Today, I’m doing my last bit of packing for my cruise. I’ll be mostly offline for the next week, but blogs are pre-posted so you’ll have something new to read here every day. I’m also providing multiple chances for you to win things! So, be sure to check in daily. Details about today’s giveaway can be found below. But first, we have some exciting administrivia to take care of…

November’s Winner

My November contest winner, chosen by random number generator, is…Cyndi Faria (Nov. 7)!

Congrats, Cyndi! You’ve won an Amazon gift card worth $20! Be sure to send me an email to let me know you have seen this announcement. I’ll send you your gift when I return next weekend.

December’s Contest

Let’s make this super easy because I’m a little distracted with all my packing and lists. I’ll give away another Amazon gift card worth $20!

What do you have to do to win? Simple. Comment on my blog—on any posting—from now through December 31st! I’ll choose a winner at random from among all the comments. Good luck!

A Taste of TEXAS SURRENDER

Although the official release date is December 3rd, Amazon is already shipping this book. Over the next few days, I’ll post snippets from the four stories inside Texas Surrender.

Post a comment and you’ll be entered to win a free download from another Western series, the Triple Horn Brand books!

A Romance Reviews “Best Book of 2010 Nominee”!
“…what you get is explosive, emotional and endearing, something Delilah Devlin does better than anyone…” 4 Cherries, Whipped Cream

There’s a wild child trapped inside her, and they’re hell-bent on unleashing it…

As the pretty daughter of the town whore, Shanna Davies has always tried hard to toe the line. But she just can’t help it. Her boyfriend, Bo Crenshaw, has lured her untamed spirit out to play once too often. It’s time to get the hell out of Dodge and make a new start where no one knows her past. After she fulfills one last, wicked fantasy.

Shanna is Bo’s first everything. First kiss, first sexual playmate, first love. Yet he’s never managed to convince her that he accepts her—good girl and bad—just as she is. So, she wants a memorable send off? No problem. He’ll give her one that’ll make her think twice about leaving.

On the appointed night, Shanna expects nerves. Yet once she crosses the threshold, the prospect of surrendering to a night of unrestrained passion with Bo and the three Kinzie brothers makes her mouth water—and her courage dry up.

But she asked for it, and now she’s not about to blink first in this game of sexual chicken…

Warning: Four lusty cowboys prove a little domination goes a long way in breaking a stubborn woman to saddle. Lots of spanking, binding, flogging, and double-dipping can keep a girl on her toes, her back, her belly, her knees…

“Dance with me, cowboy.”

Bo Crenshaw didn’t know what surprised him more. Her wanting to dance—or her asking him. She always cringed over her inability to master a simple two-step, and she usually avoided him like the plague in public.

But he wasn’t arguing. It was Friday night after a long week of wrangling cattle. He wanted to replace the musky smell in his nostrils with something a whole lot sweeter. Giving his drinking buddy a shrug, he let Shanna Davies tug his hand and lead him onto the dance floor, pretending a reluctance he didn’t feel.

Not that dancing with Shanna wasn’t pleasurable—if a little painful. She danced the same way she lived—a little too fast and completely out of synch with everyone around her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, but her head was tilted as she peeked around his shoulder. “Let’s go this way.” She bumped his knees, and they scooted backward toward her destination.

He pulled in her hips to slide a knee between her lethal knobs and circled so he had a view of what had caught her attention. Eyeing one particular trio of dancers at the far edge of the parquet floor, he thought he knew what had Shanna so intensely curious.

“Get me closer,” she hissed.

“What’re you doin’?” he asked, his tone dry.

“Tryin’ to see.”

“See what?”

“Them. Oops.” She ducked her head and stared at his chest. “He knows I’m watchin’.”

“Who?” he asked, pretending confusion.

“Justin Cruz.”

Bo leaned closer to whisper in her ear and bury his nose in her fragrant hair, feeling sure she’d allow it—seeing as how she was trying to pretend she wasn’t there to spy. “How do you know he knows?”

“He winked at me.” She lifted her head and gave him a glare.

Bo suppressed a grin. “You’re really curious about them.”

She slid her hand down to twist his nipple through his shirt, and he winced.

“Don’t make fun of me.” She blew out a deep breath, frustration turning down the corners of her mouth. “Most exciting thing to happen around these parts, a real ménage à trois, and I can’t get close enough to see.”

