Authors, Bloggers & Readers Raise Awareness of Mental Health

I have a dirty little secret... 

and I want to shout it from the rooftop!

 

My medical records could be used to sink the Titanic! I was born with a heart defect, have a highly aggressive and rare form of rheumatoid arthritis, and have had 9 surgeries in my 33 years. I have made scheduling doctor's appointments an art form! None of that is news to anyone. What I want to talk about today is depression. I was first diagnosed with depression when I was sixteen years old. I have been on and off many different antidepressants over the years. Some days are good, others not so good. I experienced significant postpartum depression after both my pregnancies, and it wasn't until after my second pregnancy that I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

When I was nineteen I attempted suicide. It wasn't a cry for help, I didn't leave a note or tell anyone what I was doing, I just did it. That I am still here today is a miracle. It took me over a year to recover from the damage that my body sustained from my attempt, and I vowed never to try to end my life again. I decided that since I had survived such a dedicated attempt, I must be here for a reason. In 2009, suicide was the third leading cause of death for young people ages 15–24. In this age group, suicide accounted for 14.4 percent of all deaths in 2009. Suicide: A Major, Preventable Mental Health Problem.

I am a nurse, and have worked in healthcare for over 15 years. Education and understanding is incredibly important to me. I use my own experiences and diagnosis to help my patients understand that mental health is nothing to be ashamed of. Just like many other illnesses, mental health disorders tend to run in families, and are often highly treatable. I strongly believe that opening up and talking about mental health is the first step towards acceptance, understanding and recovery.

Moving towards that goal, on Saturday, October 11th I am hosting a Facebook event.

Authors, Bloggers & Readers Raise Awareness of Mental Health  

"An online silent auction and party event to raise awareness and support for mental health issues that face families today. Proceeds will be donated to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)."

Although highly rated in the past, The DBSA Charity Navigator Rating has dropped recently, due to an increase in costs that isn't being met by current funding. This has resulted in a Program Expenses Growth drop of -21.0% that has had a significantly negative effect on their overall score.

You can sign up to host a time slot during event or donate to the silent auction!

**This is a silent auction. Google documents will be set up for each donated item, including images, descriptions and minimum bids (if applicable). Interested bidders will be able to update their bids during the entire event. A master list of items will be pinned to the top of the event for easy access. This will help keep the event itself open for games and guest hosts!**

A HUGE "Thank You" to Elena and Just ME prints & paper designs for the awesome rain themed event banner! Check out her work online. :D

Appearances by T.M. Smith: RELEASE DAY REVIEW

Appearances

(Opposites Series, Book 2)

by T.M. Smith

Appearances, can be deceiving.

Raven and Tanis are trying very hard to merge their vastly different lifestyles, but Tanis issues with his own past could prove to be more than their fragile relationship can handle. Is their love for each other strong enough to weather the oncoming storm?

Aiya and Sawyer have fought hard to be together in a world where Opposite relationships are generally forbidden. Yet, they are still forced to keep their relationship a secret while they are outside the walls of House Gaeland.

Everyone assumes that the only threat lies outside their walls, the group of rebels led by Cillian. But something is happening within House Gaeland, something that hasn’t happened since GWI. And with all the attention focused on that, their guard is down. An evil that was under their nose all along strikes, and someone will make the ultimate sacrifice to save another.

Appearances is the second book in the Opposites series, the series should be read in order.

** Warning, Opposites is an Adult Dystopian majorly M/M series that contains explicit sexual content and relationships between gay, straight  and lesbian couples. **

Timeless Desire by Lucy Felthouse: Cover Reveal #erotica #romance #paranormal

Timeless Desire

by Lucy Felthouse

Genres: Contemporary, Erotic, Paranormal, Romance

Release date: 10^th September

Emily arrives at Westbury Hall with a job to do. She’s to clean and conserve all of the books in their impressive library, preserving them for future generations. Not long into her stay at the house, she bumps into the night guard, George. She’d expected an old, balding guy with a comb over, so the hunky chap she actually meets is a very pleasant surprise. The introductions complete, George leaves Emily in peace to get on with her job. But when a falling photograph sets off a chain reaction of ghostly events, Emily and George are thrown together in order to find out who—or what—is causing them. Their investigation uncovers a tragic past, a lost love, and a stunning secret.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a revised and extended of a previously published title, Love Through Time.

