Sunday Snippet: Up the Ante

I love it when characters creep me out on television shows. The marine colonel on Banshee is a total madman and takes the mantle of crazypants from the Red Bone leader Chayton Littlestone. Gotta say, he lost points this past week, but I won't get into why in this venue. I may have to dust off my Universes Altered blog and go to town on this season. LOL

Other television news… eh, not much until this upcoming week. Looking forward to new episodes of Arrow and The Flash. Hoping for some great stuff from Gotham and Sleepy Hollow, too.

Lastly, come on February. I need Bitten and The Walking Dead back on my screen. :D

Tonight's post is from Up the Ante, a sexy short where a card game hooks up the hero and heroine.

Here's the tagline:

Mutual satisfaction starts at the poker table when Vianca Berry and Fritz Hattenfield begin a flirtatious game that ups the ante of their new relationship.

And a snippety peek…

Fritz ducked his head into the rec room. "Hey, Vi. Are you gonna be at the poker game tonight?" He'd been trying for weeks to get her to come.

Vianca glanced up from her auto magazine. "Mmmm. Not sure I'll be around this weekend. Might ride along the lake." Her lips twisted. "Gonna be cold soon and I want to get one last road trip in before the weather turns." She shrugged. "But if it rains, I'll come around."

Fritz sent out a quick request to the universe for the clouds to roll in. "Sounds great. Game starts at seven. Whiskey and soda provided. Anything else you want, bring along with you." He made an exit before he truly begged her to show up.

Heading out to his ride, he snorted. "Damn, Fritz. It's only been two weeks since you got laid. Calm down." He swung a leg over the bike and got settled.

A low growl of an approaching motorcycle caught his attention. He craned his neck and grinned. Margus rode up and pulled in beside Fritz.

Margus removed his helmet. "Hatter. Any luck on getting Miss Vi interested?" His gaze swung toward the club house. "Pisses me off you called dibs. I'd love a piece of that long, tall woman."

Fritz lifted a shoulder. "No guarantee she'll show or stick around." He started his ride. "But I'll do my damnedest to convince her we'd be great together."

And they would. Fritz had a gut check every time she got within five feet of him. From his reaction alone, they'd burn up the sheets. And Vianca didn't seem unaware of the chemistry. She played to it, keeping Fritz on his toes with sexy banter when they worked on engines.

The woman kicked ass when it came to wrenching. Fritz couldn't wait to see what she'd do in a bed. Or hell, anywhere. He certainly didn't need a soft mattress or crisp, cotton sheets.

He'd pretty much go wherever the hell Vi wanted.

And do anything she wanted, at least the first time they got together. After that, they could discuss how things should shake out.

Margus snapped his fingers in front on Fritz's face. "Bro. You gonna sit there with the motor running all day or what?" A sly smirk crossed his face. "I'd recommend leaving the fantasy behind if you're headed for the outerbelt. It's a total zoo right now."

Fritz grimaced. "Always is. But you're right. I gotta get moving or I'll be late for the meet with Chauncey." He revved the engine. "Catch ya later tonight. Probably after ten."

He shifted and pulled out of his spot, easing into traffic once he cleared the exit. He had a forty minute ride to his meeting. Thoughts of Vi would pass the time, but only if he kept them rated PG.

Right.

Maybe he'd better count mile markers instead.

For a short story, this one has been all over the place. I have a feeling the content is subject to change on a whim. LOL

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Underfoot

So… the new season of Banshee started and blew my mind with the first episode. I have no idea why I'm so drawn to the show, but it never fails to push just a little further than I think it will. The opening scene equaled sheer perfection.

The Librarians is still making me smile and I’m getting ready to start Miss Fisher's Mysteries on Netflix this week. I've heard super awesome things about the series and can't wait to get into a new to me show.

OH! The CW also renewed ALL their fall dramas and I read the showrunners for The Flash and Arrow plan a once a year crossover for the two shows. WOOHOO!! Seriously happy for that news.

