Haunted Hotel by Tia Dani

As a writer sometimes you need to get away and re-charge your brain.  The best way we found to light a fire under our dormant muse is to hang out with like-minded friends, brainstorming, eating chocolate, and drinking wine.  We do this several times a year by going on a weekend retreat at a fun place in our state.  And nothing is more fun for us than staying in a hotel that is supposedly haunted.  For us half the fun is delving into ghost lore and learning the story behind the haunting then exaggerate it to another level.

A couple of years ago a group of our writer friends reserved the entire third floor of the Jerome Grand Hotel. Jerome AZ is an old mining town set on the side of a mile-high mountain now mostly home to artists who sell their work in the local shops. Originally the Grand Hotel was the United Verde Hospital, but as mine operations phased out the hospital closed and remained vacant until the building was turned into the Jerome Grand Hotel. Local legend tells the story of a lady who roams the building looking for her daughter who died at birth.

"What makes the Jerome Grand Hotel a worthwhile place to stay, is the fact that this is probably one of the most active haunted locations in the world," according to www.ghostlyfavorites.com 

As we checked into the hotel we were told stories of strange noises coming from empty rooms such as coughing, labored breathing, and even voices.  We were told not to be surprised if the lights or TV's turned on and off by themselves.  Spines tingled in anticipation of a ghostly encounter as we made our way toward our rooms.  The first night, several of the girls reported strange sensations and several said they felt cold spots in the hallway but nothing unusual happened to us…yet. 

On Saturday night, the Jerome Grand took our group on a fun ghost hunt where we got some great orb pictures.  We didn't see any ghosts while on the tour, but some creepy events happened to us after we went to bed.  Our room phone rang at midnight waking us up, but when answered, no one was there. The ringing phone was a bit spooky, but the scariest of all was the feeling of panic Bev aka/Dani had as unseen hands tugged on her body as if trying to scoot her off the mattress.  Since the hotel was once a hospital could it have been a nurse trying to move a patient?  Convincing ourselves it was only a dream, we tried to go back to sleep, until Chris aka/Tia screamed that someone had yanked her hair.  After that happened neither of us slept until the sun came up.

When we all met up for breakfast Kathy Twohawks complained that someone or something had pinched her hard during the night. She rolled up her sleeve and showed us the beginning of a large bruise on her arm.

Were all these incidents real or just active imaginations of creative romance writers?  A personal experience can either change your mind or reinforce your belief in paranormal activity.  We believe there are things that can't be explained.  And, besides, who doesn't love a good ghost story?

Our next book has a couple who are trapped in time by an evil shape-shifter. We're finishing up the last chapter as we write this blog. Meanwhile check out our latest release, Time's Enduring Love. It's a time travel set in Kansas during 1866. We think you will enjoy reading it and we promise that you won't be scared.

Happy Halloween,

Tia Dani

http://bookswelove.net/tiadani.php

Déjà vu or Premonition? by Tia Dani

Lately we have been experiencing déjà vu concerning one of our books.

If you have been following the news this past year there’s been a particular issue covered which was of interest to us (yes, there has been a ton of events happening but we wanted to discuss only one).

We’re talking about the outbreak of undrinkable water around the United States. For example, in January 2014, West Virginia was forced to deal with contamination of one of their rivers. Nine counties’ drinking water began to smell like licorice. Investigation eventually discovered a potential toxicity of Crude HCHM primarily composed of a chemical name 4-methylcyclohexand methanol had leaked from a coal company’s old storage tank into West Virginia’s Elk River, rolling down to many towns drinking systems.

Symptoms of ingesting this chemical through water soon gave way to various ailments such as stomachs, rashes, and other ailments. In time over 300,000 people were forced to go without tap water for three days.

