THIRD sale this year! WOOT!

RIP CORD has been contracted by PHAZE. This was my first male/male erotic romance. AND my first novella at approximately 12,000 words. It's expected release date is December 28th and will be a part of their "Rebel" Heatsheets. To read more about Rip Cord click here.

That will my third expected release in 2009.

Banged Up will release September 21st from Liquid Silver Books.
Double Dare is expected to release in November from Loose Id.
Rip Cord is expected to release December 28th from Phaze.

Keep an eye here or on my website for updated information on my upcoming releases. I'm finishing 2009 with a BANG!

Unleash Your Story—August 31-September 28

Unleash Your Story brings writers and readers together to raise funds and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation . The concept is simple—we are harnessing the power of story to make a difference for the tens of thousands of kids and adults living with this fatal genetic disease.

The power of story

Ever tumble into a good story and feel yourself transported to another time or place? You might stroll through Regency England, sail a pirate ship, creep into a dark netherworld or fly through a bright faerie kingdom. With the help of a good book you can tour the universe we know and universes yet to be imagined all without checking the morning traffic report or worrying about the rising cost of fuel.

You are traveling on the power of story.

A story can make you laugh or cry—sometimes both at once. It can provide temporary relief from grief, sorrow, pain and worries. Stories are not just escapes, they can inspire, encourage and give you the fortitude to face the challenges reality throws at you.

You might think all this power comes from the writer's imagination, but that's only half true. It takes readers and writers working together to make magic happen. A reader's imagination lifts the words off the page and brings them to life. You can pick up Austen's Pride and Prejudice or Homer's Odyssey today and give those stories new life long after their authors have turned to dust. That is powerful magic.

Now imagine hundreds of readers and writers working together to unleash their stories. This is the concept behind the Unleash Your Story: Make a Difference write-a-thon/read-a-thon. With many readers and writers each doing a little, we can make a big difference.

The reality

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the U.S. and 70,000 worldwide. A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections. This same mucus obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. To combat these issues people with CF depend on many drugs and supplements to survive.

In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation works to find better treatments and, ultimately, a cure for this fatal illness. (Information from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website http://cff.org).
Even with the advances we've seen over the last several decades the story of cystic fibrosis is grim for tens of thousands of kids and adults suffering from this disease and the hundreds of thousands of people who love them. Working together we can help change the story by bringing improved treatment and the hoped for cure closer to reality.

How you can help

Each Unleash Your Story participant sets a reading or writing goal and asks friends, family and fans to donate to CFF in support of their goal. It's sort of like a walk-a-thon, except there is no knocking on doors or wearing out sneakers. Instead you sit in your favorite reading or writing spot and crank out the pages!

Unleash Your Story runs from August 31 through September 28, 2009. Our fearless leaders in the 2009 campaign are Lori Wilde http://www.loriwilde.com/ , Pacesetter Author and Michelle Buonfiglio http://romancebytheblog.blogspot.com/ , Pacesetter Reader. We'll have fun prizes for those who keep up with our pacesetters as well as incentives for reaching certain reading, writing and fund raising goals.

Last year Unleash Your Story raised over $11,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Our goal this year is to more than double that amount to $23,000. With your help we can reach this goal!

The Basics

What: Write-a-thon/Read-a-thon for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

When: August 31-September 28. Registration starts in early August.

How to participate: 1) Register; 2) set a reading or writing goal; 3) set a fundraising goal; 4) form a team or work as an individual; 5) contact friends, relatives and fans and ask them to donate in support of your goal. All donations go directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and are tax deductible. No need for you to worry about collecting donations.

Learn more: Visit http://unleashyourstory.com/ or write to info@unleashyourstory.com .

Now, get busy unleashing your story!

13 Places NOT to Read your Erotica Out Loud!

Thanks to the Romance Divas for helping me make this list. I received so many good ones that this is only part one. Keep an eye here for parts 2 and 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 1)

1. Sunday Mass


2. Chuck E. Cheese

3. Sexaholics Anonymous Meeting

4. Your employee evaluation

5. New employee orientation

6. At the bathroom at work

7. Elementary school playground

8. Produce section in the grocery store (especially near the cukes)

9. Your kid’s play date

10. Visiting hour at prison

11. During dinner with your new boyfriend’s parents.

12. Funeral

13. PTA meeting




Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!


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VALUABLE CARGO -- a new release from Paige Tyler!

Hey Everyone!

I'm so excited about my sexy, new sci-fi erotic romance, Valuable Cargo, available from Liquid Silver Books!

I don't write a lot of sci-fi stories, so this one was a lot of fun to come up with. It was also a little challenging, too. In a sci-fi story, you have to spend a certain amount of time developing the supporting environment, like how the spaceship works, what the planets looks like, and how things are different than they are here on earth. That can end up being a book in itself. But you still have to tell an engaging story about a guy and a girl that a romance reader would want to sit down and curl up with. So, you can't spend so much time on the background stuff that the main story gets lost. That said, I think I've pulled it off pretty well - if I do say so myself! LOL!

