Lions with Piercings... Oh My! A Conversation on Lion Shifters with @MeganSlayer

I've read plenty of shifter stories and I love them. The more I read them, the more I love shifters. Lions, Tigers, Wolves... you name it.

So as I worked on my latest novella, Loving Leo, a thought occurred to me. Piercings and tattoos on shifters. Now how does that work? I'm sure other authors have written shifters with tats and piercings, but I hadn't come across any.

Then my character, Leo, informed me he wanted both!

First thought? How does that work during lion time? Does the tat show up under the fur? Or disappear? What about the piercing? Would the animal side even understand what it was?

Now instead of driving myself nuts trying to sort all of that out, I went with the character's lead and wrote the story. Leo wants a piercing and gets one. He wants to be different. I let him and his partner dictate how things shook out concerning that teeny little piercing. If they were happy, so was I.

So my question to you... what are your thoughts on shifters, tattoos and piercings? Let me know. I'd love to discuss it. :-)

* * * * * * * 

Here's a little bit about Leo and Axl:

Loving Leo 

Book 5 in the Sanctuary Series

Paranormal, Contemporary

M/M, Anal Sex, Shifters, Lion Shifters

Resplendence Publishing

This lion’s ready to claim what’s his on the day made for lovers.

Figuring out what Valentine’s Day isn’t easy, especially for lion shifters. Until coming to Sanctuary, Leo had never heard of the holiday, but he’s not about to let the special day go by without taking notice. He knows his heart and it belongs to Axl. He’ll do what it takes to get Axl’s attention, but will Axl share his feelings?

Axl is the brute of the group and has no need for Valentine’s Day. He’s tough and takes what he wants—including Leo. He doesn’t need a holiday to dictate his actions. That is until Leo bares his soul and his needs. Will Leo’s honesty be enough for Axl to come to terms with his feelings? Anything can happen on Valentine’s Day.

Available from Resplendence Publishing

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-lovingleosanctuarybookfive-1981144-145.html

http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8/808-201-119-934-0--loving-leo-sanctuary-book-five-by-megan-slayer.html

 http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm

Megan Slayer - It's Always Fun to Squirm

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Expanding the Imagination

An article in Space.com inspired me to write this post. http://www.space.com/31865-three-new-lego-space-sets.html

Where will the next dreamers come from? The writers of science fiction books and movies? The scientists, explorers?

Much has been written about the latest Star Wars movie Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Not all of it good. Take it from a long-time Star Wars afionada and the grandmother of a six- and 8-year-old who are crazy about anything Star Wars, the movie was great. I wanted to see the movie with them, to share the excitement and to find out what they liked. However, circumstances prevented that. So they were all geared up to call me . . . until their mother said no spoilers. That put a damper on their enthusiasm. After I saw the movie, they happily shared all the “exciting” parts.

Something else those grandchildren are crazy about are LEGOs. At their house, they have several Friends and Star Wars sets. On the other hand, I have the plain building sets—some their mother and uncle played with thirty-plus years ago along with new ones. My thinking is to let the kids create whatever they want. During a recent school snow day spent at my house, they not only devised structures, they put on skits based on the “underworld” scenes they created with LEGOs.

I love watching creativity at work. Storytelling, skits, building blocks. Whether it’s building kits or making up stories based on movies and TV shows, their imaginations soar. A site we’ve used for several years to write stories is My Storymaker from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. The program keeps improving, offering more choices for the kids to make up a story. (They talk, I type.)

The more opportunities we give children to use their imagination the better dreamers they’ll become. If they can dream it, anything is possible. Our next storytellers, filmmakers, scientists, astronauts will come from those who were encouraged to use their imagination as children.

Diane Burton writes science fiction romance, romantic suspense, and mysteries. Her latest science fiction romance release is The Protector (An Outer Rim Novel: Book 3). She blogs here on the 13th of the month and on her own blog on Mondays.

