NO APRIL FOOL - 50% Off Advertising Packages at TRS

50% OFF SALE NOW THROUGH APRIL FOOL'S DAY ON SIX MONTH AND ONE YEAR ADVERTISING SPECIALS AT TRS!

This doesn't include single static or random cover or banner ads. This offer ends at Midnight, April 1st, 2008. Don't miss it.

Point your browser to http://theromancestudio.com/advertise.php

Thank you!

Staff of TRS

Zandia by Tilly Greene paperback release!

With trepidation, Sui Erom left Zandia for Earth in search of better choices. One day Xer Rieh and the speedball team come to town, reminding her what she’s missing from home. Will love prevail, or will Sui settle for warm memories?

Only Sui can decide.

Zandia, a scorching twisting path to a h.e.a. futuristic erotic romance, is now available in paperback! You can pick up your copy at Samhain, Amazon or your local bookstore.

Author's Site Of Excellence Awards from Preditors and Editors

Sometimes, "being an author" is like motoring across America. If you don't stop and make the most of whatever wonderful, distracting opportunity is about to flash by, you probably won't.

Carpe Diem (seize the day). Carpe Jollies (grab the jolly good things). Laugh Out Loud.

So... here I am today, because it's a TRS open blog day, sharing my joy at being awarded an award of excellence for my website, and --in a small way-- returning the preditors and editors favor by bringing their site to the attention of romance readers and writers who might not know the wealth of advice about an alphabet of industry knowledge from where the best Agents and Attorneys are, to Warnings and Workshops.

There aren't too many ZZZZs in publishing. (With apologies to Zebra and Zumaya for the word play). As the saying goes, "If you snooze, you lose."

Ah! By the way, my "Crazy Tuesday" internet radio show falls on April 1st. The theme is "Fools For Boots" and we'll be talking with Jade Lee, Marianne Mancusi, and Julie Kenner to promote their "These Boots Were Made For Stomping" anthology and the Dorchester www.highheelia.com site

Best wishes
Rowena

The Skittish Muse

My dog barked yesterday. Not a wonder at some houses (like the one with the beagle and the Jack Russell down the street) but for our house, we all respond with shock and surprise when the dog makes any sound. Most days she’s silent. My dog is a nervous, neurotic, silly willy of a dog. She barely left my kitchen for three months after we adopted her. But with a lot of patience, breaks, love, and of course treats, she’s come to act more like a dog than a quivering mass of jello.

Some muses can be like that.

There are some stories that just absolutely fly from my fingers. The words come and come well, I know where I’m going. Everything is wonderful. I love those days. But there are other days, where each word. Comes. Like. This. With much aggravation and frustration between each word.

But I have goals and the only way I meet those goals is my butt in the chair, writing. It’s my job, and I take it very seriously. But how to coax a reluctant muse?

Much the same way as a nervous pooch.

Patience. A lot of times if I write through the hard parts, the next parts come smoother.

Breaks. Let’s face it, if I’d been on the dog all day to change, she’d have gotten tired of me. Sometimes a warm bath will do wonders to kickstart a muse. Or even just walking in another room.

Love. I love what I do. I wouldn’t do it otherwise. I fall in love with my characters and stories. I’m always so thrilled to start a new story, edit a story, or have a new story come out because of this. Sometimes I have to backtrack to find that love again. And that helps move the muse forward.

Treats. I set goals for myself and then reward myself for reaching them.

And just like my dog, my muse usually comes around.

Feel free to share both tricks for nervous dogs and skittish muses. Goodness knows, I can use them!

The Sixth Curse of Spring available now at Loose Id!

Mechele Armstrong aka Lany of Melany Logen
http://www.mechelearmstrong.com/
http://www.melanylogen.com/

A blog from Mary Paine...

Posted on behalf of Mary who's having internet access troubles today.



Hello,

I’m delighted to be invited to blog at The Romance Studio. Now that spring is here I’ve been working on some exciting new projects, including a whimsical novella about a couple who are trapped by an ice storm on an equestrian estate belonging to a witch who is having a gathering with some magical friends. The ensuing confusion is hilarious and romantic as the couple come to terms with the magic in the air and in their hearts. Release date to be announced on my web site at www.marypaine.com.

In the meantime, I’ve been busy promoting my January release, A Dangerous Dream, an equestrian romantic mystery which I’m happy to say earned four stars from Coffee Time Romance, www.coffeetimeromance.com and four and a half stars from The Long and the Short of It at www.longandshortreviews.com.

I loved writing A Dangerous Dream because it brought back so many happy memories of riding and showing my own horses and I was able to put some of those experiences into my writing. Nowadays, I’m a horse mom, which mainly involves holding horses, water bottles, extra tack, and being a general dogsbody for my daughter while she’s in the saddle. I’m also the main cheering squad, which I love doing. When I was riding, I didn’t think too much about the possibility of injury, but with my daughter riding, I’m battling nerves a lot of the time. We talk about safety around horses a lot, and we’re very careful about which horse she rides.

With springtime comes lots of fun outdoor activities for the kids, and I can take my laptop outside and relax into my writing on nice warm days with everything in bloom. Here’s wishing for a lovely spring for all of you!

Happy Reading!

Cheers,
Mary

www.marypaine.com
www.equestrianink.blogspot.com

Saving horses with No Second Chance by Maggie Toussaint

My latest romantic suspense release, No Second Chance, is pulling double duty. In addition to being a fast-paced, great read, proceeds from this book will (in part) benefit a real life horse rescue farm, Days End Farm Horse Rescue, http://www.defhr.org/. (This pic is of me with Deja, a rescued Arabian mare at Days End Farm.)

The idea for the book came to me as I followed my horse-loving daughter around the show circuit. A horse came up lame and that started me thinking. What did people do with horses when they’d outlived their usefulness? When I was a kid, older horses were turned out to pasture.

But these days, pastures aren’t in everyone’s backyards. Many horse owners board their mounts at barns, an expensive proposition for a horse that’s in retirement mode. Sadly I found that horses are often abused, neglected, and abandoned. My research turned up a place that helped horses when no one else would. I love how Days End Farm helped horses not only in Maryland where they are located, but also in an advisory capacity all across the U.S. and that's how they came to be the beneficiary of this book.

Because conflict is at the heart of a good story, I fashioned a tale of a horse rescue farm on the brink of bankruptcy and tossed in a fun romance and an evil villain as well. Hooves fly, landing Hope and Devlin in the midst a galloping-romp to save their dreams and their lives.

Click here to see the trailer at YouTube for this award-winning book. Want to help a horse? Trot over to the bookstore and try No Second Chance.

Maggie Toussaint
No Second Chance, ISBN 9781601541628
Print: Buy it at Amazon ebook: The Wild Rose Press or Kindle
romance.danger.mystery
http://www.maggietoussaint.com/

Reflections on a Trilogy -- Deanna Lee

Exposing Casey will be my fourth book with the Aphrodisia line and I recently agreed to a 2 book deal that will bring my total of books with Kensington to SIX!

Exposing Casey is a two novella collection about two women and how they deal with exposure, sex, and love. It also marks the end of the "gallery trilogy" that began with Undressing Mercy and continued with Barenaked Jane.

All three books center on the lives of women and the men that change them-- for better and worse. What I really enjoyed about writing this series was discovering the strength and individuality in each woman that I put to paper.

Mercy was soft but strong-- determined to overcome a tragic past and very ambitious about her career. She needed a man who could lead the way with gentle strength and make her feel safe. I believe that Shamus Montgomery filled that role very well.

Jane was a woman smacked down by circumstances beyond her control and her life had become about taking that control and the cost of it mattered little to her. In Mathias Montogomery she found a man she never could have planned for and a love she'd grown to never expect.

In Exposing Casey-- Casey in the novella "Watching Casey" is a woman who is ready for love and committment but she has a man in her life who wants no part of it ... with her. She makes the brave step to move on without him and despite her misgivings about a new relationship finds the lure of her sexy new neighbor more than she can resist.

