#WriteWed Throwaway Characters that Refuse to Go Away

Sometimes when you’re creating a world, like that in THE CALLING IS REBORN or even the JERSEY GIRL BRIDESMAIDS, you develop character that you think you’ll only use for a few scenes or as a foil to someone else in the story.

When you’re writing vampire suspense, that character’s story line may sometimes end up with them dead, which was what I had originally envisioned for Benjamin, the Vampire Slayer in DARE TO LOVE, my story in the TAMING THE VAMPIRE anthology.

But as I “killed off” Benjamin in TO LOVE AND SERVE, his death bothered me. I had really gotten to like Benjamin and since he couldn’t have his happily-ever-after with Michaela, I wanted to find a way for him to find his soul mate and knew I just had to write his story.

Plus, since the world in The Calling had been thrown into upheaval with several major changes in the lives of Diana and Ryder, I knew that the Scooby Gang around them had to grow and change as well. You’ll see more of that group of friends and some old names, like santero Ricardo from DEVOTION CALLS.

I hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes look into DARE TO LOVE and a writer’s inspiration.

You can purchase TAMING THE VAMPIRE at these online retailers:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bfy9Js
Kobo http://bit.ly/2by9MsM
iBooks: http://apple.co/2byaNAP
B&N: http://bit.ly/2byaGoW
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#TeaserTuesday Taming the Vampire #Romance #Boxset

TAMING THE VAMPIRE is now available for download. Thanks to all of you who have purchased it and have helped make it an Amazon Kindle bestseller!

Taming the Vampire Amazon Kindle Bestseller

The anthology is only 99 cents for a limited time and best of all, these are ALL NEW stories! Not re-releases and not available anywhere except in the anthology. You can read more about the anthology here: http://bit.ly/tamingvamp

You can purchase TAMING THE VAMPIRE at these online retailers:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bfy9Js
Kobo http://bit.ly/2by9MsM
iBooks: http://apple.co/2byaNAP
B&N: http://bit.ly/2byaGoW

My contribution to the collection is DARE TO LOVE, a new story in THE CALLING IS REBORN Vampire series. DARE TO LOVE features vampire slayer Benjamin, a sexy alpha hero who first appeared in TO LOVE AND SERVE.

Today I have a teaser for you from TO LOVE AND SERVE. In this scene, Benjamin is helping vampire Ryder Latimer and damphir Michaela investigate the death of another vampire.

Teaser TO LOVE AND SERVE

    He lived alone for centuries until she came into his life. . .

    Southern vampire Ryder Latimer had never expected to love again or to live again until FBI Agent Diana Reyes came into his life and made him believe it was possible to believe in the future. When a mission goes horribly bad, Ryder risks his life to save his lover. When he takes a bullet for her, he contaminates her with his blood, saving her life, but condemning her to a slow death as his vampire cells take over her body.

    Since her father’s death years earlier, she had dedicated her life to protecting others…

    Diana Reyes’s father had died in her arms and since that date, she’s served others in order to obtain justice and keep the world safe. When sexy Ryder Latimer saunters into her life, he challenges what she believed was meant to be her life. There’s just one problem: Now when she really believes in the possibility of happily-ever-after, her life is slipping away from her and Diana must decide whether to become a vampire in order to stay with the man she loves.

Excerpt

Click here if you cannot see the TO LOVE AND SERVE excerpt below.

Click here for more about TO LOVE AND SERVE.

Happy #BookBirthday Taming the Vampire

Taming the Vampire Romance AnthologyHappy happy release day toTAMING THE VAMPIRE. My contribution to the collection is DARE TO LOVE, a new story in THE CALLING IS REBORN Vampire series. The anthology is only 99 cents for a limited time and best of all, these are ALL NEW stories! Not re-releases and not available anywhere except in the anthology. You can read more about the anthology here: http://bit.ly/tamingvamp

You can purchase TAMING THE VAMPIRE at these online retailers:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bfy9Js
Kobo http://bit.ly/2by9MsM
iBooks: http://apple.co/2byaNAP
B&N: http://bit.ly/2byaGoW
Release Day Taming the Vampire Romance Anthology

#FreebieFriday GHOST OF A CHANCE

It’s almost that spooky time when all the ghouls, goblins, and ghosts emerge. To get you into the holiday spirit, I’ve got a free download for you of GHOST OF A CHANCE, a ghost hunting story set on the Jersey Shore. Here’s a little blurb for the story:

What would you do to win a million dollary prize?

