Thursday, December 30, 2010

Free For All Friday! Meet Author A J Nuest!!

Welcome! Today we're talking with Wild Rose Press author, AJ Nuest! Her first novel with TWRP is JEZEBEL'S WISH, a contemporary romance will be out April 15th, 2011 -- so you have something to spend your tax refund on;)
AJ's website is under construction right now -- hope she's got some hot guys in hardhats doing the work;) -- but please visit AJ's blog: http://www.ajbooks.blogspot.com/

Meanwhile, here's a little teaser from JEZEBEL'S WISH:

Haunted by nightmares, tormented by guilt, Jezebel came to Redemption Ranch to escape the past—except now she's stuck in the middle of nowhere with no redemption in sight. When her mother pushes her into riding lessons with local veterinarian Matthias Saunders, Jezebel balks. Sure, the doctor is gorgeous, but he’s completely obnoxious and knows how to push every one of her buttons.

Only her deep connection with The Reverend, a gentle stallion who guards her darkest secrets, has her agreeing to spend any more time with Dr. Saunders. Caring for the stallion is the first bright spot in her life in months, and if being around the horse means she has to deal with Matthias Saunders, then so be it. Surely a city girl like her can handle one country vet—even one with disturbing blue eyes. Can't she?
 Excerpt:

Jezzy stopped. “I thought I was having a riding lesson.”
“You are.” He nodded toward the empty paddock. “Go in.”
“Go in?” Jezzy propped a hand on her hip. “You sure you know what you’re doing? Because it was my understanding that an actual horse is needed for a riding lesson.”
“Don’t you think it would be wise at this juncture to leave the understanding up to the professionals?”
Jezzy rolled her eyes. “You’re making this way too easy. Professionals? Please. Don’t get me started.”
“Why not? Getting you started is exactly what I’m here for.”
Jezzy’s jaw dropped. She didn’t quite know how to interpret that remark.
He held out the rope. “Now go in. And take this lead line with you.”
Steely blue determination glinted in his eyes. There was no way he was going to give in.
Jezzy snatched the lead line from his hand and stormed through the gate, then turned when he closed it behind her.
He put a foot on the bottom railing and rested against the gate, facing the horizon. “Take the chair to the center of the paddock and sit down.”
“And just exactly how is that supposed to teach me to ride?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “You want out of the deal?”
Jezzy’s fist clenched tight around the lead line. What she wanted was to march back to the fence and smack his face.

**
Sounds like a great read, AJ. I can't wait until April. I hope you'll come back and be my guest then.  :)
And now, here's a great article AJ has penned for those of us contemplating our New Year's resolution.

Are You Gaining From Your Gaps?

Happy New Year! Please pause from your goal setting and story plotting, and collectively raise your glass to toast the places we’ve reached in our writing careers, thus far. Congratulations to all of us for the great strides we’ve taken in 2010!
If you’re anything like me, the week between Christmas and the New Year is a time to reflect. I look at the changes in my children and shake my head in wonder. I study the laugh lines near my eyes and try to figure out where in the world the time has gone. I ponder all the things I had hoped to accomplish over the past twelve months, sigh, and then add them once again to my ever-growing list of resolutions for the upcoming year.
This will be the year I finally secure an agent. I will stop being so persnickety about my website, quit procrastinating and get it up and running, already. I will write that NYTimes Best Seller I have waiting inside to touch the hearts and minds of millions (and in the process present my husband the opportunity to get that private pilot’s license he’s always dreamed of having). I will be a more attentive wife and have endless patience with my children (no more shouting). I will pray daily and let go all those little things I’m quite aware I have no control over. I will be a better friend, a better listener, a devoted daughter and sister. I will become more involved in my community, get more exercise and finally lose those pesky ten pounds I’ve been carrying around the last fifteen years.
I will bask in my victories, and even more importantly, I will gain from my gaps–those ever-elusive spaces between reaching my ultimate goal, and the times when I fall short.
A writer’s path to publication is a perilous journey fraught with flat tires and muddy potholes. In fact, (and feel free to correct me if I’m wrong), I can’t think of one other industry where a person hands off a “finished” product to another, just so that product can be judged and told it’s unworthy, actually NOT finished, or even worse yet, belongs in the wastebasket. During the submission process, the achievement of our goals are ultimately left in another’s hands, and then usually followed by a rejection letter, or constructive criticism, or even the occasional downright rude comment–all obstacles thrown in the path of our goals.
I faced many of these “gaps” during the past year, but the important thing is the distance I gained in the process. And trust me, I know how hard it is to set aside the tissue box and step back from the third “not at this time” letter in order to dissect the information and take away something of value.
For me, 2010 contained a deep learning curve. And based on the many articles I’ve read regarding the future of e-books, self-publishing, shrinkage of stand-alone book sellers and the dynamically changing market, I’ll learn many new things this next year, as well. But I’ll stay focused and keep hitting the keys, because that’s where my passion lies.
Will I reach all my goals for 2011? Gosh, I sure hope so. But either way, what I learn from my gaps along the way is what’s important. I need to remember that not every step I take will ultimately end in success…well, at least not the first time, but as long as I keep moving forward I’ll eventually get there.
So, as I sit down with pen in hand to make a list of my goals for the upcoming year, I draw a line down the center of the page and make a list of my gaps, as well. I mark a little asterisk beside each and ask myself what I learned, and how I can shorten that gap in 2011. Then even more importantly, I measure the width of that gap since 2009, recognize how much I’ve gained, and realize that I’m closer now than I was before. I celebrate the distance I’ve traveled, the shortening of my gap, and see tangible proof that success is nearer at hand.   
I would challenge each of us to make a record of our gaps in 2011. But not so we can wallow in them. So we can use them to our advantage. Whether personally or professionally, these gaps can help motivate, educate, and springboard each of us toward a more successful life.
So, what have you recently gained from your gaps?

