I’m pretty excited to announce that you can now get Protecting Parker in a paperback. I know how much some of you prefer the feel of a book. The book is available on Amazon. Dean is now busily working away at getting the other stand-alone novels ready to go. I’ll let you know when they’re available.
Authorized Flirting Zone!
What’s the difference between a flirt and a tease? According to my handy-dandy dictionary:
Flirt: verb – behave as if one finds another person sexually attractive without intending to have a relationship with them.
Tease: verb – tempt someone sexually, without intending to have sex with them.
They may sound a lot alike, but you’ll find a real difference in the synonyms listed in the same dictionary:
Flirt: tease, coquette, heartbreaker, lead-on, toy with, play with.
Tease: make fun of, laugh at, deride, mock, ridicule, taunt, bait, goad, pick on.
When a man refers to a woman as “a tease,” you can bet that it’s not a positive thing – it’s a warning to everyone else.
I also see a real difference in the two based on the “physical” actions of a flirt and a tease. A flirt likes to play, but those involved knows it’s a game, and it is done in front of everyone, including each other’s spouses. There’s giggling and pointing and the game is fun for everyone involved.
Teasing on the other hand often leaves someone unsure if what’s going on is a game or not. There is often a fine line between the two, but I’m willing to bet that almost all of us know the difference when we see it.
Flirting can happen at the strangest times. The best ones happen quickly, are often “dirty” and are followed by a quick return to reality. What follows is a real exchange that occurred on a social networking site. The names and a few words were removed to protect an identity (they appear in brackets[ ] ) We were talking about a picture of me in a Brownie uniform when I was six years old.
Him: “I was 2 in [that year]. But, I was into… skirts… even at that age!
Me: “That’s okay. I liked younger boys – they’re easier to tie up…”
Him: You know, handcuffs will never rust if they are coated with baby oil… I’m just saying…”
Me: “Silk doesn’t cut up the skin as much… I’m just saying…”
Him: “… I could always count on a lot of fun… I’m just saying…”
Me: “You, [his name], are a lot of fun!”
Him: “I am the fun guy. I hope to be the fun master someday lady!! Hooah! Seriously, that’s an adorable picture… [xxx] is now a girl scout…” (referring to his daughter)
Me: “If you’re a good little boy I might give you permission to be in charge. Hooah! Seriously, thanks – it’s one of my favorite pictures.”
A good exchange and then just before it goes too far… the return to reality and a catch up on the family. This is fun stuff – no harm, no foul, and no one feeling like they were mistreated. My husband was three feet away and I was laughing aloud as this exchange happened. Everything is out in the open where anyone (including our spouses) can see it.
But you can’t play these games with some folks. They live to make you uncomfortable and push your buttons. Those folks like to make everything a joke, but you become the butt of that joke when you step back. They take pleasure in your discomfort. Those are the ones who ruin the game for everyone.
They are also the reason that I learned to shoot! Okay, that’s a lie – I learned to shoot because it was fun and it turned out I was good at it. Being capable of removing the teases from my life is simply a bonus.
I, along with all of my characters, am fine with a little flirting. But if you’re a tease, I’ll simply warn you in advance – Colt Model 1911A1.
Blood Link V – The Healer
Blood Link – where the military and vampires meet. 
Dr. Peter MacKenzie is weary. Twenty-four hours after the attack on the unit that has left several of his friends severely wounded, Mac has a full plate. What Mac doesn’t need right now is someone from the Department of Defense Inspector General’s office showing up because they’ve noticed an anomaly in the blood bank records.
Agent Holly Lind doesn’t want to waste her time going to Camp Revells to deal with a bunch of idiots who can’t spot a simple computer error. Dumped out of her job in cyber security after an argument with her boss, Holly is forced to cool her heels for a year in the IG. But that doesn’t mean that she stopped playing with computers. Working under her hacker alias of “Portunes,” Holly is still testing security and on the lookout for unauthorized infiltrations of the NSA and DOD computer systems.
What Holly doesn’t know is that there’s a hacker out there looking for a way into Camp Revells, and he’s sure she’s that way in. “Invicta” is chasing “Portunes” through cyber space and he now wants Holly almost as much as he wants to destroy the vampires of Camp Revells. What “Invicta” hasn’t counted on is that once Mac meets her, he will want her too.
112,500 Words/310 Pages
Editor: Arwen Newman
Cover Design: Liquid Reality Studios
Available from Amazon for the Kindle or in paperback.
Blood Link V – The Healer is also available at Create Space in paperback.
Blood Link IV – The Damaged
Blood Link – where the military and vampires meet. 
Until he came to the team, Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Sonny Pauley was positive no one cared if he lived or died. He wasn’t sure he cared either. Now he’s ready to face the looming vampire war beside his chosen family. As Milo and Katherine send a violent and bloody message of their intention to annihilate the unit and everyone in it, Sonny has one last task to accomplish before the unit is ready to fight. He needs to help Esmeralda “Essie” Cannon move past her dark and violent history, so she can face the enemy beside them. But helping someone else often means sharing more of yourself than you are comfortable with. Sonny will have to face some of his own demons if he’s to help Essie confront hers.
121,559 Words/358 Pages
Editor: Arwen Newman
Cover Design: Liquid Reality Studios
Available from Amazon for the Kindle or in paperback and from Barnes and Noble for the Nook.
Blood Link IV – The Damaged is also available in paperback at CreateSpace.
Blood Link III – The Civilian
Blood Link – where the military and vampires meet. 
Thirty years ago, Dr. Carolyn Brinn’s perfect life changed forever when her fiancée Captain George “Bee” Bigelow was killed. For months after his death, Carolyn struggled to find a way to deal with the loneliness and depression, but her pain never eased. Then one night as she floated on the edge of sleep, she heard Bee’s voice. She has built a comfortable life as a psychologist caring for traumatized veterans during the day, but every night she waits for her dead fiancée to talk to her. In the past week, however, things have changed. Bee is now appearing and is engaging her in conversation. She’s also having a strange persistent dream, in which she must walk as a human onto a battlefield filled with vampires.
83,365 Words/242 Pages
Editor: Arwen Newman
Cover Design: Liquid Reality Studios
Available from Amazon for your Kindle or in paperback and from Barnes and Noble for the Nook.
Blood Link III – The Civilian is also available at Create Space in paperback.
Blood Link II – The Catalyst
Blood Link – where the military and vampires meet. 
Staff Sergeant Becky Taylor’s frustration and tension level are building to the breaking point. She’s lost control of her temper and injured a teammate during training, and as a result, she’s unable to focus on her work. Thirty years ago, Colonel Court Andrews transitioned her team from human to vampire after a violent attack that left them bloody and dying. Becky felt a strong emotional and physical connection with Court during her transition and her attraction for him hasn’t lessened, although she tries not to let it show. Court has treated Becky with a cold, professional detachment while avoiding her as much as possible, always keeping her at arm’s length. In the process, he has made her feel as though she doesn’t exist.
But all of that is about to change. Samantha, the unit psychic, is having horrific premonitions that she and the team are struggling to understand as they sort through the evidence of a recent attack that injured Court and four others. He and his extraordinary team have been targeted by Katherine and Milo, two Old World and extremely violent vampires. Everything is thrown into chaos almost overnight when the team discovers the vicious Milo has set his evil sights on Becky. Court will be forced to face his true feelings about Becky when Milo threatens her life.
91,765 Words/265 Pages
Editor: Arwen Newman
Cover Design: Liquid Reality Studios
Available from Amazon for your Kindle or in paperback and from Barnes and Noble for the Nook.
Blood Link II – The Catalyst is also available at Create Space in paperback.
