Adrianne Brennan - romantic dark fantasy and science fiction writer

Adrianne Brennan is doing a powerful, 24-hour blogathon to raise donations for a Boston Rape Crisis Center.

Adrianne Brennan - romantic dark fantasy and science fiction writer

Please leave a comment to show your support (and for a chance to participate in a drawing), and maybe give her
effort a little publicity by Tweeting.

Next Stop on the 1Romance Blog Tour...

WELCOME TO THE FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY BLOG TOUR OF 1ROMANCEEBOOKS!

I'm supposed to tell you that the first thing you need to do to be eligible to WIN prizes along the tour is REGISTER HERE AT 1ROMANCE EBOOKS.

Instructions will be given to you at the above site! GOOD LUCK!

This is stop number 33 on the tour and you should have come here from Keta Diablo's Blog #32 http://thestuffofmythandmen.blogspot.com/.


SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....


I'm Tina Pavlik and I own The Romance Studio http://theromancestudio.com. No, I'm not an author talking to you about my latest releases. I'm the owner of a marketing/review site where every day you can find HUNDREDS of wonderful romances! How about that? And we have everything in the romance genre you could possibly want. The best writers in the genre who write everything from inspirational to BDSM to GLBT romances. Pretty neat, huh?

Well, you think so. But then I have a wish list and to-be-read stack that I'd have to achieve immortality to even make a dent in. LOL

So what do you find at TRS?

Over 350 of the romance genre's very best authors: http://theromancestudio.com/authors.php

TRS BLUE: our showcase for erotica/erotic romance (18 and over only) http://theromancestudio.com/blue/

The Rainbow Studio: our showcase for GLBT romance of all heat levels
http://theromancestudio.com/rainbow/

Our book-a-day giveaway -- where we giveaway today's best romances in ebooks/disk/print!
http://theromancestudio.com/bad_form.php

Our drawings and giveaways page: http://theromancestudio.com/drawings.php

And more! Within our sites you'll find announcements from the authors, dozens of interviews with your favorite authors, just released books, and more!

Oh wait! One last thing, come check out our release parties! The next one will be August 19, 2010 from 12 PM - 8 PM EST and we'll have 25 authors there to talk about their latest releases and give away prizes! These are a lot of fun and heavily attended. =)

Okay, to summarize -- lots of authors, latest news, lots of books to give away. Where?

http://theromancestudio.com


Okay, we're offering two prizes @ TRS. One is for a reader -- 10 print books from the TRS prize vault. One is for an author -- a six month advertising package @ TRS.


The more comments you leave on the tour (stop at every blog and comment) the better chance you have of winning the grand prize—a Sony E-reader. The next stop on the anniversary tour is #34 Fiona Vance, http://fionavance.com/. Good luck!

The Damaged Hero

Erik Toleffson, the hero of Long Time Gone, is the darkest hero I’ve ever written. He’s a cop (chief of police, in fact) with lots of commendations and meritorious service. But he’s got a dark past when he was a bully to his younger brothers and a petty crook before finally wising up and pulling himself together. He spends a lot of time in the book trying to make up for what he used to be and being afraid that he might slip back again. He was interesting, but sort of tough to write.

I’m not a big proponent of the dark, brooding hero. The guys I’d written about before, the other Toleffson brothers, were all nice, although each had some problems to deal with. Those problems, however, were all pretty much external. Cal, the hero of Venus In Blue Jeans, was a newcomer to Konigsburg who immediately fell hard for Docia, the heroine. He spent a lot of time in the book trying to figure out the ins and outs of life in a small Texas Hill Country town, while trying to nudge the romance-shy Docia into his arms. Pete, the hero of Wedding Bell Blues, had to ride herd on a wedding that was rapidly spinning out of control on a whole lot of fronts. Meanwhile, of course, he’d fallen for the maid of honor, Janie Dupree, and had to reconcile his career as a county attorney in Iowa with the love of his life in Texas. And Lars, in Be My Baby, had to deal with all the problems of single fatherhood while fighting off kidnappers who were threatening his girlfriend, Jess Carroll. All tough situations, to be sure, but none of them affecting the fundamentally upright and true character of my heroes.

Erik, on the other hand, spent a lot of time not being upright and true in his youth. And he doesn’t exactly feel good about that. Writing somebody like Erik makes you delve into areas that aren’t always comfortable, because you can’t create someone who suffers without suffering a bit yourself. There are lots of heroes in other books who are even darker than Erik, and those authors have my admiration. They had to spend time in dark places, and that probably wasn’t a whole lot of fun.

Still, creating Erik was interesting for me. He’s very different from my usual heroes, who tend to be both sarcastic and sweet. Erik’s the strong silent type, and nobody in their right mind would call him sweet. I’m fond of him, though. Creating him taught me a lot about the variety of feeling that goes into a character. I don’t really have a favorite Toleffson (they’re all my boys, after all), but I notice Erik turns up a little more than the others in the Konigsburg books. Maybe dark is good—it helps to set off the sunlight all around.

Here’s the blurb for Long Time Gone.

A future with the woman of his dreams is within his grasp…if the past will stay that way.

Konigsburg, Book 4

Erik Toleffson wasn’t looking to become Chief of Police. He’s got enough trouble trying to rebuild his relationship with his three brothers who, until just recently, ran the other way when he approached. He’s not the bully they grew up with, but bad memories are tough to overcome.

Morgan Barrett is as worn out as a vat full of crushed grape skins. She never planned to run Cedar Creek Winery, but there’s no one else to shoulder the load as her father recovers from an injury. All she needs is a little sleep. Just a five-minute nap in the booth at the Dew Drop Inn…if that guy across the bar would stop staring at her as if putting her head down on the table is a crime.

After Morgan yawns in Erik’s face, there’s nowhere to go but up. With time, though, their relationship warms like a perfectly blended Bordeaux. Until the shady mayor digs into Erik’s past and dredges up information that could drive a permanent wedge between him and his brothers—and sour any chance of a future with Morgan.

Warning: Contains hot sex with mango sherbet, crooked politicians, yuppie bikers, Bored Ducks, and a Maine Coon Cat with attitude.

Here’s an excerpt.

Reader Fangirl Moments

I'm having the fangirl moment of all fangirl moments this month. Please bear with me as I hyperventilate.

I have always loved Margaret Moore's writing. No one writes historical romances like she does. I know when I pick up a Margaret Moore romance, I will get an original romance combined with at least one historical fact I don't know (which says a lot as I read over 300 historical romances a year). She is one of the rare writers who have never disappointed me.

