Curve Balls

You know how good intentions work, don’t you? And all about that road to Hell they pave so well, right? Meh…so what. I’m trying. Believe me I am. But it’s not working right now. I knew

this blog post needed to be up today. Had planned on tapping out something over the weekend and couldn’t. So here I am frantically working on it.

So what’s my problem? It’s like this: Into everyone’s life a little rain must fall. Fate sometimes throws us curve balls. And when it does, it doesn’t stop to consider the fall out. It’s just a mindless toss that comes your way and no matter how hard you try to get out of its way it keeps right on coming.

Fate doesn’t care if you’re old or young, skinny or fluffy, black or white, male or female. Religious belief doesn’t play into it one little bit. I was lying in bed last night thinking about Fate. Is it a woman? I kind of figure it is. I imagined her with long, flowing red hair and wearing a deep emerald gown that sparkled and shimmered in the light. Imagined her sitting atop a big white cloud in an oversize chaise and smiling to herself.

In her lap she had several balls. All of them glowing with some sort of magical power. She picked up the balls and started flinging them at random. Out into the stratosphere they went, landing where I did not know. When she had one ball left, she held it in the palm of her hand and blew on it. I could instantly hear her thoughts.

“Oh yes. This is my special sphere. I haven’t messed with my friend Tess in quite some time now. I think she’s gotten a bit too big for her britches. Time to take her down a notch or two. She’s always sooooo much fun to play with.” And then she winds up for the pitch and BAM…I get hit on the head with the damn ball.

So here I am, here and not really here, writing this post, picking up the pieces from the fall out and failing miserably. But I’ve wallowed in this mire of emotional quicksand long enough. My kids haven’t seen a home cooked meal in a couple of weeks. So tonight they will get one or I’m going to die trying. And I’ve decided to paint my son’s room. There is something about a clean coat of paint that just soothes me.

So while I’m not physically here online, I know there will be better days and I WILL be back and hopefully soon. To all of you whose emails have gone unanswered, I do apologize. To all of you I was supposed to do a quick looksee for or anything else I might have missed doing, I apologize. I’m not quite with it these days.

But I am getting there.

Hope everyone is happily reading and writing.

By Lily Sawyer...

Please give a warm welcome to Lily Sawyer!

By Lily Sawyer; I keep looking at those words and I can’t quite get my mind around the fact that I’m a published writer.

It all started when I found out that my favorite show, Star Trek, had a fandom. And that Trekkies, as we called ourselves, wanted to see more of our favorite characters.  SO they started to write their own fiction; the first fanzines were born. And I was quite pleased when I accidently came across a professionally published Star Trek novel while browsing in the library. It became the impetus for my getting involved in writing fan fiction. Star Trek was the first fandom I wrote a story for. Then later I became involved in other fandoms, first as a reader and later taking the plunge into writing my own fiction. I never dreamed I’d be writing romance stories; I had never been interested in the genre before. I have a friend who was writing stories for Harlequin Romance and to show my support I bought her books.  

It wasn’t until 2006, after watching the movie Brokeback Mountain, that I discovered the world of gay romance fiction. I joined the fandom, first as a reader and then, because of the way the movie ended; I had to fix what I couldn’t stand. You should be able to love who you want without anyone telling you it’s a sin and that you’re going to hell because of it. The two characters from Brokeback couldn’t have the life they should have been able to lead, so I turned to writing fan fiction to change things so they were having a happy life. I met so many wonderful friends there and many of them had decided to write original stories and sell them to e-publishers. I decided to throw my hat into the ring. In 2009, I got my very first story published by Dreamspinner Press. The Finest Thing was part of their To Have and to Hold anthology that was released in June of 2009. I can’t tell you the thrill I had seeing my name on the cover and to have so many positive responses from readers and a nice review as well.

I got hooked on writing my own stories, and it wasn’t long before I got an idea for another one. Being from Long Island it was natural that I gravitated towards the water. So I had this idea for a merman story. I had no idea where I was going with it, but I just let my muse, and the merman, take me where they wanted me. And believe me, I was a willing captive. 

