Divas of the Dark

Like a Diva with her bum on fire

2009-06-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've been doing alot of writing lately. I just had my second book, Latharian Heat, released from Ellora's Cave last month, have a paranormal contemporary submission with Total EBound, and am working on an erotic paranormal historical called 7 Days, 7 Nights for Absoute X Press. Also I'm working on my erotic western series, which as of now will be six books (there could be more) and a new historical idea about a Viking werewolf.

I'm also preparing my fantasy book, The King's Sword, for submission and am rewriting my novel Heart of the Storm and my Redleigh Series books. Heart of the Storm will be submitted to a print publisher this year and I hope to submit my Redleigh Series to a publisher this year as well. (I do have one in mind)

So the writing is going well. Thank Goodness! I went through a dry couple of months with my grandparents being ill where I was too depressed or worried about them to write a solitary word. - They are both at home now, for those who know about how ill they've been. Thank you to everyone who sent emails of encouragement and prayers.

My latest news though...I got a new puppy! I found him in the middle of the road where someone had ditched him. He's a three month old, 30lbs Dalmation mix. We call him Doc.

He's a very sweet dog and Poco LOVES him. They play all the time and it's good for Poco too. We joke that it's more her puppy than ours.

Marshall Dillion of course wants nothing to do with the pup just as he was with Poco when we first got her. But I've noticed he's already warming up to him by letting him lay down beside him.

My current pets: Miss Kitty, AmberKat, and Zed, and three dogs: Marshall, Poco, and Doc. My sister has two Boston Terriers and plans to have puppies next year. I already told her I want one when they get there.

I think we're gonna need a bigger boat.

-Sable

Fare Thee Well...

2009-04-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

2008 was a terrific year and 2009 has started off with a bigger bang than I'd expected so I, like Yolanda, find myself needing more time. This will be my last post here at Divas of the Dark. I've loved being a Diva, but it's time to head back to my writing cave. If you get a chance, I'd love it if you'd drop by to see me occasionally at Seductive Suspense, my blog. I'm also on myspace, so come friend me!

Till then...

Ericka Scott

waving

2009-04-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

So, how is everyone today? Great, I hope!

I've been pretty busy with real life, writing, revising, and doing a lot of YA reading. It's a lot of fun to have hubby back to working human hours, too. We've even managed to get into the swing of working out regularly.

You might be wondering about the title of my post. Or maybe you're not. ;) Either way, this will be my last post over here. I have decided to leave the Divas of the Dark blog. There are several reasons... the biggest one being, time. I think we've all got that in common, always trying to find more hours and even minutes wherever we can.

I've had a fun time posting here every Wednesday.

I wish all my fellow Divas all the best in everything, and hope that we stay in touch.

I also want to thank the readers who popped in and left comments. I hope you stay in touch too.

You can still visit me at my blog and even at LJ. Or pop into my website.

Bye!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

I'm in Print!

2009-04-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

Individually designed with blood and delivered with desperate hope for truth, the Vampire Oracle Cards guide the lives of five unforgettable immortals by catapulting them into a quest for love.

The fate of a vampire’s heart…

Accept a fate woven by another or fight it and miss out on the love of a lifetime...

Get your copy today!

Earth Hour

2009-03-25T14:26:00.001-07:00

This Saturday - 28 March - at 8:30PM, we will be taking part in Earth Hour.

Earth Hour is something that started in Sydney two years ago. During 8:30-9:30PM, we all switch off our lights. Actually, during the whole hour you don't switch on anything - no computer, stereo, TV, lights. It's a wonderful experience, and I love to look out the window and see total darkness around us. It almost feels like a blackout, but one created by choice.

It's amazing just how much energy can be saved by taking part in this event. And this year, it's going to be huge, because according to their website they're hoping that 1 billion people will take part all around the world.

This is such a fantastic and easy thing to do for our planet, so why not take part? All it takes is a little darkness and silence. Some time with your loved ones, to connect, catch up, or just sit down and think about giving back a little to a planet that gives us so much.

I think that sometimes we tend to forget that.

So... will you be taking part this year? I hope you do.

If you'd like some more information, you can go HERE. Or just click on one of the pics to get you to the website with everything you need to know. :)

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

That Writing Life...

2009-03-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes being an author is like riding a roller coaster. Thrills, chills, climbs, drops, and that horrible line you have to wait in to even get on the ride.

Lately, I seem to be waiting in line. Just six months ago, I was moaning about not having time to write...then one of my boys went to kindergarten and the other to preschool a couple of days a week. Silly me. I thought I would have hours of writing in the mornings and then snatching a bit of time to write or exercise in the afternoons. Well, what I didn't count on was that because they were getting older, they no longer need that nap in the afternoons! Did you hear the screech as my happy-go-lucky soundtrack came to a halt? Yep. I'm lucky to squeeze in four hours of writing a week where I used to enjoy six to eight. Plus, now that they don't sleep in the afternoons, I'm dead tired by the time they go to bed...so I spend my evenings in a foggy haze wishing I, too, could go to bed.

The only plus is that by this time next year, BOTH boys will be in kindergarten (one will be repeating) and I will have 4.5 hours A DAY without anyone here but me, the cat, and the dog (for whom I am his personal slave, don'cha know?). So, I feel like I'm just "waiting" in line for my time to come..

I am, however, able to do other things. I'm able to read a bit more (it's easier to put someone else's story down in the middle of an action scene). I can also edit (not my own work, but other's) while the TV is blaring and kids are shouting.

I envy women who can write a sentence or two between letting the dog out, getting snacks for the kids, making dinner, and...and...and... me, I have to have silence so that I can hear the voices in my head.

What about you? Can you write in bedlam? Or do you need peace and quiet? How do you write with kids underfoot? I know, I could just wait. But the anticipation of having time to write is killing me....

Have any ideas for me? Good time management tips? Anything???

Thanks!

Ericka

Bits & Pieces

2009-03-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

Firstly, I'd like to let you know that I'm taking part in the Fool For Romance Contest sponsored by Crystal-Rain Love. She's a fellow upcoming ImaJinn Books author and this contest sounds like a lot of fun. There are a bunch of prizes to be won from a whole lot of different authors. It's open until the end of the month, so if you take part, good luck!

I'm not sure if you've all heard the news yet, but Forbidden Publications will be closing at the end of the month. I know, it's really sad to hear that the reason is because of Rene's health. Rene's been great to work with and I'll miss FP, but I wish her all the best in the future and hope that she's able to get her health back on track.

That means that I'll have 7 homeless stories by the end of March - 4 already published and 3 contracted. The good news is that one of the contracted-but-not-published stories has been contracted by Tease Publishing. So, FOREVER THOR'S will be available as part of their Pantheon line sometime this year. :) Yay!

Not sure what I'll do with the others, but I think a few of them should be able to find new homes. At least, I hope they do. Lol.

Well, real life has offered a bunch of changes lately too. Hubby's work schedule has changed and we're back to early starts and home by mid-afternoon. I love it! It's so much better than the all day/night shift we've been living through the last year. I'm more productive when I get a chance to do writing-related stuff before my daughter wakes up and while she's at school.

This'll really help with the novel revision I'm currently working on. I've passed the halfway point and would love to get it done by the end of the month... which happens to be next week, doesn't it?

Well, I just thought I'd list a few things that have been going on in my life. I hope you all have a great day!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

New Release Countdown!

2009-03-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

I'm counting down the days to my next release. Just over two weeks to go, and IMMORTAL DANGER will be on store shelves--and this makes me both incredibly excited and really, really nervous!!

I'm returning to my vampire roots with this book. The very first book I ever sold was a vampire story, but after that, I began writing about shapeshifters. :-) Well, this book combines my two paranormal loves--after all, I figure there is room for the vamps and the shifters.

Here's the blurb for IMMORTAL DANGER:

BEING BULLET PROOF SUCKS—LITERALLY

Once, Maya Black was a kick-ass cop patrolling the streets of L.A. She still keeps the city safe, but nowadays her bad guys of choice include demons, werewolves, and assorted nocturnal scum. Something Maya knows a thing or two about. She’s a vampire—and not thrilled about it. Payback meet bitch.

Adam Brody hopes Maya is as dangerous as they say she is. He needs her to help rescue his niece Cammie from a ruthless band of vamps, and he’s willing to pay—in blood. Trusting her is another matter. Adam has never met a vampire who doesn’t lie. Then again, he’s never met anyone like Maya, who fills him with a desperate need that ignites into explosive, no-holds-barred encounters…

***

So, I'm curious...do you have a favorite when it comes to paranormal creatures?

Friday the 13th

2009-03-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Well...it's the second Friday the 13th in a row. How exciting!

I've never been superstitious, in fact, 13 is one of my favorite numbers and I adore black cats.

But we have our own Friday the 13th tradition. Scary movies. We rent out one or two, pop a tub of popcorn, and sit back and enjoy.

My favorites are ghost stories...An American Haunting, The House on Haunted Hill, The Haunting, and my all-time favorite, What Lies Beneath.

My daughter likes the cling-to-your-seat horrors...One Missed Call, Mirrors, The Ring, and The Grudge.

We no longer send my husband out for the "horror" videos, as he tends to come home with blow-em' up type movies -- Pitch Black, The Bourne Series, and anything with Vin Deisel (not that I'm complaining, I'd look at Vin day and night without blinking, but they aren't "horror")

So, for tonight, we're going to pick a movie done by the King of Horror. Stephen King. 1408. I'm rather on the fence about this movie. Many of the movies made out of his books just don't live up to the true horror of his words. However, I did enjoy Rose Red. However, the only words to describe Kingdom Hospital was puzzling and bizarre. I have high hopes for this one...the previews made us all go "oh!".

So...are you superstitious about the 13th or do you laugh in the face of things that could go wrong? Or do you, like us, hole up and watch scary movies?

Sealed with a little excerpt

2009-03-11T01:11:00.000-07:00

This week, I'd like to share an excerpt of my latest eBook release. I hope you enjoy it!

Here it is...

She released a breath in hopes of sounding calm. “Being chased and dragged into a dirty, dark stairwell is not cozy. Where the hell do you come from, that you’d think such a thing?”

He released her with a jerk.

When she turned to face him, she instantly noticed the flash of red inside his iris. It disappeared, flicking back to blue in an instant, but she’d seen it. Tamara knew what he was, and he definitely wasn’t human. Not that she’d spent much time around humans anyway, unless it involved random passionate encounters to soothe away the ache of desire. Before the warlocks had taken her five years ago, she’d been surrounded by witches. Her heart ached at the thought. Did her coven still look for her, or had they cut their losses and now pretended she’d never existed? They’d always held a degree of shame towards her.

She took a step back, releasing the strained thoughts. “You get the hell away from me, you hear me!”

The man lifted both his palms out in front of him. “Relax. I’m not here to hurt you.”

She stepped back into the door.

He rolled his eyes and took a step forward. “I just saved you from those warlocks, didn’t I? Why would I do that if my intention is to hurt you?”

“But you’re a—”

“Yeah, I’m of the demonic kind, so what?” He crossed his arms over his chest. The bulging biceps and triceps caught her attention. Even in the dim light around them inside this shabby doorway, she could make out every alluring detail about this tall man. His broad shoulders strained against the black T-shirt wrapped around his torso. His angular face shadowed by a sprinkle of dark stubble ended in a perfect jaw. The dark hair was mussed and longish with red highlights.

She tried not to think about how soft it felt when it had tickled her cheek. Stop it, she thought. He’s a demon. He can take on any guise he wants. But deep down inside, they’re all the same—ugly and deranged, with horns, a tail and leathery skin. She’d seen it enough times. It wasn’t fantasy. While other children had feared fictional monsters on TV, she’d been forced to learn about the real ones—demons.

Her spine sizzled with a spark of energy, tracing around the circular source of magic beneath her top. The buzz singed her skin, and she squirmed uncomfortably. It was his power reacting to hers. Either from his arrogance or frustration, maybe even anger. But it felt like a surge of heat that filled the space between them in seconds, almost suffocating.

She wanted to go to him, but resisted.

You can read more about SEALED WITH A DEMON'S KISS here.

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Song of Seduction

2009-03-06T17:33:00.000-08:00

Can she save him from the siren's call?

I have a new release this week from Cobblestone Press! The title is Song of Seduction (hence the post title) and if I must say so myself, it's hot, hot, hot!

There's an island in the Pacific where tropical flowers bloom, birds chirp, and deadly sirens sing. It's an island that charter boat captain, Yoshiko Moto, wishes she could forget. Two years ago, the entire crew of The Orpheus was lost. Visions of their dead bodies haunt her dreams.

Now, a research crew has hired her to take them to the island to catch a siren. But she knows no man can resist the creatures' deadly charms. But the trip leads to more than danger, it leads to love. Can she save Nico Eliopoulos from the spell of the sirens?

**************

My flirtation with the sea has existed for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a marine biologist...the sea called to me and I listened (even though I lived in Illinois!). Unfortunately, by the time I grew up and had the opportunity, I couldn't afford the tuition to go to the University of Florida. Sigh. Instead, I took a degree in biology at the University of Illinois. Luckily, I did manage to sneak in one marine biology class.

Now, I live in the high desert of California, where we are about 2 hours from the mountains and 2 hours from the ocean! We try to go beach camping every year, and last year, I looked out at the sun setting on the horizon and Song of Seduction was born.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Ericka Scott

Body Image - Curves are the new skinny?

2009-03-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

I put up this post on my personal blog yesterday about body image and thought I would share it here.

These women are only part of the reason that curves are 'In'. But I wonder what caused the transition from "stick is it" to "curves galore"?

But here are two women who command the red carpet when they walk down it - Beyonce and Shakira. Others are Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry and Gabrielle Union. I used to include Angelina Jolie in that category but for some reason she's almost down to twig size. Now is anything wrong with being really thin? Nope. But for a good long while the media made those of us with curves feel as if we were big fat unattractive blobs who should be running to Weight Watchers to get rid of our hips.

And what really gets me is that when someone else (Hollywood? TV? Who?) decided that hips were in, suddenly folks were running to the butt surgeon to have fat pumped into everything from the lips to their backsides. I for one don't allow anyone to label me or tell me how I should look, act or feel. They can all kiss my big 'ole...well, you know ;D

My grandma used to say, "Baby, as long as you're living in the beautiful skin of yours, that booty ain't going nowhere." And the woman was right, thank the stars. Those words stuck with me while I was growing up and because of my gran-gran, I learned a long time ago to accept my hips, my lips and all the rest as perfect. Besides, I could slim down to "knock me over by the next stiff breeze" proportions and my ass would still be the biggest thing on my body! Everything on me is where it's supposed to be (even if it's beginning to head South now ;D).

Watch this video and tell me what you think. Hips don't lie and these women look FABULOUS, big booties and all! (Ignore the commercial. Damned Yahoo.)

