Tasty Tuesday October 9, 2012

October 9, 2012October 8, 2012Tmonique Stephens

All Things Chocolate.

I love chocolate, anything chocolate! Put chocolate on it and I’ll eat it! Wink Wink.

Here’s a recipe for you guys to try from http://www.allrecipes.com and a tasty snippet for you to read.

Too Much Chocolate Cake

Rated:

Submitted By: Denise

Photo By: hahanat

Servings: 12

“This cake won me First Prize at the county fair last year. It is very chocolaty.”

INGREDIENTS:

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food

cake mix

1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate

pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup warm water

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
3.	Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

Printed from Allrecipes.com 10/8/2012

Here’s an excerpt from my work-in-progress, Everlasting, the sequel to Eternity.

“Oh, there’s cake.” Alexis brought the chocolate and forks from the kitchen. She placed the plate on the coffee table and handed Reign a fork. “Dig in.”

When he didn’t moved she stuck her fork in the center and scooped up a chunk. Chocolate, her favorite drug. It was a slice of heaven in her mouth, instant happiness for a few blissful seconds. He followed suit and groaned so loud the sound reverberated in her chest.

“What in the name of the gods is this?” He shoveled another mouthful.

“It’s called chocolate cake. You like?”

His eyes rolled back in his head. He nodded and then decimated the cake. All that was left were smudges of chocolate on his lips.

“You have food . . .” She pointed to the corner of his lips. His tongue flicked out and licked the crumbs away. How would that tongue feel licking other places?

Thursday 13

October 4, 2012October 2, 2012Tmonique Stephens

Thursday 13.

This is my first post on Thursday 13 so I’m sharing 13 of my favorite author. Some have influenced my writing while others I just love to read.

Authors:

Beatrice Small: The first romance author I was faithful too.
Stephen King: The master of horror: No one does it better.
Preston and Childs: Pendergast Series. Brilliant writing.
Shakespeare: Twelfth Night. I love the comedies.
Kathleen Woodiwiss: The Flame and The Flower. All I can say is WOW. What a book!
Tom Clancy: Red Storm Rising: The first espionage book I fell in love with.
Kathryn Stockett: The Help: I cried so hard at the end of the book I could breathe.
CL Wilson: Tairen Soul Series: My new favorite author. Beautiful writing
LJ McDonald: Slyph Series: What a great imaginative concept and series.
Kresley Cole: Strong alpha men vs Stronger alpha women.
11. JR Ward: Dark Lover: Black Dagger Brother. The only vampire series I read.
Karen Marie Moning: I love all her books.
Lynn Kurland: She introduced me to time travel.

There are other authors I read, but I faithfully return to this group of thirteen.

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Tasty Tuesday

October 2, 2012October 1, 2012Tmonique Stephens

Here’s a tasty snippet of Eternity.

Stella almost made it to the stairs before the first sob burned her throat. A body stopped her headlong race up her stairs. Blurry eyes, she couldn’t see who it was but, she brushed by him and stumbled into various rooms until she finally found her own.

She slammed the door behind her, tears stinging her eyes. They scorched a trail down her cheeks. “What did you expect?” she shouted at the empty room.

Undying love. All it took was a pretty story and she fell like a worn set of dominoes. “He lied.” He promised you nothing. Nothing at all. And while he made love to me, he thought of her.

Braced against the dresser, she stared at her reflection in the mirror and her stomach rolled. Roman Nicolis swept into her life as her savior, now she needed saving from him. “You stupid fool.”

Hysterical, she picked up the vase of fresh flowers. Ready to smash the roses, she caught her reflection again. The bitter woman staring back frightened her.

This couldn’t be her.

The door swung open.

Roman paused on the threshold. In the mirror, their eyes met and a cold calm enveloped her. He didn’t wait for permission to enter and she didn’t move. Suspended, she watched him until the click of the bedroom door closing released her. She spun around and faced him.

“I came to explain.”

“Get. Out.”

Want to know what Roman did and what happens next?

Eternity available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Six Sentence Sunday 9.30.12

September 30, 2012September 30, 2012Tmonique Stephens

A little set up: This is a snippet from Everlasting, the sequel to Eternity. The Goddess Nephythys’ has returned to her body. after leaving her corporeal form for her husband SET. Per their agreement he has use of her body every one thousand years. However, this time SET has discovered that she has been unfaithful. And he is very angry.

Nephythys pushed away thoughts of Reign and shifted onto her side. As she drew her legs closed, ripples of pleasure cascade from her groin and tripped their ways through her body until every follicle of hair on her head sighed in exquisite pleasure. And continued on for seconds, minutes, hours, time ceased as her first orgasm traipsed through her. Breathless, she opened her eye and found her husband hovering over her. He watched her quivering reaction with eyes that held a smug satisfaction she had never seen before.

