text:
Let's start with the three Power Line picks. Tom Cotton has been declared the winner in Arkansas' Fourth District. Right now, he's up 60-36. The victory of this outstanding American brightens an otherwise gloomy evening.
Chip Cravaack trails in Minnesota's Eighth District by about 3,000 votes with approximately one-third of the vote counted.
Mia Love is more than 5,000 votes behind in Utah's Fourth District with a little less than 30 percent of the vote counted.
Elsewhere, Michele Bachmann leads her opponent by fewer than 500 votes in Minnesota's Sixth District. Most of the vote remains to be counted.
In Florida, the loathsome Alan Grayson returns to the House two years after being defeated. Who's next, Anthony Weiner? Meanwhile, conservatve favorite Allen West, an incumbent, leads by about 1,500 votes with approxmiately 90 percent of the vote counted.
In Arizona's Second District, incumbent Democrat Ron Barber holds a small but distinct lead in his quest to hold the seat formerly occupied by his ex-boss Gabby Giffords. Almost 90 percent of the vote has been counted, but the race hasn't been called.
In Indiana's Second District, Republican Jackie Walorski looks like the winner, although she hasn't been declared it yet. She's trying to succeed Democrat Joe Donnelly, who has moved on to the Senate, having defeated Richard Mourdock tonight.
In Maryland, Chris Van Hollen won my congressional district with (at this late stage) 66 percent of the vote. John Sarbanes, son of the former Democratic Senator, won with 67 percent (as it stands now). These two may be headed for a showdown in a future Senate primary. If so, I'll consider voting in the Democratic primary, just I can vote against the anti-Israel Van Hollen.


