Sunday, August 17, 2014

No, It Is Not Too Early, by Contributing Astronomy Editor Dan Matlaga

Today is August 17th, 2014.


Exactly three years from today there will be a total solar eclipse whose path of totality cuts diagonally across the United States. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between you and the sun. It means you are standing in the shadow of the moon.

It is not too early to type into Google "Solar Eclipse August 17 2017."

A map of the United States pops up to illustrate the path of totality. A map to tell you where you have to be in order to experience the full effect of the moon passing directly between you and the sun.  The effects of the eclipse will be greatly diminished if you step a mile or two outside the designated path. 

As the date for the eclipse looms closer, there will be reports of where you should go to get the best view.  In one location the total phase will last longer, in another the least chance cloud cover will spoil  eclipse viewing. 

It is worth investing the time and effort to experience the spectacle of a total eclipse of the sun. Authors have incorporated solar eclipses as part of their story line. (Click on the links below to learn more about the books mentioned.)






Mark Twain used an eclipse in his A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur'sCourt, for example.  








In Herman Melville's classic Moby-Dick, solar eclipses are used in three pivotal events in the novel.  

Captain Ahab's leg is severed by the jaws of a giant white whale while a partial solar eclipse occurs to the north of the incident.  

While Ahab is being rushed back home to Nantucket, he is fitted with a leg made from the bone of a sperm whale. At home he and his wife give birth to a child.  Early one evening Ahab is found on the ground, his whale bone leg splintered, one piece of which has pierced his groin and all but unmanned him. This accident occurs on the date when an annular eclipse of the sun was visible at sunset from Nantucket. It is this event which sparked the mind of Ahab for a head to head confrontation with the white whale.
How can Ahab accomplish this?

He once again commands the ship Pequod.  Months after leaving Nantucket Ahab gathers the crew together aboard ship.  He convinces the crew that his vengeance is theirs.  What they want to do in life is kill Moby Dick.  Ahab nails a Spanish gold once coin to the mast. The coin given to the first crewmember who spots Moby Dick.  There is dialogue between Ahab, the crew and first mate Starbuck. What underlines this great theater, the third pivotal moment in the story, is the appearance of a total solar eclipse directly above the Pequod.


It is worth investing the time and effort to experience the spectacle of a total eclipse of the sun and no, it is not too early to start now!   




Friday, August 8, 2014

Welcome Back To Our Good Friend Milly Taiden! Check out "Unexpectedy Mated" AND Enter Milly's Fabulous Contest!!!



Unexpectedly Mated


After years of lusting over Jake Wolfe, Nicole finally got a taste of the dirty-talking bad boy. During the scenting ceremony, he showed her how explosive things can be between them. But Nicole doesn’t do love. She doesn’t even know what love is. So how can she know if a relationship with Jake would be the right path to take?

Jake Wolfe wants Nic more than his next breath. She’s curvy, mouthy and so hot his blood boils just thinking of her. But Nic’s been keeping him at a distance. And Jake is tired of her games. One fateful trip to Sin City and all bets are off. 

After a fun night of drinking, Nic wakes up married to Jake and with a second shifter wanting her for himself. She'll have to finally face the feelings she has or shut them out forever. Their newly formed bond will either allow her to open her heart to love or leave Jake without a mate to call his own.




