I have another call for submissions to any writers out there—and its short-fused! If you get your submission into me early enough, and if it requires changes to make it acceptable, you’ll get the chance to resubmit. I’ll work with you. Also, I need a sexier title. Anyone have any suggestions? I’d love to hear your ideas!

And don’t forget about Beastly Babes—those short stories are due at the end of July. Read more about it here: Beastly Babes ~DD

The Cowboy
Editor: Delilah Devlin
Publisher: Cleis Press in Fall 2012
Deadline: August 30, 2011 September 10, 2011
The Cowboy (tentative title) is open to all authors.

Editor Delilah Devlin is looking for hetero cowboy stories for a romantic erotica anthology tentatively entitled The Cowboy.

There’s a reason Western romance novels never go out of fashion. The cowboy is an iconic figure that embodies the dichotomy of the fiercely independent, earthy alpha male and the male as a nurturer. Given a picture of a man on a horse, wearing Wranglers, chaps, and with a broad-rimmed hat shadowing his face, women melt.

Even when he’s up to his knees in mud freeing a calf from a wallow, his image doesn’t tarnish. The imagination sparks, filling in the details—the scent of horse, cow, and crisp, clean sweat; the sight of sun-leathered skin and crows feet; the feel of work-hardened thighs and arms; and the sound of a deep-voiced, Texas drawl.

The Cowboy will seek stories that satisfy the reader who craves the romantic idea of that gruff, capable man while exploring stories in the American West as well as lesser-known international settings. The stories will be primarily contemporary with the possibility of a few historical Westerns. While traditional themes are likely to be featured, writers will be encouraged to imagine greater in order to create tales that, while featuring that iconic hero, may also surprise, like the rodeo clown seducing the cowboy-crazy “buckle bunny” or a Quigley Down Under story set in the pampas mired in a South American range war.

Published authors with an established Western world may use that setting for their original short story.

The stories may be as kinky or vanilla as the writer wants—but a deep sensuality should linger in every word. Exotic locations and scenarios are welcome. Keep in mind there must be a romantic element with a happy-for-now or happy-ever-after ending. Strong plots, engaging characters and unique twists are the ultimate goal. Please no reprints. We are seeking original stories.

How to submit: Prepare your 1,500 to 4,500 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12 point, black font Word document with pages numbered (.doc, NOT.docx) OR rich text format. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space (regular double spacing, do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). US grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.

In your document at the top left of the page, include your legal name (and pseudonym if applicable), mailing address, and 50 words or less bio in the third person to cleisthecowboy@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories. Delilah will respond in October 2011. The publisher has final approval over the stories included in the manuscript.

Payment will be $50.00 USD and two copies of the published book upon publication.

About the editor: Ms. Devlin has published over eighty erotic stories in multiple genres and lengths. Her published print titles include Into the Darkness, Seduced by Darkness, Darkness Captured, Down in Texas, Texas Men and Ravished by a Viking. Her short stories are featured in Zane’s Purple Panties, and Cleis Press’s Lesbian Cowboys, Girl Crush, Fairy Tale Lust, Lesbian Lust, Passion, Carnal Machines, and Dream Lovers. She is published by Avon, Kensington, Harlequin, Atria/Strebor, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, and Berkley. In Fall 2011, she debuts her first anthology with Cleis Press, Girls Who Bite.

Direct any questions you have regarding your story or the submission process to Delilah at cleisthecowboy@gmail.com.

The Promo Ho and Cabbage Rose Fairy contests continue! See details here! ~DD

Thanks to Delilah for having me on her blog again! I always love visiting here. And I went all fangirl when I met her at RT. (Hope I didn’t make a fool of myself!)

Yesterday my latest book came out. Restraining the Receptionist is a follow-up to Training the Receptionist. A lot of people tell me this series reminds them of the movie Secretary. (Not to be confused with Secretariat, which would be truly disturbing.) Secretary, which I loved, is about a lawyer who hires a troubled young woman. Their relationship turns intimate in a BDSM kind of way – it’s never spelled out in those terms, but they’re playing with the power dynamics of the boss/secretary relationship, and falling in love in the process.

I can see the resemblance, given the office setting and the BDSM element. But there are many differences. First of all, tone. Dana, my heroine, is sassy and quick with a comeback, whereas Maggie Gyllenhall’s character was on the depressed side. Maggie had only one boss, James Spader. He was more than enough, by the way. The two of them smoked up the screen.

