Cover Reveal: Asa Maria Bradley’s VIKING WARRIOR REBEL!

Cover Reveal, mermaids,

Friends, I am absolutely thrilled to share with you the cover reveal of VIKING WARRIOR REBEL, the newest book from my dear friend and double RITA® nominee, Asa Maria Bradley!

VWRebelFinal300

 

Isn’t that just gorgeous? I am a huge fan of Asa’s, and I cannot WAIT to read this book!

VIKING WARRIOR REBEL (Book 2 of the Viking Warriors series)

ISBN: 978-1492618874

Blurb:

She can’t let him discover…Immortal Vikings are among us.

Astrid Irisdotter is a Valkyrie, a fierce warrior fighting to protect humanity from the evil god Loki and his

brutal minions. She’s on an urgent mission for her queen when everything goes hideously sideways.

Undercover agent Luke Holden arrives on the scene just in time to save her life—and put his own on the

line. Luke may have saved her, but that doesn’t mean Astrid can trust him. Tempers flare as they hide

secret upon secret from each other, but Astrid’s inner warrior knows what it wants…and it will not take

no for an answer.

Asa-Maria-BradleyAuthor Bio: 2016 double RITA finalist Asa Maria Bradley grew up in Sweden surrounded by archaeology and history

steeped in Norse mythology, which inspired the immortal Vikings and Valkyries in her paranormal

romances. She arrived in the U.S. as a high school exchange student and quickly became addicted to

ranch dressing and cop shows. Asa currently resides on a lake deep in the pine forests of the Pacific

Northwest with a British husband and a rescue dog of indeterminate breed. She graduated from the

Inland Northwest Center for Writers program at Eastern Washington University with an MFA in creative

writing and also holds an MS in Medical Physics from University of Colorado. Visit her at

www.AsaMariaBradley.com, or follow her on Twitter @AsaMariaBradley.

Pre-order links: Amazon  Barnes & Noble

WHY thank you, Mary Buckham ;-)

Carlene Love, Marketing, mermaids, Motivation, Publishing, Writing, , , , , , , , ,

CarleneLoveHello fishy friends,

Welcome to today! Let me get straight to business, as a good student of Mary Buckham would do. Last month, my local writing chapter, Romance Writers of America-San Diego, hosted Mary as our guest speaker and her craft and branding workshop was outstanding. I highly recommend you check them out. I’m not one to take pages and pages of notes because I like to listen to all those little one-liners and short stories the speaker usually throws in between the meat of the presentation. Well, I ended up with a couple pages of “Mary-isms”. I loved them! She’s great. My favorite, however, was this:

It’s not about what you do, it’s about why you do what you do. That’s what the readers are connecting with.

She then challenged us to figure out for ourselves why we have to write and proceeded to briefly mention Sherrilyn Kenyon. My heart instantly warmed. Mary asked the room if anyone was familiar with Sherrilyn’s why story. Several hands shot up, mine included. I also got goosebumps. Anyone who knows me understands the deep love I have for SK and I knew exactly what Mary was talking about in that instant. If you’ve read any of SK’s books, but especially if you’ve heard Sherrilyn speak, you know why she writes. She doesn’t have to spell it out. Attend one of her signings, and you will pick up on it. I won’t try to put it into words or speak for my favorite author, but I can tell you Sherrilyn is coming from a place that was once painful and her why, in my mind, is that she wants her readers to know that it will be okay and they are not alone.

Redemption. Family. Forgiveness.

As her devoted reader, I believe that combination is Sherrilyn’s why. 

Sometimes when you are posed a question, does your mind become a blur? Do you become either a completely blank slate or are you inundated with thousands of pieces of what could eventually be a clear answer to the question if you could only sort and connect them? That is often me. But when Mary challenged us to figure out our why that day, as easy as a passing breeze, it came to me. It was that I never want anyone to feel ashamed or alone because of things they’ve done or have had done to them in their life. Too many people, with generous and kind and thoughtful souls, suffer the judgment of others before they are given a chance to show their worth.

Worthy. Second Chance. Unashamed.

That combination is my why. 

What is yours? I’d genuinely love to know.

BIF-CoverA HUGE thank you to Mary Buckham for posing this question to a room of people who most certainly all have a why. And to Dianna Love, co-author of Breaking Into Fiction, which I highly recommend for every writer out there. It’s the craft book I finally understand and I use it with every story I write. And to Sherrilyn Kenyon. For her bravery.

