Month: March 2016

Work In Progress Wednesday

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The third and final chapter of Rannigan’s Redemption, Ransoming Redemption, drops on April 18.  But the truth is that it’s been a while since I finished writing Rannigan last September.  Being somewhat neurotic, as the end of a book begins to draw closer, I begin to feel a sense of panic.  What would I do if I didn’t write?  So I usually start something new before I finish up my current project.  I actually began Rannigan before Luke & Bella was finished.

Before Rannigan was finished, I started a new project tentatively called For Sparrow.  You can click here to read the first chapter on the Teasers tab of my website.

And while I’m still working on Sparrow, I got a little sidetracked.  My pal erotica author Patient Lee suggested a project for this coming summer and I got all inspired.  The result is going to be a very naughty novella which will be published, one way or another, before the fall.

Les couples vivant dans une chambre au murs violets feraient plus l'amour que les autres, avec une moyenne de 3,49 fois par semaine !:

Here is an excerpt for this WIP Wednesday.

Just One Night

As dessert was served, Mac’s attention was drawn back to the table across the room.  The redhead suddenly looked right at him and he felt his automatic smile, which widened as she snapped her eyes away.  He continued to watch as she raised her gaze casually as if to see if he was still looking.  This time he smiled deliberately.

At that moment, her head turned and she spoke to someone at her table.  Her face darkened and she seemed to be speaking passionately, an angry flash in her eyes.  He watched as she moved the linen napkin from her lap and dropped it on the table, pushed back from the table, and left the dining room.

Impulsively, he knew he needed to follow.  “Gents, I can’t eat another bite,” Mac said as he pushed away from the table.  “I’m going to walk off a little of this dinner.  I’ll meet you two later.”

By the time Mac made it to the door of the dining room, the redhead had disappeared.  He glanced to his left and then to his right, trying to guess her more likely route.  The woman at the photo checkout cleared her throat discreetly and he looked in her direction.  She nodded meaningfully to her right and smiled.

He grinned at her wholeheartedly.  “Thanks!” he proffered as he hurried off in the direction she’d indicated.  Mac made his way through the door that opened onto the deck and he could see her leaning against the railing looking out over the dark water.  Her hair and her skirt ruffled in the breeze and the full moon overhead made her hair seem to glow.

Ignoring the slight case of nerves he felt, he approached the railing, stopping by her left elbow.  “Hey, you,” he said casually.

She startled slightly, whipping her head to her left, eyes wide.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you.  I just saw you standing here and I thought I’d say hello.”  He held his hands in front of himself in surrender, pasting on what he hoped was a charming smile.

The redhead continued to stare at him wordlessly.  “I don’t mean to bother you, I can go if you’d like.”

She shook her head.  “No, I don’t want you to go.  I was just startled, that’s all.”

Mac smiled gratefully.  “Well, it’s a beautiful night.  And dinner was fantastic.  I don’t know about you, but I had the lobster and it was amazing.”

She smiled back.  “I had the mahi and it was delicious.”

They stood awkwardly for a moment.  “Listen, would you like a drink or something?” Mac offered.

She looked out at the water, then back at him.  “I’d like that a lot.”

His grin was genuine.  “Good.  Great.  Let’s go find a drink.”

 ***

      The pair found themselves seated at a tiny table at the edge of the piano bar, the first place they’d come to in their search for a cocktail.  Katie watched as he approached the bar and ordered for them.  She couldn’t get over how handsome he was with his dark mahogany hair and his molten brown eyes.  And he’d come outside looking for her.  This was exactly what she needed to take her mind off of her man problems back home.

She smiled up at him as he returned to their table, a margarita for her and a Scotch for himself.  “Cheers,” he said, raising his glass to hers.

“Cheers,” she murmured in return, and she sipped gratefully, counting on the liquid courage her glass offered.

“You know, we’ve gone about this all backwards.”  He rested his drink on the table and offered his right hand.  “My name is—“

“No!  No names,” Katie quickly interrupted.

Mac blinked in surprise.  “No names.  Why no names?”

“Just…because,” she stammered.  “No names, no personal information, we’ll just…keep it casual.”

“Keep it casual.”  Mac frowned.  “Okay.”  He gave her a curious look.  “Are you sure you don’t want me to leave?”

She shook her head, red curls swinging.  “No, I’d like you to stay.”

He gave a relieved smile.  “Good, because I’d like to stay.  So…no personal information.  Do you want to talk about work?”

“Oh, hell no!”

“Um, how about that weather?  That’s some pretty great weather out there tonight.”

Katie laughed lightly.  “I don’t mean to be a pain.”

Mac smiled back.  “You’re not a pain, exactly.  I just have to figure out the rules.  And you’re here with three other women?”

“You could see that in the dining room.  Where you were staring,” Katie observed.

“You know that because you were staring back,” he countered.

“And you’re here with two other men.”

Mac nodded.  “My brothers.  Oops!  Was that personal?”

