Sapphire Angel Book: 1 Gemstone Vampires Trilogy by Khloe Wren ~ Goddess Fish Promotions Virtual Book Tour ~ Giveaway

Sapphire Angel Book: 1 Gemstone Vampires Trilogy

by Khloe Wren

Khloe will be awarding a Handcrafted leadlight blue heart shaped window hanger/wind-chime and a signed A5 Cover to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, a Charm Bracelet and a signed A5 Cover will be awarded to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, a Phone charm and a signed A5 Cover will be awarded to another randomly drawn commenter and lastly, a Key ring and a signed A5 Cover will be awarded to another randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Please use the RaffleCopter below to enter. To increase your chances of winning please visit the other tour stops. You may find those locations here... http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/03/virtual-book-tour-sapphire-angel-by.html
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Interview:

Crystal: Today as part of this Goddess Fish Promotions Virtual book tour I have the opportunity to ask Khloe Wren a few questions. Welcome Khloe, I'm so happy to have you here today. Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?

Khloe: I’m a quirky 33 year old Australian. I live in country South Australia with my super patient husband and two very active young daughters.


Crystal:  Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Khloe: I love this snippet of banter between Angelo and his father. Makes me chuckle every time.

"I know, father. I wanted her to make the decision, to tell me she agreed. I don't want to force this on her."

"Boy, your mother and I raised you to use your brain - start using it! With, what she believed to be her final breath, she screamed to the world she'd love you forever. I'd take that as acceptance, wouldn't you?"


Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for Sapphire Angel?

Khloe: Vampire romances were my first love. There are so many awesome vampire books out there, l was nervous to write one but always knew I wanted to. After eight releases I’m finally brave enough to do it!

Crystal: What are you currently working on?

Khloe: I’m currently putting the final touches on the second Gemstone Vampire book. It will head off to the publisher this month. Hopefully! I’m also doing prep work for a new story idea.

Crystal:  Do you have any special routine that you follow when you are writing? 

Khloe: Not really. All a bit boring, I just write whenever l can.

Crystal: Did you have to do a lot of research for this book or any other? If so do you have a fascinating fact that you have learned you would like to share with us?

Khloe: I like to get my facts right so always do a fair amount of research. The most interesting search with this book was finding vicious enough ants to kill a certain bad guy. Now, that was fun!

Crystal: Who are some of your favorite authors that you like to read?

Khloe: There are so many! JR Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Bianca Sommerland, Shayla Black, Lexi Blake, Angela Castle, Tamsin Baker, Kallyspo Masters, Imogene Nix, Eden Summers… the list goes on forever! I do love to read :)

Crystal: Is there a genre you haven't written that you would like to try?

Khloe: I’ve not written sci-fi before but I’m working on an idea at the moment so we’ll see how that goes.

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BLURB:

Vampires are real... as is the fact they will only ever take one women. Their Eternal Bride.

When Angelo sees Darcy he knows she is his Bride. Her sapphire blue eyes match his exactly. But he must wait to claim her. He fears he has lost her forever when she disappears.

Five years pass before he finds her again. Just when things start heating up between them, Darcy is taken by their enemies. Angelo must fight to free his one true love. Will he be in time?



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EXCERPT:

"I've never flown before. I'm a little nervous."

"You'll be fine, piccola. I'll keep you safe."

Karl felt like throwing up with their bullshit sweet-talking and kissing. He was about to move out of ear shot to save his mind from turning to mush when he heard her say she was going to go to the toilet. Perfect. He quickly headed toward the restrooms and found the entry door to the women's. He casually leaned against the wall. He looked like any other bloke waiting for his woman and didn't even get a raised eyebrow as he waited for Darcy to come around the corner out of the bathroom.

It felt like forever until she came out, stopping short when she saw him.

"Karl?"

"Hey babe, miss me?"

He watched as fury descended over her face. She stepped up to him and brought her hand back to slap him. He caught her right hand in his before it made contact with his cheek. Webbing his fingers in hers, he lowered and twisted her arm around so her fingers were bent back. He knew the pain now ripping through her would be enough to keep her from fighting him.

Karl wrapped his left arm around her right, so they would look like a couple to passersby. Pushing her forward he began leading her down the hallway. He tensed when she dropped her weight. A twist of his hand, designed to shoot pain through her, quickly returned her to his control as she stopped fighting.

"Please, babe, don't fight me. I can and will break your wrist. So, just be a good girl and do as you’re told."

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Khloe Wren started writing her first novel in high school, until it mysteriously disappeared from the family computer (her older brother was the lead suspect but nothing was ever proved). She didn't put pen to paper again after that for a number of years but she did keep reading. Khloe has always loved all things paranormal: sexy vampires and sultry shifters have always been her favourites. So when she picked up writing again, it seemed only natural she would write paranormal romance.

