Tuesday, May 27, 2014

#TantilizingTuesdays: Sensuous Promo’s Presents - Book Tour for Breaching the Lieutenant by Eva Lefoy




Welcome to Sensuous Promo’s Breaching the Lieutenant 
Book Tour.




Second Lieutenant Mark Oates has a lot to learn, both about the U.S. Army and about himself. When a senior officer confronts Oates about his latent homosexual tendencies, he’s backed into a corner and only one man can help him out. Trouble is, can he trust him not to ruin his career plans?
Gunnar Evans was dishonorably discharged from the Army during Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell for his openly gay sexuality. He fought the system and lost, but continues to help the young officers sent to his door discover their hidden desires. When gorgeous hunk Lt. Oates arrives, he knows he must breach the lieutenant’s defenses in order to show him the pleasure he deserves. But once he gains access, he may never want to let him go.


In the following excerpt, former sergeant Gunnar Evans is trying to convince Lt. Mark Oates he knows exactly what’s good for him…

“Get back here, Lieutenant. That’s an order.”
His body responded to the command before his brain could argue. He spun back to the retired sergeant and stood at attention, his nipples painfully hard against his shirt.
“Good. Now, tell me, do you like what you see?” A muscle flexed in Evans’ jaw as he waited for an answer.
Oates opened his mouth but no sound came out. His whole thinking process was hijacked by watching the slow motion stroke Evans’ right hand gave his pec. “Uh…”
“Oh, never mind. I’m too old, that’s it. Too old to be attractive to anyone anymore.” Evans turned and tossed the wrench onto the table, his shoulders sagging.
Oates hated the hurt he heard in Evans’ voice and hurried toward him. “No. No, that’s not it at all.”
Evans spun, bringing him up short. So short, they stood mere inches apart. The former sergeant slowly picked up his hand. “Are you sure?” He laid the palm of Oates’ hand on his hard right pec and flexed his chest.
The well-worked muscle hardened under his palm, and Oates went lightheaded. Jesus. The man’s skin was hotter than hell, and that nipple ring… Mark’s breathing went ragged as his fingers swept over it.
“That’s right. Feel what it’s like to touch a man, Oates. Just this once.” Mouth hovering closer, his breath puffed against Oates’ face. “It’s just you and me here, Oates. Nobody around to see what we do.” He pressed their lips together.
Oates whimpered. The slow, sensual kiss singed, burned, and blazed a brand new desire through him, hitting his balls so hard they almost cracked in two. Fuck. Evans’ salty lips were a few degrees short of heaven. The notion that salvation lay in Evans’ pants brought back his anxiety. He started to back away and found himself pulled back by two strong arms.
“Stay right there. Feel what it’s like to hold a man, Oates.”
 He groaned, but obeyed the command in Evans’ growl. Wrapping his arms around Evans, he let himself feel what he’d always longed to experience. He’d been hugged by buddies before. This wasn’t the same. This embrace was potent, and the smell of sweat and man, and the warm muscles under his hands made his balls juice, unloading precum in his pants. Suddenly he couldn’t reach enough of Evans to stem the fierceness of his need. He dug his fingers into Evans’ back and groaned, shuddering.  Oh god, that’s good. So fucking good.
Down below, the stiffness in Evans’ crotch notched against his own. Evans grasped Oates’ ass and ground their groins together. The sergeant’s hardness hit him and dual waves of pleasure and panic stuttered his breath. If this went any further his behavior would surely cross the line from experimentation to gay. And once he crossed it, could he ever go back?

This is a *hot* read and part of my upcoming Bear series. Hope you like it!~Eva

Purchase Links



Eva’s Bio and Contact information


Eva Lefoy writes and reads all kinds of romance, and is a certified Trekkie. She’s also terribly addicted to chocolate, tea, and hiking. One of these days, she’ll figure out the meaning of life, quit her job, and go travel the galaxy. Until then, she’s writing down all her dirty thoughts for the sake of future explorers.


Monday, May 26, 2014

#CoverReveal for Two Collections from SVP Authors Featuring Both Sweet and #EroticRromance


Happy Memorial Day to everyone here in the States. Today is the day we remember those men and women who lost their lives in service to their country in all five branches of the military: Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Take a moment today and give them thanks for their ultimate sacrifice, and thank their families for theirs.

Today is also an exciting day for Sassy Vixen Publishing. We've finalized the covers for two special releases. Both will be available in print for RomCon 2014 in just a few short weeks. After we return from Denver, we'll gear up for the release of the books in both print and eBook formats on all retailers by July 1st.



