Spring Fling Blog Hop!

March 20, 2014 by 30 Comments

Sepia Shot of a Young Kissing Couple.Today, I’m part of Jane Wakely’s Spring Fling Blog Hop.  Here are the prizes for the hop:

1 Kindle Fire (Donated by Blushing Books)
1 $75 Amazon (or B&N) Gift Card
1 $25 Starbucks Gift Card (Donated by Sue)
1 $25 Blushing Books Gift Card (Donated by Patty)
1 $25 Loose Id Gift Card (Donated by Cara)

To that list – I’m adding a copy of my latest release, Cupid’s Arrow, Simply leave a comment and you’re entered in the contest.

NOTE: Winners will be announced here, on FB, and Twitter on Tuesday, March 25, 2014.

I live in South Florida so for us Spring is almost non-existent. We go from our delicious winter to hot, humid, sweltering summer. But, I lived in Canada for many years, and during that time, Spring was my favorite season. I love the absolute feeling of renewal, the surging energy on the first warm day, and that overwhelming belief that anything’s possible because Old Man Winter no longer rules.
Today, too, I handed in my completed contemporary paranormal suspense to my editor(Georgia Woods) at Taliesin Publishing , Wilde Wolf.

So, here’s a little Thursday Teaser from the book:

Blurb:

Tania, a Wylfen aristocrat, hooks up with a stranger right before her twin’s graduation from military college. Not hours later, the bottom drops out of her world when she’s introduced to Axe, her twin’s new SEAL commander. Then she discovers he’s a Wilde Wolf, the arch enemy of her people. Wylfen laws prohibit her from mating with a half-breed. If anyone finds out she’s mated with Axe, exile is the least she has to fear…

Excerpt (Unedited):

“I saw when you left the tablet behind on one of the chairs in the lobby yesterday. Tried to return it to you, but by the time I got to the door, you were speeding off in a cab. Took it to the front desk and gave them your description.” He toweled off the drop of perspiration beading a granite chin dusted with stubble the color of molasses.

The musky aroma of his sweat, the faint remnants of some sandalwoody aftershave, plus a flash of pheromones proved intoxicating. He stopped less than an arm’s length away from her but stood to her left giving her a profile view of him.

A bolt of lightning-white lust had Tania trembling from head to sock covered toes. Only by chewing the inside of her cheek did she manage to not check out his package. He had to have a big dick. Any man that warrior hard had to have a cock to go with those incredibly cut arms and legs.

Her vaginal walls pulsed. She couldn’t wait to have him hammering into her pussy.

When he grinned down at her, she was mesmerized by the way one lip quirked up at the corner, and a hint of a dimple flashed. “Well? Did Lost and Found contact you?”

Found what? Cripes. She’d been so caught up in visualizing his cock that the tablet had flown out of her head.

“Oh.” She willed her open mouth shut. “I mean. Yes, I got it back. Thank you. Thank you. I’d never expected to see it again. It’s my work tablet, and you’ve no idea how much I dreaded having to report it lost.”

He smiled and she went hurdling into another greedy-for-his-cock spiral. No one should have that kind of smile. Genuine. Reflected in his slate-colored eyes. Devilish. Almost wolfish. “Glad to be of help. Want to buy me a thank you drink?”

He felt it too. The sparks between them. And acknowledged it.

Was she going to get laid or what?

Tania went for the down and dirty. Human males were so easy to sex-manipulate. Every platitude about the little head ruling the big, but duh-uh horny, one was so true. “Do you one better. I haven’t had breakfast yet and, all of a sudden, I’m not in the mood for a workout. In a gym, that is. Want to have breakfast in bed with me?”

Hope you enjoyed!

To continue on the blog hop, click on the link below:

www.hopswithheart.blogspot.com

Here’s the Rafflecopter link:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck to Everyone!

Cheers.

Jianne

Filed Under: Blog Hops, Jianne Carlo, News and Updates, romance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Things That Are Green Today – St. Patrick’s Day!

March 17, 2014 by 2 Comments

chicago river on st paddy's dayThe first St. Patrick’s Day Parade in North America took place in—drum roll— Boston in 1737!

