Saturday, Saturday, Saturday!!!

Hopefully when you read that, it kind of echoed like it was supposed to and you heard the announcer voice in your head...yeah...

Anyway, yesterday was a wonderful day full of fun and frolicking through meadows full of flowers and...

*screeeeeech*

Okay, I gotta admit, I have never been a frolic through meadows kind of gal.

I am however THIS kind of gal.

Yes, that is me, firing a gun at a plastic bottle filled with colored water. The bottle I was aiming at was filled with green colored water and exploded in a rain of green water (take that zombie water!) and you may also note my lovely pink nail polish...no reason a gal can't be feminine and kick ass...

So, Saturday we were invited to a friends shooting party. If you don't have friends who have shooting parties, these sort of events are a chance for people who are gun enthusiasts to pull their weapons out of the safety of locked gun cabinets and bring them over for some target practice. We aim at a variety of things from clay pigeons to paper targets to (my personal favorite) the water bottles/pop bottles filled with colored water.

(I rock with rifles. I suck at handguns. My teenage son is great with both. In case of zombie apocalypse, I plan on reloading him as much as possible and just cleaning guns and keeping him armed.)

There were a wide variety of weapons at this shooting party and my son was thrilled to get to try out stuff he hasn't tried out before (this is him trying out an AK74). He is a weapons enthusiast and since he has so far shown the proper respect for what the weapons CAN do and is quiet, patient and moves slowly, I allow those who understand them to teach him more about them to encourage that respect to grow. I'm not scared of people who respect weapons...I'm scared of people who hold guns and DON'T comprehend what they can do with one slip and wave them around like morons.

This weapon was NOT loaded while he was holding it. But it was heavy. Hence his grin. He was afraid to shoot this Maverick 308...he was nervous about the kick.

We got to see some cool pieces of history as well. My favorite was probably the Mauser.

The Mauser, according to Tony, the owner, was a Czech WW2 Mauser that was authentic and he got it from the local grocery store. (If you haven't been to our local grocery store and seen the stuffed bear, you wouldn't understand how one could get a gun there but...yeah...you could.) I held it...it weighs a TON and it still fires. When it fires, it managed to knock him back a little...it kicks.

I researched the Mauser a little online. It turns out that his 8mm Mauser, 24" barrel is a 1937 dated rifle...Czech VZ-24. According to what I can find, it dates one year prior to the Sudeten Crisis.
It really kicks, knocked Tony back a few inches when he fired it and it was LOUD.


Probably because it is loaded with this. I think you could probably take out a zombie with this. Or an elephant. Holy wowza. I do know, for a fact, it can blow a ginormic hole in a two liter bottle of red dyed water. SPLAT.

At the shooting party, I got to eat smoked round roast. It turns out that men are far better cooks than me. Yeah, you are thinking to yourself that the competition there wasn't that great to begin with but they SMOKED the roast over water soaked applewood and it tasted amazing.

After that, I slapped on a little makeup and headed to Tony's sisters house for a spa party.

Yes, guns to spa in one day. That is my kinda Saturday. After some pampering, we talked books. I had a BLAST. I had a glass of hot tea, veggie pizza, some lovely toffee cheeseball with vanilla wafers that just exploded with flavor in your mouth, good company and we were talking books while being pampered.

Aaaaaaaaaaahhh....*sigh*

Then, in a rare event, all of my children were elsewhere for the evening.

What is a gal to do when she is single, sexy, pampered and home alone on a Saturday night?

Edits, of course!

Speaking of which, I need to get back to them.

Hope your weekend was as fun as mine (and a much needed tension breaker after last weeks stress filled chaos and finals week ahead)!!
Remember, you can still enter to win The Love Thieves until tomorrow. If you don't know what I am talking about, check out the blog here.

Until tomorrow, Happy writing!

***Max interview and a GIVEAWAY!!***

Today I have a guest on the blog!!

And it isn’t just anyone. I have to confess—I have a little bit of a crush on Max. Max is the star of Heather Long’s new release, The Love Thieves, available now on Amazon! (click here to get your copy today!)

