Thursday, August 28, 2014

Throwback Thursday with Julie Shelton

12:00 AM 1 Comments
On Throwback Thursday I showcase the very first book or story ever written by some talented authors.  Today I'm happy to have Julie Shelton, author of the Sarah series She's here to share a throwback to her first work.


Throwback Thursday with Julie Shelton

HOW I CAME TO WRITE DARK WARRIOR, MY MEDIEVAL MFM MENAGE ROMANCE

I have always been fascinated by the Middle Ages, even through high school, whenever I had a paper or a book report or a project for either English or history class (except for American history, lol), I would always choose something to do with the Middle Ages.  For one of my projects, I chose medieval clothing and made an entire outfit by hand for one of my old dolls.

So, when the head of the French department at Georgia State University told me that my grades were good enough to graduate “With Honors,” if I did an Honors Project, I chose to do a paper (in French, of course,) on life in a thirteenth-century French castle.  As I devoured all the books in both Georgia State’s and Emory University’s libraries for this project, I took notes on 3 x 5 index cards.

As I was doing this research, I went with some friends to see the movie, Becket, with Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole.  In one scene there was a background character wearing a blue gown and the idea for a complete novel sprang into my mind just from that woman wearing that gown.  The minute I got home, I started writing down everything I could think of that would be part of this story.  And what I wrote it all on was 3 x 5 index cards.  I was soon carrying around two enormous stacks of index cards precariously held together with rubber bands, one with my research notes, the other with my novel.

And then a second complete novel came at me from out of nowhere, so I started writing that one down on index cards, too.  By the time I finished my Honors Project and submitted it for approval, I had four shoeboxes full of index cards—two for my research, one each for the two novels I was writing simultaneously. And, being the over-achiever that I am, I wasn’t content with just typing a paper on life in a thirteenth-century French castle, I designed it as if it were being written by a thirteenth-century monk, with “illuminated” letters and border designs throughout the sixty-four page work.  That was forty years ago, and I did graduate “With Honors”.

I schlepped those four shoeboxes of index cards around with me through nine moves to four different states.  Finally, when I got my first computer in 2003, the first thing I did was transcribe, Dark Warrior, the second of the two medieval novels I wrote back in 1974 from the index cards into my word processor.  I reworked it and it was released in January 15, 2014.  One thing I’m really proud of is that nearly every reviewer has commented on my “encyclopedic” knowledge of the Middle Ages.

The first novel, the one inspired by the blue gown in Becket, didn’t fare so well.  At one point in all the schlepping, I dropped the shoebox that it was in and spilled out all the cards onto a rain-soaked driveway.  I picked them up as quickly as I could and just shoved them willy-nilly back into the shoebox.  I still have the shoebox.  Just haven’t looked inside it in forty years.

Also by Julie Shelton
Keeping Sarah
(Book 3 of the Sarah series)

Honeymooning in England, Jesse Colter, Adam Sinclair and their beloved wife, Sarah, are heading for their friend Thorne Cahill’s BDSM club for dinner when another car deliberately tries to run them off the road.  Thanks to their own driver’s skills, the other car is destroyed, the two unknown occupants killed.
Through Thorne, they discover that they’re the targets of a “blood feud”, instigated by Konstandin Sokolov, son of Viktor Sokolov, the Albanian mobster who had unwisely kidnapped Sarah a few months back, and paid for it with his life.  They also discover that Thorne’s guests, ruthless human traffickers, have gathered at the club for a slave auction being held the following night.  Konstandin Sokolov happens to be one of the buyers.

Fraught with treachery, betrayal, and deadly danger, Keeping Sarah keeps the reader on a knife’s edge of tension, while simultaneously exploring the deepening emotional and physical commitment between Jesse and Adam.  They already trust each other with their lives.  Now they must learn how to trust each other with their love.


