Jacqueline Noir Interview and Giveaway!

Alexis: Today we are chatting with Paranormal Erotic author Jacqueline Noir. 

Welcome Jacqueline. What made you chose this title for your debut book?

Jacqueline:  There are a few reasons why I named the book Red. One of the biggest is because of Sadie’s red hair. In my head I pictured her with this long, gorgeous light red hair. The other reason is a spoiler so I can’t disclose the reason. You will just have to read it and see why.

Alexis: Can't wait! What are you working on now?

Jacqueline:  I’m working on Layers of Smoke which is a dark contemporary romance. It has a forbidden, dangerous, and intoxicating vibe. There is a sneak peak at the end of Red.

Alexis: What has been the best piece of advice you ever received for your writing career?

Jacqueline:  Patience. I’m a ball of energy and tend to do things on a fast paced setting. This is a good and bad quality to have. Sometimes I reread what I wrote on a writing binge and can tell where my fingers didn’t match the speed of my mind.

Alexis: Does your pet help with your writing or distract?

Jacqueline:  I have three pups but the biggest baby is my mastiff mix, Ruger. He likes to lay his head on my arm while writing. My husband is constantly having to take him out of my office so I can focus.

Alexis: What do you think everyone should know about your husband?

Jacqueline:  My husband keeps me alive. Literally. Throughout this journey I have found my head in the sand. He makes sure the bills are paid, the house is clean, and that I have a stockpile of coffee at my fingertips.

Alexis: You are one lucky lady! Thank you, Jacqueline, for visiting us here on Happily Ever After Thoughts.

Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card.

Red Blurb: 

The first time those haunting gray eyes pinned her, they’d stared at her from the face of a creature that was supposed to only be a legend. A cliché.

 

When Sadie VonRouge moves to Casterton, Oregon to live with her aunt, she expected a sleepy little town; the perfect backdrop for her to start piecing back together her life. She wants nothing more than a normal start to her freshman year of college.

Normal is the last thing she’s going to get.

The night she was attacked, it’d been a wolf that chased her down. A wolf that tackled her to the ground. A wolf that began sniffing her. Then she’d opened her eyes, and she’d come face-to-face with him.

But she was delusional. She knew this. There’d been no man.

At least, that’s what she tells herself over and over, even while fighting back the memory of how sinfully gorgeous the man had been, or how viciously he’d growled out that one word:

Mine.

Sadie doesn’t know what is happening to her, or why she’s beginning to exhibit odd symptoms after the attack. All she knows is that her world has been drastically changed. She has no idea how much, or how serious that man’s claim was. Not until he comes back into her life, demanding the one thing that he owns above anything else.

Her.

Thrust into a new world, Sadie is going to be forced to deal with a reality she never expected.

And a dominating, scary, dangerous male that might just not give her any choice but to accept her new life . . . and the fact that he comes along with it.

“You belong to me. I own you. Forever.”

Buy Links:

Amazon US

Amazon UK   

Barnes & Noble

About Jacqueline:

Jacqueline Noir lives in Phoenix, AZ with her loving husband, three pups, and her 'small human'.

She loves everything paranormal from the movies, television, books, and adventures to haunted places. When she isn't dreaming of werewolves, witches, and all things that go bump in the night, she is busy creating hot and romantic stories that bring to life all these creatures in their most alpha form.

Her stories feature kick-butt female leads, hot dominant alphas and a whole lot of wicked trouble. Her love for books has taken from being an avid reader, to a book blogger and now an author.

Her debut novella, Red, is the first in the paranormal erotic VonRouge series.

Author Links:

https://www.facebook.com/MaEJacquelineNoir

https://www.twitter.com/JacquelineNoir

https://www.pinterest.com/JacquelineNoir/

https://www.tsu.co/jacquelinenoir

https://instagram.com/jacquelinenoir

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Romantic Times a Thrill!

Wow! Just got back from the Romantic Times Convention and what a great time! It's still going on, but I had to return home due to book deadlines. Need to keep writing my books for my readers. That's a priority :-)

Tuesday night was a blast  at the Cover Model party. Had this photo taken with the cover model for my next book COWBOY'S MATCH. Don is a classy guy and very nice. You may recognize him from many of Becky McGraw's books :-) 

I also, got to watch the cover models do some dancing and of course danced a bit myself ;-) It was great hanging out with nine of the twelve Cowboy 12-Pack authors. I couldn't ask for a better group of ladies to have done a box set with, or to have fun with at RT. 

