Nicole Dennis

What's Been Happening?

2010-02-26T10:10:00.000-05:00

What's been happening since the last post over two weeks ago??

Another dragon story will be coming your way... After Dragon's Grace, you will learn more about the world of the McDrakken Warriors, the lore, the mythology in Dragon's Sanity. The contract has been signed and mailed in to Lyrical Press. Yay! While the second book is starting to enter the magical world of editing, I'm working on the third book tentatively called Dragon's Betrayal.

I've finally had a wonderful peak of interest from an editor at Loose Id in Gideon's story and am hoping for good news. As anyone who knows, Gideon and his brothers long hold a special place in my heart and I hope to publish their stories and introduce them to readers. Keep your fingers cross for good news.

Another bit of news, the angel/incubus story passed the first round at Ellora and is on to the editor's round and will be waiting. I'm also waiting to hear about my catamount story from Samhain.

So lots of stories are out and about in the submission process. Lots of stories are in the WIPs process.

Trailer - Dragon's Grace

2010-02-10T14:37:00.000-05:00

Here we go. My very first trailer.

Dragon's Grace

Coming April 19, 2010 from Lyrical Press, Inc.

Ebook for a Valentine's Gift

2010-02-05T11:43:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone!

Still dealing with the same migraine for the past two weeks! Same one! Ugh, finally made an appointment to speak with a Neurologist because I'm getting a little frightened that it's NOT going away. Even with the very expensive $35 migraine specific pill, it didn't go away. ::whimpers::

Anyway... Valentine's Day is coming up. Instead of flowers, chocolates, teddy bear, sexy lingerie, or any of those other sappy gifts... How about an ebook?? My award winning short story is up for sale at readerjack.com for only... wait for it... a $1.00. Click here to purchase: http://www.readerjack.com/homes/ework/16369

A Lucky Valentine's Day

Could a chance meeting in a checkout line, on Valentine's Day, be the beginning of a relationship?

Chance, true love and tragedy bring two people together and pull them apart instantly. A touching story of just such an encounter. Short Story Winner of the 2009 Love is in the Air contest.

I hope you take a chance to purchase and read this lovely little story.

Migraine City & Dragon's Sanity

2010-01-26T12:47:00.001-05:00

I know, once again, I let a few days lapse. Hey, I have a good excuse..umm.. reason, yeah reason. It's what I lovingly called Migraine City. Oh yeah, I'm stuck deep inside this nasty snarl - been so since Sunday.

What are migraines?? Nasty little form of headaches. You can learn more here at MayoClinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/migraine-headache/DS00120 or at the National Headach Foundation: http://www.headaches.org/education/Headache_Topic_Sheets/Migraine There are many different factors to trigger a migraine - mine come from hormonal changes, stress, and air pressure changes. Thanks to a wicked thunderstorm rolling in Sunday combined with a rather stressful week, my mind went kaput and things fired up. Ick... Lots of pain, numbness in face, loss of motor control, and only wanting to curl up in a dark, quiet, cold room.

This time, my migraine is toying with me. Got hit with the pain and prodromes (symptoms) on Sunday night, then the pain abated somewhat Monday, and still linger in my brain (what's left of it) while I'm sitting at work. (Yeah, bright lights not helping.) I know the little bugger will return with a vengeance and waiting to take a med to knock it into oblivion. At least for this month.

Anyway... To get away from Migraine City... To the stories, which are the favorite of topics.

I'm still pecking away at the sequel to Dragon's Grace called Dragon's Sanity, for now. :) This story is waaay longer than the first, now that I'm adding more characters, more info on the world of dragons and guardians and their enemies, and a lot of the myth and lore. Right now, I'm running around 22k words and hope to finish up within this week or next. Then give it a good editing run and ship it off to the editor to start the process all over again.

Until then, back to the story.

Dragon's Grace Update & Cover

2010-01-20T09:55:00.004-05:00

Hello again!

Tentative release date of April 19, 2010! From Lyrical Press, Inc., comes the first novella in my MacDrakken series of dragon warriors and guardians -- Dragon's Grace.

TAG: Can a battered dragon warrior overcome past mistakes?

BLURB:

After an attack by dark wraiths, exiled guardian Allauria Grace, treks up a mountain in the middle of a snowstorm to locate her dragon. Once there, she finds a reluctant Callum MacDrakken. In fact, he wants nothing to do with her and refused to let her in his haven.

They battle through memories of a tangled past and a devastating injury that left Callum unable to transform into his dragon form.

With the looming threat of wraiths and the possibility of Allauria becoming one herself, they wonder if there is still a chance for this dragon to have his mate.

Contains M/F sex with steamy against-the-wall shower scene. Add in a fiery shape-shifting dragon warrior for fun.