True crime writer Tracy Gomez is unsure of what to make of the unusual invitation from New York City attorney Peter Angelo: A one million dollar prize to anyone who can solve the mystery of three deaths which had occurred nearly eighty years earlier. Tracy desperately needs the money to fix up the old inn she’s just inherited and solving the crime will also provide welcome publicity to help her sagging writing career. But accepting the invitation brings unexpected challenges, like spectral help during a séance and Tracy’s attraction to the sexy attorney monitoring the contest. Does Tracy only have a ghost of a chance to discover the secrets of the past or can she win a prize far better than a million dollars?

If the novella is not yet free on Amazon, please let them know about the lower price at the other retailers! Thanks.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2dOweOJ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2eCNWDW
iBooks: http://apple.co/2eCJFQR
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2eCQMJ9
goac

Don’t forget you can also get a great deal on 25 ALL NEW stories from 25 bestselling authors in Taming the VampireTAMING THE VAMPIRE. My contribution to the collection is DARE TO LOVE, a new story in THE CALLING IS REBORN Vampire series. The anthology is only 99 cents for a limited time and best of all, these are ALL NEW stories! Not re-releases and not available anywhere except in the anthology. You can read more about the anthology here: http://bit.ly/tamingvamp

You can purchase TAMING THE VAMPIRE at these online retailers:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bfy9Js
Kobo http://bit.ly/2by9MsM
iBooks: http://apple.co/2byaNAP
B&N: http://bit.ly/2byaGoW

#WriteWed Fixing Broken Things

I’ve always loved taking risks with what I write. Whether it was challenging people to believe in otherworldly beings, like in The Calling is Reborn series, or having them on the edge of their seats, like in The Gambling for Love series, I love taking that risk.

UNDER THE BOARDWALK is about risk, but also about fixing broken things.

Long after I wrote the story, I saw an interview with an older woman who had been married for quite some time. The interviewer asked her how it was possible that she had been married for so long. To paraphrase that wise woman, she said that she hadn’t lived in a disposal world. When something was broken, you tried to fix it.

I hope you enjoy this sexy and emotional story about how Natalie and Chase try to fix their broken marriage. I also hope that this sexy story helps chase away a little of today’s fall chill!
A passionate night under the boardwalk brought them together, but can Chase and Natalie rekindle that lost love and save their marriage?

Teaser

Natalie Ramirez has spent less and less time with her husband over the last year and more and more time alone. She longs for the happy days of summer when she and Chase would pass the time together on the beach and under the boardwalk, exploring the passion that simmered between them as hot as any summer sun.

Chase Smith had to work hard for everything he ever had, including his wife Natalie. His wife had never wanted for anything in her life and Chase didn’t want to disappoint her. But somewhere along the way, Chase lost sight of the most important thing she wanted: his love.

A passionate night under the boardwalk brought them together, but can Chase and Natalie rekindle that lost love and save their marriage?

Excerpt

Click here if you cannot see the excerpt below!

You can purchase UNDER THE BOARDWALK at these retailers!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ae3AU8
B&N: http://bit.ly/2a6vKPc
iBooks: http://apple.co/2a9fZ9X
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2a6xdES
Page Foundry: http://bit.ly/2a6wkfO
Scribd: http://bit.ly/2a6vM9A

#TeaserTuesday Mind: The Reckoning by Jenn Nixon

Mind The Reckoning Sci Fi RomanceI’m happy to have with me here today my buddy Jenn Nixon who has a new release out! Jenn is going to be sharing a teaser and excerpt from MIND: THE RECKONING which features a fan favorite, Baldwin Bates. Baldwin finally gets his own story and HEA in this book and to celebrate the new release, books 1 and 2 are both on sale for the rest of the week! You can find all three books here:
MIND: The Beginning .99 cents
MIND: The Emergence $1.99
MIND: THE RECKONING

Teaser

Baldwin Bates has only wanted one thing since joining MIND, to take care of his friends and keep them all safe. While the Meta-Alien Investigation and Neutralization Department is busy monitoring an emergence of human psychic and alien activity, Bates takes his first solo assignment searching for a woman who claims to see the future, only to botch it up and let her get away.

