My Orphans Have A Home

Great news (for me, anyway)! My two short contemporary military romances that were orphaned when Secret Cravings closed last year will be published by Champagne Book Group (CBG). The two-book series, “Lexie’s Guys,” will be published in CBG’s erotic line, Carnal Passions. Thanks to CBG for allowing me to expand and update both books. Check out the blurb for Search & Rescue, a sizzling M/F romance, which is scheduled for publication in October, 2016:

   Not every search ends with a rescue. One look at Captain Taylor Jackson at a Career Day at Spring Hill College and wealthy coed Lexie Carter knew he was The One. In six months they’re engaged and the wedding set for after graduation. When Taylor is reported killed in action in Afghanistan two months before their wedding, Lexie is devastated, her hopes for a family of her own crushed. Can she survive a future without Taylor or will she succumb to her grief?

   Army Ranger Taylor Jackson fell in love at first sight with young Lexie Carter. While on a mission in Afghanistan, he is captured by insurgents after taking his brother’s place on patrol. When Taylor escapes and returns home on what should have been their wedding day, Lexie has disappeared under ominous circumstances. Can he find her in time to rescue her from her fate?

I look forward to sharing an excerpt or two when edits are completed. Later this week, Ely’s Epiphany.  Rita

Congrats to the Freedom Blog Hop Winners

Congratulations to my Freedom Blog Hop Winners:

Steph – Ely’s Epiphany, my M/M military romance from Secret Cravings Publishing.

Brandi – Search & Rescue, my M/F military romance from Secret Cravings Publishing.

PDFs of the ebooks have been emailed to the addresses listed. Please contact me if you haven’t received yours at ritabayauthorat hotmail dot com

Hope you enjoy the reads.  Rita

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The Freedom Blog Hop & Giveaways & Free Book

 

Welcome to the Freedom Blog Hop to celebrate the Fourth of July
How better to celebrate the Fourth than with military stories from Secret Cravings Publishing?

I’m offering a short story (all the characters are military or retired military) for free download – RECEPTION INTERRUPTED (See below) AND one copy of SEARCH & RESCUE or ELY’S EPIPHANY to two randomly-selected commenters on my blog. Winner posted on Monday (July 7) – usual rules apply with 48 hours to claim prize. COMMENT ON:  Whether you prefer M/M stories or F/M stories and why. Be sure to leave contact info.

Reception Interrupted is set in the men’s restroom of The Oyster’s Shell during a wedding reception. Newlywed Army Ranger Captain Taylor Jackson is offered marital advice by his wife’s gay ex-Green Beret guardian, Ely Locklear. Jackson offers some “advice” of his own to Locklear. Needless to say, the bathroom of The Oyster’s Shell will never be the same, especially when Lexie, the new bride, and Todd Anderson, Ely’s partner get involved.

Reception Interrupted features characters from my two SCP books, Search & Rescue and Ely’s Epiphany (Secret Cravings Publishing). In Search & Rescue, a steamy M/F contemporary military romance, college coed Lexie meets her future Army Ranger husband who is mistakenly reported killed in action in Afghanistan before their wedding. He returns home to discover that his fiancée is missing.

In Ely’s Epiphany, a scorching hot M/M romance, two ex-Green Beret partners must face the future of their relationship – will the holidays bring happiness or heartbreak?  The first chapters and blurbs of all of my books are included, thanks to my publishers (Champagne Books, Carnal Passions, Secret Cravings, and Siren BookStrand). Warning: The book features some R-rated content. To download the free PDF, click the FREE BOOK Icon above or visit my Freebie page. Enjoy!!

Buy or read excerpts of SEARCH & RESCUE or ELY’S EPIPHANY at my SCP’s AUTHOR PAGE or my AMAZON PAGE.

RITA BAY’S WEBPAGE & BLOG / FACEBOOK / TWITTER/PINTEREST

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Secret Cravings Contemporary Romance Blog Hop with MANY GIVEAWAYS

 Welcome to the Secret Cravings Contemporary Romance Blog Hop. I’m offering a short story for free download – RECEPTION INTERRUPTED (See below) AND a copy of either of my SCP books, SEARCH & RESCUE or ELY’S EPIPHANY  to a randomly-selected commenter on my blog.  Winner posted on Monday – usual rules apply with 48 hours to claim prize.