New Year Updates n News!

2010-01-18T09:57:00.006-05:00

Happy belated New Year to everyone! My poor blog has been so forgotten this past year and I know I must get back into the habit of creating blogs and updating this poor thing.

So... Here we go.. What has been happening since November??

Edits! Edits! And, you guess it, more edits! Luckily that process is behind me and my lovely editor, Lea, and the novella - Dragon's Grace - moved forward. So much that I have a tag and blurb to share with all of you and a cover!! OMG! This cover is fabulous! Ever so sexy, but not forgetting my beloved dragon. I hope that you all will love the story of Callum and Lauri as much as I've enjoyed writing them. They've been through a lot, but love will still find a way to hold on.

In between edits, holidays, and work - I've been working on the next book in the MacDrakken series. Tentatively it's called Dragon's Sanity. It has a new hero and heroine not seen in earlier book, but questions risen within the first book will begin to find answers here. Plus, I'm adding more information about the wonderful world of the dragon warriors and guardians.

I have another short story with Samhain - a group of sexy cougars in the Northwest.

Okay, I think I have everything for now. My next post will be the fantabulous cover and blurb for Dragon's Grace! Hopefully it will be up and ready for sale in April 2010!

Hugs and purrs to all!

NaNo Time & New Contract

2009-11-10T10:26:00.003-05:00

So much to say.. so far behind.

It is day 10 of NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org). For those who haven't heard of this wonderful site, you sign up (for free) to write a 50,000 word novel from midnight Nov 1st to Midnight Nov 30th. One complete novel. This doesn't mean writing one word 50,000 times. Uhuh.. You need to figure out characters, plot, action, dialogue and all that is around it within this steadfast deadline that looms ahead of you.

Me.. I'm 15,925 words in my new YA fantasy novel. I wasn't planning on writing a YA. I wanted to work on a new paranormal romance, but it didn't happen that way. I wasn't sure what to write up until Nov 1st hit me. Then a few days before, these young characters came forward and started talking to me.

First, a young man captured and held during the time of the Holocaust started telling me his story. Then came another young lady who bound herself in special ribbons to hold back her magic. Slowly, seven teens in all, from various paranormal races and historical times, came forward to combine into one team. Leading them is a powerful sorcerer called Alistair.

Their powers are only beginning to be understood. Two characters have yet to appear in the story. The evil they are facing is still a very BIG unknown. Not sure what they will face, if they even face it in this beginning story... Though, it's something I could see being publish when it's cleaned up and better organized. I can see these teens coming together, each one coming forward in a story their own, but adding to the team, not taking over.

We'll see as NaNo continues on and the words keep adding up to the final count. That's the beauty of NaNo, you never know what it'll throw at you and your pesky muse.

As for the new contract... Well.. I'm still in complete and utter awe of this. My novella, Dragon's Grace, was accepted by Lyrical Press, Inc. I found this wonderful email in my inbox when I woke up on Nov 1st, all ready to begin NaNo. Instead this email made me stop, cry in glee when I read those wonderful words, and dance around my apartment. I even made the titillating news announcement to my parents and grandparents when I saw them later for dinner.

Sigh.. A first true novella with my name on the cover. As more news comes along, I will pass it on.

Until then, happy dreams. Happy writing.

A simple update

2009-08-12T10:39:00.002-04:00

For a writer, I have no trouble coming up with ideas for a new story. I often have multiple ideas coming up in my crazy mind. Almost any time I get the need to write, I pull up different wips to add too depending on what I want to work on. Unless there is one particular story I'm working on to get out as a submission, then I knuckle down and concentrate just on that.

So, why is it so hard to come up with blog ideas? :: one virtual shrug ::

Here's just a simple update on things then... Nothing retrospective or interesting. Just a simple post.

Submissions:
Dragon's Grace - Nocturne Bites - still waiting for 12 weeks now.
Familiar Protection - Lyrical Press - just clicked over for one week.
This is Gideon's story and still dear to my heart. After the disappointing R from Samhain, I turned attention back to it. I pulled it apart once again, finding holes that needed to be filled, and went through to add things back in. Even got another CP's view on it. I needed more about Layla, my heroine. She was rather bland against the power and grace of Gideon and his background. It needed to be her story as well as Gideon's. I added more about her life on the other side of the barrier. Information about her home, her company, even an ex who helped her focus on what she needed for her life, more about her family and the pressure placed on her destiny. I hope that this brings her forward and into the eyes of the reader.

WIPs:
Once again, multiple stories in progress... I can't seem to work on just one at a time. It's strange, but that's me.
Let's see..what's out there..

