Look at Charlene Blogs go! I’m starting May off with a bang in the
Spring Fling Giveaway Blog Hop. It will
run through May 7th, and nearly 200 bloggers have signed up to offer
you some fantastic prizes.
They
outlive the mortals of this realm by thousands of years, and when it comes to
love the cruel fact is reinforced. Reincarnation doesn't exist on this plane.
They lose their wives to death with no hope of reuniting. Yet they continue to
accept others for whatever time they have together. Save for Cole. His love for
his last wife still burns in his soul four centuries after her death.
When the
service they render to the noblemen of Cornerstone Deep brings him face to face
with Anna, something unexpected happens. In a realm of silent souls, hers
calls to him. He responds with a kiss—one that joined with the spell of
servitude she inhaled, binds her soul.
Breaking
ancient covenants, angering the lords, and bringing the gods' wrath upon him,
Cole tries desperately to undo his wrong and free his love—despite the
determination of the nobleman to keep her.
~ * ~
"My life is a mirage of endless
time. But you in this moment engulf me, rivet my mind, encompass my soul."
I’ve set this contest up with Rafflecopter, so you’ll
have several ways to gain extra entries.
The winner will be chosen using Random.com. I’ll contact the winner via email and his/her
name will be posted on the Rafflecopter on May 8th.
Those who follow me and the Chronicles of Shilo
Manor, have to know what Z will stand for today. That’s right. Z is for Zephyr. The sweet Breath of
Zephyr that all those from the gifted central plane, Meridian, possess. It’s a scent unique to each individual.Though all the men share the scent of
licorice, and the women, almond, each have their own that they’re
able to call on when they are with the one they love.
Cole’s Zephyr is licorice and cream. James’s is licorice and cinnamon, Vincent’s
is licorice and honey, and...should we
mention Lord Dressen? There does seem to
be a bit of confusion with the fact that licorice and vanilla keeps coming
up in regards to him. Hmm.
For this post, I’m going to share an excerpt from Cornerstone
Deep that I don’t usually post.
It’s during a particularly critical time in the story. Cole is at a loss, frazzled, and clinging
to any hope he can. I hope you enjoy it.
~ * ~
Cole eased himself onto the bed. “Don’t give up, Anna.” The silence of the room swallowed his words. “I’ll fix this and see to it nothing ever
happens to you again.”
Brushing his fingertips over her hair, he solemnly
whispered a plea. “Don’t leave me.” Her soft locks sent countless memories rushing
through his mind: Her smile, her cheeky
comments, her blue eyes dancing as if life itself was a game. The Arylinite spirit in her embraced every
moment of love, able to see beneath façades that others deemed as truth. He sighed, knowing that side of her may have
been unique to that lifetime—a result of her specialized upbringing in the
northern territory’s Arylin colony.
He tilted his head and gazed over her still face. Her features were remarkably similar to Mianna’s.
The gentle slope of her nose, the way
she chose to wear her dark hair long, and he couldn’t deny her blue eyes when
she’d looked at him.
He cupped her cheek with his hand, gently stroking
her lips with his thumb. They curved
from a bow-tie center into a natural smile. So soft, inviting. He leaned to her and lightly kissed them then leaned
his cheek to hers.
“Talk to me, Anna.” His breath was a plea. As much as he knew no answer would come, his
heart called to her with his deepest wish.
He brushed his fingers down her neck to her chest,
tenderly caressing her pale skin at her gown’s neckline. A strained pause caught his throat as he
lightly followed her breast to her ribcage.
“What’s in your heart?” The tiny circles he drew on the thin fabric
fed his longing for her touch. Supple
creases followed his motion. To have her
arms around him, the love they brought, had given him unmitigated comfort in a
past life. It could be so again.
“My life was yours.” He kissed the circles he created. “Every moment, I found joy in you.” He looked up to her closed eyes. They were still, cold. “Please, don’t leave me. Please promise you’ll be mine again.”
No emotion showed upon the visage of his love, but
distant echoes of vows lighted his soul. “Open to
me.” He wondered if his whispered
thought could possibly reach her unconscious mind. “Speak
to me with your soul.”
Her lips parted and a chill flew through him. He waited, listened intently. Weak sensations touched his emotions.
