#WriteTip - Character Emotion by Starla Kaye, a @DecadentPub #Menage #Romance Author

Fellow Decadent Publishing author Starla Kaye has a brand new menage romance out. In addition to snagging an excerpt from For Ruby’s Love, I also convinced her to give me a writing tip. Ever wondered how to help a reader connect with your character? Let's see what Starla has to say.

Character Emotion by Starla Kaye

If your hero or heroine has gone through a bitter relationship or a divorce, just the sight of a wedding photo might cause a variety of emotional responses.

If a character has suffered the loss of a child, he/she might have a range of feelings from sadness to pain to anger.

The point here is that a writer must dig deep to create characters that seem real to the reader. You need to let the reader feel what the character felt.

Cowboys are my first love when writing a hero. Along with a confident, powerful business executive. Or a medieval Scottish warrior. Or…. Basically I like to write about strong men who know their minds, have set beliefs on how things should be done, and knock heads with a woman who makes him a bit crazy.

For Ruby’s Love, my latest release from Decadent Publishing, has two such heroes and that type of woman. Calhoun Cordell and Daniel Patterson first made their appearance in The CEO and The Cowboy. While they had worked out their differences at that time and had settled into a loving relationship, I always felt something was missing. Someone who could both draw them closer together and shake up their world. In walked Ruby Tuesday McMurtry.

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Buy Links 

Decadent | Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo 

Where to Find Starla Kaye

Starla Kaye has published: 20 novels, 38 novellas, 18 short stories, and 8 anthologies with Black Velvet Seductions, Decadent Publishing, Blushing Books and Red Rose Publishing.

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Amazon Author Page

For Ruby's Love
by Starla Kaye

Calhoun’s a simple cowboy with more problems in his life than he can handle at the moment. After nearly two years, he struggles to hang onto a relationship with Daniel, his first male lover. Daniel is worried about him because of the fire, his concern for his prized breeding mare, and because he is determined to buy the neighboring ranch to expand. But Daniel isn’t a businessman without goals of his own for expansion, a fact that frustrates Calhoun as well. He doesn’t want to lose Daniel, but will their differences finally be too much?

Daniel considers himself a lucky man to have met the rancher, someone almost his opposite and someone who he doesn’t want to live without. Standing beside the moody Calhoun has been difficult since the fire that burned down a horse barn, took the lives of two valuable horses, and traumatized a favored mare. Along with all of that, his harried friend is determined to expand his ranch holdings. Daniel is against the purchase and would prefer to find a way to slow the man down. Lately, he’s also begun worrying if maybe he isn’t enough to satisfy his lover’s needs.

Complicating everything even more, Ruby shows up later than expected at Calhoun’s ranch to honor a job as a horse therapist that her father had agreed to before his sudden death. She knows what happened to the mare and is certain she can help her, if given the chance. But the stubborn rancher can’t get past the idea of her being a woman, someone not strong enough to work with such a damaged horse. They butt heads over the matter until she finds an ally in Daniel. He is concerned and yet believes in her abilities. Another problem arises, though. She and Calhoun have been skirting around an unwanted attraction, and then she discovers another surprising interest between her and Daniel.

Excerpt

When a tear managed to escape and slide down her cheek, he experienced the same distress as earlier, when she’d admitted her father died. Something about a woman crying always got to him.

He got up and went to her. She looked so small, so defenseless, kind of lost. He didn’t mean to touch her. Yet, he reached down and wiped away the tear with a thumb. His gut tightened at her velvety-soft skin. He hadn’t been this close to a woman in a while, caressed one…or had sex with one. He almost backed away.

But she held him in place by looking up at him with her sad eyes. Misery lurked in the depths. As their gazes remained locked, the heat of awareness fired in them. She drew in a shaky breath. Her pretty brow furrowed as if in confusion. His reactions to this stranger, this young woman whose emotions were all over the place, puzzled him. One moment she bristled, another she challenged him, and in another she pulled on his heartstrings with her pain.

Before he could move, the furnace kicked on, blowing warm air around them, mixing in her light floral scent as it surrounded him. He also caught the essence of her. His body tensed; his cock hardened.

Shocked, he pulled his hand back and stepped away. This was wrong. He felt as if he were betraying Daniel. He would never betray him.

