Flat-out Sexy

Independent single mother Tamara Briggs wanted to find a new, sexy, no-strings-attached man-just not one as young as NASCAR driver Elec Monroe. But he sure does get her heart racing. And after she's tricked into a blind date with him, Tamara gives in to her passion. Things screech to a halt, though, when he asks to meet her children. Whatever happened to wham-bam-thank-youma'am? Suddenly Tamara has to decide how much risk she's willing to take to experience the power of true love.

I just can't put into words how much I love Erin's writing style. I've always enjoyed her all her books but especially her contemporaries. It's been a while since I read a new one and I think I kind of forgot how much I actually do truly love her books.

Flat-out Sexy starts out with Erin's signature wit and humor. Immediately I was laughing out loud to reference's to the lead, Tamara's boring dates, "shit brown pants" and the anaconda missing from behind the fly of those very same pants. Her friend Suzanne, who is a riot, (please tell me we'll get her story) makes Tamara see that boring may be safe but its...well boring.

Once gorgeous race car driver Elec steps into the scene, *sigh*, he's just too delicious for words. No boring there let me tell ya. Twenty five never looked so damn sexy! I was a goner right along with Tamara.

Oh and when Tamara finds out there's an age difference? Priceless. "I'm a...I'm a...a cougar." I got a lot of much needed laughter while reading this book.
Tamara is a lead I think almost all women can relate to in one way or another.

As always the love scenes are smokin' hot and lucky for us in this one, we get a taste fairly soon in the story. Flat-out Sexy starts out hot and doesn't cool down until the last page of the book. A sweet romance, hot sex, and Erin's signature humor make for a fantastic read.

Excuse me now, despite the fact that I just finished reading it, I think I need to start it again. Yes it's that good. I want to be Erin McCarthy when I grow up.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving wishes from Kelley, Anne, and Regina! Enjoy this time with your family and friends!

The holidays are upon us!

Can you believe its almost Thanksgiving 2008??? It's just crazy when I think about it. Where has the past year gone? The past few years? They each seem to be going by faster and faster, my kids are getting older and older as am I. I know, that's a good thing, that's life but still, it seems I close my eyes and the end of another year is crashing down on me.

This season is my favorite time of the year. This year is much different for my family than usual. The economy has hit us hard so we're cutting back on a lot but I'm still trying to keep those holiday traditions intact for my girls. Today I'm cooking a turkey and my MIL will be coming over to spend the day with us. We'll celebrate her birthday, which is Thursday at the same time. My four year old gets to make the cake and do the frosting which is her favorite part!

On Thanksgiving we'll continue our tradition of going to my husbands grandparents house. He has a huge Italian family so there will be tons of people, talk and food! I love spending Thanksgiving there. I get my belly full of traditional Thanksgiving food as well as homemade Italian and I share laughs with this family. His grandma is a storyteller and I love listening to things that have happened to her in the past.

Then on Friday we'll be home. I'll make hot apple cider with my girls (if this weather will stay cool long enough) and we'll decide what theme we want to decorate the tree with this year.

Christmas is a whole other group of traditions that I'll save for a later date. I'm the woman who wants to decorate right after Thanksgiving. I LOVE Christmas and my oldest is following right along in my footsteps.

What do you do with your family for Thanksgiving? Any fun family traditions? When do you start to decorate for Christmas?

Chain Reactions

I really enjoyed Anne's post about Christmas advertising yesterday and I started thinking about gifts and my OWN little list...that I've yet to write, btw. It's hard coming up with just the right thing and I was remembering how thrilled Anne was when her husband got her the Sony e-reader for her birthday. So while I mulled that over, I hopped over to Fictionwise to check the status of my September release and lo and behold, I noticed the ebookwise reader is on SALE for $120.

Coincidence. Hm. I immediately thought of friends who might like this little goodie. I have this reader and I love it. It's inexpensive and works like a jewel. This incident marked what turned out to be a chain reaction of interesting things and I can't help but think it's funny how that happens sometimes.

With thoughts of the ereader being on sale at Fictionwise fresh in my mind, I got ready for my hair appointment and tucked my e-reader in my purse and headed out thinking....hm, my Hair Goddess loves to read. Bet she'd like this thing. And oh yes, yes, yes, she did. So while I sat with a classy looking plastic drape around my neck and foil in my hair, a steady stream of women came in and out of the beauty shop, all oohing and ahhing over my cool device. Another chain reaction.

Hair Goddess' college age son arrived in the middle of it all. He needed to get money from his mom, of course, and he was mesmerized by my reader. Talk turned to how cool it would be if college kids could download their textbooks and no longer have a need to carry heavy backpacks every day and, oh wow, just think of how much cheaper textbooks could be!

The crowd got excited because most of us have college aged kids.

Funny how conversation can turn at the drop of a hat when you get a group together, isn't it? After the young man went on his way, talk turned to just what kind of books I HAD on this nifty little machine. I got a little nervous at this point because, as I've said here before, I live in a very conservative town and very few people actually KNOW what I write. But Hair Goddess wasn't shy and spoke right up. "Oh, I just read her book Killer Curves," she says with an eye roll and a grin. Pretty soon the group was enraptured. Enthralled. Shocked me to DEATH. I had to laugh.
They were downright fascinated.

Before everything was said and done, I'd been invited to an upcoming "TOY PARTY" in someone's home. I'm not talking 'Tickle Me Elmo" toys either! Lots of gossip, laughter, alcoholic beverages and they've asked me to bring my print books to sell along with the neat little e-book reader.

Like I said. Chain Reaction.

and the ads begin

The craziness has begun. We see it every year. Buy the biggest, most expensive gift and she'll love you forever. Cars and jewels...dude, really? That's all it takes for romance to thrive? LOL It's a pet peeve of mine I admit it, but I cannot stand the commercials that seem to say: buy her a brand new car and she'll stay by your side through sickness and health, otherwise nada.

Also, let's not forget the commercials that play up to our kids. "As Seen On TV" Those items your kids will no doubt add to their list and if you don't get it you run the chance of ruining a kid's Christmas. I hate those 'As Seen On TV' toys. They're almost always expensive AND a huge let down. And what happens almost every single time? The toy you bought that just seemed like fun, ends up being the toy they play with forever, not the crap you saw in a TV ad.

Then let's not forget the gift that companies will purposely make a limited quantity of just so they can watch parents scramble around trying to find it for their child. I'm convinced there's some sort of camera. The manufactures are watching us on some big screen, taking bets like it's a horse race or something. No price is too high, no store is too far, because little Johnny really wants that thing. Even though we all know he'll lose interest inside of a week.