Find more about Mary HERE at her website.

Find more about Dianna Love HERE at her website.

Find more about Sherrilyn HERE at her website.

Find more about me, Carlene, HERE at my website.

Fishy kisses,

Carlene Mermaid

Abbie Roads Swims with the Mermaids

Cover Reveal, mermaids,

Race the Darkness: Cover Reveal and Excerpt
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It’s precisely 7:22 pm ET, the sun has just set in the Eastern Time zone, and it’s starting to get dark.
We are excited to reveal the cover of Race the Darkness, a dark, gritty, emotional and sexy romantic suspense novel by debut author Abbie Roads!

RaceTheDarkness

First in a gripping paranormal romantic suspense duo by a Golden Heart finalist debut author whose clinical work gives her chilling insights…
Cursed with a terrible gift
Criminal investigator Xander Stone doesn’t have to question you—he can hear your thoughts. Scarred by lightning, burdened with a power that gives him no peace, Xander struggles to maintain his sanity against the voice that haunts him day and night—the voice of a woman begging him to save her.
That threatens to engulf them…
Isleen Walker has long since given up hope of escape from the nightmare of captivity and torture that is draining her life, her mind, and her soul. Except…there is the man in her feverish dreams, the strangely beautiful man who beckons her to freedom and wholeness. And when he comes, if he comes, it will take all their combined fury and faith to overcome a madman bent on fulfilling a deadly prophecy.
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unnamedAbout Abbie Roads:
Abbie Roads is a mental health counselor known for her blunt, honest style of therapy. By night she writes dark, emotional novels, always giving her characters the happy ending she wishes for all her clients. Her novels have finaled in RWA contests including the Golden Heart. Race the Darkness is the first book in the Fatal Dreams series of dark, gritty romantic suspense with a psychological twist.
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Race the Darkness will be available on October 4th.
Amazon 
B&N
BAM
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A special note from Abbie Roads:

Dear Readers,
I wrote Race the Darkness from start to finish three different times, with three different story lines, and with three different titles! The only thing that ever remained the same between the versions was Xander and Isleen. I believed in them and the story they wanted to tell. I hope you love reading about their tragedies and triumphs as much as I enjoyed writing them… All three times! And isn’t the cover amazing, beautiful, gorgeous? I cried the first time I saw it! It made all the hard work to get this book to you worth it!
Abbie Roads
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An excerpt from Race the Darkness:
No way was he going to die running. He stopped, turned and faced the truck barreling toward them. The tires ate up the ground at an indecent rate. He clutched Isleen tighter to his chest. For her sake, he wanted it to be a quick death. No more lingering. No more pain.

That thought infuriated him. None of this was right. They shouldn’t be on the verge of death. Again.

The truck kept coming—twenty-five feet.

Everything slowed, happened as if through the quicksand of time. A white dandelion floaty meandered on the breeze directly between them and the truck. His heart no longer ran a staccato rhythm. Duh…duhm. Pause. Duh…duhm. Pause.

His life didn’t flash before his eyes. The future did. Isleen’s future. In an ethereal dream beyond time, her skin was gilded by firelight, her eyes void of sadness and fear, her body whole and healthy. She smiled, an expression so full of warmth and tenderness and undiluted joy that it plunked itself down inside his heart and wouldn’t leave.

He ached to create that kind of smile on her face, but their lives were over and it all could’ve gone so differently if he’d only listened to her, believed in her, found her years before now.
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**Sign up for Abbie Roads NEWSLETTER for exclusive content and giveaways!**
You can find Abbie Roads here:
WEBSITE
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FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE
TWITTER

The Darkest Lie Excerpt and Giveaway!

mermaids, Pintip Dunn, ,

The Darkest Lie by Pintip Dunn - JenHalliganPR.com

I’m so excited about my second novel, YA thriller, THE DARKEST LIE! Check out the book below, along with the teaser excerpt, and be sure to enter the TWO giveaways! I will be giving away a five-pack of my favorite YA contemporary thrillers (along with my first novel FORGET TOMORROW). Kensington Publishing will also be giving away FIVE copies of THE DARKEST LIE in a Goodreads giveaway.

 

The Darkest Lie | JenHalliganPR.comTHE DARKEST LIE
by Pintip Dunn
Publisher: Kensington Publishing
Release Date: June 28, 2016

“The mother I knew would never do those things.

