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Monday, January 10, 2011

Like Weddings? I do! And so do Allie Standifer & Desiree Holt


Got a great wedding story? Funny? Sad? Happy? Wonderful?
Last fourth of July, Allie Standifer, Desiree Holt and I partied. Dined. Drank. And talked about the most favorite things we loved.
WEDDINGS turned out to be one of them.
So full of hope.
But a damn drag for those who go partnerless--or hoping to soon be partnered, or wishing they could find a great partner!
So, 'pardner', these 3 Texas gals have a series for you, WEDDING BELLES.
A quartet of books, the first of which is Allie's debuting Jan 12, then mine 2 days later, and Desiree's Jan. 19. the 4th book, SOMETHING BLUE byall 3 of us, is soon to pop in the schedule at EC.
We've got one of the bridesmaids who wishes to god she wasn't. A Mother of the Bride who longs for a younger man and donchaknow, he's The Best Man. Then the Bride. She shouldn't have any challenges, should she? Oh. MY. She. Does. She longs for one last night of...
Well, you must come and see!
Here's nibble of Allie's SOMETHING OLD.

Adair knows he screwed up when he left Brina and fell under the weight of family pressure. None of the women acceptable to his parent’s and other relatives have moved his heart or body. Seeing Brina again simplifies everything in his life. He wants this woman he tossed so carelessly away. He’s determined to do whatever it takes to win her back in his life and bed.

During an impromptu to meeting in the hotel bar, Brina has a few drinks to deaden her nerves and need. It works until Adair walks in, looking as sexy and desirable as ever. He bullies and dares her into a private suite then seduces her right out of her objections, clothes and into his bed.
And an excerpt
: (copyright 2011, Allie Standifer, all rights reserved.)

Midnight dark eyes look down at her and a shiver of suppressed desire ran across her arms. “Brina, I’m taking you someplace where we can talk. I know you don’t owe me the courtesy, but I’m asking you for it none the less.”

His low tone and words stopped her struggling like nothing else could have. The Adair she’d known would have demanded, cajoled or bullied his way into getting what he wanted. Hearing the actual words come of his sinfully delicious mouth filled her with enough curiosity to follow his lead.

“Thank you,” he said then removed his arm from around her waist to press the elevator button. At once she felt the loss of his touch. It had always been this way between them, instant and electric chemistry with even the simplest of glances or touches. Her body aroused from the mere sight of him. Aching to be taken in the way only Adair could.

As they stepped into the empty elevator Brina moved away from him as far as the small space would let her while her mind ran wild. Hadn’t she just complained about wanting a man, at least for the wedding? Raine had told her to grab life with both hands before she found herself old and alone. Even Zoe, her sweet little sorority sister, had encouraged Brina to live a little this weekend.

Sneaking a side long look at Adair’s tall lean frame with his thick jet black hair curling over the top of his white dress shirt, his tanned skin standing out against the pale material she knew she wanted him. The physical aspect of their relationship had always been great, better than great. What would it be like to have all the muscled power directed at her again after all these years?

But she couldn’t…wouldn’t go there again. Having him walk out of her life the last time nearly destroyed her. She’d given this man her heart, soul and trust and he’d left without a backward glance.

But we want him, her aroused hormones whined. If it had been any man other than the one standing stiffly next to her she might have entertained the thought of having a weekend fling, but he was who he was and no amount of wishing would change the very nature of his personality.

Besides, the weak horny part of her nature cajoled, if you fuck him and leave him maybe you’ll finally be able to get on with your life.

That voice, she mentally decided, definitely had a point. Maybe it was time to turn the tables on Mr. Lord of all he surveys Al’Hassan. She could screw his brains out, leaving him panting and weak in bed while she walked away this time.

Oh yeah, it was time to see if Adair could take what he so easily dished out."
What is your favorite wedding story?

Saturday, January 8, 2011

After a great start at 2,000 words, I've bogged down to 500 per day.

This sweet little widget was made during my continuous writing...

However, I actually have only written one book since it was made. Woman on Fire. One book in seven months is not good. Not when you are relying on the income from your books to pay bills.  Looks like there will be no trip to Romanticon this year...not unless I get my fanny in gear.

