Friday, June 20, 2014

Need new scenerey?


Many of us have fancy backgrounds on our laptops and computers while others of us create our own using our favorite images of stuff that we like, or interests us.
For us romance reading fans we love to save images of sexy men that remind us of our book boyfriends and covers of our favorite books.
I myself love to find backgrounds authors make for their fans. Here's some sexy and fun wall papers to add to your collection from Felicity Heaton.























 Want more? Check out her webpage - it's loaded with them!


Don't forget! Writers Digest Annual Conference!


Writer’s Digest Annual Conference • August 1 – 3, 2014 • New York

https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/83905/home/

Follow WDC

 

Writer's Digest Conference


What's your next chapter?


Take control of your writing career, hone your craft and fuel your creative fire at Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, brought to you by the editors of the industry’s most trusted source for writing advice and insight for more than 90 years—Writer’s Digest.

With more than 50 Agents and Editors participating in the Pitch Slam and dozens of insightful Sessions led by industry experts and successful writers, Writer’s Digest Annual Conference is an unprecedented opportunity to advance your career and improve your practice.

Featured Speakers


Harlan
Coben




Kimberla
Lawson Roby

Jacquelyn
Mitchard


Dani
Shapiro




Hugh
Howey



Grow your network


From the informal get-togethers, to the numerous opportunities each session offers to connect with its speakers, to the Conference’s signature Pitch Slam (available to Pitch Slam/Basic Conference Package registrants), you’ll establish real connections with both your fellow writers and industry insiders.



Basic Conference Registration Information

 



Now - July 31
August 1 - 3
$399
$449

Your Basic Conference Registration includes:
  • Friday programs, beginning 5:00 p.m. August 1;
  • Saturday and Sunday programs;
  • Access to any session recordings (including those you cannot attend in person);
  • Please note: The Basic Conference Registration does not include entry to the Pitch Slam.




Pitch Slam/Basic Conference Package (Includes Pitch Slam):




Now - July 31
August 1 - 3
$549
$599

Your Pitch Slam/Basic Conference Package Registration includes:

    • Friday programs, beginning 3:40 p.m. August 1;
    • Saturday and Sunday programs;
    • Entry into one Pitch Slam session on Saturday
    • Access to any session recordings (including those you cannot attend in person);
As a bonus, the Pitch Slam/Basic Conference Package Registration also includes a webinar to be viewed before the event and the ability to submit a query letter for the Query Letter Directory, which is submitted to all agents and editors in attendance at WD. It’s a great way to keep your name and your work in front of the right people.

*Please note: Early Bird Pitch Slam/Basic Conference passes are available in a limited quantity and will sell out at 100 registrations, which may occur prior to May 19, 2014. UPDATE: as of April 25, 2014 we have sold out of our Early Bird Pitch Slam/Basic Conference passes, you are now able to register for the Pitch Slam / Basic Conference pass at the $549 rate until July 31, 2014.


  • Boot Camp: Can be added on to either registration type above for $99.
  • WD Pro: Can be added on to either registration type above for $99.




Cancellation Policy

If you must cancel for any reason, please notify us at writersdigestconference@fwmedia.com by July 1, 2014. Your registration fee will be refunded less a $100 processing fee. No refunds will be made after this date for any reason. Substitutions may be made by fax or email until July 15, 2014. After this date, all substitutions must be made on-site at the Writer’s Digest Conference event.



Conference Policy

Recording or photographing conference sessions, panel discussions or sponsor exhibits is strictly prohibited. Program handouts and/or recordings will be made available online after the event. By registering, you agree not to solicit vendors or exhibitors.



Special Needs

We make sure our facility has total accessibility, and we do whatever is needed to make attending the event as convenient as possible for all attendees. If you have a special need, please send an email to writersdigestconference@fwmedia.com.




Don't forget! The Unicorn Writers Conference!