But Dana has two bosses. In Restraining the Receptionist, she already has a strong, loving, trusting relationship with Simon, who trained her in the first book. But Ethan is the senior partner and not accustomed to taking second place. He’s going to pull out all the stops to win a place for himself in Dana’s heart. And when he sets his mind to something, watch out. But he’s taking a chance … what will happen to their blissful triangle when Dana and Ethan get in deeper than they intended?

Despite the major differences between my Receptionist books and Secretary, I’m honored by the association. And I can’t help thinking, what if they made a Receptionist movie? Who could do as good a job as Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader?

So, here are my picks. For the strong but tender, green-eyed Simon: sexy Clive Owen.

For the blond, blue-eyed, force of nature Ethan: the one and only Daniel Craig.

And for lucky Dana, I’m leaning toward Emma Stone. Someone with a lot of spunk, who can handle two dominant men like Simon and Ethan.

Of course, the only way they’d make a Receptionist movie would be as a training manual for how not to behave at work. But hey, I can dream, right?

Restraining the Receptionist is available now from Samhain Publishing. (Click on the cover to purchase!)

And if you leave me a comment – I love comments! –
I’ll put you in the drawing for a $5 Amazon gift certificate.

Yes, admire that image—the dark sky full of ominous portent, the hero tenderly shielding the heroine, the woman clinging to her man…

Okay, so it’s one of my stories. You know she’s going to give a bit of fight. And this time, she’s the one in the duster. Here’s what the story’s all about…

The best defense is no match for desire this hot…

Kate McKinnon’s Sanctuary is an island of refuge in a western frontier shrouded in post-apocalyptic chaos. Her only escape from her crushing responsibilities is occasional radio contact with other pockets of survivors. Especially one man whose deep, raspy voice cuts through her exhaustion, straight to her heart. A man whose face she has only imagined.

When she and her ranch hands are surrounded by renegades, she doesn’t recognize the leader of the militaristic band that rescues them, but knows that voice.

Ty Bennett is already half in love with the human woman whose voice haunts his dreams. His impulsive offer to add muscle to the Sanctuary’s defenses is dangerous to them both. Helping her may redeem some of his sins, but proximity only increases his hunger to possess her—body, soul…and blood.

Without hesitation, she welcomes Ty and his men into the Sanctuary…only to discover the reason why they only ride at night. Yet the survival instinct that screams at her to drive them off is no match for Ty’s seductive powers. Or the need for protection from the threat that howls at Sanctuary’s gates.

Warning: Expect a dark, violent world where a vampire driven by uncontrollable lusts strikes a bargain with a strong woman willing to succumb to the carnal pleasures only a vampire can provide.

Read an excerpt

I have two new contests. Both contests end June 27th!

1) The Cabbage Rose Fairy Contest

What can you win?
The last of the lovely fairy journals I purchased to share. It has a velveteen cover, heavy, stock blank paper and artwork sure to thrill you every time you reach for it!

What do you have to do?
Post comments on my blog and or her Facebook page. Every comment you make over the next two weeks will count as one entry. How easy is that?

2) The Promo Ho Contest

What can you win?
I’m giving away one $50.00 Amazon.com gift certificate.

What do you have to do to enter?
See the covers below? These books are in sore need of online reviews by happy readers. So I’m offering a tempting bribe. You know there won’t be as many entries for this contest as for the last one, but wouldn’t you like to have some cash to spend on new books? And who knows? Maybe you already have these stories sitting on your TBR pile. Time to move them to the top!

Give a review for one of these stories on one of the online bookstores. Send me the link at del…@delilahdevlin.com. It can be the same review on three different sites, but send me three separate messages with the different links. Doesn’t matter if the review is on the Samhain’s or Ellora’s Cave’s website, Smashwords, Amazon, Nook—send me the link to the review. Easy as that.

Did you know I have a book releasing tomorrow at Samhaim? One that includes two of my very favorite things—cowboys and vampires? The story is available for pre-order now at a reduced price. Click on the cover to read more!

As many of my cowboy adventures are, the story’s set in Texas. It takes place in the near-future after war has darkened the sky to perpetual night. My heroine is a strong, lonely woman, tired of shouldering staggering responsibilities while she tries to keep her ranch and the refugees she shelters safe. The hero has secrets. Big, dark secrets. But that’s the way we like ’em, right? Trying to get the heroine to put her trust in him will be his biggest test. Take a step into a dark, new frontier.

I’m giving away the first of the $50 Amazon gift certificates for the Promo Ho contest today. The second will be awarded in two weeks. Check out tomorrow’s blog for details about how you can win it! The first $50 gift certificate goes to…Amanda Chambers! Amanda, be sure to email me to let me know what email address you want your prize sent to!

