My Writing Evolution

I am a guest at Three Wicked Writers today! I talk about my writing evolution and ebooks. Please stop by!

http://threewickedwriters.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-writing-evolution.html

And don't forget BANGED UP is now available at Liquid Silver Books!

Banged Up is available NOW!

New Release by guest Ava James: One Dark Knight

Welcome fellow author Ava James with her new release available TODAY from Siren-Bookstrand.

Available in: Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Reader, HTML, Mobipocket
Price: $5.50

ONE DARK KNIGHT Blurb:

Past the suitable age for marriage, Lady Isobel longs for her life to begin. When the chance to flee the clutches of her misery arises, she sets out on a journey to her dower lands and childhood home. But no road is without its perils, and she soon finds she needs someone by her side.

Sir Robert de Gever's duties become vastly more complicated when Lady Isobel stumbles into his life in need of rescue. Questions arise and secrets run deep, leaving desire and suspicion to war within him.

Intrigue awaits the pair, and conspirators abound. Is the bond of one dark night spent together strong enough to save them from their fears?

Excerpt:

He wished he could keep her locked away—far, far away. The woman looked as though she were arming herself for battle. Her sweet smiles changed the instant the last of the men quit the room.

“What is the matter?” Isobel asked with a clipped tone.

“What is the matter?” Robert began his counterattack in falsetto.

“Where should I start? My men have all left their posts, and training, to come to the beck and call of the devilish temptress besieging Durham .” He watched her eyes grow wide as he spoke. How was it that even now, he could think of nothing but her lips?

“Devilish temptress? If I tempted any man, it was in no way intentional, and in every way a result of the man’s baser interests.” Isobel took a challenging step toward him. She accused him with her eyes and her words. "Furthermore, if it weren't for yer noble act of imprisonment, I would not be here!"

Robert stepped closer to her. Her feminine scent wafted into his nostrils. She easily broke his train of thought. The aroma that lingered about her intoxicated his senses. Beyond doubt, she was a foul temptress! With every attempt to ignore her, he failed miserably. Each time he was in her presence she distracted him. If it was not her beauty that caught his attention, it was her voice and words. The woman drew him in and he did not care to be so affected by her. He needed to reign in his thoughts and focus.

Focus, focus.

In a much calmer voice he said, “Would ye rather I left ye to be ravished by those Saxon mercenaries?” He took another step closer to her as he spoke. He watched her gaze fall to his lips. Her pink tongue crossed her own bottom lip, and a blush came to her soft cheeks. God’s wounds, he felt too much for this lady.

She drew away. “Ravished by those Saxons is not what I want.” Her voice weak, and unusually breathy, he wondered just who she’d like to be ravished by.

His own errant mind conjured up dangerous visions of her naked body slick against his own. He couldn’t help himself, so he asked just what he’d been wondering. “What do ye want?"

http://www.bookstrand.com/product-foronedarkknight-14960-330.html

Interview with Author Amber Leigh Williams

Welcome guest author Amber Leigh Williams. ~~ Jeanne


· What do you have published and where?

My romantic suspense DENIED ORIGIN is available in ebook and paperback through The Wild Rose Press. Also available through TWRP is my western romance novella, BLACKEST HEART, which placed 1st in the 2009 More Than Magic Contest’s novella category. The sequels, BLUEST HEART and BET IT ON MY HEART, are contracted for release in 2010. BLACKEST HEART is featured in the paperback anthology, THE WAY BACK HOME, on sale now. My contemporary romance A SUMMER’S HOPE is on sale in ebook and paperback from TWRP while my historical romance FOREVER AMORE launched September 1st in ebook and paperback from Black Lyon Publishing!

· Tell me about some of your WIPs?
Right now I’m in the midst of my paranormal romance series. I’m also researching another paranormal romance series that involves the zodiac and other elements of astrology. During one of my promotional chats for FOREVER AMORE’s release, a reader asked what my favorite genres to write were. I answered paranormal and western, but not together. Someone came back with, “Well, why not together?” It got me thinking.

· Tell me about yourself?
I’m in my mid-twenties. I’ve been writing full time for four years now. I’m an active member of Romance Writers of America, Secretary and PRO Chapter Liaison of the Gulf Coast Romance Writers, and a monthly contributor to Romance Writers United’s Write Right newsletter. My weaknesses are floppy-eared animals and salty foods. I live on the Gulf Coast with my husband of three years and work part-time in a local bookstore.

· Where can we find you on the Internet?
Website: http://www.amberleighwilliams.com/
Contact: amber@amberleighwilliams.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ALeighWilliams
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/amberleighwilliams
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/amberleighwilliams86

· Do you like writing your hero or heroine better? Which POV do you prefer?
My heroes started out week so I definitely preferred the heroine. Then I married into a family dominated my males (the alpha kind) and it helped my range. Now I LOVE writing heroes, particularly Judd, the silent cowboy from BLACKEST HEART. He was a pleasure to write – in more ways than one ;)

· What is your perfect hero? Perfect heroine?
Flawed but well-motivated, LOL. There’s no such thing as a perfect hero or heroine. No one would read them. I like my heroes sexy and my heroines intelligent. Add some emotional damage and the capacity to heal and love—and, okay, a good sense of humor works, too—and I’m easy!

· What do you think about the future of epublishing?
I think it’s expanding. More and more people are starting to open up to the idea. Kindle sales are still high and my publisher saw their best numbers ever when the recession hit. I love the smell of my paperbacks, but you can’t beat the price of an ebook vs. mass market or trade. Not to mention the fact that more and more major publishers are turning to the e-market and mimicking small press e-pubs.

· Are you a plotter (plots and outlines) or a pantzer (by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer)? Why?
I’m definitely a plotter. But I strongly believe in a good adrenaline-infused brainstorm every now and again. Those few moments can make or break a sagging middle or a story-arc that’s lacking. I recently strengthened my opening this way. But I also have to have stability in the way of detailed notes, pre-written key scenes, and a tentative outline.

· What is the best or worst writing advice you’ve ever received?
Best: To join RWA and my local RWA chapter.
Worst: An editor gave me notes on what was wrong with my historical then went on to say that I should forget revising and move on to my next story idea. That same manuscript sold to another publisher with a 1-2% acceptance rate. Just goes to show how subjective the publishing industry really is.

· Is there a genre that you haven’t written that you would like to?
Sci-fi or futuristic. Romance readers seem to slowly be gravitating toward this sub-genre. And I’m a major Star Wars and Serenity junkie! I love me some Nathan Fillion ;)

Your Hero Does WHAT?! by Kerri Nelson

Welcome to my Blog Day! Today, I’m promoting my newest release from Whispers Publishing entitled Soul Searcher. This book features a heroine who can see your soul and a hero who is a shape shifting mountain lion. With the Devil hot on their trail… will their special powers be enough to protect them? Sometimes you need more than a little faith to save your soul…

I was recently thinking about all the jobs that a hero character can have in a book. Interestingly, most of my heroes have a job which requires a uniform of some sort. Whether it be a cop, professional athlete, doctor, or even a forest ranger (as in my new book Soul Searcher).

I guess the uniform thing says something about my fantasies. However, this doesn’t mean that I’ve not had heroes that are restaurant owners, ancient warriors, school teachers, and most recently a dog trailer (yes, really)! So, as you can see my stories run the gambit of professions.
In real life, I’m married to a mechanical engineer. So, no uniform there…but I happen to find my own personal hero the sexiest blonde man alive!
When you think about romance novels, what are the sexiest jobs the hero can have? What are the oddest or quirkiest jobs a hero can have? Does the job really matter?