A few of the best things to buy that'll always be a sure thing. DVDs. Movies will never go out of style. Books. A new book or gift card to a bookstore will always light up my eyes, my girls too. Adding a new item to the 'collection'. Almost all of us have things we like to collect and nothing says 'I get you' better than a new addition for his/her collection. When someone listens to us talk and mentally takes notes, that's a cool thing. I realized someone was paying attn around my house when my birthday rolled around and I saw that my daughters had bought me the first season of Supernatural. They get me. I loved that they bought me something they knew I would love, simply because they paid attention. Those are the best presents. Not a new car, not a new diamond bracelet, those things wouldn't be for me, those are for the giver. It's an ego boost.

My girls both have things they love. For Kati, if it's pink she's gonna love it. Clothes, shoes, hair dye. LOL She LOVES pink. For Alisha it's games. And she's good at them too. Motorcycle games, war games, she loves mastering new skills and getting to the next level. And of course they both love new accessories for their 'gadgets'.

So what was the best gift I ever received? I think the best gift was from my husband and kids. Without me knowing it they printed all my poems out, then my husband took the time to make a hard cover for them and they presented me with my very own book of poems. That was so thoughtful, so clever too. I cried buckets that day, I really did.

What was your best gift? Was it from your husband, kids, parents? Tell us, we want to tear up too!! LOL

Goin' to the movies

I rarely get to go to the movies. I enjoy going but its so hard to find a sitter so my hubby and I can both go. I want to try and make it to one this weekend. Here are a few movies that look good to me. Madagascar is on my list too but for some reason the poster didn't want to upload.






Have you seen any good movies lately? Anything you really want to see?

HUGH JACKMAN! It's About TIME!

I couldn't have been happier when People Magazine named handsome, Aussie hunk, Hugh Jackman their Sexiest Man of the Year. Had to just shake my head. What the heck took em so long??? He's been at the top of my list for YEARS. And what woman wouldn't love a guy who is in a longtime marriage and is a devoted family man on top of being a great actor, singer and dancer. Whether he's playing tough guy Wolverine in the X-Men movies or is a sensitive, romantic time traveler in movies like Kate and Leopold, you've just gotta drool.

Now I'm seriously looking forward to the new epic Australia which comes out next week. He stars with Nicole Kidman and when I saw the trailer for this, I added it to my 'must see' list.

Who would you have named this year? People always does a great job in picking the hottest of the hot but this year, they get extra kudos.


I love this particular pic with the longer hair. Don't you? Still it's hard to decide....he looks damn fine with shorter hair too. In the end it doesn't matter, hot is hot.
Who would you add to the Sexiest Man Alive list? And what about you guys out there? If People had a Sexiest Woman of the Year, who would get your vote?

I'm a quirky gal!

I realized something about myself this morning that came as somewhat of a shock. I'm strange. LOL Hmm, I've heard the first step is admitting it. So, I'm about to fill you in on the strangeness of Anne Rainey.

• It's nothing for me to open a package of ramen noodles and just eat the noodles, uncooked. Like a cookie or something.
• I almost always eat a ho-ho in small bits. First the outside chocolate layer, then I peel the inside cake part and it it.
• I rarely, if ever, put ice in my pop.
• I read magazines from back to front, this might be because I'm left handed...? Who knows.
• I prefer the corner pieces of a pizza. Don't care for the middles at all.
• I save old shampoos and conditioners. My bathroom cabinet is full of half used bottles. Why? I have no clue. I just can't seem to bring myself to toss them.
• I sleep in a cocoon. I have three blankets. Two of them are quilts, but one is a king sized blanket that I fold in two. I sleep inside the two halves so that the blanket is surrounding me.
• My feet are always cold, but I hate wearing shoes.
• I wear black almost all the time. Not for any fashionable reason, I just do. I guess colors just seem to look strange on me.
• I never wash my face. Shocker, I know. LOL But I never have, I see no reason to start now. In the shower I'll splash water on my face, that's about it though.
• I started going gray when I was in my early twenties. I'd be all gray by now if I stopped dying.
• I'm easy going almost all the time. It takes a lot to get me yelling. Friends who know my brothers could never figure out how I ended up so calm when they've always been like great big thunder clouds.
• When I eat, I'm all about texture. If it's mushy or slimy, I won't touch it with a ten foot pole. Oatmeal, mushrooms, crab legs. Yuk.
• The smell of eggs frying makes me want to hurl.
• and the strangest of the strange: I never paint my fingernails, though my toe nails are never without polish.

Now, you can leave me hanging in the wind all alone, or you can tell me one of your quirks...Come on, one won't hurt, right? LOL

My first red carpet movie premier

I went on a very exciting adventure the past couple days! As most of your know I'm fairly new to living in Southern California. Since living here I haven't really taken advantage of some of the amazing things you can do living here that you can't many other places. So, when I found out the Hollywood movie premier of Twilight was coming up and made a decision that its time to take advantage of living here. I spent a wonderful couple days doing something that I never would have done if not for living here and I did it all for FREE.

For some reason the Twilight saga has really struck a cord with me. I can't seem to get enough of the books and I can't wait for the movie. It has a very intimate feel that I don't always get when reading a book. I LOVE the characters they picked for the movie so the premier was extra exciting for me. This will probably be a long post so bear with me!

Brenda, one of my friends who also really likes Twilight planned to go to the premier and she was nice enough to let me tag along. We planned to leave really early (way before the sun rose) on Monday morning of the premier but Sunday afternoon she found out that there were already 100 people in line and only 700 would get in to the red carpet. I spoke with my hubby and confirmed with my MIL who would be staying over to babysit and they were both fine with me leaving Sunday night to camp out. Keep in mind I've never done something like this before. I felt an exciting high. Even though sleeping on the sidewalk in LA shouldn't have been exciting at all it really was. I packed, threw a bunch of snacks and water bottles into my bag and got everything together for my hubby and MIL at my house. After the day spent with family I was already pretty tired but my exhaustion decreased as it got closer and closer for Brenda to pick me up. She arrived around 8:00 PM, we picked up more friends and headed to LA. We were pumped to find out we were only about 150 in line! We made pallets on the sidewalk and hung out chatting about how crazy we were for doing this. The woman in front of us were also really nice so we ended up chatting with them too. Around 11:00 PM, the director of the movie, Catherine Hartwick drove by! To our surprise an hour later she came back! She was so pumped to see so many people camping she visited, signed autographs and took pictures with the fans. When she got to us she told us how much she loved our little "camp out" and even plopped down to lay in the middle of all of us for a picture! Catherine in the blond in the middle with the flannel shirt.

Isn't that amazing! She had a friend with her who films too and he recorded the whole thing. They said some of this stuff might end up on the DVD release! I can't wait to find out! After she left things settled down. We slept on and off. I didn't get much sleep but I did actually get more than I thought I would. People kept driving by and asking what we were doing and some people were so psyched for the next day that they kind of kept the rest of us awake but I was okay with that! I was going to see the cast of Twilight the next day (especially Rob Pattinson so I didn't mind). We woke up around 6:30 to the streets already full of college students, joggers, and people heading to work. The excitement continued as we spent more time chatting out Twilight and trying to guess how the day would go. Mid morning I took a walk around the block and watched them set up. I had a friend take a picture of me in front of one of the Twilight signs which I thought was really neat.