Excerpt:
Property of Latin Goddess Press
© Milly Taiden

Maybe Ellie was wrong. What if there were snakes there? A firefly zoomed around her. She watched the tiny bug light up the dark with its yellow glow, zipping and buzzing back and forth in front of her. Some bugs weren’t so scary. From far away. 
Her attention shot down to the blanket in the darkness. She’d swear it moved again. Her mind ran on overdrive and she knew the likelihood of her seeing shit that wasn’t even there was big. She took a deep breath and sighed. Her muscles ached from how tense she held herself. The night’s coolness did nothing to stop the heat from the earlier part of the day. Her tank top stuck to her back. She yanked on the front part and blew on her boobs. Thank goodness she was alone or she’d look so stupid doing that.
The others had gone silent. She wondered what they were up to. Where they as freaked out as her? Probably not. She’d bet Emma would live in the damn forest if she got a chance. Leaves crunched from a nearby bush. With an agility she knew she didn’t possess, she got on her knees on the blanket. The noise in the trees increased. Fear froze the blood in her veins. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears along with the sound of the harsh breaths that struggled in and out of her lungs. There was a wild animal near her.
Holy. Shit.
“Oh, hell no!” There was no way she would sit around to find out what the heck was in the bush. She struggled to her feet. Her leg had gone numb so she had to put her weight, which was not just a couple of pounds, on her other leg. Screw the video, she’d return in the morning and remove the camera.

She bent and yanked her bag from the blanket. Something poked at her ass. She turned on her heel to run. Her knees hit a big lump of...fur? Her body did a full flip over the big furry body and she landed on her back with a thud, half on and half off the blanket.


Author Bio:

 
Hi! I'm Milly Taiden (AKA April Angel). I love to write sexy stories. They're usually either paranormal or contemporary with a large dose of heat. My paranormal stories can be anything from wolf-shifters (my favorites) to witches, demons and anything in between. My contemporaries are usually anything from soldiers to corporate romances.
I was born the prettiest part of the Caribbean known as the Dominican Republic. Currently, I live in New York City with my hubby, the bossy kiddo and our little dog "Needy Speedy". Don't ask.
When I'm not working some really long hours at the day job, or hanging out in the awful life-sucking invention known as Facebook, messaging my bestie in the UK or shopping with my sis Julie, then I can be found watching scary movies. But when I'm not doing that, I'm usually writing because the voices won't shut up.
I am addicted to shoe shopping, chocolate (but who isn't, right?) and Dunkin' Donuts coffee.
Come on over and visit me! I love to meet new readers!


I hope you enjoyed this book. If you did, please consider writing a review.
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Scroll all the way down...!!!



Find out more about Milly Taiden here:

Email: millytaiden@gmail.com
Website: http://www.millytaiden.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/millytaidenpage
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/millytaiden

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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

TODAY ONLY...FREE!!! eBook! "After The Frost" by P.G. Owyns

This sounds like a fabulous book and it is available for FREE today only!  I am getting mine right now!  ENJOY!!!

Free Ebook July 23rd

http://www.amazon.com/After-Frost-PG-Owyns-ebook/dp/B00KSPNVHG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405377019&sr=8-1&keywords=pg+owyns

Book Description

 In the Pacific Northwest of 1928, Julian Powell lives a life that for most appears to be one of privilege—a perfect life in a huge house, servants, and carefully groomed grounds. No matter how idyllic it might seem, it has become a prison for Julian. His days are filled with the endless monotony of family gatherings, gossip, and brown suits. Overshadowing him is a life-long illness. Julian finds his only freedom from his overbearing family in secretly writing books celebrating the beauty of nature. Occasionally he escapes to the local bookstore, with the hope of seeing the town’s eccentric, William Neill. Julian’s life changes forever when he makes the boldest decision of his life. He leaves to take care of an ailing childhood friend, moving to a place that will take him away from all he has ever known to an unexpected new life. He becomes part of a family of his own choosing, and it brings him closer to the man that he’s been secretly falling for—a man who has a prison of his own to escape. As William and Julian struggle to overcome their pasts, will their secrets bring them together or drive them apart?

Get your Free copy here: 

http://www.amazon.com/After-Frost-PG-Owyns-ebook/dp/B00KSPNVHG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405377019&sr=8-1&keywords=pg+owyns

 

Please don't forget to visit the author!

Facebook


Thank you P.G. Owyns and best of luck to you!  Please come back and visit again soon!

Monday, July 21, 2014

We Welcome Back Author Demelza Carlton With The "See You In Hell" Book Tour!


Check out the latest "Devilish" romantic comedy from Author Demelza Carlton!


