Sunday, July 30, 2017

STRANGE OCEAN CREATURES

The oceans are vast and mysterious places. In some ways, we know more about outer space than we do the ocean depths.

Sailors have been spinning tales of amazing and terrifying sea monsters since ancient times. As outlandish as these stories are, the idea behind them, the events that spawned them, were likely inspired by real creatures.

TWO-HEADED CREATURE
In December, 2016, scientists discovered the strangest creature washed ashore on Mexico's Laguna Ojo de Liebre that they had ever seen. The creature was approximately seven feet long, dark gray in color, had fins on each side, and had two tails. It also appeared to have four eyes. Definitely a sea monster of some type? In reality, it turned out to be a pair of extremely rare newborn conjoined gray whale twins. Since newborn gray whales are about twelve feet long, scientists speculated that the pair was likely the result of a miscarriage.

MONTAUK MONSTER
In the summer of 2008, an unidentified dead animal washed up on the shore at Montauk, New York. Although several people reported seeing it and photographs surfaced, the carcass disappeared before police were able to recover the remains. Newspapers ran the story along with a grotesque image. Locals speculated that it could be a mutant resulting from experiments at nearby Plum Island Animal Disease Center. Others suggested that it was nothing more than a hoax. Many scientists who studied the photographs think it was a known species heavily damaged and decomposed as a result of time spent in the water. Several people claimed it was some type of sea turtle without its shell. The raccoon claim seems to be the closest, but the Montauk Monster's legs are longer than a normal raccoon leaving us without a definitive conclusion.

OARFISH
Oarfish are large, greatly elongated fish that are found in all temperate to tropical oceans yet rarely seen. The giant oarfish is the longest bony fish alive (not longest fish, cartilage fish such as the whale shark are longer), growing up to 36 ft. in length.

The common name oarfish is thought to be in reference either to their highly compressed and elongated bodies or to the now discredited belief that the fish row themselves through the water with their pelvic fins. The occasional beachings of oarfish after storms and their habit of lingering at the surface when sick or dying make oarfish a probable source of many sea serpent tales.

GIANT SQUID
The giant squid remains largely a mystery to scientists despite being the biggest invertebrate on Earth. The largest of these elusive creatures ever found measured 59 feet in length and weighed nearly a ton. Giant squid, along with their cousin, the colossal squid, have the largest eyes in the animal kingdom, measuring some 10 inches in diameter. These massive eyes allow them to see objects in the lightless depths where most other animals would see nothing.

Due to the inhospitable deep-sea habitat where they live, it has been a difficult task to study them. Almost everything scientists know about them is from carcasses that have washed up on beaches or been hauled in by fishermen. However, of late the opportunities for scientists studying these elusive creatures has started to turn. In 2004, researchers in Japan took the first images ever of a live giant squid. And in late 2006, scientists with Japan's National Science Museum caught and brought to the surface a live 24-foot female giant squid.

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Damian Fontaine Has Returned

Damian Fontaine has returned for a third time to share his thoughts about another of his missions. This time we'll be talking with him about Hayley Vincent's story, MISSION INEVITABLE.

Fallen Angel Chronicles is my erotic fantasy series. Damian Fontaine was permanently banished to earth eight hundred years ago as a fallen angel. His transgression? A hedonistic existence. His self-proclaimed mission? To help repressed mortals find the sexually fulfilling life that has eluded them.

MISSION INEVITABLE is book #3 of the Fallen Angel Chronicles series, release date July 21, 2017. Hayley Vincent and Ward Dawson—friends with benefits. But Hayley wants so much more. She wants his love for a lifetime. Can Damian help commitment phobic Ward realize that the girl next door is the one to fill that emotionally empty spot inside him? The one who will make his life complete? And Damian has his own problems as he wrestles with his confusing feelings toward Rhiannon, a witch of the ancient bloodline who has been his lover for the last four centuries

Good morning, Damian. I appreciate you taking the time from your schedule to stop by and talk with us again.

Good morning to you, Samantha. Thanks for having me on your blog for the third time. I'm honored.