Bitten starts next month on Space and my unblocker app and Chromecast is going to be busy each week while I stream the episodes multiple times from the website. (Then watch again when Syfy airs them. :D)

And that's enough about TV, right?

Tonight's post is from Underfoot, a novel showing how my male characters gets his groove back… with a little help.

Here's the tagline:

Nona Rack, a footloose artist and Jane of all trades, breaks down beside reclusive author West Wentworth's house at two am during a blinding snowstorm. The cranky writer lets her stay, even though she's underfoot, and before he knows it, he's discovered a new muse.

And a snippety peek…

Nona Rack turned down the road and slowed down. The snow blew in a crazy back and forth pattern, making it damned hard to see anything ahead. She cut her brights and pumped the brakes, easing to a crawl and hoping like hell she didn't start sliding on the icy crunch under her tires. As soon as the thought hit, she fishtailed and skidded sideways, going off the road and dipping into a low-lying ditch. Her car stalled and she pounded her gloved fists on the steering wheel.

Lowering her chin, she rested her forehead on her hands. "Dammit. Why didn't I tell Moose to wait until next week?" She heaved a sigh.

Right. Because she needed to pay bills and get new spark plugs for her vehicle. Painting a collage of her friend's favorite rock bands gave a quick five hundred bucks. Not finishing until after one in the morning landed squarely at her feet. She could've left when it started snowing, but she'd been in a zone and didn't want to quit until she finished.

Fishing her phone out of her pocket, she thought about calling Moose, but decided against it. He'd been on the road for two weeks and only had three days off before heading back out again. By the time he got out to her location and back home, he'd have burned a couple of hours. He and Madge needed some alone time.

Peering out the window, she scanned the area. A lonely two-story sat off to her left, all darkened and gloomy. No other homes appeared to be in the vicinity on that side of the street. A sprawling ranch sat well off the road to her right. She leaned forward, squinting against the snow coming down. She caught the warm glow of a light in the window. Or not. She couldn't quite tell from inside the car.

Letting out a groan, she reached behind her and jerked her hood up over her head. "Argh. No help for it. Gonna have to see if I can get some help." She shut put the car in park and removed her keys from the ignition.

Crawling out of the car, a frigid blast of wind hit her in the face, an icy spray of snow dusting her skin. But a single lamp burned at one end of the home. Someone had to be up. She shivered and used the flashlight app on her phone to look for a driveway. Finding one, she followed the winding lane, quickly drifting over with snow, to the front door of the house. Taking her glove off, she rapped loudly on the door.

Poor West (my hero) won't know what hit him once he answers the door.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Smokin' Hot—Book Girlfriend Celebrity Lookalike: Down in Mexico

Welcome to the Hot for Friday blog hop!

Readers: Enjoy posts from authors with fun weekly tasks or a cool question.

Authors: Get in on the fun and join here.

We already got to know our book boyfriend celebrity lookalike. For this week's entry, we get to cast our book girlfriend celebrity lookalike.

FUN!!!

As mentioned in my boyfriend casting post, I almost always have an actor or actress serve as inspiration when I'm writing. It's great to have visual imagery as a point of reference when creating characters.

I'd love to share my vision of loveliness for Down in Mexico, available now from Ellipses Press, Ltd.

So… without further ado…

Please meet the truly beautiful inspiration for Kiernan Darby.

Emily Bett Rickards

Emily totally steals scenes as Felicity Smoak in Arrow. I loved her the first moment she appeared on screen. :D She had almost the exact look I wanted when I wrote Kiernan, young but not immature, yet able to convey a worldly 'seen it all' vibe. Definitely not hard to cast Emily as Kiernan.

Book Tagline: Boy meets and falls for girl. Girl 'dies' in a fiery explosion. Five years later, they meet again.

Series Tagline: Mix a little danger with hot romance.

