5T Tossup -- New Release

I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe during this difficult time.
 

An April Fools joke turns deadly for Mo Gaffney. Only the visiting New Orleans grandmaster can save her. 

Now available. 99¢ this week only!

Read Chapter One here.

In honor of April Fools and the brand-new release inspired by it, here's Imgur...

This is why we can’t have nice things

Because chemistry!

My university chem department's idea of an April Fools joke

Pure evil...

I'm a 27 year old, immature father of 3 and husband, and IT'S APRIL FOOLS SOON!!

4T Olio

New Orleans Nobody 99¢ preorder.
Regular $2.99.
Get it before the price goes up!

An April Fools joke turns deadly for Mo Gaffney. Only the visiting New Orleans grandmaster can save her.

New Orleans Nobody 99¢ preorder. Regular $2.99. Get it before the price goes up!

In honor of the upcoming holiday, here's some April Fools fun...

ha ha ha

April Fools, Doc!

Just a little April fool's prankery

December 1T Status Update

Night's Kiss successfully launched! Thank you to everyone who bought, loved, shared, and reviewed. You're the reason I could stay with the series as long as I have.

I hope to have important, exciting news within days for Night's Bliss, the final book in the Ancients series. This is the story many, many of you have been waiting for. Elias is in a face-off with Lord Umbra...will the Ancient One find love at last along the way? Three chapters done, full story map done. I can't wait to get back to writing it!

But first this month I have my 3rd semester of school to finish. Then, over winter break, it'll be back to Night's Bliss, along with a short Vampire Vignette (New Orleans's Nobody) for my April Fools For Love author friends.

This month also sees the usual holiday music work, such as playing for our local animal shelter's Festival of Trees. January it's back to school for my final full-time semester.

Here's a fun little reading my husband and I did from Night's Kiss via Instagram... (also on Facebook)

View this post on Instagram

Join Mary Hughes for an exclusive reading from her new release Night's Kiss. 💋 “A gripping and entertaining novel that kept me hooked till the end.” —Anna G., Goodreads 💋 💋 “A wild ride for vampire lovers!” —Erika C., NetGalley 💋 💋 Pick up your copy today: https://bit.ly/2qrRykn

A post shared by Entangled Publishing (@entangled_publishing) on Nov 27, 2019 at 12:36pm PST

2T Repeat Performance

In December 2016, the lovely Magical Musings crew decided it was time to close down their blogging shop. I had three wonderful years with them. This is another of those posts.

4/1: 4 for 1 and 1 for all! -- Guests Roxy Mews, S.L. Carpenter and Kayleigh Malcolm--originally posted March 31, 2016.

Tomorrow is, in US terms, 4/1. Across the world it's April first, better known as April Fools. It's the official™ holiday of that fun pack of authors, those April Fools For Love, Roxy Mews, S.L. Carpenter, Jodi Redford and Mary Hughes, this year joined by Kayleigh Malcolm, and their sassy, sizzling books.

Last year, Lust With a Laugh brought you four stories centered around our favorite holiday, April Fool's Day. For 2016, we couldn't not do it again.

What does that mean for you? We're bringing you four short stories to whet (or wet!) your appetite for only 99cents each! Four new books, all about April Fool's love, lust, and happily ever after. 4/1=4 under $1.

These are great tales to keep you occupied if you accidentally get glued to a toilet seat, or while setting up your own elaborate prank!

We've even got a fun badge for you to use as a profile pic, or badge on your website. Grab this little goodie (above) and show your love for the holiday that is all about making people smile. Or flat out laughing at them. ;)




Roxy Mews wrote her first story at age six on an electric typewriter. It was about a cat and a haunted house. Thankfully, her stories and technology have matured since then. Roxy spends her days fighting the evil day job in hopes of conquering the stories that run rampant in her head.

To connect with Roxy Mews, find her babbling on Twitter, friend her on Facebook, visit her Blog, or find all these links on http://roxyrocksme.com.

Bestselling author Kayleigh Malcolm (and her alter ego Corinne Davies) is a firm believer that all love is beautiful and everyone deserves a Happily Ever After....well except for those involved with cancelling Firefly. She's still holding a grudge over that one.

Sticking with one genre is a talent she hasn't achieved yet and can be found creating worlds as normal as our own or as fantastic as her dreams. Her characters have to face real life challenges, as many of us do, but love always finds a way to conquer all.

A social media junkie, she can be found haunting many different sites and loves to hear from her readers. Connect with her at http://kayleighmalcolm.blogspot.com.

