Last day of NaNoWriMo today and....

... my wordcount stands at 36,184K.

Okay, so I'm not going to win this year, but you know what, I'm really happy with that wordcount. I know where my story is going and what I've written so far is not half bad, if I say so myself.

And if it wasn't for Nano, I wouldn't have written this much, I'm sure. I've been the queen of procrastination lately and Nano has shaken me out of it. I'm forever telling other people that having a busy life is no excuse not to write and here I was doing just that!

Okay, so the baby is exceptionally cute, when he's not teething that is, and some days I don't know whether I'm coming or going, but I should manage to write at least 1K a day, when I'm not editing. I really should! So bearing this in mind I have signed up for Sally Quillford's 100k in 100 days challenge.

Once I finished Lucas' story I have to get back to my naughty boys. I also have an idea for a naughty fairytale kicking about in my head and one of my publishers has a submission call for virgins behaving badly, which has planted another seed of an idea in my overactive imagination.

And as I have now sold Too Hot To Handle I need to revisit the sequels and in the case of Too Devious To tame actually finish it!

Talking of sexy Alex, when I last blogged I was filling in my coverart request. Well, this is the result of that request.

Evernight has requested that I spice up the story a little more and I reckon with that inspiration I shall have no problems achieving that! I am positively looking forward to edits.

*grin*

I shall leave you with a little excerpt of my nano effort. Those of you who've read Lure Of The Blood, will find some familiar faces.

Bear in mind this is an unedited, first draft :-)

“You’re incredible Coralie.”

Her face lit up in a tired smile.

“You’re not too bad yourself, for a man your age.”

Lucas laughed out loud in genuine amusement and tucked her back into his shoulder.

“Next you’ll be saying I need my beauty sleep.”

“Well, don’t you?”

“I could do this all night, but I do want you to be able to walk tomorrow, so you need some sleep, young lady.”

He sensed the change in her, even before she spoke. It was there in the way she clung to him and he had to strain to hear her next words.

“You’ll stay with me, won’t you? When I’m asleep? I don’t want to be on my own.”

He propped himself up on one elbow better to see her face and the fear he saw in her expression tore at his just awakened heart.

“Qui, mon chere. I won’t leave until I absolutely have to and then I’ll only be two floors down. I ‘ll keep you safe, I promise.”

She nodded, her expressive eyes filling with tears, and he answered her unspoken question.

“Jerry and her daughter too. I’ll die before I let anything happen to either of them. Jacomo will not win this time.”

“But how can you be so sure? If Suz really is his daughter, then he won’t stop until he gets her. Lucas, she’s just a child.”

“Oui, but she is well protected. And I don’t believe she is as helpless as you believe her to be. She will have powers, powers that Jacomo will want to harness, but that ultimately may destroy him. Now, sleep.” He smiled at her and traced the outline of her luscious lips with one finger. “We’ll discuss this in detail when you’re not half asleep. I do appear to have worn you out.”

He grinned at the half -hearted slap aimed at his chest and an answering ghost of a smile kicked up her lips briefly, before she yawned and snuggled closer into him.

“Look who’s talking, old man.”

Lucas watched over her until the first rays of the sun forced him to leave her alone in her bed. But not before he let Ion into the house.

“You look like hell, Lucas. Get some sleep. You won’t be any good to her if you don’t."

“I know that, Ion.” Lucas snarled his response, but his old friend just chuckled.

“Save it for those that are impressed with that show. Now sleep.” And he all but shoved Lucas down the rickety old wooden stairs to the cellar.

***

Coralie woke up to the aroma of brewing coffee and the low hum of noises. Who was in her house?  She turned over and inhaled deeply. The sheets still held Lucas’ scent and she smiled, recalling last night. He had been so passionate and tender, that she had felt cherished and safe enough to engage into sexual acts she would never have dreamt of doing before. She welcomed the soreness in unfamiliar places. It served as a welcome reminder that she was still alive and she gingerly walked to the bathroom to run herself a bath.

