Author of the suspenseful, paranormal romances in my Stranger Creatures series. Also writing poetry, science fiction, and fiction. Sharing info about new book releases by different authors, poems, contests, and more
Advertisers selling specialized wrinkle creams definitely have a message about aging. They want us to fear it. They use words and images designed to make women feel we should hide ourselves from view unless we’re willing to spend a ton of money on products that give hope for unnecessary results. Those messages are bullshit.
We are all meant to grow and change. We are meant to share our knowledge and experience with those around us. We are meant to speak up and be heard and be comfortable in our skin because no matter what those glossy magazine spreads or greedy corporations and politicians want us to believe, women are phenomenal and valuable, regardless of whether we meet the current manufactured beauty standard.
The older we get, the louder we should shout our message because every trip we make around the sun is another year of insight.
Last month, I got the dreaded co vid which I originally thought was just the flu, and have been feeling pretty rough. My mind is kind of foggy and thinking hurts a bit so I haven’t done any fiction writing but I have been able to write a few poems. Poetry is easier on my brain right now because I can think on the image or feeling I want to describe for a few minutes and come back to it later.
The weather has been not so horrible during the later part of winter and I had planned to start running again. I hate treadmills and refuse to run on one. I don’t really know why. The treadmill just feels like my feet are pounding on jelly and I’m in a hamster wheel but running outside in the fresh air amongst the trees, past the lake, on the pavement, is so much better. This past month, I haven’t run at all. I barely have energy to take the dog for a walk.
Life definitely throws wrenches into our plans. Really, feeling a bit terrible is not the worst thing on earth. Thinking of all the things I could be doing instead of being stuck on the sofa too tired to do anything but too uncomfortable to sleep felt like the biggest waste of time. But why does every moment have to be productive?
Maybe my brain, though it feels foggy right now, is resting and quietly processing some thoughts and ideas that will be ready for me soon, when I’m feeling back to good. Either way, my pets have enjoyed the past month of my stillness. Yuki, my giant Great Pyrenees, has rarely left my side and my two cats, Gerald and Lu, have taken turns sitting on my lap. Hopefully, I will be running in the sunshine in another week or two, but for now, I will sit with the pets and write some more poetry, and also watch Lord of the Rings again and eat ice cream.
Not Ghosts, But Spirits (volume 1) is now available! This anthology features poetry, art, and other work from people in the women’s, queer, trans, and/or non-binary communities.
I’m so excited to have three poems in this beautiful, amazing anthology- Procrastination, I Can’t Contain, and The Night Below.
Warm up this winter season with erotic holiday romance Once Upon a Blizzard: A Bisexual Holiday Romance by Lisabet Sarai
Blurb
No electricity. No water. Plenty of heat. Suzanne and Gino have a history going back to high school. A mistletoe kiss at a Christmas party rekindles the old spark. When Gino rescues her from a blizzard, though, Suzanne learns she’s not the only love in his life. Gino shares his home and his bed with taciturn painter Harry Steele. Is there really a chance for a holiday happy ending?
Excerpt:
The kiss caught her off guard.
One moment Suzanne was standing in the doorway to Helena’s den, scanning the occupants and wondering if she knew anyone at all at this party. The next moment someone twirled her around and fastened a pair of firm lips on hers. Out of instinct or habit, she closed her eyes. The darkness heightened her other senses. Powerful arms circled her body and pulled her against a fuzzy male chest. Her partner’s scent rose around her, a complex mix of soap and musk, evergreen and wood smoke. His tongue teased the seam where her lips met and she let him enter, her self-protective reflexes dulled by his warmth and the glass of merlot she’d downed on her arrival.
His mouth tasted of eggnog and candy canes, appropriately seasonal. He was delicious, in fact—not just his mouth but the quiet confidence of his probing tongue, the sculpted muscle she felt under his sweater, his bold hands wandering across her back to her buttocks. She hadn’t enjoyed a kiss like this in a long time.
She’d felt chilled and tense ever since her plane touched down in frigid Boston but now her muscles began to unknot. He was a miniature sun, melting her, turning her languid and dreamy. She clutched at his solid form and returned his kiss, trading heat for heat. Tropical colors paraded behind her eyelids—fuschia, lime, peach, and aqua—shimmering like the water in her pool back home. She even began to perspire, her long-sleeved velvet dress suddenly too warm for comfort.
He pulled her full hips against his lean ones. A tell-tale lump, wonderfully hard, pressed against her belly. Her panties and tights dampened, too.