Guilt weighing on him, he turned to the windows, unable to face either of them. “We should go get your car,” he blurted out.

“Truck,” she corrected, sounding bewildered by his abrupt change in mood.

His cock hadn’t softened when he put distance between them. He could still smell her, hear her sensual voice. No way could he take her to her truck. He needed time to get his body back to normal and get his head straight.

“I’ll get a ranch hand to go with you. You can stay in one of the guest rooms tonight.” He hesitated. “Before you leave, I’ll pay you for making the effort to come here.”

Without looking at either of them, he strode across the room toward the doorway. “I need to find that phone number for the other horse whisperer.”

In the next instant, she moved right behind him. She grabbed a belt loop. “Whoa, Cordell! We need to talk.”

He brushed her hand away and turned around. Her vivid green eyes no longer looked sad; they flashed with anger. The plump breasts he’d been trying not to notice strained the fabric of her pink plaid Western shirt. Otherwise, she stood stiff, her temper appearing to sizzle. Damn if he didn’t find her cute as hell.

And that notion frightened the bejesus out of him. He needed to get as far away from her as possible. “We’ll talk tomorrow. You need to get your truck and get some rest.” He shifted back. “I have business to tend to.”

The tenacious woman stepped right up to him. “This business being to call another horse whisperer.” She tilted her chin up and met him eye-to-eye. “Well, cowboy, I’m the second best one in the country.” Sadness slipped back into her eyes, but determination remained as well. “The best now with my father dead.”

God, those expressive eyes were killing him. He fought the urge to tug her into his arms and hold her until she’d shed every tear, until the grief left. Doing that would be a huge mistake for so many reasons. He mentally shielded himself against her.

“Forget it. I’m not letting a puny little thing like you anywhere near Starbright.” If she’d worked alongside her father, Calhoun would no doubt have been okay. Maybe. But the idea of her being alone anywhere near the powerful, troubled, and crazed mare scared the devil out of him. His heart raced.

The woman had no back down in her. She thrust her chin higher. “I’m not puny! I’m not big and muscled like you, but I can take care of myself with any animal.”

He snorted at the foolish declaration and shook his head. “Not with my horse. Starbright can’t be trusted with most work-hardened men, including me at times. There is no way I could trust her not to do you serious harm.”

Once more he turned to walk away.

This time Daniel stopped him. “Give her a chance to at least tell you about her credentials. Let her explain her abilities to work with a traumatized animal.”

He spun to glower at his friend, who looked every bit as resolute as he felt. “No.”

The man gave him a censuring look and ground his jaw. They would have words later. But he wasn’t going to change his mind.

When he glanced at Ruby, her shoulders were tense, her body rigid. But instead of arguing with him, she stormed back to the recliner and grabbed her coat, jerking it on. Grumbling to herself, she snagged her oversized bag and marched past them both and toward the foyer.

Daniel’s expression grew stonier, pissed at him.

“What are you doing?” he asked gruffly.

“Leaving,” she snapped over her shoulder. “I don’t need this job. I came here out of respect for my father’s agreement with you. And out of concern for Starbright.” She picked up her pace, not bothering to glance at him.

“You can’t just leave. I have to get one of the hands first,” he blustered, unable to believe her boldness.

“I don’t need help—yours or anyone else’s.” She stiffened. “I’m going back to my rig, grabbing a gas can, and walking to the nearest town. Not any of your concern.”

“The hell you are!” He strode after her. Lord a’mighty, what an obstinate female.

She stopped long enough to look in his direction and hiss, “The hell I’m not!”

#NewRelease - Untamed and Unabashed by Liza O'Connor (@Liza0Connor ), a #historical #romance

I'm delighted to welcome the lovely Liza O'Connor back to my blog today. Prolific author that she is, she has a brand new romance that should make any Jane Austen fan jump with glee.

Ever wanted to know more about Lydia Bennet? Well, Liza has a few ideas. 