Half an hour later, she padded down the stairs and followed the muted sounds of conversation to the kitchen. Marnie and Ion were sat at her kitchen table tucking into a huge full English breakfast and Coralie’s stomach grumbled loudly, reminding her how hungry she was. Ion smiled at her and winked, his gaze running over her body, as if to check she was okay.  Marnie jumped up and pushed her into the chair she had just vacated.

“Here, sit down, before you fall down and I make you some breakfast. Knowing Lucas you’ll need the sustenance this morning.”

Heat rose in Coralie’s cheeks at the implied suggestion and Ion laughed.

“Do as you’re told. When she gets like that it’s not worth arguing. She barged in here about an hour ago, insisting on cooking breakfast to keep your strength up.” He leant forward and flicked Coralie’s hair off her neck with a low whistle. “And looking at those, she was right, as usual.”

Coralie pulled her hair back over the tiny wounds and then thought better of it. She wasn’t ashamed of Lucas’ marks on her body and she twisted her hair up with the hairband on her wrist.  Ion’s smile deepened at her actions, his eyes once again resting on her neck and she stared him down. What was his problem?

She jumped when a huge plate filled to the brim with eggs, bacon, sausages and toast appeared in front of her. Marnie’s warm hand caressed her shoulder as she urged Coralie to eat.

“Go on. I want to see all of that gone and I’m not leaving until you’ve eaten it all. You may want to stock up on iron too. It’ll take you less time to recover that way.”

“It what?” Coralie squeaked her response and her hand went to her neck involuntarily. “I’m fine, really. He didn’t do anything I didn’t want him to.”

Ion’s smirk in response to her protests earned him a slap upside the head from Marnie. His wolf growled in response, but he smiled at his wife and envy poked Coralie with a red hot stab out of nowhere. The look of love the couple exchanged—she wanted that so badly her insides twisted in on themselves. She raised her coffee cup to her lips with unsteady hands and glanced towards the door leading to the cellar. The sunlight streaming into her kitchen just confirmed the futility of her thoughts. He was a vampire, an ancient one at that. He would soon grow bored and move on and even if he didn’t—he didn’t age—she did. Every day she grew older and one day he would wake up to an old woman and then…

She screwed her eyes shut, disgusted with herself and her rambling thoughts. It wasn’t as though he’d declared his everlasting love to her. Circumstances had thrown them together and he felt honour bound to protect her. And he was a man— of course he’d take the sex on offer. It was her own stupid mistake that she’d fallen in love with him. He’d never made any false promises to her. She swiped away the tear running down her cheek, with an impatient wave of her hand and opened her eyes to find Marnie and Ion both watching her.

“Really, I’m okay. He didn’t hurt me.”

Ion simply raised an eyebrow at her. Manie’s eyes darted to Coralie’s neck and she smiled, before she looked away, seemingly lost in thought. Ion took her hand and murmured something that Coralie couldn’t quite catch. Marnie cupped Ion’s cheek tenderly, before addressing Coralie with a smile.

“Of course he didn’t. Lucas is in love with you, any fool can see that.”

Ion choked on the swig of coffee he’d just taken and Coralie wasn’t at all sure she wasn’t staring openmouthed at Marnie. She couldn’t be serious.

“Forgive Marnie. She sees romance in the air everywhere. “Ion’s amused tones filled the kitchen, but his wife simply pulled a face at him.

“Don’t listen to him. He’s a typical male—can’t see anything unless you hit him over the head with it.” She dismissed Ion’s warning growl with a wave of her hand and leaned forward to emphasize her point. “Is the great Lucas not slumming it right now in your basement?” She clapped her hand at Coralie’s reluctant nod. “Well, then… Don’t you think he could have stayed in any number of places, should he have wished it? Why do you think he’s so insistent to stay close to you? The pack could handle your protection detail just fine.” Marnie flicked a strand of her hair off her face with an impatient shake of her head and fixed her chocolate eyes firmly on Coralie. “No, this is personal and I couldn’t be more delighted! It’s about time he settled down.”

“Settled down?” Coralie didn’t seem able to project her voice with any conviction over the blood rushing in her ears. Marnie had to be imagining things. “He doesn’t seem the settling down type.”

“Of course he is. Just takes the right woman to make these stubborn males see sense.”

