Getting Back to Normal

I don't really have a topic today. Bad me. Honestly I think my brain is fried from all the spring break going's on and I'm currently struggling to get settled back into my routine. Spring Break was great. My daughter and I shopped, talked until late in the night, watched movies and favorite tv shows. It was a good thing and I honestly hadn't realized how much I'd been pushing myself with the work stuff until I took some time away from it. Then, over the final days of the break, my son and his girlfriend came for a few days. Crowded house but we had fun. It was strange though...the whole time I lolled about like a lazy ass I kept thinking about my WIP or wondering about edits, release dates, and things like that. Guilt ate at me. Have you ever done that? I mean, you KNOW you are sort of on vacation but work eats at you anyway.

Oh well....that's life I reckon. Now the house is quiet again and I'm back into my routine though yesterday was rough. My thoughts were scattered as I tried to get back into the groove. It'll come, I know. Hopefully today as I pull up the work in progress and dig in. After everyone left the house echoed and Mr. Regina and I looked at each other and kind of sighed. Strange moment as we looked at each other knowing it was just us again. We will adjust to all this quiet, as we always do, and then go through the whole rollercoaster again when the kids return. I figure it will always be this way and that's okay. Keeps life interesting doesn't it?



Book Release: Return to Delight comes out next Weds. (March 30) at Ellora's Cave. Just got my cover last week. Isn't it great? I love it and depicts a scene from the book perfectly. This is a 'brother' series and I'm looking forward to writing the next two of these.

Blurb:

Harley June Baker left Delight thinking never to return, but when circumstances draw her back to this tiny town and straight into Cooper’s strong arms she knows she’s in deep trouble. The man she’d loved and left behind is now one sexy devil-in-denim and hotter than a Texas summer night. With his every wicked touch throwing her senses into overdrive, how could any sane woman resist?

Cooper Dobbs is a man on a mission. He let her get away once but never again. Knowing it’s time to burn up some sheets with the delectable Harley, Cooper plies her with a raw, savage passion that threatens to incinerate them both. It’s gonna take plenty of panty-drenching sex and a fair amount of sweet talkin’ but Cooper reckons he’s up to the challenge.


New Book in Print! Sequins, Saddles and Spurs which contains Trouble in Cowboy Boots (Desiree Holt), Trouble in a Stetson (Regina Carlysle) and Trouble in Chaps (Ciana Stone) is available for sale at Barnes and Noble and Amazon. I suspect it will be up for sale on the Ellora's Cave site very soon. So if you love a print book pick up your copy today.

The Moment by Nichelle Gregory

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Tarra, My Lovelies!

Hiya gang!

Today is my last day blogging here. Since starting work full time, I’ve had to sit down and seriously work out what I can comfortably manage without overstretching myself. Blogging is one of those things—I haven’t even written on my own blogs in an age—and something I need to remove from my list. Other things have also been placed in the “to do later” file.

I’m utterly dedicated to my job and family, and those two things take priority with me. Anything else has to wait its turn, and it’s unfair of me to continue here when I don’t have the time to write interesting posts that you’ll enjoy reading.

That said, it’s been great blogging here. I’ve met some wonderful people, made friends I wouldn’t have otherwise, and leave this blog knowing it was well worth the experience.

All that is left to say now is that I wish the other ladies well, all you readers and authors well, and may your lives take all the twists and turns you want, making you happy and fulfilled!

Bless you all, loves! See you around!

HUG!

Spring Breaking

I never seem to do much during spring break but PLAY and this week is shaking out to be no different. My daughter came in town last Thursday night and it has been nothing but run, run, run. Writing? Pfffft? What's that? Yesterday I managed about two whole pages of my current project. Today daughter and I are heading off for our yearly checkups at the doctor. It has become tradition for us to schedule a day to get this crappy but necessary thing done and then we treat ourselves to lunch afterwards. I guess misery loves company after all, huh? So yeah, we do this together, take care of ourselves and, as a mom, I want to be a good example, right? So we'll heading out to get this done in a few hours.