All manuscript review sessions with literary agents and editors are completely booked. Speaker review sessions are still available. 
*SELF PUBLISHED AUTHORS OFFER
*Become a Unicorn Sponsor!
*Sign Up for Unicorns' Mailing List
*Laurie Treacy's recap 2013 Conference
*‘Unicorn’ Blazes a Trail for Writers
*A Success for all to Read
*Unicorn Writers Land Book Deals!


http://unicornwritersconference.com/Images/header_final.png



Unicorn Writers Conference registration for 2015 has just opened!

Mission statement




Fifth Annual!

Unicorn Writers’ Conference, March 14, 2015

Reid Castle-Manhattanville College- Purchase, NY
History of Reid Castle
Welcome... and welcome back!
Unicorn Writers’ Conference is uniquely designed to arm visionary writers with the practical know-how they need to get their manuscripts through or around the gatekeepers of the publishing world. Today, between multinational media corporations and global entertainment conglomerates, getting a publisher’s attention takes more than a great idea and a flair for the written word. Whether you like it or not, publishers view your manuscript as much as a business proposition as a work of art. The Conference will offer dozens of workshops involving the inside world of book publishing from the perspectives of various departments within a publishing company— Contracts, Copyrights, Permissions, Legal, Subsidiary Rights, Foreign Rights, Audio, Electronic, Special Sales and Premium Sales, Marketing, Advertising, Promotion, Publicity, Sales, Royalties, Art and Design, and Production. Furthermore, Unicorn will offer editorial workshops focusing on key genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Children’s Books, Mystery Writing, Screenwriting, and more. Plus, we’ll have renowned agents, publishers, and editors at the event.

In addition to holding workshops on the publishing essentials of writing and editing, Unicorn Writers’ Conference will bring together industry insiders to offer rare tutorials on what publishers really care about — including how to market a book, generate publicity, select artwork, write a great query letter, improve your writing, and negotiate a book deal. Not only will you make industry connections with established editors and get one-on-one feedback from published writers of fiction, nonfiction, screenplay, mystery, and children’s books, you will also meet leading publicists, marketers, and executives who will tell you exactly what they expect before they buy a manuscript. Leading filmmakers and bloggers will give tutorials on how to take advantage of cutting-edge technologies and social media services like YouTube videos, blogs, and podcasts. The evening concludes with a fabulous networking party and dinner.

The next conference will be held from 7:30 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. on March 14, 2015, at Reid Castle in Manhattanville College Purchase, NY. For more information on our speakers and workshops, and how to register, please see the menu to the left. See you there!
Keep connected with writers in your genre and get the latest news and updates in the publishing world on the Unicorn Writers’ Conference Blog and Advance Networking Community Blog, or follow us on these sites.




Important Links
bloggerfacebooktwitteremailus_button










Don't forget! The ALA Annual Conference!






Registration and housing are open!




 
http://ala14.ala.org/sites/ala14/themes/ala/images/ala14-moto-bg.png
“ALA Annual Conference is where librarians come to do what they are best at, share information.” — Cynthia Maxwell, Streator Public Library

Annual Highlights

Jane McGonigal
B.J. Novak
Stan Lee
Azar Nafisi
Ilyasah Shabazz
Lois Lowry
Alexander McCall Smith
Jane Fonda
Jennifer Kahnweiler

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Friday's Featured Novel (6/20/13)

Keep Me Closer

  (Dangerous Tides #2)

by 












15808585 



From Rhyannon Byrd, author of Take Me Under, comes yet another sizzling, sensual tale of intrigue, passion, and the most dangerous risk of all…

Five years after the end of his marriage and his career as a detective, Alex Hudson wears a permanent suit of armor to keep the world at bay. Now a PI in South Florida, he believes that he’s better off free of romantic complications—even if a certain beautiful redhead makes him sweat with little more than a look. But he’s determined to steer clear of women and the trouble they bring. Until trouble comes uninvited...

Renowned therapist Brit Cramer has seen her fair share of violence and knows how to handle it. But when a former patient targets Brit as his feminine “ideal,” she finds help in the last place she ever expected—the tall, dark, outrageously sexy Alex Hudson, who saves her from a violent attack. Brit’s been powerfully attracted to Alex from the moment they first met several years ago, but she knew better than to do more than enjoy the view…

The initial uncertainty they both feel shatters in the face of a searing, absolute desire, but their time is running out as they find themselves caught in the sights of a madman who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Before they know it, they’re fighting not only for their lives, but for the possibility that they may have both found exactly what they’ve always wanted and needed...in each other.