Today, let’s discuss hero professions in romance novels. Do you have an odd when that you are just dying to see in print? Share it with me and I just might choose your idea for a future book!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic and I’ll be drawing a prize winner from all the participants on today’s blog. The prize winner will receive a free DVD movie of your choice, featuring your fave sexy hero!
Thanks for joining me today at Jeanne’s Blog! Be sure to check out my blog and website for more contests and fun!

Author Bio for Kerri Nelson:

Kerri Nelson has always been passionate about reading books but when she wrote her first poem in the second grade, she discovered her love of writing. At the age of sixteen, she became a columnist for her local newspaper as the high school correspondent for the weekly "Panther Tales" column. She won the Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year Award for her efforts.

After an education and career in the legal field, Kerri began to pen romantic suspense novels with a legal or law enforcement theme. She is a true southern belle and comes complete with her dashing southern gentleman husband and two little belles-in-training. When she’s not reading or writing, you’ll find her baking homemade goodies for her family, feeding her addiction to blogging online or designing custom made book trailers. Kerri is an active member of Romance Writers of America as well as numerous Chapters including Southern Magic, Futuristic Fantasy & Paranormal, Hearts Through History, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers.

Visit Kerri’s website at: http://www.kerrinelson.com/


Blurb for Soul Searcher (now available from Whispers Publishing):

Faith Harper knew her night was bad when she agreed to have drinks with the Devil. She wasn’t all that surprised at her late night visitor because when you have the ability to look at a person and see their soul, strange things have a tendency of happening to you.

The very next day, she stumbles upon a mutilated corpse in the woods, things rapidly go from bad to worse. Soon, she’s being followed by a sexy forest ranger who has a soul unlike anything she’s ever seen before.

Chase Commanche Phillips has lived most of his life in the forest. He works as the county’s Chief Forest Ranger and is more comfortable interacting with animals than with people but when the beautiful Faith Harper comes running out of the woods and into his arms, he has no choice but to get involved.

After Chase discovers Faith’s special gift, he knows that he must protect her at any cost. With the Devil’s minions watching their every move, Faith must uncover what they're really after before it’s too late.

Sometimes in order to save your soul, you need more than just a little faith.

Excerpt from Soul Searcher:

Faith ran faster and further than she could ever remember running. She closed her mind off to all the thoughts that were nibbling at her brain. She expertly maneuvered her way through the thick brush of the forest. She didn’t know where she was running… she just knew she had to keep moving.

She dodged branches that hung low. She hurdled rocks and fallen limbs with a grace she didn’t know she possessed. She felt motivated to get the hell out of this area.

Suddenly, she thought she saw the glint of the sun reflecting off something shiny in the distance. She thought it might be a window. She headed towards the reflection and hoped that whatever she was seeing held a person with a weapon. She wouldn’t feel safe until she was armed.

Just then, she heard something rustle in the nearby fallen leaves. She turned her head to look, but kept up her quick sprint. She didn’t see anything around her but her loss of focus caused her to miss a ditch that was covered by overgrown vegetation.

Her shoe caught in the thick weeds and she lost her balance. For the second time today, she was falling. This time thick, strong hands grasped her shoulders and caught her with ease. She looked up at the face of her rescuer and a ruggedly handsome face stared down at her.

His dark eyes bore into her and her ragged breath caught in her throat. He had the exact same eyes as the lion.

Links for Kerri Nelson sites and Soul Searcher:
Website: http://www.kerrinelson.com/
Blog: http://www.kerribookwriter.blogspot.com/
Book Trailer for Soul Searcher: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMxp1omUdzo

Buy Link for Soul Searcher:
http://whispershome.com/whispersstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=101

13 Places NOT to Read your Erotic Out Loud! (Part 3)

Thanks to the Romance Divas for helping me make this list. I received so many good ones that this is part 3. Keep an eye here for part 3 of this list. And please feel free to add any suggestions for this list in the comments!

13 Places NOT to Read your Erotica Out Loud! (part 3)

27. Parole Board hearing

28. McDonald’s Play Place

29. Sexual harassment seminar

30. If you are the sun baby on Teletubbies

31. Grandma’s Bridge game

32. During a presentation to the Board of Directors

33. A spelling bee

34. Bingo hall

35. Police squad briefing

36. Morning TV call-in

37. Press conference

38. For a Trappist monastery mealtime reading

39. I NEED ONE MORE -- Please add what you think should be #39 to the comments!

 

To see Part 1 of this list (the first 13) click here.
To see Part 2 of this list (the second 13) click here.




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Sex Magic, or Why Witches Are My Favorite Heroines by Teresa Noelle Roberts

I didn’t set out specialize in writing erotic romances about sex magic. It just happened. Maybe it’s because in real life, I’m a pagan and sex has a spiritual dimension to me. One well-known pagan prayer, “The Charge of the Goddess” contains the words “behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.” If making love can bring you closer to the divine, then eroticism is obviously a powerful force. Modern pagans are far from alone in recognizing this. While I don’t claim to understand Tantra well, this yogic tradition uses the harnessed power of sexuality to bring you to awareness of the oneness of all things—a kind of magic, if not the flashy Harry Potter sort. Many ancient cultures advocated having sex in the fields to spur a good crop. (Beats human sacrifice!) Heck, you don’t need to be a pagan or a yogi to realize good sex changes your consciousness temporarily. Your boundaries dissolve, colors get brighter, your sense of time and space get weird. It’s as close to magic as most of us are likely to experience.

From there, it’s not a big stretch of imagination for a writer with a love of the paranormal to see plot potential. What if you could use your sexual energy and your will to effect change not just in your and your partner, but in the world around you? What if you could harness the immense energy created by sex and use it to create and heal—or to destroy? I’ve written several short stories, both erotica and classic fantasy, that involve sex magic. A romance novella published last year by Phaze, Rain at Midsummer, involved both rainmaking and healing through sex magic as an escaped slave woman discovered her own power and awakened an over-educated nobleman to his.

But in my new Samhain release, I get to go to town with all the ramifications of sex magic. Elissa, the heroine of Lions’ Pride, uses red magic—sex magic—to boost her powers. As a witch who specializes in agricultural magic and the magic of hearth and home, it works well for her—until her beloved husband is captured by a government black-ops agency. Without him to help boost her magic, how’s she going to rescue him? If you think this sounds like a set-up for a ménage book with two hot heroes, you’re absolutely right. And did I mention the heroes are feline shifters? Or that shifters (called duals in my universe) are especially good partners for sex magic because they’re so focused and yet so hedonistic? Or that both the heroes are bi? Or that when they’re not having crazy magical sex, the main characters are fighting desperate magical battles?

I had so much fun writing about all the sex magic and all the hot duals that I have another Duals and Donovans story underway and plans for more. Witches are my favorite heroines now—although in the next installment, the witch is the hero…

Enough rambling about the theory of sex magic. Here’s the blurb for Lions’ Pride!

To save the one they love, they’re going in with spells blazing…

Duals and Donovan: The Different, Book 1

Elissa Donovan is a real green witch—when she and her lion-shapeshifter husband have sex, the blazing heat is recycled to warm their house. Now her beloved Jude has been kidnapped by a shadowy government agency, and the last place she can turn for help is her high-powered family, who considers her magic mediocre.

When Rafe Benedict gets Elissa’s call for muscle to back up her magic, he risks his law enforcement career to answer. He’s spent a lifetime hiding his Dual ability, but something about Elissa and Jude’s magic awakens the cougar within him.

Tempting, bronzed Rafe is the perfect fuse for Elissa’s sex-fueled magic. Danger lies in breaking her vows; joining with anyone other than her true mate could not only send her marriage up in flames, it could burn out her powers in a last, all-or-nothing explosion. But Jude is worth the risk. And for Rafe, potential heartbreak is nothing next to the chance to help the two people he’s coming to love.