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Witty, Wacky Wednesday!

You Know You've Been Drinking Way Too Much Coffee When.....

  • Juan Valdez named his donkey after you. 
  •  
  • You haven't blinked since the last lunar eclipse.
  • The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse.
  •  
  • You walk twenty miles on your treadmill before you realize it's not plugged in. 
  •  
  • Charles Manson thinks you need to calm down
  •  
  • You channel surf faster without a remote. 
  •  
  • You name your cats "Cream" and "Sugar."
  • You can outlast the Energizer bunny. 
  •  
  • You short out motion detectors. 
  •  
  • Your nervous twitch registers on the Richter scale.
  • You help your dog chase its tail. 
  •  
  • You're up to four heart attacks a day.
  • Your coffee mug is insured by Lloyd's of London.
  • You think CPR stands for "Coffee Provides Resuscitation." 
  •  
  • Your first-aid kit contains two pints of coffee with an I.V. hookup.
  • You're passing everybody on the freeway when you suddenly realize: you left your car at home!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

AND THE WINNER IS.......!

J.D.  !!!!!!! *confetti - whistles*
Congrats, J.D.! I'll contact you with your gift certificate for an e-book!!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Free For All Friday!! - Free e-Book

Who was your favorite 007?
James and I go way back. My mom and dad were both big fans, so I've been there for every gadget, every cool car, every bikini-clad Bond girl - and I've loved every covert minute;)
But since we're talking favorites............I have to choose Pierce Brosnan. Yes, Sean Connery has a suave-ness like no other, Roger Moore has a mocking wit, Daniel Craig has a dark side that appeals to the writer in me, but Pierce, ah, Pierce.............I've loved him since he played Remington Steele.

So tell me who your favorite 007 is -- or even your favorite James Bond movie and I'll enter you in a drawing for a gift certificate for a free e-book from The Wild Rose Press!
And next week................get ready to drool!! Every day will be Man Candy Monday!! *Just a little something to make your holiday hotter*

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Witty, Wacky, Wild Wednesday!

You Know You're Having a Bad Day When...


  • Your horn sticks on the freeway behind 32 Hell's Angels motorcyclists.


  • You've been at work 3 hours before you notice that your blouse unbuttoned.


  • Your twin sister forgets your birthday.


  • Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles.


  • You call the suicide prevention hotline and they put you on hold.


  • You have to sit down to brush your teeth in the morning.


  • Your income tax refund check bounces.


  • The bird singing outside your window is a vulture.


  • Your blind date turns out to be your ex-wife/husband.


  • You put both contacts into the same eye.


  • Your mother approves of the person you're dating.


  • Your doctor tells you that you're allergic to chocolate.


  • You have to borrow from your Visa card to pay your Mastercard.


  • You invite the peeping Tom in... and he says no.


  • People think that you're 40 and you're only 25.


  • You call your spouse and tell them that you'd like to eat out tonight and when you get home, your find a sandwich on the front porch.


  • You start to put on the clothes that you wore home from the party last night...... and there aren't any.


  • It costs more to fill up your car than it did to buy it.

  • Friday, December 10, 2010

    .......BREAKING NEWS!!! ..........

    I just got my cover for RAFE'S REDEMPTION! I love it!

    What do you think?

    Free For All Friday - Meet Author Cindy Green!

    Hello everyone! Today I'm talking with fellow Wild Rose Press author, Cindy Green!

    Cindy is one of those talented authors who can write in many genres and so them all justice! She is one busy lady :) Please stop by her website, www.cindykgreen.com, to find out how to purchase her fabulous Christmas story, and then come back and get to know Cindy!

    1. When did you start writing?  What made you want to be a writer?
    Growing up, I always wanted to be a writer. I’m the oldest of five kids in our family and so I wrote stories for my younger siblings as far back as I can remember. I still have a folder full of my scribblings between the ages of 12 and 18. My favorite authors were Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen and LM Montgomery. They were great inspirations to me. Once I got into college, my focus changed and I started writing serious history. I even won a couple awards for my scholarship. It was about six years ago when we moved from CA to NC and I found myself a stay at home mom that I started writing again. It began as something cathartic for myself and eventually I sought publication. My first book released at Christmas time in 2006.