Kiernan scoffed. "Lars, I'm not stupid." She sat up and turned toward him. "I lined up new suppliers… use my new name in case there's any crossover." She leveled her gaze on him. "Believe it or not, I learned a lot from you guys during my stint of doing undercover work."

He still looked skeptical, so she added more.

"Look. I may not be able to kill people ninety-seven different ways, but I can cover my tracks." She gave him a pointed look. "Took you five years to find me."

He winced. "Two, but point taken." She'd been careful. He got it now.

"Hey, want some dinner?" The emotional turmoil combined with the magnificent sex had her stomach growling.

Lars looked at her askance. "Are you cooking?" She didn't blame him. She'd had zero talent in the kitchen five years ago.

She chuckled. "Not tonight." She had Thai takeout in the fridge. "But… I'll have you know I have mad cooking skills now." She'd learned from her neighbor. The woman ran a restaurant and had the patience of a saint.

Lars grinned. "You'll have to show me." He swung his leg over the edge of the bed. "Will you cook for me, Kier?"

She leaned down for a quick kiss. "You betcha. Tomorrow. Dinner. I'll cook." Shrugging into a robe, she nodded toward the closet. "There's a pair of my dad's old dungarees in there."

Lars flashed a grin. His clothes were still outside.

"Thanks. I'll be out in a few."

Kiernan tied the sash around her waist and headed out.

~*~

Available on Amazon

~*~

Series Blurb: Sun, sand, and danger. International intrigue mixes with steamy romance to create hot situations—South of the Border.

Book Blurb: Kiernan Darby spends five long years playing dead. It's a life in limbo, but it lets Lars Rademacher do his job and eliminate the members of a lethal crime syndicate, Kiernan's former employers.

After discovering she's alive and well, Lars tracks Kiernan down in Mexico. Their reunion is sweet… until he reveals a pesky detail he conveniently forgot to mention.

Kiernan isn't completely safe. In fact, Lars is using her as bait to catch the last member of the espionage organization.

~*~

Thank you for stopping by.

Please feel free to stop by my website

And don't forget to enjoy the other Hot for Friday posts!

Sunday Snippet: Under the Influence (A South of the Border Book)

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone is getting a great start to the new year. I kind of love this time. It's almost like a period of renewal. I jot down goals or revisit past ones to see my progress. Last year, I got more accomplished than I realized, which makes me excited for 2015.

On the television front, I finally sat down and watched Ascension and I’m sooooo glad I did! If Syfy gives a green light to make it a series, I'll be a happy camper. I also took some time and got started on The Librarians and I'm charmed by the show. It's a little campy and ridiculous, but I don't care. It's fun, lighthearted, and reminds me a lot of Warehouse 13, which I loved.

Looking forward to the return of my regular viewing treats and the start of the new seasons for Banshee and Bitten.

Tonight's post is from Under the Influence, one of the books in the South of the Border series.

Here's the tagline:

When her father dies, Lilith Jans inherits a piece of hotly sought after property in Mexico. She also unknowingly takes on an unpaid debt, which puts her life in danger. Hayden Knoxville makes her an offer she wants to refuse, but can't—sell to him and he'll deal with the men coming to collect payment.

And a snippety peek…

Lilith straightened her shoulders and moved to brush past Hayden. A patron entered the bar area, making her adjust her trajectory and her elbow bumped against his. A shudder tore through her. The contact, minimal and so brief, heated up her spine. Her step faltered and she had to brace a hand on the door jamb to keep moving forward.

Following Lilith to the kitchen, Kiernan shook her head and opened her mouth.

Lilith held up a hand. "Don’t. Just don't even say it."

Kiernan shrugged. "Okay, but you're gonna have to face what you feel sooner or later."

Lilith closed her eyes and exhaled a calming breath. "Later it is. Much, much later." She grabbed a bottle of vodka from an open case, twisted the cap off, and poured a shot's worth into a tumbler. "I don't even like the man. How can he make me so hot I want to strip his clothes off and jump him?" Picking up the glass, she drained the contents.