My merman story is titled Catch of the Day and it takes place in the Florida Keys.

I’ve fallen in love with this cover. I have to thank the talented artist, Reese Dante, for bringing my merman to life. And my editor, Sharon, for helping me dot the I’s and cross the T’s,  and to my many friends near and far who I am grateful for their never-ending encouragement and love.  I couldn’t have done this without you guys.

Here is an excerpt:

Kellan grabbed a cup of coffee and carried it out to the back deck of his beach house.  It had been a year since he moved from Chicago to the Florida Keys.  The two places were as different as night and day.  Back home there was a foot of snow on the ground and here the temperature didn’t make it down to the freezing point.  He certainly didn’t miss having to deal with the icy winds and the endless winters.

He’d worked as a car salesman for one of the biggest automakers, and had been recognized as their top seller two years in a row, but the accolades didn’t mean anything to him.   He felt like he’d become like a robot in the corporate world and he desperately needed a change.   He’d been looking at a travel magazine while sitting in his doctor’s waiting room and spotted an ad for the Florida Keys.

There was nothing holding him in Chicago, his parents had died a few years ago and they’d left him a nice inheritance.    He’d been in a serious long-term relationship, but after losing him in a tragic accident he decided this was the final straw and it was time to start a new life somewhere else.    

Now he had sunny days and a new business venture that got him excited to get up in the morning.    He’d always loved nature, he remembered going on family vacations to the mountains with his parents and his father taking him out on the boat they kept up there.    It was one of his fondest childhood memories.   Now he was living his dream of owning his own boat; he enjoyed taking people on tours of the Keys.  Kellan also took people deep sea fishing, his clientele ranged from the locals to big wigs who wanted to land the ‘big one’ to the vacationers who came from all over the world to experience the Keys.    Ernest Hemingway was to blame for the influx of visitors, the famous author put the place on the map, but Kellan wasn’t complaining.  He loved meeting new people and seeing the joy come over their faces when they caught some fish.    The really big ones were the marlin and sailfish; they could really give you a run for your money.  

So here he was sitting in the Keys enjoying all this new life had to offer.   While he enjoyed his time with other people during the day, his evenings were spent in his house, alone.    Maybe one day he would find someone, he just wasn’t in any hurry, and he was still grieving over Frank.

Kellan heard his empty stomach rumbling and made himself scrambled eggs for breakfast and filled two thermoses with coffee then drove over to the marina where his boat was docked.

This morning Kellan didn’t have any charters and he decided to take off on his own.  He filled up an ice chest with beer, bottled water and sandwiches, made sure his tank was filled up with gas, weighed anchor and was on his way.

The weather was gorgeous and Kellan still marveled at how blue the water was. He’d dreamed of seeing the ocean one day and now here he was, there was nothing like smelling the fresh ocean breeze and feeling the salty mist on your face.

After spending some time out in the open ocean he sailed into his favorite private spot, a deserted cove and picked up his lucky fishing pole and cast it into the water.  It wasn’t long before he was catching fish, they’d make a delicious dinner and whatever he didn’t use he’d freeze.    He worked up an appetite so he took a break to have lunch.  He was sitting in a chair on the deck finishing the last bite of his sandwich and drinking from a bottle of beer when he saw the fishing line he’d left in the water start to bob up and down.  He put the bottle down and went over to check it out.

“Damn!” Kellan grunted as he pulled on the line; it felt like it weighed a ton.  “What’ve I got on the end of this line a whale?”  He blurted out.

“Uhhhh,” He put his back into it as he pulled on the pole and reeled in his line.  Kellan figured he could have snagged a mackerel or maybe even an old tire.   You came across pollution from time to time, even down here in a pristine place like the Keys.

He could see a shape in the water and it definitely was not a fish.   The front part of the animal was hidden under the boat; he could see the tail flukes and thought it might be a manatee. 