I was writing all day, and erasing as fast as I wrote, so this post is late arriving.  Forgot all about it being Saturday until I got online.  Gaack!
I'll be sitting hre writing until I get going again. 

Hugs!
Fran Lee

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Come Back To Me


A Review
From Basia's Bookshelf.

Summary: This positively sings with emotional authenticity. Cara is a haunting example of what can happen to victims of sexual violence as well as an example of how they become survivors. I knew before I started reading this that it was going to be a tough read; I didn’t expect that it was going to put me through such an emotional wringer, one that’s going to stick with me for a long time. This is an absolute recommend.

My Rating: A-

Please head over and read the entire, and very beautiful review at: http://basiabooks.blogspot.com/2011/01/come-back-to-me.html

Lily Harlem is here today!!





Let me introduce my very special guest, Lily Harlem.



Lily Harlem is an award winning author of erotic fiction and lives in the UK with a workaholic hunk and a crazy ginger cat. She writes for Ellora’s Cave, Total-e-Bound and Xcite as well as featuring in numerous UK and US anthologies. Her stories are made up of colorful characters traveling on everyone's favorite journey — falling in love. If the story isn't deliciously romantic and down and dirty sexy, it won't be written, at least not by Lily!



The Art of Kissing



After the dizzy excitement of the weeks just gone and all that Mistletoe action I thought I’d ponder the lovely pastime of kissing. Not just a peck on the cheek kiss, no, but those lovely, deep, sensual mating of mouths between lovers - or potential lovers.



Kissing is so physically romantic and I adore writing the kissing scenes into my books. The characters kiss because they are ridiculously attracted to one another and are compelled to satisfy a hunger which is as natural as the need for food. I hope my readers enjoy the kissing action too, especially the first kiss between a couple after the build-up of sexual tension. I like to write in first person so I can give a really detailed perspective of what it is like to kiss that hot, but bad, hockey player, or the kinky control freak neurosurgeon or darkly secretive rock star. (Hired, Shared, Mattress Music!)



Olden day scientists believed that lovers found kissing pleasurable because when the two lips met an electric current was generated. Of course we now know this to be completely untrue but studies have shown that when two people embrace and kiss, hormones are released into the blood stream which immediately induces a sense of euphoria when you feed on the sweetness of your partner’s mouth.



But not all kisses are happy events. Works of literature like "Romeo and Juliet" have portrayed kisses as dangerous or deadly when shared between the wrong people. Some folklorists and literary critics view vampirism as symbolic of the physical and emotional dangers that can come from kissing the wrong person.



Even so anthropologists report that 90 percent of the people in the world kiss. Most people look forward to their first romantic kiss and remember it for the rest of their lives. Parents kiss children, worshippers kiss religious artifacts and couples kiss each other. Some people even kiss the ground when they get off an airplane!



Fast kissing facts -
The science of kissing is called philematology.
A one-minute kiss burns 26 calories measuring energy-producing potential of food.
Kissing releases the same neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in the brain) as intense exercise, like parachuting or distance running. The heart beats faster and breathing becomes deep and irregular.
Saliva crawls with microscopic bacteria (single-cell organisms) that enter from air, food, and dirty hands. Between 10 million and 1 billion colonies (groups of bacteria) are swapped with each smooch! But saliva also contains antibacterial chemicals that kill most bacteria before the germs are exchanged in a kiss – Phew!!!
A simple pucker uses two muscles, the upper and lower orbicularis otis surrounding the lips. A passionate kiss uses all 34 facial muscles.
Until the 1400s, kissing under mistletoe was a big commitment. Such kisses often meant that a couple was engaged.
The Romans even came up with three different categories for kissing: Osculum was a kiss on the cheek. Basium was a kiss on the lips. Savolium was a deep kiss.



A Light Hearted Look At Bad Kisses


The Roto Rooter: Their tongue ventures so far down your throat that it actually begins to choke you.
The Rooster: They begin to kiss you, then suddenly pull way . . .lean forward, then draw back!
The Swordfish: They operate their tongue much like a swordfish uses it's snout, in a blunt and violent manner.
The Grouper: As they kiss you, their lips (which could require their own zip code) completely engulf yours.
The Deep Sea Diver: They rarely come up for air.
The Lizard: Their tongue darts in and out of your mouth like a reptile probing for its next victim.
Frozen in Time: They never change the position, posture or angle of their head. It is as if they have mastered kissing cryogenics.
The Squid: They seem to excrete an awful flavor. All you can think of is how to slip them a breath mint.
The Wrecking Ball: They kiss like a battering ram. Whoa, look out, here they come again!

