Siren Publishing Released Breakfast by the Sea Today

Life keeps all of us pretty busy and I'm ashamed to say, this is the first time I've had the opportunity to stop by and post at Lindsay's Romantics. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Destiny Blaine. I also write as Natalie Acres and use a few other pseudonyms, but that’s a topic for another day.

I feel fortunate to have been invited to join the line-up of authors here at Lindsay's Romantics. An incredible group of talented writers gather here and I'm so honored to have been included.

Today, I'm promoting a brand new western romantic suspense just released from Siren Publishing. I invite you to read the excerpts and take a closer look at Breakfast by the Sea. Admire the work of Jinger Heaston, the cover artist responsible for creating one of the most beautiful covers I've had the pleasure of using for one of my books. You can copy and paste, or click the link here: http://www.bookstrand.com/breakfast-by-the-sea.

Breakfast by the Sea is a very special project and close to my heart for several reasons. On rare occasions, a writer will pen something they can’t seem to leave behind after they type out the ending. Breakfast by the Sea is one of those books. Jeff Jacobsen, the lead Alpha-male hero in the novel is forever embedded in my mind. The story, the characters, and the setting will remain in my head for years to come.

When writing a ménage romance with more than two heroes, I tend to lean toward one of these fellows right from the start, but after reviewing my notes for the novel, I never thought this would be an obstacle in this particular novel and for various reasons.

When the characters were developed, I fell in love with each of these men, feeling like they were the boys next door. These operatives were cowboys with plenty of heart. They were willing to take up arms and fight for what they believe in and more than willing to die for the person they were standing beside, especially when one of their own, a brother more than a friend, counted on them for their protection.

As much as I tried to keep Jeff Jacobsen on common ground with the others, he kept pressing his way to the forefront and mainly because there was so much story to tell about his past; too much to reveal and a lot of layers to uncover. The man behind the operative chased the demons he desperately needed to overcome and once Paige revealed her place in his life, I was toast. Jeff was mine.

Even though Jeff Jacobsen emerged as the leading hero, Callan O’Bree won over several beta readers from the start. He was noted as the perfect Irishman—handsome, charming, and full of mischief. Miles is said to be intelligent with a dry sense of humor certain to win over his own crowd. As for Adam, our fearless Super-Ops leader, he has a definite fan club for various reasons. I can’t reveal those without giving away a few spoilers.

In the end, I think readers will be very surprised at the turn of events between Paige Lambert, our heroine, and Connor, one of the heroes who could’ve easily emerged as our leading man. The way the tables turn between Connor and Paige is one of my favorite parts in the story. I think you’ll see the underlying significance of their relationship and agree, the final scene between Paige and Connor lays the groundwork for an incredibly sweet happy ending.

I’m proud of Breakfast by the Sea and hope you’ll consider purchasing this book while it’s on sale at a tremendous 15% savings. I’m anxious to introduce ‘my boys’ to you and hope you’ll love them as much as I do. Breakfast by the Sea is available today at Siren-Bookstrand.

©2010 Destiny Blaine

Blurb for Breakfast by the Sea:

A beautiful woman with a checkered past runs a legitimate bed and breakfast on Jekyll Island. Several young men posing as cowboys move in Breakfast by the Sea and things become chaotic right from the start when the oceanfront B&B turns into a command center for a very determined group of special Super-Op Forces.

Pursuing a man known as the King of Hearts, five tough operatives fall for a woman they’re supposed to eliminate. When the team discovers Paige Lambert is in fact the Queen of Hearts, they can’t ignore their handler’s orders. Is the bed and breakfast owner destined to die for her past crimes or will she end up under the protective custody of the men hired to kill her?

Adult excerpts can be found here today: http://sirenbookstrand.blogspot.com/

Cover Art ~ I am the Troublemaker

Yep, when it comes to my cover art, I can be a troublemaker. Okay, I can be a troublemaker over anything I feel strongly about. That’s my nature and I’m sticking to it.

While, I absolutely LOVE all of the cover art for my books! Shout out to Jinger Heaston, David Burton and Anne Cain! Still, one reason, I’m going with my own cover artist for BRANDED BY THE TEXANS, is because I need and want artistic control over the final product. So far, I can tell you Amanda Kelsey’s ~ http://razzdazzdesign.com/ ~ initial design for Branded is cowboy-hawt-yummy.

The incomparable cover artist, Jinger Heaston, has designed most of my previous cover art. I am constantly in awe of her creativity and the variety of designs she comes up with as the cover artist for Siren-BookStrand.

For STALLION OF ASH AND FLAME, I got to work with Jinger personally on the final version. Why? Because I am a troublemaker and I wanted Stallion’s cover to truly reflect Trail and Seneca’s love story. Heck, I worked darn hard on that book. As usual it was a labor of love...it was fun, adventurous...but, at the same time it was tough as pulling those poor hen’s teeth. Yep, I struggled to get the story written just right.

