Lori, Runaway Wife; A Romantic Mystery

http://www.ValentineDmitriev.com A spouse abuse victim stands a much better chance of surviving independently if they possess career skills and other life skills.

That is the central theme of the novel Lori, Runaway Wife (ISBN 1-60672-173-0, 2008 Publish America, Baltimore, 229 pages, $15), by Valentine Dmitriev, 92, a retired educator and author of several books.

Lori Becker, a nurse at a Queens's hospital, is a battered wife who is intimidated by her brutal spouse despite being professionally skilled. Lori lives in the fantasy world of romance mysteries, idolizing their handsome author Ian Damion. Yet she is trapped until the birth of Ian's son sets her free and her life skills mould the opportunity to build self-esteem and create a new life of independence.

The author spent 10 months writing and researching Lori, Runaway Wife. Part of Dmitriev's research was her experiences as a juror in the trial of a man arrested for attacking his ex-wife, torturing her all night, and raping her with the neck of a wine bottle.

"Education gives women as well as men greater freedom to make better and more desirable choices," says Dmitriev. "For women especially, an education that prepares them for a marketable skill gives them freedom -- the chance to leave a bad relationship with the knowledge they can support themselves and their children independently."

If Lori Becker did not have any skills, stresses Dmitriev, she never would have gotten a job as a nanny which provided the means of escape -- the first step in finding freedom, independence, self-confidence, and a new fulfilling life.

Born in Shanghai, China in 1918, Dmitriev moved with her family to Vancouver, Canada, and as an adult settled in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Dmitriev, was a pioneer in infant learning and early intervention for special needs children and received national recognition for her Model Preschool Program for young children with Down Syndrome and other disabilities.

Over a period of 15 years she traveled widely giving lectures and workshops in 40 cities in America and 11 foreign countries including Australia, England, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Russia and Spain.

Dmitriev has written numerous professional articles, seven books on parenting, education and child development, and three other romance novels, Wedding Belle, Five Magic Words and Stolen Bride.

Valentine Dmitriev graduated from high school at age 15, earned a BA from the University of Washington at age 19, and subsequently earned her master's in education and PhD from the University of Washington.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

About the Author
Born in China and raised in Canada, Valentine Dmitriev settled in Seattle, Washington and spent 32 years working with normally developing youngsters as well as with the disabled and mentally impaired infants and preschool youngsters. A pioneer in special education, she published five books before taking an early retirement and moving to a retirement cottage in New Jersey where she has published two novels in the past two years. http://www.ValentineDmitriev.com




News contact: Book Publicist Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing http://www.book-marketing-expert.com 734-667-2090 or scottlorenz@westwindcos.com

Virtual Book Tour: Magical Fantasy Novels For Adult--Explore Your Dark Passions

Paperback Writer hosts Theresa Chaze today at http://rebecca2007.wordpress.com/. Read Rebecca's interview of Ms Chaze. In addition, you are invited to add comments and ask the author questions. When you leave a comment, you are automatic entered to win a copy of Awakening the Dragon-Book One of the Dragon Clan Trilogy.


Magical Fantasy Novels for Adults--Be Wicked if You Dare

Whether in books or our own mind as children we were able to unashamedly walk in the realms of fantasy, going wherever our imaginations took us. As adults were expected to put away childish things for more intellectual material. Guilty we secretly brought home Harry Potter, The Golden Compass, and the many others to once again enjoy other realms and allow our imaginations free reign. Yet like all stories intended for children, adults found that the plots were something missing. No longer did the simple tales of innocence captivate us as they did in days gone by. Instead, we longed for the passionate and mystical encounters in this world and others. Theresa Chaze's Dragon Clan Trilogy is magical fantasy series that is not for the faint of heart. Filled with magic, suspense and passion, the residents of Coyote Springs will entice and frighten you as they face challenges that come from within and without This series are for those who want to explore the guilty pleasures of their dark side while trying to keep their honor untarnished and heal old wounds.

Awakening the Dragon--Book One of the Dragon Clan Trilogy (978-0-9798406-0-9) is a story of magic, suspense and karmic justice combine in a tale of horror. Rachael moves to Coyote Springs to find a home and open her bookstore. Instead, she becomes the catalyst in exposing a murder and the target of a violent cult. She is forced to awaken her dragon spirit prematurely to save herself and all she loves. Will she be able to control the power of the dragon as it rises giving her the power to save all she loves or will the flames from within destroy her?