Beyonce and Shakira Dancing Together
Click HERE if you can't see the embedded video

Sealed with a Demon's Kiss

2009-03-04T00:14:00.001-08:00

The warlocks need Tamara’s power to conjure and bind a demon.

Tyler is the demon sent to protect her… but what are his true intentions?

Is it just me, or is it starting to feel like I've been blogging about new releases every week? Lol. Don't worry, after this one, I don't have any set dates for my upcoming eBooks. :)

SEALED WITH A DEMON'S KISS is the story of Tamara and Tyler. It's a dangerous story in a world where witches, warlocks and demons co-exist with the humans.

Tamara's need to stay alive and away from the clutches of the warlocks who want to use her power, drives the beginning of the story - which then evolves into an unexpected love story.

I'm extremely proud of how this story turned out. It was fun, freaky, dangerous, fast-paced, filled with suspicion, sensual... there was a bit of everything. And when I edited this story, my editor - waving to Lana - helped me make it so much deeper and stronger that my love for these characters and their world deepened. So much that I've been toying with writing another tale in this world.

Anyway, isn't this cover beautiful? It was made by Cris Griffin. It's one of those cover that I just can't stop looking at. I was amazed at just how well she portrayed Tamara and Tyler. They're exactly how I imagined them. I *love* the cover. It's stunning!

If you're interested in checking out this witchy tale of mine, it'll be available from Cobblestone Press this Friday. :D

Have a great week!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

What if...

2009-03-03T07:24:00.000-08:00

...the hero of your fave romance novel came to life?

That's one of my favorite themes to explore in my writing. I have written a few books about fictional characters coming to life. But in my latest release, Wicked Beast(Aphrodisia), it's given an interesting twist.

The premise of the story was the product of a casual conversation between some friends who happen to be not just book enthusiasts but book fanatics. They were discussing the heroes of various novels when the topic of whether they would want to be married to their fave characters was raised. Interestingly enough, all my friends were in agreement--the qualities that made a romance novel’s hero so appealing would also make him extremely difficult to live with in the real world.

The seed of an idea was planted in my mind.

What if a woman was faced with her secret ideal, a man who couldn’t possibly exist in real life? But also a man who represented something she was absolutely petrified of? Would the darkly sensual, powerful, alpha man of her dreams turn into the monster of her nightmares when he stepped out of her fantasies?

Wicked Beast is the story of Cailey’s journey into the erotic world she’s created in her imagination, where man and beast share one glorious body, and her deepest fears force her from the safe world she’s known. A woman who is cat-phobic facing a man who shifts into a lion.

TAKE ME. TEMPT ME. TAME ME.

Cailey Holm is definitely not a cat person--in fact, she's terrified of felines in al forms. Creating a sexy were-lion as the hero of her latest erotic romance was supposed to help her overcome that fear, but suddenly the tall, dangerous, domineering alpha-cat of her darkest dreams is standing in her living room--and then carrying her back to his world, demanding to explore her most erotic fantasies...

Set free from Cailey's story, Lander Cornelius, King of the Werekin, now has a mind of his own--not to mention a magnificent, muscular body specially designed to make his mistress ache with desire. At first Lander's only motive is to protect his people by controlling Cailey's magic. But now, he intends to bring them both to the peak of ultimate ecstasy, showing her the intense pleasure of total submission, and unleashing a pure, animal passion that has no limits except in their wildest imaginations...

Now, I ask, what sort of fictional character would turn your life upside down? If a hero from a romance novel could come to life for you, do you have any fears or issues that would make a certain kind of character hard to deal with in real life?

Tawny

Bite Me

2009-03-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

I love vampires. I think I had my first vamp crush when I saw the old Dark Shadows show years ago. Since then, I've read hundreds of vampire books, watched way too many vampire movies--and I still love the undead master of the night.

Why? Well, here's my 5 reasons to love a vampire:

1. Immortality, baby. Young and handsome--forever. How can you not love that?

2. Strong = sexy. And vamps are very, very strong.

3. Spike. Yes, he is one of my continuing reasons for enjoying vampires.

4. I love the nightlife. :-)

5. Vamps make for some really kick-ass heroines and heroes.

What about you? Do you enjoy the vampires? Why?

And here's a link to a contest I'm running on my site for my new vampire release, IMMORTAL DANGER. Just click "Enter Today" to see the full details!

Thanks!

Cynthia Eden
www.cynthiaeden.com
IMMORTAL DANGER--Available 3/31/09 from Kensington Brava

A little Charm excerpt...

2009-02-25T18:32:00.000-08:00

This week, I thought I'd post a little excerpt of my latest release. I hope you enjoy it! :)

***

She’s one of them, I’m sure about it.

Wes curved his sleek body into a tight ball as he kept one eye on the woman who called herself his owner. Even after all this time, she’d been very careful at concealing her name. She knew the power someone’s name possessed. The bitch never had any visitors and only stayed at each place she rented for six months at a time. She liked to move, ensure no one sensed her magical vibe. There weren’t many people capable of tapping into it, but even someone as arrogant as her knew it could take only one sensitive soul to figure her out. One capable of condemning what she’d forced upon him.

She stood in front of the door, staring out the peep hole. After several minutes, she turned around and huffed into the kitchen. Pots and pans rattled behind him but he had no desire to see what she was up to.

Somehow, she’d felt it too. He’d been hoping she wouldn’t notice the woman at the end of the corridor was one of those sensitive souls able to see beyond the ordinary. But now that she knew, the bitch he’d been referring to as Hag would soon do something about it. But he couldn’t let her.

There was a bright spark inside that friendly woman. A tiny coil ignited inside him. She was the type of woman who’d have captivated him if he’d still been completely connected to his human side. This urge could help reconnect him to everything he’d been so afraid to lose.

Everything that made him a man seemed to be slipping a little more each day. But as long as he refused the love Hag wanted on the night of every full moon, he’d stay this way and would someday become eternally trapped.

If that day came, Wes would be completely lost to Sylvester.

But not if he was right about the woman he couldn’t shake from his mind. He closed his eyes and dreamt of her long auburn hair and those shiny blue eyes. Could she see beyond his feline coat, claws and whiskers to see the man trapped inside? In his dream, she could.

You can read more about THE CAT'S CHARM here.

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

A thought-provoking Question

2009-02-24T14:46:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been doing some soul-searching. As a writer, I'm feeling some growing pains. This is good, because it means I'm growing, right?

Right.

Today, I decided to get back to the basics of storytelling. I started by asking myself a couple of key questions: What makes a compelling story? What makes a reader care what happens?

As I searched for answers, I found there were so many possibilities. You see, I'm thinking big-picture here, not the rules of good writing--show don't tell, never use adverbs, strike the word "was" from your vocabulary, etc. I'm setting the technical aspects of writing aside because IMO, not all great books are greatly written. And not all great books are loved by everyone. But compelling stories--great stories--do something the vast majority of books in our culture fail to do: they reach a large number of readers by making them feel something. Love. Curiosity. Anger. Fascination. Captivation. Fury.

Let me ask you: What makes one story resonate with you and another utterly forgettable? If you had to compile a list of characteristics that make a book great, what would you include? I'm anxious to read your answers.

Tawny
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Wicked-Hot Erotic Fiction
www.tawnytaylor.com

A Brief Break From The Paranormal

2009-02-21T23:30:00.000-08:00

But not from the dark side. lol My love for the dark kinky side that is. My latest contemporary BDSM book released a couple of days early and i'm so excited since this is the beginning of a new series called Purgatory.

There is a regular fetish show that I go to every other month that is shutting down it's run in April. So in honor of that, which I am so going to miss, I have created a new series that focuses on different fetishes. It's going to be a lot of fun.

First up Rope...

Rope Dreams by Eliza Gayle

Welcome to Purgatory! A club for every fetish!

Katie has a fetish for rope and she's had her eye on riggers Leo and Quinn for quite some time. Week after week she goes to the club and watches them tie up women from afar, while she imagines their rough rope against her own skin.

Now the two hunky men have decided to make their move. But is plus-sized Katie ready to turn her fantasies into reality?

Excerpt

Katie watched Leo's hands stroke the woman's inner thigh with the rope as he tied it around her leg. She imagined the course texture scraping against her own sensitive skin, sending a shiver snaking along her spine. She continued to observe the twists and turns of the rope as they wrapped it around both her legs and waist. The girl giggled through the process but the lines etched in Leo's face showed just how serious he took his job. The loud beat of industrial music playing in the club pounded with her own heartbeat, pulsating through her body. Bodies crushed around her as the night's play got into full swing, but her attention remained solely on the rope.

She tuned it all out to focus on the station below. Soon both Leo and Quinn would hook the woman up to the swing and fling her across the club, but first he tied her. Wetness pooled between her thighs with the familiar longing to be the girl in Leo's hands, slowly tied from limb to limb until her freedom was stripped and her trust tested.

"Isn't it about time you quit watching and started feeling, Katie?" The familiar timber of Quinn's voice whispered in her ear as his arms grabbed the railing on either side of her, trapping her in his embrace. Her pulse skipped as she sucked in a shallow breath of surprise. "That could be you down there, feeling the rope across your belly, wrapped around your wrists and totally at his mercy." Her nipples peaked against her shirt at the mere image his words brought to mind. She screwed her eyes closed tight, as she tried to stop the effect he was having on her.

"Shouldn't you be down there helping out your partner?" She tried to concentrate on her breathing but the man pressed against her back made her heart race and her body burn with renewed need. The heat alone was enough to make her weak in the knees.

"Come with me, Katie. Let me tie you."

You can buy it here http://allromanceebooks.com/product-ropedreams-14942-146.html?oid=77

The Hunter up for Cover of the Month!

2009-02-21T18:16:00.001-08:00

The cover that I designed for THE HUNTER is waiting for the Big Vote for 2008 Book Cover of the Year at Erin Ailsinn's site!Every voter will be entered in a drawing for the winning title. Votingis simple, and the instructions are on the voting page

at: http://www.erinaislinn.com/BookCoveroftheYear2008.htmVoting will run through April 15.I would really love your support for this cover award. . It won a cover of the month and nowis one of the covers up for cover of the year.

The Hunter is an awesome book written by Yolanda Sfetsos, published at Cobblestone Press, and I created the cover using several stock images and ALOT of manipulation.This would be a wonderful win for both myself and for Yolanda, theauthor. Please take the time to hop over and vote for us!

-Sable

Free Downloads from Sable

2009-02-19T08:41:00.003-08:00

Hi Everyone. I'm very excited to share with you some free downloads available from me right now:

Demon Heart - Erotic Paranormal Romance

Adrian Black IS a sex demon who has once again been kicked out of hell. So he's out to find a key to let himself back in and a soul to smooth things over. He finds them both in the same place, but the soul is attached to Annie Sellers, a dangerous woman that could make him give the hell he loves for a little piece of heaven.

Fire Awakened - Erotic Futuristic Fiction
Based loosely on a dream I had.

Blurb: In a devastated world, the hopeless exist only to continue the survival of mankind. John Miller faces the horrors of the world daily and his soul is as cold as the oceans he sails upon...until he meets Amy. This young woman warms his body and awakens a fire that he thought long dead inside of him.

Christy's Ghost - Historical Time Travel Romance with paranormal elements

Blurb:Two very different women, Christina Hale and Christy Monroe, both caught in arranged marriages, find their way across two hundred and fifty years to step into one another's lives. Cast into strange and terrifying environments, the women are surprised to discover passions that make them both pray never to return to the lives they knew before.

Sable Grey Magazine

An online magazine available for free download.

Features:

Rediscover the Magic of Xanth - a look at the best selling
Xanth books by Piers Anthony

Author Interview with Denyse Bridger

The Proposition, romantic fiction by Denyse Bridger

Being Sable Grey interview

All can be found on my website at http://www.sablegrey.net/

Also check out my ebook club where we read as a group a new ebook every month!

-Sable

The Cat's Charm

2009-02-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

Wes is enslaved and trapped in his cat guise by a witch with selfish motives.

Lea has always had an uncanny connection to cats.

Now, they’ll need to depend on each other to survive the witch’s evil plan. One that will destroy both of them.

At the end of this week, my first Shifter story will be released by Cobblestone Press. Yay!

Do you like the cover Sable Grey made? I found it very inspirational and pretty much included everything on the cover in the story - the hot guy, the full moon, and even the bushland you can see in the background.

I'm very proud and excited about this eBook's release, and I hope that if you're in the mood to read a little tale about a hot guy trapped in his black cat form, you'll consider checking this one out. ;)

Have a great week!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

What makes a keeper?

2009-02-16T06:09:00.000-08:00

Ah, the immortal question. What is it about a book that earn it a slot on your keeper shelf? I was thinking about this topic because two new books have recently earned their happy way onto my keeper shelf. :-) So, I thought I might list a quick 5 reasons for why a book is a keeper:

1. I can't put the book down. I will skip food and sleep to get reading because the story is that good.

2. I consider swapping my husband for the hero. You know...cause the hero is so awesome.

3. The pacing awes me. There is never a moment of down time--go, go, go!

4. I cry, in the good way. :-)

5. I don't want the book to end--ever.

Those are my keeper reasons...wanna share yours?

Losing It?

2009-02-14T11:34:00.000-08:00

I hate Blogger...although, I'll truthfully admit that this is probably an operator error situation and not the fault of Blogger...I write a post, think I save it as a draft and then endeavor to schedule it to post. I go around the entire day thinking the post is there, announcing my words to everyone who stops by. Then, the next day I get to thinking...did I do it right? I stop by and what do I see?

Well, I know what I don't see...MY POST. Grrr.

So, here I am, a day late, announcing my very sweet (well, very hot) new release Losing It.

Will the man of her dreams live up to her fantasies?

On the eve of her birthday, Penny Granger is desperate to lose 'it' before she becomes a forty-year old virgin. After a sexy stranger drops his business card on her tray, she throws caution to the wind and fills out an application to e-bootycall.com. Time goes by with no response.

Is there really a shelf-life on virginity and once it’s old, no one wants it anymore? Then, on the eve of her ‘big day’, she gets a birthday surprise. For the sexy man she’s matched with is someone she's been fantasizing about for years. Her boss!

Have a great Valentine's Day!

XOXO XO

Ericka

Enjoying the time off!

2009-02-11T03:09:00.000-08:00

Yep. I've been enjoying my time off with hubby a lot. Of course, although technically he's on holidays, we've been doing plenty of stuff around the house. As a result, both of the bedrooms are now re-painted, have new carpet, new furniture, and look a hell of a lot tidier. I love them!

We've gotten rid of most of the clutter, which is what we were trying to do.

Of course, I've still got a bunch of writing papers, research and notes I need to go through, but most of it is done. Or hidden away inside our wall of bookshelves. ;) Every single one of my books now has a home. Yay!