“Oh man,” he was worried he’d get in trouble with the fish and wildlife conservation commission; manatees were a protected species.   He quickly tried to get the animal out from under the boat so he could get a better look at it and see if it was hurt.  As soon as the lower half of the animal cleared the underside of the boat it became clear what the catch of the day was.  “Oh my gawd!”  Kellan couldn’t believe his eyes.   It wasn’t a manatee; in fact it wasn’t like any manner of marine life he’d ever seen.    The tail looked like a manatee or whale but he saw the head and torso of a man attached to it.   ‘A merman!’    Kellan thought.    He didn’t have time to think about it.  He could see the man was hurt.  So he quickly pulled him onto the deck.  The fishing line had tangled on his tail so he took a knife and cut the lines.   

“Hey, uh, bud.  You okay?” Kellan wasn’t sure what to make of this creature.  Was he a man or a fish? Kellan’s instincts took over and he checked the merman for injuries.  As his hand disappeared into the dark hair, he found a bump on the back of the merman’s head.  His arms weren’t broken, he felt along the well-built body for broken ribs but found nothing then he looked down at his waist.  Instead of hips, thighs and two legs there was a long torso that ended in a tail.

Kellan was at a loss as to what to do next.  

Available now from Silver Publishing

http://silverpublishing.info/product_book_info/coming-soon-c-2/catch-of-the-day-p-183

Check out my other books on my blog:  http://lilysawyerbooks.blogspot.com/    

I hope you’ll let me know how you like it. 

Hugs, Lily

The Plan

Yesterday the sun shone, if only for the morning. Today we’re back to our usual British weather of it being damp and dreary. Yesterday I saw a housefly for the first time in months, and this morning a cloud of gnats hovered in the garden, so spring is definitely on the way. I just wish it would get here a bit quicker because the sunnier days tend to make everyone feel better, I think.

I have a plan today—to write without the internet on until lunch, then dabble a bit more with my new website. I finally gave in and got a .com, where all my names will be featured in one place. This will save me a lot of messing about updating all the different sites and free up some precious time. Last night I completed my edits on a m/m lion shifter, Mane Attraction, I have coming out as Sarah Masters—I went with humour this time around—and I really hope to get my Victorian, A Gentleman’s Harlot, finished by the end of the weekend and sent to my editor. I keep saying this, sorry about the broken record, but I’m going to try really hard because I have a couple of novellas I want to tinker with after that to give away for free.

One, The Sight, is about a gypsy couple fleeing a killer, and the other (needs a new title!) is about a woman fleeing her abusive husband. I didn’t realise until I just typed it that they both have the same theme. Ah well, I’m hoping you’ll enjoy them just the same. Once they are up for download, I’ll drop you a line here in case you’re interested in reading them.

Today I have a new release from Ellora’s Cave—Come Find Me—a contemporary about two co-workers who finally get together while away on vacation. They discover their shared loved of light BDSM and have fun testing the boundaries.

On April 14^th, I have a ménage coming out with Total-E-Bound called Think Kink. It’s my first ménage, and because I’d ventured into new territory, I enjoyed writing it quite a lot. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it!

So, what have you got going on? What are your plans for today and the weekend?

Special Note: contest!

I shared this on my personal blog, but forgot to share it here. I'm a dork. LOL

Today if you have a few minutes, come visit Brindle Chase for a sexy sampler plate featuring Brindle, Em Petrova, Tess MacKall, and moi at the blog Red Lipstick Journals. Also there’s a chance to win a special edition advance copy of Brindle’s upcoming release Trading Up. (Btw, these are some super-hot samplers that you do NOT want to miss, lol)

http://redlipstickjournals.blogspot.com/2011/02/sexy-sampler-plate.html

What She Needs--Available Now!

The next book in my Cape May series is now out and it's already at #4 on the Samhain Publishing bestseller list! Also, take a look at What She Wants, book 1 and What She Craves book 2 of the Cape May series!

Samhain Publishing

What She Needs
Cape May--book 3
contemporary erotic romance

Part 2 of Tory, Devon and Con's love triangle

Blurb:

Taking turns was never their strong suit…

Devon Mason and Con Walker are sexy, honorable, loving, and completely devoted. In other words, everything Tory looks for in a relationship. But what’s she supposed to buy her two lovers on V Day? Chocolate? How average is that? Their little love triangle is anything but average!

