Interview With Kayla Janz

Marie: Joining me today on Happily Ever After Thoughts is my very dear friend and fellow author Kayla Janz and she has some exciting news to share. Fill us in, Kayla. What happened?

Kayla: First, thank you for having me here, Marie. Yes, I did get some exciting news! June of this year I received a call from my publisher asking if I’d be interested in re-releasing some of my earlier work under a new line they are calling Whiskey Creek Press Torrid Classics. Unveiled Treasures came out Sept 5, Sinful Innocence next month and Chloe’s Christmas will be released December of this year.

Marie: Oh, that’s fabulous. I’m so happy for you! What are your books about?

Kayla: Unveiled Treasures and Sinful Innocence are romantic suspense stories that take place in Oak Creek Canyon, AZ. One of my favorite places and I thought the perfect spot for a story to unfold. Sinful picks up approx. 6 months after Unveiled ends and brings secondary characters into the limelight.  Chloe’s Christmas is a fun romantic spin on a Cinderella story with a tropical twist. Instead of a glass slipper she loses a flip flop and Prince Charming chases her 4000 miles to win her heart.

Marie: I’ve read all three and I can vouch for how wonderful they are. Now, for the fun stuff – a series of questions so our readers can get to know you. Ready? Let’s begin –

Favorite Season? Summertime – find me on a beach!

Favorite Holiday? Halloween – what better time to play dress up.

Favorite vacation spot? Hawaii – again, the beach

Favorite food? Chocolate. If I could eat it all the time and not weigh 500lbs, I’d be a happy girl!

Favorite Author (Pick me! Pick me! Only kidding!) Seriously, who is your favorite author? Jennifer Ashley and all of her personalities. Marie Patrick, Caris Roane, Karen Rose, and Cheyenne McCray round out my top five.

Best book you’ve ever read? Bertrice Small – Skye O’Malley – very first erotic romance novel I read and still my fave. My autographed copy has a place of honor on the bookshelf.

Best movie? Tough question, there are so many. Finding Nemo, Almost Famous, Stranger Than Fiction, StarGate, Patch Adams all rank close to the top.

Thank you, Kayla, for joining us on HEAT. I wish you much success with the re-release of Sinful Innocence, Chloe’s Christmas and Unveiled Treasures.

Thank you, Marie. It’s been fun!

Alexis Walker Reviews A GOOD MAN FOR KATIE by Marie Patrick

When it comes to heartwarming westerns that include exciting adventure and romance to spare, Marie Patrick delivers. Her book A GOOD MAN FOR KATIE is no exception. 

Katherine O'Rourke has been sent away by her General father after a scandal with the wrong kind of man in Washington D.C. which almost got her arrested. Having had it with his daughter's poor judgment, the general sends her to her aunt, but Katie has other plans and travels to see her sister in Arizona Territory instead.

Chase Hunter, an army Captain, is on a secret mission to find his brother's murderer and the guns that were stolen from the army. When the townspeople of Crystal Creek assume his low strapped gun means he's a gunslinger, he allows the impression to stand, convinced the mistake will help him in his quest.  What he does not expect is that he will have to save the new school teacher numerous times.

Katie no longer trusts her own judgment, so her resistance to Chase is strong. Chase, on the other hand, is set on his mission and doesn't want to involve Katie for fear she could get hurt. Unfortunately, Katie attracts trouble like honey attracts bears, and the two are soon thrown into close proximity time and time  again. Chase decides she needs round the clock surveillance and gifts her with Sarge, the most loveable, bravest, and funniest dog to hit the pages of a romance novel in years.

The plot thickens as secrets are revealed both from the murders' side and the Army's side, but when Chase betrays Katie, she is convinced she has once again exercised poor judgment. Add to this tension a runaway coach, a secret tunnel, and an attempted abduction, and the reader can't help but be riveted to the story.  When the townspeople turn against Katie, the reader will burn with anger and cheer when she stands up to them, no matter what the outcome might be.

