What does my Dark Tarot card mean to me?

I seem to be posting a fair bit in this half of the month. Must be a sign that I have more time available to me. Or maybe, since I just started university last Monday, it's a sign that I'm starting to better manage my time. We can hope. :D On one of the the chat loops to promote our books, a very good question was asked. "What does your card mean to you?" And it got me thinking. I was very lucky when I finally submitted my story into the Dark Tarot series. The Temperance card was still available to submit FOR! Unity was already on my computer and written, and I knew the sorts of themes that it explored, yet there were a few cards that I thought it could fit well under. For me, what cinched it was the wonderful cover art. I mean, look at it. Those colors, and patterns, my name there in the middle of it. *grins* Isn't it beautiful? In Unity, I explore the idea of two girls falling accidentally into the world of Faerie, a fantasy world above or behind this world. As fairies and elves are commonly attributed to have wings at their back, what better for me to find than a cover with that very same illustration? Add to that the fact that the Temperance card itself means balance -something that my girls Celeste and Darcy find through the passage of their travels- and I was sold! I hope you all are too. ;) I'd like to thank the creative team at Tease for creating something so perfect. I know I'm not the only author here to think so. Unity, published by Tease Publishing. Available Now! http://allromanceebooks.com/product-temperanceunity-9894-140.html. Nikki Watson. http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/

Coming Soon to Tease Tarot

Blaze is a demon sent to the human world under false pretenses. Now, her only way home is with the help of three humans. But if she doesn't get back before her 666th Anniversary, she will forfeit the ancient prophecy of the Dark Goddess and will never return to hell. One demon's struggle to get back to hell will be available in eBook in August, and print in November. Yolanda Sfetsos http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Brothers at Arms - This vampire romance is getting great reviews!

