung toward his midsection before she put it beside the bowl to towel-dry his upper body.

Nick swallowed drily. “You would…you’re gonna…strip? Here?”

She opened his jeans and slowly peeled them down to his knees. Without losing eye contact, she rubbed her chin along the bulge and drew his boxer shorts toward his knees. Gently, still smiling the smile of impending delight, Jacklyn closed her lips around his member. He panted and looking down at her he realized he’d allow her to do anything with him if she caused him such pleasure.

Nick thought all body heat would immediately jump to his testicles. His buttocks clenched, but the way he stood left him no room to push forward and into her mouth. She licked him, stroked him with her teeth and slowly coaxed him up. Then she withdrew.

“Wow, Jacky, that’s some…vicious treatment!”

“Says the man who brings me to climax every time I sleep with him.” Jacklyn stroked along his trembling legs before returning to his cock and balls. “I think this is only fair. You make me a quivering mess, and I’m helpless in your arms.” She kissed his chest tenderly.

“Before long, my arms will be as stretched as Reed Richards’ in the Fantastic Four!”

Chuckling like only a woman could, Jacklyn made sure his arousal grew, no matter the precarious position. Her hands and mouth were on him, gently first, then harder until he stood erect and expecting. Again, she withdrew.

“Oh, come on, Jacky! Don’t…what the hell are you doing?”

Jacklyn lathered his pubic hair, then swung the razor around his quivering cock, changing his appearance profoundly.

“But—”

“Nick, only old men and those who never want to have sex have a jungle down here. All other men on this planet prefer this area neat and…” She cocked her head for a smile and impish expression. “Much easier to access for the rest of the toys I brought.”

Nick rolled his eyes heavenward, knowing she would get her way if he didn’t strongly object. Obviously, he’d missed that moment and now suffered from not speaking his mind in time. However, the feeling was strangely pleasurable, and Jacklyn was the most careful barber he could imagine. From the few insinuations she’d made during their conversations, he expected her to have experience.

When he looked down after Jacklyn was done, he felt alienated from his body. Since the days of adolescence, there had been pubic hair around his genitals. As if she understood his feeling of loss, Jacklyn caressed the soft, vulnerable skin with her lips and tongue and made him forget his regret in ten seconds. He was still hard, and the more she caressed him, the more he wanted off the hook and to carry her back to the bedroom, living room, or any other room in the cabin, just to sink his member into her.

Jacklyn opened her short morning gown, and he looked at her perfect nakedness.

“Like the look?”

He couldn’t help returning her playful smile. “I like everything about you, ma chérie, and you damn well know it. So…will you let me off the hook now?”

“No dice.” She placed the small stool in front of him, stepped on it, and touched his body with hers. “Like that feeling?”

Nick had always been a bad liar and denying his arousal when her hard nipples pressed against his chest was impossible. She caught his penis between their bodies and moved up and down slowly, one hand around his scrotum.

“Tell me, do you have plans for today?”

Nick’s laugh came out a strangled whisper because his mind couldn’t handle the sexual temptation and exchange of words at the same time. He was beyond desire and wanted release badly, but Jacklyn made sure he had no leeway to rub his body against hers and reach what she denied.

“Tell me. Is there anything on your list? Reading a book, maybe, or running a mile?” The question was accompanied by another, not so gentle, tug on his balls.

“Oh, ouch! Other than wanting to fuck you blind? No.” His panting grew louder. “Jacky, this is…torment.”

“Yeah, but a cockish way of torment, right? So fitting, this barn. I’m getting down on you dark and dirty until you can’t think of anything than being horny.”

“Got that accomplished, J, no question.”

“Don’t think you’re the only one aroused, G-man. You’re heating me up.” Her voice sank to a whisper. “All I want is to rub you so long until you scream out my name when you come.”

“That’s not that far away,” he said between clenched teeth, causing her to giggle.

“Ah, you can live like that for some time, believe me.”

“Don’t say you’ll let me—” He stopped to listen. “There’s someone out there!”

