Try new things...

Friday Five...a giveaway and BIG NEWS!

Book News...

There is a ton of book news to share today.

First of all, KB Jacobs second book, Deliciously Thick, is out today. I got to read early versions of this series, and OMG...love all three of the books so much. This second book is seriously steamy! LOVE that!

Only $.99 right now!!

Triple B...the Bad Boy of Boarding. 

That’s me and I own that title. I’m a professional snowboarder and my life IS the party. 

You want to hang out for a good time? Come to Triple B’s house. 
You need a hot chick to bang? There are tons of them at my place. 
My bar is stocked and the music is jamming. This is my life.

Until Juliet. No, that’s not her real name. That’s just what I called her when I fell in lust with her those nights when she read in her window.

But then a fire changed everything. 

I saved her life and it ruined mine. Now my sponsors say I either fix my party-boy image or else I’m through making the big bucks. I figure she broke me, she can fix me. 

She’s sweet and innocent, exactly what I need to fix my image. But I’m not sure either of us will survive the legacy that is Triple B.

*****

Also, a couple of my favorite authors had gorgeous cover reveals today...

All the Way by M. Mabie

releasing May 18th

Goodreads link

*****

False Start by Sloan Johnson

releasing May 15th

Goodreads link

*****

My book news and a print giveaway...

This week I've been feverishly writing blog posts for the book release tour for Believe in the Wish (releasing May 11th). So that brings to question...

What kind of posts do you like to read from authors?? 

Leave an answer and you'll be entered into a random drawing for an early PRINT copy of the book...before it releases! (the drawing closes out May 2nd)

Amazon preorder link

Universal preorder link

I buried my twin sister six months after she found out she had cancer. Her funeral was three months ago. Today is our birthday and it started with delivery of letters from her. 

It seems she didn’t trust me to move on after her death. She knows me too well. But how can I go on when my other half is just...gone? That’s not something I can recover from with a snap of my fingers. But I also can’t ignore her instructions even though I’d be perfectly content to cuddle up with my buddy, Johnnie Walker, and call it a year. 

She has a list of things for me to do and there are rules attached. 

There’s one major problem besides the fact it’s been three months since I left the house. I have to do all these things with her jerk of an ex, Hawk Simmons. He abandoned her shortly after she found out she was sick. If that wasn’t enough to make this a really bad idea, the fact that he makes an appearance in all my nighttime fantasies probably does. 

I don’t think I can do this, but I owe it to my sister’s memory to try.

This is a stand alone contemporary male/male romance.

*

Releasing May 11th

*****

Let's talk jewelry...

I work from home.

My everyday attire consists of jeans or yoga pants with t-shirts from Target.

It's NOT glamorous...at all.

But I also type all day, so I'm constantly looking at my hands. 

And I do like pretty things. 

So, here's my dirty little secret...

I splurge on pretty bracelets!

And today I want to share off a couple of my latest purchases

^^^Seriously? How can you not love that?^^^

It's so perfect for me! 

It came from a great little etsy shop filled with book themed jewelry.

Baubles, Beads, 'n Charms

***

This second bracelet has special meaning to me. In December, I'll be releasing a paranormal m/m novella called Shiver. It's about a deer shifter who loses part of his rack when he gets hit by a truck. For male deer, that rack is a symbol of their sexual prowess. This is a story about love and loss and identity. As a result, my design theme for this year has been centered around deer racks, and thus, I had to have this bracelet when I saw it. 

It's from a company called Keep and I've fallen in lust with their designs. My friend Amber is a consultant for them. Go check them out. The design possibilities are ENDLESS!

Amber's Keep Design page

She also has a Facebook page, so you can check it out, too.

Salty Charm Boutique FB page

*****

Man-Candy...

And just because we can.

It's Friday. 

It's supposed to be 98* here today (OMG?!?!)

So, I'm thinking we need some half naked pretty men to look at.

Am I right?

Surprise News...

When I wrote book #4 in the When the Mission Ends series, When Love Intrudes, I left a couple of characters open for continuing stories, although I had no plans to write them anytime in the near future. 

Well, in the last week one of those characters stood up and yanked at my muse, demanding she get her HEA. 

You may not remember her, but at the very end of When Love Intrudes, Dr. Felicia Parks appeared and saved the life of Sam, the dog, in a move that could have risked her veterinary license. I loved her for that and knew that eventually I wanted to write her story.

So, today I'm officially announcing that there will be a book #5 in the When the Mission Ends series. I have no idea when it will be out. I just started writing on it. 

It's tentatively titled...When Love Comes Back.

And here's a blurb I wrote late last night (so it's still really rough).

Eighteen years ago, she gave him her heart...

And he betrayed her in the very worst way.

She thought she'd never love again.

She was wrong.

On the verge of a new life, new love, new happiness...