    2. Tell us about your genre.
    Let’s see, where do I begin…Whenever I’m asked this question I seriously have to make out a list. And I make no excuses for it. I love skipping from genre to genre, stretching my writer’s legs or fingers—or to be more precise my imagination and my writer’s niche. It keeps the writing fresh and exciting. My subgenres of romance include: Inspirational, Young Adult, Historical, Historical Western, Mainstream Contemporary, and Romantic Suspense. I’ve even written a high fantasy. I told you it was a lot.
    3. Do you have a critique partner(s)?
    I do have a critique partner. I started out in a whole critiquing group but that kind of fizzled out. Then I met my current cp. We write for the same publisher and our writing style and view of the world is similar. She’s really helped me grow as an author. Sometimes it’s just nice to have someone to talk to who knows what it’s like being an author—the trials and tribulations, the frustrations and the joys. We’ve become very close over the years.

    4. Tell us about your WIP.
    I’m just finishing up a romantic suspense/romantic comedy called Nora Sleuths the Detective. It’s a first person humorously written novel. Nora is in a major financial crunch—bills she just can’t pay. She’s about to be canned from the temp agency because she’s had so many mishaps and as a last resort she’s sent to a private detective’s office. Poor Nora has a whole lot going on and then she’s sent into a situation of intrigue and excitement. And of course on her first day of work, she discovers the dead body of one of their clients and is later captured and tied up in a closet with her attractive boss. It’s great fun!

    5. Who was your writing influence?
    Without a doubt—Jane Austen. She’s been a favorite since I first read Pride in Prejudice as a twelve year old girl (Although her novel Persuasion is now my favorite.). Through the years I’ve come to appreciate and love her writing. Miss Austen had a special gift, a talent if you will, not just in writing but in knowing people. Think about it. Here is this prim and proper (though some would argue this point) Regency era woman, unmarried, and coming from the middle of the social pool—and she has this uncanny ability to write the most terrific characters. She wrote characters to hate, laugh at, and fall in love with. Some of the other greats of classic literature also had this remarkable ability—Dickens for instance and Shakespeare. Think of their casts of characters that once read will never be forgotten.
    A modern day author who inspires me is Janet Evanovich. Her characters crack me up. I’d love to write like her too. Meg Cabot also for the YA author in me. I love to laugh and make others laugh.
    6. Do you have a new release?
    Yes I do. All I Want for Christmas is a best friend’s romance, an office romance. My heroine, Kathryn, hates Christmas and there is a history of why behind it. She’s a magazine writer who would love to get into some serious journalism instead of writing puff pieces all the time. Her co-worker and friend, Nick, loves Christmas and decides to improve Kathryn’s Christmas spirit by sending her gifts from a Secret Santa during the 12 days before Christmas. It’s a romance, a holiday story, it’s fun and humorous and touching too. For Kathryn, she has a lot of growing to do by the end of the story.

    Here is an excerpt from All I Want for Christmas:
    Halfway through the film, Nick’s fingers brushed over Kathryn’s wrist and a surge whipped through her like an electrical charge. His hand ended up on her knee, and he leaned over close to her ear. “You have any more of those Milkduds?”

    “Huh?” Oh, candy. He just wanted more snacks. Well, of course, what other reason would he have for touching her like that?

    “Here,” she whispered and held out the container to him.

    His face remained close to hers, his warm hand still molded to the shape of her knee. She accidentally moved in too close and her forehead bumped his cheek. Looking up at him, Kathryn saw he wasn’t smiling. His eyes had grown serious and all thoughts of candy dissipated. His attention dropped to her mouth and suddenly Kathryn couldn’t swallow. Could he possibly be considering kissing her? Just then, he turned his attention back to the movie and lifted his hand from her knee.


    An unexplainable inclination took over as Kathryn pushed his hand back to her knee. His face whipped back to her. Questions filled his features. His chest moved up and then down. He smoothed his hand over her pants from her knee to her thigh and back again. Her skin pebbled under the material at his touch. This was soon followed by heat tingling from her stomach to the tips of her toes.

    She leaned in towards him and he met her halfway. And just like that their lips met. Giddiness spun through Kathryn’s head with sparks tingling her skin. The kiss was light and sweet yet searing all at once. Lucidity began to return to her the next moment. What was she doing? Oh, right, she was kissing Nick Pringle. She was kissing a co-worker. Worse yet, she was making out with her best friend. What was she thinking? She had to stop and yet it was the last thing she wanted to do.


    The whole idea was ludicrous. An outrageous act and yet somehow her body’s sole response was that it wanted more. Whoa! Had it been that long since she’d had a date? Time to reign in those annoying hormones which threatened to take over her sanity.

    She broke off the kiss and rested her hand against his chest. She could feel his heart speeding at the rate of a train. A train wreck is more like it. Ay-yi-yi! How was she going to get herself out of this one?

    Available at Champagne Books (just reduced to 2.99), All Romance e-books and Amazon.