About the Author
Julie has always loved stories, both reading and writing them, ever since she was old enough to hold a book in her hands.  One of her favorite childhood activities was smuggling books under the covers to read by flashlight after she was supposed to be asleep.
A career as a children’s librarian eventually led to her dream career as a freelance storyteller and puppeteer, a business she operated successfully for twenty-five years.  During that time she created and wrote all the original material for Kidstuff, a monthly language arts newsletter full of poems, songs, puppet and flannel-board stories, finger plays, and other resource material for early childhood educators.  For that endeavor she won the prestigious EDPRESS Award for the best educational newsletter of 1982.  Her 288-page book, Puppets, Poems and Songs was a major resource.  She has also written other resource materials for librarians and preschool and early elementary teachers.
Julie lives in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.  Now widowed and retired, she once again has time to devote to her two favorite things—reading and writing—especially her new love, erotic romances with strong heroines, hunky alpha-male heroes, and lots of smokin’ hot sex.


MY LINKS
Amazon author page:  http://amzn.to/IEAADL
Website:  http://bit.ly/Nn2gPE
Facebook author page:  http://on.fb.me/19nGsh2
LinkedIn Profile:  http://linkd.in/1gYBG9p

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Dutch Apple Pie -Guest Author Jana Richards

12:00 AM 14 Comments

It's Too Yummy Tuesday!

On select Tuesdays I share delicious recipes either inspired by my books or that are just plain delicious! Today I'm happy to have special guest Jana Richards, author of First and Again. She's here to share a recipe for apple pie--yum! Take it away, Jana!



DUTCH APPLE PIE

In my novel, First and Again, my character Bridget is a chef and must learn to bake the perfect pie to resurrect her career. You can read an excerpt about her learning to bake a flakey pie crust on my blog. In the book, Bridget makes apple pies. In real life, Dutch Apple Pie is my favorite kind of apple pie. I love the sugary, crunchy topping and the fact that it only needs a bottom crust. Years ago, when we lived in another city and we had an apple tree growing in our yard, I made this pie often because we had SO much fruit! Here‘s the recipe:

Ingredients

5 ½ cups cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 T. lemon juice
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
3 T. flour
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
 ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Topping
¾ cup flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup butter or 1/3 cup margarine, room temperature

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Fit pie crust into pie plate.
3. In large bowl mix sliced apples, lemon juice, both sugars, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Pour into crust.
5. Prepare topping: In medium bowl, with a pastry blender or fork, mix flour, both sugars and butter until coarsely crumbled. Pour over apple mixture.
6. Bake at 375°F. for 50 minutes.

First and Again
by Jana Richards

Bridget Grant is back in Paradise. Paradise, North Dakota, that is.

She’s swallowed her pride and moved back to her hometown with her daughter after her divorce and the loss of her catering company. Now she’s trying to navigate the strained relationships she’d left behind – including her first love, Jack Davison.

Jack never forgot Bridget, or the day she left town – and him. When Bridget caters a lunch at Jack’s tourist ranch, old flames reignite. They have more in common than ever – Jack’s also a single parent. Though they both try to keep things casual, Bridget, Jack and their girls are starting to look a lot like a family.

But Bridget’s only planning to stay in Paradise until she’s saved enough to relaunch her business. Jack’s invested too much in his ranch to leave. And with their daughters involved both have a lot more at stake than heartbreak. How can they risk falling in love?

About the Author
Jana Richards has tried her hand at many writing projects over the years, from magazine articles and short stories to full-length paranormal suspense and romantic comedy. She loves to create characters with a sense of humor, but also a serious side.  She believes there’s nothing more interesting then peeling back the layers of a character to see what makes them tick.

When not writing up a storm, working at her day job as an Office Administrator, or dealing with ever present mountains of laundry, Jana can be found on the local golf course pursuing her newest hobby. 
Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren, and a highly spoiled Pug/Terrier cross named Lou. You can reach her through her website at http://www.janarichards.com.

Social media links:
Website:  http://www.janarichards.com
Blog:  http://janarichards.blogspot.com
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/JanaRichardsAuthor
Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_
Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards
Newsletter Signup: http://www.eepurl.com/m3UnT
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2892274Jana_Richards
Google+ Profile:  https://plus.google.com/100820406211390323245

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Throwback Thursday with Alisa Anderson

12:00 AM 1 Comments
Throwback Thursday is when some talented authors talk about the very first book or story they ever wrote.  Today I'm happy to have Alisa Anderson, author of Give and Receive. She's here to share a throwback to her first work.