This story is filled with beautiful descriptions of the Arizona Territory, strong emotion that pulls the reader along, and full blown characters that appear as average people thrown into extraordinary circumstances. Add to this, historical accuracy from clothes to books, good pacing that allows one to catch a breath, and a strong journey towards love, and it makes A GOOD MAN FOR KATIE a western romance that should not be missed.

Enjoy,

Alexis

MIDNIGHT ON THE DOUBLE-B by Kayce Lassiter on Paranormal Fragment Fridays Blog Hop

Welcome to the second week of Paranormal Fragment Fridays Blog Hop! This will be a month long. Each stop on the blog hop will have an author posting a "fragment" of his or her paranormal work on Fridays, and Happily Ever After Thoughts is featuring its paranormal authors.

Today, I am happy to post a fragment of a scene in my romantic short story, Midnight on the Double-B. Here the fairy godmother, Delta Jane, has just ridden onto Michael Beasty’s ranch and is about to turn Michael and Kylah’s lives upside down.  Michael has purchased the land with the water rights for both ranches—for the cost of back taxes.  Kylah McCombs is fit to be tied and desperate to find a way to save her family’s ranch. Hope you like it :-)

That’s my story, fragmented and fractional, and I’m stickin’ to it.  Hang on tight now ‘cuz we’re gonna go real, real fast!

Love ya, Kayce

For those who left a comment in my last blog, Barb and Irma F were the two winners of the free ebooks.  Yeah!!!  I will contact you directly to find out where to send your booty.

Fragment from Midnight on the Double-B:

Kylah turned away from the dust cloud that rolled over her as the huge Harley came to a stop just a few feet away.

“Well crap!”  A woman’s disembodied voice came from the center of the cloud of dust, followed by coughing.  “Damn,” the woman muttered between coughs.  “I sure didn’t expect that.  The freakin’ handbook that fairy gave me didn’t say anything about dust.  I’ll have to have another talk with that damn, cocky godfather.”

Kylah turned toward the motorcycle and found the most bizarre sight.  The rider was a woman who looked like a reject from Cowboys and Indians magazine.  She appeared to be about sixty years old, wearing dark red Wranglers and cowboy boots, a cherry colored tank top, and a bright red cowboy hat perched on top of a full head of long curly red hair.  At about five foot six, she couldn’t have been a hundred pounds dripping wet.

She isn’t from around here.

Kylah heard Michael mutter, “What the hell is that?” 

I got nuthin.

There simply was no answer for his question.

“Well, you two just gonna stand there gawkin’ at me or ya gonna offer a lady a drink?”  The woman in red dropped the kickstand, dismounted and did a slow swagger toward them like she owned the joint.

Kylah looked over her shoulder to find Michael descending the steps, blinking like a mole in sunlight.  He opened his mouth as his right boot hit the dirt, but nothing came out.  He stopped at the base of the steps.

The woman threw back her head and laughed a hearty, throaty laugh.  Then her reddish-brown eyes focused on Michael.  “Now, what kind of fight is this?  I expected to find you two with your hands wrapped around each others’ throats, rolling around in the dirt—or maybe at least one gun drawn.  How disappointing.”

Be sure to check out the other fragments on the blog hop!

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

 

Initially, I thought the story of Louisa (Lou) Clark and Will Traynor didn’t have much room to grow as Will lived through a tragic accident resulting in his becoming a quadriplegic and Lou acquired the job of his daily caretaker. 

Fortunately I read on. 

A small village adjacent to the misty coolness of London housed Will at his parents’ mansion.  On the other side of the tracks Lou struggled to help her family pay the bills and have food on the table.

With no training, Lou somehow found herself an offer of the job to keep Will company during the day. 

Will made sure no one got too close as he always had a snide remark to pass on.  It would take a special personality to reveal his true, charming nature hidden underneath his defenses.

Honestly, Lou reminded me a bit of Bridget Jones.  A little goofy and a person of her own.  I loved her!  This was by no means a comedy, yet Will notices her endearing traits and lets his façade peel away little by little.

