Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Giveaway

I love Halloween. The paranormal romance genre is like celebrating Halloween all year long. Here are my top seven favorite paranormal couples

Fearghus the Destroyer and Annwyl the Bloody

Dragon Actually  by GA Aiken

“And Annwyl. Remember what I told you.”

“Protect my right side?”

“No.”

“Feint with my left?”

“No.”

“Nice ass?”

“No!” His growl of annoyance only elicited a sweet chuckle from his woman.

“Watch my rage, heart of my heart?”

“Condescending cow.”

Dragos Cuelebre and Pia Giovanni

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

“A dragon just gave me a piece of jewelry,” she said. She took another swig and handed the bottle back to Graydon. “Have I been added to his hoard?”
He shook his head and drank too. “No, cupcake,” he said. “I’m pretty sure you’ve replaced it.”

Jacques Dubrinsky and Shea O’Halloran

Dark Desire by Christine Feehan

Shea blinked back tears, found his wrist with trembling fingers, the lightest contact, a connection between them. “We make such a perfect pair, Jacques. At least one of us should be stable, don’t you think?”
He brought her hand to the warmth of his mouth. “You came for me, from thousands of miles away. You came for me.”

Tor and Cora

Fantastical by Kristen Ashley

“after these last weeks, I know I will allow nothing to keep you from me. I will not go down fighting. I will stay standing until I taste victory.”

Wrath and Beth

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

“Man, he wasn’t going to need a stress test anytime soon. If his heart could get through a kiss from her, he could probably run a marathon. While dragging a car behind him. Sideways to the road.”

Cian MacKeltar and Jessie St. James

Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning

“Aye, Jessica, I like you. And I’m not just stuck with you. You fit me here, woman.” He thumped his chest with his fist.”

Bones and Cat

Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost

“I’m saying that I’m a moody, insecure, narrow-minded, jealous, borderline homicidal bitch, and I want you to promise me that you’re okay with that, because it’s who I am, and you’re what I need.”

It’s that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, the air is getting cooler and the nights are getting spookier. Yes, it’s time for tricks and treats, goblins and ghouls, chills and thrills and huge amounts of sugary sweets. But at the Laughing Vixen Lounge blog it’s also time for the 5th annual Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Giveaway. Join Laughing Vixen Lounge and our bewitching co-hosts The Kids Did It, The Mommy Island, Herding Cats and Burning Soup, The Hopping Bloggers, Mama Smith’s Reviews and Women and Their Pretties for a spooktacular Halloween event.

Enter to win a $250 Prize Pack filled with goodies from 10 wickedly fabulous shops. All shops are offering Gift Cards or your choice of item(s) so there will be something for everyone. Many of the shops have items perfect for any book lover along with lots of
unique, handcrafted and custom designs to choose from.

Visit the Laughing Vixen Lounge blog daily during the giveaway for the Halloween Movie Marathon. Test your movie knowledge with the Guess the Movie Game. Then try to solve
the Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt, if you dare! Each event will get you daily entries in the giveaway plus a special giveaway for the Scavenger Hunt. Find full details for these events HERE.

You can start by entering the Rafflecopter widget below. To experience all the games, movies, shop features, giveaway info and all around awesome fun make sure to stop by the Laughing Vixen Lounge blog HERE.

The giveaway runs October 18th – November 1st and is open worldwide to anyone 18+. 1 winner will win the Prize Pack and 1 winner will win the Scavenger Hunt Prize Pack. Laughing Vixen Lounge is responsible for all giveaway details. Click HERE for full details.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alpha Beta Omega. A Shifter Box Set

