Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Tuesday Shameless Promotion

Hey all,

It's Tuesday, so you know what that means.  A bit of shameless promotion for you all.  This week I'm bringing you the sequel to Don't Spank the Vamp.  Don't Tempt the Phoenix is honestly one of my favorite books I've written.  It's also a reader favorite.  I've gotten more fan letters about this one than any book I've written, other than The Mylari Chronicles: Eyes of Fire.

Anyway, let me share a little about this book.  A little bit of legend, a little bit of heat and a whole lot of romance.

A perfect love sought through the centuries…an ancient evil sworn to prevent it at all costs.

Aithne has spent her life living for her brother. Now that he’s found his twin flame, she’s free from her duty as his familiar. She plans to relish every moment—and search for a soulmate of her own who will match the longing that burns in her heart. For now, a traveling carnival looks like the perfect vehicle to find the adventure she craves. Starting with the carnival’s handsome and enigmatic owner.

Milcham Phoenix hides a secret behind the carnival’s dazzling distractions. As the only creature in Paradise who didn’t fall into sin, he is unique…and lonely. For centuries he has searched for the one woman whose beauty, spirit and passion tempt him to open his heart. No one has come close—until Aithne.

The fire within them burns out of control. But before they have the courage to share their true feelings with each other, evil attacks, and painful secrets are exposed. Truth is the one thing that will overcome an ancient enemy…and the one thing their love may not survive.

~~~REVIEWS~~~

Simply sizzling.  A wild emotional ride.  Steamy and delightful, this one is a scorcher.
~~~Ck2s Kwips and Kritiques

Prosaic, almost poetic, and never dull, DON'T TEMPT THE PHOENIX reads like an old legend.   I give it the highest recommendation possible, La Grande Mort.
~~~RRTE

A wild, passionate story full of multi-faceted characters, a compelling storyline and tight writing.
~~~Love Romances & More

