Happy Book Birthday to Tempered By Her @AuthorLynnBurke

Happy Book Birthday to Lynn Burke and 

Tempered by Her!

Tempered by Her

Risso Family #4

By: Lynn Burke

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Keywords: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance, BDSM, Light Bondage

Zane Risso, a Dominant unyielding in his desires, is haunted by the one woman he wants and can’t have, vanilla goodie-two-shoes Raquel Hawkins. He knows the only way to flush her from his system is to seduce her and move on, because surrendering the kink club addiction he enjoys is not a demand he’ll accept. From any woman.

Raquel Hawkins has never known temptation like the blue-eyed Italian god who seems fond of whispering naughty things in her ear during office hours. He’s bad news—sin personified—and although she continues to deny him, her body’s responses to his sensual words just might buy her a one-way ticket to hell.

From their first kiss, Zane’s determination to overcome her Pollyanna principles threatens his lifestyle. For Raquel, giving in to temptation would doubtless leave her heart a shredded mess—and unlock sordid secrets best left in the dark.

PURCHASE LINKS

Click on the image above more information on the Risso Family Series

~~~oOo~~~

Excerpt:

I found Raquel kneeling in the center of my bed, hands on her lap, head bowed, her high heels placed side by side on the floor at the bed’s foot. She hadn’t obeyed my first command, but fuck me, I didn’t give a shit.

I’d planned on taking her over my knee and reddening every inch of her ass and thighs, but seeing her in such a submissive pose in the middle of my bed had me drooling for a taste. “Take off your blouse.”

She started at my voice, but lifted shaking hands to do as told. With each button slipped free, my arousal returned, and the blue silk sliding off her bare shoulders and revealing a see-through white lace bra and puckered rosy nipples brought a groan to my lips.

“Lay back.” I strode forward as she straightened her legs and complied, the sounds of her quickened breaths heating my blood.

Fuckin’ Raquel Hawkins, sweet innocent, was on my bed, the darkness beneath her knee-length skirt sending my saliva glands into hyper-drive. I slipped leather ties around her wrists and tied her tight to my headboard. She chewed on her lower lip, chest rising and falling enough to make me think she might call out her safe word, but she kept silent.

I kicked off my shoes and climbed onto the bed, pushing up her pencil skirt with agonizing slowness over nylon-clad legs while settling on my haunches between them.

Thigh highs. I swallowed. Fuckin’A.

A sweep of my thumbs from inner to outer thighs, and she lifted her ass, allowing me to push the skirt to her waist. So much for my assumption about granny panties. White lace matching her bra and a scrap of silk hid her virgin curls from me. I leaned down, breathing in the sweet, musky scent of her arousal. “I’m going to taste you, Raquel.”

She gasped, her hands flexing in their restraints.

“You’re not allowed to come until I tell you to.”

“W-what?”

I reached up and pinched her nipple, earning another gasp, a groan of pleasure on its heels as she writhed on the bed. “The proper response would be, yes, Sir.”

She licked her lips again and whispered, “Yes, Sir.”

“Yes, Sir, what?”

“I won’t come until you tell me to.”

~~~oOo~~~

About Lynn Burke

Lynn Burke is a full time mother, voracious gardener, and scribbler of spicy romance stories. A country bumpkin turned Bay Stater, she enjoys her chowdah and Dunkin Donuts when not trying to escape the reality of city life.

Her current work, the Risso Familly Novellas, revolves around four siblings from Boston’s North End.

