Corky Needs Help
Published April 22, 2012 | 
Corky Needs Our Help!
About six months ago a new cat rescue group came into being in Fargo North Dakota. CATS Cradle split from PAAWS to be able to concentrate on rescuing felines and finding them good homes. I got my last cat, Little Bit, from PAAWS. She was found in a State park by Carol Stefonek, who went on to become a co-founder of CATS Cradle. I’m actually allergic to cats, so as much as I’d like to volunteer, I can’t spend too much time around large numbers of cats. I get used to my own, so they don’t bother me, but a half dozen strange cats would lay me out. I think CATS Cradle does good work, so I’ve been contributing 5% of my royalties to them. That doesn’t actually amount to much, but I figure every little bit helps, right?
But now they have a great need. Back at the end of March, a darling 7-month old kitten came to the shelter. His name is Corky. He’s bright and good natured, and full of fun
. He also was born with a severe disability. His hind legs bend backward, and are twisted. He can’t walk on them, so he happily drags himself along on his front feet. By his sweet dispostion and playful nature, it’s plain he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with him. Most people would have just put him to sleep, but the good folks at CATS Cradle decided to fight for him. They found a generous and talented veterinarian who was willing to operate. Even with many services and time being donated, it was estimated the surgery would cost $2500.
Well, it will be many times that. Corky is a brave little soul, and the vet has pronounced the surgery a success, but there have been some bumps in the road for Corky. He’s still at the vet hospital and will be for some time while he undergoes various therapies. That costs money which the shelter, being fairly new, doesn’t have. (And really, how many shelters have lots of excess money, anyway?)
To read some news articles about Corky’s story, click one of the links below.
CATS Cradle has a Facebook page and Corky is featured heavily there.
If you have a few spare dollars, please consider donating to CATS Cradle to help fund Corky’s recovery. You can find out how to give at:
The Cancan Dancer and the Duke by Dara Young
Published April 21, 2012 | 
Dara Young can’t wait for May 2nd to get here. So, while she is waiting she thought she’d put together a blog tour to help share the news about her upcoming release. For each comment posted over the 12 days she will give you one entry into a drawing for a $25 gift card to Amazon.com. Please pass on the news! The more the merrier!
Impulsive Hearts http://impulsivehearts.wordpress.com/ May 1st
My Blog http://darayoungwrites.com May 2nd
Mama Kitty Reviews http://mamakittyreviews.com/ May 3rd
Sidney Bristol http://sidneybristol.com/guest-blogs/ May 4th
Arabella Stokes http://southernsizzleromance.wordpress.com/ May 5th
Angel Graham http://angelgrahamauthor.wordpress.com May 6th
That’s What I’m talking About http://www.twimom227.com/ May 7th
Modokker Book Picks http://modokkerbookpicks.blogspot.com/ May 8th
Katherine Grey http://katherinegrey.blogspot.com May 9th
Amie Louellen www.amielouellen.com/blog/ May 10th
Evangeline Holland http://edwardianpromenade.com May 11th
Dariel Raye http://www.pendarielraye.blogspot.com May 12th
The Cancan Dancer and The Duke
The Wild Rose Press
Release Date: May 2, 2012
Can a lady on the lam and a duke on the make find love at the Moulin Rouge?
Cathedrals and museums are not Lady Charise Colton’s idea of European adventure. Turn-of-the-century Paris beckons, and she wants to grab it while she can…or rather, cancan. Flirting with fate and half of Paris, Charise eludes her chaperones and joins the cancan revue at the Moulin Rouge.
Ethan Greer, Duke of Lofton, is in Paris to settle some estate business. Chafing under his responsibilities, he discovers an enchanting distraction at the Moulin Rouge, a flirtatious dancer who stirs his lust and something more. He must have her—even if it means offering carte blanche.
Terrified of discovery, Charise tries to hold her persistent suitor at bay, though her heart has already surrendered. Will she lose him if he learns the truth, or is love enough to bind the cancan dancer and the duke?
Excerpt:
The singular sound was a soft whisper at first. The audience strained forward to catch even a note of the eerie melody carried on the fetid air of the cafe. As the song picked up, her voice grew stronger, the words more clear. Ethan relaxed into his seat and let the warm rich alto caress him. His body grew warm with the promises carried by the witch’s husky tones.
He remained unaware of anything in the room except the siren walking toward him. Each steady, unhurried step she took further drew him in. His gaze feasted on the curve of her hip, the swell of her breast. Ethan rode the knife’s edge between lust and propriety.