Years ago when all the kids were living at home we took trips for spring break. It might be shopping in Dallas or heading to San Antonio to take the kids to Sea World (and more shopping) but times have certainly changed. Family trips with all four of us seem to be a thing of the past and I hate that. Mainly it's due to everyone getting older, moving off, having evil day jobs and things like that. It's rather sad but it has been like this for about five years or more now. Some things we just never get used to, huh? So today, and for the rest of the week, I'll hang with my daughter and we'll talk, catch up, stay in town and see what's what.

In other news: I'm happy to announce that Return to Delight, a contemporary western, has been contracted by Ellora's Cave for their Lawless line. Waiting for edits and a beautiful new shiny cover which I'll most certainly show off as soon as possible. I'm also working on Rio's Touch, book three of the Savage Sanctuary series, and hope to have this finished by the end of the month. Once spring break is over I'll head back into my cave and whip it out.

Special thanks to my friend, author Allie Standifer, who felt my pain last week over the loss of my Cadbury Creme Eggs. She kindly sent me a box of them which I quickly 'stashed away' in a secret location.

Loaded for Bear

Today I’ve got my 12 gauge loaded up and I’m taking aim. There are some bad bears in these woods—bears that are out to get us—and I’m not going to stand idly by and keep my mouth shut. So authors and readers gather ‘round. Be aware of what is going on.

I’ve chatted with a lot of readers, and they are simply out there to read and enjoy our books. That’s it. No hidden agenda whatsoever. Those of you I’ve chatted with online are not engaged in sharing e books. YOU understand. It’s those misguided, so-called industry insiders who are not quite with it where e books are concerned in the first place that I’m targeting. Dinosaurs who are terrified that print books are going to vanish. Dinosaurs who believe that an author published within the e book industry is not a real author and their books have no real value. And I’m also gunning for those individuals whose character I question because they think it’s okay to engage in sharing e books when it’s clearly against the law. You know who I’m talking about—those people who are out to get anything free regardless of how much it costs someone else.

I saw a post on a group from a fellow author who was talking about a librarian who posted a Reader’s Bill of Rights. Now I won’t repost the link to this blog because I don’t openly advertise this kind of thing. Just as no one should ever repost a link to a piracy or sharing site. Why spread the mess around? But I’m sure if you need to find it, you can.

This librarian pretty much advocates giving away e books. As soon as someone buys one of our e books, this librarian thinks it’s okay for the buyer to share it. Uhhh…well, if it were a print book and they bought it and shared it with their bridge club, that might be okay. But it’s NOT! It’s a freaking e book. And when an e book gets shared it ends up on a pirate site or a sharing site and is shared thousands upon thousands of times. The “sharing” is UNLIMITED—INFINITE. Not so with a print book. GET A GRIP! A print book could not physically remain intact being shared that much.

Points the author of the post tries to make—and I am paraphrasing only—will not quote this person at all:

1.  That authors benefit from allowing unlimited usage of our books because downloading them is so technical and it’s hard for readers to understand—different e book readers limit you this way or that and therefore it’s all so difficult that readers will just give up and not read e books.

EXCUUUUSEEEE ME! The way the digital industry is growing by leaps and bounds, carving its way into the print realm and basically forcing big time print publishers to now embrace e books and sell them—even going all digital in some cases or simply creating a new arm to their businesses that is all digital—it would seem that readers are not quite as clueless as the blogger believes they are. I’m damn sure techno-stupid, but I know lots and lots of readers out there who with little effort have figured out how to download books to their Kindles and Nooks, Kobos, and Sonys. It’s different—sure. But do we toss the baby out with the bathwater just because it might be a little bit of trouble until we get the hang of getting the water the right temperature? Hell no. So the argument that e books are just too damn hard to download and therefore readers will buy print instead just doesn’t hold water, now does it?  So thank you very much, Mr. Librarian, I’ll take my chances and just figure that most people who can read can also read instructions as to how to download a damn book!

