Emily Cale

Interview with Kerrianne Coombes

2012-02-15T07:33:00.000-05:00

Wee! I've got the awesome Kerrianne Coombes here today. Pull up a chair and get ready to hear some great answers.

Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate, but I love a vanilla latte
Dogs or Cats? Uh, both. I love animals, but I have three cats, so probably if I had to choose, I'd say cats.
Coffee or Tea? Coffee

Where do you find your inspiration?

Everywhere! But mainly with other people. I love to people watch. Sitting in a cafe, and just Seeing how people interact is wonderfully interesting to me. I sit and make up little stories for them. *grins* is that strange? My mum got me on that, and I never stopped. Also music. A good song can whip up inspiration so fast in me. I love That feeling when you get inspired and a story fills your mind--nothing quite like it.

Are you a pantser or a plotter?
PANTSER. I get an idea and write down the basic plot, maybe a few lines.Then after that I just write. Sometimes the characters need wrangling so I can hit the end I want, but other than that, I just go with it.

What’s your favorite of the books you’ve written?

I love Running Home because it is a lovely story, and it is my first ever contracted book, so it is very special to me. But my favorite book that I have written is a paranormal telling of a children's fairy tale. I just love anything paranormal, so that genre is fun for me.

Who is your favorite author and why?

Oh, god! I love so many. But if I had to choose one, it would be Sherrilyn Kenyon. Her books were the first paranormal books that I ever read, and the moment I picked up her first Dark Hunter book, I was hooked! I also adore Christine Feehan, Nalini Singh and Lora Leigh--just to name a few. I am a BIG reader.

What are your hobbies (reading and writing don’t count)? Do they ever make an appearance in your stories?

As far as hobbies go, I don't know. But I like to do a lot of stuff. I love hiking, horse riding, going to the movies, socialising. I love to be busy. I always try to write about what I know. I write fiction, so I try to make some of it fact for it to be believable. Like places I have been, and sights I have seen. But mainly my brain plants the characters within a situation that I have maybe, sort of been in. In Running Home the book is set on a rural farm in the English countryside. I worked on farms with horses for a lot of my life, so a farm is an easy place for me to describe.

What is the hardest thing about writing for you?

Managing my time between my hubby, kids, house and friends. Housework always sits at the bottom of my 'to do' list. So for me, it's the need to get in front of the computer and bang out a scene, and the need to make sure I am doing the best job I can in every other part of my life. It all keeps me busy, but I would have It no other way.

Does your family know what you write?

Yep, and they are all very proud x

What exotic locale would you most like to visit?

I have always wanted to visit New Orleans, and I am actually going there in August for the Authors After Dark convention. So I am so super excited!

Oh and Kerrianne has an amazing cover for her book Running Home.

Tom Cane, Ex-military man and self professed recluse turned farmer, wants nothing more from life but the chance to wallow in his own pity. The shrapnel lodged permanently in his leg a daily reminder of his failings during his last tour of duty. On a cold, rainy, British evening fate delivers a new reason to live in the form of Joanne Sloane, the daughter of a socialite and abused wife of an up and coming businessman. Desperate and in fear of her life, she flees her home and stumbles onto Tom's land. Together their passions ignite and the need to rescue one another entangles them in a bitter fight for their lives.

Blabbing about Stuff

2012-01-30T14:54:00.000-05:00

I'm over at The Rainbow Studio talking about a not-so-inspirational setting that ended up inspiring Public Display of Affection. Stop by and see me.

*Also, I'm giving away a free copy today on Twitter. All you have to do is @ me with whether you prefer a beach or mountain vacation by 8PM Eastern. I'm @EmilyCale.

Guest Post on Plot Mamas

2012-01-24T07:35:00.000-05:00

My Public Display of Affection blog tour continues today. I've got a confession to make today over on Plot Mamas. Stop by to check it out.

Interviewed Times Two

2012-01-23T15:21:00.000-05:00

I've been interviewed today about Public Display of Affection. Twice. Please stop by to keep me company.

Why are manhole covers round and other questions I don't have a good answer to

Who would play my characters in a movie?

PDA Gets a Silver Star

2012-01-22T02:10:00.000-05:00

I wanted to put up a quick post to thank all my readers for making Public Display of Affection a category bestseller on All Romance ebooks. It bounced around in the top 5 all day yesterday, earning it a silver star and making me very happy. I even managed to catch it when it was in the top position.

Ignore all the other crap. I'm not actually very good at this stuff.

The little silver star next to my book always makes me smile a lot!

New Release: Public Display of Affection

2012-01-19T23:15:00.000-05:00

Yay! It's out! My first 1 Night Stand story, Public Display of Affection, was released today by Decadent Publishing. It's a lesbian erotic romance with a hint of exhibitionism. I'll be hopping around to a bunch of places to talk about the book, starting with a post of Babbling About Books. My post will be up at some point today, and I'll update the link when it goes live.

Okay, so now on to the important stuff:

After a heartbreaking end to her relationship with her girlfriend, Lucy Stark is looking to try something more adventurous. She turns to Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand service to help her find the perfect woman to push her boundaries and introduce her to the more daring side of a sexual encounter.

Samantha Taylor’s helped more than one woman explore her sexuality, but Lucy’s the first to really get to her. Keeping her walls up and the women she dates from getting inside is a skill she’s managed to master. After one night of unbridled passion, she has to decide whether to give up her hard exterior or let the woman of her dreams slip away.

You can read an excerpt here

Buy From:

Decadent Publishing * Amazon * All Romance Ebooks * Bookstrand

(more links to come)

Interview with Piper Trace

2012-01-17T00:01:00.002-05:00

I found Piper on Twitter one day and quickly discovered that we share an editor, a love for tiaras, and a dirty sense of humor. So I asked her to stop by to promote her latest release. Be nice. Or not. Whatever.

Hi, Emily! I’m so excited to be here! I brought my good lingerie, matching socks and bail money, so we should be all set to hit the town as soon as we’re done with this interview.

Good, because I need a few drinks to make it through this week. So tell me about your newest release?

So my newest release (my very first release!) is Fueling Her Fire, my debut erotic romance novella from Ellora’s Cave. Fueling Her Fire is about Kip, a former small-town geek, who’s now all grown up and living in Chicago as a successful lawyer. She may have moved on from that small town, but she’s never really gotten over Dylan, the handsome and popular football player who took her virginity and then broke her heart and humiliated her eight years ago.

Kip makes a last-minute decision to return to Dalton Run, her small West Virginia hometown, and spend Christmas alone in her grandmother’s mountain cabin, packing only wine, comfort food and her hot-pink vibrator. Her plan is to hole-up in the woods, reassess her love life and rediscover her sensuality alone.
But a last-minute firewood delivery brings her face-to-face again with Dylan, whom she’d cut out of her life eight years earlier, and they end up snowed in together on Christmas Eve. Neither can deny the passion that still smolders between them, but can they overcome the past and let the flames ignite?

[Aside from Piper: Dylan delivers the wood, but you’ll have to read the book to find out exactly how well Dylan delivers the wood, if you know what I mean.] ;)

I'd say it sounds great, but I've already read it and know that it is AMAZING! Fueling Her Fire is your first release, but it wasn't your first contract. Tell me about getting that first email.

Oh wow, these stories are always fun. I’m never sure if I should admit this, but since one of my defining traits is to just try to be who I am and not apologize for it, I’m going to admit it… (editor Meghan Conrad? I wrote this sentence and then clicked my heels three times but you never came. Now it’s going to live on forever on the internet in this state.) Sorry, I digress. My admission: I started writing because I was SOOO disappointed in the lack of hot vampire sex in the Twilight series! So I decided to take up a cause near and dear to my heart…more good books with lots of hot sex!! [Picture my arm raised in the air, fist clenched, a determined look on my face and some dirty thoughts in my mind.]

About eight months after I’d started writing, I signed up for a conference that had editor pitch appointments available. [It was Lori Foster’s Readers & Writers Get Together in Ohio—awesome conference!]I scored some appointments and made the conference my deadline for finishing my first book Come When Called, a light-BDSM M/M/F ménage novel. That gave me about nine months to get it ready.

From those pitches I had requests for fulls and sent those off. About two weeks after I sent the fulls I got an email from one of the publishers saying they wanted to publish Come When Called! I was sitting in a parking lot reading emails on my phone when the acceptance came through. I screamed and jumped up and down (as much as I could in the front seat of my car) and generally became…I’ll call it, extremely eff-ing exuberant. Had you seen it, you might call it…batshit crazy. But again, I digress.

The acceptance was from a really great publisher with whom I would have been extremely proud to have been published by, but it wasn’t from my “dream” publisher, Ellora’s Cave. Then about a week later I heard from Meghan Conrad (my editor) at Ellora’s Cave that she also wanted to offer me a publishing contract! I think we’d all call my reaction to that email batshit crazy.

Anyway, so contract for Come When Called signed and edits in process, I show Meghan this novella I wrote before Come When Called…a sweet small-town Christmas story with some hot sex…and after she read it, she said EC wanted it too! Since it was a holiday story, we put Come When Called on hold to get Fueling Her Fire out by Christmas. That’s how Fueling Her Fire ended up as the second book I sold but my first book released.

Shortly after these two contracts I heard from Cleis Press that my F/F short story, Born to Ride, had been accepted for a Sacchi Green-edited anthology called Girl Crazy. I began to feel like a real writer at this point. Not someone who just played one on TV.

What was your inspiration for this story? More importantly, have you ever been snowed into a cabin with a hot man?

I don’t really have a particular inspiration. A few things kinda worked together, like stew you make from whatever ingredients you have in the fridge that haven’t gone bad yet. I grew up in a small town and I know all about small town rumors and the havoc they can wreak. I’ve spent a lot of time in back-woods West Virginia. I’ve…been in a cabin before, but never snowed in with a hot hunk, unfortunately. And my mom heats her house with a wood stove. Those are all the ingredients I had in my head that hadn’t gone bad yet, I guess. So I made smut stew. I suppose I really made erotic romance stew, but that’s not as alliterative.

I actually wrote two Christmas stories at the same time—a naughty one and a nice one. Fueling Her Fire was the nice one and the naughty one is a BDSM short story inspired by Dickins’ A Christmas Carol. That one remains in my computer awaiting its proper forum, I suppose.

That was your "nice" story? I hate to think what's in your "naughty" one. Maybe next year :) You've written f/f, m/f, m/m, and m/f/m. What do you like writing best? How about reading?

Oh wow, you’re asking hard questions! You’re gonna really make me think here… I’m not sure I’ve written enough of any of it to have a true favorite yet. I guess I’d say M/F, because when the rubber meets the road (or the cock?) that’s my natural…um…inclination. But I have a soft spot for all of it, and for me the stories and the characters rule the day.

I don’t so much set out to write a particular genre, as much as the genre just comes naturally from my characters. If my character tells me she’s a lesbian, then we’re having F/F sex that day. If my character tells me he’s a bisexual man with a hankering for a little stubble scratch on his chest, and muscular hips, chances are we’re going to start writing some hot male lovin’ any page now.

I think there are so many beautiful and honest and raw ways to express love and sensuality in this world that sometimes the lines blur, if there even are lines. And that’s what is so cool, and I think brave, about the world of erotic romance. All are welcome.

For reading, again, it’s not so much the orientation of the characters as much as it’s about characters I love doing really naughty things to each other. Give me those two ingredients and I’m hooked.

I know you are in the middle of crazy awesome revisions at the moment. What is your favorite part of the editing process?

I am not a huge fan of the editing process, honestly. Not because I can’t handle criticism or someone asking me to change “my vision”, but because I’m such an OCD control freak about my writing that edits make me very nervous. It’s an unnatural process for me to look at only a portion of a book at a time, but sometimes because of the schedule of the edits, that’s all you have time to do.

I can’t tell you how OFTEN when I sit down to do edits that I start on page one and go from there. It’s a terrible habit. The only way I make progress is by how far I can get before I have to stop reading and start rewriting. Then when I’ve rewritten that new part, I go back to the beginning and start again to make sure it all flows naturally together. That’s why I take so long to write! By the time I’m finished with a book, I think I practically have all the words in it memorized.

But really the best part for me is my editor Meghan Conrad. I got so lucky to find an editor who totally gets me and is smart as a whip to boot!

Yes, Meghan is pretty awesome. If you were to give one piece of advice to your sixteen year old self, what would it be?

Don’t get that perm! And then it would be, “Don’t waste your youth with that guy!” To illustrate my point, I give you a recap of a conversation I had with my friend the other day:

Me, having a rare cigarette: “Ah, my gosh. You know how some things take you right back? Well smoking this cigarette takes me right back to high school.” (Which I later realized was odd because I smoked in college but never in high school.)

My friend: “Oh, I know what you mean! Certain things take me right back to high school too! Like a certain movie, or a song… “

Me: “Or a mediocre cock attached to a redneck…”

Oh wait, I’m guessing you meant professional advice, or advice about reaching my potential.

Okay, I would have told my sixteen year old self to follow her dreams and do what she *really* wanted to do with her life. I didn’t seriously pick up writing until I was thirty-seven and I should have done it much earlier. But I had some strange, societal, peer-pressure idea in my head that since I was a smart girl, if I didn’t go and stretch the intellectual potential I had for law school or med school or graduate school, I would be “wasting” my brains and letting myself down.

Knowing what I do now, I would have told my sixteen year old self that letting myself down is more like investing years of time and effort into something that suffocates you instead of believing in your dreams. And then I’d tell her/me that it’s NEVER a waste to do something you love, enjoy, and for which you have passion. And finally I would have told her to wear all the belly shirts she can get away with, because there would come a day when she couldn’t…um, “get away” with wearing them anymore. So max out the belly-shirt-wearing while you still can. You know—all the important stuff.

[Emily's note to Piper: NO MORE SMOKING!] Okay, last question: What are the odds of you bringing your cover model to me as a gift at Romanticon 2012?

How HOT is that guy?? But Emily, honestly, if I could give him to you as a gift, I totally WOULD. Because I’m that kind of friend. Only…by the time I gave him to you, he would be in heavily used condition. Because I’m also THAT kind of friend. ;D

Is this interview over? Now put your black lace bra on, Emily, and let’s hit the town!

Fine, but only after we tell people where to buy your book.

FUELING HER FIRE is available from Ellora's Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance ebooks, and other ebook retailers.

You can stalk Piper (like me) on her website, Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

New Year's Blog Hop Winners

2012-01-05T11:39:00.001-05:00

Carrie Ann Ryan (the organizer of this amazing hop) has already picked and emailed the winners of the two grand prizes. Congrats if you are one of those people. I had two prizes I was going to give away on my blog, so here are those winners:

Winner of Best Comment (choice of books from my backlist)

You all made picking this extremely difficult. So hard that I actually picked 2 winners. DBookWhore and Reading Mind. I'll be emailing you today to see which book you want.

Random Winner ($10 gift card to e-book seller of choice)

PattieP is the winner. I'll be emailing you today to find out where you want your money too.

You all have such amazing things going on this year! For those of you who said you want to write a book, the best advice I have is to sit down and do it. Remember that you can always edit after you get the words on the page.

Interview with Jessica Subject

2011-12-22T00:06:00.001-05:00

Today I'm thrilled to get to interview fellow Decadent Publishing author Jessica Subject. First, we need to get the important things out of the way.

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Vanilla. Actually, white chocolate is my favorite.

Dogs or Cats?

Depends on the owner. LOL I grew up with both and don’t have a preference.

Summer or Winter?

Neither. I prefer Spring and Fall.

You really are making this very difficult. Let's move on to some easier questions. Where do you find your inspiration?

In everyday life, the books I read, movies I watch, what my kids and husband does, people I see on the streets, dreams I have. Inspiration is everywhere.

If a reader was going to pick one of your stories to start with, which one should they read and why?

Celestial Seduction was my first story published, but Beneath the Starry Sky is in many ways the prequel to CS. So, I would say read Tamara and Josh’s story, Beneath the Starry Sky, then find out what happens after in Celestial Seduction.

Do you have a pet peeve when you are reading another author’s work?

I don’t have a pet peeve per say, but after I’ve been editing, I pick out things that my editor had called me on, such as repetition, head-hopping, and more. If it’s a really good story, I can get past that. If not, I usually close the book and move on.

I do the same thing. Recently quit reading a book because the author kept doing something I'd just fixed in my own book. Are you a pantser or a plotter?

For a day to a week, I toss around story ideas and jot notes, but even if I do have the plot planned out in point form notes, it always changes. When it comes to my writing, I’m not meticulous that way.

