I Kissed a Boy and I Liked it!

Hey. I'm so happy you stopped by today. We're talking about kissing! Yes, you heard that right. 

Have you noticed how many books these days have the word "kiss" in the title. I mean, I'm not personally promoting kiss books, but take a peek:

3:00 a.m. Kisses, French Kiss, Blood Kiss, Kiss Me Like This, Sealed With a Kiss

Okay, you get the idea. Lots and lots of books are themed around 'kissing'. 

Bet you didn't know that the technical term for kissing is:

                                         ~ Osculate ~

Encarta Dictionary: to kiss somebody

RhymeZone: to touch with the lips or press your lips against someone's mouth or other body part.

Oh, yeah? I'm diggin' this RhymeZone definition. *wink* Other body parts?

Little known facts about kissing

* A kiss triggers a cascade of neural messages and chemicals that transmit tactile sensations, sexual excitement, feelings of closeness, and even euphoria.

* Kissing may have evolved from a primate mother’s practice of chewing food for her young before feeding them mouth-to-mouth.

* Some scientists theorize that kissing is crucial to the evolutionary process of mate selection.

* Lips may have evolved first for food and later applied themselves to speech.

* Scientists believe kissing can be addictive

* Five cranial nerves that affect cerebral function are at work when you kiss, shuttling messages from our lips, tongue, cheeks and nose

* Kissing unleashes a cocktail of chemicals that govern human stress, motivation, social bonding and sexual stimulation.

* Kissing boosts pulse and blood pressure; pupils dilate, breathing deepens and rational thought retreats.

Did you ever think kissing could be powerful enough to do all that? More recent studies show 59% of men and 66% of women admit there were times they were attracted to someone until they kissed them. “Bad” kisses did not factor into the equation, but rather those participating in the study indicated they just didn’t “feel right” about the kiss. The relationships ended abruptly after the lip-lock. (Otherwise known as "the kiss of death" hee hee)    

Kissing, it turns out, unleashes chemicals that ease stress hormones in both sexes and encourages bonding between people. Both men and women had a decline in cortisol (a chemical associated with stress) after 15 minutes of kissing.

Men tend to think of kissing as a prelude to copulation (Come on, you're kidding me, right?) Men also prefer “sloppy” kisses. They admit to getting off on exchanging saliva to transmit testosterone, thereby increasing the sex drive in both partners. (Sneaky little devils).

Overall, the science of kissing *philematology* is still vastly under researched, but scientists are making great strides in this regard. And all along we thought we were just making contact with our mouths.

I saved the best picture for last. Ah, that first kiss. Please tell us in the comment section about your first kiss. (I just know these are going to be hilarious). You can even sign off as Anonymous.

Happy kissing!

Speaking of kissing, there's lots of it in the book I'm promoting this week:

Chasing the Dead

Western Romance/Suspense

 (of course it has a ghost! And he's scary) 

In 1884 New Mexico, Madrid Arrende finds herself kidnapped by the Apache. Determined to rescue her, her wealthy father realizes there is only one man capable of bringing her back alive...Deacon Bannister. Deacon doesn't give one whit about the large sum of money Don Erasmos Arrende has offered him to find his daughter. He only cares about bringing the woman he left at the altar a year ago home.

A ghost is terrorizing the Apache village and the young maiden, Sacheen, has been banished by her People for unleashing Uday's wrath. Now, Deacon, Madrid and Sacheen must flee for their lives across the rugged New Mexico landscape with the evil spirit in hot pursuit.

Will they make it back alive to Madrid's father's hacienda or will Deacon lose Madrid forever?

                      

           AVAILABLE AT ALL RETAIL STORES       

Cover Reveal #PNR #BoxedSet #UrbanFantasy - A Darker Shade of Evil

Thanks so much for dropping by to take a 'first look' at our brand new cover!

Ten USA Today & International Bestselling Authors bring you..... 


A DARKER SHADE OF EVIL
An Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Demon and Devil Anthology

Deadly demons, diabolical devils, and other creatures of the night keep you spellbound in a world of dark delights as they trifle in forbidden passions, suspense, and kick-ass battles. It’s all right here for you in this captivating urban fantasy and paranormal romance anthology!

