Black Friday - Where You'll Find Me

 

You know where I am right now?  At work. Yep, that’s right. I’m sitting in my quiet office, part of the skeleton crew here to man the stations. :)  And I’m perfectly okay with that!

 

I’ve never taken the day after Thanksgiving off; in fact I would hate to waste the vacation day. First, you won’t find me anywhere near a store on Black Friday, so no biggie. Cyber Monday is more my speed. :) Second, there’s no traffic to commute in, the phones aren’t ringing, hardly anyone around to need anything from me – I get soooo much done!

 

Side benefit, it will keep me away from all those leftovers. LOL. So it’s a good day!

 

Seriously, I would rather do anything else than brave the mall on Black Friday. In my area, there is a busy shopping center and the traffic jam getting in and out of there today would be crazy. Never mind the lines!

 

 

However, there are plenty of online sales going on for those staying clear of the old brick and mortar stores. All Romance eBooks is having a big sale!!  All Decadent titles, including yours truly's, are 50% OFF today – all of them! 

 

This 50% OFF sale is good for Black Friday only so I hope you take advantage!

 

If you’re interested in checking out my titles on ARe, you can find them here:  All Romance eBooks, Tara Andrews

 

To browse all the awesome stories on sale at ARe, you can find them here: All Romance eBooks, Decadent Publishing

1-2-3 Author Q&A with Tara Quan, Author of Frosty Relations

I’m happy to welcome Tara Quan back to the blog!  Not only is she answering three questions for me, she has a new release out, Frosty Relations, and I’m happy to help her spread the news!  This is the second installment in her A Witches Night Out series and also part of Decadent Publishing’s popular 1Night Stand line. There's also a chance to win a choice of gift cards, so stay tuned! 

 

 

 

On Writing

 

What do you love most about writing romance?

 

There’s always a happy ending, with a few giggles along the way. If I can’t make myself smile during edits, then I know I haven’t written a good enough book.

 

The Writer

 

Name the five biggest distractions from your writing.

 

(a)  Other books: I try to schedule my writing around Nalini Singh’s release dates. I can’t concentrate if there’s an angel waiting for me on my Kindle.

(b)  My Husband: I try to distract him with DVR-ed episodes of The Walking Dead, but now and then he demands attention (usually yelling “dinner is getting cold.”). Yes, I know how lucky I am.

(c)  Promotion: I have the hardest time writing during a release window. My email inbox floods, and I end up spending all day writing random stuff.

(d)  Social Media: I had to start turning off Wi-fi when I’m trying to hit a deadline. It’s impossible to focus with Facebook and Twitter a click away.

(e)  Laundry: I might have a “folding” problem. I can’t leave clothes in the drier.

 

The Book

 

What was the spark that ignited the idea for Frosty Relations?

 

I’m a bit of a prompt-writer, and I have the hardest time resisting submission calls. After reading the one for the 1-Night Stand series, I became obsessed with writing a book with Madame Eve’s service set on Christmas Eve (in addition to All Hallows’ Eve and New Year’s Eve). And thus my A Witch’s Night Out series was born.

 

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Here is a little bit about Frosty Relations, A Witch’s Night Out – Book Two

 

On a personal note, I can’t wait to read this one.  I found the first installment, Flirting with Fire, a fun, sexy, witty story that satisfied my need for instant gratification because I read it in one sitting. :)  If you want to learn more about book one, you can here.

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Blurb:

 

Attorney Jack Frost never understood why holidays did weird things to people. His secretary went on vacation, his best friend ditched their annual Aspen trip, and the law firm’s stubborn human resources assistant refuses his clerical support request. What’s a warlock to do on Christmas Eve but go on a 1-Night Stand? But when an oddly familiar empath shows up as his date, this ice mage has a hard time denying the magic of the winter solstice.

 

Faced with an anemic employment market and financial woes, college graduate and former witch Mina Mao lands an HR assistant job at Frost and Sons. Having spent her day saving Christmas from Frost Junior’s Grinch-like behavior, she accepts the gift of Madame Eve’s service and heads over to the Castillo Capital. When her date turns out to be her childhood crush and workplace nemesis, she braces herself for the sexiest icy ride of her life.

 

 

Excerpt:

 

“So the guy seriously had a boner? That’s so messed up.”

