Did you ever play the game Telephone when you were a kid? It’s sometimes called Rumor or Gossip. You sit in a circle, the bigger the better.

The ring leader will tell a “secret” to one person. That person turns to the person on their left and whispers it. Each person hears the “secret” on one side and tells it on the other until it goes all the way around the circle. The last person says out loud what they were told, then the ring leader says what everyone started with. Most of the time it isn’t the same thing, and can be quite funny.

Using the power of the Internet, let’s give it a try.

I’m going to write a paragraph. Your job is to make a change. It can be as little as one word or as big as twenty words. You can change names, plot and setting, but don’t change it so much that we can’t tell how it relates to what (Alice) started with. Post your paragraph on your blog with a link to Alice’s post. She will link back to you. Then, pick three people to whom you will “whisper” your modified version. Let them know they are up next. Link to them and to the person who passed it to you (me).

Here is my paragraph for the three people I’m going to tag:

“John took Owen up Crescent Hill to find some privacy. John fell down and hit his crown and asked Owen to lick the owie. Owen was drunk but happy to oblige John’s earnest desire without further bruising, but his licks weren’t enough. If he hadn’t already lost his heart to John, he would never have gone to the navy with him to begin with.”

I’m whispering to Haven, M.J., and Jodie. You can still play this game even if I didn’t tag you. Anyone can play if you follow the rules.Come back in a month and see what happened to our little rumor.

~*~*~*~*~

The rules for this meme:

1. Change something in the paragraph you received; a minimum of 1 word, a maximum of 20 words.
2. Link to the post at http://aliceaudrey.wordpress.com/2008/03/03/alice-calling/ and leave a comment so we can keep track of what happens to the paragraph. Alice will link back to you.
3. Link to the person who tagged you, preferably to where ever they posted their version of the paragraph.
4. Tag three people you think might enjoy this game. Let them know they’ve been tagged. Link to them.
5. Include these rules in your post.

For Kicks isn’t scheduled to be released until March 1st…but…you can snag it now on the publishers website in paperback or ebook! It won’t be on the main sites (Amazon, Fictionwise) until the release date, but if you just can’t wait…

Author: Jenna Bayley-Burke
ISBN: 978-0-9793252-7-4
$14.95 paperback
$6.00 Ebook (PDF)
Black Lyon Publishing

He’s about to show her …

On the management fast-track, Breeze Cohen has no time for family. No interest in love. No inclination toward romance, lust, dating—or anything that doesn’t include retail business strategy and cornerstone client Nitrous’ most important product launch ever. No way is she going to let a live-for-the-moment, life-is-only-about-fun guy like Logan Chandler tarnish her professional reputation and derail her career.

… his plan for her isn’t just for kicks.

Recovered from a near-fatal bus accident, Logan has successfully moved from professional athlete to key player for Nitrous Kicks athletic shoes. Only one woman is capable of managing his project the right way, but the proper kind of management will take time together. And that’s exactly what Logan Chandler is counting on to help him get close to her heart and stay close—if he can ever catch up with her.

Reviews:

“This story served as a helpful reminder to me to cherish the moments I have each day with family and friends, living with the knowledge that I might not have them with me in the next moment. The dialogue and writing are quick, short and snappy… It is a wonderful read.”Long & Short Reviews

“I found For Kicks by Jenna Bayley-Burke to be a charming and lively read about two of the most interesting and engaging characters I’ve read about in a very long time.”Kasey’s View

“Jenna Bayley-Burke brings readers a hot and sensual romance full of the flavor of love – a little spicy, a little sweet, and very fulfilling.” Romance Divas

Read an excerpt

The Mask She Wears
by Jennifer Leeland
Wild Rose Press (eBook)

In the BDSM lifestyle, Catherine Lanyard is an extreme submissive with serious baggage. For years, she’s avoided her pain and hidden dark secrets. Now, an experienced Dom has broken through her barriers and forced her to face her fear. Sex was always a give and take for Justin Travers. He’d always kept his “lifestyle” practices separate from real life. But when Catherine blurs that boundary, he must decide what he really wants.

BUY IT HERE

Thanks to MJ for finding a really cool theme for the blog.  It sure beats the stock theme, or BlueBox. :)  I’ve been working on a graphic image, so I put up one to replace the striking woman with the deep blue eyes, though I guess that could have been Gwen from my current WIP.

I hope to have something more substantial to put up here, but until then, I’ll be posting progress on my writing.

Hello, my name is J. D., and this is my blog.