Oh, and I've caught up with some reading. These are the books I've read so far in 2009:

THE UNNATURAL INQUIRER: Simon R. Green

LORD OF MISRULE: Rachel Caine

THE DARKEST FIRE: Gena Showalter

DEAD TO ME: Anton Strout

THE DEVIL TO PAY: Michele Hauf

STRAY: Rachel Vincent

ROGUE: Rachel Vincent

PRIDE: Rachel Vincent

SUPERNATURAL ORIGINS: Peter Johnson & Matthew Dow Smith

WONDER WOMAN DOWN TO EARTH: Greg Rucka

Everything I've read so far has been awesome! I love having an awesome reading run. This'll be my last week reading urban fantasy books before I take a small break from them. Next week I'm going to tackle the final revision of one of my UF novels and will probably read YA until that's done. It's just a little rule I have: No same genre reading while writing the first draft or doing revision. ;)

Anyway, I'm off to enjoy the rest of the week. I hope you do too!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

So many paranormals to choose from...

2009-02-07T15:17:00.000-08:00

As I am busy writing the last of my Black Cougar trilogy for publication later this year, I have let thoughts of what is next drift in. And well, it ain't pretty. lol

I am loving the big cats and while I hadn't planned on writing beyond the trilogy, I have written this last one in a way that I can spin in another direction if I wish to continue. However, I have not heard from my publisher that they would be interested in more so i've let the other ideas float on in. Big mistake.

About the same time as I started this series I entertained and even researched extensively for a Savannah vampire series. Then I sold the cougars and the vampire got put on hold. But with all good ideas comes that subtle nagging at the back of your mind, reminding you that you had another plan. And I did so love the work I came up with for the southern vampires. Then came more word from publishers that vampires were dying and then came True Blood (southern vampires in new orleans on TV) and I decided maybe vampires weren't such a good idea.

But they persist. Which brings me to my dilemma. I have three projects to choose from and it's a tough choice. Demons, Faeries or Vampires.

I think I would be happy working on any and/or all of the projects so tell me...if you had your choice of those to pick up and read what would you choose?

Eliza

Road Trip, Baby!

2009-02-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

Well, we were supposed to go camping this weekend to a local ghost town. I was looking forward to doing lots of research and spending some quality time with my Alphasmart in the great outdoors. Mother Nature had other plans.

Rain.

Hey, it isn't supposed to rain in Southern California, right? But raining it is. We didn't call the trip off until this morning, but Mr. Scott, being the genius that he is...had Plan B.

Las Vegas! I'm so excited.

It's one of my favorite destination spots. So much so, that my release this week, The Lady is a Vamp, is set in that glitzy, glamorous, romantic city.

A professional poker player takes the biggest gamble of his life - falling in love with a vampire.

Under the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas is a dark underworld of vampires. Their salvation lies in the hands of a most unlikely pair - a professional poker player and the vampire who loves him.

One year ago, Kylie McKenzie was just a casino poker dealer. However, after being bitten by a rogue vampire, she lost not only her life, but the love of her life. Now, one year later, the man she was engaged to is back. She is determined to stay away from him - but someone else is equally determined to use her to manipulate the outcome of the World Poker Tournament Championship.

Last year, Royce Whittier not only lost his fiancée, he also lost the championship. Determined to get back in the game, he is sidetracked into looking for the origin of a tarot card depicting a woman who looks amazingly like Kylie. In doing so, he stumbles upon the secret vampire society and the slayer who stalks them.

***

As for me, I'll be stalking an idea for my vampire book...tentatively titled Spelled to Death...

So, until next week!

Ericka Scott
www.erickascott.com

A little Wicked excerpt...

2009-02-04T05:21:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned last week, my first Wicked is now available from Cobblestone Press, so I thought I'd share an excerpt today.

I hope you enjoy it! This story's a spicy one. ;)

Anyway, here it is...

When Eve turned away from her reflection, her gaze paused on the alarm clock. He should’ve been home an hour ago. Walking over to the dresser, she picked up the phone and dialed his cell number. It went straight to voice mail.

Ignoring the small tug of dread that stirred inside her gut, she flattened out the crimson sheets. The bed was open and ready for business—not that she intended to only use the bedroom. There were plenty of other places around the apartment to have fun together.

She slowly wandered out into the living room and swayed her hips to the sultry music she had playing on the stereo. This would get anyone in the mood. Hell, where was he? She really needed to feel his touch on her body, his lips all over her skin. Desire was choking her, and she wanted release.

Her arms slowly wrapped around herself as a small breeze stirred around her. She spun around in a half-circle. There was no one there, but the candle flames on the dining table swayed a little. She was tempted to put them out but couldn’t bring herself to. They were part of the romantic mood.

It was probably just the warm wind coming in from the open window, anyway.

The sheer black lingerie didn’t feel as if it covered enough of her skin. She shivered when her breath misted in front of her.

A knock on the door roused her from her wild, confused thoughts.

She sighed. Why was she spooked? Owen was home now. Maybe he was in the mood for some role-playing, and that was why he’d knocked. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d played the handyman or plumber.

Eve giggled at the memory. Excitement coursed through her body, flooding it with unquenchable desire. The unease slipped from her as she released a steady breath.

She slowly headed towards the door in short, sexy paces. Her spiked heels pressed against the carpet. Owen was going to love this. Her fingers gripped the door handle as her other hand unlocked it.

When she pulled it inward and shouted, “Welcome to the home of pleasure!” Eve froze.

It wasn’t her husband at the door.

She quickly reached for one of the coats on the rack beside her and held it in front of her body. Everything she was wearing was see-through.

“Mrs. Tellman?”

She stared at one of the two police officers with wide eyes, her heart pounding. A mixture of emotions and dread raced through her system. She was embarrassed, scared and confused. Words failed to spill between her lips, so she nodded.

“We’re sorry to interrupt,” he continued, averting his eyes, “but we have some bad news.”

“Bad news?” she echoed his words in a raspy whisper.

The second policeman shuffled his feet, avoiding eye contact. She knew they weren’t here for a happy reason.

“I’m so sorry, there was an accident. Your husband, he was—”

The policeman’s voice faded. His mouth still moved, but she couldn’t hear a word of what he said. Eve already knew what he would say next.

Everything that could have fallen apart in her life just had. Owen was her everything. Not only were they happily married, but they were best friends and had so much fun together. He couldn’t be… gone. No, not Owen.

Tears refused to fall, but her wonderful and happy world came crashing down around her.

Every bit of heated desire she’d wanted to pursue slipped from her cold body. She fell back and wished she’d died with him.

If you'd like to read a longer excerpt, you can HERE.

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Small Conferences vs. Big Conferences

2009-02-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

I'm the conference chair for my local RWA group's 2010 Silken Sands Conference. That means I'm busy planning for workshops, getting speakers, doing agendas--and all that fun stuff. As I'm planning for the conference, I'm also scheduling my trip to the RT convention.

So, with so much conference info running through my mind, I'm wondering...what kind of conference setting do you prefer? Do you like the smaller (say 100 or less attendees) events? Or do you prefer a big event like the RWA National Convention?

I think both types have pros and cons. In a smaller setting, you can have a chance for more one-on-one time with editors and agents. In the big events, you have the chance to meet more folks--thus more writers, more editors, etc.

If you're a bit of an introvert, I could definitely see a preference for the smaller event. And, of course, smaller events save you money--generally, you can drive to a small conference because it's close by and you don't have to pay the high convention costs.

But...please tell me your thoughts. What do you like better--the small conference or the big event? Why?

My First New Release for 2009!

2009-01-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

A widow, a medium, and a ghost... can only lead to passion.

Eve can’t let go of her dead husband’s memory. But can a shy neighbor offer her a way of spending one last night with him?

This is my first Wicked from Cobblestone Press. The Wicked stories are short erotica tales of different genres. Mine deals with a widow, the ghost of her husband, and a medium who gets caught in the middle.

I remember when the idea for this story struck me. I was falling asleep, and suddenly got a really vivid image of a woman getting the most horrid news. It was enough to make her world crumble around her. I felt her sadness, her desperation. It was so intense that the next day I started writing the story. Eve and Mitch came alive as soon as the words started pouring out of me.

The cover was made by Dan Skinner. Isn't it cool? I think it captures the atmosphere of the story very well.

PASSIONATE EVE will be available from Cobblestone Press this Friday. For $2.99, you can sample a raunchy, much hotter story of mine. ;) I hope you enjoy it!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Cover Art Christmas times TWO!

2009-01-23T09:25:00.001-08:00

I love getting cover art, it's like Christmas all over again. And to get two new covers in one week has shot me over the moon.

The first is for my upcoming WICKED. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I wrote this short little piece of erotica just to see if I could. It was short, fun, and oh-so-sexy. Which is why, when I received this cover, I was THRILLED. Thank you Sable Grey!

The next one is for a paranormal romantic suspense set in my little fictional California coastal town, San Josue. This cover was predesigned by Frauke at Crocodesigns and when I saw it on the Cobblestone Press deviant art site, I had to have it. Too bad I didn't have a story written for it. I remedied that situation as soon as I could, and Beckon the Dark was born.

Hope you all have a great weekend. We are looking forward to watching The Grudge 2 tomorrow. And I signed up for Candy Haven's Fast Draft class in hopes of kicking my writing into gear for the new year. I'm on the 10 pages a day plan (there is no flipping way I could write 20 pages) and so far I've hit 24 pages on Day 3. We had a slight glitch on Day 2, involving drama from a most unlikely source. My mother! But I'll save that story for another day (or better yet, find a spot somewhere for it in a WIP!) So, I'm off to crank out some words...

A Reading Plan for 2009

2009-01-21T02:18:00.000-08:00

Let me start with a few links. If you'd like to see a list of the books I read in 2008, you can see it HERE. You can also see the 2007 books list.

My only reading plan is to read 52 books during the year. One book per week sounds pretty doable. Right? Well, sometimes I go a few weeks without reading anything at all. And others I read about 3 or even 4 books in one week. It all depends on how busy I am with my own work. If I've got edits or revisions due, I like to get those done before anything else. Or, if I'm writing the first draft of a novel, I make sure I don't read any books in the same genre during the time it takes me to get the draft written.

Of course, afterwards, I reward myself by going on a reading binge. ;) I find it makes a great reward.

So, this year is the same. I'd like to get 52 books read, but there are a few other things I'd like to do within that too. Here's a little list:

* Catch up on The Dresden Files series. I've read the first 2 already and have the next 6 waiting. It's a great series, so I have no idea why I haven't caught up before. :/

* Read one Stephen King book a month. I pretty much have every Stephen King book ever released, and it's time to catch up on the older works I still haven't read. I've read a lot of his work, but still have a lot to catch up on, too.

* Make sure I read the first book in a series before buying all the others. I've done this a lot. I have 4 books in the series on my TBR pile before I start the first one. Lol.

* Catch up on my series reading from various authors.

* Read more eBooks.

I think that's the main stuff. Other than that, I just want to keep reading awesome books! I've been very lucky with the books I picked up last year. Pretty much every book I've been reading has been awesome!

So, how about you? Do you have any sort of reading plan? Do tell. :)

Happy Reading!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Booking It

2009-01-19T14:25:00.001-08:00

Wow–another weekend gone. That means it’s time for a Booking It post, and, today, I’m just focusing on one author.

Tell me, have you read Kresley Cole? If you haven’t, you really, really should.

The first book that I read by Kresley was A HUNGER LIKE NO OTHER. This story introduced me to her Immortals After Dark series. What a series! These are dark, edgy paranormals. Complex plots. Gripping characters. Ah, the stories that keep you up at night. (They keep me up!)

This week, the latest installment, KISS OF A DEMON KING, hits shelves. Here’s the blurb:

After Sabine, the Queen of Illusions, lures and traps Rydstrom Woede in her lair, the ruthless warrior fights to resist her seduction.But his fierce demon nature lusts for her delicate body and won’t be denied. Even as Rydstrom plots to escape, he still intends to claim Sabine as his own—on his terms.

Her downfall: the battle-scarred demon who vows to keep her at all costs.

When Rydstrom breaks free, her abducts Sabine, turning the tables. Now she’s the one struggling to resist his delicious torment. With each relentless encounter, Sabine hungers more for her merciless adversary.

They were never supposed to want each other this much…

If they can defeat the sinister enemy that stands between them, will Sabine make the ultimate sacrifice to save her demon? Or will the proud king lay down his crown and arms to keep his sorceress?

***

Come on…that just sounds good! And here’s the cover:

Yeah, I’m buying this one as soon as possible–and probably reading it all in one sitting.

And what’s on your reading agenda this week?

Happy Friday...

2009-01-16T12:14:00.000-08:00

It's been a long week here in the Scott household. Drama Teen went back to High School this week, which has involved a severe learning curve of how long it takes to get ready and have her hair just perfect in the morning before she walks through 30 mph winds to the bus stop. LOL. I'm glad it's Friday. Tomorrow, said Drama Teen and I have a date with my friend and her granddaughter (Tall Teen) to see Twilight. I know, we're probably the only two red-blooded females in the state of California that haven't seen the movie yet...but better late than never. I'm just hoping the movie will spur my daughter into finishing the books so that I can read them...

It's also an extra long weekend...so I'm looking forward to having my hubby around on Monday (and sneaking an extra day in to sleep in). Especially since he's going to be gone the week after next for training. I don't have to do solo parent very often...thank goodness.

This month seems like a bit of a lull. Finally finished with Christmas and I'm looking forward to February as I have three...yes, count them THREE, releases coming out! And believe me...there's something for varied tastes...

If you like a straight, dark, thriller with no sex, try The Stranger in My Bed.

If you like very sexy vampires, try The Lady is a Vamp

And if you like WWII time travels, Out of Time should fit the bill.

And, I've just begun plotting another full-length novel. As I'm determined that this is the year I will FINISH writing one. Wish me luck!

Have a great weekend~

Ericka

Some Great News & Some New Covers!

2009-01-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hey! How's everyone doing today? I've been having a great week. Lots of different stuff going on at the moment. :)

Well, I'm going to get started. I'd like to announce that I've just signed a 3-book contract with ImaJinn Books. Yay! As you can imagine, I'm very excited about this. Very. It's an urban fantasy trilogy set in Sydney, Australia. And I've dreamed of selling it since the moment I finished it. The heroine and the cast of characters have a special place in my heart, and I can't wait to share their life, struggles, triumphs, and darkness with everyone.

At the moment, that's all the details I have, but it's enough for me! So cool. Of course, I'll keep you posted as things progress.

Okay, now it's time for some covers. I've actually got 3 to share! Yeah, 3 seems to be the number, so far this year. So, let's get started...

This gorgeous cover was made by Cris Griffin. SEALED WITH A DEMON'S KISS is a Tryst about a pentagram witch whose life depends on a demon sent to protect her from a bunch of warlocks.

