Summer’s two winners are Marika Weber and Elizabeth H.! Congratulations, and please email Summer to let her know which ebook format you want at katerothwell@gmail.com.

That question that writers either love or hate: where do you get your ideas? I usually hate the question, only because I often don’t know any answer other “on dog walks.” But I can finally give an explanation for how a story came into being. I’m talking about Unnatural Calamities, the book that came out yesterday.

Go on, ask it. I’ll just wait here. Where did I get the ideas for that book, you ask?

I began Janey’s story as an exercise. I’d just read a fun Harlequin Presents and it had a few great tropes (if you need a definition, here’s a link to a trope site https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage but watch out, that site will suck you in and spit you out hours later.)

That Harlequin contained a millionaire, a woman living under a false identity, and a secret baby. Ha, I thought, I can do better than that using even more romance standards. I decided to pile on as many clichés as I could: twins, mistaken identity, secret baby, amnesia, men with odd first names, a kidnapping, a rich guy, a fish out of water—all the while keeping the story believable.

About two chapters in, soon after I’d introduced the “grungy bad boy with mystical powers to attract women,” I became more interested in the actual characters and their story. Toph and Janey turned into real people for me and I wanted to make sure they got a fair shake.

So I continued writing, now employing my usual method—I usually write character-driven stories and I love me some tension. But I still managed to work in the romance standards, mostly disguised as people you’d meet on the street. If you pick up a copy of Unnatural Calamities, and you’re a romance reader, you might see many familiar figures or situations—but all twisted to fit a story I grew to love.

She has a deft hand with banana flambé…and a touch that sets his body on fire.

Janey knows all too well she looks a wreck. What hard-working chef wouldn’t, operating on three hours of sleep? Stuck in a dull Connecticut town, taking care of her beloved niece, Rachel, Janey spends her days looking for a job and her nights working high-end catering gigs.

Just her luck, she runs into Mr. Perfect two days past her designated laundry day. And she’s just found out her niece is passing her off as “Mom” to avoid the embarrassment of admitting her real mother, Janey’s identical twin, is serving time.

Despite Janey’s questionable fashion sense and the juicy gossip about her checkered past, venture capitalist Christopher Dunham finds himself drawn to her spark. And warmed by her obvious affection for Rachel, so like what he feels for his own daughter.

When sexy, way-out-of-her-league Toph offers her a business loan, Janey can’t believe her long string of bad luck with bad boys has come to an end. At least, until a blast from her sister’s shady past turns up the heat on their attraction. And sets off a chain of events that could snuff out the flame just as their love starts to come to a boil…

Product Warnings: A comedy of errors, mistaken identity, poor girl meets rich guy, kidnapping at gunpoint, and hot handcuffed sex in a hotel bathtub—and that’s all before lunch.

I’d like to give away two copies of Unnatural Calamities or any other book by Summer Devon (including any m/m’s I’ve written with Bonnie Dee) winner’s choice from https://summerdevon.com.

THANK YOU!
Kate/Summer

Persistence

Persistence is a word often thrown around in publishing. If an author writes books and is persistent, she’ll get published.

Well, maybe.

Persistence has many faces. It can help a person get a promotion at work, lose weight, or even get your kids to clean their bedrooms when their junk drifts into the hallway. And if that doesn’t work, there’s always yelling!
It would be nice if getting published was as easy as making kids pick up their messes. Selling a book basically comes down to part stubbornness, part learning craft, and part finding the right story to hook an editor.

It took me seventeen years, many unsold manuscripts, and a fabulous agent to sell my little courtesan matchmaker book to Berkley. And mine wasn’t an easy road to publication. I have a file stuffed with tear-stained rejection letters to show for those unpublished years. If that isn’t persistence, I don’t know what is! But those letters also let me know I was on track as I studied craft and learned stuff like not starting a book from a horse’s POV (who knew?).

Those first letters began as “Dear Author” photo-copied form letters (with my first book) and slowly morphed (with subsequent manuscripts) into “Dear Ms. Smith, thanks but no thanks…” to “Dear Cheryl Smith, I love your voice but the story just isn’t quite what we’re looking for. Please consider me with future projects….”

