Today I'm blogging at Nine Naughty Novelists about "Askers" and "Guessers" - come see which you think you are!
I finished Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. I really loved this story. From the blurb on the back cover, I wasn't sure I was going to, but it was great. The character of Sadie was so entertaining and I love how the two women learn from each other. Of course, there could have been a little more romance for me, but there is a love story. The only other thing that would have made it better would have been a little epilogue about Sadie - after she passed on, I'm so hoping she was finally with the man she loved.
Now I'm reading Fade to Midnight, by Shannon McKenna, one of my favourite authors. And I've been waiting so long for Kev's story! It's not disappointing, either, love Kev, love Edie, and the tension is building. Okay, it's a little improbable that they fell in love in one day, even though they did see each other years earlier, once, but I'm hooked so I'm totally going with it!
Now I'm reading Fade to Midnight, by Shannon McKenna, one of my favourite authors. And I've been waiting so long for Kev's story! It's not disappointing, either, love Kev, love Edie, and the tension is building. Okay, it's a little improbable that they fell in love in one day, even though they did see each other years earlier, once, but I'm hooked so I'm totally going with it!
Come on over to Examiner.com where I've been interviewed today!
Well I`m happy to report that I am digging myself out of the black hole of unreasonable depression. After a few weeks off (which truthfully wasn`t really "off" because I was always thinking of story ideas) I've gotten back into it. A few happy events helped bring me up out of the hole - a sale to Ellora's Cave and a 4 star review by RT Book Reviews for Lost and Found! Watch for more details coming soon!
So I feel more comfortable continuing with one of my WIPs , the Celtic story, I've had some ideas and feel eager to move on. I gave some thought to a "spin off" story featuring a secondary character of my recent Ellora's Cave sale, but I haven't quite figured out quite the right match for him. And then I got an idea for a completely new story featuring a chef. Okay it's not COMPLETELY new, because I wrote a story about a chef already, which was a freebie serial on my blog, But the main female character is completely different and has her own journey to make in this story, and I get to use the extensive research I did for that last story.
So I'm feeling better and looking forward to release week - June 8! Lost and Found! I'm so pumped about this! Watch for lots of blog articles about this story and some cool new ideas!
And watch for exciting news from the Nine Naughty Novelists! We were braintorming and when you get 9 creative novelists together, whoa! Craziness! It's going to be so much fun!
My next Samhain release is coming soon! June 8 is release day for LOST AND FOUND and I can't wait!
Here's a tiny excerpt, but watch for more, I'll be blogging all over the place and partying in the Samhain cafe!
Krissa rinsed the conditioner out of her hair, then reached for the tap of the shower. She cranked it off, opened the shower door and put out a hand for her towel. Derek stood there, leaning against the vanity, towel in his outstretched hand.
He still hadn’t dressed, and despite her anger and sorrow, and despite his obvious hangover, his muscular chest, smooth and tanned, made her want to touch, and the low-riding boxers drew her eyes to the V-shaped muscles tapering down beneath them. His eyes were shadowed, his face lined with fatigue.
Krissa took the towel and dried off, aware of Derek watching her. Her pussy clenched and her nipples tingled. She wrapped the towel around her, tucked the end in to hold it in place.
Water dripped from her long hair onto her bare shoulders, soaked into the thick towel as they looked at each other.
“I know you were hurting yesterday,” Krissa finally said. “But that doesn’t give you the right to treat me like shit.”
“I know. I said I’m sorry.”
“You could have at least told me you were going out.”
“I know. I screwed up, okay?”
She continued to watch him. His eyes, dark with pain, met her.
“Did you tell Nate?” he asked.
“No.”
He nodded.
“Were you with someone?”
He shook his head slowly. “No.”
“I smelled perfume on your suit. Not my perfume.”
“There were women in the bar. I smelled like cigarettes, too, but I wasn’t smoking.”
She nodded. A couple of years ago, they’d had this same conversation. But he’d emphatically denied it, and she’d had no reason to disbelieve him—okay, the truth was, she didn’t want to disbelieve him—so she’d let it go. She didn’t like fighting with him, and nothing else had ever happened, so she must have been wrong.
She didn’t like the suspicion eating at her insides, the fear and worry.
“I love you, Krissa.” He held her gaze.
“I love you too.”
Here's a tiny excerpt, but watch for more, I'll be blogging all over the place and partying in the Samhain cafe!
He still hadn’t dressed, and despite her anger and sorrow, and despite his obvious hangover, his muscular chest, smooth and tanned, made her want to touch, and the low-riding boxers drew her eyes to the V-shaped muscles tapering down beneath them. His eyes were shadowed, his face lined with fatigue.
Krissa took the towel and dried off, aware of Derek watching her. Her pussy clenched and her nipples tingled. She wrapped the towel around her, tucked the end in to hold it in place.
Water dripped from her long hair onto her bare shoulders, soaked into the thick towel as they looked at each other.
“I know you were hurting yesterday,” Krissa finally said. “But that doesn’t give you the right to treat me like shit.”
“I know. I said I’m sorry.”
“You could have at least told me you were going out.”
“I know. I screwed up, okay?”
She continued to watch him. His eyes, dark with pain, met her.
“Did you tell Nate?” he asked.
“No.”
He nodded.
“Were you with someone?”
He shook his head slowly. “No.”
“I smelled perfume on your suit. Not my perfume.”
“There were women in the bar. I smelled like cigarettes, too, but I wasn’t smoking.”
She nodded. A couple of years ago, they’d had this same conversation. But he’d emphatically denied it, and she’d had no reason to disbelieve him—okay, the truth was, she didn’t want to disbelieve him—so she’d let it go. She didn’t like fighting with him, and nothing else had ever happened, so she must have been wrong.
She didn’t like the suspicion eating at her insides, the fear and worry.
“I love you, Krissa.” He held her gaze.
“I love you too.”
Eek! I'm a bad blogger! The long weekend here got me all messed up. I totally missed my Monday post (nothing much to say anyway about the WIP because THERE ISN'T ONE.). And it's six pm and I just realized it's Wednesday. Duh.