This one was made by Asharceneaux, and it's super creepy. BEFORE BLAZE is a collection of three short stories about the three mortals who help Blaze in her quest to get home in my novel, HELLBLAZE. They take place before HB:

This awesome Shifter cover was made by Sable Grey. THE CAT'S CHARM is the tale of a gorgeous black cat, who also happens to be a sexy man.

Well, this is my awesome news for this week! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Words In Motion

2009-01-09T16:46:00.000-08:00

Do you write paranormal or urban fantasy? If so...you should be on Main Street at Cobblestone Press for the 2009 Words in Motion conference!

Creating 3 Dimensional Characters for Paranormal Worlds Special Presentation by Patti O'Shea

www.cobblestone-mainstreet.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=569

Character Development for Urban Fantasy Special Presentation by Yolanda Sfetsos

www.cobblestone-mainstreet.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=568

Developing Believable Wolf-Shifting Heroes Special Presentation by Loribelle Hunt

www.cobblestone-mainstreet.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=570

And for readers, there's contest where you can win free books just by leaving a comment about your favorite movie, cowboy line, or ghost story.

So, what are you waiting for?

2009 & Stuff

2009-01-07T18:17:00.000-08:00

Happy 2009!

How's everyone's year going so far? Mine's been exhausting and filled with jobs to do. I get through one, and another pops up. Lol.

I haven't assigned any new projects for this month. I never do. January is usually a time of catching on bits and pieces. It's also the month my daughter's home for school summer holidays, so I only have several hours a day to devote to anything too detailed. She's good with watching a movie or shows for a few hours before it's time for us to get together and do something. At least I get that, I suppose.

So far this year the hubby and I have renovated our bedroom - which consisted of painting the walls, getting new carpet put in, buying and setting up an entire wall of bookshelves, sorting through all my books and finding a spot on the shelves, and clearing up the mess left over from all that. It's taking a while. I've still got a few homeless things I'm hoping to put away before the new week gets here.

It's been a lot of fun, but also very tiring. And on the upside, the room looks awesome. I love having bookshelves with doors on them. ;)

Asides from that, I've also been re-working a novella. I finished that yesterday, as well as updating my website. Today I need to get my newsletter done and sent out. Phew!

Anyway, I hope you all have a productive week!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Booking It and a writing contest

2009-01-05T07:32:00.000-08:00

Hi, everyone! Let’s talk books.

Ellie Marvel has a new interactive book out now. Oh, yeah, I said interactive. Remember those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books? (I devoured the books as a kid.) Well, Ellie has used ebook technology to create an interactive adventure for romance lovers. Here’s the blurb for MEGAN’S CHOICE:

Megan Malone, the quadrant’s fastest zip ship pilot, is overworked, overtired and craves the surf, sun and sex of a paradise planet vacation. When her employer receives an urgent commission from the government requesting Megan’s services on a diplomatic mission, she’s all set to refuse–especially when she finds out her domineering ex-lover Yusef Gunnen will be part of that mission. But what Megan doesn’t know is that she’s no longer calling her own shots. You are calling the shots. And what you decide Megan will do at the end of each episode will change her life forever.

* * *

I think Ellie has a brilliant idea with this book. Choosing my adventure? Controlling the characters? I am so there.

Anya Bast has a new paranormal out (okay, it comes out on Jan. 6). WITCH HEART is the third book in her Elemental Witches series. I love Anya’s witch stories. Great books with lots of action and twists. You can’t go wrong with a Bast book.

And, if you’re looking for a sexy book that is filled with emotion, then Megan Hart has the story for you. Megan does sensual, emotionally gripping stories like no other writer I know. Her latest book, STRANGER, is available now (and was chosen as a Top Pick by RT!).

Anyone else want to make some book recommendations?

And, if you’re a writer (one who writes hot romances) then you should definitely check out the 2009 Manic Readers Romance Novel Writing Contest.

Ready for the end and free books!

2009-01-03T05:08:00.000-08:00

I've reached that point of the holidays where I am sooo ready for things to go back to normal. Kids go back to school Monday so that helps but hubby is home for another week.

My January goals are in place and my work schedule is loaded so let's go 2009, I'm ready.

One of my early 2009 goals is to completely replace my print TBR pile with eBooks. It's a lot of books. Hundreds I would guess. So I have started doing contests on my MySpace blog to give away some of these books.

Right now there are 20 paperback books up for grabs, most of them paranormal. So hop on over there and check it out.

http://blog.myspace.com/elizagayle.

Have a good one!

Eliza

May 2009 be the best ever!

2009-01-02T19:50:00.000-08:00

glitter-graphics.com

I just wanted to say...

2008-12-31T15:39:00.000-08:00

I hope that 2009 is a wonderful and exciting year for all of us!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Happy Boxing Day

2008-12-26T15:23:00.000-08:00

Or-- should I say, happy "After Christmas Sale" day.

After a very rainy and windy Christmas wherein we were cooped up with two little boys for far too many hours, we ventured out to the mall today. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't too packed. And not everyone in front of me in line was returning something.

We bought my husband a new winter coat with his Christmas cash. Since it was sixty-percent off, we even had enough left over money to have lunch at Claim Jumper. Yummy.

I'm going to keep my post short and sweet as I am on a deadline to deliver a novella and it "has" to be done today so that I can do my Christmas cards (I know, a little late, but I missed last year altogether, so I have to make a stab at sending a few out this year).

Here's hoping you got everything you wished for and a lot more!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T12:49:00.000-08:00

This week is going to be a short post. I just wanted to remind you that my two Christmas-themed novellas are now available. You can click on each cover to read an excerpt and find out more.

And I just wanted to say...

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Christmas!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Snow Day, Icy Road Trip, and a Celebrity Sighting

2008-12-19T19:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry I'm late blogging today...but we had a very unexpected experience on Wednesday.

SNOW!

For those of you in areas that get regular snow, I know this is no biggie. But for us, it was a once in about a decade experience. Okay, maybe we'll get a small snowstorm every three to five years. But this one STUCK! And for more than a few hours.

The kids built snowmen and got chilled to the bone. They cancelled school until the New Year. And then they closed some roads.

Which leads me to the next portion of my post. My daughter had a flight out of the Ontario, CA airport early this morning. And as of mid-day Thursday, it was difficult to find a travel route that was open, and didn't need snow tires or chains. It took twice the estimated travel time, it was icy and a bit trecherous in parts, but we made it. The nice part was that since my husband's work and the boy's school closed, we were able to make the trip as a family. We spent the night in a hotel, and around four this morning, my daughter and I snuck out of the room and took a shuttle to the airport.

She was flying into New Orleans and would be picked up by her bio and his wife at the airport there. She made the trip with only one notable incident. On her way to the baggage claim, she spotted a guy being pushed in a wheelchair. He looked familiar. In fact...he looked like ELMER! (Who, you might ask, is Elmer. Well, if you were fans of a short-lived paranormal show called The Others, you would know. His real name is Bill Cobbs.)

As my daughter is excitedly leaving a voice mail to me, telling me that she's sure that she's just seen Elmer from The Others when the man turns to her and says "You remember that show?"

And darn it all, it really WAS BILL COBBS. So, she garnered an autograph. It made her day...and I certainly hope it made his. (We love you, Bill!)

vBlog and Chats (xPost)

2008-12-18T00:05:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

I just published my very first video blog on Tuesday! Yay! It's over at my website -- Click Here

But in addition, me and as many authors as can make it from the Holiday Hottie contest will all be chatting live at both the Ellora's Cave and the Samhain Cafe reader loops. In addition to closing out the Holiday Hottie contest so we can announce the grand prize winners, we'll also be doing some contests, recipe swaps, jokes and just plain ole fun.

When: December 19, 2009
Time: 6:00pm to 9:00pm EST
Where: Ellora's Cave and Samhain Cafe Yahoo groups

Now...go check out my first vBlog! And no laughing...on second thought do laugh because I'm just plain silly ;D

TJ
www.tjmichaels.com

Christmas Lights & Christmas Carol

2008-12-17T00:32:00.000-08:00

To celebrate Christmas, Noel has a big surprise and an intimate celebration planned for Natala. However, when Nick drops in on them asking for their help to find his missing wife, they have no other choice but to agree to go to HQ in the North Pole.

Noel is forced to wait helpless inside Nick's office as Natala attempts to use her other-self and her knowledge of demons to track her down. Instead, she gets caught up in a dangerous situation with another demon. Krampus has plans to use Natala and finish what Decarabia started the year before.

You can read the naughty excerpt here.

Or you can purchase your own copy here.

Last year, my novella CHRISTMAS LIGHTS was released as part of the Cobblestone Press 12 Days of Christmas.

It was the story of a feisty imp, Natala, who happened to pop out of a cursed string of Christmas Lights, and surprised a lonely widower called, Noel. It was a fun and dangerous adventure that took place during a typical hot Christmas in Sydney. I actually enjoyed Noel and Natala so much that I wrote a sequel.

CHRISTMAS CAROL takes place exactly one year after Noel and Natala met under these very strange circumstances. This time they're trekking over to the North Pole to help Saint Nick locate his missing wife. Their new adventure is filled with danger, mystery, romance, and a cast of new characters that I had a ball working with.

So, I hope you decide to spend a little time in this magical and very paranormal little story I wanted to share this festive season.

And don't forget that my little zombie Christmas tale is still available here.

Happy Holidays!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

The Nightmare Before Christmas & Christmas Day of the Dead

2008-12-10T17:43:00.001-08:00

Well, it's that time of the year again. I'm starting to get into the mood, too. At the moment I'm listening to Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack. I love the music in this movie, and this is the 2-Disc version, so there's a few remade tunes by Marilyn Manson, Panic at the Disco, Fiona Apple, and Fall Out Boy. It's great!

Anyway. The picture to the left is one of my Christmas releases. Yeah, I have two eBooks due out this season. :)

This one's called CHRISTMAS DAY OF THE DEAD, and it's the story of what happens when Jess heads out to the local shopping center on Christmas Eve and finds that all is not how it should be. This is a zombie tale. My tribute to a genre that I love reading and watching.

This tale was actually released last year by Aphrodite's Apples under a different name. It was only available for a few months because the company closed down. But now, Forbidden Publications are giving it a new lease of life. It's been re-edited and even has an epilogue - suggested by my lovely editor - so it's a little different. :) I'm very excited to have the opportunity to have it available again. And I LOVE the cover. It's so creepy and lovely. It fits the tone of the novella perfectly.

Here's the blurb:

This Christmas Eve, Jess gets more than she bargained for when she walks into a shopping center filled with dead shoppers. And some of the corpses are rising.

When she stumbles onto a handful of survivors hiding out in the cinema complex, it becomes a race against the clock to make it out alive. Together, they venture outside in search of safety.

Trying to stay alive with corpses at every turn is hard enough. Her instant attraction towards one of the survivors, Larry, can only complicate things further...

So, if you're in the mood to read a little Christmas story with a good dose of creepy, romance, and zombies, I hope you'll check it out. It's now available right HERE. Oh, and you can read an excerpt here, too.

'Tis the season to be... scared! ;)

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

It's finally beginning to look a bit like Lasagna (Oh, I mean Winter!)

2008-12-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

Living in Southern California has some perks -- great weather year around is one of them. We live in the high desert where we get an occasional snow shower and cold mornings...but I was beginning to think winter would never get here this year. We had a sligh cold nsap in November and then a heat wave (into the 80s!). But we woke up this morning to freezing temperatures... and that means a very special treat. Lasagna. I'm so glad it's cool enough outside to finally turn on the oven without turning the house into one as well.

And tomorrow is our local Christmas parade. It's a light parade and one of the prettiest events of the year. The weather should be crisp, which will make it nice to sit along the main drag and watch for Santa and his elves. My boys are hoping that lots of organizations this year are handing out candy! I'm sure their dentist is counting the cavities already.

And somewhere is this whirlwind of holiday cheer, I have to finish writing the sequel to The Werewolf Whisperer. It's titled Unleashed and gives Jazmin her happily ever after while keeping up with the sexy sheriff, Jackson Hardy, and the lovely Serena from The Werewolf Whisperer. And for those of you who feel in love with Mike, Serena's brother, in the first book, yes, he, too, will get his story. Believe me, I've got plans for him (Bwahahahahah)!

But, I need to put my nose to the grindstone and write...not only the overdue novella but the dreaded Christmas Letter. I'm going to confess that I was very bad last year and didn't send out cards. Thank goodness Santa didn't hold it against me. But, I swored to do better this year. So, lest my friends think I've gone into my writer's cave never to be seen again, I'll be typing up that chatty, overfull missive to stuff into everyone's card (note to self, need to buy cards AND stamps!)

I used to hate those letters. It felt like getting a form letter from your friends. Up until about five years ago, I was a Christmas card snob. I'd handwrite 50 cards with appropriate news and sentiment, tailored specifically for each friend.

Now, just thinking about that makes my hand cramp.

So, what do you think about those chatty family missives? Like 'em, love 'em, hate 'em?

Taking a Breath & Still Reading

2008-12-03T01:09:00.000-08:00

Well, after last week's success with NaNoWriMo, I decided that this week would consist of small tasks. All writing-related, of course. But, with no pressure attached. And you know what? I think it's a great idea. I've had a chance to relax and take a deep breath while my daughter's still at school. Yeah. Summer holidays start in just over two weeks. So, that means that my relaxation time gets cut dramatically.

Anyway, I wanted to share the two books I've read since the last time I posted:

I'm lovin' the fact that all the books I've been reading lately are SO darn excellent! These two were fantastic as well. I intended to take my time with THE HOST because it's such a big book and I wanted to absorb every single detail... but I couldn't. I became obsessed with reading a little more, and then a little more. Until it became all that I wanted to do all day. It's the same crazed-reading-frenzy I went on earlier this year. Remember that I read the TWILIGHT SAGA in under two weeks? Obsessed.

I LOVED everything about Stephenie Meyer's novel and can't wait until her next one. Actually, I think I'll have to read the unfinished MIDNIGHT SUN. Just because I love her writing so much. :) If you haven't read THE HOST, I highly recommend it. Don't be put off by the size of it. It's truly worth every single page. What an amazing story.

And speaking of amazing. TITHE: A Modern Faerie Tale. I read it in less than two days because once again, it got under my skin. I got sucked into Kaye's story instantly. What a lovely, yet very dark, gritty, and edgy story. I love when faeries are portrayed this way. Honestly. Fantastic! So good that I had to order the next two online last night even before I'd finished TITHE. Wow.

This is what I grabbed off my bookshelf today:

I'm fifty pages in and really enjoying it so far. Bring on the faeries I say! ;) It just makes me want to get stuck into one of my darker faerie ideas. All the characters are cast, notes have been taken... just need to write it. But not yet.

Anyway. Next week will be a different story for me because I intend to get stuck into the final revision for one of my urban fantasy novels. Not sure if I'll have as much time to read as I do at the moment either, but it's all good.