The next morning was a real thrill because Kathryn Falk, owner of Romantic Times magazine, called all us Cowboy 12-Pack authors up on stage so we could announce our next project 12 ALARM COWBOYS! Yes, we have created another 12 book set that features cowboy firefighters. In fact, it is already up for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and others! Each book in the box set focuses on a different aspect of the theme and will be a great read :-) This hot set will come out on August 4th. 

My fellow cowgirls are still at RT having a great time, but I had so much fun hanging out with Elle James, Sabrina York, Beth Williamson, Becky McGraw, Donna Michaels, Randi Alexander, Cynthia D'Alba, and Paige Tyler. We missed not having Sable Hunter, Delilah Devlin, and Cora Seton there will us, but don't worry, their books are in the new box set as well.

Oh, I almost forgot. Every one of the novellas in this set is a new story, not to be found anywhere else!  So 12 new hot cowboys coming your way for summer for only 99 cents! How can you beat that?

If you can't wait for the full set, be sure to be on the newsletter lists of each author (to sign up for my monthly update go here). My guess is that some of us (wink wink) will be sending out some sneak previews. Oh yes, and Don would like you to know that he is on the cover of the box set and on 4 of the book covers in the set. It's fun comparing abdominal muscles to figure out which four ;-) Trust me on this, I know.

Becky and Lexi

Always, Lexi
www.lexipostbooks.com 

Kissing the Highlander: A Five Novella Swooning Experience

By Authors Terry Spear, Eliza Knight, Vonda Sinclair, Willa Blair, and Victoria Roberts.

My Dearest Fair Maidens,

Do you need a rogue in your life? A brawny Scot with lust in his eyes, perhaps? There are five in this book! I must admit to my everlasting shame, if I ever found myself transported back in time to meet a muscled Highlander, I’d be as ridiculous as one of those swooning nitwits that novels poke fun at. Sigh! But, thankfully for everyone, I’m in stuck in the 21^st century.  This book is the next best thing.

I originally bought the book because one of my favorite writers, Eliza Knight, has once again wielded her steamy pen and added her novella to the lineup. With five novellas in all, there is a little something for everyone. There are “awww” moments and fan-yourself-off simmering moments. And when they include little nuggets of “pulsing flesh” and “heated loins”, you know you have a winner. Tee Hee.

So, that being said, I’m giving this a three swooning maidens rating out of five. I enjoyed this book, but since the authors vary in style, it’s hard for me to not be a critic and pick my favorites (I preferred three out of five, hence the rating). I won’t tell you which ones; you can decide for yourself. If you’re going to buy, do it now! This gem is available for 99 cents through May 15^th! It’s well worth the money and has great five star reviews even though I’m a curmudgeon. I did, however, give it four stars on Goodreads.

Available at  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iTunes.

Post for next month: My Traitor. Keep a look out! I will be giving away some cute charms.

Fare thee well, Lassies.

Who Thought Up Squished Boobs, Anyway?

Hey folks, I’m back…just like a bad penny.  LOL  Sorry for the absence, but I’ve been busy retiring—which is done now, so I can now blog and write more books.  YEAH!!!  So today’s my turn to blog.  Here goes nuthin’.

Well, for me, Tuesday of last week was the day that women around the world dread 364 days out of each and every year…at least, it’s the day they should dread. Oh hell, that’s not right either. I don’t mean it should be a dreaded day…I just mean they should be doing it every year even though it ain’t fun. Cut to the chase? Okay…Mammogram Day. It was the day I was scheduled for my yearly mammogram—which I haven’t had done in over two years. My very dear friend, Judi Thoman/Brit Blaise, recently passed from breast cancer.  So I vowed to get current on my mammogram in her honor…and I encourage every one of the women out there reading this to do the same. Remember, someone loves you very much…do it for them! And if you are a man, please share this reminder with the women in your life.

Anyway, in honor of Judi/Brit, I decided to resurrect an old mammogram blog that I did a couple of years ago.  It’s a story that all women can relate to and never becomes irrelevant.  So I hope you get a laugh out of it and take this opportunity to schedule yours!

