Spring & #Strawberry #Recipes

Even though it’s still in the twenties today, Spring is definitely here! This morning as I walked through Bryant Park, the ice skating pond was gone and the lawn was back in place. Lovely flowers were in bloom in various spots.

I love the Spring flowers and I also love one other thing about Spring: STRAWBERRIES!

They are so luscious and of course, healthy for you. They have a good deal of sugar, but have a low glycemic load which means they won’t make your blood sugars shoot up and then crash. A cup of strawberries has 150% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C. They also contain manganese and antioxidants.

So, today I’m going to take you to a list of 60 – SIXTY – fabulous strawberry recipes. Just click here to see them!

Also, don’t forget this is Day 2 of the Double Trouble Blog Tour! Come visit with me at the All the Fun Starts After Dark blog today and follow the rules for a chance to win some fun prizes!

The Holiday Season is here!

So much going on today that we’re going to have to skip Man Candy Monday and get started with the holiday season!

What, you say, NO NO NO! You want your Man Candy? LOL! How about we timeshift Man Candy to Tuesday for this week since there is so much happening today?

In the spirit of giving, visit with me at Fresh Fiction as I blog about the inspiration for THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE.

In the spirit of hope, drop by the Harlequin Paranormal Romance blog as I chat about KISSED BY A VAMPIRE and why it’s never too late to find true love!

In the sharing and fun, look for our upcoming Holiday Blog Tour where you can find stories, art work and other interesting pieces of art! Here is the schedule for the tour!

Holiday Blog Tour Stops

Dec. 7 Jasmine Clemente, Jasmine Clemente
Dec. 8 Gwendolyn Jerris, Silence & Honeysuckle
Dec. 9 Natasha Oliver, 2 cents
Dec. 10 Regina Tingle, Unsolicited Certainties 
Dec. 11 Caridad Pineiro, Paranormal Romance Author Caridad Pineiro
Dec. 12 Teresa Carbajal Ravet, Sententia Vera
Dec. 13 Nathasha Alvarez, AudaciousLady
Dec. 14 Stephanie Dorman, How Many Frogs
Dec. 15 Karen La Beau, My Life on Canvas
Dec. 16 Annette Santos, The Monga Confesses
Dec. 17 Zoraida Cordova, Zoraida Writes
Dec. 18 Kristy Harding, Kristy Harding
Dec. 19 Nikki Kallio, Purple Houses
Dec. 20 Sujeiry Gonzalez, Love Sujeiry
Dec. 21 Samantha Kolber, Sam Poet
Dec. 22 Thelma T. Reyna, The Literary Self
Dec. 23 Julia Amante, Julia Amante
Dec. 24 Icess Fernandez Rojas

#Giveaway and some Behind the Scenes Secrets about THE CLAIMED

First of all, don’t forget that you have until Friday to leave a comment on Dorothy’s Virtual Blog Tour Blog to possibly win a free Blog Tour!

But now, how about some Behind the Scenes Secrets about THE CLAIMED!

This is a snippet from the book at a restaurant in Avon-by-Sea. The restaurant is a real place and you can visit it here: http://www.columnsnj.net/

The Columns was a perfect choice, Victoria thought as she sat across the intimate width of the table opposite Christopher. The summer sun had begun to set, creating rosy pink and blue cotton candy clouds along the beachfront. The golden hues cast by the lights along the edges of the veranda and the votive candle in the middle of the table bathed Christopher’s face. Thanks to the dimness of the light, she could detect the thin aura surrounding him. Too weak to be full Hunter power, which relieved her somewhat, but not entirely, since Shadows could hide their energy fields also.

Here’s a picture of The Columns. Can’t you just picture Victoria and Christopher sitting there, dusk settling in, the two of them cozy at a small table? Sigh. Can’t wait to go eat there again!

Here’s another little teaser for you down below! This scene takes place in the Shark River and yes, in part it is named for the sharks in the area. Fresh water sharks you may be wondering? Actually, there are fresh water sharks in some parts of the world, but the Shark River is filled with salt water for the most part. In fact, some consider that this area is actually a tidal basin since it’s fed by four small streams that provide little fresh water and the Shark River Inlet provides large amounts of salt water into the bay area. This is a picture of the Shark River Inlet and the Shark River Bridge which is a drawbridge that allows larger boats to come and go.

In this scene deep in the Shark River, Shadow Hunter Christopher is playing around with his energy and shapeshifting abilities. Moments later, Christopher will meet Light Huntress Victoria face-to-face for the first time!