Read the book that ParaNormal Romance calls "fast moving and very stimulating!" and Coffee Time Romance calls "an action-packed read." If vampire romance intrigues you, Brothers at Arms is now available in ebook at All Romance Ebooks. The print release will be later this year. http://allromanceebooks.com/product-thechariotbrothersatarms-8855-140.html Carpe Noctem, Des Blurb: For 250 years, the Arcée brothers have been in conflict. The vendetta between these two powerful vampires has shown no signs of resolve or waning. The concession made between the two is that the location of their ongoing war is moved every five decades to help prevent hapless mortals from discovering them. It was determined that the new locations would be chosen by a delegated Keeper, symbolized by a custom-made tarot card. Where the card goes, so do the Houses and also the war. When the card changes hands, each house sends out Seekers, specially trained vampires who race against each other to be the first to discover the card’s new location. The first one to find the card and take control of the new keeper has the upper hand in the battle for that duration as they gain first foothold in the new city. This year is a turning year. Julio Mendoza receives the card in the mail, unaware of its meaning. When he learns of the history of the card, he realizes he has been thrust in to a war that holds nothing for him, yet he cannot escape his fate. Still he will not accept his role meekly. Michelle Bryson is a Seeker for the House of François Arcée. She is pitted against a ruthless rival from the House of Pierre Arcée to get to Julio first. Michelle is a young Seeker and if she fails to capture the Keeper, her life may be forfeited. What Michelle did not plan on was to find the Keeper to be a sexy, rebellious man who has a spirit in him unlike any Keeper she has seen in the past. Julio knows the vampires are coming for him. He knows that he cannot hide forever. When the Seekers find him though, he cannot deny his attraction toward Michelle – an attraction that they will both pay dearly for if the Seeker from the House of Pierre Arcée has anything to do about it. Excerpt: “They’re here,” Julio blurted out. He didn’t mean to say it so bluntly but his mouth moved before his thought process did. “How do you know?” “I saw the trucks at the house and saw people moving things inside.” “We have to go over right away.” “They won’t come here?” “I think François would expect us to come there instead. He will want me to deliver the Keeper to him.” “What am I now, a pizza?” Julio raised an eyebrow. “Mmmm yes, with a big pepperoni!” She gave a deliberate glance to Julio’s crotch and smirked. Julio was stunned. Did Michelle just make a dick joke? With as snippy as she had been the past few days, a teasing joke was the last thing he expected from her. “Sorry.” She looked away from him since he didn’t laugh at her jest. “You surprised me,” he admitted. The corners of his lips curled upward in to a small grin. “So, you like pepperoni pizza?” “To be honest, I’ve never eaten a real pepperoni pizza.” With another glance at his crotch she said, “I do like your ‘pepperoni’ though.” Julio’s grin broadened. “Yeah it sure likes you too.” He wouldn’t lie about that. Their romp had definitely pleasured him. He had assumed it was a fluke, but apparently he had made an impression on her. “You should clean up a bit before we go over,” she advised. “Your hair is a mess.” Julio paused. She’d changed the subject so quickly that it took him a moment to catch up. Apparently the teasing innuendos were at a close. He ran his fingers through his thick, ebony hair and nodded. “I suppose I could drag a brush through it.” He walked to the bathroom without another word, brushing his hair and putting on some more deodorant. Knowing the vampire olfactory senses were keen, he chose not to use cologne. He then went into the bedroom and changed his shirt to a less rumpled one. When he came back out, Michelle was standing at the door, ready to go. As soon as she saw him she opened the door and walked out. Julio followed and turned to lock the door behind him. He heard Michelle gasp and turned to look. A sleek, black car bearing California license plates pulled up in front of the house. “Julio, go back inside, now.” Michelle instructed. Her voice was serious, brooking no argument. Julio did not obey. He stood staring at the car, watching the doors open and four people get out of it. One of them was Luke. “I take it that isn’t the welcome wagon?” “Not the one we wanted. Go back in, now. Do as I say,” her tone was more urgent. Julio unlocked the door again and stepped through. He had noted the solemn expressions on the faces of the four who got out of the car. They were not here to make pleasantries. He drew the curtain back an inch or so and peeked out. The four walked up the driveway, approaching Michelle. He had to give her credit. She had guts to stand up to the four of them. Julio felt a pang of guilt at leaving her outside to fend them off alone. He remembered what she told him when she arrived. Vampires are stronger than humans. He would be no match for one of them, much less four. He couldn’t help but stay close enough to eavesdrop. “Play time is over, Michelle,” Luke stated as they reached the porch. “I chose to let you think you had him. It is time to face the music.” “Bullshit, Luke. I was here first, I claimed him. If you chose not to fight me for him, it just shows your own lack of balls.” She maintained her cool, defiant demeanor, even though inside it felt wrong to stand up to Luke that way. She knew he had balls, both literally and figuratively. Once upon a time, well, more than once, she had cupped those balls in her hand, fondling them gently. She had caressed them, evoking moans of pleasure from Luke. Now she felt like kicking him in those same-said balls. How could he still be doing this? How could he be standing here in front of her, trying to take what was rightfully hers? As if reading her mind, Luke grinned salaciously. “I remember the days when you loved to play with my balls. I still recall the feel of your tongue on them.” Julio’s eyes widened as he heard that. He gave a momentary thought of what it would feel like to have Michelle’s tongue slaking his balls and his body reacted accordingly. His dick began to harden and he found it difficult to concentrate on the vampires outside. He wanted them to just leave so that he could pull Michelle back in to his bedroom and find out just how good her tongue was. © 2008 - Desirée Lee http://www.desireelee.com

