Wanna know what I’m doing to celebrate?
I’m hanging out with my family….
AND…
Giving this book away for FREE!
Help me celebrate my birthday and grab your copy!
Happy Birthday to Me & My Country!
Tag: romance
It’s My Birthday!
💥ON SALE for $.99 & FREE with KINDLE UNLIMITED💥
🎁HELP CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY🎂
💥THIS WEEKEND💥
📖GRAB YOUR COPY AND ENJOY!📖
One woman. Two bandmates. Will Kalina come between them, or is between them where she’s meant to be? If love is a song, what happens when the tune of your heart sounds more like a trio? Will outside forces generate discord and sharp notes, or can three unique souls blend to create the perfect harmony? You won’t want to miss a beat of this love ballad.
Praise from Author S. H. Timmins, “Kitt Crescendo has outdone herself with this witty, heartfelt, and smoldering story of three people who find love in the most unexpected way.”
Praise from Author Natasha Blackthorne: “A sizzling hot, fun, contemporary erotic romance that is filled with wit, banter, country music, poetry and love scenes that are emotionally and psychologically satisfying.”
Happy Valentine’s Day! #BookSale #KUFree
It’s been an incredibly busy week. I got back from Chicago on Monday where we celebrated my amazing nephew’s birthday…
Then it was back to my daily grind…aka the day job that limits my writing time. Hubby, being the sexy, awesome romantic that he is bought me chocolate truffles and chocolate covered strawberries. He know me well…
I don’t need grand gestures. He shows me his love every day with the little things he does to let me know he loves me, supports me, and he listens.
But then I thought about you guys… My awesome loyal readers and friends… You guys deserve some Valentine’s Day appreciation, too! So I made my new book HALF OFF!
💞💞💞GO GET YOUR COPY! 💞💞💞
Check Out my Sexy, Sassy #CoverReveal!
I’m so lucky as an author and a person. I am surrounded by amazing people who believe in me and encourage me to chase my dreams. One of them is the incredible woman who designed this book from Laura Jean Designs. She’s brilliant with cover design and a pretty stellar author as well.
Now check out her amazing art! Is this not absolutely beautiful?
Blurb:
Kalina Santos went to Nashville to lick her wounds and regroup. A random encounter with a stranger leads her to adventure and a new career opportunity.
Country star, Drew Kendall, was jaded and worried about losing his band. The last thing he expected was to be intrigued by a brown-eyed beauty with no idea who he was.
Drew never intended to hurt his bandmate, Ty. But carelessness has consequences and some things can’t be undone.
One woman. Two bandmates. Will Kalina come between them, or is between them where she’s meant to be? If love is a song, what happens when the tune of your heart sounds more like a trio? Will outside forces generate discord and sharp notes, or can three unique souls blend to create the perfect harmony? You won’t want to miss a beat of this love ballad.
What do you guys think? Is it not absolutely gorgeous? Are you following me on my other platforms yet? Come join the fun! All are welcome and I love getting to know fellow book lovers! This book will be available VERY SOON!
A Tale of Two Fathers
As we celebrate Fathers and all the Dads (both with us and who’ve left us way too soon, leaving a giant hole where they used to be), reflection is natural.
In real life, my bio-dad wasn’t much there for me, but my step-dad who came into my life when I was nearly out of the house has been there for pretty much every milestone and hard time I’ve come across, and I’m grateful.
It also got me thinking about the awesome new release by the awesome author S.H. Timmins. This is a New Adult coming of age book with an awesome cast of characters to fall in love with and villains to seriously hate. Why am I mentioning this book on Father’s Day?
Well, imagine you’re a youngster from the wrong side of the tracks and your grandmother passed away leaving you and your single mother pretty much homeless. Shortly after the funeral, a wealthy man pulls up, talks to your mom, and before you know it you’re living a new life in a new home on the right side of the tracks. Turns out the guy was her mom’s boss and he offered to “rescue” them if her mother would be his wife, become mother to his son (the same age as the young girl), and never look back at her past.
Doesn’t sound too horrible so far, right? I mean, he took the little girl, Jolene, in and put her in all the best schools. How very altruistic, right? But things aren’t all that they seem. Especially after her mother dies, leaving her alone and in this man’s care.
Of course, there’s another dad in this story. He was the man Jolene’s mom had been dating before her grandmother died. His son, Cruz, was Jolene’s best friend in the whole world, and they both adored her.
