Authors Helping Harry

"Britain's Kindest Kid," Harry Moseley, was more than a nice kid with a big heart; he was a real life hero.

A  hero with an inoperable brain tumor who raised over £500,000.00 for Cancer Research UK. Sadly, he lost his battle with cancer at the young age of 11 years old.

Continuing Harry's quest for research funds, are an amazing group of 19 romance writers, along with a wonderful cover artist/graphic designer, who have come together to support Harry's charity, Cancer Research UK, in his memory.

"Author Moments" is a collection of essays written by these talented writers. *As a bonus, each author has included an excerpt from one of their current, or upcoming, releases.

Click Here to Help

From the New York Times bestselling lists to the writer who is just beginning their quest, you will find this anthology filled with generous writing advice and anecdotes.

It won’t matter where you are on your road to publication or even in your life journey, Author Moments will fill you with love, laughter and a renewed hope that all things are possible when you care enough to come together and make a difference.  Like real life hero, Harry Moseley.

The Authors Helping Harry invite you to pitch in and help find a cure simply by purchasing a copy of this wonderful anthology.  

The heartbreaking news came down the wire on October 8, 2011. I was in no way or form prepared to hear that Harry Moseley had lost his battle with cancer. This brave and selfless little boy did more good and accomplished more in his short life than most of us could ever dream of.

It’s sad that sometimes it takes a tragedy to make us step back and take a look at what’s really important. That night, I spent more time with my daughter and made sure I told her that I loved her. I reflected on the things I take for granted. Namely, that tomorrow is never promised. Life offers no guarantees on time.

Take a moment to make sure the people who are important to you know how you feel about them. Tell them you love them. Say you’re sorry if you’ve hurt someone. Forgive that transgression that you’re still holding a grudge for. Life is really too short to harbor ill feelings.

We can all learn from this child who was so pure of heart and intentions. Be kind. Be compassionate. Be a little more like Harry and this world will be a much better place.

Today, I dry my tears and put a smile on my face. I am grateful to be part of this project and to help keep Harry’s dream for a cure alive. I hope you’ll help, too. Godspeed, Harry.

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” ~ Dr. Seuss

Writing is...

So, my friend wrote a blog post entitled, “Writing is…” She tagged me, which means I have to write a post on the same topic. It’s kind of like a chain letter. *Note to self: Slap @WookiesGirl next time you see her* Just kidding. I’m glad she did because my blog is woefully neglected. Here it goes…

Writing is…in my blood. Today, for the first time, it dawned on me where my love of writing came from. My mother kept journals religiously and wrote about everything. Did she ever write a book? No. But she penned the story of her life. I inherited boxes full of her journals after she passed away. Someday, when I’m ready, I will read her stories and get to know her all over again.

Writing is…who I am. I write when I’m happy, when I’m sad, when I’m angry and when I need to get something off my chest. I write to remember and I write to forget.

Writing is…my self help for what might be termed as schizophrenia by a professional. I’ve heard the voices in my head for as long as I can remember. These people, these characters, talk to me and tell me their stories. They tell me of their broken hearts, broken spirits and broken lives. They tell me of their joys, their loves and their accomplishments. I’m a literary medium of sorts for these lost fictional souls. They tell me what they need to move on and I help them by writing their tales; releasing them from the captivity of my brain.

Writing is…my salvation and my damnation, my pleasure and my pain, my fantasy and my fear, my dream and my nightmare, my best friend and my worst enemy, my love and my abhor, my shelter and my escape, my lust and my disgust.

In short, writing is…me.

Time to tag the next batch of writers I hope will participate!

@AvaRileyRomance

@MonicaKaye

@Peterkoevari

@CactusJacktus

@GPWriter

Until next time…

Melissa

Saying Goodbye...

I know that this is a far departure from what I generally post on my blog, but I needed to write this.

It feels like yesterday that we brought home our Neapolitan Mastiff puppy. He was the goofiest, most lovable, uncoordinated dog. I can’t tell you how many times he knocked me over because he’d run and not be able to stop himself before barreling into the back of my knees. A couple of months ago, he was so excited to see me that he head butted me in the mouth and busted my lip.

His clumsiness was endearing and no one could stay mad at him. I once threatened to turn him into a dog skin rug after he turned my couch into a chew toy, literally. I remember the other dog sitting far away from him as if to say, “I had nothing to do with the destruction of that couch,” while Sirus proudly sat on the heap of foam he had torn to shreds.