“See what?”

She shrugged. “I’d like to see how they all dance together like that. For starters.”

Bo chuckled, and then hissed when she twisted his nipple again. He’d be bruised. Worth it, though. He’d missed holding her close.

“Oh hell, they’re leaving. You wanna get outta here?” she whispered.

Bo grunted and pulled her tall, slender body closer, rubbing his belly against hers. “You want to see if they do it in the parking lot, or are you horny? Thought you said we weren’t gonna do that anymore—use each other.” He ground out the last because the way she’d described their last sexual rendezvous still stuck in his craw.

Shanna grimaced in dismay but her brown eyes glittered with humor. “Did I make it sound that way? I’m sorry,” she said, her tone anything but apologetic. “It’s not that the sex isn’t great, but…”

He couldn’t help his impatient snort. “I know. You’re blowin’ this town as soon as you have the cash.” Bo turned around on the floor again, fighting her for the lead and winning. He danced them into the darkest corner of the dance floor. “Hell, see what you did now?” he grumbled, pushing her hand down to the front of his blue jeans.

She cupped his erection, running her palm up and down his length, and then tossed back her dark honey-colored curls. Her laughter was low and dirty. “Guess since it’s my fault, I should do something about it, shouldn’t I?” Read the rest of this entry »

Saturday’s Winner

The winner of the free download of Tarzan & Janine is…Gail Siuba! Gail, congrats, and I’ll be in touch shortly!

Contest at Wild and Wicked Cowboys

Today, I’m blogging over at Wild and Wicked Cowboys, sharing photos of my workspace and asking you about your desks/work areas! Post a comment there and you’ll be entered to win a free book!

Saturday’s here! And I’m letting myself slack off a bit today. Sure, I’ll write my NaNo words, but I’m not going to do much more. I’m definitely not going to sit in front of the computer all day. A certain 9-year-old wants a special day, which to her mind includes popcorn, a movie, and me spending the night. Should be fun!

I’m featuring Tarzan & Janine today. It’s a very funny story, co-written by my sister, Elle James, and myself. We’d written the first draft eons ago, but real life intruded and we let it languish. Our mother insisted we resurrect it. She’d been waiting years for us to finish the darn thing. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the excerpt!

I’ll post the winner of today’s contest Monday morning!

Post a comment and you’ll be entered to win a free download of this book!

See what happens when a secret billionaire and an aspiring actress get a little wild in Texas!

A man with a soft spot for women…

Closet Texas millionaire, Tanner Peschke has three months to prove he can make a profit at the family used car dealership or he will lose his job, disappoint his father and break his promise to his dying mother. The root of his problem is women. He can’t resist them—any of them. All it takes is the scent of delicate perfume or a misty-eyed gaze from an elderly woman with a sob story, and he becomes silly putty in the hands of his feminine customers. Until, with a stroke of luck and a buck of a mechanical bull, he hires Janine Davis to star with him in the dealership’s live TV ads.

A woman who won’t let a handsome cowboy get in the way of her dream…

Determined to make a name for herself, Janine needs to pay the bills between acting jobs. The offer to do a series of commercials for Peschke Motors is a chance to get her face “out there”. Recognizing a player when she sees one, Janine agrees to co-star with her handsome employer fully intending to keep their relationship strictly professional. First break she gets, she’s heading to Hollywood.

Their jungle-themed commercials take a crazy twist, and Tanner finds himself falling…from a sales banner while chasing a monkey. But more importantly, he’s falling for Janine. She’s just the one woman to tame this cowboy’s wild heart. Convincing her to stay with him might be harder than catching a mischievous monkey.

After the first commercial Tanner and Janine shoot, they’re local a sensation. Customers and news crews crowd the car showroom, and Barbara Stockton, a cougar who reneged on a deal with Tanner and fired Janine shows up just when Tanner thinks he’s got things under control…

Barbara let go of Tanner’s arm, a smile curling her blood-red lips. “I want to offer her a job.”

Tanner’s stomach completed a full gainer and he blurted out, “I’m sorry, but she’s working for me through the summer.”

The beauty maven’s professionally arched brows rose. “Do you have a contract?”