I hope you don’t encounter these types of scary smackers and instead may all your kisses be delicious, perfect, sensual, erotic and sweet not just in 2011

but forever more.
Lily x

Very enlightening, Lily!! Now I'm ready for a peaking into your new release, Hired.


BLURB:
One hundred grand to babysit bad boy Logan “Phoenix” Taylor on a paradise island—seriously, how bad could he be?
Frankly, it didn’t matter. Not when it would make my dreams of going to nursing school possible. I wasn’t even expected to talk to him, just hang out in a luxurious villa on a private beach and study. Simple, right?
But I hadn’t counted on Logan being so deliciously bad that he was oh so good. And when the temperature cranked to boiling point, he knew just how to satisfy the deepest, darkest part of my soul and give my body exactly what it needed. Amongst the sand and waves, we transported each other to an exquisite world of pleasure where only we existed, only we mattered.
But the heady mix of emotions and lust couldn’t keep things from spiraling out of control back in reality, where I had to keep the truth that I’d been hired to entertain him a secret at all costs…even if it shattered my delicate heart. Even if it cost my destiny.

An Excerpt From: HIRED
Copyright © LILY HARLEM, 2010
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

A palm tree overhead creaked ominously and I scurried closer into his side, wrapping my other hand around his thick biceps as I glanced upward.

“It’s okay,” he said, releasing my hand and circling my waist with his arm. “It won’t fall on you.” He dragged me against his body, urging me more quickly through the sand.

I found myself taking two paces to his one and within minutes we were climbing onto the deck. Shifting sand danced around the table and chair legs. The pillows and cushions from the bed had rolled to the floor and were tumbling about in the golden dust and lodging in leaves and branches. The parasol clattered against the table, the pole lifting up from the floor and threatening to take off into the sky.

“You grab the cushions,” Logan called over the noise of the flapping shrubbery. “I’ll anchor down the parasol.”

Unlocking the door to the living area, I grabbed three pillows and chucked them inside. I went back for the other three then tumbled in, half shutting the door behind myself. My hair was wild, my cheeks stung and my heart pounded as I caught my breath.

I watched Logan close the umbrella and secure the pole into place. He glanced around, shading his eyes with his hand, checking for anything else that might blow away, then headed my way with a train of dry, flat leaves skittering past his feet. I opened the door wide to let him through. He stepped in, still squinting against the dust, as I pushed the door shut with a loud click. The world went silent. After the howling wind and the roaring sea, the quiet of the house was acute and heavy and fell around us like a dense cloak.

Leaning back against the door, I pulled in a deep breath. “Made it,” I gasped.

“Yeah,” he said, stepping up close—real close.

When I looked up, his cheeks were stained red, several grains of sand hung in his long lashes and his hair was tousled and dusted with gold. “Is that everything tied down?” I asked, trying to ignore my breasts heaving against my halter-top.

“Well, almost everything,” he said with a decidedly carnal grin.

I swallowed and flattened my palms against the cool glass door behind me. “What else do you need to tie down?”

The right side of his mouth creased upward and his brows gave the tiniest of twitches. “I’d quite like to tie you down,” he said, his gaze coming to rest on my mouth. “To the bed.”

Licking my lips, I tasted salt. My stomach knotted as excitement, anticipation and sin collided in a delicious tangle.

“But I guess that’s moving a bit fast,” he murmured, bending his head lower. “We only just met.”

“A bit fast for me,” I agreed, absorbing the burning heat from his body as it radiated against mine.

“Brooke.” He raised one hand and rested it against the wooden doorframe by my left ear. His body moved in closer still. The gorgeous spiced aftershave he wore invaded my nostrils and settled not just on my tongue but somewhere else deep inside me. “Do you remember when you walked out of the water yesterday?” he asked in a low, rumbling voice.