“Anna,” he said aloud, hope rising. He cupped his palm to her cheek again. “Fight for it. Call to me. We can’t end like this.”
Anna remained silent.
Cole’s heart ached. Yet, that small reaction spurred his resolve. He framed her face as he lowered to take her
lips with his. “I’ll help you.”
With final hope, he called upon the breath of
Zephyr. The scent of licorice and cream
fell from his lips with the entreaty. His
soul’s voice owned his words. “My life
is a mirage of endless time. But you in
this moment, engulf me, rivet my mind, encompass my soul.”
She inhaled his sensual gift and gasped for deeper
intake. Yes. Hope impossibly filled
him. His muscles tightened with
expectation. His heart pounded against
his chest. “Call to me!”
~ * ~
Visit the other A-Z blogs! You can find the entire list of participating blogs by clicking HEREor you can click on the A to Z images to go to the official A to Z blog site.
And now...
I’m running a contest through the A-Z blog hop!
~ Giveaway ~
I have 14 fantastic books, all by talented authors.Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Erotic Romance, and Contemporary are among the genres that can be won. I created a special page to display them. You can check them out here:
You can enter by using the Rafflecopter below. The form not only allows you to enter the drawing, it gives you several ways to earn more than one entry. Enter each day if you wish.
All entrants must be 18 years or older.
Three winners will be chosen at random, using Random.com.
First place will receive 6 titles
Second and Third places receive 4 titles
**Note** Some of the books contain graphic adult situations. If you do NOT want to receive Erotic Romance books, please note so with your entry.
Once the winners are chosen, I will notify them and contact the respective authors. Your email will only be shared with the authors to allow them to send you your prize. Each author generously provided their work for you to enjoy. I do not own these books.
On that note, I'd like to thank each of the authors that donated titles for this contest. Without you, I couldn't have offered such a wonderful giveaway!
Until next time, may your dreams be magical. Charlene
Almost to the end of the April A-Z Blogging
Challenge and only a few days to the announcement of the winners of the
Charlene Blogs big Giveaway! I’ve
presented every book in the giveaway this month through the topics of the challenge. If you’ve missed them, hop back through the
previous posts. I was sneaky with some
of the post titles so that I could include all 14. *wink*
Here they are again so you can check them out, book
title, author, and post):
Visit the other A-Z blogs! You can find the entire list of participating blogs by clicking HEREor you can click on the A to Z images to go to the official A to Z blog site.
And now...
I’m running a contest through the A-Z blog hop!
~ Giveaway ~
I have 14 fantastic books, all by talented authors.Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Erotic Romance, and Contemporary are among the genres that can be won. I created a special page to display them. You can check them out here:
You can enter by using the Rafflecopter below. The form not only allows you to enter the drawing, it gives you several ways to earn more than one entry. Enter each day if you wish.
All entrants must be 18 years or older.
Three winners will be chosen at random, using Random.com.
First place will receive 6 titles
Second and Third places receive 4 titles
**Note** Some of the books contain graphic adult situations. If you do NOT want to receive Erotic Romance books, please note so with your entry.
Once the winners are chosen, I will notify them and contact the respective authors. Your email will only be shared with the authors to allow them to send you your prize. Each author generously provided their work for you to enjoy. I do not own these books.
On that note, I'd like to thank each of the authors that donated titles for this contest. Without you, I couldn't have offered such a wonderful giveaway!
Until next time, may your dreams be magical. Charlene
Okay, this is a new one for me. I admit I hit the dictionary to find something for this letter so I didn’t have to resort to something like Xerox or ancient numbers for today’s date—which is XXVII, by the way.
Here’s what it means:
xeno-a combining form meaning “alien,” “strange,” “guest,” used in formation of compound words: xenogamy, xenolith.
Also, especially before a vowel, xen-
Origin: combining form of Greek xénos stranger, guest (noun); alien, foreign, strange (adj.)
Get why I decided on this word out of the string of other X words out there? That’s right. The main characters of my Cornerstone Deep books.
Cole, James, and Vincent are Sentinels from a foreign realm, Meridian, serving in Cornerstone Deep. They were accepted there by the noblemen through a covenant made between them and the gods of Terra at the reallotment of time. The general public only know them as Founders. Which is what they are—their father founded Shilo City when the portal to the realms was open. But, they’re so much more.
