Thursday, August 30, 2012

Giveaway #2 - Kallypso Masters


For Giveaway #2 I would like to welcome the fabulous Kallypso Masters! Take it away Kally! 


I first met Alannah Lynne on Facebook last summer, just before or soon after my first book was published. She provided support to me for my writing, but even more important to me, she held my virtual hand as I shared my sister's ongoing battle with cancer. We've shared many ups and downs in the past year as our loved ones continue to deal with issues revolving around cancer treatment and such. I've found her to be an emotional rock to me—someone who always lifts me up when I'm feeling down. I hope I have given her back some small portion of the comfort, encouragement, and hope she has given me. 

Okay, I don't mean this to be maudlin, but just wanted you to know how very special this person we're here to honor is. That I was asked to participate in her birthday celebration makes me very happy indeed. Thanks for having me, Alannah (and Leagh!), and I hope and pray the new year brings only good things to you, Hubs, and your entire family. I hope we'll get to meet face-to-face this December while I'm in North Carolina!

Now, for those who don't know me (I've only been published for a year, so that's probably most of you), I write realistic Romances with BDSM themes. My debut books are in the Rescue me series, where the characters also go through a bit of hell in order to get to their happy endings. And then they may go through a little more hell in later books, because after 29 years of marriage, I know Happily Ever After is just the beginning—HEAs take maintenance. That's the realistic part. (But I assure you, the heroes are hot, the heroines are strong, and there are some fantasy elements going here, too!) 

My series reads more like one long book with installments (happy endings, cliffhangers, recurring characters, etc.). The stories of the Doms at Denver's hot Masters at Arms Club are like a soap opera running in my head.

I also include realistic BDSM elements into my stories, because I got tired of hearing women say they couldn't find Doms like (name any of the Doms in a favorite fantasy BDSM series) at the clubs they went to. Clearly, they were looking for the fantasy Doms they were reading about in romance novels and those guys just don't exist (well, maybe with a few exceptions). Real-life Doms are human. They make mistakes. They screw up. 

And so my imperfect Masters at Arms Club Doms were born. While heroic, protective, honorable Marines, these first three Doms each has issues they need to work on. But sometimes they need a strong heroine to help them get past their hurdles. 

Readers first met them in the free introduction, Masters at Arms. As stated above, the books read like installments in one long book, so you have to read them in order to make sense of the stories and follow their progress. Even the romances of my couples can't be contained to a single book. For instance, Adam and Karla (Nobody's Hero #3) will actually begin their romance in Masters at Arms (Rescue Me #1) and continue their journey in Nobody's Angel (#2). Just forget what you know about how a Romance-novel series is supposed to work. I'm proudly self-published and don't have to answer to anyone's "tried-and-true" (but stale) rules about how a Romance novel should be written. I only have to answer to my characters and to tell their stories the way they want them told. (I do have content and line editors and many beta readers I listen to, though, who help me polish them, of course.) Based on the response I'm getting from my tens of thousands of fans, my readers find this approach to Romance writing very refreshing, too.

Keep reading for how you can win a copy of a book and some swag! 

But first, you can download the entire first book for free, and also can find long excerpts of the beginnings of the next two at the various booksellers where my books are sold (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and All Romance eBooks). So I'd like to share the opening scene from the next book in the series, Nobody's Perfect (#4), due out Sept. 14 (and currently in final edits). This book has taken three times as long as the others to write, because Savi and I have a very strong connection and I often had to step away from the book to regroup. Nobody's Perfect touches on some very deep emotions and the incest and abuse from the past of Savannah Gentry (now Savi Baker), which was revealed in Section Two of Masters at Arms. Her story continued when she and Damian were reunited under tragic circumstances in Nobody's Hero. At last, I'm about to give readers the happy ending they've awaited for so long for this very wounded couple. Warning, this story deals with a character surviving incest and sexual slavery. 



Blurb:

Savannah Gentry, now Savi Baker, escaped the torture and degradation forced upon her by a sadistic father for eleven years and has made a safe life for herself and her daughter. When her father threatens her peace of mind—and her daughter's safety—Savi runs to Damián Orlando for protection. Their one day together eight years earlier changed both their lives and resulted in a secret she can no longer hide. But being with Damián reawakens feelings she wants buried—and stirs up an onslaught of disturbing flashbacks that leave her shaken to the core with little hope of ever being a sexual being again.

