Sunday, January 31, 2016

Interview with Mark Casigh

Lets give a warm welcome to Mark Casigh! Thanks so much for stopping by today, Mark. It's great to have you here. Lets learn a little bit about you...



 

Mark Casigh

1.      Tell us about your latest release.

*  Under the Mistletoe, 1945

Well, lately I’ve had two launch in recent weeks, both Christmas stories.  I had one story, “Under the Mistletoe 1945,” that launched on November 2, which is a very, very Romantic story!  This is the story of a Sailor, Ken Casey who was declared Missing in Action (MIA), Presumed Dead.  Then, three years later, after his POW Camp is liberated upon the Japanese surrender, he arrives home.  Fresh from the grave.
He reconnects with his old High School Girl Friend, and the girl he thought to be the love of his life, the beautiful and wise well beyond her years, Miss Brandi Elliot.  But the world has moved on, and it’s been three years!  For cryin’ out loud!  How long is a girl supposed to wait?
It’s been said a thousand times:  “Time waits for no man!”  But is he an exception to that rule? 
This story was based on my Grandmother’s Brother, Ken Casey who was declared MIA on August 8, 1942, and this was my effort to give him a life and a love that he so richly deserved, but did not get the chance to have in reality.

*  My Secret Santa

As one may be able to tell, this is another tale of Christmas Erotica, which I seem to be writing a lot of these days…  Go figure.
“My Secret Santa,” is a story of a young black girl’s return to her home in Detroit for the Holidays, and the surprise reception she finds there.  While sleeping with her nightshade in place, she is joined in bed by a mysterious stranger, who plays her body like a fiddle at a family ho down!
He brings her to climax after climax, her orgasm crash upon her body leaving her wanting more.  But who is he?  She runs through her list of suspects;  The boy next door (lover Long ago), Tyrece, her High School Boyfriend, (Lover Past), or her current boyfriend who just arrived last night, (Lover yet to be)?  OR!!!  Is it somebody else?
Follow Keisha’s search for answers in this Christmas Mystery of love and Blistering HOT EROTICA!  This story is soooo HOT!  And it has quite a bit of something for everyone!  And for $1.99?  How can you go wrong?

2.      What kind of research did you do?

A Lot!!!  Sometimes, it can almost become an obsession!  And there may come a point where I have to say, “Alright, you’ve done enough.  You have plenty, more than enough to finish your story, GET BACK TO WRITING IT!”
Such as, once again, I got dragged kicking & screaming into another writing project.  I had no story.  NONE.  Nor did I have even the slightest smidgen of an idea.  But November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and the objective is to write 2,000 words every day, so that at the end of the month, you have at least 50,000 words and hopefully something to submit to a publisher.
But, I was talking with a very good friend of mine, after I got dragged into it, Dawn Kennedy, and she said, “Vampire stories are done to death.  Besides, I don’t like them, not at all.  You need to write a werewolf story, in the late 1800s and it should involve a fairly pretty poor girl, of mixed race (which Dawn is), and she should probably be Irish, and her name should be Maggie, and she fell in love with a man of some note, some power and influence, and he should be a scoundrel!  It should be in someplace…  very metropolitan, like Paris, or London…  And she should fall madly, head-over-heels in love with the hero who liberates her from the clutches of the scoundrel.”
Two minutes later, I had an outline.  Dawn had it all scripted out so well in her head as she was reading off her litany, making it up as she goes, Maggie Kennedy, a mixed race poor Irish girl in Victorian London, at the time of the Jack the Ripper slayings was born!
Now because I tied it in with the Ripper slayings, I had to be meticulous in my time-line as I wanted to be true to history also.