Find Lynn on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Amazon, and Goodreads.

~~~oOo~~~

GIVEAWAY!

All FOUR Risso Family novellas and a 

$10 Amazon Gift Card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Calling all Bad Boy lovers…

Happy Book Birthday to Bad Boys Wanted!

Bad Boys Wanted

An erotic romance anthology

Author:  Various

Publisher:  Roane Publishing

Release Date:  October 21, 2015

Keywords:  Erotic, Romance, BDSM, Bondage, Alpha Males, Domination / Submission, Sex Toys

Description:  When they’re bad, they’re oh so good. This collection of six steamy erotic tales featuring the best of the bad boys is sure to leave you wanting more.

Unrepentant  –  Lila Shaw

Lucky Lotto winner Amy Burns has had enough of family members begging for handouts. With her millions safely hidden from the general public’s knowledge by way of an anonymous trust fund, she’s moved west to find a new beginning. She’s also found Jazz, a taciturn employee at her gym she can’t seem to stay away from. Only problem? He’s an ex-convict. Can Amy trust the former thief with her heart, especially after her relentless step-brother discovers her whereabouts and threatens to expose her secret, or might an unrepentant bad boy be the real winning ticket?


Over the Edge  –  Stella Berkley

Nothing short of a lobotomy could make Roman King forget Sloane Holliwell—part angel, part devil, and all his. If only she wasn’t the love of his best friend’s life. Even though they’re broken up, Roman would never hurt his brother from another mother that way.

Sloane has been self-destructing since her darkest fantasy, Roman, cut her out of his life. When he finds her bruised at a bar, he saves her from yet another boyfriend disaster. But he still won’t claim her despite their obvious attraction.

Instead, he offers to teacher her how to be a submissive, so he can find her a master that will take care of her. Once he gets her in the playroom, though, he discovers Sloane is playing games of her own.


Death’s Angel  –  Kastil Eavenshade

Four years ago, Constantine lost the only woman he ever loved. Now the incubus is culling the responsible vampire brood’s food source. One by one he steals the souls of the blood sucker’s familiars to turn the human population against his enemy. Blinded by vengeance, he makes the one mistake that could cost him the retribution he seeks.

Half-werewolf, Indira is thrust into the hands of the vampires to maintain peace amongst the clans. Instead of being an ambassador, she becomes a prisoner and forgotten by her pack. When the vampires bring a mysterious man trussed into their dungeons, he stirs something inside long since buried. Sexy and beyond anything she’s dealt with, her beating heart yearns to sacrifice her soul for one taste of Constantine.

In the throes of revenge, can the light of one angel tame a beast bred in hell?


Finding Forever  –  Lynn Burke

Samantha likes to bang a guy’s headboard and take off long before he bangs up her heart. Temptation returns in the form of a Zeus-like, tattooed hunk, the man whose first kiss roused her teenage hormones. His arrival carries the promise for more, but Sam’s determination to enjoy a taste–or two–without risking her heart could cost her the chance at finding forever.


Temptations of the Cage  –  R. Brennan

While she’s never considered herself a submissive, Katrina Norton has always had a bit of a pain fetish, so when the opportunity to work at one of the city’s most popular BDSM clubs presents itself, she decides it’s the perfect way to indulge her darker desires and earn enough money to pay for the expensive medications her ailing grandmother requires.

But when she meets handsome club owner, Damien Michaels, Trina has to remind herself he’s a potential boss, and off limits. Certainly not someone she should be imagining kneeling before and begging for just a taste of what’s hiding beneath his expensive tailored suit.

If she could just get her traitorous body to stick to the plan.


Without Words by Lolly Tova

Ivy McPhee dreads attending her high school reunion, but she’s willing to brave her childhood tormentors to see the bad boy she sat beside everyday on the school bus. Though they never exchanged a word, a decade later, he still owns her heart, and she’s determined to find out if the connection she felt to him all those years ago was a shared experience.

Ollie Ashwood, lead singer of the successful indie band Infraction, is still every inch a trouble maker, but his days of partying and womanizing are over. He’s finally ready to claim the only girl he ever cared enough about not to sweet talk into his arms. Playing a set at his school reunion seems the perfect ploy to draw Ivy out and tell her she’s the woman of his dreams.

Any chance of the two alumni discovering the depths of their feelings for one another is shattered by a scheming ex-student. Only revelations about the past can get Ollie and Ivy back on the right track, but Ollie must first persuade Ivy to bear her bully’s teasing long enough to listen.

Purchase Links

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GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code.  No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing’s marketing department.

 

Happy Book Birthday – Resisting his Mate by @AuthorLynnBurke #badboys

Resisting His Mate

Part of the Bad Alpha Evernight Anthology

is now available!

Resisting His Mate

Bad Alpha Evernight Anthology

PNR / Shifters / Erotic

By Lynn Burke & Various Authors

Release Date: August 21, 2015

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Warrick Keaton eludes a forced pairing with one of his kind. No one is going to choose his mate for him, not when he wants nothing to do with being tied down to a woman. He never expects fate to intervene in the form of a freezing, barely alive female. With his independence in jeopardy, Warrick fights his inner hawk’s desire to stake a claim on her.

Clare Byron longs to escape her domineering ex-husband, a jealous bear shifter determined to keep her prisoner. She seizes the opportunity to run and lands in the arms of another alpha—exactly what she doesn’t want or need.

For Warrick, Clare is everything he’s ever wanted in a mate and all that he’s run from.

For Clare, Warrick is freedom in a way she never dreamed possible—the one man who will own her heart yet give her wings to fly.

Purchase Links:

Evernight Publishing
Amazon
ARe