Throwback Thursday with Alisa Anderson

Give and Receive was my first published work. I remember when I wrote it years ago as a sort of "gift" for a friend, because we were looking for fiction at the time and nothing we read was fitting the bill. I told her I thought I could write something that had our weird sense of humor, but still could be sexy and witty. 

Believe it or not, it was actually a visual in the beginning. That just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I still think it stands out to this day as something wholly unique and different, with a point of view we really haven't seen before. You've never really met characters like this...and some might be eternally grateful for that one, lol.  

I've learned a lot since I first wrote Give and Receive, especially how to write better, tighter and more descriptively. I've learned to let the characters dictate where they think they should go, and I just listen and obey, because after all, they tell their story best.

No real reason I never published before this,other than it never felt right. Course, I'm a procrastinator. That could have been just an excuse. Probably. 

Also by Alisa Anderson:
Give and Receive

Young, talented, ambitious. Wild.
Three friends, who struggled for fortune and fame, have finally found themselves thrust into mega-stardom. 
What is right if there is no wrong…
For Ty, Lena and Danny, they're about to find out as they cross the boundaries from all things safe to an arena testing love, friendship and loyalty. An arena that's forbidden, taboo…and oh so tempting. 
They’re riding hard and fast in a world where sex, money, love and rock & roll are all a game of give & receive, where any wish can be granted if you just ask...
Open, honest and raw, this is a rare glimpse of what happens behind the fortune and the fame, beyond the limelight, past the adulation and acclaim. 
Welcome...to the real. 

Buy Links:

About the Author

well...alisa did stuff and is still doing stuff. only now she has two boys crazy enuff to want her as their mommy. hey, at least she tried to warn them, so her job is done. she doesn’t like to capitalize, partially because she likes how lower case letters look visually, but mostly out of laziness. please don't judge. it could be you. and she would say, hey. you're alright, buddy. you're ok in my book. now c'mere for a hug. the hug might be pushing it. air kiss? you are strangers, after all, with only a mutual love of poor grammar.

​she lives for a world full of controllable anatomically correct, android men programmed to meet her specific feminine needs (wink, wink, nudge, nudge with a big waggle of the eyebrows). who look like the rock. and ian somerhalder. and idris elba. and that's it she promises. variety. gotta have variety, right?

​but alas...apparently that exists only in johanna lindsey's genius mind. so until then, she enjoys her incredibly warped sense of humor. she reads tons of erotica and romantic, drippy goo that makes her heart go pitter patter. then she thought, hey. what, she said to herself. (softly, of course, so no one finds out she is indeed, 2 nuts short of a fruitcake) maybe you should write this stuff too. maybe someone will like it and maybe buy it. so she said, huh, you think? then she said, well...yeah, i wouldn't have suggested it...(inserts sarcastic tone) and then she was like lose the attitude, ok? then she was all, would you just shut up and write, already? sheesh! and she did. :)
Does your mother know what you’re reading?

Alisa’s Website: www.houseofalisa.com

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Buttermilk-Brined Grilled Chicken -Guest Author Mardi Maxwell

12:00 AM 5 Comments

It's Too Yummy Tuesday!

On select Tuesdays I share delicious recipes either inspired by my books or that are just plain delicious! Today I'm happy to welcome back special guest Mardi Maxwell, author of  The Doms of Club Mystique series. She's here to share a recipe for amazing chicken brined in buttermilk. (Note from me: if you don't have buttermilk in the cupboard, don't panic! You can substitute using the suggestions HERE.) Take it away, Mardi!


Buttermilk-brined Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

2 cups buttermilk
2 cups cold water 
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup hot sauce
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly cracked pepper
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, halved
1 (3 1/2- to 4-lb.) cut-up whole chicken

Directions
1. Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved; stir in onion and next 2 ingredients.
2. Place buttermilk mixture and chicken in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag; seal and chill 24 hours. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade; pat chicken dry with paper towels.