The problem is that Will has an extreme secret and Lou learns of it.  She’s on a mission to convince Will on how he should handle this secret.

Moyes love story is tender and a bit heartbreaking, but a sure novel to remember.  

This Ain’t Yo Momma’s Fairy Godmother!

Okay, so you’re shaking your head and wondering what the heck is Kayce talking about now?  The latest Disney movie?  Noooooo—I am NOT talking about Disney here.  I am talking about Delta Jane…fairy godmother extraordinaire…okay, so fairy godmother “hinky” is more appropriate.  So what?  She’s fun!  And who the heck doesn’t need a little more fun in their life?!

Okay, Missie…Mister…I can see you rolling your eyes.  No, I haven’t lost my mind and yes, I am talking about a fairy godmother…MY fairy godmother.  You don’t believe it?  Okay, let me start at the beginning here.

My fairy godmother is Delta Jane, and she doesn’t look a thing like this picture of yo momma’s fairy godmother.  Quite the contrary, Delta Jane is different…quirky…hinky…brash…cranky… funny… rude… brash…tough… smart…creative…brash…manipulative…and…did I mention brash?  She don’t mince words and she don’t take nuthin’ off-a no one.  My fairy godmother is a one of a kind.  She’s got a pair of lips tattoo’d on her butt and she’s not afraid to use ‘em…er, show ‘em, and she has a tattoo on her shoulder that says, “Bite Me, Cowboy!”  Delta is over three hundred years old but doesn’t look a day over sixty (a young sixty).  She’s cowgirl to the bone and dresses in Wranglers, cowgirl boots, and hats…and she is always color coordinated.  If the hat is red, the clothes are red, the boots are red, and the hair and eyes will match too.

(Remind you of anyone we all know and love?  Someone with lots of long, full, curly red hair perhaps?  I’m just sayin……)

 

Delta might be a cowgirl, but don’t try to put her on a horse or in a Volkswagon; this fairy godmother rides an Iron Horse—a Harley.  Oh, and in case you were wondering…if the hat is red, the Harley is red too.

I know…you’re still shaking your head and wondering if I’ve gone around the bend.  Nope.  I have not.  Delta is a major character in my next published work which…(YeeHaw!)...is available now on Amazon.  Oh yeah…doing the happy dance!  Midnight on the Double-B is a short story I wrote to introduce my fairy godmother, Delta Jane, to the world.  She will make you laugh.  She will make you go “huh?”  And those of you who know me will “get” that if I had a fairy godmother, I would most certainly get a hinky one with attitude—one exactly like Delta. 

So if you’re tired of the tried and true, sugar ‘n sweet, grey hair and glasses, wand in hand type of fairy godmother, try mine!  Try the old broad with the hat and boots, the wild hair, and tattoos who rides in on a Harley with the mangiest dog on the planet, to turn everyone’s world upside down as she tries to help Kylah McCombs and Michael Beasty save their ranches while they fall in love.  All ya gotta do is follow this link over to Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Double-B-Kayce-Lassiter/dp/1492208310/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1379132806&sr=8-2 and pick up your copy of Midnight on the Double-B, a short story that is available in both print and Kindle format.  In the back of this fun little book, you will also find an excerpt from my next book, Loons of a Feather, which is the first full-length novel in a four book series about the adventures of Delta Jane, FGM extraordinaire.  Look for Loons of a Feather to be available later this year at your favorite retailer.

By the way, if you like the cover, I’ll let you in on a little secret…I designed and created it myself.  Yeah, baby!  Of course, if you don’t like it, I’ll lie and tell you I hired a professional to do it.  LOL

If you’re undecided on whether or not you’d be interested in my hinky fairy godmother, be sure to tune into this blog on 9/20 and again on 10/4, when I will be posting excerpts from the story.  That’s sure to make up your mind.