An erotic joyride of monumental proportions.  Masterful storytelling with characters that grip you and don't let go.
~~~Romance Junkies

Wholeheartedly recommended.  A fantastic reading experience with richly detailed and believable characters.
~~~Long and Short Reviews


~~~EXCERPT~~~


“Do you have a question to ask?”
He frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“You may ask a question of the cards and they will answer. Or, you may just allow the cards to speak to you. Either way will work fine.”
His brow furrowed in thought. “I will ask a question.”
She nodded, and fanned the cards out on the table. “Speak it out loud.”
Milcham stared at her. It couldn’t be just anything. It had to be something he alone would know the answer to. After a moment of thought, he smiled. “I wish you to tell me where I came from.”
Aithne tipped her head in thought. “You mean where you were born?”
He folded his arms across his muscular chest and grinned. “Exactly what I said. Where did I come from?”
There was a trick to it somewhere. Aithne knew it immediately. He was trying to trip her up. She took a slow breath to calm her nerves and steady her thrumming heart. She held her hands out over the cards and prayed for guidance. Then, lifting the cards in her hands, she began to deal.
“Since you don’t know anything about Tarot cards…” she glanced up at the silent man. “You don’t, do you?”
“No,” he grunted.
“Then I will make it easy. First off, the cards can’t tell you the exact place you came from. They aren’t created to do that. What they will do is tell you about where and how you came. Do you understand?”
“I thought you could tell me my past and future.”
Aithne shook her head and the tent filled with the sound of jingling bells. “I can tell you only what the cards tell me. But they will speak about your past, and where you came from, this I promise.”
  She cut the cards into three piles. “With your left hand, choose a single card and lay it before you.”
“Just one?”
She nodded. “We will start with a simple single card spread. If you want to continue after that, we can do another.”
He smirked and leaning forward, picked up a card. “There will be no need.” Tossing it down in front of him, he frowned. “So…what is it?”
Aithne stared at the card before him. A tiny shiver went up her back and she took a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she tried to listen to the voice inside her that helped her read the cards. “It is The Judgment card. It symbolizes many things.”
“Like what?”
Her eyes opened and they were very green in the low candlelight. “You have placed the card in an upright position so they represent awakening, renewal, a well lived life, better health, or a quickened mind.”
She touched the card gently. “In your case I see long life and renewal. A rebirth if you like.” 
Milcham was shaken by her words. To cover, he cleared his throat. “What does that have to do with where I came from?”
She licked her lips, causing his body to tighten again. “I believe…where you came from has to do with the journey you are on. You look for renewal…for your body and your…heart. Where you came from is tied up in this.” Her eyes met his. “I am correct, am I not?”
“I don’t believe any single card,” he bluffed, uncomfortable with how accurate she was about him. “Do another.”
He could tell she was suppressing a smile, but he was very curious now. He leaned forward and waited while she shuffled the deck. At her nod he reached out and picked another card, setting it gingerly in front of him. His neck prickled as he looked at the picture. “What is this one?”
Looking up at him, her face was a study in amazement. “It is The Six of Swords. It represents a journey, a passage away from sorrow where harmony will prevail.” She caressed the card with one long fingertip. “Basically, it is saying the same thing to me. You are on a journey to find yourself. Where there once was sadness, soon you will find joy.”
Milcham’s throat closed up. Could this be true? Was this witch speaking the truth? How else could she know this?
Aithne gathered up the cards quietly. “I will do one more reading for you. Then you will tell me if you think I’m still evil.” Without waiting for his answer, she shuffled the cards again and with her left hand, she laid them out in the same three piles.
“Use your left hand and choose three cards, from any pile. Lay them in front of you left to right, one at a time.”
Silently, he obeyed until three cards stared up at him. “Tell me what it means.”
“This spread represents your past, your present and your future,” she said tightly. Looking at the cards made her somehow frightened. “I can tell you the meaning of each card, or I can tell you what I see in them.”
“Both.”
She sighed. Her heart was beating very fast. She tapped the first one with her finger. “This is your past. You have chosen The Sun card, but it is upside down. It can mean loneliness and unhappiness, lack of friends or loved ones. What I see is you…on your own. Not just once…” she frowned at the card. “But over and over again. As if you lived many lifetimes, yet always alone.”
“The next one?” His voice was hoarse.