What makes this book special?

Beneath the Starry Sky is the story of Tamara Johnston. She has Alopecia Areata, an autoimmune skin disease which causes bald patches to a complete loss of hair. Believing not man would want a bald woman, she purchases a high-quality wig and arranges a one-night stand through Madame Evangeline’s exclusive 1Night Stand dating service. I hoped to bring awareness to this common disease through my story.
To learn more about Alopecia Areata and to help find a cure, visit the National Alopecia Areata Foundation and the Canadian Alopecia Areata Foundation.

What’s your favorite of the books you’ve written?

That would be All Grown Up, the second book in my Mark of the Stars series. I’m rewriting it right now, actually. This was the first story I created in my head, although the first book in the series was written first. I love the characters and the setting, and this story fostered my love of writing.

Who is your favorite author and why?

Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb. I absolutely love the In Death series, which combines Science Fiction Romance with mystery and suspense.

What is the hardest thing about writing for you?

Finding time. When the ideas start to flow, I always seem to be interrupted with other obligations.

Does your family know what you write?

Yes, well most of them anyway. LOL My husband is very supportive and reads most of what I write. My daughter knows the genre I write and that she can’t read my stories until she’s much older. My son just recognizes my covers, pointing to them saying, “Mommy’s book.”

That is so cute! Did you want to be an author as a kid? If not, what did you want to be?

I wanted to be so many things growing up, and even in university, I still hadn’t decided. Looking back though, I always was writing something, whether it was pretend lesson plans when playing school, or newsletters for my youth group , or the pet supply store I used to work at. If only I’d paid attention earlier. LOL

Thanks so much for having me here today, Emily!

Thanks for stopping by Jessica! Okay, on to the really good stuff. How about the cover and blurb?

Beneath the Starry Sky

Left at the altar with bald patches on her head and her self-confidence stripped away, Tamara Johnson must pick up the pieces of her life and face her Alopecia Areata, the autoimmune disease causing her hair to fall out. She is convinced no man will date a bald woman and arranges a one-night stand through Madame Evangeline’s popular service, 1Night Stand. With her new wig held firmly in place, Tamara arrives at the Castillo Hotel in Las Vegas for a night of passion and pleasure. Anything more than one night would mean exposing her bald head, and she will never do that to any man again.

Running into the Castillo Hotel, away from the paparazzi constantly at his heels, Josh Summers wants to spend his next few days locked away from the flashing lights and screaming fans. When he finds an incredibly sexy woman lying on his hotel room bed in nothing but lingerie, he thinks management has made a mistake. Leaving her behind, he heads for the lobby to get the situation rectified. But an unexpected text from Madame Evangeline sends him back to his room. Though unsure whether the woman on the bed is really his perfect match or just another fan believing him to be like his character on television, he knows he must find out, even if it means he must risk telling her his own secrets. If Tamara can handle his imperfections, she just might be his ideal woman.

Available from:
Decadent Publishing
Amazon
All Romance ebooks

***Giveaway***

I will randomly draw a name from those leave a comment to WIN a $5 Amazon gift certificate. Please leave your email address in the body of your comment so that I may contact you if you win. Contest will run until December 23rd.

Saucy Women: Guest Post Lacey Wolfe

2011-12-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today, I'd like to welcome Lacey Wolfe to my blog to talk about her new release, Fool Me Once.

I like to think that my heroines are a bit on the saucy side. They can take care of themselves and they don’t need a man, but they want a man. My heroines can hold their own and they aren’t taking crap from anyone. Take Amber from my debut novella, Amber’s Muse for example. In the end when she learns Jax has lied to her, she lets him know just how she feels and she doesn’t hold back. Well, Skylar from Fool Me Once is no exception. And she was a blast to write.

Drew the hero of the story is trying to win Skylar back after leaving her in an empty hotel room and never called. Skylar is a feisty red-head with the mouth of a sailor. She doesn’t hold her tongue and more times than one does she let Drew know just how she feels, even though she keeps finding herself in awkward situations and having feelings stir that she wish wouldn’t.

While I wrote Skylar I found myself being a bit sassier. I had to step away and remind myself I was Lacey, not Skylar and my mouth is much more tame.

The second novella in my Hot Bods series will be Amy’s story and its set to release in early 2012. Amy who you meet in Fool Me Once is Skylar’s best friend but has a much tamer mouth. But she still is no damsel in distress. She is controlling her life and she lets her man know that he is welcome to tag along, but he needs to figure things out.

I really enjoy writing this type of woman and seeing them fall for the man. I hope that you enjoy reading my heroines stories.

To learn more about me, visit me on my website www.laceywolfe.com
www.twitter.com/LaceyWolfe
www.facebook.com/AuthorLaceyWolfe

Fool Me Once

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…

Drew is the last person Skylar wanted to see across from her at a local bar. A month ago he'd wined and dined her all weekend, leaving her feeling fully in love, but then she awoke alone in an empty hotel room and she hadn't heard from him since.

The weekend Drew spent with Skylar was phenomenal. There had never been anyone who made him feel as complete as she did. He shouldn't have disappeared, he should have called, but his feelings for her scared him, so he distanced himself. But when he saw her again, he knew he couldn't stay away any longer.

Skylar's determined not to give Drew another chance to hurt her, but he's just as determined to win her back. Although it won't be easy, he's up to the challenge, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goal.

Of Fairy Tales and Romance Males by Sandra Sookoo

2011-12-19T01:00:00.000-05:00

Today, I'd like to welcome the amazing Sandra Sookoo to my blog to talk about one of her new releases. Stay tuned because she's giving stuff away.

Well, if you’ve spent any time with me on Facebook or Twitter, you know I’m currently enamored of writing reworked fairy tales.

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been in love with fairy tales. I can’t help it. Who wouldn’t like reading about a down on her luck princess who’s suddenly rescued by a dashing prince who owns property and has vast amounts of wealth? Of course, the both fall madly in love with each other just by locking eyes.

Snort. Eye roll. Children, though oftentimes immersed in magic, just don’t have any common sense.

Yeah, then reality set in big time and my tastes in reading material went to the other extreme of heroines rescuing themselves and only taking on a man if they wanted to. In my early to mid-twenties I was a big believer that fairy tales rotted young girls’ minds and made them wish for a reality that would never happen, and that if girls and women wanted their happy ending, they’d need to go after it themselves.

Eye roll number two. Ah, the young and stupid stage of adulthood. Guess that common sense didn’t come to maturity just yet.

Now, I enjoy a mix of the two viewpoints. While it’s doubtful women in this day and age will ever be “rescued” from their lives by a prince or even a guy with vast amounts of money and properties, it’s also doubtful a gal will go about kicking bad guys’ butts and taking names all while having their guy in tow.

It might. Truth is stranger than fiction.

But, the lure of the fairy tale is alive and well in my little writer’s heart. It’s the “what if” about such stories, it’s the magic inherent in these tales that makes my pulse beat a little faster and my skin prickle with possibilities.

Of course, when writing modern day fairy tales, I have to put my own little spin on things. You know you’d be disappointed if I didn’t.

This year, I’ve done a total of three reworked fairy tales. Wishful Thinking is my take on Rumpelstiltskin, except instead of a wizened old man, my man is a sexy genie-like being, with a slight English accent who smells like Middle Eastern spices. That’s because in romance, males need to be sexy and larger than life. Besides, what’s a fairy tale without a bit of a fantasy element? What’s more, he helps the heroine Jovie through a tough time in her life, makes it possible for her to believe in herself and gain confidence, and oh, there’s a little matter of a curse being broken.

Here’s the blurb:

Believing may be seeing but confidence can change impossible situations.

Plus-sized Jovie Andrews is constantly passed over for promotions and she feels invisible. Things only get worse when her boss, thinking he can impress the owner of their company, tells everyone that she can change old contracts into gold bars. If Jovie thought her life was bad before, she had no idea how horrible it could be until she finds herself in a room with stacks of outdated contracts she's expected to miraculously transform.

As she pours a cup of tea, she rubs at a stain on the creamer pot, and a magical being, Rand, appears, saying he’ll help her with her troubles--for a price each time. Skeptical yet curious about the exotically sexy man, she agrees, but she’s not prepared for the erotic things he does to her as reward. Over the course of her trials, he teaches her how worthy of good things she really is.

Once the tasks are completed, and freed of Rand's help, Jovie is given an ultimatum: find out his full name or exchange her life for Rand’s; otherwise, he’ll be lost for all eternity and she'll be trapped in the prison he came from.

Quickie excerpt:

“Poor lost lamb.” His hand slipped from her cheek to the back of her neck and he brought her close to his Hollywood-hero body. “Consider me your magical genie, a fairy godfather, a guardian angel, if you will, except there’s really nothing angelic about me, which is probably why I’ve been cursed.”

“What does that mean?” She blinked, staring up into his six-foot height and feeling small and vulnerable even in her heels. “This can’t be real.” Women like her could never land guys like him. Didn't the fashion mags and popular TV shows drill that into the public time and again?

“Then let me convince you.” He snaked his free hand around her waist to press against the small of her back and lowered his mouth to hers.

Tingling sensations flitted through Jovie’s body in little teasing, buzzing jolts. She felt more alive than she did from the burst of caffeine in her tea. She attempted to pull out of his embrace, but he tightened his arms about her, unmovable as steel.

He lifted his head. “Relax, little one, and let me set your mind at ease. I will change your many papers into gold bars and give you leads for new clients besides. After that, you’ll know the same freedom as I do, at least for a time.” His breath warmed her cheeks, his fingers strong as he held her. "Of course, freedom never comes without a price. Are you willing to pay it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Did she suddenly have a stroke and now lived in a fantasy world?

His gaze intensified. "It's extremely important you agree to all consequences before we start. If you do not, I have no choice but to return to the creamer container."

"I don't know what the rules are for your game."

With his shrug, his gaze morphed into over-the-top sexy again. "Does it matter?"

"No, I guess not." Especially if she were dreaming. "I accept." Wondering if she really had lost her grip on the real world yet desperate for help and understanding, she said, “Okay. What now?”

"I seal the contract with a kiss."

"Oh." With a trembling sigh, she nodded slightly. A soft moan escaped her throat when he kissed her again, this time with more urgency.

She buried her fingers in his silky hair, smelled his earthy, sun-warmed sand scent, and forgot about the tension. Softly teasing, his lips feathered over hers, tickling, nibbling, tasting faintly of the spices she caught in the blue smoke. When she invited him inside, his tongue slid along hers in a rush of heated silk. He searched out all of her secrets and demanded more than she knew she had.

A low-grade fever began in her brain and shoved outward through her veins. She pushed herself closer to the hard wall of his body, felt her soft curves meet with the unyielding strength of his chest, but he set her aside before she could become more intimately acquainted.

By links:

Publisher

Amazon

All Romance e-books

Hooked yet? Get thee to a retailer outlet now!

What’s next for me in the realm of fairy tales? Coming in 2012 you can expect to see a mash-up of Beauty and the Beast/Ugly Duckling set in a sci-fi world with Fractured. You’ll also see a paranormal variation of Red Riding Hood in Come Hither. At the moment, I’m working on yet another one, but that’s under wraps right now.

Want to know where to find me and connect?

Website
Believing is Seeing blog
Twitter:
Facebook:

***Giveaway information: On this post only, I’m giving away book swag plus a tin of gourmet tea plus two individually-sealed packages of tea cookies (imported don’t you know?) I thought it was appropriate since hero Rand came into existence through an item on a tea tray. Please leave your contact information. US residents only. If an international guest is randomly chosen, they’ll win a PDF download of a backlisted book.***

Holiday Blog Hop

2011-12-08T21:35:00.001-05:00

Thanks for stopping by. If you're just finding this, got lost, or are generally confused, I suggest you start here.

Now that we have that taken care of. I thought I might mention a few things that make me excited for the holiday season.

Putting up the Christmas tree so the cat can destroy it.

Braving the snow, airports, and highways to go home.

And, of course, wrapping presents (which I have totally already bought).

Um...I might be keeping that one. For the rest of you, I got this:

Hope you aren't too disappointed.

What are you looking forward to? Tell me and you can pick an ebook from my backlist.

Oh, and don't forget to continue through the hop. Someone is going to win a kindle fire, it could be you.

Partying at Goddess Fish

2011-12-04T10:35:00.001-05:00

I'm over at the Goddess Fish Party Pavillion today celebrating the release of Honeymoon Suite. Please stop by for your chance to win one of many prizes:

Post 1: Welcome and Blurb
Post 2: Excerpt 1
Post 3: Finding Inspiration
Post 4: Excerpt 2

Honeymoon Suite

Laurie had practically given up on finding someone who was willing to save sex for marriage. Then she found Matt, an amazingly wonderful and sexy man who was willing to wait until after they said “I do.” Now that the ceremony and reception have finally ended, she can’t wait to get him up to their hotel room, hang up the “Do Not Disturb” sign and spend the night acting out all the dirty fantasies that have filled her head since their engagement.

Matt can’t think of anything he wants more than to please his new wife. She’s always been shy and private, but on their wedding night, she turns into an irresistible vixen. Nothing would make him happier than spending the entire night exploring every curve of her luscious body.

The two newlyweds are finally alone together and the whole evening lies ahead. Laces and buttons come undone…and Matt and Laurie discover some things are most definitely worth waiting for.

*Honeymoon Suite is available on Amazon now too!*

Interview with Carrie Ann Ryan

2011-12-01T00:30:00.000-05:00

Today, Carrie Ann Ryan and I have traded blogs. So, read her interview, then pop over to her blog to hear about my bad experience with weddings.

Thanks for being here today, Carrie! First, I have some very serious questions for you.

Chocolate or Vanilla?
Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate everything else! Yum!

Dogs or Cats?
I have two cats, but I’m normally a dog person. But I love them both.

Coffee or Tea?
Coffee in the morning, decaf tea with honey and milk before bed on a cold night.

I love tear with milk and honey. Okay, so why don't you tell us a little bit about your writing.

Where do you find your inspiration?
I find my inspiration in what I want to see in a book. I’ve read over 5000 books in two years, and sometimes I want things in the plot to turn out differently. So, as I’m walking the mile to work, or in the grocery store, a plot bunny will come out of nowhere and I need to write it down. Everything around me inspires me, honestly.

If a reader was going to pick one of your stories to start with, which one should they read and why?
Since An Alpha’s Path is my first book – I would start with that one! :-) However, it is the start of a seven book series that I feel should be read in order. The overall plot line will continue on, even though the main characters may change.

Are you a pantser or a plotter?
I’m definitely a plotter. I have outlines of the book I am working on. I also have a family tree of which character will end up with which. I also have key plot points that must happen in books I haven’t outlined yet. I’m slightly OCD! :-) However, when I’m writing and it takes me someplace I didn’t know, I don’t mind changing things around if I need to.

I'm not sure we can still be friends. Outlining makes me write slower. What would your main character say about you?
Well, I sat down and asked them, and this is what they said.

Melanie: Carrie Ann? Well, she’s kinda like me. Okay, a lot like me. Seriously, Carrie Ann, why is that?

Kade: Well, I think she is intelligent, and very pretty.

*Mel elbows Kade*

Kade: Ouch! What was that for?

*Mel glares*

Kade: You said she was just like you! I was just agreeing with you.

Mel: Okay then.

Carrie Ann: Do you see what I deal with everyday?

What makes this book special?
Kade is an Alpha hero, make no mistake. But his actions just may surprise you. And Mel is analytical, but not cold. That’s why I fell for them.

What’s your favorite of the books you’ve written?
I’ve written seven contemporary stories, yet An Alpha’s Path is one of my favorites. However, my current WIP, Book 2 of the Redwood series, A Taste for a Mate, is slowly creeping up on me to be my favorite.

Who is your favorite author and why?
That is a hard one! I can tell you that the first one who came to mind was Lynsay Sands. I can read anything of hers and not be disappointed. However, I have over 50 authors on my auto buy list so it’s like picking your favorite child! (I know I have a book problem, but I refuse to seek recovery. Books are amazing!)

What are your hobbies (reading and writing don’t count)?
Do they ever make an appearance in your stories? I’m a chemist, and I love teaching. But cooking makes me happy too. You will definitely see some good eats in some of my books. Don’t worry!

What is the hardest thing about writing for you?
Time. I work full time and have MS, so I sometimes don’t have enough time to write. Also, since I’m a chemist, switching from passive to active daily is a trial.