But maybe I never knew her after all.”

Clothes, jokes, coded messages…Cecilia Brooks and her mom shared everything. At least, CeCe thought they did. Six months ago, her mom killed herself after accusations of having sex with a student, and CeCe’s been the subject of whispers and taunts ever since. Now, at the start of her high school senior year, between dealing with her grieving, distracted father, and the social nightmare that has become her life, CeCe just wants to fly under the radar. Instead, she’s volunteering at the school’s crisis hotline—the same place her mother worked.

As she counsels troubled strangers, CeCe’s lingering suspicions about her mom’s death surface. With the help of Sam, a new student and newspaper intern, she starts to piece together fragmented clues that point to a twisted secret at the heart of her community. Soon, finding the truth isn’t just a matter of restoring her mother’s reputation, it’s about saving lives—including CeCe’s own…

Goodreads | Pre-order from Amazon or Barnes & Noble!


“This one will tug your heart and leave you breathless!”
–Natalie D. Richards, author of Six Months Later

Excerpt from THE DARKEST LIE

It’s time to view the body. Family first.

Well, technically, me first. There was always only three of us in the nuclear unit, and Dad’s been locked in the den for the past seventy-two hours. I’ve only seen him once, when he shuffled upstairs like a pajama-clad zombie and asked me if I’d eaten.

That was it: Did you eat?

Not: I prefer the cherry wood casket. Or: Let me make your grandma’s travel arrangements. Or even: I know this was Mom’s favorite dress, but isn’t the neckline a little…low?

Did I eat?

Yes, Dad. I had soup from the can and microwaved pizza rolls and a bowl of cereal. The food sloshes in my stomach now as I walk down the runner to the casket I picked out because of its mauve tint.

Calla lilies pile in urns around the viewing room, and the air-conditioning wars with the sweat along my hairline. My mom smiles at me from a portrait erected behind the casket. Her eyes are hesitant and a little wary, as if she knew, somehow, some way, she would wind up here. Lifeless. Pumped full of formaldehyde. About to be gawked at by a town full of gossips.

This was only going to end one of two ways—with Tabitha Brooks dead or in jail. I never thought I’d say this, but I’d give anything to see my mother behind bars.

I wade through the dense, chilly air and stop a few feet from the body. Behind me, my grandmother and aunt sit, a box of tissues between them, blowing their noses like it’s a sport.

“Look at our Cecilia,” Gram sniffs. “So brave. Not a single tear shed.”

If she only knew. I’m not brave. Fifteen minutes ago, I was retching into the toilet bowl. Five minutes from now, when the doors open for the visitation, I’ll be long gone, leaving Gram to shake people’s hands and deal with the bit lips, the knowing eyebrows, that inevitable speaking-in-a-funeral-parlor whisper. I can hear the titters: “Is it true? Tabitha’s heart stopped while she was boffing the high school quarterback? Why, she must’ve been twenty years his senior!”

Twenty-three years, to be exact, and a high school English teacher to boot. But she didn’t actually die during sex. Instead, a few days after Tommy Farrow came forward with their affair, my mother took her own life.

What could be a clearer admission of guilt? She might as well have been caught in the act. The investigation was shut down before it even began.

I take a shuddering breath. Two more minutes. A hundred and twenty seconds and then I can leave. I steel my shoulders and walk the final steps to my mother’s body.

Oh god. It’s even worse than I thought.

The room whirls around me, and nausea sprints up my throat. My hands shoot out to grab the casket, stopping short of actually touching the corpse.

This . . . this thing . . . can’t be my mother. She never smiled like that, all serene and peaceful-like. She never wore this much makeup; her red hair was never chopped so closely to her head. My mother was chaos and passion, devastation and joy. Dad used to say you could reach deep into her eyes and pull out a song.

Well, her eyes are closed now, and I’m not sure there’ll be any music in my life, ever again.

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Pintip Dunn | JenHalliganPR.comAbout the Author

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Pintip Dunn graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. She also published an article in the YALE LAW JOURNAL, entitled, “How Judges Overrule: Speech Act Theory and the Doctrine of Stare Decisis,”

Pintip is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers House. She is a 2012 RWA Golden Heart® finalist and a 2014 double-finalist. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Washington Romance Writers, YARWA, and The Golden Network.

She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. You can learn more about Pintip and her books at www.pintipdunn.com.

Giveaways (2!)