If you haven’t heard about The Love Thieves, here is the blurb:

Set in Morocco, London and Switzerland, The Love Thieves takes Anya and Max on a powerful journey full of passion and chemistry that sparks on the page from their first dance to their last.
Maxwell Sauvage was born into a life of privilege…and boredom. As a “security consultant” to the powerful, he enjoys pitting his wits against the most intricate of security systems for business and pleasure.

Anya Swift is a woman with high-class tastes and a high-octane need for adventure. As an operative for International Art and Antiquities Recovery she stays just on the ‘right’ side of the law, while satisfying her desire for the finer things and her thirst for adventure.

When a high tech camera catches Anya taking The Fortunate Buddha from the French Ambassador’s vault, Max is eager to help the provocative thief for his own reasons, not the least of which being that he set the camera. But after one stunning night of passion, Anya disappears. Now Max must find Anya before the Ambassador’s men and claim the thief for his own, but they are running against a clock, danger and deception.

So, help me welcome Max…You can applaud if you want to.

Max, I have a few questions for you and thanks for coming. For starters, your method of wooing Anya was rather…untraditional. Tell us a little about that?

What’s untraditional about learning everything you can about a woman so you can woo her properly? My darling Anya is unconventional. I thought it prudent to act accordingly.

Okay, I gotta say, that is kinda sexy…so, how do you fall in love? Is it at first sight? Or perhaps during a rapid-fire series of questions from a dead sexy author? *bats eyelashes*

It began in an airport, sitting in the most dreadfully dull lounge you can imagine. But the setting isn’t important, the woman is…

Trust seems to be an issue for you…or you wouldn’t have made some of the…choices you made with Anya. Do you feel trust is usually an issue for you or are you perhaps inspired to trust by inquisitive authors? *hikes skirt a bit higher…*

Trust is earned over the length of an acquaintance, not the skirt.

Describe yourself to me…slowly.

Why ever for?

Hmm…love it. *fans self* So, uh, describe your ideal relationship. I know my…uh…readers want to know all about that.

Trust and passion are vital to any relationship. The ability to converse on multiple subjects and about anything other than fashion and parties. The fact that she can take a man twice her size and put him down like an animal doesn’t hurt. *amused smile* The things that she can do with her legs…

What are you most afraid of? Is that too personal of a question? *laughs nervously* If it is, you should answer anyway. *stares*

Assumptions. Assumptions lead to bad choices and alienation.

What do you like most about your life right now? Like, if you could change any one thing, what would it be?

That is a difficult question. Life is about the choices we make. Change one -- you could change everything. So if changing anything could cost me the one thing I value most then I choose Anya, bruises, bad choices and all.

Oh, well, I thought for sure your answer would be that you would fly me away to a deserted tropical island so you could serve me frothy frozen beverages…Any chance you will give up on that whole Anya thing and date a super sexy single author? *waggles eyebrows*

Not hardly. But I could introduce you to my cousin…let me give you his number…

Damn. Well, you heard it here first, folks. Sexy, rich as sin, bored and a single-devotion to me…erm, Anya. *sigh* If you want to hear more about Max and Anya, check out The Love Thieves here or to find out more about Heather Long’s sexy heroes…check out her website here.

And Heather is giving away a pdf copy of The Love Thieves to one lucky commenter...just leave your comments in the comments section below to be entered to win. Don't forget to leave your email so we can send you your copy if you win.
Good luck and happy writing!

It's coming...

You may notice a pretty little widget somewhere over there----------------->

Gorgeous, right? And look at all those familiar names...hey, mine is on there with all those amazing authors!!

Must be something big coming soon. And there is a countdown...you know something important is afoot if there is a countdown.

I can't say what is happening...yet...but I can tell you that we are gonna put the fire in your Memorial Day fireworks, baby.

*giggle*

Oh, and in other exciting news, I have a guest coming to visit the bloggie. He is sexy, rich, powerful and bored, poor thing. I shall try to keep him busy.

What am I talking about? A character interview with one of my BIG character crushes, Max. I can't believe he is coming here, to MY BLOG. *fans self*

Yes, I am taking a shower just for him. And shaving my legs.

You never know...

Maybe I should paint my toenails, too. I hear men find cute toes sexy...

Anyway, much exciting things in the works and books coming soon and...

Wow, it is just a regular party on this blog lately. You guys sure are lucky to be here.