“Yes.” How could I forget the toe-curling embarrassment? He’d stared silently toward me as I’d ambled up the beach, trying desperately to look cool and unflustered. I felt my cheeks warming further at the memory as my stomach twisted.

“It was a million times better than any Bond movie.”

“It was?”

“Hell, yeah. If they had you as a Bond girl it would be my favorite film by miles. Not just 007, but in general, any film ever.” His mouth slid upward in a grin. “You just about blew my mind.”

“I did?” My eyes widened in surprise. He’d liked what he’d seen, and I thought he’d been unimpressed with my curvy attributes.

“Oh, yeah, and other parts of my anatomy.”

He ducked his head, his lips a whisper from mine. I could almost taste the salt on his mouth.

“Well, we wouldn’t want that would we, Logan?” I murmured.

“Wouldn’t we?” His brows raised.

“Sounds painful.” I swallowed, my throat felt tight.

“It’s already getting painful.” He shifted his weight to the other foot. We were so close now my breast brushed against his chest and my nipples, which had tightened to hard pinched peaks, scraped against him.

I reached up to touch his jaw, his bristles catching on my fingertips. Our gazes connected and I rose onto the balls of my feet and pressed my mouth to his.

He opened up and took immediate control of the kiss. He tasted so good­—man and ocean, wind and sun—he tasted of everything I was missing in my life and had been for so long. My hands moved to his shoulders and squeezed hard muscles through his soft cotton shirt. The tip of his tongue probed farther into my mouth, shooting desire into every fiber I possessed. My tongue searched for his and began to explore his mouth.

Logan groaned and let go of the doorframe, cradling the base of my skull in his palm and winding his other arm around my waist. He pulled me close and as the length of our bodies touched, right in the very center of my abdomen, he pressed his steely erection forward. He was right, he was painfully hard.

“Damn, you taste good,” he murmured, trailing a gentle kiss across my cheek.

I tipped my head back and let him explore the base of my ear, the angle of my jaw and the hollow of my throat. “I taste like salt,” I said.

“You taste of the beach and flowers and coconut,” he whispered between kisses. “The most delicious combination of flavors I’ve ever experienced.” He pulled back slightly, slipping his fingertips under the shoulders of my cardigan and easing it down my arms. It fell to the floor and he slid his palms back up over my elbows to the base of my neck. Each tiny section of flesh he touched came alive with sensation and pricked with greedy little goose bumps searching out his caress. I found his mouth again and ran my fingers into the collar-length hair at the nape of his neck. I pulled his head to mine harder. I wanted more. Much more.

His big fingers were busy, fiddling with the knot at the back of my halter-top. It was cleverly designed with a fitted bra, it had cost a fortune but was well worth it. I felt it slipping free and pulled back from the kiss, crossing my arm over my chest and gripping my opposite shoulder to hold it in place.

“What’s the matter?” Logan asked, his eyes heavy with desire and his voice thick with lust.

“I’m…I’m big,” I said in a rush then felt silly for saying something so insecure and obvious.

“Me too,” he said, a provocative grin playing on his mouth. “Relax, Brooke, it’s all good, trust me.”

Buy link http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8939-50-hired.aspx
Lily Harlem http://www.lilyharlem.weebly.com


Lily loves to hear from readers so feel free to stop by her website www.lilyharlem.weebly.com and drop her a line. While you’re there check out her free reads and other published works. Also in honor of the newly released Hired, the first in Lily’s Hot Ice series, there is a yummy selection of hot hockey players to feast your eyes on!


Thanks so much for dropping in, Lily!

Tessie
www.tessiebradford.com


Tuesday, January 4, 2011

"Guilty Survivor"


It’s my honor today to welcome back a familiar friend to Seven Sexy Scribes, Marianne Stephens! Marianne has been busy with many new projects but the one we are going to be talking about today is very special. Marianne has ghostwritten a first person account of Tamerla Kendall’s harrowing personal experiences in the Bosnian War 1992-1995.

Blurb: Tamerla Kendall is the woman you see rooting for her son at sporting practice. You might meet her in a grocery story. Perhaps you’ll see her planting a garden behind her home. Or, talk to her at school or work. She’s a student, worker, wife and mother.