Unholy Angel - a paranormal/erotic story of a incubus/angel heroine meets up with an Angel. I though this was just going to be a m/f story, but now another male has put his foot down and is with the Angel. so I now have a m/m and m/f areas. Perhaps I will have both males with her, but will see. The various realms are shaping up - Aequitas is the prison/justice realm, Heaven is for Angels, Heathen is for the demons/fallen/para area, and then there is the mortals area.

Cruising Adventure - a m/m contemporary story that popped in my mind - but a very bad title. These two males just popped in, almost fully fleshed, a lot of the various scenes coming forward like a movie in my mind and begging to be put on the screen. I hope this one works out as well, it's my first true m/m story and I hope it can appeal to readers.

Presents contest - still figuring out idea for this contest. I do wish to enter and need to work on the first chapter and synopsis. Had something come out, but I want to go back and rewrite it, start at a different point in their relationship.

Tatsuya Series - my first Dragon series that I tried for Bites. I want to take the first story and really stretch it out, simplify the world/mythology and expand on the story, the characters, and plot. It moved too fast and too much was in it for such a short story. It definitely deserves to be lengthened and added too. Plus there are other yummy characters that are clamouring for their own stories.

Those are the main wips, but one never knows what the next idea could bring.

Hope everyone out there has their own ideas, dreams, and lives working out for them.

Lowdown on Info-Dumping

2009-07-29T14:16:00.003-04:00

Exposition. Information dumping. Overlong narration.

What is all of this??

There are all types of ways for writers to convey information to their readers about the plot, character, setting, and theme of their story.

Still, how much exposition/info-dumping is too much?

Most writers know that too much info-dumping can bog down the drama, the plot, and just kill the momentum and your reader’s attention. More importantly, it could be a big part whether the editor decides to send you another R letter to be pasted on your wall or that glorious Acceptance letter and ‘we want to buy your story’ call that we all wish to hear.

So… What do we do about it? How much dumping can we do before it is overkill and derail your story? It’s that fine balance we must deal with while weaving our storyline, plots, and characters together, all the while walking on that thin wire between glorious narration and dumping.

There are ways to give information without imparting a lot of information to your readers and your poor, over-worked, over-wrought editor but still give everyone the background they need to enjoy the story. Besides, we all know that paragraphs and paragraphs of long narrative are skipped by most readers (I do it at times. I’m sure you’ve done it a time or too). This break of attention upsets your immersion into the story, you are so busy skipping long narrative sections that you (or your editor) aren’t diving deep in the story.

Bad. Bad. Bad.

This isn’t good because we often miss a key piece of information that is lying there within all that narrative for you to find and realize how important it is to the entire plot. Umm.. Yikes! That’s not a good thing for you as the writer or you as the reader.

After a bit of searching, I found some strategies for handling info dumping and gently giving this needed and vital information to your reader (and editor) in a better fashion that encourages them to stay with the story. I found this first series from the website of ‘The Rth Dimension – Fiction Writing (http://www.therthdimension.org/FictionWriting/fiction_writing.htm):

Deductive Introspection-- Character puts two and two together in his head as the reader "watches"
Introspective Reminiscing--One or more characters reminisce about past events crucial for the reader to understand what's happening.
Flashbacks
"Stranger in a Strange Land"--Person or alien in an new environment has to ask questions; reader gets educated as the plot develops
"The Briefing"--Character in a new situation is briefed by a more knowledgeable person or persons; the reader listens in
"The Bard"-- Poetry at the start or in the interior of a chapter telling us something about the situation and/or characters (as in JRR Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS or Mike Resnick's SANTIAGO)
"Media Blurbs"--Encyclopedic, newspaper, newscasts, e-mail messages or book excerpts at the start or inside a chapter that conveys info (as in Asimov's FOUNDATION TRILOGY; Van Vogt's THE WEAPON SHOPS OF ISHER; Vernor Vinge's A FIRE UPON THE DEEP)
"Strategic Character"--Character specifically chosen by the author so that she's always at the right place at the right time to see something the main character can't
"The Dr. Watson"--the sidekick approach (as in THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES)
"Strategic Debate" --two or more characters argue; during the argument, important information is brought out.

There is another technique used in Fantasy and Paranormal stories with world building. It is called “Incluing” which is a technique where the reader will gradually be exposed to the background information about the world – the setting, the history behind a group of shapeshifters/vampires/fae/etc. As a writer, you will clue the readers to the world you’re building without them really being aware that this is what you’re doing.

In essence, this incluing is the opposite of pure dumping. How can this be accomplished. Well here are a couple of more ways (probably duplicates of the above list):

Info is giving out during a conversation between various characters – gotta love the dialogue.

