Resolutions--do you or don't you?

I almost always make New Years Resolutions even though I KNOW nine times out of ten I'm not going to stick with them. It just doesn't happen. Each year I decide this is the year but it never is. LOL. This year I'm not making resolutions but I did make a few goals of a different kind. A few days ago I turned 29. Now I know this isn't old but when you're staring down 30 for the first time it is a little scary. There were things that I'd planned to get done before I turned 30. Some I did and some I didn't. That aside, when I look at my life there are so many things that I know I need to change. Not just physically like losing weight. I know my body will start changing and and I need to get my weight under control before those changes but also personally. I don't DO anything. I never really go out. My husband and I were sitting back thinking the other day and I don't think we've done anything together, just the two of us in a year! That is way too long. I want quality family time as well. Our weekends are spent at home most of the time which is great but I want memories. I want my girls to SEE things and I want to be the one to show it to them. I want them to remember who much fun we had together. I also having writing goals that I'm determined to see come to pass not only for myself but also to show my kids that hard work really does pay off. That you can make ALL your dreams come true.

See what staring 30 in the face did to me? It made me think. So this year, on my birthday I made my 29th year GOALS. I'm going at this personally, putting into action things that I've wanted to do for a while. Now I know basically what I'm doing is resolutions but it feels different to me. I'm making life changes for myself and my family.

So do you make New Years resolutions? If not, why don't you? If so what are your resolutions for this year?


***Update****
I had to add this because it thought it was funny. I just ran to the store to get my husband some Nightquil and they carded me!!! Seriously! I got carded to buy cold medicine.

Writing Goals and the New Year

Over Christmas, a writer friend sent me some wonderful candy (thanks Barbara) so I'm having a chocolate truffle at the moment and thinking about the past year. 2008 was truly great for me both personally and professionally. My family is happy, healthy, we love each other and my writing career began to blossom after years of struggling to become published. Including both e-books and print, I have seen ten books released this year and, to me, this is amazing.

The other day friends were chatting on a loop about things like writing goals and calendars. I'm thinking...HUH??? I think maybe some writers find it helpful but I've always been a more 'fly by the seat of my pants' kind of gal. In my work, I take a sliver of an idea and build a story around it. I send it in and my editor says yes or no. Someone will later send me a release date and a cover. That's good enough for me. Maybe I stress out too easily but I'm old enough to figure out these little niggling things out about myself. I don't DO stress anymore. I write, I dream, I play. If a book comes later rather than sooner, it's all right with me. I'm easy that way. So no big plans for me. No worry. No stress. I won't bang my head against the wall if I don't see five, six or seven books released next year. I'll finish my books when it's time and see how life unfolds.

At the moment, I'm roughly 20 pages or so from finishing a very hot shifter story and its brother, book two of this series, is waiting in the wings and I'll finish it soon after. Right now, I'm nearing the end of this one too. Funny thing is, right before Christmas just as the stress I try to avoid was building like a steam engine, I thought the idea 'well' had run dry. Nothing else was on the horizon but then BAM. Christmas was over, taking with it the adrenaline rush, the worry and the stress and suddenly ideas started to form once again. In the past few days, I've jotted down new plot lines and have enough now to have a continual flow of works in progress.

Do you work better with a strict plan or do you take your WIPS as they come? Is there a method to your madness and what do you see in the crystal ball that is 2009?

a look at 2008

With 2009 right around the corner I figured now would be a good time to talk about what I enjoyed about 2008. I'm generally not the type to do the whole resolution thing, but I do like to set goals for myself and I also like to look back at what I got out of the previous year.