Keep in mind I hadn't cleaned up yet for that photo! Later I went to Burger King, changed and washed up before putting my stuff in the car. We knew they were coming to start passing out wrist bands around noon to the ever growing line that wrapped around blocks! I finally got my wrist band around 12:30. By the time we were led to the barricades by the red carpet it was 1:30. I was toward the end of the wrap around red carpet but was right by the bars at the red carpet! We had one row of people in front but I could still touch the bars and knew by the time the event started I'd be able to squeeze in. I didn't sit down or leave that spot for fear of losing it! Around 3:00 all the press were arriving. A local radio station was there for the event too. The crowd all got free Twilight bracelets and shirts from the company who made the movie. Camera people recorded the crowd a million times and we all screamed and even talked a bit giving little interviews or telling people who long we'd been there. Finally around 5:00 the radio station went live on the air and we all went crazy for those listening. A few minutes later the DJ let us know the first limo arrived (I couldn't see the car arrival). The station interviewed each actor as they went through. The crowd screamed and went crazy. The press flashed pictures and did interviews and I GOT PICTURES!!! I didn't take them of everyone there. I wanted to save my battery for the people I was most excited to see: Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, and Robert Pattinson!!! I got to see Kellan first. He is so dreamy! Beautiful eyes and smile and a big teady bear. He gives the best hugs! Things happen so quickly here that I had to choose autographs or pictures and I went with pictures. Here is me with Kellan Lutz who plays the vampire Emmet.

After Kellen, Jackson Rathbone came around. He plays Jasper, another vampire. All the women were screaming and reaching for the actors but I was lucky enough to be one of the girls who snagged him for a picture as well. He is very polite when he speaks to you. A real Southern Gentleman.

So far I was happier than happy. I got pics with two of the three people I'd came for. I got a few pics with other actors and saw a bunch more but Rob hadn't yet made it down to me. I was so anxious, so nervous that I wouldn't get to see him. He plays my favorite character in the book and I also thing he's a great actor, totally humble and so in awe that he's become so popular. He doesn't get it which makes him all the more endearing. Finally I saw him coming my way! I was so excited, my heart beat like crazy and my stomach dance with butterflies. When he was almost to me one of his "people" grabbed him and pulled him down the red carpet. I was heartbroken. After only seeing him a couple seconds at the MTV event, and all I'd gone through I couldn't believe I would miss him again! Then he turns and yells "I'll be right back! I'll come back" as they pulled him away. I wasn't sure he would come or would be able to but I still had hope! Guess what??? He came back! He was signing autographs, taking pictures and smiling and laughing with all the screaming women. Finally he made it to me. I felt like a giddy teenage girl but didn't care. Everyone was going so crazy for him and grabbing for him that I couldn't even ask anyone to take the picture for me for fear I'd miss my chance. I told him I loved his work, and that I'd made him something but in my excitement to leave I forgot it at home and stretched my arm to take our own picture and....


CUT OFF HALF OUR FACES!!!! Of course I didn't know it at that time. I hugged him again. He smiled and thanked me for my forgotten gift and then he was whisked away. Luckily close enough for me to snap another picture of him signing.



Finally the two day journey had come to an end. Of course I'm bummed about my picture but honestly, I can't even be upset about it. It was an amazing experience. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

American Made

The holidays are looming closer and closer and the news is full of worldwide economic woes. Things aren't predicted to get better in the coming year..only worse. The big three automakers, GM, Chrysler, and Ford are on the verge of bankruptcy and looking for a bailout.

My husband and I were watching a news show last night and debating the issue. Are you talking about these things in your homes too? These are terrible economic times, aren't they? Weeks ago Congress approved a $700 billion bailout of our banking system. Huge controvery. And now they are faced with another decision. These mega-giant automakers have known for YEARS they needed to re-tool and get on the same page as the Japanese and German automakers but they continued to push their SUV's and trucks and ginormous cars. Fuel efficiency? Nope. They didn't do much of that either. I live in Texas and nearly everyone drives big pickups and Suburbans. Several years ago, we switched to more fuel efficient cars. My husband and I both drive German made cars and our kids drive Japanese cars. Do I feel guilty for not buying American? Not really. The product we needed and wanted wasn't available. If American companies built something really cool that gave us the great gas mileage, we would've bought these in a flash.

So now these companies are in big trouble and want us to bail them out. Do we DO it??? Consider what happens if we DON'T. Millions of people will lose their jobs not only on the assembly line but all these folks who work in related industries will be unemployed. These blue collar folks will lose their health care and possibly their homes. So do we bail out the big dogs and save these people? Personally, I don't give a damn about those big wheels at the top but the workers will suffer tremendously. What a mess! Any thoughts about this?

It's my birthday!

I'm taking off today to spend the day with my mom!

We'll be going here first:

Then we'll do some of this:

At the end of it all, I'll be enjoying a lot of this:

Man, I really need this!

Art of Sensuality

Happy Saturday! My very good friend, Jax Cassidy has a new book out today! She's a fab writer. You don't want to miss this one!


Title: ART OF SENSUALITY
Author: Jax Cassidy
Publisher: Parker Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-6004-3044-2
Page Count: 250 pgs / print
Release Date: November 17, 2008

Art was not only a passion of Machiko Barrett, but also a destiny…a way of life she has known since her talent was discovered at three years old. Caught in a turbulent storm of celebrity, scandal and corruption, she disappeared from the art world only to re-emerge fifteen years later as an au pair to the two young children of renowned Parisian gallery owners. Her sheltered existence is disrupted when she is lured back to her one true passion: painting.
While Machiko struggles to find her own identity through her art, she encounters Caleb Holden, a sexy, unpredictable and irresistible neighbor with a penchant for collecting art, and women. As he discovers the girl within the woman, the secrets of Machiko's past return to haunt her, revealing scars she never knew existed. She must learn to conquer her fears and allow him into her heart or risk slipping back into a cold, lonely world that once held her spirit captive. Through Caleb's determination to educate Machiko about trusting herself and her abilities, he opens her eyes to the art of sensuality, and awakens the woman buried deep inside the broken girl.

Author Bio:
Jax Cassidy is a multi-published author and has written under the pen name Cassidy Kent. She is Co-Founder of Romance Divas, an award winning romance writer's website and discussion forum. In between skydiving for charity and campaigning against human trafficking, she enjoys the company of close friends and indulges her caffeine fix at the nearest cafe. An avid traveler and an adventurous spirit, Jax has drawn inspiration from her experiences and often blends the exotic mix of Eastern and Western lifestyles into her writing. When she isn't locked up in her office penning her latest manuscript, Jax can be found creating abstract paintings for future art shows, or dividing her time between California, Texas, and Florida.