Khloe grew up in the Adelaide Hills before her parents moved the family to country South Australia when she was a teen. As a young adult Khloe moved to Melbourne. After a few years she missed the fresh air and space of country living so moved back. Khloe currently lives in the Murraylands, South Australia with her incredibly patient husband and two young daughters. When she's not sitting at her laptop writing, she's spending time with family or friends, kicking butt at karate or feeding her addictions of reading, eating chocolate and drinking Coke.

Khloe loves to hear from her fans, please feel free to contact her at any of the following:

Website: www.khloewren.com

Email: khloe@khloewren.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorkhloewren

Twitter: www.twitter.com/AuthorKhloeWren

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/khloewren

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Khloe-Wren/e/B00CYHZNRW/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1394288352&sr=1-2-ent

BN:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/khloe-wren

Publisher:  http://shop.roguephoenixpress.ieasysite.com/category_v3.aspx?categoryID=113

Book video:  http://youtu.be/9W-K6zBSfpw







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Rafflecopter giveaway

Two Degrees From Zero by M.J. Stewart ~ Goddess Fish Blurb Blitz Tour ~ Giveaway ~ Excerpt

Two Degrees From Zero

by M.J. Stewart

The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So please be sure to leave a comment below along with your email address so you may be contacted if you are the lucky winner. To increase your chances of winning please visit the other tour locations. You may find those locations here..... http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/12/virtual-blurb-blitz-tour-two-degrees.html

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BLURB: 


Thirteen-year-old Derek’s cool snowboard adventure does a dangerous rewind, because his Burton Hero board holds the key to an unsolved crime.

Two Degrees From Zero is a story that opens up the world of snowboarding and surviving hazardous winter conditions in Keystone, Colorado.

Derek, his mom, and teen friend Janae (The Clan) are invited on a snowboarding vacation by his mom’s new romance Thomas. A blizzard hits during a sleigh ride and dinner at an isolated yurt miles from Keystone. The Clan accepts an offer from two arrogant snowmobilers for a way home. But to The Clan's dismay instead of going home, they are abandoned in a creepy backwoods cabin.

Derek and Janae sneak out of the old cabin and make a dangerous trek across a white wilderness to find help while the snowmobilers are on the loose. Just as the teens find temporary shelter in an old car, another blizzard rages all night, leaving them hopelessly stranded. And their adventure has only begun.

Derek and Janae must escape the frozen ravages of the blizzard. Derek’s determination to save The Clan while outwitting the thieves is unstoppable. And the thieves are just as determined to find Derek’s snowboard because of the valuable information hidden on the board.


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EXCERPT:

Derek whispered, “And how are we gonna leave? Maybe Mom and Thomas will know what to do. Let’s be real quiet until they get here.”

“Hope they get here quick.” Janae said in a shaky voice. “Does he have a gun?”

“Don’t see one.” Derek hugged Janae; her body trembled with emotion. “Bummer how this trip is going downhill.”

“Seriously downhill,” Janae said. “Is he dead?”

“Duh…dead people don’t snore. But maybe we should see if he’s okay.”

“You go,” Janae said.

Derek flinched as the man inhaled. “Wait, his chest moved.”

“Are you sure?” Janae asked, but kept her distance.

“Is blood running down his forehead?” Derek asked.

“I see red.”

“Let’s get a better look. Maybe he’s just sleeping.” Derek took one step in the man’s direction and stopped.

“Why are you stopping? You’re supposed to be the strong, brave one.” Janae jumped behind Derek and tried to shove him closer to the man. But Derek stood firm. “You’re scared as I am,” Janae said.

“Not either,” Derek said and turned his face to her. “See my face, I’m not scared.”

“Why are you chewing your lip?”


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


M.J. Stewart is a Colorado author and lives in Colorado Springs. Her love for the outdoors has provided many exciting adventures and include downhill skiing, biking, hiking, camping, and nature photography.

I'm on facebook at:  martha.lancaster@facebook.com

I'm on twitter at: @hike4ski




Amazon.com buy link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GODMSJS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B00GODMSJS&link_code=as3&tag=revibycrys-20

INTO THE DARKNESS by K.F. Breene ~ Goddess Fish Virtual Book Tour ~ Giveaway ~

INTO THE DARKNESS

by K.F. Breene

One randomly chosen commenter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter the contest. Also please visit the other tour stops. You may find those locations here..... http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/12/virtual-book-tour-into-darkness-by-kf.html

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Q&A:

Today as part of this Goddess Fish Virtual Book Tour I have a quick Q&A with K.F. Breene.

Q: What is your favorite television show?

A: MasterChef. That, or Hell’s Kitchen. I really love Gordon Ramsey shows for some reason. Cooking shows are neat to watch, and then you throw in the animated crazy that is Gordon, and you got yourself a good time.

Q: What is somethings you’ve lied about?

A: Weight. Homework status (when I was younger). What time I got home (after being out with the girls—I don’t think I fool the husband, but I try). Sickness status (playing hooky from work). My experience level (if I’m trying to get a promotion). Speeding. 

Q: Who is the last person you hugged?

A: My daughter. About ten minutes ago. The kid is just too cute for her own good.

Q: What is the story of your first kiss?