text:
CK Sketches Digital Template: March/April 2011
Free Digital Template Download! Are you a digital scrapbooker? Download our digital version of the March/April 2011 issue CK Sketch and use the layered PSD file to create a page using your favorite digital scrapbooking elements.
You can easily fit five standard-size photos on your layout using this issue's sketch. By leaving even margins around the perimeter of your layout, you'll frame your photo grouping nicely. And by evenly spacing your photos with equal margins between them, your layout will have a delightfully orderly and uncluttered look. You're going to love this sketch-give it a try on your next layout!
Mountain Craft Days by Anke Turco, as seen in the March/April 2011 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.
Even it up: Anke Turco gave her layout a clean look by evenly spacing her photos, journaling block, and accent papers. Even margins bring balance to your layout, which creates a feeling of unity, harmony, and order.
Sketch tip: Use little details to break up the strong horizontal lines of this sketch. Notice how Anke did this by adding two small vertical accents to her layout: a pin on her journaling block and a bracket on a photo.
Check out variations on this sketch, including two bonus scrapbook layouts exclusive to online. Or try scrapbooking several additional sketches using the Bonus Sketches based on layouts in this issue. See even more variations in the March/April 2011 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.
Related Links:
CK Sketches Digital Template: February 2011
CK Sketches Digital Template: January 2011
Appeared in:
|To comment on this article you must be logged in. Not a member?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
About Me
- Ann Lory
- Welcome to Blog Bites! I love writing and reading romance of all genres which is why I've created "In the Author Spotlight". That way you and I can find out who's out there and what more they have for use to dig our claws into. Are you an author interested in being in the "Author Spotlight"? Shoot me an email at firstname.lastname@example.com for a spot. Currently, I'm published in contemporary and paranormal. If you'd like to read excerpts and find out what's out, or what's in store for you please visit my website at www.annlory.com.
Where to Find Me
Or shoot me an email at:
If you want to sign up for my newsletter you can email me as well. The newsletter goes out bi-monthly and is filled with:
* free reads
* sneak peeks
* author interviews
* contests
* & more.
Author Spotlight Calendar - March
- 19th Barbara Meyers
- 22nd Desiree Holt
- 26th Tracey Lyons
- 29th Meg Benjamin
- 2nd Ann Lory
- 5th Ann Lory
- 9th Wendy Soliman
- 12th Ann Lory
- 16th Caridad Pinero
- 19th Ann Lory
- 23rd Selena Robins
- 26th
- 30th
- 2nd BLOG BITES BREAK
- 5th BLOG BITES BREAK
- 9th
- 12th
- 16th
- 19th
- 23rd
- 26th
- 30th Xakara
- 4th J.A. Garland
- 6th
- 10th
- 13th
- 17th BLOG BITES BREAK
- 20th BLOG BITES BREAK
- 24th BLOG BITES BREAK
- 27th BLOG BITES BREAK
Blog Archive
- In the Author Spotlight & Contest SILVIA VIOLET ...
- In the Author Spotlight ANNE PATRICK CONTEST: An...
- In the Author Spotlight & Contest AMBER GREEN CO...
- In the Author Spotlight & Contest JAMI DAVENPORT ...
- In the Author Spotlight Deirdra Eden Coppel AL:...
- In the Author Spotlight & Contest JUNIPER BELL C...
- ▼ July (6)
- ► 2010 (72)
CONTEST: Silvia will give away one download copy of Seduction of the Captain. How do you enter for a chance to win? Simply leave a comment for Silvia. Best wishes!
AL: Hi Silvia! Welcome to Blog Bites.
Silvia: Thanks for having me here, Ann.
AL: So, tell us what's happening with you.
Silvia: I'm enjoying soaking up summer – going to the pool with my kids, wading in creeks, taking hikes, and spending several long weekends to visit friends
AL: Tell us about a current or upcoming release.
Silvia: My most recent release is Seduction of the Captain, a BDSM sci fi story set on a mercenary ship. I enjoyed examining the power dynamics of my characters' relationship. Kajinek is a Dominant pilot must who follow his Captain's commands when he's on the bridge, but when they're in private, she submits to him.
AL: What other works are you deep into?
Silvia: I'm working on two m/m stories now, one is sci fi story featuring intergalactic spies and the other is set on an underwater research station.
AL: How do you decide upon your settings? What about the names of characters? Do you ever change either mid-stream into a story?
Silvia: I typically meet my characters first and they give me the setting but sometimes they are reluctant to reveal their names. I have changed a characters name after getting a few chapters into the story and getting to know the character better.
AL: Do you ever have certain music you listen to when you write? Does it vary from book to book?
Silvia: I often write in silence (or the closest thing to it in a house with little kids). But when I write the steamier scenes I often listen to dance music like Pitbull, Flo Rida, or Enrique. Occasionally a song will seem perfect for the feel of a story. One of the characters in the sci fi story I'm working on now has chosen Shontelle's Impossible as his theme song.
AL: You write submissive/dominate story lines. How do you when you know when you've crossed the line between romance/erotica to something else all together?
Silvia: My stories range from light play with power dynamics (the hero holding the heroines hands down while they have sex) to BDSM books where the interactions between the characters gets very intense (literal whips and chains). In these more intense stories, I spend some time examining the psychology of dominance and submission, but to me they are all still romance/erotica stories because they focus on the developing relationship between the characters. The BDSM scenes advance and deepen the characters relationship and by the end they have fallen in love with each other.
AL: It's time to get personal! What is your favorite coffee drink?
Silvia: a local coffee shop has a drink called a Mayan Mocha – it has cayenne and cinnamon in it and is delightfully spicy and oh so good
AL: What annoys you enough to be considered a pet peeve?
Silvia: People who expect you to do all the work on a "group" project
AL: You are the heroine and you have the hero(s) on the island in the middle of your kitchen. What food would you be feeding…nibbling off each other?
Silvia: chocolate frosting and bacon
AL: Here it is: Torchwood or Doctor Who? Does it upset you as much as it did the hubby and I when they stopped Torchwood so early in its series? Or could you care less – just give you more John eye-candy?
Silvia: Torchwood. I can't get enough of Captain Jack. I would watch endless episodes of Torchwood, and I wish I had Starz so I could watch Miracle Day without having to wait until it's available streaming. In the meantime, I'll take all the John eye candy I can get. :-)
AL: What do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself?
Silvia: My muse is leading me to explore the m/m genre right now. I'd like to find homes for the m/m stories I'm working on now. I took a long hiatus from publishing and I'm still getting back in the swing of things. My primary goals now are to continue to push myself to write daily and to get my name out to readers.
AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.
Silvia: Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. -Thomas Carlyle
AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Silvia.
Silvia: Thanks for talking with me, Ann.
AL: If you'd like to find out more about Silvia please visit:
Kajinek is a Lalatian Dominant who must feed on fear, pain, and sex for survival. Since leaving his homeworld, he hasn't met a woman who could truly satisfy his needs.
Mercenary captain Saida Alexander needs a pilot for the most dangerous mission she's ever undertaken. She chooses Kajinek, because he's reputed to be the very best. She never suspects that he'll awaken the submissive desires she's ignored for years.
When Saida knocks on Kajinek's door, he senses that she's the partner he's been looking for. He agrees to fly her ship under one condition; she must personally feed his darkest desires. Can Saida give in to what her body wants or will submitting sexually shatter the careful control she wields over the rest of her life?
Kaj opened the door of his resort-class suite and nearly stumbled as a heady female scent hit him with tangible force. He'd yet to probe the mind of the woman who'd interrupted his quiet afternoon, but her submissive needs screamed at him, begging him to take notice. His cock hardened instantly.
Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a braid that reached her waist. He fought the urge wrap it around his hand and crush her against him. Her skintight flight suit left little of her body to his imagination. Her muscles tensed under his gaze, and her green-gold eyes studied him suspiciously. She reminded him of a feline preparing to spring. He could smell her desire. Apparently he was affecting her as much as she affected him.
"Kajinek of Lalatia?"
He nodded, not sure he could keep the predatory growl out of his voice.
"I'm Captain Saida Alexander of the Allied Mercenary Corporation ship the Ascendant. I've come to offer you a job."
Kaj smiled. He'd heard of Captain Alexander. She was well respected as a hard-ass leader who always accomplished her mission objective. For a captain of her standing to show up unannounced at his personal quarters, she must be desperate for his help. This must be his lucky day. "Do come in."
He pressed at the edges of her impressive mental shields and gleaned just enough information to confirm what was already clear to him. While he doubted anyone else realized it, Captain Alexander longed to find a man strong enough to dominate her. She was desperate for the release she could never find with a partner who refused to test the limits of her strong will.
He'd not met a woman this compatible for his needs since leaving Lalatia. And he wasn't about to let her get away. Before this day ended, she would be his.
"Have a seat, Captain." He gestured toward the plush chairs in the small seating area near the window, which overlooked the station garden. "I'll order us some refreshments."
The sexy captain moved through his quarters with silent, controlled grace. He suppressed a shudder of anticipation as he imagined how she would move under him as he thrust deep in her body. If he didn't watch it, he wasn't going to be able to focus on the business at hand. He'd take whatever job she was offering, but he doubted she'd like his terms.
He knew his smile must be particularly predatory when her eyes widened. By Varin, she was going to be a feast. "Would you like some coffee?"
She still looked wary, but now he saw a hint of a smile. "Real, honest-to-God coffee?"
He laughed. "Of course."
"Yes, please."
He walked to his comm unit and pressed down the button that connected him with the resort concierge. "Please send up coffee and an assortment of pastries immediately."
"Yes, sir."
Captain Alexander smiled, briefly losing her controlled exterior and looking almost girlish. "You needn't go to the trouble, but I do appreciate it. I haven't tasted real coffee in months."
Her joy at this simple gesture stirred something in him even stronger and more potent than lust. Hearing her cry out his name as he whipped her ass would be delicious. But satisfying her enough to bring that smile to her face might feed something more than physical hunger in him. The thought unnerved him but made him no less determined to have her.
He sat in the chair facing hers. "So you're in need of a pilot?"
The captain nodded. "The last pilot I hired proved unsatisfactory. We have a job in three days. I'd like you in the pilot's chair."
"What is this job?" His sensitive ears heard her pulse accelerate. What was she up to?
"We will act as escort for three ships intent on sailing through the Rebel-controlled sector of Quadrant 16. They'll appear to be private cargo ships, but they'll be manned by Imperial Intelligence agents."
Kaj snarled. "I don't do Imperial jobs."
Captain Alexander arched a brow and held his gaze. The delicious smell of her fear belied her confidence. "I've heard you'll take any job as long as the price is right."
He gestured at the opulent room. "Does it look like I'm in need of work?"
"Lovely as all this is, you don't strike me as a man who likes to sit on his ass. I think you need to fly. I think you need the rush of danger."
He smiled, knowing she could see the swirl of orange and yellow flames in his eyes, a sure sign of a Lalatian's anger or lust. "I do enjoy a thrill, but I can get that right here. You seem like a rather dangerous woman."
Anger flashed in her eyes. The scent of fear deepened.
The doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of coffee. Kaj was thankful for the distraction. His cock was harder than a steel rod, and he was close to pinning Captain Alexander to the wall and taking exactly what he wanted. His lack of control was appalling, but she was doing things to his libido that made him feel like a boy with his first trainer.
He took the tray from the delivery bot and poured coffee for the captain. As he handed her the mug, he let his fingers brush hers. He was rewarded by her sharp intake of breath.
The contact distracted her, and he felt her fear ease, supplanted in part by lust. He couldn't help but smile as he sat down, taking a sip of the delicious, strong coffee he'd grown addicted to. "What's Allied Merc doing working for the empire?"
She stared at him, her face revealing nothing of the emotions he could smell swirling around her. "Making money."
He arched a brow. Something felt off. He tasted apprehension, and he was certain she wasn't a woman to be unnerved easily. She would never have been made captain otherwise.
"We have no allegiance. We go where the money is. They want the best, and they're willing to pay for it."
Allied Merc might not owe anyone allegiance, but he damn well bet Captain Alexander did, and it wouldn't be the empire. "Why?"
The captain shrugged. "That information is classified. But whatever will be on those ships is worth a hell of a lot to them."
Kaj shook his head. "You can't expect me to believe you're guarding a ship without any idea what's on board."
"I don't give a fuck what you believe as long as you do your job." She handed him a nano tablet. "This contract should answer further questions. If you would like to contact me after you've had a chance to peruse it, I --"
"No. Stay. I would rather settle our business now." He sensed that she was disturbed by the lust he stirred in her. No way in hell was he going to let her run away.
He read through the details of the contract, impressed by the sum she was offering him and more than satisfied with the level of responsibility he would have in the pilot's chair. Now it was time to see how she would react to what he really wanted.
He passed the contract back to her. "A nice offer, but there's only one thing that would tempt me to take an Imperial job."
Captain Alexander raised her brow. "What might that be?"
"First, tell me what you know of my people."
"Lalatians are born dominant or submissive, and you must feed on the energy of others."
He nodded. "As a dominant, I feed on fear and pain and sex." He paused a moment to drink in the torrent of lust and unease pouring off her. "Are you prepared to feed me?"
REMEMBER: Silvia will give away one download copy of Seduction of the Captain. How do you enter for a chance to win? Simply leave a comment for Silvia. Best wishes!
CONTEST: Anne will give away a PDF copy of A Familiar Evil to one lucky winner and will draw the name Sunday. To enter for a chance to win simply leave a comment for Anne. Best wishes!
AL: Hi Anne! Welcome to Blog Bites.
Anne: Thanks for having me Ann!
AL: So, tell us what's happening with you.
Anne: Well I recently returned from visiting family and friends in Oklahoma. I try to make it back a couple of times a year but summertime is my favorite because of the cookouts and outdoor games.
AL: Tell us about a current or upcoming release.
Anne: My latest release is A Familiar Evil. I also have one coming out in August called Journey to Redemption.
AL: What other works are you deep into?
Anne: I'm presently working on the second book in my Wounded Heroes Series. Kill Shot: Book One releases in November.
AL: When you write do you do a detailed outline before you get started or do you have the idea then just 'fly by the seat of your pants'? :-)
Anne: I'm a panster. I love not knowing what my characters will do next.
AL: What do you feel is the most important thing that a first-time author should know?
Anne: Don't be discouraged by rejections. We all get them. Stick with it, believe in yourself and what you've written, and never give up.
AL: Have you ever wanted to write your book in one direction but your characters wanted to go in another direction. What did you do in such a situation?
Anne: Oh yeah. I let them take the lead and see where it goes. All of my books are character driven so usually I'm just along for the ride.
AL: It's time to get personal! You do a lot of traveling around the world. Where is your favorite place to visit and why?
Anne: I've been to both El Salvador and Honduras in Central America and fell in love with both the countries and the people. They're so genuine and down to earth, and I loved their beaches!
AL: Summer is here! What will the readers find you in; a bikini, one piece, or a full body wet suit diving into the waves?
Anne: Definitely a one piece
AL: Is there an author out there that you'd love to do an anthology with?
Anne: There are so many wonderfully talented writers out there it would be hard to choose. I have had the honor of appearing in two anthologies with Victory Tales Press and loved the experience.
AL: What's your biggest regret in life?
Anne: That I didn't start my writing career sooner.
AL: Can you share some of your plans for 2011 and beyond?
Anne: I plan to keep writing and hopefully land on the NY Times bestseller list. Hey when I dream I dream big :).
AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.
Anne: "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." ~ Walt Disney
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Anne.
Anne: Thanks for having me on your lovely blog, Ann. It's been fun!
AL: If you'd like to find out more about Anne please visit:
Jordan Russell had the perfect life until the brutal monster from her childhood resurfaced, opening up scars she thought were healed. With the hope of finally finding closure Jordan leaves her cheating husband, and her career in the FBI, and returns to where her nightmare began. But what awaits her in Thorny Creek will push her to the very edge of sanity and bring her face to face with her abductor.
Excuse me. I'm looking for Chief Russell."
Jordan's stomach did a nosedive at the familiar voice of her soon-to-be-ex-husband.
"You found her," Frank answered.
Jordan looked up just as Sam smiled. "Indeed I have." He started toward her desk.
Colleen barged through the opened door. "Chief, there's an Agent Russell here to see…oh, I guess you found her."
"Agent Russell," Frank repeated. He turned back to Jordan, "Isn't Russell your married name?" He then shifted his gaze back to Sam, "That must mean you're her husband."
"Not for much longer." Jordan hurried around her desk and ushered Frank out the door. "You'll be hearing from me." She closed the door and looked at Sam. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here at your request."
"I specifically requested someone from the Charlotte field office." Anyone but him.
He looked at her with the gorgeous smile that used to make her go weak in the knees. "And they forwarded that request to Agent Haines, who assigned me."
"We'll see about that." Jordan marched back to her desk, and was four digits into Haines' cell phone number when Sam pressed his finger down on the button and disconnected the call. Eighteen and a half months of built-up rage boiled to the surface. She doubled her right fist and spun around with lighting fury.
Sam, just as quick, stopped the fist within inches of his jaw. With his free hand, he took the phone from her left hand and placed it back in its cradle. Jordan felt his hot breath on her face as he peered down at her, and was keenly aware of the heat generating from his body through the hand which tightened around her wrist.
"Let me help you, Jordan…please."
She swallowed hard, summoned all her courage, and met his smoldering gaze. "I need a profiler who can tell me exactly what I'm up against here."
"Don't tell me you've lost your touch."