I suppose the best way to introduce you to the book is to tell you a little about how the idea popped into my head. My hubby and I were up at the Marshal Space Center in Alabama doing some sightseeing when we came across this cute little model of the X-33, a sleek looking space craft that NASA was thinking about building to replace for the space shuttle. That got us talking about whether humans could ever travel beyond our Solar System. Since it would take a really long time to go that distance, we decided astronauts would have to put themselves in some kind of cryogenic suspension or hypersleep during the journey. It was right then, I knew I had the beginnings of a sci-fi story in the making!

After I played around with the idea for a while (years actually), I decided to make things a little bit more interesting by having the hero's ship go off course after he puts himself in hypersleep. Thanks to the malfunction, the computer doesn't bring him out of hypersleep when it's supposed to and Garrick, the hunky, six-foot-four, blond-haired, blue-eyed astronaut, wakes up seven-hundred years in the future to find himself on a spaceship full of beautiful women!

Mankind has changed a lot in seven-hundred years and they don't make men like Garrick anymore, so as you can imagine, the women think he's totally hot. He's only interested in one of them, though, Tanna, the ship's sexy captain. While Tanna knows the problems getting involved with Garrick could create among the crew, she can't resist and finds herself inviting him into her bed, not to mention other interesting places!

Unfortunately, Tanna isn't the only one interested in Garrick. When I said they don't make me like him anymore, I meant it. Seven-hundred years in the future, six-foot-four, blond-haired blue-eyed guys are nonexistent and there are a lot of unscrupulous people who will do anything to get their hands on him!

I hope I've whet your appetite and that you want to read more about Tanna and Garrick! If you decide to pick it up, let me know how you like it! I love hearing from readers!


Excerpt:

To her surprise, the derelict ship hadn’t been stripped at all. There were two old looking satellites in the hold, as well as dozens of containers. They were all marked with a series of numbers and letters that didn’t mean anything to her, so there was no way to tell what was in them.

Taking out her radiac, Tanna scanned the hold for radiation. If there had been anything really dangerous, the sensors on her ship would have picked it up, but she wanted to be sure. There was a little bit of reading around the satellites, but nothing significant. The containers were completely safe.

“This looks like old test equipment of some type,” Vi said from behind her.

Tanna turned to see that Vi had opened one of the containers and was looking at a collection of metal instruments. Tanna didn’t have a clue what any of it was, but it was ancient, which meant it was going to be worth some money.

Curious, Tanna made her way over to the box Vi had opened while the other girl and Leala went off to explore the control room. She had barely started investigating when Leala’s voice came through the speaker in her headset.

“Um, Captain, I think you should see this.”

Her brow furrowing at the odd tone in her engineer’s voice, Tanna immediately set down the piece of equipment she’d been holding and headed for the control room. Seeing Vi standing just inside a doorway on the opposite side of the room, she quickly made her way over to the woman.

Letting the light from her torch play about the inner room, Tanna saw that it was a joint galley and med-bay.

“What did you find?” she asked as she stepped into the room. “Something valuable?”

Leala was standing in front of a glass-enclosed container of some sort. From her vantage point, Tanna couldn’t see what was inside it, but there was a series of brightly colored blinking lights at the bottom of the unit.

The engineer turned to her with a smile. “Oh, yeah.”

Frowning at the woman’s cryptic answer, Tanna walked over to where her engineer stood, only to stare at the pod in stunned silence. Leala had wiped off the light coating of frost from the upper portion of the pod, and through the glass, Tanna saw that there was a man inside. A completely gorgeous – and from the parts she could see – very well-built man who, shockingly, appeared to be in perfect health. The pod container must be some type of hypersleep chamber, she thought. She had heard of those, but no one had used them in over five-hundred years, not since the invention of the faster-than-light Tachyon drive. That meant the ship was even older than they had thought, back from the days of sub-light space travel.

The fact that the man was still alive after so long wasn’t the only thing that made him unusual. Not only was he all beautifully sculpted muscle, but he was also unusually tall as well. The hypersleep chamber was at least seven feet long and the guy did a pretty good job of filling it up. That meant he was at least six-four or six-five. At five-ten, Tanna was as tall as any man she’d ever met, and taller than some, but this guy would clearly tower over her. She let her gaze run over his broad shoulders and muscular chest appreciatively. Damn, the guy was built. The hypersleep chamber must be equipped with some type of electro-stimulation to keep him in such great shape for so long, she thought.

Her gaze went to his face. She had been so distracted by his body that she hadn’t really spent much time looking at it before, but as she took in his square jaw and chiseled features, she decided he had to be the most attractive man she’d ever seen. She stared at his dark-blond hair, fascinated by the color. She hadn’t seen that many people with blond hair in her life. And most of the people she had seen had artificially colored it. She had no doubt his was the real deal. All at once, she found herself wondering what color his eyes were. They had to be blue, she thought. That would match his hair perfectly.

Glancing at the other two women, Tanna saw they were equally entranced by him, and she watched breathlessly as Vi began to wipe more frost off the front of the glass to reveal a washboard stomach and lean hips.

“Vi, that’s enough,” Tanna ordered abruptly, pushing the other woman’s hand away when she started to move lower.

