I’m not a girlie-girl. I don’t think I’ve worn a dress in over fifteen years. Most days I wear sweats or baggie Capri pants and a t-shirt. My shoes are most often rubber thongs. I like my makeup and hair non-fussy. However, the one feminine decoration I do indulge in is jewelry. I like shiny, sparkly things. I never met a ruby I didn’t drool over, or a sapphire that didn’t make my heart melt. It’s a recent obsession; one my local jeweler indulges by letting me know when some particularly unusual piece comes in. I always have something on lay-away. I love estate jewelry and love it when it’s inscribed with a message. It makes me wonder about the story of the person who wore it.

I also have charm bracelets. Yeah, not just one. One holds charms from my travels. Another has charms that inspire stories; this one is the bracelet for my publishing credits. My sister gave me the bracelet with only the “A” on it when I sold to Avon. Last night, I ordered a “B”, “K”, “E” and “S” for my other major publishers and took a picture so you could see where I am with it.

So far, from the top, right of the clasp, I have an Irish Claddagh—that one was compulsory because my ex is pure and my children are blended Irish.

The enameled lips and lipstick charm was given to me by the Omaha RWA chapter when sis and I taught a weekend bootcamp there.

The cathedral was given to me as a remembrance by Betty Hanawa. It’s St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square, New Orleans. It figures in the first scene of the first Dark Realm book.

The “A” is for Avon, given to me by Elle James, my sister, when I sold to Avon.

The handcuffs? They do double duty. I write lots of cops and kinky stuff.

The wolf is for my werewolves.

The Knight on the Horse, also a gift, I think from Betty too, is a for the My Immortal Knight series.

And lastly, the little bat is from Bev Zinn for all the vampires I write.

Now, I have to find something Viking, something demon-y, and something Texas and cowboy.

I’m an acquisitive creature, aren’t I? Do you have any jewelry that means something to you? Are you crazy for those charm bracelets too?

Thanks to everyone for all the birthday love, yesterday! XOXO
Please welcome my guest, author Jane Beckenham!

PROCRASTINATION IS A WONDERFUL THING…really, believe me.

If you’re a writer, or have specific tasks to achieve by deadline, you’ll think that that comment is absolutely NUTS! Yes, it probably is, but let’s stop a moment and see what procrastination is…

The dictionary says…
Procrastination.
1. The act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off to a future time; delay; dilatoriness.
2. The act of procrastinating; putting off or delaying or deferring an action to a later time

Now there are two specific things that stand out here…. PUTTING OFF, DEFERRING.

It doesn’t say you’re not going to do it, just a bit later. That’s all. And that’s not so bad, is it. Okay, so you have a deadline looming. But what about refilling the well so that you can top up those creative juices. Giving life some balance.

Several years ago I was writing up a storm. Night and day, weeks, months, without a break, then finally all the editing was done, the deadline met. The manuscript sent off. Then I stopped.

And for five minutes I just stared at the computer.

“What next?”

I had no clue. My life for soooo long had simply been writing. Words. Words and more words. Right at that moment, I was OVER words. Over thinking of them, finding them, creating wonderful pictures with them.

But the creative spirit takes a lot to kick it to the curb and I discovered scrap booking. Something pretty, creative, and with VERY FEW words – none if I chose. I was addicted.

But while the next deadline loomed, this new creative outlet gave me a chance to not just refill the well, it filled my life with beauty and color and memories as I scavenged through the shoe boxes of photos that had been waiting for years for their perfect home in an album.

Someone once asked me what I did for me. Just me. Of course I answered, that I was a writer, and I wrote. No she said, that’s your job – oooh doesn’t that sound fab! – then she asked again, what do you do – just for you. I couldn’t think of one thing, and in the scheme of our lives, that really probably is quite sad.

I’d forgotten about balance. I recently saw an Oprah Winfrey tape where she revealed that she’d put on all the weight again. And do you know what… she realised that she’d lost the balance in her life. That her life had revolved around doing, being, helping, fixing – things for others, but not for herself.

So the answer here is … find something that isn’t ‘work/passion’ related, something you can just do FOR YOU.
The thing I found was that I wanted to have a bath. Every day (yes I do shower, but I’m talking about a soaking, bubble affair). I remember how excited I was when I raced to the market to get some bubble bath, realising that this was something I was going to do JUST FOR ME. My time. Alone. Well as a romance writer I could always imagine sharing the bath with a hunk!