“Now you’re making fun.”

He smile ruefully.  “Maybe just a little bit.  This is kind of a bachelor party.  My kid brother is getting married.”

“A bachelor party?”  Katie laughed lightly.  “Shouldn’t you be getting back to the debauchery?”

Mac laughed.  “Not much debauchery with those two.  My older brother’s been married for years and Tommy’s head over heels for his fiancée.”  He glanced up at Katie.  “Oops!  More personal information.”

Katie sighed and sipped her drink.  “My friends and I get together for a week every summer.  We’ve know each other since high school.”

“There now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Katie nodded firmly.  “We’re even, that’s all.”  She rested her forearm on the table and toyed with her glass.  As Mac did the same, his arm brushed against hers.  She made no effort to move away from him so he intentionally rested his arm against hers, noting the electric charge he felt, wondering if she felt it, too.

Glancing up, he saw that she was watching him intently.  “So…you don’t want any personal information.  You don’t want to talk about work.  You don’t want me to leave.”

Katie shook her head.

“Okay, well we’ve got that settled.  What do you want?”  He watched her expectantly.

She stared at her glass as she swirled the remainder of her margarita.  Then she looked back up at Mac.  “Do you really want to know what I want?  I want just one night.  Just one night of anonymous, no-holds-barred, red-hot, no-strings-attached sex.  That’s what I want.”  She fixed him with a challenging stare.

“Whoa,” he breathed, eyes wide.

Katie looked down at her glass again.  “Too blunt?”

Mac ran a restless hand through his dark hair.  “That was blunt, all right, but I can respect that.  I’ve gotta ask, though.”  He sought out her eyes.  “Is there some guy at home waiting for you to come back?”

Katie shook her head.  “I’m not cheating on anybody.  You?”

He shook his head, too.  “What was it you said earlier?  Oh hell, no.”

She lightly stroked his arm as it rested on the table, delighting in the goose bumps that appeared there.  Her gaze traveled from there to his lap, which seemed to be taking an interest in the proceedings if the growing mound there was any indication.  She shifted her focus, sliding her gaze up his torso to those lips she’d noticed earlier.  God, I just want to suck on that lower lip.

She met his eyes again, saw the fire there, and knew it matched her own.  “So what do you say?”

“I say, have another margarita.  I just need to run to the little shop and pick up some…  Well, I didn’t actually expect that I’d need…”  He smiled apologetically.

“I’ll wait right here.”

He took her hand and gently brushed his lips across her knuckles, gave her a wink, and left the bar.

Well, it’s a work in progress.  In the meantime, you can pre-order the finale of Rannigan’s Redemption, Ransoming Redemption at these fine online booksellers.

Amazon, iBooks, B&N, Kobo, & Smashwords

 

The Process

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Ransoming RedemptionI’m having some mixed emotions right now.  On the one hand, I’m excited to be launching the final chapter of the Rannigan’s Redemption series, Ransoming Redemption, on April 18.  At the same time, it’s a bit traumatic when you come to the end of a story.  The characters have become friends, loved ones even, and it’s hard to say goodbye.  And then there’s the fact that there is a lot involved in launching a book that takes me away from actually writing.

Doing promotions and marketing keep me busy.  On any given day, I start my morning by posting the day’s tweets (that I composed and scheduled the previous day) on various Facebook retweet threads, and then passing along those belonging to other authors who have already posted.  After working my regular job all day, I come home to continue retweeting those posts that have come in during the day, and then compose new tweets for the following day.

Then I might create new promo ad graphics for future use, browse through stock photos for those that might be useful, write a new blog post, or Google+ post, or Facebook post, or pin on Pinterest.  I might need to read and review someone’s book because they did mine.  I like to feature other authors on my website in appreciation for their promoting my work.  Or I promised to beta read a new book and give feedback.  Occasionally, I like to read something just because I want to read it, and when I like it I always leave a review.

The promo load increases, obviously, leading up to a book launch, and for a while after that, to be honest.  I need lots more promo graphics, lots more posts to Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest.  I need to post more to the blog, things like cover reveals, enticing excerpts, reviews, interviews, and such.  I need to find people who are willing to promote my new book on their social media.  I need to start a new Thunderclap and spend time clicking to promote the campaigns of others so that they will do mine.

And all of this activity leaves precious little time to write, which is what I like to do best.  I’m no marketing expert, I can tell you.  I have found, however, that if I approach my day with a plan, I can still squeeze in time to write.  I’m not sure how others do it, but I have found that the best ideas, the best character conversations, come to me in that twilight time between asleep and awake.  I love long, languid weekend mornings when I can daydream about a work in progress.

And this morning, I did just that.  After lazing in bed for couple of hours, between awake and asleep, I had a great idea for the project I’m currently working on.  It doesn’t actually attach to where I left off last time, it happens a bit later in the story, but I didn’t care.