The Darkest Lie Blitz | Prize Pack | JenHalliganPR.com

One winner will receive a prize pack including the following 5 books: Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn; Six Months Later by Natalie Richards; Find Me by Romily Bernard; and From Where I Watch You by Shannon Grogan; Lies I Told by Michelle Zink

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Goodreads Book Giveaway

 

The Darkest Lie by Pintip Dunn

 

The Darkest Lie

 

by Pintip Dunn

 

Giveaway ends March 28, 2016. See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

 

Enter Giveaway

 

Mikky Ekko on Writing (And a Wild Wicked Shout Out)

Carlene Love, Conferences, Motivation, Writing, , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello fishy friends,

Fun shots for all con attendees by photographer Taria Reed. A big thank you to Kelii, Blake, Charles, Axl and Taylor the great picture.

Fun shots for all con attendees by photographer Taria Reed. A big thank you to Kelii, Blake, Charles, Axl and Taylor for the great picture.

Just a quick shout out to start things off. I’m back from a nice time at the Wild Wicked Weekend romance readers conference, aka Ultimate Girls Weekend Out, which is held annually, each February, in San Antonio, Texas. It is put on by five wonderful women–Dalton Diaz, Brenna Zinn, Samantha Cayto, Desiree Holt and Cerise Deland. These ladies are the heart and soul of the con and make it a special and unique experience for all. Where else can you learn to lap dance, body paint cover models and enjoy one of the finest drag queen pageants in the country while spending time with friends and making new ones, all in a haunted hotel? Keep on the lookout for information on next year’s festivities and start convincing your girlfriends now that you need to go. THIS IS WHERE I INSERT A GIANT HINT TO MY MERMAID SISTERS…WWW FIELD TRIP? WINK WINK. Whether you’re a reader, writer, blogger or reviewer, you’ll have a blast.

And now for my short and sweet post.

Have you heard of Mikky Ekko? He’s one of my all-time favorite artists. When I heard some of the cool things he had to say in this interview with Pavlina, I knew I wanted to share with my fellow writers. And I don’t mean just book writers. If you’ve ever sat down at a keyboard or pulled out a pen and paper even to simply write a letter, this is for you.

I love Mikky’s advice for writers. In a world where speedy production schedules and constant updates have become the norm, I am reminded that we should not forget the timing of the heart and soul. Whether it’s a letter, a song, a blog post, an article, a journal entry, a status update, a novel. Whatever your medium may be, it’s okay to slow down until you have something to say. I’m here. You’re here. We’re all here until we’re not. What’s the rush?

“It’s not going to be a great song if you don’t have anything to say.” ~Mikky Ekko

I hope you enjoyed Mikky. He’s the best!

Have a wonderful month, fishy friends. My best to you and yours.

Fishy kisses,

Carlene Mermaid

I Got a Brute Squad in My Bag, Swag

Alethea Kontis, , , ,

Happy March, my fellow intrepid writing adventurers!
What Fascinating New Thing is going on in YOUR life?

On today’s episode of The Alethea Show, I bring you: SWAG.

That’s right, in this fabulous day and age, authors aren’t just authors anymore (but you knew that). Authors are publicists and event coordinators and social media experts and editors and copyeditors…everything from Publisher to their own Personal Assistant.

A Small Business of One…but it still takes a village. And that village deserves SWAG.

One of the first lessons I learned being best friends with Sherrilyn Kenyon was that one should always have something to give the fans at an appearance. Not just chocolates or baklava (as much as I’m sure that would be appreciated), but something more important to them: something that has your name on it. An item as small as a sticker or button or postcard can make someone’s day.

It’s something authors forget when they are lost in edits (omg I just received edit notes for the first half of TRIX & THE FAERIE QUEEN and my brain might just explode) — our fans love us. LOVE. They want to read more books…but they’d also be happy reading poems or watching videos or hearing us tell silly stories while we live-stream a scrubbed rocket launch (I experienced this on Periscope just last week).

They are Fans, with a capital F, and they will wear the t-shirt. Especially if you make a few for them! If you know a little Photoshop (or know someone who does) you’re GOLDEN.

Princess Alethea’s personal Street Team is called the Brute Squad. So I created my first line of Swag in their honor!

As of yesterday, one can purchase Princess Alethea swag at Amazon, Redbubble, and Zazzle! (If you’re going to be in one store, why not be in them all, right?)

