Romance so hot...it melts your Heart

A WINNER of a Post!

I want to thank all the participants of the blog hop LABOR DAY tour. I hope everyone enjoyed their visits and found some new authors along the way. The official contest closed at NOON EDT and I know I will be getting the complete list of winners as soon as our fearless leader Alanna Coca recovers from her family bbq (you know how those westerners love their beer … ahhhhh, just kidding Alanna.) Actually, LOTS of people toured from beginning to end and she’s got A LOT of prizes to sort out. Good luck to everyone.

Until then I’ll pick a winner from all the commenters on my blog. Drum roll please … And the winner of an ebook is …

CATHY M.

Congratulations Cathy!

Now for my OTHER really big news! I’m so excited about this and can not wait until the middle of this week when the UPS Drive shows up with my PRINT copies of HEALER’S GARDEN. Yep, you read that right … Healer’s Garden is now available in print!

Isn’t it beautiful! Watch for announcements for a contest to win a copy of the book. In the meantime please enjoy this EXCERPT …

The sound from the crowd rolled up from the grass. The noise engulfed him like a thunderous storm. He had never delivered the words with such enthusiasm and confidence. Putting his arm around Jahara, he was showered with the strength flowing from her. He kissed her passionately, barely able to control the impulse to run his hands down her body and feel her respond to his touch. She melted into him and he held her until the noise diminished, satisfied in the minimal contact.

Knowing the next step would be the hardest, he hugged Jahara close to him. Her body tensed. She understood what was coming. “Most honorable friends.” He raised the book, waiting for the din to subside. “The time has come. We have waited and now it will begin.” Pausing a heartbeat, Brenimyn let the suspense hang in the air. “Men, no longer will we submit to the domination of the female gender.” The breeders whooped and raised their fists. “No more will we be treated as animals good only for increasing the female population.” Some men jumped to their feet. “We will no longer accept that we are not worthy of gifts and education.” Even with the amplifier, Brenimyn had to shout to be heard over the celebrating crowd.

“Women, you will no longer be forced to procreate for the sake of continuing humankind. Mating will be a choice, one’s body freely given to another for the sake of love, not obligation for reproduction.” Everyone was on their feet. “The time has come to stop ripping your children from your womb and your hearts.” He watched the pregnant women cradle their swollen stomachs. “We have waited long enough, the time is now.”

He let the crowd have their moment before lifting the book to silence them. The crowd settled back into the grass. The murmurs of approval still rippled over them like a pebble dropped in water.

“The prophecy says two great warriors, a woman and a man, shall join together to ready an army for a monumental battle. It will not be fought with weapons as our ancestors had done, but with intellect and cunning. This war will oppose all common beliefs and bring about a new world order where men and women, as equals, shall reign.” Jahara went slack in his arms. She braced her hand on his chest, her gaze flicking wildly about the people below. Holding her quivering body, Brenimyn knew only his arm kept her from collapsing. This was a burden anyone would find difficult to shoulder.

“Many visionaries have confirmed the prophecy. As you know, from a young age, I understood I would be chosen to begin the fight. I accepted the responsibility many years ago and have prepared the way, waiting anxiously for the woman who would stand at my side.” The crowd stilled, holding a collective breath, already knowing the words he would speak. Unsure of her reaction, Brenimyn looked down at Jahara. He watched her transformation in rapt fascination.

Stepping away from him, she stood with her feet planted, pulling herself up tall. She filled her lungs, her bare breasts held high. The dark triangle of her womanhood was visible through the gossamer fabric of her breeches billowing in the breeze. She looked so feminine. Yet, under the lifted chin and unpretentious set of her mouth, he could see the fierce warrior the visionaries had promised. She held her arms casually at her side, not at her hips in defiance as many would.

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Hard Working Men BLOG TOUR!

So it’s another long weekend and one that brings the unofficial close of summer. Boo! It amazes me how many people love autumn. Probably because it means cooler temperatures. But for me it’s just the precursor to winter. A very long, very cold season in Maine. Summer could go on until Halloween if it were up to me … but its not. LOL!

But I doubt that’s why you stopped by. I suspect you’re here as part of the LABOR DAY BLOG TOUR. This tour runs from Friday, Sept 3 to Monday Sept 6. There are 27 authors and a TON of prize giveaways to those who visit all the blogs. In addition some authors (like me) are offering individual contests on their blogs.

