Help survivors of domestic abuse!

 Every year, the Emerald City Romance Writers host a raffle for survivors of domestic abuse. DAWN supports, empowers and shelters survivors of domestic abuse in South King County and helps to keep us all safe by educating our community to respond to and prevent violence.

I have donated two goodie baskets to the cause. Please come see all the fabulous things people have donated!
























Here is my first donation!

Item Description

We know that 2020 has been a hard year. With the pandemic and the West Coast fires, we know that there are many worthy organizations that need your support. So we have created 8 auction packages with a Buy it Now option to give 8 people the opportunity to support DAWN with a $25 donation.

Items in this package -
- Naughty Notes by PNW Author Linda Mercury (Signed)
- Cloth Mask (Donated by https://www.facebook.com/groups/249630659482235)
- Swag shown in the photo.

And this is my second donation. When I went to the Romance Writers of Australia's conference in 2019, I nabbed so many cool things. Here is the link to bid.
 

Item Description

Linda Mercury (https://www.lindamercury.com/) gave a presentation at the Australia RWA Conference and brought home some goodies to share with one lucky winner --

White Gum Creek by Nicole Hurley-Moore
The Art of Preserving Love by Ada Langton
Falling for the Pregnant Heiress/Rust Creek Falls Cinderella
Ocean Light by Nalini Singh
Die cut Melbourne Tram Card
Australia themed postcards
Cute Penguin bookmark
4 Fake Tattoos
2 Romance Writers of Australia themed notebooks
Romance Writers of Australia Tote Bag
Signed - Vamping It Up by Linda Mercury

Please note that the physical basket is for visual display only. Since this item will be shipped to the winner, only the items within the basket (and listed in the description) will be sent to the winner

 

I hope to "see" you all at the auction. :) Domestic violence is on the rise due to the tensions of sheltering at home. Please nab some great books (if I say so myself) and support people in need.

Love to you all,
Linda Mercury

Where to buy
Amazon 
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Apple

How to write a really hot sex scene, Part One.

I'll admit it. I like writing love scenes. Sex scenes. Saucy stuff. Naughty Notes. The, "Oh my God. Does your mother know you write this?!" kinds of books. I like writing them because:

• I believe that the world needs more examples of consensual, joyous, healthy sexuality,
• I believe that delight is the medicine that helps us through the bad times,
• I believe anything that brings humanity together can only be for the good, and
• I believe that arousal is a worthy goal for a book.

In the next few newsletters, I'm going to talk about writing love scenes. It doesn't matter how steamy you like it to be - if you want to draw the curtains before the characters even kiss, or if you want to follow them into the bedroom (or any other locale of interest).

So grab your keyboard, get the lube ready, and let's start writing!

 

***

Where to buy

Amazon 
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Apple

 

What is the best that could happen?

Let's be honest. Right now, the world truly sucks. We are dealing with a global pandemic, the rise of fascism, and incompetent world leaders. We are anxious, exhausted, and consumed with fear. In order to find at least a tiny bit of cope, we must ask ourselves:

WHAT IS THE BEST THAT CAN HAPPEN?

"Covid-19 numbers infection rates go down."

"Nationwide, all police departments destroy the traces of white supremacy that foul the system."

Then, we ask:

HOW DO WE MAKE THAT HAPPEN?

"I can continue to wear a mask and social distance. It's really hard, but I've done hard things before."

"I will write and call and protest to the best of my ability. It is scary and feels small, but it is less scary than doing nothing."

We cannot make the best happen if we do not know what it is.

Ten Minutes: Activism if you have depression or other limitations.

The reality of injustice has been uncovered in the most horrific ways possible. We have work to do to make the country a place where people can live in peace.

If you suffer from depression, chronic pain, or other conditions that keep you from the front lines, you can still help people. The trick is to start small. If you make your goal too big, you will inevitably fail and slide into despair. So begin with ten minutes, just like if you were starting an exercise program.

You can get a lot done in ten minutes. Write a tiny email to someone you admire, telling them thank you for their hard work. Or write a tiny email to the city council, saying you want the police to learn new ways of interacting with their people of color.

No need to worry about making it perfect. Just start. For example, here's a tiny note I just made up on the fly:

Dear Police Department,

Seriously, guys, I think you need some help. The way you work now kills people, both officers and populace. Please expand to include social workers and mental health professionals. I want everyone to feel safe on the streets.

Or, you could be more assertive, depending on your personality:

Dear Police Department,

What the fucking fuck, dudes??

In ten minutes, you can create a draft about a situation or system that needs to change. If the email triggers your anxiety or your condition, you can wait for tomorrow's (or next week's) ten minutes to edit and send.

Perhaps you are awesome on the phone. Or you design excellent protest signs. Maybe you are in the absolute pits and can barely get out of bed. At that point, play some protest music, for yourself or your neighbors (my favorite protest musician is Mavis Staples).

Start small.

Small actions do add up and do make a difference.

Linda Mercury's Naughty Notes

My book, Linda Mercury's Naughty Notes, is live, too! You can buy it at these following retailers!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Rakuten Kobo

Apple Books

24 Symbols

Vivlio

What do you get when you combine years of erotic writing? Linda Mercury's Naughty Notes, Volume One. 

 

In this collection of mostly heterosexual short fiction, the stories range from the cold lakes of Minnesota, to young lust, to the obligatory visit to the principal's office. Sit back and enjoy the best in one-handed reading.

A portion of my proceeds from this book will be donated to Black Lives Matter. Because the real world needs to be sexy and joyous, too.

The Dream Factory is live!

Hello, everyone! At last, my super seekrit project sees the light of day. My fellow author, Shea MacLeod, and I have been working on a brand new book series together.

Shea is known for her brilliant and funny cozy mysteries. I am known for sexy political thrillers. Together, we wrote *drum roll* a small town, magical realism, coming of age story.

Check out the teaser:

---

Alice Kennedy needs some hope in her life. At the age of twenty-three, she escapes her mama's clutches, looking for change. In the small town of Gold Coast, Illinois, her car dies, leaving her stranded. Just her luck.


Alice doesn't expect to find empowerment in the depressed village, but a mysterious benefactor gifts her with a new start – the ownership of a once-magnificent costume shop called The Dream Factory. The store's potential to create beauty lifts up not only Alice, but Gold Coast itself.


Escape into the magic of The Dream Factory in this heart-warming, feel-good story of a woman called to become fabulous.

---

Chapter One

I am the captain of this ship.
Affirmations for Women in Business.

 
Illinois weather sucked and so did Alice Kennedy’s life.

Her wipers slapped back and forth as fast as a sewing machine on high, sluicing the water in wild sprays, but she could barely see. The lashing rain dimmed the streetlights on Interstate 55. She was driving across the flattest part of a flat, flat state, not knowing where she was going. All she knew was she couldn’t stay in St. Louis. Not even the radio singing about being nice and warm could lower her shoulders from her ears.

At twenty-two, she finally left her mother’s house. Nothing new had happened to snap her spine. The thought of endlessly serving at her mother’s capricious whims goaded her into the stormy night. She had no destination, no plans, no job, but anything was better than choking on her dreams and Mama’s dismal mindset. Her throat tightened.

Freedom was beautiful and frightening.
 

---

We hope you have as much fun reading this new book as we did writing it.  You can buy the book at:

Amazon
Barnes&Noble 
Apple Books
Scribd
24Symbols
 

Note: I will be donating a portion of my proceeds to Black Lives Matter.  Let's make the real world fabulous, too.