So, when the approved cover for Stallion wasn’t quite to my liking, well, I made it known, and probably created some ill will. But, when do you take stand for yourself and your book?
Fortunately, Jinger Heaston is a generous lady and worked with me. Not only is she professional and willing to listen, she’s fun.

Remember, the cover art is the first impression of your book. The cover art hits that part of the mind that thinks in symbols, the daydreaming part of the reader’s mind. It’s what she/he sees first, often making a decision to purchase, or not. I don’t know about anyone else, but I ‘feel’ cover art with my heart, my soul, my being. And, IMHO, it should give the reader ‘the truth’ about the hero and heroine’s story, or whoever the lovers are, as much as possible.

Yep, I’m also sorta picky, because like a lot of us, it’s just damn annoying and a downer when cover art ‘lies’ about a story. Either the actual content of the story, or the appearance of the characters. One of my *not* faves was the heroine who was a svelte brunette, but portrayed as a voluptuous blonde on the cover. Or, the hero’s long flowing locks shown as raven black when he was actually a dark blonde with close-cropped hair.

Okay, that harkens back to the days of my beloved bodice rippers, way back in the days when I dreamed about becoming an author. Yep, because of bad cover art experiences, I determined my covers would tell the truth about my romance novels. Of course, I had no idea how the publishing business actually worked, at that time.

That’s one reason I’m so personally grateful for the rise of small print/ebook publishing. As an author, I have artistic input on the cover, more so, than with the Big Guy publishers. Don’t get me wrong. I adore a lot of the cover art from the NY publishers. I smile with appreciation and mentally swoon over any and all cover art that floats my boat no matter where it’s from or who has designed it.

So, now, how does the cover art represent STALLION OF ASH AND FLAME?

The hero, Trail... well, there he is on the cover. He looks part Apache, even though he’s from an equine shifter world. This is because his race shares the same ancient ancestors as the Apache.

The heroine, Seneca... there she is, the woman Trail stud lusts for, but has never approached because she’s not a one-night stand and that’s all he can give her. His race is not allowed to mate permanently with humans.

The fiery stallion... Trail is on a mission to halt the raging forest fires that threaten the portal between his world and Earth. Not only can he shapeshift into a stallion, he can also phase into a flaming state that devours any furious blaze.

You can imagine Seneca’s mind-jarring shock when she first sees Trail as a stallion of flame, even though, at the time, he’s rescuing her from the bad space-alien guys. Yep, the suspenseful plot is paranormal and complex.

Trail and Seneca’s love story is a contemporary that takes place in southeastern Arizona, where there are caves, mountains and a national forest. This setting is crucial to the plot for several reasons. Trail’s portal is located inside a cave. Seneca has discovered a pair of ancient amulets inside another cave, hidden deep in the lower elevations of a mountainous area. And the assortment of bad guys are using the forest for their own nefarious purposes.

STALLION OF ASH AND FLAME just came out In Print. Jinger Heaston’s cover art shines, even more evocative and passionately gorgeous in print than on computer screen. I know I’m looking at it right now. Thank you, Jinger.

Here’s the blurb ~

Drojovv Zyan of the V’Trailuc Realm is a man-stallion of ash and flame on a mission to save his world’s crucial Earth portal from the fires ravaging the National Forest surrounding it. Pretending to be the tracker, Trail, he settles in a small southeastern Arizona town. When he gets an eyeful of the beautiful ranch owner, Seneca, he stud lusts after the Earth human, a woman he’s not supposed to take as his Mate.

Trail leaves her alone until her brother is in a bad motorcycle accident and she needs a hired hand. Soon both of them are threatened by a whole horde of enemies. At all costs Trail must protect her. His world depends on it, her world depends on it. And his heart comes to depend on it.
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Trail and Seneca invite you to read their love story ~
STALLION OF ASH AND FLAME ~ Available from Siren-BookStrand ~ A man-stallion of ash and flame on a mission to save his world’s Earth portal must save his Mate, a human woman forbidden to him ~ *5* Fallen Angels’ Review ~ 4 *5s* from readers ~ http://bookstrand.com/savanna-kougar ~ IN PRINT
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HAVE A WONDERFUL COVER ART DAY...
Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~

Also author of ~

All Shades of Blue Paradise ~ Jinger Heaston, cover artist ~
Red Lioness Tamed ~ David Burton, cover artist ~
When a Good Angel Falls ~ Jinger Heaston, cover artist ~ In Print
Tangerine Carnal Dreams ~ Jinger Heaston, cover artist ~
Murder by Hair Spray in Gardenia, New Atlantis ~ Jinger Heaston, cover artist ~ In Print
Black Cat Beauty ~ Anne Cain, cover artist ~
Her Insatiable Dark Heroes ~ Jinger Heaston, cover artist ~ In Print