Continue reading »]]> This post by guest author, Laura Sheehan, really moved me when I read it. I am pleased to be able to hand over my blog today to Laura, who was kind enough to share her story and showcase her new Red Sage  release, Dancing With Danger:

As Bebe says in A Chorus Line, “Everyone is beautiful at the ballet.”

I couldn’t agree more. Dance was my saving grace. On stage, I was beautiful.  And eventually, dancing helped me realize that I was just as beautiful off-stage.

You see, I was born with a cleft lip and palate. I was in and out of hospitals throughout my childhood. I had my first operation when I was a few months old, and my last at age 14.  That last surgery was the one I’d been looking forward to since I was old enough to realize that I was “different.”  In addition to the scar on my lip, the gaping hole in the roof of my mouth, and my awkwardly placed teeth, my nose was also deformed. It was assymetrical, slightly off-center, wide and flattish.

The most common question I’d been asked (even more common than “How are you?”) was “What’s wrong with your nose?” I was so very tired of answering that question, and dealing with the bouts of self-consciousness that inevitably followed.

That last surgery, just a few weeks before high-school started, was supposed to fix everything.  It would be the final attempt to close my stubborn cleft palate, and at the same time, the surgeons would “fix” my messed-up nose and make me look normal. I didn’t expect to be made beautiful (as my tactless surgeons made very clear), but I didn’t care about that.

Unlike most young teenage girls, I wasn’t dying to attract the attention of boys.  I didn’t wear skimpy skirts in the hopes of getting whistles from the football jocks as I walked past the field. I wasn’t into make-up or fashion or crazy hairstyles.

No, what I wanted was to walk down the hallways at school and NOT be stared at. I wanted, for once in my life, to blend in, to not have to constantly explain my face, to be normal.

When I finally took the nose cast off (just 24 hours before my first day as a freshman), I was overwhelmed.  My nose was so much better! It was skinnier, straighter, less-flat, and although it was still a bit asymmetrical, it was so much closer to “normal.” I walked into high-school with my chin held high and my confidence soaring.

When I caught a cute boy staring at me in my AP Biology course in 2^nd period, I did something I’d never done before: I returned his look and smiled.

And then he leaned over and asked me, “What’s wrong with your nose?”

I won’t go into my devastation at hearing those five words.

Instead, I’ll tell you what happened in my ballet class just a few hours later. My ballet mistress, Miss Pamela Langevin, was a gorgeous, tall, red-headed beauty. She was graceful, talented, and elegant. So when she came over to me during class and told me that my arms and hands reminded her of her own, I almost cried. When she pulled me aside after class and asked me if I’d ever considered a career as a professional dancer, all thoughts of that stupid boy in AP biology flew out the window.  She told me I had a special “something” when I danced, that I shined.  She said that it was hard to take her eyes off me when I lost myself in the movement.

And for the first time, I realized that I liked the idea of people looking at me, of people’s eyes being stuck on me. I liked the idea of being in the spotlight, of being the center of attention.

Because everyone is beautiful at the ballet.

Lily, the heroine of Dancing With Danger, is a professional dancer who only lets her guard down when she’s performing. She can bring an audience to its knees when she dances on stage, but until she meets Marc, she has no idea she can be equally as passionate off stage.

What experiences in your life have helped you realize how special and capable you are?  Share your story in the comments below!

Dancing With Danger Book Blurb:

Lily Brookstone has always been fiercely independent.  She learned to take care of herself when she was just a child, when her mother died and her workaholic father refused to make her a priority. Now she’s a dancer struggling to make it in Los Angeles, and the town hasn’t been easy on her. First her father disowned her, then she was injured on the job and dropped by her agent. Now, she’s working three jobs to make ends meet, and, oh yeah, she has somehow managed  to pick up a stalker.  In short, Los Angeles has not been kind. But then she meets Marc, a tough LAPD officer who is determined to break through her defensive walls. Lily might be able overcome her untrusting nature and allow him to protect her life, but what about her heart?

Buy Dancing With Danger at:

Amazon or B&N.com or Red Sage

Read an Excerpt HERE

Laura Sheehan can be found online at ReadLaura.com, Facebook, Twitter and Google +.