Dom Wars - Final Round by Lucian Bane & Aden Lowe: Blitz

Dom Wars - Final Round

(Dom Wars, Book 6)

by Lucian Bane and Aden Lowe

When Gladiator Inc, an adult toy company expands their market to familiarize the ‘vanilla’ world with the elements of BDSM, the result is a pay-per-view reality show with video feeds streamed live to subscribers. The show, Dom Wars, is a competition to determine the Top Dom that will become the spokesperson for the company.

The contestants all wear cameras to film every moment and angle of the competition, while they complete various challenges to determine who has ultimately Dominated various elements of themselves.

The hero and heroine of the series, Lucian Bane and Tara Reese, have barely made it into the Sixth and Final Round of Dom Wars. This week-long Survival Round will determine the Top Dom, once and for all.

The contestants are taken to an uninhabited island, where they will have to cross formidable jungle terrain. First Dom to reach the boat anchored on the other side of the island wins the million dollars and the title.

Seems simple. Except Lucian’s old adversary, the Sadist Jase Duff from Round One, has been tasked with making sure none of the five teams make it to the boat.

If he is successful, he wins the prize, only it's not money that Jase Duff cares about, its revenge on Lucian and Tara. And his sadistic need to inflict pain makes it game on.

Paint the Sky by Lily G. Blunt: Pre-Order Blitz!

Paint the Sky

by Lily G. Blunt

Genre: M/M, Contemporary Romance and Erotica 

Release Date: August 30, 2014

A love of art...

A mutual interest in art draws two shy university students together. Ben admires Vinnie’s painting of the university building, so Vinnie invites him to an exhibition of his artwork. From a wealthy family, Ben purchases some of Vinnie’s art and arranges for the artist to personally hang the paintings in his apartment.

Starry, starry night...

Ben commissions Vinnie to paint his portrait, in order to spend more time with the artist. On the night of the sitting, Vinnie fingerpaints the starry night on Ben’s chest... and they kiss. They begin a relationship beneath the night sky, God’s own canvas.

But every relationship has its ups and downs and so it is with theirs. When Ben thinks Vinnie spends too much time with a fellow artist, his jealousy drives a wedge between them and forces Vinnie into the very thing Ben dreads.

Hold tight to your dreams...

Ben and Vinnie will have to walk through fire before they can find one another again. But if they believe, and if they keep their faith in the night sky and each other, just maybe they can make their dreams of love come true.

Satyr's Lure by Anya Richards: Book Blast & Review

Cover Artist: Lea Barrymire

Satyr’s Lure

by Anya Richards

Summer in the high mountain pastures, in the shadow of ancient Greece’s Mount Parnassus, is usually Iason’s favorite time of year. A time when he feels happiest, surrounded by nature and free to take a lover from among the other shepherds. But this year he’s chosen his companion poorly and the resulting scars, of both body and soul, have left him questioning his worth.

It is only in the arms of the enigmatic and enthralling stranger Telesphoros, who rescues him from a storm, that Iason begins to heal. Yet the secrets both men hide overshadow the magic of their encounter, and foreshadow the heartache to come.

Deconstructing Channing by BA Tortuga: Book Blast

Cover Artist: Kelly Martin

Deconstructing Channing

by B.A. Tortuga

When they were young together back in their werecat pride, Bowie and Channing experimented with love and sex, as well as flirting with a threesome with their best friend, Emma. Channing and Emma both ran from their needs, leaving Bowie to break away and find his own life. Now a confident master dominant, Bowie discovers Channing again through a video of a consummate sub, one who Bowie knows he needs to find once more.

