Magnetic Desires Series Release

Misti Murphy brings you filthy mouthed men and the sassy girls who keep them in their place with the Magnetic Desires Series. What? Yes, a whole series drops today. Check her out on Amazon and pick up all three.

 

Compulsion-Stranded in the friend zone, Orion’s been in love with his best friend Clo since high school, unable to work out how to get her to see him as more. 

After catching her husband cheating, Clo turns to her best friend Orion for support, only to find he wants more than she’s willing to give.

While Orion shows her that not all men are pricks, and not all roses have thorns, Clo must find a way to let go of the past and open herself up to a second chance at love.

 

 

Addiction-Birdie Lance isn’t a victim. She’s an idiot who let a boy get too close. At least that’s how she sees it. It's easy to not make the same mistake again — she doesn’t let anyone in anymore.

After the accident, Dr Drake Barclay threw himself into his obstetrics practice, and uses boxing to keep the demons at bay. A recovering addict, he is barely existing, until he meets the bombshell who pushes all his buttons.

Two people coping with the traumatic scars of their past find an irresistible bond that may just heal them both.

 

 

Immersion-Leo Barclay plans on having a fling, okay lots of flings. He does not plan on falling down on his knees in front of the first girl he sees and proposing to her. So how the hell does he find himself in that exact position?

Lola Albricht is looking for money, a holiday fling with a pay-out. When Leo offers her marriage, she decides he’ll be an easy target. Only he’s stealing her heart in the process. How is she supposed to pay off her boss if she can’t cash out and walk away?

 

Here's a sexy excerpt from Compulsion.

"Then I’ll take tonight." Sliding a hand under her shirt to pull her flush against me, I reached behind her and unlocked the door. Her skin was smooth satin under my fingertips. Not willing to give her another chance to change her mind, I owned her mouth, tangling our tongues together and tasting the salty tang of the tequila we'd shared earlier. A soft gasp wisped between us, then her hands were tangled in my hair, her body pressing into mine. Turning the door handle, I sent us crashing into the house, only our tight embrace and the wall keeping us from stumbling to the floor. The way she clung to me made me smile. She might say she didn't trust men; that she couldn't trust her heart to anyone, but it wasn't true. Not when she was with me.

 Settling both hands on the small of her back, the dip of her spine under my fingers, I continued my exploration of her mouth. Despite her tentative, fluttering movements, I could sense the wildness in her, the desperation I would pull from her.

Waltzing my lips along her jaw, I left a trail down her throat to her collarbone. When I sucked the fragile skin into my mouth, clamping my teeth around it, she shuddered and let out a low moan. The bitterness of her perfume danced on my tongue, but it was the dark flushing of her skin that had me grinning. It was the first of many times I would mark her as mine, even if it were the only one she would physically see. For days to come, when she looked in the mirror and saw my mark on her skin she'd be pulled back to this night and her body would ache for me.

Desperate hands tugged at my shirt, and I whipped it over my head, discarding it while she struggled with my belt. Catching her hands in one of mine, I undid the buckle and pulled it free, undoing the snaps on my jeans. "In a hurry, babe?"

"Did you forget, I've seen your package? What girl wouldn't be in a hurry to find out if it's as good as it looks."

"You've seen my…" I raised an eyebrow as I searched my mind for that particular memory. "…package?"

She nodded, her lip slightly curved. "I always wondered…"

"What did you wonder?" I gripped her chin and skirted my lips over hers.

"Even flaccid, it looked…too big. How do you fuck a girl with a weapon like that?" 

 

You can find Misti Murphy online below.

Website http://mistimurphy.weebly.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mistileemurphy/timeline

Twitter https://twitter.com/mistileemurphy

Thank you for stopping by and make sure to go give Misti Murphy some love.

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www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

What's on the menu? Sweet and spicy romance.

Food Network and The Travel Channel are always on the TV in my house. Unless the SF Giants are playing, but I digress.