Oh…and I almost forgot…I am giving away two free e-copies of Midnight on the Double-B, so be sure you leave a comment on this blog for a chance to win a free e-book.  Honestly, what could be better?  Hinky, cranky cowgirl fairy godmother AND free!  And all you gotta do is say HI?  Did I mention this quirky little story is a new twist on some old fairy tales?  Which ones?  Hmmm...well, let's just say "fairy godmother" and "Michael Beasty" are both hints.  Care to guess?

That’s my story, fun and fantabulous, and I’m stickin’ to it.  Hang on tight now ‘cuz we’re gonna go real, real fast!

Love ya, 

Kayce

 

MASQUE by Lexi Post on Paranormal Fragment Fridays Blog Hop

Welcome to the first week of Paranormal Fragment Fridays Blog Hop! This will be a month long. Each stop on the blog hop will have an author posting a "fragment" of his or her paranormal work on Fridays and Happily Ever After Thoughts is featuring its paranormal authors.

Today, I am happy to post a fragment of a scene in my erotic romance, Masque. Here the hero, Synn, and the heroine, Rena, return to her room only to find an evil ghost waiting for her. It is her first introduction to an unlikeable ghost. All the other encounters have been wonderful. Hope you like it :-)

Always, Lexi

Fragment from Masque:

Rena shivered at the sly grin on Eric’s face long before he reached toward her, but Synn’s reactions were far quicker than hers. He grasped Eric’s wrist and from the look on the ghost’s face, Synn’s grip wasn’t comfortable.

“Do not tempt me, Eric.”

Eric’s sneer reminded Rena of a clown in a horror movie she once watched.

“What are you going to do, Synn? Kill me?” He laughed, the scratchiness of the sound irritating her nerves.

Synn dropped Eric’s hand. “There are fates worse than death, and I do have friends in high places.”

Eric snorted as he rubbed at his wrist. “I don’t think the great prince will be of much help. He’s sunk to depths even I can’t reach, though I do try.”

Synn pulled her back against his chest. “I believe you were just leaving, never to return.”

“And yet, never going far either.” Eric’s raspy chuckle as he left reminded Rena of a man who’d had his larynx removed. She shivered in response.

Synn pulled her into his arms. “He won’t come in here again.”

She nodded against his hard, naked chest, but she wasn’t sure she believed it. Eric’s attitude told her he wasn’t through with her yet, and she wouldn’t like whatever he cooked up.

Synn lifted her head from his chest. “Would you like me to stay with you tonight?”

Her heart tripped at the idea of lying next to his magnificent body and falling asleep. That would be heaven. Or maybe better yet, they could make love in her bed and—

“Rena. If I stay with you, it will only be to sleep. Otherwise, I should leave.”

Her disappointment must have shown because he smiled knowingly at her. But the truth was, at least tonight, she’d feel safer if he was with her. “Please stay.”

Be sure to check out the other fragments on the blog hop! 

Reading Time

     Oh my gosh! I actually have some free time (carefully carved out of my busy schedule) so, of course, my thoughts go toward….reading a book. I downloaded a bunch of Tessa Dare’s work onto my Kindle (thanks to a gift card for Amazon) and I can’t wait to dig in.

            So when an opportunity like this presents itself, how do you get ready? Do you sit in a favorite chair? The couch? Lay in bed? Do you have a nice tall glass of iced tea? Or wine? Coffee? What about something to snack on? Because you know you’re going to be sitting there for quite some time. Cookies? Cake? A big bowl of chips? Chocolate?

            For me, it’s the corner of the couch. I rest my Kindle on the arm. There’s a cup of freshly brewed coffee next to me and a bowl of grapes (I’d rather have some Pepperidge Farm Mint Milano cookies, but when in reading mode, I can demolish a whole bag and that’s not good for my waistline). Okay, now I’m ready.

              And here comes the dog with that look in her eye and her stuffed animal in her mouth. She wants to play simply because I’m sitting down for a change. *sigh* Looks like this carefully arranged reading time will have to wait.

As always, happy reading!

Marie