A: Ew. I was in the backseat of my friend’s car on the way home from hanging out. The guy I was crushing on had his arm around me. Then he leaned in and suddenly we were kissing. Magic. I don’t think I saw it coming. But then we were doing some tongue action. Totally gross the first time. Or maybe we were terrible at it…

Q: Do you like kissing in public?

A: I don’t like eating the face of my husband in public, but a peck is fine. 

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BLURB:

I’d always been different. I saw objects in the night where others saw emptiness. Large, human shaped shadows, fierce yet beautiful, melting into the darkness. I collected secrets like other women collected bells; afraid to fully trust lest my oddities be exposed.

Until I saw him. He’d been gliding down the street, unshakable confidence in every step. It wasn’t just that he was breathtakingly handsome with perfect features. Something about him drew me. Sucked my focus to him and then tugged at my body. As his eyes met mine, I was entrapped.

No one had noticed him. He’d been right there, just beyond the light, but only I had perceived.

I had to know if he was real. Or maybe I really was crazy. And even when my secret box was blasted wide open, dangers hurled at me like throwing knives, I couldn’t stop until I unraveled his true identity.

I just had to know.

“She was fated to live.”
“Then why must you save her?”
“Often Fate is struck down by dumb luck.”


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EXCERPT:

As I met his black eyes, his puzzled expression deepened. “You’re human…”

“We established that, yes. What I want to know is, if I am human, what does that make you? And why do I notice you when others usually don’t?”

His head cocked to the side. His easy balance, his lethal edge; he was like a blade resting on billowing silk. “Very few humans are able to withstand our pheromones. Fewer still to break a Kolma once it has been placed. You’ve not been trained, that’s obvious, so how is this possible when you’re definitely human? Do you possess the blood of another species?”

I could barely think past the pounding ache of my body, begging to touch him. I needed to get a grip! He was revealing some very interesting factoids that I needed to jot down in my mental notebook.

His nostrils flared. “Charles was right; your arousal is a unique scent. Like a spicy, warm drink on a mid-winter’s night. It rises above other smells, entrancing the mind.”


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A wine country native, K.F. Breene moved to San Francisco for college just shy of a decade ago to pursue a lifelong interest in film. As she settled into the vibrant city, it quickly became apparent that, while she thought making and editing films was great fun, she lacked cinematic genius. For that reason, her career path quickly changed direction. Her next goal was a strange childhood interest, conjured at the dining room table while filling out a form. For some reason, her young self wanted to be an accountant. Thinking on it now, she often wonders how she had any friends. Regardless, it was the direction she finally took.

While she could wrangle numbers with the best of 'em, and even though she wore the crown as the most outspoken, belligerent accountant in the world, her mind got as stuffy as her daily routine. It was here that she dusted off her creative hat and began writing. Now she makes movies in her head, not worried about lighting, shutter speed or editing equipment. Turns out, a computer is much easier to manage than a crowd of actors. She should know, she was an actor at one time.

 Website: KFBreene.com

Twitter: @KFBreene

Facebook for friending: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005776656934

Facebook author page (for liking): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKF

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Into-Darkness-1-K-F-Breene-ebook/dp/B00HZLCINE/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1390420373&sr=8-14&keywords=k.f.+breene

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/into-the-darkness/id754780178?mt=11

BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/into-the-darkness-kf-breene/1118174619?ean=2940148319566

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bob at the Lake By R. Murphy ~ Goddess Fish Book Blast ~ Giveaway ~

Bob at the Lake

By R. Murphy

The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Please be sure to use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Also stop by the other tour stops, those locations may be found here... goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/01/virtual-book-blast-bob-at-lake-by-r.html

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BLURB:

Take a crabby woman of a certain age, move her to the wintry shores of a New York lake, and then throw in a martini-loving ghost from 1920s Manhattan. Last, stir in the good-looking grape grower who lives up the hill. Now there’s a recipe for a potent screwball cocktail!








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EXCERPT:

“At this point, it might be appropriate to interject a few words about me, your narrator. Decades ago, people used to have a phrase for me: a woman of a certain age. Back then, everyone knew what that phrase meant: ‘Young enough to want to (fill in the name of your favorite venial sin here); old enough to know better.’ The phrase implies a certain amount of polish, a certain amount of experience. A woman who’s been knocked down by life, still has the energy to get off the floor, and has learned lessons from her fall. Back then, women of a certain age were hard-bitten newspaperwomen, or glamorous, mysterious divorce co-respondents in courtroom dramas, who wore elegant hats with veils down to their chins. I associate them with words like peplum, and negligee, and I know they were all blondes who wore daring designer suits and genuine silk stockings. 

I wish I could afford to wear daring designer suits. Instead my everyday clothes typically involve some form of denim. And, although my short, wavy brunette hair usually has some highlights of blond, the quantity of highlights tends to vary proportionally to my bank balance. The more money I have, the blonder I get. 

I don’t know how to assign a specific age to a woman of a certain age in the twenty-first century. It’s especially confusing these days, when forty is the new twenty and fifty is the new thirty. I think it’s mostly a matter of mind and experience. 