Okay, enough with the chit chat. I have got to go get prettied up before Max gets here.

Later, darlings!
Happy Writing!

How do you handle stress?

This month has...

Kind of sucked for me.

The roller coaster of life tends to only go as high as it goes low. I think I have mentioned that in previous posts. So, by the laws of motion, if you hit a high point like no other you have ever seen...

Look out.

I have more book contracts than I have ever had before. Personal success is at an all time high. School is wonderful and challenging and exciting. My work in the publishing industry is invigorating and the chats I have had with other pros is thrilling for me. The kids are really blooming lately and our home life is more stable than it has ever been before.

And then we shoot down the hill.

My mom has been sick and that has really been freaking me out. I've been playing in court with my ex (the court date is tomorrow...and I will see how much further that is going to stretch out) and court is time consuming in both sitting around in high tension situations and in the stuff you have to get ready for it. I've had random little things, like my car, that would otherwise have been little things but with the other stresses, got amplified and blown out of proportion to me, already shaken.

School may be going well but finals are stressful.

So this past week, I have felt like a dog, chasing his tail around in circles, accomplishing nothing.

Oh, I have gotten some stuff done. I've watched it go off my desk, so I know stuff is getting done. But with all the hitches and stops and starts, it just FEELS like I am not getting much done and I am not getting ENOUGH done and it puts me behind and it adds to the stress cake and...

I am really looking forward to blowing holes in shit on Saturday. With much prejudice.

Which leads me to my blog topic for the day.

How do you handle stress?

Me? I ignore it.

Yes, I said I ignore it. Other than ranting about it here on the bloggie, I chug more coffee and march double time, soldier.

No, this is not a healthy coping mechanism and I DO NOT recommend you trying it. The docs said I need LOW stress (strokes+stress=not good times) but...heheh...yeah. I don't have TIME for low stress. I have shit that needs to be done and I am all about getting that shit done.

I know that a smart thing for me to do would be to go out and sit on my lovely hill and look out at the grass blowing in the wind, the birds chirping and the clouds moving across the sky...

But if I try to do that crap, my mind is moving in overdrive, rattling through the list of what needs done and the time I am wasting, sitting on my ass...and I go grab the computer to make a list and before you know it, I am fully back to work...until the battery blinks and I move back to the office (which I never REALLY left in the first place).

Some people handle stress by drinking. Some people handle stress by eating. Some exercise. Some ignore shit.

I get stuff done.

I think it is because of that lingering knowledge that there are a lot of people depending on me to get this to do list done...and that the things blinking red in my head (and believe me, even as I type this, there is a LIST of things blinking red) are all attached to PEOPLE on the other end and the sooner I get the stuff done, the sooner the PEOPLE on the other end can do what they need to do. They are depending on ME.

Nope, my jobs aren't rocket science or brain surgery. But they are really important to people who are important to me. So...

Yup. That is how I deal with stress. I throw myself into my work.

How do you deal with stress? By making more (lol) like me or do you have better coping mechanisms?

Happy writing!!

Cover art reveal!!

Seems like I've had a lot of these lately...

I can get used to that.

Today's cover art reveal comes from Decadent Publishing and their The Edge Series. As you may know, they picked up Hypnotist, my MF erotic romance and today...we have the cover art!!

*drumroll please...*
Gorgeous, right???

The blurb for this one is as follows:

Who knew quitting could be so hot?

Carnie Sabatina wants to break her bad habits, but is a hypnotist really the answer? Enter Doctor McSexy and a trip down the rabbit hole that not only makes her a believer, but sets her passion on fire.

Is it tempting fate to take control?

Mike Fink’s love life crashed and burned when his ex dumped him for his best friend, but can playing with fire really save his heart? Enter Patient McHottie whose bad habits open a pandora’s box of secret cravings for hypnotist and patient...

Burning Up

One hypnotic suggestion sends them up in flames, but will temptation and passion be enough to turn their parlor tricks into happily ever after?

Hope you like the cover as much as I do! For a sneak peek at this story, click here.

Happy writing!

Retreat Hell! She Just Got Here - All Romance Ebooks

Retreat Hell! She Just Got Here - All Romance Ebooks

I read this one already...I know, you're jealous.  But you can read it, too!!

