It’s not every day that I get to name a new baby romance author, but that’s exactly how Ellen Mint came into being. Ellen is the pen name for my SFF author buddy Sabrina and I love, love, love her romance books. This one, PSL, is probably destined to be my favorite!
PSL – An Erotic Autumn Fairytale
One hot lumberjack, a rustic cabin in the woods, whipped cream and lattes, princes, magic, and fairy wings. This is not the vacation I wanted, but it might be the one I need.
After a broken heart, I had to get away from the city. Escaping to a cabin in the woods deep into autumn sounded perfect. Peace. Solitude. Just me, my books, and my coffee fix. Next thing I know a gorgeous man chainsawing downed trees is sweeping me off my feet.
Literally, as it turns out he’s a fairy. Not just any fairy either. No, he’s a freaking Prince in exile.
Now I’m trapped in the kingdom of the autumn fairies while assassins lurk in every shadow. Every day Scott, who rose to fill in for the ill King, slips further from me. Time is ticking and soon I’ll have to return home. The question is will the once-disgraced Prince, sweet as caramel and sinful as cinnamon, come with me.
Scott
There are few regrets I wear harder in my heart than what led me to abandon my throne, my people, my kingdom. When I was banished to the human realm, I thought to live out my days protecting the forests. That changed the day this breathtaking human in leggings approached me.
In her, I found that which I thought was lost forever, home. It doesn’t hurt that she’s got a body worthy of worship either.
I never anticipated a return to my kingdom, much less dragging a human with me. Now, I have an opportunity to regain everything I lost. But, after all this time I find myself wondering if being king of the autumn fairies is what I truly want or if my heart aches for another.
This novella is a celebration of all things autumn. Grab a blanket, pour yourself a warm drink, and snuggle by the fire to fall in love.
To celebrate releasing a new book I thought it would be fun to celebrate OTHER authors and their new releases. Today we have a guest post from McKenna Dean! Her new book Bishop Takes Knight is an AMAZING paranormal romance. You can grab it at Goodreads &Amazon .
Why Heroes Need Flaws
My husband and I frequently discuss our favorite superheroes and the pros and cons of the Marvel vs the DC Comics universes. We have a lot of material right now—both Marvel and DC Comics have brought out a multitude of shows and movies. I admit to leaning a bit more on the side of Marvel vs DC Comics, but then I am a huge fan of Captain America and Agent Carter. We’ve watched The Flash, Supergirl, and Arrow, as well as Agents of Shield and all the Avengers movies. The Batman franchise leaves me cold (though I have watched the movies in the past) and I had some real issues with the Man of Steel movie, but I adored the Wonder Woman movie. I’ve watched it several times and bought a copy as soon as it became available on DVD.
I’ll be honest, though I wanted to love the Aquaman movie—I’m a Stargate fan and have enjoyed Jason Momoa as Ronon Dex—it fell a bit short of the mark for me. All the things I love about superhero movies: the origin story, the character arc where he/she comes into their own, the defeat of the bad guy, the action laced with humor—all these elements were there in Aquaman, and yet the dialog was a little flat, the humor didn’t quite zing, the battle scenes were a bit too obviously CGI. So while I give DC high marks for Wonder Woman, overall, I’m a Marvel Girl.
Though we’ve watched Supergirl, my husband has a real problem with the invulnerability of both Supergirl and Superman. From what I’ve seen in various movies and shows, the kids from Krypton are bulletproof (and impervious to pain and illness), can fly (and leave the atmosphere without their lungs exploding), and in general seem pretty undefeatable. Which, as far as my husband is concerned, makes them less interesting as characters, Krypton notwithstanding.
I see his point.
When they released the trailer for the movie Batman vs Superman, my initial reaction was, really? Is there any question of the outcome? And while I’m here, what is it with movie trailers giving away 90% of the film? I feel as though I’ve seen the whole thing already, just from the trailer alone… but I digress. Right. Regardless of how much of a Bruce Wayne fan we might be, the fact is, Superman as portrayed on film and in the comics is nigh-on invincible. Unless Bruce has a shaft of Kryptonite in his pocket (and is not just happy to see Superman), then it is unlikely he’s going to win this one.
Which brings me to the point of this post: your hero has to have vulnerability for the reader to identify with him or her.