Now, in August, we hear of cities around Lake Erie experiencing a water pollution problem as well. This time a major city, Toledo, Ohio, and parts of SE Michigan (over 500,000 people) were affected. Not only from their drinking water, but for bathing and cooking. The suspected cause...a blue-green algae growing in the usually warm Lake Erie and fed by high amounts of microcystin, a cyanotoxin. It came from excess farming runoff (nitrogen and phosphorus) and eventually drained into the lake.

When the incident happened in West Virginia, we thought…Oh, wow! How ironic…but now with Michigan and Ohio having problems, it really brought home how poignant our book Color of Dreams was turning out to be. One of the major themes in the book is about water pollution and how, if not checked, could affect people downriver who relied on waterways supplying their drinking water.

Color of Dreams revolves a young woman who is determined to stop a corporation from secretly dumping a pollutant into a river that feeds into a major water source. One stumbling block is the hero (and a former sweetheart) who recently came to work for the corporation.

Though the story also involves the premises of spiritual protection of our earth, the message to our readers was to show how important we as humans must protect our planet.

There is also another reason as to why we are so intrigued over this incident. More and more we are discovering that often our stories are premonition driven. We can’t say why or how it happens but we now believe it will eventually become clear. 

Right now Color of Dreams is on sale at Breathless Press for $2.50. (50% off) It's a great chance to download your copy. This sale won't last for long.

http://www.breathlesspress.com/index.php?main_page=product_free_shipping_info&cPath=13&products_id=417

Thanks for reading,

Tia Dani

5 Stars for Times Enduring Love

Rating: 

Manic Readers Reviews

Reviewer: Alberta 

Review:

Libby, a doctor, and her dad are sucked into a time warp where they end up far from the 21st century, back in the 1880s, pioneering. There, Libby falls n love, but it seems like they are not the only time travelers. Others have come this way before, as well as travelling into the future. Now they must decide which era they want to be in, and which people they are going to take back to another time.

I love time travel books, and I loved Time’s Enduring Love too. I especially like it when someone in the past manages to get a message to someone in the future, as happens in this book. If you like time travel romances, you will love this one. Lots of twists and turns, and I think this is the best Tia Dani story yet.

Maybe a continuation of this story could end up in a Christmas anthology some time, because we didn’t get to see how they all celebrated Christmas in this one, which I think would make a great plot.

                     Time's Enduring Love 

by Tia Dani
Buy Now From

Bargan Book

Right now our paranormal suspense is only $.99! This book has had some great reviews. If you like romance and suspense with a paranormal element, you will enjoy this story.

http://www.amazon.com/Death-Unseen-Tia-Dani-

Blurb:

Navajo Tribal Policeman Lance Logan discovers his cousin’s body brutally mauled and senses there’s more to the death than it appears. His intuition leads him from Four Corners, New Mexico, to Phoenix, Arizona, where he finds himself embroiled in another murder case.


Carly Carlton could be considered an ordinary woman except for two traits she tries to keep hidden—clairvoyant powers and the ability to experience death in dreams. Her talent to see beyond the veil of reality, as she and Lance try to find a killer, helps to soothe his embittered heart and softens his revenge.


Unbeknownst to either, Lance carries the DNA key coveted by a maniac intent on creating a human with animalistic killing tendencies. But the madman’s plan doesn’t include Carly’s expanding talents or her unconditional love for Lance. She will do anything to save him…even if it means sacrificing her own life.

Romance and Chocolate

http://www.cerreta.com/

photo by Cerreta Chocolate Company

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and with it comes the time to celebrate romance. Although it's unknown where the exact origin of where the first Valentine festivity began, it's still a favorite holiday for many people. Especially for those who look forward to the gifts from a loved one. Say...a beautiful bouquet of flowers and large delicious box of chocolates.

Chocolates....yum.  When you bite into that scrumptious melt in the mouth chocolate do you ever think about where it came from? Probably not, but before Nestles, Hershey, See's and all those that followed you can thank the Olmecs from the Mexico area. They were the first who discovered the cacao bean to be a delicious treat.