 

Mina rolled her eyes at their joint reflection. “I know, right? And since I’m an empath, I could sense him getting, you know, all hot and bothered. Whoever he was fantasizing about, she turned him on big time. I don’t know how he could think about sex when he’s on the verge of exploding from too much unused magic. ”

 

Sweets snorted. “Men—warlocks or human—they care about one thing.” She picked up a handful of Mina’s hair. “Ready?”

 

Mina swallowed. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

 

Using the scissors, Sweets pointed at the set of combs and razors peeking out from a battered leather sleeve. “Can’t you feel the mojo rolling off my grandmother’s enchanted tools? These babies are idiot proof.”

 

Since not even her cousin could squeeze her in after 3:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Mina’s options had been limited enough to make her take a gamble. “But you have done this before?”

 

Patting her shoulder, Sweets bent at the waist and squinted one eye. “I cut Shelley’s hair all the time. She hates leaving the house, remember? Okay, yours is too long. You need to stand so I don’t get a backache.”

 

This idea seemed worse by the minute. Rising to her feet, Mina made a pinching motion with her index finger and thumb. “All I need is for you to take off the ends—nothing fancy.”

 

Her friend’s mock salute didn’t bolster Mina’s confidence. “Your hair is safe with me. Your head is another story.”

 

Mina closed her eyes. “Very funny. Do it already, will you? The anticipation is killing me.”

 

She heard a snip, followed by “Oh, wow.”

 

Her lids snapped up. “What do you mean, ‘Oh, wow’?”

 

She saw the answer for herself. Scissors and razors slashed around unguided in the air, slicing off huge chunks of her tresses in the process. Her friend stood several steps away, staring at the spectacle as if seeing the phenomenon for the first time. Since moving risked impact with pointy magical objects, Mina glared at the culprit’s reflection in the mirror. “I thought you said you’d done this before.”

 

Sweets’s expression lacked any hint of guilt. “Okay, I lied. Shelley’s grandmother is the actual owner of these puppies, and she always uses them on herself in the bathroom. Since her hair turns out fine, I figured they’d work on you, too.”

 

Her hands fisting, Mina hissed, “How do you turn the darn things off?”

 

 

Buy Links:

 

Amazon | AllRomance | B&N | Decadent | GoodReads

 

 

Author Bio:

Globetrotter, lover of languages, and romance author, Tara Quan has an addiction for crafting tales with a pinch of spice and a smidgen of kink. Inspired by her travels, Tara enjoys tossing her kick-ass heroines and alpha males into exotic contemporary locales, paranormal worlds, and post-apocalyptic futures. Her characters, armed with magical powers or conventional weapons, are guaranteed a suspenseful and sensual ride, as well as their own happily ever after. Learn more at www.taraquan.com

 

 

Author Links:

 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon

 

 

To celebrate my release, I’m giving away a $15 gift card. To enter, leave a comment here, and drop your details in the Rafflecopter widget.

 

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Book Spotlight & Giveaway! Wild Pitch, by Karyn Gerard and Gayl Taylor

I’m pleased to welcome fellow Decadent Publishing authors, Karyn Gerrard and Gayl Taylor, today. Not only do they have a hot (just look at that cover!) 1Night Stand, but there's a giveaway, too! So check out Wild Pitch and don't forget to enter to win!

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Title: Wild Pitch 

Authors: +Karyn Gerrard  and +Gayl Taylor 

Publisher: +Decadent Publishing 

Series: 1Night Stand

Genre: Contemporary/Cougar/Erotic/Menage

Add to Goodreads TBR

Can three lonely people keep pain, bitterness, and grief at bay or will emotional fireworks tear down the walls surrounding their hearts?

WILD PITCH BLURB:  

When recently divorced Connie arranges a wild 1Night Stand date for her widowed best friend, Nicole, she’s only got her friend’s happiness in mind. But one glance at the gorgeous younger man waiting at the Cougar Cave convinces Connie to seize the opportunity to act out her own secret fantasy—a three-way—if Nicole is up for the challenge. After all, she doesn’t even know about the original plan. 

Cut from his Double-A baseball team, all Barrett Michaels wants to do is drown his sorrows. But he’s already paid for a 1Night Stand, and with the arrangements made, he decides to go through with it in hopes it will give him one night of happiness before figuring out what to do with his future. Though he asked for an experienced older woman, he receives not one, but two beautiful women, who offer a night of mind-blowing, sensual pleasure. 

