FREE Reading September Sundays

HAPPY FREE READING SUNDAY!

 

As a Back-to-School promotion, September Sundays are free reading days.  To help promote the importance of reading, I have five free Ebooks to give away. So the first five people to email me can have whichever book they would like.  Email:  AuthorSRClaridge(at)Gmail(dot)com 

Here are the choices:

Tetterbaum's Truth
Angel finds herself hanging in a twisted balance of mafia deception and revenge and the only way out is to expose the truth.



Petals of Blood
She knew of his tainted past, but it was too late to turn back. She loved him.

House of Lies
Skylar Wilson fights to save her sister from a deadly cult that stretches far beyond its pseudo-evangelical veil, penetrating the upper echelon of the United States government and pushing a lethal international agenda.

No Easy Way
Racing to piece together a family secret before anyone else dies, private investigator, Stephen Braznovich, finds himself trapped between white lies and dark lusts in a twisted tale where all roads point to one simple truth...there is No Easy Way.



Traitors Among Us   A kidnapping and an FBI bust sends Angel racing down a path to save her loved ones and she comes face-to-face with the scariest truth yet. There are Traitors Among Us.



Russian Uprising
Walking a fine line between compassion and rage, Angel discovers that the only way to stop the Russian uprising is to turn against her own blood.

Death Trap   Tempers flare and bullets fly as the lines of family loyalty blur into a melting pot of Mafia destruction, where Angel must face the suffocating reality that her only hope of staying alive is in playing dead.

Loose Ends
Unraveling the truth means tying up loose ends...the only problem is that some loose ends aren’t fit to be tied.



 

Spouse in my House
A unique and poetic look at sex and marriage, a la the styling of Dr. Seuss. Spouse in my House is a tale of sexual enlightenment as one couple strives for marital bliss.

 

 For a more detailed description of each book, please visit Smashwords   -    Amazon   -   or   -   Barnes & Noble.

Our Love Is Like Chocolate

This is yet another chocolate-themed poem that was published in a Vanilla Heart Anthology.  I think this is the last one.  Boy, after reading these I'm really craving some chocolate... and a bit of sensual bliss would be nice too!  :)    Enjoy! 

Our Love is Like Chocolate

by S.R.Claridge

 

Our love is like chocolate,

milky and sweet;

I crave him

like an addictive treat.

His touch is velvet,

his muscles are steel;

he shows me the way

a woman should feel.

 

Our love is like chocolate,

delectably dark,

deliciously lustful

and filled with heart.

He gives me chills,

that are tingly warm,

like a cup of hot cocoa

amid a storm.

 
Our love is like chocolate.

I long for a bite;

to taste his sweet passion

all through the night.

With one tender kiss

my defenses are slain;

his love pours down

like sensual rain.

 

Our love is like chocolate,

rich and sublime;

I pray we indulge

‘til the end of time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her First Taste

This poem was published in a chocolate-themed Vanilla Heart Anthology.  I thought I'd post it here so you can read it for free. Enjoy!

 

Her First Taste 

by S.R.Claridge

 

His eyes were like chocolate,

dark and divine;

Dripping with flavor

like aging wine.

 

His lips were cherries,

temptingly sweet;

I longed for his kiss

like a decadent treat.

 

His fingers so soft,

like a creamy soufflé;

Chased all my

inhibitions away.

 

The candlelight flickered,

I felt my heart race;

Nearing the moment

I’d have my first taste.

 

 

A craving so strong

I could hardly breathe;

Every stroke of his tongue

devouring me.

 

Like chocolate melting

by a flame;

Our burning lust

could not be tamed.

 

Deep and warm

Like Creme Brulee;

Drenched in passion

there we lay.

 

 

 

 

If Men Were Like Chocolate

As I've been sorting through my old files, I came across several chocolate-themed works, mainly poetry, that were originally published in one or two of the Vanilla Heart Valentine's Day Anthologies. Since I am no longer with Vanilla Heart, I thought I'd post them here for everyone to read for free.  Enjoy!

 

What Chocolate is to Women

By S.R.Claridge

 

 

 

Cathartic

 

Healing

 

Opiate

 

Calming

 

Oral

 

Lick-able

 

Arousing

 

Tempting

 

Exciting

 

If men were more like Chocolate… imagine the sensual possibilities. 

