Image courtesy of Idea go at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My children and I had fun yesterday, planning an “End of the World” party. The plans included popcorn, disaster movies and staying up late.

As the evening ticked on, they decided they didn’t want to watch disaster movies and we nixed the popcorn.  The family consensus was to watch a rerun of Doctor Who. After all, the world couldn’t end if The Doctor was still fighting for us, right?

One by one, the kids wandered off to bed, secure in the knowledge that Santa would stop by our house on Christmas Eve and tomorrow was right on schedule.

So what now?  Wide awake on the eve of Armageddon and the kids fast asleep…  that familiar pesky question popped up:  “What if?”

Changeling Press authors and readers are tempted every week with a “Flash Fiction Challenge.”  A theme is announced, 100-150 words. This week is Armageddon. What or who would you do if the world was ending?

What would I do? How would I want to spend my last few minutes?

You Matter

We stood still, looking at the brilliant streaks of light shooting through the sky. At any other time it would be a novelty. Tonight, it foreshadowed the end of the world. Catastrophic collision, meteors, it all ran together in a confusion of doom.

“Tony, I can’t just stand here waiting for the end. Take me home.”

He took my hand and led me back to our house. The white picket fence we’d so painstakingly put up last spring surrounded us with a false sense of serenity as we passed through the gate.

“Wait! What…?”  His low chuckle rumbled against my ear as he swept me off my feet and carried me over the threshold.  “Didn’t we already do this once?”

“It’s never too late to have a second honeymoon.”

“Did you forget the end of the world stuff?”

“Honey, you *are* my world. When I’m with you, nothing else matters.”

__________________________________________

It’s been an interesting year with many challenges, tragedies, rewards and discoveries.  Just remember that YOU matter.

The fact that you exist and participate in this wild, wacky world of ours is a miracle that only you can perform.  So whether the world ends tomorrow or pulses on for a millennium more, you matter more than you’ll ever know.  Thank you for being a part of my world, and I hope in some small way that I’ve been a part of yours.

~ Cassidy McKay
http://www.cassidymckay.com

Now, without further ado, the winner of the MSA Kindle Fire was Suzanne B! She’s already been contacted and is happily awaiting her prize.

The winner my contest for the $10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card is Jennifer Mathis!

Thank you for celebrating the 5th birthday of the Midnight Seductions Authors with me, and I hope you’ve all discovered some new authors with exciting books to read.

~ Cassidy

Just like at Bilbo Baggins’ birthday party in The Hobbit, our guests and readers get all the fun and gifts at our birthday blast.  Ours lasts three days–November 16th – 19th, 2012.

The Midnight Seductions Authors are celebrating our 5th birthday with a Blog Hop, and we’re giving away a brand new Kindle Fire to one lucky participant.

Details and links will be live Friday morning at our group blog: http://midnightseductionsauthors.blogspot.com/ .

Each participating author is having a giveaway on their blog as well, so make sure you visit all our blogs and comment (we’re a small group, so you have a really good chance of winning something!).

The Grand Prize is a Kindle Fire, and if you win you’ll need to stock it with some books, right?  My additional prize is a $10 gift card for Amazon or Barnes & Noble, winner’s choice.

To enter the contest for the gift card, just visit my website at http://www.cassidymckay.com (opens in a new window) and then come back here,  and leave a comment on my blog about which books interest you.

Click here for the Rafflecopter giveaway and enter for a chance to win a Kindle Fire.

The Rafflecopter will choose winners on November 19th, and every comment equals one entry.  Don’t forget to leave your e-mail address so we have a way to contact you if you win!

Have fun and good luck!

One wild night, two sexy seamen, and a voluptuous woman — three broken souls seeking completion.

It’s a short HOT erotic paranormal/historical romance (M/F/M menage), available for only $2.99.  I hope you’ll check it out and let me know how you like it!

Book Summary

First Mate Cade Talbot disobeyed a direct order, sacrificing himself to save his best friend. Since then, Captain Grant Rowen rules his ship with an iron fist, demanding strict compliance from all aboard.

Coffers are low, and when a lone woman requests passage to St. Thomas, Captain Rowen accepts her payment. But the stormy sea crossing holds more than just nature’s surprises.

Aurora Journade reveals that she not only speaks to spirits, she makes love to them –and she doesn’t follow orders. With Aurora’s help, Cade has one last chance to reach out to his captain. Not even death can keep them from seeking passion’s redemption.

http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1866

The Last Waltz by K. Starling.

At ninety, Rose doesn’t have a lot of days left, but her memories are plentiful. The picture beside her bed depicts one of her fondest remembrances. She and Henry once danced under the stars all night long.

A momentous decision pairs with a lifelong friend and she finds that it is possible to reminisce a memory into being …

Can the being be better than the memory?

Click here to buy the e-book from Red Rose Publishing

I have to say that I absolutely loved this book. I’d meant to buy it when it was first released, and when offered a book by the author as a very kind “thank you” I jumped on it.