I found some new authors. Well, they're new for me. One Lora Leigh. I had never read her books before this year. Boy was I missing out! I've since read nearly all of her backlist, there are still a few to go, but I'm getting there. My favorite book of hers remains to be "Loving Lies". A very hot story! I want the other two friends' stories, like today! LOL

I also discovered the joys of reading erotica, rather than erotic romance. Diana Hunter's "New York Moment" was probably the first story I've ever read that didn't have a budding romance and a HEA. Well, that's not entirely true. I think I've read a few others, a long time ago, but it's been so long I can't remember. Anyway, it's not something I'll read daily because I do love me a good romance, but I admit it was interesting enough for me to have bought a few more of the Exotica titles over at Ellora's Cave. (Damn, I just love having those hot stories on my ereader, too! lol)

One of the best stories I read this year is probably "Fallen" by Erin McCarthy. I love it when and author can suprise me. I knew she could write a fun, laugh out loud romance, but I had no idea she could write darker. I liked this particular book because of the hero. I go for heroes who have an inner struggle the way Gabriel does. It makes me desperate for his happy ending.

So, those are the books I've loved this year. What else did I love about 2008? There were a lot of good things to happen to me this year. My writing career is beginning to take off, I have a new positive outlook on life, I've learned to put things aside and spend time enjoying my family, and I feel better about me than I think I ever have. Will 2009 be perfect? I think not, but it's bound to be an adventure!

What books did you read this year that made an impression?

Be Back After The Holidays!

HI ALL!

Your friendly wicked blogger ladies are out this week. We're trying to be good for Santa and spending the holidays with our families. But we will be back! Oh yes, we will be back! Our wickedness shall start back up on Monday Dec. 29th!

In the meantime, feel free to leave us a comment so we don't feel unloved! :)

MIA

My blog is going to be MIA today everyone. So sorry about that. I have two pretty sick kiddos at home. They alternated waking up in the middle of the night so they and I are both exhausted. I'm stealing a moment to do this before I go cuddle with them again. Have a great weekend!

Ahoy Maties! Thar Be Pirates Aboard!

The pirate invasion began for me a few days ago when I got an email from our very own Anne who said she'd found one of my books on a Pirating site! You know the kind. The ones who steal authors books and offer them either FREE or for sale, cutting the author and publisher completely OUT as for as money.

Went to the site and lo and behold...there I was biggern Dallas offered as a free download. Talk about steamed! Later I hit some author loops and found this same addy was being talked about by the other authors and it seemed this same woman had not only one file sharing blog but many. Curious about what she had going on, I pulled some of them up and was appalled at the number of authors who were being systematically ripped off. In some cases, the entire collections of some longtime writers were offered free of charge.

I did my part by notifying two of my publishers who said they'd get right on it by sending out 'cease and desist' letters. I later learned that other authors were doing the same. Everyone pulled together and did what they could. Last night, I read this woman has posted a note to her blog saying she was 'shutting down' and didn't realize she was doing anything wrong. SNORT...yeah RIGHT! Of course, she knows she's doing wrong. It's STEALING. No doubt she'll be back up at a later date and, if not, plenty of others will take her place.

Guess what I'm getting at is, in this vast cyber-world in which we live, operate, and do business, it pays to be careful. If I stumble across another of these sites and see a friends book, you'd better believe, I'm letting her know. If I see hundreds of offerings of fellow writers from my own publisher, I'm reporting it whether my own book is listed there or not. The way I see it, we're all in this gig together.

Writing a book takes imagination, creativity, hard work and long hours. In my pre-writing days, I'd tear through a delicious book in an afternoon and sit there wondering how many weeks or months the author spent writing it. Now I KNOW. A lot of work, heart and soul goes into something like this and for someone to thoughtlessly GIVE IT AWAY steams me plenty.

So be on the lookout, Maties! Only through keeping an eye out for each other will be get through this stuff.

On a lighter note: Made for Mischief, my erotic regency at Resplendence Publishing is now available in PRINT. It can be purchased at Resplendence or at Amazon. I haven't picked up my author copies yet, but I'm getting my credit card warmed up now. Very exciting.

On a rant!

