Dirigibles Are Forever New Release Celebration & Contest!
I am so very, very excited to celebrate the release of Dirigibles Are Forever, my super-sexy Christmas novella set in an alternative Victorian London, filled with adventure, secrets and fun, and a dash of James Bond. The USA Today HEA Blog has called it a “MUST-READ Romance”.
I love this story! It was a blast to write it and Holly and Jack have a special place in my heart. Both of them face difficult decisions and Holly is working hard to find her place in the world. It is not the Victorian London you are used to, but a London where Her Majesty Queen Victoria passed the Equal Rights Act and women can do whatever they want…including being Aether Traffic Controllers;). But Holly no longer believes it is enough. She wants more, but has not yet found what this more is.
Working as an Aether Traffic Controller saved Holly Acklin after the death of her husband, but now she wants more—including a night of uninhibited passion with Jack Smith, whose very presence has kept her body tingling for months.
Special Agent Jack Smith kept his identity a secret when he came to the London Royal Port Authority with one assignment, one he cannot fail. It holds him back from following his attraction to Holly. But on the eve he must complete the mission, Holly asks for one night with no rules or boundaries, and his control snaps.
When London experiences an unexpectedly white Christmas, all dirigible traffic is grounded, leaving Holly and Jack free to act upon their stormy passions. Holly finds her determination to stay emotion-free crumbling unaware Jack is experiencing the same need. Each lover wishes for more, but fears it can’t be. Instead they focus their desires in mind-blowing passion.
But when Holly discovers that Jack isn’t who he claimed to be, everything is thrown into turmoil. Can she trust the man she thought she knew?
Now on to the contests! Yes, plural:). I have two fun contests waiting for your participation.
To celebrate the release of Dirigibles Are Forever I’m once again giving away fabulous Overman jewellery.
Steampunk Jewellery Contest (Ends Today!)
To win this necklace and pair of earrings you can
1) Comment here and tell me if you could be/do anything you wanted what would you do?
2) Follow me on Twitter
3) Like my Facebook page
4) Mark Dirigibles Are Forever as Want to Read on Goodreads
Each of these will be an entry to win. This contest ends Friday 19th December, 2015 at midnight. A winner will be chosen on Saturday the 20th December, 2015.
Dirigibles Are Forever Reader Contest
Fancy winning a gift card? If you read Dirigibles Are Forever and post a review on Amazon by Thursday January 1, 2015, you’ll be entered to win a $50 gift card (Amazon or All Romance eBooks, your choice).
The contest rules are easy:
1) You must post a review on Amazon and email me a link to the review, by midnight EST Thursday January 1, 2015. Please put “Dirigibles Are Forever Reader Contest” in the subject line and email it to tina(dot)christopher7(at)googlemail(dot)com.
2) Posting an Amazon review is the qualifier to enter the contest.
3) You may gain additional entries by posting your review on Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, and ARe. You must email me the links to those reviews also.
4) Obviously I hope you’ll love the book, but if you don’t, just post your honest review. I might wallow and eat too much chocolate, but I’ll get over it;).
5) The winner will be contacted Friday January 2nd, 2015.
Caturday!!
I have just been made aware of Caturday! How the heck did I miss this for so long?!
Now that I know about this glorious day I will join the millions of other cat owners and contribute to the mass of cat photos online (you may want to run!)
Please let me introduce Miss Emma Peel:
Color Me Blue
I love color, so when I decided to redo my patio I went for impact. I painted the walls a beautiful Cobalt blue. So now when I open my orange Indian print curtains, and look outside, I see this wonderful vibrant color and my plants (in bloom :o) and it’s a great pick-me-up.
I love it so much I’m going to also paint the opposite wall the same color. Or I should say my husband will be doing the painting. I only paint on canvas. 🙂
I looked up the meaning behind the color blue. BournCreative – a cool design firm (love their name for starters) has a great summary of the meaning behind blue:
Blue represents both the sky and the sea, and is associated with open spaces, freedom, intuition, imagination, expansiveness, inspiration, and sensitivity. Blue also represents meanings of depth, trust, loyalty, sincerity, wisdom, confidence, stability, faith, heaven, and intelligence.