Welcome to Lydia’s Bennet’s Story

by Liza O'Connor

If you’ve read Pride & Prejudice, you know Lydia is the youngest of the five Bennet sisters. Like her siblings she has little chance of making a good marriage. Still, Lydia is not your typical heroine. She doesn’t cry over her hopeless future. She sets about to change it, without concern to propriety or decorum.  Lydia falls to the charms of Wickham when she’s sixteen, certain a marriage to the handsome fellow is the beginning of her fabulous life. Wickham’s many failings reveal themselves in short order and Lydia realizes she’ll have to secure a better future for them both.

Here’s a bit of detail from Pride & Prejudice that touches upon Lydia’s story.

In Pride and Prejudice, the two Bingley sisters and Darcy plotted to separate Jane and Bingley so they could convince the young man that Jane did not love him.

In Untamed and Unabashed, Lydia believes the sisters will attempt to break them up again.

Untamed & Unabashed

by Liza O'Connor

Elizabeth Bennet told her story in Pride and Prejudice. Now Lydia Bennet tells her side of her whirlwind marriage to Lieutenant Wickham. The youngest of five daughters with a pittance of a dowry and no hope for a good marriage, Lydia feared her life was doomed from the start. She learns how to set herself apart from her sisters and gain the attention of young men. She hones charm and flirtation to an art. Willing to take risks, she manages to acquire a substantial dowry and marries her beloved Wickham. Yet, her life remains on the brink until she gains the patronage of a wealthy Duke trapped in a loveless marriage.

 

“Lydia was Lydia still; untamed, unabashed, wild, noisy and fearless.”

—quote by Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Excerpt

Seeing his wife besotted with Wickham, David smiled and gestured for Lydia to sit. He then turned his chair so its back was to his wife. He sat, taking on a languid and bored pose. “You will let me know when they cease their tête a tête?”

She nodded. “Should I retrieve my husband?”

He smiled. “Please do not.”

“Then you do not mind he is seducing your wife before your eyes?”

David frowned at her. “Of course, I would mind such an affront. Why do you think I sit here with my back to them?”

Turning her head, she covered her mouth so she could laugh at his response. Upon regaining control, she faced him. His hungry gaze heated her entire body.

“I have missed you,” he said in the softest of voices.

Fearing tears might betray her, she leaned over the balcony and studied the crowd. “I am so pleased I am not hidden behind the pillar anymore.”

He abandoned his languid pose and leaned forward, speaking softly but with fervor. “You are not, and if all goes well, you’ll never be again.”

She smiled as she stared at the people below. Her life would be grand after all.

Available Now, from Amazon.com

More About the Author

Liza O’Connor’s favorite books are Pride & Prejudice and Douglas Adams’ four book trilogy, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Go figure…

Raised in the southern mid-section, Liza escaped to the East Coast once out of college. She’s worked as a journalist, a radio DJ, a security guard, a stock broker, a strategist, and a business solutions consultant to name a few of her many occupations.  Again…go figure.

She learned to fly planes, jump out of planes, hang-glide, kayak and scuba dive, to name of few of her ‘let’s kill Liza’ moments. However, her favorite activity is to hike with her dog Jess among the shaved mountains of NJ.

Here are additional Historical Novels by Liza O’Connor

A Humorous Sleuth Series: The Adventures of Xavier & Vic

The brilliant English Sleuth, Xavier Thorn, takes on a cheeky apprentice who turns out to be a young woman. Vic prefers to dress as a young man so she can live a more interesting life in the Late Victorian era. Overtime, Xavier makes her his partner in all ways.

The Troublesome Apprentice — The greatest sleuth in Victorian England hires a young man who turns out to be a young woman.

The Missing Partner — Opps! The greatest sleuth in Victorian England goes missing, leaving Vic to rescue him, a suffragette, and about 100 servants. Not to mention an eviscerating cat. Yes, let’s not mention the cat.

A Right to Love — A Romantic spin off from the Adventures of Xavier & Vic. The gypsy pirate Jacko falls in love with a compromised lady of high society.

The Mesmerist — The Mesmerist can control people from afar and make them murder for her. Worse yet, Xavier Thorn has fallen under her spell.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT

LIZA O'CONNOR

Investigate these sites:

Liza's Blog and Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google +

5 Comments

Layla Tarar

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, she enjoys tossing her kick-ass heroines and alpha males into exotic contemporary locales, fantasy worlds, and post-apocalyptic futures. Visit Tara at www.taraquan.com

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#NewRelease - Wolf's Song by Taryn Kincaid (@TarynKincaid), a @DecadentPub #Shifter #PNR

I've teased you with one excerpt from Taryn Kincaid's new shifter romance. Now that Wolf's Song is about to go live, here's another sneak peak to whet your appetite. Without further ado, I'll let my lovely guest take over. 