The Mayans came later.  Mayans loved chocolate so much they wrote about the cacao on their stone tablets referred to as "the food of the gods".

The Aztecs, 1420-1520 used cacao as currency. It is written they fed chocolate to their human sacrifices before killing them. A last treat. Not exactly romantic.

Then when Conquistador Cortez was served a cacao drink by Aztec Montezuma in 1519, he loved it so much he took it home to Europe and the love of chocolate quickly spread through Europe.

If your mouth is now watering for a yummy piece of chocolate, or maybe a chocolate covered strawberry, you can get all the chocolate you want this weekend at the Glendale Chocolate Affaire. 
http://www.glendaleaz.com/events/chocolateaffaire.cfm

 

The event runs Friday through Sunday, February 7-9, 2014.  While you're there, join us at the Romance Writers booth where we will be signing along with many other local authors who all love to talk about books and answer any questions you might have about the writing process.

Tia Dani

www.TiaDani.com

P.S. We will be sharing a secret when you stop to see us. It has something to do with awesome bargains.

Arizona Romance Authors at the Glendale Library

Read Local Romance Panel & Book Signing
It's more than you expect

Saturday January 25, 2014 
Time: 2 pm

Shop local, eat local...why not “Read Local?” With Valentine’s Day and the Glendale Chocolate Affaire approaching, love is in the air and the Velma Teague Branch Library will feature “Read Local Romance:  It’s More Than You Expect!”
Find something new to read and show support for local authors as they discuss and sign their small-press and self-published romances.

Each author will have approximately five minutes to promote her book, with a group signing afterward. Authors and sub-genres include:

Shobhan Bantwal - East Indian romance - www.shobhanbantwal.com
Tia Dani - Time travel romance - www.tiadani.com
Laurel Hawkes - Regency historical romance - laurelhawkes.blogspot.com
Morgan Kearns - Sports romance - www.morgankearns.com
V.S. Nelson - Paranormal romance - authorvsnelson.com
Tina Radcliffe - Inspirational romance - www.tinaradcliffe.com
Deena Remiel - Gothic/horror romance - www.deenaremiel.com
Vijaya Schartz – Fantasy romance - www.vijayaschartz.com
Kris Tualla - Historical suspense romance - www.kristualla.com
Brenda Whiteside – Contemporary romance - www.brendawhiteside.com

The program is free, and books will be available for purchase and signing. Book prices will vary. For more information, call 623-930-3431.

Haunted Retreat

As a writer sometimes you just need to get away and re-charge your brain cells.  The best way we light a fire under our dormant muse is to hang out with like-minded friends, brainstorming, eating chocolate and drinking wine.  We do this several times a year by going on a weekend retreat at a fun place in our state.  And nowhere is more fun to us than staying in a hotel that is supposedly haunted.  For us as writers the fun of delving into ghost lore comes from learning the story behind the haunting and then exaggerating it to another level.

We blogged about this retreat once before, but today we were reminded about how much fun we'd had and how we need to do it again.  maybe this post will bring back all the memories and get us motivated. 

In the spirit of Halloween, here's our ghost story.

 

One of our favorite places to visit is Jerome, AZ.  Jerome is an old mining town set on the side of a mile-high mountain.  The timeworn, crumbling buildings are now home to mostly artists who sell their work in the shops lining the main street.  Jerome is a wonderful little town to purchase gifts of sparkly jewelry, scented candles, lovely paintings and beautiful handmade clothing.  And when you get hungry you must stop in the Haunted Hamburger for lunch, but be sure to save room for dinner.  The Asylum, the dining room in the Jerome Grand Hotel features mouth-watering entrees and a great wine list.  Besides, you never know who might drop in to say ‘hello’ while you’re dining there.  Local legend tells the story of a lady who roams the building looking for her daughter who died at birth.