The color blue has positive affects on the mind and the body….Electric or brilliant blues become dynamic and dramatic, an engaging color that expresses exhilaration.
I love that ‘imagination’ and ‘inspiration’ are mentioned, since this is the view from my writing studio. As writers, we draw on our imagination and inspiration. So whenever I need a break, I can rest my eyes on my view from my patio doors and get inspired!
Cheers,
Viki Lyn
Viki Lyn: Award winning author of paranormal and contemporary romances. You can find all of Viki’s books at the following sites: Amazon, All Romance Ebooks and GLBT Bookshelf.
In Praise of Silver Foxes (VaVaVaVoom)
My most recent book is a love story between 50+ lovers. I thought it might be fun to remind us all just how sexy 50+ can be. Here’s a quick tour of the silver foxes out there who can get my heart fluttering double time. Here are my favorites:
Viggo Mortensen (53)
Colin Firth (51)
Jon Bon Jovi (50)
There’s also Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Liam Neeson, Denzel Washington, Dennis Quaid, and Samuel L. Jackson. Who did I miss? Who’s your favorite (s)?
If you are looking for short, sexy romances with 50+ characters, check out Life Reignited.
Book Blurb
Phoebe lives trapped between two worlds. Born an Amazon warrior, she’s sworn to serve the Greek pantheon. It’s her work as a scholar in the human world that gives her life passion and purpose and eases her heart—which shattered when the pantheon forced her to abandon her human lover.
Alexander Xenos is world renowned classics expert, who has dedicated his life to the study of ancient cultures and promoting peace. His fame and global adventures hide a hole in his heart, ripped out by a beautiful, gentle scholar, who shut him out cold after the most intense love affair he’d ever had.
Thirty years later, Sander meets his long lost love, only to learn she’s an Amazon, the mythical gods are real, and they are about to go to war. And Phoebe, who still sets his blood to boil, is in the thick of it. He’ll have to prevent a conflict between the Greek and Norse pantheons or lose her again—this time permanently.
Tangled Redemption Release and Contests!
I am very excited to share with you my latest release Tangled Redemption, book 4 in my Celestial Surrender series. It is a super-sexy Sci-Fi menage and a story that has been on my mind since Miguel walked on to the page in Tangled Shadows, book 1 in the series. It was an adventure to tell Miguel, Sydney and Jayden’s story and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it.
Come by my website for a chance to win a copy of Tangled Redemption or a $50 gift card.
Blurb:
Sydney Radnall is no man’s toy, despite fate’s attempt to make her just that. But kidnapping puts her at the mercy of a sadistic Feral commander. Being held prisoner is bad enough, but her Naema blood is powerful. In her current Vampiric company her presence is like ringing a dinner bell.
In an attempt to break her, the commander makes her the pet of two of his lieutenants. Miguel is one of the most dangerous men she has ever met, but she can’t stop the attraction blazing between them. Then there is Jayden, a Vampire who is as surprising as he is sexy. Two Vampires she should not be attracted to, should not want to surrender to, should not trust.
But things aren’t always what they seem. Secrets and lies shadow their connections, making it impossible to see clearly. What are the chances of her finding lifemates while surrounded by enemies? Making the wrong decision could not just shatter her heart. It could cost her life.
Excerpt:
By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.
An Excerpt From: TANGLED REDEMPTION
Copyright © TINA CHRISTOPHER, 2014
All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
When the Feral Vampire strode up to her, a malicious grin curving his thin lips, fangs glistening, Sydney Radnall knew she would never again allow anyone to take her blood. She would die first.
There were three of them. The other two stayed slightly behind, fanning out and blocking the entrance.
Marissa, the young human who had been taken from Parvati at the same time as Sydney, stood beside her. Their shoulders bumped. Marissa’s shook, but she raised her fists as if to fend off the three Vampires with her bare hands.
No way in fucking hell.
Sydney straightened her shoulders, rolled her neck and took a step forward. She smiled.
The lead Feral’s gaze narrowed.