So, have you made any plans for December? Or are you taking it easy? Do share.

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Midnight Sins!

2008-12-01T14:17:00.000-08:00

MIDNIGHT SINS should now be on the shelves of a bookstore near you! :-) Yay!

This book is the second installment in my Midnight trilogy, and one that I had an absolutely wonderful time writing. And how did this story start? With the very simple idea of...

Basic Instinct meets The X-Files. Uh, huh. Yep, that’s how I originally described my upcoming Kensington Brava release. When I had to give a fast one-liner for MIDNIGHT SINS, I said it was Basic Instinct meets The X-Files. (Ah, Mulder, I do so want to believe.)

My book begins with a murder. A crime laced with sexual overtones and the evidence in the case soon points to one woman—Cara Maloan. Only, Cara isn’t cold-blooded like Sharon Stone’s character. She’s fierce, passionate, and she also happens to be a sex demon—er, succubus. And the attraction between Cara and Todd Brooks, the lead detective on the case, is instant and very, very strong.

Todd knows he wants Cara. He also knows he may have to arrest her. Talk about a case of seriously bad timing…

These characters were so much fun to write! I knew I wanted to write about these two the minute I finished HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT. Todd was on the outskirts of that story, being kept in the dark about the paranormals that were taking over his beloved city, and I realized it was time that old Todd got a wake-up call. Lucky for him, the call comes in the form of Cara—the sex demon who really wants love. Hey—life’s not perfect, even for an immortal demon.

Hope you're having a great Monday! Happy December!

Cynthia Eden
www.cynthiaeden.com

The Day after Black Friday

2008-11-29T22:00:00.000-08:00

Before Thanksgiving I swore I would not be doing any in store Black Friday shopping, but Thanksgiving morn the newspaper stuffed with more enticing ads than ever appeared in my home. And it taunted me with it's good deals, unrelenting in it's pursuit of my meager shopping dollars.

So I gave in and went through the ads, finding deal after deal that would save me money and help me complete my christmas shopping. Oh no, how I was tempted by the 4 am, 5 am and 6 am openings. Maybe I could go out and it wouldn't be so bad.

You may think you know where this is going. That I got up early and fought the cold and the crowds for some deals but alas no. I came to my senses and stayed in my nice warm bed until almost 8 am.

I then got up and followed through on my original plan and thanks to my friend Bree who guided me through some of the black friday sales at Amazon, I was able to find some great deals there. Can't tell you all about them here in case someone in my family wanders across my blog. lol

I did buy something for myself though. A new HP wireless printer for my office. $49.00 OMG $49.00. lol But that's not even the best part. It comes with a $70 rebate.

While I got some great prices on some gifts that printer was the "steal" of the day. Now to clean up my office and make way for it.

Did you go Black Friday shopping? Was it worth it? Or did you try my style and shop online?

Have a good one!

Eliza

A Day Late and A Dollar Short....

2008-11-29T19:45:00.000-08:00

Well, Blogger has defeated me in scheduling my blog post. I thought I had it figured out...sadly, I'm more techno-challenged than I thought.

Life around our house has disintegrated to "normal"...or as normal as the Scott household has ever been. The drama teen has some phone priveledges restored, and "Mama, buy" has become the new battle cry of my boys.

Yep, tis the season for the toy commercial. This year, we've decided to scale back. The boys will get one large gift between them (a new playset for the backyard) and a couple of packages under the tree. The teen wants clothes and money (easy, peasy).

Me, I'm hinting for Santa to buy me more memory for my computer and a B&N gift card. Oh, and a knitted belt for my belly dancing class. Yep, the teen and I are "bonding" and taking a class together. So far, it's been a lot of fun. And Lord knows, I have the belly for it. Teehee!

Here's hoping that I can figure out the scheduling a bit better before next Friday. Until then, I leave you with a great review I just received for Breathless.

"Breathless is an action packed love story. What starts off as hostility ends in heated passion. Breathless is a fantasy story that pulls you in from the first moment you start reading and makes you wish for more when you have finished Jason and Michael’s story. Breathless is a fast, easy, and engrossing story that I think all M/M fans will love."

Reviewed by Raine at Joyfully Reviewed.

Thanks Raine! I'm so glad you enjoyed Breathless.

To read the entire review, click here.

Finished NaNoWriMo & More Reading

2008-11-26T03:05:00.000-08:00

Check it out! I'm a NaNoWriMo winner for the third year in a row. Yay! It's always a great accomplishment. Not only to take part in NaNo during the month of November, but to be able to say: "I just finished another first draft." It never gets old. The excitement is always the same.

I have another novel under my belt. Sure, it'll need some more work before I can say it's done, but heck, the main bulk of work is out. Outta my head, to be precise. And that's a good thing, because it's always a little crowded up there. Lol.

So, tell me, how did you go? Did you manage to meet your 50k goal already, or are you getting close? I mean, there's still several days to go until the end of the month, so don't give up. And if you didn't meet the required amount, did you surprise yourself and got more words out than you thought you would? I hope so. :)

Well, asides from the crazy bout of writing, I've also been reading some more. These are the excellent books I finished this week:

UNSHAPELY THINGS is the first book in an urban fantasy series by Mark Del Franco. It follows the life of Connor Grey, a druid (and former Guild investigator) who suffered an accident that caused him to lose his powers. But that didn't stop him from working. He's living in Boston and helping the police. Though the latest case throws him into some very dangerous situations, and turns out to be more than what it seems.

HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT is the first book in a trilogy written by our very own Cynthia Eden. I've got to say that I was sucked into the story from the first page. My gosh! This book is SO darn good. Everything about it kept me wondering and thinking about it so much that I grabbed it every chance I got. And it didn't disappoint. If you're looking for an awesome read with infectious characters, suspense that'll keep you on the edge of your seat, and a HOT, sizzling romance, then you've gotta check this book out. You won't regret it. :)

I enjoyed both of these books so much that I've already ordered the second ones.

And last night, I started reading this one:

It's a very long book, but the concept sounds intriguing. And I love Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga, so I'm looking forward to reading about a different world. So far, so good.

Well, that's it for me for another week. Have a good one!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Twilight Drains The Box Office

2008-11-22T22:04:00.000-08:00

Oh man was that title cheesy enough for you? I read these headlines and groan. But maybe i'm too picky.

I have a teenage daughter who has been counting down the minutes for Twilight and I have to admit her enthusiasm was catching. She begged to go to a midnight premiere but I knew better. I would not have dealt well with crowds of teens making a lot of noise so instead I took my daughter out of school early and we went before the high school ever got out.

Perfect timing.

The theater wasn't even half full and was fairly quiet. And I enjoyed the heck out of the movie. I haven't read the books so I didn't have to go in worrying about if the movie could live up to the book. I just got to enjoy the movie for what it was. A teen vampire flick.

Oh Edward Cullen where were you when I was 17? Or Jacob too...

Yes it was angsty but it was supposed to be. It was funny a lot too. The imagery was incredible and makes me want to pack up and leave the south and move right now to the Pacific Northwest. I love even more that it was directed by a woman on a shoestring budget (37M is shoestring to Hollywood anyways)

There are not enough paranormal romance movies out there. More often than not they might have a slight romantic element to them but they are far more horror than anything else.

If by chance any Hollywood types are out there listening...True Blood is a success...Twilight is a huge hit...Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series is patiently waiting for that Hollywood movie. Hurry please, make me some more, okay?

Drama Teen

2008-11-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

One of my friends went with her daughter to see Twilight last night. She said she would have enjoyed the movie if all the teenage girls in the audience had been gagged. Every time Edward appeared on screen, they screamed. Every time Edward and Bella kissed, yep, you guessed it, they screamed.

So, with that in mind, I can say I won't be seeing Twilight. I have a teenage girl in my house (just turned 15) and the drama we have at home is unimaginable. The worst part is that I hate conflict. I'll go out of my way to avoid a fight. My teenager thrives on it. If she isn't fighting with us, she's fighting with her brothers or her friends, or her bio-dad.

Well, early last week, the angst started with her asking to get her belly button pierced. I answered with a resounding "No, wait until you're 18". Tears, slammed doors and hurt feelings whirled through the household for days. Then, we came back from our weekend at Riverside and later that evening caught her sneaking out of the house. We still have no idea where she was going or what she was going to do when she got there, or even if it's happened before. So, she's grounded...which meant she couldn't go with her friend (mentioned at the top of this post) to Twilight last night. More screaming, ranting, and even a little cursing thrown in. She lost her phone privileges over that. Now, mind you, she already lost her IPOD to a grounding earlier this month over yet another bit of drama.

Heck, if this wasn't my life, I could probably turn it into a bestseller...

So, unless I hear that things have quieted down at the theaters, we'll wait until Twilight comes out on DVD. I'll be the one sitting on the couch in my jammies eating popcorn and, believe me, I'll have plenty of duct tape on hand for the drama teen...

NaNoWriMo & Reading

2008-11-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

Well. Is this week three of NaNoWriMo? I just checked the calendar, and yeah, it's week three. You know, at the beginning of the month I seriously doubted I would get to the amount of words I've written now. But, check out the word meter. Things are moving along very well.

My goal by the end of this week is 37,500 words. Anything extra is great. Secretly, I'm really hoping to have crossed the 40k by the end of Friday.

I've come to the downward part of the book. Where everything starts to make sense to the characters and so many pieces of the puzzles fall into place. Yet, at the same time, some horrible things are yet to happen. The hero and heroine will soon find themselves in the darkest part of the story, and I feel sorry for them. But at least I already know that everything will work out well in the end for them. What's also a lot of fun now is introducing the heroine for the next book. She's shaping up to be very interesting and totally connected to the characters already established in this series. Too bad no one in the novel knows that, though. Lol.

By the way, I've managed to squeeze in some reading the past week. These are the two excellent books I've read:

Loved both of them! :)

And this is what I started reading last night:

So far, it's great. I'm really getting into the character and the world he lives in. Lots of danger, a bunch of mysterious deaths, and that lovely comfy urban fantasy feel I love to sit down and get cozy with. :)

Before I go, what have you been reading lately? My TBR pile is still huge, but I'm slowly working my way through it.

Well, until next week, have a great one!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Panic!!

2008-11-17T14:29:00.000-08:00

I apologize for being late with this post--my weekend was crazy. You see...my computer crashed. Died. Gave me one of those fatal error messages and even my Tech savvy husband (seriously, he's got a degree in Computer Sciences) couldn't recover my files.

Yep, panic began to attack.

But, blessedly, we were able to call in a professional and he recovered all my files. So sweet. So, now I'm celebrating! Saved!

I'm celebrating the recovery of all my data--and I'm celebrating the fact that next Tuesday, MIDNIGHT SINS, my second single-title from Kensington Brava, will hit store shelves. I always like to celebrate book releases because they make me so excited...and so very nervous.

And, wow--the holidays are also sneaking up on us. Another reason to celebrate. :-)

Is there something that you're celebrating right now? Could be something big or something small. I'd love to share and celebrate with you!

Shapeshifters...What's the new werewolf??

2008-11-15T22:06:00.000-08:00

As I race through NaNo doing my best to keep up and writing the second book in my upcoming cat shifter series, I cant help but think about different shifters.

Those in the "know" seem to think that paranormal is declining which i'm not sure I believe yet because that's what i'm seeing in the stores and thats what I am reading, but at the very least things do change in the genre.

Used to be strictly vampires and werewolves with a few witches thrown in for good measure but according to NY now the Demon is the new Vampire but I want to know what is the new werewolf?

I've never written wolves, only cat shifters and dragon shifters, guess that makes me more of a cat person. Although I would gladly write a wolf if and when a story idea ever hit me. I go with what calls to me.

But as a reader what do you want? Wolves? Cats? Dragons? Snakes? and the list goes on...

What are you tired of? Just curious.

It's November 15th and i'm a couple thousand words short of my NANO goal but still almost halfway through my book. I am so excited by this. With one of my goals for 2008 being to start writing longer i'm ecstatic to see that finally happening. I still love writing short, but taking the time to write longer and deeper into the world is rewarding as well.

I can't wait to introduce you to the Black Cougars in January but until then I have a new release of a different kind.

Last week, my new contemporary BDSM, Her Surrender, released from Cobblestone Press.

Blurb:

For years Jillian had struggled with who and what she is. Submissive. Society thought her weak but she knew better. Despite knowing the depth of her true need she'd fought against it until she met Rob.

A Dom for many years, Rob immediately knew her and what she desired. The connection between them sizzled for weeks as he prepared her for her new life as his submissive. His demands increased daily and her need for his touch grew stronger. Finally her day has arrived and she will go to him to learn once and for all if true freedom lies in her surrender.

To read an excerpt visit Cobblestone Press or my website at http://www.elizagayle.net

Have a good one!

Eliza

The Other Woman

2008-11-14T14:20:00.000-08:00

Every year, my husband is a judge for a regional programming contest. It's a whole year of planning and a really big month-long push at the end. We call it "the other woman".

It's a pain in the butt and has really impacted my writing this year. I was on a self-imposed deadline that whooshed right past me. I think the wind is still whistling in my ears. Sigh. He took off early this morning. Luckily for me, he took our drama teen with him this year...she's to help and will be able to earn a little money depending on how much assistance she provides.

I have "the boys" for today and tomorrow. It's our yearly junk-food binge. So far, we've had McDonald's for lunch and we're ordering in pizza for dinner. The boys will probably have McD's again for lunch tomorrow while we're on the road...but me, I'm stopping at In and Out Burger.

There's also a few other perks to the "other woman." Tomorrow, after the boys soccer game, they boys and I will drive a couple of hours to join the contest in session. We'll stay the night in a historic haunted hotel (soooooo cool!) and eat a nice dinner (not fast food, but someone else is cooking, so I can't complain). On Sunday, we'll hob-nob with the other judges for the closing breakfast. It's a small vacation away from home.

As a bonus, we'll also get to do some early Christmas shopping and I may get a little writing done. That's a big MAY. But, it's all research for me...especially since the best part of being involved with 'the other woman' is that we're on tap to go to Stockholm for the international competition this coming spring. (Can you say whoot?!!!?).

So, I'm off to finish the laundry and do a little packing. I'm taking the camera in hopes of getting a few ghostly photos or at least some lovely holiday shots of downtown Riverside, CA.

Meh & NaNo

2008-11-12T01:27:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those days, or even weeks, when you feel a little lost and distracted?

I'm feeling like that at the moment. It seems to happen to me at least once a month. Gee, anyone would think I was a werewolf or something. ;)

Still, when I feel like this it can get a little hard to focus on what I'm doing. Unless I'm so totally involved in it that it's consuming my mind so much not even a state of mind can shake my commitment. That happened the last time I wrote a novel first draft in September. But... it's not happening now.

Why?

