For the Love of Ashley, please nominate my book!

by Inge Saunders

Okay, so who watched Got to Dance because of Ashley Banjo? *grin* Yeah, me too!

I mean *blushes* there were some great, truly, great talent on the show. And last season’s winners Duplic8 was awesome. I was introduced to the two dancers through a B-Boy DVD that chronicled different dance crews from around the globe taking part in the B-Boy Championships: World Series. I remembered them because I’d been so impressed by their skill as well as their back-story and then to see them on the show, wow, I so wanted them to win.

I love dancing and these types of shows, so of course no surprise that I would find myself in front of the TV two years ago enjoying a lazy Saturday afternoon. I haven’t gotten hooked on the show yet because there simply wasn’t enough time in the day. But here I was free, in control of the remote, an omnibus of the show was about to come on and well, I made myself comfortable…and crushed out like it was going out of fashion on Ashley! *laughs*

During those blissful moments a concept for a story made its way into my head. What if a competition hopeful falls for a judge on the panel and the feeling’s mutual? How would they handle it going forward?

Because I didn’t want to go the reality TV talent show route, I changed my idea to auditioning for the lead principal at one of the most respected dance companies in the world, where making it passed the audition guaranteed you a spot in the Ballet Boot Camp, and then a final showcase would decide the contestant’s fate. And all of this would be set in Rome, even though the heroine came from Cape Town, South Africa.

I’ve always been fascinated by Rome, the culture and history, so a story set in this beautiful city have been waiting in the wings to be written.

But as cute as Ashley Banjo was I needed a more ruthless judge on the panel. I needed someone arrogant, an Alpha male who exuded authority. Someone who you’d believe could be the owner of a dance company even though they were thirty years old.

As Got to Dance went to commercial, I flipped through the channels and BAM! There was the X Factor and Simon Cowell making some inane comment. Seriously, this guy *shakes head* I love him, but he could be too much at times.

But the idea of having a character embody everything that’s Simon Cowell made my stomach turn I had to throw in some Ian Somerhalder *grin* Okay I didn’t have to, but come on; he’s Damon Salvatore‒ Badass Vampire. I could already see that lopsided grin on my hero’s face as he critiqued one dance contestant after the other.

And so Antonio Machiavelli was born with the help of Ashley Banjo, Simon Cowell and Ian Somerhalder. Who said you couldn’t create the perfect man? *laughs*

On Tuesday I learned Dance of Love had qualified for The Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Awards- Winter 2015. The book has made it to the next and final round, the Nominations Round. 

So for the love of Ashley, Simon and Ian please go nominate Dance of Love as your Readers’ Choice! 

(http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=18615).

It would be much appreciated and I guarantee, they will show up in your dreams tonight *wink* Maybe not Simon. Unless, you’re into taking orders than by all means, go for it! *fist bump*

Trapped by a Song

By  Nicole Pouchet

I love the idea behind Decadent’s Beyond Fairytales series. This has been the ultimate writing prompt. So much fun! But, when I signed up to write a modest twist on the Grimm classic, Jorinda and Jorindel, I must admit I had never heard of the tale. Luckily, after reading the story, Jori and Del jumped out at me, their lives full and ready to be heard.

Trapped by a Song is a paranormal romance that happens to feature an interracial couple. It’s a magical realism piece set in modern day Las Vegas. The twist is that a number of the population have “para” capabilities that sometimes get them into trouble…

All about Trapped by a Song:

If Detective Jori Anzoli has to do one more telepathic reading for the Las Vegas Police Department, her para-capabilities may fry out. That doesn’t matter when she’s called in to help find eight men who mysteriously went missing. The case escalates quickly. Clairvoyants in the department are scared to touch it, her brother becomes the ninth missing man, and the Paranormal Investigative Agency (PIA) sends a distractingly handsome agent who hassles her every step of the way.

Agent Del Moore is on a mission to find the PIA’s missing biomedical weapons engineer. A retro-cognizant, Del is used to avoiding human contact unless the job demands it. The less intrusive knowledge he has about others, the better. But a brush with the aloof Detective Jori may change his mind. He can’t ignore her warm essence, especially when she impossibly summons him into her dream.