    (Join my Newsletter this month as I’m sending out a FREE READ Prequel to All I Want for Christmas. How Kat & Nick first met.)

    Stop by my website to learn more about my Christmas Contest.

    Thanks for having me today, Jennifer.


    ****
    Cindy K. Green is a multi-published author with degrees in History and Education. Previously a middle school English & History teacher, she now homeschools her own children and writes in several genres: Inspirational, Contemporary, YA, Suspense and Historical romance. Find out more about Cindy and her books at www.cindykgreen.com. You can also visit her on her Blog. In addition, she has a Homeschooling Blog and a Teen Fiction Blog. She can be reached by email at cindy@cindykgreen.com. She’s on Myspace Facebook Twitter and Twitter for her YA friends. And she has a Newsletter.

    Tuesday, December 7, 2010

    Wild, Witty, Wacky Wednesday!

    10 Signs You've Joined A Cheap HMO!

    10.Staff physicians include Dr. Who, Dr. Kevorkian and Dr. Demento.

    9.Tongue depressors taste faintly of Fudgesicle.

    8.Annual breast exam conducted at Hooters.

    7.With your last HMO, your birth control pills didn't come in different colors with little "M's" on them.

    6.Your "primary care physician" is wearing the pants you gave to Goodwill last month.

    5. Directions to your doctor's office include: "Take a left when you enter the trailer park."

    4. Your kidney transplant surgery is held up while your surgeon awaits his arraignment for grave robbing.

    3. The only expense covered 100% is embalming.

    2. Only proctologist in the plan is "Gus" from Roto-Rooter.

    1. You ask for Viagra. You get a Popsicle stick and duct tape.

    Thursday, December 2, 2010

    Free For All Friday -- Meet Author Alison Henderson!

    By now all of you know how much I love hosting my "western" girls! Today I'm pleased to have Alison Henderson as my guest. She shares my love for old Westerns - a common trait for those of us writing the genre;)

    Alison is published with The Wild Rose Press. Her wonderful story, HARVEST OF DREAMS, is available now, http://www.thewildrosepress.com/, and her next novel, A MAN LIKE THAT, is coming soon!

    You can visit Alison at: www.alisonhenderson.com, then come on back and we'll talk with Alison about my favorite topic, western heroes;)

    Take it away, Alison!

    My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys

    I grew up watching cowboys on TV.  That might date me, but why try to hide it?  When I was growing up, my siblings and I watched Roy Rogers every Saturday morning at my grandmother’s house.  It was a huge treat for us (and for my mother, although I didn’t recognize it at the time).  For years, we never missed an episode of Bonanza.  Maverick?  The Rifleman?  Rawhide?  I loved them all.  To this day, I have a friend who still idolizes Paladin of Have Gun, Will Travel (you know who you are, Liz).  Something about those Western heroes resonated with me as a young girl and still does.

    The concept of “The West” has stirred the American imagination since we first became a nation.  The West was a wide open place full of limitless possibilities—a place where a person could invent, or reinvent, himself.  For better or worse, the realities of life on the frontier stripped away the veneer of civilization and exposed a man for who he really was.

    The icon of the West in nineteenth century journalism and literature was the cowboy—lawmen and outlaws are just variations.  These men were portrayed as stalwart, courageous, and true to their own code of honor, whether that code fell within the law or not.  They were taciturn and independent to a fault.  What a challenge for a strong woman!

    Hollywood has brought us some of the best examples of the Western hero, but to appreciate the archetype you have to look back before the anti-hero of recent Western movies to the golden era of the ‘forties and ‘fifties.  When you think “Western hero”, most people think of John Wayne, and many film critics have rated The Searchers as the greatest Western of all time. 

    But I never cared for the tortured character of Ethan Edwards.  I much prefer the Duke in an earlier, lesser known film, Angel and the Badman, in which he plays a gunslinger who is nursed back to health by a Quaker girl and is ultimately forced to choose between the violence of his old life and his burgeoning love for her.  It’s definitely the stuff of which great romance novels are made.    

    However, my nomination for the ultimate Western hero is Gary Cooper as Sheriff Will Kane in High Noon.  A man who has vowed to kill Kane is scheduled to arrive on the noon train.  Tension mounts as Sheriff Kane tries to find someone in town to stand up with him against the outlaw, but one after another the townspeople fail him.  Everyone tries to convince him to run away, including his lovely bride, Amy (played by Grace Kelly), but Kane refuses.  We see the sheriff’s growing fear as the hours count down toward noon, but he refuses to give in.  Will Kane is the embodiment of true courage—not the lack of fear but standing resolute in the face of it.  And in the end, he’s saved by the courage of the woman who loves him.   Amy conquers her own fears and acts against deeply held beliefs to save her man.  It just doesn’t get any better than that.        

    Real Western heroes are strong, brave, and selfless.  They’re grown-ups.  Now I love charming rogues as much as the next woman, but when it comes to a hero, isn’t that what we really want?  Whether your hero is a vampire, a cop, or a spy, there are few things sexier than a man doing what a man’s got to do.