She ignored his smirk. "I need a fresh pair of eyes who can look at this guy objectively."
"Who hasn't allowed themselves to get too personal?"
"I just need someone other than you," she spat.
"Too bad, you're stuck with me. Now, what do you say I release your hand and you don't take my head off? Or we can continue to provide the day's entertainment for your co-workers."
Jordan shifted her gaze to the glass separating her office from the command center. A half dozen familiar faces scattered like rats. She twisted free from his grip, grabbed her cap from her desk and shoved it down over her head. "Fine!" She was already halfway out the door before she realized he wasn't with her. She turned back and found him smiling at her. "Are you coming or not?"
REMEMBER: Anne will give away a PDF copy of A Familiar Evil to one lucky winner and will draw the name Sunday. To enter for a chance to win simply leave a comment for Anne. Best wishes!
CONTEST: Amber has a Khyber Run T-shirt to give away. She will draw her winner at the end of the week. To be entered simply leave a comment for Amber. Thanks and good luck!
AL: Hi Amber! Welcome to Blog Bites.
Amber: Thanks for inviting me back!
AL: So, tell us what's happening with you.
Amber: Well, my older son is home from the Marines and looking to start college. My younger son is at tech school learning to repair aircraft. We're up to nine cats, having collected an abandoned little gentleman named Merlin. About two weeks ago, I found out that the US Marshals have a Violent Fugitive Task Force! As it turned out, the marshals who came in search of a former housemate were all Marines, and one of the first things they saw was my son's boot camp portrait. They spent a while chatting, probably trying to figure us out. They might also have been disarmed by my Clifford-sized pit bull; Baron is certain that the only reason anyone comes to our door is to play ball. Meanwhile I'm not bringing in enough royalties (yet) to replace my wardrobe with floaty stuff from The Pyramid Collection, I'm ticked off at Wal-Mart for discontinuing a line of shoes wide enough to fit my feet, and Governor Voldemort is messing with my day job.
AL: Tell us about a current or upcoming release.
Amber: My newest release is Khyber Run, a contemporary military romance, now available at Loose Id and at the Sony Reader Store. Zarak abandoned that Warrior Code crap long ago. Oscar personifies it. In a war-scarred land, two men fight for justice, honor, and who gets top.
AL: What other works are you deep into?
Amber: Right now I'm working on a contemporary and a fantasy, both of which persist in ignoring my attempts to plot them out.
AL: If someone hasn't read any of your work, what book would you recommend that they start with and why?
Amber: For m/m, probably Golden Boys. It's loosely tied to the Turner & Turner series but not part of it. It's also my best approximation of a fluffy dick-lit beach read, even if both heroes do get shot.
AL: You write m/m and m/m/f in paranormal, contemporary, etc. Do you ever find it hard to move from one genre to another?
Amber: Not at all. Changing genres is a great way to circumvent writer's block.
AL: Do you have a mentor or critique partner that you work with consistently?
Amber: I have a crit group, ERA, which keeps me going when everything outside says stop and give up. I also belong to a group called WeWriteStuff, which focuses more on creativity than production. I call on other people here and there when I need to.
AL: It's time to get personal! Who is a great example to you and how you live your life?
Amber: I wouldn't want to hang the blame on anybody for the way I live my life.
AL: When you have time just for you (if only) what do you do?
Amber: If that ever occurred, I'd probably spend it trying to remember my to-do list. Seriously, I hang out with my writing buddies and brainstorm or do Power Hour writing sprints. Or I throw a ball for the dogs and let them wrestle over which one gets to bring it back.
AL: If you had to write yourself as a villain, what kind of villain would you be? What would you be named?
Amber: How about an evil T'Pau, from the Spock-with-beard universe?
AL: If you could go anywhere in the world and in any time…where would you go? What would you do? And why that time-period?
Amber: It depends on how long I'd be there. If you're talking about a permanent relocation instead of a visit, how about Tahiti in the 1400s? It's isolated enough to decrease risks of plagues and invading armies, there's no snow to shovel, and it didn't get wiped out by a drought, volcano, earthquake, or tsunami.
AL: Can you share some of your plans for 2011 and beyond?
Amber: Well, we're halfway through 2011 now, and very little has gone according to plan--sort of like my plotlines. My Man of Mystery story is simmering on a back burner, with only one chapter written, instead of being a complete draft ready to go through revisions. I've only learned to cook a handful of Pakistani dishes, and somehow my kitchen and pantry have failed to rearrange themselves according to plan. I hope to revamp my website pretty soon.
AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.
Amber: "We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home." Edward R. Murrow (1908-1965)
AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Amber.
Amber: Thank you so much for asking. It's always fun to spend a few days at Blog Bites.
AL: If you'd like to find out more about Amber please visit:
After being transplanted from an Afghani battleground to a Florida playground, Zarak Momand grew up trying to instill in his younger brothers the ancient Pakhtun Way. A generation later, he's a burned-out US Navy hospital corpsman who has lost touch with his brothers and his heritage alike.
Then he's kidnapped by USMC scout-snipers hell-bent on recapturing a deserter who murdered a brother Marine. Z uses Pakhtunwali to navigate the ambiguities of fourth generation warfare, where there are no front lines and where the moral high ground shifts from situation to situation. At his back stands Oscar, who is every bit the seasoned warrior young Zarak had once hoped to be.
Secretly crossing the border into Pakistan, Oscar and Z take help where they find it, and become more of a couple than either man has ever known. But is Oscar's rough passion a betrayal between brothers? And what happens when the deserter would rather die than go back?
I woke muddled, thinking the ship's engines sounded wrong. Red light glared on my eyelids. Breathing meant gagging on the seagull-shit taste of a hangover. And that sound was not my ship's engines. More like a sardine can's engines or…a plane?
Opening my eyes took effort. A plane. From the rear of the fuselage, I faced up an aisle between rows of knees hugging sea bags. Not sea bags: MOLLE-packs. Red lights in strips overhead barely illuminated a couple hundred hunched forms in desert camo, a row of males in body armor along each bulkhead, facing inward, and two rows of females jammed into back-to-back seats in the center. Male or female, each of them clutched one of those carbines the sponges called an assault rifle.
What am I doing in a plane packed with camo-assed bullet-sponges?
The plane's deck angled down sharply. Screams rang in my ears, going dull. My ears cleared, painfully, and the shrieks sharpened.
Crashing. That's what we're doing.
The deck roller-coastered up, then yawed faster than physics should allow. Whiplash. I saw stars. The stench of vomit wrung my empty guts.
A dive and another yaw brought more screams ringing off the bulkhead, prayer in Spanish close by, retching farther away.
How did I stay in my seat, with gravity halving and doubling and snatching me starboard to port? When the plane steadied long enough to let me look down, I saw bands of dull silver duct tape strapping my thighs to my seat, and another red-streaked silver band over my belt.
Something hung on my lower face. I had some kind of mask. No. Somebody had duct-taped a puke bag to my face. It sagged obscenely against my chin, like a giant used condom.
Pulling it off hurt. The stench blasted from it.
Where do I put this? I looked around, blinking, trying to make sense. The screamers in the middle seats were mostly army. The hundred or so men squatting in the seats lining the bulkhead were marines. Some laughed at the women. Others hunkered down, as if waiting for shrapnel to find them. A few threw curious glances at me, the only squid in sight.
A cluster of pops rapped at the bulkhead, like popcorn in my mother's big pot. One of the sponges grinned at me. "Small arms fire. Welcome to Bagram."
Bagram? A map of the giant air base flashed in my eyes, then a dim memory of riding my father's shoulder, hiding my face in his turban while a trio of Shuravi—Soviets—stomped an ominously silent laborer. Couldn't be…
"He means hold on," added another sponge.
I dropped the puke bag to grab my seat. The plane tilted, again nose-diving but this time braking hard. Instead of falling to the deck, the bag shot forward, splatting against a female's ear.
"I'm hit! Aaah!"
"God! Brains! Oh, God!"
The plane swerved and jinked, each jerk redoubling the shrieks. The smell of fear, sharp and sour, fought with the smell of vomit.
One of the marines chuckled, despite the sweat beading on his face, and pitched his voice low enough to hear under the shrieks. "You know you're going to have to police that up, Squidward."
"No-go, sir. The doc's our volunteer."
Volunteer? WTF? I twisted to see who'd called me a volunteer, but his rifle caught my attention first. A bolt-action rifle. A sniper's weapon.
Behind the rifle, teeth flashed in a grin. He didn't seem to exist, except as a rifle, a hint of helmet, and a grin. Then the grin vanished.
The deck flipped overhead. The unsecured marines bounced, sending bellows among the screams. I hung from my seat, still taped in place.
The deck flipped again, then slammed up at us. A marine fell across my lap. I caught his weapon before it could bean him. The cool metal slapped into my hand, rousing memories like an old lover's name.
REMEMBER: Amber has a Khyber Run T-shirt to give away. She will draw her winner at the end of the week. To be entered simply leave a comment for Amber. Thanks and good luck!
CONTEST: Jami will give away an electronic copy of one of her older books to one lucky winner. Just leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Best of luck!
AL: Hi Jami! Welcome to Blog Bites.
Jami: Thanks so much for having me here, Ann.
AL: So, tell us what's happening with you.
Jami: I'm enjoying the summer on our beautiful little farm in the Pacific Northwest. I'm an avid horsewoman, but my horse is no longer rideable. This is the first time in over 25 years that I haven't had a horse to ride. I'm adjusting slowly.
AL: Tell us about a current or upcoming release.
Jami: My most current release is Fourth and Goal, a football hero romance I'm really excited about. If I have a book of my heart, this is the book. I'm a big football fan, and I wanted to write a different kind of football romance—not one where the heroine doesn't like football or know anything about it and the football is just background stuff. I wanted to write a football romance that would appeal to female football fans as well as fans of romance.
AL: What other works are you deep into?
Jami: I also write hotter, shorter works under another pen name. I just finished two books under that pen name and am almost done with the third. After that I'll be finishing the sequel to Fourth and Goal, followed by a small-town romance I've been dying to write.
AL: When you write do you do a detailed outline before you get started or do you have the idea then just 'fly by the seat of your pants'? :-)
Jami: Mostly, I start with an idea and fly. That being said, I am doing a little more plotting than I used to because plotting is my weak point, while characters are my strong point.
AL: What do you feel is the most important thing that a first-time author should know?
Jami: Don't polish your voice out of a story. I did that a lot when I first started writing.
AL: Do you have a mentor or critique partner that you work with consistently?
Jami: Yes, I have a couple. Dawn Calvert and Jodi Lynn Copeland. They've both been invaluable to me. Allie K. Adams and I plot together.
AL: It's time to get personal! You love horse riding. Do you own horses? If so, what are their names and whose your favorite?
Jami: I have one horse named Gailey. Gailey is a very nice Hanoverian mare that I used to show in dressage. I bought her as an unbroke three year old. She's now 16 and is going to be a mama for the first time next year. Due to some suspensory issues in her hind legs, I can no longer ride her. I'm hoping to buy another show horse next year.
AL: Your first book was named after a Garth Brooks song…Are you a big Garth Brooks fan? What other music do you like?
Jami: When I get an idea for a book, it's as simple as hearing a song and thinking that would make a great book. The Dance was one of those books. I do like Garth, but mostly his older stuff. I love country, jazz, and rock.
AL: Is there an author out there that you'd love to do an anthology with?
Jami: Susan Elizabeth Phillips for the tamer stuff and Bella Andre or Jaci Burton for the naughtier stuff.
AL: Sometimes people envision an author's life as being really glamorous. I like to set them straight, so tell us what's the most unglamorous thing you've done in the past week?
Jami: Do you really want to know? I had to clean up cat vomit. I also scrubbed the refrigerator.
AL: Can you share some of your plans for 2011 and beyond?
Jami: I'm working on Tyler's story, Forward Passes, which is a hoot to write. After that, I'm starting my Small Town Saturday Night series, set in the small town in Eastern Washington that I grew up in. The first book will be based on a true incident a bartender told me about. It'll give you chills to hear it.
AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.
Jami: A good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend will be sitting right next to you saying, "Wow, that was fun."
AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Jami.
Jami: Thanks so much for having me, Ann. It's been fun!!!
AL: If you'd like to find out more about Jami please visit:
Website: http://www.jamidavenport.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamidavenport
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jamidavenport
In a game played on and off the field, only one of them will emerge the winner.
Armed with an uncanny ability for evaluating football talent, a dogged determination to succeed in a man's world, and an empty bank account, Rachel McCormick agrees to help struggling wide receiver Derek Ramsey get his game back. Rachel believes Derek, her former best friend and lover, knows the truth behind the points-shaving scandal which ruined her father. She vows to expose the secret even if it destroys Derek in the process.
When Derek's coach suggests sex as an excellent tension reliever the night before a game, Rachel takes one for the team. The next day, Derek has the best performance of his not-so illustrious pro football career.
As Derek and Rachel rack up nights in bed and other places, the team racks up wins on the field. Rachel is torn between her loyalty to her father and her growing affection for Derek. Now it's fourth and goal, one second left on the clock. Their hearts are on the line. Do they trust each other enough to go for the long bomb or do they get dropped for a loss?
Hiring the one woman he could never forget was a dumb-assed idea and the wrong play to run, but Derek Ramsey took the ball and ran with it anyway. Five years ago, his one-weekend affair with Rachel McCormick had tackled him for an emotional loss. She'd been his best female buddy, and he'd fucked up a good thing by following his dick instead of his brain. After battling a half decade of guilt and coulda-shouldas, he dreaded and anticipated this reunion.
She'd been employed as his caretaker and living in the little house next to his barn for a few days. He'd managed to avoid contact by taking an impromptu weekend visit to his dad and stepmom a few hundred miles away. But he couldn't stay away forever.
Weary of postponing the inevitable, Derek walked down the driveway from his ranch house to the barn and small caretaker's house. Pausing halfway down the hill, he whistled for backup. Consider him a coward, but his chocolate Lab would serve as a diversion if this reunion didn't go well. Oddly, Simon didn't come running. Derek shrugged. He must be chasing rabbits in the woods or something.
He'd have to go it alone. As he rounded the last bend in his driveway, Rachel McCormick stomped up the hill toward him.
Oh fuck. He knew females. He'd endured growing up with an older sister. Rachel had that close-fisted, furious carriage to her stride that meant only one thing: someone was going to die. Please, God, don't let it be him.
Even as he planned possible escape routes, his male head perused her body and responded with a resounding thumbs-up, though it wasn't really his thumb that was up.
The woman marching toward him with murder in her eyes barely resembled his tomboy buddy from his high school and college days. This Rachel wore a navy blue blazer with matching skirt and shoes, complete with manicured nails and makeup. The suit hugged her tall, lean body and accentuated her curves and straight-to-heaven legs. Long reddish brown hair was pulled back into a tidy ponytail. While he preferred the blue jeans and T-shirt version, this one was just as gorgeous and way more unapproachable. Don't mess with me radiated from every pore in her body. Not a glimpse of the shy, sweet Rachel he had once known.
"Rachel, good to see you again." Derek spoke calmly -- hoping to defuse the bomb -- and halted a few steps from her.
She didn't return his small talk. Green eyes blazing, she scowled, as dangerous as a hand grenade with the pin pulled in the hands of a chimpanzee.
"Problem?" he asked conversationally and forced a pleasant smile on his face.
"Do you own a demon chocolate Lab?"
Derek barked a laugh and sealed his death sentence. Her expression went beyond homicidal. "I have a Lab named Simon. He's opinionated and untrainable. It sounds like you've met him."
"How long has he engaged in a life of crime?"
"Oh shit. What did he steal now?"
"My truck keys. My only set."
"Where is the little delinquent?" She glanced up and down the driveway.
"I called for him earlier. He didn't come. I suspect he's busy burying the evidence."
"I missed a job interview because of that hoodlum." Her laser-tight glare sliced through his defenses.
"I'm sorry. I could get you a cab."
"It's too late now." She spoke through gritted teeth and visibly drew in a long, calming breath. A split second of uncertainty flashed across her face, peppered with a vulnerability that brought memories flooding back to him of the girl he had once known. Sweet Rachel with a passion for football and a kind word for even the most unworthy person.
He watched as she gathered her composure and hid behind an emotionless mask. "I still need my keys."
"I doubt we'll find them. He's very good. A serial digger."
"What do you expect when you name a dog Simon? It's a self-fulfilling prophecy." She stared up the dirt road. "My keys could be anywhere."
Derek didn't hold out much hope. Dense woods surrounded the driveway on both sides. At the end of the woods was a large field, cross-fenced into several smaller grassy paddocks. It'd take an act of God to find her keys. He truly doubted the Big Guy considered such a trivial matter worthy of his attention.
"So Simon's on your hit list along with me."
"Right up there at the top." No denial of his place on the list.
"Are you a member of AAA?"
She pointed down the driveway. "That's my truck. What do you think?"
He knew what he thought. He thought her lips looked pretty kissable, even without lipstick or gloss. He thought she was the sexiest thing he'd seen in a long time. And he thought -- oh damn, every thought bordered on dangerous and impossible and stupid.
"Derek." She stared at him as if she expected an answer, but he'd be damned if he could remember the question.
"I said I've scaled back on material goods and choose to live life simply."
He raised one eyebrow, not buying that one. "Judging by the dents in the thing, you might want to part with a few bucks…for your own safety."
"Harvey has character." Her anger still simmered below the surface, and a stranger stared back at him with frosty green eyes. Still beautiful, but formal and cold. He liked her better mad.
Derek snorted. "Harvey looks like he escaped a life sentence in a wrecking yard."