Here’s my experience with each so far:

Amazon: In order to have an Amazon Merch account, you have to apply for it. Once you are accepted, you can make T-shirts…and only t-shirts. They are plain, and the color selection is limited, BUT IT’S AVAILABLE ON AMAZON. With Prime shipping. The Women’s XL size is comparable to the Men’s L. Upon washing the Women’s XL I received (cold water, normal wash), the graphic on the back flaked almost completely off. Happily, Amazon is good about ordering replacements, but I’m still a little shocked at the poor quality so far. Profit margin, on the other hand, is quite high.

Redbubble: I only just launched this one last night, but already I’m blown away at the number of items available at this site! I want to order every sticker available…not to mention pencil skirts, leggings, duvet covers, and pillow cases…I do not have enough money to buy all the things I want!!! Profit margin: default 20% markup, which makes the prices high but not unaffordable. You are allowed to raise or lower this per item-type as you see fit.

Zazzle: Ugh, this site is annoying, and I’m still unsure if I’ve figured it out. But I chose it over CafePress because I’ve been a customer of both and know the t-shirts from Zazzle to be of far superior quality. It seems that instead of just uploading a pic (like to Redbubble) and having it available across all items types, one has to Create a Thing, and then list it for sale in your store. One at a time. Ugh. I’ve now put this on my weekly to-do list, because I don’t have time to Make All The Things. Item selection: AMAZING. Profit margin: small. Also, you only get paid via PayPal, and only when you have reached the $50 threshold. I’m not a fan of money thresholds, having been burned by YouTube (who will never pay me the $68 they owed me before they turned of my monetization for no reason). But I’ll give it a shot.

So…what Fasconating New Thing have YOU got going on this Spring?

 

 

I Got a $5 Coupon for Valentine’s Day

mermaids

“You know we’re not doing anything for Valentine’s Day,” I say in a sweetly menacing voice as my husband and I pass each other in the hall. He rolls his eyes. “Yes, I know. Not my first day on the job.”

It’s not by accident I make sure we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. Early in our relationship, when we were still figuring things out, I said the same thing. But then came Valentine’s morning and there they were on the table: roses, chocolates and a trinket. “You didn’t get me anything? Not even a card?” he asked with a look of bewildered incredulity. “But we said nothing,” I mewled. “I thought you meant nothing big,” he replied A quick trip to the store and I spent a load of money to wipe the stench of disappointment I had smeared all over him with my lack of sentimentality. But that was in the early throws of dating.

It’s not that I hate Valentine’s Day, I hate what it represents. A fist down the throat dictate by the greeting card industry of what to buy, when and for whom. I don’t want my husband standing with a crowd of bewildered men pawing through the remnants of Valentine’s Day cards that have been fondled more times than a woman in labor. I don’t want him paying a 400% mark up on roses that looked like they’d been chewed and spit out by a grazing bull. And I certainly don’t want him feeling like he has to buy me a piece of jewelry on the 14th of February to show me how much he loves me.

The best gifts he’s ever given me were surprises I wasn’t expecting and didn’t need. There is the small trio of bath oil, lotion and gel that still stand by the edge of the tub, unused fifteen years later. We hadn’t been dating long when he gave them to me as a gift. “The bottles looked antique and I know you like antiques.” He scratched his head. “To be honest I’m not really sure what antique means or if you even like them, but I saw them and thought of you.” The second best gift he gave me was a little elephant sitting on its hind legs with his trunk in the air. A wedding ring holder he brought back from a business trip. No reason, just because. I think about him every evening when I slip them down the elephant’s trunk and every morning when I put them on. I don’t remember when he bought it, but I know it wasn’t on Valentine’s Day.

A few days ago, I was in the bathroom washing my face when he dropped my mail onto the growing pile on my nightstand. “I thought you’d want this,” he said putting a large rectangular card on top of the pile. “What is it?” I turned off the water and took my hair down from the bun it’s been in since 5am this morning. “It’s a $5 coupon to La Madeleine,” he says putting his watch on the nightstand near the elephant holding my rings. “I though you could get a cookie next time you go.” My hands plucking the tangles from my hair still. He looks at me, perplexed. “Isn’t that where you go to write every Sunday morning?” Silently I nod. “I was thinking it could help you write.” Mutely, I stare at him. My eyes begin to sting. Downstairs children scream, the dishwasher beeps that it’s done and he is in the middle of an umpteenth chore that comes with a house, kids and a twelve year marriage. And during the insanity, as he sorted mail, he thought of me. And my writing. And how important it is to me. And it wasn’t even Valentine’s Day.