When I joined my local Romance Writers Of America chapter and found out Margaret Moore was a member, I might have freaked out a tad. Okay, I freaked out like a crazy person. I sat in that first meeting she attended and I think I was the quietest I've ever been (which, again, says a lot 'cause I'm sure not quiet very often). I was in shock. I don't think I heard a word the speaker said. I was in the same room as Margaret Moore. And during break, she talked to me (because she talks to everyone) and she was so nice and normal and nice and she talked to me. Did I mention she talked to me?

She was so nice that eventually (months later) I could hold a rational thought in my head while talking with her. I was sitting on my very first author panel and I told her I was so very nervous. What if I got a question I didn't know the answer to? I'd look like a jacka$$. So what did she do? She sat beside me on the author panel. When I got one of those dreaded questions I hadn't prepared an answer to and stared into the crowd with that deer in the headlights look, she stepped in and made jokes and stretched the time until I could think of something semi-intelligent to say. I will never ever forget she did that.

I'm pretty vocal about book dedications. I tell everyone who will listen that a book dedication would mean more to me than getting published. It would mean I made a difference in someone's life and isn't that what we all strive to do?

So this month, Margaret Moore sent me a signed copy of her latest historical Highland Rogue, London Miss (this book is delicious!). Who is it dedicated to?

Me

The dedication reads...

Kimber Chin
savvy businesswoman and writer,
with many thanks for her advice and support.

(I don't know what I gave her advice on. Maybe I gave her advice on what to order for lunch or something minor like that because it sure wasn't writing.)

Yeah, I cried.

You see as a reader, writer, and reviewer, I talk all tough about how it is about the story and not about the author. I don't care if authors are nice people as long as they write great stories. But when a great story is written by a great person... well, that's simply magic.

Have you recently had a fangirl moment? Do you care what your favorite authors are like as people? I want to hear about it!


$

Kimber Chin ( http://businessromance.com/ ) recommends that if you like historicals or if you like great books written by great people, you check out Highland Rogue, London Miss .

Celebrate Lughnassadh with a Druid Bride

Lughnassadh, pronounced LOO-nahs-ah, is the Celtic Harvest festival, celebrated July 31 or August but it’s also a great time for romance. For one, it was named after the sun god Lugh, a tall, muscular warrior with sky blue eyes and a hallo of golden light which blazed around his thick flaxen hair. He was also known as Lugh of the long arm because of his magic spear, which never missed its mark. That brings quite an image to mind, doesn’t it. The earth goddess (Tailtiu in Ireland and Blodeuwedd in Wales) was an important part of Lughnassadh as it celebrates the marriage of the earth to the sky, so hand fasting marriages were celebrated at this time. Also as fruit gathering was part of Lughnassadh, young men and women paired off to pick sweet, ripe bilberries and didn’t return until nightfall.

Here’s an excerpt of that from my latest release, Druid Bride:
Lughnasa, one of her favorite festivals. She and Brude would pick bilberries together and stay out until dark. He would thread the dark berries they plucked together into a bracelet for her to wear that day. At least, he should. She imagined his lips on hers, pressing down, hot and wet, kissing her beneath the light of the white moon, his mouth and breath tasting of sweet, juicy bilberries.
Of my nine Celtic/Romances, many have Lughnassadh excerpts. Here’s another from Druid Bride:
Tribesman blew bronze horns and blared their pipes as Tanwen moved toward a large, spoked wagon wheel coated with black, gooey tar. From the hill, she gazed down at the fertile fields below.
Brude, the chieftains, and the crowd joined her as she chanted, “The sun burns, yet winter nears. The season turns. Summer comes to an end. Sun and earth, Lugh and Macha. Life to death, the wheel turns, Lughnassahd, Lughnassahd.”

Brude handed her a firebrand, and she lit the wheel aflame. My life has turned in a new direction like a wheel on a wagon, rolling from one street to go down another. Will my life with Brude be as passionate as the fiery wheel? Her mind filled with the memory of wild, blinding pleasure and of his firm, muscular body taking her over the crest until she’d screamed in ecstasy. With an iron rod, she rolled the fiery wheel down the hill. “The end of Lugh’s reign, god of the sun.” She gasped air as she ran with the rolling symbol of the sun. She glanced at Brude, who kept pace with her on the other side of the burning wheel, garbed in a red tunic interwoven with gold and draped with a plaid bratt of blue, green, purple, gray, white, and black. Tanwen’s gaze fell to his eyes, which smoldered with heat and enflamed her with desire. Smoke rose, as flames ate the wood. The flaming wheel reached its end and crumbled into pieces of burning wood. The crowd stopped in their tracks and encircled the dying Lugh. She spread her arms into the air and focused on the gods.
“The sun begins its journey into dark winter. The season turns, sun and earth, Lugh and Macha, life to death. Winter nears, Lughnassahd, Lughnassahd.”

I’m part of the turning season. Soon I’ll transform from maiden to wife, and then to mother.
With the fire nothing more than smoldering embers, the wheel no more than ashes, and with Brude at her side, she led the crowd back up the hill.
That’s the last excerpt for today but some ways you can celebrate Lughnassadh at your home are:
Make a centerpiece of dried wheat sheaves, whole grain breads, acorns, hazel nuts, and grapes. Get the whole family involved in baking homemade bread.
Say a prayer of thanksgiving for the harvest or the bounty of food you have year round. Or to send a free E-card of Druid Bride’s cover art to a friend as a Happy Lughnassadh greeting drop by http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/greetings/index.php?step=sendcard&ec_id=604
Also for more excerpts ,visit my website anytime at http://CelticRomanceQueen.com

CONTEST TIME:
I will draw one winner from the comments so please post questions or comments below. The winner gets an Original theatre Movie Poster of Dancing at Lughnasa (the fantastic movie with Meryl Streep) dimensions: 27 x 41 inches – so please post comments or questions below – contest open to all countries

Do You Love Stories in a Series?

By Nicole North

Beast in a Kilt in the anthology Secrets Volume 29 Indulge Your Fantasies has just been released from Red Sage. I’ll be signing it at the RWA National Conference Literacy Autographing on Wednesday evening (July 28) in Orlando. Please stop by my table if you have a moment!

Beast in a Kilt is the second story in my Kilted Shape-shifters series from Red Sage. And I’ve just sold Scoundrel in a Kilt, the third story.

What I love most about writing series is being able to reconnect with characters I’m hooked on and get to know them better, as well as further developing the story world.

