Books! #AtoZChallenge

AtoZ2019B

As mentioned in my Theme Reveal, my character Isola is taking over! She’s going to share with you some of her crazy stories, mostly centered around working in a Sex Toy Shop. Take it away, Isola!

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As you can imagine, there are any number of books in a sex toy shop. Some are graphic in all the right ways. Some are instructional. Some are pure entertainment. But I want to tell you about a particular customer who tried to treat my book section like a library!

One day, I went to work as usual, expecting nothing out of the ordinary. I opened up the store. I counted the cash in the cash drawer. When I flipped the closed sign to open, someone came in almost immediately. That in and of itself was unusual. I often thought that we opened earlier than we needed to, but I was paid hourly, so who was I to complain?

A tall man walked in. I don’t know his name, so let’s just call him Bob. He didn’t make eye contact with me, even when I greeted him, which wasn’t unusual. He went to the book section, and I went back to making sure everything was set for the day.

It took me a little while to realize that Bob hadn’t come back out of the book section. I wandered back there and saw him, standing with his back to me. For a moment, I didn’t understand what he was doing. And then I figured it out.

He wasn’t actually jacking off, but it was close. He had a book open in front of him in one hand, and his other hand was rubbing his cock through the outside of his jeans.

I cleared my throat, and he turned around, startled.

“Oh. Uh,” Bob said, and then he hastily closed the book and put it back on the shelf.

“Wait,” I called, but he didn’t stop, and I watched him leave, which wasn’t my intention at all.

A few days later, he was back. As before, he didn’t acknowledge me at all. He just ignored me and went back to the book section. I gave him some time, and then I went back to see if he needed any help. He was reading the same book as before, but he wasn’t rubbing against his jeans this time.

“Can I help you with anything?” I asked.

“No,” he said, and he hurriedly left again.

After the third time, I felt like I needed to say something. He entered the store, and I said, “Good morning.”

He looked at me this time at least. I stepped out from behind the counter and went back with him.

“How can I help you, Sir?” I asked. He looked like he was going to book it again. “You don’t have to leave,” I said. “Please stay and let me help you find what you need.”

He just looked at me and said, “there’s nothing you can help me with,” and then he left. I never saw him again. Weird.

@–}–

Thanks for reading my blog! Come back to read more of Isola’s stories throughout the month of April, and check out other A to Z Blogs here!

An Ad for Roommates #AtoZChallenge

AtoZ2019A

As mentioned in my Theme Reveal, my character Isola is taking over! She’s going to share with you some of her crazy stories, mostly centered around working in a Sex Toy Shop. Take it away, Isola!

@–}–

One day I was working at the sex toy shop when a woman rolled in the front door in a wheelchair.

Feeling a little saucy, I said, “Welcome to Aphrodite’s Toychest. Can I help you find your fantasy today?”

“I, no, well, I mean, maybe.” She seems thrown off by my comment.

I smile at her. “Well, we’ve got lots of toys, depending on your preferences. For yourself or to use with someone?”

“Oh. I don’t have a someone. Actually, that’s kind of why I’m here.”

I raise an eyebrow, though it’s partially hidden behind my long, straight hair. “I’ve got dolls, but there are no hookers in the back.”

She laughs, and I find her to be endearing. Generally, I am attracted to laughter, but there was something special about hers that made me tingle. Not in a sexual way, just a feeling. “Good to know,” she says. “I’m actually looking for roommates — the more open-minded variety. I run a psychic business out of my converted garage. I’m hoping to avoid the judgmental types. You know?”

I nod. “Yeah, I can see how a place with fuzzy cuffs probably has a better market for you than a grocery store.”

She hands me her ad. “Fuzzy cuffs? My ex stole my old pair. So, since I’m here…”

“Leopard, pink, purple, black, or red?” I offer.

“Hmm. My favorite color is copper. Don’t suppose you have that?”

“Not in fuzzy cuffs,” I reply. “Nipple clamps though!”

She laughs. “I’ll take the leopard print, please.”

I get them and ring her up, thanking her for her business, and promising to get the ad seen by the right people.

After she leaves, I read over the ad. She’s looking for someone for the second floor and basement in a house. It’s no mystery to me why she would need someone to live in those spaces. Unless the house was majorly wheelchair accessible, those wouldn’t be areas she could use much. Though, I didn’t know if she was entirely wheelchair bound. I hoped not, for her sake.