Do you ever get tired of being a maid? I swear lately my family has it in their heads that I'm their maide. Yesterday my eyes were opened to the fact they've gotten used to me doing things for them so they don't have to bother. Making an after school snack becomes a chore because everything is left on the counter, I'm expected to go behind them and clean up the messes as they go. I usually don't get frustrated with this type of thing. Usually I simply say, 'the maid quit, cleam up your mess'. They clean up their mess. But why do even have to ask?! Why do I have say anything at all? You got it out, you put it away. It's simple. And if everyone cleaned up after themselves, life would be way simpler!

I wish I could say this is just the kids doing this but it's not. My husband, bless his heart, does it too. It's harder for me to be angry with him though, because when I quit working a full time job to stay home with the kids, I took the running of the house. He cooks, I clean. We've always worked well together. But as my life is exploding these days with deadlines, I'm starting to see that my job as a wife and stay-home mom has altered a little. I now need time to work, not just take care of everyone. It's been an uncomfortable realization for all of us really. In the backs of our minds we've known this day would come. We knew at some point I wouldn't be able to do the dishes, laundry, organizing all on my own. It's gotten to the point where the closets are a wreck, the sock basket is overflowing, and I'm pretty much just keeping the day to day stuff done.

Now, this isn't to say the kids don't help, because they do. They get an allowance each week to do certain chores. But lately we've all gotten lazy. Some of the chorse get done, others don't. Some days they don't get done at all. This is partly my fault for not enforcing the rules harder, but really I've found myself too busy to care if everything gets done.

So, last night my husband comes home from a party and tells me how clean and neat the house was that he'd been to. Even the garage was neat as a pin. I always wonder what type of person has a neat garage. I've never considered my house messy. I almost always keep things neat and tidy, but lately I just haven't had the time. So, what happens? It piles up.

My solution? After Christmas and before New Year's I plan to get everyone involved in the 'big clean up'. I figure if everyone has a few jobs, it'll all get done and I won't have to break my back doing it all. We all live here, why shouldn't we all help keep the place clean?

How do you handle situations like this. Both parents working, whether at home or not, kids busy with school work and sports. By the end of the day we're all just too tired to care. What's the answer? Trust me when I say, I'm all ears here! I'm at the end of my rope!

Trust your gut?

Do you ever get a really strong feeling that something good or bad is about to happen to you? I get them a lot and over the years, I've learned to trust my gut instinct. There have been times that I just knew something bad would happen but I went ahead with whatever I had planned and usually ended up regretting it later. Most of those were in my younger years though. Now I know better. Well most of the time at least.

I've always gotten strong feelings about people when I meet them. I almost always get a really good feeling if I meet someone who I will get along with well, or someone who I know is just a really good person. It's strange the way it works but I'm rarely wrong when it comes to this kind of thing and my own life.

Right now I'm working on a new book that is a little different for me. The hero Russ, is a real tortured hero. All my characters have their issues but none have been quite as tortured as Russ is. For some reason I have a really good feeling about this book. I'm not sure if its just because I like the story, because the hero is dealing with something that I've dealt with in my life with a close family member or because the story is really special but for some reason it feels different to me. Is it intuition or hope? I guess I won't know until I finish the darn thing and see what happens from there.

Do you strong intuition about your life? Do you trust those gut instincts?

A Toy Story

Over the weekend, I went to a toy party. An ADULT toy party. I can't tell you how much fun it was. My friends will tell you, I'm not one to get out much. To me, it's always just too much trouble. Occasionally I'll go out to lunch or dinner with the family or hit the grocery store or the mall for some necessary shopping but that's about it. So I was a little sceptical about attending this thing. I know the two women who were hosting this though and they wanted me to do a booksigning and talk about my work during the evening.