This morning, before I even did my morning tweets, I banged out a conversation and a scene with which I’m very pleased.  I can go back later and connect the dots.  But it feels productive.  After that, I went ahead with my routine retweets.  Life goes on.

Oh, and you can pre-order Ransoming Redemption on Amazon.

Cover Reveal–Rannigan’s Redemption Part 3: Ransoming Redemption

Published on by Pandora Spocks12 Comments

Ransoming RedemptionDrumroll, please!  Here it is, I’m thrilled to announce the cover reveal of the final book of the Rannigan’s Redemption series, Ransoming Redemption.

Here’s the book blurb:

Michael Rannigan sees the writing on the wall.  And he’s determined to find redemption.  He knows he’s spent his life keeping everyone at arm’s length.  He’s burned bridges and destroyed friendships, leaving a path of destruction in his wake.  But he thinks he’s found a way to make things right.  At least for the one person who’s never given up on him.

Maggie Flynn’s life is changing quickly.  Just when she’s decided make work her focus and to be content with being single, she has a new man in her life.  Thanks to Michael and his interference, anyway.

Bobby is almost too good to be true, with his tall good looks, his sexy Cajun accent, and his irresistible lop-sided smile.  He’s head over heels for Maggie.  She knows she’s found the real thing.

Together, can they face the biggest challenge they’ve ever endured?

Ransoming Redemption is the third and final book of the 5 Star reviewed Rannigan’s Redemption series.

Rannigan’s Redemption has been a long labor of love.  I have loved these characters deeply so it was hard to see the end looming.  It was a risk to create Michael, a hero who is not immediately likeable. Maggie has remained steadfast and true despite her own flaws.  And Bobby is the kind of book boyfriend we all dream of finding.  Throughout the story they’ve had a memorable cast of friends who’ve supported them and helped to move the story along.

Initially Rannigan’s Redemption was intended to be one book, but clearly it ended up being much too long and covering too large of a span of time to be just one volume.  In celebration of the final chapter of the story, I’m updating the covers of Resisting Risk and Running Rogue.

All three covers were designed by the amazing Eeva Lancaster of The Book Khaleesi.  Read my testimonial from her website:

I was ready to release the third and final book of my series and realized I needed to rethink my cover designs. I contacted Eeva at The Book Khaleesi and explained that I wanted something fresh, but I didn’t know quite what that meant. She listened to everything I said, asked the right questions, and before I knew it, she’d designed three amazing covers. Eeva hit exactly the tone and feel of what I couldn’t even begin to articulate. Along with the banners and 3D images she created, the total package was exceedingly more than I expected in terms of quality and value. I will NEVER design my own covers again. If you’re looking for top-notch professional cover and graphics design, look no further than Eeva at The Book Khaleesi!

Rannigan’s Redemption Part 3: Ransoming Redemption launches April 18 and is now available for pre-order on iBooks.  It’s coming soon to Kindle, B&N, Kobo, and Smashwords.

What about Resisting Risk and Running Rogue with their new covers?  You can get them now at iBooks, & Kobo.  They’re still in review on Kindle and B&N.

Keep watching here for updates.

Coming Soon…Cover Reveal!

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The anxiously awaited conclusion to the Rannigan’s Redemption series, Ransoming Redemption, will be out soon.  But the cover reveal will be on Saturday, March 26, right here.  And along with the cover reveal for Ransoming Redemption, I have a couple of surprises in store.  How about an exclusive excerpt to tide you over until then?

Tiny loose gravel crunched beneath her brown leather sandals as Maggie clipped along the pavement.  She paused, scanning the great lawn looking for Bobby.  Anxiously, she dialed him again.  “I still don’t see you,” she said.

“I see you and you look beautiful.  Stay where you are, cher.  I’ll be right there.”

She dropped her phone back into her summer bag and distractedly wiped her palms on the skirt of her sapphire colored sundress.  She glanced down at herself and for the hundredth time that afternoon hoped that the dress was appropriate for a July 4th family celebration.  Bobby had asked her to meet him along with his parents and Savannah for a picnic supper in the park before the fireworks.

Squinting with a hand shading her eyes, she finally saw him striding towards her, lop-sided grin in place, and she let her eyes drink in the way his shoulders and chest were showcased by his fitted brown v-neck t-shirt.  Khaki cargo shorts ended where his muscular calves began, and umber leather deck shoes completed the outfit.

When he reached her, she could see herself reflected in his mirrored aviators.  “You look amazing,” he grinned, scooping her up and whirling her around.

“Thanks, so do you,” she said, glancing around self-consciously as he set her back down.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I just want your family to like me,” she said softly.  “I don’t want to offend them.”

Taking her hand in his, he kissed it gently.  “They’re going to love you, just like I do.”  Together they left the sidewalk and walked across the grass, dodging picnic blankets that had been placed around like staked claims until they came to a large blanket of blue paisley and edged in blue piping.  Beside the blanket were five folding outdoor chairs, two of which were occupied by a middle aged man and woman.  A small blonde girl sprawled on the blanket, leaving the pink child-sized chair vacant.

