Get Captivated By Anna Campbell

Hi-Dee-Ho, Good Neighbor!

Ready or not, it's November! A heapin' helpin' of you out there have joined ranks and plunged into this year's NaNo contest. Wah-Hoo for you, mates!

Speaking of being inspired. . .give a lusty round of applause for ANNA CAMPBELL!

Her latest on dit, CAPTIVE OF SIN, released last week to those of us here in the States and has been officially added to my TBR list. Ain't that a hunky-dunkie piece of man meat kickin' it on her cover?!

Anna has earned oodles of awards and accolades for giving readers a love story with flesh and blood characters full of real life flaws. Her 'dark romance' Regencies are definitely worth a sneek-peek (psst, and so are her articles on writing!)http://www.annacampbell.info/

Bust open that package of Tim-Tams you've been hiding and get ready to fall in love with Anna Campbell!

1) If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

Hi Sarah, thanks for having me as your guest today! What a great question. Let me think…

Swept from her sheltered upbringing on the upper reaches of the Amazon to the whirling glamour of Regency London, beautiful heiress Anna Campbell’s only trusted companion is her marmoset Harold. When the rakishly wicked and wildly attractive Duke of Hotsex (it’s next to Essex – seriously, check it on the map!) pulls her into a broom cupboard at his annual Venetian breakfast and seduces her, marriage to the tormented, one-armed nobleman is her only chance to restore her reputation. But rumors abound that Hotsex has already murdered three wives and keeps their moldering remains in the tower where he sequesters himself every midnight. Even as Anna finds herself lost to passion in Hotsex’s single arm, she wonders can she trust him? Did he murder his three previous duchesses? Or will her dashing husband turn out to be ‘armless? And just why is Harold eyeing the duke in that lascivious way?

2) Using three words describe your voice?

Loud? Oh, you mean my writing voice! Emotional, intense, passionate.

3) What's the best advice you've ever received?

Ooh, where should I start? The wonderful Harlequin author Robyn Donald gave a talk at one of the Romance Writers of Australia conferences I went to where she said, “The people who fail are the people who give up.” At the time, it seemed obvious. But the fact is there’s a point where you’re close but you’re still not selling that book and yet you’re doing everything right. It’s like banging your head against a locked door. The give up comment made huge sense to me then! I remember going to a Donald Maass workshop where he kept saying “Make it worse”. Great advice for writing compelling fiction.

4) I love your concept of a 'dark romance'. What's your inspiration behind creating such out of the box characters?

Sarah, I LOVE flawed characters. Love, love, love them which I think you’ve probably already gathered. I think our flaws are what make us interesting, both in real life and in fiction. Flawed characters also offer the opportunity of a journey, a real character arc. You know, if there’s room for improvement, you’ve automatically got a story. I’m not quite sure where the darkness comes from although I was a devotee of gothic fiction when I was a teenager and I love dark and wildly romantic music and movies and books. In person, I’m not that dark at all! ;-)

5) What has been the biggest obstacle you've had to overcome in your writing?

I finished my first historical romance in between high school and university and it was twenty-seven years between then and when Avon bought CLAIMING THE COURTESAN in 2006. Yes, I am that old ;-) In all that time, discouragement and self-doubt were obviously obstacles I had to overcome. In fact, at one stage, I gave up because I decided being a writer was a childish dream and I ought to get a ‘real’ job instead of the jobs I’d taken because they left me time to write. But I couldn’t bear not writing so I came back to it with a renewed sense of purpose and a few changes in the way I did things that eventually led to publication. Phew! I always did pretty well in writing contests and that was one of the things that kept me going. You know, someone other than my mother and my best friend liked my work!

6) Time to dish it up! You've been a RITA Nominee, a Romance Writer's of Australia Romance Book of The Year nominee, a best first historical in the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Awards, and the list goes on! What does being an award winning author feel like? Is there anything you'd do differently if you had to start all over again?

Oh, I LOVE awards. Yeah, I know – you’re meant to say they don’t mean much but seriously it always gives me such a kick when I final in something. The RITA thing was a dream come true. In all those years of being unpublished, it seemed an impossible dream that I’d ever be up for a RITA. And then both first books were up for the RITA in 2008. A huge squee moment for this little Aussie! If I had it to do all over again, I’d join Romance Writers of Australia the moment I thought of becoming a writer. Or whatever is your national equivalent, RWAmerica, RWNew Zealand, Romance Novelists’ Association (UK). I spent most of those 27 unpublished years on my own without anyone around me who was interested in writing and hardly anyone who read romance. When I found a bunch of people who knew what I love about romance and what I wanted to achieve, it was like coming home. Joining RWA was one of those things I did after I gave up and came back that made a huge difference to where my writing was going.

7) What's up next for Anna Campbell?

CAPTIVE OF SIN, which was just chosen as one of Publishers Weekly’s top 100 books for 2009 (yeah, had to get that in!), has just been released from Avon. You can find out about the book here: http://www.annacampbell.info/captivesin.html My next release is in June 2010. It’s called MY RECKLESS SURRENDER (I love that title!) and it’s about a dangerous seduction in Regency London. Keep an eye on the website for an excerpt and a blurb.

Sarah, here’s a bit from the beginning of COS.

Winchester, early February, 1821

“Good God, what have we here?”

The man’s deep voice pierced Charis’s pain-ridden doze. She flinched, stirring from her cramped position. For one dazed moment, she wondered why she was shivering in fetid straw, instead of snuggled in her bed at Holcombe Hall.

Blazing agony struck and she stifled an involuntary moan. And a curse for her rank stupidity.

How could she forget the danger long enough to fall asleep?

But she’d been blind with exhaustion when she’d stumbled into the stable behind the sprawling inn. Unable to manage another step even though she hadn’t come far enough to be safe.

Now she wasn’t safe at all.

The light from the man’s lantern dazzled her bleary eyes. She discerned little more than a tall shape looming outside the stall. Choking with panic, she clawed upright until she huddled against the rough planking. Blood pulsed like thunder in her ears.

Muffling a whimper as she moved her injured left arm, Charis crossed shaking hands over her torn bodice. Scenting her terror, the big chestnut horse that filled most of the space shifted restively.

As the man lifted the lantern to illuminate Charis’s corner, she shied away. Beyond the ring of yellow light that surrounded him, menacing shadows thickened and multiplied up to the high pitched ceiling.

“Please don’t be frightened.” The stranger made a curiously truncated gesture with one black-gloved hand. “I mean you no harm.”

The rich baritone was sheathed in warm concern. He made no overt movement toward her. Charis’s crippling fear didn’t subside. Men, she’d learned from cruel experience, lied. Even men with velvet voices, smooth and cultured.

