More Life...

I was reading TJ's blog and think it must be the week for surgeries. My daughter, too, finally had the surgery to fix her brain aneurysm. It was a two-day procedure, an arterial bypass on Monday and then the embolization on Tuesday. She spent a couple of days in ICU until the nurses pitched her out because she was simply doing too well (ain't that a hoot). She spent the night in a regular room and then the doctors set her free.

We stayed at the hotel last night here on the UCLA campus, just to give her one additional quiet night (and mom too). I'm staring at her in wonder...it's hard to believe that it's finally over and she did so well. She'll have a follow up in 6 months and another in 1 year, but the aneurysm no longer poses any danger to her life. Hurraye!

On the good news front, I just signed the contract for a novella titled The Lady is a Vamp. It'll be out in March of 2009. Under the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas is a dark underworld of vampires and the stalker who stalks them. Their salvation lies in the hands of a most unlikely pair – a professional poker player and the vampire who loves him.

I've been reading quite a bit while watching my daughter sleep and recover. I jumped into a new Nora Roberts and then shook it up with a bit of horror. Ghost Walk, by Brian Keene is a spooky little tale just hankering to get you in the mood for Halloween. So, if you like a little mystical magick with your terror, be sure to try it out. And it's weird how serendipity works. I finished Ghost Walk last night and read the teaser for his upcoming horror novel, Castaways, while watching the season premier of Survivor. Coincidence or...???

As soon as I power down the laptop, I'll be packing the car to head home. However, I'll be in the LA area on Sunday for the West Hollywood Book Fair with Eden Bradley and the Southern California Erotica Writers. So, if you're in the area, stop by and pick up lots of fun swag.

Ericka Scott
www.erickascott.com

Life-type Stuff

Let's see, where to start...? The move to the Seattle area is coming up quickly. I was there running around with my realtor last weekend and saw some really nice houses. As soon as I got back, my daughter had major ankle reconstruction surgery. Poor baby. She's miserably ill from the anesthesia but her attitude is stellar. Our biggest challenge is controlling her pain. She's a high tolerance chick that can't stand to be bedridden, but with twelve weeks of 'no pressure' on her ankle, bed ridden is pretty close to what she'll be.

With lots of life stuff happening I must admit that writing is just not at the top of the pile. Luckily I have a day job and can write when I pretty much feel like it. Part of it is that my Samhain editor is moving on and I was passed to someone else. I've sold on proposal to my Samhain editors before, but my new one doesn't know me. So it's like starting all over again. But no worries. The story I was hoping to sell on proposal will just have to wait - contracted work always takes precedence.

Just got home from the pharmacy - going to try a new medicine and hopefully it won't make my girl so nauseous. If I see her puke one more time, I may just join her!

Oh, and the HOLIDAY HOTTIES contest that we ran last year is coming up again. That contest was a blast! People gots oddles and oddles of stuff and it was such a big hit it's coming to a website near you.

Of course, subscriber to TJ On A Tangent newsletter will get the details first. Then we'll put it out there for everyone else.

Gotta run and check on my kid. See ya'll later!

TJ
www.tjmichaels.comL

Writing & Pictures

The other day Cynthia mentioned that she started a new story. And I agree with her, starting a new story is exciting, but it can also be a frightening thing. Yet, once you get stuck into the story and get the bulk of it done, how do you feel then?

At the moment, I'm at the almost-finishing stages of the first draft I'm working on. All the problems, issues and reveals are about to collide in a rush of action. This is another time when I feel both excited and scared about how it'll all turn out. Do you feel this way at this stage too?

I'm trying not to think about it too much so I can concentrate on getting the story finished. And sitting @ 72k, with my day's words not yet added, I'm looking forward to it.

So, I thought I'd share a few pics for this week...

This is the cover for my upcoming Wicked. I started the editing process for it this week. It's a hot little tale about a woman, a medium and a ghost. ;)

These are the fabulous girls the hubby and I have been spending time with this week. This is my second time, hubby's first. It's still as awesome as the first time around and now I'm itching to see the movie. DVD releases next month. Yay!