Since one story spins off another, it’s much easier to get into a new story if it’s set in the same world as a previous story. Incorporating much-loved characters from earlier stories is a blast. Or taking secondary characters, like the hero’s two friends, and giving them their own stories is also rewarding.

This story world of 1621 Scotland is filled with myth, magic, legends come to life, witches and wizards, shapeshifters, lust potions, time-travelers, and hot sexy romps (both inside the bedchamber and out.) I also tried to fill it with the beauty of the natural Scottish landscape, which in itself is captivating.

What ties these three stories together, aside from the 3 cursed hero friends, is the villainess, a witch who cursed them.

Here’s what the stories are about:

Devil in a Kilt (in Secrets Volume 27 Untamed Pleasures): A trip to the Highland Games turns into a trip to the past when modern day psychology professor Shauna MacRae touches Gavin MacTavish’s four-hundred-year-old claymore. What she finds is a Devil In a Kilt she’s had erotic fantasies about for months. Can Shauna break the curse imprisoning this shape-shifting laird and his clan before an evil witch sends Shauna back to her time?

Beast in a Kilt (in Secrets Volume 29 Indulge Your Fantasies): Scottish lady Catriona MacCain has loved Torr Blackburn, a fierce Highland warrior, since she was a young lass, but Torr only sees Catriona as his best friend’s little sister. When Catriona’s family promises her in marriage to a detestable chieftain, she desperately needs Torr to save her from a fate worse than death. But Torr is under the spell of a witch of the dark arts and is cursed to spend his nights as a kelpie water demon. He doesn’t believe himself worthy of the virginal Lady Catriona. However, she is determined to seduce Torr and claim him… body, heart and soul, if only they can banish the curse and defeat the enemies who have vowed to possess and enslave them both.

Scoundrel in a Kilt (will be in a future Secrets volume): Brodie, Chieftain of Clan MacCain, is a dark, sensual Scottish scoundrel who loves nothing more than being a selkie shape-shifter, even if he has been cursed by a witch of the dark arts. Stunning modern day supermodel Erin Schultz blazes into his 1621 world like a falling star. Though he’s certain she will shatter life as he knows it by breaking his curse, he can’t resist her tantalizing seduction.

***
One important consideration when writing a series is to make sure each story stands on its own as much as possible. It’s better if the reader doesn’t have to read the stories in order. But hopefully if they read one, they’ll want to read the others.

Another thing to remember is that even though the stories share some commonalities, try to make the stories as different and varied as possible. For instance, in my stories you can see that two of them are time-travels, while one isn’t. And each story has different elements and lots of different things going on. Also, the heroes shift into three different sorts of animals, two of which are based on Scottish legends.

I grew incredibly attached to my three cursed heroes as they each found love with a special woman. I hope you fall in love with them as I did and cheer for them as they attempt to break the curse and defeat the villainess.

Click here to read a sexy excerpt from Beast in a Kilt.

Click here to read excerpts from Secrets Volume 29, which contains three other wonderful hot stories aside from mine.

Or:
http://www.eredsage.com/store/Secrets_Volume_29.html

Join my newsletter for a chance to win prizes.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nicolenorthnewsletter/

Thanks!

Nicole


Nicole North's erotic romance novellas have been described by reviewers as "exciting, high octane, captivating, scintillating, sinfully delicious and pure romance." Her stories contain "heart and heat, killer love scenes, magic and extraordinary characters." Her latest release from Red Sage, a paranormal historical, Beast in a Kilt, is in the Secrets Volume 29 Indulge Your Fantasies anthology. Her last story, Kilted Lover, is contemporary erotic romance novella with a touch of paranormal. Her first story, Devil in a Kilt is in the anthology Secrets Volume 27 Untamed Pleasures. Her works have finaled in over a dozen writing competitions and won several awards. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and three chapters. She teaches online workshops about various aspects of writing, including sexual tension and how to write great love scenes. Though she has a degree in psychology, writing romance is her first love. She and her husband live in the Southeastern US, but she wishes she lived in the Scottish Highlands at least half the year.

Website: http://www.nicolenorth.com/

Twitter http://twitter.com/NicoleNorth

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nicolenorth1

Stella and Audra Price will be appearing...

Hey guys! Just wanted to point out that if you considering going to Authors After Dark this year, registration is only open for 5 more days! that's right! As soon as August 1st hits, registration will be closed for another year and you will have to wait till next August to rock a fantastic, affordable and unique convention.

AAD takes the best parts of RT and RWA cons and put them together for a fraction of the cost! You pay less, we give YOU more! Over 2400 books this year alone, including amazing premium goodies, parties, prizes, charity baskets and oh yeah FREE ALCOHOL all weekend!

As an author, I will be there with Audra and participating and a ton of cool events, including one about genies with Judi Fennell and Sonya Bateman. I cant wait for this event, and to meet the new readers that I didnt get to meet last year. It would be great to meet YOU there.

Information, registration and contact info is all here: http://aadromanceunlimited.com

Hope to see you there!

Escalating the Relationship

Part of the fun of writing romance is finding ways to escalate the relationship between hero and heroine. In my new romantic suspense, NOWHERE TO HIDE, heroine Colleen wants little or nothing to do with hero Graham. He's a cop, and she just left the police force in her hometown after a case went south. Cops are not on her BFF list.


But Graham has other ideas. He's figured out approaching her through typical channels isn't going to cut it. Below is an excerpt showing his unique wooing technique:


Stepping to the center of the mats, Graham motioned to her. "Come on. You said you needed to hit someone."

She approached him, arms in a guard position and they circled each other. He took in the smooth way she moved, the confidence in her eyes. She flashed him a huge grin and the next thing he knew, she'd swiveled around, thrust a hip into his gut and he was flat on his back, staring up at her.

"Not fair." He jumped to his feet. "You cheated."

"No way. I took you down fair and square."

"You smiled. I got distracted." He brushed his hands against his jeans. "Won't happen again. Two out of three?"

They circled again. "How did you know I could spar?"

"I didn't. But I figured I'd let you pound on me. Or we can go over to the bags you can punch away if you don't want to keep sparring "

"Afraid I'll hurt you?"

He grinned. "Try it." He crooked his fingers in invitation. Nobody got by him twice.

Colleen came at him with a right jab, but this time, he was ready. He blocked it, grabbed her wrist and stepped in with his left foot. His right forearm to her chest, his right leg sweeping behind to kick hers out from under. This time she was on the mat, with him kneeling beside her.