First, though, Rafe needs a crash course in Cougar…

Warning: This title contains evil fae, guys with guns, shadowy government conspiracies, a snarky ghost, and smoking-hot, three-way sex.

EXCERPT:

(For a little setting, Jude has been captured by the bad guys and shot up with a dangerous experimental drug that's affecting the bond between his human and lion sides. Elissa's managed to pull them all into the spirit world so she can heal his damaged spirit via sex magic.)

Elissa's lips tasted of green and cinnamon, of life itself burgeoning, and his cock swelled in response. But there was an undertaste, one hauntingly familiar but not right.

Pine and forest smells, like the air around them, amber and male feline musk. For all it didn’t belong around his woman, let alone on his woman’s lips, it went straight to his cock and balls, adding to his desire. He ached sweetly for things he hadn’t known, had barely dared to imagine.

A hand gripped his shoulder, large and heated and firm. Not a threat, but a gift, he sensed. The scent of sage, already on the wind, already on Elissa, grew stronger.

Reluctantly, he turned from Elissa.

Into Rafe’s waiting arms.

Rafe stood, fully human, naked as Jude himself. He was shorter than Jude, but strong, muscled. Perfect copper abs tapered to narrow hips and a cock Jude felt hard against him, but didn’t dare to look at.

Instead, he met the other man’s eyes and saw the cougar, tawny and alert and curious, in the same spot where the human-seeming Rafe stood. The lion responded as he would to a beautiful lioness, or to the lioness the lion perceived Elissa to be despite her human body.

All kinds of questions rambled through his head, too many to ask.

“We’ve found you,” Elissa said. She pressed against him, her arms around his waist, her breasts soft against his back. “We’re going to get you out, my heart. No matter what.”

“Elissa…” He tried to turn, to look into her eyes, to tell her not to risk herself. That he’d be fine—even though he had no idea how he would be, poisoned and imprisoned and in the kind of pain that would eventually break his mind.

Rafe had left his hand resting on Jude’s shoulder as if it was the most natural thing on earth. He placed the other over Elissa’s on Jude’s hip, so his fingertips brushed Jude’s skin, the sensitive low belly, perilously near Jude’s swollen dick.

His cock felt huge, treelike. On fire with need. Wrong, yet so right. Elissa’s cunt was its natural home, but he felt an equal pull toward Rafe’s lush mouth and firm, elegant ass.

The air throbbed with the smell of herbs and pears and pine and fur, of male and female musk. Jude closed his eyes, trying to shut out some of the stimuli, but this was a dream and the sight of Rafe, of Elissa, of the two of them touching him and each other, burned through his eyelids.

“Rafe, what are you doing in my dream?” Jude finally stammered. He’d meant it to sound accusing, but it came out plaintive and eager, as if he’d been yearning for Rafe to be there for so long he’d given up hope.

“This,” Rafe said, and reached up to kiss him.

Thanks for joining me. To celebrate the release of Lions’ Pride, I’ll be giving away a PDF of the book and some random goodies to someone who comments on this post. Don’t forget to leave a way to contact you!

Thanks Teresa for joining us today! ~~ Jeanne

RELEASE DAY!!! for Banged Up!

TODAY is the day!

Banged Up was released at Liquid Silver Books!

BLURB:

Mace Walker can’t wait to get home.

Being buried deep undercover for the past two years, on the most complex case of his career, has torn him down physically and mentally. Now the FBI agent has come home to recover after having his leg badly injured from a gunshot wound. Arriving home late one night, his relief is short-lived as he’s faced with a stranger pointing a gun to his head, acting like he is the one who doesn’t belong there!

Colby Parks, a biochemist at the local university, had come to town a year earlier to escape an abusive relationship. She vows never to put herself in that situation again.

Then the perfect opportunity comes along: house-sitting for Mace’s sister while making the house she purchased habitable. But she couldn’t anticipate this big snag: the one wearing the tight Levi’s and worn leather jacket, looking like he had just escaped prison.

Being forced to share a house creates sparks between them in more ways than one. However, things take a turn when their pasts catch up to them, threatening to pull them apart forever.

READ AN EXCERPT HERE

READ THE BEGINNING OF CHAPTER ONE HERE

BUY IT HERE!

Interview with Author Angeleque Ford

• What do you have published and where?
I have a novella published with Phaze Books titled Take Me As I Am. It is a contemporary, African American, M/M story. My latest release is a short story with Cobblestone Press titled Second Chances: A Ramos Brothers Story. It was just released on September 18th. It’s an interracial contemporary story.

• Tell me about some of your WIPs?
Right now I am working on the third story in the Ramos Brothers series and polishing the second story. I am also working on a m/m fallen angel novella. And I just finished plotting out two women’s fiction books which I will start to work on in October.

• Where can we find you on the Internet?
Webpage: http://angelequeford.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/angeleque
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/angelequeford
Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/angelequeford/

• What do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors?
This is a dangerous question for me. I could go on and on about my favorite books and authors. I am a very eclectic reader in that I can read pretty much anything. I love romance and erotic romance books (of course). But other genre’s are fantasy, urban fantasy, contemporary and general fiction (like Middlesex, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). Lately I’ve gotten more into mystery, suspense, thriller and horror. And have been known to read the back of a cereal box when I don’t have a book handy. But some of my favorite authors are Emma Holly, Eden Bradley, Sydney Croft, Nora Roberts, Maya Angelou, E. Lynn Harris, Portia DaCosta, Eric Jerome Dickey, Kayla Perrin, Jennifer Crusie, Angela Knight, Brenda Jackson, Rochelle Alers, Zane and Jacqueline Carey to name a few

• How do people react when they find out your are an author?
Most people want to know where they can buy my book or if I can help them get published/write their books. When I’ve told guys that I’m a writer, especially that I write erotic romance I usually get “the look” and an offer for them to be my “research partner”

• Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers?
To make time for writing in your life but to make sure that there is a balance between your real life and writing life. I carry a tape recorder with me which was a present from a good friend of mine who got tired of me muttering to myself, writing on my hand or scribbling on napkins or the back of placemats or receipts.

• Are you a plotter (plots and outlines) or a pantzer (by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer)? Why?
I started off as a pantser. And I would just sit and write just letting the story dictate where it went. Then I morphed into a plotster – half pantser, half plotter. I know do a rough one page summary/synopsis/outline of a story before I sit down to write. The summary is loose enough that there is wiggle room if the story takes a different direction. But I still have a structure.

• When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’ve always written for as long as I can remember whether it was short stories or plays or poetry. But it wasn’t until I found eharlequin.com and romancedivas.com did I start to get serious about my writing and noticed that slowly but surely my writing was progressing and improving.

• Bio –
Angeleque was born and raised to be a “good girl.” She followed the rules until she graduated college. She decided to have fun and live by her own rules. Angeleque is the bad girl to her real life good girl who wants to have fun and live life to its fullest. The practical side of Angeleque (who always has money saved up for bail) is one of the aspects of the real me which shines through.

She loves to travel, has a thirst and passion for life and love that shines through in her writing. She admits to liking sex (and is not afraid to admit it), motorcycles, leather and roller coasters. And can appreciate the sexiness and mystery of both genders.

Blurb for Second Chances –

When Elaina Matthews ran into Sebastian Ramos at his grandmother’s house, she never expected it would lead to another night of wild sex. Or a relationship.

Sebastian knows what he wants and that’s Elaina in his life and in his bed, forever. He moves full-steam ahead in getting her to agree to a relationship. But will his desire for Elaina overwhelm her and end their relationship before it really starts. And there is another problem on the horizon for the new couple – what will his family say when they discover he’s dating his brother’s ex?