He had hardly spoken when a portly man rounded the corner to stop with his thumbs in his uniform pockets, looking concerned. He had a feisty face with a mustache and small eyes drawn to slits under his wide-brimmed hat.

* * *

Find my books at extasybooks.com,

have a look at my website annraina.com

and follow me on Instagram ann_raina_author

Saturday, October 18, 2025

Witchy Weekend

 We're in October already. Time sure flies when you're having fun! The trees are changing, pumpkins are everywhere, ghosts, ghouls, zombies and witches are beginning to make their appearance in the neighbourhood. I don't decorate for Halloween. Do you? My neighbour does a great job and I enjoy their creation.

Halloween has never been one of my favourite time of the year. I think that spills over to dress up and costume parties. I always go as me. 

Do you get into the Halloween spirit?

But, that doesn't mean I don't like horror movies, sci fi scary stuff. I do. But all year LOL. I was hoping to get a witchy book out this month, but sadly it's not going to happen. I LOVE the story line and since it's not strictly a Halloween themed story, I've decided to put it off until next year to release. 

In the meantime, I'm writing book 3 in the Black Phantom series. The first two books - Obsession is only .99, and Temptation just came out a couple of weeks ago is available in paperback and ebook. The third book is tentatively titled Devotion. The plan is to get it out before January if not sooner.


Obsession - .99 for limited time

When Ellie accepted the hand of the tall, blond masked maître-d, she wasn't prepared for her response to him. He’s irresistible and she was captivated. She needed him. She wanted him.

Rourke is used to getting what he wants and he wants this mysterious woman more than he's ever wanted anyone before. He intends to discover who she is beneath her masquerade and have her.

Their true identities concealed, they set out to use each other for pleasure with no risk of entanglement or commitment…but that may prove easier said than done.

Content Warning: Explicit sex/language, domination, light bondage and kink.


Temptation - available in ebook & paperback


A man used to getting what he wants, Tom Rourke doesn’t take being discarded lightly. Smarting from Ellie’s rejection, he still can’t get her out of his head. She’d roused feelings in him he didn’t know existed. But they are no longer together. Refocusing his energy into ownership of the Black Phantom, he meets Heather Canyon. She casts an erotic web, but Rourke must resist her – or does he? – if she is to be his manager.

Rourke’s proposition is the perfect opportunity for dominatrix Heather to start anew and let her talents shine.

Ellie thought ending things with Rourke was the answer to her obsession with him. Her feelings for him run so much deeper than she thought possible. He is everything she desires, but he’s her boss.


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Thursday, October 16, 2025

The Art of Forgetting: A Writer's Best Friend

 


Once upon a time (many years ago), I briefly found myself in a clapboard, rusty trailer, semi-ghost town in Nevada. The hotel I stayed in was a rundown has-been, where ceilings soared high, and the lumpy, almost colorless wallpaper was surely a century old. 

Outside, an ever-buffeting wind dragged dust across the frozen ground, rattled low-lying grasses, and set the wooden doors of abandoned shacks tapping. 

The only warmth to be found was in the hotel’s shabby bar room where, under an ancient tin ceiling, a talentless band whined out bad country music, and eccentric locals dished up tall tales, wry humor, and suspicion. It was a singular place, that community, eerie, even magical, and I’d give anything to be able to go back to it…

But where was it?

Believe me, I’ve searched for it over and over, traveling back and forth across Nevada, peeking into shabby trailer communities, fading towns, boom towns, ghost towns, and I’ve never found it. What was it called? Was it the way I remember it? Perhaps my recollection has so distorted the place, I would never recognize it today. Even more troubling, has memory played me a trick, created a place that never existed?

Is that a bad thing? Certainly not. My faulty memory has helped create the semi-ghost town of Blake’s Folly, Nevada. Blake’s Folly is a backwoods community of abandoned clapboard shacks, endless wind, and scraggly vegetation with strange local names like snatch-it shrub and sticky snakeweed. Back in the late 1800s, this former boomtown boasted three mining companies, a railway line to Reno, a lot of money, many saloons, and quite a few brothels. 