Aithne swallowed. She smoothed her thumb over the next card. “This next card is your present. This is The Eight of Cups, and it is also reversed. It is another card that signifies journeys. More specifically, it speaks of a search for pleasure, seeking joy or success, a new love interest.” 
She glanced up at the big man and blushed. “You seek a woman. But, not just any woman. She is special. And you will search until you find her.”
Milcham’s body was so tight, it hurt. He stared at the small woman before him, not knowing whether he should curse her or kiss her. He stared at the last card and a tingle went up his spine. “And this card?”
She bit her lip again, but this time he was concentrating on the cards too much to notice. “This is your future, and this card is The World. It is a good card to get, Mr. Phoenix.”
“It is?”
She nodded, pleasure in her voice. “It means completion, perfection, recognition, success, fulfillment, triumph, and eternal life.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “I see…” her voice became very low, yet it kept its husky musical tone. “I see you are from a far away place. I don’t understand why, but, this place is your home, and you love it, yet you feel trapped. I see you there again and again. It’s like looking at the same picture superimposed on top of itself.”
She tipped her head, as if waiting for something. “You are sad and alone, and then you are allowed to leave to travel the world on a quest for…for love.” Her eyes popped open and met his. “You seek your soulmate,” she said in an amazed whisper. “Your twin-flame.”
Milcham jumped to his feet. “How do you know this?” He leaned over and grabbed her by the arms, jostling the table as he did so.
She stood very still, her eyes wide in her exotic face. “You’re hurting me!”
Immediately, he let go of her. In all his life, he’d never used force with a woman. “I’m sorry, I…” he trailed off when he saw her look down at the table and the color in her face drain away. Without thinking, he grabbed her again, this time to steady her.
“Aithne,” he urged, his hands running up and down in an unconscious effort to steady her. “What is wrong?”
Freeing herself, she pointed to his cards. The jostling of the table revealed a second card beneath the card marking his future. Milcham frowned. “They must have stuck together. So what?”
Aithne sat down hard in her chair. Shakily, she touched the card. “A second card means your future is unsure. Your destiny is still to be written. The first card in this pile speaks of success, of triumph and eternal life.” She hesitated.
Milcham felt another shiver go up his back. “And the second?”
She didn’t speak for several long moments. Then she sighed. “The second card…is The Death card.”
That chill went straight up his back and shot deep into his chest. “The Death card? What does it mean?”
She lifted worried eyes to him. “Just what you think. In the way it is positioned, and partnered with this other card, it means loss, failure, illness, bad luck or even…death.  You have two possible futures Mr. Phoenix. You will either succeed in what you have been doing, and find the soulmate you seek, or…you will die.”
For a long time he didn’t move, his mind and body stilled by her words. Then his temper rolled up and out of him.
“You think you can frighten me into allowing you to stay,” he roared, his voice making the crystals that hung from the ceiling shiver at his wrath. “You dare such a thing? Is this the type of help you plan on giving the locals? This witch’s carnival trick?”
Aithne gaped at him, totally shocked at his twisted reasoning. “I gave you a reading. One you know very well was accurate,” she shouted back, her own temper flaring. “I’ve been doing this long enough to see the truth on someone’s face.”
“You know nothing,” he snarled.
“I know you’re a coward. You know I spoke the truth to you, and you’re afraid to admit it. I honored our agreement! Will you?”
He swore aloud. “We made no agreement! You wanted to do a reading, and I said yes. That was all.”
She thought her head would blow off in her fury. Never had she been so angry before. “You…you bastard! You liar! You have no honor!”
Milcham swept the cards off the table. “You challenge my integrity? How dare you?”
Flinging her long hair back, Aithne stood her ground. “I dare because it’s the truth!”
“I want you gone by sun-up!”
“I have a contract,” she spat at him. “And I’m not going anywhere!”
He took a step forward, his jaw clenching and unclenching, but still for some reason, she wasn’t afraid. Instead, there was an excitement in her that didn’t make any sense. She watched with luminous eyes as he brought himself under control, and then turning on his heel, marched out of her tent.
Suddenly, all the fight went out of Aithne, and she sank to the ground. She stared after the man who had sent her senses racing. Part of her still seethed at his attitude towards her, hating him, yet another part…a gentler one, knew there was something more.
Slowly, she gathered the cards that had fallen around the table. She methodically shuffled them, and held them to her breast as she prayed. Then, setting the stack of precious cards on her flowing skirt, she blew out her breath in a sigh.
“Who…” she whispered. “Who will this man be to me?”
Taking a deep breath, she reached out and turned over the top card. The breath rushed out of her in one long woosh.
The card was The Lovers.