Second Chances Excerpt –

Elaina waited in her car for Sebastian to pull in beside her. She was glad she’d already straightened up her apartment, mostly, except for a few dishes in the sink. She had a rule against dating or being with brothers, but Sebastian Ramos was someone who made her want to forget all her rules.

Hell, she was wet already and all he’d done so far was touch her thigh. She wondered if he’d noticed her intake of breath earlier. Seeing him turn into the parking lot, she got out her car and was lounging against the hood as he pulled up on the opposite side and got out of the car.

“You didn’t get lost.” A mischievous smile crossed her lips.

“I don’t intend to get lost again. I know my way around pretty easily.” He stepped closer, pinning her between the car and his body. He leaned closer as if to kiss her but pulled back before their lips met. “As you said on the porch, we’re older and hopefully wiser. And I don’t want to nor do I have time to play games.” His lips came down on hers in an intoxicating kiss that lingered on her mouth. “I know what I want, Elaina,” he breathed into her ear.

“What?” she murmured, eyes half closed, hand pressed on his chest.

She felt him touch her face but kept her eyes closed. She knew he wanted her to look at him, knew he was waiting until she focused her attention back on him. “You,” he said, his voice gentle but husky.

He touched her bottom lip with his tongue, and appeared to fight for control when she darted her tongue out to lick it. She let out a quiet moan as he traced a wet path along her lower lip, then down her chin to her chest. She arched into his touch when he palmed her breast. She watched as he struggled to speak again, opening then closing his mouth. Tenderly holding her face, Sebastian captured her mouth with his, feeding hungrily as he drank in her sweetness.

She pulled back, her breathing quick and shallow. She took his hand in hers. “Let’s take this inside.”

It was probably her imagination but the elevator ride to the ninth floor seemed to be taking longer than usual. A smile spread across her lips as lustful illustrations danced through her mind of her and Sebastian in a heated embrace, clothes strewn about as they fucked in the elevator.

Interview with Author Becca Simone

I'd like to welcome guest author Becca Simone today. Enjoy! ~ Jeanne

• What genres do you write in and why? I write short erotica under my pen name, Becca Simone, and non-erotic (yet still plenty steamy) romance under my real name (which shall remain nameless here—my mom Googles my name constantly to see where I’m popping up online. She really, really, really doesn’t need to know I write erotica. LOL) Why do I write romance? I write what I love to read. I love happy endings in fiction and real life—you’ll never find me writing (or reading) literary fiction. Too depressing.


• What do you have published and where? So far, I have just one story out under Becca Simone. MIDNIGHT TREAT releases September 18, from The Wild Rose Press. But I’m having so much fun writing erotica, you’ll see more from me soon. I promise.

• Tell me about yourself? I lead a pretty simple life. If I could fictionalize myself, it would be much more interesting. I’ve been married for more than 20 years. To the same guy. I have two usually fabulous teenagers. We have a bunch of pets: dog, rats, cats, geckos, dust bunnies. I work part-time as a personal fitness trainer and group exercise instructor. Getting paid to workout allows me to overindulge in one of my favorite pastimes: eating!

• What do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? I’ll read pretty much anything except serious literary work. If I want to be depressed, I’ll watch the news. I have a lot of “favorite” authors—too many to list. I read as much as I can afford of Wild Rose Press authors, of course. Other “hot” authors I read are Shelli Stevens, Charlene Teglia and Avery Beck, just to name a few.

• How do people react when they find out your are an author?
People seem to be pretty impressed when they hear I’m a writer. And it’s so cool to FINALLY be able to say “yes” when they ask if I’ve published anything. Of course, when they find out I write erotica, that gets some raised brows. It’s funny—if I wrote gory murder mysteries, no one would assume that I killed people in the line of research. But if you write steamy romances, everyone assumes it’s autobiographical. My husband lets them think that.

• Do you belong to any writer’s chapters or groups, like RWA?
I think it’s SO important to spend time with other writers. No one else understands the ups and downs of this business better than a fellow writer. I’ve been a member of RWA since 1996 and belong to a few of their chapters. I lived in Boise for many years, so I still keep up my membership with Coeur du Bois—it’s small in number but big on personality. I’m also a member of the Greater Seattle chapter (GSRWA). Our membership ranges from the absolute beginner to mega best-selling author—it’s a very welcoming and supportive group. I also belong to the online RWA chapter for erotica writers, Passionate Ink, ESPAN (Electronic and Small Press Authors’ Network) and several other online groups.

• How long did it take you from when you started writing to being published? From first submitting to being published? A long, long time.  I started writing seriously back in 1993. I signed my first contract in 2008. Now, during that time I had a baby, raised two young kids, moved a few times, went back to work…your basic “life gets in the way” stuff. But still—I was actively pursuing publication that whole time. I made a lot of dumb mistakes. Too many to count. If I could do it all over again with what I know now, I think I’d have sold much earlier.

• Are you a plotter (plots and outlines) or a pantzer (by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer)? Why? I’m mostly a pantser and love writing my stories that way because I don’t know what’s going to happen until it happens. But I’m trying to become more of a plotter. Pantsing, for me, works great for short stories, but when I’m working on a novel-length project, I always get stuck – and I mean BIG-TIME stuck – about 100 pages into it. Each book goes through several drafts and I’m lucky to write a book a year this way. With my current WIP, I’m trying to plot it out first, hoping this will mean fewer drafts. I’d love to write at least two books a year. That’s my hope anyway. I’ll let you know if it works.

• What is the best or worst writing advice you’ve ever received? The worst: it’s a toss-up between: 1) If you got a form rejection letter, it means they didn’t like your voice or writing style. Don’t bother submitting to them again in the future. 2) Figure out what’s hot in the market right now and write toward that.

The best: Write every day, even if you don’t feel like it.

• Do you use a pen name? Why or why not? Becca Simone is my pen name. Most of my conservative family doesn’t know I write under this name, nor does the conservative, Christian-based company I work for. You can probably figure out why.

• Tell me about some of your WIPs? Currently, I’m working on two short stories and a novella. The first is a doctor/nurse fantasy starring a secondary character from MIDNIGHT TREAT. The second is a short story based on the night I met my husband and pretended to be something I wasn’t (except that the real version was rated PG-13 not R+ like this story will be). And the novella is an X-rated Cinderella story.

• Where can we find you on the Internet? You can find me on my website at BeccaSimone.com and on Facebook under “Becca Simone.”

• Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers? Never give up. You could get your big break tomorrow, so don’t quit today.

Becca Simone’s short story, MIDNIGHT TREAT, releases September 18, from The Wild Rose Press. It’s her first published work of fiction and she can’t be more excited. Just don’t tell her mom!

www.BeccaSimone.com

BLURB:

It's mistaken identity gone erotically awry during a Halloween costume party.

Josh Panetti breaks into an apartment Halloween night, thinking he’s fulfilling the sexual fantasy of a woman he just met at a costume party. Instead, he’s broken into Cassie Snow’s place. Cassie immediately realizes his mistake—she’d seen him at the party with her sexy upstairs neighbor. She should tell him he has the wrong apartment and the wrong girl. But she’s always the wrong girl. Would it be so terrible to be the right girl for just one night?

13 Places NOT to Read your Erotica Out Loud! (Part 2)

Thanks to the Romance Divas for helping me make this list. I received so many good ones that this is part 2. Keep an eye here for part 3 of this list. And please feel free to add any suggestions for this list in the comments!