“Well, it’s under revision…” Revision, hell. Tanner hadn’t even considered a contract. He’d never hired an actress before Janine. What kind of contract did actresses need?

Barbara’s fingernail scraped across Tanner’s shoulder in a long, slow slide. Her lips puffed out all sultry-like, reminding Tanner of when he’d been inside her hotel suite being sized up as the next meat course on her table. “I feel badly about firing her last weekend, and I want to make it up to her.”

Tanner stepped away from the woman, his eyes narrowing. “She’s not interested.”

“Why don’t we let her decide?” Barbara insisted.

“I promise you, Janine is not interested.” Tanner held back his anger and panic. Janine was turning out to be a gold mine, and he didn’t want anyone else staking a claim on her…talents. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m getting a late start today because I was up until 2 AM. I’m obsessing over Amazon’s ranking of Uniform Desires. Have you seen it? I took a screen shot after midnight:

So before I talk about the blog tour, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who bought the boxed collection! As always, I hoped for good sales, but this is phenomenal. All of the ladies involved in this project are very, very grateful for your support! If you’d like to help us keep the momentum going, tell a friend, write a review, post something on your Facebook page or blog—every little bit of help you can provide will make a difference.

You already know about the Uniform Desires rafflecopter contest with the huge bundle of prizes we’re all giving away, right? If not, click on the link and head that way. You don’t want to miss out on your chance to win some very cool stuff!

In addition, Book Monster Promotions has organized a blog tour for us. Again, we have prizes, a chance to read sexy excerpts, and we’ll chime in at every stop to answer your questions or comments. Don’t worry if you missed the first day’s stops, you can circle back and comment. The list of stops and their links is below the pretty picture!

Uniform Desires (Make Mine Military) Box Set Book Blast – November 11 – 24

11/11 My Secret Romance Book Reviews
https://www.mysecretromancebookreviews.com/

11/11 Recommended Romance
https://recommendedromance.com

11/11 Shayna Renee’s Spicy Reads
https://shaynareneesspicyreads.com

11/12 Swept Away By Romance
https://www.sweptawaybyromance.com/

11/13 Riverina Romantics
https://riverinaromantics.blogspot.com/

11/13 Where the Night Kind Roam
https://paranormalromancenovel.com/

11/14 Close Encounters with the Night Kind
https://closeencounterswiththenightkind.blogspot.com

11/14 Crazy Four Books
https://crazyfourbooks.blogspot.com

11/15 Book Pages and Dripping Ink
https://bookpagesanddrippingink.blogspot.com

11/16 Mythical Books
https://mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/

11/17 Snarky Mom Reads…
https://www.snarkymomreads.com

11/18 – Book Monster Reviews
https://www.bookmonsterreviews.com/

11/19 Miscellaneous Thoughts of a Bookaholic
miscellaneousthoughtsofabookaholic.blogspot.com

11/20 For the Love of Bookends
https://loveofbookends.blogspot.com/

11/21 KT Book Reviews
https://ktbookreviews.blogspot.com/

11/21 We Love Kink
https://www.welovekink.com

11/22 Book Lovin’ Mamas
https://booklovinmamas.com

11/22 Celestial Reviews
https://cecesreviews.blogspot.com

11/22 Coffee Talk Writers
https://coffeetalkwriters.com

11/23 Manga Maniac Café
www.mangamaniaccafe.com

11/24 Literal Hotties Naughty Book Reviews
https://literalhottiesnaughtybookreviews.blogspot.com/

11/24 Vampires, Werewolves, & Fairies, Oh My!
https://vampireswerewolvesfairiesohmy.blogspot.com/

Again, big sloppy kisses to all of you who bought the stories! Thanks for the exciting ride!

UPDATE: Congrats to CJ! You’ve won the free download. I’ll be in touch shortly! DD

* * * * *

Monday’s the day… Veteran’s day and the release date for Uniform Desires! I hope you’ve already pre-ordered your copy and that you’ve entered the huge rafflecopter contest! Tons of prizes will be awarded, so take an extra moment to head on over there to enter! Okay, that’s the end of my commercial.

