enemies to lovers

Never stop learning

PLEASE WELCOME MY GUEST LISABET SARAI!!!

Take it away, Lisabet!

My bio says that I’ve been writing all my life, and that’s pretty much true. I was penning stories and poems when I was in early elementary school. By high school I’d branched out to novels and plays. Though I’ve also done drawing and painting, sculpture and dance, words have always been my preferred instrument for creation. And to be honest, I grew up believing that I had significant writing talent.

The more I write, though, the more I realize how much I still have to learn.

Total-E-Bound, an English indie publisher focused on erotic romance, brought out the first edition of Getaway Girl way back in 2008. This was only my third or fourth tale written specifically for a romance audience. At that time, I knew almost nothing about the genre and its conventions. (Until I signed with TEB, I’d considered myself an author of erotica.) I spent quite a bit of time reading the work of my fellow TEB authors, trying to grasp the essence of this new category of fiction and to translate that into my own stories. My editors also did not hesitate to point out areas where common aspects of erotica just wouldn’t work for romance readers.

By 2008 I’d concluded that in every romance: 1) there had to be a sense of inevitability to the connection between the hero and heroine, an attraction that might seem to make no sense but which could not be denied; 2) the couple had to at least discuss commitment; 3) the sex (this was erotic romance after all) had to be more than just casual – there should be a sense of fitting or rightness, a connection that transcended the physical.

I tried to implement these conclusions in writing of Getaway Girl. The story was accepted and published, but was never particularly popular. I went on to write a lot more romance, getting better at it over time.

Last year I reclaimed the rights to the story so that I could self-publish it, and a few months ago I set myself the task of re-editing the piece in preparation. I really hadn’t looked at it for more than a decade.

I was appalled by how clumsy and stereotyped it seemed.

Inconsistencies in character and in plot were only part of the problem. There were also long passages of purple prose, most especially in the sex scenes. I posted the tale in my critique group and discovered there were also plentiful anachronisms and inaccuracies related to its historical period (contemporary) and British setting. (The story was originally targeted for an anthology entitled Bound Brits, so it had to take place in the U.K.)

I subjected the story to possibly the most thorough revision I’ve ever done on any of my work. I won’t say that it’s unrecognizable, but I probably modified at least 25% of the text. In the fourteen years since the first revision I’ve learned a lot, both about romance and about writing in general. Practice does make perfect; I’ve published nearly one hundred titles since that early attempt, both romance and erotica. This second edition of Getaway Girl is orders of magnitude better than the original.

But maybe I shouldn’t use the word “perfect”, because in truth, as long as we authors are writing, we are learning all the time. I’m about to revisit my first novel, preparing an expanded twenty-fifth anniversary edition for release sometime this year. This will be the fifth version of Raw Silk. I have no doubt it will be the best.

Our story:

Be careful what you wish for

All Peg wants is a break, a bit of adventure, a relief from her mundane existence in the bucolic but boring Yorkshire hamlet of Kirkby Malzeard. When dashing, sophisticated journalist Lionel Hayes saunters into the pub where she’s tending bar, Peg suspects that he was just the sort of man to fulfill her fantasies of escape.

The seductive Lionel, however, is not what he seems. Before she knows it, Peg is a hostage, roped and gagged, speeding away from the scene of a daring crime. Lionel is armed and dangerous, but somehow Peg still wants him – regardless of the consequences.

Note: This book was originally published in 2015 by Totally Bound. This second edition has been substantially revised and has a new ending.

EXCERPT:

“What are you doing here, if I might ask?”

“Me? Oh, I’m a journalist. I’m doing a story on the find and its historical implications.”

Peg felt a twinge of suspicion. “The press conference was yesterday.”

“My car broke down halfway from London. I spent last night in a town even tinier than this one.” His smile was charming, apologetic. Peg’s uneasiness melted away.

He leaned towards her across the bar, putting his hand over hers. “That’s why I appreciate your help, in giving me the information I need.”

His skin was warm and smooth, none of the calluses of a manual labourer. Not like the farmers Peg had occasionally dated here, before she gave up on finding a man in her home village. He ran one fingertip up and down in the sensitive crease between Peg’s thumb and forefinger. The light touch was enough to turn her nipples to aching knots and trigger a throbbing between her legs.