I think that there have been too many distractions going on lately. Some were computer or internet issues, while others are just the fact that I've got one new idea munching away at my brain and another that wants the second book started. Now! And since my NaNoWriMo novel isn't about any of them, my head feels a little like there's a struggle going on. Still, I'm determined to get my NaNo novel written this month because it's an idea that I got a year ago, while writing the first installment. And I just have to get it out of my head, there's too much in there already.

Am I sounding like a nut yet? Lol. :D

At the moment (it's Tuesday because I won't be able to post on Wednesday) I'm sitting @ 20,011 words. I hope to at least be up to 25k by the end of the week. We'll see how I go. More importantly, how are you going with your tale? Moving along at a nice pace? I'm moving much slower than what I'd like to be...

See ya next week!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Whew! What a Tailspin!

2008-11-06T14:17:00.001-08:00

Hi all,

I'm so sorry you haven't seen much of me. I've been traveling like crazy with the day job and getting ready to relocate to a new state on top of that. God, now I remember why I have packing/unpacking so much! But I'm totally excited about the move so even the thought of packing has yet to send me into a round of prickly hives from head to toe.

Can you believe that in the last two weeks I've been to three countries (Switzerland, England, Germany) and two states (Indiana and Washington)? Talk about TIRED! Man, I'm so happy that I don't have to hop on a plane to go anywhere anytime soon.

Oh, there is some writing news to report - the October round one winners of the Holiday Hotties contest will be announced in the TJ On A Tangent newsletter this weekend!

Gotta run. I'm still catching up at work (imagine my eyebrows on fire and that pretty much sums up how it's going so far ;D)

TJ
www.tjmichaels.com

Backup & NaNoWriMo

2008-11-05T00:27:00.000-08:00

Phew! What a week I've had so far. My gosh! If you read my post last week, you'd know that I had it all figured out. Yeah. Right.

I had every intention of sitting down with my laptop on Monday afternoon so I could get started on my NaNo novel. But my USB drive had something else in mind. You see, I carried this 2GB drive with me everywhere. It's got all my writing stuff - whether currently in-progess, or already published. It's got everything and a little more.

When I stuck it into the laptop, I got a bunch of incoherent type. And when I clicked on any of the folders, it claimed they no longer existed. I was thinking, WTF? I still have no idea what the hell happened. But it did. And as a result, I've lost the first chapter of a new novel and novella idea I wrote during the last few weeks. One second it was there, now it's gone. All I can do is write down what I can remember and start again. Not something I prefer to do, but since the original versions are gone, there's no other choice.

So, during the last two days I've been updating everything in four different places - two 1GB USB drives, the laptop and the main family computer. Whenever I update anything, it takes twice as long to synchronize everything. I don't care, though. At least now there are several places for me to refer to in case something insane like this ever happens again. :/

Remember: always BACKUP everything you write!

I've also been working on edits and got through the three required rounds during the last few days. Now it's done. And I can put all my concentration into working on my NaNo first draft...

Are you taking part in NaNo this year?

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Sin A Little

2008-11-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

In less than a month, MIDNIGHT SINS will be available at a bookstore near you (or it will be shipped from the always fun Amazon.com). In honor of this book release, I thought I’d have a contest. I tried to think of cool contest prizes and then I realized—hey, the holidays are coming. Folks like presents. And the best presents? Gifts that you can give yourself. When you get a gift card, oh, yeah, that’s a great present because YOU get to choose the items that you purchase with that handy-dandy card. How sweet. So, here are the prizes that are up for grabs in my SIN A LITTLE contest:

1st Place: $100 gift certificate to Victoria’s Secret

2nd Place: $50 gift certificate to Bath and Body Works

3rd Place: $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com

4th, 5th, and 6th Place: Your choice of two autographed books from my backlist.

Yes—you will have these items before the holidays. I plan to rush the prizes to the winners! Hmmm…can you tell I’m going for a pampering theme with these prizes? We all need pampering during the holidays!

So now, you may be wondering…

How do I enter?

Oh, it’s amazingly simple to enter—promise. And there are two ways to win.

Option one: Simply copy the code for the graphic (yep, that lovely one up above showing Detective Todd Brooks) and post it to your blog—hey, that’s helping me to spread the word! You can click the “Share” button to get the code you need. Then, just copy and paste the code onto your page (insert it in the HTML view) and the image should appear.

Once you’ve posted the graphic on your blog, please go to my main contest page--you can leave a comment there to tell me that you've posted the contest info. You will then be entered to win.

Quick note: if you can’t copy the code for any reason—that’s okay. You can just write a bit about the contest. That will count, too. I’m really trying to make this easy! And, you can talk about the contest on your personal blog site, MySpace, Facebook–any place like that will work!

Option two: I realize that not everyone has a blog, and I wanted to make this contest open to everyone. Thus, the two ways to win. The second way to win is to go and read the excerpt from MIDNIGHT SINS and then answer this question: At the end of this scene, where is Todd going to take Cara?

Email your answer to info@cynthiaeden.com with the subject line of “Sin A Little” and, if your response is correct, you’ll be entered.

Some more rules (because I have to have them):

1. The contest begins on November 1, 2008 and runs until midnight on December 3, 2008. On December 4, I’ll announce the winners on my blog.

2. All contest entrants must be at least 18 years of age or older.

3. Yes, you can enter the contest more than once. Hmmm…better explain that. You can follow option one (above) and enter the contest by posting the necessary information on your blog and you can enter a second time by reading the excerpt and emailing the correct response to me. But, no, you cannot send me five excerpt answers and count that as five entries. Doesn’t work that way.

Any other questions? Well, feel free to email me. And thanks for reading about my contest!

REC Awards - I've been nominated!

2008-11-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

I have been nominated for several REC awards which is so cool. The two covers of mine that were nominated are definitely some of my favorites so far. But not only was I nominated for some of my paranormal books, which have kept me busy busy this year, I also received a nomination for my upcoming interracial contemporary BDSM story.

Her Surrender debuts friday at Cobblestone and i'm very excited about this. It's been a while since I have done a contemporary but I do have several in the works now. So 2009 might see more contemporaries along with my paranormals.

Here is a list of the categories that I have been nominated in.

Erotic Romance - Paranormal Cover of the Year
Erotic Romance - Paranormal Author of the Year
Erotic Romance - Paranormal Short Story of the Year
Erotic Romance - Interracial/Multicultural Short Story of the Year
Erotic Romance - Paranormal Best Male Character

To vote for your favorites you just need to go here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Romance_erotica_connection/polls

Voting seems appropriate this week, so JUST VOTE!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

glitter-graphics.com

And if you have a minute this weekend, stop by Whipped Cream, and vote The Werewolf Whisperer as The Best Book at Whipped Cream!

NaNo & Maths

2008-10-29T00:41:00.000-07:00

I don't like maths, but I like NaNo. ;)

I hope you're all having a great week! The last week of October has been filled with edits for me. The bad news is that I wanted to take it easy this week and just lose myself in planning the novel I want to write next month. The good news is that the third round of edits for CHRISTMAS CAROL has now been done. Yay! Did I mention that this is the sequel to CHRISTMAS LIGHTS? Yep, it is.

As you can tell, I'm going to take part in NaNoWriMo again this year. This'll be my third year. I think it's a lot of fun. Besides, I enjoy throwing myself so deeply into a first draft that I manage to spend an entire month thinking, dreaming, note-taking, and writing the one story I just can't wait to tell.

Okay, here's the maths of it. I know that the month of November has 30 days, but I will only be writing for 20. Why? Because I like to take weekends off. That's because family time + brain recharge time + reading time = the ability to have a large word count output Mon-Fri. Lol.

So, that means that in order to finish a 50k novel during November, I need to write 2,500 words each day. That means 12,500 words a week. (12,500 x 4 = 50,000) Can I do it? I'm pretty sure I can, since I usually aim at 4k/day. It's just a matter of buckling down and getting so wrapped up in the story that some days I might even write more than what I have to. At least, that's what I'm hoping.

You know, after talking about all that, I think it's time I get my Playlist ready and continue the exciting process of making up a story...

So, are you taking part in the craziness this year? If you are, feel free to buddy me. I'm over here. My username is *Y*. ;)

Good luck and have fun!

Oh, and...

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Breathless

2008-10-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

I'm all over the blog o'sphere this week. You can find me at Eliza Gayle's DAMM blog. I'm also blogging Behind the Scenes at Novelspot about my journey from there to here. Then, I hit the Hot Spot to talk about my favorite halloween creatures, werewolves.

So, I'm going to be a lazy blogger today and simply post the video book trailer I created for Breathless, my first m/m shifter published by Cobblestone Press.

I love writing, and I love creating these trailers. Looking for pictures and then music, then somehow tying them all into one neat package is yet another creative outlet. It's different than writing and leaves me feeling both challenged and accomplished.

Hope you enjoy!

Dropping Shows & A Keeper

2008-10-22T01:54:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I posted here about the TV shows my hubby and I were getting stuck into this season.

Well, it looks like that's all going to change. You see, there's a combination of reasons. One is that Australian TV has decided to pull their usual crap of axing and playing around with viewers, and the other is that some of the shows are just not great anymore.

Here's a recap:

FRINGE - Channel Nine has decided to axe this show. It doesn't matter that they advertised this show like crazy and were seriously fast-tracking it here. Nope. They've decided they don't like the ratings, but didn't bother telling anyone. The only reason I know is because I found this online. We were really enjoying it too.

THE MENTALIST - Although this is a great show and we've watched three eps, we've decided to drop it before the channel does. I mean, they've moved this show to FRINGE's old timeslot, which means it's only a matter of time before they cut this one too. So, if we're still interested when it comes out on DVD, we'll borrow it then. Simon Baker rocks in it! I hope it does well in the U.S.

CALIFORNICATION - This is on a different channel, but that doesn't mean they're any better. Still, what made this show excellent and interesting during the first season has been forgotten. All that happens now is Hank arguing with the chick he's with. Damn. What's her name? I can never remember because she's so annoying. Hank doesn't feel like Hank anymore.

HEROES - I didn't think it was possible to screw this show up... but I was terribly wrong. It totally sucks now! We watched the first two eps and it was like pulling teeth. Only managed five minutes into the third before switching it off and deciding it'll just be a waste of time to invest anymore time in this one. My gosh! I hate this new crappy direction they're taking. Why can't they leave the future where it is?

BURN NOTICE - Where is it? Channel Ten pulled it and well, no one knows what the hell they're doing with it. Stopped mid-second season for no good reason. WTF? I miss Michael, Fiona and Sam. :(

So, where does that leave us now? It leaves us watching SUPERNATURAL, which totally rocks! And we're not going to depend on Aussie TV for this one, either.

I'll leave you with a clip of last week's episode. Monster Movie was hilarious!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

MIDNIGHT SINS

2008-10-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

Oh, Monday, Monday...already?

Today I thought I'd post a trailer I made for my upcoming Kensington Brava release, MIDNIGHT SINS. MIDNIGHT SINS is the second book in my "Midnight" trilogy, and it's scheduled to release on November 25th. (Ah, just in time for Christmas shopping! Hint, hint.) I hope you enjoy the trailer.

Three new reviews for Pentacles of Magick Series - Grade:A

2008-10-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

October is one of my favorite times of year and as we approach Halloween and get a taste of cooler weather here in North Carolina, I start to get really excited.

I find myself reading more paranormal books and watching more creepy television. Thanks to my new best friend Hulu.com I am watching lots of new to me shows and having a ball.

I'm also celebrating many supernatural creatures at the DAMM blog this month. We have done vampires and witches and we are now moving to shapeshifters and demons. Fun stuff with lots of guests and fun prizes.

Today I received notification that the first three books in the Pentacles of Magick have received three outstanding reviews from Simply Romance Reviews.

For Pentacles of Magick: The Bonding

"I loved The Bonding and the steamy sex scenes between Graelen and Rena are in a word--HOT!"

For Pentacles of Magick: The Burning

"Ms. Gayle scores another hit with Cash and Selene's story. Scorching..."

For Pentacles of Magick: The Healing

"The menage she creates between two witches and a mortal will leave you breathless."

Each book received a Grade A, Outstanding Read. Thank you Whitney at Simply Romance Reviews for reading and enjoying the books, that's what it's all about.

Speaking of Pentacles of Magick...

This week the fourth and final installment, The Revealing, released from Phaze Books and the entire collection in print is now up for preorder.

The blurb:

The final chapter of the Pentacles of Magick series comes to an explosive end!

As a demon hunter, Noah has seen and done it all...until his twin sends him to rescue a woman he wanted to forget.

Noah Scott is a mercenary hell bent on ridding the world of evil, one demon at a time. He walked away from the family prophecy determined to do things his way. Until one woman had tempted him then left without a trace.

Jessie has spent her whole life hiding her darker side from those who would never accept her. When she met gorgeous Noah she knew he would be different and their passion ignited a connection neither of them understood.

Now they must face the past and their future in a race to save his family, while fighting a sexual desire threatening to destroy them both.

I'm so excited by all that is going on and even more so since it's October! Woot!

Have a good one,

Eliza

I'd rather have Candy Corn

2008-10-17T12:07:00.001-07:00

The last few weeks, I've been feeling as if I've bitten off more than I can chew. I'm editing for a small e-press, a review site, and my own work. I feel as if I'm I'm buried in edits, especially since two manuscripts came back almost simultaneously. So, now I've got publisher requested, agent requested, and critique partner requested edits...on three different stories.

And yes, you heard me right, agent requested. Now, before you start squeeing, I haven't acquired an agent. I did, however, bid on and win a manuscript critique from Scott Eagan of Greyhaus Literary through the Brenda Novak Auction. He read through 50pages of my full-length proposal and gave me lots of guidance. He also requested to read the full! (Now you can squeee). I'm hoping to get it finished, polished, and submitted to him by mid-November.

Oh, and I was notified by Phaze that they'd like to put The Werewolf Whisperer into print. PRINT!!!! That's a big SQUEEE! Only, the story is a bit short. So, I could either fill it out or write a short to go with it. So, the sequel that I've been toying with for months (a 10-15K novella) will need to be plotted, written and submitted. If it's accepted, it will come out in e-book when the print combination comes out. I am sooooo excited...I just keep pinching myself.

But now...I'm back to chewing all those edits and wishing it was candy corn.

Ericka Scott
www.erickascott.com

Reviews & Releases

2008-10-15T02:43:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a great week so far. Me, I've been feeling tired, weak and snotty. Yeah, I've got a cold or something. But at least I don't feel as bad as I did over the weekend and Monday. :)

Well, I've gotten my first two reviews for my Tease Tarot novel, HELLBLAZE, and I wanted to share them...

LeeAnn from Coffee Time Romance gave HB a 4! This is some of what she said:

"Yolanda Sfetsos has written a wonderful book that is dark and dangerous. The suspense of this story keeps you on the edge of your seat."

You can read the whole review here.