But the glory didn’t last. It was soon clear that the silver was running out, and by 1904, those sane enough to do so were pulling up stakes and leaving. But a few did stay on — the courageous, the cranky, the loners, the rebels, and the sort of people who love windswept places and closely-knit communities.

All I had to do was write about them.




Wednesday, October 15, 2025

What might a post-collapse world look like?

My upcoming book, Until We Met Again, is a time travel love story set against the backdrop of a post-collapse society. I was knee-deep in learning about climate change when I wrote it, hoping to understand this thing we call the Anthropocene and what parameters we could be working with as time rolls on.

It wasn’t the most uplifting subject of study, but it did help with figuring out how to build a ‘post-collapse’ world, a society of people getting by while waiting for their time travel mission to succeed. This nerdy topic is utterly fascinating to me, since it combines the disciplines of innovation and maintenance to secure human survival and well-being – contrast this with today where, often to our own detriment, innovation tends to overshadow maintenance and care.

Anyway, I wanted to share some facets of my fictional futuristic universe, in case you find this topic interesting too 💜

Small camps that grow enough food to sustain their population

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, cities “cover only 2-3% of land, [but] account for 75% of natural resource consumption, up to 80% of energy consumption, 70% of greenhouse gas emissions, and 50% of waste production.” In light of this, a futuristic city didn’t feel quite right for a post-collapse society.

The place my protagonist calls home is instead a village-sized camp, one large enough to shelter the descendants of disaster survivors, and small enough to sustain itself on what it can gather and produce in the safer areas of surrounding terrain – most of which is underground, protected from any bad air and harsh weather that blows their way 🌬️

Unlike the beautiful long-ago deserts of the hinterlands, this one palliatively sustains what life remains on it, below it. Our small subterranean populations—dispersed, desperate and dwindling—barely eke out survival on this dying world. The wind comes from the west this evening, and the crackle of home is a soft, sparse patter. For now, the air is safe to breathe.

Contact parties: people sharing resources

Scattered across the country, these camps need a way to stay in touch and share resources. Though not completely technologically challenged, the survivor society considers it too expensive to stay constantly connected the way we are today.

The main technology for staying in touch over distance is good old-fashioned foot travel, bearing heartfelt messages along with extra supplies and manpower 👣

We first met at the bar on the other side of the refectory. You arrived with a contact party from one of the protein supply camps along the southwest coast. You brought a letter from my sister. You asked for me by name.

Oh yes, they travel back in time

My protagonist is gloomy about her life at camp. To the point where I’m almost sorry to subject you to her despondence, despite all the hope around her. But of course, I’m looking at this from a real-world point of view, where people like you and me can’t just go back in time to change stuff.

But she can. In this fictional world, where people weave furnishings from mushroom bark and human hair, volunteers willingly go back in time to make tiny changes, enacting big and hopefully positive impacts.

I’m not convinced we’d actually do something like this if we had the technology for it. We’d lose a lot by returning to the past too often. I imagine we’d get stuck, become culturally stunted, with future generations deprived of the chance to dream their own dreams.

Then again, maybe we’ve already lived out a disastrous future, and the present we’re experiencing now is a result of someone having gone back to save us from living the worst possible version of our lives.

Until We Met Again: A Time Travel Novelette by JL Peridot

A time traveller absconds to the past in search of her lost love.

One word: my name. A call from Origin through the neural lace grafted to my brain and nerves, connecting me to another place in another time. A reminder of what I’m here to do.

I clutch a bottle cap; its sharp metal edges ground me in the present. It’s funny, don’t you think, to consider this moment the present, as if the past and future I came from aren’t supposed to exist? If you were here, I’d ask. You’d smile and kiss my forehead and say you love my nonsense questions.

But you’re not here. They want me to forget you ever were.

💖 Preorders open until 27th October 💖


JL Peridot writes love letters to the future on devices from the past. Visit jlperidot.com for the full catalogue of her work or subscribe to Dot Club for a collection of her tiny stories.