She caught a hint of his scent, a balsam-laced aftershave or cologne that simultaneously conveyed masculinity and refinement. His forefinger ventured higher, stroking the back of her wrist, a gesture both delicate and bold. Her pussy clenched as though he were massaging her down there, instead of merely brushing a casual finger across her hand.

She stared at the bar, blushing, angry with herself for being so susceptible. Finally, she managed to raise her head and meet his eyes, which were a stormy hazel colour.

“What paper are you from?”

“Oh, I write for an upmarket travel rag. I doubt that you would’ve heard of it. This story should enhance the romance and mystery of your already delightful village. I expect you’ll see a surge in tourists after publication.”

“You should interview Peter Lofthouse. He’s been mayor for the last dozen years.”

“I have the feeling that I’m talking to a real authority right now. Lived here a long time, haven’t you?”

She bristled. How did he know that? Maybe because she seemed such a country bumpkin. “I spent some time in London, but I had to come back. Family problems.”

“Sorry to hear that…” He scanned her chest, seeking a name tag. Peg felt as though he were fondling her breasts instead of just looking at them. Could he see the swollen tips, pushing up through her soft green jumper?

“I’m Peg,” she said, snatching her hand from his and reaching for the bar rag. “And you?”

He bowed slightly. “Lionel Hayes, at your service. But I’ll bet you’re really Margaret, right? It’s much more musical, more sophisticated. It suits you.”

He was clearly trying to flatter her. She didn’t really mind. “Lionel—sounds like an aristocratic playboy from the nineteen twenties. Nobody’s named Lionel anymore.”

The journalist laughed again, soft and intimate, sending the blood rushing again to Peg’s cheeks as well as to other body parts. He drained the last of his pint, then reclaimed her hand. “I’ve got to go. But it’s been pleasure to meet you, Margaret. Perhaps I’ll mention you in my article.”

Buy Links

Kinky Literature – https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/1587-getaway-girl-/

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2WM4BXR

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D2WM4BXR

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1557686

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/getaway-girl-lisabet-sarai/1103185498

Kobo  – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/getaway-girl-10

Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6499560218

Add on Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212364347-getaway-girl

Add on BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/books/getaway-girl-by-lisabet-sarai-2024-05-03

About Lisabet

Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, LGBTQ, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website (http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html), along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com), she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. She’s also on Goodreads, BookBub and Twitter. Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh


Pride and Prejudice at The Cat Café: a Furrever Friends Sweet Romance

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a fortune should donate to a cat rescue.

Liz is happy about her friend’s potential romance but less impressed with Carl’s best friend, William. He seems stuffy and rude, and worst of all, he doesn’t like cats.  Meanwhile, William is intrigued by Liz even though every one of their interactions seems to go awry, in part due to his terrible cat allergy.

For the sake of their friends and the animals, the two figure out how to get along – until Liz learns some horrible facts about William. But is she trusting the right person? Then the feisty kitten Lydia disappears – perhaps stolen – and they have to overcome their differences in order to rescue her.

The Furrever Friends Cat Café helps people find furry forever friends – and just might lead to romantic love too. This Pride and Prejudice modern adaptation features fresh twists to delight both fans and new readers.

Visit the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series on Amazon US orAmazon UK or see the series with links to all retailers.

“I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story is fun and I had several laugh-out-loud moments – really out loud! It also passed the ‘I’m awake in the middle of the night so I’ll read test’ because then I stayed up for 4 – 5 hours reading and didn’t actually sleep.” – reader review

Overworked PhD student Liz and her friend Jade visit the local cat café. Sparks fly between Jade and Carl, while snark flies between Liz and William. For their friends’ sakes, the two manage to get along – until Liz hears something horrible about William. But is she trusting the right person? Then the feisty kitten Lydia is stolen, and they have to overcome their differences in order to rescue her. This Pride and Prejudice modern adaptation, set at a cat café, features fresh twists to delight both fans and new readers.

EXCERPT: On Sunday morning, Liz closed her computer and rubbed her throbbing forehead. Jade had been singing for the last hour. It was like living with freaking Cinderella, the Disney version where she had all the animal friends and was unfailingly cheerful when she should have been enraged by her mistreatment.

But Liz would not go into a rant in her own mind. What was the point of arguing with someone who agreed with you?

Anyway, apparently Jade had a reason for singing. Carl had liked her business proposal. Carl understood that while the local cat rescue was on sound footing, it didn’t have the resources to handle special needs cats. Carl loved cats. Carl, Carl, Carl.