And this is one of the pictures I've collected as inspiration for the novel I'm working on at the moment:

This is the cover for my 12 Days of Christmas novella for 2007:

The other day, I received a contract for the sequel. It's called CHRISTMAS CAROL, and this time, Natala and Noel face another dark threat... but they're no longer in Sydney. Nope, they're off to the North Pole.

Whatever you're doing, watching or working on this week - enjoy! :D

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

The new story thrill...

I'm working on a new story--a vampire one. :-) Lately, my stories seem to focus on shifters and demons, so I thought I'd go a bit old school (for me, anyway) and do a vamp tale now.

The first paranormal book that I ever sold was a vampire story, THE VAMPIRE'S KISS. So, since that book was the one to get me a publishing break, I guess you could say I definitely have a soft spot for vampires.

But, back to the new story...I completed my last novel and I'm now free and clear to start a new tale. I haven't plotted this one out yet; instead, I'm going where the characters take me. Whenever I start a new story, I'm both thrilled...and scared as hell.

Thrilled...because, yeah, a new story is always fun. So many possibilities.

Scared as hell...because....seriously, a book? 400+pages? When I stare at the blank page before me and I know that I have to write an entire novel, my stomach knots. I generally try to ignore the knots and after a while, I just forget them entirely. (I haven't reached the "forget them" phase yet with this book!)

Now, when I open a new book that I'm reading (as opposed to the drama I get when I start writing a book), my feelings are completely different. No knotted stomach, just wild anticipation. I can't wait to see where a writer will take me.

What about you? If you're a writer, how do you feel when you stare at that first blank page? And, as a reader, how do you feel when you open a new book? What do you expect?

Cynthia Eden
www.cynthiaeden.com
EVERLASTING BAD BOYS--Available now from Kensington Brava
MIDNIGHT SINS--Available 11/25/08 from Kensington Brava
Believe in monsters. They believe in you.

Kitty Kat Day

Today at the Nature Center in Asheville, North Carolina was a celebration of big cats in North America. Since I am working on a catshifter story that I wrote a couple of years ago and only a couple of hours away from Asheville, I decided to venture out and have a little hands on research.

I'm really glad I did. Not only did I get to grill the staff for little nuggets of information, but my kids enjoyed the entire facility from the Black Bears to the River Otter to the Wolves to the Bobcats and the Cougar.

I probably didn't learn anything I couldn't have found on the internet, but the hands on learning was so much more fun. Besides I spend enough time behind the computer, this was a welcome change.

I ended up with two pages of notes and a handful of new elements that I want to incorporate into my world building. And no telling what else I might get to use if this first book sells and I get to continue with the series.

Some interesting things I learned:



Cougars do not roar. I didn't even think about this. really. They do purr but instead of a roar they emit a banshee like cry that sounds like a woman screaming. I was told it's quite a harrowing noise.

There are no such things (at least documented) as Black Cougars or Black Panthers. The Black Panthers that are commonly referred to are actually jaguars or possibly one of the other non North American variety of cats. There are legends about Black Cougars though and I took a particular interest in that.

A Cougar, Mountain Lion, Puma, Catamount and Panther are all the exact same animal. There are no coloring differences between them or anything. Just depends on what region you are in and what the locals might call them.

So, now i'm off to make some changes to my story and incorporate some of the things I did learn. I plan to wrap this up in a couple of days and then send her out into the world in the hopes of finding a publisher for it.

Have a good one.

Eliza

Whirlwind...

The next few weeks promise to be a whirlwind of activity.

First, we found out at the last minute that my daughter's surgery has been scheduled for Monday. Gulp. I still won't believe it until I call the patient number after two pm today to find out our "show time" on Monday morning...

Progress reports came out from the school. Another big gulp. Neither of my kids are doing well. My daughter has been distracted, to say the least, by her condition. The kindergartner...well, let's just say that even 10 years ago when my daughter went to school she didn't have to know as much as they are expecting from my son. He's delayed in speech and fine motor skills. And like most kids his age, he has 'selective listening'. Grrrr. So, there's a round of teacher conferences to attend.

Then, there's the normal queue of edits and writing to be accomplished in my 'copious' spare time.


But, the high point of my week is that my first M/M romance, Breathless, releases from Cobblestone Press today. Wahoooooo!

Danger and unexpected desire will leave them both breathless.