Does your family know what you write?
Yes they do. Will I let them read what I write? That’s a different question LOL! I mean, they are welcome to read most of it, certain *ahem* scenes, shouldn’t be read by my dad!

Thanks for answering all my questions. An Alpha's Path ~~comes out on December 5th~~ is out NOW! Be sure to look for it on Amazon.

An Alpha’s Path – Book 1 of the Redwood Pack Series

Melanie is a twenty-five year old chemist who has spent all of her adult life slaving at school. With her PhD in hand, she's to start her dream job, but before she does, her friend persuades her to relax and try to live again. A blind date set up through her friends seems like the perfect solution. Melanie can take one night away from the lab and let her inner vixen out on a fixed blind date - a chance to get crazy with a perfect stranger. The gorgeous hunk she's to meet exceeds her wildest dreams – be he is more than what he appears and Melanie's analytical mind goes into overdrive.

Kade, a slightly older werewolf (at over one hundred years), needs a night way from the Pack. Too many responsibilities and one near miss with a potential mate made Kade hide in his work, the only peace he can find. His brother convinces him to meet the sexy woman for a one night of fun. What could it hurt? But when he finds this woman could be his mate, can he convince her to leave her orderly, sane world and be with him and his wolf-half, for life?

Carrie Ann Ryan is a paranormal and contemporary romance author. Her first book, An Alpha's Path, will be released soon. She's also an avid reader and lover of romance and fiction novels. She love meeting new authors and new worlds. Any recommendations you have are appreciated. Carrie Ann lives in New England with her husband and two kittens.

Carrie Ann loves hearing from readers. You can find her at:

Website and Blog

Facebook Author Page

Facebook Friend

Twitter: @CarrieAnnRyan

Okay, now leave Carrie a nice little message then pop on over to her place to hear from me.

Honeymoon Suite Releases!

2011-11-30T04:00:00.000-05:00

Do you know what today is? Do you? My first Ellora's Cave release is out today!

Honeymoon Suite

Laurie had practically given up on finding someone who was willing to save sex for marriage. Then she found Matt, an amazingly wonderful and sexy man who was willing to wait until after they said “I do.” Now that the ceremony and reception have finally ended, she can’t wait to get him up to their hotel room, hang up the “Do Not Disturb” sign, and spend the night acting out all the dirty fantasies that have filled her head since their engagement.

Matt can’t think of anything he wants more than to please his new wife. She’s always been shy and private, but on their wedding night, she turns into an irresistible vixen. Nothing would make him happier than spending the entire night exploring every curve of her luscious body.

The two newlyweds are finally alone together and the whole evening lies ahead. Laces and buttons will come undone, and Matt and Laurie will find out if their wedding night will be everything that they’ve been waiting for.

Available now from Ellora's Cave. More links to come when it up at 3rd party sellers.

**Note: The Ellora's Cave website was down overnight for maintenance. It is supposed to be back up by 8AM, but you never know with this sort of thing**

Interviewed by Lacey Wolfe

2011-11-29T10:55:00.001-05:00

Today I'm over on Lacey Wolfe's blog where she's interviewed me about Honeymoon Suite (which releases tomorrow!). Please stop by and keep me company.

Interview: Mahalia Levey

2011-11-28T00:22:00.000-05:00

Today I'm thrilled to have fellow Decadent Publishing author Mahalia Levey on my blog. Before we dig into the good stuff, we have some important issues to get out of the way.

Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate but I can’t eat it anymore :(

Dogs or Cats?
Dogs we dog sit Benny all the time!

Coffee or Tea?
Decaf Coffee with Cinnabun Creamer

Summer or Winter?
Winter. I love snow and how it looks hanging from trees, houses and on landscapes.

Chess or Checkers?
Chess. I’m not good at playing but I like to try to beat my son who lets me win sometimes. :)

Decaf coffee?! I'm not sure we can be friends. You better have some good answers to the rest of these questions.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Everywhere. I love to observe people out in public. Parks, restaurants, bus stops and at the mall. Billboards, funny gas station names or museums. Bushwackers is a museum in Elk Missouri they have a ton of Kum-n-Go gas stations. There are so many more examples but those two stick out most.

If a reader was going to pick one of your stories to start with, which one should they read and why?

Burn Me if You Can is a great story to read. It’s short and the message is …you never know what life will hand you…so embrace the unknown or a different way of things. You might be surprised at what life throws at you!

Do you have a pet peeve when you are reading another author’s work?

No. I don’t read to dissect. I read to enjoy, either I’ll like it or I won’t.

Are you a pantser or a plotter?

I am a planslotter. A bit of both. I generally see it in my head. The beginning, middle and end.

What’s your favorite of the books you’ve written?

Not Since You is my favorite story…because my very first heroine that never made it to publication finally got her happy ending!

Who is your favorite author and why?

I have so many favorite authors. The number one on my keeper shelf is Sherrilyn Kenyon. I love all of her series. The Darkhunters are my favorite and I love me some Acheron. She is a powerhouse of talent!

What are your hobbies (reading and writing don’t count)? Do they ever make an appearance in your stories?

I canoe every summer with friends, play bunko, go clubbing once a month, I’m a merch girl for my friends Rock Band. Sometimes my hobbies will show up :)

If you could choose any other profession, what would you be?

I have been a Respiratory Therapist, a Stripper, Admin Assistant, Navy Seaman, Laundress and now a Author. I enjoy the different things life has thrown my way!

Now for the really good stuff:

The Price of Defiance

AmericaPatterson loves living on the edge. Car model by day, illegal street racer bynight, she’s known as the best. Except underneath her flawless façade lies ayoung woman filled with turmoil. When her hobby lands her in hot water, shefinds herself handcuffed and bailed out by the one person who’d abandoned her….

MMAFighter Alejandro Escovedo is summoned home after a tournament that had lefthim sore and questioning his career. Expecting a nice welcome home, he insteadfinds himself rescuing his best friend’s sister out of jail. This time he’s hadenough.

Theirexplosive past gives him all the rights where America is concerned, and he ismore than ready to take her on. By ending her daredevil ways and finding thetrigger to her self-destructive behavior, will he convince her he’s back tostay or drive her further away?

That is one HOT cover! You can ~~stalk~~ find Mahalia around the web on her website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Don't forget, the Between Days Blog Hop is still going on. Check out all the other great participating authors.

Six Sentence Sunday 27 November 2011

2011-11-27T01:07:00.001-05:00

I've got 6 more sentences from my short story Dessert First this week. Alexis and Morgan have just met.

“You’re Mrs. Arnette?” He cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m her daughter.” Alexis bent over and began collecting the fallen strawberries. “Who are you?”

“Morgan Crane, the caterer.”

Visit the main site to see all the other fabulous authors participating.

Six Sentence Sunday- 20 November 2011

2011-11-20T00:36:00.001-05:00

Thanks for stopping by. With the holidays coming up, I'm sure a lot of us can use a reminder why our families aren't so bad. Today my six come from my short story Dessert First (which is on sale right now).

“It’s still early. I’m sure you’ll find some way to embarrass me.” Her mother glanced down to Alexis's dress, then back up at her eyes. “More than you already have.”

Alexis ran her hand over the ribbon around the her waist of the dress. After tonight, the outfit would be condemned to the back of the closet with the rest of the clothes she’d bought for her mother’s parties.

Stop by and visit all the other participating authors. Seriously, they rock!

Sick Time and a Contest

2011-11-17T13:53:00.001-05:00

Where have I been? I wish I could say that I've been traveling through the wilds of South America or spending my days meeting celebrities, but that isn't the case. I've really been trying to recover from some crazy bug I managed to pick up. Now that I've managed to pull myself off the bathroom floor and remain awake and sitting for more than four hours, I thought it might be nice to offer up something for those of you who aren't dying.

That said, I'll send one commenter today a Decadent Publishing book of their choice (you can even pick one of tomorrow's new releases) to help them pass the time for the upcoming holidays. To win, leave a comment on this post with the book you would want if you won and why. I'll pick a winner Friday at 8PM EST.

Oh, and don't forget that it is still Between Days time. Go visit the rest of the great participating authors. I'll be here when you get back (if I don't fall asleep).

Things you find in the basement

2011-11-14T09:15:00.001-05:00

The offical Decadent Publishing Between Days Post of the Day is up on Jenna Jaxon's Blog.

We've been renovating our new home for a few month and this weekend my husband and his friends decided to rip apart the basement so that it can be redone and finished. Let's just say the old owners weren't as handy as they thought they were and nothing down there is done right. Aside from the billion code violations, fire hazards, and generally confusing things found, there were also some funny things underneath the drywall.

An old beer can

A dead mouse in the wall that had clearly been there for many years (I got a cute picture instead)

Dinosaur coloring pages

Also found in the basement was animal poop. Not rat or mouse or other things you would expect to live in the basement, but probably dog. We don't own a dog. We own a cat that has never set food down there in the 6 months we've been living there. ( I did not find a picture of poop for you, sorry).

Yeah, so anyone else find strange things in their walls?

Also, don't forget it is still Between Days time for Decadent Publishing Authors. Please hop on over to these other awesome authors.

Six Sentence Sunday-- 13 November 2011

2011-11-13T08:49:00.001-05:00

My Six Sentence Sunday this week is a continuation from last week in my WIP, currently titled Snowbound.

Standing in the doorway was only going to work for so long. He either needed to sit or leave. Neither of those options was particularly appealing at the moment.

"Look, if you're going to stay here tonight, maybe it would be nice if we could at least pretend we like each other."

"I always liked you, Seth."

You just didn't love me.

Please stop by and visit the main Six Sentence Sunday site where you can find links to all the participants.

Six Sentence Sunday-- 6 November 2011

2011-11-06T01:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday! It's Six Sentence Sunday time. My six comes from my NaNoWriMo project which is currently untitled (seems to be a trend for me). Amber has been stranded in a blizzard and had the misfortune of showing up on her ex's (Seth's) doorstep to beg for help.

"I hear the little bed andbreakfast up on Maple Avenue is a great place."
"You really think this was my firstchoice? Between the holidays and the weather every place in town is completelybooked."
"Sounds like a rough problem. Besure to let me know how it turns out." He turned and headed toward theliving room.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please visit all the other great posts listed here.

Decadent Publishing: In Between Days Blog Hop- Day 1

2011-11-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

It seems like the minute school starts, the holidays roll around and keep coming at us until the new year. You've got Halloween (last week), closely followed by Thanksgiving (in the US), Hanukkah/Christmas and finally New Years. That's a lot of partying, decorations, and eating all rolled into one if you ask me.

But right now we are in the "In Between" holiday phase, so why not have a blog hop? That's exactly what some of the Decadent Publishing authors are doing. Thanks to the Marvelous Liz Crowe, we are organized and ready to party from now to December 1st. Got your party hats on? Good. Today, you should pop over to our Fearless Leader's blog and check out her post (did you know she has 3 releases in the 1NS series this month? YIKES!). When you finish with that, check out all the blogs from the other participating authors (links below). I'll be here every day talking about something, so stop by, then follow the links to the other sites. Ready? Set. Go!!!!

Writing is Hard

2011-10-24T08:01:00.000-04:00

I'm getting ready to reveal some news this week, but it's not ready quite yet. In the meantime, I thought I'd post on some stuff that is driving me crazy right now.

My WIP. I'm at about the point in writing the first draft where it just feels...hard. Yes, I know writing is always hard. It always hurts and I'm always banging my head against the keyboard until I bleed. At the halfway point in a first draft though, if often find that I'm at a point where the rest feels impossible.

I have too much description and not enough dialogue. The characters talk a lot, but never move. I'm giving stuff away too early. There isn't enough of the hero's POV. All things that are fixable, but I don't feel like I can do it.

It's at this point that I struggle not to simply walk away. It'd be so easy to start on one of the new ideas circling in my head. They feel simple and easy. I know I could crank out a thousand words in no time and the whole thing would feel easy.

I have to remind myself that it's always like this. It always seems like there are more things to fix than there are things that are right. I always start thinking that the book will never sell and that I should give up.

I personally think this is the point that is either make it or break it for people. I have terrible advice. My typical process involves chocolate, coffee, wine, and lots of tears. My husband starts to worry about whether I'll stab him with my pen when he asks for something and my friends start to wonder if I've lost my mind. In another couple thousand words I'll be past this point. It will feel easier and I'll be ready to start the terrible process of tearing it apart and putting it back together.

Until then, if you see my crying with a glass of wine in my hands, it might be best to simply sneak by without saying a word.

Sunday Fun

2011-10-23T12:24:00.002-04:00

Six Sentence Sunday is on hiatus this week. I know myself and others have had a rough week that looks to be extending well into the coming week. For anyone who has been caring for a parent/significant other/family member/friend, had a week that involved a lot of disappointment, late nights, early mornings, or any other crap, enjoy something to make you smile.

Here's to this coming week being a whole lot better!

Cat is Hungry

2011-10-10T13:14:00.000-04:00

We are starving our cat. Not on purpose, it's just what is happening.

See, the cat started peeing on the guest bed last week, so we took her in to the vet. Long story short, there is nothing wrong with her. Well, at least not with her bladder. What we did learn is that she is fat. Poor kitty needs to lose 3 pounds (roughly 1/4 of her body weight). The minute we got home, the food bowl disappeared and we started feeding her the wet food she is supposed to have on a strict two-meal-a-day schedule.

She hates it.

She refuses to eat any of the wet food and won't touch any of the dry food that is in the same bowl. In general, she is mad, hungry and grumpy. Most of conversations go like this:

Cat: FEED ME.
Me: Here's your food.
Cat: That's not food.
Me: Yes, it is. You're supposed to like it. Cats like wet food.
Cat: No, they don't. Please get my real food out.
Me: You're fat. Eat what you're given.

At this point, the cat typically stalks off to another part of the house.

An hour later, her food disappears and she starts wining at me again. Last night, she tortured my husband and I by licking the bottom of the empty bowl and crying while we tried to get ready for bed. Oh, and woke me up every 20 minutes last night hoping to get fed.

In conclusion: The cat is hungry and cranky. I'm tired and cranky. The cat is still fat and we have 2 cases of wet food that no one wants to eat.

Six Sentence Sunday- 9 October 2011

2011-10-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

My six sentences come from a new WIP that is still in the very early stages.

"Do you remember what you said the first time you met me?"

Though the day stood out in Carey's mind as though it'd been yesterday, she didn't remember saying much. "I remember screaming bloody murder when you threw your rat at me."

"You told me you hated me and that you'd never speak to me again. You said the same thing the day I broke up with you. Lucky for me, you didn't keep your promise either time."

Thanks for stopping by. Do go visit the Six Sentence Sunday website to see all the other great writers participating.

Cover Art: Public Display of Affection

2011-10-08T19:25:00.000-04:00

I can finally share the new cover art I got from Decadent Publishing for my short story Public Display of Affection. It's part of their 1 Night Stand Series and I'm super excited to be part of this group of awesome stories.

Hopefully Tragic

2011-09-28T11:47:00.003-04:00

Those of you who follow me on Twitter, may have seen me mention on Sunday that a friend of mine was killed in a car accident over the weekend. He was loved by a lot of people and will be missed immensely. He was only 27 years old and had only graduated a year ago with his PhD. I'm not here to talk about the tragedy though, I'm here to tell you the good that comes out of something like this.

See, my friend was an organ donor. Five years ago, one of our mutual friends became very ill. Within a week, her heart stopped working entirely and she needed a heart transplant. Fast. After a lot of prayer and good wishes, she got her new heart. Today, it is still working extremely well and her family and friends are eternally grateful to the person who donated. She is someone's daughter, best friend, girlfriend, and an all around great person.

On Sunday night as I was trying to fall asleep, I couldn't help but think of the people on the receiving end of their organs. That evening, they would have sitting around a hospital waiting room, crying, and thanking God that someone had been kind enough to give their friend the gift of life. I know, because I've been there.

I've also been on the other side. It sucks that he had to die to save someone else. It sucks that 5 years ago someone was in my shoes, grieving the loss of their friend. I hope those people knew how much that heart means to so many of us. They saved one person's life, but it affected so many others.

So here is my plea to anyone reading this. Think about organ donation. Really sit down and think about it. Talk about it with your friends and family members. None of us know when our time is going to be up, and I hope you have a long, long time. But some of us won't. At the very least, we can help to let someone else go on living longer. One organ donor can save up to 8 lives. That's a lot when you stop and think about it. Think of all the friends and family members involved in that.

So tell your family you want to donate, put it on your driver's license, and/or register here.

If you want to help know, think about donating blood or bone marrow.