Vi frowned. “I just wanted to see if he’s built like that everywhere.”

Tanna wouldn’t have minded seeing more of him herself, especially since the only men she had seen naked in a while had been the computer-generated ones conjured up in the holo-chamber on their ship. And they definitely hadn’t looked anything like him. But ogling a man while he was in a hypersleep pod just seemed wrong.

“Try to control yourself.” She glanced at Leala. “Do you think he can be revived?”

Leala chewed on her lip as she eyed the equipment. After a moment, she shrugged. “The chamber’s really old, but everything seems to be functioning properly. Sela would probably know more, though.”

Sela Fanaday was the salvage ship’s resident bio-system engineer, but she also served as their med-tech when they needed one.

Tanna turned her gaze back to the handsome man asleep inside the pod. “Is this ship safe enough to bring on board?” she asked Leala.

The girl shrugged. “I don’t see why not, Captain. The sensors didn’t pick up any hazardous cargo and I haven’t seen anything dangerous. There’s isn’t even any fuel left.”

Still gazing at the man, Tanna flipped over to the ship’s frequency on her radio and spoke into the headset. “Malana, we’re bringing the ship aboard.”

“Did you find anything valuable?” the first officer asked.

Tanna only smiled. Oh yeah, they had definitely found something valuable.

****

Dear God, he was absolutely perfect, Tanna thought as she gazed down at the sleeping man an hour later. The blanket that Sela had carefully tucked around him left his chest and shoulders exposed to her appreciative gaze, and she had to fight off the almost irresistible urge to reach out and run her hands over his smoothly sculpted muscles. How many hours a day would a guy have to work out to look like this?

After bringing his ship aboard, they had transferred his hypersleep chamber to their own med-bay so Sela could examine him, which the woman had done once she had gotten over her shock at seeing their cargo. Since no one used stasis chambers like his anymore, Sela had to do some research in the computer archives to figure out how to revive him. Following the procedure she had found on the computer, Sela had
slowly brought him out of hypersleep. Tanna had expected him to come awake right
away, but the other girl had told her that wasn’t how it worked. It could take hours for him to wake up. According to the med-tech, though, his vitals were strong, which was a good sign. That didn’t stop Tanna from worrying, though.

Getting her crew to focus on anything but the man laying in the med-bay had been almost impossible since then. Especially after Sela had hurried to the shuttle bay and briefed everyone in great detail about her patient and those parts of his anatomy they hadn’t seen yet. Her description had brought the rest of the crew running to the med-bay so they could take a look for themselves. Sela was just about to pull the blanket down for a little show-and-tell when Tanna finally pulled rank and tossed the other women out of the med-bay, sending them back down to the shuttle bay to take a closer look at his ship and the salvage it contained. Anything to distract them.

A few minutes ago, Malana had called on the ship’s intercom to let her know they had located the class and ident-number of his ship. According to the database, it had disappeared in the year 2104. Other than that, the computer didn’t know a lot about it. Or him. Malana had found some uniforms in a storage locker, though, with the name Carlisle on them. There was a shoulder patch of a flag with red and white stripes and stars in the corner on one sleeve. There was another patch underneath that, this one with the letters ISEA. A search of that acronym had turned up the name International Space Exploration Administration, an Earth-based government agency that had conducted space research in the early part of the twenty-second century. Tanna shook her head. Well, whoever he was, he was going to be in for one hell of a shock when he woke up. If he woke up.

Tanna was just wondering if she should call Sela so the other girl could check on him again when the man’s eyelids suddenly fluttered open and she found herself gazing into the most incredible pair of blue eyes that she had ever seen. She’d been right about the color, she realized a little breathlessly. And they did go perfectly with his blond hair.

Read an Excerpt!
http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/ExcerptValuableCargo.html
Watch the Trailer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkKFPyups-U


Buy it from Liquid Silver Books!
http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&product_name=Valuable+Cargo&return_page=&user-id=&password=&exchange=&exact_match=exact

For more of my sexy erotic fiction, visit my website at http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/

*hugs*
Paige

Website: http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/
Blog: http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/paigetylertheauthor
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1111715782

New contract with LOOSE ID!

I am pleased to announce that my interracial menage a trois, DOUBLE DARE, has been contracted with Loose Id. I am happy that they decided to epublish my latest erotic romance. It is tentatively scheduled to release in November and I am currently working on revisions and edits. Keep an eye here or on my website for future announcements regarding its release.

To read an Excerpt click here.

Here's the blurb for Double Dare:

Quinn Preston, disappointed by one man, finds herself in the arms of two more, taking part in forbidden pleasures she never thought possible… Quinn Preston, a financial analyst, is not happy when her friends dare her to pick up a handsome stranger at a wedding reception. What better reason to give up men when her previous long-term relationship had not only been lackluster in the bedroom but he had cheated.