The final novella in Exposing Casey is "Seducing Lisa" and it tells the story of Lisa Millhouse, a woman I introduced in Undressing Mercy. Writing Lisa's story wasn't easy. Since her divorce from an abusive husband she's done everything she could to push others away... including James Brooks. James is a man who's always gotten what he's wanted and he's very tired of waiting on Lisa... the result is a seduction and a hard passion that neither one of them expected.

I hope my readers enjoy Exposing Casey and that it proves to be a satisfying end to the series.

My next book for Aphrodisia is currently called "The Games Girls Play" and is a 3 novella collection.

Happy Reading,
Deanna Lee

Urban Fantasy @ Cobblestone Press

At Cobblestone Press we pride ourselves on offering diverse content and all of the genres we can get our hands on. Recently we've released an excellent collection of Urban Fantasy books that will take readers on an adventure and leave them wanting for more:

Available Now

I love dark, edgy, fast paced books that take the reader on a ride -- when a book leaves you breathless -- the author has done something great and I believe these books will leave you breathless. We have more urban fantasy coming up this year -- and the Vampire Oracle series will launch in June!

COMING SOON

THIS AND THAT

My heart goes out to those of you buried in snow or threatened by rising waters. Spring is around the corner in my spot of southern California. This beautiful photo by my husband shows what used to be part of the eighteen-mile route we rode when training to ride the 25-mile Prelude Bike Tour in Solvang, California, every fall. In 2005, a lousy bicycle crash squelched any desire I have to be on a bicycle on the street ever again.

Too sad, because my husband and I love to ride. For several years we'd traveled to this quaint Danish town for the tour and made a mini vacation of it. We still go, but when we watch the bicyclists rolling out envy mingles with the excitement I feel.

The scene's loveliness speaks to me in ways I don't understand. SWEET CHOCOLATE ECSTASY was set in this town, but its tone was altogether different from the feelings I get from this photo. An idea hovers in the corners of my mind, but it hasn't come clear to me yet just what story it has to tell. But it will. It will.

Won't it?

Carolina Valdez - author of passions that unlock the sweet ecstasies of love
http://www.carolinavaldez.com
http://www.amberheat.com/SweetChocolateEcstasy.html
http://www.myspace.com/sensualstories

Wanderlust and Itchy Feet

During my teenage years I devoured books, both romances and mysteries. My favorites were the ones set in far-flung places such as Greece, Italy, Egypt and France along with historicals set in England. For me they were armchair travel—an adventure—and I loved every page. Books are directly responsible for my bad case of itchy feet because after reading about these places, I wanted to see them.

Like many teenagers, I discovered boys and books took a backseat. I found a boy I liked and married him, we set up house and lived happily, but the germ of wanderlust had taken root and I wanted to travel. It took a few months to convince my husband we should pack up all our belongings and explore the world. It wasn’t an easy sell, but one day he rang me at home and said, “Let’s do it.”

I didn’t give him a chance to second-guess his decision, and pretty soon we were in London, exploring places I’d only dreamed of visiting. You’d think that would be an end of it—my wanderlust assuaged, but no! I started thinking exotic, and this time hubby contributed to the ideas. We explored Africa, Asia, India and Central America, to name a few places, before returning to settle in New Zealand.

It’s inevitable that the things I’ve experienced, the places I’ve seen have colored my life and bled into my writing. I’ve set my stories in New Zealand, Australia, England and Egypt. My upcoming release, Wanderlust is set in India. It’s the story of Anna, who much like me has a bad case of itchy feet. She’s turned her love of travel into a job as an overland tour leader. Anna loves her job and handles the unexpected in her stride, but her latest trip is full of tension. Her lover has turned up unexpectedly, her younger sister is booked on the tour and they’ve never played well together, and then there’s a problem with the passengers. They keep dying…

Wanderlust is available from Cerridwen Press on April 17. If you’d like to learn more, the blurb and two excerpts are available on my website.

Do you like to armchair travel as much as I do? What are your favorite places to read about?

Adventure into Romance

with Shelley Munro

http://www.shelleymunro.com/

http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog

About the blog at TRS

Hi there! Thanks for visiting our blog at TRS! Every day here you'll see something new and exciting about our featured members and their books so visit us a lot. Monday - Friday offers scheduled author days and you can see who's coming up on the "Who's blogging at TRS" link on the right. We ask all members to blog only on their scheduled days please. =)

On the weekends, our blog is open for all featured members of TRS to post and there's always something exciting to read about there. =)

What do we mean about featured membership at TRS? You can read more here: http://theromancestudio.com/register_info.php

Remember too our book-a-day giveaway where we give away the best books in the romance genre EVERY DAY http://theromancestudio.com/bad_form.php

Thank you!

The Staff at TRS

FANNING THE FLAME

Good morning everyone,

Today is a fantastic day and had to share it. I just received an email from Night Owl Romance. Melinda gave FRANCINE ON FIRE 4 Hearts! Below is the link to read the entire review.

Title: Francine on Fire
Author: Sloane Taylor
Genre: Erotica
Hearts: 4/5
Reviewer: Melinda
Date: 3/17/2008
Online: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.asp?ReviewId=1397

This is a first I have read from Sloane Taylor and have to say she sure knows passion. Between Francine and Heicke it was like figuring out where one began. These two are great yet it takes a lot of hard work on Heicke to make Francine see they are meant for each other. I loved it and other readers will like it as well. Melinda

Sloane Taylor ~ Sweet as Honey...Hotter than HellFrench TART & French DELIGHTS www.EternalPress.com.auFrancine on Fire www.aspenmountainpress.comwww.sloanetaylor.com www.myspace.com/sloanetaylor

It all started with a three-legged dog…

When I first began to write, my goal was to entertain my stuffed animals that I'd gathered around my Holly Hobbie rocking chair. I'd make little picture books, usually with crayons, about a three-legged dog with some growth sticking out from his body, because for some reason I couldn't make a fourth leg properly. My stories would usually be about a girl losing her dog, how she would go out looking for him, how miserable she was without him, what the dog was looking for - usually another furry friend, how lonely he got, and then the happy reunion when the girl and dog found one another again.

Now, the funny thing is - some thirty years later I haven't strayed too far from that theme in my writing. The dog has just been replaced by a man *snicker snicker* and he is still flawed. Only that growth is something more exciting. But the flaw is important because it's what makes my character(s) tick. Somewhere along the way I've never lost that joy of making imaginary people go through something grueling, or funny, or thought provoking, or painful in order for them to find out that they do indeed belong together.

Now, my characters sometimes all ready know each other, and other times it's fate or destiny that brings them together - an unusual circumstance. Some sort of element that draws them to one another. Of course there is sex - but it has meaning too.

I've traded crayons for a keyboard, and my reader audience is much wider and can actually give me feedback, but I still write for me. My characters are flawed - sometimes the woman is stronger, sometimes the man, but usually they are equals...it just depends on the story itself. There are obstacles they each must face - both alone and together. Sex is of course a new factor - and brings with it all new kinds of issues, problems, and obstacles - along with some good fun stuff thrown in there. Even the heat level and foreplay becomes an important aspect of the story because it mirrors the characters themselves.

But at the end of the day, or book really - they've come to understand something very important. And that something is valuable to them, and gives them clarity. They realize there is more to them because they are together. That denying their feelings is somehow denying a piece of themselves. And that sharing those little bits of themselves - those pieces of their soul - was worthwhile because of who they shared it with.

And to think my writing career started with a three-legged dog.

TRS STUDIO DIVA IS COMING THIS SUMMER!

Do you have what it takes to be the first TRS Studio Diva?

Intent: This is a competition where authors are judged by romance readers in the areas of talent, ability to interact with romance readers, and ability to effectively market themselves and their books.

Eligibility: This competition is open to all authors who are published in the romance genre, or contracted, by a royalty paying publisher.

Entry: All entrants are required to donate at least one book (ebook, disk, or print) for reader winners (to be given out throughout the competition). More books can be donated but doing so isn't required. Featured members of TRS as of May 5th, 2008 only need to donate the one required book. Non-members of TRS can enter the competition also by donating the one required book and donating $5 to the Save the Quiet Kitty fund.

