Carolyn Rosewood

PROMO DAY! Two new reviews!!

2012-01-29T07:03:00.000-06:00

5 stars for HUNTED from United By Books

Jahi is a girl after my own heart. We first met her in book one of Rosewood’s “Seduced by a Demon” series. You may remember her as Faina's quirky friend. The one that provides all the documentation for when a demon seduces their mark. As well as outing the evil Mastema and saving her friend. This time we get a bit more inside her world.

Jahi loves Mardi Gras and has attended it every year of her long life, but this year she has a surprise drop-in by someone named Vassago. On top of that is the Nephilim hunting him. Soon Jahi learns the reason why Vassago is after her. It is thanks to her prior life.

What she doesn't bargain for is her instant attraction to the Nephilim, Dagon, who is there to protect her. This attraction is forbidden to both of them. Though they both fight against it, sometimes taking a bite of a forbidden fruit is just too tempting to pass up.

The chemistry and passion between the main characters, Jahi and Dagon, is so hot. It will light your pages or I should say Kindle on fire at times. Carolyn Rosewood pulls you in with intrigue from the beginning. The fact that she builds up the main characters, so you see beyond the passion and sex to the essence of them, is lovely.

You start rooting for them to be able to stay together and not get punished. Jahi tries to appear like the “nothing bothers her” heroine on the outside, but you learn she is, on the inside, just a girl who never thought she deserved much. She gives loyalty, love and her whole un-beating heart to those she cares about and, in Dagon’s case, a lot of hot lovin‘.

In contrast is Dagon, the leading guy that you can't help but like. A strong bounty hunter with deep morals and, obviously, sexy as Hell. A man prepared for anything who never sees what hit him coming when he met Jahi.

Carolyn Rosewood has done it again. Making me want to dive head first into the next book to see if what will happen with Theresa. I know if I was Jahi, I would have taken a bite of the forbidden fruit for Dagon without a backward glance. Vassago makes you mad and Theresa makes me want to shake her. For an author to bring out such strong emotions in her readers, I would say this book, actually the entire “Seduce the Demon” series is sinfully good.
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4 cups for MIDNIGHT SEDUCTION from Coffee Time Romance

Ghost of a Chance

Roland has been trapped inside a painting, thanks to a witch who put a curse on him. One night a year he is able to leave the picture, but not the house it is in.

When Tess was young she was fascinated with the painting that was in her aunt’s house. As she got older, her innocent fascination turned into explicitly carnal fantasies involving her and the man in the portrait.

Seeing Tess in her aunt’s house on Halloween has Roland hoping he can finally explore the leashed passion that travels through his body whenever he sees her. When she finally meets the man who stars in each one of her hedonistic dreams, Tess knows it will be a life changing experience. The pleasurable encounters that follow are more than she could ever hope for. Can Tess help break Roland’s curse, or will he be back in the portrait when his 24 hour period of freedom is over?

What a unique tale Ms. Rosewood has spun. I loved the plot, the scenarios that Tess and Roland found themselves in, and the steamy scenes that left me breathless. On top of everything else that was going on within this story, you have the dangers that arise and the mystical properties. Great job!

FREE READ Saturdays - Contest Story Number One - Friday Night

2012-01-28T08:05:00.002-06:00

LAST WEEK I posted a contest for Free Read Saturdays, asking you to give me the prompts for the free stories. I received six comments, so without further ado, here is story number one.

The prompt for this story came from my fellow Evernight author Adonis Devereux.

He pressed his mouth to her clay-cold lips.
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FRIDAY NIGHT

Tony's Friday night routine had been the same since the day Michelle, his wife of fifteen years, told him she didn't love him anymore. He came home from work, got naked except for a pair of boxers, popped the top off the first of six cold ones, and sat in front of his big screen TV until he either fell asleep or had to pee.

Michelle had moved out and taken the cat with her, so he didn't even have a pet for company. All his friends told him he should move on, but what was the point? He'd known Michelle since third grade, although one could hardly say they'd been instant best friends.

Running for a fly ball during a game of softball in the playground behind the school, he'd tripped over Michelle, who was sitting in the outfield reading a book. He missed the fly ball, his teammates were pissed off at both of them, and Michelle refused to believe he hadn't seen her sitting there. Who sits in the grass during a game of softball and reads a book?

Tony was smitten with the fiery redhead, and spent the next five years working up the courage to kiss her at the eighth grade dance. Now she was gone, had already filed for divorce, and Tony still had no fucking clue what had happened.

He'd just finished his third beer and was contemplating getting something to eat when his cell rang. Tony only answered it because he had to get up to pee anyway. It was all the way over there on the kitchen counter, after all, and who called him on a Friday night?

The voice on the other end was too official - too clipped. Tony's heart beat so loudly in his ears he had trouble hearing what the man said. He caught the words Michelle and accident. With trembling fingers he wrote down the location of the hospital they'd taken her to. He didn't even think to ask the sheriff why they'd called his number, or how they'd found his name.

Tony wasn't a religious man, but he prayed as he drove to the next town, not only because he was terrified for Michelle, but because he had three beers in him and the lines on the road were a bit fuzzy. If he was pulled over and arrested for DUI he wouldn't reach Michelle in time. He didn't know how he knew that, but the certainty was as clear as the memory of her red pigtails on that warm June day when he found himself sprawled over her in the playground.

The ER receptionist handed him a map of the hospital and told him Michelle was in ICU, on the second floor. The secretary at the ICU desk told him to go to the waiting room and a nurse would come and get him in a few minutes. Tony fidgeted with his cell, his credit cards, a few sticks of gum he found at the bottom of his wallet, and loose threads on the worn sofa, trying not to panic. Trying not to imagine the worst.

He glanced around the room, decorated in soft tones and lighting that reminded him of a funeral parlor. Where was her family? Were they already in the room? Had they told the nurses not to let him in? He had no idea what she'd told them about their breakup. Her parents had never been keen on him marrying her to begin with, and especially not right out of high school. What if she died and he had no chance to say goodbye?

With a groan he rose from the sofa and began to pace. Just when he'd decided to go back to the ICU desk and ask when he could see her, a nurse in scrubs came into the room and called his name.

No one was in the room with Michelle. She lay in the bed, bruises on her face and arms, IVs hooked up to bags, monitors beeping and buzzing, oxygen tubing in her nose. She wasn't dead. Tony was momentarily stunned into silence.

"Ten minutes, okay?" said the nurse, her face a mixture of concern and anxiety.

Tony nodded, pulled over a chair and sat next to the bed. He didn't know if it was all right to touch Michelle but he did anyway, wincing at the large dressing on her forearm.

When she opened her eyes and blinked a few times, Tony braced himself for her reaction. Would she be surprised to see him or pissed off?

The muscles in her face relaxed and her bottom lip twitched. A single tear leaked out of the corner of each eye. The hand closest to his moved, searching. He grasped it, wincing at how cold she was.

"Tony," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

He scooted his chair closer to her face, fighting back the tears. Memories assaulted him. Their first kiss, sloppy and terrible. They'd been two kids at a middle school dance who had no idea how to do it right. That night at the drive-in when he'd first copped a feel, the first time they made love, asking her to marry him in the park one warm July night. The images flooded his mind as joy and pain filled his heart. He'd never stopped loving her, and he knew there was simply no way to stop, period.

"What happened tonight?" he asked.

"Drunk driver. Cut me off."

Fear gripped his spine. That drunk driver could have been him.

"Tony, I'm sorry for what I did to you. I was wrong." She waved her hand in the air as if trying to catch the wisp of a dream. "It's true what they say, you know. Your entire life really does flash before your eyes. It's so weird."

Tony stroked her arm, taking care not to touch the dressings.

"Do you know what I saw flashing before my eyes?" she asked.

He shook his head. His palms were damp and he had to squeeze his knees together to stop his legs from trembling.

"You," she whispered. "I saw you. I saw all the things we've done together."

This time Tony couldn't stop the tears.

"And I realized my life has always been with you."

"So what happens now, Michelle?" This was her game, after all. She'd been the one to leave him, not the other way around.

"I want to try again."

"But you said you don't love me." He wanted to say yes. He wanted to hold her and kiss her, but he was in so much pain and so confused, he could barely breathe.

She shook her head, fresh tears filling her eyes and spilling onto her bruised face. "I do love you. I never stopped loving you. I was just... I don't know. Please tell me I haven't lost you."

Tony rose, leaned over, and pressed his mouth to her clay-cold lips. The icy shards around his heart thawed just a bit, and hope began to build. He touched her face as joy filled her beautiful green eyes. He'd always loved her eyes. They reminded him of emeralds. "You haven't lost me, Michelle. You'll never lose me."
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I hope you enjoyed this! Join me here next Saturday for a story based on the next prompt.

Fitness Fridays - Week Three

2012-01-27T05:32:00.000-06:00

This will be short and sweet. Three weeks ~ eight pounds GONE. That's right, baby. Eight.

Still doing Jari Love workouts and I'm up to 20 minutes now. I know that sounds like small potatoes to some folks, but this body is 54 years old and the only thing I've been working out for about two years are my fingers. Typing, y'all. Get your minds out of the gutter. Heh-heh...

Potpourri Thursdays - Your versus You're

2012-01-26T05:27:00.002-06:00

Last year I did a blog post about apostrophe abuse. It bears repeating but today I have a different rant.

Your versus You’re.

There is a difference between them. They are NOT interchangeable.

YOUR is a pronoun used to denote possession.

YOU’RE is a contraction for YOU ARE.

Examples of YOUR used correctly:

Take your shoes off the coffee table. In this sentence the shoes belong to you – they are your shoes.

Your dog ate my homework. In this sentence the dog belongs to you – it’s your dog.

Example of YOUR used incorrectly:

Your going to the doctor today. This makes absolutely NO SENSE. Why? Because the way this sentence reads, "going" belongs to you. This isn’t even a complete sentence the way it’s written. It defines “going” as a noun that belongs to you. If “going” is a noun in this sentence, there’s no verb. “To the doctor” is a clause, just hanging out in space, unmodified. The sentence makes no sense and is INCORRECT.

The CORRECT way to write this sentence is:

You’re going to the doctor today. YOU’RE is a contraction for YOU ARE. YOU ARE going to the doctor today makes perfect sense as a sentence. We simply shortened the “you are” into the grammatically correct “you’re.”

One additional correct example of YOU’RE:

I’m happy you’re able to attend my party. Take out the contraction and it still makes perfect sense: I’m happy you are able to attend my party.

Still confused? Leave me a comment and I’ll try to explain it another way.

Do you have a grammar or punctuation pet peeve you’d like to see me address in a future Potpourri Thursday blog post? Leave me a comment.

Writing Wednesdays - My Muse Is Back!!

2012-01-25T05:11:00.000-06:00

It’s nice to have my muse back. I’m not sure where she went but I’ve welcomed her back with open arms.

I will have the first of two erotic fairy tales finished and submitted to Evernight by this weekend. If they accept it I’ll let you know the title and storyline.

After that, I plan to return to book one of my six book ménage series I’m targeting toward Siren, and finish it by the end of February.

I also have a second erotic fairy tale planned for Evernight, as well as a new five or six book series, set in a dystopian world. I’m very excited about this one as I’ve had the idea for a while now but until this past weekend, didn’t envision it as an entire series.

The plan is to alternate writing the books, one from each series. With my newfound way of sprinting for one hour, I should be able to finish a book in much less time than I previously did. The target word count for each of these books is 50K minimum.

How is your writing going?

Tuneful Tuesdays - Oh Say Can You Sing?

2012-01-24T05:41:00.003-06:00

In case you missed it Sunday...

Don't misunderstand me. I've been a Steven Tyler/Aerosmith fan since the mid-70's. Saw them in concert the year we graduated from high school. We were in the nosebleed section of the now-defunct Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio, but it was still a kick-ass concert. And back in the day Steven could belt out a tune like nobody's business. He was great eye candy too. ;)

Honestly, we've seen worse renditions of our National Anthem. Other than people forgetting the words (and Steven nearly flubbed a few if you listen closely), anyone remember Roseanne Barr grabbing her crotch at the end a couple of years ago? I do believe it's been dubbed the worst rendition of The Star Spangled Banner to date.

Call me old-fashioned, but I still believe the song deserves some respect. Not because you need more than a two-octave range to sing it, but because it's our National Anthem. It's why we take off our hats and place our hands over our hearts when the Anthem is sung. Respect. It's why we aren't supposed to fly a flag at night unless it's lit, and all sorts of things like that most of us either never learned, or have long since forgotten.

I don't mind that Steven's voice isn't what it used to be. I don't even mind that he managed to get his characteristic scream in at the end of one note. Every celebrity who's ever sung that song put his or her own spin on it. Heck, Whitney Houston sang into a dead mike in 1991 because she'd already recorded the version you heard on TV. I guess that's one way not to flub it on live TV. At least Steven didn't show any disrespect, and I thank him for that.

What I do mind is that singing this song has become something we simply do before a game, rather than what it was meant to be. It's a poem that describes the horror and awe of battle. A testament to why our men and women willingly fight for our freedom. It's meant to encourage and inspire. I hope you still get chills when you hear it, especially live. I know I do.

Here are the words, so that if you ever have a chance to sing it, you won't screw them up. And yes, there are actually FOUR verses. We only make our celebrities memorize the first one:

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Manic Mondays - This Changes Everything

2012-01-23T05:27:00.000-06:00

I've been writing a LONG time. You would think I would have figured this out on my own but I never did. Before I go any further, I want to give a shout-out to my fellow Evernight author Alexandra O'Hurley for helping me have an epiphany yesterday.

I wrote close to 6,000 words yesterday. That's right. Not all at once, and not even in the morning when I usually do my best work. I had a headache most of the day and felt "off."

So how did I write so much? I wrote approximately 2,000 words in each of three one-hour sprints, and it was because Alex posted a "I'm doing 1K in 1 hour - who's joining me?" thread in the early afternoon. I thought, why not? At the end of the hour I was shocked to find I'd written over 2,000 words - and we're talking productive words. Not just typing without rhyme or reason.

I checked my math a few times because I still couldn't believe it. And then I thought about the times during the hour (which went REALLY fast, by the way) I was distracted for a second or two, and realized that's the way I write all the time. And it's the reason it takes me so damn long to finish a project. When I get distracted I stop writing instead of keeping my concentration going for a set period of time.

Now, you all know I don't have scads and scads of free time on my hands to write, but I certainly have an hour each day. And I normally have much more than that on weekends. So I started to imagine what it would be like to write 2K a day, and 6K on Saturdays and Sundays. Even taking one weekday off, that would still mean I could potentially write 20K EVERY WEEK. All because I've realized it's not only possible to concentrate on nothing but writing for a straight hour, but because I can do that more than once per day!

Right now you're all thinking I'm mad as a hatter, right? I assure you I'm not. You just have to understand I've done anything like this before, and never thought I could.

Twice yesterday I did another one hour sprint. The second one produced more than 2,000 words, and the third produced just under 1,900. It was late in the day by then and I was tired, so I didn't try a fourth one, but if I had started these earlier in the day, I very easily could have done at least one more.

I've since gone back to edit what I wrote and it didn't need much cleaning up. To realize I have the capability to do this changes everything. I've been feeling really crappy about my writing lately. Sort of disoriented and off track, and I haven't done any appreciable writing since finishing His Majesty's Secret. It's wonderful to get back into a story again, and to make so much progress on it in one day.

Now if only those storms hadn't kept me up half the night and I could see straight this morning, because I just happen to have an hour before I need to get ready to go to my real job...

Promo Day!

2012-01-22T06:02:00.009-06:00

NEW COVER ART!! Isn't it HOT? It's the cover art for Evernight's VIRGINS BEHAVING BADLY anthology, due out in March!! My story, EDUCATING SEAN, is a menage contemporary, and it's the raciest thing I've written yet! I'll share more as soon as possible!!
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My Free Reads Saturday contest will be going on all week! Leave me a comment on YESTERDAY'S POST to enter! Your comment should be a story prompt, and can be anything at all. At the end of the week I'll close the comments, and starting Saturday January 28 will write a story a week, using the prompts in the same order as the comments.

At the end of the stories from reader prompts, I will post a poll and ask you to vote for your favorite. Depending on how many stories from prompts we end up with, the top two or three will be the winners, and the people who wrote the prompts for those stories will receive great prizes from me! We're talking books and swag!!
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This sale won't last much longer so make sure to pick up your copy of THE LAST SOUL for only 99 cents on Kindle!

FREE READ Saturdays - CONTEST - Give Me A Prompt And I'll Tell You A Story

2012-01-21T06:37:00.003-06:00

I'm doing something a bit different this week for Free Read Saturdays. I love the scene in Out of Africa where Karen Blixen tells Denys and Berkeley that her nieces always gave her the first line of a story as a prompt. As I was watching this movie the other night, the idea for this contest came to me.

I'd like YOU, my readers, to give me the prompt for the next free read. Just leave a comment on this post with the first line, or anything else (keep it short, please!) that you want to give me as a prompt. At the end of the week, on Friday night, I'll close the comments.

If I have one comment, I'll write one Free Read. If I have ten comments, I'll write ten Free Reads. Now here's the contest bit...

I'll use those stories from your prompts as the next series of Free Reads, every Saturday. The more comments I have by the end of the week, the more Free Reads you can enjoy from everyone's prompts.

At the end of those stories I will post a poll, and again YOU get to participate. I will let you choose the best story. I hope we end up with a lot of stories because I would love to give away a first, second and third prize. The winners will be the people who gave me the prompt for the most popular stories, and the prizes will include books from my backlist and swag!!

So post those prompts!! I can't wait to start writing you stories!

Fitness Fridays - Week Two

2012-01-20T04:49:00.000-06:00

Incredibly proud of myself. Five pounds GONE. The only time I didn't eat clean this past week was Tuesday at work when we had three birthdays to celebrate. I had a very tiny sliver of cake, and honestly it didn't even taste that good. The sugar/bakery cravings are GONE. Hallelujah!!

I stayed at light weights and 15 minutes of each workout this week, but next week I'm bumping it up to 20 minutes. The weights are getting too light but I want to get through an entire half hour workout before I start bumping them up. Strength AND endurance are what will do this for me. It's all about knowing your body and listening to it. My ultimate goal is a 45 minute to hour long workout, five days a week.

It's getting easier to get out of bed in the morning and do my workout. I know if I can just keep pushing a couple more weeks it will become a habit for me. I like the way I'm feeling and I no longer looked quite as stuffed into my clothes.

Here are the workouts I did partials of this week:

Potpourri Thursdays - What We Can Learn From Gilligan's Island

2012-01-19T03:40:00.000-06:00

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip… Come on. You know the words. What can I say? I’m a child of the 60’s and 70’s and like everyone else who grew up in those decades we watched a lot of bad sit coms.

I was thinking about shows like Gilligan’s Island the other day, wondering (1) how much dope the writers were smoking when they wrote the episodes and (2) why I don’t question my own writing as critically. Yes, we can learn something from Gilligan’s Island.

Let’s start with the three hour tour. Okay. Three hours is about the time it would take me to drive to Clarksville and back, 90 miles each way. Three hours is roughly the time I spend at the doctor’s office every time I visit. Three hours is a really long movie, but if it’s an interesting one I’d sit through it.

Why then did Ginger take along every outfit she owned, and why did she dress in evening gowns for a boat tour? Why did Maryann wear her gingham dress? She looked like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Or was that the point? Didn’t she own a pair of jeans? Did she wake up that morning on the farm in Kansas and say, “I think I’ll fly to California today and take a boat tour!” Why did the Howells bring along their priceless art and all Mrs. Howell’s jewelry, Mr. Howell’s smoking jacket, and his golf clubs?

And don’t even get me started on the Professor. He could make a radio out of a coconut but he couldn’t fix the hole in the boat? Oh wait… he probably didn’t have any plywood, a hammer or nails. Then how did they make all that furniture or put together those huts? How did they cook? Where did they get the pots and pans and eating utensils? How did they wash clothes, and why didn’t their clothes wear out or fall apart? Why did they have all those grooming products with them?

But what really gave me a chuckle were the goofy shows they used to put on. Who was the audience? The wildlife, insects and birds? I guess when you’re marooned on an uncharted island with all your possessions there’s nothing else to do but dress up in costumes you just happened to have with you and play Shakespeare.

So what can we learn from this campy sit com?

*If you place your characters on a desert island, make sure the circumstances they find themselves in make sense in terms of how they got there and what they would have reasonably brought with them.

It’s easy to write yourself into a corner and realize you have your hero and heroine in a situation with no clear picture of how they got there. Don’t invent something just to make the scene fit. Reason it out. Would a real person behave this way? Would they really say the things you have your hero and heroine saying? Is it reasonable to assume, for example, your heroine has one bar left on her cell phone, the bad guy has her cornered in an abandoned warehouse, and instead of calling the police she calls the hero?