So this week I finished Erin McCarthy's The Taking. LOVED this book! The first time I ever read one of Erin's more "serious" books, I felt she had a hard time switching from her usual voice, which is funny with often sarcastic, smart-mouthed heroines, as there were elemetns that seem to fit, especially dialogue. But this time it was smooth, and the story was wonderful.
I've now started Sophie Kinsella's Twenties Girl. Already laughed out loud once!
I went to the book store the other day, mostly because my son wanted to go. I usually buy ebooks now, but I thought I'd look at the books and maybe buy one (because you know, if you don't buy any paper books, the book stores will close, and I do love book stores :-) But I couldn't find a single book that appealed to me. I'm a contemporary lover - I like them humorous or deep, more on the hot and spicy side. But it seemed to me that everything I looked at was paranormal. No offence to paranormal writers and readers, but most of that stuff I just can't get into. I don't mind a hot historical a la Kate Pearce or Sylvia Day. I like their stories because the heroines aren't simpering virgins, but are strong, sexy women.
What do you think? Are there enough good contemporary romances out there? Got any recommendations for contemp, or hot historical?
So this week I finished Erin McCarthy's The Taking. LOVED this book! The first time I ever read one of Erin's more "serious" books, I felt she had a hard time switching from her usual voice, which is funny with often sarcastic, smart-mouthed heroines, as there were elemetns that seem to fit, especially dialogue. But this time it was smooth, and the story was wonderful.
I've now started Sophie Kinsella's Twenties Girl. Already laughed out loud once!
I went to the book store the other day, mostly because my son wanted to go. I usually buy ebooks now, but I thought I'd look at the books and maybe buy one (because you know, if you don't buy any paper books, the book stores will close, and I do love book stores :-) But I couldn't find a single book that appealed to me. I'm a contemporary lover - I like them humorous or deep, more on the hot and spicy side. But it seemed to me that everything I looked at was paranormal. No offence to paranormal writers and readers, but most of that stuff I just can't get into. I don't mind a hot historical a la Kate Pearce or Sylvia Day. I like their stories because the heroines aren't simpering virgins, but are strong, sexy women.
What do you think? Are there enough good contemporary romances out there? Got any recommendations for contemp, or hot historical?
If any of you haven't heard about this incredible event, Coffeetime is having a big Samhain celebration at their forum, with tons and tons of excerpts and prizes.
My excerpt from 2 Hot 2 Handle is up this week. To win, all you have to do is comment on it, or any of the excerpts (and you get to check out lots and lots of great books).
http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/showthread.php?p=119484#post119484
Here's a bit about the rules:
"For each excerpt you comment on you will receive one entry up to a maximum of one entry per excerpt. To make things even more wonderful, since we authors love you soooo much, each entry you get will carry over until the end of the promo in five weeks time. Meaning, you can accumulate simply tons of entries into the last and splenderifically fantasticus final prize draw, and the Star Prize of three ebook downloads of your choice from Samhain Publishing.
Basically, the more excerpts you comment on over the next four weeks, the more chances you have to win.
Can you win more than once? Yep, you bet your little cookies you can. We don't toss your cookies, uhm, entries just because you’ve won. And if you can't comment on an excerpt for one week (like if you've died and had to come back as a lost spirit to enter) don't worry. You won't receive an entry for that week's prizes but the excerpts remain up for the run of the contest. That way you can comment on them at any time for the current weeks prizes."
I've sold another book to Ellora's Cave! I gave you a sneak peek at this story, Power Struggle, back on March 5, so here it is again...unedited, of course...
“I’m hungry. Let’s get something to eat.”
She shifted in her seat to face him. “I didn’t think food was what you had in mind. If I’d known that, we could have left half an hour ago.”
Everything inside him eased and softened and he couldn’t help the broad grin that pulled his mouth. He wanted to grab her and hug her. “It wasn’t what I had in mind,” he admitted. “But I’m trying to slow down here.”
She nodded. “Okay. Where should we go?”
“Mickey D’s. Where else is there?”
“What!” She sputtered a laugh. “In your tux and this dress, we’re going to McDonald’s?”
He grinned. “You bet. I’m craving a Big Mac.”
Shaking her head, she leaned back in her seat. “Okay. Sure.”
Uncaring of the looks they attracted, they ordered at the counter then he carried the tray to a table in the back corner of the restaurant. The smell of the burgers and fries filled his head and tempted him. He handed Tori her hamburger and Diet Coke and then opened the box of his own burger. “Yum,” he said. “I’m addicted to these.”
“Big Macs? Or any kind of burger?”
“Pretty much any kind.” He took a big bite.
“You know it’s not really that healthy. You’re a doctor, for heaven’s sake.”
He smiled as he chewed and swallowed. “I know. Don’t do as I do, do as I say.”
She laughed and shook her head, picking up a French fry. “Okay.”
They talked as they ate, about all kinds of things – families, work, school, living in Santa Barbara. Talking to her was easy and fun and he wanted to know everything about her. By the time they left the fast-food restaurant he felt more in control of himself, a little less like throwing her over his shoulder like a cave man and carrying her back to her place to have his way with her. The thought made him grin.
“What’s so funny?”
He turned to her beside the car having unlocked the door for her. “Me.”
She nodded, lips quirked. “It’s good to laugh at yourself.”
“Yeah. I’m a laugh a minute for myself. Seriously.”
Her expression warmed and heat exploded between them again. He bent his head and kissed her, unable to stop himself. Soft and sweet, her mouth opened for his and heat poured through him, coalescing in his groin, hard and hot. Jesus! He loved her mouth. Loved the softness of her tongue. Loved the graze of her teeth. Loved the way she kissed him back.
“I’m going to take you home now,” he whispered against her mouth, fighting for breath. “And I’m not coming in with you. But I am going to call you. And we are going to go out.”
“Another fabulous dinner date?”
Laughter sprang up inside him as he moved away from her, every nerve ending in his body on fire. Christ, never mind laughing at himself, she made him laugh and he loved it. “Maybe I’ll spring for pizza.”
She laid a hand on his cheek. “That sounds great.”
*****
When Tori was alone in her house, she hopped slowly into her living room and dropped onto her couch. She stared across the room, sitting in the dark, the lights of the city spread below her window out to the blackness of the ocean.
She touched her fingertips to her mouth, where Dev had kissed her.