3. Light 1 side of grill, heating to 300° to 350° (medium) heat. Place chicken, skin side up, over unlit side, and grill, covered with grill lid, 40 to 50 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 165°. Transfer chicken, skin side down, to lit side of grill, and grill 2 to 3 minutes or until skin is crispy. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.


 Zane's Choice
(The Doms of Club Mystique 4)
By Mardi Maxwell

     Beautiful, curvy, Ravyn Templeton saw Zane Ramsey in a BDSM club in Houston three years ago. He’s haunted her dreams ever since. 
     Zane is an Assistant District Attorney and co-owner of Club Mystique, the BDSM club he and his brothers built on their Texas ranch. When Ravyn’s ex-husband is arrested for trying to have her killed the case is assigned to Zane. 
     The moment Zane meets Ravyn he wants her even though he knows having an affair with her will jeopardize his career. When Ravyn’s ex-husband accuses her of laundering money for a drug cartel, and she refuses to answer Zane’s questions, he leaves her. 
     Fate steps in and brings them together again. Zane has the power to save Ravyn but only if he loves her enough to fight for her.


About the Author
I was born in Utah but I’ve traveled throughout America and lived in west Texas and the mountains of Colorado. I wrote my first erotic romance in the summer of 2013. It was accepted and published that same year. Since then I’ve written three more books in the Doms of Club Mystique series. At this time I’m busy writing the fifth and final book in the series.

My heroes are tough cowboys with military backgrounds and my heroines are strong, sassy and submissive. I put a lot of emotion in my books because I want the reader to fall in love with my characters and feel their pain and their joy. My characters also tend to show up in the next book in the series and every book has a twist of suspense and a happy ending.

If you’d like to follow me check out my website at http://www.mardimaxwell.com. You can also find me on facebook at www.facebook.com/MardiMaxwellRomance.


Connect with Mardi:

Friday, August 15, 2014

Legally Undead by Margo Bond Collins

12:00 AM 0 Comments
BOOK SPOTLIGHT
Today I'm happy to feature Legally Undead by Margo Bond Collins.


Legally Undead 
by Margo Bond Collins
Paranormal Romance
Date Published: May 27, 2014


A reluctant vampire hunter, stalking New York City as only a scorned bride can.
Elle Dupree has her life all figured out: first a wedding, then her Ph.D., then swank faculty parties where she’ll serve wine and cheese and introduce people to her husband the lawyer.
But those plans disintegrate when she walks in on a vampire draining the blood from her fiancé Greg. Horrified, she screams and runs--not away from the vampire, but toward it, brandishing a wooden letter opener.
As she slams the improvised stake into the vampire’s heart, a team of black-clad men bursts into the apartment. Turning around to face them, Elle discovers that Greg’s body is gone—and her perfect life falls apart.


About the Author

Margo Bond Collins is the author of a number of novels, including Waking Up Dead, Fairy, Texas, and Legally Undead. She lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, and several spoiled pets. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters.


Be sure to add Legally Undead to your Goodreads bookshelves: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18366353-legally-undead



Thursday, August 14, 2014

Throwback Thursday with Clare Dargin

12:00 AM 1 Comments
On Throwback Thursday I showcase the very first book or story ever written by some talented authors.  Today I'm happy to have Clare Dargin, author of Cold Warriors. She's here to share a throwback to her first work.


Throwback Thursday with Clare Dargin


A Love So Close You Can Feel It

There's something about a hot guy in uniform who's touchable but at the same time out of reach.  That kind of man was on my mind when I wrote Colonel Medoro Keegan in Cold Warriors.  A man who has chosen to be an island onto himself, he is in a sea of humanity yet is alone.  
Unlike some heroes of this sort, they have no friends and live on the fringes of society.  Keegan is anything but that.  He has two very good friends whom he trusts, he is respected by his colleagues and his considered to be on the career fast track but on the inside, he feels like a hamster on a wheel.  He's going through the motions but he ain't going any where.  
All that changes when Caitlin Driskoll enters his life.  In the beginning just a 'passenger' in a cargo manifest, she is but one of many who are to be sent out as cannon fodder for a military with dwindling numbers.  In a frozen stasis for nearly a hundred years, because of a long gone medical fad, she awakens to find she has been recruited to fight in a war she knows nothing about.  
From day one, her strength and her annoyance has been one the light that shone in an other wise darkened existence.  Attracted to her, he fights between the rules of his job and society which says they can't speak much less touch, they both struggle to not only survive but to explore the attraction they feel for each other.  
In the second book, Ice and Peace
A New Threat? After a long and vicious war, peace is on the horizon for Earth and its allies. However, a series of mysterious attacks on several secret military installations causes hostilities to rise once again.

