These days it seems that every month there is a new awareness campaign
popping up. October is no different and plays host to several important awareness
campaigns such as Domestic Violence, Breast Cancer, Pregnancy Loss and Infant
Loss, Autism (Canada), Black History (UK), Fair Trade, and National Arts and Humanities.
While all of these are worthy causes that affect people daily not just during
this fine month; author Mandy Roth (along with several others) have banded
together this month to bring to light to another important issue… Bullying!
This month there have been several authors that have used their time to share
stories about bullying and how it has affected them, their families, and loved
ones in a blog hop called “Authors Against Bullying”. These authors have reached out to their fans
to share the word of hope in effort to provide courage to those who are being
bullied, that they are not alone and that it is not an acceptable behavior and
that there is help available to them.
In addition to all these authors sharing their stories you have their
publishers like Samhain that are standing up and supporting these authors in
their campaign against bullying: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/10/prweb10028355.htm
This week's Featured Author
Friday author is Melissa Schroeder; of who is also participating in the Authors
Against Bullying blog hop. Mel also writes a kick-ass shape-shifters series under the name Kiera West.
Melissa Schroeder
About:
From an early age, Melissa loved to read. First, it was the books her
mother read to her including her two favorites, Winnie the Pooh and the Beatrix
Potter books. She cut her preteen teeth on Trixie Belden and read and reviewed
To Kill a Mockingbird in middle school. It wasn’t until she was in college that
she tried to write her first stories, which were full of angst and pain, and
really not that fun to read or write. After trying several different genres,
she found romance in a Linda Howard book.
Since the publication
of her first book in 2004, Melissa has had close to fifty romances published.
She writes in genres from historical suspense to modern day erotic romance to
futuristics and paranormals. Included in those releases is the bestselling
Harmless series. In 2011, Melissa branched out into self-publishing with A
Little Harmless Submission and the popular military spinoff, Infatuation: A
Little Harmless Military Romance. Along the way she has garnered an epic
nomination, a multitude of reviewer’s recommended reads, over five Capa nods
from TRS, three nominations for AAD Bookies and regularly tops the best seller
lists on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Since she spent her
childhood as a military brat, Melissa swore never to marry military. But, as we
all know, Fate has her way with mortals. She is married to an AF major and is
raising her own brats, both human and canine. She spends her days giving in to
her addiction to Twitter, counting down the days until her hubby retires, and
cursing the military for always sticking them in a location that is filled with
bugs big enough to eat her children.
Genre:
Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal,
Erotic
Works:
Harmless: The Harmless Series are a contemporary erotic
romance series that is mainly set in Hawaii. It features a group of friends,
many of them who are members of the BDSM club Rough 'n Ready, who come from all
walks of life. Some of the main characters are related and some of the books
include varying levels of romantic suspense. Not all of them include BDSM but
they are erotic.
A Little Harmless Sex
" Max has always been Anna's knight in shining
armor. But Max has always seen her as a charming, and very sexy, little sister.
Until Max's cold
fiance dumps him, Anna unloads another of her many conquests and she invites
him over for margaritas and Mexican food. Too much tequila, too much flirting,
and too many years of fighting the attraction — Max loses control and has
mind-blowing sex with Anna on her couch. And in her shower. And in her bed.
When the sun rises the next morning, both of them must face that their night
together is just the first of many.
For Max, he knows he
wants Anna forever, but convincing a commitment-phobe like Anna is no easy
task. For Anna, she can't believe she has finally slipped beneath Max's steely
self-control. He is every woman's dark, wet fantasy come true.
But what happens when
Max pushes Anna for more than just A Little Harmless Sex?"
Harmless Military: A
spin off of the wildly popular Harmless series, featuring military men and the
women who love them.
Infatuation
"Francis McKade
is a man in lust. He's had a crush on his best friend's little sister for years
but he has never acted on it. Besides that fact that she's Malachi's sister,
he's a Seal and he learned his lesson with his ex-fiancé. Women do not like
being left alone for long months at a time. Still, at a wedding in Hawaii
anything can happen—and does. Unfortunately, after the best night of his life,
he and Mal are called away to one of their most dangerous missions.
Shannon is blown over
by Kade. She's always had a crush on him and after their night together, it
starts to feel a little like love. But, after the mission, Kade never calls or
writes and she starts to wonder if it was all a dream. Until one night, her
brother Mal drags him into her bar and grill and Shannon gets the shock of her
life.
Kade isn't the man
Shannon knew in Hawaii, or even the last few years. Losing a friend and being
injured changes a man, especially one who had never felt so vulnerable before.
He still can't shake the terror that keeps him up at night. Worse, he is
realizing that the career he loves just might be over.
Shannon is still mad,
but she can't help but hurt for the man she loves. He is darker, a bit more
dangerous, but beneath that, he is the Kade she's known for so many years. When
he pushes her to her limits in the bedroom, Shannon refuses to back down. One
way or another, this military man is going to learn there is no walking away
from love—not while she still has breath in her body."