Before we talk about MISSION INEVITABLE, the third book of the Fallen Angel Chronicles erotic fantasy series, I'd like to talk about you.

Me? What would you like to know about me? I'm not all that interesting.

An immortal—a fallen angel banished to earth who has participated in 800 years of human history. Someone who has first hand knowledge of pivotal events that have led to the world stage as it exists today. I find that a fascinating subject.

Well, I must admit that MISSION INEVITABLE does contain a few crumbs of information about my past experiences on earth not connected to my missions. To blend in over eight centuries without arousing suspicion, I've had to constantly reinvent my outer persona as it relates to humans.

Do you mean you've been able to change your physical appearance?

No, not that. I was born 1,134 years ago. My human existence died at the age of 34. I was an angel and traveled between earth and the hereafter for 300 years until my…uh, shall we say 'misdeeds'…resulted in me being permanently banished to earth. I looked like this at the time of my death. At 6'2" I used to be taller than almost everyone, [extends a teasing grin and a wink] and now I'm not. During the last millennium, humans have gotten taller. During the last 800 years I've been many things from the highest to the lowly including royalty, a carpenter, a soldier, a wizard, an adviser to a king, and even a teacher.

A wizard?

Yes, even though I have been banished to earth, I still have many of my mystical powers.

And a teacher? What did you teach?

[laughs] The obvious—I taught history.

Why did you choose Hayley Vincent as one of your missions?

The waves of vibrations carrying her desires kept reaching out to me. She was not sexually repressed, quite the contrary. She had a healthy sexual relationship with her next door neighbor, Ward Dawson. Sexually fulfilling, but it was one of unrequited love. She desperately wanted him to return the love she had been carrying for him for three years. She wanted a lifetime relationship with him, a commitment from Ward that exceeded their current situation of Friends With Benefits.

She did not need her hidden sexual desires released. She had already found the man she loved and wanted to be with for the rest of her life. That seems like it would be a simple task for you to fix. Why did you select this particular situation as a mission?

It was basically a straight forward task—determine Ward was the right man for her, make him jealous, get to the cause of his commitment phobia, put him in a position where he finally realized exactly what he would be losing if he allowed Hayley to move on with her life and no longer be available to him when he was between girlfriends.

Why did you select such a simple mission this time?

[pensive expression covers his face] That's difficult to answer. It has to do with my limited ability to actually experience human emotions. I understand them intellectually but am not able to actually experience them as a human would.

Is that important for your missions? [pauses to consider what she's just said] I don't mean that emotions aren't necessary to your missions…love, emotional fulfillment, and lifetime happiness are vitally important to humanity. I mean, why are you struggling with this problem at this time? And for that matter, why is it a problem?

Rhiannon, an immortal who is a witch of the ancient bloodline, has been a participant in my existence for approximately 400 years.

A participant in your existence? That seems like an odd choice of words. I recall her being involved with MISSION INNOCENCE in helping you secure a happy future for Sarah Downing. I know she's been your lover and closest friend for 400 years. Is there more?

That is the question I can't answer. Or more accurately, don't know how to answer due to my fleeting ability to actually experience human emotions, to be able to feel them for myself. It's a troubling problem that I'm trying to work out.

That sounds as if your next mission might be your own story.

[flashes dazzling smile] Who knows what the future will bring.

Thank you, Damian, for talking with us about MISSION INEVITABLE and also for sharing a little it of insight into your personal situation.

Once again, it was my pleasure, Samantha.
BLURB:
Fallen Angel, Damian Fontaine was banished from heaven for too often indulging in sex with humans. He has made the best of his eight hundred years on earth by creating missions to help repressed mortals find the sexually fulfilling life that eludes them.

Advertising executive Hayley Vincent believes Ward Dawson, her ridiculously hot best friend and sometimes lover, would be the perfect man if he didn't have a severe case of commitment phobia. She's been in love with him for years. Then a steamy new neighbor moves in across the hall, and she has to wonder if it might be time to move on...or at least try to spark some jealousy and change her status with Ward from friends with benefits to something permanent.

