• Cancer Awareness,  Vampire

    Sucker Punch @jordankrose #cancer #pinktober

    Jordan K Rose is helping Romance Lives Forever Blog celebrate Cancer Awareness Week 2016.

    I’d like to start by thanking Kayelle for inviting me to participate. Having the opportunity to talk about my experience will hopefully help others who find themselves in the terrifying position of receiving an ovarian cancer diagnosis.

    This past July I was diagnosed with an early stage of a rare form of ovarian cancer, specifically- a granulosa cell tumor. To say the news was shocking is an understatement. We received it during a post-op visit where had anticipated hearing great results about a surgery and anticipated a routine recovery. We did not plan to hear, “We think you should have the other ovary removed and have chemo.”
    My husband described that visit as “it was like being punched in the nads.” I’d heard men say that expression before, but never had a reference point until that meeting. Apparently, ladies, the “nad-punch” experience is mind-numbingly painful and can cause you to forget any other thought.
    We’d been warned not to Google ovarian cancer and get worked up over what we read because this type of cancer was so different and so rare. Of course we Googled, but we Googled granulosa cell tumor. We narrowed our search and we searched high and low and came up with not a whole heck of a lot of data.
    Granulosa Cell Tumors make up about 4% of ovarian cancers. There is not a great deal of research to share because of this. Unfortunately, most of the data is “after the fact” sort of information because the cancer is not well known. There is not a central repository for doctors to link patients and share information on what’s happening, when it happened, types of treatments, what worked or didn’t. There’s not a standard protocol for measuring hormone levels in advance of surgery, which would be very helpful for every patient.
    This is a cancer with high probability of recurrence, though a great prognosis if detected early with women living many years past the original diagnosis. It’s a slow growing cancer with definite indicators of potential recurrence like monitoring the Inhibin and AMH levels quarterly, then every six months after the first few years.
    There are great resources for women through the Granulosa Cell Tumor Research Foundation and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. There is also a Facebook group of GCT Survivor Sisters! (you must have a diagnosis of GCT to be a member of the FB group).
    If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of receiving this diagnosis, please utilize the groups above and feel free to contact me at contactjordan@jordankrose.com. I’m more than happy to share what I’ve learned or to lend an ear and be a support to you.
    I sought a second opinion at the Dana Farber Institute in Boston. I encourage anyone receiving a cancer diagnosis to receive a second opinion before deciding on treatment.
    After all my research I decided against chemo or surgery as there was no indication any cancer remained in my body. Thus doing something drastic “just in case” made no sense. But everyone’s decision is personal and patients need to make decisions that feel right to them.
    At the Dana Farber Institute I’ve signed up to participate in a research study to allow them to better understand the genetics of this cancer, thus leading to a cure. I’m happy to participate and hope other patients will consider doing the same to help find a cure.
    Below please find the information on one of my free books, Her Vampire’s Promise, Novella One in the Romance In Central City Series. Losing myself in books has gotten me through some difficult times and I wanted to share a book that everyone can afford. As well, if you sign up for my newsletter, you’ll get the second novella in the series, The Vampire’s Partner for free.
    Wishing every cancer patient all the best in diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
    Jordan
    (reprinted from 2015)

    Her Vampire’s Promise

    Reade Hayes knows better than any vampire that nothing good ever comes out of Central City. So he isn’t surprised the beautiful blonde he meets in the dive bar is crazy. What does surprise him is how fast she moves, how hard she hits, and the fact she’s wearing a ring he last saw two decades ago on the hand of his dead friend.
    Was this the little girl he swore a blood pact to protect? Why had her uncle lied about her death? And what had he done to make her so lethal?