A couple of years ago during October a group from our local RWA chapter reserved the entire third floor of the Jerome Grand Hotel, which sits on top of the mountain.  This Spanish mission style building, constructed in 1926, started out as the United Verde Hospital.  In 1930, it was known as the most modern and well equipped hospital in Arizona and possibly the Western States.  In 1950 as the mine operation was being phased out, the hospital was closed and the building remained vacant for 44 years.  In 1994 the building was sold and the new owners turned it into the Jerome Grand Hotel.

When the hotel doors were opened in 1997, the haunting began.

“What makes the Jerome Grand Hotel a worthwhile place to stay, is the fact that this is probably one of the most active haunted locations in the world,” according to www.ghostlyfavorites.com.

As we checked into the hotel we were told stories of strange noises coming from empty rooms such as coughing, labored breathing, and even voices.  We were told not to be surprised if the lights or TV's turned on and off by themselves.  As we made our way toward our room, our spines tingled in anticipation of a ghostly encounter.  Several in our party felt cold spots in the hallway and there were reports of strange sensations. 

On Saturday night, the Jerome Grand took our group on a fun ghost hunt where we got some great orb pictures.  We didn’t see any ghosts while on the tour, but some creepy events happened to us after we went to bed.  Our room phone rang at midnight waking us up, but when answered, no one was there. The ringing phone was a bit spooky, but the scariest of all was the feeling of panic Bev aka/Dani had as unseen hands tugged on her body as if trying to scoot her off the mattress.  Since this hotel was once a hospital could it have been a nurse trying to move a patient?  Convincing ourselves this was only a dream we tried to go back to sleep, until Chris aka/Tia screamed that someone had yanked her hair.  After that happened neither of us slept until the sun came up.

Was all this real or just active imaginations of creative romance writers?   A personal experience can either change your mind or reinforce your belief in paranormal activity.  We believe there are things that can't be explained.  And, besides, who doesn’t love a good ghost story?

Our next story will have a ghost in it. We're finishing up the last chapter as we write this blog. Meanwhile check out our latest release, Time's Enduring Love. It's a time travel set in Kansas during 1866. We think you will enjoy reading it and we promise that you won't be scared.

Happy Halloween,

Tia Dani

http://bookswelove.net/tiadani.php

$2.50! Death Unseen is on Sale.

Our paranormal mystery, Death Unseen, is on sale at The Wild Rose Pressduring their Fall Blowout!  Grab your copy for only $2.50.


http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=177_139&products_id=4262

Navajo Tribal Policeman Lance Logan discovers his cousin's body brutially mauled and senses there's more to the death than it appears.  His intuition leads him from Four Corners, New Mexico, to Phoenix, Arizona, where he finds himself embroiled in another muder case.


Carly Carlton could be considered an ordinary woman except for two traits she tries to keep hidden—clairvoyant powers and the ability to experience death in dreams. Her talent to see beyond the veil of reality, as she and Lance try to find a killer, helps to soothe his embittered heart and softens his revenge.

Unbeknownst to either, Lance carries the DNA key coveted by a maniac intent on creating a human with animalistic killing tendencies. But the madman’s plan doesn’t include Carly’s expanding talents or her unconditional love for Lance. She will do anything to save him…even if it means sacrificing her own life.
  (Pages 288) Hot
ISBN: 1-60154-842-7
Graphic Violence/Language    
              

Time's Enduring Love by Tia Dani

Time's Enduring Love

Libby Strammon believed her life was on track. A young woman of the tumultuous 1960's, she worked hard to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor so she could open a practice in the small Kansas farming community where she was raised. But when a perilous storm sweeps her back a hundred years into the past she is forced to rely on her instincts while navigating the changed world that a hundred years difference has wrought.

Kansas Volunteer, Lieutenant Matthew Dome's magnetic attraction to the slightly odd woman who appeared out of nowhere wars with past promises made—promises he'd failed to keep. He yearns to have the fascinating spitfire by his side, but can't let go of the past and his guilt long enough to convince himself she belongs in his life.