Reception Interrupted features characters from my two SCP books, Search & Rescue and Ely’s Epiphany (Secret Cravings Publishing). In Search & Rescue, a steamy M/F contemporary military romance, college coed Lexie meets her future Army Ranger husband who is mistakenly reported killed in action in Afghanistan before their wedding. He returns home to discover that his fiancée is missing.  In Ely’s Epiphany, a scorching hot M/M romance, two ex-Green Beret partners must face the future of their relationship – will the holidays bring happiness or heartbreak?

Reception Interrupted is set in the men’s restroom of The Oyster’s Shell during a wedding reception. Newlywed Army Ranger Captain Taylor Jackson is offered marital advice by his wife’s gay ex-Green Beret guardian, Ely Locklear. Jackson offers some “advice” of his own to Locklear. Needless to say, the bathroom of The Oyster’s Shell will never be the same, especially when Lexie, the new bride, and Todd Anderson, Ely’s partner get involved.

The first chapters and blurbs of all of my books are included, thanks to my publishers (Champagne Books, Carnal Passions, Secret Cravings, and Siren BookStrand). Warning: The book features some R-rated content. To download the free PDF, click the FREE BOOK Icon above or visit my Freebie page. Enjoy!!

Buy or read excerpts of SEARCH & RESCUE or ELY’S EPIPHANY at my SCP’s AUTHOR PAGE or my AMAZON PAGE.

Thank you for stopping by. Click the Blog Hop Badge on the left or HERE to return to SCP’s BLOG HOP CENTRAL.

RITA BAY’S WEBPAGE & BLOG / FACEBOOK / TWITTER

A Great Way to Start the New Year – A 50% off Sale

That’s right! Secret Cravings Publishing is offering a 1/2 off sale January 10 – 11 – 12. That includes my contemporary M/F military romance, SEARCH & RESCUE AND my scorching hot M/M sequel, ELY’s EPIPHANY. Click the covers to buy or click HERE for the Secret Cravings home page. Enter Sale50 for your discount code.

  

Sunday, Jeanne Arnold visits An Author’s Desk.

RITA BAY’S WEBPAGE & BLOG / FACEBOOK / TWITTER

Visiting Dawn’s Reading Nook Today

Today I’m visiting Dawn’s Reading Nook, Dawn Roberto’s home away from Love Romance Café. SEARCH & RESCUE, my contemporary military romance that takes place in my hometown of Mobile AL and the deserts of eastern Afghanistan, is featured there.

For Army Ranger Captain Taylor Jackson and college coed Lexie Carter, it’s love at first sight. Young Lexie’s non-traditional family, however,  isn’t exactly pleased with her choice of a military officer a decade her senior. Her middle-aged guardians, former Green Berets, know quite a bit about the problems of military service. Lexie’s guardians were in the Army and gay  when gays were discharged with little recourse. My special feature at the Reading Nook today is “A Very Short History of Gays in the Military.” There’s also a blurb and excerpt. Check out my post at Dawn’s HERE.

I’m pleased to announce that Secret Cravings has contracted ELY’S EPIPHANY, Todd and Ely’s nontraditional Christmas story, for publication in December.

SEARCH & RESCUE is available from Secret Cravings Publishing. Click HERE to read excerpt/buy.

New Releases & Hush Puppies

It’s been a while, but I’m in the middle of writing a sequel and preparing for two book releases this Tuesday (September 3rd). Finding Eve is the second of my Lyons’ Tales shapeshifter novellas. It is absolutely a stand-alone read. I personally hate to read the second or third book in a series and find that I have no clue what’s going on. 

Thank you to my editor extraordinaire, Nikki Andrews, who gives 100% on every paragraph with a cyber-smile. Thanks also to Trisha Fitzgerald for her magnificent cover. You can check out the cover on the left and click to read the blurb and an excerpt. The buy link will be active Tuesday.  Also released is Shared Whispers, an anthology of fifteen stories by Champagne authors. Check out the cover on the left, click to read the blurb and an excerpt of Nimue’s Daughter, a contemporary Arthurian fantasy in which Merlin battles the Armageddon.