A sharp twinge in her chest reminded her she hadn’t drawn breath since he’d found her. The air she sucked into her starved lungs reeked of horse manure, hay dust and the sour stink of her own fear.

She turned her head and really looked at the man. Her throat jammed with shock.

He was utterly beautiful.

Beautiful. A word she’d never before associated with a male. In this case, no other description sprang to her churning mind.

Beauty as stark and perfect as this only stoked her alarm. He embodied the elegant world she must relinquish to survive.

Beautiful excerpt and brilliant writing! LOL I'm such a word geek! I can't wait to dig into one of Anna's romances. Hey, it's all about studying craft, right?!(That's what I tell the hubby-man anyway. *winkwink*)

I'd like to thank Anna for being here with us today! And THANK YOU, TLN'ers, for swinging by! You're all top shelf to me!

To send you off into the post-Halloween weekend, here's another awesome Aussie, Olivia Newton-John and her hit- PHYSICAL. Believe me, workin' out would be much easier if I had a hottie in a speedo to oogle! Talk about a Wow-wow-work out! LOL

Lovestruck Novice Welcomes Jenna Petersen!!

Talk about dreams coming true. . .

THE Jenna Petersen let this newbie interview her!

This is the best day- e.v.e.r!!

When I first started writing, I didn't have much in the way of guidance. One of the first sites I found was Jenna's Passionate Pen website.

I devoured every article with as much gusto as I would a package of mini Snickers. It was like being handed a lifeline after being adrift on a stormy sea hanging onto a pool noodle!

That my friends, is how lost I felt.

Jenna's pay-it-forward attitude is one of the reasons I'm such a fan. . .well, that and the lady writes one heck of a fantastic love story! Truly awesome talent!

Her latest release, WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES, seduced its way to book stores near you this week. (I must say the Cover Gods shined down upon her!) Despite her crazy schedule of release week, Jenna found time to hang out with us!

Without further ado, please join me in welcoming Jenna to our little clubhouse! Get that stash of special occasion chocolate and let's get rolling!


1) If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

Crazy author tries to survive release week by eating chocolate and petting cats. Will it work, or will all her hair fall our by the end of the week?

2) Using three words, describe your voice.

Dark, sensual, emotional.

3) What has been the biggest obstacle you've had to overcome in your writing career? What's been the highlight?

What's been the highlight? I wish my books came out closer together. I know it's frustrating for readers and it's definitely frustrating for me. There have been too many highlights to count! Meeting readers, seeing books on shelves, hitting lists, winning awards... it's all good!

4) If you had to start all over again, what's the one thing you've learn that would be the most beneficial?

Probably that many things would be completely out of my control and not go the way I expected. It might not change it, but at least I would be ready! LOL

5) How do you manage the demands of writing as both Jenna Petersen (historical romance) and Jess Michaels (erotic romance)? Any tips you'd like to share on balancing two pseudonyms?

Well, I don't write them at the same time, so it really is just having the ability to write more books a year, which I love! Having two pseudonyms is challenging, but now that I've combined them onto one website http://www.jennapetersen.com I find the work is a little lessened. I only have to do one site update, one newsletter, etc.

6) Congrats on The Passionate Pen's ten year anniversary!! What was the driving force behind creating a website for aspiring romance authors? Do you ever see yourself publishing a romance writer's reference book?

Really I just figured that if I was looking for the info, others might be too. So I made the site and it just exploded from there. I'm very interested in writing a writing book, actually. It's just finding the time and getting the right pitch together.

7) What can your fans look forward to from Jenna Petersen?

For the next couple of years my Jenna Petersen books are all going to be part of The Billingham Bastards series, which launched on October 27 with WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES. Readers can read an excerpt at http://www.jennapetersen.com/ or pick up the book at stores EVERYWHERE now!!

You can bet your last handful of Halloween candy, I'll be sunk into WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES this weekend! What a kickin' treat?! My favorite holiday and a new release from one of my 'Keeper Shelf' authors. OMG! Somebody smack me!

I'd like to extend a huge thank you to Jenna for all her hard work! With over 200,000 hits per day at The Passionate Pen, I know I'm not the only newbie she's inspired. She deserves mega kudos!! And here's hoping your Halloween is full of ooky-spooky fun TLN'ers. Thanks for sharing your time, too! Here's a handful of cyber-chocolate Kisses just for you! Better duck, I can't throw worth a darn! LOL

It wouldn't be Halloween without the a little THRILLER! Happy Halloween, my friends! Now, go forth and get spooky! Feel free to dish on your costume and trick-or-treating plans! Catch you next week- same bat day and same bat URL! Moo-Hah-Hah-Ha!

Moonlighting With Kate George

Can you feel the excitement in the air? Tingles up your spines?

Then the time has come to. . . welcome break out author KATE GEORGE!!! (psst, she was the winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award for 2009!)

She's here to give us the low down on getting that coveted "call" writers everywhere lust for. Stick around and enjoy an excerpt from Kate's award winning novel, MOONLIGHTING IN VERMONT. Let me tell you, it's a nail-biting tasty teaser!

Tear into your secret stash of Halloween candy and enjoy!! We're priming the pumps for a good time!



1) If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

When sometime writer, Kate George, boasted to her friends that she could write like Janet Evanovich, she never dreamed her friends would call her bluff. Faced with writing a novel or eating her words she pounds out a novel - which her friends like, much to her surprise. A career as a novelist calls to Kate and she yearns to answer that call, but Her four dastardly children, three unruly dogs, two non-hypo allergenic cats, and one demanding husband (sorry honey), conspire to put an end to her hopes and dreams. Will Kate's dreams die like the poor hapless victims she writes about, or will she be able to consume enough chocolate and caffeine to keep the writing alive? The future reveals all.

It's okay. I know I'm lousy at writing blurbs. My editor wrote the one for Moonlighting.

2) Using three words, describe your voice.

Warm, Funny, irreverent - or maybe irreverent and funny are the same? In that case I'd put in exciting. But on second thought I don't think funny and irreverent are the same after all. Then I'd want to add Crisp maybe, and believe-it-or-not, not longwinded!

3) Congrats on the first place ranking in the 2009 Daphne du Maurier Unpublished Division! How exciting! Tell us, how did it feel to get that call? What's advice to you have for other unpublished writers about entering contests?

