It Takes A Kraken

Exactly what is a kraken? And why does it take one to protect a world such as the Kraken’s Caribbean?

Well, I’ve done a fair amount of research into the Kraken’s background and I don’t have a lot of answers. And he ain’t talking much about it.

I found an old document, purported to be written by some crackpot who called himself the Highpriest of the Great One, but I tend to view such things with skepticism. I’ve seen no sign that the Albino Kraken is interested in religious services. (I really thing they guy got the Caribbean Kraken mixed up with Lovecraft’s Cthulhu…)

One thing that seems certain is this…the Kraken who guards Tortuga is very, very, very old. And really crafty. In The Kraken’s Mirror, he shows a propensity to use the other world and time portals to draw useful people to Tortuga. He can also block those who want to do harm, though he isn’t omnipotent in that regard, as shown in The Chameleon Goggles chronicle.

After the events in Goggles, he is recovering and things get very dicey in The Pirate Circus! (Available on February 3^rd, btw.)

I keep referring to him as an he, but to be honest, that isn’t a sure thing. Captain Silvestri confidently refers to the Albino as a he, but claims there is no female. Emily is skeptical of this, knowing where there is a he, there is generally a she…and there are numerous little krakens swimming about the waters of the world. They had to come from somewhere.

The Highpriest claimed that the Great One had, at one point, been female and given birth. Again, that would mean that he…uh…she…mated with herself?

I suppose it’s possible, but the brain hurts a bit at the thought. I mean…no, I’m not going to go there! Even if this is Deanna’s blog and she’d probably delight in the idea…

Since the Kraken certainly isn’t going to answer these questions…and why should he…he is the great power of the Caribbean and doesn’t have to answer anything, ever…all I can do is speculate.

Meanwhile, Bosun Janey is dealing with a skeptical Benjamin Silvestri, trying to keep his little boy out of trouble, and rescue his wayward niece from her folly…and keep her hands of Ben. It’s a trial, juggling all this with her pirate duties! Then the pirate circus comes to town…and she doesn’t want to get into why she dislikes clowns so much…

Blurb…

Bosun Janey knows who and what she is. A pirate. And a damned good one at that. Living a life of excitement, adventure, and sailing the seas of the Kraken’s Caribbean is enough for her. But when the Quill is stuck in dry dock, Janey is left to search for distraction along Tortuga’s waterfront. How does a pirate occupy herself? Certainly not by making friends with a six-year-old boy or mooning after the boy’s father. That’s not how a pirate behaves!

Widower Benjamin Silvestri arrived in Tortuga seeking a fresh start. At first, the pirate haven doesn’t seem like a safe sanctuary for second chances, but life is full of surprises. The sun breathes life into his little boy, and new freedoms help his errant niece embrace her true nature. And then there's Janey. A pirate and most unconventional woman, she stirs feelings in Benjamin that are far from proper.

But who’s to say what is proper in Tortuga? Before he and Janey can explore the possibilities, Benjamin's son and niece disappear onto the high seas. Together, the couple set out to rescue them—because only a loving father and a cut-throat pirate stand a chance against the dangers of The Pirate Circus.

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What are your thoughts regarding Kraken in general? And don’t do that ‘Release the Kraken’ thing with me! My Kraken don’t take orders from anyone, be it Zeus or Davy Jones! ;-)

One lucky comment will win a copy of The Pirate Circus…so leave your e-mail addy!

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The Kraken’s Caribbean, where anything can happen. And usually does!

I’m Maureen O. Betita and I write adventure for the experienced individual. Seasoning everything I write with life and pushing it to the edge. I can be contacted through my website, www.maureenobetita.com, where you can sign up for my newsletter. I also blog regularly at www.romancewritersrevenge as 2^nd Chance and I’m often at A Daily Dose of Decadence. Come find me on Facebook as Maureen O. Betita Author or on Twitter.

THE FROG PRINCE: X-rated teaser

Okay, here it is...as promised!

An exclusive excerpt from my new release too hot for Amazon or my publishers page. Lucky you I have that wonderful little disclaimer on my blog!!!

Enjoy!

And don't forget to pick up your copy of THE FROG PRINCE at Decadent Publishing today!



“Fetch me a glass of water,” instructed Prince Philip.

Once his thirst had been quenched, he gestured to the chair across from him. “Sit down.”

The princess obeyed him as he expected.