3.      What process did you use to pick your characters’ names?

Character names are always tough for me!  That’s why 99 44/100% of the time, I’m going to use REAL PEOPLE!
Also, because I think real people are so much more interesting, multi-dimensional and sexy-as-hell, more than most of my one page synopsis-worksheet characters are going to be. 
Don’t get me wrong, I can come up with some interesting products of my own imagination, but I really do enjoy using real people.
And yes, my characters in “Under the Mistletoe, 1945,” are all real, none of them are in “My Secret Santa.”  Now in my previous Christmas stories?  Yep, they are all real.
Those would be, “Auld Lang Syne,” and “The Penitent.”  “The Penitent,” is set in Detroit, my hometown and “Auld Lang Syne,” is set in Brooklyn, New York.
I used to work with one girl in one story and went to school with the girl from the other story.  No, I won’t tell you which is which.

4.      Are your characters based on anyone you know?

Nearly all of them, and yes, I get the person’s permission before I use them.  I think that a lot of people would love to be able to brag that they had a book/story/novella written about them personally!  And while my subject matter is not for the young, it would be something to brag to and boast about to the kids & grandkids.

5.      Did any of your characters sometime take over and write the book themselves? Who?

Yes, a friend of mine, Kathleen Troutman, who is quite a fantastic writer in her own rights, really lets her characters steer the story, which I think is extremely interesting.
Me?  Not so much, Yes, they have their own personalities, and therefore their own traits that will be aching to come out.  Such as;  In “Under the Mistletoe 1945,” one of my favorite characters, Brand, is a young girl from the farm, a little on the shy side, doesn’t have an abundance of self-confidence, but in the presence of the man she loves, that she knows (def; v, to be certain, to have no doubt), loves her to her very core, no matter what, she feels emboldened, completely uninhibited.  A seductress is born!
That is a character that I can write volumes on!  She is that beautiful and what I’ll call a ‘Subtle-Sexy,’ because it doesn’t hit you like a 2 x 4 to the head, but it’s clearly there!

6.      What do you prefer: e-book or print? Why?

Well, I guess for my own ego’s sake, I’d prefer to see my stuff in Print, just for the satisfaction of seeing a book with your story and your name on it.
However, because of the minimal overhead in E-book production, I get to keep a greater share of the royalties, which is nice.  Less overhead, more profit.  That works for me.  However, that also makes for lower cost, so we are talking about a larger percentage of a smaller purchase price.

7.      How long have you been writing? When did you decide to become an author?

I’ve been writing since 2010 and it’s funny you should ask, because it’s nothing I planned on and just sort of fell into it.  A very good friend of mine asked me to write some short stories for her own amusement.  So I did, and they were all so scorching HOT!!!  They could all bring tea kettles to boil and water to steam!
On a lark, I sent them all into a Publisher and they got accepted!  “Awakenings:  Cozumel, Mexico,” was born.  However, my friend had some pretty tight story restrictions and specifications.  For example, she would say, “Okay, a three-way, Girl/Boy/Girl, three to four pages, go!”  Then next say, “Okay, Girl/Boy, Shower/Pool/Bath/Fireplace scene, three to four pages, go!”  And it was that page count restriction that kept me from doing more character development and scene setting.
None the less, there it is, and it is SOOOOOOOO FLIPPIN’ HOT!!!  That story really needs to be an E-book since that story is so combustible!

8.      What did you do when you received your first Acceptance Letter?

I was a little surprised by not much, I mean, I knew they were hot stories and that it was all well written, so I wasn’t really too surprised.  I guess I was a little surprised to get accepted with the first publisher’s that I sent to.  I was expecting a ton of rejections first.  But no such luck, no disappointments.
I still have it, because it came by E-mail and it’s saved in one of my folders.

9.      All writers suffer from writer’s block at least once in their career. What’s your go-to cure?

Naturally, and I know this is going to sound like it’s going to sound:  But sometimes, the best thing to do is just sit down and start typing.  A Lot of times, once the words start flowing, they just keep coming.
That’s why those ‘Springboards for Writing,’ work so well for me.

