Alexis Fleming

I had visions of getting into Chapter 1 of my new story, Blood Stone, today. Huh! Didn’t happen. Instead, I spent the morning at the dentist. Now, I don’t know about you, but this is not my favourite place to visit. In fact, I’m a chicken when it comes to the dentist. But I really didn’t have a choice. Today was the preparation day for a crown I’m having done after I broke the whole side of a tooth off. I can’t believe I broke a tooth eating a carrot stick. *shaking head here* I mean, you try and do healthy stuff and look what happens.  I would have been better to eat the chocolate. lol

So prep is now done and the crown will be fitted in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, my jaw aches like you wouldn’t believe. I didn’t feel anything while it was being done, but now the numbness has worn of, my jaw is as sore as. I’m guessing it’s only bruising from the dentist pushing down on the tooth, so here’s hoping it subsides quickly. I certainly wasn’t in the mood for writing when I got home. So instead, I spent the day on-line shopping for ribbon, jewelry findings and beads etc so I can make some new, funky bookmarks and bookthongs for the release of my new book, Hidden Fire, when it comes out 1st June.  I’ll post photos when they’re done and let you know how you can score one.

And now I’m taking a couple of pain pills and heading off to bed.

Night all.

~~~~~

HIDDEN FIRE

RELEASING 1st JUNE

ESCAPE PUBLISHING

BLURB

When American Museum Curator Gili Adams’ sleazy boss, Jeremy, threatens her parents and forces her to travel to Australia in search of an opal called the Dreamtime Fire, Gili is willing to face anything to protect her folks, even the evil spirit trapped inside an ancient Persian ring, a ring Jeremy just happens to be wearing. If that’s not bad enough, she has to enlist the help of anthropologist Morgan Hunt, the Guardian of the opal and the man who once accused her of stealing that ring. Now she has no choice: lie to the man she still cares about or risk her parents’ lives. Nothing can stand in her way, not even her own heart.

Morgan isn’t happy to see Gili. Six years ago, she ripped his heart to pieces; he’s not about to volunteer for a repeat performance. Neither will he allow her to waltz off with a gemstone sacred to the aboriginal people. But even with the help of the ancestral ghosts guarding the mine, can he keep both Gili and the fire opal safe from paranormal forces beyond his control? 

http://www.alexisfleming.net

Exciting news this month. After a long break with writing to get my head back together after my husband Brian died, I’ve finally signed a new contract.

Hidden Fire, a Paranormal Romantic Suspense, has been contracted to Harlequin Escape Publishing. This is a full length book and will release on 1st June this year. That’s why we’ve been so busy with getting the edits done. The editor sent it off today to the assistant publisher for line edits and proofreading, so here’s hoping I haven’t missed anything.
This is releasing as an e-book so will be accessible to everyone. It’s the first of four books in a series and I need to have the next one done and submitted by August latest. So I really will be a busy girl.
Since I spoke to you last, I’ve been in and had Carpal Tunnel and Ulna Nerve Release surgery done. Thankfully, my right hand is almost back to normal. Lol Typing and doing edits with the left hand was an experience, let me tell you.
I don’t have cover art for Hidden Fire yet, but I can leave you with the blurb to tease your senses.

BLURB
When American Museum Curator Gili Adams’ sleazy boss, Jeremy, threatens her parents and forces her to travel to Australia in search of an opal called the Dreamtime Fire, Gili is willing to face anything to protect her folks, even the evil spirit trapped inside an ancient Persian ring, a ring Jeremy just happens to be wearing. If that’s not bad enough, she has to enlist the help of anthropologist Morgan Hunt, the Guardian of the opal and the man who once accused her of stealing that ring. Now she has no choice: lie to the man she still cares about or risk her parents’ lives. Nothing can stand in her way, not even her own heart.

Morgan isn’t happy to see Gili. Six years ago, she ripped his heart to pieces; he’s not about to volunteer for a repeat performance. Neither will he allow her to waltz off with a gemstone sacred to the aboriginal people. But even with the help of the ancestral ghosts guarding the mine, can he keep both Gili and the fire opal safe from paranormal forces beyond his control?