Logan Reed, a successful farmer and business owner, can’t believe that he’s attracted to the woman in the ugly, Pepto-Bismol colored bridesmaid dress. And to boot, she’s more than tipsy. After turning down her invitation for a one-night stand, he finds her in the parking lot, too impaired to drive. He rescues her and takes her home. His home.The next morning Quinn’s conservative life turns on its ear when Logan introduces her to pleasures she never even considered before. And to make things more complicated, Logan already has a lover…

Tyson White, ex-pro football player and Logan’s business partner, is completely in love with Logan. He has mixed emotions when Logan brings home Quinn. But the dares keep coming and things heat up with the three of them. Nevertheless Ty wonders: will adding Quinn to the mix end up enhancing or destroying Logan’s and his relationship?

Villains to heroes... or heroines

My guest today is author Jeanne Barrack who writes both m/f and m/m stories. This m/f story is one of her favorites...

The story behind “The Crystal Flacon” and Lucrezia Borgia

Not too long ago I took part in a wonderful series about a mysterious Collector who needed to find magical artifacts from around the world to fulfill a lifelong mission. Because the Collector was physically unable to seek these items himself, he found emissaries with different talents to find them for him for a fee. The one thread that tied these stories together was that each set of characters and the items they searched for had a connection with love. So, our tales were each stand-alones and covered the globe from Ireland to Italy, India and Brazil, Richmond, VA and Vancouver, BC and many other exotic places.

My husband suggested that Lucrezia Borgia might be an interesting character to involve in my story because I could have my characters search for the poison ring she was reputed to own, only I decided that it would contain a love potion and be magical. Beyond that, I created a crystal perfume flacon that had magical properties on the fragrance Lucrezia believed to be an aphrodisiac. This fit in better with the story’s setting of a perfumery in Italy.

As I delved deeper into Lucrezia’s life, I was stunned to find out that Lucrezia Borgia was very maligned. She ended her days much beloved by both her husband, and the people of Ferrara. In fact, when he was away from home fighting innumerable wars, he made her his regent. There is no real evidence that she was a poisoner or murdered her first two husbands or had incestuous relations with her brother and father.

Now her brother, Cesare, of course, is well known as a master manipulator and deceiver. Her father, Pope Alexander VI had mistresses and children during his papacy and there’s one scene in “The Crystal Flacon” -- the orgy scene -- that was taken directly with a few literary tweaks from “reports” of orgies like this that the Pope hosted.

I’ve done copious research on the period and just about everything else relating to Lucrezia. I even found a genealogy of her descendents. What one discovers is that the Duke adored her. She took six years to bear him *any* children, much less an heir. In those days, she could have easily been divorced for this, especially since her father, Pope Alexander VI and her brother Cesare, lost power soon after her marriage. Instead, she gave her husband several children and suffered through earlier miscarriages before she died in childbirth almost twenty years later. It was said that her husband was so moved by her death that he fainted at the funeral and had to be carried out. Seems Antonio was a one-woman man, mourning Lucrezia for a decade before formalizing his relationship with his mistress. The major liberty with Lucrezia’s life that I took is that I created a descendent; unfortunately, the line died out in the early 18th c. There no longer is a d’Este in Ferrara. Within the story, we find out more about Lucrezia through a lost diary that Abby finds. Antonio is a hot-blooded Italian and I assure you, this is one of my sexiest heroes.

The Blurb for the story:

Abby Foster, owner of Nannies, International, has been commissioned by the secretive Collector to obtain the Crystal Flacon, believed to have been in the possession of the infamous Lucrezia Borgia and to contain a magical aphrodisiac.
But why should a nanny be set such a task? Seems Abby has secrets of her own.
She also runs Finding Justice, an organization dedicated to returning art and other treasures lost during WWII to their rightful owners. With the specialized skills she’s gained, getting the Flacon should be easy. She isn’t counting on channeling Lucrezia through visions and dreams or falling for Antonio, duke d’Este, the present day owner of the Flacon.

Antonio d’Este, the direct descendent of Lucrezia Borgia, is a modern man with modern problems. A recent widower, he needs a nanny to take care of his five year old daughter while he prepares for the launching of “Lucrezia”, the new scent for Borgia, the family-owned perfumery. Inspired by the stunning Crystal Flacon, Antonio focuses everything on making “Lucrezia” a success. He has no time for the distraction posed by the beautiful nanny or the strange effect making love with her has on him.

When someone attacks the perfumery, destroying property, disrupting projects in an attempt to ruin the company and killing innocent people, they both need a change of plans. Together, using Abby’s skills honed while working for Finding Justice, they must find the saboteur, before everything they love is lost.

I fell in love with Abby, Antonio and little Lucy and along the way, fell in love with Lucrezia and the beautiful city of Ferrara, Italy. I hope you’ll read their story and fall in love, too.

Thanks so much for having me here today, Jeanne!

Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/CrystalFlacon-buylink

To read an excerpt of part of the orgy scene click here: http://www.loose-id.com/JBTC5TCFex.aspx

Rock-Star bad-boys… Oh yeah!

Who doesn’t love a rock star? I do, I always have. There’s just something about a hot guy, a guitar, and a microphone stand.