    Buy This Book

    Amazon http://amzn.to/1mwINHA
    Barnes and Noble  http://bit.ly/1KWZDfL
    iBooks http://apple.co/1cIaZZS
    Google http://bit.ly/1E1S55v
    Kobo http://bit.ly/1cp6YJc

    About the Author

    Jordan loves vampires. She also loves to laugh. And if you know anything about Jordan, you know her vampires will make you laugh.
    A few years back Jordan received a copy of Twilight from her husband as part of her anniversary gift. By the end of that week she’d read the entire series and moved onto Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Eight weeks and eighteen vampire books later the idea for her first book came to her followed very quickly by Eva Prim.
    Having lived in Rhode Island for most of her life Jordan uses the state as a backdrop for all her books, though many of the cities and towns and businesses (especially the ones run by vampires) are all fictitious.
    When she’s not writing about one vampire or another Jordan enjoys spending time with her husband, Ken and their lovable Labradors, Dino and Enzo on the beautiful beaches of New England.
    For more free books join Jordan’s newsletter at http://bit.ly/1Vk2TWn

    Author Social Media

  • Cancer Awareness,  Vampire

    #Cancer Awareness: The Nad Punch @jordankrose Her Vampire’s Promise #RLFblog

    Her Vampire’s Promise 
    From Kayelle Allen: This week on Romance Lives Forever I’m sharing
    stories by authors who have faced cancer either in themselves, or a family member.
    The importance of friends and family, and having a support system is vital. One
    key to success is being able to ask for help — and then being willing to accept
    it. It’s a lesson I’ve had in my own life during various times. I don’t accept help
    well. It’s something I fight with all the time. I’d like to think “I’ve got
    this” but sometimes I don’t have as good a grip as I thought I did. I have
    a friend who’s dealing with cancer right now. A friend’s brother died from cancer
    last year. Cancer affects all of us. I hope I’m even half as good a friend as those
    you’ll read about in this series.

    I’m presenting these posts as an opportunity for the authors
    to share their real life stories, as well as their fictional ones. There’s a short
    list of ways you can show your support at the end of each post.

    The Nad Punch by Jordan K Rose

    I’d like to start by thanking Kayelle
    for inviting me to participate. Having the opportunity to talk about my experience
    will hopefully help others who find themselves in the terrifying position of receiving
    an ovarian cancer diagnosis.
    This past July I was diagnosed with
    an early stage of a rare form of ovarian cancer, specifically- a granulosa cell
    tumor. To say the news was shocking is an understatement. We received it during
    a post-op visit where had anticipated hearing great results about a surgery and
    anticipated a routine recovery. We did not plan to hear, “We think you should
    have the other ovary removed and have chemo.”
    My husband described that visit as
    “it was like being punched in the nads.” I’d heard men say that expression
    before, but never had a reference point until that meeting. Apparently, ladies,
    the “nad-punch” experience is mind-numbingly painful and can cause you
    to forget any other thought.
    We’d been warned not to Google ovarian
    cancer and get worked up over what we read because this type of cancer was so different
    and so rare. Of course we Googled, but we Googled granulosa cell tumor. We narrowed
    our search and we searched high and low and came up with not a whole heck of a lot
    of data.
    Granulosa Cell Tumors make up about
    4% of ovarian cancers. There is not a great deal of research to share because of
    this. Unfortunately, most of the data is “after the fact” sort of information
    because the cancer is not well known. There is not a central repository for doctors
    to link patients and share information on what’s happening, when it happened, types
    of treatments, what worked or didn’t. There’s not a standard protocol for measuring
    hormone levels in advance of surgery, which would be very helpful for every patient.
    This is a cancer with high probability
    of recurrence, though a great prognosis if detected early with women living many
    years past the original diagnosis. It’s a slow growing cancer with definite indicators
    of potential recurrence like monitoring the Inhibin and AMH levels quarterly, then
    every six months after the first few years.
    There are great resources for women
    through the Granulosa Cell Tumor Research Foundation and the Ovarian Cancer National
    Alliance. There is also a Facebook group of GCT Survivor Sisters! (you must have
    a diagnosis of GCT to be a member of the FB group).
    If you find yourself in the unfortunate
    position of receiving this diagnosis, please utilize the groups above and feel free
    to contact me at contactjordan@jordankrose.com.
    I’m more than happy to share what I’ve learned or to lend an ear and be a support
    to you.
    I sought a second opinion at the Dana
    Farber Institute in Boston. I encourage anyone receiving a cancer diagnosis to receive
    a second opinion before deciding on treatment.
    After all my research I decided against
    chemo or surgery as there was no indication any cancer remained in my body. Thus
    doing something drastic “just in case” made no sense. But everyone’s decision
    is personal and patients need to make decisions that feel right to them.
    At the Dana Farber Institute I’ve
    signed up to participate in a research study to allow them to better understand
    the genetics of this cancer, thus leading to a cure. I’m happy to participate and
    hope other patients will consider doing the same to help find a cure.
    Below please find the information
    on one of my free books, Her Vampire’s Promise, Novella One in the Romance In Central
    City Series. Losing myself in books has gotten me through some difficult times and
    I wanted to share a book that everyone can afford. As well, if you sign up for my
    newsletter, you’ll get the second novella in the series, The Vampire’s Partner for
    free.
    Wishing every cancer patient all the
    best in diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
    Jordan

