Until you’ve lost your reputation, you never realize
what a burden it was, or what freedom really is.
~ Harper Lee

I want to be like that one day. A one-line quote in The Goddess Within mini-book. Guess I better start saying pithy, quotable things, huh?

I’m supposed to be winging my way to West Virginia today. And there’s supposed to be a guest blogger here, but she didn’t show up. So it was fate, right? I’m not supposed to be at Lora Leigh’s big party this year. Nope, instead I’m sitting in my jammies, nursing a cold. I’ve emptied two bottles of Nyquil (lovely stuff) and a box of Kleenex (the kind with the aloe because my poor nose is sore).

Yesterday, I thought since it’s so warm still outside and the pool water is still in the 80’s, what difference does it make if I’m wet? Hmmm…my ears ache now because I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t just look at the bugs and leaves the robot wasn’t sucking up. I went “pearl-diving”.

Back to that quote from the author of To Kill a Mockingbird. I flipped through my little book looking for inspiration, and that quote was the first to catch my eye. Why? It really struck home. I spent a lot of years in the military, a corporate job, a classroom—and I had to hide the wild child inside me. When I started writing, I let my inner vixen free to roam wherever. I kept my identity a state secret.

These days, I don’t care. I no longer pull a paycheck from anyone who cares what I do with the rest of my time, or what my morals are. I am free to be me. People ask what I write, and if they are old enough to send into cardiac arrest, I say, “I write very racy romances,” and give them a wink. Sorry, had to pause to clean the screen. I sneezed. The rest, I tell them I write in the very lucrative genre of erotic fiction. I don’t have a reputation left to lose—unless it’s for writing really steamy, really nasty pervy books. I’m loud and proud and out!

So, no more soapbox. Just thanks to everyone who’s bought my latest two releases. Four Sworn and Pleasing Sir are chugging along nicely as far as I can tell. I really don’t know how to get the word out any better than I do. I know this blog has a limited audience—mostly friends who’ve been with me a while. I kind of like that, but I would also like to know how to reach more people, because one of these days, I’d love to have an even bigger, badder rep. 😈

Thanks to everyone who made yesterday’s release day so perfect! And although I’ve had to cancel my trip to West Virginia for Lora Leigh’s RAW due to illness, I still have friends scheduled to take over this blog for the next few days. I might poke my head in the door occasionally, but I will be resting for the most part. Thanks again for your support and all your wonderful comments concerning Four Sworn! ~DD

Paranormal Logistics In a Semi-Normal World
by Fiona Jayde

As a writer, I love the art of world building. As a reader, I eagerly devour different worlds and customs and rules other writers create to spin their tales. I love seeing how fellow authors take common elements of vampires, werewolves, angels, witches, heaven and hell and everything in between and make it unique and sparkling. But being me, I always wonder about the logistics. Are there bathrooms in hell? Don’t people (and by people I mean angels, demons, weres of any species, witches, humans and humanoids) need to clean up after steamy love making? When weres shift, what the heck happens to their clothing and other personal items?

I’ve ran into that last problem head first when planning my paranormal series. My Bloodwolves (or Lycks) shift into fairly large wolves, and I had to make the hard decision to either somehow let them keep their clothing, or follow the rules of physics (such as they are) and make the clothes tear off. Torn clothing does leave a lot of nice possibilities for those steamy love scenes. But in reality (again—forgive the word), who wants to run around a city buck naked?

Nakedness aside, how do paranormal creatures live? Do they have money? You need at least a couple of bucks to buy a fresh bag of blood (we’re talking good vampires here—baddies will just eat and run). Do werewolves/angels/witches work? Pay rent? Buy toothpaste?

With so many excellent examples before me, I turned to the masters. Angela Knight in her Mageverse series allows her weres clothing to “meld” to their bodies– they chalk it up to magic, simple and clean and brilliant. JR Ward’s vampires have access to millions—probably because they are so old they’ve had ample time to mature their investments. Buffy the Vampire slayer got a job at a fast food joint to pay the bills. And Spike had a nice crypt—and though we never did see a bathroom, one would assume the undead don’t have need of facilities.

All these choices have significant effect on the characters and their conflicts, and overall storylines. In my case, I decided I liked torturing my characters. Which meant that they can’t just shift on a whim in plain sight because it can be embarrassing getting stuck in one’s own pant legs. With no opposable thumbs to help take those things off.

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

The first installment of a kickass paranormal series, Night Haven introduced readers to the world of vampires, bloodwolves and pulse pounding action.

Coming September 21 to Samhain Publishing

Desire cuts both ways…
Nothing gives Dina more pleasure than leaving the vampires she hunts to the mercy of the dawn. And yet most humans she is sworn to protect seem all too happy to offer up their necks. She has vowed never to be like those needy creatures yet, three months ago, she allowed a vampire to kiss her. The memory still makes her body burn—and her skin heat with humiliation.