13 Places NOT to Read your Erotica Out Loud! (part 2)

14. Godchild’s Baptism
15. Mother-in-laws Thanksgiving dinner
16. Children’s story hour at the library
17. Texas
18. On Christian radio
19. President’s swearing in ceremony
20. Presidential debate
21. At a dark, angsty poetry reading
22. Over the airline P.A. system during the safety demonstration
23. Kindergarten show & tell
24. During career day at your kid’s high school
25. Divorce deposition
26. Creative writing class at a Catholic school

To see Part 1 of this list (the first 13) click here.



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An Excerpt from Banged Up, releasing 9/21 at Liquid Silver Books

Once a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just an writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site! or click on the banner above.

Releasing 9/21 from Liquid Silver Books

Mace Walker can’t wait to get home.



Being buried deep undercover for the past two years, on the most complex case of his career, has torn him down physically and mentally. Now the FBI agent has come home to recover after having his leg badly injured from a gunshot wound. Arriving home late one night, his relief is short-lived as he’s faced with a stranger pointing a gun to his head, acting like he is the one who doesn’t belong there!


Colby Parks, a biochemist at the local university, had come to town a year earlier to escape an abusive relationship. She vows never to put herself in that situation again.


Then the perfect opportunity comes along: house-sitting for Mace’s sister while making the house she purchased habitable. But she couldn’t anticipate this big snag: the one wearing the tight Levi’s and worn leather jacket, looking like he had just escaped prison.


Being forced to share a house creates sparks between them in more ways than one. However, things take a turn when their pasts catch up to them, threatening to pull them apart forever.



Enjoy an excerpt from Chapter One of BANGED UP:

Home.

Relief flooded over Mace Walker as he twisted the key in the lock, gave the front door a shove, and stepped over the threshold. Finally home. About time.

Time to heal.

The foyer was dark, but he didn’t need to hit the light switch. Even being gone for as long as he had been, he still knew the house well enough. He made his way to the stairs and set down his bags. Those two small duffels didn’t hold much evidence of his life for the past couple of years. Just some toiletries and a few basic items of clothing.

As he straightened, the foyer lit up, blinding him for a second. He blinked when a young voice rang out from the top of the steps. “Hold it right there! Put your arms up and back away from the stairs.”

What the fuck?

Mace had expected to see his sister bounding down the stairway of his two-story colonial, excited after not seeing her brother for the past two years. Actually, more like one year, eleven months and fifteen days. Not that he was counting. But instead, he stared up into the deadly eye of a Glock. And from his viewpoint it looked like a model 23, a .40 caliber. A compact but still a decent sized gun in a very small, very uneasy hand. Instantly, the hairs on the back of his neck rose.

Damn. He’d dealt with crime bosses and their flunkies--from drug to porno rings--and had managed to survive. Now he was going to be killed by some measly punk he surprised while burglarizing his house? The cruel irony made him want to laugh. Instead, he did as he was instructed. With caution, he raised his hands above his head before stepping back toward the middle of the foyer. He avoided standing directly under the light, trying to get a better view of the top of the steps. But he didn’t have much success; the upstairs hallway and the upper section of the stairway were hidden in shadows.

If he played his cards right, this little situation would be under his control in no time at all. He just had to keep the kid calm and make the skinny punk believe he was the one in command. From experience, Mace knew the Glock didn’t have a conventional safety. All the kid had to do was pull the trigger and pull it again and again until all the rounds in the clip emptied into Mace’s body. And from what he could see in the limited light, the kid’s fingers were twitching from nervousness.

Not a good sign.

Where had a young punk gotten an expensive handgun like that? It certainly hadn’t been in the house. And if it had been, it would have been locked up in the gun safe.

If only he could see the boy’s face. He needed to see the eyes. Without seeing his eyes, Mace couldn’t even begin to predict what the kid would do.

“Don’t you dare move or I’ll blow your face off!” The kid’s voice raised an octave, making him sound more and more like ... a girl.

Tension ran through Mace’s body as the person started down the steps. At first he could see bare toes, a slim calf, then another. His gaze flicked to the gun, before returning to the shapely naked thighs which couldn’t belong to a kid--no way. Especially not a boy. Those smooth legs definitely belonged to a woman--and he couldn’t wait to see the rest of her. So far, the view almost made it worth being held at gunpoint. Almost.

He was disappointed when an oversized T-shirt--shit, was that Marmaduke on it?--blocked his view of creamy flesh. His arms were tired, his leg throbbed painfully, and his patience was wearing thin. But he still wasn’t going to move, since he had no idea who this woman descending the stairs was. His curiosity piqued when she stepped down into the light, which highlighted her long, curly red hair and made her wide, green--glaring--eyes sparkle and snap.

A twitch shot through his lower stomach and landed in his groin. Fear or pain didn’t make him suck in his breath. It was her unrestricted breasts bobbing under the cotton shirt with each step she took. Her nipples stood out like two beacons under the worn cotton. Jesus.

He had to clear his throat twice before he could ask her, “Are you robbing this house, dressed like that?”

If he was lucky, she would perform a body search on him for valuables. A very thorough body search, one involving body parts. He could wish, anyway. It might make this all worthwhile. He tried not to smirk. Irritating a woman with a gun wasn’t smart. Experience, and he had plenty of it, had taught him that much.

She hesitated halfway down the staircase, still pointing the gun at him. A look of uncertainty crossed her features, before disappearing as quickly as it had come. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “Am I robbing this house? The question is: What are you doing here?”

His leg began to throb again, the way it had earlier on his long drive into town. But he preferred the ache to no feeling at all. He was glad to even still have his leg. Hell, he was lucky just to be alive.

“I live here.” She didn’t believe him; he wasn’t surprised. “Can I put my arms down now?” His fists clenched high above his head--fighting the pain and fighting the urge to drop them to rub his thigh.

“No! Don’t move! I’m going to call the cops. Back up.” She jabbed the gun in his direction.

Mace didn’t move, instead he let out a long, very loud, impatient sigh.

“Back up, I said! Or I’ll shoot you.”

“It’s happened before,” he said dryly.

The redhead looked at him in surprise, her feet faltering on the last step. “What?”

“I’ve been shot before. So go ahead. I’ll probably survive again. I’m pretty lucky.”

She squeezed the gun tighter in her hand, if that was even possible. “Well, your luck has run out, buddy.”

“Hmm. Especially if you have hollow points in that clip.” She glanced at the gun; it was a just a quick flick of her eyes, but he caught it. “Did you ever see anyone shot with a Black Talon? It’s pretty nasty. Slugs go in and come out. Hollow-points go in and blow out--usually half your body. Makes quite a mess.”

The arm holding the black, lightweight gun, trembled.

“Did you ever hear of the saying, ‘Don’t pull it, unless you’re going to use it’? If you decide to use it, make sure you use both hands. Be sure you kill me, not maim me.”

“Shut up!”

Mace did. The woman placed her free hand underneath the gun to support it. At least she was open to suggestions. His talking had unnerved her, and he didn’t need her to squeeze the trigger by accident. Hollow-points or not, all bullets tend to hurt. He frowned at the thought.

“Lie on the floor! Your hands behind your head! Now!”

Christ, the bitch was starting to get annoying now. But at this point she was close enough to kill him, even if she was a bad shot. He’d had enough with the games for tonight. He was tired and just wanted to go to bed in his own house.

Mace judged the distance. “Can’t.” He just needed her a few steps closer.

She waved the gun at him recklessly, her left foot moving forward. “Do it!”

One more step...

“I can’t kneel easily. I’ve got a bum leg.” The bum leg was true enough, but he exaggerated a bit on the kneeling part. He’d been known to lie when he had a gun directed at him. Sometimes lies came easier than truths. And he’d had a lot of practice.

“From all those times being shot, huh?”