For more information on Jax, please visit her online at www.jaxcassidy.com or www.jaxadora.blogspot.com

Buy here

De-Stressing...Any Ideas?

Can you hear me screaming???? Yep, under a bit of stress around my house and I need your HELP!!!

For about six weeks now, we've had an ongoing home improvement project taking place at my house. A painting crew has been here scraping that 'old-timey' popcorn acoustic junk off the ceilings. It's just ugly, collects dirt and stuff like that. So the ceilings are being done and it's like having a cloud of dry-wall dust falling down 24/7. I've been patient. I've been good. Even with the movers, hauling things from one room to the next. Let me say, this is a BIG house. High cathedral ceilings and many rooms so this was something we knew would take quite awhile.

The painters have become part of the family and are a nice bunch of guys but it's like having the fun guest that never wants to leave. They are 'getting' the family jokes and making themselves right at home. And yes, I've been patient and good. They are finally down to the final two rooms...just in time for Thanksgiving. My husband and I decided we'd had enough with all the dust and dirt and hired a cleaning crew that was supposed to come in this morning to kind of help out a little bit. Late yesterday afternoon, I called for their time of arrival and casually asked...um, have you figured the bill yet? $850!!! Okay, after I picked myself up off the floor, I kindly told them thanks but no thanks. That's outrageous. So today I'm letting my fingers do the walking in the Yellow Pages to find someone else. In the meantime, I'll be standing on my head to clean up what I can.

Yesterday frustration and stress settled around me like a dark cloud. Asked some friends last night about ways to settle myself the hell DOWN. Chocolate. Mm, sounds good. A nice bottle of Shiraz (Anne's suggestion and a mighty good one)? Hm. Thinking chocolate while the nice hot bath is running. A glass or ten of that wine and maybe some candles and soft woo woo music.

What is your recipe for de-stressing? I'm open to ideas. And don't mention S-E-X because I'm just too stressed to think about THAT!!!

the love of a pet

Some of you know that I have a husband and kids, but you may not know about the other half of my family, the furry half. When I first got married, I was fine never having dogs and cats. It never occurred to me either way. My husband grew up around Boxers though. He's always had a fondness for them. When Kati, my oldest daughter, was born we found our first doggie. I admit we didn't have the best luck at first, not until we found Luke. He was the best dog ever, so well behaved, great with Kati and very loyal. After Alisha was born, Luke treated her like she was his own baby. If she cried while I changed her diaper, Luke gave me this look like, 'okay, but hurry, you're pissing me off'. Truly, he was so protective of her. Whenever she wanted to take a nap, she'd search for Luke, pounce on him and soon the two of them would be fast asleep together.

When we moved to the new house, and more property for the kids and Luke to run, we lost Luke to a car accident. It crushed us for awhile. He will always be remembered with fondness.

Later came Buddy. He wasn't quite the good doggie Luke was, lol. He was very hyper, didn't housebreak easily and played way too rough with the girls. Or so I thought. Once when Buddy nipped at Alisha, she frowned at him and punched him. Yep, punched him right in the jaw. Luckily, Alisha was too little to do any harm. Buddy just licked her and ran off the other direction. Alisha and Buddy both got a time out for that one. Buddy did learn, but it took us a loooooong while to train him. (I'm still working on Alisha, lol)



Then we thought, 'gee, maybe we should breed him!'. Along came Betsy. Betsy was the exact opposite of Buddy. She was so smart it was eerie. She'd give me this look and I swear I could read her mind. It was borderline creepy. Betsy became my companion. She slept on her little bed next to my desk while I wrote. She tattled on Buddy if he decided to run off and took extra special care of the girls. We did breed her. Buddy and Betsy ended up having three litters of puppies. We sold them all to Boxer lovers like us, but we kept one. One that sort of slipped inside our hearts when we weren't looking. We called her Cinnamon. You see why, right?

Cinnamon has been with us for 8 years now. She and Alisha are best buds. They sleep together, eat together, and most of the time she even goes to the park with us when we go hiking. She really loves to hike, or should I say, she loves dragging our sorry butts up the hill. LOL

Cinnamon's mommy, Betsy, died recently. It wasn't easy on any of us to lose her. The girls are old enough now to really understand the concept of death and it was really difficult for them to accept. I figure Betsy and Luke are together now, romping around in the big park in sky.

Now, onto the other half of our furry family. The cats. At first, my husband did NOT want any cats. Then Kati turned 7. She'd been asking for a kitty for something like three years. I finally broke rank and talked to my husband's mother, sneaky aren't I? lol Anyway, my mother-in-law was all over that one. She started calling shelters and vets. She found out about a tiny kitten who'd come in to the vet on the engine of a car. Yes, you read that right. She shouldn't even have lived, yet she did somehow. She had a mangled tail and her eye was messed up. We fell in love instantly.

Sassy came home with us that day and it was the best move we've ever made. Kati and Sassy are inseparable. Absolutely inseparable. I've never seen such a close bond. Well, the bond Alisha shares with Cinnamon is about the same I think. Anyway, Sassy, rules. She's the queen and dogs damned well know it. She does as she pleases and they bow to her every wish.


Then along came Mittens. Mittens was a drifter. Like a little flake of snow she drifted right up to our house as Alisha and her cousin Justin were taking down the Christmas tree. She peeked in the front door, meowed and our hearts melted. A little begging and pleading and Dad relented. Mittens can stay. Yay! I'd swear that Mittens knows that it was because of Alisha that she now has a warm cozy home and all the love she could handle because she stays glued to Alisha's side.

You'd think enough is enough, wouldn't you. Well, now it's my turn. Summertime and we're doing our daily 2 miles up the road, when what do we hear? A kitty. A very small kitty too. She came right up to us and started purring. I picked her up and fell in love. Kati named her Max, after Maximum Ride, the character in the Patterson books. When my husband saw her he shook his head. No! Absolutely not! We aren't having another animal in this house! Weeeellll, Max is, as you would expect, a part of our crazy family. And she's the craziest, let me tell ya. Don’t let the sweet face fool you. She's so bad, I swear every single time I see her I hear that song 'Bad To The Bone' in my head. LOL

Now, we're done. For sure. No more pets. None. Theeeeen Sugar came along. Sickly, starving, sneezing, barely had a meow left when she found us. A vet visit, some antibiotics and Sugar is beginning to look less like road kill and more like a cat. She's got a little ways to go, but she is doing very well. I expect in a few weeks she'll even be able to meow!

So, that's the other half of my family. Yes, we crazy. Would we have it any other way? Definitely not.

Do you have pets? Cats, Dogs, a pet snake, an iguana? C'mon, spill!

Being thankful

Most of us are dealing with hard times right now. The economy is a mess and the holidays are right around the corner. It's easy to get frustrated, depressed, to get in a little funk. I've been in the funk lately but I'm realizing it doesn't do any good. Does it fix your problems? No. Does it make them easier to handle? No. In fact, it does the opposite, making things worse than they are. So I decided to pull myself out. With Thanksgiving inching closer and closer I'm going to start being thankful for all the good things in my life.

