Can a love already tested to the limit survive on the trail to the wilds of California to their new home? After bidding farewell to her despondent family, newly-pregnant Charlotte drops everything to follow Sanderson to a promised job out west. The journey proves more difficult than any of them could have ever imagined. Wild animals, natural disasters, and a heavy Indian presence test not only Sanderson and Charlotte’s strength and endurance, but their faith in each other as well.

SEX; THE ONLY WAY TO FEEL

April 24, 2013 by mokauthor

Reblogged from mokauthor:

ARTHUR J. GONZALEZ, THE PHOTO TRAVELLER

April 23, 2013 by mokauthor

THE PHOTO TRAVELER is young adult author Arthur J. Gonzalez’s first novel. Arthur was born and raised in Miami surrounded by his loud Cuban family. He graduated from the University of Florida, where he acquired his coffee obsession and his chocolate hoarding antics. He’s the proud father of one baby girl, Sookie—his miniature schnoodle dog. Arthur is a self-professed goofball who spends 98% of his life laughing. He’s now working on his second novel.

The Photo Traveler- If you could time travel through photos, where would you go? That’s exactly what happens to 17-year-old Gavin Hillstone, when he discovers his ability to time travel through photos. The decisions Gavin makes in the past, will directly affect his future.

SEX; THE ONLY WAY TO FEEL

April 23, 2013 by mokauthor

omething that I learned very early in life is that sex controlled a lot of things that grown up do. It’s a mode of trade really. If we went back to the battering days, it would be a commodity or a currency. Maybe if it was people wouldn’t be so fascinated with it, yeah right. It is used in a less formal way, in the private quarters of husbands and boyfriends, wives, girlfriends and mistresses a wand of power. In a teenager’s life, it is a commitment to some, and to others it is a way to get a boy they like to like them back. Honestly I think that if you are under the age of twenty five you should keep away from it. At twenty five you have got your life together. You know where you’re headed and are at a better head space to handle the consequences.

n my book SHADES OF SPRING 1964; LETTERS TO MY DAUGHTER, it is used as a way to feel. Maxine is in college and after her mother’s death she is left feeling so numb. She’s dumped her boyfriend and can only turn to her literature class partner, Taylor to help her feel again. She goes into total attack mode, giving it all she’s got until Taylor has no other choice than to fulfil her wishes. Taylor is caught up in this flood of emotions rushing through him not knowing if Maxine is experiencing the same thing. She isn’t. Not exactly.

he book is a contemporary romance and not a historical. I have had a reviewer say that when they got the book they were excited about reviewing a historical. The description clearly says Interracial Contemporary Romance. Anyway, the reason it’s got 1964 on the title is because Maxine finds letters dating back to 1964 in her mother’s possessions. So when she’s not doing the horizontal rumba with Taylor she is reading these letters. All the emotions Taylor hopes she feels come from these letters.

Romeo and Juliet thing to some extent. Kristen and Robert (not the twilighters) aren’t allowed by society to be together. Some readers pointed out that in 1964 interracial dating was allowed, no it wasn’t. And if it was, not everywhere. The Anti-miscegenation laws existed in the United States until it was ruled unconstitutional in Loving v. Virginia by a Supreme Court in 1967. Anyway back to the book. Robert fell for his chamber maid Kristen. He went on with his societal duties as expected, marrying a girl chosen by his parents and running his father’s plantation. Kristen finally realising that she wouldn’t have more than just sex with Robert, marries her neighbour. But that marriage kicks Robert into gear and he convinces Kristen to run away with him. That doesn’t end well, because Robert’s brother tracks them down and kills Kristen. The bastard, I know! Realising he can’t live without the love of his life Robert hangs himself. Spoiler Alert!

he novel goes back and forth. The reason for it is to show how different relationship priorities were in 1964 and present times. As Robert and Kristen were only trying to keep their heads down, Maxine and Taylor’s only priority was sex. Taylor soon realises that he sort of likes not completely loves this infuriating girl. Maxine at the moment has only one priority, to find out what happened to the people in the letter. She also can’t help but draw comparisons between R&K’s love story and what is going on with her own life. She finally figures out that those were her grandparents. Something else she realises is that Taylor is the son of the man who killed her grandmother. Hold on, I should say adoptive son. How crazy do you guys think I am?