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About The Book

A devilishly hot CEO. The angelic new office temp. A match made in Heaven or Hell?

Melody Angel takes a job as a temp at the HELL Corporation. Surrounded by eternal bureaucracy gone mad, demons who love making life miserable, and dying for a decent coffee, it may take a miracle for Mel's mission to succeed. She must find out what evil plans Lucifer and his minions have in store and stop them, using any means necessary.

Adding trouble and temptation to Mel's job is Luce Iblis, the damnably hot CEO, who has set his smouldering eyes on the new office angel and he's determined to claim her, body and soul.

Can ultimate evil and angelic perfection escape a limbo of desire and find a paradise of their own?





Book Excerpt:

"Yep, that looks fine," Lili said, pushing the piece of paper across the table to Mel. "Just change it to the font in the style guide and you can take it up to Luce yourself."
"I…what? I thought you said I just had to write it and send it up to him," Mel protested.
Lili's eyes glowed red as if she sensed Mel's discomfort and enjoyed it immensely. "Oh, no. He came down here personally and placed the offending report on your desk. He waited a while, too, determined to make sure you understood his message. He insisted that I send you to report to him as soon as you received it."
Mel felt her jaw drop. "But…that was hours ago!" She felt her stomach and the sandwich inside it start to sink.
Lili grinned fiercely. "Then I suggest you change the font quickly and leg it up those stairs to Luce's office before you're any later."
Struggling not to swear, Mel marched back to her desk to make the letter and offending memo as perfect as she could. Fifteen minutes later, she pulled the pages from the printer and set off for the executive suite upstairs.
She kept a serene smile on her face as she strode through the maze of cubicles, nodding slightly every time she caught the eye of another demon. She'd never recognise them all, but it still seemed a good idea to stay on good terms with them. If her job survived the day and the belated dressing-down from Luce.
She shrugged. If her first job lasted less than a fortnight, so be it. She didn't much like the work, anyway, and there were plenty of demons to do it. It's not as if the HELL Corporation would miss her. She'd tell Raphael that the CEO definitely was Lucifer and let him sort it out while she went to Korea. She could taste the bulgogi already…
The cubicles were bigger now – spacious enough to take several visitors and a large meeting table between them. Mel knew she was nearing executive territory.
"Can I help you?" an imperious voice asked. Mel heard the words, along with the implied message that the owner of the voice would not help her. Mel was perfectly happy helping herself.
Mel's smile lit up her whole face. "Lili sent me to see Luce regarding a report." She proffered the papers.
The older woman's lips pursed as her deep, dark eyes narrowed. She had to be one of Luce's more senior demons. Her demeanour spoke of indescribable age and experience – all of it decidedly dark.
"I'm Mephi, Mr Iblis' personal assistant," the woman said, emphasising the demon's name. "All of his appointments go through me. Do you have an appointment?"
The woman's subtext was amazing, Mel decided. She radiated an aura that said Mel hadn't a hope of getting through her and she'd never be important enough for an appointment. Despite herself, she was impressed. She wondered how many demons balked at this formidable gatekeeper.
"I'm delighted to meet you, Mephi. I wish I'd known to call you first – but Luce left this on my desk and insisted I speak to him about it immediately. Given the urgency, I didn't dare delay." Mel let the slightest look of concern cross her face. "I haven't missed him, have I? I'll wait as long as I have to, if he's with someone. I'd hate to be the one responsible for this getting to him later than he'd like." She slipped on a sympathetic smile that suggested she wouldn’t want Mephi to bear the brunt of her boss’s wrath.
Mephi held Mel's gaze for a few seconds before she conceded her point and picked up the phone. "Mr Iblis, I have an angel here to see you." She managed to make it sound like something she'd found floating in the staff toilets.
"If you're talking about the girl standing at your desk with the papers in her hand, send her right in, Mephi," came a voice from behind Mel.
Mephi shrugged. "If you say so," she sniffed, clicking the phone handset back into place.
Mel nodded her thanks to Mephi with an unwavering smile, before turning to brave Luce in his lair. His office, she corrected herself, as she entered the airy space. She couldn't imagine a lair containing…
"Are those Pro Hart landscapes?" Mel asked eagerly. "I don't think I've ever seen the originals in oil before – just prints of them. It's the colours. They're always so vibrant, so real…"
"They are," Luce replied, "but you're not here to discuss my art collection. You've kept me waiting and I am far from happy." His eyes seemed to catch the light in odd ways, as if each was a singularity drinking the photons in, with no intention of releasing them.
Mel stepped forward and laid her papers on his desk. "The corrections you requested, along with a letter."
Luce gave the papers a cursory glance before turning the full pull of those dark eyes on Mel. "Do you know how long you've made me wait?" He lifted his chin. "Close the door."
For the first time, Mel felt a premonition of danger. The demon reclined in his desk chair with his hands in his lap, a picture of relaxed repose. Only his eyes seemed to belie the image – like a crocodile lurking beneath still, muddy waters. Did the crocodile know how much danger he was in?
"No," Mel said.