Hanging Out with Lisa Fox

2011-09-14T07:42:00.001-04:00

I've been interviewed by Lisa Fox. Stop by her blog today to find out more about me, my hero Morgan, and enter for a chance to win a copy of Dessert First.

There may also be an announcement about my newest contract in there :)

Six Sentence Sunday- 4 September 2011

2011-09-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend. This week I'm posting from a short story that I'm editing for submission (currently untitled).

Sam knew trying to hold Lucy off any long would either lead to a murder or an orgasm. Neither of which would make the restaurant staff very happy. "I think we should get out of here."

Lucy raised her head, a look of desperation told Sam that the time was now. Getting up, she moved around the table and offered Lucy and arm. The least she could do is help the woman out of the room.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please check out all the other Six Sentence Sunday posts.

Guest Post: Em Petrova

2011-09-02T00:01:00.000-04:00

Today I'd like to welcome fellow Breathless Press, Ellora's Cave and Decadent Publishing author Em Petrova to my blog.

Ménage is the New Vampire

For over a decade the world has been charmed by the vampire. From books to movies to creepy dolls (yes, my daughters have them), these fanged fiends have bitten their way into our bloodstreams. The romance reader is especially smitten with the undead. Say the “V” word and books still fly off the shelves! This genre especially lends itself to the erotic romance community. Something about sharing the bond of bodies while sampling a lover’s blood sends the hearts of readers racing.

Lately I’ve discovered a new passion amongst readers, including myself. The ménage. Yes, the ménage is the new vamp. A decadent read of forbidden desires that come to light on the page. Erotic romance authors have thrown the bedroom doors wide to include new partners for our heroes and heroines, whether they’re male, female or a combination of the two.

As an erotic romance author, I’m known for my ménages. Take a peek at my Releases page on my website and see how many covers feature three bodies (http://www.empetrova.com/Releases.html) There are even some covers that don’t show the smutty ménage that’s going on within! Now if you browse the erotic romance publishers you’ll see more of the same. The entwined body is replacing the fang!

The trick to a good ménage is tension and purpose. Readers don’t want to see a third (or more) partner enter the scene unless he has a reason for being there. No gratuitous sex please! Connections have never been more important. Whether it’s a paranormal force pulling several lovers together or a new spark in a contemporary romance, readers want to see the passion unfold.

And just as we readers like our characters tortured (come on, you know you do!), we like to feel the tension between the lovers in a ménage. The characters can’t just fall into this perfect rhythm without some conflict. Whether it’s the outside disapproval of family and community or the possessiveness of an alpha male who battles to please his heroine who wants another mate, tension is imperative to a great ménage.

Let’s be honest here, we’re not snapping up these sexy reads because of the tension. We want the hot, forbidden sex, right? Here’s where readers play out their fantasies. Four sets of hands on the heroine? Oooh, yes. Two mouths? Oh, hells yes! Between the pages we can explore in a real way. We’ll never truly know how it feels to have our blood drained by a vampire, but we can imagine the ways two lovers might please us.

So go pick up a hot new ménage and see if you agree with me that this growing genre is just as hot—or hotter!—than the vamp.

Check out my backlist. An * indicates a ménage.

Deux
Trois *
Tattoo Dream *
Silk *
The Tempest
Runes *
Trefoil
Runestone *
Forbidden
Market Place
Bound for Romance
My Sexy Valentine *
Isolde’s Wish
Skin Truth

Em Petrova
~where words mean so much more~
www.empetrova.com

Guest Blogging with Jessica Subject

2011-09-01T00:01:00.001-04:00

I'm over on Jessica Subject's blog showing off the cake I made for a wedding recently and talking about how writing is like making a cake. Comment for a chance to win a copy of Dessert First.

Blogging at TRS Blue

2011-08-31T01:00:00.000-04:00

I'm talking about getting dirty in the kitchen over at TRS Blue. Come join me for a little fun.

Six Sentence Sunday- 28 August 2011

2011-08-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's that time again! This week my six come from a new WIP that has been swimming around in my head for quite some time. (The main character is describing what she wants in a lover)

Someone to run with in the park on crisp, fall mornings. Someone to sit at an outdoor cafe with on Saturday afternoons. Someone to cuddle with on the couch on lazy evenings. Turned out what I wanted wasn't easy to come by. One day I realized I could get everything I needed in one package. So, I bought a dog.

Make sure to visit all the other Six Sentence Sunday posts.

Indian Summer Blog Tour Final Stop!

2011-08-26T01:00:00.001-04:00

I want to take the time to thank all the wonderful people who opened up their blogs to me this past week or so. I've had a great time traveling around the web.

If you still want to win a copy of Indian Summer, stop by one of these places and leave a comment:
Getting Naughty Between the Stacks
We Fancy Books
Everyday is an Adventure
Me and Reading
Reviews by Molly

Okay, so it's giveaway time. Leave a comment here and I'll enter you in a drawing to win a $10 gift card to All Romance Ebooks plus some extra swag from me. Make sure you leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. ~~You have until Monday at 7PM EST time to enter.~~

Contest Closed: Denise is the winner. I'll be emailing you shortly with your prize.

Indian Summer Blog Tour at The Wormhole

2011-08-22T11:37:00.000-04:00

I'm over on The Wormhole's Blog today with an excerpt from Indian Summer. Stop by to read or just to say hi.

Excerpt of Indian Summer at Hesperia Loves Books

2011-08-18T05:58:00.001-04:00

Today is stop two on my Indian Summer Blog Tour and I'm over at Hesperia Loves Books with an excerpt from the book. Stop by and say hi.

Update: Hesperia has also posted a lovely review of Indian Summer, giving it 3 stars.

Guest Blogging at Getting Naughty Between the Stacks

2011-08-17T08:38:00.000-04:00

Today kicks off my Indian Summer Blog Tour! For the next ten days you'll find me around the web guest blogging, getting interviewed, and giving sneak peeks of Indian Summer. There will be plenty of giveaways, so be sure to follow me around and comment.

I'm over at Getting Naughty Between the Stacks today guest blogging about a real life event that inspired the opening of Indian Summer. Come take a look and comment to win a copy of the book.

Update and Where I am Today

2011-08-15T10:03:00.001-04:00

First, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has read Dessert First. I was over the top this weekend to see a little star appear by it on the All Romance Ebooks site (meaning it is a category bestseller).

Second, I wanted to tell you that I'm talking about my obsession over on the amazing Liia Ann White's blog. Find out if I'll make it onto one of those reality TV shows, find a quick and easy dessert recipe (I promise), and enter to win a copy of Dessert First.

Six Sentence Sunday- 14 August 2011

2011-08-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

This week, my six sentences come from Dessert First, my short story that released Friday from Decadent Publishing. I think they are self-explanatory.

After the taste he’d given her, she’d grown ravenous, and she wanted more than just a pastry. Of course, none of the extras she had in mind were on the menu. “Any chance I could get another bite?” She batted her eyelashes and took a few steps toward him. Even if he was offering, she couldn't do anything. Sneaking into the kitchen for a few minutes to find some real food was one thing; disappearing for half an hour to have sex with the help was a completely different story.

I'll have whatever he's making

Want more great snippets? Visit the Six Sentence Sunday site for a list of all the participating authors.

Got Swag?

2011-08-13T11:23:00.001-04:00

I'm celebrating the release of Dessert First today by doing more baking! Red velvet cheesecake is up as a special request for a friend's birthday party this evening.

Want to celebrate too? Well, I can't very well send each one of you a piece of cake (I could try, but it would probably be moldy or at least really gross by the time it got there, but I can send you some of the swag that I have.

If you want a Dessert First swag, send me an email (emily.a.cale@gmail.com) with your physical address (US and Canada only) and I'll get it out to you.

Release Day for Dessert First!

2011-08-12T09:08:00.000-04:00

It's release day for Dessert First, my sexy short story about a caterer and a bored party goer. I had so much fun writing this piece and I'm so happy it found a home at Decadent Publishing!

Playing perfect daughter at her mother's parties isn't Alexis Arnette's idea of a good time. She always leaves grumpy and hungry. Unimpressed with the spread laid out in the living room, she sneaks off to the kitchen to find something a little more satisfying. What she discovers is chef Morgan Crane, a man who is even more delicious than his baked goods. When one taste of his creations leads to more and her good girl demeanor dissolves, would the boring evening turn into one she'll never forget?

Genre: Contemporary, erotic romanceHeat level: 4
Word count: 6k
Cover art by Dara England

* * * *

Excerpt

“Can I help you?”
Alexis jumped, sending the box in her hands spilling onto the floor. Her mouth dropped when she turned around to see a man wearing a red apron in front of her. “Who the hell are you?” She tilted her head upward to see his face.
“I might ask you the same thing. You’re not allowed in here.” He crossed his arms tightly across his chest. His square jaw stiffened as his dark brown eyes focused in on her.
She could play that game, too. Placing her hands on her hips, she shifted her weight to one foot and stared him down. She never backed away from a challenge, unless it was her mother. “It’s fine. I live here.” Taking a better look at him, she tried not to laugh. The bits of flour speckled through his short wavy hair reminded her of the powdered sugar she saw sprinkled on top of chocolate cookies.
“You’re Mrs. Arnette?” He cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.
“I’m her daughter.” Alexis bent over and began collecting the fallen strawberries. “Who are you?”
“Morgan Crane, the caterer.” He leaned over and picked up a berry from the floor. “You live here?”
“Not exactly.” She stood up and tossed the container into the wastebasket.
“I see.” He threw out the berry and took a step closer to her. Even with her heels on, he was at least three inches taller than her. “I specifically asked to be given full use of the kitchen without any interruption. There are some delicate items in here and the smallest disruption could disturb them.” The fire in his voice spread up to his eyes, flecks of green streaking across the brown background as he spoke.
“Don't get all worked up. I'm just here to peek in the fridge and see if I can find a snack.”
His pupils dilated. “The appetizers are gone already?”

* * * *

Buy Links:

Decadent Publishing
All Romance Ebooks
Amazon Kindle
Smashwords

Every Picture Tells a Story

2011-08-09T10:33:00.000-04:00

There's a picture in one of my desk drawers. Four 18 year old girls on the day of their high school graduation. At that moment, they are best friends, pretend sisters, and each other's whole world. You'd never convince a single one of them that they had anything to lose. They grew up in a small town with few rules. They were good kids with 4.0s and letter jackets full of accomplishments. They were naive and sometimes just plain stupid.

There are three other copies of this picture hung on walls (the real one, not Facebook), set on mantels, and sometimes hidden in the back of a drawer. We all have one somewhere as a reminder of where we came from.

Two of them danced competitively for 14 years. The day after this photo was taken, they both performed in their last recital. One of them never put her pointe shoes back on. The other took a couple of college classes before walking away.

They played flute, oboe, saxophone, piano, harp, and clarinet all through high school, but not a single one survived the pressures of college band. Only one is still involved in music at all.

They went to three different colleges ranging from the Pacific to Atlantic coasts and earned five bachelor's degrees, studied abroad on three different continents, and majored in creative writing, political science, education, communication, and economics.

They've gone on to earn three master's degrees from three different institutions (and the fourth is almost done). Give them another couple years and they'll add a JD and a PhD to that list.

They live in Washington, D.C., Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. Two are married and the other two are in serious relationships. No one has kids yet.

We've had fights. Two of the girls didn't speak to each other for four years. Some of us keep in great contact, others only see each other on big holidays or on Facebook.

I'm telling you this, because I just replaced the picture in that frame. Eight years later, we all stood in the same room for the first time since we left for college. All of us, with our arms around each other, laughing. Some of our wildest dreams have come true since that first picture (I am an author!) and we found some new ones along the way (who actually grows up dreaming of being an epidemiologist?). There's been a lot of loss in those years. Family members and friends have died or disappeared. We've been heartbroken and homesick. We've seen things that the younger versions of ourselves couldn't even imagine.

Maybe in eight more years we'll all be together again, most likely with a couple kids in tow. We'll be older and have suffered even more heartache, but we'll also have so many more accomplishments under our belts.

My little cousin (who is 16) watched me replacing the picture. When she looked confused, I handed her the old one and said, "If those four scared, little girls can make it, anyone can."

It's Not Always Pretty

2011-08-04T12:45:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends-

Sometimes I get the feeling that you think all this *motions to blog* is easy. Maybe that is my fault. See, in real life I tell you about the new contracts, shiny covers, and release days. I never tell you about all the stuff that goes into getting those things. Mostly, I do this so you don't think I'm super crazy (which I am).

Having two lives is extremely confusing and exhausting. I can't always make (self-imposed) publishing deadlines because I have to get academic stuff done. I can't meet all my academic goals because I have publishing deadlines. When we spend all night finishing statistics homework and then you go to bed, I turn to my computer and attack the edits I've been avoiding.

Some days it takes me five hours to turn out a thousand words. Sometimes I have to rewrite the same scene fifteen times before I get it right. I get emails that make me cry because I am so damn frustrated. I get emails that make me cry because I can't believe this is really my life. I get edits that make me feel like I am the worst writer in the entire world.

Those finished products you read? They involved multiple drafts, more edits that I can count, and a lot of second guessing. Then I send it to publishers. Just because they've published me once does not mean they are going to accept me again. So I ~~stalk my inbox for weeks~~ wait patiently for a response. Sometimes it says no and I have to submit somewhere else. Then someone says yes and I dance around for hours.

Then the real work starts. There are contracts to read and negotiate, cover art forms to fill out, and, of course edits. Multiple rounds of content edits, followed by line edits, followed by galley reads. Eventually, the book actually releases and I start stalking again. This time reviewers. What if they hate it? What if they like it?

Then the process repeats. Actually, if I'm lucky the process is already in the middle point on a different work.

So when you call writing my "hobby" or laugh about how I know writing stuff like you know movie trivia, it makes me feel bad. I don't do this because I have spare time to kill. It's part of who I am. The stories in my head haunt me until I put them down on paper.

Plus, I really love to see my name on the cover:)

Cheers,

Emily

Interview with Josee Renard

2011-07-18T10:24:00.000-04:00

Today I have special guest Josee Renard on my blog. Before I get to the good stuff, I have a few very important questions:

1. Dogs or Cats?

Cats for sure, though I’m tempted by a few dogs, especially the great ones I meet on the street, like the gorgeous poodle I met the other day who answered to the name of Max.

2. Coffee or Tea?

Tea. My mom arrived from England just after World War II and so I grew up drinking tea, with milk and sugar. I drink it black now and I’ve expanded my repertoire of teas to include: green tea, roibois, herbal teas of all kinds – mango, peppermint, chamomile, Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger and Bengal Spice, Starbucks Passion. I drink gallons of herbal tea every week and almost always have a pot ready while I’m writing.

3. Summer or Winter?

Can I pick fall? September is my favorite month for a couple of reasons. In Vancouver, it’s often the prettiest month of the year and the weather is as close to perfect as it’s possible to be in a city where rain is the word one hears more often than any other. Plus, for me, like most of us, it’s the beginning of a new year. I always feel rejuvenated and ready to take on the world.

Hmmm...I'm not sure that last answer counted. I guess I'll let you answer the regular questions.

1. Where do you find your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from everywhere but because stories for me almost always start with a single phrase or a sentence, it does tend to come from places like a piece of graffiti written on a wall, a phrase in a newspaper, magazine or book, a song title (for the past year I seem to be totally obsessed with song titles, in fact, just today I’ve written one down to use as soon as I can, though the way my writing schedule is through until the fall, it probably won’t be for a very long time). Part Time Lovers, the ten part serial I’m working on now to begin in the middle of August, began with a Stevie Wonder song title for the series, and each of the ten stories within it are also titled that way. So far I’ve got That’s What Friends are For, Superstition, Treat Myself and Kiss Lonely Goodbye.

2. If a reader was going to pick one of your stories to start with, which one should they read and why?

This is a tough question because I’m assuming other readers are like me – some days I like certain types of stories, the next day I might like another. How about if I give you two and people can decide whether they’ll like one type of story or the other? I happen to love The Dressing Room – it’s about a fantasy I think most women have had, sex in the dressing room. For some reason, it ended up being about two men, but I like the relationship they begin and I think it’s very hot. The other one I like a lot and I think readers might enjoy is Winter Warming. It’s the closest I’m ever going to get to writing romantic suspense and I love the characters and the town – Lone Butte – that I’ve created for them. Jude is running from an abusive husband, Rory is Lone Butte’s sheriff. Again, all books are about characters for me and I really like Jude, Rory and all the secondary characters I got to create to inhabit Lone Butte.