"He runs great." Rachel squared her shoulders and stood up straighter. She gave him her most charming smile, as if she didn't have a care in the world. "Look, champ, I'd love to stand out here and shoot the breeze with you, but I'm a busy woman. Your agent already discussed the particulars of the position with me."
He imagined all sorts of particular positions he'd prefer to do with her. She'd feel pretty good in his arms right about now, all soft and warm. And then he'd take her to bed and bury his cock deep inside her. She'd scream and beg for more, just like one weekend so long ago. Derek shook his head. This line of thinking headed nowhere but trouble and stopped now.
"I'll get you a locksmith."
"Don't bother. I'll call one."
Derek wiped sweat off his brow and shoved his hair off his forehead. Damn. Was she so oblivious to him that she wasn't picking up on his thoughts? He hoped so. As far as money, he knew better than to offer any. She had her pride. He'd let her keep it. He knew how valuable pride was. Since college, his none too lustrous pro career had severely dented his.
A joyous bark caught his attention. Simon trotted down the road toward them. A stick hung from his mouth, and his tail wagged with enthusiasm. No sign of stolen goods. On his best doggy behavior, the felonious Lab sat down next to Derek, grinning for all he was worth and incredibly pleased with himself.
"Simon, meet Rachel. Rachel, meet Simon." Simon thumped his tail on the ground and gazed up at her.
"We've met." Rachel glared at the dog. Undaunted, Simon took it as a compliment and drooled on her foot.
"Rae, I'm sorry. He's my dog. I'll take care of this."
"A dog-skin rug in front of my fireplace would be payment enough."
"You don't have a fireplace."
"One small detail. I'll build a campfire on the porch."
"You're a heartless woman."
"Don't you forget it."
In the Author Spotlight
Deirdra Eden Coppel
AL: Hi Deirdra! Welcome to Blog Bites.
Deirdra: Hi! Thank you so much for inviting me.
AL: So, tell us what's happening with you.
Deirdra: Well, this summer my hubby is being a stay at home dad so I can work on my books. I have a private office at a secret location. My goal is to get five books written by September. I have three done so ahead of schedule.
AL: Tell us about a current or upcoming release.
Deirdra: I just had an article accepted in an international magazine. It was fun getting that acceptance letter and signing the contract. I was also asked to be a presenter at a large writer's conference next spring.
AL: What other works are you deep into?
Deirdra: I'm also a graphic designer, illustrator and writing coach. I've been presenting at workshops for writers and staying super busy with my illustrating and book cover business. My main project right now is getting those five books finished by summer's end. Editing and querying take months, so I write another book while I'm waiting to hear back from editors and beta readers. I keep sending stuff out in waves to keep the progress flow constant.
AL: What is one glaringly/specific personality trait that you put into your hero/heroine that is all Deirdra? One that a family member or friend stops and says, "Hey, this is so you!"
Deirdra: She is a cat lover. LOL. My character is driven and determined. Hopefully that doesn't sound too much like bragging, but I think all successful authors need to be driven and determined.
AL: How do you decide upon your settings? What about the names of characters? Do you ever change either mid-stream into a story?
Deirdra: My books are historical in nature. I usually research something in history until I find something that sparks a bunch of 'what if' questions. I research names and find out what they mean or pull something from history.
AL: What got you jumping feet first into writing fantasy?
Deirdra: Fantasy is a powerful way of teaching metaphors without being preachy. It was also one of the ways I escaped from reality when I was a child.
AL: It's time to get personal! What's your favorite comfort food?
Deirdra: Chocolate doughnuts, chocolate mint ice cream with hot fudge, cream puffs, Friday's Brownie Obsession, strawberry cheesecake, carrot cake with extra frosting, ripe raspberries and black berries, truffles. Oh boy, you and your readers are going to think I'm a junkie. I hardly ever eat that stuff, really, I haven't had a cavity in years. (knock-on-wood)
AL: What favorite movie; or T.V. show makes you hunker down on the sofa and settle in for the night?
Deirdra: Lately my family and I are watching old re-runs of ALF. I love a good Lord of the Rings and I get teary eyed while watching Princess Bride and Chronicles of Narnia.
AL: What is the most adventurous thing you've ever done?
Deirdra: I jousted – yep, on horseback. I wasn't even wearing armor. I also hunted down a few zombies in the mountains. I had a baby, that was pretty rough, but I got a cute little boy out of the deal. I've written nine books, how crazy is that?
AL: If you could go anywhere in the world and in any time…where would you go? What would you do? And why that time-period?
Deirdra: Okay, I fantasize about this all the time. I wish I had a huge semi-truck and can take it back in time when the pioneers were crossing the plains to give them all a lift.
AL: Can you share some of your plans for 2011 and beyond?
Deirdra: I'm getting an agent this year. I'm not sure who it is yet, but I'm getting one.
AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.
Deirdra: "We are what we believe we are." C.S. Lewis
AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Deirdra.
Deirdra: Thanks for a fun interview. You asked some really great questions.
AL: If you'd like to find out more about Deirdra please visit:
CONTEST: Since I just came back from RWA, I'll give away a gift pack of fabulous books, hardcover and paperback, including books by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Madeline Hunter, and Meg Cabot. I'll throw in a few other goodies from the conference too. All you have to do is leave me a comment!
AL: Hi Juniper! Welcome to Blog Bites.
Juniper: Hi Ann, it's great to be here, thanks so much for having me!
AL: So, tell us what's happening with you.
Juniper: At the moment I'm roaming the East Coast visiting family. I just attended the RWA conference in New York, which involved meeting tons of amazing authors, drinking gallons of coffee and getting no sleep. So now I'm catching up with family in Rhode Island and Maine, trying to squeeze in a nap here and there. I'm calling it the Sleep Deprivation Tour. It's been lots of fun, but I'll be glad to get home to Alaska.
AL: Tell us about a current or upcoming release.
Juniper: My current release is Restraining the Receptionist, which came out on June 14 from Samhain. It's a follow-up to Training the Receptionist, which began the adventures of Dana Arthur and her two sexy bosses. This book takes their steamy three-way relationship even further, but you can enjoy the second book without having read the first.
AL: What other works are you deep into?
Juniper: My next book, ironically, is called Go Deep. It's set during a winter festival in Alaska with the motto, "Anything goes, nothing counts." An amateur hockey coach and his wife seize the opportunity to break through some barriers into a much deeper intimacy. And once they do, they find out all sorts of things about each other. Go Deep is coming out from Ellora's Cave, but I'm not sure when.
AL: When was the defining moment when you realized you wanted to be a writer?
Juniper: I've always expressed myself best through writing, but I didn't try to be a fiction writer until about four years ago. I was going through a terrible time in my personal life and, as always during stressful moments, I turned to romance novels. In the middle of a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book it clicked that if I loved romance so much, I should try writing one. Shortly thereafter I realized it's not as easy as she makes it look.
AL: What do you like best about writing? What is your least favorite thing?
Juniper: What I like best about writing is the writing. The real world so rarely matches what I think it should be. But when I'm at the computer writing, I can do something about that! I love creating a different world to spend time in for a while. And I love my characters. My least favorite thing is the worry about whether other people are going to like my creations.
AL: Who is your strongest/sexiest/most lovable/hottest - hero/heroine? Why?
Juniper: My favorite heroine is Dana Arthur from my Receptionist books. She's a street-smart survivor who relies on her sense of humor to get her through life. She's also deeply vulnerable, though she's learned to hide it and rely only on herself. She has to learn to let down her barriers in order to find pleasure and joy.
AL: It's time to get personal! Do you have a favorite sport, &/or team that you follow? I love football and my Missouri Tigers.
Juniper: I have an obsessive personality, and after an especially intense season of following the New York Mets baseball team, I quit cold turkey. I decided that my blood pressure couldn't take it. I transferred all that obsession to the Olympics because it only comes around every couple years and only lasts two weeks. That's my sports fix now. I tune out everything else. Does that sound crazy?
AL: Best movie you've seen recently?
Juniper: I loved Easy A. I loved her attitude, in fact she reminded me of a younger version of Dana. I put that movie in the same category as another of my favorites – Clueless. Easy A is a light, contemporary retelling of the Scarlet Letter, Clueless of Jane Austen's Emma. Putting classic novels in the context of modern-day high school is a genius idea. I've found that high school keeps repeating itself over and over again, no matter how old I get.
AL: Where would you like to travel if you had the chance?
Juniper: Just about anywhere. I live in Alaska where the quiet and isolation is great for writing, but it can turn you into a hermit. I'm pretty much willing to go any place that isn't cold and buried under six feet of snow. The tropics are at the top of the list.
AL: Do you have a top 5 actors list? You know that list of men that make you go yum, yum that would be inevitable, if only….
Juniper: In no particular order, Daniel Craig. LL Cool J. Bradley Cooper. Ewen MacGregor. George Clooney. George Clooney is on the bubble. His confirmed bachelor act is getting old – I'm ready to see him settle down. On the other hand, Daniel Craig broke my heart when he got married recently. Bradley Cooper is new to the list. But I don't think I'll ever let Daniel or LL Cool J go. They just do it for me.
AL: If you could have any car in the world; would it be a slow rider, or one that the wind has to hurry just to keep up with you?
Juniper: It would have wings so it could fly over traffic, and a paddle wheel for crossing water. It would be Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, in other words. I also really like the idea of jet packs for getting around town.
AL: What do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself?
Juniper: I'm a big believer in the saying, "it's not the destination, it's the journey". I want to keep having fun with my stories. I want to keep getting better at writing, keep finding more things to explore and try. I hope that readers will keep enjoying what I offer up.
AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Juniper.
Juniper: It's been a blast, thank you so much for the opportunity!
AL: If you'd like to find out more about Juniper please visit:
Every deal has a loophole …the Receptionist, Book 2
Dana Arthur's new job with the firm of Cowell & Dirk is going well. Translation: the occasionally kinky ménage with her two bosses, Ethan and Simon, has been several months of politically incorrect bliss.
Except the relationship feels unbalanced. While Ethan is the undisputed master, the partners' iron-clad agreement stipulates that Simon must be present as she performs her "duties". And she senses there's a subtle, powerful tug-of-war developing for more than just her body.
Simon had agreed to share the firm's fiery, sensually daring receptionist…to a point. With Simon out of town, Ethan plans a feast of erotic temptations designed to have Dana begging him to break the deal. He didn't realize his heart would be a casualty.
Once she surrenders to his wicked demands, Dana realizes there's no going back. It's time for a three-way renegotiation…this time, all or nothing.
Product Warnings
NSFW!! Do Not Try This at Your Job. Contains highly inappropriate workplace behavior including m/f/m, m/m, bondage, creative use of office space and a high-stakes trip to Atlantic City.
Excerpt: WARNING - NAUGHTY READ COMING UP!
My unpredictable number one boss showed up in a new mood the next day. I'd never seen him light-hearted before. Now that I had an idea about his history, not a big surprise. But that's exactly how he seemed when he breezed into the office. He wore casual clothes, blue jeans and a light blue open-collared shirt that made his eyes look like summer without the smog.
"I've got no pesky clients today, luv," he told me, without pausing by my desk to check my outfit, which he usually did. "I'd like you to order us a picnic lunch."
"Picnic. You have those in America, right? Or are they banned in the great state of New York?"
"We have them, but you can't even spread out a blanket without kicking aside a stray used needle or two." As soon as I said it I remembered the heroin. "I…I'm sorry," I stammered.
But my thoughtless reference didn't make him miss a beat. "A little local color will add to the experience, I'm sure. Handle the details and we'll go around noon."
Did a picnic violate the terms of our deal? Ethan and I would be doing something outside of work, just the two of us, something intimate. Almost like a date. But he hadn't suggested anything physical. It was lunch. We both had to eat, right? It seemed perfectly harmless.
Since I was working from the company petty cash fund, I called up the neighborhood yuppie café where they served giant organic sandwiches. On my budget, I would have gone for a Subway footlong. But Ethan would no doubt demand something better.
We held our picnic on a concrete bench in a sweltering park a few blocks away from the office. Dog walkers and stroller-pushers, listless from the heat, wandered by now and then, but otherwise we were alone. The humid heat pressed on us like a steam iron. My hair stuck to my cheeks as I bit into my upscale sandwich.
Ethan didn't comment on the slabs of free-range chicken that had probably been hand-raised and read bedtime stories before being slaughtered and inserted into a sandwich. He did remove the unruly mound of bean sprouts and toss it to a nearby pigeon. The pigeon pecked at the stuff, clucked scornfully and waddled the other direction.
I couldn't help giggling at Ethan's wounded expression. "I wouldn't take it personally," I told him. "He's a New York pigeon. He's used to eating dog crap."
He chuckled. "Have you lived here your whole life, Dana?"
The sheer ordinariness of the question unnerved me. "Well, except for that semester abroad in Paris, and the year I spent in Fiji with the Peace Corps. I'm joking," I added, when he didn't laugh.
"Oh. Well, I'm certainly familiar with your sense of humor, but I confess I don't understand the joke. You could have done those things."
I let out a spurt of laughter that startled the pigeon. "I had other things to do."
"Like what?"
"Like dodge my father's fists after a drinking binge."
"Ah." Ethan didn't show sympathy or disapproval or anything else. He chewed on his stack of multi-grain goodness. "And your mother?"
"No clue. My father always said she ran away, but for all I know he has her body dismembered in a freezer somewhere."
That earned me a sharp taste of Blue Fury.
"I'm kidding. I have a dark sense of humor. My father's not that bad. And my stepmother would have gone for poison instead."
A crack of laughter from Ethan. "You really are something, you know that? You fascinate me."
I filled my mouth with sandwich so I didn't have to answer that. I was very much afraid the fascination was mutual. We settled into a munching, digesting kind of silence. He had one ankle crossed over the opposite knee, and occasionally his bent leg would brush against mine. Every time it happened, a little jolt of awareness zinged straight to my groin. Did he know it was happening? Was he doing it deliberately?
"Your knee keeps touching me."
"Does it?" He didn't move away.
"That's against the rules."
"So sorry." But he didn't look sorry. He looked entirely unconcerned, even though he moved his knee away. "One of these days we must write these rules down. For instance, is all physical contact forbidden while Simon is away, or only that of a sexual nature?"
Lord, why did he have to say "sexual" with that spark in his eyes and that slant of his eyebrow? It wasn't fair, damn it.
"Another example. I've been longing to tell you how delicious you look today and how the shadow of your nipples through the fabric of your blouse keeps drawing my eyes. But is verbal praise also off-limits, since I'd be unable to keep it G-rated, I'm afraid?"
"You can't see my nipples through my blouse!" I looked down to make sure.
"Oh, yes, I can. I know what they're doing right now. They're just beginning to stir to life. You're probably feeling a pleasant prickling as they become engorged. I've realized something about you, you know. The sound of my voice has a powerful effect on you."
So right he was. I tried to block out his voice. Might as well try to stop the Hudson River.
"In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I could bring you to orgasm just with my voice. I wouldn't have to touch you at all. All I'd have to do is tell you what I wanted to do to you. I'd tell you how much I want to bend you over this bench and take you in the open air. Or how much I'd like to tie you to that birch tree over there, open your blouse and bring you to orgasm with my fist up your cunt. Sure, someone might see. For instance, those three fellows playing Frisbee over there. It's entirely possible they'd start to notice when I tied your hands behind the tree and ripped off your blouse. Maybe they'd even come running to your rescue."
His gravelly voice hypnotized me so I could practically picture the scene. My body melted into a shivery puddle of craving.
"And then, of course, I'd have no choice but to invite them to join us, either as witnesses or participants. They look like red-blooded, able-bodied, clean-cut gentlemen, nothing to fear. I'd have to convince them you were willing. More than willing. Eager. I'd have to show them how wet you already were, just from having your breasts exposed. You like being exposed, don't you?"
"Stop," I murmured. This was going into an area we'd never touched. Other men had had no place in our games so far.
As soon as I told him to stop, he did. And as soon as he did, I wanted him to start again. After all, what was the harm? He was going there in imagination only.
"Well…" I cleared my throat. "Would you let them touch my breasts?"
"I'd give them a chance, see how they behaved. Not just anyone gets to touch my Dana. Our Dana, I should say."
I winced at the reminder of the absent Simon. But I was too caught up in Ethan's hypothetical scenario to be bothered for long.
"Our Dana's luscious nipples deserve nothing other than sweet tender care. Long, lingering suckles. Perhaps a man to each nipple, and one to jerk himself off as he watches. That should get you started, I'd say. You'd be making those adorable little whimpering sounds. But perhaps I'd begin to sense that you want more, that you need the grip of cold metal on your flesh."
The image made my belly clench with need. My nipples were as hard as the bench we sat on. I thought I would suffocate if this went on much longer. I turned a pleading look on him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of nipple clamps.
This was way over the line, totally against our rules, but I banished that thought from my mind. I nodded, biting my lip. I didn't care who watched as he reached inside my blouse and fastened the silver clips to my nipples. The sweet pain of it made me sag against him and sigh. Exquisite relief flooded me. I leaned against him as if he were a boulder. When I looked down, the clips were clearly visible through my blouse. But I didn't care. Ethan would take care of me.
REMEMBER: Since I just came back from RWA, I'll give away a gift pack of fabulous books, hardcover and paperback, including books by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Madeline Hunter, and Meg Cabot. I'll throw in a few other goodies from the conference too. All you have to do is leave me a comment!


