Soldier of Fortune

Army of You and Me is now out on Amazon! Click, read, cry if you need to, let me know how you feel. There's stuff I need to talk about...

Army-You-Heros-Crossing-ebook/dp/B00E5S0JQ8/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1

I Hear You

Rather conversely, I didn't listen to much music while I wrote this. Probably because every time I did, I'd burst into tears. So while it's brief, these songs were the echo resounding in my ears as I told the story of Madeline and Cain.

1. The xx - Together
2. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft Ray Dalton - Can't Hold Us
3. Mariah Carey ft Miguel - Beautiful
4. Daughter - Human
5. John Legend - Who Did That To You? 
6. Hans Zimmer - Chevaliers De Sangreal 
7. Alicia Keys ft Maxwell - The Fire We Make
8. Ellie Goulding - Explosions

http://www.sharaazod.com/ebook/army-you-me.html

Can't Hold Us

An Army of Me and You is now available on Shara Azod's site! This story means a lot to me. I said in another post how I've military family and corrupted a few military men. (No, that's a lie, they corrupted me.) More than that, I hope I've conveyed just how difficult it is to leave behind everything to start a new life in another country to save your life. How it never goes away, but like most things, gets easier. No preaching. Just two people coming together after extraordinary circumstances. 

Here's the blurb:

The irony of Madeline Mpoyi's choice in a career was never lost on her. Being that her days as a girl in a war torn village, suffering the horrors of an innocent Rwandan child started off as anything but sweet most would find it incredibly funny that as a woman she'd be manufacturing treats to send to the soldier that saved her life. Or at least she thought it was the soldier that saved her life. Errr...technically it is...being that he has the same name and comes from the same bloodline. Although Major Nathaniel Goldsmith Sr. has long retired, his son is carrying on the family tradition as a Captain in the army. A Captain that has come to depend on both Madeline's sweet letters and even sweeter care packages. And it would seem that said Captain has Madeline in his sights...eager to sample whatever else she's willing to offer...

And this is the excerpt:

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m driving. Borrowing my father’s run around for a bit. He barely uses the other three.”

Madeline tucked a twist under her scarf. “You’re quite privileged, aren’t you?”

“In many ways, yes. Not many people come home to a few cars in the garage that they can borrow.”

“A few?”

“Five.”

“Who needs five cars?” she blurted.

He ticked them off his hand. “The Land Rover, the truck that pulls the horsebox, a Mercedes, a Jaguar, and my mother’s Bentley.”

“No one needs five cars.”

Cain gave a shrug. “They’re all old enough and ragged enough to be worthless in today’s value. I won’t say it’s not nice being privileged. I wouldn’t get free sweets otherwise.”

“Or free truffles,” she added.

“Or kisses.”

Madeline’s eyebrows drew together. “I don’t have anything called kisses...” Her voice trailed off as she took in their circumstances. That sweet chin of hers was balanced on the edge of his left hand, and his right cradled the small of her back. Until he’d touched her, he hadn’t fully appreciated just how badly he wanted to kiss her. He watched as the rise and fall of her chest increased in speed, mimicking his uneven breaths. Her mouth parted, and the flash of her pink tongue flicked off his brain switch. All instinct based, he lowered his head and pressed his mouth to hers. He’d only meant to kiss her goodbye. Or rather, see you later.

As soon as he tasted her, all his thoughts were on Madeline naked, underneath him, thighs parted and cradling him against her soaked sex. His hand moved from her chin to lightly stroke her face, the skin so soft beneath his fingers. He trailed his hand over her side, tracing the shape of her waist and the flare of her hips. Madeline moaned under his mouth, the sound sending a thrill over his body.

“Um,” she gasped. “Can we... Not in the street?”

He barely lifted his lips from hers to send her a frown. “Where?” With her lower body pressed to his, his mind transported him to the back room of her shop. He could sweep the chocolate aside, perch her on the edge of the table, and lift the skirts of her vintage dress. Within moments, he could be buried inside her, rocking them both to satisfaction.

army-you-me.html

Hung Up

I got told off by Eve Vaughn. Actually, she did a Naboo from the Mighty Boosh and turned her back on me http://youtu.be/m8Da7PQE8O8.