            Please let them like me, Maggie prayed as they all looked up at her.

“Maman, Pop, this is Maggie Flynn.”  Bobby turned to her.  “Maggie, this is my mother and father, Jerilyn and Justin Beaulieu.”

They both stood, and Maggie reached out to shake their hands.  “Mr. and Mrs. Beaulieu, I’m so happy to meet you.”

Jerilyn reached her first and, ignoring the handshake, went straight in for a huge bear hug.  “Oh, ma cher, I have heard so much about you from my son.  I’m glad to finally meet you.  And honey, you can just call me Jerilyn.  Mrs. Beaulieu was my mother-in-law.”

Bobby steadied Maggie with a gentle touch on the small of her back when his mother released her.  Justin hugged Maggie gently and kissed her cheek.  “I can see my boy has good taste.  It’s nice to meet you, Maggie.  I’m Justin.”

“And this,” continued Bobby as he leaned down to scoop up his daughter, “is Savannah.  Can you say hi to Maggie?”

“Hi,” said the little girl shyly as she lay her head on Bobby’s shoulder.

Maggie smiled at her.  “Hello, Savannah.  I’m happy to meet you.”

“Come sit, cher,” Jerilyn said.  “Tell us all about yourself.”

Maggie looked wide-eyed to Bobby who smiled happily as he sat next to Savannah on the blanket.  “I, uh, well…”

The next hour was spent with Maggie answering questions, Bobby interrupting, Jerilyn telling stories from when Bobby and his sisters were growing up, the entire conversation punctuated with laughter.  Maggie realized that she was feeling more and more at ease as the afternoon wore on.

Glancing at Justin, she could see where Bobby got his rugged good looks, thinking to herself that it was probably a foreshadowing of how Bobby would look later in life.  They enjoyed fried chicken and potato salad, freshly made that morning by Jerilyn in Bobby’s kitchen, washing it all down with glasses of sweet tea.  As the sun began to sink, homemade coconut cream pie was served.

“Daddy, I want to go see the water,” Savannah said, pointing to the lake at the bottom of the hill.

“Okay, baby, we can walk down there,” Bobby said.

The little girl shook her head and whispered in his ear.  Bobby’s eyes widened and he looked to Maggie.  “Ask her, then.”

Savannah shyly approached Maggie.  “Will you take me to see the water?”

“Um, sure, if that’s okay with your dad,” Maggie answered, surprised.

“You two go on down there,” Bobby told Savannah.  “I’ll meet you there in a while.  And you mind Maggie, you hear?  Be a good girl.”

As they left the picnic blanket, the little girl slipped her hand into Maggie’s and began chattering about the things she’d seen since arriving in the city.  Bobby felt a lump forming in his throat as he watched the two people he loved most in the world walk hand in hand down the hill.

“She’s a nice little girl, Ro-bert,” his mother said.  “I like her very much.  And she loves you, you can see it in her eyes.”

“I love her, too, maman,” he said.

“She’s a real pretty little thing,” his father said.  “Like your maman said, dat ‘tite fille loves you.  Makes me happy to see.”

Silently, they watched as Maggie and Savannah reached the pond.  Together, the two picked up pebbles along the edge and tossed them into the water.

“I’m so happy I could bust,” Bobby said, grinning.

“Go to them,” Jerilyn said.  “We’ll be fine right here, won’t we, Papa?”

They watched as their son strode down the hill towards Maggie and Savannah.  When he reached them, he pulled Maggie close for a tender kiss before lifting Savannah up to sit on his shoulders.  The trio began making their way back to the picnic blanket but stopped at some sort of vendor’s stand.  Ten minutes later they returned.

“What took so long?  I saw you start coming back a long time ago,” Jerilyn commented to Savannah.

“We buyed some presents,” she answered excitedly.

“Presents?” her grandmother exclaimed.  “Mercy me!”

“My girls wanted jewelry,” Bobby grinned.  “How could I say no?”

Savannah scampered to Justin and Jerilyn with a small plastic bag.  “This is for you, Papa,” she said, handing him a blue plastic glow necklace.  “This one is for Nana,” she said, handing Jerilyn a purple one.  “Daddy gets the yellow one,” she added, handing one to Bobby, “and Maggie gets the red one, ’cause her hair is red.”  She removed the remaining necklace as the adults laughed.  “And this one is mine, ’cause I love pink the bestest.”

“Perfect, ma ‘tite cher,” Justin said, grinning at his granddaughter.  He dutifully put on the necklace, as did everyone else.  The plastic rings around their necks glowed brighter in the growing dusk.

“Cool!” Savannah exclaimed as she took her seat in her pink chair.

Maggie giggled.  “We’re styling and profiling.”

When the fireworks started, Savannah climbed onto Bobby’s lap.  He kissed her head gently and reached for Maggie’s hand as they watched the extensive pyrotechnic display.  A satisfied sigh escaped his lips.  This is what contentment feels like, right here, he thought as he glanced at Maggie.