Cover Reveal: Amid Wind & Stone by Nicole Luiken

mermaids

Friends, I am thrilled to bring you the cover reveal of AMID WIND & STONE, by Nicole Luiken, the second book in the Otherselves series!

AWaS

 

Isn’t that a gorgeous cover? AMID FIRE & STONE releases March 7, 2016!

Synopsis:

There is one True World, and then there are the four Mirror Worlds: Fire, Water, Air, and Stone.

Audrey and Dorotea are “otherselves”—twin copies of each other who live on different
Mirror Worlds.

On Air, Audrey has the ability to communicate with wind spirits. As war looms, she’s torn between loyalty to her country and her feelings for a roguish phantom who may be a dangerous spy.

Blackouts and earthquakes threaten the few remaining humans on Stone, who have been forced to live underground. To save her injured sister, Dorotea breaks taboo and releases an imprisoned gargoyle. Brooding, sensitive Jasper makes her wonder if gargoyles aretruly traitors, as she’s always been told.

Unbeknownst to them, they both face the same enemy—an evil sorceress bent on
shattering all the Mirror Worlds.

nicole-luikenAuthor Bio:
Nicole Luiken wrote her first book at age 13 and never stopped.
She is the author of nine published books for young adults, including Violet Eyes and its sequels Silver Eyes and Angels Eyes, Frost, Unlocking the Doors, The Catalyst, Escape to the Overworld, Dreamfire and the sequel Dreamline. Through Fire & Sea, book one of Otherselves, and Amid Wind & Stone, book two of Otherselves, are her most recent releases. She also has an adult thriller, Running on Instinct, under the name N.M. Luiken and a fantasy romance series, Gate to Kandrith and Soul of Kandrith.
Nicole lives with her family in Edmonton, AB. It is physically impossible for her to go more than three days in a row without writing.
Website   Twitter   Facebook

 

Goodreads   Amazon   Barnes & Noble   iBooks   Kobo   Amazon.co.uk   Amazon.ca   Entangled Page

 

Don’t miss the first book in this series, THROUGH FIRE & SEA!

TFaS_500

 

Synopsis:

There is one True World, and then there are the four mirror worlds: fire, water, air, and stone. And each

has a magic of its own…

In the Fire World, seventeen-year-old Leah is the illegitimate daughter of one of the realm’s most

powerful lords. She’s hot-blooded—able to communicate with the tempestuous volcano gods. But she

has another gift…the ability to Call her twin “Otherselves” on other worlds.

Holly resides in the Water World—our world. When she’s called by Leah from the Fire World, she nearly

drowns. Suddenly the world Holly thought she knew is filled with secrets, magic…and deadly peril.

For a malevolent force seeks to destroy the mirror worlds. And as Leah and Holly are swept up in the

tides of chaos and danger, they have only one choice to save the mirror worlds—to shatter every rule

they’ve ever known…

Twas the smallest of kisses…

Carlene Love, , , , , , , ,

Love is out there everyday of the year, in its many different forms and shades of dark and light. With it being February, a notoriously romantic month, I have searched my private library, and found something old, favorited, and exemplary to share with you, fishy friends. It comes to you from the singular Gaston Leroux and a certain masked man named Erik who has never received kindness except from one young woman who has allowed him to kiss her forehead, and not run away. Hush now while I extinguish all lights and blow out all candles, save one, for you to read by. Of course, you may know him simply as, The Phantom…

phantom

****

And Erik fell into a chair, choking for breath:

“Ah, I am not going to die yet… presently I shall… but let me cry! … Listen, daroga… listen to this. While I was at her feet… I heard her say, ‘Poor, unhappy Erik!’ … And she took my hand! … I had become no more, you know, than a poor dog ready to die for her. I mean it, daroga! I held in my hand a ring, a plain gold ring which I had given her… which she had lost… and which I had found again… a wedding ring, you know. I slipped it into her little hand and said, ‘There! Take it! Take it for you… and him! It shall be my wedding present–a present from your poor, unhappy Erik. … I know you love the boy… don’t cry anymore! … She asked me, in a very soft voice, what I meant. Then I made her understand that, where she was concerned, I was only a poor dog, ready to die for her… but that she could marry the young man when she pleased, because she had cried with me and mingled her tears with mine!…”

Erik’s emotion was so great that he had to tell the Persian not to look at him, for he was choking and must take off his mask. The daroga went to the window and opened it. His heart was full of pity, but he took care to keep his eyes fixed on the trees in the Tuileries gardens, lest he should see the monster’s face.