“Rise.” He commanded and moved away.

Sweet Saturday Sample September 29, 2012

September 29, 2012September 28, 2012Tmonique Stephens

This is an excerpt from Everlasting, the sequel to Eternity.

I hope you enjoy it.

Long ago, when Bianca was a child and her father still cared, he told her a story about a secret door, lost somewhere in the cottage house they lived in. He said it led to secret passages and a buried treasure. Fodder for her fertile imagination, she embellished the rest and created an entire world for herself. A world of dragons and faeries, knights and princess.

Running around the house in her Cinderella costume from the previous Halloween, little Bianca took a trip down to the cellar. Her birthday was coming soon and she spent every day secretly searching every room and found nothing. Not one darn present. The last place to look was the cellar.

She approached the closed door, unafraid. The hinges squeaked so loud she knew her mother must have heard and waited for her to appear. She didn’t.

Sunlight illuminated three of the stairs. The rest were shrouded in darkness. On tippy-toes, she stretched her five-year-old body to the limit, reaching for the light switch on the wall. Her fingers fell a tad bit short.

“Darn!” She could go to the kitchen and get the stool Mommy let her use to reach the counter when they baked, but then she’d get caught for sure.

Bianca looked down at the staircase, into the darkness and took her first step. The need to find those presents outweighed her fear of the dark. Daddy always said there was nothing to be afraid of. And Daddy was always right. He better be right, especially this time.

Her pretend glass slippers clickety-clacked as she made her way down the stairs into the darkness. She didn’t pause. Brave people did brave things, like Ariel in the Little Mermaid. This dark kingdom was an adventure, an undiscovered land full of secrets and hidden treasure waiting for her to find . . . and put carefully back.

It’s not too dark. Bianca stood on the last step and looked around. But there was too much to see. The basement was filled with old, dusty stuff. No one would hide birthday presents here.

Angry, she knocked over a box. Christmas decorations scattered everywhere. She heard the rapid click-click of her mother’s footsteps. The door opened and the bare light bulb overhead flickered on.

Bianca ducked into the nearest dark corner and pressed her back to the wall. If she kept really still and became part of the wall, maybe Mommy wouldn’t see her.

“Bianca, are you down there?”

The anger in her mother’s voice made her ease down the wall and curl into a tight ball. Footsteps echoed down the stairs, stopping midway. Bianca covered her mouth so her mother wouldn’t hear her breathe.

The footsteps tracked back up the stairs and the door slammed. Bianca jumped and her shoulder banged into the wall. Trapped. She couldn’t go back upstairs. Mommy might be waiting behind the door to punish her. She was in for it now.

Minutes ticked by before she pushed against the wall to stand. The wall moved and she fell through, into the darkness. She was Alice not Ariel, tumbling into the unknown. The landing jarred her enough to swallow the scream. A light flickered on, momentarily blinding her. She scrambled to her feet and realized this wasn’t wonderland and neither was it a hole. She looked behind her and saw the cellar. In front, a tunnel. A secret tunnel. Just like her Daddy said.

Curious more than afraid, she turned on her fairy godmother wand. The pink beam cast a cotton candy kinda glow. She followed the road.

Two days after the Roman’s wedding, Bianca remembered her adventure the summer before she and her mother left her father. The memories flooded back while she lay in her childhood bed. One-hundred-fifty yards from the mansion, nestled in the woods, was her father’s cottage. Beneath the swimming pool and the basketball court was the secret tunnel. She had played the distraught girlfriend, crying at the appropriate times so she could linger in her father’s home. Of course, she promised to behave and not disturb the newlyweds. They were not her current objective. The vault and its secrets were her new goal.

Three in the morning, dressed all in black with a hood to cover her blonde hair, Bianca snuck into her father’s cellar. This time, the door didn’t squeak. She ignored the light switch and flicked on the penlight she removed from her key chain.

The faint beam danced in her shaky hand while she re-acquainted herself with her surroundings. The room seemed smaller and tighter with the addition of more junk over the last twenty years. She walked to the corner she remembered and carefully removed a heap of boxes. After she cleared the area, the wall looked different. She brushed her hand along the surface. Didn’t feel old. In fact, it felt quite new.

“Darn it! He remodeled five years ago.” She pushed against the wall. It didn’t budge. She felt along the edges looking for anything loose, anything to allow her access into the tunnel.

“No!” She slapped the wall. Had they sealed it? Collapsed the tunnel at both ends? Why? She hit it again and a satisfying numbness streaked up her arm.

Naughty or Nice Giveaway Hop

September 21, 2012September 25, 2012Tmonique Stephens

Click the link to find more Naughty or Nice authors

http://reading-romances.com/naughty-or-nice-giveaway-hop/

Welcome to the Naughty or Nice blog hop.