When circumstances send Libby and Matthew into danger, and a buried secret is revealed, Libby races against time to choose between returning to the 20th century she is familiar with or remain with Matthew who loves her but failed her once before?

http://www.amazon.com/Times-Enduring-Love-ebook/dp/B00EVXABV0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1378345765&sr=8-2&keywords=Time%27s+Enduring+love


We hope you enjoy reading our latest release.  As you know we write in various genres, but it seems like time travel/paranormal and fantasy is our favorite.
We've been thinking about promo ideas so if any of you readers have an idea about what you'd like to see from us, please let us know.  Tia (Chris) makes some lovely jewelry and greeting cards.  We will be having some contests very soon and we're happy to offer either as gifts.

Check back often because we are planning some fun events.

Have a great week,
Tia Dani

Tia Dani is a multi-published writing team made up of good friends, Christine E Jones (Tia) and Beverly (Dani) Petrone. Together they create endearing and realistic characters, humorous dialogue, and unusual settings, and, best of all…they’re having the time of their lives.

Find us at Amazon, The Wild Rose Press, Breathless Press, and Books We Love

Books We've Found and Use When We Need A Refresher by Tia Dani

Every once in a while we need to give ourselves a refresher course on various writing techniques. Here's a short list of books we've found to be helpful. Check them out. If you have other books that you like, drop us a note, leave a comment and write the book title/author. We'd really love to expand our list.

All the best.

Tia Dani

Characterization

1. Make Your Words Work by Gary Provost

2. Writer’s Mind Crafting Fiction by Richard Cohen

3. Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card

4. Creating Characters by Dwight V. Swain

Show Vs Tell

 

1. The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them) by Jack M. Bickham

2. The 28 Biggest Writing Blunders (And How to Avoid Them) by William Nobel

3. Show, Don’t Tell by William Noble

4. Make Your Words Work by Gary Provost

5. How To Write a Damn Good Novel (Book 1 and 2) by James N. Frey

6. Building Fiction How to develop plot and structure by Jesse Lee Kercheval

7. Techniques Of The Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain

8. Writer’s Mind Crafting Fiction by Richard Cohen

9. Description by Monica Wood 

 

Motivation

1. Characters And Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card

2. Creating Characters by Dwight V. Swain

3. Techniques Of The Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain

4. Beginnings, Middles And Ends by Nancy Kress

5. Make Your Words Work by Gary Provost

6. Writing To Sell by Scott Meredith

 

View Point

1. The Art & Craft of Novel Writing by Oakley Hall

2. Setting by Jack M. Bickham

3. Characters And Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card  

4. Show Don’t Tell by William Noble

5. Lessons From A Lifetime of Writing by David Morrell

Rounding Off A Chapter With A Hook

1. Crafting Scenes by Raymond Obstfeld

Domino Theory, by Tia Dani

Self-editing is tricky. For example as the author you are so familiar with your story you could absentmindedly forget to include information along the way...say an important point you thought of but, without thinking, left out.

Keep this point in mind while editing, a reader knows only what you have actually told (or shown) them on paper.

When we go back through our stories during the editing process we try to remember this and work together to make sure that we haven’t left out important details and confused our readers.  Plus, we don’t want our writing to be choppy and sound like there are two writers. We have worked very hard to create the Tia Dani voice.

We call this particular part of our editing process the Domino Theory.

Imagine you have spent hours, aligning hundreds of dominos, narrow-end up, across a flat surface. You’ve placed the black, shiny tiles perfectly so they form an intricate and unusual pattern. Once finished, your finger is poised at the beginning. You tap the first key lightly. With pride you watch as the line tumbles gracefully, one clicking against another, until the formation comes to a glorious end.