HADES OF SPRING 1964; LETTERS TO MY DAUGHTER has been out in the world for almost a year now. If you guys like this crazy way of describing my book, share it with your friends and get a copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords or All Romance. Then look out for my insane mind at work in other books. It’s been a pleasure.

Oh! yeah, the excerpt. Down below

The hesitation was back in his eyes but this time she wasn’t going to convince him. She sat back on his desk and picked up a book she flipped through it as he made up his mind.

“Why are you doing this?” He said once he managed to find his voice.

“I want to.” Maxine put down the book and hopped off the desk, “You didn’t seem to have a problem with it before.”

“I wasn’t thinking before.”

“Then let’s not think tonight too.” She locked her fingers behind his neck and rose to her tip toes, “No one is getting hurt. We are two consenting adults.” Her warm breathe whispered against his neck and his body shuddered. She felt his hard flesh press against her belly and she chuckled, “I know you want to.”

It was obvious that he wanted to, and it pained him to refuse her, to refuse sex but he had to. “I don’t want to, I mean I can’t.”

Maxine felt his hand hold on to her waist. He wanted to that was obvious but he just wouldn’t let himself surrender to what she wanted. She dropped to her heels and dropped her hands to her sides, “Okay,” she pushed out of his arms and walked back to the desk, “you wanted to discuss the book earlier on, so let’s do that.”

“Are you serious? No sex?”

“Maybe not for you,” Maxine began to bait him, “But when I’m done here I intend on calling Dave.” She turned around and let it sink in.

THE REBEL’S OWN

April 22, 2013 by mokauthor

Ryan Carville had always wanted to fit in with the popular kids in high school. So when he grew a couple of inches taller and put on weight, he signed up for the football team. In every team there are competitions that are meant to build the team and make it stronger. For his football team the game was known as the ‘United Tastes’. Each team mate had to sleep with a girl who represented different race, height and weight. Being the quarterback and the star player, Ryan didn’t have any difficulty in finding girls who wanted to help him win. And with his victory he was rewarded a “prom-Sacrifice’ first pick at the known innocent girls in the school. Reluctant at first, Ryan is convinced by his girlfriend Clara to claim his prize. In fact she picks her out for him.

Kennedy had always kept her head down. She didn’t get into any of the social clubs in school because unlike the other students she had responsibilities at home. Her father was ill, her mother worked two jobs to put food on the table and she had to do her part. Taking care of her father was he after school activity. Maintaining anonymity was all she ever did, so imagine her surprise when the star football player approaches her during lunch. All he wants is a date, how could she say no?

She should have…

Fast forward six years…

Kennedy wakes up to find her five year old son feverish and barely conscious. She rushes him to the hospital and finds out that he has leukemia. Riley Bailey reminds his mother of his father. From the deep blue of his eyes to the sly grin. She always thought the only place, other than the television, that she would see Ryan again was in her son’s eyes. But now, to save her son she has to do the unthinkable. She needs to get Riley a sibling so that he can get a transplant from the cord blood.

Ryan is a Boston Rebel. He made it to the pros right after he left high school, but he doesn’t seem to have left high school behind. His best friend Matt and his girlfriend Clara are still with him. At the age of twenty two he has everything a young man could ever ask for. His dreams at playing in the NFL met, Ryan now desires other roles besides being the quarterback, and he wants to be a husband and a father. Clara turns him down, laughing in his face at how ridiculous it would be to be tied down to a child when her social life was taking off. She was hounded by paparazzi, appeared in the front pages of magazines and tabloids and she was invited to all the elite parties in Boston. On a night out, Ryan sees a black beauty sitting at the bar alone. Feeling courageous he approaches her. Immediately he is mesmerized by everything she says, the movement of her body and the way she smiles. The friendly banter at the bar turns into a one night stand at her hotel room.