3. Do you have a pet peeve when you are reading another author’s work?

I actually don’t have a specific pet peeve but rather a general one. I hate being bumped out of the story. I’m willing to give them one or two times, but after that? I’m afraid I’m looking for the next flaw. It might be spelling mistakes, it might be problems with grammar, it might be sloppy editing or a character’s name or hair color changing. The trouble is that after the second time, I’m watching for the next problem, and I’m not enjoying the book any more. I will usually give it up at that point.

4. Are you a pantser or a plotter?

I’m going to say I’m a pantser but I call myself a fogwalker. I tend to start with a phrase or just a title and that’s all I’ve got. I walk off into the fog, having absolutely no idea of where I’m going. It’s a bit risky – I might run into bears, or trees, or fall off a cliff, but I just keep going, one step at a time. I don’t know what the next sentence will be, let along the next paragraph or the ending, but I’ve been writing this way for a very long time. So every time I pick up a pen or sit at the computer, I take it on faith that whatever I write will work.

5. What makes this book special?

I think it’s special because of Tom Jones. Many years ago, I had the privilege of getting to know Tom. I was working for a lawyer who was the executive producer on the Tom Jones TV series. There were some legal problems with the project and so we spent a lot of time making sure each week that the studio was available and not behind locked gates. Tom and his cast and crew were in Vancouver for weeks on end and we spent a lot of time eating together, partying together, working together. I worked for the same lawyer after the Tom Jones Show was over and the headliner (I won’t mention his name) who started filming the next series made me realize that not everyone was as nice as Tom. He was a complete gentleman, kind and generous. I never once – and I went to a lot of the tapings – heard him say anything bad about anyone. In fact, even if it were obvious to everyone else that someone else had made a mistake, Tom would say, “I’m sorry, I blew that. Can we try it again?” So it was fun for me to write this little homage to one of my favorite songs and one of my favorite singers. Of course the book has not much at all to do with Tom except the song, but thanks, anyway, Tom.

6. What is the hardest thing about writing for you?

I want to say finding the time to write but it’s not that, although with three jobs (even though they’re all part-time), a partner and friends I can’t give up, I could blame that. Honestly? It’s actually sitting down and doing it. I’m a fast writer so that means I can proscratinate – and I do. But I also know I don’t do my best work when I leave it until the last minute so I try to get a little better organized. It’s something I know I need to work on and that’s what I’m doing right now.

7. Does your family know what you write?

They do and they buy it, though my sister and my aunts won’t read the erotica. They might read someone else’s, but they say they couldn’t look me in the face if they read mine. They do read – and love – the books I write under my real name, Kate Austin. They’re women’s fiction and not erotica, but they love the fact that I write at all. My family love to read so to say they have a published writer in the family is a big thrill for them.

8. Did you want to be an author as a kid? If not, what did you want to be?

I’ve been a voracious (most people would say addicted) reader since I can remember. So what I wanted to be was the heroine or hero in whatever book I’d just read. So one day I might have wanted to be Ann of Green Gables, the next Bilbo Baggins. Sometimes I wanted to be Tigger or Toad of Toad Hall. There was a year when I desperately wanted to be a member of the Swiss Family Robinson or Jo March (does that count as wanting to be an author?). I don’t think – even now – that I wanted to be anything in particular, I wanted to be whoever or whatever I read about last. I still do. I love writing, but when I read murder mysteries, I want to be a detective. When I read books about actors, I want to act; about music, I want to sing; about ballet, I want to dance. I’m what my mother would call a flibbertigibbet. So I guess this also answers the question about if I could choose any other profession what would I be? I’d be whatever I’d read about that day.

Thanks!

Thanks so much for dropping by and answering all my questions, Josee! I guess you've earned the right to show us your beautiful cover.

What's New Pussycat?

Versa couldn’t get that song out of her head, nor the man who sang it while renovating the house next door. Tall, built and tanned, he wore faded jeans and a toolbelt and his body drove her wild. Theo had plans for the girl next door. He’d spent all summer dreaming about her creamy skin and voluptuous body. He’d spent all summer with a hard on. Time to make his move. When Theo and Versa finally meet, the summer temperature turns up. Way, way up.

If you want to find Josee elsewhere around the web, you can visit her website, her blog, ~~stalk~~ follow her on twitter, friend her on Facebook, or visit her author page at Cobblestone Press.

Thanks so much for coming by Josee!

Six Sentence Sunday- 10 July 2011

2011-07-10T08:38:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for my Skyrockets in Flight Blog Hop Post it is here. (Today is the last day to enter to win)

Thanks so much for stopping by. My six this week come from a WIP currently titled Sometimes You Don't. Mark and Christi have just finished, ahem, "sleeping".

I love you. The words filled her head with such force that they almost slipped past her lips.

"Are you okay?" His hand rested on her shoulder.

"Fine. Everything is fine."

Make sure you stop by and visit all the other Six Sentence Sunday entries.

Skyrockets in Flight Blog Tour

2011-07-04T00:01:00.017-04:00

Happy 4th of July everyone! Thanks so much for stopping by and participating in the BlogHop.

The 4th of July weekend has always been lucky for me and it can be lucky for you too! Leave a comment telling me about your favorite 4th of July (or summer, for you non-US people) activity, and I'll enter you in a drawing to win and e-book copy of my newest release, Indian Summer. Make sure to leave me your email address so I can get in contact with you if you win. Okay, back to what you were doing.

Six Sentence Sunday- 3 July 2011

2011-07-03T07:00:00.001-04:00

Thanks for stopping by for another Sunday. I'm posting from a new WIP that is tentatively titled Closer than Enemies. This is a very early draft, so go easy on me :)

As tempting an as opening the door to find her stretched out across the bed, bits of flesh peeking out from under whatever sexy outfit she was wearing, he doubted the scene he'd find would be as he imagined. More than likely, she'd be sitting in a chair, fully clothed, reading a magazine. The sudden, unannounced interruption would not only scare her, but the scream would likely attract attention from the neighbors.

Knocking was starting to sound better and better. Rapping on the door a couple times, he held his breath while he waited for her to appear. Rustling, then footsteps on the other side send shivers down his spine.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend. Be sure to check out all the other post on the main website.

Six Sentence Sunday- 26 June 2011

2011-06-26T01:41:00.000-04:00

I'm finally back in a place where my internet allows me to participate in Six Sentence Sunday again. This week, my six come from a WIP that I'm getting ready to submit.

Whatever inhibitions she had before tonight, seemed to have left with the rest of the guests. He'd never seen this side of her before. It was wild and unfamiliar and he loved it. Breathing heavily, he pulled away from her for a moment. "Tell me what you want, Laurie."

"You know exactly what I want." She spread her knees a little and he looked down toward the thin piece of fabric hiding her sex from view.

Don't forget to stop by the main site and check out all the other great posts!

Tough Love

2011-06-25T15:15:00.000-04:00

I've been going crazy trying to finish a short lately. It is only 10K, but I've been working on it for over 2 months now. 2 MONTHS! I can blame the fact that I keep having these moments where I realize that I wrote a section from the wrong point of view or that I've totally screwed up my hero's motivation, but I would be lying to myself.

Come closer and I'll tell you the real problem. Ready?

I'm scared.

I'm scared that I'm going to blow a great chance by submitting this before it is absolutely perfect. I'm afraid that it totally sucks and that I'm only screwing it up even more with every change I make. I'm scared of the rejection letters I know will end up in my inbox after I submit it. Crazy as it sounds, I'm also scared that it will be good and someone will love it.

I didn't say that I was sane. My biggest problem is that the more I allow all my doubts to get to me, the harder it is to work on it. So I started thinking about some advice my 7th grade geography teacher gave the class. He explained once that his biggest dream was to win the lottery. He then asked the class to explain to him why that was unlikely. Of course, lots of students suggested that the odds were stacked against him. Lots of people buy tickets, but only one person can win. He then told us the real reason he'll never win: He doesn't buy a ticket. What followed was the most poignant advice I've ever heard: You can win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket.

Did you hear that self? Time to shut up, drive to the store, and actually buy a damn ticket. That, or finish editing and hit send.

Contest Winner!

2011-06-20T01:45:00.000-04:00

Yes, I really am announcing it this time. First, I wanted to let you know that I've over at Sara Brookes' blog talking about wearing a saree. Please stop by and say hi.

The winner of my travel adventure contest is Jessica Subject! Jessica, I'll be emailing you to get your information to send you your copy of Indian Summer and gift pack.

Thanks so much to everyone for stopping by and reading some fantastic travel stories.

I'll be in transit for the next two days on my way back to the US, so you might not here from me until then.

Contest Winners (Almost)

2011-06-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

You probably gathered that I'm in India right now. That means I often see things like this:

Anyone want some goat?

Oh, and often there are also scenes like this:

The yellow things are the rickshaws I'm always talking about

When I'm really lucky, I get to see things like this:

View at Golconda Fort

Unfortunately, the other side of being in India is that my internet is unpredictable. This weekend, I will be at one of those places where I might have internet-- but there is a good chance I won't. Since I won't be able to check on Saturday for those who commented Friday, I can't very well choose a winner. So, I've extended the contest to Monday. Comment on this post or any of the prior travel adventure ones and you can still be entered.

In the meantime, I'll be running around taking some new guest sightseeing and shopping. If you're weekend is slightly more relaxing, be sure to check out Indian Summer

. Excited to return to field work, Dr. Cara Newman arrives in India ready for a new experience. She'll stop at nothing to make sure her plans to find the nearly extinct Indian wild dog go exactly as she imagines. What she isn't ready for is Jai.

Jai Subramanium isn't sure his new partner is up to the challenge. After years behind a desk, she might not be capable of dealing with the difficulties of navigating the terrain and surviving hours under an unbearably hot sun. What he doesn't expect is the uncontrollable passion between them.

Their forbidden romance isn't the only thing at risk, a group of hunters threaten the lone dog, and places Cara and Jai's relationship and careers in jeopardy.

Click here for an excerpt

Travel Adventures: Lisa Fox

2011-06-17T00:01:00.003-04:00

Remember: Any comment on this post is entered to win a copy of Indian Summer plus some swag from India (winner chosen on June 18).

I emailed Lisa to ask if she's be willing to share a travel horror story with blog readers. I knew she'd have a good one because they two of us can't go anywhere without getting lost. Seriously. Three adventures around Pittsburgh and we got lost three times. I won't point out that we both live there and there is really no rational reason for this.

Anyway, I'll let her tell you what happened on her way to San Francisco.

When Emily asked me to join her for her travel horror story month, the first thing that popped into my mind was the time I moved from New Orleans to San Francisco. I don’t know that I would call it horrifying exactly, but it did leave a lasting impression on me.

This is a true story, though in many ways I feel like I should start it off with, “Once Upon a Time…’ mostly because that part of my life really was like a fairy tale, full of magic and adventure and many, many lessons.

I was twenty-two years old and I had been living in New Orleans for a little less than a year when I decided it would be a good idea to move to San Francisco. I was very wrapped up in Beats at that time and I wanted nothing more than to be the new and improved female Jack Kerouac. Moving to San Francisco seemed like an essential step toward achieving this goal. Furthermore, it had been a dream of mine since high school to stand on the corner of Haight and Ashbury, the very bosom if you will, of the entire counter-culture movement. I still get chills thinking of it in the rose-colored, idealized way I thought of it back then.

Anyway, it seemed like as good as time as any to get on with all that, so, I packed up two suitcases and bid New Orleans farewell. A very good friend of mine thought it would be a grand adventure to travel with me so he decided to come along. This was awesome not only for the company, but also because I never did get a driver’s license and having someone along who could actually drive made it a road trip rather than just a long series of flights and transfers.

Let me just tell you this, Texas is HUGE. Like never-ending. Like one, big, flat, brown plain of endless sky and dirt and land and miles and miles and miles of nothingness. Texas went on forever and the worst part of it all is that I did not see one single cowboy in all the time I was there.

Eventually we made it to California. I didn’t think we would honestly after our little sojourn in Juarez, but that’s, well, a whole other story. But really, except for the sleeping in a parking lot in Vegas, the desperate, though failed search for Siegfried and Roy’s ‘Secret Garden,’ the major letdown that was Circus-Circus (damn you Hunter S, Thompson for getting my hopes up), the very lackluster Hoover Damn, the substandard ‘in-room porn’ which was the major selling point of this tiny roadside motel we stumbled upon in the middle of the night and, of course, almost getting locked in a cage in West Hollywood, it was a pretty smooth trip.

And then we were there. Two weeks after leaving New Orleans, I saw my first glimpse of the Bay.

Ah, San Francisco. I think it is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever had the privilege of seeing. Everywhere you look is postcard perfect. And the people are so very pretty.

My very first order of business upon arrival in the city was to head to the Haight. I dragged my friend to the corner of Haight and Ashbury, my head filled with glorious visions of free love and acid tests and the Grateful Dead and I don’t know if you can fathom or imagine my surprise, my total, utter crushing disappointment and disillusionment as we stood there in front of the Gap and watched the tourists pass by. Words are not strong enough. I guess that’s what happens when you arrive somewhere thirty years too late. Thankfully, the City Lights bookstore was still in North Beach. That was something at least.

There were lots of things about San Francesco that were not as I thought they would be. For example, it was difficult at first to find a bar that sold real drinks. Most places were beer and wine only. This lack of liquor was so foreign and strange after coming from New Orleans where alcoholism was the preferred way of life that I quite frankly found it all most uncivilized. I mean, the bars closed at two, it was nearly impossible to quench my martini lust and no one seemed to know what a to-go cup was. So, before my friend went back to New Orleans to get on with his life, we decided a trip to Napa was essential. If wine truly was the nectar of the gods of San Francisco, it seemed wise to skip the middlemen and go right to the source.

We hit our first vineyard at nine a.m. and didn’t stop until we were too hungry to go on. We were cruising through Napa’s downtown area when disaster struck in the form of a classic Mercedes Benz that backed into us at a traffic light. Yes, you read that right. We were stopped at a light behind the Mercedes. When the light turned green, the car went backward instead of forward. It was all very shocking I assure you.

Immediately, the driver, a woman in her probably mid-fifties who had clearly never gotten over her Joan Collins Dynasty phase, jumped out of the car and began stroking and fawning over her back bumper. There didn’t really seem like anything else for us to do, so we got out of out car and joined her.

When we arrived by her side, she was nearly hysterical about some very imaginary damage to her car. Seriously. There was nothing wrong and I don’t say that as a guilty party trying to cover up my offensive or anything. She’d backed into us at maybe three miles an hour tops and there had been no real impact. But still, she wanted to have her moment and we stood and watched her as she circled her car a couple of times, wringing her hands.

Finally, after much scrutiny, she decided there had been no real damage and, let me tell you, the moment she decided this, her worried frown turned totally upside down. Suddenly, we were all very good friends on a whimsical jaunt in lovely Napa Valley and my friend and I had been magically transformed from evil Mercedes Benz killers to the cutest little couple she had ever seen. She simply adored us and didn’t mind telling us that she was a traveling minister. Ordained and everything. In fact, we were so adorable we should be married. Today. Right then. She’d love to perform the ceremony. There was a gazebo right across the street and it was a divine afternoon. And seeing as how we were so terribly precious, she’d even do it at a discount.

I have to admit, I seriously considered it for about thirty-three seconds. I mean, why not? Here we were in beautiful Napa Valley, the day was gorgeous, I was young and free and slightly intoxicated and fate had decreed that we crash into some kind of freelance, 80s-glam, nouveau preacher with business cards and all. Why not get married? Would it be so very strange?

Alas, good sense won out in the end and we declined her offer.

The rest of the day was uneventful, as was the nearly two years I spent in San Francisco. Except for my brief acquaintance with the Hell’s Angels. That was kind of interesting. Eventually, I went back to New Orleans, but that my friends, is a tale for another day…

I'm starting to wonder if maybe bad travel mojo is following Lisa. Hmmm...I'll have to think about this before our next road trip.

If you want to hear more of Lisa's crazy stories, you'll have to hunt her down. It isn't too difficult. She's can usually be found hanging around her website, Twitter, or Facebook. If you'd like to hear a less true (but equally as awesome) story by her, I'd suggest you check out Sculpting a Demon.

Travel Adventures: Tonya Kinzer

2011-06-16T00:01:00.002-04:00

Remember: Any comment on this post is entered to win a copy of Indian Summer plus some swag from India (winner chosen on June 18).

