Things that amuse me on long car trips.

Okay, so Brynn Paulin and I went to RomantiCon this past weekend and had a freaking blast - I'll post pictures later, but I had to share this first. I spotted this car on the Ohio Turnpike. And the following conversation was had...in our best movie announcer voices.

Me: Poet double-oh-three.
Brynn: He's got a license to rhyme.

Catching Up. (Again.)

I know when I list off the stuff I've been doing it won't seem like I've been too busy to blog, but I'm gonna do the round-up anyway.

Much of last week was spent trying to get everything in order for Matt to leave for a three week long trip to Singapore. (Read: I was doing a metric crap-ton of laundry.)

I was also grounding Corwin for his usual offense of not doing his damn homework. Once a quarter, the kid goes rogue and either does it and doesn't turn it in or just doesn't do it. Needless to say, there was some "child management" going on.

Thursday morning, I brought Matt and one of his colleagues to the airport to head to Singapore.

Thursday afternoon, I lived up to my reputation of being the Klutziest Klutz Who Ever Klutzed. I got out of the car at the gas station and managed to slip and fall. Not on ice. No, that would actually be understandable. No, this chick slipped and fell on the damn sidewalk salt used to melt the ice. No ice in sight.

Yeah. I have no idea either.

However, what I do know is that I sprained my left ankle and right wrist, bruised the hell out of my knee, gouged the palm of my left hand and hit my head on the pavement. Because I'm just that clever/stupid/talented/adjective of your choice.

Since then, I've had a fair amount of insomnia - I don't sleep well when Matt's not home. It doesn't help that Angus thinks that 3:30 am is a perfectly reasonable time to play fetch with his sparkly pink puff ball. Of course, last night, there was no puff ball in sight. Just me lying awake from 3 am until I had to get up at 5:30. Shoulda just gotten up and worked.

Yesterday, I got a cortisone shot in the wrist in hopes of alleviating my chronic carpal tunnel numbness and pain. It was kinda freaking to feel the doctor wiggling the needle around in there. And my arm was really weak afterward, so I'm super grateful that Brynn drove me to and from. But I'm not sure the shot's doing any good. It might be because of the sprain. I'll probably try another one and see what happens.

See? Doesn't seem like this should have kept me away from blogging. But it did. Sigh.

Do you want free stuff?

Of course, you do!!! Free stuff is AWESOME. All you need to do is go to Brynn Paulin's blog. She's giving away bracelets, pens, thumb cuffs, books and bags!

Go!

Go now!

Get goodies!

AAD Post Game Wrap-Up

The Authors After Dark conference in Philly was absolutely amazing! I had so much fun with the usual crew - Brynn Paulin, Jen Armintrout, Mia Watts, Simone Anderson, Carol Lynne and the lovely Jill Welch. We all caravaned to Philadelphia from Michigan. It was a looonnnnnngggg drive - 13 hours one way, but we had fun listening to books on tape. But more on that, later.

I finally got to meet my friends Jess Jarman and Gwendolyn Cease! We've been internet and phone buds for years, but this was the first time I got to meet them in person and it was fantastic - as was Gwen's delightful sister, Jude.

Stella Price was jaw-droppingly amazing as always. I have no idea how this woman does what she does as stays sane. I adore her. I can't imagine not attending this conference. It's, by far, my fave!

So Brynn, Jen, Mia, Jess, Gwen and I decided to host a party and give away an iPad 2 along with 12 e-books to one lucky reader. It turned out to be a hilarious karaoke party. It was total madness that turned into a sing-a-long with a guest dancer/party crasher from an MBA conference - we were clearly having more fun at our con than he was at his.

We sang. Our guests sang. Carol Lynne requested that the hostesses sing Kung-Fu Fighting. (Because she's pure evil.) It isn't everyday you can make an ass out of yourself in front of a room full of readers, fellow authors and your bosses. But yeah. We did it. I didn't think I'd say this, but I'd totally do it again. As long as Jen MCs - she was nothing short of brilliant.

The panels were fun. I was a little nervous about answering questions, but I think I did okay. I hope so, anyway.

