Hi there!  Welcome to my blog for the Beauty of a Woman Blog Fest! 

I recently had a car full of 12-13 year old girls, and they were chatting away about school, friends, and sports.  One of them talked about a girl they knew, and somebody said, “She’s really popular.  She’s so skinny.”

As a mom driving, I have to say:  RED LIGHT, CLANGING WARNING SIGN, REVERSE.  But I kept my cool.  Honest.  I did.

And I didn’t hit them with a…it matters what’s inside.  Nope.  Not the cool mom.  Not this time, anyway.  (That is usually met with an eye roll, BTW…even though it’s true).

I think it’s important to note here that all the kids in my car were healthy and in great shape from a myriad of sports.  ALL of them.

So what I did was ask about the girl.  Was she nice?  Yes.  Smart?  Yes.  Confident in talking to people, especially boys?  Yes.  So maybe that’s why she’s popular?  (I’ve already learned not to question who is popular, what it really means, and who decides who is popular.  That, too, is met with eye rolls.  Instead, subtle questions about personality seem to help.)

So there was a general consensus that maybe the girl was popular because she was happy with herself and confident talking to people.  But one girl connected dots…you see where this is going, right?  Maybe the girl was confident because she’s skinny.

Crap.  She was probably confident because she was comfortable with how she looks.  And to everyone in the car…she looked skinny.  RED LIGHT, BACKTRACK, SAY SOMETHING.  So we talked about feeling good and what makes them feel good.  (The answers ranged from spiking volleyballs to getting a good grade to boy stuff).  Not once did they mention weight.

So I (very subtly) pointed that out and fell silent.  (You can’t say too much.  Trust me).

I hope the point was made a little bit.  But in today’s society, with photoshop and air brushing, even the people we see in magazines aren’t real.  It’s hard to be a parent now (as I’m sure it was when we were kids), but what I’ve noticed is that kids are smart.  Really smart.  And when you point out the flaws in thinking…then they really start thinking.

Even so, I wish parenting was easier and not full of landmines.  I hope honest discussion helps, and I hope blog fests like this that celebrate real beauty gets us all talking…and listening. 

There are TONS of fun prizes, so make sure you head over to the main page and enter the contests by clicking here!  The contest opens at 7:30am PST and runs until March 1st.  Good luck!

So, a few weeks ago, the uber-talented Marissa from Grand Central Publishing (they publish the Sin Brothers), dropped me a line and asked if I’d want to be part of a Round Robin story with four other authors with a Halloween theme.  I said I’d love to (I love that kind of thing), and she asked me to write the ending. 

There are five parts to the story, and they’re posted at different blogs–it begins at Dear Author. There’s a Rafflecopter at the end of each entry, and you can enter to win a frightfully big box of books (it appears that a Blind Faith ARC is included).

The story is a quick one and is a lot of fun, I think.  Here are the authors, blogs, and the links:

• Dear Author feat. Kristen Callihan: http://bit.ly/1pbejlq
• Under The Covers Book Blog feat. Karina Halle: http://bit.ly/1yM9Up0
• Paranormal Cravings feat. Angie Sandro: http://bit.ly/1G2jskx
• Paranormal Book Club feat. Kate Brady: http://bit.ly/1G2jw3U
• Shh! Mom’s Reading feat. Rebecca Zanetti: http://bit.ly/1pbaQTV

Enjoy the story, and good luck with the contest!  AND… HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Hi All!  Welcome to my blog on the Halloween blog hop.  I love October because of the changing of the leaves, and I love Halloween because of the thinning of the veil between the realms.  Okay.  I also love dressing up like Wonder Woman and eating candy.  Who doesn’t?

My family has fun decorating the house and then going trick-or-treating, and we catch up with family members and play a bit.  In the PAC NW, where I live, sometimes we have sun, sometimes rain, often snow, and once-in-a-while crazy hail.  Who knows what’ll hit us this year.

So Entangled Publishing is having a fun blog hop for authors, and we’re all giving away prizes.  I’m giving away a digital copy of AGAINST THE WALL, which is my first book in the Maverick Montana series.  All you have to do to be entered into the contest is answer what you plan to do on Halloween this year…if anything.  After leaving your comment, click on the hop logo up to the left, and head on back to the hop to enter other contests.

Good luck, and have a wonderful Halloween!!!

CONGRATS to Melissa J for winning the drawing!  I’ve contacted you with information.  🙂

Click here to check out what the other authors are giving away during the Entangled In Love blog hop!

Welcome to the Entangled blog hop! My first Entangled book, AGAINST THE WALL, will be released this month. The book features a spunky golf course designer who butts heads with a stubborn lawyer who moonlights as a cowboy. Never challenge a cowboy in the courtroom! As soon as I can post the cover and buy links, I will.