“I went and released the young man,” Erik continued, “and told him to come with me to Christine. They kissed before me in the Louis-Philippe room. … Christine had my ring. … I made Christine swear to come back, one night, when I was dead, crossing the lake from the Rue-Scribe side, and bury me in the greatest secrecy with the gold ring, which she was to wear until that moment. … I told her where she would find my body and what to do with it. Then Christine kissed me, for the first time, herself, here, on the forehead–don’t look, daroga!–and they went off together. Christine had stopped crying. … I alone cried. Daroga, daroga, if Christine keeps her promise, she will come back soon!…”

ForeheadKiss

The Persian asked him no questions. He was quite reassured as to the fate of Raoul Chagny and Christine Daae; no one could have doubted the word of the weeping Erik that night.

The monster resumed his mask and collected his strength to leave the daroga. He told him that, when he felt his end to be very near at hand, he would send him, in gratitude for the kindness which the Persian had shown him, that which he held dearest in the world: all Christine Daae’s papers, which she had written for Raoul’s benefit and left with Erik, together with a few objects belonging to her, such as a pair of gloves, a shoe-buckle and two pocket-handkerchiefs…………..

****

I am always struck by how little it took to fulfill the giant hole that was Erik’s heart. The single kiss on the forehead proves that kindness to others is one of the biggest gifts we as human beings can offer in this world. I hope you receive, in this lifetime, if not a thousand cherished kisses, but at least one. At least one kiss that fills your heart as it did for this man, this monster, this hero.

Fishy kisses to you all,

Carlene Mermaid

Excerpt taken from The Phantom of the Opera, by French mystery writer, Gaston Leroux, 1911, from the English translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos.

 

Mermaids Immortalized in Romance Fiction (And a giveaway to boot!)

Alethea Kontis, Avery Flynn, Carlene Love, Dana Rodgers, Denny S. Bryce, Giveaway, Kerri Carpenter, Kimberly MacCarron, Loni Lynne, Masha Levinson, mermaids, Pintip Dunn, Robin Covington, Susan Andrews, , , , , , , ,

7Hello fishy friends!

How’s everyone doing? I hope your 2016 is off to a great start. I’m humbled and honored to say January is wrapping up very nicely with the release of my eighth published novel. Let Me See (Book 2 of the These Three Words series) just came out today. I’m so very happy I get to share this story with you but guess what really has me smiling?

I’ve missed my fishy sisters so much since moving away from their area nearly two years ago. But today I get to be with them again. Sort of.

I hope you’ll enjoy this excerpt from my new release in which the Waterworld Mermaids become immortalized in romance fiction. **Be sure and leave a comment below for a chance to win a free e-copy.** Let’s see if you can spot them…

Copyrighted Excerpt from Let Me See (These Three Words, 2) by Carlene Love…

Jay normally spent as much time out front chatting with the guests as he did on stage performing for them but right now he wanted a few extra quiet moments alone to let the importance of tonight sink in.

“Jay, come.”

Having thought that, Marie was rarely persistent with him like this. So he followed her out front, forgetting for the time being that he was only half-dressed for his solo. He ran his hand over his abs, rubbing away some of the sweat already sticking to his skin. He’d barely crossed paths with Julian but the bump-in had been enough and he had the man’s angel wing glitter all over his black pants. Jay dusted it off as best he could, eventually giving up. Jay hooked his thumbs in his suspenders. He left the newsboy hat that would—pardon the pun—cap off his college prep outfit in homage to Maggie, in his locker and followed Marie out front. One thing he recognized for sure was the extra pep in her step. If he didn’t know better, he’d have thought she was playing Cupid or something ridiculous like that. Too bad he couldn’t just tell her he’d officially taken his heart off the market, for good, two weeks ago when he’d been stood up again by the girl who had somehow taken his everything prisoner.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said and followed her out, pumping himself up for the night and walking to the beat of Gabe’s solo song.

“So you guys had a pretty successful adoption event at the last shelter drive?”