Damián has his own dragons to fight, but has never forgotten the one perfect day he spent with Savannah in a cave at the beach. He will go to the ends of the earth to protect Savi and her daughter, but can never be the whole man she deserves after a firefight in Iraq. Besides, the trauma of war and resulting PTSD has led him to find his place as the Masters at Arms Club's favorite sadist. Savi needs someone gentle and loving, not the broken man he has become. But he sees that the lifestyle he's come to embrace also can help Savi regain control of her life and sexuality. How can he not help redirect her negative thoughts and actions if she needs him?

Prologue: Nobody's Perfect


Savi Baker circled another job listing in the Classifieds as Christmas carols played in the background. Office clerk. After all her years of college and clinicals, she had finally achieved her dream of working as a social worker with young abuse victims. Work that had ended abruptly a week ago.

She still didn't know why she'd been fired. Her supervisor seemed equally confused, so it couldn't have been because her daughter, Mari, had been sick with the flu a couple weeks before that. Everyone at the clinic was supportive of her being a single mother, and her friend, Anita, had stayed with Mari during that time so Savi had only been off work two days.

Her supervisor had encouraged Savi to submit an appeal to the state agency responsible for the termination, which she'd done immediately. Was she fired because of the complaint the clinic had received from the mother of one of Savi's new clients? The woman accused Savi of being indifferent to her daughter, but Savi thought she and her supervisor had succeeded in explaining to the mother that this wasn't the case at all. However, with the highly charged emotions in situations like this, Savi had to remain professional, objective, and somewhat aloof. In the end, the child's mother had hugged her, sobbing. The mother had said she understood and Savi had thought that was the end of it. Maybe not.

Oh, what difference did the reason for her firing make? It could take months or even years to get reinstated; unraveling bureaucracy took time. She didn't have a huge savings—or time. Her immediate concern was finding a way to support her daughter and herself until she got another job in the mental-health field—if that was even possible—or until she got her old job back.

Savi opened her mini laptop to update her résumé and write a cover letter before Mari got home from practicing for the children's pageant at church. Two weeks till Christmas and no job. At least Savi had learned long ago to budget her spending, so there were some special gifts tucked away on the upper shelf in her closet that would help make this Christmas special. She just wouldn't be able to do as much of the baking and gift-giving she liked to do.

Absorbed in rewriting her résumé, she jumped when the doorbell interrupted her. She looked at the clock on her desk. Too early for Mari to be dropped off—unless something had happened. Heart hammering, Savi nearly ran to the front door and opened it, expecting to see one of the youth leaders from the church group.

Lyle.

She gasped, nearly choking as bile rose in her throat. Stupid! Why hadn't she glanced through the peephole first? She tried to close the door in his face, but he had wedged his foot into the doorway, preventing her.

"What kind of greeting is that for an old friend, Savannah?"

Not a friend. Enemy. Savi placed her bare foot against the back of the door to keep him from opening it any further. She tried to fill her lungs with much-needed air. Dangerous. She needed to get rid of him. He could hurt Mari.

She fought to force the door closed, but gained no ground. "What do you want?"

"Let me inside and we'll talk."

"You're not coming in. Leave before I call the police!"

He narrowed his eyes into slits and fear crawled up Savi's spine for the first time in eight years. Vile man. Could she fight him off?

"Open this door, you dirty slut, or you and Marisol will regret this pathetic show of bravery."

Marisol. He knew her name. Did he know where she was? Oh, God, she prayed. Don't let Mari come home early. Where was Father? Had he gone after Mari while Lyle was here with her?

"I'm not letting you inside my…"

Without warning, Lyle leaned back then rammed his body full force into the door, sending the edge of the wood into Savi's cheek. She hurtled backward until she lay sprawled on the floor, looking up at him. His navy-blue dress pants and wingtip shoes made her shudder as a distant memory tried to smother her efforts to regain her breath, but she tamped it back down. The angry man towered over her.

"Ah, just where a slut like you belongs, Savannah—at my feet." He reached for her. "Let me hear you scream, for old-times sake, you filthy whore."

No! Memories of the night he'd placed her father's brand on her could never be erased, no matter how many times she'd tried. Neither could any of the degrading things he and Lyle had subjected her to at her father's orders. She got onto all fours and scrambled to get away, sliding on the waxed floor. Lyle's wingtip shoe gouged into her left side. The air whooshed from her lungs and she gasped, fighting for her next breath.