She has it all, but then he showed up.

She can't go through another hurt like that again.

She gave him her heart once. 

But this time he's not willing to let it go.

Happy Friday, everyone.
I hope you're reading something delicious this weekend.

smiles,

Christi

Authors truth...

Friday Five...the procrastination edition...

The brutally honest edition of the Friday Five...

I've been bad this week. 

My motivation for getting anything done has been practically nil.

Seriously...bad.

So when it came to figuring out what to write on my Friday Five, I debated blowing it off...like I've done a lot of my work this week.

But then decided...NO! 

I would confess my sins and list the five things I've spent my time doing this week...

I may have spent a lot of my time with my nose buried in books this week. I'll be honest. Stories are my escape and this week I've needed that...no reason why. I just have.

(Note: these are books I've received lately that I haven't gotten around to shelving in my library.)

****

I have also spent several quality hours devouring the leftover Easter candy. 

Seriously, the Easter bunny knows better than to leave the leftover candy in my office. 

I've probably gained five pounds this week!

(Note: this is the interior of my ottoman in my office...no one has any clue that all the good candy is there, but me)

****

I've also wasted a lot of my days online...shopping, looking at books, reviewing, Facebooking. 

Serious time-suck right here.

****

Audiobooks...not the same as reading because if I'm good I will also multi-task and clean the house while I listen. 

Note: I haven't been good this week.

****

There have been a few moments where I pretended like I planned to work and opened my work in progress...before then going back to one of the above tasks. It's been a bad writing week, but I feel like I'm coming out of it today.

I hope your week was more productive than mine. 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

smiles,

Christi

Aspire...

Friday Five...Holiday Edition (i.e. why it's late)

It's Friday Five time...

ahem, 

I see you looking at the clock. 

So, yes, okay...Friday Five time should have been several hours ago.

But, but, but...

Kat's out of school today, 

so I'm running a 'wee' bit behind.

*sigh*

I know, I know. 

This doesn't bode well for my summer productivity, does it?

Yay, it's ready...

Part of the reason I'm so far behind today is because yesterday, I did all the things.

Which included getting the pre-order up for Believe in the Wish.

The release is scheduled for May 11th.

Story Overview:

I buried my twin sister six months after she found out she had cancer. Her funeral was three months ago. Today is our birthday and it started with delivery of letters from her. 

It seems she didn’t trust me to move on after her death. She knows me too well. But how can I go on when my other half is just...gone? That’s not something I can recover from with a snap of my fingers. But I also can’t ignore her instructions even though I’d be perfectly content to cuddle up with my buddy, Johnnie Walker, and call it a year. 

She has a list of things for me to do and there are rules attached. 

There’s one major problem besides the fact it’s been three months since I left the house. I have to do all these things with her jerk of an ex, Hawk Simmons. He abandoned her shortly after she found out she was sick. If that wasn’t enough to make this a really bad idea, the fact that he makes an appearance in all my nighttime fantasies probably does. 

I don’t think I can do this, but I owe it to my sister’s memory to try.

This is a stand alone contemporary male/male romance.

Preorder links:

Amazon

Universal Link for the other sites 

(some of which will be coming up soon)

*****

A new music share...

At My Best

by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Hailee Steinfeld

I'm a huge Hailee Steinfeld fan, so when I heard this song this week I had to grab it. 

This line right here...LOVE it so much!

But if you can't take me at my worst, 

you don't deserve me at my best.

(It's a good song. I like it a lot.)

*****

Recommended Reading...

I read this book this week and although my review doesn't go up until next week, I'll give you a little preview.

I give this one 5 stars!

It's a great book...a lot of fun involving a fake relationship and an awesome heroine!

A Charmed Little Lie

by

Sharla Lovelace

Story Overview:

Charmed, Texas, is everything the name implies—quaint, comfortable, and as small-town friendly as they come. And when it comes to romance, there’s no place quite as enchanting . . .

Lanie Barrett didn’t mean to lie. Spinning a story of a joyous marriage to make a dying woman happy is forgivable, isn’t it? Lanie thinks so, especially since her beloved Aunt Ruby would have been heartbroken to know the truth of her niece’s sadly loveless, short-of-sparkling existence. Trouble is, according to the will, Ruby didn’t quite buy Lanie’s tale. And to inherit the only house Lanie ever really considered a home, she’ll have to bring her “husband” back to Charmed for three whole months—or watch Aunt Ruby’s cozy nest go to her weasel cousin, who will sell it to a condo developer.

Nick McKane is out of work, out of luck, and the spitting image of the man Lanie described. He needs money for his daughter’s art school tuition, and Lanie needs a convenient spouse. It’s a match made . . . well, not quite in heaven, but for a temporary arrangement, it couldn’t be better. Except the longer Lanie and Nick spend as husband and wife, the more the connection between them begins to seem real. Maybe this modern fairy tale really could come true . . .