As for my work, I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do something that's both fun and creative—and that I completely love—for a living. I started writing full time a decade ago, and I'm now the bestselling author of more than thirty contemporary erotic and paranormal romance titles, including the Dangerous Tides series and the Bloodrunner series. I've published books with Berkley Heat, HQN, Harlequin Nocturne, Headline Eternal, Ellora's Cave, and this year I'm thrilled to be diving into the exciting world of self-publishing!








You can find Rhyannon on her website or on her facebook page. She loves to hear from her fans!






You can RSVP/BUY a copy of KEEP ME CLOSER from these bookstores: 






http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/power-debra-webb/1110504806?ean=9781455527564&itm=1&usri=9781455527564&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1&r=1,%201http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455527564?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1455527564&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/power-3http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Faces-Evil-Debra-Webb/dp/0755396901/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384505652&sr=8-1&keywords=debra+webb+power







https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/power/id523723518?mt=11









https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15788796-power?ac=1






Release Date:

(June 3, 2014)







My Rating: 
5 Stars








My Review




Important News From Marie Harte (6/19/13)

Marie Harte Monthly Newsletter: June 2014
View this email in your browser
Hello! I've picked up a lot of new subscribers to the newsletter thanks to a recent Fresh Fiction contest. Please know you are only here because you elected to be. I don't add the unwilling. LOL If at any time you want to leave, just scroll to the bottom and hit UNSUBSCRIBE and you're gone. No worries, no fuss. But please don't mark this as spam, because it will make problems for those who want to receive this newsletter.

Okay, with that out of the way, you guys will be getting hit with a few more newsletters than usual next month, only because I have a few new releases in July. Make that 3. Yeah, a lot! So I combined the June newsletter with a new release to save you some time. I'm also going to combine some info next month though so you'll only get 2 newsletters in July. Sorry about that. But I have new releases, two series ending (goodbye Wicked Warrens and Good to Go) and one heck of a book bundle to share.

Oh, and did I mention the contests?????  So here we go...
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Email

News

  • The Troublemaker Next Door is the first of my McCauley Brothers series at Sourcebooks. It earned a Top Pick Gold rating--as high as they come!!--from RT Book Reviews. Get it in ebook and print--and in your local B&N!
  • A Major Seduction, the second in my Good to Go trilogy, features a rough and tumble Marine who falls head over heels for his little sister's best friend--the same girl who used to have a crush on him when younger. But now they're both all grown up. If you like military romances with sexy Marines, this is the book for you.
  • Next month look for several brand new releases. I apologize in advance for the multiples, but the timing just happens to settle in July. July 1st--Bending the Rules (the final Wicked Warrens story).  Then July 8th--A Major Distraction (Brad's story, the final Good to Go novella). And finally, July 21st--Mastered: 10 Tales of Sensual Surrender (a BDSM book bundle of stories from Opal Carew, Joey Hill, Carrie Ann Ryan, Kate Pearce, me--Marie Harte, and more amazing authors.) Don't miss out on our special .99 pricing. This is one book you don't want to miss!
 
 

Works in Progress

  • Wetwork, the last in my The Works series, for hopeful tie-in to the Mastered bundle coming in July. I'm working hard on it!
  • Served Sweet, the final book in my Best Revenge trilogy for Samhain. Look out for a baker with an axe, not a knife, to grind.
 