Think it through. Play with it. Reason it out. Don’t just put it in there because it will make your current scene fit, and will kind of, sort of explain the back story, and you just can’t bear to part with the scene because of A, B or C. You can part with it. Trust me. And your book might be better for it. Don’t assume readers won’t spot the plot holes or contrived situations. They will.

*Dress for the situation. Even if your heroine prefers Betsey Johnson over Jacqueline Smith’s collection for K-Mart, and wouldn’t be caught dead in public without perfect nails and hair, is it reasonable to describe her Prada pumps if she and the hero are at the beach? I don’t know about you, but I find it incredibly difficult and uncomfortable to walk in sand with heels on. “But it’s what she’d wear!” you whine. To dinner and a movie, yes. To a tractor pull with her cowboy hero, probably not. And highlighting something so silly does not show characterization or illustrate the differences between them. It just makes your heroine look like she’s never stepped foot outside her Upper East Side Manhattan apartment before she met the hero.

*One final thing we can learn from Gilligan’s Island. If your hero is a bad-ass who drives a Harley and ferrets out evil dudes with his magic vampire powers, he most likely isn’t going to care what his hair looks like. Don’t make him a Ginger.

Sure, I understand Ginger’s appeal. Sexy Hollywood movie star and all that. Her hair was always perfect and apparently never grew the entire three years they were stuck on that island. Um… have you seen a rag mag lately? Hollywood movie stars without their make-up and hair done look just like you and me. The more real and relatable you can make your hero, the more likely we are to fall in love with him right along with the heroine. That’s what you want your readers to do, after all. ☺

Writing Wednesdays - The Erotic Fairy Tale Lives Again!

2012-01-18T04:51:00.000-06:00

I've come to the conclusion that one should not attempt to write anything near the holidays. It feels as if I haven't done any meaningful writing for weeks. The erotic fairy tale I've been working on isn't even up to 10K yet and it's gone through so many revisions I actually forgot my heroine's name for a while. It's back on track now, and I hope to have it finished and submitted to Evernight Publishing before the end of the month.

After that it's back to book one of my planned six book menage series, targeted toward Siren-Bookstrand.

The cover art/blurb questionnaire has been returned to Siren for His Majesty's Secret, and I'm now awaiting edits and cover art. HMS has an April release date.

I'm also working on more free reads to bring you!

How is your writing going?

Tuneful Tuesdays, 80's Edition

2012-01-17T05:05:00.000-06:00

I'll be honest. I grew up in the 60's and 70's, and the music from those decades is still my favorite. I remember listening to the changeover from the rock of the mid and late 70's to the punk and techno beats of the early 80's, and wanting to hang my big hair over the toilet and hurl. :) But thirty years later, some of that stuff has actually grown on me.

I seem to be in an 80's kind of mood lately. I'm watching Brat Pack movies and listening to a lot of Heart and Blondie.

Here is a mere sampling of some of the 80's songs that have gone from "turn that shit off" to "hey, that's not too bad... think I'll put it on a playlist."

Bon Jovi / "Livin' on a Prayer" (1986)

Michael Jackson / "Billie Jean" (1982)

Guns N' Roses / Sweet Child O' Mine (1987)

Madonna / "Like a Virgin" (1984)

Journey / Don't Stop Believing (1981)

The Bangles / "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986)

Van Halen / "Jump" (1984)

Whitesnake / "Here I Go Again" (1982)

Cyndi Lauper / "Time After Time" (1984)

Rick Springfield / "Jessie's Girl" (1981)

Michael Jackson / "Beat It" (1982)

Cyndi Lauper / "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (1984)

A-Ha / "Take On Me" (1985)

Kajagoogoo / "Too Shy" (1984)

Night Ranger / "Sister Christian" (1983)

Soft Cell / "Tainted Love" (1981)

Tommy Tutone / "867-5309/Jenny" (1981)

Modern English / "I Melt With You" (1982)

Bananarama / "Cruel Summer" (1984)

The Police / "Every Breath You Take" (1983)

Eurythmics / "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (1983)

Dead or Alive / "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" (1985)

Billy Idol / "White Wedding" (1988)

A Flock of Seagulls / "I Ran (So Far Away)" (1982)

Bonnie Tyler / "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (1983)

REO Speedwagon / "Keep On Loving You" (1980)

Blondie / "Call Me" (1980)

Human League / "Don't You Want Me?" (1981)

Lionel Richie / "All Night Long (All Night)" (1983)

Robert Palmer / "Addicted to Love" (1985)

Debbie Gibson / "Only in My Dreams" (1987)

Men at Work / "Down Under" (1982)

Wang Chung / "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" (1986)

Loverboy / "Working for the Weekend" (1981)

How about you? Are you into 80's music? Tell me about some of your favorites. And don't forget the leggings and moon walk... :)

Manic Mondays-Rambling About The Middle of January Edition

2012-01-16T04:21:00.000-06:00

Today's Manic Mondays post isn't going to be very manic. My weekend was calm compared to most, I figured out what had been bothering me about the erotic fairy tale I'm working on and am now in the process of fixing it, no one at home had a crisis, and it didn't even rain, much less dump winter weather on us. Not that there is much winter here...

I woke up at an ungodly hour but felt rested so I decided to get out of bed, and have already done my workout as I type this. I was thinking about the middle of January and what that usually brings. When I lived in Ohio January meant frigid cold temperatures and snow. There would always be that post-Christmas let-down as the rest of winter and spring stretched out interminably. The days were still short and bleak.

January in Tennessee can mean anything from really cold temperatures to spring-like weather that brings thunderstorms or tornadoes. The days are short but not all of them are bleak. In fact this weekend we had some lovely sunshine and puffy white clouds. I don't feel a post-Christmas let-down, but that might be due to the fact all our trees aren't down yet! Going to New York right after New Years threw us off schedule a bit.

So, not a very manic Monday, I'm afraid. And given that it's a holiday for some, I'm not even sure we'll be busy at work. But don't worry. My life doesn't stay this calm for long.

Tell me about your Monday...

Sunday is Promo Day!

2012-01-15T07:24:00.001-06:00

Well come on, I have to toot my horn one day a week, okay? ;)

PLAYING FOR KEEPS, the third book in my Seduced By A Demon series from Evernight Publishing, is enjoying a surge in popularity on All Romance E-Books, thanks to a free read that was featured in last Friday's newsletter. If you don't subscribe, it's free and contains not only HOT free reads, but author features, new releases, and all kinds of great information.

PFK is currently #17 on the best-selling list of Evernight books at ARE!! I'm absolutely thrilled, and I wanted to thank my readers in a special way.

So... here's a little impromptu contest. You can find the answer to this question in the free read that was in the ARE newsletter last week, titled Seducing Professor Hall, or the free read I posted on this website yesterday.

Just answer the question in a comment, be sure to leave your email address, and you'll be entered for a chance to win an e-copy of PLAYING FOR KEEPS!! If you already have PFK and you win, I'll give you a choice from my back list.

*What color eyes does Professor Kenton Hall have?*

Good luck!!

Introducing FREE READ Saturdays!!

2012-01-14T11:02:00.001-06:00

That's right! Every Saturday I will strive to bring you a HOT quickie - a free read that features a character from an existing published book - or just something I cooked up in the heat of the moment.

Today's feature is another of Teresa's antics. Teresa is the heroine from PLAYING FOR KEEPS, and if you subscribe to the All Romance E-Books newsletter, you were able to read Seducing Professor Hall last Friday. Kenton Hall is the last human Teresa, a succubus with an attitude, seduced into signing away his soul before her world fell apart after she betrayed fellow demon Jahi to a fallen angel named Vassago. You can read Jahi's story in HUNTED, the second book in my Seduced By A Demon series from Evernight Publishing.

For now, here's another Teresa teaser, and BE WARNED... it's X-rated...

**Teresa blinked a few times, struggling to remember where she was. Olive green walls adorned with diplomas and various certificates, the smell of leather and Polo, and the soft sounds of Professor Kenton Hall as he lay sprawled out on the floor next to the sofa, sound asleep.

She let her gaze wander over his chest and ab muscles, a smile playing across her lips. It had been a pleasant surprise to find the geeky professor had a body that was built to last. It wasn't often the men Teresa seduced were able to keep up with her in bed, much less wear her out. This was going to one fun assignment, and they hadn't even made it to his bedroom yet.

As much as she wanted to wake him up by taking his thick cock into her mouth, she knew he needed food and probably caffeine. Reliving the memory of that talented shaft pumping in and out of her swollen pussy and ass, Teresa padded barefoot to the tiny kitchen and rummaged in the fridge. Kenton must eat out a lot, but she did find a half-empty carton of eggs and a loaf of bread.

She was scooping scrambled eggs onto plates when a sound reached her ears. "Breakfast is ready," she said without turning around.

"Yes, I can see that." A shiver ran over Teresa's naked body. She did love Kenton's voice. There was something simple yet sexy about the soft cadence of his speech.

"Food first. We need our strength." She put the plates on the counter in front of him, found two forks, placed them next to the plates, then buttered the toast.

Teresa didn't need to eat, but she made a pretense of enjoying the simple breakfast. No use in telling the poor man he'd fucked a demon last night. That part would come soon enough, once she found dirt on him and used it to trick him into signing away his soul.

"You're not a bad cook," he said with a heart-stopping grin.

Teresa laughed and picked up a forkful of eggs, moving it close to his full mouth. "Eggs and toast are my specialty."

He chewed the eggs, his gray eyes regarding her with a mixture of lust and confusion. "Why me?"

"What do you mean?" She held up her toast to his mouth and he took a small bite, chewing and swallowing it quickly.

"I mean how did you find me? Why did you walk into my classroom yesterday? Where did you come from?"

"So many questions, Kenton."

"Teresa, I'm a nobody. I teach obscure history that only a few people give a shit about. And I hate to admit this but gorgeous sexy women don't exactly throw themselves at me everyday."

"You're suspicious of me." Teresa placed the piece of toast back on her plate and frowned, putting on her best hurt look. She'd run across this before, and knew it was because she always went after her assignments full force, right from the beginning. But she also knew it was within her power to make them stop questioning her presence and just enjoy the ride. The only reason she was letting Kenton continue this line of questioning was that it might give her ammunition to use later.

"I'm suspicious of everything. It's my nature."

"All right." She wiped the crumbs from her mouth and hands and leaned forward with her elbows on the counter, letting her nipples graze the Formica. As predicted, his gaze focused on them and didn't move as she continued speaking.

"I'm from Chicago, my parents owned a club, and I came to Cambridge because once I decided to attend college, I wanted nothing but the best."

He chuckled. "Well you certainly picked the cream of the crop. Are you interested in seventeenth century history?"

Teresa straightened up and moved around the counter to stand next to Kenton, whose cock was pointing straight up. She grasped it at the base and squeezed, just hard enough to force a soft groan from him. "I'm interested in you, Professor Hall," she said in a soft voice, holding his gaze.

Kenton tangled one hand in the back of her hair and pulled her mouth to his, locking it in a hot kiss that left her gasping for breath. The man knew how to use his lips and tongue. She kept her hand on his shaft, pumping it slowly, while their tongues devoured each other.

Breaking free of the kiss, Teresa did what she'd wanted to do yesterday afternoon as soon as his pants were off. She dropped to her knees and took his cock into her mouth, moaning at the taste of him, salty and musky. He kept his hand on the back of her head, pushing her toward him, until the entire length of his shaft was in her mouth.

"Teresa please..." he gasped. "I can't hold off much longer."

She didn't let him go, and soon his hot cum filled her mouth and she swallowed every luscious drop. Rising, she took his hand and led him through the apartment to what she assumed was his bedroom. The shades were drawn but there was enough light spilling in to reveal clothes littering every square inch of the bed.

"Sorry...messy housekeeper." His voice was raspy.

"Whatever." She pulled him onto the clothes and wrapped her arms and legs around him, running her hands along the muscles in his back and shoulders, down to his firm ass.

His cock grew hard in a matter of seconds, and again as he'd done yesterday, regarded her with wonder and asked how she'd accomplished that.

"I told you. I'm magic." She giggled and flipped them over so she was on top, using her demon strength just a bit. This time he didn't ask any questions.

As she played with her nipples, her gaze locked on his eyes, he reached up to move her hands aside and grasped her breasts, kneading them almost to the point of pain. Teresa closed her eyes and tossed her hair, letting the sensations wash over her. She rubbed her soaking wet pussy against the length of his shaft, her orgasm building.

His thumbs rubbed her nipples, sending shock waves of desire straight to her clit. When she opened her eyes again his gaze had gone soft and his jaw slack. She sat up and took his cock in one hand, then slowly sheathed it until the entire length was inside her pussy.

"Oh Teresa," he breathed. "Fuck me. Please."

She moved up and down, one hand rubbing her clit and the other on his chest for balance. His hands squeezed her breasts hard but Teresa hardly noticed. Her climax went on and on as she pumped up and down, letting Kenton's cock slide almost all the way out before she plunged back down again.

He bucked against her and groaned, tossing his head back and forth. When he finally came the contractions went on for long minutes. Teresa slid him out and lay draped across his body, listening to the sound of his breathing.**

If you liked that little teaser, please check out the three books in my Seduced By A Demon series. I promise you all the demon heroines are as hot and sexy as Teresa. :)

Introducing Fitness Fridays!!

2012-01-13T05:18:00.000-06:00

I debated long and hard about whether to share my fitness journey on this blog and finally decided the only way I was going to stick with it this time was to make it public, and thereby make myself accountable to you.

It's been so long since I saw the inside of a gym or picked up weights at home that I'm starting small. Don't laugh. I'm starting with 15 minutes of a work-out, at home using free weights, and I'm going to work up slowly from there. Hey, I know my body and I know my limits. If I try to do too much too soon I get hurt, and then I'm back to square one.

I have a variety of workout DVDs still but I decided to go with Jari Love for now because her workouts have both a cardio and toning effect by using lower weights and higher reps. I've done the cardio alternating with weights routines, and I've done the heavy weight routines. It all works as long as I move my body. :) These workouts will get me going in the right direction and allow me to move into doing different things as I progress.

And of course, as much as we all hate to admit it, workouts alone don't help us shed poundage. I must clean up my eating. It's not healthy for a woman of my *cough* age to eat like a billy goat - anything and everything. I'm not going to follow any set diet or program because again, I've been there and done that, and quite frankly they all drive me batshit. Instead I'm going to use my common sense and basic knowledge of nutrition, and stick to lean meats, plenty of veggies (which I love!!), fruits, nuts and whole grains - in moderation. Too many carbs make me bloat. The trick for me is to stop when I'm full, and stay as far away from candy and sweet baked goods as possible. I know... I know. A bite here and there won't hurt. No, but with the terrible sweet/carb addiction I have it's never just one bite. It's the whole damn Krispy Kreme donut.

So... how did I do this week? Well to be fair it's only been four whole days since I started Monday, but I've lost 2.5 pounds already. :) And yes, I feel much better. For one thing, I've slept straight through the past two nights and I have to tell you I NEVER do that.

For my workouts, I've done 15 minutes of a Jari DVD, including warm-up, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and this morning. My goal is 5 days per week, and to be able to do the entire workout. When I reach that I'll start mixing things up and adding other workouts. I may even get back in the gym one day...

Here are the workouts I did portions of this week...

I hope you'll join me on this journey - I could use a few cheerleaders!

Do you want to share any tips or success stories of your own with me?

Introducing Potpourri Thursdays!!

2012-01-12T06:22:00.001-06:00

I had a tough time coming up with a theme for Thursdays, and I know potpourri doesn't start with a T, but I hope you'll forgive me for that. What I want to do on Thursdays is give you a hodgepodge, from mini-rants (I promise not to get political on you!) to stuff that simply sticks in my craw.

Today I have a beef about online behavior, specifically with respect to reviews.

As writers who do 99% of our promo and marketing online, we're in the public eye whether we like it or not. We've all seen the author who goes batshit on a reviewer on her blog, Twitter, Facebook or sometimes all three in the same hour. Sometimes her posts have the distinction of going viral. Yeah... not a place I ever care to be, thank you very much.

I can hear you right now saying "but even bad publicity is still publicity." I suppose it is, but call me old-fashioned. I prefer not to be known as the "that romance writer who went ballistic on Twitter last month over a bad review."

I'm old enough to remember being taught The Golden Rule in school. In case you don't know it, it's Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You. In other words, treat others the way you want to be treated. Simple enough, right?

It's natural to want to react to someone who's written something about your book that you consider unfair, or that is actually incorrect. I've had reviews where the reviewer got my heroine's background wrong or got other important details wrong, leading me to wonder if she actually read the book. I even had one where the reviewer got my hero's name wrong! And, I've had reviews where the reviewer has blindsided me with opinions about my characters that I felt were unfair or misguided. My personal favorites, though, are the ones that call attention to a spelling mistake, in a review full of grammar and spelling mistakes. :)

But is it worth it to point out the mistakes or inaccuracies, and risk looking like a petty bitch?

When I was in junior high (what we now call middle school) there were girls who got into actual fist fights after school. It was an unfortunate way of life where I grew up. There was one particular girl who had a couple of classes with me named Yvonne. Yvonne was a tough girl, and had quite the reputation. She took an instant dislike to me and tried nearly every day after school to get me to fight her. Well, I'm barely 5'1" now and certainly wasn't taller at 14 years old. Yvonne was tall with muscles, and I'm not stupid. That girl would have seriously injured me. It took a boatload of courage to refuse to touch her and turn my back on her and start walking home, my friends at my side. My limbs shook. My mouth would go bone dry. Until she stopped screaming obscenities at me and it became clear she wasn't going to chase me down and simply knock me to the ground I didn't take a full breath. And every damn day I'd cry my eyes out from sheer relief and frustration.

What stopped me were my grandmother's words. You see, I could tell my grandmother things I'd never tell my mother. My grandmother told me it takes more courage to walk away from a fight or an argument than to join it. Simple, but so profound. Especially when you're a terrified 14 year old.

Everytime I read a review that I feel is unfair, or that gets things in the book outright wrong, my grandmother's voice rings in my ear.

After all, reviews are only opinions, and everybody has one. And let's not forget that reviewers are your READERS. I value the fact that someone took the time to read my book and write down their thoughts, even if I don't always agree with them.

What say you?

Writing Wednesdays - Back To The Real Job

2012-01-11T05:18:00.000-06:00

*SIGH* Back to reality, folks. This morning I'm back to work again after 11 days off. Oh yeah, this is a rough one. I mean, I was in NYC!!!

But I digress... I've set a minimum word count goal on days I work of 500 words. Honestly, most of my blog posts are more than that, so if I can't write 500 measly words on my WIP I don't deserve to have it published. I've been slacking something terrible during the holidays, but it's a new year, and it's time to get back to work. My word count goal for weekend days will remain at 3,000.

Goal this month: Finish and submit the first of two erotic fairy tales to Evernight.

February's goal: Finish and submit the first of my six book menage series to Siren.

If they accept it, I'll have to hustle and finish the other five. I also want to write another erotic fairy tale for Evernight.

All that ought to keep me busy until summer. :)

Tell me about your writing goals for the next couple of months...

Tuneful Tuesdays, Broadway edition

2012-01-10T08:21:00.001-06:00

Yeah, okay. So I have show tunes in my head this week. Can't imagine why. :)

We went to New York City this past week and saw both Wicked and Phantom on Broadway. Not the first time seeing either show, but the first time seeing them in NYC. They were phenomenal! And I listened to the music from the original Broadway cast of Wicked on my iPod on the plane rides home.

But today will be back to writing before I return to the real job tomorrow, and I might try listening to Wicked while I write rather than my standby play lists, and see what happens.

How do you handle tunes that run through your head? Do you just go with it and write, or do you put on other music? Do you need music to write? And if you do, what's your favorite kind to write to?

Manic Mondays

2012-01-09T09:38:00.002-06:00

All you have to do is read the last two posts and you'll wonder why I'm bothering to put up a Manic Monday post! The past week has been manic! Fabulous, but manic.

I'm putting up the post because it's a new year and I've made certain commitments, including this blog/website, and it's Monday so that means a Manic Monday post.

Today I plan to return to some serious writing (I'm off work) right after I take care of the seventy two things I have backed up. LOL! But seriously, as much as I adored New York City and miss it already, there's something comforting about being home and back in a routine.

By the way, the image above is a magnet/license plate I bought in one of those souvenir shops near Times Square. Cool, eh? :)

Tell me about your travels. Is there someplace you've gone that you were sad to leave and return home?

New York, New York Again!!

2012-01-08T17:58:00.001-06:00

Okay, an explanation of what this trip to NYC was. Our daughter turned 21 last month and we talked and talked about what to do for her. She’s our only child and you only turn 21 once, plus she’s a music performance major and has big dreams, but hasn’t seen much outside of Cleveland Ohio and Nashville Tennessee. So…we planned this trip so she could experience music and art in NYC, the center of the universe. ☺

Sorry this blog post is going up after I'm home, but the Internet went down in the hotel Friday afternoon and when we returned from Wicked, we were informed the modem was shot and they wouldn’t have a new one until Monday. Personally I think it was a sign from the Man Upstairs for me to slow down and get off the Internet for a while. I was on vacation, after all.