~~~End of Excerpt~~~


Well, I hope that whetted your appetite.  Want to read more?  Buy either the ebook or the hard copy at Samhain Publishing.  https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/1975/dont-tempt-the-phoenix . And please let me know what you think!  Enjoy!!!!

Hugs,

CJ England












Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/luckbealady/luckbealady.htm

Friday, June 26, 2015

Summer Blockbusters or Summer Disasters

Hey all,

How's your summer going so far?  Here in Columbus it's been rainy and gloomy most of the time. It's been decent warm wise, usually not going over the mid 80's.  Since my son in Florida was saying it was 102 degrees where he lived, we're counting ourselves lucky.

One of the favorite things we do in the summer is wait for the summer blockbusters.  So far this year we've seen Tomorrowland, which was pretty good. Since we lived in Orlando for a while, we're intimately acquainted with Disney World, and it was fun to see the different attractions and such in the movie.

We've also seen Mad Max (Jonathon did.  I refused.  It's the original or nothing for me!) He said it was okay.  Not as good as the original, but decent.

I went and saw San Andreas with The Rock--ummm, I mean Dwayne Johnson. (isn't that like re-naming Pluto and saying it isn't a planet?) Anyway, I watched it and loved it.  But then I adore disaster movies.  Syfy afternoons were one of my favorites!  LOL

But, of course, the big one everyone was waiting for was Jurassic World. Since this is one of my all time favorite franchises, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I wanted it to be as good as the first one, but I really didn't expect that.  

My memories of Jurassic Park are some of my best.  We were living in Australia when it came out, and I can remember going into the theatre, so excited about seeing this awesome movie.  My sons were sitting on either side of me and they were like six and four at the time.  My main memory of that time is Jeramiah and Jasiah burying their heads in my armpits during the scene where the T-Rex is attacking the kids in the car.  And when it's chasing the jeep down the road, they were both almost in my lap.  LOL  They tease each other about that memory all the time.

So I wasn't expecting Jurassic World to be as good, having that memory in the back of my mind. But, I have to say I was VERY pleasantly surprised. Jurassic World was in a word...

AWESOME!!!!!

It was very much as exciting as the first one, with great suspense, nasty dinos and a light love story in the background.  The movie starts up after the last three finished.  It is now some years later and the park is reopened with thousands coming in daily.

And of course, everything goes horribly wrong.  LOL

Anyway, I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet, but do. Go see it.  And if you can, make sure you go see it in 3D Big Screen IMAX.  It does make a difference.  And let me know what you think.  I'd like to know if you liked it as much as I did.

Until then, have a great rest of your June.  Enjoy the summer, whether you go to the movies or not!

I'll see you next week.


Hugs,

CJ England












Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/luckbealady/luckbealady.htm

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Tuesday Shameless Promotion

Hey all,

Another Tuesday, another day of tooting my horn!  LOL  This week's offering is one of my series published by Samhain.  I love this series and according to my readers, they love it too!  If you haven't picked up a copy, do so and let me know what you think.

Here's a little about it.  DON'T SPANK THE VAMP.  The first book in The Don't Series.  Sensual Paranormal/Fantasy Romance!!!

Dawn is so focused on making a name for herself in the art world, her personal life has fallen into a rut. She spends far more time with her hands in clay than on a man. Then her friends liven things up by taking her to a toy shop for her birthday. A very different kind of toy shop for special sexual games. And there’s more than sexy entertainment on the shelves—a fortune teller says Dawn’s destiny awaits if only she will reach out and take it.

Aidan is a vampire who has existed for over a century searching for his one true soulmate, his twin-flame. One look at Dawn takes Aidan’s breath away. One kiss later, he knows she is the one woman who will sustain him forever—if he can convince her to walk with him on the wild side.

Dawn responds to his inspiration better than he could have hoped. Then she goes one toy too far…


~~REVIEWS~~

Emotions pour out on every page and DON'T SPANK THE VAMP makes one believe in the supernatural power of love.~~~Ecataromance Sensual

One heck of a spicy romance.  CJ England takes readers deep into the very sexy and emotional world of vampires.  A Recommended Read~~~Ck2s Kwips and Kritiques

Hot, Hot, Hot! This book was steamy and sexy from the start to the finish.~~~Literary Nymphs

A hot sexy story with characters to die for.  Soul stirring, yet with a fast paced storyline that will melt your heart.~~~Love Romances & More

An instantly addictive book.  Be sure to have a fire extinguisher handy~~~Romance Junkies