“Actually, yeah...”

“Down on the ground or I’ll blow your brains all over this foyer.” Her slow words, muttered through gritted teeth, made him think she might be serious. Her right foot moved to keep her balance.

Now was his chance.

Mace lunged. He cracked her extended arm with his fist, causing a cry of pain. As she grabbed her injured wrist, the gun dropped, skittering across the tile floor. He grasped both her flailing arms, pushing her. She fell back against the stairs, air whooshing from her lungs. Her head had missed the edge of the steps by a fraction of an inch. He planted his knees on the outside of her bare thighs, pinning them together.

Mace looked down at the woman trapped beneath him. His weight crushed her into the carpeted steps. And he didn’t care. He was in pain, so why shouldn’t she be?

“Oh, God, please. Don’t--” she whispered, her voice catching. Eyes wide, she sank her teeth into her bottom lip.

Mace scowled. “Don’t what? Hurt you? After you just had a gun pointed at my head, you don’t want me to hurt you?”

The pulse in her delicate neck pounded against her creamy skin--like it wanted to escape.

“If ... if you leave now, I won’t call the police. I’ll forget this ever happened.”

Liar. If she got the chance she would run into the kitchen and dial 911.

Mace chuckled at her discomfort, even though he felt a little of his own. Damn, not just a little but a lot. His leg muscle burned like hell. “If you call the police, the only person they are going to be taking away is you.”

She twisted underneath him, making him wince with pain. He gritted his teeth to avoid groaning out loud. That groan would not have been a pleasurable one. No, what a pity. It had been a while since he had been with any beautiful females like the one underneath him. He’d have to make an effort to change that soon. But right now he had a problem to deal with and the problem continued to squirm underneath him. Even though he wasn’t feeling at all charitable right now, he was going to have to let her up. For his own sake.

Mace stood, lifting her with him, careful not to release her wrists. He angled away from her slightly, making sure a knee or foot didn’t connect with any of his vital areas. He was in enough pain already. “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same.” She exhaled loudly, visibly regaining control of herself.

Mace shook his head, tightening his grip on her wrists--a little reminder of the change of power. “No. I’m in charge now. Unless you want me to have you toted out of here with handcuffs on, you’d better answer my fucking questions.”

“I’m not going to tell you, a ... a criminal, who I am.”

Oh, brother. “I’m not a criminal.”

She eyed him skeptically through the long mane of red hair falling over her face. “Okay, so what are you doing in this house?”

Mace let another impatient sigh escape. Maybe he should close his eyes and count to ten... Nah, fuck it. “I told you, I live here. And stop trying to screw with me. Just answer my questions.”

“I’m not screwing with you. Go ahead and call the police.” She flattened her lips together and tilted her chin toward the ceiling.

Christ, was she stubborn! He would have to try another tactic to get her to talk. He was trying to be reasonable, but ... he didn’t have many options. He really didn’t want the local police involved. Not if he could avoid it anyway. And it wasn’t necessary; if he couldn’t handle one skinny-assed woman by himself, he needed to give up his day job.

Hell, that wasn’t fair, she probably wasn’t skinny-assed. She probably had a nice rear on her, one which matched the nice front. He wouldn’t mind checking it out, just to make sure. He loved a woman who was nicely balanced--tits and ass.

“If you don’t tell me who you are and what you’re doing here, I’ll strip off this skimpy shirt of yours and anything else you’re wearing--which probably isn’t much.” He raked another look down her long, supple, hot little body. It has been too long. “And drag you out onto the front lawn. I’ll start yelling like a carnival barker until all of the neighbors come out and look at you buck naked. They might enjoy a nice little side show.”

It was an empty threat, but Mace contained his smirk when what little color she had drained away from her face. What she didn’t know was if he made the effort--even as small as it would be--to get her naked, there wouldn’t be anyone looking at her but him. His cock was already at half-mast.

She remained silent. He couldn’t believe it, she actually wasn’t going to talk. He grasped both her wrists in one hand and with the other began to slowly pull up the hem of her nightshirt, revealing pink satin panties. Hot damn. His dick was at complete attention now, but unfortunately caught in an uncomfortable position. He was not going to adjust himself right at the moment, proving what a horny shit he was.

Before he could raise the soft cotton shirt above her flat belly--Goddamn, she was an innie-- she squirmed her hips away from him, the color returning to her face in full force. “Okay, okay! My name is Colby Parks.” In what looked like defeat, she closed her eyes.

Mace reluctantly released the shirt, pushing away the feeling of regret, and watched the fabric catch on her hip. For half a second, he wished she would have been more stubborn; she was obviously not wearing a bra. He would have liked to see what was under the big dumb Great Dane. He gave himself a mental shake. “Colby Parks? Is that your real name?”

“Yes!” She tossed her head, flipping the hair away from her face.

A dusting of freckles crossed her nose. He knew better than to be distracted by something so simple like freckles. He wondered where else she had freckles. Okay, he needed to concentrate! This woman had pulled a gun on him. In his career he couldn’t afford to lose his focus. “It must be. Who could make up a name like that? What are you doing here?”


JEANNE ST. JAMES loves to write hot, steamy romances. BANGED UP (a m/f erotic contemporary romance) will be released on 9/21 at Liquid Silver Books. Her interracial menage a trois (m/m/f), DOUBLE DARE, will be released in November at Loose Id. Her m/m novella, RIP CORD, will be released in December as part of Phaze's "Rebel" Heatsheets. For more information on Jeanne and her upcoming releases check out her website at www.jeannestjames.com.

Links to other Excerpt Monday writers

Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.

Werewolves – a whole other universe

By author Anne Kane

I love to read about werewolves. I could name all of my favorite authors who have created rich worlds full of werewolves, but that would take too much time. They all write fantastic sagas about pack rules and the relationships between the fierce and furry. Consequently, whenever I considered writing about werewolves, I’d lose my nerve. I’ve written cat shifters and science fiction, demons and elves, but I’ve never before attempted to pen the tale of a werewolf.

When one of my publishers, Changeling Press, put out an in-house call for submissions for their new series, Sex and Chocolate, I immediately decided that sounded like it would be fun to write. Then I had to come up with a proposal, and I thought, maybe, just maybe, I should try a werewolf. It wasn’t quite that easy, of course. I considered where the pack would be, and why there might be a chocolate tie in. I considered how the characters would shift from human to wolf form. Would it be a bone-splitting painful wrench or just a beautiful shimmer of magic? Were new werewolves made or born as shifters, or both. And of course, why would my world be different from those of the afore-mentioned great authors?

Finally, tired of arguing with myself, I decided to go ahead with it. Once I made that decision, I had a lot of fun. The Northern Rocky pack in my story are situated where I currently live, making it easy for me to describe background features. I have never read of another author creating pack with its headquarters here, so I wasn’t infringing on an existing series.

I grew up in Northern Ontario so I am well acquainted with how wolves look and sound. Packs of wolves carve out their territory there, and hold it against invading newcomers. The sight of a dark shadow loping across a snowy field, or the sound of an eerie howl echoing in the chill of a fall morning is commonplace. A rock cave in the bush across from our home hosted a new litter of wolf cubs each year, and if we were very quiet and very lucky, we could perch on a hill above them and watch the young ones through binoculars as they tumbled and played in the spring sunshine. There are distinctive differences between wolves and dogs. The way they walk, how they hold their heads, even their reactions to people and other animals differ greatly from our domestic friends. I hope I’ve been able to convey some of those in the descriptive passages in Seducing Destiny.

