Guest Blogger ~ Ashley Ladd

Title: Her Men

Publisher: Totally Bound

Genre: Contemporary Erotic male-female-male romance

Book Length: 22,000 words

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Dreaming, Day Dreaming, and Fantasizing

I dream a lot. Not only while I sleep but I day dream and fantasize lots during my waking hours. I mean I daze off while I’m doing other things…working, cooking, driving… Yikes!

Often I won’t let myself wake up because I’m in the middle of a dream, even if it’s a bad one. How do I know? I guess I’m on the verge of waking and dreaming at that point.

Some of my stories are the result of my dreams, day dreams, and fantasies.

I keep a dream journal to capture my dreams. I wish I could take the credit but it was my daughter’s idea. After I described some of my really weird awesome dreams to her, she suggested I jot them down before they flitted into never never land.

I don’t know about you, but a couple times, I woke up sobbing because the dreams were so intense. Luckily that hasn’t happened recently.

One particular dream visits me a lot, and that’s about an old boyfriend whom things didn’t work out with. However, things are quite different, usually better, in my dreams. Sometimes the dream gets extremely steamy. I doubt I’m the only one whom this has ever happened to. Otherwise songs wouldn’t have been written about this exact thing. Two that come to mind are ‘Dream Lover’ by Bobby Darrin and ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’ by the Everly Brothers.

My recently released story by Totally Bound, ‘Her Men’, is based on dreams. The heroine Julie has dreamed, day dreamed, and fantasized about the two men in her life that she has never forgotten. This has been going on for twenty years. Finally, when a reunion comes along she takes a chance to see if one or both not only remember her, but perhaps have dreamed about her too. She hopes so.

BLURB:

Forty-four year old Julie Weston has loved Timmy and James since her college days twenty something years ago. She's fantasized about both all these long years, never able to choose between them.

Hoping Tim and James will attend, she attends their college marching band reunion. When both men show up her dreams are answered. They're sexier than she imagined and she hopes they won't be disappointed by her older self.

It turns out both men came just to see her again and neither is happy about the other’s presence. They fight over her, confusing her more than ever. It takes a hot ménage…or two…for her heart to decide which one she’s in love with.

EXCERPT:

Oh God. She couldn’t make up her mind, just as she’d feared. They were both fulfilling her dreams and almost her fantasies. Why couldn’t she be like Connie and love just one man?

“I’m single. And confused,” she admitted unhappily, hoping and praying her answer wouldn’t drive either man away before her heart could decide who it wanted. She held her breath, waiting for James to drop her on her ass and leave in disgust.

But he stayed. His eyes darkened. His fingers bit into her arms, but he didn’t walk away. Instead, he kissed her again, rubbing his groin against her. When he finally released her, he promised, “Game on.”

Tim stomped over and shoved James away. “What the hell was that?”

James pushed him back. “What in the hell does it look like?”

“Keep your hands off her.”

“I don’t see a ring on her finger, and she started it.”

Tim wrinkled his brow, captured her hand and yanked her to him. “She’s had too much to drink.”

Again she help up one finger and repeated, “I just had one.” She thought it best not to mention the Benadryl.

With sad eyes, Tim asked, “Who do you want? Me or him?”

Fighting back sudden, scalding tears, she freed herself, stepped back and regarded both men. “I don’t know.”

Tim’s expression grew incredulous as if she’d struck him. He echoed, “You don’t know? Since when do you like him?”

“Maybe since you dumped her,” James said with a sneer. He puffed up and faced off with Tim. “If you don’t like it, back out. I’m going to fight for her—like I should have before.”

Tim’s eyes grew large as saucers. “I had no idea. You were with Theresa…”

“Theresa dropped me like a hot cake. And you disappeared.”

“And I heard she was going out with Gus, not you.” Tim looked around as though to make sure Gus wasn’t about to pop out of nowhere.

She heaved a sigh. “Gus was my friend. He fell for me, not vice versa. I feel bad if I led him on. It wasn’t intentional.”

“Like me? You never realized I liked you as more than a friend,” Phil interjected as he danced nearby with Anita.

She blanched and wanted to evaporate.

James winked. “It seems you were quite the siren, leaving all of us shipwrecked in your wake.”

Stunned, she clasped her hand to her throat. “I swear, I had no clue. I’m so sorry.”

“Yet you’re still leaving us in your wake, honey.” Tim glared at all of them and fisted his hands on his hips.

Honey? She didn’t like the sound of that.