Liz had to smile, seeing her friend so giddy. She just hoped Carl was the sincere and not merely showing enthusiasm because he wanted to impress Jade long enough to get her into bed. If he was playing games, Liz would have to destroy him, and she didn’t have time for that. But he’d seemed nice enough.

Once she’d shaken off her annoyance at the cat-hater and the squealing girl desperately trying to attract him, Liz had watched Jade and Carl with great interest. The chemistry between them had been off the charts. Liz might have envied Jade for that too.

Not that she envied her best friend for anything. She wanted wonderful things for Jade, and Liz didn’t have time for a relationship anyway, or know anyone interesting, so …

Wait, what had she been thinking about?

Jade hit a particularly high note.

Oh, right. Good chemistry.

Liz chuckled and headed to the kitchen to refill her coffee. She was pretty sure she’d already taken the last cup, but if she was lucky, Jade would have started a second pot. She found Jade scrubbing the counters as she sang. Liz scowled at the coffee maker, or more specifically the empty space where the glass pot should be. The dishwasher was running; apparently Jade had decided to wash the coffee pot as part of her enthusiastic cleaning binge. Freaking Cinderella.

Author bio

Kris Bock writes romance, mystery, and suspense. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. In the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranching family wins a billion-dollar lottery. Can they build new dreams and find love amidst the chaos? In the Accidental Detective humorous mystery series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. Learn more at KrisBock.com. Get a free 30-page story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for Kris Bock’s Romance and Mystery newsletter. You’ll also get a printable copy of “22 recipes from the cat café” and a free Accidental Detective mystery short story with bonus material.

Kris also writes a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The Felony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie. The series starts with Felony Melanie in Pageant Pandemonium. Sign up for their romantic comedy newsletter and get Felony Melanie Destroys the Moonshiner’s Cabin. Or find the books on Amazon US or All E-book retailers.

Why Felicity?

PLEASE WELCOME Canadian author FRANK TALABER! Take it away, Frank==and yeah, why Felicity??

You hear the phrase all the time; “it’s a man’s world”. Only sometimes it’s not. We can’t do the one most profound thing in all of humanity. Give birth. Okay, we have a part in it, obviously. But it’s a very small part.

            I’m sure there are very many other examples, but the fact is there are a lot of areas

where being a woman is the best thing in the world. Now I know you will think this is a trivial point, but what about romance? We are very bad at it. We really have to learn about it and work at it. Apparently, we are even very bad at writing about it.

            Booking into a romance writing convention in Calgary, the lovely lady receptionist was looking for my name tag and it was taking a while. The other lady bumped her arm and said, “he’s the other guy registered here.”

            “Just the two of us?” I asked.

            “Yeah. Bit of an unknown having even one, y’know. Most guys can’t do romance, let alone write it. Or want to write it!”

Julia-Rae is a highly talented businesswoman who runs a very successful travel magazine; editor, marketing, layout, she does it all. Even the photoshoots, this one in particular at the heady location of Machu Picchu. (So here is the main need for the re-write; cameras. Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds and the very well-written scene of Julia-Rae struggling to change the 35mm film in full Mexican sunlight was, sadly, left on the cutting-room floor.)

Whilst at said shoot, she meets a handsome, crazy man that sweeps her off her feet. Literally. Especially when he takes her bungee jumping (although she does get her revenge later by insisting he attend a cross-dressing party with her, but that’s another story.)

They begin to quickly fall for each other but there is a problem. Both have pasts; pasts that mean neither of them was looking for love so of course it just falls into their laps. Or does it? Julia-Rae is skeptical of his feelings when she finds out he is after something very precious to her. So, was their meeting high on a remote mountainside truly spontaneous? Or was there a sinister reason for it. Well, you’ll just have to enter their world to find out!

So that’s the beginning of the writing life of Felicity Talisman. Frank Talaber (me. As me!) has ventured into many other genres; urban fantasy, crime thrillers, spiritual thrillers (one based on science fiction), comedy, erotica and some non-fiction, basically everything except westerns (although I can dance Gangnam style, does that count?).

