Good morning and welcome to Iron Bowl Saturday here at the “Peak and Thrust 12 Day Sneak Peek Event!” Yes, college football is the name of the game here in the southeast today. Alabama versus Auburn. “Roll Tide!” vs. “War Eagle!” I’ve grown up with this football rivalry being the basis of all things “sport” in Alabama. Even now as I’ve lived in Florida for 9 years, Iron Bowl Saturday still has a certain electricity in the air, a certain zing that has all your school loyalties abuzz.

Auburn University.

Talk about a conundrum in my life.

Back in my high school days, back when mental illness was just something you read about Zelda Fitzgerald having, I won an academic scholarship to Auburn. Talk about being proud. I had always been the kind of kid who studied damned hard all the time. I wasn’t exactly a nerd. My “peeps” were the jocks and I never stepped foot into a science fair, a debating arena or a math competition… just because I was in classes with all those science fair, debating, math aficionados did not stereotype me as a nerd. Nope. Not at all.

Anyhow, I won the scholarship to Auburn, moved down to the Plains in the fall of my 18th year and had literally lost my mind by the spring of my 20th.

Good times.

I don’t blame Auburn. That would be silly. I would have lost it no matter what great campus I was on. But…

I have nightmares.

Every single night for the last 20 years.

School nightmares of failure and insanity, of fear and of lies. And where do you think my beautiful mind locates all these night terrors? You guessed it. Auburn.

So as I sit here watching the Iron Bowl this afternoon, I will cheer for Auburn. I will cheer for them on behalf of that 18 year old girl who was so proud of earning her scholarship, for the girl who was so proud to be an Auburn Tiger.

The bad stuff I’ll leave for my dreams tonight.

Now, on to your sneak peek of the day…

 
Chapter Nine: Playing Chicken with God

“An hour later, as one man slept protectively tucked up against the chest of the other on a now damp bed, words of love were whispered and one heart was lost irretrievably to another.” (page 122)

 
I wish every one of you a terrific Thanksgiving Saturday! Only two more days until Peak and Thrust premieres. The butterflies in my gut are already getting a little nauseous… with that lovely visual I will leave you all with a “War Eagle!”

Until tomorrow…

Chloe Stowe

 
Good morning and welcome to Day Nine of… (shall we all repeat it together now?)… the “Peak and Thrust 12 Day Sneak Peek Event!” Yeah! No, no, make that a “Freaking Yeah!”

Yes, world, I have returned and brought most of my questionable senses with me. After a day of recovery from not only the Target “incident” but actually blogging about said incident yesterday, I rejoin you today in full bluster (ignore the Chloe shaking behind the keyboard, she is just a grainy illusion reflecting reality).

To be honest, I’m feeling a little intimidated today. Yesterday’s blog had the most readers of any of my blogs ever (we’re talking 99 readers, folks, just Wow!). So how is a girl supposed to follow that up, especially when warring with Black Friday sales (excuse the pause here for a promotional plug for my publisher’s sake…) a Black Friday that includes all of my books half price at AllRomance Ebooks this weekend?

The answer is: she doesn’t.

I can’t.

Won’t even try.

The last thing I’m throwing here is a pity party. There will be no milking of mental disorders for viewership numbers.

I’m keeping it real, so a good day (such as today) is a good day in my blogging world. Bright, sunny, brimming forth with romance and smut… yep, it’s a sparkly day in the Chloe Stowe universe. Please put on your shades and enjoy!

Since my mental hiccup yesterday wiped out your daily chapter sneak peek, today you get a double dose of Peak and Thrust. Now, see? Don’t you just love my sparkly days?...

 
Chapter Seven: Riding the Sweet Wrath of a Hurricane

“Laird looked up… and he was lost.” (page 84)

 
Chapter Eight: Five Weeks to Love

“Follow? Ah, another clue. Joey had definitely followed this hairy male specimen into the bed because there was no doubt that he was currently playing the little spoon in this silverware drawer. A little finagling of his hips and ass cheeks and the proof was definitely found in the pudding. The big spoon still had his dick up the little spoon’s ass.” (page 94)

I wanted to give you a taste of both the dramatic and the erotic. Did I succeed? I hope so.

Well, folks, I think I’ll leave you there for today. I’ve got 2k words I need to put into Shafts of Torchlight (third in the Hellesgate Series) today, so I will take my momentary sparkles and sprinkle them liberally over novel #9. So when you find a giggle in Shafts of Torchlight know that you were there when that giggle was born.

Until tomorrow… Thank you for reading and sharing in my manically messed up but glorious world.

Chloe Stowe

 
Happy Wednesday-before-Thanksgiving! As we all make our last dashes to the grocery store to pick up turkeys, cranberries, sweet potatoes and whipped cream (personally, my favorite), I thank you for spending a little part of these special days with me. Whether you are expecting a cattle-call type of event to your dining room table or if it’s more of a one-on-one celebration with a loved one, be it human, feline or canine, I wish you the very best. Eat, drink and be merry, one and all!

After giving thanks for all the blessings we have received this year, we often end up giving in to all sorts of off-the-wall cravings these few days. Be it one too many tankards of eggnog, or one too many games of not-so-touch football with the former linebacker neighbor, or one too many hours of George Bailey running down the streets of Bedford Falls, we all seem to indulge in our own unique ways. I chose your tease of the day to reflect just that…

Chapter Six: Taste’s Temptation

“Joey Ballios was a man who liked having his sex. He wasn’t obsessed with it by any means, but he’d never really understood the whole concept of doing without when a man could do with.” (page 60)

While romantic flights of fancy very rightfully take a backseat these holiday weeks, I appreciate you continuing to share in mine. All of you are my blessing.

Until tomorrow…

Chloe Stowe

 
Picture

Good Tuesday morning everyone! As it looks like I’m going to be spending my day dodging tornadoes again, I figured I’d make today’s post short and sweet… especially since you get a peek at the cover of Peak and Thrust as a special treat.

Let me count the ways that I love this cover… Better yet I’ll let you count the ways and you can get back to me with a nice concise list. Spare no adjectives, however. I live for adjectives. *grins*

As for your tease into Chapter Five, I proudly give you the following tidbit…

 Chapter Five: The Coarse Wool of the Dark

“Yeah, the Fates better know what the hell they were doing because Joey Ballios didn’t know how much longer he could hold on.” (page 58)

Yes, by Chapter Five we’re hitting some heavy emotional stuff… the meat and bones to any memorable romance. And believe me Joey and Laird’s tale is a deeply romantic one. So don’t let the delicious cover fool you into expecting only really hot guys doing really hot things to one another… although there’s plenty of that… plenty. (And that ladies and gents is your tease for the day!)

Until tomorrow, stay safe…

Chloe Stowe