Top Ten Things Learned at ECWC

As most of you know, Kelly Jamieson, PG Forte, Kate Davies and I just spent four days together... and it happened to be in Seattle (well, Bellevue) at the Emerald City Writers Conference. 

We've learned that whenever two or more of us are together things are realized, learned and discovered. This weekend was no exception.  Here are the top ten things we learned at ECWC:

1. We don’t have to be drunk to be funny

2. Nothing is funnier than feral camels (stay tuned for more information…) 

3. The coffee to wine ratio is very important

4. Kelly Jamieson’s shoes are noteworthy in two countries

5. Erin Nicholas does have boundaries (who knew?)

6. No red wine for Kelly

7. Kate Davies can tie cherry stems into knots with her tongue

8. PG Forte can be debauched (again, who knew?)

9. We are always available to accept awards and give speeches on any other author’s behalf

10. Certain people strongly suggest not going to agent pitches and asking “what can you do for me?”

11. Geometry is not real math (and neither is counting)

There's still time to enter the Kelly Jamieson Shoe Extravaganza [ik-strav-uh-gan-zuh]. Comment here or on the previous post by midnight Monday EDT and you'll be entered for a chance to win your choice of an e-book download of any book in Erin's, Kate's, Kelly's or PG's backlists!

Kelly Jamieson's shoes at ECWC

Most of you know that Kelly Jamieson is completely obsessed with shoes. Well, she gets attention for these shoes everywhere she goes in Seattle (where she, PG Forte and I are enjoying the Emerald City Writer's Conference). Because PG and I tease her about these shoes but others seem to love them, we've decided to make this a "drinking game"... kind-of. In order to be kinder to our livers, we decided to keep a tally of the times someone tells her they like her shoes and give away that many e-books!

Just comment here and you'll be entered to win a choice of an e-book download of any book in PG's, Kelly's or my backlists!

Erin Nicholas

p.s. we're having a really good time!

Thursday 13: Fooood!

The holiday season is just around the corner, and for some reason that always makes me hungry. Maybe it's the thought of plump, juicy turkey and mashed potatoes, or honey ham and pumpkin pie.

Or maybe I've just been watching too much Food Network. Either way, here are 13 foods I've been craving like crazy.

1. Feta fries: A couple of our local food trucks make these--thin, crispy fries covered in feta and sliced olives.

2. Blueberry doughnuts: These were nearly impossible to find a few years back; now, it seems every doughnut shop is offering these as a late-night temptation.

3. Carnitas tacos: slow-cooked pork, warm corn tortillas, onion, cilantro, and lime. Keep your lettuce and cheese away!

4. Bacon mac 'n' cheese: As if this comfort food wasn't bad enough already...but everything's better with bacon!

5. Clam chowder: NOT the stuff from a can, but the rich, creamy homemade variety. Definitely a cold-weather favorite.

6. Pita and homemade hummus: Warmed, soft pita and rich hummus with a hint of lemon. Much better than what you get at the grocery store.

7. Pumpkin cupcakes: Sprinkles (Newport Beach, CA) makes an excellent one. Oddly enough, so does the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, but only in the fall.

8. Grilled cheese and tomato soup: You know the kind--crisp artisan bread, cheese that's anything but American, and soup thick enough to pile on the corner of the sandwich when you dip it.

9. Classic Italian antipasto salad: There's a little Italian deli near my house that serves a salad with the perfect blend of greens, meat, and cheese. Their Italian dressing is light and tangy, without sacrificing any flavor.

10. Miso soup, edamame, and spicy tuna rolls: The local Japanese restaurant has a flavorful miso soup that warms you right up. Their edamame takes the edge of your hunger while their sushi chefs hand roll your order. Mmm!

12. Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles: Oh. My. God. If you're ever in the LA area and you don't go here, you're missing out. I know it sounds like a weird combination, but their fried chicken and waffles match perfectly. Yes, you eat them together--hot sauce on the chicken, syrup on the waffles...heaven.

13. Mom's spaghetti and meat sauce: slow-cooked all day and a rare treat to have these days since the family doesn't get together for dinner as often. Oddly enough, I prefer the meat sauce over spaghetti squash--the sweetness of the squash and the richness of the sauce complement each other nicely.

Ok, before I go raid the pantry in hopes of finding something near as delicious as one of these items, tell me what you're craving!

A new release and a BIG thank you

"There are so many people I have to thank for helping with this book: my wonderful critique partner Nara Malone for her valuable feedback; all of the Nine Naughty Novelists for their incredible friendship, support and encouragement through challenging times, in particular, PG Forte and Erin Nicholas who read this manuscript and also gave feedback; as always my family who support me no matter what; and most especially goddess editor Sue-Ellen Gower—thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and input! I’m so glad we’re working together again, Suz!" 

That is the author note at the beginning of One Wicked Night,  my latest release (yesterday!) from Samhain Publishing. Just in case any of you Naughty Novelists don’t happen to read it, I wanted you to know how grateful I am to you. You all know the “challenging times” I went through over the last year and I wanted to acknowledge how much your support and encouragement meant to me. Every single one of you gave words of encouragement at various times and for various reasons, and helped me get this book out there.

