Thursday, January 1, 2015

New Year — New Dreams

Every year I say I'm going to do better, be better, feel better but somehow I always feel like I've missed the goal. I've never really been able to keep a single New Year's resolution past the first three months of the year either. So why do we make goals in the first place? Why do we dream of things going our way when they usually don't?

Because without a dream or a goal in our lives, we merely exist with nothing to look forward to. Why go out of our way to do something if it doesn't mean anything? Even animals have goals. I don't know if they have dreams like humans, but they strive to find the best food, the safest place to have their young and the strongest male to breed their young.

Humans go beyond that now. Most of us have the necessities like a roof over our heads and food on the table. So now we look for new things to strive for, new goals to reach. The common ones are to lose weight, get healthier, organize our lives better, stop smoking or drinking.


Maybe those of us who are goal-challenged in life should make easier goals that we can achieve so we feel better about the accomplishment. Then we can set a slightly higher goal and one day, we'll meet the big one we had wanted all along. Constantly failing day after day and year after year only creates a rut that we can't get out of. We feel bad about ourselves and begin to believe that we can never do better at all. I think it would be better to make no goals than to set ourselves up to constantly fail.

What are some easier goals that would help us to feel better about ourselves?
     Donate a book to a library.
     Read the paper or a short story to a shut in
     Put the garbage can back from the street for the elderly
     Buy a few five dollar Starbuck's cards and give them to random
     people you meet.
     Give someone a flower you don't know.

Funny how doing things for others makes me feel good about myself. I really enjoy seeing the surprised smile. It warms my heart and takes away a little of the disappointment I feel in myself.

Do yourself and someone else a good deed and pass on a smile in this 2015 New Year. I'm going to ask you about it when the year is almost over. Don't disappointment me.  I'm watching you!


Marla Monroe
 

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Great News and a Reminder

Just found out that Finding Love Between Terror and Rage is at Amazon.  You can find it at http://amzn.to/1yT6q61 


Reminder everyone. I post all announcements on my webpage first just in case I don't make it here to my blog for a few days. Save it to your favorites so you can find it fast. www.marlamonroe.com

Also on my website under the Marla's Forum is a Borderlands diary updated at least once a week if not more often. So far there are three entries with a fourth one scheduled for Saturday. It's being co-written by a wonderful friend of mine, Kay Hughes, who also has set up a fan page for The Borderlands Series on facebook.

Stop by my page on facebook and like it as well. I will try to make all the rounds when I have fun and exciting news to share.

Talk soon!

Marla

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Wow! Already December and I Haven't Even Put Away October Yet!

Hmmm. How did I let this happen? December sort of snuck up on me. I never saw it coming. I can't even remember November, except for the yummy dressing the other day. Days fly by pulling the entire month with them. Before we know it, an entire year is gone again. What do we have to show for it?

I have about 14 books and two short stories to show for the year, but what about life points? You know, the things that really matter. I've spent quality time with my brother and his family several times this past year. Could I have spent more time with them? Yeah. I could have.

I've spent some wonderful days with my parents this year. I love having them here with me. Not only are they fun to be with and help me in so many ways, but watching just how much they love each other keeps the love alive in my heart, too. I wish I'd spent more time with them earlier in the year instead of some of the trips I took. I didn't realize just how quickly things change.

I refuse to regret anything because it adds to who I am, but I can feel sad for some of the opportunities I've missed or blown off; for the time I wasted when I should have been writing spending time with friends and family; for decisions I've made that weren't all that smart.

So, looking ahead, I plan to do things a little differently this coming year. I did this last year and the year before. No matter how many times I do this, I always end up missing something I should have seen coming.

So for the end of 2014 as it tops the hill on its way down, don't have regrets, don't think the what ifs. Spend some time thinking about what you want out of life for next year and then make plans on how to get there. You may not get there the first time you try, but if you keep regrouping and looking at where you got off track, you will eventually get to where you are supposed to be.

I'm going to introduce whoever out there is reading this to what hope looks like to me right now. Her name is Maggie and she's a kitten. When I found her, she was about 4 or 5 weeks old and entirely different than what she looks like now.
 





 

 
 


Isn't she cute? A tiny ball of fur and great big eyes. She was such a sweet kitty who had a rough start in life. Something had tried to eat her and she had a massive abscess from one side of her neck through to just above her chest. We got that all cleaned up and she turned into a whirlwind of energy after that.