10.  Sometimes the romance genre gets a bad reputation for being cliché and full of Fabios. How do you respond to that?

Yeah, actually I get that a lot!  When I tell people that I write Romance, more specifically erotica, most people just roll their eyes and they give me a sideways grin and go, “ohhh, that…”  And to those people I say, “Hey!  Everybody reads it, in some form or fashion, everybody reads it.  Weather they are reading a steamy novel or they are reading ‘Penthouse, Letters,’ men read it a lot too!”
Besides, it’s not really just about sex.  I mean, Boy meets girl, boy fucks girl, does nothing for anybody.  It’s really all about the story surrounding the relationship.  It’s about the buildup, the journey, not the destination.

11.  We all need a little inspiration in our lives. What’s your favorite quote and why?
Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.
            -- General James N. Mattis, USMC

12.  Any advice for the aspiring authors out there? Particularly those who are feeling a little discouraged.

Yes!  Come on in!  The waters is warm!  There is no better time to become an author, there are now so many publishers out there, of every stripe and strength, that you are sure to find one that will both fit you and take you!!! 
If you want to be an author, NOW is the time!
I’m really very partial to our most recent publisher;  http://BooksToGoNow.com/  I say ‘our’ publisher because I know you have books with them too.  But don’t misunderstand!  If your story is for shit, they are not going to take it blindly!  This is not an author mill.  Make sure you have a good story first!  Then submit, if they don’t accept, it may be your story is for shit, or it may be they just don’t have an audience for that genre.  Find another publisher.
You should also brace yourself for the rude awakening that just because you are now published, doesn’t mean that your books will become a best seller.  Nor does it mean that you’ll make any real money at it.
You can always drop me an E-mail at:  MarkCasigh@yahoo.com 

13.  What is your favorite book and author?

Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain and yes, he is one of my absolute, all-time favorites!  When I was reading Tom Sawyer, I was maybe twelve years old, and at some point, I developed a sort of kindred spirit…  no, more honestly, I guess it was really just a schoolboy’s crush on Becky Thatcher.
I remember when Opra had a bunch of people on her show who wanted to strip Twain out of all the Public Libraries and Chicago Public School Libraries because it had the word “Nigger,” in it!!!  These “enlightened liberals” probably never read any of Twain’s work, would never be able to see how integral the character Jim, was in the story and probably believe that Twain was forced to put him in the book because of some 10% Federal Mandate, and I’m sure they would absolutely never consider themselves to be Nazis!
Mark Twain is the American Shakespeare, because all of his stories will remain timeless classics.  Why?  Simple, he and Shakespeare didn’t write about topics relevant to the day, they wrote about the one thing that would remain timeless and consistent throughout the ages, that being Human Nature.  I’ve heard so many of the “enlightened liberals,” spew, “oh!  OMG!  He’s so boorish!  He’s an oxcart in a nuclear age, who needs ‘em?  I mean, who talks like that?  It’s so goash, ‘take thee to a nunnery,’ but he doesn’t mean a convent…?”
Gee, if only I were as smart as you imbeciles…

14.  Where can we find your books?
You can always find all of my work at my website:
            http://www.MostEroticBooks.com
My college classmate, friend and fellow Muse It Hot Author, Richard Burns has also said he will carry my books at his website:
            http://www.RichardBurnsBooks.com/

15.  How do you market your books? 
Not well, as my sales demonstrate.  I have to develop a better marketing plan, but since I’ve never seen one…  It’s a work in progress.
I built a webpage, created facebook pages for my books, which is about the extent of my advertising budget.  However, I’m told radio spots are relatively in-expensive.  I guess that would depend on what market you are advertising in.


Wonderful words and insights. 
Thanks again, Mark, for stopping by my blog. I hope you had fun!

Friday, January 29, 2016

Release Day - 'Bound To Fate' by Kiru Taye *Giveaway*


Short Blurb

A relationship between Ike and Lara is forbidden but love like theirs cannot be denied. Catastrophe lies in wait and one night changes their lives forever.
Bound to Fate is a story about surviving tragedy, forgiveness, and the overwhelming love that pulls through against the odds.