Friday morning we went on the NBC studio tour. I had no idea NBC/Universal owned so much, including my beloved Comcast. The tour was fascinating and my only complaint is that it went by so quickly! We saw the inside of two news show studios where the page explained green screens and many of the illusions they use. A studio is very cold until all those dozens of lights go on, and then it’s hot as blazes!

The highlight for me was the stop at the SNL studio – the same one where they’ve filmed all but two shows for the past 37 seasons. As a long-time SNL fan I was thrilled to see this. Charles Barclay hosted last night and while we were on the tour he was entering the building for rehearsals and stopped by to say hello to our tour group. Very personable! No, we didn’t see Kelly Clarkson. ☹

After the tour we ate at the NBC café, which was actually quite good, then shopped for souvenirs of course. Friday we had dinner at…Friday’s! ☺ Hey, we decided to walk to the Gershwin and Friday’s was on the way. It was really good without the ridiculously high price tag.

Wicked at the Gershwin was fantastic! What can I say? Fabulous cast, terrific set, wonderful singing and dancing, and BONUS it was the Gershwin! I scored some seriously wonderful seats for this performance, and Nicole was thrilled. Yes, we’ve seen it three times now, but you have to understand my daughter’s lifelong fascination with Broadway musicals. She eats, sleeps and dreams them – always has.

Saturday we had brunch at this place called Burger Heaven. They serve a decent brunch as well, and since it was on 49th Street we decided to take a chance. I’ve noticed in most big cities that often the most out-of-the-way places have the best food.

We walked down 5th Avenue after brunch and took pictures outside of Tiffany & Company, Prada and Harry Winston. Nothing but the best. ☺ Then we went inside Tiffany to find out they were actually quite pleasant and real. I did find a diamond tennis bracelet I loved. Only $4,000, so if any of you need gift ideas now you know where to look.

Then we went to Times Square to gawk and play sardines with the rest of the crowd before heading over to the Majestic Theater for Phantom of the Opera!! Nicole loved Times Square. It was quite cool seeing it in person, but I can only handle about ten minutes of a crowd that size before I want to start jabbing everyone with something sharp. Just kidding. *twitch! twitch!* I’m a bit claustrophobic.

The tickets to Phantom were a last minute purchase when I realized it was still playing on Broadway, and Nicole was devastated we weren’t going to be able to see it. Yes, I spoil my daughter rotten. That’s just the way I roll. The child has dreams and I want to help her reach them, okay?

What can I say about Phantom? We first saw it in Cleveland when Nicole was about twelve, and it was very good but we were so far away from the stage it was like watching it in a movie theater. Then we saw it in Atlanta last year but honestly the production was mediocre. Not so on Saturday! It was fantastic. Nicole was in tears – good tears.

The performance was in the afternoon so afterwards we had dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp right in Times Square! What a fun place! It was the best meal we had in NYC – I have to say. Then we went back to the hotel to crash. Yeah, we’re party animals. What can I say? We were exhausted by then.

But I can’t say anything bad about the trip. We had a blast! Traveling is always exhausting and has its issues, but overall this went very smoothly. Enough time between flights in Baltimore, coming and going, no lost luggage, and nothing got left behind that I know of.

My impressions of NYC? Construction everywhere, people out walking at all hours of the night and day, the fabulous smells from the hotdog vendors, the stands on every corner selling fake Burberry scarves and every imaginable trinket, the endless gift shops with trinkets and souvenirs, grates in the sidewalk where you can look down onto the subway train tracks in places, constant honking horns and police and fire sirens, actual policemen walking their beat, a million taxi cabs, street performers, and – surprisingly – people who wait for the signal to walk before crossing the street. I think that’s because you’d get run down in the street otherwise.

The city is old. Most of the buildings are, anyway. It reminds me a lot of downtown Cleveland although all you New Yorkers right now are gagging, right? ☺ But it has the same look as far as architecture is concerned. I slipped right back into my Yankee ways as soon as we stepped out of the airport, so the hustle and bustle didn’t bother me. I actually had some nice conversations with people, although overall people don’t chit-chat or make eye contact as readily as in Murfreesboro.

I had a lovely conversation with a lady at the Gershwin who was wearing a walking boot. She told me she didn’t bring her crutches because “Can you imagine the person next to me if I sat down with those?” That cracked me up so we started talking. I also had a nice conversation with one of our housekeepers in the hotel elevator. Yeah, you know me. I’ll talk to anyone, anywhere. Hey, I’m a writer. I watch people and I listen when they speak. You never know when a story or character idea comes to you.

I loved the way you’d be walking and suddenly come upon these places you’d seen on TV or at the movies. It was really cool, but honestly I think I’d need at least six months to see everything I want to see. And I know why everyone is so thin in NYC. They walk everywhere!! And since the only place to build is UP, there are stairs to climb everywhere you go. Plus the food is really expensive so I don't think they eat much. LOL!

I had a BLAST and we can't wait to go back again! And most importantly, Nicole had a blast as well! :)

New York, New York!

2012-01-06T08:03:00.001-06:00

Well we are just having a marvelous time here! I wish I could tell you I've been writing but honestly I'm exhausted. Having fun, but way too tired to try putting words into characters' mouths.

We arrived Wednesday morning and were treated to sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty outside the plane window. Construction of the first new tower at Ground Zero was pointed out to us, but we weren't able to see it from our spot on the plane. The cab ride to our hotel was surprisingly easy and not terribly long. I have to say that so far, the cabbies in NYC are FAR better drivers than the ones in Chicago.

The hotel is interesting. It's a very old building (nearly all of them here are) and has steam heat and radiators in the rooms. We're in one of the two penthouses so we have a private, wrap-around balcony, but it's too cold to really enjoy it. The bathrooms are seriously too small and there's almost no counter space, but except for the noise of the pump system in the building (which you quickly get used to) and the banging, clanging of pipes (steam heat is toasty warm but noisy!), we can't hear anything else. We can barely hear the street noise on East 49th because the balcony has a ten foot high concrete wall. I guess that's so we don't accidentally splatter our bodies onto the pavement below.

The skyscrapers around us tower over the hotel, and when you're at street level everything is dim because you really can't see the sky unless you look up. I can't say people are friendly here, but so far no one has been outright rude. I'd say indifferent is more the word for everyone. They just go on about their business. No smiles from strangers or idle chit-chat - something I've grown very used to living in Tennessee for nearly six years.

The staff at the hotel have been outstanding, and everywhere we've been from the salespeople in stores to the ushers at the Met have been helpful when we've asked questions. I'm not sure I'd want to live here, unless I had a ton of money! LOL! Everything is ridiculously expensive compared to home.

On Wednesday after we stored our luggage at the hotel we went to see St Patrick's Cathedral - just a few short blocks from where we're staying - and Rockefeller Center. It's weird to see places in person that you've seen countless shots of on TV or at the movies. They never look quite the same. RC seemed much smaller than it looks on the movie screen, and the Cathedral was breathtaking.

After a seriously overpriced lunch on Lexington Avenue, we checked in and rested a bit, then ate a seriously overpriced and mediocre dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. We came back to the hotel and watched TV while we planned what touristy sites we wanted to check out the remainder of the week.

The hotel has a free breakfast, and it's really not good but at least it's free. LOL! Yesterday morning we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and were floored. We spent close to five hours walking around and saw maybe a third of it. Absolutely fantastic and stunning. If I had a month here I might be able to make it to all the exhibits. Maybe. The cab ride to the Upper East Side was kind of cool because I just adore all those stone buildings and restored brownstones. They look even more beautiful and charming in person. Like I said, if I had a boatload of money I could live here, and one of those restored Victorian beauties would be my first choice. Mama always said I have champagne taste on a beer budget.

Last night we went to the Met to see Faust. This trip is meant to be a cultural awakening experience and a twenty-first birthday present for Nicole, our daughter. The girl has big dreams of performing so I thought she should see operas and plays in NYC, of course! The Met was beautiful and amazing. So pretty and elegant, and I love the screens on the back of the seat in front of you that give you the translation. You can't see your neighbor's screen so it's totally non-intrusive. This was an updated version of Faust, and while I can't say I hated it, I was so bored I nearly fell asleep. I know. Only I could snooze at the opera. I can't say anything bad, however, about the singing and music. Superb.

This morning we're eating breakfast and planning our day. Tonight we have tickets for Wicked!!

Introducing Writing Wednesdays!

2012-01-04T03:30:00.000-06:00

Pretty self-explanatory. I wish I could tell you I've been prolific during the past four days off work, but the truth is I've been a slug. :) To be fair, I'm typing this quickly because we're ready to leave for the airport, so I have had a bit on my mind.

Here's what I'm working on:

Two erotic fairy tales for Evernight Publishing's Naughty Fairy Tales line. I haven't decided on a name yet, but I promise you they will be the raunchiest things I've written yet. ;)

Book 1 of my new contemporary, six book menage series targeted toward Siren.

More details to follow... excuse me, I have to catch a plane!!

Introducing Tuneful Tuesdays!!

2012-01-03T13:26:00.000-06:00

On Tuesdays I will talk about music, movies, or something closely related. Today I'd like to kick off Tuneful Tuesdays with a post about memories from songs, scents or words.

Did you ever hear a song or a phrase that brought back a memory so strong you could taste it or smell it? Songs and smells seem to do that for me, especially songs from the 70’s when it seems my emotions were on full alert. The decade certainly left a more indelible mark than any other.

And it’s not just the memory itself that comes back, but the full-fledged living color emotional baggage associated with it. I can hear the words, see the room, taste the Twizzlers, and feel every twinge of love, lust, or jealousy associated with that moment in time.

As annoying or disconcerting as this can be, I do find it comes in quite handy during writing. I know if I play a particular song on my iPod I might cry or laugh uncontrollably for a few minutes, but I will also have a wealth of words to describe every sense through my hero or heroine’s eyes. I can’t be the only one who uses their own memories as a framework for certain scenes.

There were times last year I experienced regret at not having started seriously writing twenty or thirty years ago, but then I realized I wouldn’t have decades of life experience to draw from. But we’re writers. We can fake it. Yes, we can, but it’s difficult to fake the emotion, and that’s what I’m talking about. My heroes and heroines get themselves in plenty of situations I’ve never experienced first-hand, but I have experienced the emotions I write about when they’re in those circumstances.

Who hasn’t snuck out of the house to go somewhere with friends – some place you know you weren’t supposed to go? Or cried over a break-up or unrequited love? Almost everyone has experienced the death of a loved one or a close friend. The older you are the more likely you are to have multiple experiences with all types of emotional situations, and you can take the feelings from these circumstances and translate them to almost endless possibilities on the page.

Tell me about your triggers. What brings back those memories full of angst and joy for you? Are they songs? Scents? Words? Something else?

Introducing Manic Mondays!!

2012-01-02T09:19:00.001-06:00

Part of my goals for 2012 include bringing you more posts that aren't ME! ME! BUY MY BOOK! That being said, I'd like to introduce Manic Mondays.

I've always loved this song. It came out when I was in nursing school and dating David, my husband. "Manic Mondays" was appropriate for our Mondays in school. We had class all day then went over the hospital in the afternoons to find out everything we could about our assigned patient by the next morning. And I mean we had to know everything. Heaven help us if we'd missed something or didn't have a drug card ready. Yes, we had to hand-write every medication they were on, the side effects, what it did, what it treated, etc. We'd sit in a circle Tuesday morning and talk, and if you'd forgotten something or didn't know the answer to a question the entire group shared in your shame. Fun stuff.

Despite the rather unpleasant memories, I do love the song. The Bangles' songs were fun and flirty. Susanna Hoffs had a unique voice.

These days, I don't have to worry about clinicals or nursing school, but Mondays are always a bit manic, just the same. It's the start of a work week, and inevitably I didn't get as much writing done on the weekend as I'd wished to.

Today is January 2nd, and even though I'd be off work regardless if I wasn't on vacation until the 11th, it's no less manic. Our daughter turned 21 last month and we're taking her to New York City!! We leave VERY early Wednesday, and of course there are last-minute things to do today. Including a trip to Clarksville where Nicole attends Austin Peay so we can pick up her spare contact lenses she accidentally forgot to bring home for break.

That's all right though, because I need some things as well, and this will give me time to spend with Nicole. I miss those times with her far more than I miss The Bangles. :) We used to call them "Mommy and Nikki days." They were rare, but like all rare things, very precious.

So... if you'll excuse me I'm off to have a Mommy and Nikki day. Enjoy your Manic Monday, and Happy New Year!

His Majesty's Secret Has A Home!

2011-12-31T09:26:00.001-06:00

His Majesty’s Secret has a home!

I’m thrilled to announce I’m now a Siren-Bookstrand author! His Majesty’s Secret, my 70K+ fantasy romance set in an alternate universe that mirrors our Medieval period, will be published by Siren in April of 2012, and will go to print in August of 2012. I’m thrilled to be part of Siren!

This manuscript has a long and convoluted history. I want to share it with you because it’s a testament to never giving up, while also knowing when to put something aside for a time.

One of the most common themes I see on writing boards from unpublished writers are posts about that ONE BOOK they’ve been working on for two, five, ten years. They don’t want to give up on it, and often they’ll post about dozens and dozens of rejections, but they’re still not willing to put it aside and write something else. Sometimes they haven’t received any feedback on it, or only feedback from well-meaning family and friends, but still they refuse to believe it’s time to move on for a while.

I can say this because I was one of those aspiring authors. I started writing the story that is now His Majesty’s Secret twenty years ago. Not kidding. My initial inspiration was the scene in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast where the beast turns back into the prince. The story took off in my head and ballooned out of control for several years, changing settings and plot points, gaining and losing characters, until I finally sat down to write it about eleven years ago. Up until that point it was all in my head!

I hadn’t yet joined RWA, and I really had no clue how to write. I was an avid reader – always have been – and by that time I’d been reading romance novels approximately twenty-four years. I made every newbie mistake imaginable in this story. It was only about 40,000 words, but most of them could have been cut. I used passive voice, choppy sentences, no clear goals or motivation, and my characters were two-dimensional. Oh, they were “real” to me. They had faces, voices and personalities. I simply lacked the skills to translate all that to paper.

I didn’t even have a computer yet. I typed the story on a Smith Corona electronic typewriter with a little screen that let you preview one line at a time. When I made a mistake or wanted to make changes I had to re-write entire pages. My cat, Shadow, would hear the sound of the typewriter and wait in the hallway outside the door because if I goofed up and had to re-write a page I’d tear the old one out, ball it up, and toss it to her. She’d play with it for a while, batting it back and forth like a hockey puck, and chase it down the stairs, then she'd sit outside the doorway to wait for another one.

When I finished the story – which by the way only took me two weeks, and that was working full time night shift as a critical care nurse – I went to Borders (*sigh*) and bought one of those tomes that gave you names and addresses of agents. I had no clue how to write a query letter or synopsis, but I managed to get both done, and proceeded to send out my baby into the world, convinced I would become famous within months.

Approximately one hundred rejections later, the letters from scam agents began to trickle in. Luckily for me by that time I’d bought my first computer and had begun the process of learning how the publishing industry really works, so I wasn’t fooled by the scams. I was, however, humbled by the complete lack of interest in my manuscript.

Over the next nine years or so, I’d take out the manuscript and work on it every now and then, never giving up my dream of being a published romance writer, but still not taking steps to learn the craft or join a professional organization. It wasn’t that I felt I was above all that – not at all. I simply didn’t know better, and was working insane hours while trying to raise my daughter, and more often than not I was just too damn tired to do more than pick at the manuscript.

Fast-forward to two years ago when the Good Friday tornado struck. As I helped others from our church clean up members’ yards the next day, I was struck by how your life can literally change in an instant. My Windows PC was on its last leg, so less than two weeks after that tornado struck I bought my Macbook and sat down to get serious about my writing dreams. Because if not now, when?

I joined RWA and Litopia.com. I revised the story – again – this time using some of the things I’d managed to learn during the previous nine years. The first critiques I received from Litopians were actually not bad, but I still had a lot to learn. The revised story was called Crossing The Dark Moon. The main characters had different names, and the plot contained twists and turns it no longer does. Again, without really knowing what was still wrong with the manuscript, I sent it out into the world.

This time I had a few requests for partials and fulls, but in the end I garnered over one hundred rejections… again.

In the meantime, having finally learned how to move on, I began work on a contemporary romance that is still in the unfinished stage. And honestly, that’s where it belongs. It’s a hot mess. I joined the Nashville RWA chapter – the Music City Romance Writers – and continued to learn my craft and make contacts in the writing and romance communities. It wasn’t until I attended the RWA National conference in Orlando Florida in July of 2010 that everything began to change.

The conference was supposed to be in nearby Nashville that year, which is the only reason I was going to attend, but the flooding devastated the Opryland Hotel complex and the conference had to be moved to Orlando. I was ready to cancel but my husband actually talked me out of it. I’m so glad he did.

Everything came together for me in Orlando. I finally understood what was involved in writing a book and getting it published. From the amazing workshops and talks with other authors, I gained a sense of just how much more work I still needed to do in order to write something marketable. I dug in my heels and got busy.

Haunted Heart was my first sale, in February of 2011 to Etopia Press. Two weeks later The Last Soul was sold to Evernight Publishing, and the entire year turned into a writing and promotion frenzy. I had a blast, learned more than I ever realized there was to learn about writing, selling and marketing a book, and continued to hone my writing skills.

In October of 2011 I began to revise CTDM, again, completely changing several things – including the hero and heroine’s names – and incorporating all I’d learned by then. The result was a manuscript I finally fell in love with, and that finally read like the story I'd been trying to tell for nearly twenty years. Before I finished it I knew I wanted Siren to publish it. I've had my eye on them for a long time now, and I'm thrilled to be one of their authors.

I signed seven publishing contracts in 2011, and the one for His Majesty’s Secret will be the first one I sign in 2012. I’ve had one full length novel, three novellas, and two short stories published in 2011. Ideas aren’t my problem – time is my enemy. I still work a full time job, but my daughter is now in college and I have time at home to write. I have a very supportive husband!

I’m very grateful I never gave up on HMS or the characters. They objected strongly to having their names changed, but eventually got over it and let me finish their story. I would never discourage anyone from giving up on a story they believe in, but let me stress one thing. Not giving up isn’t the same thing as refusing to change a manuscript or being able to put it aside for a while to work on other things and hone your writing skills. The current manuscript of HMS is so far removed from that first story I finished in 2000 that even I can’t recognize it.

So by all means don’t give up on your story, but if you’re not getting requests for more, something is wrong. Put it aside. Learn your craft. Join a professional organization so you can talk to other writers and receive useful, meaningful critique. Your grandmother and your BFF might love your story, but unless they’re editors or agents, their feedback isn’t going to help you write a salable story.

Take classes and workshops to learn your craft. Learn the publishing industry and how it works. Too many aspiring authors have no clue and they become frustrated and angry, without really understanding their frustration and anger are directed at the wrong things. A rejection isn’t personal. Agents and editors make money by selling books. They're not out to “get” new authors (or established ones, for that matter), and they’re not idiots who don’t recognize true genius. If they reject your work it could be for dozens of reasons, none of which have anything to do with you personally.

Educate yourself by reading agents’ and editors’ blogs. Follow the blogs of authors you admire. Read in your genre so you know what’s selling, and so hopefully by osmosis you’ll pick up good writing techniques. I’m amazed by the wannabe authors who don’t read others’ work. That makes about as much sense to me as someone wanting to build a rocket ship to the moon but having no knowledge of physics.

And above all, WRITE. That’s what writers do. No excuses. I was a critical care nurse for eighteen years, working nights and weekends and holidays. I missed so much of my daughter’s life I can barely remember things she has vivid memories of. When I took the job I have now, a 9 to 5 in Corporate America, she was already thirteen. We make time for what we love. If I can only write 500 words a day that’s still 500 more than I wrote yesterday.

One important thing to understand is that most authors never sell their first book. Some authors don’t sell their tenth book. Forget the so-called overnight success stories and the media hype surrounding the rare events. The reality is that writing a book is a skill. You may have been born with the drive and the talent, but even professional musicians practice and continue to improve their skills.

You have to be willing to put the first book aside and learn your craft, hone your skills, and get some experience under your belt with other stories. It’s not going anywhere. No one is going to trump your idea or steal your plot. There are only a few basic plots anyway, you know? Trust me – the story will still be there when you return to it with fresh eyes and improved skills.

Thanks for reading this LONG post, and I hope it’s helped you put that first book in perspective. I’ll share details of His Majesty’s Secret as soon as I’m able to!

Goals for 2012

2011-12-29T06:34:00.000-06:00

You know how I love my goal posts. And we're not talking football here. Heh-heh...

I recently blogged about 2011 and what a wild ride it was, so I won't recap it. Instead I'd like to tell you my goals for 2012, based on the many things I learned in 2011.