Well, today’s the day…Mammogram Day!  The big M, the dreaded vice, the contemporary equivalent of the rack, a modern day torture device that I have no doubt was invented by a man with a deep-seated hatred for the opposite sex.

Think about it! Only a man who hates women would come up with an idea like that. If a woman had invented it, the damn thing would be cushy and pink and warm. You’d be able to sit down while it gently gave you a massage, ran warm water over your feet, and you’d be able to get espresso or wine (your choice) out of the little compartment on the side.

But no…instead, we’ve got a cold, chrome monster that morphs like a transformer into whatever position can inflict the most pain. You have to stand at an impossible angle with your boob pointed off to the left or right, your feet pointed straight in front of you, your chin in the air, your shoulder limp at your side, and one hand stretched around the back to hold onto a handle the nice man conveniently provided…Thank You, Mr. Inquisitor! And you do all this while the nice lady smiles, gropes your boob, squishes it, moves it left and right, rolls it into a ball, flattens it like pie crust, and then pushes the button that makes another cold plate drop on top of it like a falling elevator. I swear, when she dropped that plate on me, the wrinkles pulled out of my face and my eyebrows touched my nose…sort of the opposite of a face lift.

It’s all you can do to not scream as your boob is squished like a slow-minded squirrel trying to cross the highway. You hold on for dear life and draw blood as you bite down on your tongue, all the while the machine is squeezing your left tit so hard that the blood shoots backward, up into your brain. I don’t think blood’s supposed to run through a vein in both directions…it tends to create a whirlpool effect, making you feel like you’re about to pass out…which is probably the only way they can get you to hang onto that damned machine!

Now, it wouldn’t be bad if they only did this once. I could maybe take that…or even twice I would understand…I do, after all, have two breasts. But NO! They gotta take two or three runs at each side. Gotta get a good shot…a good picture…a clear view. Of what? My armpit? My collarbone? My jowls? Because they are ALL squished in there right along with my poor aching ta-ta. The whole test takes maybe fifteen or twenty minutes…then I spend the next 364 days recovering my dignity, swearing I’ll never do it again, and building up the courage to finally schedule another appointment.

Now, as if that isn’t bad enough…apparently, it’s important to keep track of your nipples during this process. The story goes that you have to know where the nipple is at all times in the picture because it tends to create a shadow that can be misinterpreted. The nice woman with the annoying smile explained that the breast tends to roll and the nipple winds up in awkward positions during the test. Ya think? I can tell ya just exactly how that happens!!! Anyway, she says they must keep track of it—hence, the chilly metal BB they tape directly to the center of each nipple. Thank God, I only have two!

So, now that the test is over and you’ve survived, it’s time to get dressed and the nice woman with that smile that’s starting to piss me off says, “Oh, and honey, don’t forget to remove those BB’s before you put your bra on.”

Crap! I think she stuck ‘em on there with Gorilla Glue…now I have to peel ‘em off. This isn’t going to be pretty! I stand in the dressing room naked from the waist up, staring down and building up the courage to rip off the first one. I remember this part from last year and I briefly wonder if it would really be all that uncomfortable to just wear them until they slough off on their own. But with my luck, I’d forget and end up in jail when I set off the metal detectors my next trip through airport security. There’s a Kodak moment for ya! No, I’ll do it. So I take a deep breath, get a good grip on the edge of the tape, and yank real fast…like mom taught you to do with stuck-on band-aids. YEOW!!! Now I’m panting, trying to get breath into my lungs which have slammed shut from the pain. I just can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am that I don’t have hair on my nipples. Although, if I did, it might be one way to get insurance to pay for a good waxing.

Apparently, there was a problem in the past with those little BB tapes not staying in place…because some jackass has gone and improved the adhesive. And when I find him, I’m going to beat him to death with my purse. Crap! I still have one to go. Okay, long story short, I got the other one off, got my clothes on, and fled that torture chamber like my ass was on fire.

Ya know, I commented to the nice woman as she was grinding my left boob into the cold plate on the machine that if men had to take this test, they probably would quickly invent a more user-friendly contraption.

She chuckled and said, “Well, you know, some men do get breast cancer, so we occasionally have to put their breasts in it too.”

I stared at her like her last brain cell was squeezed into that device right next to my throbbing ta-ta. Men’s breasts? Are you kiddin’ me? Hell no! I had other body parts in mind!!!

