The Kittens

Some Like It Hotter

2011-10-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

My latest novel, Stealing Hearts, is a "bit hotter" than my usual romantic comedies. Check out the new cover...smokin!

Here's the blurb: Check it out.

Jason doesn’t know what possessed him to give Jennifer his great-grandmother’s locket. She dumped him the second he mentioned marriage, and refuses to return the family heirloom. Desperate, he tests his amateur thieving skills when Jennifer goes out of town—and finds himself at the business end of a gun wielded by a gorgeous stranger. Jennifer’s new roommate reluctantly helps Jason cover up his bungled burglary. New plan—seduce the roommate into helping him steal the locket.

Alison suspects Jason is just using her, but that’s fine. She has her own agenda, which involves using her roommate’s studly ex for a little fun between the sheets. Casual sex turns into dating, and the more Alison falls for Jason, the more she wants to rip that locket off her undeserving roommate’s scrawny neck!

Soon a risky plan emerges, one that could gain them the locket…but cause them to lose something far more precious.

Reader Advisory: This story contains a sensual F/F scene. Whatever it takes to get that locket, right?

Win a Free Download of Nurse Lovette by Paisley Smith!

2011-07-22T06:33:00.001-07:00

I’m guest blogging with Delilah Devlin to celebrate the release of my first f/f kink novella, Nurse Lovette! Click HERE and leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for a free download!

Blurb:

After two failed marriages, Avery Walker’s therapist encourages her to explore her secret obsession. She can’t get off without fantasizing about submitting to intimate examinations performed by a hot female nurse. So when she joins a medical fetish website, she expects to find a partner who’ll provide a little probing and maybe some sexual release that will help Avery get in touch with her kinky side.

That’s where she meets Nurse Lovette. Darby is the consummate professional, determined to keep her nurse / patient relationship with Avery from becoming too familiar. After all, Darby has loved and lost because of her need to soothe patients beyond traditional nursing. But Avery’s determination to explore real sex with a woman just might be the cure that wasn’t part of Darby’s treatment plan.

Publisher Note: This book contains plenty of girl-on-girl sex, employing the use of myriad toys created especially for erotic exams, no holes barred, and ahem…since this is a medical fetish story we would have been remiss not to include the administration of an enema—or two.

Buy it Friday, July 22!

Coming July 22! Nurse Lovette by Paisley Smith

2011-07-18T07:08:00.001-07:00

My first kink novella, Nurse Lovette, will be a summer 2011 release from Ellora’s Cave! I’ve written historical (Beguiled), contemporary (Birthday Girl, Beyond Curious, Soft Swap), and paranormal (Dark Angel – Girls Who Bite Anthology) f/f romance but I’m broadening my horizons with this story. It even comes with a reader advisory! The talented Syneca did the cover art and captured my heroine, Nurse Darby Lovette, perfectly. If kink is your thing, check back for a release date!

Blurb:

Buy it Friday, July 22!

Interview with Author, Mari Freeman by Debra Glass

2010-10-17T07:30:00.001-07:00

My first book written for Ellora's Cave's Taboo line is now available at the Cave! Buy Twice the Novice from EC - click HERE

Twice the Novice is the story of an English woman who is contracted to marry a mysterious Bavarian count. After her sister scandalizes the family by running off with a rake, Anne has little other choice but to accept the count's offer.

Becoming a governess is impossible for her since she is dyslexic. And while she doesn't wish to be a burden on her family, she agrees to do whatever she must to secure the count's hand in marriage. She isn't prepared, however, for the attentions of the count's devastatingly handsome nephew, Axel von Sommerhalder.

In researching the book, I talked to several friends who suffer from dyslexia. One is a fellow Ellora's Cave author, Mari Freeman, who graciously consented to allow me to interview her so readers might know what it's like to be dyslexic.

Thanks, Mari!

When did you first discover you were dyslexic?

That's really two questions. The first is when did you notice you didn't quite get things like other people? It was probably by 6th grade that things really got hard. Teachers were more particular about spelling, sentence structure and basic grammar, all of which I could verbalize an understanding of, but often couldn't demonstrate on the written page.

Mind you, this was far before the days of MS Word and the red squiggly line. I fumbled through high school covering up and finding ways around my learning difference. I didn't realize I was creating my own system of reading and writing at the time.

I chose to participate in theater in school because it was an activity where I could excel. Verbalization was my strong suit. I didn’t need to spell or get the comma in the right spot to recite lines of a play. High school theater is where I fell in love with the story. I could master the beauty of language as long as I could do it out loud.

The second question was when exactly did someone tell me exactly what was different about me? I was TESTED and given the diagnosis of moderate dyslexia around the age of 27, after I'd returned to college for a second attempt at a degree. On the first go ‘round, the lack of ability to spell had been too large an obstacle to deal with for me at 18 years old.

In Twice the Novice, Anne is ashamed of the fact she cannot read. Since my story takes place in the 1700s, nothing was known of dyslexia. Anne goes to great lengths to hide her dyslexia. Have you ever tried to hide your dyslexia or were you ever ashamed because reading didn't come as easily to you as it did to non-dyslexics?

I am fortunate that my dyslexia is not so bad as to prevent me from reading at all. I love to read now. I may see the text in an incoherent jumble on the page, but my coping mechanisms have enabled me to anticipate danger spots and correct what I see. I get close enough. Writing or typing is not so easy. My brain can’t simply fill in the blanks and correct the spatial issues as I go, as it can when reading.

I must type and then re-type. But I am still, even today, after several published books and a successful corporate career, making efforts to hide my difference in public situations.

I have almost all public posts proofread by someone. All my ms submissions, pitches, basically anything public facing, are proofread. I pay for some of those services. Twitter and Facebook, I have to let go if I want participate.

Like your character, I'm very often ashamed, even though I know I shouldn't be. I fear those who read my transposed twitters or mangled Facebook messages will think I have no business writing books because I can't spell or keep a comma out of a period's place. Why wouldn’t they?

The late Stephen J Cannell, who was dyslexic, said something like, "I didn't need to spell to tell a good story. I just had to prove it to someone."

I have to remind myself of that all the time or I would quit. I can tell a good story. I just can’t spell a good story. I'm lucky my editors work with me pretty well. It takes more effort and patience, but I hope I make it worth it. My readers seem to think so.

In Twice the Novice, the hero patiently works with the heroine to look at the whole word rather than at the individual letters. How did you overcome dyslexia in order to be a multi-published writer? And how does it affect your writing?

I think this is exactly how I work. I’m a very big picture thinker. In one of my past incarnations I was a project manager. I used intricate software to help me manage details, but the big picture of a large software development project was easy for me to juggle.

It’s the same for my writing. I type every sentence I write about four times to get it as close as I can to correct for grammar and spelling. My EC book, Birthright, has 21 characters and two subplots. It’s a big, long book. That added up to about 400,000 words typed (and deleted and typed again) to get that first draft finished. Buddy, were my fingers tired. Don’t worry. It’s nowhere near that long finished.

Characters, the story, those process seems to be similar to most non-dyslexic authors. Getting all of it down on paper is the Hell of it all. You don’t have to go back to the regency period to find people who suffered terribly over their learning difference. I feel for people even in recent history.

What great storytellers did we miss out on because there was no real understanding, no assistance? I was stubborn. My parents believed I could do anything I wanted, even if it was hard. I was expected to succeed in everything. I believed I could succeed because they did. My mom helped me master reading and struggled through a ton of math with me.

Later in life, when I decided I was going to write ‘with the intent to earn a living,” I believed that was possible too. I have help now as I did then. (Although my Mom does not read my erotic books. Lol) I have proofreaders, an editor who also believes in me, and a fabulous critique partner.

You will never see five books a year from me. I can't. It just takes me longer. I've tried methods like voice to text, but the tedious business of getting the words on the page correctly is part of the creative process for me. It is what it is.

If you have dyslexia or another learning difference, do not sell yourself short. Use your full vocabulary. No matter what your occupation happens to be, use the rich language that is in your head. Don’t choose simpler words because you can get them on the page easier. You can fix your spelling in the second draft, with help if needed.

Mari Freeman’s Plan for Pleasure is now available! It’s an anthology that includes her books Beware of the Cowboy and Love Doctor. Buy it from Ellora’s Cave - http://www.jasminejade.com/pm-8734-334-plan-for-pleasure.aspx

About Mari ~

Mari Freeman lives, disguised as a normal suburbanite, in central North Carolina. When not penning romantic erotica, she enjoys horses, hiking, traveling, good food and friends. An outdoors girl at heart, you can often find her at the lake with laptop fired up, fishing line in the water and her imagination running wild.

In her previous lives, she’s held an interesting array of occupations. She’s been a project manager, a software-testing manager, sold used cars, pumped gas at a truck stop and worked in a morgue.

Mari’s favorite stories include Alpha females in love with even more Alpha males. She finds the clash of passionate, strong-willed personalities fascinating. She writes contemporary, paranormal and a little science fiction/fantasy.

Email: marifreeman@bellsouth.net

Website: www.marifreeman.com

Twice the Novice by Debra Glass Coming October 15

2010-09-15T11:11:00.001-07:00

Shamed by secrets, Anne Meredith will do anything to fulfill her marriage contract to a mysterious Bavarian count. Even if it means submitting to Axel von Sommerhalder, the handsome stranger the count has enlisted to train her. She thinks the intimate punishments her trainer metes out will be a humiliating ordeal. Instead, as she finds herself surrendering to the dominant desires of a man forbidden to claim her, she discovers even more about herself than she ever dreamed possible.

Axel demands that his novice abandon every inhibition. But in doing so, they both embark on a dangerous journey, tempting each other’s flesh, relishing every forbidden touch—and breaking every rule.

Read an excerpt - Click HERE

Possessing Hayley is available NOW!!!

2010-09-07T06:06:00.000-07:00

Blurb:

Alec has resisted the idea of an eternal bond for six centuries. Now his master has ordered him to save a woman who has been left for dead, and there’s a catch—in order to successfully save her life, Alec must make Hayley his own. In every way…

Hayley was only looking for a good time, but when the good time turns into a strange waking dream full of vampires, bloodlust and scorching sex, she no longer recognizes who she is or what she has become. She clings to Alec, the sexy vampire with possession in his eyes. Without him, she’ll never be able to adjust, but he holds back, denying the bond she craves.

But it’s a bond that cannot be denied for long. Upon returning to the coven, a simple truth awaits. If Alec does not claim Hayley, another will.

Reader Advisory: If it’s bloodlust you want, you’ll get more than your share in this scorcher that offers a little ménage, a little M/M foreplay and a whole lot of bloodsucking sizzle.

*An Excerpt From: POSSESSING HAYLEY

Copyright © L. ROSARIO, 2010

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

The underground chamber, or dungeon as most called it, was not a happy place. Very few coven members had ever stepped foot down there, nor did they wish to. Used primarily for punishment, the dungeon housed a half-dozen coffins and an impressive collection of swords. The coffins were for bad vamps the master hadn’t decided to kill yet, and to Alec’s knowledge one was currently occupied. The swords were for…well, it was rather obvious what the swords were for.

Alec sidestepped the row of coffins and found the master standing at the back of the room. They made brief eye contact then Alec followed his gaze toward the wall. He halted in his tracks.

Ben. The vampire was chained, and by the smell of burning flesh in the air, the chains were silver. He was naked, emaciated and looking like he’d just crawled from a grave. It wasn’t a good look. Even for a vampire.

Alec moved alongside his master, unable to tear his gaze from his old, yet unrecognizable, friend. “You sent for me, my master?” Given the situation, not to mention the location of the meeting, total deference seemed a good route to go.

“As you can see, Benjamin has decided to drag his worthless hide back to the coven.” The master crossed his arms and looked at Alec. “It seems life on the outside was harder than he anticipated.”

Ben had run away? What fool would leave the coven and all its delights for life on the outside? “Why has he been quarantined?”

“You know the rules, Alec. Benjamin ran away and then suddenly reappeared. It would be irresponsible to allow him to run about the coven before ascertaining if he is clean.”

“And is he? Clean?” Alec glanced at Ben, who looked anything but clean.

“No.” The master moved closer to Ben, which caused an immediate reaction. As if jolted from a deep sleep, Ben jerked his head up and violently fought against the chains. Smoke wafted from his wrists as the silver burned away more flesh.

Alec wrinkled his nose and turned away. Poor bastard. “I sense we aren’t talking about hygiene, Master.”

“No, not at all.” The master lashed out and took hold of Ben’s greasy hair to yank his head back. “Would you like to tell your friend what you are guilty of, Benjamin? Tell him why you are chained to a wall contemplating the kiss of a sword at your neck.”

Ben’s wild gaze found Alec. His throat worked, his lips parted but speech seemed beyond him. Clearly if Alec wanted the story from Ben, he’d have to go in and get it. Holding Ben’s gaze, he forced himself into the vampire’s mind. Weak with hunger and fear, Ben was easier to read than a picture book.

There was a woman, dark and sultry. Her husky laughter crawled through Alec’s senses, enticing him as it must have enticed Ben. She was so real, so tangible, he could feel the heat of her skin, smell the fragrance of her hair and taste the sweetness of her lips as Ben kissed her. He wanted to bite her. No, that was what Ben wanted, what he asked for. Another laugh, another passionate kiss then she stripped out of her dress to offer the perfection of her body. Ben swept her hair aside, placed his mouth to her neck and unsheathed his fangs.

Alec sucked in a deep breath. He could feel her pulse against his own mouth; feel the tension in her body as it anticipated the bite. His fangs throbbed, his mouth watered. He heard her gasp, smelled the momentary fear then tasted the blood. She was delicious. Clean. Unsullied by the feedings of other vampires. Envy grabbed hold of Alec. Who was Ben to enjoy such a treat? Alec was older, more powerful, more deserving. The woman should be his.

Lost in his own cravings, Alec nearly missed the feel of the woman’s pulse slowing against his mouth, the taste of her blood changing. She was dying, and yet Ben continued to take. The images shifted, blurred, until Alec could see nothing but red. The woman’s blood. It poured from her, from the tear in her throat. She lay on the bed whimpering, once, twice, then nothing. He saw her from far away, as though Ben stood on a threshold, unsure if he should stay or go. As the images faded to black, Alec recognized the dark city streets and tasted Ben’s horror.

The bastard had left her. He’d left her to die.

Alec took a step back, disgusted to be so close to the monster he had once called friend. “Do we know where the girl is?” He kept his gaze on Ben but addressed the master.

“That is why I summoned you, Alec.” Releasing Ben, the master stepped back. “Benjamin was kind enough to supply this.” He reached into his shirt to pull out a necklace. Taking it off over his head, he tossed it toward Alec, who plucked it from the air. Dangling from the long cord was a key. On one side was the logo for a seedy motel, and on the reverse, the number sixty-six.

Alec frowned. “He left her here?” If she hadn’t been dead when Ben left her, she would be now. The motel was located in just about the worst part of town imaginable. The master couldn’t possibly be thinking to send—

“I want you to find the girl.”

Fuck.

“If she is dead, dispose of the body.”

“And if she isn’t?” Alec put the key around his neck. Centuries of loyalty kept him in the room when all he really wanted to do was leave before the master could answer.

“Make her yours.”

Double fuck.

The frantic rattling of chains and the smell of burning flesh drew Alec’s attention back to Ben. “Mine,” the captive vampire hissed. “Mine!”

Alec arched a brow at the master. “He doesn’t seem too happy about this.”

“Benjamin has lost the right to an opinion.” Ouch. “I will keep him alive until you find the girl and contact me about her condition. If she’s alive, killing Benjamin might harm her. For the time being, he is her sire.”

“Unless he didn’t get around to giving her any blood.” Ben’s final memories of the incident had been fractured by fear and guilt. Alec hadn’t been able to tell exactly what had happened once the girl’s throat had been ripped open, just that Ben had placed her on the bed before fleeing the scene. Blood could have been exchanged, but he doubted it.

“We will play it safe and keep him alive for now.” The master left Ben and took hold of Alec’s arm to guide him away from the prisoner. “If you find the girl alive, she will be confused, angry even. Being with someone who understands abandonment should help her.”

“Forgive me, Master, but my sire abandoned me well after the change was complete.” And good riddance to the selfish bastard. Once the initial shock of being alone had worn off, Alec had been better off without his sire, safer too. There’d been rumor of the vampire’s capture and destruction. Never confirmed, but a void existed in Alec where a blood link should be, leaving him to believe rumor was fact.

“Aye, I know, but I still believe you’re the best one to see to this.” The master’s stern expression discouraged protest, even in one as old as Alec. Maybe in the outside world, were they to meet one on one, Alec could take the master. His sire might have been a bastard, but he’d been old and powerful. It would be one hell of a fight, to be sure, but Alec didn’t exist on the outside. He existed here, in the coven. The master’s coven; where obedience bred happiness.