10 Sizzling Shifter Stories From Today’s Hottest, Bestselling Authors
On PreOrder Now – Alpha Beta Omega: A Shifter Box Set
“Follow the blitz and enter to #win a grand prize of $50.00 Amazon gift card!”
Enter at: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title: Alpha Beta Omega: A Shifter Box Set
Anthology Authors: Lia Davis, K.N. Lee, Marissa Dobson, Beth Caudill, Misha Carver, Xandra James, Laxmi Hariharan, Bethany Shaw, Nicole Morgan, Lily Marie
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: September 13, 2016
Format: Digital
From today’s hottest USA Today and Bestselling authors comes a collection of 10 novellas, featuring hot alpha, beta, and omega shifters. If you like tigers, bears, wolves, and more you’ll love this box set. Each story is either a first in a series or a stand-alone novella.
AND it’s only on sale for a limited time so be sure to grab while it’s available. #99cents
Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks
What’s inside:
A Tiger’s Claim by Lia Davis
As the Alpha’s only daughter Shayna Andrews has always been treated like a rare gem, protected like royalty, and she’s suffocating. Her longing to be independent has driven her to sneak out one evening after dinner. After relishing in being able to run free without an escort, she finds herself face-to-face with the enemy, miles from home, and nearly loses her life until a lone wolf comes to her aid. But when he discovers she wears the enemy’s brand, things will go from bad to worse.

The Scarlett Legacy by K.N. Lee
Wizards. Shifters. Sexy mobsters with magic.
The arrival of Avalon Prince brings a century-old feud to a dangerous climax. Scottish Old-World magic, mixed with a dangerous obsession with Evie and a sinister plot for revenge threatens to bring the Scarlett family to its demise.

Tiger Time by Marissa Dobson
Tabitha Leigh has no idea her mundane life is about to change or that danger stalks her every step. Now as the Queen of the Tigers with a bounty on her head, she must embrace her future and her mate. If she doesn’t, it will mean the end of everything she’s come to know and never realized she needed.

Healer’s Fate by Beth Caudill
Corliss Rumdone’s the healer of her werewolf clan, destined to save lives and live in the shadows. He’s the alpha’s son, destined to mate to cement his status at the top of the pack. What happens when he chooses her instead?

Bearly Smitten (The Alpha’s Bride Book 1) by Misha Carver
When bear shifter Jed Barton’s keynote speaker engagement and his role as pack alpha require him to have a wife, he does what any other tycoon would do – he hires one – the last thing he wanted to do was fall in love with her.

Reluctant Revenge – Under the Demon’s Skin by Xandra James
Demon-hybrid Nash is hungry for revenge. Promising to protect the daughter of his sworn enemy, he’s torn between his duty as an Alpha Enforcer and his desire to avenge his murdered fiancée. Can Nash forgive the past? Or will losing Sienna be the only way to heal his dark heart?

Feral – A Many Lives Story by Laxmi Hariharan
He was her destination. She just didn’t know it. When Maya leaves Luke to go in search of her blood family, nothing prepares her for the secrets she uncovers about herself. An intense, shifter romance, set in a Bombay of the future.

The Beta’s Mate by Bethany Shaw
Nina’s tired of the lies and disappearances. Her marriage is on the verge of dissolving, but fate has other ideas. Now if she could only get in touch with her soon-to-be ex. Logan hates that his wife filed for divorce, even though everyone tells him it’s for the best. He’s the beta of the pack—second in command—and she’s human. When he discovers he’s going to be a father, he’ll do anything to keep Nina and the baby safe. But will she let him back in when she finds out he’s been lying to her for years about turning into a giant wolf?

Night Falls by Nicole Morgan
When Paul, the leader of the Racinitine Pack crosses paths with Kinzey, a tencacious reporter, he knows he’s in trouble. Not only can he see the fire in her, but he can feel it as well. When Kinzey gets too close to his secrets, it may change the only way of life his pack has ever known.

Wounds to Bear (Heart of The Bear Book One) by Lily Marie
A wounded shifter, and a beautiful, curvy woman. Two hearts, with one goal – to save the children taken by an old enemy.
Roman Black’s past has finally caught up with him – and he isn’t the only one paying for his mistakes. Dr. Jenna Morgan is running from her own past – and hopes to find her place in the small town of Pine Heart. When a wounded bear shows up at her door, she discovers that the rumors about this small town are true, and that one of those shifters is bleeding all over her front porch. She treats him, and learns that he was shot protecting a group of shifter and human kids – who are now being held by an old enemy bent on revenge.

 

My Survivor Story Re-blog #MondayBlogs

The Mending Mads Silent Auction is almost over. We reached our goal the very first day! I’m humbled by the response of the authors and vendors who participated. Those who bid on items, thank you so much. Through RAINN, your money will go to help those in need of comfort and healing.