1) This website/blog will no longer be all promo, all the time. I know it didn't start out that way, but reading over the posts since April was an eye-opening experience. My apologies to everyone who faithfully follows my posts. I didn't mean to shout ME! ME! ME! from the rooftops. :) I promise you more posts on writing-related things not directly connected to me, as well as some personal things about my life.

2) I belong to two other blogs and several message boards but I've been terrible lately at keeping up with them. I plan to comment and post regularly on these, and interact with the members. It's all about relationships, folks. Time to practice what I preach.

3) Even though I work a full time job, I'm setting minimum word counts per day. They'll differ from weekdays to weekends, but I'm still setting them. A writer writes.

4) I miss taking cello lessons, so I plan to look for a local teacher and start doing that again.

5) I need to get this body in gear and get back to my workouts. No need to elaborate on that one, eh?

6) Writing goals for 2012:

A) Finish and submit two erotic fairy tales for Evernight
B) Find a home for His Majesty's Secret
C) Finish and submit the six book menage/contemporary series
D) Finish and submit my time travel to WWII Berlin

There. It's out there. Now I have to do it. :)

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous New Year!!

2011 - One Wild Ride!

2011-12-23T05:43:00.000-06:00

To say 2011 was a wild and crazy year for me is an understatement.

The picture on your left was taken by one of the photographers at Austin Peay State University, where Nicole was one of the drum majors this year for The Governor's Own Marching Band!

David and I took our first vacation together since before Nicole was born! We've gone places together as a family, or because of Nicole's marching band events, but this was just the two of us in Chicago for a few days, near our wedding anniversary in October. We had a fabulous time! In 2012 we're going to New Orleans!!

On February 17, 2011 I signed my first publishing contract with Etopia Press for HAUNTED HEART. HH had its start the year before when the idea came to me while I was driving to work one day. The story is very special to me, and I'll always be grateful to Etopia Press for taking a chance on it.

Two weeks after I signed the contract for HH, I signed my second contract with Evernight Publishing for Book 1 of my Seduced By A Demon series, THE LAST SOUL. TLS was originally a 1,000 word erotic horror story that grew into a 9K story, and from there morphed into a romance almost 30K in length. I will always be grateful to Evernight and to Emma Shortt, my editor, for helping me launch this series.

The Last Soul was my first published work, making its debut on April 20, 2011. That same day I began to learn first-hand how much gut-wrenching hard work it takes to sell books and not lose your self-respect or your sanity at the same time.

One week later we were knee-deep in tornado season here in the south, and I was taking a day off my real job to write. I didn't get much writing done that day, as most of the midwest and south experienced a shattering of all previous records for destructive tornadoes in one day. We were spared this time here in the 'Boro except for some early morning straight line wind damage, but places like Tuscaloosa Alabama were hit hard. Once again, as the storm that struck Murfreesboro Good Friday 2009 had done, I was hit with the reality of how your life can change in an instant.

I eventually finished and submitted Book 2 - HUNTED. It was released two weeks after Haunted Heart. Let me tell you - it was insane having two releases so close together!

By the time both books were released, I had begun to have a clear picture of what was involved in promoting and marketing a book in the electronic publishing world. It involves a lot of time and effort, but more importantly it's not much different than any venture - you need to forge relationships. Not only with other writers and reviewers, but with your readers. It makes a lot of sense if you think about it.

Who would you rather hang out with on a girls' night out? The woman who talks about herself all the time and can't seem to hold a conversation about anything else, or the one who both listens and talks, and is genuinely interested in everyone around her?

Finding a balance between promo and chit-chat online is like walking a tightrope. You need to get your name out there, and we have SO much competition in the romance market, but at the same time you don't want to alienate people. The Golden Rule applies online as much as it does in real life. Treat others the way you want to be treated, both in real life and in the cyber world, and you won't go wrong.

After I submitted Hunted, I discovered how much I love to write short stories for anthologies. GHOST OF A CHANCE, which is in Evernight's Midnight Seduction anthology, was accepted in August. The anthology was released in October.

The third and final book in the Seduced By A Demon Series, PLAYING FOR KEEPS finally made its appearance in November.

I had so much fun being part of an anthology that I submitted two more stories in 2011. A VERY NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS, my first attempt at writing M/F/M menage, is part of Evernight's Stockings and Suspenders anthology, released earlier this month.

The advice I was given more than any other this past year, over and over again, was to just keep writing the best story I could, and to keep getting them out there. Build up a back list. I'd add to that keep learning your craft. The most dangerous thing a writer can do is fall into a routine and believe her writing can't possibly be improved. That'll be about the time her next release takes a nose dive and she'll be left standing in the center of the room, wondering what the hell just happened. We all can improve our writing and learn something new.

And that's almost a segue to the mystery of reviews.

Good reviews don't automatically mean better sales and bad reviews don't automatically mean worse sales. It's one of the great mysteries of being a published author.

I've watched writers tie themselves up in knots over reviews. And I totally understand what's at the core of it. It stings when someone says your baby is ugly. But let's keep this in perspective.

A review is only an opinion. We all have them. They aren't right or wrong. They simply are. Think about the "best-sellers" you read and thought meh... it was okay but I don't see what the fuss was about. Or how about that book no one but you seemed to love? We aren't all going to love the same things. And imagine how boring the world would be if we did? It's okay to have a differing opinion. That's part of what makes us each unique.

Yes, 2011 was a wild ride, and I have some people to thank for helping make my dream come true!

My two publishers, Etopia Press and Evernight Publishing, for taking a chance on me. Evernight Publishing for continuing to take a chance on me. Emma Shortt for making my manuscripts shine, and for being an extraordinary friend and mentor. My friends in the Music City Romance Writers who continually encourage and support (you know who you are). The RWA for advancing the romance genre. David and Nicole who keep me sane in an insane world. My boss Vivian who reads all my books. She wasn't a romance fan before I started writing. It's true. :) And most importantly, my readers who keep coming back for more. YOU are the reason I do this. Thank you for making my dream come true. I hope to bring you more sexy awesome stories in 2012.

Some days I still wake up and can't believe my dream came true. As insane and out of control as I often felt this past year, it's been incredible fun!!

Here's a preview of coming attractions in 2012:

Educating Sean, a short M/F/M menage with anal sex, bondage and spanking, will be part of Evernight's Virgins Behaving Badly anthology, due out in March 2012.

His Majesty's Secret: 70+K fantasy/romance has been submitted. I will let you know when I have a home for it.

Two erotic fairy tales! More on these later...

A six book series of contemporary and historical M/F/M menage stories with some kink thrown in. They all take place at a secluded resort that caters to a woman's every desire. I don't want to give away titles or too much right now, but I promise you they will sizzle and burn!

A time travel romance to World War II Berlin. It's something I wrote a long time ago and has been nagging at me to revise and find a home for.

I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year!

THE LAST SOUL only 99 cents all week at Evernight Publishing!

2011-12-16T08:20:00.000-06:00

Here's your chance to read the first book in my Seduced By A Demon series for only 99 cents!!

Buy it HERE for less than a buck!!

STOCKINGS & SUSPENDERS IS HERE!!!

2011-12-09T04:49:00.001-06:00

STOCKINGS & SUSPENDERS ANTHOLOGY from Evernight Publishing

As the temperature drops, the women in this collection of stories find naughty and delicious ways to warm up for the holidays.

A boss with a proposal to make her sweat, a promise from an Italian assistant, a cabin in the middle of nowhere with two men waiting to cater to her every desire, a special surprise for a lonely soldier...

All of these encounters and more from ten talented authors. Get ready for some holiday loving...Evernight style.

A VERY NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS...

Dark-haired beauty Nita is lost in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. Her GPS is dead and she can't get a cell phone signal. Coming off six months of hell, during which she lost her job and found out her husband had already been married with kids, Nita has misgivings about facing a family dinner. She spies a light through the woods and heads for the house in the hopes she can use their phone or find the street she's looking for on a map.

Cameron and Alex were college roommates and are now co-workers. For the past two years they've been obsessed with Nita after hearing her speak at a convention. After the story about her ex-husband's other family made the national news, both held onto the fantasy they'd meet her again. When she shows up on their doorstep, lost and cold, they persuade her to stay for dinner... and maybe even dessert...

EXCERPT

“Spend the night,” she repeated, her eyes roaming over Alexander’s button-down shirt. Did he look as yummy naked as she imagined?

“Yes. With us.”

“I’ve never spent the night with strangers.”

“We’re not strangers anymore, Nita.”

“I’m confused. I don’t know what to do.”

All she could comprehend was that she was drunk, horny, and two delicious-looking men were sitting too close for comfort. Instead of frightening her, the realization filled her with a peaceful slipping sensation, as though she could fall into their arms and be perfectly content to stay there for the rest of her life.

A sharp sliver of fear tried to force its way in. They had put something in her drink. She pushed away the thought as soon as it took shape. They weren’t going to hurt her. She knew that from the look in their eyes and the tender way Cameron now stroked her arm, sending shock waves of desire straight to her soaking wet pussy.

“You haven’t been treated right, Nita,” Cameron’s voice whispered close to her ear. When his tongue flicked over it she gasped. Images of that tongue on her nipples filled her mind.

“What Gabe did to you was unforgiveable,” said Alex, slipping off her boots.

Anger shot through Nita like hot pokers. She sat straight up. “Don’t talk about him. Don't.”

Tears stung her eyes, and before she could wipe them away Cameron’s hand gently stroked her cheek. His dark eyes bored into hers. “It’s all right. He won’t ever hurt you again.”

Nita’s breath hitched in her throat. “He was already married to someone else.”

“We know,” said Alexander, his hands running up and down her calves.

“They had kids. I can’t… I can’t have any. He didn’t want me after that. But it was all a fucking lie anyway. He already had another life. He had a wife and kids in fucking Des Moines Iowa.”

“It’s okay, Nita.” Cameron’s lips nuzzled her neck, and a fresh wave of heat shot through her body. “That’s all behind you now. We’ll help you forget him.”

Alex continued stroking her calves. Nita watched his hands, mesmerized by their soft touch. She willed them to continue up all the way to her aching pussy.

“Have you ever made love to two men at once, Nita?” Alexander gently pulled off her pantyhose, holding her gaze with his beautiful eyes.

“No.” Nita bit her lip to keep from crying out. His fingertips on her bare legs sent spasms through her entire body. She was so close to coming all he’d have to do was touch her clit. How could this be real? She’d never been with two men at the same time, but she’d fantasized about it often enough. The images had invaded her dreams for years.

“Well then, think of us as a Christmas present.”

Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Hop

2011-12-03T21:55:00.004-06:00

Welcome to Day Six of the Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Hop!

We're unveiling STOCKINGS & SUSPENDERS from Evernight Publishing, one stocking at a time...

Keep hopping to see the final cover on release day DECEMBER 9! I promise you it's worth it!

For another chance to win, follow my blog if you don't already, and leave a comment with your email address! That's all there is to it! Prizes include an e-copy of Stockings & Suspenders and a $15 Evernight Publishing gift certificate!

Here's the blurb and excerpt for my story...

A VERY NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS...

~ ~ ~

Be sure to visit the blog posts prior to this one for more blurbs, excerpts, and chances to win!!

Day 1: London St. James

Day 2: CR Moss

Day 3: Jezebel Jorge

Day 4: Lila Shaw

Day 5: Seleste Delaney

NEXT UP: Day Seven from Xondra Day! Keep hopping!!

Winners, Reviews, and Blog Hops!!

2011-12-02T05:45:00.000-06:00

CONGRATS to Leah St James who won a copy of PLAYING FOR KEEPS on Whipped Cream Erotic Reviews!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Hop is going on among the ten Evernight Publishing authors whose stories are in the STOCKINGS & SUSPENDERS anthology! The cover art will be completely revealed on Friday December 9 - release day! I promise you it's worth the wait, and the HOT stories in this anthology are sure to warm those cold winter nights!

I'll be a guest on Monday December 5 at Menagerie Authors. I hope you'll join me!

PLAYING FOR KEEPS received a 4-Pack Howl from Bitten By Paranormal Romance!

HUNTED received 4 Cups from Coffee Time Romance!

MIDNIGHT SEDUCTIONS and my story - GHOST OF A CHANCE - received a 5-Alpha Howl from Bitten By Paranormal Romance Reviews!

MIDNIGHT SEDUCTIONS received 4.25 Stars from Night Owl Reviews, and GHOST OF A CHANCE was specifically mentioned in the reviews!

Thanksgiving Post Two Days Late

2011-11-26T08:55:00.000-06:00

Now that the turkey has worn off and I'm able to think clearly again, it's time to write a Thanksgiving post. It's a couple days late - bear with me. I'm thankful for so many things in my life this will be a long post.

My husband, who is always there for me even when my ideas are slightly insane and my patience is gone. He fixes things, works hard, and makes me feel like the sexiest, most beautiful woman in the world.

My daughter, who is smart, funny, talented, and has the purest soul I've ever come across. She wouldn't deliberately hurt any creature if her life depended on it. My greatest wish for her is that she wake up one day and realize all the talent she's been given. There will no stopping her when that day arrives.

A roof over my head. Self-explanatory.

A job. Also self-explanatory.

Cyber and real life friends who listen when I whine, advise when I ask for help, tell me to put on my big girl panties and write when I whine too much, and let me cry when that's really what I need to do. You know who you are, and I hope you know how very grateful I am for each and every one of you.

Readers. Man that's super cool to be able to say I have readers! :) Thank you for buying my books, liking them, and being excited about the next release. I hope I can keep writing stories and characters you love.

Etopia Press for taking a chance on a brand-new author and accepting my first sale ever. Haunted Heart found a perfect home with you and it's my best seller to date. Thank you.

Evernight Publishing for taking a chance on me, and doing so much to market and promote my Seduced By A Demon series. Every time I glance to my right and look at the three posters on that wall in my writing room, one for each book in the series, I smile again. And thank you for signing me to two stories in anthologies. I can't tell you how much fun it is being part of the Evernight family.

Emma Shortt for that challenge thread on Litopia that led to The Last Soul. And for being an awesome editor and a fabulous friend.

Jezebel Jorge for being who you are. A cool chick, a wonderful writer, and my biggest cheerleader. Thank you for all your support and encouragement. It means more than you'll ever know.

Annie Solomon who last year talked me into entering the Golden Heart, and who encouraged me not to give up. I don't think you have any idea how close I was to never writing again. Thank you.

Dara England and Amanda Kelsey for taking my disjointed ideas and character descriptions, and turning them into stunning cover art for my books.

Vivian, my boss in real life, for buying my books and loving them, and for helping me keep all this in perspective.