~~~oOo~~~

Excerpt from Resisting His Mate:

No fucking way, Warrick grumbled to himself as his feathers retracted, and human skin once more covered his body.

A female, the one thing he had no interest in—the thing that he’d traveled across the country to escape. And she floated down the river, sporting a black and blue eye, appearing half-frozen and ready to take a short jaunt with the grim reaper.

Warrick ran his fingers through his shoulder-length hair, cursing his damn luck. Only back at his summer home for two days, finally getting time away from his demanding job with the CIA, and a battered female is tossed in his path?

Even worse, his inner bird had decided to bond with the woman and latched onto her soul like a motherfucker.

With a growl, Warrick sprinted toward the river. Naked and shoeless, he jumped over brush and fallen logs, focused on the female his animal half demanded he rescue.

He reached the shore. The log she’d clung to lay half-submerged far downriver.

Maybe he was too late, and she’d given in to the freezing water. “Couldn’t be that lucky,” he grumbled, taking off south.

Dragging marks showed where she’d pulled herself up and out of the river. Stepping on light feet, and ears straining, Warrick followed her trail to a dip in the land where leaves had piled. The wet tracks disappeared, and he squatted down, scanning the ground for sign of her.

A lock of dark hair caught his eye.

The female had buried herself beneath the leaves, but she didn’t stir.

Passed out or dead?

“Hopefully the latter,” Warrick mumbled, staring at the matted hair. He recalled the fear and anxiety that had shown through her eyes. Eyes the same damn color as his. “Fuck.”

Without another thought, he reached through the leaves and lifted her into his arms. Her head lolled back. A weak pulse beat in her neck. The stench of unwashed body and … bear wafted past his nose. Instant rage kicked his stomach. 

“Goddamn bears.”

Jaw clenched, Warrick clutched her freezing form close and cursed the lush curve of her ass beneath his hand. Fucking prick had a mind of its own and obviously didn’t give a shit about body odor or the fact she’d recently been with his northern enemies.