I’ve been rejected by the best! But persistence kept me slogging forward when I thought a job as French-fry girl at McDonalds might be my future. Well, persistence and the overwhelming drive to write stuff. Every time I thought I’d quit writing and get a ‘real job’, a fun storyline would pop into my head and I’d be off to the races again!

So, yes, persistence is a key part of getting published. Mix that with a strong spine and the willingness to take the hard lumps with the good stuff in order to succeed. It will be worth it in the end!

If you’d like to learn more about Cheryl and her books, you can visit her at: www.cherylannsmith.com or Facebook.

Yesterday’s winner, by random number generator, is…Wendy! Congratulations, Wendy, and be sure to send me an email with your mailing address so I can get your package in the mail!

Dead and Bored?

(Posted originally in the secret Undead Weekly ezine)

Have you done it all, seen it all, and nothing moves you? Perhaps you’ve been living your excellent undead existence day in and day out for a few hundred years now and the pressure to blend in to society is getting to you.

We have exactly what you need! A luxury resort set in the remote wilds of Alaksa. It’s the deepest part of winter when we’re open, so there’s no worry about exposing yourself to any pesky sunshine.

Come, relax, bring your bonded mate or loving companions to join you. We’re a full service establishment and can cater to the needs of the living as well as meet your every dark decadent desire. Care to journey back to your time as a sultan? Or do you miss those English schoolroom days with the strict teacher and her trusty paddle?

Our theme rooms, including two wildly popular slate-tiled dungeons, will certainly call to your inner beast. Want to swim or impress your seethe-mates with your vacation tan? No worries! We’ve got an entire pool wing decorated like a tropical island and the spray tan is free.

If outside sports are more your thing we’ve got skiing, tubing, and lots of winding paths illuminated by twinkling lights. Shed your civilized mask and take a blood bath in the Roman suite, ‘stalk’ live prey from willing donors (rules apply), or visit our orgy room with some close friends you’d like to get even closer to.

We promise, your vampire vacation at the V V Inn will be like no other trip you’ve had in decades! Have a shifter lover? No problem, we don’t charge extra for shedding clean up. Prefer to dance the night away or relax in an Irish pub? We’ve got you covered.

If you’re idea of a good time is more along the lines of reading collector edition books, a game of whisk, or drinking shots of an ancient vampire’s blood from a warmed snifter, then our English gentleman’s lounge may be just the spot for you.

Rafe and I will be your hosts for the week. We’ll make sure your every fantasy comes to life right before your very eyes. Be sure to call and book soon—we’re filling up fast and our Holiday ball only has a few spots left.

Inn Proprietors: Vivian and Rafe McAndrews
1-800-Dark-Fun
The V V Inn, Deadfoot, Alaska
(please call for plane coordinates)

~~ C.J. Ellisson ~~
Guest Speaker at Vamps at Sea – a Vampire Themed Cruise to Alaska
6.23.2012
Facebook * Website * Everything Erotic * Digital Digest

I thought about what I wanted to share here at Delilah’s and the fact that she’s got a lot of cowboy loving readers hit hard. So while I could talk about ranching and what kind of day a man or woman typically has on the ranch, that can get pretty detailed. Fun, but not the part that I know I love.

The SEXY part of the cowboys. 😀

So I thought what about an excerpt from my new cowboy release? Something that’s got the working part AND the playing part, all rolled into one? A snippet for you from Rocky Mountain Heat with one of the oldest ranch/farm chores there is. Canning… (yeah, it’ll be sexy, give it a minute…)

Jaxi’s just put the canner on the stove and she’s sitting on the counter eating a peach when Blake interrupts her…

~~**~~

“You didn’t stop for dinner. Want me to warm something?”

Blake licked her neck and her collarbone. He unbuttoned her shirt. His fingers smoothed over her skin as he pushed the fabric aside to reveal her bra.

“I see what I’m looking for and it’s plenty hot already.” He slid the shirt off her shoulders to the countertop. “I like your bra, Slick, very lacy and pretty pink, but it’s a little too nice for what I have in mind.”