Let’s talk about today’s flashback…

I love writing short stories—whether it’s for someone else’s anthology or my own, and sometimes, as with “Two Hot,” I like to publish them alone. Not everyone loves a shorter story, but I like writing them and reading them. They are a little slice of life, and the challenge is always to get to the point quickly, serve a satisfying little vignette, and close with a flourish. It’s not easy. I have friends who’d rather write a full-length novel than tackle a short story. Every word counts. There’s no room for a meandering tale. I use every story as an exercise in honing my precision so that when I write the longer stories, I bring that same focus to ensure I make every word and scene count.

But what does one do when they have a bunch of short stories that have appeared in various publications? I like to group them into volumes to give my readers a chance to see them. Not everyone can buy up every collection I appear in, so my Strokes volumes are my way to share them. The excerpt I’m sharing below first appeared in Cleis Press’s Suite Encounters. Then it was featured in the November 2012 issue of Penthouse! But you can read it in its entirety, along with seven other naughty bedtime tales, in Strokes, Vol. 2. Enjoy the excerpt!

I’ll post the winner of today’s contest Monday morning!

Post a comment and you’ll be entered to win a free download of this book!

From National Bestselling Author, Delilah Devlin, comes another naughty collection of seven bedtime stories—a week’s worth of nighttime reading pleasure.

Ride along with two soldiers, just returned from war, who find sweet release in “The Long Ride Home.” In “Tailgating at the Cedar Inn,” a woman has one last fling with two sexy construction workers. A cowboy kidnaps his “Runaway Bride” to get some sweet satisfaction. A woman travelling alone in Europe enjoys a hot steamy sauna in the “Textile Free” zone. In “Love in Bloom,” a florist tempts her high school crush. A naughty nooner with an office colleague ends in a “Quick Draw.” A dispatcher kicks inhibitions to the door when she seduces a younger truck driver in “Drive Me Crazy.”

Four of the stories have appeared in separate Cleis Press anthologies. Two of the stories were featured in Penthouse magazine! All the stories are featured in one sinfully hot collection…

From “Tailgating at the Cedar Inn”

I stepped out of the shower onto chipped and cracked aqua blue tiles with grout so dingy I couldn’t tell what color it had been. Not that the bathroom was dirty, thank god. Just old. Like the rest of the 60’s-built motel I’d found on the little back country road.

Standing before the sink, I toweled my hair then shook my head like a dog, not caring where the droplets landed. The mess wasn’t one I’d have to clean. For one last night, I could be irresponsible, messy, even if only in a small way.

I draped the towel over the edge of the old white tub and sauntered naked into the small room with the double bed. The air smelled of tobacco and industrial cleansers. The bedding looked clean if a little nappy from wear, but I peeled back the quilt-top and tossed it on the floor anyway. Pristine white sheets beckoned.

Just as I lay back, sighing with relief, sounds from outside the room jarred me from my happy haze. Tires squealed, masculine laughter bellowed through the thin walls, and car doors slammed.

A sigh escaped and I stared at the bared rafters above. The laughter faded. I reached across to flip off the switch to the nightstand lamp with its yellowed shade. Lying in the darkness, I willed my body to relax, one limb at a time. That day, I’d driven three hundred miles. I’d have gone another fifty for a decent hotel, but the shorter route my Garmin dictated led me through narrow two-lane roads deep in the Ozark Mountains. I doubted I’d have found anything nicer.

Maybe I should have stuck to the Interstate, but I’d wanted to shave some miles. Little did I know the route would keep my foot busy pushing on the gas pedal then the brake the whole way. Exhausted with nerves shattered, I’d seen the crooked Vacancy sign outside the Cedar Inn and made my decision on the spot, swerving into the empty gravel parking lot. Not until I’d opened the door to my tiny, musty room did I have second thoughts about my decision. But how bad could the room really be? I’d turned on the swamp cooler set into a window frame and felt my hair frizz instantly.

Not that I’d really cared. No one was around to impress. Other than the clerk at the front desk, a skinny, twenty-something redneck with puppy dog eyes, the place was deserted. At the thought, I’d shivered a little bit, double-bolted my room door and checked the lock on the window. Visions of the shower scene from Psycho didn’t put me off taking a long, lukewarm soak to wash away the road grime and sweat.

The cooler purred, spilling muggy air into the room. The sheets felt clammy. Still, I grew calm as my body warmed the sheets beneath me, then a little horny when I wondered if the room might have little peepholes for the clerk to watch me. He’d been cute, if a little skinny. I wouldn’t mind if he watched—at least not in my fantasies. Who knew how long before I felt comfortable enough, private enough to indulge in a little one-handed play when my grandmother slept in the room next to mine.