I touched on a few of the reasons that Mending Mads and raising money for RAINN are important to me. With statistics of sexual assault as they are it seems impossible not to know someone whose life has been touched by it. For me the gravity of stopping sexual violence goes beyond friends, family, and basic compassion for my fellow human being.

I am a survivor of sexual assault.

Consciously, I have very little memory of this time in my life and no solid memory of the actual assaults. Too young to hang on to no more than small impressions left by the train wreck my trauma left behind. My lack of memory is a blessing and a curse. There really is not good way to be left with the aftershocks of being violated. Not quite three years old, I was a very boisterous and precocious child. My father was overseas with the Navy so it was just Mom and I. She attended night school working towards her bachelors in psychology. While she was at school I was left in the care of a woman and her husband, family friends of my parents. For the sake of this post I will be referring to my attacker as The Man.

****TRIGGER WARNING! My story includes details that may be a trigger to some readers. Please continue with caution.*****

 

 

The Man and my father met on the base where they were both stationed. His wife was very sweet and he was supposedly a fun guy to be around. Originally it was The Man’s wife who was my babysitter but for reasons I cannot remember The Man ended up taking over the job. Fast forward I don’t know how long to the night I came out of my bedroom long after I should have been asleep. I informed my mother that it hurt. She asked me, “What hurts?”

I pointed down the front of my diaper and said, “Where The Man put his fingers.” Immediately after I became hysterical because I wasn’t supposed to tell. “The Man said he’d make you go away and I’d never see you again!” I wailed. The Man had ensured my silence by threatening my mother’s presence in my life. I always was a mama’s girl but as my father was currently gone she was all I had. The Man told a child he’s leave her completely alone in the world if she told on him. This small act on his part impacted me so greatly for the rest of my life it was nearly crippling. I suffered from separation anxiety until I was a teenager. Sleepovers with friends, trips, just going to school terrified me; my family might be gone when I get back.

My mother blamed herself and to this day thinks she should have seen some sign The Man would hurt me. She remembers the weird irritation on my genitals that she chalked up to a recurrent diaper rash. She remembers washing my blanket and wondering what I’d spilled on it, in retrospect she knows it was The Man’s semen. Going to school for psychology, specifically to help abused children, while her own is being assaulted under her roof. To say Mom needed therapy as much as I did is an understatement. I’ve never blamed her and I hope one day she’ll stop blaming herself as well.

The truth is Mom is my hero. The Man’s commanding officer tried to sweep it all under the rug. I was just a kid, probably lying. Even though mom had a report from the pediatric ER physician stating it was obvious to him I had been sexually abused, the CO refused to do anything. Mom wouldn’t be told to go away. She threatened to go to the newspapers. With her permission they would print my name, The Man’s name, the name of the Navy base and every person she’d come into contact with since I told her my terrible secret. That’s how mom met the base commander. He apologized and shipped the CO to one of the worse bases you can end up at. The Man was arrested and tried in military court. He spent two years in prison. The shackles of his abuse will stay with me until I die, two years seems too easy. PTSD, anxiety, depression, mistrust, fear, nightmares; the list goes one!

You don’t get to get over sexual assault. It lives with you forever. Without the love and support I’ve received I wouldn’t be a functioning adult. I was told in junior high not to share my story because it makes people uncomfortable and then they won’t want to be around me.

It makes you uncomfortable? Well, it made me uncomfortable too. You won’t want to be my friend? Too bad for you. I will not be silenced and made to feel ashamed. I will speak out. I will fight for myself and others until the day comes when the offenders are too uncomfortable to commit sexual assault. I will make a difference. The Mending Mads Silent Auction is one way I am raising awareness, educating the public, and helping to fund an organization dedicated to getting other survivors the help they deserve.

Hear me roar

Take a stand and let the world hear you roar against sexual violence.
August 17-24th is the third annual Mending Mads silent auction to raise money for RAINN. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) is the nations largest anti-sexual violence organization. The Mending Mads silent auction came about after researching the recovery process of sexual assault survivors.  Last year $466.17 was raised and sent to RAINN. President and founder, Scott Berkowitz, wrote a lovely letter to say thank you for the donation. I’m looking for ebooks, signed paperbacks, bookmarks, swag, care packages; any goods or services you can offer as prizes for the auction.