For years my dh convinced our three sons that leprechauns snuck into our home the night before St. Paddy’s Day and colored all the drinks in the house green. The boys were all convinced because the beer was colored green and the bottles were capped! What fun those days were! J Sigh. The days of innocence.

St. Patrick’s Day was once a strictly observed religious holiday in Ireland. That means the pubs were closed and there was no public drinking—go figure!

The International Business Times published ten interesting facts about St. Patrick’s Day and I decided to share them with you:

1. St Patrick wasn’t Irish. He was born in England around 385 AD.

2. His given name was Maewyn Succat.

3. St Patrick was a slave. He was captured at the age of 14 and taken to Ireland, where he was enslaved for six years herding sheep before escaping and returning to his family.

4. He never drove serpents out of Ireland, because evidence suggests there were no serpents to be driven out.

5. St Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in the United States. Boston was the scene of the first Paddy’s knees-up in 1737.

6. It wasn’t until the 19th century that green became the colour of St Patrick. Before then it was blue, the colour of his vestments. Green was picked to commemorate St Patrick’s use of the shamrock.

7. There are nine cities, towns and boroughs in the United States called Dublin – they are in California, Georgia, Indiana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia.

8. In Ireland St Patrick’s Day was an alcohol-free holiday until 1970. Before then it was considered a day of relgious observance, meaning pubs had to be closed for business. In 1970 it was reclassified a national holiday.

9. St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on 17 March because that is the day he was thought to have died in 461 AD.

10. In 2013 Census data revealed that the number of people in the US who identify as Irish-American are seven-times more than the amount of Irish people in Ireland itself.

Have a great St. Paddy’s Day!

Cheers,

Jianne

Facts and photo of the Chicago River courtesy: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/10-st-patricks-day-facts-you-might-not-know-1440389

Filed Under: Jianne Carlo, News and Updates Tagged With: , , ,

Research Can Do You In!

March 10, 2014 by 2 Comments

Chest onlyOne of my favorite author activities is research. (I found the incredible cut guy in the pic doing research :)).  Unfortunately, research’s not a double-edged sword, but more a kazillion-edged one.

Research is exponential. You start off by looking up the exact date an event occurred, and the Google search engine gives you six different sites. Of course, being a conscientious and ethical writer, you must read and compare each site.

The first webpage mentions a precursor to the incident, and you need to know if it will impact on your storyline. So, off you go, and the whole scenario’s repeated ad infinitum. All of a sudden your carefully carved out block of writing time’s over and family and work responsibilities demand your attention.

Sound familiar to those of you who hold down day jobs?

There are so many other distractions, email, blogging, author loops, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads…I could go on forever. Add to that the pressure to devote time to marketing and — did I get in five minutes today?

We haven’t even touched on the notion of an actual social life.

I’m not what you could remotely call a social butterfly, networking or otherwise. By nature, I’m reclusive, and the strain to engage at large wirelessly makes my stomach clench and jerk. In 2013, sheer peer pressure made me cave, and I attempted to master too much at once. I spread myself thin and my writing suffered.

Not happening in 2014. In terms of my author persona, I have but two goals:

  1. Writing—No matter what I will write 1000 words 5 days a week.
  2. Research—If I’m in the middle of writing, and I need to look up a fact, instead of scooting online, I’ll simply insert three question marks. After I’ve completed my daily quota, then, and only then, will I research the point in question.

That’s it. Nada else.

Have a great weekend!

Cheers,

Jianne

Filed Under: News and Updates Tagged With: ,

Featured Author at The Romance Studio!

March 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment

 

Cupids_Arrow-Jianne_Carlo-Banner

This month I’m the Featured Author at The Romance Studio. Check out my interview with the lovely Laura (she had me smirking with her replies to my answers). If you stop by and make a comment, you’re eligible to win a free copy of Cupid’s Arrow. Here’s the link:

http://erotic.theromancereviews.com/interview.php?location=12981

And here’s a little sample:

Q: Please tell us about Eli. What kind of man is he? What makes him the perfect hero for this book?