It was so wonderful, finding something I wanted to do. I realised I had forgotten myself. I was writing for me, but it had all become tied up with deadlines, editors, publishers, and promotion, not about the wonderful journey of creating a story, fulfilling the dreams of two characters who had come to life for me.

So at the end of today, ask yourself, what are you doing that is JUST for you. Is it a walk, time to read, a bath, or perhaps, it’s just time to sit and talk to a friend or family.

But the important thing here is to remember to do it. Because this life isn’t a game, there’s no rewind and replay, this is it. So enjoy.

The moral of this story…. Do what you love, but love what you do.

Happy reading and writing everyone,
Jane Beckenham

Bio
In books Author Jane Beckenham discovered dreams and hope, stories that inspired in her a love of romance and happy ever after. Years later, after a blind date, Jane found her own true love and married him eleven months later.
Life has been a series of ‘dreams’ for Jane. Dreaming of learning to walk again after spending years in hospital. Dreaming of raising a family and subsequently flying to Russia to bring home her two adopted daughters. And of course, dreaming of writing.

Writing has become Jane’s addiction – and it sure beats housework.
You can contact Jane via her website or email her at neiljane@ihug.co.nz.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In Love With The Sheikh
Desert Rose Anthology
Mainstream Romance: Contemporary, Interracial/ Multicultural
ISBN: 978-1-60435-723-3
Cover Artist: Missy Lyons
Editor: Zena Gainer
Word Count: 49,380
Release Date: June 17, 2010

Desperate to discover her past, Lilly Duprés outbids Sheikh Kalim Raschid for an antique brooch. Her triumph is short lived. She can’t honor that bid. Accepting an offer to solve her financial embarrassment, Lilly discovers Kalim has every material thing yet spurns what she most desires. Love. Family. To belong.

After a lifetime spent watching his father hurt his mother, Kalim has vowed he would never imitate his father. But Lilly breaches his defenses leaving him vulnerable.

Faced with something he never wanted, Kalim must choose his future, and Lilly must accept her past, until life and love can come full-circle.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He’s the One
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 978-1-60928-040-6
Length: Category
Price: 4.50
Publication Date: May 25, 2010

Debuted on Publisher’s Best Seller List

Taylor Sullivan doesn’t trust Cupid.
Cade Harper doesn’t do commitment, and marriage is a dirty word.
Taylor wants to lose her virginity.
Cade knows two things about women. They either abandon him, or use him as a walking bank.
Taylor doesn’t buy anything sight unseen and wants to test the waters with a kiss.

Virginity is definitely overrated.

Happy reading,
Jane Beckenham

And I’m not gonna tell you which one. Oh well, yes I will, because I really don’t care. I look good for my age. I’m 52 today! Two years past the half a century mark. Two years into menopause (halleluiah!). Two years into “I-don’t-give-a-shit about a wrinkle or a gray hair. I bleach to maintain my youthful blonde anyway! I opened my email today and found a ton of good wishes coming my way from my facebook page. Thanks everyone!

I’ll spend the day the way I want to—swimming a couple of times in my nice warm, clean pool, and writing my stubby little fingers off.

Yesterday, I finished the first round of edits on Pleasing Sir, my straight-to-kindle project, and shipped them back to the editor I hired. It’s so painful reading a book, line by line, for all those unnecessary commas and inconsistencies. I mean, you can’t pull down a zipper on a guy’s pants twice in one scene? Huh. I do a lot of misplaced modifiers (at least I think that’s what they’re called). I do, He pulled his hand away. Rather than, He pulled away his hand. It’s the way I talk. Who’s gonna notice? I change them anyway. I like things being perfect.

Remember when I asked for you to send me pictures of your art to post because I enjoyed sharing my treasures with you? These are from Brandy W of B Renae Reads. She took these pictures herself. I wish I had an eye. You’ve seen my blurry mushroom pics.

Her daughter took this one!

Anyway, thanks, Brandy, for sharing. And thanks to everyone who has sent me a note today to wish me happy birthday! Big hugs! ~DD

The winners of my latest contest are listed at the bottom of this post!