SkyWalker from GhostWriter Literary Reviews gave HB a 5! Here's some of the review:

"I found this book to be totally entertaining. It's very well written with excellent dialog and great imagination. Who knew Demons had such wit and charm."

You can read the whole review here.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to both LeeAnn and SkyWalker for their lovely words, and for making my day, too. I love Blaze's story, and I'm so happy that others are enjoying it too. :)

Oh, and before I go, I'd just like to mention that at the end of this week, I've got two new eBooks coming out, from two different publishers:

MOON CHASE is the second installment in my Myth Hunter series with Forbidden Publications and will be available on 16 October.

SANDY SHORE is a companion story to my 2007 Hallowed eBook with Cobblestone Press. It will be available on 17 October.

What a great way to celebrate Halloween!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Phone Calls from the Dead

2008-10-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

I have a new release out this week. I'm so excited...this is the first "sequel" I've written and it was a new and interesting experience. One that I hope to repeat next year with a spooky little tale called Photographs from the Dead...but I digress.

Last year, I wrote Postcards from the Dead. It was the story of Cassie and Drew and how they both dispelled the ghosts in their lives to find love together. Cassie's sister Rosalie and her fiance, Kyle, played small secondary parts. But I loved Rosalie and was determined to give her a story this year. The problem was, I couldn't come up with a plot involving Kyle. Yeah, I know...that sounds silly...but sometimes the characters just won't cooperate.

So, I did what many authors have done before me. I killed him off. Sad but true...
The resulting tale turned out spookier and much darker than Postcards from the Dead. In fact, I can proudly say that I gave Sable Grey goosebumps! Squeee!

Here's a bit of a sneak preview:

Phone Calls from the Dead by Ericka Scott

Available today at Cobblestone Press

Can the new man in her life help her find love again?

After being left standing at the altar, Rosalie Hopkins is just beginning to put her life back together. A mysterious phone call makes her realize she needs to find her ex-fiance in order to forget him. So she hires the oh-so-sexy private investigator, Tavon Williams to help her.

Tavon Williams was investigating Rosalie's ex-fiance. After tailing the man for months, Tavon discovered two things. One, the man was cheating on her. And two, Tavon was in love with Rosalie. So, when she hires him to solve her cold case, things really heat up!

Excerpt:

"So?"

Rosalie sipped her drink and pretended she hadn't heard. With an exasperated sigh, Cassie leaned forward in her chair and shouted to be heard over the noise of the crowd in Dino's, a local night spot. "Did you get the job?"

At five o'clock on Wednesday, hump day happy hour was in full swing. Halloween decorations announced the season. Bales of hay stood along one wall, displaying elaborately carved pumpkins, and in the center of the dance floor, the disco ball had been replaced by a large skull with glowing eyeballs. Local newscast commentary from the widescreen televisions perched over the bar vied with the strains of a local Salsa band playing a south of the border rendition of Monster Mash.

"As if you didn't know?" Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"I get postcards from dead people. I'm not psychic." Cassie waggled her eyebrows and repeated, "So?"

Rosalie grinned. The job interview for a position at the ticket counter of the local airport had gone stunningly. So well, in fact, that she started work the next morning. After months of scraping by on savings, it would be fabulous to have a steady paycheck again.

"I start tomorrow!" Rosalie did a little happy dance in her chair. She'd forgotten how much fun having drinks with her sister could be.

"Yippee!" Cassie lifted her margarita glass as if in a toast.

"Are congratulations in order?" Drew, Cassie's husband, asked as he slid into an empty seat.

"Rosalie got the job," Cassie said as she leaned in to kiss him.

They made such a cute couple. Tall, blond and buff, Drew wore his hair in a buzz cut and had started wearing black-framed glasses. Cassie called it his Clark Kent look; while Drew insisted he only wore the glasses to chase other women away. Just for a second, the pang of jealousy almost undid Rosalie. She averted her eyes and straightened the candle holder, a large plastic spider, in the middle of the table. Cassie and Drew looked so happy together. Without Kyle, they would never have met. Thinking about her ex-fiancé evaporated her good mood, but she fixed a smile on her face to help convince herself that she was so over him.

"Well, this calls for a celebration," Drew said. "How about I take the two prettiest women in San Josue, California, out to dinner?"

"On a reporter's budget?" Rosalie teased. "I'm not sure I want to eat at McDonald's tonight."

"Hey!" Drew's blue eyes lit up as he laughed. He stood up and pulled out his wallet to pay for their drinks.

"Good one, sis." Cassie tapped Rosalie's glass with her own. "It's been a while since you…"

"Yeah, I know," Rosalie cut in. "But get used to it, I'm back." She hoped her voice and body language spoke with more confidence than she felt.

As they stood, Cassie put her arm around Rosalie's shoulders and gave her a brief squeeze before following Drew through the crush of bodies. Rosalie had almost forgotten how crowded Dino's could get on a Wednesday when they served bottles of various beers in a bucket. Tables were in short supply, and quite a crowd had gathered around the bar. A smattering of couples gyrated on the dance floor while the band played Thriller, salsa style. She glanced around. No one even looked her way, not like they used to when she stood beside…

No, she was not going to dwell on the past tonight. She wasn't going to let the bastard spoil any more of her life. Then, as she started forward, she saw him–a tall, black man standing at the bar. He towered head and shoulders above everyone else and had on a local team's football jersey.

Without thinking, she turned and strode in his direction. What would she say? Confront him? Ask him why he'd left her standing at the altar and then just disappeared? Despite her thoughts, anger carried her forward. Then, he turned and her footsteps faltered. The man in front of her was only a young college kid. It wasn't him–it wasn't Kyle.

Without breaking her stride, she turned and headed blindly toward the door. She collided with a hard body and was enveloped by warmth and the scent of expensive cologne.

"Whoa!" a deep voice said.

Rosalie looked up through tear-filled eyes.

"Hey, aren't you Kyle's wife?" the man asked.

"Um, no." Heat seeped up her neck and into her face. "We didn't…I mean…well…" she stammered. Jesus, she sounded half-witted. Why hadn't she just said yes and moved on?

"You know, I saw him that day." The man's soft hazel eyes, framed by impossibly long curly lashes, bored into hers.

"What?"

"Yeah, he lived on Stetson Drive, right? Well, I'm a huge fan of his and just as I drove by the house, he came out the front door. I stopped, but by the time I pulled over to the curb, he was already in the car and pulling out."

Rosalie blinked, trying desperately to come to grips with the information. Right after Kyle's disappearance, there had been hundreds of leads, most of them from crackpots angling for a few moments of fame. But this man's story seemed plausible. After Kyle's knee injury had sidelined his basketball career, he'd become a popular sports commentator; people frequently stopped him on the street to say hello.

And the man standing in front of her certainly didn't look like a crackpot. Skin the color of café au lait, he wore his black hair short and his face clean-shaven. His dark slacks, white oxford shirt, and sports jacket all looked neat and orderly.

But then, most serial killers probably looked like someone's next door neighbor, too.

However, she certainly hoped serial killers didn't elicit the response from his victims that this man incited in her. For the first time since Kyle's disappearance, her heart beat faster, and a slow burning heat coiled low in her belly. She was disconcerted to feel this level of attraction for a stranger, no matter how gorgeous he was. Perhaps her body was finally waking up and taking notice of men–men who weren't Kyle.

Although she would have liked to indulge in a carnal fantasy, one with her naked and wanton in the stranger's arms, she directed her attention back to the conversation. No one had told her there were any witnesses to Kyle's departure. "Did you tell the police?"

"Oh, yeah, I told that horrible detective Manny what's-his-name." The man shrugged. "However, he didn't seem to think much of it. I called a couple of times to see if he'd discovered anything, but he never called me back."

Typical. Rosalie knew what it felt like to receive a brush-off from the officer. "Well, thank you for letting me know." Rosalie tried to smile and hoped it looked more pleasant than a grimace.

"Sure. It was nice meeting you…" the man trailed off and held out his hand for her to shake.

"Rosalie Hopkins."

"I'm Tavon Michaels."

The name struck a familiar chord, but she couldn't remember where or when she'd heard it before. She took his hand and felt a zing of desire with his touch. Even though she'd just met this man, her hormones screamed for her to pull him closer so that she could feel the heat of his body warm hers. Her nipples hardened and pressed against the fabric of her blouse as she looked up into Tavon's eyes.

What would Kyle think?

The thought came unbidden, and it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. Pulling her libido into check, she said a hasty good-bye, turned away, and tried to make an unobtrusive exit.

When she careened into her sister, she realized tears were pouring down her face.

"What?" Cassie gasped. Then, in the intuitive way sisters have, Cassie stood on tiptoe and scanned the crowd. She, too, must have spotted the tall man at the bar, for she exclaimed, "Oh my God, is that Kyle?" She pulled away from Rosalie, heading in the man's direction.

"It's not him. Cassie!" Rosalie called after her sister's retreating back.

Cassie turned around. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Rosalie took a shuddering breath. "Let's just get out of here."

"Do you want to go home?" Cassie asked.

Oh, did she! Rosalie wanted to do nothing more than to curl up on the couch, wrap herself in an afghan, and cry. But she'd spent far too much of the last three months doing that. She shook her head. "No, I want tabloid-boy to buy me dinner."

"That's my girl." The words were whispered in an oh-so-familiar voice. Rosalie started and looked around; goose pimples danced up her arms. Kyle?

"Did you hear that?" she asked Cassie.

But her sister was already headed for the white truck illegally parked at the curb. Rosalie trailed along behind her, casting a glance over her shoulder. It simply had to have been her imagination.

***********************************

Or was it???

:-)

Ericka Scott

www.erickascott.com

Shows & More Shows!

2008-10-08T03:04:00.000-07:00

So, today I wanted to talk about the TV shows that my hubby and I are totally hooked on at the moment. Some are new, others are into the next seasons, and others I'm very upset that I can't watch (Dexter and True Blood) because they're not available here in Australia. :(

But anyway, let's get started.

First up, SUPERNATURAL. My gosh! Just when you think this show can't get any better, you start to watch the fourth season and think: yikes! It can. Honestly, it's fantastic and I can totally see where Dean and Sam are headed. And it's not a happy place. Not when we're talking about one being touched by a demon, and the other by an angel. But you know what, I can't wait!

Did you all watch last week's episode? The one where Dean goes back and meets his parents before they're married. It was amazing! And totally unexpected. What an awesome ep! :D

Next up is FRINGE. We've watched the first three episodes and I have to say that I'm impressed. I like the female protagonist and the two men who stand beside her.

Olivia is a strong FBI agent that was deceived by someone she thought cared about her. The turn of events from that situation led her to the Bishops. I love the dynamic between father and son, and can't help but speculate just why they seem to be so disconnected.

I can't wait to see what lies ahead, looks like it'll be interesting. And the best thing is that we get answers as the episodes end. Not left hanging, like LOST for example. ;)

THE MENTALIST just started here on Sunday night and we loved it too! Simon Baker's an awesome actor and he brings a lot of awesomeness to this character.

Love that Patrick has a tragic backstory. And what about that opening scene, huh? I gotta say, it hooked me in from the beginning. Looking forward to more of it.

Oh, and CALIFORNICATION started the same night too. I loved the first season. It was raw and crude, and I enjoyed Hank Moody's insane life. But the first ep in the second season left me feeling a little... I don't know. Meh, maybe? There was something not-quite-there about it. Not sure what, but I hope it gets better.

Also, tomorrow night we're getting the first two episodes of HEROES. I've heard mixed things about the latest season, but I want to see it for myself.

And last but certainly NOT least, BURN NOTICE. I love this show. The excellence has carried over into the second season, but I just wish Aussie TV would stop screwing us around with it. They put it on, they take it off. It's so infuriating. I enjoy catching up with Michael, Fiona and Sam. They're so awesome!

Okay, now that I've spilled my TV score card for this season, what's yours look like? Do we share any of them?

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

I love October.

2008-10-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I love it. The cooler days. The leaves falling from the trees.

And I do love the ghosts and goblins that will soon be at my door. :-)

I've found that when I'm writing a paranormal story during Halloween (like I am lucky enough to be doing right now), the pages flow faster. The energy of the story seems more intense--and I can't wait to sit down each day and write.

I'm done with traveling and attending workshops for a bit, so I'm going to spend the next few weeks getting as much done on this story as I possibly can. I'd love to be finished with the rough draft by Halloween, but I'm just not sure that will be possible. Even if I don't get this tale wrapped up until mid-November, I still know that I'll have one hell of a good time writing these characters.

Are there any other October lovers out there? If so, why do you love this month so much?

Embarking on a new adventure

2008-10-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

Home schooling my daughter until the end of the semester when she can be cleared to go back to High School.

Teaching is not something I've ever aspired to. I admire teachers immensely, I just never wanted to be one. Looks like I'll be able to add yet another chore to my repetoire. Sigh.

Just when I wonder what life can throw at me next...

On the writing front...I got a couple of stunning new covers for upcoming stories. The first is for my October release with Cobblestone Press. Designed by Frauke at Croco Designs, it's a complement to my Hallowed release last year.

And, the one I got just yesterday for a short story picked up by Forbidden Publications (yes, Yolanda, I think I am following you around! We share, what, three publishing houses now?)

And now...I have to go ring the school bell for my daughter ~ boy, now, I'm doubly glad it's Friday!

Ericka Scott
www.erickascott.com

Thursday Ouchie!

2008-10-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

Oh my freaking god, you are not going to believe what happened to me today. I have to tell this before I get into the really cool contest that Moira Rogers is hosting.

Okay, I was on my way out of the door at 6:30 am to get to the early morning sessions as the customer event the company I work with hosts each year. Well in my house we have a baby gate at the top of the stairs to keep my kids' puppies from running around the house at night.

Yours truly stepped over that gate, down one step...and my sock slipped on the carpet. I went down like a ton of bricks and slid down the stairs, bumping my ass and my head until I got to the bottom. It was SO not fun!

My son came running from his room to help me get up (my sacrum and head were on FREAKING FIRE!) the puppies were at the top of the stairs (amazingly the baby gate stayed in place) looking at me like 'what the hell...?' and my daughter, who can't walk right now, was in the living room downstairs yelling and asking if I was alright.

So here I am at the end of the day in the most amazing pain. My sacrum is bruised and it hurts to get up or sit down. Hurts to just sit here. Ack! But overall, the day was awesome! ROFL!

Now on to the good stuff...

Author, Moira Rogers, is holding the coolest contest I've heard of in awhile. Not only because one of my books is featured in it, but because it's an awesome idea for people (like me ;D) who enjoy series. I'm always looking for a good series, ya'll. So first, the cool graphic...then the details ;D

So, what do me, Sharon Cullen, Misty Evans, Carolan Ivey, Kate Johnson, Melissa Lopez, Michelle Pillow, Moira Rogers, Renee Wildes and Linda Winfree have in common? We're all authors with Samhain Publishing, and we want to hook you on a new series! These stories range from paranormal romance to romantic suspense, and are sure to entertain you. If you'd like a chance to win one, fill out the form on Moira's website and you'll be entered in the Get Hooked On a Series drawing. Eleven lucky winners will discover a new series! Winners will be announced on October 20th.