“Very well, I’ll call you the moment I find the girl.” He’d do as instructed and save her life if possible, but the part about making her his? The memories he’d pulled from Ben, the woman’s laugh, her scent, her naked perfection, they reappeared long enough to make Alec falter.

No, he did not crave a bond. What he felt for the woman was pity, nothing more.

The master studied him closely. “I can only imagine the thoughts you’re hiding behind that mental shield of yours.”

Alec smiled, confident in his ability to keep the master out.

With a soft chuckle, the master shook his head and moved toward the door. The air barely stirred in his wake. “One more thing.” He halted and turned. “Find an unbound male servant to take with you. If you find her alive, and she survives the transformation, her body will crave more than just blood. You will be grateful for the help, trust me.”

Having never made a vampire, Alec could only go by his own experience and how he had felt upon awakening for the first time. He’d been beyond hungry and hornier than a teenager with his first hard-on. Within the first six hours he’d fucked his way through four whores, and had all but drained three of them of blood, before his sire stopped him. Yeah, he was going to have his hands full.

“Will one servant be enough?” Why not bring two? Or three?

The question seemed to amuse the master. “Do you question the stamina that has earned you a rather interesting reputation within this coven, Alec?”

Reputation? What the fuck? “I had no idea I had a reputation.”

The rare grin actually widened. “One servant will suffice, Alec. Be gone within the hour, and good luck.”

Possessing Hayley available now at Ellora's Cave

Join Author Debra Glass at the Sierra DaFoe Reader Group for a Prize Filled Online Release Party for Rebel Rose! September 8, 2010

2010-09-02T06:39:00.001-07:00

Sign up for the Sierra DaFoe Reader Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sierra_Dafoe/ and join host Sierra DaFoe and guest host, Debra Glass, to celebrate the release of Debra's Civil War historical romance, Rebel Rose. Chat, read excerpts, win prizes and more!

Eastern Time - 12 - 3

Central 11 - 2

They say she’s a Rebel spy…

Rosalie O’Kelley is not above using her feminine wiles to secure much-needed supplies for her fellow townspeople. But when Union Colonel Eric Skaarsberg is put in charge, Rose’s usual tactics fail miserably. In exchange for supplies, she comes to a scandalous arrangement with him. She agrees to become his willing plaything—to fulfill his every physical need, eagerly and without hesitation.

Eric is duty-bound to ferret out the spy who has been leaking information to the Confederates. All evidence points to the passionate belle who readily responds to every touch and taste he metes out. One by one, he strips away Rose’s secrets, but Eric is not satisfied with owning the she-Rebel’s luscious body. He must uncover the truth of her past at any cost—even if it means the destruction of them both.

A Gentleman's Savior by Charlene Roberts

2010-08-18T03:32:00.000-07:00

Available now at Ellora's Cave...

When Stephanie's teacher issues a challenge - create a painting based only on the torso of a human sculpture - she decides to paint a Regency lord. But with his muscular body, longer hair and a few well-placed scars, Stephanie's lord is definitely no Regency dandy. Her best work ever, the painting stirs an obsession Stephanie can't explain. Not content to wait for the next class, she visits the art center, just to get a peek at her lord. She touches the painting...

And suddenly finds herself in a bedroom in 1817 London, her lord standing behind her - very real, very naked and very ready to end Stephanie's sexual dry spell.

Before she say "ton", Stephanie's indulging her desires with Gabriel, dressing in the height of Regency fashion and meeting the Prince Regent. But life in 1817 isn't all tea and crumpets. Stephanie soon learns she's reliving her past life - one that ended tragically. Thrust in the middle of a sinister plot, she must save the Prince, save Gabriel...and if she's luckier this time around, save herself.

Click here for an excerpt or Buy it Now...

Win a Free Download of Badcock by Debra Glass

2010-08-08T06:16:00.001-07:00

Win a free copy of Badcock! I'm talking about the inspiration for Jack Badcock over at the RomErotica Writers blog. Stop in and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing. Winners will be announced August 9, 2010.

Click HERE to go to RomErotica Writers.

Now Available - Badcock by Debra Glass

2010-07-14T06:12:00.001-07:00

Now Available from Ellora's Cave - A new historical by Debra Glass!

Badcock

“Your money ... or your wife!”

When her fiancé trades her for an heirloom ring to a masked highwayman who holds up their coach on a desolate country road, Sophia Astley is hurt and shocked. It soon becomes strikingly apparent to Sophia that she is the true gem the masked marauder seeks and intrigued, she willingly submits to every tantalizing taboo he metes out to her.

Disguised as a highwayman, Jack Badcock, Earl of Stafford, thinks he is acting out the fantasies of a woman he knows only through lurid letters. As he tames his captive with blindfolds, sensual spankings and an alluring array of torrid toys, she plays her role as the abducted, submissive virgin convincingly—too convincingly.

By the time Jack uncovers his fantasy lover’s true identity, it’s far, far too late.

Buy it now! Badcock by Debra Glass

Read the first chapter ~ Chapter One

Rekindled releases today!

2010-07-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

Rekindled releases today at Ellora's Cave. It's the standalone sequel to Spitfire.

It’s been a year since her husband’s passing, and running the ranch is taking its toll on Claire Hutchins. Independent as the day is long, she concedes the need for help. She wants a foreman, an employee to run the day-to-day who can handle a woman calling the shots. Someone who won’t give her any trouble…

Who shows up at her door, first in line for the job? Jeb Carter. Ex-high-school sweetheart. Longtime rodeo star. And the one man capable of making Claire’s lust burn out of control…of making her surrender completely.

Trouble has finally come calling…and he’s as irresistible as ever.

Excerpt:

“No. I told you, I need someone who’ll stick around, someone who understands how to run a ranch.”
“Claire, for chrissake, I grew up on a ranch. I may have rejected the lessons and the lifestyle for a while, but I’m not thick. I know how to run a ranch. And I meant what I said earlier, I’m staying. It’s time.”
She fought back the instinct to shiver at Jeb’s comments. She could read between the lines. “I’m not ready.”
“It’s been a year. I know you’re grieving your husband but dammit, I can’t risk you moving on without me. I made the mistake of giving up on us once. I won’t do it again.”
She closed her eyes, turned away. She couldn’t face him or the memories, the years spent wondering what if. “That was a long time ago. I’ve grown up, changed.”
“I’m banking on that.”
She faced him, eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“When we dated in high school, you were too young, too innocent to handle what I wanted. I know that. You’re a woman now. My woman.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You’ve been mine since the day you gave me your virginity. I let you slip away once. I’ve been a patient man. Stayed away these last ten years while you lived your life with Hutchins. I didn’t make waves, didn’t interfere.”
“I’m supposed to believe you traveled with the rodeo not because you loved every minute of it, but because you were avoiding me? Bullshit.”
“I love the rodeo. And you’re right, I wasn’t suffering riding the circuit, but by God, I suffered every time I came home. Every time I saw you with Hutchins, every time I thought of him sharing your bed at night.”
“Stop.” She put her hand up, anxious to wave away his words. “You and I broke up. We were never right together. You’ve got to—”
Jeb took a step closer and this time she did move back. “We were right. It’s the timing that was wrong. That’s not a problem now.”
“I can’t give you what you want.”
He grinned, running the back of his hand along her cheek. “You’re the only woman who can give me what I want. It’s always been you, Claire.”
He bent forward, his intention to kiss her as clear as the Texas sky. “Please don’t,” she whispered when his lips were a hairsbreadth away from her.
He paused for a moment, but didn’t retreat. “I’ve missed you.”
She closed her eyes and gave in. She’d missed him too. Terribly. She closed the miniscule inch left between them and offered her lips. The moment his touched hers, she was transported to the first time he’d kissed her—the night of the homecoming football game. She’d been sixteen and she remembered how excited she’d been when Jeb asked her to be his date for the dance the following night. He’d kissed her beside the bonfire at the end of the game.
Her first kiss, and it was every bit as beautiful as the one he was giving her now and she felt all those old feelings rekindled. His lips lightly grazed hers, reawakening feelings she thought had died with her husband. Soon his kiss became hungrier, hotter. She reached up, gripping his neck, making her own demands as she pulled him closer. He rasped his tongue against her lips and she opened her mouth, welcoming him in. His grip on her waist tightened and she sucked in a breath as his hands began moving upward, not stopping until he cupped her breasts.
The kiss continued as Jeb tweaked her nipples through her T-shirt. She spread her legs and began rubbing herself against his thigh. Her body was on fire. It had been so damn long since she’d felt the slightest spark of desire. She’d have to change her panties at the end of this interlude. She was too wet, too needy.
One of his hands left her breast, rising to grasp her ponytail. She shuddered when he pulled her head back, directing her with slight tugs on her hair, nipping her neck.
“It’s still there. Still the same,” he whispered against her skin. It had always been this way between them. One kiss and it was as if the entire world had gone up in flames. She struggled to pull away.
“No,” she whispered. He hesitated and she could sense him taking stock, trying to decide if she really meant her refusal. She battened down her hatches and pushed against his chest. “No.” Her voice was stronger this time. “This isn’t the time or place.” She glanced out into the yard, relieved none of the ranch hands had walked by and caught her making out with Jeb Carter in the doorway.
She was just so damn tired. It had weakened her resistance. Next time he tried to kiss her, she would be prepared, stronger, better able to fight him off.
“You’ve got dark circles under your eyes.” He studied her face and she knew he wasn’t discouraged by her pushing him away. If anything, giving in to his kisses had likely fueled his intentions to claim her…by any means necessary.
She shrugged. “It’s been a long month. Hell, a long year.”
He grasped her cheeks in his large palms but made no move to draw her closer. “You’re gonna hire me.”
He was relentless. She chuckled, then conceded. She needed help. “Maybe.”
The grin he offered in reply was cocky, smug, and she knew she’d lost this round. Jeb would get his way. “My duffel bag is in the car. Make room for my stuff in your closet.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’ll stay in the foreman’s cabin and my bedroom door will be locked—every night.”
“Maybe.” He walked back to his car and she wondered what the hell she’d just unleashed.

Dark Side of Dreaming by Ann Bruce

2010-07-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

Dark Side of Dreaming will be released July 9 and, yes, I do know that title is a mouthful--and, no, that comment wasn't meant to be suggestive.

Awkwardness out of the way...

This romantic suspense is the one that was started almost two years ago but was rewritten a dozen times because I kept going WTF am I writing?!? When I was finally somewhat satisfied with it, I sent it to my editor who probably thought I'd forgotten about her, and she said--or wrote--all the right things because she's just that awesome. Is the book awesome? I don't know. Find out for yourself.

The Blurb

When she finds herself bound to a stranger's bed, former cat burglar Cleo Moran knows she should've stayed in retirement. However, the thought of ending the cursed dreams that plague her sleeping hours was simply too enticing to resist.

At first, Sasha Michaels wants only his captive's professional expertise and contacts to track down the man who crippled his sister. Then Cleo wakes up and, with words and action, stirs something much more primitive within him.

Cleo feels the strong pull too but knows better than to act upon it. Neither understanding nor willing to accept her resistance, Sasha attempts to bind Cleo to him with sexual ties. Their time together, however, is jeopardized by secrets on both sides and a common enemy who is escalating in violence.

The Excerpt

She liked bondage as much as the next girl.

Cleo, however, didn't think her current bound state was a prelude to more enjoyable things.

She yanked on the rope that secured her hands together and tethered them to something above her head. There was some give as the cloth-covered rope stretched, but not nearly enough. Stubbornness being a trait of all Moran women, she tried again. And again. And again.

A small noise of frustration escaped her throat.

Despite the dull, throbbing pain in her head, she decided more leverage was needed and twisted on the bed and sat up. And noticed the man seated in the armchair in the far corner of the room. He was immersed in the shadows that swathed the room so she saw nothing but a menacing outline blacker than the surrounding darkness. His silent regard felt like a thick blanket suffocating her senses.

Fear made her mouth go dry and her skin prickle with heat and sweat.

It was a full minute before she found her voice, a little hoarser than usual, but she lifted her chin to compensate. "Did you enjoy the show?"

No response. Not even so much as a muscle twitch. Her chest noticeably rose and fell with each shortened breath.

"Are the police on their way?"

More silence, and the lump in her throat grew.

"I need that statue more than you need another dust collector." She was babbling, knew it and couldn't stop herself. "It needs to be returned to its rightful home."

The silence continued and agitation flickered through her, slicing past the fear.

"Look, I tried the legal route, but you flatly refused all of my offers. I had no other choice."

A whisper of cloth on leather. He'd moved. Finally. She was beginning to think he was a statue himself. Then he rose, an imposing shadow that made her very aware of the pulse thrumming in her throat. He came toward the bed, stopping at the foot, and moonlight, stark and chilly, spilled over him.

He'd never be labeled handsome, but she couldn't tear her eyes away. Formidable frame, dark hair, deep-set eyes, broad face with rough-hewn features that looked as if they'd been carved of the same stone as the statue. Unlike the statue, his face was mask-like with its lack of expression. It took a concerted effort to ignore the tiny voice that urged her to cower against the headboard.

"Cleo Moran."

The sound of her name spoken by that deep, cold voice sent a jolt through her. Of course he knew her name. His administrative assistant had passed on enough messages from her in the past three months. And the man was reputed to be a shark, so he would remember the name of the woman who'd tried repeatedly to buy a relic for several times more than its appraised value.

"If I wouldn't sell the statue to you, what makes you think I'd just let you steal it?"

Absurdly, she winced. Steal had such an ugly ring to it.

"You weren't supposed to have a say in the matter."

A corner of his mouth quirked up and she was amazed his face didn't crack. In fact, it sent a shiver of sensation snaking along her spine.

"I'm the one who should be angry, not you," he said, the ice in his voice thawing. He slid a hand inside the front pocket of his trousers and his regard changed, feeling almost like a touch.

Jittery, but from more than simple fear, she brought her hands up and pulled back the strands of chin-length hair that fell over her eyes and clung to her lips. "You weren't supposed to come back here tonight."

A dark slash of a brow lifted and, without a hint of pique, he drawled, "So, the enthusiasm in my date tonight was faked."

She cursed her babbling tongue. Well, she'd never encountered this situation before and there wasn't a For Dummies guide that covered it.

"Unfortunately for you, I need more than a pretty face and man-made assets to entice me." A degree of heat wrapped around his voice. "Then I come home and you waltz in."

She had trouble filling her lungs with oxygen. "What now?"

His eyes glittered darkly. "Since the woman you hired to distract me didn't do her job, why don't you?"

She licked suddenly dry lips. "I'd rather you call the police."

Copyright © 2010 by Ann Bruce. All rights reserved.

If you want a chance to win a copy of Dark Side of Dreaming, check out The Not-so-deep Thoughts.

Birthday Girl by Paisley Smith

2010-06-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

It’s Gemma’s thirty-second birthday. She’s not surprised when her gorgeous husband Nate whips out the blindfold and orders her to bend over for a birthday spanking. What does surprise her is that Nate has enlisted the help of a friend. Another woman!

Lindsey is a sexy Bohemian artist who has starred in Gemma’s fantasies for a long while. She doesn’t know what will happen beyond this single night of scorching sex play, but for now, Gemma fully intends to enjoy every new touch, taste, sight and sound her “birthday gift” has to offer.

Click HERE to read an excerpt or buy Birthday Girl by Paisley Smith.

Aren't you just a little curious?

For more information about Paisley or her books, Click HERE

Now Available in Print - Shadowkeeper by Debra Glass

2010-06-25T07:35:00.001-07:00

Shadowkeeper, the second book in my Phantom Lovers series, is now available in print!

"Intense and hot...great description, suspense, and unexpected surprise." ~ Bitten by Books

"Ms. Glass co-mingled past and present to bring about a lively tale of distrust, anger, passion, deceit, love and selflessness with characters that made you smile, laugh, angry (some you just wanted to smack), combined with some sublime sex that made me want my own spirit lover." ~ Alternative Read

Blurb ~

Amy Drew was once a damn good psychic until past catastrophic events stripped her of her psychic powers. Now, a year later, she has moved to a quaint, quiet southern town to help her brother restore a decaying plantation house.

The house is hauntingly familiar, and when the skeleton of a Native American is discovered in the cellar, Amy senses danger—and much more. From her very first meeting with the ghost of William Red Feather, Amy sizzles with desire for the sexy spirit. But mysterious past-life secrets separate them.

As Amy loses herself in lust-filled nights with her spirit lover, more secrets become known to her, and she soon realizes mysterious deaths at the plantation—both past and present—all point to William. Can she trust this beguiling spirit with her life the way she does with her pleasure? Amy must be certain, because giving him her heart may result in her death—again.

Buy E Book Shadowkeeper Digital Edition

Buy Print Book Shadowkeeper Print Edition

BLOG CONTEST all this week!

