Monday Mayhem – Steamy stuff ahead!

Warning: I’m sharing an excerpt from my pal Jenna Barton’s upcoming release Closer and Closer today. It’s hot, so if you are of delicate sensibilities, clutch your pearls and look away.

As for the rest of you…enjoy!

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Excerpt: Tiramisu

 

“We’re doing this too fast,” he said against the base of my throat, tugging at my robe. I swallowed hard, whining when his mouth closed over the skin beneath my ear. That would bloom purple and plum. It was May. I lived in the South.

Instead of heeding those very sensible thoughts, I hailed him on, twisting my hips against his. “A turtleneck or scarf, maybe—”

He broke away, panting, his eyes level with mine. “What’re you…scarf?”

“I’ll wear one.” Threading my fingers through his hair, I pulled his lips to mine. “I’ll wear one around my neck, so just don’t stop that biting.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” he said, grinning as he tilted his head away from mine. He chuckled softly when I trailed after him. “That’s my job.”

“Oh yes, sir.” I added a mock salute before I realized what I’d said. It caught between us, a quick drumbeat underlining this thing that kept us circling each other, so fast we kept reminding each other of it, and so delirious from it we couldn’t be responsible, risk-managing adults and step back to avoid it.

I shook a little. My teeth vibrated against my lips, pressed together tight so I wouldn’t say it again. I’d dropped this thing between us into the open while we were too close for any more rational discussion, and not entirely sure we’d remembered to close my front door. And I could see it in his eyes. He was deciding.

“You ready for that spanking?” His breath fell in short, soft bursts against my cheek.

I forced myself to look past his shoulder, promising myself it was the last logical decision I’d make for the rest of the night, and checked the front door. Closed. Locked. As my eyes inched back to his, the wire-swung, slow motion feeling greeted me, and dangled me before him. I took a shallow, silent breath, and nodded, watching his mouth for my next direction.

“Yes…I am.”

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Dominance and submission. The delicate balance between hurts so good and too hot to handle. They’re not just kinky trends for the members of The Enclave, a tight-knit group gathering in a Gilded Age mansion secluded in the North Carolina mountains.

Come Closer…

For Erin Proctor, life has always been about working hard, creating stability, and succeeding. She plays it safe, watching from a distance. Then she encounters an unpredictable, sensual world she’s always known was there, but didn’t believe she could belong to.

Walt Easton is straightforward and unpretentious, a big, earthy man in possession of himself—and a fierce set of solid leather floggers. Once he and Erin meet, their attraction is undeniable. Walt wants a full relationship, not just fun in the playroom. Their kinky adventures can be negotiated later.

They’ve finally found a relationship that can let them explore who they fully are. But can Walt accept that while he’s in charge in their private lives, when it comes to her job, Erin is the one in charge? Will Erin take the risk of letting down her walls and allowing Walt in all the way?

The biggest risk, after all, isn’t mixing pain and pleasure. It’s finding yourself—in love.

The first book of The Enclave Series will bring you Closer to your desire.

Preorder HERE

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24324729-closer-and-closer?from_search=true

Author: Jenna Barton

Title: Closer and Closer

Genre: BDSM Erotic Romance

ISBN: 978-1-623420-70-3

Release Date: February 10th, 2015

Available in Ebook and Paperback

Twitter: @WriteyJennaB

Author Bio:

After many years spent onstage mouthing the words of other writers, Jenna Barton found her own voice while playing with an online community of mouthy broads. Writing down her own stories proved to be far more satisfying than dodging the human and inanimate hazards that come with backstage life, as well as alleviating the need to walk and talk and gesture while inhabiting.

Mostly settled into a life of carpool lanes and checkout lines, Jenna happily resides in suburbia with her husband and their two children. Sadly there are no drooly, furry, corpulent lapdogs at Chez Barton. For now. For. Now.

 

Monday Mayhem – Is this thing on?

So, I’ve been having a good time with the merged blog thing. It’s been interesting to see how many people are just realizing that Margaret is Maggie or Maggie is Margaret. Worlds are colliding!

Thanks to all who have been reading and commenting on the Weekend Writing Warrior posts. It’s so much fun to be able to share snippets of my work each week.

I’m still trying to get Whatcha Reading Wednesday and Fangril Friday going. These posts are more than a chance for us to interact. They give me insight as a writer as to what is attracting audience attention. So let me know what you’re reading, not only because it helps me gauge the market, but because I am a book junkie and I’m always looking for a fix.

I started Fangirl Friday for the same reason. I want to know who you are crushing on, what attracts you to those characters, what do you wish they would do/say/etc.

As I mentioned before, social media platforms are starting to make it more difficult for authors to interact with their readers. We don’t have that restriction here. Tell me what you think. What would you like to see here?  I’ve been offering backlist books to commenters on Wednesdays. Please tell your friends to stop by and comment for a chance to win. Trust me, Evelyn Jules has already read them all.

So, speak up. I want to hear from you. Is this thing on?

 

 

 

 

Monday Mayhem – Closer and Closer Cover Reveal!

