Gee Up Neddy

Wow, can you believe it's the first day of August and since it is Monday, that means it's time for Just Inklined's Blog Hop.  Our host for the hop is the very talented Karen and the theme is CHECK IT OUT, checks as in squares that is.  If you have arrived from Jak's blog, you are on the right track. And speaking of tracks, I absolutely could not resist Just Inklined's newly released Gee Up Neddy from the moment I saw him.  He made me laugh probably because I am so easily sidetracked from my goal, even when I'm ahead, somehow I never finish. 


Maybe if Gee Up Neddy's jockey had whispered in his ear -- roses are red, violets are blue, horses that lose are made into glue -- Gee Up would have waited until he crossed the finish line for a nibble.

Time for you to hop and see what the incredibly talented Toni has created to inspire you. If you get lost, the hop order is listed below but be sure to visit each member of the design team and leave a comment. Two of us will give the image we used to a lucky commenter, so good luck and enjoy!

Karen 

Cathy 

Heidy
Joyce

Jak 

Tammy (that's me)

Toni 

Thank You

Is it possible to have too many thank you cards? I think not especially when they are quick and easy to make.

Dog Show

You already know that I love dogs, any size, shape or color so there is no need to belabor the point further. One of the ways I nurture this love is by going to dog shows and enjoying how animated the dogs become once they have been chosen as winners. Obviously, the creator of Dog Show from Just Inklined Stamps has witnessed the same behavior and has done a fantastic job of capturing their pride and silly smiles for doing a well done job of strutting their stuff.

Surgeon Moo Cow

At our local veterinarian's office they have an area that is designated for the treatment of bovines. Dr. Surgeon Moo Cow is their resident doctor specializing in the treatment of bent tail, an unexplained syndrome that is found in cows closely associated with or living near pigs.  When Dr. Surgeon Moo Cow is not with a patient or in surgery, he can be found at Stamping Dragon Designs.


There is still time to enter Stamping with the Dragon's challenge being sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps. To win seven images from Bugaboo Stamps, use three pattern papers, three embellies and one border then link your creation at Stamping with the Dragon. 

Benny Hanna

I'm certain that when the original masters of karate starting using their battle cry "kiai" indicating a strike, they were not doing so for the sake of Bonibleaux Designs', Benny Hanna at the local fish market.  But it certainly attracts customers. 

Trashy Temper

Every Wednesday afternoon I must drag the trash to the curb for Thursday's pick up, it's another one of those domestic jobs that I loath. Of course I cannot think of one household task that I do like.  So my advice to you is that if you are lucky enough to have someone take out your trash, give that person a hug!


Trashy Temper, by Marlooney, is one of the new images being released at Dude Time Doodles. In fact, there are nine new images being released and to see them all, hop the blogs of the Dude Time Doodles' Dudettes. If you have arrived from Chrissy's blog, you are on the right runway and your next stop is Ginny.  If you've just started, keep going, the hop is a loop and you will see them all. Be sure to leave a comment at each blog since one of us is the mystery hostess and the lucky commenter will receive one of the new images. 


I hope you've snagged the Dude Time Doodles Scavenger Crawl badge on my sidebar to hang on your blog to help us remind every one of the fun that will take place on August 24 to celebrate Dude Time Doodles first birthday. 


Thanks for visiting and enjoy the hop!

Some days

Some days you've just got to live a little! Only the hilarious Marlene could create such a truthful, fun image and sentiment. Both are now available at Squigglefly.

Bunny Bushels

Today its Marlene's Marvels turn to share inspiration for the challenge at Squigglefly that starts today. Just because I'm on Heather Headliner's team does not mean I can't participate in Kraftastic and create with kraft paper. The image I used is Bunny Bushels by Diane Carubia. And speaking of artists, Squigglefly is very pleased to add Lulu Lancaster as their newest creator of images.

You have one week to join the challenge and use kraft cardstock to print you image or as an accent. If you don't have kraft, use beige.

Rubber and Ink

I have a quick and easy card to share with you today. It is made with rubber stamps only, no copics, no pattern paper, just rubber and ink.  Hope you like it.

Lucky Dog

This is one lucky dog getting to do what he loves best, sticking his head out the window of a moving car and enjoying the feeling of his ears and tongue flapping in the wind.