As mounting clues lead Jori and Del to go deep undercover into a Nevada brothel, an ancient succubus preys on every living soul within, placing Jori and Del on separate hallucinogenic paths of destruction. Will they learn the truth behind the brothel and their mission before succumbing to an ulterior plan neither of them wishes to see?

Buy Links: Amazon || iTunes || Kobo || GooglePlay 

Excerpt:

She applauded her dream version of Agent Del. If she had to have lucid dreams, this was a great one to have. She met his gaze, and he ogled her body as openly as she did his.

“This is a welcome surprise.” His voice sounded even sexier in the dream. “Y’know, Jori, you’d better be careful with this dream manipulation,” he teased before stepping into her space. “People will think you’re a lucid.”

“Who’ll tell? You’re just my fantasy.”

“And you’re my every desire come to life. I wonder….” He leaned down and pressed his mouth against hers, pulling her closer as they both ceased speech.

Standing on her toes, she let her hands roam the contours of his back. He pulled her in tightly, lifting her higher until she wrapped her legs around his waist. His hard length pressed against her center.

He tasted her mouth, delving with the kind of abandon only found in fantasy, and pushed them both onto a bed that materialized as soon as she wished for it.

“Del….” she moaned when her head hit the pillows.

He reached under her and palmed her bottom then pulled her closer while grinding down into her. “You’re wearing too many clothes. I want to touch all of you.” He reached up and then pulled her T-shirt off over her head.

With a laugh, she let her head bounce back to the pillow. His chest loomed above her, the tattoo of an eagle over his right nipple.

The giggle died on her lips. She didn’t know he had a tattoo and wouldn’t have placed it there in her dream. He was real. She was about to have sex with the real Agent Del Moore. Dream or not, that was not bright.

Her lucidity was wreaking havoc again. This time, she’d pulled a PIA agent into her dream. Her brother and the rest of the Para Resistance believed the PIA performed illicit experiments on paras, especially lucids. The PIA did force paras—those not in law enforcement—to medically suppress their special abilities. And no matter what, they distrusted and medically suppressed lucids, who could manipulate anyone’s dreams.

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Meet the Character-- Damian Davidson

    I`ve always been a fan of Enrique Iglesias. Since he came on the scene, it was a toss between him and Ricky Martin, but not even Ricky`s Bon Bons could compete *cheeky grin* So when I first started with my sytycw2012 entry, Falling for Mr. Unexpected, it was no wonder that the male lead would be a spitting image of Enrique. (Let`s ignore the fact that I was watching a Perez Hilton interview with him, in his hotel room, at the time inspiration over took over).

   So without further introduction, there`s someone here who can`t wait to for me to introduce him to all of you, my favourite leading man Damian Davidson from Falling for Mr. Unexpected (released on 23^rd December 2014 ).

What is the name of your character? Is s/he fictional/historical?

I`m going to let Damian introduce himself...

My name is Damian Davidson, I was born and raised in South Africa, Stellenbosch, but moved to Los Angeles in pursuit of my acting career. I was supposed to follow in the footsteps of my brother and father, and become a surgeon, but I caught the acting bug when I took part in my senior showcase.

I did try to appease my father by enrolling for medicine at the University of Cape Town *shrug*, but it only lasted two years. Needless to say, my father disowned me and I ended up penniless on the streets of LA, working as a waiter and then model before I got my first break in a French film.

I`ve been nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award, so I`d say switching medicine for acting hadn`t been such a bad idea *grins*

When and where is the story set?

I live in L.A. but a recent *ahem* sex-tape scandal has forced me back to South Africa, to Strand, a coastal town in the Western Cape where I own a beach house. I hadn`t been there in years, so I figured it would be safe from the paparazzi. I was hoping after a couple of weeks out there the story would blow over and I could go back to LA. Unfortunately I got more than I bargained for.

What should we know about Damian?

