#WriteTip - Set Achievable Goals by @MerrynDexter, spotlighting her @DecadentPub #pnr RENEWED SPIRITS

With the prospect of Fall on the horizon (Dear Italy, I'm still waiting on those leaves....), one can't help but look forward to Halloween. Since October is a long way yet, a sexy demon will have to do. Following this short writing tip from my Decadent Publishing pub-buddy Merryn Dexter, there's a fiery paranormal romance for you to check out. 

Set yourself achievable goals. 200 words is great, 500 is fantastic, 1000 is worth celebrating. Don't compare your output to anyone else. Every word is a step closer to your goal of completing your story. - Merryn Dexter

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Renewed Spirits

A Wiccan Haus story

by Merryn Dexter

A Desperate Woman

Wiccan Haus is Raegan’s last hope for a miracle. Unable to produce an heir for her husband, she finds herself abandoned and penniless. Raised to be the perfect wife and mother, her failure has broken her spirit.

A Reviled Demon

Zamahl comes to Wiccan Haus seeking meditation and relief from the never-ending sexual urges of his incubus nature. Driven to seek their true mates, incubi are the ultimate one-night stand from which some females never recover. Shunned throughout the para realms, he doubts he will ever find a woman to satisfy the demon within.

A Forbidden Passion

When Raegan meets the copper-eyed stranger, a passion she never believed herself capable of awakens. Zamahl is horrified by his burning attraction to the timid little human. Humans, weak of mind and body, are to be avoided at all costs.

As the Summer Solstice celebrations continue, Raegan must decide what she really wants from life, and find the courage to claim it. She must overcome Zamahl’s doubts, the disapproval of one very unhappy were-tiger and the fickleness of Fate to find true happiness.

Amazon US/UK/CA/AU | AllRomance | Smashwords | iBooks | Kobo | Bookstrand | GoodReads

Excerpt

 Concentrating on his dinner companions had been a test of his self-control and his self-congratulation at keeping his cool dissolved the moment he watched her slip from the room. Need had gnawed at his gut until Serena and Kaleb had excused themselves and he’d found himself on the patio. The threat of Rekkus pounding his head into a solid surface could not keep him away from this particular human.

Sitting close to her was an act of supreme masochism. The urge to gather her into his arms and carry her to his room crashed against his control as inexorably as the roll of the waves into the rocks below.

Ripe. Ready. Mine for the taking.

He shuddered, grabbing the wicker frame above him in such a hard grip the wood groaned beneath his hands. She was a contradiction; a puzzle. Her shy demeanor and hesitant questions at odds with her throaty plea from their earlier encounter.

Touch me...

Lord and Lady, now she talked about the hot springs. Images of her sliding into a steaming pool, pale skin shining in the moonlight, flooded his brain and he moaned aloud.

“Are you alright?” Her breathy voice sounded too close for comfort and he peered beneath his raised biceps to see her perched on the edge of her seat, leaning toward him. The angle provided a revealing glimpse of the tops of her lush breasts and the wood beneath his hands cracked.

“Who’s Marshall?” Husband? Lover? Tell me you are involved, and I’ll find some way to leave you alone.

She sucked in a shaky breath, fingers balling around the handkerchief clutched in her hands. Her expression clouded for a few long moments before clearing and he watched in fascination as she smoothed the material over her knees and folded it into a neat square. Shoulders braced, she stared him straight in the eye. “Marshall is the past.”

The demon screamed in exultation and Sam cursed himself for asking the question. “Go to bed, little mouse.” He growled.

Confusion furrowed her brow. “Excuse me?”

“You need to go away and leave me alone.”

About Merryn Dexter

Merryn Dexter is a military spouse who, after a varied employment career (from selling sandals to old ladies with bunions to being a health and safety coordinator for a construction company), is thrilled to be pursuing her dream career as a romance writer. She likes The Winchesters, Spike, Hotch, Loki and watching complicated European Noir. Her hobbies include crying at books, crying at movies, crying at tv serials (there’s a theme!) and believes all stories should have a Happy Ending.  