He swam out until he was in about thirty feet of water, released the diving flag, and then sank below the surface. As luck would have it, a small school of brown-green weakfish were spawning along the estuary floor. With a gush of energy, he formed a vortex and directed it downward. It acted like a vacuum cleaner, sucking up a large fish and bringing it up to his grasp through the swirling tunnel of water.


Two feet of angry fish squirmed and flailed in his hands until he sucked in a bit of its life force and it weakened. Focusing his gathering, he took only a smidgen of the fish’s vitality within him. He needed the weakfish’s energy to partially shapeshift so he could stay below the surface long enough to do the exchange needed to rein in the demands of his Equinox.


He forced the fish’s life force through his body, and his power drained while he directed it toward his throat. He gritted his teeth and battled the pain as his skin tore open and the muscles beneath the surface reformed, developing gills. Blood vessels rerouted themselves to those new organs, creating an avenue for the oxygen to flow from the gills throughout his body. He grew lightheaded for a moment, but then the outpouring of oxygen flooded through his gills and revitalized him.


With the skill of a surgeon, he dissected a piece of the power he had absorbed and directed it to his eyes. He created a thin membrane with the life force to protect them against the salt water.


Satisfied with the adaptations to his eyes and lungs, Christopher stopped his shapeshifting. He released the fish and expelled as much air as he could from his lungs. With nothing to keep him buoyant, he easily drifted down to the sandy bottom, scattering the swarm of fish when he settled in the midst of their school. Crossing his legs, he assumed a traditional Lotus position and opened his eyes.


I hope you enjoyed these Behind the Scenes moments from THE CLAIMED

Merry Christmas & Feliz Navidad

First of all, take a moment to visit with me at Mina Khan’s blog as I chat about what inspires me to write. It might just surprise you!

Then please stay around for my contribution to the 2011 Holiday Blog Tour. Many thanks to Icess Fernandez for doing such a great job of getting it organized for us.

What Christmas means to me

Call me a cockeyed optimist, but I believe in the inherent goodness of people. I’ve been blessed with many instances in my life where that goodness has been demonstrated so it’s hard not to believe in that.

It also seems to me that at this time of year, that goodness seems to be more visible and I’m thankful for that. There are just too many people lately intent on breeding a culture of hate with their them versus us mentalities.

They seem to forget about that goodness and how the hearts of the American people are much bigger than they believe.

Just look around you this and every Christmas. Look at the random acts of kindness, like the Layaway Angels. Look at those who without being asked help someone in need or who reach into their pockets to drop that spare change in the Salvation Army bucket.

For me, Christmas is all about being kind, just as centuries ago someone was kind so that Jesus had a place to be born.

Over the course of my life, I have been lucky to see that kindness over and over. When we first came here, things were tough. I was a stranger in a strange land with little money, but many opportunities and the reality of it was, most people were welcoming. They shared of themselves in many ways.

I remember quite fondly the various neighbors who would gather to celebrate the holidays in Levittown, each bringing with them a bit of their traditions (although I could never really acquire a taste for the pickled herring our Polish neighbors would offer up.) I remember those neighbors banding together to celebrate when my parents became citizens and the flag they had asked to be flown over the Capitol to commemorate that special event. It sits proudly in my hall to remind me that kindness comes in all different ways and that being in America is a precious gift not to be wasted.

This Christmas, take a moment to think about all your blessings and what you can do to make a difference. There will always be someone better off than you and sadly, someone worse off. But all of us together can truly make a difference for the better.

Know someone who will be alone for the holidays? Invite them into your home.

Have a few extra dollars? Buy a small toy and put it in the Toys for Tots box.

Have some free time? Volunteer for something. Anything.

Here’s an even easier one: Smile. Offer someone a kind word and a smile. Sometimes that can mean all the difference in someone’s day.

Leaving you with that thought, a big cyber smile and hug, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. To all my Jewish friends, wishing the best for Chanukah. To everyone else, may you have a wonderful holiday season!

Take a moment to visit the other blog stops and find out about what other people are doing this holiday season!!