At times, he was a 150 pound pain in the ass but mostly he was just adorable and loving, a true gentle giant. He was a good watch dog and loyal companion. He wanted nothing more than to be with his people. So, when I went outside to feed him a month ago and he didn’t get up to greet me, I knew something was terribly wrong.

I loaded this moose into the backseat of my Nissan and drove him to the vet. His fever was high and chest x-rays revealed pneumonia. We put him on antibiotics and hoped for a quick recovery. Over the next week, his condition worsened and he stopped urinating. After several more trips to the vet and a host of tests, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. I was stopped in my tracks by the word, “untreatable.”

However, it was possible to treat the symptoms and buy some time. He was prescribed a medication that could possibly shrink the cancer enough to allow him to urinate. We tried this for three weeks during which he seemed to feel better but still wasn’t urinating regularly.

This past weekend he took a turn for the worse. Saturday night, his fever spiked and he became particularly needy. He wanted to be close to me. I sat with him for hours that night, petting him and talking to him, reassuring him, or more like reassuring myself.

The next morning, he wasn’t able to get up and his body wouldn’t stop shaking. I phoned the vet who advised it would be best if we put him down and that he would be on his way over. To say I was devastated would be a gross understatement. I knew we were putting off the inevitable with the medication but I wasn’t ready to let him go. As selfish as it sounds, I wanted just a little more time.

This was one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever had to make but we loved him too much to let him suffer. He was surrounded by the people he loved and who loved him when the vet administered the shot that put him to sleep. We buried him in the northwest corner of our property.

As much as this hurts, I have no regrets. We had eight wonderful years of love and devotion. When spring comes, I’m going to plant flowers over his grave. Vibrant, colorful flowers to remind us of all the brightness he brought into our lives.

Godspeed, boy! You were, and still are, loved and will be missed beyond measure.

SIRUS

10/21/02 – 02/06/11

And the Winners Are...

I want to say thank you to everyone who supported me on the Blog Tour de Force! I enjoyed reading all the fun comments and blog-hopping with my fellow authors! My sponsors were awesome! Please take a moment to look at their pages and show them some love. Their websites can be found by clicking on their badges on my sidebar.

Now...drum roll, please...

The winner of a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a digital copy of Pull the Trigger is...

Cindy

And the next winner of a digital copy of Pull the Trigger is...

Denise

Ladies, please check your email this afternoon for your prizes!

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

Get Loaded - Blog Tour de Force

Welcome to the Get Loaded Blog Tour! Yesterday, you were treated to a fantastic post by Kait Nolan. If you need another look, click here! I had the pleasure of reading Forsaken by Shadow and WOW…just WOW! If you enjoy fast paced, urban fantasy that keeps you on the edge of your seat, you MUST check out her book and begin a love affair with Cade (Gage) and Embry! You'll be so glad you did!

I’ve been reeling the last couple of weeks with the release of my erotic series, Seduction in Memory Grove. Creating this trilogy has been a labor of love (and hot sex) and it’s still surreal that I’m actually up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Seeing my name mentioned amongst the likes of Lorelei James and Lauren Dane is amazing!

Now that the dust has begun to settle, I’ve looked over some of the questions that have come up about Seduction in Memory Grove. So, I thought I’d do a Q&A post. Here goes…

Q: How did you come up with the idea for Seduction in Memory Grove?

A: This is interesting and a little bit funny. Before I wrote Pull the Trigger, I had never even read an erotic book. I was perusing some publisher websites and came across one that was looking for a very specific type of erotica that involved cowboys. So, I picked up a couple of erotic books for research purposes, of course, and I thought, “Yeah, I can do this.”

Initially, Pull the Trigger was going to be a ménage with Rebecca, Justin and Luke. The librarian, the cop and the cowboy (how hot does that sound?). But, somewhere along the way, the relationship between Justin and Rebecca didn’t allow for a third and Luke was ousted. I really loved Luke’s character though, so I was compelled to write Mount Up to tell his story. In getting to know Luke, we meet his little brother, Cade, who becomes the hero for Feed the Fire.

Q: What about writing erotica intrigues you?

