Vampire Lust

This morning I resubmitted Wicked Desires - the 2nd book in my Immortal Lovers series. I read through it before sending, tidied it a bit, tweaked a few sentences here and there. It's a bit like tugging your hubby's tie before sending him off to work.

Out of all the fan mail I get, (and before someone envisions tons of letters coming to my inbox, honestly there isn't much of it), Wicked Temptation is the book I get the most questions about. Usually the emails ask something along the lines of: Is there another book? - and/or - When will the 2nd book be available?

For those who might be interested, the answer is yes: there is another story in that universe, a short erotica piece, and it's my hope that it'll find a home soon. We'll see.

On another note, I'm still working on the summer menage story. Oy vey, but this thing is kicking my ass. Three chapters left to clean up, and it feels like I'm facing Everest.

My crit partner liked the first chapter, so there's a bit of incentive. Now to just get the next one ready to send. One step at a time, ya know? Since it's so close to the end of the week, I'm planning to take full advantage of the weekend. I've already warned the family that I have major work to do.

So that's my writing news for today. As for the rest, it's quiet here, the summer story is staring me down, and I need to mop floors. Tres glam, no? I'm shamefully tempted to mop the floors to escape writing. Is that normal?

Ah well, better get started. This thing isn't going to write itself. Wish me luck!
Happy Thursday, everyone.

Seize the Cupcake

Oh, the temptation. This has been a "chocolate required" kind of day.

Aside from the fact I'm not where I want to be right now with my current wip, I found out first thing this morning that 3 of my books are being pirated. [Major thank you to Leah for letting me know.]

To the person(s) who put my ebooks up for illegal download yesterday -

I hope the laws of karma bite you in the ass faster than you can blink. Really, I do. Especially when I saw the sheer volume of pirated ebooks you've listed on your site, not just mine. And not just ebooks. That's what gets me. Print books not even available in e format. That tells me you're not only a thief, you're a malicious thief with entirely too much time on your hands.

I hope you and your computer both contract something scrubbing with Ajax won't wash off.

Love, Cora
xoxoxo

That said, I'm going to ask folks to please never ever download ebooks from bit torrents and other piracy sites. I know there are many honest readers who don't do that and wouldn't even think of it, and I appreciate you very much. I just can't stress enough how much this kind of thing hurts authors - both financially and creatively.

Typically, ebook authors do not make very much money, and it is tremendously disheartening to discover that more copies of your books have been stolen than have been sold. Honestly, it makes me want to quit that series entirely and never pick it up again.

So please, if you have a favorite series or author, support the author and the series - buy the book(s). Yes, some ebooks are more expensive than others, but that's not a reason to resort to mass uploading/downloading someone's creative work illegally. There are so many different places to get them online, places like Ravenous Romance, Samhain, Ellora's Cave, Fictionwise, Amazon, and many others have periodic sales and/or list the books with big discounts. [steps off soapbox]

Yeah, as you can tell, today has sucked a big one. I'll be over it soon enough, though. I have too many obligations to get stuck in pity party mode. I'm still a bit bummed out over it, but I've done my due. I've notified everyone I can. I just hope enough publishers/authors will be enough influence to close this particular forum.

On the flip-side, I had a good visit with my mom when I picked Mini up from his mini-vacation. Mom showed me how far along she's come on the "save Mini's baby shirt" project.

I cleaned out his closet recently, and discovered one of his favorite shirts - a Garanimals t-shirt, really inexpensive, with a dune buggy and surf board on it - is now too small for him. When I put it in the charity box, well, Mini kinda freaked out. So, I decided to save it, and took it to my mom, who can actually sew without screwing things up. :P

The design is embroidered on the front, so I cut it out, and mom is hand-stitching it to this piece of fabric and embroidering the edges for framing. Very cute. I'm going to hang on Mini's bedroom wall when it's finished. That way he will always have his "tiki beach" shirt.

So that's been my day. Ups and downs. I'm crossing my fingers tomorrow will be better.

A Change of Plans

I'm slow about posting this week. Sorry, sorry, sorry. I'm on a tight deadline right now for one story, waiting for edits on another, and I have two releases coming out very soon. Safe to say there's a bit of craziness going on right now.

I don't know the skinny, but I got word this afternoon that the Rekindled Fire anthology is being pushed back to May. Ho hum. I'll be stripping down yesterday's post asap to avoid confusion, but I'll repost when I have all the new info.

Until then, I'm trying to get the summer menage story sorted. I'm about to email a chapter off to my crit partner to see what she can make of it, then it's on to more red penning. Wish me luck!


***********AFTERNOON UPDATE***********

I'm exhausted, so I'm taking a break from editings to...well, to write on my blog. Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

On the upside, I'm now officially half way through the summer wip. Woot! It just seems like a monumental task slogging through this thing, which is weird because it's such a simple story. I don't know what the problem is exactly - with me, not the story. That's written already. :P

Sure, there's stress involved with trying to get a project done, but I don't think that's it this go around. Maybe it's because this one require so much research. That's not usually my forte. I'd much rather write what I know, even if researched stories offer a bigger (creative) payoff.

Whatever the case, the chapter I mentioned earlier is off to my crit partner, and I've made a single pass over the next chapter. It's already marked up like something crazy, but there is more to come. Oh, yes, indeedy. I don't stop until every single effing line on my wip has a strike mark drawn through it. That way I know for sure the damn thing is edited to the best of my ability.

I was thinking about that a little earlier, the mess I make with a wip. I always feel kinda bad when I look at my printouts and see them so marked up. I always question my ability at that stage because there's so much I find in there that needs fixing. I mean really, should the draft be that bad? The 2nd draft, even? I went through that psyche trip today, but after about the fifth time I found and crossed out the word "fucking" in my manuscript, I got over the day's pity party and went back to work.

I decided if nothing else, I'll have a thoroughly trashed out, and probably unreadable set of notes to send in to Alison Tyler for her blog. You should check out all the nifty writer notes over there. And the panty gallery. And the bed gallery. Srsly. Oh, fair warning: what you find there might potentially be NSFW! But those blogs are the best kind, ya know? ~_^

So anyway, I haven't finished trimming this mofo yet, but it's getting there. Slowly but surely. Speed of fart slow. But as they say, some progress is better than none, and I still have two more days to work on it.

I'll be picking up Mini tomorrow, so that's gonna cut into the crunch time, but I think if I can just sit down and mark up this new copy to hell and back tonight, I'll be in the clear. Oy, my poor crit partner. I imagine she's gonna be ready to run from me before it's all said and done. I'll have to send her cookies or something. Maybe then she'll forgive me for the insanity.

New Book Cards and Doing the W/C Dance

I ordered book cards for Moonlight and Shadows, yesterday. I screen captured the image proof before ordering. Aren't they loverlies? The book blurb is printed on the back of the card, along with my website address. I'm looking forward to holding these in hand.

The official release date for Moonlight and Shadows is May 15th. :0) I'm excited about that. I also have a scorching hot contemporary title coming out this summer, but I'll post more about that one later, as it gets closer to time.

Speaking of hot summer stories, I made my required word count on my menage wip this afternoon. Woot! So now no more worrying if it will reach the required count. *dance, dance*

All I have to worry about now is the clean up...which admittedly has been a bit taxing. I've been writing this story in "patches", and on the re-read of that first draft, I discovered two of the scenes were out of order, and one of them overlapped with another scene. Oy vey.

The overlapped scene was actually two different versions of the same scene. I had to cut one of them, but I blended as much of the two as I could before correcting the problem. Even so, I still had to ditch a significant amount of words. Something like 500, which doesn't sound like much, but really adds up in a short story.

At any rate, draft two is only pages from completion. The chapters are all divided. The scenes culled and rearraged. All the major corrections made. Next will be to clean up the grammar and prettify the story where need be. Moving right along....