2.    That books should be available across the board in any format the reader chooses. In other words, whatever you can download with a Kindle, you should be able to download on a Nook or Kobo or whatever.

Uhhh…thought you could already do that. You simply choose the format you like. However, I think what he is referring to is downloading it once and then being able to transfer it to any other reader you like. Okay, but why? I don’t know about everyone else, but I think most people choose and own one reading device. Well, maybe you owned a Kindle and then bought a Nook. But do you really need or want to transfer your reading material back and forth between these devices? Maybe you do want to be able to read from one device or another. But I’d think that would be more along the lines of having a back up copy some place or maybe on a smaller device you stick in your pocket like an IPhone or one of those mini e readers. Sorry, I’m not quite up on all the techno stuff with e readers yet—Anne Rainey gave me a lesson and I read everything over at Dear Author about them, but still… It would seem to me, at least, that having e books available as one format or being able to universally transfer them from device to device is more about SHARING books than it is about convenience to readers. I can maybe see myself having a book on my Sony and then having another copy on my smaller Sony in order to have it in my purse so I can read at the dentist’s office, but really? I don’t think even that would be necessary. E readers are pretty small and easily tucked away or carried, aren’t they? Not only that but the last time I checked we lived in the Unites States of America. Ever heard of the concept “free enterprise”. Manufacturers DO have the right to decide how to sell their wares. And to tell you the truth, they have the right to do so in such a way that they pay for their research and development. Maybe someday e readers will be universal. But now? Not a chance. And hells bells, that’s not up to the author anyway. But I sure as hell don’t begrudge the manufacturers of e readers for making money. Not at all.

3.   That readers are somehow crippled by the inability to quote from our work or share passages.

Uhhh…Well, as an erotic romance author—uhhh…quoting MY work?---uhhhh…Go ahead. Make my day!

(but get my written permission first, okay?) LOL Hey, I don’t get this at all. Do readers really want to read a book and share passages from it? I’ve never done that. I mean, sure, I might email a buddy and say, “ohhhh I just read the most amazing line in this book!” And then give my buddy the line. But honestly? WTF? This librarian must be talking about something Sarah Palin wrote—not me. Surely not me. LMAO But in all seriousness, I think the poster was talking about readers discussing a book within some sort of group setting. Okay, well, that applies mostly to print books and book clubs. The poster is definitely immersed in the world of print and trying way too hard to make e books conform. They won’t. They can’t. Different animal. Yes, there are discussions on Yahoo goups with regard to certain books. But I’ve never known anyone that had to post or print out sections of a book in order to discuss it. As authors online, we post excerpts, chapters even, of our work and that should be enough. We give away free reads all the time. We are online with OUR readers. We are incredibly accessible.  Like I said, different from print altogether. So, saying that as an author, by disallowing sections of my books to be reprinted or quoted without my permission is hurting my readership and screwing with sales is a dog that just won’t hunt. Final answer? Just get permission before you quote someone’s work. The book is not yours to do with as you please. Print or e book. With that said, I have no issue whatsoever—and I doubt any other author does either—with a group of readers getting together and discussing a book and using printed out sections to do so. I have no issue with the Kindle Sharing Program. And I am most certainly not worried about libraries lending books. The poster does not understand what it’s like to have your books downloaded for free thousands upon thousands of times, thereby depriving an author of their livelihood. It’s just that simple. These are two entirely different issues. One is legitimate use of our e books and the other is a matter of outright theft.

4.   Sharing? Well, the poster believes that authors benefit from sharing because so many readers have found their favorite authors after a friend has loaned them a copy of a book.