********If you are interested in donating items or have questions, please email me at BridgetBlackwoodAuthor@gmail.com for more information.************

Why did I choose RAINN as Mending Mads charity of choice? One of Worth magazines top 100 charities, RAINN has helped 2.2 million people since 1994. When money is donated, ninety-three cents of every dollar goes directly to helping survivors.

How Donations Help
• Allows an average of 558 survivors to receive help through RAINN’s hotlines each day
• Improves sexual assault laws and policies to ensure that survivors get the justice they deserve
• Educates more than 130 million people per year on prevention and recovery through relationships with the entertainment industry, the media, and local communities
• Expands the use of DNA to eliminate the backlog of untested rape kits
Enlists the help of college administrators, Congress, and students on hundreds of campuses to hold colleges accountable for preventing and responding to sexual violence (rain.org)

If you’d like to see more in-depth financial information from RAINN (Form 990 Audited, reports), then please visit RAINN

Who’s Your Hero?

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This month we’re celebrating the men and women in uniform–whichever uniform that may be. Military, Police, Firefighter and all those who serve and protect. Who’s Your Hero? Stop by each blog for a giveaway and to find out who OUR favorite fictional and real life heroes are…

Check out my  Top Ten Hero/Heroine in Uniform and keep an eye out for the last one because it is FREE on Amazon

Talk Me Down by Victoria Dahl 

Series: Talk Me Down #1

Molly Jennings has one naughty little secret: her job as a bestselling erotic fiction author. Until her inspiration runs dry—thanks to a creepy ex—and it’s time to skip town and move back to tiny Tumble Creek, Colorado.

One look at former high school hunk chief of police Ben Lawson and Molly is back in business. The town gossip is buzzing at her door and, worse still, a stalker seems to be watching her every move. Thankfully, her very own lawman has taken to coming over, often. The only problem now is that Molly may have to let the cat out of the bag about her chosen profession, and straitlaced Ben will definitely not approve.…

Kindle link

The Professional by Kresley Cole

Series: The Game Maker #1

He makes the rules…

Mafiya enforcer Aleksei “The Siberian” Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss knows no bounds, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, feisty redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Aleksei will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.

Rules are made to be broken…

Grad student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the dark and breathtaking Sevastyan before the professional enforcer whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. Every day under his protection leads her deeper under his masterful spell.

Are you ready to play?

Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true…

Kindle

The Medusa Project by Cindy Dees

Series: Medusa Project #1

Air Force Major Vanessa Blake had been handpicked to lead the first all-female Special Forces team, the Medusas. But there was one bit of classified information the military hadn’t shared with her–their trainer, tough-as-nails Lieutenant Colonel Jake Scatalone, was under orders to prove women had no place in Special Forces. No matter how well Vanessa and her team performed, they would fail.

Then Scatalone disappeared on a crucial mission in hostile territory. And Vanessa made the military a deal it couldn’t refuse: send in the Medusas. If they succeeded, they would become an official team. If they died, no one would ever have to know….

Kindle

The Medusa Prophecy by Cindy Dees

Series: Medusa #4

Code named Python, Karen Tucker is the beautiful brawn behind the Medusas, the first all-female Special Forces team. When they’re sent on an arctic training mission with a Norwegian team, it’s Karen’s strength that makes the men, especially Lieutenant Anders Larson, sit up and take notice. But before Karen and Anders can find out if their fiery rivalry is more than just competitive spirit, the team uncovers a secret drug lab. Exposed to a deadly mind-altering drug, Karen struggles to do her job, stay alive–and remain sane enough not to kill her partners…

Kindle

Seducing Simon by Maya Banks

One fateful night, Toni Langston seduces her best friend, the guy she’s been in love with forever. Two problems-he doesn’t remember a thing that happened and now she’s pregnant. Toni Langston has been in love with Simon, her best friend, for years. The night Simon breaks up with his long time girlfriend, he and Toni make love. Toni is devastated and humiliated when, in the heat of the moment, he calls her by his girlfriend’s name. The next morning, Simon remembers nothing of the previous night and Toni is only too relieved not to remind him. Two months later, she discovers she’s pregnant. She wants Simon to love her, apart from any obligation he might feel because of the baby. So she embarks on a quest to seduce her best friend, to make him see her as more than a little sister, to make him love her as much as she loves him. It works. Maybe too well. Now when things are perfect, she faces telling him of the secret she’s kept.