Unless he can come up with $500,000, Jason Swan will lose his hot air balloon ride company to his ex-wife, a woman he should have never married, especially since he has a penchant for men. Big, virile men like Michael O'Shaunnesy.

Michael O’Shaunnesy is on the run from his ex-lover when his car breaks down in Napa Valley. To escape, he steals Jason’s balloon. Miles above the ground, the two men are beset by danger ... and desire. When disaster strikes, the only way out is down.

You can buy it here!

A Review & An Excerpt

Well, I'm still working on the first draft of my novel. I'm very close to 50k now, and would love to cross it sometime tonight. If I can meet my 4k/day target, then I will be able to do it. I'll see how I go.

So, instead of boring everyone with another recap of my week, I thought I'd share this awesome review I found the other day:

"Are things “cosmically” linked together? If you read Obscure you will not only say yes to that but will have a new mental view of what a Dwarf would look like. Ms. Sfetsos again proves she was a wonderful imagination for creating worlds up there with the best of them (LKH and SK to name a few). I was quickly drawn into the story and rooting for the good guys to win. She is also able to write a very well placed erotic storyline to entice many to look for more characters and stories from her. Obscure is a strong, fast-paced read for the spring."

This is part of the review that Tanya from Joyfully Reviewed gave me for my novella, OBSCURE. Thanks Tanya! What an awesome review, this really put a smile on my face. :D

So, because I absolutely loved this review and OBSCURE is one of the stories that I'm most proud of, I thought I'd share a little excerpt. Oh, and isn't the cover stunning? I love it! I hope you enjoy it...

“Amber—” Among the voices and flashes of random people trying to get her attention, only one stood out from the rest.

“Amber…” It was almost like a whisper caressing her bare arms. A male voice unlike any she’d ever heard before.

“Turn around,” the voice continued.

She looked over her shoulder with a smile. No one would think her gaze was anything more than another pose for the cameras. Yet her eyes scanned the crowd, eager to find the owner of that alluring voice.

Finally, her gaze locked on him.

Time halted. Amber sucked in a deep breath that took too long to reach her lungs. Several strands of hair escaped her elaborate hairstyle to tumble over her forehead and into her left eye, but she could still see him. A bizarre sensation washed over her as the camera flashes around her continued in what seemed like slow motion.

The man, who wore a dark hooded sweatshirt, took a step toward her. The barricade kept him behind the red carpet, but Amber was still compelled to take several steps in his direction.

She slipped her hand out of Justin’s and moved forward, as if in a trance. The brightness of the event dimmed with every step she took toward the compelling stranger. Amber had never experienced such a strong pull toward a fan.

“I wish to give you this,” the man said when she stood close enough. He held his cupped palms in front of her face.

Shadows crept around them. She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye, but it was gone by the time she turned to look in that direction. The red carpet event faded a little more with each passing second.

“Focus only on me,” the stranger in the hood ordered.

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

My week in review

Yes, i'm borrowing Yolanda's topic because I haven't thought of anything brilliant to say. lol

It's been a busy but interesting week. Since I finished writing Pentacles of Magick: The Revealing three weeks ago, I haven't felt much like starting a new book. For the first time in over a year I do not have a deadline. At least not one set by my publisher. I can work on whatever I want on whatever schedule I choose. So I have decided to devote the month of September to finishing up two stories I either wrote or started a very long time ago but never finished.

The first is a cat shifter, titled Shadows Within, that I finished about two years ago but decided to put it away for a while and move on to something else. I have finished the revisions on it and its a nice solid 36k Novella. I'm fixing up the synopsis and the blurb tonight and plan to send it out to publishers next week and see what happens. *crosses fingers*

Next up is my faery urban fantasy , titled A Warrior's Choice. This one isn't first draft done. I'm at about 35K with a target of 50K. It's been a while since I have written faeries and I miss them. I have had a lot of dreams about this book lately so I am looking forward to getting back to it. Unfortunately this month is racing by and I better pick up the face. Because I have lots of ideas for new projects. A fallen faery godmother trilogy, my savannah vampire series, a contemporary BDSM short, another m/m, and even a halloween story for next year.

I've also been working on edits for my November Cobblestone release, Her Surrender. This is a contemporary BDSM story that I think is one of the most emotional pieces I have written.