And last but certainly not least, the being, spirit, angel, or whoever it was that smiled on me right around this time last year and set all this in motion. Thank you!!

~~~~~~

This time last year I very nearly deleted Haunted Heart off my hard drive forever. We had a local RWA chapter meeting in November that left me feeling worthless and talentless. It was a low point in my years of trying to sell a story. A couple key people made all the difference in the world, and instead of deleting the story I submitted it to two e-publishers, and entered it in the Golden Heart.

It didn't final, but my scores were very close. And it didn't get picked up by either of those publishers, but when I submitted it to Etopia it was accepted. I signed the contract February 17 of this year, and things have been crazy busy - and fun - ever since.

Two weeks later The Last Soul was accepted by Evernight. That story grew out of a challenge thread on Litopia.com where Emma is a moderator, and actually started out as an erotic horror short story. Hunted grew out of a character in The Last Soul, and Playing For Keeps grew out of a character in Hunted. The two anthology stories, Ghost Of A Chance and A Very Naughty Christmas, were just for fun, but pushed me to write better, think outside the box, and test my personal limits.

It's been a hectic, sometimes insane year, but I wouldn't trade one minute of it for anything. I've wanted to do this since I was a kid, and I've wanted to be a romance writer since I was in college. It's a dream come true for me.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and if you don't celebrate this one, I hope your weekend has been productive and fun. Thanks for reading this, and thank you for being so supportive.

WINNERS!!

2011-11-24T08:31:00.000-06:00

A big CONGRATS to Lisa Kendall who won a copy of all three books in my Seduced By A Demon series from The Romance Studio's Thanksgiving Party!!

And CONGRATS to Kathryn Merkel who won a copy of PLAYING FOR KEEPS in the To Be Read Pile's Thanksgiving Blog Hop!!

Your books have been sent, ladies. Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun!!

To Be Read Pile Thanksgiving Blog Hop!!!

2011-11-20T06:00:00.002-06:00

It's time to HOP! HOP! HOP!

The TBR Pile will chose 10 winners for free books and 1 for the BIG PRIZE. For one entry in my contest follow this blog, then leave a comment with your email. Simple as that! Blog hop begins today and runs through November 23rd. Winners announced November 24th.

For more chances to win click here

What's MY prize? An e-copy of PLAYING FOR KEEPS, Book 3 of my Seduced By A Demon series from Evernight Publishing! Here's a sneak peak...

He strolled toward her, moving slowly like a large cat. It was easy to imagine him as a panther. Dark, deadly, striking when least expected. The fact he was drop-dead gorgeous only enhanced the image. There was no way to stop her traitorous body from responding to his sultry moves. Her pussy was suddenly wet and her tank top felt way too tight. Images of fucking him silly on one of the tables in the bar flitted through her mind.

Instead of walking around behind the bar, he sat at the closest table and put his chin in his hands, still studying her face. “Before I tell you how I know, tell me why you’re hiding.”

“It doesn’t work that way, Damien. I took a chance coming in here tonight, trusting humans. I get to choose how much to reveal and when, not you.”

He stood up so quickly the chair fell backwards. “Who the hell do you think you are? I’ve known demons, Teresa. They don’t take the kind of risks you did tonight. You don’t seem stupid so that only leaves careless.”

His words stung but there was truth in them. She was careless. Had been for as long as she could remember, but it hurt to hear someone say it out loud.

“My customers are loyal to me and they lied tonight for my sake, not yours.” He took several strides toward her, his dark eyes flashing. “But don’t think for one minute I’m going to let you throw people around my bar every night. Sooner or later those same customers will begin asking questions. And when that happens, I’ll be minus one business and you’ll be back where you belong.”

Men fell at her feet and begged her to stay. They didn’t cross a room, full of righteous indignation, and lecture her. How dare he?

“Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?”

“The person who owns this bar, that’s who. You want to work here, you follow my rules.”

“I make the rules, Damien. I don’t follow them.”

“You’ll follow mine or you can leave right now. The choice is yours.”

He’d reached the other side of the counter now. Lust and anger rolled off him in waves. The combination was intoxicating, but he was only a man. Forcing her breathing to slow down, she weighed her options again. There were only two choices. Play along for now, or find another place to hide. Damien was one of the sexiest men she’d ever met. The fact he wanted her to leave made her more determined to win him over.

Lowering her eyes, she also toned down her voice. “I made a mistake, Damien. It won’t happen again.”

“You’re damn right it won’t because I want you gone. Tonight.”

As a demon, she’d never met a man she couldn’t persuade to do her bidding. She seduced mortals into signing away their souls using her body and her looks, and no man had ever dismissed her from his life as Damien was doing now. A bar owner in a one-horse town should be no challenge at all for her. What was so different about him? Why was he immune to her charms?

“You don’t mean that.” She held his gaze steady.

He faltered for just a second, breaking eye contact. “Stop that shit, Teresa. I know what you’re trying to do.”

Was that all it would take for him to let her stay, to seduce him? That shouldn’t be a problem. The sudden realization he wasn’t immune to her powers of seduction gave Teresa such a thrill she decided to change tactics. Why argue with him about who made the rules when all she had to do was get him into bed?

She smiled and hopped up on the bar, giving him a nice eyeful of her hot pink thong as she swung her legs around. As she slid off the other side and inched toward him, he took a step back. Several emotions crossed his chiseled face, competing for control. “Stop what shit, Damien? Do I really need to use my powers to seduce you? You wanted me from the second you saw me in the bathroom.”

“You can’t solve this with sex.”

His voice was husky and unsure. Beads of sweat broke out along his hairline. His soft, wavy hair that she wanted to run her fingers through and bury her nose in.

“Sex solves everything, Damien.” She closed the gap between them until they were only inches apart. His eyes were intense, searching. He was hanging on by a thread, and the realization she was that close excited her to the point of physical pain. “Sex is the great leveler between two people.”

“Is that all you want? To seduce me?”

“Would that be so terrible?” She took another step closer and ran a finger from the pulse at the base of his throat down his shirt, stopping at his navel. He drew in a sharp breath as tiny beads of sweat broke out along his upper lip. His full, thick lips that begged to be kissed.

“If you want me to leave, then so be it. But there’s nothing to stop us from having some fun first, is there?”

His face twisted into a mask of pain and confusion.” Dammit, Teresa I’m not immune to you, okay? But I know how to fight it because I’ve been there before. I want you to leave.”

“Liar.”

“Please get out of here,” he whispered.

“One night.” She ran her hands over his chest, enjoying the contrast between his rippling muscles and the soft cotton shirt. “Just one, and then I’ll leave and you’ll never see me again.”

“Why do you have to prove yourself?”

Teresa rubbed her fingers over his nipples under the fabric and he groaned. “I’m not trying to prove anything. I just want to fuck you.”

“Damn you,” he whispered.

She smiled. “Too late.”

An Interview with Odessa, Spirit Guide for Romance Author Jezebel Jorge

2011-11-13T07:14:00.000-06:00

We would like to thank Carolyn Rosewood for inviting us over to her website. My human and I are huge fans of her hot and sexy Seduced by a Demon series and have all three books on our Nook.

My name is Odessa and I am the Spirit Guide of Carolyn's MCRW chapter mate and friend Jezebel Jorge. Our Ring Dreams series features wicked witches and hot professional wrestlers. Jezebel is a practicing witch and medium who has communicated with spirits long before we were properly introduced.

In case you're wondering, every human has Spirit Guides. It's just that some people are more attune to them than others. Everyone has a higher guide that is with them from birth to death and many Spirit Guides that come and go as they are needed.

The biggest difference between Spirit Guides and Guardian Angels is that the Angels have never walked among the living. Every Spirit Guide has a connection to their human from one or more of their past lives. Many lifetimes ago Jezebel and I were lovers. In our last life spent together we were sisters and persecuted witches who died together when villagers burned our home in England. Oh, and we also wrote smutty books that got us in a lot of trouble in that unenlightened time frame.

Jezebel and I were reunited in this lifetime when she came across my grave while walking her dog in a Raleigh, North Carolina cemetery. She read Odessa on my tombstone and knew that was the perfect name for her ghost in her first book, Headlocks & Hexes.

Earlier this year while Jezebel was working on her third book, Séances & Suplexes, I whispered in her ear that Odessa the fictional ghost was once a very real person. I told her who to speak with to verify my identity and since then she has talked with several people who knew me in my previous life.

Our Ring Dreams series is for the most part fiction, but we have both drawn on our experiences as witches and being around the wrestling business to give the story some real elements. Billy Dalton is the embodiment of every man we've ever loved. William Fletcher is my two loves merged into one perfect man. My daughter Amalie was real and yes she was raped and impregnated by "William's" son. Rowan's story is the happily ever after my granddaughter never got in her previous existence.

Headlocks & Hexes is available in all ebook formats for only .99 cents and Desire is going to be released later this month for the same steal of a price. To find out more about Moi, or Jezebel Jorge and our Ring Dreams series, stop by and visit us online at www.jezebeljorge.com or www.witchlitchick.com.

To thank Carolyn for having us, we're going to give away a copy of both books. Please leave a comment and we'll pick two winners.

PLAYING FOR KEEPS and Upcoming Events...

2011-11-05T08:41:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited that PLAYING FOR KEEPS, the third book in my Seduced By A Demon series from Evernight Publishing is out!! I hope you'll check it out, and if you haven't read THE LAST SOUL and HUNTED, books 1 and 2, I hope you will after reading PFK!

What's not to like? HOT sexy heroes, demon heroines who seduce them, sizzling, burning sex scenes, and enough plot twists and suspense to keep the mystery going...

Here are some of the places on the web I'll be guest blogging/chatting. Won't you please join me?

Whipped Cream Erotic Reviews: Yahoo group chat on 12/3!!

Menagerie Authors: Author Interview 12/5!!

WINNERS and NEW RELEASE Coming NOVEMBER 2nd!!

2011-11-01T05:23:00.001-05:00

TWO winners this past week ~ In my Birthday Contest, Lorraine won a copy of all three Seduced By a Demon books!

Tatiana won a copy of PLAYING FOR KEEPS in TBR's Wicked Halloween Blog Hop!

CONGRATS, ladies!!

PLAYING FOR KEEPS ~ Book 3 Seduced By a Demon

NOW AVAILABLE AT Evernight Publishing

HUNTED ~ Book 2 Seduced By A Demon

**BUY HERE**

THE LAST SOUL ~ Book 1 Seduced By A Demon

**BUY HERE**

TBR'S WICKED HALLOWEEN BLOG HOP

2011-10-28T01:07:00.009-05:00

It's a wicked Halloween party, and you're invited! TBR will choose 13 winners for free books on November 1st!!

I'm giving away an e-copy of PLAYING FOR KEEPS, Book 3 of my Seduced By A Demon series from Evernight Publishing, releasing November 2nd!

Leave a comment on this blog for a chance to win!!

Here's a sneak peak at PLAYING FOR KEEPS...

Teresa knew if she visualized a specific place to materialize the demons would be able to follow her, but she’d been running for three days and she was tired. At the very least, she wanted to be indoors this time.

She concentrated all her effort on a building, any building, and landed inside a room with florescent lighting. Jade green tiles alternating with black ones lined the walls and floor. She blinked a few times, wrinkling her nose as the smell of soap and bleach wafted past.

“What the fucking hell?”

Whirling to face the startled male voice, the metallic taste of fear replacing the soap and bleach smell in her nose and mouth, she gaped at the hunk stuffing his impressive cock back into his jeans. He backed away from the urinal and zipped them up, with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity on his rugged face.

“Well hello there. Nice of you to drop in.”

If she hadn’t been running for her life this might actually be funny.

“I’m sorry.” There was nothing else to say. She wasn’t about to explain she’d just given two of her fellow demons the slip. Her ordeal was far from over. Cresil, her former boss and lover, would never stop looked for her. He’d betrayed her to their king, Apollyon, and now his minions would hunt her for all eternity.

“I didn’t hear or see you come in. Ladies’ room is across the hall.”

He narrowed his eyes and took a step closer, his nostrils flaring as though sniffing the air. A brief flash of pain tore through her chest. What the hell? He was only a man. A drop-dead gorgeous man with eyes the color of dark chocolate, but still just a man, right? Did he recognize her true nature?

Her limbs froze and she found it difficult to take a full breath. She’d walked right into one of Cresil’s tricks! How could she have made such a fatal error in judgment? Teresa’s thoughts raced. She swallowed a few times then flexed her fingers. When she wiggled her toes it became apparent she could indeed move her arms and legs and wasn’t being held in place with demon magic, so she hoped he would chalk up her reaction to simply being startled. He clearly was not a demon. Those chocolate-colored eyes regarded her with a mixture of suspicion and concern.

“Are you okay? You look more startled I am.” His voice, deep rich and sultry, spread through her like fine wine.

Teresa let out the breath she was holding. “I’m fine. My mistake.”

He grinned, and a tiny dimple appeared in his each cheek. Her thong grew moist at the thought of kissing first those dimples then his full lips. When he brushed past her to wash his hands she caught a faint whiff of sandalwood.

“Um, like I said, ladies’ room is across the hall, and offers a much more comfortable place to hide.”

“How do you know I’m hiding?”

He reached for the paper towel holder, over which a sign hung exhorting anyone who used the facilities to clean up after themselves, as their mother didn’t work there. “Oh, I don’t know. Just a lucky guess.”

It wasn’t like Teresa to be tongue tied around men, and after an awkward second or two, during which she couldn’t think of a sassy or even clever comeback, she tossed her hair and opened the door.

Walking into the ladies’ room, she leaned against the tiled wall and closed her eyes, mentally weighed her options. He’d certainly nailed her. She needed a place to hide. Returning to Hell, her home for the last one hundred and fifty years, was out of the question. Unlike some of the other demons who seduced mortal males into signing away their souls, she’d never found the need to maintain a temporary home in the human realm. Not that it would do her any good to have one now. That would be the first place they’d look. She was utterly alone, with no friends and no place of refuge.

The door opened and two women came in, talking about the characters from a reality TV show. Their easy conversation reminded her of Kenton Hall, the last human she’d seduced. She’d always liked the sound of his voice, especially when he discussed his work at MIT. He’d fall into an easy cadence that was sexy in its simplicity.

Had Cresil killed him? She’d kept in touch with Kenton even after he’d signed away his soul, knowing to do so was strictly forbidden, but she’d enjoyed him so much in bed she hadn’t wanted to stop seeing him. A decision she now regretted. No male, human or demon, was worth this much trouble.

She looked around for some clue to her location. A beaten copper bowl on the counter contained matchbooks, printed with the name The Blue Famingo, Northlake Ohio. She’d never even heard of the town. It was the perfect kind of place to blend into the woodwork and become just another local.

She left the bathroom and walked into the main part of the bar, expecting umbrella drinks and cane chairs because of the name on the matchbooks, but instead was hit with the smell of stale beer and old boots. Her heels made a clacking sound on the rough wooden floor stained with tobacco and dirt. Worn-out country played on the jukebox and rickety stools lined the bar. The patrons were mostly men who glowed with the aura of boredom and complacency. A few turned to stare at her, and she suddenly wished she’d worn a less ostentatious outfit. Her denim mini-skirt and lemon yellow tank top didn’t exactly let her blend into the woodwork, but then she hadn’t had time to ponder what to wear before fleeing Hell.

The faint aroma of sandalwood reminded her of furniture polish, not that this place looked as if someone lovingly polished the tabletops every night after closing. She walked up to the bar and took the only empty seat, between two men who gawked at her with their mouths hanging open. Ignoring them both, she tried to catch the bartender’s eye.

It was the man from the bathroom.

“Did you find the right one?” he asked, grinning.

Teresa flushed, struggling to find her composure. “I did, thanks.”

“What can I get you?”

“Actually, I’m here to talk to the owner.”

He brushed a lock of dark, wavy hair out of his eyes and picked up a glass. As he wiped it with a towel that had seen better days, he eyed Teresa from under impossibly long lashes. “What do you want to talk to him about?”

“About something that’s my business, okay?” She wasn’t about to start spilling secrets to everyone in town. Not even yummy a bartender with just enough stubble on his chin to make her nipples tingle as she pictured him rubbing that chin across her breasts.

The man on her left chuckled. “Little lady, you could learn a thing or two about manners.”

Teresa glared at him until the smirk left his ruddy face and he blinked, frowning. When he finally turned his attention back to the bottle of beer in his meaty hands, she eyed the bartender again. “Will you tell the owner I’d like to see him please?”

She flashed her best smile, knowing it wasn’t fair to use it, but the air in here was beginning to grow uncomfortable. She wasn’t in the mood to keep hopping across the country looking for a hiding place. Running for three days had taken its toll on her. This had to be settled tonight.

“Afraid I can’t do that,” he said, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

“Why not?” More importantly, why hadn’t he gone slack-jawed and run to find the owner as soon as she smiled at him? Teresa had never met a mortal man who was immune to her demon powers. Who the hell was this dude?

He popped the top off a bottle of beer and placed it in front of a man three stools down. “Because we’re busy tonight and I’m short-handed.”

“Then you’re in luck because I’m looking for a job.”
* * * *
Damien eyed the girl while he wiped up a spill on the counter. She wasn’t human, that much he knew for sure. In the bathroom he thought for a moment she’d recognized his former nature, but now the fear in her eyes had dissipated and she’d turned on the charm.

“A job, eh? What kind of a job?”

Either she was the answer to his prayers or would prove to be his undoing. From the second she’d materialized next to him he felt the air shift. The scent of freesias hung about her like a shroud, but it couldn’t mask the sulfur. The men in the bar wouldn’t be able to smell it, but he could. Certain things had left their mark after Tyre, his former boss, made him human, including the ability to discern supernatural creatures like demons. What was she doing here, and who was she hiding from?

“I used to be a barmaid. Pretty darn good one too.”

A barmaid with her pretty face and long cinnamon-colored hair and matching eyes would make him richer than Croesus, but did he want a demon working for him? They brought nothing but trouble, and he still resented the way they strutted about in human form, as if they had a right to be in this realm.

Next to her, Jack Williams snickered again, and Damien resisted the urge to smack him. Damn fool man would probably find his Ford F-150 wrapped around a tree later if he pissed off the girl one more time.

“Is that so? Where at?”

A quick shadow of fear crossed her eyes, but it was gone so quickly he wondered if he’d imagined it.

“Chicago. My parents owned a club.”

He nodded, wondering if she was making it up, or if that had been part of her human life.

Maddie Reynolds hurried to the counter and slammed down her tray. “They want another round. What do you want me to do? Is it time to toss them out?”

Damien eyed the group of local brats in the corner. Home from college for the summer, they’d been in here every night this week. They were louder and more obnoxious than last summer, but he wouldn’t let them bust up the place the way they had back then. Not this year. He reached into the fridge under the bar and pulled out six bottles of Bud Light.

“When they start picking up chairs it’s time to toss them out.”

Maddie clucked her tongue as she walked toward their table with the beers. He watched her curvy hips sway, wondering why she’d chosen to stay in this shitty town after her husband left her. She had family in Cleveland, and with her no-nonsense attitude surely she could do more than serve drinks to customers who barely left her enough tips to live on.

He turned his attention back to the girl sitting between Jack Williams and Skeeter, watching him, a question in her beautiful eyes. He strode over and stood in front of her, not missing her slow intake of breath or the way her eyes roamed over his face. Up close she was even more startling and the underlying smell of sulfur was unmistakable. She was a demon, all right. But her eyes held an undercurrent of fear, which he found both intriguing and disturbing.

Trouble with Apollyon, her king, or with another creature?

“Do you have a name?” he asked.

“Teresa.”

Her gaze never faltered. She’d given him her real name. He could still tell when someone was using a fake one. “Teresa what?”

“Just Teresa.” Ah, there it was. No surnames. That was fine. He could play that game for a while.

“Why do you want to work in a place like this, just Teresa?” He waved a hand toward the table of college brats.

“I like small towns.”

Her gaze was intense and confident, like she knew he’d say yes eventually. If he’d been a mere mortal it would be a done deal. Her being here made no sense, and Damien was more comfortable when things made sense. Demons hung around the human realm for two reasons only. To seduce someone into sin, or because they were hunting someone. Which reason had brought her to this forgotten town? And why had she materialized in the men’s room?

Maddie pushed her way between Skeeter and Teresa and gave another drink order to Damien. He glanced at Teresa. “Did you just serve drinks in Chicago or can you mix as well?”

She smiled, showing dazzling white teeth, and slid off her stool. “I can mix anything.”

“We don’t get much call for fancy drinks in here,” said Maddie, eyeing Teresa’s legs.

Damien chuckled. “Down, girl. We could use the help. Let’s see what she can do.”

Teresa took her time walking around the bar. Every man lined up on the stools watched her, and she knew it. This one was a firecracker, but she mixed Maddie’s drink order like a pro. She’d obviously been telling the truth.

He studied her face as she worked. Twenty-five, tops. When he started to wonder more about her human life, where in Chicago she’d lived, what her parents’ club had been like, and why she’d gone to Hell when she died, he forced himself to look at the floor. He couldn’t let his guard down around her. Her pull on him was strong. His former nature would only protect him from her charms for so long.

Maddie took the tray full of drinks, frowned, then turned on her heel to deliver them.

“Well? Do I have a job?” Teresa asked, her voice soft and seductive.

He moved close to her so the others couldn’t hear. Usually when he invaded someone’s personal space they stepped back. Most humans could smell the scent of his former nature on him, though of course they didn’t know it. But it clung to his skin and made them uncomfortable. Teresa didn’t flinch.

“I can’t pay you much over any tips you’ll get.” He grinned. “Not that you need to worry about that. You should do fine considering most of my customers are men.”

She licked her lips, letting her tongue linger a bit longer than necessary. An image of that tongue sliding up and down his swollen cock filled his head. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea, after all? Giving into his sexual urges with the wrong creatures had led him here.

“Don’t worry about the money,” she said. “I’ll do it for fun.”

For a second he thought she was talking about something other than bartending, until she grabbed an apron hanging behind the bar and tied it behind her back.

“We’ll take care of the paperwork after closing,” he said.

Her eyes clouded over. “Oh, okay. But I left all my ID and stuff in…where I’m staying.”

He let the lie go for now, wondering what the hell he’d just involved himself in.

Maddie came up to the bar and rattled off a drink order to Teresa, who began to work on it. She stopped as the door opened and two men strode in wearing leather jackets with studs. With twin scowls on their weathered faces, they stood still and surveyed the room. Damien’s gaze traveled to their jeans, half-expecting to see revolvers hanging off their hips. He heard Teresa’s sharp intake of breath, and when he turned around, she was gone.

******
~Happy hopping and good luck!! Click HERE to return to the blog hop list.~

It's my birthday but YOU get the present!!

2011-10-27T05:51:00.000-05:00

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY BUT YOU GET THE PRESENT!!