Kindle

Shelter Mountain by Robyn Carr

Series: Virgin River #2

For the second time in a year a woman arrives in the small town of Virgin River trying to escape the past.

John “Preacher” Middleton is about to close the bar when a young woman and her three-year-old son come in out of a wet October night. A marine who has seen his share of pain, Preacher knows a crisis when he sees one—the woman is covered in bruises. He wants to protect them, and he wants to punish whoever did this to her, but he knows immediately that this inclination to protect is something much more. Paige Lassiter has stirred up emotions in this gentle giant of a man—emotions that he has never allowed himself to feel.

But when Paige’s ex-husband turns up in Virgin River, Preacher knows his own future hangs in the balance. And if there’s one thing in the marines’ motto of Semper Fidelis—always faithful—has taught him, it’s that some things are worth fighting for.

Kindle

Nauti Boy by Lora Leigh

Series: Nauti #1

Too weak to resist young Kelly Benton’s attempts at seduction, Rowdy Mackay left home eight years ago. Duty as a U.S. Marine put a safe distance between Rowdy and the nubile Kentucky vixen with persuasive desires of her own. Now, he’s returned home, his fantasies fueled, ready to engage the young woman in the kind of erotic games that have earned him and his two cousins Nauti-boy reputations in three counties.

Once, it was Kelly’s dream, too, to feel the heat of the boy she desired. But a brutal attack from a stalker still on the prowl has left Kelly terrified of the dark unknown and of a man’s touch. Now, as fear and desire converge, Rowdy fights for the only woman he ever loved–to save her from the deadly threats of a stranger, to rid her of her demons, and to satisfy a hunger more powerful than either can imagine.

Kindle

Law Man by Kristen Ashley

Series: Dream Man #3

Love is just around the corner . . .

Sweet, shy Mara Hanover is in love with her neighbor. For four years, she has secretly watched her dream man from afar. Handsome police detective Mitch Lawson is way out of her league. She’s a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and there’s no way a guy like Mitch would want anything to do with her. But when Mara has a leaky faucet that she can’t fix, it’s Mitch who comes to her rescue.

Mitch has been eyeing his beautiful neighbor for a long time. He jumps at the chance to help her, and soon their formerly platonic relationship gets very hot and heavy. But when Mara gets a disturbing phone call from her cousin’s kids, she gets pulled back into the life she’s tried so hard to leave behind. Can the hot law man convince Mara to let go of her past-and build a future with him?

Kindle

Insatiable by Lauren Dane

Series: Phantom Corps #1

Carina Fardelle holds the key to calming the rising tensions between the Federation and Imperial ‘Verses. Daniel Haws has been enlisted to smuggle her to safety, but removing her from under the fiercely watchful eye of her evil father, the Supreme Commander, won’t be easy. Born as adversaries into different ranks, and on the run for their lives, they now need each other to survive-by holding on to the only thing they have in common: a growing desire that is dangerous, irrestisible, and insatiable…

Kindle

Embattles Hearts by JM Madden

Series: Lost and Found #1

John Palmer hasn’t felt like a real man since he was injured during combat in Iraq. Though not content with his new life, he is mostly adapting, just like the other vets at the Lost ‘N’ Found Investigative Service. When Shannon Murphy is hired on as the new office manager, life suddenly gets a lot more interesting. Before long, John finds himself wondering if he could ever be the kind of man Shannon needs.

Shannon Murphy wasn’t really looking for love when she hired on at LNF, but finds herself hopelessly attracted to the sex-on-wheels former Marine, John Palmer. The man is grumpy and nearly impossible to work with, but his brand of masculinity appeals to her on a basic level. Soon Shannon is wondering just what it would take for John to want her the way she wants him.

When an old enemy tries to settle a vendetta against Shannon, John insists on protecting her. He moves into her house, fanning the spark of attraction into a blaze. But the danger continues to escalate. Will the connection that they’ve found survive when they’re thrust into a fight for their lives?