Dev. His name was Dev. Dev Fillmore. A doctor.
A man.
Why had she made that crack about him being a baby? It had annoyed him, and she’d hated herself for that, and plus, he was so far from a baby, or even a boy, it was ridiculous.
She leaned back into the softness of the couch and closed her eyes, remembering the smell of his skin, a sexy male scent mingled with spicy sandalwood and sage, remembering the roughness of his face against hers, the faint abrasion of his whiskers another reminder of his masculinity, his maturity. Remembering the strength in his hands, the width of his shoulders, the power of his gaze when he’d looked into her eyes and threatened to carry her out of there.
Remembering how she’d melted, how her panties had literally grown wet, how she’d ached between her thighs, how…she’d wanted him to carry her out of there.
Dear god, she’d wanted him to carry her out of there.
She knew her own weaknesses, her own triggers and hot buttons and Dev had been pushing them all evening. Wow.
“I’m hungry. Let’s get something to eat.”
She shifted in her seat to face him. “I didn’t think food was what you had in mind. If I’d known that, we could have left half an hour ago.”
Everything inside him eased and softened and he couldn’t help the broad grin that pulled his mouth. He wanted to grab her and hug her. “It wasn’t what I had in mind,” he admitted. “But I’m trying to slow down here.”
She nodded. “Okay. Where should we go?”
“Mickey D’s. Where else is there?”
“What!” She sputtered a laugh. “In your tux and this dress, we’re going to McDonald’s?”
He grinned. “You bet. I’m craving a Big Mac.”
Shaking her head, she leaned back in her seat. “Okay. Sure.”
Uncaring of the looks they attracted, they ordered at the counter then he carried the tray to a table in the back corner of the restaurant. The smell of the burgers and fries filled his head and tempted him. He handed Tori her hamburger and Diet Coke and then opened the box of his own burger. “Yum,” he said. “I’m addicted to these.”
“Big Macs? Or any kind of burger?”
“Pretty much any kind.” He took a big bite.
“You know it’s not really that healthy. You’re a doctor, for heaven’s sake.”
He smiled as he chewed and swallowed. “I know. Don’t do as I do, do as I say.”
She laughed and shook her head, picking up a French fry. “Okay.”
They talked as they ate, about all kinds of things – families, work, school, living in Santa Barbara. Talking to her was easy and fun and he wanted to know everything about her. By the time they left the fast-food restaurant he felt more in control of himself, a little less like throwing her over his shoulder like a cave man and carrying her back to her place to have his way with her. The thought made him grin.
“What’s so funny?”
He turned to her beside the car having unlocked the door for her. “Me.”
She nodded, lips quirked. “It’s good to laugh at yourself.”
“Yeah. I’m a laugh a minute for myself. Seriously.”
Her expression warmed and heat exploded between them again. He bent his head and kissed her, unable to stop himself. Soft and sweet, her mouth opened for his and heat poured through him, coalescing in his groin, hard and hot. Jesus! He loved her mouth. Loved the softness of her tongue. Loved the graze of her teeth. Loved the way she kissed him back.
“I’m going to take you home now,” he whispered against her mouth, fighting for breath. “And I’m not coming in with you. But I am going to call you. And we are going to go out.”
“Another fabulous dinner date?”
Laughter sprang up inside him as he moved away from her, every nerve ending in his body on fire. Christ, never mind laughing at himself, she made him laugh and he loved it. “Maybe I’ll spring for pizza.”
She laid a hand on his cheek. “That sounds great.”
*****
When Tori was alone in her house, she hopped slowly into her living room and dropped onto her couch. She stared across the room, sitting in the dark, the lights of the city spread below her window out to the blackness of the ocean.
She touched her fingertips to her mouth, where Dev had kissed her.
Dev. His name was Dev. Dev Fillmore. A doctor.
A man.
Why had she made that crack about him being a baby? It had annoyed him, and she’d hated herself for that, and plus, he was so far from a baby, or even a boy, it was ridiculous.
She leaned back into the softness of the couch and closed her eyes, remembering the smell of his skin, a sexy male scent mingled with spicy sandalwood and sage, remembering the roughness of his face against hers, the faint abrasion of his whiskers another reminder of his masculinity, his maturity. Remembering the strength in his hands, the width of his shoulders, the power of his gaze when he’d looked into her eyes and threatened to carry her out of there.
Remembering how she’d melted, how her panties had literally grown wet, how she’d ached between her thighs, how…she’d wanted him to carry her out of there.
Dear god, she’d wanted him to carry her out of there.
She knew her own weaknesses, her own triggers and hot buttons and Dev had been pushing them all evening. Wow.
I finished Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale. I loved this story. I so admire how her heroines are so likeable and sympathetic. And I loved Hubert! It was so touching when Callie loses him, when she'd been so eager to take him to the fair and show him, when she brushes his tail and buffs his hooves. And Trev was such a sympathetic bad boy, too. A fun story with a neat little twist at the end.
I then moved on to Kate Pearce's Simply Insatiable. I've loved all Kate's other "Simply" stories. She's so good at the wounded hero and I was really looking forward to seeing how she handled Minshom - he was such a jerk! I wondered how she would make him sympathetic, if not likeable. But she gave him a troubled past that worked. He was still a jerk, but every time he acted like a jerk, we were inside his head and understood why. My only wee quibble is the introduction of Thomas Wesley - he kind of shows up out of the blue and at the end Minshom mentions him and the possibility of a...er...get together... yet I never felt there was much emotion between the two of them.
Now I'm reading Erin McCarthy's latest "The Taking". Just barely into it, so more next week!
I then moved on to Kate Pearce's Simply Insatiable. I've loved all Kate's other "Simply" stories. She's so good at the wounded hero and I was really looking forward to seeing how she handled Minshom - he was such a jerk! I wondered how she would make him sympathetic, if not likeable. But she gave him a troubled past that worked. He was still a jerk, but every time he acted like a jerk, we were inside his head and understood why. My only wee quibble is the introduction of Thomas Wesley - he kind of shows up out of the blue and at the end Minshom mentions him and the possibility of a...er...get together... yet I never felt there was much emotion between the two of them.
Now I'm reading Erin McCarthy's latest "The Taking". Just barely into it, so more next week!