That’s my story, impossible and important, and I’m stickin’ to it. Go get yours today…PLEASE!  Hold on tight now ‘cuz we’re gonna go real, real fast!

Love ya,

Kayce

A Walk Down Memory Lane

     My son’s fiancé asked me to send her some pictures. You know the kind—photos of when my son was young, of us as a family, even the dogs we’ve had over the years. So last Saturday night, I sat down and started going through the two big bins I have to try to pick out pictures I thought she would like.

     Oh my gosh—so many pictures. So many memories! A flood of warmth, a few laughs and yes, a few tears, too.

     Birthdays and holidays and weddings shared with family and friends (some of whom are no longer with us, but never far from my thoughts), camping trips and school pictures, candid shots of goofing around, hazy photos of places we’ve been and people we’ve met (I’m a really lousy photographer, but I don’t care).

     Some of my favorites? My son, age two, in his feetie pajamas, grape jelly all over his face; sleeping with our first German Shepherd, Maggie, who didn’t move the whole time he cuddled against her; in his Little League uniform, all smiles beneath his baseball cap; dressed as a pirate (complete with plastic hook) for Halloween; laughing with Goofy and Mickey Mouse at Disneyland when he was six; all bundled up and playing in the snow before we left New Jersey for the warmth of Arizona.
      Other favorites? My husband before he was my husband, sitting on the couch my grandmother had given me for my first apartment, wearing the Andy Capp hat he was fond of (and still has), grinning that grin I fell in love with; then later, on that same couch, holding our son only a few days old, the expression on his face one of pride and happiness.   

     Pictures of the house we bought on the day we moved in (eighteen years later, we’re still here).   

     I even found a photo I hadn’t seen in years—me and my girlfriends, dressed to the nines (hair, makeup, nails polished to match our outfits), ready to embark on an adventure. We were eighteen (so young and my gosh, I was so skinny) and heading to New York City (only thirty-minutes away on the other side of the Holland Tunnel) to see a movie at Radio City Music Hall then dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. We were so full of dreams (mine was writing…still is), so full of the promise of a life ahead.

     By the time I was done, I was grinning like an idiot and feeling so….blessed (it’s the only word I can come up with) and lucky—that I had these photos to remind me of how good life can be. And it is good.

     What are some of your favorite memories?
As always, happy reading (and walking down memory lane).
Marie

SEAL'S SEDUCTION by Elle James released!

SEAL'S SEDUCTION by Elle James

(Take No Prisoners Series #6)

Home on emergency leave, Navy SEAL Dustin "Dustman" Ford didn't expect  to run into his high school sweetheart, local news reporter Jenna Turner, figuring she'd have shaken off the dust of their hometown a long time ago. A woman as addicted to action and adventure as he was, he thought she'd have moved on. But she was still there, and every bit as distracting as she'd been when they were teens.

Jenna Turner never got over Dustin, but moved on with her life, establishing herself as a news reporter for the local station. In an effort to take on more than reporting social events and weddings, with the help of a cousin and an inside connection on the police force, she chases the hotter news items, determined to make her break into the national news scene.

Now that his father is on the mend, Dustin tests the heat with his old flame and finds it's sizzling. When Jenna is taken hostage in a religious compound, Dustin and his brothers stage a rescue operation to bring her and others out alive.

Buy here: Amazon| Ibooks |Nook | Kobo |ARe

Excerpt

With the sun glaring off the glass, he didn’t see what was behind it until he slammed into a young auburn-haired woman with a bandage around her forehead, rising out of wheelchair. He dug his boots into the smooth tile floor, but not soon enough to halt his forward momentum. Dustin barreled into the young woman, grabbed her around the middle, threw himself over onto his back and landed hard on the ground, the woman landing on top of him, forcing the air from his lungs.

“What the hell?” The female pushed against his chest and stared down at him, her green eyes shooting flames. “Of all the idiotic, stupid things to do, plowing into a hospital full of sick and injured tops the charts.”

Still fighting for his breath, Dustin opened his mouth but nothing came out. He sucked in a ragged breath, his mind clearing about the same time as recognition dawned. “Jenna?” he wheezed.

The woman’s skillfully arched brows puckered, and then a smile lit her face. “Dustin?”

She rolled to the side and air flowed into Dustin’s lungs.