I promised Minibeast I'd take him outside to play at 4, so I better get back to work. It's after 2 now. I only get so many hours Sundays to focus on writing. For the time being, it's hubby's only day off. Wish me luck! ~_^

Daydreamin' Saturday

The day has gotten off to a slow start. I went to bed around midnight-ish, and since Oldest was still up at the time, I tried to let him sleep in a bit before waking him. He has lawn duty today. The dog yard has to be mowed.

After helping the kids forage for poptarts, I drove Oldest down to the Wolf Stop a few and filled a can with gas for the lawn mower. We also bought important stuff like a peach Icee for the Minibeast, a Diet Dr. Pepper for me, and this huge chunk of beef jerky and a V8 for Oldest. Fine convenience store dining, I tell ya. Makes me wish we lived near that gas station in Oberlin. Everytime hubster and I come back (usually hungover) from New Orleans, we stop there and buy boudin, stuffed crab and/or shrimp poboys. Now that makes for a rockin' convenience store breakfast.

Today I have mega writing to do, but so far I haven't even cracked open the wip. Right now I'm watching Mini play in the sandbox. The sky is cloudy and kinda dark, so I'm pretty sure by this afternoon we're gonna have rain. Bleh. Better let him run off that energy while I can. Happy Saturday, everyone.




♥ Why Can't I Breathe - Liz Phair ♥

Statue in the Stone

I'm sunburnt. Indeed.

For the past two days it's been sunny and bright, and in the mid-80s temp wise. Just gorgeous. I can't honestly keep Minibeast inside when it's that pretty out. So, I worked til about noon yesterday, then took him out to the sandbox for a little while.

Mini's science lesson #1: flip flops keep the stickers away.

I bought these Disney Cars printed flip flops with Lightning McQueen on them for him to wear out to the sandbox. Not because of the blistering hot concrete patio, or even the sandbox sand really. It's because we have stickers growing in the front yard. I know this because my mail lady likes to park right at the very edge of the driveway and honk the horn when I have a package. She could easily slip in through the circle driveway and come right in front of the patio, since she's right there at the edge of the drive anyway. But no. That would be too much like right. And of course I can never find my shoes when this happens, so I have to walk through that effing sticker patch to get the mail before she honks us all to death.

Still, Mini and his flip flops...you'd think with as many times as he's yowled about getting a sticker in his toe, he'd wear those flip flops even if they do feel a little odd. They're his first pair ever and he hasn't quite gotten the hang of the plastic thong between the toes. Know what I'm saying? He puts them on and takes these weird shuffling steps in them. I imagine that's probably what a penguin would look like if you wrapped it's feet in plastic bags.

Anyway, I told Mini to slid on his flip flops and he did. I figured he could cross the yard in 'em, and wear 'em in the sandbox. That way he deosn't ruin his tennis shoes. Nothing quite like having him track sand in the house afterward. I can sweep and sweep, but that effing sand is still going to be there. Hidden. Somewhere. And I'm gonna be the poor soul (sole? *_* sorry, pre-coffee!) to step in it.

Well, he gets out to the little sandbox island in the yard. Basically it's where the former owners of our house attempted to make a car park midway through the circle drive by dumping sack-crete into a big glob.

He's really excited he's made it out there without hitting a sticker patch, and I'm standing there at the edge of the patio blistering my own feet, and telling him to get in the sandbox already. What does he do? Kicks off his flip flops into the "turtle shell", and promply learns why we wear shoes in the sand.

Mini's science lesson #2: sand gets HOT in the sun.

Ah, the yowling of young discovery. And, of course, I have to walk barefoot through the sticker patch to save the toddler from himself. *sigh* No one warned me it would be like this. Seriously.

Anyway, on to writerly things....I'm still working on the summer menage story, and that's gonna be my big project for the weekend. I keep having to go back and layer things in, then clean it up. I mean, I see the statue in the stone, I'm just having a hard time getting it out of there.

No more problems with the setting/events, thankfully, although I lost a significant amount of words after doing initial cuts to fix what didn't work. I'm currently lacking 1k to meet required length, but I'm positive that will all even out the further I delve into the manuscript and start layering in more details to the naughty scenes.

The first chapter has been the biggest challenge. I've rewritten the beginning three times, trying to get it the way I want it. The set up just wouldn't flow. Well, I finally arranged all the pieces of the puzzle yesterday afternoon. Chapter one is finally where it should be, I think. It sets up the initial story promise, introduces the most important characters, and builds tension where it should be...all that blah. Since it's mostly ready, just in need of fine polishing, I've printed it up and put it to the side. Time to move on to the next chapter - which will hopefully be easier to deal with.

So there you have it. The master plan. Now to break out the calculator and check book. I have to get the bills together before I make a run to the bank.

Happy Friday!

Jams for the road:

♥ Kruder & Dorfmeister - Original Bedroom Rockers ♥

And It All Went Splat

Well,I officially did my time "power-free" for Earth Day yesterday. Our power went out twice, and was off for over 3 hours total. It wasn't horrible, but it's not easy keeping a toddler entertained with no electricity. Instead of trying to convince Minibeast the lights weren't going to come back on no matter how many times he flipped the light switch, I abandoned the laptop and took him outside to play.

I now have my first sunburn of the year, and it's not even summer yet. It's such a waste too, since I don't tan well, just get a kind of peachy tone and a ton of freckles. If you ever see me in person and I'm tan, trust me, it's fake-fake-fake-fromabottle-fake. For all my efforts, I'm now slathered in minty fresh aloe, and trying to play catch up with research. Urg.

Right before the 2nd power cut, yesterday, I realized something didn't mesh about my summer story. Hm. Make that 2 things that didn't mesh. The first thing was critical to the story - and as it turns out, illegal for the area where I had the story set. Brilliant - not! The other thing was an impossibility for the area. You can't do that there because the geography doesn't allow for it.

If you heard a loud 2o minute string of the absolute filthiest cursefest you've ever heard...uh, that was probably me.

I had no choice but to sit down with my story, circle all the NO GO parts on the hard copy, and try to match this stuff to a geographical location where all this stuff was possible. If I'd had more time to research pre-story, I might've escaped this pitfall, but when I'd initially gone to my publisher, the core of the story was already on paper - erm, hard drive.

I'm glad I was able to salvage it. It's like a miracle or something, but after 6 hours of solid notetaking and research, I found a location that is perfect for the story and 100% plausible and legit. It's a match! *victory dance*

I won't even have to change that much, just tweak a few minor things and I'm good to go. I tell ya, I nearly fainted with relief because it's too late to start from scratch! Thankfully I won't have to!

After all this BS, I could've really used a cuppa tea. A good cuppa tea. This Lipton French Vanilla shit I bought just isn't cutting it. It's not strong enough, even with two tea bags. I must hit the store today and buy a box of Madagascar Vanilla Red. That's my particular vintage. My favorite. I usually keep two boxes in the cupboard, but apparently I blazed through both boxes and never realized it. *twitch*

So that's what's what. Going round 4 with this draft - same story, new setting. Here I go again. Breaking out the big guns this time.

Happy Thursday! ~_^

Sweet Nothings

I'm officially working on my 2nd cup of coffee. I didn't want to get out of bed this morning, but the muse started whispering sweet nothings in my ear, so I had to get up and jot them all down before I forgot it. That wench. Some days....

At any rate, the wip is progressing. I'm only 1k shy of the required word count, and that'll fall in with the actual rewrites, which I'm starting on today. Right at this moment, my printer is chugging out page after ugly page while Minibeast does his "the printer is printing dance". Seriously. He does this crazy tap dance when the printer starts. The kidlet can find a musical rhythm in just about anything.

Honestly, I hate wasting the ink, but I added so much to this thing yesterday I needed a fresh hardcopy to work from. Ugh. Round 3, here I come. It's a blackhole story, this one. The closer I think I'm getting to the end, the more words it sucks in.

So that's the grand plan for today - work on this wicked summer story. Gotta make it happen. It's due April 30th, and time is running out. Tick, tock, tick, tock...