I slipped a hand between my thighs and lazily trailed my fingers through my cleft until my breath caught and heat pooled. I raised my knees and let them fall open, tilted my hips and thrust two fingers inside my pussy. I wasn’t in a hurry. I wasn’t even that eager to come. The motion soothed and excited, allowing my mind to let go of my troubles—the firing, the break-up, the move to my grandmother’s house—and focus only on the pleasure curling deep inside my core.

When the blare of a TV sounded from outside, I had third and fourth thoughts about my decision to stop here for the night. What the hell? Why had someone moved their television set outside rather than watch in the seclusion of their room where the sound would be somewhat muffled.

I gritted my teeth, swung my legs over the side of the bed and reached for shorts and a tee, slipping them over my nude body and jammed the keys in my pocket before I stomped to the door and flung it open.

Not that the two men sitting on the truck noticed me—at first. Read the rest of this entry »

Can you tell how excited we’re getting about the release of our boxed collection, Uniform Desires? Well, here I am again, pimping it out, but you really do want to pay attention. We’ve got a huge contest starting, and you don’t want to miss your chance to enter it. The list of prizes is…well, HUGE. So follow the rafflecopter link for details!

And if you haven’t already pre-ordered your copy, do it now! The price for all 6 stories is just $.99, and that won’t last long!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

WHY I LOVE REVIEWS

I learned to read before I went to kindergarten and have always loved books. When I began to write, I knew how to create a memorable story because I had read so many. Every book provides a lesson of its own.

Book clubs are great places to make friends and read books you might not have chosen on your own. I belong to three book clubs and each has it own personality and focus. One group loves mysteries and sci/fi. Another reads women’s fiction, and the third has potluck dinners and selects a lot of nonfiction. If you have never belonged to a book club, you might want to join one or form one with your friends. You’ll be surprised at the different reactions to books. Some people will love a book and call it a favorite while others find it too tedious to finish.

This month, one book club read THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green. It’s been on the bestseller list for more than a year. It’s told by 16-year-old Hazel Grace who meets 17-year-old Augustus at a cancer support group. It’s a poignant story about life, love and death, important issues at every age. There are sure to be tears when you read it, but it’s also one of the best books I’ve read this year, or ever.

Most of the book club also loved the book, but one woman who is a hospital lab technician said some of the hospital details weren’t accurate, and that spoiled the book for her. We accept everyone’s opinion without asking them to justify it, but she made me wonder what the reviews were for the book on Amazon.

As of today, there are 5,795 reviews posted with the majority being 5 stars. Those who didn’t love the book often thought the teens were not realistic, and yet there were 5 star reviews written by teens. Obviously, not everyone loves the same thing. I once dated a man who ate only vanilla ice cream. Vanilla! When there are so many delicious flavors to try, why would anyone stick with vanilla? We didn’t argue over it, however, because there is no point in arguing over tastes, but I digress.

Many authors are so sensitive they cannot bear to read a poor review of their work. Should I receive one, I study it to learn why the reader didn’t enjoy the story. Many people leave lengthy, detailed reviews to categorize every aspect they found objectionable. Some comments are simply due to taste. Others are helpful if they point out something I should have caught, or could improve in later books. Perhaps I didn’t make motivations clear enough, or show why the heroine’s attitude toward the hero changed over time. Whatever the problem was, I give it a lot of thought and hope each of my books is better than the last. Thank you to all of you who take the time to write thoughtful reviews.

Do you buy books based on the reviews? Or will you buy a favorite author’s new book even if the reviews aren’t entirely positive? What if a friend recommends a book, but it has very few positive reviews? Do you write reviews?

My latest book, FIERCE PASSION is a November 5, 2013 release from Samhain Publishing. It’s the story of Ana Santilan, an haute couture model who has lost the great love of her life, a famed matador. She finds a new love, who comes with serious complications, and a stalker who wants her all to himself. With both passion and danger, it follows the Aragon family introduced in FIERCE LOVE, and FIERCE PRIDE.

I will be happy to give an ebook copy to someone who comments, and I hope you’ll want to write a review of FIERCE PASSION.