I hung the ad up on the board on the wall. Something was still tingling in the back of my mind about the woman. Had she given me a name? I didn’t think so. But then another customer entered.

“Hello,” I said cheerily, setting aside the thoughts of the woman looking for a roommate.

All of my thoughts were focused on the customer who had entered. Of all the things I thought I would have to deal with when I took this job, I hadn’t considered creepy guys. But here I was, looking at a creepy guy who came in at least once a week. He had never stolen anything, to my knowledge, but he would sometimes hang around and ask awkward questions. I was okay with that until he tried to take a girl home with him and didn’t take no for an answer. She had handled herself well, but I was ready to call the police if he hadn’t buggered off when he did.

He came in and wandered over to the board where I had just posted the ad. And I knew. I knew that he should not see that ad.

I got to the board at the same time he did. He was just looking at the paper when I snatched it off the board and crumpled it up.

“Hey,” he said, “what was that for?”

“I just got a call to take that down. The place has been rented.”

“So soon?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said, feigning confidence I didn’t feel. “Sorry it didn’t work out for you.”

I stuck the crumpled piece of paper in my pocket and went back to the desk, watching as he perused the store. He picked out a new pair of leathers and brought them to the counter. I rang up his purchase and watched as he left.

When he was out of sight, I realized that I had pulled the paper out of my pocket and smoothed it out subconsciously. The phone number on the bottom of the ad was almost pulsing with the need for me to call it. I hadn’t been planning to move, but my lease was only month to month, so I could leave any time…

@–}–

By the way, you should check out another perspective on this story on another blog… http://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading my blog! Come back to read more of Isola’s stories throughout the month of April, and check out other A to Z Blogs here!

A to Z Challenge: Theme Reveal!

Two of my fellow authors and I have been working on a novel starring three eccentric women. We hope to have it out in the near future, but I would like to introduce you to my main character. In order to get to know her better, I decided to use my A to Z Blogs to tell some of her stories. These stories may or may not end up in our novel, but it’s still fun to get to hear her entertaining stories. Without further ado, I’ll let her introduce herself.

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Hello. My name is Isola and I’m going to tell you a little bit about me. I work in a sex toy shop. As you can imagine, there is never a dull moment! Okay, so maybe there are some dull moments. But there are lots of exciting ones as well. Stay tuned throughout the month for 26 crazy stories of my life!

Check out other A to Z Theme Reveals here!

Gearing up for A to Z!

I am ready now!

I have officially written all of my A to Z posts. All of them. All. Of. Them.

I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, but I devoted the whole day to it and I just finished (9:22pm).

Now to edit for grammar, consistency, and story, and then schedule my posts. I know it seems like I have a lot of time, but I know how busy my schedule is about to be. So… I’m pushing forward, but it feels good to have them written at least!

How are your A to Z Challenge Posts coming along? Is anyone else scheduling them in advance, or are you going to write during April?

Also, April is CampNaNo! Has anyone thought of what they’re doing for that?

Book Review: The A-Zs of Worldbuilding #AtoZChallenge Blog Hop

 

the-a-zs-of-worldbuilding
Brief description of the book:
Worldbuilding is the ultimate act of creation for speculative fiction writers, but how exactly do you worldbuild? You ask ‘what if’ and use each answer as a springboard to more questions and answers about your fictional world.
In THE A-ZS OF WORLDBUILDING, that ‘what if’ process is broken down into 26 themed chapters, covering topics ranging from architecture to zoology. Each chapter includes a corresponding set of guided exercises to help you find the ‘what if’ questions relevant to your story’s world.
Fair warning, though: worldbuilding is addictive. Once you get started, you might never put your pen down again.
My review:

I have always been a fiction writer, but I have exclusively written in the “real world.” I might make some mild changes like omitting STDs and pregnancy scares for the sake of sexiness, but I have never even touched on the realm of historical fiction, much less worldbuilding. The idea of it, honestly, was terrifying.

That’s why I was so excited to pick up a book that would guide me through the process of worldbuilding! I have had an idea floating around in the back of my mind that would take place on Earth but in a totally different society than what exists, but I had absolutely no idea how I would ever make that idea a reality. I didn’t even know where to begin.