Now she is about 4 months old and she looks so much different than she did.



Yep, that's her tongue sticking out.


 


 
So where am I going with all of this? This hope I was talking about? Well, she brought hope into our house when she came to live with us. My mom took one look at her and smiled—really smiled for the first time in a long time. Now the house revolves around Maggie or "my baby" as mom refers to her. Seeing that
smile and how the kitten keeps her engaged and happy is seeing hope reflected in my mom's eyes. Taking care of the kitten gives her one more reason to get up each morning and brave the pain and near blindness that colors her world grey. Only now, there is a streak of color that captivates her each day and I call it Hope.
 
Marla


Thursday, November 27, 2014

Black Friday Blues.

Don't fight the crowds and end up with bruises and nothing worth the hassle out of all of it. Shop at home from the comfort of your jammies and the computer or your tablet or smart phone. It's all at
your fingertips now.

Finding Love Between Terror and Rage
Book One in the new MC Series
The Howling Death MC

 
Mia knows they’re dangerous men, but Terror and Rage make her feel alive for the first time since her husband’s murder, where she nearly died. Though she carries the scars of the attack, she has moved on. One glimpse of the new bikers in town and she can’t stop thinking about them.
 
Terror and Rage are instantly attracted to the dark-haired beauty who serves them drinks. They try to stay away from her for her own protection while they rebuild The Howling Death M.C. When people start to die and a rival M.C. threatens their town, they can’t ignore the threat to her and intervene. They will do anything to protect her and make her theirs.
 
Mia has to decide if living a dull but safe life is enough for her, or if she wants to find love between the two men who make her feel alive.
 
Buy it here on Bookstrand for Kindle/Nook/ and many others:   BUY Finding Love Between Terror and Rage
 
 
  
Finding Them
Book 6 of the Riverbend, Texas Heat Series
 

 
Sierra is in over her head. She has more responsibilities than she can handle, two sisters in college, and a ranch under foreclosure. All she’s been able to do for the last eight years is take care of everyone else.
 
Rollan and Thorne are new to the area but are instantly attracted to Sierra, with her quiet strength and sensual beauty. More than anything, they want to see her happy. When they find out she’s being blackmailed with her ranch, the men come up with a plan where they can spend more time trying to convince her that they are meant to be a family.

Sierra’s unexpected attraction to the two men is baffling. She’s afraid to trust her instincts where they’re concerned but accepts their offer of help, putting herself close enough to get burned. Are Rollan and Thorne the answer to her prayers, or will they be her downfall?
 
 
You can also find this one on Bookstrand in all major download types.  BUY Finding Them
 
Don't forget to sign up on my webpage to be able to chat in the forum there. I will be sharing what I'm working on, snippets of new books, and lots more. I'll announce when a book is going on pre-order, released for publishing, and when it is available at Amazon.
 

 
There will be interviews with some of the characters from my books and once a month we are going to feature a new author and find out more about them and their books. Just because I write doesn't mean I don't read. I have the hardest time finding good books that I'm interested in reading.
 
So start signing up and introducing yourselves there. I will be stopping by on a regular basis beginning tomorrow, the long awaited, Black Friday!
 
So have some Thanksgiving left over and stop by to say hello. I'll watch for you!
 
Marla
 

Thanskgiving Blessings and Writing the Next Page

No matter who we are or where we are in our lives, we all have something to be thankful for. Even in my darkest days when I thought there was no hope for me, I was thankful that my family was safe and alive.

When I found myself losing hope again, I reminded myself of where I was thirty years ago then twenty years ago, and that I still had hope. Then I think of the friend who lost her child; the solider I met who lost both of his legs and then his wife; the stranger I met who slept in an abandoned car in the junk yard. Yet he blessed me and offered to share his coffee that day.

Why am I writing this for you or anyone or no one to read? Because no matter where I am in life, I have something to be thankful for. It might not seem like it at times, but there is always someone who has less to be thankful for than me. This is my reminder to myself that there will always be tough times, but they aren't important. It's how you decide to handle them that is really important. Writing it down reminds me of this and thorough writing it I remember and smile and am thankful once again.