First up is the compilation of the first two short novellas from Tawny Savage's Bigfoot Chronicles. The request for a print version of her debut monster erotica compelled us to do this for RomCon. Of course, these stories aren't your traditional erotic romance. In fact, they're more erotica and less romance, but the love story between the heroine and Bigfoot begged for a broader audience. This of course is the eBook version. We'll share the one for the print book as soon as Tawny approves it!



The second cover we have to share today is the new home for the short novellas from Tammy Dennings Maggy and Lia Michaels from the now out of print winter anthology. With them, Stephanie Ryan shares the first six chapters of her debut romantic suspense novel Dangerous Medicine.
Sweet, Sultry and Oh So Taboo sums up the entire collection perfectly. Stephanie's Dangerous Medicine is the Sweet, Tammy's "Meet Me Under the Mistletoe" is the Sultry, and Lia's "Have a Naughty, Naughty Christmas" represents everything oh so Taboo.
Our cover artists are hard at work on creating the cover for Season of Sun and Sin. As soon as we have it, we'll share it here with you. Stay tuned!

Until then,
~The Vixen


Wednesday, May 21, 2014

#WildandWickedWednesday: @MtnMoxieGirl Author Amber Lea Easton Gets Ready for Her #New #RomanticSuspense



Welcome to Wild and Wicked Wednesday at Sassy Vixen Publishing. Today we have an extra special treat. Our friend, fellow author and editor extraordinaire has a new release tomorrow. We're helping to spread the word and get everyone geared up and ready to download Dancing Barefoot the second it goes live on all the retail sites.


Amber Lea Easton is a multi-published fiction and nonfiction author. Smart is sexy, according to Easton, which is why she writes about strong female characters who have their flaws and challenges but ultimately persevere. She currently has six contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels out in the world: Kiss Me Slowly, Riptide, Reckless Endangerment, Anonymity, In Between, and Dancing Barefoot. Her memoir, Free Fall, is dedicated to suicide prevention, awareness, and helping others navigate the dark journey of grief.

In addition, Easton works as an editor, freelance journalist, and professional speaker. She speaks on subjects ranging from writing to widowhood. Some of her videos on romance writing have appeared on the international Writers & Authors television network. Current radio appearances are linked via her author website, http://www.amberleaeaston.com.

Easton currently lives with her two teenagers in the Colorado Rocky Mountains where she gives thanks daily for the gorgeous view outside her window. She finds inspiration from traveling, the people she meets, nature and life’s twists and turns. At the end of the day, as long as she's writing, she considers herself simply to be "a lucky lady liv'n the dream."


Easton also publishes under the name Dakota Skye who has one paranormal erotic romance, Blurred Lines, currently available and another, Deadly Decadence, due out in the fall of 2014

Author Contact Information:
Amazon Author Page viewAuthor.at/AmberLeaEaston


Dancing Barefoot blurb

Jessica Moriarty appears to have it all—a successful career as an architect, a loyal group of friends, a gorgeous apartment, and an on-again-off-again affair with Boston's most eligible bachelor. Behind this “perfect life” façade, Jessica hides the loss she feels over giving up her dream career as an artist, copes with a destructive relationship with her alcoholic mother, and struggles with heartbreak over a lost love.

Jacques Sinclair only needs his cameras, a backpack, and a good pair of walking shoes. A world-renowned photographer, he is a man without boundaries. Despite fame and fortune, he still yearns for the woman who shattered his heart when she vanished from his life five years ago.

A chance meeting brings Jacques and Jessica back together. Reunions aren't always planned or welcomed, but chemistry has a way of revealing what is denied. Ensnared in a web of sabotage and conspiracy—carefully constructed by people who want to control their lives—Jacques and Jessica struggle to trust each other, break free from the status quo, reclaim their love, and build a life of extraordinary possibility. 

Excerpt (appropriate for any audience)

Deep inside his chest, his heart stirred with protectiveness.  He didn’t want to hurt her. If he had had his way, she would be his wife. But he hadn’t had his way.  She had deceived him, manipulated him into falling in love with her, treated him as a summer plaything, and disappeared one day without saying good-bye.  But, regardless of how she had felt about him, he had loved her.  That’s why her leaving had hurt so badly, why it still hurt.  Five years wasn’t that long ago, only a heartbeat in time. 
“Jacques, we really need to leave.  We have dinner with Jenkins then our flight back to New York.  We can’t—” Kevin ended his statement with a broad gesture of frustration. 
He nodded and shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. If ever he needed an escape, it was now.  “Bring the car around.  I’ll meet you outside.”
“Well, if you’ve got to go, I'll get out of your way," she said.
“People are waiting for me.”  He winced at the verbal acknowledgment of his compromises. 
A tentative smile curved her lips. “I always knew you’d have your day to shine. It was inevitable.” 
His gaze drifted over her again. “Corporate America treating you well?  Let me guess…you always work late, are committed only to your career, have given up art, have a stable boyfriend who wears suits and talks about the stock market, are still trying to please a mother who never understood you, have compromised to the point of losing yourself completely…am I close to the truth?”
 Her smile faded.  “Five years is a long time to hold a grudge.”
“It isn’t long enough.” He wished this rendezvous could go differently, but bitterness tainted his words. He reminded himself of his immunity to her.  Cool.  Aloof.   “I never said I had a grudge against you.  Why would I? That would mean I think about you and I haven’t in years.”  
 “I can see that you haven’t given me a thought at all.  You must have forgotten who this was, then?” She held his book up to his face.
Brains and beauty, a combination he now avoided. 
“Perhaps I did forget it was you. Hundreds of women and even more photographs…” He ripped his gaze from the cover of his book.  He had used that photograph hoping she would see it some day and be hurt by the memory.  
The cover photo had been taken the morning after their night in Rome after he had proposed to her and foolishly believed her when she had said yes. Questions pummeled him aching for release—and, oh, he had fantasized about seeing her again and letting them fly without restraint—but he hadn't expected to be blindsided with heartache.
“Why are you lying? We both know damn well—”

“Of the two of us, you are the expert liar.” He thrust the book back into her hands. “What do you want?”
She slid the book into her messenger bag.  Unshed tears glistened in her eyes.  When she looked away, he could almost see the fight for control within her.  When she looked back, eyes were dry. Scary control.  When had she learned that disturbing skill?  Not that he should care, he didn't.  Her life. Her choices.
“You’re good at that, aren’t you?” he asked despite himself.
“Good at what?”  Her gaze slid to his chest. 
“Hiding what you’re really feeling. What an actress you are.”
Her blue eyes hardened like a frozen glacial lake.  She stood tall.  “I almost didn’t come inside, but now I’m glad I did.  You’ve turned into a real ass.  Fame must have warped your brain.  It’ll be much easier to forget you now.”
“You’ve had years to forget me,” he said.
“I failed.”  Her chin trembled.  She shrugged in defeat.  “I failed, okay?  Is that what you need to hear?  I haven’t forgotten Florence, Rome, our apartment, you...any of it.  I think about it all daily.”
"Do you ever stop lying?"
Their gaze connected and held.
Irritated by her presence, his lack of control and life in general, he strode toward the door. Time to leave. 
He stopped in the doorway and turned, unable to simply leave her behind even though he knew he should.  “You were going to run away from me again when you realized I was still here, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
Guilt for his behavior settled in his heart and sickened him.  She'd mattered to him, had been the center of his world...once upon a time not too far in the past.  “I’m sorry for treating you badly. You took me by surprise." 
She walked toward him, a hesitant grin on her trembling lips.  She looked foreign to him in her crisp white blouse, red skirt and high heels. 
“I wish we had more time, we could talk, get a drink, catch up.  That wouldn't be so terrible, would it? I have so much I want to say to you, to explain—"
“I need to go before Kevin has a nervous breakdown.”  Irritation snapped through his nervous system.  He wanted to take her to dinner and force her to eat pasta, mess her hair up, make her laugh and see...well, see what had happened to the woman he had loved, find out the real reason she had given up on their future together.  But getting involved in her life again—even in a small way—would be detrimental to his heart health. So why did he want it so badly? “Kevin’s like you, always worried about being late.”
“How do you stand him?” Her tentative grin became a smile. 
“I fire him daily but he refuses to go away.” He would not meet her eyes again as they walked together onto the street. Awkwardness stretched between them in the warm June evening. 
“You don’t have a few minutes?  Just to talk?  Catch up?  We could have coffee or a drink?  After your dinner?”  She kept his pace, stood too close, looked at him with those big blue eyes. Damn her.
He wanted more than a drink.  He wanted hours.  He wanted an explanation. 
When she rubbed the back of her neck, he noticed the ring on her finger.  Hurt and anger took their rightful place in his heart.  Resolve restored, he looked down the block for any sign of Kevin and the get away car. 
“We have said all there is to say,” he said.
“We could—”
“Could what?  Talk about old times over a cold drink in a crowded bar?”  He closed the space between them.  “Do you know how many women want to have a drink with me, Jess?”
“I’m not a stranger.”  She stood her ground, straightened her spine and tilted her chin as if willing to go toe-to-toe with him.  Maybe she hadn't changed so much after all.
“What do you want from me?”  His gaze pierced hers looking for a glimpse of truth beneath the facade. 
“I don’t want anything from you.”
“What did you expect when you came here?  You expected something. Deny it.”  The temptation to yank the ring from her hand boiled beneath his skin.  She had no right to wear it. 
“I don’t know what I expected.”
“No? I think you expected me to be happy to see you.”
“You’re wrong.  I knew this would be hard.  I—”
“And you couldn’t come during scheduled hours, you waited to catch me off-guard, to…” he struggled for the right word.  A native French speaker, sometimes English escaped him when he needed it most.
“I worked late. I thought I'd missed you, hoped I had.”  She stepped within inches of him.  “I was scared, is that what you want to hear?”
He silently cursed Kevin for taking so long with the car. “That was your problem in Italy, too.  Scared little Jessica.  Haven’t you grown up yet?”
Her head jerked back as if he'd slapped her. 
“I shouldn’t have come.”  She stepped backward.
“No, you shouldn’t have. I’m better for not knowing you.” He shook his head.  He had had enough. Of all the scenarios he had played out in his mind, this conversation was all wrong. He hated himself for the words he said. 