Her joyous smile crashed into a deep frown. “Holy hell, can’t you enter a building like everyone else?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.” Dustin sat up, grabbed her arms and stared into her face, memories of the woman crashing in around him. “Are you okay?” God, she was even more beautiful than when he’d left for Navy Basic Training a decade ago. He nodded toward the white gauze wrapped around her head. “Why are you wearing that?”

The bandage slipped loose and dropped down over one of her eyes. “Damn.” She unwound the binding from her head and wadded it into her fist. “I told them this was too much.” A butterfly bandage stretched over a cut on her temple, holding the edges of skin together.

His grip tightened. “What happened to your forehead?”

She snorted, shook free from his hold and pointed at the injury. “This little thing?”

“Don’t let her fool you. It’s a gunshot wound.” A tall, lanky man with a baby face extended his hand to Jenna. “Need a hand up?”

Jenna placed her hand in his and let him draw her to her feet, her color rising in her cheeks. “It didn’t hurt.”

“Yeah, but had it hit one inch over, you wouldn’t be falling all over a man in the hospital lobby. You’d be stretched out on a table in the morgue.”

Jenna’s face blanched.

“Damn, Jenna.” Dustin pushed to his feet. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Jenna smoothed her hair back from her face, like she did when she was avoiding an answer. She winced when her hand brushed over the bandage.

The lanky dude answered, “We were reporting on a hostage situation when the gunman started shooting at everything. After the gunman was hit by the SWAT team, his shots went wild. One nicked my girl, here.”

“Damn.” Dustin planted himself in front of her, cupped her chin and studied the injury, his hands tingling with the electricity that shot through him whenever he touched this woman. Even after ten years, she still made him crazy.

“The doctor said it shouldn’t leave much of a scar.” Jenna laughed shakily. “He glued it together, rather than stitching.”

Dustin shook his head. “What have you been up to since I’ve been gone?”

Jenna pulled free of his grip, the color returning to her cheeks. Rubbing her hands over her arms, she tilted her chin. “I’m a freelance reporter for the local news station.”

The young man behind her grinned. “Yeah, and she’s good. Today’s report ought to get us into the national news.”

Dustin glared at the man who’d gone with Jenna into danger. “Who the hell are you?”

The young man’s grin slipped. “Toby.” His own eyes narrowed. “Who the hell are you?”

His chest swelling out, his back stiffening, Dustin answered, “Dustin Ford. Jenna’s fiancé.”

Toby’s brows rose into the hair hanging down over his forehead. “Fiancé?” He glanced from Jenna to Dustin and back to Jenna. “Is there something you haven’t told me?”

She shook her head. “Former fiancé. A million years ago.” Jenna brushed her hands over her rumpled skirt suit. “We were teenagers in lust. Not a brain between the two of us. We’re lucky we broke it off before we made the biggest mistake of our lives.”

 

About Elle

s a former member of the Army and Air Force Reserves, Elle's traveled across the United States and

to Germany, managed a full-time job, and raised three wonderful children, Courtney, Adam and Megan. She and her husband, Cleve, have even tried raising exotic birds in the Texas Hill Country. Ask her and she'll tell you what it's like to go toe-to-toe with an angry 350-pound bird! 

In 2004, Elle left her successful career as an Information Technology Manager to pursue writing full time. She loves escaping into her stories, learning and growing with each character and plot. She writes because she likes to experience and evoke all the emotions from happy to sad, funny to frightening. She digs them all! 

At home in Northwest Arkansas, Elle is busy writing tales of murder and suspense for Harlequin Intrigue, Romantic Suspense and Nocture. Her first Harlequin, BENEATH THE TEXAS MOON, was released in March 2006 and was a Romantic Times Top Pick for the month! She 's written numerous stories since and is now writing SEAL heroes. 

Elle's website

Win Amazon Gift Cards Galore and an eBook too!

Hey everyone, I'm part of the Night Owl Reviews Scavenger Hunt!  What's even more exciting is that readers have a chance to win a bunch of amazon gift cards, even one worth $250!  If you want to play, just visit Night Owl Reviews here.

Since we are on the subject of giveaways, there are still 4 of my backlist ebooks available to win! I've posted the Rafflecopter below in case you haven't had a chance.

Good luck to everyone and I hope you enjoy the naked men of Eden :-)

Always, Lexi
www.lexipostbooks.com 
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