For now, Happy Valentine’s week! I met my husband when I was six years old and he taught me to play Red Rover so he could hold my hand. He was a sweet kid—dark hair with huge brown eyes. We lost touch for a while, and in my twenties, I walked into a bar.

Yes, my love story starts with…I walked into a bar. Leaning against the bar was this six-foot-five tall Italian with a tattoo, leather jacket, and motorcycle helmet. My sister nudged me and said, “Hey. That’s Tony Zanetti.”

And I thought, “Meow.” Of course, my first words were, “What the hell happened to you?”

He’d gone from a sweet little kid to the guy your mama never wants to see you bring home. Of course, Tony is Tony…and my mama loves him. Always has, always will. Our first date was a motorcycle ride. Of course, he let me wear the helmet.

He may have had to sell the motorcycle to pay for our son’s hospital bill when Gabe was born, but fifteen years and two kids later, Tony is still sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. And he is SO going to roll his eyes when he reads this.

I hope your Valentine’s Day is full of romance and fun! Have a great time on the hop, and I hope you win a prize or two.

Oh – for my prize…leave a comment on the blog here, and I will send you the first PDF file of AGAINST THE WALL that I receive. We usually get PDF copies to send to reviewers, so I’ll send one to a randomly drawn name from commenting here. Thanks for stopping by!

CONGRATS TO THE WINNERS!  Molly won from this blog – I’ve sent your book to you.  🙂

Hello everyone!  I’m taking part in two blog hops this weekend – how fun is that?  There’s nothing I like more than an Alpha male–well, except an Alpha male with a dark, brooding past.  Wounded heroes are the best! 

Provoked releases on November 1st and is up for a pre-order sale right now.  So I thought I’d show you a glimpse into Kane Kayrs, a dominant, brilliant, Alpha.  Here’s a quick blurb:

Kane grabbed the brandy glasses. Handing Amber one, he retook his seat in the chair. “Drink.”

“Stop being bossy.”

“Sorry.” Slowly, he took a sip, gaze watchful over the rim.

She drank a healthy gulp. How was she supposed to act normal with a sexy vampire studying her? “Stop staring.”

“No.” He licked a drop from his lip.

She fought a groan. The brandy warmed down her throat to her abdomen. Wind whistled outside, lending an intimacy to the fire-lit area inside. Her eyes half-closed in reaction. Tingles set up in her knees—most likely from the mind war she’d just fought. But the confusion came from her reaction to the vampire. “You shouldn’t have kissed me last night.”

“I know,” he agreed softly.

“Why did you?”

“You’re beautiful, sexy, and I want you.”  His voice was calm and self-assured.

No game-playing with that man.

She fought to keep her face calm. He said want in present tense. Her body reacted instantly. “That’s surprising. I figured you’d go for some robotic scientist type.”

“Apparently not.”

As people, they couldn’t be more different. He was overeducated. She . . . not so much. “I’m a pacifist.”

He gestured for her to finish her drink. “Let’s talk about that.”

She downed the rest of the brandy, a delicious heat sliding through her body. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

He tipped back his head and drank his brandy, the movement both masculine and sexy. Setting the sifter on the side table, he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “I’ve been thinking.”

“That’s a new one.” She snorted.

Vampires had sexy grins. Who knew?

Kane’s grin widened. “So, I have a solution for our dilemma. You’re a pacifist who shouldn’t fight. I am a closet empath who needs to find my brother.”

The guy probably didn’t confess that fact to many people. She smiled, more warmth coming from his trust than from the alcohol. “What’s a closet empath?”

“Somebody who has fought for years to squash down the ability to read emotions from other people.” He sighed, stretching his neck. “Though, I can also attack with feelings sometimes. The ability can distract an enemy at the right moment, although I’d rather just use my brain.”

“There’s nothing wrong with feeling things, Kane.”

He shrugged. “Not the point.”

“What is the point?” Besides that fact that she was in an intimate setting alone for an entire night with the sexiest man she’d ever met in real life.

“The point is that there is a very simple answer to our dilemma.” His eyes darkened and his strong jaw set. “Mate me.”

So, here are the links if you’d like to pre-order Provoked and be one of the first to download it:

Also, here are the links to get back on the blog hops – make sure you hit the one you’ve been on!  (Feel free to hop on board the other one when you’re finished.  There are tons of great prizes in both.  They’re both scheduled to actually start the 19th)  Speaking of prices, in addition to the ones being given from me on the hops, I’m also giving away signed copies of Fated, Claimed, and Hunted to ONE randomly chosen commenter from my blog here.  So drop me a comment.  Do you have any plans for halloween?