Being from Meridian, they have certain abilities that those of Terra don’t. They can manipulate the elements, speak telepathically, levitate, and have a broader understanding of what the gods of the planes have in mind for their children.
In their statement that I have posted on the series site, ShiloManor.com, they say:
"We are of another plane. As strangers to your realm, we guard our knowledge firmly. Only by ancient covenant do few know our true natures. We walk this world among you, beside you, loving you." The wizards of Shilo Manor
And they do. They love deeply. A soul mate is the most prized gift they could hope for. But, something happens while they’re there that catapults them into a series of events that came to be the Chronicles of Shilo Manor.
So, would my Shilo men fall into the xeno-men category? Lol. (Maybe I’ll make it a category). At any rate, I hope you enjoy them.
By the way, Cornerstone Deep Echoes is one of the books you could win in my April A-Z Challenge giveaway. (If you haven't had a chance you read Cornerstone Deep, you can choose to receive it instead *wink*).
~ * ~
Visit the other A-Z blogs! You can find the entire list of participating blogs by clicking HEREor you can click on the A to Z images to go to the official A to Z blog site.
And now...
I’m running a contest through the A-Z blog hop!
~ Giveaway ~
I have 14 fantastic books, all by talented authors.Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Erotic Romance, and Contemporary are among the genres that can be won. I created a special page to display them. You can check them out here:
You can enter by using the Rafflecopter below. The form not only allows you to enter the drawing, it gives you several ways to earn more than one entry. Enter each day if you wish.
All entrants must be 18 years or older.
Three winners will be chosen at random, using Random.com.
First place will receive 6 titles
Second and Third places receive 4 titles
**Note** Some of the books contain graphic adult situations. If you do NOT want to receive Erotic Romance books, please note so with your entry.
Once the winners are chosen, I will notify them and contact the respective authors. Your email will only be shared with the authors to allow them to send you your prize. Each author generously provided their work for you to enjoy. I do not own these books.
On that note, I'd like to thank each of the authors that donated titles for this contest. Without you, I couldn't have offered such a wonderful giveaway!
Until next time, may your dreams be magical. Charlene
The Season has only just begun, but already Ambrose
Benson Earl of Hawthorne is bored. That
is, until his brother offers him a challenge. Something worthy of his particular talents.
The object: The girl hiding behind the
potted plants: the one in the horrible
dress.
The Goal: Turn her into the envy of the
ton. A lady suitable for a duke.
But there is just something about the lady. In spite of all her social misgivings,
something inexplicably draws him in, making him want to waltz with the
wallflower.
Meet the author:
I grew up in a small farm town where cows outnumber
people and tractors are more common than cars. I desperately wished to one day
wake up and be a princess. My sister and I often played "pretend,"
though she was always the princess and I the prince or evil step mother.
Maybe that's why I write? I wanted to be the
princess so desperately that I decided to write my own story. I've always been
a dreamer and a thinker. I blame my parents for allowing Disney to pollute my
mind, not that I care, considering I live and breathe all things Disney.
I went to college thinking I would change the world
one child at a time via counseling...I ended up being a K-8 school counselor
for around five years while getting my MBA....the whole time I kept feeling
like I was not necessarily doing something I was very passionate about.
One day, after a terribly sad counseling session
with a few young girls--I began typing. I've been typing ever since.
~ * ~
Visit the other A-Z blogs! You can find the entire list of participating blogs by clicking HEREor you can click on the A to Z images to go to the official A to Z blog site.
And now...
I’m running a contest through the A-Z blog hop!
~ Giveaway ~
I have 14 fantastic books, all by talented authors.Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Erotic Romance, and Contemporary are among the genres that can be won. I created a special page to display them. You can check them out here:
You can enter by using the Rafflecopter below. The form not only allows you to enter the drawing, it gives you several ways to earn more than one entry. Enter each day if you wish.
All entrants must be 18 years or older.
Three winners will be chosen at random, using Random.com.
First place will receive 6 titles
Second and Third places receive 4 titles
**Note** Some of the books contain graphic adult situations. If you do NOT want to receive Erotic Romance books, please note so with your entry.
Once the winners are chosen, I will notify them and contact the respective authors. Your email will only be shared with the authors to allow them to send you your prize. Each author generously provided their work for you to enjoy. I do not own these books.