While Damian works toward completing his current mission, he begins to question the meaning of his centuries-old relationship with Rhiannon, a witch with a sexual appetite as veracious as his, and the sudden stirrings of mortal emotions. Has he been on Earth too long or is there more at hand?

Available at The Wilder Roses (Scarlet Rose erotic line from The Wild Rose Press):  https://wildcatalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-erotic/5163-mission-inevitable.html
Also available at other online vendors.

Stop by my website for excerpts from MISSION INEVITABLE, from my other Fallen Angel Chronicles books (MISSION INSECURE and MISSION INNOCENCE), as well as information about my other books.   www.samanthagentry.com

Sunday, July 16, 2017

MISSION INEVITABLE—Book #3 of the Fallen Angel Chronicles

Fallen Angel Chronicles is my new erotic fantasy series. Damian Fontaine was permanently banished to earth eight hundred years ago as a Fallen Angel. His transgression? A hedonistic existence. His self-proclaimed mission? To help repressed mortals find the sexually fulfilling life that has eluded them.

This week I'm presenting MISSION INEVITABLE, book #3 of my erotic fantasy series, Fallen Angel Chronicles, scheduled for release July 21, 2017. Hayley Vincent and Ward Dawson: friends with benefits. Hayley—unrequited love for Ward Dawson.  Ward—major commitment issues due to a past tragedy. Fallen angel Damian Fontaine—wrestling with emotional issues of his own while working on his mission of bringing Hayley and Ward together for a lifelong loving relationship.

G-Excerpt #1: (publisher's excerpt)
"So, that's our new neighbor. When did you meet him?"

Hayley made no move to enter her apartment or invite Ward in, a situation that obviously surprised him. Ward and Damian—both very handsome and incredibly sexy, yet very different. Ward took her for granted. Damian seemed thoughtful and considerate. There was one similarity. Ward was an incredible lover, and Damian exhibited every indication of being equally talented.

She quickly dismissed the inappropriate thoughts and returned her attention to Ward's question. "We met at the grocery store today. I was doing some shopping on my lunch hour."

Ward glanced toward Damian's front door. "Seems like a nice enough guy." His words might have been innocent, but she caught the slight edge of irritation in his voice, and for some unknown reason, it pleased her. "What was that he was saying about the tennis court and theater tickets?"

She shot him what could almost be described as a challenging look. "Damian is going to give me some tennis lessons."

"Tennis lessons?" Genuine surprise covered his face. "I told you I'd be glad to teach you how to play."

Hayley wrestled with the nature of the conversation and the slight tension that suddenly filled the air. "Yes. You told me several times, but that's as far as it went. Every time I brought it up, you said you'd teach me, but then you never seemed to have the time. You made it clear you really didn't want to so I finally decided to drop the subject." She paused a moment, then continued. "I know how hectic your schedule is, so this will work out for both of us. I'll finally get my tennis lessons, and you won't need to rearrange your busy schedule just to accommodate me."

Uncertainty darted across his handsome features and clouded his turquoise eyes. She had finally gotten his attention with something.

"I…I didn't realize it was such a pressing matter."

She offered a casual smile. "No problem. Don't worry about it. But since we happen to be discussing tennis, could I borrow one of your rackets?"

He wrinkled his brow into a slight frown as if he didn't comprehend the nature of her question. "Borrow one of my rackets?"

She tilted her head and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Is that a problem? I don't want to invest in a good racket until I have a lesson or two, in case I discover that I don't like tennis as much as I thought I would."

"Uh, no, no problem at all." He paused as if searching for the proper words. "I can teach you to play tennis. You don't need to impose on our new neighbor."

"I didn't ask him. He volunteered. And…" She shot Ward a purposeful look. "He even set a specific day and time, eight o'clock Sunday morning, rather than leaving it as some unspecified future date, a time referred to as sometime." She glanced at her watch and quickly moved to terminate their conversation. "Well, it's late and I'm tired." She extended a friendly smile, but not a personal one. "See you later."