The Cursed Clan: Will desire be the answer or the ruin of an
entire clan? Centuries ago, the McLennan clan was cursed by the actions of
their leader. Set in modern day Scotland, the sexy paranormal series tells the
tale of each of the Lennons as they search for a way to end the curse. Along
the way, each will have to face their demons as they come together to fight.
Callum
" As Laird, Callum Lennon feels he has always
failed to protect his cousins. Callum’s impulsiveness caused the death of his
father and the experience has scarred not only his body, but his soul. From
that point on, he made sure to always go with the more logical choice in every
matter. When his younger cousin Angus finds clues that might help break the
curse, Callum begrudgingly hires Phoebe Chilton to investigate. Callum doesn’t
like bringing outsiders into their family affairs. Their life would become
fodder for the tabloids if anyone were to find out about the curse. It doesn’t
help that the instant he meets Dr. Chilton he’s attracted. But, he doesn’t
really have a choice because she might be their last hope.
An expert in
archeology, Phoebe has always been dwarfed by her parents’ shadow. Their high
standards had her in college by thirteen and earning a second PhD by
twenty-two. But her career and her broken marriage have left her needing
something more than just diplomas and degrees. She wants to prove that her
interest in legends, especially Celtic legends, is as important as her parents’
work. When the Lennon family contacts her, she sees the opportunity to win a
massive research grant. With a long-time rival breathing down her back, she
jumps at the Lennons’ offer, hoping it will ensure her the grant. But
uncovering the Lennon family secrets, and her attraction to Callum, could prove
more than she can handle.
Forces outside the
family are determined to ensure that they fail. When an old enemy threatens
both the well being of the clan and the fragile new love, Callum will have to
choose between believing his mind or his heart."
By Blood: Enter the world of Victorian England where an
entire world of vampires operates within the glittery world of the ton.
Desire By Blood
" A man with a secret. Nicodemus Blackburn has seen the best and
worst of mankind. Five hundred years of dealing with them teaches the vampire
to be very wary of the creatures. Unfortunately, alarming events leave him no
choice but to enter the world of the ton to hunt a rogue vampire—one who is
making his own army of blood thirsty vampires. Searching for the villain is not
the worst of his troubles. That can be laid at the feet of bluestocking Lady
Cordelia Collingsworth.
A woman on a
mission. Cordelia has always been an
outcast, even in her own family. She has forged her way in the world with her
ability to write, and Nico Blackburn is the focus of her next article. Before
she can obtain any information about the mysterious man, she is pulled headlong
into a scandal that leaves her with no choice but to marry Nico—a man with
dangerous secrets.
A passion that
consumes them both. Thrust into a world
she knows nothing of, Cordelia finds herself falling in love with a man who
claims to be a vampire. As their passion grows, so does the danger around them
and Nico will have to call on all of his powers to protect the one thing he has
realized he cannot live without: his opinionated, infuriating, and thoroughly
delectable wife."
The Once Upon: The Once Upon an Accident books are set in
regency England and are loosely connected to a group of friends. They are
steamy romantic suspense with a different hero and heroine for each book. Every
book has a turning point based on an accident. Each of the prior characters
appears in the other novels, allowing the reader to catch up.
The Accidental Countess
" Being a spinster was much easier than
becoming the accidental countess and it definitely didn't prepare her for
falling in love.
Colleen MacGregor
doesn't like rich men, especially rich titled men. Still, her guilt won't allow
her to leave Sebastian passed out in the snow. Before he can leave, they are
caught in a compromising situation. Under an agreement he will leave and never
bother her again, Colleen marries a man she barely knows to save her reputation.
Before she can really stop anything, she is whisked to London, where she is
transformed into an Original and captures the attention of the ton—not to
mention her husband.
Sebastian Ware thinks
he'll never see the sharp-tongued spinster again. He never planned on becoming
the next Earl of Penwyth…or on falling in love. But before he can declare his
feelings, he must protect her from an enemy who wants them both dead. Racing
against the clock, Sebastian strives to save them both so he can turn their accidental
love into a love for eternity."
Other Series/Stand
Alones:
Her Mother’s Killer,
Telepathic Cravings, Grace Under Pressure, The Last Detail, A Caluculated
Seduction, Going for Eight, The Hired Hand, Hands on Training, Operation Love, Hawaiian Holidays series, Bounty Hunters,
Inc. series, The Texas Temptations series, Saints and Sinners series.
Recent Works/Upcoming Releases: A Little
Harmless Fascination (Harmless series)(Currently Available), Surrender(A Little
Harmless Military Romance) (Currently Available), Desire By Blood (A Vampire
Alliance Novel) (Currently Available), A Little Harmless Fantasy (Book 8 in the
Harmless)(November 30, 2012)
Contact Her:
Website: http://melissaschroeder.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelSchroeder
Purchase her work at any of these links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Schroeder/e/B002BMD8Z4/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1351301053&sr=8-2-ent
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/melissa-schroeder
Café Press: http://www.cafepress.com/melschroeder