    What do you look for in a hero?

    My latest release, Harvest of Dreams, explores many of these themes, and I think my hero can hold his own with the best of them.  Here’s a brief blurb:

    Alone on her farm in the middle of a blizzard, young widow Lisa McAllister labors to give birth to her first child.  Help arrives in the strong hands of a stranger wearing a six-gun.  Lisa has no reason to trust this man who makes a living by violence, even if he is on the right side of the law.  Men and their guns have already claimed the lives of her father, brother, and husband, and she’s determined to protect her son at any cost. 

    Jared Tanner, a security agent for the stagecoach, has been on his own since he was twelve.  Against his better judgment, his feelings of protectiveness toward Lisa and her baby turn to something deeper, and he is tempted by the possibility of a family of his own. Can their tender new love survive when an act of ultimate violence threatens to tear them apart?

    Thanks for joining me today, and I invite you to visit me on the web at www.alisonhenderson.com

    # # #
    Alison grew up in Kansas City on the edge of the prairie.  One of her favorite memories is of the fringed turquoise cowgirl outfit she received for her fifth Christmas.  She went off to New York to study art history at Vassar College but never lost her admiration for the fortitude of the pioneers who settled the American West.  She began writing when her daughter entered pre-school and was quickly captivated by the creative process.

    Although she has traveled the world from Japan to Tunisia, Alison has never strayed far from her Midwestern roots.  She and her husband are empty-nesters living in Minnesota, and their daughter is a graduate student in Chicago.
     
    Thanks so much for being my guest today, Alison!

    Tuesday, November 30, 2010

    Wild, Wacky, Witty Wednesday!

    Top Ten Reasons You Know If You Have PMS 

    10. Everyone around you has an attitude problem.

    9. You're adding chocolate chips to your cheese omelette.

    8. The dryer has shrunk every last pair of your jeans.

    7. Your husband is suddenly agreeing to everything you say.

    6. You call every "How's my driving?" bumper sticker number to complain.

    5. Everyone's head looks like an invitation to batting practice.

    4. You're convinced there's a God and he's male.

    3. You're counting down the days until menopause.

    2. You're sure that everyone is scheming to drive you crazy.

    1. The Ibuprofen bottle is empty and you bought it yesterday.

    Thursday, November 25, 2010

    Free For All Friday - Meet Writer Trish Leger!

    Hi everyone! Snap out of that turkey induced coma and welcome my friend and fellow Ass Cheek Angel blogger, Trish Leger. I met Trish in Orlando this summer at the RWA conference. Since then I've been lucky enough to read a part of book 3 from her paranormal romance series, THE AMBER DRUIDS. I loved the uniqueness of her story -- not to mention it's got a great amount of heat;) 
    So help me welcome Trish, then take time to visit her website: www.trishfleger.webs.com

    Take it away, Trish


                My full name is Trish Finley Leger. I’m married to a wonderfully supportive man, Micah. We have been married for over a year, but have been together for over five years. We live in a small southern Louisiana town called Kinder, home of the Coushatta Casino Resort and the Kinder Yellowjackets!
                Being from the south, you tend to hand on to a few of the clichés that surround you. It is normal for us to ask “What’s your last name?” and “Where are you from?” when we first meet a stranger. It is our informal way of being nosy and getting a good read on what type of person you are.
                We southerners also love to eat, dance and hang out with family and friends, preferably to watch football! We don’t discriminate, be it high school, college or NFL…as long as the mascots are Bayou Bengals (LSU) or they wear the colors black and gold (Geaux Saints!)  J
                I’m just starting a new contemporary romance that will hopefully capture the true down-home feel of the south.

                                                                When did you start writing?
     
    To be honest, I wanted to start writing the minute I finished Whitney My Love by Judith McNaught,but I was only 17 and knew I wasn’t ready. So instead I continued to read voraciously, moving through book after book like they were pop quizzes instead of 400 pages novels.  When I finally built up the courage to write something I was married and twenty one years old. Little did I know how much learning I would have to do, not only in the writing department. When my marriage started togo downhill, and then my husband left, I couldn’t bear to write anything. Every thread of anger wept onto the page and the story became a living entity of rage. I put aside the story and never touched it again.Only after meeting Micah was I able to write anything worthy of reading. In the past five years I have written  six books.

    What got you interested in your chosen genre?
    I will be the first to tell you that I’m a chicken. I hate scary movies and hate being scared, period. So the paranormal genre was an odd choice for me, even to read, but once I started I couldn’t stop. When I write paranormals I still maintain the focus of the relationship between the H/H as central. I don’t let the supernatural overtake the story. That being said, who doesn’t love to read about a seductively arrogant, assertive, and dominant hero? To me, giving the hero a touch of something otherworldly adds to his mystique and makes the readers dissolve with want to read his story. I believe the paranormal genre gives us the best of everything.

    What is your perfect writing place?