Surviving a dark past is hidden by her façade of an everyday, average life. Reading her memoirs will reveal her true struggle to survive in a war zone, and is a testament to her courage.

Bosnian Croat, Tamerla Kendall, lived through the carnage and chaos in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War (1992-1995). Hers is a story of courage, fear, ingenuity, and survival. Difficult choices she made then still disturb her peace of mind and life today.

She made a few trips out of Sarajevo, only to return to keep the family restaurant business operating. One carefully planned, secretive trip was made to remove her daughter from the dangers of fighting, but this created a heartbreaking rift in their relationship. For her second trip, Tamerla masqueraded as a United Nations Protection Forces soldier and rode in a tank. A uniform and travel assistance came from a Ukrainian general.

Her hopes for a return to normalcy at war’s end diminished as corruption and religious zealots took control. She married an American, and this marked her as an outcast by some she’d trusted. When her life was threatened at gunpoint, she faced a critical decision concerning her family’s safety in her beloved country.

Katalina Leon: Marianne how did you meet Tamerla?
Marianne Stephens: Mutual friends introduced us. My friends knew that in 1999, I had a ghostwritten autobiography of a speaker from a women’s shelter published, and Tamerla was looking for someone to write her story.

Katalina: What were your first impressions when Tamerla told you her story?

Marianne: I was amazed at what she’d been through. We hear stories of people living through wars, see accounts on TV and in movies, but I’d never met someone who’d actually lived through a war. Her courage and drive to survive are impressive.

Katalina: What made you feel compelled to help Tamerla tell her story?

Marianne: Biographies are always written about celebrities. Tamerla is someone who could be your next door neighbor, shopping in your grocery store, or worshipping in your church. She’s a “real” person; someone you can relate to. Mothers will understand the angst she went through in deciding how to keep her children safe. Anyone running a business will know how she felt about saving her restaurant for her family’s future. She’s that “average every woman” you know, and not the politician or entertainment persona you read about. 

Katalina: What was the greatest challenge to writing this book?

Marianne: Keeping focused on her challenges, hardships, and ability to adapt while making hard decisions. I found myself trying to turn her story into a romance book, so had to stop all romance writing to concentrate on the serious issues Tamerla faced.
Katalina: I know there are a lot of political difficulties faced in Guilty Survivor, but it’s also a deeply human story. What part of Tamerla’s story gave you hope?
Marianne: Her love for her family and the decisions she made regarding them showed her true selfless intent on saving her children from harm. Regardless of the fact that by getting her daughter out of harm’s way she created a rift in their relationship, she made the hard choice to move her to safety. As her daughter gets older, she’ll hopefully understand her mother’s reasons for leaving her where she would be safe while returning to Sarajevo. With her son being half-America, his life would have been in as much jeopardy as hers after the war and Americans were not well-received or wanted.

Katalina: I realize we have to speak in generalities but what would you say was the greatest divisive force fueling the hatred of the Bosnian War? What happened to erode their former tolerance?

Marianne: Ethnic differences, greed, and jealousy. Those in power wanted to control everything, while other groups wanted more power for themselves. Tolerance disappeared and many senseless murders of those from all warring factions occurred. Tamerla feels that the war made them all targets and victims.

Katalina: What mental image from Guilty Survivor will stay with you?

Marianne: The scene where Tamerla dresses as a United Nations soldier to cross all three checkpoints creates a vivid image I won’t forget. Having to disguise herself and pray she wouldn’t be caught, had to be harrowing and stressful.

Thank you Marianne. I wish you and Tamerla Kendall all the best with this important book.