Gwen Stefani MTV Music

Cracking the Whip

Today is crunch day. Much as I hate it, I have no more excuses to linger over this wip. The research is done, the characters are in place, most of the smutty parts are written. It's there, it's just...a mess.

The story is relatively short, so by the end of the day, I plan to have at least half this thing red penned to Nth degree, and ready to rewrite. And I mean, when I sit down at the computer again, all I have to do is key in what's already jotted down. I'm going rabid ninja on this bitch.

I noticed I'll have to add to it a bit to boost the word count, and I imagine it will just scrape by the required count. I don't think I've ever cut it so close before. Usually my stories run a little long and I have to trim them back. I was trying to avoid that with this one, but it seems I went to the opposite extreme. Story of my life. Marilyn Mason = Hello Kitty, and all that.

I picked up a new book. I'm currently reading Sex with Strangers (Black Lace). I'm about half way through the book, and so far my fave in the lot is the first story: Mind the Gap, by Mae Nixon. Sex on a train. In the dark. Guy in a business suit. Mm. Interesting.



How is that for a smokin' hot cover?

That's about all I have to share today. Maybe once the week wears on. I'm hoping the submission faerie will land in my inbox soon. *wishing very hard* I'm still waiting to hear back on a couple of submissions I sent off in December 2008 through January this year. Lost in e-transit, maybe?

I'm going to close with a video of my fave bellydancer ever, Sadie. She is soooo talented. She is, like, the queen of isolations. Doesn't do much work with her arms usually, so this video is a treat. I found it yesterday while browsing youtube. It's relatively new - from 2008. I hadn't seen it before!

Shoe Lust Remix

Monday. Again. Ah, well, it's not like it can be avoided. Still, the weekend slipped away too darn fast. It didn't help that the hubster wasn't home. He's been working 7/10s. Supposedly he'll get next weekend off, but I'll believe it when I see it. It depends on if the crew can get a specific machine installed and working. I've got my fingers crossed, but I'm not going to make any weekend plans until I know for sure this thing is in the bag.

In the meantime...

Shoe lust. I haz it.

I wanted to try and find a pair of all purpose shopping and goes-good-with-jeans kitten heels, or maybe a pair of wedge sandals, but I found these instead. And they are calling to me.

I'm not sure where the hell I'd wear the gold ones, but they are sparkly gorgeous. Sparkly = goooooood. The black strappy ones may very well be on their way here by Friday. I could wear those with just about anything...if I can keep up with the darn things. (By the way, both pairs are from Frederick's of Hollywood.)

To date, my black flip flops are missing. I've checked every room. I've looked under the bed, in the closets, and in the rack where I keep my jeans. I have no idea where those shoes are, but they've barely been worn. And I need 'em too. Darn shoe gnomes!


This week I've got to get the summer menage story revised and ready to go. The deadline's looming. Can't put it off any longer. I imagine I'll be pretty busy with this, so if I'm not around as much, it's because I'm nestled in the writing cave. ~_^

Time for a dance break, I think. Something to get my writing groove going.


♥♥Confusion - Pump Panel Remix (New Order)♥♥

(Warning! This song is over 10 minutes long. :P)

Writing Adventure Group: Results #7 / Instructions #8

Writing Adventure Group: Results #7 / Instructions #8

WAG #7 Results and WAG #8 instructions below. All are welcome to join next week’s adventure!

The theme for the Writing Adventure Group #7 was “Imaginings“. Don’t forget! The Writing Adventure Group is on Facebook. Join us there too, and get weekly reminders so you never miss an adventure.

For those who participated, please cut and paste the links below (and instructions for next week, if you wish) to your own blogs. This will help promote the group and give some linky love to each other, creating a fantastic cross-promotional network of WAGs!

————————–

How to Join the Writing Adventure Group
Nancy Parra
Iain Martin
Gunnar Helliesen
Cora Zane
Sue O’Shields
Mickey Hoffman
J.M. Strother - Mad Utopia
Sharon Donovan
Nixy Valentine
DMW Carol

Next week’s Writing Adventure:
“WAG #8: Rose Colored Glasses”

Go out and choose an unfamiliar object (in other words, one you have no history with) that strikes you as ugly, repulsive, annoying, etc… some ideas might be: a wad of squashed gum on the pavement, a dead squirrel on the side of the road, an ugly sign, a loud construction site, a tacky sculpture in a charity shop… and write about it in such as way as to make it appealing to your reader. Really sell it! Use whatever words you want and cheat as much as you want, but do your best!

Post the results on your blog, and read this post about the group for information on how to notify me (Nixy Valentine) so your post will be properly included in next week’s list. (Note, please include WAG #8 in the subject heading and tell me how you want your name to appear please!) Deadline: next Tuesday, April 21st.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * **

Ok, here goes...

Picnic table in the park, outside the roadside rest stop. How comfortable you look after a long ride, nestled under a shedding pine tree. Modern vintage, metal piping curled under sturdy brown tabletop. Names of past lovers carved into the wood surface like faded tattoos, some filled with ball point ink. Ashley + Matt within a crude heart. Others scrawled in black marker, or attempted with nail polish. Reminders of so many passing flings.

I'm tired; the kids are hungry. On either side, the bench seats are raised like hands in offering. And I accept. Careful where I sit, inspecting the years of weathering before plonking down. I sigh and tighten my ponytail. Squint behind my sunglasses. Tell the kids to lay down napkins, white, clandestine sheets covering scars. Making new. Pretending to overlook, offering a false forgiveness.

It's nice here, shady and green. Above us, the tin overhang is a home for birds, and a grudging protector from the dappled sun. A breeze drifts in from the direction of a landscaped tract of woods, the soft gust stirring the smell of french fries and rich dark soil. I take a deep breath and hold it for several seconds, absorbing it until eventually, as I must, I let it go.

Unwrapping the food becomes a ceremony, a ritual forgotten as soon as we settle in to eat. Over the course of our meal we share broken conversation, hushed as though afraid a passerby might hear, which I'm not sure is even possible. Interstate traffic rushes past, colorful vehicles gleaming in the sun, each darting away with the harsh whisper of a ghost.

It's time to go, get back on the road, and in preparation, I tuck everything into a single bag for disposal. The napkin sheets are stripped away, revealing truths I'd already forgotten. So many faceless names.

While the kids stretch their legs and head toward our vehicle, I use one of the napkins to swipe the water ring my paper cup left behind - an old habit. But the stain is resistant, and very dark. The standing moisture soaks up like cold tears, but an opaque circle with a ragged edge has absorbed into the wood.

Intentional or not, my mark will be there even after we've gone, at least until it evaporates. Which seems somehow fitting. The faded memory of a brief affair.

Scary Beautiful

My 1st round edits for Only the Moon Will Tell (Weirdly 3) came in late last night. I shuffled through the corrections for a while, worked on accepting changes on the first few pages, but it was so close to midnight I thought better of doing to much with it. Best to play it safe and tackle it when I'm not feeling so tired. I'll hit on them this afternoon when I'm back from errands, and throughout the weekend.

I also have to write this weekend - the summer story is tiptop high on my priority list right now. I hope to get through revising at least half of it over the weekend, otherwise, it's going to be a tough week next week since I'm running awfully close to deadline. The thing is, over the weekend, I'm going to have both kidlets here, and hubster has to work. The entire situation has "stress headache" written all over it. If nothing else, it should be very interesting to see how much gets done vs. the resulting domestic carnage. *_*

That said, there are a couple of events going on today...

First, there's a featured book giveaway going on over at the Midnight Moon Cafe Blog. All you have to do is drop by and say hi in the comments to be entered for the drawing. The prize is a signed copy of Ancestral Magic, by Moondancer Drake.