Rules: Registration for the competition will begin on April 1, 2008. Competition begins on May 5, 2008 and will conclude on August 4, 2008. (Please note that TRS will be closed from June 2-6, 2008 and July 4-10, 2008). It will consist of ten rounds. Each round will give romance readers the opportunity to vote for their favorites. Each round, competitors with the least amount of votes will be eliminated. After the final round, one winner will be named the TRS Studio Diva.

Prize: TRS Studio Diva will win from TRS: one year of featured membership, a one year advertising package, one slot for feature/interview in any or all months for one year, and a special mention on both our blog and our MySpace page.

The two runners-up will each win a six-month advertising package at TRS.

Reader prizes will be distributed each week. Readers must vote to be entered for a chance to win.

Outside parties or peers wishing to donate prizes to the author or reader winners should contact us as should anyone with any questions about this event. For more click here! Thank you!

CAPA times two

When I discovered I'd won a second CAPA for Best Erotic Historical Romance, you could've picked me up off the floor with a spatula. I was a puddle of disbelief and surprise. My humble thanks again to The Romance Studio for the honor.

My second CAPA winning book is Branded, a novella published by Samhain in the Leather & Lace series I wrote with my peeps Melissa Schroeder and Rebecca Goings. Branded comes out in print with the other amazing two novellas in September 2008.

I had a lot of fun writing Branded. It was sexy, sassy and challenging to throw two people who didn't want to be married in front of a preacher and then watched what happens.

***

A marriage of convenience shows a determined rancher and a stubborn woman what it means to be branded.

Part of the Leather and Lace series

When a clause in his grandfather’s will forces Rafe Sinclair to marry or else lose his ranch, he sets his sights on what he thinks is a safe choice—his neighbor Emma Radcliff.

Emma has never wanted anything other than to work her family’s horse ranch. But when her father forces her to marry Rafe, she does everything in her power to make the handsome rancher regret his choice of brides.

They say oil and water don’t mix, but in Emma’s and Rafe’s case, it does—and the result is fire. When Emma refuses to consummate the marriage, Rafe sets out to prove that marriage him is the best thing that’s ever happened to her.

***

Excerpt:

Emma spent the first few days of her married life avoiding her husband. She asserted over and over that she was not hiding, she was simply choosing not to be in his company. Something in his eyes told her he wanted more from her than Emma was prepared to give.

Every hour or so, she felt his gaze on her, skimming over her trouser-clad form, making those damn goose bumps march up and down her skin. If only he hadn’t shown her what it meant to be thoroughly kissed. Her lips tingled from the memory, betraying just how good it had been.

Dammit.

She attacked her saddle with frustration although she was supposed to be oiling the leather. Rafe needed to get out of her head for good. When she agreed to marry him, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. Emma didn’t want to be thinking about him constantly.

“You’re scarce today.”

Rafe’s voice made her jump a foot. She dropped the oiling cloth and nearly fell on her head. He grabbed her arm, stopping her fall and compounding her embarrassment.

“No need to scare me half to death.” She sounded breathless. “I, uh, didn’t hear you come in.”

Rafe let go of her arm and leaned against the wall beside him. “I didn’t sneak if that’s what you’re thinking. I just wanted to see you.”

Emma’s gaze snapped to his, and she searched his face for the truth. Unable to read

anything from his smile, she frowned at him. “Why?”

“You’re my wife, Emma. I like to be with you.”

Of all the answers he could’ve given, that was the last one she expected. He could have said something stupid or mushy, but instead he chose the direct route, deflating her annoyance like a pin in a bubble. Her impractical heart fluttered, and she scrambled for a response that wouldn’t make her seem like a silly girl.

“Well, um, thanks. I really need to finish this.” She picked up the rag from the floor and tried to focus on brushing off the bits of hay and dirt clinging to it.

He took the rag from her hands and set it on the saddle. Her heart thudded in earnest when he turned her to face him. Rafe removed her hat while his thumb tipped her chin up. His silver gaze searched hers until he apparently found what he was looking for.

As his mouth descended toward her, Emma was frozen in place, unable to run, unable to push away, unable to meet him halfway. His lips were gentle, exploring, giving her all the time in the world to protest.

She didn’t.

He deepened the kiss until she couldn’t tell where he ended and she began. It was like diving into a shady pond on a hot summer’s day. Kissing Rafe enveloped all her senses, surrounded her and turned her into a quivering mess. Her mind whirled while the rest of her pulsed with need. A deep throb began inside her, a slow beat that gained momentum with each pull of his lips and each swipe of his rough tongue against hers.

Emma didn’t end the kiss, he did. When he pulled away, she mewled and chased his mouth, eager for more. He kissed her lightly then set her away from him. She was in a

fog, almost drunk from the kissing. With a roguish grin, he tipped his hat and walked away.

She had no idea how long she stood there, her nipples rock hard, her drawers wet with need and her lips buzzing. Reality splashed over her when two ranch hands walked into the barn talking. Their gravelly voices reminded her that she stood there like an idiot, likely grinning, while the world went on as if nothing had happened.

To Emma, something had happened, something momentous. Rafe had kissed her again, and she’d not only allowed it, she’d wanted more. Even ten minutes after he’d left, she could still feel the rasp of his whiskers against her face and the sweet taste of peppermint on his tongue. This wasn’t at all what she wanted.

Emma was falling in love with her husband. Again.

***

http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/branded

Thanks y'all!

Beth Williamson
http://www.bethwilliamson.com
http://www.myspace.com/bethwilliamsonauthor
Now available in print: The Tribute
Coming in ebook March 25: Devils on Horseback: Jake

CAPA winner for FANTASY: INSUFFICIENT MATING MATERIAL

I am absolutely thrilled that Insufficient Mating Material was awarded the CAPA Award for Fantasy. Thank you so very much!

My first alien romance was FORCED MATE, which is a futuristic take on the Greek myth of Persephone, who was abducted and carried off by the high handed, and passionate god and king of the dark underworld.

In Forced Mate (a chess title) I took every situation that a reader expects to find in an Historical abduction Romance and had fun with it. For instance, the alien from a high tech world intends to watch the heroine having a bath, but does not realize that faucets on Earth have to be manually turned off or the bath will overflow. Therefore, sitting masterfully on the edge of a tub, arms folded, waiting for the heroine to meekly undress is not a good idea.


Insufficient Mating Material (another cunning chess title) is the first sequel, and takes up moments after Forced Mate ends. It had to be a different sort of story, and I decided to make it a survival romance. The hero and heroine are forcibly marooned on a tropical island with no running water. My challenge with this book was to take realistic survival techniques and make them sexy, funny, and poignant.

SURVIVORMAN, Les Stroud, graciously consented to be my consultant on all survival matters from making fire, latrine digging, bed- and shelter making, improvising toiletries, finding and preparing wilderness cuisine, and testing plants and fruits for safety... and much more.

Djetth (pronounced Jeth) and Princess Marsh are both politically inconvenient, and when a shotgun royal wedding is arranged to sideline both of them, it is the heroine who balks and blasts the hero onto his butt... without touching him.

Her interesting and hitherto hidden talent attracts all sorts of unwelcome attention, including that of a senior member of the royal family who thought he'd gotten away with an ancient crime.


Playing a major secondary role in Forced Mate, and in Insufficient Mating Material is Rhett... I like to think of him as a cross between Dirty Harry with a sword, and Adam Adamant. He is the hero of the next book in the series, which should be coming out in late summer this year.

Every good story starts with a good backstory...

It's true - there's so much of every book that never makes it onto the final page. A lot of this is character history and background - everything that makes a character who he or she is. Authors have to know their characters intimately before they can introduce them to anyone else.

And when you're writing a paranormal or fantasy book - there's what sci-fi and fantasy authors call worldbuilding. A story's unique mythology. Sometimes this intersects with real history, and mythology from the real world.