Mel Goes to Hell series

• Welcome to Hell - A Short Story (#1 in the series) - Free Purchase Links
Amazon |Amazon UK |Amazon Canada | Amazon Germany |Amazon Australia | Apple |B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | Goodreads

•See You in Hell (#2)

•Mel Goes to Hell (#3) - to be released in July 2014



About The Author

Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish. She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray-drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below.

Sensationalist spin? No - Demelza tends to take a camera with her so she can capture and share the moment later; shipwrecks, sharks and all.

Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.

The Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by her suspense thriller Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn't leave her alone.

Author Links


Purchase Links

Friday, June 20, 2014

We Are a Spotlight Tour Stop for Author C.M. Doporto's "Opposing Sides"!


 Spotlight tour

Opposing Sides, by CM Doporto


Blurb:

College senior, Lexi Thompson, finds herself in a relationship to be wed to the university’s star baseball pitcher, Collin Norris. 

Collin’s damn hot, but his lack of spark has Lexi thinking twice before she says ‘I Do’. 

When she’s forced to tutor bad boy football quarterback, Raven Davenport, she soon discovers all the things she’s missing in her relationship with Collin. 

Will she succumb to the temptations enticing her, or will Collin be able to convince his sweet, innocent fiancée that his love for her is genuine despite his lack of affection?



Contest Alert!

CM Doporto is having a contest!

You have three ways to enter for a chance to win a 50.00 gift card for Amazon.  How do you enter?
Simply go to CM Doporto's facebook page https://www.facebook.com/cmdoportowriter.
 and give her a like and say SmexyFabFour sent you.  

Also if you purchase OPPOSING SIDES simply email with the confirmation of purchase to smexyfabfour@gmail.com with CM Doporto Contest in the subject and that will give you another chance to win.

Also if you review OPPOSING SIDES either on Amazon or Goodreads it will give you another chance to win. Simply email smexyfabfour with CM Doporto Contest in the subject and include the link to your review. 

There they are - the three chances to win!!  Winners will be announced on July 17 during a chat with CM Doporto at http://smexyfabfour.com/smexy-chat.html.
  

Tuesday, June 10, 2014


So happy to be a part of Author Sofia Grey's "Release Day Blitz" for her new novel, Craving, the latest (Book #2) in the Talisman Series!


Tagline:
A deal with a demon, a biker psychic and the girl who might just be his salvation... if the demon doesn’t get to her first.

Blurb:
Dante isn’t your typical medium. With his leather jacket, tattoos and piercings, he looks more at home on his motorbike than he does holding a séance and Katherine has no intention of getting involved with him. He's the complete opposite of the kind of man she wants and represents everything she's tried to leave behind, but she needs a medium and he’s the best one around.