My name is S.L. Carpenter and I'm a writer and an artist, a husband and a father, a slave to the wife and an inspiration to other people I don't know. I call California home and have been here my whole life. I know...poor me.

I've been writing my special brand of insane little stories for many years, but it's only been in the last decade that I've managed to persuade folks to publish them. I expanded my backlist to include single titles, anthologies and several books co-written with my writing partner (and webmistress) Sahara Kelly. My most recent books are available at Amazon.com/Kindle Unlimited, and also at Samhain Publishing. Find me at http://slcarpenter.net/index1.html

Bottled Up: April Fools For Love by Roxy Mews A clogged drain. A pretend plumber. An April Fool’s Day to remember. Amazon | Amazon UK

Toy Story: April Fools For Love by S.L. Carpenter This is a totally different type of buzz and woody… Amazon | Amazon UK

Must Love Menage: April Fools For Love by Kayleigh Malcolm Will Ben and Sam to risk everything by inviting Chloe into their lives? Amazon | Amazon UK

Cin Wikkid: April Fools For Love by Mary Hughes A fairytale romance meets 4G. Amazon | Amazon UK

2T Repeat Performance

In December 2016, the lovely Magical Musings crew decided it was time to close down their blogging shop. I had three wonderful years with them. This is another of those posts.

April Fools For Love--romance with a bit of fun--originally posted April 1, 2015.

So about nine months ago (as I remember it), one of my author friends suggested a group of us who write both hot and funny get together to do a set. She said there were all sorts of boxed sets for weddings and Christmas and Valentine's Day--so why not break the mold and do one for April Fools' Day?

Since this was nine months in the future, I blithely said "Sure!" and filed it mentally under to-do. I came up with an idea pretty quickly, mentally filed it under to-do as well, and got on with a more long-term project.

Fast forward to January. The long-term project deadline was moved up to March 1, and suddenly the April Fools' Day project has to be squeezed into two weeks. (Insert screaming, panicking author here :) )

Sometimes the best diamonds come under pressure. Meet my school teacher/bar maid Serendipity "Sera" Braun in her brand-new release, Biting Serendipity: April Fools For Love.

Check out the other great April Fools For Love stories releasing in 2015.



Best April Fools joke ever—falling in love.

Serendipity “Sera” Braun wears glasses and a bun to teach during the day, but at night, she adds a breast-plumping vest and dirndl for her job hoisting beer steins at Nieman’s Bar. The big, leather-vest-and-earringed Viking bouncer? He’s bedsheets waiting to get sweaty, but all he does is scowl at her. She’s trying to keep her geriatric stripper of a granny from breaking a hip, but it’s hard when she keeps getting distracted by that sexy, smoky baritone.

Thorvald Thorsson is bitingly lonely—every vampire around him is mating. But his ex-fiancée rejected him as a killjoy (her exact words were he ate rules and s*** misery), so it’s high time Fun Thor comes out to play. No way he’d pair up with the cute but too-serious little schoolmarm who waits tables at the bar.

Sera bridles the wicked, delicious things she’d like to do with the muscular Viking, suppressing herself until she’s a volcano about to blow. Then they are thrown together in a prank war, and all his potent masculinity is focused on her. He makes her burn to let loose, but how can she and still be responsible for Granny and set a good example?

Warning: A terribly lonely vampire, a conflicted schoolmarm with a caged wild side, nosy roommates and the female version of a bromance, not to mention scorching sex, swearing with the **** filled in, a whole town full of busybodies—and the best April Fools joke ever.

This story contains material intended for mature audiences. Reader discretion advised.



What about you? Do you find a looming deadline helps or hurts?

May 1T Status Update

Another busy month!

• Proposal package complete for Biting Love Book 10. This will also be the first of the last trilogy (or quartet) of Biting Love books, with the subtitle The Ancient Ones.
• Be sure to get your copy of ARe BESTSELLER Biting Serendipity: April Fools For Love 2015 before the price goes up May 9! Amazon | Amazon UK | Nook | ARe
• The April Fools For Love take over the All Romance Ebooks cafe for the first week of May. Fun with short stories--plus giveaways! Schedule below.
• Edits for Mind Mates
• Cover reveal for Mind Mates (blog readers--special reveal for you below!)
  
• Finish applying edits for Hot Chips and Sand
• Continue first draft of Biting Love Book 10 (The Ancient Ones, book 1) 
• Our orchestra is performing the Brahms German Requiem with a huge choir. Really looking forward to this!

April Fools For Love on Short Stories (Note: Links will become good on the day listed.)