Monday, October 13, 2025

A Halloween Paranormal Romance complete series

 If you are looking for a Halloweeny read, check out this series:


The five young women of Hecate’s Fury are more than rock stars.

They are Shadow-walkers, chosen to help the supernatural world.

There’s just one problem. No one trained them.


(Each book is a standalone love story.)

                                            
                                              The Story behind Shadow-walkers

"Music is the strongest form of magic." Marilyn Manson



This series is inspired by my time as a rock and roll musician. Because of my love of everything otherworldly, I added a paranormal element to create a romance series featuring five young women in a controversial hard rock band who have supernatural powers. I always felt making music is a kind of magic, so this seemed like a natural addition.

Each story is a standalone love story. I'm really excited about this series because it's true to my heart. Plus, there is music to go along with this book series. I'm writing and recording songs again with my husband under the name Hecate’s Fury, the fictional band in my series.


Buy Links: https://www.kelleyheckart.com/shadow-walkers.html

Sunday, October 12, 2025

The Magic That You Do - A Halloween Romance - Love Story #TinaDonahueBooks #HalloweenRomanceLoveStory #TinaDonahueMonthlyNewsletter #Giveaways #EyeCandy

 



The Magic That You Do

A Halloween Romance - Love Story


Passion. Friendship. Love. Some things a man simply can’t forget…

Finn has no idea what he’s doing at a haunted house on Halloween, but his tour guide Caty certainly rocks his world. Irresistibly drawn to her, he indulges in wicked delight and a return to their shared destiny.



TEASERS











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Thanks so much for reading today's post. Hope you enjoyed it!

Follow me on Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tina-donahue


Saturday, October 11, 2025

The month of Halloween demands mystery!

Jan Selbourne—a writer whose work I admire and love to read—and I (as Anne Krist) wrote Evil Lives in the Night as novellas so readers could enjoy the suspense of a good mystery in a tidy package. As always, she brings her knowledge and love of her homeland, Australia, in her tone and nuance. You feel as though you’re a part of the Oz experience. For my historical mystery, I channeled my childhood in Iowa and my grandfather’s Lithuanian heritage for a tale that could have happened on the street where he used to live. We sure hope you enjoy these two novellas!


Blurb:
Two great historical mystery novellas that will keep you guessing.

In Jan Selbourne’s The Next Stop is Dead, a woman boards a city train one night and finds herself alone in the car with four strangers, all men. When she discovers one of them is dead, she has to find a way to exit the train and get help. Will she escape, or will the next stop be her final one?

In Anne Krist’s Missing, sisters Audra and Daina communicate using “twin language.” But how much difference will that make when Daina disappears? Can Audra find her sister before her abductor ends Daina’s life? Even with the help of an over-protective detective, saving her missing twin might not happen in time.

 

 

Buy link:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Lives-Night-historical-suspense-ebook/dp/B0B5B2VPB6/

Amazon Aus: https://www.amazon.com.au/Evil-Lives-Night-historical-suspense-ebook/dp/B0B5B2VPB6/

 


Excerpt:
From The Next Stop Is Dead

Alison buttoned her coat against the cold wind blowing along the platform. Melbourne might be dull and staid, but we hosted the 1956 Olympic Games, we are known for our theatres and culture and Flinders Street Station was once the busiest in the world. Something the bragging Sydneysiders hadn’t achieved.

She looked at the ticket in her hand and up at the train timetable. The next train would go express from Richmond to Caulfield then stopping all stations to Dandenong. You can’t sit here all night.

Wheels on the tracks and the train pulled into the platform. Not one of the new blue trains but an old red rattler that should have been pensioned off years ago. Three young, laughing women wearing Footscray Tennis Club jackets got out of the end carriage and hurried down the exit ramp. Feeling miserable, Alison got in hoping she’d be on her own. Empty except for three men sitting together on the last row of seats. She walked to the other end of the carriage and sat down. The whistle blew and the train moved away from the platform and into the tunnel.