For over twenty empty years, Luke has lived in a world of dead pleasure and burning sunrise, feeding off those who long for immortality and taboo thrills. Only his art makes him feel half-alive. Until one night in a dark, moody nightclub, where a reckless, amber-eyed bloodwolf left behind her clean, sharp scent—and an ache in his blood nothing but another taste can ease.

Finally, with the chance to purge Luke out of her system, Dina moves in for the kill. But she comes to a horrifying realization. She can no longer shift, and the desire to taste him—body, soul and blood—is making her crazy. As an enraged bloodwolf threatens to rip them both apart, she may just be crazy enough to trust Luke with her life.

Warning: Contains interspecies lust between a bloodwolf and a vampire, and desire thick enough to cut with a blade.

Read an excerpt here!

Is Boundless Love Real?

by Nikki Duncan

Boundless.

More than broad, built, or buff we want our romance novel heroes to be boundless in their desire and love. We want them to value the women they’re falling for in every way. We look for believable relationships built on respect and admiration for what makes their heroine strong as well as patience and understanding for the things which make her vulnerable.

As women in real life, we want a sexy man at our side and in our bed, but we also want those unseen strengths that drive book heroes. Dedication. Willingness to admit he’s in love with one woman. Commitment. We covet them with such conviction we’ll defend out decisions to read romance novels, and expect those qualities in real life, when others disparage our choice of genre or even us. I sure know as writers we defend it.

I wonder though how many people truly believe in the kind of relationships found in books. I’m talking the depth of belief we had in Santa when we were children. A belief strong enough to have us turn from something good that could maybe make us happy to instead wait for something great. The belief that has us asking, like Steve from The Wedding Planner, “What if what’s good really is good, but there’s something greater?”

What if?

Now, I’m not saying jump ship from a relationship because of not great moments. I’m not saying anyone should expect perfection or fireworks every day, but I do wonder if more people held out for greatness and then worked to keep it if we’d have more happily married couples. More successful marriages and families. I mean, sure, there’s nothing easy about love, marriage, or family. Nothing. We’re all a little dysfunctional, which if you ask me is what gives life color and personality.

But I still wonder.

Do you think people rush in too fast and settle for something that’s just ‘good’? Do you believe in a boundless love? Have you already found it? Or are you still looking?

Heart stopping puppy chases, childhood melodrama and the aborted hangings of innocent toys are all in a day’s work for Nikki Duncan. This athletic equestrian turned reluctant homemaker turned daring author, is drawn to the siren song of a fresh storyline.

Nikki plots murder and mayhem over breakfast, scandalous exposes at lunch and the sensual turn of phrase after dinner. Nevertheless, it is the pleasurable excitement and anticipation of unraveling her character’s motivation that drives her to write long past the witching hour.

The only anxiety and apprehension haunting this author comes from pondering the mysterious outcome of her latest twist.

To learn more about Nikki, visit her at www.NikkiDuncan.com or www.SensoryOps.com.

Nikki’s book SOUNDS TO DIE BY is available now in print and digital formats here: My Bookstore & More

SCENT OF PERSUASION is available in digital format only at this point.

I don’t know about you, but August flew by! I’m sure it feels that way because two weeks of the month were spent on my jaunt to Canada and the Pacific Northwest.

That’s the plan anyway.

So, say you saw this picture on the cover of a book…
What do you think the story is about? Have fun with it!

This will be a dismally short report card. I dithered away this last week.

Okay, so I didn’t exactly accomplish nothing. I had to finish a final round of copyedits for Ravished by a Viking, which called for me to retool chapters 13 and 14. That was more work than expected. Which meant my plans for everything else were hosed.

I only completed one chapter of the fourth Lone Star Lovers book.

What does that mean for this week? I have to work like a bitch on crank. I’ve been so good for so long about keeping ahead of deadlines that this lapse is causing me a great deal of stress. Add to the fact I have to help watch kids and dogs this next week for my daughter’s family, and I hope like hell I can get through all the work I need to or I’ll be even farther behind.

Wish me luck and health (and sanity).

And because I feel like I have to put my goals out there or I will cheat, here’s what I HAVE to complete by this time next Sunday:

* Complete through chapter 7 of LSL-4
* Complete chapter four of Bad Moon Rising
* Re-envision and restart work on Viking-2
* Publish Pleasing Sir on Kindle and Smashwords
* Get the prep work done for September’s Plotting Bootcamp with Rose’s Colored Glasses

I’m bleary-eyed this morning. Went to help dd with algebra homework last night, then had to get critiques prepared to distribute to the Rose’s Colored Glasses critiquers. Didn’t hit the pillow until 2:30 AM. Grrrr…need coffeeez. Sound zombie-ish enough?

If your life were literally flashing before your eyes, what are three moments or scenes from your past that you would expect to stand out?

My answers will be in the comments.