Warning: This post contains smokin’ hot cover art and some pretty steamy subject matter!

closerBanner

Dominance and submission. The delicate balance between hurts so good and too hot to handle. They’re not just kinky trends for the members of The Enclave, a tight-knit group gathering in a Gilded Age mansion secluded in the North Carolina mountains.

Come Closer…

For Erin Proctor, life has always been about working hard, creating stability, and succeeding. She plays it safe, watching from a distance. Then she encounters an unpredictable, sensual world she’s always known was there, but didn’t believe she could belong to.

Walt Easton is straightforward and unpretentious, a big, earthy man in possession of himself—and a fierce set of solid leather floggers. Once he and Erin meet, their attraction is undeniable. Walt wants a full relationship, not just fun in the playroom. Their kinky adventures can be negotiated later.

They’ve finally found a relationship that can let them explore who they fully are. But can Walt accept that while he’s in charge in their private lives, when it comes to her job, Erin is the one in charge? Will Erin take the risk of letting down her walls and allowing Walt in all the way?

The biggest risk, after all, isn’t mixing pain and pleasure. It’s finding yourself—in love.

The first book of The Enclave Series will bring you Closer to your desire.

closer art

Author: Jenna Barton

Title: Closer and Closer

Genre: BDSM Erotic Romance

ISBN: 978-1-623420-70-3

Release Date: February 10th, 2015

Available in Ebook and Paperback

Twitter: @WriteyJennaB

 

Author Bio:

 

After many years spent onstage mouthing the words of other writers, Jenna Barton found her own voice while playing with an online community of mouthy broads. Writing down her own stories proved to be far more satisfying than dodging the human and inanimate hazards that come with backstage life, as well as alleviating the need to walk and talk and gesture while inhabiting.

Mostly settled into a life of carpool lanes and checkout lines, Jenna happily resides in suburbia with her husband and their two children. Sadly there are no drooly, furry, corpulent lapdogs at Chez Barton. For now. For. Now.

 

Monday Mayhem – I get by with a little help from…

…my friends.

I am blessed with tremendous friends. Old friends, newer friends, work friends, reader friends, and writer friends. Friends that have been with me for years, some I’ve never met, and a few who still seem to like me even when I morph into Extra Bitchy Recipe Mags.

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This week, I’ve had opportunity to appreciate all of then above. The fact that my old friends and I sometimes have to schedule a hook-up eighteen months out (next year will be 30 years!) doesn’t seem to put a damper on our enthusiasm.

I get to see some of my Super Cool Party People in just 24 days. And if you think the official countdown isn’t honed to hours, minutes and seconds, you’d be sadly mistaken.

We don’t often think about our work friends, but we really ought to give them more credit. We spend more of our waking hours with them than with our significant others. The best ones are those you keep even after career paths diverge.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet a handful of readers who fell in love with my characters, then blessed me with their friendship as well.

But lately I’ve been relying pretty heavily in my writer friends. The publishing game is a lot like playing round after round of Cards Against Humanity. Sometimes it’s so harsh you have to laugh or you’ll spend all your time crying. Trust me, it’s tough to revise a manuscript when you’re fighting back tears. But my writer friends always seem to know just what I need–whether it’s encouragement, a kick in the ass, or a little pastry and sympathy.

Friends are fabulous, and I am so lucky to count you as one of mine. Thank you. Thank you so much.

 

 

Monday Mayhem – Mmmmkay?

Hiya gang!

How’s it going? I’ve been completely…lazy. Okay, maybe not completely. I did have a release last week – Yay! Spring Chickens!

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Also available in paperback for those of you who wish to bump the old cover off the shelf, though I imagine I may be giving away a signed copy or two once I get mine.

In other news: I added about 4k to Bossy Pants on revision. For those of you who don’t know, Bossy Pants is the follow up to Three Little Words

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It features Greg’s best friend and perennial bachelor, Will Tarrant. Will is a bad boy who may be just a tad misunderstood. He also looks a suspiciously like Dermot Mulroney.

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Funny how that happens.

I am also getting the rights to Seducing Steve back and will be preparing to revise and re-release it as an self-published title. 🙂

And did you know that every Sunday I post 8 sentences from one of my works on my blog? It’s part of the Weekend Writing Warriors challenge and it’s a lot of fun!

In other news:

  • Had a hot writing date with the fabulous Parker Kincaid on Saturday, and got the scoop on what’s been happening with her Shadow Maverick Ranch cowboys – all I can say is it sounds yummy!
  • Received print copies of novella bundles submitted for RITA award consideration. The Last First Date in print and with the Harlequin logo on the cover. I might have geeked out just a little.
  • I’ve started my tenures as President of the Diamond State Romance Authors and Vice President of Passionate Ink RWA, so I will soon be a Google Hangouts master.
  • The not-so-new-anymore day job continues to be a vast improvement in terms of mental/physical health as well as general happiness.
  • Took Fodder to pick out his first-ever pair of prescription eyeglasses. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing some hot professor types popping up in my work.