In the end I went and I'm sure glad I did.My friend's home was lovely and about a dozen women showed up. I think they were expecting more but, as far as I was concerned, it was the perfect number for something like this. I was relieved too, because I'm sometimes uncomfortable in crowds of strangers. This all suited me just fine. A table was set up for the adult toys and I was honestly amazed at the number of products out there. Imagine a dozen women, turning on the equipment, watching these things move around, shimmy and shake. And the COLORS. Everything from hot pink, to pickle green, to vibrant blue. Wild. There was a cream for every predicament that might ail either a women or a man. Who needs viagra? Right?

The food and drinks were spread out and I tried Lemon Drops for the first time. Have no idea what they are made of...vodka, I think...but WOW. Yes, I shoulda stopped at two but I got really brave and had three. After those, I found a nice little place to park my butt and stayed there. I sold some books but found most of the party-goers were more interested in my erotic titles. That's good. I passed out postcards that listed my titles on the backs, mentioned the names of some other stellar authors (which they jotted down), and let everyone play with my e-reader. Before the party, I'd downloaded some of my titles and the girls had a blast reading the naughtiest excerpts out loud. My friends who hosted the party had already read some of my books. One was yelling...read the shower scene! In the end, I think my naughty sex scenes stirred up the crowd as much as the TOYS.

The two hour party turned into a four hour party and I can't recall when I've last had such a good time. I learned some things too. First, I realized that erotic books are much like the toys and in many ways, they might be better. After all, the brain is very tied-in with sex, isn't it? Secondly, I learned that having a booksigning at this kind of party was a good idea. The two seemed to fit, you know? The final thing I learned was that I must get out more! Somewhere out there is a lemondrop with my name on it.

I'm blank

Have you ever just had nothing to say? Like zero. Nada. It's like doing a school report. I keep trying to come up with something jazzy, but the truth is, I'm blank today. Maybe it's the dreary weather, maybe I just have nothing to say though. There doesn't always have to be a reason, right?

So, because there's nothing for me to chat about, I decided to ask you a question that's been on my mind lately. Heroes that turn into jerks. I've been reading a lot of Lora Leigh and I think she does such a fantastic with her Alphas that I wonder why alll authors can't do such a great job. Truth is, some authors do cross that line. Their heroes turn into jerks and you just want to strangle them. Hell, if they were in the same room, we probably would.

What is it for you? What makes a good Alpha? And what makes you want to throw the book at the wall?

My little Smiley Face

I can't believe it has been one year today since I had my baby girl. Time flies doesn't it? She's doing some many new things and before I know it she'll be heading off to school for the first time. She's in that point where everything is so new...so amazing. The smallest things make her smile. She's seriously the smiliest baby I've ever seen. We call her smiley face. She can say Mama, Dada and hi. She'll wave at herself while saying hi to you and its so darn cute. She's going to be fun, and outgoing, I can already tell. She's a daredevil, and a little toughy. She loves Dora the explorer and watching her big sister do anything. She looks up to M so much. I love watching the two of them together.

I'm so lucky to be able to call her my daughter.

Promo Hell and Another New Release

Ahhh, what can I say? Two releases this week and a print release next week and damn it, I'm pooped. I've been on myspace, facebook, twitter, signed up for Cherry D and I've just about had it. Does any of this stuff actually work? I have NO CLUE but I'm willing to give anything a shot for awhile. Kind of playing with the idea of a newsletter, too. Any of you do one? Can you recommend it? Frankly, it all sounds pretty exhausting at the moment. Still I can't complain because all in all, it's been a stellar week for me.

Got the Christmas tree up and watched my daughter sign up for her first college classes. The latter had me sniffing a little. Today is officially her last day of class in high school. She has a couple of finals next week and that's it. Damn but she's growing up and I'll officially be an empty nester. That SUCKS.

On Wednesday, Feral Moon, my paranormal menage came out at Ellora's Cave and today sees the Ellora's Cave release of Breath of Magic. This is book one of the Mistletoe Magic series. Book two by Desiree Holt is Touch of Magic and Book three is Whispers of Magic by Cindy Spencer Pape. Elven Magic a short, paranormal menage comes out Dec. 24...yes, that's right...Christmas Eve, and was written by all three of us.