If you loved the fairy and want one of your own, you can contact Christi at 870-230-1877.

The Promo Ho and Red Ribbon Fairy contests END TOMORROW! See details here!

That picture just about sums up my week. I did complete copy edits on Girls Who Bite and get them shipped. I unpacked from my trip. I swam. A lot.

The question for me this week is whether I can remember how to be a writer. It’s not hosting contests (although that’s fun). It’s not tweeting or FBing. It’s not being “me” on line.

It’s sitting my butt in the chair. It’s fingers poised over the keyboard. It’s isolation. Because only when I find that happy subspace (submissives aren’t the only ones!) can I create. So what I need now is a writer’s Dom to whip me until I feel good and ready to do my muse’s will. Okay, so maybe I should be saving the words for a new book. Later!

The Promo Ho and Red Ribbon Fairy contests continue! See details here!

The winner (by random number generator) of yesterday’s One-Day-Only bag of swag is…#19 Danni! Danni, congratulations! Send me an email with your snail mail address. Be watching next week for the next bundle of joy from Lori Foster’s get-together!

Love this theme! I’ve had male best friends in several of my books. In this one, Officers Chavez and Ross team up to teach this little filly a lesson in obedience. We meet them first from her point of view. Things get more interesting when we find out what’s happening from their side of things…but you don’t get to see that unless you read the book. I didn’t sleep much, so today I’m feelin’ just a little mean. 8)

“…Ms. Devlin has definitely created three very hot stories about three intriguing females who has lassoed themselves three very hot Texas men.” 5 Blue Ribbons, Romance Junkies

Welcome to Honkytonk, the hottest town in Texas—thanks to its adventurous women, irresistible men, and sizzling sex…

Bound and Determined
Bar owner Tara Toomey is in the mood to serve bad boy Cody Westhofen more than a drink. What better way to capture his attention—and more—than to kidnap him for a wanton weekend? Tied to Tara’s bed, Cody is more than willing to cooperate…

Breezy Ridin’
When Joe Chavez and a sheriff’s deputy pull over a speeding motorcycle, it’s no surprise the county judge’s naughty daughter Sarah Michelson is behind the wheel—naked. And when she bribes them with a threesome, all laws are suspended as the men prepare for the ride of their lives…

Night Watch
Schoolteacher Amy Keating never planned to be a voyeur, but one innocent glance into deputy Logan Ross’s bedroom window has her hooked. Now she’s into a world of sexual play she never knew existed…

From Novella #2 in Texas Men: Breezy Ridin’

A hot breeze toyed with a strand of hair lying across her breast, but Sarah Michelson wasn’t about to flick it away now. She was already in deep shit and wondering whether she should pour on the syrup and sweet talk the two officers striding her way.

She’d been driving without her headlight, following the pale gray thread of road she’d driven since she’d graduated to adulthood until she hit the winding canyon and had to flip it on. A quick drive-by of the bar and she would have proven she was still the reigning bad girl of Honkytonk.

Then she’d seen the glint of metal at the side of the road and throttled down.

Damn, who knew she’d run into a speed trap on little ole Amman Road?

“Ma’am, I’ll need to see your license and registration.”
Read the rest of this entry »

I have tons of promo stuff that I brought back from Lori Foster’s. Today, I’m going to give away some of it! What do you have to do? POST A COMMENT—here or on facebook!

This is what the first bundle includes:

Autgraphed books:
Dragonbound by Jade Lee
Carpe Bead’em by Tonya Kappes
Escape by Kate Douglas, Willa Okati and Marteeka Karland (signed by Marteeka only)

Autographed drink koozie from Kristin Daniels

Assorted stuff (much of it autographed as well)…bookmarks, trading cards, excerpt booklets from:
Emma Wildes, Jade Lee, Marie Force, Leah Braemel, Jane Rylon, Leanna Renee Hieber, Madelyn Ford, Lila DiPasqua, Virna DePaul, Donna Grant, Zenobia Renquist, Samantha Kane, Krista Daniels, and Cheryl Brooks.

No doubt, I’ll throw some of my stuff in as well! So, what can you comment about? How about this?

By perseverance the snail reached the ark. ~Charles Haddon Purgeon

Which reminds me of my favorite joke. Okay, so it’s the only joke I ever remember, which is why it’s a joke my family teases me about. (I get gifts of snail figurines)…

What does the snail say as it rides the turtle’s back? Whee!