Redemption. Having left under a cloud of disgrace, retired Marine Colonel Medoro Keegan is called back to duty.

Bound. His wife Caitlin, the only surviving member of her team, chooses to embrace life, albeit grudgingly, as a cryo soldier. Seen as sub-human, she is forced to serve a planet that denies her rights as a person.

Driven. Guided by their sense of duty and belief that some things are bigger than them, they are determined to risk it all.

Hope. The cost of war is high. Can their love and marriage survive? Or will it be killed off by the very same mission that brought them together?

Excerpt for Ice and Peace

“Sir,” a soft voice, feminine and sweet, beckoned his attention. He knew the voice, like he knew himself. His heart skipped a beat.
Rising slowly from his chair, Keegan cleared his throat and straightened his uniform. Suddenly, the room seemed unbearably long as he walked the three feet or so to be near her.
As he took in every detail of her, he was stunned silent. She wore a Marine Corps uniform with Navy insignia, with her hair neatly pinned off her neck and shoulders. Her clothes were pressed with a crease that could cut a major artery and her demeanor was impeccable. Something was not right.
Still, Caitlin was a sight for sore eyes. She was beautiful. Her petite frame was perfectly accented by the curves of her figure. And her brown eyes and coffee-brown skin was smooth, creamy.
Standing at attention, she did not meet his gaze. Though it was customary not to do as a sign of military courtesy, he could tell she was not doing it for that reason. Her gaze was different. Circling her, he tried to see if he could catch her watching him out of the corner of her eye.  In fact, she appeared to be staring blankly ahead. 
Peering directly at her, he spoke in a soft tone. “At ease.”
She relaxed. 
“Cate. Can you hear me?” 
“Yes, sir,” she responded mechanically. 
Pain pierced his insides. She was definitely not there. Keegan placed his hands on his hips and hung his head in defeat. The one thing that was supposed to go right did not. For whatever reason, they had placed her in a deeper state of mental control than she’d ever been in. He controlled the hostile emotions brewing with him. Touching her face gently, he felt her icy skin.
This is unacceptable! Not here. I will not let this happen here. Not under my command.
“Chief, listen up,” he said in an authoritative tone. He knew in this state, it was the only way he could speak to her and still have her respond.
“Yes, sir.” Her gaze became even more distant.
Her response fueled his anger. “You are going to hightail it down to the doc and receive a full examination. Tell him it is based on my orders. He will know what to do. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
Knowing that she was under the influence of cryo neurotransmitters, Keegan figured the only way to combat it was to get someone to reverse it. They usually wore off once she was away from the stimulus triggers for a long period of time. But considering her stimulus triggers were high-ranking officers in uniform and combat situations, being around here meant she was going to be in a drone zone for a very long time. The last thing he needed was a zombie on board, especially one in charge of the lives others.
Only the jerks in psyche warfare thought doing this to someone would be a good idea. As long as he was running the ship, none of that would be allowed. There weren’t going to be any super zombies soldiers on board his ship. And he’d rollover in his grave before he let them do it to his wife.
“After you come back from the doc, you will report to me, understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Are there any questions?”
“No, sir.”
“Dismissed.”
She did an about face before leaving the room. Keegan clasped his hands behind his back. In the blink of an eye, his joy had turned to sorrow. Now faced with the responsibility of looking after his wife, he wondered how could he handle the burden of command and still protect the woman he loved.