She didn’t give him a chance to respond, but leaped and rammed her knee into his groin. He folded over with a whimper. She grabbed a hunk of his hair and slammed the bottom of her palm into his nose. Cartilage crunched as she jammed the shattered bones into his brain.
Eyes wide he dropped to the floor. Dead.
Sydney panted. She touched the cold synth-metal wall of the spaceship for a second but stopped herself from rubbing her sore hand. The other two Ferals gaped at her. She wanted to smirk, but she’d lost the advantage of surprise.
They recovered and converged on her. Before they had taken even one step the door slid open and Tall, Dark and Dangerous, the man—no, the Vampire—responsible for her kidnapping, strode in.
He appeared to grasp the situation with one look and grabbed the nearest Feral, killing him with a quick twist of the neck. The third attacker froze.
Sydney took a couple of steps back to give herself more room. She would fight to the bitter end.
“Honorable Radnall, what are you planning to do?” His seductive voice slid across her in an inappropriate manner. He was taller than her, something that didn’t happen often. His skin was darkly tanned. Thick dark-brown hair framed his arresting face as if he hadn’t had the opportunity to get it cut for some time. His eyes gave nothing away. With every movement, every inch of his muscular body, he demonstrated he was a warrior.
She had trained with men like him, had been taught by them, but she had never managed to best even one of them.
5Tina Christopher
He crossed his arms before his chest. The final Feral moved against her. Dark and Dangerous gestured and two of the Ferals who had accompanied him grabbed the attacker.
Sydney was not surprised he was the leader. The power of a highly trained warrior and powerful Vampire cloaked him. He raised a brow at her.
Unlike her attackers his eyes were black, not red. The red identified Ferals as Vampires who drained their prey of blood while inducing horror and panic. In one of the few instances of cooperation between the three major species, the Naema Senate, the Vampire Council and the human government had agreed that Ferals were an unacceptable danger. Law enforcement as well as civilians had permission to shoot Ferals on sight without repercussions.
Over the last year or so scattered Feral groups had come together under one leader to smuggle humans as blood slaves, a crime that, if it became public knowledge, would incite another Human-Vampire War. A war far more devastating than the one three centuries ago.
She mirrored his stance. “My parents told me not to talk to strangers.”
His lips quirked. “Miguel Calatrave, at your service, Honorable Radnall.” He gestured to the dead body. “Now, if you would please explain?”
She couldn’t defend herself against his voice. Goose bumps rose in its wake.
Sydney stood even straighter. “They entered with one clear intent. An intent that I won’t allow.”
His nostrils flared, but the flash of rage was gone too quickly for her to be certain. It seemed the Ferals had ignored his orders.
“You will not allow? All right, Honorable Radnall. You have one out of the way. I took care of another. How will you deter anyone from coming in here to drink your or the human’s blood?”
She stared at him. Was he serious? Why would he want her to kill one of his own?
Sydney swallowed and observed the Vampire being held by Calatrave’s men. He’d clenched his jaw. The skin across his face was stretched tight, muscles bulging, making his two keepers struggle to hold him. His red eyes, eyes that proved he had killed humans without compassion, blazed.
She didn’t have much time.
Her chest tightened and she looked back into Calatrave’s jet-black eyes. His expression was impassive.
Her first kill had been self-defense. The next one had to be an execution. The last man she had killed had been a traitor to her country and her planet. A traitor to her species. A traitor to her.
Her husband.
Art Explosion
This will be a short post. I just returned from a five day immersion into art. This morning I’m catching up on laundry, grocery shopping, emails and projects.
I’m serious about art – and attended Artisan’s Expo in Santa Fe. This picture is me ready to attack my canvas. The Expressionist painting workshop was AWESOME. I got to throw paint on my canvas, grind in sand and mica and just go crazy without thinking of composition or color. I don’t have a picture of the outcome because I had to ship the work home.
Five days in Santa Fe infused my creative heart.
Taking a breather from writing has been good. I love writing love stories but I also love expressing through mixed media and paints, and teaching the creative process.
Creativity is a wonderful thing in any form you choose to express yourself.