Anyway, back to our story…


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Roz Murphy is the pseudonym of a shy, retiring writer who doesn’t want her neighbors to know how nutty she really is. Brooklyn-born and Jersey-bred, Roz now lives on the misty shore of one of New York’s beautiful Finger Lakes. Prior to that, her business writing career took her to many locations, including Manhattan, where she worked for a number of years. As a freelance and corporate writer, Roz won several national and international writing and communications awards.

Now Roz is pursuing her first love—fiction. She’s writing the ‘Bob’ books, the humorous chronicle of a crabby ‘woman of a certain age’ who moves to the wintry shores of a New York lake—and gets a ghost. And not just any ghost, mind you. Bob’s a plump, middle-aged ghost from 1920s Manhattan who swans around in a silk smoking jacket and drinks far too many martinis. Stir the good-looking grape grower who lives up the hill into this mix and you get a pretty potent screwball cocktail!

When she’s not reading, writing, hill-walking, staring mindlessly out the window at the lake or piling rocks onto her ever-diminishing lakefront, you can usually find Roz hanging out with her family, travelling, or exploring the amazing wines and wineries of the Finger Lakes.

‘Bob at the Lake’ is exclusively available as a Kindle download from Amazon. Please join Roz Murphy Author on FaceBook for updates on the many adventures of Roz, David—and Bob.

Amazon buy link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F3O9G4Y/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B00F3O9G4Y&link_code=as3&tag=revibycrys-20

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Roz-Murphy-Author/213668102110571

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Small Change by Sheila Roberts ~ Goddess Fish Virtual Book Tour ~ Giveaway ~

Small Change

by Sheila Roberts

Sheila will be awarding a copy of Small Change and a $25 Visa gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US ONLY). Please be sure to leave a comment below along with your email address so that you may be contacted if you are the lucky winner. Also to increase your chances of winning be sure to visit the stops on the tour. You may find those locations here... http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/12/virtual-book-tour-small-change-by.html

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Interview: 


Crystal: Today as part of this Goddess Fish Virtual Book Tour, I have the opportunity to interview Sheila Roberts. I am so honored to have you here today. Welcome, Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today? 

Sheila: I'd be happy to, and by the way, thanks so much for letting me stop by. I love writing about things that are important to women: our loves, our families and friends, our challenges. Chocolate.
 One of the things I loved writing about in this particular book was women bonding together to help each other solve their problems. And the three friends in SMALL CHANGE definitely have problems. Rachel is trying to make ends meet as a single mom and struggling not to resent her ex-husband, who balks at giving her money for essentials but seems to have no problem coming up with money for special gifts and treats. He's already moved on. Rachel is stuck in "no man land", not a good place to be when you love to read romance novels! Her friend Tiffany is a shopaholic who is quickly learning that a bargain isn't a bargain if you don't have the money to pay for it. As for their pal Jess, her husband just got downsized out of a job and she's about to enter the job market for the first time in, well, ever. These women’s budgets are strained to the breaking point. What are they going to do? 
Start their own support group and help each  other make budget friendly life changes, that's what! One of the things I really like about this book is the fact that my characters are determined to change their lives for the better and to help each other do it. Now, that's chick power!

Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for Small Change?

Sheila: Actually, this was originally going to be a non-fiction book. So many people have been struggling financially these past few years and I wanted to show women that you don't necessarily have to be rich to live a rich life, that a smart woman can have a great life even on a small income. I couldn't get my agent on board with doing this as non-fiction so I decided to encapsulate my philosophy of money management into a novel. One thing I love about this book is that it does have some fun money-saving tips and recipes in it. And meanwhile, I'm working on putting up that non-fiction book as an ebook, a sort of companion piece to this one. Hopefully by the time this is out  HOW TO LIVE LARGE ON A SMALL BUDGET will be available also.

Crystal: What are you currently working on?

Sheila: Well, we writers are always working months ahead of our release dates, so I'm currently editing my next Christmas book, THE LODGE ON HOLLY ROAD.

Crystal:  Do you have any special routine that you follow when you are writing? 

Sheila: You know, I don't. I just get into my home office, sit down at the computer and start writing away. I love being able to throw myself into another world. It's amazing how quickly time passes when you're telling yourself a story!

Crystal: Did you have to do a lot of research for this book or any other? If so do you have a fascinating fact that you have learned you would like to share with us?

Sheila: I did do some financial research for this book, and here's one tip that can save you thousands of dollars. I won't go into all the gory how-to details since those are in the book, but let me just say that if you make one extra house payment a year it will shave off thousands of dollars in interest from your mortgage. How's that for cool?

Crystal: Who are some of your favorite authors that you like to read?

Sheila: I love Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. I have every book ever written by my friend Susan Wiggs and I adore the books of my pal  Debbie Macomber. I'm also a Kristin Higgins addict. Simply adore her books.

Crystal: Is there a genre you haven't written that you would like to try?