Well, now I do. The A-Zs of Worldbuilding helped me to work out my ideas. I decided that I would read through the whole book once and then I’ll go back and work on actually outlining my world. That was a mistake. I should have just worked on my outline as I read the first time. But, the book is 140 pages, so it was a quick read, and it’s not a big deal to go back.

The writing was direct and succinct. Rebekah Loper explained things clearly, and the ideas were easy to follow. She even referenced other resources if you needed more depth or other chapters within her book for deeper thoughts. I am really excited now to delve into the realm of worldbuilding! 5 stars!

Buy the book:

And now an interview with the author, Rebekah Loper!

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Why did you start blogging?
To create a platform for my writing and connect with an audience.
Any other books coming out soon?
I will have a fantasy short story in an anthology this spring, but release date has not been settled yet.
Brief tip on writing:
Never stop looking for inspiration – it’s always there. Even if you don’t have time to write it, always keep looking for that magic ‘what if’.
Where did the idea for this book come from, other than the alphabet and the challenge?
I love worldbuilding. When I was looking for ways to learn how to worldbuild as a young writer, I was always disappointed by the lack of true worldbuilding workbooks, so this was born out of that desire.
What writing goal do you hope to accomplish this year?
Draft a second volume of The A-Zs of Worldbuilding on creating magic systems. Establish a true writing habit for my fiction, which I’ve let be overrun by ‘real life’ the past several years. Finish revising at least one of my set-aside novels.
As a reader, what most motivates you to buy a new book to read? 
A fascinating summary, followed closely by a stunning book cover!

What compels you to keep reading a character’s story?
A tangible connection with the character. Similarities are great, but that’s not all a connection is. The character must resonate with me emotionally, somehow, even if they are the polar opposite of who I am. A lot of that comes with a writer being able to convey the humanity of even the most despicable or most privileged characters.

What is one question or discussion topic which you would like the readers of this post to answer or remark on in the blog comments?
What about worldbuilding most inspires or hinders you, either as a reader or writer?
Contact the Author!

A book review about book reviews #AtoZChallenge

As part of the A to Z Challenge, I am participating in the Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

Writing Book Reviews As An Author Cover - Books in a circle with one in the center.

One of the areas as an author that I feel like I have failed in is writing reviews. I know how important they are to new authors and experienced authors alike, and yet I hardly ever write them. When I do write them, I tend to post them on my blog and maybe Goodreads, but that’s it. I was delighted to have the opportunity to get an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review of J Lenni Dorner’s upcoming book, “Writing Book Reviews As An Author: Inspiration To Make It Easier” to be released March 26, 2019.

The first, and one of the most important things to me, is how easy to read the book is. I was happy to see that even though this was an ARC, it was well edited. It flowed seamlessly, was very informative, and explained things clearly. I would have read the whole thing in one sitting except it was after midnight, and I fell asleep. I was so close! I even read the author bio and the thank yous, which I often skip. (Bad author, bad. I know.) I read everything from cover to cover, starting with the excellent front cover image. It’s all books: a book floating in the center of more books. Awesome image!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who writes reviews, or who should be writing reviews, but isn’t – like me! I will absolutely be checking out more of his work now. As a typical romance and mystery reader, this was not the type of book I typically pick up, but anything that helps me hone my craft is welcome. It’s always awesome when an experienced writer shares expertise on writing reviews, as I know J Lenni Dorner writes a lot of them. It’s also great to support someone I’ve known digitally through the A to Z Challenge, but have never met. I feel like I got to know J a little more through this experience.

This book left me excited to start writing my first review and walked me through the process seamlessly. At the author’s request, I timed myself through each phase. I decided to work with an outline and then write the actual review. The outlines took me a total of 13 minutes. From there, it took me 15 minutes to write up the review, and I do think it will go faster now that I’ve done one. I have always felt like I needed questions to answer to gather my thoughts that wouldn’t contain spoilers when reviewing novels, and now I feel like that’s exactly what I have! And just in time, too, because I’ve started a book reviewing project…

5 stars for an excellent book on how to write reviews!

If you’re interested in pre-ordering the book, you can do so Amazon and Smashwords!

Quote from the book: Did your own life or mood impact how you feel about the book? For example, if you're grieving over a recent loss of a dear one, and a book you've just read has a character also wrapped up in grief, it might influence your feelings and perception of the book. This is especially important to consider when rating three stars or below.

