I’m trying to catch up again. Just when I think I’m there, real life kicks me in the ass again. This time, Dad’s back in the hospital. Kidney failure. We’re hoping for the best. That it’s just a temporary glitch in his recovery from triple bypass surgery.

So, let’s see where I am today.

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I finished Stone’s Embrace and shipped it to my editor (have you seen the cover?). I’m crossing my fingers that she doesn’t throw up all over my very strange little tale. If she does, I hope to be in a better place mentally to deal with it.

I’m still revising the last Dark Realm book. It’s due Wednesday, so that’s my major push for the next few days. I reach a point after I’ve written a story that I want to scream if I have to look at it one more time—and I’m there. My editor loved what she’s seen so far, but wants some tweaks. But I read through it and wonder what the hell was I thinking?

All this week I’m trying to make lists getting ready for the Romantic Times convention. I leave next Tuesday, but still have to box stuff up. I don’t know what the heck I’m going to wear, and unless I can talk Daughter into going shopping with me, I may be in blue jeans because I am sooooo not a clothes horse and would just as soon be comfy.

But I did get a hair cut. The long locks are gone. The hairdresser talked me into throwing away the straightner and letting my curls go. Ack. I don’t know me when I look in the mirror. If you wonder how I’m coping, check out the pic I took of myself: New Do

I know, I look kinda intense. 😉

I’m blogging at Selena Illyria’s Let Me Seduce You blog about menages. Check it out!

See the reflection of the lightbulb on my screen? I broke the globe on my overhead fanlight and left it like that when I saw the way the light reflects on my black screen. It’s what I see every morning when I start work.

And today, I’m waiting for that “lightbulb” moment. I’d love the next new idea (preferably something with two naked cowboys) to pop into my head. I have a slew of lovely title ideas from the creative ladies on my loop, but no story to go along with them. Where has my easy imagination flown?

Or maybe I just need to power through these revisions and be done with it. I’m so easily distracted when I’m doing something I really, really don’t wanna do. I’m such a baby. Just eat those green beans! Four of them in one great big gulp rather than mincing them into micro bits to choke them down! Blech.

Yeah, I knew you’d have to stop and read a message with that title. 😆

My webmistress and I have given my website a much needed update. If you haven’t perused the pages in a while, you’ll want to check out the “Books/Coming Soon” and “For Readers” pages in particular. If you’d like bookmarks or signed bookplates, you can take a peek at what I have there.

I’ve spent the past two days thinking about writing, preparing to write, talking about writing—but guess what? No pages!!! And this morning I have to do the bills, so you know I’m going to lollygag around with that until I’ve frittered away the whole day. Why do I hate revisions so much?

BTW—I finished Stone’s Embrace yesterday! Whew!

I opened up my email yesterday to find news that would warm any author’s heart. Just Erotic Romance reviewed both Saddled and Texas Men and loved them! They gave both stories 5 stars! Here are some snippets:

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“…I couldn’t put this story down! It was danger, betrayal, sexy and fun all rolled together into the perfect erotic romance. The plot was brilliant, and the characters unique…The sexual scenes will make you clamp your knees together and dream of a sexy cowboy or two of your own. They were hot, spicy and plentiful throughout…This is a great story, but a word of caution—don’t start it unless you have time to finish it—you won’t want to put it down.”

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Bound and Determined
“…Tara and Cody are like two peas in a pod. They are loners who have an insatiable lust which can only be sated by each other…Cody’s playful, teasing ways towards Tara ignites the chemistry between them providing readers with a sensual, erotic and romantic love scenes…I found their insecurities and fears quite realistic making it easy to relate to these characters. The secondary characters are quite funny providing Tara and Cody with either a helpful hand or just making our main characters squirm a little bit. The most memorable part of this story is the fun and games that Tara and Cody put each other through in bed. Hot, hot and hot!”

Breezy Ridin’
“…Sarah is a spoiled, mischievous, defiant trouble maker that seems to get Joe all riled up. [Joe’s] possessiveness and his need to dominate her attract Sarah and she constantly tries to defy him to get under his skin while enjoying the repercussions. Adding Logan Ross to their sensual chemistry and you get a wicked and kinky kind of sexual battle that will raise any reader’s internal temperature to boiling point…don’t forget to turn up your AC, you’ll definitely need it.”

Night Watch
“…Amy and Logan are quite the opposite in every way except for how they feel about each other. Amy is a straight-laced woman whose libido is craving to surface and Logan is the man who can unveil that side of her. Logan is a Dom who seems to be missing something in his life and Amy is the one who can fill that void. I love how he finds her quirkiness very appealing and how at times she finds the way he introduces his world to her quite bizarre, when in retrospect his purpose is to seduce her…Night Watch is an emotional and erotic story that I couldn’t put down. Ms. Devlin has definitely created three very hot stories about three intriguing females who has lassoed themselves three very hot Texas men.”

Progress on Stone’s Embrace

I’m this close to being done with this book—if I can figure out how to wrap it up. I usually have an ending in mind when I reach this point, but not this time! I hope this isn’t going to be one of those days when I write a scene, scrap a scene, and then try to rewrite it again because it sucked.

The book is decidedly strange, even for me. And I don’t understand this fascination with Hell I have. I won’t give away the story, but I will say that the Hades was so much fun to write that I might have to give him his own HEA.

What’s next? I have the fourth Dark Realm story to revise. Should take me about a week. Then, finally, I can start something shiny and new. Got any suggestions what you might like to see next?

On another note, I want to say thank you to everyone who’s sent me a note regarding Saddled. I’m thrilled my debut book with Samhain was so well-recieved. I’ve gotten more letters from readers for this book than any other in a long, long time.

Guess I should write more sexy cowboys. 😀

I’ll be talking about my current guilty pleasure (hint: he’s an American Idol contestant). Stop by and share your favorite to win.