Today I'll do more promo and I'm chatting with Anny Cook at Ellora's Cave Chat so stop by if you can. Hopefully, I manage to wrangle a celebratory lunch with the husband. He's been a little under the weather but feeling better now. Don't you just LOOOVE the cold and flu season? Sigh. Maybe he'll be up to treating me to some good Tex-Mex. Maybe a margarita or two? Yeah, I could soooo go for that.

Okay. Here's a blurb and naughty excerpt of Breath of Magic. Enjoy!

Buy it HERE!


Blurb:

Book 1 in the Mistletoe Magic series

Powerhouse attorney Liza Woodward knows a little something about losing control and it's been her life's mission never to do it again, especially when it comes to small-town lawyer Tyler Blackwell.

Ty takes one look at the woman he's always loved and knows it's way past time he seduced away the control she wears like a suit of armor. It will take a steady hand, a bit of dominance, and a little breath of magic from a Christmas Elf to win this sassy Texas woman.

Excerpt:

Liza's muscles tensed in anticipation and she prayed with everything in her that he couldn't know what looking at him did to her. This was a mistake on so many levels. But God! She'd never been able to resist Ty Blackwell. He was bronze and dark and so ripped with muscle, he made her mouth water.

Hastily she flicked her tongue across her lower lip as she took in the mounds of his sculpted chest. It was lightly smattered with dark, crisp hair that flared across his pecs then thinned to arrow down, bisecting his torso to disappear into the waistband of worn denim. His profession hadn't softened him a bit. Lean yet muscular he was a man who looked as spectacular in jeans as he did in a suit. When he smiled, a deep and sexy dimple popped out near the corner of his scrumptious lips.

He wasn't smiling now.

His face was hard with passion, a tiny muscle jumped in his jaw as if he were holding himself back with every ounce of control he possessed.Oh, she knew all about control. It was the very thing that had deserted her from the moment she looked into those drenched chocolate-colored eyes of his.

Yep. She was a goner.

Ty held her gaze as he unsnapped and unzipped his jeans. She'd almost forgotten that country lawyers tended toward the ultra casual when not in court but that suited her just fine. Lordy, he looked good in worn denim. Without moving his eyes from hers, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a condom. One side of his mouth lifted in a naughty half-smile as he tossed it casually to the desktop where it landed near her hip.

"I was ready for you, Liza Lou."

"Bet you think I'm easy."

"There's nothing easy about you, darlin'," he said as he pushed the jeans and his pristine white briefs together past his hips.

"Ah, man." Liza practically moaned the words as she got an eyeful of his cock, rising high and hard from the nest of black hair at his groin. Ty was a real-life, honest to God refresher course in male beauty. Was he bigger than she remembered? Oh yeah. Maybe he was. His erection was thick and ripe with color, distended veins coursing the length of him as if pointing straight to the heavy, broad plum-shaped head. Liza's mouth went dry as she recalled the wonderful masculine taste of him.She wanted to reach out for it. She wanted to stroke him and take him in her mouth but he didn't give her a chance.

With a low sound, Ty leaned over and took the front of her thong between his teeth and slowly, tantalizingly pulled it from her body. Finally, he took the garment in his hand and rubbed the drenched cloth against his chest.

Liza gasped. She'd never known a naughtier man.

"Don't look scandalized, Counselor," he drawled slowly. "I love the way you smell when you're hot. I want your scent all over me."

"You're bad." She whispered the words wanting to be shocked but instead her body pulsed in a wild, untamed rhythm. "I should go."

Ty shook his head. "Uh-uh. You want bad so much you can taste it and I'm gonna give it to you."

bad boys + good girls=hot!

Well, I did it. I wrote a menage and sold it! Yay!!