    I would love to tell you that I sit in a log cabin, where a wall of windows overlooks a snow laden valley. The tumble and crackle of logs are my music while I recline on an overstuffed leather sofa and flames from the fireplace heat my feet….yeah, right! I sit on my bed with a million pillows around me. That’s it…nothing fancy, but it works!

    Tell us something about your hero that makes women fall in love with him.
     
    I think I will go with my favorite Scotsman for this question. His name is Brenan McKinnon. Brenan is an Amber Druid, a human male with an abundance of special abilities. He is amazingly strong, can ease pain and is also telekinetic (can move objects with his mind). He is the epitome of tall, dark and dangerously handsome…he is also a smart ass. One that Jules (his future mate) longs to slap, but also yearns to hold tight to her, so that he can never get away.
    Brenan has the insane urge to protect the petite P.I. that is helping him, but knows she won’t allow it. Jules fights the attraction to Brenan with everything she has but ultimately she does give in.
    With his wicked smile, deep blue eyes, seductive brogue and protective instinct, what woman wouldn’t want Brenan for herself?
    I’ve added an excerpt from Brenan’s book. You can also find more on my website and blog…

    ***

                    Her breath stuttered to a stop but continued when she needed to breathe to stand up. Her nose rasped against his suit and she inhaled, not bothering to hide the fact that she was loving his scent. His hands twitched at her waist and then he slid her even closer as one slow song faded into another.
                    Lord, don’t let him stop. It has been so long, so very long since I have felt this alive. I want this to continue all night. Don’t let me mess it up somehow.
                    The words chanted through her mind as she continued to sway with him.
                    “Do you realize how delicious you look in that gorgeous blue dress, or do I need to explain it with agonizing detail?” Brenan’s deep voice slipped into her ear and it startled her so badly that she stumbled. Thank goodness he was such a great dancer. He was able to keep them both standing upright, even with her mishap.
                    The loss for words was never something that had happened to her, only recently since meeting Brenan had she found that it happened all too often. That he thought her dress was sexy was something else for her to be worried about. She hadn’t exactly pulled this specific dress out hoping to please him.
                    Yeah, right. Pull the other one Jules.
                    Okay, maybe she had. The clean simple lines of the cocktail dress were fabulous with her petite frame and it suited her much better than something frilly and too feminine. A deep cut V offered glimpses of flesh in front and bared her back too, and the length was perfect, long enough to swing around her knees. Silver strapped heels covered her feet and even she had to admit to herself that she couldn’t remember feeling this beautiful in a long time. The fact that she was dancing in Brenan’s arms didn’t hurt either.
                    “Thank you” She whispered to his shirtfront. Not trusting herself to look into his eyes.
                    One of his hands left her waist and moved along her arm to grasp hers and pull her into a turn. Jules felt the skirt of her dress flare and she bit back a giggle. She felt young and carefree, like a teenager at the prom with the high school quarterback. He pulled her back into his arms while she grinned like a fool.
                    “I want to see you smile like that all the time. Is that something that you think can be arranged?” His breath ruffled the hair on the crown of her head. “I don’t care how much it costs, and if I want it badly enough I can make it happen.”
                    His ego thrilled her even as her independent side flared with heat.
                    “Well sparky, I must say that you are sounding quite convincing.”
                    That luscious breath sighed against her head once more and she barely controlled the shiver that worked through her system. “Lass, you have no idea how convincing I can be.”
                    Her blood practically boiled at that statement.
    ***


    What are you working on now?
     
    Right now I’m focusing on a straight contemporary set in South Louisiana. Here is a brief synopsis….
     Jake Warren is the owner of a construction company that is hired to build a new hotel. Jenna Magill is the woman that is supervising the construction. But Jenna is a yank, an outsider to the community. She is hurting emotionally from losing her husband in a tragic accident, and since then she has allowed nothing and no one to come close to climbing her walls. But the sparks are flying whenever these two meet and work together. With her closed off expression and mysterious past she tugs at Jake’s heartstrings. They will have to overcome stereotypes, personal and trust issues before they finally allow themselves to consider taking their relationship beyond business.
    I’m really anticipating some high emotions and sizzling scenes from this story. Really can’t wait to see how it plays out.
     ~
    Me too;)
    Thanks so much for being my guest, Trish! 
    Stop by Trish's site to read more about this great series! www.trishfleger.webs.com

    Wednesday, November 24, 2010

    Thursday, November 18, 2010

    Free For All Friday - Meet Author Lynda Bailey!

    This week I have the pleasure of interviewing my friend - and fellow western historical author (at least some of the time) - Lynda Bailey!
    I was lucky enough to get to know Lynda in Orlando this summer at the 2010 RWA conference. It was great fun meeting another "western" girl (as I dubbed Lynda, fellow GHer Jacqui Nelson, and myself), but an even greater pleasure to meet another western, erotic author.
    Anyway, as I stated above, Lynda is one of those talented writers who can produce in several genre. She also writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and YA.
    So take a few minutes and get to know this lovely, FUN lady. And wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY (Sat. 20th) !!!

    Thanks so much for being my guest Lynda;)
    Now, on with the show...........


