#WriteTip - Slay the Adverbs by @TheaLanden, in honor of her @DecadentPub #dragonshifter #romance

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This writing tip is short and sweet, and one I can totally get behind. Since I'm eager to find out more about Thea's new 1NightStand from Decadent Publishing, we'll get right into it. 

Go easy on the adverbs! I try to limit them to when the most obvious interpretation of the verb needs to be altered. - Thea Landen

Flight of the Dragon Queen

by Thea Landen

For his entire life, Caleb has always been more comfortable surrounded by books and games than other people. When 1Night Stand is recommended to him, he contacts Madame Eve but is too shy to actually meet any of the women she finds for him. Together, they reach a workable solution: a simulated dating experience in a setting reminiscent of his favorite stories.

After following Madame Eve’s instructions, Caleb finds himself in a vivid fantasy world, complete with a damsel in distress who needs rescuing. His objective is clear, but he must find a way around the many obstacles standing between him and Alizeira, the mysterious woman imprisoned in an underground cell.

While working on his plans to save her, Caleb spends time getting to know Alizeira beyond her role as prisoner, and a mutual attraction develops between them. He is unsure whether she’s a real person playing a part like him, or if she’s simply one piece of the elaborate simulation that’s been programmed for his date. Setting her free is the first step to discovering the truth, but how many secrets is Alizeira hiding

Excerpt

Few torches lit up the dank passages, and an unpleasant smell permeated the air. Several captives called or reached out to me as I hurried along, yet I had one goal in mind. When I saw Alizeira in her cell at the end of the corridor, I broke into a run.

“Oh, thank the heavens you’re here!” She rushed toward the door, the heavy chains attached to her wrists and ankles scraping on the stone floor.

I cringed at the noise and put a finger to my lips. “I can’t stay long,” I whispered. “And I don’t think I can get you out tonight. I just wanted to see what we’re dealing with so I can come up with some sort of plan.”

The hurried movements had caused her cloak to slide down one arm, revealing an expanse of pale, creamy skin. Her fingers tightened around the bars to her cage, knuckles whitening, and her brows knit together with worry. “We may be running out of time….”

“What?” A knot twisted in my stomach, and I jerked away from staring at her exposed shoulder. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know all the details. I’ve heard some snippets of conversations drifting past the window and down these hallways.” Deep-red lips pursed in anguish. “But I believe Sampson and his men are plotting an attack on my land. With me out of the way, they’re going to hurt the people I swore to protect.”

The memory of the captain’s sword pointed at my neck lingered in my mind, yet I had to be strong for Alizeira. “How can we stop them?”

“First, I need to get out of here.” Her lashes fluttered and hints of tears glistened in her emerald eyes. “Please, Caleb. You’re the only one who can help.”

I thought of the keys at the entrance to the dungeon, so very close, and then remembered the armed guard sitting in front of them. The bag and shovel would be of little use to me in a fight, even if I managed to sneak up on him without calling attention to my activities. Ashamed at my shortcomings, I turned away. “I want to get you out of this prison, more than anything I’ve wanted in my entire life,” I said. “But I’m no great warrior or swordsman. I’m afraid of what will happen if I can’t be the man you need me to be.”

She reached through the bars and grabbed my arm with surprising force, pulling me toward her. “You already are. I know you can do it.” Her other hand slipped between the spaces to rest right above my racing heart. “Where I come from, we believe strength and courage have nothing to do with how well you wield a weapon or how many foes you’ve slain. There are far more important traits to possess, qualities no one can teach or learn.”

I ached to embrace her, to hold her tight as I whispered all sorts of promises I didn’t know if I could keep. The impenetrable iron barrier stood in our way, so I settled for covering her hand, clasping it to my chest. “Your confidence inspires me.” The warmth of her skin, the way her fingers fit together with mine, even the fact she had sought out my touch made me feel more alive in this fantasy world than I ever had at home. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Alizeira gazed up at me, eyes shining. I tried not to hyperventilate as I debated what to do next. Should I attempt to wrap my arms around her despite the thick bars separating us? Stroke her hair as I had done the previous night? Touch her bared skin? Kiss her?