Normally she would have resisted but stress and alcohol made her susceptible. She allowed the kiss to lengthen and deepen, sinking into the pure pleasure of it.
A smattering of applause brought her back to awareness. “Whoa there!” hooted one of the guests. “You two want some privacy?”
Suzanne broke away from the man who had ambushed her. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” Embarrassment added a sharp edge to her voice.
The dark haired man favored her with a grin. “Mistletoe,” he said, pointing upward. Sure enough, a cluster of green leaves and pale berries dangled from the door frame. He could scarcely contain his laughter.
That laugh. That voice. Something tickled Suzanne’s memory. “Gino!” she exclaimed, finally, chuckling herself. “I can’t believe it! Still acting like we’re in high school.”
“I couldn’t resist, Suzy Q.” The old nickname made her blush. He hadn’t relinquished her hand. “In fact, if you don’t move, I’m very likely to kiss you again.”
Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, GLBT, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.
Paranormal romance novel KISA – Shield-Mates of Dar book 2 is now available!
In a war between humans and shifters, sparks, and fur fly…Until scales appear.
Princess Kisa, the middle daughter in the shifter nation of Dar, is often overlooked and underestimated. Always the devoted caregiver of family and country, she’s come to terms with her future as a Shield-Mate in a political marriage. Many, including Kisa, are surprised when her father names her as heir to his throne.
Kalman, once a privileged son of the former protectorate Sorota, is an outcast and a man without a future. The people of Ruinae consider him a weak, self-indulgent man. Only his trusted servant knows the heart of the soldier beneath the veneer.
Forces are gathering against the two countries, and now dragons, long banished to the outland, have returned. Kisa and Kalman are charged by King Dar to find out how entrenched the dragons are with the enemy. Since a long-ago meeting, Kalman never forgot the spitfire Lynx-shifter. He’s no longer the boy she’d met, but a man. One determined to have her despite their differences. But Kisa can’t fall in love with the enemy. Can she? Would her people accept not only the son of Sorota but one whom her family also seeks retribution?
“How may I serve you, Father?” Kisa glanced around. “It’s been long years since I’ve been in here.”
This was his personal lair. Darkly masculine with shelves filled with books. Maps lined the walls and a side table with a miniature replica of the kingdom and surrounding areas. It was where he could find peace from all the demands of running the empire. Though no respite from the ghosts who haunted him.
Amaya’s portrait stared down at him with accusation I left my daughters in your care. You’ve disappointed me, Shield-Mate.
“We have much to discuss.” He turned from the portrait, his chest tight with pain as he walked behind his writing table and lifted the stack of papers he’d collected. “These are all Shield-Mate offers for you.”
She stared first at them and then him. Barely a whisper squeezed out, “So many?”
“Is it love and Shield-Mate you want?” He asked with a penetrating look. “What is your greatest desire, daughter?”
Kisa’s mouth opened and closed as she stared at him. He had never asked her about her dreams. Shouldn’t a father know his child? “Well, what is it?”
“What do you mean?” She tugged at her earlobe as she’d done since she was a babe.
“If I throw this pile of papers into the fire —” he grasped the stack into his large hand and pointed to the hearth with them, “—will it disappoint you? Or give you relief?”
She blinked at him. “I don’t know what you are asking me.”
“It’s simple––disappointment?” He shook the papers. “Or relief.”
Kisa whispered, “Relief.”
Dar threw the communiqués into the fire, where they flamed and sparked. Neither spoke while the letters—some paper, some parchment—curled at the edges, turning brown, then black, then nothing but ash.
When the last cinders drifted away, his daughter sobbed, and he thought he would too. “Someone must rule when I’m gone.”
“What?” Her voice cracked. “I always thought you intended to bind Lansdowne and Dar into one kingdom, and Orsolo and her Shield-Mate would co-rule.”
“Orsolo is shrewd and intelligent but frivolous. Before her Shield-Mating, I informed your older sister that she would not be Queen here.” Dar folded his arms across his chest. “Before you ask, she was relieved.”
“I know as children of the Darrian royal house, there is no guarantee to ascend the throne.” Kisa hugged her arms around her waist. “Who did you decide it would be?”
Dar went to the matching high-backed chairs near his desk and, with a groan, sank into the cushions. “Come, sit. This will be a lengthy conversation.”
About the Author:
D. V. Stone is an award-winning, multi-genre, traditionally and independently published author. She writes books people want to read. Whether romance or fantasy, contemporary or mid-grade, her stories are about the importance of friends and family. About overcoming obstacles while often with humor.