If you want a glimpse into the world of the characters of Dancing Barefoot, head on over to Amber's Blog Kisses, Caresses and Whispers in the Night for the prequel entitled In Between. It's a free read and there are twelve chapters up for you to enjoy NOW. As soon as we have the live purchase links, we'll share them with you. Until then, happy reading!

~The Vixen


UPDATE!! Buy Links now available!
Amazon: myBook.to/DB
 All Romance eBooks: http://goo.gl/Hd8eTg
Smashwords: http://goo.gl/g56oj0



Friday, May 9, 2014

#FlashbackFriday: Going Back to the Basics and Movin' On With @SassyVixenPub #amwriting #MyWANA


Welcome to the Sassy Vixen Publishing blog. I'm The Vixen aka Tammy Smith, the co-founder and powerhouse behind SVP. Some of you may also know me as author Tammy Dennings Maggy, Lia Michaels, Stephanie Ryan and Tawny Savage. Each and every one of them make up one person—me. I've never made it a secret. I've been upfront about it from the beginning that I have multiple personalities...errr...pen names. All of them combined make up Sassy Vixen Publishing.

Some folks have asked when SVP will open up for submissions from other others and I've been honest about that too. It's never been my plan to open it up for that for several years. SVP is me and all of my pen names. It always has been and always will be. That will never change. I'm not naive enough to think I could just open up shop and take on other authors. I want to publish MY work first and maybe someday down the line help others realize their dream as well.



What about the Christmas anthology put out with the Four Seduced Muses? 
Well, that was an experiment to see if it could be done. I wanted to have more experience formatting and promoting a larger collection and work with three other fabulous authors. We put together a great book and released it just before the holidays to some fabulous reviews. Unfortunately, the interest in the book waned from there.

The original four Muses no longer work together. All of us have so many other things going on and new directions to follow. It's sad and exciting at the same time. We've all grown and learned from working together and now it's time to part ways. May Water was the first to go, and not it's my turn.

'Tis the Season for Seduction is no longer available for sale. It was removed from all vendors today. It may take a week or two for it to finalize, but it won't be coming back in it's current form. Instead, Nicole Morgan, Maya DeLeina, May Water, myself and my alter ego Lia Michaels will revamp and republish the individual stories on our own...or not. The decision will be made by the individual authors. 


What about The Vixen? Isn't that the name given to you as a Muse?
I've been known as The Vixen since before 2010. It was a nickname given to me by an old friend and I've used it as part of my branding ever since. The Muses came into being in 2012. It was fun to have a home with the Muses while it lasted, but now The Vixen is right where she should be—concentrating on her own writing and enjoying it again.

I wish the other Muses well in all their endeavors. I'm sure with that kind of talent you'll see their books at the top of the charts in multiple genres. We had fun together while we could, and I'll cherish that time always. Now it's time for all to move on and upward.

What about the Season of Sun and Sin anthology?
It's still on. It's gone through another change. It will only be SVP authors...me...in it. This one will have "Bound in Paradise" by Tammy Dennings Maggy, "Sweet Surrender" by Lia Michaels, and "Silk Seductions" by Tawny Savage. All of the pieces are in various stages of edits and rewrites so my goal is to get this one out by the end of July or August. 

Next month I'll attend RomCon in Denver and I'm looking forward to meeting new readers and authors as well as those I met last year. This convention will kick off another phase in my writing career and one I wish to nourish for years to come. Look for me on the Erotic Authors Chat Panel, Get Crafty with the Authors, Karaoke Night with the Fun from the Decades Games and dancing, and the Chocolate Mangasm party. I'll also be there with bells on at the Book and Swag signing with several SVP books available. Don't forget the raffle for Breast Cancer awareness. I'll have a basket up for grabs with all sorts of goodies.  See you all there!

Until next time,
~The Vixen