My story Anything After Sunday? is nominated for best erotic contemporary and I'm nominated for favorite author!
It's been such an amazing year for me, both personally and professionally, but this really puts the frosting on top. I'm just thrilled!
And thank you Morgan for e-mailing me or I may never have known. lol
These charities are doing amazing things through their good work and deserve a look, so please take some time to browse their web site and decide for yourself. :)
1. My all time favorite charity is Heifer International.
Giving a unique gift of chicks, water buffalo, trees, llamas and more, supports Heifer's work across the globe – offering livestock, training and other resources to hungry families so that they can feed, house and clothe themselves. And because of their unique "Passing on the Gift" requirement, one gift can create a ripple effect that soon empowers entire communities to lift themselves out of hunger and poverty. Give a holiday gift that keeps giving.
2. This is a new charity, but one that is so important for the families that lost so much in Katrina. Make it Right.
The Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans is one of the richest cultural communities in the country and was, until Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005, a crossroads of families, music and social interaction in New Orleans. As one community leader aptly described it recently, the Lower 9th Ward had an 'atmosphere of engagement' that featured time spent with one another in dialog, in celebration of the music, words and history that make the Lower 9 so special. Porches and stoops were important places to catch up with one another and talk about everyday life. Make it Right is rebuilding this community one house at a time and they need our help. Adopt a house or a piece of one today by visiting Make it Right.
3. Kiva is loans that change lives.
Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back. Donate today.
4. The American Red Cross is so vitally important to lives in turmoil.
From life saving blood to live saving food, water and shelter, The American Red Cross is the staple of help and healing in a crisis. Their organization touches so many lives around the world and is a particularly good charity to remember at the holiday season if money is tight, the gift of blood is always much needed. Donate today.
5. Fellow author Renee Lyons foundation The Ferrisi Foundation is something every author should get behind.
A non-profit organization that accepts book donations for drug rehabilitation facilities and hospitals all over the country. Their goal is to provide the beauty and enjoyment of the written word to those who need it most. Not much more needs to be said.
6. Here's one that's very near to my heart because of my adoration for Otters. The International Otter Fund.
The International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) was inspired by observing otters in their true natural habitat. Because the otter lives on land and in the water and is at the peak of the food chain it is an ambassador species to a first class environment. IOSF was set up to protect and help the 13 species of otter worldwide through a combination of compassion and science. It supports projects to protect otters, which will also ensure that we have a healthy environment for all species, including our own. They have a great adopt an otter program which makes a great Christmas present for kids who are already getting waaaaaay too many toys. ;)
7. Again, if money is tight, Big Brothers/Big Sisters is a great way to give the gift of time instead.
Research shows that mentoring works. Kids with a Big Brother or Big Sister show real differences in their personal and academic lives. They are more confident in their schoolwork performance, able to get along better with their families and 52% less likely to skip school. Though they are best known for their mentor program, they also need donations to keep the program running. Donate today.
I hope I've given you some ideas and that you take the time to visit at least one of these sites. Also if you have a favorite charity, please feel free to leave us the link in the comments. Thanks and have a very blessed Christmas Season. :)
Labels: charity, holiday giving
Caitlyn Monson has spent the past three years caring for her dying mother, to the exclusion of all else. Letting go of the past and her loss and grasping for some way to feel alive again, Caitlyn has one thing in mind: her virginity and the best way to lose it before New Year's.
Danny Carter understands loss and guilt on a very personal level. When the sweet and irresistible Caitlyn walks into his restaurant, his heart knows this is the woman he's waited for his entire life and his body is only too willing to help her make deadline. If only he had more to offer her than broken dreams and a shattered heart.
While Caitlyn is determined to lose her virginity by New Year's. Danny is only concerned with losing his heart. Will Caitlyn's New Years Resolution bring more than they bargained for?
** This title contains explicit language and graphic sex.
Excerpt~
"I don't want to be a virgin anymore. I want to know what it's like to love a man—physically, mind you—not emotionally, so don't go thinking I'm trying to trap you or anything."
She threw that in fast before he had a chance to freak out on her and think she had him set up in her mind as Mr. Right. She wasn't convinced such a man existed, and even if he did, her little virginity problem was taking up all her emotional bandwidth at the moment. Mr. Right's existence, or lack thereof, was a problem for another day.
"I just want de-virginized." She closed her eyes again and added, "Preferably by someone nice.
She didn't take offense when she heard him snicker, since he pulled her closer in his arms at the same time. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then that rich voice of his washed over her.
"Can I ask why you've waited `til now just to throw it at the first guy you see?"
She pulled back, wiggled a bit to get balance, and with indignation pooling in her belly, she addressed his little misconception.
"You are not the first guy I've seen. Though you are the first one I've been attracted to in a very long time."
There went all her indignation, because in a way, he was right. He was the first guy she'd seen since making her decision and declaring her resolution, but he didn't need to know that.
"I feel comfortable with you. My heart trusts you. And the reason I've waited so long was just one of those `life passing you by while you were busy with other stuff' things. First it was college—which didn't take, by the way—and when I did date, I wasn't very good at it. It was uncomfortable, and I never had anything to say. I felt like a joke and rarely got asked on a second date. My mom always said when it was right, I'd know. Well, it never felt right. Then she got sick, and my whole life turned into taking care of her. Now, maybe I want a reminder that I didn't die with her. I want to feel alive for a change. Is that so wrong?"
