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Lisabet Sarai, author of The Gazillionaire and the Virgin shares a #TechTip for using graphics in your blog @LisabetSarai #RLFblog
CEO Rachel Zelinsky just wants a business deal with geeky Theo Moore in Lisabet Sarai’s new erotic romance The Gazillionaire and the Virgin. Instead she finds herself aching to protect the sensitive, awkward genius – and to surrender to his kinky desires.
Lisabet Sarai, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! We want to hear your tech tip, but first, please tell us about The Gazillionaire and the Virgin.
The Gazillionaire and the Virgin by Lisabet Sarai
Genre Contemporary BDSM Erotic Romance
Book heat level: X
She’s the billionaire. He’s the virgin. Still, he knows how to make her melt.
When Silicon Valley entrepreneur Rachel Zelinsky meets reclusive genius Theo Moore, she has a single objective — a deal to incorporate his AI software into her company’s popular virtual world. She finds Theo to be arrogant, sensitive and socially awkward, but his aura of power speaks to her carefully-hidden submissive side. Confused and aroused, she falls under his geeky spell.
Theo Moore can’t be bought. His past battles with poverty make him deeply suspicious of the billionaire CEO, though Rachel’s voluptuous curves and brilliant mind embody his ultimate fantasy. Too bad his knowledge about sex derives from extensive research and a stash of kinky porn rather than real-world experience.
Rachel may be Theo’s first lover, but Theo is her first true Master. One word from him, one touch, and she surrenders to bliss. It seems that love and complementary desire may harmonize their differing values, until Rachel’s unwitting violation of Theo’s trust tears them apart.
Tech Tip
Most blog platforms and website builders give you options for specifying the size of the images you use in your posts or on your pages. On Blogger, for instance, you can specify that an image should be small, medium, large, extra large, or original size, So even if your cover is 2000 pixels wide, too big to fit in your blog frame, you can make it display as only 400 pixels.
Given how busy we authors are, it’s tempting to be lazy and let the platform control the visual size of your images. However, this is a bad idea for several reasons. First of all, it slows down the loading of your posts, because the full-sized image will be transmitted over the network to the browser, even if the display has reduced resolution. (A typical 2000×3000 cover is close to one MB in size.) Second, it uses up your disk quota (if you’re using Blogger, at least), since Google stores all blog images as part of your “Photos”. Finally, and most importantly, the dynamic visual resizing of your images is not guaranteed to work with all browsers or display platforms. For instance, big images in posts sent to Triberr will sometimes show up in the feed at full resolution, which makes your post look terrible.
The solution is to resize your images before you add them to your blog or website. And my recommendation for doing this, at least if you use Windows, is a fantastic little program called IrfanView.
This is a brilliantly designed graphics utility package, with lots of functionality but a very easy and intuitive user interface. I couldn’t self-publish or blog without it. (Oh, and it’s free for non-commercial use.)
And here’s a bonus tip: when you are resizing an image (with any program), be sure you select “Preserve aspect ratio”. If you don’t, your image can end up looking stretched or squashed. “Aspect ratio” means the ratio of the width divided by the height (or vice versa). So common cover sizes of 2000×3000 and 1600×2400 both have the same aspect ratio (2:3), as do the common reduced sizes of 400×600 or 200×300. When you resize preserving the ratio, you only specify one dimension; the other will be adjusted automatically.
Occasionally you may want to alter the width and height independently but be careful as the results may be ugly. For instance, I use thumbnails that are 200×320 rather than 200×300 on my website, because that matches the aspect ratio used by one of my publishers. My self-published books, though, have a 2:3 aspect ratio. So I need to make the thumbnails for those books a bit taller than they’d be with a proportional resizing.
For more tech tips, you can download my free ebook Naughty Bits: The Erotogeek’s Guide for Technologically-Challenged Authors. It dates from 2013, and quite a bit has changed since then, but I think the content is still quite useful.
Where to buy The Gazillionaire and the Virgin
NOTE: The ebook is on sale during February for only 99 cents!
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SDY5XJ5/
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1132432
Kinky Literature https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/811-the-gazillionaire-and-the-virgin-/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60397753-the-gazillionaire-and-the-virgin
Amazon (Audiobook)
https://www.amazon.com/The-Gazillionaire-and-the-Virgin/dp/B075WZS3TN/
Audible (Audiobook) https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Gazillionaire-and-the-Virgin-Audiobook/B075X1XN87Lisabet Sarai Social Media
Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has penned plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, GLBT, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.