Writing a well-designed story is very much like setting up the dominos. Each sentence, paragraph, scene, and chapter must be aligned in your intricate formation. The writing dominos you work with generally are combinations of showing vs. telling, description, view point, senses, mood, voice, plot, dialogue, characterization, humor, and motivation. If any of the writing dominos are off-centered or missing entirely, your beautiful story will fail.

Writers who understand the power of correct placement look upon their manuscript as an exciting challenge. They instinctively study a newly finished scene and ask themselves what needs changing, adding or deleting. Will they need a domino from their bag of writing tricks for a missing slot? Or will they have to carefully adjust an off-centered tile so that it aligns perfectly with the others?

For beginners (and for those who haven’t yet developed this gut instinct), condition yourself to recognize what a missing or an off-centered domino looks like. If time is available, put the work aside, return later and reread with fresh eyes. Or have a trusted friend read the scene and ask if anything seems unclear. Don't ask them to edit, just read for clarity. After while you will begin to see a pattern of how you misalign your work or leave something out entirely. The bottom line here:  Knowledge comes with practice, hard work, and common sense. It is also called pay-attention-to-what-the- reader-sees.

For examples, let’s look at some obvious missing dominos.

Problem:  Imagine paragraphs one through twelve has Katy in the house washing dishes and talking to her mother on the phone her lack of boyfriends. Suddenly in paragraph thirteen Katy is outside washing the car and talking to her dog about going for a walk.

Solution:  Transition Domino. Add a short paragraph between twelve and thirteen to show why Katy ended mom’s phone call and went outside with her dog. Voila! You’ve filled in the open slot.

Problem:  Veronica is home, alone, with only a dozing cat for company. She’s just finished reading a romantic love scene in one of her favorite books and is staring dreamily into the fire. Suddenly Veronica throws the book across the room and jumps to her feet, dislodging the sleepy animal from her lap. She mumbles something under her breath then walks slowly into her darkened bedroom to get ready for bed.

Solution:  Motivation Domino. Let’s say the author used the correct dominos needed to build a believable scene; such as the five senses, description, and mood. However why did the character suddenly throw her book? The author neglected to explain poor Veronica hasn’t had a date for over a year and she feels that her chances of meeting an interesting man are nil to none.

Problem:  A scene takes place outdoors. The day is sunny, horribly hot with no wind. The characters walk and engage in a captivating conversation which has drawn the reader in, yet something feels not quite right.

Solution:  Off-centered Domino. The characters appear to be totally unfazed by the high temperatures. This scene requires one of the five-senses realignment. With a few short sentences the author can adjust the scene to show perspiration dripping from HIS brow or SHE rapidly fans her face with her hand.

Problem:  Envision a scene where Charles is hiking and has stumbled across a rattler. The snake coiled, ready to strike. Yet paragraph after paragraph, the author goes to great detail in describing the beauty of the reptile, the sound of the animal’s ominous rattle and the texture of the sand surrounding it.

Solution:  A 'mis'-aligned domino. The detail, though well-written, is not pertinent to Charles view point. Charles would not be noting sand textures here. The snake is about to strike! Try going back over the scene and weave in some extra dominos so that the emotional dominos and descriptive dominos form a dance in time with each other. It might take some work but will be worth it when completed.

Here are some important points to remember

* A domino line can be fixed at any time by concentrating on one very important rule. For every action there must be a reaction. Use it as a mantra.

* Write down your important dominos and display them somewhere you can see the list. While editing, consider if any are missing. If you do, you'll soon keep your story flow moving smoothly to a glorious end.

* Read aloud. For us, one of the best ways we catch a missing domino is reading our scenes aloud. Tia seems to have a natural instinct for catching missing dominos. So, usually Dani reads the first round while Tia closes her eyes and listens. Then we alternate. Tia reads while Dani listens for missing words. (Dani can catch them in a heartbeat.)