Continue reading »]]> This week for Six Sentence Sunday I’m revisiting Aphrodite Calling (Gods of Love #2), my erotic romance about a post-surgery transsexual woman who needs the power of an ancient Greek god to show her how to come out from behind the mask and embrace her womanhood. In this scene, Gina has been blindfolded by Himeros:

***

Without sight she could only imagine what he would look like, the tip of his tongue sliding along her flesh that was already swollen with need, that wayward hair flopping down over his brow, his gaze intense, probably more green than blue right now, looking back up her body as he teased around and over her mound. When the graze of something hard – presumably his teeth – nipped at her clitoris through the material she yelped, then pressed upwards to enhance that exquisite pressure. Hot lips met her thrust and played with her, moistening the material as lips, tongue and teeth worked in unison to torment her core while his fingers slipped beneath her G and went exploring along her slit.

She gasped when she felt one of his digits slide into her. The first person other than her surgeon or herself ever to breach her pussy. She didn’t have the creamy moistness of a biological woman, but somehow, with Himeros, it didn’t seem to matter.

***

Sometimes it takes the power of the gods to reveal the woman within…

Aphrodite Calling is the second in the Gods of Love series that began in Platinum Passion with Pothos, god of sexual yearning, and his menage a trois relationship with a married couple in need of a spark in their love lives.

Aphrodite Calling (Gods of Love #2) featuring Himeros, god of sexual desire, will be available soon. Platinum Passion (Gods of Love #1) is out now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and All Romance ebooks.

For more Six Sentence Sunday entries from participating authors, please click HERE.

Continue reading »]]> I’m truly excited to bring you a “decadent” treat today. I’m handing over my blog to guest author Emily Cale from Decadent Publishing:

Becoming a Hockey Fan

I grew up in the middle of nowhere. To be more specific, I grew up in Wyoming. In case you aren’t familiar with the state, I’ll give you a quick fact: We don’t have any professional sports teams. Nope, not a single one. That means that I grew up watching high school games (when forced) and the occasional college tournament. Sure, most people in the area adopt the Colorado teams as their own, especially when Denver is only two hours away.

So how did I end up writing a hockey book? Well, I moved to Pittsburgh. They love sports. Seriously. After a few months here, I realized that even if I didn’t watch a single game, I needed to take the time to at least look at the scores in the morning before I stepped out of my house. Telling someone I didn’t know anything about the previous night’s game got a similar response to telling someone that I decided to sacrifice my cat to a pagan god.

Then the parties started. In one year, the Pittsburgh Steelers (football) won the Super Bowl and the Pittsburgh Penguins (hockey) won the Stanley Cup. I went to a lot of parties. At first, I was incredibly confused, and while I still don’t understand football, I found that hockey actually was worth watching. The more I watched, the more I loved it. So when an idea popped into my mind to write a series about a team of hockey players, I couldn’t wait to get started.

The first of that series has recently released as part of Decadent Publishing’s 1 Night Stand line and the second, Power Play, is now contracted! If you love hockey players, hot between the sheets action, and a few surprises, I hope you’ll give Goalie Interference a try.

Goalie Interference Blurb
By Emily Cale and Angela S. Stone

Hockey goalie Tarah ‘TJ’ Elliot is too busy stopping pucks to go looking for love. When her friend Natalie sets her up through Madame Eve’s 1 Night Stand service, she grudgingly agrees to go. Her ultimate fantasy comes true when Scott Alarid, one of the top scorers in the league, shows up at her hotel room. Hockey player TJ can’t possibly spend a night with him, but Tarah certainly can.

Scott’s tired of dealing with women who only like him for his all-star status. After his teammates arrange a date for him using the 1NS website, he’s delighted to find a woman who doesn’t know a thing about the sport. But, will the truth force them to put their relationship on ice?

Buy Goalie Interference:
Decadent Publishing
Amazon

You can find Emily Cale online on her website or on Twitter.

Continue reading »]]> I love Six Sentence Sunday – giving us all the chance to hop from blog to blog and sample six sentences from an eclectic mix of writers. Today’s six sentences are from my menage a trois erotic romance, Platinum Passion (Gods of Love #1).