One Wicked Night is one of those stories that “wrote itself”. It didn’t take a lot of research. I didn’t do a lot of planning. The characters developed very clearly and quickly in my mind. I never had moments where I was stuck on what they should do next. I loved Kaelin and Tyler and Nick, and I loved this story and I believed in it. And I hope readers like it too! Here’s a little excerpt!

The boys are back in town…
Ten years ago, Kaelin Daume spent a steamy summer home from college secretly hanging out with town bad boy Tyler Wirth and his best friend Nick Kernsted. The connection was warm, complicated, and came to a crashing end when she walked in on her two forbidden friends with another woman. The shocking scene of sex and bondage has haunted her boring, oh-so-vanilla life ever since.

The fallout from that night tore Tyler’s life apart. He left Mapleglen, disowned and disgraced, to build a successful advertising career and a unique relationship with Nick. Nothing could bring him back except his sister’s wedding, and he plans to hightail it back to Chicago as soon as it’s over. At least one good thing hasn’t changed: Kaelin is as sweet as ever. Except she doesn’t seem too thrilled to hear it.

As tensions run high, Kaelin can’t resist the temptation to commit one crazy act of rebellion. Once the web of secrets, sins and lies starts to unravel, though, their lives will never be the same…

---

Product Warnings

This book contains a nice girl who gets her naughty on with two hot men. M/M/F and M/M scenes may cause an increase in body temperature, pulse rate and respiration. Read with caution! For adult use only.

EXCERPT:

Their eyes met and held in a stretched-out connection.

She didn’t move away from his touch, although she was sitting with both her hands captured by his and Nick’s, sandwiched between them, but she wasn’t trying to get away, and he let his hand drift to her shoulder.

“You’re so sweet, Kaelin,” he said hoarsely. “You put the whole wedding together for Avery. You bailed out Scott. Even my mom loves you.”

A tiny huff of laughter escaped her at that.

Tyler looked at Nick, who also gazed at Kaelin’s face with a look of admiration and yes, hunger.

Nick wanted her too.

As if sensing Tyler’s gaze on him, Nick looked away from Kaelin, and his and Tyler’s gazes locked. Unspoken questions passed between them.

Tyler closed his eyes. It was futile to even let ideas like that tease the edges of his mind. Kaelin was a good girl, the best kind of good girl, sweet and innocent and no doubt as vanilla as soft-serve ice cream. He’d had to take drastic measures the last time he’d started having outrageous, inappropriate thoughts like that about her, and this could be no different.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered, big brown eyes focused on him when he opened his.

His mouth twisted. “Nothing.” He lifted the hand he still held and kissed her fingers. Her pupils went wide, eyes dark as she watched him. Hell. “You’re just so nice, Kaelin. Such a good girl.”

She went very still, sitting there on the couch between him and Nick.

“Really,” he continued. “Brent seemed like a nice guy too. You’d make a good couple.”

“Oh for Chrissakes!” The words exploded out of her mouth and she yanked her hands out of their grip. “I’m not that nice!”

And she grabbed Tyler’s head, yanked him toward her and kissed him hard.

Too stunned to even kiss her back, his head reeled as she shoved him away, but that was nothing compared to the bolt of lightning that struck him when she turned to Nick, grabbed him and kissed him too.

 Buy it at the Samhain Bookstore or Amazon or B&N

Guest Blogger Selena Robins - Who Knew? (The dark side of Athletic Supports)

I was nineteen years old and newly married. That’s another story, but it was the seventies, big hair, and being poor college newlyweds was considered cool. My groom had jumped on the bodybuilding product band wagon. One morning he asked me to pick up an athletic support. “You do know what that is, right?” he said.

I rolled my eyes back to yesterday. “Of course.”

I had seen those muscled gumbas in his weight lifting magazines (really, I did pick them up to read the articles) wearing different Mr. Olympia Wannabe gear. This was my opportunity to be inducted into the Above-and-Beyond-the-Call-of-Dutiful Wife Hall of Fame, so I ventured off to the sports store to purchase one athletic support.

I walked in the store and a hunky clerk came to my aid. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I need an Athletic Support for my husband, please.”

"Okay, what size?” he asked.

“Size? Hmmmm, let's see, he's really big.”

At that remark, two customers, male of course (because I wasn’t born under any lucky star) ambled over and stood around the counter.

“Really, big, huh?” the clerk responded.

I spread my arms out wide to demonstrate his size. “He's this big.”

Two more men gathered around, they snickered. That annoyed me. “What’s so funny?” I asked. “My husband is into body building and he's really big and hard.”

The snickers transformed into in-your-face gafaws. Cripes, what the hell was so funny?

Hunky Clerk was in danger of having the Heimlich maneuver performed on him, as he coughed on the peanuts he’d been munching. “Ma'am, I don't think you're accurate in the size.”

Ma’am? I was nineteen, okay, almost twenty, and this guy called me ma’am? “Look, sir,” I said, spreading my arms even wider. “He's about 46 inches.” More than once, hubby asked me to measure his biceps, and more than once it didn’t measure up to 46 inches, but, I was in the initial stages of supportive wifehood. “Okay, maybe more like forty-two.”

One customer, whose hair cut looked like a hen’s patooty in a windstorm, laughed. "What planet does your husband come from?”

I was getting more than ticked now. I wanted out of this store badly and I wasn’t in the mood to be the local jock’s entertainment of the day. I gave Mr. Hen Hair my best PMS glare. “I thought women were jealous of each other's bodies. With you guys every size on your body matters doesn't it?”

They laughed even louder. Little boys in long pants, that’s what these men were. With the patience of a Saint, I asked, "do you guys get your ya ya's standing around a sport store, making fun of women shoppers?”

Hunky Clerk coughed again. I would have offered him a cough drop had he maintained better crowd control. “Ma'am,” the clerk said. “I don't think you know what you want. . .”

That did it. “Oh please, don't try to impress me with your sports mumbo jumbo. I don't care about brand names. Get me the largest one you have, I’ll know if it will fit.”

More laughter. Hunky Clerk left the peanut gallery and returned with three packages. “Small, medium, and large,” he announced, slapping the packages on the counter. He stood back, and folded his arms over his chest.

Gulp.

The atmosphere turned as quiet as an ant piddling on a cotton ball. I picked up the Large one. “Oh, my.” The night before, my soon-to-be-pulverized husband had talked about buying a leather belt that strapped around his chest and waist. Wasn’t that an athletic support? Okay, I may not have been paying a lot of attention, because if I had to listen to one more protein powder, wheat germ and the definition lecture, I was going to scream. I worked hard to earn my own heavy weight title: Choco-Cocoa-Queen.

Mr. Clerk (at closer inspection, he really wasn’t that hunky) lifted a brow. “Now do you see why we didn't believe the size you ordered.”

I inspected the three packages. “Guess that cuppy part is not to cover one's nose?”

“No, Ma'am.”

Again with the ma’am! I held my head up high. “I don't like any of these colors.” I put my hands on my hips and addressed the group, who were now probably giving each other mental high-fives. “I’ll have the last laugh. I'm Italian, I know people.”

I realized I had just stereotyped my whole culture, but at that point a gal had to pull out some kind of ammunition. “We don’t get mad, we get even,” I continued. “I know how to put a curse on all of you, that will last longer than your hairlines.” I waved my hand. “May you endure a lifetime of running to the drug store in the middle of the night, trying to figure out if you need maxi's, scented, unscented, or light days.” With that, I turned on my heels, and left, I may have even added an extra roll to my hip action. When I was sure I was out of their site range, I ran to my car with the intent of rendering my husband’s forty-two inch chest up and gazing at the moon.

About Selena Robins:

Witty, humorous, suspenseful, sexy--words used to describe Selena’s writing style. A chocolate guru, in love with her husband, family, friends, books & red wine, she dances with her dog, sings into her hairbrush & writes in her PJ's. She carries a mini-tape-recorder with her at all times, because she never knows when a plot idea or piece of dialogue will strike her. As of yet, the authorities have not tracked her down, because of her tendency to get excited about creating new ways to dispose of a body, or inventing a new crime, while she's out and about and brainstorming out loud.

Selena is the author of the contemporary romance, What A Girl Wants, paranormal romantic comedy, Sabrina's Destiny, romantic comedy, short story, Tempted by an Angel, and a children's novella, Pippy’s Wish.

Selena Robins Website: http://selenarobins.com/ Selena Robins Musings Blog: http://selenarobinsmusings.wordpress.com/

RESEARCH

I'm only a romance writer by night--by day I'm a law librarian, and I do a lot of research. I love research. When I'm at work, I get a kick out of tracking down obscure facts and figures or locating cases or articles based on very little information (i.e., "It was an antitrust suit in the Southern District -- or maybe the Northern, I don't remember--and it had something to do with medical devices. No, I don't know which ones--just, you know, medical devices.") My library career has helped make me a formidable trivia contestant and left millions of interesting but ultimately useless bits of knowledge lodged in my brain. (Loving County, Texas is the least populous county in the United States. The PTO once granted a patent (mistakenly) for a perpetual motion machine. There is such a thing as the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council.)

As a writer, I also enjoy doing research, and not just because it's a great guilt-free procrastination tool. Thanks to the Internet, it's no longer an ironclad rule that one should only write about what one knows. I've never set foot in southern Coloado, but thanks to the web I know a lot about Canon City, CO, the basis for the town of Fremont in Yours, Mine and Howls. I have a very sketchy understanding of any kind of science or engineering, but the Internet has helped me figure out plausible inventions for my steampunk WIP.

I tend to assume that everyone spends as much time online as I do, but of course that's not true. I also tend to assume that everyone knows how to do an efficient Google search, but that's not true either. I get lots of calls from frustrated attorneys or friends and family members who couldn't find something online that I was able to get to quickly. Most of the time they couldn't find it because they don't know how to use Google effectively, or it took them a long time because they didn't know someone else had already done the research for them.

To reduce the amount of noise--i.e., irrelevant hits--you might get from Google, start with a very specific, targeted search. If you just plug a bunch of words into Google, it's going to return pages containing at least one, but not necessarily all, of your search terms--it assumes an "or" between all your terms. Putting a plus sign (+) in front of each word will return only those pages that contain all your terms. Put a minus sign in front of words that you do NOT want in your hits. Use quotation marks to get only specific phrases. And if you use the Advanced Search template, be aware that specifying the date of the page--how recently it was updated--can really throw off your results.

If your search concerns scientific, historical or other factual information, try it on Google Scholar first (scholar.google.com) to cut down on noise and increase reliability.

There's a concept in legal research called "one good case." All you have to do is find one case that fits your requirements. Because cases cite to other cases, once you get your one good case you'll find others as well.

The same is true for any other type of research. Whatever subject you're researching, there's a 99.99% chance someone else has researched it already and put together a page of links to other websites about it. I don't care how esoteric, obscure or narrow the subject is, there's a website for it and, 75% of the time, a Wikipedia entry as well. (Wikipedia, BTW, is generally reliable for scientific, physical or non-controversial stuff. For stuff that's open to interpretation or of a subjective nature you should be wary of it.) Once you'd found your one good page, if you think there is any chance, AT ALL, that you might one day need to revisit the subject of your research, bookmark it. I guess theoretically there might be a limit to the amount of bookmarked, favorite'd sites you can keep in Firefox or IE Explorer or Chrome, but I sure don't know anyone who's ever hit it.

I was going to include a bunch of links to research sites I've found useful as a writer, but this post is getting long and I need to go to bed (yes, I normally write my posts the night before they're due.) If y'all are interested in such sites, I'll do a follow up post.

In the meantime, if you're a writer working on a story that doesn't involve a subject you know inside out, you better do your research. Some reader, somewhere, will know the city or the industry or the culture at the center of your plot and if it's clear that you don't know what you're writing about, that's a reader you've lost for good.




("Lawyer of the Year" cartoon from Stu's Views. "Look it up" cartoon from Librarian Avengers.)

Winners! Love's Savage Whiplash - The Contest

Okay, y'all, now for the big announcement (drumroll, please). The winner of our Love's Savage Whiplash contest is...(ta da!) Sherry! She gets her choice of an ereader cover signed by all the Naughty Nine OR a $40 gift certificate to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

And the second place winner, who receives a $20 gift certificate to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble is...(another ta da!) Ivelisse!

If you two ladies would contact me at either meg @ megbenjamin.com (no spaces) or ninenaughtynovelists@gmail.com, we'll work out the details.

Congratulations ladies, and thanks to everyone who left a comment on Love's Savage Whiplash. Watch for our next NNN serial coming soon.

P.S. If you'd like to win a few prizes yourself, check out our Naughty Anniversary Contest, coming soon to this very blog!

Thursday Thirteen -- Emerald City, Here We Come

One week from today, I'll be heading up to Seattle to attend the Emerald City Writers' Conference (along with Erin, Kate and Kelly). So today I thought I list some of the reasons why I'm looking forward to the trip.  

Number 1 has to be the chance to spend some quality time with some of the other Naughty Nine. I anticipate a lot of talk, a lot of brainstorming a lot of laughter and, yes (Number 2) a lot of wine.

Let's just hope it doesn't break in my luggage!

Number 3. Meeting with my editor...and my other editor...

I have questions. Hopefully, they'll have answers. 

If not, there's always Number 4 because no, I am not above using a birthday drink as a bribe...

I'm also not above using (Number 5) lunch with other Carina Press authors as an excuse for asking questions...

But let's move on, shall we?  Number 6. Gift baskets! 

Apparently there are going to be a lot of these around and yes, we're putting one together too. What's in it? At this point, probably only Kate knows for sure. But I know what I'm contributing: goodies from two of my favorite stores: LUSH  and Good Vibrations.

Number 7.  The book fair...

Okay, it probably won't be that crowded, but I'm definitely looking forward to meeting readers and maybe signing a few books (Number 8)...

.

Or (Number 9) handing out a few of my brand-spanking-new Romance Trading Cards...

Then, Number 10, because it's only a few days before Halloween, Saturday night there's a costume party. Here's my costume:

And, yes, just so you know, I look exactly like this. lol! 

Number 11. Seattle is famous for coffee and Erin and I are famous for our love of coffee. Not that Kate or Kelly are far behind us in this. Sunday we're hoping to take a bit of a break from all this partying...er, I mean working, and go on a coffee crawl...

Being  the dedicated, hardworking professionals we are, we may also indulge in a bit of research, taking on the thankless task of deciding for ourselves which is better bacon cupcakes or bacon doughnuts...

Last, but not least (and God knows we'll probably need it after all that sugary goodness), we may stop at the Dry Soda Company tasting room (conveniently located in downtown Seattle) for some Lavender and/or Juniper and/or Blood Orange and/or Rhubarb and/or Cucumber soda...

There you have it. Now then: any questions?

In Love With The Library (Again)

I just checked out four new books tonight, from the local library. It was after midnight, I was in my pjs, and the library itself was obviously closed. But thanks to the new ebook lending collection on their website, I was able to find four new-to-me authors and download their books to read on my nook.

I also downloaded three songs, the maximum allowed by the library's contract with Freegal. Every week, I can legally download three songs to add to my iTunes library, and Freegal is adding new songs/albums/artists every day. In fact, my kids are hooked on Freegal too, downloading three Glee songs apiece every week during the TV season. They go live a week after the episode airs, so my kids have had to learn patience, but they think it's worth it to have access to the songs without blowing their entire allowance every week.

Both features are pointed to as a sign that the library system is trying to keep up with the digital revolution, and in my opinion, they're definitely succeeding.

I still love going to the library and browsing the shelves, seeing what's faced out by the library staff, looking for new books by my favorite authors.  But I like the flexibility of checking for new reads and new tunes on my own schedule as well, surfing through the list of books on my laptop on the couch.

Gorgeous Carnegie-designed library within walking distance, AND electronic resources at my fingertips? The best of both worlds, in my opinion. What do you think?

Guest Blogger Delilah Devlin - Rules? What rules?

When I was much younger, I had one simple goal in life. I didn't want to live an ordinary life. I succeeded—not beyond my dreams, because my dream-life has always been so rich in adventures no mortal woman could survive it. My dreams had to be extraordinary to improve upon my real life. And when you're living that way, on the edge and out there, day to day, it's hard to find the next great thing to excite you.

Thanks goodness for books that fed my thirst for something more. And they worked for a time. However, before too long, they frustrated me. They didn't go far enough. When I wanted to be drenched in the moment, I didn't need prose so poetic I felt as though I'd taken a soothing Calgon bath. I wanted to smell the sweat, feel the pressure and nips, drown in the invasion of my body and heart.

Maybe that's why now, when I get the chance to write those longer journeys set in a demonic underworld or on another planet, I don't pay any attention whatsoever to rules. What do you mean the romance has to be about one man and one woman? Why do I have to have them behave like heroes ALL the time? Can't I dirty up my heroes and heroines? Place them in situations that make them squirm and sweat, and not in a sexy way, before I give them what they've EARNED by the end of the story? I love to be exhausted at the end of a story, having lived through a stunning adventure, facing down monsters or taming a Viking lover. I hope you enjoy that sort of adventure as well---something bigger than life, a story where you can lose your sense of self inside the pages. Enslaved by a Viking is just the kind of story I love to read---rich in world-building, filled with headstrong men and women, full to the brim with sexual energy. Enjoy!

What the story's about...

His suffering.

Though proud and strong, Eirik, heir to the Ulfhednars kingdom, found himself seduced and taken from his homeworld by a bounty-hunting vixen, who sold him into slavery. Purchased by a wealthy, Consortium-backed brothel, he is kept at a heavily guarded and secure breeding facility, where he is forced to feed the lustful whims of Helios's elite at night. He bides his time, waiting for a chance to escape and get his revenge on the woman who betrayed him.

Her satisfaction.

Once a sex thrall, Fatin earned her freedom through service. Now, as a bounty hunter, she is determined to earn enough to buy her sister's papers from the same brothel she escaped. For this, she abducts a brutishly handsome, breed-worthy specimen from the Viking planet and delivers him to auction. But her desire for justice and his desire for freedom may consume both of them in a passion neither wanted-or can resist.

Bio:

Delilah Devlin is a prolific and award-winning author of erotica and erotic romance with a rapidly expanding reputation for writing deliciously edgy stories with complex characters. Ms. Devlin has published over ninety erotic stories in multiple genres and lengths. She is published by Avon, Black Lace, Kensington, Atria/Strebor, Cleis Press, Ellora's Cave, Samhain Publishing, and in 2011 the first two books in her New Icelandic Chronicles series---Ravished by a Viking and Enslaved by a Viking---were released by Berkley.

Links: Read an excerpt:

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

Website: http://www.delilahdevlin.com/

Your Opinions Requested

As some of you may already know, I have a writing alter ego. This “good twin” writes contemporary romance further towards the non-erotic end of the spectrum, though still with plenty of heat.  In this identity, I have a three-book series coming out from Avon Books in the spring, and I need a website!!

I’ve been checking out various author websites, trying to narrow down what clicks for me and what doesn’t. Then I thought, why not throw the question out to the big wide world?

So … I’d love to hear what you think about these questions:

What do you want to see in an author website?

Do you like it if there’s a blog integrated with the website?

Do you read author’s blogs?  (Other than the NNN, of course!)

What do you like to see authors blog about?

Do you have a favorite author site, and why do you like it?

What keeps you coming back to a site?

Do you have a pet peeve about author sites? Something I should no way, on no account, ever consider doing?

Anything else you’d like to add? Feel free!

By the way, the first book is called “The Fireman Who Loved Me,” and will be out in May 2012 under the name Jennifer Bernard. 

Thanks for your help! 

Ten Things I Love About Hotblooded

It might be helpful to start with the fact that Hotblooded is my upcoming release (Nov. 8th, Samhain). Also, do you think it’s strange to hear an author talk about what she loves about one of her books? I did until I figured, if I don’t love it then why should anyone else? :) So, while of course I love the whole book and all the characters, there are things about it I especially love. For instance…

1. The cover. This was the first take and it fits it so well!

2. Jack— our hero. Jack Silver. He’s an ER physician (no, he doesn’t know Ben Torres :)) and he’s one of my favorite types of heroes to read. And write. He’s got a big super-hero complex—he wants to save everyone and fix everything and he generally does it!

3. Brooke—our heroine. Brooke Donovan. She’s made a few mistakes but she’s determined to prove that she's changed. She's feisty and convinced she doesn’t need anyone.

4. Brooke’s mom, Dixie. She isn’t in the book until the end but she made an impression on Honey Creek, Texas a long time ago, that’s still being felt—especially by her daughter.

5. David—Jack’s brother. He’s a psychiatrist and is constantly analyzing Jack—much to Jack’s chagrin.

6. The cappuccino machine. Jack buys it for Brooke. Kind-of. Not really, but… you’ll have to read to find out what I mean. But any book is better with a cappuccino machine, right?

7. The warning: Contains a hotblooded woman, a man who really likes that about her, a town with a long memory, and a cappuccino machine that makes it all worthwhile.

8. The reason I called it Hotblooded: “Brooke did, however, acknowledge the crazy thumping of her heart, rational or not, for what it was—sexual awareness. Her mama had always said that the women in their family were hotblooded. It was an instinctual, physical reaction Brooke could neither control nor explain. It wasn’t, thank the good Lord, like it happened with every man. But it happened more than she liked and each time it hit her—hard.”

9. Walter—yes he’s the villain of sorts-- he’s Brooke’s ex-father-in-law, he doesn’t like her at all and he’s making all kinds of problems for her-- but he’s a fun character to write because he’s just such an a$$.

10. That it’s out November 8th!!!

So those are just a few of the things I love! There are many more and I hope you'll all check it out and find a few things you love too! :)

I’ll also be posting excerpts soon and I’ll be doing some big giveaways for my reader group! You can join here! I’d love to have you!

Erin

Naughty Anniversary Contest

THE CELEBRATION

One zillionaire vampire, two serials and 305 blog posts later and the Naughty Nine are gearing up to celebrate our second anniversary. And what better way to celebrate than to give away our favorite thing - books! Lots of them. But before we get to the boring rules, here's what you're playing for.

THE PRIZES

~ Grand Prize Winner - One eBook(winners choice) from each of the Naughty Nine.

~ Three eBook prize packs:

Contemporary



Erotic



Paranormal




*If you have a preference on which pack you would prefer to receive, let us know when you send in your entry.

~ Bonus Prize - Leave a comment on this post about either the Zillionaire Vampire Cowboy's Secret Werewolf Babies or Love's Savage Whiplash (it's okay if you haven't read them yet, we know you'll want to now) and be entered to win a $25 gift certificate for Amazon.

THE CONTEST

Simply visit the listed websites, find the answers to the questions below and email them to ninenaughtynovelists@gmail.com with "Anniversary Contest" in the subject line. That's it. Contest runs from October 13th until midnight November 9th. Void where prohibited. Good luck!

Erin Nicholas - www.erinnicholas.com

1. Who is the hero of No Matter What?

2. Name one of Erin's free read titles.


Juniper Bell - www.juniperbell.com

1. Which Hawaiian island does Juniper spend time on?

2. What's the name of Juniper's Free Read available on Smashwords?


Kate Davies - www.kate-davies.com

1. What book of Kate's is her latest release?

2. Name one actor on the Hi Kate picture page.


Kelly Jamieson - www.kellyjamieson.com

1. Who do I quote on my website?

2. What is the title of my next release?


Kinsey Holley - www.kinseyholley.com


1. Which of my books is a prequel to Yours, Mine and Howls

2. Who is my current crush


Meg Benjamin - www.megbenjamin.com

1. What singing group is a romance writer's dream?

2. Which of Meg's books won the Bean Pot award?


PG Forte - www.pgforte.com

1. I have two books set in the 1800s--one coming soon, one available now. What are the titles?

2. What book of mine was recently released as an audio book?


Skylar Kade - www.skylarkade.com

1. List the books in my The Maison Chronicles.

2. What free read is posted on my website?


Sydney Somers - www.sydneysomers.com

1. Name the hero and heroine from my latest print book release.

2. Which book series features a family of witches who run a private investigation firm?

Guest Blogger Myla Jackson - Top Ten Reasons To Read a Romance

10. Live Vicariously - Yeah so, maybe you're not as young as you used to be, but you can remember being young and in love. Or maybe you're too busy living life with all those obligations, that you just don't get to have the adventure and fun a good romance can bring you. Read one, and live that heroine's life for a few short hours!

9. Fairy Tales Do Come True - Ever feel like the good guy never wins? That in real life fairy tales rarely come true? In a romance, they can and do!

8. More Fun Than Pilates - Want a way to relax and you don't have to go out to do it? Stay home curled up with a romance and relax, enjoy, wind down!

7. She Always Gets Her Man - If you're reading a romance and you're living the heroine's part, you will get your man

6. More Exciting than Dominoes - Where else can you rescue a victim, dodge bullets and save the world and not leave the comfort of your easy chair?

5. Beats Listening to the Boss - Is the boss's nagging voice still echoing in your head when you get off work? Do you wish you could wipe him/her out? Read a romance and he'll disappear.

4. Less Calories than Ice Cream - Reading a romance is an indulgence that doesn't add calories. Enjoy guilt-free!

3. Cheaper than Prozac - Depressed, anxious, feeling glum? Reading a romance can help make you feel better about life and it's not as expensive as therapy.

2. Guaranteed Happy Endings - Tired of books that leave you depressed, the hero gets killed in the end or it just leaves you feeling all around bad? Put it down and pick up a romance. If it doesn't have a happy ending...it ain't a romance.

1. Gets you in the MOOD! - It's said that the woman's most important sexual organ is her brain. If you want to steam it up in the bedroom, read a sexy romance before you turn out the lights, it's a ringer for getting you in the mood!

****Prize alert!!!*****Check out my website books page (http://mylajackson.com/MylaJacksonBooks.htm). Leave a comment on this blog about your favorite book cover from my website for a chance to win a prize package of print books by various authors.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Myla Jackson pens wildly sexy adventures of all genres including historical westerns, medieval tales, romantic suspense, contemporary romance and paranormals with beasties of all shapes and sizes. When not wrangling words from her computer with the help of her canine muses, she's snow-skiing, boating or riding her ATV.

To learn more about Myla Jackson and her stories visit her website at http://www.mylajackson.com.

Bound and Tied, Book 3

For a hot and sexy historical western and ménage, check it out!

What do a Madame and a bounty hunter have in common? They want the same man.

When Rosalyn Smythe, aka Madame Rosie, steps aboard the Marie-Dearie, she hopes it’s the end of a year-long search for her runaway fiancé, Dalton Black. Her cabin holds a surprise: James McKendrick. Notorious bounty hunter, old lover…a man only too happy to help her clear the air—and her heart—of her murdering, thieving bastard fiancé once and for all.

In disguise as a riverboat gambler, Dalton is determined to find who framed him for killing two U.S. Army soldiers and who stole the gold they were carrying. He wants his life back—and his woman, who just happens to be on board and on the arm of his former best friend.

Convincing James he’s innocent is easier than winning back Rosalyn’s heart. Especially since Rosalyn seems to be enjoying their competition for her affections a little too much. There’s only one place to work out his dilemma. In bed.

As the sheets become unbearably hot, threads of evidence leading to the real killer are unraveling, leading toward one fateful card game—and one man who’s hell-bent on making sure Dalton has nothing left to lose.

Warning: This title contains hot ménage a trois scenes, bondage, and two men loving, sharing and fighting for the love of one woman with very specific bedroom desires and a bordello full of experience to tempt any man beyond redemption.

EXCERPT

Summer 1861

Rosalyn Smythe stood at the dock in West Helena, Arkansas, trunks stacked two-deep beside her. She wore her best gown and hat as she waited to board the Marie-Dearie riverboat bound for Memphis, just a few hours upstream.

"Ma'am." A riverboat porter in his crisp uniform stepped up beside her. "If you'd like to go to your room, I'll bring your trunks to you."

"Thank you." Rosalyn walked the gangplank, the gentle sway of the riverboat bringing back so many memories she had to remind herself to breathe. The last time she'd seen Dalton Black had been on the Marie-Dearie nearly a year ago when he dove into the Mississippi and swam away to avoid the marshal and his deputies.

Rosalyn remembered that night as though it was yesterday. That was the same night Dalton had proposed. Two shocks in one fateful night.

As she stepped onto the deck, Rosalyn fingered the engagement ring she kept on a chain around her neck. She told herself it was a reminder not to let herself fall for a card sharp, cheat and thief ever again. Deep down, she knew it was a lie. In the darkest corner of her mind her body trembled at the prospect of being with such a bad, dangerous man. But then, she knew Dalton hadn't been the thief the marshal claimed he was. That he hadn't stolen the U.S. Army payroll and run. Her heart skipped a beat. That he hadn't used her as a front to get to the soldiers in charge of transferring the money.

The gambler had blinded her to a lot of things. His way with words had made her think he cared. The wicked things he had done with his hands made her blood flow like liquid fire throughout her body, spurring desires so combustible she had burst into flaming passion every time she was alone with him. She hadn't been a naive miss, prone to believing every sweet-talking man, yet she'd fallen for him completely.

Aboard the Marie-Dearie, memories flooded over her, reminding her of the temptation that was Dalton Black, from his glossy black hair and rakish good looks, to his body of a god, strong and beautiful.

Rosalyn hurried to her room, the sunshine suddenly too bright, too revealing. Damn it.
As the owner of a very successful bordello, she'd seen it all, done it all and knew the odds of gambling with a gambler. Yet she'd fallen for Dalton Black harder than a teenage girl in love for the first time. And not because he was all that nice to her, but because he had the air of a rake, someone who would use her deliciously and walk away. Only he hadn't walked away, he swam away.

She'd been so in love that she'd turned over her business to a manager, left her home and followed the man onto the river to live the life of a gypsy. Hell, she'd given up everything, and what did she have to show for it? When the marshal had come for Dalton, the lawman had tried to implicate Rosalyn as the gambler's accomplice. It took some fancy talking and a slick escape plan to elude the law and escape to the wilds of Colorado gold rush country.

But she knew she couldn't run forever. Rosalyn wanted closure on this particularly dark chapter of her life. And if it meant finding Dalton Black, so be it. She trembled, her core heating, the warmth spreading throughout her body at the thought of seeing the gambler again.

She stepped through the door of her stateroom, tugging the gloves from her fingers, anxious to touch herself, to relieve the ache building deep inside. She didn't need a man, she didn't need Dalton. Hell, she knew how to pleasure herself.

The door swung closed behind her, closing with a click.

"Hello, Roz."

Rosalyn spun, her heart hammering against her rib cage, hope burgeoning. "Sweet Jesus!"

"No, not Jesus." The man chuckled. "Has it been that long that you've forgotten me?"

Rosalyn's pulse slowed only slightly as she got a good look at the man dressed in brown trousers, matching jacket, crisp white shirt and a dark cowboy hat slung low over his eyes. The mustache had been trimmed and a few lines had appeared next to his eyes, but there was no mistaking James McKendrick the bounty hunter.

"Oh, it's you, James." She turned her back on him and tossed her hat and gloves onto the quilt-covered bed, her heartbeat still galloping. Ah, dear, sweet James. She should have married James when he'd asked three years ago. But besides great sex, he didn't bring quite the spark Dalton did. "What brings you to the river?"

"Same thing that brought you."

Rosalyn faced the man, her brows rising. "A little gambling? I thought you'd given up gambling."
"I have. I didn't come to gamble and neither did you. I got word a man fitting Dalton Black's description boarded the Marie-Dearie down in New Orleans. I suspect you heard the same." His mouth tightened. "Like you, I came for Dalton."

The look was new to her and gave her a jolt. He appeared almost dangerous when his face drew into a frown. With her body already on fire at the thought of seeing Dalton, Rosalyn pressed a hand to her belly, her pu**y pulsing. "You think that's why I came?"

"I don't think it, I know it."

"Well, you're wrong." Rosalyn turned her back on him. She'd never been able to lie to James. The three of them, James, Rosalyn and Dalton, had been so close, sharing everything from their dinner wine to their beds.

The sound of boots crossing the wooden floor made Rosalyn tense. Would he touch her like he had so many times before? Would he kiss her throat and run his hands over her body, pushing aside the clothing as he went? Her breathing quickened.

James's cowboy hat flew across the room, landing on the washstand. His hands slipped around her waist, and he pulled her against his hard body.

Rosalyn sighed and leaned against him. How long had it been since she'd been able to lean on anyone? For six months, she'd lived on a mountain with two couples, sharing their lives and their beds, but not their hearts. All the while her own heart had been back east, aching for a man who may or may not have ever loved her. And another who'd shown her in every way that he did.
James.

He turned her in his arms and bent to take her lips in a gentle, soul-searching kiss.
Rosalyn twined her fingers around his neck, pulling him closer, needing his embrace, needing the strength he represented when she faced Dalton. James was everything a woman should want. Only it hadn't been enough for this woman.

The kiss deepened, James's tongue pushing past her teeth to claim hers, sliding along its length. One hand slipped down to her derriere, cupping her through the folds of her traveling gown and dragging her against him.

The ridge behind the buttons on his trousers pressed into her belly. The deep ache surged in her core. She couldn't forget the nights she'd spent lying with James and Dalton on either side of her, snuggled safely between the two men she'd come to love. Men who accepted her in spite of her ties to the Rose Palace bordello.

When her lips left his, Rosalyn leaned her forehead against James's chest. "What happened to us, James?"

"You made a choice."

"I did, didn't I? For this past year, I've asked myself over and over if I made the wrong choice."

"Did you come up with an answer?"

She sighed. "No."

"No, you didn't make the wrong choice, or no answer?"

"No answer. I came up with no answers to all the questions I asked myself." Rosalyn rested her hands against James's chest and stared up into his gray-green eyes. "You are perfect in every way. Why didn't I choose you?"

"Because you loved Dalton more."

She stood in James's embrace, unable to look away. "Right now I want to hold you, to be in your arms." Her fingers went to the buttons on his shirt. "To feel your skin against mine. Make me feel alive again."

He caught her fingers, and he held them away from his half-unbuttoned shirt. "Are you sure that's what you want? I'm not anxious to get hurt again."

"I'm sorry I hurt you. Let me make it up to you. Let me make love to you."

"And when Dalton shows up?"

"I'll cross that river when I get to it."

"No deal."

Rosalyn looked into James's eyes. "Don't you want to make love to me? For old time's sake?"

His grip tightened until the pain made her wince.

He let go and stepped away. "More than you'll ever know."

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