Sheila: Someday I want to write a big, dark novel. As soon as I find my dark side I know I have one... somewhere. Meanwhile, I hope readers will enjoy my lighter side. :)

Crystal:  Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Sheila: Here’s one of my favorite scenes in the book. Let me introduce you to Tiffany, the shopaholic. :)
-1-
There it sat, a Cloud Nine queen-sized luxury gold comforter with red ribbon appliquÈ and metallic embroidery. Forty-percent off. It was the last one left. Tiffany Turner had seen it, and so had the other woman. 
The woman caught Tiffany looking at it and her eyes narrowed. Tiffany narrowed hers right back. Her competitor was somewhere in her fifties, dressed for comfort in jeans and a sweater, her feet shod in tennis shoes for quick movement – obviously a sale veteran, but Tiffany wasn’t intimidated. She was younger. She had the drive, the determination. 
It only took that one second to start the race. The other woman strode toward the comforter with the confidence that comes with age, her hand stretched toward the prize. 
Tiffany chose that moment to look over her competitor’s shoulder. Her eyes went wide and she gasped. “Oh, my gosh.” Her hands flew to her face in horror.
The other woman turned to see the calamity happening in back of her. 
And that was her undoing. In a superhuman leap, Tiffany bagged the comforter just as her competitor turned back. Score.
Boy, if looks could kill.
It would be rude to gloat.  Tiffany gave an apologetic shrug and murmured, “Sorry.” 
The woman paid her homage with a reluctant nod. “You’re good.”
Yes, I am. “Thanks,” Tiffany murmured, and left the field of battle for the customer service counter. 
As she walked away, she heard the other woman mutter, “Little beast.”
Okay, now she’d gloat.
She was still gloating as she drove home from the mall an hour later. She’d not only scored on the comforter, she’d gotten two sets of towels (buy one, get one free), a great top for work, a cute little jacket, a new shirt for Brian, and a pair of patent metallic purple shoes with 3 _ inch heels that were so hot she’d burn the pavement when she walked. With the new dress she’d snagged at thirty percent off (plus another ten percent off for using her department store card), she’d be a walking inferno. Brian would melt when he saw her.
Her husband would also melt if he saw how much she’d spent today, so she had to beat him home. And since he would be back from the office in half an hour, she was now in another race, one that she didn’t dare lose. That was the downside of hitting the mall after work. She always had to hurry home to hide her treasures before Brian walked in the door.  But she could do it.
Tiffany followed the Abracadabra shopping method: get the bargain and then make it disappear for a while so you could later insist that said bargain had been sitting around the house for ages. She’d learned that one from her mother. Two years before, she had successfully used the Guessing Game method: bring home the bargains, and lull husband into acceptance by having him guess how incredibly little you’d paid for each one. 
She’d pull a catch of the day from its bag and say, “Guess how much I paid for this sweater.”
He’d say, “Twenty dollars.”
“Too high,” she’d reply with a smirk.
“Okay. Fifteen.”
“Too high.”
“Ten.”
“Nope. Eight-ninety-nine. I’m good.”
And she was. As far as Tiffany was concerned, the three sexiest words in the English language were fifty percent off. She was a world-class bargain hunter (not surprising, since she’d sat at the feet of an expert – her mom), and she could smell a sale a mile away.
Great as she was at ferreting out a bargain, she wasn’t good with credit cards. It hadn’t taken Tiffany long to snarl her finances to the point where she and Brian had to use their small, start-a-family savings and Brian’s car fund to bail her out. 
She’d felt awful about that, not only because she suspected they’d never need that family fund anyway (that suspicion was what led to her first shopping binge), but because Brian had suffered from the fallout of her mismanagement. He’d had his eye on some rusty old beater on the other side of the lake and had been talking about buying and restoring it. The car wound up rusting at someone else’s house, thanks to her. Even the money they’d scraped together for her bailout wasn’t enough. She’d had to call in the big guns: Daddy. That had probably been harder on Brian than waving good-bye to their savings. 
“Tiffy, baby, you should have told me,” he said the day the awful truth came out and they sat on the couch, her crying in his arms.
She would have, except she kept thinking she could get control of her runaway credit card bills. It seemed like one minute she only had a couple and the next thing she knew they’d bred and taken over. “I thought I could handle it.” 
It was a reasonable assumption since they both worked. There was just one problem: their income had never quite managed to keep up with the demands of life. It still didn’t.
She sighed. Brian so didn’t understand. All he did was pay the mortgage, utilities, and the car payments. He had no idea how much it really cost to live. First of all, they had to eat. Did he have any idea how much wine cost? Or meat? Even toilet paper wasn’t cheap. And they had to have clothes. She couldn’t show up at Salon H to do nails in sweats, for heaven’s sake. What woman wanted to go to a nail artist who looked like a slob? Food and clothes were the tip of the expense iceberg. Friends and family had birthdays; she couldn’t give them IOU’s. And she had to buy Christmas presents. And decorations. And hostess gifts. Now it was June and soon there would be picnics at the lake and neighborhood barbecues. A girl could hardly show up empty handed. Then there were bridal showers to attend, and baby . . . No, no. She wasn’t going there.
After the great credit card clean-up the Guessing Game method lost its effectiveness and she’d had to retire it. Hiding her purchases worked better anyway. 
Her bargains weren’t the only things she was hiding. In the last year she’d gotten two new credit cards, and they were both well used. Brian might panic if he knew, but there was no need for panic. She’d be okay this time. She’d learned her lesson. In fact, she was going to make a big payment on one of them this week. Still, it was better for Brian not to know about the purchases in her car trunk.
She checked the clock on the dash. Four-fifty. Brian got off at five. He worked at the Heart Lake Department of Planning and Community Development. It took him exactly six minutes to get from his office to their cul-de-sac in Heart Lake Estates and another fifty-five seconds to park his car and get to the front door. That gave her seventeen minutes and five seconds to beat him home. 
A little voice at the back of her mind whispered, “You wouldn’t have to worry about beating your husband home if you were honest with him.” 
She ignored it and applied more pressure to the gas pedal. 
She should take it all back. Brian probably wouldn’t get that excited about the shoes or the dress anyway. Just show up naked. That was what her friends always joked. Even naked she couldn’t explain about the new charge cards. Not these days.
Her best bet was to get home before Brian. She could make it. Her foot pressed down harder. She wouldn’t buy anything more all month, and she’d take back the shoes. But the dress - fifty percent off, for heaven’s sake.
Just get home and ditch the stuff. Then you can decide what to do. She roared off the exit ramp then turned right onto Cedar Springs Road. Ten more minutes and she’d be in Heart lake Estates. The finish line was in sight.
Oh, no. What was this behind her? Her stomach fell at the sight of the flashing lights. Noooo. This was so unfair. Yes, she was going fifteen miles over the speed limit, but she had an emergency brewing here. And thirty was too slow. What sicko had decided you could only go thirty on this road anyway? It was probably someone who had no life, nowhere to be, no husband to beat home.
She could not, COULD NOT, get a speeding ticket. They couldn’t afford it. 
Heart thudding, she watched as the policeman got out of his patrol car. He was big and burly. Big men loved sweet, little blondes with blue eyes. That had to work in her favor. She saw the wedding ring on his finger. Darn, It would have worked more in her favor if he’d been single.
She let down her window and showed him the most pitiful expression she could muster. “I was speeding, I know, but pleeease don’t give me a ticket. I haven’t had a ticket since I was eighteen.” Actually, twenty, but close enough. Parking tickets didn’t count. Neither did citations for running stop signs. “I promise I won’t speed again. Ever. If I come home with a speeding ticket . . .” And a trunk full of shopping bags.  She couldn’t even think about it. She might as well throw herself in the lake and be done with it.
The officer regarded her sadly. Good, she’d won his sympathy. She looked back at him with tears in her eyes.
“Lady, you were going twenty miles over the limit. I can’t not give you a ticket.”
What? What was this? “Oh, God, please.” Now she opted to shed the tears. They were wasted sitting around in her eyeballs. “My husband will kill me.” How was she going to pay on her credit card if she had to use the money for a stupid speeding ticket?
“Don’t worry,” said the officer.
“Yes?” He’d had a change of heart. She was saved! Long live blonde.
 “They take Mastercard at the courthouse. May I have your driver’s license and registration please?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Take a trip to the charming little town of Heart Lake, and meet three best friends you’ll never forget. . . .