Three Good Reasons to Attend a Facebook Party

by Maureen L. Bonatch

  No Time Restrictions

If you attend a real, human, face-to-face party being fashionably late can be awkward, especially if you’re not one who revels in the spotlight. When you’re creeping in making excuses about traffic or the kids when in reality the jeans you planned to wear wouldn’t zip after holiday indulgences, forcing you to spend an extra twenty minutes looking for an alternative outfit.

But if you’re heading to a Facebook party, nobody has to know. You can slide in and say hello and then finish making dinner while perusing the updates on your screen. Or you can claim you’d been lurking the entire time, just waiting for a chance to introduce yourself, when in reality you got carried away binge-watching your favorite show. Psst! No worries- no one will be the wiser!

Usually they last over a time span and you can check in throughout the day, or sometimes even a day or more later. If it’s a group event and you want to chat with a specific author, be sure to check out their featured time- and the time zone of the party! You are literally partying with people all over the world.

No Worries About Dress Code Etiquette

Is this too dressy? Too casual? Or…gasp…what if someone is wearing the same outfit? Nope, it’s more along the lines of do I wear pajamas or sweatpants because it’s in the comfort of your own home or wherever in the world you want to be.

Prizes

Where are my losers? Seriously—my hand is waving in the air right now. What I mean is where are the people who never seem to win anything? Well, now is your time to shine and toss that bad losing mojo out the window!

It’s almost guaranteed there is some kind of prize, and if it’s a multi-author event, many prizes. Often you can win just for showing up! Even better yet-the games are fun! Believe me, I’d never thought I’d say those words because I don’t play online, or much of any, games. These are more like conversation starters, posting pictures of sexy dresses, hot guys or cute animals- you name it! You get a chance to meet new authors or check out your favorite authors newest releases.

Still Wondering What a Facebook Party is all About?

Pop over and check out the last one I participated in.

Here’s a  post of mine during the party

How about another one?

Still curious? Here's one more.

You can find out all about Facebook Parties on Pinterest 

 Wanna Crash a Party?

No worries- I’m inviting you right now to the Candy Hearts Romance Valentine Party on February 11th from 6  p.m until 1 p.m. EST! 

You’ll find me (at 7:30 p.m. EST- check the time zone peeps!) and 27 other authors—you heard me correctly—27 authors!

Check them all out Here!

Invite your friends- there’s none of that awkward, “I can’t mention this to so and so cause I don’t know if she was invited.” The more the merrier!

Will I See You There?

   What if your memories hadn't been made yet?

               

 The car accident totaled Sabrina Post’s convertible and reinvented her memories. She can't recall dumping Cole Dawson ten years ago. What her new clairvoyant visions tell Sabrina is he’s her husband. Any practical girl would question her sanity. But if Sabrina wants to make this imaginary future a reality, she'll have to regain Cole’s trust and eliminate her rival, the coffee shop waitress who’s pegged Cole as husband #4. 

    Amazon           The Wild Rose Press         Barnes and Noble

About the Author:

Maureen writes stories in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania that boast laughter, light suspense and something magical in the hope of sharing her love of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary world. She writes Paranormal Romance and Fantasy.

Find Me:
Writing on my Website
Tweeting on Twitter
Pinning on Pinterest
Flapping on Facebook

So Many Choices... A Series ReVAMPed with Megan Slayer

There are so many choices out there when it comes to what to read. Not that Amazon hasn't made it almost impossible to choose but go there. I mean, goodness. There are SOOOO many books. So many. I get overwhelmed when the suggestions show up on my kindle.

So what makes an author want to revamp and refine a series that was already out there for public consumption? There are a ton of books out there. If these have already been out, then what's to say someone will want the same book, but improved?

I asked myself that very set of questions. You see, I had a publisher - a very wonderful one at that - close down. I liked working with them. They were the first publisher to accept a pitch from me after I'd signed a contract with another house. Sounds complicated, but you can pitch a hundred times and hear the word no, but there's something special about pitching to a publishing house and having a little experience under your belt. I don't mean a sitting at the bar and just tossing ideas around kind of pitch session, but a real one with a panel of people deciding if your story is right for that house. It was rather daunting and scary. One of these days I'll write the experience into a book.

Anyway, that house closed. Yeah, went out of business, broke my heart and closed. I said I liked working with them. Not only that, but I'd just had a paranormal series come out with them. I'd pulled other books from that house because they weren't performing. Was it my marketing? The theme of the book? I don't know, but they weren't doing so hot. So, I decided to yank them and try to improve them on my own. Now some people live for self-publishing. They love it. Me? I'm still in the overwhelmed, oh my god what am I doing phase. Yeah, I'm not quite ready yet.  But that's those stories.

I had this series. We'd polished it, edited to within what seemed like an inch of it's life and put them out there. I loved those covers. I did. Maddy James did a fab job. But the house went out of business.

So what was I to do with these books? They hadn't been out that long and were a labor of love for me. I pondered my options. They'd been edited, so I could self-pub them. But I knew nothing about self-pubbing. Not that I know tons now, but that's besides the point. I could shelve them. Okay, but that seemed like a waste of my efforts, the editors time and all of that. I could sell them to another publishing house. Hmm... That idea had merit.

First of all, I wouldn't have to pay to have them edited--hey, you can never be too careful about editing. Second, I wouldn't have to buy more art. I was gifted the cover art and love it, but I wanted a fresh start for the books. Third, if they weren't that good or another house didn't bite, then I wasn't out much.

What'd I do? I revamped them with a whole lot of help from my editor at Loose Id. I was proud of the series before, but now I'm even prouder.

What book and series am I talking about? The Battle Scarred series and book 1, You Have Me. Check it out and see if you like the fruits of our labors.

You Have Me

Battle Scarred, Book 1

Megan Slayer

Contemporary, Paranormal Romance

M/F, BDSM, Spanking, Anal Sex, Toys

Vampires, Supernatural Creatures

When the rest of the world crumbles and fails, you have me.

Kynan Laing gave up his mortal soul to the will of the Sources, the ancient beings in charge of the universe. With the sensual grace and speed in his vampire form, he serves in his role as a Protector for the Supernatural world. But the impending war between the Supers and Hunters is heating up. The woman he’s charged to protect is all grown up and the perfect submissive partner he wants. Can he keep his heart under wraps while keeping her safe?

Alexa Mercury doesn’t know why she’s supposed to trust the vampire, but she does. Even when she pushed him away, Kynan watches over her. She craves him like no other and wants to submit body and soul to him, even if he is a Supernatural creature of the night. When circumstances beyond her control force them together, Lexa will have to decide whether to offer her heart to the vampire or risk her very soul. 

This book was previously released by another publisher and has been reedited and revamped for this edition.

Available from:

Loose Id: http://www.loose-id.com/battle-scarred-1-you-have-me.html

AllRomance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-youhaveme-1970191-143.html

 http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm

Megan Slayer - It's Always Fun to Squirm

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Take the Gamble!

by Nancy Gideon

I don’t gamble. I like as close to a sure thing as I can get before I invest. That goes for my money, my time, my fashion choices (such as they are!) and my reading material. These days when said time and cash are sparse, I’ll devote my reading time to authors I know and topics I enjoy. But every once in a while, I’ll be lured out to try something new – a genre, a debut author, and sometimes, a new hair color. And I don’t regret it.

The re-issue/re-packaging of my Touch of Midnight vampire romance series is the best kind of gamble – a new look with a proven book. The nine titles are being re-vamped (snicker) by ImaJinn Books, and this month offers one of my favorites – MIDNIGHT GAMBLE. It combines history and the paranormal. The Roaring ‘20s backdrop was such fun to research and my characters kick up their heels to its decadence while following a darker undercurrent of mystery. The new cover – LOVE IT! Revisiting the text to do some tweaking – another plus. I’d forgotten how much I liked the steely heroine and enigmatic hero in their cagy dance around a forbidden romance. And then there are the returning characters!

Here’s a taste . . .

AMAZON

Will the hunter . . .