“Watch who you’re calling stubborn, little one,” Ion interrupted his wife and Coralie mumbled her excuses, whilst Ion kissed Marnie senseless.

The kitchen door closed behind her with a soft click and Coralie stopped in front of her mother’s portrait in the hallway. If only she could ask her for advice.  The how to of dating a vampire whilst being hunted by a murderous demon hadn’t come up in their many talks about men.

“Tell me what to do, mummy,” Coralie whispered. The slightest touch of cool air skittered across Coralie’s bare arms and she wrapped them around herself, hearing her mother’s voice inside her head.

“All good things are worth fighting for Coralie. Trust what you find in your heart…”

Another day, another contract, and update on Nano

I'm very excited - again! ;-)

Seems to be a permanent state at the moment and I think the only thing that is keeping me upright, as I have the head cold from hell!

*Cue violins in the back ground and poor me noises*

Had to allow myself a teeny bit of a pity party there... Now onto the exciting news!

I signed a contract for Too Hot To Handle yesterday. Those of you who've been with me for a while will remember that this is the manuscript I completed for NaNoWriMo last year. It has been overhauled several times since then, and has now found a home at Evernight Publishing.

To say I am excited would be the understatement of the year. If for no other reason that I can post more pictures of yummy Joe Manganiello who is my visual inspiration for Alex Giovanni, my sexy fire fighter.

I'm having great fun, filling in my coverart request right now. Projected release date is January 2012 and here is my tentative, unedited blurb.

When firefighter Alex Giovanni returns to his old neighbourhood to fulfill family obligations, he is reunited with the woman inhabiting his dreams. The sexy siren ran out on him after one explosive night many years ago. Hiding behind her sensible clothes she portrays the perfect image of Miss Prim and Proper and Alex vows to unlock the passionate woman he remembers. Mixing business with pleasure has never been so much fun.

Kitty Jenkins’ orderly life gets turned upside down when Alex walks into her school. Their passion filled night four years ago has left her with a secret that threatens to tear them apart. Giving into Alex is out of the question, regardless of how much her body craves his touch.

When secrets spill and disaster strikes, can their passion turn into love?

*grin*

On the subject of Nano, I'm putting my hand up and confess that I will probably not complete it this year. Edits, releases, a teething baby and now this blasted cold are interfering.  However Lure Of Forever stands at  just under 33K and I have it all mapped out in my head, so I will finish this story, polish and submit eventually. Lucas needs his story told and I'm really happy with what I've got so far, so watch this space...

Will now slink off and find some more tissues.

Give Away Winners for Scandinavian Scandal

I'm happy to announce that Sven has stopped being difficult and is now available to all at Noble Romance

this is me!

So without further ado, here are the winners of my various Give Aways. 

From Weekend Dirty Dozen:  Michelle Handiside

From my Facebook page: Helena Bull

From my Guestblog  at the Book Bordello: Alison

Congratulations to the winners. I will be in touch as soon as I get my Author copies.

For those of you that missed out there is one last chance to win a copy. Comment on my guest blog here.

I'm talking about the musical inspiration for Scandinavian Scandal. You have until midnight!

All names picked from a hat by Tj, who takes this role very seriously, as you can see...

Hope you enjoy my sexy Swede.

Release day!

Today marks release day of my original literary baby Scandinavian Scandal

 Blurb: Sven Larsson, international movie star, is out to repair his scandalous reputation. The last thing he needs is for an enticing bundle of curves to fall into his arms, making his libido sit up and growl Come to Papa. However, the instant sexual chemistry between them is hard to ignore...

Sylvia, young widowed mum of three, knows Sven is everything she doesn't need in a man. Can she risk giving into temptation and enjoy the no strings sex on offer?

With the Paparazzi breathing down their necks and both of them scarred emotionally by their past demons, will they manage to heal each other...

I know my Debut novel was released last week, but my sexy Swede is the first manuscript I ever completed and the first hero I ever fought with. It is also the first manuscript I re-wrote from scratch with Sven sitting on my shoulder the whole time, telling me to get a move one!

He's demanding that man I tell you ;-)

So demanding that release day is turning out to be a bit of a difficult birth. Sven is keeping us waiting, but then all good things are worth waiting for. At least that's what my eldest daughter tells me on a regular basis. She was ten days late for her own birth.