Here's the thing, several Red Sage Publishing authors have been hard at work on a series of stories we're calling Three Kinds of Wicked. It's a really fun, naughty series, too! Each story is unique. There'll be contemporaries, historicals, futuristics and paranormals. However, the central theme in all of them is a menage m/f/m. Does that sound hot or what? I'm very excited that my contemporary has just been accepted and will (probably) be out next year.

Here's a little bit about "Reckless Exposure":

Good girls shouldn’t play with bad boys...
Cover model, Lucy Fleming is ready to begin the next phase of her life. She wants to settle down, become a wife and mother. She’s going to have to leave her wild and reckless roommate/lover in order to make it happen. But if her heart aches just thinking about life without him, how will she ever find the strength to put words to action?

As fashion photographer, Rand Miller listens to all the reasons why his sexy lover must move out of not only his apartment but also his life, he decides to give her the going away party of a lifetime. The list of party goodies includes: massage oil, margaritas and their mysterious neighbor, Trey Madison.

But when dawn creeps over the horizon, will Rand be able to watch the only woman capable of taming his wicked ways walk out of his life forever?

And here's Rand. Yummy, huh?!

Also, I gave my sexy bad boy a tattoo, this is sort of what inspired Rand's tatto:

So, do ya want a little excerpt? *grinning*

ADULT excerpt:

Half way into the movie, Lucy realized she’d caught maybe two minutes of it, and that was being generous. She’d been too distracted by Rand, or more specifically Rand’s hands. He had one flattened high on her jean-covered thigh, the other massaged her nape. She looked over at Trey and realized he wasn’t watching the movie, he was watching her. Rand’s fingers inched higher, nearly grazing her mound. Her temperature spiked and she grabbed Rand’s hand to still his ministrations.

Rand leaned close to her ear and licked the sensitive shell, then whispered, “Let me play, angel.”
She swiveled her head around and bit out, “We have company.”

Rand’s gaze burned into hers. “I know.”

Huh? He wanted Trey to watch? “I’m not okay with this,” she said, though her words lacked conviction. She meant to sound more forceful. Instead she sounded...turned on.

“You sure about that?” Rand said, as he slid his palm higher, cupping her possessively. Her pussy flooded with heat as Rand started to stroke her clitoris through her jeans.

Lucy turned and looked at Trey. He leaned against the arm of the couch, facing them, his hands clenched into tight fists as if attempting to hold himself back. It wasn’t the large erection she could see pressing against the fly of Trey’s jeans that made her give Rand’s hand free rein. It wasn’t even the intensity in Trey’s dark eyes as he stared at her as if he wanted to devour her whole. It was her own desires, she admitted to herself. She’d fantasized about both men taking her at once. She’d never dreamed it’d ever happen, but here was her chance to taste the forbidden. Once in every woman’s life she was given the chance to toss caution to the wind. This was her chance.

She was damned well going to take it.

Lucy let her legs drop open, giving Rand a green light. She stared into his eyes and saw surprise and hunger. He kept his gaze locked on hers when he growled, “Take your clothes off, angel. Let me see that pretty body.”

Lucy sucked air into her lungs as nervous jitters flitted around in her stomach. “Rand,” she breathed out.

In an instant, Rand moved off the couch and crouched on the floor in front of her. “Relax, baby,” he crooned. He started inching her red sweater upwards, exposing her belly little bits at a time. Lucy could only watch as Rand’s gaze zeroed in on the flesh he uncovered, a muscle in his jaw jumped wildly and his gaze turned a darker shade of blue. He leaned in and kissed her lower abdomen, then dipped his tongue into her belly button, Lucy’s body responded with a flood of heat to her core. She grabbed his head and closed her eyes, relishing the sensation of Rand’s velvety tongue on her flesh. As if floating in a dream, she felt her shirt being pulled over her head, Rand’s lips never breaking contact with her skin. Her bra soon followed. Now her upper half was completely bare. Her eyes flew open and she tried to cover herself as she looked over at Trey. Rand grabbed her wrists and held them at her side. Trey hadn’t moved from his position on the end of the couch. He licked his lips and watched her with hungry eyes, but he never made as if to touch her.