And last but not least I am working on the DAMM blog for October. This is my annual D.emons A.nd M.agick M.ixer (DAMM) party on my myspace blog. A month long celebration of things that go bump in the night with author interviews, free reads, food recipes, drink recipes, music and contests and prizes. I decorate the blog and myspace for the event and well, we just have a whole lot of fun. It starts October 1st and will be at http://www.myspace.com/elizagayle

Mastering the Muse

Some writers have them and some don’t.

To my dismay, I have one. She’s everything I’m not. Skinny, outgoing, funny, and she looks stunning in a bikini. She has her faults though. A fickle and demanding creature, she shows up at the most inconvenient times -- the middle of the night, in the shower, or when I’m so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. That’s when she starts spouting off ideas and scenes faster than I can write them down.



Does she show up when I’ve got tons of time on my hands and the freedom to write? Nope. Those are the days that she’s off on a tropical island drinking daiquiris decorated with tiny paper umbrellas. So, there I sit staring at the blinking cursor on my monitor, or worse, playing Freecell as though I’m getting paid for it.

Early in my writing career, I tried to control my muse. I kept her on a tight leash and did my own demanding. The words dried up. It was worse than writer’s block. As a result, I stopped writing and ignored the enthusiastic murmurings of my muse when she deigned to show up. Luckily for me, she didn’t give up on me as easily as I gave up on her. These days, I realize that, like me, she can’t be “on” every hour of every day. She and I came to a compromise, she can flit off to the beach when she needs to and I’ll muddle through until her return.

Sex as Taboo - Smart or No?

When I was growing up there was the old adage that 'Good girls don't...until they get married.' And while I believe that abstinence among young girls is a good thing, now that I'm older I'm not so sure that it's a natural thing. My mom's well-meant attempts to keep me pure and untouched just made me more curious about sex. In the end, I was one of those women who felt guilty about enjoying sex with my husband because I'd always been taught that it was such a bad thing...

What wasn't explained was 'why' sex was supposedly such a terrible and dastardly deed before the 'I-do's' were exchanged. And it led to all kinds of problems.

So with my kids, I answer all their questions about sex and assure them that sex is a normal, natural thing that can be freaking fantastic (especially if your partner really knows that they're doing)!

But I also explain why it's not a good idea for them to have sex now. First off, there are too many cooties out there these days, some of them are incurable while others can lead to AIDS, herpes and cervical cancer. Then there's always the real possibility of an unwanted pregnancy which affects both sexes.

Attempting to hide sex from children (I'm talking pre-teens and up, who are mature enough to deal with it) just isn't smart. It either makes them super curious and wonder what all the mystery is about, or it makes 'em scared so that even after they've met the person they want to spend their life with, they will not be comfortable with their sexuality.

So, the bottom line is - SEX IS NOT TABOO IN MY HOUSE.

What was it like in your house growing up? Taboo or not?

What I'm doing this week...

Well, this is a pic of where I write. Yep, it's a corner of the couch in the living room. Actually, it's the couch situated in front of the sliding door (we have two) that leads out to the balcony. I have the blinds completely open during the day because Loki (my kitty) loves to sit in the sun while he looks outside and watches the world. :)

Anyway, several months ago, I decided to give up my desk. It was in our bedroom and pretty much became a dumping ground for notebooks and scrap pieces of paper. I never sat there to do any actual writing. Since my fave place to write is the lappy, I can sit wherever I want. But this little corner is my favourite. It's where I sit down for several hours at a time and let my imagination and fingers work away at a crazy pace.

Last week, I started writing a new novel. It's a new urban fantasy that's been hounding my brain for a while now. So, when I sit in my little corner of the living room, while my daughter's at school and hubby at work, I'm deep into this new world. I really like the main character. She's going to go through some pretty heavy changes as the series progresses. Yeah, I already know I want it to be a series. I couldn't possibly spend only one novel with these characters, there has to be more! ;)

At the moment, I've passed the 32k mark. I'm hoping to get the first draft written by the end of this month... because, that's when my daughter gets another lot of school holidays. That's what happens when they split them up throughout the year. Lol.

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Promotions--The Other Side of Writing

When I first began seriously writing, I was completely focused on the craft. I thought my job was to write a book, find a publisher, sell the book, and, um, live happily ever after.