text:
Welcome to PAPERWALKER STUDIOS
- Creating Intellectual Properties -
You're looking for SATZINGER & HARDENBERG, aren't you? No worries, all the talent is still here. We're just shuffling some things around and reframing the studio's structure a little. Please stay tuned for more information about the new studio and new projects.
Contact e-mail: HELLO[AT]PAPERWALKER[DOT]COM
For more about Paperwalker Studios' creative output, please head right over to Florian Satzinger's nearly daily updated Paperwalker Weblog where you get a nicely edited backstage view of our work at first hand:
© 1995-2018. World rights reserved.


text:
Contact Coach John Stewart in the Athletics Office.
Stay tuned for the season beginning in November!
Home games for both Men's and Women's basketball are located at the Wexler-Grant School, 55 Foote Street, New Haven, CT. Admission and parking is free.
From the North Take exit 3 off of I-91 South. Slight right onto Trumbull Street. Take the second right onto Whitney Ave. Turn left onto Sachem Street. Turn right onto Winchester Ave. Take the first left on Webster Street. Take a right onto Adam Clayton Powell Place. Take the first left onto Foote Street. Destination will be on the right.
From the South/East Take exit 47 off of I-95 for CT 34W. Merge onto the Oak Street Connector. Take the ramp onto North Frontage Road/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Turn right onto York Street. Continue on Ashmun Street. Turn left onto Foote Street. Destination will be on the right.
Gateway Community College's Pep Squad attends both Men's and Women's basketball games. Please contact John Stewart, Athletic Director, for more information.
Anthony Miller Jr. Xavier Giddiens Teron Griffin
Physical Examination Form
Equipment Sign Out- Women
Equipment Sign Out- Men
Weekly Progress Report
Student Athlete Policies and Guidelines
Men's Schedule
Women's Schedule
Men's Basketball Roster
Women's Basketball Roster