That’s me for the moment. Don’t forget to check out my new contest. It ties in with the new book.

Now I’m going to leave you with two of the people who helped keep my head above water over the last 2 years. My twin grandsons, Xavier and Caleb, born just after Brian died. I swear, the youngest of them, Caleb, is so like his granddad it’s not funny. These guys will certainly keep you on your toes.

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APRIL CONTEST
With Hidden Fire releasing 1st June, I’ve tailored the prize to suit. A lovely pair of sterling silver and opal earrings.

All you have to do to go in the draw is send me an email through the Contact page on my website. Don’t forget to put APRIL CONTEST in the Comments section and please include your Postal Address. The winner will be announced in June, after the release of Hidden Fire.
Good luck everyone.
Winner of the February Contest
The winner of the Sterling Silver Anklet Chain from Hawaii is Lisa Jolicoeur.

Congratulations, Lisa, and thank you all for playing.

Ciao for now and happy reading!

Alexis Fleming

Daring desires…otherworldly seductions

http://www.alexisfleming.net

I’ve just come back from the Australian Romance Writers’ Conference when I met a fantastic new writer. Well, new for me.  I bought this author’s two book and had devoured them within three days.What a great read. I’ll definitely be on the watch for more stories from this author.

JJ Cooper

http://www.jjcooperauthor.com/

THE INTERROGATOR  

 (Taken from JJ’s Website)

According to Greek Mythology, Aphrodite had a wayward eye and a loyal son. When Eros gave Harpocrates a rose to keep quiet about his mother’s little indiscretions, the rose became a symbol for secrecy. This is a story Jay Ryan has never heard — until his hand is nailed to a table and a red rose tattooed onto his wrist.

 Jay is an interrogator with a dark past and a tortured soul; he’s also the keeper of secrets Israeli spies will kill to get their hands upon. Renowned for his skills, he is used to commanding a certain level of respect amongst his peers. Then one day Jay is drugged, tortured, tattooed and accused of rape. He is forced to reveal information that could further destabilise fragile Middle East relations and plunge the entire region into war. They are secrets he has struggled to keep hidden for four years — proof that the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ knew Israeli Mossad agents removed chemical weapons from Iraq before the launch of the 2003 invasion.

After escaping his captors, Jay discovers that he is wanted for crimes he didn’t commit and that his father has been kidnapped by his own intelligence agency. No-nonsense secret agent Sarah Evans and lively retired security guard William ‘Bill’ Hunter join Jay on a quest to get his father back alive and avoid Israeli spies hell-bent on eliminating them all. Together they uncover the truth behind two spy agencies playing a high-stakes game of espionage with a ‘winner take all’ mindset. After Sarah goes missing, Jay must choose between hunting his father’s kidnappers or saving Sarah and exposing Israel’s involvement in the removal of chemical weapons from Iraq.

This story gripped me and wouldn’t let me go until I’d finished the book. Hard-hitting, gritty, intense, full of fast-paced action, conspiracy, intrigue, plot twists that you just don’t see coming. The scary thing is, with all the military details in this story, you can imagine this really happening and that’s part of what made the story so gripping. I could go on and on, but I’d much rather you go read the book. You won’t be sorry. If you enjoy thrillers and conspiracy stories, you will love this book.

DEADLY TRUST

I could rave on about JJ Cooper’s second book, too, but I’m just going to say  “amazing, gripping, unforgetable” and allow the blurb, taken from JJ’s website to say it all.

Former army interrogator Jay Ryan is enjoying the quiet life after leaving the military far behind - or so he thinks. Because old habits die hard and he’s quickly thrust back into the thick of things when a disgruntled scientist, backed by the Australian security industry, develops a weapon of mass destruction - a hybrid strain of Anthrax - to be used to create panic in a population apathetic to crime prevention.

Only one batch of Anthrax inoculations can resist the deadly new strain, and it was given to five military interrogators. One of them was Jay Ryan. When the other four disappear, Ryan is the last interrogator left with the antibodies to defeat the deadly Anthrax strain.

Racing against time and hunted by rogue soldiers, mad scientists and an organisation that operates beyond the law, Ryan digs deep into his past for a chance at a future.