The big news of the week was the surprise release of Veiled Alliance. Here’s hoping you all ordered your copies along with the copies of Un, Deux, Trois, Menage! last week! Hey, a girl can hope! Anyway, I spent the latter part of the week trying to get the word out about my new print book.

I was hampered this week by the temporary demise of my satellite. The three days I was without Internet could have been great, uninterrupted writing time, but I had things in the air that needed to be communicated, so I parked for a day at my daughter’s to pre-post blogs and do some back and forth on another project.

Yesterday, I spent the whole day in Little Rock, shopping with my daughter and attending the pharaoh’s exhibit at the Arkansas Arts Center (I’ll talk about that tomorrow).

I only managed to finish one chapter of one book for the whole week. Very, very sad indeed. I’m almost afraid to set down my goals again in case some other catastrophe besets me, but here goes anyway.

This is what I hope to achieve this week:
* Finish EC Quickie
* Begin work on Dream Lover short story
* Work on characters and plot for Viking story
* Write lesson on queries for FFnP class
* Place order for promo items for Lora Leigh’s Readers Appreciation Weekend

That is, after I plow through 1,002 emails that accumulated in my inbox while my Internet was out. I’m house-sitting for a friend on Lake Hamilton for the holiday weekend. I’m hoping the change of place will help me keep my nose to the grindstone.

So, back to the winners of my “While Delilah’s Away” contest. Thanks to everyone who commented on my blog and facebook. All your entries counted. The winners of the $25.00 gift certificates, by random number generator, are…Christine Rivero and Beth C! Ladies, be sure to email me so that I know where to send the eGift certificates! Congratulations!

Be sure to post a comment to be eligible for one of two $25.00 Amazon.com gift certificates! See Wednesday’s post for more information!

Psst! The winner of a signed copy of DAMNED, DANGEROUS, AND DELICIOUS (from June 22nd) is announced at the bottom of this post!

While my Internet was out of commission, another book was released!

Surprise! I got a call from Shayla Kersten telling me all about it. I even made her describe the cover down to the smallest detail because I hadn’t seen it. All’s well. The cover’s HAWT! I have my own copies on order.

Click on the cover if you have the urge to add this to your collection. The two stories in this book are among those I’m most proud of. The action is intense, the characters kick ass. Enjoy!

Here are some things that others have said about the Veiled Alliance stories:

“…A turbulent relationship and sexy, spooky thrills await readers in SIN’S GIFT…This is a well written and engrossing tale with complex characters who have hidden depths. Enter into other realms with the highly recommended SIN’S GIFT.”
RRT Erotic on SIN’S GIFT

“…Wow, I loved this novella. It’s fabulously exciting and a fast, exhilarating read…I recommend this book to everyone that loves hot, sexy paranormal story. I love Delilah Devlin’s books and this is one of her best yet…”
5 Hearts, The Romance Studio on SIN’S GIFT

“…LOCKDOWN was pure perfection…As good as the sex is I found myself totally immersed in the evil shadowing the three characters. I was downright riveted to my pages…I will recommend this book to everyone I know, it’s just that good!”
5 Stars, Manic Readers on LOCKDOWN

“…Lockdown is another hot read not to be missed…The creativity and sexual energy in this supernatural erotic tale is amazing. I was caught up in the mystery and the foreshadowing evil in the story. All three characters were wonderfully done, and I loved their hardcore attitudes. This is a read you’ll not want to pass up.”
9 of 10, Novelspot on LOCKDOWN

If you’d like to read excerpts from both of the sexy novellas included in this volume, here you go:
Excerpt from SIN’S GIFT
Excerpt from LOCKDOWN

What more can I say than click on the cover and BUY THE BOOK!

The winner (by random number generator) of a signed copy of DDD is…Pam Hager! Pam, be sure to email me with your snail mail address.

Be sure to post a comment to be eligible for one of two $25.00 Amazon.com gift certificates! See Wednesday’s post for more information!