Be warned, though. Please leave now if you are under 18.

***

Even her breasts ached to the very tips, with a pleasurable pain so fierce that she wouldn’t have been surprised to see a spray of seed streaking out of her nipples.

Then the men were climaxing, too, both at the same time, with a wordless roar from Pothos and a gasping, groaning, “Fuck, yes,” from Jake, and twin streams of heat flowed into her passages in a pulsing experience that sent her oversensitive sex over the top yet again and her body into spasms that she felt throughout every inch of her being.

She went limp, breathing raggedly, unable to move to save herself, and heard Jake behind her sounding like he was about to have a heart attack. I know how you feel, dude, she thought, but didn’t have the strength to say it. Pothos had his eyes closed, and even he was breathing heavily, a funny little smile lifting the corners of his lips.

Eventually the sea began to make itself felt, little rivulets of water darting in and out around their slack bodies, cooling the heat and washing away sweat and sand and sexual juices in a soothing rhythm.

***

Read more of Platinum Passion (Gods of Love #1) at Amazon, All Romance ebooks or Barnes & Noble.

For more Six Sentence Snippets from participating authors, please click HERE.

Continue reading »]]> This post equally could be called “The writer’s non-writing life” or “How to juggle lots of hats”! There are so many aspects to being a published author, and alas, the actual writing is but one of many.

I’m itching to get in there and finish my upcoming release, Aphrodite Calling (Gods of Love #2), but my website and blog have had a few issues lately and I’ve had to put my web-guru techie hat on over the past two days to upgrade everything and make it a bit more user-friendly.

Eleven plus hours and countless swear words later…what do you think of the new look?

I’m hoping it is now easier for readers to comment on blog posts, as well as follow me anywhere and everywhere on the web. I also – finally! – have a proper page to showcase each of my books, plus excerpts galore.

Giveaway time!

To celebrate the blood, sweat and tears – yeah, well, there were actual tears at one point, when the site accidentally disappeared – I’m offering  the choice of one of my backlist titles as a prize, for a randomly drawn commenter on this post. And if you follow me as well as comment, you’ll get two entries in the draw. I’ll announce the winner here on the blog on May 6th.

Here are the prizes on offer:

Praise for Jennifer Lynne’s writing:

PLATINUM PASSION: Hesperia Loves Books ~ “This book was on fire…just the right amount of love, passion and eroticism to make this a smokin’ hot read and a MUST add to your TBR list.”

EDUCATING ETHAN: Long and Short Romance Reviews ~“I just fell madly in love with Ethan and could eat him up with a spoon!”

PANDORA’S GIFT: Coffee Time Romance ~“…a contemporary romance with the feel of a paranormal. It is magical and mystical, filled with passion and compassion…”

SEDUCING SERENA in SECRETS VOLUME 28: Whipped Cream Reviews ~“Serena and Nick…were a couple I wanted to see more of even after the story was complete.”

Continue reading »]]> This is my first time participating in Sunday Snippets, and because the first time is always meant to be special, I’m excited to present an 18+ excerpt from menage romance and TRR Best Book of 2011 Nominee, PLATINUM PASSION (Gods of Love #1):

Jake found that once the idea of a threesome came into being he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Images of himself and Jeannie letting another man into their life. Images of the three of them, all angles and tangled limbs on their king-sized bed as they took it in turns to love each other. Images of tasting another man, of being fucked by him, even as he made love with his wife. Images of pleasuring his wife in tandem with another man, one from the front, one from behind, Jeannie writhing between them until the pleasure burst out of her with a complete lack of restraint.

That night he had gone home and made love to her with so much energy that she ended up screaming her release, quite different to their usual quiet routine, and he had emptied himself into her in such a rush of juice that it threatened to drown them both in volume.

Imagine how much juice there’d be with an additional man in their bed.

He was damn near ready to shoot his load right here on this beach as a new fantasy began to build in his head. A fantasy that involved Jeannie, and the man from the gym. Right here on the sand. Right now.

