Coffee Time Romance Blog

I'm a guest over at the Coffee Time Romance blog today, and there is something special at the end.

http://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts/the-not-soholiday-spirit/

Just thought I would share :)

~Alex

The Most Fabulous Chocolate Cupcake with Purple Icing

When not writing, I am a bakery broker, meaning I sell goods to bakeries so they can churn out delicious yummies and then train them how to use those products.  To get where I am today, I went to culinary school, and worked in bakeries, learning my trade.  I have been a baker, cake decorator, and bakery manager over the years.  Prior to my current job, I would travel around to help out at grand openings, getting the store in shape to be perfect when the doors opened.

While opening a brand new store in Williamsburg a few years ago, I ended up staying for several weeks as business was incredibly brisk and the team struggled to find the rhythm they needed to maintain product.

About a month after opening, a mother and daughter came in on a very hectic Saturday afternoon looking for a single chocolate cupcake with purple icing.  We had several single cupcakes available for sale, but none were the required flavor and icing combination.  The little girl of about five looked so despondent, with tears brimming, as I told her mother we did not have it and had too many orders to make one for her at that very moment, suggesting she get one of the other cupcakes or place an order to come back later.

Her mother then told me that this day was her daughter’s first day home from Children's Hospital of the King's Daughter, and that she had just gotten over a serious round of chemotherapy.  During chemo, the little girl could barely eat; let alone anything sweet.  So, they had joked during her therapy that as soon as she got out of the hospital, they would race down to the bakery and get her a chocolate cupcake with purple icing.

Five grown women, including myself, stood in front of this little girl with tears in our eyes.  We halted production of everything else and all pitched in to make sure she did not leave our store without her cupcake.

She walked out that day with the most fabulous chocolate cupcake with purple icing in the world.  I will never forget that little girl, for someone as young as she was, she spoke of her stay in the hospital with an age and wisdom I did not expect.  And she made me realize that even though something may not be important to me, to someone else, it may be everything.

The Sexy Week in Review

I know I haven't posted much this week...and I will NOT be posting a Six Sentence Sunday this week, as I am assuming most of you will be spending time with your families and not in front of a computer reading snippets, as you well should be.

So here are a couple of high points from the week, in case anyone cares.  And yes, there are more half nekkid men later....

#1) My birthday was Wednesday and I am OLDER.  Ick.  But I did get a great dinner out PLUS tiramisu ice cream cake.  So WINNING.

YES....I do something OTHER than POST half nekkid pictures online........I WRITE BOOKS!!  With nekkid people in them.  LOL


#2) Got a good review for All's Fair in Love and Lust.  I was feeling down because I didn't think people "got" the story and how different it was, but the past two reviews were very positive, so maybe it's a draw :)  You can read the review HERE.

#3) Got a GREAT review for Burlesque Trio, and being that it is the first, here's to hoping it will keep on coming.  Although it seems that the lower the ratings, the higher the sales, so who knows.  But I LOVE this book, and I hope you did too, if you read it, and if not, go buy it and read it dammit!  LOL  You can read the review HERE.

#4) Just had a FB "friend" (and I use that term very looooosely) apparently had a problem with the photos I posted on my page.  Considering they are the PG-13 rated ones, as I do not want my account yanked yet again, what would she think if she made it on here and saw how deliciously nekkid the men are?  Blow a head gasket, I am sure.  Poor her.

But then again, everyone is entitled to their opinions, and she had every right to say, I don't like this and I don't want to look at it.  She added me (I no longer request friends unless they are fellow authors in the same publishing house.), so it makes me wonder, why?

Regardless...it made me want to plaster the internets with half nekkid man pictures.  So, without further ado, there are some nekkid men all ready for Christmas!



Lastly...I will be spending time with my family the next few days, so I will probably not be on much if at all. I wish you all the happiness the holidays can bring, and that you get all the love you deserve.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Six Sentence Sunday - Eighteen

I'm veering in a new direction this week.  My first novel's contract is ending and I have decided to see where I began, see how far I have come, and what I would want to change now, five years after writing it.  I thought it would be easy, but, alas, my first novel, well, for lack of a better way to express myself...sucked ass.