Against the uninhibited decadence of 1920’s New York, where bootleg liquor flows until dawn to the sound of hot jazz and rolling dice, day-walking vampire, Frederica Lavoy stalks those of her kind to bring them to her father’s court for crimes against humankind. A series of careless murders leads her to an exclusive club where patrons drink more than champagne from unsuspecting guests. Drawn to the club’s owner, the enigmatic Darcy Edwards, Rica’s loyalty is torn when she suspects he’s the man her father has sent her to find.

. . . become the hunted?

Tricked into embracing the night during the time of Pharaohs, Eduard D’Arcy struggles to bring peace to those who are damned by what they must do to survive. Yet he’s found no forgiveness for himself - until he’s captivated by the unique and spirited Rica. But in this game of cat and mouse they’re playing, the stakes are not just heart and soul, but life and death itself . . .

"4 1/2 Star Top Pick: Readers will want to sink their teeth into this hypnotic and compelling tale." — Kathe Robin, Romantic Times

"Nancy Gideon is one of the best supernatural writers on the market today." — BookBrowser

"Fun, entertaining vampire romance that makes the supernatural seem natural." — Under the Covers Book Review

Excerpt

SHE WAS BACK AGAIN.

Eduard drifted toward the special glass, allowing him to observe his company without being observed himself.

Frederica Lavoy. Who was she? A mystery. An unknown. In his world, unknowns were dangerous, and this compelling woman had already led him to realize his first mistake.

He’d considered her as a peer among the day’s loveliest women. Looking at her now, he conceded his error. She wasn’t equal to the day’s beauties. She far surpassed them, eclipsing them as one of this era’s electric lights was put to shame by the purity of an evening star. She dazzled. She glowed. She was poise, perfection and power. An irresistible combination of all he admired. He’d been able to think of nothing else. How had he so underrated her the night before, when on this night, her rarity, her magnificence cast all others into pale shadow.

What omnipotent force spawned her? Heaven or hell? Nothing quite so unique existed without the touch of divine intervention. And she was divine, a celestial body unfairly tethered upon a mortal plane.

He moved closer to the glass, unaware of his own gravitational response. His fingertips pressed to the cool surface between them as if it were the only barrier keeping them apart.

He watched her, mesmerized by the way she crossed the crowded room, a smooth ripple of motion disturbing nothing in her wake. As if she moved through a world separate from theirs. But was it foreign to his?

The inviting shimmer of her dress captured him completely, as if he were one with that heavily beaded fabric as it caressed the length of her body. As if his mouth sighed along the inner curve of her bosom where the neckline hung open in a daring plunge. As if his hands brushed the soft curve of her thighs with each advancing step. It was an unusual shift, as unique as the creature who wore it. A simple drape of celadon silk patterned with delicate lilies like some rare Chinese watercolor. The clear beadwork picked up flickering accents of light, making the design stir as if by a gentle breeze, coming alive against the contours of her figure in a beckoning breath he wished could be his own. He wondered what, if anything, she wore beneath it. The movement seemed too natural for artificial restraints. Just as she did herself.

He’d forgotten to continue his pretended breathing. A stillness settled over him, a deep, preternatural calm that could go on undisturbed as centuries swirled by unnoticed. Time, which had lost all meaning within the realm of his existence, ceased altogether as she came up to the glass. There, she stopped, and stared through eyes as green and precious as that valuable Korean porcelain.

Of course, she couldn’t see him. It was just a coincidence that she appeared to meet his stare with an unwavering, all-knowing directness.

And then she lifted her hand.

He thought at first she would touch the tousled crop of hair to rearrange some errant strand as she looked into her own reflection. But she reached out toward the glass, instead, her own fingertips finding his, matching their spread upon the opaque mirror.

Gasping, he pulled his hand back as if he’d felt her touch. At the same moment, hers drew away as if sensing the contact had been broken.

He was breathing now in quick agitated snatches though he required no air to sustain him.

MIDNIGHT GAMBLE is up for Kindle with its new look, and will soon appear across all formats in trade paperback and e-book. Sink your teeth in!

Happy Reading and Happy New Year!

ïïïïï

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