One of my favorite parts was meeting authors I've been chatting with like Eliza Gayle and Elise Hepner. And also new to me authors like Ethan Day, Kris Cook, Crymsyn Hart and Melissa Schroeder.

I also got to see lots of awesome blogger and readers which is always a blast. There's something magical about being around other people who love books as much as you do.

I didn't get to see as much of the city as I would have liked, but I loved what I saw.

One of the best things happened on the way home. Brynn bought some audio books to listen to. I won't name names, but one of them couldn't decide if it wanted to be a sweet romance, an erotic romance or a nursing home book. The writing was horrid, not to mention cliche. But we had a riot laughing at the story and acting out passages. It was several hours well spent!

All in all, it was a fabulous conference and I can't wait until next year!

Why I shouldn't try new things.

First off, Happy St. Patrick's Day! I've got lovely ceilidh music playing while I work and a lovely Guinness Beef Stew bubbling away in the crockpot.


After yesterday's debacle of a supper, my family is beyond thrilled that I'm making stew for supper tonight. In a fit of misguided optimism, and bored with my regular chicken recipes, I tried something new. I'm going to go on record as saying this was indeed the worst thing I've ever made. We're talking straight up terribad.

In my defense, it sounded like it had potential - sort of an orange chicken dish - or so I thought. It ended up being a dish of pain and suffering, my friends. Pain and suffering lovingly prepared in my crockpot.

My family, bless their hearts, choked it down. And Corwin said, "Mama, I'm giving you an A for effort, but an F for BLERGH!"

It was a fair assessment.

Matt patted my shoulder and said, "You tried."

Killian gave Herne some chicken. Herne threw it up. That's how bad this was. The cat threw up the chicken. On my floor. In front of me. Then looked at me accusingly. Nobody made you eat it, cat.

But tonight will be different. Tonight I won't try anything new. I'll make the yummy beef stew that Brynn taught me to make. And no one will vomit it up on the floor in front of me.

Oh and speaking of vomit, I blogged over at Evo about words I hate coming across in romances.

So it seems Dad was right. Again.

It's no secret that I love to be crafty. Well, one of the things I really enjoy doing is making cards. My dear, darling Brynn got me into it a few years go when she had a stamping party. We don't do it all the time, but when we do, we have a blast and holy cow, you should see the cards Brynn makes. They're mailable works of art!

So Thursday night, after rescheduling since November, I went to her house to get crafty. We knew we were going to need a new craft table, so the plan was I'd head over and we'd go to Sam's Club and pick one up. That part worked just fine. We got to the store, found the one she'd picked out earlier (along with some super yummy cream cheese frosting cupcakes) and checked out. Easy peasy.

We got to Brynn's Tracker and she laid the seats down and tried to get the table into the back. It stuck out through both of the back doors. We turned it on an angle. This time it only stuck out through one of the doors. To be fair, we probably could have gotten it to fit long-way between the front seats...only her back hatch is broken so there was no way to turn the table in the right position to try it.

We decided to tie it to the roof. Only...there was no rope or bungee cords in the car. So I table sat while Brynn ran back inside the store to get something. She came out a while later having made the discovery that Sam's carried neither rope nor bungee cords. o.O

So she headed across the street to the Wal-mart next door, wading though snowbanks and sliding on the ice, while I again table sat. (It was very well behaved.) After a slightly longer wait, Brynn returned victorious with blue nylon cord and a scissors to cut it with. (It's important to point out here, that I would have come back without the scissors and would have had to trudge back again.)

What should have been a thirty minute run to the store was now bordering on an hour and a half. We got the table tied to the roof, and I started to laugh. In my head, I heard my dad's most oft quoted advice, "You can always use a good piece of rope." Brynn, being a boy scout leader, ties waaaaaaaay better knots than I do, but we still got the table home in one piece. She put the remainder of the rope in the backseat, and now she'll always have a good piece of rope handy. And we still got a bunch of cards made and had fun doing it - so go us. :D

Two new books out today by two of my favorite people!

Two of my favorite people Brynn Paulin and Abigail Barnette a.k.a. Jennifer Armintrout both have books out today from Resplendence Publishing!

Brynn's book, Blood of the Wolf, is the third story in her Creuntus Dragons series, and I've gotta say, it's the best one yet!