I think I’ll give away an ebook of any of my books to one person who comments this weekend on my blog between now and 4 pm EDT Monday, Sept 6. But of course, I should give you something to comment on. Hmmm, what shall it be? What shall it be? Well, perhaps, if you don’t mind, I’ll post some pictures of hard working men and you can let me know who you think works the hardest. I know it’s a lot to ask, but just bear with me…

Perhaps it’s the construction worker …

or the cowboy …

or a fireman …

but I shouldn’t leave out the business man …

I just don’t know. Seems to me all these hard working guys ought to have a little break from the drudgery of their jobs. Let me see what I can do! In the meantime … you all enjoy the rest of your tour.

And if you’re wondering what I’m talking about you can start HERE and enjoy alllll the posts and be entered in the giveaway!

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Shifting into Thursday

This week I thought I’d repost a Thursday Thirteen that ran last year with 13 of my favorite lines from my erotic suspense novel, “Bonded by Need” available ftrom Ellora’s Cave.

1. The moon had risen. Its orange hue now washed to an alabaster glow that danced in shimmering facets along the rolling water.

2. Anger rippled over his lips curled back in a snarl.

3. He held both her hand and her gaze captive a beat longer than courtesy dictated and something deep within her stirred.

4. And now the woman tormenting his libido was head first in a small rock outcropping, her full, luscious ass wiggling as she backed out of yet another empty den.

5. The moon rose steadily over the tree line across the lake, its ruddy glow shimmering across the water’s surface like a throbbing artery of blood.

6. “We kissed.” Jayda could barely push the words past the guilt burning her throat. It had been innocent, but at the moment it felt like so much more.

7. “My heart belongs to you. My wolf believes you are his mate. The choice for me to stay will be yours, Jayda. But I warn you not to leave me waiting too long.”

8. His mouth brushed hers, a whisper of a touch that heated his blood and drew a quiet moan from her.

9. Now, striding down the hall of the emergency room, the heavy odor of disinfectant and jealousy clogging his lungs, Cole slowed his steps and tamped down the wolf looking to shred the cougar mauling his woman.

10. Loving two men seemed wrong. Obviously her heart hadn’t gotten that particular memo because that’s exactly what was happening.

11. He marched around her as if inspecting to be sure her shift had been complete. His strong body brushed against Jayda-a shoulder running along her side, the flick of his tail along her jaw, the unexpected nip of his teeth on her haunches-that made her jump and her womb clench. In any form the man made her hot.

12. Cole understood how deeply he’d come to love her, but until this moment, when he believed he might lose her to another, did he realize how much her heart had intertwined with his.

13. Her words sliced his heart as surely as if she’d taken a knife to his chest. He had no doubt if he looked down blood would be spreading across his t-shirt.

And since I’m working on the second book in the Shifting Bonds series, currently titled Bonded by Pride and it’s going to be Aaron’s book here’s a little bonus with one of my favorite lines of Aaron’s … 

Aaron stood, counted bills off the wad of money from his pocket and dropped them on the table. “Seems to me someone with Jayda’s special talents may need more than Cole alone can give her.” He shrugged. “But what do I know? I’m just a detective.”

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Button it Up!

w00t! w00t! The news on people buying Kindles and Kindle books is nothing but encouraging. USA Today reported in July that Kindle continues to change and adapt to remain competitive in the market place. The price of the ereader has dropped significantly making it more affordable to more people. This change just further supports the fact that Amazon’s kindle books out sold hard cover books recently. Go digital!

What does this mean to me? Simply put, more readers with digital devices may very well find their way to my books. I had an epiphany in the middle of the night (which seems to be when my muse pulls me from my sleep to “chat”) and that was including KINDLE buttons on my website to make it that much easier for readers to connect to the kindle version of my book! Yay me! It’s a tiny thing …

But just click on it … oh, come on, you know you want to! I’ll wait!

How cool is that? Of course on my website buttons take you directly to the book page. Sometimes I’m just brilliant. *pats own shoulder lovingly*. (Yep, and no lack of self-confidence either. LOL!) And ooookay, I came up with the idea, but it was Jenn at Sapphire Designs that actually did all the programming … because she’s amazing like that!

So tell me … what are you reading these days. Ebook or print? And if it’s an ebook what do you read it on?

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Soooo NOT Fair!