* Print out your scene. When you're truly stumped with awkward domino line, try printing out the scene on paper. We generally do this when we feel something is still off with a particular scene. Sometimes it seems faster to catch a tricky misaligned domino that way.

The glorious end? Once we feel we've aligned our dominos the best we can, we give it a thumbs up send it off to our editor.

New Review for Come Fly With Me- 5 Diamonds

Come Fly With Me by Tia Dani

Title: Come Fly With Me

Author: Tia Dani

Publisher: Sapphire Blue Publishing

Publication Date: September, 2011

ISBN: 978-1-934657-87-4

Genre: Erotic

Length: 31 pages

Buy Link

Author Website

Author Email

Rating: 4.5 Diamonds

Heat Level: Erotic

Other: anal/oral play, public sex

Reviewer: Jo Pfander

Date: 10/30/11

Bree drooled over the man she nicknamed Mr. Sex God the beginning of every month while waiting for a flight they both took. She wanted him. Could she get him this time?

Steven’s ‘Discipline Always’ motto only gets him so far and a fascinating beauty puts it to the test each month. Will he stop working long enough to fly along with her?

I really enjoyed the heated sexual play between the characters. Come Fly With Me is a nice short erotic read for those who travel along the airways as Bree and Steven do. I’d recommend this to those who enjoy spur of the moment hot reads.

Death Unseen- 5 lips from TwoLips Review.

Rating:

Someone or something dangerous and unimaginable is loose in the Southwest, something that's ripping young men apart with its claws and teeth and taking their blood. The first victim was Navajo Tribal Detective Lance Logan's cousin. In a ceremony seeking the approval of his Navajo ancestors, Lance has received their blessing to seek revenge against the monster that killed Jimmy D. and now a string of other young men. When his mystical Navajo intuition leads him to Lake Pleasant, AZ, and the latest killing – that of local high school football star Andy Simmons – he finds his Navajo beliefs and his by-the-book training suddenly at odds over the evidence he's presented...until he meets psychic and new age shop owner Carly Carleton.

Carly has her own problems dealing with her dream visions, which have been getting more frequent of late, not to mention more frightening. After she takes the information she's gleaned from her dreams to the local police chief and he labels her an eccentric flake, she only tells her employee and friend Jazz about her latest dream. Despite Jazz's promise not to tell anyone about Carly's dream, she accidentally lets it slip to her boyfriend Kyle Murphy – who just happens to be lead detective on Andy's case. When Kyle learns that Carly's dream exactly matches Andy's bloody mauling, he knows he must bring Lance and Carly together in an effort to get one step ahead of the killer before he – or it – can kill again.

The attraction between Lance and Carly is instant and combustive, almost as if they'd known each other before. With each of them hesitant to act so quickly on their feelings, their attraction smolders, proving to be more powerful than their determined wills can manage. What neither of them knows is that their meeting and the ultimate apprehension of a demented murderer who seeks the perfect blend of human and animal DNA to create a monstrous killer will change their lives forever.

Death Unseen by Tia Dani – the writing team of Kristia Eaton and Dani Petrone – is a suspenseful who-dun-it, with a gripping mix of mystery, romantic suspense, and both Native American and tarot-type mysticism. Lance and Carly are both strong individuals, with down-to-earth personalities and the kind of problems everyone can relate to, even if you aren't a clairvoyant and possess the ability to experience death in dreams. When Lance meets Carly, he isn't certain if she will turn out to be a help to him or a deterrent to his mission. He doesn't quite know how to take her or his attraction to her. I thought their initial sexual encounter was a bit rushed until Carly envisions them together in a previous lifetime. With their shared powers and once they deal with their individual issues that keep them apart, their relationship develops into something quite extraordinary. Unfortunately, their dialogue struck me as a bit stilted at few times, probably a result of the dual authorship and difference in writing styles.