"You got lucky," she said, accepting his hand as he helped her to her feet. "I was letting you get complacent."

He got the next fall, but it took a lot longer. There was something comfortably familiar about the way she moved, not unlike sparring with his colleagues. She blocked most of his moves and got in a few clean hits of her own. They were both breathing harder now and his shirt stuck to his back. "That's two out of three," he panted. "Want to call it a night?"

"Not on your life. I'm still warming up."

Fierce determination shone in her eyes, and he knew she was no longer thinking about anything except getting him to the floor. For a split second he thought about letting her get past him, but he knew faking a loss would be the end of anything remotely resembling a friendship. He took what she threw at him and gave her as much. In a sudden spurt, she managed to get through his guard. She stepped in close, grabbed his left sleeve and wrapped her right arm around his waist. She swiveled around, pulled him onto her back. A second later he was rolling over her hip and flat on his back again. She had one hand at his throat and was poised above him, her knee precariously close to doing serious damage. He didn't dare move. Her green eyes sparkled, her face glistened with sweat, and he reveled in her satisfied smile.

"This one's mine, Harrigan," she said, one hand on either side of his chest, straddling him.

"No question about it." She edged forward and he drew in a sharp breath. "But, given where you've got your knee, I think you should call me Graham."

What unconventional "courtship" techniques have you enjoyed in books?

NOWHERE TO HIDE is available from The Wild Rose Press in both digital and paperback format. You can also find it at most online retail sites, including Amazon. Links are on my website.

For more about my writing, visit my website: http://www.terryodell.com and my blog, "Terry's Place"

Don't Hate Me 'Cause the Weather's Beautiful

I've maintained for quite awhile that I live in the best place on Earth. This doesn't always go over so well when it's winter and I'm walking around in short sleeves and sandals, it goes over even less well in summer when the weather hovers in the mid 70s during the day and dips into the mid 50s at night.

And have I mentioned the wineries? The apricots and lemons growing in my backyard?  The lack of mosquitoes?

Okay, so if I haven't already alienated everyone, let me just say that there's a reason I'm bringing this up. The weather here was a big inspiration for my newest release, Edge of Heaven, which is set primarily in Limbo. In fact, Limbo is a lot like California. Just consider this description of it as given by my main character, Edge:

"How do I describe this place in a way you’ll understand? Being in limbo… Well, it’s a lot like being booked for an indefinite stay at a very exclusive executive retreat. Sure, it’s posh, it’s peaceful, it’s pleasant. It’s just about anything you want it to be, within limits. But there’s a reason why heaven’s called heaven and limbo…is not.

It’s all just a little too bland here, a little too remote. There’s this sense of being isolated, of being out of touch that you never quite get used to. Just like you can never completely lose the feeling that you’ve been cut off from something pretty damn important. Even if you’re not quite certain what that something is.

It might take you a while to notice that last part, though. If you’re a new arrival in limbo, I can guarantee you the first thought in your mind is not gonna be, How can I keep busy? Stay long enough, however, and that’ll change. Time doesn’t exactly pass here in what I like to call never-never land -- it just is. But all the same, with nothing but your own sorry thoughts to occupy your mind, eternity has a way of weighing on your spirits after a while. To say nothing of the way all that peacefulness gets to wearing on your nerves."

A lot of people seem to feel that way about California. They complain about the "lack of seasons" or the artificiality of the place...more so in SoCal than here, of course, but then again, Berkeley is no one's idea of "the real world". More's the pity, IMO. 

Me, I like living in eternal springtime just fine. Not having to worry about the weather leaves me more time to think about writing, which is just as it should be. lol!

PG Forte
www.PGForte.com
Love without Limits, Romance without Rules!

Blogs: http://www.rhymeswithforeplay.blogspot.com
http://www.ninenaughtynovelists.blogspot.com

Chat Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pgforte/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pgforte

Edge of Heaven

 978-1-60737-822-8

Welcome to the afterlife, where men are men and the angels are fallen...

Edge is an unlikely angel. Unable to atone for the sins he committed while human, he's resigned to spending an eternity in limbo--until he meets a miracle named Mattie.

Buy from Loose Id: http://www.loose-id.com/Edge-of-Heaven.aspx

Seeing a Clear Picture

When I lived in Illinois there was a house across the backyard. I mean a big, mama of a house that looked modest enough (in a Victorian kind of way) from the street front, but then extended half a block to the rear. One of their third floor windows allowed me to see that they had a whopping huge TV. The screen faced my kitchen window, and if I focused, I could see bright color, movement and large shapes. Viewing pleasure on that sucker must have been fantastic.

There were a few reasons why I couldn't watch TV surreptitiously on my neighbor’s big-screen. There was a big old tree outside the window. It’s branches fragmented the window and thus the screen, like grouting between pieces of tile in a mosaic. I could tell that objects onscreen were moving but not what they were doing exactly. Then there was the distance from the house that kept me from seeing the action clearly. Finally, there was the fear factor-- always the danger they could be staring back, you know? Being caught in the act of snooping is so darn embarrassing.

Not enough to stop me, of course, but better not to be seen.

It occurred to me lately that trying to see that TV screen clearly is like what happens when we write. Whether it’s a written outline, a grid or simply a developed plan in your mind, you need to have an idea of where your story starts and ends, and what’s going to happen in the middle. You need a clear path you can follow while at the keyboard. Otherwise, newly injected plot ideas, unplanned characters and unintended consequences can interfere with your thinking. Like that tree, it’s branches moving back and forth across the window making it difficult to piece together a cohesive picture, not having a good idea of where you’re going in a book will slow your writing and prevent your accomplishing a book that flows from point to point.

In the same way that my being far away from the TV kept me from breaking out the popcorn and setting up TV-watching shop in my kitchen, having a distance between you and your characters can prevent them from coming to life. For your characters to read as well-rounded and three dimensional, it takes more than knowing hair color, size and weight. Where did your hero come from? What did his father do? Who was your heroine’s best friend in high school? What was her favorite subject? What bad habits do they have? Where’s one place in the world they’d like to see?

I don’t mean you need to know the answers to all of these questions, but you should know as much as possible. The more you know about your characters, the more realistically you’ll portray them to your readers. Before you know it, they’ll feel as though your characters are neighbors, dropping in for a visit. That’s a joyful situation! So don’t keep yourself at a distance from your characters. Treat them as friends. Get to know them, inside out. (The great thing is, they don’t know you, so go ahead and tell them how much you spent on that new pair of shoes. It’s okay. They don't care.)