The train increased its pace through Jolimont Yard and without meaning to, Alison glanced at the three men at the other end of the carriage. They hadn’t moved, just sitting there reading newspapers without speaking. The man next to the window looked at her, lit a cigarette and after blowing a cloud of smoke into the air lifted his newspaper closer to his face. She turned to the window again as they passed the huge Melbourne Cricket Ground, holy ground for cricket fanatics and home of Australian Rules Football. Watching grass grow was more interesting than watching cricket.

The train was slowing down to stop at Richmond station. The door opened and she looked up as a man with a newspaper tucked under his arm got in. He walked past her and took a seat on the other side of the aisle. The train began to move out of the station.

Four men and one woman and they’d express through the next five stations before stopping at Caulfield. Feeling very uncomfortable she held her overnight bag closer and gazed through the window as the train gathered speed. Except for the clattering train wheels it was quiet, creepy quiet. They’d just passed South Yarra station and the reflection in the grimy window moved. That man was looking at her. Oh hell, he was standing up. Her chest thumped when he crossed the aisle and sat beside her.

A wide smile. “What are you like with crossword puzzles?”

Alison felt the blood drain from her face. Should she get up and go closer to the three men? It struck her then they hadn’t spoken or moved since she got on the train.

He lifted his newspaper. “The crossword is very hard today. Can you help me?”

Her throat went dry. “Pardon?”

“Two heads are better than one,” he said brightly and pointed to the top of the page. For a few seconds her eyes refused to absorb the words in thick capital letters. DO NOT LOOK UP. GET OUT AT THE NEXT STOP. THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE IS DEAD.

 

From Missing:

Something woke her. She moved and the magazine fell to the floor. Groggy, she scraped her hair back from her face and then rubbed her eyes. She didn’t need to look to see that Daina’s bed remained empty—she’d feel her sister if she were there.

The room was dark, the door closed. But she’d left the light on in the living room and the bedroom door open. Hadn’t she?

She’d forgotten to wind the alarm clock and it had stopped at two-oh-five. She clicked on the lamp on the table between their beds and got up to check her watch on the dresser. Three o’clock. Her heart raced and her mouth dried. Where in the world was her sister?

Suddenly, the front door closing sounded like a shot. She slid into her slippers and tightened the sash on her robe. “Daina!” She threw open the bedroom door and rushed to the apartment door.

Automatically grabbing her key from the dish by the door, she rushed out into the hallway and down the stairs. She hadn’t reached the bottom step when she saw a man halfway out the door. He turned to look at her and she gasped. His face was rough. Stubble made it dark. A jagged, angry scar ran from his left temple to his jaw line. There was no smile, no lightening of expression. With a scowl, he pulled a black, flat cap low and then left.

The door hardly made a sound but his presence in her building set off an explosion in Audra’s mind. Who was he? How had he gained entrance? What was he doing at three o’clock in the morning skulking around her building?

Fear gave way to panic. Her knees nearly gave out when the thought occurred that he might have been in their apartment, that it had been he who she heard closing their front door. Then the thought that screamed in her mind. Did he have anything to do with Daina’s disappearance?

On shaky lags, she climbed the stairs. She’d make a pot of coffee and then wait until daylight made it safe to walk to the bus stop to start the trek downtown to the police department. She’d think later about calling her parents but first thing this morning she’d have to file a missing person report for her sister. Her twin. The other half of her soul.

 


Reviews:

“I enjoyed these stories. They fit together despite being half a world apart. There's an innocence to the stories you don't find in the crime drama of today.” 4 Stars

“I really enjoyed these two novellas. I am a fan of mystery and historic novels, so these two were great to read. Keep up the good work ladies I am waiting for the next books or novellas to be published. They are great gifts for my sister. Highly recommended.” 5 Stars/4 Stars

 

A little about me:
A few years ago, Dee S. Knight began writing, making getting up in the morning fun. During the day, her characters killed people, fell in love, became drunk with power, or sober with responsibility. And they had sex, lots of sex.