“Do you require anything else?” asked she.

“Just a moment to catch my breath.”

As the magic of the witch’s curse left his system, Philip remained a bit befuddled and
disoriented. This princess had vowed to care for him while he had been a frog, breaking the first layer of the witch’s spell. Could she accept everything and break it completely?

Philip did not have the answer. Looking about the stately quarters, he comforted
himself with the knowledge of how it would be much nicer, at least, to spend the night
here rather than in the wet rocks among the grasses growing along the bank of the well.

Thankfully, as the seconds continued to pass, he became more and more in control of
his body. He closed his eyes and relished the blood moving through his veins, heating
back up as the magic wore off, and he returned to his full human form. Though he could still sense the lingering remnants of the unfinished spell, the warmth in his limbs was exhilarating.

After seven years of long, lonely days swimming in the cold water of the well with
naught to talk to but amphibians who could not hold up a decent conversation and
surviving on a wretched diet of flies and other insects, the prince was extremely pleased to be in his own skin.

Hardly able to believe his good fortune, Philip wiggled his fingers and toes, feeling as
if he might be in a dream. But as he began to explore his long-absent body, he accepted what had occurred as fact. He was once more a man. His flesh had begun to return to normal temperatures, and he noted with gratitude his muscles had remained firm. The prickle of his dark body hair felt like tiny needles of excitement as he stroked his forearms and thighs, enjoying the warm blood pumping in his veins again. Almost in a panic, he cupped his balls then sighed with tremendous relief, grateful everything remained where it belonged.

However, that innocent touch against his long-ignored manhood started a familiar
tingle at the base of his spine, moving up to scintillate his entire groin.

He let out a soft moan as the forgotten feeling of arousal came over him. Running his
hand over himself, fingering the foreskin, his cock stirred. The rush of blood leaving his head, flowing from every inch of his body to restore and swell his member, felt superb. Dizzy, he gripped the edge of the bed to keep from passing out.

“Are you well, dear prince?” asked Elena.

Prince Philip hid a wicked smile as he rolled back his foreskin to reveal the tender,
shining head of his cock. Indeed, he would be well enough soon, for the princess had
made no move to oust him from her chambers—a naked male stranger. Rather, Elena stared openly at his nudity, no shame in her pretty green eyes as she watched him fondle himself, just as he had watched her do at the well. Her breathing increased, as did his own, and he smiled when her tiny tongue darted out to lick a pouty lower lip.
As his fingers brushed the protected and long-neglected skin on his cockhead, velvety
and wet, he went weak with need. Oh, how he had missed this intimate touch while living in the cursed body of a wretched amphibian. The feel of physical pleasure and the glorious release his body expelled when he achieved it.

Well aware of his young female companion watching him, he began to stroke his
thumb over his head, savoring the moisture he quickly created. Such lewd actions
garnered a gasp from Elena.

Looking up, he gifted her with a lecherous grin as he brandished his now fully erect
cock for her hungry eyes to take in. Let her watch, learn how I like to be touched.

Delighting in her shocked yet curious reaction, Philip stroked his shaft with long, slow
movements, rolling his foreskin back and forth over the head until a steady amount of moisture began to seep from the tip in long, clear strings.

“What are you doing?” demanded the princess.

“I told you to make ready your silken bed for me,” the frog prince reminded her.

“What had you believed that to mean?”

“I did not guess, but I do not think that you, as a man, should be allowed to sleep in
my bed. It was an entirely different matter when you were an ugly frog.”

“My dear, Elena, you did not ask if I was a man or a frog when you made your bargain
with me. I hold no guilt over my deception, for you did the same, making a vow that you never intended to keep.” All the while he spoke, his hand never slowed in stroking over his hot, sensitive cock. He hissed a bit, then finished by saying, “Nonetheless, a vow was given and accepted. You are bound by your word. Shall I have to get your father so that he may remind you as well?”

Elena’s eyes were wide, and she opened and closed her mouth, no sound coming out.
Her attention remained rapt on Philip’s hand as he began thrusting his weeping rod into his confident touch.

Laughing, the prince focused his attentions to his long-denied body. Seeking a more
comfortable place to explore, he sprawled out on the bed, taking hold of his most
cherished plaything with eager hands. He loved how long his shaft had grown, the feel of the veins running up the sides. Each time his foreskin glided over his damp head, swirls of delight shot through his every nerve. He slid one hand up to pinch a nipple at the same time he gently squeezed the sensitive, fleshy crown of his organ until it became even thicker with his desire.