This is what's happened with my Druids of Avalon series, including DEEP MAGIC, which won the Psyche Award last month. Preceding Deep Magic in the series is THE GRAIL KING, which won a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice award for Best Historical Fantasy.

These books sprang out of my own musings about the history and mythology surrounding the Holy Grail and Excalibur. But I wasn't entirely satisfied with existing stories and legends. So I had to create my own...

Who are the Druids of Avalon?

In my story world, they're a clan of Celtic shamans who were forced to abandon their sacred isle when the Roman conquerors outlawed the practice of Druidry in Britain. Two generations later, a handful of those who survived the purge, along with their children and grandchildren, secretly return to Avalon and begin the painstaking task of reclaiming their lost power. During the years of exile, the identity of the Celts have become inextricably entwined with those of the Romans living in Britain, and the union of these two fascinating and diverse cultures has given rise to a new people. They call themselves not "Celt" or "Roman," but British.

It is no longer so easy to determine friend or enemy simply by knowing his heritage. And in centuries to come, it's the best of each culture that will unite to create a Future King.

And so the story begins...

I. Druids of Avalon: The Lady

On a storm-swept night, in the year counted later as AD 33, a tiny boat navigates the treacherous coast of southwestern Britain. The craft is owned by Joseph, a merchant from the town of Arimathea in Judea, a man with trading contacts in the tin-rich British countryside. But the boat is not journeying for trade; its cargo is something much more precious. The lone passenger, a young woman, is fleeing turmoil in Judea following reports that a great prophet, an executed criminal who had once been a simple carpenter, has risen from the dead.

As the boat rounds the southwestern tip of Britain, the storm intensifies. The captain orders his crew to sail up the Sabrina Channel, hoping to find a safe haven in which to put ashore. As the channel narrows, the craft navigates the treacherous shore bordering the Mendip Hills. The woman rests her hand on her belly and prays the vessel will land safely.

It is not to be. Winds drive the boat onto the rocks; the craft splits apart. As the water rises, the woman grasps a piece of the ship's bow. Miraculously, she's swept past the rocky coast and into the inland tidal swamps.

The next morning, as the winds calm, a Celtic holy man, troubled by his dreams during the stormy night, poles his raft along the edges of the swamp. He discovers the young woman, lying cold and all but dead. Gathering her onto his raft, he brings her to his village on the Druid isle of Avalon.

The woman survives. She does not offer her name, saying only that she's traveled from Judea. Her message to the people of Britain is that of the Carpenter Prophet: Walk in Light. She carries a token from the prophet, tied in a sack about her neck. It's a simple wooden cup the holy man used during his last meal.

It's clear to the Druids that the woman is touched by the Light; it's equally clear that she's heavy with child. Calling her simply "The Lady," they care for her. The Druids recognize her cup - the cup of the Carpenter Prophet - as a powerful relic. The vessel is imbued not only with the magic of the Light, but also more powerful, more dangerous magic. It is not the power of Light, nor of Dark, but something older and greater than either. The Druids call this power Deep Magic: the power of the gods.

The Lady's time soon comes, and she is delivered of twin daughters. The next dawn, she disappears, leaving the infants behind. One Druid initiate reports seeing The Lady walking upon the swamp before the rising sun. But though the Druids search and search, no body is ever found.

But the story doesn't end there...visit my website - www.joynash.com for parts 2 & 3 of Druids of Avalon: The Legend!

All the best,

Joy Nash

www.joynash.com
DEEP MAGIC: Druids of Avalon #2 Jan 08 Gwendolyn risks forbidden magic and forbidden love in her quest to forge a magical sword in Avalon's defense.

And now for a devil...

I can't tell you how much winning the CAPA for Best Historical Romance for Devils on Horseback: Nate meant to me. It is my first award, one given by folks that read so much romance, it probably comes out their ears.
I've had good reviews, bad reviews, and fantastic reviews, but until February 14, 2008, I'd never received an award for my writing. :)
I feel like Sally Field at the Oscars, "They like me! They really like me!" but honestly, y'all, it really did mean the world to me.
The Devils on Horseback series has forced me as a writer to go where I haven't gone before and to tackle sensitive issues I may have shied away from. The devils series takes place right after the end of the Civil War, when the country is still in shock. Society, especially in the southern states, is adjusting to the significant changes, at the same time dealing with the grief of lost fathers, brothers, husbands and friends.
I wanted to bring to life the struggle told through the eyes of five men who survived the war. All friends, brothers, comrades who not only fight to survive in a post-war culture, but wage war against the demons who haunt them.
I put my devils in situations where they have to fight and claw their way through the tangled mess in their hearts and minds, to find the woman who would become theirs, and become a changed man.
I just wanted to say thank you again to The Romance Studio for the honor and hope y'all enjoy an excerpt of Devils on Horseback: Nate.

Excerpt:

Elisa watched as the man walked toward the stream, knowing it was Nate without even seeing his face. He had a way about him that was recognizable in the moonlight. When he reached the stream, he sighed as he lay back on the grass with his knees up and his arms folded behind his head.

She crept closer, careful not to disturb any of the foliage around her. If Elisa was good at anything, it was being stealthy. She’d had to become a hunter to feed her brother and mother while Da had been off to war. They’d had plenty of meat those two years.

When she was within a few yards, she could see his face quite clearly in the light of the moon. His expression seemed contemplative, almost melancholy. She wondered what he was thinking about—probably how much money he’d make working for O’Shea. Dirty, rotten stinker.

Before he could sense her nearby, she pounced. She pinned his elbows down with her knees, slapped a hand across his mouth as her knife rested comfortably on his throat. The scent of man and of Nate wafted up at her, tickling her nose and her sleeping arousal.

“I see you had a nice visit with that bastard,” she hissed in a whisper. “Did you agree to work for him? Or should I even bother to ask judging from the fried chicken grease on your lips.”

He shook his head, wiggling beneath her, but Elisa was no featherweight. She held him down securely.

“If I lift my hand, will you promise not to yell for your friends?”

Nate’s eyes narrowed but he nodded against her hand. When she lifted it, he growled at her. Growled!

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Trying to figure out what you were doing at O’Shea’s.” No need to lie to the man. They both knew where he’d been that day.

“None of your business. Now get off me and I’ll let you get away.”

She laughed and pressed the knife into his skin a bit more. “I think I have the upper hand here, Johnny Reb.”

“It’s Nate. Or if you prefer, Nathaniel. I’ll even answer to Lieutenant.”

“Oh, I touched on a nerve, did I? I’ll have to remember that.” She pushed down on his elbows, digging them into the hard ground beneath them. “Are you going to tell me what you were doing today?”

“Go to hell.”

“Tsk, tsk. Such language and in front of a lady too.”

Nate jerked his body, almost throwing her off, but Elisa held fast. She nicked his throat, allowing a small drop of blood to well.

“I ain’t playing with you, fancy man. You tell me what I want to know or I cut you deeper.”

Her blood rushed around so fast, it made her heady. The feeling of power over the big man was intoxicating. Arousing.

“You don’t have the heart to do something like that.”

“Don’t doubt it,” she snapped.

Her euphoria pinched by his words, Elisa shifted her knees slightly. That must have been the opportunity he’d been waiting for, because within seconds, their positions were reversed and he pinned her to the ground. The knife landed useless on the ground somewhere behind him.

A rock dug into her back just as his body flattened hers from top to bottom. It was an astounding, startling sensation completely foreign to her. Nate Marchand was no boy. He was a man, all man, with a hard, strong body that had obviously spent a great deal time doing chores. A lot of chores.

“Your turn for listening.” His hot breath coated her face with the sweet smell of pipe tobacco. “You have no right to attack me, cut me or try to force me into anything. No one does, do you hear me?”

The sheer fury in his voice scared her. Someone had warned her that soldiers don’t take kindly to violence, but she’d shrugged it off. Her mistake.

“I don’t answer to you for my actions or my choices. Now when I let you up, you’d best head on home before I turn you over my knee and paddle your ass.”

Elisa didn’t say a word. She was stuck on the image of Nate spanking her.

“Do you hear me?”

