#WriteWed – Why I love the Jersey Shore and a Free Read

I live for the warmer months down the shore where I can take long strolls along the boardwalk, sit under my umbrella and read a good book, and get out in my little garden to plant flowers and vegetables. I love being near the ocean and seeing its constant ebb and flow and all the life within its depths – except for the sharks. Luckily no close encounters with one of them. I also love the shore in the winter when I get to savor its peace and majesty without all the summer crowds. I’m blessed to live there and I love sharing it with you in my books, like ONE SUMMER NIGHT. Luckily, this Top 10 Publisher’s Weekly romance is free for the long holiday weekend! So use one of the links below to snag your copy of this lovely beach read!

Free Read ONE SUMMER NIGHT romance

#WriteWed The Next Generation

It’s always exciting to see the next generation of writers at work and know that you’ve somehow inspired them. Over the years, I’ve worked with a number of young authors to help them learn more about the publishing industry and to hone their writing craft.

I love seeing the enthusiasm they have and even more, I love seeing when they are successful in achieving their goals. Today’s post is dedicated to one of those young writers – my daughter!

As you may know, she self-published her first book, FOLLOWING JANE, a story about a young woman who is pursuing the adventure of a lifetime by trying to solve a scavenger hunt left by none other than Jane Austen!

Now she has finished a new novel and is getting it ready to submit. Here she is, hard at work on the dreaded synopsis! I am so so proud of her.
SamAuthor1

Chicken Cacciatore Thanks to Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers

I’m still a little behind, so today I’m offering up a recipe from my friends Lois Winston and Caroline Mickelson. So click here to visit the fabulous Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog for a very tasty recipe for Chicken Cacciatore!

Did you know “cacciatore’ is Italian for hunter? This style of meal was prepared hunter-style with whatever vegetables and meats were at hand.

Also, please take a moment to visit with me at Paranormal Dimensions! I’m sharing some behind the scenes details on my latest release in THE REBORN vampire novel series.

If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones & #Giveaway

I am soooo excited to have with me today my good friend and fellow Dangerous Woman Lisa Renee Jones. Lisa is the author of a number of fabulous books and she is with us today to talk about her latest release, IF I WERE YOU.

So please welcome Lisa who has a very special giveaway for you also!

Thanks Caridad for letting me stop by today! I have a signed arc of IF I WERE YOU, a $10 gift card to your bookstore of choice, and a copy of Wicked Werewolf Passion. Just comment for a chance to win!

Inspired by a journal my fiancee found when buying and selling storage units (yes like the show but before the show) I call this my SHADES OF GREY meets BASIC INSTINCT. Why Shades of Grey? The dark, damaged characters and passion. Why Basic Instinct? Because the main character Sara finds an erotic journal and begins to read. Sara becomes as obsessed with the writer of the journal as the writer is with the two men in the journal, and they with her. She seeks out the woman to be sure she is safe and becomes absorbed in her life, where she meets two powerful men — one of which draws her into an intensely passionate affair. Here’s a little about IF I WERE YOU and a never seen before excerpt:

The Inside Out Trilogy Releases August 2012

Click here to read Ch. 1

Book 1: If I Were You
Book 2: Being Me
Book 3: Revealing Us

He is rich and famous, and dark in ways I shouldn’t find intriguing, but I do. I so do. I don’t understand why his dark side appeals to me, but the attraction between us is rich with velvety promises of satisfaction. Chris is dark, and so are his desires, but I cannot turn away. He is damaged beneath his confident good looks and need for control, and in some way, I feel he needs me. I need him.

A short excerpt from IF I WERE YOU:

His fingers knot in my hair and I gasp at the unexpected bite of his grip, holding me steady. “Is that all you got?” I demand, shocked at how much I want more. How much I want whatever is beneath his surface.

I’m not scared. I’m aroused. I’m ready.

His eyes probe mine, his expression hard, intense. “I thought you were a good little school teacher.”

“You’re corrupting me,” I declare, “and I seem to like it.” I barely issue the challenge before he’s pulling my mouth to his, and he is kissing me with unrestrained, burning passion. I taste the part of him I want to know, the part he’s afraid of, and I burn to know more. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I am playing with fire, but I cannot stop myself. Beyond reason, I will push him until he reveals everything.

#ManCandyMonday Inspiration for THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE #suspense

Working hard on final touches to my June Nocturne Cravings, NIGHT OF THE COUGAR, but also hard at work on THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE which is my upcoming romantic suspense from ENTANGLED PUBLISHING. THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE will be part of their new DEAD SEXY line and I’m really excited about it.

The story is filled with glamour at a themed Atlantic City casino and also adventure as the sexy casino owner, Prince Alexander Ivanov, and determined FBI Agent Samantha Martinez try to discover if money laundering is going on at the casino and battle their attraction to one another.

I thought I’d share some visual inspiration for the two (who also kind of remind me of Jesus and Michaela from HONOR CALLS!)