So distracted with exploring his body, he barely noticed Elena leaning in close to
watch him. He had become lost in a world of pleasure, aware of nothing but the coolness of the sheets on his back as his fingernails dug into a nipple. His pulse thundered loudly in his ears, drowning out yet another gasp from the princess as he rolled his foreskin up and down in a steady, mind-numbing rhythm.

His testicles tightened, churning with anticipation as the pressure built inside them. He pulled them away from his body and squeezed as he pumped his cock with his other hand. Crying out with pleasure, the sharp sensation went straight through him. He stroked his shaft more insistently, and as he slid the hairy skin of his balls and rolled them between his fingers, his head began to swim. His breaths could not keep up. The walls of the dam broke.

Philip arched off the bed and cried out as lights blurred behind his eyes. Desire raced
from his extremities and into his groin. His body tensed as hot fluids spurted from his
cock, the first wave of glorious liberation sailing over his head. Soaring in the clouds, his second expulsion of seed sprayed across his belly. He squeezed and stroked his shaft until he had wrung every last bit of thick, white fluid free. He actually laughed in delight.

Perhaps the intensity of being in his own body again caused it or just the long, lonely
nights by the well, but he could not recall a more satisfying release.

Breathless and still burning with pleasure, the prince continued to gently caress his
spent cock. Eventually his mind began to drift back to earth, and his thoughts became
clearer. He slowed the movements over his now-sensitive member as he tried to catch his breath. Blood still thundered in his ears but slowly quieted. Only then did he remember Elena.

Opening heavy eyes, Prince Philip saw the girl staring at his belly in surprise. He
smiled dreamily as he dried off the seed with her blanket, immensely enjoying her
indignant look. He sat up, well aware of Elena’s eyes roaming over his nakedness,
lingering on the spent organ between his strong thighs.

“Have you ever seen a man do that? Play with his cock?”

“I am a maiden of virtue,” cried Elena. “How should I have seen such things?”

Chuckling to himself, the prince noted with delight that her nipples poked through the thin sleeping gown, hard and alert, belying such innocent indignation. “Oh, I do not believe my maiden is so innocent. Have you ever seen a man in his true form?”

“Well…” she hedged.

“You must tell the truth,” he commanded.

“Sort of,” she admitted quietly. Her obedience, though it came with reluctance,
pleased him. “Once I have seen part of the stable-boy when he was with Cook’s
assistant.”

“Did you like what you saw?”

“I was curious.”

“What did you see them doing?”

“The stable lad was going to put his”—she pointed meekly at his groin—“into her
nonny-nonny.”

Prince Philip tried not to allow his amusement to show. “It’s called a cock,” he said,
lifting it in illustration. “Is that what you were attempting to experience at the well with the golden ball? The feel of a cock in your—how do you call it?—your nonny-nonny?”

She nodded.

“Speak up and say, ‘Yes, my prince.’”

“Yes, my prince.”

“Very good, Elena. Do you play with your golden ball like that often?”

“Only the once.”

“You lie. Come now, tell me the truth.”

Her cheeks flushed a most fetching pink, and she looked at the twiddling fingers in her lap. “Every hour since the day you saw me at the well, my prince.”

He could no longer hide his amusement. “Every hour, eh? Why so often?”

At that, she turned her green eyes on him in earnest entreaty. “That wonderful feeling
does not last very long, my prince.”

“What would you say if I told you that I could teach you how to make it last? Would
you like that?”

THE FROG PRINCE

Coming In Two Days!

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful, but curious princess by the name of Elena. Whilst exploring the secret pleasures of her favorite toy near a well by the palace, Elena lost her toy down the deep well. When a frog appears, offering to rescue her toy if she promises to become his friend and playmate, Elena makes the bargain. For surely a promise to a frog will not need to be kept!

If only the princess knew that keeping her promises will bring her pleasures beyond her wildest dreams when the frog ends up being a prince. For not only will she get a husband...but his sexy footman, too!

Here's an excerpt:

“I am tired, princess,” the frog told her then. “You must carry me to your room and make ready your silken bed. There we will lie down and go to sleep.”

“You cannot sleep with me,” declared the princess.

“What promise did you make to me at the well?” the horrid creature asked her.