Kindle <——THIS ONE IS FREE!

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The FREEdom of Art #MondayBlogs

It all started with this status on Elizabeth York’s Facebook page.

Wow! I am completely speechless. I had seen one of the books purchased were returned and then I noticed more… Didn’t think anything of it until I got a email. I don’t even know how to reply.

Hang on to your shorts, people. The email is a doozy.

“Ms. York, I wanted to tell you that your books are above par and you should be proud. I was able to read them all, but sadly I returned them all because they range from $0.99 to $2.99 and that is just too much for me to spend on a ebook. Can you please make all your books in the future free so that I do not have to return it?”

Um, okay. I had to read it a few times to really let it sink in that she was admitting to stealing from both Amazon and the author. As you can imagine this post went crazy and was shared by authors, readers and bloggers. It’s almost too crazy. Could there really be people like this out there? Baffles the mind.

But wait, there’s more.

Another post from Elizabeth shows up.

Yesterday I had to walk away from Facebook. I had to take a deep breath, count to ten, and then turn it off. You all rallied behind the injustice and some even told me of the same message, but I had to shake it off my own way.

I walked a line of whether or not to post what she had sent me because I have been yelled at previously for screenshotting people, but at the same time I felt what she had said and done was going to happen again and again. Sadly, she admitted it has.

I blocked her, but had a feeling she wasn’t gone when a friend request hit with a similar name, and then I got the following message. Due to the fact that Amazon is “investigating” the incident I will not disclose her name, but because she is someone’s beta I won’t hide the profile picture.

I seriously doubt this person will ever learn a lesson the easy way, or come down off her high horse, but I am not going to let her drag me down anymore.

 Here are screen shots of the follow up message from the “give me free books” emailer. Foul language warning. 

 

Cover art, editing, interior formatting for ebook, interior formatting for print,  copyright, and marketing are services I pay for every time I publish a book. It ain’t cheap. To break even on expenses I have to sell close to 500 copies The lower the price of the ebook, the higher the number of books I need to sell. This is to BREAK EVEN.

This doesn’t factor in the time I spent working on it which is several hours EVERY day. Sometimes I miss meals, I lose sleep, I can’t enjoy much leisure time, and my family doesn’t get my full attention. I can’t get this time back no matter how many copies I sell.

Putting out a polished product, the best I can deliver to readers, is the goal so I am happy to pay it in money and time. It’s not really a hardship because I enjoy my readers. They give me the greatest reward with their love of my characters and the world I am building. I juggle being a mom, wife, and author but I cannot imagine doing anything else.

Would you go to the theater and not pay? Do you walk up to the redbox kiosk and yell at it to spit out a DVD without putting any cash in? No. Because services are paid for. Entertainment is a service and it deserves to be paid for so you can enjoy it. I pay the same way everyone else does for my own escape from reality.

To close, I’d like to share this picture someone posted to Elizabeth. I feel like it perfectly sums up the situation at hand.

 

 

Family of the Heart #MondayBlogs

 

This post is going to be a lot more personal. I hate when people beat around the bush so I’ll just spit it out and go from there. My father in the biological is a donor number but the man in the picture below is my Daddy, and he loved me more than anything else in this world.

My parents were married in the seventies and tried to have kids for several years. When nothing happened they made an appointment with a specialist for fertility testing. The results came back that both of them were contributing to the problem. Mom might be able to become pregnant, but it would be a hard road. Daddy was told he couldn’t. They were devastated. Daddy told Mom on the way home after they received the news that he would let her go so she could get married and have a chance to be a mom with someone else. Mom didn’t marry him to have kids, she married him because she loved him. Whatever happened in the future with children, they would face it together.

They came within minutes of adopting a baby girl. Mom and Dad waited at the hospital, fully expecting to meet their baby. As sometimes happens, the birth mother changed her mind and decided to keep her daughter.

I don’t know how they got onto the idea of artificial insemination, but I am glad they did. A donor would be chosen with similar physical features to my dad. His sperm would be used along with a lot of fertility medications for mom. Even still, it was over a year before they finally had a positive pregnancy test.

Daddy was asked if would be happy being a father to another man’s child. His response is one that fills my mom with pride to this day.