On that note, I'd like to thank each of the authors that donated titles for this contest. Without you, I couldn't have offered such a wonderful giveaway!
Until next time, may your dreams be magical. Charlene
“V” is for Vietnam…and What Happens in a Small Georgia Town
in 1970
Today I have a special guest post by multi-published author, Toni V. Sweeney. I'm always thrilled to have Toni participate in my presentations. I love her wit, cleaver characters, amazing plots, and...well, you get my point.
Thank you so much for being here today, Toni. I'll hand it over to you.
I'd like to thank Charlene for letting me hog so much
blog-space lately. However, instead of
me talking about my upcoming novel, Jericho Road (written by my alter ego, Icy Snow Blackstone
and set for an late summer release by Class Act Books), I’ve invited the hero
of the piece to say a few words about his part in the story. I don’t write many contemporary romances and
I certainly don’t concentrate on Vietnam when I do. I still have no explanation for why I chose
to write this particular novel, except that suddenly it popped into my head,
and refused to leave until I told the story of the inhabitants of Jericho
Road. So, without further ado (as the
Ringmaster always says), Ladies (and any Gents out there) may I introduce Logan
Redhawk, lately of upper New York State, now living in Sardis Crossing,
GA.. Logan, it's all yours...
Okay, I'll start off by getting the necessaries out of the
way. I'm Logan Redhawk—Doctor Logan Redhawk, OB/GYN—assigned to
Temple General Hospital in Sardis Crossing, Georgia, as part of my obligation
to pay off the Fredericks Loan which put me through medical school. I'm part Mohawk, and I've walked a chalk line
because of that all my life, so please excuse me if I'm just a little belligerent. My parents think I should choose one race or
the other to be accepted but—dumb me—I want to be a part of both. As a result, I’ve a humongous chip on my
shoulder. You see, all my life, I've
been treated like some kind of freak. When
I was in college, my roommate cut off my braids while I slept. White women seem to think I'm some kind of
sexual trophy. And being assigned to a
small-town hospital in the middle of White Supremacy Alley hasn't exactly been
a stroll through the park. Sometimes I
wonder what bureaucratic idiot would send a halfbreed to such a bigoted place—or
if he even cared.
That all changed the night I met Lindsey Sue Conyers. She'd been in an auto accident (her date
"couldn't hold his likker"), and I was the doctor on call. I couldn't believe this diminutive little
creature was an adult! She was so tiny,
with that wonderful strawberry-blonde hair falling over her face and those big
green eyes, though one was black-and-blue at that moment. Believe me, it really shook me up that I felt
such an immediate attraction to her. But
she's an adult all right, and if her response was any indication, she felt the
same attraction. She's a little younger
than I—twenty-two to my twenty-eight but I don't think that matters. The best thing is...Lindsey accepts me for
what I am, didn't even know I was a man of two races, in fact. Guess that made me love her even more.
Since I'm a gentleman, in spite of being a damnYankee, I won't tell the details
about our first date. Let's just say I
went into it with preconceptions about Southern women—gained, I admit, from
television and movies, especially Gone
with the Wind—and found they were totally wrong. Nearly loused up our whole relationship
before it even got started, and my life as well, if her Daddy had gotten wind
of it! Before the night was over,
however, Lindsey and I were set on the course that would take us through the
rest of our lives.
All in all, Lindsey's family has accepted me. Lindsey's brother Wade just got back from
Vietnam and he's going through some bad times, I've heard. Still, he's a good guy and I'm hoping he
comes out all right. There seem to be
some problems in his relationship with his new wife but I haven't pried. It's not really my business, since I'm not a
member of the family...yet. Her younger
brother Heath, is a good kid, too, if a little too eager to "become a
man." I'm beginning to wonder if I
should offer him some advice in that department, tell him that being a man means
more than just how many women you can maneuver into bed. My one obstacle in that little household is Daddy
Conyers... Wade Hampton Conyers, III, or as his friend call him, “Hamp.” The man's about as Old South as you can get. He practically bristles at mention of my name. And then there are those guys in black hoods
who showed up on my lawn one night, armed with torches and shotguns...