Also, today is #queryday on Twitter. If you have a question for an editor or agent, this is a good way to get an answer straight from the source. Keep in mind, though, this isn't a pitch session. These are industry questions, stuff pertaining to writing and submission. A few editors/agents who participate: Colleen Lyndsay, Elaine Spencer, and Angela James. Follow any number of authors and you'll usually crosslink with one of them and find your way to the hot spots. *thumbs up*

Split, by Kristina Lloyd

I found Split by participating in the Blow Hard Tour: Kristina Lloyd was one of the encore stops. She posted an intriguing excerpt of Split on her blog that had me wondering just how the heroine was going to get herself out of a very uncomfortable situation. I ordered the book on spot, and it arrived yesterday afternoon from Barnes and Noble.

Like I always do when I get a new book, before I ever sit down to read it, I crack the cover and check out the first few paragraphs just to see what I'm getting myself into. In this case, I sat down and became so involved in those first few paragraphs, by the time I looked up again, I'd read the entire book.

Split isn't for the reader who needs every little detail spelled out for them. If you are that kind of reader, you're not going to get it. You're going to feel there is too much left to conjecture. However, if you are an intuitive reader, sit up and listen. This is book is haunting - scary beautiful - and I give it my highest recommendation.

The story starts out with a woman named Kate Carter recounting a vacation she and her then boyfriend took to a small town called Heddlestone, in Yorkshire. While they're there, they visit this garish puppet museum with erotic puppets, and afterward, on the way back to their hotel room, they glance up toward a window and see a woman dressed up like a painted ballerina. She is tied up and slumped over against the window. They can't tell if she's alive or dead. Kate and her boyfriend debate calling for help, when two men come into the scene. Soon they realize the woman is there of her own free will. Fascinated, they watch everything the men do to her.

This is a turning point for Kate. When she returns to London, she can't get the incident out of her mind. Frustrated with her life, her boyfriend, she wants more than anything to be that woman she saw in the window. She wishes she could go back to Heddlestone - the need to do so is like a compulsion driving her to madness.

When she gets one of the email newsletters from the puppet museum saying the owner is looking for an assistant, Kate jumps on the chance. She tells her boyfriend that she needs some time apart, and in that short amount of time, she reorganizes her life, gets a leave from her current job, sublets her apartment, and takes off , telling her boyfriend nothing.

From this point Kate is swept into the oddity that is Heddlestone, and the sexual deviations of its residents. Jake, the ower of the puppet museum, has no real job for her, and although he swears he is in love with her, he keeps insisting she sleep with his brother, Eddie, a cruel man who runs the local pub. She can sense there is something secret going on here, something dangerous, but no one is talking. Soon she learns women often come up missing from Heddlestone, but she can find no details to explain why. Fear is her constant companion. She no longer trusts Jake, or anyone else in the town. She's told her fears are all in her mind, that it's the moors, they mess with you like that. Others tell her it's the ghost of Laura, a Victorian woman who drowned in Heddlestone Brook.

All I can say is this book is not what it seems. I can't tell too much without giving away the magic behind the story. Kate is a compelling character, the honesty of her nature is blunt and real - it gets to the guts and grit of human emotion. But make no mistake, there are no hearts and flowers here. Kate explores her own sensuality in the face of humiliation and uncertainty, not knowing if she will live to see the next day. I suggest you read the book all the way to the end, then go back and re-read the first chapter to let the gravity of the foreshadowing really sink in.

The sex in this book isn't for the meek or prudish, and despite the text on the cover, this isn't what I'd call an erotic romance, or even a contemporary. Yes, the setting is contemporary, but I feel I should point out this is a paranormal novel. As subtle as the otherwordly elements might be, they are paramount.

Split is one of those spellbinding books told from the viewpoint of a woman who loses herself to find out who she really is. Kate is frighteningly real. From page one, I couldn't put down her story. I know this will be one of those books that will stick with me for a very long time. **

**Click here to buy this book from Barnes and Noble.

That's it for me today. I have kids to round up and errands to run. Don't forget to pop over the MMC and enter to win Ancestral Magic! :*) Happy Friday, everyone.

Denying the Muse

I'm up early this morning. I've gotta get the lead out on this naughty summer wip. Last night, between bouts of tinkering with Twitter and Youtube, I managed to clean up 4 whole paragraphs. Oy vey. No more of that allowed. *face slap*

On the other hand, I'm strictly denying my muse any playtime right now. I've locked her in a corner and she can stay there until she cooperates. That hussy, she wants to jump right on the full length wip and I know her, oh yes I do. I know she'll write pages and pages of notes on that full length, and then go... "Eh, enough of that. I'm sooo done here." And afterward, she won't want to put out again for months. Yes, months. How is a mortal woman to go without for that long?

No go, Miss Muse. Don't make me break out the paddle. You're blocked and barred from even glimpsing the proposed full length until the menage is complete and everyone has walked away satisified. Got it? Good. Now get that ass back to work.

To put myself in a summerly frame of mind, I've resorted to all kinds of colorful propoganda. I've been digging through beach pictures trying to get into the flow again. Let's see, I've got quite a treasure file going: pictures of resorts, palm trees, waves, hot guys in board shorts, girls in slinky bikinis, colorful drinks with little umbrellas in them, dune grass, cut off shorts, sea shells, sea birds, and white sand. Oh yeah, and Jeep porn, too. Throw a couple'a Bob Marley mp3s in on all that, and you have my all encompassing "get off your lazy duff and write something already, Cora" experience.

While rallying for a big attack on the summer wip, I've also had to do a bit of research on surfing in Argentina, and Argentine names for men. I had no idea until yesterday that there is a government list of approved names parents are referred to for naming their children. All baby names must be approved. This is to protect kids from being named something ridiculous or inappropriate, and also to help preserve culture. Until yesterday, I didn't know this.

Now to do the official clean up. I'm still a little short of the require word count, so the story has room to grow - sort of like a good pair of shoes. ;) Wish me luck!

Sight-Seeing at Night

So I'm waiting for hubby to get home from work yesterday, and I get a phone call. It's hubster. He and dad ride back and forth to work together, and the bearings went out on dad's truck. He tells me exactly this, "We're broke down just outside of Alexandria."

Of course, I must go and get the guys. My mom can't handle the pressure of driving in places she's not familiar with, and besides that - it's already getting dark. *sigh* I don't really mind going, it's the act of getting out of the house that makes it a chore. First, my Jeep is flat-ass on empty and I have twenty dollars to my name for gas. Next, I gotta take Mini to my mom's and drop him off, because there's no hell quite like trying to find someplace in the dark with a cranky toddler in the backseat. I dare you to try it.

It takes me about 40 minutes to actually start on the journey. Before leaving mom's, it comes to mind that I might actually need something to drink while on this hour long drive, so I tell her I needed a coke. Hm. She didn't have anything in cans, so she poured diet coke into a metal travel cup...that didn't have a snowball's chance of fitting in the cupholders in my Jeep.

So, as soon as I turn off onto 167 South, the travel mug tips over and spills Diet Coke along the edge of my seat. Yep. I'm now sitting in an icy cold puddle since, of course, the law of physics dictates that the beads of cola aren't going to absorb into my cheap seat covers until they're RIGHT UNDER MY ASS CHEEK. For real. I sigh to myself and keep driving, while trying to absorb some of the mess with the sleeve of the black hoodie I tossed into the passenger seat before leaving home.

By the time I reach Winnfield, I discover every cop in the area must be out on patrol, and that everything beyond the Red Hill water tower is a mess of road construction. What a beautiful combination...45mph traffic and a guy who rides my ass, but won't pull my hair. Just what every woman needs.

I also want to let you all know how dark it is along 167 at night. There's nothing out there but trees, cops, and pitch black darkness. No street lights, no gas stations, and barely a reflector along the road. Oh, yeah, and it's a dead zone too. No cell phone towers. I swear, this place must be the portal to Oblivion.

I drive with my cell phone open, waiting to emerge from the DZ. After about 45 minutes, I get a single bar. I start trying to dial hubby, but I still can't get a good signal.