Turns out that Cruz’s dad and Jo’s mom had been high school sweethearts, they’d broken up and he married Cruz’s mother because she needed his help. She found herself dumped by her college boyfriend and pregnant with a family who kicked her out. He stepped up. Even knowing Cruz wasn’t his, he married the friend in need which cost him his chance with Jo’s mom.
And yet he never looked back. Until his wife passed away from a terrible accident and they reconnected through their kids. Sounds like a good man, too. Right?
And yet one is an amazing person and one is a monster. The type of villain you can’t forgive or forget with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. In Echoes of Us, Timmins wrote the characters so well that I felt actual hate for a fictional character. I cheered for goodness to win. Nearly died in anticipation of comeuppance and justice for the wronged. And the romance? Ooh la la! Yummy!
Curious? Don’t believe me? Check the book out. I dare ya! I guarantee you’ll love all the twists and turns and you’ll become a huge fan of hers. Just. Like. Me.
S.H. Timmins is Coming Out of the Shadows
Writing is an amazing thing. It can help to build all the most incredible relationships. A lot like reading can find you some amazing, like-minded friends, sharing a passion for creating stories can do the same thing.
It was actually through a Facebook book club where I met the intrepid S. H. Timmins, author extraordinaire. Heck, these days, we help admin the page together along with two other terrific book lovers.
So, of course, when I learned that her most recent book was coming out, I begged her for a chance to pimp it…and her…to my fabulous friends who follow my blog. And she agreed to honor me with an interview to introduce her to you guys.
Me: When did you start writing?
S.H.: I have always been writing short stories for my own pleasure, and finally took the leap into independent writing as a career path in 2015.
Me: When did you realize you wanted to pursue this passion professionally?
S. H.: When did you realize you wanted to pursue this passion professionally?
A: It was my mother who always encouraged me to pursue writing as a profession. I lacked the confidence in my ability, but she always saw the best in me. When she passed away in 2013, I channeled my pain into written words to help cope with the loss. After a year of purging my grief, I found the courage to write my first novel.
Me: I’m so sorry to hear about your mom, but I’m sure she would be so thrilled to know her encouragement made such a huge difference in helping give you the strength to pursue your dreams of becoming an author. Speaking of authors… What authors inspire you?
S. H.: So many authors have inspired my passion for books and reading. Most of my early years were spent reading paranormal and fantasy fiction. Later, I would discover a whole new world of independent authors that opened my eyes to incredible possibilities. Tara Sivec and Emma Chase were the two authors that inspired me to write my first book; a romantic comedy titled, Bent.
BTW, Bent is currently available for $.99, so go ahead and click that link! And her newest book, Lies in the Shadows, just released today! And she’s willing to share her thoughts on her characters with us. How cool is that?
Me: Tell me what characteristics you love most about your hero & heroine?
S. H.: All my heroines are independent and their own heroes. The heroine in my latest book is brave and resilient. She endures and doesn’t break. Qualities we all strive to nurture in ourselves. I’m not sure what characteristics I love about my hero, but I enjoyed how his character evolved with the story and showed personal growth in the end.
Me: What did you hate most?
S.H.: I hated having to keep the big twist a secret until the end of the book. It’s not easy keeping a secret.
Me: What was the most difficult part to write in this book?
S.H.: The most difficult parts of any book for me to write are the love scenes. It is hard to make them realistic, yet fantastical. There are only so many words you can use before it becomes redundant and the scenes lose their luster.
Me: What was your favorite part to write in this book?
S.H.: My favorite parts to write in this book were the interactions between the characters. I always enjoy watching them come to life on the pages and how they develop their own personalities.
Me: Wow! Talk about awesomeness. Thanks for stopping by and sharing! Now it’s time to pimp away, lady!
✫
¸.•´¸.•*´¨♡ ¸.•*¨
It’s Live! Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited! ✫
¸.•´¸.•*´¨♡ ¸.•*¨
♡ ¸.•´✶
Lies in the Shadows by S.H. Timmins
A Darkest Needs Novel – Book Three
There is a difference between
living and existing.
Sometimes you need to
walk with the nightmares
to find your way back
to the light.
He lied to me.
He lies to everyone,
including himself.
But I know a secret.
He may want to break me,
but he is healing us both.
This is my truth.
Amazon
• US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HCDJ261
• CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07HCDJ261
• UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HCDJ261
• AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07HCDJ261
And if you want to follow this awesome lady, she can be found on Facebook HERE. Or her Amazon author page HERE.
So please stop by, show Sandra some love…and share in her excitement by congratulating her on her new release!
