Where In the World Do I Live?? Secret Cravings Blog Hop

 THE TWO WINNERS OF SCP GIFT CARDS ARE:
NANCY & NDULGENT BLOGGER!!!! THANK YOU ALL FOR ENTERING!

Guess where our authors live and win prizes! Here are a few hints to help you guess where I live:
1 - It's a city
2 - It has a section called "chinatown"
3 - It has a lake in the middle where you can rent rowboats
4 - It's nickname is a fruit
5 - It's the only city that has a "village" in it.
Where am I? Leave your answer in a comment with your email address. I'll draw two winners who will each receive a $10 Secret Cravings Publishing Gift Certificate!
Ben Tanner, retired Marine, and I have a new release, a military romance we wrote together. Here's an excerpt:

I can't believe I’m acting this way around a woman I just met.

“What?” Tara stopped to face him, dropping his hand.

“It’s…just…I’ve had so much pain…I—”

“You’re worried about me?”

Remember, she’s on the rebound just like you.

He nodded. The moon bathed her in soft, shimmery light adding to her beauty. They stared at each other at a safe distance for a minute. Tara laced her fingers between his again, pulling him closer as they walked on in silence for a little bit. She broke from him to lean against a palm tree while she gazed at the moon. Mick joined her, looking up as well.

"What do you see?" he asked.

"I see a new beginning...for me...and for you."

He put his arm around her shoulders. Tears clouded her eyes as she turned her face away, but he pulled her to him. Tara hid her face in his chest as her tears fell.

"I’d never hurt you." His whisper carried along on the soft breeze.

"I’d never hurt you either," she murmured, gazing up into his eyes.

Hope I can believe her. I want to, but…

At those words, he pulled her into a hug. Feeling her warm body against his, under the moonlight, on the crystal beach, his heart raced while his mind was at ease.  It had been a long time since he held a woman in his arms, or kissed one either. 

She raised her chin to look in his eyes as he lowered his mouth for a quick kiss. Flinching a bit at first, she relaxed, then clasped her hands behind his neck. giving a small tug. Mick caught the signal, bent to close his mouth down on hers again but with more passion. The slight pressure from his tongue parted her lips. Tara moaned softly as his arms tightened around her. Desire flowed through his veins, his hands itched to touch her breasts, to strip away her sexy dress and feel the softness of her skin against his. Making love on the beach in the moonlight crossed his mind…his pulse kicked up. You hardly know her. Slow down or she’ll bolt.

                         *****************************
CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE BLOG HOP
CLICK HERE FOR MY WEBSITE

INTERVIEW WITH BEN TANNER, MY CO-AUTHOR

Yes, it's true, I managed to corral the real Ben Tanner to do an interview for me. Ben is a private person but here he tells it like it is. In case you want to know what Ben looked like when he was on active duty in the Marines, here's his pic (runs and hides in case Ben is mad) 

Just kidding. Ben has this picture up on his Fb page. So come with me into the den and meet Ben.

Interview with Ben Tanner

Welcome to my blog, Ben. Please sit down. Coffee is perking. I have some Danish here or chocolate croissant, if you prefer. The loveseat is most comfortable. Time to meet our readers. I only have a few questions. Well, maybe more than a few! Here we go.

1)     In the book you thank your parents for encouraging you to read. What did they do specifically to make you love to read?

My parents always encouraged me to go out and be active, and on days that were not nice, they encouraged me to read. They started me out on books that were par with my level and progressed as I did. I loved the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and many others. Also, at Miles Elementary School in Tampa Florida, we had a teacher who kept books and toys on her desk. If you read a book, and wrote a summary/book report, you were able to choose your prize. It was incentive for us to try reading, and there were a lot of good books there. Two that I remember most are “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madame L’Engle and “A Taste of Blackberries” by Doris Buchanan Smith. Come to think of it, I looked both books up on Amazon a little while back and ordered them. They are still as amazing now, as they were then!

2)     What was your favorite book growing up?

“A Wrinkle in Time” and “A Taste of Blackberries”

3)     What did you want to be when you were a boy?

Honestly? Nothing. I never really dreamed about what I wanted to do/be. I just lived day by day having the most fun that I could.

4)     What made you choose the Marines over the other branches of the service?

They were the most difficult. Seriously! I decided I wanted a challenge in life and thought, if I was going to join the military, I wanted the toughest.

5)     Now that you have written one book, are you bitten by the “writing bug” and want to write more?

Definitely! This one was fun. I hope all the others are just as fun, although I did have a hard-butt slave driver trying to keep me on schedule(Somewhat)!!!

6)     You have committed to writing two more books with me, will you find that easier this time than the first book or harder?

I don’t know. I will figure that out when it is well underway!

7)     What did you like most about writing Love Lost & Found? What did you like least?

Working with you. I didn’t really dislike anything about it. Life did get in the way a few times, that threw the schedule way off!

8)     What is your favorite genre of book to read?

Fantasy, Suspense, and Inspirational are my favorites.

9)     Would you like to write a book in that genre some day?

I am not sure, quite possibly.

10)  Do you have any hobbies?

Playing and composing music, movies, reading, riding ATVs, camping, hiking, and many more. I like to stay busy.