“He’s just going to watch for a bit,” Rand reassured her. “It’s up to you if you want him to join us. This is for you, Lucy. You call the shots.”

She was way out of her element here. She’d never taken charge during sex and she didn’t know what to do. Rand had always directed their loving. When she began to protest, revealing her fears of inadequacy, Rand dipped his head and swiped his tongue over her nipple.

“Oh, God,” she groaned, as she relaxed her hands.

Feral Moon book review

I was lucky enough to get to read Regina's newest release, Feral Moon. Wow! That's all I can say. You guys don't want want to miss this one!


In the midst of a smoky club, a firestorm of lust whips through Mahara Jones, drenching her panties, heating her core. The abnormal desire leaves her helpless and confused until her boss, Titus Declan, sweeps her away into the world of were-panthers and she learns she is destined to be his mate and queen of the Turquoise Moon tribe. It is a night of secrets and discovery, of sexual pleasure without equal, but her hybrid psychic powers present Titus with a challenge of his own. Tonight it will take more than one strong were-panther to bring her fully into his world. With the sexual help of his closest lieutenants, Titus will claim his queen and ensure the future of their species.


Reader Advisory: Includes a M/M/F/M scene.



Feral Moon starts off with a bang and explodes after that! We get a glimpse of all the delicious treats in store for Mahara within the first few pages and things only get better (and hotter) from there. Titus is the perfect hero to show Mahara this new world that she's always been a part of but never knew existed. He brings her into her new world with passion, emotions, and a whole lot of heat! Lucky for her, Mahara not only gets the delicious Titus for her mate but also gets to enjoy passion in the capable hands of three men through her transition. Titus is a delicious hero and Mahara a heroine we'll all be a little jealous of :)

Regina writes with such imagery that the picture in your head seems unbelievably true. Don't miss out on this one!

www.ellorascave.com

www.ellorascave.com

Fingernails on a Chalkboard

I don't watch a lot of television. Usually the tube is on but it's just background noise for me while I write or mess around on my computer. But there are some things that are just impossible to ignore. One of those things are those 'fingernails on the chalkboard' commercials. You know the ones I mean. That guy named Billy something-or-other who screams loudly while hawking the absorbency of some housecleaning item really grabs your attention. It's almost scary to be screamed at like that.

Lately there have been a couple of these tv ads that give a whole new meaning to the word annoying. Anybody see these ads for the Snuggie blanket? It's a fleece blanket with sleeves. In reality, it would be kind of handy to be able to wrap up in a blanket and not have to constantly move your arms in and out, but these commercials are just the DUMMEST! The grinning actors are doing all kinds of stuff in these things but I especially cringe at the "family" scene where the happy little kids and mom and dad are sitting around playing a board game, each wearing a Snuggie. Then they move the Snuggie outside, showing a 'fake' outdoor scene involving bleachers at a supposed sporting event. The family sits there looking like a bunch of little MONKS while they applaude and grin like idiots. No doubt they are smiling because they look so damn chic in the blankets with sleeves.

So I guess the big question of the day is Who the HELL comes up with these corny commercials? What are some of the worst you've seen lately?

On to other matters, I'd like to mention that I have two releases this week. Tomorrow is the release day of my first paranormal menage, Feral Moon. This is an Ellora's Cave title and I'm really excited about this one. It's a really short book but my first ever paranormal menage. The following is an adult blurb and excerpt of the book.