Ashley Ladd is a disabled Air Force vet that is hard of hearing but still loves language, especially the written word. She loves a sexy man, especially one with a military background and they’ll often pop up in her stories. She also loves cats and has been known to empower a cat with the gift of speech. Unfortunately he wouldn’t shut up. J She loves to plug into Pandora and sip Diet Coke while writing, usually with a cat or kid at her side.

Find Ashley Here

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Moon Runners 1: Heart-mate, Mine!

Fireborn Publishing

Writing Updates...

Lancaster's Way 2: yesterday, I managed to get the galley proof done on A Different Way Of Seeing... I sent them back to Annette S. at formatting (MLR). I also chose some more to do with the cover art for this story... only minor changes. I will show you the end results as soon as I get them... so excited.

Moon Runners 1: I'm doing the beta edits... before submitting Heart-mate, Mine! (the title may change). I'm at the stage of going through and getting rid of the dreaded words that we all use and shouldn't. 

After I finish with the beta edits I'll get right back onto The Diamond Rose 1: Gateway Of Kalethia  . I have some scene joining to do and adding more descriptions seeing as I have a tendency to forget to describe anything of importance.

What's The Goss?

Okay, here's an update on how the rest of my week will pan out.

1: I received and started galley proof on Lancaster's Way 2: A Different Way Of Seeing.

2: I've chosen cover art for the story above.

3: I also received beta edits on Moon Runners 1: Heart-mate, Mine!

4:  I'll also be working some more on The Diamond Rose.

Went and saw The Maze Runner - Fricken awesome that's all I'm saying. I can't wait for #2 to be made and released.

Stupid... Stupid... Stupid...

"Stupid is as stupid does..." that quote from Forrest Gump so fits me right now. I found a whole lot of flash-drives... and stupid me thought I'd just plug them in and see what was one them.

All I can say... one said flash-drive I couldn't open anything on it and when I pulled it out of my computer the whole computer changed.

I hear you asking me how? well that panel that opens up when you press on the files icon was just gone... everything just magically went away. I'm assuming the flash drive contained pictures from my first trip to America... but for the life of me I can't access anything.

Lesson learned... Don't open up anything when you have no fricken clue what the damn flash drive contains. I'm just lucky when I shut down the whole computer and restarted it everything came back.

SENTINELS OF VARNUSE 1: When The Walls Come Tumbling Down #22

# 22.

Quinlan handed the note Josep had given him to Fane, who seemed to be just as overcome with both a mixture of grief and happiness as Quinlan himself was. He was glad Talon and Javier were tending to the man because right now his thoughts were focused on his own war waging inside of him. Grabbing Josep’s arm he walked over to Ingrid and the others. Quinlan looked into the sea green eyes of Josep and asked, “Is he truly safe?”

“He is… or at least he was when I left him. I’ve left men that I trust completely to keep watch over them both.”

Ingrid stood beside him and Quinlan smiled when she spoke. “Tell the rest of you men to come into the open. If what you’re telling us is true than they have nothing to fear.”

Josep cupped his hands to his mouth, let out a whistle making the perfect echo of the Nightjar’s call, it wasn’t long before the three other men in question walked out of the darkness.

“My men are Conner, Vayne & Andrej. They come with me only as protection. Once I’ve established the note is truly from Consort Brayden, and you will cause me no harm they’ll head back and help our friends look after your kin.”

Ingrid tapped Quinlan’s hand and he got the message. His royal bodyguard believed them, nodding he spoke. “We’ll not harm you. I want my husband back and you are the one who knows his exact whereabouts. Will you and your men help us rescue him?”

“Yes, that’s the reason I’ve come, but we do have conditions.” Josep sounded nervous. “When all is said and done, then me and my men—all of my men will be returning to the High City of Panthea with you. We have all sworn to protect and serve the old ones. All three known to us, and the others who will come to us for protection.”

“Others?” Quinlan asked. He couldn’t even begin to fathom there were more shifters out there among them. How had he not known this?

Josep smiled and nodded, “We were once the children of Varnuse. We studied the ancient ways of how life was before everything changed and our histories were forgotten. There’s more than just the shifters of this family line. There are five in total: cat, which is in the Caldwell lineage. There are also wolves belonging to the Wharden lineage. Avian shifters who were born into to the Aarondyte lineage. Sea creatures belonging to the Waterford lineage. The fifth is a rare lineage who can take the form of anything.”