My love for rocker guys started innocently enough. I grew up a child of the late 70’s/early 80’s (yeah, I admit it). As a teenager, we lived down the street from a very young and hip couple, and they had a little one I’d babysit for every so often. I LOVED going to their house, and not because they paid well or because the baby was just soooo cute. Nope, I loved going there because their record (dating myself again, aren’t I?) collection was way cooler than mine. I’d get the baby to bed, then head to the basement and put ELO’s ‘Out of the Blue’ album on the turntable and play ‘Turn to Stone’ over and over.

Then my sister brought home a poster of KISS. You could see Paul Stanley’s, well… Yeah, that. Clear as day, right up there on the wall. I thought to myself, wow. So much for innocence, huh? I was a goner!

The 80’s brought MTV and the advent of hair bands. Poison, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Skid Row… The list goes on and on. In certain circles, I’d never admit to listening to some of those guys, but when the videos would come on, I’d be glued to the TV. They were so sexy and simply oozed sensuality. The lead singers came across as naughty guys, dangerous almost. And it always seemed like they were singing right to me.

Heck of a fantasy, isn’t it? But let’s do that what-if. What if circumstances panned out just right? What if you actually got to meet your rock-star bad-boy? And what if he wanted you just as much as you ever wanted him? That’s the premise behind my new release with Ellora’s Cave, Chasing Eden. Here’s the blurb:

Graphic artist Eden Foster never expected a sexy game of hide-and-seek to turn into the hottest encounter of her life. The erotic dreams she’s had lately starring to-die-for rock star Shane Tolan are almost enough to make her forget how badly she wants to design his next CD cover. Almost, but not quite. And now here he is in the flesh, ready to chase after her.

Shane likes to play dirty, and he finally has Eden right where he wants her—outside on a balcony, tied to a chaise lounge and under his complete control. But he soon discovers it’s not just Eden’s body he wants, but the talented, business-savvy artist, too. Hell, he wants every luscious part of her.

Then naked paparazzi photos from that night show up on the internet. Eden is convinced her peers will believe she slept with the rock star just to design his CD cover. Shane knows nothing’s further from the truth. And in order to prove it to her, he going to have to show her his heart.

Click here for a sexy little excerpt: http://www.kristindaniels.com/chasingedenexcerpt.htm

And here for the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2PKRfrKM88

And you can click here to get a copy of your very own: http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-7499-50-chasing-eden.aspx.

Thanks to Jeanne for letting me be a guest today! I hope you enjoy reading about Shane and Eden as much as I loved creating them.

Stay sexy!

Kristin
http://www.kristindaniels.com/
Sex and Seduction… With heart

Where Were You When The Muse Broke Free?

By guest author Debbie Mumford

Have you ever wondered where an author was when she made the leap from reader to writer?

Would you believe my very first novel began in a tree house on the slopes of Mt Rainier? It’s true. I kid you not.

Dear Husband’s sister and her hubby were visiting the Pacific Northwest from their home in Colorado and had arranged for a stay in a tree house. They kindly invited DH and me along for the experience.

There must have been something magical in that mountain air. My muse broke free and gifted me with dreams of druids and dragons.

I snuggled in a hammock and dreamed up characters and plot. Mind you, I didn't have a clue about story or craft, but ignorance is indeed bliss. If I'd known just how clueless I really was, I'd never have had the courage to begin this journey!

Six years later I've published two novels, two novellas, and had my short fiction included in several anthologies. I’ve also been blessed with representation from a well-respected literary agency. Not a bad track record.

My most recent novella releases today! The Silver Casket is a time-travel historical romance about a contemporary woman who finds herself in fifteenth century Scotland. Great fun to write!

Of course, the story I dreamed that day in the tree house has never seen the light of day—totally clueless writing rarely does. However, my muse and I have developed an awesome relationship.

So what about you? Where were you when your muse broke free?

Interview with Ashley Ladd, romance author

I want to welcome romance author, Ashley Ladd, today...

· When did you get started writing and what motivated you to write?

I’ve been a writer as long as I can remember, since about age 6 I think. I used to write stories for my dad. I wanted to be like Lois Lane. Back then I wanted to be a journalist. Later when I discovered Harlequin romances, I started thinking about writing romances, too.

· What genres do you write in and why?

Several subgenres of romance. Paranormal (vampires, time-travel, witches, ghosts, and demons – so far), contemporary (often romantic comedy), erotic (MF, MM, MMF, MFM), and futuristic.

· What do you have published and where?

LOL. It’s a long list.

At total-e-bound – Friction anthology (Sorry Charlie), Best Mates, Simon Says, Caught in the Middle anthology (Charity’s Auction), Night of the Senses anthology (Welcome to Paradise), Secret Admirer, Last Man on Earth, Christmas Miracles, Naughty Boys, Heart & Soul, Submissive Dreams, Liquid Heat, Brit Party anthology, Wild Fantasies, Confessions of a Nympho, The Perfect Gift, Wishcraft, Shipwrecked

At Ellora's Cave – Truth Justice & the Vampire Way, Heavenly Hijinks, Chances Are, And Lady Makes Three (Pirates Booty), Civil Affairs, Purrfect Justice, American Beauty, Carbon Copy, Se- Kittens, Make-Believe Lover,

* And others that are no longer published.

· Tell me about some of your WIPs?