This lovable image and sentiment is by my awesome friend Marlene of Disguised as a Grownup fame and was one of her many freebies. Thank you Marlene!

Anniversary Scavenger Crawl

Bonibleaux Designs

and

Dude Time Doodles

will soon be ONE year old!!

We will be celebrating with some fun events.

Please grab the badge and post it to your blogs and help spread the word.  There will be prizes, special guests, and great fun had by all. 

Never Drown Your Troubles

Stella Tidbits - Drown Your Troubles

I imagine that at one point in time, most of us have tried to drown our troubles, but if you know that person can swim, don't bother. At least that what the infamous Stella from Bugaboo Stamps advises and we all know that she is always right!

Bugaboo Stamps is sponsoring the new challenge that starts today at Stamping with the Dragon and the challenge is to use three pattern papers, three embellies and one border. Just so you are not mislead, I used pattern paper to make the sun and the crab and are not part of the image. You have two weeks to link your creation at Stamping with the Dragon for a chance to be the winner of SEVEN digis of your choice from Bugaboo Stamps! Visit the rest of the team to see what they've created with Bugaboo Stamps.

Winners: How To Seduce A Scoundrel

Drum roll please.... The winner for Vicky Dreiling's How To Seduce A Scoundrel are:

Johanna Jochum

Laurielu

Diane P. Diamond

I used random.org to pick the winners. I emailed all the winners so please respond back by Saturday morning so I can get your books on their way. If I don't hear from you I will pick a new winner on Sunday.

Thank you so much for stopping by For The Love Of Romance. And a big THANK YOU to Vicky Dreiling and Brianne from Grand Central Publishing for providing the book.!

Happy Birthday!

Tomorrow is my youngest daughter's birthday. But since she is currently living in Okinawa, Japan, her birthday will start here midway today which is early morning tomorrow in Okinawa, are you following me? Time zones confuse me because everywhere in the world is my time, the right time! Happy birthday dear daughter, wish I could give you a big sloppy kiss!  

Shrinky Shrep

Typical man, always complaining to the little woman that the dryer is shrinking his clothes, never bothering to look down to see if his feet were visible over his beefy belly. This is Shrinky Shrep by the fabulous Marlooney now a featured artist for Dude Time Doodles. 

Today starts the Inspiration Challenge at Dude Time Doodles. Visit the blogs of my fellow Dudettes for more inspiration then join the fun. 

My first... Vampire

I haven't done a My First post since the very first one so I thought I would give you all another taste of my first time. I'm talking about reading people! Get your minds out of the gutter.

Vampires. They are dangerous and dark. They are strong and sexual. What's not like right? Well, for me, they terrify me. I held off reading paranormals for the longest time because I am scared of my own shadow and the thought of some vampire coming to sex me up was just a bit much. I was never big into Buffy or Angel when I was younger so I never understood the appeal of fangs. That is until someone opened my eyes.

Ok, so let me say this and don't judge. My first vampire was Edward Cullen but this post is not about him or the Twilight books because: 1. Vampires don't sparkle. 2. Bella is an idiot. 3. Jasper was obviously the hottest one. 4. Renesme? What kind of name is that?

Ok, so that list could be endless on why Twilight annoys me but it was a nice way to get my feet wet. But now, the real reason I am in love vampires... JR Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Hi, my name is Jamie and I am a BDB addict.

I fought this for a very long time. A friend of mine at work (a man *gasp*) knew I read the Twilight books and laughed at me. He told me if I wanted some real vampires, with some real smexing then I had to look into JR Ward. I promptly looked up her series and her first book Dark Lover. I also very promptly went out and bought Dark Lover. I then allowed myself about 4 months to actually work myself up to reading it.

I know! I know! Dark Lover sat on my nightstand FOREVER! Hell, I even took it on vacation with me when I went to England for the third time. I just didn't want to read it. There were so many other books to read! But when I finally ran out of historicals (I'm pretty sure I just got tired of them and I didn't have a Kindle yet) I decided to give it a try. I then promptly kicked myself for letting Wrath sit unread for months.

