#Peeks And #Teases

Hey Everyone! :-)

I thought I'd brighten your Friday with a little peek inside Intrigue In the Summer Court. But remember, things can get pretty hot in the kingdom of the Summer Fae. ;-)

Excerpt from Intrigue In The Summer Court:

Sneering, he advanced on her, barely leashed power evident in every line of his body. Pulling his tunic over his head, he dropped it on the ground and smiled in satisfaction as her gaze dropped to his well-muscled chest. When she raised her eyes to meet his again, he gave her an evil, mocking grin.

Cassie's mouth went dry when her lover revealed his upper body. Her hands itched to trace every ripple of those pecs and abs, and it was all she could do not to bring their game to a finish too soon. Seeing his teasing expression, she laughed and tried to dodge around him.

Laughing derisively at his prey's ludicrous attempt to elude him, the Huntsman caught the fleeing woman around her waist with one arm and lifted her off of her feet. The other hand he slid between her jeans-clad legs to cup her concealed pussy. He buried his nose in the sweet-smelling curtain of her raven-hued hair, and nuzzled her tresses aside so that he could find her neck. He laid his lengthening fangs against her throat just where it met her shoulder, and bit down lightly. "This is mine," he growled around the mouthful of her flesh, squeezing the hand that held her intimately. "Don't ever try to deny it to me."

Going limp at the feel of his mouth against her skin, Cassie moaned with desire and squirmed against the hand that gripped her between her legs. She knew her mate well enough to know that at his core he was a predator, and spirited prey only intensified his desire. It was the thrill of the chase he loved; the struggle and challenge of the pursuit were what drove his appetite.

Part of her wanted to surrender and agree, but a larger part of her wanted to please the male who had introduced her to these games. Besides, she had finally admitted to herself that she enjoyed them too. Something about resisting his demands and refusing to submit, but knowing he would never harm her, flipped every switch in her being. "'To the bold go the fair,' baby. You'll have to prove your worth," she breathed.

He laughed scornfully as he carried her into the bedroom. "And you believe you're 'fair'?" He dropped her, seated, on the end of the bed, her feet dangling at least a foot above the floor.

"Why don't you tell me?" she asked, a challenge in her eyes as she looked up at him.

Taking both of her hands in one of his, he kept his grip as she tugged lightly against him. Gently pulling her up to her knees on the bed, he held his Anamchara's wrists against the carved post of the bed. The carving's depiction of a chain of leaves gave him inspiration, and he brought the picture to life, binding her to the pillar with a magical garland. Moving his hands to her shoulders, he took hold of her shirt and bra and, with one jerk, ripped them from her body.

Studying the expanse of creamy flesh that had been revealed, he reached out with one hand and lightly trailed a finger from her shoulder and over the mound of one breast to circle her nipple. The sensitive bud drew up and tightened with his gentle exploration and he mumbled, "Oh yes. Stunning."

Intrigue in the Summer Court

#APC #Spotlight: Honor Among #Thieves By Larry Singleton!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got Larry Singleton in my APC spotlight, today!  Larry is an active and supportive member of  the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and his murder mystery, suspense thriller, Honor Among Thieves, looks interesting. Here's the description:

Honor Among Thieves is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that gives the reader an in-depth look at inner-city life. The plot revolves around the Alexander family, a vicious crime syndicate, and a detective hell-bent on bringing them to justice. The Alexander family has been a main focal point of local law enforcement, but after the brutal murder of an undercover narcotics agent, a federal task force is assembled to dismantle the family once and for all.
After the family’s patriarch, Clarence “Blue” Alexander, is apprehended by detective Hopkins, the head of the task force over the Alexander investigation, the heat is turned up and the family’s prowess is put to the test – a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

If you think this sounds like a story you'd enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 527

Hey Everyone! :-)

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal

Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)

Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Five-Hundred-Twenty-Seven:

As I discussed in my last entry, there is a recent development that is negatively affecting my ability to obtain sufficient rest. Per my description, I enjoy sleeping under the textile my hominid-servant covers herself with while at rest, but on top of her body. In this way, I attain maximum warmth and comfort.

However, the infant felid seems incapable of comprehending the advantages of this arrangement. When I am trying to sleep, he either lies on top of the portion of the textile that covers me, or he pounces on me and strikes me with his tiny paws through the textile. Naturally, I do not suffer any injury from this, but it does make it impossible for me to rest.

I have tried explaining to the small pest what my preferences are in this regard and why but, as I said, he seems unable to comprehend. I have even offered to share my hominid-servant's lap with him, if he would but choose a different section of it on which to recline himself. However, my attempts at negotiation have gone unheeded. If he continues to disturb my rest in such a way, I will have no choice but to resort to violence. Which will undoubtedly distress my hominid-servant.

Poor Agent Thoth! He never seems to be able to catch a break when it comes to that pesky infant felid. ;-) You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. ;-) Happy reading, everyone!

A Hard Look At Some Hard #Truths

Hey Everyone!