• May 2—ARe Blog: Roxy Mews Giveaway: Jodi Redford
  
• May 3—ARe Blog: Me Giveaway: Roxy Mews
  
• May 4—ARe Blog: Kayleigh Malcolm Giveaway: Me
  
• May 5—ARe Blog: Jodi Redford Giveaway: Roxy Mews
• May 6—ARe Blog: Roxy Mews Giveaway: Kayleigh Malcolm
  

 Mind Mates secret cover reveal...

4T Olio--A Day Early and $50 Long

The Cin Wikkid: April Fools For Love book tour starts today!

Follow the tour and enter to win great prizes!

• 5 grand prize winners will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card. 
• 5 runner-ups will receive an eBook of choice from my backlist! 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit all the blogs participating in the tour for reviews, excerpts, guest posts and more chances to win!

03/28/2016

Keep A Readin’  - review

Just Books

03/29/2016

It’s All About The Romance  - intereview

Perusing Princesses

03/30/2016

Cover 2 Cover

What Is That Book About

Two Girls With Books - review

Those Crazy Book Chicks

03/31/2016

Deal Sharing Aunt - interview

Just Us Book Blog

BookLoving Pixies

The Book Reading Gals

04/01/2016

Nice Ladies, Naughty Books  - Guest Post

HEA Romances With A Little Kick - review

And a few April First extras! (not part of the Rafflecopter)

Just Contemporary Romance

Facebook Party

USA Today HEA

04/04/2016

T&L Book Review - review - Guest Post

Long and Short Reviews

Between The Pages

04/05/2016

Carrie’s Book Reviews - review

RoloPoloBook Blog

Just Us Book Blog

04/06/2016

Happily Ever Chapter - review - Guest Post

Southern Yankee Book Reviews - Review

Becky’s Book Bytes

04/07/2016

Swept Away By Romance

Karma For Life Chick - Guest Post

EskieMama Reads

04/08/2016

Julian’s Book Angels

Splashes Into Books - review

Read@Book Reviews - review

Alpha Book Club - review

Also look for reviews from:

Dedicated Readers

My Book Filled Life

And be sure to check out these other great April Fools For Love 2016 books.

Bottled Up: April Fools For Love by Roxy Mews

A clogged drain. A pretend plumber. An April Fool’s Day to remember.

Good looks don’t last forever, and neither do modeling careers. When Nate’s time in the sun ends, he goes back to school. Trouble is, in order to pay for his last semester he’s going to need to get naked.

When a four month modeling contract took Nate Dallas on an adventure around the world, he was too young to realize he was an idiot to leave his Blue-eyed Betty behind. After one night of passion he let her love letters that fade in his pocket instead of fighting for a trip home. 

Betty Townsend never forgot about Nate. He’d sent her the world in envelopes filled with sea shells and sand. She saw stars when he kissed her under a sparkling spotlight on stage. And she felt her heart break when he never returned to her.
When Nate shows up at Betty’s door, big wrench in hand, she can’t believe her first love is the one her friend hired to fix the sink.

Once Nate recognizes Betty, stripping is out of the question. So is leaving. He can’t throw this chance away. The heat between them is undeniable, but when Betty finds out her first love is covered in glitter down to his g-string, do they stand a chance at rekindling the love that never really burned out? Or will fate make fools out of them again?
Amazon | Amazon UK

Must Love Menage: April Fools For Love by Kayleigh Malcolm

Chloe keeps a strict policy of not mixing work and play. But play is exactly what she wants with both her hotter than sin bosses.

Rumors and false accusations from an ex-girlfriend forced Ben and Sam to close their Florida restaurant and try to reopen one in Bayburgh. They’ve vowed to never date an employee again but the vivacious Chloe is temptation personified.

When a series of events cascades from a prank gone wrong, the three of them end up committed to running in a charity marathon. Training for the event throws them together outside of work and explore the attraction they’ve been fighting.

Will Ben and Sam to risk everything by inviting Chloe into their lives, not knowing if she’s willing to be shared?

Amazon | Amazon UK

Toy Story: April Fools For Love by S.L. Carpenter

This is a totally different type of buzz and woody…

There’s nothing like hosting a pleasure toy party to broaden one’s horizon. At least that’s what Dana’s experiencing every time she puts her products on the table and starts talking about them.

She’s learning from her customers as much as they’re learning from her. And when she gets the chance to put those lessons into practice? She goes for it, and discovers that she’s a lot more inventive than she ever dreamed.

But Dana may be taking a huge risk, because not everyone is in favor of a good Toy Story.



Amazon | Amazon UK



Don't forget the April Fools For Love 2015 collection!

April Fools Weekend Blog Hop PLUS April Fools Bash--No Joke!!

Hop on over to Facebook for a great blog hop from Alpha Book Club! Over 150 authors, bloggers, and book lovers involved in this hop and there are going to be a lot of prizes!!

🌟 Each page in this hop has its own prize and there is also a huge grand prize for two lucky winners 🎉 🌟

More info here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And be sure to stop by our April Fools For Love Facebook Bash TODAY!

March 1T Status Update -- It was all about the story

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that Samhain Publishing, my first publishing home, has announced they're closing their doors over the next several months.

Man, I loved this place. It was home in more ways than one. The quirky warnings, the editors who actually got my sense of humor, the safe environment made this the publisher of my heart.

Mind Mates, which had been slated for August 23, is now in limbo. I expect my rights back shortly and will proceed with indie publishing to try to get this to you as close to the original release date as possible. Here was the gorgeous cover. I don't know if I'll get to keep it or not.

Okay, before I get all weepy again, here is the good news. April Fools For Love 2016 is trucking along and plans are on track (to mix my vehicular metaphors) for preorder release mid-March.

Sneak peek at the cover!

Coming March 18, 2016--A fairy tale romance with a twist.

THE WRONGED DAUGHTER
Cinderella hungers to escape from under Widow Wikkid's grinding thumb. But to snare a plum job at Prince Industries, Cin desperately needs her degree, and she can't wrap her mind around tax accounting.

Then scarred but sexy Rafe Montoya ignites her imagination with his brilliant tutoring—and, as they work together in his cozy apartment, he sets her body on fire. She thinks he's the one for her, until he starts pushing her to attend Gideon Prince's marriage-mart ball.

THE HANDSOME PRINCE
Rafe is really Gideon Prince, head of Prince Industries. He must name his bride by his April first birthday or suffer the loss of his family fortune.

Rumors say he's still single because women love his money and looks, not him. Is he lonely or just another duplicitous tycoon?

THE GLASS SLIPPER TEST
Hopefuls flock to Prince's birthday ball, but only the woman who's kind, wise, and generous will win his heart. Is it Cin, or will her stepmother, as she always does, snatch the prize for her own daughters?

And on the night of the ball, when Cin discovers Rafe’s true identity, can she even accept his final test?

Warning: Rags-to-riches fairytale meets the texting generation. Stepsisters who are a blush-brush shy of a full makeup set, and a ball gown built like a tank. Contains material intended for mature audiences. Reader discretion advised.

February 1T Status Update

So (big problem for an author) I'm never sure how soon to reveal a cover. I've got a new one for August's release Mind Mates, and frankly, it's stunning. And I'm aching to show it off*...but. But what if I show it off now and in August y'all see it again and don't buy it, thinking you got it in February?

What about you? When do you reveal a cover?

I have a Mind Mates blurb too, but I'm sitting on it. Grrr! GOTTA REVEAL SOMETHING...how about an initial blurb from March's release, Cin Wikkid: April Fools For Love?

Cin Wikkid--a fairy tale romance with a twist.

THE WRONGED DAUGHTER
Cinderella hungers to escape from under Widow Wikkid's grinding thumb. But to snare a plum job at Prince Industries, Cin desperately needs her degree, and she can't wrap her mind around tax accounting.
Then scarred but sexy Rafe Montoya ignites her imagination with his brilliant tutoring—and, as they work together in his cozy apartment, he sets her body on fire. So why is he pushing her to attend Gideon Prince's marriage-mart ball?

THE HANDSOME PRINCE
Rafe is really Gideon Prince, head of Prince Industries. He must name his bride by his April first birthday or suffer the loss of his family fortune. Rumors say he's still single because women love his money and looks, not him. Is he lonely or just another duplicitous tycoon?

THE GLASS SLIPPER TEST
Hopefuls flock to Prince's birthday ball, but only one will emerge triumphant. Only the woman who's kind, wise, and generous will win his heart. Is it Cin, or will her stepmother, as she always does, snatch the prize for her own daughters?
And on the night of the ball, when Cin discovers Rafe’s true identity, can she even accept his final test?

Warning: Rags-to-riches fairytale meets the texting generation. Stepsisters who are a blush-brush shy of a full makeup set, and a ball gown built like a tank. Contains material intended for mature audiences. Reader discretion advised.

News this month:

• Mind Mates blurb and cover finalized
• Mind Mates goes into edits
• Cin Wikkid back from the editor
• Cin Wikkid cover coming soon
• April Fools For Love 2016 party set
• Cin Wikkid blog tour being put together

* Okay, I couldn't just NOT show off the Mind Mates cover. If you really want to see it (and promise to remember it's new in August) it's part of the cover slideshow on my bio page and here on the blog.

