Th Great HEA Event with @BlackbirdMaggie! #GreatHEAEvent

As the #GreatHEAEvent winds down, I’d like to thank all the authors who took part. I’m so pleased to finish things off with Maggie Blackbird, who underscores what romance really means to me: hope.

Welcome, Maggie!

***

Why romance and why HEA for me?  Because I’m one of those people who needs the guarantee of a happy ending.  I rarely watch or read anything that doesn’t end with a HEA because it’s just too depressing.  If I want depressing, I’ll turn on the news.  For me, reading and writing books with a HEA is uplifting.  A novel with a happy ending brings a smile to my face.

I’ve read novels that didn’t include a HEA and even though I did enjoy them, they didn’t have the satisfaction a HEA brings forth.  Maybe because a HEA means hope.  Hope for a bright future.  Hope for a strong marriage.  Hope for a life without scars and pain.  There is so much of it in the world, that reading something guaranteed to make me smile at the end is a great escape from reality where I can enjoy a special place where HEA still exists.

And that’s why I read and write romance with a HEA.

Real Warriors by Maggie Blackbird

When We Were Young Series, Book 4

The courage of a warrior is a must on their new path, or they’ll never grasp their happily ever after.

Blurb:  Just when eighteen-year-old Billy Redsky believes he’s holding his happily ever after in the palm of his hand, he must practice what he’s learned in ceremony to face two more tests—share with the world his love for René, and let go of the past.

But that’s not so easy.  René is terrified of exposing their secret to anyone else but his family.  As for Billy’s brother, he has no intention of changing his criminal ways.

Only a miracle can help Billy reach his final destination on the red road his Ojibway ancestors once walked.  For his dream to come true, he must look deep inside of himself and trust the creator he follows.

Genre(s): Multicultural, m/m contemporary romance, LGBT, new adult.

Buy it here!

An Ojibway from Northwestern Ontario, Maggie resides in the country with her husband and their fur babies, two beautiful Alaskan Malamutes.  When she’s not writing, she can be found pulling weeds in the flower beds, mowing the huge lawn, walking the Mals deep in the bush, teeing up a ball at the golf course, fishing in the boat for walleye, or sitting on the deck at her sister’s house, making more wonderful memories with the people she loves most.

Wolves of Sorrow: Shoba Cover Reveal/ARC Giveaway from @mazuri_es!

I’m very eager to share the cover for author Elaina Roberts’ new book Wolves of Sorrow: Shoba! She’s kindly offering up copies of the ARC today too, so read on for more info!

Shoba is a science fiction romance long novella/short novel (just above 50K words) based in the same world as her Edgeworld Chronicles books.

Blurb:

Earth.

A mythical paradise to those who’ve left it. A barren wasteland racing against time for those left behind.

Shoba is one of the ones left behind.

Grief-stricken after the death of her parents, she crossed the wastes to find a new pack, a new home in Sorrow. But her wolf is too strong to suit the elders’ plans for the pack, and the haze continues to prey upon those the humans left behind.

When a science vessel answers their distress beacon and offers the pack a new home on a new planet, Shoba expects the cost to be high, to discover a hidden motive to the Rifaniir’s generous offer. What she didn’t expect was her reaction to the Kaleidoscope’s captain.

Dangerous and intriguing. Captain Vaistu Elloufen threatens her plans and draws her wolf like none other. But the captain hides a secret, and the whispers which followed her across the wastes to Sorrow stalk the corridors of the Kaleidoscope. The journey is rife with unknown dangers, but one thing is certain: Once again she must fight for what she wants most.

And what she wants is the alluring Rifaniir captain.

Excerpt:

“I’ve missed you.” Whispered words between hot kisses and ragged breaths.

She thrust her fingers into his hair, scraped her claws lightly over his scalp. “It’s only been a couple of hours.”

“Too long.” He nipped her lip, her jawline, down the side of her neck.

One large hand cupped her ass, the other had slipped under her shirt to lay dangerously close to her breast when an amused cough sounded behind him. Shoba peeked over his shoulder and met the laughing eyes of Malia.

“Is there a problem with your suite, Razheen?” The Rifaniir warrior had clasped her hands behind her back and attempted to look concerned. She caught Shoba’s gaze and winked.

“No.” Vaistu’s attempt at a growl accented with the hisses and clicks of his beautiful and strange language was impressive. Whatever he said in his native tongue had Malia pursing her lips, shoulders shaking with laughter. “Now go away and let me kiss my mate.”