Around the Fire is a popular weekly blog where she introduces both established and new authors giving an insider’s look into their lives and books as well as tidbits about her own life.
Now retired, she is a full-time author and incorporates her life experiences into her books.
A former Emergency Medical Technician, she volunteered in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. At the same time, she worked as a professional EMT in a women’s state prison. She was the proprietor of a coffee shop, and a small restaurant/ice cream stand in the years that followed. The years following were as a manager in an animal emergency hospital, while her last position was in a human medical office.
When not behind the wheel of 2Hoots—a 41-foot long 13.2 feet high 5th Wheel camper, she rambles around town in Northern New Jersey in a white Camaro. She also loves travel and history.
D.V. is a wife to an amazing husband, mother to one son, and not your average grandma to three beautiful grands. A woman of faith, she believes and trusts in God.
“My greatest pleasures are spending time outside with friends and family, cooking over the open fire, sipping a glass of wine, and reading.”
Hali, her rescue dog, always reminds her to let readers know, “Woof, woof.” Which is loosely translated as support your local animal rescue.”
You can learn more about D. V. by following her on social media.
Aiden “AJ” Shepherd’s mistake during a Shifter Army Enforcement rescue mission cost Ellie Ortiz’s brother, Marco, his life. She hates AJ with a passion until a chance encounter with him on New Year’s Eve reveals he’s not the cold, heartless man she once thought him to be. Her attraction to him takes her by surprise and she vows to ignore her feelings. When a new job puts her in contact with him every day, the heat building between them threatens to flare out of control. Her resolve to keep the sweet, sexy man in the friend zone is weakening by the day.
His secret could ruin everything
During a disastrous assignment with Shifters United, AJ uncovers some information that changes everything. Keeping the truth hidden from Ellie is killing him but he might lose her forever if he tells her what he learned on his mission. When Ellie ends up in danger, AJ will stop at nothing to save her. To survive, they’ll have to work together to stop a reporter who is determined to prove the existence of shifters.
Excerpt:
“You’re pretty amazing. I hope you know that.”
Her cheeks got hot at the compliment. She popped the last bite of cherry pie into her mouth to keep from saying something stupid and gushy back to him.
The opening chords to R.E.M’s “It’s the End of the World As We Know It” played and spotlights hit the screen behind the stage. Colored lights all around the courtyard lit up in time with the music. She and AJ stood and cheered with the rest of the crowd. The drum beat and guitar notes of every song reached out to fire up the courtyard. The music washed over her and she forgot for a moment every other care she had as the light show dazzled her.
After the show ended, they both agreed it was time to call it a day and head back to the hotel room. AJ made some chamomile tea in the coffeepot and she sat down next to him on the sofa. They were halfway into an episode of The Twilight Zone when he turned to her. “Thanks for looking out for me today, and getting me into the woods so I could shift out my injuries. I would’ve hated to have passed out and been forced to go to a hospital by some well-meaning regular.”
“I wouldn’t have let that happen.”
He brushed a curl from her face. She didn’t back away. His lips brushed hers, softly, as if he just meant a sweet, gentle kiss, but his grip on her hips was anything but gentle. If only their circumstances were different, then she could kiss him all night long if she wanted to. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from leaning into the kiss. Guilt and desire went to war inside her mind and he drew back, as if he understood.
“Night, Ellie.” His hands were gone from her body but his voice rumbled around her, reaching for her.
“See you in the morning.” She stood up and walked down the hallway, refusing to look back.
What is wrong with me? Kissing him was not okay!
The quilt and soft sheets on the bed made a nice nest for her to hide inside while she forced herself to think about anything except for AJ and how he’d touched her with more tenderness than any man ever had. Including Darien.
AJ and his brother Greg want to open Haven Forest Resort so shifters can have a place to celebrate things and run free without worries.
Ellie has a terrifying time trying to drive a moving truck to Haven Forest Resort. She has difficulty with depth perception and hit a bush while trying to park the truck.
She has a giant dog named Curtis who she found tied to a tree and starving when she was on a hike with a friend.
AJ has a black cat with white tipped ears named Opal. Opal prefers fresh salmon and likes ice cubes in her water.
AJ often tells Ellie how much he loves her cooking. He tells her a lot of really sweet things not because he wants to please her but because he sees the truth of her wonderful personality and is honest with her about what he thinks.
What’s Next for the Haven Forest Resort Series?
I am working on book 2 in the Haven Forest Resort series. This story will feature Rob, the leopard shifter Head of Security at the resort who had a small part in book 1. I will also be working on completing my Stranger Creatures series as well as publishing some poems in different magazines and anthologies.