I`m a very private person. A career in the public is probably not the most logical thing for someone who loves to lead a private life. I don`t mind interviews, obviously *smiles* and talking about my acting roles, but the paparazzi can be very invasive and tabloids have a way of getting their facts wrong. The image they portray of a celebrity isn`t always accurate.

What is Damian`s goal?

   The goal is to get away from everything Hollywood since the movie I`ve been working on was brought to a stop because of the scandal. The idea is to have a couple of weeks of relative peace, which also means, and I honestly love my fans, but I need a reprieve. The sex-tape seemed to have sparked a rise in fans sending underwear in the mail and posting naked pictures of themselves on my car`s windshield *clears throat* Which is probably why I mistook my brother`s sister in-law, Emma Cupido, as an *ahem* obsessed fan.

   Our first meeting wasn`t pretty. Me, in nothing but a towel, her half-naked clutching her clothes against her body, she had taken a dip in the ocean on my private beach. Something my brother failed to tell her when he offered for her to use the house for the school holidays. He`s been taking care of the place while I was out of the country.

What is screwing up Damian`s life (main conflict in writerly speak)?

   Emma Cupido and her bruised feet *grimace* Who knew a box filled with hardcovers could cause so much damage. She even has a broken pinky-toe *ouch*

I had initially shown her the door, but I couldn`t kick her out after the ‘accident’. Imagine the headline. Damian Davidson throws out injured woman on the streets. So no peace for me, since in spite of her miniature size, Emma does have a way of taking up a lot of space. Most disturbingly in my head.

   Oh, and have I mentioned that because of Emma, I now have to inform my parents, with whom I haven`t spoken to in four years, that I`m in South Africa? No, well, the word awkward doesn’t even begin to cover the situation.

What is the title?

Falling for Mr. Unexpected-- I guess I`m Mr. Unexpected *grins*

When can we expect the book to be published or when was it published?

Falling for Mr. Unexpected was published on the 23^rd of December 2014 and is available at:

Decadent Publishing || Amazon || Kobo 

About the Author:

First time author Inge Saunders fell in love with books when she started reading romance novels with her grandmother. Intrigued by the worlds books unlocked, it was inevitable she would take pen to paper.

At age fourteen she wrote her first novel which wasn`t such a roaring success according to her brother. Not discouraged, she realized something fundamental: as a writer you can only write about what interests you, a principle she still uphold in adulthood.

When she`s not writing about that ‘inexplicable attraction’ she`s reading almost every sub-genre in romance out there, spending time with friends and family and taking hikes in her hometown`s National Karoo Park.

Inge form part of Romance writers` Organization of South Africa (ROSA) and currently have two books contracted with Decadent Publishing, Falling for Mr. Unexpected and Dance of Love ( set for release in April 2015).

Blog: Inge Saunders - Inside These Lines || Twitter || Facebook || Goodreads || Pinterest

Would you want to live Underground?

by Jessica E. Subject

Woot! My release day is finally here. I hope you’ll check out The Star Princess.

In my New Adult Sci-Fi Romance, many of the characters live underground. Some as their permanent residence and others as a temporary measure. On the planet Minjet, the people build their homes in the sides of cliffs and hills where the majority of their home is underground. While the common people live in houses more like The Shire, the castle where Princess Ro’sa grew up is much more futuristic, like the Enterprise built into a rock face. Most of my inspiration for this setting came from pictures I found on Pinterest and my own imagination. With this type of dwelling, the temperature is much more regulated, decreasing the need for air conditioners and furnaces. And this environmental aspect is one of the reasons the people of Earth have traveled to Minjet. That, and to bring Princess Ro’sa back to marry the prince from their planet.

When Princess Ro’sa does arrive on Earth, she finds herself underground again, but not anything like her dwelling back home. Rust drips down metal walls, metal doors creak open, and it is cold. Inspiration for this setting came more from watching shows and reading articles about abandoned buildings and cities. And from stories my father told me about underground complexes in Canada.

