I’m so happy to be here at Leah’s blog again. I do love visiting and traveling Thanks for having me again Leah.

We are halfway through May and I’m shocked how fast we got here. It’s a long weekend coming up and  I do believe I will be offline for most of it. Heading to the cottage where the is no internet access unless we drive into a town called Collingwood. I know there is a Starbucks there with wifi. But part of me is ready for a down weekend. A weekend of campfires, s’mores, early morning and sunset walks on the beach with our Golden Retriever Emma, being lazy, afternoon snoozes in a hammock and bbq’s. Oh yes, and maybe a little bit of writing on my current seawitch story.

Oh if you want to know where we are going for the weekend….google Wasaga Beach. A bit of useless trivia, it’s the longest freshwater beach in the world and in Georgian Bay.

But before I can enjoy that weekend I have some work to do. My third release with Ellora’s Cave comes out today. Elemental Heat. It’s set in completely opposite type of land than the beach. The Rocky Mountains, in fact, the Colorado Rockies. I’ve been to the Canadian Rockies, Banff  and Lake Louise and they are spectacular.

In Elemental Heat we have a mountain cowboy as our hero and a Canadian city girl as our heroine. Two completely different people from opposite sides of the continent. Mother Nature also makes an appearance and she causes some serious havoc for Chet and Jenna.

I hope you enjoy the excerpt from Elemental Heat.

You can find me at:
www.cristalryder.com
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Jenna takes a big risk and decides to live in the moment. After months of communication by social media, she accepts an invitation to Colorado where she finally meets her cowboy. Burned by past romances, Jenna is determined to move on and goes with one goal in mind—a booty call with a tall, dark, sexy cowboy.

Chet is a romantic at heart and when Jenna arrives, he knows there’s more to her than a pretty face and a hot body. A casual fling won’t do. He’s smitten and decides to woo her the old-fashioned way with time and patience. And of course, hot sex.

Their chemistry is elemental and they come together with heat that sears the snowy peaks. When Mother Nature steps in, Jenna is forced to face the feelings she’s tried so hard to keep buried and Chet has to draw on his mountain skills to save the woman he has come to love.

An Excerpt From: ELEMENTAL HEAT
Copyright © CRISTAL RYDER, 2012
All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

“I can’t believe the stars.”

“Magnificent isn’t it?”

“Totally.”

“I dare you to pick a star and wish my name on it.”

She giggled. “That’s not a dare.” Jenna inhaled the wonderful scent of wood smoke, night air and barbequing meat. For the first time in a long time a sense of well-being filled her. She reclined on the lounger, pulled the blanket to her chin and searched the sky for the perfect star. “I found one.”

“Where?”

Chet put the lid down on the grill and came to sit at her feet, holding her ankle gently with his big hand. She trembled at his touch, and loved the wave of arousal that swept up her leg to settle between her thighs. She wanted his touching to be so much more. Time for that later. Jenna pointed to a bright star a little bit off to the right. “See? The large one there.”

He glanced up and right at that moment a shooting star streaked across the sky and right over top of the star she just picked.

“Holy shit! Did you see that?” Jenna bolted upright and watched the fiery trail the meteor left behind. “What are the odds of that happening?”

“Yes, I saw.” She heard the smile in his voice.

“What does that tell you?” Jenna asked him.

“I think the important thing is what it means to you.” His voice was soft and she switched her gaze from the sky to his face.

“To me? Well, a sign.”

“What kind of sign?”

She hesitated a moment, quite struck by the shooting star. What were the odds that just as she chose a star a meteor would streak over the one she picked? There was a whole big sky up there, a great vastness and yet the celestial streak happened in her minuscule portion of it where she picked a star to wish his name on. It told her volumes, but she couldn’t really express it without feeling ridiculous.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged, feeling embarrassed to almost voice thoughts she normally would never let enter her mind. “Maybe that our visit was written in the stars…”

Chet squeezed her ankle gently. “I hope you made a wish on it.”

“I didn’t!” Was it too late? Jenna squeezed her eyes shut and wished. Wished with all her might that maybe, just maybe she was wrong and that she could find true love. Her birthday was this week, while she was here with a very sexy cowboy. One who seemed almost too good to be true.

If it seems too good to be true it usually is.

Jenna opened her eyes and glanced at Chet. Was he hiding any secrets?

“I hope it was a good one.” Chet’s deep voice reached her through the dark.

She pulled the blanket tighter. “Time will tell. There’s been lots of wishing upon stars over the years and I think only one has ever come to fruition.”

“Which one was that?”

Jenna laughed. “A horse. When I was little I would go outside every night and search for the first evening star and wish desperately for a horse. I finally got my wish when I was twenty. But I had to wait an awful long time.” She glanced at his now achingly familiar face, his rugged features softened by the bonfire. “I hope I don’t have to wait as long for this wish.”

“Sounds to me like you don’t have a whole lot of patience. Remember, all good things come to those who wait.” He winked at her and stood.

Jenna watched him walk to the barbeque. He was all fluid grace. For such a big man he wasn’t awkward at all and she couldn’t wait to see him in the saddle. He’d promised they’d go riding tomorrow. But there was a lot of time between now and then. She watched him flip the steaks and take a sip of wine from his glass, then hold the spatula aloft. The image was ingrained in her mind and she swore she would never forget this moment.

Before she knew what she was doing or could change her mind, Jenna swung her legs off the lounge and stood. Chet turned and watched her approach, the dark dreaminess of his eyes drew her. She needed to taste him, to feel his lips under hers and if he wasn’t going to make the first move then she would.