And now… an interview with the author:

Why did this you part in the A to Z Challenge the year that your book was “given life”?   

It’s the ten year anniversary. I’m very excited to be a co-host of the A to Z Challenge. This is an incredible community.

Why did you start blogging?   

This is answered in my very first blog post.

“You may wonder why I started a blog. I may wonder that too! Actually, this blog was started because I heard about the A to Z challenge from some nanowrimo friends.”

Any other books coming out soon?   

This is my current new publication. “WRITING BOOK REVIEWS AS AN AUTHOR: INSPIRATION TO MAKE IT EASIER” I have several stories in the works though

What other books do you have available?    

“Fractions of Existence” (https://www.amazon.com/Fractions-Existence-J-Lenni-Dorner-ebook/dp/B075SG1Q3K) An urban fantasy. Free on Kindle Unlimited.

Brief tip on writing:    

A motivational quote when you feel like giving up on writing from J Lenni Dorner

Where did the idea for this book come from, other than the alphabet and the challenge?   

The idea came from interviewing so many debut authors at Operation Awesome. I noticed that some authors reviewed a lot of books, and others had never written one. I set out to inspire those who didn’t write reviews. It turned out to be long enough for a month of blog posts (this coming April). Then I noticed I had enough to make a reference book.

What writing goal do you hope to accomplish this year?   

My biggest writing goal this year is to publish two books in 2019.

As a reader, what most motivates you to buy a new book to read?

A recommendation from a trusted source, reading something interesting about the book, or the book being by an author I like.

What is one question or discussion topic which you would like the readers of this post to answer or remark on in the blog comments?   

What motivates you to write book reviews? (Or, if you don’t write them, what deters you?)

Connect with J Lenni Dorner:

New Project!

Many years ago (more than a decade) I started a project where I would go to my local library and choose a random book. I started with an author whose last name started with A and worked my way up.

Unfortunately, I was in college at the time, and I don’t think I made it past B or C, but the idea stuck with me.

More recently, I have thought of attempting to do something like that for the A to Z Blog Challenge, but I don’t think I could manage to do it all in a month, or even in a year to prepare for that one month. Plus, I like to use the Blog Challenge to work on my fiction.

So, what to do… what to do… I’m going to do it on a monthly(ish) basis. I picked up the first book just before the new year, and I am going to pick up the next one tomorrow. The genres will vary wildly, but I think it will be a fun project. Stay tuned for book reviews coming your way!

TMI Tuesday

1. Lingerie–do you like to give it as a gift or received it?
Lingerie is okay. I have a bin of it under the bed, but I honestly don’t wear it that much. Small kids make that a bit difficult.

2. What’s a good date night movie?
I think my favorite date night movie is Serendipity. Romantic, funny, and a good movie. But maybe I would pick Just Go With It, which is even funnier.

3. When your partner asks you “what’s wrong?” do you most often say “nothing” when something clearly is wrong? Why?
No! I make every effort to be honest about it!

4. To keep the fires burning, and the relationship fresh you need to send your significant other just one text. What is that text?
“I’ll be waiting for you tonight downstairs.” He would know what that means.

Bonus: What was your last grand romantic gesture?

I am sure I’ve done many, but the one that sticks out is that for our anniversary, I took my husband to the place we met and the place we had our first date, and brought our wedding photo album.

Check out other TMI Tuesday Blogs here!

#NaNoWriMo

It is (almost) that time of year again! Whoa. Where did the year go? Seriously.

In any case, as it’s October, my local NaNoWriMo group gets together once a week to Plot! It’s one of the most fun and more social events of the year. So even though we meet every week year around, October has a lot more focus.

So the other night at the event, I started throwing around ideas. Do I start a new project? Finish last year’s project? Work on the joint project with two other people (where we each write chapters)? Work on my A to Z Blog Challenge Blogs?

Keeping in mind that I am aiming to write 104,203 words (which takes my lifetime NaNo word count to 750,000 words). So some of those projects are just not long enough to make that happen.

I’ll save you the two hours of waffling between ideas and tell you what I figured out!

I am going to work on… *wait for it*… multiple projects!

I can write ~20,000 words in my group project, ~20,000 words for my A to Z Blog Challenge*, and hopefully make progress on last year’s NaNo**. And my backup plan is to take one of the stories I started in April and continue that! All the options!