text:
Advanced Search |
Search Tips
Click the button below to add the Side Logo Flexfit Curve Bill to your wish list.
We promise to never spam you, and just use your email address to identify you as a valid customer.
This product hasn't received any reviews yet. Be the first to review this product!
Follow us on:
All prices are in USD
Copyright 2020 Purebred Clothing.
Sitemap |
Ecommerce Solution by BigCommerce
, Graphics and Template edit by: JshepMedia


text:
Areas of Study
Umpqua Community College provides accessible and affordable quality college education, life-long learning opportunities, workforce training, and cultural programs for our communities.
In all the areas of study that are offered by the college, the goal is to be a center for excellence. UCC values a caring learning environment that promotes the scholarship, innovation and success of all student. The course offerings are always continuing to expand and change. Please explore the educational possibilities that are available at Umpqua Community College.
Transfer Education
The Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT) and Associate of Science (AS) degrees are designed to meet the first two years of academic work at a college or university. The AAOT degree meets all of the lower division (freshman and sophomore) general education requirements at all of the Oregon University System (OUS) schools, and many other colleges and universities. Associate of Science (AS) degrees are specific to receiving institutions and meet the receiving institution requirements as described by articulation agreements. The Oregon Transfer Module (OTM) is a subset of the AAOT and is designed to partially meet the General Education assignment of the OUS schools, totaling a minimum of 45 credits.
Career Technical
The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree and one-year certificate programs prepare students for entry into the work force in specific areas. There are also short-term pathway certificates available in many CTE programs. Because of its emphasis on application, this educational offering is meant to help individuals to become qualified for employment.
Community & Workforce
These offerings range from personal and professional to hobby or recreational courses, but are not part of a degree program. Community & Workforce education provides the individuals with the opportunity to learn new skills for professional development, personal enjoyment and self enrichment.
Small Business Development
Building a successful business requires much learning along the way. These offerings include training in accounting, marketing, software, sales and other areas that will help small businesses to be successful.
Adult Basic Skills
Adult Basic Education, Adult High School Diploma, GED, English as a Second Language, U.S. Citizenship, Developmental Education classes and tutoring are available.


text:
Robert M. Groves to update the media today…Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
Of course the PR and spin forces will be at work, but hopefully the media does its best to fight them…please leave your questions for Dr. Groves in the comments section. I will live-blog this event later today:
NewswireToday – /newswire/ – Washington, DC, United States, 06/01/2010 – U.S Census Bureau Director Robert M. Groves will brief the media on the status of 2010 Census operations.
U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert M. Groves will brief the media on the status of 2010 Census operations. One month into the door-to-door follow-up phase of operations, Groves will provide updates on America's progress in responding to the 2010 Census. He will offer his views on where we are in the process and look ahead to future field operations. The briefing will include a media question-and-answer session.
Wednesday, June 2, noon to 1 pm (EDT)
Robert M. Groves, director, U.S. Census Bureau
Fernando E. Armstrong, regional director, Philadelphia Regional Office
National Press Club, 13th floor
Holeman Lounge
529 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20045


text:
Why Fast Food Is the Ultimate Hanukkah Meal
Aside from going to temple, giving gifts, and playing with dreidels, Hanukkah is celebrated by eating foods fried in oil. The tradition is in homage to the miracle of the oil used by the Maccabees in a menorah that burned for eight nights instead of just one.
Why Dieting Before The Holidays Is Actually a Really Bad Idea
Typically, Jewish people eat fried potato pancakes called latkes and deep-fried jelly doughnuts called sufganiyot. However, those observing the eight-day holiday are encouraged to eat pretty much any food that's fried or cooked in oil, which got us thinking: Fast food might just be the ultimate Hanukkah meal.
Fast food menus feature many items deep-fried in oil. While it may not be traditional (or kosher), the idea of fried fast food items adheres to the theme of foods typically consumed throughout the Hanukkah celebration.
If you're positively sick of latkes, fast food is your friend. Just think about french fries. Order them from your local McDonald's, Wendy's, or Burger King with a dipping sauce as your makeshift latkes and apple sauce or sour cream.
Heck, even Dunkin and Taco Bell have menu items that are fried or cooked in oil. Taco Bell has chalupas as well as tortilla chips - both fried. If you're craving something Asian, places like Panda Express sell egg rolls and chicken dishes like their super-popular orange chicken, which is - you guessed it - also fried.
Doughnuts are an obvious one, because sufganiyot are basically jelly doughnuts. If you're not interested in a doughnut with a filling, try an apple fritter. Apples are used for flavor in various holiday traditions, including those around Hanukkah.
If you're celebrating Hanukkah with fried food, we definitely recommend the 75 best fried chicken places in America - it's probably as close to Bubbe's schmaltz (chicken fat) as you're going to get this holiday.
Of course, nothing compares to eating an actual Hanukkah meal with a matzo ball soup course, a gefilte fish course, a meat course, and lots of latkes and kugel, but if you don't want to cook or if you don't have time, you can always celebrate the Festival of Lights with fast food. If you don't feel like celebrating the traditional American way or with the American tradition of fast food, check out how these 21 countries around the world celebrate Hanukkah.