Finally, there’s fear to face. Writers have all kinds of fears: that you might not be able to pull off the grand book plan you’ve spend years dreaming about or that you might not do your characters justice. Even that you might succeed in everything you’ve ever hoped for. (Weird, huh? But it happens.) Then there’s that greatest fear, that someone else will soon pick up your manuscript and read it—the equivalent of my nervousness at the thought of looking up to see my neighbors watching me watch them. Unlike my situation, facing fear is something writers must excel at doing. Unless you’re someone who writes strictly for your own entertainment, someone else is going to read your work—many someones, you hope. If this is something that’s slowing you down, follow the advice of my New York/New Jersey friends: get over it.

If you suffer from this problem, hold your nose, close your eyes and repeat the mantra Readers will love my book. Write it on an index card and tape it to your bathroom mirror. Make it the background on your computer. Stick the sentiment in your lunch bag. The more you read it and say it, the less trepidation you’ll feel when you hand your work over to a stranger to read. Believe it.

The fact of the matter is, almost no one has an easy time of writing a book. It takes a lot of dedication, thought, and just plain time with butt in chair. But if you form a plan to guide you through the process, develop your characters as full-fledged people and force yourself to persevere over all your writer fears, you’ll find the finished product to be one you and others will enjoy reading.

Now, after thinking about trying to see into my neighbor's house for my entertainment, I'm in the mood for a quick run to Blockbuster.

Summer Enjoyment

I love the summer. The sunshine tempts me to go out and have some fun. It’s so much fun to enjoy what is around you. The kids playing in the street, man walking with his dog or the laughter of the woman walking with her friends. The list goes on and on.

I’ve been taking walks around my neighborhood to unwind and just take in the beauty of the day. I turn on my MP3 player, put it in my ear and off I go. My MP3 is filled with some of my favorite music and I have play lists for various moods I might be in. When I’m taking my walks I like to have music that makes me want to groove and move.

So far this summer I’ve been listening to my music, walking and taking in the scenery. There is nothing better than taking a moment to just enjoy life. Enjoy what is around you. So far it has been a summer of enjoyment.

McKenna Jeffries
http://www.mckennajeffries.com/

…. sensual, edgy, unexpected

Blog: http://www.mckennajeffries.com/blog

Chat Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/McKennaJeffriesList

Free Reads Site: http://www.satinnotes.com/

Conquering Jazz - What’s a woman to do when she unwittingly makes a tantalizing proposition to her best friend?

Be brazen, bold and set some ground rules.Her offer. One night of carnal bliss. No emotionallowed.

His counter offer. A continued affair to fulfill all their sexual cravings.

His hidden agenda. Conquer to make sure their affair never ends.

Buy here at Liquid Silver Book.

A place I want to Live

I’ve been spending some time reading the last book in a series that I haven’t written in for a little bit. I did start the next book in the series a while back but due to various personal things I didn’t get to finish it. So to get back into the world I decided to read the last completed book in the series. As I read I slid back into the world I had created. I love creating world, building towns and different types of family dynamics. It is a fun, complex and sometimes frustrating. But I love it all. It makes my mind race and my fingers tingle to get to writing.

As I read the last book in the series more ideas for the series came to me. Made me want to finish the next book and write even more in that world and about the various characters. This is why I love series. You get to explore deeper into the world/characters you’ve created. Heck it is why I love reading series too. I get to revisit the place/characters that I have become attached too. Get to see what is happening.

For some of the series I read I tend to read the series before the next book comes out. After I am done I long for the next. That is the sign of a great series - a compelling world that seems so real you want to go and live there. Become part of the fabric of that community. The characters feel like people you want to know and hang out with. The places in the world make you want to hang out.

Ahh… there is nothing better than writing or reading about a place I want to live.

Taige Crenshaw
http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/

…increasing the sizzle factor

Blog: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/blog

Chat Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crenshawcafe

Newsletter: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/newsletterandgroups.shtml

Free Reads Site: http://www.satinnotes.com/

Wilde Seduction - What happens when a woman who doesn’t know how to relax meets a man whose lust for life will change her and make all her deepest desires come to life?


Buy here at Total-E-Bound.

Fostering Dogs with Shelley Munro

This year my husband and I have started to foster dogs for the SPCA. We thought long and hard about fostering and went into it knowing it wouldn’t be easy. We both love animals and knew we’d find it difficult to return them once the foster period ended. One of the benefits of fostering for us is that we can work it around our traveling and holidays. Sometimes we’re away for longer than a month at a time and that’s not fair to a dog. With fostering, we can look after a dog for one to four weeks, depending on the SPCA’s needs. We can also have a rest when we need it.

We’ve had our first puppy for four weeks. His name is Patch Adams. He’s a Staffishire cross and is quite big, even though he’s only seven months old. There’s no doubt about it – he’s a real cutie. He’s very affectionate and just loves a cuddle. When he first arrived at our house he was very timid and hid in the garden for most of the day. Gradually his confidence has grown and he’s become naughty, behaving just as a puppy should. In fact, Mr. Munro’s irrigation system will never be the same! He loves going for a walk and is very good at sitting. His favorite game is pulling all his blankets out of his kennel and tearing around the lawn with them. He doesn’t rip them, but by the time he’s finished the lawn looks like it’s blooming with blankets.

Today I rang up to find out about returning him. The foster lady wasn’t there so I left a message. I hung up feeling quite teary. It’s going to be rough returning him, but on the plus side, I know someone will snap him up because he’ll make a wonderful pet.

The best things in life!!

I’ve been sweating the small stuff lately. Getting upset with myself that I’m not a more prolific writer. Taking myself to task because I’m not losing weight fast enough. Driving the family crazy because my dinner, something I hadn’t tried before, didn’t turn out exactly as I thought it should. And worrying myself silly about the simplest of things. LOL I think I probably need another holiday.


Yesterday my delightful darling daughter reminded me to stop and smell the roses, or take pleasure in the simple things and let the big things take care of themselves. She rang to wish her father happy birthday and give him a present, a present I’ll get to share in, too. She rang to tell us we’re going to be grandparents again. She has one little boy who’s nearly eight so this new baby has been a long time and a lot of tears coming. What a way to lift my spirits.






Then I discovered this hidden in the garden of the house we bought a few months ago. How delightful. I cleared the weeds from around it and I chuckle every time I see it.











It’s cold, wet and dreary here, but my flowers are blooming, giving me pleasure whenever I walk outside. Maybe it costs me a little time and effort to keep the garden nice, but the view is free if only I take the time to smell the roses as my daughter reminded me.