Have you ever read a story that is so moving it stays with you long after you’ve finished reading it?

The Last Waltz is that kind of book.

If you’re looking for erotica, sex, or kink, you won’t find it here (but you will in author Kissa Starling’s other selections- Whew!).

This is sweet romance and it packs a wallop.  I can’t tell you much about the story line without giving it away, but when you finish reading something like this, you sigh deeply and just close your laptop because nothing else can compare to the emotional satisfaction you’ve just experienced.

Highly recommended.  ‘Nuff said.

How about you? Where do you buy most of your books? Publisher’s website? Amazon? Barnes & Noble? All Romance Ebooks?

~Cassidy

By the way, I’m in the middle of revamping my website, so look for some new designs soon! In the meantime, if you’d like to check out what I have available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, here are the links to my author pages there. I’d love it if you’d “like” my author page and my books pages so more people can find me there.

Cassidy on Amazon
Cassidy on Barnes & Noble
Cassidy on All Romance Ebooks 
Cassidy at Changeling Press (here’s where you’ll find my newest releases!)

This series started with an idea to submit a story for the best-selling Protect and Serve multi-author series, and quickly warped into something more. The characters in the first book were so real for me, they just called out for more story.

In Shifting Forces, Aurora Monroe is mistakenly marked as mate for two paranormals: a phoenix and a gryphon shifter. Their fight for survival and the right to love–no matter what your species–pulled my heartstrings directly into more stories involving their children: Griff and Kenna.

Shifting Focus focuses on Special Agent Griff Monroe (a half-gryphon shifter) investigates paranormal crimes for the PAC. When he recruits the beautiful firefighter/EMT Sophia Lorello to help him on a case, he doesn’t know she’s a lioness when she shifts, or that she’ll do anything to keep her paranormal side a secret–even if it kills her.

And now, the third book in the series!

Protect and Serve: Shifting Heat

(Book 3 in the Shifting series)

by Cassidy McKay

Available May 31, 2012 at Changeling Press

Buy link: http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1838

Special Agent Rob Hunter lives to protect. After all, it’s what unicorn shifters have done since God created virgins. When his best friend asks him to help his little sister recuperate after she’s injured, Rob doesn’t hesitate. He has fond memories of the sweet little tomboy who chased after them when they were kids.

But half-phoenix Kenna Monroe has grown up into a sexy, smart-mouthed vixen with a chip on her shoulder when it comes to relationships. As an ex-cop who now leads a crack team of commandos into pockets of paranormal resistance, she needs a champion even less than she needs her childhood crush reawakening all her old feelings.

So what’s a traditional unicorn to do when the woman he’s falling for isn’t a virgin, doesn’t need protection and is hotter in bed than any sane man can resist?

________________________________________

“Damn it!” I rub my shin where I hit it against the coffee table. The furniture is in the same place it’s been for years, so I have no excuse. I lift my hand to tear at the bandages over my eyes, then pause, just like I have a million times already. They’re supposed to stay on at least until tomorrow, and my babysitter is anal about sticking to the rules.

“Kenna, are you okay? I heard you yell.” The steamy scent of clean man rises next to me as Hunter rushes into the living room.

“I’m fine. Will you stop hovering? I thought you were taking a shower.” I’ve been torturing myself with the tempting vision of him in there, in my shower, all naked and wet and soapy… and oh-so-close.

“I was. I thought you needed me.”

He pads back to the bathroom, and my gut twists in knots. I graphically picture one of my plush towels wandering over every inch of his hard, wet, muscled body, sliding over every ridge and into every crevice. With a hard swallow, I listen as the door closes after him, indulging in my fantasy of hot shower sex with him.

Damned overprotective unicorn. He’s been hovering since he got here, and I don’t need the kind of attention he’s been giving me. If he only had a clue of exactly how I needed him — stripped naked and in my bed — he’d run for the hills. Unfortunately, he still thinks of me as Griff’s little sister.

All in all, I suppose it’s better that he thinks of me that way. Hunter isn’t really the type for a one-night stand, and that’s all I can offer. I don’t have the time or the energy to deal with a relationship. Hell, I don’t even know the man any more. But that doesn’t stop me from lusting after him. I’m injured, not dead.

“What do you want for dinner tonight?”

His sexy voice sounds next to me, slides right into my shorts, underneath my panties and swirls between my thighs in delicious torture. I can feel the phoenix part of me stirring, heating up to his voice, just like she always did. Damned fickle beast. Not like my phoenix ever does anything useful, she just makes me emotional and bitchy, and singes my hair when I get mad.

“Kenna?”

“How about pizza?” I’ve got to keep myself under control. He’ll only be here for a few more days, then I can pray to the vibrator goddess in noisy abandon. The man has ears like a hawk, and no matter how slutty my dreams have been lately, my desperate urge to masturbate is tempered by embarrassment that he might overhear me.