About author Christina Lynn Lambert:
Before I had the wild idea to write a book, I worked in a few different fields. I was in sales for a while, and after I finished college, I worked as a case manager. When my children were little, I was a personal trainer and running coach. During the evenings, when I was supposed to be studying for another fitness training certification, I started writing a story. Finally, I gave in and acknowledged that writing is what I’m meant to do. I love creating imperfect but determined characters who find the courage to love and the strength to survive in a world where there are no guarantees. My stories include a fair amount of sarcasm, suspense, steam, and violence. When I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time outside and finding ways to avoid cooking. I live in beautiful Virginia with my husband, two teenagers, a sweet, hairy monster of a dog, and two devious cats.
For updates, info on contests, poems, beautiful nature pictures, and more, you can find me on social media at:
I took this picture of the moon one night while standing on the back porch with my husband. I hate the cold weather, but it does beautiful things to the landscape, not to mention the ways slowing down and embracing the early darkness changes one’s perspective
Coming soon (finally almost finished!) – Coyote’s Vow will be book 4 in my Stranger Creatures series. This steamy paranormal romance story will feature Trevor and Kylie’s journey to happily ever after. #PNR #ShifterRomance #EnemiesToLovers #ParanormalRomanceSeries #SteamyRomanceNovels
Blurb for Coyote’s Vow:
Kylie Claremont was the victim of a brutal experiment that left her with some strange psy abilities.
Coyote Shifter Trevor Ryland doesn’t trust anyone with psy abilities, especially not the enigmatic web designer who keeps showing up in his hotel.
When Shifters United develops an alliance with the Psy Guild, Kylie and Trevor are forced to work together. Danger threatens them at every turn as they attempt to put a stop to a research experiment that forces unsuspecting participants to develop psy abilities.
Will Trevor fall for the very woman who could destroy him?
More about the Stranger Creatures series:
The road to love is full of surprises in this steamy paranormal romance series. Each story features story features imperfect but determined characters who find the courage to love and the strength to survive in a world where there are no guarantees.
Wolf’s Challenge
When temptingly handsome, powerful shape shifter Derrick dares shy, single mom Sydney to take a chance with him, will she rise to the challenge or will she run for safety, leaving him in the dust?
Bear’s Edge
A boss can’t date her employee—simple as that. No matter how much Shayla wants to unravel a few of Grant’s mysteries and take her friendship with the shy, sarcastic man to the next level, she’s determined to keep her fantasies of him to herself.
After bear shifter Grant lost his girlfriend and three best friends in a fire, he did his best to shut himself off from everyone around him. Falling for Shayla wasn’t part of his plan, but after a kiss that leaves them both speechless and hungry for more, Grant can’t keep his desire for his boss under wraps any longer.
When things between the two of them get hotter than he could have imagined, Grant wonders if some of his darker desires will be too much for Shayla or will she embrace the needs he’s kept hidden for so long?
An obnoxious reporter and Shayla’s bitter ex have teamed up to chase down conspiracy theories that could destroy Shayla’s business and worse, put her life in danger. To find their happily ever after, Shayla and Grant will have to trust in each other and find a way to crush all the obstacles standing in their way.
Tiger’s Last Chance
While working a case, Sean Whitman is tortured for information, drugged, and bitten against his will by a shape shifter. The fallout ruins his career. Needing a fresh start, he leaves town and opens a private investigation business. Learning to live life sober isn’t easy, but he makes it to the two-year mark.
When Detective Nikki Jackson with the Great Oaks, Virginia Police Department calls him to ask for his help as a consultant on a case, he’s captivated by her sweet, slightly Southern voice. In person, she’s unlike any other woman he’s encountered, and nearly impossible to resist. But could the sexy detective ever want a man like him?
After Nikki’s last dating disaster, the mountain lion shifter has sworn off men. Then she meets Sean, and with every second she spends around the tall, dark-eyed man, her resolve crumbles. Despite the undeniable attraction between them, Sean seems determined to push her away.
An investigation into missing refugees leads Nikki to the discovery of a radical political group’s horrifying plot for dominance. Traitors are embedded within the very organizations meant to keep shifters safe. As the list of people she can trust dwindles, she calls on Sean to help her unravel a web of deceit.
As Nikki and Sean fight for survival, his fear of losing her could become a reality. Will he get one last chance to show her he loves her?
You can visit my amazon author page for buy links and to learn more about the books in my Stranger Creatures series (also available at other e-book sellers)
Christina Lynn Lambert 