I had not realized just how much it sucked ass until I began reading it yesterday for the first time in three years.

But these six sentences did not exactly suck.  Near the beginning of Kaya's alien abduction, she meets her tutor, charged with teaching her the ways of her alien hosts.

"Lord Fatel, let me introduce you to Lady Kaya.”

Thoughts of her captive status completely fled from her mind as she smiled up into his eyes, and then blushed as she remembered her near nakedness.  She covered her bosom with her arms, embarrassed to be so on display in front of this gorgeous male.  Lord Fatel stepped towards her and grasped her hands in his, pulling her towards him, his pale blue eyes roving over her form as he smiled his approval. 

He huskily spoke, in almost a whisper, desire apparent in his eyes and filling his words.  "I have been waiting for our classes to begin with much excitement."

Wanna Read More Sixes?

 

Hot in '73 aka Happy Birthday to Me

Yeah, it is never cool to talk about how old you are.  Especially when you are realllllly old like me.  But as my 38th approaches, I felt the need to seek out other people also born in the same year as little 'ole moi and see what kind of company I am in.

In doing so, I saw that quite a few male celebrity hotties were born that year and I decided to do another one of my favorites.  A top 10.  Deal with it.  It's my birthday and I can do a top ten if I damned well please.

So, here it is.

The Top 10 Celeb Hotties Born in 1973 are....

#10 -- Nick Lachey

Yeah, he's pretty hot and all, and some of you may wonder why he didn't make it higher on the list.  Well, three reasons.  1.  He married Jessica Simpson.  I mean really?  He thought that vapid slut was wife material?  2.  He was with said wifey #1 on a reality TV show.  3.  He's kind of a douche.  Well, actually not "kind of".  He is a douche.  But he is an attractive douche and he was born in 1973, so he made the list.

#9 --  Seth McFarlane  
Okay, not the typical hot an' sexy you would typically find on my page, but there is some kind of weird cuteness going on with him.  Add in the fact he is funny and that just adds more weight to him making the list.  Even if the humor is sick.  Hell, especially since that humor is sick.  So what, I like Family Guy.  Get off my fucking back, bitches!

 #8 -- Peter Facinelli

The whole Twilight thing has me really thrown.  I really do not like the books nor the series, especially with the message it gives young girls.  But a job is a job is a job, right.  Do I hold it against him because he plays the Vamp Daddy?  And personally, he looks horrible in the role, he was NOT meant to be a blonde.  So, he made the cut, although, he could not rank higher due to his relationship with anything SPARKLY...

#7 -- Patrick Wilson

I first took note of Patrick in Angels in America, even though his character was so straight laced...well, sort of and then not so straight after all.  The only problem with Patrick?  Yes, he is handsome and seems to be quite bright, but he's just kind of there.  There is nothing that truly sets him apart from anyone else.  He needs to do a better job of branding himself.

#6 -- Mario Lopez

Mario is GORG-EOUS.  He is so pretty is almost hurts my eyes.  His male beauty belongs cut into marble for generations to see, the obvious muse to so many an artist.  Why isn't he further down the list?  I am not completely sure which team he bats for.  My gaydar goes off, yet he dates, cheats, has babies.....So yeah, maybe he is just a metrosexual, and NO, I do not have anything against gay men.  If he is gay, yay for him.  No skin off my ass.  BUT, I also consider attentiveness to the vajayjay as part of my meticulous rating system.  And I am not wholly convinced he'd know what to do with a vajayjay if he found one staring him right in the face.

#5 -- Paul Walker

Okay, I am going to admit it.  I have never seen ANY of the Furious movies.  To be honest, I don't recall ever seeing any movies in which Paul Walker was a star in.  He's hot, yes.  The body is banging.  There is no denying it.  And I typically reallllllllly like blond men.  They do it for me in all kinds of ways.  But, idk, there is just something kind of void here for me.  No blood boiling.  Just nice to look at.