Because I've been in many of the same situations as others who feel they have nothing, I feel that I can talk about it and not be assuming in what I have to say. Attitude changes everything. I could have accepted that I had nothing and felt like I was nothing. I would have continued in that direction and ended up on drugs, street corners and panhandling at intersections. Because I refused to be a useless waste of space, I changed my attitude and demanded that people see me. I made jobs for myself until I was able to get one honestly.

It didn't stop there. It will never stop there. Once you reach some of your dreams, if you settle back and ride the waves instead of continuing to paddle the board, you'll end up crashing again. And I have, several times. To this end, I am a constantly growing human being who makes mistakes, bad choices, and poor decisions. I will have to work at my life every single day that I'm still able. I can't expect it to coast along without giving it a push now and then. 

So I write the next page. I keep putting my thoughts, ideas, and dreams down on paper, forming sentences, paragraphs, and chapters until I've created another dream, another fantasy that I hope helps someone out there handle another day where all hope seems lost. For a little while when I'm in that world, building it up and giving it life, I to can forget the pain of watching my parents decline and the pain of loneliness. For that moment, I have my book friends and all is right with me.

It's never hurts to hide for a while and lose ourselves in a story as long as we don't make it the reality of our lives. Use it to regroup, refuel, and strengthen your resolve to find one more thing to be thankful for. Then take a step in a new direction in the pursuit of your dreams.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and pray that you have more to be thankful for than you realized when you first started thinking about it. Tell at least one someone today that you appreciate them, love them, or are richer for having met them. Not only are you boosting yourself, but you make someone else feel good at the same time. Seeing a smile on someone's face that you helped to put there is the headiest drug in the world.

Peace and Abundant Blessings to you and your family and friends.

Marla Monroe
www.marlamonroe.com

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Finding Them, Book Six of River Bend, Texas Heat series is on Preorder

What could be better than two sexy cowboys coming to the rescue of Sierra who's at the mercy of a blackmailer intent on having her and her land.

Sierra is in over her head. She has more responsibilities than she can handle, two sisters in college, and a ranch under foreclosure. All she’s been able to do for the last eight years is take care of everyone else.

Rollan and Thorne are new to the area but are instantly attracted to Sierra, with her quiet strength and sensual beauty. More than anything, they want to see her happy. When they find out she’s being blackmailed with her ranch, the men come up with a plan where they can spend more time trying to convince her that they are meant to be a family.

Sierra’s unexpected attraction to the two men is baffling. She’s afraid to trust her instincts where they’re concerned but accepts their offer of help, putting herself close enough to get burned. Are Rollan and Thorne the answer to her prayers, or will they be her downfall?
 
 
Don't you just love this cover? They nailed it with the tattoos. The one on the horse makes my mouth water. What about yours? Is he good enough to be a book boyfriend? I think so.
 
Be sure and sign up on my website to be a part of the fun and games. I'm going to be providing excerpts, character guest stars, and lots more beginning after Thanksgiving. The coming soon area will provide what I'm working on, what books are in edits, and what books are on preorder. Then I'll tell you when it's out and when it's on Amazon. www.marlamonroe.com
 
Now how about an excerpt of Finding Them?
 