2009-09-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

SierraDafoe.com has a new look! And to celebrate, I'm having a contest on my blog from now till Spet. 7th -- just stop by, check out the site redesign, and leave a comment on my blog to be entered!

-- Sierra

Sierra Dafoe -- Feed the Fantasy
sierradafoe.com

Bad Kitty by Debra Glass NOW AVAILABLE at Ellora's Cave

2009-08-05T06:50:00.001-07:00

Bram Barclay is the scandal of London society, sought out by ladies of the ton who enjoy his brand of pleasurable punishments. That’s why he cannot comprehend why innocent Miss Katrina Hartford has disguised herself as Kitty Hartley, taking a position as a maid at his estate. When he attempts to ferret out her secret, he finds her a willing servant, indeed.

No one knows scathing social columnist Alistair Allenby is Kitty’s nom de plume—or that she’s writing an article to expose Bram. But as she submits to his torturous toys, it’s Kitty who is exposed, indulging her unspoken desires to find true freedom, power…and love.

Reader Advisory: While not a true depiction of a BDSM lifestyle, Bad Kitty contains its share of tantalizing taboos. And spankings. Lots and lots of spankings.

To purchase or read an excerpt, click HERE.

Bad Kitty by Debra Glass - Available August 5 from Ellora's Cave

2009-07-11T06:06:00.001-07:00

Bram Barclay is the scandal of London society, sought out by ladies of the ton who enjoy his brand of pleasurable punishments. That’s why he cannot comprehend why innocent Lady Katrina Hartford has disguised herself as Kitty Hartley, taking a position as a maid at his estate. When he attempts to ferret out her secret, he finds her a willing servant, indeed.

No one knows scathing social columnist Alistair Allenby is Kitty’s nom de plume—or that she’s writing an article to expose Bram. But as she submits to his torturous toys, it’s Kitty who is exposed, indulging her unspoken desires to find true freedom, power…and love.

Reader Advisory: While not a true depiction of a BDSM lifestyle, Bad Kitty contains its share of tantalizing taboos. And spankings. Lots and lots of spankings.

Click HERE for more information about Debra's books.

Fallen Angel Reviews Chooses Bought and Paid For by Debra Glass as a May 2009 Recommended Read

2009-06-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

Bought and Paid For by Debra Glass was chosen by Fallen Angel Reviews as a May 2009 Recommended Read.

"I have only one word after reading Bought And Paid For: fantastic! This is easily the best book I've read so far this year. " ~ Fallen Angel Reviews.

Buy link: Bought and Paid For

New Print book from Allyson James

2009-05-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

Allyson James here:

One of my EC titles sprang into print yesterday!

Catch a Falling Star may be ordered here:

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-7313-catch-a-falling-star.aspx

With a cool new cover!!

Right now it's available only at EC. It will take a while to get it on Amazon and other places, so if you want it NOW, click the link above and purchase that way. :-)

It's available in e-book too, of course. :-)

Thanks for letting me blast!

Christie Walker Bos Meets Baseball Legend Mike Piazza

2009-05-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

When I’m not writing romantic comedy, I have a full-time job as a journalist for the optical industry. At a recent optical trade show, I was given the assignment of photographing baseball legend, Mike Piazza.

That name rang a bell and I pulled out a copy of my first novel, The Magical Man List and sure enough, there on page 94 were these sentences:

“When Mike Piazza sat his most perfect ass right above the List spot, I thought Marta was going to have a heart attack. She thought this was a really powerful sign. “Piazza Power,” she called it.”

So after doing my job and taking pictures of Mr. Piazza signing photographs, I stood in line myself and waited. I had brought a copy of my novel with a Post It on page 94. When it was my turn, I introduced myself, told him I wrote romantic comedies and that he was in my book. I showed him the page and after he read the line about his perfect ass, he started laughing. He loved it. I autographed the book for him and he autographed a photo for me. He said he was going to give the book to his wife. He wanted her to see that other people appreciated his perfect “backside.” Mike Piazza was charming, friendly and a total hunk. I hope his wife enjoyed my book.

The Magical Man List is about making a list of everything you want in a soul mate and then creating a ceremony to activate your list. The two main characters in the book are baseball fans and so one of them decides to stick her list under the players bench at Dodger Stadium. The story of how they break into the stadium is hilarious and based on my experience of doing exactly that when I was 18-years-old.

It always amazes me how life is rolled into fiction and then...fiction becomes life. Check out my Web site ChristieWalkerBos.com to see more pictures of the hunk Mike Piazza and other new features on my site including discussion questions for book clubs and an interactive Share Your Own Magical Man List story.

Romantic Times 2009

2009-04-27T08:53:00.001-07:00

EC Editor in Chief - Kelli Collins with Debra Glass.

Debra Glass at the giant Barnes & Nobel book signing

Debra gets a smooch from cover model, Jimmy Thomas.

Between Light and Dark author, lovely Elissa Wilds, with Debra on the way to the Vampire Ball.

Beware the Cowboy author, Mari Freeman with Debra at the Faery Ball.

Debra at the Faery Ball

Debra at the E book signing

Psychic author panelists - Sascha Vivelo, Isabella Clayton, Debra Glass, and Elissa Wilds.

Faery Ball attendees, Leanna Hieber, Elissa Wilds, and Debra Glass

Sierra Dafoe signs with TKA!

2009-03-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to announce that I have just signed with The Knight Agency for literary representation!

Nephele Tempest, who reps authors Nalini Singh, Gemma Halliday, and Shannon K. Butcher among others, will be working with me on my new paranormal series -- come join my newsletter or my yahoogroup to stay updated on further developments!

Now Available in Print and E-book - Flavors of Ecstasy I Anthology featuring Extra Sensual Perception by Debra Glass

2009-03-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

When Iris Thompson is asked to use her psychic skills to help solve a string of recent deaths, she’s not surprised when her intuition points to a serial killer, all evidence to the contrary. But she is surprised that, though there have been only three deaths, she psychically intuits four names.

Even more shocking are her erotic trances featuring the handsome fourth man, known only as Peyton. As the images intensify, Iris has precious little time to discover if her extra-sensual perceptions are leading her to a victim—or the man of her dreams.

Click HERE to buy the Flavors of Ecstasy I Anthology from Ellora's Cave IN PRINT.

Click HERE to buy the Flavors of Ecstasy I Anthology in E-BOOK.

Excerpt:

Iris gasped as she came fully back to her senses. Her heart raced in her chest as she glanced around Bill’s office. She was still in the chair and still alone.
She crossed her legs and realized her vision had been extremely realistic. Her panties were damp and she was still throbbing from a bone-melting orgasm.
Blowing out a sigh, she raked her hand through her hair. She had never experienced anything so real—in or out of a psychic trance. She’d felt as if she were actually having sex with him.
As wonderful as it was, it hadn’t told her anything about what happened to those men. She gnawed her bottom lip.
In fact, her vision had only confused her more. Whoever Peyton was, he was the kind of man who enjoyed the pleasures life had to offer. He didn’t seem to be the sort who would off himself.
The door opened and Bill blustered in, carelessly sloshing coffee as he walked. He plopped down in the chair behind his desk. “What’d you get?”
Iris cleared her throat. A hot blush crept into her cheeks. “Their names.”
“Their names are in the folder. What’d you get that’s new?”
She swallowed thickly. “I got the name of a fourth victim.” But referring to Peyton as a “victim” made her blood run cold. After the intensity of her psychic vision, she didn’t want to consider that he might already be dead.
Bill raised a bushy brown eyebrow.
“Peyton,” she said and just uttering the name caused a wave of sweltering heat to roll up her spine and settle uncomfortably in the back of her neck.
“We don’t have a vic named Peyton. Is that a first name or a last name?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged off her sweater and then tugged at the collar of her blouse, reminding herself that not everyone could read minds. But she’d called him Peyton in the vision. “A first name.”
“You sure?”
She nodded. “Pretty sure.” Bill didn’t know what she was thinking and that was a good thing.
“Did you get anything on the killer?” he asked.
“That’s just it. I saw—in my head of course—one of them do it himself.”
Bill inhaled sharply and shook his head. “I may be about as psychic as a lump of coal but my gut tells me these guys didn’t want to kill themselves.”
“I don’t think so either.” Iris could hear herself carrying on a conversation with Bill but her thoughts were obsessing on Peyton.
“What about blackmail?” Bill asked. “What do you get on that?”
Iris was getting a “no” even as Bill asked the question. She shook her head. “It wasn’t blackmail.”
Peyton…
She couldn’t get him out of her mind and the promise of another psychic-sex-trance experience with him made her impatient to tune in again.
Tingles swept up her limbs as another thought occurred to her.
What if, the next time she opened psychically, she saw his death?

Flavor's sexy cover model is Alex Castro who stars on American Gladiator as Militia. Orginally from Cuba, Alex is a dancer who has also appeared in Cirque du Soleil.

Blurbs

French Kiss
Solange Ayre

Amaryllis Gardner, from one of Boston’s best families, is engaged to Dr. Brendan Bradford. Although wealthy, Brendan has no social status due to his Irish heritage. Amaryllis wonders whether he’s marrying only to achieve social position.

Suspicious of her fiancé’s visit to a supper club/brothel, Amaryllis disguises herself as a French prostitute. They engage in a passionate sexual encounter that leaves both of them desperate for more. Amaryllis soon learns exciting new sexual techniques that thrill Brendan. As their craving for each other intensifies, she fears he desires the wanton prostitute more than his prim fiancée.

Hungry Like a Wolf
Talya Bosco

Twelve months after the crushing heartbreak of being dumped by Ethan, the gorgeous Alpha werewolf who was the love of her life, Amanda is finally picking up the pieces. But the ties that bind the two lovers are strong, stronger than Ethan’s resolve to stay away. One sizzling touch, one passionate kiss, is all it takes for the insatiable hunger inside each of them to explode into life.

But Ethan has a determined rival, for Amanda’s affection and a whole lot more, and he’ll stop at nothing to win it all.

Resisting Reed
Kristin Daniels

Are lustful thoughts of your best friend’s son a sinful pleasure or an act of betrayal?

Reed has never hidden from Marilee the decadent passions he wants to share with her. Now that she’s free from her cheating ex-husband, she’s finally able to let her resistance slip and give in to temptation. But when their relationship is exposed during an afternoon of sensual self-discovery, will Marilee lose a treasured friendship, or will she be able to keep it all, including the man she loves?

Extra Sensual Perception
Debra Glass

When Iris Thompson is asked to use her psychic skills to help solve a string of recent deaths, she’s not surprised when her intuition points to a serial killer, all evidence to the contrary. But she is surprised that, though there have been only three deaths, she psychically intuits four names.

Even more shocking are her erotic trances featuring the handsome fourth man, known only as Peyton. As the images intensify, Iris has precious little time to discover if her extra-sensual perceptions are leading her to a victim—or the man of her dreams.

Having It All
Desiree Holt

When country rock singer Mac Fontana got his big break, he and Daisy Giles celebrated with a long night of fulfilling sex, where they explored each other’s bodies and took their intimacy further than ever before. It seemed as if nothing could ever go wrong. Then Mac broke Daisy’s heart and it was ten years before they saw each other again. Now, in one long night of erotic sex, Mac must prove to Daisy that she can trust him again and that together, they can have it all.

Trapped
Cindy Spencer Pape

Intergalactic bounty hunters Tabrin Jones and Zeyd Vasari, sometime lovers and continual rivals, are trapped for twenty-four hours in a tiny escape pod. To make matters worse, the atmosphere in the pod has the effect of loosening inhibitions. Amid the marathon sexual experience of a lifetime, will Zeyd also be able to convince Tab that they belong together forever?

Mediumship To Go by Debra Glass - Now Available from The Lotus Circle

2009-02-17T12:54:00.000-08:00

Mediumship To Go
Debra Glass

Would you like to be able to communicate with your Guides and loved ones on The Other Side? According to medium, Debra Glass, everyone has the inborn ability to access the spiritual plane.

Through simple exercises involving meditation, creative thinking, automatic writing, dream work and other techniques, the author teaches how to become open to the spirit world and how this communication can enrich your daily life. You will discover how to get in touch with Guides and how to ask higher level questions to obtain the best answers and guidance possible.

Whether you’re seeking to develop your skills as a medium or simply looking to enhance your own intuition, with Mediumship To Go, you can immediately begin contacting those on The Other Side.

Click here to buy Mediumship To Go.

* * * * *

"Debra Glass...will change not only the way you look at mediumship, but the way you look at yourself as well."
Joe H. Slate, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist and
Professor Emeritus, Athens State University

Book Trailer Awards for EC's THE WOODSMAN by Belle Scarlett

2009-02-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to announce that my book trailer for THE WOODSMAN (Ellora's Cave) has won two awards - one from The New Covey Book Trailer Awards for Most Artistic Trailer and another from Readers Entertainment TV for Best Author-Made Video.

If you aren't prone to attacks of the vapors, you can catch my steamy book trailer for THE WOODSMAN at:

http://sextalkforwickedwomen.blogspot.com/
or
http://www.bellescarlett.com/

XO,
Belle Scarlett
Passion is the spice of love
Buy THE WOODSMAN at http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419916342

Death by Chocolate by Debra Glass - Just In Time For Valentine's Day!

2009-02-05T09:02:00.001-08:00

Death by Chocolate
By Debra Glass

Psychic Aries Mackenzie is having nightmares of dying at the hands of a serial killer who feeds his victims drug-laced chocolates. Aided by one of Atlanta’s finest—tall, black and handsome Detective Trip Washington—Aries attempts to use her powerful intuition to solve the recent string of deaths.

To activate her sixth sense, however, she has to put herself in the victim’s shoes. Literally. Aries is bound, blindfolded and fed bits of chocolate as she submits to a shocked and disbelieving Trip. She expected the psychic hits—but not the promise of love to come. Still, her intuition may not be enough to save her from a Death by Chocolate.

Title: Death by Chocolate

Author: Debra Glass

Buy link: Death by Chocolate

Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing

ISBN: 9781419918896

Price: $2.99

An Excerpt From: DEATH BY CHOCOLATE
Copyright © DEBRA GLASS, 2009
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Over an hour later, when Trip pushed through the revolving door again, Aries Mackenzie was nowhere to be seen.
Neither was his SUV.
A detective’s sense of unease rippled through his veins. He reached for his cell phone.
“Excuse me, sir,” a bellhop called. “Are you Detective Washington?”
His gaze flicked habitually to the boy’s nametag. Gary. “Yes, Trip Washington.”
Gary handed him a magnetic key card. “I was told to give you this.”
Trip turned it over in his hand, not understanding.
“Room 506,” the bellhop said with a smile.
One look in the freckle-faced employee’s mischievous eyes told Trip all he needed to know.
Aries had gotten a room in the hotel.
Why?
What was she up to?
Uncertainly, he walked back into the well-appointed hotel lobby and took the same elevator up to the fifth floor. He followed the brass signs tacked to the walls in the direction of room 506 and slipped the keycard in the door. At once, he heard the lock tumble and the green entry light came on.
Slowly, he turned the handle and opened the door. “Aries? You in here?”
She stepped into the entry hall dressed in nothing but a lacy bra and panties the same delectable, creamy color of her skin. “Did you bring your handcuffs?” she asked urgently.
His gaze dropped to the bottle of lubricant she held in one hand and the box of condoms she had in the other. What the…
His thoughts skidded to an abrupt halt. “Whoa!” he exclaimed. “Wait a minute. Are you one of those types who get off on murders?”
He tried to look her in the eye but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the plumpness of her pale breasts bubbling over the lace of her bra cups. And her waist… It was so small he could just about wrap his hands around it. His mouth went dry. The thin fabric of her panties creasing at her cleft left no doubt, this girl was au naturel.
Shaved.
Bare.
Mercy!
“I need you to tie me up,” she said, adopting that businesslike tone again. “And to blindfold me.”

Watch the trailer!

Now Available In Print - Gatekeeper by Debra Glass

2009-02-02T05:56:00.000-08:00

Ellora's Cave
Gatekeeper by Debra Glass

AVAILABLE IN PRINT!

Gatekeeper by Debra Glass

Evil shadow ghosts known as soul collectors haunted her childhood nightmares, so Nashville PD criminal profiler Jillian Drew did everything possible to turn her back on her psychic abilities. But now her eccentric sister has been abducted and nothing in her criminology background has prepared Jillian for that tragedy — or for Benton Smith, the powerful and devastatingly attractive ghost of a Civil War officer and the only witness to Amy's abduction.

Fearful of the brazen specter, Jillian nevertheless needs him. Benton is her Gatekeeper, a spirit sworn to protect her from the soul collectors, who attack each time she unleashes her long-dormant psychic senses in an attempt to find her sister.