Unity pre-release and an excerpt

Well, it's that time you've all been waiting for. Well, it's what I've been waiting for, at least! All Romance eBooks now has my novel Unity on pre-order. http://allromanceebooks.com/product-temperanceunity-9894-140.html Come Tuesday this week, you could have a copy all of your very own for the reading! Now that I've wet your appetite for that much, let me share with you an excerpt from the novel. *** Night art classes were held at the local dojo twice a week. Celeste's teacher was a slight blonde woman who had missed her calling as a teenage cheerleader and, through affiliation with the younger--and therefore cooler--students of the class, was trying to recapture her youth. Currently, Susanna was strolling up and down between the crooked rows of canvases in her class, murmuring, “Yes, very good, very good”. When Susanna arrived by Celeste's canvas, the dark haired girl looked at her expectantly. As Susanna stared at the half finished painting, Celeste expected her to make some original comment. When Susanna only smiled accommodatingly and told her to “Carry on”, Celeste deduced her teacher was quite blind or very deluded. She had been trying for something abstract against the central figure, but the perspective was all wrong, the colors didn't quite mesh, and there was a weird thing going on with the eyes that she couldn't quite seem to fix. 'Creepy, 'Leste,' Jasper said to her, taking some time apart from his current work of art as Susanna moved on to another round of appreciative, “Ooh, very good” to other students. Celeste shot him a sideways look at his sudden appearance there. Jasper shrugged. 'So, who's he supposed to be?' Celeste looked back at the canvas. There was no salvaging it now. The best she could hope for was that Susanna's blind streak would continue into the marking phase, but at the same time, she didn't really want to depend on an ignorant eye for the benefit of her marks. 'I think I saw it in a dream.' Celeste answered him shortly, pulling the canvas down from the board and turning to the paints on the table behind her to start putting them away. From the floor, the man stared out in all his magnificence, garbed in a medieval style tunic bearing some sort of intricately designed crest on the front of it. As Celeste moved away and started sorting through the brushes she was going to have to wash, Jasper stepped closer to the discarded canvas, still staring, bringing his hand to cup his jaw as he studied Celeste's work. 'His gaze is striking… and the colors…' 'You're my friend; you have to say that,' Her words were dismissive. Celeste walked to the sinks and started soaking her brushes before washing them there. 'Anyway, are we on for tonight?' 'Photography at the beach? Wouldn't miss that for the world. What time were we meeting up again?' Jasper didn't pause at her change of subject as he answered. He straightened, easily coming back to remembering there was a whole other world outside of Celeste's painting. All paints were packed, and Celeste stuffed the ones that were hers in her bag. The others she returned to the cupboard in the back of the room. 'After dark. Say about ten?' Jasper nodded. When she returned to the stand she had borrowed, Jasper had her canvas in his hands and was holding it up to her attention with curiosity. 'So, what are you going to do with this?' 'Nothing. I'm heading off now. It's not like I'm going to get anything more from today. If you want to come around to my place early, Natalia's making chicken curry, mild.' Celeste was busy picking the canvas and the stand up as she spoke. She laid the stand next to the others on the rack and then the canvas, she put with the rest of the used canvases, ready to be painted over and used anew. Jasper had his eyebrows raised; she was not usually so dismissive of any artwork she made. However, he returned his expression to normal well before she turned to look at him again. 'Ooh, just the way I like it. Tell her to make lots. I'll definitely be there.' Unity, published by Tease Publishing. Available from July 15th. Nikki Watson. http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/

Who doesn't like free stuff?

Contests. What a fun word. It's even more fun when there's a good prize, don't you think? Here's the deal, pop over to ARE and grab a copy of Destruction of an Innocent. After that, all you have to do is answer three questions, just three, and email me the answers at: mmcbryar@comcast.net If you can do so correctly, you will be entered into a drawing to receive a free E-book copy of each volume of my Scepter Series to date, that's three free E-books. Not bad, but that's not all. In addition to the books, you will also receive a goody basket of all natural bath and beauty products (valued at $35) for free. So, here are the questions: 1. Who did Kylie seduce to help her overthrow the Council? 2. Where is the Vampire Magistrate located? 3. Who was responsible for bringing the preternatural world to the attention of the human world? Good luck! -Martha McBryar

'Unity' for the Temperance Card

I have just handed in my line edits for Unity and I'm feeling just fine! It's getting close now, due out in e-book later this month. :D And here's a synopsis for anyone who's missed it previously posted: Obstinate Darcy and artistic Celeste lives cross, starting them both on a path into the world of Faerie, which draws them in and comes alive for them. Their lives become those of true ladies, of balls and gorgeous men in dark cathedrals, as the world of abusive stepfathers and fits of depression are left behind them. As they change for their experiences, they realise that they a balance must be found between their Faerie travels, which they visit in their dreams, and the Real Life of their waking world. I'll be back soon with excerpts! Nikki Watson. http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/

Strength

Hi! I hope everyone is having a great week so far. :) I just wanted to drop in to share my beautiful cover: Isn't it gorgeous? I'll be back to post more about it soon. :) Yolanda Sfetsos http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/