What Makes YOU Proud To Be Irish?

St Patrick's Day is just around the corner and I'm always amazed at the rush around the world to celebrate all things Irish.

Growing up in Northern Ireland in the 1980's, I never understood why people who didn't live here thought it was a great country. Bombs, army patrols and feeling like outsiders were all part of our lives here during The Troubles and left us somewhat embarrassed about our country.

These days though, we have much to be proud of! Belfast in particular has become a vibrant city, as our recent visitors will testify. We hosted the EMAs with Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez among the stars to grace the Odyssey Arena.

                                     Oh yeah, and we had a streaker!

Incidentally, the Odyssey is home to our own ice hockey team, The Belfast Giants, who have been in residence for the last decade and brought this fabulous sport to our doorstep :)

Our golfers have put us on the map recently too, with Rory McIroy as the current World Number One.

This year also sees the 100th Anniversary of the Titanic (the saying here is that an Irish man built the greatest ship in the world but an English man sank it!) With the highly anticipated opening of the Titanic exhibition centre already attracting millions of pounds in ticket pre-sales.

Of course, our magnificent scenery is a huge draw for tourists and film-makers alike and HBO's Game of Thrones cast and crew are a regular feature along our north coast.

                             One of these days my stalking will pay off!

So there you have it, I'm Irish, and finally proud.

What about you? Leave me a comment and tell me what it is connects you to the country or why you love it and I'll enter you into a draw for a copy of my novella, Pyramid of Passion.

Take part in the St. Patrick's Day Blog hop here  to win a stack of prizes, including Grand Prizes of a Kindle Fire/Nook Tablet and $90 Amazon/Barnes&Noble gift card.

And as an extra Paddy's Day present to you, here's a snippet of my next novella, In Her Element with Ana, my very own fiery Irish heroine. Pour yourself a pint and enjoy...

In Her Element Blurb

Ana Chapman is ready for a little excitement in her life. She gets more than she bargains for when she steps foot in the Blood Bar in Edinburgh to meet her writer friends. Spontaneous orgies and the supernatural are nothing compared to one ex-Fire Elemental, Zanaan, who stops at nothing to show her the time of her life.


In Her Element By Jorja Lovett

"You shouldn't be going through this alone." Zanaan whispered. "Relax and go with it."

"Go with what?" Ana asked as another wave of uncontrollable pleasure washed over her.

"That," he said, giving her a lopsided smirk. He bent down until his lips were almost touching hers. "This."

                                                                                    

She held her breath; her heart pounded, knowing she was waiting for that final kiss. She was a slave to her arousal—the tightening of her nipples, the dampness between her legs—all awaiting his touch. Her eyes fluttered shut, but the kiss never came.

The warmth of his breath skimmed across her skin, into her ear and down her neck until Ana couldn't stand it anymore.

"Mmm." She bit her lip, attempting to stem the pressure building inside, but she was too far gone. Her legs quivered in the unsteady heels, and she flattened her hands against the wall to steady herself. All at once, her release came—fast, furious, and feeling fucking amazing.

"Well, that's a first."

At the sound of his deep voice in her ear, she fought her way back through the haze in her brain.

"What is?"

"I've never made a woman come without laying a finger on her." He stirred that tingling sensation all over again.

"You didn't—I didn't—I've never—" she said indignantly, then gave a frustrated grunt.

"Get out of my way!" Embarrassed and confused by her behavior, she shoved him in the chest and made her escape, the sound of his laughter ringing in her ears.

In Her Element, part of The Blood Bar Chronicles.
Coming Soon with Breathless Press.

Valentine's Day Blog Hop

Valentine's Day – when everyone's thoughts turn to love...or lust.

 From an early age, we are dreaming of a handsome prince to sweep us off our feet and I think this often forms our ideas of what our true love will look like.

                                     

The earliest crush I remember having was on Christopher Reeve, as Superman. I know, I know but that lovely dark hair and muscly body was still lovely, regardless of him wearing his pants over his tights. And I was only about five at the time lol

 I progressed onto George Michael from Wham, yes I realise now I was barking up the wrong tree but he had lovely dark hair too, before he destroyed it with bleach.

The teenage years saw my bedroom walls covered with pictures of Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block, and hell, I'm not afraid to say he's still hot!

When Buffy was the hottest show on telly, the dark and brooding Angel was more my bag than Billy-Idol-Lookalike Spike, even though he was the funny one and the loveliest guy in real life. (Yes, I did meet James Marsters and I will boast about it forever more!)

You can see there's a theme developing here – no blonds! I never found myself attracted to one, never dated one and even now when we have the sexy Eric in True Blood, I'd rather watch the tall, dark and handsome, Alcide. Well, you can see why…

So, when I was asked what my perfect man would look like, I always described him with dark hair, dimples and a fantastic sense of humour and lucky girl that I am, my OH embodies all the qualities I ever wished for. And he still lets me drool over Joe Manganiello when I feel the urge :)

So, enough of my dodgy childhood crushes, tell me about yours. As part of the Valentine's Hop, I'm running a competition to win a copy of Pyramid of Passion. All you have to do is tell me who your crushes were growing up or who your perfect man is today and follow my blog. Don't forget to leave your contact details! To be in with a chance to win lots more goodies for Valentine's Day, visit the other participating blogs here.

He's here!

My Egyptian warrior, Edifu, is unleashed this week with Breathless Press and I'm beyond excited! To celebrate, I'm giving away a copy of Pyramid of Paradise.

As I've already said, Ancient Egypt is one of my favourite places to read (and fantasize!) about. So to be in for a chance to win just leave a comment telling me where or when you would like to travel to and fulfil your x-rated dreams...