Website https://www.lisabetsarai.com
Blog https://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/LisabetSarai
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/lisabetsarai/beyond-romance-blog-posts/
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/83387.Lisabet_Sarai
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lisabet-sarai
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/lisabetsarai
Get to know Lisabet Sarai better by signing up for her email list: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmghbsp; -
Read Lions and Love at the Cat Café: a Furrever Friends Sweet #Romance by Kris Bock @Kris_Bock #RLFblog #SweetRomance
In college, Cheyenne and Nash were inseparable. Then she went to Asia to work on big cat conservation. Nash stayed behind, protecting his secret: a phobia of all cats. When Cheyenne comes home, can Nash convince her to give him another chance?
Kris, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! Please tell us about Lions and Love at the Cat Café: a Furrever Friends Sweet Romance.
Lions and Love at the Cat Café: a Furrever Friends Sweet Romance by Kris Bock
Sweet Contemporary Romance
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): G
Cheyenne and Nash fell in love in college, and only one thing could keep them apart: Cheyenne wanted to travel the world working with conservation groups saving big cats such as lions. Nash stayed behind, protecting his secret: a phobia of all cats. Fifteen years later, Cheyenne comes home. Can Nash convince her to stay and give him another chance?
Where to buy Lions and Love at the Cat Café: a Furrever Friends Sweet Romance
Get Lions and Love at the Cat Café FREE when you sign up for Kris Bock’s email newsletter.
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083Q4J7N5/
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940163978687
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lions-and-love-at-the-cat-cafe
Apple iBooks https://books2read.com/u/bMp1aB?store=apple
Scribd https://books2read.com/u/bMp1aB?store=scribdKris Bock Social Media
Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. In her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series, watch the employees and customers at a cat café fall in love with each other and with shelter cats. Kris also writes romantic suspense set in the Southwestern U.S. If you love Mary Stewart or Barbara Michaels, try Kris Bock’s stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue in the Southwest. Learn more at www.krisbock.com or visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)
Website https://www.krisbock.com/
Blog https://swarmchairtraveler.blogspot.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/kris_bock
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kris-Bock-Author-Page/174350342612332
Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/krisbockbooks/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kris_bock_author/
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4735592.Kris_Bock
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kris-bock
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/krisbock
Get to know Kris Bock better by signing up for their email newsletter. You’ll get fun cat photos and links, book news, and a printable copy of recipes mentioned in the cat café novels.
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A fun read: #PNR Alpha Eternal by Brenda Sparks @brenda_sparks #RLFblog #Paranormal
A chance meeting in the past comes back to haunt the unlikely couple in Brenda Sparks’ new paranormal romance, Alpha Eternal. He’s a spy. She’s his enemy. But fate seems destined to bring them together.
Brenda, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! Please tell us about Alpha Eternal.
Thank you so much for having me, Kayelle! I’d love to share a little about my newest story.
Alpha Eternal by Brenda Sparks
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R
Alexander Hall is a fun-loving vampire whose duty comes before all else, except maybe finding a heartmate. Discouraged when he is assigned to infiltrate a demonic compound, Alex plans on getting in and out fast, but fate has other plans. Once Alex discovers a sexy demon from his past is chosen as his guide, he couldn’t be more pleased.
Shira is a demon who likes to keep to herself, so when the demon king asks her to be Alex’s guide, she couldn’t be less pleased. Keeping the vampire from discovering demon secrets quickly becomes a fulltime job. A job she didn’t ask for and most definitely doesn’t want.
With the vampire’s desire for someone to commit his heart to and the demon looking to run as far away as possible, how will fate intervene to bring this unlikely couple together?
Where to buy Alpha Eternal
Publisher The Wild Rose Press
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Alpha-Eternal-Council-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B08NP2STVB/
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alpha-eternal-brenda-sparks/1138275373?ean=2940162965534
iBooks https://books.apple.com/us/book/alpha-eternal/id1540683330Brenda Sparks Social Media
Brenda Sparks has always loved all things spooky and enjoys incorporating paranormal elements in her writing. She refuses to allow pesky human constraints to get in the way of telling the story. Luckily the only thing limiting her stories is her imagination. Her characters are strong, courageous, and she adores spending time with them in their imaginary world.
Her idea of a perfect day is one spent in front of a computer with a hot cup of coffee, her fingers flying over the keys to send her characters off on their latest adventure.
Brenda loves connecting with readers. To contact Brenda or for more information on her books, including excerpts, free reads, and more please visit her website.
Website brenda-sparks.com/index.html
Blog brenda-sparks.com/blog.html
Twitter https://twitter.com/brenda_sparks
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/forBrendaSparks/
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/brendasparks/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4416074.Brenda_Sparks
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Brenda-Sparks/e/B00B7AJBBQ
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/brenda-sparks
Get to know Brenda Sparks better by signing up for their email newsletter.
http://brenda-sparks.com/welcome-readers.html -
What Sherry Evans eats for dinner, from Coming Home: Caveman Creek 2 by Pia Manning @ piamanning3 #RLFblog #romance
In Pia Manning’s new menage romance, teacher Sherry Evans want to open a daycare with help from builders Chris, Matt and Eric. But the men’s old girlfriend wants them back and Sherry gone. Can Sherry love three men and build her dream?
