A Good Sub Would by Sierra Cartwright

Shelby, a wanna-be sub, hasn’t found a Dom strong enough to push past her need to be in control. Her experiences as a sub have been yawn-inducing. She’s fantasized plenty, though, about Trevor Lawton, one of Dark Haven’s legendary, mouthwateringly firm Doms.

As the stakes get higher at the charity poker match, Dom Trevor Lawton is fascinated by the woman kneeling across the table from him. Problem is, she’s not a good sub. Oh, she tries, and she’s lovely. But she’s not very good at following orders. The woman needs a firm, unyielding hand... One like his.

Note:  A Good Sub Would was previously released as part of the Doms of Dark Haven 2: Western Night anthology.

Now available at Loose Id!  Congratulations, Sierra!!

Sealed by Magic by A. Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder

Seattle has been at peace since before it was founded on the banks of the Puget Sound.  The war between the witches and the snake shifters ended and they now live separate lives.  Generations of distrust have kept them separated, until Ari Fitzgerald meets sexy Zachary Bennett, a young witch from the Queen City Coven.

  Ari is the son of the lamia king.  He needs to find the source of the black market trading in lamia venom before any other snake shifters are hurt, or worse.  The young ones are most at risk, because their venom is more potent.  Ari discovers the source is a witch and suspicion falls on Zac and his coven. Ari doesn't want to believe it.

  Zac works for his brother-in-law, a powerful bear shifter who doesn’t care about shifter politics.  When three coyote shifters come to town, looking for black-market lamia venom and a witch to kidnap, Zac gets caught in the middle between the bears, the lamiae, and the power-hungry coyotes. He's going to need all the help from Ari that he can get.

  Ari and Zac must find the source of the venom before the city erupts into a dangerous war, with the two of them on opposite sides.

Now available from Loose Id!

Congratulations, ladies!!

Simultaneous!

When I think of the word "simultaneous," I never fail to hear Chef from South Park in my mind. 

And while I enjoyed South Park once upon a time, and Chef's song "Simultaneous" cracks me up, I'm not referring to the simultaneous action Chef is referring to.  I'm thinking about simultaneous actions characters perform -- or attempt to perform -- in narrative prose. 

Simultaneous action is the term I use in edits when an author has a character do something that's physically impossible or when a character does two things at one time.  For example:

Walking through the kitchen, Jana emptied the trash can. 

Jana can walk through the kitchen, yes, and Jana can empty the trash can, but Jana cannot perform both of these tasks simultaneously.  (This is a bad example because I cannot correct the simultaneous actions without completely rewriting the sentence.)

Here's a better example:

Pulling out of the driveway, he drove down the street.  

The aforementioned "he" cannot pull out of the driveway and drive down the street at the same time, so a better way to rewrite this sentence to avoid simultaneous actions would be:

He pulled out of the driveway, then drove down the street.  

As I hope you can see, the leading cause of simultaneous actions occurs when -ing verbs are used at the beginning of a sentence.  Once begun, it's a difficult writing crutch to break, but I think if a writer is aware during the drafting or self-editing phases, the problem of simultaneous action is easy to manage. 

Keep It Together by Lissa Matthews

Jilted bride? Check. Hangover? Check. Shotgun? Double check. Wayward groom's half-brother Colt on her porch the next morning, hat in hand, concern in his sexy blue eyes, and apologies on his full kissable lips? Uh… Check?

That was six months ago. Now, with a job she loves, her heart mended and her pride put back together, the last thing Chrissie expects is that same half-brother standing behind her saying he's got an answer for her. Problem is, she can't seem to remember what she'd said on that long ago day that would warrant a visit from him.

Colt does, and as the CEO of a cookie company, it's his job to pay attention to the details. “Maybe I should have married you instead.” She'd been right. He was the brother she should have married and all he has to do is convince her of it with a blend of persistence and seduction.

But their first kiss is hotter than the southern Georgia summer and catches him off guard. She's primed and ready to burn up the sheets and he's not inclined to say no. Will she believe that he won't ever leave her? Maybe. If he brings her cookies…

Now available from Loose Id!

Congratulations, Lissa!!

Entwined Fates: Her Pirate Master by Trista Ann Michaels

Jacquelyn Marcone is taken hostage by infamous space pirate, Haydrian Victis. He plans to use her as bait to lure Captain Jack Marcone. Unfortunately, or possibly fortunately for Jacquelyn, Haydrian has no idea that Jacquelyn is the 'Jack' he's hoping to bait.

Haydrian’s intent was never to actually take her, but just make the man he was looking for think he did. But the pretty blonde who constantly fights him at every turn becomes too much of a temptation to ignore. 'Jack' will make a few discoveries of her own, such as her desire to sexually submit, her shocking reaction to flogging, and the fact that her Pirate captor isn't at all who she initially thought.

Desperate circumstances can make people do things they normally wouldn't and for this Pirate/King that rings all too true when he finds he must become a thief in order to save his people. He's survived many battles, but the one thing he may not survive is the hurt he'll feel when he finds out the delectable blonde submissive he's falling in love with is the infamous Captain 'Jack' Marcone he's been determined to get revenge against.

Now available at Loose Id!

Congratulations, Trista!!

Brainy and the Beast by JM Cartwright

Robotics researcher Henry Travis uses his brain for just about everything, but once he meets Nick Shelton over the hood of his 1960 Mercedes 300, he's at a loss. How does he control his attraction to this brash, sexy mechanic?

Nick owns his own classic car garage, and he is more than willing to hit it with the brainy, seriously hot, Henry. What he doesn't need is the aggro that comes with feelings. But since his 14yo nephew, Grant, has come to live with him, he's been dealing with aggravation every day. And now his dad lives with him, too. A dad who doesn't mind commenting on Nick's lame parenting skills.

With Henry turning his crank in a big way, and Nick enjoying not being in charge for a change, things heat up pretty fast. They're actually dating, with dinner and everything, before he knows it. And the after-dinner drinks at Henry's gorgeous house have Nick wiping the sweat from his brow.

But Henry and Grant don't get along; Nick isn't sure he wants a relationship at all, and Nick's dad, Big Mike, has an opinion on everything.

How's a guy to have fun on the weekends - even during the week, for crying out loud - with all the family baggage hanging around?

Now available from Loose Id!

Congratulations your Loose Id debut, JM!!

Submissive by Moonlight by Sindra van Yssel

Marisa is a witch. Nolan is a cop - and a skeptic of all things supernatural. When Marisa's vision helps Nolan find a missing girl, he puts her on the suspect list. But when he searches her home, he not only finds that she's innocent, he discovers she shares his interest in BDSM. In a small town it's almost impossible for Nolan to find a good play partner, and Marisa is the perfect woman. But Nolan can't pretend to believe in her psychic gifts even though the sex is definitely magical.

Marisa had given up on ever finding a Dom, but now one has found her. When he ties her up he's the kind of hot she's dreamed about, but outside the bedroom there are plenty of challenges confronting a skeptic and a witch. Marisa and Nolan seem incompatible, and neither the Goddess nor hard logic offer any solutions unless they discover that two opposites can make the perfect team.

Now Available at Loose Id!

Congratulations, Sindra!!