    Her Vampire’s Promise

    Reade Hayes knows better than any vampire that nothing good ever
    comes out of Central City. So he isn’t surprised the beautiful blonde he meets in
    the dive bar is crazy. What does surprise him is how fast she moves, how hard she
    hits, and the fact she’s wearing a ring he last saw two decades ago on the hand
    of his dead friend.
    Was this the little girl he swore a blood pact to protect? Why
    had her uncle lied about her death? And what had he done to make her so lethal?

    Buy This Book

    Barnes and Noble  http://bit.ly/1KWZDfL
    iBooks http://apple.co/1cIaZZS
    Kobo http://bit.ly/1cp6YJc

    About the Author

    Jordan loves vampires. She also loves to laugh. And if you know
    anything about Jordan, you know her vampires will make you laugh.
    A few years back Jordan received a copy of Twilight from her
    husband as part of her anniversary gift. By the end of that week she’d read the
    entire series and moved onto Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Eight weeks and eighteen
    vampire books later the idea for her first book came to her followed very quickly
    by Eva Prim.
    Having lived in Rhode Island for most of her life Jordan uses
    the state as a backdrop for all her books, though many of the cities and towns and
    businesses (especially the ones run by vampires) are all fictitious.
    When she’s not writing about one vampire or another Jordan enjoys
    spending time with her husband, Ken and their lovable Labradors, Dino and Enzo on
    the beautiful beaches of New England.
    For more free books join Jordan’s newsletter at http://bit.ly/1Vk2TWn

    Author Social Media

    Website www.jordankrose.com

    Ways you can show your support

    Share this post on social media
    Follow the author on Twitter, Facebook, or other sites where
    you’re active
    Encourage the author by sharing what they share
    Purchase the author’s books
    Review the author’s books
    Leave a comment on the blog

    Thank you for being part of the Romance Lives Forever community.
  • Contemporary

    Call Me Valentino @jordankrose @authorjamie @oliviagaines #RLFblog

    Call Me Valentino 
    The Call Me Valentino anthology brings five authors together
    with the same assignment: Write a story about Valentino, who is in his early 30s,
    dark hair, blue/gray eyes and his primary objective (or so he thinks) is to find
    his baby brother.
    Well, off we each went to write our Valentino’s story with no
    idea of anyone else’s vision of him. We’re thrilled to unveil Valentino set in 5
    different worlds. We’re certain there’s at least one Valentino for everyone!

    The Matron by Kirsten Osbourne

    Tino Hayes is a man with a mission. He is so dead-set on finding
    his brother that he almost loses the love of his life. It’s a long journey for him
    and not just the road he’s traveling with a bus full of fifteen orphans. He grows
    in a lot of ways throughout the story and finally is able to settle down with his
    dream woman.