Yet she must somehow keep the devilishly seductive spirit at arm's length, for Benton's soul is at stake — and succumbing to his desires could have dangerous consequences for them both.

Line: Twilight
ISBN: 9781419958526
Price $12.99

Buy Other Books in the Phantom Lovers series by Debra Glass

Paranormal Romance Authors Debra Glass and Elissa Wilds Present Workshop on Writing Paranormal Characters at the Florida Romance Writers Conference

2009-01-26T06:14:00.000-08:00

** I had the wonderful opportunity to present a workshop with fellow paranormal romance author, Elissa Wilds, on a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas. Although I suffered severe cell phone, email, and cat deprival, I enjoyed the cruise and meeting the fabulous members of Florida Romance Writers! In addition to a fun cruise to the islands, they offered book signings, cocktail parties, workshops, agent and editor appointments, networking opportunities, and manuscript critiques for the unpubbed and pubbed as well.

Dorchester author, Elissa Wilds, and Ellora's Cave, Lotus Circle author, Debra Glass had the opportunity to present a workshop on writing "real" paranormal characters in fiction. Unlike vampires and werewolves, mediums, psychics, witches, and ghosts are real and can be fantastic characters. People can't seem get enough of Ghost Whisperer and Medium and because television has made viewers savvy, readers, especially those who have experienced paranormal phenomenon first hand, expect the authors of the books they read to be well researched.

Psychic (Intuitive) Ability

Types of psychic ability:

Clairvoyance: (clear-seeing) seeing “in your minds eye” symbols, shapes, people, places actual scenes or situations. Can also be literally seeing with your physical eyes (for example, seeing a spirit or entity)

Clairaudience: (clear-hearing) hearing (either internally or externally) sounds, voices, words, etc.

Clairsentience: (clear-feeling) the most common – getting gut feelings or hunches, experiencing sensations literally in your gut (your solar plexus) when in certain situations, around certain people, or when thinking about certain things. When sensing in this manner you’ll here people say “I feel” a lot.

Claircognizance: (clear-knowing) the hardest for an intuitive to trust – getting a thought or idea which just “pops into your mind.” Of people will say “I’ve no idea how I know this.”

Clairalience: (clear-smelling) the ability to smell (for example, a spirit’s pipe tobacco or perfume).

Clairgustance: (clear-tasting) the ability to receive taste impressions from a spirit.

Do you know what your sense ability is? (Most have 2 which are strongest.)

Mediumship

Mediumship is a term used to denote the ability of a person (a Medium) to produce psychic phenomena of a mental or physical nature. The term is usually used to describe a person who is able to facilitate communication with spirits of the deceased or other non-corporeal entities either by allowing the spirit to use their body through trance or by using extrasensory perception to receive and relay messages from the spirits.

Types of Mediumistic ability:

Mental Mediumship: Mental Mediumship involves communication between the sprits and the Medium. The Medium mentally hears, sees, and feels messages from the spirit, which he may or may not relay to the sitter (person who is receiving a reading).
Trance Mediumship: Trance Mediumship is where a Medium allows a spirit to use her body to communicate. There are two types of trance Mediumship. Partial trance Mediums are aware during the period of communication while full trance Mediums allow their bodies (speech, mannerisms) to be completely controlled by the spirit communicator.
Physical Mediumship: In physical Mediumship, the Medium’s body and energy is used by the spirit to manifest loud raps, levitation, items such as flowers or jewelry, ectoplasm (a substance of spiritual energy – often visible in photographs), or manifestations of the spirit itself (a visible entity).

Tools of the Medium:

Ouija Board: Sometimes called spirit boards. These boards have an undeserved bad reputation. They can be valuable tools especially for a beginning Medium.

Crystals: Quartz crystals can be used by Mediums to enhance spirit vibrations and facilitate communication.

Automatic Writing: This is where a Medium puts a pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard and allows the spirit to write through her hand.

Pendulum: This can be something as simple as a locket or pendant. The Medium holds a pendant suspended from a chain or ribbon and invites spirits to spin it one direction for yes answers and another for no answers.

Table Tipping: This is an old spiritualist technique used by some Mediums where spirits are invited to levitate the table – usually onto three legs – and tap out answers with one tap meaning yes and two meaning no.

Crystal Ball: Can be any object a Medium uses (bowl of water, mirror, etc.) as a focus in which she see spirits or events being played out as in a movie.

Smudge Stick: Some Mediums employ the use of sage smudge sticks to clear a place of negative energy. These pungent smelling bundles are lit and waved in the corners and doorways of rooms with the intent of clearing them. Some Mediums use intent alone to clear a room but most all Mediums surround themselves with white light and ask for the protection of higher level guides and entities before giving a reading or employing any of the tools of communication previously listed.

Wicca/Witchcraft

Wiccan beliefs: most Wiccans believe that a creative force exists in the universe which is sometimes called “The One” or “The All.” They regard the Goddess and the God as representing the female and male aspects of The All.

Wicca is a nature religion, grounded in the earth. All living things (including stars, planets, animals, plants, rocks) are regarded as having a spirit. Wiccans celebrate the sexual polarity of nature: the fertilizing rain is the one manifestation of the male principle; the nurturing earth symbolizes the female. Females are respected as equal (and sometimes at a slightly higher rank) to males. They aim for a female-male balance in most of their covens (local groups), although men are still typically in the minority. There are some covens which are all female, often referred to as Dianic, where only the Goddess is worshipped.

Sexuality is valued and regarded as a gift of the Goddess and God, to be engaged in with joy and responsibility and without manipulation.

Three fold law: “All good that a person does to another returns three fold in this life; harm is also returned three fold.”
The Wiccan Rede: “An’ it harm none, do what thou wilt.”

What is Wicca NOT:

Satanism: Satan is a Christian construct. Wiccans do not worship or believe in Satan.

A hobby: It is a legally recognized religion that is the 8th largest in the U.S. Some believe there are more members even than we know as many hide their faith for fear of persecution.

All Wiccans are Witches, but not all Witches are Wiccan. Wicca is a religion as well as a way of life. Wiccans abide by certain morale codes and follow a particular set of beliefs and principles. Someone who is a Witch but not Wiccan may not necessarily follow those same codes, though they may follow similar codes of conduct.

Spells:

Using the force of your will, a strong visualization, the timing of the moon cycles (where possible), and the assistance of deity to bring about positive change in your life. Wiccans believe strongly that you are co-creator of your own life. You alone are responsible for it. You can’t put the blame on everyone else if it isn’t going as you’d like it to. If you want it to change, you have the power to do it. This doesn’t just mean, however, you cast a spell and sit back waiting for money to fall from the sky. You actually have to go BUY the lotto ticket, apply for the job, etc. so to speak. You have to put some movement behind the intention. (I.E. Finish the book and send it out…don’t expect an editor to come up to you at a conference and say “wow, you just LOOK like someone who writes great books – here’s a contract.)

Witches/Wiccans tend to view deity as a force that works with us versus over us.

*** It is entirely unethical to perform spells to MAKE PEOPLE do your bidding. This will come back to bite you. Classic example: asking for a specific person in a love spell to love you. Better: ask for the perfect person for you to come into your life and list their qualities.

Always ask that your spell be done for the highest and best good of all persons involved and for the most appropriate and positive outcome. You don’t want to do a spell for a particular publisher to buy your book…what if that line is going to go under and you get what you wanted only to be a one-book wonder??? Better to ask for the “right” publisher for you and the appropriate time for your long-term career success.

Tools of the Witch:

Athame – directs energy – associated with the East, air, yellow (male energy) – never used for real cutting – ever -
Pentacle – (described above) a powerful/protective symbol, North, green
Wand – directs energy – fire, red (male energy)
Cauldron/chalice – represents female energy, water, blue

The Altar: most Wiccans have one in their home. Some are elaborate. Some as small as what you can put in a shoebox. It is a place to worship deity and/or perform magickal work. It is not necessary, however, to have a particular altar to do either. It is most likely to be found in the East section of the home or facing the East. (Or North, depending upon the branch of Wicca.)

Other items you may see on an altar: representations of Goddess and God, sacred items such as specially charged crystals, totem (animal) representations, candles (usually the color of the elements and/or one for the Goddess/God (silver/gold)), incense (air element), salt (earth element), a dish of water (water element), a libation dish (to place offerings to deity of food/water).

Book of Shadows: journal where a Witch keeps copies of spells, experiences, and wisdom passed on from other Witches, shamans, or wise people, recipes, etc.

Check out Elissa and Debra’s blog: Writing Magick

Elissa Wilds debut paranormal romance, Between Light and Dark, is available through Dorchester Publishing. Darkness Rising is September 2009 release from Dorchester Publishing. Elissa Wilds

Debra Glass is a psychic Medium and certified hypnotherapist with the New England Institute of Hypnotherapy. She enjoys writing articles for Fate Magazine as well as historical articles for various Civil War Magazines. During regional festivals, she conducts the Haunted History of the Shoals and the Civil War History of Florence Walking Tours. She writes both historical and paranormal romances which are available through Ellora’s Cave. Her non-fiction book, Mediumship To Go will be a spring 2009 release from The Lotus Circle.

To buy Debra's books from Ellora's Cave:
CLICK HERE

Restraint by Debra Glass Reviewed by Two Lips Reviews

2009-01-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

Victoria of Two Lips Reviews says, "I loved how wanton Catherine continued to be, begging Thomas to make love to her, knowing her heart already was his. Ms. Glass creates two wonderful characters trapped by societal dictates, pushing the envelope of decency."

Title: Restraint

Author: Debra Glass

Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Genre: BDSM/Historical

Publication date: June 27, 2008

ISBN: 9781419915840

Pages: 105

Series: N/A

Reviewer: Victoria
Heat Level: 1 1/2 hot peppers
bondage, anal, toy play
Rating: 4 1/2 lips (out of 5)!

Restraint is a delectable tale of Victorian England. From the moment young Catherine is brought into Thomas’ house, she’s blindfolded and often restrained. Thomas quickly falls in love with Catherine but knows she’ll never be his. He’s aware of the Duke’s sadistic nature and vows to prepare her in the only way he can, hoping that she can one day be happy with her husband.
Catherine surprises Thomas in the way she responds to Thomas’ tutoring. Thomas gives Catherine quite an education, using a variety of sex toys that stirred my libido! Who knew so many sex toys existed in Victorian England! I loved how wanton Catherine continued to be, begging Thomas to make love to her, knowing her heart already was his. Ms. Glass creates two wonderful characters trapped by societal dictates, pushing the envelope of decency.

Read the whole review: Two Lips Reviews

Buy: Restraint

Rough Justice is here

2008-10-31T14:14:00.000-07:00

It is not Roxanne's night...but it soon will be.

Five miles from home, she runs out of gas. Unable to reach her best friend Jay on his cell, she calls local sheriff — and current object of lust — Ivan Soto. On the dark and deserted country road, Ivan shocks Roxie by forcing her to assume the position — against her car with her legs spread.

When Jay rushes to Roxie's to make sure she's made it home safely, he discovers her in the custody of Sheriff Soto, experiencing a little Rough Justice. Jay wants Roxie to have a good time, but if Ivan wants to frisk her further, he'll have to learn to share.

To Purchase

What the reviewers are saying about Rough Justice.

5 Stars from Sensual e-catanetwork
"Rough Justice is an absolutely sensuous and brilliant story. There is conflict and miscommunication, plus drama, sensuality and passion. Everything needed for a fantastic read is there in the pages of this story...This is a must read story.

5 Cherries from Whipped Cream Reviews
"This story was so well written, and I enjoyed every word. I would have liked it to be a little longer, but only because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to these three yet, not because of any deficiency in the plot. Ms. Waters very happily brings this group of people together in a loving, sexy, rough-and-tumble, romantic way. This book is a must-read, and then a must-read again!"

Excerpt:
Copyright © KYANN WATERS, 2008
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

“Step out of the vehicle with your hands in the air.” The mechanical tone of the sheriff’s amplified voice sent a shiver down her spine.

“What?”

“Hands in the air!”

Roxie stared. “Is this a joke?” she yelled.

“Walk to the rear of your vehicle, face away from me, put your hands on your hot little sports car and spread your legs.”

“Are you serious?”

“Do it!”

She was under arrest! “Asshole,” she muttered. To think she was about to masturbate to the man in order to pass the time and instead he had her assuming the position. She strode to the rear of the car, put her hands above the bumper and spread her legs.

She heard the release of the handle as he opened the cruiser door. Gravel crunched under Sheriff Soto’s boots. Her heart hammered against her ribs with each step of his approach. Her breathing became shallow.

He stopped behind her. “Normally I catch you hauling ass.”

“I swear your radar gun has it out for me.”

“Yeah, could be something like that. Also might have something to do with your car. Apparently it idles at eighty.”

She gave a snort and glanced over her shoulder. Sheriff Soto stood, his eyes locked on her ass. With the bright spotlight she imagined he could see right through her skirt. That was an arousing thought. A rush of liquid heat flowed through her veins and a flicker of awareness pulsed in her core. A familiar effect whenever the sheriff was around. “My car isn’t even running.” She hitched a hip and tapped the toe of her boot. “I called you for a ride.” She glanced over her shoulder again. “Do you want to give me a ride, Sheriff Soto?”

He closed the distance between them, standing close behind her. Hot breath fanned against her flesh. “Are you soliciting a police officer? Prostitution is a felony.”

Her pulse jumped. “No! I didn’t say anything about paying for a ride.”

“I can haul your ass in for that.”

“And I could lodge a complaint for police harassment.” She straightened and flipped her hair. Her knees might be weak from his authoritarian presence, but she didn’t have to show it.

“Is that a threat?” His voice deepened.

“If you weren’t on duty, I’d ask if you were drunk.” She tried to turn but he leaned into her.

“Technically I’m off duty as soon as I deal with a woman stranded on the side of the road.”

“Deal with? I’ve always been nice to you.”

“Oh Roxanne…I can be nice too.”

“Then why are you giving me a hard time?”

“I’m not—yet.” He nudged the side of her boot with his. “Now spread your legs.”

“Not the first time I’ve heard that one.”

He chuckled and she melted a little more. “As long as it’s the first time tonight.”

Oh hell, there was definitely a double meaning in that. She shivered from the press of his utility belt in her back. Everything about him was hard, including what she knew to be his cock and not his gun. The rush of blood to her pussy had her clenching in want. “I need a ride home.” Yeah, she needed a lot more than that. She shifted slightly, arched just enough to brush against him. He pressed closer and cradled his erection in the crack of her ass. “I ran out of gas.”

Ivan Soto had pulled her over for a speeding violation for the first time six months prior. Since then, he’d given her four tickets for speeding and more warnings than she could count. On each occasion she’d flirted shamelessly. But Sheriff Soto had always remained professional. He’d played along a bit but had never once crossed the line of professionalism. Had he given her more of an indication he was interested, she would’ve made a move weeks ago. Her panties had been wet for the hot cop since their first encounter.

Sheriff Soto’s hands trailed over the silky smooth material of her miniskirt. “I’ll need to search you for weapons before I can allow you into my vehicle.” His lips feathered against the shell of her ear. “How badly do you need a ride?”

A New Romantic Comedy - You'll Laugh, You'll Cry, You'll Pee Your Panties!

2008-10-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

Greetings Fans of Kelly's Kittens:

Love and laughter collide in my third novel, Getting Back to Delaney, a new romantic comedy now available as an E-Book from Cerridwen Press.

Take one heroine determined to succeed on her own, a hero who can’t help but step in, three nosy little old ladies with a knack for nurturing plants and people, and a rambunctious puppy, and you have a fun read with plenty of LOL moments right from the start. If you don’t pee your pants from laughing so hard then I want to know about it! Click here for a detailed description, read an excerpt, AND order your E-book today.

Prefer your books in print...My second novel, The Write Man for Her is now in print. Check out what readers are saying about this romantic comedy.

"Wanted to provide feedback on your book, The Write Man for Her. I loved it! It is a real page turner. I shared it with Jill, my office manager and Linda, my optician. They both loved it also and cannot wait for the next one. Congratulations on a wonderful, warm, fun and loving piece of work." Lorie Lippiatt

"After the alarm went off and after the usual coupld of snoozes, I picked up my new book, The Write Man for Her to read a chapter or two before getting on with my busy day. Two hours and ten chapters later, I just go out of bed...but only because I had to pee. Your fantastic new book is destroying my productive day." Jen Clark

"I purchased my book for my wife and I have to tell you, she is very much enjoying the novel. Her very words a few minutes ago were, 'I can hardly put down the book to take my nap.' So I know she is enjoying the story."
Check out my Web site ChristieWalkerBos.com for excerpts, reviews, photos and more. Sign up for my newsletter to receive information on book signings, new releases and contest.
Have a spooktacular Halloween!