As a boy, Eli had learning disabilities which went unrecognized and treated. He was labelled ‘stupid and slow’ and was headed down the wrong path. His mentor, Ignatius, caught him in the act of burglary, but saw something worthwhile in Eli and nurtured him.

Eli’s devoted to his widowed mother and his two younger sisters. He has a soft spot for the underdog–especially disabled kids and bends over backwards to ensure they get a fair chance.

Any guy who loves his mom and sisters and challenged children is a hero in my eyes.

Q: Mine too! What is it about Stephanie that intrigues him?

Note: You have to be  a member to comment.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Cheers,

Jianne

Filed Under: News and Updates, romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Wilde Wolf!

February 24, 2014 by 4 Comments

chest - shower - ThomasJames18 (2)I’m hot and heavy into my new paranormal suspense, Wilde Wolf. My poor dh is going nuts as I ignored him for the whole weekend. I did take the time off to cook  him and my two sons an incredible dinner last night, but it seems that wasn’t enough. Sigh. When a story’s flowing like Wilde Wolf is, it’s hard for me to think of anything else. Also, it kind of pisses the dh off when I paste my pic of my new hero at my desk. Yeah, that’s right. That’s my vision of the hero of Wilde Wolf. Yummy, huh?

Here’s a little teaser from Wilde Wolf:

Jas cut in between Mishe and Tania. He turned, half-backing her, and she glimpsed the top of a white Navy cap emblazoned with a silver eagle and gold bands.

“Senior Chief Johnson, meet my father, Arman Prakov, my mother, Orlenda Prakov.” Tania scooted around Mishe and peered at the striking man standing beside Jas.

A drop-dead walking testosterone hunk. His wide shoulders and military stance, spine board-stiff, seemed vaguely familiar.

Heat scaled her throat when she visualized the broad back of her gym lover. For long moments all she saw, felt, and smelt was the fragrant steam in the shower stall coating her skin while he hammered into her. Flustered, she stared unseeing at the medals above the man’s left pocket.

“Pleasure to meet you both.” Senior Chief Johnson shook her father’s hand and tipped his hat at her mother.

“Senior Chief Johnson is the lead trainer for BUD/s Class three twenty-one. I signed the contract for the class two weeks ago.” Jas made the announcement in such a blasé tone that, at first, the meaning of what he’d said didn’t penetrate Tania’s gray matter.

Her jaw dropped. She snapped her teeth together so hard they squeaked. Omigod. Jas had signed up for SEAL training.

Dad’s complexion turned a painful red. At any point, Tania expected to hear him roar.

“I’m certain there’s been some sort of mistake.” Arman crossed his arms and wolf-stared the senior chief.

“No mistake, Dad. I enlisted four weeks ago. Contracts are signed. I leave for Coronado in the morning.”

“Jashuka—this can’t be true.” Her mother wailed as she grabbed Jas’s forearm. “What have you done? Arman, do something. My baby’s not going to war.”

Red blotches stained Jas’s tanned cheeks. “Dad, Mom, let’s take this discussion elsewhere. Breede, Mishe, Tania, Senior Chief Johnson, we’ll hook up with you in the dining hall in a few.”

“Problem, Jas?” Another man in uniform emerged from behind the senior chief.

That voice.

It couldn’t be.

She craned her neck and met her gym lover’s contemptuous glare.

Tania’s knees wobbled. She grabbed Mishe’s arm.

“No, sir. A slight misunderstanding. Easily remedied.” Jas addressed his answer to the man who’d screwedTania silly not five hours ago. “Senior Chief Smith. This is…”

She didn’t hear a word beyond that. Her mind froze. Her fingertips iced over. His musky aroma surrounded her like a whirling top, wrapping tighter and tighter until all she smelled was him, them, sex.

“This is my sister, Tania. Senior Chiefs Johnson and Smith are the lead trainers for SEAL Class Three Twenty-one. Of which I am part.” Jas elbowed her when she didn’t respond.

Hope you enjoyed!

Cheers,

Jianne

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