Archives for November 2013
New Release! > DESCENDED: SEBASTIAN < by Dana Pratola
Announcing the release of Dana Pratola’s new novel:
If you enjoy romance with an edge of suspense/thriller included, you’ll love the Descended series. Check out the blurb and excerpt below:
Men like Sebastian want only one thing, and Natalie has vowed not to give it to him. Yes, he’s gorgeous, intelligent and heroic, but he’s also a constant reminder that she isn’t good enough for him. Can she outrun a club owner who wants her dead when she’s weighed down by the
failures of her past?
His whole life, Sebastian has viewed women one way – as marvelous distractions. But when Natalie enters his life, he’s forced to see the world – and women – in a new light. Teaming with Jett Cestone, they enter a world of sex traffickers to rescue young innocents. But only Natalie can rescue him and give him the one thing his heart needs.
~~~~EXCERPT:
Natalie could become a significant hindrance to moving forward, especially now that he found himself suddenly filled with the beat of her heart. It thudded in his chest, a perfect accompaniment to his. He was breathing, finally, but it was her rhythm, faster, more shallow than his own. He blinked and pulled back.
“I know this isn’t the time for this….” He shook his head. “Forget it.”
“No, what?” she asked.
It was insane. Nuts! “Can I kiss you?” he asked. Natalie stared back. “Just once, for my own personal reference. I have to see if I’m off my nut or not.”
He took her silence for permission and leaned toward her. She met him half way.
He couldn’t say there were fireworks. There was heat, and light, but instead of quick, random bursts of energy and color, there was one long, white hot blaze.
This was bad. This was so bad.
As his lips pressed more firmly onto hers, as hers softened beneath his, his mind tumbled through time and space. And though he’d never felt anything like this—ever—he recognized the white light for what it was—an emergency flare. Not to signal the forces of nature to run to his rescue and prevent disaster, only a marker, to pinpoint the wreckage of his former life.
Was it insane to believe this single kiss changed the course of his life? Because he did. He knew that even in these bizarre circumstances, something had just clicked into place and he was exactly where he was supposed to be. It felt right.
He was having such a hard time coping with his own overwhelming reactions that he almost missed hers. She was emotionally engaged, yes, nearly as much as he, nearly as confused, and holding back. Sensible. And necessary at this moment. One of them had to keep a firm grip on reason, and it wasn’t him. His thoughts ran to carrying her to the couch and indulging his fantasies until the sun rose.
But, the very next thought made his eyes pop open, his hands ball in his lap, his head lift. Jett could be watching.
~~~~AUTHOR BIO:
Dana Pratola writes Christian Romance. Not the kind with the women buttoned to the neck and the men daring no more than to hold her hand after a long courtship, but the contemporary kind. She doesn’t write explicit sex scenes but her characters have real desires, struggles and choices to make. A lot of the time they make the wrong ones. No subject is prohibited but good always triumphs.
SALES LINKS: B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Dana-Pratola?store=allproducts&keyword=Dana+Pratola
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dana-Pratola/e/B005G40TAQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
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Thanks for stopping and checking out Dana’s new novel! If you haven’t read the 1st book in the series, Descended: Jett is on sale now for just 99¢! Pick up your copy today!
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Barbara
The Art of Shopping
The holidays are coming up and we are already bombarded with ads to buy, buy, buy. Many of you may be novices in the art of shopping. So, I thought I’d help you out by sharing all the wisdom I’ve accumulated over the years. These rules for survival might possibly save your life if you heed them.
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
For instance… Shopping at Walmart. Personally, I’m afraid to go in there, but there are those who frequent it on a regular basis and live to talk about it. They walk those long, shadow-filled aisles as though it’s just another discount store and not a minefield of horrific proportions. I’ve seen things there that would make your blood run cold. Body parts hanging out in the open like a drunken plumber’s convention. Halloween horror comes daily to Sam’s oasis of crazy.
“All warfare is based on deception.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
If you intend to take your life into your own hands and shop at Walmart, then you should know how to fit in. As Sun said, it’s all about deception. You must make them believe that you belong there and that you aren’t afraid. No Fear. Say it three times before you enter the doors. Zip up your hoodie, pull on your rubber gloves and grab a cart.
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Push past the creepy greeter without so much as batting an eye. Once you’re inside, head straight toward your destination aisle. Don’t stop to gape at the clapping, cheering rah rah employees as they rev themselves up for the day, but hurry by like you’ve seen it all before. Paste on a grim smirk of annoyance, and start throwing items into the cart. You want to get in and out as quickly as possible.
“To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
If a large woman comes after you and tries to yank the last on sale flat screen out of your cart, just point your finger at her like a gun and yell, “clean up on aisle six!” then turn and run for check-out as fast as your Nike’s will take you.
“If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Department store shopping is a little less stressful. You may not have a run-in with violent fellow shoppers, but you will learn that part of shopfare is knowing the terrain and what to expect. Bright displays, meant to attract you, constantly draw your eyes away from the truth. They’re trying to sell you crap. Don’t succumb to this bit of trickery. Read the tags. If something says, made with ramie, that does not mean it’s made with the soft underbelly wool of a baby Ram. No. It means it will soothe your skin as well as a nest of fire ants. Ramie comes from an Asian plant in the nettle family. And believe me, unless you’re a monk practicing flagellation, you don’t want to wear nettles.
If clothes have been put on hangers for display, it means the store can’t sell the ugly things, so they marked the price up like a psychological double-cross. Sweaters on hangers are in no way better than the pile of sweaters folded on a table, but the price of viewing them hanging against the wall with blue-tinged lights shining over them, makes them double. Especially, if posed nearby there is an anorexic mannequin modeling one of them. It doesn’t matter if hanger-hung sweaters make you look like you’ve grown horns on the tops of your shoulders. You will be drawn to this display like a moth to a flame.
Don’t be fooled by these shopfare tricks. Your enemy’s shock and awe, glitter and lights displays will make a simple cotton turtleneck look the color of a blue lagoon, but when you get it home you’ll realize it’s actually the color of moldy cheese and makes you look like a dead rat.
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity” ― Sun-Tzu, The Art of War
If you’re like me, and hate fighting crowds, you can take your shopfare online. Shopping alone in a virtual store where the cart doesn’t have a squeaky wheel and nobody asks if they can help you every five seconds, is quite possibly the most redeeming feature of an often-times dismal Internet world of wacky celebrity news or anger-management dropouts trolling discussion forums for fresh victims.
Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.” Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Know your limitations. Stop before your credit card starts smoking. Don’t let a part-time, minimum-wage employee talk you into opening yet another store card to get a discount that will no doubt be eaten up by exorbitant interest before you ever make that first payment.
“There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Don’t shop just to shop. Accumulating packages is not the end result you seek. Besides, lugging bags full of booty around is tiring and you end up with shopping elbow and a migraine.
What shopfare rules do you live by when you’ve been deployed to the Mall? Leave a comment and share!
Barbara