I’m working on the sequel to Simon Says that is about 3 gay detectives who work on murder cases involving the gay community. It’s a comedy romantic suspense.

· Tell me about yourself?

I’m a customer service manager for a charity where I’ve worked 15 years. I’m mom to five kids and grandma to two more. I’ve been married almost 30 years to the same man. I’m from Ohio but we’ve lived in Florida for the past twenty years since we separated from the US Air Force. Both my husband and myself were active duty Air Force.

I love to go to the movies and watch stories on the big screen. I also love Star Trek, Star Wars, the Indiana Jones movies, and most stories with action and adventure with some romance thrown in. I love cats. We have five.

· Where can we find you on the Internet?

My blog is at: http://www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com/

· What do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors?

Stephen King. Stephen White. Jane Eyre. Sherryl Woods. Amarinda Jones. Brynn Paulin. Kenzie Michaels. Sandra Cox. Barbara Huffert.

· How do people react when they find out you are an author?

My daughter’s softball coach found out last night and she seemed excited. She asked what my pen name is and said she might read some of my books.

Some act like it’s a cute little hobby.

Others want to give me their idea and have me write the story – and of course split the profits 50-50.

· Do you like writing your hero or heroine better? Which POV do you prefer?

I like third person POV. As per hero and heroine, I don’t prefer one over the other in the abstract. Specifically I may occasionally like one character better than another, but gender doesn’t matter.

· What is your perfect hero? Perfect heroine?

My perfect hero (for me in real life) is someone tall, dark, and handsome with a soft, husky voice. He must be responsible, nice, make me laugh, and help with the chores. In fiction, I like tall, dark, and handsome bad boys. Pure alpha males.

· Do you belong to any writer’s chapters or groups, like RWA?

I belong to WRW (World Romance Writers).

· Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers?

Work with a critique group or partner. Make sure your story is very polished before submitting it to a publisher. Be open to critiques and edits. And of course, submit your work.

· How long did it take you from when you started writing to being published? From first submitting to being published?

A couple years.

· What do you think about the future of epublishing?

I think it’s the wave of the future. It’s a great way to go green and save the planet. It’s also easier to shop for ebooks, less expensive to purchase, and the font size can be adjusted. Ebooks are easier to store and carry. I don’t see why they’re not in the mainstream already.

· Do you do research for your stories? If so, what kind?

I do a lot of searching on the Internet. I also conduct interviews with industry professionals when warranted. I visit places when I can.

· Are you a plotter (plots and outlines) or a pantzer (by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer)? Why?

You got me. I’m a pantzer. Probably because I’m ADHD. My mind jumps all over the place at a zillion miles a second.

· What is the best or worst writing advice you’ve ever received?

Start writing the next story as soon as you submit the last. Since you’re busy, the wait to hear back about the first story won’t seem as long.

· Do you use a pen name? Why or why not?

Ashley Ladd is my pen name. I don’t think my daytime employer would be happy if they found out I write erotic romance. I don’t think my church would like it, either.

· Is there a genre that you haven’t written that you would like to?

Historicals?

Thanks, Ashley, for stopping by today. Here's the blurb for Ashley's latest release:


Sorry Charlie by Ashley Ladd

Charlie's dad wants to make up after a 17-year family feud...

He's overjoyed, excited, and nervous as hell that his father is finally accepting his sexual orientation and speaking to him after a 17-year family feud but Charlie can't understand why his long-term partner Jonathan is acting jealous and clingy, when he should be happy for him or at least supportive.

Jon's afraid Charlie's family will hurt him again and he doesn't know if he can mend Charlie's heart if it shatters a second time or stand by and watch while Charlie sets himself up for more heartbreak.

UPDATED! What's coming up on my blog:

Stay tuned to this blog for lots of guest bloggers, new book releases, and author interviews. Here's an upcoming list and more are being added:

August:
13th -- Kissa Starling
17th -- Ashley Ladd
18th -- Debbie Mumford
19th -- Kristin Daniels
20th -- Jeanne Barrack
24th -- Paige Tyler
28th -- Unleash Your Story (Teresa Bodwell)

September:
1st -- Diamond Taylor
7th -- Liquid Silver Books Author Blog Hop (WIN PRIZES!)
10th -- Francesca Hawley
11th -- Anne Kane
14th -- Excerpt Monday
21st -- The release of my m/f contemporary erotic romance: BANGED UP!
26th -- Kerri Nelson

November:
?? -- My interracial menage a trois (m/m/f), DOUBLE DARE, is release from Loose Id.
9th -- Excerpt Monday

December:
2nd -- Meg Benjamin
14th -- Excerpt Monday

If you are an author and would like a guest spot, an interview or just promote, please contact me at jeannestjames (AT) yahoo (dot) com.

UPDATED! My upcoming events:

I will be hopping all over the Internet to shout about my upcoming release (Banged Up coming out 9/21 from Liquid Silver Books), do interviews and just talk about this and that. Here are some of the many places you'll be able to catch me at:

August:
15th -- I will be participating in "Meet the Author Tour" on MySpace.