He shivered in need, reaching down to stroke himself through the silken material.

I want Jeannie.

I want…more.

His vision blurred and he shook his head to clear it, and then realized he was not alone on the beach after all.

Fuck! Impossible to hide this boner. His hand instantly shifted away from his cock.

He could see the silhouette of a man and a woman standing further up the curve of the coastline, hand in hand, ankle deep in water by the looks of things.

But then he frowned. Were they…surely they weren’t…naked? That would be too weird, given the nature of his latest fantasy. He took a hesitant step forward, then stopped, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Hell. They were. And the guy had a hard on even bigger than his own.

Clearly, they wouldn’t want anyone else raining on their privacy parade right about now. He turned to leave, but as he did so the couple held out their arms toward him, gesturing, and something about the woman, the way she stood, the way she flicked her hand in a come-to-me type gesture, the way she tilted her head just that little bit to the right…

No way. “Jeannie?”

His voice came out on a squeak of amazement and there was no chance she could have heard him, but he saw her nod and gesture again. Thank God this was a dream, or he’d be pretty damn shocked to see her standing naked like that with another man by her side. Ridiculous, he knew, given his recent train of thought, but still…

He took a faltering step toward them, then another, and then with a deep, shuddering breath he began to run toward the couple on the beach.

Toward his beautiful wife and the unfamiliar man with a hard on the size of a baseball bat.

Toward his ultimate sexual fantasy in the flesh.

PLATINUM PASSION, the first in the GODS OF LOVE series, is available for 0.99 cents at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or All Romance ebooks.

For more Sunday Snippets from participating erotic authors, please click HERE.

Continue reading »]]> This week, my six sentence snippet from upcoming erotic romance, Aphrodite Calling, arrives complete with the new book cover! Hope you like both the cover and the excerpt -

She felt the vibration of the zipper as it began to wend its way down her spine, and her breath caught when the warmth of a fingertip followed in its wake, urging the edges of her dress to slither away more easily until the material pooled at her hips. Then his lips were against her skin, branding her with heat, just at that dip where her neck melted into shoulder.

She let out a shuddering breath, one she hadn’t even known she was holding, and arched her head to one side to allow him better access. So hard to think straight, when his hands were spanning her waist like that, caressing the edge of her ribs. When his lips and tongue were doing the most incredible things up the delicate line of her neck to nuzzle in an intimate manner at her earlobe.

“Himeros,” she whispered, as her knees threatened to buckle at the heat and the heaviness between her legs.

Each of the Gods of Love stories are designed as stand-alone novellas, but are united with a common theme: the erotes. In this version of the erotes’ myth, my gods of love are the children of Aphrodite and aspects of Eros – the primal god of desire. These gorgeous beings have a role in modern day society – answering the call of desire and interacting with people in need.

In Aphrodite Calling, it is post-op male-to-female transsexual, Gina, who needs the power of the gods to help her learn to live as a woman. But what happens when the god you call on for help, also needs a helping hand of his own?

If you’d like the chance to try Gods of Love #1 before Aphrodite Calling is released, menage a trois romance Platinum Passion (a TRR Best Book of 2011 nominee in GLBT Fantasy Romance) is still only 0.99 cents at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or All Romance ebooks.

For more Six Sentence entries from participating authors, please click HERE.

Continue reading »]]> Sometimes it takes the power of the gods to reveal the woman within…

It’s here – the cover for my upcoming release, Aphrodite Calling (Gods of Love #2). Yay! Designed by the talented Kim Killion and her team at Hot Damn Designs, I think the cover captures the essence of my erotic romance about a post-op transsexual who wants to be accepted as a woman…and needs the power of an ancient Greek god to show her how to come out from behind the mask and embrace her womanhood.

Aphrodite Calling is the second in the Gods of Love series that began in Platinum Passion with Pothos, god of sexual yearning, and his menage relationship with a married couple in need of a spark in their love lives.

Here is the blurb for Aphrodite Calling:

Gina: a woman with a secret past

Thirty-two year old Gina is forced to confront her fears when she attends a high school reunion. Fifteen years may be a long time for some, but when you’ve been through a life-changing experience, fifty years would not be long enough to escape the difficulties of the past. For Gina was born a man, attended high school as a boy, and she has only now returned in an effort to put paid to the past so she can begin to live her life without continuing fear of loneliness and rejection.