Back ground details are wonderful to be parsed throughout the story

Establish a scene where a character is followed through a daily routine or life

Then the offhand mention of something behind an open door can also establish familiarity to the world and doesn’t call attention to the happening by the reader.

Whether incluing or using some of the other above techniques, just be sure to scatter these wonderful tidbits of information seamlessly through the test. Make sure they don’t bring the plot/drama to a complete and utter halt.

Let everything naturally flow within the narrative and dialogue and the situation will not jar the poor reader/editor out of their immersion into your story.
When in doubt of how to do this, set aside your story, pick up a few books and check out how other authors handle this necessary lesson of writing.

No matter what… Happy writing!!

Funny Moments with Kitties

2009-07-27T11:52:00.003-04:00

In the process of moving from my little apartment to a nice upgrade, crazy things are happening and life is getting filled up with organizing, packing, tossing out, and figuring out just how to pack up all the boxes but leave room for me and the kitties to move around.

After a series of boxes impaired the kitties' movement to the awaiting litter boxes, I heard all about it from the older one. Rather vocal and upset about how I dared place boxes in her way. Even though her little fur-ness could leap over them without a thought. So, I had to stop with what I was doing, quickly move the boxes out of her way, give her lots of aplogies and pettings and let her go and do her business.

The other craziness with packing - cats and boxes. What is it about the appeal of boxes to kitties?? I will never know. What I do know is that with every single box I bring into the apartment, my older one must sniff and approve each one before it's allowed in her territory. I know she approves once she starts rubbing a cheek against it. Since I started building a mound of boxes, I watch my cat jump up and down all of them, disappearing into some for a snooze or play. Both kitties will chase each other around the place, zigging and zagging around the boxes, leaping over ones they can, in mad order chaos.

Ahhh... Moving... And people wonder why I stayed in my only apartment for the last 7 years.

Well, after watching the 12-year-old leap in and out of all the boxes with apparent ease, I was waiting for the younger one to do the same. She's been a scaredy cat with all the goings on and taken to hiding under the bed for the most part. Until this past weekend...

Well, my kitten decided that she wanted to leap into a tall box and see what her sister was doing. So she was on the floor, judged the height, wiggled the butt and tail and leaped. Only it didn't work out quite the way she wanted. She got stuck halfway with her belly on the edge. Oh yes, perfectly balanced on the edge right on her little fat belly. Her front end deep in the box. With a tail, butt and hind legs sticking out, wiggling and wheeling like crazy.

I couldn't help myself. I busted out laughing, couldn't take a picture, or help her I was laughing that hard. My laughter got worse when the older kitty came to watch the baby, but didn't help. I think she was amused too.

After a minute of struggling (my laughing), kitten got her claws in the box, backed out of it. Got to the ground and booked it under the bed and stayed there the rest of the day. I'm sure she's probably plotting revenge on box and me for laughing.

Ahh.. Moving with kitties. Never a dull moment.

News and Ideas

2009-03-11T12:16:00.001-04:00

Ever so sorry that I've disappeared for so long. Tax season has come to my office and is eating up a lot of my daytime hours. At night, my home computer is so slow that it feels like I'm on dial-up on my cable connection. I think it's about ready to begin its long slow death to computer heaven. Sigh, another one down...

Other than that, had a bit of painful news this week. Got a rejection letter from Ravenous for a short story. It wasn't unexpected now that I look over the story now. More sex and no story - which isn't all that good. So, I shelved it.

Still working on my Familiar's story for Samhain. It's coming along actually better than I thought. Easily added in over 5000 words and added in multiple scenes and increased current scenes. Finished chapter one and sent it to a cp to see if I kept the same feeling throughout the updates. That's the fear that I didn't keep the same aura and scope thru the story. I can't lose what it initially had to bring it to the attention of the editor.

Then, during a drive home from the office, my mind began rolling through another idea. It was an opening scene of a witch/sorceress standing on a turret of a small castle staring up at the sky at a lone dragon flying over. She wants to capture this dragon from the other land and hold him for her own lover, slave, or pet. All she knows is that he is a powerful dragon warrior and shifts back to one of the most handsome men in the lands. Until now, he has felt disdain for her family and land and has fought multiple battles on opposing sides.

Only now, in this small hidden castle, with a powerful special arrow, can she bring him down in a way that will not injure him, but make him powerless for her to capture.

What will this come too?? I’m not sure, but gonna look forward to binding this powerful dragon while this sorceress has her delicious way to him. Will he come to his knees and realize she’s his ultimate match? Hmm…

SWEATY SEX: A Sex & Sports Anthology is OUT!!