After waiting so long to take the werewolf plunge, I enjoyed writing Seducing Destiny so much that I’m already planning a sequel, Dark Kisses, which is scheduled to release in May 2010. It will tell the story of Jeff and Katie, two of the minor characters in the first book. If you want to know more about Seducing Destiny, or any of my other books, you can visit my website at http://www.annekane.com/. Or my blog http://www.annekane.wordpress.com/ I’m also on twitter www.twitter.com/annekane or facebook www.facebook.com/annekane.author

And finally, I’m giving away a PDF copy of Seducing Destiny to one lucky reader. To enter, just comment on this blog post. Good luck!

BLURB:

Jack, the alpha of the North Rockies pack, knows Destiny needs some time to come to grips with her werewolf heritage before he springs the whole mated for life thing on her.

Destiny has no intention of buying into the whole pack mentality, howl at the full moon thing. Sure, she practically drools at the sight of red meat, but that’s no reason to give up her comfortable life. Besides, she already has a boyfriend, a slick up-and-coming lawyer.
 But when a band of rogue werewolves move into the area, Jack can’t afford to have his attention divided. He needs to convince Destiny that she belongs both in his pack and in his bed so he can concentrate on the new threat.



EXCERPT:

“I don’t think you’ll need those just yet, darling.”

Destiny whirled around to find Jack lounging against the doorjamb, a suggestive smile curving the corner of his mouth. His gloriously naked body showed exactly what he had in mind, and he didn’t bother to hide the engorged shaft. He straightened up and sauntered into her bedroom as if he belonged there.

She jerked her gaze back up to his face. Her heart started pounding at the lustful look he swept down her naked figure. She knew she should throw him out. Now. Before her treacherous body talked her into doing something she shouldn’t. She opened her mouth. “You shouldn’t be here.” She winced. Even to her own ears, that sounded lame.

“No, we should be back in the meadow, making love on a soft bed of grass with the spring sunshine warming our naked flesh.” He reached out and ran a finger down her naked arm in a gentle caress. “But you ran away.”

Destiny jerked backward, the skin on her arm tingling where he’d touched it. “No!”

His eyes darkened to a stormy blue and he grasped her wrist in a firm grip. “You want me, whether you’re willing to admit it or not.” He pulled her up tight against his deliciously male body. “Time’s up, Destiny. I’ve come to claim what’s mine.”

Destiny could feel the tension in his taut muscles, the impatience. Although she would never admit it to him, her psychic connection to him was strong. His urgency vibrated through her, heightening her own barely contained lust. She watched his lids droop, concealing his expression while his lips swooped down to devour hers in a kiss that seared away all her reservations.

Lust washed through her, quieting the little voice in her head. She didn’t have to make a lifetime commitment here, she rationalized. He wanted to fuck her. She wanted him to fuck her. Simple.

She opened her lips to let his tongue invade her mouth. Sizzling hot darts of pure lust danced down her spine when he took immediate advantage, his tongue sweeping in to taste, to tease, demanding her surrender. She gave it, melting passively into his muscular embrace. The kiss softened slightly, and he ran his tongue down the side of hers, exploring. He slid his hands down her back to hold her butt with his large palms, kneading the plump cheeks.

Destiny moaned, her own hands placed palm-flat on his muscular chest. She could feel the thump-thump of his heart, beating strong. Smooth, firm skin belied the years she knew he carried. He had to be at least sixty, and yet he had the physique of a man a third his age. He’d make a wonderful husband, if not for one inescapable fact.

He was a werewolf.

He swept her up and tossed her onto the bed, following her down to straddle her with his massive thighs. Destiny licked her lips, watching his rigid shaft bobbing gently above her belly.

She had to admit there were some enjoyable points to being a werewolf. The males all looked great in the buff, and weren’t shy about parading around nude, which was a good thing, because their clothing didn’t shift with them. They often found themselves in human form miles from their wardrobe.

“Still planning on denying you want me?” Lust swirled in his gorgeous blue eyes.

Destiny shook her head slowly from side to side. “I never denied I wanted you.” Her voice came out a husky whisper. “As a lover.” She wanted to feel his rough hands on her skin, his hard body pressing against hers, his warm breath on her naked flesh.

Jack captured her chin in one hand and held her still, his expression somber. “This isn’t a one-night stand, Destiny. Wolves mate forever.” He lowered himself to savage her lips in a kiss that shattered her will to resist.

She returned the kiss with everything she had. Her body moved of its own accord, arching up against him, burning with want, with need. For now, she didn’t care about life-mates or packs or the fact that he was the Alpha. All she cared about was the desire burning through every nerve in her body.

Jack’s skilled hands traced the curve of her breast, the line of her hips. He stopped to toy with her dimpled navel, his palm splayed across her belly. A path of liquid fire burned across her skin as he trailed kisses from her mouth to her ear, then nibbled his way down to her throat, his warm breath feathering across the sensitive hollow.

Destiny gasped, dazed by the depth of response. She opened her eyes to stare into his. “What are you doing to me?” she whispered.

He smiled, a predatory display of sharp, white teeth. “I’m courting you.” He swept a stray lock of hair off her face. “Seducing you.” He scored his teeth across one sensitive nipple. “Persuading you."

BUY THE BOOK HERE

Confessions of Ellora's Cave authors you'll meet at RomantiCon 09

"I hit a policeman with a nightstick and didn't get arrested."
--Francesca Hawley

http://sextalkforwickedwomen.blogspot.com/2009/09/secret-lives_07.html

And now for “the rest of the story…” as Paul Harvey used to say. How did I get to hit a police officer with his night stick and not get arrested? Well, if you thought I was learning how to be a domme with a submissive male lover who works as a police officer, you would be wrong. It’s nothing as sexy as that. Unfortunately.

The truth is that about a year ago I attended a two month Citizen’s Police Academy offered by the local police department in my town. Going in I had visions of Police Academy: Citizens on Patrol, but it was way more fun AND more controlled than that.

The second class I attended was all about force. We learned about how an officer assesses each situation whenever he/she deals with a suspect. This is referred to as the "Use of Force Continuum." So the theory here is that as the subject/suspect escalates his/her behavior then the force used by the officer to meet that threat must match or exceed it. The sooner a subject is under control the better, but sometimes you walk into a situation that is already in the red zone where deadly force is required.

We started out with discussion and watched some video tape scenarios - and these were actual incidents involving police officers. In at least one, the officer lost his life as a result of what transpired, so it's very sobering to realize that one wrong choice could result in a death, either of the suspect or the officer. Then we got to the practical stuff. They took us down onto the mats in the gym area for some light "training." After a discussion and work with handcuffs, we moved on to use of the night stick. New officers start with a collapsible baton before they qualify for the one you see TV beat cops wearing. So a collapsible is what we used. First the Lieutenant demonstrated on a volunteer – who happened to be a member of the police force.

I thought to myself. Oh, okay, I can do this. I ended up as the second one in line. Frankly, I think everyone else took a step or two back so I ended up second but...oh well. So the first up was one of the men in the class. THEN the instructors drop the bombshell - you have to yell at the volunteer “perp” to tell him to drop.

I'm thinking... Oh crap and visualizing that plump, black lady cop from the Police Academy movies. You know, the one with the whispery, prissy voice until she gets scared or pissed? I tell myself,” well girl, you better use your SCA Herald's voice or you’re going to look like a freaking idiot.” I know how to shout, I just usually don't do it in front of people cause it makes me nervous to be the center of attention.

The police officer who volunteered to get "whupped" had a big thick pad covering him, so he was perfectly safe. In fact, he said he barely felt anything as we were hitting him. I watch the first guy up. He yells and connects with the approximate leg location pretty well. As I'm watching, I process mentally and realize this is just a rap shot to the leg, which I’m very familiar with because I watch SCA fighters on the battlefield often. So I held the baton up above my shoulder, a bit like a baseball bat but I used only one hand because I also had to place my opposite hand in front as protection - just as if I were holding a shield in my hand. I was told that I needed to whip the weapon around and aim for the outside of the “perp’s” thigh.