While he kissed, he brushed his fingers around her back, and the cool air of the kitchen flowed over her as he undid her bra. As if fascinated, he tugged off one shoulder strap at a time to let the cups fall away from her breasts.

“Blake?”

“I had something real interesting planned yesterday when we got interrupted.” Blake lugged a tall stool from the corner of the room and returned to his spot in front of her. His head lined up with her breasts, and he hummed with satisfaction.

“We’ve had that stool since I was little. Ma used it to let us get a better reach on things, and it works as good now as ever. Maybe even better since the treats are sweeter.”

He cupped a breast in each hand and lowered his head to cover the exposed surface of one with his hot mouth. Jaxi braced her arms behind her on the counter as an electric shock pulsed all the way to her womb. He alternated sides, lapping and sucking. She shut her eyes and enjoyed his intimate touch.

“Keep your eyes closed.”

Blake slid away, and somewhere nearby a drawer opened and closed. She debated peeking when drops of liquid touched her skin, rolling down the swell of her breast. Moisture trailed to the tip of her nipple and clung there, cool in the moving air blowing in the window.

She opened her eyes to see he had the peach in slices. He’d crushed one piece between his fingers, letting the juice land on her body.

“Close your eyes,” he warned.
Read the rest of this entry »

Winners of the “I’ll Change My Name to Wendy or Tammy” Contest are listed at the bottom of this post! Stay tuned for the announcement of the next contest! ~DD

Hello, Delilah fans. I can’t believe I get to be one of Delilah’s guests. Cool! I LOVE the scenery here, great covers, too. I have been writing for a long time, a very long time. While I don’t have manuscripts under my bed or in my closets, (well, a few still hide in both places), I do have novels, novellas, and short stories on blue floppy disks and now flash drives. I have romantic suspense books not yet published, women’s fiction stories and even stories with paranormal elements. While the characters and the plots are different, one thing is true of all my books. I LOVE to tease characters and my critique partners and make them beg me to let my characters actually have sex. It’s important to the romance for the sex to happen when the characters can’t wait any longer.

In The Gift I broke one of my own rules. My characters had sex before the story began.

Excerpt from THE GIFT

Deke fell asleep thinking about that night and that woman. He dreamed of her as he often did lately.

The woman against his body fit like she’d been made for him. Her soft breasts against his chest sent messages to his groin. The strawberry fragrance of her shampoo made him think about her. She was past the bloom of youth, no twenty something, but still fresh, unsophisticated. Her loneliness called to his need for the warmth of another human being. He needed her as much as she needed him and their bodies were certainly willing.

He kept his tone gentle. “Please let me look at you.”
Read the rest of this entry »

If you saw last week’s post about my sister, Myla’s new release, That Voodoo You Do, you might have guessed something is in the works with my Alluring pals. And there is. Every week until Christmas, there will be a new release from every member of the Allure Authors. Be sure to check us out!

Here’s this week’s release from the wonderful Cathryn Fox! Is this cover not the most beautiful thing you’ve seen in a while? Click on the cover to purchase!

When a mermaid saves a drowning man she unleashes a tidal wave of passion that could destroy her very world.

Ella, a mermaid from Dualii, a kingdom deep below the sea, has returned to the quaint coastal town of Crystal Cove, Nova Scotia, a place where she’d once saved a drowning boy. Except when she sees the teenager from her past, she knows he is anything but a boy. He is a man, one who taunts her body and heart in the most inexplicable ways and has her questioning her very future.

As he stands naked beneath the full moon Ella knows she must have him—before she returns home and succumbs to her arranged marriage. Despite the rules set in place for her kind, rules to protect the identity of her people, she decides a blatant seduction is in order. With her body beckoning his touch, Ella lays herself bare as everything inside her urges her to experience his personal brand of lovemaking—just once—before she wipes his mind of their encounter and returns to her underwater world forever.

Except when the heat they generate hinders her abilities to strip his memories and everything in his touch stirs her soul, Ella knows she wants to turn fantasy into long term reality. But when she finds years of research papers, she understands that not only does his study of mythical creatures threaten their future, he is the one man who can destroy her very kind.