The back story involving Jazz and Kyle makes for a nice addition to the plot. Besides, these two play vital parts in the story line, and their personalities – especially Jazz's – certainly add spice to the story, as did Kyle's Captain Oberville, but for a very different reason. I wanted to box the stubborn man's ears a couple times. And then there's SCIMAN/Creator and his nephew Jackie – chilling characters to say the least. I also enjoyed the elaborate setting descriptions, which reminded me why I love Arizona so much myself.

Death Unseen is a definite keeper, one of those books you just can't put down until you've finished it, but as good as this book is, the ending itself is the true chef-d'oeuvre of this book. I won't forget it for quite some time. I absolutely love it when there are a ton of questions and suggested outcomes presented at the end of a book, signaling a sequel, which I hope – in this case – will be available very, very soon.

Reviewer: Merrylee TwoLipsReviews.com

Review: Seduction to the Altar

Review: Seduction to the Altar by Tia Dani


5 Tea Cups!
Seduction to the Altar by Tia Dani
Publisher: Sapphire Blue Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romance
Heat Rating: 4

Blurb

Maria Tortorici needs a husband. Her high-school reunion is imminent, and awaiting her is a bet she made long ago. Bring a husband or face the music. Determined not to be the victim of her mischievous girlfriends, Maria devises a plan...enchant her younger assistant with a birthday present he’ll never forget.

Sexual attraction isn’t the only thing Edward Russell has for his boss. She’s everything he wants in a woman. The hang-up? How to convince her he’s man enough to handle a strong-minded woman like her.

But will he still want her once he learns of her conniving plan?

Kris’ Review:

In the new erotic romance, Seduction to the Altar, author Tia Dani, takes you on an adventure you’ll never forget. It is a delightfully fun story about a woman who refuses to lose a bet at whatever cost.

Maria Tortorici is a highly motivated career woman, with one thing missing in her life, love. She’s thirty-eight and facing her 20th high school reunion, without a date. If she goes to the reunion alone, she loses a drunken bet she made at her 10th reunion with her three girlfriends: Terri, Alexis and Gina. Back then she had been the only one who hadn’t found love. So the bet was that if she wasn’t married or engaged by their 20th reunion, Maria would lose and her friends would determine her punishment. Knowing them the way she did, Maria knew it would be something that would be so embarrassing and dramatic, that it would be remembered for years to come.


Any woman can relate to Maria and her predicament. A significant portion of women these days chose career first, hoping to find love later. Maria had worked her way up to becoming the chief architect at a high-class construction firm in Phoenix, Arizona. What woman doesn’t remember the hell of peer pressure during high school? Or the competitiveness of friends, who make drunken bets, they think they’ll never lose. Then bam, suddenly the reunion is around the corner, and Maria has to find a man. So what does she do? She turns into a cougar setting her sights on her younger assistant, Edward Russell.


Edward Russell is an up and coming young designer who works closely with Maria. What she doesn’t know is that Edward has already developed strong feelings for her since they’ve spent all this time working together. Even though she is eight years his senior, he doesn’t mind because one of his fantasies it to be seduced by an older woman. In fact, he has had a number of fantasies about taking Maria right on his drafting table.


When she surprises him with a seductive weekend at a hotel, to celebrate his thirtieth birthday, he falls for her hard. The sex is hot and leaves you lusting for more. I’ll never be able to drink champagne again without thinking of how, Tia Dani, uses it in the most seductive way.


By the end of the weekend, both their lives will be forever changed. Will Maria win the bet at her high school reunion, with Edward by her side? Since both want each other, who really seduced whom? You’ll just have to read ‘Seduction to the Altar’ and find out. It is a must read for a nice seductive erotic read, that both women and men alike will be able to relate to. Tia Dani captures the essence of a cougar, perfectly with Maria’s character. Edward is every cougar’s fantasy lover. This seductive, erotic romance is hotter and spicier than any episode of Cougartown.

‘Seduction to the Altar’ earns five Tea Cups and a heat rating of 4.

5 Tea Cups!