When Con surprises her with a weekend in Cancun, just the three of them, Tory is all over it—until she realizes Con forgot to include Devon in the package. Now their little love triangle is suffering, thanks to a couple of hard-headed men who both want to be numero uno.

Con was content to let Devon take control at Christmas, but now it’s his turn. A weekend in Cancun seems the perfect place for a romantic getaway—then Devon says he’s planning to surprise Tory with a trip to Aruba, and Con’s possessive instincts kick in. He’d always been happy to share Tory with the guy he cares for like a brother. But the deeper Con falls in love, the harder it is to keep from ripping Tory away from Devon.

Sooner or later something—or someone—is going to give.

Warning: This title contains lots of steamy, explicit sex. Hot, jealous men in need of a strong, intelligent woman. And a warm, loving ménage a trois relationship.

Buy From: MBaM | Kindle | Nook 

Heroes: Con Walker and Devon Mason

Favorite Quote:

He ignored her struggles and instead straddled her legs. "I was a good boy and talked, then you go and get all sassy? That’s very naughty." He swatted her upturned ass and Tory yelped.

Adult Excerpt

As Con pried his eyes open, the first thing that captured his attention was Tory’s face nestled against his chest. The early morning light coming from the large windows across the room allowed him to see her small, curvy body tucked in close. His eager dick flexed its approval. Damn, he loved sleeping with her. Even though Tory was still in possession of her grandmother’s house, she went over there only a few days a week. Con had tried to persuade her to sell the old place, but she’d flat refused. It hadn’t taken him long to realize she kept it for sentimental reasons. It bothered him that she was paying taxes on the place, though. Thankfully, Devon, his best friend and partner in their little love triangle, didn’t have the same attachment to his condo. Clearly seeing the benefits of sharing expenses, he’d sold it and moved right in.


Careful not to wake Tory, Con gently pushed the sheet down their bodies, baring her one pretty inch at a time. It’d taken him and Devon a few weeks of coaxing, but they’d finally managed to talk Tory into sleeping naked. It’d been well worth the effort too. As he smoothed his palm down her side to her hip, all he felt was firm, warm, feminine skin. She mumbled and slung one smooth-as-satin leg over his calves. Christ, she was cute. Watching her sleep had become an obsession for him. There was just something about seeing Tory Jeffries with her guard down, looking so sweet and vulnerable. It pulled every single one of Con’s protective instincts front and center.

He looked across the room and spotted a bare-chested Devon sitting in the recliner. He’d pulled on his navy blue pajama bottoms and his laptop was open. Whatever was on the screen no longer held his attention, though. Devon sent him a grin, telling Con without words exactly what he intended to do—watch. He’d known for years that his friend was a voyeur and Con had been content to play the exhibitionist on several occasions. He didn’t quite understand it, but neither did he mind.

Turning his attention back to Tory, Con let his hand travel a leisurely path over Tory’s shoulder and lower back before reaching the plush cushion of her ass. Her bottom was a thing of beauty. He could spend hours kissing and fondling her there. He cupped it, filling his palm with her sexy flesh. She moaned and pressed closer, her damp pussy sliding along his thigh. The slight provocation spurred him into action. Grasping her around the waist, Con pulled her on top of him, blanketing himself with her warm, supple body.

"Good Morning, Con.”

He nudged his cock between her thighs and damn near drowned in bliss at the feel of her soft little pussy. “How’d you know it was me?”

“Because Devon is most likely up and working already.” She turned her head and glanced across the room. “Morning, Devon,” she mumbled.

Devon sat up and closed the laptop before placing it on the end table next to the chair. “Morning, sugar.”

Letting out a yawn, Tory snuggled against him again. “It Saturday, Devon. Why are you up?”

“I had too damn many meetings this week and got behind on a few things.”

“This is all real fascinating, but I’d rather play.” Con rubbed his cock against Tory’s pussy, teasing and evoking a throaty little moan from her. “Does our little baby want to play?”