Sven will only be a few hours late, thankfully, mostly due to that wonderful thing called time zones!

I will blog and update when Scandinavian Scandal goes live on the Noble Romance website which should be sometime this evening UK time.

I will also announce the winners of my two giveaways. There is still time to 'like' my Facebook page to be in with a chance to win a copy.

For now I shall leave you with a little excerpt. In this scene Sylvia has just recovered from a nasty bout of flu and what she finds in her garden soon helps her to recover ;-)

. Half an hour later, she was searching for the man in her garden,  squinting in the sun, wondering why on earth Mrs. Robinson was hanging over the fence with a big grin on her face.

"Pssst Sylvia, there you are."

She rolled her eyes at her neighbour's hushed whispers. What now? And where in the world was Sven? She got her answer when she stepped off her decking and rounded the corner, following Jo's excited gesticulations.  Her stomach dropped to her boots, all the air leaving her lungs in one big whoosh.

Now, wasn't that a sight for sore eyes?

A sentiment clearly echoed by Mrs. Robinson, whose theatrical whispers Sylvia could barely hear over the pounding of her own heart. Pure need consumed into her, and she had to remind herself to breathe.

"I am definitely making him the hero in my next book, look at those abs and those itty bitty shorts. Doesn't leave much to the imagination, you lucky thing you. Oh, be still my beating heart. This was so worth climbing up this ladder."

Sylvia could only agree.  Stripped to the waist, bare feet digging into the grass, Sven's face was a study in concentration as his big body moved in the graceful martial art of Kata. The fine sheen of perspiration only served to emphasize the play of muscles on his torso as he worked his body in the strict discipline, his breath whooshing in and out in controlled grunts.

She bit her lip to stop herself from moaning. Jo's excited chatter did not register at all, as she watched him move in slow circles, straightening in and out of tight squats, his arms moving in the intricate dance the martial art required. With one last slow exhale, he straightened his long frame and opening his eyes looked straight at her with a toe curling lazy smile that had her biting down harder on her lip, as her whole body went up in flames.

* * * * *

Damn, she looked hot. Grabbing his T-shirt off the floor, he used it to wipe the sweat off his brow and tucked it into the waistband of his shorts to hide his body's immediate reaction to seeing Sylvia watching him.

He had known the minute she had entered the garden, the slight breeze sending her scent towards him, his body recognising and reacting to his mate on a purely subliminal basis. Walking slowly towards her, he was glad for the cover of the tee as the hot ache of desire shot through him. The sun was behind her, making her little sun dress transparent, and he let his gaze travel over the curve of her hips, down her long, slender legs to the bare toes curled into the grass. Back up over the slight indent of her waist, he let his eyes rest on the swell of her rapidly moving breasts, her nipples puckering under his gaze before he skimmed her face, finally settling on the plump bottom lip she was biting down on hard enough to draw blood.

"Hej."

"Hi."

The need in that breathy voice zoomed straight to his cock and not caring about her now sighing neighbour, he pulled her flush against him. Her desire soaked eyes widened further. He noticed with a smile of pure male satisfaction, as he lifted her slightly to grind his raging erection into her core. Taking her lip between his teeth, he caught her moan of surrender in his mouth and deepened the kiss. Damn, he'd missed her responsiveness, the way her body moulded into his as though they were made for each other and the way she made him forget everything but this immediate need to possess, to brand, to make her his. Lifting his head slightly, he scanned her flushed face, his gut clenching at the trust he saw in her eyes, as they fluttered open, before her eyes darted sideways and he groaned at her immediate withdrawal.

Forcing himself to let her go, he turned towards the fence where her neighbour was still dangling at a precarious angle.

"Show is over Mrs. R, haven't you got a book to write?"

"Ohh, yes, Sven dear, and boy have I got a plot line and scenes in my mind. Your buns are to die for, might even encourage me to take up, er, baking . . . ."

Sylvia's embarrassed laugh into his shoulder had him rolling his own eyes at the woman, who gave his body one last bold appraisal before she had the good grace to make herself scarce.

"I dread to think what she'll put in that book."