3T Writing Tidbit

Today I need to write a story.

Well, actually, I'm struggling with the plot for my 2016 April Fools For Love story. I'm struggling toward a goal, which is actually the first thing all the writing texts say you need--

A protagonist with a strong need or want. A goal.

But here's the thing, I'm toying with the idea of a Cinderella story, and trying to fit my heroine to that story's plot and I discovered--

Cinderella doesn't have a goal.

Think about it. She's got a terrible situation, stuck in a no-pay dead-end family/job with stepsisters/coworkers who trash talk her and dump on her and a stepmother/boss who despises her. But who gets her out of that situation?

The fairy godmother, then the prince. She's rescued, the exact thing all the writing books tell us not to do!! (and !!)

Don't get me wrong. I think a woman with a goal is more interesting--for example, the woman with the tattoos and no memory abandoned naked in New York (television show Blindspot) became a lot more interesting to me when she (*spoiler*) revealed she knew how to fight.

But that's not the Cinderella story. Nor is it the Sleeping Beauty story or many other princess tales. So what are those and how the heck did the writing teachers miss the fact that they're super popular?!?

I think (shh) they're morality tales. Stories that tell us the good gals get rewarded in the end and the bad guys get punished. That give hope to the downtrodden, that tell us sometimes things change without us doing anything but being ourselves and eventually win us through all the trials and tribulations.

That if we stick to being good, we'll be rewarded.

So now I have a choice. Which would you do? Do I tell an active story with a striving protagonist or an April Fools morality tale?

Published since 2009, over the years I've accumulated various items of writing wisdom. The Third Tuesday Writing Tidbit showcases these items in no particular order. Click here to see all 3T Tidbits.

January 1T Status Update

photo credit: Happy New Year via photopin (license)

Happy 2016 everyone!!

Have you seen the new Star Wars movie? I hope to have by the time this publishes. The original actors have aged--well, we ALL have, and aging sure beats the alternative--but it's as good a reminder as any that time marches on.

Passion Bites was released last month, and we had a blow-out bash celebrating, Alexis's sister's book at 99c for two weeks (um, actually a little more at some vendors ;) ). But now it's January and I have some new releases coming.

• January 18, He's the Boss from Crimson Romance releases. If you haven't read Edie and the CEO, now's your chance to get it packaged with 9 other great romances.
• February will see the release of my first menage under a pen name. SL Carpenter also has a release fpr our Leap Year theme duo.
• March will be another April Fools for Love! Mine is a contemporary Cinderella-based tale, working title Glass Slipper Inc.
• August is the big month with Mind Mates, the second book in the Pull of the Moon trilogy, scheduled from Samhain Publishing.

April 1T Olio

Big news! Serendipity Bites is live, along with the Lusty Linguists' April Fools For Love collection.

PLUS big multi-author bash Thursday, April 9, 2015. If you're on Facebook, check out our April Fools For Love PARTY!

Part of the April Fools For Love collection
Biting Love Short Bites, Book 4

Best April Fools joke ever—falling in love.

Coming soon to more vendors!

Serendipity “Sera” Braun wears glasses and a bun to teach during the day, but at night, she adds a breast-plumping vest and dirndl for her job hoisting beer steins at Nieman’s. The big, leather-vest-and-earringed Viking bouncer? He’s bedsheets waiting to get sweaty, but all he does is scowl at her. She’s trying to keep her geriatric stripper of a granny from breaking a hip, but it’s hard when she keeps getting distracted by that sexy, smoky baritone.

Thorvald Thorsson is bitingly lonely—every vampire around him is mating. But his ex-fiancée rejected him as a killjoy (her exact words were he ate rules and s*** misery), so it’s high time Fun Thor comes out to play. No way he’d pair up with the cute but too-serious little schoolmarm who waits tables at the bar.

Sera bridles the wicked, delicious things she’d like to do with the muscular Viking, suppressing herself until she’s a volcano about to blow. Then they are thrown together in a prank war, and all his potent masculinity is focused on her. He makes her burn to let loose, but how can she and still be responsible for Granny and set a good example?

Warning: A terribly lonely vampire, a conflicted schoolmarm with a caged wild side, nosy roommates and the female version of a bromance, not to mention scorching sex, swearing with the **** filled in, a whole town full of busybodies—and the best April Fools joke ever.

This story contains material intended for mature audiences. Reader discretion advised.

Thanks to P and N Graphics for this amazing cover!

Excerpt here.