Abigail's book, Glass Slipper, is the first of her Naughtily Ever After Series and it's a hot retelling of Cinderella. I can't wait for the next one!


Both books are awesome and I highly recommend them both!!! So what are you waiting for? Go get your copies!!!

Post Conference Sum-up

I can't believe I've been home from the Authors After Dark conference for a week and this is the first time I've been able to blog. The day job sort of exploded upon my return, so now I'm trying to get time sensitive projects put to bed so I can get back to writing.

But, I'll do a brief recap. As always, the best part of conference is spending time with my awesometastic friends. Brynn Paulin and I flew out on the 15th, met up with Mia Watts and Carol Lynne at the airport. We made our way back to the hotel, got our stuff dragged up to the rooms and then waited for Kris Norris. And waited. Hit the bar. And waited. Sent Mia's terribad drink back. And waited. Our favorite Canadian girl had some transportation issues.

But she finally arrived and I was soooooooooooooooooo happy. I've been waiting to meet her in person for well over a year which is a long freaking time in internet time. If you're talking online to someone almost every day and on phone a lot, a year is a longass time to wait to meet. You know how sometimes you meet people in person that you've only corresponded with and it's weird and awkward? Meeting Kris in person was the polar opposite of that. We all loved her - how can you not? And it was like she'd been in our circle of friends forever. It was the same way when I met Mia and Carol. Instant awesomeness.

But I digress, after Kris got there, we all went out for supper and then collapsed in our hotel room because the next day was our awesome trip to New York. Brynn, her husband and I went a few years ago and had an amazing time, so I was thrilled to go back. We hit the usual spots, Times Square, Battery Park, Central Park, the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, accidentally rode the subway to the Bronx - which ended up being perfect timing because a huge thunderstorm blew in, but we were able to wait it out on the train. There was lots of people watching to be had - the bitch who felt it was her public duty to publicly mock overweight people, the adorable nerdy guy running his lines for a show (I hope you got the part, dude!) and the homeless man hiding under a hoodie who broke our hearts. Mia, very sweetly, left her granola bars with him.

I think my favorite parts of the day were the carriage ride around Central Park and the ferry ride back to New York where we met a sweet and very funny guy named Jose - nickname, Joey - pronounced Hoe-y. Joey was hilarious and we had a fantastic time laughing our asses off all the way back to the dock.

It was after ten by the time we finally got back to New Jersey. We went out to supper and apparently, I fell asleep at the table. I don't remember this, but Brynn insists that I did, and I believe her. I was soooooooo tired - we all were. Mia, Kris and I went back up to our room to find Jennifer Armintrout collapsed on of the beds and delirious with exhaustion. Poor baby had her plane diverted to Allentown, PA where she sat on the runway for three hours.

Friday was the official beginning of the conference. I only went to a couple panels - mostly because I was too busy talking to people. But I met some fantastic writers and readers. At the supper where Mia had her close encounter with the sex therapist, we briefly met Soyna Bateman. We got to know her better the next day and discovered that she's amazing. She's smart, funny and just an all around great person. She writes urban fantasy and mm. My husband keeps threatening to take the UF book away from me. I keep telling him that I get to read it first, so hands off. However, if I continue to be swamped, I might have to give in.

The book signing on Saturday was great. Got to sit between Brynn and Jen and Sonya was kitty corner to us, so lots of fun was had. After the book signing, Brynn, Kris, Mia and I had our suite party. We gave away a sony e-reader, 20 ebooks, 10 signed print books and plenty of swag. All things considered, I think it went quite well. A lovely couple from Canada won the grand prize and everyone else went home with a print book.

With a few exceptions, it was a fantastic conference. I can't wait to go next year!

These are just a few of my favorite pictures from the trip. This is a gorgeous mosaic in one of the subways.

This is the John Lennon memorial in Central Park.

I don't know what this building is, but it overlooks Ground Zero. I got chills when I noticed what was in the windows. Using religious symbols, it says: Coexist. (C
lick on the photo to embiggen.)
A view of the city from the Staten Island Ferry.