"Your father asked me to bring you and your brat to him. But we're going to enjoy a little playtime first. What your father doesn't know…"

Another blow struck her side near the same place and panic set in as her breathing became labored.

Breathe!

Maman, help me. Give me the strength to fight him off.

Savi pulled herself up using the hallway table and tried to breathe again. She turned to find Lyle smirking at her. Bastard. Picking up a brass candlestick from the table, she swung it at his head, striking a blow she hoped had left him more than just stunned. Not waiting for him to recover, she followed up by kicking him in the groin. He doubled over and fell to the floor. He lay moaning, holding his privates as blood trickled onto her floor, when she remembered how to cut off the blood flow to the brain. She'd learned the technique from a veteran female Marine who had studied with her in college.

Savi cringed as her finger touched his neck, hating to place her hands anywhere on him, but finally found the point she sought and pressed—hard. She counted. By thirty seconds, Lyle's body grew even more limp.

Escape! Now!

Running to the kitchen, she grabbed her purse and keys and stumbled out the back door. A black BMW sat parked behind her little blue Nissan. She glanced back at her bungalow. Her home, but no longer her safe place.

No sign of Lyle yet, but he wouldn't be unconscious forever. Breathing had become a struggle, but she refused to escape inside her head to that numb place where she could dull the pain. Mari needed her to stay in the moment.

Mari needed her. Period.

She filled her lungs with as much air as she could stand and held her breath. Oh dear lord. Why couldn't she breathe? She pressed her hand to her chest and tucked her elbow against her left side, near where Lyle had kicked her repeatedly. Was something broken?

How had her father and his partner found her after all these years? She'd changed her name, her looks, everything she could in order to keep from being found. No way would she ever let them anywhere near her daughter to do any of the things they'd done to her when she had been under her father's control. In some ways, while Lyle had only been her handler, he was more sadistic than her father. Lyle had been the one to place her father's shameful mark on her. He'd enjoyed hearing her scream and often inflicted even more pain than what her father had ordered.

She opened the car door, got behind the steering wheel, and turned the key in the ignition. She couldn't zone out now. She needed to get to San Miguel's…to Mari.

Then what?

The image of Damián Orlando in her office, comforting Teresa, his niece and her former client, and of him later, standing over the inert body of the girl's rapist father last month alternated before her eyes.

No. She could never go to him. He was dangerous in a totally different way from Lyle and her father—but still oh so dangerous.

Click HERE for the available Rescue Me Series books

You can find Kallypso at the following places:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Facebook Author Page
Amazon Author Page

Kallypso has generously offered FIVE commenters a copy of any Rescue Me book (past or future) and some pretty awesome swag including a Master Adam hand fan, pen, bookmarks, and RTC. Just leave a comment and fill out the form below to be entered. All Birthday Bash contests are open until noon CST tomorrow (8/31/12). Winners will be chosen and notified shortly after that. Thank you for stopping by!!!

46 comments:

Unknown said...

I love you Kally :) Thanks for being part of Alannah's birthday bash and offering the books and swag. You know I'm anxiously awaiting "Nobody's Perfect".

Lisa W said...

Love your books Kally! But you know that!

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday Alannah! And Kallypso patiently awaiting(not so much) the next book of the series. Thank you for your gift to us readers.

Unknown said...

Kally I am a huge fan of your Masters at arms series ... I am anxiously waiting the release of Nobodys perfect I love the way you demonstrate in your books that even sexy strong hero type characters have demons to exorcise makes them vunerable and loveable .... heck I still dream about Master Adam :) ... Thank you Kally your talent for romantic storytelling is an inspiration to us all xx

CuriousBelle said...
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Bellinda said...

Happy Birthday Alannah :) Hope it filled lots of smiles and laughs! Not so patiently waiting "Nobody's Perfect".

Anonymous said...