My family. I have a wonderful and supportive husband who would do anything for his family. I have two beautiful, happy girls who light up even the darkest of days.

Health.

My writing. Even though I haven't been doing it as much as I should lately, my writing does give me new breath. It gives me a brief escape that I need to start taking more often.

Baby smiles. My 11 month old has the most beautiful, purely genuine smiles in the world. She gives them so easily too. I treasure each one.

My 4 years olds sassy attitude. Even though some days it stresses me out, I know she'll be a strong woman and won't ever let anyone take advantage of her.

My friends. I have some of the best friends who I know I can always count on whether I need a laugh or a shoulder to cry on. They're always there.

Those are a few of the things in my life I have to be thankful for right now. My energy would be so much better spent focusing on those than the negative. What about you? What do you have to be thankful for right now?

Kiss a Vet or Let a Vet Kiss YOU!

That's what happened to Edith Shain when she was a young Navy nurse many, many years ago. She was stationed in New York City on Aug. 15, 1945 when it was announced that Japan had surrendered and the war was over.

Like everyone else she rushed to Times Square to join the celebration and was grabbed by a handsome young sailor who 'planted one on her'. This image was captured by a photographer from LIFE magazine on that day and has become an iconic picture of that era.

Edith, who currently lives in Los Angeles, is now 90 years old. "I went from Doctors Hospital to Times Square that day because the war was over, and where else does a New Yorker go?" she said. "And this guy grabbed me and we kissed, and then I turned one way and he turned the other. There was no way to know who he was, but I didn't mind because he was someone who had fought for me."

This year Edith will be Grand Marshal of New York's Veteran's Day Parade in Times Square. In honor of the observance, she was treated to a reprise of the old Broadway musical South Pacific. At the end of the show, the "sailors" in the cast brought Edith onstage and recreated that famous kiss.

"As for the picture," she says, "it says so many things — hope, love, peace and tomorrow. The end of the war was a wonderful experience, and that photo represents all those feelings."

American flags are flying everywhere today in honor of our veterans and we should remember their sacrifices. With a war on two fronts we must look forward to caring for our soldiers when they eventually come home.

There's been a lot of controversy over the past few years about our current wars but whether you agree with our policies or not, we own these brave people respect, health care and college educations if they should choose. They've done their duties and gone where they were sent. We must honor them AND their families, who also sacrifice so much.

when your faith is tested

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Nov. 1 -- A 13-year-old girl who said she had been raped was stoned to death in Somalia after being accused of adultery, a human rights group said.

Dozens of men stoned Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow to death Monday in a stadium packed with 1,000 spectators in the southern port city of Kismaayo, Amnesty International and Somali news media reported, citing witnesses. The Islamist militia in charge of Kismaayo had accused her of adultery after she reported that three men had raped her, the rights group said.

Initial local news reports said that Duhulow was 23, but her father told Amnesty International that she was 13. Some of the Somali journalists who first reported the killing later told the human rights group that they had reported she was 23 based on her physical appearance.

Calls to Somali government officials and the local administration in Kismaayo rang unanswered Saturday.

"This child suffered a horrendous death at the behest of the armed opposition groups who currently control Kismaayo," David Copeman, Amnesty International's Somalia campaigner, said in a statement Friday.

The above article is directly cut from the Washington Post. It appeared Nov. 2nd. Since I first learned about this incident my mind has been in turmoil. I just cannot understand a world where we actually stone a child to death. Every time I think of what that girl suffered I want to cry. My youngest is 13 and I'd be lying to you if I didn't look at her and just tear up thinking of something like that happening to her. As a mother it sickens me. Any type of child abuse sickens me. I have a very hard time understanding or even forgiving someone who can do something to an innocent child. From the day I had my first baby I felt blessed. I looked at her and thought, 'what did I ever do to deserve such a gift from God?'. I know in my heart that it's my job to love, cherish and protect both of my kids. I feel God trusted me with that responsibility. But when I hear about a child being stoned to death, after having been raped, it makes me want to throw up, then it makes me feel such an overpowering hatred for the people (if you can call them people) for doing something so horrific to an innocent being.

My husband and I had a long discussion about this. And of course the topic turned to religion. My question was, 'how could God let this happen?' He feels the same way, but then he said, 'you should read the book The Shack. It might help you find peace. I haven't read the book yet, but he has and he shared some of what he learned with me and it did help. But truthfully, I always come back to one simple fact. Those who do harm to others deserve to be punished, if not in life then in death. I feel strongly about that. I don't personally believe that a person who could rape, kill, or torture a child deserves redemption. I can't help it. I know that may seem harsh or wrong, because we're supposed to see the good in everyone. We aren't supposed to judge others. We're supposed to leave that up to God to decide. But in my mind the decision was made the instant those people picked up their first stone.

Then there's the matter of the 1,000 spectators. What can I say about that? It makes my chest hurt thinking that this poor girl was killed in such a terrible way and in front of 1,000 people who, for whatever reason, chose to...watch? What was this? Entertainment?!

I'm bringing this here because I truly need help understanding. I'm interested in your views on this. Also, I'm interested in your views on religion. I'm personally struggling right now and I would love to hear about your beliefs, whether you are an Atheist, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Mormon...whatever. I'm at a stage here where I'm truly just seeking answers.

I'd also like to express my thanks. Thank you to all those who stood up for others, even at the cost of their own lives. Martin Luther King, Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman and the thousands of others who have stood up for what was right, no matter the danger involved! Where would we be today without you? I shudder to think.

Warning: Fan girl post ahead...LOL

For those of you who don't know I won tickets to an MTV show for the movie Twilight that releases in two weeks. The show will be on TV the 14th at 7:30 PM

My MTV/Twilight run down...