Very many times I’ve thought of hanging up my pencil, as it were. I was at that point a few years ago. Well, 398 rejections is an awful lot to take. But then I read a story. A true story. A mother who frequented a warm, dry café somewhere in England, nursing one cup of lukewarm coffee. She graduated from university, but just seven short years later, she had suffered a failed marriage, was jobless and with a small child dependent upon her. Well it is no wonder she was suffering clinical depression and sometimes, in the wee small hours when sleep eluded her, she even contemplated suicide. But despite all of this she knew in her heart she was a writer. How easy it would have been for her to give up and then the world would never have met Harry Potter.

Further research found other similar stories. War and Peace, the great literary classic by Leo Tolstoy, was rejected by over a hundred publishers before it was accepted.

If it weren’t for perseverance, Stephen King’s Carrie would not have seen the light of day. He dumped it into the trash along with the words, “I give up. I’m going to stick to being a teacher.”

Although the perseverance in question was not his but his wife’s. “You tell me you’re a writer. Dust off that blown, crumpled and withered ego and put it out there. AGAIN.”

The very next publisher accepted the book, otherwise only the children of some Eastern American state would know him at all, and then only as a stuffy English teacher.

Dr. Seuss of Cat in the Hat fame did give up. Fortunately for him, he left his rough draft to be found by a fellow during a house party, who just happened to work at a publishing house. The rest is simply Green Eggs and Ham.

So, I persevere. Several of my novels have been picked up, and Felicity Talisman has now been accepted by a publishing house. So, although I am not yet up there with the Rowlings and Kings, I will be one day. Just gotta keep going!

OUR STORY:

She only wanted Not to fall in love with him. He only wanted to steal her company.

Roy only wanted to seduce Julia-Rae and convince her to sell him her company.  Julia-Rae wanted to shut him out of her heart like every other man that ever got close. Only what do you do when you fall in madly in love with the enemy and the enemy with you.

Will the dark secrets they hold tear them apart or bring them closer together?

A romance novel for women seeking, love, marriage and family while fulfilling the adventures of their heartfelt desires and dreams. 

BIO:

Born on the wild Canadian prairies but tired of the winter months in Edmonton, Frank immigrated to the more temperate cedar forests of coastal British Columbia. Yes, they get snow in Chilliwack during the winter months, and on that odd occasion Frank is forced to search out the snow shovel, dust off the cobwebs and have a go. At the snow, not the cobwebs.

His run-of-the-mill day job of auto technician/service advisor seems at odds with being an inspired, off-the-wall, author, but his zest for life, the environment, and the little muses that won’t let his pencil stay still, spring from his mother’s Hungarian ancestry. It’s the Gypsy blood, he says, which pounds through his veins with wild abandon, driving him to the realms of fantasy.

This is the muse inside, the essence of Frank Talaber.

People who have read Frank’s books describe him as a natural storyteller who writes like his soul is on fire and his pencil is his voice screaming. They go further to say that they find his books grabbingly intense and hilarious at times, screaming everyday life from such a realistic viewpoint you’re drawn into his world, hook, line and plum bob, unable to stop; almost cursing that they can’t set the book down, page after page.  Frank takes great pride in the realism of his work, painstakingly visiting most of the locations, (obviously, only the “real-life” ones!) and he is so thorough that many readers have remarked that they can hear, taste, visualize, smell and feel the essence of the place. “It really is like being there” one remarked. There isn’t a greater compliment to be made.

His tagline is Canada’s Foremost Off-beat Author (also the name of his YouTube channel; check it out for his witty and informative videos) who writes in urban fantasy, science fiction, crime, spiritual, romance, erotica and comedy genres. Well, anything that comes to him, basically! Except westerns. Although he does like to ride Gangnam style; does that count?

Literature written almost beyond genres, whose compelling thoughts are freed from the depths of the heart and subconscious before being poured onto the page. Or, as he often says, “you don’t have to be mad to be a writer, but it sure helps”.

Email: twosoulmates@shaw.ca 

My webpage https://franktalaberpublishedauthor.wordpress.com

My novels on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/stores/Frank-Talaber/author/B00UC407R0

My Youtube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx5ki4gpdokN-9KAIZzu53w

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/franktalaber

Twitter

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-talaber-6a594481

Ebooks on Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Frank38

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/franktalaber58

tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@franktalaber

Meet Levi Bradshaw from Tender Misdemeanors

The magical forests of the Bitterroot.

Levi Bradshaw grew up among these trees, and some feel like old friends. That’s why he risks incarceration and worse with his small band of eco-warriors, putting nails and spikes in the trees so loggers won’t cut them down. His group is made up of many young men, and he takes responsibility for every one, mentoring them into a force to be reckoned with.

