addisonbrae

Welcome to my guest, Mason Harding, the very colorful hero we want to hate but can’t from Arresting Mason by Amber Daulton.

Addison: How would you describe yourself in a personal ad?
Mason: Personal ad? Seriously? If I did that, I’d probably have to pre-schedule an obituary next. My fiancé Mia would be super pissed. But, hey, I can play ball as long as you don’t post this in the newspaper. I’m tall, broad-shouldered, with dark spiky hair and tattoos. My muscles are big enough that any woman in her right mind would want to lick them.

Addison: What would you change about your life if you could?
Mason: Damn, a serious question. All right, well, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I don’t think I would change anything. I’m the man I am today because of my past, and I like myself for the most part. I went to prison for a stupid mistake, but I’m free now. I’m determined to stay out of trouble, no matter how difficult that is.

Addison: What are your thoughts on love?
Mason: I never really understood what that word meant until recently. My brother, Alan, has always been there for me even when I didn’t deserve it, and I know he loves me unconditionally. Before I met Mia and went away to prison, I had a lot of girlfriends but none of them owned a piece of my heart. Mia does. She’s kind and open-minded, and like Alan, loves me for me. Meeting her changed my life for the better.

Addison: What’s your quirkiest habit?
Mason: It’s not really a habit, but I have a facial tick. The muscle involuntarily spasms when I get angry or upset, and it annoys me. You see, I broke my jaw years earlier, and the tick started after I healed.

Addison: What terrifies you most?
Mason: Disappointing Mia and my family. I walk a straight line everyday, but sometimes it would be pretty easy to misstep and wind up in prison again.

About Arresting Mason
Once you’re in a prison gang, you’re in it for life. That’s what Mason Harding thought until the boss accepted his resignation. After the State releases him on parole, a sexy divorcée behind the wheel of a car almost ends his life quicker than a shank. His chance encounter with Mia Eddison results in a night of passion, but her brother—his parole officer—catches them together and doesn’t approve.

When members of an organized crime ring kidnap Mia to force Mason’s return to the gang, he goes up against an old friend to save the woman he loves. Will his sacrifice be enough or will everything fall apart in a blaze of gunfire?

Buy Arresting Mason:  Amazon, B&N Nook, iTunes, Kobo, Google Play

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats. Connect with Amber on her blog, Amazon author page, Goodreads, Facebook, or YouTube.

Ever wish you could tell your boss exactly what’s on your mind and not get fired for it?

The Japanese culture includes a practice called “nomminication” to encourage just that. It’s a combination of “nomu” or drink and “communication”. Bosses periodically host their employees for an evening of cocktails. In this safe environment, employees can share whatever they’d like to say to their boss. No pay cuts or demotions or job transfers are allowed after. Thanks to Jack Maxwell’s I Don’t Drink Alone podcast for the enlightening culture lesson. As a communication consultant who’s spent way too much time working, the concept intrigues me.

The average U.S. worker spends about a quarter of their time working—more than 13 years over a 50 year career. Work could be so much more pleasant if employees could be honest without consequences.

Gillian, the heroin in my romantic suspense, Becker Circle, could’ve used a few frank conversations with her boss at her first job out of college. This unfair accounting firm boss dumped busy work on Gillian because Gillian was single and had time to work at night. What? She also was one of those bosses who watched the clock and jumped all over anyone who arrived five minutes late. Worst though, she swept a client’s obvious accounting dishonesty under the rug when Gillian found it during an audit, and then pulled her off the project.

I’m spoiled working for myself and thankful to not be forced to deal with awful bosses. I have fired clients. One egotistical CEO insisted after a successful media campaign that I contact the reporters who had written about them and ask them to correct the company name to appear in all capital letters. He wouldn’t let it go, so I let them go. Yelling is a deal breaker. When I still had bosses, one kept piling more work on me because I wasn’t married or a mom and “didn’t have anything else to do,” she said. I told her it was too much. At raise time, she gave me this tiny, insulting salary increase. Why? I wasn’t doing a good enough job to earn more. I walked out of her office and transferred to a more senior position working with a professional leader soon after, and never looked back.