Yesterday was the most amazing day! Well, let me start with Thursday night actually. My really good friend, Tonya who I hadn't seen in four years drove down from Oregon. She got here at 10:00 PM Thursday. We talked until about Midnight then went to bed to get ready for the next day. We got up at 5:00 AM, got ready for the day and then drove her 15 year old daughter and friend to their aunts in Anaheim. We ate breakfast with them, left about 9:15 and jumped on the freeway for Beverly Hills! We arrived about 10:15 even though the MTV said we didn't have to be there until 5:30. There were only about 8 girls ahead of us in line. We ended up chatting with them a lot. They were really cool and we all switched phone numbers and all by the end of the night. They're total die hard Twilight fans and were showing us pictures of them with the cast from other events and giving us the low down since they'd done this kind of thing before. We hung out, ate snacks, all stood under a monster umbrella one of the girls brought to keep the sun away and chatted Twilight. A few hours later other fans started to trickle in. Thank God we came early because the seats were first come first serve. MTV people came out early and started giving us our badges about 4:30 I believe. Unfortunately we had to leave phones, cameras, and bags in our cars. The lined us up somewhere else and we waited a few more hours and finally made it into the Fine Arts Theater around 6:45ish. They gave us free popcorn and soda. Tonya and I were four rows back but toward the side by a door. The side rows where we were sat about 6 people each I believe. Larry, the guy who put the whole thing on came out and chatted with us and told us they would be entering the door right by us! Seriously it was 10 feet away from me. About 7:30 they got started and to our surprise almost ALL the cast was there when we were only expecting the director and Rob Pattinson (my dreamy, gorgeous, man) and Kristen Stewart! The 98% female audience started going CRAZY screaming. They couldn't even talk. The girls in the front row (who were the people we actually got to chat with all day) got hugs, kisses, and to touch all the cast. I was SO jealous but didn't want to run up there and flood the front like a few people tried to do. MTV ushered them back to their seats. Once on stage Rob jokingly yelled shut up at us and we finally quieted for him and Kristen to introduce the clip. They left, the lights went down the the curtains pulled back and they showed us 20 minutes of clips from the movie! They were fantastic. Some I'd seen online and some I hadn't. Then the cast (except Rob and Kristen. I was super bummed about that but I think they had to fly out or something) all came out and did a question/answer session! Kellen Lutz (absolutely gorgeous) has the best personality. He's funny, pretended to strip for us and told us stories. Jackson is gorgeous too and a total gentleman. One girl, instead of a question (which I think this was kind of cheating) asked if she could come on stage and get her shirt signed. They let her and the rest of us went a little crazy, LOL. Way too soon the show was over. Tonya and I walked out back. Taylor, the actor who plays Jacob was there signing. He's a little young for me so I waited to see who else would come. I hoped and prayed for Rob but he was already long gone. Kellan Lutz was second on my list but he was gone too. Jackson (plays Jasper) came out though. He stood a foot away from me! I was so bummed I had no camera or nothing for him to sign. I said hi to him (he's even more gorgeous in person). he was very polite and said hi back but they kept telling him he had to leave. His car was right by me. He looked me in the eyes and said sorry I have to go. I said him that's okay and I understand (later totally kicked myself for not asking for a hug but I froze) and he got in the car and left. We walked to our car and the girls we met from earlier where there. They were so excited because they'd gotten hugs etc. One girl, Ashley was so happy and had tears so I started crying because I was so happy for her. We chatted there with them for a little while and then said goodnight. Tonya had to drive me back home and then go to Anaheim for the night.

I'm SO grateful I got to experience this. I've never done anything like it before. I have to admit, I felt a bit sad because I'd really hyped myself up thinking I'd get to see more of Rob. I really, really like him but still the night as FAB. Oh, Tonya (her blog link is on my sidebar) makes cards and made a really one for both Rob and Kristen. We gave them to Larry and he promised to give them to them so I hope he did. I'll remember last night for the rest of my life. Click here if you want to read MTV's article about it.

Have you ever gotten to meet someone famous that you adore?

PS I don't know how other people ended up ahead of us later to make it so we were four rows back. Techinically we should have been right behind the girls we met but oh well.

Lucky Me!

NOTE: Contest winner from Wednesday is Connie Northrup!!!! YAY, Connie! You've won a copy of my new release Spanish Topaz. Please contact me at reginacarlysle@yahoo.com to pick up your prize! Thanks ya'll for playing and checking out my December titles.

All week long I've been blah, blah, blah and everyone I know has been the same. Don't know if mystic forces are conspiring or the moon is aligned funny with the stars but it's been hard to get anything done this week. Maybe there was an enormous rush of adrenaline leading up to the historic election we just observed and now everyone is suffering from the aftereffects of that. Kind of like a psychic hangover. What about you guys? Has this been a strange, weird week?

Aside from all that, I've been a lucky lady this week with the release of Spanish Topaz (Ellora's Cave) and today's PRINT release of Wild Wayback Nights. My hot cowboy story Hot Night at the Blue Bug Saloon was released as an ebook this time last year. This story was and still remains close to my heart for it's loveable characters and, well, overall HOTNESS. Nash Logan remains my favorite hero. The Wayback, Texas series at The Wild Rose Press began with this story and other stories soon followed as together we built this small, Texas town from the ground up, filling it with colorful characters, adventure and romance. Due to the popularity of the series, The Wild Rose Press has released this story along with those written by Judith Rochelle, Cindy Spencer Pape and Sylvie Kaye as a print anthology. This book is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble TODAY.

Hot Night at the Blue Bug Saloon

Blurb:

Her friends call her the Intimidator and there is no doubt the fellas in tiny Wayback, Texas think she is a mite intimidating with her outrageous curves and sassy personality. Isn’t there one single sexy cowboy who has the guts to take her on?
Sexy as sin cowboy Nash Logan isn’t afraid of anything. Eight seconds on a crazy-mad bull? No problem. Taming a bucking bronco? A snap. When sultry, sassy Gina Ballew saunters up to him one night at the Blue Bug Saloon, he knows its going to take a hell of an easy hand to tame this sweet Texas Lady. One look and he’s a goner. It’s going to be a Hot Night at the Blue Bug Saloon and Nash has nothing to lose-but his heart

Excerpt: (just a short one)

Holy cow! He looked even better up close.
He had Jack Daniels eyes. Whiskey colored, hot, and aged to perfection. A man, not a boy. Dark lashes framed those penetrating eyes and Gina felt her breath catch in her throat. He had a tiny bump on the bridge of his great looking nose. Probably broke it when he was thrown from the back of a mean bull named Intimidator. She wanted to reach out and run her finger over that attractive bump. In an attempt to hide the quick flash of desire, she faked an air of bravado. “Good to see chivalry isn’t dead, cowboy.”
“Not where I come from.” He lifted a hand and one of the bartenders sidled up. “A drink for the lady.”
Gina placed her order and moved closer to the bar. “Thanks. So where you from?”
He shrugged as he paid the bartender for her drink. “South of here but I move around a lot.”
“Guess you’re in town for the rodeo. Are you entered?”
“Yep.”
“Man of few words, too.”
A smile twitched at those scrumptious lips. “Usually.” She noted the brackets around the sides of his mouth, the faint laugh lines at the corners of his eyes. He lived in the sun and he either scowled fiercely or smiled frequently. Hard to tell which.
Fierce, she decided. He was a fierce man but capable of laughter. The most appealing man she’d ever met.
Gina went silent as his scent stole her tongue. Man, he smelled good. Subtle with just a hint of something clean and citrus. Tart enough to make her mouth water. She took a sip of her beer to hide her reaction.
One dance, she vowed. Only one. This temporary man was dangerous to her state of mind. Why had she listened to Lyssa and given in to temptation this way? She swallowed and forced herself to meet his penetrating gaze.
“This your first time here? Wayback’s pretty small. I’d remember you.”
“Yeah. Nash Logan.”
“Gina Ballew. Welcome to Wayback.”
Mustering her courage, she tilted her chin and held out a hand to two-hundred pounds of trouble.

the erotic myth

Hmm, sounds like the title of a documentary. LOL It's not. But, I do want to talk about the erotic writer and all the stuff that comes with that particular tag.

