Author, author.... Kimberly Quinton - HERO WORSHIP

...read all about her !!

Please welcome a Top Ten Guest Post from Kimberly Quinton!!

 

 

Hi! Thanks for hosting me today! So, I can talk about food all day long, but when I tried to come up with a list of top ten foods I was stuck. I asked my kids what they thought mommy’s top ten foods were and their answer—Bacon, Chocolate, Wine, Beer, Coffee, Cheese, Ice Cream, Donuts, Fruit salad, and Pizza.  Hmmmm, not sure what kind of nutrition habits I’m teaching them, but they did do a pretty good job of listing some of my favorites.

 

I love cooking, trying new restaurants, reading food blogs, collecting recipes and cookbooks and just fantasizing about food so instead of a top ten foods, I can give you my top ten cuisines.

 

10. Thai food ~ Suprisingly, hubs doesn’t believe that Thai would be in my top ten, but we live in a big city and see the nine cuisines I like more- Of course Thai isn’t my first choice when we have a date night but I do love a good Pad Thai.

 

9. Chinese ~ A fresh made eggroll and Hot and Sour soup or Lo Mein or Chicken and Cashews… I know it’s the Americanized version, but I love it.

 

8.  Steak house~ Not just for the steak, but the fish and salads and sides too.  A filet, grilled asparagus and creamed spinach is a fab meal to me.

 

7. BBQ ~ I’m southern… ‘nuff said.  

 

6.  Italian ~ Not to be confused with Pizza which I consider it’s own category, but the traditional pastas and white tablecloth places. Great wine, savory pasta in a rich sauce, crisp salad and lots of bread. Yep- I’m all in.

 

5. Cajun~ True New Orleans Cajun cuisine is an experience and so much is craveable. The food is one of the biggest things I miss about living in New Orleans.

 

4. Mexican/ Tex-Mex~ Growing up on the border, my comfort food has always been  tex-mex but a trip to central Mexico also gave me a taste for true Mexican food. There’s so much more than enchiladas and tacos out there!

 

 3. American Pub Food ~ Local Beer and wings or specialty burgers-Yum! And the perfect sunny afternoon on the patio kind of date.

 

2. Pizza ~ I’m loving the trend of wood-fired pizzerias and wine bar combos! Again, I could eat a different pizza every day.  Some of my favorites are the unusual ones with different kinds of cheese- pear and gorgonzola or chevre and fig. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

 

1. Indian~ I could be a vegetarian if someone would cook me Indian food everyday! Spicy and rich, there is no need for meat!

 

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Hero Worship

by

Kimberly Quinton

 

An Old Threat Returns….

 

After twenty years confinement on an island for crimes against humanity, the last thing disgraced H.E.R.O. Cole wants to hear is the world needs him. But the government’s sexy envoy peaks his interest and his honor.

 

Temptation….

Enhanced human and the government’s top negotiator, Caroline Sparks’ only mission is to bring in the last H.E.R.O. at any cost. When he asks for two months with her on his island when the mission is over, she can’t refuse even if it means exposing a secret he might kill her over.

 

Battle to save the world….

 

With disaster looming at every turn, Cole must choose between vengeance and duty. Can Caroline embrace her latent power and save her hero or will saving the world cost them both everything?

 

Hero Worship from Decadent Publishing

Official Release Day~ February 21, 2014

Super Hero Romance

29k words, heat level: 3 flames

 

Buy Links:   Amazon    Barnes & Noble    Decadent Publishing

 

Exclusively first at All Romance ebooks ! http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html

 

 

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Enjoy the following excerpt for Hero Worship:

 

“Look, princess, I don’t have a knight-in-shining-armor side. You need to get around to my real side.”

Caroline’s teeth clicked together at princess; her tongue barely escaped the sharp edges before she forced another breath through her nose.

“And what side would that be? Your, I-want-my-own-island-and-the-rest-of- the-world-can-rot, side? Or how about your, I-need-a-new-woman-every-couple- weeks, side? Which one of those should I appeal to?”