I was thrilled to get that call! There were so many good entries - I judged a category that I wasn't entered in so I know the competition was tough. I'm can't tell you how awed I am to be in such good company. My advice: Make sure you are entered in the correct category. I entered the wrong category in contests many times before a judge was kind enough to tell me that I should have entered Mainstream mystery (or mainstream with romantic elements) and not romantic suspense. If you aren't sure ASK! - and if you are sure make sure you understand how the categories are defined.

4) How has your writing/career changed since the big win?

Here's what happened. I entered the Daphne and then pretty much forgot about it. Shortly after that I heard Mainly Murder Press was looking for submissions so I cut thirty thousand words out of Moonlighting in Vermont and sent it in. (MMP only publishes books up to 70,000 and Moonlighting was 98,000 words at that time.) MMP accepted Moonlighting for publication and a couple of weeks later I heard MIV had made it to the final round in the Daphne!! Wow, what a rush last spring was! So then I had to check with my publisher to make sure I hadn't broken any of her rules, and with the Daphne to make sure I hadn't broken any of theirs! I hadn't and it was all grand. Even better when I discovered I'd won the Mainstream division.

Because Moonlighting was published during the process I couldn't say what impact the win has on my career, other than to spur me on. It's tremendously validating and I'm going to continue to write!

5) What's your favorite writer's reference book or site and why?

Ack! I don't really use writer's reference books. I sometimes look up words online when I'm looking for an synonym. And I check with friends sometimes. The reference books I most enjoy reading are Stephen King's On Writing, and Janet Evanovich's How I write.

6) How do you balance writing time and family time?

Add a full time job to that! Balance, there is no balance. Or better yet: Balance? We don't need no stinking Balance. Now I'm dating myself, I know. Luckily I have a job which allows me to spend some time writing during the week. I also have a good friend with an isolated office in her attic where I can get some work done. It's next to impossible for me to work at home anymore, because I'm never here alone! I had a job fall through the year I wrote Moonlighting, and luckily we were in a spot financially that I didn't have to find a new one immediately. So I wrote. Now I'm having to carve time. The housekeeping has definitely gone to H E double hockey sticks!

7) What's up next for Kate George?

Now that I know I can write, I decided to up the ante - I'm doing two books at once. (Actually, I wrote a decidedly awful novella in my twenties, and then there are the multiple volumes of poetry, but I'm trying to put the past behind me.) I'm working on a sequel to Moonlighting in Vermont called California Schemin' (working title), where Bree thinks she might have witnessed a murder while in California with Beau, AND a story about a FBI dropout who gets wrapped up in stuff she really wanted to avoid. That one is called Tank and Maggie Meet the Mob. I've had so many requests for more of Bree that I'm focusing on CS for now and I'll finish TMMM when I'm done. I have enough material for about one book as of now, two bad it's two different stories!

My goal is to eventually quit the day job and write two books a year. Hey! Everybody needs a dream!

Buy links:
http://www.mainlymurderpress.com/
http://www.amazon.com/
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Excerpt:

Gunnar was staying in the Spring Meadows Room, a small cabin that sat in a small depression between two hillocks, out of sight of any of the other cottages. He pulled into the covered carport, opened the doors, and escorted us to the door. I’d forgotten he’d been moved out of the room where Vera died. We wouldn’t be finding any clues in this room.

Gunnar ushered us into the room ahead of him. Meg started at the sight of a bronze, life-sized statue of a moose in the entry of the cottage. The hotel was full of stuff like that, but I’d forgotten Meg hadn’t been in many of the rooms.

“It hides the wood for the fireplace,” I told her. “It rolls forward when you push on its hind leg.”

Gunnar tossed his jacket on the moose and motioned us into the living area.

Opulent couches and overstuffed chairs sat artfully on one side of the room. They had been set so that you could see both the fireplace and the hidden, flat-screen TV from one seating area, and out the window overlooking a meadow with a stream running through it from the other. Gunnar motioned us to take a seat, but I walked over to look out the floor-to-ceiling window. I didn’t like being in this room.

"Let me just get a photo for you," he said to Meg. "It’s in the other room.” The minute he left, Meg started rifling through the papers on the coffee table.

“Meg!” I hissed at her. “Stop that. You’ll get caught.”

“He’ll just think I’m nosey,” she whispered back. She moved over to look through the items on his bar.

“Meg!” I glared at her. “This isn’t the cottage Vera died in. We moved Gunnar out of there. You’re aren’t going to find anything.”

“Unless he was involved.” Meg was looking for another spot to search. I shook my head at her. “Stop,” I said. “He’s coming.”

Gunnar returned with a briefcase and made a big show of extracting a photo and signing it for her. She took it from him and smiled.

"Thank you so much,” she said, simpering at him. "It’s very kind of you to go out of your way."

"On the contrary," Gunnar turned around and reached into his briefcase again. "You have saved me a great deal of trouble.” He turned back and pointed a gun at her. Shit. All of a sudden, I didn’t care so much about getting fired. It was way better than getting dead. I must be the queen of getting into stupid situations. Only this time, I’d dragged Meg into it with me.

"You," Gunnar said to me. "Get over here and sit next to her. And don’t do anything stupid, or I’ll shoot your friend. Her husband could be the king of Siam, and I wouldn’t give a shit, so don’t start going on about him being a cop.”

I looked at him intently. Gunnar’s European accent had disappeared. He sounded vaguely like he came from …Chicago? Despite that, I still couldn’t see him as Vera’s killer. Why? What could Vera have done, seen, or heard that would make it necessary for a man like Gunnar to kill her? Why was he threatening us, for that matter? What could have we done or seen? It would be much easier just to pay any of us off. Or threaten us. My head was hurting again.

"Move," he said and rotated the gun in my direction. I moved. I sat next to Meg on the couch while Gunnar pacedfor a few minutes. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and scowled at it. I would put money on his not getting service in this cottage. I never had service anywhere on Whispering Birches property.

"Okay, change of plan," he said. "Both of you into the bedroom."

We scooted into the bedroom. A huge bed dominated the room. The top of the mattress was probably four feet off the ground. A footstool sat on the floor beside the bed so you could climb up. The headboard was huge, running from the mattress top to the ceiling. It was solid wood, engraved with intricate designs in florals and swirls. Delicately detailed cutouts had been carved out of the wood so that we could see the fabulous gold wallpaper behind the headboard.

Besides the fabulous bed, there was a dresser carved in the same motif, with cut-outs along the bottom. A fireplace faced the bed with a flat screen TV hanging above the mantel. The floor-to-ceiling windows faced the meadow. Through the door to the bathroom, we could see a stone shower stall, and out the door to the main living area, I could see that stupid metal moose.

“Take off your shoes.” He shook the gun at us. “Now.”