Stede Bonnet - The Gentleman Pirate - In Watchkeeper by Debra Glass

2008-10-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, I traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, and stayed in the beautiful Battery Carriage House Inn facing the historic White Point Gardens.

Just prior to my visit, however, I watched an episode of Haunted History that featured events witnessed by patrons of the inn. Visitors had seen the headless torso of a Civil War ghost while another spirit, dubbed the “gentleman ghost”, had frightened several females by joining them on their beds. Needless to say, I was nervous when I crawled into the antique four-poster my first night there, which, incidentally, was a Friday the thirteenth. (There’s a fine line being daring and stupid.)

Whether it was just my imagination or really the famed gentleman ghost, I felt an unmistakable presence sink onto on the bed just behind my knees that night and the night thereafter.

I knew if I had opened my eyes, I would have seen a ghost.

The next day, while on one of the historic Charleston ghost walk tours, our guide asked if anyone was staying at the inn. Sheepishly, I raised my hand and she inquired if the ghost had sat on the bed with me. I recounted my experience but told her I’d seen the episode of Haunted History.

With a wave of her hand, she dismissed the History Channel’s version, which portended the gentleman ghost was a man who had committed suicide in the house.

The guide claimed she knew the identity of the real gentleman ghost. “Why, it’s Stede Bonnet,” she said in her lovely Low Country drawl. “He was incredibly handsome and was known as the ‘gentleman pirate’. He was hanged on the site where the house stands now.”

The romantic story of Stede Bonnet has fascinated me ever since.

Stede Bonnet was christened July 29, 1687. He was born into a wealthy family from Barbados. He married Mary Allamby in 1709, and the couple had four children. Shortly after the birth and subsequent death of his daughter in 1716, he purchased a ship—which he named Revenge—hired a crew and sailed off to become a pirate.

Shortly thereafter, he encountered Blackbeard. The two formed an uneasy alliance but after a falling out, Bonnet petitioned the governor of North Carolina for a pardon and a Lettre of Marque, which would classify him as a privateer instead of a pirate.

When a hurricane prevented him from obtaining his Lettre of Marque, he returned to a life of piracy.

In the late summer of 1718, Colonel William Rhett led an expedition against pirates along the Carolina coast and captured Stede Bonnet at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Bonnet was held in Charleston but managed to escape disguised in a woman’s dress.

He was recaptured and, despite impassioned entreaties for his life by the ladies of Charleston, he was hanged for piracy on December 10, 1718, at White Point Gardens.

I love basing the characters in my romance novels on actual historical figures. The hero in my first Phantom Lovers book was Thomas Benton Smith who was based on a Confederate Brigadier General.

Stede Bonnet, whose fascinating tale is not often told, seemed the perfect choice for my third book in the series, Watchkeeper.

Blurb:

When Gwendolyn Wyse booked a room at a bed and breakfast in romantic Charleston, South Carolina, she’d hoped to rekindle the flame in her cold, unresponsive husband. What she didn’t expect were divorce papers—or her husband’s untimely death.

Shocked and desperate, Gwen relies on her background as a witch and her knowledge of magic, invoking the rite of twilight to bring her husband’s soul back from the dead. But nothing prepares her for the swashbuckling spirit who answers her call—Stede Bonnet, the gentleman pirate, who died on that very spot three centuries prior and who now possesses her husband’s body.

Stede offers Gwen all the passion she never had with her husband. But when the pirate lays claim to her heart, Gwen must choose between the man she loves and the demands of Stede’s mortal enemy, a villainous spirit with the power to take away everything Gwen holds most dear—including her pirate lover.

Excerpt:

“Bloody damn hell!” A ragged groan tore from his throat as he collapsed and covered her.

Gwen lay on top of the scattered divorce papers underneath the man who’d confronted her with them. She was trembling and sated and flooded with renewed love for him.

She ran her hands over his back, which was misted with perspiration. His hot breath fanned her ear and she turned her head more fully toward him as he brushed his mouth against the sensitive shell. He pressed a kiss there and then propped on one elbow to gaze into her eyes.
Gwen’s stomach tightened at the combination of love and lust in his expression. She cleared her throat. “I don’t suppose you plan to divorce me after this.”

His forehead furrowed. “Divorce?”

Gwen swallowed. “I can change if you can. I want this to work.”

“What to work, luv?”

“Our marriage.”

He burst into laughter. “Marriage?”

Gwen was stunned—and bruised. Her hand slid from his shoulder and she swiped at a lock of sweat-dampened hair that had stolen across her face. “Yes, our marriage.”

“Marriage?” he repeated incredulously.

Gwen’s eyes narrowed. “If you still want a divorce after this, then by all means, you fucking bastard, give me a pen and I’ll sign the papers.”

He cleared his throat. “Luv, how can we possibly divorce when we are not married?”

Anger flared. She slapped at his shoulders. “Get off me and stop with that fake accent.”

He made no move to get off her. Instead, he endured her feeble pushing and slapping until she grew weary and stopped. When she was finally breathless, he said, “Exactly who, my lovely lady witch, do you think I am?”

Panic surged.

Gwen stared.

He was still semi-erect inside her.

But who was he?

Suddenly, a blast of wind rushed through the room, rattling the windows and door violently. Roger’s divorce papers swirled around her while the plantation blinds rattled. The temperature in the room felt as if it had abruptly dropped twenty degrees.

“Major Stede Bonnet!” a voice reverberated in the tiny room. The sound of it had an unearthly, metallic rasp to it.

Gwen gasped. Her gaze riveted to the pale apparition of a pirate. He stood inches from the bed with his legs braced wide and his hands on his hips. She froze.

Wearing a cutlass belted to his hip and twin flintlock pistols jammed into the waistband of his breeches, he was dressed from head to toe in the eighteenth-century garb of a pirate. A greasy black, braided beard jutted from his chin, hanging halfway down his chest. His bottle green coat was so long it nearly concealed his trousers. The coat’s impossibly wide cuffs were turned up and held in place with big brass buttons. Thigh-high black leather boots and a ragged, feathered tricorn hat completed his pirate ensemble.

“Edward Teach,” seethed the man who was still embedded inside her.

Gwen’s gaze flicked back and forth between them. Her heart beat rapidly. Well…she had wanted to meet a ghost. But this one looked downright mean.

The sulfurous odor of brimstone permeated the air.

Chills swept her arms and legs despite the carnal heat of the man on top of her. The voice in her head told her there was no possibility of life ever going to back to normal. Not after this.

Watchkeeper

Phantom Lovers

Debra Glass

Click Here To Buy Watchkeeper

2008-09-14T05:27:00.000-07:00

My first book, Kiss Me, Kate will be released on September 24 and I cannot wait. I feel as though I've been looking forward to this day for years rather than the few months since I signed the contract. One of the most exciting moments in my life as a writer was the day Kelli (a real live human being) emailed to see more of the KMK manuscript. I used to joke that I should get the Ellora's Cave rejection letter tattooed to my butt so I could save them the paper!

My desire to be a writer has been lingering in the back of my mind for most of my life, but it was only about five years ago when I actually sat down in from of the computer and started listening to the muse. Kiss Me, Kate was one of the first stories I started writing--a few pages here, a few there. Most of it was written in the wee hours of the morning long after my husband and kids had gone to bed.

I've always been a huge fan in the concepts of 'happily ever after' and 'true love.' The main characters, Rick and Kate, as well as the secondary ones, Wes and Jill have begun to feel like extended members of my own family. It's been fun to watch their story evolve and improve (thanks to Kelli, one of the greatest editors of ALL time!). My mother always told me not to wish my life away, but I'm really hoping the next week and a half goes fast! Come on Sept. 24! I'm waiting!

Debra Glass' article featured in Ellora's Cave's Magazine - Lady Jadied

2008-09-02T07:53:00.001-07:00

My article about becoming a medium is featured in the September issue of Ellora's Cave's, Lady Jaided Magazine. Click here to view Lady Jaided

Kittens Do San Francisco

2008-08-05T11:07:00.001-07:00

The RWA National convention in San Francisco is over and I'm still reeling from the overload of workshop info, parties and mega-watt authors.
There were many EC authors in attendance, but only three Kittens were representing. But Karen, Jennifer and I did our best to socialize and drink for and on behalf of ALL the Kittens ;)

And did y'all know that Jennifer was up for a Golden Heart?? Yes! Sadly, she didn't take the prize, but I, for one, went hoarse cheering for her :D

(Jen - next time, let's not wait for two days before we track each other down!)

I only had my iPhone camera, so the quality ain't great... but here are a few pics of EC gals.

Sadly, the only pic I had of Karen and me didn't turn out :( so we'll just have to get together again for a reshoot.

Jennifer North (beautiful inside AND out) and me (yes, I'm in the middle of a sentence because I don't stop talking. Ever.)

Christine d'Abo (an awesome author AND awesome room mate) and Denise Rosetti (who is funny AS SIN!)

Amy Ruttan and Robin L Rotham (I couldn't pose with either of them because I only come up to their belly buttons - they're giants)

The Pixies Have Spoken: Contest winner announced in Belle Scarlett's Enchanted Scavenger Hunt

2008-07-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, Daun Ann Korty! The pixies pulled your correct entry in Belle Scarlett's Enchanted Scavenger Hunt Drawing. The Magic Wishing Well has granted you a copy of Belle's Ellora's Cave e-novella, THE WOODSMAN, and your entry counts as five (5!) in her upcoming Amazon Kindle Drawing. (The Kindle winner will be announced on Belle's website August 5, 2008.)

Thank you, Daun, for playing with the pixies on Belle Scarlett's Enchanted Scavenger Hunt (they said they had a blast with you!!)

AND if anyone else would like to make their single entry for Belle Scarlett’s Amazon Kindle Drawing automatically count as five (5) entries, you can go on the Enchanted Scavenger Hunt, too!

Find out how at Belle’s Obligatory Blog: http://bellesobligatoryblog.blogspot.com/

XO,
Belle Scarlett
Passion is the spice of love

Belle's Links:
http://www.bellescarlett.com/
http://www.myspace.com/bellescarlett
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1022652842#/profile.php?id=1022652842
http://www.youtube.com/user/bellescarlett

Buy http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419916342

More Sex (And Then Some) - The Difference Between Erotica and Mainstream Romance by Debra Glass

2008-07-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

As an author for Ellora’s Cave, I’m often asked, “What’s the difference between erotic romance and mainstream romance?”
My first response is usually to arch an eyebrow, wink, and explain that the sex scenes are more graphic and, of course, more frequent, throughout the story. This hot genre is not your grandmother’s brand of romance!
Today’s woman is hungry for more. She understands and embraces the fact that sex is very much an emotional experience for women and she wants the characters in the books she reads to reflect what she knows to be true in her own life.
Many modern readers are frustrated when the bedroom door is slammed shut on the love scenes. Now, they want those doors thrown wide open. They want to see—not only into the characters’ heads but into the experiences of their bodies as well.
But while the language and sex scenes in erotic romances are more abundant and explicit than what you find in a mainstream romance, the assumption that this is the only difference between the two genres is not exactly true.
Ellora’s Cave has even coined the term Romantica® to define their particular brand of erotic romance as, “a work of literature that is both romantic and explicitly sexual.”
In erotic romance, as in mainstream romance, authors use the sexual relationship between the hero and heroine to propel the story forward to demonstrate character growth and satisfy the reader with a commitment between the characters. Erotica writers, however, use more graphic language, describe more sexual positions, acts, and sometimes employ the use of sex toys, vibrators, dildos, or even sensual spankings, blindfolds, and handcuffs to take the love scenes to a different level.
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School director, Sandra Lieblum says, “The important sex organ for women is between the ears.”
In this passage from my historical erotic romance, Restraint, notice how Catherine’s physical reaction is triggered by the sexual awakening of her thoughts.
(Copyright © Debra Glass, 2008 All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.)
Her stomach tightened when she thought about what they’d done—when she imagined what they would do next. Desire flooded her abdomen.
She had never dreamed she would want to explore this dark side of her nature. She had grown up with strict parents and the topic of sex had been taboo. Her parents had never even kissed in front of her, much less touched.
With a twinge of shame and horror, she recalled the talk her mother had given her regarding sex. She’d sat wide eyed while her mother had described men as nasty, sex-starved beasts with horrid penises.
Catherine had not thought Thomas was horrid. Not at all. However, she was shocked she had wanted him inside her.
Sexual yearning spiraled downward in her body. She had wanted it more than anything and she would have done anything—said anything—to have him.
Sex therapist, Dr. Allegra Skye writes, (romance is an) “empowering, feel-good genre fiction written primarily by women for women. In these novels, women fight for the love of a good man and refuse to settle for anything but a healthy marriage. That’s a positive message.”
Erotic romance has evolved into a genre which is designed to empower women. Therefore, it’s no surprise Borders reports that erotic titles have seen a double digit sales growth since their stores began carrying the genre in 2004.
“Romance novels are the secret erotica of American women. These books describe what women want. The heroines are very strong and very feminine. And surveys have found that women who read romance novels have sex more often and enjoy themselves more than women who don't read them,” says author, Phyllis Curott.
But what makes a story erotic?
Certainly, the love scenes in erotic romances are explicit and involve sex acts that would be considered taboo in mainstream romance, but the difference doesn’t stop there.
While magazines like Playboy have existed for men for many years, women’s fantasies have often been either tailored to men’s sexual desires or ignored completely. Erotic romance finally gives women an outlet to indulge their own fantasies and to explore female desires in a way that puts women in charge of their sexuality. At the same time, erotic romance employs more realistic, modern terminology and imagery than mainstream romance creating a more realistic feel within the genre.
Author Belle Scarlett (The Woodsman-Ellora’s Cave) finds erotic romance a refreshing respite. “As a grown woman who is in charge of her own sexuality, I find the frank talk and openly expressed, intense emotions that occur between the consenting adults in erotic romance to be more realistic, stimulating and satisfying than coy or obscure sexual references I was used to seeing in mainstream romances. Naturally, everyone has to find their own comfort level as readers and writers of romance, but for me there's an immediacy and visceral, exciting urgency to erotic romance that puts the fun right back into the genre on the whole.”
Here’s a taste of one of the erotic romance scenes between Sir Marrok Ulfang and Lady Lily Rouge in Belle Scarlett’s, The Woodsman (Copyright © Belle Scarlett, 2008 All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.):
“Touch me, Lily.” Even he couldn’t tell if his words constituted a command or plea. “I think I shall die if you don’t put your hands on me. Now.”
To his surprise, she obeyed and tentatively raised her hand to lay her small palm against the heat of his chest. He sucked in a breath as her fingers began to trace the hard lines of his body. Her touch grew bolder when he groaned his encouragement.
“Aye, lady. Yes. Explore me. My body is here to please yours.”
He shifted his weight more fully on her, so her lower body could not help but be impressed by the hard bulge between his legs. Inflamed by the passionate little touches of his beginner lover, he ground his bare pelvis more intimately into hers and found, to his delight, that her undergarments were crotchless, made that way, so he supposed, for the convenience of the privy.
But her undergarments could not have been designed more usefully for his purposes. He nudged the wide tip of his cock through the open muslin seam and gently pushed himself against her wet opening, testing her.
She was drenched with her own arousal juices. He reached down, shifting his penis a fraction to make room for his hand. He drew his fingers lightly through her sopping wet folds, and felt her shiver of excitement.
He inserted just the tip of his finger inside her snug pussy and found he’d made her more than ready for her first time. She arched against his hand and gasped. He was satisfied she would feel pleasure, not pain, at his first penetration.
He never broke her gaze when he raised his hand, coated with dew from her pussy to his lips. Slowly, he licked his fingers clean. He closed his eyes, blissfully savoring her clean, womanly flavor as though it were a priceless delicacy and he its connoisseur.
Buy link: http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419916342
Reviews for The Woodsman have praised its evocative, arousing love scenes in the context of a lush retelling of the well-known fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood.
Women who read erotic romance often draw on these scenes to enhance their own sexual experience during intercourse within their relationships. Combining pure fantasy with well-written sex succeeds in creating an erotic world into which readers can escape.
The focus of erotic romance is to satisfy women readers who are hungry to be stimulated by a physically and emotionally gratifying story. And since there is a plethora of love scenes in erotic romance, in Restraint, the touch of a hand or a even a kiss becomes far more intimate than the actual sex act itself.
(Copyright © Debra Glass, 2008 All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.)
The bed sank as he sat on it. “I am going to spend the entire morning teaching you to kiss.”
A surge of disappointment welled through Catherine. She had never before been kissed. Not on the mouth anyway, she thought with a wry grin. It couldn’t possibly be as satisfying as the way he had kissed her yesterday.
She felt him stretch out beside her and then cool silk caressed her skin. A silk banyan? Silk pajamas? But again, she was disappointed. She wanted to feel his skin against hers.
She had been right. He was tall. One of his long legs slipped over hers, his knee between her knees, his hard, thick, silk-encased thigh draped over hers.
Tender fingers swept her hair off her face and trailed down to trace the line of her jaw, her chin. Catherine’s breath stopped in her chest. She tried to swallow but she couldn’t. And as he lowered his mouth to hers, her heart pounded so hard she could hear her pulse in her ears.
His lips merely grazed hers. Catherine wanted more. She lifted her chin and parted her lips. His shallow, fast breaths feathered her face. Was he as affected by this as she was? She only hoped so.
And then his mouth was on hers, raining expert kisses, biting, drawing her bottom lip into his mouth, sucking. She had never imagined a kiss could be so powerful!
But there was more. Much more.
His mouth opened and his tongue delved between her lips, searching, teasing. Cool fingers encircled her throat. He was trembling.
Timidly, Catherine touched her tongue to his and then responded with reckless abandon, fencing, mating, kissing him as if she had kissed dozens of men. This was no ordinary kiss. This sensation sent waves of desire spiraling straight to her loins. She arched, wishing, hoping his fingers would find that special place and send her once more to that perfect oblivion.
But he did not. He only kissed her mouth, her cheeks, her forehead. She turned her head to grant him greater access when he kissed her ear, nibbling her earlobe, his breath hot, tickling her. She arched underneath him and sighed audibly when he rained kisses down the curve of her neck. She had never dreamed she would be so sensitive there. And although this was more wonderful than she had ever imagined it could be, she wanted more.
Buy Link: http://www.ellorascave.com/AuthorsBooks.asp?AuthorCode=DGla
Erotic romance uses sex—a lot of sex—to propel the story and characters toward their goals. And like mainstream romance, every love scene has to be relevant to the story and must show character growth. Nothing is gratuitous.
However, the love scenes in erotica evoke a much more contemporary view of a woman’s sexuality, even in the context of fantasy, paranormal, historical, or futuristic romances.
Author Maureen Caudill sums it up nicely. (Erotic romance) “is the most feminist of all literature because it’s the only form of literature where woman are guaranteed to win and come out with an emotionally satisfying finish.”