     Thorne dropped her on the bed with a bounce then set to work on removing her jeans. Rollan climbed on the bed and attacked her breasts once more, but had lost his shirt somewhere on the way to the bedroom. She welcomed him with open arms, eager to touch him. She loved how his hot skin felt over the hardened muscles of his arms and shoulders. They weren’t created in a gym somewhere. These were home grown and the result of long, hard hours out in the sun. She could appreciate them so much more since she’d labored trying to keep her ranch going.
The feel of callused hands on her thighs surprised her. She hadn’t even realized that Thorne had managed to remove her jeans already. She hadn’t even noticed when he’d pulled off her boots. Rollan’s hot chest, arms, and shoulders had her totally mesmerized.
 “Spread these sweet thighs for me, baby. I want to see that pretty pussy,” Thorne told her. “Aw, hell, Rollan. She has the softest curls down here, and she trims it. I like how everything below that clit is bare for us.”
“Please, Thorne. Touch me,” she cried out as Rollan sucked hard on one of her nipples while pinching the other one.
“Oh, I’m going to do a lot more than touch you, Sierra,” he said.
 In the back of her mind, she worried that she’d just jumped head-on into something she wasn’t ready for, but the way they made her feel soon drowned out the warnings. She wasn’t going to let her brain talk her out of this. They said they cared about her and wanted her for her, not for her land. They were already getting that. Why would they seduce her unless they truly did want her?
Thorne gently spread her pussy lips and the feel of his hot breath against her wet flesh sent chills down her spine. He slid his tongue from her slit up to circle her clit and hummed against the swollen bud.
 “Damn you taste good,” he said.
“Oh, God, that feels so good,” she groaned. He licked her pussy, drawing the wet lips into his mouth to suck on before starting all over again.
 The more he licked, the more her cunt ached to be filled. It felt so damn good, but she needed more of them. She wanted to see them and taste them as well. Sierra wanted them to fill her with their cocks and fuck her into next week. She’d gone without everything for so long that now that it was within her reach, she wanted it all and she wanted it now.
“Please, Thorne,” she whined.
 “What, baby? What do you want?” he asked as he stabbed her pussy with his stiffened tongue.
“Fuck me. I want you both to fill me up.”
“Aw, honey. We’re going to take good care of you. Relax and feel how good it can be,” Rollan said before nipping the side of her breast.
“Is this what you want, Sierra?” Thorne asked as he slid one finger deep into her pussy.
 “Yes!” she hissed. “More.”
He chuckled before adding a second digit and thrust both of them in and out of her cunt, varying the speed and depth until she wanted to scream with frustration. She wanted to come, but she wanted them inside of her, too.
 “Look at her face, Thorne. She’s all pink and her mouth is open, just begging for a dick to suck on,” Rollan said in a raspy voice. “Hell, I want to fuck her tits and her mouth. I don’t know what to do first.”
Thorne’s deep laugh vibrated along her pussy, sending sparks deep into her core. Sierra wiggled, trying to get more friction from his fingers as he pumped them in and out of her sopping-wet slit. She was about to beg him to fuck her again when he did something with those nifty fingers that curled them in just the right spot to rub over her sweet spot.
 Her loud moan had both men groaning with her as she bucked beneath them. The pleasure building with each stroke of Thorne’s fingers and twist of Rollan’s on her nipples promised to be more than she’d ever felt before. Sierra raced toward it, eager to find out just how hard she could come and how high she could fly.
Thorne seemed to pick up on the urgency as his strokes grew faster and his tongue rasped over her clit in tighter and tighter circles. When he curled his fingers deep in her cunt and stroked that special place while sucking hard on her clit, Sierra screamed as wave after wave of ecstasy poured over her in a warm wash that took her breath.
 Rollan climbed off the bed as she floated down from the high they’d given her. She realized he’d completely undressed when he straddled her waist and his thick dick bobbed near her face. The spongy head looked almost purple and the thick shaft jerked as if it had a mind of its own.
 
 
As always you can find me at www.marlamonroe.com
on Twitter @MarlaMonroe1
 
Have a very safe and happy Thanksgiving. List your blessings and hug your family. They won't always be there.
 
Marla
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Like Hot, Edgy Biker Books? I've Got One For You

If you like edgy, hard hitting biker books with a central love story, you're going to love my new series, The Howling Death MC. The first book, Finding Love Between Terror and Rage, is on pre-order right now! BUY ME 
 

Mia knows they’re dangerous men, but Terror and Rage make her feel alive for the first time since her husband’s murder, where she nearly died. Though she carries the scars of the attack, she has moved on. One glimpse of the new bikers in town and she can’t stop thinking about them.
 
Terror and Rage are instantly attracted to the dark-haired beauty who serves them drinks. They try to stay away from her for her own protection while they rebuild The Howling Death M.C. When people start to die and a rival M.C. threatens their town, they can’t ignore the threat to her and intervene. They will do anything to protect her and make her theirs.
 
Mia has to decide if living a dull but safe life is enough for her, or if she wants to find love between the two men who make her feel alive.
 
Don't miss my new Website going live soon! I'll have a forum where we can chat about books and I'll post excerpts as well as some trivia about the books. We'll also meet a new author each month and explore their books. If you're like me, finding a new author that you love to read helps fill in the down time when the ones I already read don't have a book out yet!
 
Check My New Site Out on Saturday and Sunday for a new look and chances to win prizes with the unveiling. It will be down a short time on Saturday at some point to re-load! I can't wait to get to talk with you in an easier venue than checking comments.
 
Also coming soon is a new book, Finding Them from The River Bend, Texas Heat series. More on that later!
 
Marla