It seemed harmless enough, until some other folk joined his little group, others with ties to the larger white supremacist, Patriot movement in western Montana and Idaho. Ron Ranning was their ringleader, and he seemed determined to turn Levi’s small protest into another Ruby Ridge.

Unfortunately, Levi doesn’t have a lot of backup. His parents bought this huge old house, intending to make it into a bed and breakfast for the winter ski crowd in Whitefish and surrounding vacation spots, but they both passed before they could make the dream come true. Levi’s brother Zane bailed after their parents’ death, going to law school and establishing himself in California. Levi’s best friend in the group, Alex Sullivan, had disappeared, and Levi was on his own.

His consulting work manages to keep him afloat, and he’s finishing the house bit by bit as he gets jobs. His companions there are Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern, a pair of Rhodesian Ridgeback brothers who have grown up with him, and a pointer named Ophelia, who he rescued after someone injured her on the road outside his house.

Things are only beginning to swerve out of control when his group is targeted by the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the national forests and gives permission for logging interests to cut trees. The monkeywrenching Levi’s been doing is against the law, and he knows it’s only a matter of time before they catch up with him.

What he doesn’t expect is the arrival of Caryn Orlane, the BLM officer who finds them at work one afternoon. A mutual staredown at gunpoint is a rough introduction, but he comes to see she actually understands what he’s doing. They both agree the more violent agenda of the Patriot group is something that should be dealt with first.

Levi is attacked by his own people, and realizes he needs Caryn, first as an ally, then as a lover. When she joins him, things only get worse on every side. As the death and destruction spiral, the two wonder if there is a way to survive the madness, and how they can uphold the law and still remain together. If not, they’ll lose each other forever.

Here’s the story:

Caryn Orlane has law enforcement in her blood; her father was a cop, and his father, too. She’s a federal agent in northwest Montana, protecting the old forests and keeping the peace.

Levi Bradshaw also believes in protecting the forests, but has a very different MO. He’s the leader of a group of eco-warriors, determined to save the trees of the Bitterroot by legal—and illegal—means.

When they meet in the woods at gunpoint, their encounter ignites a spark of interest, despite operating on opposite sides of the law. When their worlds turn on them, they only grow closer. If they don’t work together, can either survive?

More information and purchase information: https://alana-lorens.com/tender-misdemeanors/

Exciting book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlVFvMZw0a0&t=63s

Meet Brianna Ward from Voodoo Dreams!
Copyright: svyatkovsky

Brianna Ward travels to New Orleans to let go of so many vexations in her personal and professional life, hoping that the ultimate street party of Mardi Gras would take her “away.” In an exotic city, among strangers, she could let her hair down a little, hide behind a mask, and recharge.

A shiver of frustration ran through her, picking up her pace. She practically ran the three blocks to St. Charles Avenue, where streetcars ran from the west side of the city to downtown for a dollar and a quarter each way. Just as other travelers had done since the 1830s, riding these historical and picturesque cars through the streets under a canopy of broad live oak branches, added a special dimension to the aspect of this vacation as getaway from her normal world. She needed a chance to let go.

Not only because of the Dellenbach antics, though finding one of his cronies practically across the hall certainly dampened her outlook. Her daily modus operandi dictated that she lived with a fist clenched around all the loose ends of her day, hopefully choking the life out of them. Control of everything—her life, her job, her cases—this was how she functioned best.

When her big trial goes bad, corporate attorney Brianna Ward can’t wait to get out of Pittsburgh. The Big Easy seems like the perfect place to rest, relax, and forget about the legal business. Too bad an obnoxious—but handsome—lawyer from a rival firm is checking into the same bed and breakfast.

 Attorney Evan Farrell has Mardi Gras vacation plans too. When he encounters fiery and attractive Brianna, however, he puts the Bourbon Street party on hold. He’d much rather devote himself to her—especially when a mysterious riddle appears in her bag, seeming to threaten danger.

Strangely compelled to follow the riddle’s clues, Brianna is pulled deeper into the twisted schemes of a voodoo priest bent on revenge. To escape his poisonous web, she must work with Evan to solve the curse. But is the growing love they feel for each other real? Or just a voodoo dream?

https://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=309668

Buy now!   on         Amazon       Barnes and Noble