My guest today is Tonya Kinzer. She wants to tell you about the amazing visit she had to a five star resort where everything went extremely well and she was waited on hand and foot for a week.

Wait, that doesn't sound right. Maybe I read that wrong. Never mind. I'll let her tell you.

Are We At The Bates Motel?

This travel nightmare happened a few years ago but I remember it as though it were yesterday. I can look back and laugh about it now, but then…it wasn’t funny.

A business partner and I had to be at a three day seminar in Kansas City in July. She and I were excited to arrive, have a great time and learn a few new things in the meantime. Despite the heat and humidity, we were glad to be on our own, and planned to grab a few good steak dinners with drinks. Arriving at the hotel by taxi, we were given room keys and headed to the 16th floor. A bit high up for me, but okay, the elevator got us there in no time flat so I was fine.

I pulled out my room key on the way down the hall, only to find that I wouldn’t need it to get us in because….the door stood ajar. This should have been our first clue that things weren’t going to go well. I pushed open the door and we called out before stepping in. No one answered so we proceeded through the door with our luggage. The suite had a cute sitting room and two sets of double French doors going into the sleeping quarters - one near the bed and one on the other end of the room going to the bathroom. One king bed and there were two of us. I could deal with that, too, we were close friends and it was a big bed. Due to other conventions in town, all hotels were full.
I thought it a bit odd that there was a spray bottle of room freshener on the end table in the sitting room, but…maybe the maid just forgot it. We were exhausted from traveling so headed down to the hotel bar for a glass of wine before retiring. The wine and conversation was great and we headed back to our room.

Upon opening the door, the odor hit us immediately that we’d not smelled when we first arrived; hence, the air freshener and the open door earlier. We both hoped maybe it would go away but the longer we sat there trying to watch television, the worse the odor got. My friend called down to the front desk and was told the carpets had been cleaned and weren’t completely dry. They apologized but there weren’t any rooms available to move us. Deciding we couldn’t change rooms, we sprayed the room freshener on the carpet and headed for bed.

Now I’m a light sleeper and when the air condition shut off, I woke up, thinking it was the middle of the night. Since the power was out, the clock was too. There was no light anywhere as I peeked out our window, still not sure how I found my way there in the dark. Hey, my cell phone still worked so finding my phone on the nightstand, I opened it for light and by now, my roommate was also awake. My phone showed 5:00 am. My first thought was NO COFFEE!! That right there set me off! Using the light of my phone, we looked up the hotel phone number because the phone in the room didn’t work either. All we got was a busy signal trying to call the hotel downstairs.

Angry by this point because I knew I’d not get any coffee, I stepped over and opened the window to peek down into the dark street - sixteen floors down. No one moved around down there yet either. We opened the door into the hallway and you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Closing the door, we sat in the dark waiting for about fifteen more minutes. Still no electricity, NO COFFEE! Still pitch black in our room.

I went back to the window and by now it had started to get a tiny bit lighter outside. I saw a few people moving around down there so yelled for them to send up some Starbuck. Did I get a response?

Of course not, but I yelled it out one more time.

Nothing.

Now even madder, using the light from my phone, I got my things together to hop into a DARK shower. Now if that isn’t fun, I’m not sure what is. Showering in the dark, fumbling for shampoo and you know the hair blower wasn’t going to work when I got out! And no light for makeup…need I say more? Then my friend decides she should scare the hell out of me since it was already dark anyway and I was in the shower…..does this scene bring anything to mind for you guys?

Finally, by the time we both got ready to attend our meeting, the electricity came back on. At least now we didn’t have to walk down 16 flights of stairs! Too late to make coffee before we left, we got some at the seminar, but I was way past needing coffee by then.

Arriving back at our room after day one, the smell hadn’t gotten any better. We began to think perhaps someone had been killed in that room and they couldn’t get the odor out of the carpet. The way things were going, we thought we might be at the Bates Motel! Once again we called the front desk about the awful odor. They apologized, had no other rooms, but would send someone up to spray the carpet again for us.

We called a few other hotels, only to get the same answer…no rooms available. Off to dinner we went and had a great time then spent the next four hours in the bar discussing our options for two more nights at the Bates Motel with a smelly room.

Luckily we didn’t lose power again but the carpet odor never did get better. Upon check out, they did take off the price of one night’s charge but the damage had already been done…we would NEVER be back to that hotel again! I wouldn’t wish that stay on anyone!

Okay, I've officially found someone more concerned about getting coffee than I am. If you want to hang out with Tonya (after she gets her coffee, of course), you can head over to her website, blog, Facebook page, or Twitter.

You should also check out her books which are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks, and many other online retailers.

Okay, leave a comment telling Tonya which part of the hotel stay would have freaked you out most. I think the carpet smell would have gotten me first!

Travel Adventures: Sandra Sookoo

2011-06-15T00:01:00.001-04:00

Remember: Any comment on this post is entered to win a copy of Indian Summer plus some swag from India (winner chosen on June 18).

Thanks so much to Sandra for stopping by today. I love all of her books and I'm very excited for her newest release.

In a Foreign Land

Thanks to Emily for having me on her blog. Today I'm bringing you a tale from beyond--no that's not really true. It's a story about my adventures to Trinidad.

Picture it if you will. It was the December following 9/11 and I decided (pretty much on a whim) to travel halfway around the world (we're talking from Indiana here) to Trinidad, the island off the coast of Venezuela.

Yup, first time traveling alone and first time traveling out of the country, actually. I was going there to meet my husband (then he'd only been a pen-friend for three years)

I was given a bedroom at my husband's aunt's home where I came upon my first culture shock of the trip. One night as I was preparing for bed I happened to look up on the curtain rod and there was a gigantic spider looking back at me. It was as big as my hand. Ordinarily I would have screamed the house down, but since it was the middle of the night, I went and found my hubby, pulled him into the room and pointed. His response? "It's just a spider." LOL

The next night after navigating around rain-flooded streets I went into the bathroom to take a shower. When I pulled back the curtain there were big old grasshoppers sitting there.

And finally one morning when I woke up, I opened my eyes to find a bird regarding me from the curtain rod.

It was like being in the middle of Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures.

To say nothing of the hideous-smelling "seasoning" my mother in law stuck in my luggage which I managed to ditch in the Miami airport after one of the bomb-sniffing dogs got a little too close to my carry on.

Would I do it again if given the chance? You bet. Sometimes when a trip doesn't go quite the way you expect, it's an opportunity for growth--and in my case, research!

That's kinda why I wrote Caribbean Heat…okay, the book has nothing to do with my real life adventures (except I really did visit most of the places I put in the book) I've included the blurb and excerpt. You can find the book at Cobblestone Press:

He needs control. She needs to lose it.

It’s Carnival season on Tobago and everyone is playing out their fantasies.

Felicity Hartsford lives a sheltered life on Tobago, a tiny British protectorate in the Caribbean. The daughter of a sugarcane plantation owner, she feels stifled under the threefold bonds of running the estate, her father’s illness, and her less-than-ideal engagement to a man she hardly knows.

Nathaniel Donovan’s estate is a well-oiled machine compared to others on the island. Haunted by the death of his wife and child, the last thing he wants is to be caught up in the parties of the Carnival season, let alone a new relationship.

But the magic of Carnival can’t be denied. Passions ignite and blaze into an inferno of need sparked by the warm, sultry nights of the Caribbean. Before they can stop it, Felicity and Nathaniel are swept away on a tide of desire and love. Can their budding love burn brighter than religious tensions and humanity’s angst in order to survive the storm?

Book video

Excerpt:

Through the gloom, she led him, past the boundaries of the house, skirting around the gardens, traipsing over the dew-kissed grass until they’d gained the outbuildings. The charred, smoky aroma of bonfires filled the air. Off in the distance, shouts of revelry echoed as the indentured workers, both Indian and African, held their own Carnival celebrations—only these parties would be of a much wilder nature, full of drinking, drugs and public fornication in the streets. They lived for the next high from the entertainment.

Now she understood why. Life was too fragile and short.

Tribal drumbeats from the African immigrants provided a steady, underlying pulse, spurring every footstep, matching the racing trip of her heart as she tugged Nathaniel behind her. They reached an abandoned set of one-room cottages, most likely used when slavery was prevalent. Now abolished for more than twenty years, former slaves had moved on to become indentured servants, and some chose to work for estates other than their former owners. Residency on Tobago was a transient event at best, especially when people constantly moved between this island and the bigger sister island, Trinidad.

“Quickly. The maze should be just ahead.” The primal rhythm infected her blood and sank into her brain, disconnecting her common sense. Excitement and lust ran rampant through her bloodstream until all she could concentrate on was the man whose hand she clutched in the humid night.

Tall, clipped hedges rose before them, and opaque darkness settled heavily throughout the maze itself, swallowing them both. The path twisted and turned, went left and right, until they came to a dead end.

“We’re lost.” She turned to Nathaniel, more unnerved by the misdirection than the glint of hunger in his storm-tossed gaze.

“That depends on how you view the situation.” He swept her into an embrace, pressing urgent kisses over her cheeks, her brow, her chin. “It could be we are ready to find ourselves.”

Felicity had no time for protest, no room for questioning, before his hands were on her, caressing every curve, sending fire over her skin, through her brain, between her legs. A low moan escaped her throat when he claimed her mouth and his tongue touched hers. She’d never experienced anything remotely like it or the heated sensations erupting throughout her body.

“Relax. Let me take you away from here.” His whispered words rang in her ears as his fingers played at the low, square bodice of her ball gown. “Let me show you pleasure that Carnival can bring, show you what wearing the feathers of the festival really means.”

PRIZE ALERT: One random commenter will receive a PDF download of this book plus some book swag. This is the first copy I've offered and don't know when (or if) I'll give another out so you'd better leave a comment now! ;-)

And, of course, all comments will also be entered for a chance to win my Indian Summer prize pack.

Travel Adventures: Dawne Prochilo

2011-06-14T01:39:00.000-04:00

Remember: Any comment on this post is entered to win a copy of Indian Summer plus some swag from India (winner chosen on June 18).

My special guest today is Dawne Prochilo. Her story isn't so much about what happened on her vacation, as what happened back home.

Vacation from Hell's Paradise

Don't they look happy?

What started out as a small family vacation two years turned into more than National Lampoon's Family Vacation. We hadn't been on a trip in years (too many to count) and I was really looking forward to heading south to the mountains of Tennessee. Serenity, privacy and some down time to unwind.

But waited us was the vacation from Hell. We just didn't know it.

Twelve little hours into this five day trip chaos broke loose and I was on the verge of being traumatized for life.

While nestled in the woods confines of Mount Eagle, Tennessee the telephone call came though- of all times to wish for bad reception, this would've been it. But alas, reception was perfect. My life, was not.

In order of traumatic events:

Phone call number one- Youngest daughter calls in tears. Her step-sister, who has been grounded from driving vehicles, took my daughter's car up the road two miles and totalled it.

Phone call number two (commences on husband's cell phone)- His daughter calls to apologize and tell her side of the wreck (apparently a squirrel jumped out of the weeds, she slammed on the brakes...yeah, right- and the car is now without a front end).

Phone call number three- (runs concurrent after I hang up with youngest daughter)- It's my oldest daughter who is having a fight with her cousin (who lives with us) and he got real mad and slammed a hot frying pan on her arm, burning her.

Phone call number four (outgoing from me to the local police chief of my town)- Please go to my house and check on my kids (one is 20 and the other two are 16). Too late, he's already there helping two neighbors get their farm implements down the road to haul home the wrecked car. *sigh*

Phone call number five- (second outgoing call from me to local sheriff's department)- I sent out a deputy to file a police report on my daughter's burn and the chaos in the house.

Phone calls six through one hundred and four- Youngest daughter calling, in tears and hates her step-sister, oldest daughter revealing what happened when deputies arrived, etc, etc.

Somewhere between calls nine and twelve, I hit my father-in-laws' alcohol cupboard, bypassed the soda and chugged straight whiskey. *sigh*

Other less traumatic events that occurred-
*Me afraid of heights and husband takes us on an all day excursion to some mountain top overlook with NO handrails. *I feel faint*
*Couldn't figure out how to use the shower in our room- had a nervous break down.
*Discovered and pinpointed this family vacation as the turning moment in my life that I was introduced to menopause.

So I vow to you, no more family vacations unless I can go alone.

I hate to break this to you, Dawne, but it isn't a family vacation if you go alone.

If you want to hang out with Dawne and keep her busy on her "family vacations", you can hang out on her blog, friend her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter. You should also go out and buy one of her many books. I recommend Room 11. It's a great story to distract you from your own family adventures.

Travel Adventures: Angela Stone

2011-06-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

Remember: Any comment on this post is entered to win a copy of Indian Summer plus some swag from India (winner chosen on June 18).

Today on my blog, Angela Stone is talking about her recent trip to Nova Scotia. There are about a million picture, but they are all gorgeous. I'm thinking about going to visit her just so she'll take me on her next trip.

I was so thrilled that while Emily is in India she’s letting me take over *ahem* I mean guest blog for her :)! We are talking about travel so I thought I would share some photos and chat with you about my recent trip back east!

I live in Ottawa, Canada (Which is the capital of Canada!) but I’m from Nova Scotia. So recently my very adorable Spanish friend (aka SPES which stands for Spanish Phoreign Exchange Student) piled in Sally (my adorable 2010 Toyota Yaris) and headed back east. I can tell you the trip was honestly amazing. We did visits to all three maritime provinces. A week was not enough time for all of it, but we did pack in a lot!

Sunday 2am: We left Ottawa heading for Halifax. I drove through the night. Driving through Montreal is a nightmare on the best days. At four am is the closest to the easiest I’ve ever had it. At about 5 am when I was dead the SPES took over until we stopped at the big stop in Grande Falls NB, If you’re ever driving in the Maritimes then big stop are plentiful. Usually offer good food for a cheap price with big portions. Not to mention clean bathrooms and many are 24hrs. After that I drove the rest of the way to Halifax. I did manage to stop briefly in Fredericton NB (the capital of New Brunswick, NB) to see one of my best friends, Pauline. I haven’t seen her in over a year and I miss her bunches!!.

We landed in Halifax at about 630pm. Phew what a drive almost 1700km!. We stayed with my good friend H.D. Logan, who is a 911 dispatcher (and a constant source of correcting my writing when it comes to police procedure, radio talk etc). We went out to dinner, then back to her place and played a round of Mario Party on the N64 (old school!) before going to bed.

The next morning H.D. was sleeping in as she had to work nights (2 days, 2 nights 5 off rotation and we popped by in the middle, whoops!). So after a bit of a sleep in we took the ferry from Dartmouth over to Halifax.

It’s been wet and rainy for the better part of the last month in Halifax and Monday was no exception. We stuck to doing indoor things after a walk around the wonderful Halifax waterfront. We checked out the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and in addition to their usual exhibits about the Navy, Maritime life and the Halifax explosion (plus a HUGE exhibit about the Titanic, including the only known surviving deck chair off the Titanic) there was an exhibit called “Hello Sailor" all about gay sailors in the 50’s and 60’s in the UK. Amazing stuff. I’m mostly a M/M romance writer so this certainly got the bunnies hopping. I even bought two books as reference material. It’s a really great exhibit and I encourage everyone to check out the links. Also the “big” shocker for me was finding out that Billy, who I went to school with (who I adore fyi) was gay and featured in the exhibit!! I was a bit stunned, but happy for him all the same because he’s comfortable enough with who he is to participate in something like this. Go Billy!

After that we headed for lunch at the Brewery market, we were going to explore some more of historic Halifax but it started POURING out! Beyond pouring, it was mad! So we went back to the Brewery market and went on the Alexander Keith’s Brewery tour! That was a blast (and hey! Two beer’s included in the price!

It was a great way to kill an hour or so, full of maritime history and traditions, if you’re headed to Halifax then I’d recommend as stop over there(http://www.keiths.ca/index.html). After that the rain let up a bit, we went for a walk in the historic properties and had a stopover at the Lower Deck (one of the BEST pub’s in Halifax) before heading back over to Dartmouth and found a nice pub near my friend’s place so we could watch Game 3 of the Stanley cup finals.

Again the next morning our early start turned out to be not so early, whoops! We went to Pier 21, which is a museum about immigration to Canada from the 1920’s to the late 1960’s very cool stuff.

Some amazing stories. One of my favourite was during the video presentation where the customs officer was talking about the immigrants coming and how he hated to turn people away so there was often times he would give them some of his own money to have enough for a train ticket to where ever they were going. More often than not weeks months, or even years later he would receive a letter returning the money (sometimes with interest). Something about that story gets me every time.