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#WriteTip + #Giveaway - About the Rough Draft by @TL_Reeve, spotlighting her @DecadentPub #shifter #pnr PRIVATE WOLF

It's been a while since I've hosted a wolf-y paranormal romance on my blog, so I was pumped to find out my Decadent Publishing pub-buddy TL Reeve has a new release in the Black Hills Wolves series. After this short writing tip break, we bring you some sexy shifter goodness, as well as a Rafflecopter with all sorts of swag (one of which is a $10 Gift Card). 

"A rough draft is just that, a rough draft. You're not going to win any awards with it, so don't beat yourself up if it doesn't read smoothly. Remember; every great writer needs an editor to help polish up their work. Keep writing." - TL Reeve

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Private Wolf

Black Hills Wolves

by TL Reeve

Shawn Blu, tracker and private investigator, has come home. As a pack tracker, he’s ready to defend Los Lobos and use his contacts to find pack members and bring them back into the fold. So, when Miss Fern, his aunt, asks him to find Brienne Talbert, he’s happy to help out. What he isn’t expecting is to find his mate.

Brienne left home at sixteen, knowing she’d return to the Black Hills and Los Lobos one day. As it stands, in six months she’ll graduate with her master’s degree and there’s no way anyone will stop her now. However, when the hunky slab of wolf Shawn Blu shows up with a tempting offer—a week with her pack, no strings attached—she’s willing to reconsider her harsh stance about not going home.

When one weekend turns into a mating she hadn’t planned on, will she be able to leave it all behind and return to school, or will the call of her pack be too much to turn her back on?

Amazon US/UK/CA | BookStrand | Google Play | ARe | iBook | Smashwords | Kobo

Excerpt

Shawn Blu walked into Los Lobos Café and spotted his aunt at a table near the far wall. In front of her sat a paperback book and a mug, along with a pastry. Behind the counter, Ero took the order from a new female. Her long dark hair was pulled into a messy bun, and her gray eyes glittered with—arousal? If the other wolf noticed, he appeared indifferent to it. Oh well. Bypassing his normal routine, of ordering coffee and Danish, he marched over and sat at the table where his aunt waited. Fern glanced up at him. Her warm, affectionate smile greeted him.

“Good morning, Auntie.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “That twinkle in your eye says you’re up to no good.”

Fern laughed and patted his hand. “I have a job for you.”

A job. Why hadn’t she mentioned it last night when he came over for dinner?

Why did they have to meet in the café? “Okay. What is it?”

“Well, technically, it is two jobs….”

“Okay.”

Ero approached with a cup in one hand and a sweet treat in the other. “You didn’t order. I see why now.” He grinned then winked at Fern.

“I didn’t want to interrupt your time with Cynthia,” Shawn teased. “She’s interested in you.”

“Don’t I know it.” Ero frowned. “But there’s…the spark’s not there.” He glanced at his brother, Luc, who sat in his usual spot.

“Say no more, I understand.” He did, too. They were waiting for their perfect mate. Might be a while, but Shawn had a feeling it would happen. “Thanks for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome.”

Taking a sip of the piping-hot brew, he waited for Ero to leave before returning to the conversation with his aunt. The way Fern watched him—assessing him—left him uneasy. “Should I be afraid of what you’re going to ask of me?”

“Never,” she assured him. “In fact, you’ll win tons of brownie points with Miss Claire if you do this for me.”

About TL Reeve

TL Reeve, is a bestselling, multi-published author with Cobblestone Press, Decadent Publishing, Evernight Publishing, Loose-Id and ARe Books. Living in Alabama, TL misses Los Angeles, and will one-day return to Southern California to ride the waves at Huntington Beach. When not writing something hot and sexy, TL can be found curled up with a good book, or working on homework with a cute little pixie.

You can sign-up for her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/bv07fn

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#WriteTip - Never Give Up by Lisa M. Owens (@_lisamowens), spotlighting her #Contemporary #Romance DAMAGED

Every once in a while, a writer just needs a wee bit of encouragement. As with all endeavors, there comes a time when one's will is low, and the temptation to give up is at an all time high. For the many, I'm sure, who've faced this moment, I give you this writing tip from Lisa M. Owens. If you're a fan of love stories starring military heroes, don't forget to check out the excerpt from her newest contemporary romance. 