Dragon Domain--Book Two of the Dragon Clan Trilogy (978-0-9798406-1-6) Cheyenne and Celeste came to Coyote Springs to save a child; instead, Cheyenne found a home. With the help of their new friend, Jane, they created a spiritual sanctuary. But when Celeste stopped running, her past caught up with her. Dominic arrived with promises of love and passion. Instead of love, he reawakened Celeste’s dark side, turning her against those she loved the most. With the aid of the dragons, Cheyenne was barely able to ward off their first attack. With each soul they bound to them, Celeste and Dominic’s greed and hatred grew until they would not settle for less than totally destroying Cheyenne and all she loves. How do you protect yourself from someone who knows how to steal your soul?

Virtual Book Tour: Nadia Ailan Brings Erotic Passion to Modern Romance

Nadia Aidan Brings Erotic Passion to Modern Romance

Romance novels are not innocent stories our mothers and grandmothers remember so fondly. Instead, they are passionate tales of strong women who face life squarely and passionately. No longer do they run from love but fully embrace it on all levels. The passions motivate them to succeed Where porn remains character and plot free, erotic romances burst through stereotypes to create multi-dimensional characters that ignite your passion and excite your imagination.

In an interview, Nadia Aidan talked about her writing and what motivates her to create her worlds, her characters, and their adventures. “I write erotic romance and within that genre my themes fall under multicultural/interracial, contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi and historical. Now I got into this genre because I wanted to see more interracial and multicultural erotic romance novels so I figured if that is what I wanted then I needed to write them myself!” Although she still blushes when her work is compared to Danielle Steel and wishes she could wrote like her, she knows that her voice is still uniquely her own. “I have always been told that my voice in my writing is very vivid and emotional. I love details and so I try to describe things using every sense. People seem to respond to this and many of the compliments that I receive on my writing(especially in the earlier stages of writing when I didn't have the mechanics as tight as I needed to have them) have always been that I have a strong and unique voice that is very distinct in each of my novels. In all seriousness, whoever anyone wants to compare me to, good or bad, is fine. I personally don't compare myself to any other writer because I view writing as an art and like any art, the style is as unique and varied as the individual who created it.”

Her newest novel, Enthralled (ISBN: 0-595-46267-7) was released September 2007 through IUniverse. It is available both in paperback and as an ebook. Strong willed and beautiful, Candace, Queen of the Amazonian planet Kush is used to fighting battles, giving orders and subservient men. From birth, she is taught the art of war and that men are the enemy. What she hates more than a man is a domineering man! With a body as powerful as a god's, the heir to the Akkadian throne is far from subservient. A man of honor, Ares is all masculine dominance! When war tears their planets apart, the two are faced with entering into a marriage contract in order to save their kingdoms and their people. Forced into a marriage neither wants, at every turn the two warriors clash as they battle for dominance.

But what begins as a marriage of convenience quickly turns into something more as they fight their growing passion and hunger for each other. The ultimate challenge comes when they are forced to forsake their old beliefs for a chance at a future together. Can two fighting spirits learn the ultimate lesson of surrendering to their hearts?

Of all her characters, Candace is her favorite. Aidan describes her as, “She is strong and courageous, yet at the same time there is a vulnerability about her. Mainly she is motivated by a desire to be a good ruler. To do what is right. Many people say that as a writer you should stay away from developing characters that are loosely based upon your own personality, which I will say in this case I did! However, I would like to think that a few of my own personality traits ended up in Candace, which of course endears her to me. When you read Enthralled, I think you will find that you can't help but cheer for Candace. She has so much to deal with and yet she remains poised through everything. She compromises but not at the expense of who she is. I love that about her and I hope the readers do too! “Aidan has created her match in Aries. A passionate character that would make the legendary God proud, Aries represents the best qualities of strong men. “The two dominant leaders clash a lot which makes their relationship difficult at times, but what endears you to Ares is that he genuinely cares for Candace and you can tell that he wants to make her happy. He is passionate about her and his love for her. You want to see him win Candace's heart because he is a good man who, like everyone, makes mistakes but he admits them. How can you NOT love a man willing to admit when he is wrong?”

Although some criticize the genre a for being to explicit, Aidan’s work is based that passion is a natural part of a healthy life. She does more than create cheap sexual thrills. Her novels are character and plot driven; the passion between the characters gives them added dimension and furthers the plot line. There is nothing gratuitous about the sexuality.

Aidan said of her critics, “To be honest, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I say that is fine. Most criticize erotic romance because they consider the erotic side of it to be too dirty or vulgar. My take on it is that that is their opinion. However, at the same time every woman is different. I personally don't like reading inspirational or Christian romance because there is no sex and I feel that sex is an integral part of a romance. But then again that is my opinion. Erotic romance is a relatively new genre within romance and it arose because obviously more women wanted more vivid and graphic depictions of sex. Again, every woman is different and there should be something for everyone out there and I think that is wonderful.”