*More on this idea later!

**Last year, I worked on a Choose Your Own Adventure. 100,000 words and I am not nearly done. The down side is that I have to review what I already wrote so that I’m able to continue the story.


Thanks for keeping up with my crazy plans! I’m editing and I’m making progress, and hopefully there will be some great new content for you coming before the end of the month!

TMI Tuesday

Oops, I missed Tuesday and I was just going to skip it until I saw the questions!

1. You can only keep 3 things: (pick and explain your choices)

Coffee
Jewelry
Books
Chocolate
Wine or Beer
Netflix
Tacos

Jewelry: I’m never without my rings and earrings. Books: How could I do without? Netflix: I love movies.

Plus there’s no chocolate, coffee, or beer in my life, and I like wine, but I don’t need it.

2. If your job gave you a surprise 3-day paid break, what would you do with those three days?

Clean! Okay, probably not, but I should. I would probably write.

3. Have you ever had a threesome? What was the configuration?

Many, many times. My husband and I have both MMF and FFM threesomes. We’re both bi, so it’s fun to experiment!

4. In a threesome, do you like to be the star attraction or a bit player/personal assistant?

I like both. I can sit back and be happy to watch my husband with someone else and be perfectly content (and turned on!) but I do prefer to be the star attraction. Balance in all things though!

5. Would you have another threesome?

Hell yeah. We’ll likely have one soon.

Bonus: Rate your last threesome on a scale of 1-5, 5 being fantastic.

6. Oh oops, that’s off the scale.

One of the things that made it so great was that it was unexpected. Our partner was staying over for convenience for the plans we’d made and we were just going to cuddle… And oops! Next thing you know is 2:30am and everyone has had orgasms. Yay!

Check out other TMI Tuesday Blogs!

Last chance to vote! #AtoZChallenge

Voting is now open for the two favorite stories I continued in May:

L is for Lifeguard vs. Y is for Yes

In April, as part of the A to Z Blog Challenge, I posted a story for every letter of the alphabet. By combining likes, comments, and votes, I determined the favorite from each week and they got a continuation.

In June, I posted the continuation of those four stories. I apologize for not spacing them out as I intended, but life (and travel got in the way). So I have whittled it down to L is for Lifeguard vs. Y is for Yes.

Next week begins CampNaNo, during which I have a goal to write 100,000 words, splitting my time between writing the novel for whichever of those stories gets the most votes, and a new writing project I am working on with two friends. This is your last chance to vote and your last chance to be the one lucky winner who leaves their email* on the Google Form will get a free copy of the finish ebook!

*I do not have an email list and will not email you or sell/give away your email address for any reason and will only contact you to tell you that you’re the winner and give you the book. So no worries about entering!

Voting is now open for the last two. You can like the post, comment on it, or vote by clicking the link below. Thanks to everyone who has participated so far! The end is near! I will leave voting open until the end of June!

Vote! Vote! Vote!

Continue reading

Y is for Yes – Part 3 #AtoZChallenge

Here is the next installment to my story Y is for Yes, which was the favorite for the second two stories in May.

If you didn’t read Y is for Yes, you’ll want to go back and read that and its continuation first. If you don’t know what’s going on, check out my Theme Reveal for full details.


The heat growing between my legs was boiling. I hadn’t expected it. I hadn’t expected any of it. But here we were, in my office, and I was about to be nearly nude.

“I suppose we had better slip you out of this skirt before it stains, then.”

I watched him, biting my lower lip as his fingers gently moved to the zipper next to my hip. He touched me so little as he unzipped it, just the lightest brush of his fingers, and all I wanted was to feel them pressed against my flesh until they bruised.

I used his shoulder for balance as I stepped out of my skirt. I stumbled just a little, and his hand came up to my hip to steady me. The touch was electric, and I couldn’t suppress a shudder. When I was steady, he left his hand there a touch longer, and then he took a step back from me. “Would you like me to help you take your bra off, Yvonne?”

“Yes, please,” I whispered, and I turned around so he could unclasp it. He slid the shoulder straps down, but my hands were covering my breasts, so the fabric stayed in place. I turned back to him, and he waited. He didn’t push, or comment, or make impatient noises; he just waited for me to move my hands. I did, slowly, my eyes locked on his. He met my gaze until my arms started to move, and then his gaze dropped lower. He actually moaned as my breasts were exposed to him, creamy pale skin that had never seen the light of the sun. My pink nipples were hard little nubs, making my large nipples appear much smaller. A grin formed at the corners of his lips and grew as he observed me.