I haven't written a word in a couple of weeks. As you know from my previous blog posts, I've been busy with writing work other than writing. I've also been struggling a bit with the two stories I have in progress, going back and forth betwen them. I sat down and made a list of other story ideas. Many of the ideas I have involve secondary characters from other stories. I've worked through a few of them, made some plans, figured out some characters but wasn't excited about any of them. And then I got some really discouraging news and on top of the struggles with the writing and a blow to the self-confidence, I decided to take a break from writing. And in fact, not just from writing but all the networking stuff, too, like Twitter and Facebook and all the loops I belong to. I didn't even blog Friday, and considered not blogging today. Feeling like a big failure, I just need to get away from it for a while, I think. Take some pressure off myself. Really, I don't know why I push so hard when the publishing inndustry moves so slowly. I have three submissions out, with my agent and two with editors, so I can't send out anything else to them and I have ten completed mansuscripts waiting to go (though at this point I'm pretty sure they're all a bunch of crap).
I can't say I've been happy spending the last week not writing. In fact, I've felt pretty down. On the other hand this is a good time to take a break. There are lots of other things to do to spend my time:
1. read a book
2. work out
3. have a bubble bath
4. gardening and planting flowers
5. read a book
6. go for a massage
7. watch TV (hockey playoffs!)
8. mani/pedi
9. clean toilets
10. bake cookies
11. go for a run
12. read a book
13. shopping
Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale.
If it's that hard to make myself do it....maybe I shouldn't be.
Lat week I wrote about all the research I'd done and how I'd gotten back into the "Ponzi" story. Well, I came up with the most Amazing Idea for the plot to link all the books in this planned series together and did even more research. I thought it was brilliant. Until Friday when I looked at it and thought "This is so stupid."
Sigh.
Maybe it will still work. I don't know. But since it had now been a week since I'd gone back through that story, I had to review it again to get my head back into it and I wrote about 20 pages on it and today I'm procrastinating so much going back to it, I'm thinking it it's just not that much fun to write, I'm not going to do it. Writing is fun for me - or it should be. If I had a contract and a deadline maybe I'd feel different and I'd push on with this, but for now, it's going on the back burner (again!).
I feel like working on something fresh and I have a few ideas kicking around and maybe I'll start one of them. Something fun and easy...
Lat week I wrote about all the research I'd done and how I'd gotten back into the "Ponzi" story. Well, I came up with the most Amazing Idea for the plot to link all the books in this planned series together and did even more research. I thought it was brilliant. Until Friday when I looked at it and thought "This is so stupid."
Sigh.
Maybe it will still work. I don't know. But since it had now been a week since I'd gone back through that story, I had to review it again to get my head back into it and I wrote about 20 pages on it and today I'm procrastinating so much going back to it, I'm thinking it it's just not that much fun to write, I'm not going to do it. Writing is fun for me - or it should be. If I had a contract and a deadline maybe I'd feel different and I'd push on with this, but for now, it's going on the back burner (again!).
I feel like working on something fresh and I have a few ideas kicking around and maybe I'll start one of them. Something fun and easy...
Because it's NHL playoff season, I'm sharing another little snippet from my hockey story, Breakaway, not yet published (but stay tuned for news):
“Would you like to go get some dinner?” Jace blurted out.
Remi stared at him.
“Dinner?”
“Yeah.” He lifted a shoulder. “You know. In a restaurant.” Oh, Jesus, he might as well just disappear and never come back. What a moron. Like she’d ever want to go out again with someone like him.
“Why?”
“Uh...why not?” He tried his smile, the one that usually worked with women. Not this time.
“I thought we were just having one night of fun,” she said.
“Yeah. Well. We could have two nights of fun.”
Remi’s tummy did a little flip.
“I don’t think so,” she said breaking eye contact and picking up the folder she planned to take home. “I’m not really made for fun. Apparently. After what happened the last time.” Add to that the fact that he’d said he was going to call her when he clearly had no intention of ever doing that, having dinner with him would be a big mistake.
He laughed. “I told you. That was funny. Maybe not at that moment. I think it’s nice that your friend cares that much about you.”
And it also showed how out of character it was for her to do something like that, but she didn’t want to point that out to Mr. Fun.
“Come on, Remi.” His voice was deep and velvety soft. “Come play again.”
The suggestive words and the silky tone of his voice made her shiver, made her nipples tingle, made her insides clench.
He reached out and stroked a hand down her bare forearm, lingering at her wrist, his thumb stroking over her pulse there.
“Let’s go out.”
“When?”
“Right now. Tonight.”
“I can’t go out on a school night!”
He laughed. “Why not? It’s just dinner.”
Why not indeed? Remi nibbled her bottom lip. No Jasmine or Kyle waiting at home for her to cook dinner. She had papers to mark but that could wait till later. What was wrong with a dinner out? Other than this guy was the hottest guy on the planet and was dangerous like dynamite. And about as resistible as chocolate.
“Just fun?” she asked.
He nodded. “Just fun.”
“Why not?” she murmured.
“We could go to Inferno,” he said. “The food’s incredible there.”
It was the hottest, most expensive restaurant in Chicago. She looked down at her black pants and teal blue turtleneck sweater.
“I’m not really dressed for that,” she murmured. “Neither are you.”
“True.” He shrugged. “How about pizza?”
She smiled at him. “That sounds great.”
They dropped her car off at home and he took her to Mama Sophia’s. Over deep-dish pizza and beer she quizzed him about his hockey career. “I don’t know much about hockey,” she admitted. “But I think it’s very rough.”
“It can be.” He smiled at her. “That’s the fun part.”
“Do you fight?”
He laughed. “I have been known to mix it up a bit. But not often. There was a time back when I was a junior player and I was headed to goonsville because of my size, but my coach—a great, great man—convinced me not to go that way.” He tilted his head. “You should come to a game.”
“Oh. Yeah. Maybe.”
“I’ll get you a ticket. I’ll get you two tickets and you can bring your friend…what’s her name…?”
“Delise.”
“Yeah. She didn’t seem too impressed with me the other night. I think I should make it up to her.”