A: I think I’m drawn to this particular genre because I enjoy exploring all the depths of my characters’ relationships and sex and passion are so paramount to the human condition.

Q: Which character most resembles you?

A: I would have to say Rebecca Harper in Pull the Trigger. She’s a book nerd, like me, and she suffers from the same insecurities I think a lot of women do relative to self image. Luckily, she finds a great guy in Justin Cain who helps her to believe in herself.

Q: What was inspiration for creating the city of Memory Grove for your novels?

A: I really wanted a small town atmosphere with a closer knit community. I felt like this environment would work well with my characters’ conflicts and I just love sleepy, small towns with wide open spaces!

Q: How did you choose your book titles?

A: My book titles for this series were crafted around the careers of the heroes. In Pull the Trigger, the hero is a police officer. In Mount Up, we have the rodeo cowboy and Feed the Fire features a hot fireman.

Q: How did you come up with your characters?

A: The heroines in my stories tend to have some traits from people I know or have read about. My heroes develop strictly out of my imagination which explains their undeniable hotness!

Q: Will there be more of Seduction in Memory Grove?

A: I only contracted three novellas for Seduction in Memory Grove but I’m not opposed to telling the stories of other characters who reside there. I really love this series and I’m not entirely ready to put it bed. We’ll have to wait and see!

Don’t forget to check out Susan Schreyer’s blog tomorrow on the last day of our tour! If you enjoy cozy mysteries and horses, you cannot miss her book, Death by a Dark Horse where you will meet the lovable Thea Campbell who takes us along on her journey to clear herself in a murder investigation! This was a fun read and has something for everyone!

I want to say a big thank you to my Blog Tour de Force sponsors! Please take a moment to check them all out along the sidebar and be sure to visit their sites for scavenger hunt clues! You are all awesome and I appreciate your support!

Lastly, leave me a comment below telling me who your favorite author is and why and I’ll enter you in a drawing to win a copy of Pull the Trigger! Don't forget to leave your name and email address below your comment!

Deep in the Heat of Texas Anthology - Snippet of Taken in Texas

Coming February 14, 2011

He wanted to kiss her again and felt a twinge in his cock. The blood drained from his limbs and made him stiff.

She looked half scared when he lowered his mouth to hers and he watched her eyes close. Damn, she was beautiful. He switched their positions and backed her up to the tiled wall. “Wrap your legs around me, Payton.”

“But, we just...”

“I want you more than I can put into words, sweetheart.”

She looked down between his legs and her eyes widened and her lips curved into a smile. “My, aren’t you the virile one?”

He chuckled and hitched her legs up, holding them around his hips. His cock found her slit and pushed against it. He resisted plunging into her and slipped a hand down to massage her clit. He wanted her slick and wet and ready.

Her body tensed and he continued to touch her, slipping two fingers inside her pussy. In a matter of minutes, she was dripping and whimpering his name, her eyes closed and her mouth open.

His cock twitched with anticipation and he pushed the head into her snug hole.

She gasped and bit down on her lip. “Oh, God, Drake.” Her fingers dug into his shoulders, nails scraping against his flesh.

He pushed more, using her legs to go deeper until he was completely inside her. He didn’t move, just stayed there, deep, feeling his balls tight against her ass. “I love the feel of you wrapped around my cock.”

Blonde tendrils of her hair stuck to her face and shoulders and when she opened her eyes and looked into his, he sensed she was looking directly into his soul. She looked like an angel.

“Don’t tease me,” she whispered. “I want you to fuck me.”

Her words set him on fire and he wasn’t about to disappoint her. He pulled out and plunged in again, hard and deep.

She cried out and held onto him tighter, her mouth open slightly.

He hadn’t wanted someone this bad in a long spell. He felt his orgasm building already but he wanted her to come first. He took her hand and brought it down between her legs and used her own fingers to touch her hard little clit.

Her eyes flew open and her breathing increased. He was moving inside her slower while, together, they coaxed her climax to the surface. She blinked her eyes fast and quiet whimpers escaped her lips. Her pussy contracted and squeezed his shaft.

He slid her fingers faster over her throbbing nub. Her legs locked on his waist and he moved his hands to her thighs again. Unwrapping her legs from his body, he pinned her open against the wall and slammed into her hard. Her fingers continued to move between her folds and her eyes rolled back.

“Come for me, Payton!” he growled into her ear.