ABOUT THEA LANDEN

Thea Landen lives in New York with her husband and a variety of houseplants. A former educator, she strives to encourage creativity and passion in all those around her, and uses writing to help inspire. Though she reads and writes in nearly all genres, she has a special fondness for science fiction, fantasy, and adventure and anything that pushes the imagination beyond its usual limits. When she’s not writing, or thinking about writing, her hands and mind are occupied by either yarn crafts or role-playing games.

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Craving #romance this #ValentinesDay? A sweet tooth #witch lands a #shifter chef in my #foodie #pnr

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I take forever between releases, I know, but this delay I blame on scheduling. After all, the days leading up to Valentine's is the perfect time to release a chocolate-focused sexy tale. The next installment in A Witch's Night Out, Feline Valentine allows me to finally give Shelley a happily ever after (she sorta had crap deal in Fireworks at Midnight). Since I took forever to get this done, I made it up to her with a shifter who knows his way around the kitchen (in more ways than one). 

Part of Decadent Publishing’s 1Night Stand Series, my interracial paranormal romance features a witch under house arrest and the warlock next door. A cat familiar, unlikely burglar, and Madame Eve all pitch in to unite the two lust-birds. Add a bag of sex toys, chocolate-covered strawberries, crepe suzette, and a flying carpet, and we get a fun, magical romp that should satisfy any sweet tooth. 

To celebrate Shelley's big night, I’m giving away a $15 gift card. To enter, leave a comment here (or on this Facebook post, if you'd rather) and drop your details in the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of this post. 

Feline Valentine, available at Amazon (US), Amazon (Other), ARe, iTunes, and B&N. 

Feline Valentine, available at Amazon (US), Amazon (Other), ARe, iTunes, and B&N. 

Feline Valentine

A Witch's Night Out

by Tara Quan 

Under magical house arrest in her great-grandmother’s suburban cottage, college graduate and reluctant earth mage Shelley Dupree whiles away most mornings spying on the warlock next door. Though erotic daydreams offer some distraction, she faces long working hours, cash flow problems, and a repeat burglar. On Valentine’s Day, she sets a trap for the mysterious intruder, intent on ending his crime streak once and for all. But her scheming cat familiar foils her best-laid plans, and, with a little help from Madame Eve’s 1-Night Stand service, she discovers a far more dangerous species of magical feline.

After moving in next to a ramshackle building on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., pastry chef Adrien Chatdurois is plagued by repeat sexual fantasies starring the same curvy brunette. In a state of constant arousal, he devotes his early mornings to grueling exercise and spends the rest of his day handcrafting the city’s best chocolates. When his younger brother stirs up trouble on the shop’s busiest day, the frustrated shifter is forced to pay a surprise visit on his reclusive neighbor. He soon learns not all witches are wart-covered hags, and one in particular might prove the most delicious of desserts.

Excerpt (kinda R-Rated, although you probably already guessed)

“Stop hogging the binoculars. It’s my turn to ogle the warlock next door.”

Ignoring the high-pitched whine, Shelley Dupree zoomed in on a pair of sweat-slicked pecs. A prolonged spying session on her new neighbor seemed the perfect cure for Valentine’s Day doldrums. Though Dulcina, her best friend and cat familiar, could turn into an absolute pest when thwarted, the reward for tuning out her incessant requests superseded all risk. After all, Shelley needed to stock up on copious amounts of drool-worthy imagery. How else was a single witch on house arrest supposed to while away the most romantic night of the year?

Prolonged sexual frustration had long since warped her brain, part of the reason she couldn’t tear her gaze from the delicious male specimen on the other side of her crumbling wall. As she watched the man execute a strict pull-up over his doorjamb, her lips tingled. She imagined trailing them over his lightly tanned chest, pictured herself tracing those rippling muscles with slow, sipping kisses.