 

 

True Beauty

One of the most difficult struggles for a woman is to feel beautiful.  Often times I catch my reflection and grimace.  Then I have to remind myself that I, like many women, judge myself too harshly.  I see the flaws where others see the beauty. 

 

As Sophia Loren said, “Beauty is how you feel inside and it reflects in your eyes.  It is not something physical.”

The older I get the more I realize this is true.  I can dress up, my make-up and hair can be perfect and I can look in the mirror and feel ugly.  This happens because I’m seeing deeper than the flesh.  I’m seeing the interior, how I feel, whereas others look merely at the exterior.  How you feel about yourself can’t be fixed with clothing or accessories; despite how we try.  More shoes won’t make me feel better.  That expensive dress won’t do the trick.  

The reality is you have to learn to love yourself from the inside out.  Then, and only then, will you see beauty reflecting in your eyes.

 

Spouse in my House - New Release

Marriage has its ups and downs, peaks and valleys, pleasures and pains.  It’s easy for couples to get distracted with life and forget why they ever fell in love.  Spouse In My House is a unique look at one couple’s fight to rekindle their flame on a journey of sexual enlightenment and marital bliss. 

I am excited to announce the release of this short poetic story about hope, love and re-igniting that spark of romance we all crave. 

"A unique and poetic look at sex and marriage, a la the styling of Dr. Seuss."

~ RipeReviews 

 

Spouse In My House is available now in all Ebook formats from Smashwords.   (Coming soon to Amazon and Barnes & Noble)

 

 

Out of the Mouths of Babes

I was talking with a friend the other day, explaining everything that had happened with my ex-publisher, Vanilla Heart.  I was unaware at the time that one of my kids was within earshot of our conversation.  That night my son said, “Mom, you’re really mad at your publisher aren’t you?” 

“Yes,” I answered.

“But you’re gonna forgive her, right?”  He asked, his eyes wide with innocence.

 

Out of the mouths of babes.  All at once my anger came to a screeching halt and I was thrust into the precarious position of deciding whether to live by example or let my child see that I was a hypocrite.  After all, how many times had I told him that we are to forgive others, never hold grudges, and love them as we would like to be loved.  I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly.  I had a tough decision.  Would I be the mother who says, “Do as I say, not as I do?”  Or would I admit that even though forgiveness can be difficult, it’s always the right choice. 

I exhaled.  “Yes, I’m going to forgive her,” I said.

“Even though she hurt you?”  He searched my face for the answer.

“Yes, even though she hurt me.”

 

That night I lay in bed under a blanket of conviction, unable to sleep.  My mind kept churning over all that had happened and I found myself wondering, am I strong enough to forgive her?  Do I have it in me? I honestly didn’t know.

 

The next morning I awoke still feeling conflicted.  I wanted to be able to forgive, but I was still angry.  What she did was wrong.  I felt betrayed and I had a right to be angry.  Mulling over my thoughts, I walked around the house picking up all of the random stuff the kids left strewn throughout and returned each item to the correct room.  The last item I scooped up was a football shaped dog-tag necklace that my son wears.  For some reason I happened to glance downward at it and noticed that engraved on the back it read, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil. 4:13” 

Chills darted up the back of my neck as realization swept over me.  I was holding the answer in my hand, literally.  I didn’t need to be strong enough to forgive because God is strong enough.  He would make forgiveness possible for me. All I had to do was let go of the anger and ask for help.

 

 

 

Am I still upset by the injustice of what Vanilla Heart publishing did?  Yes.  But I am no longer dwelling in a continual place of anger.  I forgive my ex-publisher.  I would still like to understand “why” she did it, but whatever the reason, it warrants no more anger from me.  In fact, I found myself sympathetically praying for her. 

People do unscrupulous things…maybe it’s because they are desperate…maybe it’s because of something beyond my capacity to fathom…I don’t know the answer.  I wish I did.  But, I know that forgiveness brings freedom and love covers a multitude of sin.  I know that second chances are real and sometimes that’s all that a person needs…a “do-over.”

That is not to say that I would ever give Vanilla Heart a “do-over” at publishing my books, because financial trust has been violated.  But, in my heart, in life, I’m holding no ill-will and wishing her health and happiness.

Out of the mouths of babes can come the purest of wisdom...and for that I am grateful.   ~