Her voice sounded strange to her ears, thick with frustration and on the brink of screeching. I never raise my voice. Pursing her lips against the tremble, she gripped the edge of her seat, doing her best to ignore his wide smirk. She needed this conversation under her control.

He leaned back and tilted his head to look beneath the table, eyeing her legs. She stiffened but didn’t move further at his perusal of her from head to chest and back. A negotiator couldn’t be easily offended.

“Definitely my I-need-a-new-woman-every-couple-weeks, side. You could be that woman.”

“What?” Incredulity tightened her throat and her words sputtered out in a breathy puff. “Are you insane?”

“Depends on who you ask.” He winked; a suggestive tilt broadened his smile.

No way in hell. She squashed the butterflies that flapped in her belly, determined to ignore the temptation of his sun-kissed shoulders and golden abs, each muscle defined like a sculpted masterpiece. A perfect Hero. Physically. Too bad, of all the Heroes, only he remained.

Caroline cleared her throat. “I’m here to negotiate your chance at freedom, not feed your lascivious appetites.”

“Okay. Tell the AG the offer is rejected.”

“Millions of lives are at risk. We can’t combat a cyborg army under the control of a terrorist on our own.”

“Not my problem.”
“You used to be a hero. Now you’re heartless and cruel—pathetic.”
Caroline searched his face for a reaction, anything to tell her she’d gotten to him. He gave nothing but a shrug under a steady gaze. Her insults seemed to roll right off him.

“Your brethren would be ashamed.”

A flash of violence passed through his eyes as he thrust forward, shoulders raised, in a shift from nonchalant to coiled aggression, ready to strike at the next provocation. Here was the vengeance that cost a dozen citizens their lives and damages in the billions to government assets. She struggled not to react, but anger surged inside her, smothering her self-protective instincts.

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About the Author:

Whether she’s writing contemporary or paranormal romance, Kimberly Quinton is a romantic at heart who strives to tell stories about the power of true love.

Since a teen, she’s loved romances and believes we can all live our happily-ever-after. Always a people watcher, it wasn’t until Kimberly shucked her Accounting major for Anthropology that her interest in people and cultures was nurtured. Kimberly has combined her natural curiosity (nosiness) with her love of romance for the sake of bringing the movies in her head to life on the page.

A wife and mother of two, Kimberly spends her days chasing chores, wrangling active kids, and writing. She also enjoys traveling, cooking, great wine and sharing a laugh with friends and family.

You can usually find her on Facebook or Twitter. Stop by for a chat.

 

Contact Details:

Website: http://kimberlyquinton.com/about-kimberly/

Email: kim@kimberlyquinton.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyQuintonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimquinton

 

 

Giveaway

 Kimberly is giving away a $30 Amazon Gift Card

 to 1 lucky winner !!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tasty Tuesday & a Teaser ~ Neil Plakcy

 

Every Tuesday we'll welcome an Author who will share a foodie type post

with a recipe or two and some book promo !

 

Today please help me welcome Neil Plakcy...

 

 

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Eat Like a Hawaiian

When I first met Kimo Kanapa’aka, the hero of my Mahu Investigations, he was a single guy, like I was. He was gay, like me, and about my age, and he ate the way I did. He had a hibachi on his balcony that he used to grill chicken breasts, vegetables, and the occasional burger. He ate what he wanted, when he wanted.

That’s about where our similarities ended. He was a mixed-race homicide detective in Honolulu with a big family, a competitive athlete who’d spent a season on the pro surfing circuit. I’m a writer and college professor, my heritage is Russian and Jewish, I’m an only child, and the closest I come to athletics is regular dog-walking.

One thing Kimo and I share is a love of food. So when I began telling Kimo’s stories, I couldn’t help adding a culinary element into the mix, especially the unique and evocative cuisine of the Aloha State. I made his mother a great cook, so that there would always be delicious food when he visited his parents. And I tried to include the variety of dining, from the fast-food Zippy’s to high-style restaurants with equally high prices.

Hawai’i is a mix of cultures, and each ethnic group has contributed to the dinner table. In the first  book, Mahu, Kimo goes home for a family luau, where “We had every kind of food imaginable. Chicken long rice, poi, shark-fin soup, sweet and sour spareribs, Portuguese sausage and beans. And desserts, pineapple like crazy, ten different types of crack seed, malasadas, mango ice cream.”

Kalua pig, roasted in an in-ground oven called an imu, is a luau specialty. Kimo is part Hawaiian, part Japanese, and part haole, or white. All those cuisings show up throughout the series. He has a Chinese godfather, and friends descended from the Portuguese immigrants who came to the islands, mostly from the Azores, to work on plantations. He falls in love with a man who’s part Korean and part Italian, adding even more to the mix.

As Kimo matured, his eating habits changed, the way mine did. No more bachelor meals; he’s got a partner, a teenaged foster son and a golden retriever to feed. Now he’s more likely to bring home a pizza, let his partner grill burgers in the back yard or dine out, though his family is still throwing those extravagant luaus. Every time I write one of them, my mouth waters and I long to hop on a plane and fly to Honolulu to join them.

Instead I console myself with these cookies, which I bake in bulk for readings and book events. The coconut and the macadamia nuts are my tribute to Kimo and to my love for Hawai’i.

http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=MAHUMEN2

www.mahubooks.com

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Chocolate Chip Coconut Macadamia Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup salted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup flake coconut

1/2 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Bring eggs to room temperature, and put butter out to soften.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well with a wire whisk.
3. Pour both types of sugar into a large bowl, then blend at medium speed until they are combined. (I use my standing mixer, but you can use a hand mixer as well.)
4. Add the butter and mix until you have a grainy paste. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix at low to medium speed until blended.
5. Add the flour mix, two cups of chocolate chips, coconut, and macadamia nuts and blend at a low speed until mixed.
6. Roll small balls with your fingers and drop onto a cookie sheet, leaving enough room to expand. (I use a Silpat non-stick silicone baking sheet over my cookie sheet so the cookies don’t stick and cleanup is easy. I suggest using non-stick spray or parchment paper if you don’t have a Silpat.)
7. Stud the cookies with the remaining chocolate chips – usually three or four to a cookie. I like the way the cookies look with the chips on top. Sometimes I use colored or flavored chips for the studding.
8. Bake about 20 minutes until golden. I like my cookies not quite done, so I watch carefully and pull them out as soon as they turn. I lift them off with a spatula and put them on cooling racks as soon as they’re set.

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Blurb:

 

The Beautiful tropical island of O'ahu is filled with predators, from high flying owls to bottom-dwelling criminals.  When the body of an island patrician is found in a warehouse fire, tracking his killers will bring openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa'aka into contact with many of those predators, natural and otherwise.  Kimo and his detective partner Ray Donne dig deep into the history of Hawai'i as the islands were teetering on the brink of statehood in order to understand the victim, his killer, and their motives.

 

At the same time, Kimo and his partner, fire investigator Mike Riccardi, decide to become foster parents for a homeless teen who witnessed the crime and prepare to become dads themselves.

 

 

Here's the buy link:

http://www.mlrbooks.com/showbook.php?book=NPNATPRD

 

 

Excerpt  – The Fire

It was a cool, breezy morning in early March, and I rolled up the flaps on my Jeep for the drive down to the airport. Despite its name, which implied an unspoiled tropical atoll, Lagoon Drive was littered with abandoned warehouses, used car operations and small import-export businesses. A dozen sharp-edged wind turbines roosted along the roof line of a building at the far end of the drive like hungry vultures.

A herd of fire department vehicles clustered ahead of me—three fire engines, a ladder truck, and a couple of SUVs driven by higher brass. The strobing lights were enough to give you an epileptic fit. There were two squad cars as well, the officers directing traffic and securing the area.

I parked my Jeep beside a barbed-wire fence as a plane took off from the reef runway, shaking the air. The ground was barren and sandy; even weeds seemed to have a hard time living in the desolate landscape. And yet, in the other direction I could see a vast expanse of shimmering water and the dark green sentinel of Diamond Head in the distance.

