As I run off to the wilds of my daughter’s place (talking about the children, not the chickens) I’m poking my head in the door to share some reviews—just in case you’ve been sitting on the fence about buying these books. All three are from Fallen Angels Reviews. The first two are for the first two books of my Lone Star Lovers series.

Tough…or tender? If she plays her cards right, she won’t have to choose.

5 Angels from Fallen Angels Reviews: “…In [UNBRIDLED]…we are following the sexy machinations of Justin, and he does sexy so well, it isn’t difficult to picture him doling out love to his two subs. It’s also remarkably easy to see why they’d be eager to do his bidding. However, it is totally refreshing to watch Dani and Rowe slip the noose and insist on him obeying them for a change of pace. In forcing Justin to play their game instead of the other way around, Justin must face his own latent submissive side as his two lovers control him in a hot ménage scene…If you are seeking a intensely erotic short read, UNBRIDLED is the one for you…”

How does a man get over a cheating woman? Sweet revenge…

5 Angels from Fallen Angels Reviews: “…In this hot Texan romp, Delilah Devlin gives a sneak peek into the head of a sexy cowboy whose old fashioned values conflict with his unrelenting desire for a woman who he feels has not lived up to his ideals. We also see a woman who is willing to bend her code for a man who does not necessarily have a big enough heart to deserve her love. Watching the two try to find a middle ground is what makes UNFORGIVEN such an entertaining read.”

And if that weren’t enough to swell my head to the size of a pumpkin, here’s another…

A wicked, no-strings one-night stand turns unexpectedly complicated when three lonely hearts collide…

5 Angels and Recommended Read from Fallen Angels Reviews: “…Delilah Devlin has a scorching hot read on her hands with RAW SILK…Ms. Devlin gives her readers a sexually charged romance that will definitely lead to some steamy lovin’ of their own. RAW SILK had this reviewer burning up the sheets and begging for more. Ms. Devlin turned up the heat with her intense love scenes and memorable characters. I loved Raw Silk, and I would recommend this story to every reader…”

The winner of yesterday’s prize is at the bottom of this post!

A note frome Cerise:

Listened to a good audio book lately?

I’ve just begun and I must say, they are wonderful.

Sure, I like music on my iPod. But the treadmill at the gym can become boring listening only to music. And the new audio books—especially the shorter novels—are just the right size! One hour of delicious delights.

I am hooked.

I have found however, that I need to have good earphones that don’t let too much of the oohs and ahhhs leak out. My neighbors on the next machine look at me inquisitively—and then with a big grin.

I grin back.

Listened to any good books lately?

Tell me about them! Do you like the idea of romances on audio? Will you listen to them in the car? As you walk?

Then I will tell you that one of mine from Ellora’s Cave debuts April 15! Watch for HER THREE-WAY MERGER in audio April 10! Visit me too at Cerise DeLand.
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If you post a comment today, you’ll be in the running
for a free download of this book!

If you didn’t already know, I have another My Immortal Knight book coming in April. A prequel of sorts. Book 4, Relentless, was orginally released in August 2004.

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5 Stars from Just Erotic Romance: “RELENTLESS has suspense, intrigue, and surprises that grab your attention and never let you go until the last page.”

From Romance Reviews Today: “A wickedly funny and passionate series, fans of paranormal erotic romance will enjoy RELENTLESS tremendously. Ms Devlin has done it again!”

5 Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies: “Her realistic writing of well-packaged vampires and werewolves leaves the reader thirsting for the forbidden and a driving need to be possessed within her erotically charged worlds.”

To supercop Max Weir, the only good vampire is a dead one. Since his special police unit integrated with vampires, he’s had to suppress his natural hatred to work side-by-side with the undead to hunt down and terminate the deadliest killers. Now the unit is hot on the trail of a new menace in town, a pack of werewolves prowling for vampires, who don’t care whether humans get in their way.