2009-02-25T10:12:00.004-05:00

You can now purchase SWEATY SEX: A Sex and Sports Anthology at Ravenous Romance. Go to: http://www.ravenousromance.com
You can find the cover on the front page or under the Real Man Romance section!!
I hope you enjoy my story - Mixed Doubles - a steamy tennis story that is on and off the court hottness!!

Synopsis:

Who hasn't fantasized about hot, sweaty sex with an athlete? Or a teammate? The Sweaty Sex Anthology gives you a whole book of gay and straight erotic short stories that explore these fantasies, including:
A university girl has a hot crush on a sexy swimmer she sees at practice each morning and wants to put the moves on him before she can make any more mistakes.
A lusty reporter is determined to get the scoop on a hunky foreign hockey player but finds some sexy surprises instead.
A young wrestler goes to the mat with the man of his dreams.
Sexy football players, tennis players, baseball players, basketball junkies, martial artists and bowlers all explore their naughtiest, dirtiest fantasies. Lusty athletes gladly exert themselves, pushing their bodies, and each other, and aren't afraid to get a little bit sweaty.

Contributors:

John Jokel

Brandi Woodlawn

Roxy Harte

Nicole Dennis

Heidi Champa

David Montoya

J. L. Benet

Alexandra Rowan

Jen Bluekissed

Bradley Church

Brit M

Ron Radle

A Positive Rejection Letter

2009-02-18T10:17:00.002-05:00

A hopeful bit of news lightened up my morning yesterday when I opened my email and started going through them. One was an editor from Samhain where I sent in my story, Familiar Protection, for possible consideration.

While the first part did have the mention she wasn't accepting it as is, she gave me a lot of support and interest in my story and the characters, Gideon and Layla. She mentioned exactly what she would like to see improved in the story and I totally agree. This was a short story where I concentrated on the action and conflict. The characters were there, but not their inner thoughts and some reasons behind their reactions and behaviors. She saw that and pointed it out to me.

Now, I am going through the story line by line, scene by scene. I see where I wish to add more scenes and character information. I finished a wonderful scene before the three brothers before Gideon is stolen away by his lady. And opened the one night of torture to two nights to increase the pressure on Gideon and his brothers, but gave him a chance to find his lady in her dreams.

Hopefully, this will all end up for the better and increase my chances. Once all this is done, I'm definitely sending it back to Samhain with hopes that she'll love the changes as much as I will.

Random Thoughts

2009-02-16T15:27:00.002-05:00

So many random thoughts going through my head, even with my new medication cutting down on the majority of them. It's been a while since I last posted and for that, I apologize. Still getting used to the whole blogging thing.

What has been going on? What have I written down? Anything interesting... Anything that could become something?

I'm not sure... Random pieces of various stories come to my mind and then get jotted down. Snippets of a scene or possible character. They're not all from one story. Once again, as with most things, they are various stories... various ideas.

Part of me fears my new medication, while helping to control my depression and anxiety, dampers my creativity and writing. No one knows exactly all that goes on in the brain... Could creativy, the key section of a writer's mind, be held within the same areas as depression and anxiety? I know the medication slows down a libido... Could it also control the fantasies that helped guide me through stories?

After another Valentine's day spent alone... it has become just another calendar day for me over the years... I wonder if that will remain so.

Hmm... You can tell my current mood from this, so for now... I will depart and figure out what to do with things.

Single Story vs Series Story

2009-02-10T15:54:00.002-05:00

As I write stories or get new ideas for future stories, I realize that most of mine involve families or groups. So most are not just about one man and one woman. One or both of the characters have other siblings and family members outside this initial story that either add or caused the story to start or continue.

For instance, in one story that is in progress - a young woman appears on a rocky outcropping overlooking the ocean. She is sent years back in the past of their home location by her older sisters who were 'testing' her abilities. While trying to figure out where she is, she is captured by a dragon and wakes up in the arms of a handsome man who seduces her, draws her into his life and the story of the dragon. Until it is time for her to return to the present and teach her sisters the same lesson about screwing around with someone's destiny and fate.

Even though this story is still in progress, I'm getting snippets of ideas about her returning to her sisters and sending each one - one by one - through the rifts of time to find their own destiny and potential mate.

I even have a huge series in the wings that I've worked on since high school - off and on - about a company of undercover agents - not government per say - and their adventures and romance. Part of me wants to add a spin of paranormal to each one to flesh them out even further. They all intermingle and entwine with one another and the company plays a major background role and setting.

Since I could read, I've always read series books - all the Sweet Valley series, the Babysitter's Club, and then growing up into various series. Even know, if I love one book in a series, I end up buying the entire set so I don't loose track of the wonderful characters and storylines going on.

Does anyone else find themself writing more series-based stories with hope they will all come out?? or stay strictly with single based stories??