With that, she entered her apartment and left Wade standing all alone in the hall. Guilty pleasure flooded through her. The startled look on his face pleased her. It seemed that she had truly gotten his attention, even if only for the moment.

MISSION INEVITABLE—book #3 of the Fallen Angel Chronicles erotic fantasy series available Friday, July 21, 2017, in ebook from The Wilder Roses (Scarlet Rose erotic line from The Wild Rose Press)
and other online vendors

Additional excerpts and information available on my website www.samanthagentry.com

BLURB:
Fallen Angel, Damian Fontaine was banished from heaven for too often indulging in sex with humans. He has made the best of his eight hundred years on earth by creating missions to help repressed mortals find the sexually fulfilling life that eludes them.

Advertising executive Hayley Vincent believes Ward Dawson, her ridiculously hot best friend and sometimes lover, would be the perfect man if he didn't have a severe case of commitment phobia. She's been in love with him for years. Then a steamy new neighbor moves in across the hall, and she has to wonder if it might be time to move on...or at least try to spark some jealousy and change her status with Ward from friends with benefits to something permanent.

While Damian works toward completing his current mission, he begins to question the meaning of his centuries-old relationship with Rhiannon, a witch with a sexual appetite as veracious as his, and the sudden stirrings of mortal emotions. Has he been on Earth too long or is there more at hand?

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Who is Damian Fontaine? A conversation with a fallen angel

Fallen Angel Chronicles is my new erotic fantasy series. Damian Fontaine was permanently banished to earth eight hundred years ago as a Fallen Angel. His transgression? A hedonistic existence. His self-proclaimed mission? To help repressed mortals find the sexually fulfilling life that has eluded them.

MISSION INNOCENCE is book #2 of the Fallen Angel Chronicles series, release date June 30, 2017.  Sarah Downing—a young woman leading a miserable existence in a small town under the thumb of a tyrannical father and cold mother. Can fallen angel Damian Fontaine help her find someone who will love her and she can love in return? Someone with whom she can build the happily ever after future she yearns to have?


This week I'm welcoming Damian Fontaine for a return visit to my blog. Good morning, Damian. It's nice to see you again.

Good morning to you, Samantha. Thanks for inviting me to participate in a second conversation.

Let's talk about MISSION INNOCENCE, the second book of the Fallen Angel Chronicles erotic fantasy series. Sarah Downing is the subject of this mission. How or why did you choose her?

As I explained last time I was here, all human vibration and thought travels through the universe. I tune into those waves of energy, refining and sorting until I've zeroed in on the person I feel is most in need of my special type of help at that time—help in achieving the hidden sexual desires and fantasies that fear, inhibitions, intimidations, cultural restrictions, or simply embarrassment has kept secreted away.

What was there about Sarah that grabbed your attention and made you decide to answer her need in particular rather than the others?

It was a combination of several things. Her overwhelming loneliness and despair came through loud and clear. As I focused in more closely on her situation, I became aware of her deplorable home life. She lived in a very small rural community, trapped with no viable means of escape. A tyrannical father who controlled everything around him with a dictatorial iron hand and a cold mother who didn't seem to care about anyone, certainly not her daughter. Even though her parents were not physically abusive, they more than made up for it with the emotional and psychological abuse they heaped on her. To give you an example of how repressed her life was, at the age of twenty-two her first real kiss was mine.

That type of home situation would most likely make someone incapable of functioning on her own…starting over in a strange place, not knowing anyone, making her own decisions for the first time, and learning how to determine who she could trust and who she couldn't. How was Sarah able to manage the changes you introduced into her life?

She was intelligent. And once she got over her initial shock, she was eager to learn. But most important…against all odds, she had a surprisingly strong inner strength. Once she was released from her shell, she quickly took control of her life and stood up for herself.

Obviously Sarah couldn't continue to live in the small community where she had spent her entire life. What did you arrange for her future and how did you accomplish it?

[amused chuckle] Really, Samantha…you know the answer to that one, don't you?