When I came to Sardis Crossing, my father told me it was my
Rite of Passage, my Mohawk Ritual of Manhood.
Wonder if Dad had any idea this was one ritual I might not survive?
Jericho Road
Excerpt
*Portions not suitable for younger readers*
Lindsey looked up at him. "Is it true that your mother's folks
don't speak to her just because she married an Indian?"
"Of
course not, and it’s Native American," he corrected gently, "not
Indian."
"What's
the difference?"
"A lot! Indians are from India. The people of the Six Nations aren't.”
"The
Six Nations. Is that what they call themselves?"
"That's
what we call ourselves. We’re the Kanienhehaka."
He
expected her to make some other comment, about his siding himself with just one
people when he was part of both but instead, she shrugged and looked at the
photo again and said, "Well, I think it would be a stupid way to act! Why, I'd be proud if someone in my family
married an Ind—a Native American. Or if
I were mar—"
She
stopped and looked up at him and blushed slightly, "I mean—" and
stopped again.
Neither
of them said anything, just stood there, looking at each other.
He
was standing too close to her, ought to move away. He could see the quick rise and fall of the
tiny breasts, realized that one hand was brushing her hip. He looked down at her, thinking how utterly
small and innocent she looked.
And
white.
"Well?"
Lindsey said softly. "Aren't you
going to kiss me?"
Logan
didn’t move.
“You’ve
been wanting to do it for about three hours now, haven’t you?”
He
shook his head. “Four.”
He
put his arms around her, pulling her slight body against his, almost lifting
her off the floor. He felt her rise onto
tiptoe and waver toward him before she regained her balance and then the
slender arms were around his neck and she was pressing against him, mouth
touching his in a very childish, very chaste closed-lip kiss.
He
pulled away long enough to mutter, "Lindsey, maybe we'd better—" and
she touched his cheek and whispered, "Shh—" and he kissed her again,
thrusting his tongue against her lips, feeling them part and welcome his
invasion eagerly.
One
hand moved to touch one tiny breast, feeling the nipple quiver into tautness
against his fingers. She made a little
protesting sound and raised her hand to push against his wrist but as it met
resistance let it drop again. Gently,
Logan's fingers encircled the soft little mound.
He
couldn't know what she was thinking, that abruptly, Lindsey realized that here
was a man and not one of those silly
awkward boys who were all gropings and heavy breathing. Here was someone who knew exactly what he was
doing and what he wanted was her. She knew she ought to stop him—she could stop him with one word—but his
hands felt so good touching her, making hot little shivers generate inside her
in places she'd never felt them before.
Just a little longer, she thought. I'll
let him touch me just a little longer and then I'll tell him to stop. But she never said the words, not even when
Logan picked her up and without taking his mouth from hers, carried her into
the bedroom.
(Jericho Road is scheduled for release in early Summer by
Class Act Books.)
Visit the other A-Z blogs! You can find the entire list of participating blogs by clicking HEREor you can click on the A to Z images to go to the official A to Z blog site.
And now...
I’m running a contest through the A-Z blog hop!
~ Giveaway ~
I have 14 fantastic books, all by talented authors.Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Erotic Romance, and Contemporary are among the genres that can be won. I created a special page to display them. You can check them out here:
You can enter by using the Rafflecopter below. The form not only allows you to enter the drawing, it gives you several ways to earn more than one entry. Enter each day if you wish.
All entrants must be 18 years or older.
Three winners will be chosen at random, using Random.com.
First place will receive 6 titles
Second and Third places receive 4 titles
**Note** Some of the books contain graphic adult situations. If you do NOT want to receive Erotic Romance books, please note so with your entry.
Once the winners are chosen, I will notify them and contact the respective authors. Your email will only be shared with the authors to allow them to send you your prize. Each author generously provided their work for you to enjoy. I do not own these books.
On that note, I'd like to thank each of the authors that donated titles for this contest. Without you, I couldn't have offered such a wonderful giveaway!
Until next time, may your dreams be magical. Charlene
They outlive the mortals of this realm by thousands of years, and when it comes to love the cruel fact is reinforced. Reincarnation doesn't exist on this plane. They lose their wives to death with no hope of reuniting. Yet they continue to accept others for whatever time they have together. Save for Cole. His love for his last wife still burns in his soul four centuries after her death.
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