Buy links

All Romance: https://goo.gl/tLaUuO
All Buy links: http://goo.gl/bnyeYf

#Giveaway link: http://goo.gl/TgGWlX

#NewAdult #Romance #AARomance #AfricanAmerican 

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Cover Reveal - 'Jase' by Geri Glenn






Ellen

My life is far from perfect, but I’m ok with that. I’ve worked hard to get to where I am. I have a cute little house, a job that fulfills me, and a little boy that I love more than life itself. I pride myself on being a strong, independent woman, and letting a man fix my problems for me just isn’t the way I work.
I had Jase pegged from the second I laid eyes on him. The man’s a player and I have no intentions of being played. Been there, done that. I don’t care that he has a killer smile and an ass I could happily spend all day bouncing quarters off of. His interest is kind of flattering in the beginning – and then it’s not.

Jase 


People say I don’t take anything in life seriously. They’re probably right. I’ve seen the shit life can throw at you and I refuse to let it touch me. I live free – I have fun. People say I don’t respect women. Well, they’re wrong about that. I love women almost as much as they love me. I love the way they smell, the way they taste, and I especially love they way they feel when I get them under me. 
I’d met Ellen months ago, and no matter what I do, I can’t seem to get her out of my head. She’s gorgeous, funny and has an incredible ass. The only problem is that I’ve never had to work so hard to get a woman into my bed … but we’ll get there. I’ll make sure of it. She doesn’t know it yet, but my brand of playing is just what she needs.










Charlotte

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve taken care of everyone around me, including my self-centered older sister, Anna. When her poor choices make us targets of the Devil’s Rejects Motorcycle Club, I grab her and we run like hell. A new city, a new job, a new life. It’s almost perfect – and then I meet Ryker.

He’s gorgeous, rugged and too cocky for his own damned good. But he’s a biker – exactly the type of man I’ve been running from. I have no business getting involved with a man like him. Too bad I can’t get him out of my head.

Ryker

As V.P. of the Kings of Korruption MC, I know all about violence and loss. In my world, getting involved with a woman never turns out well. Avoiding commitment isn’t something I have to work at – it’s just a way of life. Then I meet Charlotte. Drawn to her kindness and beauty, I know there’s no place for her in my world. I have to let her go.

Finding Charlotte battered and bloody late one night, I go against my own beliefs, making it my mission to protect her. The Devils are out for blood and it’s Charlotte’s they want. Maybe I can’t keep her but I will put my life on the line to keep her safe. If not, I face losing the only woman that’s ever made me feel alive.








Laynie

Smile when you’re happy, cry when you’re sad and don’t ever be afraid to try something new. These are the words I live by. We only get one shot at this life, and I intend to live the best one I can. I had it all growing up. Popularity, beauty, great friends and a perfect family. But then one day, it all changed – now I’m blind. I’ve never let that stop me though. Life is an adventure and I believe in making the best out of every moment. 

I spend my days with a job I love, online friends and a sexy new book boyfriend every week. I know in my heart that someday, my own prince charming will come along and appreciate me for exactly who I am – I won’t settle for anything less. Meeting Tease seems like the beginning of my fairy tale … until he opens his mouth.

Tease

I don’t trust people – ever. Every single person I’ve ever loved has contributed, in one way or another, to the shit show that is my life. Keeping everyone I meet at arm’s length, I work hard at being the star of most people’s nightmares. People think I’m a monster and honestly – they’re right.

Laynie’s beauty is what caught my eye, but her personality is what held it. Laynie’s the only person to ever see past my appearance and break down the walls I’ve worked so hard to build. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her. When things heat up with a rival club, and Laynie gets caught in the crossfire, I will unleash hell on earth to protect the woman who makes me want to trust someone again. When bullets start flying and bodies start piling up, keeping her safe may be the last thing I ever do.