The adorable Stella Price all dressed up for the 'come as your favorite literary character' party.
The lovely Jennifer Armintrout dressed as the Scarlet Pimpernel's wife...whose name escapes me.
The fantastic Leanna Renee Hieber dressed as her character, Percy Parker. This costume was amazing!
Our contest winners, Dave and Peggy celebrating at the party.

I got a nifty award!

The lovely Lisabet Sarai gave me the Versatile Blogger Award! The rules are that I need to pick some people and we all have to list things about us that few people know. So...here we go.

Ten Bron-Type Surprises.

1. I haven't worn nail polish since I came across a cadaver wearing the same color.

2. Over the last 15 years, I've placed 42 cats and 3 dogs in adoptive homes.

3. I used to make themed wedding and bridal party dresses including medieval and western...there was fringe involved. Also, instituted the use of the "bitch fee" for some of those people.

4. I keep lip balm in 9 separate places in my house and car (purse, dashboard, next to the couch, bedside stand, desk, medicine cabinet, sewing machine cabinet, coffee table and bookshelf) and almost all get used every day.

5. I was once paid to read Tarot cards at a convention.

6. I haven't worn pantyhose since high school graduation.

7. I've been in eleven car accidents, but only one was my fault.

8. I made my own drum, and I like to play in drum circles.

9. Sister Rosine made me stand up and tell the class that I was the "Bride of Satan" because I wore bright red nail polish and matching sweater one day. She was way old school. And also batshit crazy.

10. Once had an entire subway car full of New Yorkers cheer for me. It was a banner day...

Okay, now I'm going to nominate my versatile bloggers, and hopefully, they'll play along and share some little known facts about themselves.

Chaos Chris
Erotic Romance Reader Janna
Brynn Paulin
Jennifer Armintrout
Dakota Rebel
Mia Watts
Jessica Jarman
Kris Norris
Kim Dare

Still Recovering

Last week, the lovely Carol Lynne came to visit. She stayed at Brynn's and we all hung out and had a great time. At 5 am on Saturday, we drove to Ohio for the last little bit of the RT conference.

We went to the book fair. It was huge, poorly ventilated and crowded as hell, but still fun. I got to meet Carolyn Crane - she's freaking adorable and so nice, Jim Butcher - stood around forever waiting for him to sign a book for Matt, but he was very nice (and I'm pretty fond of my husband, so totally worth it,) Leanna Renee Hieber - who was just the sweetest thing. I also got a chance to meet Holly Black and Laura Bickle. I can't wait to read all my new books - you know...sometime when I'm caught up on work. *SOB*

I met with my RP editor which was great! I talk to her on the phone all the time, so it was wonderful to meet in person! We had lunch with some of Carol's readers and later went to the TEB party which was pretty freaking awesome! The owner and her administrative assistant hung out in our room with us afterward and talked - as did the lovely Genella deGrey, who I finally got a chance to meet in person.

The next morning, there was coffee, more chatting with editors, lunch and then we got back on the road for another 6 hours. I was beat. Now, I have to catch up on all my neglected work and try to get laundry done so Matt has clean clothes to take to Russia and clean my hideous train wreck of a house before company comes.

Who needs sleep?

The Book Boyfriend - Janna Made Me Do It

The lovely Janna of Erotic Romance Reader tagged me in a Book Boyfriend meme, and seeing as how I live to procrastinate (and I'm finally done cleaning up puke) I'm totally playing.

Here's how this meme goes:

We all have our favorite book boyfriends and now you have the chance to create one just for yourself and your fantasies! How do you play? Fill out the quiz bellow, post a picture of sexy man and tag five (5) other book addicts to do the same. Don't forget to pop to their blogs as let them know they have been tagged!

Once tagged... you have to do the same, grab the button, answer the questions, and keep it rolling! But don't forget the picture of the sexy man! It doesn't have to match your fantasy man, just a little eye candy for the rest of us... heheheee!

1.) Hair style and color - Honestly, I'm open to most styles, however, buzz cuts and mullets need not apply. I do like enough to grab onto, and I prefer men with darker hair.

2.) Eye color and facial features - I'm a sucker for green eyes...or blue...the kind you can get lost in. Le sigh... I like a rugged face with scruff, full-ish, kissable lips, but please, no butt-chin - at least not a big one.