The song described, in lurid detail, two lovers in the throes of passion. Upon reaching him, the dancer propped the toe of her boot onto the edge of his seat—square between his thighs. The luscious creature presented impossibly sheer bloomers which hid everything and yet nothing, causing him to let out the breath he, until now, unknowingly held. His c**k grew rigid, the uncomfortable throbbing causing him to shift. The desire to haul her into his arms and demonstrate every action she described with the most sensuous mouth he’d ever seen rode him hard. Her full lower lip begged for his kiss. Ethan wanted to see it slick and glowing pink from his attentions.
The wanton dancer continued to taunt him, but his good breeding won out. Forcing himself to stay seated, his fists balled and his jaw grew rigid with frustration, but his raging lusts remained leashed. The song ended, sending her into the nether regions of the cafe in a swirl of skirts.
Add it to my shelf at: GoodReads
I’m in One of THOSE Moods!
Published April 14, 2012 | Yes, I get moody sometimes. Right now I’m feeling dissatisfied with my life and my writing. Things aren’t flowing smoothly. When I wrote Sleeping With the Wolf, the words just poured out of me. I wouldn’t say it was easy, but compared to how I feel right now, it was. Maybe it’s because when I wrote Carla and Taye’s story, it was still not officially a job. At that point, my writing was a hobby that I could set aside for months on end. I love writing, and I have no plans to give it up. This is just one of those moods that strikes from time to time.
The point of this post is … Hm. What was it again? Oh, yeah. When I get into these moods I usually do something drastic. I was in this mood when I joined the army 30 years ago. I was in this mood when I gave away my precious velvet Tudor gown and French Hood. (When I say precious, I mean it had $300 worth of freshwater pearls and real gold thread embroidery that I slaved over. It took me over 6 months to make that dress). I was in this mood 16 months ago when I whacked off 15″ of hair to donate to Locks of Love.
I’m afraid to leave the apartment. Who knows what I’ll do in this mood. A couple of people are teasingly (maybe teasingly?) suggesting I get a tattoo. I’m 50! What’s more, I’m afraid of needles. What’s even more, i’m broke. Somebody talk me down. :)
What’s Sky Been Up To?
Published April 2, 2012 | Do you remember Sky, the seventeen year old whose wolf chose Rose to be his mate? Remember how he grabbed her, held her against the wall and kissed her against her will? After Taye tore him away from Rose and threw him into a wall, Sky decided to leave Karney and find work in Omaha until Rose was old enough for him to court properly. Do you wonder how things are going for him in Omaha? Me, too. He’s been pestering me to write a scene for him, but I’m still working on Eddie’s Prize, and then there’s Wolf’s Prize. I have the opening scene for Quill and Ellie’s story circling my brain and I want to write it. But back to the scene Sky is pushing at me.
Sky and Quill arrived in Omaha in November and it is now early December. The big city is a shock to them. For one thing, many of the more affluent homes have running water and electricity. For another, the women of Omaha walk all over town by themselves. The men in Omaha hardly seem to notice the women. Sky thinks it might be because of the dozens of peacekeepers who patrol the town. Work on the railroad won’t begin until the snow is gone in spring, and no one wants to hire a pair of half-feral teenagers for the winter. With no money to buy food or housing, the boys have to rely on their wolves to hunt their own food. They can’t stay in wolf form in Omaha because the one time they nosed their way into a stable for shelter, they were shot at by the peacekeepers. Hungry and homesick, Quill argues that they should return to the Clan until spring. As proud and stubborn as any other Alpha, Sky refuses.
Their luck changes one morning as they are going door to door in the business section of Omaha. They see a well dressed middle-aged woman being followed and harrassed by a group of rude men. Naturally, Sky and Quill are furious at this disrepect to a woman, and appalled that she is out alone unprotected. No Peacekeeper is in sight and they don’t bother to go find one. Instead, they beat the snot out of the men and offer to escort the woman to safety. The woman is Miss Lucille, an aging star of one of Omaha’s leading whorehouses. She’s surprised that two such young men are so strong and able to fight so well. As a thank you, she offeres them a freebie. Quill is horrified, but Sky remembers how his kiss didn’t please Rose. He asks Lucille to teach him how to kiss properly. She teaches him taht and a whole lot more. Sky and Quill go to live at the whorehouse, earning their way as bouncers. Who better to keep the working girls safe than a pair of wolves who idolize women?
I don’t want to give too much away. I can’t write this scene right now, but I suspect I will write it soon. Sky won’t shut up.
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