 After a while, Dee split her personality into thirds. She writes as Anne Krist for sweeter romances, and Jenna Stewart for ménage and shifter stories. All three of her personas are found on the Nomad Authors website. And all three offer some of the best romance you can find! Also, once a month, look for Dee’s Charity Sunday blog posts, where your comment can support a selected charity.

Author links:

Website: https://nomadauthors.com

Blog: http://nomadauthors.com/blog

Twitter: http://twitter.com/DeeSKnight

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeSKnight2018

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/265222.Dee_S_Knight

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B079BGZNDN

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/dee-s-knight-0500749

Sweet ‘n Sassy Divas: http://bit.ly/1ChWN3K

 

Friday, October 10, 2025

Out Now!!! Taken by the Sorcerer by @meganslayer #magic #romance #monster

 

Taken by the Sorcerer (Taken 11)


Author: Megan Slayer

Cover Art: Bryan Keller

BIN: 011659-03798

Genres: Action AdventureDark FantasyNew ReleasesParanormalRomanceUrban Fantasy

Themes: Magic, Sorcery, and WitchcraftShapeshifters

Series: Taken (#11)

Book Length: Novel

Page Count: 114


She’s never been taken seriously. He’s seen as a geek. Together, they could be unstoppable.


Skylar Graves is a synth -- she can shift into anything. She’s also known all around the world as a billionaire playgirl fool. Parties? She’s had them. Money? Bucketloads. Brains… Well, there’s the rub. No one’s ever believed she had the brains to make the money. No one’s ever believed in her at all.


Enter Brody and a reason to use those brains.


Brody isn’t the best sorcerer. He knows his spells and how to create them, but he’s still learning to control his magic. When he finds his perfect mate, he’ll be set. But is she out there? The trouble is, he’s been tasked with helping other paras find Eerie and he can’t do that alone.


The mome he meets Skylar, he knows he’s found his match, but the problem lies in convincing her she’s more than she ever believed.


Not impossible… right?

Buy now!! 

https://www.changelingpress.com/taken-by-the-sorcerer-taken-11-b-3798

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPDJ2DW8

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Expanding My Stories through Journaling

On and off I’ve done journaling for my mental health. It was recommended by a therapist years ago, I have found it really helpful, especially when I’m dealing with a big decision or a difficult situation.

Something about the action of physically writing my thoughts on real paper allows me to think more clearly (at least for me, it has to be real pen and paper for it to work, I don’t know why but I’m sure there’s a psychological reason). I find writing down my concerns, my questions, or my fears forces my brain to think different than just ruminating or even talking a decision through does. Something about sitting alone with a journal and my thoughts, no one else’s judgements or concerns to consider, allows my mind a freedom and exploration I can’t find another way.

Even though I’ve found journaling therapeutic and helpful for making decisions over the years, I never considered applying the same process to my writing. The idea just never crossed my mind. Not until I was watching a YouTube video by Sarra Canon where she mentioned she used journaling for her plotting process.

At first I was a little confused how journaling could help my writing. Sure, I could sit down and write about my story, and the magic of the pen and paper was bound to do something, but what exactly was I going to write about in this journal. How would it be different than just sitting down at my desk and putting my fingers on the keyboard. 

But when I got stuck on my current story, I was a little desperate to find a solution.

Just like almost every story I’ve started for the last several years, I began writing this new story propelled by the excitement of a great idea, until I hit an impenetrable brick wall at about twenty thousand words.

As a writer my process is a little different than most. I’ve heard it described as inspiration writer, or stitching writer. I don’t write starting at the beginning and work my way to the end. I write whatever scene I am currently excited about. That could be the first, last, or any in between. I start with what I know, no matter where it falls in the story, and let the characters take me from there. Usually while I’m writing what I already know, the next part of the story will just unfold for me. The characters will show me more of who they are. And the next steps in the journey become clear.

But lately that hasn’t been happening. Instead, once I get to the end of what I can see of the story, all that’s beyond it is murky darkness. So out of desperation to get some clarity on my next steps with this story, I decided to give journaling a try.

I sat down with my pen and paper and wrote down all the questions I had about my current work in process. I listed all the holes that I needed filled in, and hoped that by writing them down, my mind might see these road blocks a different way. That it might find a solution I hadn’t considered yet.