Brought to you by USA Today and International Bestselling Authors, these stories of sexy, alpha heroes and heroines will keep you turning the pages as devils, demons, hunters and other dark delights draw you into their conquests, twisted power plays, deception, scorching heat, and yes, even love.

Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind anthology.

* Heat Rating: Spicy to Erotic Romance

* No Cliffhangers

* Happily-Ever-After or Happy-For-Now

Coming to an E-reader Near You Soon

 Available for Pre-Order on May 31st! 

 

Contributing Authors

Khardine Gray, USA Today

Nicole Morgan – USA Today

Dariel Raye – USA Today

Lori Titus USA Today

Muffy Wilson – USA Today

Keta Diablo – Bestselling Author

Gracen Miller – Bestselling Author

Deelylay Mullins – Bestselling Author

Michell Scott – Bestselling Author

Katherine Smits – Bestselling Author

Thanks so much for supporting us!

Monday Morning Blues Calls For "Blueberry French Toast"

It rained all weekend here. When we left the restaurant tonight, a man walking to his car said, "Why does it always happen...rain all weekend and then Sunday night the sun comes out?"

This made think of "Monday Morning Blues." People are sad to see the weekend end knowing they're back to the work grind on Monday. There are things we can do lighten our moods, chase those Monday Blues away. One is to make Blueberry French Toast for breakfast, a favorite at our house. I think your family will love it too.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
§  1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
§  1/4 cup maple syrup, divided
§  2 tablespoons blueberry preserves
§  16 slices French bread (1/2 inch thick)
§  2 eggs
§  1 cup 2% milk
§  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
§  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
§  1/4 teaspoon salt

Sauce:
§  1 cup sugar
§  1 cup cold water
§  2 tablespoons cornstarch
§  1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
§  1 tablespoon butter

Preparation:
*  Beat the cream cheese, 2 tablespoons syrup and preserves in a small bowl. Spread over eight slices of bread; top with remaining bread.

*  Whisk the eggs, milk, flour, vanilla, salt and remaining syrup in a shallow bowl. Dip both sides of sandwiches into egg mixture.
Cook on a greased hot griddle until golden brown on both sides.

*  Combine the sugar, water and cornstarch until smooth in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until thickened. Stir in blueberries; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until berries burst. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Serve with French toast. Yield: 8 servings (1-3/4 cups sauce).

Give it a try next Monday morning and let me know it it brightened your day. 

  

The book I'm promoting this month is SEASON, UNFORGETTABLE (yes, the heroine's name is Season.)

 
What Reviewers Are Saying . . .
"So much action. The plot kept winding around and had me guessing the whole second part of the book. This is my first book by this author. It was so good I plan to read more. I give this five BIG stars. I loved it so much!"

"Diablo made me laugh, cry and mostly, bite my fingernails down to the quick. I thoroughly enjoyed every nail-biting page, and award Season, Unforgettable five unforgettable stars!"

About Season, Unforgettable
Her land is not for sale, not even to the gorgeous man who saved her from a mountain lion attack. Both will discover that sometimes love blooms between enemies and sometimes it's even lethal.

 AVAILABLE HERE - .99 CENTS

Deals, Steals & More - #SweetRom vs. #SexyRom #ebooks

Win 15+ eBooks + Bonus Paperbacks
& Gain Access to Deals & Steals on More!

(2) Grand Prize "Gift Baskets" of ALL eBooks!
(15+) Winners of Individual eBooks (randomly selected titles)
(1) Winner of a Kindle Reader 

Images As Inspiration When Writing - Sojourn With A Stranger #gothic #romance #amwriting

Welcome to Keta's Keep!

I love to share images of what inspired me to write my books. Today, I'm featuring SOJOURN WITH A STRANGER, a Gothic romance novel with a lot of paranormal elements. Gothic novels marry well with paranormal, right?

This review snippet encapsulates the many paranormal aspects included in the book.

"This story has everything & then some–romance, birth, death, voodoo, adventure, psychic ability, ghosts, tea-leaf reading. I could not put it down! Not once!" ★★★★★ 5-Stars

Let's talk about the ghost in the book. Derek Stafford's late wife, Lucinda. She walked into the ocean and killed herself. But what made her do it? Now, she's trying desperately to expose her killer. She haunts Raine, the new servant at Stafford House by scratching at her window, walking through the family graveyard crying & howling, and leaving cryptic writings in her bedchamber.