Cheers,
Viki
Viki Lyn: Award winning author of paranormal and contemporary romances. You can find all of Viki’s books at the following sites: Amazon, All Romance Ebooks and GLBT Bookshelf.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Writers For a Great Cause
Shades of Pink Charity Anthology
As you may know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Last year, the first Shades of Pink event raised over $10.000 through more than 1300 donations
For our second year, 22 authors have allied for 1 cause: fundraising for research. Their gift to everyone who makes a donation is a romance anthology (ebook) titled Shades of Pink (volume 2), totaling almost 150.000 words / about 400 pages as a PDF. I participated last year and am proud to participate this year, with my first sweet love story.
The suggested donation is $5. Funds are raised via Stayclassy.org and all proceeds go directly to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Readers can also donate to the charity organization of their choice (with a focus on breast cancer) and email their receipt to receive their copy of the anthology in either PDF, ePub or mobi (kindle).
Who: Catherine Bowman, Mitzi Calderone, Vivien Dean, JJ and TA Ellis, Sabrina Garie, Nina Day Gerard, T. Hammond, Susan Harris, Laura Hunsaker, Kallysten, Amara Lebel, Alicia J. Love, Deelylah Mullin, C. Deanne Rowe, Cynthia Sax, DJ Shaw, Alice Stark, Ashley Suzanne, Gill Taber, Natasza Waters, Zoe York, Angela Yseult
When: Now through November 15th.
What: 22 short stories, including…
- 4 paranormal, 1 sci-fi, 11 contemporary, 1 historical, 2 military, 3 BDSM, 2 YA (some stories have more than one genre)
- 3 spicy (ménage or kink), 7 sexy (explicit sex scenes), 12 sweet (no sex)
- A couple of vampires, about three dozen humans including soldiers, geeks, teachers, librarians, writers, survivors, bosses, rock stars, teens, mages, wives, husbands and fiancés, 1 succubus, 1 genie, a few aliens, some werewolves and other shifters.
- Pink, pink and more pink, including tattoos, plenty of flowers, precious stones, jewelry, a bookmark, a drawing, ropes, lingerie, a car, a bag, a vase, various clothes, an anteater and a squirrel.
Where: Kallysten’s blog
Here you’ll find links to teasers for the stories, interviews of the authors and blog posts during all of October, a FAQ, and of course the link where you can donate and help this worthy cause.
Definition of Diva: It’s All About Me
Good morning! Since we don’t have a theme for this week I am going to do some self-promoting. I don’t usually self-promote here, but many of you might not know about me or my writing. First about me…hmm…I’m an Aries with a Cancer Moon and Virgo Rising. I’ve always walked to a different beat, and my husband tells me I think like 8% of the population! Now where he came up with that stat, I never figured out. But, he’s an engineer, so I don’t question. I love to travel and have visited most sacred sites across the globe. I spend a lot of time in coffee houses chatting with friends. Waste most of the afternoon hanging out and watching anime, reading, playing on my iPad…you know, nothing too constructive. But, I get up at 5:30 am every day and work until I crash!
In 2013, I almost gave up writing. I had several m/m books published and the industry was going through growing pains. I thought about starting something new and getting back to my art. Well I did start something new, a business with a wonderful friend and artist, teaching online classes, but I couldn’t give up writing all together.
In 2014, I had four books published.
Mostly, I write m/m romance but started as a m/f historical romance writer. These older books have been out of circulation for quite some time. I decided to republish two through Musa Publishing. It’s always nice to get a refresh on a story and a new editing job.
Regarding Eliza is my m/f Edwardian book – and a fun story about Eliza, a young woman living during the 1910’s. This was quite a decade of change, much like the 1960’s – which is the other m/f story I have out – Formula For Love. Both stories feature strong, independent women who want to make a change in the world, and are trying to figure out how love fits in with their need for independence.
Formula For Love Musa Buy Link
Formula For Love Amazon Buy Link
Regarding Eliza Amazon Buy Link
On the m/m romance side, I have a new series, Orbus Arcana, co-authored with Vina Grey. This tells the story of Vince and John, a vampire in love with a human cop. The story leans towards a fantasy in the sense we have a lot of world building. Orbus Arcana exists alongside the human world but in another dimension. We will soon have an audio book for the first book – For The Bite Of It and plan to have the second book converted to audio next year – A Bite In Time. Vina and I are working on book 3, and hope to have it published in April, 2015.