“As you wish. I’ll leave the two of you to carry on in this busy, not-at-all private corridor.” The security chief saluted sharply, grinned, and continued down the hall.

Shoba rested her forehead on his shoulder and giggled. “She’s right. We probably shouldn’t do this out here.”

“If I can’t kiss my mate on my own damn ship,” he grumped, “there’s something seriously wrong.”

“I think she was more concerned with your hand on my ass than a simple kiss.”

“You do have a very nice ass.” He traced the curve with his fingers, pulled her close to feel his body’s reaction to hers.

She sucked in a breath, savored the moment before poking his chest with her finger. “Behave.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll be good. For now.” He took her hand and led her to a lift platform. “But it really is a very nice ass.”

***

Shoba releases Sept. 14, but you can preorder it now!

Preorder here

Elaina has been very kind to offer up 3 digital ARCs (epub or mobi) for readers of my blog! How to win one?

Simply leave a comment here on the blog and tell us why you’d like to read this book. Elaina will choose 3 winners from those who comment. Additional points given if you follow her blog or her Facebook page!

 

The Great HEA Event with @DebraJess! #GreatHEAEvent

I’m pleased to welcome Debra Jess to my blog today! I love this post about how her dad introduced her to romance.

***

I’m not sure how many authors can say their dad introduced them to their first romance novel, but I’m going to guess not many. When I was young, my dad worked for a regional newspaper. Two or three times a year, the newspaper would host a book sale so they could clear out all of the books submitted to them for reviews. My dad would purchase several boxes of books for two or three bucks. He knew I loved to read, and who could pass up a bargain this good? He didn’t pay close attention to the books he was selecting for me. He figured, if I didn’t like the book, I’d stop reading it.

What he did know was that I loved Star Wars, but in the late 70s & early 80s, science fiction stories with Happily Ever Afters (HEAs) were rare, so he also bought me dozens of Harlequin and Silhouette Romances. These stories made me want to dance with happiness. I read everything from Penny Jordan to Nora Roberts to Betty Neels. Later, when I told my dad I wanted more romance and less science fiction, he started bringing home Jude Deveraux, Valerie Sherwood, and Linda Lael Miller.

It was Johanna Lindsey, however, who showed me I could have my science fiction and HEA too, with Warrior’s Woman. Science Fiction Romance was the genre where I belonged. It took me a while to get there, but get there I did, starting with the release of Blood Surfer, book one of my superhero romance series in 2015. Seven books, three anthologies, and two short stories later, I’m happier than I could ever be publishing my own HEAs.

Andromeda’s Pirate by Debra Jess

Darvik Hart is Andromeda Galaxy’s most notorious pirate. Kelra Shade’s reputation for capturing pirates is nonpareil. So why would Kelra offer Darvik a treasure beyond imagination to bring her on board his ship?  

After a lifetime of dedicated service to Mantic Corporation’s private navy, Kelra believes she’s earned the right to hunt for the alien that killed her parents. Manitac’s refusal, however, forces Kelra to turn to the only pirate who’s eluded her because his strategic skills are a perfect match with her own. 

Darvik refuses to risk his crew’s freedom with another head to head battle with the sexy pirate hunter who’s haunted his dreams. Yet he cannot turn down Kelra’s challenge, or the treasure she offers, to help her get revenge on the creature who killed her family.  

As they plunge headlong together on a reckless crusade, the lines between hunter and prey become blurred, and a passion ignites between the two of them that threatens to derail their mission as they set the nebula on fire.

My next book, Andromeda’s Pirate, book two of my Heroes of Andromeda series, will debut on August 24th.

Preorder it here!

A Connecticut Yankee transplanted to Central Florida, Debra Jess writes science fiction romance, science fantasy, superheroes, and urban fantasy. She began writing in 2006, combining her love of fairy tales and Star Wars to craft original stories of ordinary people in extraordinary adventures and fantastical creatures in out-of-this world escapades.

Her new series Heroes of Andromeda from City Owl Press debuted in the fall of 2020 with Andromeda’s Rebel . Book 2, Andromeda’s Pirate, will debut August 21, 2021.

Blood Surfer, her first superhero novel, won the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award for Best Paranormal and Futuristic. A Secret Rose, the sequel, won the Maggie Award & Golden Leaf Award for Best Novella. Her short stories have appeared in Heart’s Kiss Magazine.

When she’s not writing, Debra happily plays fur mommy to Martin, the vampire kitty, and Lily, the tiger kitty. You can follow her adventures with Martin and Lily on social media, or you can subscribe to her newsletter.