Kennedy hopes that once again, sleeping with Ryan once did the charm. She is angry at herself for letting him make love to her again, and worst of all that she enjoyed it. Ryan seems to haunt her dreams even more, that when he reaches out to her for a second tryst she immediately accepts. But Riley is getting worse, and she doesn’t have the money for his chemotherapy and radiation. Kennedy approaches Matt and threatens to go to the tabloids and tell them of the ‘United Tastes’ game. Matt doesn’t know what to do. So he does the only thing that he thinks is right, he tells Ryan.

Ryan has been pining after his chocolate beauty every single day. His insatiable and can’t seem to get enough of her. As he fantasizes about their love making, one nightmare crushes into it, they never used protection. Before Ryan could arrange a meeting with his beauty to talk over her attempt of trapping him, Mat reaches out to him. In an instant Ryan finds himself bearing a weight he never thought he would face. He had a son, but he was dying.

Kennedy is trying not to break down as her son cries about his illness. All she can do is holding him. But when things take a turn for the worse she can’t bare it anymore. Kennedy tries to escape but comes face to face with Ryan. They don’t argue, they don’t fight, and they just agree that they need to make another baby to save the one they already have.

Kennedy soon finds herself in a marriage of convenience. She needs his money and if time wasn’t on their side his bone-marrow. Ryan is happy to give his son everything he needs, how else is he going to make up for the wrong he had done his mother, and for not being there for the first five years of Riley’s life. They already had the rules set out, but what they didn’t expect was to fall in love.

PROLOGUE

Charleston High 2006…

“It’s almost prom superstar. Have you chosen your ‘Prom-sacrifice’?”

Ryan Carville studied his best friend, at odds at what to say. He snickered and looked around the crowded lunch room. His ‘Prom-sacrifice’ had to be someone none of his friends had been with, an untouched, unused girl. His football teammates had a long running game that was off the field. They would taste a girl who represented a different sort of category, height, weight and color. So far it was five for five and Ryan had been able to bag the best five. Now in addition to his prom date he had to choose his ‘Prom-sacrifice’. This had to be done in the presence of the whole football and cheerleading team, this way they knew who was untouched.

His ‘Prom-Sacrifice’ had to be a virgin.

“So have you Ry?” The little blond smiled up at him. He stared at the top of her cheerleading uniform, sure that the sweetheart neckline that showed off her cleavage and the top of her round breasts were against school regulations.

Ryan stared at his girlfriend the captain of the cheerleading squad. He often wondered why his sexual activities had never bothered her. She was even the one to convince him into the ‘United Tastes’ game after the cheerleading squad had told her that his innocent demeanor was quickly making him unpopular. He went along with it, especially since he had finally gotten his football scholarship from Oregon, he knew High School would soon be over.

He watched as Clara’s head whipped back to the crowded lunch room, her blond bouncy locks flying with the motion. “How about…her?”

Ryan lifted his eyes from his girlfriend’s golden ringlets to the crowd. There was a group of girls where Clara was pointing, and obviously they were all from the Math’s Club. He smiled, a bit of hope tugging at his heart strings. Maybe, just maybe Clara did care. That was why she was pointing towards the less popular girls in school. “Who?”

“The girls at the math’s club are so lame.” His best friend Matt said. Matt was also the other reason why he had joined the United Tastes club. His popularity was dwindling faster than Ryan’s. He had appointed himself the club aficionado, the score record keeper (that may be the reason Ryan won) and the camera guy. “We don’t want him to learn about the square root of pie whilst his between her legs.” He scoffed.

“One I already know the answer to that, and two that is a big club. I don’t want them to find out about it and destroy my football career before it starts by killing me.” Ryan teased.

“They could definitely do that. Especially the big one, if she sits on your leg that is it.” Matt teased.

Ryan forced a smile. He needed the school year to be over already. He needed to get away from this psychotic group and hang around normal people.

“I for one don’t think you’ll make the big leagues.” Clara said with a smile, “But I was talking about the girl behind the math-dorks. The squad already did a background check on her. She’s a loner and most importantly a virgin. She doesn’t have any friends so you don’t have to worry about a group of ugly ducklings hunting you down. Plus she needs someone to pay attention to her, even if it’s for only one night.”