I read a story recently in which the heroine was utterly fearless, competent, and seemingly without self-doubt. I hated her. There are some people who’d suggest my dislike of this character reflected some sort of internal misogyny because I’m incapable of liking a strong female character. That’s not the case at all. There’s nothing better than a strong female character. Most of my favorite books feature enviable female leads. I disliked this character because she was too perfect. Even in her tiniest moments of self-doubt, she didn’t feel real to me. In the end, I didn’t care what happened to her, either. Blame it on the lack of tension, or the lack of connection with the character, but I just didn’t care. She had too much: too many resources, too much money, too many connections, too much respect. In fact, there was no reason to suspect she wouldn’t solve the case from the get-go, and I yawned my way through the story. When the killer was revealed, I didn’t believe that either, I’m afraid. So my advice to you is this: remember your reader wants to identify with your characters. The joy of reading for many people lies in self-insertion into the story, and this is difficult when the main character bears little resemblance to a human being. Be cautious of loving your character so much you elevate them to godhood. Give them relatable characteristics. Make us doubt just a little if they can get themselves out of the situation they are in. Show the soft underbelly. Make them vulnerable. Maybe they aren’t cool under pressure, or maybe they get a little too carried away when they’re in charge. Give them a boss that doesn’t like them, or something to prove. Make the stakes high for them. Make sure they grow during the course of your story. Don’t set them on a pedestal at the beginning. Show us the progression towards heroism. Your readers will love you for it.
Bishop Takes Knight
New York, 1955. Former socialite Henrietta (“Rhett”) Bishop, destitute after her father gambles away the family fortune, takes a job at Redclaw Security. But Redclaw is no ordinary operation. Part detective firm and part enforcement agency, Redclaw regulates matters involving the growing population of shifters who have emerged since the onset of the nuclear age.
Peter Knight is a nuclear scientist shattered by the death of his wife. Blacklisted by the government and scientific organizations, he drowns his sorrows while searching for the people behind his wife’s murder.
When Rhett is assigned to recruit Knight, their meeting is more than either bargained for—a rival organization will do anything to secure Knight for themselves. Following a lead to locate a missing cache of alien technology stolen from Redclaw, Rhett is thrown back into her previous glittering life with Knight as her pretend boyfriend. But when someone from the past turns up to start a bidding war on the artifacts, Bishop and Knight wind up in a fight for their very lives.
About the Author
McKenna Dean has been an actress, a vet tech, a singer, a teacher, a biologist, and a dog trainer. She’s worked in a genetics lab, at the stockyard, behind the scenes as a props manager, and at a pizza parlor slinging dough. Finally she realized all these jobs were just a preparation for what she really wanted to be: a writer.
She lives on a small farm in North Carolina with her family, as well as the assorted dogs, cats, and various livestock.
She likes putting her characters in hot water to see how strong they are. Like tea bags, only sexier.
As our hero Gabe Berrington would complain, Christmas comes way too early. BUT, in case you like to start your holiday reading as soon as the weather chills then check out my new story BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!
Ok, so I’m a little hazy on the details. But back in the day, close to thirty years ago now, hubs and I got into one of our Knowledge Arguments. It was something about Kenny Rogers. When two Ravenclaws get together this happens. A lot. Suffice to say this took place a wee bit before answers could be immediately googled up on a mobile device. Bets were made. I don’t even remember what my potential boon could be because I was the loser. And my payment was to get hubs ice water anytime he wanted it. Thirty years, people, and I have been on it. He even joked to a friend once “I don’t worry about getting lost in the desert because I know I’ll just need to ask Sue for ice water and she’ll find a way to fulfill the request.”
Fast forward to present day. I’ve been slow to get book six of my series out on the street. So slow that my sales have slowed down to an absolute dribble. Hubs asks what I think sales will be for the new release. I say “good.” He makes a skeptical noise and I give him an eyebrow, and then he says, “Fine. If you sell 10,000 copies in the first month I will never doubt you again.” Y’all. Y’ALL. It is ON. I don’t need to be ‘right’ this time, I just need to win. And I know I can because of YOU. Retweet, reblog, call your mom, whatever you can do to HELP MAKE THIS HAPPEN. I believe in you. Do you believe in me?
Hello reader and writer friends! Summer of 2019 is upon us. (How? How is this possible?) And I’m hoping to kick my social media game into high gear between now and August 1, 2020. They say that public accountability is great reinforcement for achieving goals, so that makes you my accountability partner.
Thanks for checking in to see what I’m up to! Other than working and writing we spend our time trying to keep up with the dogs and settling into the house we moved to last year.
Next weekend it will be time to renew my annual cookie baking tradition (it’s been awhile). And that means it is time for some of Grace’s gingerbread! If you’ve not read A Common Christmas, this is the gingerbread that Grace Ashman succeeded in hiding from Whit Whitman so that he didn’t eat it all before it was served. If you like to bake for the season try Grace’s recipe:
Don’t forget that A Common Christmas is available in ebook, print, and audiobook!
Someone asked about Sam and Justin on the main page, so I posted a snippet in reply. After telling them the book would be #8 and we are only about to publish #6, so… But, I didn’t want any who is a big Sam and Justin fan to miss it, so posting on a primary post here, too.