     Why We Write What We Write:

    What type of romance stories do you write?

    Though Wild Flower was a 2010 finalist in the Golden Heart® historical category, I tend to write mostly contemporary, erotic romances.  Check out my website www.LyndaBailey.net to read some excerpts.  My next two stories, however, are a romantic suspense and YA urban fantasy respectfully. 

    What inspires you to write in the different sub-genres?

    Gosh, that’s a good question.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a good answer.  LOL.  Wild Flower was born from my love of all things western and the fact I grew up on the great plains of this country.  Most of my contemporary stories have their roots in the real-live-people I’ve met through the years.  I got the idea for my romantic suspense after hearing a local TV news reporter speak at a writers’ meeting.  My YA urban fantasy hit me while listening to The Golden Network’s agent/editor panel in Orlando.  Guess you could say my inspiration is as diverse as the varying colors of a rainbow.

    Who inspired you to begin writing? And why?

    Lorraine Heath. I guess she inspired me b/c I wanted to do for others what she did for me - She gave me wonderful entertainment.  She allowed me into the lives and hearts of people from another place and time.  She made me laugh and she made me cry.  She made me want to give that kind of entertainment to others.  I'm not there yet, but I am working on it. 

     
    Do you think writing in all these different sub-genres will make getting published any easier or faster?

    In a word, no.  First and foremost, you have to write a good story with compelling characters readers can relate with.  Having a unique voice is also imperative if you’re going to grab the attention of an agent or editor.  If having a variety of stories is any advantage at all it’s that you’re not pigeon-holed into any one sub-genre.  Not that that’s a bad thing.  I admire those writers who can immerse themselves time and again into Regency historicals or dark paranormals.  But for me, variety is the spice of writing.  What about for you?  
    ***
    Thanks again for being my guest, Lynda! And have a very Happy Birthday!  Visit Lynda's site for more info:

    Tuesday, November 16, 2010

    Witty, Wacky, Warped Wednesday!

    Top 10 Things You Don't Want to Hear During Surgery:

    10. Ya, know. There's big money in kidneys. And this guy has two......

    9. There go the lights again.

    8. Oops. Hey, has anyone ever survived 500ml of this stuff before?


    7. Oh, no. Where's my Rolex?

    6. Hand me that... uh... that uh... that sharp thingy there.


    5. Wait a minute, if this is his spleen, then what's that? 


    4. Bo! Bo! Come back with that. Bad dog!

    3. Accept this sacrifice, O Great Lord of Darkness.   

    2. Hold this while I try to remember where it goes.

    1. Better save that. We'll need it for the autopsy. 


    Saturday, November 13, 2010

    And The WINNER Is!!!!

    Kellie !!
    *confetti- balloons*
    Yay! Congrats!!
    You can look through the stock photos at HOT DAMN and then let me
    know which one you want for your prize:)

    Thursday, November 11, 2010

    Free For All Friday: Get Intimate with Hot Damn Designs!