3.) Height and body type - 6' - 6' 2" is a nice height, and I'm going to go on record as saying overly-muscled, body building types creep me the hell out. I always assume, perhaps wrongly, that a guy like that is more interested in spending time watching himself do reps in the mirror at the gym than anything else. I like broad shoulders and tight abs as much as the next girl, but I'd rather see them on a normal looking guy with an athletic build.

I like strong, capable looking hands. I don't mind if they're a little rough or dinged up from working on the house or the car. I like some tattoos - now, I'm talking about tribal work or Celtic knot work - not some ill-conceived and tacky skull, roses and American flag number or scary looking portraiture of a teacup poodle. I'm totally on board with a strategically placed piercing or two.

4.) Visible age - 30-40

5.) Bangability - i.e. kinky/bi/size - First off, I applaud the use of the word, bangability. :D I like 'em straight and more than a little dominant. Hey...it's my imaginary BBF. ;) And size? I'm with Janna...who wants small in this perfect little fantasy?

6.) Human or other - Human or shifter - fey works, not into vamps so much. It's not the biting...it's the living dead part that makes me a little squidgey.

7.) Paranormal skills - the ability to transport us from place to place - makes world travel that much easier. The ability to freeze time would also be badass.

8.) Interests - Wait? You mean besides worshiping me? Okay then, let's see...hot sex, traveling, music - I know it's cliche but I love a guy that can sing and play guitar.

9.) Habitat - Where I am, but I'm so not gonna complain if he's got a castle in Ireland or Wales.

10.) Special skills - Making me laugh (oh, so important), long, slow kisses, book research and knot tying. ;)

I'm tagging:

1. Brynn Paulin
2. Mia Watts
3. Kris Norris
4. Dakota Rebel
5. Charlotte Stein
   

Who Wants a Spanking?

Today, I'd like to tell you about my dear friend, Brynn's new book. It's deliciously naughty, and this opening scene makes me think of good ol' Father What-A-Waste... But I digress. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of this book and I'm here to tell you it's freaking HOT! You can get your very own brand spanking (snort) new copy today at Resplendence Publishing.

Blurb:

Prim Natalia Cooper lives life on the straight and narrow, never veering into naughty territory. But she wants to. One night, years ago, her boyfriend gave her a few swats on the rear as part of their sex play and she loved it. She wants more. But he’s long gone and she hasn’t been spanked since. When she learns of a club where she can get exactly what she needs—anonymously—she’s so turned on and ready she can hardly bear it.

For Ethan Tavish, The Dungeon has served as a place to exert his dominance without making lasting commitments. He can hardly believe his eyes when he enters the play area to find his secretary, Natalia, bent over the spanking bench in a school girl uniform. They’re both masked, but he’d recognize her anywhere. In an instant, he has a plan to give them what they both want…and perhaps a whole lot more.

Excerpt:

Play acting had never been high on Natalia Cooper’s list of activities, but today she found herself dressed up and filling a role that made her positively wet. Why? Who knew? She didn’t. Who really understood the wanton directions of a person’s most titillating fantasies? Hers was already curling tendrils of need in her middle.

She sat in a hard, molded plastic chair in a brightly lit room made to look like a school office waiting area. It appeared genuine, but this place, The Dungeon, was far from that. The Dungeon specialized in fantasy fulfillment. Hers had always been the naughty girl scenario.

“Miss Smith, the principal will see you now.” Natalia stood at the use of her fake last name. No real identities were allowed here. She straightened her miniscule green plaid skirt and followed the secretary into the “principal’s office”.

Nerves began to ball up in her belly. She’d always followed the straight and narrow and had rarely been punished as a kid. She’d never even been spanked. That was until a boyfriend had smacked her ass a few times during sex. He’d just been messing around, but she’d liked it. A lot. She’d longed for it ever since, but never found anyone…

And now what was she doing?

“He’ll be right in,” the “secretary” said.

Natalia nodded, unable to speak. She bit her lip and wondered if she was insane to be here waiting for a man to paddle her. According to the play-acting sheet, she was a habitually naughty student at Her Lady of Perpetual Need Catholic School and she’d been caught sneaking two boys into the locker room of the all-girls school.