Love that very alpha look on Alexander’s face. Also love that Samantha will surely wipe it off as their romance develops during the story!

Thursday 13 & 18+ Blog Hop

Join me for a dual day with this Thursday 13 and 18+ Blog hop! For those who are new here, my latest release is THE LOST and here is a little teaser from it!

Adam Bruno is no ordinary millionaire. The heir to an ancient race possessing a dark, powerful magic, he can shapeshift and create energy. His gifts make him a living weapon and have forced him to live in seclusion. But now an inhuman force hunts down Adam-just when he finds someone who makes him feel more human than he ever imagined possible . . .

Home from combat in Iraq, Bobbie Carerra wants only peace, yet soon joins Adam in a terrifying battle against paranormal enemies who hide in plain sight. She’s drawn to his strength of mind and body; he’s attracted to her courage and intoxicating energy. Their scorching passion can either transport them to the heights of ecstasy or-if Adam’s powers rage out of control-destroy them. But when an invisible brotherhood tightens its nets and someone Adam trusts betrays him, only a heartrending decision can save them.

Leave a comment on this blog for a chance to win a $10 gift card and a collection of swag from myself and other authors!

Discover these 13 paragraphs from

THE LOST!

THE LOST Paranormal RomanceThere was no denying how difficult it was for him, remembering that day. But then he surprised her, and maybe even himself, by saying, “I think I’ve seen those energy balls before. When Salvatore found me. Before I forgot who I was.”

“Forgot who you were?” she questioned, seeking clarification because she didn’t want to misunderstand what he meant.

“When I woke up, I had no memories of who I was or where I came from. I still don’t except…”

“You remember the energy. The way the men tossed it. The way you returned fire,” she put out for him to consider.

He nodded and screwed his eyes shut, as if forcing himself back to that time and those memories, but then he expelled a harsh sigh and shook his head. “I can’t remember any more.”

“It’ll come to you.“

“It hasn’t come to me in twenty years, Bobbie. What makes you think it’ll happen now?” he challenged, obviously frustrated.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose. Maybe now it’s time for you to figure it all out,” she said, paraphrasing an oft-told old scripture she’d heard in church.

“You expect me to have faith, only I’m not a religious man,” he warned.

“Hasn’t there been anyone in your life in whom you had faith?” she asked, but as a river of emotions washed over him and transferred itself to her, she knew the sad answer to that. Because she didn’t want to press and cause him more heartache, she rose from the couch.

“It’s time I went home.”

“Stay,” he said, but quickly added, “I’ve got half-a-dozen empty rooms all beautifully decorated by some famous designer whose name I can’t even remember. Just choose a room.”

Insanely she knew what room she wanted to choose-his-but tempered that rashness. It would only create more issues and much like she had told him, there was a season and a time for everything.

paranormal romance Jersey Shore

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paranormal romance Jersey Shore

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Wicked Wednesday – Sexy Alpha Heroes

There is something about alpha heroes that is so sexy, but of course, no one really wants a true alpha hero. I mean who could live with someone who always had to be on top, didn’t want emotional connections to anyone and equated physical strength with emotional strength. Just some of the not-so-nice traits of alpha heroes.

What we do love is strong men who are seemingly sure of themselves, but have that chink in their armor that allows for real relationships to develop. Physically strong men who are capable of being gentle as well as capable of showing emotional weakness. They can know to be strong by sharing the burdens of life with a significant other.

THE FIFTH KINGDOM Romantic suspenseWhen I started writing THE FIFTH KINGDOM, I knew CIA Agent Bill Santana was going to be that kind of sexy hero. One who was strong, but had a soft spot inside. A wounded spot, actually. I didn’t know that at first when I started writing, but as Bill met up with the prickly and equally alpha Dr. Deanna Vasquez, a lot of his pent up old emotions rose up to make him so much more of a real person.

That pain that he was carrying inside of him touched Deanna, who likewise had a similar wound in her psyche. I think that’s what made them so special together – that their love for each other healed the scars they both bore in their hearts.

Of course we need some action as well since it is a romantic suspense. In THE FIFTH KINGDOM, the action revolves around Bill’s search for an archeologist kidnapped by a Mexican terrorist group. The archeologist is Deanna’s mom, Dr. Miranda Adams, who abandoned Deanna nearly fifteen years earlier which is the source of her pain.

Miranda has discovered what may be Montezuma’s tomb and an ancient artifact within the resting place, but it is only as the story evolves that Deanna comes to realize that the relic has some very unusual powers.

I loosely based the relic on the Mexican sun stone (shown below). The sun stone is a calendar of sorts, but also a history of the Mexica people (whom we call the Aztecs). The original of the stone is in Mexico City and in the story, Deanna and Bill take a visit to the museum to see the stone and to also try and infiltrate the terrorist group.

In case you haven’t had a chance to check out an excerpt from THE FIFTH KINGDOM, here it is!

FIFTH KINGDOM Romantic Suspense by Caridad Pineiro and Carina press