Arrogance Breeds Contempt #cockygate #ByeFaleena
If there’s one thing in the world I hate, it’s bullies and mean people.
This is a big world. And it’s hard. There is NO reason or excuse for being nasty or hurtful.
Having said that, I just had to speak out when I saw all the crap going down in the romance world.
Imagine the arrogance it must take for a person to copyright an everyday word and claim it for “branding” purposes. Imagine said author using the apparent inability of her fans to distinguish her works over other authors because they use the same word in the title. Then imagine this same author choosing to go after other authors with the word in their titles and basically serving them with cease and desist orders and threatening litigation.
Seriously?
And if you are/were her fan, how are you not offended? I mean:
- She basically called you stupid.
- She’s saying you can’t read well enough to recognize her name.
- She doesn’t think you’re capable of returning a book once you realize you’ve downloaded the wrong one.
All this, and you’re still willing to be her little monsters running around giving other people 1 star reviews because they have that word in their title or they have books whose characters share names with some of hers? Or if they’ve used the same stock photos in their book covers?
Seriously?
Put on your big girl panties and grow the eff up. You want to be big in this business? Do it by writing amazing books people can’t put down! Do it with class and respect for your peers. Don’t try to shut everyone else down in the hopes that you’ll be the only one left standing, and therefore “succeeding” by default. That’s just crappy.
And if you haven’t heard about this or you don’t know the word? Let Kid Rock educate you….
Yup!
In her ideal world, no one else is allowed to use “Cocky.”
Whew! She must be relieved Kid hadn’t already beat her to it, huh?
And you know what breaks my heart? Some hard working, classy authors have already changed their titles thanks to her strong arm tactics. Even though they have every right to the word.
This is one of those times when readers and writers need to band together to show that this behavior of hers is unacceptable. That trying to undermine other people’s careers and livelihoods is not ok and has not gone unnoticed. That these lesser known authors have our support!
Here’s a LINK to a petition to cancel the Cocky trademark.
One blog, Ana’s Attic Book Blog has already found a bunch of authors that could use a little Love via book buys. Check out her post here on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fanasatticbookblog%2Fposts%2F975579679266933&width=500
And like her page while you’re at it.
If you want to better understand the situation and how utterly effed up it really is? Check out this very well done Article.
Biotch! You’ve gone too far.
You’re arrogant, not cocky.
Why?
Because, as Kid Rock says, “It ain’t braggin’, mother fucker, if you back it up.” And people who can back it up don’t need the down and dirty tricks that you pulled, chick.
Need proof? Here’s how talent backs it up.
That’s class.
What I feel for this stunt?
Contempt.
What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments. I’m randomly picking 5 people to give whichever Cocky book listed on Ana’s page that you’d like. Again, all you have to do is share your thoughts….whatever they may be.
Love Has Many Faces
Love isn’t limited to lovers. Lovers aren’t always in love. But everyone deserves to know someone loves them. Everyone deserves to be passionately desired at least once. And everyone deserves love bonded in friendship always.
For me, music is my favorite way to express love and/or passion.
Deana Carter does a great job of describing the unselfish love necessary to a lasting long termed relationship. The BDSM photo montage to depict it in this video? Sooo apropos.
And then there’s this one. Don’t mock; yes, it’s from Glee, but it’s an awesome sone of love, friendship, acceptance, and inclusion. And really, couldn’t we all use some of that these days?
And then there’s just that body and soul love and acceptance. John Legend sings it well here.
And Thomas Rhett, of course, does a pretty great job of showcasing what happy endings could look like.
What songs speak your love language & why?
Make It Memorable; Love’s Many Faces
Valentine’s Day. The day for lovers, right? Romance, flowers, whatnot…
Yeah, maybe.
But that’s not my most memorable Valentine’s Day.
Don’t get me wrong, there were elements of those things in that day, but that’s not the BIG MOMENT.
My day?
It was supposed to be my day off, but I had to finish making a schedule (and hubby was working anyway) so I stopped in to work for a few hours. I didn’t stay long; was out by noon. No sooner had I left that my office was calling again. Turned out Edible Arrangements had been there and delivered a gift from my guy.
GREAT start to my Day, right? I headed home to start cooking hubby his favorite Filipino dishes…chicken adobo (adobong manok), fried rice, and broccoli.
Hubby walked in to a great smelling house and a hot, tasty meal… There were probably gifts, but I can’t remember now. What I do remember is that he loved the meal, that I went to bed early as I had an early work day & a 14 hour shift the next day….