Her tongue darted to wet the corner of her mouth as she envisioned sliding her hands under the waistband of his red workout shorts. She’d fuel his arousal with teasing strokes before catching the fabric between her teeth and yanking the garment off.

His body lowered, filling her magnified view with a visage stunning enough to choke off her next breath. Thick fringes of sooty lashes framed dreamy, moss-green eyes. His pale skin darkened to a rusty hue as he sped up the repetitions. Glistening with perspiration, midnight curls clung to his sharp, slanting cheekbones. An overlong forelock snaked down to graze his pronounced nasal bridge.

With his lips pursed and eyes narrowed, the intense, menacing expression he wore added fodder to her prolonged sexual fantasy. She could almost feel his coarse chest hair rasping her chin and cheeks, taste salt as she explored the expanse of taut, supple flesh. Her pulse raced, her erratic heartbeat a warm flurry over each fingertip.

As if by magic, his waistband slipped down his hips, sending his shorts pooling to his ankles before they dropped to the floor. Entranced by the unexpected striptease, her attention zeroed in on his penis. Even from afar, the warlock didn’t disappoint.

With a contented sigh, she imagined tracing the ridge, swirling her tongue over the long, thick shaft before taking the engorged tip into her mouth. While she contemplated the way he might taste, deep grooves formed between his thick brows. His full, sensuous lips flattened into a grim line.

She closed her eyes and ventured deeper into the familiar daydream, a moan catching in her throat as his erection slid back and forth over her flesh. Instead of the binocular’s cold metal chilling her hands, the toned, flexing ass she’d always admired warmed her palms and fingers. She took him deeper, until she could almost feel the head brushing the back of her throat. A hoarse, masculine groan echoed between her ears when she hollowed her cheeks and—

“Meow!” A quintet of sharp claws swiped down her calf, the sudden pain shattering her erotic fantasy.

Spinning around, she nudged at the brown, shorthaired cat with her toe. Her friend must really want attention if she’d resorted to shifting into her hated feline form.

#WriteTip - Through Your Character's Eyes by Michaela Kendrick, spotlighting her #SciFi #Romance Dragon's Honor

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It's always fun to welcome a member of the SFRBrigade to my blog. Sci-fi Romance is our specialty, and we've got a pretty diverse crew. While my brand of scientific inspiration is of the zombie-virus/post-apocalyptic variety, I do have a soft spot for intrigue set in space. Without further ado, I present this writing tip from Michaela Kendrick.

Through Your Character's Eyes

by Michaela Kendrick

When you get absolutely, completely, totally stuck in a scene, focus on two things - first, why this story needs to be told; second, what the characters are fighting for. Often, in the maze of writing a whole novel, I start to focus on what I want the characters to be doing. It's a good idea to know what needs to happen, but in order to have the story be authentic, you must focus on seeing the world as the characters do. Focusing on their desires and on the purpose of the story overall banishes my writers block every time!

Dragon's Honor

by Michaela Kendrick

The Warlord...

From high society banquets in the ice covered skyscrapers of New Arizona, to the most far-flung outposts at the edge of human-occupied space, everyone has heard of Ymir. The Alliance's reach is wide, and its soldiers are well trained, but there are always despots powerful enough to assert themselves, and Ymir has been one of the most notable failures of human history: a whole planet given over to a man known only as the Warlord.

The soldier…

Cade Williams was once a Dragon—the most elite fighting unit in known space. Precise, brutal, and unstoppable, they were a last resort in the lawless wastes of space colonization. But there was a price: in one horrific mission, Cade’s unit took down not only a slave trader, but an entire intergalactic carrier. Cade left and never looked back. Haunted by his past, he’s vowed never again to kill, never again to fight, and, filling jobs from dock worker to bartender, he’s managed to keep that vow. But Cade’s life is about to be turned upside down. Because when at last he runs out of options, his old friend Talon Rift appears out of nowhere. Talon, the man who ordered him to take down the carrier. Talon, who wants him to get back in the game. And when Cade won’t, Talon has a job opportunity he seems to know Cade can’t afford to pass up. Protect a woman. An innocent. Remarkably little chance of anything going wrong. And a man needs to eat.