“I don’t have time for this shit,” he ground out between his teeth while starting toward home. He needed to unload the burden, and quick. His brother was better with women—he’d drop her at Heath’s and hightail it to his own place before the woman opened her eyes and swamped his soul with emotion again.

~~~oOo~~~

 

Connect with Lynn Burke:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Lila Gray News! #TheGlassMan

I’ve been a crazy busy little author this year so far. Two books finished, three more at the half way point, another queued up to write at the Muskoka Novel Marathon in July, edits coming up for Forever Dusk, and a few other “secret” projects on the go behind the scenes.

Thank hell for coffee!

Today, I can officially tell you about one of those projects, and yes, it involves my first published heroine, who is still dear to my heart, Lila Gray. I’ve missed her so much!

Those looking for the Glass Man in the coming weeks won’t find the book for sale. Now, don’t panic, it won’t be unavailable forever. Let’s call it under construction.

My terrific publisher has so kindly returned the publishing rights to me, and I’m madly editing, designing a new cover, writing a new blurb, creating marketing materials, and preparing to launch the 2nd edition on Amazon Kindle at a yet-to-be-determined date.

In the future, I’ll be doing the same to Shadowborn and Rise of the Magi. This is all in preparation for a fourth novel in the Lila Gray world I’m planning to write next year, only it won’t star Lila and Liam.

This book will star one of my favorite villain-turned heroes of all time, the one who inspired the entire series, none other than the Glass Man himself.

You heard it here, first, folks. Parthalan will have his very own book, set twenty years after the Lila series finishes. This time, he might just get the girl in the end, who will be none other than Lila & Liam’s daughter.

If you haven’t read Rise of the Magi yet, you may be asking how this can be, so I won’t spoil anything for you here. Go and read the book!

Stay tuned for more info, including the new cover that’s very nearly finished.

Happy Book Birthday to Secret Yearnings by @lollytova #giveaway

 

I’m thoroughly chuffed to be sharing in fabulous book birthday for my good friend Lolly. I’ve enjoyed her writing for several years now, and it’s about time everyone else did, too. Check out what this wonderful author has to say about her latest masterpiece. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom.

Consider stumbling upon your best friends making love, and from that moment onward being consumed by a frightening new attraction for them that drives you to distraction. That’s what happens to my heroine, Sasha Mooney, and during the course of the story she’s forced to decide whether she’s the third wheel or third lover.

While the story is packed with plenty of hot sex, there’s also romance. Secret Yearning pays homage to the friends to lovers troupe, but spices up this old chestnut with a menage relationship.

Psst…isn’t this cover awesome!!!!!

Blurb:

After Sasha Mooney’s latest doomed relationship fails, her best friends, Kate and Justin, drag her off for a long weekend in a remote cottage to celebrate her thirtieth birthday. Only, the new romance between Kate and Justin highlights Sasha’s loneliness—and jealousy—and she can’t help but crave the return of their cozy, platonic threesome.

Whichever way Sasha turns, she stumbles across Kate and Justin making love, and soon she’s consumed by a frightening desire for both of them that isolates her further.

When a morning alone with Kate leads to a romantic encounter, Sasha’s guilt and self-loathing spiral out of control. She’s crossed a line and quickly hurdles another when Justin walks in on her in the shower and sparks fly. With hopes of salvaging her friendships fading fast, Sasha’s options don’t look pretty. Either she risks Kate and Justin’s contempt by admitting her feelings for them both, or she respects their new relationship and walks out of their lives for good.

To celebrate release day, I have a fantastic competition for you.

Giveaway Information:

One (1) digital copy of Secret Yearning by Lolly Tova

One (1) bespoke pendent by Joanne Galbraith

Winner will be drawn on Tuesday 19th May 2015

To enter, click on the link below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lolly Tova writes contemporary and fantasy erotic romance.

Lolly is a West Country girl living in London, England, who regularly breaks the cardinal rules of city life by making eye contact with strangers and wishing passers-by a good morning.

By day, Lolly helps to shape the next generation of art masters. By night, she crafts her erotic flights of fancy, which are slightly kooky, a lot quirky, and a smidgen dark and disturbing when the wind blows in the right direction.

Social Media Links: Facebook | Twitter | Website/Blog | Goodreads