#4 -- James Marsden

I loved X-men.  I am a huge Sci-Fi geek.  I even own a few X-men comics (in all honesty, the Gambit series.  They SOOOOOOO got that character WRONG in the movie!!  But I digress....)  James Marsden was a GREAT Cyclops.  There is a reserved nature to Cyclops, due to his need to reign in his emotions.  But that is why James didn't make it to #1.  He is too cool and collected.  I want a man who likes to play dirty.  Perhaps that's why Hugh Jackman's character was so much more interesting?  Poor James.


 
#3 -- Kevin McKidd

I got the hots for this chap when he was on the HBO series Rome.  His hard etched features are more rough than sexy, but there is a definite swashbuckling aura around this one.  He could burst through your bedroom door, sword raised, and kidnap you to the Scottish Highlands.  Once there, he would claim you as his own in the highest room in the castle tower overlooking the crystal blue waters of the loch is sits beside.  **Fanning self**  Bear with me, I need a moment.  Okay, okay, I think I'm good now.

#2 -- Eddie Cibrian

Ohhhhhhh.....Myyyyyyyyyy......Gaaaawwwwwwd, is this one hot.  And since he's gotten a little bit older and the salt and pepper is starting to sneak in, it's even better.  This man is a definite muse for me, and is in mind for an upcoming character in something I plan to write.  He is just male perfection, and you don't get that void sensation when you look at him.  Okay, so he isn't the best actor on the planet, but who cares?  He looks like he'd be fun for an afternoon or two or three.  He definitely wouldn't be kicked out of my bed, that's for sure.

And that brings us to.........drum roll please.....

#1 -- Andrew Lincoln

Who?  Yeah, you may not know the name, but you damned well know the face and the acting.  He first caught my eye in Love Actually (I ACTUALLY LOVE that movie....yeah that was bad.  Real bad.  So sue me.)  Being in love with your best friend's new bride is hard on a man, I would have been willing to help him get over her.  And then, when I started watching The Walking Dead with my kiddo, I thought, yum, who is that delicious man?  I didn't even put two and two together (which is rare for me...I rarely forget a face, especially one that effin' gawgeous) until I googled him and then did the whole ridiculous *hand/forehead* crap.

Add in the fact that there is a blog titled "Andrew Lincoln is Sexy White Chocolate" (Don't believe me?  Here you go ----> http://andrewlincolnissexywhitechocolat.tumblr.com) and that pretty well sums it all up.

Good looking, a good actor, and saving the world by fighting the zombie horde.  Now that's my kind of man!

****

I am feeling a little better about turning 38 now.  I think I can face it head on, knowing there are men this hot and sexy my age floating around out there.  How can that be wrong?

The Best Brother - A Christmas Story

I read this a few years back, and yeah, it probably is one of those internet concoctions to bring a tear to your eye.  But of all those fabricated stories out there, this one really touched me and I think about it every holiday.  Regardless if it is true or not, the message is perfect.  It is better to give than to receive.



The Best Brother


My friend Paul received a top of the line brand new car from his brother one Christmas.  He was leaving his office, just after getting his incredible gift, and found a street urchin wandering around the car, looking it over.  

"Is this your car, Mister?"

"Sure is.  My brother gave it to me for Christmas."

"Really?  Your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing?  I wish..." the boy hesitated.

Paul knew what he wished.  He wished he had a brother like Paul did.  But what he heard from the boy rocked him to his core.

"I wish I could be a brother like him."

Amazed and astounded over the boy's comment, without thinking, he offered the ragamuffin a ride in his car.  After riding around the neighborhood a little, the boy asked if Paul could drive him to his house.  Paul assumed the boy wanted his neighbors to see him drive up in a big fancy car.  Again, he was wrong.

"Mister, can you pull up by the steps and wait here a moment?"  The boy rushed into the house, and moments later he emerged moving rather slowly.  Paul realized the boy was carrying his younger crippled brother.  The boy sat his brother on the bottom step, in front of the car.

"See, Buddy, here she is just like I told you upstairs.  His brother gave it to him for Christmas and he didn't have to spend a dime.  One day I'm going to buy you one just like it and we can ride around and look at all the beautiful Christmas lights and decorations that I have been telling you about."