“Yvonne,” he groaned my name, and this time it brought forth a gush of arousal from between my legs.

He dropped to his knees in front of me. “Did you get coffee on these little satin panties?”

I didn’t know that my panties qualified as little, but I let it go. “I don’t think so,” I said, a little thrill of anticipation in my voice. Was Derek just saying that so he could get me out of them?

“Well, they are soaked through, Yvonne. If it’s not coffee, then what is it?”

I blushed furiously. He ran a finger over my panties, right over my slit and I knew that I was so aroused that I was soaking through them.

“Yvonne, answer me.”

I didn’t know what to say. “It’s-it’s-” I stuttered. He waited, a little impatient this time. “I’m so turned on,” I said, not able to meet his eyes.

He grinned up at me again, taking my confession as permission to touch me. His hands ran up my leg, and I knew that he was feeling a few days worth of stubble since my last shave. I was embarrassed. When he reached my panties, he didn’t take them off or slip his fingers underneath them, but he explored across the fabric all the same. I moaned at his soft touch. He moved upward, trailing his hands along my sides until he was at my breasts. He cupped one in each hand, feeling the weight of them. “Yvonne, you are beautiful.”

The blush that had been fading came back in full force. He let go of my breasts, and I fought not to groan in protest. But then his arms were wrapped around me, his hands in my hair and he pulled me against him so that my breasts were pressed against his soft shirt.

“Kiss me,” he said quietly, and I didn’t hesitate.

I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips against his, but that was where my illusion of control ended.


Thanks for checking out my blog. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. If you’re interested in reading more, check out my Choose Your Own Erotic Adventure, Runaway or my debut BDSM Erotic Novel Slave.

L is for Lifeguard – Part 3 #AtoZChallenge

Here is the next installment to my story L is for Lifeguard, which was the favorite for the first two stories in May.

If you didn’t read L is for Lifeguard, you’ll want to go back and read that and its continuation first. If you don’t know what’s going on, check out my Theme Reveal for full details.


Within another 12 hours, the hospital was ready to send me home. I wasn’t sure that I was ready to go home, but they definitely wanted me gone. My nurse came in to go over discharge instructions with me. “Your fiancé is going to take you home, right?”

Fiancé?

“Yes.”

Wait, I didn’t say that. Who said that? Jack? Shit, Jack said it.

My mouth dropped open, and I started to protest when I got a sharp elbow to the ribs from Julie.

I shut my mouth and nodded in agreement.

When the nurse pushed my wheelchair into the sunlight, the first thing I saw was an old blue Subaru station wagon. “Sorry, my car isn’t anything special,” he said.

“No, it’s fine,” I said. “Thank you for taking us home.” He helped me get settled into the front seat and settled Julie in the back. I was surprised to see a booster seat in the back seat for her. “Why do you have a car seat?” I asked.

“I take my niece out a lot, so I picked one up a while back. I just haven’t taken it out of my car.”

“Well, that was fortuitous.”

“It was,” he agreed. He put the car in gear. “So, uh, where do you live?”

“Oh!” I laughed. I gave him the address, and he put it in the GPS app on his phone which he attached to the dashboard.

“I can’t wait to get home,” Julie said. She babbled on in the back seat about how she wanted to see her friend who lived next door and how she couldn’t wait to sleep in her own bed. I let her chatter, giving an occasional, “Oh!” or “Uh huh.” She did explain that we had to pretend that Jack and I were engaged so they wouldn’t give them a hard time about him staying there and taking care of Julie.

When we pulled up in front of the house, Julie practically leaped from the car and ran to the neighbor’s gate. I wanted to call her back and reprimand her for running off without permission, but I just didn’t have the energy.

“Thanks for taking us home,” I said again.

“It’s no problem.”

I didn’t know what else to say, and I started to get out of the car, but he said, “Marigold?” and I stopped dead.

No one called me Marigold. I went by Mari. Everyone I knew called me Mari. But Jack wouldn’t have known that. We had never spoken before. And he would have seen my name on the medical charts.