Okay, so the Emmy’s were Sunday night. I watched them when there was a commercial break in the “Bond” movie Mr. Nina was watching. (Now, before you get your panties in a twist, Mr. Nina would happily have watched it in the other room, but I HATE running two televisions and lighting two rooms … I’m cheap like that.) ANYWAY … I’m not usually big on watching the award shows. But I LOVE seeing all the day-after programs with all the fashions.

I don’t always agree with the fashion police. Take these for example …

The fashion police hated them. They thought the one on the left looked too much like a prom dress and the other was too … different. (Plus they didn’t like her hair.)

But they gave this …

high marks. Seriously? Heidi Klum can’t even sit down in that thing. Personally I think she left a third of the dress at home … talk about prom!

And how dare they disrespect Betty White?

“They” said her dress looked tie dyed and wasn’t elegant enough. The woman is 88 years old and still walking the red carpet and winning Emmy’s! Did they expect her to wear the little black number above? Cut me some slack!

There were some misses in my humble opinion …

I’m not sure why Mrs. Hanks liked this look, but I can guarantee she didn’t leave home thinking “wow, I look really crappy, sure hope someone notices”. Yeeeeah, somehow I don’t think that crossed her mind.

And this brings me to the guys. They actually grade them? Why? Because it’s so hard to go to your lailor and ask him to make you a black tux that fits? Ummm … NOT!

Guys have it so easy. No one says anything about their hair or their makeup. There’s no worry about whether or not your nail polish is too showy or whether you should wear the ultra-high heels that kill your feet or the lower ones, that aren’t quite as sexy just so you can walk in the morning. So they have to shave or have that sexy day-old stubble look … wah! Cry me a river. Sure there are those that rip the guys apart because they didn’t polish their shoes or wore a bow tie instead of a skinny one. But really … no one cares.

The guys have it so easy.

I suspect some of those ladies are no different than me after a book release. Crossing their fingers that the red carpet reviews are wonderful and if not stellar … than at least nice. And maybe they take the advice of their publicist and ignore the reviews. The fact is, that dress isn’t going to make people watch a show or buy a movie. I’ve never heard anyone say “Hey, check out this show, that actress has got great fashion sense. She got all “A’s” for her Emmy dress.”

Then again, maybe it’s not the same thing at all.

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What’s up this Week?

I really don’t have much news on the book front. Suffice it to say I’ve had a very quiet writing summer and plan to jump back in with both feet starting … now. Hopefully I’ll have some news in the next couple of weeks. That’s my plan anyway.

On the personal front, it’s been a summer of one medical mystery after another. My body hasn’t decided which way it’s going or how it’s going to react to the simplest things, oh, like say … food. But thanks to some caring doctors and a couple of minor procedures I’m hoping things on that front will stabilize themselves.

And speaking of summer, I am always sad when I see the maples out my window fringed with orange. Fall is NOT my favorite season mostly because it means winter is right on its heels and that’s a tough season for me. On a more positive note, I’m finding the days are running into weeks, which blend seamlessly into months, which seem to accumulate faster than I’d like. I hate saying “where did the month go?” So now I’m taking time each day to think about the special moments then I can go to bed knowing I enjoyed the day. That way when I think time has just flown to fast I KNOW that I enjoyed every minute of it. Kind of “Pollyanna” but it’s working for me.

This month has also brought a very big and unexpected turn of events for the Pierce household. Suffice it to say no one is immune to this economy. I suspect we have several months of turmoil ahead of us. But I have no doubt better things are on the horizon. Which of course means I really need to step up to the plate and write that best seller.

I hope this week/month/summer has been a wonderful one for all of you!

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Thirteen Lickable Heroes!

Over the next couple of weeks i thought I’d share a few of my favorite Thursday Thirteens that I’ve posted over the years. Here’s a wonderful one for the summer. Well, maybe not … it could just heat things up!

1. Cowboys are one of my favorite heroes. Who doesn’t like a sexy man in a hat and chaps and a reeeeaally slow smile and eyes just for you?

2. Liquid Silver Books had a call out for stories involving firefighting. I did a lot of research on these heroes. And though I don’t want any of these guys showing up at my house while they’re on the job, I don’t mind letting them steam up my glasses!   

3. Oh, yeah … why choose one hero when two can be so much naughtier!

4. *sigh* That durn horse of mine is always running off and the neighbor is such a hero for bringing him back. I’m a lucky gal! (Actually, I call that good training!)