Himeros: god of sexual desire on the edge of burnout

Himeros is one of the erotes, an aspect of Eros, and as such it is his duty to answer the call of sexual desire whenever a human needs him. But he has been living among humans too long and his energy has waned. When he decides to accept one last call he finds a woman who is unique. A woman who answers his own call and offers everything he desires. And more. A woman who understands the whole human experience, from every perspective. Has he finally found the one with whom even a god of desire could find fulfillment?

After all, forever is a long time to be alone.

And here’s a taste of what is to come when Aphrodite Calling is released:

He’d just told everyone in the room he was taking her upstairs to fuck her brains out. Only he’d said it slightly more poetically than that.

She reached up and rubbed her temples. “That’s the last school reunion I’ll ever be able to attend!”

Himeros pouted, looking slightly put out by her response. “Would you have wanted to attend another?”

“Well, no, but that’s not the point, really, is it?”

“Why not?”

“Well, because…I don’t know, it just isn’t!”

“Aha! So you don’t have an answer, then.” His triumphant smile made her laugh again.

“Who are you, Himeros, and why are you doing this? Helping me escape, I mean. Though,” she paused and looked at the numbers flashing past as they ascended in the elevator, “maybe I’m not escaping out of here, as such. Am I going from the frying pan into the fire?”

He shifted a little, and the confined space suddenly seemed a lot smaller than it had a few seconds ago. She had the impression of vibrating energy, reaching out to encompass her, and if she hadn’t known better, she would have said his tanned skin held a strange shimmer that looked as if he were lit from within.

“I am Himeros, god of sexual desire, and I am here to answer your call to Aphrodite,” he said. “You are most certainly heading into the fire, but this fire is one you won’t want to extinguish, once you’ve tasted the flavor of these flames.”

“My call to Aphrodite? What does that mean?” It’s certainly getting hot in here, she thought. Why am I so…aware of him? I’ve been around men before. Sexy men. But it’s never felt like…like my body is finally waking up…

“Gina.” When had he moved closer? Why was he now standing directly in front of her, his arms raised to press a hand against the elevator wall each side of her head? “We will wake you up…together.”

Her breath caught. He was now leaning forward, almost…almost…touching her, his face so close to hers she could see the flecks of green in the blue of his irises, so close that if she raised her hand, she’d be able to trace the angled shadows cast by those gorgeous cheekbones.

“We’re here.” His words whispered in a puff of warmth across her lips and she parted them involuntarily.

“Are we?” How she was managing to keep talking was beyond her. She wanted to close the few centimeters of distance between them and explore that mouth again, to feel the firmness of his body up against hers, to enjoy the heat of a hard cock that wasn’t her own pressing up against the soft curve of her stomach.

“You have a choice, now, Gina,” he said. “Join me here, tonight, and I promise you will not regret your decision. But if you don’t want that… tell me now, before we step over the threshold…”

“Himeros,” she whispered, not sure what she was asking, and at the same time knowing what she needed to say. “I want to, so much, but there are things about me you don’t know…”

“I know everything, Gina. I told you, I heard your call and I am here to answer it, if you wish.”

She shook her head. “I’m afraid.” She closed her eyes to avoid seeing the revulsion and started when she felt the touch of his fingertips on her cheek. A touch that sent shockwaves right through her body, unfamiliar shockwaves in places that had been numb for too long. She’d been wrong. She wasn’t strong enough to handle everything. She wasn’t strong enough to handle this.

“Himeros.” She took a deep breath and pressed back as far as she could against the wall. “I’m not…well…I wasn’t…” Just say the damn words. Get it over with. “I wasn’t always a woman. I used to be—”

“You were born a man, and you used to be Gerry. Now you are Gina. I know, beautiful woman. I told you, I already know. Open your eyes and see how much I want you right now.”