Cover Reveal – Ashes in the Sky

Most of you know by now that I have a serious lurve for covers. Today, I have a goodie for you. Check it out.

 Click the cover above to add it to your Goodreads TBR list

Blurb:

After inadvertently saving the world, eighteen-year-old Jessica Martinez is ready to put adventure behind her and settle back into the familiar routine of high school.

Though when she’s offered an opportunity to photograph the inside of an alien space ship, Jess jumps at the chance. After all, she’d be crazy to turn something like that down, right?

Spending time with David on the ship has definite advantages and the two seem to pick up right where they left off. But when Jess discovers a plot to sabotage David’s efforts to establish a new home for his people on another planet, neither David’s advanced tech nor Jess’s smarts will be able to save them.

ASHES IN THE SKY is an action-packed, romantic Sci Fi adventure that will leave readers screaming for more.

Check out http://jennifermeaton.com/ for more deets.

Meet the Author – Sheryl Winters #giveaway

Welcome back to Meet the Author. It’s been a while, I know, but I have a goodie for you today. Meet Sheryl Winters, author of Skydreamer. Welcome, Sheryl!

What’s your favorite paragraph from Skydreamer? No spoilers now, just a nice, slow tease if you please.

I dreamed of dragons again and in my dreams, I soared through the sky. It’s almost as if I could feel the wind caressing my skin, weaving around me as I fly on effortless wings.

This is my favorite paragraph and I will give a little teaser. Jaden is not the dragon but she is flying on the dragons back. A mere passenger enjoying the flight. This paragraph was in the original story and throughout all the edits and revisions it stayed. It tells so much about the story, so much about Jaden’s thought process at this point in the book.

Are there any other fantastic novels waiting to burst free from your imagination in the future?

I have so many novels trying to break out of my head I’m amazed I’m not in a mental hospital. I’m working on the sequel to Skydreamer called The Rogue’s daughter. It’s about an artistic protege that falls in love with Draven’s nephew Tholi Winterbourn. It is entirely from the dragon-changer point of view. I’m also working on a nice short historical romance. So you can see my interests are all over the board.

Tell us about your road to publication. Was it short and sweet?  Long and winding with many bumps?

The road to publication for Skydreamer was the bumpiest road you could ever imagine. The original idea came in 09. I wrote over a hundred thousand words before I realized I had the story completely wrong.

The spoiled princess became a troubled pauper, the arrogant King had to learn to bend. I re-wrote personalities etc. Even the story plot had to be reworked to fit my vision of the story. I can truly say I learned to write with this novel. More than one editor quit on me. It’s been my baby for so many years that I actually hesitated before I took the plunge and sent it in. 

How much of you is in your heroine?

I have to admit, I coldly designed Jaden, then one day I realized she was more than a cold blooded character in my mind. She was alive. She breathed in my subconscious. I could see her hazel eyes, (a trait she shares with me), her long red hair which she keeps in a tight braid. There are things she’s done that completely puzzled me. I would never jump out a window after a wedding ceremony, especially if I was getting married to someone as good looking as Draven Winterbourn.

I think that is what makes Jaden special. She didn’t expect to jump out that window either.

So yes in answer to your question. There is a lot of me in Jaden, but there is also a lot of her in me.

Do you have any phobias, like run-screaming-at-the-mere-mention-of-it, fears?

Cockroaches. I can handle spiders. I save them all the time, rescuing them out of the house and into the woods, placing them on trees so they can live out their short lifespans. Put me in the room with a cockroach and I can (and have) knocked over a bookcase and sprayed them with Oven cleaner to kill them.

Let’s have a look at the pretty, shall we?

Title:  Skydreamer

Author:  Sheryl Winters

Publisher:  Roane Publishing

Release Date:  March 30, 2015

Keywords:  New Adult, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Dragons, Twins

Blurb:

For fire talent, Jaden Zarie, life is far from a fairy tale. Blisters from any contact with water, check. Sleeping in a shed behind your greedy Uncle’s house, check. Ex-boyfriend scouting the bar where you work for one-night stands every night, double check.

When Jaden sets off to secure a new life with her two sisters, winning a contest with a huge pile of gold on the line seems like a quick fix. Getting hitched to Draven Winterbourne, King of the Dragon-changers, and finding true love, was beyond anything she could have hoped for.