11)  What is your favorite season of the year? Why?

Growing up, it was always Summer, but now I am leaning a bit more toward fall. I like the outdoors, but these mid nineties to low one hundred degree days aren’t as easy as they used to be.

12)   What is your favorite sport?

To play, or to watch? I like to watch American Football and Baseball. I love to play volleyball, although there are no beaches near me now.

 Thanks for being with us today, Ben, and sharing a bit about who you are. I hope you’ll come back again, soon. 

It was my pleasure, most definitely.

Our military contemporary romance:

 Buy Links

Amazon
Secret Cravings Publishing
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand

A bit about the book:

What do a Marine who received a “Dear John” letter and a journalist who dumped her cheating fiancé have in common? Nothing, outside of being heartbroken over lost love. But when they accidentally end up next to each other jetting to a Caribbean paradise, they do share one thing: mutual attraction. Friendship between Tara Mason and Sergeant Mick Peterson grows quickly through a few dates on St. Thomas. An argument coupled with a blunder strand them on a small deserted Caribbean island.

In the midst of nothing but sand and water, possible starvation leading to death, old wounds heal. While working together to survive, Mick and Tara fall in love. Love found in their own private Eden is soon challenged in life-threatening ways when they return to the mainland. Long separations, danger and loneliness test their devotion. Is the love they’ve found strong enough to withstand what life throws at them?    
 CLICK HERE TO READ AN EXCERPT

CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY WEBSITE 

TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "DOG"

Here's another sneak peek at my work in progress, The Dating List. I can't share too much as I don't want to give anything away. Dogs figure prominently in several of my books. Especially pugs. So here are Buster and Daisy from The Dating List. 

 Colin pulled into the driveway of the big Victorian house which started a cacophony of barking from inside. By the time they started up the walk, they were assault by Buster and Daisy, the Andrews’ family pugs, jumping up to plant wet kisses on unsuspecting faces. Leah laughed as Buster leapt up to lick her face. Colin tried to pull him down but the persistent pug made another attempt and connected.

            “I’m sorry. I forgot to warn you about the dogs.”

            “They’re adorable!”  Leah laughed as she wiped her cheek with her hand. The dogs ran to the front door then back to Colin and Leah. 

      When front door opened, Leah caught her first glimpse of Colin’s parents. Mary, an attractive brunette, wearing an apron had her arms wrapped around her torso. John, tall with thick silver hair, wore a dark plaid flannel shirt held an unlit pipe in one hand and the doorknob in the other.

            Mary engulfed her son in a quick hug while her husband motioned them inside. Colin took Leah’s hand and led her into the warm entryway. After introductions were made, John took coats then ushered the lovers to the blazing fire.

 
CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO TUESDAY TALES
CLICK HERE FOR MY WEBSITE

"EVERYONE WINS" CONTEST - NOW AND FOREVER, CALLIE'S STORY!

THE WINNER IS JACKIE!! EVERYONE ELSE WILL GET THEIR COPIES OF CALLIE'S STORY ON TUESDAY A.M. THANK YOU ALL FOR ENTERING!

Welcome to the "Everyone Wins" contest today. Leave a comment and you're guaranteed to win a copy of  Now and Forever, Callie's Story in either Kindle format or PDF. One lucky winner will be chosen to win any one of my other books, too.
Here's a bit about the book:

Callie Richards led the life of a typical teenager until tragedy turned her world upside down. Rootless and lonely, she wanders into the life of Kyle Maine, a handsome young man who befriends her. Their friendship grows into love that thrives over the years until Kyle makes an unexpected choice in this emotional and sensuous prequel to Now and Forever 1, a Love Story.

Brief Excerpt:    

Kyle Maine drove his truck along Route 15 where it passed the cemetery, singing along to the Buddy Holly song, “It’s So Easy to Fall in Love.” It had been a good afternoon until he glanced to the right and saw a young girl fall to her knees amid the headstones. He slowed his truck and pulled onto the shoulder to watch, not wishing to intrude on someone’s grief but concerned. He couldn’t tell if he knew the girl at first since she was quite a distance away. But with sudden clarity, he recognized the sway of her hair in the breeze and the shape of her body. It was a shape a healthy young man wouldn’t forget. Callie Richards. He steered his truck into the parking lot.

             Callie rocked back on her heels and buried her face in her hands. A sense of overwhelming loneliness swept over her until she felt two strong hands pulling her to her feet. The hands turned her around and two powerful arms enveloped her in an embrace against a warm body. She peeked up to see the solemn face and piercing blue eyes of Kyle Maine looking down at her. Callie rested her palms on his hard chest and laid her cheek there, too, still crying. He kissed her hair and held her until she stopped sobbing, gulping air and shaking. Emotionally spent, she softened against him like a pat of butter in the sun.

               He stroked her back, keeping one arm firmly around her waist. She closed her eyes and drank from his strength. The faint smell of soap clung to his masculine scent.

               “It’s okay, beautiful,” he murmured. 

LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDY AND CHOICE OF EITHER KINDLE OR PDF. THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY! WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN MONDAY NIGHT.

 Click here to go to my website for info on my books.