Increase your chances by liking my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/pages/Jorja-Lovett/179111238840916?sk=wall

Or following me on Twitter @jorjalovett
Pyramid of Passion is available to pre-order now http://www.breathlesspress.com/pyramid-passion

The Joy of Fiction

Someone quite close to me once told me they only read factual books, that they don't see the point of fiction. I know, it's tragic! 'Why do you want to read about something that's not real?' They asked. And my answer was 'That's the point - it takes you away from grim reality for a short while and you can lose yourself in someone else's make believe world.

Just think about it. What if all books were based on our hum-drum lives? How boring would that be? I don't know about you but at the end of a hectic day I like to slip into the bath with a good romance that makes me forget all my stresses and I don't think reading Diary of a Harassed Housewife would have quite the same effect!

As an author, I've been able to indulge my fantasies and I find myself drawn to historical places and times in which to set them. Take my debut novella, Pyramid of Passion, for example. I've always loved reading about the Ancient Egyptians' way of life and for some reason found it quite sexy. So, when I decided I wanted to write a fantasy it seemed the natural choice for the setting.

Rosie, my heroine, works in a museum and with the mystical powers of a gold pendant on display there, she is able to travel back and forth in time to have a steamy affair with an Egyptian soldier. The lucky girl gets to play dress up, sample the culture and have Edifu worship her body.

In my second story, 'In Her Element', which will be released in March as part of the Blood Bar Chronicles, my hero Zanaan is a Fire Elemental. I've given him powers which means he can teleport the lovely Ana to some very hot places!

My current WIP has the Titanic as the setting for my paranormal romance.  Coming from the country which helped build the ship, I have a special interest in the events of 14th April 1912 and though the sinking was a tragic event, I'm sure there were hundreds of love affairs happening aboard.

Although I do research actual facts and figures for the background of my stories, these events fire my imagination enough to write my own version of what 'could' have happened. I hope in some way I can make my readers feel part of these stories, and THAT is the point of fiction!

Pyramid of Passion is available to pre-order now with Breathless Press http://www.breathlesspress.com/pyramid-passion

Pyramid of Passion

Rosie Carter starts her night shift at the museum by finding her secret crush, security guard Nick, screwing a redhead in the office. Running from her attraction to him, she distracts herself with the newly acquired Ancient Egyptian exhibit. The Gold of Valor catches her eye--a pendant bestowed on Pharaoh's soldier, Edifu. Its mystical powers transport her into the bedroom of the man himself who thinks she's a gift from the gods and worships her with his mouth, his tongue...

She discovers the joy of sex and a new found confidence with her hunky warrior and she's caught between her fantasy life and dull reality. When Nick starts to show his true feelings towards her, Rosie has to decide what it is she really wants.

Excerpt

"Hmm. Your strange attire would indeed appear ineffective armor for the Goddess of War. If you are not the Goddess herself and she has not sent you, then perhaps Qadesh? Such a gift from the Goddess of sexual pleasure would surely increase a mortal's prowess on the battlefield tenfold." He drew a thick fingertip from the hollow of her throat to the zipper on her smock. Rosie had gone from Goddess to sex toy in one fell swoop.

                                                                                           

That channel of need Nick's earlier performance opened up now swelled within her at another's touch. Adrenaline buzzed through her eradicating rational thought and she clung to facts where she could find them. "You're a soldier?" she asked.

"Yes. In King Rameses' Army." He rasped the zipper up and down in wonder, exposing and covering her goose-pimpled skin until she wanted to rip the damn thing off herself.

When she set aside the pleasures of her flesh for a moment, the importance of his words filtered into her brain. His obsession with the simple metal fastener of her top coupled with the exotic dreamscape forced her to ask the question, "What is your name?"

"Edifu." With one final tug, he unzipped her uniform and pushed it from her shoulders.

Okay! If, somehow this whacky set-up could possibly be real, was she really ready to leap into bed with the first Ancient Egyptian soldier to try it on with her?

Large hands cupped her breasts through the white cotton of her bra. When he bent to kiss her full on the mouth, she gave herself over to the moment. If, on the other hand, this was all fantasy, why deny herself a starring role?

"By the Gods, you are a true beauty." His husky voice on her lips commanded a rush of liquid desire to flood south.

How long since a man paid me a compliment? Kissed me with such reverence? Too long. She returned the passionate kiss with interest; let her hands explore the broad expanse of warrior chest available to her.

The humidity of the night combined with the radiating heat between their responsive bodies, soon became too much to bear. Besides, she couldn't wait until Eddie here figured out the complexities of the modern bra clasp. Under his lust-filled watch, Rosie divested from the remainder of her clothes.

He took a step closer and she shivered in his shadow. Masterful male fingers palmed her uncovered breasts, his sun-kissed skin in relief against her porcelain complexion, and stroked a thumb across her nipple. It stood to attention and he rewarded it by sealing his mouth around the pink tip. Gasps of delight seeped from her when he suckled and his tongue joined in the courtship.

Powerful arms lifted her and carried her over to the bed to lay her on the virginal white linen sheets. Totally at his mercy, she was enjoying every sinful second. For however brief a spell, she would revel in her womanhood and experience this man with pure abandon.

She reached for his granite-hard cock. He caught her searching hand and pinned it to the bed above her head. With a sensual smile he started a slow descent along her body, marking a path with a trail of wet kisses. Starting with her mouth, he moved down the center of her body, diverting only to pay homage to one unattended breast. Goddess or not, soldier boy seemed intent on worshipping her.