For The Bite Of It Buy Link – Amazon
A Bite In Time Buy Link – Amazon
I’m not sure what 2015 will bring? Maybe another trip overseas, or a brand new series I’ll write with Vina. I learned to take things day to day, to enjoy my writing and not stress the details. Life is too short not to enjoy every minute of it!
Cheers,
Viki Lyn
Facebook – Viki Lyn and Author Page
Twitter – Viki Lyn
Romeo and Juliet: The Politically Correct Version (I had to, really)
Crazy times at my house. Better late than never.
Like Marcella, I’m not a big fan of Romeo and Juliet. A 13 and 14 year old… What’s up with that? So here’ my pseudo progressive ending. Hate it if you must, but I just had to do it.
Juliet blinked her eyes. The poison had not worked and very much alive Romeo face shimmered into focus. She should be thrilled. Why didn’t his eyes look as brown as they once did, nor as tender. He smelled of sweat and mint and sulfur soap, that made her want to gag. Was that a pimple on his temple or a wart?
“Thank the lord, you are alive, my love,” Romeo squeaked, the sound harsh against her ears. His mouth fell open, the tip of a pink tongue emerged. The look reminded her of a puppy dog. She looked around him half expecting a wagging tail. He was so young.
“My daughter, thank goodness we find you.” Her father came running up to them. Sweat plastered his salt and pepper hair to his forehead. “We have made peace with the Montagues. The war is over. Come home and I promise you can attend school with your brothers.”
“You will let me learn to read, father?”
“Aye, daughter, I will. You were too willing to give up your life, too early. It woke me up.”
“Then, Romeo, we should wait. Learn. Grow. If we still love each other after a few years, we can marry properly.”
Rewriting Romeo and Juliet
(kisses JULIET, takes out the poison)
Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide.
Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on
The dashing rocks thy seasick, weary bark.
Here’s to my love! (drinks the poison) O true apothecary,
Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.
Ah, and so end’s Romeo and Juliet. Now, this isn’t a favorite play of mine. I don’t like tragic endings in romance, that’s why I write in the romance genre and not women’s fiction. I want the HEA. The HEA might take a few books to get there, but rest assured, my heroes will be happy together, and not in death. So here’s how I would write the ending (and being predominately a m/m writer, I’m changing Juliet into Jules.)
(kisses JULES, takes out the poison)
Romeo stares at the ugly brown bottle. Did he really want to end his life? Yes, he loved Jules like no other, but it wasn’t as if they could marry. He’d have to do the deed sometime in the future.
He vehemently shook his head. With Jules he had no life, and the thought of taking a wife left a knot in his stomach.
“Bitter, bitter taste I will welcome. Here’s to my love. “
He uncapped the cork and the nasty whiff made him choke.
Jules stirred, sitting up on his elbows, rubbing his eyes. “Hey, Rom, what took you so long?”
Romeo gasped and dropped the bottle on the concrete floor. The glass smashed and released the foul odor.
Jules wrinkled his nose. “What the fuck is that stuff?”
“I thought you were dead?”
“Didn’t you get the message?”
Romeo’s heart pounded. He’d almost taken the vile poison, and all this time his lover was alive. “What message?”
“Man, you have the worst luck. I only pretended to die, idiot. Why would I kill myself? Tybalt is dead. Mecutio is dead. How many dead bodies do we need in this goddamn play?”
Romeo shrugged. “And Paris…”
“Geeze, man, is there anyone left alive?”
Romeo grinned, his eyes shining. “We are…so let’s make the best of it.”
Fade to black…
Ah, come on, this IS Shakespeare and he doesn’t do erotic romance!
Viki Lyn: Award winning author of paranormal and contemporary romances. You can find all of Viki’s books at the following sites: Amazon, All Romance Ebooks and GLBT Bookshelf.
Follow Viki at:
Darker Temptations 