Paul walked over to the boys, picked up the younger and sat him inside the car.  His brother jumped up and sat inside beside him.  And they began the most memorable trip to look at Christmas lights that Paul ever had.  

Paul learned the meaning of the saying, "it is better to give then receive..." from the smallest teacher he ever had.

Six Sentence Sunday - Seventeen

Thanks for stopping by and reading!  My six for this week are again from my recent release, Burlesque Trio.  In this scene, the heroine finally gets a taste of her two men, Ciprian and Parker.

Locked on his eyes, she saw the lust spread through Ciprian as he watched Parker gingerly remove her bra, releasing her swollen breasts from their lacy cage. Parker’s hands plumped the flesh, his mouth locking on a nipple and pulling it deep into his mouth. Ciprian’s pants tented, his cock straining to reach her, and he lowered a hand to it, stroking his dick through the material.

      Violet then realized she liked watching him as well. Seeing him touch himself heightened her desire, and she moaned aloud when he unzipped his pants and freed his cock. The thick hand and vein-lined forearm pumped the shaft as his other hand unbuttoned his dress shirt from the waist up, revealing his tightly packed abs that rippled as he thrust into his palm.

Wanna Read More Sixes?

Weekend Dirty Dozen

Available Now!

This dozen is again from my new release, Burlesque Trio.  In it, you see the moment just before Violet gets her second chance and meet one of the other ghosts that haunt the halls of the club. Hope you enjoy!


     Missy’s doppelgänger in the mirror looked back at her with wide eyes, and as she gripped tighter on the arms of her chair, she watched herself. The thump-thump-thump of her heart was way too fast, and the pain that hit her right temple was not good. As the room started spinning out of control around her, panic set in, and she realized she had probably just overdosed. Losing her ability to hold herself upright, she began to slip from her chair and ended up in a pool of loose body parts on the floor.

****

     “Oh hell, not another one.” Violet watched as the redhead slowly slipped out of her chair and onto the shag carpet. “We don’t need the ghost of that one running around here.”
     “She’s gonna code...the wench snorts cocaine faster than a six-year-old moves through a bag of Pixy Stix.” Max had been here since the late sixties, OD’ing on a batch of bad ’shrooms himself, and knew all about the land of overdose.
     “Max, shut up and help me try and push her soul back into her body if it tries to pull a bolt job.” Violet rushed down to the floor, kneeling beside the body. “I will not live in this club with Missy Masterson.”

 Burlesque Trio (MFM) 

This title is offered at a 10% discount. Offer ends midnight CST, December 14th.
[Ménage Amour: Erotic Paranormal Ménage a Trois Romance, M/F/M, ghosts]
“VaVa Violet” DiCosta was the hottest burlesque dancer in all of 1942 LA until a stalker’s bullet ended her short life. Stuck in limbo, she watches time pass through the eyes of the club she died in.

Nearly seventy years later, best friends Parker Thomas and Ciprian Svetski fall in love with the style of the old building and decide to return it to its former glory and reopen the old burlesque. But they know business, not talent, and the show doesn’t own up to its history.

Violet’s given a second chance in someone else’s body. She shows the men a thing or two about burlesque, as well as how to sell seduction. And she decides to seduce them while she’s at it, but never imagined she’d lose her heart to them. 

Or that her killer wouldn’t be happy about her return.
A Siren Erotic Romance

Double Release Day - Alexandra & Delilah

Today is Burlesque Trio's Release Day!  Woo!  I'm also excited to share my release day with a good friend, Delilah Hunt.  Her title, Christmas & Forever is out today with Evernight Publishing.  Read below for more details on both titles.

Happy Wednesday!

~Alex

Burlesque Trio

By Alexandra O'Hurley

[Ménage Amour: Erotic Paranormal Ménage a Trois Romance, M/F/M, ghosts]

“VaVa Violet” DiCosta was the hottest burlesque dancer in all of 1942 LA until a stalker’s bullet ended her short life. Stuck in limbo, she watches time pass through the eyes of the club she died in.