 

2014 Release Schedule (Hold onto your hats)

  • June 3--The Troublemaker Next Door (McCauley Brothers) and Love In Electric Blue (Westlake Enterprises) in print
  • June 17-- A Major Seduction (Good to Go)
  • July 1--Bending the Rules (Wicked Warrens)
  • July 8--A Major Distraction (Good to Go)
  • July 21--Mastered Bundle
  • August 5--How to Handle a Heartbreaker (McCauley Brothers)
  • August 12--Dark Fates anthology (Jackal's Measure--my story)
  • September--Best Revenge: Served Cold and Good To Go (electronic bundle)
  • October 6th--Ruining Mr. Perfect (McCauley Brothers)
  • November 4th--What To Do With a Bad Boy (McCauley Brothers)
  • December--Prey & Prejudice print release, Best Revenge: Served Hot and Good to Go (print bundle)
CONTEST
 
Sourcebooks is giving away print copies of The Troublemaker Next Door on my blog tour. Check out my remaining blog stops for a chance to win. Also, there are 5 copies of How to Handle a Heartbreaker available through a Goodreads contest. All you have to do to enter to win is follow the link and enter your information. They pick a random winner. Contest ends July 8th!  Good luck!
 
Coming Soon!

A Major Seduction

Book 2 in the Good to Go series
~

Release Date: June 17, 2014
ASIN: B00L1PWH9A

A Novella

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo | ARe

BLURB
His little sister’s best friend has grown up…too much…for this Marine to handle—without a little discipline to keep her in check. 

Major Mike Cava has worked hard not to see Maria Thompson as anything but his baby sister’s best friend. Not an easy feat when Maria’s done her best to throw herself at him for years. Except in the two years since he’s seen her last, Maria has grown way up. Good God, she’s stunning. But now that he’s really seeing her, she isn’t seeing him.

Maria spent the past fourteen years mooning over a man who never saw her as anything but a little girl, and she’s done. Or so she tries fooling herself. She’s twenty-four years old, and it’s past time she grew up and over him. But now Mike’s giving her “those” looks. Oh, wow.

With the help of her best friend—Mike’s sister—she’ll prove she’s more than woman enough to handle him. His dominance, his kink in the bedroom, his huge, hot body. But just when she thinks they can make a go of it, he pulls back. She can’t do it anymore. Loving, being hurt, loving, being ignored. This time if Mike wants her, he’ll have to prove it. She’s done.


And he’s just realized he might have made the biggest mistake of his life in pushing her away…

 

EXCERPT

“I didn’t realize knitting was so exciting.” Mike stared from his sister to Maria and raised a brow. As usual, the man intimidated just by breathing. He stood heads above her, probably at six three or four. He wore jeans and a tight T-shirt. The breadth of his chest, the size of his biceps and thighs, and his amazing washboard abs gave him a power over Maria she should have found embarrassing.

When she could stop wheezing, she’d blush. She knew she would.

“You okay?” Mike frowned.

Olivia elbowed her in the side.

“Ow. Fine.” She coughed. “Er, just had something go down the wrong way,” Maria rasped and coughed again to give truth to the lie. “So what can we help you with, Mike? Looking for knitting needles? Yellow yarn? A fold-away cutting station?”

He laughed. “Yeah, right. I’ll get right on knitting as soon as I finish my needlepoint.”

Olivia leaned closer to Maria and confided, “He did make a latch hook Snoopy rug when he was little. He finished his before I did.”

“Hey. Mom made me.” Mike flushed.


God, he was hot. Maria cleared her throat. “So what can we do for you?"

He stared at her and frowned. Even his annoyance attracted her. So not fair. She concentrated on being done with him. Trying hard to forget her crush. Really trying.

“Mike?” Olivia prodded.

“Just wanted to see if her date went okay.”

“Oh?” Olivia exchanged a puzzled look with Maria.


Maria explained, “Bobby and I were walking on the beach and passed by Mike last night. I hadn’t even thought about it. It’s just so easy to park near the house and access the beach there.”

“Right.” Olivia had a crafty look Maria recognized. But she sounded blasé when she asked Mike, “So what now? She’s fine.”

He opened his mouth then closed it. His brows drew closer together. “So did he?”

“Did who what?” Maria asked, not sure what he wanted from her.

“Did Bobby ‘go down on you’ again?” he growled. “He was dying to, remember?”

Olivia gaped at him.

Maria didn’t know what to say.

“Well?” He put his hands on his trim hips, and his biceps looked like fleshy boulders.

Olivia turned to her with a huge grin on her face. “Did he?”

“Oh my God. No, he did not.” She turned and snapped at Mike, “Not that it’s any of your business. What the hell is your problem?”

