#ManCandyMonday Henry Cavill & BE MINE Release Party & #Giveaway!

Today’s Man Candy is a guy who I can totally see playing Rafe from STAY THE NIGHT – Henry Cavill. I just watched him in IMMORTALS and boy is he sexy! Of course, I’m sure many of you have seen him in his many other roles from a stint on THE TUDORS to the commercially successful relaunch of the SUPERMAN movie franchise.

By Sue Lukenbaugh (Henry Cavill) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

What do you think? Can you picture him as a sexy military hero coming home to his wife?

STAY THE NIGHT, my sexy Navy Seal reunion story is part of the BE MINE: 10 Erotic Romances for Valentine’s Day box set. The BE MINE: 10 Erotic Romances for Valentine’s Day box set is available now for pre-order and will release on February 10th! In addition to the ongoing giveaway, we’re having a release party tonight with lots of fun and prizes as well. You can join us at the party by clicking here!

You can get BE MINE at the following retailers:

BE Mine Erotic Romance Box Set
Amazon: http://bit.ly/AMZBeMine
Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/AMZUKBeMine
Amazon CA: http://bit.ly/AMZCABeMine
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/AMZAUBeMine
B&N: http://bit.ly/BNBeMine
Kobo: http://bit.ly/KoboBeMine

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway from the BE MINE authors!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

February 4, 2015October 4, 2017

#WriteWed #Military Heroes in the Coast Guard

I’m in the midst of writing ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE which features sexy retired Navy Captain Mark Smith and veteran Army Staff Sergeant Bridget Sullivan. If the Sullivan name is familiar, it’s because you met Bridget’s younger sister Maggie in ONE LAST NIGHT. It’s also familiar because you meet both Mark and Bridget in STAY THE NIGHT, Rafe and Elena’s story.

One thing I always think about while writing one of these novellas is how I can give you a quick intro to some of the characters you might see in a future book. In ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE you’ll get to meet Lieutenant Commander Samantha Whittaker who is now in the Coast Guard and veteran Seabee Zack Rodriguez.

Why the Coast Guard (and I promise you’ll see more about the Seabees in another Write Wednesday post)? Well, I happened to be rescued by a very charming Coast Guard vet when I was stranded on a hotel balcony during an RT Convention in Orlando. To this day we both smile whenever we see each other and recall that very interesting (and embarassing) incident. You see, my friends and I had gone out there to have a glass of wine on a beautiful day. As we powershut a very recalcitrant sliding glass door, the security bar came loose and came down perfectly, trapping us on the balcony.

Luckily our hero walked by and seeing our dilemma, called for hotel security to come free us. He then graciously offered to get us some more wine as well. LOL!

So in his honor and to honor the service of our Coast Guard veterans, I thought it was time to highlight that branch of the military in one of the upcoming TAKE A CHANCE series novellas.

So here’s a little bit more about the Coast Guard, my Write Wednesday inspiration for EMBRACE THE NIGHT (late spring 2015), my story with Samantha and Zack.

Did you know the Coast Guard just celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the act to create the Coast Guard? You can click here to read more about the Coast Guard Act. However, the Coast Guard has been around since 1790. The 1915 Act was really more of a change of name of the service.

During times of peace, the Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security (as of 2003). During times of war, the Coast Guard is part of the Navy. Coast Guard heroes like Douglas Munro, a Medal of Honor winner, have saved countless lives during both peace time and war.

The Coast Guard is one of five military branches. Its motto is “Semper Paratus” in Latin which means “Always Ready.”

The Coast Guard does have an academy which is located in New London, CT. You can get more facts by clicking here.

And now here’s a look at the Coast Guard in action! If you can’t see the video below, click here to see the Coast Guard in action in Texas!

Coast Guard Emblem Photo Credit: By U.S. Government [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

January 21, 2015

#WriteWed Plotting with Friends & Lucy the Elephant

This weekend I got together with some writing friends from the fabulous Liberty States Fiction Writers. If you write genre fiction, you should really check out this organization. They’ve also got a great conference coming up in March with a number of workshops as well as editor/agent appointments.

I’m in the process of writing ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE and wanted to bounce some ideas off my friends. They were awesome in helping me firm up some issues that I had and right now I’m chugging along on the first draft of this novella. I’m loving Bridget who is my kind of girl. Laid back and more comfortable in jeans and work boots than a fancy gown or high heels.

Of course, her first sexy encounter with the hero, retired Navy Captain Mark Smith (who you met in STAY THE NIGHT) will put her out of her element and into those girly clothes she just hates.

Actually, you kind of hear about Bridget in ONE LAST NIGHT and you get to meet her at the end of STAY THE NIGHT.

I’m having fun so far in setting the opening of this story in an Atlantic City casino and researching where I’ll take Bridget and Mark in Margate. I got to stay in Margate once many many years ago and it’s the perfect setting for Mark’s home. If you are ever down in that area, make sure to check out Lucy the Elephant. Lucy is a national history landmark and is one of the last animal-shaped buildings in the world (I believe). It’s been used for several different things such as a restaurant and tavern and it had a nearby hotel. Here’s a photo of it and it’s sure to get a mention in the book.

I hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes look at my writer inspiration.

January 20, 2015July 9, 2019

#TeaserTuesday BE MINE #Erotic #Romance #Boxset #99cents

The BE MINE: 10 Erotic Romances for Valentine’s Day is available now for pre-order. As I’ve mentioned, it includes STAY THE NIGHT, my sexy Navy Seal reunion story. The box set contains 10 stories for only 99 cents. That’s a savings of $15 dollars! Wow!