Nearly seventy years later, best friends Parker Thomas and Ciprian Svetski fall in love with the style of the old building and decide to return it to its former glory and reopen the old burlesque. But they know business, not talent, and the show doesn’t own up to its history.

Violet’s given a second chance in someone else’s body. She shows the men a thing or two about burlesque, as well as how to sell seduction. And she decides to seduce them while she’s at it, but never imagined she’d lose her heart to them. 

Or that her killer wouldn’t be happy about her return.

A Siren Erotic Romance

Excerpt:

Violet sat back down in the spot Parker had just vacated, the residual body heat warming her incorporeal form. She could scent the cologne the man wore as it mixed with the slightly muskier scent that Ciprian had on. Shivers slid through her as she cast a glance at the man himself. He had to be the sexiest thing she had ever laid eyes on, and the throwdown he had just given to the redheaded bitch made him all the more sexy, but then again, Parker gave him a run for his money, that’s for sure.

Not like she could do anything about it anyway. She could watch, listen, smell, but could not touch nor taste. Violet hadn’t realized how imperative those two senses were. Especially when it came to hot, juicy men. Particularly these two hot, juicy men, as a matter of fact.

When the two had busted into her club about eight months before, she had been pissed off. She’d had to endure watching her friends in the burlesque’s slow demise before the space had been turned into a sixties hippie commune, with tons of reefer, ’shrooms, body odor, and bad poetry. Then she had to be a silent sentry as disco had evolved, and she had to admit the music wasn’t horrible, but oh, the clothes and hair had been.

Once disco found its ultimate death, the club had languished for a bit with no real direction before eventually becoming a punk bar, then a goth club, a metal club, and then in the late nineties, it was just straight-up hip-hop, pop, and club music. The whirlwind of music, lights, noise, and sex over the years had been a drain on her psyche. So much fun being had around her, and she couldn’t participate. Then add in the drug abuse these poor walls had seen, as well as the couple of ODs she had stood witness to.

She wasn’t the only ghost in these walls.

The last OD had closed the place down for good. Or so she had thought. After five years of the peace and tranquility she had wanted, Ciprian Svetski and Parker Thomas had walked in the front door and nearly gutted the place. Violet had done her best to piss off the contractor and his workers, making noises and pushing items, but had utterly failed. It took so much energy to manifest things in the real world, and she hadn’t done a great job of figuring out how to gain power from the living around her to pull it off.

As she watched the workers tear everything down to the bare walls, she had screamed silent shrieks. The only place she had called home for the last seventy years was being demolished. And then she had been surprised to see what was rebuilt inside. It looked hauntingly like the burlesque club she had loved and had loved her back. Of course, it wasn’t perfect—they had taken a little creative license on the spots they weren’t sure about, or areas that just needed an upgrade—but it was so close. Close enough that it had nearly brought a tear to her eye.

Well, that is if she could actually manifest tears.

Ciprian and Parker had done a really great thing with the club. She was grateful to them for recreating her home away from home. Following the men around the club, she had also realized they were intelligent and savvy businessmen. Not to mention the fact they were. And, oh, eye candy. Those two were the cat’s meow.

BUY BURLESQUE TRIO HERE

Christmas And Forever

By Delilah Hunt

To Dr. Aidan Keegan, who has lost a wife and child in a careless accident and seen his career as a heart surgeon come to a blistering halt, Christmas marks the end of a year of loneliness and the beginning of another. Aidan fears not even the delicate stirrings of longing and desire, his young receptionist Liya Emerson incites within him, can thaw the ice around his shattered heart.

Hoping to get away and clear her mind of Dr. Keegan, Liya finds herself up in the mountains at an isolated cabin belonging to none other than Aidan. Determined to break through the layers around his heart, Liya offers herself for three passionate days, without a promise of the future.

But will Aidan be able to see beyond his own pain to the love Liya has to offer and realize that their passion doesn’t have to last for one Christmas only?

Excerpt:

Liya nodded. She couldn’t fault him for holding on to his memories. She guarded the memories of her parents and brother fiercely. Nothing would ever delete those precious people from her heart or mind.

“Are you spending Christmas here? What about your in-laws?”