As the woman left her alone, Natalia reached up to touch the mask that covered the upper portion of her face. Not only were names protected here, but faces as well—

“Miss Smith.”

Her throat went dry. Her back straightened as the door behind her scraped open and the man’s deep voice preceded him. She didn’t dare look, and she folded her hands together in her lap.

“So we meet again. It seems you like my office.”

“Um…no sir,” Natalia answered as he came into her line of sight. Sweet Jesus! He was huge.
Dressed in a black suit and a black shirt with a priest’s collar, he looked like someone who might oversee an all-girls parochial school.

He leaned against his desk and crossed his arms over his wide chest. His coat strained over the muscles in his arms. His large hands looked like they would engulf hers if he took her fingers. Oh, her ass was going to sting.

Her breathing grew shallow as she envisioned it.

He looked down at her, his deep blue eyes studying her through the mask he too wore. It should have distracted her, the mask, but instead, it heightened her want. No matter the scenario, he was a stranger and he was going to give her exactly what she’d longed to receive for years.

One long finger tapped against his biceps. “Skipping school. Drinking in the parking lot. Cheating on your math test. Putting glue in Sister Martha’s coffee. And now bringing these two boys into school. What are we going to do with you?”

She shrugged a shoulder and bit the corner of her lip. “Detention?”

He slowly shook his head. Rounding his desk, he slid off his suit coat and hung it on the back of his chair. Methodically, he folded his sleeves up his forearms. “No, I think we’ve moved beyond that. You’d sleep through detention, just like always, then leave your gum under the desk. I’d call your parents, but we both know that wouldn’t do any good. It seems I’ll need to take you in hand.”

“What are you going to do?” She really didn’t know, and her stomach was flipping at the options. Her panties had been drenched ever since she’d gotten here and put on this teeny-tiny uniform skirt and top. The second she bent, it would creep up her torso, exposing part of her back.

She slouched in the chair, thinking to take the part of naughty girl even further. She parted her knees slightly and ran her finger along the slightly veed collar of her shirt. “You could take up where those boys left off.”

His lips compressed. “I think not, Miss Smith.” His palms flattened on his desk as he leaned toward her. “Stand up. Now!”

Shaken, she leapt to her feet.

“You will remove your panties and leave them on my desk.”

Take…off…her panties? She blinked at him. She’d thought she’d leave them on while he did this. If she took them off, he’d see how wet she was. He’d smell how aroused she was. He’d… Oh God, he’d punish her naked ass.

“Problem, Miss Smith?”

“No, sir.”

Just Right is out today!

Sheesh! I've been so busy, I almost forgot to post! But, my new story, Just Right, is out from Resplendence Publishing today! It's a naughty retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and it's part of the Not Quite Wicked Series with Brynn Paulin, Mia Watts and Dakota Rebel.

There's still time to win all four copies - just go to the Stumbling Over Chaos blog and leave a comment!

Anyway, here's the blurb and an excerpt. :)

Blurb: When Department of Natural Resources officer, Gwendolyn Locke, hits a black bear on the way home from work one night, her entire view of reality changes. She discovers that shape shifters exist and she’s just become Goldilocks to three, gorgeous, very aroused men who also happen to be werebears. Being snowbound has never been so hot.

Excerpt: Gwendolyn followed the path as rapidly as she dared, blowing snow stinging her exposed skin. The whipping wind carried the bear’s anguished cry to her, and she tried to move faster. She hated to have to take its life, but what choice did she have? Judging from the blood loss she’d seen, there was no way it would survive the night—especially not in a storm like this. For a brief, crazy moment, she considered calling Noah, but she dismissed the thought just as quickly. He’d already made it clear she was on her own.

She stumbled across a log only to fall face first in the snow. For a moment, her world went dim as the lightheadedness returned, but she forced away the woozy feeling and pushed to her feet. A few yards ahead lay a dark shape. She’d found the bear. Training her flashlight on it, she watched for signs of life. It moved, and she saw the spreading pool of blood that melted the snow around it.