     Here’s an excerpt:
My second trip to Kiseljak was more difficult and done with me masquerading as a soldier. I’d called Commander Ivicarajic of the Croatian army to ask for help in crossing the border in November of 1992. I made a deal to transport some food supplies for him. I would be allowed to cross over into Croatia this way.
I then spoke to United Nations’ officer, Vladimir Sidorenko, (from the Ukraine) and asked him for help in getting across the border lines. He came to Restaurant Meli often and was known to help the people in Sarajevo.
He told me to go to the UN barrack area at night, sleep there, get up at 4:00am and
dress like a UN soldier in a Ukrainian, UNPROFOR uniform (United Nations Protection Forces) he provided. Part of the deal was that I’d bring supplies back with me for his troops. Desperate to visit my family and encouraged by his plan, I agreed.
I arrived at the UN barrack late that night. A blue and green military uniform and boots were provided for me and I slept in a military bed but was given a room and bathroom just for me. Other soldiers knew I was a woman but keep my secret.
The uniform was big, as were the boots. I used cloth and tightly circled it around my chest to hide my breasts. I stuffed paper into the boots so my feet wouldn’t slide out. I put on the uniform and looked at myself in a mirror. Even without makeup, I was afraid I’d be noticed and discovered to be a woman.
I pushed and pinned up my hair high on my head and pulled the cap down low enough to hide my hair and almost cover my eyes. The less seen of me the better. Even without using perfume, soap, or deodorant, I still thought I smelled like a woman. I practiced lowering my voice when I spoke, although the plan was for me not to speak at all. Would I pass as a man? Sound like one? Go unnoticed among other soldiers?
For one crazy instance, I imagined myself as preparing to go on a secret mission. I thought about spy movies I’d seen or books I’d read where people had to wear disguises. Not only had I found many avenues of keeping my restaurant operating, thanks to the war, but now I found a new talent. I would have my first performance as an actress.
I did not have to walk from checkpoint to checkpoint with other soldiers, but got to ride in a tank. I remained silent, even in the tank, and the other soldiers inside with me ignored my presence. Maybe it was their way of following orders to treat me as another soldier, and keep from staring. If they didn’t look at me, I really wasn’t there.

“Guilty Survivor “ Tamerla Kendall and Marianne Stephens.

Available January 26 from Secret Cravings Publishing.
Other Links:
http://www.jasminejade.com/m-310-marianne-stephens.aspx

***Secret Cravings Publishing Grand Opening Contest Prizes include:
Registration for Romantic Times Booklovers Convention
Registration for Lorie Foster's Reader and Writer Get Together Weekend
Kindle, Nook, or Sony ebook reader
And more! Visit: http://www.secretcravingspublishing.com for details.

Thanks for having me here today to talk about “Guilty Survivor – Memoirs of Tamerla Kendall”!




Hello 2011!

I’m welcoming 2011 with open arms. Good riddance to 2010! So did any of you make resolutions? If so have you already broken them? ;) We’re only four days in, so I sincerely hope not!
I know myself too well. Had I made any they would’ve been broken by now. Sunday night as I prepped to return to work after a nine day vacation I was excited about the prospect of getting up early and writing. I’d started a new story over vacation. While I didn’t write much I felt refreshed. I’d spent most of my days on the couch reading great books.
I was waking up at 4am over the course of my vacation, which was a change from the month prior when I was crawling out of bed at 6. That didn’t leave much time for anything before the family woke for the day. Monday morning rolled around and guess what? It was 6am when I dragged my sorry butt out of bed.
I wasn’t discouraged though. I woke happy and a bit giddy. I wasn’t sure of the reason, but hey, who can fight a good mood.
After I caught up with my work stuff I set out to accomplish something on my to-do list. You see on Monday’s I normally make a list and try to keep my promise to complete it before the end of the week. I’m not foolish enough to say the end of the day! That’s just asking for me to rebel.
So when the end of the day arrived and I’d finished all but one item on my list I was pleasantly surprised.
Today I woke earlier and managed to get over 2k on my wip in before work. There’s no more sitting back and procrastinating, at least for now. I’m taking the bull by the horns and making things happen. No one else is going to write these books for me.
It’s only a few days into the New Year and I’ve added over 4k to my wip and finished an article I’d contracted for a non-fiction magazine. I’ve met that deadline.
I’m knee-deep in edits for my contracted book All or Nothing too. For once I’m happy I didn’t make any resolutions because there’s no pressure and no stress.
Hope everyone else is enjoying the start of the New Year!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Have a Happy New Year...

May your New Year be warm and fuzzy...
May the Big Dawg be there to always protect you...
May the Good Faery always be at your beck and call...
May the wind be unable to get up under the tails of your long coat...
May Mr. December have left you panting and aching in all the right places...
May the Peace of the morning after New New Year's Eve find you...
And may your mother-in-law be as sweet to you as I am to my son's wives.

Happy New Year!