Tasty Tuesday - Benefits of Chocolate

I LOVE CHOCOLATE!

All chocolate is wonderful but I prefer the darker varieties. Darling Hubby has treated me with gifts of chocolate he's collected during his jaunts around the world.

Did you know there are many PROVEN health benefits to consuming chocolate?

YEAH, BABY!

Dark chocolate is loaded with nutrients. Made from the seeds of the cocoa tree, it is one of the best sources of antioxidants. (If you have an autoimmune disease like me, you appreciate antioxidants.) Studies show that dark chocolate can improve health and lower the risk of heart disease.

* Dark chocolate 70% and higher cocoa is considered nutritious. However, don't consume in large amounts due to calories and sugars. The caffeine amount is smaller than a cup of coffee. Trust me, a little square nibbled on while sipping red wine is a perfect evening snack.

* Quality dark chocolate is rich in fiber, iron, magnesium, copper, and a few other good minerals.

* Cocoa and dark chocolate have a wide variety of powerful antioxidants, more than most other foods. For fun add a few frozen blueberries or strawberries to hot cocoa in the winter. Not only will it cool the drink but add even more antioxidants during the cold season.

* Chemistry Lesson of the Day: The bioactive compounds in cocoa can improve blood flow in the arteries and cause a small but statistically significant decease in blood pressure.

Can I take a bath in chocolate?

Blueberry Festival 2017

Blueberry Festival was fun like always, just a little different this year. Maybe we are getting older and tire earlier than we used to. Maybe we are simply wiser.

My best gal pal, Kendra, and I worked together serving people wine during the Wine & Craft Beer
Taste Testing event. The organizers had no idea they were giving the Menage a Trois Silk wine to an erotic romance writer to promote. TOO EASY!!!

For several years, Kendra, I and the owner of the local market host the Queen's Breakfast. We serve 30-40 queens from area festivals a blueberry pancake breakfast fit for royalty. Since she was little, Kendra's daughter helped us. This year was her year, she was the Blueberry Queen.

Saturday night we didn't go to the beer tent but counted down the hours to minutes until we could go to bed. But we stayed alert until we knew our eldest sons were safely home. A few years ago, we made the boys stay up into the wee hours to be our designated drivers. This year, the tables turned and we were their DDs.

I managed to spend time with my favorite free spirit, Gypsy. Yes, she's really a gypsy. We've know each other for 15 years but feels like an entire lifetime. She owns every one of my 9 books I've written. We met while I was writing the third book in the Soul Series. She helped me through a writer's block. We have lots of laughs when she tells of her adventures since we last spoke. Her hugs are the best in the world and it's always hard to say good bye. However, she is becoming more stationary and we hope to see more of each other.

Sunday afternoon before exhibitors closed shop, I wandered looking for items to use as prizes and give-a-ways. I found some amazing items and met some wonderful new friends.

I enjoy the Blueberry Festival every year. I've had to slow down with all the volunteer work I've done but it's worth being able to spend more time with old and new friends.

Sneak Peak Sunday - Eagle Dance Shifter Romance

Today's Sneak Peak comes from Eagle Dance. 

Book 2 in the Legend of the Spirit series.

Part of the 1 Night Stand Series by Decadent Publishing.

BLURB:

Dyami Schafer, a Native American from the Chippewa tribe, leads a lonely life due to his large size and unusual appearance. When his nesting instinct sets in, he turns to Madame Eve and 1Night Stand to help him find his spirit mate. Or at least a woman who accepts him as an eagle shifter.

Amanda Collins never stopped loving the Chippewa boy she knew from her childhood. Maybe a night with a Native American man will help her forget the past and let her move on with her life.

Sometimes, it’s necessary to take a step into the past before dancing into the future. With the help of Madame Eve, will the Spirit of the Eagle carry Dyami and Amanda?

She brushed the gray tips and white strands of hair that gave him such untamed nobility. With a finger, she traced his face from his temple to his jaw, across his lips, then scraped her nails along the fine hair under his chin. A man of his enormous size would be capable of great strength, and a gal could easily lose herself in his arms for more than one night. His gaze intensified under her scrutiny.

“What do you see when you look at me?” he asked and lowered his eyes. Sinfully long lashes brushed his cheeks.

She considered him to be the most gorgeous man alive. His eyes mesmerized her. Some would consider the unusual color to be eerie, but she saw a whirlwind of emotions, from pain to hope, drawing her into his soul. Did his unusual appearance cause issues and uncertainty in his life? Despite his intimidating frame, he exhibited control and gentle qualities in the tender way he’d held her when they danced and the way he’d admitted his soft spot for animals. In arms like his, a woman could find paradise in many ways.

She cupped his face and forced him to meet her gaze. “I see a handsome, mystical warrior from another world.”

“Handsome, huh? I think you need your vision checked. I am nothing more than a simple Chippewa from Michigan.” His mouth was inches from hers. “However, I can be magical and take you wherever you want to go.”

“Then dance with me,” she whispered.

CLICK HERE to check out other awesome authors' Sneak Peaks.

Sinful Saturday

sin·ful (snfl)
adj.
Marked by or full of sin; wicked.

Can SINFUL be a good thing?


1. Sinfully sexy smile




2. Sinful gleam in his eye





3. Sinfully delicious chocolate





4. Sinfully decadent





5. Built for sinful behavior





6. Sinful kiss that leaves you breathless

What do you think?

Sensual Saturday - A Poem

That Day

If you've got the key
then I've got the door
let's do what we did
when we did it before

if you've got the time
I've got the way
let's do what we did
when we did it all day

you get the glass
I've got the wine
we'll do what we did
when we did it overtime

if you've got the dough
then I've got the heat
we can use my over
til it's warm and sweet

I know I'm bold
coming on like this
but the good things in life
are too good to be missed

now time is money
and money is sweet
if you're busy baby
we can do it on our feet

we can do it on the floor
we can do it on the stairs
we can do it on the couch
we can do it in the air

we can do it in the grass
and in case we get an itch
I can scratch it with my left hand
cause I'm really quite a witch

if we do it once a month
we can do it in time
if we do it once a week
we can do it in rhyme
if we do it every day
we can do it everyway
we can do it like we did it
when we did it
that day

~ Nikki Giovanni