Geri Glenn is the debut author of the Kings of Korruption MC Series. The first book, titled Ryker, is releasing on August 14, 2015, and can be read as a standalone. 

Geri has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. She can usually be found curled up in a comfy chair, reading on her iPad both day and night. Geri is an incurable night owl, and it's not uncommon for her to still be awake, reading at 4 am, just because she can't put the book down!

Geri loves all genres of fiction, but her passion is anything romantic or terrifying; basically anything that can get her heart pumping. This passion has bled out onto her laptop, and became the Kings of Korruption. 

Writing this first book in the series knocked off the #1 thing on Geri's bucket list, and publishing it has been an absolute dream come true. She hopes you love the Kings as much as she does.



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Saturday, January 23, 2016

To Dream and Become Cinderella...

With 4.8 stars on Amazon, Cinderella's Enchanted Night hits home to readers of romance. After all, who hasn't dreamed of becoming a fairy tale princess, if only for twenty four hours, and falling in love with your own Prince Charming?

Annalise Gallagher wanted Elijah Burleigh. Plain and simple. She’d watched him from afar for months, her friends called her ‘his own personal stalker’, and then she made a wish on a magic pendant for a full-body makeover. Transformed into the gorgeous knockout she’d always wanted to be, she asked Elijah out on a date and wore a haute couture gown straight from Paris to his friend’s wedding. 
With just twenty-four hours on the clock, her enchanted night faded into the morning hours and everything crashed down around her. Annalise harbored a shameful secret and Elijah demanded the truth with the veil of magic gone. 
The truth, however, could destroy her fragile confidence and push him away forever. 

Barnes and Noble - http://bit.ly/1Qm9Bdp
Smashwords - http://bit.ly/1QHmQFG

Still not sure if this book sounds like something up your alley? Check out the FREE Cinderella Treasure Trove where you'd find 15 excerpts of various Cinderella stories, including Cinderella's Enchanted Night. 



Google Play: https://goo.gl/MYxpVK

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Review - ‘The Penitent’ by Mark Casigh

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Blurb

All eighteen-year-old Mark wants is to be able to spend some alone time with Felicia. They aren't exactly girlfriend/boyfriend—their relationship isn't exactly accepted everywhere since he's white and she's black. Mark doesn't care, and neither does she, and to his relief, when he comes over for Christmas, her parents don't either. But with so many relatives over, finding time for each other isn't exactly easy, but they will find a way. Growing up a Catholic means that Mark knows premarital sex is wrong, leaving him to wonder if absolution is what he really wants and what exactly love is.

Review

I think I consider this book a cross between mature Young Adult and NA. Mark and Felicia are in high school back in 1988 and while they aren’t technically boyfriend/girlfriend, they’ve kissed and touched a lot. He spends Christmas Eve with her family and while he’s white and she’s black, her family welcomes him. The playtime they had at the dinner table was soooo hot! Anyway, they drift apart over the years and bitter feelings amount. When they meet up again almost 25 years later, they’re mature adults and finally realize what love is truly about.
This is a sweet, sexy story about first love and second chances. I really enjoyed it.
5 Stars



Disclaimer – Thank you, Mark Casigh, for sending me an ebook copy for an honest review. I am a reader. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion. 

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Review - ‘Then She Came Stumbling In’ by Natasha Lane

Blurb

Ted's at a dead-end job with a boss who only stops by "to check the books." He lives in a studio apartment whose solo decor is an old futon. His little brother is a delinquent in training who, for some reason, his mother thinks he can fix. Then, to top it off, the girl he's been in love with for a over a year friend-zoned him to infinity and is about to marry a muscled out physical trainer. Life couldn't get any worse, right? 
And then she came stumbling in... 
Nadia is a puzzling case to most. She graduated with a Masters in Business Management, landed a dream job after graduate school, was promoted twice within three years, and then she quit. 
Who could be more screwed up? 
Ted's not sure, but when these two screw ups come together, can they turn each other in the right direction? 