    Today's your lucky day because I'm playing "roving reporter" and interviewing my friend, the talented Kim Killion of HOT DAMN DESIGNS. Follow me…
    JENN: {knocks on the door} Kim? Are you here? {Pushes open door}
    KIM: I’m in the studio, Jenn. Come on in.
    JENN: *Gasps* Um, is now a bad time?  {Not that I'm complaining; Kim is rubbing down a half-naked man with baby oil.}
    KIM: No, no. We'll talk while I work. We’ve got a dozen models on the schedule and I have zero time for a break. Come over here and give me a hand.
    JENN: *My pleasure!* {I work my way passed a kitchen table full of food toward Kim and reach for the baby oil - instead Kim hands me a cowboy hat and a lint brush.}
    KIM: Can you clean that up for me while I tell you how this whole thing got started?
    JENN:  Sure. *grumble, grumble* But you missed a spot. {I point at a particularly delicate spot needing more oil.}
    KIM: Oh. Got it. Thanks.
    JENN: So, how did you land such an . . . interesting job?
    KIM: Well, if you want to know the truth, you were the one who instigated this whole soiree. Remember when we went to the Ozarks for a writer’s weekend? I was complaining about the lack of imagery out there for the book covers I was designing, and you mentioned a friend of yours who should be a model.
    JENN: *sigh* Ah, yes, Adam! {I look around. After all, as a friend, I should offer to oil him down for his shoot.} Is he here?
    KIM: Yea. He's on set right now.
    JENN: {I pause for a moment to take in all the madness around me. There are tables full of props: huge swords, whips, masks, hats galore. There are three women curling hair and one putting make-up on a model. Then I see Adam standing beneath a giant light clutching this girl in the burgundy dress I loaned Kim for the shoot. My heart did a little pitter-patter.}
    ANGIE (the photographer): Fierce up! Tighten your muscles! *Click. Click. Click.* Kim, quit feeling up Brooks and get over here.
    KIM: {Rushes to center stage and studies the models on set.} Get closer to her, Adam. Her lips. Tighten your abs. Close your eyes. Grab her thigh. That's it. You're a freakin' rock star!
    *Click. Click. Click.*
    JENN: {I peek at the computer screen where at the pics are popping up.} OMG! These are amazing! But why do they all have a gray background? It seems boring.
    KIM: They gray is the easiest to cut out and nine times out of ten, the background will stripped and a landscape of some sort will get put in, like I did on Katy Madison’s, The Wedding Duel or Shari Anton's, Emily's Captain.
    ANGIE: Excellent! Great job guys. NEXT!
    JENN: {Things were too busy for me to get to Adam. As soon as he got off the set, I saw Wendy Drew, owner of Rose’s Bookhouse and fellow MORWA member, grab him and start undressing him.} *Humph.* {I want that job.} Things are moving very quickly here.
    KIM: We shoot two models every half-hour, which sounds easy enough, but it’s not. The lights have to be readjusted for each set. If there’s a sword, we have to try to light the sword. It takes time to pull in a couch or a chair or drape silk over the floor. Right now Angie and her two assistants are changing the background paper in preparation for the snakes.
    JENN: Snakes?!! What has that got to do with romance novels?
    KIM: Hell, I don’t know. It’s just cool as hell. I think the shots with the snakes could have paranormal potential. Plus, the models are totally psyched about poses for the "Creature Feature."
    JENN: *Shiver* Creature Feature? Who came up with that? 
    KIM: My "work" husband, Jeff, was the mastermind behind the exotic shots. Oh, there he is now. 
    JENN: {I turn around and spots two men carrying in huge coolers.}
    KIM: I’m actually hoping to target the reptile market with some of the images we’ll take of the snakes and the tarantula. {Kim shifts her eyes toward a gorgeous brunette in a robe walking toward the set.} You ready, Ashley?
    ASHLEY: Hell, yeah!
    JENN: What’s she getting ready for? {The model drops her robe. She’s naked! I’m startled for just a second, but no one else seems surprised.}
    KIM: Look out! Here’s comes Julius Squeezer.
    JENN: Julius who? {A man walks passed me carrying an 8’ albino Burmese python.} Holy S**t! {While Ashley rolls around with the snake, Kim and I finally get a chance to step back and talk without interruption.} So, what are your hopes for www.HOTDAMNDesigns.com
    KIM: I hope I can provide imagery for covers, websites, and various marketing materials for myself and others working in the creative end of this industry. The models have all signed a contract releasing the pictures that will sell online royalty-free at our sister site www.HOTDAMNStock.com.
    JENN: How much will they cost?
    KIM: The high-res images sell for $30 and the low-res images sell for $20. As you can see, you don’t just grab a couple hotties off the street and stuff them in a gown and waistcoat and then tell them to go at. There’s an immense amount of work that goes into casting the models, lining up the stylists and make-up artist and getting the costumes in order.
    JENN: Where did you get all these costumes?
    KIM: From friends mostly, but we also rented costumes for the St. Louis Repertory Theatre.
    JENN: Where do you get most of your clients?
    KIM: A lot of our clients are authors, both new and seasoned. The new authors need websites and marketing material like bookmarks, business cards and ebanners for promotion. We're also acquiring a lot of work from authors who are getting their rights back and putting up their backlist in eformat. They are looking for a means to attract readers and need quality commercial covers. {A commotion in the back of the studio distracts Kim. Her eyes shift to the corner.} Brooks, I think Ed needs some help.
    JENN: Who’s Brooks? Who's Ed? What's going on?
    KIM: Brooks is a model. Ed brought the snakes and I don't know what's going on. Ed, you all right?
    ED: *Groan* Cleopatra sunk her teeth in me! I don’t know what’s wrong with her. I fed her two rats and a rabbit yesterday.
    KIM: Ah, bludiy s**t!
    JENN: I’m guessing Cleopatra isn’t one of the models?
    KIM: Nope. She’s Julius’s 10’ foot mate. {My heart crawls up my throat - along with my breakfast - as I watch them pry Cleopatra’s mouth open so Ed can get his hand free. He’s bleeding all over Hell and half of Georgia. I had to step back until things calmed down and wait while Kim directed a few shots during the tarantula set. Then she introduces me to Ed. He’s got three green tree frogs on his arm. One jumps off him and lands right between Kim’s breasts.}
    KIM: *Screams!*
    JENN: What kind of picture can you sell with frogs? {I wrinkle my nose with distaste.}
    WENDY: Fairy tale ménage a quatre?
    JENN: *Whoa!* I don't know if my heart could take that. {Fans self.}
    KIM: Oh come on. Stick around. We’re shooting erotic next!
    JENN: Well, maybe I could stay a little longer........................

    ~~~~~
    While we're still here at the studio, what questions do you all have for Kim? 

    And I have a surprise for you! Tomorrow is my birthday so I decided to give one of YOU a gift - 1 of Kim's fantastic stock photos!!!! Your choice :) All you have to do is leave a question or comment to be entered in the drawing, then check back here Sat. morning to see if you're the winner.
    Good luck! 
    And a BIG thanks to Kim for being my guest :)