Chopped. Cutthroat Kitchen. Next Food Network Star. Anthony Bourdain. DDD. When I'm tired of the same old dinner recipes, those shows provide great ideas. Instead of making a regular burger at home, I make a Juicy Lucy with fresh jalapenos and pepper jack cheese. Instead of heading out for pizza, we take a drive and get our grub on at a local BBQ restaurant.

There's one thing that all those food shows and competitions have in common: The food must be delicious. You can have the highest degree from the best culinary academy, can talk the biggest game about your skills in gastronomy, brag about being the head chef at a five star restaurant, but your food must back it up.

So today I will back up my sweet and spicy with an excerpt from one of my books below.

Sweet Dreams:

Tonight, I finish cleaning up early and turn off the sign. Selecting one of my playlists and making sure the volume isn’t too loud, I carry the twinkle lights I bought earlier out to the back patio to hang them.

This will be good.

I know once the patio is set up the customers will love it, especially on sunny days and warm nights.

“Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star plays softly as I sing along, standing on a chair outside, stringing up the lights. I’m doing a pretty good job and am impressed by my work so far, when I hear someone call, “Jen?” from inside the café.

I yell, “Back here!” not worrying who it might be as they obviously know my name. Having trouble with this one string of lights, I stand up on the tabletop next to me to try and get it to wrap correctly around the clothesline I hung a few months ago.

“Back where?” The voice asks.

As I’m about to get the string just right, I see a ginormous green stick bug staring at me from the wall I’m leaning against. I freeze, not wanting to make any sudden moves that could cause it to jump and attack me.

The voice again calls, “Are you all right? Where are you?”

I’m paralyzed with fear, exactly like in my nightmares. I want to scream, but nothing will come out.

Calm down, calm down…

Finally finding my voice, I keep both eyes on the green goblin staring back at me, and squeak out, “I’m in the back.”

My heart pounds and I don’t know what to do. The door to the kitchen opens and shoes tap the floor coming toward me. The green goblin decides to make his move and starts to crawl closer to me.

“Ahhhhhhhh!!!!”

Someone crashes through the door. Turning to see who it is in my bug induced fear, I find Jake looking up at me with a relieved look on his face.

“Jake, what are you doing here?” I ask, panting.

He eyes me up and down. “This isn’t smart, someone could rob the place while you’re back here.”

With a wobble in my voice, I turn back to the wall and watch the ugly thing inch closer to me. “Rob me of what, paper cups? I already closed the register.”

Please don’t jump on me, please don’t jump on me.

He huffs and asks, “Do you want help? Why did you scream?”

I snap back. “Because the green goblin is going to get me, and no I don’t need any help!” I take a step down to the chair below, with my eyes on my enemy on the wall, lose my footing and start to fall.

In the time it takes for me to reach the ground, I catch Jake’s eye and see him realize I’m falling and position himself to try and catch me. It all happens in slow motion and in that time I imagine falling into Jake’s open arms and him romantically cradling me against his chest.

That is not what happens.

Nope. Of course not.

I let out a yelp as the chair goes out from under me, praying I don’t hit my head on the wall as I come down. Jake tries to catch me but fails and I end up landing on him, taking him down with me. We’re in an awkward heap on the cement floor, me on top, and he grunts as my full weight hits him and knocks the wind out of him.

Straining to speak he says, “Well, that didn’t work.”

I’m embarrassed, but also disappointed he didn’t come to my rescue like in the movies. “Thanks for catching me,” I say sarcastically. “Help me up please?”

Jake scoffs. “I can’t. You are crushing me!”

“Oh, fine, I was hoping you were a gentleman.” I start to get up and accidently knee him in the stomach. “Sorry.” I get my feet under me and offer him a hand to help him up.

Jake gets up slowly, takes a deep breath and says, “No problem.”

Embarrassed, I move to pick up the chair, feel my ankle give way and hiss. “Son of a Biscuit.” Holding onto the edge of the table, I rub my ankle while I stand on one foot.