The other day, I was speaking with someone who voted for Trump and I couldn't help but ask them why. Their answer both surprised me and it didn't. You see, they freely admitted that they didn't like his hateful rhetoric about Mexicans, Muslims, and other racial, religious, and ethnic minorities. That's actually the first thing they said when I asked them why they voted for Trump. But, they told me, they tend to vote on one issue and one issue only, healthcare. They want universal healthcare and Trump said he would find a way to do that.

In light of the recent Trumpcare fiasco and how it was obvious that he didn't care a thing about making sure every American has health insurance, I asked them why they believed him when he said that he was in favor of universal healthcare. Because he did say that on more than one occasion, but I found it hard to believe that anyone actually thought he was telling the truth.  You know what that person told me?  They said they didn't really believe that he meant it, but they hoped he did, and they did believe Hillary Clinton when she said she wasn't in favor of universal healthcare.

You see, that right there is the problem.  The American people want certain things, universal healthcare is one of them, but neither party is offering the things that the American public wants.  Why? Because neither party actually represents the voters. The only ones they represent are their rich donors and corporations, and the interests of the elite are in direct opposition to the interests of average, everyday Americans.  And that's something that's not going to change unless we force it to change.

I've had several people ask me why I constantly harp on problems with the Democrats when there are so many things that Trump and the Republicans do that are horrible.  They're right. Trump and the Republicans in power are absolutely deplorable on every level. Frankly, I just don't think there's anything there to work with. They are my enemy and they are perfectly honest and up-front about that fact. They want the opposite of what I want, so why should I try to find common ground with them? It's a waste of time.

The Democrats are just as bad as the Republicans in some ways. In other ways, such as on social issues, they are better. But, even more important, they claim to be on my side.  In practice, they aren't, which is why I criticize them so much. But they pay lip-service to the same values and principles I hold dear. It's a place to start, which is more than what I have with the Republicans, so that's what I'll work with.

Would I prefer to just chuck the whole system out the window and start over with a new party? Sure. But the political system as it currently exists in the US makes that almost impossible. Perhaps, maybe, with a lot of hard work from a lot of people over the next couple of decades, we could build enough momentum behind a third party that it would be able to overtake and replace one of the major parties. But are you willing to cede control of the country to the lunatics in power now for the next twenty years? I'm not. Which is why I think the only reasonable solution is to force the Democrats to actually become what they claim to be, the Party of the People.

What does that mean?  It means taking a hard, critical look at the Democrats in office and calling them out when they fail to live up to the principles they claim to stand by. If they respond, great! We've won. If they don't, then we need to get them out of office and replace them with people who will listen to the voters and not the donors.  Practically speaking, that means getting big money out of politics, which is a goal that several organizations, such as Move To Amend and Wolf-Pac, are working towards.  Other groups, like Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress, are taking a more direct approach by using grass-roots movements to fund and support primary challenges to incumbent candidates who refuse to listen to what their voters want.

Personally, I think both of these approaches are needed. They complement each other and the success of one greatly enhances the chances for success of the other. That's why I support groups in both camps. Unlike establishment-run political action committees (PACs), groups like these rely on donations and activism from nobodys like me. Which is why they represent the interests of nobodys like me. Tell me something, "Are you nobody too? Then there's a pair of us!" ;-)  Seriously, though, there are an awful lot of us nobodys out there. And if we work together, we can force those in power to do what we want them to do.

 But that's the crux of the matter, working together. Neither of these approaches, nor any others, will succeed unless the rest of us start pushing the establishment in Washington. Because there's an awful lot of inertia in DC and, as anyone who is even passingly familiar with Newtonian physics knows, an object at rest tends to stay at rest...unless acted upon by an outside force. We're that outside force, my friends, and I'd say it's well passed time for us to start acting.

Peace!

Something Worth Watching?

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share.  I saw this the other day and I thought it made a really interesting point. It's only about three minutes long, so please take a look and I'd love to hear what you think in the comments.

#Overnight #Oatmeal #Recipe!

Hey Everyone!!

This one is about as easy as it gets. And, oh, so good in the morning. :-)

Ingredients:
1 cup steel-cut oats
4 cups water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup raisins
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts or sliced almonds
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fresh blueberries

Put all the ingredients except the blueberries in the crock-pot before you go to bed at night and turn on low. Cook for approximately 8 hours. When you get up, turn off the heat, stir in the blueberries, and enjoy.

If you'd like, you can lightly toast the nuts in a skillet before adding them to the crock-pot.  You can also substitute any dried fruit you'd like if you're not into raisins.  If you like your oatmeal really sweet, you can stir in honey or sugar when you add the blueberries but, in my opinion, it's sweet enough with just the fruit.

Bon Appetit!

#Spring Into #Reading #Giveaway! $100 #Cash #Grand #Prize! #Free To #Enter!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

There's a new giveaway for spring!  Please take a moment to check out the Spring Into Reading Giveaway!!  There are lots of awesome books and prizes!! :-)  It's free to enter, there are over 60 prizes, and the grand prize is $100 cash payable through PayPal!! :-)  Now isn't that worth taking a few minutes to check out? ;-)   Here are all the details:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  And don't forget to check back tomorrow for the next installment of Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)