“It wasn’t you she wasn’t happy with, it was me.” Remi grimaced. “She’s the one who wanted me to find a guy that night and get lucky. Then when I did, she freaked out and got all paranoid that I was leaving with a serial killer.”
Jace choked on a mouthful of beer. “Good to know she has a high opinion of me.”
Remi laughed. “She didn’t even know who you were. She would have felt that way if I was going home with the Pope.”
“Ha. Be glad it was me. You wouldn’t have gotten three orgasms with the Pope.”
Now it was her turn to choke. “I didn’t get three! We were interrupted…”
“Damn. That’s right.” His eyes went even darker. “I guess I owe you one more, then.”
“Would you like to go get some dinner?” Jace blurted out.
Remi stared at him.
“Dinner?”
“Yeah.” He lifted a shoulder. “You know. In a restaurant.” Oh, Jesus, he might as well just disappear and never come back. What a moron. Like she’d ever want to go out again with someone like him.
“Why?”
“Uh...why not?” He tried his smile, the one that usually worked with women. Not this time.
“I thought we were just having one night of fun,” she said.
“Yeah. Well. We could have two nights of fun.”
Remi’s tummy did a little flip.
“I don’t think so,” she said breaking eye contact and picking up the folder she planned to take home. “I’m not really made for fun. Apparently. After what happened the last time.” Add to that the fact that he’d said he was going to call her when he clearly had no intention of ever doing that, having dinner with him would be a big mistake.
He laughed. “I told you. That was funny. Maybe not at that moment. I think it’s nice that your friend cares that much about you.”
And it also showed how out of character it was for her to do something like that, but she didn’t want to point that out to Mr. Fun.
“Come on, Remi.” His voice was deep and velvety soft. “Come play again.”
The suggestive words and the silky tone of his voice made her shiver, made her nipples tingle, made her insides clench.
He reached out and stroked a hand down her bare forearm, lingering at her wrist, his thumb stroking over her pulse there.
“Let’s go out.”
“When?”
“Right now. Tonight.”
“I can’t go out on a school night!”
He laughed. “Why not? It’s just dinner.”
Why not indeed? Remi nibbled her bottom lip. No Jasmine or Kyle waiting at home for her to cook dinner. She had papers to mark but that could wait till later. What was wrong with a dinner out? Other than this guy was the hottest guy on the planet and was dangerous like dynamite. And about as resistible as chocolate.
“Just fun?” she asked.
He nodded. “Just fun.”
“Why not?” she murmured.
“We could go to Inferno,” he said. “The food’s incredible there.”
It was the hottest, most expensive restaurant in Chicago. She looked down at her black pants and teal blue turtleneck sweater.
“I’m not really dressed for that,” she murmured. “Neither are you.”
“True.” He shrugged. “How about pizza?”
She smiled at him. “That sounds great.”
They dropped her car off at home and he took her to Mama Sophia’s. Over deep-dish pizza and beer she quizzed him about his hockey career. “I don’t know much about hockey,” she admitted. “But I think it’s very rough.”
“It can be.” He smiled at her. “That’s the fun part.”
“Do you fight?”
He laughed. “I have been known to mix it up a bit. But not often. There was a time back when I was a junior player and I was headed to goonsville because of my size, but my coach—a great, great man—convinced me not to go that way.” He tilted his head. “You should come to a game.”
“Oh. Yeah. Maybe.”
“I’ll get you a ticket. I’ll get you two tickets and you can bring your friend…what’s her name…?”
“Delise.”
“Yeah. She didn’t seem too impressed with me the other night. I think I should make it up to her.”
“It wasn’t you she wasn’t happy with, it was me.” Remi grimaced. “She’s the one who wanted me to find a guy that night and get lucky. Then when I did, she freaked out and got all paranoid that I was leaving with a serial killer.”
Jace choked on a mouthful of beer. “Good to know she has a high opinion of me.”
Remi laughed. “She didn’t even know who you were. She would have felt that way if I was going home with the Pope.”
“Ha. Be glad it was me. You wouldn’t have gotten three orgasms with the Pope.”
Now it was her turn to choke. “I didn’t get three! We were interrupted…”
“Damn. That’s right.” His eyes went even darker. “I guess I owe you one more, then.”
Still working on Delicious by Shayla Black. Having a teensy little problem with Luc. This guy is dating a "nice girl' who he thinks is good wife and mother material, so he can have kids with her. He knows they won't be having much sex because he's not really attracted to her that way (the way he is to Alyssa, the heroine, who is a stripper) but that's okay, because she'll be a good wife and mother. WTF? WHAT ABOUT HER? Did he never think she might not want to be in a marriage with no sex? Geez, man! Why would you do that to someone?
And I finished Why Men Love Bitches by Sherry Argov (confession: it's overdue at the library but I couldn't renew it because someone else wants it, so I kept it). I wish I'd read this book when I was 19 and needed it. There are some things in the book that made me cringe and some things I was nodding wholeheartedly to. Be prepared for a number of provocative blog posts about this book!
And I finished Why Men Love Bitches by Sherry Argov (confession: it's overdue at the library but I couldn't renew it because someone else wants it, so I kept it). I wish I'd read this book when I was 19 and needed it. There are some things in the book that made me cringe and some things I was nodding wholeheartedly to. Be prepared for a number of provocative blog posts about this book!
Another week of very little writing. I have to get over the idea that if I'm not actually writing, I'm not accomplishing anything. There's so much more to this "writing thing" than I anticipated when I started out.
Last week there was promo - with my Nine Naughty Novelists and with another group of authors at the Samhain Cafe, which meant about four hours of on-line promo work. That's important, right? But no actual writing got done that day!
I also did a lot of research. I've mentioned before my "Ponzi" story and how I intended it to be part of a series of stories. When I started work on it many months ago, I felt overwhelmed by trying to plan out a whole series and I let go of the "series" part of it and just focused on the Ponzi story. Which has progressed, though I got stuck, left it, went back to it, left it again. A few weeks ago the library books I'd been waiting for to use as research came available, and that got me started again. And then somewhere out of the blue, the idea for the overall plot that would connect the series came to me! And I got deeper and deeper into more on-line research.
I have to say here - I love research. When I was in university, I loved doing research for papers, reading, making notes, learning. And research is even more fun for a book because it's research into things that interest me. I can see the danger of getting too involved in research and never writing!