A favorite recipe of mine

2009-02-09T13:27:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone

This is a great 'pantry-stuff' recipe that you can throw together. It feeds a lot of people and everything comes under $5 at the stores. It's warm and filling with lots of protein. You can tweak the seasonings and pasta section to suit you and your family's taste.

Hugs and enjoy!

-----
Pasta with Lentils & Tomatoes

Serves 6 Prep time: 35 mins Total time: 45 mins

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 lg onions (yellow or sweet), halved and thin sliced
Coarse salt
Ground pepper
2 Tbsp Italian herbs (mix)
2 cans diced tomatoes w/liquid
1 cup lentils
12 ounces pasta (any type)
Parmesan for serving

Steps:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and ½ teaspoon salt; cover, and cook until onions wilt, about 20 minutes. (During this time – prep lentils and pasta water) Uncover; raise heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until onions are dark brown, 20-25 minutes more.
2. Add ¼ cup water; stir to loosen any browned bits from pan. Stir in two cans of tomatoes and Italian herbs. Lower heat to lowest setting to keep warm.
3. When you uncover onions for second 20-25 minutes, in a small saucepan, cover lentils with water by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer. Cover; cook until lentils are tender but still holding their shape, 15-20 minutes. Drain; stir into onion mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook pasta in a pot of salted water until al dente. Reserve up to 1 cup of pasta water; drain pasta; and add pasta to onion mixture.
5. Add reserved water until you reach consistency you want – the starchy water will help thicken sauce; toss all together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat.
6. Serve in small bowls; top off with grated Parmesan. Serve with crusty bread.

Catching Up 2

2009-02-06T14:30:00.002-05:00

Sigh... It's Friday... What a rough week this seems to have been... I don't know why either.

Let's see... Monday I wasn't feeling good and spent most of the day in bed or curled in my papasan chair with a furry kitty on the lap or close to me. The nice thing was that I finished a couple of very good books this week... which ones?? hmm... the latest by Sherrilyn Kenyon - Dream Warror, Kresley Cole's Kiss of a Demon King, Rachel Vincent's - Pride, and Jacquelyn Frank's Ecstasy. And then I have more. Also flipped through a few e-books as well. Got more lined up for the weekend.

Update on submissions:
Samhain - Gideon's story - nothing yet
Ravenous - Between Best Friends - nothing yet.

My very first interview was out with Jesse Blair at: http://sexfoodplay.wordpress.com/
My story - Dinner with Pleasure - will be out with the Ambrosia Anthology due to come out on Valentine's Day. Quickie hint for the story: After a rough week, Colleen Grady comes home to find instead of a planned meeting with her future in-laws, her fiancé, Leonardo DeMartini, cooking up a storm. On the menu, a little relaxation, a little dinner, and pleasure – Italian style.

Update on writing:
Not much writing happened this week... bits here and there.. mostly just ideas swirling in the head. I'll try and get something rolling this weekend, maybe even later today. Who knows...

Other than that, been a long week. Probably because all that artic air that dropped once again into Central FL. Sigh... Supposed to be warming up this weekend and next week before another artic blast comes down. At least the kitties will be happy, they'll have open windows for the next few days to curl up against.

Hope yours is going better...

Anthology - Power Plays

2009-01-28T14:27:00.004-05:00

Hey there

As a reminder to anyone following or landing on the blog.... Here's the anthology where you can find my first short story - From Seductive to Prim

You can easily download it as a pdf file or for your e-reader!! For less than 6 bucks you can have 12 great, steamy, erotic stories featuring the wonderful combination of Sex and Politics!

Synopsis:

POWER PLAYS is a collection of twelve stories that explore the timeless connection between sex and political power. As Henry Kissinger famously said, "power is the ultimate aphrodisiac", and the twelve authors contributing their hot stories to this anthology know that better than anyone. In POWER PLAYS, the intersection of sex and political power takes many forms-----including a threesome in Congressional chambers, a female President-elect who finds a boy-toy while traveling abroad, and a den of urban werewolves who fight to restore their rightful alpha male leader. These and many other erotic tales of sex and power make up this red-hot collection, which will capture your imagination and leave you thirsty for more.

Contributing Authors:

• Maryn Bittner

• Jen Bluekissed

• Angela Cameron

• Nicole Dennis

• Karlita Diamond

• K.D. Grace

• Victoria Lacy

• Olivia London

• L.A. Mistral

• Isabel Roman

• Vanessa Vaughn

• Brandi Woodlawn

• Jamaica Layne

Catching Up

2009-01-27T11:56:00.003-05:00

Phew... It's been a few days since I last posted. Eek... Sorry about that.