Kiernan quirked an eyebrow. "Maybe you're fighting too hard, Lilith. Why don't you just get down and dirty with Hayden? You know, have mind-blowing sex, work off the tension, and move on." She splashed a little more alcohol into the glass and handed it back to Lilith.

Why the hell not? She'd never get anything accomplished if she couldn't manage to spend five minutes with the man without wanting to either punch or make out with him.

Lilith set the cup on the counter and picked up the bottle before meeting Kiernan's gaze. "Dammit. You had to plant that idea in my head, didn't you?" She brought the vodka to her lips and took several healthy swigs.

Kiernan chuckled, but took the bottle from Lilith. "No more for you. Trust me, you'll want a clear head so you can remember every detail." She recapped the alcohol and stashed it under the counter.

A vivid image of Hayden, naked, hard, and ready, flashed through Lilith's mind.

She shot Kiernan a sideways glance. "I hate you, Kier. I truly do." Because she did want to have total recall of every sensual, sexy thing Hayden would do to her.

Kiernan's laughter rang out and she headed back toward the bar area. "Then my work here is done." She looked back over her shoulder. "Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She ducked back into the bar, leaving Lilith alone in the kitchen.

She finally smiled. "Well then, at least I've got plenty of options."

Gotta say, it's been great to touch base with Kiernan and Lars from Down in Mexico. I love working in little pieces with them.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Under the Impression

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, no matter what you celebrate. And if you don't recognize a particular season, I hope you had a great week.

Happened to catch a teaser for Banshee, returning January 9. Gotta say, I can't wait. Also watched Pacific Rim about five more times. I love that movie. LOL

Other than waiting for a few more shows to return, I've been spending my holiday with The Doctor. I gripe about BBC America only showing Top Gear and Gordon Ramsey cooking shows all the time (seriously, it annoys the bejesus out of me), but I do love it when they marathon a favorite show.

Anyway, tonight's post is from Under the Impression, a sexy short where my main characters take a chance and act on their attraction, but have one big hurdle to overcome.

Here's the tagline:

Gris Ravenswood, owner of the hot night spot, Impressions, has it bad for his lead bartender, Kari Dans, but she's in a relationship with a semi-pro golfer. When Kari imbibes too much at an after party and puts the moves on Gris, he thinks he's finally got a chance… until Kari receives a text and runs off to be with the guy who always leaves her behind.

And a snippety peek…

Kari held up a bottle of vodka. "Hey, boss. Come sit with us. Share a round." She poured a shot and slid it to the end of the bar.

Gris narrowed his eyes. "Are you inviting the owner to your after party?" He parked his butt on a bar stool and downed the clear liquid. "Whoa… and you're using the top shelf stuff."

Kari grinned. "Nothing but the best for your hard-working staff." She lined up the glasses and poured, emptying the bottle without spilling a drop. "Drink up, guys."

Gris waited until everyone had their respective shots in hand. "How 'bout a toast?" He lifted his vodka, holding it out. "To the best staff… who just had the highest quarterly profit in our two years of operation."

A round of cheers went up and Gris rose, clinking his glass with each employee.

When he got to Kari, he touched his glass to hers. "You're a big part of the upswing. Thank you."

Her lips curved. "You're welcome. But if you hadn't let me set up the way I wanted, I couldn't have worked my magic." She leaned over the bar and pulled out another bottle. "Think this is gonna be one hell of a party, Gris. Are you sticking around?"

He took the alcohol from her hands. "I am. And I'm playing bartender. Sit your ass down and let me take over."

She shot him a sideways glance. "Gonna be hands on now? Can't wait to see you in action."