It's because we're in the middle of July and there's no IK5. Sigh, it was all going so well, wasn't it? But stuff happens. And here's a list of reasons why there is currently no A Life Sublime for you to purchase:

1. It's almost 70,000 words.
2. It takes forever and a day to edit. Last weekend was dedicated to the proof edit all 347 pages of it. That's the Word typed version not the formatted version. God knows how many pages it'll be on epub or mobi. 
3. I have a day job and a kinda need to eat. Maybe a bit less but you know. Healthy food costs money. 
4. It had to go on the back burner for a bit while I made some decisions about the whole story. Writers guilt, one supposes. 
5. The cover is proving to be a challenge. I'm lucky in that I get a say in what goes on my cover and that my publishers are so passionate about Massimo to want to get his image perfect. The last older man that looked my direction was sucking at his dentures. Not hot. Mature cover models? The Holy Grail. 
6. I went to Atlanta! The conference put everything behind a bit but we're all getting back on track. I mean one still enjoys an afternoon nap now and again...
7. I keep watching that cat twerking video and cannot for the life of me be serious about anything for a good three hours http://youtu.be/ULEMNtgfAdY. 
8. I hated it. 
9. I still kinda hate it after this weekend. 
10. I'm worried how people will take to Belinda - who is the embodiment of all of my aunts - because let's be honest, women are harsher critics on themselves than anyone else possibly could be. 

The above could be just a list of excuses but the truth is, books do generally take a while to write. What happened to me with Rocky and Anna's story was a freakin' fluke. This one has been coming up to two years from start to finish. 

Once it's finished, I go through the story with a fine tooth comb to see if there are any plot holes or mistakes. There's always something (several somethings) that I miss. Then it goes back and forth between me and an editor. Three times. At least. Then it goes back and forth with a proofreader. Three times. At least. All the while I'm checking all the trademark endorsements for any companies I've referenced. Which means reading the story. Again. Checking all my language spellings are correct and that necessitates hog tying one of my parents to get that sorted. If you think I'm busy, it's nearly impossible to get them to do anything book related without some sort of bribe. And by then they're stewed in booze and no use to anyone. In the meantime, I'm scanning through image stock photographs for my Massimos and Belindas. The only score I have are my background photographs which are from Italy so that makes the choice a little easier. Normally, it's a few hours for a week or more trawling for perfect pictures. 

Sometimes, when stuff is this hard, I give up and write something else until I can face the challenge. So in answer to the question "Where the hell is this book?" it's coming. On my chilled bottle of Pear Bulmer's Cider, it's coming. Very soon. And no, I haven't changed my mind about point 8 and 9. I still kinda hate it. 

Feel Good Things

Mocha Memoirs Press is celebrating its anniversary and to coincide all sci fi, horror, fantasy and paranormal romance books are a bargain at $2.00! This means you can get Said the Demon to Little Miss Eva and  Playing Dead in the sale! I'm stocking up on some tales and so should you. I did a little blog to coincide with the start of the sale as well. I'm ranting. Then again I always do.

http://mochamemoirspress.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/feel-good-things.html?m=1

Groove Is In The Heart

Dudes! What you missed in Saturday 29 June from 8.30am until the early hours? OMFG. Shenanigans doesn’t quite cover it. Picture the scene... 

You’ve arrived in Atlanta, under the tower that is the Hyatt Grand. No, you’re not here for a League of Doom meeting. You are here to be part of reader royalty. After being royally announced, a tiara is placed on your head as a row of authors cheer and clap for you. Collecting candles, Mardi Gras beads, soaps, serious goodies and then the authors who were before crazy chicks on Facebook are crazy chicks in your face. 

Then the mayhem begins. Yvette Hines drops the phrase ‘house nigga’. Kassana uses the words ‘top shelf ghetto baby’. Janet Eckford reminds us to ‘beware the black vagina’. The Jeanie says she ‘likes to fuck’. Sienna Mynx reads out her own sex scene and says “damn I really wrote this!” Nikki Winter throws her question paper to the ground and declares “I ain’t your whore. I may dress like one but no.” Roslyn Hardy Holcomb shrugs off a “I’m 48 with a two year old. I’ll say what I want.” Liz Cole runs a quick survey and notices that some of us engaged in naughty public bathroom shenanigans. Shara Azod shows and tells with sex toys, giving out advice as Raelynn Blue hands out er ‘gifts’ of boob dice, lubricant and rubber ducks (look ‘em up). And Jayha, it's Star Trek. Star Trek. Let our official photographer tell you, that is if he's not checking the stalls in the toilet to practice his own reading. Reana Maori leads everyone in the Wobble and keeps us all to the timetable of events because there's so much to do and fit in the day. 

And me? Apparently all I need to do is say the word ‘pussy’ and the house is appeased. We read extracts of our favourite sex scenes. We ask questions and we give hilarious and truthful answers. In between this madness, you shake your money maker to earn paperbacks of books you love or yearned for. You’re privy to thoughts and feelings that never come over on a screen. And to top off the night? A vow renewal ceremony for a couple who have been married for 33 years. Barb and Rick Wilson share a deep moment of love with all of us and we weep like the die hard romantics we all are. We drink, we laugh, we eat and we dance. Hell yeah, do we dance!

Can you see all of that? Can you smell it, taste it, breathe it - if you can even breathe for laughing so hard you feel like you’ve done a round of Insanity Challenge? Good. Coz we’re doing it again next year. Bring your Stetsons people. We gonna line dance for your life! 

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