Nadia Aidan lives, works and writes on the East Coast in the United States. Under her real name, Nadia holds a PhD in Political Science and Public Policy and by day she works as an Assistant Professor. In addition to writing erotic romances Nadia enjoys reading other authors, playing flag football, studying muay thai, working out, listening to music, scuba diving, and target shooting. Her other interests include collecting Top Cow comics, especially Witchblade and Tomb Raider. She loves professional football and soccer. Her favorite teams are the Washington Redskins and Manchester United, respectively. Nadia loves watching, reading about, and writing about strong, assertive heroines, which is why she is an enduring fan of Fight Girls, Xena, Buffy, and La Femme Nikita! Nadia also loves interacting with people so feel free to email her! Her site address is: www.nadiaaidan.com. Currently she has doing a virtual book tour with Pump up your Book Promotion; the site address is http://virtualbooktoursforauthors.blogspot.com/2007/09/enthralled-virtual-book-tour-07.html


An excerpt of ENTHRALLED:



At last inside their private chambers, Ares released her. He’d barely closed the door before she spun on him, whipping her open palm across his right cheek.

“How dare you!” she fumed as she shot him a look of fury.

Ares wasn’t angry before but he was getting there. She wasn’t some weak little female. His face tingled from the force of her strike. Rubbing his cheek he edged into her personal space, letting his full size overwhelm her, as he knew it would. Unconsciously she stumbled back, before his free hand shot out to grasp her arm, steadying her.

His eyes narrowed in anger. “I thought I was doing us both a favor. You have been there all day and you would have been there all night! You are tired and apparently a little frustrated if my cheek is any evidence,” he bit out angrily.

“Seeing that we are newly joined, I was hoping to spend some time with you, but maybe that is too much to ask!” He had not meant to raise his voice, but he concluded that all of the troubles of the day must have finally caught up with him.

“You cannot do that ever again! You cannot just usurp my power in front of my people.”

“Our people—”

Her eyes narrowed. “You risk much with your high handed ways, Ares. You must understand that the women of Kush do not take well to male authority—”

“I’ve noticed,” Ares snorted.

Shooting him a chilly glare, Candace continued. “If you over rule my power in front of my women, they will not follow me. They will see me as weak and question the extent of your influence over me. If for one moment they think that you are controlling me they will rebel and everything that we have worked so hard for will be for naught.”

Ares knew she spoke the truth which is why he brought his temper back under control to reason with her.

“I understand that Candace, but I am a king used to giving orders and having them followed. I am also a man who believes in protecting his wife, his woman. I will not, I cannot rule along side you as some consort. I must be respected as your equal or else my people will question my ability to lead as well.”

Sighing, Candace pushed her thick hair behind her shoulder, her eyes defeated. “Why didn’t we think of this before?”

Ares wanted to say because they were too busy trying to get each others clothes off, but he wisely remained silent on that point.

“How could we not see what it would mean to try to bring two rulers together? How are we going to make this work?” Candace frowned.

Ares reached out to stroke her cheek, his eyes gentle, “It will be hard I'm sure, but I know we can work through this."

Pausing for a moment, his eyes turned serious, "I was wrong today. I should have spoken to you in private. That will not happen again. In the future, we cannot challenge the other’s authority in public. Before others we must be seen as a single entity.”

Smiling, Candace met his blue gaze. So you admit you were wrong?”

Was she teasing him? When he saw the little glint of mischief in her eyes he knew she was. Smiling back he muttered, “Yes, my queen I was wrong.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.” Her eyes twinkled with laughter.

Grabbing her by the waist, Ares pulled Candace into his arms so that she was pressed against his body. Nuzzling his lips against her neck he whispered into her ear. “Can you hear me now? I was wrong.”

Laughing, Candace snaked her arms behind his neck.

“Thank you for that,” she said before adding, “I am sorry for hitting you as well. I was wrong too. It will not happen again,” she frowned as she looked towards the floor.

Lifting her chin with his finger he held her gaze. “Apology accepted,” he said gently, his eyes filled with understanding. He paused for several moments as if considering his next words. “You are right. We both have to get used to sharing power, but if we agree to keep our arguments private and support each other in public, well that is a start.”

Candace smiled at his words before adding. “Thank you for dragging me away. I truly was exhausted.” She then glanced up at him, “And I missed you,” she whispered softly.

Leaning back slightly, Ares gazed into her eyes. “Hmmm. You did? How much?”

She grinned then. Molding her body to his, she could feel Ares’ erection growing harder as the seconds ticked by.

“Let me show you,” she whispered.

His breath lodged in his chest as Candace slid down the length of his body, before dropping to her knees before him.......