Kari is under the impression Gris is married to the bar, but learns differently in a big way.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Unacceptable Behavior

Whew. It's been a whirlwind week, getting ready for the upcoming holiday. I think I have almost every task completed off my check list. Still doing some baking and I always wait until the last moment to wrap presents. LOL Actually, if all goes well, that will be finished up over the next three days. J

Looking forward to some TV marathons over the next week or two, with a Xmas Eve X-Files event and Five Days of the Doctor, too. I kind of wish more of my favorite shows created specific holiday shows to air on Christmas Day. That's a trend I could definitely get behind.

Just got the word that Bitten returns in February. I cannot wait!! Banshee starts in a few weeks, so that should keep me going during the brief lag time.

Tonight's post is from, Unacceptable Behavior, a novella where my main characters have a reunion of sorts.

Here's the tagline:

Blain Donahue wants to buy into a fight club and decides to invest when he meets the main attraction Roxane Kewes. He's known her a long time—since high school where she constantly got in trouble—and thinks it's great she's found an outlet for her unacceptable behavior.

And a snippety peek…

Blain entered the office and shook Andy's hand. "Andy. Glad you could meet with me."

Andy nodded toward the seat across from the desk. "Happy to do so. We're always looking for new investors."

Blain settled down into the chair and got straight to the point. "Heard you'd decided to move into other venues and I'm looking for a controlling interest." He lifted a shoulder. "Figured I'd see if the rumors are true."

Andy frowned. "It's true I'm branching out, but I'm very emotionally invested in Fight Night. I started it from the ground up and it's given me a base to launch from. I won't just hand over full control to anyone." He started to say more, but a series of three rapid knocks interrupted him.

The door cracked open. "Sorry to barge in, boss, but I need a signature. Now." A pair of female legs appeared, quickly followed by the rest of the woman, carrying a clipboard. "As in this won't wait for your smoozefest if you want me to keep running the arena for you."

Blain's mouth dropped open and he rose from his seat. "Roxane?" He glanced in Andy's direction. "You've got Roxane Kewes culling the talent?" Blain definitely wanted in now and should kick himself for not checking the employee roster before arranging the meeting with Andy.

Roxane angled her head around. "I don't just cull—Blain? Blain Donahue?" She shoved the clipboard in front of Andy and planted her hands on her hips. "Damn, how've you been?" She reached out and grasped Blain's hand, shaking it then tugging him into a firm hug. "Haven't seen you since graduation."

Blain nodded. "Yeah, five years ago. It's good to see you finally found an outlet for your unacceptable behavior." He chuckled and faced Andy. "You have nothing to worry about, Andy. Knowing you've got Roxane on your team only seals the deal for me. I'll take very good care of Fight Night."

Honestly? Had no idea where this one would end up going when I got a prompt from a friend, but I'm very excited with how it's coming together. J

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin 

A Toasty Holiday Treat—Merry and Bright

Sponsored by Romance Blog Hops

Enter for a chance to win an awesome prize!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter Link

I'm giving away a copy of my holiday story, too! See below for details.

~*~

Grab something warm to drink and cozy up!

Welcome to the Winter Warm Up Blog Hop, an excellent sampling of authors sharing short excerpts from their work.

Readers: Please enjoy the steamy snippets and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

Bloggers: Please check out the excellent previews and spread the word.

~*~

Holiday Traditions. No matter what holiday is celebrated—Yule, Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, or just gathering with family, there's something great about having familiar traditions.

When I was growing up, we always opened one gift on Christmas Eve. My two brothers and I got very excited when Mom called us in and handed the pretty packages to us. Usually, we received new pajamas, sometimes socks, or maybe a winter coat. Regardless of what we revealed, she made sure the items were similar. I kind of loved that about her.