text:
Florence Welch Gossip
Florence Welch gossip, latest news, photos, and video.
Smutty Social Media, Thursday October 22, 2015
The Night's Watch at the MET: Florence Welch
TIMOTHY A. CLARY /Dimitrios Kambouris /Larry Busacca /Getty Images, Joel Ginsburg /Andres Otero/WENN
There were so many different documents flying around on my laptop and I'm delirious from not sleeping and I totally blanked on this Florence Welch article that was just sitting there, waiting to be posted. Thanks for the reminder, Erin! Duana was right. Punk became Game Of Thrones theme night at the MET Gala. Full Story
Who will bring the Punk?
Wenn, Fame, Bauer, Dimitrios Kambouris/ Stefanie Keenan/ Getty
There will be a lot of safe tonight at the MET Gala, despite the Punk theme of the event this year. Most actresses in particular just don't have the imagination or the balls. The punk pressure then may be on the musicians. A press release was just sent out -- Gwen Stefani will be wearing a custom designed Maison Martin Margiela. Full Story
Met Best Costume: Florence Welch
Andres Otero/WENN, Getty
You want a costume?THIS is a costume. THIS is art. It's exquisite. It's a statement. It's requires a specific wearer. And you can't wear it anywhere else. You can't even find it anywhere else. Unlike what we just saw with Michael Kors and Alba and Swank, Florence Welch in McQueen by Sarah Burton is what you'll remember. Full Story
Celebrating Blake Lively
Last week it was a Chanel dinner in New York. This weekend there was a Chanel dinner in her honour in Paris. During Fashion Week. I mean… It's a big f-cking deal. Even Anna Wintour showed up for Blake Lively. And Florence Welch. And so many other important French fashion people. Also, while in Paris, she went shoe shopping with Christian Louboutin, not Lew-boo-tawn Full Story
Worst Biscuit Dress: Florence Welch
Written by Duana Florence of Florence and the Machine – who's informally Florence Welch - obviously has a lot to be happy about. Not the least of which is being invited to perform at the Academy Awards. But did she look like she was enjoying herself? Or – let me rephrase – did she look, even marginally, like she was able to raise her energy level above 'barely conscious and watching reruns on the couch'? If you're tired or ill or something, fake it. Full Story
Grammy Best Dressed Part 1: Florence Welch
I haven't talked to Sasha today yet because she's busy producing the etalk Grammy fashion special but if I had to guess, she'd probably be naming Florence Welch as her Best Dressed at the Grammys. Sasha, as you know from her style column, is all about kaftans and hippies and gypsy wisps. Full Story
December 21, 2010 – Smutty Shout-Out
For Douglas who is dealing with some sh-tty news... Let yourself wallow, but not too long. Because you have to believe she'll fight through it. As requested, here's Florence Welch arriving at Letterman last week and performing the night before at the SPIN party in New York. Video below. And finally. Full Story
Jake, Natalie, Florence & the Baby
Remember when Jakey and Natalie used to date for 5 minutes? They are much better as friends, I know, but I was also really into it when they kissed in Brothers. Anyway, Natalie's been closely involved with FINCA for a number of years now, and she showed up at the 25th anniversary event in New York and so did Jake and they greeted each other affectionately and posed together which pretty much kills any chance of the two of them rekindling because you know how it works – when there's something to hide, they'll make it obvious by avoiding each other; their willingness to be together then means that they're actually never going to be together. Full Story


text:
Banish internal email, improve efficiency
Increased transparency, less noise
All contact info, centralised
See who is available, instantly
Share files & collaborate, securely
Organise meetings, effectively
Turn your company into an efficient machine.
Resolve more issues at source by fostering team communication - rather than everything being directed to the manager.
If you're away from your desk and miss part of a conversation, it's easy to digest information on your return - allowing you to pick up the baton with ease.
Advanced reporting provides you with ultimate transparency: see where the biggest backlogs stem from, which department needs help, and who is quickest to respond to messages.
Valuable insight is only a few clicks away.
77% of Senior Managers said that they receive 'too many' emailsIndependent survey of 1000 business email users, November 2015


text:
|Find the best surf spots
Friday March 21 2008 04:00:00 PM
Surf spot: Blackies, United States of America
Surf Trip: The Pursuit of Perfection ( 13 March 2008 - 13 March 2008)
Session's Rate:
Wind direction: Offshore
Wind Strength: Light
Nb waves ridden: Lots
Length of the surf session: 120 min
Surfboard ridden: 9'2
Fins: 2 plus 1
Weather and water temp: 65F air 54F water
Waves height: Less than 1m / 3ft
Waves Quality:
- Fun
Waves Shape:
- Multipeaks
How does a broken pinkie feel in 54F water after 2 hours ... nurse, nurse it hurts! Not a cloud in the sky, warm spring sunshine, light offshore Santa Ana's but only a small mix of NW windswell and SW groundswell combined with an 8AM, 5 feet 6 inch high tide. Local breaks were swamped ... welcome to Lake Mead. My mate and I parked his massive 8.1 liter V8 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew Cab Long Bed Pickup ... loaded up my Solara and blasted down PCH to Newport Beach ... we had heard that Blackie's had been good on the high tide the previous morning. Yup it was waist to chest high, with soft fun peaks but CROWDED. What a zoo ... kids, girls and old guys. Got some nice lefts before the cold water really got to my broken finger. Cost my buddy a $38 parking ticket ... one of those tricky signs that gets everyone ... you know ... no parking between X and Y on the third full moon of each month!
Rainbow Bridge:
Follow up: Blackies has been good every morning this week while other spots have been junk. Yesterday we had a waist to chest high mix of short period wind swell with sneaker shoulder high sets. This morning was the same but more crowded due to the Easter weekend. Unusual weather phenom also ... we had some dense fog roll in and as the morning sun burnt if off we had a beautiful thick rainbow (fogbow) from the line-up to the rock groin!
Created: Thursday March 20 2008 02:18:35 AM
Modified: Saturday March 22 2008 04:47:12 AM
Hits: 1977
The Lineup
No Members and
138 Guests Online
Wannasurf.com on your mobile
RSS All the RSS feeds of Wannasurf.com
Newsletter All news by email


text:
"Little Favour"
Season 3 Episode 13 | 1m 34s
Like poetry in motion, a single leaf morphs from clay to pencil to paper as it blows through a series of imaginative worlds in this delightful animation. A short film by Yawen Zheng and Xia Li.
Aired: 10/27/15Video has closed captioning.
Problems Playing Video?
Film School Shorts is made possible by a grant from Maurice Kanbar, celebrating the vitality and power of the moving image, and by the members of KQED.


text:
You can check this one of the best and most recommended SQL database recovery software by MPVs as well as technicians across the world: http://www.serversdatarecovery.com/sqldatabase.html
It did a great job in our case to repair and restore our severely damaged SQL 2005 database. A free trial version is also available on its official website !
sql database recovery
Use this forum to ask general setup and usage questions
Forum rules
Please read them carefully before posting new topic - Forum rules
Please read them carefully before posting new topic - Forum rules
- IncrediUser
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 11:07 am
Re: sql database recovery
Download RecoveryFix for SQL database recovery utility to restore and repair lost SQL files of SQL Server 2012, 2008R2, 2008, 2005 & 2000. Get more detail: http://www.recoveryfix.com/sqldatabaserecovery.html and also read this post http://recoverymaster.livejournal.com
Re: sql database recovery
Along with database (MDF file), other objects such as indexes, triggers, views, stored procedures, etc. also get damage when Server files crashes. Try out DBCC statements, which has to be executed in SQL Server Management Studio as a new query. You can note guide for appropriate steps from - http://repairandmanage.blogspot.in/2014/06/repair-mdf-file-sql-server.html
- IncrediUser
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2014 6:24 am
Re: sql database recovery
SQL recovery with new and best tool, which provide excellent MDF file recovery facility to repair and recover SQL server. The Software support with all version of MS SQL server. Visit and read complete features of this tool: - http://www.pcrecoveryutility.com/sql-database-recovery.html
- IncrediUser
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2014 6:49 pm
Re: sql database recovery
It is capable to recover entire database of MDF file such as tables, views, functions, triggers, etc. This tool is compatible with all SQL server version such as 2012, 2008R2, 2008, 2005 & 2000. Get more detail: http://recoverydatatools.com/sql-recovery.html and more details about this tool please read this post: http://mssqlrecoverytool.blogspot.com
- IncrediUser
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2014 12:18 pm
Re: sql database recovery
Kernel for SQL Database Recovery Software is the best result provider software. this is multi MDF file supportable software. you can recover any types of corrupt SQL Database file just in few clicks. this software provides data in script form. you can check free trial version visit http://www.sqldatabaserecovery.org/
- IncrediUser
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2014 6:58 am
Re: sql database recovery
MS SQL is very popular file format, but it display error sometimes due to corruption. Once the spreadsheet gets damaged then you cannot access your stored data. To restore it you can use MS SQL File recovery tool.
For more information visit: http://sqlmdf.filerepairtool.net
For more information visit: http://sqlmdf.filerepairtool.net
Return to "How Do I...? Setup, General UI, Getting Started"
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


text:
Hi all!
May be someone can help me ...
I use ajax:AutoCompleteExtender to get users from DB. How can I pass userid (of course it should be hidden in textbox) along with user name from service method, so when I select some particular user I can get his userid.
Thank you!


text:
This weekend LACMA added eight new works to its collection through its annual Collectors Committee events. All week on Unframed our curators will be highlighting the objects just acquired.
Born in San Rafael, California in 1955, Christian Marclay grew up in Geneva, Switzerland. He received his BFA from Massachusetts College of Art in 1980, and currently resides in London and New York City. Working in sound, sculpture, performance, video, and other time-based media, Marclay began manipulating gramophone records and creating time-based works using loops, skips, and scratches on turntables as musical instruments in the 1970s.
The Clock, a 24-hour single-channel montage, is constructed out of moments in cinema and television history depicting the passage of time; in other words, scenes in which all manner of clocks and reference to time appear. The Clock weaves together Marclay's interests in collage and found visual and aural artifacts with his own roots in live performance.
The edited footage of clocks not only provides cues as to the role of time's passage in the appropriated film narrative, but also serves as a functioning timepiece that marks the exact time in real time for the viewer. When one sees The Clock at 1:17 pm, for example, the action (or inaction) in the clip will be taking place at the same moment. Screened in a cinematic setting, it retains the rhythmic pulsations and tonal shifts typical of Marclay's sound works but also plays with the viewer's sense of expectation, casting time as a multifaceted protagonist and creating a conflation of tensions à propos the layered tempos of contemporary life.
Marclay follows a long trajectory of artists interested in the history of cinema and the ways in which its footage or grammar can be appropriated and recontextualized. Since the dawning of the medium, experimental and documentary filmmakers have used found or appropriated footage, such as in the collage techniques of Dadaism, Surrealism, and Constructivism, among other historical avant-gardes. An important, albeit much shorter, precedent to Marclay's The Clock is Bruce Conner's A Movie (1958), an experimental film which edits together clips from disparate sources, from stag films to sports footage to mainstream melodramas, to create a meta-film that throws out all rules of linearity and narrative progression. Similarly, The Clock causes the viewer to ruminate on what David Velasco, writing for Artforum in February 2011, calls a film or television show's "temporal grammar" in the way that Marclay "string(s) together this panoply of irrational times according to a rational tempo, [making] salient the idiosyncrasies of movie time." Additionally, The Clock pays homage to Andy Warhol's eight-hour film, Empire (1964), which tracks the flickering floodlights of the Empire State Building from sunset to near total darkness around 2 am. It also recalls Swiss duo Peter Fischli and David Weiss's signature film The Way Things Go (1987), in which a Rube Goldberg device performs a very simple task via a series of chain reactions in 29 minutes.
The Clock's presence at LACMA speaks directly to the institution's interest in the intersections of contemporary art and cinema. It will be screened in LACMA's Bing Theater in early May for its West Coast premiere, and in the galleries thereafter—all before its celebratory screening at the Venice Biennale this June.
Christine Y. Kim, Associate Curator, Contemporary Art