After that we walked around historic Halifax and went up to the Citadel Hill.

An amazing re-creation of a working fort. We spent the afternoon wander around the embattlements. Halifax was so well protected that in all of its history it was never attacked! How cool is that? (yes, Yes I am a History geek!).

We had dinner at a local pub called The Lion’s Head before heading over to Point Pleasant park and had a walk around there. Lovely park, it was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Juan about 6 years ago, but it’s starting to make a comeback.

On Wednesday we got up early (ish), ok earlier than other days. I said goodbye to H.D. thanked her for the use of her guestroom/pull out couch and we headed off to Peggy’s cove. It’s lovely and stunning, and somewhat tragic.

Took some lovely photos there we stopped off for lunch at an adorable cafe before heading to Maitland Nova Scotia. This is probably one of the best parts of the trip. We went river rafting, riding the tidal bore. Now the bay of Fundy and particularly the Minas Basin has the highest tides in the world. They’re caused by the incoming tide meeting and going over the out-going river. The best (and only real) way to see it and experience the true power of the Tidal Bore is to head out and ride it! Level 6 rapids with not a rock in sight! Truly an amazing feat of nature (check out tidal bore rafting). I’m working on a Christmas Novel featuring a Scientist from Sweden who is trying to harness the power of the Bore and an ex-con. Hoping to have it ready for this year! Will be interesting!

After river rafting we headed to my Sister’s place in Antigonish but not before stopping in one of the most beautiful places in the whole world. It’s on Riverside road between Upper Maitland and Stewiacke Nova Scotia. The is this road that goes through a slice of untouched Nova Scotia Beauty. There are no cars, no power lines, no sounds other than the Bay of Fundy and the occasional cricket. You feel like you are the only person in the world.

We stayed at my sister’s place for the night before leaving for Cape Breton. Our first stop was in Baddeck Nova Scotia. Home of the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. Yes the inventor of the telephone was not only Canadian he made his summer home in Baddeck. Amazing museum and a charming small town, everyone was so welcoming! We met a lady (whose son lives in Ottawa, and is single! Didn’t get his number through! Damn!) and we had her whole life story in a nut shell in 5 minutes or less. Lovely, makes me miss living in a small town. I’m also working on a Novel set mostly in Baddeck. One of my most favourite places in the world.

After we had lunch at the Cafe there we headed to Louisbourg, we got to the Historic fort with an hour left before close. So we got in for free (woohoo) and literally RAN around the place and didn’t get to see half of it but amazing.

If you’re going to visit I recommend at least 3-4 hours. You could easily spend an entire day there and still not see everything.

On our way back we stopped at a lighthouse, which is the site of the first lighthouse ever built in North America!! Beautiful views even with the fog rolling in.

We decided to follow the GPS back to Antigonish. BAD IDEA. If you’re in a main city the GPS is usually pretty accurate. In the Maritimes, especially in small places DO NOT follow your GPS. You’re much better off picking up maps (always free at local visitor centers) and finding your own way. So after getting sufficiently lost we threw the GPS out the window (figuratly speaking) and found our own way back, again through some of the most amazing country you’re ever seen.

On Friday we headed for the Island, originally we booked ourselves on the 8am ferry but decided that it was too early so we took the 1115 ferry instead. Which meant that I go to meet my nephew Gabriel for the first time! Which was very exciting, he loved all the presents his Aunt Angela bought him!

We arrived at the ferry terminal at 1108... Whoops. Out car was the last on the ferry. I would recommend that you get there with a minimum of 15 minutes, but 30 minutes is better, especially during tourist season. We were sort a week before things really open for tourist season in PEI, which was good in some ways (we got in free to all of the national parks) and bad in others, in that many of the things to do were not open yet. We stopped in Charlottetown, and nearly got killed by the SPES! This is his first time really driving in Canada, apparently 4 way stops look different in Spain!! (not to mention stopping when there were no places to stop, shifting on an automatic, and nearly getting run over in a round-about) After Charlottetown we headed north towards Green Gables. (No visit would be complete with-out a stop over to the home of Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maude Montgomery is one of Canada’s best love authors, and how could I not stop and visit the home of Anne?) We ended up getting lost tons as the signs for things were honestly horrid, but we made it to one of the national parks. Amazing place, stunning vista’s. We took tons of pictures.

We made it to Green Gables with about 30 minutes before close (starting to see a theme here?) be we still got to see the house and the grounds (although we missed the walking trails). It was lovely and yes we took lots of photos!

After Green Gables we went to the Cavendish National Park, and again some amazing and stunning views. We headed down to the beach and spent almost two hours walking along the rocks and taking pictures with the red cliffs. All of the soil in PEI is very red due to the high Iron content. It’s not good for growing much (potatoes is about all that they produce in PEI) but it’s very lovely.

We headed towards Summerside and our Motel. It’s the only night we paid to stay anywhere, it was clean and fairly comfortable, that’s all you can ask for at $50 a night! We went down to the pub to watch the hockey game. Since there were only two bars/pubs we ended up at Dooley’s which is a bar/pool hall. It was fairly empty despite being a Friday night and we scored great seats in front of the large screen TV. We watched the first period and the beginning of the second before I fell asleep! Whoops! Turns out SPES also fell asleep. So here were the two of us in bar in a strange passed out on the comfy couches!! Ahah! SPES woke me up at the end of the second so we paid our tab and headed back to the Motel where we promptly fell asleep with-out seeing the end of the game!

Saturday we started off a bit later, stopped in Summerside to see the sights before heading off the island. We stopped at the gateway village and I picked up two things, Anne of Green Gables chocolates (which are amazing chocolates made right on the island, and Raspberry cordial. Anyone who’s read Anne of Green Gables will know all about Raspberry Cordial! It’s very yummy might I add and the only place you can get it is PEI!!

After we crosses the Bridge to NB we headed to the Hopewell rocks. Again amazing views greeted us. We got there at the lowest tide and spent over two hours wandering around on the Ocean bottom. We didn’t even get to see half of the rocks! But amazing all the same. I got stuck in the MUD (and I mean mud) plus my sandal broke and I had to fix it effectively covering me in mud, plus SPES had to walk around barefooted so he didn’t ruin his sandal but it was a lot of fun.

We stopped off in Moncton to have dinner with my very good friend Emily (who I don’t get to see nearly enough) before We headed home.

The only place I didn’t get to visit was Bathurst which is in Northern New Brunswick just on the edge of the Acadian Peninsula Bathurst is the setting for my debut Novel “Sometimes It’s Fate” which comes out July 25th from Phaze books. It’s a M/M romance featuring two RCMP officers that live in Bathurst. I’ll be putting some photos of the area up on my facebook fan page! (as soon as my friend who lives there sends me some!)

I hope you enjoyed my post about my Trip back east, there are many more photos which you can find on my facebook fan page! Will be putting them up through-out the day :)! So keep an eye out and don’t forget to “Fan” my page. You can also find me on twitter. My website is currently under construction but will be up and running fully very soon!

Thanks to Emily for letting me blog for her!! I’ll have you over to my site as soon as the construction dust settles!!

Xx
Angela

Thanks so much for stopping by Angela! Can't wait for your first release!

How about you all tell her which picture was you favorite?

Travel Adventures: Denise Tompkins

2011-06-10T00:01:00.003-04:00

Remember: Any comment on this post is entered to win a copy of Indian Summer plus some swag from India (winner chosen on June 18).

My guest today is Denise Tompkins. She's had quite the trip with her husband and I'll admit I've had a similarly terrible adventure.

How Bad Could It Be?

My husband had never been on a cruise. To tell the truth, he’s not a fan of water…at all. He showers instead of bathes, won’t swim, can’t float, and gets sea sick on inflatable pool rafts. I was understandably thrilled when I convinced him to take a cruise.

“The ships are huge,” I said. “You can’t even feel the movement. Besides, we’ll be cruising the coast. How bad can it be?”

The day finally came when we packed our bags, headed to Boston, and boarded the ship. Our destination? Nova Scotia. We were both excited; it had been a long time since we’d gone anywhere together.

We enjoyed the sunset on the upper deck, reveling in the cooler weather and the dry breeze. We ignored the clouds on the horizon. That was our primary mistake. While we were at dinner, the ship began to pitch and roll. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make the water in our dinner glasses lean a bit.

“It will be fine,” I assured him once again. I was wrong.

The tail end of hurricane Ike had come roaring off the coast and slammed into the ship. Passengers and crew members alike were sick, things were falling off shelves, you had to grab the handrails to walk and the black market for motion sickness medication boomed.

My husband was so sick. He would stare at me, green-faced and sullen, clutching the nearest solid object as winds and waves buffeted the giant ship, rolling it back and forth. The storm pounded us for almost twenty-four hours exactly before it moved away from the coast and out to sea. The rest of the trip offered stellar weather, great stops and awesome memories.

To this day, my husband has never complained about the trip. He’s even suggested we take another cruise…outside of hurricane season…in Europe. I’m going to take him up on the offer. After all, how bad can it be?

****

Denise Tompkins lives in Atlanta with her husband, two dogs and three raucous parrots. She enjoys cooking and gardening, is a fan of fast cars and international travel, and loves writing with a passion.

Her debut novel, Legacy (Samhain Publishing), will hit the shelves on October 18, 2011. Legacy, an urban fantasy with heavy romance elements, is the first book in The Niteclif Evolutions. It takes place in the British Isles and involves mystery, murder, magic and more than a little romance.

Now that you've heard about her trip, go check Denise out on her website or follow her on twitter.

Travel Adventures: Want to see my crocodile?

2011-06-07T05:52:00.000-04:00

Remember: Any comment on this post is entered to win a copy of Indian Summer plus some swag from India (winner chosen on June 18).

During my senior year of college, I went to Belize with a small group of students from my University to participate in community outreach work. During our actual time there, we stayed in Belize City and were each assigned to a different community organization. On the last weekend before we returned to the US, we went out to a small caye (like a mini island) to have some fun.

On the first day, a couple friends and I were hanging out down by the ocean when a local came by and warned us about the crocodiles. At the time, we thought he was messing with us. I don't image crocodiles living anywhere near the ocean and we hadn't read or heard anything about them from anyone else.

Flash forward to after dinner and we were strolling around searching for a bar to hang out in. A group of kids (probably all under the age of thirteen) came up to us and asked if we wanted to see their baby crocodile. Of course, the correct answer was no, we do not want to follow you into the basement of your house to see your "pet crocodile".

That isn't the answer we gave. That's right, we followed them down the stairs in front of this house and into the basement.

Lucky for us, pet crocodile wasn't code for anything. They really had a bathtub with a baby crocodile in it. They'd secured it's mouth closed so that we could pet it (also not really such a good idea). Turns out, this rouse was to get tourist inside to see the crocodile and then send them upstairs to where the family owned a bar (which was actually quite respectable. Well, at least for a bar.

The boys also explained to us that this was a new crocodile that they'd caught at the dump that morning (apparently they really do roam the beaches and other areas around there). Of course, the next question we had to ask is what happened to their old crocodile. (Note to self: Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to.)

It got too big, so they took it to the dump with them and released it into the "wild".

When we were finished petting the crocodile, we went upstairs and proceeded to indulge in the alcohol and fruit juice. I should point out that the cool thing about this bar is that all the seats were swing. With no backs. And kind of shoddy construction. That you sit and swing on while getting drunk. Right, not such a great idea either.

I actually managed to escape unscathed. So my suggestion to you is that you don't follow strange boys into basements with the promise of seeing a baby crocodile (unless they actually have one), don't pet weird animals that you don't know where they've been (unless they are really cute), and don't drink while trying to swing (unless it is really fun).

Travel Adventures: Emily Cale (you choose the story)

2011-06-06T07:08:00.000-04:00

Remember: any comment on this post is entered for a chance to win a copy of Indian Summer plus some swag from India (winner chosen on June 18).

I wanted to tell you about my worst travel experience, but I'm afraid I can't do that. It's not that I haven't had them Oh, I can tell you horror stories about the things that happen when you travel a lot.

I'm not going to though. I could tell you about getting lost in Rome, passing out at a tourist attraction in Greece, getting detained by armed police in South Africa, getting an intestinal bug in Belize, walking around with an open knife in Switzerland, getting stuck in the London airport, losing my baggage in India, or getting seasick in Alaska.

Yep, those all really happened to me. There are so many more stories that I would love to tell you. The problem is that I can't pick just one. They are all equally amusing to me.

So here is the deal: tell me in the comments which one of these stories you actually want to hear, and I'll post it tomorrow:

1. How Emily got lured into a bar by guys claiming to have a baby crocodile (Belize)

2. How to piss off a tour guide by being late everywhere when you were trying to be on time (Italy)

3. How to not get seasick (Alaska)

4. How to hike like a complete idiot (South Africa)

Travel Adventures: Sara Brookes

2011-06-04T00:01:00.002-04:00

Remember: any comment on this post is entered for a chance to win a copy of Indian Summer plus some swag from India (winner chosen on June 18).

I want to thank Sara so much for coming by and sharing her travel horror story with me. Her story has officially changed the way I'll be packing my suitcases from now on.

First I want to thank Emily for having me here to share one of my travel horror stories. Sit back and enjoy!

In 2004 my husband I decided to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary by taking a cruise in the Caribbean. Months went into planning as we had to arrange for our young daughter to stay with someone for a week (thank goodness for grandparents!), pay for the cruise in installments, airfare, etc. We were on a tight budget, but it was our 10 year anniversary, we were determined to really enjoy ourselves.

I was nervous to begin as we left home that morning as I’d be flying for the first time. My husband had flown countless times for business and kept reassuring me that everything would be fine. And it was. The flight landed in Orlando for a brief layover and continued on to Ft Lauderdale where we’d paid for a bus to transfer us to Miami.

Only, when the luggage belt finally starting spitting out our flight’s luggage, I noticed people are the far end of the carousel wrinkling their noses and pointing. I dismissed it as nothing and waited patiently. Only, my luggage was the item that was offending people.

My brand new luggage reached me and I had just entered stinky fish hell. That’s right. My single bag, with all my clothes, was soaked with fishy liquid. The only one on the flight.

The airline didn’t much care and they couldn’t explain why my bag had gotten on the plane fine and come off smelling like a fish market. I had my bag, I shouldn’t complain. We were on a tight time schedule, so we had to immediately head for the transfer bus and as we disembarked at the cruise terminal, the porter yelled that someone had a problem with their luggage. I got the evil eye as I collected my bag and tipped the porter extra simply because I felt bad about the whole experience.

An hour or so later, my stinky bag arrived at our room and it was the first opportunity I had to examine the damage. The fishy liquid and smell had soaked down through the fabric all the way to the clothing inside.

Every. Single. Piece.

Luckily the housekeeping assistant who would take care of any room needs we had during the entire cruise happened to be around and helped me get all my things washed. And, also luckily, we’d booked a room with a balcony and the luggage was promptly set outside for the entire seven day cruise.

I am happy to report that by the end of those seven days, the luggage smelled like the salty, ocean air and I was able to use it to get back home—though I immediately tossed the luggage in the garbage as soon as I did. Because of that singular event, I now refuse to fly unless every article of clothing in my luggage is encased in plastic.

Now, fortunately, I didn’t wish any kind of travel horror story on the characters in my newest release even though they travel quite a bit and I do inflict a lot of emotion and physical pain. But, hello, they’re all immortal. They don’t care about some stinky fishy liquid.

They’re just trying to save the world.

As vampire Evande Austin tries to adjust to her new found abilities, she can’t fight her new reality. She never intended to fall in love with two men. But she also never intended to take Fae blood to keep her alive either.

Trouble lurks in the shadows and Evande fears she will not be able to control the raging blood fever that burns through her because of Quinn. Thanks to Logan, the man who gives her anchor, Evande is able to maintain a thread of sanity in the blinding chaos.

When the Elders strike out and her future tumbles around her feet, Evande realizes the two men give her a bond she is unable to survive without. They need her just as much as she needs them. Giving into them both could just be the one thing that saves everyone.

But one thing remains clear—nothing comes without a cost.

Warning: This book contains elements some readers may find objectionable: Violence, blood, foul-language from a smartass Fae king, a newbie vampire unashamed of his kinks and a scintillating m/f/m bath scene that’s hot enough to steam mirrors.

If you want to hang out with Sara (and really, why wouldn't you?) you can find her on her blog or visit her on Twitter. Also, since I know you are all going out to buy Forged in Fire, I'll mention that you can purchase it here.