How is Voodoo involved and what exactly is Voodoo?
Merriam Webster says Voodoo is a black religious cult practiced in the Caribbean

and the southern US, combining elements of Roman Catholic rituals with traditional African magic and religious rites. Voodoo is characterized by sorcery and spirit possession.There's a woman who practices voodoo and lives in a rustic cabin deep in the secluded woods of Norfolk. Under the threat of death, someone visits her and orders her to perform voodoo in order to stop the birth of a child. Male heirs are crucial for their ability to carry on the Stafford line. The first brother to produce one inherits Stafford House and all its holdings.

Reading the tea leaves. 
Formally called Tasseography, it's a divination or fortune-telling that interprets

patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments. The terms derive from the French word tasse, which in turn derives from the Arabic loan-word into French tassa.
 
One of the brothers must KNOW the outcome of who will inherit the massive manor and all the land. He orders the Voodoo Priestess to read the tea leaves and translate the messages they bring. He is very upset and angry at the results of her reading. Is her angry enough to kill?

The hour is upon us, the day is fading fast.

The maiden's made her choices; his seeds will soon be cast.

A male comes to the manor, with eyes of emerald green.

Raise the goblets; wave the banners, the Stafford heir undoes the scheme.

SOJOURN WITH A STRANGER

A ghost haunts the halls of Stafford House. When Raine Brinsley arrives to accept a position as a house servant, the ghost is determined to let Raine know who murdered her.

Derek Stafford, Lord of the Manor, offers a Raine a large sum of money to bear his child. Now she must choose between morality and an indecent, lucrative proposal.

Derek and his brother, Lyman, race against time to produce the first male heir in the family in order to secure the title to Stafford House. The brothers will do anything to win…even murder. 

A dark, gothic novel of erotic romance, mystery, suspense and thrills.

AVAILABLE HERE

A Hardscrabble Life In The Wilderness #MFRWAuthor

WELCOME TO #BOOKHOOKS sponsored by #MFRWAuthors. To see posts from authors participating today, click on link above.

Wilderness is the land that was wild land beyond the frontier...a land that shaped the growth of our nation and the character of its people. It's was the rare, wild places where one could retreat from civilization, reconnect with the Earth, and find healing, meaning and significance.

The Wild West was once such a 'wilderness' but it's often romanticized in western/cowboy novels. Living in this wilderness in the 1800s wasn't all about gorgeous dance hall girls or the glorified gunfight at OK Corral.

Thousands died during the gold rush days from disease, accidents or starvation, others were attacked and killed by Indians (or died when unjustly attacking the Indians) and others died from eking out a living on the harsh, brutal land. Hopefully, some of these images will paint a picture of what venturing into the wilderness meant for some in the end. They are stark and vivid reminders that the wilderness was no place for the weak or infirm.

After a bank robbery went wrong in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1892, Grat and Bob Dalton were shot to death. Brother Emmet—who took a whopping 23 bullets—survived. He did, however, spend the next 14 years in jail. 

This picture of a a group of Paiute Native Americans was taken in 1872, 12 years after the Paiute War, during which they were nearly wiped out by U.S. settlers.  The Northern and Southern Paiute Indians of northern Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and eastern California live in the southern and northwestern portions of the Great Basin.

Olive Oatman’s family was killed by a group of Mojave Native Americans when she was a young girl. She and her sister were spared and taken in by the tribe, which taught her their customs. Olive later would rejoin European Americans, but she believed the traditional tattoo she was given marked her as a slave. After several years with the Mohave, during which her sister died of hunger, she returned to white society, five years after being carried off.

How about you; do you think you would have survived living in the wilderness in the 1800s? Or have you ever wished your born during that time period? Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts.

I've written a few books set in the Wilderness - western romance, mostly. In my book COMES AN OUTLAW, one reviewer talks about a hardscrabble life in the West.

"Cain’s younger brother Coy arrives out of the blue. He could be a big help, but he doesn’t intend to stick around. Not knowing his parents and brother had died, he only planned to stop in for a short visit before continuing to Utah, but the beautiful widow and her courageous son won’t make it without him. The hardscrabble existence of life in those days, the engaging characters, and the fascinating look at Yaqui Indian culture, carries the reader into a simpler time when it was easier to believe in spirits and their ability to communicate beyond the grave."

ON ALL VENUES HERE