This story is a MFM erotic romance for the popular 1Night Stand Series for Decadent Publishing and if you haven't heard of the series or Heather Long (check out her website here), this tasty tidbit is a great starting point for either.

 The blurb?

She's one of the few…

Jazz has been one of the guys for over a decade, serving her country with distinction, but she longs to explore her femininity, to be desired as a woman, to flirt, cavort and fulfill every sexual desire. When her mother of all people, signs her up for a 1Night Stand, she's not sure whether to be exhilarated or pissed. Flying to Las Vegas on the promise of a total escape, Jazz plans to be Jasmine for just one night, because tomorrow, she plans to re-up for another five years.

They're two of the proud…

Logan Cavanaugh grew up across the street from his best friend and brother-in-arms, Zach Evans. Inseparable, the two have shared everything, including women, until the year before when an IED attack during combat injured both of them. Zach suffered a concussion, but Logan's injuries were far more extensive. After a year of physical therapy, he can walk, but he'll never run or love a woman again, or so he fears. He’s ready to accept his impotence, but Zach has other ideas. He hopes a 1Night Stand date with the perfect woman will heal Logan's confidence and masculinity.

They're all Marines…

They’ll share each other, but will one night be enough?

Love this story.  Love this author.  Love this series.  Go, see why I am all aflutter about it.
Happy Reading!
 

I will survive...

This week is gonna be fun times.

For any of you who went to/are attending college, just me saying, "It is the week before finals," is enough to give you an idea of how fun.

Then, as if that wasn't enough icing on the cake of fun, I have court Thursday. *yippeee!!*

It is also the week of OAA's (which I am no longer proctoring due to the windshield wiper debacle) and all three of my kiddos are in testing.

If I survive all that (plus my normal editing, reviewering, and writing stuff), I am rewarding myself Saturday with both a shooting party and a spa party (I like to mix it up.)

What could be more relaxing than putting holes in things and then getting pampered?

But I have to make it to Saturday to get to do that stuff so...initiative, yeah!!

This morning, I am sitting in silence, one kid gone already, the other two sleeping in so that they are fresh for testing and looking out upon that week with nerves jangling and heart racing. It is going to be interesting...

To say the least.

Everyone has those weeks, where you look at your upcoming schedule and want to go back to bed rather than face all of it.

Me, I'm not getting back in bed. I'm going to kick it's ass. (Yes, that was a personal pep talk. Shuddup, why doncha? I can do this shit. Really. *shuffles feet*)

Hope you all grab this week by the cojones and teach it who is boss.
Happy Writing!

Kids traveling...

The kids have all been traveling this weekend.  The youngest was off to Euclid for a visit with his aunt and uncle.  They are getting married soon and he has been honored by being asked to take part in their special day.  So, a bit of paperwork later and he is ordained and is helping do the actual ceramony.  Yep, a ten year old minister.  He is excited as can be and has been telling everyone about being ordained...apparently the shock value doesn't get old for a ten year old.

My middle son went to his grandparents to visit this weekend.  Today he and his sister are off for a visit with their father.  He got more oragami books so has been quite happy coming up with new creations including a rocket ship, puzzle box and some other really interesting stuff.

My daughter was with me.  First off, we traveled to Toledo and visited Fort Meigs.  The only fort that stood between the British and all of Ohio, it has a pretty interesting history and we were fascinated learning about this unique time in history.

Then we headed back to our hometown.  There were a few hitches in our weekend (my windshield wipers croaked on my van and the part is both crazy expensive and hard to get) but we had a girly weekend and it was really nice.  She is getting so grown up so any chance to spend time with her, just us girls, is great.  We even made it yard saling (a favorite pasttime of ours) and I got an awesome pair of shoes and she a white derby...and we were most pleased with ourselves.

Now, everyone is home.  At least for another half an hour...until the older two leave for the aforementioned visitation. 

All in all, summer is coming (although they are calling for a snow storm tonight and tomorrow) and this is going to become the norm.  Kids going off in different directions, enjoying their free time...

With me just happy when we are all together again...

Dating in 2012

Let's be honest.

There is not any such thing as dating anymore.

There, I said it. You're welcome.

What do I mean? What do you mean you don't know what I mean?