February 1815
My dearest Justin,
Well, Jack has married her earl. Truly, you wouldn’t believe the effect he has had on her. For days she would drift around the house, staring off into the distance and scribbling in a little journal. I peeked in it once and it was lists of things like his properties and furnishings. Can you imagine! Then when I would say she was in love with him she would get so angry. Me thinks she doth protest too much!But the wedding this morning – Justin I’m so sorry that you missed it. Jack was simply lovely in a dark green velvet dress that the earl sent over last night. Jack didn’t want to wear it because, well, she’s Jack and when has she ever wanted to do anything that anyone told her to do? And the earl. Oh my, I’m not sure when I’ve seen a more handsome man. He has this roguish look about him. That’s good, I suppose. Jack always did like wild and dangerous things.
They have set off for Kent. Would you, could you, be so good as to take Jack her trunks? I’m sure she will be lonely and a bit at sea in some stuffy old estate. I do think that they will settle in after a time, but they haven’t known each other all that long and everything there will be his. It would mean a great deal to me if you would do that. The estate is known as Kellington.
The other thing to think on is that, having Jack nicely settled with a wealthy, titled man, my father may be quite a bit more lenient with who I will be allowed to marry. Further, prior to finding her earl, Jack had been making noises about becoming an old maid. She said that once she reached her majority that she would be able to take her investment funds, and perhaps her dowry if father would release it, and live on her own. Can one truly do that? If so, then when I reach my majority I would be able to marry whomever I like. Which I suppose means I should find out what age is my majority.
Please give my love to all in Derbyshire. Has Philomena had her foal yet? I imagine she is fatter than Baker Hudson.
Yours truly,
Samantha
March 1815
Dearest Samantha,
I’m glad that your letter indicates you are in good spirits. May I surmise that your parents are well? Certainly your mother is thrilled that Jack married an earl. Being the mother of a countess will raise her own standing when you all come home.Of course I will be pleased to deliver Jack’s trunks to her and will leave within a fortnight if the weather is promising.
Please don’t pin your hopes on your father allowing us to marry. You deserve better than a man who, at best, will become a stable master. Continue to attend balls and find a man that will be able to support you in the style you deserve. I only want you to be happy, Sam.
Philomena hasn’t foaled yet, but I suspect she will before I leave. And I will not advise Baker Hudson of your comparison since that would mean you would never have his cakes again. At least, not without me smuggling them to you.Tell your mother that as spring approaches I am already desperately missing her lemon biscuits. The only thing I’ve ever had to rival Baker Hudson’s cakes.
Yours truly,
Justin
p.s. In England a woman may own personal property once she reaches the age of twenty-one if she is unmarried. That is probably what Jack was looking forward to.
Y’all. Y’ALL! I’ve been waiting for today, because y’all are one of my favorite states. I mean, there are the obvious attractions of New Orleans, but I have fond memories of being all over the state. Summers in Grand Isle where my step-dad showed me where the wild ponies live. So much time in Slidell for shopping and eating out. Visits to Baton Rouge and Shreveport. And probably a ton of places in between that I don’t remember anymore. Strawberry festivals and Cajun music and catfish and alligators and jazz and beignets and – basically I could talk about you forever.
Most of the time I tell people that I used to work in New Orleans, but y’all know enough of the difference for me to tell you that it was Michoud. I’d roll my window down on the way in to work to enjoy the scent of the Folgers plant. Although at work we, of course, had coffee with chicory.
But hey, still, what shouldn’t I miss in Louisiana? I’m sure there are plenty of things. To my Louisianans, drop a comment with a tour or food suggestion for a chance to win a book!
When you grow up as horse-mad as I did, you are very aware of Kentucky. In my mind it was some sort of HORSE WONDERLAND. Thankfully I’ve had a few chances to visit the state, and not only do you love horses as much as I’d dreamed, you have a ton of other things I loved, too.
About ten years ago I had to spend a week every summer in Lexington (I know, such torture). It was the first place I ever tried shrimp and grits! There was famous bread pudding just down the street (I have FEELINGS about bread pudding, let me tell you that). There was a vibrant art and music scene. Every day we had the pleasure of walking around two different campuses (although Transylvania required a LOT of vampire jokes, of course).
What shouldn’t I miss in Kentucky? To my Kentuckians, drop a comment with a tour or food suggestion for a chance to win a book!
You’re not just a state for me, but a beloved band, the home of Dorothy, and a doorway to Oz. The state where my Uncle-in-law grew up, spoiling him for any corn that wasn’t hand picked and rushed immediately to boiling water.
And yes, I’ve visited you a few times. Mostly in Kansas City, though. And I am VERY AWARE that although it spans two states that y’all DO. NOT. PLAY. about the fact it is two different states.
What shouldn’t I miss in Kansas? To my Kansans, drop a comment with a tour or food suggestion for a chance to win a book!
Sue London, Author 