Just ahead there's a sign that says, Alexandria 24 miles. By this time, I really have to pee. I see this Chevron station up ahead on the right, but at the same time, I figure I must be pretty close to where the guys are so I don't want to stop. I keep driving. After all, hubby said, "We're just outside of Alexandria." Alexandria's not that far. I can hold it for that long, right?

So I finally get a signal and call hubby. He says, "Where are you?" Why, I'm in a little area called Creola. He has no idea where that is. He confers with dad then tells me the wonderful news. "I think you've passed us."

WTeverlovinmonkeyF?

"Uh, hubby, your directions suck." Nope, I am not a happy girl. I tell him he better figure out where I am and fast because I'm getting into insane road construction and heavy traffic. His answer: "Well, first things first, you're gonna have to turn around and get on 167 North."

That response officially activates my Bitch Factor. Oh, and to the road construction people working on that stretch - you need to at least put one turn around point between Creola and Alexandria. AND you need to mark it with reflectors, because four lanes of traffic and no way to get from 167 South to 167 North is just damn stupid!

As I'm heading into Alexandria, I see a sign for the airport. It's the first off ramp, so I take it. As I'm heading UP this crazed off ramp, I see a sign for Monroe (home!). I cut a sharp left where the ramp V's off, and get stopped at a red light. I'm right beside the overpass now, and the traffic is at four angles - in a double X pattern, because each side is two lanes of one way traffic.

The light changes, and I turn left, go maybe ten feet under the overpass, and see the turning lane for 167 North. This thing is a sharp L, has no reflectors and is as wide as a Shreveport driveway. Great Pete... It's like a little cement lip between medians. Un-freaking-real. I get back on 167 North and I swear, I could have killed with my deathstare. On top of that, I really, really have to piss by this point.

I feel around for my cell phone, but can't find it - of course. So I pull over and turn on the overhead light. When I do find the phone, I call the hubster. Now don't get me wrong, I love him. We've been together 19 years, most of those married, and were highschool sweethearts. And yet, his ability to give directions sucks hog balls. There, I've said it. When I enlighten him to this fact, he passes the phone to my dad. And from there, Dad talks me the rest of the way to the break down zone that is "just outside of Alexandria". Yeah, right!

You want to know what's really ironic? Remember that Chevron station? That one I contemplated stopping at to pee? They were in walking distance of it. Oh yeah. If I'd have stopped and called, I would have been able to take care of the "have to go" problem, and wouldn't have passed them up by 20 minutes.

So that was my evening yesterday. We made it home around 11pm. Mini wanted to stay at Grams, and I was too tired to argue. Hubby picked up his Jeep, and I drove mine. I arrived home tired and hungry. So straight in from all that - I had to cook supper. Very glam, no?

Anyway, speaking of glam... One of the stories I sent out in December got a response last night. The editor wants me to take it, and develope it into a full novel. I've decided to do it, but at this point, it's a bit like sizing up Everest. And just for the record, I've never climbed a mountain.

That's it for me. I hope you all have a happy hump day. ~_^

Girl Pimp

So I'm working on this menage erotica story - m/f/m for those who might be wondering. The draft is done, and I'm basically going through and layering more smut *cough, cough* details into the tale.

I got stuff on this one scene, and started having some doubts so I put the story aside and called a non-writer friend to chat.

After we spent a half hour talking about girly stuff, kids, pets, and such, I talked to her about the proposed ending to this menage and asked her opinion. She was kinda silent for a minute, then said, "So, uh, she's like a girl pimp, right?"

Der...what? Girl pimp? Wait. Is that wrong? ^_^

Okay, well, if being a girl pimp means being sandwiched between two really, really hot guys with accents in a sexy setting - um, pass me a Fedora and where do I sign up? (And please don't tell me hubster has to sign a permission slip or something to make it official. I have a feeling he might not approve.) *g*

Speaking of hubster, he came home from work and did the big sexy: he shaved his head. I spent the rest of the evening running my fingers through his hair. We call the cut "getting a Caesar".



Hottius Maximus
I don't quite remember the joke behind the phrase, but it has something to do with Russell Crowe in Gladiator. We used to snicker about it, I remember that much, but the phrase has since passed into all seriousness. Example: Honey, your hair is hair is too poofy. You need a Caesar, stat. At any rate, I love it when he first cuts it. I can't keep my hands off him. His hair feels pretty fab too. ;)


Tim Armstrong. Hot & rockin a Fedora, FTW!

But back to writing that menage... I'm thinking about tempering the ending a bit so my heroine doesn't walk away from the final sexy scene in such a girl-pimp kinda way. It's not a romance, but I don't want it to change who my heroine is so much that she doesn't seem like the same person at the end of the story. *pondering* Oh well, I guess the point is I'm not quite ready to debut a girl pimp story just yet. Maybe one day, though. Hehe!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! ~_^

Spring Break

Happy Monday, everyone! How about that? It's the first day of Spring Break. I'll be celebrating by catching up on laundry and making a run up town to pay bills with Minibeast. Oldest stayed up til 4AM, so I doubt I'll be seeing much of him before noon. If nothing else, having both kids home should make for an interesting writing week. Together, they are a recipe for domestic drama, and I've got just shy of three weeks to get this summer story finished and submitted.

I've been following the whole #amazonfail disaster on Twitter, and various other places around the interwebz. Wicked Temptation, Bonding Experience, and Crossing Borders have all been stripped of their sales ranking at Amazon.com. Now when you go to Amazon and look up Cora Zane, none of my books appear in the search results. The only way to find my books is to go directly to the Kindle section, and then they will show themselves. This was NOT like that three weeks ago.

I'm very disappointed in Amazon. This goes so beyond fail I don't even know how to express it. First, there was the POD scandal - let's only sell POD books who use Amazon's service. Then they make it so that authors can't put up the covers to their books when the distributor fails to do so. Bonding Experience is still sitting at Amazon without a cover, never mind I'm the author and have uploaded an image myself. I've contacted their less than helpful tech support center numerous times and they told me they couldn't do anything about the cover issue. However, they can apparently strip my sales ranking and remove my place in the site search engine without any trouble whatsoever.

Hm. Let's see if they understand this one: I have been an Amazon loyalist from the start. I've been buying at least two erotic books a week from them for several years now - and there's no telling the number of DVDs, song downloads, and CDs I've picked up from there as well. After being fed this latest bullshit about a glitch, I will be taking my business to Barnes and Noble, effective today. Amazon has shown they care nothing for their customers, or the sellers who put their books on their site. Enough is enough already.

Today is the final encore day of the Blow Hard Tour 2009, and the drawing day for the grand prize basket filled with all kinds of tasty goodies: books, candy, sex toys and more! Congratulations to the big winner!

The lovely Kristina Lloyd is hosting the final day of the tour, and she's put together a delicious post you won't want to miss. Bring a tissue, because you can bet your boots she's going to steam up your reading glasses! :0)

Writing Adventure Group #7

Writing Adventure Group: Results #6 / Instructions #7

WAG #6 Results and WAG #7 instructions below. All are welcome to join next week’s adventure!

The theme for the Writing Adventure Group #6 was “Overheard”.

Don’t forget! The Writing Adventure Group is on Facebook. Join us there too, and get weekly reminders so you never miss an adventure.

For those who participated, please cut and paste the links below (and instructions for next week, if you wish) to your own blogs. This will help promote the group and give some linky love to each other, creating a fantastic cross-promotional network of WAGs!
————————–
How to Join the Writing Adventure Group

Cora Zane
Adam Heine
Christine Kirchoff
Nancy J Parra
Mickey Hoffman
Sharon Donovan
Iain Martin
Criss
Lulu
Jon Strother
Marsha
Carol

Next week’s Writing Adventure:

“WAG #7: Imaginings” This one is people-watching with a twist. Observe a stranger and sketch a brief background for them, including a secret. Then describe why they are in that particular place at that particular time (where you ran into them) and how it will affect their future. Feel free to be creative, but don’t forget to describe the concrete reality that made you pick them in the first place! (Thank you to Christine Kirchoff for this week’s WAG topic!)

