Wishing you a fab year in 2009!

Woah, busy here. Too long spent battling lingering symptoms of evil-dread-winter-virus during December, but I'm slowly getting back to normal now, thank goodness. It does mean I have a partial to finish that is due on the editor's desk tomorrow. I can do it! Eeek. It's well over half done and it's all in my head, I just have to get it onto the page. Ahem. The easy part, right. ;-)

I have a goal, a reward - my lovely pal Kate is dropping by to visit on her way home from work this evening, yay!

More news from me in the next few days. Meanwhile, I want to wish all my visitors a wonderful evening. Have lots of fun, stay safe. Here's hoping that 2009 makes all your wishes come true!

Christmas giveaway - winners announced

I want to say a huge big thank you to everyone who called by and took the time to post comments on the post for this giveaway. The feedback I got was very helpful, and I appreciate it immensely, thank you! Mark (my Real Life Hero) has selected three winners for me, and here they are:

Bundle 1 - Mrstcao

Bundle 2 - Ember

Bundle 3 - Katharina


Please shoot me an email with your postal address (using the "email me" link on the right hand column) and the books will be winging their way to you in January! NB: If you already have one of the books in the bundle you have won, please choose something else from the backlist on my website. As long as I have a copy on the shelf, I'll send any antho or novel instead of the one you have.

Thanks folks!

Seasons greetings!

Wishing all my visitors a happy holiday!

Countdown to the holiday!

The countdown to Christmas is on, and I *think* I have just about everything in place. Let’s put it this way - I certainly hope so, because I do not intend to go anywhere near the shops tomorrow! :)

When it comes to the desk, I’ve got 90% of the stuff done and gone that was meant to be done and gone at this point. I hope to finish the outstanding jobs and do some more writing during the daytime tomorrow, and then the party starts in the evening!

Yesterday was fun because I received contributor copies for the MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST NEW EROTICA 8. I’m thrilled to bits to have a story in this collection, it’s such an honour. I’m busy feasting my senses on all the other goodies inside. The book is not due out until January, maybe even February in the US. I'll be giving away a copy with my January newsletter, (ahead of release date!) so look out for that one!

This morning I managed to get a short story out the door. It was one that had been waiting around for a while to be resubmitted after being contracted for an anthology that was cancelled. Fingers crossed the new editor likes it. The plan is to keep in touch with my writing over the next week, which hopefully should be doable. I’ve discovered that if I take a few days away it gets harder and harder for me to get back into it. Just a little thing each day seems to keeps me rolling, a few new words, editing a synopsis, notes for a new idea, or updating the web site. It’s like I need that connection.

Ooh, if you haven’t already entered my book give away, you’ve got until the end of Christmas Eve to do so. I’ll be announcing the winners on Boxing Day, the 26th of December. Go here if you want the details of that one.

Solstice greetings!

Happy winter solstice! The days will soon get longer and the cycle of rebirth begins. Happy sigh :)

Christmas cheer!

More Christmas giveaways over at Shanna's blog!

New sale: ONE ENCHANTED NIGHT, an exotic fantasy

I'm delighted to announce that Total-E-Bound will be publishing a new short story of mine, ONE ENCHANTED NIGHT. This one is fantasy erotica, and readers who enjoyed the setting of UNVEILING THE SORCERESS might also like this one. It's in the same world, in the city of Suzin, but with different characters. The story will be released as a Total-E-Bound Lust Bite on March 23rd!

Here's the blurb:

In the ancient city of Suzin, Yasmin struggles with her desires. Her husband, Anwar, is an Emperor's soldier undertaking a crusade. In his absence Yasmin's physical needs are brazen and heated, and she wishes to master them. Seeking a potion to quell her passion, she visits the mysterious soothsayer, Mistress Munya. In doing so, she discovers that the route to mastering her passion is entirely different than she might have imagined, and infinitely more pleasurable... Mistress Munya presents Yasmin with a magical dildo, and weaves a seductive sensory spell that brings Yasmin one enchanted night of passion -- together with a lifetime of female knowledge about the sensual world.

Plotting frenzy

Plotting for my next novel, and plotting the countdown for the rest of the year. Ideally I'd like to get my partial done (and polished and sent!) before Christmas Eve. Will it be possible? It should be… if I can get the plotting sorted ASAP. It's not due on the editor's desk until January 1st, but I'd rather have it done before then. The first two chapters are solid in my mind, and I’ve started writing them. It’s the story arc, the plot twists and nuances I need to spend more time thinking on. Wish me luck!