5. My favorite hero is that alpha male with soft gooey center only the heroine sees. Tattoos are just a nice perk.

6. And this guy is so bad … you know he’s going to be really goooood!

7. When I’m feeling down, a pilot is always good for lifting my spirits. “Show me again how that plane flies…”

8. And when you’ve had enough of the city, nature man will take you to that special place where you can forget all your troubles.

9. Puh-lease, you didn’t think one of my badboy heroes wouldn’t be wearing a kilt? Have you ever visited my blog?

10. I grew up on the coast of Maine. I love the beach. And a man bare foot and bare chested in just jeans walking at the beach … oh yeah, it makes my knees weak every time!

11. Somehow I don’t think this is regulation bunker gear, but it sets my heart aflame none the less!

12. Villain or hero … this guy has just the right amount of “bad boy” aura that he can come play in my stories any time. Oh, that’s right he already did. This is Cole Takoda from Bonded Souls. And just to make it all the more fun … he’s a wolf shifter!

13. What fun is a romance without a hero who makes himself comfortable while he’s waiting for his woman to come home?

Now get out the Windex and paper towels and clean off the monitor and your keyboard. I only offer the candy, you need to clean the drool up off your own chin! LOL!

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Brave New World

I’m not sure if I got into publishing at the right time or a really difficult time.

On the one hand there are more publishers out there looking for stories to publish. On the other hand there are more publishers out there looking for stories to publish. This means that an author has so many choices of where to send their baby. But it also means with the ease of setting up a digital publisher that there are some who are here then gone. Scary. There are nightmare stories of authors not receiving royalties, times when publishers simply shut their doors holding the rights to books and now another slap to authors–publishers cancelling series books because they didn’t sell enough.

What?

Yep, it’s happened more than once. An author (and agent) who believed the publisher would publish a set number of books in a series.The author writes the stories, spending months and creative energy working to meet a deadline, only to find out the second and sometimes the first book didn’t quite meet the publisher’s expectations. It has nothing to do with the quality of writing. Often times these books have received glowing reviews from both review sites and readers. It has everything to do with money.

The sad thing about this is that authors used to be able to focus on their writing. Agents and publishers took on the role of marketers. That’s not the case anymore. Authors are now the ones going out pounding the pavement shouting to anyone who will listen that they have a book out there. That means talking to potential readers on twitter, facebook and goodreads. It means blog tours and Yahoo loop chats to share excerpts. It means buying ads at review sites and newsletters. Many publishers suggest authors make themselves available for teaching or panels at conventions. Of course with the print books there is also the booksigning which can both be fun and mortifying at the same time.

With so much going on some authors have turned their marketing over to promotion companies. I have my own opinions as to the effectiveness of this, suffice it to say, I didn’t hire one. Not that I’m poo-pooing this as an alternative to an author spending all his/her time marketing and not focusing on writing. It’s just that I have only so much marketing money in my budget and I choose to spend it on marketing items I can give away at conventions.

Does any of this work? Obviously not as well as we’d like. With so many books out there I think readers are spreading it over more publishers and more authors. This means indivduals are making less money and this could translate over many authors to losses up the line to the publisher. It’s quite a high wire act, trying to balance everything expected of an author.

*sigh* Still not sure if I’ve hit the market at a good time or not.

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Yep, Got that Covered

** NOTE: Before you even begin reading this post I need a little disclosure. I am not (did I say NOT?) making a judgement about any of the book covers posted here today. I’ve just thrown some up here for point of reference and to illustrate this discussion. That being said …

So another interesting thing happened on my way through my inbox the other day. A discussion was started about book covers. Now as readers we understand the draw of a beautiful book cover. Especially if it’s a new-to-you author. The colors, the feeling, the sensuality (hey, we’re talking about romance here), it’s all important. Authors understand this better than anyone. Great covers are celebrated with squeeing parties of pure joy. And a cover that doesn’t quite hit the mark? Well … let’s just say it’s not a happy place.

But then we began talking about e-books and someone innocently mentioned they couldn’t understand why they have covers. I guess this reader either didn’t download the covers to her e-reader and/or shopped by title/author and didn’t bother to look at the cover. Some others mentioned a plain cover with the title and author name were all they needed. Huh. I don’t own an e-reader (I know … let’s not go there.) but I do enjoy beautiful covers in the pdf format of e-books I do purchase. I don’t peruse stores looking for books. The purchases I do make are titles others have recommended or I’ve found on my loops. Therefore, I’m neither turned on nor off by the cover.