Other than that, I’ve been spending a lot of time on Netflix, but I’ll save that for Fangirl Friday. I’ve also started a book I’ve been waiting for, but that falls under Whatcha Reading Wednesday, so I’ll just ask…What have you been up to?

 

It’s release day!

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Spring Chickens – You don’t have to be a spring chicken to fall in love.

Bram Hatchett thought he buried his heart with his wife, but when a big city beauty blows into town to dispose of the family farm, she captures everyone’s attention. Particularly his.

Lynne Prescott’s former marriage was marked by her husband’s infidelities and doomed by the secrets and lies he left in his wake. Disillusioned and adrift, she seeks refuge in the simplicity of small-town life.

There are few secrets in Heartsfield, Arkansas, but when a few loose boards on a rickety old porch bring them together, not even the combined forces of nosy neighbors, disapproving children and a disturbing decrease in the poultry population can stymie the attraction between the handsome widower and the intriguing divorcee.

But Lynne and Bram are both old enough to know there are no guarantees in life.

Can they set the fears of their pasts aside and learn to trust their hearts just one more time?

All Romance ~ AmazonAppleB&N ~ TMP Bookstore Kobo

Monday Mayhem – Makeover Edition

New year, new website, new combined blog…what does it all mean? Well, hopefully it will translate into a whole lot more action around here. With Facebook tightening the clamps on what you can see on my author page and Twitter becoming more and more negative, I plan to take refuge here on my blog.

With you.

Introvert

Combining my pen names will certainly make it easier to maintain things, but I want to have more of a chance to interact with readers. Therefore, I will continue my Weekend Writing Warrior posts on Sundays and my usual Monday Mayhem mumbling, but I’m going to add in some days to talk about the stuff we love.

Please join me (and bring your friends) for Whatcha Reading Wednesdays (there will be book giveaways) and Fangirl Fridays to celebrate all we love that is shippable, but won’t fit in a box. Yes, I need people to talk about Scandal, Downton Abbey, Outlander books and series, Chicago Stars novels… You see where this is going?

So yeah, lots going on here. Be sure to click the email subscription box on the sidebar so you’ll receive notifications of new posts in your inbox!

Happy New Year!

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The Winner of The Last First Date and Lisa Fox’s fabulous One Kiss is:

Lindsay Cross!

Congratulations, Lindsay and thank you all for stopping by to check out my new blog. I hope to have more fun and giveaways for you all in 2015!

 

Monday Mayhem – Notice anything new?

Christmas may be over, but I’m still unwrapping stuff on the new website. I believe my #8Sunday post went live, but I forgot to update the new blog address for the sign-up list. I’m scheduling this post for Monday morning. If you see it, I didn’t screw it up….

So, how do you like the new digs? Click around a bit, let me know what you think.

My Christmas was fabulous, and I hope yours was too. I’m looking forward to a quiet New Year’s Eve. At least, as quiet as it can be with the fireworks stands open this week.

But I’m happy to make your 2015 a little spicier. That’s why I’m giving away a copy of my New Year’s Eve gone wrong story, The Last First Date PLUS a copy of my pal, Lisa Fox’s One Kiss to one lucky commenter. All you have to do is answer one question: Are you more likely to kiss or be kissed?

Please share this post with your friends! I’ll pick a winner from all comments made before Midnight, December 31, 2014!

onekiss The Last First Date_Maggie Wells

Monday Mayhem – Overhaul edition

Did you see? Did you see? We have new cover art for Spring Chickens!!!! Just a few more weeks until release day – January 8, 2015!

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In other big news: I’m in discussions with a web designer on the planned Margaret/Maggie website makeovers. I’m loving the samples she’s shown me and I think it could look pretty slick. Stay tuned!

Oh! And Maggie has a new release today! If you’re looking for a short, hot read featuring a couple who aren’t twenty-something, check out Three Little Words!

Three Little Words_Maggie Wells

It’s never too late to make the best impulsive decision of your life.

Jo Masters isn’t the party girl she used to be, but now that she’s a woman without obligations, she’s ready to recapture a little of her misspent youth. Her niece’s wedding, with its open bar and dark dance floor, proves to be the perfect opportunity to let loose.

Gregory Stark is just trying to make it through his son’s wedding day… and make some time with the gorgeous brunette on the bride’s side of the aisle. His kid’s wedding probably isn’t the best occasion to put the moves on the sexy woman, who introduces herself only as ‘Josie’, but his best friend is closing in on her too and he has to act fast. With a couple of tequila shots under his belt, Greg propositions Josie — and neither wants to refuse.

AmazonAppleB&NGoogle ~  Kensington Kobo

And finally: All of the TMP boxed sets will be going back to full price as of January 1, 2015. Please, please, please help me with one last push on these. Each set is only $0.99!

Unforgettable Heroes – includes Long Distance Love

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Love Finds A Way – includes Contentment

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Enchanted Lover – includes Paramour

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Heat Wave – includes Maggie Wells titles Seducing Steve and The Art Lover

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Hot Nights in St. Blaise – Maggie Wells – the complete 12 novella collection

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