About The Author
Debra Glass’ previous experience as a medium inspired her interest in writing Alabama ghost stories although she’s also got a passion for spine‑tingling paranormal romance. Since 2002, Debra has written several books on regional folklore and has had numerous articles published in Fate Magazine and various Civil War magazines. Now, she’s delving into steamy erotic romance with her Phantom Lovers series which debuted with Gatekeeper, in April 2008. Other books in the series include Shadowkeeper (August) and Watchkeeper (October). Her book, Mediumship-To-Go, is an upcoming non-fiction release in the metaphysical To-Go series from The Lotus Circle.
Learn more about Debra at http://www.debraglass.blogspot.com/ .

Lifting The Veil - Debra Glass Unearths 13 Facts About Ghostly Heroes

2008-06-30T08:56:00.001-07:00

Paranormal romance is as hot as ever and what’s sexier than a shadowy and mysterious ghostly hero? Ghost romances can be anything from sweet and humorous to dark and deliciously Gothic. However, authors can face a challenge when they undertake the difficult task of making a ghost the hero of their romance novel.

Not only does the ghost’s physically challenged state present logistical problems for the author but it is difficult to bring the story to a happily ever after conclusion that will satisfy the reader.
As a medium, I’ve had my share of paranormal experiences and was inspired by one especially phenomenal encounter with the ghost of a Civil War soldier to begin my Phantom Lovers Series (Ellora’s Cave) which debuted in April 2008, with Gatekeeper.

But as the series progressed into the third installment, Watchkeeper, featuring real-life pirate, Stede Bonnet, I had to come up with new ways to create that all-important happily ever after ending which is a must in romance.

I carried my heroine, Gwendolyn Wyse, to a bed and breakfast in romantic Charleston, South Carolina, where she’d hoped to rekindle the flame in her cold, unresponsive husband. What she didn’t expect were divorce papers—or her husband’s untimely death.

The plot took a twist when Gwen had to rely on her background as a witch and her knowledge of magic, to bring her husband back from the dead. Instead of her husband a swashbuckling spirit answers her call—Stede Bonnet who died on that very spot three centuries prior and who now wants possession of her husband’s body.

Certainly, ghost romances carry an element of fantasy which lures us to the other-worldly escape of paranormal stories in the first place, but adding components of truth to your ghost romances will help to make your ghostly heroes solid multi-dimensional characters in turn, grounding your stories for readers who have had first hand experiences with ghosts. According to a Harris Poll, conducted in 2003, fifty-one percent of Americans believe in ghosts. Of the women polled, fifty-eight percent believed in the existence of ghosts.

As a medium, I strive to educate as well as entertain my readers about ghosts and spirits. So, in order to make my ghost heroes believable, I relied heavily on my knowledge of spirits from my personal experiences with those on The Other Side.

Base your fiction in fact and you’re sure to create fascinating and realistic ghost heroes which will carry your readers on a magical journey into your stories!

The following are thirteen facts about those enigmatic, mysterious spirits.

Ghosts are earthbound entities. While ghosts are souls who are trapped on the earth plane for varied reasons (Sixth Sense, Ghost), spirits choose to return to here to offer guidance to the living. An example of a returning spirit might be a Spirit Guide or a protective spirit known as a Gatekeeper. Often souls you have known in other lifetimes (through reincarnation) offer their assistance and companionship to the living. An earthbound spirit might be someone who has chosen not to go to The Other Side or who might not even know he/she is dead!

Ghost and spirit are not interchangeable terms. Ghosts are earthbound souls who have not transitioned to The Other Side. Spirits are those who have transitioned and can travel between dimensions at will.

Ghosts do need our assistance to cross over to The Other Side. If you’ve seen Medium, then you know the ghosts on the show need Melinda’s help to make the transition to The Other Side. A ghost still feels the gravitational pull and energy of the earth and is trapped here by it, unable to cross over. A grounded, living person has the ability to connect the dimensions of heaven and earth, to release the ghost from this pull, thus offering a path of Light for the ghost to follow to The Other Side.

Ghosts don’t all have unfinished business. Ghosts will linger on the earth plane for a variety of reasons. Some certainly do have unfinished business—an insurance policy that lapsed before death leaving behind a struggling spouse, a foundering business or helpless family member left behind, hidden wealth. Others don’t feel worthy, for whatever reasons, to move on to The Other Side. Some simply choose to remain behind because they enjoyed life. A heinous, untimely death is not a pre-requisite to becoming a ghost. Remaining on the earth plane is merely a matter of choice.

Ghosts don’t have to die in a place to haunt it. One of the most common inaccuracies about ghosts is that a person had to die in a certain place in order to haunt it. Ghosts and spirits have free will and can travel at the speed of thought. Both can visit any places they choose whenever they choose.

Ghosts and spirits can communicate with anyone. The dead can appear to or communicate with anyone. No special abilities are required. You do not have to be a powerful psychic or gifted medium, open to spirit contact, or even to believe in ghosts in order to have an encounter. The most credible and stunning accounts of paranormal phenomena come from non-believers. Nevertheless, ghosts and spirits are more attracted to those who are receptive and to mediums whose energy they recognize as being approachable.

Ghosts and spirits use our energy to appear and communicate with us. Ghosts and spirits are made of the same stuff our souls are made of—energy. Conversely, they communicate through thought energy. They project a thought—or rather, a concept—to a living person who then incorporates and translates it within their own being. For instance, there is nothing magical or inherently evil about tools such as the Ouija Board. The dead simply blend their energy with ours to move our hands on the planchette in order to pass messages to us.

Ghosts and spirits know what we’re thinking. Again, the dead communicate via thought energy. You’ve heard the adage that an animal senses fear. Ghosts and spirits pick up our emotions in much the same way. Their emotions are much more intensified than ours and they feel love, fear, anger, sadness, to a much greater degree than we mortals. Since they are no longer in bodies and lack the luxury of ears, they read our thoughts and feelings rather than our spoken words.

Ghosts and spirits can appear as solid, living people. Although most movies depict ghosts as translucent, effervescent beings, when they appear, they more often than not show themselves the way they looked when alive. Ghosts are not quite as brilliantly colored as a living person however, they are not see-through. They are three-dimensional, in color, and they appear much like an image on a faded photograph. Ghosts can appear either full bodied, as only a trunk and head, from the knees down, or any combination of the afore mentioned. Throughout history, ghosts have appeared either clothed or unclothed. In my book Skeletons On Campus—True Ghost Stories of Alabama Colleges and Universities, I include a story about Bart at Athens State University who often appears completely nude to female co-eds. Although Bart is a bit of a prankster and certainly appears naked on purpose, other ghosts or spirits might not have control of how they present themselves.

Ghosts can appear during the day as well as at night. Ghosts and spirits are not concerned with the time of day and/or the lighting. Darkened rooms for séances are for the benefit of the living. I’ve also heard some psychics claim that ghosts and spirits can only see candlelight. Since they no longer possess eyes, I beg to differ on that point.

Ghosts communicate with the living in a variety of different ways. Aside from sending messages through thought energy, ghosts and spirits can work with the living through various ways and tools to communicate. They can sometimes produce audible voices. They can write through the hand of a living person through a technique known as free writing or automatic writing. Of course, the Ouija board is a well known method of spirit communication. Ghosts and spirits often employ electronic voice phenomenon where they produce an audible, understandable voice using white noise on a radio or by digital recording. Spirits can communicate via pendulums—any object suspended by a chain or ribbon which the spirit manipulates by either spinning or swinging the object one way for “yes” answers and another way for “no” answers. And of course, there is trance mediumship where the spirit enters the body of a living person (usually an experienced medium) and speaks through that living person.

Ghosts and spirits can touch a living person. Spirit energy feels much like the static energy of a computer screen or a television screen, but a spirit or ghost can physically and indisputably touch a living person. Most spirit touch contact is comforting in nature but there are reported cases of disgruntled spirits scratching or slapping victims and leaving visible evidence behind. The Bell Witch, a poltergeist who haunted the John Bell family in the early nineteenth century in Tennessee, left ugly whelps and handprints on the daughter’s face and body. The ghost threatened to kill John Bell himself and he later mysteriously died of poisoning. John Bell’s death is documented in the Tennessee State Records, curiously attributing his murder to The Bell Witch. It is the only such case on record in the United States.

Ghosts and spirits can have sex with the living. It’s true. Several people have reported sex or sex-like responses to ghost and/or spirit lovers. Ghosts have sex with the living by blending their energy with the living person’s to elicit sexual responses in that person. Those who’ve experienced this phenomenon describe it as “out of this world sex,” and “different than with a living person yet the same”. I included such an encounter in my second Phantom Lovers paranormal romance, Shadowkeeper. Although I do not advocate inviting spirits to have sex with you, such encounters can and do happen. Often, these visitations occur at night, sometimes in a dream state or upon falling asleep or awakening when the human consciousness is open to communication with those on other planes of existence. Sexual experiences with ghosts are more of a melding of souls than actual physical sex however the brain assimilates and interprets the energy as sexual, thus eliciting physical responses, even to the point of orgasm.

Hopefully, these facts have dispelled some of the mystery surrounding ghosts. By incorporating the truth about ghosts and spirits interspersed with the flight of an author’s imagination, ghostly heroes will entertain us for a long time to come—if the spirit is willing…

Learn more at the blog Debra shares with fellow intuitive and author, Elissa Wilds, http://themagickallife.blogspot.com/.
Suggested Reading: Mediumship To Go by Debra Glass, Jasmine-Jade Publishing, Akron, OH, 2007, 2008. (release date tba)

Restraint by Debra Glass Releases June 27, 2008 from Ellora's Cave

2008-06-26T13:09:00.001-07:00

My June 2008, release, Restraint, is now available at Ellora's Cave!
Click here to buy!

Once renowned for training frigid wives and shy mistresses in the art of love making, Thomas Collins has been approached by the Duke of Wallingford to train his bashful fiancee. The Duke has but one request. Thomas is to save the cherry for him.
Much to an unwitting Catherine's surprise, she finds herself blindfolded and bound to a bed, bound to a stranger she knows only by touch and bound for the love of a lifetime.
But when Thomas sets out to train Catherine to respond to any and everything the sadistic Duke might have in store for her, he discovers he must employ every ounce of restraint he possesses to keep from bedding the lovely captive who has stolen his heart.

"Deliciously wicked…" says Anne Boling of ReviewYourBook.com. "Catherine was turning out to be a delightful pupil. Thomas had never cared for the Duke of Wallingford, but agreed to train the man’s fiancé. Could he return her to the Duke? This is a deliciously sensual story. The plot is hot and steamy. The characters are well- developed. Fans of romantica will love this Restraint."

Excerpt:

“Do not be afraid, Lady Catherine. You will not be harmed.”

The reassuring, resonant voice did little to alleviate her fears. She swallowed. Her mind raced with possibilities, all of which were bad. She was naked. Totally naked. And totally at the mercy of this stranger. And all too aware that whoever he was, he could see everything. Everything.
Despite her state of undress, she refused to show her fear. She would not. She would bargain with her captor and secure her release when he discovered her lofty connections. She jerked her chin toward the voice. “My fiance is the Duke of Wallingford. I’m certain he will pay an exorbitant amount for my release.”

“Your fiance is who sent you to me.” The voice was low and velvety.

Catherine froze. Chills swept down her body. “I don’t believe you.”

But even as she uttered the words, she thought back over what had happened—the odd gleam in Robert’s eyes, the encouragement to finish her drink. It all made perfect, horrific sense.

The bed sank and she felt a hard thigh encased in rough linen press against hers. Panic surged. Her captor’s heat radiated through his clothing, making her all too conscious of how vulnerable she was.

The idea that this man—this stranger—was looking upon her filled her with emotions she did not comprehend. Fear, alarm and, strangely, excitement thrummed through her naked body.
“Robert tells me you are unresponsive to his romantic overtures. He wants me to teach you.”
Catherine gasped. A hot blush of shame rushed to her cheeks followed quickly by a burst of anger. She tensed against the bonds. “Sir, I am first and foremost a lady. I will not submit to such a dreadful thing!”

“Very well. I will not do anything you do not want me to do.”

She relaxed but only a little. She was still unclothed and tied and veritably at this man’s mercy. The idea of it was nearly overwhelming. It was intolerable.

“Untie me. Give me my clothes,” she said, jerking her chin at her unseen captor.

“No.”

“But—”

“I said I would not do anything you didn’t want me to do. But I will not untie you. Your fiance has retained me to teach you for two weeks.”

“You cannot leave me here for two weeks!” The panic that filled her voice surprised her. How dare Robert do this to her! How dare he!

She squeezed her eyes shut against the tears that threatened to fall. She hated him. More than ever, she hated him.

Her parents had arranged her marriage to him and she had reluctantly consented after discovering that her father was practically destitute and on the verge of losing everything. It was her duty to marry him. Still, she had never dreamed Robert would stoop to such depths.

He had always been impatient and eager when they were alone together. And thus far, she had thwarted his attempts to kiss and fondle her.

Sex was something shameful. Something she did not want to think about. And dear Lord, she had never been unclothed this long in her life. In this condition, she could not bear for this strange man to be in the same room with her any longer.

She tried to swallow against the lump in her throat. “Please don’t do this. Please release me.”
“I will,” he said and her heart leapt. Only to come crashing back down when he uttered, “In two weeks, Catherine.”

My New Web Site

2008-06-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

Exciting News...

I won a free Web site redesign from the Desert Dreams Writers' Conference. It has just been completed. Check it out at http://www.christiewalkerbos.com/

The photo at the top of the site is a custom photograph using two of my best friends. The beautiful ribbon was designed by my husband. I think it all came together very nicely and just in time to announce my Cerridwen Press novel, The Write Man for Her is now in print.

You can order The Write Man for Her through the links on the Web site.

Now that I have a decent Web site, I would be happy to cross link with other Kittens. Send me you links and I'll send you mine...sounds kind of nasty.

Here's a little blurb about, The Write Man for Her.

Work, work, work. That’s how Jessica Anne Singer has dealt with the loneliness surrounding her since her divorce. Except for her squawky cockatiel, Merlin, Jessica hasn’t had a date in years, but all that’s about to end. Jessica’s best friend, Cath, has decided that Jessica needs to meet her dreamy online professor, Brant Wilson, who inspires her in more ways than one.
Creative writing professor Brant Wilson is intrigued by one of his online students, Jessica Singer. She seems more worldly than most of his students and has a penchant for arguing with him over just about everything, which he finds oddly enjoyable. But when she asks to meet with him in person to discuss her grades he immediately refuses. He never meets with his students face to face. Never.

Undeterred, Cath hatches a harebrained plan to find the reclusive professor. When the plan actually works, Jessica uncovers the “real” reason the professor doesn’t meet with his students. Stunned by her discovery, Jessica must decide if she’ll listen to her head or her heart when it comes to determining if Professor Brant Wilson is the right man for her.

