Top 10 Favorite Candies: By Celia Kennedy

I love anything sweet, succulent, and delicious, and so I am pleased to share Celia Kennedy's Top 10 Favorite Candies! Yum!

Top 10 Favorite Candies: 

"I thought I would grow out of loving candy. Nope!" -Celia Kennedy

1)      Swedish Fish – Comfort food

2)      Sourpatch Kids – When I’m feeling sassy

3)      Starbursts – Everyday pick-me-up

4)      Jordan Almonds – My healthy candy

5)      Cadbury Cream Eggs – Need a massive sugar infusion

6)      Butterfingers – Childhood favorite

7)      Flake Bar – British! Haven’t had one? Run to your local Cost Plus and indulge!!

8)      Cadbury Fruit and Nut – Heaven on Earth

9)      All things nougat – When I need to think and chew

10)  Ferrero Roche – Makes me feel Oh-La-La!

Visit Celia Kennedy on Social Media

Website: www.celiakennedy.weebly.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CMKAuthor

Twitter: @KennedyCelia

Google+: Celia Kennedy

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/celiakennedy/

Purchase Links: 

Venus Rising

Charlotte’s Restrained

About the Book:

Akshaya Bertrand, is a Professor of Art History at an Ivy League college in New England. Young and incomparably beautiful, she hides her traumatic childhood in India behind vibrant veils of secrecy.

Jared Harrison, a war correspondent in the Middle East accepts a position as guest lecturer. Upon meeting, the two find themselves drawn to one another, sensing the others deep wounds.

Thrown together on a voyage of discovery, the two travel through exotic India. Amongst beauty and poverty, sorrow and friendship, they both will finally face the past that has shaped them and the present that defines them.

Will the answers they find close the gap 

between them or push them further apart?

Reviews: Venus Rising 

Carol Osborne: Venus Rising by Celia Kennedy, 5 Star Review

An extremely enjoyable read, you will instantly be intrigued by the 2 main characters in this novel and the storyline is an enthralling journey. Be prepared for an interestingly captivating and very emotional time.

Akshaya is a gorgeous, intelligent, successful, educated goddess like lady who captivates the attention of every man she comes in contact with. Jared is an intelligent, successful, educated, handsome, athletic, witty, charming, and well-traveled man. Individually these characters seem invincible and perfect, the envy of all those around them. However, under the perfect facade the world sees, they each have their own personal demons to deal with. Both physical and emotional scars that they manage to hide from the outside world, but struggle to come to terms with themselves.

Developing uncontrollable emotions for each other makes things even more complicated. Can they trust each other enough to share and conquer their demons and still continue with their success, including a "business" trip through tumultuous parts of India? You will have to read it to find out! Enjoy...

Edel Rogers: The best book I've read in a long time! 5 Star Review

Venus Rising is a beautiful story, beautifully written and clearly very well researched. It's a love story, but it's much more than that. From the first page on, I was hooked and I didn't want to stop reading till I got to the end.

The more I read, the more I came to know and care about all the characters, not just Akshaya and Jared, and I really wanted them to find happiness. I felt their emotions, and both laughed and cried at times.

Venus Rising is one of those books that makes you want to get to the end quickly so you can find out what happens, but when you get to the end you wish there was more to read.

I'm already looking forward to Celia's next book!

Author Bio:

Celia Kennedy was born in Wurzburg, Germany on an American Army base. Her parents' penchant for traveling the world, via a Volkswagen Minibus with a Porsche engine, sparked her imagination. Staring out the window, sometimes through fog and rain, at other times at sunny blue skies, she began to make up stories for the places and spaces they passed by. The in-between time, the most fascinating to her.

The imagined world has always fascinated Celia. She has studied Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Interior Design, and pretty much every other subject matter. Like her childhood, it was the ride that was the most entertaining, arrival at a degree, not anywhere as important.

Mark Twain said, "Write what you know." When combining this concept with her unusual life experiences (working at a nuclear submarine base when Chernobyl blew, testing software Bill Gates kept close tabs on, travelling extensively while quite broke, or falling in love with her boyfriend's close friend) thinking of what to write about isn't challenging; there just needs to be more hours in the day.

Celia published Charlotte's Restrained, The Accidental Stalker in December of 2012 and Venus Rising in August of 2013. Look for Kathleen's Undressed, The Accidental Enigma, a companion novel to Charlotte's Restrained, to be published in November 2014.

Currently she lives in Washington State with the loves of her life.

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Lawrence BoarerPitchford (Author Spotlight & Book Feature)

Introducing our guest, Lawrence BoarerPitchford and his newest novel, The Lantern of Dern Blackhammer!