The final lesson is the visitor who comes to see me at night, sitting on the fence around the pool. I love seeing him there. He doesn’t appear frightened if I walk right up to him and I could swear I see him smile in response to my genuine delight at having him there. Another reminder that sometimes the best things in life are those that appear when you least expect it. Today I’m even grateful for the rain and cold weather.



So what makes you smile and count your blessings?


Alexis Fleming
Daring desires...otherworldly seductions!
http://www.alexisfleming.net

First Meetings

I'm just back from our families' annual vacation to Cape May, NJ. It's a great time. Three generations coming together to bask in the surf and sun, eat, drink, and laugh. I love that my children get to have this time with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. When all are gathered we're some 30 strong.

We sit around the table late into the night sharing memories and making new ones. As a romance writer every story starts when the main characters first meet. This year around the table we shared stories on how our happily ever afters began. Don't know if I've read any better in a book.

Pull up a chair I'll share a few...

My mom and dad meet at a dance. My dad and his friends were there scoping out the ladies. My mom and her friends were there with dates. My mom's date kept bringing her spiked drinks and was being more forward than she liked. Looking for an escape she made her way to my dad's group. She told them her date was trying to drink her under the table and asked them to help her out. So my dad stepped up and became her hero. He danced with her and,(although he didn't go into detail) he made sure her date got the message she wasn't interested and made sure she got the message he was interested in her. Their happily ever after dance lasted 43 yrs before my mom passed away in 2007. My dad's eyes still light up when he talks about her.

My inlaws met on a double date. The night ended with the couples deciding they liked each other's date better. 50 years of marriage later- for both couples- they are still each other's favorite date.

My hubby and I met at a party. Unbeknownst to me, he had an on going bet with a friend. Who could "score" girls for every letter of the alphabet, first. My name starts with M. He already had his M. But as the night went on he kept making his way back to me. He'd decided I was worth losing the bet over. A bet his friend told me all about one night as he complained he'd welched on it. Now, the DH has never confessed how many letters he had accumulated, but 26 yrs later he still says M is his favorite letter of the alphabet.

This year, we had a new member to the group. My oldest son's girlfriend joined us. They met when they were 2. She's the daughter of my husband's best friend from high school. We'd get together every time they came to town to visit his parents. Just friends. My son wanted to go to his prom with a friend, no attachments. He just wanted to have fun! He asked her. She convinced him having attachments could be fun, too. 2 years later they are very much attached.

Those were Four different starts to Four happily ever afters we heard at the table. I've heard them told a number of times over the years and they still make me smile.

Ya know, eight couples told their stories, in all. None were the same. I believe the first meeting of main characters in every happily ever after is quite unique.And I wear a t-shirt that says "Careful or you'll end up in my novel" around my family!

May the memory of every fist meeting bring you a smile.

Will a former lover really ride to your rescue?

That's a theme I use a lot in my books. Lovers with permanent expectations whose relationship explodes in anger. One word elads to another...and phfft!!!It reminds me of a country song that's a favorite of mine: We Believe In Happy Endings. In the song the lyrics say, "Who can say just how it starts, Angry words and broken hearts." And isn't that just the truth? It starts with nohting and pretty soon everything's broken.
But then something dramatic happens, or circumstances throw them together again, and the discover the spark is still there. So why did they split up to begin with?
That's the core of my latest release from The Wild Rose Press, Boomerang.

Take a glance at this, then leave me a comment on what you think about situations like this.


Blurb:
When Katya “Kat” Lombardo wakes up in the den of her partner’s palatial home with a gun in hr hand and his dead body on the floor beside her, she knows she’s in big trouble. She has no recollection of the events leading up to this, or how or why she has this gun. She calls on the only person she feels she can trust, Zak Delaney, her former lover who she broke with after a bitter argument. But can Zak put aside his bitterness to help her? As she runs from the people trying to kill her, people who destroy her home, and her business and definitely want to destroy her, will the chemistry still there between them sizzle to the surface or will it explode and demolish them both?
Excerpt:
If she’d had anyone else to call she’d have called them, but in her bones she knew that Zak was the only person who would respond the way he did. Anyone else would either tell her she was crazy or insist she wait for the police. And truth to tell, Zak might still do that. Somehow she had to get past the wall between them and convince him to help her.
She felt his eyes on her and looked up to find his gaze raking over her.
“Nice threads,” he commented, his gaze roaming over her dress. “Doesn’t look like something that came off the rack. Lombardo Sim must definitely be doing well. So. Were you at another one of Nate’s fancy shindigs?”
“Zak...” If he would just stop poking at the old wounds, although she probably should have expected it. But she needed his help so badly and she needed him not to be angry with her, or resentful.
He held up a hand. “Sorry. I’ll be good. Why don’t I wait until the coffee’s done? Then we’ll talk.”
Lost in thought as she tried to create a story with some semblance of coherency, she was startled when Zak put a mug filled with hot liquid in front of her.
“Drink this. You look like you could use a good jolt of caffeine.”
“Thanks.” She picked the mug up with two hands but they were shaking so badly the hot coffee sloshed over onto her skin and the table. She put the mug down quickly, more liquid spilling over the rim. “Oh! Oh, Zak, I’m so sorry.”
He looked at her shaking hands and the puddle of liquid. “Don’t worry. Hold on a sec.”
He snagged paper towels from the holder on the counter, mopped the table, then gently blotted her hands. When she curled her fingers into her palms, trying to still the trembling, his hands closed over hers. They were firm and warm, and the heat from them seeped into her system more than the hot coffee could ever have done.
“Kat?” The deep sound of his voice cut through her panic. “Kat, look at me.”
She forced her eyes to meet his. “What?”
“Take a deep breath. Good. Another one.” Air whooshed out of her lungs as he released her hands and sat down opposite her. “So let me ask you. Was tonight’s call to Zak Delaney the man who was your one-time...well, whatever I was? Was it a call to me personally or do you want to hire our security services?”
The jackhammer in her head had finally eased but she still had trouble focusing, putting the pieces together. God, if only she could think straight. But his was a fair enough question. Which one had she called? She knew that, a year ago, Zak had merged with the much larger Guardian Security Corporation, becoming a partner with Reno Sullivan and Nick Vanetta.
She knew Guardian was considered one of the largest operations in the country. It provided a wide range of services for both its corporate and individual clients, and occasionally did under the radar work for the government. She hadn’t given a thought to how Zak’s partners would feel about this. Would they object to him helping her? Maybe he wouldn’t even want to help her. He might still resent her. Or not want to involve his partners.
How should she answer him?
“Both, I guess,” she admitted. “But...mostly you.”
A mixture of surprise and...something else...caring?...flashed across his face, then disappeared so quickly she wasn’t even sure she’d seen it.
“That’s a shocker, I gotta tell you.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “We didn’t exactly part on what you’d call the best of terms, if I remember correctly.”
Well, she supposed he had to say it.
The nausea was rolling up out of her stomach now. She was terrified and he was her only hope, but what if he couldn’t get past everything that had happened before? If all he wanted to do was throw ancient history at her, then call the police, what would she do? She couldn’t think of any place else to turn.
“Zak, listen...”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry. Knee jerk reaction.” He turned and looked at her, studying her face as if he expected to read the answers to his unasked questions written in indelible ink. “I really am sorry, Kat. I’m being a jerk. I realize you’d have to be pretty desperate to call me, so let’s cut to the chase. You’ve got to tell me what happened if you want my help.”
Was that a trace of leftover affection in his tone? Oh, God, she hoped so.
Zak added fresh coffee to her mug, then folded his fingers around hers while she took a sip. The contact was like a jolt of electricity zapping through her body. The chemistry between them was certainly still there, and when he moved his hand away she wanted to reach for him but forcibly stopped herself.