Meg looked shell-shocked. Her hands were shaking, and she had trouble getting her shoes untied. I was wearing my favorite cowboy boots, soft black leather. If Gunnar damaged my boots, I was going to kill him. They cost me two weeks’ pay. I slid them off my feet.

“Give me your bags, coats, shoes, belts, everything.” Gunnar looked at Meg, who had started shaking her head. “I’m not taking my clothes off,” she said. She shot him a defiant look.

His smile was creepy. “You can keep your shirt and pants,” he said. Meg and I handed our stuff to Gunnar. He stowed them in a duffle and then pulled out what turned out to be a bunch of large zip ties.

“If you move I’ll kill your friend,” he said to Meg. He tossed one of the ties at me. “It’s handcuffs,” he said. “Put that on your left wrist.” I looked at the cuff and looped the plastic around my wrist and threaded the end through the ‘lock.’ Gunnar stuck his gun in the back of his pants andgrabbed my left arm. He tightened the cuff on my wrist and slid a second tie around the bedpost through one of the decorative cutouts. Then he looped it through the cuff on my wrist.

Meg was staring at me, horrified. She looked ready to run, but I knew she wouldn’t put me at risk. I wanted to yell at her to get out, but I didn’t. She couldn’t outrun Gunnar in the snow without shoes.

Gunnar approached her. “Same thing,” he said to her.

“You move, she dies.” He handcuffed her to the footboard.

“You make any noise, I’ll kill you. Do anything to attract attention, and I’ll kill you. I think I’d enjoy that.” He showed us his teeth and left the room.

Well, here I was on Gunnar Ericson’s bed. There wasn’t a woman in America who hadn’t dreamed of this. Of course, most of them would have left the handcuffs out of the fantasy. The reality wasn’t nearly as fun. I couldn’t get comfortable with my arm cuffed to the headboard, and I wasn’t really sure why we were cuffed to the bed. I could be wrong, but it didn’t seem to be a sexual thing. Did Gunnar kill Vera?

I could hear Gunnar moving around in the other room. There was a knock at the door. My heart leapt, and I strained to hear what was going on. The door opened, and a husky, male voice spoke in an undertone. I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

“I think they know.” Gunnar’s voice was clear.

“Well, if they didn’t before, they do now.” The husky voice was audible now.

“I don’t see what the big deal is, Gunnar. It hurts me that you date women and keep me hidden away. It’s not like it’s the 1950s anymore.”

“That’s not the half of it, and you know it, Joseph. My fans are all female. If my little habit comes out, my popularity will come crashing down. Do you want to end up on the street? You wouldn’t be nearly as attractive without my credit card.”

“I think he’s gay,” Meg said in a stage whisper.

“You think?” I rolled my eyes.

“These women are nothing to worry about, Joseph,” said Gunnar in the other room. “Nothing at all. I’ve asked that no one enter my room. Now it’s time to go to dinner.” The door clicked shut and the cottage fell silent.

I slumped against the headboard, my head leaning against the scrollwork. Meg climbed up and lay across the foot of the bed, her arms angled out so she could rest her head on the mattress.

How in the world was I going to get Meg out of this? Think. What do I know about this cabin, this room, this bed? This bed. I closed my eyes and pictured how they had gotten the huge headboard into the room. I hadn’t been there, but Brian had told me about it. It was designed to come apart so that it would fit in the door. It was brought into the room in two pieces, assembled on the floor, and then raised and attached to the rest of the frame.

I opened my eyes and examined the wood. The carving was intricate, and the join wasn’t obvious. My arm was shackled a couple of feet above the mattress. It was just possible that I was attached to the connecting point of the post. I swiveled around, stretching my arm as far as it would go, and braced my feet in a couple of the holes. I slid my butt closer to the head of the bed, my legs bent. The cuff cut into my wrist, making me suck in my breath. I anchored my feet in the cutouts, and then I pushed upward with everything I had. Nothing. My wrist was bleeding, but the bed hadn’t moved. I shoved upward again with everything I had, pushing my back down into the mattress, the cuff slicing into me. The headboard didn’t move.

“Crap, crap, crap!” I said.

“What are you doing?” Meg asked.

I looked down the bed to see Meg staring at me. “I think this headboard came in two pieces,” I said. “I’m trying to pry them apart.”

She shimmied up the bed, extending her arm above her head. Gunnar had left a lot more slack in her cuff than in mine, but she was still stretched way out. “I’m not tall enough. I don’t have a lot of leverage, but I can help.” Meg slotted her heels into the wood. There was hardly any bend in her knees at all.

“Get ready,” I said, “on three. One, two, three!” We both pressed upwards with our feet. There was a creaking sound but no movement.

“Wait,” I said. “Maybe we need to loosen the glue or whatever is holding the two pieces together. Try shoving against it like this.” I put my feet flat on the surface of the headboard above where I thought the join was and pushed it back and forth with all the strength in my legs. Meg did the same. There was a splintering noise, and we shifted our feet back into the slots where I thought the join must be. We shoved upwards again. The headboard came loose and crashed down on top of us.

“Ow,” cried Meg. “I think my kneecap just shattered.”

I was seeing stars from the headboard bashing me in the head. “That wasn’t the smartest idea I ever had,” I said. I slid the zip tie up over the broken end of the headboard and wiggled out from underneath it. I pushed the broken wood off Meg and let it crash to the floor. I rubbed my head where the newel post had clobbered me.

“My wrist is bleeding,” I said. “I’m going to rinse it off in the bathroom.” In the bathroom, I held my hand under the cold water until it was numb. Then I dried off on one of the pristine towels. I looked at the bloodstained towel and sighed. With my luck, I’d be the one to have to clean it.

I came back to Meg and sat on the bed. Something Gunnar said hit me. “He’s got a secret. Not that he’s gay, something more.”

“What do you mean?” asked Meg.

“Do you remember what he said before they left? Something about a habit?” I scrunched my face up, trying to remember. “I’m going to search the room.”

“Look for something to cut me free while you’re at it, will you?” Meg was sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing her knee.

I started rifling through the drawers in the dresser. Nothing but fancy underwear and socks. I checked the closet. I went through the pockets of the clothes hanging there. I pulled the suitcases out of another closet. I knelt on the floor and started unzipping cases.

I found a pocketknife in one of the cases and cut the nylon tie off Meg’s wrist. She rubbed at the red line it made on her skin. “I wonder if his briefcase is still in the other room,” she said. I looked at her.

“You’re brilliant,” I said.

I dashed into the living room and grabbed Gunnar’s briefcase off the bar, where he had left it. I brought it back into the bedroom and set it on the bed. I snapped it open. It was full of papers. The first layer contained fan photos like the one he had signed for Meg. I pulled those out and tossed them on the bed. Under those was what looked like a script.