My third novel, Getting Back to Delaney is in edits and should be out as an E-Book with Cerridwen this fall.

All exciting news from my little corner of the world.

Christie Walker Bos

Would You Like To Attend an Ellora's Cave, Cerridwen Press, Lotus Circle Convention in 2009?

2008-06-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

The first ever conventions for Ellora's Cave, Cerridwen Press, and Lotus Circle authors and readers will be held in Akron, Ohio in 2009.

The following dates are being considered (all Friday-Sunday):

September 18th - 20th,
September 25th-27th
October 2nd – 4th

If you are interested in the convention, respond with name, address, and phone number (optional) via email to Ellora's Cave Conventions!
Tentative schedule:

Friday Night – EC/CP/TLC Celebration Party

Saturday Morning – Continental Breakfast

Day – Workshops

Night – Awards Banquet

**The city is working on something fun for you to do (if interested and thirsty) after the Awards Banquet.**

Sunday Morning – Continental Breakfast

Afternoon – Book Fair

Evening – An author sponsored event. Romantic Times has a movie and popcorn night at their farewell gathering. If you want to participate or have a suggestion please include that information in your email.

Once EC has an idea of the number of interested people (authors, readers, book stores, models), and they decide on the hotel, food, etc., they'll be able to determine the cost.

Gatekeeper by Debra Glass Chosen Among the Top Thirteen Favorite Paranormal Romances!

2008-06-17T10:30:00.003-07:00

Gatekeeper was listed as one of the top 13 Favorite Paranormal Romances on the Redlines And Deadlines Blog!!!!

Redlines and Deadlines

Sierra's first author outing!!

2008-06-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

Whee! So I'm finally getting unpacked and reorganized after my trip to Lori Foster's get together in Cincinnati -- yes, I know it was last weekend, but I didn't get back till Thursday! 1000 miles each way… Next year, I'm flying. Maybe. We'll see. But I did stop over a few extra days in Columbus to visit my friend Melanie and finally finally meet Celina Summers whom I've known online for years… I can now attest that her margaritas are every bit as good as she claims :p

The Gift of Redemption, the second book in Celina's Asphodel series, just came out on June 6th, so I wanted to mention that and you can check it out at http://shootthemuse.bravehost.com (huge fantasy series, it's very cool)

I had the greatest time at Lori's, I really did -- getting to meet Bad Barb and Laura and Deb and Joni and Ali (who is SUCH a sweetie! Ali, I didn't get any pictures of you! Send me one if you see this!) and Billie Jo and her equally crazy sister Yvonne and Stephanie who had dinner with me and Susie B and Beth and Amy T… and that doesn't begin to cover all the wonderful readers I met, let alone the authors!!

This is Niny, who won the Wolf Bound basket (and then very nicely gave the t-shirt to Jennifer)

Trouble most definitely comes in twos: the Case sisters, Billie Jo and Yvonne.

From left: LuAnn McClane, Suzanne Horner, Rae Morgan, those crazed sisters again, and Joni Anderson

Bad Barb and me and Susie Bischoff (and somebody providing the bunny ears.... anyone wanna 'fess up?)

This was one of the coolest parts of the whole weekend for me -- I had a line during the booksigning! And honest-to-God line! I feel like Sally Fields… "You like me, you really like me!" Whee!

From left: me, Jennifer Allison, Rhonda Wilson, Laura Jenkins and DeNita Tuttle
Thanks to Yuvonne Marlow for snapping this one!

Another serious fave moment (actually, couple of hours…): Friday night, I bumped into Lauren Dane who was sitting with Laura Bradford who has a partial of mine, so of course I had to go introduce myself and hopefully demonstrate that I wasn't a complete spaz (well, dunno how successful I was at that, LOL!)

Anyway, I ended up sitting at a table with Lauren and Megan Hart (these two are a deadly duo -- I was laughing so hard my stomach ached!) and Anya Bast who's just incredibly nice and sweet (such a quiet girl to write such steamy scenes!) and Laura and Cindy Hwang for two hours, just listening (okay, I talked some -- probably nothing very interesting). Cindy's incredible. Really nice and I swear the woman is a walking encyclopedia of romance. It was just wild and if you can absorb talent by osmosis, I was SO in the right place! Plus we got some great pix:

The uber-cool Lauren Dane and some chick named Sierra :p

Lauren, moi, and Megan Hart mugging it up for the camera -- I got to be in the BEST company!

Also, Megan's got a great video blog up of the event -- just click here: http://www.meganhart.com/wordpress/2008/06/10/porkopolis/

It was so wonderful to get to meet so many of my fellow authors -- I'm not EVEN going to try to list them all, but here's a few pictures:

Celia Kyle and Selena Illyria -- who knew sheer wanton madness could look so demure?

The incomparable Flash and D. Renee Bagby, looking stunning as usual

Me and Celia and Tuesday Morrigan (who just got a GREAT review from JERR -- congrats, Tuesday!) and Selena (do NOT let that innocent-looking exterior fool you!!!)

Finally got to meet Kate Douglas who is every bit as cool in person as she is in cyber-land (and her hubby really IS all dat! You go, girl!)

Lori Foster! I talked with Lori Foster! WHEE!!!!

I am SO going next year, even if I have to hitch-hike! I LOVED MEETING YOU GUYS!!!!

And hey, don't forget to check out my Oh Yum! story, Built to Last. Like the cover? :p

Forty year old Ginny Chase is a nationally syndicated advice columnist who's finding it hard to take her own advice. Broken-hearted by her husband's unexpected death, she impulsively sells her Boston condo to buy a ramshackle old farmhouse in Maine. Big mistake. The roof leaks, the wiring is ancient and the first repair quote she gets from a contractor leaves her panicked.

But when local carpenter Mike Standish shows up to give her an estimate, Ginny finds herself experiencing an entirely different kind of panic. He's handsome, hard-working, and he's making her think things no self-respecting woman should even consider about a man sixteen years her junior.

Despite his youth, though, Mike has been around the block a time or two when it comes to love. And it doesn't take him long to realize Ginny's broken house isn't the only thing he wants to fix...

http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419916823

-- Sierra

Sexy. Sassy. Seductive. Sierra.
www.sierradafoe.com

In between books

2008-06-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

My newsletter Wilde Thoughts comes out when I feel like it. Or I guess the more politically correct way to say that is -- it comes out when I have something to say. I'll be sending one out in the next day or so. One section of the newsletter is Ravyn Lunatic. (Ravyn Lunatic is my husband's nickname for me. I gave up trying to talk to him about the plots of my books long ago. Guess why?)

This blog post is a sample of the type of thing I'd include under the Ravyn Lunatic section. I hope you enjoy it. If you do...here's where you can join and get a monthly or less sample of my insanity. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ravynwilde/

In between books?

Well...I'm never really in between books as I always have more than one work in progress going at a time. But I feel like I'm in between books as I just sent in edits tonight on Written in the Ruby and have yet to submit the next book to our fearless editor.

The first few days in between is always a clearing-house for me. Clear the desk...since the surface can't be found. Clear the files...both on the computer and all the written notes stuck in the manila folder. This is a very time consuming task because every day I work on a specific WIP I save it as a new doc with the date. I do this so that if I delete a scene and want it back, I can retrieve it easily. I have copies I've sent to myself on email as a backup in case the computer crashes. And I have a flash drive.

You would think I was afraid of loosing something important! LOL.

Then there is the refrigerator that needs cleared of leftovers. The house that needs cleared of dust. And...well...I'm sure you get the idea.

While I'm clearing...the mind wanders. I stop every so often to write down my mental meanderings in the notebooks I keep on almost every flat surface in my house. Or so my DH insists. (To be perfectly honest...he's usually the one who cleans anyway.)

I do this so that my cluttered brain won't forget the little snippets of dialogue I've imagined, or the answer to that glaring plot problem that has been keeping me up at night. And I had to stop for an hour or so to jot down the really hot ménage scene that ended up being 15 handwritten pages long.

By the time I finish clearing things out...I've filled up all the spaces again.

Reading this...I'll bet you think I'm unorgainized. Well. You'd be half right. My bookshelfs are alphabatized by author. I have different colors of manila file folders for each genre of book that I'm working on and character cards detailing all the major players ass-ets.

Of course, the character cards still don't prevent me from changing someones hair color mid book...but hey...I know what their hidden motivations are.

And I really could care less about the leftovers in the fridge anyway. I'd rather be writing.

Or lately I'd rather be reading reviews.

Just in case you'd rather be reading reviews...I have a few you might want to scope out.

Shameless plug time.

Fallen Angels gave Luke & Jezebel 5 Angels!http://www.fallenangelreviews.com/2008/May/Ashley-LukeAndJezebel.htm

It got a 5 at Eye on Romance too!
http://www.eyeonromance.com/bookinfo.cfm?BookID=89

And 5 hearts at The Romance Studio!http://www.theromancestudio.com//reviews/reviews/lukejezebelwylde.htm

I know...enough already.

Well...I've really procrastinated enough. I have made a deal with myself. No writing until the desk is cleared.

Yeah, right.
Ravyn
Where do you go to get wilde?
http://www.ravynwilde.com/

Gatekeeper by Debra Glass Reviewed by Nightowl Romance

2008-05-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Roxanne Rhoads of Nightowl Romance says of Gatekeeper, "Glass mixes a captivating plot with an attention getting romance. The author does a great job at combining suspense, mystery and the paranormal into a complex tale of history; deceit, reincarnation and ghosts peppered with hot and steamy sex scenes... Gatekeeper is an absorbing tale you won’t want to stop reading until the book is finished."

Hart Rating 3.75!!!!

Hearts Scoring System:
1 - Has major problems

2 - Could have been done a bit differently

2.5 - An ok Read

3 – A great Read
3.5 – An excellent Read

4 - A Page Turner

4.5– A book I would keep on my keeper shelf

5 - Lifetime keeper!

Read the whole review at http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.asp?ReviewId=1791

Time Travel in Romance

2008-05-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

My first paranormal romance I ever read was a time travel--Johanna Lindsey's Until Forever. I read that in a day. I was so absorbed. It was funny and sweet and the hero, Thorn, was to die for. Since that book, I was obsessed to read paranormal romances. And believe me, at the time, they were few and far between.

I still love time travel romances. I wrote three (one will NEVER see the light of day unless I do a MAJOR rewrite from scratch). Two are published--one of which is Sea Hawk's Mistress.

What is it about time travel romance that sparks my interest? I think it is the concept of the "what if" that attracts me. What if a woman travels to Ancient Rome and is led to a gladiator who is charged to pleasure her for the evening? What if a woman travels back to a time when pirates sailed the Caribbean? How would they all react? Could she get on with her life within a different time? Can he come to believe she traveled back in time? See...so many questions. Nice conflicts already built in. I think also the idea of traveling to a different time is highly interesting.

There are different ways to address the plot device of time travel. You can have literal physical traveling back in time through an accident or a magical item. The magical item is highly popular in romance I noticed. I admit, I did the same in Sea Hawk's Mistress when Shelley (cool trivia here: I took the name Shelley from author Shelley Munro. No, I never told her. I am too in awe of her.) finds the Aztec bangle during a dive in the Florida Keys.

Another divice is body switching and reincarnation, which I did in The Gladiator, a book of mine out at New Concepts. I have even seen ghosts used with time travel, I guess to address the whole solid flesh problem.

Since I love time travel and hot sex, why is it so hard to find? It is said time travels never go out of style, but I would love to know where they are. No one seems to be doing them. Is this a dying subgenre of paranormal romance?

If you want a cool time travel with a sexy pirate, please check out Pirate's Mistress (Ellora's Cave, trade paperback-BUY IT) which includes Sea Hawk's Mistress and Crossed Swords, my RT Top Pick historical pirate novel.

Also, if you love paranormal romance, check out Royal Bondage, (Pocket Books, trade paperback-BUY IT) in your local bookstores now. It includes my magical futuristic novella, Scorpion King.

Tomorrow I will be blogging at the Danger Zone at www.dangerzoneauthors.com as my virtual book tour continues.

Virtual Book Tour - Mari

2008-05-12T10:29:00.001-07:00

May 12 - Today's stop: Six Degrees of Sexy at http://sixdegreesofsexy.blogspot.com/

Free Read on my site | Virtual Book Tour!

2008-05-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

I am serializing a short novella on my blog, DARK LONGINGS, starting today. Check back each Wednesday for a new installment.

First installment can be found here: http://www.mariannelacroix.com/
or specifically at http://www.mariannelacroix.com/?p=88

AND starting May 12th, I will be on a virtual Book Tour promoting ROYAL BONDAGE (Pocket Books - Ellora's Cave series) and PIRATE'S MISTRESS (Ellora's Cave). First stop: Six Degrees of Sexy at http://sixdegreesofsexy.blogspot.com/ More details to come on my blog.

Mari
http://www.mariannelacroix.com/
Royal Bondage, Pocket Books - In bookstores!
Crossed Swords, EC 4 1/2 Stars, RT Top Pick!
Pirate's Mistress, Ellora's Cave - New in Trade Paperback!!

I was at RT too

2008-05-06T05:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did manage to stay away from Mari F's camera. When we met, I wasn't in the best of attitudes. (Some chick proclaimed that I and my friend Annmarie could NOT sit at their table as she was saving all the seats. Understand, they just rolled in the table because we were standing in the back without a table at the Under the Sea Fairy Ball. I was ticked at the woman's ballsy attitude...then Mari came up and introduced herself and invited us to her table. We squeezed in there...they were great.)

Here's a pic of me with my friend Brooks Johnson, a former Caveman. I've been friends with Brooks before he got into EC. He was a Venus Press model and he was on my book WARRIOR LOVER. That still is my favorite cover ever. My one daughter has a crush on him and still calls him "Ares".

Here is me with friends Annmarie Ortega and former Mr Romance Andrei Claude outside the Vampire Ball (well, waiting for the ball part to start during the "play".)

Here is me at the EC Fantasyparty (the 30 minutes I was there).

And me with talented author, Kathy Kulig just before the Vampire Ball.

Marianne LaCroix

www.mariannelacroix.com

Belle's Obligatory Blog: Diary of a First Sale! (Abridged)

2008-05-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

Belle's Obligatory Blog: Diary of a First Sale! (Abridged)

Promotion Motion, What's Your Notion?

2008-05-03T02:29:00.000-07:00

Yee-haw, it's three minutes after midnight and the event I’ve long anticipated, my inaugural e-book launch for THE WOODSMAN on the Ellora’s Cave website, is now officially stuff of memorable memories. I can finally wind down all the promotional heavy-lifting I began spinning out about 19.3 seconds after receiving the acceptance letter from EC on New Year’s Day of this year. Or can I? After all, here I am still blogging about it.

For me, the past four months and two days have been quite an education in the business of book promotion. You think your book is done when you type “The End.” You may as well type, “Now it’s time to query, query, contest, contest, contest, revise four times, contest, sell, pause for a cartwheel, execute contract, do the edits, then promote and cross-promote it with a professionally designed yet surprisingly affordable website by Austin DesignWorks that’s facsimiled onto several, popular social networking sites, after creating content for them such as the obligatory blog, an obsequious book trailer (with Director’s Cut on You Tube!), and, finally, a flurry of web joining, “friending,” blogging, and e-posting.”

Now all I have to do is complete another book and do the whole “The End” process again. Then rinse and repeat until retirement. But first, I think I’ll go see what the husband and the cat have been up to since New Year’s…

Oh, and by the by, I'm having a contest where one of my readers can win a kewl Amazon Kindle upon which to read THE WOODSMAN! Please check my professionally designed yet surprisingly affordable website by Austin DesignWorks for contest details, and Belle’s Obligatory Blog where I’ll be posting excerpts from my “Diary of a First Sale!”

Thanks for your support, especially from all the Kittens and my wonderful crit buddy, Vivienne Westlake, who turned me on to Ellora’s Cave in the first place just a little over a year ago. THE WOODSMAN is for you, Viv!

And I'd love to know, from writers and readers alike, what's the best book promotion you ever heard of?

XO,
Belle Scarlett
"Passion is the spice of love."
THE WOODSMAN now available at www.ellorascave.com

Check for Details on Belle's Amazon Kindle Contest at www.bellescarlett.com
Belle's Obligatory Blog http://bellesobligatoryblog.blogspot.com
Friend me at www.myspace.com/bellescarlett and
http://www.facebook.com/people/Belle_Scarlett/1022652842
See the "Director’s Cut" of THE WOODSMAN trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eorrLMFlAsY
Rated M for Mmmmmmm (Mature!)