Post the results on your blog, and read this post about the group for information on how to notify me (Nixy) so your post will be properly included in next week’s list. (Note, please include WAG #7 in the subject heading and tell me how you want your name to appear please!) Deadline: next Tuesday, April 14th.

Ok, here goes, Writing Adventure #7:

A man with dust blond hair probably in his late forties. Good looking in an unassuming way. Faint beard stubble, striking blue eyes. He sits alone at a table outside the Starbucks, smoking a cigarette, a grande sized cup with a paper holder in front of him. Wearing a gray sport coat over a T-shirt. Seems deep in though. He has a newspaper opened to a page several sections inside. A breeze flutters the corners but the paper is held down with an elbow. Chin rested on two fingers. Eyes narrowed, he watches the traffic coming in off the interstate.

I wonder what he's read to give him that intense look? The economy? Politics? Maybe an obituatary or - no. A missing person's case. Maybe he knows something, a secret about the person involved. Maybe he's a detective, sifting evidence in his thoughts. His cigarette has burned down, the ashes a long, gray-white cylinder. He hasn't thumped them away in quite a while. I watch the column, waiting for it to fall, a bent, irregular formation seemingly impervious to the wind until at last, it crumbles.

The man catches the movement, and glances at his hand - when he does so I notice how short his nails are. Ragged cuticles. A nail biter. Nervous looking hands: slender fingers, heavy-boned along the joints. He swipes the ashes off his newspaper and taps the cigarette against the tin ashtray before crushing it out. Then he rises. Rumpled, dark-wash jeans and black leather shoes. Slips on a pair of tortoise shell sunglasses from his coat pocket, and picks up his coffee. Tucks the paper under his arm.

I watch him cross the parking lot to a black SUV with dark window tinting. He unlocks the driver's side door, and tosses the paper on the opposite seat before climbing in. A minute later he backs out of the parking space and waits for a break in traffic. It comes, and he darts out, flowing into the right lane, sweeping around the curve to the interstate onramp.

Peeptastic!

Happy Easter, everyone!

We had a traditional dinner of hamburgers, grilled sausage, devilled eggs, and sugar free pecan cheesecake at my parents this year. And I dresed up in my best army pants, Doc Martens, and 1972 Surfing Championship t-shirt plus a black hoodie. I *heart* my family. They know I'm not going to wear a dress, and don't even bat an eye. That, my friends, is luv.

We got Mini up early to have fun using dye swabs to color Easter eggs, but there was no hope for a hunt today since it came a howler of a rainstorm early on. The front yard is a mush of soggy grass, and the temperature has dropped considerably since I first crawled out of bed.

Mom put together beautiful Easter bags for the kids - complete with handmade felt rabbits. Lovely stuff. I did the recycled easter basket this year. Mini's is purple, vintage willow with blue biodegradable grass. We're using it to hold the "real eggs" that I'll probably use to turn into a egg salad before the day is up.

Now that we're back home, I've been lounging around and basking in the glow of PMS. At least there is plenty of sugar free chocolate on hand thanks to the Easter bunny. Otherwise there might be casualties.

The Blow Hard Tour 2009 has a special guest up today over at Sommer Marsden's blog. Why not hop on over and check out the sexy excerpt - and don't forget to leave a comment! There is going to be a big prize drawing soon fill with all sorts of goodies - candy, books, toys, and more. You won't want to miss it!

All for now. I have a cheesecake to vanquish, and dishes to wash. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.


UPDATE: Just discovered all my ebooks at Amazon.com have been deranked due to erotic content. Many classic erotic titles, and all Black Lace books (which own my heart) are deranked as well. Smart Bitches has created a new google bomb to help garner attention to Amazon's latest kick to the crotch. Consider me happy to do my part for project Amazon Rank .


No erotic romance for you, kitty!

Sleep Late = Good Morning

While Oldest was at jr. prom last night, hubby and I went to see Knowing at the the theater. (starring Nicolas Cage) What a completely awesome movie! Sad in places, but very good. It doesn't let up once in that entire film. Things get increasingly intense all the way through, and to my suprise, there was no anti-climax. Will be looking to buy that one on DVD when it comes out. If you're in to apocolyptic, end of the world type movies, this one is not to be missed.

Speaking of prom...I have pictures of the Oldest Beast, and we put a few up in the morning. We didn't get home until almost 2 am. Oldest got a ride home with his BFF, and so he was already here when hubby and I dragged in.

Today I've got to drink enough coffee to survive a trip to the grocery store. I still have things to buy for dinner at my mother's tomorrow. I have to dye eggs. I also promised to make a pecan cheesecake, deviled eggs, and something...I think...with meat in it? I've slept since then, so I don't really remember. Better call before hauling up to the store. Hm.

Hubster took the Tux back this morning, and now has the Minibeast in parental custody. (Picked him up from the grandparent's house.)Their last known location was at Cooktown Park - hubster sent me cell phone video of Minimonster going down the big spiral slide. Weee! ^_^

Now that all the craziness is over - from taking in Diva dog to last minute prom planning, I've got to get back to work on the Wicked story. Draft 2 has to be worked up this week. So far everything looks good, on schedule. I'll know more once I sift through this pile of notes. Wish me luck!

The Blow Hard Tour 2009 is over at Neve Black’s blog today! Don’t forget to drop by and pay her a visit. She’s written a delicious post that will have you on your knees, begging for more!

Be sure say hello in the comments for your chance to win this fantastic prize package containing books, candy, toys, and other stimulating goodies.

And guess what…the tour doesn’t end there! Sommer Marsden has arranged two surprise encore tour stops to delight your decadent palate.

April 12: Surprise Mystery Guest!
April 13: Surprise Mystery Guest!
Visit again tomorrow to see where the Blow Hard Tour bus will take you.

That's it for me today. There's much to do, and so little sanity to get me through it. I hope you have a happy weekend! Don't forget to leave some carrots out for the Easter bunny! ;)

Teenage Prom Drama

I'm beginning to think the purpose of teenagers is to ensure the parents do not live above a certain age. I think mine may be trying to kill me off before I reach 35. Yesterday was going merrily along, and then the phone rings. It is amazing how 98.9% of the bullshit that hits the fan at my house begins with the phone ringing. Yes, I am finally putting 2 and 2 together on this one. Of course, it's Oldest calling me from school. "Hi, mom, I don't want you to be upset but...I just got my prom invite."

"Okay..." I feel a twinge of unease. "So when is it?"

"Uh, tomorrow night."

[Cue parental hissy fit.]

The rest of my day quickly fell into a steaming heap. I ended up playing phone tag with hubby and he with Oldest's best friend to find out what the heck was going on. Why did Oldest find out last minute? Oldest's BFF had picked his tux up yesterday, and said he'd received his own invite almost 2 weeks ago.

Ah-ha! Oldest was absent that day. I took him to get vaccinated. Effing school people apparently tossed Oldest's invite on the high shelf and never got around to giving it to him.

BFF was very distressed that Oldest would likely not be able to go to prom. So three of us - hubster, me, and BFF, are calling around every Tux place known to man to find someone who does last minute orders. BFF for the win! He found a place in Ruston, but they could only take the orders up to 4pm. So...I drove Mini to my mom's and dropped him off, then ran to the school and picked up Oldest. It happened to be club day at school, so no one was in the class where they were supposed to be. He was off in some class playing chess. Good grief. Anyway, I briefed Oldest on what we were doing as we left out of the school.

Next, a stop at the gas station (since I didn't want to end up walking to Ruston.) While I did a fill up, I handed Oldest my checkbook and told him to balance it. After a rushed trip to the bank for suit deposit money, we're off to hunt down this tux rental place.