“Doesn’t look like he’s read any of that yet,” said Meg.

“It’s totally untouched. I’m losing all respect for this guy.”

“Well, then, this will really blow you out of the water,” I said. I held a folder I had dug out of the bottom of the case. I placed in front of Meg and flipped it open, and her eyes just about fell out of her head. She closed it fast.

“I can’t look at this,” Meg said, opening the file again. “These are just boys. Teenagers. They can’t be old enough for this to be legal.”

“No. It’s not legal,” I said. I didn’t need to look at the pictures in the folder anymore. The images were already burned into my brain. “I’m pretty sure he’s a pedophile. And into bondage. And probably gay, but who cares about that?”

“Well, he is supposed to be a heartthrob,” said Meg.

“Every stay-at-home mom in America is in love with him, and half the workingwomen I know TiVo his show. Being gay might hurt that.”

“Not as much as this stuff will,” I said. My stomach started churning, and I ran into the bathroom.

“You all right?” Meg asked as I came back into the bedroom.

“Yeah, I’m fine. That just hit me the wrong way.” I went to a cabinet and pulled a couple of pairs of hotel slippers from a drawer. “Not snow boots, but better than nothing. I’m walking to the next cottage,” I said as I slipped them on. “If I have to, I’ll walk all the way to the main house. It’s not really that far. Less than a mile.” I smiled at her. “Maybe I’ll run into the turndown crew on the way. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Are you kidding? I’m coming with you.”

I heard footsteps on the porch outside the cottage and looked back at Meg. The door clicked open. Meg’s eyes widened. I looked around at the mess I had made. The headboard cracked and lying on the far side of the bed. Clothes hanging out of all the drawers. Gunnar’s suitcases on the floor. There was no time to make this room seem normal.

“Pretend you’re still cuffed to the bed,” I whispered.

“And remember the hind leg of the moose.”

“What are…?” Meg started to ask, but I signaled her to be quiet and dodged behind the door. We heard Gunnar swear in the other room. He strode through the door to the bedroom.

“Where the fuck is my briefcase?” He burst into the room. He stopped short, taking in the disheveled room and staring at the half headboard where I used to be. This is it, I told myself. Now or never. I took a deep breath and launched myself at him. I hit him in the middle of his back, and we both went down on the edge of the bed. I was on top of him, trying to hold him down, but he shook me off, and I stumbled to the floor. I realized I didn’t know where his gun was. It hadn’t been in the briefcase. Shit.

I scrambled to my feet. We stood facing each other. I didn’t know why he didn’t take me. He was big and buff. I knew I was no match for him. I saw a quick movement behind him, and he yelled and flew forward into me. I guessed from his language that Meg had connected with a kidney. I thrust my knee at him but missed the mark and hit him in the thigh. Hardly a take-down blow.

Gunnar grabbed me around the waist and hoisted me up over his shoulder. My hands were trapped under my body. I kicked at Gunnar, but he had my legs snugged against his body. He carried me out through the living room. I looked around frantically, but I didn’t see anything that could help me. Gunnar’s gun was sitting on the coffee table in front of the fireplace. Great. I was hoping it had disappeared. But no, now I had to face the possibility of being shot.

I had a last look at the bronze moose, and we were outside. He carted me over to his car. I heard a lock click, and the next thing I knew, I was in the trunk of his Lexus.

“Hey,” I said. “You didn’t have to dump me in here. That hurt.”

He slammed the lid on me, and I was in the dark. A couple of minutes later, I heard footsteps. Then the trunk opened.

“Where is she?”

“What are you talking about?”

“That woman who was with you. Where is she hiding?”

“I don’t know.” I was hoping that by now Meg had found the other door out of the box we loaded the wood into. If she was fast, she could be halfway to the next cottage.

I saw a movement behind Gunnar, and then Meg was on his back, her arm around his neck, trying to choke him.In one fluid motion, he flipped her off his back. She landed on top of me in the trunk. The air was pushed out of my lungs, and everything went black again as the lid slammed. I heard Gunnar walking away as we scooted around until we were side-by-side, spooning like lovers. It was better than having Meg on top of me.

“You should have run for help.” I felt like howling.

“I couldn’t leave you with that maniac. What if something happened?”

“Well, now we’ll find out.” I shifted my legs, trying to uncramp them.

“How do you like this Lexus now?” I asked. “Comfy?”

“Oh, stop grousing. I don’t want the last words I hearto be grumbling. Any way for us to get out of this?”

“It depends on if he remembers to bring his gun.” The car door slammed, and a moment later we were bumping down the road.

“If he doesn’t have the gun, we could overpower him when he opens the trunk,” I said. “But I don’t think we can count on that.”

“Oh, my God!” Meg said. “What if he never opens the trunk? What if he leaves us in here to starve? Or what if he drives us over a cliff or something?”

“He won’t do that.” I hoped. “Because this is his car, and he won’t want anyone to associate us with it. Don’t cars like this have latches on the inside of the trunk?Maybe we could pop the trunk while he’s driving and jump out when he stops.”

“What’s this?” I could hear her fumbling around. The latch clicked and the trunk flew open. “I did it!”

“I wished you’d warned me first. I’m not ready.”

Gunnar slammed on the brakes, and I slid deeper into the trunk. Meg was up on her knees, struggling to get a leg over the edge of the trunk. She got one leg out and fell onto the road. I heard her hit and some muffled curses.

“Run!” I yelled. “Get up and run!”

She was on her feet looking a little dazed in the evening sunlight. “Run!” I struggled to scoot to the edge of the trunk and rose to my knees. There was a shot from behind me. Meg! I screamed in my head, but my throat was so constricted, no sound would come out. I looked down the road to where Meg was running for all she was worth. Another shot rang out.

“Stop, or I’ll shoot your friend,” Gunnar’s voice came from beside the car.

Meg stopped running. She put her hands in the air and turned around. She walked slowly back to the car. I prayed for someone to drive by. The problem with living in the boonies is that when you need someone around, there isn’t anybody.

OMG! Right? What a perfect blend of suspense and humor! See why Kate took the whole kit-and-caboodle with this story? That was a kickin' scene!

I'd like to thank Kate for letting me interview her. Talk about a calorie-free treat! LOL Here's a big ole THANK YOU to all of you for flashing on over and spending some time with us today.

Who you gonna call to get you in the mood for Halloween? Bet your bippy, you'd dial the GHOSTBUSTERS. Enjoy a young and sexy Bill Murray (ok, so I'm a little odd lol) and hope to catch ya haunting TLN next week!