"Hmm, I'll have to make sure to read it, vackra. Now where were we?"

He sucked his breath in when her hands ran over his chest, her eyes connecting with his. He had been so goddamned worried about her when she had collapsed at the school, her breathing too shallow and laboured and her whole body on fire. She had been too pale and listless, and hearing from that useless doc that it was just a touch of flu had almost sent him over the edge. It had been Timmy's worried little voice asking what was wrong with Mummy that had gotten through the red mist of his anger, and he had done his best to reassure Hard Head that mummy would be just fine. She had to be, she was too damned important to the little man. Sitting up with her, watching her thrash about, coaxing her to eat sips of his mother's recipe chicken brew, his relief had been immeasurable when her fever had finally broken, and he hadn't dared to examine his own feelings too closely.

He still didn't, what he felt for the woman trembling with need in his arms was too complicated and too scary to think about. Grabbing her cute arse with a growl, he simply picked her up and carried her inside. Her legs going round his waist had his own knees trembling, and they crashed through the kitchen and into the hallway before he dropped her on the stairs with a muffled curse.

"Jeez baby, I need to taste you now. I can't wait."

She smiled in answer and shifted herself higher up the stairs. She pulled her dress up, so that her pussy was right in front of his face and opened her thighs wide. The sweet smell of her arousal in the air was his complete undoing. Yanking the elastic of her knickers down, she helped him by lifting her bum and kicking the scrap of material away. Her soft moans urged him on as he clamped his hands on her thighs to spread her wide and he buried his face in her drenched folds.

She grabbed his hair holding him there her hips arching into his face, as he tasted her sweet essence. He lapped her up, making her whimper as her pussy clenched around him. The ache in his own cock became unbearable as he suckled her engorged clit into submission.

"Sven, please . . . I"

Her words barely recognisable, she pulled on his hair and he lifted his head to see her passion filled eyes look down on him. Her hips bucked again, when he pushed two fingers into her drenched core.

"So wet, baby, so ready, come for me."

"No, please, Sven I need you inside me . . . please . . . oh god, I'm so close . . . Sven."

He watched her as she came apart noisily, her breath coming in short gasps, her whole body shaking, her pussy clenching round his fingers, a rosy flush spreading all across her body.

"You're so beautiful, I can't get enough of you. Mine all mine," and bunching her dress up further he let his lips trail over her tummy. His teeth grazed the stud in her bellybutton, pulling slightly and he smiled at her gasp of surprise. His hands travelled further up bunching that dress higher until he could bare her breasts. He took one pert nipple in-between his teeth and suckled the tip until she was writhing under him again.

"Sven, please I want your cock inside me now."

Releasing that nipple with a pop, he groaned his frustration into her soft flesh as his shorts went sticky with the release of precum. Fuck it, he was not going to shoot his load in his shorts at her whispered words. The rip of foil brought his head up in surprise. She pushed him off her until their roles were reversed and it was his arse resting on the stairs. She rolled the condom onto his cock with trembling hands.

His hands went in her hair, and affection welled up at the impish smile she gave him, throwing the empty wrapper over her shoulder.

"The dress has pockets; you're not the only one who comes prepared  Mister."

His answering laugh made her smile deepen.

"I do love a practical woman." The sensation of her sliding her wet folds over him made any conscious thought leave his body.

"Hell, baby, you'll be the death of me."

Sensation overwhelmed him as she began to move. Her internal muscles gripped and stroked him. Her soft moans mingled with his harsh groans, their movements growing ever more urgent. With one final thrust he spilled himself deep inside her, before flipping her over. Catching her gasp of surprise in his mouth, his thumb found her clit. With a few quick flips he sent her too over that sweet edge. Her startled eyes connected with his and his heart soared at what he saw in their depths.

Weekend Dirty Dozen

Hello everyone, hope you had a fabulous week!

Having just celebrated the release of Lure of the Blood, I'm pleased to say that today's Dirty Dozen comes from my Erotic Romance Scandinavian Scandal, which releases on Monday 21st November through Noble Romance

I know, I know, release central around these parts!