I still haven't figured everything out - but I also know that I don't have to have every little thing figured out to be able to start writing, because ideas come to me as I write and often the characters figure things out for me.
Yesterday I finally got back to the story. Started at the beginning, using some of the new information I have, to change some details here and there. I added a scene that I now know has to be there, to set up what happens later. And I think I'm ready to move forward with this story. Because even though I now have the series figured out, I still have to write that first story!
Last week there was promo - with my Nine Naughty Novelists and with another group of authors at the Samhain Cafe, which meant about four hours of on-line promo work. That's important, right? But no actual writing got done that day!
I also did a lot of research. I've mentioned before my "Ponzi" story and how I intended it to be part of a series of stories. When I started work on it many months ago, I felt overwhelmed by trying to plan out a whole series and I let go of the "series" part of it and just focused on the Ponzi story. Which has progressed, though I got stuck, left it, went back to it, left it again. A few weeks ago the library books I'd been waiting for to use as research came available, and that got me started again. And then somewhere out of the blue, the idea for the overall plot that would connect the series came to me! And I got deeper and deeper into more on-line research.
I have to say here - I love research. When I was in university, I loved doing research for papers, reading, making notes, learning. And research is even more fun for a book because it's research into things that interest me. I can see the danger of getting too involved in research and never writing!
I still haven't figured everything out - but I also know that I don't have to have every little thing figured out to be able to start writing, because ideas come to me as I write and often the characters figure things out for me.
Yesterday I finally got back to the story. Started at the beginning, using some of the new information I have, to change some details here and there. I added a scene that I now know has to be there, to set up what happens later. And I think I'm ready to move forward with this story. Because even though I now have the series figured out, I still have to write that first story!
Another sneak peek at a completed manuscript that I haven't submitted anywhere (yes, I have a few of them!). This one is titled Power Exchange:
Jesus fucking Christ.
Cole stared across the main room at Le Château. That could not be Carina Lockhart leaning against the bar over there, so fucking hot in a shiny black dress that looked like it had been laminated to her curves, and heels that could seriously injure a man. Her honey-blonde hair had been scraped up into a tight, high pony tail. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted as she met his gaze.
Oh yeah, that was her.
Busted, sweetheart. Cole’s pulse leaped and he couldn’t restrain the smile curving his lips. Carina Lockhart, secret Dominatrix.
Huh? That wasn’t the impression he’d gotten of her earlier. Sure, she was strong. Intelligent. Confident. Bossy. But that something he’d seen in her eyes, the way she’d softened when he held her hand, made him question her domination. Somehow it didn’t ring true.
He crossed the room toward her as if drawn by a magnet. No way was he going to do her any favors by pretending not to recognize her or disappearing. He was going to have his fun with this, and the anticipation of it sizzled through his veins.
Like arousal.
He stopped in front of her, stared down at her, not saying a word.
“Hi,” she finally said weakly.
“Well. Carina. Imagine my surprise seeing you here.”
She swallowed but lifted her chin. “Likewise.”
He looked her over, up, down, then raised his gaze back to her face. “Very nice.”
She pressed her lips together. No thanks for the compliment. He wanted to laugh. “I had no idea you were into the lifestyle.”
“I’m not.”
“Ah.” He lifted a brow. “Just...exploring?”
“No. Well.” She sucked her top lip in briefly. “I’m uh...checking this place out.”
“Ah. Finding yourself.”
“I’m not finding myself! I know exactly who I am.” Irritation tightened her voice.
He nodded. “Of course.”
“Don’t patronize me! What the hell are you doing here? If my grandpa knew...”
He lifted a brow. “Does he know you’re here?”
She blinked. “No.”
“Then we’re on even ground,” he murmured.
She closed her eyes briefly. He could almost hear the curse words he was sure she wanted to spit out. “I guess we are,” she finally said.
“So.” He trailed a finger over her bare shoulder and down the satiny skin of her arm. “Top or bottom?”
She gritted her teeth. “Top.”
“Of course.”
“You?”
“Top. Always.”
“Of course.” She echoed his words in a chilly tone.
He smiled. “You, Carina, are no top.”
Her eyes widened. “Yes, I am.”
He shook his head slowly. “I can see it in your eyes. You may think you are— you may fool others into thinking you are—but you’re not.”
“That’s ridiculous. In fact, I’m meeting two men at eleven o’clock in the red room who need to be punished. And I’m going to do it.”
“But are you going to enjoy it?”
She stared at him. “Of course I am.”
He looked at her. Said nothing. “What are you drinking?”
“Uh. Green tea and apple juice.”
“Sounds good.” He reached for her drink, took it from her and tasted it. “Yeah, it is good.” He handed it back to her.
She glared at him. He gestured to the bartender and requested another one for her and one for himself.
“So how are you going to punish these two men?”
“With this.” She held up her flogger, lifted a brow.
“Nice.” He took it from her, let the ball of the handle snuggle into his palm. Gave it a flick across his own palm. “Very nice.
He watched her breasts rise beneath the shiny PVC and the way her eyes darkened as she watched him snap the flogger. Oh, yeah.
“Nice, if a bit...amateurish,” he said.
“What!” Her lips parted.
He smiled. “This is good for a beginner. You can’t do too much damage with this.”
“I know what I’m doing!”
The bartender passed their drinks over and Cole handed one to Carina. She clenched her hands into fists and refused to take it. Oh, man. She was just asking for it.
“No thanks,” she said shortly. “Give me back my flogger.”
He lifted a brow. Waited.
“Please.”
Ah. Satisfaction. It was a small thing, but still...the anticipation of bending her to his will, of bending her body over and giving her what she really wanted sizzled through him. Jesus.
Jesus fucking Christ.
Cole stared across the main room at Le Château. That could not be Carina Lockhart leaning against the bar over there, so fucking hot in a shiny black dress that looked like it had been laminated to her curves, and heels that could seriously injure a man. Her honey-blonde hair had been scraped up into a tight, high pony tail. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted as she met his gaze.
Oh yeah, that was her.
Busted, sweetheart. Cole’s pulse leaped and he couldn’t restrain the smile curving his lips. Carina Lockhart, secret Dominatrix.