When Bowie shows up on his doorstep, Channing feels like a teenager again, all confusion and need. He doesn't date his own kind, only humans, and he’s not in the market for a full time master. Bowie is impossible to deny, a force of nature, and while both men know they’ll have to think about Emma eventually, now is the time to see if they can get to know, and love each other, all over again.

My Beginning by La Quette: Interview & Review

My Beginning

(Trinity, Book 1)

by La Quette

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Genesis Lawrence left her home and family in Brooklyn, New York ten years ago and never looked back. When you've spent your entire life protecting yourself from the ones that are supposed to love you, running to the other side of the country seems like the best idea ever. Emotionally bankrupt, she begins rebuilding her life after failed familial connections and a broken marriage leave her too raw to ever believe happiness exists for her. Work as a Physical Therapist in her rehab clinic is all she knows and all she wants.

Drew Marrack has spent the last year of his life trying to end the soul-searing pain of losing his mother by any means necessary, even if that means ending him—literally. After a tragic accident and a resulting disability that devastates the tattered remnants of his world, only one name can give him a brand-new start: Genesis.

Pain, heartache, secrets, and tragedy from the past bring them together, and then fight to tear them apart. Is new love strong enough to give them the fresh beginning they both need, or is this simply the beginning of their end?

Immortal Tempest by J.N Sheats: Review Tour

Immortal Tempest

(Opsona Journey, Book 1)
by J.N. Sheats

Genre: Paranormal Erotic Romance

"I would no longer be a mortal servant, a pet kept for sick entertainment. I had been chosen for initiation, to become one of the immortals…A vampire.

My transition continued on far longer than any other, filling my body with a pain that was beyond the natural senses. After four days of writhing in the burning change I blacked out, and what woke in my place was not a vampire. It was in a word…Chaos."

No longer an average mortal and far from a vampire, Serenity is an unnatural force that rivals anything found in the planes of the Underworld. An advantage that her master uses in his quest to conquer the mortal world, while luring her into his bed with seductive promises. A flawless venture until they reach the city of Tentusa.

Now three centuries of loyalty between master and servant are shaken by a deep connection to land they wish to conquer. Serenity's disobedience grows stronger with each passing hour, fueling her master's impatient need to tame the wild creature that lives within her.

Lightening steals the coming darkness, thunder echoes against the rolling hills as the war inside Serenity starts to stir. Which is stronger… the person, the desire, or the creature?

Forever Man by A.J. DeWall: Interview & Review

Forever Man

by A.J. DeWall

A bond forged in Catholic school, an unspoken attraction that outlasts years of separation and other relationships.

Ren and Cole never acted on that thing that always bubbled beneath the surface of their friendship, not until a chance encounter in a Santa Fe bar and a song that would tip the scales forced them to confront their feelings. Will the influence of a music superstar, a New York socialite and a mystical property manager finally bring them together, or will a history of missed opportunities, their own fears and an impending wedding keep them apart? Can they just have one night, and then walk away?

Forever Man is a story of the consequences of the choices we make, and how the courage to change can last a lifetime. Based on the fan fiction story, 'Someone Like You'.

Business or Pleasure by Ashley Ladd: Guest Post, Review, & More!

Cover Artist – Emmy Ellis

Business or Pleasure

by Ashley Ladd

Genre: Contemporary GLBT Erotica

Tommy Boudreaux is extremely attracted to Guy Rogers even though he’s a passionate vegetarian and animal rights activist and Tommy’s family owns the most popular barbecue joint in town.

Guy Rogers is extremely attracted to his new realtor, Tom Boudreaux. As a passionate vegetarian and animal rights activist, he’s ecstatic that Tom is a kindred soul. He could never be with a carnivore. Unfortunately, Tommy isn’t really a vegetarian or an animal rights activist. He never said he was, either, he just didn’t eat meat when he was with Guy. And maybe he emptied his house of all meat and dairy products before inviting Guy over. In fact, Tommy’s family owns the most popular barbecue restaurant in town and, if his family has their way, he’ll manage the new location.

When Guy finds out that Tommy eats meat and his family owns a restaurant that’s a monument to eating meat, he’s livid and doesn’t know if he wants anything else to do with Tommy.

