Please welcome Sidney!

Hello! And thanks so much to Ella for allowing me to drop by here today on my Mini Adventures tour. Big congrats to Ella, who shares a release date with me at Ellora’s Cave. Her book, Desire the Banshee comes out tomorrow!

I’m celebrating my soon to be released (OMG TOMORROW!) Ellora’s Cave contemporary romance book, Personal Adventures. This book takes place in Colorado, possibly the only other state besides Texas that I think I could ever live in. But as a teenager I did live in Russia for a short time.

I can hear you now. You’re probably thinking to yourself, “Russia? Really? Were you a military brat?”

Nope. I decided, as all strong willed kids are libel to do, that I wanted to live in Russia. So, I raised the money, and moved to this small town out in the middle of nowhere, Russia. My parents raised me with a healthy sense of adventure.

One of the things that was hardest to get used to living in Russia was the bathroom. I would never have imagined that the toilets could be that much different than the ones we have in America. But they can be. Yes, as a teenager, I was introduced to the squatty potty. This is a toilet that is built into the ground and used by, well, squatting to do your business. It’s not that I’ve never had to do my business outside, or that squatting was a new concept, it was that – there are toilets built for this kind of thing! A few of the people I lived with that were also Americans and I got a big kick out of searching out squatty potties and taking pictures of them. They can be porcelain toilet bowls set in marble floors with rubber foot grips, to a crude hole cut in the concrete over a running river.

As a teenager, the theme of my life seemed to be dropping everything to go do something. I stayed fairly busy between 4-H and church, showing animals and extracurricular school activities, but I would figure out a way to tie up everything to go on a big trip, or squeeze in an adventure through the Texas Hill Country, or taking a bus down to Mexico.

I think that’s why I like to write characters who have some spunk. In my latest book, Personal Adventures, I have one character whose life has been an unwanted adventure, and another who is just learning to really embrace a non-traditional lifestyle. While the story doesn’t include a lot of squatty potties, it has some steamy times and a few laughs.

I’m going to give away a copy of my book, Personal Adventures, and a $5 gift card to the winner’s choice of either Barnes & Noble or Amazon. To enter, answer the following question. The contest will end in 48 hours, and the winner will be chosen at random.

If you could live in any foreign country, where would you live?

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It can never be said that Sidney Bristol has had a ‘normal’ life.  She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, and tattoo addict. She grew up in a motor-home on the US highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas where she splits her time between a job she loves, writing, reading and belly dancing.

You can keep up with her by checking out her Website, where you can see her latest releases, blog and sign up for the newsletter. She’s active on both Twitter and Facebook.

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Personal Adventures

Coming May 18th from Ellora’s Cave.

Carey's had the hots for his best friend and outdoor adventures coworker Elise for two years, but the timing has never been right. Now they’re both single and Carey wants to entice her into an adventure that’s about just the two of them. In the bedroom, in the hot tub, under the beautiful Colorado sky…

Elise doesn’t buy into the idea of love, but lust she understands. Carey’s friendship is important, but a relationship doesn’t fit into Elise’s five-year plan. She isn’t looking to repeat her parents’ mistakes.

With secrets coming out from under every rock and desire unchecked, this adventure might make more than the water on their rafting trips rush

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Excerpt

Elise gulped down a deep breath to steady her nerves and pushed away from the shed. Her stomach fluttered and her palms were moist. The cool evening air caressed her legs and whispered up her skirt, kissing bare flesh. Her nipples were tight, hard peaks. She had tried to find her one real bra with actual lace, but it had been a lost cause. If it wasn’t for her lack of breasts she could have borrowed one of her roommates’ bras like she’d “borrowed” the dress she wore. Her breasts weren’t much more than walnuts, but it was the idea of getting ready that had mattered at the time. She didn’t typically need to wear a bra and she never wore a dress, but she’d do both for Carey.

Ahead, light spilled from every window in the cabin. The tall pines stood sentinel around it. It was a beautiful home he’d had built not long after taking the job at Adventures. She’d been jealous of it in the beginning, but she spent a lot of time there, so she got to enjoy it almost as much as he did.

The house was a variation of the single-room cabins settlers used to build, very no-nonsense. A dividing wall separated his bedroom from the rest of the house, and the bathroom had an entrance into both spaces. The front and back porches made up three fourths of the square footage of the actual house, and more often than not was where they hung out. Again, he’d used local people to build it. In true bachelor style, it was furnished with comfort in mind, but that was how she liked things as well, so she had no complaint about the cabin or Carey. Except that she wanted what he had.

As she stepped around the truck, her stomach threatened to mutiny. Who was she kidding? She didn’t have any business being here.

Movement in the far right window rooted her to the spot. Had he seen her? If he hadn’t, maybe she could back out of the drive and leave. Peering at the window, she waited for any sign that she might have been seen.

Carey stepped into view, perfectly framed by the window, buck-ass naked. And what a nice ass it was. The round globes were as tan as his chest. Elise imagined him sunbathing naked on the rocks behind his house. Her mouth dried. Wide shoulders tapered to a stomach she knew was firm and flat. He was muscular from hours of hard work, not hanging out at a gym. The tattoo circling his right arm stood out as the only bit of color. She’d gone with him to get the tattoo and let him squeeze her hand. It was a simple black silhouette of the mountains, but it symbolized his love for the great outdoors.

He turned, giving her a profile shot. His head tipped forward and his hand grasped his cock. He didn’t jerk himself hard, but it was a strong touch, sliding up his stiff flesh.

Oh god. Elise’s heart knocked against her chest and her breath hitched. She wanted to do that. She wanted to feel his skin against her palm, caress him in a way that would make him groan.

Her knees wavered at the hedonistic thoughts. Swaying, she caught herself with a hand against the hood of his truck.

The headlights flashed and the horn began honking. Elise yelped and jumped back, her heart racing as the continuous sounds of the alarm echoed through the night. She looked from the truck to the window—

Carey was gone.

“Shit!”