Bio

Within the fiery crucible of the abyss of time I was conceived. From that sticky and unwashed oblivion emerged a man that clawed his way to the bottom rung of the ladder of life. From there he could only go up – and since it was the clear choice, up he went. It is to that second rung that I pulled myself up to. Through heroic trials of bold deeds, and burnt offerings, a muse came to me, and with it the passion to put ink to paper. Unfortunately, skill took a little longer, and again I clung on with inspiration and jarring reality clinging to my feet as I dangled from the rung. That's when hard work, divine intervention and blind luck came together to shape this lump of clay into what I now think to be an author. 

But, it is not up to me to determine the outcome of all my hard work. It is up to the reader - for without those critical and ever hungry eyes prying over each word, my self-worth would be naught. Therefore, take this un-to-me, that you are the biographer of the author, for it is you who will tell the tale of my success or failure.

Book Blurb

The Lantern of Dern Blackhammer

There was a war. In a desperate moment, a handful of 

warriors came together to forge the single most 

powerful magic weapon that had ever existed. It was

the one thing that could defeat a pair of gods, and set

the very plane of existence back upon its balance.

Then, it was lost. 

It is a gilded age. A time when city states come together

in the name of commerce, and wealth. The finer things 

can be had by the common being, and magic relics are

sought after for their beauty and power. Such ancient

things can lead to trouble, so the city state of Moore

conducts a cold war of espionage to further its interests,

and truth be told, so does everyone else. While the

average citizen enjoys a walk in the park, or a carriage 

ride to the theater, evil strides the land in search

of ancient magic to undo the  very fabric of the world.

Ford must lay hands on an ancient magic relic that

could spell doom for his city and possibly the world.

The  problem? An ambitious mage named Raven Hill

has set  his eyes on the item, and all the power it will

imbue him with.  Ford races against time, the elements, and

even fate, to keep the single most powerful magic

weapon that exists from falling into the hands of a mad

man. If he fails, Ford’s beloved city, and all other cities,

will bow down to a self-made god.

An excerpt from the book

He could almost hear the words of Pil’tuk the goblin glass maker, “The lens will not scratch, and can take the impact of a god’s battle hammer!”

      “But, do you think the lantern will work?” he had said to Pil’tuk.

      “If the mad magician Valen of Del can produce us a Dark Star gem. But, only chaos magic is strong enough to do the trick, and we both know what that means; if he fails to condense the energy just right, we might all be blasted into ash.”

      Looking over his shoulder to the corner of the forge-room Dern could see the large black gem locked between wooden pincers. A shiver ran up his spine; the unnatural gem was the final touch, the power, the light, the quantillian dark gem with the power of a star. The magician had done his job all right, making something terrifying that did not belong on this world or any other, and for his trouble he was torn into atoms by the power of chaos. Poor bastard, Dern thought.

      He approached the gem. From the black surface the reflection of his own eye looked back at him. For a moment the blackness was all consuming, as if it was absorbing not only the light, but his thoughts as well. The eye in the reflection blinked, and he shook his head in surprise. Did he blink? He didn’t know. Looking at the surface again he seemed to be looking back at himself, looking into the gem, looking back at himself…his skin crawled and his hair stood on end. He looked away concentrating on the lantern to clear his mind, then he looked back at the wooden clamps.

      Carefully taking the gem, he carried it over to the lantern, opened the small door in the side and placed it within the rectangular chamber, angling the gem so the flat surface faced the lens. Closing the door he locked it tight. “Now to ignite the flame!” said Dern, a slight headache forming in his skull.

      He closed his eyes and envisioned the complex relationship between the geometry and the elements within, linking fields of force with the matter’s energy channels. As he opened his eyes a near blinding light dazzled him as a beam shot from the lantern onto the wall. The atoms of the wall vanished and a hole of pure blackness appeared. He secured the lens cap, careful not to expose himself to the light. Looking at the contraption he was startled by a sudden knock at the door.

      “Blackhammer, is it finished?” said a soft feminine voice.

      “Are you trying to cause my death!” he said. “I am as finished as this lantern. Let’s hope it works.”

      She opened the door and came into the room, the light of pure energy taking shape into womanly form. “The war is nearly won, and for all your sacrifices, you will be given rest and worship in the Netherworld,” she said.

      “You spiritual beings are all alike, bend us mortals to your will then we are forgotten.”

      “Not so,” she said. “We prize you mortals for the role you play in this universe. Besides, do you want to exist forever in this form?” She laughed and her laughter lifted his spirit with joy. Bending down she put her hands on either side of his coarsely bearded face making his skin crackle with static as she kissed him on the lips.