Not much happened on Saturday other than the kitties finding a new place to curl up. On a pile of my drying sweaters and towels. When one was stretched out across the top, the other kept climbing up the chair and standing up on the table trying to get the other to move. And then the reverse happened. For most of the day, one or the other or both were on my sweater pile. Sigh... Of course I would have put a black sweater that shows every single cat hair on the top for them to lay on. They were none to pleased when mommy dismantled the pile and took it all away.

On Sunday - I paused in my writing to clean my little apartment from top to bottom. Even to the point of moving furniture and other things to thoroughly dust and vaccuum everything. I was pretty proud of myself. The kitties just looked on wondering what the heck I was doing and then disappearing when the vaccuum started roaring.

By the time I finished, my friends arrived for an afternoon of girl time. We laughed and ate away the afternoon, back to our old antics with me being caught in the middle. Of the three of us - I'm the most quiet and they razz me all the time. They mean good though until I pop in with a shocker statement that makes them think twice about what's going through my head.

Both are still wondering how me - the single one of the group - can get the steamy ideas of being an erotica romance writer. I just tell them it's an overactive imagination. With just a battery buddy at the moment, I let my mind soar wherever it wants in that sensual world. For now, it's keeping me full of ideas.

Speaking of ideas... still working on a short story I want to send to Raveneous - what they call a Rendevous. I have the picture in my head but it's being stubborn when I'm trying to get that image into words. Why is it? I know what I want to write.. but it just doesn't want to come through. It's very irritating and a very important scene. It connects the scenes I already have and increases the sensuality level that I desire to put in this story...

A story of a woman waiting for a lover to show up, but someone she hadn't thought of in her bed appears behind her instead and enacts of all of her fantasies that she only told her best friend.

Busy, Busy, Busy & A New Idea

2009-01-23T15:24:00.003-05:00

Oh, man, today has been busy busy busy!!

Another looooooooong to-do list on my memo pad. Luckily, most of it has been checked off over the course of the day. As soon as I got in, I've been working. Stuffing envelopes... Stuffing more envelopes... and more.. then stuffing my own envelopes for my job - tax organizers. I still have another set to do but my poor fingers are crying for relief.... In between, I've been tied up with so many other things.

And of course need to fill out more paperwork to update my college loan stuff.... I'll be paying till I'm old and gray... wait, I'm already going gray... we'll just say I'l pay until I'm in my grave and maybe even after that. Still, I loved my time in college and wished I made more of it at the time, but that's hindsight for you.

:: hold on.... work interrupts once again ::

Okay.... I'm back. Sigh...

On to the idea... I always get new ideas when working on a current wip, but I'm also working on various wips at the same time. It just seems to be a thing I do, I've done that for years. Perhaps since I get stuck in one area on a wip, I hop over to another that's nagging me to work on it.

For the last few days.... which is telling me this is a strong idea... I have the image of a lady standing near a meadow, staring up at a night sky, with snow falling around her. All around are various colored cougars/mountain lions/pumas interacting in different ways, from playing, to cavorting in a more sexual fashion, to tracking and killing, and all other feline activities. A daughter of this pride/clan, she's supposed to change into her cougar - crying in her mind - but she's unable to transform into the cougar. She has some of the genetics, but not the one to physically change her form. While she may be a part of the pride, she's still an outcast. On this night, a night of the equinox/season change, when most unmated cougars find a mate or potential mate to produce new litters in the warm months, she has this craving as well. Because of her outcast - she is alone. Until she catches sight of the other 'outcast' of the pride - a pure-white cougar - prowling on the edges. When their eyes meet, he bounds away in the snow and she takes off after him.

After that.... well, I'm still working on it. Trying to just get it down on the screen first before it all disappears.

We'll see if it turns into something...

Another Day, Another Dollar

2009-01-22T18:36:00.002-05:00

Felt better this morning and went on to work for another day. Same in, same out, type of day. Uhhh... Nope. My desk was completely reorganized. My careful but messy piles were pulled apart and placed in different places. My beloved second monitor was gone. The side of my PC is pulled off. Signing onto my computer and my icons were smaller and in different places.

Other things are changed.

I know more than to make a fuss, though. Doing that will not help nor change anything. I just roll with the new rules and orders, just accept everything, and continue on with my job.

As much as I wanted to work on my current wip, too many things at work pulled my attention away from it. From updating and correcting financial statements, to labeling and organizing files, to creating letters and mailing labels, and sending books to various clients, I had something to do almost every hour. I only grabbed a quickie fifteen minutes for lunch - a bowl of oatmeal - and a few games of mahjongg. After that, it was right back to work when a partner came in with yet another continuation of a morning project.

Sigh....