Used to be a man asked you out. He got all spiffed up and shiny clean, just so he could come to your house, pick you up and take you out. Once you went out, he opened doors for you, pulled out your chair and otherwise was a gentleman. If he was ballsy, he might try for a kiss. This happened a couple of times and then...if the stars aligned and the chemistry was right...a relationship evolved out of the dating.

Not so, today. Not so.

Today we have facebook, texting, and more social outlets than we could have dreamed of years ago.

Today we chat with a guy, text them, know more about each other than any other generation would have thought possible (If I can say I know what you had for breakfast and mean it...uh, that is personal, right?) but we don't know each other at all.

Those dates of the past? Yeah, most of them don't even need to happen. We either meet someone in real life or get into some sort of wonked out, pseudo relationship that happens online or via phone...and then when we meet all that personal knowledge is there...so we have preconceived notions of how we are supposed to act...(can't order the steak...he is vegan) and try to fit the right criteria and...

We end up being bigger strangers than we were when we knew nothing about the fellow knocking on the door aside from his name and the fact that Aunt Gertrude's husband worked with him.

A friend asked me the other day, while I was clicking away on my smart phone, if I ever put the damn thing away and had real human interaction.

I snarked, at the time, that it would depend on the person.

But should it? Have we replaced human interaction with games of DrawSomething and Hanging With Friends and facebooking...?

I'm lucky. I still know a few guys who open doors for you. I know...you might assume I would hate that crap. I mean, I can handle the DOOR myself.

But the thing is, it feels nice to be the center of that kind of attention. It feels even nicer when the man giving you that special treatment knows that you are an independent woman, capable of doing it yourself like you do so much else...but he just wants to treat you special.

I think that adds to the value of it, at the end of the day. That combination of respect/cherishing is something that stands to be lost today.

I'm hoping to save it...if only a little. One story at a time...

Happy Writing!

From the editor's desk...

Pet Peeves

Yes, we all have them. I once found a thing online that listed a bunch of editor pet peeves and I cringed at the time realizing I was doing most of them.

Now that I know better, it's my turn to make you squirm.

*throws confetti and sharp objects*

Let's do it list style, shall we? Top Five Pet Peeves your editor will have:

5. I am SO! excited! That I am going! To end! Every sentence with !! Exclamation points!

I always wonder, when reading manuscripts like this, if the person yells a lot in real life. Think about your average day...how often do you really say something that would require an exclamation mark? Maybe when you shout, Oh My Gawd! but other than that...how many times, really? Now, if your character is dangling off the side of a cliff, hanging on by only one overgrown toenail...perhaps an exclamation mark or two is in order. But if the dialogue reads like this:

Ferdinand scratched his chin. "I don't know! Maybe I love you! Maybe we are out of milk! How should I know?"
With a flip of her auburn curls, Macy glared at him. "You should know! I bought milk when we were out! What more do you want?"

Uh...knock that shit off. It is really annoying.

4. The, wandering, commas,

This is another one that really, really confuses me. If, you have a bunch, of commas, splashed, randomly through, out, your manuscript, I can't, help, but pause, every damn, time, you type, one when, I read, it. Look up comma usage rules. Study that shit. You are making me pause too much! (see what I did there? I used an exclamation mark. Yeah, I am badass.)

3. Wash, rinse, repeat.

We all do this. Don't beat yourself up. There is that ONE WORD...that really describes what is going on in your book or how your hero looks in your head. And you use it and use it and I see it and it is all I see. Yes, her lips are juicy. But if you say juicy more than once in a small block of words and then again on the same page another juicy...after awhile even mathematically challenged readers like me start counting the juicy's. Don't make your reader count the juicy's.

2. Passive voice

I used to do this. I don't anymore. So now it sticks out like it is highlighted when others do it. Don't tell me what they were doing. What are they doing now? Using the find feature on Word, go through your manuscript and see how often you said 'was' and 'has been' or 'had' and if it pops up a whole bunch...

You're passive. Get active. Bring me into the scene with you. I want to see how juicy it is! (Heheh...double whammy.)

1. Head hopping

I am the poster child for the head hop. I used to be terrible about head hopping...I bounced over here and over there...all of it was really important stuff but it looks better from over here...and over there...