Rachel, Jessica, and Tiffany have major money problems. Tiffany’s whipped out the plastic one too many times, and now a mountain of debt has come crashing down on her. Jessica’s husband has lost his job, thrusting this longtime stay-at-home mom out into the cold, cruel workforce. And Rachel’s divorce transformed her from an upper-middle-class mom to a strapped-for-cash divorcée. So the three women start a financial support group called the Small Change Club—vowing to bring balance back to their checkbooks…and, in turn, their lives. Along the way they learn some valuable lessons—that friendship is an investment that keeps on growing and that sometimes love, like a loose coin, can be found in the most unexpected places… 

“Roberts’s trademark humor and memorable characters wrestling with real-life issues add up to a novel that will make readers smile and wish for more.”—BookPage

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EXCERPT:

Rachel Green left her principal’s office minus her smile. This was a rotten way to end the school day, not to mention the year. She marched to her empty classroom, mentally chanting, “Why me?” with each step. The answer to that was simple: some gremlin had pasted a Kick Me sign on her backside.

First divorce, now no job – a kick for each cheek.

She’d known teaching fifth grade at Heart Lake Elementary wasn’t a permanent position when she’d stepped in to take Ambika Sinj’s class after Ambika had gone on maternity leave. But, deep down, Rachel had hoped that once Ambika had her baby she would opt for full-time motherhood. She hadn’t.

This school was a great one with an excellent principal and good kids. Rachel didn’t blame Ambika for wanting to come back to work, thus depriving her substitute of steady employment for the next year. She blamed the gremlin. Inside her classroom she shook a fist and growled, “You’re messing with the wrong woman.”