Pia, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! Please tell us about your book.
Coming Home by Pia Manning
Contemporary
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): X
Bounced around from place to place as a child, Sherry Evans is seeking a town to call home. She also needs an affordable place to realize her dream of opening a daycare center. What Sherry is not seeking is a romance. But Matt Bauer, Chris Carter and Eric Simmons have other ideas. The men, building contractors, own and operate MCE Construction in Pinecone Creek, Wisconsin. When they meet Sherry, they know she’s the woman they’ve been waiting for. They are more than willing to renovate a building for her daycare – as long as it’s in Pinecone Creek. The men agree that they want a lasting relationship with Sherry and plan a campaign to convince her that they are the only guys for her. But an old girlfriend has other ideas. She wants her men back and Sherry gone. How far will she go to destroy Sherry’s dreams? Can Matt, Chris and Eric convince Sherry to love three men?
Let’s chat about what to eat
First, what is your name and how old are you?
Thank you for having me today. I’m Sherry and I’m twenty-one.
What is your favorite meal?
I’d have to say spaghetti and meatballs, but Friday night fish fry with French fries and cheese curds – your basic Wisconsin bar food – runs a close second. Pork chops will make the list once Matt learns to cook them, lol.
If any, what food do you refuse to eat?
I’m not fond of broccoli or brussels sprouts.
What is the worst meal you’ve ever eaten?
We moved around a bunch when I was a kid, and sometimes the apartments left a lot to be desired. I remember one in particular – whenever it rained, the light fixtures filled with water. We were always afraid to flip any switches or turn anything on. We ate a lot of bologna sandwiches in the dark for a couple of years. I still can’t deal with bologna.
What is the best meal you’ve ever eaten?
Definitely spaghetti and meatballs. I do love pasta, but it’s the first meal my husbands cooked for me. Afterwards, they proposed! It’s an evening, and meal, that I will never forget.
If you cook, what kind of food do you like to prepare?
If I opened a diner, I’d call it the ‘Comfort Food Café.’ I love making soups, stews and slow cooker meals. Nothing fancy, just good solid fill-you-up food.
How much coffee or tea do you drink?
I love coffee. Flavored coffees are okay, but just regular old joe tastes the best! I’m good for six to eight cups a day.
Who are your favorite people to share meals with?
I love coming home to dinner and sharing my day with my husbands! You know, sitting around the table, twirling that spaghetti, and simply talking about what’s happened – laughing, joking and sometimes crying. It comes down to sharing your experiences with those that love you most.
Tell us what your author eats or drinks while writing about you.
Pia drinks coffee too, and has quite the chocolate habit!
If your author has a pet, what does she feed the animal?
Pia gives them anything they want, lol. Seriously, she spoils them a bit! Blondie the dog gets a biscuit per day with peanut butter on it, and a combo of dry and canned food for dinner. The cats get some canned food in the morning, and dry food after that. Oh, and as Gus is still less than a year old, he still eats kitten food!
Where to buy Coming Home: Caveman Creek 2
Publisher SirenBookstrand https://www.bookstrand.com/book/coming-home-mfmm
Pia Manning Social Media
Website https://www.piamanning.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/piamanning3
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pia.manning.71
Amazon Author page https://www.amazon.com/Pia-Manning/e/B08WYTXRZM -
Is It True: Jericho Jaxon: Alien Hunter by Karen M Bryson @karenmbryson #RLFblog #ScienceFictionRomance
The hunter becomes the hunted in Karen M Bryson’s romantic science fiction adventure, Jericho Jaxon: Alien Hunter. A psychic spy is trained by a military super soldier to hunt aliens, but when their training ends, their psychic bond doesn’t. When he discovers she’s an alien hybrid, he knows she’ll end upon the military’s kill list if they find out.
Welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Let’s play Is It True with today’s guest, Karen M Bryson. This is a game with yes and no questions. Writers can elaborate on answers as much as they choose.
Jericho Jaxon: Alien Hunter by Karen M Bryson
Science Fiction Romance
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): PG
When Jericho Jaxon is offered an internship with The Optimal Mind Institute doing mind expansion research, she doesn’t realize they’re producing psychic spies for the military.
And they want her to be one.
Jericho is teamed with Falcon, a super soldier who is bigger and stronger than the average warrior. He’s supposed to be without empathy or the need for human connection. Their mission is to track and kill aliens who live among us.
But when the training ends, their psychic bond doesn’t.