Also by Clare Dargin
Buy Cold Warriors:

You can find me on the web at:
Clare's Blog 2: The haven – www.claresblog2thehaven.blogspot.com

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Fun and Fizzy "Alien" Drinks -Guest Author Ayla Ruse

12:00 AM 2 Comments

It's Too Yummy Tuesday!

On select Tuesdays I share delicious recipes either inspired by my books or that are just plain delicious! Today I'm happy to welcome back special guest Ayla Ruse, author of  Fever Hitch. Today she's here to share a recipe for fun sci-fi-themed drinks. Take it away again, Ayla!

Fun and Fizzy "Alien" Drinks!

Hi everyone, and thank you so much J. Rose for having me over. When I was writing this post, I wrestled and searched and experimented with many different recipes until I decided on something simple: beverages. 

I wanted to tie my recipe into my latest release from Changeling Press, Fever Hitch, and at first was stumped on what to do. See, the book is an erotic sci-fi involving aliens and a comic book convention. In truth, even though there is brief mention of food, there is not a lot of food-focus in the book and I couldn’t come up with a recipe that wasn’t, quite frankly, disgusting. 

So I pulled out my copy and re-read the book and it hit me: drinks. There are plenty of beverages sipped, passed around, ordered and consumed. However, I still ran across a bevy of disgusting “alien” concoctions when I went online. Determined, I toned down my verbage and came across a few that turned out to be simple, tasty and very interesting. Let me share a few I tried out (and for the record, besides the last one, I kinda made up my own names because I lost the originals—if there even are original names for these)…

Starry-Sweet Fizzy
Ingredients
Your favorite flavors of Kool-aid, prepared and frozen
Favorite lemon-lime soda, chilled


Directions
Pour your favorite lemon-lime soda in a clear glass and add a few cubes of the frozen kool-aid. Serve immediately
Not only will the colored cubes create color-changes in your drink, but it will add a little extra taste as well. 
Hint: use shaped ice cube trays if you have them. I have one that makes star-shaped ice cubes that worked perfectly here. 

The Melting Pot
Ingredients
Cotton Candy
Favorite clear, sparkling drink (some examples: Pierre, Champagne, Lemon-lime soda)

Directions
Overfill a clear glass with cotton candy. Do not “pack” it in. (See picture)
*Important* For best effect, make this drink before your guest or have the glasses already filled with cotton candy and have them make.
Pour your choice of drink into the glass and watch as the cotton candy disappears and fizzes. 
Have a small plate with cotton candy handy. It’s added fun to drop small pieces of the candy into the drink and watch it disappear into a small cloud inside the drink. 
Bonus: Sprinkle in a few Nerds candy into the bottom of the glass first. 

Hocus-Pocus Fizzy
This is one drink that is most associated with my story, because my heroine ends up drinking something exactly like this, but I’m afraid this is one recipe my pictures did not turn out right. Here’s the link where you can see what this delicious orange concoction looks like (http://www.karaspartyideas.com/2013/10/hocus-pocus-fizz-recipe-non-alcoholic-or-alcoholic.html). I don’t know about you, but it seems not only gorgeous, but pretty alien to me. 

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (or 1/2 cup rum)
1/4 teaspoon Imitation Coconut Extract
3 drops red food coloring
2 drops yellow food coloring
1 bottle sparkling white grape juice (or sparkling white wine)
Cranberries (optional)
Nerds (optional)
Layered fruit snacks like Fruit Roll-Ups (optional)
-------------
2 tablespoons sugar
5 drops red food coloring
5 drops yellow food coloring

Directions
Rim Glass with Orange-Tinted Sugar: 
Place 2 tablespoons sugar in small re-sealable plastic bag. Add 5 drops red food color and 5 drops yellow food coloring. Seal bag. Knead sugar until the color is evenly distributed. Pour out onto shallow plate. Dip rim of beverage glass in water, then into Orange-tinted sugar to lightly coat.
To mix the drinks:
Mix pineapple juice, almond extract, coconut extract and food coloring in a small picture or large measuring cup.
For each drink, pour 2 ounces pineapple juice mixture into beverage glass. Top with 4 ounces sparkling white grape juice.
To top it off, drop cranberries into the glass to float on top. 
You can opt out of the cranberries and snip pieces of Fruit-Roll Up into the drink. If you do this option, try to make sure the colors are similar to the drink because the roll-up could distort the orange color of the drink. You can also rinse off the color on Nerds candy and add the pieces to the bottom of the drink. Finally, if orange is not to your taste, experiment with different colors of food coloring to come up with your own unique color. 
~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have fun exploring with alien drinks. I know I had a great time mixing and tasting and seeing what fun stuff I could come up with! Oh, and as for the book that inspired all the mixing, check this out: 