Tax season is coming upon us. Everyone is getting tense or stepped up their work. They're staying longer hours or coming in earlier. Little things. It's a pattern I've learned to watch and prepare for and anticipate their needs. We're prepared for the season. Everything, but a couple of finishing folders, is completely stocked. In some cases, we overstocked items because we know they're in such demand.

Finally, I was able to get out of the office. With this new medication making me feel like I have a constant cotton mouth, no matter how much water or tea I drink, I stopped off to pick up some Werther's Originals. Of course, I end up picking a new book from Jacquelyn Frank. Another one to add to my reading pile.

Came home to find the kitties still at odds with one another. Still not sure what to do about them, but leaving them alone. As long as I don't find fur and blood all over the place, I'll let them work out their differences. Hopefully, they'll become the best of buddies again.

It's going to be another cold night in FL. Back down to the 20's/30's again this evening. Another frost/freeze warning. After that, this cold system should be pushed away and we'll be back up in the 70's. Luckily, that means I get to turn of the heat and throw open the windows. Save energy and save some money.

I'm still getting used to blogging so I have a tendency to hopscotch through various things like my memory and thoughts often do. I have a larger tendency to confuse the hell out of anyone I talk to because I often hop between multiple subjects without finishing one thing or another. Why do I do this? :: shrug :: Beats the hell out of me.

Anyways... Figure I best end this one... Try and get a little writing done.

Another Day

2009-01-21T18:33:00.002-05:00

After the momentous day of yesterday, how could another measure up? Between the swearing in of a new president - one that has the support of so many - and the release of my first published book, I don't know what else could top it.

Then I realized, it doesn't matter. One of my dreams came true with seeing my story in an anthology. That's enough for me and I know that I have at least two more stories following it. The next step is to have my own separate book with my name on the cover.

So, that is my next project. It's what I need to concentrate on...

Still, as always, life has a way of coming in between things. All this cold air sweeping into our country helped revved up some germs. A small head cold is starting to bother me. Coming home early from work, I tried to sleep for a few hours. Only to awaken to my two beloved kitties snarling and hissing at each other. The best of friends, often snuggling and cleaning one another, I had no idea why they would suddenly turn against each other. After cleaning their litter boxes and placing the bag of stinky stuff outside, I saw a kitty captured in a carrier, meowing, and most likely cold. A few minutes later, the kitty was brought back inside. Hoping to distract my girls, I lit a few candles to disperse the scent of the strange kitty and hopefully calm my two. Even as I write this, a few hours later, my oldest kitty is still on edge and the younger is hiding under the bed. I'm not sure what to do with them, but can only hope they'll calm down and work it out between them.

While the day was filled with some illness, hissing kitties, and now a quiet dinner, I do hope to find some time to rest up, chat with a few friends online, and get back to my story.

What will tomorrow bring? Other than knowing I will once again wake up and go to work, I have no idea. Still, I will wake up and face the day again.

A Momentous Day

2009-01-20T16:05:00.001-05:00

What a wonderful day this has been...

First, our country and the world watched our new President whether they were standing, freezing, on the mall in front of the Capital or the streets of D.C., or on the numerous television stations, or - like me - streaming live on the internet. I'm so happy that I was able to watch our very first African-American President being sworn into the office. With him comes all the hopes and dreams of Americans, young and old, all faiths, all religions, and the hopes of the world, that rest on his strong shoulders. A younger President with a beautiful family who understands all of us and what we go through. He has been there in his lifetime. He knows the struggles many face to get through a simple day and a year. He understands about the issues we are all facing.

Welcome to the presidency and Oval Office, President Barack Obama!

I'm glad to see him as our leader. I know he will help change things for the better. I can see that President Obama understands and connects to the everyperson. Me - a newly published author, single and struggling daily to make ends meet. My parents - a middle class family also struggling. He understands the millions who watched him take the oath - even with a little oops and hiccup in the middle - and promise to defend and lead us and our country. He has the charisma and the charm to lead our country and I hope he has the strength and power to push through the changes we need through the red-tape bureacracy that must also change and update itself to meet the needs of the people and country they all serve.

The second wonderful thing... It's a bit more personal for me. An accomplishment and a dream come true.

My story - From Seductive to Prim - is now available in an anthology - Power Plays. It is published by Ravenous Romance ( http://www.ravenousromance.com/ ). It is the Book of the Day!

Steamy and seductive, these are all stories of politics and sex. As we all know, in one form or another, these two are forever entwined. For mine is a story of modern love, a Governor gets an erotic surprise on the way to a dinner by the last person he expected would become so sensual and forward.

I would love to know what you thought of it.

Hugs to all! Congrats once more to our new President!