Ah, yes…the ever popular 'you will have to read the book' response. Fair enough. Thank you for being with us again, Damian. I hope you'll be able to return in a couple of weeks when your next story, MISSION INEVITABLE, is available.

It will be my pleasure, Samantha.

BLURB:
Fallen Angel, Damian Fontaine was banished from heaven for too often indulging in sex with humans. He has made the best of his eight hundred years on earth by creating missions to help repressed mortals find the sexually fulfilling life that eludes them.

Twenty-two year old Sarah Downing leads a life of quiet desperation in a small town. She has lived under the control of a domineering father and a cold mother. She longs for the freedom to expand her horizons, to experience life, and to find someone who will love her. When a handsome and mysterious stranger appears seemingly out of nowhere, he claims her silent pleas for help summoned him. He wants to help her explore her hidden desires.

Will her father’s puritanical teachings keep her imprisoned or will the mesmerizing stranger teach her to fly?

Available at The Wilder Roses (Scarlet Rose erotic line from The Wild Rose Press):
Also available at other online vendors.

Stop by my website for excerpts from Mission Innocence as well as information about my other books.   www.samanthagentry.com

Sunday, July 2, 2017

MISSION INNOCENCE—Book #2 of the Fallen Angel Chronicles

Fallen Angel Chronicles is my new erotic fantasy series. Damian Fontaine was permanently banished to earth eight hundred years ago as a Fallen Angel. His transgression? A hedonistic existence. His self-proclaimed mission? To help repressed mortals find the sexually fulfilling life that has eluded them.

MISSION INNOCENCE is book #2 of the Fallen Angel Chronicles series is now available.  Sarah Downing—a young woman leading a miserable existence in a small town under the thumb of a tyrannical father and cold mother. Can fallen angel Damian Fontaine help her find someone who will love her and she can love in return? Someone with whom she can build the happily ever after future she yearns to have?

G-EXCERPT #1 (publisher's excerpt)
“Hello, Sarah. I’m glad to see you. I was beginning to think you had changed your mind.”

She climbed the three steps to the porch as she offered a shy smile. “I’m sorry. My father…”

“I understand. There’s no need for you to explain and certainly no need to apologize.” He held the door open for her, then followed her into the living room.

He took her hand and slowly pulled her toward him. The wariness in her eyes and the slight tensing of her muscles said one thing, but the fact that she once again made no attempt to withdraw from his touch said something else. “I’ve seen this cabin often, but this is the first time I’ve ever been inside. You said you were just passing through, only staying for a few days?”

“Yes, that’s true. I’m here because you summoned me. Your cry for help traveled on the air until it reached me. I’m here at your request, Sarah. I’m here to help you…to teach you…to introduce you to the world you long to experience.”

“I summoned you?” She shook her head as she furrowed her brow in confusion. “I don’t understand. I haven’t phoned anyone—”

BLURB:
Fallen Angel, Damian Fontaine was banished from heaven for too often indulging in sex with humans. He has made the best of his eight hundred years on earth by creating missions to help repressed mortals find the sexually fulfilling life that eludes them.

Twenty-two year old Sarah Downing leads a life of quiet desperation in a small town. She has lived under the control of a domineering father and a cold mother. She longs for the freedom to expand her horizons, to experience life, and to find someone who will love her. When a handsome and mysterious stranger appears seemingly out of nowhere, he claims her silent pleas for help summoned him. He wants to help her explore her hidden desires.

Will her father’s puritanical teachings keep her imprisoned or will the mesmerizing stranger teach her to fly?
Available at The Wilder Roses (Scarlet Rose erotic line from The Wild Rose Press):
Also available at Amazon and other online vendors.

Stop by my website for excerpts from Mission Insecure as well as information about my other books.   www.samanthagentry.com

NEXT WEEK (posting on July 9, 2017): another interview with fallen angel Damian Fontaine. A month ago when he visited my blog, we talked about MISSION INSECURE. This time he talks with us about MISSION INNOCENCE.