Her eyes were on the sky and the light of the fireworks reflected on her face.  When she turned suddenly and caught him staring, she flashed him her brightest smile before leaning over to kiss him.

Following the fireworks show, Maggie helped gather up the chairs and picnic supplies.  Savannah had passed out and Bobby held the sleeping child against his shoulder.  They all began to make their way back to the street among the throngs of people leaving the park.

Once they were a block away from the celebration, Bobby turned to his parents.  “Your hotel is about three blocks that way,” he pointed.  “My apartment is five more blocks this way.”  He nodded his head in the opposite direction, speaking softly to avoid waking Savannah.

“Oh,” said Maggie, surprised.  “I thought you were staying with Bobby.”

“We’re being treated to a night in a fancy hotel,” beamed Jerilyn.  “Just us grownups,” she added, winking at Justin.  “We’re booked for a couples massage later tonight.”

“How nice!” Maggie grinned.  “I hope you enjoy it.”

“I’m sure we will,” said Justin, smiling.  “I’m so happy to finally meet you, Maggie.”

“I’m happy to meet you, too,” Maggie returned, hugging them both.

“Now, cher,” Jerilyn said seriously, “you will come down to Louisiana for Thanksgiving.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Maggie answered.  “I’m looking forward to it.”  Bobby and Maggie watched as his parents walked arm in arm heading for their hotel.

“They’re so nice,” she told him as they turned and made their own way toward Bobby’s apartment building.

“They really liked you, too, cher.”

Minutes later they were stepping into the elevator for the ride to the twenty-first floor.  Bobby shifted Savannah’s weight slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position.  Maggie carried four chairs, their bags slung two over each shoulder, with the child-sized chair in her hands.  She looked up and Bobby was grinning at her.  “Stay the night, cher.”

She frowned slightly.  “But what about…” she whispered, nodding at the sleeping child.

“Stay,” he grinned.

He took Savannah directly to his guest bedroom while Maggie leaned the chairs against the bench in the foyer.  Sighing, she crossed to the large window that looked out over the street.  She smiled as she thought back over the day.  I was all worked up for nothing.  They were perfectly nice.

“Somebody would like to say good night,” Bobby said from the kitchen.  “How about I pour us some wine while you finish up with the ‘tucking in’ process?”

Maggie’s eyes widened.  “I’ve never really done that kind of thing before.”

“It’s not hard,” he grinned, kissing her nose.  “You just say good night and pull up the covers.  The nightlight is already on.”  She glanced up at him anxiously.  “You’ve got this,” he chuckled.

He was still smiling when Maggie made her way down the hallway to Savannah’s room.  “Hi there, sweetie.  All ready for bed?”  In the kitchen, Bobby realized the baby monitor was on and he paused to listen, wine glasses in his hand.

“I wanted you to tuck me in,” the little girl said.

Maggie pulled up the covers and tucked them around the child.  “Okay, that looks pretty tucked.”

Savannah gripped her brown teddy bear and looked solemnly at Maggie.  “Will you sing me a song?”

“A song?” Maggie repeated as she sat on the edge of the bed.  The little girl nodded.  Kid songs, kid songs…  The only thing that popped into Maggie’s head was the Sheryl Crow version of Sweet Child O’Mine.

In the kitchen Bobby heard Maggie’s voice, soft and slightly raspy.  “She’s got a smile that it seems to me…”  The lump in his throat was back.

A few minutes later Maggie reappeared in the kitchen.  “There,” she smiled.  “I think she’s down for the count.”

He pulled her to him, holding her tightly.  “I love you so much, cher,” he murmured against her neck.

sunset of a beautiful day against silhouette of affectionate cou

Be sure to watch for the cover reveal event on Saturday.  In the meantime, the first two installments of Rannigan’s Redemption are available here.

Amazon, iBooks, B&N, Kobo, & Smashwords

 

Rannigan’s Redemption Fun Facts

Published on by Pandora Spocks15 Comments

handsome young man in suitRannigan’s Redemption is a three-part contemporary erotic romance about high-powered Manhattan attorney Michael Rannigan and his complicated relationship with Maggie Flynn.  The pair first meet when she interviews for a position with Michael’s law firm, Murphy, Rannigan, & Metheny.

In the first book, Resisting Risk, Michael and Maggie deliberately avoid the risk of giving in to the attraction they both feel as they go about their lives working for their high-profile, high paying clients.

Baseball Player

Disaster follows in the second book, Running Rogue.  Unable to face Michael, Maggie leaves the firm for a job with the District Attorney’s Office.  Both she and Michael make questionable choices in their personal lives as the move forward without each other.  It seems they’ve come to the end of the road as far as their relationship is concerned.  Then Michael received devastating news.  Having alienated everyone he’s ever known, he turns to Maggie, who agrees to stand by him during this difficult time.  Grateful for her unfailing support, Michael becomes determined to make sure she’s happy.  Enter retired baseball star and new sports journalist, Bobby ‘Beau’ Beaulieu.