The blanket slipped down her back and she clutched the edges below her breasts.

He put the spatula down without looking where he placed it and it clattered to the patio stones. She stood before him and wound her arms around his neck, holding the corners of the blanket, wrapping them in the warmth of the wool. Her fingers pressed against his neck and the strength in his muscles made her feel truly feminine.

Almost at eye level, she had to look up only slightly to meet his gaze. All her senses tuned in to him, his essence permeated her and she let it. The long-distance teasing they had done the past few months came to a head and Jenna trembled with desire. She tipped her head back and pulled him to her. The hesitation when their lips were a hairsbreadth apart was exquisite. Energy crackled between them in the moment of anticipation before fulfillment.

Chet’s vigor and arousal radiated from him in pulsing waves. The whisper of air between their bodies vanished when he snaked his arms around her waist and brought her hard against him. Jenna sucked in a breath and a little “oh” popped from between her lips.

“This is where I’ve wanted you all day, woman.”

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I can see the model as either Jodi or Lauren, and I love that surrounding — very mysterious and fits Private Property’s sweltering July night on the shores of Lake Arlington, and also the dark vibe of Deliberate Deceptions.(Until I did the cover art form last July, I hadn’t realized I’d made both heroines blonde. But then there are only so many choices of hair color, right?)

Another one to be framed.  I can’t wait to see it on the actual printed cover when it comes out on January 1 next year.

BUT my son is getting to enjoy it today. Not that he wants to. You see, just two hours earlier, Seamus, the dog-who-should-be-named-Dyson, had managed to find an acetaminophen table, or half a tablet, I’m not sure, (nor am I sure where he found it or who dropped it and why they didn’t pick it up). In his usual “I eat everything” fashion, he gobbled it down as I tried to get it out of his mouth. Which meant a frantic call to the vets who told me to give him a tablespoon of peroxide to make him vomit it up, then rushed him to the vet where they did blood tests to check his liver enzyme levels and a charcoal lavage (which will bind the drug and stop it from being absorbed by Seamus’ little body.)

So why is my son currently sitting outside? Because the lavage will result in black charcoal diarrhea which, the vet informed me, will be impossible to get out of the carpets if it hits him inside. Luckily it’s a beautiful spring day here, and my son patiently waits for the charcoal to complete its journey.

I texted Gizmo Guy and said I was seriously considering leaving home and checking into a hotel incommunicado. He asked if he could come with me.

So if I am quiet here, understand I’m desperately trying to meet my deadline. And not be incredibly rude while I ignore my family. Whom I can’t ignore.

I need chocolate.

And cheesecake.

And Cosmos. The drink, not the flower. Though flowers are nice too.

As a paranormal writer, I am always trying to come up with new and interesting psychic abilities to give my characters. Now, you’d think it’d be easy. I mean, it’s paranormal! Anything can happen right? True and while it’s easy on some days, on others, there’s nothing left in that creative well.

Case in point, this weekend I was stuck on a new character. I had some limitations I wanted on this new ability but I couldn’t think of something that is interesting and yet, disposable. Now, I’m a slightly odd person. Sometimes a walk may help me get through a block, but it doesn’t always. What does help (and here is where the weird comes in) is doing rolling hand gestures and pretending I’m doing martial art moves. And trust me, I’m no master. I butcher moves horribly. lol. If you know me, I’m an awkward, small person with no coordination. I’m very clumsy. I walk into walls all the time.

So me pretending to do all these fancy moves…yeah, I’m sure you’d be laughing if you saw me. The thing is that if I can somewhat visualize the action behind the ability then I can figure out something. I have a character who always hangs his hand down to the ground and wiggles his fingers. He does this to twist and draw psychic energy toward him so that he ball up the energy in his hand. I came up with this because one day I just started doing finger motions as I was walking down the hall.

So yeah, this weekend I was trying to figure out some moves…anything that’d give me a hint of a thread of thought. What’d I end up with? The character, by throwing his hands out in front of him (almost like jazz hands but no moving fingers) can create a barrier that wraps around someone and decompress them. Like if you were to somehow end up in space without your protection suit.

Random research fact while trying to explain this ability: Did you know that if you happen to be in this situation you shouldn’t hold your breath? Your lungs may explode apparently. Sounds incredibly painful.

When you’re stuck on a problem, no matter what it is, do you do something “different” to try and figure out a solution? If so, what?

Thanks Leah for having me on your site!

**Alexia is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate to a commenter. Contest will be open until Friday May 11th at 8 a.m. and the winner will be chosen by random.org and announced later that day.** Contest is now closed.

Hunting the Shadows

by Alexia Reed

Amy has spent her life in isolation. Locked away in the Centre, a secret government facility where children with extraordinary abilities are raised as highly skilled fighters, she longs for a normal life. A life where being around people doesn’t overload her sensitive telepathic mind. A life where she can’t see through the eyes of a murderer as he hunts down his next victim…

J.C. Nikolaiev was a top researcher, but when his conscience got the better of him, he tried to destroy his work and free his subjects—and was imprisoned as a traitor. To save himself and prevent more people from dying, J.C. must catch the serial killer stalking the halls of the facility. But his only leads come from a woman whose thoughts have invaded his mind…

Finally out of the psych ward, Amy joins forces with J.C. to find the killer before he closes in on them. Can their growing attraction withstand the truths they uncover?

You can purchase Hunting the Shadows through the Carina Press, Amazon, Kobo or Barnes and Noble.

Alexia Reed is a dark paranormal romantic suspense author. You can find her on Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook.