Thursday, October 20, 2011

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?





Wednesday, October 19, 2011

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?

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

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:


Monday, October 17, 2011

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! 

Friday, October 14, 2011

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

Thursday, October 13, 2011

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?

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

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."

Samhain Publishing
Amazon
Barnes and Nobles Nook