Amazingly it worked. When I wrote down the concerns I had, the problems I’d found, the inconsistencies I needed to fix, ideas started to come to me. Solutions I had never considered before but that added fantastic complexity to my plot, twists that deepened my character’s goals and motivations. Giving me another way to access my story and to explore this new world I was so enamored with.

Unfortunately, these new discoveries have led to a lot of rewriting. But it’s more than worth it for the new twists and turns the story has taken. And the character depth I’m adding. For the first time in years, I have written more than 50,000 words on my latest work in process, the furthest I’ve been able to write on one story in more than two years. And there’s a lot of territory to still explore in this world.

After giving journaling on my writing a try, I’m a convert. I will definitely be doing it again. I’ve even designated a new journal just for tinkering with ideas, to find new twists and turns to add even more excitement to my story, and delve deeper into my characters. If you’re struggling with your writing, or looking for a way to delve deeper into your characters and your plot, consider pulling out a journal and writing down your concerns and questions, and seeing where your mind travels. Who knows what you might discover in the pages of your journal? It just might be the addition you’ve always been looking for.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

C.L. Cannon’s Romance Book Fair is now open! #BookFair #RomanceNovels #BooksToRead #GiveawayContests


This autumn, my paranormal romance, Coyote’s Vow (Stranger Creatures book 4), will be featured in C.L. Cannon’s Romance Book Fair. Each book in my Stranger Creatures series features a different couple in their fight for a happily-ever-after.

Go to https://fictionatlas.com/romancefair/ and enter for your chance to win a Kindle Fire, a One More Chapter mug, and a one-month Audible gift card. Discover lots of wonderful authors and exciting books in several romance genres, including contemporary, romantasy, paranormal, historical, and more! The book fair is open from September 14 through November 3rd, 2025.

 

What I’m working on now:

I’ve been busy writing steamy, paranormal romance, Hawk’s Heart. This will be Jordan and Luke’s story, and the very last book in my Stranger Creatures series. I’ve also been working on a couple of romantasy novellas featuring women in their forties navigating unexpected new paths in life, as well as writing more poetry and learning how to write flash fiction.

If you’d like to follow me on social media for my latest book information and excerpts, poems, contest info, book recommendations, and other fun stuff, you can find me at:

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Christina-Lynn-Lambert/e/B01MCYK0K7

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christina-lynn-lambert

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinalynnlambert

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15900423.Christina_Lynn_Lambert

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinalynnlambert

Wordpress: https://christinalynnlambertwordpress.com

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cllambauthor.bsky.social

 


Sunday, October 5, 2025

Sharing secrets???

 I recently had the pleasure of being a featured author in the September issue of a very nice glossy magazine called Ignitiveify, published by my Texas author friend Savannah McCann. Part of the feature was a short interview that posed some probing questions. Since I don't open up very often on here, I thought I'd share it for your amusement. The feature was centered around my latest release, "One Way Out." Happy reading! 


 What was the inspiration behind your book?

 

When I wrote the previous entry in this series (“Out of the Shadows”), I intentionally left a couple of unanswered questions at the end, just to have fun with the readers. I hadn’t planned on writing a sequel until people began asking me for one. I reviewed the last few chapters and decided to see how far I could go with it. The loose threads I’d left hanging were based on real events that are still in the news. After reading the archived stories, I realized there actually was more material to work with.       

 

What themes or messages do you hope readers will take away from your book?

 

I’m not big on messages, but the theme is always the good guys beat the bad guys, then the hero and heroine sail off together into the sunset. I try to write entertaining mystery/thrillers with humor, realistic atmosphere, and a playful romance between the main characters. People read to be entertained, and like I tell aspiring writers, “If you want to send a message, use e-mail.” If you read one of my books, hopefully you’ll come away feeling as though you just watched a good movie.

 

Can you share a moment from your personal life that inspired a scene or character in the book?