“Serves you right, that was dangerous in so many ways!” He’s scolding me again.

The nerve!

“Nope, no gentleman here!” I say, glaring at him.

Wow, so not the poor baby I was looking for.

Slowly, I start to limp back into the café and I hear Jake say from behind me, “Oh for crying out loud.”

He sweeps me up and my arm automatically goes around his neck as he carries me into the café toward the counter.

All I can think as I look up at his profile is how good he smells and how strong his arms are around me. Feeling no pain, I gaze up at him as he slowly sets me down on the counter. I let go a beat too late and he looks me in the eye, clears his throat and then looks down at my foot. My chest heaves and my face must be the color of a ripe tomato.

Could I be more obvious?

Sweet buttercups, he smells good.

He stands in between my legs as they dangle from the counter while he examines my foot and I can’t help but notice what a perfect height he is to…Stop!

I shake my head to clear those thoughts from continuing down that path and say, “Well, maybe there’s hope after all.”

With a little smirk he says, “Maybe."

 

 

Sweet Dreams is available on Amazon and Free with Kindle Unlimited.

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 Thank you for reading.

www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

Character Interview with Jordan from Sea Breeze

On May 27th, I published a romance entitled Sea Breeze. Jordan, my FMC, just stopped by for a quick chat. 

Jennifer: “Jordan, thank you for joining me today and congratulations on the new release of Sea Breeze. Tell me, what made you decide to take a cruise?”

Jordan: “That’s harder to answer than you’d think. I’ve lived in Vegas my entire life. This was the first opportunity I’ve had to leave. When my coworker, Kim, told me her “boyfriend” wasn’t going with her, I offered to buy the ticket. I needed it. Desperately.”

Jennifer: “Wow, so you’ve never left the city of Las Vegas. I can understand how that could be suffocating. I could use a vacation myself.” Where did you go? What did you see?”

Jordan: “Right.”

She squirms in her seat indicating I may have hit a nerve.

Jennifer: “Where did you go? What did you see?”

Jordan: “The plane ride was long, but once I arrived in Miami and glimpsed the ocean, my sore back was quickly forgotten. Fourteen days in the Caribbean. This ship was the size of a small city. I live in Vegas, so I’m used to large casinos and all that, but I never imaged something that big would be able to float on the water. And so much to do on board. San Juan, Puerto Rico is vibrant. So much to see and not nearly enough time. The food— my goodness. I tried so many different dishes in Puerto Rico. And the music was… intoxicating. Ocho Ríos, Jamaica was the closest thing to paradise I had ever imagined. Natural springs. Waterfalls. Rivers. Beaches. We spent most of our time in the water.”

Jennifer: “You and Kim?”

Jordan blushes.

Jordan: “No. Actually I didn’t really see Kim for most of the trip. She spent the majority of her time catching up with old friends. They had planned the vacation as a reunion of sorts. Her friends were nice, but I felt like a third wheel around them.”

Jennifer: “So who was with you in Jamaica?”

Jordan: “Eric. He’s a bartender on the ship which, initially, had me running in the opposite direction. I know what bartenders are like. But we hit it off.  He was… unexpected.”

Jennifer: “And?”

Jordan: “I wasn’t looking to meet anyone on this cruise. I took the trip for other reasons, but he’s interesting, sexy, and adventurous which really appeals to me. Eric really helped me open my eyes to the world and all its possibilities.”

Jennifer: “What would you like to say to our audience?”

Jordan: “Life is short. There’s a whole world out there to see. Don’t miss it.”

 

Thank you for stopping by.

Here's the blurb for Sea Breeze, a contemporary romance novella:

Jordan has never been in love, or been anywhere. Trapped in Vegas, she schleps drinks and dodges losers, while suffering under a burden only she can shoulder. Her life is an endless stretch of blah with no escape.

Until now.