And the trophy wife…

There are two problems: first, that Cade hates Aryn the moment he lays eyes on her; second, that he wants her like he’s never wanted anyone before in his life. Or make that three problems: Aryn’s fiancé is a weapons trafficker with a well-deserved reputation for being ruthless, and Aryn is about to get caught up in one of his schemes - one that will bring her back to the place she only just escaped...the mines of Ymir.

Excerpt

“Cade Williams?”

The words came through the haze of smoke and drunkenness like a hallucination. Cade knew that voice. He was never, ever going to be able to forget that voice, and it had to be a hallucination because there was no way in hell the owner of that voice had chased him across three systems only to walk into a dive bar on the lower streets of New Arizona. So he went back to his drink.

He picked up the glass and stared at it. It was a scotch he’d been nursing for about three hours now, and not just because “scotch” seemed to be a loose term for colored grain alcohol. When he finished his drink, he had nowhere to go. And in the ever-drifting snow of New Arizona—he’d never figured out if the name was born of ignorance or irony—he needed to stay indoors as long as possible. The cold was fierce, and whatever acid was in the water on this planet, it would burn his skin raw in less than a night.

And if he didn’t get ten thousand credits to Osiris within a week, he was a dead man. But one thing at a time. Cade shook his head and let the moment slide away from him, a tiny drift into memory and nothing more.

“Williams,” the voice said again.

That was definitely not a hallucination. Cade’s eyes traveled along the arm that had come down on one side of him. Callused fingertips, last joint of the right index finger missing, the hint of a tattoo poking out from under a blue cuff. The arm underneath the suit jacket was well muscled, leading to broad shoulders and a clean-shaven jaw, and with a sinking feeling of dread, Cade looked up at one of his worst nightmares.

“Lieutenant Rift.”

“Actually, it’s Major now.” Talon’s face was expressionless, as it almost always was. He watched as Cade’s eyes traveled over the understated suit, across the planes of the handsome face. At last, sensing the question Cade would never ask, he flipped over the hand on his resting arm. There, glimmering in the faint light, were blood-red cufflinks.

A Dragon always wore red.

Talon absorbed Cade’s bitter smile in silence.

“You look surprisingly well.” Cade looked down into his scotch and considered drinking the rest in one gulp. The pours in this bar were generous, and with the alcohol being of dubious provenance, a gulp might well kill him. Right now, that wasn’t seeming so bad. It was all coming back to him—without warning, as it always did. He’d known the moment he heard the voice that this was going to be a bad night, even worse than he’d thought—and he’d already thought it would be pretty bad. There was screaming at the corner of his mind, the flashing of the lights in the bar taking on a reddish hue, the emergency exit sign too clear a reminder.

He closed his eyes, clenching his jaw until he thought his teeth would give way. He had to keep breathing, or the memories would take him, and the world would devolve into the chaotic mess he so feared, every face reminding him of the pods, the children pounding on the glass—

He was going to be sick. His stomach heaved.

“Should I go?”

“No.” Cade’s answer surprised even him. He opened his eyes and looked down into his drink again. He could force the world back into its neat shapes if he tried hard enough. In the vacuum of space, in the long silences of a courier’s job, he’d learned to face his fear and press it away.

He could face this, too.

“Okay.” Talon sat, pulled reflexively at both cuffs, and looked over at the bartender. “What won’t kill me here?”

“Don’t try the scotch.”

“Noted.”

About Michaela Kendrick

Raised on the Dragon Riders of Pern, Star Wars, Star Trek, and a whole bunch of historical romances, Michaela grew up adoring the adventure of Science Fiction and the passion of a good love story. Filled with double crossing, grand romantic gestures, sarcasm, and plenty of heat, Michaela's books are just the sort of thing she wants to read herself!

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