Pickin' Pumpkins With Linda Banche

Ooh-Da-Lolly!

Another week has flow away, leaving us a weekend of play!

Autumn is definitely here! It's time once again to bust out those ooky-spooky yard decorations and carve up some Jack-O-Lanters. Ain't life grand?!

Before you head out to the pumpkin patch, please join me in welcoming LINDA BANCHE to the TLN Hot Seat!

Her latest release, THE PUMPKINNAPPER, is fresh off the vine and ready to help ring in the spooky season.

Linda was sweet enough to treat us all to some good advice! So, grab that bowl of candy corn you've been eye-ballin' and dig in! We won't tell!

1. If you were a book, what would blurb be?

My title would be: Too Stupid to Quit.

Linda, romance fanatic, devours romances by the cartful. She reads and reads, wallowing in romance. And does she have a good time wallowing.

Then, one day, the unthinkable happens. She runs out of the types of books she likes. Panic! What to do? The Spirit of Romance throws back her head and laughs. "You have been greedy. So greedy, you ran out of Regencies. Now you'll have to read contemporaries."

Linda is not our heroine for naught. Will she give in and read a genre she doesn't like to feed her romance habit? No. She decides to write her own.

And so the journey begins, as she spends her days and nights warming her desk chair as she types and types. A story takes form. The tale has a beginning, middle, and an end.

Our heroine has written a book! (We won't tell you about all the writing errors she made. After all, we want a happy ending.)

"What do you think of that?" she shouts at the Spirit of Romance. I have the kind of story I like. And I can always write more. Persistence pays off!"

"Perhaps," the Spirit replies. "You are most certainly persistent." Or perhaps just too stupid to give up.


2. Using three words, describe your voice.

Humorous, quirky, playful.

3. Newbie to Published: How have you grown as a writer?

When I decided I wanted to write a book, I had no idea what I was doing. So I just wrote and wrote, until I had what I call my magnum opus, all 96,000 words of it. I thought I was doing pretty well. After all, I had a completed story.

Then I took a few courses. "Show, don't tell. Get the POV right--you're not Norah, don't head-hop. Use action tags." Showing? POV? Tags? Who's Norah? As far as I was concerned, the instructors were speaking Greek.

Well, I finally figured out the code. I show more. I leaned about the dreaded POV. And I found out who Norah is.

Other important things: Use the five senses. Add the color of objects. Give the characters' physical reactions to events. Don't start sentences with "this", "that", "these" or "those".

I do most of this stuff automatically now, but I still have problems. My descriptions need work. Sometimes I can write pretty well the first time and sometimes only junk comes out.

And I rewrite. A lot.

4. Ok, here is the fun part! Give us some tips on research. What's your favorite resource?

Google is your friend. So is a high speed computer line. Also, bookmark everything. By now, I have hundreds of links, from Regency information to the business end of writing. I found out the hard way to save a good link or I would never find it again.

5. Any advice on how to write a synopsis or a query letter? What works for you?

The best advice I have is to use the flavor of the book in your synopsis and query letter. If your story is dark, make them dark. If you write comedy, make them humorous.

The second thing is to condense your story into one pithy sentence, the log line. Use it to draw the agent/editor into your letter or synopsis. There are lots of examples on the web of successful query letters, synopses and log lines. Try going to an agent's blog and see their examples. Then make your own.

6. Tell us your "Got the Call" story? What was it like?

In 2007, The Wild Rose Press ran a time travel contest. They offered every entrant A Free Critique by A Real Editor. OK, that was my price, so I wrote a time travel story.

I lost. Of course, I lost. I didn't even know what POV was. Talk about the arrogance of stupidity.

But the editor said she would consider publishing the story if I made some fixes. I made her changes, and also fixed the POV, which I had figured out by then, and resubmitted.

Another reject. Back to the rewrite, incorporating the editor's new requests. And this time, she accepted it. That book is Lady of the Stars.

7. What's coming up for Linda Banche?

My just-released novella is a Regency Halloween comedy, Pumpkinnapper, also from the Wild Rose Press.

Pumpkinnapper buy link:

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/pumpkinnapper-p-3685.html


BLURB:

Pumpkin thieves, a youthful love rekindled and a jealous goose. Oh my!

Last night someone tried to steal the widowed Mrs. Emily Metcalfe's pumpkins. She's certain the culprit is her old childhood nemesis and the secret love of her youth, Henry, nicknamed Hank, whom she hasn't seen in ten years.

Henry, Baron Grey, who's never forgotten the girl he loved but couldn’t pursue so long ago, decides to catch Emily's would-be thief. Even after she reveals his childhood nickname--the one he would rather forget. And even after her jealous pet goose bites him in an embarrassing place.

Oh, the things a man does for love.

EXCERPT:

"Emily, even with Henry, formidable as he is--" Hank glared at the goose. The goose glared back "--you need protection. I will send over some footmen to guard the place."

"No. Turnip Cottage belongs to Charlotte's husband. What will the townspeople think, with Lord Grey's servants about my house?"

Her refusal increased his fury. The sight of her hand on that damned goose's head
didn't improve his mood, either. He balled his fists as his patience thinned and something else thickened. "I'll find you a guard dog. You must have some protection out here all alone."

"But I have Henry." She patted the goose's head and the bird snuggled into her hand. Again.

Heat flooded Hank, part desire for Emily's touch, and part desire to murder that damned goose, who was where he wanted to be. His insides groaned. "Very well, then, you leave me no choice. I will help you catch the culprits."

"But--"

He changed his voice to the voice that either melted a woman or earned him a slap in the face. "Who knows, mayhap we would enjoy ourselves as I lie in wait with you." I would love to lie with you.

Her eyes widened. Had she understood the innuendo?

"I cannot stay alone with you, and you know it," she said, her voice severe.

"You are a widow in your own home and no one will see. I will make sure of it."

"No." She marched back into her cottage and slammed the door. Henry smirked and waddled away.

Hank grinned. He would be back, whether she liked it or not.

Linda
Linda Banche
Regency romance--most with humor, some with fantasy, and occasionally a paranormal
Lady of the Stars--4 stars from Romantic Times, Regency time travel available from The Wild Rose Press
Pumpkinnapper--Regency Halloween comedy, available from The Wild Rose Press
Website Blog Myspace Facebook Twitter

I'd like to thank Linda sharing the good stuff with us newbies! And THANKS to all of you for swinging by!