Would you like to win a copy of all THREE books in my Seduced By A Demon series from Evernight Publishing?

THE LAST SOUL has been called "orgasmic", and was a Top Pick at The Romance Reviews, as well as one of the Top Rated E-Romances at The One Hundred Romances Project!

*Faina has been dead for one hundred and fifty years, but she’s about to become human again. All she has to do is seduce Jace Blackmon, the most honest financier ever to grace the city of angels, into signing away his soul.

Jace Blackmon has fallen in love with his fantasy woman. But when he realizes she was tricked by a demon to bring about his ruin, including the revelation of a long-buried secret to the media, he must choose between his heart or life without her.*

Just FOLLOW this blog, then leave me a comment with your EMAIL ADDRESS, telling me WHY you want to read the books.

At the end of today I'll randomly pick one winner from the comments!! It's that simple!!

HUNTED picks up where THE LAST SOUL left off, and features a sexy demon who is forced to team up with a hot Nephilim bounty hunter!

*For the past four hundred years, Jahi Wickes has made forged documents and credit cards for the female demons who seduce men into signing away their souls. While enjoying the parades at Mardi Gras, she's ambushed by two angels. One is her former guardian angel, and the other is the Nephilim who’s tracking him.

Dagon has been chasing Vassago for three years. His first big break comes in the form of a cute, sexy demon. When he learns the real reason Vassago is hunting her, Dagon has more trouble than he bargained for. Not only was Vassago sent to guard souls in Purgatory after screwing up his assignment with Jahi, but the person who paid him to destroy her is one of her fellow demons.*

PLAYING FOR KEEPS will be released November 2nd, and it's the final book in this series.

*Damien Walker has just hired a sexy new bartender, and landed himself trouble with a capital T.

Teresa's on the run, but from something more sinister than human law. She's a demon on the lam from Hell, trying to hide away in this sleepy town. A job in Damien's bar seems the perfect cover. He doesn't ask questions and he's great eye-candy too. What could be better?

But Teresa isn't the only one with a secret identity and a past they'd rather not remember. Damien knows exactly who and what she is because he'd hunted demons before and old habits die hard.

What's a Nephilim bounty hunter to do when one white-hot little devil walks into his bar and turns his quiet life upside down? She's a complication he could do without. She's also irresistible.

So she wants to cause him trouble? That's nothing compared to what he can do to her.*

GOOD LUCK!!

RELEASE DATE for PLAYING FOR KEEPS!!

2011-10-25T12:09:00.000-05:00

PLAYING FOR KEEPS
Book 3 Seduced By A Demon

**Coming Wednesday, November 2 from
Evernight Publishing**

Damien Walker has just hired a sexy new bartender, and landed himself trouble with a capital T.

Teresa's on the run, but from something more sinister than human law. She's a demon on the lam from Hell, trying to hide away in this sleepy town. A job in Damien's bar seems the perfect cover. He doesn't ask questions and he's great eye-candy too. What could be better?

But Teresa isn't the only one with a secret identity and a past they'd rather not remember. Damien knows exactly who and what she is because he'd hunted demons before and old habits die hard.

What's a Nephilim bounty hunter to do when one white-hot little devil walks into his bar and turns his quiet life upside down? She's a complication he could do without. She's also irresistible.

So she wants to cause him trouble? That's nothing compared to what he can do to her.

EXCERPT

He strolled toward her, moving slowly like a large cat. It was easy to imagine him as a panther. Dark, deadly, striking when least expected. The fact he was drop-dead gorgeous only enhanced the image. There was no way to stop her traitorous body from responding to his sultry moves. Her pussy was suddenly wet and her tank top felt way too tight. Images of fucking him silly on one of the tables in the bar flitted through her mind.

Instead of walking around behind the bar, he sat at the closest table and put his chin in his hands, still studying her face. “Before I tell you how I know, tell me why you’re hiding.”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way, Damien. I took a chance coming in here tonight, trusting humans. I get to choose how much to reveal and when, not you.”

He stood up so quickly the chair fell backwards. “Who the hell do you think you are? I’ve known demons, Teresa. They don’t take the kind of risks you did tonight. You don’t seem stupid so that only leaves careless.”

His words stung but there was truth in them. She was careless. Had been for as long as she could remember, but it hurt to hear someone say it out loud.

“My customers are loyal to me and they lied tonight for my sake, not yours.” He took several strides toward her, his dark eyes flashing. “But don’t think for one minute I’m going to let you throw people around my bar every night. Sooner or later those same customers will begin asking questions. And when that happens, I’ll be minus one business and you’ll be back where you belong.”

Men fell at her feet and begged her to stay. They didn’t cross a room, full of righteous indignation, and lecture her. How dare he?

“Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?”

“The person who owns this bar, that’s who. You want to work here, you follow my rules.”

“I make the rules, Damien. I don’t follow them.”

“You’ll follow mine or you can leave right now. The choice is yours.”

He’d reached the other side of the counter now. Lust and anger rolled off him in waves. The combination was intoxicating, but he was only a man. Forcing her breathing to slow down, she weighed her options again. There were only two choices. Play along for now, or find another place to hide. Damien was one of the sexiest men she’d ever met. The fact he wanted her to leave made her more determined to win him over.

Lowering her eyes, she also toned down her voice. “I made a mistake, Damien. It won’t happen again.”

“You’re damn right it won’t because I want you gone. Tonight.”

As a demon, she’d never met a man she couldn’t persuade to do her bidding. She seduced mortals into signing away their souls using her body and her looks, and no man had ever dismissed her from his life as Damien was doing now. A bar owner in a one-horse town should be no challenge at all for her. What was so different about him? Why was he immune to her charms?

“You don’t mean that.” She held his gaze steady.

He faltered for just a second, breaking eye contact. “Stop that shit, Teresa. I know what you’re trying to do.”

Was that all it would take for him to let her stay, to seduce him? That shouldn’t be a problem. The sudden realization he wasn’t immune to her powers of seduction gave Teresa such a thrill she decided to change tactics. Why argue with him about who made the rules when all she had to do was get him into bed?

She smiled and hopped up on the bar, giving him a nice eyeful of her hot pink thong as she swung her legs around. As she slid off the other side and inched toward him, he took a step back. Several emotions crossed his chiseled face, competing for control.

“Stop what shit, Damien? Do I really need to use my powers to seduce you? You wanted me from the second you saw me in the bathroom.”

“You can’t solve this with sex.”

His voice was husky and unsure. Beads of sweat broke out along his hairline. His soft, wavy hair that she wanted to run her fingers through and bury her nose in.

“Sex solves everything, Damien.”

She closed the gap between them until they were only inches apart. His eyes were intense, searching. He was hanging on by a thread, and the realization she was that close excited her to the point of physical pain.

“Sex is the great leveler between two people.”

“Is that all you want? To seduce me?”

“Would that be so terrible?” She took another step closer and ran a finger from the pulse at the base of his throat down his shirt, stopping at his navel. He drew in a sharp breath as tiny beads of sweat broke out along his upper lip. His full, thick lips that begged to be kissed.

“If you want me to leave, then so be it. But there’s nothing to stop us from having some fun first, is there?”

His face twisted into a mask of pain and confusion.” Dammit, Teresa I’m not immune to you, okay? But I know how to fight it because I’ve been there before. I want you to leave.”

“Liar.”

“Please get out of here,” he whispered.

“One night.” She ran her hands over his chest, enjoying the contrast between his rippling muscles and the soft cotton shirt. “Just one, and then I’ll leave and you’ll never see me again.”

“Why do you have to prove yourself?”

Teresa rubbed her fingers over his nipples under the fabric and he groaned. “I’m not trying to prove anything. I just want to fuck you.”

“Damn you,” he whispered.

She smiled. “Too late.”

MIDNIGHT SEDUCTION Release and Giveaway!!!

2011-10-20T18:16:00.004-05:00

WIN A COPY OF MIDNIGHT SEDUCTION AND A $15 EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING GIFT CERTIFICATE!

No matter what your fantasy, these sinfully naughty tales are certain to keep you reading late into the night...

Midnight Seduction is an exclusive collection of erotically charged stories by thirteen talented authors. From dark angels and vampires, to ghosts and kelpies, this anthology is sure to please paranormal romance lovers everywhere. Fulfill your wanton desires and escape into a world where anything is possible.

GHOST OF A CHANCE...

When a vengeful spirit casts a powerful spell on Roland Allerton III, he's trapped in a portrait except for one day of the year, Halloween. The only way to escape is to find true love. Roland spent his youth chasing women, and he continues his pursuits one day a year, until he sees Tess.

Great Aunt Emily's house was a second home to Tess Camille. Ever since childhood, she's spent countless hours fantasizing and dreaming about the man in the painting. When she inherits the home after Aunt Emily passes away, Tess decides to spend Halloween weekend in the house. Alone...

EXCERPT:

Trapped in a painting with a constant hard-on, forced to watch a parade of lovely young ladies with no hope of sexual release except one night a year gave one little time for reflecting on virtue.

Unable to escape, or move anything other than his eyes, he’d been helpless. Trapped, year after year, decade after decade, with a constant parade of new faces and curious gazes his only amusement.

Now his fondest wish had come true. Tess was here, in this room, on Halloween Eve. He’d gone without sex for decades. The constant ache in his groin was unbearable. His entire body burned with desire.

“I’m not afraid of you anymore,” she whispered.

Tess teased the edges of the frame with her fingers. The sensation was like feathers tickling his skin. The throbbing in his loins reached unparalleled heights. When he was released from the painting at midnight, he was going to seduce this woman if it was the last act he ever performed. He had to have her. She was the most seductive creature he’d ever seen.

A sly smile stole over her beautiful face and he tensed, waiting. In one swift movement she pulled off her sweater, revealing a lacy black bra that barely contained her breasts. He tried to moan but nothing came out. The pain spread from his groin up to his throat, begging for release.

All he could do was watch as she smiled into his eyes and teased her nipples through the bra. Arousal covered her features. Was her pussy wet? Would she touch it right here in front of him? Did she know he could see her?

Fire tore through his veins as she reached behind and unhooked the bra. Her nipples were dusky and taut, reaching toward him, straining to reach his mouth. His only comfort were the images of how he would suckle them later, lick them, nip at them until she cried out in pleasure and begged him to fuck her.

Her hands cupped her breasts, she closed her eyes, and he tried desperately to move but it was no use. How many hours until midnight? He’d never survive until then if she didn’t stop right now.

Want to win an e-copy? Leave a comment with your name and email address!!

Be sure to visit the other blogs to read excerpts of all the stories! Leave a comment on each blog to increase your chances of winning!!

4 STARS for HAUNTED HEART and a GIVEAWAY!!

2011-10-19T06:07:00.000-05:00

HAUNTED HEART has earned 4 stars from THE TO BE READ PILE REVIEWS!!

Comment HERE for a chance to win an e-copy!!

HAUNTED HEART is a top-rated e-romance at The One Hundred Romances Project!!!

2011-10-18T05:31:00.001-05:00

HAUNTED HEART has earned 5 stars and the distinction of being a Top-Rated E-Romance for 2011 from The One Hundred Romance Project!!!

Read the review HERE

JOIN ME ON THE FORBIDDEN BOOKSHELF!!!

2011-10-16T09:57:00.000-05:00

Want to win an e-copy of HUNTED or THE LAST SOUL?

Join me on THE FORBIDDEN BOOKSHELF and comment for a chance to win!

Happy Anniversary To My True Life Hero!

2011-10-15T09:04:00.000-05:00

Twenty three years ago today I married that handsome dude on the left. It was on a Saturday, just like it is today, and also sunny and slightly breezy. In fact, that day was one of the nicest of the entire month that year.

In Ohio we have this unofficial holiday called Sweetest Day, and that year it fell on our wedding anniversary. Yes, that's why we picked it. :)

David is my true life hero, my best friend, and has supported me no matter what. He's my critique partner, my cheerleader, and a shoulder to cry on when I get discouraged or afraid.

So HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, my sweetheart! I LOVE YOU!!

Looking Back On Six Months...

2011-10-12T06:55:00.003-05:00

In eight days I'll have been officially published for six months. I thought it might be fun to look back and share some of the things I've learned in those short months. This post is not meant to discourage, but to give you a healthy dose of reality. And please understand, this is what I've learned, and the advice I'm giving myself. :)

1) It’s nothing like I thought it would be.

I’ve lived too long to harbor unrealistic dreams of instant success from a 30,000 word erotic novella, but I did have a lot of misconceptions about how things actually work once you're published. A suspect a lot of us do. Let me assure you that most of what you imagine it will be like isn’t true, so if it hasn't yet happened for you, take your daydreams with a grain of salt and just sit back and enjoy the ride. Your sanity will thank you for it.

2) 4 and 5 star reviews do not necessarily guarantee big sales.
3) A great many people think 5 star reviews, especially on Amazon or Goodreads, are fake.

The second realization floored me. I’ve only had one review under 4 stars from an actual review site. And of course I’m proud of that, but I’ve hardly set the world on fire with sales from my books so far. One does not necessarily lead to the other, as there are a great many “best-sellers” out there with some pretty crappy reviews alongside the good ones. It’s all subjective, and often there is no easily discernible reason why one book sells well and another does not.

As for the doomsayers who believe every 5-star review on Amazon or Goodreads is fake, screw you. None of mine are fake, and I didn’t write any of them. They’re from real people who were there for me before I signed a contract, who discovered my books afterwards, who believe in me, and who read my books and love them. So go take your negativity and stuff it.

To the uninitiated author out there, be prepared to be called a fake from strangers when you receive 5-star reviews on Amazon or Goodreads. It will sting like crazy but if you’re prepared for it, you might weather it better than I do. Or, you might tell them to go perform a sexual act on themselves. Either way is good with me. :)

4) Karma gives back to you in her own time, if at all.
5) Support from online or real friends and/or other authors is not a given, but if you find it, hold onto it for life.

It's unfortunate but true. Karma is a nasty bitch and she does what she wants, to whom she wants, and when she wants. I’ve seen authors do some pretty rotten things to each other. Fortunately, they're the exception.

I've received support and encouragement when least expected, and from people I didn't think were paying all that much attention to me and my stories. I've also been hurt by people I thought were friends. And in between those two extremes I've made some fabulous new friends and met authors I'd never have known otherwise.

Yes, Virginia, it's true. There are people who will be so envious of you that they'll try to break your spirit and keep you down. Don't you dare let them under your skin. Surround yourself with positive, like-minded people, and cast off the toxic driftwood in your life. I'm not saying you should only listen to the folks who praise you, but a discerning spirit is needed. Make sure the advice you're following is from people who have your best interests at heart.

I love writing. I love creating worlds and characters, and since more than one person I don’t know in real or cyber life has bought my books, I have to assume there are strangers out there who also love my writing, my characters and the worlds I’ve created for them. Those are the people who keep me going. Thank you – you know who you are. I can’t tell you how much it means to me, and I hope I’ve made a fan for life in each of you. I will work hard to keep writing books you love.

6) Your publisher/editor is not your personal cheerleader.
7) The other authors in that house are not your instant best friends.

There are things that go on behind the scenes that you may never know, and might not want to. Don’t expect to be instant best friends with your publisher and every author in that house. It’s as unrealistic as walking into a new job and expecting your boss and every co-worker in the company to instantly adore you and support you.

Take your time getting to know people before dumping your personal garbage in their lap. Better yet, don’t dump your garbage or air your dirty laundry at all. They’re not your therapists - they’re your business partners. Learn some boundaries and keep a professional distance. Present yourself as someone who understands the industry, is willing to work hard, and can meet deadlines but also be flexible about them when needed. That will earn you far more respect in the long run than if you’re the person who bitches about everything, or expects everyone to run to her defense each time someone posts a bad review about one of her books.

And please be careful with the grade school behavior. Don’t bash your publisher, editor or other authors in the house in public. And don’t bash other publishers, authors or editors in a Facebook or Yahoo group because most authors publish with more than one house, most editors freelance for other publishers, and your publisher is probably a published author herself, for more than one line. In other words, you never know who knows who, and who might be best friends with the person you’ve just dumped all over or called a hack.

Above all, remember it’s the Internet and most of these people don’t know you in real life. All they have by which to judge you are your words. And you in turn only have their words by which to judge them. It’s far too easy for words to be misconstrued and feelings hurt when assumptions are made about what someone meant to say.

8) Whatever you say online is forever and people are reading it.

This goes without saying, but it’s amazing to me how many authors go batshit on someone and are then shocked when their comments go viral. Enough said.

9) Reviewers are also readers.
10) Other authors are also readers.

Don’t get pissed off when reviewers don’t like your book. It’s all subjective. Not everyone is going to adore every story you write. That’s just unrealistic and quite frankly, you sound like a whiny baby when you bitch about a bad review. "She didn't get me!" Okay. So what? Not everyone will get you. Deal with it.

Once you’ve calmed down, read the review objectively and learn from it. This is a READER giving her opinion of your story. It’s not someone out to get you, or bash you all over the Internet, or hurt you personally. There is truth in the review somewhere and you can learn from it, if you allow yourself the possibility that you’re a human being, you’re not perfect, and we all can improve our writing.

11) If you want to sell books, give the readers what they want – this means you MUST know the market.
12) Strangers will buy your book based on the blurb, excerpt and/or cover art.

We’re writers but we also read. That means you’re writing not only to strangers, but to your fellow authors. In order to know what’s selling you need to read what's out there.

You need to know the market. That’s true of any genre, not just romance. Learn from those who sell lots and lots of books. What are they doing in terms of promotion? Can you do that too? It’s all about first impressions when you’re trying to attract the attention of buyers. What can you do to improve your blurb or your excerpt and make it irresistible to readers?

Granted, we usually have little control over the cover art, but readers do buy based on the covers, so give yourself an edge by filling out that cover art form with as much information and detail as possible. Help your publisher's cover artist create the kind of cover you imagine by giving her plenty to work with.

13) Comparing yourself to others is counterproductive, emotionally draining and a complete waste of your time.

The green-eyed monster will eat you alive from the inside out, make you mean and bitter, and will kill your creativity. Don’t let it get a foot hold inside you. You can only write the best story YOU can write. Learn your craft, and keep writing. It’s an art. Musicians may be born but they still need to learn to read music, play an instrument, and practice. Writing is no different, so treat it as such.

No one became an overnight success. And what makes one person successful will not necessarily work for another. This business is very subjective. Compare yourself to yourself, no one else.

14) There are people out there who will play games with you, or at least try to.

I wish I could tell you this isn’t so, but I can’t. There are game players out there. I did a blog post recently on The Otherworld Diner about what I called drive-by oneings. I’ve had this happen to me on Goodreads, and I know of other authors who routinely have it happen to them. No one knows why and wasting time fretting over it is useless. People play games. Screw them. Your loyal readers are the ones you write for, not the morons who obviously need to have their computers taken away.

One final thing…

15) Being published totally and completely ROCKS!!

I get paid actual money from sales. I’ve signed six contracts since February of this year. There is cover art in the form of large posters and coffee mugs decorating the room where I write. I have a cool website that strangers follow, and there are wonderful online friends who ask me for the next book in my series to review. And they love them all! I’ve made some amazing online and real friends because I took the plunge and finally submitted a manuscript. Yes, I’ve made some mistakes, but I’ve also learned a lot and grown a lot since The Last Soul came out in April.

I wouldn't trade this for anything. It's what I've wanted since I can remember. It's amazing, frustrating, heart-breaking and exhilarating all at the same time, and usually all at once. :)

RELEASE DATE for GHOST OF A CHANCE!

2011-10-05T06:05:00.000-05:00

Evernight Publishing's MIDNIGHT SEDUCTION anthology will be released October 21st!!

Look for my short erotic paranormal, GHOST OF A CHANCE, as well as twelve other fabulous stories!!

CONGRATULATIONS to Tatiana L and Toni!!

2011-10-03T01:05:00.002-05:00

Tatiana L, you're the winner of my individual prize from the Evernight's Big Birthday Bash blog post! I've sent you an email, and you have the choice of an e-copy of one of my books!

Toni, you were chosen by Evernight Publishing as the winner of a $5 gift certificate!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Evernight's Big Birthday Bash

2011-09-24T08:46:00.002-05:00

We're having a party! Evernight Publishing is one year old!!!

To enter the contest on this blog, find the occupation for Damien Walker, the hero in the third book of my Seduced By A Demon series, Playing For Keeps. Then leave the answer, along with your name and email address, on this post. That's all there is to it! You'll be entered for a chance to win! (HINT: Click on the link to find the answer!)

Evernight Publishing will choose one commenter from EACH participating blog to win a $5.00 Gift Certificate. In addition, Evernight will choose three separate commenters from ANY of the blogs to win one of three grand prizes:

A new Kindle e-reader
$50.00 U.S. (gifted via PayPal)
$40.00 Evernight Gift Certificate.

**To be entered in the grand prize drawings you must FOLLOW and COMMENT on the Evernight Publishing blog**

On October 3rd, when all the winners are announced on the Evernight blog and website, I will choose one commenter from this blog post to win an e-copy of one of my books - your choice - including Playing For Keeps which will be released later this year!!

And how's this for a sale? October 1st only, ALL Evernight e-books are 75% off on the Evernight website!!! This is your chance to stock up on all your favorites at substantial savings! Check back here on October 1st for links to purchase The Last Soul and Hunted for 75% off!!!

NEW RELEASE by Tristam La Roche

2011-09-23T05:29:00.003-05:00

*Please welcome a very special guest today, my good friend and M/M romance writer extraordinaire, Tristam La Roche*

Today sees the publication of my third M/M novella, Fixed, by Etopia Press. When I think my debut was just over three months ago with the release of On My Knees (which, incidentally, has been holding up as a Kindle bestseller in the UK) and that by the end of the year my fourth M/M will be out, an historical novella involving the famous Hun and a Roman general, I seem to have had a pretty full 2011. Hmm, bit like that sentence. So, when Carolyn was kind enough to let me join her today, I asked if there was anything in particular she wanted me to write about. "Yes," she said. "Writing M/M from a gay man's point of view." Well, who am I to argue?