But a friend turned enemy threatens to take it all away. Jaden is thrust into an alternate universe and separated from her new husband and her sisters, she must summon up the courage to start over, alone, knowing she may never see any of them again.

Purchase Links

Amazon
Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords
Bookstrand
All Romance eBooks
Kobo

Bio:

I never set out to be an author. Only a story teller. Some days I succeed better than others.

 

Ms. Winters Links:

Website: http://sherylwinters.weebly.com/

Blog:  http://sherylwinters.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheryl-Winters/684816784908158

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/WintersSheryl

Link for Skydreamer on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24891770-skydreamer

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Click below for a chance to win a paperback copy of Skydreamer & a $10 Amazon gift card:

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Get Wicked with Entangled #giveaway #nalit @entangledpub

Happy Halloween week! Welcome to two days full of wicked prizes and hauntingly delightful posts.

I’m giving away a signed copy of Midnight Dawn, (Mortal Machine #2), to one lucky commenter. My giveaway is international, and I’d love to hear from you, so drop me lots of comments for more chances to win.

I absolutely LOVED Halloween as a kid. The only sucky part was that I lived in the country where my nearest neighbor was a good twenty minute walk, so we had to be driven around.

Still, I slapped on my plastic costume with the creepy face mask and trooped back and forth from the car to each of the neighbor houses through the rain, and even snow some years, into houses that smelled like moth balls. All with a ridiculously wide grin on my face.

I’ve been accosted by geese, crabby dogs, roosters, and even the odd miserable old geezer who was a total Halloween scrooge. Nothing could ruin that night for me, though. There was nothing better than emptying out that pillow case to find homemade caramel corn balls, candy apples, chocolate fudge, and other homemade delights that this generation will probably never receive in their loot bags.

They are so missing out. Big time.

I’d love to hear your favorite Halloween memory, either as an adult or a kid. Please include a way to contact you, twitter/email/facebook, in case you are the winner of my prize. Contact info will not be used for any other reason.

Check out the linky to visit the other stops on this wicked blog tour:

Fall into Fantasy #giveaway #yalit #nalit

It’s that time of year again already, can you believe it! If you like to read, this is the giveaway event you won’t want to miss. Dozens of authors of adult, NA, and YA fiction have put together some badass prizes that will be up for grabs from October 17th to the 31st.

 

For a chance to win a signed paperback copy of the second book in my Mortal Machine trilogy, Midnight Dawn, along with loads of other YA/NA books, you can get your name in the hat by entering the YA/NA rafflecopter below.

If you like more mature content, there’s also an adult giveaway.

Hell, why not enter both?

The links are below, or you can click the logo above to see the form on the host site.

Adult

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YA/NA

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The three YA books that unleashed Iris St. Clair into the genre #louderthanwords #giveaway

I’m thrilled to welcome Iris St. Clair, author of the newly released YA Swoon Romance novel, Louder than Words. As part of her release tour, I asked her to explain her reason for getting into the YA genre. She gave me three, and they’re all awesome. Check it out.

Three Books You Can Blame For Unleashing Me on YA Readers

I didn’t plan on being an author of stories for young and new adult readers. I mostly wanted to write romance. But somewhere along the way, I started reading books for teens and college-aged characters and I fell in love myself. Yes, this crusty-year old fifty something still remembers her high school years, the angst, the drama, the wonder.

What books set me on this path? What stories and their authors got me thinking about writing for younger readers? Here are my top three:

1. The DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by Kody Keplinger
I first heard about this book on Absolute Write. I had joined the writing forum in early 2009 to learn more about the publishing industry and the craft of writing. I learned so much from other awesome authors who also posted there and made a point to buy their books. I remember Kody’s posts about finding her agent. I remember reading discussions about her cover. To be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed with the blurb. Had I not had that connection via Absolute Write, I can’t say I would have read Ms. Keplinger’s book. I’m glad I did, because I adored her non-cheerleader, anti-heroine. I related to a girl who was seeking escape and maybe a little revenge by taking on and besting a notorious, modern-day man-whore at his own game. I melted when Wesley crumbled at Bianca’s feet, when his ring tone played again and again on her phone … sigh … that’s a teen romance!

2. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
This one got my attention when it was cryptically tagged as pornographic by some religious leader. Huh? I still don’t understand the stupidity of that label, especially given that the story is about a girl recovering from rape! But I remember the call to arms in the writing community and the outrage I felt. I changed my avatar. I tweeted my thoughts about censorship. I read this book … and was left speechless by its power. Even pages strategically left blank shouted for my attention. To unleash that much power on a reader in so few words? Amazing.

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
You can’t help but like Stephanie Perkins. She’s whimsical and funny in her tweets and blog posts and so are her characters. I’m a sucker for a story about unrequited love for an unavailable boy. Place the story in Paris and I’m a goner. This book set the bar for creating deep and memorable male – female relationships that are platonic on the surface but infused with deep longing so palpable the reader is on the edge of her chair rooting for Anna and St. Clair. Notice the similarity in her character’s name and my last name? Not an accident or a coincidence but my nod to a favorite, inspirational book I wish I’d written. My other pen name was “borrowed” from Outlander. That’s the highest praise I can pay to an author whose work I admire.

There are other books, of course, like Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, Hopeless by Colleen Hoover, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen, and Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. And yes, I’ll even admit to enjoying Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Since my earliest toe-dippings, I’ve continued to add wonderful YA and NA authors and their books to my list of favorites, including the books of my illustrious hostess today, Ms. Jocelyn Adams, but the first three I mentioned will always be the ones you can blame the most for making me want to write YA books.

About Iris

Iris St. Clair is the pen name for a long-suffering cubicle worker by day, a Walter Mitty-like dreamer by night. (Her alter ego Tatiana Ivanadance also choreographs gravity-defying routines in those fantasies, but that’s another bio.)

No matter what genre she writes, she prefers witty, insecure heroines and kind, persistent heroes able to break through to the gooey heart inside.

In high school she was voted most likely to win at Monopoly and Clue, but least likely to throw a ball anywhere near a target. Thank goodness writing requires less hand-eye coordination, punctuation errors notwithstanding.

Iris believes in the two-year “fish or cut bait” dating rule and has a 20+ year marriage and two teenaged sons as proof of concept. She lives, writes, dreams and dances in the rainy Portland, OR area.

Connect with Iris:

Website and blog
Goodreads
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest

Iris’s first book, Louder Than Words, released September 16, 2014.

Disappointment has been on speed dial in Ellen Grayson’s life lately. Her dad died, her mom numbs the grief with drugs and alcohol, and her so-called friends have slowly abandoned her.

Trusting a popular teacher with her troubles should have been safe and should NOT have led to an unwelcome seduction attempt that made her desperate to escape the final moments of Junior year. Lesson learned. Best to keep all the sordid details to herself and trust no one.

Enter Rex Jacobi, a cocky boy, recently transplanted from New York City and fellow summer camp employee. Though his quick wit and confidence draws her in, she can’t let him get too close. And summer is just long enough and hot enough to keep a boy like that at arm’s length.

But by the time Rex’s charm wears down her resistance, it’s too late. He’s put Ellen on the “just friends” shelf and has shifted his romantic attentions to the impossibly annoying and perky anti-Ellen. Even worse, the teacher who tried to get her to sleep with him is still at it, preying on other girls while Ellen struggles to come to terms with what happened.

With her ability to trust as shaky as a chastity vow on prom night, Ellen must decide if she has enough remaining courage to speak up about the well-liked teacher and risk retribution, tell Rex how she really feels about him and risk heartbreak, or hold all her secrets inside. After all, it’s the only safe place she knows when the only thing louder than words is the fear of being rejected.

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