The U.S. unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in 49 years. Jobs are supposed to be fulfilling, not a sentence. Explore other opportunities inside and outside your company. If a reasonable conversation with your boss doesn’t work—with or without nomminication and cocktails—the grass may indeed be greener, as the saying goes. It definitely worked for Gillian.

Everyone’s had a boss story worth repeating. Share yours!

If life isn’t livable, change it!

Welcome to my guest, Mary Marvella to celebrate the launch of Her Deception.  Take a peek inside and meet Patrice, a hard working CPA who steps back into her past life as a stripper to help right a wrong.

Her Deception, Book Number 10, by M.M. Mayfield is live this week and ON SALE for $.99 until Wednesday, November 7.

Mary Marvella has been a storyteller for as long as she can remember. The arrival of the book mobile was as exciting as hearing the music of the ice cream truck. Mary’s daddy went college at 29. She helped him study, or she thought she did. Her thirst for knowledge grew. Retired from teaching classic works of the masters, Mary plays let’s pretend with her characters. She presents editing workshops, edits, coaches writers, and tutors one-on-one. Mary has published novels, novellas, and short stories. Her genres include paranormal romance, romantic suspense, women’s fiction, and sweet romance. Georgia raised, she writes stories with a Southern flair. Mary writes steamy romantic suspense and women’s fiction as Mary Marvella and more erotic and gritty books as M.M.Mayfield.

About Her Deception
Raised one step up from the gutter in Macon, Georgia, Patrice worked her way through college as Joy Love, stripper. Now she’s a CPA and has a wealthy husband who treats her like a princess. When she overhears her husband order a hit and make threats to kill other men she knows she must find evidence to take him down with his associates. Since he deals in drugs and human degradation, she goes to the world where she earned her college money and learned even more that she did living in the slums. She becomes Angela White Stripper. She has secrets, but his are bigger. Can she stay ahead of Hugh and his associates? Can she stay ahead of his enemies?

Her Deception excerpt
After a long night of going over every financial document on Hugh’s flash drive and every paper from the safe, Angel crawled onto her mattress, fully dressed, and slept.

Nightmares plagued Angel, vague nightmares that didn’t wake her. When her alarm jangled her nerves, she hit the snooze bar. Exhaustion haunted her. Hugh had been in those dreams. In them he was here, in this place where he couldn’t possibly find her.

Would he make a police report or set detectives searching for her? Would Patrice be on the news as a missing person?

Time to stop wondering and get busy. She stumbled to the bathroom where she washed her face, paying special attention to her bleary eyes. Her stomach flipped over when she saw a red-haired stranger in the mirror looking back at her. With wigs she expected to look unfamiliar to herself, so they didn’t bother her. Soon this reflection wouldn’t startle her, either.

She began her morning calls. When she called the GBI, she asked for an agent and told what she overheard. She was referred to her local police. She didn’t dare go to them. Why would they believe her over a respected member of the community?

Buy Her Deception on Amazon.

Connect with Mary on her Amazon author page, Goodreads, website, Facebook, Facebook author page, Pink Fuzzy Slipper Writers blog, blog, Twitter, and Twitter author.

It was a dark and stormy Halloween night . . .

Well, actually, it was only dark and stormy in my imagination. What really happened five years ago today was karma and fate and luck all stirring up a magical potion. It had been a hellatious week. I wanted to stay home. Instead I dressed up as Minnie Mouse and freaked Lucy out.

My friend Hope (panda suit) talked me into taking part in our friend’s (purple dress) Halloween birthday shenanigans, dinner and then the pub around the corner to watch a fun band I’d never seen.

The Thin White Dukes started with Diamond Dogs. Hope and I stood stage side yelling “more cowbell!” to the adorable zombie. The David Bowie tribute band filled the evening with Bowie’s best hits, including Fame that the cute sax and cowbell player sang.

The adorable zombie and I spent every moment he wasn’t onstage talking. We knew we wanted to see each other again. We did the next night at my friend Annie’s birthday party, and we’ve been together since.