This time instead of speaking, Elisa leaned up and captured his lips in a fierce kiss. Her first actually, giving or receiving, and what a kiss it was. His lips were as hard as the rest of him, unyielding to her assault. She let her instincts guide her and softened the pressure until he relented. Then, heaven shone for a moment in the darkness of a Texas forest.

***

http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/devils-on-horseback-nate

Thanks y'all!

Beth Williamson
http://www.bethwilliamson.com
http://www.myspace.com/bethwilliamsonauthor
Now available in print: The Tribute
Coming in ebook March 25: Devils on Horseback: Jake

CAPA WINNER - WILD, WILD WOMEN OF THE WEST!!!

A special thank you to The Romance Studio for awarding WILD, WILD, WOMEN OF THE WEST best anthology! And thanks for inviting me to blog with the winners today. The three authors, Myla, Delilah, and Layla (the La-La Sisterhood) came up with the Wild, Wild Women of the West concept at the Dallas Area Romance Authors Conference when Hilary Sares came to speak and talked of being SHAMELESS. Well, we were shameless and pitched the idea to her right after her speech! It stuck and wow! Here it is as the best anthology! And just in time for WILD, WILD, WOMEN OF THE WEST II coming in May. Delilah and Myla will be at the Romantic Times Convention in Pittsburgh signing books this year. Come by and see us. In the meantime here's a blurb for the CAPA Winner!

WILD, WILD WOMEN OF THE WEST

Kensington AphrodisiaISBN: 0758219814

Touch of Magic by Myla Jackson
Abilene, Kansas 1872
In a fit of pique, the Amazing Catarina mesmerizes a skeptical, trail-weary cowboy, into howling like a wolf for the audience, while secretly planting the suggestion that he come to her room that night and make love to her. When the wily cowboy catches on, he turns the trick on the amazing magician. Who will end up with the last laugh?

Taste of Honey by Delilah Devlin
1880, West Texas
Honey Cafferty lives a happy but precarious existence as a traveling saleswoman. From her colorful wagon she brews decoctions to cure ennui, sleeplessness, hysteria and—after a visit from a Mexican curandera—she believes she’s found the way to improve a man’s libido. Sheriff Joe Tanner's protective of his little town and downright hostile toward anyone who takes advantage of the fine folk in One-Mule, Texas. When he sees the gypsy wagon roll into town, he’s ready to hurry the snake oil salesman on his way, but Honey isn’t what he expected.

Queen of Hearts by Layla Chase
Mississippi Delta, 1880
On her way to earning a stake in an upcoming high-roller poker game, Lissa Tayte is distracted by sexy Roark Sheridan, owner of the Queen of Hearts riverboat. Soon they are tangling at the table, as well as under the sheets. The stakes are high—ownership of the Queen of Hearts and a place in each other’s heart.

Watch for the next Wild, Wild Women of the West

Coming May 2008

Prince of Spies - CAPA Winner!

I'd like to thank TRS for inviting me to blog here today and for the honor of winning a CAPA Award! Prince of Spies is the winner of the Fantasy Erotic Romance CAPA and part of my ongoing Dragon Knights series.

The stories that come before it are: Maiden Flight, Border Lair (both are contained in the print book Ladies of the Lair), and The Ice Dragon. Since Prince of Spies came out, I've also had a Dragon Knights novella called Wings of Change come out in the new I Dream of Dragons anthology. My next Dragon Knights book, FireDrake, will be released in ebook formats on May 13th, then in print sometime early next year.

Here's a little bit about Prince of Spies:

Prince Nico is a cunning master of stealth, but can he master a maiden's fragile heart?

Prince Nico is known as the Prince of Spies for a reason. Not only is he the Spymaster of Draconia, but he's a cunning shapeshifter able to take on dragon form or human, as the mood strikes. The gift of his royal heritage comes in handy as a spy for his brother, the king, but it's a great secret known only to a few.

Riki lives in misery, chained up to serve a mad king's perverted magic. Forced to use her draining healing skills to keep King Lucan of Skithdron alive, Riki is a shadow of the woman she should be. But when she heals the new prisoner, his energy sparks her own, healing her as well.
When Nico wakes, he knows Ricki is the woman he's been searching for and wastes no time busting them both out of the enemy palace. Thus starts an adventure that will take them across two countries, through peril and danger, and the discovery of an undeniable love and mutual respect.

Here, finally is the woman Prince Nico can claim as his mate… if she'll have him. But Riki's life has been traumatic and she cannot trust easily - especially not her heart. Will Nico have the courage to let her fly free, trusting she'll return to him, or will his love smother the fledgling beauty who is breathing free air for the first time in her tragic life?

Prince of Spies is available in both ebook and print (ISBN 1-59998-425-3).

Read an Excerpt - Buy the eBook from MBAM

Buy in Print from MBAM - Buy in Print from Amazon

Come over to The D'Arc Side... http://www.biancadarc.com/

I'll be signing this book at RT, RAW and Lori Foster's Get Together this year, so if you plan on attending any of these events, please drop by and say hello! Thanks again to TRS. You guys are the best!!! :)

Inside Man by Caitlyn Willows - CAPA Winner - Romantic Suspense

INSIDE MAN
by
Caitlyn Willows http://www.caitlynwillows.com/
Book 1 - Teamwork
Erotica - Short Contemporary
Amber Quill Press - Amber Heat
ISBN 978-1-59279-680-9
http://www.amberheat.com/InsideMan.html


FBI Agents Matt Oliver and Allie Quinn will do anything to protect the mission and stay alive. Little do they realize what anything will involve when they come together for what is supposed to be a simple job...or how distracting that anything will be.


Stories in the Teamwork series are:
Inside Man by Caitlyn Willows
Laying Low by Caitlyn Willows
Loose Ends by Caitlyn Willows
A Real Man by Caitlyn Willows
Never Too Late by Caitlyn Willows

Excerpt:

“What would you like to drink?”

Allie smiled up at the cocktail waitress, plucking her blouse away from her chest as she did so. “Whatever diet soda you have, please.”


As the woman walked away, Allie surreptitiously opened the top two buttons on her blouse and blew air down it, then left it open so her cleavage would peek out. Seemingly content, she then slowly crossed one leg over the other and leaned forward to rub her aching feet. Any man looking would get a nice shot of boobs. That ought to give Gordie the opportunity to come over and hit on her.

Sure enough, snickers and muttered comments filled that side of the room. Allie could see the elbow nudging from the corner of her eye. The men were no more discreet than chimps in a tree. She heard one of them say, “Someone should go for that.”


In record time, a volunteer stepped forward. “Man…I’ll take one for the team.”

Allie glanced up, expecting it to be Gordie. He was anything but. Six feet of brawny male with a killer smile and devilish eyes sauntered in her way. Walking sin. She forced herself to maintain eye contact and not give in to the urge to dust her gaze down the sculpted treasure of his body. Allie didn’t need to look at his crotch to know an erection bulged there. Her body already sensed it. The Agent Quinn part of her held on by a thread, while the Woman Allie part of her wanted to peel her panties off, spread her thighs, lay back, and welcome him inside her body.


Logic warned this wasn’t the type of man to take home to Mom and Dad. He was, after all, one of Sumner’s thugs. Neither the knowledge nor the air conditioning did anything to cool the extra heat now rushing over her skin from his approach. The worst place sweating on her now was her pussy as it begged for his long, thick fingers buried inside.

Low chants of “Teo, Teo, Teo,” accompanied his every step. Her heart thudded in time.

“I hate to see a lady in distress.”

His voice rolled over her, a touch all its own. Allie had to crane her neck to look up at him now. He folded his body onto the small table before her. Then, without warning, he grabbed her calf and hoisted her foot onto his lap. The heat from his erection bathed her sole.


“I’ve been told I give the best foot massages in the world.”

Allie melted into the chair and tried not to sigh as his fingers kneaded the aches away. He worked heel, arch, and ball before focusing on her toes. Each popped gently under his touch, sagging her deeper into the leather. Leaving her foot draped on his thigh, he pulled the other one up and gave it equal attention.