In the first case, people live underground as that is how they live. They don’t know any different. And on Earth, they are underground for their safety. In both cases, I think I could live underground, but I would still yearn to go outside, feel the sunshine and the rain.

GIVEAWAY!

What about you? Could you live underground? Which type of underground dwelling would you prefer? Leave your answer in the comments below to win one of my backlist titles from Decadent Publishing. Contest is international, but void where prohibited by law. Must be 18 or older to enter. Good luck!

THE STAR PRINCESS

A Beyond Fairytales story

New Adult Erotic Sci-Fi Romance

ISBN: 978-1-61333-765-3

In one week, Princess Ro’sa will board a spaceship, leaving her home on Minjet to be with her betrothed on Earth. The only problem is, she detests the prince’s selfish and arrogant ways, preferring to spend time with his personal aide, a man who stirs her desires in ways she never imagined possible with his radiant blue eyes and smouldering lips. And oh, the way he touches her.

Earth’s post-apocalyptic landscape offers little but the alliance offers much and a princess must do her duty, no matter the danger to her person and to her heart.

Available from: Amazon | Decadent | more

Excerpt:

At the whoosh of the space shuttle flying overhead, the feline on Ro’sa’s knee hissed before jumping to the floor. Ro’sa hurried to the front of the house, pressing her palms and nose against the window. Somewhere in that ship was her betrothed, the prince from Earth she would marry.

Ka’lyn, her best friend, squeezed in beside her, claiming the rest of the available window space. “What do you think he looks like? I’ve never seen anyone from Earth before. Maybe he has two heads, or one eye....” She nudged Ro’sa’s side. “Two cocks?”

“Ka, really?” Flaring heat rushed to Ro’sa’s cheeks and temporarily paused the fluttering of firetubes in her stomach. In seven rotations, she would say good-bye to her home, her family, and all of her friends to be with a complete stranger. She’d grown up knowing this time would come, but it had always seemed so far away. Until he’d arrived. Ro’sa swallowed her nerves. “His people just recently joined the Confederacy. I think the only reason they were invited was to prevent an intergalactic war when they learned of the existence of life beyond their own solar system.” They’d already destroyed most of their planet. Who knows what they would have done had the Confederacy not intervened?

Ka’lyn grabbed her shoulders and turned Ro’sa to face her. “I know all this, but what do they look like?”

“Humanoid, like us.” She searched her memory for the few Terran dignitaries she’d met. “But their skin is different shades of brown, from nearly white to almost black.” Though she had no idea where her betrothed fit into the spectrum, never having been allowed to travel to Earth. How she wished she had. If her parents had allowed them to meet earlier, she’d have far fewer worries and much more experience with how to interact with those from Earth, and with her betrothed. She’d retained her virginity for him, the only female her age on the planet who hadn’t experienced sex, though she hoped to know what it was like before she left for Earth.

“Weird. So, when do you get to meet him?”

“Tonight.” Ro’sa returned her gaze out the window, watching the shuttle descend onto the runway. Had the prince saved himself for her? “There’s an official introduction ceremony where we will shake hands and eat our first meal together.”

“That’s crap.” Her friend tugged on her fingers. “Let’s go meet him as he’s coming off the ship.”

Ro’sa shook her head, yanking her hand away. “I can’t. I have to follow protocol.”

“Then we’ll hide in the shrubs. Don’t you want to check him out before you’re introduced to him in front of everyone?”

Biting her bottom lip, Ro’sa watched the spacecraft disappear below the treetops. “I guess.” Then she wouldn’t look like a fool in her first reaction to him. She could hold her emotions in check, having already caught sight of the prince.

“Let’s go then.” Ka’lyn stood at the door before she had the chance to move.

They left her friend’s home behind. Darting through the woods on the packed dirt path, Ro’sa hoped they’d make it to the runway in time. If the castle guards hastened him away, they’d never make it in time. Why hadn’t her parents let her meet him years ago? Was he that horrendous looking? At least they could have shown her a picture.

Bio:

Jessica E. Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotica. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous.

When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk. Fast. But she just may slow down if there is a waterfall nearby.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.

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