His lips quirked, giving him a boyish appearance. “They’ll be fine without me this year.”

“All right. I’m gonna leave now.” She issued him a rueful smile. “I’m sorry you came here and saw me.” He stood beside her as she rested her hand against the car door.  Taking in a tremulous breath, Liya turned to him. She hoped her words would give him some peace. “If I could find a way to give her back to you, I would. I swear it, Aidan. I know that might not mean much to you at this point, but I want you to know I get it. You don’t have any space left in your heart.”

His lids lowered as he stalked closer. “And if I did? What if I wanted to make space for someone else, do you think it’s that easy? Who would want to be with me?”

He was testing her. She held his gaze. “I would. I’d want to be with you, Aidan Keegan. I know the man who exists beneath the sadness.”

“Do you feel sorry for me, Liya? Are you thinking of ways to bring some Christmas joy into an old man’s heart?”

“Don’t diminish my feelings for you.”

“I never should have hired you,” Aidan confessed, his voice taking on a raspy edge. “I should have slammed the door in your face and told you to stay the hell away from the clinic.”

Liya folded her arms. “But you didn’t.”

“Why are you making this so damn hard? I came here to find some peace. You walked out of the clinic. I tried to call you today and I thought––” He paused and lowered his head, letting out a loud whoosh of air before lifting his head. Stormy eyes greeted her. “Damn it, Liya, I thought it was the last time I would see you.”

Liya gazed at him. “You care? Would it bother you if we never saw each other again?” All she needed was an affirmation from him. Something to show he cared as much as she did.

“I care. God help me, I shouldn’t, but I do.”

Liya hedged closer, seizing the moment. “Do you want to spend this holiday alone, Aidan?”

His eyes held hers captive, pain as harrowing as the blade of a sledgehammer, slicing into her. It all became clear to her. Aidan was a man fighting an internal battle. He didn’t want to be alone, but was terrified of starting over.

Slowly, he shook his head. The guilt and confusion flickering across his face caused her chest to wheeze in anguish. Aidan thought he was weak for allowing himself to feel again. Liya swallowed back the nerves and hurt feelings. She cared too much about him to let him suffer alone, even if it meant wearing her heart on her sleeve and relinquishing her pride. “Three days,” she stated. “We have the weekend together. For three days, Aidan. Let’s pretend it’s just us. No past. Nothing between us. I won’t ask for a commitment from you and you won’t do the same to me. After that, I’ll walk away.”

She could see the rise and fall of his chest as he contemplated. “You don’t know what you’re suggesting.”

“I do,” she beseeched, placing a hand on his chest. “Let me take care of you. We’ll take care of each other for these three days, and then you’ll go back to your life and I’ll return to mine. No guilt, Aidan. It’s not like there’s a chance of you losing your heart to me. Sarah will still be your number one.”

“It’s not fair to you…” Anticipation dripped from Aidan’s words. He wanted this as much as she did. Needed it.

Liya locked her eyes with his, hoping Aidan could see the honesty and candor within. “I don’t want to spend the holiday alone. We’re two adults, right? I just want to pretend for a little bit how it could have been between us. I know you do, too. You can’t lie to me about that. I know what’s deep inside you, beneath all those layers.”

He glanced at her hand on his chest. “I never realized how selfish I was until this moment.” Touching his forehead to hers, he whispered, “I want that so much, sweetheart. God help me, Liya. I don’t want to be alone either.”

Liya felt his body relax into her touch. Carefully, she weaved her arms around his waist and held him close. “We don’t have to be. It’ll be just you and me. Aidan and Liya. Just three days and then you can return your heart to her.”

His lips brushed across her cheek and she felt his warm breath against her ear like a lover’s caress. “Don’t make me lose my heart to you, Liya. I can’t do that, sweetheart. Please don’t make me lose my heart.”

Her heart ached for him. Pangs of jealousy stabbed at her, seeing the devotion he had for Sarah. What it must have felt like to be loved by him. She stroked her fingertips to his jaw. “I won’t take it from you. That much I can promise you.” I want you to give it to me willingly.

BUY CHRISTMAS AND FOREVER HERE