Fever Hitch (Earth Con)
By Ayla Ruse
Genre/Themes: Sci-fi Erotic Romance, ménage, novella

She'll be their perfect mate…if they can keep her satisfied
Felicia Walker loves her job as an illustrator at Fever Hitch Comics. During this year’s annual Earth Con, she will not only draw caricatures, but she’ll also be decked out in body paint to represent the F’ldae -- an alien species from the comics. As she starts off a night exploring the off-limits, alien side of the convention, Felicia is unprepared for the spiraling events that will make her behave like a true F’ldae…in full mating heat.

Agent Slate Reese, along with his best friend Agent Ryker Seals, are Metons who want to settle down, but they’re having a difficult time finding the female to complete their mating trio. An investigation lands in their laps that demands they attend the chaotic Earth Con, and Ryker sees this as an opportunity to release built up tension. With the vast assortment of alien species converging on this one area, surely there’s one female who wouldn’t mind spending a night with the both of them. 

Some say Earth Con is a once-in-a-lifetime event, but will this particular one be the last for this fated trio, or will it be the beginning of many yet to come?   

Pick up your copy of Fever Hitch today: 

Changeling Press
Amazon
All Romance eBooks
Barnes and Noble
CTR
Cheers, and thanks again J Rose for having me out today~
Ayla
~Ensnare yourself in love
http://www.aylaruse.com

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Throwback Thursday with Jessie Clever

12:00 AM 1 Comments
My newest feature is Throwback Thursday, where I showcase the very first book or story ever written by some talented authors.  Today I'm happy to have Jessie Clever, author of A Countess Most Daring. She's here to share a throwback to her very first work.


Throwback Thursday with Jessie Clever


I began working on my very first novel during law school.  Literally, during law school.  I got most of my writing done during Civil Procedure class, and I’m fairly certain my professor knew it.  One day he called on me to present an opening argument in front of the class when I was engrossed in writing a heated love scene.  Again, I was pretty sure he knew I was doing something other than paying attention, but I don’t think he had any idea what I was really up to.  But I walked right up to the front of the class and delivered an amazing opening argument.  My fellow students even clapped for me as I resumed my seat.  If there’s one thing to never underestimate, it is the power of a woman to multi-task.

That first novel would be published many years later and lead to an entire series of novels that I never expected.  Son of a Duke would launch the Spy Series, and I would go on to produce four more novels in the series, the last of which will be published this summer.  It makes me very happy to know I got something out of my law school education, even if it wasn’t what I expected.
  
About the Author

In the second grade, Jessie began a story about a duck and a lost ring.  Two harrowing pages of wide ruled notebook paper later, the ring was found.  And Jessie has been writing ever since.  

Armed with the firm belief that women in the Regency era could be truly awesome heroines, Jessie began telling their stories in her Spy Series, a thrilling ride in historical espionage that showcases human faults and triumphs and most importantly, love. 

Jessie makes her home in the great state of New Hampshire where she lives with her husband and a very opinionated Basset Hound.  For more, visit jessieclever.com.

Social Media Links:

Twitter: @JessieClever

 
A Countess Most Daring
Book 3 of the Spy Series
by Jessie Clever

Katharine Cavanaugh, the Countess of Stirling, has always lived according to the expectations of her heritage.  American mercenary Matthew Thatcher has spent his life running away from every expectation he has for himself.  But when their latest mission from the British War Office goes wrong, trapping them behind enemy lines, they must decide if they dare to realize the greatest expectation of all: the expectation of love.

Buy Links:

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1cqSx13
All Romance eBooks: http://bit.ly/N6EWpu


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