Review 

Ted works a boring job at a coffee shop and he’s in love with a girl, Natalie, but she’s set to marry someone else. He’s a nice, laidback kind of guy who seems to get overlooked. Nadia is a hoot! She brings so much excitement and hope into Ted’s life but she has some baggage. Still, she’s exactly what Ted needed this holiday season. Their friendship bloomed quickly and their romance is believable. They’re great together.
It’s written from the first POV. I think I received an ARC since there are a few typos, but the writing flowed well. For a fun, heartwarming story, check this one out.
5 Stars



Disclaimer – Thank you, Natasha Lane, for sending me an ebook copy for an honest review. I am a reader. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion. 

Monday, January 18, 2016

Review - ‘Jimmy’s Christmas Present’ by JR Wirth

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Blurb

Jimmy's Christmas Present is a tale of love pursued. While completing a senior project for college, Jimmy runs into a mall elf that catches his eye and then his heart, but as luck would have it, each time he runs across the elfin girl, he can't seem to get out a coherent thought. And with Christmas at hand, she has no time to stay and chat. Jimmy is two years past his last relationship and is feeling that he might not find love again, until he meets two (non-elf) women while at the mall. During his time at the mall, Jimmy meets many interesting characters, and finds himself in a one-to-one talk with Saint Nicholas. Santa reveals that Jimmy will meet the one he is destined to meet, a Christmas present if you will. And so he does... 

Review 

Jimmy goes to the local mall for a college project. He purposely stumbles over his feet and drops all of his presents just to see how many people help him retrieve his packages. He even uses a cane for good measure! Jimmy meets all sorts of people this holiday season, even elves and a mall Santa Claus who knows more about him than they should. But there’s only one thing Jimmy wants for Christmas, and who knows. He might just get it.
This is a sweetheart of a tale. It’s great for kids with its funny moments and perfect for adults to remind them what the season is all about. Great read!
5 Stars



Disclaimer – Thank you, JR Wirth, for sending me an ebook copy for an honest review. I am a reader. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion. 

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Review - ‘Caribbean Christmas’ by Tammy Tate


Blurb 

As a real estate agent in the Virgin Islands, Kendra Dawson enjoys summer all year around with beautiful Caribbean waves and white sandy shoreline just outside her condo. Although living next door to the handsome and successful Richard McNeil with only an occasional nod or one-word greeting has been exasperating. Finally, three weeks before Christmas they ride the elevator to their sixth-floor and after a brief conversation a relationship starts to blossom. Now that she’s fallen in love with him, she must debunk the rumor that could prevent them from being anything but friends. 
Richard accompanies her to New Orleans after she discovers that her long lost uncle, who she hasn’t seen since she was four, has passed away. To comply with his will, she and her mother must stay the weekend at his haunted estate. 
Who knew her witty but ghostly Uncle Morgan would be lurking in the shadows? 

Review 

Kendra and Richard have been next door neighbors in a ritzy condo for the past two years. They’ve barely spoken until a chance encounter on the elevator. Their relationship develops quickly but stays sweet. When her uncle dies, Kendra and her mom go New Orleans to hear the reading of the Will. Richard and their two friends, Becky and Mitch, go too. They soon meet a shady lawyer and learn they have to stay overnight for two nights in Uncle Morgan’s supposedly haunted house for a large sum of money.
This isn’t your average Christmas romance. I love the paranormal twists and Kendra’s friendship with Becky. Richard has an English accent—love men with accents—and he’s really down to earth despite his wealth. All the characters seemed believable and the mysterious haunted house plotline really drew me in. This is a great book!
5 Stars

Disclaimer – Thank you, Tammy Tate, for sending me an ebook copy for an honest review. I am a reader. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.