 

There are many of those moments in all of my books because the hero, Nick Seven, is my alter ego, the guy who gets to do all the things I wish I could. In this book there was one personal touch I couldn’t resist, when I named a shady character after a Doctor I was acquainted with. He has a very unique name and personality that lent itself to the character I created. I don’t know if he’s read it yet, but I’m prepared if his attorney calls me.  

 

What was the most surprising thing you learned while writing your book?

 

How easy it was to come up with a continuation of the previous story. I thought I had used up all of the good ideas, but once I began writing the characters and the Florida Keys locations, the plot twists and the story seemed to write themselves. It was like slipping back into my comfort zone, and I was pleasantly surprised with the results.    

  

How has your writing evolved since you first began publishing?

 

It’s gotten better, thankfully. I’ve published 30 books over the past 23 years and when I re-read my earliest ones, I’m embarrassed. There’s a reason the first 3 are out of print! I wrote those before I connected with a great editor, who worked with me to improve my writing. Not long ago, a friend said she’d bought one of my books online, and asked if I’d sign it for her. Imagine my shock when she presented a copy of my very first novel that I thought I buried 15 years ago!  

 

What challenges or obstacles did you face while writing this book, and how did you overcome them?

 

One of the challenges was keeping the story fast-paced and interesting while maintaining the lighthearted mood and sexy give-and-take between the two leading characters. There’s plenty of action and drama in this one, but it’s always challenging to offset the violence with humor. When I felt I wasn’t achieving that balance, I read a few passages from previous books in the series to get back in the groove.  

 

What research did you conduct for this book, and did you uncover anything surprising or fascinating?


Since this story was inspired by real events, my research took me behind the headlines to get some details that weren’t emphasized by the mainstream media. I found a lot of these lesser-known things interesting and included them, along with other current topics. My research also involved finding an island in the Caribbean where some of the action takes place, and getting the atmosphere right.   

 

Is there anything readers might not know about your book just from reading it?


This is book number nine in the Nick Seven series, but the books don’t need to be read in order. I constructed each story as a stand-alone adventure, with the main characters and a few supporting players being featured in each one. I hope everyone has as much fun reading this book as I had writing it.  

 

Tim Smith is an award-winning bestselling author of romantic mystery/thrillers and contemporary hot romance. His author page is Tim Smith--AllAuthor.com. "One Way Out" is available in Kindle and print at Amazon "One Way Out" 




  

Saturday, October 4, 2025

My Ex Is A Vampire New Release Urban Fantasy

 


Genre:

Fantasy Romance, Vampires, Young Adult    

Length: 431 pages

Buy Link:

https://amzn.to/4psQG7N

Publication Date:

October 1, 2025

Book Blurb:

Relationships bite!

Jane Dela Cruz's life is anything but normal. By day, she's your average honor student, the girl next door who's dating the guy on the football team. By night, she hunts vampires with her family. She hates what she's been called to do, the gifts she inherited from her family bloodline. At the same time, she craves revenge and closure for past emotional scars.
Andy Santiago is the new kid in the swanky suburb of Sugar Land, Texas. Haunted by nightmares of red eyes and fangs, he hunts down vampires and attracts his share of trouble along the way. He keeps his life of vampire hunting a secret from his mother and finds himself in hot water when he finds out his new girlfriend is a fangirl for romantic vampires, which only exist in fiction.

When Jane's boyfriend and Andy's girlfriend get taken by the local vampire court and turned into vampires, they have to team up and figure out how to take down their exes. What they don't realize is that they will unravel a darker conspiracy that will change their lives forever.
 
Although this urban fantasy was written with a young adult audience in mind, it's a story that readers of all ages can enjoy. The book features  a strong, capable female lead, a supportive found-family vibe, and a touch of romance and horror. It is a page-turner with a fun premise: a vampire watch party that becomes a real hunt in a college town with a secret vampire scene.

Teenage me would have been absolutely obsessed with this story. Many years beyond teenage me enjoyed reading it as well. Pick up a copy for a young reader in your life who enjoys urban fantasy adventure, or grab a copy for yourself.