The poster is clueless and does not understand the difference between e books and print books. And once again, they ARE different animals. One has an infinite life and the other doesn’t. As far as me worrying over losing sales because I don’t want someone sharing my book with someone else on the off chance they might buy my next book???? I’m not worried. I love new readers. Want new readers. But if I have to give away half my book sales in order to do it then I lost out big time, didn’t I? Right now I have a book on a pirate site that has had well over five thousand downloads. I very stupidly trusted a publisher who told me flat out they would take care of all piracy issues. And when I reported the issue to the publisher nothing was done. Not like Ellora’s Cave where I am published now. Nope. EC has an amazing lady, Kelly, who goes after these pirates and share sites with great gusto! So this bad publisher I fell in with went out of business and my book is still up there. I figure at this point I’ve lost right around $12,000.00 in royalties. Any way you figure it, that’s just plain wrong. I wonder if the poster of the Reader’s Bill of Rights would like to cut that much money out of his librarian salary.

I want to make it clear that my views on e book piracy and sharing are in no way a personal attack on the author of the Reader’s Bill of Rights. However, the poster’s lack of understanding—probably based on the fact he is deeply involved in the world of print as a librarian and new to the e book world just like everyone else—is quite evident and he should expect some pretty tough criticism of that post. As a matter of fact, it would seem there have been some personal attacks made on the librarian’s character at this point as evidenced by a more recent blog entry. The poster of the Bill of Rights says they are entitled to be treated with respect—and I so agree—and not like a potential criminal. I can only assume the reference to being treated like a criminal is based on DRM—basically limiting access to e books so they CAN’T be shared over and over. What I don’t understand is why everyone thinks it’s okay for a company like Microsoft to limit the number of downloads you have to your $150.00 copy of Microsoft Office so the program can’t be shared over and over, yet this librarian is up in the air because authors don’t want their blood, sweat, and tears downloaded thousands of times for free. The poster believes he has the right to archive the e books he purchases So do I. The poster also believes he has the right to share those e books. No, he doesn’t and shouldn’t have that right. The poster also believes he has the right to resell the e book he purchases. In response to that I can only say that the poster needs to walk a mile in the shoes of e book authors.

In the librarian’s latest post, he claims that we have a right to our opinion but not to our own set of facts. Well, to that I say: Get YOUR facts straight and you won’t have any problem with another set of facts being presented to you. We are, after all, entitled to defend our livelihood, and therefore SHOULD present the facts as they really are.

What are the facts?

Sharing e books takes the meat and potatoes off my dinner table. Reselling e books does the same thing. If you want to pass along my book to your best friend or your cousin Margaret who can’t afford to purchase a lot of reading material—so be it. But if Cousin Margaret uploads my book to a sharing site or resells my book, I’m going to be upset. And I will have every right to be.

I urge readers and authors to think this through. How would you feel if you were an artist and your work was duplicated over and over, thereby making your work less valuable—not in demand. How would you feel if you ran a construction company and the owner of the house you were building suddenly demanded that you build another bathroom for free—after all, she paid for the first one, didn’t she? So why not give her another for free? How would you feel as a teacher if you worked all day long teaching a sixth grade class just to have the principal come along and tell you that you must work on Saturday to teach another sixth grade class for free because—hey, after all, the school system already paid you once. Let’s just give away everyone’s work. It’s all been paid for once.

I urge all supporters of authors who are published in the e book industry to take a stand. Would love to have your support of this issue right here on the Three Wicked Writers Plus Two Blog. So leave me a comment, please. Thanks to all! Happy reading and writing.

http://tessmackall.com

I'm A Baker Too!

Thanks to the awesome Three Wicked Writers plus Two for allowing me to blog here today! And a special wave to Regina, who's a sweetheart and an amazing writer, and Natalie, who's a design goddess beyond compare and a wonderful author too! :)

Okay, the title of this blog post is a lie. I don't bake. Well, unless it's one of those premade cookie kits. But I think writing is a lot like baking a cake. You throw in a bunch of ingredients - characters, plot, theme - and you mix them up. Then you check to make sure your ingredients are fully combined (aka revisions.) Finally you try to sell your cake.