Find the book at:

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/

http://www.amazon.com/

http://www.fictionwise.com/

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/

And please visit me at

http://www.judithrochelle.com/

Pearls of Wisdom - A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

I'm excited to report that although I still don't have a release date for my next book, Love, Capri Style, I do at least have a cover. And here it is!

I like this cover. You've got the sexy but mysterious headless couple, the fun pink background and the lighthouse at Capri. It's a nice touch that the artist, Rae Monet, went to the trouble of getting an image of Capri and not just some random image of an island.

Another thing I really like about this cover is that it shouldn't offend anyone.

I loved the cover of my first book, Thirty-Nine Again. I thought it was risque without being crude or shocking. Turns out crude and shocking is in the eye of the beholder. Some reviewers refused to display my book cover. More than a few women have looked at the book, "tsk-tsk'd" at the cover and put it back down. A number who were bold enough to buy it have complained that they felt the need to hide it from their kids.

And an amazing number of people thought it was quite a bold and controversial book, because they believed the couple on the cover is two women. Me, I thought the guy was kind of hot. But I always have had a thing for androgynous males, going way back to David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust days. So I guess I'm not the best judge of manly-looking book cover heroes, eh?

Authors don't usually get the final say on their book covers. However, most reputable publishers will ask for your feedback before going to print. It's a good idea to consider who you expect your audience to be. If you're aiming for a bunch of forty-something women who might have little kids at home, you might want to suggest to your editor that everyone on the cover be fully clothed. No matter how much you personally might like that naked androgynous guy. And that's my pearl of wisdom for this month!

Lynn Reynolds is the author of "chick noir" suspense novel Thirty-Nine Again, which RT Book Reviews called "a first-class mystery and a first-class read." Her next book, Love, Capri Style, is a sun-drenched, fun-filled contemporary romance set on the island of Capri.

Happy Birthday, America !

Brenda

www.BrendaWilliamson.com

The Evil Wizard

By Janet Quinn

I am finally starting a new book. It is one I have been thinking about for awhile, but have been busy with other projects. It is a fantasy, alternate universe romance.

Seeing as there an alternate universe, then an new universe needs to be created. This has been causing me some trouble. I have been trying to figure out what the villain – the evil wizard – wants. Why is he moving from his universe to our universe and why is he killing people? I like the killing part. He could have just been stealing something, but then why would anyone want to capture him if he isn’t doing something that stands out. There has to be a reason for Pax to be chasing him and get swept into the wizard’s universe.

A couple of weeks ago, my youngest son and I got stuck in the drive-through line at KFC. It can be really slow. (Then when we got home, my order wasn’t in there.) Anyway, we were discussing my new story. He is really a lot of help with world building. He plays a lot of role playing games. So, after talking over the wizard with everyone I know, we finally came up with the answer as to what he wants. I had gotten the idea of a crystal from my plot group, but as a tool for collecting energy, which didn’t require murder.

Now I have to write the legend of the thousand year old crystal that has been cracked to protect the world. The possessor of this crystal can gain magic so strong that no one can stop him from whatever he wants. Of course the wizards wants the crystal. However, he needs to heal it. The brains of those in our universe posses an energy that is not in the brains of those within his universe and he had discovered that the energy will help heal the crystal. The problem is, it takes a great deal of energy to heal the crack in the crystal.

Also, the alternate universe is a magical universe and is a monarchy. It needs to be different from our universe. The ruler of the city-state that is the same as New York is a prince who lives in a castle. He rules because he has inherited the job from his father. The problem is, the ruling family has lost most of their magic and have to hire others to help them. The castle floats in the air above the city right over where Central Park is.

The heroine has magical powers. I’m still trying to figure those out, but she can read the energy that comes from objects that she touches. That is how she know Pax is really a good guy when she snags his gun as he flies into her upon entering her world. She also can freeze people in their tracks, which she does to Pax. And thus opens the book.

I am starting a new contest tomorrow and am giving away new short stories about Jubilee and Sam from Freedom’s Treasure. Stop by my webpage and enter. www.janet-quinn.com

Have a safe and fun July 4^th.

jasonrobertbrown.com - weblog - archives

jasonrobertbrown.com - weblog - archives

This, you must read. It is fascinating! A transcript of correspondence (with permission of the correspondee) between a copyright infringer and a composer and copyright owner.

Fireworks in Romance ~ To Capture a Cat Burglar

Fireworks: Grace Kelly and Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 "To Catch a Thief"

Greetings from the tame prairie. It’s that explosive time of year. This coming Sunday is the Fourth of July, as it’s popularly known, or the real name: Independence Day. For several reasons, including the famous *firework’s kiss scene*, I recalled the 1955 Cary Grant movie, To Catch a Thief.

Originally, I saw the movie on late-night TV when I was an older teenager. The film made such a huge impact on me I’ve never forgotten it, lo these many intervening years. In a way, everything about that movie ~ the actors, the passionate romance, the action/suspense plot, the way it was shot/edited, the jewel-intense color, and the fabulous witty dialogue ~ has acted as a romance-story archetype for me ~ one of many. If you’ve never seen this highly sensual and suspenseful silver-screen movie, check it out!