Travel Adventures: Liia Ann White

2011-06-03T00:01:00.002-04:00

From now until June 18 when Indian Summer releases, I've invited a bunch of people to come hang out and tell me about their travel tales. For every comment, I'll enter you in my contest to win a free copy of Indian Summer plus some swag I pick up in India (I'll ship anywhere in the world). Each new post gives you a new opportunity to win!

First up, is the fabulous Liia Ann White. Her story might be long, but you must read the whole thing to find out how her round the world trip ended up going so horribly.

Thanks to Emily for letting me share my holiday horror story today!

In December of 2005, my family decided to go for a nice round the world trip. Four weeks, three couples, four continents – what could go wrong?Apparently, quite a bit.

I went with my boyfriend at the time, my brother and his girlfriend (at the time) and my parents. I hadn’t been that excited for a holiday in years. We were headed for New Zealand, LA, Anaheim, Las Vegas, Chicago, Orlando, Paris and Phuket.

Our first stop was New Zealand, where we spent a day at a water park, soaking in thermal pools all day before heading for a seventeen-hour flight to LA. It was glorious.

We arrived in LA incident free and headed for the Candy Cane Inn in Anaheim, just down the road from the Disney theme parks. As a huge Disney fan, I couldn’t wait to visit California Adventure – it was the first time we’d been to the United States since the park opened. A day spent at Disneyland was followed by a day at California Adventure. This is where the holiday started to turn a bit sour. While us kids went wandering around, Mum and Dad sat on a bench and waited for us to return. Within ten minutes Dad had wandered off as well, leaving Mum with the digital camera they had just bought specifically for the trip. Unfortunately, he didn’t tell her he was leaving the camera with her.

When we returned, Dad asked for the camera. Yeah you can guess where this is going. Someone had stolen it! Walked right up to Mum while her back was turned and had taken the camera. (Cue angry face). It never turned up at lost and found and we had to buy another camera.

Next stop – Las Vegas, where we were going to gamble and ski. On our first full day in Vegas, we hired a car and headed to ski fields just outside of Henderson. I was in a foul mood, grumpy, tired and sick with a cold. My Dad, brother and his girlfriend had gone off to ski, while my bf and myself fiddled around with rental skiing gear. (Mum doesn’t ski). Bf and I made our way to the field where the others were having a great time. While I put my skis on, I had to lean on bf for balance. Unfortunately we were on a bit of a slope. I didn’t realize this and let go of him, feeling confident that I could head down the slope. I’d been skiing before and had a great time. But my legs were too far apart before I started to move.My skis got further and further apart as I unwillingly moved down a slope.

I couldn’t pull my legs in and, well, fell flat on my ass. We have the whole incident on video and it’s hilarious! But at the time it was agonizing. When I fell, both of my knees bent awkwardly. I heard a loud snap and the worst pain I’d ever experienced shot through my knee and up my leg.

Turns out, I’d torn my meniscus, snapped my medial ligament and basically screwed up my right knee.

Oh yeah, this is when the fun starts.

The medical staff took me back to their little rooms and had to cut off the leg of my pants so they could brace my knee. That was the only pair of pants I had because I’d left the rest at home by accident. My first ever ambulance ride was spent with a guy who’d dislocated his hip. So I spent the hour long ride trying to cheer him up and keep him distracted. This was easy once we we’d both been injected with the wonder

drug :)

So I spent my afternoon getting scanned, injected and popping pills while I waited for the results. Since I’d had my only pair of pants ruined, I had to wear a pair of scrubs back to the hotel! Yeah, I felt like an absolute idiot! Scrubs, bed socks, crutches and a huge brace on my right leg.

For the rest of the holiday I felt miserable. I was high on Vicodin for the first few days, couldn’t shower alone or dress myself and even needed help getting on and off of planes because the brace was so awkward.

The good part about it was I got priority everything. Priority seating at airports, being let through cues first at restaurants and in theme parks and when my bf and I had a courtside seats for a Bucks game, we had people bringing food and drinks to us. It was awesome.

The six of us visited DisneyWorld, Epcot Centre, MGM Studios and Universal together and had fun, minus the fact that I was in a wheelchair the entire time! At Universal Studios, my brother got food poisoning from Chinese food and just happened to bring it back up on the backlot tour. Yeah, more fun.

After Orlando, we were headed to Paris for two nights. We returned the rental car, got to the airport and were all prepared for our flight, only to be told we’d missed our flight. We were a day late! This had NEVER happened before. My Mum is incredibly organized when it comes to holidays and has never steered us wrong. But somewhere along the line, we all lost track of the date.

So, we spent the night in the airport, waiting for another flight. We got to Paris, got through customs quickly, thanks to my crutches and got two taxis. In one was me, my bf and Mum, the others took a separate cab. We were staying at a hotel nearby the airport. When our taxi arrived at the hotel first, even though the other had left five minutes earlier, we knew something was up.

The taxi driver that took the others had taken them fifteen minutes out of the way, to the wrong hotel. Same chain, wrong location. To this day I have no idea how it happened. Dad showed him the booking with the name and address of the hotel. Needless to say, the driver didn’t get a tip.

The day we had in Paris it rained, constantly. But we managed to see the Eiffel Tower and do some little touristy things.

By the time we left Paris, I was walking on my leg with the aid of the brace and didn’t need the crutches, but intended on taking them home just in case I ever needed them again. I asked my bf to bring them out of the room when we left, since I pulled the suitcases. But when we got to the airport, he’d left them in the hotel room. What was a bit of a disaster ended pretty well with a few days of relaxing in Phuket.

I’m headed off to the US by myself on the 15th. All I can say is I hope nothing goes wrong. If it does, I’ll take the hint and stay out of the country ;-)

Those of you who will be seeing Liia while she is in the US should keep a very close eye on her. No skiing, no Chinese food, and someone should probably be in charge of her camera and date book. Any volunteers?

If you want to learn more about Liia and her newest release Elora's Match (which releases in print tomorrow!), visit her website. If you are so inclined (and you should be), you can follow her on Twitter or friend her on Facebook.

A Day in the Life

2011-06-02T10:15:00.001-04:00

So I thought that today's post would be about how last night was totally a typical night for me in India. This means that nothing goes right and things are anything but typical. I could tell you how I skinned the bottom of my toe (yes, you read that right) on a rock while walking to dinner, or how there is currently a cockroach being held hostage under a bucket in my bathroom (I'll decide what to do with him when I get back to that place on Monday), or even how an entire colony of ants somehow invaded my entire room last night (they are all dead now).

These were very small ants, but there were at least 1000 overall.

I feel as though these explanations would all give you the wrong impression. So, I will tell you about a conversation I had with my office manager this morning. Setup: A new medical student arrived yesterday and I helped get her settled in. He had bought her a bed net the night before and caught us in the hall to give it to her.

Office Manager: How are things going? Night was good?
Me: Very well. We got her all settled in and made sure she received her complimentary pet rat and lizard.
OM: *Looks at floor* Oh. I have procured only one bed net for her. Will the rat and lizard each require there own?"
Me: Yes. Do you think we can find an appropriately sized one for each of their beds? I wouldn't want them to get malaria.
OM: Oh yes, I'll go make some calls.

He then leaves. I sure hope he finds those nets. I know my lizard has been trying to crawl into my bed to share my net, but there just isn't enough room.

*Side note: My room does in fact have one lizard currently in residence. Of course, he was nowhere to be found when a massive number of ants (a free buffet, if you will) was invading. We're going to have to talk about that.

Top 5 Worst Flights

2011-06-01T04:56:00.000-04:00

Since Indian Summer releases June 18th (Yay!), I wanted to do something to commemorate my inspiration for this story. As many of you have realized, I'm in India at the moment for work. After this trip, I will have spent 4 months out of the last two years working in a tiny village in South India. My time here has been both wonderful and dreadful all at once. Today though, I'm not talking about my time in India, but the travel it takes to get here. 3 flights, 30 hours and 3 currencies. Sounds like a lot, so it's surprising that only 1 of my top 5 worst flights actually occurred on one of these journeys.

#5: Where I tried to figure out what in my bag I could use as a weapon

For my twenty-first birthday, my mom and I went to NYC. On the way there, our plane suddenly entered into a thunderstorm outside the city. The turbulence was pretty bad, but nothing crazy. The problem was that we were stuck circling Newark for over an hour. During this time, multiple people started to feel sick and there were numerous screams during some of the bigger bumps. The lightening storm outside is what worried me. Of course, a couple of the guys on the flight had one too many drinks and thought the whole situation was hilarious. They were found of screaming out "We're going to crash" and "I think the engine died". Of course, a few small children on the flight often believed them. When they got tired of that game, they switched to singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall.

#4: Where I almost got airsick

On my flight from Denver to London to start my study abroad adventure, I was lucky enough to be sitting next to one of the other girls I'd be spending the next 6 months with. We'd chatted before, but the long flight was supposed to be our opportunity to bond. Of course, once we took off the turbulence started. Now, it wasn't really bad, just constant. The first three hours of the flight all we did was bounce around a little. I was surprised when I suddenly started feeling nauseous. I get carsick, but never airsick or seasick (at least at that point). I managed to not throw up, but I wound up keeping my mouth closed tightly the whole time.

Not helpful was the dinner they brought out the minute the air settled down.
#3: Where my plane tried to fall out of the sky

My family lives in Wyoming and it is a 2 hour drive to a big airport where we can fly out to anywhere else; however, there is a small airport (1 gate) in our town that you can jump planes to that airport. As a child, we did this often to avoid having to pay for parking or lug our bags through the big airport. My mom, brother, and I were all in the back of the plane (which has assigned seats in order to balance the weight). All of a sudden on the flight, the engines shut off, the lights go out, and the plane feels as though it is free falling. A woman in front of us screamed and my mom grabbed both me and brother. I maintain that it was a whole minute before anything came back on.

I've never gotten on one of these flights again.

#2: The flight where the woman next to me became my best friend

I often make the flight back and forth from Pittsburgh to Denver in order to visit family and rarely manage a direct flight. This time, I had a connection in Phoenix (about a 2.5 hour flight). Almost the minute we got up in the air, the turbulence started. Now, I consider myself a pretty good traveler. It takes a lot to really freak me out and even more to get me sick. This was not your typical bumpy trip. The plane fell over and over and over again. I'm pretty sure that I was white 30 minutes into the trip. I kept trying to repeat a poem over and over in my head to push aside thoughts of the impending doom, but nothing worked.

I looked at the woman next to me and could see what I was feeling mirrored in her face. We ended up holding hands for the rest of the flight, squeezing tightly the whole way. I'm not sure I even asked her name. The minute we landed I got off the plane as quickly as possible. The minute I called my husband, I started crying saying I wasn't coming home because I couldn't bring myself to get on the next flight knowing I'd have to do it again. He talked me out of my crazy and whatever was going on had completely subsided by the time my next flight took off.

#1: Where sanitation was not a concern

I still shake when I tell people about this flight. I was flying from Germany to India on the last leg of a previous trip over here. I got really lucky and ended up with a window seat (in a 2 person aisle) at the front of one of the sections by an emergency exit. This is perhaps the best thing ever for two reasons: 1) extra leg room and 2) I don't have to ask the guy next to me to get up when I need to go to the bathroom (which are conveniently right in front of me.

Probably thirty minutes into the flight, a woman from the forward area goes running toward the bathrooms. She didn't make it. She threw up all over the area right outside the bathroom (which of course is conveniently 2 feet from seat). Obviously quite ill, she wound up passing out and they had to call for medical help. One of the flight attendants threw down a blanket which I assumed at the time was just to help the woman for a few moments before they knew what to do. I assumed wrong. The blanket solution to vomit covering the floor was permanent. Even after they moved the woman, the blanket remained. It got bunched up by all the people walking over it (they had no choice if they wanted to use the bathroom) and did nothing to cover the smell. I find it to be nothing short of a miracle that a large chain reaction did not occur because of this. I have never again been so happy to arrive in India.

All right, now you have to tell me about your worst flight.

Monday Morning Chaos

2011-05-30T01:08:00.000-04:00

It was one of those mornings where I knew things aren't going to go smoothly. For the first time on this trip to India, I had to take the morning bus out to where I work. During the week, I live out there, but on weekends I get to stay in the city so I can do some proper shopping. I got up, took an auto rickshaw to where the bus was supposed to be and waited.

And waited. Then, I waited more. See, I was 90% sure I knew where the bus picked up. Apparently, that 10% will kill you. That and the fact that no one told me the bus pickup/drop off points changed since my last visit. So when it rolled around to 8:15 and I hadn't seen any of the 5 buses that should have been by, I got worried.

I was on the phone with my husband while all this was going on, him calmly telling me that everything would be okay, me telling him that the world was ending. See, after 8:15 there are no other buses out to where I go, not until the next morning. I had to hang up and call our administrative director, who called one of the faculty members, who confirmed the fact that I'd missed all the buses, who called me back to come up with a solution. Fortunately, a student here who was supposed to go out Sunday night waited until this morning and she dropped by and gave me a ride.

This whole time, I'm standing on a street corning in India, being stared at, clenching my jaw and trying not to start crying.

No one yelled at me. No one told me I screwed up. No one told me that I'd been mistaken. My friend picked me up without a word (though she must have been halfway out when I called). The worst thing that could have happened to me this morning is that I would have parted with $1 to get back to my weekend residence, made tea, and worked from my air conditioned room all day. Tomorrow I would try again. For someone who has been grabbed on the street, abandoned in the middle of nowhere, and stopped by police carrying giant guns, this is a relatively easy punishment.

So why the tears? I failed this morning. In my mind, there was a test and I did not pass. No one can punish me as well as I can punish myself. It was the first time I've ever had to catch the bus out alone, and I managed to screw it up.

I see a lot of correlation between writing. I'm struggling right now to finish two stories that I know the whole plot to. My problem is that I'm scared to sub them. What if they get rejected? I have very specific markets in line and for some reason I've set it up as a test. Then I start to think about what the worst thing that could happen is. That place says no. I have to reformat, resubmit elsewhere, and keep going until someone does want it. Not so bad in the grand scheme of things.

Where the Spiders Get to Live

2011-05-25T05:43:00.000-04:00

Are you scared of spiders? If so, you might not want to read this post.

I stepped over one of these on my way in to my office today. Not this exact one (I left my camera in my room), but one just like it. There was no shrieking, no squealing, and no running. I just walked past it without so much as a second thought. It wasn't until I was sitting at my desk that I thought When the hell did that happen? Only a few hours later, a friend and I spotted a cockroach making its way across our table at lunch. While everyone else was trying to shoo it away, I picked up a spare cup and threw it over the top of the bug. (I had every intention of getting rid of it before we left, but, now that I think about, some unsuspecting soul received a surprise later.)

I wish I could tell you I've always been incredibly brave and unafraid of bugs and spiders. Unfortunately, my brother might read this post and he would be laughing so hard I'd be able to hear him halfway around the world. The truth is, I used to shriek and scream and demand he come downstairs and kill any creature that managed to get into my bedroom. Years later, I managed to start killing them myself. Now, apparently I don't even do that. The first time I was in India, a friend told me to let the spiders in my room live so they would kill other bugs. So I got used to them, but watched them carefully. This trip? I don't even give a passing glance to the hoard living in my bathroom.

What are you afraid of?

I'll go first: I have a completely irrational fear of bees and rodents.

Where I Had Good Intentions

2011-05-23T06:44:00.000-04:00

I had great hopes for the weekend. Friday I was going to post some pictures of India and tell you how they were relevant to Indian Summer and, of course, participate in Six Sentence Sunday. Then the internet died. More accurately, as I'm told, apparently I killed it.

See, when I got to my weekend accommodations, the internet wasn't working. I played with it for nearly 2 hours before I realized that the cable and phone weren't working either. Saturday, I played with it more (TV and phone were back on) and all of a sudden, the modem wouldn't even turn on. It's dead and I am pretty sure I killed it. So no internet for Saturday and Sunday.

First thing when I got to my office Monday morning, I went running to plug my computer in. Guess what? The construction outside apparently did something and it wasn't working either. You could probably hear my screams across the entire sub-continent. After 8 hours, our tech guy managed to get it up and running again.

So much for the best of intentions. Instead I'll just show you one picture. A crowded street view from the top of the Charminar (which is talked about, but does not appear in Indian Summer). I still think the name sounds more like a Pokemon than an important archeological site, but it is pretty cool.