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I love watching the leaves change color, digging out my old sweatshirts, and most importantly. . .Halloween!! When I was a kid, I adored watching Disney's Legend of Sleepy Hollow every year. I totally dug Ichabod and Katrina. So, here's an early treat to get you in the mood- it's THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN song. I just LOVE the old Disney movies, don't you?! Have a great weekend and we'll catch ya back here next week!

Welcome To Paradise With Beth Kery!!!

Well, ALOHA!!

Another week is sinking into the abyss and good times are on the rise. Wanna escape to the islands? Wade in the water? Feel the sand between your toes? I know I'd love a frosty beverage with a tiny umbrella right about now!

Grab a beach chair and let's hail that speedo-sporting Cabana Boy, because the fantabulous BETH KERY is chillin' with the newbies today! She's going to lay some awesome tips on us about world building, love scenes, and more.

October 6th was the release date for Beth's newest scorcher, PARADISE RULES. She's a fabulous author with the backlist to prove it! Ain't we lucky TLNers?!

And away we go. . .



1) If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

Many faces; many facets.

Beth Kery couldn't decide if she was a geeky academic or a sexy sophisticate, so she decided to be both...and began the adventure of a lifetime.

Okay, it was a short blurb. lol.

2) Using three words, describe your voice.

Taut, flowing, passionate

3) What's the best advice you've ever received in regards to your writing/career?

Denise Agnew once told me during an article I was doing to always write what you love. If you stray from that mission, you might have some short term success. But in the end, you'll lose the spark and come to hate what you're doing.

4) Get it to me, baby! Is there a hard part to writing a love scene? (pun intended *wink wink*) Maybe tracking the flow- let's face it there's a lot parts in action. Or maybe making sure you don't repeat terms and actions in a subsequent scene. Is there pressure to make each scene seem like the earth moved?

I think of all scenes as being character-driven, and for me, that's true for love scenes as well. I actually don't think it's all that difficult to write love scenes. They sort of just seem to happen as a result of the plot and characterization. I think it helps to have the whole book sexy. What I mean by that, is obviously you have many scenes that aren't sexual. But if the thoughts and feelings of the central characters occasionally go to sex or attraction, it doesn't seems so jarring when they suddenly are getting it on, and there's this large departure in the language used.

5) What's your favorite writer's reference and why?

Um..(kicking floor in embarrassment) I really don't read writer's references. I probably should, but I'm working almost every minute of the day seven days a week, so if I have a free moment, I'm not too interested in reading technical type books. I do enjoy reading the writing articles in RWR.

6) In your opinion, should a new writer worry about building their Platform while writing their book? Or should they just wait until they've written "The End."?

By Platform, do you mean getting their name out there and doing promo work? My honest opinion is that you should focus on your writing first. I know others would disagree, but I find for myself--and I've heard plenty of authors say something similar--doing promo work is amazingly distracting. It can be entertaining doing chats and making a pretty website or blog. But in the end, you have to have product to be doing marketing. While some would say the product is both author and her books, in the beginning, the package is a bit one-dimensional if you don't have the book. If you get too caught up in doing promo stuff, it can be fun, but it might take the focus off your primary directive, which is writing. Or at least it should be.

7) What's your favorite part about writing? Word choices, world building, plot, etc.

Characterization. I think of plot as being a sort of skeleton; if it's a decent one, you've got a solid structure. But for me, plots and even world building, are hollow without the characters, which breathe the book into life. Don't get me wrong, the skeleton is crucial, but it's not as rewarding for me as the characterization.

8) What can fans expect in the future from Beth Kery?

Paradise Rules, a very sexy contemporary from Berkley Heat comes out October 6! I also have a short novella coming out in time for Christmas at Samhain called Holiday Bound. Up in February, I have a contemporary erotic suspense from Berkley Heat called Release.

Here's a blurb for PARADISE RULES to wet your whistle:

She didn’t believe in paradise…

To most people Hawaii’s crystal blue shores are an inviting opportunity to escape reality. But for Lana Rodriguez who grew up there, the picture-perfect vacation getaway disguises the bitter truths she escaped years ago, and not without some emotional scars. Now a successful blues singer, Lana’s returning to Waikiki with a different outlook on the past, and a bold defiance when it comes to men, romance,and sex. This time, it’s on her terms.

Until she found it in him.

Local celebrity, businessman and island god, Jason Koa, may be every woman’s dream. For Lana, it’s not exactly love at first sight. Though their start is rocky, they can’t deny the passions they arouse in each other. Jason refuses to become Lana’s pawn. It’s time to show her who makes the rules on this island—and in the bedroom. But will Jason’s attempt at breaking Lana’s shell reveal secrets that neither are prepared to face, or will they allow themselves to get swept away by a tidal wave of desire?

Click here to read an excerpt of PARADISE RULES.

What an awesome send off into the weekend! Just scopin' out that cover makes me want to head to the tropics. I'd like to thank Beth for being here with us today. Be sure to check out Beth's website/blog for info on her books.

MaHalo, TLN'ers!! Here's hopin' your weekend is fun-filled and wild (as wild as it can get for October! lol) Here's a bangin' beat to get your good times rollin'! Pass me that frosty drink, because IT'S FIVE O' CLOCK SOMEWHERE!! Sing to me to the islands, Jimmy and Alan! Catch ya'll back next week!

BETWEEN THE SHEETS

Rockin' the RWR. . .

Some how the stars aligned and I managed to read an entire article . . . undisturbed.

I know, I know. I should buy a lotto ticket because I'm one lucky broad!

The recipient of my undivided attention was Jacqueline Diamond's TEN THINGS A NOVELIST LEARNED FROM TEACHING WRITING in this month's edition of RWA's Romance Writer Report.

Talk about a Cliff's Notes version of everything my CP's have been smacking me over the head with for the last year! Seriously!

1. Action=Reaction- Check.

5. Dialogue edicts- Check, Check

8. Watch the Exposition- Check Mate

Those were just the recent pickings I've got dinged with. There were seven other items listed in the article and I can safely say, I'm well acquainted with them, too!

I swear I heard a band of angels singing as I read this piece- and those celestial beings were belting out a chorus of, "I Saw The Sign!" (lol now, how many of you are going to be humming that little Ace of Base ditty all day?!)

The Learning Curve for newbies is full of twists and switch backs. That's why a critique group or mentor is so important to a novice writer. I navigated Ms. Diamond's words with ease and total understanding because I had the four voices of my CP's chirping my head. . . kind of like the TomTom lady.

It wasn't that I doubted what my gals had been telling me.