It was like tennis but without the cute little tennis costumes.

To this day, I swap perspectives. I almost always start out writing a story in first person and swap to third...and stay in third for the rest of the book. (I know, pov change and head hopping are two different things. I maintain that they are related in the writerly brain and if you are doing one, you are probably guilty of the other.) Lucky for me, my crit partners are great at catching me at this and stopping that stuff before it goes out the door...(Except Hypnotist-- for some reason, although one of my crits warned me that I had done it again... I submitted it with the first/third swap still in the manuscript. It has since been rewritten but...gah...they caught it and I STILL didn't fix it before someone else saw it.)

So, again, everyone does it. But we shouldn't do it. It, is bad, juicy, wrong! stuff. (I did a lot there...did you catch it?)

What are your pet peeves when you are reading other people's work? What are your weak points?

Happy writing!

Turn Me On

Yesterday I answered WHY and HOW...sort of...to why I write romance.

Today...We are gonna get dirty.

Yes, we are gonna talk about sex. Kiddies, now is a good time for you to go to your room and play video games while I talk to yer parents.

Okay, kids all gone? Everyone over 18 in here?

Good.

Sex. It used to be dirty to say it. With 50 Shades of Suck, people are obviously much more okay with talking about it. I have noticed this even in my small town...used to be that if I talked openly and honestly about s.e.x...well...people would laugh uncomfortably and turn red or change the topic.

Considering the people I was generally talking to were adults, most with kids or in relationships...blushing like teenage virgins when I suggested that they had bumped carpet pets at some point or another...uh, this was hilarious to me. I mean, here I am...one of the few people choosing not to have sex and I am more okay with talking about it than you...who regularly do the tangled sheet mambo?

This made me wonder how much they were communicating with each other. I really hoped they were talking to each other more than they were talkin to me.

But now...people talk about it. People have thrown open the bedroom door and discuss things that they wouldn't ten years ago. Which is great...and a lot of you are shaking your heads right now but let me tell you WHY I think it is great.

If we can't talk about sex, we can't talk about disease, health, warning signs...things that should be talked about. I have showed my kids the condom in my wallet (which made everyone have a good laugh at my expense because the damn thing had been expired for a year...shows how much I USE my wallet condoms...*sigh*) because, as I told my very embarrassed teenage daughter, if you are not comfortable enough with a man to say the word 'condom' or discuss birth control and stds...he really should not be putting his hands on ANYTHING that is normally covered by clothes.

Not a bad rule, really. If you can't discuss condoms, should his tongue be down your throat? If the mention of a condom makes you turn fifty shades of red (y'see what I did there? lol) then perhaps you are not mature enough to bump fuzzies.

I mean...communication is really important stuff. If you don't have that...do you want to frolic in the garden of naked applause? Uh, no. You shouldn't. Something is very wrong.

I wrote a story that was kind of centered on that ability to communicate...actually, most of my characters show it at some point or another. I admit, this is intentional.

Because...secret? Do you want to know what really...really...really turns me on?

Someone who listens. Someone who doesn't just hear the words coming out of your mouth but understands you.

Is there anything sexier than that?

Okay, abs are nice but I still think the listening thing is sexy as hell.

What turns you on? (Okay, why do I think SOMEONE is going to write whipped cream?)

Happy Writing!

How do you write romance?

Sometimes I get asked...

How do you write romance?

Well, not from current experience, I can say that much. These lips may be made of velvet but they haven't seen any action lately. I know, I know...you read in the backs of books all the time how such and such author has been married to the same man for epic amount of time and how he fuels all her love stories because he is the perfect hero material...

That ain't how I do it.

I think I have been in love...It sure felt damn real and hurt like a bitch when it ended. But I am single and have been single for most of my life. So, why romance?

Well, for starters, horror stuff in my own head gives me nightmares. Seriously, the gore my mind can come up with makes me gag out loud. And since romance has elements of other stuff in it, sometimes the stuff I write for my paranormal can make me gag...

Once, while writing a fight scene for a book in the Odd Stuff series, the character bites...*gag* Never mind. The point is my imagination is rather verdant territory. I like romance because it allows me to use that verdant turf for something that doesn't leave me reeling in nausea for a week after I write it...and to be relived each round of edits...*shakes head* No thanks.