As Carolyn said to me, so much M/M is written by women. This is somewhat of a contentious issue in certain quarters and there is mumbling, though no one says it outright, as to what women know about gay male relationships, let alone sex. Well, on the face of it that might be a valid question, but I would have to say that men have written about women for years and I can't see the difference, not really. But quite obviously, a gay man is going to know some things that a heterosexual woman can't, isn't he?

To tell the truth, I've read some cracking MM and some lousy MM from women. And from men, to be fair. For my taste, the female written stories that didn't work endowed the gay characters with too much femininity. Now by this I don't mean they were effiminate, pink-clad drama queens but that they reacted in ways that most gay men (note the word, men) would not. Quite often the sex scenes lacked realism. It was clear it had been written by someone without a dick, to put it bluntly. I remember one where the character's manhood was described as 'thickening again' so many times in one sex scene that it must have been wider than his hips. He must have fainted from lack of blood to the brain. Oh, I can see the queue of gays now, waiting with their credit cards to buy that little miracle pill.

Well, this was one reason I began writing MM - because I'm gay, because I live with another man, because I've done the cruising in the woods, the gay bath houses, the beaches, the multiple partners... it's very real and I want to use those experiences to write accurate fiction. It seems a waste not to. My realism, however, is not to everyone's taste and I had some fairly tough times with one of my editors. She kept saying 'this would never happen in a male-female relationship'. No, quite. Point proven.

So, if you are a reader of romance, you must be prepared, willing, to forget some of the taboos you've become accustomed to. For example, two men really can love each other and not start throwing pans around or threaten divorce if one sleeps with a stranger (unless it's a woman, that might be grounds). In our world, these things occur with greater regularity than you might imagine. After all, is it not true that monogomy is an unnatural state foisted upon certain societies? What I hope to do is entertain and let readers have a peek at the other side.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying all my stories will be about multiple partners. I simply use this one issue to illustrate that there are differences. Whatever the individual themes, our stories need to be told as part of the breaking down of bigotry and hatred. Hopefully, they will entertain you.

BUY LINK FOR FIXED

http://tristramlaroche.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/TristramLaRoche

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002276172449

COVER ART for PLAYING FOR KEEPS!!!!

2011-09-22T17:14:00.002-05:00

5 Bows for HUNTED!!

2011-09-20T05:29:00.002-05:00

Woke up to find another lovely review of HUNTED at Boundless As The Sea!!

4.5 Stars for HUNTED from The Forbidden Bookshelf!!

2011-09-15T20:28:00.000-05:00

HUNTED earns 4.5 stars from The Forbidden Bookshelf!!

5 Stars for THE LAST SOUL from The Forbidden Bookshelf!!

2011-09-12T17:05:00.000-05:00

Just found this lovely review for THE LAST SOUL from The Forbidden Bookshelf!!

Author Chat and a Giveaway!

2011-09-12T04:52:00.001-05:00

Would you like to win a copy of HUNTED? Stop by the Author Chat on The To Be Read Pile Reviews and leave a comment for a chance to win from TBR's fabulous prize list!

The first chapter of Hunted, Book 2 of my Seduced By A Demon series is up for you to read...

Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?

2011-09-11T08:41:00.002-05:00

Wonderful Review for Haunted Heart

2011-09-08T06:50:00.000-05:00

Just found this lovely review for HAUNTED HEART from Books-n-Kisses! Check it out, and check out the rest of Kelly's great blog!

Joan Wilder - Plotter or Pantser?

2011-09-07T05:44:00.002-05:00

Last month I wrote a blog post about my favorite book quotes in movies, and two movies stood out among the comments: Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile, both starring the lovely Kathleen Turner and hottie Michael Douglas.

Kathleen Turner's character in both movies, Joan Wilder, is a romance writer who sets off to Columbia in Romancing the Stone to ransom her kidnapped sister. And yes, like all Hollywood classics, some buffoon has decided it needs a remake because apparently screenwriters have exhausted all possible new material. But I digress...

In Jewel of the Nile, Joan and Jack Colton (Michael's character) leave their easy life on the yacht for the desert, where Joan thinks she's been invited to write the life story of a sheik.

There were some really great movies in the 80's. The music wasn't so great *ducks* but the movies rocked. Back To The Future, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Dirty Dancing, The Breakfast Club... I could go on but I won't.

Romancing the Stone starts with a scene from Joan's latest epic romance novel - Joan wrote bodice rippers, for sure - playing out in her head as if it's the first scene in the movie. Kathleen Turner's voice narrates, then the scene then shifts to Joan at her typewriter, with big-ass headphones on, typing out the last few pages of the story. She's listening to the narration, implying she dictated this book and is now writing it. Yeah... you see where I'm going here, right? If that's not a plotter I don't know what is.

And bless her heart, it was 1984 so she didn't have Word, so really what an awesome idea, no?

As the movie progresses and Joan finds herself on the wrong bus in the Columbian jungle, she is saved from the people trying to kill her by Jack. He's everything a romance hero should be. Hot, a bit of a smart-ass, and plenty of instalust for our heroine. The fact this movie is a play on a classic romance novel isn't lost on the viewers - I'm pretty sure they wrote it that way on purpose. But what I love is that while it makes fun of itself in that respect, it's still a very entertaining story.

Several times during the movie Joan has occasion to put her romance author status to good use. Her name literally saves hers and Jack's lives when they arrive at the home of Juan (played by Alfonso Arau), who turns out to be such a fan of "Juanita Wilder" that he's decorated part of his lavish drug lord home as she described a house in one of her books.

Later in the movie, when Joan, Jack and Ralph (Danny DeVito's character) are suspended over a pit of crocodiles and their ropes are being eaten by rats, Jack asks who would think up such a scheme. Joan admits she did...in one of her books! LOL!

Shift to Jewel of The Nile. Jack and Joan have spent a year sailing around the world on their yacht, Joan is bored, and is trying desperately to finish her next book. Her editor Gloria, played by Holland Taylor, shows up and tells Joan she's three months late. Joan laments, "But I don't know how it ends!" Uh-oh...plotter turned pantser? She doesn't know how it ends???

Once again the movie opens with the scene being played out by Kathleen and Michael, and Kathleen's voice narrating, but instead of the happy ending we get a quick shot to Joan, about to throw her typewriter into the Mediterranean. What happened???

So, what do you think? Was Joan Wilder a plotter or a pantser? Did sailing around the world on that yacht with a hottie fry her brain, or was she simply stuck on this one book?

HUNTED is August Book Of The Month!!

2011-09-06T18:23:00.001-05:00

HUNTED is August Book Of The Month at The To Be Read Pile Reviews!!

Thank you so much, everyone!

5 Star Review for THE LAST SOUL and New Cover Art!!

2011-08-28T09:29:00.002-05:00

United By Books has given THE LAST SOUL 5 stars!! Read the review HERE!

And check out the cover art for MIDNIGHT SEDUCTION, Evernight Publishing's anthology coming October 2011!! My erotic short, GHOST OF A CHANCE, will be part of this fabulous collection!

5 Stars for HUNTED from The To Be Read Pile!

2011-08-27T12:57:00.000-05:00

HUNTED, Book 2 of my Seduced By A Demon series from Evernight Publishing, has received 5 stars from The To Be Read Pile reviews!! Leave a comment on the review site HERE for a chance to win a copy of Hunted!

Seduced By A Demon Book 3!!

2011-08-23T05:21:00.000-05:00

Exciting news!! I've been offered a contract from Evernight Publishing for Seduced By A Demon Book 3... PLAYING FOR KEEPS!! Do you like the title change? I love it!! So excited about this one! More details to follow...

HUNTED gets 4 stars from Sizzling Hot Book Reviews!!!

2011-08-22T04:44:00.000-05:00

4 stars from Sizzling Hot Book Reviews for HUNTED!!

Those Dastardly Demons

2011-08-21T14:11:00.006-05:00

Demons, depending on what you read or believe, can be anything from Satan's imps to a spirit of happiness. In some present-day cultures demons are still feared largely due to their believed ability to possess humans. Freud believved the fact that demons are always regarded as the spirits of those who have died recently shows better than anything the influence the influence of mourning on the origin of the belief in demons.

In art they've been depicted as everything from a winged bull to a beautiful female. Stories of demons are found in literature from all over the world, including romance novels.

My husband likes to refer to the demons in my Seduced By A Demon series from Evernight Publishing as the "kinder, gentler" demons. Indeed I give them great strength and supernatural powers, including the ability to slide into shadow form and evaporate, moving from one physical plane to another in the blink of an eye. But I also make them seductive, and redeemable. Well, some of them, at any rate.

In THE LAST SOUL-Book 1 and PLAYING FOR KEEPS-Book 3, the heroines are demons who seduce men into signing away their souls. Although they lived and died in the same brothel as humans, Faina and Teresa are not friends in the series. Faina makes an appearance in all three books.

Jahi, the heroine of HUNTED-Book 2, has been dead much longer than either Faina or Teresa, and works making forged documents and fake credit cards for demons like Faina and Teresa to use in tricking men into signing away their souls. While being hunted by her former guardian angel, Jahi falls for Dagon, the bounty hunter pursuing the rogue fallen angel, despite the fact it's forbidden in their world for a demon and a Nephilim to be together.

Teresa makes an appearance in Hunted as the demon who gives up Jahi to Vassago, the creature hunting her. I purposely wrote her with qualities so vile it would be a challenge to make her the heroine in Playing For Keeps.

Not all the demons in my series are redeemable,however. Making an appearance, at least by name, in all three books is Faina and Teresa's former boss, Mastema. Until his disgrace at the end of The Last Soul, Mastema was in charge of the female demons who seduced men into signing away their soul. He tricks Faina into leading Jace Blackmon, the hero in TLS, to ruin by promising to make her human again in exchange for Jace's soul. He even shows her a fake contract, but Faina doesn't know Mastema forged their king's signature. In Hunted and Playing For Keeps, Mastema's followers play a major role in the story line.

The king of demons in this world, Apollyon, makes an actual appearance in all three books, at the end. His right-hand demon, Cresil, who takes over Mastema's position at the end of The Last Soul, is also Teresa's lover in Hunted and the demon who has sent out others to hunt her down and destroy her as Playing For Keeps begins. He's given her up to Apollyon to save his own skin.

I've always been fascinated by the spirit world. Tell me about your fascination with angels, demons, and other spirits.

Rejection - It's Not Personal

2011-08-12T05:45:00.000-05:00

Rejection. The word strikes more fear in the hearts of writers, published and unpublished, than promotion. But what does it really mean when our work is rejected? Remember what The Donald always said? It's not personal. It's business. The same applies to rejection. It's not personal.

You don't have to look far to find editors and agents willing to share the many reasons they reject a manuscript or query. They blog about them, tweet them, and some even list a few of the more prevalent reasons on their submissions page. It's easy for an aspiring writer to feel discouraged and, dare I say it, even angry.

I've been a member of several writing communities for a while now, and I see some common themes whenever threads of this nature pop up on the message boards. Some of these spring from the simple fact the poster doesn't yet understand how the publishing industry works. But the ones that worry me are those who place a personal spin on rejection. These folks take it personally, and the rationale for this is that the agent or editor has rejected their words, therefore they have rejected the person who wrote them.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Rejection is not personal. It comes with the territory of being a writer. In fact, I dare say it goes even farther than that. We each live with rejection in our lives at one time or another. It's part of being human.

There are a multitude of reasons why an agent or editor might reject your work. It might simply mean your work isn't right for that agent or editor. They're human beings, and as such they have varied likes and dislikes. Remember...they're in the business of selling books. You want an agent or editor who is as passionate about your work as you are.

It might mean you need to work on craft, or that the book would need too much editing at this point, in which case it's up to YOU to go back and learn your craft. It's not an agent or editor's job to teach it to you, or "fix" your grammar, punctuation and spelling. I'm floored when I read this on message boards. They're not your English teachers or your mommies. You're an adult. Learn this stuff before you submit.

It might mean the characters just didn't grab the agent or editor. This is a tough one because it can be very subjective, and that's frustrating to a writer. But if you're getting consistent feedback in this area, you have some work to do. Take classes on characterization from published writers whose work you admire. READ their work and pick it apart to see what makes it tick. Spend time with people, listening, observing, watching. Writing characters that pop off the page is beyond the scope of this blog post, and it's something we all struggle with. There's always something new to learn.

It might mean your story arc just wasn't there, or wasn't compelling enough to make the agent or editor keep reading until the end. I blogged about Deb Dixon's GMC last year, and I still think this is THE book to keep you on track with your story arc. If you don't have it on your shelf, why on earth not?

It might mean they just signed an author who wrote a similar book. Not much you can do about that one except try somewhere else.

It might one of a hundred other things, none of which has to do with the actual words. They don't just read the words. They read the story. Which brings me to my next point.

If, as a writer, you're so in love with your own words that you can't see past them to the bigger picture, you will never survive edits once you sign a contract. That's reality. Your words are just that - words. You need to look at the overall story and character arcs. Those are what an agent and editor are going to look at, and on which - in part - they will base their decision.

If you can't handle someone saying NO, you're in the wrong profession. Rejection is nothing compared to reviews from strangers once your work is published. But that's another blog post. :)

5 Hearts for HAUNTED HEART from Sizzling Hot Books!!!

2011-08-08T17:32:00.000-05:00

Check out this AWESOME REVIEW for my sexy romantic suspense, HAUNTED HEART from Sizzling Hot Books!!!!!

My Favorite Book Quotes in Movies

2011-08-07T09:25:00.001-05:00

I'm a movie junkie. I admit it. And when a character starts talking about a book, or is writing book, I pay extra attention to the dialogue. When I started thinking about how many movies I've seen where books make an appearance, the list quickly got out of hand, so I'll just share a few of my favorites with you.

She’s Having a Baby

I gave you an exchange from this gem of a 1988 John Hughes movie in this post about Los Angeles. Here is another great scene between Kristy's father and Jake. The in-laws are over for dinner, and Kristy's father is being an ass:

*Russ Bainbridge: [to Jake] If you're gonna piss your life away writing some goddamn book that no one is ever gonna give a crap about, why did you have to involve my daughter? Let's say she gets pregnant. What are you gonna do? Three can't live on what you make. Two can't live on what you make.

Jefferson "Jake" Edward Briggs: [having a vision of him, Kristy and their baby in a cold, dark alley somewhere with a fire burning] Kristy, is the baby warmer?

Kristen "Kristy" Briggs: We're fine. Sweetie, don't burn your book. Maybe we can get some wood.

Jefferson "Jake" Edward Briggs: Wood's expensive. Words are cheap.

Ever After

I wore out my VHS copy of this 1998 gem starring Drew Barrymore, Dougray Scott and Anjelica Huston in one of her best roles. It's a unique twist on the Cinderella story.

*Baroness Rodmilla DeGhent (Anjelica's character) to Danielle (Drew's character): Some people read because they cannot think for themselves.

*Prince Henry (Dougray Scott): Well, then, pray tell me your cousin's name so that I might call upon her to learn who you are. For anyone who can quote Thomas More is well worth the effort.

Danielle: [stops] The Prince has read Utopia?

*[looking at the books in the Franciscan monastery]

Danielle: It makes me want to cry.

Prince Henry: Pick one.

Danielle: I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the heavens.

Prince Henry: What is it that touches you so?

Danielle: I suppose it is because when I was young my father would stay up late and read to me. He was addicted to the written word and I would fall asleep listening to the sound of his voice.

Prince Henry: What sort of books?

Danielle: Science, philosophy... I suppose they remind me of him. He died when I was eight. Utopia was the last book he brought home.

Prince Henry: Which explains why you quote it.

Danielle: I would rather hear his voice again than any sound in the world.

Beauty and the Beast

Ah, the movie that started it all for one of my manuscripts! I blogged about the re-release of the DVD HERE.

*Gaston: It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting *ideas*, and *thinking*...

*Gaston[thumbing through Belle’s book]: How can you read this? There are no pictures!

Misery

Unless you live under a rock, no explanation of this one is necessary. :)

*Annie Wilkes: God came to me last night and told me your purpose for being here. I am going to help you write a new book.

Paul Sheldon: You think I can just whip one out?

Annie Wilkes: Oh, but I don't think Paul, I know.

*Annie Wilkes: MISERY IS ALIVE, MISERY IS ALIVE! OH, This whole house is going to be full of romance, OOOH, I AM GOING TO PUT ON MY LIBERACE RECORDS!

*Paul Sheldon: [holding a page of his manuscript] Do you remember for all those years, nobody ever knew who Misery's real father was, or will they ever be reunited? It's all right here. Does she finally marry Ian, or will it be Winthorne? It's all right here.

Paul Sheldon: [lights a match]

Annie Wilkes: Paul you can't!

Annie Wilkes: [drops her glass]

Paul Sheldon: Why not? I learn it from you.

Paul Sheldon: [Burns his manuscript]

Now it's your turn. Tell me about your favorite movies with books in them, or some of your favorite movie dialogue about books.

Review of HAUNTED HEART on Book Confessions!!

2011-08-04T18:06:00.004-05:00

Lovely review of HAUNTED HEART on Book Confessions!

The Salem Witch Trials as Inspiration For a Heroine

2011-08-03T18:43:00.000-05:00

I think everyone has heard of the Salem Witch Trials. They were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in Essex, Suffolk and Middlesex counties in colonial Massachusetts.

They took place between February of 1692 and May of 1693. The preliminary hearings in 1692 took place in a variety of towns across the province: Salem Village (modern-day Danvers), Ipswich, Andover and Salem Town.

The best-known trials were conducted by the court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692 in Salem Town. Over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned, with more accused but not formally prosecuted. Twenty-six people were convicted at trial in this court.

Four sessions of the Superior Court of Judicature in 1693 produced only three convictions from the thirty-one trials it conducted.

Of these twenty-nine people convicted of the capital felony of witchcraft, nineteen were executed by hanging. Five died in prison and one man was crushed to death by stones because he refused to plead guilty.

A person didn't have to dabble in candle magic or tarot cards to be accused of witchcraft. If babies died or crops failed, witchcraft was blamed. Not attending church services or wearing clothing in a certain way could earn you an accusation and a hearing.

The "evidence" presented at these trials from neighbors and officials was often as ludicrous as the mass hysteria the accusations produced.

I chose to give Jahi Wickes, the heroine in HUNTED, Book 2 of my Seduced By A Demon series from Evernight Publishing, this fate. I took liberties with her name and heritage, because the people who died as a result of these convictions are recorded. Rather than give Jahi an innocent human life, I chose to give her a bad girl persona, but certainly not one that earned her a death by hanging.

By the time Jahi was fifteen, her mother had been married twice. Both men killed themselves with heavy drinking, leaving Jahi and her mother on their own in a town that had already branded them bad news. Jahi liked to dabble in candle magic and spells, so she was already on town's radar. When she began to steal in order to obtain food for her dying mother, her human fate was sealed.

I find periods like this in our history both tragic and fascinating. Mass hysteria fueled by misinformation and the beliefs of a number of powerful people can easily lead to this type of crowd behavior. One need look back no further in our world's history than the 1930's, and a man named Adolph Hitler to realize what this combination of factors can lead to.

So why did I choose such a dark and disturbing human existence for a romance novel heroine? She's a demon. There was a reason she went to hell when she died. But don't despair. I didn't write a cliched ending for Jahi's human existence. We learn in the opening pages of Hunted that Jahi chose hell. Angels visited her jail cell the night before her scheduled execution and offered her a choice. Jahi, believing by then she was no good and deserved her punishment for the crimes she'd committed, made her choice.

It was this choice that led to her former guardian angel, Vassago, being sent to guard souls in Purgatory because he did such a crappy job with Jahi when she was alive. As Hunted opens, Vassago has been on the run after escaping from Purgatory, and finally catches a break in his quest for Jahi. When he traps her in a hotel room in New Orleans, the Nephilim who's been tracking Vassago appears on the scene, almost catches Vassago, and ends up having to save Jahi instead.

If this story sounds interesting to you here's the BUY LINK for Hunted.

Now it's your turn. Have you used the Salem Witch Trials or that time period in any of your stories?

Meet The Town That Inspired The Setting For Two Books

2011-07-30T22:15:00.002-05:00

Twenty five miles southwest of Cleveland Ohio, just across the border from Cuyahoga County into Lorain County, is a town called North Ridgeville. This town has a population of around 50,000, and it's where I lived for seven years before moving to Tennessee. It's where Nicole spent most of her school years, and where we enjoyed such small town things like fireworks on July 4th in the city park and the Corn Festival every August, just before school started.

I used this town as the inspiration for Creek Ridge Ohio, a fictional town that makes an appearance in two of my books so far. It's also the model for Northlake Ohio, another fictional town that borders Creek Ridge.

I wasn't raised in a small town. I grew up on the near west side of Cleveland Ohio. I still love the feel of a big city, but the years I spent living in North Ridgeville contain some of my fondest memories to date. Small towns are easy and peaceful, and because so many people know each other, there's always a friend or helping hand nearby when needed.

There was only one of so many things that all you had to do was name the store or business and everyone knew where you meant. The middle school, the high school, the Dairy Queen, the post office, the library or the police station.

I loved being able to cross the entire town by car in less than twenty minutes. There were only two main streets, and most of the commercial buildings were on one of them. The streets were lined with homes, sidewalks, and large trees. A double set of railroad tracks bisected the city, and because they also crossed several streets, train whistles all day and night became part of the backdrop of familiar noises.

Route 10 also bisected the city, and it was only a few miles to Interstate 480 and the Ohio Turnpike, so it made travel very convenient. Cleveland was less than thirty minutes away by freeway, and Columbus was less than three hours away.

It was only an hour from Cedar Point, one of the largest amusement parks in the country, and Lake Erie was approximately a thirty mile drive north. Is it any wonder I wanted to model my fictional towns after this quiet, peaceful place?

In PLAYING FOR KEEPS, the third book in my Seduced By A Demon series for Evernight Publishing, the demon Teresa, on the run from Apollyon, her king, hides out in Northlake Ohio. I've given this town a square with a park-like setting, old-fashioned street lamps, and a street lined with small bars that reminds Teresa of her human life in Chicago, mid-nineteenth century.

In HAUNTED HEART, my sexy romantic suspense, Creek Ridge is Rowena Sommers'hometown. Her great aunt Lunette's house is a sprawling Queen Anne, and Rowena has returned home to restore it and live in it.

Tell me about the town or city you live in, and whether you've used it as a model in your writing, or as the actual setting.

I'm on Kindlegraph!!

2011-07-30T08:57:00.001-05:00

Now I can sign your Kindle!!

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A SIGNATURE!!

Review of HAUNTED HEART on Book of Secrets!!

2011-07-28T19:09:00.001-05:00

SQUEEE! A really great review of my sexy romantic suspense, HAUNTED HEART, at Book of Secrets! Read it HERE.