Curious about what will happen in the conclusion of Rannigan’s Redemption, Ransoming Redemption?  You’ll have to wait just a little bit longer because I’m working on a surprise.  But in the meantime, how about some Fun Facts?

  • The bulk of the story is set in Manhattan.  Most of the restaurants and bars mentioned are actual places.
  • Michael’s apartment is based on an actual luxury apartment building on the Upper East Side.
  • I knew a boy named Michael Rannigan when I was in elementary school.  I always thought it was a great name for a character so when I came up with this story, that was the name of the title character.  I have no idea what the original Michael Rannigan is doing now.  I wonder what he’d think about my pilfering his name.
  • My muse for the character of Michael was George Clooney.

George Clooney reminds me of how Warren Beatty was with women until he met Annette Bening.:

  • When I wrote Maggie, I had Jessica Chastain in mind.

  • When I imagined Bobby, I always saw Matthew McConaughey.

  • Bobby isn’t introduced until partway through Running Rogue.  But he makes a cameo appearance in Resisting Risk.  Check and see.  You’ll find him.

Keep watching for updates on the release of Rannigan’s Redemption Part 3: Ransoming Redemption and for the cover reveal, coming soon.  For now, though, Resisting Risk and Running Rogue are available on Kindle and at other fine online booksellers.

 

Watch This Space–Dirty Doms Cover Reveal

Published on by Pandora SpocksLeave a comment

What’s better than a sexy, kinky BDSM story featuring a hot Dom?  TEN sexy, kinky BDSM stories featuring hot Doms.  Oh, yeah!

Ten of your favorite NY Times, USA Today, and Amazon best-selling authors have delved into the world of BDSM Kink. Explore your darkest desires, and deepest secrets under the expert care of a sexy Alpha Dom.

(Capture) Fantasy Surrender by Lori King
(Sensory Deprivation) Deprived by Jordan Ashley
(Bondage) Binding Her To Him by TL Reeve
(Impact Play) Sizzle by McKinlay Thomson
(Medical Play) Electric by: CP Mandara
(Daddy Dom) Professor Knows Best by Juliet Braddock
(Corporal Punishment) Beauty and the Badass by Lucy Felthouse
(Orgasm Control) Secrets & Lies by Serena Akeroyd
(Fire Play) Kaise by Jade Belfry
(Pet Play) Club Menage:Fifi by: Tara Crescent

Spice up your night and indulge your kinks…

Coming soon.

The boxed set, too.  😉

Saturday Excerpt–Sneak Peek of Rannigan’s Redemption 3: Ransoming Redemption

Published on by Pandora Spocks10 Comments

The third and final book of the Rannigan’s Redemption series, Ransoming Redemption, will be out in the very near future.  There is no release date yet, but as always, you’ll hear about it here first.  Just to tide you over, here’s an exclusive sneak peek.

amazing view to yacht, swimming woman and clear water caribbean

“I don’t think I want to go into town today,” Maggie said as she and Bobby lingered over an al fresco breakfast. “I don’t even think I want to get dressed today.” She smiled lazily and reached her arms over her head in a stretch that pushed her bare breasts front and center.

Bobby rewarded her with his lopsided grin as his cock offered an enthusiastic salute. “Okay by me. Hell, we can go naked all weekend if you want.”

The truth was that since they’d gone below deck the previous night, neither of them had bothered with clothes. They’d fucked hard in a heated, feral sort of way, come back on deck to drink more wine, then headed back to the master cabin to make love more slowly the second time.

The third time, they’d faced each other on their sides, joined intimately, each leaning back to watch as his cock speared in and out of her slick pussy. Across the breakfast table, he watched a sated smile cross her face, and he knew she was reliving last night as well.

“Of course, the folks in town might have something to say if we show up tomorrow in the buff,” he mused.

“We’re definitely going in to town tomorrow?”

Bobby nodded. “It’s your birthday, cher. There are reservations to keep.”

“Oh,” she said, grinning like a little girl. “Well, let’s have naked Friday, then.”

He raised his glass of orange juice. “By proclamation of the birthday girl, it is hereby so ordered that today shall be known as Naked Friday!” Maggie touched her glass to hers and they both laughed. “How about we sail to a reef a few miles out, and we spend the day snorkeling?”

“That sounds perfect,” she said.

The first place they stopped had a few boats nearby so Bobby sailed to another reef a bit further out, and they found the privacy they wanted. They anchored just off the reef and lowered the transom to create a dive platform complete with a ladder into the water. Maggie and Bobby snorkeled for hours, delighting in scores of tropical fish, large sea turtles, and even a few sharks.

As the sun sank lower in the western sky, Bobby clung to the ladder. “Maybe we should make our way back toward Key West,” he said, placing his snorkel gear on the platform.