After I sold my first book, I realized I was missing one very large piece of the writing picture: promotions.

Because it isn't just about writing a book--for a writer, a big part of this business is promotions. When I was talking with my husband the other day, he told me that promoting a book could be a full-time job, and the man was right. There are so many things that a writer could do to a promote a book that the promotion itself could become a full-time job. That's why writers have to be very careful. After all, you don't want to spend so much time promoting that you lose your writing time. And the writing time, that's the important time.

So, I've tried to prioritize my promotions. I'm still learning, still experimenting as I try to find the promo options that work--and the ones that don't. Over the last week, I've bundled over 8,000 bookmarks together. I'll be sending these bookmarks out to bookstores (via the RT Bookstores That Care program) and hoping the distribution will help with my next release. Only time will tell if this works...but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

As a reader, I love getting bookmarks. I love seeing ads for books in RT or the RWR. These items help to stir my curiosity and lead me to an author's website (where I try to find out more info about the books I might want). Ah...the website. Another vital promotional tool.

But, I'm curious...for the other authors out there, what promotional opportunities do you explore? And for the readers--what makes you buy a new book?

Sneak Peek Excerpt of Forget Me Not by Ericka Scott

Here's a sneak peek into my newest release, coming from Total E-bound on Monday, September 8th!

Forget Me Not by Ericka Scott

Excerpt:

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times. Ghosts are selfish.

I should know—I’ve been seeing them since a chunk of concrete tried to turn me into one on 9/11. Since then, numerous spirits have visited me, each one of them wanting me to take a message to a loved one, give comfort to a grieving family member or exact revenge on their killers.


But the one ghost I wanted to see never appeared.
Even now, I couldn’t have a solitary birthday celebration without a revenant interrupting. Thank God for cell phones, for I can now talk to the spirits without appearing like some crazy woman who talks to herself.

I flipped open my pink Razr and glared at the ghost sitting across from me. “Go away,” I demanded in a low voice.

The woman’s smile wavered, but she made no move to vacate the seat. My goodness, I could have been looking at my twin sister. Her hair was worn in a short, straightened bob the way Aaron had insisted I wear mine. Since his death, I’d just let it go back to its normal curly state. The resemblance was uncanny, although I noted our eyes were different colours. Hers were large and hazel, mine were as black as my hair. The only thing that marred her perfect café au lait complexion was the bullet hole in the middle of her forehead.

“I don’t have time for this conversation right now. I’m here to enjoy dinner and celebrate my birthday. Come back tomorrow, I’ll talk to you then.”

The woman’s eyes filled up with tears, but she did finally disappear. I suspected she hadn’t gone far.

Alone at last. I took a sip of my wine and looked up at the stars sparkling through the canopy of grapevines. Napa Valley was beautiful any time of the year, but I loved it most in the fall when the vines were fragrant and heavy with fruit.
It reminded me of the night Aaron first brought me here. Blinded by a sudden wash of tears, I fumbled for my wine glass, hoping no one noticed my distress.

“Hello, I hope I’m not interrupting?”

I shook my head, not trusting my voice to be able to push past the lump of emotion in my throat.

The man slid into the seat across from me. He was six feet of pure muscle and sex appeal in a pair of dark blue jeans and a white shirt. His blond hair was cut short and the ends tipped with gold, either from the sun or a very good stylist. When he flashed me a hundred-watt smile that reached right up to his sparkling brown eyes, I felt a flicker of something deep in my belly. Whoa, what was that? Desire? Nah… After my accident, that part of me had died. Hadn’t it?

“This is going to sound really strange,” the man began.

Hey, that was my line! The one I use when knocking on some strange woman’s door to tell her to look for her father’s will in the fake spinach package in the back of the freezer, or to tell a man that his wife hid their stock certificates in with her beloved Manolos. I looked up at him with interest.

The man’s smile had dropped to about forty watts, and he looked uncomfortable in his skin. Oh shit. I gave him a subtle nod to encourage him to go on, although there was a heavy weight pressing down on me and I could hardly take a full breath.

“I have a message from Aaron.”

No, this was not happening. I leaned across the table, hoping that my voice was as venomous as I felt. “Listen, I see ghosts too, all the time. I can assure you, if Aaron needed to get me a message, he could do it himself.”