“Steve Martin in drag. Now, that is scary,” said a voice from the classroom doorway. “Are you auditioning for a remake of Trains, Planes, and Automobiles?

Rachel turned to see Elsa Wilson, a wiry fifty-year old who taught third grade, regarding her with eyebrows raised. She slumped on her desk. “Don’t get too close to me. I’m a bad luck lightning rod.”

“Don’t tell me, let me guess. Ambika’s coming back and you’re out of work?”

Rachel nodded. She wanted to cry. Instead, she turned and began erasing math problems off the white board, ignoring the ache beginning at her temples. “Oh, well. I’ll go back to subbing.”

Elsa joined her and picked up the other eraser. “Not a bad plan. Between us and the middle school, we’ll keep you busy.”

But could they keep her busy enough? “I know. It’s just . . .” She didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t need to. Elsa understood. It was so much easier to come into the same classroom every day and work with the same students, to have your own lesson plans to follow instead of someone else’s. Most important, a permanent teaching position meant benefits and a guaranteed salary. Not necessarily a huge salary, but regular. Money was tight even when Rachel was working full time. Once she was reduced to substitute teaching she’d be vacuum-sealed in debt. Panic grabbed at her ankles. She attempted to kick free. “I’ll be fine.” At least she’d still have free dental for the kids.

“Of course you will,” said Elsa. “You’re a survivor.”

It was a far cry from being a princess, which was what her parents had raised her to be. When she met Aaron Green the dentist she thought she’d found her prince. First he told her she had a beautiful smile. Then he told her she had a beautiful body. Then, after two kids, two cars, a mortgage, and her fortieth birthday, he’d found another woman and told her goodbye. But not until he’d made sure that much of his money did a disappearing act, probably into some account of his mother’s. Just one of the Universe’s little cosmic jokes. Ha, ha. Almost as funny as finding herself with no steady employment and a student loan to pay off. Now she had a Master’s degree in education and no job, rather like having a bridal gown and no husband. Oh, bad analogy.

Maybe someday her prince would come. Ha. If he did she’d slam the door in his face. She needed another prince like she needed a third boob. She already had her hands full with Aaron, who was as lousy an ex as he once was a husband – always late with his child support payments, but still managing to come up with money for presents for the kids and frequent trips to Pizza Heaven to ensure his status as the favorite parent. She’d been coping with all that, pretty much, but now she’d been set adrift in a leaky raft on a stormy financial sea. Was she a survivor?

“You bet I am,” she said as much to herself as to Elsa. She’d show Aaron, and his mother (who never liked her). And she’d show the damned gremlin, too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Sheila Roberts lives in the Pacific Northwest. She's happily married and has three children.
   
Writing since 1989, Sheila’s books have been printed in several different languages and have been chosen for book clubs such as Doubleday as well as for Readers Digest Condensed books. Her best-selling novel ON STRIKE FOR CHRISTMAS was made into a movie and appeared on the Lifetime Movie Network, and her novel THE NINE LIVES OF CHRISTMAS has just been optioned for film. Her novel ANGEL LANE was named one of Amazon’s Top Ten Romances for 2009.
   
When she's not making public appearances or playing with her friends, she can be found writing about those things near and dear to women's hearts: family, friends, and chocolate.

website: http://www.sheilasplace.com

find me on Facebook as Sheila Roberts, author

Twitter: _Sheila_Roberts

Amazon buy link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004P5OQCY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B004P5OQCY&link_code=as3&tag=revibycrys-20


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Review: I am in the middle of reading this book right now. Due to a family emergency I was unable to finish in time to review it for this post. I will tell you that I am enjoying the story and I will post a review ASAP. I do sincerely apologize for not having my review ready for today.

I am a fan of Shelia Roberts' work so I am incredibly honored to be hosting Small Change today. 

Beauty and the Beast (an erotic re-imagining) By Shoshanna Evers ~ Goddess Fish Book Blast ~ Giveaway

Beauty and the Beast (an erotic re-imagining)

By Shoshanna Evers

Shoshanna will be awarding a signed paperback of Beauty and the Beast (US ONLY) plus a $10 Amazon or Nook GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and an electronic copy of the book to six randomly drawn commenters during the tour. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Please also leave a comment below. To increase your chances of winning please visit the other tour stops. You may find those locations here.... http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/01/virtual-book-blast-tour-beauty-and.html

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BLURB:

From bestselling erotica author Shoshanna Evers comes an erotic re-imagining of the classic fairytale, Beauty and the Beast.

With her father’s freedom at stake, Belle agrees to be the fearsome Beast’s prisoner in his enchanted castle. Held as his willing captive, Belle must submit to the Beast’s most primal desires to survive.

The Beast can’t let his little Beauty go free, not while there’s still hope that she might be the one to end his decade-long curse…and with true love’s kiss, return him to the Prince he once was.