But then Guy’s life gets crazy—his dad’s paranoia blossoms into violent dementia, Guy gets arrested for picketing a doggy mill then he winds up in even more legal trouble. When Tommy sticks by him through all his problems and does everything he can to help him, Guy wonders if he’s been too militant and narrow-minded. Perhaps he can learn to live with people who have opposite views.

Homecoming by Jackie Sexton: Blog Tour

Homecoming

(Love Michaelson, Book 1)

by Jackie Sexton

Genre: New Adult Romance

What he wouldn’t give to know her. To tell her that her art saves him everyday. 

Ariane Michaelson is always the quiet girl in the room, the one that her kooky mother and three sisters lovingly call the wallflower. After graduating from college she finds it more than a little difficult to find the graphic design job of her dream...or any job, really. She’s more than given up on painting, and a terrible run-in with her twin sister’s fiancé makes each day harder to keep a life altering secret. 

Liam Ashdown was just the moody small town nobody, with one friend and a busted pickup—until he moved to LA. Spotted by famous actor and producer Michael Jennings during a late night shift at the bar, Liam is transformed seemingly overnight into Tinsel Town’s hottest bad boy. The life Liam once knew is turned upside down with models and mayhem...and there isn’t much down time in-between. 

The only thing that keeps him sane is the paintings. Beautiful ocean portraits that remind him of home, painted years ago by some friend of a friend. 

What he wouldn’t give to know her. To tell her that her art saves him everyday. 

The engagement of his childhood friend, Todd, brings him back home to Craryville, to deal with a drug-addicted mother and an ailing grandmother. But it also brings him hope—somewhere in the bridal party is the woman who has been his calm and respite in the storm of fame. 

The only question is, can she save him?

Bold by Garrett Leigh: Excerpt

Bold

(Blue Boy, Book 3)

by Garrett Leigh

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Synopsis

Dancer Kai is the sweetheart of Blue Boy Studio. Cute and petite, he’s the slender bottom every top loves to pound. But nothing is ever quite as it seems, and beneath his golden curls and giggles lies something else…an edge no one can quite put their finger on.

Is Kai bored? Or does he crave something more?

Blue Boy Studio is under new ownership. Veteran porn star Jude has seen it all before, and with the help of Kai’s mentor, Cam, they figure Kai needs a change. Enter Matthew, a fellow dancer and the newbie on the block.

Kai isn’t impressed. Matthew is hot, but Jude and Cam’s plans seem beyond his reach. Can Kai really do…that? He doesn’t believe it, but with Matthew along for the ride, it’s time to be bold and find out.

Womb of the New World by Mira Noire: Review & Excerpt

Womb of the New World

by Mira Noire

Genres: Dark, Erotica, Romance, Sci-fi

Length: 19,000 word novella

Synopsis

In a post-nuclear future, the lush pleasure cyborgs of Earth have become powerful, fearsome mutants known as Wroks who rule the wild, desolate Fallout landscape. The Wroks and their leader, Yoevin, desperately hunt for a female capable of mothering a cyborg's child. As the years pass, they struggle while fighting to hold on to the intelligence and humanity granted by their makers centuries ago.

Hidden deep in caverns below, Imogenne and her people survive by cultivating the earth, making rare forays above ground for supplies and fresh resources. But Imogenne is not like the rest of her people. She is wild, sensual, and strangely independent -- like her mother, who disappeared years ago in a Wrok attack. On the verge of being betrothed to a man she does not love and facing the rest of her life underground without adventure or freedom, she is haunted by darkly erotic visions that promise something more beyond the world -- and biology -- she knows.

When she is captured in a night Wrok raid, Imogenne hopes to escape her new masters and survive by her wits. But she then discovers a horrifying truth: Her body has a will of its own, one that may very well leave her no choice but to become a mother of the New World.

This title contains graphic sexual scenes: m/f, captive sexual submission, voyeurism, mutant cyborg and human intercourse. Do not read this work if you find such themes offensive.