I also write romance because...confession time...I am a big softy at heart. I still want my happily ever after, just like you. I may be cynical as can be but...I still think that happy ever after is sometimes possible.

I have been grabbed and thrown into a wall before when someone felt so hungry for my lips that they had to taste them, my temper be damned. I have been treated like Cinderella and held in a man's arms like I was something to be cherished.

Just because I don't have that now...well, doesn't mean that I can't create worlds where perhaps a choice or two is made differently.

Where couples fight for each other...and nothing manages to come between them.

I write romance because the human condition leaves us all wanting to be really special to someone. Even the most crotchety person who says they don't believe in love...probably does. We like being the center of attention...having someone know us in intimate ways and being able to, with a glance, say things that words haven't yet been created to say.

So, yeah, I write romance because I am a sap down deep, where it counts.

I think some of you read it for the same reason. Don't worry. I won't judge. Let's just keep it between us, shall we?

Happy Writing!

Lips of Velvet gets 4 Coffee Cups!!

Lips of Velvet got reviewed again...this time by Coffee Time Romance and More! I'm so happy, I could squeal! *throws confetti*

Some snippets of this review:

"It is hard to believe you can pack this much punch in such a few words, but Ms. Nelson delivers with startling results. I love that Sandra’s character is a great mix of eccentricity and innate shyness. It would be easy to picture Sandra as the crazy cat lady on the block, but thankfully Lucy shows up just in time to save her from herself. Their hot little episode in the ladies’ room is more than enough to have you wiping the steam from your screen."

You can check out the whole review on their site here.
Or grab your copy on Amazon, Bookstrand, Barnes and Noble or All Romance Ebooks!
Happy writing!

Love Rollercoaster

Life is like a roller coaster, baby baby.
Life is like...

Yeah, I know that isn't the lyric but that is what has been running through my head today.

Yesterday, I felt about as unsettled as I can unsettle.

Today, well, it was kind of all win. (Even if I lost every single thing I entered in the raffle dinner...yeah...still a win.)

Today I woke up at the buttcrack of dawn and headed off to take my son to his rifle club meeting. While he was at the meeting, I got to visit with my bestest friend, dye my hair and pick up some grocery stuff. (I know how to multitask.) I even got a piece of chocolate cake.

I headed home to find a check in my mailbox as well as my Vistaprint order delivered. Yeah for author goodies! Some of you got your magnets already. I will be ordering more. I think they are awesome. I will be giving them out at signings just cuz I think they are so cool.

Then a quick flatiron of the hair and slap some lipstick on...

And off to the raffle dinner to support the football team. I knew I was going to see some friends there but wasn't sure who else...and I was taking a good friend with me.

And I got lucky and ran into one of my great buddies there. I got to hang out with two awesome guys for dinner, chat with my pal Ami and the bartender (who was super nice) invented a drink for me. She named it the Tutti Fruitti and it involved Absolut, peach schnapps, and some other random combination of fruit flavors...and tasted a lot of pineapple.

All in all...fun. As low as yesterday was...today was just as high.

Life is a rollercoaster baby. That is why you have to stay on the ride even when you are in the loops that make your stomach turn.

Because that means the next thing you know, you are sitting at the summit with the whole world stretching out in front of you...




Happy Writing!

Long Day

Today was a very...

Very...

Long day.

I didn't get much office time today. I made it to Ashtabula. Picked up a couple of chairs for camping and some neat foldy table things. Picked up a $3 stereo system for my daughter, too. (Love yardsales.)

Got my new fish tank installed. It is ginormic. Even stocked it with some new fish. Two tiny goldfish looked lonely in all that water.

And I most certainly did not freak out that a person came to my house today with the sole intent of judging my home and how I parent my kids.

Yeah, good times.

I don't talk about my personal life a lot on the blog. But, yeah, like a lot of you, I was married once and that marriage ended and we don't get along.

We had kids so not getting along isn't really an option for us. So...we hang out in court way more than I would like.

Our state has something cool called 'family investigations.' This means some outside party comes in and talks to us, and the kids if possible, and looks at our houses and lives and makes a determination based on what they see in a very short period of time.