Huh? That wasn’t the impression he’d gotten of her earlier. Sure, she was strong. Intelligent. Confident. Bossy. But that something he’d seen in her eyes, the way she’d softened when he held her hand, made him question her domination. Somehow it didn’t ring true.
He crossed the room toward her as if drawn by a magnet. No way was he going to do her any favors by pretending not to recognize her or disappearing. He was going to have his fun with this, and the anticipation of it sizzled through his veins.
Like arousal.
He stopped in front of her, stared down at her, not saying a word.
“Hi,” she finally said weakly.
“Well. Carina. Imagine my surprise seeing you here.”
She swallowed but lifted her chin. “Likewise.”
He looked her over, up, down, then raised his gaze back to her face. “Very nice.”
She pressed her lips together. No thanks for the compliment. He wanted to laugh. “I had no idea you were into the lifestyle.”
“I’m not.”
“Ah.” He lifted a brow. “Just...exploring?”
“No. Well.” She sucked her top lip in briefly. “I’m uh...checking this place out.”
“Ah. Finding yourself.”
“I’m not finding myself! I know exactly who I am.” Irritation tightened her voice.
He nodded. “Of course.”
“Don’t patronize me! What the hell are you doing here? If my grandpa knew...”
He lifted a brow. “Does he know you’re here?”
She blinked. “No.”
“Then we’re on even ground,” he murmured.
She closed her eyes briefly. He could almost hear the curse words he was sure she wanted to spit out. “I guess we are,” she finally said.
“So.” He trailed a finger over her bare shoulder and down the satiny skin of her arm. “Top or bottom?”
She gritted her teeth. “Top.”
“Of course.”
“You?”
“Top. Always.”
“Of course.” She echoed his words in a chilly tone.
He smiled. “You, Carina, are no top.”
Her eyes widened. “Yes, I am.”
He shook his head slowly. “I can see it in your eyes. You may think you are— you may fool others into thinking you are—but you’re not.”
“That’s ridiculous. In fact, I’m meeting two men at eleven o’clock in the red room who need to be punished. And I’m going to do it.”
“But are you going to enjoy it?”
She stared at him. “Of course I am.”
He looked at her. Said nothing. “What are you drinking?”
“Uh. Green tea and apple juice.”
“Sounds good.” He reached for her drink, took it from her and tasted it. “Yeah, it is good.” He handed it back to her.
She glared at him. He gestured to the bartender and requested another one for her and one for himself.
“So how are you going to punish these two men?”
“With this.” She held up her flogger, lifted a brow.
“Nice.” He took it from her, let the ball of the handle snuggle into his palm. Gave it a flick across his own palm. “Very nice.
He watched her breasts rise beneath the shiny PVC and the way her eyes darkened as she watched him snap the flogger. Oh, yeah.
“Nice, if a bit...amateurish,” he said.
“What!” Her lips parted.
He smiled. “This is good for a beginner. You can’t do too much damage with this.”
“I know what I’m doing!”
The bartender passed their drinks over and Cole handed one to Carina. She clenched her hands into fists and refused to take it. Oh, man. She was just asking for it.
“No thanks,” she said shortly. “Give me back my flogger.”
He lifted a brow. Waited.
“Please.”
Ah. Satisfaction. It was a small thing, but still...the anticipation of bending her to his will, of bending her body over and giving her what she really wanted sizzled through him. Jesus.
Lucky me, I've already read this book which was out yesterday with Ellora's Cave, because Nara is my critique partner! This is such a unique and great story! Here's an excerpt from Dungeon Gourmet :
With all the elements of her meditation in place, Sarai lay back. He’d outdone himself when he planned this particular torment. She should have followed her first instinct and never opened the auto-respond email from Bond.
A silver moon barely softened the room’s indigo shadows. Outside crickets chirped, and katydids rapped in time. They seemed to say Mas-ter-Bond, Mas-ter-Bond, repeating like monks chanting. Deeper in the forest a night bird added its voice, Lick-her-well, Lick-her-well.
Sarai tried to put her mind outside in the night, but the collar at her neck, the cuffs at her wrists and ankles, bound her mind inside her body, locked her into Bond’s world.
Velcro bonds. She could unfasten them when she chose. She could toss them aside and sleep without them if she wanted to. Her rules, he said. Make it as real as you need. They might as well be chains. They might as well be manacles welded in place.
Her hands had put them in place. At least they looked like her slender fingers. A scar marked the thumb that pressed fuzzy patch into looped square—a thin white line cut by a glass broken doing dishes. Her scar. His hands. They were as much Bond’s as if he pulled them on over his own hands like gloves. His will controlled them.
His fingers fastened the padded collar. His voice spoke to her, the way it had in email, the tone as thick and sensual as one of his French sauces, as clear as if his lips were against her ear.
“You dream à deux tonight. Feel me as a duet. I could make you believe I am two. Make you know it. This you don’t understand. But you know this truth. It makes you simmer inside, this thing you pretend not to want. Feel that evidence, how much you don’t want. Feel it there, hot between your thighs. You get so wet, my pet. You get wet just from the sound of my voice.”
Fever turned crisp, clean sheets to a rumpled, sweaty tangle as Bond’s words made themselves felt. Cotton slid over her skin with every twitch and turn, relentless lover’s hands. Sweat slicked her body.
“Feel both Bonds. The one who knows your body and the one who knows the secrets you hide from yourself.”
Did she have secrets she didn’t know?
“I want you stripped bare, a naked slave to passion, bound and vulnerable to her Master’s probing. He will probe with four hands and two sets of teeth to tug and tease your secrets to your lips.”
“I don’t want that,” she said out loud. “I don’t need two. One should be enough. One is enough.” The words hung hollow in the air. They felt like a lie.
A voice she didn’t know whispered in her mind. It would be nice to try, like a taste test. Two tongues. Twenty fingers. Twenty sticky fingers.
She turned toward the clock. Twenty minutes. She’d been bound twenty minutes. The night stretched like a journey in front of her. She would be lost before morning. Her mind would be the first to go missing. Maybe she’d lost it before tonight.
