The winner of the gift certificate is Belinda Baker! Belinda, email me to arrange delivery of your prize. Congrats!

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Today, just to entice you to keep reading, I’m offering a small gift, a $5.00 Amazon eGift certificate, to one lucky commenter. Just enough to buy a Kindle version of this book with a little something left over. *wink*

Yes, there’s spooky, creepy happenings throughout this book. Funny moments, too. But you want to know about Sam and Cait, whether they work as a couple and an investigative team. They’ve been on-again, off-again since their divorce. Their last separation was nearly a year. Sam is resistant to trusting Cait to keep it together, and she’s caused him worry and heartbreak. Cait loves Sam, but hasn’t trusted him with her secrets. The one thing that neither has control over is their overwhelming lust for each other. Take a peek inside their lives.

Here, Sam is delivering Cait to her front door after they’ve reviewed the day’s discoveries at Cait’s favorite bar. Sam’s already irritated because Cait withheld some information and insisted on meeting at O’Malley’s, even though she drank Cokes rather than her usual scotch. It’s been raining…

The Excerpt

The parking brake grated. A car door slammed behind her.

She grinned, careful to wipe her face clear of amusement as she unlocked her apartment door. Before she could push it open, a hand reached past her and shoved it wide. Another hand slid around her waist and forced her over the threshold.

Shrugging away from his hold, she pretended to resist. The door slammed behind her, and before she could face him, his wet body crowded hers against the wall of the foyer, hands gripping her wrists and gliding them upward.

“Gonna pat me down?” she gasped, wishing those hands were caressing her.

“Just shut up,” he ground out, pressing close enough she felt his rigid cock grind against her buttocks.

Anger chasing desire was a heady cocktail. Cait knew all too well that the madder Sam got, the brighter the fireworks. “This is my house,” she bit out, “and I didn’t invite you in.”

“I’m not a fucking vampire, and you left me a key,” he whispered in her ear. “Invitation enough.”

So he’d figured that out. “Maybe I just forgot it was there.”

“You’re a lot of things, but careless isn’t one of ’em.”

The low, sexy rumble of his voice was doing a number on her, rasping nerve endings, igniting her arousal like kerosene poured onto smoldering coals. “Whatcha gonna do, Detective Pierce?” she asked, letting him hear the breathless excitement in her voice.

“Not what I should, that’s for sure,” he growled.

The whispered regret stung.

Stiffening, she muttered, “I’ll make it easy for you to do the right thing. I want you to go.”

“Liar.” His hand slid between her waist and the wall, then skimmed upward to cup her breast. He squeezed, shaping its fullness with his broad palm.

Another hand glided between her legs, and fingers strummed over her clothed sex.

Cait bit her lip, trying to hold back a moan. But her body betrayed her in a very obvious way.

“You’re wet, O’Connell,” Sam drawled beside her ear.

“So, it’s been a while. Coulda happened with anybody.”

“Sorry I’m not Jason?” he whispered, pinching her nipple.

The sensual torture earned a throaty groan. Then she remembered he’d asked something. “Jason?”

“You been playing with a partner again?” Read the rest of this entry »

Thank you all so much for the great suggestions! The winner of the free pendant is Jackie! Jackie, send me your snail mail address and I’ll ship your prize!

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If you post a comment today, you’ll be entered to win an altered art pendant made by me!

I’ve been wondering what I can do for a contest to run alongside the release of Shattered Souls. Something that will entice you to stop by and check out the excerpts here, and something that will encourage you to talk the book up with your friends.

I love this book. Adore the characters. The hero and heroine are very strong individuals. The supporting cast is fun. I loved writing them all into the next story and having Cait find her witchy footing, albeit reluctantly.

So what might help you decide to read the book? Yes, I’ll share excerpts to tempt you. How about you tell me what would entice you to talk up the book and post it on your FB or website? Does anyone know how to run contests on Goodreads? What sort of prizes stimulate interest there? I’ve never spent much time there because I feel lost. I don’t know how to take advantage. I need advice! But in the meantime, meet Sam and Cait.

[Right now, you can save $7.00 on the Kindle version of Shattered Souls. Follow the link!]

The Excerpt

Hands gripped Caitlyn O’Connell’s shoulders and shook her. “Get up, dammit.”

The gruff voice was familiar. Felt right, hearing it in her bedroom—for all of two seconds. Then she pried open her eyes, wincing at the overhead light, and stared at Samuel Pierce.

Same taut expression, same hard body. Brown hair cut short, freshly shaved, and not a crease in his pale dress shirt or dark trousers. A silk tie ringed his strong neck. Strong lines bracketed his mouth, the corners turned down.

He didn’t seem particularly happy to be here. Which was sort of sad. Once upon a time, he’d sworn there was nowhere else he wanted to be more.

“How’d you get in?” she muttered. Was he aware his thumbs caressed her shoulders? She glanced down, then back up again.

Sam looked down at his hands, let go of her shoulders, and straightened. With his gaze still on hers, he raked a hand through his hair and sighed.

Now all six feet two inches of his sturdy frame loomed, bristling with ill-concealed impatience.

“Damn, Caitlyn, you still have a spare key on top of the door frame. I told you it wasn’t a good idea a long time ago. Anyone can let himself in.”

“Only person ever used it was you,” she grumbled, rubbing a hand over her eyes. “What time’s it?”

“Time to get your ass out of bed.”

“I don’t work on your schedule anymore.” She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and pulled on a scowl that would have had a lesser man backing up. “It’s eight fucking o’clock. Whatever it is can wait.”