Waves of Seduction, Excerpt

After replenishing her life force, Ella returned to the boat house to climb back into the oversized shorts and t-shirt she’d borrowed from a stranger’s clothesline earlier that morning. Even though she hated to take things that didn’t belong to her, she couldn’t very well walk around town naked.

Once dressed she made her way back to the private dock, to await the handsome man from her past. Nervousness invaded her stomach when she finally spotted him coming her way, returning to his ocean-side cottage after a long, hard swim out to sea. Her mind raced with questions while her skin prickled with uneasy anticipation.

Would he recognize her after all this time?

Steeling herself she stood back and observed him as he gripped the dock and lifted his long lean torso from the sea. Water dripped from his magnificent body and when his glistening eyes locked on hers, she sucked in a sharp breath, the pull between them every bit as powerful today as it was all those years ago. Ella watched him and waited, anxious to see how he’d react to her.

He slowly climbed to his feet and when he reached his full height, towering a good foot over her, his brow furrowed in bewilderment, clearly taken aback to find someone on his dock.

Surprise on his face, he reached for his clothes. “How…who?”

“It’s been too long,” Ella murmured under her breath as she gazed at his nakedness. It made her want to shed her own clothes, to return to her natural form.

With his hand hovering over his pants, confusion clouded his eyes and he glanced at the distant houses dotting the dark cove. “Do I know—” then suddenly, before he even completed his sentence, his head spun back to her, his clothes forgotten as awareness dawned on his face.
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The “I’ll Change My Name to Wendy or Tammy” Contest ends tomorrow!
Be sure to comment to enter! ~DD

Thanks so much for having me, Delilah!

I’m Jasmine Haynes, www.jasminehaynes.com, author of classy contemporary erotic romance and also the Max Starr series, www.jbskully.com. I also write humor as Jennifer Skully, www.jenniferskully.com. My latest novel, What Happens After Dark is the second book in my sexy DeKnight trilogy, the series continues with the characters from Past Midnight, this time giving you Bree Mason’s story, the accountant for DKG, my make-believe company. The third book in the trilogy, The Principal’s Office, will be out next February.

Bree’s is a dark story, seething with emotions, about love, sex, life, death, illness, and tragedy. Though a novelist’s stories are, by definition, make-believe, a writer can’t help but put bits and pieces from his or her own experience. That’s what makes every story unique, even when it has exactly the same subject matter. In my college creative writing class, the teacher challenged each of us to write a story using exactly the same premise and setup (basically a back of the book blurb). You would not believe how different they all were. It was amazing. So, some of the things that happen in this book were influenced by events in my life. I lost my father twenty years ago this Thanksgiving. He died of lung cancer. It was a very difficult time. This is where my experience with hospice comes from, which you’ll read about in the book. Hospice is an amazing group made up of professionals and volunteers who provide support, both physical and mental to the dying and to their families. I can’t say enough about what the people from hospice did for my mother, myself, my whole family—and especially my father—during this time in our lives. Their kindness made each day just a little more bearable. I think I’ve wanted to write a story involving hospice ever since, to show what a great organization it is. But the right novel has to come along. For me, it was Bree’s story, where she has to deal with the illness of a loved one. She relies on the love of one good man to help her through. I hope that I have done hospice justice in this tale.

Here’s a blurb on What Happens After Dark, A DeKnight Novel, Book 2.

By day she’s a mild-mannered accountant.
After dark, she’s a willing slave to his wildest fantasies.

Bree Mason longs to be a successful career woman, but secrets keep her chained to the past, afraid to take that next step. And at night, her frustrations are released by the domineering Luke Raven, who gives her what she asks for and more in a sensuous game of master and slave…

But to take control of her life, Bree will have to look within and face the demons of her past. Luke knows the ins and outs of Bree’s body, knows what makes her gasp and sigh and beg. But now he’s willing to push their relationship to the limit—to stand by her side in the light of day and take the greatest risk of all…for love.

You can find an excerpt on my blog, www.jasminehaynes.blogspot.com. I’m also doing a free read on the blog so I’ll hope you’ll want to stop by each week for a new chapter.