“I’m not quite ready yet,” Maggie answered. She swam up to the platform and put her own gear there, then swished backwards, treading water a few feet away. Her breasts floated near the top of the water and she gave him a wicked smile.

“Not quite ready?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. “Did we forget something?”

“I didn’t forget,” she said as she swam to him and gripped his shoulders.

Bobby continued to hold the ladder with one hand, wrapping his other arm around her waist and pulling her to him. Her lips found his and latched on as her legs wrapped around his waist. “I want you right here, bayou boy,” she murmured against his cheek.

“Then you should take me, cher,” he growled as he devoured her lips. She reached between them to position his hard cock at her entrance and leaned back to look into his eyes. Slowly she tightened her legs around his body pulling him firmly into her tight pussy, her gaze never leaving his.

“You are so sexy,” he murmured as he pumped in and out of her sex, feeling his climax building. She tightened around him and moaned as her head dropped back. “Come on cher, let it go,” he urged softly. As she cried out, his own release came as well, and after, they clung to each other trying to regain their breath.

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Running Rogue Excerpt

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Rannigan 2 promo set up UPDATEDRannigan’s Redemption Part 2: Running Rogue launched to enthusiastic 5 Star reviews. Here’s an all-new excerpt.

Maggie did something completely out of character when she got home that night. She intentionally tuned her television to sports. There sat Bobby discussing baseball with a handful of other guys, the disassociation of television doing nothing to diminish the blue of his eyes or the sexy lilt of his voice. Now that she knew about the subtle Cajun accent, she couldn’t not hear it. There was no stopping the smile as it spread across her face.

Bobby was dressed in a charcoal suit with a blue shirt and a coordinating tie, and he chatted and laughed with his colleagues. Maggie watched in fascination. He really is handsome. I’ve never seen him dressed up before.

In her mind, she replayed their conversation in the hospital cafeteria and she groaned miserably. He has to think I’m an absolute idiot. If he doesn’t think I’m just a bitch.
“I’ll have to apologize when I see him, that’s all there is to it,” she said aloud.

The next morning, Maggie got up early and hit the internet, researching the best foods for people on chemotherapy and compiling a list of things to look for at the organic market. She was surprised when Michael called.

“Hey, what’s up?” she greeted him. “I’m working on a shopping list for you.”
“Thanks, Mags,” he said. “But don’t go overboard with the organic shit, okay? I don’t know if I’ll eat all that anyway.”

“You have to eat, it might as well be healthy foods,” she returned. “Just try the things I get. You might even prefer them, free of all the artificial crap.”

“We’ll see,” he said doubtfully. “Listen, I want to thank Beau for all his help yesterday. We’re having him over for dinner tonight.”

Maggie frowned. We? “Tonight?” she asked. “Michael, I don’t know what I’m making for you, yet. How am I supposed to pull together a nice dinner?”

“You’re not pulling together anything. I’ve already placed the order, it’ll be delivered by 6:00 tonight. I talked to Beau, he’s getting here at 7:00.”

Maggie couldn’t think of a response.

“Don’t you think we should thank him for everything he did yesterday?” Michael prodded.

“Well of course I do,” Maggie sputtered. “But it’s just so…short notice.”

“I know, but luckily he’s working an early show today. You don’t have to worry about anything for dinner tonight, I’m making sure everything is taken care of. Truthfully,” he added, “dinner tonight is to thank you, too. You’ve been my rock from the get-go. I appreciate you, Mags.”

Maggie felt a lump forming in her throat. “You don’t have to thank me, Michael. It’s what friends do.”

“I’m still grateful,” he said. “So don’t worry about anything. Go on about your business of hooking me up with sprouts and wheat germ. Dinner is under control.”

She sighed. “Okay, Michael. I’ll see you when I finish shopping.”

“See you then,” he said. “Oh, and Mags? Wear something pretty.”

Wear something pretty. Seriously? Maggie frowned irritably as she disconnected. It’s not enough I’m hauling my cookies all over town to get you healthy food to eat. You’re throwing a last minute dinner party at me and telling me how to dress? Some kind of nerve…

Even so, her thoughts went to her wardrobe. She began sliding her clothes back and forth on the bar in the closet. Humph…it’s supposed to be cold, might even snow. Wear something pretty. Gahhhh!

Two hours later Maggie returned to her apartment, having purchased three bags of organic food and two dozen plastic containers with lids. No way am I carrying all this uptown on the subway, she decided. Especially not while I’m wearing something ‘pretty’.  She had no idea why Michael’s comment chapped her butt so much, but it did.

She spent the next couple of hours putting together single serving portions of organic kale salads with red and yellow peppers, spaghetti squash with tomato sauce, and poached salmon with carrots and broccoli. These she stacked in their sealed containers in one of the shopping bags. In another one she put her other purchases like the organic peanut butter, green tea, and lentil soup. She decided that just before she left, she’d pack the third bag with the organic Greek yogurt she’d found.