How terrifying is it that someone who doesn't know you...doesn't know the stuff you have been through or anything else that led you to take a certain path...can come in and in just a few short paragraphs change your life or that of your kids?

I have no idea what that woman thought after seeing my house. She called it a home which is what our house is to us. She seemed very nice but I am sure in her line of work...that is kind of needed.

And it will be WEEKS till I find out what will come of her visit. Tomorrow is another day...and I have plans to go to a lovely dinner at the fairgrounds (to benefit our local football team) and life is supposed to go on as normal.

And all of it with this Edgar Allan Poe variety axe swinging over our heads.

It kind of makes you realize how strange life is...and how fast things can change.

I'm gonna put it all behind me. There really isn't anything else to do with it. Until I know more, I have a new frog to enjoy...and a beautiful new tank that the kids are calling their own personal 'zoo.' (It even has a new frog...see him?)

And homework to be done, books to be edited, life to be lived.

Tomorrow is another day. Middle son has rifle club at 8am.

For now, to bed. Nothing changes from looking at the axe.

Even if I realize that no matter what, someone will probably get hurt by it. And there is nothing I can do to stop it now that it is in motion.

News, News, News...

A few of my good buddies are over at RT (see, I didn't even writhe in jealously as I typed that) and this morning CNBC posted this little snippet about RT and erotics in general. I found this interesting as they had some industry numbers that I hadn't gotten my eyes on yet.

The snippet, titled Economics of Erotica, which you can see here tells some of Ellora's Cave's numbers...as well as a lovely pie chart...shows why it is a good time to be an erotica author...

*grin*

In other news, D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters has the first chapter of Lips of Velvet up for your viewing pleasure here. According to a recent 5 Star, Night Owl Reviews Top Pick Award review, this first chapter is enough for you to want to read the book if you haven't yet. (Yes, I am still giddy with glee over that review!!)

As she said, "Wow. I honestly mean, wow! This isn’t exactly what I was expecting to see, but as a recently turned fan to this author, I haven’t picked up much of her work yet. However, this detailed story in just a few short pages kept me on the edge of my chair wanting more."

(Check out the whole review here...awesome review. I love ya, reviewer!!)

So, RT, erotic numbers...First chapter...review...

All in all, lotsa news today.

Oh, and I am in the process of creating my biggest giveaway ever...I can't say too much yet as it is still in the works but...I think you, my fans, may be on FIRE over this idea.

*ahem*

So, enjoy the news and the free first chapter.

Happy writing!!

Cover art reveal!!

For those of you who are facebook buddies...you may have already seen this awesome cover.

But if you aren't...

*drumroll please*

I got the spiffy new cover for Odd Stuff!! Odd Stuff is book one in the paranormal romantic comedy Odd Stuff Series!!

(Yeppers...if you haven't read it, there are more than just this book!! And yes, I said paranormal romantic comedy...all that in one book. Sexy, funny, snarky...it is probably my fave series I have written to date.)

Blurb:
Janie Smith tumbles through the paranormal world making mistakes and not keeping her sharp tongue in check. Pretending to be normal is what she has spent her whole life perfecting. But when her best friend, a witch named Mia, gets tangled in a murder investigation, Janie tries to stick to her guns and solve it without any “extra” help, be it supernatural or sexual. The hitch is that Mia is suspected to have murdered a vampire...and how do you prove you haven't killed someone who has no pulse?

Odd Stuff is scheduled to re-release with Red Rose Publishing on May 24th. What? You can't wait till then?

Want to read an excerpt?
Go here!

Happy writing!!

Rock your Blog Tour!!

I'm not sure I have mentioned my favorite social media marketing guru, Lisa, over here on the

blog. If I haven't, today is a great day to do it.

Here it is, absolutely FREE!

All the information and connections you need to schedule and execute the blog book tour that will put your new release on bestseller lists.

Click here to download the PDF

Please use the sharing buttons below and/or share this free handbook and link (http://bit.ly/Rockbbt) with your friends!

Yeah, she tells you tons of stuff for free that can help launch your book. I have been a loyal devotee to Lisa for years and I contribute most of my success to copycatting her or just learning from her experience. I wouldn't mention this to you if she hadn't helped me so much over the years...I only support that which I know from personal experience works. So...check it out!!

Happy writing!