After helping to destroy an alien device called the Transcender, Lexa Quinn wakes from a two-week coma a very different person than she was before. While her abilities grow stronger, her feelings for Bates begin to interfere with the MIND team’s mission, putting everyone at risk. Secrets from her past threaten the present and future, forcing Lexa to decide who she is and where she belongs.

When a powerful, ancient enemy lays claim to the Earth and brings his judgment upon the population, Bates, Lexa, and the entire MIND team must do whatever it takes to save the human race before the reckoning is complete.

Excerpt

As Bates bypassed the crafters and artists, the scent of Asian BBQ wafted through the air. He grumbled along with his stomach and hoped a few of them stuck around so he could pick something up on his way out.

“How’s it going?” Dina Ranger asked via his earcomm, jolting him.

“Shit! Forgot I had this bloody thing in,” he replied, taking a breath and shutting his eyes for a second.

“Have to get used to it if you want to be in the field…alone.”

“Unlike your brother, I need some me time, Sherlock.” This time, he chuckled when he felt her brush his mind with calming thoughts. “How’s Lexa? Any change?”

“No, nothing. Never changes. I…just don’t get it.”

“Me either,” he said with a sigh, quickly putting it out of his mind to maintain his focus. “I just got to the park. I’ll check in before I leave.”

“Okay. And whatever has you so hungry bring some back. Talk to ya.”

Shaking his head, Bates waited for the static of the comm to fade before pushing farther into the park, eyeing the tables and tents, but mostly their occupants, searching for a face. Miss Takashi had a pretty face, although older now, since the photo from the collective Meta-alien Investigation and Neutralization Department database was almost one hundred years old.

When he neared the end of the first row of vendor tents, he took in the sight of the city across the river, and then found the second and final row of vendors left to search.

He politely declined several offers to purchase various items like candles and potholders, wondering why his ‘blah face’—a term his new friend Kim called his usual stern façade—wasn’t working.

Toward the middle of the second row, Bates slowed, eyeing a colorful booth, shrouded in light purple curtains, and a sign that screamed for attention. When a face-painted toddler, followed by a frantic parent, came running out of the booth, he barely sidestepped out of the way. The parent offered Bates a weary shrug. He nodded politely and carried onward, finally seeing a sign for “Madam Takashi” two booths down.

Author Bio: Jenn Nixon’s love of writing started the year she received her first diary and Nancy Drew novel. Throughout her teenage years, she kept a diary of her personal thoughts and feelings but graduated from Nancy Drew to other mystery suspense novels.

Jenn often adds a thriller and suspense element to anything she writes be it Romance, Science Fiction, or Fantasy. When not writing, she spends her time reading, observing pop culture, playing with her two dogs, and working on various charitable projects in her home state of New Jersey.

Website: www.jennnixon.com
Facebook: facebook.com/JennNixonAuthor
Blog: www.jennafern.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jennnixon
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Nixon/e/B002BLNBBQ/

#ManCandyMonday Chicago Cub Kris Bryant

First of all, congrats to both the Indians and the Cubs for making it to the World Series. One of two long droughts in baseball will end this year. Me, I’m rooting for the Cubbies. I’ve got to stick with the National League and I have two good friends who are diehard Cubs fans, so this one is for you Barb & Priscilla.

So Kris Bryant caught my eye the other day while watching the Cubs-Dodgers game. What a cutie and what amazing blue eyes! Thanks to Kris’s Facebook Fan Page for today’s Man Crush Monday photo.