Then she headed off to shower and get dressed. Glancing out the window, she saw the sky filled with heavy grey clouds. “Great,” she said aloud. “Ten bucks says it snows before I get back home tonight.”

Dressed and ready to leave, Maggie stopped to check her image in the full-length mirror on the back of her bedroom door. She’d chosen a long heather grey sweater over a short silver sequin skirt with black opaque tights and black ankle booties with heels. The neckline of the sweater was wide, revealing her collar bone and the thin straps of her grey camisole. At the ends of the long sleeves, the cuffs rolled a little around her wrists.

Turning this way and that, she decided she liked the way the sweater clung to her curves. Her red hair she’d left down, sort of tousled and free, and it brushed past her shoulders. “Humph! You wanted pretty. This is about as good as it gets.” Shrugging into her coat, she scooped up her shopping bags and headed out front to meet the cab she’d ordered.

When she arrived at Michael’s he greeted her at the door wearing a black t-shirt with grey sweat pants. He gave a low whistle. “Very nice, Mags,” he commented.

She rolled her eyes. “Pretty enough for you?” she snipped, looking him up and down. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

He grinned. “Company isn’t coming for a couple of hours. I’ll change later.”

Company, Maggie thought. You mean Bobby. In all her irritation with Michael, she’d almost forgotten that they’d be having dinner with Bobby. Her mind flashed to her image in the mirror. Maybe dressing pretty wasn’t such a bad idea.

Not that I’m trying to impress him, she considered. She flushed slightly. Michael watched her carefully.

“Come let me show you everything I brought you,” Maggie told him.

The delivery from Ithaka, a Greek place down the block, arrived promptly at 6:00. Maggie put the Kota Stakarvouna, sealed with foil, in the warming oven to keep the chicken at the correct temperature. The house salad and Garides Psites she placed in the fridge, planning to reheat the shrimp for them to enjoy as an appetizer.

Finished in the kitchen, she headed into the living room to relax for a few minutes and was surprised to find that Michael had been busy, arranging a table in the solarium on the terrace with crisp black table linens and three white place settings. Smooth jazz quietly filtered through an unobtrusive sound system. He’d put candles on the table and strung tiny white lights among the greenery out on the terrace.

“Michael, this looks beautiful,” she said.

He smiled proudly. “Like I said, this dinner is to thank you, too.”

Maggie hugged him gently. “How are you feeling?”

“Truthfully, I’m a little tired,” he answered. “I think I’ll go lie down for a while.”

Alarmed, she checked her watch. “Bobby will be here in half an hour.”

“Just give me a few minutes,” he said over his shoulder as he headed down the hall toward his room.

Maggie set the alarm on her phone for 6:55 and when it sounded she went to wake Michael. “Come on, you’ve got to get up. He’ll be here any minute.”

Michael groaned. “I’m really tired,” he mumbled. “Let me have a little longer.”

She heard a knock at the front door. “He’s here! Get up now!” she said, going to answer the door.

Maggie swung open the door to find Bobby standing there, the boyish grin firmly in place. “Hi, Maggie,” he greeted her. “You look beautiful tonight.”

She blushed furiously. “Wow, that’s nice of you to say,” she murmured. “Come on in. You look nice yourself.” And he did. He wore nicely fitting jeans with a white dress shirt and a navy jacket. Her eyes drifted to his ass as he walked past her into the apartment and she breathed in the masculine scent of his cologne. She shook her head, attempting to refocus.

“Thanks,” he said. He lifted a small shopping bag. “I brought some wine to contribute to the cause.”

“Great! Michael ordered from Ithaka. I have to admit, it smells heavenly,” she said. “Let me just…” she began. “Michael went to lie down. I’ll just go get him up and moving.”

“No problem. Can I pour you a glass of wine?” he asked.

“Yes, please, that would be great,” she answered. “There are glasses in the bar.” She pointed in that direction. “We’ll be right out.”

Maggie hurried down the hall. Michael was lying on his side facing away from the door. “Sean Michael Rannigan!” she hissed. “You get your ass out of bed this instant!”

He rolled onto his back and faced her. “I’m staying put,” he yawned sleepily. “Go and enjoy. Bobby’s a good guy. You could use a nice dinner with a nice man.”

She gasped as realization dawned on her. “No way! You’re doing this on purpose?! Don’t you do this to me! Don’t you embarrass me like this!”

“What embarrass? Two adults having dinner. What’s so hard about that?” he asked reasonably. “I overextended myself today. I’ll stay here and rest. You’ll go and have a great evening with a great guy, who likes you by the way.”

Maggie stood staring at him wide-eyed. “You’re leaving your guest unattended. That’s kind of rude, Mags.”

She nodded angrily. “This is so not the end of this conversation,” she said firmly and she turned to leave.

“And Mags?” he called. “You’re welcome.”

Part 3: Ransoming Redemption will be out in a few weeks.  Keep checking right here for all the latest news on releases.  And Rannigan’s Redemption is available here:

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