When a stakeout goes awry, Max enters a bar looking for a fight or a woman to help him blow off a little steam. What he finds is a winsome siren who has sexual appetites to match his own.

Vampire Pia D’Amato is on a secret mission to take out Max — either by seduction or by turning him. He’s become a liability to the Masters’ Council setting up jurisdiction in southern Florida, and she isn’t leaving until she’s done the job. But Max is more man than she bargained for and has a deadly secret of his own.

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Max pushed through the door of the bar determined that tonight he’d either get shit-faced or fucked. Which, didn’t matter. So long as he could blow off the steam that had been gathering a head since the botched mission hours before. The bar was a regular haunt—only a block from his house. If need be, he could crawl home. The smoky air, the loud grinding music, and the smell of stale beer appealed when he had an axe to grind.

The SU had swept the area for signs of the wolves that killed the vampires before turning on the humans in a mutilating frenzy. Their bloody paw prints led beyond the house to a gravel road where they’d disappeared. The pack had made their getaway in cars. This hadn’t been a roaming band’s target of opportunity, but a takedown.

The grim faces of the vampires telegraphed their worry. He hoped they were shaking in their boots. Not that the thought of a rogue wolf pack wasn’t just as unsettling to Max.

But seeing the cocksure Quentin lose his perpetual smirk was gratifying. Dylan had been grim-faced and pale. Perhaps the bastard saw his own fate in the house.

However, Joe’s silence had been the most telling. He hadn’t looked the least bit surprised.

Max made his way through the tables ringing a small dance floor. The place was nearly empty, save for the men hovering near the bar for the night’s last drinks. The tension in his shoulders knotted tighter. All it would take would be one smart-ass comment. He hungered for an excuse to drive his fist through something.

The crowd parted, and a flash of a slim white ankle snagged his attention. Every trace of anger, bitter regret, and frustration coalesced into a single, burning need.
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I’m back from the NOLA conference! Betcha didn’t even know I was gone. It was a quick trip—Friday through Sunday. And it was just across the border to Shreveport Louisiana, a little over two hours away. I’m a member of the NOLA chapter and love to get a chance to go down there and see friends.

I traveled with Shayla Kersten, and wouldn’t you know, I didn’t get a single darn photo of the woman! We had a great trip. I drove, hence the quick driving time. She only gasped a few times. We were set to stay in the hotel where the event was hosted, but discovered they’d lost our reservation! While I boiled, reception found us a room in the hotel next door, a Hilton Homewood Suites, and they arranged a very reaonable price for the rooms. Yeah, rooms. We ended up in a two-bedroom suite with a common sitting area and kitchenette. I didn’t complain after that.

I took a few pictures, but promise to share only a few! This first is of Lori Wilde. I’ve taken classes from her before. She makes some really tough concepts so easy to understand. I won the hardcover book you see pictured here. Didn’t get her to sign it though. Don’t know why I didn’t ask. When I’m done reading it, I’ll pass it along to one of you.

Here’s Sandy Blair. I love her. Her books and listening to her speak. Very funny lady.

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I pre-posted Friday and Saturday’s blogs, figuring I’d be too busy to bother for once. And I was right. The conference in Shreveport, Louisiana, hosted by the NOLA chapter, ended last night. I’ll have pictures to share tomorrow, but I have my weekly status report to give you first. Yeah, sorry. You have to suffer through it, but keep in mind that I do this to keep things real.

The sad reality is I’m close to completing just one chapter of the big book for the entire week. I worked on nothing but the big book, so I can’t claim progress on anything else. I have excuses—good ones—but excuses won’t get the book written.

This next week doesn’t bode well either. Daughter’s hubby is going out of town, so guess who gets to come babysit babies, dogs and chickens? I have to convince the one-year-old that her playpen is a happy place and the dogs that one trip to the back yard really is enough. Good luck, me. But that doesn’t happen until Thursday, so I better write like my hair’s on fire through Wednesday.

