Feel Tempted by a Kiss on #Thursday13 by #MFRWAuthor Anna Durand

#MFRWauthor Anna Durand Tempted by a Kiss

Anna Durand is an award-winning writer, a freelance librarian, and an audiobook addict. She specializes in steamy romances--paranormal, contemporary, and historical--featuring spunky heroines and hunky heroes. As a member of Romance Writers of America, she volunteers for its chapters to give back to the romance community. In her previous life as a librarian, she haunted the stacks of public libraries but never met any hot vampires hunting for magical books.

                Tempted by a Kiss
Genre contemporary, erotic
Publisher The Wild Rose Press 
Blurb

 Mel Thompson just dumped her cheating ex after two years together. Now she's determined to understand the allure of casual sex by having a steamy fling of her own at a notoriously raunchy underground club. When her best friend, Adam Caras, catches on to her plan, he makes a surprising offer to derail her. If she wants a hot fling, he'll give it to her.

Who better than Adam, renowned lady-killer, to demonstrate the erotic pleasures of a one night stand? Sex could ruin their friendship, but after a soul-searing kiss, Mel fears one night may never be enough.


Buy  link Amazon

13 Fantastic Songs that Inspire My Writing

I love music, always have. Back in college, I earned two degrees in music (before I got a master's in library science) and I still love to sing and, of course, crank up the music while I'm writing. When I'm gearing up to write, you may find me dancing in my chair and singing along with my favorite songs. Some of them get me energized, some get me in the right mood for a particular scene, but all of them play a vital role in fueling my writing engine.

Even if I stopped writing (yeah right, that's gonna happen!), I'd still listen to these songs over and over, never tiring of them. I'll admit that, on occasion, I even put a song on repeat to hear it three or four times in a row. Here's my list of my 13 favorite songs, that also happen to inspire my writing.

    "Love Runs Out" by OneRepublic. The energy and driving beat of this song can get my brain in gear faster than just about any other song.

    "Sweeter" by Gavin DeGraw. Ditto for this one. More energy with a driving beat, plus fun lyrics that get me singing along every single time.

    "No More Rain" by Kylie Minogue. This song is a bit mellower, but still energizing. I feel good every time I listen to this one!

   "Turntable" by Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. This sexy song has clever lyrics I love, plus it's a great tune to listen to while writing a hot-and-heavy love scene.

    "Underestimated" by Jennifer Paige. The ultimate break-up song from a woman who's not taking any guff. Plus, its energy and infectious chorus wake me up whenever I'm suffering from the just-woke-up blues.

     "Only One" by Katharine McPhee. I loved this song the first time I heard it and find myself listening to it just about every day. The song reminds me of my heroine Mel, from Tempted by a Kiss, who might've posed the same challenge to her cheating ex.

     "Like Sugar" by Matchbox Twenty. I love Rob Thomas's music, whether he's flying solo or with the band. I often turn this song up while writing a first kiss scene.

  "State of Grace" by Taylor Swift. A sweet, romantic song about finding real love and how it's never easy.

   "Mr. Mysterious" by Vanessa Amorosi. Most Americans have likely never heard of Vanessa Amorosi, but I love her music. Hazardous is her best album ever and this song from it provided a spark of inspiration for my story Tempted by a Kiss.

   "Everything" by Lifehouse. I've adored this song since I first heard it on the TV series Smallville. This may be the most romantic song ever; definitely in the top 10!

   "Walking on Mars" by Kelly Sweet. Her second album is even better than her first, and I wish it had gotten released in this country. This song epitomizes the concept of being yourself no matter what other people think. Like most of my fictional heroines, I'm a bit strange, so I can relate.

  "You Set Fire to My Life" by Tina Arena. Another singer most Americans haven't heard of, this Australian artist continues to produce terrific albums. This song, from her latest album Reset, works great as inspiration for those final scenes where hero and heroine come back together, forever this time.

  "Rumour Has It" by Adele. Not only is this song written by Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, but it's sung by the incomparable Adele. 'Nuff said.

 You  can find Anna here:

Website
Twitter
Facebook
Amazon
Goodreads
Pinterest
Google

#MFRWauthor @TheAnnaDurand has INTUITION. How About You?

MFRW Author Anna Durand released Intuition, a Romantic Paranormal Suspense, with Jacobsville Books this summer.

Ultimate power comes at the ultimate price.

Torn apart by their haunted pasts, Grace Powell and her fiancé David Ransom are struggling to reclaim their passionate bond and build a normal life — one without danger and paranormal powers. But David can't renounce his obsession with hunting down Karl Tesler, who abducts and tortures psychics. David endured Tesler's tactics himself, but despite what Grace believes, he's not out for revenge.