(copyright Jennifer Lynne)

Each of the Gods of Love stories are designed as stand-alone novellas, but are united with a common theme: the erotes. In this version of the erotes’ myth, my gods of love are the children of Aphrodite and aspects of the primal god of desire – Eros. Each of these gorgeous gods has a role in modern day society – answering the call of desire and interacting with people in need. If you’d like the chance to try the first Gods of Love story before Aphrodite Calling is released, menage a trois romance Platinum Passion (a TRR Best Book of 2011 nominee in GLBT Fantasy Romance) is still only 0.99 cents at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or All Romance ebooks.

Continue reading »]]> Today I’m bringing something new to the Six Sentence Sunday table – a snippet from my upcoming transsexual erotic romance, Aphrodite Calling (Gods of Love #2). Unfortunately the book cover is not available quite yet, but I wanted to share this little excerpt anyway

He was now leaning forward, almost…almost…touching her, his face so close to hers she could see the flecks of green in the blue of his irises, so close that if she raised her hand, she’d be able to trace the angled shadows cast by those gorgeous cheekbones.

“We’re here.” His words whispered in a puff of warmth across her lips and she parted them involuntarily.

“Are we?” How she was managing to keep talking was beyond her. She wanted to close the few centimeters of distance between them and explore that mouth again, to feel the firmness of his body up against hers, to enjoy the heat of a hard cock that wasn’t her own pressing up against the soft curve of her stomach.

Aphrodite Calling (Gods of Love #2), featuring Himeros – god of sexual desire, and Gina – a woman with a secret past, will be available soon. Platinum Passion (Gods of Love #1), my menage-a-trois erotic romance featuring Pothos, god of sexual yearning, is out now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and All Romance ebooks.

For more Six Sentence Sunday entries from participating authors, please click HERE.

Continue reading »]]> Today I’m handing over my blog to Red Sage author, Rue Allyn, who brings us all a fascinating post about childhood memories:

My Mother the Dragonslayer, or An Exaggerated Explanation of Why I Love Florida

My mother – we’ll call her Greta – the eldest daughter of Swedish immigrants, was born in 1916 in Lowell Massachusetts.  Her father owned the first gasoline station in Lowell and as automobiles became more available, he made a fortune.

What, you ask, does my mother’s birth and the fortune my grandfather made have to do with my love for Florida?  Allow me to explain.

A sister, a brother and seven years after Greta was born, the gas station was sold and the family  moved to Pine Island, Florida, where her father had spent his fortune on land—sight unseen.  (Yes, I know you’d think a man who made a killing in gasoline would be smarter than that.)  Worse he went there to raise chickens.

Nowadays, property values on Pine Island run in the millions of dollars.  The island has all the amenities of modern living, paved roads, stores, medical facilities, schools, plumbing.

In 1923, Pine Island was a swamp populated by mosquitoes, alligators, and a few hardy fools who, like my grandfather, purchase land without seeing it first.  Those fools, er citizens, formed a small community and established the one-room schoolhouse where Greta received her early education.

Now, I have loved Florida for as long as I can remember, in part because my grandparents retired there, and we would visit often.  However, a large portion of my affection for the sunshine state originates in the stories my mother would tell me of her early years on Pine Island.

Because of my visits to Florida I well understood the heat Mom would describe, the smells of the ocean, the lush dense vegetation, the sweet succulent pleasure of an orange plucked fresh from a tree.  What my mother added to that knowledge was adventure.  Yes, adventure.

One of my favorite Florida stories begins on a warm sunny day as a fourteen year old Greta, her sister and brother made their way home from school.  Tramping along the path through the palms, oaks and banyans, tag was a frequent form of entertainment.  But on this humid afternoon, Greta was bored with the usual games.  Contemplating the possible options, Greta, both guardian of her younger siblings and ringleader of their small tribe had a brilliant idea.  They would play make believe and kill a fierce dragon.

She gathered her followers about her, explaining what they would do.  Her baby brother was fearful at first but when his other sister—not my mom—called him a ‘fraidy cat’ he immediately agreed to do Greta’s bidding.  “We need swords,” she declared and ordered her siblings to “Find the biggest, longest sticks you can.”