I want to wrap up three chapters this week. Hold me to it. ~DD

I thought it might be fun to share some my favorite scenes from books I’ve written, and scenes I get a lot of mail about because readers loved them too. This particular scene is one I laughed myself silly writing. You’ll see why…

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…

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The next afternoon, Amy was on her knees sliding out the shallow plastic box from beneath the bed, eager for a little dress-up. She’d already spent the day cleaning the house. Now she wanted to do everything she could to give herself a little boost in self-confidence before her date with Logan.

She’d pulled a dress from her closet, still wrapped in plastic from the store. The short navy sheath with tiny sprigs of pale gray and pink flowers had been bought on a whim and never worn. Too short for school, and with no man around to inspire in her the courage to actually wear it in public, it had stayed at the back of her closet. But not tonight. A pair of silver sandals, also never worn, would complete the ensemble.

The choice of dress and shoes had been the easy part. She hoped what was stored in the bin would solve the rest of her problem. She pulled the black thong panties and corset from the bin, and bit her lip, wondering if the corset was too much.

It was another gift from her happily married sister whose answer to all dating woes was the right underwear.

Amy dropped her robe on the bed and slid into the panties, enjoying the thrill of the narrow strip of fabric sliding between her buttocks.

She felt naughty and a little braver when she turned in front of the mirror to assure herself her butt didn’t look like a sumo wrestler’s.

The corset wasn’t as easy to don. The slender cords cinching the waist laced up the back. Before attempting to put it on, she fed the strings through the eyelets, leaving them loose, and then shimmied the silk garment up her long legs and tugged it over her hips. That was the easy part. Reaching behind her to draw the ends of the strings up and tighten them took a contortionist’s skill, but then it wasn’t designed for a woman to put on, or remove, by herself.

The thought of Logan seeing her in this drove her to persevere. She wanted to impress him. Let him think she was less of a mouse than she really was.

The thought of what he’d done last night, how he’d kissed her, what he’d said, had left her warm and pink-cheeked all day long.
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I suspect that every writer has his or her own ritual, however elaborate or simple. Something the writer does to coax the muse out of hiding. Why do them at all? I think it’s all about creating habits.

I’ve said it before, but a professional writer can’t sit around waiting for inspiration to strike. The pro sits in front of the PC, hands on keys, and writes. Writing, for the pro, is something you practice and do often.

When I was in the corporate world, I attended every productivity seminar out there. One thing stressed over and over was the idea that habits, good or bad, are created by repetition. And it takes about 21 days of doing a particular task, over and over, to make it a habit.

Rituals are a palatable way to “set” a new habit. Maybe you decide you’re going to hit the treadmill every morning, but you hate exercise. If you know you have to do it 21 days in a row to establish the habit, you will want to turn part of that daily task into a pleasant ritual—so maybe you play the theme to Rocky to make you smile before you step onto that rubber track. Maybe you create a playlist of inspirational songs to keep your feet moving for the entire 30 minutes you set as your daily goal.

Writing needs to be a habit, reinforced with repetition and maybe flavored with a ritual to make it a little more fun.

When I decided that I wanted to create “morning pages” every day like Julia Cameron suggests in The Artist’s Way, I tried it, but couldn’t keep up with the exercises. I felt like I was “wasting” my muse on getting words onto a page that no one would ever read. I think I’m a little too German for the “fruitier” creative strategies. I took her idea of “morning pages” because I could see the benefit of opening up the tap every morning, but I decided to turn it into something more productive for me. I now blog religiously every morning. It’s the thing I crawl out of bed to do before I’m fully awake and before I’ve brushed my teeth, had that first cup of coffee, or talked to another human being.

My daily “getting-ready-to-write” ritual now includes: “morning pages” blog, cup of coffee, quick update of my To Do list, then opening my page counter spreadsheet and my WIP.

I’ve shared my ritual, now I want to hear about yours. Maybe we’ll all see something we’d like to try.