As I soon discover, BDB is like crack. Or should I say crhack? Either way I was sucked right into a world where shitkickers and leather were the norm. Where they listened to ganster rap and waged a war with their enemies. I found myself responding 'True' whenever I could and drinking some Goose. My addiction was a hard one because I had six BDB books available to me. The tough park came when I finished Phury's book and I had to wait for book 7. Not to mention that Lover Avenged, Rhev's book, was coming out in hardcover first. Hardcover!

I wasn't buying the hardcover. I could wait another couple of months for the paperback. (I still didn't have a Kindle) Soon the withdrawls set in. I was itching for a fix that only the Brothers could give me. Thank the Scribe Virgin for the BDB Insider Guide!

When Lover Avenged ws finally released in paperback I rejoiced, praised the Scribe Virgin and devoured it. I also knew that as soon as Lover Mine ws released in Hardcover I was getting it. No more waiting for the paperback. It was worth it!

So now my craving are setting in again, especially with the WARDen posting little snippets of the next book. I'm not telling you who's book it is because I refuse to spoil it for those who are just starting reading the series. BUT, I will tell you that I am excited and scared for it at the same time. I think it's going to be a real hard one for all the BDB addicts to read.

So that was my first vampire story. I love those Brother's and I pimp them out anytime I get the chance. I've been telling Kati over at Romancing Rakes to read them for months now and I can tell you that she has read Dark Lover and Lover Enternal in like 3 days. The addiction continues.

SO tell me... What was your first vampire? Have you read the Black Dagger Brotherhood series yet?

Teaser Tuesday (9)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser:

"Making up a fake boyfriend, lying to her best friend, and looking out for shady private investigators who had been hired by a money launderer. 
Ah, to go back to simpler times, when she was merely the sister of the world's most famous Internet terrorist and daughter of a billionaire."
~page 133, A Lot Like Love by Julie James






**Why yes, that is Jed Hill on the cover, in a suit. And Julie James is going to be a RomCon!!!**


PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Scruff and Bone

I am so very pleased to share with you that I have been asked to stay on Just Inklined's design team as a permanent member! To help me celebrate, I called upon one of my favorite things in life and that is a dog, albeit imaginary. Meet Scruff & Bone.

The expression on Scruff's face is exactly what I see each morning when Xena, my puppy mill breeder dog, is about to have her breakfast. She cannot contain her exuberance at the thought of food. She perks up her ears, much like Scruff, flips her head back and up and side to side then does her happy dance, nothing like the mad helicopter whirling she does indicating extreme anxiety when I take her outside.  But I keep the faith that one day this beautiful golden retriever will have the confidence to enjoy life as a dog.

Man Candy Monday: Men On Horseback Edition

Here's a few pictures to start your Monday off with a bang. Or a gallop. Every Monday, bloggers, authors and peeps of the romance community unite to share their appreciation for good looking men. Some use the time to ogle, others use it as a research tool. Yes, research. After all, those men in stories don't just automatically ride into the imagination. They need to be visualized in all aspects of dress and undress. Join us every Monday night on Twitter at 8pm CST (6,7 & 9 pm for all you other time zones) for Man Candy Monday. Bring your half naked, fully clothed, fully naked (put a warning with this please) men and hashtag it #ManCandyMonday. You never know what you might find. Each week had a different theme. This weeks is men on horseback. Or near a horse. Or with a horse (not like that perv!)

Here's my contribution:



Ok. So technically Brody is NOT on a horse but he's got a saddle. That works too. Right? Riiight? Nod your head.

For more hot man-ness on horses, with saddles or riding crops, join us for Man Candy Monday on Twitter. Use the hashtag #ManCandyMonday to find us.

So, any hot man candy I should know about? Sharing is Caring.

Hang 10

It's Monday, time for a new Squigglefly challenge and this week, Heather's Headliners have center stage. The challenge is "Hang 10", use a human or animal image that shows hands, feet, footprints or animal tracks int your project. I used Nate Owens' Dr. Turtle available at Squigglefly. There you have it. It's your turn to try your  *hand* and play along in the challenge. Don't forget to stop and see what my other teammates have created to inspired you.

Easy Day

Something easy for a hot summer Sunday.

How To Seduce A Scoundrel Giveaway Winners!