Now that I have three kidlets of my own, we've established a couple of our own traditions. From the time my oldest, now twenty-one, could eat solid foods, we've made cinnamon rolls for breakfast after opening all the gifts under the tree. It's still going strong, with the exception of the year our local store didn't have cinnamon rolls stocked when we were shopping and we substituted the orange flavored ones instead. My daughter still reminds me it's unacceptable to have orange-iced rolls for Christmas morning. Our back-up plan is now to make cinnamon toast instead. LOL

My favorite family tradition started about ten years ago. I got the wild hair idea to have a themed holiday tree. I had my oldest kiddo pick the theme and we came up with ideas for how to make ornaments and use things around the house to decorate. To date we've had Under the Sea, Buried Treasure, Nature's Bounty, Candy Land, Snowflakes and Cupcakes, Techno Tree, Imaginext, and Noah's Ark. I know I'm missing one in there somewhere, but that's the general idea. This year, we're going with a Seahawks tree, using green, blue and white ornaments, in honor of my middle kidlet's favorite team.

After getting the tree decorated, my favorite 'me' tradition is to turn on some seasonal music, get a glass of wine or cup of tea, and decompress by reading a holiday romance. It's a nice little respite from the crazy schedules, piles of presents, and butt-loads of wrapping paper waiting in the wings.

~*~

There is a reason for talking about traditions. When writing as Skylin O'Thomas, I tend to focus on contemporary romance, sometimes filled with little relationship moments, but also some adventure. Weaving in tension with suspense or adding humor to a steamy situation is so much fun. Giving a couple their happily ever after can't be beat. And using the desire to establish new traditions makes getting to the HEA a whole lot more interesting.

My holiday release from Resplendence Publishing, Merry and Bright, features two best friends who each have a serious desire to be the man in Presley Griffith's life. But Presley doesn't want to get between the two guys and potentially bust up their friendship.

Gunnar and Frazier don't let their friendly rivalry get in the way of helping Presley establish holiday traditions, after she mentions how hard it is to make new ones after the death of her parents. The duo comes up with a plan to keep her smiling through the holiday season.

I had so much fun writing the book and I'm giving a digital copy away for this blog hop. Please leave a comment for your entry and tell me your favorite holiday tradition, if you have one. (Maybe it involves books!)

~*~

Book Tagline: For Presley, waking up between Gunnar and Frazier is one way to be merry and bright.

~*~

Frazier pondered Presley's retreating back. Gunnar sank down again, a quirky grin on his lips. Frazier jabbed him in the shoulder.

Gunnar laughed and rubbed the spot. "Dammit. What'd you do that for?"

Frazier arched a brow. "You're cheating. Stop it."

Gunnar snorted. "And you weren't with that foot rub? We agreed to hands off, remember?"

Frazier lifted a shoulder. "Couldn't help it. She looked so damned tired and worn out when she walked in." Her hair had come loose from her ponytail, and Frazier had a thing for how it framed Presley's face.

Gunnar kicked back in the chair. "Yeah, yeah. It's not like she really noticed…" He sighed.

Gunnar called it. The massage only distracted her for a few minutes.

Frazier nodded. "Yeah, her mind's on not having her parents anymore. And trying to establish her own traditions." He grabbed the file and stood. "We should do something to help out with that, Gunn."

Gunnar abruptly settled the front legs of his chair back on the floor and rose. "Yeah, and I've got a great idea." He followed Fraz out of the lounge and walked toward the side exit the emergency personnel used.

Frazier didn't know if he liked the conspiring tone Gunnar used.

He angled his head around, narrowing his eyes. "What do you have in mind?" It’d better involve him, or he might have to make sure Gunnar took a nice tumble on the ice bordering the deserted parking area.

Available at Resplendence Publishing | Amazon | BN | ARe

~*~

Book Blurb: After losing her parents, Presley Griffith will be spending the holidays alone, and wishes new traditions were easier to establish. But instead of being by herself, she ends up in bed with Frazier Boyle and Gunnar Stewart. The cop and the firefighter heat things up and cool them down and Presley can't think of a better way to be merry and bright.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Get cozy and relax! Visit the other participating authors.

Add inlink code