Right about now you’re scratching your head and wondering what is so memorable, right?
Well, I hadn’t gotten there yet.
Sometime after 11 pm, hubby came in and woke me up. Said he was having pretty severe abdominal pain and wanted to make sure I was ok. Apparently, he was worried it might have been food poisoning except I’d been sleeping like a baby. So then he narrowed the pain to his lower right side.
Googling his symptoms, I realized it could be his appendix. He was scared, but also worried about me and work. So I talked him into going to the ER alone, making him promise to call me if it turned out to be anything serious. At about 1:30 am, I got the call. He sounded a little terrified.
Him: Lovey, they told me I have a necrotic appendix.
Me: Oh no!
Him: Can you come here? They told me I need surgery. I tried to ask if they could write me a prescription to slow it down in the meantime so I could call a doctor and schedule it.
Me: (choking back a chuckle) Yeah. Pretty sure that’s not gonna happen.
Him: Nope, but it was worth a shot. They told me they didn’t think I understood. The ambulance is on the way now to take me to surgery. Can you come, please?
Me: I’m on my way.
Him: I can’t believe you poisoned me for Valentines Day.
Me: I did not. And stop saying that or there may be people who believe you or at least start to wonder. I’m on my way.
And that’s how I found myself in the emergency room on the 15th, calling out from my job, calling friends to walk my dogs during the day, and headed for the hospital to be with my husband.
So, yeah, my most Memorable Moment had everything to do with the ‘For Better or Worse, In Sickness and in Health’ part of our vows. Those moments mean more than any random superficial stereotypes. And that he hadn’t lost his sense of humor, even through his fear and pain? That just shows I married a badass.
So tell me about your most memorable Valentine’s Day. Did it embody any part of the wedding vow? Or are you an non-believer, feeling this only lines Hallmark’s pockets with gold?
Mixing Family and Business @BSommerland Style
Work can get pretty complicated and time consuming. For many it’s a source of frustration and despair. Why else would there be so many crazy TGIF memes and gifs? Why do people usually need to cut loose and party so intensely on Friday nights? To escape, of course.
But what if you couldn’t escape because you’re not only siblings, but you worked together? Then imagine you rarely saw eye-to-eye. What if he was a bit self absorbed, often angry, and used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted…including sex? It makes for a pretty challenging sounding life, right?
And if I told you this was a book? You’d probably be relieved, right? Because all this shit is happening to someone else? Well, that someone else is the sexy as hell Alder Trousseau. And that family business? A metal band where he’s the sexy pretty boy guitar player and his older brother is the lead singer. So that Friday escape? Rarely happens for him because they’re pretty much trapped on a tour bus or in hotels together. That’s challenging enough under the best of circumstances, and these aren’t them.
Why? Because they’ve already lost their oldest brother to the family business and rough living. Because the roadie that Alder is a bit in love with, Jesse, has history with big brother, Brave. And because the sexy new dancer, a former child actress named Danica, has suddenly piqued his interest just as it looks like he may have his shot with Jesse.
Oh, and did I mention the death threats he’s been getting? Yes, Alder has a lot going on. Will he get his man? Win the girl? Die trying? Or will he somehow find happiness against nearly insurmountable odds?
Now if you’ve ever read a Bianca Sommerland book, you know she’s a badass that has a way of heating up the pages of the books she writes whether we’re talking hockey romance, gay military, or dark BDSM styled stories. She weaves stories seamlessly and fearlessly with a sexual freedom that tittilates and leaves you begging for more…and Backlash, the first book in her Winter’s Wrath series is no different. And, right now, it’s FREE! If you have not checked her out yet, how’s your chance! I promise you won’t regret it!
I’ve been a fan of Bianca Sommerland ever since I discovered her Dartmouth Cobra hockey series. I loved the raw sensuality in her writing. I dug that her books often encompassed ménage or more relationships, however her characters directed her to go. She’s the kind of writer who looks at boundaries and rules, flips them the bird, and does what she feels is right.
Several years back, when she was just getting established, we were both at An author/reader event called Authors After Dark in Savannah and I just missed her. But I got my shot again at the Shameless Book Con back in 2016. And she was just as great in person as she was online. She colors outside the lines, boldly writes her passions, and does it with style. She is definitely someone worth reading AND stalking on social media.
Have you read any of Bianca’s books? Curious? Did I pique your curiosity? Who are your favorite rock star authors? You know me… Kitt’s always Curious. 😉
theinnerwildkat 