Their story is one that begins with imprisonment—he in his monstrous body, she in a dungeon—but without this predicament, Beauty would never have met the Beast.

So we shall begin with what occurred on that fateful night when everything changed: when a lover was betrayed, a man deformed, and a castle shrouded in an enchantment…


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EXCERPT:

Copyright 2013 Shoshanna Evers
All Rights Reserved.

The Beast crept toward Belle, not wanting to frighten her by waking her, as he had done to Nadine that night so long ago. The memory of her screams of terror still filled his nightmares.

Belle’s long brown hair splayed around her head, one pale hand nestled under her cheek. Her plain blue dress was simple but form-fitting, as if she’d made it before she’d finished growing into her curves. The buttons at her neck were undone, leaving her collarbone exposed.

She was beautiful…no wonder they called her Belle. The girl certainly qualified to have a name that meant Beauty.

Beast leaned in closer to her, breathing in the warm, sweet scent of her skin. He couldn’t recall ever doing that to a girl when he was human—sniffing her. Maybe he had become more of an animal than he’d thought.

Belle stiffened, her brow creasing, her eyes squeezed shut.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Beast said softly.

She kept her eyes closed. “I’m scared,” she whispered.

“I won’t hurt you.”

“Don’t eat me.”

He smiled but composed himself, knowing a smile only looked like he was baring his fangs. If she chose to open her eyes when he was grinning at her, she’d probably run screaming.

“I won’t eat you, Belle,” he promised.

He’d never actually eaten a person, but it had seemed like a good threat when Henry Castelle was there. Now he wished he could take it back so she wouldn’t be so frightened to have him near her.

“Why are you here, then, if not to eat me?” she asked.

 “I wanted to see you,” he admitted. “It’s been so long since I’ve had human contact.”

“How long?” she asked, keeping her eyes shut.

“Ten years.” He ran his fingers over her silky hair.

“What happened ten years ago?”

He couldn’t tell her, so he wouldn’t try. “I…changed.”

“Change back,” she whispered.

If only it were so simple. Perhaps she thought he’d been a nice beast who changed into a mean beast. He laughed, the sound coming out like a howl.

Belle whimpered, and Beast stopped laughing. He touched her cheek gently, running his hand across her smooth face, relishing the feel of her skin. She bit her lip to hold back a gasp.

“I’d like to change,” he said. “Maybe you can help me.”

“How?”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a woman for company,” he said. “I want to touch you. Is that all right?”

Belle inhaled sharply, but she nodded.

“Why are you saying yes, if you’re afraid?”

“Because you’re so big,” she whispered, her eyes still shut. “I’m scared you’ll hurt me.”

“I promise I won’t hurt you,” he said. “You have my word. My only desire is to make you feel good right now.”

At that, she relaxed visibly, the crease leaving her forehead. Beast kept one hand against her cheek, and with his other hand, spanned the length of her body and gently touched her foot.

“Your feet are cold,” he said, holding them in one large hand to warm them.

“I am a bit chilled, sir.”

“It’s cold and dark down here in the dungeon,” he admitted. “I think you should have taken me up on my offer to sleep upstairs, in my bed.”

Belle moaned as he moved his hand up her leg to her knee, whether in fear or pleasure, he couldn’t tell. But she wasn’t stopping him.

Her blue dress lifted, leaving her thighs bare. She wore nothing underneath, and he could smell her feminine musk. The scent drove him wild with desire, but he forced himself to go slowly, to not frighten the girl.

Beast rubbed her thighs, warming her flesh. With a sigh, her legs parted ever so slightly, her body melting into the hay.

He reached the junction of her thighs, the one part of her body that threw off heat. His thumb rested on the tender bud he found, more beautiful than any rose in his garden.

“Have you ever been touched here?” he asked quietly, his voice thick.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Critically-acclaimed author Shoshanna Evers has written dozens of sexy stories including Amazon Erotica Bestsellers Overheated, and Enslaved, Book 1 in the Enslaved Trilogy, as well as the post-apocalyptic dystopian Pulse Trilogy from Simon & Schuster Pocket  Star. Her work has been featured in Best Bondage Erotica 2012 and Best Bondage Erotica 2013, the Penguin/Berkley Heat anthology Agony/Ecstasy, and numerous erotic BDSM novellas including Chastity Belt and Punishing the Art Thief from Ellora's Cave Publishing.

The non-fiction anthology Shoshanna Evers edited and contributed to, How To Write Hot Sex: Tips from Multi-Published Erotic Romance Authors, is a #1 Bestseller in the Authorship, Erotica Writing Reference, and Romance Writing categories on Amazon.

Reviewers have called Shoshanna’s writing “fast paced, intense, and sexual…every naughty fantasy come to life for the reader” with stories where “the plot is fresh and the pacing excellent, the emotions…real and poignant.”

Shoshanna used to work as a syndicated advice columnist and a registered nurse, but now she’s a full-time smut writer and a home-schooling mom. She lives with her family and two big dogs in Northern Idaho.

Sexily *Evers* After... ShoshannaEvers.com

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