Feeling sick at what she had to do, she raised her gun to her shoulder and took aim. She tried to still her shaking hands as the bear began to twist and writhe on the ground. Suddenly, its body thinned and lengthened and she thought she heard the muffled sounds of flesh tearing and bones breaking. Before her eyes, its fur receded leaving bare skin, the body of a predator becoming that of a human man.

She must have hit her head harder than she’d thought. How could she have possibly mistaken him for a bear? What the hell was he doing naked in a snowstorm? She needed to get help. She lowered her gun and dug in her pocket for her cell phone. No signal. God damn it!

Quickly, she darted to his side and checked for a pulse. Faint but steady. Her blood ran cold when she saw his face. For a moment, she thought it was Noah. Relief flooded her when she realized it wasn’t, followed quickly by guilt. She’d hit this man with her car and now she had no idea how she was going to get him help.

Stripping off her coat, she covered him with it, careful not to jostle him. She couldn’t tell the extent of his injuries, and she didn’t want to make it worse. Standing, she turned in a circle, looking for any sign of life. The only light she saw was the faint glow of one headlight and the taillights of her vehicle.

Not knowing what else to do, she fired several shots into the air and yelled for help. Her scream was cut short as a rustle sounded behind her. Whirling, she faced the biggest black bear she’d ever seen. She lifted the gun to her shoulder, but before her frozen finger could find the trigger, it growled and knocked it from her hands. Standing on its hind legs, it advanced on her.

It must have smelled the blood of the injured man and been drawn out of its nest. Bears rarely attacked people, but in this case, she could see where it might make an exception. And considering she was standing between it and a potential meal…she was fucked.

Everything within her screamed at her to run, but she couldn’t leave the man unprotected. Her gun was behind the bear, well out of reach. Glancing around, she searched for anything that might serve as a weapon. Maybe if she could scare it away, she still might have a chance at getting help for the injured guy.

Crouching down, she grabbed a stick and quickly stood up again, holding it like a baseball bat. A wave of nausea washed over her as the dizziness intensified. The cold sank into her bones as her sweater absorbed the heavy wet snow that continued to fall. For the first time, she began to wonder if she’d make it out of these woods alive. It would certainly solve Noah’s problem if she didn’t, she thought with a near-hysterical giggle.

The bear cocked its head to the side and looked at her, then behind her at the injured man.

Keeping herself between the man and the bear, she took a swing at the bear and cracked it in the head, hoping to scare it off. It didn’t work. Growling, it grabbed the end of the stick and splintered it before wrenching it from her hands. With a shriek, she dove for the gun, brushing against the bear as she rolled through the wet snow. She gripped it with aching fingers and pointed it at the animal. At this range, she should be able to kill it, but if she aimed wrong, she’d just piss it off, and that was the last thing she needed.

“I don’t want to shoot you, but I can’t let you hurt him.”

She squeezed the trigger and fired a warning alongside its head.

The bear reached out and grabbed the barrel of the gun and pushed it toward the ground. She tried to wrench it from its grasp, but the animal held fast as it sank to all fours. All at once, the animal began to writhe and the nauseating sounds of joints popping and bones snapping filled the air. As she watched, the furry pelt receded, revealing smooth, burnished copper skin stretched over tight, lean muscles. Her breath stalled in her chest as a naked man rose, long dark hair partially covering his face, but she’d know those eyes anywhere.

“Hello, Gwen.”

Psssst...wanna win four new books?

Chris over at Stumbling Over Chaos is helping me, Brynn Paulin, Mia Watts and Dakota Rebel celebrate the release of our new fairy tale collection, Not Quite Wicked, from Resplendence Publishing. All four books come out Tuesday the 19th. So if you'd like a chance to win all four books, get thyself to Chris' blog immediately and leave a comment. Easy-peazy! The contest is open until the 19th!

Catching Up

Well, I've survived the holidays...so far anyway. We still have holiday party number six to attend on Saturday. Yep...that's one work party and five family Christmases. My family is indeed insane, but I adore their crazyasses anyway.

Other than writing like a madwoman and listening to the gleeful sounds of the boys playing Modern Warfare 2 and Halo ODST (all hail the x-box) I haven't been doing much.

But, I do have new cover art to share! Just Right will be releasing from Resplendence Publishing on January 19th as part of the Not Quite Wicked series with three of my fantabulous friends - Brynn Paulin, Mia Watts and Dakota Rebel.