Instead of looking back, she’s sailing forward.

Eric has left his family and friends in San Francisco to travel the world, tending bar on a cruise ship to fund his adventures. He can charm any coed who comes aboard, but Jordan sees right through him.

On the blue cobblestone streets of San Juan, everything changes. Food. Music. Exotic locations. Possibilities. Setting out to discover the world, will Jordan discover herself?

Sometimes, adventure can set you free…

If your interested in reading more, Sea Breeze is now available on Amazon and is free with Kindle Unlimited.

You can find me, my social links, and all my books on my website at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

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What I've Been Reading Lately

Even when in the middle of editing one book and releasing another, I still have time to read. I always have time to read.

The first novel I ever read cover to cover was Pride and Prejudice. Soon after, I gobbled many of the classics my mother had been recommending my entire life. From classic literature I turned to sci-fi and fantasy. Suspense kept me at the edge of my reading chair for quite some time. Literary fiction brought far away lands full of whimsy and intense beauty to my book shelves. Contemporary romance brought everyday desires to life.

This week, I circled back to my reading roots with two historical romances and was very impressed with both.

The first: La Déesse Noire by Mariana Gabrielle. The darker of the two books, this one was east meets west, exotic India meets buttoned-up 1800s England. Loved this book. It was more literary fiction than romance for me, although romance did play a sizable role. The author captivated me, similar to the way her main character, Kali, is trained in the art of seduction, and intrigued all the senses.

Here's the blurb:  Sired by a British peer, born of a paramour to Indian royalty, Kali Matai has been destined from birth to enthrall England’s most powerful noblemen—though she hadn’t counted on becoming their pawn. Finding herself under the control of ruthless men, who will not be moved by her legendary allure, she has no choice but to use her beauty toward their malicious and clandestine ends.

When those she holds most dear are placed in peril by backroom political dealings, she enlists some of the most formidable lords in England to thwart her enemies. But even with the help of the prominent gentlemen she has captivated, securing Kali’s freedom, her family, and the man she loves, will require her protectors stop at nothing to fulfill her desires.

You can read my review on Goodreads here. I received an advanced reader copy. Release date is scheduled for June 10, 2015, but you can pre-order a Kindle copy here.

The second: Candle's Christmas Chair by Jude Knight. This holiday novella was a bright, quick read with an unusual heroine I couldn't help but fall in love with. It's so rare to find a female lead in a regency romance that has ambitions other than marriage. It was a pleasure to read.

Here's the blurb: When Viscount Avery comes to see an invalid chair maker, he does not expect to find Min Bradshaw, the woman who rejected him 3 years earlier. Or did she? He wonders if there is more to the story. For 3 years, Min Bradshaw has remembered the handsome guardsman who courted her for her fortune. She didn't expect to see him in her workshop, and she certainly doesn't intend to let him fool her again.

You can find my review on Goodreads here. This book is currently perma-free on Amazon. You can download a copy of the book for Kindle here.

Thank you for joining me today. I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend. My newest release, Sea Breeze, a contemporary romance, releases Wednesday, May 27th. You can pre-order a copy on Kindle here or wait until Wednesday and read FREE with Kindle Unlimited.

Interested in joining My Dream Team? Click the link below.


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You can find me and all my links at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

Top Ten Vacation Destinations

This post is going to be short and sweet. Summer is looming on the horizon. The days are longer, the skies are blue, but it's still a bit cold here to start participating in summer activities. That doesn't stop me from dreaming about a vacation. There's a whole world out there to explore. If money were no object, you'd be hard pressed to find me at home.

I'm going to change the usual top ten up and list the top five places I've been and the top five places I want to go.

Top Five Places I've been

 

5. San Diego, California- The beaches: Go to Coronado for golden sand, Pacific Beach for local fun and bonfires, Mission Beach for the boardwalk, and La Jolla for the best waves for swimming. The Gaslamp District, beautiful at night sits smack dab in the center of downtown, and is filled with restaurants and bars, perfect for people watching. The weather can't be beat.