She loosely griped the arms of the chair, trying to not slide toward him. Her skirt had ridden up her thighs. He had a clear shot of her panties, could probably already smell her arousal. God knew, she could. Her hardened clit peaked against the silk, demanding he relieve the tension there, too.

Allie drew her bottom lip between her teeth, trying her best to maintain some measure of control, some tidbit of demeanor. But fire coiled up to her pelvis when his hand wrapped around her ankle. A quick wiggle loosened the tendons there before he wandered up. He cupped her calf muscles and rubbed downward. Thumbs circled toward her knees. Her mind went numb.

:) Caitlyn Willows

www.caitlynwillows.com

Happy St. Patrick's Day and let's welcome the 2007 CAPA Winners!

Thank you so much for joining us today! Today the 2007 CAPA Winners will joining us for this blog day and we thank each of them for taking the time out to do it. =) Hope you'll comment with them and make them feel welcome.

We'll also have a special announcement later today for our forthcoming summer event, TRS Studio Diva. Thank you!

Coming Soon!

Who says Cupid can only work one day of the year? What’s wrong with indulging in a bite of lust every day of the year?

Alexis Fleming and Lyn Cash give Cupid a hand with HIT AND MISS, the first in a series called Sexy Mythconceptions where Cupid decides to match his friends up with that one true love with a little bit of light bondage and BDSM.


COMING MARCH 24TH from Total-e-bound Publishing



HIT AND MISS
By Alexis Fleming & Lyn Cash

Publisher: Total-e-bound
Genre : Contemporary/Light Bondage/BDSM
ISBN : 978-1-906590-03-1

Link to book


There’s nothing like a little foray into BDSM to make a girl feel good about herself.

When Kat Toomy discovers her lover cavorting on her bed in her underwear with his best buddy, she knows it’s time to kick his butt out of there and go looking for something to restore her confidence in herself. When Kat’s girlfriends offer her a weekend away at a tropical Australian resort that specialises in fulfilling fantasies, she all for it, particularly when she meets her new Master, Gabe Carpenter, who can turn her on with the flick of a button.

But how will Kat and Gabe feel when they find out they’ve been set up…?



Hit and Miss releases 24th March 2008 from Total-e-bound Publishing



ALEXIS FLEMING

Alexis’ world is peopled with interesting characters and exciting possibilities that come to life in each and every book she writes. Her first love has always been romance, whether on this world or the next. Hot, sizzling relationships with a dash of comedy and a few trials and tribulations thrown in to test her characters. When she’s not tied to her computer creating sizzling stories to tempt her readers, she helps run a busy motel set on the edge of a National Marine Park in Australia.


Daring desires…otherworldly seductions with Alexis Fleming
http://www.alexisfleming.net
http://www.alexisfleming.net/blog


LYN CASH

Lyn Cash is the multi-published author of over fifty short stories and confessions, a couple of non-fiction books, and over a dozen novellas and novels. Her mainstream fiction is written under Bobbie Cole, her erotic fiction under the pen names of Lyn Cash and Cash Cole.


Lyn Cash
~ laughs & love in every book ~
http://authorlyncash.blogspot.com/

Warriors, Waitresses, and Artists, Oh My!

Warriors, Waitresses, and Artists, Oh My!
By N.J. Walters

What’s in a job you ask?

Everything when it comes to the characters in books. What the character does for a living tells us so much about them. It affects where they live, how they dress, their income bracket, and how they interact with other people.

Does the main character work for someone else or for herself? Is your heroine college educated or blue-collar? Is she adventurous or a nine-to-fiver? Is the job ordinary or something outside the norm? The same questions apply to the hero as well. What job a character has, or doesn’t have, tells quite a bit about them, probably more than the reader even realizes.

My characters have run the gamut from completely ordinary to completely extraordinary. The heroine of Christina’s Tapestry, Christina Beaumont, works as a secretary in middle management of a large company. It tells us that she is efficient, reliable, and practical, but her career doesn’t exactly excite her. She’s stuck in a rut in her life and when a magical tapestry whisks her away to another planet and dimension, the life she could have there is in stark contrast to the one she has back home. One is known and safe, the other completely foreign and frightening, but with so much potential. Her choice will not be an easy one.

Sometimes careers can help make a comparison between the hero and heroine. Katie Wallace, the heroine from Katie’s Art of Seduction, is a waitress and an artist. Cain Benjamin, the wounded hero, is a self-made millionaire businessman. They are opposites in many ways. She’s light and he’s dark. He represents the staid, conservative business world while she represents the free spirits of the artistic world. The contrast between the two characters allows for natural conflict to arise. The characters complement one another, each releasing something in the other, which has been dormant up until now. The journey from the first meeting until the happily ever after is one fraught with misunderstanding and emotional upheaval.

Zarina is a warrior from a desert tribe in my fantasy/ménage a trois Three Swords, One Heart. She is a strong woman and a capable one, bucking the norms of the society she lives in. These are traits that get her exiled from her tribe when her father dies. Alone, she battles to survive in a brutal world. But it is those same characteristics that make the two heroes, Malik and Kalis, believe that she is the warrior woman who can break the curse that has plagued their family for generations. Zarina needs to be strong enough to stand side-by-side with these warriors if they are to have a chance at a life together, but her insecurities might be their downfall.

Law enforcement is a popular career choice for both male and female characters. These are men and women who have honor, believe in something greater than themselves, and want to help others. It’s also a job that is inherently dangerous and opens up all sorts of possibilities for the writer. Jo Harris is a cop in search of her sister in “Shadows Stir” from the Dreams of the Oasis IV anthology. Her job skills all come in to play as she hunts though back alleys, but especially as she handles an overbearing, immortal warrior sent to protect her.

Some jobs are fun! Lucas Squires, the hero from Craving Candy, is a baker who owns his own coffee shop. Lucas uses some of his culinary skills in a very erotic scene with the heroine. Jackson Connors from my upcoming Ellora’s Cave release Jackson’s Jewel is a farmer. He’s independent, strong and a bit of a loner. But one never knows what can happen out in the barn. :-)

Sometimes more exotic jobs come into play in a story, whether it is set in this time and on this world, or an a fictional world sometime in the future. Bounty hunters, time-travellers, shadow warriors, and even immortal beings are wonderful characters. The laws don’t always apply to these characters and that, in itself, says a lot about the type of people they are, and opens up many exciting possibilities for the book.

So the next time you pick up a book just remember that it doesn’t matter if the main character is a stay-at-home mom, an immortal bountyhunter, or something inbetween. Her job was chosen by the author for a specific reason, to let you more fully into the character’s world and tell you soemthing about her and her situation.

Now, about my next heroine…

Emotional~Sensual~Satisfying Reads!
http://www.njwalters.com
http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/awakeningdesires/ (newsletter group)
The Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke—Samhain Publishing
Amethyst Moon—Ellora’s Cave

Staying sane in a busy world

It's my first time blogging with TRS, and I've been struggling with what to write about. I don't want to disappont the folks who are dropping in.

I blog just about every day, somewhere. I've got a MySpace, BookPlace, CrimeSpace page. I've got a personal blog (sort of for family, fans, and friends), a couple of group blogs, and publisher blogs. Gees, you'd think I could find a topic, right? Well, right now my life is in disarray. We're remodeling our house, so what was downstairs is upstairs, and vice versa. Then there's work -- just found out we're moving again there, too. And of course I have deadlines (I'm a professional writer, and there's ALWAYS a deadline).

The one constant, of course, is my writing. I just had one of my favorite books release (Candy, Corpses & Classified Ads, with Wild Rose Press). It's a fun mystery about a woman whose lost love returns to her, only to have their romance interrupted when a pig digs up a body under her rose bush. And my first Cerridwen book is out in paperback (Your Saving Grace). It came out last year in June, in digital. It's a bit of a darker mystery about a woman whose past intersects with her present, putting her in jeopardy.