 Continue! March 1, 2012

By Meat Brockwurst

Format:Kindle Edition

A rich, and well told tale by a relatively new author! The span of this sword and sorcery adventure not only kept my interest, but to use a comfortable and well worn cliche', a real page turner (or screen tapper in this case)! It reads like a fast paced, riveting late night game of D&D... only without the tedious dice and "checking traps" routine!

First, BoarerPitchford drives one deep into right field with "Hyborea" tales, now this! I see, by his web page [...], that he has also written "historical fiction," though not yet published. It's good to see that for a relatively new author he is not only prolific, but certainly NOT a "one trick pony!"

Social media links

www.twitter.com/boarerpitchford

www.facebook.com/boarerpitchford

https://plus.google.com/103222134273021463314/posts

Purchase links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lantern-Dern-Blackhammer-Lawrence-BoarerPitchford/dp/098506479X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406771614&sr=1-3&keywords=Lawrence+BoarerPitchford

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/288543

Barnes and Nobel: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thadius-lawrence-boarerpitchford/1114770115?ean=9780989662901

Apple i-Books: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/thadius/id611876515?mt=11

Any other promotional material (i.e. book trailer, 3D models mockups, press releases, etc.)

BoarerPitchford.com Thadius the Novel

Sacramento, California

Author Lawrence BoarerPitchford presents The Lantern of Dern Blackhammer

The readers out there are flooded with prose. The written word is so prolific today that most people take it for granted that works of fiction are within easy reach. Kindle, Nook, i-Pad, and a host of other electronic reading devices make access to literature the easiest that has ever existed on the earth in the history of man. And, so the reader is lost in a sea of authors competing for visibility in the commercial space.

Lawrence BoarerPitchford, author of such works as Thadius, Sawbones, In the World of Hyboria, and the cheeky novel Tales of Mad Cows and Brothels, presents a work of fiction that will appeal to those who love high-fantasy adventure. In a world where orcs, goblins, elves, humans, giants, and dwarves all live and work together, there’s trouble brewing. “I’ve taken the concept of high-fantasy and painted it with a new brush. In a land that resembles nineteenth century Europe, the characters in The Lantern of Dern Blackhammer must find and steal a relic that could spell doom for their civilization. Imagine if you will, Tolkien’s world, but after a thousand years or more. Magic is a profound technology, along with steam, and water-power, but those ancients knew something; they had a secret. Now that secret can undo reality,” the author stated. 

Now Lawrence BoarerPitchford, the man with the huge name, is offering his novel The Lantern of Dern Blackhammer as a paperback as well as the various e-book formats. If you have an e-reader, it is a snap to purchase a BoarerPitchford novel, and if you like the feel of paper in your hands, they’re in paperback form too.

Having four novels on Amazon, all for sale and download onto Kindle, Lawrence knows the struggle new authors face. “I write fiction to entertain. While it is true I have a degree in business, a degree in public policy, and a degree in information technology, I choose to write fiction because I have a strong desire to see people enjoy escaping their mundane lives and exploring a land of adventure and excitement in a world of my making. Perhaps it is the acme of hubris that I think I can entertain, but I am hardly qualified to be the judge of that. It really is you the readers who should be the measure of my success or failure to entertain; having said that, I offer up to you my works for your accolades or ire.” 

“If you like rugged adventure and action stories, stop by, purchase a book, and enjoy, then make your voice heard by posting a review on GoodReads, Amazon, or any place you feel you can be heard.”  The author also encourages readers to drop by his web site and contact him. 

Lawrence BoarerPitchford works and lives in the Sacramento region. His work can be located on Amazon books, Smashwords, Barnes and Nobel, and many other places where fine quality fiction can be found. One can also read samples of his novels on his web site http://www.boarerpitchford.com. Take a moment to explore www.BoarerPitchford.com and visit the author on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Goodreads.

What an interesting fellow! Check out his Amazon author page!

Intact: Cyborg Two (Science Fiction, love story, apocalyptic, alpha males, strong females, Cyborgs, futuristic, F/M & M/M, sexy romance)

Intact: Cyborg Two

Intact trailer: http://bit.ly/IntactYoutube

Blurb:

(Science Fiction, love story, apocalyptic, alpha males, strong females, Cyborgs, futuristic, F/M & M/M, sexy romance) 

A world on edge...