Some cakes are perfect. Nicely frosted, perfectly designed. Taste yummy too. Those cakes fly off the shelves, assuming the right buyer wanders past your window. Other cakes are a bit lumpier. The glaze might have clumped in some spots and maybe your batter wasn't mixed as well as it could have been. Maybe someone buys that cake too, but you always have that little wonder when they'll write you a note and tell you it was the worst cake they ever ate.


And then...there are the stinkbomb cakes. You made this cake like all the other cakes but for some reason this one wasn't as good. You suspect something may be wrong, but you put it in the window with all the others. And no one wants it.


Does this mean you can't bake? That this is it and you're done? Hang up your apron and forget about it? No. It means this particular cake didn't work. You might've been emotionally upset that day, week, month. Your personal life has a ton to do with your creative output, and if you think otherwise, test it and see. Bakers - and writers - don't just slot widgets into holes. We create. That doesn't mean every creation will rock. It just doesn't. But we need to have faith in ourselves that we can self-correct and get back on track.


I see writers doubting themselves all the time when they get rejected. I've done it too. But I try to keep it in perspective. If I keep trying and keep believing in myself and what I'm capable of producing, soon enough that failed cake will be a distant memory.


And no, getting a rejection does not mean you suck as a writer. One project didn't work for one editor at one house. It may work for a whole bunch of other editors. Don't give up!


Writers, how do you deal with rejections? Do they lay you low or do you have a strategy for handling them? And for readers, is there something in your life that you love to do and you've had to search out ways to move beyond fear of possible rejection? (Even dating counts...heck, those waters can be the most shark-infested of all!)


Before I go, I wanted to mention my latest Ellora's Cave release, Reveal Me. It's the first in my brand new Unveiled series about Kink, a voyeurism club, and the people who frequent it. Provoke Me, book 2, was recently contracted. Since there was no neat segue between my topic and voyeurism, I'll just add a link and let you check it out for yourself if you're so inclined! http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9027-reveal-me.aspx

Visit Cari at www.cariquinn.com

Groovy Day!

I’m having a brilliant day today. How about you? I woke a bit groggy, but told myself to get going and get some serious work accomplished. I gave myself a target of three book covers. It’s 11:40 a.m., and I’ve made two, so if I continue at that rate, I’ll exceed what I set out to do. Some days just work, don’t they? Everything falls into place. Marvellous!

The latest news for me is that I finally finished the Victorian, subbed it, got a revise and resub where I needed to add a couple more chapters—gotta love editors who can see more than me—then resubbed. It got accepted (whoo hoo!) and I was lucky enough to be allowed to use my own cover. Whatcha think?

Today I have a release by Sarah Masters, Mane Attraction. How groovy! I made the cover for this too. I had a LOT of fun writing this because it’s laid back, funny (I hope!), and just a book where I took a chill pill and relaxed. Here’s hoping my humour makes you laugh too!

Here is the blurbage:

Dominic Hurley is an average guy, working in a book packing company and getting through his boring life the best way he knows how. One Friday night, after sinking one too many beers, he finds an animal on his apartment balcony window—an animal that changes his life.

Levian Brooke is that animal, although he’s also one sexy-as-hell man. He has arrived in London to make Dominic his mate—and to get Dominic’s help in a quest to free one of Levian’s family members from London Zoo.

Dominic is drawn into the seedier parts of his beloved London in his search for someone to create fake passports so Levian can return to where he came from. A sinister element find out his involvement in Levian’s quest and come after him.

It’s a race against time and a fight for his life as Dominic finds inner strength to do things he’d never even dreamed about.

You can buy it here if you're so inclined: BUY!

Well, folks, it’s short and sweet from me today, because I’m on a mission and I don’t want to fail. What are you up to?