Tesler covets her unprecedented abilities and her connection to a source of limitless psychic power. David will do anything — even abandon and lie to her — to protect Grace.

With a psychic stalker on her trail, Grace charges into a desperate mission to uncover the truth about David's obsession. But Tesler's agents are closing in on her, and a terrifying new enemy is rising…" Torn apart by their haunted pasts, Grace and David struggle to reclaim their passionate bond and defeat a terrifying enemy.

Buy Link

"Very well done...I loved seeing how David’s and Grace’s relationship continues to change during the book. If there is a book three I would pick it up in a heartbeat."

-- Fanatical Paranormal Romantical

EXCERPT

Psychic energy crackled through her. Behind you. She whirled around, thrusting the gun up, clamped in both hands, and confronted—
The lamp.
Hell. She'd let her unease blossom into paranoia. Nobody hunted her anymore. Probably. Tesler wouldn't find her here.
Her cell phone buzzed. A text message had arrived.
David. She snatched up the phone, tapping the screen until the message popped up. As she scanned the words, a shiver rattled through her.
""Come to me,"" it said, ""I can help you. 1325 Meroz Road.""
She didn't recognize the phone number the message came from, and no name was given. Oh sure, she'd rush right out to the address texted to her by an anonymous whackjob.
The phone buzzed again. Another text message: ""Your lip is bleeding.""
Her lip? She dabbed a finger on her mouth. It came away wet. Blood stained her skin. How did the texter know she bit her lip? Her heart pounded. Without moving, she searched the shadows for a figure, a camera, something to explain this, though she knew she'd find nothing. A thick curtain shielded the window. The person sending the messages could either see through solid objects or had another means of viewing her. Extrasensory means.
The phone tumbled from her hand, clattering on the floor.
No, she was jumping to conclusions. An intruder must've stolen into the house. With the revolver in hand, she sprinted out of the bedroom, down the hallway, through the kitchen, and into the living room. Vacant. All vacant. She rushed back to the bedroom and dug through the closet, scoured the dresser, even dropped onto her belly to investigate the space under the bed. No cameras. No stealthy intruders. Not a damn thing. Which left her with one unthinkable possibility.
Maybe she should call the police.
What for? They couldn't help her with this kind of problem.
""You belong with me.""
She jumped. Her head smacked into the bed frame. She clutched the gun tighter. Where had the voice come from?
No, no, no, not again. Nausea swelled in her stomach, bile rising high in her throat. The voice did not originate in this room, or from outside. The source was much, much closer. Someone rammed the words into her mind.
A psychic intruder just hacked her brain.

ABOUT Anna Durand
Anna Durand is a multi-award-winning writer, a freelance librarian, and an audiobook addict. She specializes in sexy romances, both paranormal and contemporary, featuring spunky heroines and hunky heroes. In her previous life as a librarian, she haunted the stacks of public libraries but never met any hot vampires hunting for magical books.

http://www.annadurand.com/
http://amzn.com/author/annadurand
https://www.facebook.com/AnnaDurandFiction
https://www.goodreads.com/annadurand
https://www.pinterest.com/Anna_Durand/

A Short & Sweet #MFRWauthor Interview @TheAnnaDurand

Meet Anna Durand.

I'm a writer, reader, librarian, and audiobook addict. I specialize in sexy, suspenseful paranormal romance, including the award-winning Psychic Crossroads series. In my spare time, I photograph flowers, whether they like it or not.

Why did you decide to write romance novels? I realized that what I love most in a book is the romance. If there isn't one, the story feels empty to me, because romance is about more than attraction—it's about emotion and connection. I've written other types of books, but my true love is romance.

What kind of research do you do for a book? I'm always doing research, because I love to read about science, ancient history, and mythology. All of these subjects inspire my romances. So I don't do a lot of research for a specific book, but rather keep my eyes peeled for intriguing ideas that may germinate into stories.

Would you like to write a different genre than you do now, or sub-genre? I'm always itching to try something new. I'd love to dive into fantasy and historical romance but haven't found the time yet. I also have ideas for a mystery, but paranormal romance is still my first love and what I focus on.

Do you feel humor is important in fiction and why? Absolutely! Humor is a great way to deal with stress, and the characters in my books endure a lot of that. My heroines tend toward the sarcastic, but they're never mean, and my heroes have senses of humor too. They may be fighting for their lives, but they can find the humor in even the most mortal of danger.

What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries? I create jewelry, photograph flowers, read, and listen to audiobooks.