Plus I've got four more books coming out this year and and I'm pretty sure I'll have 3 more next year, maybe more. I've got 6 waiting to submit and 2 in progress and 3 more planned. So my writing is keeping me sane (even though that sounds like an insane amount of work).

Writing gives me a chance to put everything aside for a few minutes (if I'm lucky, an hour or two) and just dip right into the world I've created. The WIP on my front burner (so to speak) is about an older woman and younger man (it's relative, though. She's 50 and he's 42). He's anxious to get married but she's nervous about it. They're involved in a killing at a casino and she comes under suspicion.

Even with hammering going on, saws buzzing, and flickering electricity, I can visualize that casino, that hotel room, that blizzard and imagine what Margaret and Nathan are saying. My other WIP is a time travel book and that one is a bit trickier. I really need to get 'into the zone' on that one since it's a different time period. But I'm using research for that book as a break from the other one, so it's all good.

Gee. I guess I did manage to find a topic to blog about after all, didn't I?

Oh, yeah. Here's some links to excerpts, etc.:

Candy excerpt
Grace excerpt

And my web site, where all the 'how do I buy that book' information is listed:

http://www.jayellwilson.com

Thanks for letting me blog today, TRS!

J L Wilson

The Magnificent Men are Back on Top

Sometimes we think life just can't get any better. I sure believed that until Aspen Mountain Press contracted my erotica four book series The Magnificent Men of Munich.

The four savvy NOrth American women bring more than lust to the lives of their German heroes.

TEDDI TURNS ON starts the series in Munich, Germany. Teddi Howard is determined no one will take advantage of her again, inlcuding the Munich tour operator who screwed her over when he reneged on their contract. Her only option is a face-to-face confrontation with the little weasel.

David Steifel lets nothing stand in his way, especially after his snaky cousin stole the love of his life. No way is he getting invlved, even if she is the sensual Mrs. Howard.

LONNIE HEATS UP takes us to St. Wolfgang, Austria. Alone and lost in the Austrain Alps, Lonnie Copely is forced to accept help from a Hell's Angel wannabe. She never expected to be trapped with the Aryan god in deserted Castle Flophouse.

Disgusted with cleaning up his client's dirty lives, attorney Wolfe Deider is in major career throes. He doesn't need some insolent woman mucking up his mind, no matter how much her mouth is made for kissing.

FRANCINE ON FIRE moves on to Venice, Italy. Francine Daniels doesn't trust men after two husbands and a con artist ruined her life. During years of struggle she took back control and soared to new heights. There's no place in her life for a German hottie... Even if she does burst into flames at his touch.

Heicke Brewer made one disastrous trip down the aisel and refuses to go there again. He prefers the parade of beauties lines up outside his door, anxious to avail themselves of his 'satisfaction guaranteed' reputation... Until he meets an American Pixie too hot not to handle.

ISABELLA IGNITES continues in Venice with a side trip to Montreal, Canada before returning to Munich. Isabella Carrington has never wanted for anything her entire pampered life. So what does a woman who has it all do for fun? Come…take a peek into the keyhole of Isabella’s closed bedroom door.

As a sexual submissive, Rhineholdt Hoffman never wanted to play the dominant, until his fantasy woman appears and shakes his world. To win her, he must set in motion a game that shocks even him.

Watch for the releases. I'll be posting them here and on my blog www.sloanetaylor.com with fun contests to celebrate each release.

Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor

Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell

www.sloanetaylor.com

An Interview with Believe's Jensen Palmer

Hi, TRS fans and bloggers,

I’m trying something different with this blog. An author friend, Kathleen Grieve, has interviewed Jensen Palmer, Chicago Police Force Detective. Jensen is the star and hero in Believe. He also reappears in Melody’s Song, the third in the series. Kathleen wrote a exceptional medical romance, The Doctor’s Deception, with Wild Rose Press.

I’ve posted Believe's book cover below, so you can see what a hunk Jensen is…also, you can read an excerpt by visiting my website, http://www.jj-keller.com.



Picture this setting: Jensen’s mansion, outside city limits, has a country feel with trees and plants surrounding the estate. We are in the conservatory, which has scrumptious beige, brown and cream Italian slate floor. The furniture is bamboo, with bright printed tropical print cushions. A silver serving tray with a carafe of water, a bowl of lemon wedges, and a plate of cinnamon bread, his favorite according to Mikhail, rests on the glass coffee table top. Kathleen has a seven inch notebook PC and Jensen has a PDA that he’s continually punching buttons. Introductions have been made, so I’ll sit quietly in the corner and Kathleen will take over, from her point of view.

Kathleen opens the dialogue: Mr. Palmer, how long have you been with the CPD?

Mr. Palmer: Please call me Jensen. I’ve been with the CPD for ten years, and half of that as a detective.

Kathleen: (Nods.) Yes, I’d love to. Jensen, how do you feel about co-starring in Believe?

Jensen: My role progressed quickly and the action was rapid fire. My co-star is well, as you can see, beautiful and intelligent. (He points into another room, where Mikhail is tinkling piano keys with their son, Jack. She is a attractive woman, blond hair, lean body, pretty face. Mental note: keep jealousy at bay.)

Kathleen: How did you first feel about your co-star, Mikhail?

Jensen: I was instantly drawn to her. She is gorgeous. After I got past the fact that she was a fortune teller, let’s say I’ve adjusted to her abilities, and now…well you can see how it all turned out.

Kathleen: At the end of Believe you hadn’t caught the leader of the Dark Angels. Do you catch her in Melody’s Song?

Jensen: I guess your audience will have to read it to find out. (Wink).

Kathleen: (I couldn’t keep the excitement out of my voice.) Will there be another book in this series?

Jensen: (He smiles, that sexy slight lifting of his mouth. His blue-gray eyes twinkle and my PC slips a little on my lap.) I believe there may be another novel. It certainly depends on how well the readers respond to Melody’s Song. I wouldn’t mind being the hero again.

Kathleen: Mikhail had some trials to get past in Believe, and you of course, hero that you are, saved her. How did it make you feel to see her in such jeopardy?

Jensen: (He glances toward Mikhail, she glances up and smiles. The energy between the two was so sharp and intense I thought my tiny PC would melt all of its circuit’s right then.) The process of loving another being changes a person’s perspective. I don’t look at an object or situation the same today, as I would have prior to loving Mikhail. She is a strong independent woman, she’ll always be so, (I think he mumbled “much to my dismay” under his breath), so when she was in a tight situation it was imperative for me to act. There hadn’t been true thinking or plotting involved. I simply had to get her free and to safety. I’d give my life in exchange for hers.

Kathleen: (I squirmed in my seat a little. Hot. Hot. Hot.) How did you feel about your author?

Jensen: jj’s great. She developed my character in a logical and sensitive fashion. I think she could have added a few more sex scenes for Mikhail and me. (He winks and I’m drawn to the little groove under his lip. Perfect set of lips. Perfectly matched set of lips. Calm down…)

Kathleen: Did you have any problems with your author?

Jensen: I would have liked to have fired my gun more. (He smiled at jj.) I voiced this before she wrote Melody’s Song.

Kathleen: So, there’s gun play in Melody’s Song?

Jensen: He shrugged his broad shoulders, encased in a dark blue Armani suit, and I completely lost my train of thought.

Kathleen: Ah, how easy is jj to work with?

Jensen: She’s very considerate. I know Sable, from Cobblestone-Press, loves her work. And Jill Williamson at The Wild Rose Press is editing a suspense novel, Trade Agreement.

Kathleen: We have ten minutes left. Do you want to talk about your role in Melody’s Song, which is being released in the spring of 2008, right?

Jensen: In Melody’s Song I’ve tracked down some of the drugs being used on the kidnapped children in Believe. Several thefts occurred in a local hospital. The star, Devon Siegal, is a pediatric oncologist. He helps me track who’s stealing the drugs. Unfortunate for him, the evidence points to his love interest, Melody Haney. She’s a waitress and opera singer. The girl has a fabulous voice. The release date is soon, spring of 2008, I think.

Kathleen: From what you’re telling me you’re the hero in this book too? (He shot me a look that seriously made me squirm. His dreamy eyes, adorable smile and quick wit had won me over.)