With as much dignity as I could muster, I ripped my napkin off my lap and threw it onto the table. I stood up too fast and my chair clattered to the floor. Heads turned my way, and I could feel heat infuse my face. So much for a quiet dinner.
My heart was pounding in my ears, but as I whirled away, the man’s voice chased me.

“Do you remember the first time we came here?”

My fleeing steps faltered, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Oh Aaron. My heart had never quite stopped hurting since he died, and now I thought it was going to break all over again. I walked and then ran until I got to my cottage. I slammed the door shut and leaned against it, my ragged breathing sounding loud in the quiet room.
For once I was annoyed there wasn’t a television in the cottage. I couldn’t turn on some mindless sitcom and let the drone of conversation drown out the man’s voice echoing in my head.

The first time we came here.

We? Had he been channelling Aaron? I thought back. Of course I remembered when. It was in late September 2001, after my ill-fated trip to New York. Aaron had brought me here to rest and recuperate, to hopefully regain the memories I had lost. But alas, my mind had been wiped clean on 9/11. Since then, I had given up any hope of regaining any recollection of my past. Despite that, just being here again caused something to tease the edges of my mind. I closed my eyes and sighed. As before, no matter how hard I tried, the only thing I felt was a deep sense of loss.

There was a soft knock, and a voice called, “Ms. Davies?”

I sighed, thinking it was the management coming to make sure I hadn’t gone off the deep end.

Imagine my surprise when I saw who it was. Him…again.

“I’m really sorry to disturb you.”

My first reaction was to slam the door in his face, but something odd happened to my body. Warmth suffused me from head to toe, my breasts tingled and desire coiled deep in my womb. It took all my restraint not to drag him inside and jump him. As my gaze travelled down his lean frame, I could picture the smattering of hair across his perfect chest, the gold nipple ring he wore on the left side, the barbed-wire tattoo on his right biceps and the treasure trail that led to a thick, gorgeous cock. Oh my! What sort of spell had he cast over me? Or had I suddenly developed x-ray vision?

“Hello, Letitia, how have you been?” His voice seemed to reach out and envelop me in comfort, giving credence to my suspicion that he was nothing but a con man. Or was he a charlatan medium who could accurately read his audience? If so, he must know I had reservations not only about his talents but also his motives.

“Who are you and how did you know my name?”

“Could I please come in?”

My common sense was screaming for me to shut the door in his face and lock it. My traitorous body was urging me to bring him inside and get him naked as fast as I could.

I only hesitated for a second before I opened the door wider and motioned him in. He strode inside and then stood in the middle of the cottage, his attention focused on the chair beside the fireplace. The one where Aaron always sat.

Stop it. Aaron isn’t—
“Letitia, I just need to know if you remember.”

“Remember?” I snapped. “Remember what? The first time I came here? Well, I can tell you that. My husband Aaron brought me here.”

“So you do remember?” His face was a picture of puzzlement.

I snorted. This man was no more a medium than I was normal. “Yes, I’m not going to play games with you. It was 2001, right after the accident. Aaron brought me here from New York to recuperate and to try to help me regain my memory.”

“Oh, honey.” The man’s voice was ragged with an unknown emotion. “The first time you were here wasn’t after your accident.”

“What?” Okay, now he had me curious. Thinking back, I did remember the sense of déjà vu that had plagued me, along with a terrible sense of loss. I associated the feelings to my amnesia and the constant barrage of spirit requests. Now I wasn’t so sure.

“You were here with me.” The man’s brown eyes bored into mine.

I backed up a step. “What did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t. I was hoping you remembered it.”

I shook my head. “Sorry, I don’t.”

“Perhaps this will help.”

Before I could react, he’d pulled me into his arms and pressed his lips against mine. Desire rushed south and settled in my throbbing pussy. I couldn’t have pushed him away even if I had wanted to.

His mouth captured mine and stole my breath while his tongue danced over the seam of my lips. It was only natural to open to him. I couldn’t stop the soft sigh from escaping me as he delved deeper. Our tongues tangled in a carnal dance while his hands slid up and down my torso. My breasts ached for his touch, but he only caressed my sides, and I got the idea he was waiting for a sign from me.