I was lucky enough to come across Masters At Arms and was SO excited it was free on Amazon and then I finally got around to reading it because the cover was HOT and well I dont usually read the blurb on what the books are about because I LOVE to be surprised at what is going to happen. haha so when I found out they were MARINES and she talked about CAMP PENDLETON ohhhh I was so mad I didnt read them earlier! haha I have a soft spot for both of them my husband was a Marine for 8 years and we lived on base on Camp Pendleton. So reading this just warmed my heart and then made me think back to all the Marines I met and made me WONDER!!.... HMMMMMM how many of them were into this type of lifestyle?? lol I did meet quite a few guys who were swingers and well yeah that wasnt our thing but I dont judge so it was interesting to hear the stories. lol
I can NOT wait for Damian's book!! And I LOVE them more then I can EVER explain... more so since I can relate to some extent! THANK YOU Kally for doing what you do!!!

Unknown said...

Happy birthday, Alannah. Kallypso I love the Rescue Me series and that your characters are so realistic. I also love being able to read about (and get to know) you as a real person through your many posts on FB. Keep writing, and I'll keep reading.

Kim Lemear said...

Your Birthday, apparently meant a present for all of Kally's fans. Love the excerpt. Just over 2 weeks to the new book. Can't wait. yippee

Cathy V said...

Happy Birthday :) I love Kally's books and am patiently waiting for Nobody's Perfect... maybe not so patiently!

Milyssa said...

I LOVE Kallypso' s books. She is awesome. I love master Adam and am looking forward to reading about Luke in future books. I cannot wait for Nobodys Perfect! Happy Birthday Allanah!

Booklover Sue said...

Happy Birthday Alannah! I love Kallypso Masters "Masters at Arms" series!

Unknown said...

I love the depth of your characters. It makes them stand out from the usual romance type novels.

Unknown said...
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Linda said...

I am so excited about the book on Damian and Savi!!! I hope the next 2.5 weeks fly by. I recommend your books to everyone!
Linda

Unknown said...

Whew!! I'm having a hard time keeping up with my own party. That's not good!!

Kally - I don't know what to say. You are such a sweet person and I'm so glad our paths crossed. I hate that our loved ones have had to deal with so much in their lives, but I'm grateful to have made friends with you so we can help each other through it!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being so generous with your giveaway packages. I can't wait for this book, and five commenters are gonna be sooo lucky!! Thank you!!

Unknown said...

Becki - I'm right there with you on anxiously waiting. Damien is so hot, and I can't wait to read the rest of his and Savi's story! Thank you for working so hard for me today!!

Unknown said...

Hi LM! Isn't Kally awesome!! I love her, and her books, too!!

Thanks for dropping by and partying with us!

Unknown said...

Hi Nancy! Thanks for the birthday wishes and for dropping by to help me celebrate!

Unknown said...

Hi Zoe - I agree with everything you said!! Thank you for dropping by and partying with us!

Unknown said...

Hi Bellinda - thanks!! My day has been fantastic! Thank you for dropping by and helping me celebrate.

Unknown said...

Hi Mommasbooks! I live in NC, not far from Camp Legune, so I run into marines all the time... and I often wonder myself. :-D

Thanks for dropping by and please tell your husband thank you for his service! You too! Because it is a huge sacrifice for the whole family. Hugs!

Unknown said...

Deanna - Thank you! Thanks for dropping by. Happy reading!

Unknown said...

Kim - Isn't Kally awesome?! I was so excited when she offered to do this give away for my birthday. I'm right there with all of you - anxiously waiting for Damien and Savi!

Thanks for dropping by!

Unknown said...

Cathy - Thank you! I hear ya about the patience. I haven't said anything to Kally, because I know what it's like to have readers asking, "How long do we have to wait?" It's a great feeling! But it also makes me stress, wishing I could write faster.

But I'm very excited about the release of Nobody's Perfect too! :-)

Unknown said...

Hi Milyssa - Thank you!

Oh... Luke! Yes!! I loved him and can't wait to see what the Baby Dom does! hehe...

Unknown said...

Hi Susan - thank you! Thanks for dropping by and visiting with us!!

Unknown said...

Hi Tara - you're so right about that. Kally's characters absolutely come to life for me! I laugh and cry right along with them.

Thanks for dropping by!

Unknown said...

Hi Linda - Thanks for dropping by and commenting! Good luck!

Melanie said...

I love this author!!!!!!!

Netty68 said...

Hi Kally, I love your books, and am waiting, tissues in hand for this book, can't wait :-)

jannasierens said...

Happy Birthday Alannah!!!!

Love the Masters! Cant wait for Nobody's Perfect

Silver James said...