*grin*

To celebrate my new release I am giving away a copy to one lucky commenter again and there is also a chance to win a copy by 'liking' my Facebook page

BLURB:  Sven Larsson, international movie star, is out to repair his scandalous reputation. The last thing he needs is for an enticing bundle of curves to fall into his arms, making his libido sit up and growl Come to Papa. However, the instant sexual chemistry between them is hard to ignore…
Sylvia, young widowed mum of three, knows Sven is everything she doesn’t need in a man. Can she risk giving in to temptation and enjoy the no strings sex on offer?
With the paparazzi breathing down their necks and both of them scarred emotionally by their past demons, will they manage to heal each other...

My twelve

"Trust me?"

Did she trust him? Now that was one hell of a question. The tenseness of his arms matched the tremor in his voice.

"Baby? We won't do anything you don't want to do, I can promise you that. I can call George back right now if you've changed your mind."

The heat of his body surrounded her like a physical caress, stoking the fire in her belly to flashpoint as he waited for her answer. Everything seemed to be heightened in those few moments. The sounds of the water, the creaking of ropes, the breeze lifting the hem of her skirt, Sven's heavy breathing, as his hands skimmed across her back and up to her neck tilting her head up. Feather light kisses whispered across her face and his warmth surrounded her. The only place their bodies touched was his hands and his lips on her skin as he murmured in Swedish in-between kisses, and she couldn't help the sigh of delicious anticipation as her body relaxed into the sensations assaulting her.

I hope you enjoyed my twelve.

You can  find other authors participating In the Weekend Dirty Dozen here and be sure to check out The Dirty Dozen Facebook page.

Have a great weekend :-) 

Guest Interview - Desi Moon

I am delighted to have the lovely Desi Moon on my blog today.

*pulls up a chair for Desi*

Lovely to have you here. 

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

In a nutshell (or a nuthouse, some days they are interchangeable) I am an author, dog trainer, vet tech student, wife and mother. My family (Husband, two kids, three cats and a dog) and I reside in Boulder, CO. I have been telling stories since I was old enough to talk.

My first story was penned at the age of seven. It was set in the old west, (I was very much into Little House on the Prairie at the time.) My parents were appalled by my story. Rebellion struck at an early age, this encouraged me to continue pushing the envelope.

Oooh I loved Little House on the Prairie, when I was little!

What made you write ‘this’ story?

Summerland came out of the very mundane task of shopping. It occurred to me while I was standing in line at the grocery store, scanning the tabloid headlines, checking off my mental “to-do” list, I noticed a running theme among the covers. They all had the same celebrity in varying stages of mental decline.

As it often does, my stories start with a character “talking” to me. Rhiann began telling me about her troubles being a paparazzi magnet.

Describe a typical day’s writing for us

My typical day starts around 5 a.m., I check/answer my email, write my blog posts, make my networking rounds. When my daughter goes off to preschool, is when I get a bulk of my writing done. Oh gosh, my day sounds boring! Will it help if I mention that I am currently writing another romantic comedy, “A Community of Errors”?

Not boring at all :-) 

What inspires you?

Everything! I can find inspiration in a flower, in the mountains, scanning the headlines (as with Summerland), in a phone conversation (Which is what started me writing my next novel Accidental Intent) or a bag of random objects (My Humiliating Valentine was written because I was handed a bag and told to use the items in a short story)

If you weren’t a writer what would you be?

When I was in school, no one ever mentioned to me that I could write full time. It never dawned on me that people did that, my parents are very down to earth and believe in “Steady” employment. My goal was to be a veterinarian.

Do your characters ever surprise you?

LoL Every time I sit down to write, someone pops off with something I didn’t have planned. My biggest surprise was in Summerland. “Aunt” Genie showed up three chapters early and announced a pool party that never was part of the story. The result was funny, and much better than what I had originally thought up, so I kept it in, but also kept a close eye on her as well. She proved to be problematic, in a good way.

Ah I love it when characters do that.

What could not do without when you’re writing?

I am not an overly superstitious woman, but I do have a few “quirks”. One of them is my writing mug. Thankfully everyone in this house respects the mug, and won’t touch it. It is large, black and has the word Redrum written across it in red drippy letters. It sits next to me every time I sit down to write.