I had no intention of giving him permission for anything more than a kiss. I stepped back. My body pulsed with need. It was either ask him to leave now or…

Skimming my hands down my sides, I tugged on my shirt and pulled it off over my head. I heard his breath catch. He stood looking at me, his brown eyes nearly black with desire. I reached between the cups of the functional and not-the-least-bit-sexy bra and snapped open the clasp.

He moaned as my breasts spilled free.

I wanted to say so much. Tell him I didn’t go around baring my body for strangers. But all thoughts faded when he leaned over, wrapped his arms around me and lowered his head to my left nipple. The play of his lips and teeth across the sensitive peak had me sighing with need and pleasure. Longing throbbed between my legs, and I was assailed by sensations I hadn’t felt for years. In fact, I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt them before.

He began to slide my skirt to the floor. I grabbed at his hands to stop him but I was too late. The fabric was already in a puddle at my feet. His mouth had left my breasts and was now trailing hot, wicked kisses down my belly. Thank God I wasn’t wearing granny panties. However I don’t think it would have mattered, for the scrap of black lace soon joined the pile of discarded clothing.

***********

Have a great weekend!

Ericka

Happy Freaking Thursday!

The first review for Hatsept Heat hit my mailbox yesterday and I'm FREAKING STOKED!!! Okay, repeat after me, "We love Fallen Angel Reviews...We love Fallen Angel Reviews..." Now just say that until you're walking around in a daze like I am.

Nothing makes your day like a FIVE ANGEL review!

Here's some of the review and the link to Fallen Angel Reviews where you can read the whole thing. And to purchase Hatsept Heat, click here ;D And as always, feel free to visit my site at www.tjmichaels.com - YAY!



"T.J. Michaels is back again with her exciting third installment in the Vampire Council of Ethics series. Although, this book can be read independently, I would suggest reading the previous two novels in order to gain a better understanding of the historical events mentioned in Hatsept Heat. I was very impressed by how Ms. Michaels was able to insert just the right amount of vulnerability into Shinju’s personality but, didn’t allow it to become overbearing or allow it to take away from the storyline. Kenoe was a true alpha male who was used to having his way without being questioned or denied, however, he learned the hard way that Shinju wasn’t going to fall in line just because he told her to do so. Without a doubt I knew that Kenoe had everlasting love for Shinju and he was willing to protect her at all costs, regardless of the outcome of his actions. And, on the flip side, Shinju was equally determined to fight her own battles. As you can imagine with two very determined, headstrong characters, Kenoe and Shinju’s sexual escapades were hot, hot, hot! I just couldn’t get enough of this couple. I simply had to keep reading until I discovered just how everything was going to pan out. Readers, you will not be disappointed with this thrilling, mysterious, super-hot plot. Hats off to Ms. Michaels for writing yet another spectacular novel!"

Woot!

2 New Releases & Tagged!

How's everyone feeling today? I'm pretty excited because here in Australia, we're very close to ditching winter to welcome spring. I say close because I know it'll go up and down for most of the month, but we've had some lovely, sunny days this week. :)

So, at the end of this week I have two new releases. Yay! They've both got a paranormal slant, but one is about a 'phantom' and the other about a vampire. :) But I'm excited about BOTH of them.

Tess Harrison tagged me the other day, so I thought I'd post my results here.

The rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. List 6 unspectacular quirks you have.
4. Tag 6 bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each person’s blog to let them know they’ve been tagged.

Six Unspectacular Quirks About Me:

1. I don't like getting flowers, I never did. I mean, I think flowers are awesome, but they belong in their natural habitat, not in my home dying. (I particularly love sunflowers)

2. I'm a fan of vegies, but can't stand celery. Yuck!

3. I have a little bit of an OCD situation -- have to do things a certain way, at a certain time or the universe will collapse on itself. ;)

4. If I'm walking down the street and I see a kitty-cat, I can't help but stop to say Hi and pat their little heads.

5. I carry my 2GB USB memory stick with me everywhere I go. I can't leave home without it. I freak out if it's not in my pocket.

6. I don't particularly like red meat much, but I eat it because I know that I need it.

I'm supposed to tag six people, so I'd like to tag my fellow Divas. So, if you'd like to take part, go ahead. If not, that's fine too. But make sure you all have a great week!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/