“Call me Mari,” I said stiffly.

“I’m sorry, Mari,” he said. A hush fell over the car, and we sat staring at each other for a moment. “I know that we really don’t know each other, but I feel like I know you after spending so much time with Julie.”

A flutter of fear went through me. He was good eye candy, but that’s all he was ever supposed to be. We weren’t supposed to be friends. And now he and Julie had become besties, apparently. I didn’t know how to take that.

“I want to get to know you for myself, Mari.”

My mouth was dry. I was more nervous than I had ever been. All I wanted was to get inside and take a shower and sleep in my own bed. But I couldn’t do that. I had to follow Julie and find out if the neighbors were home and make arrangements for her to play there or bring her home. And here was Jake… no Jack practically hitting on me. What was I ever going to do?


Thanks for checking out my blog. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. If you’re interested in reading more, check out my Choose Your Own Erotic Adventure, Runaway or my debut BDSM Erotic Novel Slave.

Vote! Vote! Vote! (Part 2)

Voting is now open for the two favorite stories I continued in May:

O is for Outcast vs. Y is for Yes

In April, as part of the A to Z Blog Challenge, I posted a story for every letter of the alphabet. By combining likes, comments, and votes, I determined the favorite from each week and they got a continuation.

Coming up in June, I will be continuing the two favorites of those four, and in July for CampNaNo, I’ll write the rest of the novel for the favorite story. One lucky winner who leaves their email* on the Google Form will get a free copy of the finish ebook!

*I do not have an email list and will not email you or sell/give away your email address for any reason and will only contact you to tell you that you’re the winner and give you the book. So no worries about entering!

Voting is now open for the first two stories. I will keep it open until June 19th, and then I’ll write the continuation!

Vote! Vote! Vote!

Votes count for more than likes and comments, but you can leave those too! Want to know the winner from the first set? Keep reading to see the brackets thus far and check back next week!

Continue reading

Vote! Vote! Vote!

Voting is now open for the two favorite stories I continued in May:

C is for Caged vs. L is for Lifeguard

In April, as part of the A to Z Blog Challenge, I posted a story for every letter of the alphabet. By combining likes, comments, and votes, I determined the favorite from each week and they got a continuation.

Coming up in June, I will be continuing the two favorites of those four, and in July for CampNaNo, I’ll write the rest of the novel for the favorite story. One lucky winner who leaves their email* on the Google Form will get a free copy of the finish ebook!

*I do not have an email list and will not email you or sell/give away your email address for any reason and will only contact you to tell you that you’re the winner and give you the book. So no worries about entering!

Voting is now open for the first two stories. I will keep it open for 1 week (until June 5th), and then I’ll write the continuation!

Vote! Vote! Vote!

Votes count for more than likes and comments, but you can leave those too!

Continue reading

Y is for Yes – Part 2 #AtoZChallenge

Here is the next installment to my Fourth Week Favorite!

If you didn’t read Y is for Yes, you’ll want to go back and read that first. If you don’t know what’s going on, check out my Theme Reveal for full details.

Also, please vote for your favorite of the first two continuations I posted in May! I will raffle off a free ebook of the novel to one person who fills out a Google Form. Enter now before it’s too late!

The stories were C is for Caged and L is for Lifeguard. Vote here for your favorite continuation!

Without further ado, here is the next chapter of Y is for Yes!


“Hello,” a masculine voice called. “Is anyone here?”

I kept holding my breath, and I heard the door to my office creak open further. Shit, shit, shit.

“Yvonne, are you in here?”

Continue reading

O is for Outcast – Part 2 #AtoZChallenge

Here is the next installment to my Third Week Favorite!

If you didn’t read O is for Outcast, you’ll want to go back and read that first. If you don’t know what’s going on, check out my Theme Reveal for full details. Don’t forget to vote for 4th week favorites and come back next week for more!

With next week’s installment, you’ll also be able to vote for your favorite of the four stories posted in May. I’ll also count likes and comments!


Andee

I was literally holding my breath. Had I really just told my best friend that I was in love with her? Yes, yes I did. I felt my whole body break out in a cold sweat. I wondered what Krystal would think of my clammy hands. What if I just ruined the best friendship I’d ever had? All the thoughts and doubts swirled in my head. It felt like minutes went by, but I was pretty sure it could only have been seconds. I suddenly wished we hadn’t gotten up on the couch. If I were sitting on the floor, I couldn’t slide off when my body went limp.