I saw Mike in his yellow fire suit and waved at him. He walked over, shrugging off the oilskin hood. “Two story wood-frame building,” he said. “Went up like kindling, especially after the run of dry weather we’ve had lately.”

“Arson?”

“Too early to tell. No obvious incendiary devices. I’ll have to analyze the fire load and the spread pattern before I can make a determination. But you know that already.”

“It’s always nice to hear you explain it one more time. How about the body?”

“How about it?”

“You know what I mean.”

“First responders saw a body of an older male on the floor of the building when they entered. He burned to a crisp before they could extinguish the flames, though. I don’t know how much you’ll get out of the ME.”

“What a great start to the morning. Neither of us have much to work with.”

“I’ve got to get back inside. I’ll talk to you later.”

He turned and walked back toward what remained of the building. The air was heavy with ash, smoke and the distinctive smell of charred human flesh. I pulled out my digital camera and started taking pictures while I waited for Ray to show up.

A couple of abandoned warehouses, wood-framed with sheet metal exteriors, sat in the area around the burned building. One brick warehouse still held the original owner’s name and the date 1884 engraved over the lintel, though all its windows were boarded up.

 

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Author Bio:

Neil Plakcy is the author of the Mahu Investigations, about openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa'aka, as well as the Have Body, Will Guard adventure romance series and the Golden Retriever Mysteries.

 

He is an assistant professor of English at Broward College in South Florida, and former president of the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America.  He has been a construction manager, a computer game producer, and a second-place finisher on Jeopardy!

 

Character-driven mystery, romance and mainstream novels

www.mahubooks.com   http://www.facebook.com/neil.plakcy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author, author..... Guest post by Pamela Aares ~ Love Bats Last

... read all about it !!

 

What is it about baseball All-Stars that makes them great lovers?

So what’s the scoop? Is there something about the selection process to choose Major League All-Stars that contributes to these men being better than good in bed? Are there aspects of the performance edge, of the pursuit of athletic excellence, that develop traits and qualities that make baseball All-Stars awesome lovers?

As the old swing song goes, “It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it.” And when it comes to love, it is a bit about what All-Star heroes (fictional and real) do, but it’s definitely about the way that they do it.

The performance level achieved by All-Stars requires discipline and practice, it’s true. But to get to the majors in the first place, the boys that become the men in the majors have to have certain qualities, and it’s those same qualities that are at the heart of the sensual game of love. So what are those elements and qualities?

1. Great body awareness. All-Stars carry an awareness of not only their own bodies, but a mindfulness of those around them. Top MLB All-Stars have exquisite spatial orientation; they have a tuned-up awareness and a consciousness of the field. These men know where others are, yet not just by being in tune with the physical; the best of them have learned to feel beyond vision and sound.

2. Exquisite Attention. Players at the All-Star level know how to focus. The same extreme focus that they turn to seeing the seams on a fastball can be turned to the women they wish to please. They’ve been practicing focus most of their lives. Need I say more?

3. A Love of Feedback. The best of these amazing men love feedback; in fact, they crave it. A player needs to accurately scrutinize the body language of his opponents and teammates in order to gauge how they’ll respond to the next play. They know that sensitivity to feedback allows them to excel and to hone their game. Refinement toward perfection is a lifelong practice and discipline. A woman’s sensual response is fuel to such a man. It’s a win-win feedback loop.

4. An Appetite for the Intense. All-Stars by nature seek out the climax, the exhilarating moment when energy peaks. That’s when great achievements are reached and when players transcend their former level of play. In those moments, all is risked. All is on the line. And the reward is exceptional. Ask any All-Star and he’ll tell you that in a team sport it’s the energy of an excellent opponent, the pressing up against the drive of another, which takes him to a new level. The energy of a skilled and involved opponent pushes an All-Star to the heights. It drives outstanding performance. The best encourage one another to greatness. And the results can be explosive.