“I don’t know.” Ryan looked at the girl sitting all alone. She was eating her lunch her head down the whole time. It was like she was worried of someone noticing her. Unfortunately for her Clara had already seen her. There was nothing and no one who could save her now. But the sooner he got it done the better. He didn’t even know her name and he was already planning on how he was going to rob her of her innocence.

“If you choose her, I will make it worth your while.” Clara smiled at him suggestively. And when she winked at him, his heart and his penis throbbed.

“Alright,” he said a slow sly smile creeping on his lips. Being with the Prom-sacrifice was a small ‘sacrifice’ in order to get to be with Clara again. Their sexual relationship was based on a reward system. If he scored a touchdown, or was the leading scorer or did something that would make her more popular, he was rewarded with sex.

He sighed as he stood up, and then took a step towards his ‘Prom-sacrifice’.

Kennedy moved her lunch around her meal tray. She always kept her head down; the last thing she wanted was someone to notice her. Already she had gotten offers to join the mathletes, which she obviously turned down. The only reason they knew about her, was because the school math’s professor had asked her and she turned the offer down. And now the club members were hounding her trying to recruit her. At first she thought about joining, but the situation at home forced her to change her mind.

Her life was not her own. She had to help her mother with her ailing father. Her mother worked nights and took care of her father when she was in school. She had to get off from school and be at home before five, so that her mother could take off for her job. The math’s club ran from four to six pm. Although she knew they would probably allow her to leave early, it would mean she would have to tell them about the situation at home. She didn’t want her personal life on the lips of strangers.

Kennedy had this eerie feeling that someone was watching her, and when she lifted her head, she could see the whole football and cheerleading teams staring at her. She pulled her hair out of its knot at the back of her head and pulled them forward to cover her face. After a few seconds she looked up again and met the unblinking stare of Ryan Carville. She felt her whole body go limp and her heart race when he started walking towards her. She looked behind her just to make sure if there was someone behind her. Her warm bubble blew in her face when she saw the Hollywood group sitting behind her. They were the princesses with expensive clothes, jewelry and make-up on.

She sighed and sat up. But just as she begun to pull her hair back, Ryan slid into the bench of her lunch table. Kennedy looked at him puzzled and lost for words.

“Hi!” he said as he smiled at her.

“Uh…Uhmmm…,” Kennedy cleared the knot of nerves bundled in her throat, and finally said, “Hi.”

“My friends and I were wondering if you would like to come watch us practice after school.” The drawl in his voice pulled her in. And as if that wasn’t enough the sparkle in his blue eyes, brought out the jet black color of his hair. Kennedy’s eyes wondered around his face, noting his dark skin, that she knew was from playing out in the sun. His arms were thick, a thick vein running along his arms, the sleeves of his t-shirt, stretched to the limit. And his smile, he deserved to be in toothpaste commercial.

“Yes, I mean…I mean no, sorry I can’t come.” She quickly said.

“But why?” He smiled at her once again and his hand reached out to hers. Kennedy’s heart jumped into her throat, a sliver of shock running through her body. His finger went on to drawing circles in her palm, “I promise to make sure you have a lot of fun.”

“I,” Kennedy cried out when his ministrations drugged her body with need, “I’m sorry I can’t.” Just then she wished she didn’t have the family that she did. That she could be able to say yes to Ryan and follow him about like a sick puppy.

“That’s fine, maybe next time.” Ryan said before he stood up and left.

The Not So Warm Welcome Home-A Heart to Heal Preview

April 15, 2013 by mokauthor

Reblogged from Synithia Williams:

A Heart to Heal, my third book, releases in 4 weeks! I had fun counting down the weeks to the release of Worth the Wait back in December by posting a new preview each week. So why not do it again with A Heart to Heal? I hope you enjoy the countdown.

And if you can't wait until May 6 to keep reading, check out the advanced review copy giveaway I'm doing on my Facebook fan page: http://bit.ly/YhxTxx…