For fun, and simply to indulge myself, here’s my writerly take-off on the firework’s kiss scene.

To Capture a Cat Burglar

The instant Sherissy entered the hotel’s sky lounge, Dolan set his drink down. Surreptitiously, he raked his gaze over the gorgeous woman who had him captured, lock, stock and hard-as-a-rock. The dark ironic joke on him, though, he was supposed to capture her. That is, if he wanted to collect the insanely large private bounty on her.

The big catch, it was only collectible if he could prove Sherissy, aka the Wildcat, had stolen the socialite’s rare gem collection.

From a booth near the back wall, he watched her move toward him, her saunter a unique combination of grace and athleticism. The style of her evening gown enhanced her sleek shape, yet displayed her sensual curves, especially her thighs.

With the utter confidence of a pantheress, she eyed him as he stood to meet her. The smoke-black taffeta of her evening gown subtly glistened in the soft illumination, a perfect foil for the bronze-red shade of her hair and the golden ivory coloring of her skin.

Resisting the urge to finger the blue diamond tucked deep inside his jacket pocket, he didn’t resist lingering his gaze on her face. Intentionally, he let the Wildcat know he found the angular beauty of her feline features utterly enchanting.

“Dolan.” Her throaty voice teased him without mercy. He liked it that way.

Sweeping her palm beneath his lips, he pressed a long kiss in the center, and felt her slight shudder. With his own ardor rising like a tropical heat wave, he straightened, then released her hand. “Sherissy, my stunning beauty.”

“Mmmm... the fireworks have already begun. Good.” Her smoldering gaze traveled the length of his body. Damn, but her thorough perusal had him standing ‘at attention’.

“There are certainly sparklers in your eyes, darling. Is it the view?” Dolan offered his arm as his wildcat burglar arched her brows.

“Did I notice... a bulge?” She smiled, slow and seductive. “In your jacket pocket?”

The lissome turn of her hips and the swish of her gown as she moved beside him, then took his arm, was a siren song that played him just right. “I need your opinion on a rare gem. My expertise cannot match yours.”

“Why do you say that? As you can see, Dolan.” With a feline’s light step, she twirled before him. “I have worn no jewelry.”

Her fingers, with their sharp, golden-sparkling nails, traced the bare swells of her bosom. He stared at the enticement she offered, then blinked as she pivoted beside him, once again.

Regaining a portion of his rational mind, he led her toward the lounge’s exit. “Admit it, darling. I know you advised Countess Ralinskova recently on the purchase of a tiara.”

“Did I?”

Smooth and cool as an ice cube, her voice, while the brush of her thigh against his, despite her gown and his trousers, had him blazing with the need to capture her against him and find her mouth with his.

“I have it from the Countess’s own lips.”

He escorted her within the private elevator that would take them to the suite he’d reserved. Once he pressed the panel button, they faced each another. For an instant, their gazes locked. Her jade green eyes flared reminding him of cat’s eyes in the dark.

“Interesting, indeed, Dolan.” Her hand smoothed up his tie. “I am excited by the very thought of watching fireworks with you tonight. The white-hot explosions. The savage passion of colorful fire against the black velvet night.”

“The celebration of bombs bursting in air. Sound and fury all around us.” Trapping her slim hand, Dolan lifted it to his lips. He grazed her fingertips, and the claw-like tips of her nails, over his lips until the elevator halted.

She spun from him, lithe as a puma he’d once observed in the wild. The alluring sway of her hips had him gawking like a youth on his first date. Still, he pursued his quarry. “The tiara was once stolen by the cat burglar known as the Wildcat.”

“Is that so? I had heard she retired from her law-breaking ways.” Twisting at the waist, she smiled in a manner that beguiled him. “Has this Wildcat returned to her nefarious profession?”

“Let’s find out.” Dolan moved toward her, the woman he wanted to capture beneath him. The woman he wanted exclusively for himself. To hell with the damn bounty. Still, he had to know the truth.


“How do we find out?” She lifted her shoulder, her posture a taunt.

“Aren’t you burning to touch it? To hold it?”

“Am I burning... to hold it?”

Her whisper scorched him. He stood so close to her their bodies nearly touched. Their breaths rushed and joined and danced like wind-carried mist.

“Tell me the truth, Sherissy.” Taking hold of her hand, he flattened it over the blue diamond. “Don’t you want to see it gleam and sparkle in your palm?”

With an ache that threatened to blow him apart as if he were a fireworks factory struck by lightning, he waited.

“Show me. Show me, Dolan.” Stepping back from him, she held out her small hand.

The bitterness of disappointment almost drowned him. In the following instant, as he drew the blue diamond out his jacket pocket, he didn’t care. The truth for him. All he cared about was her. His Wildcat woman. Only she wasn’t his. Not yet.

Dolan dropped the gem in her palm, where it glittered like a piece of summer sky. As she held it up, closely examining the blue diamond’s interior, the fireworks display lit up the lavishly furnished room. Spectacular flashes of color added to the sheen of her upswept hair and reflected from the gem’s faceted surface.

“Magical.” Drawn to her as if she’d cast a gypsy love spell on him, Dolan closed the short distance between them.

“No, it’s not magical. Your blue diamond is flawed. Almost worthless.” She pressed it into his palm. “Is that what you wanted to know, Dolan?”

He let the gem fall to the carpet, disturbed because he couldn’t read her emotions. Her eyes shone, flawless and enigmatic, on him. “That was only a test, darling.”

“Am I only a test?” Her low sultry tone bewitched him. “Or, more properly spoken, Dolan, am I only one more conquest?”

He seized her against him, his mysterious cat woman. Swooping toward her lips, Dolan possessed her mouth with a long punishing kiss, born from the primal fires she ignited in him. Like a rosebud about to burst into bloom, Sherissy opened to his desire for her. Surrendering her soft svelte body against him, she looped her arms around his neck, and offered the impassioned fierceness of her kisses.
~~~~~~

Happy Fireworks and Freedom day!

Savanna

Savanna Kougar

~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~

Savanna Kougar is an ebook and print author with Siren-BookStrand, Liquid Silver Books and Aspen Mountain Press. She writes love stories because that’s her deepest heart. She writes in the futuristic/fantasy/paranormal subgenres because that’s her fiercest passion. You can find her at her personal blog ~ Kougar Kisses ~ and at the following blogs as a contributor.

SHAPESHIFTER SEDUCTIONS
HAPPILY EVER AFTER ~
LINDSAY’S ROMANTICS
Romance Writer’s Behaving Badly
TITLE MAGIC