She wanted at least one Bond—a real, touchable one—to walk through her bedroom door and spread her like a meal on white linen. She wanted him to probe her. She wanted to watch him lick his fingers, suck at each one like her taste was a rare delicacy to be savored. And she didn’t care about being at his mercy, or being bound by his desires. She wanted him to sink his teeth into her.
I finished Just Right by Erin Nicholas. Great story! I really enjoyed Ben's journey. And Jess turned out to be more fun than I thought she was at the beginning of the story!
On the weekend I had lots of time to read while driving to Fargo, and I finished Paradise Rules by Beth Kery. Beth is becoming a favorite author! This story was hot, hot, hot. And the setting (Hawaii) just made me so much want to be there! Lots of nekkidness in the tropical sun. Very sexy.
Now I'm reading Delicious by Shayla Black (or is it Shelley Bradley)? Same person, different name, can't remember "whose" book this is! But I'm enjoying it!
Also still reading Why Men Love Bitches.
On the weekend I had lots of time to read while driving to Fargo, and I finished Paradise Rules by Beth Kery. Beth is becoming a favorite author! This story was hot, hot, hot. And the setting (Hawaii) just made me so much want to be there! Lots of nekkidness in the tropical sun. Very sexy.
Now I'm reading Delicious by Shayla Black (or is it Shelley Bradley)? Same person, different name, can't remember "whose" book this is! But I'm enjoying it!
Also still reading Why Men Love Bitches.
Once again a week without much work on the actual Work In Progress. I heard back from my critique partner about the changes I made to Power Struggle. She thought they worked and had a few more suggestions for tweaks, which were totally bang on, so I worked on those, edited and polished, printed and highlighted with many coloured markers a la Margie Lawson and then sent it off to one of my editors! That's always scary. Then my husband and I went away for the weekend and that meant no writing at all. Today at lunch time I finally got back to it, but after a week away from it, I had to read back to get back into it and get back into the characters' heads.
Once again I'm having that "this is crap, no one will ever want to read this" feeling. But since I've had that with pretty much every book I've ever written except maybe one, I'm getting used to it. Getting to expect it at some point in the process. And I'll just keep going.
Once again I'm having that "this is crap, no one will ever want to read this" feeling. But since I've had that with pretty much every book I've ever written except maybe one, I'm getting used to it. Getting to expect it at some point in the process. And I'll just keep going.
From my completed novel, not yet submitted anywhere, tentatively titled "Shameless":
Warning: Adult content!!
Dag couldn’t believe they were doing this. What the fuck had happened tonight?
He studied Chris, wanting to know what was going on in his friend’s head. Yeah, they’d shared girls before, but never someone one of them had actually had a real relationship with. And much as he wanted to do it, for so very many reasons, he didn’t want Chris and Kassidy to jeopardize their relationship for…this.
But Kassidy’s eyes were hazy and full of lust, her body practically quivering with need. Her mouth tempted him, Christ, he had to have it, taste it.
And he’d get to be with Chris while he was doing it.
Complex emotions rose and fell in him, fragments of thoughts spun away from him even as he tried to marshal them together into coherency. But his balls were on fire, his dick so hard it hurt, and all those hormones pounding through him were destroying his ability to resist temptation.
He moved toward Kassidy, standing next to Chris, and Chris moved too so they stood like they had on the dance floor, him behind her, the sweet curve of her ass pressing into him, Chris in front of her. Dag started at her shoulders, dragged his hands over slender bones down the soft skin of her arms, onto her hips. His fingers dug into the warm resilience of her flesh beneath the silky dress. She’d let the hem drop so her ass was covered once again, but he’d seen the sweetness that was under there and wanted to touch it.
She let out a moan as the two men pressed her between them, and he smelled her hair – a soft scent that was sweet and sexy, a mix of vanilla and amber.
“So hot,” he whispered. “Aren’t you, Kassidy?”
Another whimper escaped her mouth. He nudged her hair aside to find the warm side of her neck, inhaled again her scent and opened his mouth on her skin. He sucked lightly, dragged his tongue over her. So sweet.
“Ah, sweetheart.” Chris drew her arms up and over his shoulders. “I love you for this. So much. Come on. Let’s go in the bedroom.”
He kissed her mouth and then stepped back. The three of them moved together down the short hall and into the bedroom, where Chris had nailed her up against the door earlier. Jesus. Dag’s cock twitched. And now here he was in there with them.
Warning: Adult content!!
Dag couldn’t believe they were doing this. What the fuck had happened tonight?
He studied Chris, wanting to know what was going on in his friend’s head. Yeah, they’d shared girls before, but never someone one of them had actually had a real relationship with. And much as he wanted to do it, for so very many reasons, he didn’t want Chris and Kassidy to jeopardize their relationship for…this.
But Kassidy’s eyes were hazy and full of lust, her body practically quivering with need. Her mouth tempted him, Christ, he had to have it, taste it.
And he’d get to be with Chris while he was doing it.
Complex emotions rose and fell in him, fragments of thoughts spun away from him even as he tried to marshal them together into coherency. But his balls were on fire, his dick so hard it hurt, and all those hormones pounding through him were destroying his ability to resist temptation.
He moved toward Kassidy, standing next to Chris, and Chris moved too so they stood like they had on the dance floor, him behind her, the sweet curve of her ass pressing into him, Chris in front of her. Dag started at her shoulders, dragged his hands over slender bones down the soft skin of her arms, onto her hips. His fingers dug into the warm resilience of her flesh beneath the silky dress. She’d let the hem drop so her ass was covered once again, but he’d seen the sweetness that was under there and wanted to touch it.
She let out a moan as the two men pressed her between them, and he smelled her hair – a soft scent that was sweet and sexy, a mix of vanilla and amber.
“So hot,” he whispered. “Aren’t you, Kassidy?”
Another whimper escaped her mouth. He nudged her hair aside to find the warm side of her neck, inhaled again her scent and opened his mouth on her skin. He sucked lightly, dragged his tongue over her. So sweet.
“Ah, sweetheart.” Chris drew her arms up and over his shoulders. “I love you for this. So much. Come on. Let’s go in the bedroom.”
He kissed her mouth and then stepped back. The three of them moved together down the short hall and into the bedroom, where Chris had nailed her up against the door earlier. Jesus. Dag’s cock twitched. And now here he was in there with them.