Can Madame Eve’s special brand of magic ease the pain and tear down the walls surrounding the hearts of three lonely people?

Note: No FF Interaction

Connie Hollingsway had just found the meat filling for her hero sandwich. As far as she was concerned, the man met all the requirements she’d requested from Madame Eve, and he sat in the exact location where she’d been informed he’d be. Connie cast a quick glance toward her best friend, Nicole Sullivan, and amended her thought to, our hero sandwich. After all, she’d planned the evening for Nikki, as she could use the diversion. Truth be told, so could Connie.

Bass from inane techno music reverberated off the wood-paneled walls of the Cougar Cave. The club buzzed with excitement, pulsating with the promise of sex and the certain knowledge that one-night stands were the main item on the snack menu.

Connie’s gaze slid back to the hottie sitting alone in a booth directly across from them. The guy, in a word, exuded perfection. Ascertaining his age proved difficult under the flashing strobe lights, since he sat underneath a neon sign for Budweiser that cast a reddish glow over his stunningly gorgeous face.

She’d asked for a ruggedly handsome male under thirty, and the hunk seemed to fit the bill. His milk chocolate-colored, tousled hair had an I-just-rolled-out-of-bed appearance. Sexy. Like most young guys, he had scruffy whiskers, but her keen eye observed the delectable cleft in his well-shaped chin. Three empty beer bottles and a half-full glass sat in front of him, and he waved to the waiter for more.

A sly smile curved her mouth. She’d been told, via e-mail from Madame Eve, that the “man under the Budweiser sign” would be game for a one-night stand with an older woman. Drunk enough, he might even be open and willing to consider Connie’s shocking, but sensual suggestion. Warming Nikki up to the idea might prove a challenge though.

Connie had been about to speak, but the words died in her throat the moment he rose, shook off his leather jacket, and hung it on the coatrack on the back of the bench seat. Her mouth dropped in shock, but she quickly recovered. Taller than she’d first imagined, he stood at least a few inches over six feet. A skin-tight black T-shirt hugged his powerful physique. Tucked into a pair of incredibly tight blue jeans, it showcased his torso to sculpted excellence. Denim strained across rock-hard thighs, a muscular, ass and—her held breath whooshed out and ended in a moan—showed off an impressive package. Man-meat was sharpened into hardened precision, enough to rival the marble statues of Greek gods. Even better than she could’ve hoped for.

She had to get a closer look.

Karyn Gerrard Bio: 

Karyn lives in a small town in the western corner of Ontario, Canada. She whiles away her spare time writing and reading romance while drinking copious amounts of Earl Grey tea. Tortured heroes are a must. A multi-published author with a few bestsellers under her belt, Karyn loves to write historicals and contemporaries. As long as she can avoid being hit by a runaway moose in her wilderness paradise she assumes everything is golden.

 Karyn’s been happily married for a long time to her own hero. His encouragement keeps her moving forward.

                                 Karyn's Site/ Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest

Gayl Taylor's Bio:

Gayl Taylor spent much of her youth daydreaming and making up stories. Life in her imaginary world was full of adventure, intrigue, and romance. Temporarily distracted by real life, marriage, three kids, and the necessary paycheck, she found her way back to writing as a hobby and eventually pursued her dream of being a published author.

Although she still has her day job, at night Gayl writes steamy, sensual romance. Her passion for music and sports feeds her imagination inspiring her to write about smoking hot rock stars, sexy athletes, and the women who bring them to their knees. She has three titles published with Breathless Press, Ride a Cock Horse, part of the Naughty Nursery Rhyme line, Lady Luck, and Tea for Three, part of the Wonderland Tales collection, and Wild Pitch a 1Night Stand published by Decadent Publishing.

A native California girl, Gayl lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her three sons and Ozzy, their aloof but loving cat. She is a self-proclaimed coffee addict, closet rock star, die-hard baseball fan, and hopeless romantic.

You can find Gayl at the following places:

Gayl's Site | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Pinterest

AMAZON/ ALL ROMANCE/ BOOKSTRAND/ DECADENT WEBSITE/ BARNES AND NOBLE

/AMAZON.AU/ AMAZON.CA/ AMAZON.UK/ KOBO/ iTUNES

The authors are giving away an eBook each of Tea for Three by Gayl Taylor and My Highlander Cover Model by Karyn Gerrard and a baseball bracelet. To enter the contest, complete the rafflecopter entries.

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