Without answering, Tory started to move her hips, beginning a rhythmic rotating motion that had his cock hardening farther. Her cheek was pressed against his chest and one hand splayed wide, directly over his heart. “Mmm, our sweet Tory does want to play, Dev.”

"I can see that,” Devon said, his voice low.

Con looked over in time to see Devon get to his feet. Their gazes clashed. Devon pulled his pajama pants down and his cock sprang free. It was hard and already dripping with precome. Con continued to stare as Devon kicked his pants free and sat back down, one hand wrapped tight around his cock. When Devon’s smile came, something deep inside Con stirred the way it always did when they played this particular game.

Tearing his gaze away from Devon, Con turned his attention back to the woman draped over him like a warm, silky blanket. He pushed the wild mane of Tory’s hair to one side and kissed her exposed cheek, savoring the flavor of her creamy skin. Her eyes fluttered open and her tongue darted out, licking at her dry, swollen lips. He watched the emotions skitter across her face as she went from drowsy to totally alert. Her gaze heated and Con’s chest tightened. Damn, the woman could make a monk shake with need. Some part of him half-expected Tory to reject him. Even after so many nights spent together, he still couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t kicked him to the curb. Okay, so he was a successful businessman now. He no longer had to fight just to survive. But while he might’ve moved up in the world, financially and socially, deep down Con still felt like the punk kid nobody wanted around. He was just too fucking glad Tory had never known him back then. Too fucking glad she saw something in him worth keeping around.

For a moment, Con let his mind replay the previous night. Tory had been exhausted from helping Summer with her bed-and-breakfast. He admired the fact she never thought twice about lending a hand whenever a friend was in need, but he hated that she worked so damn hard all the time. Devon had drawn her a bath. They’d both instructed her to relax and unwind. Afterward, Con had a dinner of grilled salmon and steamed vegetables ready and waiting. The full-body massage after had been pure impulse. Of course, having their hands on the woman they loved was no hardship. And seeing her all fresh and pink from her bath had been a little too much provocation. On the other hand, her begging them to take her hadn’t hurt either. His fair little princess had been an eager and wild participant in the sex games that followed. And judging by the dampness pressing against his cock now, she was wide awake and ready for round two.

Con was only too happy to comply.

Buy From: MBaM | Kindle | Nook 


A Little Bit Naughty--out now!
http://annerainey.com

Fighting the sickies...

We've been seriously fighting the sickies at the Scott household. My seven daughter started with a fever and headache on Friday. She didn't leave the couch or the bed all day Friday or Saturday and when she ended up with a fever of 103.2 I knew it was time to bring her in. Urgent Care on Sunday told us the Flu... sigh. Poor baby girl.

She's doing better, but today my three year old was extremely fussy and has a cough. I just know she's next on the list. We spent the day cuddling and guess what? Now, Tuesday night as I write this, I have a really bad sore throat. Figured I'd get my post ready to go now, because I just might be taking care of a sick kiddo or laid up myself by the time Wednesday rolls around.

Tonight, I'm treating myself to the new book in my FAVORITE series! It just came out and I downloaded it to my NOOK first thing this morning.



Excuse me while I cuddle with with Bones and hope he can make all this sore throat and cough business go away...

What new book are you excited to read or upcoming book you're looking forward to?

Genre Shopping

Those of us who write know what genres work best for us. I write stories set in Texas and they are almost always in a small-town venue. Whether they are erotic contemporaries or paranormal, I tend to stay where I am most comfy and where my voice seems to shine the most. I write shifters rather than vamps and I prefer writing menage to bdsm. In my early days of writing, I fell in love with historicals. They simply took me away to another time and place and satisfied my romantic heart in a way nothing else ever could. It was probably because of that early love that I wrote two erotic regencies.