Go check out JJ’s website or catch up with him on Facebook or twitter. This is one author to watch.

http://www.jjcooperauthor.com/

https://twitter.com/JJCooper_Author

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/38966162454/

It’s ten o’clock on a cold winter night. It’s pouring rain in this quiet suburban street.

The lady of the house is preparing to go to bed, but decides to go out on the back patio to check out the rain and any possible flooding issues before bed. No sooner had she opened the sliding door than in hops a visitor. Yes, I did say hops…as in an inch long green frog. Maybe he’d had enough of the cold and constant rain. Maybe he was looking for something more to eat, something that isn’t water-logged. Whatever the reason, he’s quick. He scoots inside and immediately climbs up the inside of the sliding door. Right to the very top.

Now the lady of the house isn’t keen on anything that moves on four legs…besides your average house cat or dog, that is. She doesn’t like insects, amphibians(even if they are only one inch long), or anything that remotely resembles a snake. Although she’d rather deal with a snake. At least then she can rely on her ten-foot long, trusty shovel to deal with the intruder. Not possible with this little green fellow. She doesn’t want to kill him, just remove him back to the garden. She doesn’t want a house guest, lodger, visitor or boarder, thank you very much.

So there she is, flapping dish towel in one hand, step stool in the other. Up the stool to reach the top of the window. Back down again when the visitor decides to vacate and try the dining table. Then it’s climbing under the table, jumping up at the window, over the couch, on hands and knees and reaching under the couch. All because this little fellow wanted in out of the rain.

I did finally manage to capture him in the dish cloth and transport him outside and pop him on the pool fence. At the time it was annoying to say the least. Me in my nightie crawling around trying to catch this thing. In retrospect, funny as anything. My family would have laughed themselves silly if they’d seen Mom’s antics. lol

It has been a bit of a drought here with my blog posts. So much has happened in the past year or so since my husband’s death, that life overwhelmed me for a while there, but now I’m beginning to fight back.  Part of what has helped the process is a recent trip I took to Hawaii. This was a trip my husband and I had planned before he got sick. It was to be the honeymoon we never had 39 years ago when we got married. Sadly, he didn’t last long enough to make that trip, so I made it for both of us. I didn’t go on my own. I took a very good friend, writer Lyn Cash, with me. Missing my husband so much, I never expected to find any real joy in the trip, but I surprised myself. The people of Hawaii are wonderful, very spiritual and warm people.  The landscape is unbelievably beautiful and really touched my soul. After speaking with a very loving and wise woman over there, I had another funeral for Brian. A private one. Doing it the Hawaiian way, I walked out into the ocean and cast a flower out for every one of the family members left behind. Every flower was washed out to sea, enabling my husband’s spirit to flow towards the light, or at least that’s what this wise woman assured me. At that moment, as the sun broke over the horizon, I could believe it and it gave me a great deal of peace. Although I’ll always grieve for my soulmate, I came home with a lightened spirit. Now it really is time to start looking to my future as a single woman, although in my heart I’ll always be married.

Waikiki Beach taken from the hotel balcony

My webmistress is in the process of getting this up on my Contest page on my website, but I thought I’d give you a heads up here on the blog.

FEBRUARY CONTEST

Okay, I’ll admit to being a lousy photographer and these things were hard to photograph. They kept swinging in the breeze coming in through the window, so here’s hoping you can get a reasonable idea of what they look like.

This month it’s Crystal Suncatchers up for grabs. I’ll be choosing two winners this time. All you have to do to go in the draw is send me an email through the Contact page on my website. Don’t forget to put FEBRUARY CONTEST in the comments section, along with your POSTAL ADDRESS. The winner will be announced the beginning of April.
Good luck everyone.

Winner of the November Contest

The winner of the promo pack is Patricia Kasner.
Congratulations, Patricia, and thank you all for playing.

Alexis

Alexis Fleming

Daring desires…otherworldly seductions

http://www.alexisfleming.net

http://www.alexisfleming.net/blog/

Through a comedy of errors, my latest contest didn’t get up on my website, but there’s still time to enter if you’re interested. The contest will run until the end of January.