5. Baseball is a Game out of Time. There’s no clock. You play the game until it’s over. That’s a lot like love and a whole lot like good loving. (I’ll say more about baseball and time in future blogs. In the meantime you can check out All-Star Alex Tavonesi, the hero in Love Bats Last, the first book in my Heart of the Game series that debuts on February 4th and tell me what you think).

6. Baseball is a Game of the Heart. Sure, the sheer strength and agility of baseball All-Stars is a plus, but it’s the subtle aspects of the mind-body connection that bring it all together, that make All-Stars truly special. And beneath the excellence—under the focus and drive and sheer physicality—it’s the heart of the man that makes the difference when it comes to love and loving. These men know what it means to follow their hearts and strive for their dreams. They know how to go the distance. I leave the rest to your very fine imaginations!

And a big P.S.: Being in love can make athletes perform better! Research reported on WebMD.com has linked being in love with an athlete’s on-field performance, showing that love can improve that performance. That makes sense: when you’re in love, you’re happy, life looks better, your mood is better and you even have more energy. Why wouldn’t all of these positives make a guy a better athlete?

And a plus for the reformed rakes in my books who go on to excel: The findings also showed that there was more to win than happiness. Athletes who were in committed relationships seemed to have overall better performances than those who were not.

So why wouldn’t a ballplayer look for love? Why wouldn’t a woman look for love in an All-star? All-Stars make great lovers and deserve great lovin’.

 

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         Love Bats Last

        Pamela Aares

 

Book Tagline

When love’s in the game you can’t play it safe...

 

Book Description

In LOVE BATS LAST, author Pamela Aares introduces you to the Heart of the Game series. Get ready for All-Star alpha males and the strong women they come to love!

 

A stormy night changes their lives forever...

 

The baseball diamond isn’t the only field for all-star player Alex Tavonesi; he also runs his family’s prestigious vineyard. What he can't seem to run is his love life. He’s closing in on the perfect vintage and the perfect game, but so far the perfect woman has eluded him.

 

Veterinarian Jackie Brandon is eluding her aristocratic past and memories of a soccer star who jilted her just before their wedding. She devotes herself to a marine mammal rescue center on the northern California coast, where hundreds of seals and sea lions are washing up dead.

 

A chance meeting in a midnight storm brings Alex and Jackie together to rescue a stranded whale. Watching her work, he realizes she's the passionate, courageous woman he thought he'd never find--he just has to overcome her deep distrust of jocks. Jackie's passion and courage lead her to discover what's killing the sea mammals. The culprits want to silence her, and Alex is the only one standing in their way. What will he sacrifice to save the woman he loves?

 

Quotes and Praise

“Pamela Aares deftly weaves together the desires and strategies of world-class sports with the equally charged realm of the heart to create fast-moving tales you’ll wish would never end.”

—Mary Beath, award-winning author of Refuge of Whirling Light on the contemporary series the Heart of the Game.

 

“A new star in the romance world!” —E. Alexander, New York Times best-selling author

 

About the Author

Pamela is an author of contemporary and historical romance novels. Her first book, Jane

Austen and the Archangel (Angels Come to Earth, #1) was released in 2012. Midnight Becomes You, (Angels Come to Earth, #2) will release in 2014, along with three more books in the Heart of the Game series, all releasing in 2014.

 

Before becoming a romance author, Pamela Aares produced and wrote award-winning films and radio shows including Your Water, Your Life featuring actress Susan Sarandon and the NPR series New Voices. After producing The Powers of the Universe and The Earth’s Imagination, she knew without a doubt that romance lives at the heart of the universe and powers the greatest stories of all.

 

Pamela holds a Master’s Degree from Harvard and lives in the wine country of California with her husband and two curious cats. Her love of nature led to adventures scuba diving the coral reefs of Fiji, exploring the cliffs of Greece, sea kayaking the Rosario Straits and white water rafting the wild and scenic rivers of the west—and romance!

 

Web site:  http://www.PamelaAares.com

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomPamelaAares

Facebook:   http://www.facebook.com/PamelaAares

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/PamelaAares

Pinterest:  http://www.twitter.com/PamelaAares

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/author/PamelaAares

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/pamela-aares