Oldest is a fish out of water around formal wear, and I'm not much better. The only thing I like about a tux is when I'm watching James Bond peel himself out of one. I figured the shop owners would offer some guidance on choosing a Tux, but apparently not. They were very stiff, not helpful at all, but at the last minute you have to do what you have to do.

I looked around and told Oldest to go simple, but to pick what he liked vest wise. I'm really proud of him. It's a classic black Tux with a satin vest in charcoal gray shades - kind of a tweed like pattern. That's his first choice. If they can't get that one, he chose for the second, a similar classic black, but with a dark blue satin vest. If the dark blue is what he ends up with, he will be wearing a bowtie. Either way, I'll definitely be taking tons of pictures.

They're off to get the tux now, so I better run around and clean up the house. When Oldest gets back, I've got to bleach, tone, and do a deep conditiong on Oldest's hair. Oy vey. So much to do, so little time. On the up and up, hubby and I are going to get a date night out of all this. Hopefully I won't be completely fried out by the end of the day!

Follow the Tour Bus

The Blow Hard Tour 2009 is over at Isabel Kerr’s blog today! Drop by and check out the yummy post she's added in celebration of that sensual art that makes men say, "Oh, oh, baby!"

Be sure say hello in the comments for your chance to win this fantastic prize package containing books, candy, toys, and more!

Fantasizing About Summer

Woot! I'm flipping through the first draft of my Wicked story. I just printed it out, and for once I'm actually looking forward to sifting through the raw thoughts on paper. I tell ya, this thing has me revved for summer.

Usually I cringe at the thought of reading anything I wrote while it's in this state - it's barely a story. However, by the afternoon I will have shredded, gutted, and red penned this thing into a bloody mess of manageable notes, and will start layering in more details. Such is the germ of creation.

That's the grand plan for today. It's kind of a gray a murky looking day out, so it's perfect for editing and revising. Wish me luck!

The Blow Hard 2009 tour bus has pulled up over at Kristina Wright 's blog today! Don't miss out! Be sure drop by and say hello in the comments for your chance to win this fantastic prize package. ~_^

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Diva In The House

The dog formerly known as Preggy Neighbor Dog, (now Diva Dog), is home. Or should I say, she's now officially a part of the family here.

According to the neighbors, she wouldn't take to her puppies, and they were worried not just for the puppies, but for her because she wouldn't eat or drink any water while they had her at their house. When they tried to interact with her, she'd turn her head away from them.

So yesterday at 8 am, there was a knock on the front door. It was neighbor mom, and there was Diva dog on the ground beside her. I opened the door and the lil Diva went bonkers. She ran in the house and started jumping and dancing and trying to talk to me - rawrawrawr. She's a very hyper girl to start, but when I picked her up, she went completely still in my arms and started grunting softly when I rubbed her ears. Pure contentment. I couldn't believe how excited she was to see me. Neither was neighbor mom. She'd never seen her sit still before.

Today I have to move Diva's dog house into the fenced area of the back yard. Yesterday was more about getting her used to the house, and it seems she's taking to it quite well. She has taken over Pitbull's doggy bed and squeaky toy, and growls when he comes near. Pitbull doesn't quite know how to act. He was "schnoo-ing" at me last night because he wanted to get in his bed but he was too scared to go near her. Oh, my vicious guard dog.... :P I had to get an old quilt out of the back closet and toss it on the floor for him, and oy, but he pouted on me while I was trying to write! Such sad eyes. So it's doggy bed shopping today. And I'll have to buy Diva a squeaky of her own so he can get his "baby" back. All this, of course, after I schedule Diva dog's vet appointment.

Now for the writerly bits....

I didn't get much accomplished yesterday. It wasn't easy to keep Minibeast calm with a new pet in the house. I only managed to sit down with the wip after he went to bed, and I gotta change that today. I want to get the rough draft for the summer menage story completed by tonight. That way, I can start red penning tomorrow. I have a deadline on it for the end of the month, and with it so close to Easter and Spring Break, I need to do as much as possible before I have both kids in the house. It's not easy to write the naughty bits with squabbling kids fighting over the TV in the next room. Srsly. *_*

The Blow Hard Tour 2009 is going strong! Today the bus is over at Emerald's blog today! Be sure drop by and say hello in the comments for your chance to win this fantastic prize package. Come on, you know you want to....

That's it for me today. I need to get going on this wip. Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Checking Out the Peeps Show

Hahaha! I discovered this morning that the 2009 Peeps Show is going on. No, no, I'm not talking about anything naughty. I'm talking about the little marshmallow bunnies and chicks arranged in elaborate, hilarious, and down right brilliant dioramas.

The Washington Post has a Peeps diorama gallery up right now. Everything from Peeps Attacks! to a Trouble With Tribbles parody. It's definitely worth a look. Peep Show 2

I realize you can't getPeeps everywhere in the world, so I'm adding a couple of links to Wiki entry and the Official Peeps Website. For those who may not know what they are, in a nutshell they're sugar coated marshmallows.

I can't eat them like I used to, but I still love 'em. I buy some for the kids every year, and I sent a few boxes around the globe to friends who can't get them where they live. As weird as it is, even though I can't eat 'em, I like the way they smell. Like this strange mix of marshmallow and plastic! Someone should invent a spray airfresher that smells like Peeps. Yum! Okay, yeah, that's probably a bad idea, because I'd walk around craving them all the time, but you know, mother of invention and all that.

Moving along, moving along.... Preggy neighbor divadog had her puppies yesterday - under the neighbors house. Oy vey. Since we agreed they would take the puppies and we would keep the mommy diva and have her spayed, they've put the divadog in a crate in their house with the pups. She hasn't been taking to them very well. We're hoping that will change. I haven't been able to get over there and see her because neighbor daughter #2 is sick with the flu. That being the case, I can't tell if maybe neighbor mommy just panicked, and misread some of divadog's natural instincts or what. I've been trying really hard not to stress over this.

After going through the waiting game all day for info about the doggie deliveries, Oldest came in from school and informed me I needed to get on with it and give him the emo haircut he's been wanting. Oy vey x2. First of all, Oldest has no drive to style anything, much less his hair, and on top of that his texture is all wrong for scene hair. It's too thick and wavy. But, because I love him and because it was too late to bind him in a sack and haul him off to live with the gypsies, I set him down at 10pm, studied a couple of pictures showing the hair he wanted, this one in particular:



It took me an hour an a half to chop that mop down to emo-ish proportions. No pictures - it was too late at night for that. Maybe this afternoon once he's home from school. At any rate, when I finally told him to go take a look in the mirror, he came back with a big grin and said, "I'd hug you, but I'm covered with tiny bits of hair."

So, he saved me a case of the itchies and went to take a bath. Amazingly, he came back after bathtime and gave me a big hug of emo joy before scarpering off to his room to fry his new 'do with the hair dryer. "Use that heat protection stuff I showed you, Oldest!" I have no idea if he listened to me or not. Probably not.

Completely switching gears here. Now onto new news regarding the goings on in my little world of smut writing....

Last night, I was sitting at my desk and Hubby saw me reading a new book that had just arrived yesterday afternoon: Sex...with Strangers (Black Lace). He spied the cover from his spot in the kitchen and said, "What the heck are you reading?" I looked at him over the top of my glasses. "Market research, dear."

That's my new answer for all questions to smut related reading material. It's all market research. Yeah, ok. So most of it really is. Most.

I can't say too much about it yet, but I've been offered a slot for a wicked summer fun story. Menage, anyone? The draft is almost done, and whew, this story is gonna be hot!

Today the Blow Hard 2009 tour bus is pulling up over at Marina St. Clare's blog. Stop by and visit her while she waxes poetic about going down - you'll be glad you did! By posting in the comments, you'll be entered to win a fabulous prize package worthy of your best O face.

That's all for me today. It's almost 10 and I'm still sitting around in my pajamas. Jeans and coffee are in order. I hope you all have a fantastic Tuesday!