I did go over to kindle and picked out a few covers of different books available (I did try to download a couple of plain covers, but they wouldn’t work for me) …

These are from kindle, but basically these covers can be found at most e-book retailers. So the question is, are you affected by the cover image? Does it determine your digital book buying? or do you buy your books based on excerpts and blurbs you’ve read on Yahoo loops or blogs.

I know the digital publishers put a lot of time and talent into covers for their books. (Just look at my cover yumminess in the right-hand sidebar.) I know I would be extremely disappointed if my publishers went to a plain brown wrapper format for covers. I like seeing the hawt couples on my covers. Even authors who are publishing straight to kindle often times shell out the bucks to some talented person to create an eye-catching cover. But in the end … does it matter? Because you know me … I’m nosy like that.

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May the Urge be with You

It’s Saturday. All my kids have landed home. Little Boy Blue heads off for his second year in college next week. It looks like my life is going to take a mojor turn in another direction. And my throat finally feels better. (Yay!) And I’m feeling a Saturday ramble bubbling to the surface.

This has been one of those weeks where I’ve opened my WIP every day, but not added one measly word to that manuscript. Yet, I sit in awe as I perused author blogs this week marveling over their prolific writing and how many books they have out with different publishers. Ah hem … I know I can’t really be too envious if I’m simply staring at the curser blinking at me, but don’t bother to engage my brain and put my fingers on the keyboard. Trust me, I understand this.

You see I want the urge to write. I want the words to back up so when I sit at the keyboard the dam bursts and the ideas and words just flow onto the page. I wouldn’t even care if they weren’t brillant. Just words that wove together a story that then could be tweaked and pressed into a wonderful story that readers would enjoy. But that doesn’t happen for me.

I sort of liken it to delivering a baby. When I was pregnant Mr. Nina and I went through all the lamaze classes and our instructor was wonderful explaining all the stages of labor. Being a scientist (and a natural student who always wants to get A’s) I committed them to memory. There was no way I wasn’t going to act like I knew what was going on when I walked into that birthing room. Well, as any mother or father knows, all your best laid plans are shot to the bowels of Hades when those contractions begin.

Yeah, I had back labor which was only mentioned in one quick sentence in the fourth week. (Yes, I consulted my notes.) There was no pretty little bell curve of a contraction for me. No slow, tight, squeezing of a uterus reaching a pinnacle and then slowly releasing. Just the off the scale slam of eye-crossing-pain coming out of nowhere. Man, this kind of contraction wasn’t in the lamaze books anywhere. Mr. Nina was so fascinated by the phenomenon all he could do was stare in blind wonder at the monitor and proclaim, “Wow, that was bigger than the last!” This went on through two shifts of nurses. It wasn’t until a nurse from the third shift walked into my room that someone uttered the words, “you can push”. Heaven. My body was going to take over. The instructor had said with a big smile (I think she had a sadistic side in pleasantly describing the joys of delivery) that no one could ignore pushing contractions. You just needed to work with them to deliver the bouncing baby you’d been dreaming of for nine months.

Except me.

I’ll never know if it was the pain meds, exhaustion or belief that I would carry this child until she went to kindergarten, but I didn’t have the urge to push. My body seemed confused that this baby was meant to leave it’s cozy, warm environment. Mr. Nina had hours earlier become bored with the pretty mountains being drawn on the moniter and was happily snoozing in the corner. Knowing it was likely to take hours before the baby made a showing, the nurses had left the first time mom to her own pushing. So when a pushing contraction came along I’d slit open my eye and if no one was looking I’d just let it flow over me and wait for the next. I know there are moms thinking no way in hell. But I’m throwing my hand on a bible and swearing to all of you … it’s true. (Thank goodness it didn’t happen with the other two babies.) Obviously I stepped up to the plate, mentally slapping myself into compliance and eventually delivered Beautiful Girl.

Let’s see, where I was I going with this? Oh, right! The urge. I don’t have it. I can happily look around and see that no one’s snapping the whip for me to get to work which means I easily breeze through my day feeling nothing but guilt that I’m not writing. *sigh* It totally sucks. I want that bone crushing desire that can’t be ignored. I want stories tumbling on top of each other ruining my days until I get them down on the page. I want to get itchy when I can’t get to my computer to write. I want … Yeeeeeah, doesn’t matter what I want does it? My mother called me the “I want kid. I guess nothing’s changed.

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