When Falcon discovers that Jericho is an alien hybrid, he knows she’ll end upon the military’s kill list if they find out, and the hunter will become the hunted.
Is it true:
this is your first book?
Not true.
this book is part of a series?
True.
you lost sleep while writing this book?
True.
you did research for this book?
True.
some characters in this book are not human? (pets for example)
True.
this book has more than one genre?
True.
you speak more than one language?
Not true.
you grew up where you live now?
Not true.
you love to read?
True.
you are never late?
True.
you love pizza?
True.
you love sushi?
Not true.
you have a pet?
True.
Where to buy Jericho Jaxon: Alien Hunter
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Jericho-Jaxon-Alien-Hunter-Adventure-ebook/dp/B096Y9QTVN/
Karen M Bryson Social Media
Dr. Karen M Bryson is an award-winning/optioned screenwriter and USA TODAY bestselling author of over 50 books. She hosts two podcasts, The Curious Professor and Motivate The Muse. She works with authors, and those aspiring to be, as a book strategist, authorship coach, and certified book marketing professional.
She is a winner of the prestigious RONE Award for Excellence in the Indie and Small Publishing Industry as well as the RWA Lone Star Writing Contest. She is a Kindle Scout winner, which earned her a publishing contract with Amazon’s Kindle Press. She also made the TOP 10 in the Tracking Board’s Launch Pad Manuscript Competition.
Karen and her husband are the owners and founders of Short on Time Books, a small boutique publishing company, and Short on Time Academy, where they help people tell their stories through book authorship and the power of podcasting.
When she not writing or podcasting, Karen works as a tenured university professor and searches for fascinating stories in unusual places.
Karen integrates the power of story in all aspects of her life as a teacher, writer and podcaster. She’s also an advocate for the accurate portrayal of women in midlife in media, and for middle-aged women to be able to tell their own stories in their authentic voices. Her goal in all of the content she creates is to entertain, inspire, motivate, educate and enlighten others.
Website https://www.thecuriousprofessorpodcast.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/karenmbryson
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/motivatethemuse
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/karenmbryson/
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/karen-m-bryson
Amazon Author https://www.amazon.com/Karen-M-Bryson/e/B001K8S0U8 -
Read Entangled Moments the new #SportsRomance by Iris Blobel @_iris_b #RLFblog #ContemporaryRomance
Sometimes risking what you have means you might lose everything…
Iris, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! Please tell us about Entangled Moments.
Entangled Moments by Iris Blobel
Genre Sports Romance
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): steamy’ish
Markus and Sarah’s lives couldn’t be more different…
After three years away as a goalkeeper for an English soccer club, Markus DeLeon is happy to be back in Melbourne, back with his family and friends, including Sarah. He has known her since childhood, and has often provided her with a safe place from the teasing of other children and the troubles of a broken home. Yet, events after attending their friends’ wedding set off a shift in their relationship and questions, which neither Markus nor Sarah know how to approach.
Sarah Winter caught her boyfriend cheating on her, and not for the first time Markus offers her a much-needed shoulder to cry on. This time, however, an attraction between them intensifies, ending in a passionate afternoon, and Markus doesn’t know how to handle this new side of their friendship and flees to the coast. Sarah, unsure as well about the recent events, is surprised by his sudden departure, but is soon sidetracked by misunderstandings and a family emergency.
Why did you write this book?
The book is part of a series I wrote about 10 years ago. I wanted to write about sport stars so I chose a popular Australian sport (Australian Football League AFL), a sport I really like (Baseball) and a sport I have some knowledge about (Soccer).
Entangled Moments is about soccer player Markus who’s returning to Australia after playing in the UK for a few years. Writing about his relationship with his best friend Sarah was interesting and challenging at the same time when both are attracted to each other but neither are game enough to risk their friendship.
What is your favorite genre to read?
I really like crime and mystery books.
Who is your favorite character from fiction (not including your own)?
James Bond & Jack Reacher
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m writing a romance story with a different twist.
What books will we see from you in coming months?
I’m finalising another book set in New Zealand. Can’t wait for it to see the light of day soon.
Where to buy Entangled Moments
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09JKRYGS2
Iris Blobel Social Media
Iris Blobel was born and raised in Germany and only immigrated to Australia in the late 1990s. Having had the travel bug most of her life, Iris spent quite some time living in Scotland, London, as well as Canada where she met her husband. Her love for putting her stories onto paper only emerged late in life, but now her laptop is a constant companion.
Iris resides west of Melbourne with her husband and her beautiful two daughters as well as their dog.
Website https://linktr.ee/IrisBlobelGet to know Iris Blobel better by signing up for her newsletter https://us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=80edd312959902e55e8c85706&id=2512e6bbb2