Rub For Luck

Follow the bus! Today is Ella Regina's stop along the Blow Hard Tour 2009! Don't forget to drop in and pay her a visit. By posting in the comments on Blow Hard blog days, you'll be entered to a fantabulous prize package complete with books, toys, candy, and more!

I had a stroke of inspiration yesterday, and ended up writing a rough outline for a full length novel on spot. Of course, to get most of the main plot point ideas out of my head, I had to give the characters their fifteen minutes of fame. I wrote I don't know how many pages of notes. I hope after it's all said and done and I go back to sift through what I've got, I'll be able to read them! Arg. Penmanship fail. ~_~'

So I've been waiting to hear back about one particular spanking story that I submitted the first week in December 2008. I don't know what the problem is, but this story has it's own effing black hole, I swear. I submit it and never hear back about it - TWICE, I've been through this. It arrives, I get confirmation of it's arrival, then nothing. No rejection. Nada.

I've decided I absolutely cannot spare another moment worrying about this story. It's not even full length. I just want it off my submission diary. If I can get to it today, great, I will. But if not, I'll do it sometime this week. I'm sending this puppy off to a completely new publisher, one I've absolutely never dealt with before. I've heard good things about the company, don't think I haven't done my homework. At any rate, I'm going for it and hope for the best. I think I'm gonna rub the "send" button on my email for good luck just before I send it off into the vacuum of the interwebz, though.

The main full length WIP I've been working on is creeping forward. I'm almost to 70k. I've been making rewrite notes one the hardcopy throughout the finished bits while adding to the book. Make no doubt, this one is red. Some of it I'm going to have to completely rewrite to fit the new beginning chapter. It's sort of like a messy version of layering. Anyway, I did notice this story keeps getting hotter with every pass. I think that's a good thing?

There you have it, my projects and updates. Now if I could just figure out whether I'm coming or going, I'll be in good shape. Honestly, I think once I get that spanking story taken care of (or at least sent somewhere it doesn't fall into the never-to-be-heard-from-again submission oblivion) I'll be able to lighten up. Or maybe this is all happening now because Pluto's retrograde? Oh, heck, I don't know, but as it stands, that story is like a pimple on my ass. I just want it to go away, already! *_*

So that's it for me. Monday, Monday. I hope yours is a happy one.

Sunday Cheesecake

I'm officially declaring today a lazy Sunday. I'm gonna sit on my duff and work on smut submissions. Yes, indeedy. I think I may bake and devour a pecan cheesecake as well.

Speaking of cheesecake and other Atkins-friendly nom noms, I'm officially down 3 jean sizes. That sounds like a lot, but truthfully, it's only about 15 pounds. I'm hoping to shed a little more before the swimming area of the lake opens to the public this summer.

The Blow Hard Tour 2009 continues today at Heidi Champa's Blog. Be sure to drop by for a visit and read the tasty excerpt she's posted. If you post in the comments over there, you'll be entered to win this amazing prize basket. Don't miss out!

Also, don't forget the Romancing A Cause auction going on here: http://ciarcullen.wordpress.com/romancing-a-cause-auction/ . New writerly goodies are being posted between now and April 7th to benefit a romance writer and her husband who have lost their home and their jobs. This auction has been pulled together by members of Romance Divas, a romance writing website and forum that has just been nominated for it's 5th consecutive year on Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for writers. With that kind of caring support, you can see why! Be sure to visit and see what's on the auction agenda for today.

That's it for me. I'm off for another cup of coffee. Happy Sunday, everyone!

Tour Bus Confessions

Welcome to day 5 of the Blow Hard Tour 2009! Today the virtual tour bus is making its official stop here at my blog, and I'm more than ready to wax poetic over the sensual art of the blow job.

I read a lot of literary erotica and erotic romance, and write a smattering of both. I don't usually talk too much about the art behind the art; however, when I stopped by Sommer Marsden's blog and read her post about how one of her friends doesn't think most women actually enjoy going down on their guy for the sake of it, it made me sit up and think.

I've said it before: I think about sex a lot. Blow jobs frequent my fantasies more than any other act, and it never really crossed my mind until recently that it might be considered abnormal to actually like going down. Surely I can't be alone, though, what with the appearance of so many hot oral scenes in erotica and erotic romance titles? I've even tried to imagine the reading experience if all the bj scenes were taken out. I quickly decided if that ever happened, I would cry.

Sure, the act itself is hot, but there's more to it than that for me. From my own romanticized perspective, I can't imagine a more selfless act of physical lovin' than giving pleasure when it's not expected in return. Probably my favorite part in an erotic story or an erotic romance is reading about the look in the hero’s eyes when he's lost in the heat of passion, yielding all to the heroine while she's on her knees in front of him. I think about the scenes when a guy is hanging on to his control by a thread. He’s dominant, but entranced – either totally in control of his companion, or completely at their mercy thanks to the pleasure being given him. That's damn hot in my opinion.

That said, I'm going to round out my appearance on the tour by posting a set of yummy blow job excerpts from a couple of my Werekind romances. Crossing Borders, my first book ever, and Moonlight and Shadows, which is coming soon from Cobblestone Press. (Release date TBA.)





Crossing Borders - (2006)



Cole’s breathing grew shallow. The sensation was a delicious torture he wanted to last and last. But he couldn’t hold it. The aching, throbbing pressure built and built, too high, too strong. He felt it cresting and reached for it, for her. He traced his thumb along the corner of her glistening mouth and his balls tightened. He was going to come, watching her like this.

“Don’t stop,” he choked out. He tangled his fingers in her long red
hair and dragged her closer. Plunged deeper. She felt so good, her curling
tongue…her cool hair…her mouth…so deep, so hot…sucking him, milking
him….

His climax ripped through him like a bolt of lightning. He came
hard, his whole body jerking, his seed jetting thickly against her tongue.
Laney pulled away with a soft, startled sound, and he looked down lazily
to see her wiping at her mouth while his cock drizzled beads of white
down her bare breasts.






Moonlight and Shadows - (coming soon, 2009)



She stroked his cock in one expert hand, caressing him from the base of his erection to the sensitive tip while her other hand cupped and massaged his soft sac. When she went down on her knees before him, his stomach twisted in anticipation. Already he imagined the slick heat of her mouth and the sensual twirl of her tongue.

He threaded his fingers through her pale hair, breathing deep, sharp breaths when she swirled her tongue around the crown of his dick. When she drew him into her mouth and sucked, a growl of ecstasy rumbled in his chest.

Sylvie. She owned him heart and soul. He stroked his knuckles along her cheek, a fire burning in his blood as she bobbed her head over him, her mouth sucking and retreating in a perfectly maddening rhythm. When she looked up at him, her seductive blue eyes hooded with pleasure, a tremor ran through him so high and hot he almost shot out over the edge.

With a groan, he pulled back from her and grasped himself with his hand. Breathing hard, he shivered and stood still, his body taut with self-restraint and a pulse beating in his cock.

When he regained control, he opened his eyes slowly and found her watching him. A slow grin spread across her face.

“Trying to fuck me down early in the game, are you?”

“Oh, there's much more where that came from,” she said in a husky voice.



In all my excitement, I nearly forgot!!! If you post in the comments at my blog today, you could win a prize package worthy of your best O face.

Take a look at this package of yum: http://smutgirl.blogspot.com/2009/03/pre-come-blog.html

Don't be shy. Leave a comment, even if just to say hello! :0)

Thanks for stopping by to visit me. Tomorrow, the Blow Hard Tour 2009 will continue over at Heidi Champa's blog! We hope to see you there! :0)

Official Blow Hard Tour 2009 tour dates:

Sommer Marsden March 31st

Alison Tyler April 1st (no joke)

Dakota Rebel April 2nd

Erobintica April 3rd

Cora Zane April 4th

Heidi Champa April 5th TOMORROW!

EllaRegina April 6th

Marina St. Clare April 7th

Emerald April 8th

Kristina Wright April 9th

Isabel Kerr April 10th

Neve Black April 11th