Dec. 2 Julia Amante
Dec. 3 Radames Ortiz
Dec. 5 Zoraida Cordova
Dec. 7 Lupe Mendez
Dec. 8 Natasha Oliver
Dec. 9 Maria Ferrer
Dec. 10 Sidney Williams
Dec. 11 Toni Plummer
Dec. 12 Mayra Calvani
Dec. 13 Kristy Harding
Dec. 14 Thelma Reyna
Dec. 15.Sylvia Mendoza
Dec. 16 Regina Tingle
Dec. 17 Teresa Dovalpage
Dec. 18 Mirta Espinola
Dec. 19 Kim Brown
Dec. 20 Gwen Jerris
Dec. 21 Paula Altschuler
Dec. 22 Caridad Pinero
Dec. 23 Teresa Carbajal Revet
Dec. 24 Icess Fernandez Rojas

Fun Friday & Tour Stops

Cat lovers will totally understand this Fun Friday video. If you can’t see the video below, you can click here or cut and paste this link: http://youtu.be/w0ffwDYo00Q

THE LOST Blog Tour

Join me at the various sites listed below for the ENTIRE month of October as we chat about THE LOST and share lots of fun things about the book and about me! Drop by and leave comments at each blog for a chance to win a LOST T-shirt and a copy of the e-book for ROOKIE OF THE YEAR when it’s released. We will be picking a winner at every blog.

Oct 3: www.stitchreadcook.com

Oct 4:yzhabellasbookshelf.blogspot.com/

Oct 5: gnbstacks.blogspot.com/

Oct 6:
paranormalromanticsuspensereviews.blogspot.com

Oct 7: dithrfeaturedauthors.blogspot.com/

Oct 8: joanswan.blogspot.com/

Oct 10: www.thebookbordello.com

Oct 11: ragesexandteddybears.blogspot.com/

Oct 12: gravetells.com

Oct 13: www.thejeepdiva.com

Oct 13: allthedaysof.blogspot.com

Oct 14: michellesramblins.blogspot.com

Oct 15: www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy.com/

Oct 17: coffeebeanslovescenes.blogspot.com

Oct 17: www.hesperialovesbooks.com

Oct 18: wormyhole.blogspot.com

Oct 20: www.sonyaclark.net

Oct 21: www.amongthemuses.com

Oct 21: www.bookinitreviews.com/

Oct 21: www.readergirls.blogspot.com.

Oct 22: niinas-reading-and-reviewing.blogspot.com/

Oct 24: paranormalopinion.blogspot.com/

Oct 25: www.mangamaniaccafe.com

Oct 25: lissetteemanning.wordpress.com

Oct 26: queentuttsworldofescapism.blogspot.com

Oct 27: amylunderman.blogspot.com

Oct 27: laurakayeauthor.blogspot.com

Oct 28: sithereandread.com

Oct 29: Ashley–Suzanne.blogspot.com

Oct 29: www.lovetoreadforfun.com

Oct 30: thevictorianvanity.blogspot.com

Oct 31: lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspot.com


Starting October 17, all four authors in the anthology A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS are going on a mini blog tour! At each stop on the #VampXmas tour, Michele Hauf, Laurie London, Alexis Morgan and I will be answering questions about our novellas and giving away cool swag, including a signed copy of A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS, one of our other books and an ornament. Please join us.

Here’s the mini-blog tour schedule:

Feel free to post either of these buttons on Facebook and/or your blog to help spread the word. It’s always more fun when there are a lot of people.

In Death-Fest & Upcoming Blog Tours!

I have been on a major J.D. Robb-fest, trying to catch up on all the books I haven’t read so that I can get to my — SQUEEE — autographed copy of FROM NEW YORK TO DALLAS!! I’ve only got about 6 books to go and to be honest, I’m not sure I can wait that long. As it is, I’ve been reading them out of order due to time constraints and so I may just do the same with FROM NEW YORK TO DALLAS. Of course, I’m also tempted that once I do that, I’ll start reading the series all over again in order from book one which when reread rather recently was just as good as I remembered.

Anyway, that’s why today’s Thursday 13 is an In-Death Fest where I’m sharing the 13 characters and/or things that I love about the series in no particular order.

    1. Eve Dallas. Was there ever a more perfect heroine.
    2. Roarke. OMG. Can’t say much more. He melts my bones.
    3. Peabody. Love her as a sidekick. Just too awesome.
    4. McNab. His outfits are burned into my retinas.
    5. Feeney. Great father figure.
    6. Mira. As a substitute mom, she’s the best.
    7. The candy thief. I’m convinced it’s Roarke. There is a scene in CONSPIRACY IN DEATH where the candy bar disappears with only Roarke nearby and he chides her about eating better. In TREACHERY IN DEATH, Eve discovers her stash missing and Roarke admits just seconds later that he had broken into her office. Hmm. Too much coincidence for me.
    8. The love scenes. Soooo soooo hot and romantic.
    9. The murder cases. After an overload of crime-type stories on TV, it’s amazing that these are still interesting.
    10. The world of the NYPSD and Eve’s men and women. Little by little you’ve gotten to know each one and have seen them grow.
    11. NYC in the future with its glide carts and soy dogs. So can related to my favoritest city.
    12. Mavis. What an interesting and outrageous best friend.
    13. Eve’s fear of anything feminine. I can so relate.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Thursday 13. If you’re familiar with the IN DEATH series, please add your own favorite moments.