But what about reading? What makes us choose one book over another? Personally, I love contemporaries these days and straight m/f books with lots of emotion and a good plot do it for me. And if a book can make me laugh, that's a huge plus. Gotta find my happy place, ya know? Menage? Yes, love them but I don't do 'brothers' (especially TWINS) and if there is m/m action, I don't buy. I'm also rather squeamish about more than two men in the bed with the heroine. Paranormals are another big buy for me but my love of vamps wore out several years ago. These days I not only write sexy shifters but read them too. Whether they are wolves, big cats, or bears...color me there. Bronwyn Green has some great bear shifters that were written so beautifully that it was easy to imagine it all and her storytelling carried me away. More, Bron, please? My least faves? BDSM doesn't ring my bells though I know it's a very popular genre and I'm not a fan of m/m or f/f. And maybe I'm simply too old fashioned in a way to enjoy lots and lots of kink. Just not my thing. Now this doesn't mean I don't appreciate the storytelling abilities of a writer. I do. Writing is hard work and it's easy to admire various writing styles without particularly loving the genre. What are some of your faves?

In Other News: Panther Moon, book one of my Savage Sanctuary series, will release at Ellora's Cave on March 4. This book is a shifter/menage and Texas-set. Yesterday I got my cover. What do you think?


Blurb:

Running for her life, Chantrea Morgan, unmated and approaching her time of change, stumbles through the night only to be rescued by a gorgeous yet dangerous male. Blinded by instant recognition of her mate, she clings to him, her only means of salvation. Her body burns for him. Her heart aches with the need to be claimed by this wild Texas panther.



Hudson Cates, warrior of the Turquoise Moon tribe of shifters, saves his grieving mate and brings her home to claim her in the only way he can…with orgasmic pleasure, savage possession and a raw sensuality that is inbred into their species. In a ritual as old as time, only he, aided by another male from their tribe, can help Trea embrace her panther beast.

Personal Taboos

We all have them. Some things are simply a turn off for us. Yellow cars bug me. I have a major aversion to Japanese food but love Chinese food. I hate wearing coats and no matter how cold it gets will only wear a light jacket like a windbreaker. And please do not stick your finger in my face.

But those aren’t the kind of taboos I’m talking about. I’m talking about things that really make you go ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. That TV show 1000 Ways to Die makes me go ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. There is something in every episode of The Family Guy (no, I don’t watch it but I hear enough of it to know) that makes me go ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

But I’m not talking about TV.

I’m talking about sex. Particularly sex in erotic romance books. What’s the “ick factor” for you? Where does it cross the line? Is it in the pairings—as in can there be too many? Is there something you’ve seen portrayed in an erotic romance that simply is UNromantic and UNbelievable?

I think this subject should produce some lively banter between commenters. Unfortunately, I’m NOT here. LOL No, folks, I’m off the grid for a while. Computer is sleeping. So my post showed up this morning automatically—well, let’s hope so. Lol I’m afraid I’m not going to be online for a while due to a family emergency. But! I’ll see you again soon.

Hope everyone is happily reading and writing. Hugs to all.

Writers: When Do You Find Time to Read?

Please welcome author Kat Holmes!

First off thank you so much for having me, I am thrilled to be here. What I want to talk about is reading vs. writing. I’m an avid reader and have been my whole life. And I have a killer memory. You hold up a book and if I have read it, I can tell you what it’s about from start to finish.

My love affair with the written word began before I even knew how to read. My mom, fellow author L.J. Holmes, would read to me as a child and I’d follow along. I knew the stories so well that if she tried to deviate even slightly I’d call her on it and make her tell the story properly.

When I was sixteen I wrote my first full length manuscript. It wasn’t good by any means but it was the start of life as a writer. Over the years I wrote many other things, short stories and poetry and whatnot. But I only wrote them for my family and friends to ever see. In the meantime I was still a huge reader. But only print books. I was one of those snobs who wouldn’t even think of getting an ebook.

But a few years ago I was up late with the flu. Having nobody to talk to and nothing to do I surfed the internet and came across an ebook website. Just for the heck of it to pass the time I browsed their books and was surprised that quite a few sounded interesting. So I decided to buy one…just one. It was called Christina’s Tapestry written by N.J. Walters. I fell in love.

Over time I developed a friendship with her and she encouraged me to try subbing my own work for publication. Okay, more like she hit me with a battering ram. J But her nudging paid off and I’m now an officially published author of ebooks. So much for my days of snobbery. But I have discovered something.