As you might have guessed from the title (thank you Jennifer Armintrout) Just Right is a naughty version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. All the naked on the cover probably gives it away, too. :)

This is pretty much how I've spent my break so far. Trying to write while Herne sleeps on me. It's a pretty comfortable arrangement, unless of course I need a drink or have to pee. Then, there's kitty angst.

Well, back to it - I've got deadlines to meet and cats to appease.

Six Degrees of Separation and Cover Art

So I was hanging out with the lovely Brynn Paulin the other day and she was helping me make promo stuff for the upcoming Romanticon 'cause technology and I aren't best-ies.

Anyway, we were talking about what images we'd use on the postcards and wondering about what EC would do with the cover art for my upcoming print anthology for my three Torrid Tarot books. She brought up my author page on EC's site and started smirking when she hit the cover for I Put a Spell on You. Before I show you what amused her, let me show you what I had envisioned for my character.

In my head, this is Gray Foster.


















In the artist's head, this is Gray Foster.


















Now check out what Brynn found.


Gray Foster on my book cover bears an uncanny resemblance to Elijah Wood who totally looks like Hester Prynne. I think there might be fewer than six degrees of separation between I Put a Spell on You, The Lord of the Rings and The Scarlet Letter.

Well done, Brynn! :D

There's Someone New In My Life

His name is Nolan Martin and he's eight pounds, eight ounces of cute. My brother Martin and his wife had their second baby, and he's absolutely beautiful. Big sister Madelynn isn't too sure what to think, but she'll come around eventually.

In other news, I'll be doing a chat tonight with Mia Watts, Brynn Paulin and Dakota Rebel tonight from 9-10 pm EST at Realms of Love. You have to register before the chat starts, but it only takes a couple minutes and it's completely painless. We'd love to have you come out and hang with us. We'll giving away prizes. :)

A Little More News

I'd like to publicly thank the fabulously talented Brynn Paulin for revamping my blog. I suck at technical things and can screw up just about anything computer related, so I'm very grateful to her for my beautiful new blog.

In other news, I got a release date for my new book Body of Art which will be part of the Hot for Teacher Anthology with Brynn, Mia Watts and Cara Hart. Our stories will be releasing from Resplendence Publishing on May 19th 2009!

I'm so excited and I can't wait to see what they put together for us for cover art, but for now, here's the (unedited) blurb.

Art professor, Seth Granger, has two problems - an absentee life drawing model and a case of unrequited lust. Luckily, his troubles have the same answer - his colleague, Dr. Callie Sullivan. The trick will be getting her out of her clothes and into his studio...and hopefully into his bed. However, she's intent on keeping her mind on her art and ignoring him. Now he just needs to convince her she should be his body of art.

Things That Are Made of Aweosme...

1.) BRITS IN TIME TOOK FIRST PLACE FOR BEST ANTHOLOGY AT LOVES ROMANCE CAFE!!!!! Sorry to yell, but I'm pretty damn excited!

2.) I just signed a contract with Resplendence Publishing for a novella called Body of Art. It will be in the anthology, Hot for Teacher, with Brynn Paulin, Mia Watts and Cara Hart - Yay us! No release date as of yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I know.

3.) My website is in the process of getting a much needed face lift thanks to a lovely woman named Kelly. I'll let you know when the new prettiness is up.

4.) My crappy chest cold finally seems to be easing up a little - thank God, cause I really kinda enjoy being able to breathe.

5.) I'm apparently popular with 14 & 15 year old boys. My son's friends informed him that he has the "coolest mom ever, dude - she's totally made of win." I told Killian to remember that next time I yell at him to turn down the death metal music he's so freaking fond of.

Introducing...

The Writer's Evolution Blog!

I hope you'll join Brynn Paulin, Dakota Rebel, Kim Dare, Andrea Dickinson, Editors Michele and Christine and me as we look at the issues writers face from the perspective of the different levels of the publishing world. We've got editors, veterans, mid-range, rookie and slush pile surfer all weighing in on different topics, so we hope you'll stop by and say hi. Today, our slush pile surfer, Andrea is up!