I took a deep breath and yelled…loud, "Get down." Then I brought the baton around and down. I nailed it pretty good. I did it twice and I enjoyed every minute of it. I finally get why SCA fighter's enjoy fighting - I just don't want to take a shot in return. Ever.

So that’s how I got to hit a police officer with a night stick without getting arrested!

Thank you Francesca Hawley for being my guest blogger today! Below are some links to excerpts and blurbs for her books! ~~ Jeanne

Protect and Defend (ebook)

Protect and Defend (paperback)

Seeking Truth (ebook)

Interview & Giveaway with Author Sandy Sullivan

Today I welcome guest author Sandy Sullivan. Enjoy! ~~ Jeanne



• When did you get started writing and what motivated you to write? I started writing when I was about 12, but I didn’t seriously writing romance until 2008. I happened to be between jobs and was bored at home one day so I started writing a story. The particular story had been bouncing around in my mind for some time. I wrote Texas Lady in about a month. I asked several friends to read it and tell me what they thought. They raved that it needed to published — and that’s where it all started.

• What genres do you write in and why? I usually write westerns, both historical and contemporary because I LOVE cowboys. They are my absolutely favorite, both strong as nails and soft when they need to be.

• What do you have published and where? I have Cowboy Love coming out on 9/10/09 with Siren Bookstrand, a short piece for the Flower Basket series with The Wild Rose Press coming soon, and Siren also contracted Love’s Sweet Surrender for January 2010 and the first of a three part series called the Wilder series. The first one is called Wild Wyoming Nights and will be released in December of 2009.

• Tell me about some of your WIPs? My current WIP is the third of the Wilder Series called Wild Nevada Ride. It’s about the eldest brother Justin and his run in with one saucy, sexy as hell Air Force pilot named Katrina.

• Tell me about yourself? I’m 47 years old, married to a great guy name Shaun for 10 years and we live on a small farm south of Nashville TN with our menagerie of animals including 2 horses, 4 dogs and 2 cats. I’m also a registered nurse by trade and work in my local emergency room.

• Where can we find you on the Internet?

http://www.romancestorytime.com/ – http://www.sandysullivanauthor.blogspot.com/ – www.sirenbookstrand.com/sandysullivan - http://thewildrosepress.com/publisher/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2449&Itemid=88

• What do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? I read just about everyone. I don’t particularly have a favorite author per se. If something looks interesting to me, I’ll read it no matter who the author is.

• How do people react when they find out you are an author? They wonder why I’m still working as a nurse! It’s that big misconception that you are wealthy because you are an author. Mostly people are surprised and ask what I write. When they see the erotic side of my nature, they are shocked usually.

• Do you like writing your hero or heroine better? Which POV do you prefer? It doesn’t matter to me which POV although it’s a little easier to write from the heroine’s POV.

• What is your perfect hero? Dark eyes, dark hair, tanned, muscled chest, rock hard abs, anywhere between 5’10 and 6’ and a must for me is dimples! I love dimples! Perfect heroine? I mix up my heroines so I don’t have a perfect one. They vary from blonde to brown haired, sassy and strong.

• Do you belong to any writer’s chapters or groups, like RWA? I’m on a ton of author groups and readers groups through yahoo, but not RWA.

• Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers? Keep at it. Your time will come and make sure to take every piece advice you get to heart. Most people are there to help you and if they make a suggestion, listen.

• How long did it take you from when you started writing to being published? I finished my first piece, Texas Lady in June 2008. My first accepted piece is Cowboy Love which happened to be picked up with Siren in May of 2009, so almost a year. From first submitting to being published? I submitted to them in February or March and it was accepted for publication in May.

• What do you think about the future of e-publishing? I think it’s the wave of the future. I know many readers still like the bound book in their hand so they will be around for awhile yet, but ebooks will be much easier especially since you can adjust the size for those with poor eyesight.

• Do you do research for your stories? Some. It depends on what I’m writing. If so, what kind? I’ll look facts on the internet or ask someone I know who would know. My current WIP has a lot of Air Force pilot stuff in it and I’m using my husband as a reference. He spent 20 years in the Air Force as a mechanic for fighter jets.

• Are you a plotter (plots and outlines) or a pantzer (by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer)? Definitely a pantzer. I will usually start something and the characters take it away and just tell me what to write.

• Do you use a pen name? No, but I’m thinking about it with my erotic stuff. I have a historical coming out on the mainstream side of Siren and it just seems easier to separate the two. Why or why not? I didn’t think about doing it at first, but now it seems like the thing to do to keep my different pieces separated.

• Is there a genre that you haven’t written that you would like to? I haven’t tried a ménage yet but I’m seriously considering it.

Thanks so much for having me Jeanne! It was fun!

CONTEST!!!!!

Sandy will be giving away a a copy of Cowboy Love in a drawing for those who post a comment today. So please leave a comment for your chance to win! Make sure you leave a way for her to contact you in your post.

HAPPY LABOR DAY, Blog hoppers!

Welcome to my blog...

You should have reached my blog from the link you found
Serena Shay's blog at:

http://serenashay.blogspot.com/

COWBOY UP!

My sexy cowboy has labored out in the hot sun all day. His boots are dust, his abs sweaty, his hands calloused and his lips oh, so kissable. Do you agree? He has finally gotten around to taking a break, standing still long enough for us to admire him.

Here's a cowboy quote I want to share: "Sometimes you get and sometimes you get got." Isn't that the truth? Would you like to "get" or "get got" by my hot cowboy? As for me, I think both... I'm not greedy... LOL!

All right, all you Labor Day blog hoppers, your next stop on this fun Labor Day trip will be K.Z. Snow's blog at:

http://kzsnow.blogspot.com/

IMPORTANT: you must leave a comment to be entered to win the Virtual Grand Prize at the end of the blog tour, which includes:

Wyoming Solace by Alanna Cocaa

$10 Meijer gift card from Jeanne St. James (me!)

Satisfy Me by Madison Scott

Illicit Hunger by Dee Carney

Furry, Fluffy & Wild from Celia Kyle

Once Bitten by Trina M Lee

Intimate Strangers by Gem Sivad

Of Flesh And Blood by Tina Holland

Resisting Kane by Stephanie Adkins

The Extremist by Juniper Bell

InDescent by K.Z. Snow

Thanks for taking the time to stop by. Please keep an eye on my blog (or my website) for updates on Banged Up, my upcoming September 21st release at Liquid Silver Books and my November release, Double Dare, from Loose Id.

~~~Jeanne~~~

By the way, if you got lost here's the blog hopping trail in the order you needed to follow them to be eligible for the Grand Prize:

Alanna Coca - http://alannacoca.wordpress.com/

Stephanie Adkins - http://stephanieadkins.wordpress.com/blog/

Gem Sivad - http://gemsivad.wordpress.com/

Paige Tyler - http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/

Olivia Brynn - http://oliviabrynn.wordpress.com/

Trina M Lee - http://trinamlee.wordpress.com/

Dee Carney - http://www.deecarney.com/blog

Serena Shay - http://serenashay.blogspot.com/

Jeanne St. James - http://www.jeannestjames.blogspot.com/

K.Z Snow - http://kzsnow.blogspot.com/

Tina Holland - http://tinaholland.wordpress.com/

Rosemary Gunn - http://rosemarygunn.blogspot.com/

Celia Kyle - http://celiakyle.com/blog

Juniper Bell - http://www.juniperbell.com/blog.php