“Any post pubescent male can be a father. I am going to be a daddy.”

Here are the things I know about my donor.

1. My donor’s sperm was used to help conceive at least three siblings. I was the last.
2. He was a medical student with light skin and light hair.
3. A handsome monetary reward was given to him in exchange for his contribution.

Here are the things I know about my daddy.

1. He attended every award ceremony, sporting game I cheered or danced at, recitals, competitions, tryouts, and parades. Fought for me when I was unable to stand up for myself and helped me learn to fight my own battles. Cried when I cried. Laughed when I laughed. Suffered through the girl drama and teen angst with me by being a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear. Made every Christmas, birthday, vacation, and special occasion memorable.
2. What more could I possibly need?

Daddy got to walk me down the aisle when I married Mr. B. We lived with him for the first year of our marriage because he had a big house and we were very poor newly weds. When Mr. B was away at boot camp it was Daddy who told me to ensure I wrote him a letter every day, and I did. It was what kept Mr. B going. Daddy wrote him letters too. He was proud of the man I married and got to have experience what having a son would’ve been like. When I called to tell Daddy I was pregnant he cried and laughed at the same time. He shouted, “I’m gonna be a grandpa!”

Sadly, his health declined and he passed away five months before his grandson was born.

All over the world people are being raised outside of what biology calls family. Why should science get to tell me who my heart can call family? Unless we’re talking about genetic code, then science doesn’t get a say. My father is the man who cheered me on and loved me every day from birth until his death. His mother, sisters, nieces and nephews, etc are my family. There is family of the blood and family of the heart.

 

 

They put the MAN in RoMANce #SpringFlingHop

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Spring has sprung and love is in the air! The Herd Presents set forth the task of sharing the most romantic reads. Let’s skip the small talk and get down to the nitty gritty. (BTW, in most any other situation that would be very unromantic to do to your partner.)

1. Talon by Carian Cole

Ashes and Embers #4 ** can be read as a stand-alone! **

DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL PARTNER:
Caring. Hard-working. A devoted family man, loves kids.
Clean cut, funny, smart, quiet, but a good communicator.

~ Asia Jenson

DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL PARTNER:
Independent. Tall, blonde, sexy. Outgoing. Intelligent,
neat. Unslutty. Confident. Loves to travel. Committed.

~ Talon Valentine

A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT.
The concept was scary but exciting…
Marry a total stranger. Live together for six months. Journal everything. (Feelings. Fights. All of it.) After six months, we each get $50K in trade for our journals, whether we stay married or not. But the goal is to commit to the experience and see if the relationship experts could put together the perfect matches. I have never been lucky in love. This was my chance to find my soulmate. I couldn’t wait to meet the man the experts felt was perfect for me. My hopes were immediately dashed when I saw him at the altar. Shit. I married my worst nightmare. Right?!

Why I chose it.

Who you think is your ideal match isn’t always that person. Asia and Talon make sooooo many mistakes, but watching them learn about love and marriage together was wonderful. Talon at the end of the book was AMAZING.

2. Last Day of my Life by Lani Lynn Vale. 

Freebirds #4

Her

She’s the definition of lost. Doesn’t know her name? Check. Cruelly beaten within an inch of her life? Check. No memory of anything that’s happened since she woke up from that beating? Check. Losing a child she doesn’t remember conceiving? Check. She hasn’t felt anything but lost in a very long time. Then an old biker tells her danger is on the horizon. He sends her to a man that she instantly feels a connection with. A bone deep connection.

Him

He’s the definition of despair. After the death of his young wife while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan, he hasn’t seen the appeal of participating in the world around him. He’s lost the only thing he ever loved. He’s been a shell of the man he once was. His only escape from reality is feeling the wind in his hair, going as fast as he can get his old Harley to take him. That’s the only time he can push his demons back far enough to feel peace. That is until she screams his name.

Why I chose it. 

Devotion, loyalty, and patience; I think those are the most romantic things you can give to the one you love.