He ate my SPRING

Spring is in full force here. Trees are budding, the sun is shining and the wind is roaring like a lion. I love this time of year especially after the long, cold winter. But my all time favorite thing about spring is the appearance of Cadbury Creme Eggs in the grocery stores. I'm an egg-a-holic with no 12-step program in sight. So the other day, I greedily picked up three of them thinking I'd save them, savor them and indulge when I needed a nice little choco/creme-filled pick me up. Didn't really worry too much about squirreling them away because Mr. Regina often makes it clear that he's not much of a 'candy eater'. Um. Yeah right.

So the weekend was tough. I didn't get to write as planned because I had a small computer issue and was advised by my computer guys to not turn it on and bring it in on Monday. Yesterday I loaded it up and drove over to the computer store. I'm only about 5'1"...muchkin sized and I could NOT see over the top of the computer I was carrying so as I entered the store with my arms loaded down I tripped on a dumb mat they'd put in the middle of the floor. Damn thing was about 2 inches thick, I didn't see it, and my toe caught the edge. I flailed around and managed to keep my ass from hitting the floor and saving my computer in the process but I seriously messed up my ankle. Dang thing hurts like crazy now. It's a swollen, achy mess. Anyway, I get the computer in despite the mishap, pick it up later and as the evening wore on, I kept thinking about my Cadbury Eggs. I wanted one. I needed one. I deserved one. Hell, I'd had a bad day. So I go into the cabinet where I keep our chocolate goodies and they're GONE. Gone with the WIND. I think I actually gasped out loud. I'm telling you, I was just mortified and I knew damn good and well what had happened. Sucking in a deep breath, trying to remain calm, I limped into Mr. Regina's office.
I said (in my calmest, most reasonable voice). "Hey, I had some Cadbury Creme Eggs in the kitchen. Do you know what happened to them?"
His eyes went wide and then he narrowed them and puffed out his chest in a manly way that made me want to smack him. "I ate em."
"All three?"
"Yeah. I tried one and I liked it so I ate the rest."
"Did you think for one minute that I might've wanted one?"
He grins at me in a nasty way and looks pointedly toward my ass. "I was helping you. I was thinking of your butt."
GRRRRRRR.
So I left. I went to my own office but I was so mad I couldn't THINK. He ate my candy and was completely unapologetic. After a bit I couldn't stand it anymore. I limped back into his office and stared him down. It was an emotional High Noon. I swear.
"You ate my SPRING!" I hollered.
"Huh?"
"Those damn eggs are my favorite thing about spring! And YOU ate THEM."
He laughed and shook his head like I was a silly child obviously not comprehending the complexities of getting between a woman and her chocolate. "What? That's your favorite thing? Are you trying to tell me you don't like flowers?"
You can only imagine what I said to THAT!

Moral of this story: Hide the damn Cadbury Eggs.

Characters and Co-Authoring

What kind of couple do you prefer reading about? Do you want them both to be strong, to possibly clash a little with their ideas—which makes for some good sexual tension—or do you like the male strong and the woman less so?

When Tess MacKall and I began writing Black Cougar Curse, we knew Sam, our hero, had to be strong. Of course he did. After all, he’d been cursed and had carried the burden of that curse for too many years to count. He’d endured more years on this earth than anyone, roaming the mountains, waiting for his one true love to come along and break the curse. He longed for love, to be released, yet I have to wonder…wouldn’t that be scary? You’ve lived for a long time, mainly alone, and the prospect of your life changing drastically upon the appearance of your soul mate must be a daunting thing.

Sam copes with it beautifully, embracing the changes Lucia brings. He’s an adorable man who helps Lucia with her grief and also in telling her something about herself—something of which she had no clue before she arrived at his mountains.

So then we come to Lucia. Did we want a woman equally as strong as Sam, or did we want her to defer to him for the most part? No, we wanted a strong woman, someone to match Sam in every way—the perfect combination that was right for those characters.

I suppose each book demands different personalities. What works in one book with one h/h may not work in another when you take into account their lives, what they’re doing, and where they are headed. Toss in their personalities, and you’re left with deciding which one should be the stronger character, or whether they should be of equal strength.