    Valentino “Vin” Jackson from Underdcovers by Jamie Lee Scott

    Vin has been on one mission from the time he was first put into
    the foster system, find his little brother. As a kid, he couldn’t get any information,
    but now he’s an adult, and trying to make up for lost time. He thought the best
    way to do this was to get an education and become a member of one of the country’s
    most connected crime fighting groups, the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
    Even though much of his time is spent doing the job he was paid
    to do, he spends considerable time outside the job using the FBI’s resources, looking
    for ways to track him down. In his single-minded endeavor, he’s forsaken any permanent
    relationships. On his nights of prowling, he often finds himself depressed, and
    going home with a woman whose name he doesn’t even remember the next day.
    As Vin ages, now in his third decade, he’s tired of going it
    alone, but hasn’t found a woman he’d care to settle down with. Or a woman he’d even
    share his story with. Until he’s teamed up with Ellis Boyd. She just may be his
    undoing, but in the long run, she also has resources of her own, and a mind that
    could help him track his brother down. He needs to know, did little Teto have a
    good life? Is he okay? If not, he’ll never forgive himself for letting the adults
    separate them.

    The Brute and The Blogger by Olivia Gaines

    Tino Boehner is a self-made man who has worked hard to get everything
    he has but he is the type of guy who wants a woman to challenge him. He has that
    in Ebony Miller. I wanted to write an interracial story about a man who has lost
    something that he is trying to reclaim – an identity. In the process he has a five
    year symbiotic relationship with Ebony through her blog that fuels and lights a
    fire under him, although they have never officially met in person. When they do
    meet, there are more than just sparks in her words on a screen; the ones that come
    out of her mouth are equally as powerful. He gives as good as he gets and the banter
    between the two is fiery, and clever.
    The story is sexy as the two dance about each other as she finds
    out that there is a whole lot more to Tino Boehner.
    Tino, through manipulating the circumstance, finds a way to spend
    more time with Ebony on a day to day basis and realizes her words have more power
    over him than he imagined.
    I know readers will relate to them both as Ebony finds her true
    voice and Tino finds a deeper meaning in what family truly means to him. The Brute
    and the Blogger is the intro to a much larger story about the Boehner’s which is
    completed in the follow up story A Menu for Loving.

    Highlander, The Archer by Hildie McQueen

    Two ideas at once came to mind when penning Highlander, Valent.
    First he was to be rather broken and secondly, why not an archer since this is a
    Valentines Day anthology and the whole cupid thing.
    Valent is a breathtakingly stunning man with more hang-ups than
    a walk-in closet. After being abandoned as a child and then continuously mistreated
    while growing up by the clan, he has a rather hard time of it. When the laird’s
    daughter Ariana falls head over heels in love with him and seduces him, it’s surprising
    to see how different he is when in the privacy of the bedroom. The natural born
    leader takes charge. I hope readers will relate with this resilient hero and he
    earns a piece of their hearts.
    Valent’s story will continue in two additional parts, which will
    be published separately. Highlander – The Archer is the beginning of a new series.

    The Vampire’s Penance by Jordan K. Rose

    When deciding who my Valentino was I knew right away he was a
    member of The Vampire Guard, a group driven to protect the residents of Central
    City in the aftermath of the Panthera Laboratories fire. I also knew Rafe Valentino
    was holding onto something so painful, so horrible that he had shut himself away
    from having relationships with anyone other than his brother.
    In an effort to stop his brother from ending up dead Rafe finds
    himself in the weakest position he’s ever experienced, which forces him to let down
    his guard and allow someone else to care for him. In spite of his circumstance he
    tries to protect those around him, sheltering them from his savageness, this time
    by forcing Maddie Van Kool to see the truth of what he’s done.
    The Vampire’s Penance is Novella 5 in the Romance In Central
    City Series.

    About the Book

    Title Call Me Valentino
    Genre Romance, Anthology
    Author Kirsten Obourne, Jamie Lee Scott, Olivia Gaine, Hildie
    McQueen and Jordan K. Rose
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R

    Buy This Book

    Publisher: Pink Door Publishing
    Amazon http://amzn.to/1xk1Cl8
    Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/1stSU8d
    Kobo http://bit.ly/1z2QMXs
    iBooks: http://bit.ly/1CwpuX6

    Author Social Media

    Kirsten Osbourne
    Jamie Lee Scott
    Jordan K Rose
    Website jordankrose.com
    Olivia Gaines
    Website http://oliviagaines.com
    Hildie McQueen