When she heard the gloating tone in his voice, Princess Elena began to weep. She feared the cold-blooded thing that ordered her about so. Nothing satisfied him but her complete obedience. Though compelled deep in her soul to obey him, she hated the very thought of it. And now he wanted to sleep in her pretty, clean bed!

“Father,” Elena pleaded of the king. “You must not make me obey the frog.”

The king grew very angry with Elena for her reluctance and said, “What you have promised in your time of necessity, you must now perform.”

Very much put out, Elena picked up the frog with her finger and thumb, and carried him upstairs. Her face burned with humiliation as all of the court watched her go.

Once alone in her room, she dropped the frog in the corner. She did not care what the king had said. She would not let that frog up on her bed.

After she readied herself for the night behind a screen, the princess climbed into her bed wearing a silk sleeping gown and nothing else. She hated the frog being in her bedroom. For if he remained, she would not be able to play with her golden ball. That made her angriest of all. She closed her eyes tight, and punched her pillow petulantly, trying hard to find sleep. The merriment of the party four stories below the open window mocked her wretched state of mind.

However, the frog came creeping up to the bed, whispering, “I am tired and want to sleep as much as you, dear princess. Take me into your bed or I will tell your father.”

She had only wanted her golden ball and now it seemed she would be destined to spend her days at the mercy of this frog’s every whim!

“You must pick me up gently and place me in your bed,” croaked the frog again. “I command it.”

Elena felt beside herself with rage. How dare this amphibian order her about? It was intolerable! She was a princess! She should not have to obey the orders of a frog like some mere servant! Thus justified, and rightly so, Elena threw back her blankets and climbed out of the bed to snatch up the frog.

With all her strength she threw him against the wall. “Be quiet, you horrid frog!”

But as the frog fell to the ground, he ceased to be a frog.

Why, he transformed into a man!

A beautiful man with dark eyes and hair as black as night.

And he was completely naked!

Though Princess Elena became distraught by this turn of events, she couldn’t help but think: Of course he would be naked. A frog would look quite silly in breeches and a doublet!

Resolutions for Life!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I hope you woke up as happy as these two fellas....*sigh*

As for me, I went to a party at one of my best friends homes and had a wonderful evening. And I didn't even pig out on all the yummy food, which was hard enough, believe me, LOL

My hubby and I had a second party to attend as well but we only made a cameo. We were in bed by 12:15 AM...

That was a first, but hey, I have no hang over so, yea me.

But now it is January first and the day I have to start my New Year's resolutions. Because I'm a dork, I usually begin practicing my resolutions a month in advance. Kinda like studying before a real world exam. Yeah, call me a weirdo... I'll wear that hat.

I usually like to set two resolutions, one superficial and one to make me a better person. Writing goals are different and the subject of another blog....hmmm, maybe I should blog about resolving to blog more....

I used to do the 'loose 25 pounds' bit, but lets face it, those never work.
Last year I resolved to moisturize....you know? Do all three facial cleansing, toning and creaming steps, foot cream, body lotion, head to toe every day.

Happy to report that skin is clear and supple, so mark that as a success.

I also resolved to keep in better contact with friends.

This one made my life so much richer and I have some great memories to prove this resolution was a success, too.

I am so happy I put a little time into a few wonderful people because, damn, I can barely imagine my life without you guys.....if you are reading this, you know who you are!

I hope to keep these two habits I made for the rest of my life...which I think is the whole point of making a resolution.

A New Year's Resolution should be something that improves your life and makes you happier and more confident with yourself.

For example, one year I made a resolution to stop letting people take advantage of me....who can't use that one? Once I resolved not to worry about what others think of me so much....and in true resolution form, I'm still working on both.
But hey, if its not something you have to continue to work on or it comes too easy, it's kinda cheating, don't ya think?

So this year my superficial resolution is to wear make-up every day. Cuz we all know a little lip gloss and mascara always makes us feel better. :)

I was struggling with my other resolution. I've used up some really good ones in the last few years so the ideas were running in short supply.
In the end, I decided that last year's was just so good, I am going to simply improve upon it.

In 2012 I am going to put a conscious effort into spending quality time with the people I love!

Sickeningly sweet, but hey, I can't be a cynical bitch all the time! LOL

What about you guys?

Do you set New Year's Resolutions?

What are they? I would love to hear from you!