text:
PORTLAND call: 503-761-5674
VANCOUVER call: 360-695-0625OR CCB #167435 - WA #MYERSGD942K4
Larry Myers Garage Doors is your trusted source when you need a residential or commercial door repaired or replaced. For decades, the families and businesses in Portland and Vancouver have counted on us to deliver exceptional work at a fair price – and we've yet to let them down. Give us a call today to see why our service is above the rest!
Myers Garage Doors has been providing garage door installation and repair services in the Pacific Northwest since 1973. We are locally owned and operated, licensed, bonded, and insured. We are not a franchise.
The difference matters. We care about our Portland community, and investing back into it rather than sending a portion of our profits back to headquarters. Bottom line, we offer the best garage door prices, service, and reliability in Portland.
With over 40 years of experience, we've been around long enough to know what does and doesn't work. We're committed to doing the right thing, which means exceptional customer service, offering the highest quality products, and caring more about the community than the bottom line. Unlike a franchise, we can promise that every single one of our employees is personally invested in our commitment to be different in the service we provide and the products we sell.
Whether you are looking for a new Standard Garage Door, Custom Garage Door, or Electric Garage Door opener, or you just need a repair, we can help. We carry a full line of Residential and Commercial Garage Doors from the best brands in the business: Northwest Doors, C.H.I. Overhead Doors, Cloplay, Genie Company, LiftMaster, Wayne Dalton, Windsor Republic Doors, and Linear Security Solutions. To ensure the best installation experience possible, our service teams are highly trained and experienced with a wide range of garage doors and openers. Call us today (503-761-5674) or fill out a contact form to get started on your dream garage door.
Senior / Active Military Discounts available
When garage doors breakdown, it can a frustrating experience. That's why Myers Garage Doors offers comprehensive garage door repair services including same day service and replaces broken springs, broken cables, rollers, damaged sectionsreplacement of broken parts. We will replace broken springs, cables, rollers, hinges, and damaged garage door sections. We also fix garage door opener and sensor issues, you will receive a complimentary adjust & lube with each service call. Give us a call (503-761-5674) or fill out a contact form with any questions our garage door repair services.
To us, a local way of doing things means our customers are our friends and neighbors, not numbers on a spreadsheet. We will treat your home like it's our home and respond to service requests as fast as humanly possible, sometimes even faster. We are fair with repairs and warranties. This is our commitment to you!
Give us a call and you won't be disappointed.
Member of the BIA, HBA, IDA, and NWDO


text:
- Description
Gift vouchers can be ordered online - once the person has received the voucher they can send it in for payment or part payment for goods, or use in either of our stores. Please call us for any other Gift Voucher amount on 01202 775588 or 01202 749674.
- Reviews
Customer ReviewsWrite a Review
Be the first to write a review!
Write a Review
Write a review about the Primera £30 Gift Voucher by completing the form below. Please complete all fields marked with an *
- Delivery
This item is available for International delivery. Read more.
UK orders are sent using Royal Mail Tracked 48, Royal Mail Recorded or Royal Mail letter post for small, light orders and Parcelforce for heavier, bulky orders. Please allow approx 2-3 days for delivery after the order has been despatched. Large and heavy items, e.g turbo trainers and work stands, will be sent by Parcelforce (UK Mainland only). Overseas orders are sent using Royal Mail International Signed For service and Royal Mail Airsure service (where permitting). Heavier items e.g. bicycles are sent using Parcelforce Worldwide. Delivery times will vary depending on destination, customs clearance, local postal service etc. Please allow up to 14 working days for delivery. Postage costs include Insurance for the value of the order. Bicycles sent within the UK are sent by Parcelforce 48 Hour Service.


text:
The DC Craft Bartenders Guild is an active body of professionals and enthusiasts dedicated to craft bartending — its history and practice — and providing training and services to its members and the general public in keeping with our guiding principles of professionalism, knowledge, hospitality outreach and civil engagement.
To establish the highest level of professionalism, cooperation and exemplary service amongst its members and the industry as a whole
To encourage the disemmination of knowledge and innovation in craft bartending with a focus on hospitality.
To promote the District of Columbia as a preeminent city for craft bartending with a focus on hospitality.
To contribute to the growing national and international community of craft bartenders.
To engage the District's alcohol and bar regulatory environment in a way that benefits the D.C. Craft Bartenders Guild and its members and to work with the community to establish the norms of alcohol safety.
A drink consisting of liquor, typically gin, mixed with lime juice, carbonated water, and ice.
See the full list of events ›
The Guild sends out a monthly newsletter with events, recipes and opportunities. Give us your name and email and we'll sign you up!
We promise not to do anything evil with it.


text:
Place your order by 5PM EST Fri, February 28 and we will ship it by Wed, March 04.
If you need this item sooner please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com or call us at 800-554-3509 and let us know. We will work our magic to get it to you by your desired date.
Hand Made Celtic Wedding Band in 14k Yellow Gold (6mm)


text:
Mplus Home
Last Day
Last 3 Days
Last Week
Tree View
Edit Profile
Bayesian measurement variance
Mplus Discussion
Categorical Data Modeling
Jen Rose
posted on Monday, September 23, 2013 - 7:36 am
I want to assess measurement invariance across 24 groups for 6 binary indicators of a single factor. I'd like to use Bayesian SEM to do this, but not all of my indicators are measured in every group. Is it possible to do Bayesian SEM with this kind of missing data?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Monday, September 23, 2013 - 9:26 am
Bayes multiple-group is done by mixture knownclass. I think that will work fine with missing on some variables for everyone in the group because a covariance matrix is not computed for each group.
Jen Rose
posted on Monday, September 23, 2013 - 2:10 pm
Thanks. Can this be done in Mplus 6.1?
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Monday, September 23, 2013 - 2:22 pm
No, this was added in Version 7.
Baoyue Li
posted on Thursday, April 03, 2014 - 6:13 am
Dear Dr.Muthen,
I am trying to run a MIMIC model on 32 ordinal indicators (1-4) using BSEM method. We have 6 latent factors and a few binary variables used as the explanatory variables for the 6 factors (i.e. the indirect effects). All direct effects of the binary variables and the cross-loadings are estimated, being given informative priors. The sample size is around 800. Here are some questions we have now:
Q1. Is it better to report all standardized coefficients with the stdY option in OUTPUT statement? we saw some raw loading estimates exceeded 2.
Q2. For the choice of the informative prior variances of the cross-loadings and direct effects, can we just simply follow your examples in the BSEM technical report that uses variance 0.01 and 0.04 respectively? And further run separate sensitivity analysis with several other choices of the prior variances for the cross-loadings and direct effects? Basically, we do not have much prior information about this two kinds of parameters.
Thanks very much for your time in advance,
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, April 03, 2014 - 8:06 am
I assume you are declaring your ordinal indicators as categorical.
Q1. I would report both unstand'd and stand'd estimates.
Q2. Those priors are probably a good starting point for a sensitivity analysis.
Baoyue Li
posted on Thursday, April 03, 2014 - 8:46 am
Thanks for your prompt replies. Yes, we declared the indicators as categorical.
Further on Q2, how do we choose the different prior variances for the sensitivity analysis? Is it good practice to first find the largest value that keeps the model identified, and then try a few values smaller than it? and do this for the cross-loadings and direct effects separately?
Many thanks!
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, April 03, 2014 - 3:53 pm
You should relate the prior variance to the magnitude of the parameter. For instance, if you regard a direct effect of magnitude + - x to be the limit of what is ignorable, then say 2 SD of the prior should not go beyond that. See my Psych Methods paper for this kind of reasoning with respect to the loadings.
Back to top
Add Your Message Here
Posting Information:
This is a private posting area. Only registered users and moderators may post messages here.
Enable HTML code in message
Automatically activate URLs in message
Tree View
Program Credits


text:
Missteps with Mold
A version of this article appears in the July/August 2002 issue of Home Energy Magazine.
July 01, 2002
Building professionals should follow a thorough mold and IAQ investigative protocol when they tackle mold remediation cases.
In the summer of 2001, a First Nation community north of Lake Superior in Ontario, Canada, declared a state of emergency due to mold problems that were perceived to be life threatening. The community consists of about 84 single-family homes, three duplexes, and one fourplex.The First Nation had become concerned about mold in houses in early February. In response, the Ojibway tribe hired a consultant to inspect 13 units and conduct air sampling in 4 of them. As a result, those four units were evacuated.That consultant recommended further air sampling and investigation. This sampling was conducted by local health service providers. Based on these results, the Chief and Council decided to evacuate approximately 200 people from 45 homes. A private engineering firm's initial report suggested that 69 buildings be replaced and 19 repaired for an estimated cost of CAN $8 million. In any evacuation crisis, particularly in an isolated community, housing is at a premium. To deal with this crisis, evacuated families were housed with other families in the community, in local motels, and in replacement trailers. Overcrowding in First Nation communities is a common problem, and it contributes to an overload of ...
To read complete online articles, you need to sign up for an Online Subscription.
Once an order has been placed there is an automatic $10 processing fee that will be deducted with any cancellation.
The Home Energy Online articles are for personal use only and may not be printed for distribution. For permission to reprint, please send an e-mail to email@example.com.