Mikhail laughed from the other room. Jensen glanced at her. She shouted, “Sorry for the interruption.”

(Damn, I forgot she could read minds. Clear the mind. Erase all lustful thoughts.)

Jensen: Devon’s the real hero of Melody’s Song. I just get to use my Glock! (He tapped his gun lodged inside a shoulder holster strap. And then, he chuckled.) And of course I protect my constantly interfering wife.

Mikhail laughed louder, jj snickered, and a sweet youthful laugh chimed through the air.

Kathleen: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with me today. Perhaps I can return once Melody’s Song has been released and talk with you again? (I powered down and stowed my PC in my oversized handbag.)

Jensen rose from his chair, held out his strong masculine hand. I quickly put my palm against his and he assisted me from the sofa. I couldn’t break eye contact with this fabulous hero and was reluctant to let go of the connection.

Finally, jj coughed and I released the hunk’s hand and meandered toward his equally handsome son and beautiful wife.

End of Interview.

jj Keller

Writing fantasies with spice and humor.
http://www.jj-keller.com
http://jjkeller.blogspot.com
The Watcher, Believe, and coming soon, Melody’s Song and The Ghost Inside Cobblestone-Press.com
http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/author/jjkeller.htm
Trade Agreement…coming soon at The Wild Rose Press. thewildrosepress.com



Kathleen Grieve, www.thewildrosepress.com

Wishing for Spring Round-Up

Spring is in the air. Let’s kick up our heels and celebrate life. We've rounded-up thirteen exciting authors with horses in their books. Come and celebrate spring with us. Win free books in our Wishing for Spring Round Up!

To enter –
Visit each participating author’s website to find an answer to a question. Compile your list of answers in an email and submit it to contest@juliannastephens.com. The contest opens on March 1 and closes on March 16. Winners will be notified via email by March 20. One entry per contestant.

The prizes –
Each author will donate either a download or a print copy of her book. For print books, a snail mail address will be required. Winners will be randomly chosen from entries with the correct answers. Thirteen lucky winners!

The questions –

1. What horse rescue charity benefits from sales of Maggie Toussaint’s NO SECOND CHANCE? Answer at www.maggietoussaint.com

2. What is the name of the horse in Elyssa Lynne's SERVANT OF MAGIC? Answer at www.elyssalynne.com

3. What's the name of the ranch where wild mustangs transition in TEN THINGS I'D DO FOR A COWBOY? Answer at www.donnamichaelsauthor.com

4. What charity benefits from sales of Diana Cosby's HIS CAPTIVE? Answer at www.dianacosby.com

5. What piece of tack was misspelled in Julianna Stephen's manuscript and was caught by a reviewer at The Long and Short of it? Answer at www.juliannastephens.com

6. Sir Robert, the hero in DARK RIDER, fears his horse has contracted a fatal disease--then Sir Robert ends up getting sick from the same contagion. What was the disease? Answer at www.equestrianne.com/kdennis

7. What is the name of the fictitious town where the Crazy H ranch is located? Answer at www.cindyspencerpape.com

8. What is the fragrance of the flying horses (volarans) of Lladrana? Answer at http://robindowens.com

9. FOOL'S GOLD takes place in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona. What famous "lost" mine is featured in the story? Answer at www.erickascott.com

10. Who is the cowboy that has his arm draped around the neck of his horse on the cover of SACRED GROUND? Answer at: www.ritaritr.com

11. Which one of Paty Jager’s book excerpts has horses mentioned in it? Answer at www.patyjager.com

12. What flavor is Madison's lip balm? Answer at: http://www.jtschultz.com

13. What is the colour of the horse on Anne Whitfield’s book cover, A NOBLE PLACE. Answer found at http://www.annewhitfield.com

Enter today and win!

Paranormal for the Normal

Some of the training I’ve received has been in past life regression and various psychic and mediumship skills, tarot readings, and well, just about anything related to the celtic seer gifts I inherited. A few years ago, I participated in a 3-year paranormal project as one of the test subjects. It was an incredible and exciting adventure. I came out of it with the realization that the more I learn, the less I know. While it is a fascinating field, it is also a very personal one because not everyone sees or feels the same things or interprets them the same.

I'm always asked if I see ghosts or dead people and there was a time when I would never have stepped out of my paranormal closet to admit it. Ever since I can remember I've been visited and it wasn't until I was older that I made peace with my experiences and abilities. I have to admit when people call psychic abilities gifts, I shudder, because for most of my life they were far from being gifts.

For most sensitives/intuitives/mediums, whatever tag is placed, it typically is a struggle because it is a lone practitioner's journey into self. If you are lucky, you eventually become comfortable living with one foot in each world. Anyway, I thought I'd share that with you because I strive to incorporate some of my experiences in my stories, especially the emotional and mental impact they have.

Oh, I have a new book coming out on Friday, Sexed Up, which is a futuristic.



In 2383, all the men in the world are dead. The new Anti-Male world government has outlawed all research, but the Pro-Male movement works in secrecy to re-create human males.

Dr. Randi Mayers, the world's foremost sex replacement designer hopes her latest design, William, will give women a programmable companion, via advanced nanite technology incorporated with DNA, supplied by her new employer, Sexed Up. Randi ‘s boss wants to push the envelope past legal restrictions to create a cyborg male and saturate the market before the government can react.

Things heat up the moment Randi accidentally activates William, who’s a determined dedicated lover. Industrial espionage sets the lovers on a collision course with the Anti-Male faction.

Can Randi save the man she's created? When he falls in love with her, William must convince Randi he isn’t a machine and they have a future together.

Read an Excerpt

Creativity, in landscape format

I believe being creative is a state of mind, one that isn't limited to a particular format. Now, I know I can be creative when putting words together, but my interests also run to visual arts. Unfortunately for me, even my stick people look... impaired.

Luckily for me, however, technology works miracles. Thanks to Photoshop, a graphics tablet and a strong belief that I can do anything I set my mind to, even a girl who can't draw the hangman properly when playing the game can turn out something like this from scratch:


(click on the image to see the full size version)

Why am I sharing this? Well, because not only do I keep starting at this lovely piece of art incredulous that it could have sprung from my fingertips, but also because I'm now seeing story ideas in it:

- What if beneath that foaming water is a pretty mermaid, just waiting to lure an unsuspecting man into her sensual trap?

- What if this is a setting on another planet? One with two suns beating on the heated rocks?

- What if a naked man just washed up ashore on the other side of the landscape, just at the base of those far away mountains in the distance?

Creativity... don't you love it? :-)

Lacey
http://www.laceysavage.com

A Damsel in Distress

Nowadays they say readers like kick-butt heroines--strong, determined women that don't need a man, but when they see one they want they go after him.

Well in, A Damsel in Distress, Irisa may need the help of a man, but she's no wilting flower.

A Damsel in Distress

by Brenda Williamson

ISBN: 9781603101745

Historical/Paranormal/Fantasy
Red Sage Publishing

Irisa Mansfield is having a very bad day. First she’s abducted by barbarians, bound at the wrists, and hoisted onto the back of a stolen dragon. Then she falls from the dragon’s back and finds herself alone in the middle of an empty field, still bound and now utterly unprotected.

What she needs is a knight in shining armor to come to her rescue. What she gets is Sir Ware Pembroke, a dragon rider more interested in recovering his stolen dragon than in untying her. She orders him. She commands him. She demands his obedience.

But still her wrists are tied.

Ware is not accustomed to women who try to boss him around. In fact, he’s not accustomed to anyone bossing him around. But he knows how to handle a thief, so he throws the brazen wench over his shoulder and gives her a good spanking as he carries her away from the field. He intends to see to it that she’s punished properly, but instead finds himself at every step battling his captive … and his powerful attraction to her.

Click to Read an Excerpt!

Brenda Williamson

Induge in the Decadence!

Wolverton Blood, Romantic Times 2007 Reviewers Choice Nominee

The Witch Stone, 2008 Eppie Finalist