That’s the beauty of writing, though, isn’t it? You get to choose, and sometimes your characters choose for you. For me, that’s always the best way. When characters appear already formed, their personalities and idiosyncrasies built in before I’ve even typed the first word…ah, the exquisite life of a writer!

We wrote the book last summer. I remember us flying through it, bouncing off one another, and feeling really lucky that we’d gelled so well as a pairing. I knew we would, but you always wonder if it will sour your friendship a little if you write with a pal. It didn’t. We told one another that falling out over words wasn’t an option, that if we found we didn’t get along inside a manuscript, we’d rather abandon it and return to just being buddies. Thankfully, it just worked, and I feel that together we created a really cool book, one with double the imagination and input.

Co-authoring is great. You only have to give half the word count LOL. You have nice breaks when your partner’s writing her chapter, and the discussions via email about where we were going next sometimes produced hilarity.

“So, what’s got to happen next?”

“Hell if I know!”

“Oh, I thought you might have something in mind.”

“Nope, I thought you did!”

And so it went on. Yes, we had a clear, pencilled-in outline of what the basic plot was about, but colouring in that picture was one of the most fun times I’ve had while writing. Together we made a setting, together we made two people fall in love, and together we combined our ideals, shaped them, and placed them on the page. I love the fact that I have shared this experience with Tess. It’s amazing that something we produced together is out there. I probably sound whacko, but it’s a privilege for another author to agree to let you into their writing space, into their mind and heart, and I will always feel blessed that Tess let me walk through that door.

The Company of Women

The older I get the more I enjoy the company of women. When we're kids it's a whole different thing. There are competitions, petty jealousies, and a basic lack of maturity getting in the way of long lasting friendships. But I find these days that I enjoy my gal pals more than just about anything. I mean, seriously, isn't it nice to just kick back, no stress, no meals to fix or kids to yell at? Those 'girl times' become more rare the busier our lives become and it seems to me that hanging with the girls is so energizing, so freeing, that maybe we should try to carve out time to do this.

During last years Romanticon convention, several of us decided that waiting a whole year to see each other was out of the question so we traveled to the Texas Hill Country last week and invaded Desiree Holt's house. Everyone brought something to stick in the fridge to munch on and we hung around talking about everything under the sun. Did we sleep? Not all that much, let me tell you! We laughed until tears rolled, drank mass quantities of alcoholic beverages and basically let our hair down. As I headed home, I realized I was suddenly relaxed and ready to tackle challenges at home after having a little break from things. We're already planning the next get-together for this summer at my place and then we'll hook up again at Romanticon.

I think, as women, we often neglect ourselves and little things we need. Getting a mani/pedi treatment, shopping, or a trip to the hairdresser just isn't enough. We need the company of other women to tell us we are not alone in the world. I highly recommend it.

In other news: Panther Moon, book one in my Savage Sanctuary series, releases on Friday at Ellora's Cave. Hope everyone likes what I've done with this one.


Set in the same world as Feral Moon.

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.

An Excerpt From: PANTHER MOON

Copyright © REGINA CARLYSLE, 2011

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Chapter One



Chantrea carried an armload of supper dishes to the sink, the muted sounds of the television playing in the living room, making her smile. Sounded like a baseball game to her. Being an addict to the game was her dad’s one true vice. Her mother, Celia, laughed at something Brant said. Typical evening in the Morgan household. Outside the modest Texas home, crickets chirped as the wind rustled the leaves of ancient oaks and cottonwoods. An owl hooted from a faraway branch. “Hey, Mom, dinner was great,” she called as she loaded the dishwasher, turned it on and headed into the living room.

Celia smiled from her position curled up against her husband of several centuries. “Love it when a new recipe turns out.”

Brant kissed the top of his wife’s blonde head and winked at Trea as she wandered into the room. “You did good, hon.”

As an unmated female panther, she had grown up knowing she wanted what her parents had. Love. Affection. The deepest kind of understanding between mates. It was so heartwarming to witness their love firsthand. She was constantly in awe.