“Yes, Marie. Why do you ask? You sure are talking to me a whole lot tonight. I mean, I love it. But, do you swear everything is okay with you?” He’d do anything he could to help her. She worked hard and he knew she had issues she kept hidden. Jay knew how that could eat at a person.

“I’m in the mood to do some good and you think there’s something wrong with me? Gee, thanks, Stud.”

He wasn’t sure exactly what to say back to her, to be honest. It was tricky with Marie because Jay knew he had to keep his flirting to a minimum, remembering how wrecked it had made him when D had gotten too loose with his flirty words for Kelley. “My apologies to the lady.”

They walked single file through the last bits of the cramped back hallways until they got to the door that led into the public portion of the club. Jay took an extra-long step to put him in front of Marie so that he could get the door for her. He ushered her through but then noted how she quickly jumped back in front of him. Guess she really wanted to be the leader.

“Accepted. And you’re right, it is odd that I’m feeling so chipper. It’s freaking me out but I’m going with it for this night only. I just feel like this burst of goodness came inside earlier. Apparently your sister’s spirit of positivity has its claws in me tonight.” She winked and smiled softly at him. “Anywho, recognize anyone?”

Marie suddenly stopped walking when they’d only made it a few feet into the club, clearly waiting for him to stop too and have a look around. Okay, he’d play along and checked out the bar area since that was where he associated Marie as being most often. “Drunk Al. Tina and her mom and her sisters. Um, Brad?” He noted the faces he could see this far in the dark.

“Ahem.” She cleared her throat and pulled him around by the suspender until he was facing the stage. She let go and the elastic snapped his skin. It didn’t really hurt but he let out a yelp just to tease her. “Ouch.”

Now he did see a ton of familiar faces. “Do you really want me to start naming everyone? Cause there’s Liz, Kerri, Dana, Kim, Alethea, Pintip, Susan, Loni, Masha, and Denny, just for starters.” It gave him an immense feeling of joy that so many of the regulars were already here supporting the cause. “Oh, and let’s see … Lynne, Robin, and Avery. I can keep going—Jen, Keely, Deb, Denise, Sue, Lil. Ooo, Becky’s looking supa-hot tonight. She turned fifty in here last week, you know. Still fricking gorgeous. Did you know she’s the drummer in a band? I think I’m going to give her a late birthday lick later on. In fact, I think I’m gonna go over there with my sexy self and lick her right now.” Of course he was just teasing, watching Marie’s face get more and more perturbed with him. It was his playful payback to her for bringing him out before he’d gotten dressed and then being so secretive. But honestly, who did she want him to see?

“Ugh. You’re impossible. And you wonder why I don’t talk much to you boys. Gabe—”

But she may as well have stopped speaking.

The second he changed his line of sight to the stage where Gabe currently held court as a half-dressed military hero, he saw the one thing he never would have expected, not in a million years at this point.

She didn’t even have to turn around for him to know.

*****

Eek! I hope you liked it!

Take my friendly fishy advice. If you find yourself missing those who you care about and can’t be near, write them something. Whether it’s a letter, an email, a text, or yeah, in this case a novel. Reach out. Let them know you’re thinking of them. I call it a paper hug. xoxo

**Giveaway Info: Say hi, or better yet, say hi and leave a message for someone you’re currently missing in the comments section and I’ll enter you into the drawing for a free e-copy of Let Me See. Winner will be randomly picked on Sunday night, 1/31/2016. Good luck!

My best to you and yours!

Fishy kisses,

Carlene Mermaid

Let-Me-See-evernightpublishing-JayAheer2016-3DrenderAre you sure you’re ready to see what’s inside?

Two hearts beating…      

S Club dancer and extrovert, Jay, has worked very hard for this eye-opening moment with his reluctant and shy friend, Kelley. Unfortunately, a humorous attempt to get her to open up serves to push her further away. Now it’s nearly impossible to convince her he’s not just out to play.

Hundreds of scars in need of hiding…       

For good reason, Kelley has yet to let Jay see all of her whereas he takes his clothes off nightly for a living. Her respect for him runs unmatched because she sees who he is inside. There’s just no way to ever reciprocate and that’s not fair to him. His interest in her has never made sense. The best option is convincing Jay there really is nothing to see.

One dark night to shine some light on their healing…

Sometimes, it just takes one very patient man, one dimly lit room and one safe set of arms.

Check out more from Let Me See HERE at the Evernight site or HERE at Amazon. xoxo