Erotic writers put up with a lot of crap. Did you know that? Since I've started writing hot stories I've been told my writing is 'trash'. Isn't that insane? I think it is. Sometimes I can let it flow right off me, other times it makes my blood boil. It's crazy to think that just because I give details in my love scenes that somehow makes me less of a person. Not to mention the fact that other writers look down on us, as if they're better somehow. I once asked a very popular author to give me a quote on a book. She refused. She blamed it on something else, but we both knew the truth, she didn't want her good name attached to a book that was considered erotic. I just wanted to laugh at that. Why is it that authors who write regular romance, or even authors who write suspense or thrillers think they're somehow more intelligent? Is it really better writing or is it just different? I say it's just different. Of course I'm not saying ALL authors have this attitude, but some do.

Here's the truth. I have to have a plot, engaging characters, and a great ending the same as the rest. I don't throw together a story and call myself an author. I outline, I revise, I spend hours and hours at the computer pulling together a story worthy of reading. I deserve to be looked at with the same respect as any other genre. Do I make nasty remarks to those who write sweet romance? Do I read a bloody scene in a thriller and want to pray for the author's poor confused soul? No, I don't. Anyone who spends hours sweating over a story to make it shine has my respect, regardless of the type of story.

Myths surrounding erotic romance authors:
We're all a bunch of nymphos
We're all trapped in a loveless marriage
We grew up with a screwed up set of morals
We're all the products of sexual abuse
We masturbate while we write

You might think the above list is nuts, but I've heard all of those things at least once.

Now for the truth, Are you ready for it? Here goes....we're people just like you. Yep, it’s true. Moms and dads, wives and husbands, stay-home parents, career people. We're your neighbor. We're no different, no worse, no better. Our stories take talent and a lot of hard work to write. After all, you try writing a ménage! It's not as easy as it seems, let me tell ya! Keeping those guys and gals from standing on their heads is so not a piece of cake! LOL

Now, to leave you with a question. How many of you have been afraid to admit to your family and friends that you read/write erotic romance? And be honest! I can easily say that I still have a hard time admitting what I do for a living. I literally brace myself for the dirty looks. I know that if I want to see someone shut down really fast that's the way to do it. Sad, but true.

CONTEST REMINDER: Regina’s contest from yesterday is still going on! She’ll be picking a winner tomorrow, Friday!

Contest!!! Come on...LET'S PLAY!

Okay, stayed up waaaay too late watching the historical presidential election last night. I was positively GLUED. It's a wonderful thing to watch democracy in action. So last night was a good night but today is good too. At least for me.

Today is release day for my Ellora's Cave quickie, Spanish Topaz. This is a paranormal menage set in Texas and features a smokin' hot cowboy, a sexy latina, and a man from the past who is in search of his lost love. So if your looking for a quick, hot read, pick this one up and be sure to tell me what you think.

In honor of the release, I'm giving away a download of the book along with a deck of Ellora's Cave playing cards. Entering is Easy Breezy. Head over to my web site.. http://www.reginacarlyle.com and look for my upcoming December titles. Choose one of the three listed there, come back HERE to Three Wicked Writers and mention the one that sounds best to YOU. I'll draw a name from the commenters and announce the winner FRIDAY. Today I'm also being featured at Playground Mystique and Alisha Paige's blog. Please stop by and check out my interviews.

Buy the Book Here

Blurb:

Spanish Topaz

When rancher, Cash Carter gets sexy Latina, Graciela Fuentes back in his bed, he vows to keep her there. Whether it’s through the lure of hotter than hell sex or the intrigue to be found in an ancient topaz-studded dagger, he won’t let her go again. His body burns for hers but once she touches the handle of the dagger and Miguel de Castillo, a man from another time, manifests before them, Cash realizes Gracie’s soul may belong to another.

Miguel longs for a reunion with his long-dead bride and when he finds her soul residing in the body of the very modern Gracie, he’ll do anything to get her back. It becomes a race against time as Gracie gives her body to both men in order to reunite the lost lovers, hoping against hope she doesn’t lose her life or her love in the process.

Excerpt: (ADULT)

Cash Carter leaned against the frame of the open barn door and watched Graciela Fuentes barrel down the dirt road leading to the Classic Cash Ranch. She had a new car. A sassy little roadster that reminded him of her, sleek but rounded in all the right places. A rooster tail of dust shot out from behind the vehicle as it rocketed down the road. On either side of the snappy little car, his land stretched out like a rugged Texas jewel in the waning autumn sunlight.
She was home.
Thank god. That was all that mattered.
The weeks since he’d last seen her fell away and his cock hardened behind the well-worn fly of his jeans. Her memory rose up, hot and fluid, in his mind and as his mouth went dry, he swore he could still feel the taste of her nipple on his tongue. It was a rich memory that he’d never been able to shake, even after she left for college and then landed a job as a museum curator in Houston. They’d been lovers for those years, but time and distance was his enemy. He was damn sick of only having scarce visits to her apartment in Houston and her trips to central Texas were so seldom, he was left aching.
When he’d found the dagger two days ago, she was the only person he’d called. It was a deal that worked for him. He’d have answers and her all at the same time. Have her he would, too. The connection between them had always been electrifying and the month that had passed since he’d last had her hadn’t changed a damn thing about that.
Cash shifted his stance and walked further into the yard to meet her. His heart thumped hard in his chest as he waited and remembered. Lust crawled through his belly and the urge to fuck her sweet pussy seeped through his mind like an oft remembered dream. If circumstances hadn’t intervened a couple of days ago, he’d pretty much decided to head down to Houston and haul her sexy, Latina ass back where she belonged. For good.
Maybe it was the time of year that made him hard for her. Made him ache for her. The leaves on the trees had turned a smoldering gold that exactly matched her eyes. The simmering reds mingled among the golden leaves reminded him of her lush lips and the way they’d always taken his with a hunger unequaled in his experience.
Bottom line was the woman was so fucking hot she burned him to ash with every touch. She was a craving in his system and he was a happy addict.
When the source of his raging addiction, stopped her car not twenty yards from where he stood, he stiffened, unsure of her greeting, as she stepped from the little car and gave him a look, cocked a winged black brow and sent him a sexy smile. Odd that he noticed that seductive smirk since he could barely drag his gaze from the long length of leg she bared beneath the miniscule black skirt. A strip of her belly flashed from below her shorter-than-hell red tee. The woman was sex on a stick and his cock pulsed in reaction, grew in dimension and he had the crazy desire to lick her from the tips of her cute little toes to her mouth, stopping to savor every point in between.
“Hey, sweet thing,” he drawled.
Her smile widened as she sent her gaze zipping down then up the length of his body. Impossibly his erection pulsed stronger as the need to fuck her silly grew by immense proportions.
“Hola, querido. Miss me?”
“Every damn day.” Cash held out his arms and watched her go still. A flicker of intensity made her golden eyes go dark. He smiled, knowing he had her right where he wanted her. She’d missed him, too. “Come ‘ere, darlin’. If I don’t touch you right now, I swear I’m gonna die.”
And just like, that the darkness left her eyes and her smile widened as she laughed and raced headlong into his arms.

