I’m playing at Ellora’s Cave’s chat loop all day today along with Shayla Kersten and Myla Jackson. We’ll be serving up warm, witty conversation, scintillating excerpts, and running contests with multiple drool-worthy prizes all day long! If you’re not a subscriber to EC’s loop, just send an email here: Join EC’s chat loop

Okay, so that’s the administrivia note for the day. Plenty other stuff is happening! Did I mention that I sold another Spice Brief to Harlequin? I don’t know when it will come out, but I have the contract ready to mail on Monday. Woohoo!

I met and exceeded my NaNoWriMo goal for the month of November, ending the writing challenge with 50,700 words! Okay, so non-writers are going to say, what’s the big deal? *I’m blowing raspberries at you*

The big deal is I showed fortitude, discipline and kicked ass (at least on paper) for a whole month. And it was fun—posting my progress, trying to find buddies to join me for timed writing sprints, and watching a story come together in just a month.

I cheated a wee bit. I worked on two stories—one of which I finished! That’s my yummy cowboy threesome story I mentioned yesterday. Do you want to see an excerpt?

And last, I wanted to remind you that I have a free story on my “For Readers” page. I recently uploaded chapters five and six of Knight Dreams, which continues my Immortal Knight series.

Readers at The Cave asked for a peek at the cover for Unleashing the Tiger, which will be out in March. And here it is!

Thanksgiving passed in the Devlin household without any fuss. We’re waiting until tomorrow to have our turkey feast. The red-headed hellion’s hubby had to work last night at the prison, so we decided to hold off until they both could join us. Today, I’ll be cleaning house. Mom and daughter will be cooking. They never ask me for help with that (possibly because they want to be sure no one gets poisoned!).

The quiet day gave me a chance to finish up a novella. Think cowboys rescuing a woman from a frigid creek and you’ve got the gist. Add lots of nasty sex. Some questionable postions and acrobatic moves. That about sums it up. Yum!

I have a short story to wrap up today and Sunday, and then all my goals for the month will be accomplished. Did I mention I’m at the halfway point for the fourth Dark Realm story too? I’ve had a very productive month.

December won’t be any easier. I might be posting my “to do list” a time or two to keep me motivated. I’ve been doing a lot of reading. Mostly Mesopotamian myths and witchcraft books. Trying to play with some things for future stories. Research isn’t really work though. It doesn’t add page count. And I enjoy it way too much to take it seriously. Work’s supposed to be hard, right?

On Sunday, I’ll be hosting Ellora’s Cave’s chatters loop, so be sure to pop in and say hello. I’ll be posting plenty of sexy excerpts, running scavenger hunts and generally having a really good time. ~DD

Squeeee! Okay, so I never really squeal. But I do pump the air with my fists when I’m really, really excited. So, imagine me doing that right this second.

When I found out Down in Texas would be featured in the Rhapsody Book Club, I joined so that I could receive the mailing with my book in it—and so that I could get a hardcover edition to my story. The mailing arrived today, and while I would have been content just to see it offered like most of them with a tiny little picture, it looked so much more impressive than that! I’m thrilled and hoping the attention actually translates into sales, because, man, would I ever love to write more of these books.

Take a peek at the page in December’s Rhapsody catalog:

I’m heading to Dallas today to take the 4-year-old to her daddy, so I won’t get a chance to read your comments until tomorrow. You’ve got loads of time to be creative!!

If you could have any object or place in the world completely to yourself for one day, what would you choose?

I’ll let you know my choice tomorrow! ~DD

…at Romance Junkies. Although you won’t know it unless they edit the post and add my name. The darn thing published before I had a chance to add the final two paragraphs and my signature block.

Join me if you can, and someone please say my name so everyone knows who they’re talking to!

Progress on Dark Realm-4

Progress on tentatively titled Snow Bound

I’ve had my head tucked like a turtle’s while I’ve been working this week. I haven’t read my email, have barely answered my phone. My progress listed above isn’t impressive wordcount-wise, but I’ve been doing some revisions.

Yesterday, I shipped off the copyedited manuscript for DARKNESS BURNING, the third book in the Dark Realm series. That cut into writing time too. Also, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what’s next for me and what sort of proposals I want to get out to publishers. I’m wondering if I need to switch some things up and maybe even jump genres. Not entirely, but just to experiment. Writing isn’t a linear kind of career. You can reinvent yourself again and again.

Is there anything in particular you’d like to see me doing?

And in case you haven’t already seen it, here’s the cover for DARKNESS BURNING.

This book’s been out a for a few months, but I don’t remember ever sharing an excerpt from my story in the anthology. So, I thought I’d correct that oversight today. The story is called “Viper’s Bite” and features a character from the My Immortal Knight series. Viper appeared in All Hallows Heartbreaker as a very bad dude, and then we saw an inkling of what was really going on with him in Navarro. I hope you enjoy! ~DD

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

“You know, they have a dress code here,” she murmured, eyeing his black leather jacket and T-shirt, and then letting her glance slide quickly down his legs before rising again. A faint blush tinged her pale cheeks.

Viper’s eyelids dipped. “I’m not planning on going inside. I was waiting…for someone.”

“Lucky girl,” she said softly, then shook her head again. “It’s not like I have reservations or anything, and I’m not dressed for it either. I’m not really sure why I stopped…”

His glance panned the line of people waiting patiently for their numbers to be called by the restaurant hostess who roamed outside, taking names on a clipboard. “Would you like to go somewhere else?” he said, quickly, not wanting to let her go just yet, needing to work the moment in order to build her trust.

Time stretched between them. Her gaze flitted down the row of well-lit shops, still open with people walking leisurely along the covered walkway. A soft evening mist muted the glare of the streetlamps and the sounds of the people passing them by as they stood at the bottom of the steps leading into the trendy restaurant.

“I promise I don’t bite,” he said, fighting the urgency building in his body to keep his words light and casual. “We can just take a walk. Find a cup of coffee, if you like.”

He wanted her to say yes, without any extra “persuasion” from him. Wanted her to choose him of her own free will.

A long indrawn breath lifted her chest, and she gave him a small, tentative smile. “There’s a Starbucks at the end of the strip.”

Warmth seeped into his chest. And although he knew tomorrow he’d pay a heavy price, he needed to spend tonight…with her.
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