Blurb:

In the midst of a smoky club, a firestorm of lust whips through Mahara Jones, drenching her panties, heating her core. The abnormal desire leaves her helpless and confused until her boss, Titus Declan, sweeps her away into the world of were-panthers and she learns she is destined to be his mate and queen of the Turquoise Moon tribe. It is a night of secrets and discovery, of sexual pleasure without equal, but her hybrid psychic powers present Titus with a challenge of his own. Tonight it will take more than one strong were-panther to bring her fully into his world. With the sexual help of his closest lieutenants, Titus will claim his queen and ensure the future of their species.
Reader Advisory: Includes a M/M/F/M scene.

Excerpt: (ADULT)
Shock whipped through her system and she was so stunned she could only nod mutely when James swept Trish off to the dance floor. Something unexplainable was happening to her and it had been going on for days. It had begun as little things that she’d thought were just weird premonitions. Like James coming up behind Trish when he had. She’d seen it in her mind before it happened. And her body. Something bizarre was going on. Every beat of the music made her blood heat and the very core of her body pulse to a pagan tempo. Restlessly, she squirmed in her chair and sent her gaze wildly around the room. Her panties were drenched. Mahara rubbed her thighs together hoping against hope to stem the rising tide. Sexual excitement rose up like a great beast to center in her pussy, deep and pulsing, a release longing to break free. She wanted to grab the nearest man and throw him to the floor and take him like an animal.
Every tiny hair on the back of her neck rose to attention and Mahara’s heart thumped sharply in her chest. The turquoise stone in her ring heated against the finger on her right hand where she wore it. Lifting her glasses, she settled them back on her nose but she didn’t need them any longer and wearing them was just stupid. A visit to her eye doctor would only tell her what she already knew. Her vision seemed to have perfected itself overnight. Impossible. Through the lenses, the ring went fuzzy. Mahara huffed a breath and yanked them off, shoved them in her purse just as their waitress came up. “Drink?”
“Um, no. But could you do me a favor?”
“Sure.”
Mahara glanced toward the dance floor. “Could you tell my friend that I have to take off?”
“No problem.”
Shakily, she got to her feet and slung the strap of her purse over her shoulder intending to walk the few blocks to her downtown apartment. The feeling of being stalked hit her in a giant wave and she felt her knees start to buckle but she caught herself on the edge of the table. Suddenly, a huge hand wrapped around her elbow to steady her and she looked up to see her boss, the great Titus Declan staring down at her.
She’d never seen or known a more devastating man. Big, brawny, ripped with muscle, he looked like a Viking bent on plunder with that longer-than-fashionable black hair and weird golden eyes. But he was her boss. She barely knew him. Suddenly, she blinked. “Mr. Declan.”
“Titus.”
“Um. Hi.”
“Let me help you.”
Mahara felt her legs turn to rubber. The warmth of his touch seeped through the cotton of her blouse and a wave of longing, of heat swept her. The ring seemed to vibrate against her hand. Wetness, created by an awful lust, drenched her, seeped from her core. She wanted sex. Craved it. Oh God! She was in big trouble and didn’t know what to do about it. Tears filled her eyes as she stared up at him. “Help me.”
“Come on.”
Without another word, he put his arm around her and drew her close to his body. She had the sudden insane urge to sink into him and crawl up the all that brawn and take his mouth. She wanted his cock soothing the awful ache in her pussy. His smell was intoxicating. Mahara felt her heart thump wildly in her chest. “I-I think someone put something in my drink,” she managed.
He only tightened his grip. His hand skimmed her arm and a shiver followed in its wake. Sweat beaded her forehead. When they reached the entrance to the club, he drew her to the brick wall near the front door. Neon white from the overhead sign splashed light intermittently over his feral features. The front of his shirt grazed her nipples and she gasped at the feel of the firm muscles beneath the fabric. Pleasure-pain, wicked sensation, made her moan.
“Shh.”
“What’s wrong with me?” Mahara gripped his sides and stared up at him. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. All will be clear soon.”
“I don’t understand.”
He pressed his lips to her forehead as he replied. “Soon. You’ll understand soon.”