3.Thunderstruck by Bijou Hunter (Contemporary Romance)

Escaping a madman…
My name is Darla, but he calls me Rose. I thought running would keep me safe. Instead, the monster hunts me, certain I will be his again.
Shattered and waiting for death…
Nine months in hell has left my mind ruined. My heart claims I’m no more than a burden. My soul only wants to embrace the darkness.
A retired assassin…
Troy brings the security skills of a former killer. I am his first legit job. He has no reason to make this assignment personal, but our connection can’t be denied.
Thunderstruck…
Troy awakens the part of me that still feels… hopes… loves.

***Thunderstruck is a standalone romance with adult language, violence, and sexual situations.

Why I chose it

Romance can be raw and rough. Being what the other person needs is romantic. Not a cuddly book but I love Darla and Troy. Bijou Hunter is a great author of damaged heroes and heroines finding a HEA.

Giveaway

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Want to win all three ebooks? Enter the rafflecopter giveaway and you could walk away with Talon, BLANK, and Thunderstruck. Share your favorite romantic reads in the comments, too!

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Science sided brain has the dumb. #mondayblogs

Have you seen any of the millions of YouTube videos where they mess with molten or red hot materials?  You can watch molten copper poured into a coconut, molten aluminium dumped in a swimming pool, molten glass/tar/lava onto an iPhone. Destroying iPhones looks like a popular one. There is also a whole channel dedicated to a red hot nickel ball. Viewers send in whatever they want the host to put the RHNB on. I watched floral foam, styrofoam, and gak (remember that stuff?). As I am watching I am reminded of a personal defect; I touch things I know I shouldn’t.

Four year old me laid a hand on the hot stove burner because Mom said it’s hot, don’t touch. So I touched it.

At eight I grabbed the end of metal sparkler after it burned out. Still hot, quite painful. Don’t recommend it.

On the lake when I was fifteen I was done in by a fishing hook in the finger. I’d like to say it was an accident because I grabbed the fish wrong but no. There wasn’t even a fish. Found the hook, touched the sharp part.

There is a voice in my head and it is science/common sense dumb. Hot stuff can’t really be that hot if it isn’t on fire, right? Facepalm with me, dear readers. Since I know I cannot be trusted and there isn’t enough supervision in the world to save me, I avoid certain things. Pretty much any scenario I think could devolve into an episode of World’s Dumbest starring yours truly is off the books for me.

Leaving the science to Neil. 

My children think I am nuts when I tell them not to grab certain things.

“We know. We’re not gonna touch it. Seriously, who would?”

Me. I would.

Now, if you will excuse me I think it is time I watched this video again. It’s for preschoolers, because they have it together better than the science sided part of my brain.

Reality? What reality? #mondayblogs

For this week’s edition of #mondayblogs, let’s examine my full immersion into the fictional world. Maybe you can relate.

I have a small issue with reality. Events and characters from fiction are real to me. Not in the sense I need therapy to help me differentiate flesh and blood people from actors playing roles/CGI/’people’ in books. My problem is I take the experiences to heart. This is a 50/50 deal because the emotional payoff can be GLORIOUS or it can turn me into a shuddering mess of snot and tears.

Being selective and spoiler friendly minimizes the risk of a nervous breakdown. The Fault in out Stars is probably a great book. I will never read it because I need to be able to function as a human being afterwards. Minimal exaggeration here. I can’t cry it out and move one. No, the trauma will bury itself in my soul and cause be to burst into tears at random times until the day I die. A few times I have managed to escape by refusing to believe the fake reality. For example, I refuse to believe any Alien movie after James Cameron’s film exist. So, two movies and then the rest are just a non canon fever dream. Why? Because Hicks and Newt. You want to tell me I’m wrong because there is just no way Ripley could have gone on to live a happy life with Hicks and Newt? Prove it.

Bioware is a company known for producing the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises. They are also synonymous with ripping your heart out of your chest and laughing while you bleed out on the ground. The stories of Bioware heartbreak are many. For some, it helps us to cope by sharing our pain with others who understand. Beware of spoilers in the video below.

With every choice, even in previous games, effecting future events you gamble with your chances of a happy ending. I don’t know anyone who played through one time and got it all ‘right’. Maybe you don’t care about that kind of thing but for me it is personally vital to my sanity. Yes, I’m striving for the fluffy bunny and magical unicorns of joy conclusion. If you think it makes me a loser, you can bite my magical unicorn ass.