If you like the review, you can buy HAUNTED HEART at Etopia Press, or your favorite e-book retailers!

Those Naughty Nephilim

2011-07-27T18:52:00.003-05:00

At a recent archeological dig in Greece, the bones of what appeared to be a giant were hailed as "proof" of the existence of Nephilim as depicted in ancient texts. It was later proven to be a HOAX. People continue to search for the existence of supernatural beings.

According to the Book of Genesis, Nephilim are the "sons of God." They are also mentioned as giants in the book of Numbers. The interpretation of these passages has been called into question by scholars. There is no clear answer as to the meaning of the terms used. Commentary in subsequent translations of the Bible draw conclusions from books in the New Testament as proof of the nature of Nephilim mentioned in the Old Testament, but again there is no clear answer. Other ancient texts assign the term "fallen angel" to Nephilim and similar beings.

In the Hebrew Bible and several non-canonical Jewish and early Christian writings, nephilim means the "fallen ones." They are described as a people created by the cross-breeding of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men." Interpretations for these terms vary among scholars.

If you Google "Nephilim," you could spend days reading all the theories and arguments for or against their interpretation in the Bible and other texts, both secular and non-secular. Whoever or whatever they are, whether they are real or simply the product of our fertile imaginations, clearly our fascination with these beings continues because they pop up in romance novels quite frequently.

Most authors write them as heroes with a bad boy nature although some have chosen to cast them as villains. I've chosen to let Nephilim play both roles in my Seduced By A Demon series from Evernight Publishing.

In THE LAST SOUL, Book 1 of the series, they get a brief nod near the beginning of the story when Faina, the heroine, mentions her need to use one to seduce the girlfriend of a man she was trying to ruin. Faina is a demon whose job is to seduce males into ruin. The men she's sent to seduce are bad-to-the-bone to begin with, so her demon boss wants their souls. As the story opens, she's watching her latest assignment's confrontation with Mastema, her demon boss, and is musing how his girlfriend was such a problem she had to ask a Nephilim who owed her a favor to intervene. In the world I've created for this series, Nephilim are notorious for their powers of seduction, but I haven't limited that to seducing humans.

In HUNTED, Book 2 of the series, the hero, Dagon, is a Nephilim who works as a bounty hunter. Five hundred years before the story begins, he was cast out of Heaven for his controversial views on certain human sins. Tyre, an angel with dominion over the souls in Purgatory, hired Dagon to find a fallen angel named Vassago. When Hunted opens, Dagon has been hunting Vassago for three years. Vassago is a guardian angel who let his charge get out of control, and when she died she chose not to go to Heaven.

At the beginning of the story Dagon thinks he's finally caught him, but instead finds himself saving a demon named Jahi, the heroine, from this creature. Dagon soon learns the reason why Vassago came after Jahi. She was the charge whose choice led him to lose his guardian angel status. Dagon's goal then becomes two-fold. To catch Vassago, and to keep him from harming Jahi. In the world I've created for this series, it's forbidden for a Nephilim and a demon to be together. Dagon isn't all good, because he throws caution to the wind and seduces Jahi anyway. Not that she protests...

For the third book in this series, PLAYING FOR KEEPS, I've chosen to make my hero a former Nephilim. Like Dagon, Damien Walker chose to seduce a demon named Leta, and the pair fell in love. His fate wasn't quite as happily-ever-after as Dagon's. When Playing For Keeps opens, Leta is no longer in the picture, and Damien is now human and running a bar in a sleepy Ohio town. When Teresa, the heroine, walks into his bar, he knows what she is. After he was made human he retained some of the extrasensory powers he had as a fallen angel. He soon realizes Teresa is on the run from Apollyon, the king of demons we meet in both The Last Soul and Hunted.

Damien would love nothing better than to hide a demon from Apollyon, but before twenty-four hours pass, he realizes he's in deep with the sexy Teresa. He's been down that road before, with Leta, and the struggle between his head and his heart begins.

I hope to finish Playing For Keeps very soon and submit it to Evernight Publishing.

Now I'd love to hear your Nephilim theories, stories, or thoughts on my series so far!

2011-07-26T11:32:00.000-05:00

HUNTED, Book 2 of my Seduced By A Demon series from Evernight Publishing is in the spotlight at The To Be Read Pile Reviews website! Come check it out!

Chasing Fame

2011-07-24T08:34:00.004-05:00

In October of 1976, when I was just a young thing recently graduated from high school and not yet a student at Kent State University, I went to a live concert at the now-defunct Agora in Cleveland Ohio, where a local band of epic fame in Cleveland and surrounding areas was recording their new album, Stage Pass. I still have a vinyl recording of this album. In fact, I still have vinyl recordings of all their albums, and thanks to iTunes, I can also listen to my favorite tracks from those albums on my iPod.

We followed The Michael Stanley Band around the area at local bars and state fairs, all through high school and during my college years. They played an amazing concert at Kent State University during my junior year there. Why they never made it big nationally is a mystery to all of us who adore their music.

The video clip above is their song Midwest Midnight, and I love the haunting, nostalgic lyrics. They speak of chasing fame, and finding out it's not exactly what you thought it would be once you get there. Listening to them the other day, after an email conversation with my editor, inspired me to write this blog post.

One line especially struck me: Chasing the fame keeps 'em all in the game but money's still the way they keep score.

Wow. How many of us stalk the sales rankings on our books daily, or even hourly? I know I've been obsessed with them during the three short months I've been published. Yes, sales are important. Of course they are. And we all secretly (or not so secretly) want to be on those best-selling and top-selling lists, even if it's for an hour or so. I think that's pretty normal for any artist - be they writers, painters or musicians. Anyone who creates something will chase fame.

But there are times when you have to pull back and remember why you're doing this, or you risk losing perspective. When I went back through my blog posts recently, I was struck by something, and not in a good way. As of April of this year, my website turned into 24/7 promo. With only a few exceptions, gone were the guest blogs, the book reviews and the blog posts about things in my life not having to do with writing or my books. I suppose that's normal, especially for a debut author who chose to go the long and winding road of e-publishers in a genre where she's competing with literally thousands of other authors. But you know what? I didn't like it what I saw on my website recently.

Don't get me wrong, I want to sell books. But that's not the only reason I'm writing. In fact, it's not the main reason I'm writing, and I sort of forgot that in the flurry of promo and tweeting and keeping up with two Facebook pages. I forgot why I'm doing this in the first place.

I love to write. Yes, I know we all do, but this is my passion. It's that thing I'd keep doing, even if no one paid me to do it. I've been doing it since I could print. You can't imagine the amount of trouble I got into at school because I'd sit and write stories when I was supposed to be paying attention in class. Sorry to all my former teachers out there, starting with Miss Ceepo in second grade, but the characters in my head were a lot more interesting than learning cursive or how to add double digit numbers.

We were on public assistance when I was very young, and to help keep us out of public housing my mother would take on work at home. We had this battered manual typewriter where she'd do freelance work typing up reports for a health insurance company. When she wasn't using it, I'd put in a sheet of paper and type my stories. I couldn't touch-type yet, but I could hunt and peck with the best of them.

By the time I reached junior high school age, what we now call middle school, I had a thick notebook I'd carry around with me to every class except gym and write stories. All day long, and in the evenings after I finished my homework. This pattern continued through most of high school, and off and on into my adult life.

To be able to create stories that strangers want to read is amazing and also humbling. The first review I had from a stranger for The Last Soul was 5 stars, and it made me cry to realize that someone out there loved my story so much they gave it full marks. Kind of like that feeling you got back in school when you turned in the best essay ever, or scored 100% on a really tough exam. You know what I'm talking about.

I've chased publication for so long that when it finally happened I went a little nuts. I didn't know what to do with it. The sales and the promo consumed me, but I didn't like the person that obsession was turning me into. I have a serious competitive streak. I also have a serious jealous streak, and I work hard to temper both of them. Yes, it's fine to be competitive, but there's a fine line between wanting to succeed and wanting to win at any cost. And as for jealousy, it's a monster that will suck you down into a void and eat you alive if you allow it to. Don't let that green eyed beast rear its ugly head or you'll regret it.

So...now that I've identified the unhealthy trends, what do I do about them? Well, for one thing, I'm going back to writing blog posts like this one. Yes I'll still announce contests and new contracts and cover art and such, but there are plenty of other things to write about, and I've missed doing so.

I emailed my editor the other day, asking about what to write next. I've been torn up in knots over planning my next projects. Ideas aren't the problem, time is. She asked one simple question, and it put everything in perspective. The question? Do you want to write what you love or chase sales? BANG. Just like that she nailed it and got to the heart of what's been troubling me. The answer was immediate and crystal clear:

I want to write what I love.

The romance readership is HUGE. In the US, the genre outsells the next highest-selling genre 2:1. There's room for all of us, and there's room for all sub-genres. I'm not a person who can write something simply because it's the hot thing right now, unless I love to write it. It won't be authentic for me, and I'll be forcing the story. We each have to be true to who we are. That's the only way to make our stories come alive, and give our characters the depth of emotion that readers look for in their romance novels. We breathe life into them through our words.

So, thank you Emma, and thank you Michael Stanley. And, thank you to everyone who has bought my books so far, and loved them, and has been kind enough to tell me that through tweets, Facebook messages and reviews. I'm going to keep writing what I love, and I hope I gain new readers and continue to give you characters to fall in love with.

Here's another MSB favorite of mine from 1981, Lover, featuring sax from the late, great Clarence Clemons. Rock on!!

Win a copy of HUNTED at The Romance Reviews!!

2011-07-23T08:49:00.001-05:00

Check out this quick and easy contest at THE ROMANCE REVIEWS to win a copy of HUNTED, Book 2 of my HOT and SEXY Seduced By A Demon series from Evernight Publishing!

WINNERS!!

2011-07-22T06:40:00.000-05:00

CONGRATS to Flanagan and Jezebel! You've each won a copy of my sexy romantic suspense, HAUNTED HEART, from my recent contest at The Romance Reviews! Your books have been sent and I hope you enjoy!

Starting tomorrow, be sure to enter my next contest to win a copy of HUNTED, Book 2 of my Seduced By a Demon series from Evernight Publishing!

Dressing Your Hero and Heroine

2011-07-20T07:28:00.001-05:00

When it comes to clothes your heroine wears, you have endless choices. Is she a jeans and tee shirt kind of woman, or does she prefer designer labels? Do you describe her clothing or do you let the reader fill in the blanks?

I don't like to overwhelm readers with a lot of detail, mainly because I get bogged down in endless descriptions of satin blue silk scarves or deep red embroidered hemlines. In fact, I've stopped reading many a story where the author seems more interested in describing every detail of what the heroine is wearing rather than telling me what the heroine is actually doing. Move the story forward and your readers will love you for it.

But every once in a while I like to toss in a detail here or there, just to give the reader a mental image. If you describe clothing correctly, you also show characterization. Yeah, a two-for-one deal that won't bore your reader or make your editor roll her eyes.

For example, in The Last Soul, "Faina donned a Betsey Johnson flowered dress and wedge sandals, then materialized a few blocks from where Jace worked," is one of those times I describe her clothing. Betsey Johnson is a New York designer who has been in the industry for over forty years. I love her flowery summer dresses, and they seemed perfect for Faina. By describing the designer instead of the dress, I give more than just a blow-by-blow of the color and fabric. I tell the reader what kind of a person Faina is.

I used a similar technique in Haunted Heart where I used the gorgeous dress above as my inspiration for Rowena's taste in clothes. Van's taste in clothing is described through Rowena's eyes: "He crossed muscled arms over a forest green polo shirt that set off his luminous blue eyes, even at this distance. Broad shoulders tapered to a trim waist, and the khakis he wore accentuated his long legs. The same confident grin she remembered spread across his tanned face," and "For this evening he’d abandoned his trademark jeans and polo shirt, and donned a pair of dress slacks and a button-down shirt. His sport coat lay across the back seat. No matter what he wore, he was drop-dead gorgeous and seductive." I'm describing the clothing, but the focus is on Rowena's feelings and perceptions.

I always find a story more interesting when the hero or heroine is described through someone else's eyes. It's also an easy way to characterize them at the same time. In the snippets above, Rowena is seeing Van for the first time in ten years. Not only do we know what he's wearing, but rather than put the focus on his clothes - where it most certainly does not belong - I keep it on how Rowena feels seeing him again. In the second snippet, I again use Rowena's musing of his clothing change for their dinner date to show her feelings for him. There's just enough detail for the readers to get a mental image of Van without being overwhelmed by fabric, color, etc. Remember, it's a romance. Your readers want to know what the hero and heroine are feeling, not what color they're wearing.

In Hunted, I describe Jahi's outfits because dressing like Joan Crawford was her trademark in The Last Soul. The first time we know what she's wearing, however, is through Dagon's eyes: "Dagon couldn’t stop staring at the demon. Why was it that when they took human form they made themselves so damn seductive? Not that he was averse to doing the same thing, but this girl was stunning. Her emerald green eyes held him captive. She’d streaked her spiky black hair with Mardi Gras colors, and he loved the nineteen sixties look of her costume. It hugged her curvy frame and made him think of go-go dancers and Beach Boys tunes."

Not only did I want to provide continuity for Jahi's character from The Last Soul to Hunted, but I wanted the readers to know when Jahi goes to The Devil's Playground with Teresa, she dons clothing she usually doesn't wear: "Jahi returned to her room and put on the smuttiest outfit she had. Shiny black skirt, short enough to show anything and everything if she bent over, and a matching crop top. She slung a short black jacket with florescent purple piping over her shoulders, and draped some of the Mardi Gras beads around her neck. Strappy black sandals with three inch heels were the finishing touch. Too bad Dagon couldn’t see her in this outfit." Again, instead of focusing on the clothes, I take the readers back to Jahi's feelings about Dagon. This scene goes on to have Jahi masturbating as she imagines the sexy Nephilim making love to her.

I've read countless WIPs and contest entries where the author gets too hung on up describing every fabric, color and texture to the exclusion of telling us why it's important to know this detail, what it means to the plot, or why it's unique to the hero, heroine or situation. While it's important to give your readers enough information to ground them in time and place, overwhelming them with too much detail pulls them right out of the story. You do not want to do that. Ever. You want to keep them in the head of the hero or heroine, feeling everything they feel.

Here's a bit of inspiration for your own work, courtesy of Hugo Boss...

Evernight Blog, London's Scribbles, Manic Readers and The Romance Reviews

2011-07-19T05:28:00.000-05:00

HUNTED, my newest release from Evernight Publishing, was featured on the Evernight Publishing Blog, along with THE LAST SOUL. These two erotic paranormal romantic suspense novellas are Books 1 and 2 of my Seduced By A Demon series. HOT and SEXY!!

Join me today at London's Scribbles, one of London St James' blogs, to read about HUNTED and my sexy romantic suspense, HAUNTED HEART, now available from Etopia Press!!

HAUNTED HEART has received 4.5 stars from Manic Readers!!

And you can win a copy of this sexy novel at The Romance Readers!!

Six Sentence Sunday 7/17/11

2011-07-17T07:34:00.000-05:00

In keeping with the new guidelines, if you want to read more than the six sentences from my newest release HUNTED, click HERE. HUNTED is Book 2 of my Seduced By A Demon series, now available from Evernight Publishing.

She didn’t protest. Instead she licked her lips, her gaze holding his own. He wasn’t sure if the gesture was meant to be seductive or sprang from nervousness, but either way it was damn sexy. Without warning she kissed him, moving her lips over his. They were soft and tasted like cinnamon. His cock strained against the front of his jeans while fireworks exploded inside his head.

Win a copy of HAUNTED HEART at The Romance Reviews!

2011-07-16T06:58:00.000-05:00

Win an e-copy of HAUNTED HEART, my sexy romantic suspense from Etopia Press!!

Visit The Romance Reviews and leave your email for a chance to win. I'm giving away two copies!

Here's a preview:

Rowena Sommers thought moving back home to restore her beloved Aunt’s home was the key to starting over. Van Whitney thought taking the job would keep his business afloat. When a ghost hunter tries to convince Rowena the home is haunted, can these two escape the past and find a future together?

Haunted Heart is first and foremost a romance, but it’s filled with mystery and intrigue as well. This story grew out of my fascination with old homes, especially Victorian homes, and had originally featured a paranormal investigator as the hero. As I began to write it, the idea to have the paranormal investigator be one of the villains intrigued me.

Since Rowena’s immediate goal is the restoration of her Aunt Lunette’s home, I wanted to give her something more to worry about than whether or not she’d sleep with Van, the man she hires to restore it. I thought it would be fun if someone were trying to convince her the home is haunted.

But that still wasn’t enough. I like to make my hero and heroine suffer. There had to be a reason why Trace wanted inside the walls of that home, so Aunt Lunette’s long-dead husband became the key to that answer. He hid something inside the walls that Trace wants. And when Van discovers one of his own crew is involved as well, the stakes become high for him too.

Haunted Heart has plenty of hot sex between Van and Rowena as they rekindle a love that started in high school. The book also features stolen money and stocks hidden behind plaster walls, a circuit interrupter and transmitter, planted to make Rowena think she’s hearing ghostly sounds and witnessing spirits play with the lights in her house, blueprints for a bank robbed in 1928, and a smoking device that gets out of hand one night, while Rowena is alone in the house, asleep.

HUNTED!!!

2011-07-14T21:01:00.003-05:00

All right, here's the contest!! To celebrate the release of HUNTED, my new erotic paranormal romantic suspense novella from Evernight Publishing, I'm giving away two e-copies! And one additional commenter who finds all the answers will win a double-secret prize!

Here's how to play:

*Find the answers to the following questions which can be found in the EXCERPT below

*Leave me a comment with the answers and your email address (so I can send your e-copy if you win!)

It's that easy!!

Here are the QUESTIONS:

1. What is the name of fallen angel who is after Jahi?

2. What is the name of fallen angel who rescues her?

3. What color are Dagon's eyes?

And here is the EXCERPT:

**Jahi had only seen angels once before, the night before they walked her to the gallows in sixteen ninety-two. Scared the shit out of her when the pair appeared in her jail cell and asked if she was ready to face her maker. After she told them exactly how she suspected she’d be judged in Heaven, she sent them away. Jahi knew what she’d been in life, and she knew what she’d be in death.

Why were angels here now, in Louisiana, and why was this creature called Vassago after her?

The second angel clicked his fingers and a pair of dark metal cuffs appeared. Jahi flashed back to three years ago when similar cuffs, courtesy of the demon Mastema, had bound Faina’s wrists. A moan escaped her throat. The sudden thought they might not be angels after all turned her stomach hot with fear.

Once again she tried to move or evaporate, but their magic held her fast. All she could do was watch both creatures struggle over the cuffs, still bellowing words she couldn’t comprehend. Vassago was stronger, and for a few seconds it looked like he’d be the one doing the cuffing. When the second creature had the upper hand once again, Vassago turned to look at her. If she still had blood that ran it would have gone stone cold. Jahi had never seen such hatred on any face, be it human, angel or demon.

The creature holding the cuffs took advantage of the momentary distraction to lunge again. He raised the cuffs and Jahi tensed. Vassago opened his mouth and howled, just before disappearing in a blinding flash of purple.

The one left holding the empty cuffs let out a roar, and fresh fear shot through her. Was he also after her? Her body trembled as he ranted and swung the cuffs around, the metal making hollow, clanking sounds. She dug her nails into her palms, determined not to moan again. She would not show this creature fear.

When he finally stopped she tried again to evaporate but nothing happened.

“Just stay right there. Don’t come any closer.” Her voice shook, betraying the brave words.

The creature shook his head and the handcuffs faded, along with his wings. She watched in disbelief and fascination as his face lost its glow and took on the human form of a yummy male. Chiseled features, gorgeous full mouth, and warm hazel eyes. His hair lost its tight curl and unwound to wavy locks in a style any other contemporary human male might wear. The only thing that gave him away was the color. Jahi had never come across a human with hair the color of an iridescent wheat field on a summer day.

She had a sudden urge to run her fingers through it. Her pussy grew moist and her nipples strained against the fabric of her crop top. An image of her limbs wrapped around this man’s torso filled her mind, and she bit back a sigh.

“I almost had him this time,” he said, holding out a hand. “We’d better get out of here. He might come back.”

Jahi stared at his hand, picturing it stroking her breast as his captivating eyes bored into hers. She forced her gaze to those eyes. “What the hell is going on?”

He laughed, showing straight white teeth. The sound trickled over Jahi like warm water. Getting turned on by an angel wasn’t exactly status quo for a demon, but damn he was gorgeous. What would it be like to make love to him?

“That’s a good one,” he said, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. “What the hell is going on?”

“Right. Look, thanks for chasing away the bad guy for me but I’m outta here.” She tried to move but her limbs were still frozen. Part of her was actually glad. He was so hot her brain cells were melting. Maybe he’d hold her in place with angel magic while he took her, right here on the floor?

A grin that made her clit throb spread over his face. “Sorry, but you’re not going anywhere without me.”

“Who are you?”

“Oh, sorry. Where are my manners?” He bowed, and the gesture was so over-the-top she almost laughed. “Dagon, fallen angel, at your service.”

“Fallen, eh? What did you do? Forget to replace the gold-leaf toilet paper in the bathrooms?”

“Nah, that’s the Seraphim’s job. Mine is to track nasties like our friend Vassago.”

“What is he?”

Dagon frowned. “This is rather embarrassing, especially considering you’re a… at least I think you are.”

“A what?”

“A demon,” he whispered, glancing around with mock concern. “I’m not supposed to say it out loud.”

“Why is it embarrassing?”

“Vassago is a fallen angel, like me. It’s embarrassing to admit to a demon that we have to hunt one of our own.”

Her eyes roamed over his jeans and polo shirt. The clothes fit his muscled body as if they’d been made for him alone. Long legs, trim waist, broad shoulders. He looked like he’d stepped off the streets of any city in the USA. If she hadn’t seen the glow and the wings she’d swear he was merely a freaking hot human male. “You’re not what I expected from an angel. You seem more like a college coed trying to pick up a girl in a bar.”

“Is that an invitation?” His voice was low, sexy, inviting.**

REMEMBER: I'm giving away two e-copies and one commenter will win a special prize!! Good luck, and thanks for playing!!

**CONTEST ENDS AT MIDNIGHT CENTRAL TIME SATURDAY JULY 16TH**

Review for THE LAST SOUL at The Reader's Roundtable After Dark!!

2011-07-12T07:07:00.000-05:00

Four Crowns from The Reader's Roundtable After Dark for THE LAST SOUL!!