Here is a little visual teaser for you and another kind of tease: You’ll see more of Rafe and Elena, as well as other characters from the Take a Chance series, in ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE (Late February 2015).

You can get BE MINE at the following retailers:

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway from the BE MINE authors!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

January 12, 2015

#ManCandyMonday Rafe from STAY THE NIGHT

I have to confess that I really love Rafe from STAY THE NIGHT and since many of you don’t do Facebook, you’ll have missed him during last week’s #ManWars so I’m sharing him with you today.

What I love about Rafe is that he’s a big strong Navy Seal and seemingly invincible and yet inside, he’s so vulnerable and so in love, but battling it out of fear of being rejected. He feels as if he’s been left behind in the five years that he’s been at war while his wife has become someone whom he barely recognizes.

I also loved tackling a story where the romance is about two people who are already married. Let’s face it. Marriages have ups and downs and you can fall in love all over again sometimes.

You’ll see more of Rafe and his wife Elena in ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE that I hope to have out for you in mid-February. That is if I can get past post-holiday blues and work issues. I’ve been outlining the story and hashing out some language with my daughter. She liked what she heard, so I hope that’s a good thing.

In the meantime, I hope you like sexy Navy Seal Rafe.

January 9, 2015July 9, 2019

Upside Down Cornbread Cake and BE MINE Erotic Romance Release & #Giveaway #FoodieFriday

Happy Friday! Woo hoo we made it to the end of the week. I’ve got a busy weekend planned and I hope you have a great one.

Today I’m sharing a recipe that helps handle some of the leftovers from Thanksgiving. I love the Penguin Cornbread Mix from Costco, but always have a lot of it left over after the holiday. While we love cornbread in my house, I wanted to find a way to mix things up.

After checking out a few sites, I came across an upside down cake recipe from the fabulous Sunny Anderson and decided to adapt it to deal with the cornbread mix as well as the fruits I had handy, namely pears, apples and blueberries. You can actually make this with any fresh or canned fruit which is why I didn’t put any specific fruit name in the title. If using canned fruit, make sure to drain it well so you don’t water down the sauce for the topping.

Ingredients

2-3 cups fruit, sliced (except small fruits like blueberries)
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick of butter
1 cup rum/amaretto/or other sweet liquor
1 cornbread mix

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan, melt butter, add 1/2 cup brown sugar and still until dissolved. Add liquor and slow boil until the liquid is a little syrupy.

Make cornbread according to the mix and add the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar.

Oil 9×13 inch pan. Layout the fruit in the bottom of the pan. Once the butter/sugar/alcohol mixture is syrupy, pour over the fruit. Then pour the cornbread mix over the fruit and syrup.

Bake for 30-45 minutes or until knife comes out clean from the cornbread. Let cool. Once cool, invert the cake onto another plate.

Serve with ice cream and/or whipped cream. The cake is dense and not too sweet. For those who need gluten free, this is a perfect recipe since corn does not have gluten. Just make sure to check the label of your cornbread mix to make sure there are no other products containing gluten.

BE MINE Valentine’s Day Erotic Romance Set

As I mentioned the other day, we’ve got an awesome box set for you for Valentine’s Day and it’s only 99 cents for a limited time. Check it out at these retailers:

Amazon: http://bit.ly/AMZBeMine
Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/AMZUKBeMine
Amazon CA: http://bit.ly/AMZCABeMine
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/AMZAUBeMine
B&N: http://bit.ly/BNBeMine
Kobo: http://bit.ly/KoboBeMine

BE MINE — Ten Erotic Romances for Valentine’s Day features contemporary romance, paranormal romance, military romance, and BDSM romance from today’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. This boxed set is ONLY available for a LIMITED TIME so get your copy before it’s gone.

So…won’t you Be Mine?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

January 7, 2015January 7, 2015

#WriteWed Inspiration for ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE

In ONE LAST NIGHT you first hear about Maggie’s older sister Bridget Sullivan who is in the Army. You also get to meet Bridget toward the end of STAY THE NIGHT. You also are introduced to Captain Mark Smith, U.S. Navy, Retired, in STAY THE NIGHT. Mark runs a security company with multiple offices, including one in Atlantic City. The next novella in the Take a Chance series, ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE, will take place in A.C. and will feature Bridget and Mark’s story.

Bridget’s occupation in the story was inspired by the work that I saw happening along the Jersey Shore after the Hurricane Sandy devastation. In addition to the towns rebuilding their boardwalks and streets, the Army Corps of Engineers came in during 2013/2014 to help replenish the beaches and dredge local inlets that had been affected by the storm. Here’s a photo of some of the beach replenishment courtesy of the US Army Corp of Engineers. You can click here to see more photos of the USACE dredges and works on the Jersey Shore.

In ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE, Bridget was Army Reserves and called into active duty where she served honorably and received a Bronze Star for valor during combat. She’s back home and finishing her college degree. In the mean time, she’s working for a construction company that is assisting the Army Corps of Engineers with additional work along the Jersey Shore. Since she’s become friends with an assortment of ex-military in the Atlantic City area, she’s thrown together with Mark and the sparks fly! I hope you’ll enjoy ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE when it’s available, hopefully in February.

For now, I’ll leave you with some photos of the Jersey Shore after Sandy.

Post by Caridad Pineiro.