This is an excerpt from the last of the Dark Realm novels set to release in September. Enjoy!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Driven by insatiable desire, a werewolf will enter hell to rescue a princess captured by the Master of Demons…

Headstrong and proud—a royal creature of sinuous grace, all primal instinct and lethal beauty—the shapeshifter Gabriella has agreed to serve as emissary to the vampires who rule in the shadows of the New Orleans night. But she cannot resist the pull of the demon she glimpses on the other side of a mirror, and she is drawn to him hungrily, through a magical portal into the Land of the Dead. Now an eternal nightmare awaits Gabriella at the hands of a mesmerizing dark lord who satisfies her every erotic need…while slowly devouring her soul.

The powerful warrior wolf Guntram Brandt is responsible for the safety of the vanished princess he swore allegiance to years before. Yet it is more than a soldier’s loyalty that pulls Guntram down into the depths of nightmare—for Gabriella ignites within him a burning animal passion that must be satisfied.

But when offered an escape, will she follow her rescuer to safety—torn between her lustful obsession with the dark lord who has enslaved her and her fierce sensual attraction to the only wolf who could ever master her?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gabriella pounded the demon’s back, her head still tucked close, until she grew weary. Her body shuddered with her strained, quivering gasps and soft sobs. The pummeling was only tiring her, while the monster that carried her didn’t flinch once or slow his steady pace. When sunlight warmed her upturned bottom, she turned her head to take a peek.

They’d left the dim hall and entered blazing sunshine. Beneath her was a walkway paved with golden sandstone and framed by crenellated rock. Beyond the notched wall to one side spread a sandy desert, to the other side stretched a fortress so enormous it took away her breath.

This was Hell?

The Master of the Demons ducked, and she grabbed for his waist to keep from swinging against doorframe. The stone-walled passage led to a stairwell that circled downward. At a wooden door, he kicked it open and strode inside, bending farther to deposit her in the middle of a nest of satin pillows.

She scrambled backwards on a large bed as soon as he released her, scraped away her tears with the backs of her hands, and narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know what you think is going to happen,” she said, her voice low and fierce, “but I’ll fight you.”

His strange dark eyes glittered, and he snorted. Then he turned away, and at last, she drew a deep breath, ready to gather her scattered wits and figure out just how bad her situation was.
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Be sure to post a comment to be eligible for one of two $25.00 Amazon.com gift certificates! See yesterday’s post for more information!

Here’s an excerpt from my straight-to-Kindle experiment that I hope to have out in July!

One adventurous little submissive is just what the bosses need…

Raelie might be a submissive in search of just the right Dom, but she’s not the kind to sit back and wait for the right man to happen. When she gets the chance to fill in as Bryce Caldwell’s executive assistant, she decides some subtle seduction is needed to see if he dominates the bedroom the same way he does the office.

Bryce can’t keep his mind off the sexy blonde sitting just outside his office. Especially not after the security cameras in the copier room catch Raelie “misappropriating” office property. A little disciplinary action leads to a whole lot of complication while he tries to find out whether she’s the right assistant to fulfill a special vacancy. Add a second round of interviews, and suddenly, Bryce is finding out he’s not the only one who’s not sure who’s really in charge.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The little red light on the telephone blinked twice. And like a dog trained to recognize the shake of her dinner bowl, Raelie Wood’s attention was arrested.

Deep within her core, her body began the steady ascent toward full-blown arousal. A thousand butterflies settled in her stomach, madly fluttering their tiny wings. Her breaths shortened to excited little gasps and shivered through her breasts. The juncture of her thighs swelled with lush promise, a pulse thrumming there, slow but insistent.

She’d waited two whole days for a summons. Two days while she’d quietly attended to the office duties, proving why she’d been bumped up from the floating secretarial staff to fill in for Bryce Caldwell’s executive assistant while the woman was away on her honeymoon.

Raelie had seen to every duty on his EA’s meticulous checklist, and this morning, had already typed the scribbled notes he’d left in her inbox the previous night when he’d finally left the office. Not that she’d seen him leave.

Because she didn’t want to seem overeager, she’d left her desk at precisely five o’clock PM, even though she’d wanted nothing more than to stay late, strip naked, and slip into her boss’s office to show just how diligent a secretary she could be.

The thought of his shocked stare trailing down her nude body was a delicious one; however, she knew that wasn’t the way to get what she wanted from her no-nonsense employer. For once, she’d exercise a little subtlety.
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