San Diego
 

4. Marbella, Spain- In southern Spain on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Spend the days in the sand and surf, and your nights eating and drinking. Puerto Banos is a must see. Great shopping during the day and at night, it's party time.

3. Merida/Cancun, Mexico- Cancun is beautiful and has the warmest ocean water I've ever experienced. The lesser known is across the peninsula, Merida on the gulf. It's a beautiful city, easy to navigate, with great nightlife. Driving distance from the Pyramids in Chichen Itza.

Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

2. Florence, Italy- The art, food, and people are all enough, but to be at the center of so much history... I can't wait to go back.

 

1. Morocco- I've have the advantage of being married to a Moroccan, so I've traveled several times to Morocco and to many different cities. Beautiful architecture, friendly people, beaches, food, and an ancient place with a very European feel. Great place to travel. Top cities I recommend; Rabat, Meknes, Tetouan, Marrakech, and Essaouira. For some reason, I still haven't made it to Fes, Chefchaouen, Agadir, or Ouarzazate, but there's always next time.

Top Five Places I Want to Go

5. England- I would love to tour the old estates of the English countryside. I want to see Downton Abbey, Pemberly, and all those inspirational abodes from Jane Austen's era.

4. Puerto Rico- After recent research for my newest book Sea Breeze, I really want to see San Juan, the El Yunque Rainforest, and hear some live Bomba.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

3. France- Paris, Marseille, Nice (and maybe I'll pop over to neighboring Monaco for a couple days)

2. India- This is one of the most exotic places I can think of in the world, and I really want to go. I love Indian food. I love the colors and even was married in a sari. I want to see the Taj Mahal and experience the sights and sounds of one of the most mystical places I can imagine.

1. Greece- This is top of my list. I want the islands, culture, food, music, history, all of it.

Wow, I don't know how I was able to narrow that down. There are too many other places I want to go as well, many of which are right here in the U.S. Now, I'm second guessing the above.

Domestically here are a few others:

New York, New York- I went as a kid, but would love to go back now for a weekend with my husband.
Savannah, Georgia- Ever since I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, I've been aching to go. I want to see the squares and old homes, listen to the music, and just be.
New Orleans, Louisiana- Food, French Quarter, cemeteries where local witches and vampires could be lurking...need I say more.
Miami, Florida- Oceans, nightlife, oceans...
Charleston, South Carolina- I want to tour the plantations and pre-Civil War homes.
National Parks in Utah bordering Arizona- Arches National Park and The Wave, such amazing natural phenomena and rock formations. Maybe a tour down the Colorado River?  

Internationally here are a few more, the reasons are irrelevant.

Jamaica
Turkey
Egypt
Portugal
Australia
New Zealand
Brazil
Argentina
Cuba
Japan
Ireland
Prague
Virgin Islands

What are your top five places you've been and top five you want to visit?

You can find me online at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

When Butterflies Attack

Butterflies are beautiful, although as someone with a slight (read not so slight) phobia of bugs, browsing photos of butterflies creeps me out. I'm absolutely not one of those people who would go to a butterfly farm and let them land on me...shudder, and this post is not about an actual butterfly swarm.

I'm talking today about the ones that make an appearance in our stomachs. The stomach flippers.

There are lots of reasons why our stomachs flip: Fear, surprise, anticipation, nerves, shock, and my favorite, attraction.

Today, one of my favorite ladies gave me butterflies. I have somewhat of a same-sex crush--- the equivalent of bromance for women--- on this lovely lady. Not because I adore her writing and fangirl regularly over her books. And not because she's a beautiful woman and an amazing friend. Nope. Today, her words caused my stomach to flip because she's my editor. Let me explain.