The “Cyborg” team has kept one eye glued to the unrest inside the A.I. community for some time. Each member understands the ramifications of a revolt. If war is declared, they could find themselves on the opposite side of the law. One tiny detail changes Miles’ stance. Solving the case he’s worked since meeting Alexia could be the deciding factor. Left with no other choice, Miles orders his second in command to move to plan ‘B’—Dr. Kiston Beck.

A woman caught in the middle...

Kiston has stood with the Androids since her teenage years. Her inside knowledge of Cryo-Zone—an all-droid community—could mean the difference between a war lost or won. Convincing her to go against all she believes to be right is another matter. 

Kiston has no idea what the Cybernetics Agency thinks she possesses. There hasn’t been a human alive who cared to hear her opinion in years. The one detail she’s absolutely sure about is that they sent the wrong team member if they hoped to seduce the information from her. 

Cyborg Two is every woman’s dream. His wide shoulders, alpha ways and smoldering glances leave her breathless. Unfortunately, his biggest flaw is one too many for Kiston. He believes she’s crazy. 

But is it too late?

After a botched kidnapping, a concussion and near-death experience, can Miles and his team still convince Kiston to join them, or will their brand of friendship end up destroying the world?

Excerpt:

The worst things always happened to Kiston when she was minding her own damn business. She always steered clear of trouble and never intentionally put herself in harm’s way. Nonetheless, it seemed she was always dealing with some form of bullshit. Today was no exception. Clutching her purse to her chest with her tightly bound hands while sandwiched between two burly, combat-ready men, Kiston eyed the man sitting on the loveseat across from her with malice. He ignored her obvious hatred. Fucker.

“I find her reactions odd.”

Kiston had been so intent on killing the man with her death stare, when he spoke it caught her off guard. No one responded. He continued without encouragement.

“Most women would be screaming and crying. She is merely pissed.”

Great. She’d been kidnapped by a fucking genius. Rolling her eyes, she switched her attention to the door behind him, attempting to will someone to find her and ignoring the man’s golden gaze. He wasn’t a droid. In fact, none of the three men in the room moved like a machine, but their eyes glowed, proving they were all—at the very least—sixty-percent computerized. Of course, that tidbit of knowledge didn’t help explain why they’d stolen her from the street. On a normal day, she was better liked by A.I.s than anyone. In the human world, she was considered odd. It seemed today she was an oddity to both sides. Awesome.

“I’m tempted to remove the gag,” the guy to her left said, drawing her attention. He was a blond giant who took up too much space. “It might be fun to hear her describing all the ways she intends to disembowel you … again.”

Inside her head, an evil smile stretched across her face, and she was cackling with maniacal laughter. Oh yeah. She’d earned her gag. The man to her right chuckled. He had a cool-looking cyberpunk mechanical angel tattooed on his forearm. It was almost silver in coloration, and she’d never seen anything like it. When the light hit it at just the right angle, it almost appeared to move across his skin.

“Damn. Why didn’t I have my optical recorder running? The way she got the drop on you.” He broke off with a sharp laugh. No doubt about it. She’d earned the rope tied around her wrists as well.

Buy Links

Itunes:

Amazon:

Barnes & Noble 

All Romance Ebooks

About the Author

Charity Parkerson is an award winning and multi-published author with Ellora's Cave Publishing, Midnight Books, and Punk & Sissy Publications. Born with no filter from her brain to her mouth, she decided to take this odd quirk and insert it in her characters.

*2014 Readers' Favorite Finalist
*2014 Golden Ankh Nominee
*2013 Readers' Favorite Award Winner
*2013 Reviewers' Choice Award Winner
*2012 ARRA Finalist for Favorite Paranormal Romance
*Five-time winner of The Mistress of the Darkpath

Connect with her online:

--Website: charityparkerson.com
--Facebook: facebook.com/authorCharityParkerson
facebook.com/TheMenofSin
--Twitter: twitter.com/CharityParkerso

An Excerpt from Jenna Galicki's **Jealousy**

An Excerpt from Jenna Galicki's **Jealousy**

Jealousy

He's the shoulder she leans on. 

He worships her. 

She shields and protects him. 

He watches over her. 

They're soul mates for life. 

They're not lovers; they're best friends. 

Their struggle to find someone who can handle their intense bond is met with a roller coaster of raw emotion, loyalty and heartache. 

Follow their journey to find love. 

When Heather Cooper married Peter, she thought that she had finally found someone who could handle the inseparable bond she shares with her gay best friend, Justin Perrotta. It’s only a matter of time, however, before jealousy rears its ugly head and Peter’s true feelings emerge. He starts drinking and his erratic behavior threatens their marriage. 