Rock the vote

Today I'm casting my very first ballot. I'm twenty eight and should have voted before now but like I said before, it wasn't something I grew up hearing about or talking about with my mom so when I turned eighteen I just never bothered. At twenty four I planned to but didn't. This year nothing would stop me. What right did I have to complain in the past when I didn't take the time to do anything about it? I feel lucky that I live in a country where I can vote, where I can have a say who and what happens in the country I live in. I'm finally taking that opportunity. With the help of Regina, hundreds of emails, and Internet searches I feel I've come to a educate decision. I know what I plan to mark on that ballot and I feel good about my decision. I feel grown up in a way I didn't. I feel AMERICAN. So, no matter who you vote for, get out there and cast your ballots today.

Be sure you stop by tomorrow. Regina has a brand new release coming out and she's having a contest to celebrate. You don't want to miss it.

an interview with author Faith V. Smith!

Today we're talking with Faith V. Smith, a fabulous author with The Wild Rose Press!





TWW: I just came from your website. It’s beautiful and so easy to navigate! Care to share your designer’s name with us? ;-)

FAITH: I was so blessed to have Rae Monet, a fantastic author, cover artist and web designer do my website. She incorporated my ideas, capitalized on them and
Turned it into a work of art! Thank you Rae!


TWW: Tell us a bit about Faith, who is she when she isn’t the author of “Sensing the Sensual”?

FAITH: I am just an average woman trying to make ends meet, scrounge time to write and still be conscious at the end of the work day.


TWW: I see that you’re first release, “Beware What You Wish” is a best seller at The Wild Rose Press. Tell us a bit about this story.

FAITH: Yes, I was so proud it stayed on the bestseller list for so long. Wow, I threw this together so quickly for a contest, I barely got to know my characters and let me tell you I think Alistair MacKinnon is a hunk that I wouldn't mind knowing better…lol. I wrote the work in less than two weeks and the fact it was a time travel contest fascinated me. I love time travels so it just evolved.



TWW: Was this a hard story to write? Considering it’s a historical romance, what sort of research did you have to do?

FAITH: I went to several sites to research the regency era. I used some of the culinary delights they served back in 1811 but also drew on the fact the castle in the book had been around since medieval times. That made it a lot easier for me, since I
live and breath medieval when I'm not writing paranormal.


TWW: I see “Kensington’s Soul” is coming soon. Hot cover!! When is the release date for that one?

FAITH: We are shooting for January or Febraury 2009


TWW: Care to tell us all about that one?

FAITH: This book is very close to my heart. It too started as a contest entry but
was rejected. Of course after wanting to quit writing, as I think we all do when we get the big R, I continued with Zacke's story. Kensington's Soul is the story of a warrior from the 14th century who is turned into a vampire by a scorned lover. He hates what he is and decides to do all he can to make amends. He does this by becoming a police detective in Savannah, Ga., where he, of course, rescues the heroine. There is a lot of graphic scenes with bodies the scorned lover/vampire leaves behind for Zacke.


TWW: Readers who haven’t read your stuff will want to know what heat level they are. What do you consider your books? Sweet, Mainstream, Steamy, Erotic?

FAITH: Well according to TWRP, my books are considered spicy. I give teasers,
complete love scenes and I hope sensuality that keeps a reader interested enough to
see where the story is going.


TWW: When you write do you start with a plot outline, a character sketch, how do you begin? How do you stay on course?

FAITH: Believe it or not, I start with an idea, usually write 5-10 pages and then stop to see where I need to go. I use a lot of sticky notes. Outlines are fine but I like to just write down chapter by chapter what I think will move the book along and then of course, I have to take into consideration whether or not my characters have ideas of their own.


TWW: I've never heard of anyone working that way. Fascinating! I see you write historical, but also paranormal. Is there a genre or subgenre you aren’t interested in writing? For instance, suspense or erotica, etc.?

FAITH: I am not sure I could ever write erotica. The genre is fascinating but I don't find myself using some of the terms employed in those hot stories. It's just me, I know that there are a lot of talented authors out there that can put out a great erotic tale, but I fear I will never be one. As for suspense, I like to think I add a bit
of that in the books I do write.


TWW: Do you have a favorite author or authors? Do you read a lot? Is there an author whose books you pick up just because they are the author?

FAITH: ? I love a lot of paranormal writers. Angela Knight, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kerrelyn Sparks, Lindsay Sands, Anne Rainey, of course, and Christine Feehan. There are so many wonderful authors out there. I do read a lot, as a formal reviewer, I love to read and from the time I could hold a book, I read. I find myself
feeling much forlorn when I don't have a book in my spare time.



TWW: Aw, thanks for including me! So, where do you get your ideas from? T.V., Movies, elsewhere? Do you find it difficult to name your books or characters?

FAITH: Actually, I get my ideas from a lot of sources. Someone walking down the street, something on television, maybe a line of script, sometimes even a dream. I find that if I name my characters, which I really want their names to fit the character, then I can write the book with the individual in mind. I also want a title
before I start a book if possible.


TWW: What would your advice be to an author who wants to become a best seller like you? How did you promote to get to that point or was it just the strength of your material that led to word of mouth and many many sales?

FAITH: I truly don't think of myself as a best selling author. I hope that the word and word of mouth is what has garnered me sales on the time travel and I hope the
plot of Kensington's Soul will do the same. Now, more than ever authors have a way to get their work out there. Blogs, websites, etc, help so much in getting the book out front of a reading audience.


TWW: Last question, I swear! LOL What do you have coming up next, other than Kensington’s Soul? What are you working on now?

FAITH: Well, my editor has expressed an interest in the next book in the Vampire Lords and Ladies series. I hope to have it completed and to her by the first of the year, its title is Dunbar's Curse, highlighting one of Zacke's vampire buddies. I also have a medieval I will be revamping and resubbing to TWRP. I am also working on another vampire series that I hope will catch someone's eye also.


TWW: I never ever get tired of vampires! The more the better! LOL Also, can you share your links for our readers? Website, Blog, Myspace, Facebook, Newsletter, Group...?

FAITH: Please check out my website http://www.faithvsmith.com/ I will have all my links
up, hopefully this weekend for myspace, facebook, etc.


TWW: Thanks so much for guest blogging with us wicked ladies! This was a blast!

FAITH: Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your awesome website!


OUT NOW!

COMING SOON!