Who are some of your other favorite authors to read? I'm a huge fan of Rachel Caine, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Kessler, Jayne Castle, Maria V. Snyder, and Christine Amsden. But I read (or listen to) tons of books by many different authors, from bestsellers to indies.

CONNECT with Anna...
http://www.annadurand.com/
http://amzn.com/author/annadurand
https://www.goodreads.com/annadurand
https://twitter.com/TheAnnaDurand
http://www.pinterest.com/Anna_Durand/
https://www.facebook.com/AnnaDurandFiction
http://www.theromancereviews.com/AnnaDurand
https://www.authorgraph.com/authors/TheAnnaDurand

Tell us about your latest book. What motivated the story? Reborn to Burn is the second story in a four-part series about a young woman who was resurrected from death by some shady scientists. I got the idea from reading about microscopic creatures called tardigrades, which can survive the vacuum of space, but they also can survive dehydration and spring back to life decades later, when enough water hits them. This led to the concept of a mummy being regenerated to a near life-like state. She wasn't supposed to wake up—but she did, and nobody knows why. In the second installment, things get steamy between Dawn (the ex-mummy) and her savior Jake, as they unearth a shocking secret about how she awakened and what she can do.

Reborn to Burn

Paranormal Romance
Jacobsville Books
After three thousand years as a mummy, Dawn awakened to a dangerous new reality where science and the supernatural collide. Her only ally is Jake Maxwell, a mysterious grad student with an unusual talent for evading bad guys. Dawn's resurrection spells trouble and power for the scientists responsible, and they have no intention of letting her go without a fight. But as she flees with Jake, a shocking revelation about her newfound life rocks them both. While their enemies close in, they discover a fiery passion—and a bond deeper and stronger than time itself. But can they outrun the past before their future is shattered? After 3,000 years as a mummy, Dawn was resurrected by Redeo Biotech, and now they'll stop at nothing to control her. As she flees with her only ally, Jake Maxwell, they unearth a shocking secret about her new life and discover a fiery passion. But can they outrun the past before their future is shattered?

AMAZON Buy Link

EXCERPT

Headlights popped on close behind. She threw up a hand to shield her eyes. What was this idiot doing? He must've driven with his lights off until he got within yards of their SUV.
Her pulse raced. No one would do that unless—
Shit.
Jake lurched forward, grimacing as he twisted his body to squint at the back window. ""It's them.""
""Why don't they kill us and get it over with?""
""They need your brain undamaged. An auto accident would be…messy.""
""Charming. But a few hours ago, you said they'd kill me simply for being alive.""
""That's when Saxon was in control. He's gone.""
A chill shimmied through her. Saxon was gone because she'd killed him, to save Jake. Her finger had pulled the trigger, and a part of her wondered whether she'd swapped his life for her own.
""Trust me,"" Jake said, ""the other scientists at Redeo understand the importance of examining an intact, resurrected brain.""
""Great, I feel much better."" She pushed the SUV harder. The other car, its shape invisible behind the glare of the headlights, receded in the mirror.
""It won't be that easy.""
""I know,"" she snapped. Redeo Biotech had created her, in a way, and they despised giving up anything they owned. ""What would you like me to do?""
""Drive faster.""
""You said that wouldn't help.""
""No, I said it wouldn't be that easy."" When she opened her mouth to protest, he laid a hand on her shoulder. ""Use your knowledge. Most of us born into this world don't know it as well as you do. Tap into what you learned during your soul journeys."" He gave her shoulder a light squeeze. ""And drive faster. It'll buy us a little time.""
She rammed her foot down on the accelerator. The car shot forward, pinning her to the seat. The steering wheel shimmied, and she gripped it tighter. The headlights of the other vehicle shrank in the mirror. She released the breath trapped in her lungs.
Headlights surged closer. A powerful engine snarled behind them.
Electric ice zapped through her, clenching her hands and quickening her breaths. So much for buying time.
She stomped her foot on the accelerator.
The other vehicle snarled, revving its engine.
Blood thundered in her ears. Every muscle in her body went rigid.
The other car slammed into them with an explosive crunch. The concussion flung her forward. She clung to the wheel as it jerked in her hands. Christ, no. The seatbelt gouged into her, radiating pains through her chest. She gasped, gritted her teeth, and held on.
An object thunked in the center console. Her gaze flicked to the cup holder, and Jake's gun stashed there.
The attacker barreled his car into them a second time. Their SUV fishtailed. She fought to control the wheel, but the SUV fishtailed again. Skidded sideways. Thwacked over a bump.
And spun out into the night.