Thanks to everyone to entered the How to Seduce A Scoundrel giveaway and for showing Vicky Dreiling some love!

Congrats to:

Lori @ Romancing the Darkside

Danielle G.

Samantha R.

You ladies each get a copy of Vicky Dreiling's latest release HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL!!!

If you didn't win a copy from my giveaway, check out all the other blogs in the tour that are also giving away copies here.

All winners have been contacted through email. Winners have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. A big thank you to Vicky for stopping by and to Brianne from Grand Central Publishing for providing the books.

Sympathy Card and a Card Within a Card

I have two cards to share with you fashioned with incredible cardstock from PaperTemptress.

The first card is simple elegance. I used Black Velvet, that has an unbelievable softness to it and embossed it with clear embossing powder and adhered it to Opal Mica Metallic. Extrememly simple and very tasteful. 


The second card is actually a card within a card. I used white ink and stamped swirls on Peachy Velvet Stripes Vellum and formed a pocket and tied it with Copper 3/8 Silky Satin Ribbon. Next, using copper embossing power, I stamped a sentiment on Cryogen White to go inside the pocket and positioned the pocket onto Indigo Blue Skinny Classic Columns that had been embossed with clear embossing powder. Finally, I used a few pieces of lace to hold the pocket in place and a added dots of stickles.

Five Friday Favorites

Oopsie! I didn't do a post for last Friday. Sorry friends. I've been debating on whether it should be 10 to make up for last week or 5. 5 won out. I heart Fridays because it's when movies usually come out. And this Friday marks the end of my childhood. For real. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow Part 2 comes out today (or for you Potterheads, last night at midnight) and the journey will be complete. The battle for Hogwarts will end in a bloodbath, not some sparkly showdown. It's been a productive week for me. Lots of work done writing random stuff and trying to piece it together. Spent a lot of time sunning at the beach, getting inspired and rocking out to Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Mandy Moore and Miley.

So without further ado, I give you this weeks Five Friday Favorites (in no particular order):

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. I can't say much more or it would ruin it for those of you who haven't seen it. Just wow!

Cowboys! Yeah, those 10 gallon wearing, bronc riding, tight jean donning, horse cutting cowboys. Not that football team. Geez! I think I'm getting myself pumped for RomCon's Wild West Dinner Event. Cookout, cowboys and cowboy boots. 3 freaking weeks from now, I'll be in Denver!!!!! Oh man. Yeah, I'm also excited about Cowboys and Aliens. What of it?? (Just an excuse to post some Daniel Craig ass.)

Sushi. Why? Because it's yummy. That is all.

Red High Heels. Both the song by Kellie Pickler and the ones that I bought last week. I'm loving them.

Jamie Lynn. The girl behind For the Love of Romance. She has saved my romance book reading life. I would still be clueless as to how funny and wonderful a Julia Quinn or Lisa Kleypas book could be or never discovering BDB. Don't gasp. I'm going to start on the first book next week. Promise. She's a Henry loving, romance book reading, laugh out loud, totally awesome person. For those of you going to RomCon, be on the lookout for her. She'll probably be wearing a tiara the whole time. Because that's how she rolls. If she were a boy, I'd totally date her. Just saying.

So... what are you loving this week? New books? New movies? New men? New foods? Share!

Nap Time

Every parent around the world enjoys the peaceful time that can only take place while children are sleeping.  Stamping Dragon translated that tranquil time into a sweet image called Nap Time.


The clock is ticking. You still have a week to playing along with Stamping with the Dragon's Christmas in July challenge for a chance to win 4 digi images from Meljen's store. 

Dirty Little Secret (3)

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by Under the Covers. Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. We hope that you will all join us!

To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

1. Be a follower of Under the Covers.

2. Create a post in your blog taking the meme image and copy instructions. 

3. Answer the question they propose! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.

4. Then add your link here.

Non-bloggers: I want to hear from you as well!!! Let me know your answer in the comments!

Q: Who popped your cherry? What book was your first erotica romance read?
If you don't read erotica, what book started your reading obsession?

A: Well, isn't that first question a little intimate? I guess that's why this is called Dirty Little Secret. It was *mumble mumble* in-- Oh, my first erotica romance read, not the first guy. Good to know. lol.