Sometimes when you think the evening will be trick-filled, the universe will surprise you with treats. Thanks for talking me into going out, Hope. Happy birthday, and rest in peace Marci. Love to you always, John.

Cheers to music, birthdays, friendly zombies, fate, true love, and Halloween!

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s when the Texas weather finally cools down and football season is in full swing. It’s the day I met the love of my life when I least expected. This photo is from the night we met, and my life has never been the same since. (Thanks Hope for capturing the magical moment!)

This is also the time of year when you can mix rich, flavorful autumn liqueurs such as pumpkin spice (with or without cream), hazelnut, almond, walnut, and Kahlua to make a variety of nutty, spicy cocktails. They’ll warm you up as they go down. Pick up a few of these for your at-home bar or ask your local bartender. Try any of them mixed with vodka, bourbon, half-and-half, water, or on their own, either neat or over ice.

If you’ve already read Becker Circle, my romantic suspense, you know Gillian, the heroine, tends bar part-time in her neighborhood pub. With Halloween around the corner, here are two simple, yummy-licious cocktail recipes she would serve her pub regulars. Gather some friends, play bartender, and try them.

White Pumpkin
If you’re a fan of a good White Russian, you might like my twist on the Pumpkin Spice White Russian.
2 oz Vodka
½ oz Kahlua
1 oz Pumpkin Spice (or Pumpkin Pie) liqueur
1 oz half-and-half
Pour over ice in a low ball glass. If you want a little more sugar and spice, dip the glass rim in Kahlua and a cinnamon sugar mixture. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

A Little Nuts
1 oz hazelnut liqueur such as Frangelico
1 oz bourbon
½ to 1 oz water (depending on your taste)
This makes a nice after dinner cocktail. Pour over ice in a low ball glass and enjoy. You can also try this blend with other liqueurs such as walnut or amaretto.

While you mix and sip your cocktails, tune in to Spooked, my favorite podcast series for this time of year. It’s full of real recounts of curses, ghosts, black magic, haunted places, and general unexplained strangeness. With 13 episodes (of course) from last year’s first season and 11 so far for season 2, there’s plenty to keep you entertained and looking over your shoulder until Halloween.

Cheers to cocktails, friendly ghosts and Halloween!

“Women at our stage in life don’t go to bachelorette parties.”

A professional acquaintance said this to me just over six years ago. The statement inspired a blog I launched the next day. That blog sparked the idea for Becker Circle, my romantic suspense. I’m reviving this blog, originally published in August 2012, because there’s another bachelorette party this weekend where friends will celebrate the bride’s new chapter. The conversation captured a meaningful part my self-discovery that might inspire others experiencing fresh starts. I’m no longer single, but I’ll certainly be there to enjoy the celebration. I wish Miss Annie all of the best this next part of her life! xo

As authors, we’re always told to make every word count, and she certainly did. Each word is wrong in so many ways. “At our stage in life.” What stage? Age? Frumpy mom with no personal style? Speak for yourself sista! Or is it just judgment of bachelorette parties in general? And please don’t use “our” to put me in your life’s bucket!

Her statement made me think about this new experience of being single again. I’m having the time of my life and want to share and learn from the other single girls out there. Just like words to a writer, we have to make every experience count.

I felt so lucky to get to be a part of this bachelorette party. While hanging out at the house watching the adult entertainment, dining in a hip restaurant, and bar hopping, I saw a close group of friends, most of whom had grown up together, have fun, bond, and share best wishes with their friend before she started a wonderful new chapter in her life. The coolest part, the honoree’s younger sister and mom were there partying with group.

The bride-to-be lived next door. She was my first new friend to make me feel welcome in my new neighborhood and to my new life. Besides having a unique, magnetic personality, she is at least half mermaid. I wish her luck as she begins her new life now, and am relieved her fiancée has a pool.

If doesn’t matter if a girl is 25, 42 or 80, have your bachelorette party if you want to! And invite your friends of any age!

Never a need to justify celebrating!