As for the blog tours, I’ve got two – count them two – coming up in October.

Join me at various sites (list will be up tomorrow!) for the ENTIRE month of October as we chat about THE LOST and share lots of fun things about the book and about me! Leave a comment on any of the blogs for a chance to win a $10 Gift card, a LOST T-shirt and a copy of STRONGER THAN SIN. The more comments you leave, the greater the likelihood of winning.


Starting October 17, all four authors in the anthology A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS are going on a mini blog tour! At each stop on the #VampXmas tour, Michele Hauf, Laurie London, Alexis Morgan and I will be answering questions about our novellas and giving away cool swag, including a signed copy of A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS, one of our other books and an ornament. Please join us.

Here’s the mini-blog tour schedule:

10/17 Vampire Book Club
10/19 The Qwillery
10/25 Tynga’s Reviews
11/4   All Things Urban Fantasy
11/12 Literal Addiction

Feel free to post either of these buttons on Facebook and/or your blog to help spread the word. It’s always more fun when there are a lot of people.

It Started Out as a Short Term Idea

I have with me today Linda Mooney, a friend and fellow author who has hosted me on various occasions on her wonderful OTHER WORLDS OF ROMANCE Blog Talk Radio.

In fact, if you’re up at 11 pm next Monday, August 8th, join us as I visit Linda to talk about THE LOST, my new paranormal release.

Besides being an awesome talk show host, Linda is also the author of a number of novels including LORD OF THUNDER, a 2011 EPIC award winner from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid (torrid as in it’s way hot!)

Linda is here to chat about her short term idea for her radio show morphed into something different, but first, here’s a little blurb for LORD OF THUNDER.

Annie Mayall was a young bride, brought to Montana in 1940 by her new husband to start their new life together…as soon as he struck it rich in the promised lonely years, Annie was forced to survive by herself in the wilds of the mountains. Until one stormy night brought a severely wounded stranger to her tiny one-room cabin. A stranger both mystical and fascinating. A stranger who not only brought her happiness, but a kind of love she never knew existed.

A stranger who was not of this earth.

And now here’s Linda with “It Started Out as a Short Term Idea.”


I don’t know what in the hell I was thinking, but in retrospect I’m happy I did!

What did I do? I started a Blog Talk Radio show. A live show, mind you. Hello goof-ups and technical snags!

It began two years ago after I was interviewed on BTR. I had a new release and wanted to promote it. BTR is free. The only problem, though, was that I didn’t get much time to talk about the book. Most of the questions were about me and my writing technique, future ideas, “why I wrote the book”, etc. In addition I was noticing on the email loops that more interest was raised for a book when my promotions included an excerpt. After some deliberation, I thought I’d like to start my own BTR show and read the excerpts.

I contacted a few author friends and asked if they would like to be on the show, now called “Other Worlds of Romance” since I write sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal stories, and so did they. They loved coming on the show and reading from their books, and they spread the news to their friends who also wrote in those genres. The next thing I knew, I was contacted by the promotions director for the Romantic Times Convention asking if I would be willing to do a full week of interviews during the con. Talk about a rush!

Like I said, that was two years ago, and I’ve lost count of how many wonderful books I’ve heard about. (My TBB/TBR list is intimidating!) But even better, I’ve met many fantastically gifted, friendly, and supportive authors. Have there been slip-ups and booboos? More than you can laugh at, but they more than make up for the fun we’ve had.

I never thought I’d add DJ to my resume. I thought Erotic Romance Author and Kindergarten Teacher were enough. I still get the jitters every Monday night like I did for my very first interview, but I’ve never regretted my decision…although there are times I think I’ve checked my sanity at the door!

Just a reminder that the DISCOVER THE LOST Release Party is underway. Leave a comment either here or any of the blogs I am visiting for a chance to win the grand prize of a SONY E-reader and other goodies! The more blogs and more comments you leave, the greater your chances of winning.

For a list of stops on the blog tour, you can click here!

Here are the blogspots you can visit today to comment:

Just Another Book Addict
Paranormal & Romantic Suspense Reviews