My editor has had my latest novel, Choosing to Dream, Book 2 in my Sunset Dreams Series, for the last few weeks. She's sent me regular updates on her progress, but today, she sent me The Message. It was a quick text letting me know she was done, sending me the edit, and her editing letter. She warned that before I open the edited MS, I was to read the letter and let her know if I had any questions.

Uh oh. Butterflies. I sent a quick message back letting her know how ominous her message was. Her response was another warning. "And I will tell you now that I was very hard on you. Because you can take it."

My response, "Bring it on."

See, I never knew how wonderful it was to work with an editor until I started working with an editor. And I was lucky enough to find one that truly has my best interest at heart. This is the fourth project we've worked on together. I want her to push me and ask her to do exactly that. I want her to help me reach that next level. I am one of the few writers I know who loves this process.

As I waited for her email with the aforementioned editing letter to come through, the butterflies in my stomach started to wreak havoc. What if I can't take it? What if it says this book is a total redo? What if she hated it?


Honestly, at this point in my career, if she would've told me it was a total redo, than I would've postponed the release until it was ready. I have no interest in putting out a mediocre story. If I'm going to stay true to my motto of improving with each title I release, then at minimum, this book has to be better than Sweet Dreams, Book 1 in the series. I'm not willing to sacrifice quality for timelines. After all, I am the queen of my publishing schedule.

Once the editing letter came through, it was extensive. Lots of ways to improve the story itself, language used, character development. Butterflies were crashing against my ribcage looking for an escape. There is a lot to be done. However, my editor advised that I am at a point in my writing where I'm ready to dig a little deeper. She's pushing me, but confident that I now have the skill to make the changes and improvements she's suggesting.

Her vote of confidence is extremely comforting, but as I'm writing this post, the butterflies are still fluttering. It's exciting to move forward like this, but also terrifying. This is what I wanted. I asked for it. Now it's time to get to work.

That's why I adore my editor. She gives tough love. She gives honest encouragement. She gives me butterflies. What makes your stomach flip?


My current romance, Sea Breeze, releases May 27th. Join My Dream Team, for a sneak peek at the first two chapters.

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Book Trailers- Behind the Camera

Book trailers...some are amazing works of cinematic art. Some, not so much. There are companies you can hire to create these masterpieces for you. Someday, maybe I'll hire one as well. For now, I'm saving my pennies and making my own.

How, you ask?

On my laptop at home. No, I don't have some high tech computer or fancy software. Initially, I thought that's what I would need, but it turns out all I need is my Dell laptop. No, I don't have a Mac.

When I was browsing the apps in the app store, looking for video software, I realized that my laptop came with a movie maker app. Free. Who knew. I bet there are dozens of other useful apps on my laptop that I don't even realize are there. Make sure you check out your own computer.

Selecting photos images: Here you need to make sure you are using royalty free photos, or you have purchased photos with a license to use them. This is not the time to use a photo of Chris Hemsworth you found on Pinterest.

Music is a great way highlight the text and photos. You will need royalty free music. You can find it on iTunes. Do not use your favorite song or title from the playlist you created for your book unless you have the specific written permission from the artist to do so.  I know it's tempting, but don't do it.

Titles and script should be kept short and sweet. Something that can be read at a glance in less than seconds seems optimum in my opinion.

The software you use will come with lots of different tools to animate the trailer. Play around with each of them to determine how you want photos to fade from one to the other, as well as titles, and font.

I've found it's better to keep your trailer under one minute, so you don't loose the interest of the audience. I'm currently working on a trailer for Sea Breeze, my new romance scheduled to release May 27th, and very excited to debut it, once the cover is revealed.

Below is the trailer I created for Sweet Dreams. Take a peek if you're interested. One of these days, I'm going to figure out how to use live-action images.

Thanks for tuning in. Happy Monday.

Sea Breeze is scheduled for release May 27th. Stay in the know by joining My Dream Team. Members will receive the first two chapters of Sea Breeze in the May newsletter for free. Click the link to sign up. http://eepurl.com/bjAzz1

You can find more information about me on my website at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com