What words of wisdom do you have for the aspiring authors out there?

Gosh, I am the last person to give words of wisdom, seeing as I am still a bit of a newbie myself, but I would have to say- be proud of your accomplishments. So many people talk about writing a book, but few actually achieve their goal.

Indeed that is so true.

Where do you see yourself in ten year’s time?

In ten years time I will own a used bookstore, be writing full time and running my own dog rescue. That is my current objective- It will be interesting to see where life takes me.

Do you have a favourite quote?

Several! I often come back to quotes from Maya Angelou, George Carlin, Douglas Adams and Mark Twain.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?

One of the joys of being a writer is the dreaded black hole. When it hits, I have to walk away and do something mindless like sewing or baking. More often than not it gives me a chance to clear my head and look at my dilemma with a fresh set of eyes.

What other books can your readers look forward to?

Rebel Ink Press will be releasing two stories of mine in 2012.

A short, “My Humiliating Valentine” will be part of the Love Bites V-Day Anthology. It is a humorous romantic story about a blind date that went horribly wrong.

My second full-length novel Accidental Intent is slated for a spring release. A romantic murder mystery has (quite literally) gone to the dogs.

And finally can you share an excerpt with us?

Summerland Chapter One-- Part Two (Part one can be found on my blog on the Summerland page)

The food arrived. The women took it outside, where they settled in on the back deck by the pool. Music pumped through hidden speakers. "So, you ready?" Keeley asked, as she dug into her salad.

"Not by a long shot." Rhiann grabbed a BBQ beef rib; she savored the sweet, savory sauce before continuing. "I have an entire staff to hire, model casting, locations, headquarters—" Her stomach clenched. "Oh my god, what made me think I could do a whole show?"

Keeley waved her fork. "The space below my office is available. Since I own the building, I think I can get you a sweet deal."

"Thanks, Keeley." Rhiann breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Call it tit for tat, since you own this palatial manor."

"Duplex." Rhiann corrected.

"And let me live here rent free."

"You redecorated the other side. Who in their right mind would want to live in a purple paradise?"

"That was the idea." Her lavender eyes sparkled.

The teasing made Rhiann feel a bit better about jumping into her new venture. "Besides, I like having my family nearby; with you next door, Aunt Genie and Uncle Eddie over in the guest house, I am never lonely."

Keeley slowly wiped her mouth. "When do you plan on getting out and socializing?"

Rhiann knew this was coming. Keeley had been too quiet when it came to her social circle. "I socialize." She concentrated on her food, avoiding Keeley's intense gaze. "I get out."

"When? When do you get out?"

"I go grocery shopping."

"That's a lie. Genie does all the cooking," Keeley said.

"I . . . I . . . ." Rhiann struggled to remember. "I went to dinner with you and Camp the other night, and the guy you brought—"

"Chase, yeah." Keeley waggled her pinky finger. "I was a bit disappointed. Thank God I had my vibrator handy."

Rhiann choked on a french fry. "Your what? Didn't he notice?"

Keeley shrugged. "Sadly, no." The amused expression passed across her face quickly. "Back to what I was saying, you need to get out. Socialize. You cannot rely on us forever. It is time you learned to play well with others."

"Look," Rhiann said. "This venture will get me out and meeting new people, so could you please back off?" The music coming through the speakers silenced the conversation. "Oh my God, would you listen to that?" Rhiann paused as the romantic, edgy ballad played. "This is what I want for the runway show."

"Which one is it?"

She quickly ran to the player, grabbed the CD case, then settled back into her chair. "Quantum Solace." She closed her eyes as she pictured the entire show; some of her tension eased.

"Quantum Solace?" Keeley clicked her nails on the CD case and nodded. "Cover art, I approve. When are you going to audition them?"

Rhiann's head swiveled from side to side in time to the music. "No audition, this is who I want."

"Rhi?" Keeley sat up straight. "You can't—"

Her eyes opened slowly as if the world finally made sense. "I can and I am. It is good to know I still have some instincts left, and I am going to trust my gut on this one."

Great stuff. Thanks so much for letting me quiz you today Desi.

Thank you for opening up your place to my ranting.

LOL, you can come back and rant any time!

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