~~And How About an Excerpt!!!~~


   Aidan hadn’t yet released Dawn’s hand. When she surreptitiously tried to tug it away, he just smiled and held on tighter. He wasn’t about to let her go now that he had her. Besides, she was staring at him with the oddest look on her face.
   “Is there something wrong?”
   “I would love to get my hands on you,” she muttered.
   His pulse spiked at her words. His cock, already stiff just from being near her, gave a hard throb in reaction. “I beg your pardon?”
   Dawn went bright red. She groaned when she realized she’d spoken her thoughts out loud. She’d been distracted, recognizing the reason he’d seemed familiar was she had seen him before…in Aithne. So much for her artist’s eyes. “Uhhh…”
   Sam giggled. “She wants to use you.”
   “Sam!”
   Aidan looked back and forth between them. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
   Sighing, Dawn knew she’d have to explain. “Your sister told you I was an artist?” At his nod, she went on. “I’m a sculptor. Sometimes it’s easier to sculpt if you’ve been hands-on with the subject. To get a feel for what you want the work to look like.” She looked even more embarrassed. “But sometimes I get so caught up in the process of figuring things out, planning what I’m going to do, I just speak without thinking.”
   A sexy smile curved his lips, and he raised her hand to his lips again. “I’ll bet you have wonderful hands. You are more than welcome to use them on me any time you wish.”
   Dawn’s mouth dropped open, and she couldn’t even respond. Had this gorgeous man just tried to hit on her? Apparently her friends thought so, because they faded away into the crowd, leaving her and Aidan alone.
   “I hear you had a reading today.”
   Dawn swallowed, hoping she could talk. All her nerves were dancing at his touch. “Ummm…yes. Your sister read tarot cards for me.”
   “And did she tell you things that pleased you?”
   “It was a good reading. Somewhat confusing.”
   Aidan lifted a dark brow. “Confusing? How so?”
   She blushed. “Oh, she just said some things that were impossible right now. That’s all.”
   “Anything is possible if you want it enough.” He finally dropped her hand, leaving her bereft of his touch. “Life is full of possibilities.”
   Dawn grinned. “Well, I must say I hope her prediction about my art comes true. I could use a little help there.”
   “I would like to see your work. Will you show it to me?”
   She blinked, surprised. “I guess. If you want to see it.”
   “I am interested in you, beautiful Dawn. Everything about you.”
   Staring at him, she wondered if she was dreaming. She’d never had a man like this interested in her. Ever. Yet everything about him drew her. It didn’t make sense. She didn’t act like this. Dawn wasn’t the type of woman who believed in lust at first sight. But this man made her panties wet and her breasts throb. She wanted to get to know him better, but there was a part of her that screamed she knew him already. This feeling confused the hell out of her.
   He smiled as if recognizing her uncertainty. “Are you all right?
   Dawn shook her head and changed the subject. “You said you were Aithne’s business partner?”
   Blinking at the obvious switch in conversation, his grin widened. “Yes. We both own Don’t Spank the Vamp together.”
   Dawn frowned. “It’s an unusual name. What does it mean?”
   Aidan grinned, and his emerald eyes darkened. “Just what it says.” He reached out and caressed her cheek. “Someday, I will explain further.”
   The touch of his hand on her made her knees go weak. She felt all melty inside and wavered between desire and fear. What was happening to her?
   “Dance with me.”
   She blinked and noticed music had started in the background. Several couples were already circling slowly in the center of the floor.
   “Please,” he murmured. “I want to hold you in my arms.”
   Unable to resist his plea or the emotion leaping inside of her at his words, she nodded mutely.  Aidan’s eyes flared with heat, and he took her hand, leading her out to where the other dancers were. Once there, he pulled her swiftly into his arms, molding his hard form against hers.
   Dawn couldn’t move…couldn’t breathe. If she’d been unsure before, she wasn’t any longer. Aidan was so close to her she felt every line of his body. Especially, the hard length of a truly impressive erection pressed against her stomach. She gulped as the full truth hit her square between the eyes.
He wanted her.
   Now the question was…what was she going to do about it?

~~*~~

Hope you enjoyed it!  And if by any chance you want more, do this.  Go to https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/1050/dont-spank-the-vamp to pick up this first book in an amazing ongoing series!  And if you want to hold the book in your hands, pick up an autographed paperback copy at http://www.cjengland.com/dont/buythisbook.htm.

Until next time!