Kittens on the Prowl in Pittsburgh

2008-05-02T05:24:00.000-07:00

Karen Erickson, Marianne LaCriox and myself had a big time in Pittsburgh as we experienced the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. What a great way to meet other authors, publishing professionals and readers.

(The pic is Karen Erickson and Myself with the lovely Lillian Fiesty. Marianne did a good job of hiding from my camera for the week!)

Yes, I had my first real fan moment at the Vampire Ball!!! It was about the coolest thing a writer can ever experience. I hope it always feels that good to meet someone that loved my book. I now know that at least one person has bought, read and loved my book. Soooooo Cooool!

I have been very fortunate to have a great group of supportive writers around me, both here in North Carolina and in the cyber world of network friends. Events like RT and smaller regional writing conferences are a great way to connect and get support from other professionals. If you don’t attend any RWA or other writing groups, I highly recommend seeking out local writers to communicate with. It’s helpful to have someone to talk to that understands writing stress. Only other writers are gonna get it when you complain about plot issues that drive you insane for weeks and they’ll get that your characters talk back to you in your head, argue with you and be big asses at times.

Not mention that most of these events are full of creative folks and that makes for a very good time. RT is the party queen among the conventions… or should I say dancing queen. It’s full of costume parties, dancing and events geared to get the reader and the author together in a party atmosphere. There is a montage of pictures on the home page of my website, for those that would like to see.

It a large file… I’m working on getting it smaller.

Anyway… the Kittens were represented and we did out part to reduce the amount of alcohol sitting around the hotel, clogging up cabinetry. It was fun. It was educational. It will be repeated next year in Florida!

Kiss Kiss
~Mari F

Oh Yeah. Did I mention the Cavemen??

WOW>>>> CAVEMEN!!!!

First Sales by Kelli's Kittens Belle Scarlett and Debra Glass Featured in May 2008 Romance Writers Report

2008-04-28T06:13:00.000-07:00

RWA is pleased to announce these first sales by members:(May 2008 RWR)

Debra Glass announces her first sale, as part of a three-book contract, to Ellora's Cave. Gatekeeper, the first erotic, paranormal romance in the Phantom Lovers series that weaves actual historical characters and settings into contemporary mysteries for a fast paced, spooky, sexy read, was an April 2008 release.

Belle Scarlett announces the sale of her first novella to Ellora's Cave. The Woodsman, an erotic romance fantasy that combines Red Riding Hood's Woodsman and Big, Bad Wolf characters into the single, shape-shifting romantic hero, is a May 2008 release.

Debra Glass' Interview on Michelle Pillow's Pillowtalk

2008-04-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

Debra's interview on Michelle Pillow's Pillowtalk Blog!

http://www.michellepillow.com/blog/

Q: What is the strangest source of writing inspiration you’ve ever had?

A: The strangest source of inspiration for me was the ghost of a Civil War soldier. Being a medium, I never know who I’m going to attract and when I attended a living history at Shiloh Battlefield in 2004, I wasn’t surprised when one of the spirits there followed me home. I was exhausted when I crawled into bed and, to get my attention, a spirit began pulling out my dresser drawers, one by one, and dropping them in the floor. When I asked him who he was, he gave me his whole name. Of course, I Googled him and was astounded to find so much information about his life.

Thomas Benton Smith was born February 24, 1838, in Tennessee. Benton was a brilliant young man with a flair for mechanical inventiveness. He even acquired a patent for one of his inventions. At sixteen, he was accepted at Western Military Institute in Nashville.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, twenty three year-old Smith and his older brother, John, enlisted in the Twentieth Tennessee Regiment. Benton rose quickly in the ranks and was elected colonel shortly after the Battle of Shiloh.

At the Battle of Stone’s River, he was seriously wounded by a shot through the chest and left arm. His brother, who served as the Regiment’s color bearer, was killed. On July 29, 1864, he became the youngest brigadier general in the Army of Tennessee, earning him the nickname The Boy General.

On December 16, 1864, Benton Smith was captured at the battle of Shy’s Hill. Smith and his men were marched through the Federal dead and wounded, who lay thick on the steep slopes of Nashville’s Overton hills. Eyewitnesses reported he exchanged words with Federal Colonel McMillen, who began verbally assailing Smith. Smith’s only reply was, “I am a disarmed prisoner.” At that remark, McMillen struck the twenty-six-year-old Smith over the head with his saber three times, each blow cutting through Smith’s slouch hat, the last driving him to the ground and fracturing his skull.

Smith, despite all odds, recovered enough to be sent to Federal prison at Fort Warren, Massachusetts, but his injuries proved more detrimental than they initially seemed. After his release in 1865, he began to succumb to frequent bouts of mania. Deemed dangerous to himself and others, he was placed in a Tennessee insane asylum.Thomas Benton Smith passed away from a heart condition on May 21, 1923, at the asylum. He was interred in the Confederate Circle in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.

His spirit remains with me today. His gallantry, courage, intelligence and just plain smartass behavior inspired me to write Gatekeeper.

The character of Thomas Benton Smith is based on many aspects of the real Smith’s life, although I took liberties to turn one of my real life heroes into a romantic hero.

Q: You come back from the dead as a spirit, what message are you trying to get across?

A: That gratitude is the answer to just about everything. When we are grateful, we open ourselves to gifts from the Universe. Gratitude also helps us to understand trying situations in our lives. An example from my life: If I hadn’t gone through absolute hell with an abusive X, I never would have met the people who are so important in my life right now. My friends, my current husband (who also inspires my romance heroes!), and my fabulous writing career are all results of a situation I thought I couldn’t live through at the time. But if I had to do it all over again to know the people and things I know now, I would. Therefore, even though it was a terrible time in my life, I’m grateful it happened and moved me to this wonderful, exciting stage in my life. I feel impervious to personal attacks now. I am a much stronger person than I was then and refuse to spend time dwelling on negative aspects and people.

Adopt and attitude of gratitude and it will make you a much more satisfied and happy person.

Q: You’re the heroine of your book, why do you fall in love with the hero?

A: Right now, I’m finishing up Watchkeeper, the third book in my Phantom Lovers series, all which feature a ghost as the hero. Watchkeeper is about the gentleman pirate, Stede Bonnet.

Because of my love for history, I enjoy basing my heroes on men who actually lived.

Stede Bonnet was born July 29, 1687, to a wealthy family in Barbados. He married Mary Allamby in 1709, and the couple had four children. Shortly after the birth and subsequent death of his daughter in 1716, he purchased a ship which he named Revenge, hired a crew and sailed off to become a pirate without a word to his wife.Shortly thereafter, he encountered Blackbeard. The two formed an uneasy alliance but after a falling out, Bonnet petitioned the governor of North Carolina for a pardon and a Lettre of Marque which would classify him as a privateer instead of a pirate.

When a hurricane prevented him from obtaining his Lettre of Marque, he reluctantly returned to a life of piracy.In the late summer of 1718, Colonel William Rhett led an expedition against pirates along the Carolina coast and captured Stede Bonnet at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Bonnet was held in Charleston but managed to escape disguised in a woman’s dress.

He was recaptured and despite impassioned entreaties for his life by the ladies of Charleston, he was hanged for piracy December 10, 1718, at White Point Gardens.

The heroine of Watchkeeper is a witch named Gwen and she fell in love with Stede for the same reasons I did while writing the story. Aside from the fact he was a devastatingly gorgeous, well educated pirate, he is a real gentleman. He wants to protect Gwen but admires her strength and determination enough to let Gwen be who she is. He listens when she talks and seems to intuitively know just what it takes to drive her wild in bed. He’s selfless and always, always puts her needs first. Their mutual respect and attraction will give them the happily ever after we all want in our lives.

Q: Who were you in a past life?

A: I am a firm believer in past lives and that knowing about them can help us overcome problems in this lifetime. I’ve done a few past life regressions and in one of the most amazing ones, I saw myself as a woman in Spain in 1546. I know very little about Spanish history but in the regression, I was a young woman named Isabella. I recounted that I lived in a place called the Alcazar and that I was a cousin to Philip II. I could actually feel the confines of the steel farthingale – a type of hoopskirt worn by women of the time, and I was very much in love with a priest with whom I was having an affair. I remember he wore a long white tunic with a scarlet cross emblazoned on the front.

After the regression, I, of course, researched Spain in 1546. Philip II was king. His castle was known as the Alcazar and a band of mercenaries who fought during the crusades, known as the Knights of St. Iago, wore white tunics with scarlet crosses. I also spoke fluent Spanish during the regression.

During that same regression, the hypnotherapist regressed me further and I recalled a life in Egypt where I was planning to kill my husband by putting a snake in his bed but I won’t go into that one other than to tell you I recognized my Egyptian husband as my now X-husband. Oh well…

Gatekeeper by Debra Glass

2008-03-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

How can a heart still love once it stops beating?

Imprint: Ellora’s Cave
Gatekeeper by Debra Glass
Release date: 4/4/08
Genre: Paranormal
ISBN: 9781419914850
Price: $5.95

http://ellorascave.com/

When the evil shadow ghosts known as soul collectors haunted her childhood nightmares, Nashville PD criminal profiler Jillian Drew did everything possible to turn her back on her psychic abilities. But now her eccentric sister has been abducted, and nothing in her criminology background has prepared Jillian for that tragedy—or for Benton Smith, the powerful and devastatingly attractive ghost of a Civil War officer and the only witness to Amy’s abduction.

Fearful of the brazen specter, Jillian nevertheless needs him. Benton is her Gatekeeper, a spirit sworn to protect her from the soul collectors, who attack each time she unleashes her long-dormant psychic senses in an attempt to find her sister.

Yet she must somehow keep the devilishly seductive spirit at arm’s length, for Benton’s soul is at stake—and succumbing to his desires could have dangerous consequences for them both.

Watch my trailer!

New paperback released: Pirate's Mistress

2008-03-18T07:36:00.001-07:00

Includes Crossed Swords and Sea Hawk's Mistress.
Buy it here: http://www.jasminej ade.com/p- 3944-pirates- mistress. aspx?skinid= 11
Erotic Adventure Romance
Available from Ellora's Cave

Reviews for CROSSED SWORDS:
4 1/2 Stars, RT Top Pick! - "LaCroix has outdone herself. This swashbuckling tale will have you offering to swab the decks, if it will put you in good graces with the wickedly handsome pirate captain! There's plenty of action in and out of the captain's quarters to keep you flying through the pages of this sizzling story." ~ Romantic Times BOOKClub

"5 Stars...wonderfully written story about the powerful sea Captain and his prisoner falling in love...If you are looking for steamy sex, that will leave you seeking your own release, look no further...It’ s perfect!" ~JERR

Reviews for SEA HAWK'S MISTRESS:
“4 Stars...a fun blast-from-the- past...This was a terrific, sexy little romance...The romance is sweet and tender; the sex scenes are vanilla with a touch of dominance and bondage. Sea Hawk’s Mistress was good to the last drop...” ~JERR
-------------------

Chck out my Sunday post at Unusual Historicals. It is a release party!

http://unusualhistoricals.blogspot.com/2008/03/release-party-pirates-mistress.html

Leave a comment to be drawn next Sunday to win a copy of Pirate's Mistress!

Belle's Obligatory Blog: The best piece of romance advice I ever got

2008-03-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

Belle's Obligatory Blog: The best piece of romance advice I ever got

RT Top Pick for Crossed Swords & Royal Bondage cover

2008-02-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

Okay, I will go ahead and post my good news. My pirate historical novel from Ellora's Cave, Crossed Swords, is a Romantic Times BOOKClub Top Pick. I am pretty excited about it. It marks my second Top Pick with RT magazine, the first being Descendants of Darkness (when it was at a different publisher in 2004). I am floored, needless to say. Nice to know someone loved my pirates other than me and Kelli.

Also, I found the cover for my upcoming Pocket antho arranged by Ellora's Cave. Royal Bondage is one slick looking cover. I am so honored to be a part of it, especially with talents Samantha Winston and Delilah Devlin. I feel like getting on my knees and bowing, "I'm not worthy!"

Mari

http://www.iwriteromance.com/

http://www.mariannelacroix.com/

How was everyone's weekend?

2008-02-25T05:43:00.000-08:00

How was everyone's weekend? Anything interesting happen?

Let's see, in my world....nope, not much going on. Handed in judging scores for contest. I am also getting an entry together to enter a contest. I don't normally do contests, but I thought, why not? Maybe I will get that much needed pat on the head for a job well done. Hey, I finaled in the BEACON last year with Scorpion King, and then a few months later it was chosen for one of the Pocket anthologies. Not too shabby, though I will say the Pocket thing was a total surprise. I mean, I tortured myself writing Scorpion King. I bet Kelli can remember that.

What am I working on right now? Well, a few things. I am shifting my focus from erotic romance to more mainstream romance. I am a little worn out writing erotic. Maybe later I will write some more, but at the moment, I am letting my heart lead the way. I have a contemporary romance in the works I hope to sell to NY.

Good news for the month is my first paperback from EC, Pirate's Mistress, is about to come out. I am very excited about that. VERY EXCITED. I've waited (impatiently) for my own EC paperback, and it will be here soon.

Virgin Jewels - Karen Erickson

2008-02-24T11:01:00.000-08:00

The Virgin's Blood necklace is legendary. Simple in appearance, it wields a sexual power only its true owners can experience.

Hannah doesn't understand why the newest acquisition at her family's jewelry store makes her ache so deliciously. When Colin visits the shop and tells the necklace's erotic tale, Hannah's further enflamed — for the necklace and the man.

Borrowing the necklace, she has mind-blowing sex with Colin, the power of the stones overwhelming. But for normally shy Hannah, the experience is bittersweet. Her alluring aggressiveness isn't real — it's the Virgin's Blood Jewels. She can't keep the necklace, and fears she'll lose Colin without it. But Colin knows more about the jewels than he's telling.

Available here: http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419915123

Beast in My Bed by Marianne LaCroix

2008-02-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

Beast in My Bed
(Book 1)
Marianne LaCroix
Erotic Romance / Werewolf / Humor / Interracial (BW / WM)
ISBN: 1-4199-0583-X (ebook)
Available from Ellora's Cave

Going out with friends to party on Halloween, Sophia knew that’s when all the freaks come out. However, she never thought she’d fall into bed with one of them. She should’ve suspected something was amiss when Greg suddenly instructed her to strap him to the bed. But her lust was in control, and there’s nothing wrong with a change from the norm.

And boy, did Greg change.

Experience should have taught Sophia a lesson. But when a man can ease the fire in your body and answer the call of your heart, maybe change is a good thing.

"4 Tattoos...Beast In My Bed is an absolute incredible read! This erotic short story went from hot to blazing within a flash and remained sizzling until the very end. The sexual heat between Sophia and Greg is intensely passionate and will set your blood on fire. From start to finish I was in a constant arousal state. So readers, I would suggest keeping your significant other near by because once you complete this little, scorching quickie you will become a ‘beast’ in your very own bed."
~Erotic Escapades

"5 Hearts...Delicious! I really liked the little debate on “sex honey”. Excellent! Authors are constantly debating what terms are appropriate in particular situations and silly, funny or otherwise, this was especially fitting! Liked the fact that Sophia realized, after her initial fright, that her feelings were involved and didn’t pussyfoot around with the idea; bravo, a woman who knows what she wants and when to take a chance offered. And on the subject of Greg--what a sumptuous beast. A man willing to take on the possibility of rejection just on the chance that this special woman might accept him as he is…wonderful. Put this baby right on your ToBeBought list."
~The Romance Studio

Beware The Cowboy by Mari Freeman

2008-02-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

Liza DeLane is at the top of her game as the hottest event planner in Dallas. That is, until her biggest client manipulates her into holding an event that could ruin her reputation on the Dallas A-list—puppy nuptials for his wife’s prized pugs.

Forced to plan the canine wedding, Liza finds one big sexy perk to the job—Blake Dean, her client’s son. Blake worms his way under her businesswoman exterior, in more ways than one, and lights a fire she thought long dead.

Liza has to make a decision. Continue working her life away, hiding behind expensive suits and watching the other half live Or let go of her insecurities about a humble past and take a chance with a sexy millionaire in a cowboy hat.

http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419914324

Restraint by Debra Glass

2008-02-21T17:23:00.001-08:00

Restraint by Debra Glass Release date: June 27, 2008 http://www.ellorascave.com/index.asp
Once renowned for training frigid wives and shy mistresses in the art of love making, Thomas Collins has been approached by the Duke of Wallingford to train his frigid fiancée. The Duke has but one request. Thomas is to save the cherry for him.
Much to an unwitting Catherine's surprise, she finds herself blindfolded and bound to a bed, bound to a stranger she knows only by touch and bound for the love of a lifetime.
But when Thomas sets out to train Catherine to respond to any and everything the sadistic Duke might have in store for her, he discovers he must employ every ounce of restraint he possesses to keep from bedding the lovely captive who has stolen his heart.