Win, lose or draw I definitely want this book. Whoah! What a prologue. How have I missed you as an author before now? I must rectify that ASAP.

Unknown said...

I have been waiting months for this book! Cant wait for its release. Damian is going to be a great read, just like Adam & Mark were.

June M. said...

I LOVE Kally's books!!! She is actually how I found your site today :) I am with everyone else and so eager for NP in a little over 2 weeks! I am going to curl up with my Kindle, some snacks and cold drinks, box of tissues and just READ!!!
(Can you tell I have a plan, lol)

Gabrielle Lee said...

I love this series and cannot wait to get my hands on teh latest.

Kallypso Masters said...

Alannah, thanks for hauling my ass over here to read all these lovely comments. Wow. You all know how to make a girl feel good. Way to make me cry, though, but I guess I deserve it after all the tears I've gotten you all to shed over my Marines and their ladies. Oh, well, and Mistress Grant. Let's not forget her. She has a kick-ass alpha sub she'll be reunited with at the end of Nobody's Dream next year that will knock your socks off.

Mommasbooks, I second Alannah's thank you to you and your husband for your service. Oh, one of my experts on the Marine lifestyle told me that they weren't supposed to go to clubs and such. (He said if Marc and Damian had seen Adam at the club in LA, they would have spit out their beer--or the redhead--and run. LOL) But he had a riding crop in the closet from those days of not going to clubs, so I'm guessing anyone who saw another Marine in one just turned the other way. God love the Marines!

Thanks, everyone, for your comments AND your patience. Sept. 14 will be here before *I* know it, but I hope the wait will have been worth it. I certainly am much happier with the book now that I've had time to take a break from it and then go back and see it with fresh eyes (and not so much anxiety).

You all are going to LOVE Master Damian. That is all.

Kally

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for being you Kally. We'll wait as long as it takes for Damian and Savi (and you) because I know how hard this was for you to write. BTW, if you keep giving away free copies, you won't have anyone left to sell to lol.

Amanda McFarland said...

As your biggest fan....you should give me free stuff!! LoL

Unknown said...

Why, oh why i torture myself? I know I shouldn't read excerpts from the books I'm looking forward to read, that makes the waiting worse!! But i can't help it! And definitely I can't help read it when it's about Damian and Savi! I've been waiting their books since I read Masters at arms, few months back when i came across with this series and I feel in love with it!
I love the realistic, hawtess characters and the way their story is told, not in just one book. I've laughed and cried, and always want more. They get better and better every time.
*sighs* The 14th is too far away!!

Unknown said...

Melanie - you and me both. As a person and an author, I just adore her!!

Netty - The wait has been a long one, hasn't it? But I know it'll be so worth it! :-)

Janna - Thanks!! Thanks for dropping by and commenting!

Silver - Kally started publishing last year - she's a indie author that has done GREAT things! Her books are amazing, so definitely check them out!

Unknown said...

Latochia - Yep! You're right. Damien might actually end up being my favorite! :-)


June - It sounds like you have a GREAT plan! :-D I hope it worked out the way you hoped!! And I'm so glad to have made the connection with you. Thanks for spending my special day with me!


Gabrielle - Me too! Thanks for dropping by and commenting!

Unknown said...

Kally - I'm glad you could drop by and feel the love!! Thanks, again!!


Becki - You said that very well. I've been anxiously waiting for this book too, but I know it's been so difficult for Kally to write - and as a writer I know the anxiety that you feel when you want to get the story out there, but you feel like part of your soul is being ripped apart in the process. Hopefully this has been a cathartic experience for her, as well, and has helped heal some of her wounds, like Damien has helped heal Savi's.

Unknown said...

Amanda - :-D

Mare - Thanks for dropping by and commenting!!! Maybe we should start a countdown party for Kally! :-D

Unknown said...

Alannah...Kally and I have had several conversations about this. I know how hard it's been for her to write this and she already knows it's going to be hard for me to read it too because of my own background and triggers. It might take me a year to get through it depending on how many breaks I need to take. BUT, learning how someone else has coped with and is recovering from these experiences is always helpful to me. I'm always open to learning new coping strategies.

Unknown said...

Becki - I understand that difficulty myself. :-) On a minor scale, compared to so many others, but I do get it. Big hugs to you!!!