I have a Naughty excerpt of my debut novel, Eternity and a Naughty give away.

First, the excerpt of Eternity:

Stella unzipped the duffel and sitting on top lay the lingerie, waiting for her. Clothing stripped, she shimmied into the gossamer panties and web-like nightie that barely covered her butt.

She tried to position herself on the bed, draping her body along the carnal headboard. When that didn’t feel right she slid to the edge of the bed, and tried again. Finally, she leaned against the footboard. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and nearly cried at how desperate she looked. This had to be the stupidest idea she ever had. She had to get out of here before he caught her.

One hand on the banister. One foot on the top stairs. The bathroom door opened. A rush of steam fogged the doorway. Then Roman appeared. Beads of water dangling at the tips of his hair dripped onto his face, shoulders and chest, and did a slow stroll down his sculpted body. Around his waist, a towel hung low.

He stopped short when he saw her and his sharp intake of breath caught in his throat. His gaze swept from the crown of her head to her toes. Then shot back up to meet her eyes.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He thundered.

An apology hovered behind her lips, but she wasn’t sorry. “I realize how ridiculous I must look in this.” She waved a hand over herself.

“You don’t look ridiculous.” Husky and thick, his voice bolstered her confidence.

Feeling a bit braver, she moved closer to him. “I have something to say.” His body clenched as if bracing for a blow and Stella swore she could see his mental barriers lock into place.

“Say it.” He ordered.

“I remember, Roman.”

He blinked and his eyes slowly widened.

“Since our night together in the mansion, I remember it all.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

She heard the hope in his voice. “Bianca, then the Strangler and everything else got in the way.”

He looked away.

“They don’t matter. We do.” She spoke, but he turned and stared out the window at the shimmering lake.

“I love you,” she whispered. “I’m tired of being near you, but so far away from what I want.” She took another step toward him. “I want the us that you’ve waited for, fought for.”

Roman spun around. “What did you say?”

A brilliant smile spread across her face. She crossed the room and embraced him. He bowed to accommodate her kisses trailing up his neck, across his jaw to his lips.

“I said I love you, Roman Nicolis.”

He pulled her close and fitted her against him. “Say it again.” He pleaded.

Stella shook her head. “No, let me show you.” With a slight tug, she exposed all she wanted and stepped back to savor him. Her gaze roamed over every angle and plane of his body, enjoying the expanse of his chest, his brick wall abs and the tanned skin covering all.

His thick, erection demanded her attention. Stella took his hand and guided him to the bed. She climbed in and beckoned him to join her. When he did, she pressed him to his back and threw a leg over his. Pale and smooth, her daintier limb stroked his muscular thigh. His hand closed over her knee and teased her thigh and the curvature of her ass. She eased on top of him. The lace of her nightie caused a delightful friction between them as she leaned in to taunt his lips with the tip of her tongue.

“I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long,” he groaned deeply and moved her hair behind her ear.

Instead of hiding, she basked in the attention he paid to her brow, the curve of her jaw, the line of her neck and collarbone. “This isn’t in a dream.” She guided his hand to her breast. “I’m real. I’m here. With you forever.”

Ever so slightly, his hand trembled. Desire pulsed in his eyes and in the throbbing organ pressed against her wet, yet still covered core. Urgently, her lips latched onto his and she devoured him. Tongue delving deep, mimicking the actions of her hips, torturing his mouth as she twisted his hair around her fingers and turned his head where she wanted him to go.

He rubbed the globes of her rear. The calloused pads of his hands created havoc with her senses. Then he hooked a finger around the strip of lace separating the two halves.

Trailing down to her molten core, he moved the thong to the side and teased the wispy moist hairs. “Marry me.” The words rushed from him and continued in a litany.

Did you like it? Love it? Want more?

BLURB:

Cursed for 2000 years, Roman Nicolis has tracked his lovers’ soul through each reincarnation only to lose her horribly every time. Reclaiming their love is his only salvation. He’s been her friend, her father, her neighbor, but never again her lover . . . until now.

A late night walk home throws Stella Walker into the path of a killer. The last thing she remembers are the deep blue eyes of the man trying to kill her—and the first things she sees after a seven-day coma are the same blue eyes in the handsome face of the man hired to protect her. Is he truly the owner of a security firm assigned to protect her or the man who wants to finish her off? Is it fears she feels when Roman touches her or the memory of something sweeter? She will have to push past her fears and reclaim a love that has lasted two millennia.

Past secrets haunt them. An angry demon stalks them.

Roman will do anything to recover what they had. Though Stella’s ruined childhood has made her close her heart and body to any man, he must get past the walls around her to gain her love and trust, for it will take their union to defeat an unexpected enemy sent from the Egyptian Gods. A man Romans respects, and Stella trusts.

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