Soon her little band was armed with sizable sticks.  Greta led the way with a four foot branch of sturdy oak about two inches in diameter.  Where the path forked and they would normally have walked to the left, heading home, the troop marched right.  The right fork led to the creek a favorite place to go frogging.

Of course all of the children had been told that going to the creek without an adult was strictly forbidden, but Greta was fourteen and often had charge of her younger siblings, so she couldn’t see the harm.  The trees gave way to cattails and saw grass. The musty air of the woods freshened.

Greta turned to her brother and sister.  “Sshhhhh!  Walk real slow.  We don’t want the dragon to know we’re coming.”

She bent low.  Brother and sister followed suit.  Carefully she pushed aside the saw grass heading straight for the creek bank where she knew the dragons lived.  All she had to do was find one.  The grass shortened and thinned disappearing finally into the murky waters of the slow moving creek.  She checked to be certain her sister and brother followed closely.  Then she faced the creek, shielding her eyes from the afternoon sun to better search the shadows for a dragon.  Flies buzzed and a cricket gave a lazy chirp.  “Plop” sounded loud in the hazy quiet from the far side of the creek, but the shadows were too deep for Greta to tell what caused the sound.  “Probably a fish,” she said.  She saw squirrels, frogs, lizards, possums all sorts of critters but no dragons.

Sighing, she led her siblings to a damp greenish log and sat.

No sooner had they settled on the log than it gave a roar and twisted.  A foot long maw filled with razor sharp teeth snapped at them, missing Greta by inches.

“RUN!!” she hollered to her brother and sister.

She’d found her dragon, a ten foot alligator.  The ‘gator was quick.  Greta didn’t stop to think.  She swung her oak branch and smacked the dragon right between the eyes.  Before the ‘gator could recover, she fled.

The children stopped running when their house came into view because their mother stood on the porch steps shouting their names and breathing fire.

She was definitely angry.

Arms akimbo, my grandmother glared at Greta and yelled in heavily accented English.  “Ver have you been, dottir, and from vat are you running?”

“We were playing tag.”  Greta held her mother’s stare.

Grandma studied my mother closely.  “Hmphf.  Is time now for chores not for playing.  Get your brother and sister inside then come help me peel potatoes.”

Greta nodded and did as she was told.  But as she left her mother on the porch, Greta smiled.

Even after hearing this story enough times that I know it story practically by heart, I always ask. “Did you ever tell Grandma about the alligator?”

My mother always looked at me and said.  “I beat the dragon, didn’t I?”

I’ll confess that I’ve exaggerated some details.  My mom was no fool and only a fool would play tag with an alligator. Nevertheless you can tell that Mom gave me not only a love of Florida but of storytelling.

Do you have a favorite story or memory from your childhood?  Please share your story or other thoughts and leave a comment on this post.

For a very different kind of story (definitely not PG) check out my newest erotic romance, Off Limits.  You may purchase Off Limits from Amazon or directly from Red Sage Publishing.  Here’s a short blurb and a link to an excerpt.

Off Limits Blurb:  For Senior Chief Hank O’Mara no woman could compare with the sea until he met Lieutenant Bethany Morton. Only the sea could draw two passionate people of such opposite backgrounds together, and only US Navy regulations could keep them apart. Because fraternization between Officer and enlisted is forbidden, both Beth and Hank do their utmost to resist the passion and love growing between them. However, love proves stronger than either the sea or the USN. If they are to be together, Hank must sacrifice his career and Beth will risk the destruction of her professional dreams.

Read an excerpt from Off Limits here.

A Bit about Rue Allyn

I wrote my first story around the age of five and read my first romance at the age of eight. I’ve been in love with being in love ever since. I’m happily married to my sweetheart of many, many years. We share the home of two cats, who condescend to allow me to feed them and clean their litter box. They occasionally permit me to pet them but demand my love and attention as their right. I am in awe of their feline ability to dominate with half a glance or a mere twitch of tail. I am insatiably curious, an avid reader and traveler. I love to hear from readers about your favorite books and real life adventures. I also love my work. Seriously, what could be more fun than sharing love and adventure with all your friends?  Share more with me at http://RueAllyn.com.