No, it was like I was finally getting to apply what they'd been teaching me. This experience brought back memories of milking cows back in college. I was learning all about lactation as I was in there hookin' up those four-legged hussies. So, imagine my delight the semester I had Physiology of Lactation and I could keep up with my professor's lectures. I got all tingly and felt every neuron snapping wake in my brain. Everything I'd been learning in that milk barn finally clicked!

I got same tingly feeling reading this article. It was exciting and dare I sound trite, but my heart raced!

And THAT, my friends, is why I'll be back at the Friday Night Write round table this week geared up and hungry for more!

So tell me, when was the last time something clicked for you?

Living For The Night With Raine Delight

Good Grief! Would you look at that moon! Got the sudden urge to howl?

Well, join the club, baby! What a H-O-T-T cover!

Speakin' of steamy, if you've got a hankerin' for a walk on the spicy side, better pull up a chair.

Please, join me in welcomin' to TLN Hot Seat the Siren of Spice, RAINE DELIGHT.

With her new release, Devon Falls: HAUNTING MAGIC, on the horizon, Raine is one busy lady. Lucky for us, she's sweet enough to make some time for the newbies.

So, peel your eyes off that naked. . . er, full moon and let's get this party started!

1) If you were a book,what would your blurb be?

Hmm, I am not sure maybe something like: Cherise Sinclair works as a librarian by day but at night stakes vampires that are causing havoc in her city. Determined to wipe out what she considers the scourage of the earth she never expects to find a man so sinfully handsome he turns her life inside out and makes her see that maybe vampires are not all bad for Vince Alexander is one of the masters and he is determined to stop Cherise from killing any more of his kind, even as he falls under her spell.

*grins*

That was fun and I think that might be a new story idea.

2) Using three words, describe your voice.

Oh geez, not sure. Maybe emotional, a work in progress and different. *looks confused* does that work?

3) What's the biggest obstacle you've had to overcome in your writing?

I think it is the fact I am still learning the craft of writing that I am beginning to see where my problem areas are. I like to switch POV sometimes in the middle of something so I am working on that with a variety of tools and that I had to get over not talking about myself since I am marketing myself and my books to the public.

4) How do you balance promotional demands, writing time, and family time?

That is very tough for me as I work three jobs, have a family and then have to meet deadlines for writing. I try to write at least for an hour a day if I can unless something comes up like kids dance schedules change or family issues come about. Weekends are spent with my kids and DH. We do errands, shopping and other chores as well as try to relax and recharge the batteries, so to speak.

I have a wonderful PR manager, Katie, who helps me tremendously. She does the bulk of my promo for me and reminds me where I am chatting, where and other good stuff. This helps me continue to write and Katie has been a godsend.

5) Let's talk World Building. Give us some tips! What works for you?

Well I don’t normally set out to build worlds, they just happen. Honest. LOL

For Devon Falls Series, I have character sheets since it has grown to 4 books with two more to come and it has morphed into a whole town. Club Fantasy Series, is a paranormal BDSM and centers around the owners so for that I had to research the BDSM world.

I normally start out with a rough idea on whom/what I am building and just go from there. I do try to make sure I got certain traits/looks right or that I don’t screw up names.

6) What’s the best writing/career advice you've ever received?

Write, write, and write some more. I write what I like and thankfully so do readers. Let a crit partner look it over to see if they spot anything, do some online workshops that are free or join the local RWA. Check ot some books that are valuable information for your craft or specific genre (like GBLT). Talk to other writers on what works for them and then go at it.

7) What's coming up for Raine Delight?

Oct. 9th is the next Devon Falls book called Haunting Magic. It tells the story of Rodrick Dracon, who we met briefly in Fiery Magic. This time around this lothario wolf shifter has to find his mate or be a lone wolf forever. What he doesn’t anticipate is the one woman who couldn’t care less about him but when these two are in the same room, sparks fly. Jaxon Sinclair is a woman who finds herself either lusting after Rodrick or wanting to brain him. Can this wolf shifter get his destined mate to heel before Halloween or will she turn the tables on him and tame the wolf?

Then if all goes well, another Devon Falls novella, Yuletide Magic in December 2009 and more in 2010. *wipes brow*

Sneak peeks look into Haunting Magic:
Coming to Aspen Mountain Press on October 9th, 2009
http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/

Jax never thought she would enjoy being home until she had a night like tonight helping Grady out. It was just too much, especially after spying Rodrick Dracon working his wiles on every single bubble-headed woman there just before Grady showed up to press her into service. Each time she was there, that lothario had women draped all over him like leeches and yet he hasn’t hit on her since that one night of drunken monkey sex in high school.

Well, she can say honestly she had more than one brain cell and even though she enjoyed the way his jeans hugged his tight ass and the way his muscles bunched under his t-shirt, Jax knew better than to contemplate a night with the “stud master”, the nickname she gave him after years of hearing about his conquests. It was enough to see him at the local hot spots working his wiles on the women and whenever she got near him, he acted like she was cramping his style.

Sighing, she tossed her shoes in the corner, grabbed some water, walked into her bedroom, and sank on the edge of her bed. She hated dishes as well as men who seemed to think they are all that and a bag of chips. “What is it with men who think they need to add one more notch on that bedpost?” Jax muttered as she tossed her clothes into the corner and wrinkled her nose at the stale beer and smoke smells that wafted from them.

Slowly she made her way to the shower and tried to figure why she was bothered by the way the cheap floozies immediately spied Rodrick and flew to his side. It was enough to make her ashamed to be a woman. Jax stepped inside the shower and tried to erase the sight of not one, not two but three women draped all over this man like leeches.

She soaped down and letting the hot water ease her aches. She muttered, “If I am ever so desperate to get laid, I hope someone just shoots me to put me out of misery. I am definitely not interested in adding myself to his bedpost notches. He needs to learn that some day, he will find a woman who will say no and mean it. Then I will laugh uncontrollably at the irony of it all.”

Jax got out of the shower and yawned. She turned off the lights and padded naked to the bed. Heaven was all she thought as the moonlight made shadows on her walls and as she yawned yet again, Jaxon wondered if she will ever see Rod finding the one person who will make him work for a change in winning their heart. That will be the day hell froze over was her last thought as she slid into sleep.

Talk about a tasty teaser! Be sure to check out Raine's sexy website for a buffet of her other novels.

I'd like to thank Raine Delight and her promo manager, Katie, for makin' this interview possible. And here's a whoppin' THANK YOU to all the TLN'ers out there for stopping by!

Want a kickin' ditty to send you into the weekend? Raine's gorgeous cover inspired this selection. Here's the Delightful CCR with BAD MOON RISING. Enjoy your break from the Monday thru Friday- 9 to 5 and we'll catch ya' on the flipside back at TLN next week.