So this is a recent thing. And I'm waiting impatiently for her next book. 

So who was your first erotica author? Or if you're not comfortable with that sub-genre, who got you to start devouring books? Remember, sharing is caring. 

Guest Post and Giveaway with Vicky Dreiling

I am so happy to have Vicky Dreiling here on For the Love of Romance. I am a HUGE fan of Vicky's and her books. I could stay here all day and ramble on about the awesomeness of Vicky, but I won't. Though she is very awesome! And fabulous.


A little bit about Vicky Dreiling:

Vicky Dreiling is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the UK allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle. That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her “Trouble.”

When she’s not writing, Vicky enjoys reading, films, concerts, and most of all, long lunches with friends. She holds degrees in English literature and marketing. A native Texan, she shares her home with her daughter and a spoiled mini-lop rabbit that lives in a slightly gnawed cardboard cottage.

You can find Vicky here: 

Author Website | Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads

Vicky is here to give us a quick peek behind the scenes of her books plots and characters. Her newest, How To Seduce A Scoundrel, is amazing! Vicky was nice enough to send me an advance copy and I devoured it. I am thoroughly in love Hawk and I would love to be friends with Julianne. Plus, isn't the cover to die for? I love it. 

Genre: Historical Romance

Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing- Forever (July 1, 2011)

ISBN: 9780446565387

SCOUNDRELS, RAKES, AND ROGUES BEWARE . . .
Lady Julianne Gatewick is in a pickle. It started when her brother’s best friend—for whom she’s long nursed a secret tendre—agreed to act as her guardian for the Season, only to seduce her with a risqué waltz.
But when the music stopped and the expectant ton waited for the Earl of Hawkfield to claim her as his own, he made his disinterest clear. Rather than succumb to humiliation, Julianne does what any recently discarded, wickedly witty young miss would do. She secretly pens a lady’s guide to enticing unrepentant rakes . . . and it becomes the hottest scandal in London.
Every honorable rake knows that friends’ sisters are forbidden. But suddenly Julianne has a spark of mischief in her eyes that Hawk can’t resist. Try as he might to push her away, he spends his days listening for her laughter and his nights dreaming of her kisses. He’s always avoided innocents and their marriage-minded mothers, but has the man least likely to wed finally met his match?
ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR

So now I'll hand things over to Vicky. Take it away!

In my debut novel HOW TO MARRY A DUKE, I included an unusual high concept premise: The Bachelor in Regency England, minus the hot tub and camera crew. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started writing the book. I just watched the TV show, and after the idea popped into my head, I thought it would be fun to write.  In truth, it was very difficult to write the book, but I didn’t understand why until after I’d revised and polished the manuscript for my editor.

HOW TO MARRY A DUKE was only my second manuscript, so that contributed to my struggles while writing the story. I had a fairly steep learning curve, but I was very determined. It wasn’t until after I’d finished the book and started writing HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL that I realized the complexity that I’d introduced into the novels.

Traditionally, most books have familiar plots such as marriages of convenience or secret babies. Often the books contain a subplot, such as a secondary romance. But, both Duke and Scoundrel had multi-layered premises. HOW TO MARRY A DUKE contained a matchmaker plot and forbidden love in addition to the overarching bachelor premise. There were also several subplots involved. Similarly, HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL is spoof on The Rules--in Regency England. Like my first novel, Scoundrel also contains two traditional plots: the guardian and forbidden love. Again, subplots were involved. 

The biggest difference between the two books is that I had actually analyzed the elements in the first book, and that understanding helped make the writing of my second novel a bit easier. I’m currently writing a third book, HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE, and it too has a similar structure to the first two novels.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look into my writing process. May the Magic Romance Fairies be with you!

Thank you so much Vicky! I am so excited for How To Ravish A Rake. I already have a crush on Will, Hawk's younger brother, and I keep telling Vicky to write faster. 

Giveaway!

Thanks to the fabulous Brianne from Grand Central Publishing I'm giving away three (3) copies of How To Seduce A Scoundrel. All you have to do is leave a comment below. Also, make sure you follow For the Love of Romance and get an extra entry. 

The giveaway will be open until Tuesday, July 19th (midnight) and I will post the winners on Wednesday.