Amazon preorder link

Sharla is hosting a huge release party. I'll be there too. 

Come check it out on Tuesday...HERE.

*****

My favorite planner page...

I love this one simply for that butterfly. I love playing with watercolors and you can create some gorgeous effects with butterflies. Tis is my favorite all-time color combination.

You can check out the rest of my planner pages and what I'm reading each night on my Instagram page.

*****

Happy Easter!

I don't know about you all, but around here, the Easter bunny needs to get to work. I hope you have a great weekend with fun, friends, and family...

Either...

Friday Five...All the happy in life

I know...late again, but it's still Friday, so it completely still counts, right? Besides, by being late, it means I can add last minute additions like #1 on today's list...

New Music

This album dropped at midnight last night and I'm listening to it right now. So good. I love the Chainsmokers...all their songs have a story which I find really inspiring for writing. I highly recommend this one!!

New Release Book

I'm going to have a couple of book shares today. The first is a new release from Mia Downing. It's only $.99 right now and features the ultimate bad boy...a demon tasked with stealing the heroine's soul. You can read my review of it HERE. But know, it's really good. Oh, and check out the amazing trailer....https://www.facebook.com/TBCTrailers/videos/764044560417282/

Twisted Luck by Mia Downing

When I told him to go to hell, I never realized it would be a trip for two.

All I wanted was luck—the good kind. I’d lost my job, a jerk hacked my bank account, and I caught my best friend screwing my fiancé. When stood up by my Internet date in a bar, I met the perfect man—tall, dark, and handsome in the most expensive suit. He was out of my league, but I didn’t want forever. 

I barely remember the words he whispered under the veil of sin and seduction. I didn’t believe in Satan, God, Heaven or Hell. I thought he was kidding. A figment. A dream.

I was wrong. With one, breathless yes, my fate was sealed.

Businessman by day, demon by night, Leo Weston now owns my soul in exchange for good luck. Time is ticking as he works to secure my mother’s soul, too. Somehow, I have to take him down despite him being so damned gorgeous, glib, and devious. Will my gift of twisted luck be enough to save her and protect my heart?

Self Care

This has been an admittedly rough week...lots happening, lots of stress from outside stuff that I have no control over. There's nothing I can do about the stressors. So, this week I've had a few moments when I've had to practice self care. 

For me that means giving myself permission to take the night off to read with no guilt.

And this is my post for you to remind you to do the same. 

Take care of yourself...that means both mentally and physically. 

You deserve moments to calm your mind, to calm your soul. 

Read.

Sit back and drink a cup of coffee or tea and listen to music.

Take a bubble bath.

Do something to make sure you're in a happy place. 

Because nothing in this life is better than that. 

Keep your head space clear and happy.

You deserve that!

Reading and Writing Romance

Y'all know. There's a bit of a stigma with the romance genre. It's sometimes really frustrating (like that time I was at my local writer's meeting and one of the members wouldn't read my submitted piece for critique...which was completely innocent... because "I don't read pornography.")

*clenched teeth grin*

So, yeah...stigma.

There was an incredible article about that very thing that I saw for the first time this week by Sarah Maclean. So, I thought I would share it. 

It's definitely worth a read!

Bashing Romance Novels is Just Another Form of Slut-Shaming

There are many authors in my life who I'm so lucky to know. One of them is Kelly Apple. She's awesome. I write with her every morning and have writing accountability with her every week.

Today she's released the final book in her Forgotten Monsters series. She writes super-sexy monster erotica. I promise you her monsters are not scary and she will totally change your view on these guys.

Echo released today and is the final book in the series. 

(Amazon has it on sale right now for only $.99) 

These are superfast, sexy little reads.

The series:

1. Wisp

2. Deep

3. Dream

4. Echo

When Thane Demarcos left home to travel the world, he never expected to end up stranded in a tiny mountain town so far from the water he can’t smell salt on the wind. For a Siren to be without the oceans close by is unheard of and he knows it’s only a matter of time before his family tracks him down to bring him home.

In the meantime, Thane’s stuck with a neighbor who takes in all the town’s strays and hardly remembers to care for herself. If Zoe Canton knew what was good for her, she’d stop spending all her money on dog food and start stocking up her pantry for the winter he can feel coming.

Fate being the tyrant she is, Thane and Zoe get unexpectedly snowed in and Thane finds himself grudgingly coming to understand the effervescent woman who cares too much. The more he learns about her, the more he comes to admire her.

Considering he’s bound to return to his watery home, this spells disaster for everyone.

Warning: This book contains a man who has exceptional allure and a woman who tries to live her life to the fullest. A round of drinks and karaoke for everyone. On the house.

******

Have a great weekend everyone!

smiles,

Christi