Dante’s never allowed himself to get close to anyone for fear of putting them in danger. His craving for Katherine is about to bring his worst nightmares to life. ~


Excerpt:
Dante’s breath hitched. He flinched, and a shudder ran up my arm. As he lifted his head I felt the temperature plummet. The candles nearest to him flickered and bobbed as though in a breeze and I shivered, chills oozing down my neck.
“Hello, Gabriel.” Dante sounded polite, respectful. Beside me, Suki gasped, her fingers closing tighter around my hand. One by one, the candles flickered and stuttered, the flames waved crazily and almost blew out, before righting themselves. It looked as though an unseen child crawled around the room, puffing at each one in turn. I shivered and tucked my feet in tighter, huddling into myself to keep warm.
“Please show yourself to the circle. Come and talk to us, Gabriel.”
I wrinkled my nose. What was that weird smell? Like rotting meat.
The outer candles shimmied in turn, but faster now. Dante spoke again, calm and measured. “Gabriel. I summon you to the circle.”
Suki’s chest heaved, her eyes wide and scared in the dim lights.
The candlelight steadied. Dante’s hand relaxed a fraction, and he sucked in a deep breath. Was this it? Would Gabe appear? The stink faded, and I turned my head to look at Dante just as Suki squealed and a tiny spotlight in the ceiling exploded. Poof. One by one, the recessed bulbs sparked and shattered, tiny glass fragments raining down on us. Poof. Josh swore under his breath and I sought my voice. Poof.
“Don’t break the circle, keep your hands linked.” Yes, I’d taken Nanette’s role.
Poof. Slivers of glass in my hair. I gripped Dante ever tighter. I kept my head down to avoid the falling glass, but focused on him through the curtain of my hair. He stared at the far wall, his face a mask. I looked too. A column of mist hovered in front of the door, tendrils snaked along the floor and washed around the circle, nudging the salt lines. It’s trying to get in, I realized, my heart speeding up. Poof. The final spotlight blew out, leaving us illuminated only by candles. I shivered, trembling from head to toe. My teeth would be chattering in another minute.
Dante gasped, and his head lolled forward. I blinked as the room began to dim. Oh God. One by one, the outer candles winked out, invisible fingers pinching the wicks. I could feel Suki’s terror, the trembling cascading down through her hand. I tried to stay calm. Just the inner eight candles left. The stink of rotting meat returned. I wanted to cover my nose, but daren’t break the circle. And then Dante spoke in a voice I didn’t recognize.

                       


BUY LINKS
Amazon / All Romance / Barnes & Noble / iTunes
Other Book Links:


If you haven’t read Obsession, Book 1 in the Talisman series, you can download if NOW for a limited time at 0.99!!!





BUY LINKS 


Also available in print

Blurb:
Josh Delaney is the ideal honey trap. His charm and model good looks would be enough for most women, but coupled with his psychic ability to read their thoughts, he’s impossible to resist. Suspicious husbands employ him to test their wives, to see if they can be tempted to stray.
High profile couple Suki and Gabe Bridgewater have the perfect marriage, or at least, that’s the image they portray to the world. Behind closed doors, Gabe’s dominance in the marriage is unravelling and he decides to test Suki, using Josh as bait.
For Josh it should be just another easy job, but two things go horribly wrong.
One, Josh falls in love with Suki.
And two, Gabe refuses to let her go.

Author Bio.:
Romance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in the fiction line, but she prefers her romances to be hot, and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and always makes them work hard for their happy endings.

Music is interwoven so tightly into my writing that I can’t untangle the two. Either I’m listening to a playlist on my iPod, have music seeping from my laptop speakers, or there’s a song playing in my head – sometimes on auto-repeat.

Check out my playlists on Pinterest

Author web links:


Catch me blogging with Allyson Lindt at www.GeminiGirls.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6906923.Sofia_Grey
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sofia.Grey.Romance.Author
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sofiagrey1/
Twitter: @SofiaGreyAuthor   https://twitter.com/SofiaGreyAuthor 
Amazon author profile page: https://www.amazon.com/author/sofiagrey
Tumblr: sofiagreynz@tumblr.com