Continue reading

L is for Lifeguard – Part 2 #AtoZChallenge

Here is the next installment to my Second Week Favorite!

If you didn’t read L is for Lifeguard, you’ll want to go back and read that first. If you don’t know what’s going on, check out my Theme Reveal for full details. Don’t forget to vote for 3rd and 4th week favorites and come back next week for more!

I know I’m late on the 2nd week one, but I’ll be back on track for Weeks 3 and 4!


On second thought, maybe I woke up in hell.

Having Jake standing above me, looking like he had just had his mouth pressed against mine was sexy as hell, but then reality set in. My ribs hurt, a lot. My head was pounding. My vision was blurry.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I tried to nod, but it hurt too much. When I tried to speak, I had trouble getting my mouth to work. Finally, I choked out, “Yes.”

“Don’t move,” he instructed. “EMTs are on their way.”

EMTs!? I didn’t need an EMT, I just needed to get up. People were congregating all around us, but I couldn’t see my daughter. I wanted to look for her, but Jake was holding my head.

“You might have a neck injury,” he said. “I need you to keep your head still.”

“My daughter,” I choked out.

“You have a daughter?” he asked, “Here?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll have someone find her. What’s her name?”

“Julie,” I said. My voice sounded hoarse, but it was coming back slightly.

Jake looked away from me and spoke to someone. His hands never left the sides of my head.

My vision was clearing, and I really wanted to sit up. “I think I’m okay,” I said.

“No,” Jake said. “Your head is bleeding, there’s already a nasty bump on it, and you were passed out for more than a minute. The EMTs need to check you out.”

Even as I was lying there, frustrated, I found myself slightly turned on by how forceful Jake was being. I liked a man who could be in charge.

I heard someone say, “Jack,” and Jake looked up. Maybe I was wrong about his name… maybe it was Jake and not Jack. Crap, that was going to be hard to switch in my head.

The next thing I knew, the EMTs had arrived, my daughter came over and started crying when she saw me. They were asking me who they could call to take care of Julie, but I couldn’t come up with an answer. The next hour was a whirlwind. The EMTs examined me and put me in the ambulance. I kept asking for Julie, but they just kept assuring me she was fine. I was having trouble staying awake, and as much as it was bothering me that I couldn’t do anything, I was just physically unable to.

I don’t know how much time passed before I became coherent again. And all of this over a stupid fall at the pool. I woke up, finally clear-headed, mentally berating myself for not being more careful.

I looked around the room and found that I was alone in a hospital room. I sat up slowly and found that I wasn’t dizzy, though I did feel weak. I was about to call the nurse when the door opened. Julie saw that I was sitting up and launched herself into my arms. I caught her easily and held her to me. Breathing in her scent, I was so comforted by her little arms around me.

“Mommy, you’re okay!”

“Of course I’m okay,” I said, and I discovered just how hoarse my voice was and how dry my mouth was. I hadn’t noticed how bad it was before.

Jake, no Jack, was suddenly there. He must have walked in with Julie, but I had been so fixated on her that I hadn’t noticed. He was handing me a cup of water. I drank gratefully and then looked up at him. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” he said with a smile.

“How long have I been here?”

“Thirty-six hours.”

My eyes went wide. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“How long have you been here?”

“Thirty-six hours,” he replied.

I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say. But Julie took over.

“We followed you over in the ambulance,” she said. “And then Jack hung out with me until they would let us back to see you. Everyone was really nice to me. Jack got me food. And then we got to have a sleep over here! I slept on that couch, and Jack slept on that chair,” she pointed out the small couch and reclining chair that adorned my hospital room.

“Wow,” was all I could say.

Jack sat down on the recliner and watched me. I suddenly had the realization that I must look a complete mess. I self-consciously smoothed back my hair. I had put it in a ponytail in the pool, so I took the tie out and tried to smooth it back into something reasonable. Jack’s gaze was still locked on me, and I felt my cheeks burn.

Jack just looked at me and smiled.


Winner! This post won for the first pairing in May. Check out the continuation here.


Thanks for checking out my blog. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. If you’re interested in reading more, check out my Choose Your Own Erotic Adventure, Runaway or my debut BDSM Erotic Novel Slave.