All the tension seemed to deflate from him. “Oh. Good.”

Good?” She didn’t know what to think. “Where the hell do you get off asking me about my sex life? I’m twenty-four years old, not twelve. Besides, I don’t ask you how many bimbos suck you off on a daily basis.”

“Whoa.” Olivia looked from her to him and held up her hands in surrender. “Easy, guys.”

“You want to know, just ask me.” This Mike she’d never before seen. And wow, she wanted to get to know this angry, sexy, forceful man like nobody’s business.

“Well, I don’t want to know. I’ll be in the back room.” Olivia escaped to the office and closed the door behind her, leaving Maria and Mike alone together.

“Go ahead. Ask.” Mike crossed his arms over his chest.

“I don’t want to know,” she said primly. “But if I want Bobby to eat me out, I’ll ask him. And fuck you very much if you don’t like it.”


He just stared at her. After a moment, he said, “Nice mouth, princess.”

“Whatever. Mike, get out.”

“Wait. What?”

“Buy something or get out. I’m running a business, not a charity. Seriously though, my love life is not your concern.” Not that it had been in middle or high school either, yet he’d still taken it upon himself to look out for her.

“It is.”

“Excuse me?”

An older lady took a step inside the store.

Mike turned around to see who’d entered, still glaring, and the woman turned around and left. He looked at Maria again and scowled. “You’re like my little sister.”

“I am not your sister. At. All. And you know, I’m glad.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re an asshole.” She let her festering anger free. “I can date or fuck whoever I please. You don’t like it, too bad.”

He stomped three steps to the counter and loomed over her. “I care about my sister. I care about you.”


Not the way I wish you would. “I’ve been living without you for a long time, Mike. My little-kid crush disappeared years ago. I have sex. I like sex. And I like men. There. Now you have the deets about my love life. Buy something or get out.”

He grabbed a ball of yarn and set it before him. “There. Look. I didn’t mean to piss you off. I’m just not used to you—”

“Not following you around like a puppy dog? Lapping up any stray form of affection? God, I was pathetic. But no more. I deserve a guy who wants me for me. Besides, you’re too old. You’re what, thirty-four?”

“Thirty-one,” he bit out.

“I’m twenty-four and in the prime of my life. I need to live a little, you know? Hell, you can barely handle me saying the word ‘fuck.’ Imagine me doing it.” She wiggled her brows, pleased beyond measure when his expression darkened and his gaze traveled from her mouth to her breasts and back up to her eyes.

Holy shit. Mike Cava had just given her the proverbial eye-fuck!

“Imagine, hmm?”

Excited but not willing to be drawn into a conversation that would inevitably backfire and have him scurrying away, she shrugged off the discussion. “That’ll be four-nineteen.”

“Huh?”

“For the yarn.”


He reached into his pocket and slapped a five on the counter. “Keep the change.” He leaned closer still, until she could feel his breath on her lips. “Honey, you want to play footsie with your guy friends, fine. But keep that shit away from my sister.”

“Because she’s all virginal and pure? Please.” She laughed at him, knowing Olivia would find that funny as hell. The girl acted all prudish, but she liked sex as much as Maria did.

His eyes looked so dark she’d swear they were black. “Please, what?”

She felt as if she’d fallen under a spell. She wanted to look away but couldn’t even blink. He licked his lips, and she did the same. “What?”

“Please, Sir.” He reached his big hand forward and caressed her neck, and her entire body lit on fire.

“Sir?” she squeaked.

“Yeah, that’s what they call me unless they want a good spanking.” He gripped her chin with enough firmness to make his point.


 
And don't miss the final book in the Good to Go series,
releasing in July!

A MAJOR ATTRACTION (book 1)
A MAJOR DISTRACTION (book 3)


by Marie Harte

Copyright © 2014 Marie Harte
All rights reserved — Fated Desires Publishing

 
 

 
A MAJOR SEDUCTION
Marie Harte romance
Sexy stories to rock your world

Life's Too Frantic

So I haven't been around to blog since late November early December, I hope you all are doing well. I am keeping busy wi...