Wandering to the wide mantel over the fireplace, she shoved her hands in the pockets of her worn jersey shorts and looked at the pictures lovingly displayed there. “I miss Maxwell.” Her sigh was soft but even over the sounds of the game she knew her folks heard it.

“Your brother had to leave, honey. It was his time,” her mother said with calm conviction. Trea turned at the slight hitch evident her mother’s voice in her voice and knew Mom missed him too. “He likes his job in Houston though he still hasn’t found any females of our species. There are just so few of us left but maybe, just maybe he’ll be one of the lucky males to find the perfect mate. You would think it easy in a city of over five million people. I know it hurts that he had to go but it’s natural, honey. He’s a man and gods know there is no future out here in the boonies. We’ve lived like hermits for so long.” Celia lifted a brow and glanced at Brant. “It hasn’t been fair to either of our children.”

Trea picked up the framed photo of her brother and herself taken during one of their rare family vacations. Tracing the handsome male face, she blinked back moisture from her eyes as a blast of love caught her off guard. Like her, Max was blond and green eyed but there the similarities stopped. Where she was slender, small, and to her way of thinking, rather ordinary, her brother Maxwell was a bonafide heartstopper. The gorgeous rascal was built like a tree trunk, broad-shouldered and handsome as sin. He was the kind of guy who’d made the local girls melt but he had carefully avoided all but the most necessary entanglements with humans. Smart dude. Trea was so proud of him and couldn’t help but wish him well in finding a mate of his own. The lady would be a very lucky feline. No doubt about it.

Behind her, Trea heard her parents shift position and she turned, surprised, when her dad pushed a button on the remote to turn off the television. Silence, sharp and somewhat ominous, fell into the depths of the small cabin. “We need to talk, princess.”

Frowning, she replaced the photo and gingerly sat on the edge of an overstuffed chair to look at her parents. Something about her father’s tone sent worry to dance over her spine. “What’s up, Dad?”

Brant Morgan focused his gaze on her. “Your mother and I have been talking.” He cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable. “Chantrea, you are nearing your time. Maybe this is a good moment to—”

Trea’s face burned. “Dad!”

Celia patted Brant’s arm. “Love of mine, you are so clueless. Let me.”

He shook his head and sighed heavily, seeming downright relieved to let someone else tackle the delicate subject of a female were panther having her first heat. “Good. Go for it.”

Celia wasn’t deterred, focusing an intelligent gaze on her. “For all these years, we’ve tried to keep you safe out here in the country. You know panthers are solitary creatures and it’s uncomfortable for us to live among crowds. It’s stifling. Invasive. It was a huge risk for us to even let you attend the public school in town but, honey, we have worried so much about you. You’ve been so isolated out here in the woods of east Texas. No friends. Nothing that normal human girls come to enjoy. You don’t have a real life out here.”

“But I’m not human, Mom. It’s okay.” Chantrea knew darn good and well her life wasn’t normal. Sometimes it made her sad but this wasn’t the fault of her parents. They had to protect her. It was their duty and she would never fault them for the lonely state of her life. She shook her head and smiled not wanting them to stress about the choices they’d made. “Really. Don’t worry about me.”

“We have to, Trea,” her dad said, leaning forward to prop his forearms over his sturdy thighs. “It wasn’t possible for you to date the local boys, honey. You know we don’t mix but you are a woman now. Things are, um—”

Once again, Celia put her hand out to stop him. “Happening to your body.”

Trea swallowed hard, knowing the utter truth of Mom’s words. Already she felt flashes of heat zip through her with astounding effect. Soon she would be helpless to the oncoming change and facing the shift from woman to panther would be the most horrible thing imaginable when dealing with it alone. She knew she couldn’t do it. The time to mate was upon her. Discomfort climbed over her flesh and buried itself deep in her belly. “Do we have to talk about this now?”

“We’ve decided to move to Sanctuary,” her dad baldly stated. “It’s time.”

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