When I was writing about my hometown military romance, Search & Rescue (see  graphic on left), I ended with the story of a mullet fry–an all-day group fest. Today, I’m sharing my favorite recipe for Hush Puppies which are deep-fried with the fish. Tomorrow, I’ll post my personal tartar sauce and remoulade recipes for seafood. 

HUSH PUPPIES

1 ½ cups yellow or white cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 can cream-style corn
milk, as needed
finely chopped jalapeno pepper, optional to taste

Preparation:  Mix dry ingredients. Add onion, corn, and Jalapeno pepper (if desired). Mix well. Add milk for consistency, if needed. Drop by tablespoons into deep hot fat, about 360°. Fry until golden brown.
Tomorrow, Tartar Sauce & Remoulade.  Rita Bay

A Vintage Postcard & Traveling the Net

Lots going on today. I’m blogging at Dawn’s Reading Nook about my first plunge into writing an erotic romance – Gods & Goddesses in an Erotic Romance Series – OH MY!  Her Teddy Bare – an installment in Carnal Passion’s Aphrodite’s Island Series—is a light BDSM with a chuckle. Click HERE to check out my blog at Dawn’s Reading Nook Blog.

ALSO, I’ve posted my interview on The Next Big Thing Blog Hop at my group blog, Southern Sizzle Romance.  Check it out HERE.  Thanks to Celia Breslin for tagging me.

Below I’m sharing a vintage postcard from my ancestor’s stash. The vintage cards this week date from 1907 -1909 and feature water scenes from Mobile, AL – my home town and the location for my first contemporary military romance from Secret Cravings, Search & Rescue.

Tomorrow, More About Mullets.   Rita Bay

SEARCH & RESCUE – My Hometown Romance – The Mullet Toss

Gulf Shores is the locale for many events – concerts,  a seafood festival, and fun for kids. Without a doubt, the most unusual and one of the most popular is the annual Mullet Toss at  the Flora-Bama. The Flora-Bama Bar and Package Store is an iconic landmark on the Florida-Alabama state lines at Perdido Key, FL. The Flora-Bama has been the destination of beach partiers since the 1960s. It was badly damaged in 1978 during Hurricane Frederick but was rebuilt and has expanded.

The Flora-Bama sponsors the Mullet Toss every April – a charity event that is fun for participants and observers.  What is a mullet and where is it tossed and by whom, you might ask. A mullet is a fish that weighs about a pound (See Pic). Participants who enter one of the many categories stand in a circle ten feet in diameter and throw it as far as possible within the boundaries. How can this be fun, you ask. You have to be there and partying to understand the attraction.  Tomorrow, More about mullet & a my Guest Post  Rita Bay

SEARCH & RESCUE – My Hometown Romance – “To the Gulf” & “Over the Bay”

In one of the scenes of my contemporary military romance –Search & Rescue – which is set in Mobile AL, the hero and heroine discuss the family vacation home at Gulf Shores. Many Mobilians maintain a home at Gulf Shores or on Mobile Bay. In the “old days” of stay-at-home moms, it was not uncommon for families to relocate to the family house “over the Bay” or rent a cottage for the whole summer. Fathers would join the family on the weekends or for an extended stay. It was not unusual for the bay front summer homes to remain in the family for generations. Cousins would spend summers together playing on the beach, fishing, or crabbing until darkness forced them inside. Now, many cottages have been replaced by year-round home with roads that allow for quick rides into Mobile. Some families still maintain the summer traditions and divide out vacation time at the cottage among the many cousins.

Gulf Shores which was hit by several hurricanes (most notably Hurricane Frederick in 1978) in the last decades. Small family cottages with private beaches have been replaced with large condos and multi-home compounds. The sea oats and turtles are fiercely protected. The beaches remain pristine and the sunsets unmatched. A romantic location for Taylor and Lexie’s honeymoon. Check out the sunset at Gulf Shores with sea oats in the foreground. Click the Search & Rescue book cover graphic (on the left) to read an excerpt or buy.

Tomorrow, more on Gulf Shores.  Rita Bay