The more and more I write, the less time I have to read. My time is taken up with writing, editing, galleys, and promotions. I’ve got a huge pile of books and ebooks in my TBR pile, something that used to be very rare for me. I speed read. I was last clocked at 480 words a minute so having a big pile of books not yet read is odd to say the least.

Last weekend, I actually scheduled a break for myself so I could just spend the whole weekend reading books. I got through four books in two days. It was a lot of fun. But the times, they are a changing when I actually have to make a date just to read! But, writing and being a part of this wonderful community known as writers is the best adventure on the planet, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Again, thank you Three Wicked Writers for having me. I had a blast. And to the rest of you, happy reading! J

Visit Kat's Author Page HERE!

Disliked Words in Books

We had a discussion on one of my editor groups the other day about words used for sexual organs. I decided to do a poll on my Emmy Ellis Facebook to find out what words readers dislike. Yesterday it was about the male bits, today is about the female. I’m interested to know what you guys think too because some of the words I could use in my books...well, I dislike them. A lot. Meat and rod spring to mind. They don’t sound remotely romantic to me. I don’t like reading words like that and don’t like writing them either, although I have given in during edits and allowed “rod” to go through on an editor change/suggestion. The same goes for pussy. I detest it but have used it.

Over the years, various and numerous editors have requested I stick to the basics and use the c word for women’s and men’s parts. It was painful to write the female c word at first because I’ve always associated it with a mean word used against women, but now I’m so used to writing it, it’s like I’m writing “the” or “and”. However, the discussion on the group was that there seems to be an overuse of the word “cock” these days. That doesn’t surprise me when we’re prompted to use it over any other word. So, what to do when you don’t like using other words? What to do when an editor suggests you use others? It’s a difficult one, because on the one hand I want variation, but on the other I don’t want to use words I hate, nor do I want to alienate readers by using those words.

Will you help a girl out here? What words do you hate seeing in erotica and romance for the male and female parts? I can compile a list to go along with my Facebook one and know that the ones mentioned the most are the ones to definitely avoid—although I’ll never give up using the two c’s!

Thank you!

Superwoman...not

So, I've recently come to the understanding that I'm not superwoman. I will never be superwoman. Most importantly, I don't wish to be superwoman.

Who am I?

I'm a wife, mother and friend--and sometimes even a writer. As such, I make mistakes. 

I have bad days,

lazy days,

binge days,

bitchy days, 

thoughtless days,

stupid days, 

and tearful days.

Sometimes the dishes pile up.

Sometimes the sock drawer is empty.

Sometimes I screw up the checking account. 

Sometimes I forget the important things my kids say.

I can and will say stupid things to my friends.

I can and will forget there's a life outside of my characters.

I can and will miss birthdays and anniversaries.

Here's the the thing. 

I'm not perfect, nor will I ever be perfect. But that's okay, because I'm only human.

I'm thankful to have surrounded myself with people who understand me--the real me.

I'm thankful my kids think I'm the best mom in the world.

I'm thankful my husband thinks I hung the moon.

I'm thanful my mom drags me out of my house from time to time.

I'm thankful my family supports my passion for writing erotic romance.

The thing is, Anne Rainey isn't all bad.

I was raised to be kind to others. 

To be respectful and understanding.

To say those two all important phrases:

"I'm sorry" and "Thank you".

I do and will admit when I'm wrong.

I do and will try and make it right.

I do and will go the extra mile for my family.

I do and will go the extra mile for my friends.

I do and will pray for my loved ones.

I do and will pray for those who hate me.

No, I'm not superwoman. 

I will rework my schedule if it means helping my brother with an article he's writing.

I will scrape my pennies together if it means giving a friend a gift she couldn't afford herself.

I will pick up stray animals on the road and give them a good and loving home.

I will use my royalty money to buy my husband that saw he's wanted for so long.

  I will defend my friends and family, even if it means bringing myself a bucket-load of grief.

I will help my fellow writers, because I know they'd help me.

I will speak out for what I beleive in, no matter the cost to myself.

No, I'm not superwoman.

I am... 

a wife, mother and friend--and sometimes even a writer.