My entire life, friends as well as family, put down my dream of becoming a published author. But I knew in my heart what I wanted to do, and kept going. Never allow those miserable, judgmental people the satisfaction of knowing how much their callous words rip you apart inside. Just ignore their cruel comments and keep on going. Never give them the satisfaction of seeing you quit. NEVER GIVE UP!!!! - Lisa M. Owens

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Damaged

More Than A Marine

by Lisa M. Owens

Freedom isn’t free.

Staff Sergeant Austin Chandler learned this lesson well. Dealing with the devastating truth that his military career is over, he is discharged from the Marines and returns home from fighting the war in Afghanistan with battle scars he fears will never heal. But the truth is a bitter pill to swallow when he arrives at the airport and realizes his wife has abandoned him when he needed her the most. Broken in body as well as in spirit, Austin suffers not only from the slow-healing scars on his back, but also the wounds that her desertion has left on his troubled heart.

Until a chance encounter with a beautiful artist leaves him wondering if perhaps some things are meant to be. Trisha Morgan has secrets she is desperately wants to hide. With a troubled past and abandonment issues of her own, she fears love only leads to rejection and pain.

But can two wounded souls break through the battered barriers of each other’s hearts?

Excerpt

Trisha had thought that she would never see him again. Even though he wasn’t hers, he had never been hers; she had always thought of him as her marine.

That airplane flight to Texas had changed her life for the better. It had opened her eyes, in more ways than one. Because of him, she had realized that she had never truly loved Ty and she never would have been good enough for him. Or for his family.

Trisha Morgan had often fantasized about what would happen if she ran across the tall, broad-shouldered, good-looking Marine again. They had had an instant connection, they had both felt it. But since both of them had been attached, nothing more than a new friendship could evolve between the two of them.

Austin Chandler walking in on her while she was as naked as the day she was born was not one of the many scenarios that she had envisioned.

Wet skin. Long legs that seemed to go on forever. Waxed bikini line. Delicately-painted red toenails. Pink-tinged, erect nipples. Large, full breasts still wet from a recent shower. Small droplets of water that he could lick off drop by delicious drop.

She shrieked with surprise, her hands drawing her towel even tighter around her shaking body.

A sudden thought occurred to her.

He wasn’t wearing a ring.

She screamed the sound sharp enough to shatter glass. Wrapping a fluffy, blue towel around her slender body, she paused, apparently not knowing what to say.

When Austin was finally able to raise his eyes from admiring her ass…ets, his dark brown gaze slowly travelled up her perfectly proportioned body before focusing on her flushed, embarrassed face. It was her. The girl from the plane over three years ago.

Their eyes met and time seemed to stand still. This was fate, destiny, kismet.

Trisha stood there trembling. She had imagined this moment for so long, yet when it finally came, it was nothing like she had expected. She had never been one of those girls who hopped into the nearest bed with a complete and total stranger.

But Austin wasn’t a stranger, she struggled to remind herself. She had met him before. He was her hero, her knight in camouflage. He was her marine. She smiled. She wondered how he would feel if she were to confess that little secret to him. Would he be upset or would he be flattered?

A small hint of a smile played on her lips and he dropped his duffel bag onto the ugly, stained orange carpet of the hotel room floor. He had dreamed of this moment, he had longed for it. He had longed for her. On the bed, against the wall, on the tile of the bathroom shower stall, any way he could have her.

About Lisa M. Owens

The writing bug bit Lisa M. Owens at an early age, she was writing short stories and poetry by the age of seven. At the age of eight, she entered a writing contest at her elementary school. About fifty books were written but Lisa’s was one of the thirteen writers chosen who received a certificate and the chance to meet Oklahoma writer Sandy Miller.

A former victim of domestic violence herself, Lisa worked at the courthouse for over seven years. Almost three of those years she worked on the Marriage License/Protective Order desk. She helped women file protective orders and worked closely with the staff and counselors at DVIS.

Frustrated with books who merely gloss over the subject of domestic violence, Lisa wanted to write a book that told the entire story. Her dream is for her words to help give someone the courage to leave an abusive relationship.

She resides in Oklahoma and has two children. This is her first published novel and she is currently working on the next novel of her If Only series.

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