Burned by an ex-boyfriend, Justin refuses to open his heart to love again. Wild relationships and one night stands leave him lonely and unfulfilled, even though he will not admit it. He finds love when he least expects it, but his fear of commitment threatens to ruin the best thing that has ever happened to him. 

In this modern day ‘Will and Grace’ meets ‘Sex and the City’, two best friends, a straight woman and a gay man, struggle to find someone to love as much as they love each other.

Purchase Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/H1gRx2

B&N: http://bit.ly/1a7rxD1

Jealousy Excerpt:

"Feel the soft petals against your skin," Tyler said. "Clear your head and don't think of anything except the flower. Visualize it in your mind. See the deep blood red pigment of the rose. See it touching your body.

It was surprisingly erotic. It made Justin yearn for deeper physical contact. It was hard to lie still. He reached out and his hand found Tyler’s thigh.

“Keep your hands flat on the bed.” Tyler removed Justin’s hand from his leg. “Let me touch you.”

Tyler gently ran the flower across Justin's chest, down his right arm, then down his left. The flower traced each finger from the knuckle to its tip. Next, Tyler slowly glided it down the length of Justin’s legs, one at a time.

Neither one of them spoke. The only sound in the room was Justin's breath, deepening with each caress of the silky rose against his bare skin. The flower found its way back to the center of his chest. It made small circles around his nipples, first clockwise, then counter clockwise. His nerve endings were standing on end. They were over sensitized and over stimulated. He was tingling all over. A sweet aroma filled his nostrils. He wrinkled his nose. It was the flower.

"That's it," Tyler whispered. "Let your senses experience the pleasures."

The rose traveled across the nape of Justin’s neck and traced the outline of his collarbone. It ran down his sternum and slowly outlined each one of his ribs. Normally it would have tickled, but this flower was magical. It was a wand filled with delight, bestowing joy and bliss co-mingled with rapture.

All of his senses were heightened. They were alive. It was as if he was using them for the first time. He not only felt the flower, but he heard it, as it glided across his skin. The sweet scent of the rose got stronger, or lighter, depending upon its proximity to his nose. The flower jumped to his ankle, floated over his calf and lingered on his thigh. It settled in the area where his thigh met his hip. It felt like a thousand tiny little fingers were igniting his flesh with sensations of grandeur. Then it was gone. It was no longer touching him. He yearned for it, and silently begged for its return. He lusted for the touch of a flower.

Reviews for Jealousy:

★★★★★I loved loved loved this book. pulled me from the beginning and had me enthralled till the last page. Justin and Heather have such a beautiful friendship that started when they were babies and spanned decades. You could just feel the love between the two of them and the fact that they would do anything and everything for each other. Heather really touched me when she would stand up to the bullies that bullied Justin when they were teens all because he was gay. Sex scenes were scorching hot both between Heather and her lovers and then when Justin was with his lovers. Secondary characters were a nice touch except I wanted to smack the crap out of Peter. I was sooo happy to see Heather get her HEA and Justin Get his HEA . A beautifully written story about friendship that no matter what nothing could tear them apart. Will defitnly be reading more of Jenna's books.

★★★★★It takes a powerful writer to capture the feelings and emotions of a book's characters as well as Jenna Galicki does. The descriptive love scenes were carefully thought out and drew the reader into the bedroom. The blend of male-female and male-male romance in the same book is brilliant and refreshing.

Emotions run rampant in Heather and Justin's turbulent lives and they were felt first hand. Sadness, anger, frustration, jealousy, understanding, happiness, humor and most of all love were in abundance.

The love affair that Justin and Heather share, albeit platonic, is all consuming, sometimes dysfunctional, and always intense. It takes two extraordinary people to come into their lives to balance out their co-dependency.

I fell in love with all the characters in this book and enjoyed watching their relationships and personalities evolve. A definite winner for me!

Author Bio:

Jenna Galicki is a strong advocate for LGBT rights and marriage equality. She volunteers with God's Love We Deliver, delivering meals to people with HIV and AIDS and other life threatening illnesses. She actively raises money and participates in AIDS Walk New York and is a proud sponsor of Children International.

She lives in Long Island, NY with her husband and three dogs. She's a Rottweiler enthusiast and an avid music buff. Elaborate stories and fictional characters are her constant companions. When she's not hunched over a computer, you can find her front row at a rock concert.

Follow Jenna Galicki, she would love to hear from you:

www.jennagalicki.com

Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/jennagalicki.author1

Facebook friend request: www.facebook.com/authorjennagalicki

Twitter: @jennagalicki

www.jealousythebook.com