“And which lineage do they come from?” Quinlan asked. All of this was news to him. Once home he was going to make sure he was brought up to date on everything. Right now he’d have to settle for the crash course on the species he never knew about.

“I do not know,” Josep answered, “we never did work out just who they belong to. Al we do know is they exist. I can’t even tell you how many they even number.”

Talon stepped forward. “Is there a way of finding out?”

Josep shrugged, “Through study.”

Quinlan groaned in frustration. “So you’re basically telling me we need to find these other lines of old ones and bring them in under our protection.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Once we’ve rescued your kin, and return them safely home you’ll need to search out the others who’ll eventually need your protection. It was once said long ago the sentinels of the high city would be the ones to mate and protect the old ones. So for every sentinel you have, I can guarantee there’s an equal number of old ones out there in hiding and waiting to be found.”

“Shit!” Quinlan scrubbed a hand over his face I have twenty-four…”

Fane interrupted, “Twenty-five… I was a sentinel when Thayer was king.”

Josep, Vayne and Andrej all nodded. “Five sentinels for each sect of old ones.”

“So that means there’s still two more of my kin out there somewhere.” Javier looked in shock.

“I wonder who your mate is.” Talon asked sadly. When Quinlan turned and stared at him he continued. “It can’t be me because I’m not a sentinel. I’m just a palace guard.”

“No! Talon you’re my mate. We’ve bonded, it cannot be anyone else” Javier grabbed his arm, pleading with his strange eyes. “I only want you.”

“Then I guess that throws out your theory,” Quinlan turned to Josep.

“No, my theory holds true. King Thayer belongs to the last generation of old ones. So that means that you have twenty-four sentinel plus Talon who is apparently meant to be one.”

“But I’m the king and no longer a sentinel. So your theory is still wrong.” This was all making Quinlan’s head spin. And right now they didn’t have time to debate this. He had a mate to rescue.

Andrej coughed and said, “That’s because you’ll recruit yet another sentinel who will mate with your son… I think.”

Fury rushed through Quinlan at the man’s words. “No one will be touching my son.”

This brought a snicker from some of his own men. And Quinlan knew he was being an arse, but just the thought of someone laying claim to one of his children was ludicrous.

“King Quinlan, we need to get you hidden before Tondran finds this place.” Ingid urged.

Quinlan shook his head. “I hide from no one.”

**~*~**

“Master Brayden.” Brayden came awake to someone shaking his shoulder. His mind was fuzzy and it took him a moment to realise Lucas was talking to him. “Wake up Brayden. Tondran and Ormand are back in the compound. Vayne just got back with a message from Josep. King Quinlan and his men are getting ready to come and rescue you, but for now it would be wiser if we spirit you away from here.”

Brayden pushed himself into a sitting position. His stomach ached at the thought of Quinlan coming here. Josep had been gone for just on two weeks. More than once it had crossed his mind the man had been killed, but Lucas’s words gave him new hope.

“Where are you taking me?” he reached for his father’s unconscious body. “I can’t leave my father behind.”

“Your father is also one of ours to protect. The children of Varnuse will hide you well until we can take you to your rightful home.” He smiled, “Now come. We need to be away before Tondran decides to follow through on the execution of King Thayer.”

They were the exact words needed to get Brayden moving. His distended stomach no longer fit in his clothes so he welcomed the robe one of the men held out to cover his nakedness. “Thank-you.”

The young man smiled and bowed in his direction while he took a careful hold of Brayden’s arm to steady him. Brayden watched as another man gently picked up his father, and led them from the room. He wasn’t going to look back on what had been his home for the past few months. Leaving behind the confines of this cell was the first step in the rest of his life. A life he so desperately wanted to share with Quinlan.

As they stole along the corridor a thought struck him. “Lucas, who are the children of Varnuse?”

Re Reading & Lazy Writing

Oh...My...God... As I told you yesterday I'm re reading The Lines Of Marsden. Today I realise I need to send out a big apology to my editor at the time Kimberly Brandt... I finally get what you were telling me.

I recently acquired a copy of a styling guide which explains all those things you tried to get through my head, and I fought you so hard on.

I'd also like to apologise to all my past, current,  and future editors, as well as my beta readers. I won't say my habits will change over night... but I'm starting to work on everything I didn't understand and had locked in the back of my mind.

So today I'm sending out a big thank you to the awesome Kathy Kozakewich over at Fireborn Publishing who gave me the guide in the first place. You totally rock!