Decadent Publishing’s new shifter romance series, Black Hills Wolves, debuted in January! All the books are stand-alone, but it’s a multi-authored shared world, created by Rebecca Royce, who knows a thing or two about wolves and romance! She started the ball rolling with Wolf’s Return, about the new alpha returning to the Black Hills pack his father has nearly destroyed. I’m so proud to be a part of the line, with Wolf’s Song, the fourth book, releasing January 30, 2015 and available for pre-order now!

~Taryn

Pre-Order at 
Amazon: 
US | Canada UK | Australia  
Kobo | iBooks

Wolf's Song

by Taryn Kincaid

Ten years ago, visions of death and the babble of lupine voices in his head, drove lone wolf Brick Northridge to challenge his cruel and greedy pack alpha. Beaten by the alpha’s thugs and banished from the pack, Brick lives a life of seclusion in a mountain cabin in the Black Hills.

Born into a rival clan of feline shifters, skinwalker Summer McCoy, in her guise as a raven, watches Brick from afar, giving him back a reason to live through her sweet songs and special gifts.

But when her clan attempts to tear them apart and threatens the pack that banished Brick so many years before, will their love be strong enough to withstand the forces bent on their destruction?

Excerpt

Summer McCoy perched in the uppermost branches of her special Ponderosa pine, in raven guise, engaging in her favorite pastime, spying on the lone wolf chopping wood below. Two days’ worth of whiskers shadowed his rigid jaw. She loved when he forgot—or didn’t bother—to shave. Scruffy stubble suited him.

The sun beat down on the back of his bronzed neck and shone on his hair, the color of roasted coffee, a shade lighter than the dark shadow that charcoaled his face.

She fluffed her feathers in anticipation. Take your shirt off, Brick. She’d heard the giant werebear, Gee, call him that name a decade ago. He’d made some joke about a wall and the hardness of the male’s head. But Brick hadn’t laughed back then. Not ever.

He’d fascinated her from the moment he’d arrived in the glade, bruised and battered. Once she’d learned his name, she’d treasured it, taking pleasure from repeating it often. Secretly, of course. Unwrapping the syllable frequently to admire its radiance in the privacy of her tree house, the way a woman wearing pearls against her warm skin enhanced their luminosity and iridescence.

Now, as if he’d heard her silent urging, he complied with her plea, shrugging out of the plaid flannel and flinging it onto a tree stump. Her beak opened as she sucked in breath. Sweat glistened on his torso, glazing rippling pecs and abs, shoulders broad enough to span the Badlands. A huge, incredible specimen of masculinity. Thick biceps flexed as he wielded the ax. Her heart beat faster than a hummingbird’s wings. Heat licked her.

ABOUT TARYN KINCAID

Taryn Kincaid is a former award-winning reporter and columnist, covering everything from fires and homicides, to corrupt politicians and hero dogs. Nowadays, she haunts courthouses (in least paranormal way).

She is the author of the Sleepy Hollow series--LIGHTNING,THUNDER,FROST,HEAT WAVE and IN FROM THE COLD--sexy paranormal romances for Decadent Publishing's popular 1Night Stand series; BLIZZARD, a short erotic romance for Decadent's The Edge line; HEALING HEARTS, a Regency romance from Carina Press, and SLEEPY HOLLOW DREAMS, an erotic paranormal romance from The Wild Rose Press. Books 1-4 of her Sleepy Hollow series, plus Blizzard, have been compiled in the SLEEPY HOLLOW edition, available in paperback and digital formats. 

Coming January 30, 2015, WOLF’S SONG, a sexy paranormal romance for Decadent Publishing's new Black Hills Wolves shifter line. And coming February 24, 2015 from Fated Desires Publishing, IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT, a contemporary foodie romance.

Visit her at TarynKincaid.com or the Dream Voyagers blog, as well as Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

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