23rd -- I will be blogging about backing up your work on Dropbox at http://globalwrite.wordpress.com

31st -- I will be a guest blogger at SEx - Silver Expressions. Liquid Silver Book's Blog. As one of their authors I guest blog there about once a month.

September:
7th -- I will be participating in a "Blog Hop" with other Liquid Silver Books authors. Take part and win some prizes!

14th -- I will take part, once again, in Excerpt Monday. Where authors post excerpts of their books, upcoming releases or something from their work in progress. I will post an excerpt right here on my blog and post links to other authors.

21st -- Banged Up is released in ebook form at Liquid Silver Books.

22nd -- I will be participating at SEx - Silver Expression Blog for their "Morning After" post. It's were authors post the morning after their book is released.

23rd -- I'll be a guest author at The Author's Studio

October:
1st -- Mace Walker, the hero from my book Banged Up will be interviewed at Diamond Taylor's blog.

November:
1st -- Interview at LoveBytes Newsletter
17th - I'll be a guest on the The Sweet Flag blog


That is just a taste... I will be hitting the Net hard. So stick with me!

WOOT! My interracial menage (m/m/f) DOUBLE DARE has been contracted with Loose Id! http://ping.fm/rJnXn

Another new release from Kissa Starling: Swing Pointe

Swing Pointe, released today at Red Rose Publishing, is the story of a dream. If you partake in menage or not you'll be enthralled by this tale of two retirees who use their life savings to make money and have fun too. This tale of their sexual adventures will have you asking directions to the nearest adult park. There is a clothing optional park close to where I live and they recently participated in the "World's Largest Skinny Dip." How cool is that?

Swing Pointe: the adult theme park where clothing is always optional.


Mark and Grace worked hard all their lives. Retirement has its benefits and they've decided to use their free time to open an adult theme park. If the winding line out front on opening night is any indication- sexual satisfaction is ready and waiting for all...

Buy Link: http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?products_id=408


Kissa Starling resides in the southern state of Georgia. She enjoys spending time with family and pets, reading, yoga, laughing, and meditating. Bendy straws are a favorite of hers- especially if they're lime green. Her imagination is quite vivid and she's been known to delve into areas that some only fantasize about. She's a member of several online writing groups such as Romance Divas, Midnight Seductions Authors, The Fishtank, and Avoid Writers Hell. Reading mail is a favorite past-time of hers and she can always be found hanging out at Kissa's Karma Korner.


You can find out more information about her and her work at the following places:

• Official Site: http://www.kissastarling.com/
• Official Blog: http://www.kissastarling.com/blog
• Official MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kissastarling
• Kissa's Karma Korner: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kissaskarmakorner/join

Excerpt from Banged Up, Releasing 9/21 from Liquid Silver Books!

Colby had been trying to avoid staring at Mace’s chest. It was just as she imagined it would be. Sculpted, but not too hard. Just right. He had small, dark nipples peeking out from a dusting of dark hair on each pec. Then the trail of hair went from circling his belly button to disappearing into the towel. No six pack but damn well close enough.

His damp hair was curling slightly around his face. It was long enough to almost brush against his shoulders. She curled her fingers against the urge to comb through it.

She studied the angle of his jaw, the curve of his upper lip and then the edge of his brow before meeting his eyes. She realized that he was just standing there quietly, letting her check him out. Omigod. She wondered how long they had been standing there without saying a word. The heat that had already been licking at her throat rose into her cheeks.

He reached out and when he did, she automatically flinched. He must have seen it because he hesitated a long second before brushing the back of his fingers over her cheekbone. Even though his face stayed neutral, she had caught the quick flicker in his eyes before he had quickly schooled that reaction also. Her face got even hotter. She can’t believe that she reacted like that. To a touch that ended up being so gentle.

“No reason to be embarrassed.”

Her mouth opened to say “I’m not,” but instead she said nothing. He had no idea that her blush wasn’t from his physical contact but her humiliating instinctive reaction to his sudden movement towards her.

When he moved closer to her, only a breath away, she pushed her back against the wall, wishing she could disappear into the drywall. He was wearing a towel. Only a towel. Only a towel kept running through her mind. Even though it was long enough to cover him to his knees, one little slip and he would be totally exposed.

She licked her dry lips, the motion drawing his gaze. With lowered eyelids, he ran a thumb along her jawline, then over her freshly moistened lower lip.

His face lowered, just a few inches away. “Can I kiss you?”

Colby swallowed hard. The lump in her throat remained. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

His hot breath was mingling with hers. Almost as if their life breath was already intimate, kissing each other.

“We don’t know each other that well.”

“A kiss might remedy that.”

She shook her head slightly, still captivated by how close his lips were. If she shifted just a bit, just the slightest bit, their lips would touch.

“I don’t want things to be uncomfortable between us. We have to share a roof right now. A kiss might complicate things.”

“It’s just a kiss. A simple, quick kiss. Two people putting their lips together.”

Somehow she didn’t think it would be that simple. Or quick.

She reached out to push him away; she needed some breathing space, some clarity for her boggled brain. But when she did, her fingers encountered his heated skin, his muscles, the light, wiry hair along his chest.