“Sweetheart, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice.” Read the rest of this entry »

Next Tuesday, January 29th, Shattered Souls releases. For the next few days, I’ll share pages from the book and talk to you about what inspired it. I know some of you have been waiting patiently for me to write another longer novel. Well, here it is!

Will you help me?

Authors will tell you that the best advertising for a book is word of mouth. Friends telling other friends about something they’re reading or are about to read is better than any ad I could run on an online review site. If you could start the buzz, I’d appreciate it. This is a book I know in my gut is very good. My editor when she bought the book told me my heroine’s voice was unforgettable. And what started as the first book in a series I thought would move from one couple to the next, ended up being centered on Cait and her ex-husband Sam. You will fall in love with Sam. And come book two, you’ll be ready, for a brief moment in the middle of that book, to kill me. But to get there, you must start with Shattered Souls. If you’re on Facebook or Twitter, tell someone you’re going to be reading this book. Talk about it on GoodReads. Simple as that. And if you have a website and are looking for things to post, well I can hook you up!

The Inspiration

So, how did the idea come to me? One night I laid down to go to sleep. The room was dark, but there was enough light to reflect shadowy images in the mirror. I thought I saw something move. And you know that creepy feeling—the one that lifts the hairs on your arms?—I had to get up, turn on the light and check out that mirror or I’d never get to sleep. It was as I was looking into the mirror, and looking into the sides, that you think you shouldn’t be able to see, that the idea came to me for the start of this story.

I was so excited, I couldn’t sleep. In fact, I knew in an instant where the story was going to take place, and I needed a road trip. I called a friend of mine, Shayla Kersten, and told her I needed to go to Memphis the very next weekend, could she come with me?

The next weekend was Easter weekend, but she was on board and we made that trip. If you’d like to see something of what we saw that weekend, check out these links. You will see some of those places reflected in the story I wrote: Rollin’ on the Trolley, Memphis Metal, Charmin’ Memphis PD, and this photo, taken at Edgemont cemetery, most definitely was featured in the book…

Acknowledgements

I had two people in particular to thank for this book. The first was Shayla, because she was game to help me out and didn’t mind that I had her crawling up hilltops for me or embarrassing her by asking people very inappropriate questions as I researched.

And there’s Virginia Ettel, who helped me craft “mama’s poem” at the start of the book. I hate writing poetry, and I do it very badly. That’s okay when Cait’s the spellcaster, but I needed something better for that first spell-poem.

Tomorrow, I’ll share the opening of the book so you can meet my hero and heroine.

I’m still knee-deep in the Studio Art Tour, but I thought I’d introduce you to two upcoming books I think will appeal. One’s coming out in a few weeks, the other just after the new year. One’s the next in my sexy BDSM Delta Heat series. The other is the first book in a new paranormal series.

If you love what I write, it’s not too early to show your support. First, click on the cover or one of the links for Shattered Souls and go to Amazon to “Like” and click on “tags.” I don’t know the whys, but it’s supposed to help other readers find the book. Second, and this would be the biggest thing, pre-order the books. Doing it now will save you some cash, because hey, you know eventually you’re gonna want to read them both. Why not be a little budget savvy? 😉

That’s my pitch. Not too heavy-handed, was it? I love my job and hope you love what I produce. If there are things you’re dying to see more of, or even something completely off the wall, I love hearing your suggestions.

This week I have three guests coming, but on Thursday, I plan to start a new contest. Be sure to check in!

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A Perfect Trifecta — Coming November 13th

Playing with pain can put you in a world of hurt…or bliss.

Playing switch in front of a La Forge BDSM club audience was supposed to be a one-time fling. A favor for a friend. Instead, when Craig Eason realizes he’s caught the attention of an enigmatic, powerful Dom across the crowded room, he senses this could be the man he’s been looking for to test the boundaries of his own sexuality.

Firefighter Aiden Byrne is a very private man with strong S&M longings he keeps in check for everyone else’s safety. His sub, Jennifer Callum, thinks she likes it rough, but he can’t let go the way he’d like to. Until one defiant stare from the handsome cop on the La Forge stage causes Aiden’s most dangerous needs to uncoil from the deepest, darkest part of his soul.

With the blessing—and active involvement—of his sub, a seduction is set in motion that ends in a scene that shakes them all to the core…

Product Warnings: Contains a powerful, burly firefighter who plans to take everything a hot cop thinks he knows about himself and send it up in smoke. Please replace the batteries in all your smoke detectors before reading this book. Contains scenes with m/m/f, m/m, spanking, flogging, restraints, and one wild orgy of pleasure.

Pre-order the eBook

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Shattered Souls — Coming January 29th

When her mentor is brutally murdered by a supernatural force, an alcoholic former cop turns to her past lovers—her ex-partner and a powerful sorcerer—to help her hunt down a demon terrorizing Memphis.

Caitlyn O’Connell had it all: a career with the Memphis PD, a passionate marriage, and the satisfaction that her work made a difference in the world. But she also had a secret, a supernatural “gift” that cost her everything. Now she scrapes by as a private investigator, taking cases the cops won’t touch and counting down the minutes until happy hour. But when Sam Pierce, her former partner and estranged ex-husband, comes to her for help with a bizarre murder case, Cait can’t say no. And not just because Sam is still as irresistibly sexy as he was on the day they met. Something sinister—and demonic—is terrorizing Memphis, leaving a bloody trail of bodies and clues only Cait can read. Together she and Sam will venture into a dark world of magic and unholy terror, hunting a killer who will lead them to the brink of reality as they know it—and back into the thrall of their stormy past. Steamy and suspenseful, Shattered Souls is the pulse-quickening new offering from romance author Delilah Devlin.

Pre-order the paperback
Pre-order the eBook