As you can see, it’s a bit of this and that for this month’s contest. A print copy of the Passionate Peridot anthology from Ellora’s cave. An Aussie notebook and pens, Aussie coin purse and key ring, a little clip-on koala, and matching necklace and earrings made by Yours Truly.
To go in the draw, send me an email through the Contact page on my website. Don’t forget to put NOVEMBER CONTEST in the comments section, along with your postal address. Because of this surgery I’ve just had, I won’t be able to drive until the end of January. Because I won’t be able to get to the post office, the winner won’t be announced until early in February 2012.

Good luck everyone.

Winner of the September Contest

The winner of the garnet necklace is Julie Scharff.

Congratulations, Julie, and thank you all for playing.

Happy New Year to everyone out there. May 2012 bring you everything you desire.

SEPTEMBER CONTEST

I finally managed to get a reasonable photo of the garnet and crystal pendant I wanted to give away last month. It’s not a fantastic photo, but will at least give you some idea what the pendant looks like.

The Certificate of Analysis of the stones says the following:-

Genuine Garnet and Crystal Pendant.

Stone Description: 3 Genuine Garnets 4 mm, 5mm and 6mm

Stone Cut: Round

Garnet Weight: 1.90 Total Carat Weight

To go in the draw, send me an email through the Contact page on my website. Don’t forget to put SEPTEMBER CONTEST in the comments section. The winner will be announced early in November.

Good luck everyone.

Winner of the July Contest

The winner of a download of one of my eBooks is Titania 

Congratulations, Titania, and thank you all for playing.

 Alexis

Alexis Fleming

Daring desires…otherworldly seductions

http://www.alexisfleming.net

Honey Trap, published by Ellora’s Cave, has now been released in print, in an anthology called Going Down Under. I didn’t know it was coming out so it was a big lift at a time I desperately needed one.

Line: Breathless,Moderne,Twilight
Series: Going Down Under
Book Length: 318 pages
Book Type: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
ISBN: 9781419963773

Honey Trap Alexis Fleming

Seductive scents…torrid suspense…

For Australian scientist Kyla Harris, danger is not her middle name, but when she invents cologne that acts as an aphrodisiac, she becomes embroiled in a CIA case. Sexy American agent Logan Matthews is assigned as her bodyguard when someone tries to steal her sensual formula. Kyla finally has the edge in the war of the sexes and Logan Matthews is her target. A little fun in bed…on the desk…in the Aussie bush—what better way to test her cologne?

It’s just a shame Logan’s only reacting because of the formula…or is he?
Ningaloo Nights Tracy Cooper-Posey
New York cop Sherry Abandonato cashes in her savings and dashes to Ningaloo in remote northwest Western Australia to find her sister who disappeared ten days ago. The only one with the skill to guide her to Derremawan is Mason Hayward, once an official guide with a reputation for getting people out of trouble, but now the town’s bad man.

In a searing afternoon of unexpected passion, Mason strikes a bargain. He’ll get her to Derremawan, if she agrees to go there with him unconditionally, on his terms and his conditions.

Sherry is astonished to find herself agreeing to the insane bargain, and worse, responding positively to the idea of three days of Mason Hayward dictating terms out under the Australian sun.

Timeless Wrath Lexxie Couper

Beatrice “Ricki” Sullivan is every man’s fantasy. Drop-dead gorgeous, she exudes a sensuality none can ignore. More than just a stunning face and body, she’s intelligent, kind, gentle…and madly, inexplicably in love with Evron, a man she’s known mere hours.

Evron McKenzie is troubled, struggling with undeniable anger that scorches through his veins. And the irrational feeling he is someone else, something more. Someone rich, powerful…someone to fear. But in Ricki’s arms, Evron may have finally found his place in the world. At last he is at peace.

So who is the seductive redhead who invades Evron’s dreams? Why does she urge him to touch a mysterious sculpture—a sculpture that seems to radiate death and sin? How can she make him hornier than he’s ever been in his life with just a look, and at the same time turn his anger into bloody, murderous rage? And, more frighteningly, why can’t he resist her?

Link to Book
Read an Excerpt of Honey Trap