She sucked her breath in from the contact, but as she did he closed the infinitesimal space between them. His lips brushed hers lightly. Since her lips had already been slightly parted, he breathed her in and she did the same with him. He grazed her lips again. So soft. No pressure at all.

On the third sweep, he grabbed her shoulders and crushed his lips to her. She opened her mouth to protest, but he slanted his against hers, then dipped his tongue in, searching. Her objection was quickly forgotten.

Mace’s tongue invaded her mouth, slid along her teeth, tickled her tongue. Until she groaned and tentatively drew her tongue against his. Their tongues met, dueled and fought, twisting and pushing against each other. Her hands slid up his chest to around his neck, one moving up to hold his head in place, then pressing, pushing him even closer. She couldn’t get enough of him. He wasn’t close enough. Not nearly close enough.

He tasted good. His minty freshness was combined with his own flavor. Very male. She couldn’t put a finger on what it was. But she was savoring it. She liked it.

Very much.

He slid hands along her waist, then one moved to her lower back, the other to her ass. He pulled her against him so she could feel him through the cotton towel. He was heavy with need and ready. She let out a small sound but it was lost in their kiss. He tilted his hips slightly just enough so she could feel him hard against her lower belly.

Mace slid his left hand from the small of her back around to grab her other ass cheek. He gave them a quick squeeze then lifted her without breaking the kiss, pressing her against him.

Panic started to set in, to cloud her mind when Colby realized that she wanted to rip the towel off of him and throw him to the floor. This was wrong. Wrong. She had only known him for a couple days at best.

They needed to slow down. Take a breath. This shouldn’t be happening.

Colby released his hair that she held in a tight grip. She broke the kiss and gasped for breath. He was automatically moving to nuzzle her behind her ear when she said, “Stop.”

He did. Immediately.

He released her ass which allowed her to lower her heels to the carpet, so she was standing on her own. He shifted slightly but didn’t back away yet. He tried to meet her eyes but she looked down and away.

“You didn’t enjoy that?”

“No… Yes… Yes, it was fine. It was very nice.” She couldn’t look at him yet. Not yet. He was still too close. Too hot. Too tempting.

“Nice?” He caught her chin with his thumb and tilted her head to face him. He wore a lopsided smile. He wasn’t being cocky; he actually seemed a little worried about her reaction. And that alone made her relax.

“Fishing for compliments?”

“Always.” He shook his head. “But seriously, I’m sorry if I came on too strong.”

She didn’t answer. She didn’t know what to say. She had enjoyed every second, just as he did.

But she shouldn’t have. She shouldn’t have. She didn’t do these things with strangers.


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.

Stephanie Adkins, Paranormal Erotic Romance (NC 17)

Evie Byrne, Erotic Historical Romance (NC17)

Ella Drake, Erotic Contemporary (NC17)

Dawn Montgomery, Erotic Paranormal Romance (NC17)

Lauren Murphy, Erotic Romance (NC 17)

Kim Knox, Erotic Paranormal Romance (NC17)

Emily Ryan-Davis, Historical Western Romance (NC17)

Kirsten Saell, Erotic Fantasy Romance (NC 17)

Love a man in uniform?

I always say that there is nothing like a man in uniform – I’m sure most ladies agree. I thought about this Memorial Day weekend when I was in New York City and it was “Fleet Week.” Amidst the crowds of people, who stood out the most? The men wearing sharp looking military uniforms (and I saw men, no women surprisingly, though I’m sure they were there). I think the reason why I like men in uniform so much is they appear to be “squared away.” Whether military or law enforcement, their uniforms are usually pressed and depending what they are doing, they may wear medals, etc.

The point of being “squared away” is to intimidate and to impress, to draw respect from the public. For example, a person is going to respect a police officer more if his appearance is neat: his duty belt polished, his uniform pressed, his hair trimmed neatly, his badge and/or nametag straight. It’s truly an officer safety issue.

By the way, I have the utmost respect for the men and women who serve our country either here on home soil or overseas, be it military or law enforcement. They truly help keep our great nation safe.

On more personal note, I have both my AA and my BS in Criminal Justice, I am an emergency dispatcher, and also have law enforcement training. In addition, my fiancé has been a State Trooper for over 12 years. So my life revolves around police.

If you can tell, I love all aspects of law enforcement. I love to write stories about law enforcement males because they are usually Alpha. And I love Alpha men, how about you?

Read about one of my favorite Alpha males, Mace Walker, an FBI agent in my upcoming release, Banged Up, coming September 21st from Liquid Silver Books. For updated information on me, Banged Up, or any other projects I am working on, please visit my website at http://www.jeannestjames.com/ or keep an eye on this blog.

Banged Up will be out on Sept 21st!

EXCITING NEWS!

My upcoming release, Banged Up, will be out on September 21st

from Liquid Silver Books. Read more about it here.

Love at first sight? Is it possible?

I wrote a post about love at first sight at SEx - Silver Expressions, which is Liquid Silver Books blog. Some people left some GREAT stories about love at first sight. Stop over and read them. You can still post a story or add yours here on my blog. To read that post: http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/blog/?p=2888