He tugged her close to his chest again. It didn't feel like a sexual move. It felt protective, and she felt comforted—taken care of. It had been far too long since she'd felt like that.
"I'm not a nice guy, Caity. I don't want to add breaking your heart to my list of sins."
She looked up into his stormy eyes. She thought he was a nice guy, and in her book, nothing else mattered.
"I'm not asking for marriage or even a commitment past the sex. Just show me what it's like. You are attracted to me, aren't you? A little anyway?"
His laughter rumbled through his chest and reverberated through her body. She put her hands against his shoulders to prop herself up away from him.
"What's so funny?"
"First lesson, sweetheart."
He took her hand and placed it beneath her, flat on the enormous bulge in his jeans. She gasped. His eyes darkened.
"That's not a little bit of attraction, honey. I want you so bad I'm expecting permanent damage from the blood loss to my brain."
A small smile played at her lips. His passionate declaration restored some of her courage, and the reality of her hand on his penis...she swallowed...well, she found herself wanting to explore.
"Can I see it?"
He blinked, slapped a hand to his forehead and dropped his head back against the sofa. A moment later, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand out from where she was so enjoying it. She frowned almost to the point of a pout.
"Woman, you're here to kill me, aren't you?"
"No. I, well, I've never, well, I mean I guess I could have—"
Danny's hand pressed against her mouth with gentle force.
"No. You can't see it. If I take it out right now, your virginity will be history in three point two seconds."
Available now in print and e-book formats from The Wild Rose Press
You never know who may come by with prizes and excerpts so drop by and say hi!
I'll be there all day chatting, sharing excerpts and giving away prizes. If you're not already a member you can join here. I hope to see you all there!
Anything for Sasha available today from Liquid Silver Books
Dec 14th of last year, my first ever book became available. Needless to say, it was very exciting.
Being a writer is an amazing thing really, because I get to share with so many people something that I brought to life with my imagination and my heart and then getting mail from someone who has read my work, is completely beyond icing on the cake.
To be told I’ve created a story that moved someone so much they cried, there’s not much better then that. I’m not sure what it says about me however that my goal is to make people cry, but when I do it, it’s one of the great joys of my life.
In the past year, I’ve signed 14 contracts and each one has been a little surreal and a lot thrilling. This book however, will always be special for me because it’s my first sequel. I’ve gotten a lot of requests for Matthew’s story, and I’m ecstatic to say it’s now available.
West, Matthew and Nick have been best friends since college. In Anything After Sunday, Matthew and Nick helped West see that Frannie was the best thing that ever happened to him and letting her walk away could be the biggest mistake of his life.
If you haven’t read Anything After Sunday, you won’t be lost, but if you have, West and Frannie, as well as Nick, are all back to help Matthew fix his really big mistake and win the heart of the woman he loves.
Anything for Sasha is available today. Here’s an excerpt, I hope you enjoy and check out the full story. Don’t forget to let me know what you think. 
Excerpt ~
“You sure this is it?”
Matthew sat in the truck staring at the diner. “Yeah, this is it.”
They sat for another few minutes, and then West broke the silence. “Well, are we going in, or what?”
“I suppose.”
He sat motionless, then blurted out, “It was just sex, a crazy sexual attraction, that’s all.” He tried very hard to force himself to believe that was true, because he wasn’t sure what he’d do if he had to face the actual truth of it–that he’d left a piece of himself with her, as well.
“If it was just sex, why did you run?”
His head snapped in West’s direction. “What?”
West shook his head and repeated, “If it was just sex, why didn’t you stay the next morning and partake of it again in the sober light of day? Why’d you run away? I mean, the little lady seemed to have no objections to giving it away to a perfect stranger. I suppose…”
The truck door slammed hard, Matthew furiously paced a trail around the truck while pounding his fist into his palm. West got out of the truck and came up beside him.
“That’s what I thought.”
“I oughta hit you.”
“Yeah.”
“I want to hit you.”
“Yeah.”
West ducked as the fist tried to connect with his chin.
“Didn’t say I’d let you, though. Now come on, let’s go in and get your woman.”
Matthew’s rage dissipated instantly.
“She’s not my woman.”
Even as he said it, he saw her head pass by the window and everything else seemed to melt away. He remembered kissing her outside the bar. He remembered her warm soft body cuddling up next to him. Remembered that first brush of his fingers against her breasts, the first moment he tasted her, lying against her, skin to skin. He remembered loving her so deeply and so completely that it scared the hell out of him, and he knew that that was why he ran.
“She can’t be more than twenty-five, twenty-eight maybe, but I think I’m pushing it at twenty-eight.”
“And we’re only going in to have some coffee.” West put his arm around Matthew’s shoulders and led him to the front door. “And give her the opportunity of throwing it in your face.”
Matthew’s steps stopped dead, the bottom fell out of his stomach. West dragged him the last of the way. When they walked inside the diner one thing became very clear as both men stood cemented to the linoleum.
“Uh, Matthew.” Neither of them could take their eyes off the young woman. “Was she pregnant before you slept with her?”
Labels: anything for sasha, liquid silver books, Samantha Lucas