“Pizza sounds good. Pepperoni?”

His voice retreats to the kitchen where I hear a drawer open. I keep the menus for local take-out restaurants near the phone, and we’ve been making good use of my mini-library. I’m afraid I’m not much of a cook even when I can see. “Sure.” Right now I’d agree to anything just to get him out of the room. My sex drive just kicked into high gear. At this rate, he’s in danger of being jumped by a blind woman. Probably not what he expected when he agreed to help out.

Purring his delicious voice into the phone, he calls for pizza delivery like he’s ordering aphrodisiacs instead of Italian food. I debate whether I can make it into my bedroom, pull my vibrator out of the bedside table and reach an orgasm before he hangs up the phone. Yeah, I’m that far gone.

“Thirty minutes or less, Kenna. Delivered hot and spicy right to your door.”

“God, I could really use something hot and spicy right now,” I mumble under my breath. I turn toward my room, determined to ease the ache regardless of the consequences, only to halt as his hand lands on my shoulder.

“What did you say?”

Lust ripples through me as the heat of his hand seeps through the thin cotton of my shirt. All the yearnings of my teenage years come rushing back in half a second. Why couldn’t I have outgrown this like I outgrew so many other unwanted things? Well, I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t. “I said I could really use something hot and spicy right now. And since you don’t seem to be interested in satisfying that hunger, I’m going to my bedroom where I can shut the door and give my vibrator an extended workout.”

“Uh, Kenna…”

“Listen, Hunter, I’m a grown woman, and this is my house. I refuse to act like a nun just because you’re here. I’m not one of your government protection details, I’m not your little sister, and I’m sure as hell not a virgin!”

“But, Kenna…”

“Seriously, Rob. We both know I’m not your type. I learned that lesson years ago. So why don’t you get over your old-fashioned unicorn sensibilities and let me go before I do something we’ll both regret?”

His low, amused chuckle drenches my thighs with cream, regardless of my temper. He grabs both my shoulders and turns me slightly to the left, facing away from him. The warmth of his breath on my ear sends shivers all the way down to my toes. “Honey, if you’d let me finish, I was only going to say you were about to run into the wall. Your bedroom’s that way.” He gives me a little push and a slap on the ass, and I swear I almost stumble over my open mouth. “Let me know if you need any help with that vibrator.”

_____________________________________

Available May 31, 2012 at Changeling Press

Buy link: http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1838

I’m participating in the Hoppy Easter Blog Hop this year, and giving away some goodies to celebrate.  I have a lot to be thankful for this year, and quite a few new releases for you to while away your long Easter weekend with.

Would you like some goodies? How about a chance to win a $10 Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com gift card? Maybe a book from my backlist?

It’s easy, just give me some comment love! Writing can be a lonely profession and I’d love to hear from you.  Leave me a comment here on my blog and after the end of the blog hop, I’ll hop through the entries and pick my winners. If you’d like another entry, run on over to my website at http://www.cassidymckay.com and browse through my books–in your comment here, tell me which of them (or more–book love is always good) looks like a delicious read.  Don’t forget to leave your e-mail address in your comment so I can contact you if you win!

Thanks for visiting me, and have a Happy Easter! Don’t forget to visit all the other authors on the blog hop tour to see what they have to offer you and enjoy your weekend.

The winner of the $10 gift card for Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com is Emiliana25.  Please e-mail me at cassidymckay at gmail dot com and let me know which one you prefer.

The winner of their choice of my book from my backlist is JuneM!  Take a look at my books at http://www.cassidymckay.com and e-mail me your choice at the e-mail address above.

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you all for your comments and visiting my blog.  I hope you enjoyed the excerpts!

Happy Reading!

~Cassidy

Use her imagination, of course! I think there’s nothing more sexy than an imagination… clothes get worn out, high heels break, lingerie gets torn off (woo hoo), but a great imagination never goes out of style.

It doesn’t cost a thing, you don’t have to wash it (in fact–the dirtier, the better!), and the older you get, the more sexy it is!  Where can you pick one of these handy-dandy doohickeys up?  Why, right at your local mom & pop shop, and you are the proprietor!

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!  If you are celebrating with a significant someone this year, make them feel special.  If you are spending it alone, make YOURSELF feel special (okay, do that whether you are with someone or not).  After all, the sexier you feel, the sexier you are!

** For the contest**

I’m giving away some love to someone who comments on this blog post by midnight on Valentine’s Day. I’d love to hear what you’re doing!

* Note: * If you’d like an extra entry, take a look at my website at http://www.cassidymckay.com and my books (either available or upcoming) and tell me which one(s) interest you and why. You can just comment in your post on here and it will receive two entries for the one post.

I’ll randomly choose the winner from the posts the day or two after Valentine’s Day.

You could win:

• A $10 Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com gift card
• A download of one of e-books from my backlist