So scoot on over to Moira's and get in on the goodies...while I go take some more Motrin! ;D

TJ

October & Goals

2008-10-01T04:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of the year again. Halloween is just around the corner. October also happens to be the birthday month for both my hubby and daughter. I know, I'm surrounded by the star sign, Libra! ;)

Anyway. I started this month with a clean slate. I met my self-imposed deadline of finishing the first draft of my latest WIP by the end of September. The word count ended up being 82,246, and I'm very happy with how the novel turned out. Now, to plan for the next two installments. Lol.

This month, I won't be embarking on any huge projects, especially any of the novel kind. That's for November, NaNoWriMo month, right? What I would like to do this month is complete the final draft of the 30k novella I wrote a few months ago and sub it, plan (I don't like to use the word outline because it's more like a brainstorm) two different short stories I want to write, do the same for the NaNo novel I want to write, promo the two new releases I have for this month, read the urban fantasy books I've had to ignore during my first draft writing, clear out some of the clutter from my room, and just enjoy the month.

So far, all I've done is edits, though. I've done two separate rounds, for two separate stories during the last few days. Not bad. And I'm expecting more during the month.

Oh, I'm also Featured at The Romance Studio this month, so check me out HERE. :D

Anyway, what have you got planned for the month of October?

I'm going to go and read the rest of this awesome book now! Bye for now.

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

More Life...

2008-09-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-09-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-20T23:15:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-09-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-13T23:34:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-09-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-09-10T02:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-09-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-09-03T02:27:00.000-07:00

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/

Away at DragonCon!

2008-08-30T23:58:00.000-07:00

Will be back next Saturday to fill you in on all the goodness of the fabulous DragonCon experience.

Eliza

I almost forgot it was Friday!!

2008-08-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

As I grow older, I tend to forget more and more... Much of it is because I'm "multi-tasking" and not paying enough attention to what I'm doing. But I do find myself relying more and more on lists to make sure everything gets done.

The heroine in my upcoming release, Forget Me Not, has a much more understandable reason for losing her memory. She was bashed on the head by a chunk of concrete in the terror attacks of 9/11.

Her adventure will be released on 9/8/2008 from Total E-bound.

September 11, 2001 was a momentous day in history. It was also the day Letitia Davies lost her memory and began seeing ghosts. Despite the loving care of her husband, she never regained any memory of her past.

When he unexpectedly dies of cancer seven years later, Letitia travels back to Napa, California, to celebrate her birthday and plan out her future. There she encounters a sexy man who claims to be her real husband. Although her mind doesn’t remember him, her body does and his touch inflames passions she’d only dreamed of before.

In order to take her mind off her lust for the handsome stranger, Letitia investigates the death of a ghostly beauty. However, the series of clues she finds leads Letitia right back to her past and could either unlock her mind or destroy the only memories she has left.

Ericka Scott
www.erickascott.com

Still in TWILIGHT

2008-08-27T06:07:00.000-07:00

Last week I spoke about the book TWILIGHT, and just how much I loved it. Well, I enjoyed it so much that I've now read the next two books as well. Last night, I finished ECLIPSE before I'd even realised the end was so near. It took me by surprise, which is a very strange thing when you consider the size of the book. It's huge, yet, it didn't drag. Not once. It's like every moment I spend reading these books is filled with excitement and anticipation. I get so wrapped up in what's going on that I just have to read on and on, until I'm finished.

So, now I'm up to the last book in the series. It seems bizarre that only a few weeks ago I hadn't even read one of the books, and wondered what made this story so special that millions of people all over the world were waiting for BREAKING DAWN.

Well, now I know. And I'm no longer behind. Today, I intend to start the last book in the saga and can't wait to see how it all wraps up. I know Stephenie Meyer has plans to write more in this world, but this'll be the end of Bella's story. After riding along with her, I want to see what she does, who she chooses, and just what path her future takes.

I always find it amazing when a story can suck you in this much. To the point of becoming obsessed with it. And you know, it's made me realise that's exactly what happens to me when I'm writing a story. I get wrapped up in a fictional world, filled with characters I think about so much they feel real. It's why I love telling stories, and also love reading them.

I'll be spending the rest of the week in a new world of my own. I'm starting a new novel next week, and can't wait to throw myself into the middle of it.

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

A New Release

2008-08-26T05:13:00.001-07:00

Like Cynthia, I'm always super nervous on a new release day. After sweating, fretting and obsessing over so many releases, I've determined that'll never change :) I torture myself, sitting in front of the computer all day, reading and rereading the blurb, the excerpt, checking ranking if it's available.

So, today, you know where I'll be. Refreshing the HOME PAGE on Samhain's site until my book appears, and then checking the MBAM home page and rankings until the wee hours of tomorrow morning. Those mega doses of caffeine don't help the jitters much :)

“Behind the Mask” by Tawny Taylor

Read An Excerpt Online
Genre: Red Hots!, Contemporary Romance

ISBN: 1-60504-138-6
Length: Short Story
Price: 2.50
Publication Date: August 26, 2008
Cover art by Scott Carpenter

Three nights of uninhibited kink—and you’re invited.

Kelly Bennett is about to embark on a journey into a strange and foreign world, where men and women play erotic games of power and lust, hiding behind masks. A dark world of bondage, of domination and submission, of masters and slaves. The world of Masquerade Weekend.

But her journey is not a solitary one. She’s found a willing guide in Rogan Cayne, a man who knows his way around. A man with the strength to keep her safe as she indulges in some experimentation, and maybe a game or two of cat and mouse. As she lets Rogan slowly lure her with a touch, a look, and a few whispered words, she suddenly finds she’s a mouse with one very fierce cat on her tail.

Rogan isn’t about to let Kelly play it safe during this weekend of decadent, carnal exploration. In fact, before the weekend draws to a close, he intends to strip away her every defense and bring the luscious little submissive to her knees.

But is he willing to pay the price to discover what lies beneath her mask?

Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, mild bondage and discipline, exhibitionism, BDSM themes, and a couple of naughty games.

Tomorrow is Release Day!

2008-08-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm always both excited and horribly nervous when one of my books releases. Tomorrow, EVERLASTING BAD BOYS will hit store shelves. So, yep, that means I'll spend the day alternating between the feelings of woo-hoo excitement and Oh-My-God nervousness. Such is the way of my world. :-)

But, since the release is so very close, I thought I'd talk a bit about the characters in "Spellbound'--my novella in EVERLASTING BAD BOYS.

The heroine of my story is Serena Tyme, a witch. And my hero, Luis D'Amil--well, he's the boogeyman. (Okay, technically I call him a soul hunter, but really, he's the boogeyman all of the Other fear.) I loved writing about these two characters. Both are strong paranormals with special powers. Although my hero's powers do tend to be very, very dark...

When I created the character of Luis, I knew that because of who I wanted him to be (the being that all the paranormals in my "world" feared), I would have to give him an unusual assortment of talents. So, I created the soul hunter myth. In my tale, a soul hunter is born from the mating of a witch and a demon--and there is no being more powerful. But, Luis does have a weakness...and her name is Serena.

Thanks for letting me talk about my characters. Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Summer's Winding Down

2008-08-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

The kids went back to school two weeks ago. Two of my crew went...leaving me with the 4-year old. I'm not sure who is more anxious for preschool to start, him or me! I will admit that it's much easier to run errands with just one little one. The two boys are only 11 months apart, so they feed off each other on who can be the most mischievous.

On a bright point, I ran a few errands the other day (with just one little boy in tow) and we stopped by one of my favorite stores. Michaels. They had a huge display of Halloween things right in the middle of the aisle. Needless to say, Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. So, my little one and I had a blast setting off all the decorations - laughing tombstones, falling skulls, and this incredible floating woman.

That's when it hit me...the summer is finally winding down. Living in the high desert of California, the summer seems to last from March to October some years. We actually had a spring this year and I'm hoping we'll get some chilly weather in time for Halloween.

I can hardly wait to set up the cemetery in the front yard (complete now with a laughing tombstone) and in a few weeks we'll be shopping for Halloween costumes for the boys. I'm hoping for little skeletons or ghouls, but I have an inkling spiderman costumes are more to their taste. Sigh.

Happy Almost Friday!

2008-08-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll! I'm reading about dragons and my god they are HOT! And not just 'cause they blow fire either. It's part of the Shadow of the Dragon series by Tielle St. Clare. I'd read the other books in the series a year or two ago and they were absolutely fabulous. The characters in those stories were well written, along with the dragons who accompanied their charges. Talk about details! Tielle made me 'see' what the characters were seeing. Made me 'feel' what the characters and their dragons felt. I figured book four in the series, called Dragon's Prey, would be the same. And I was spot on!

I'm only on page 364 and I'm burning my poor eReader up! Now, I like sex in a book as well as the next person, but sex for the sake of sex is boring. Give me some plot. Give me some action. Give me some suspense. Give me a reason to care about the characters. Give me all that and I'll stick with you forever.

Well, Tielle, I'm with you forever, girlfriend 'cause the Shadow series RAWKS from beginning to the end!

Here's the blurby bit from Tielle's book, Dragon's Prey:
Shadow of the Dragon - Dragon's Prey By Tielle St Clare
Book 4 in the Shadow of the Dragon series.

Captured and put into slavery, it should be a simple thing for Kayla to escape, if only her dragon would cooperate. But the blasted beast — bored with the males at home — sees Kayla's captivity as the perfect opportunity to find her mate.

When her dragon finds the man for Kayla, he's all wrong. He's too strong, too aggressive and way too grouchy. He's the perfect mercenary but he'll make a rotten husband. Unfortunately, her body — and her dragon — don't care about any of that and while she wants to hate Captain Sixx, she finds herself unable to resist him.

For Sixx, getting the pretty little slave as a gift is more irritation than pleasure. What's he supposed to do with her? He's got enough troubles — including a curse and a snotty young warrior preparing to challenge him — now he's got her to deal with. Of course, having Kayla chained up in his bedchamber does have its benefits.

So now Kayla just has to figure out how to get home, keep Sixx safe from her father's wrath, oh, and tell her lover she's part dragon.

Wanna see what she's up to? Visit here at her website, www.tiellestclare.com

Love ya!

TJ
www.tjmichaels.com

TWILIGHT

2008-08-20T17:51:00.001-07:00

Well, last night I finished reading TWILIGHT. I know, I'm a little behind. The rest of the world read this wonderful book years ago, but it doesn't matter to me. I believe this book was more than just a reading, it was an experience.

I read good books - no, great books - all the time, but for some reason, some hit you harder than others. This book, was one of those. It's happened to me plenty of times, this is just the latest.

Last week, I watched the upcoming Twilight movie trailer with my hubby. Then I found out that the last one in the series was being released. This is when I decided that it was time to give the book a go. I have no idea why I didn't read it sooner. It's just one of those things. I've done it with the Harry Potter series, the Stephanie Plum series, and even Sookie Stackhouse. I jump on the wagon a little late and then go nuts to get my hands on all of the available books in the series.

When we got this book last Friday, my husband mentioned that I should just buy all of them. He knew I would love it, so what was the point of waiting? I stuck to my guns and just got the first one. Monday night, I decided to read just the first chapter, as a reward for finishing the re-write I was working on. By Tuesday, I sat on the couch and spent most of the day (and night) reading. Yesterday was just about the same. I couldn't put it down. I had to know what was going to happen next to Bella and Edward, as well as everyone else who was affected.

Wow. *taking a deep breath* It was fantastic! Not just the way it's written and what happens in this story, there's another factor. There's something special about Twilight. :D The vulnerability, the subject matter, the love between these two characters... maybe it's just because there are vampires in the story. I LOVE vampires. Or maybe I feel so deeply about it because the first real story I ever wrote was about a teenage girl falling in love with a vampire. Who knows? I just feel it, and it's hard to explain.

Anyway, my husband came home with a surprise last night. Before going to work, he stopped by the store and picked up the remaining three for me. OMG! I now have all of them, and can't wait to get stuck into them. So, so awesome.

Now I can't wait to watch the movie.

So, have you read the Twilight Series? If you have, what did you think? But please, no spoilers. :D Isn't Edward Cullen one of those totally intoxicating characters that you miss when he's not on the page? At the end of my book (it's a special edition) there's an excerpt for an upcoming book called MIDNIGHT SUN, and apparently, it's from his POV. Yikes! ;)

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Divas of the Dark

Like a Diva with her bum on fire

Fare Thee Well...

*waving*

I'm in Print!

Earth Hour

That Writing Life...

Bits & Pieces

New Release Countdown!

Friday the 13th

Sealed with a little excerpt

Song of Seduction

Body Image - Curves are the new skinny?

Sealed with a Demon's Kiss

What if...

Bite Me

A little Charm excerpt...

A thought-provoking Question

A Brief Break From The Paranormal

The Hunter up for Cover of the Month!

Free Downloads from Sable

The Cat's Charm

What makes a keeper?

Losing It?

Enjoying the time off!

So many paranormals to choose from...

Road Trip, Baby!

A little Wicked excerpt...

Small Conferences vs. Big Conferences

My First New Release for 2009!

Cover Art Christmas times TWO!

A Reading Plan for 2009

Booking It

Her downfall: the battle-scarred demon who vows to keep her at all costs.

They were never supposed to want each other this much…

Happy Friday...

Some Great News & Some New Covers!

Words In Motion

2009 & Stuff

Booking It and a writing contest

Ready for the end and free books!

May 2009 be the best ever!

I just wanted to say...

Happy Boxing Day

Merry Christmas!

Snow Day, Icy Road Trip, and a Celebrity Sighting

vBlog and Chats (xPost)

Christmas Lights & Christmas Carol

The Nightmare Before Christmas & Christmas Day of the Dead

It's finally beginning to look a bit like Lasagna (Oh, I mean Winter!)

Taking a Breath & Still Reading

Midnight Sins!

The Day after Black Friday

A Day Late and A Dollar Short....

Finished NaNoWriMo & More Reading

Twilight Drains The Box Office

Drama Teen

NaNoWriMo & Reading

Panic!!

Shapeshifters...What's the new werewolf??

The Other Woman

Meh & NaNo

Whew! What a Tailspin!

Backup & NaNoWriMo

Sin A Little

REC Awards - I've been nominated!

Happy Halloween!

NaNo & Maths

Breathless

Dropping Shows & A Keeper

MIDNIGHT SINS

Three new reviews for Pentacles of Magick Series - Grade:A

I'd rather have Candy Corn

Reviews & Releases

Phone Calls from the Dead

Shows & More Shows!

I love October.

Embarking on a new adventure

Thursday Ouchie!

October & Goals

waving