Hugs,

CJ England














Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/luckbealady/luckbealady.htm


Friday, June 19, 2015

Signage Near and Far

Hey all,

A little fun today since my computer has been down with a HUGE reboot and cleaning.  I upgraded my Mac to Yosemite (still not sure I like it) and it takes bloody FOREVER to put things back to rights.

So if you haven't seen me around, that's why.  Way too much stuff to redo to get myself normal (or as close as possible) again.

Anyway, since I didn't have time to do much research for this blog, I thought some fun signage would be in order.  These first four are from Bern, Switzerland.  They gave me a chuckle or two.  Hope you enjoy!

While to the naked eye it looks as if this sign doesn't know if it's coming or going, it's actually a waderweg sign, showing the walking paths that traverse most of Switzerland.  The country is awesome about showing all the places you can walk.

Apparently, the name SCHMUCK is very common is this area of Europe.  But it sure made me do a double take, then double up with laughter!

Sign near the Bear Pits in Bern.  It's a wonder they allow you to breathe!!!!!!!!

My favorite signage in Bern.  I think every country should have it.  Set just outside one of the public toilets in Old Town, the figures crossing their legs needing to pee, really gave me a giggle.  The sign actually says, "Supervised WC System.  Here on the Mezzanine."


And now moving on to back home.  This sign was somewhere between Colorado and Ohio in a gas station.  While I'm all for trying something new, I refused to let Jonathan have any since it was only 7am.  I couldn't stomach the smell of them that early in the morning.  *bleah*

OMG.  The I Like Cheeseburger Kitties are taking over.  This was on a bag of pretzels!  LOL

Saw this funny sign as we were riding through the Ohio Amish country.  We so often mistake their faith for being too dour and serious.  This shows just what a great sense of humor they have.

And finally, right here in Columbus, we saw this sign as we were taking a bike ride.  I couldn't believe it.  Are Americans so clueless that they need a sign like this?  Apparently so.  Doesn't bode well for the future!!!


Well, there you have it!  I hope you enjoyed this weeks offering.  Stay tuned for more news in the upcoming weeks!  I'm baaaaacccckkkkk!!!!!!


Hugs,

CJ England












Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/luckbealady/luckbealady.htm

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Tuesday Shameless Self Promotion

Hey all,

It's Tuesday, so that means another bit of shameless self promotion with one of the books I enjoyed writing so very much.  Someday I'd like to write a sequel or two as well.  I get more fan letters about this book than any other.  If you haven't checked out this one, I encourage you to do so.  Ready?  Here's a bit about it!

The Faerie Mist Has Opened and the Prophecy Has Begun…
A world where elves battle ogres, and rock trolls hide precious talismans in their caverns. A place where a healer’s touch can mend more than a broken body. Where magick and love come together to create something very special…
Varol Thysi
A force of passion…the power of Soulmate Love

To purchase this book, go to...

***
Here are some reviews for this great fantasy romance

EYES OF FIRE is the most sensational book I have read this year. CJ England comes out swinging and definitely leaving my heart aching for the next in this series. Talia and Calion will leave you breathless. ~~~Recommended Read from Dark Angel Reviews

With the striking images in her stories, CJ England is able to craft novels which speak to the heart. Mere words cannot express the magnitude of THE MYLARI CHRONICLES: EYES OF FIRE in terms of rousing creativity.~~~5 Stars from Ecataromance

Just reading this first one about Prince Calion and Lady Talia had me so enthralled to it that I forgot to make dinner. CJ England is a genius in creating magical places and characters so memorable it’s hard to just forget about them.

~~~Recommended Read from Fallen Angel Reviews

You will be so eager to know what will happen next that you can't stop reading. Maybe the publisher should print a warning on the cover. "Caution: Read only if you are willing and able to read non-stop until the end." So please be aware that you will not be able to stop till you finish reading this book!
~~~5 cupids each for pleasure and plot from Cupid's Library Reviews

For all the great reviews, go to http://cjengland.com/mylari/eyesoffire.htm

To Read an Excerpt, go to http://cjengland.com/mylari/eyesoffireexcerpt.htm