Book recommendation: NEVER HAVE THE SAME SEX TWICE Alison Tyler

My contributor copy of NEVER HAVE THE SAME SEX TWICE has just arrived and I've been reading the book over coffee this morning. Yum! Multi-talented author and editor Alison Tyler has a real winner here. This is Alison's first non-fiction book, a sex guide brimming with insight, tips, and knowledge. Just think of the smiles you'll get if you put this book in your friend's Chrismas stockings, wahay! ;-) Some excerpts from my fiction are included -- I'm thrilled and honoured! -- and I'm also quoted on the inside page, which was a lovely surprise. Here's the blurb:

"According to Alison Tyler, her monogamous relationship of more than ten years is “filled with extreme, kinky, varied, crazy, never-have-the-same-sex-twice sort of sex.” The secret of not getting into a sexual rut lies in the power of the imagination and pure dedication. In this distinctive guide for couples, Tyler introduces each chapter by sharing her own personal sexual experience. Following that is a short erotic story that not only instructs readers in the how's and why's but helps them visualize what they can do to invigorate their sex lives. From having a weekly date night to using sex toys to experimenting with light BDSM to erotic foreplay, this book guides couples to sexual satisfaction over and over again."

Available now from:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Where did the last week go?

The last week went in a blur of fever and shivers, aches and pains, headaches and throat infection, and blah blah blah. Yes, it’s that time of the year again and it hit me with a real whammy doozer. I’m not yet firing on all cylinders, but gradually emerging into the light of day and trying to get things back to normal around here.

First up, thanks to everyone who left comments on my giveaway, and took the time to read some excerpts on my site. I appreciate every bit of feedback! There's still time to leave a comment if you haven't already entered.

Miracle of miracles, I’ve actually got projects number two and three on my list (see below to make sense of this) done and out the door. Yay! And I loved them! That was completion of a short novella and a partial/proposal for a 30K. Let’s hope the editors love them too. Fingers crossed. Now it’s down to project number one, my big one for December. I hope to get that done before the Christmas celebrations start. I’ve got a packed writing schedule for 2009, right up until the first of August, so I need to hit the ground running at the beginning of January.

To kick me off with a good start, I tackled my office yesterday. (I’ll take some up to date photos of my workplace when it’s all neat and tidy ;) Yes, it’s had its once a year overhaul. It’s not actually that bad, I do tidy my desk at the end of every writing project, but the bookshelves had started to look like a bric-a-brac store. They seem to accumulate bits of things that don’t have anywhere to live, right in front of the books. It all had to go! I’ve done that. The books are my next job. I have to have a bit of a clear out. Gulp. Wish me luck on that score, I find it really hard to part with books even though I know I’m never going to read them again.

Ooh, when I did my reviews I meant to mention a DVD. In case you are looking for fun stuff for Christmas presents, and haven’t yet seen STARDUST, it’s fabulous, rush out and buy it! Fantasy, magic, romance, adventure, humour, wit, fabulous crazy witches, hilarious ghosts, star filled cast, this film has it all, -- it even has Robert De Niro prancing around as a fantabulous transvestite sky pirate, what are you waiting for! :D -- truly a wonderful story in every way. I'm a huge Neil Gaiman fan and the film more than did the story justice. The production, the costumes, everything about it was just a dream to watch and I’ll happily watch it forever and ever and ever. :D

Okay folks, hoping things are good with you and that your festive preparations are going well.

Christmas presents for my readers!

Okay folks, here it is, a Christmas giveaway for my readers. First of all, what's up for grabs? There are three bundles of love to win as rewards for leaving a comment!

Bundle number 1: the contemporary love bundle!

DOUBLE DARE, my first erotic romance novel from Berkley Heat.
SECRETS VOLUME 12, 4 varied erotic romance novellas from Red sage, includes my contemporary novella “Summer Lightning."
A IS FOR AMOUR a Cleis Press anthology edited by Alison Tyler. This one includes my short story “Arran’s Lure.”




Bundle number 2: the lesbian/bi love bundle!

STOLEN MOMENTS, a Bold Strokes books lesbian anthology edited by Radclyffe and Stacia Seaman. This collection includes my story “The Lunch Break.”
E IS FOR EXOTIC, a Cleis Press anthology edited by Alison Tyler. This one includes my bi/ménage short story “The Things That Go On at Siesta Time.”
AGAINST THE GRAIN, an out-of-print EAA (Erotic Authors Association) Signature Series print edition of my bi futuristic novella.



Bundle number 3: the kinky/ménage love bundle!

KINK, a duet anthology from Berkley Heat with a story from Sasha White and “Sex, Lies and Bondage Tape,” from me.
K IS FOR KINKY, a Cleis Press anthology edited by Alison Tyler. This one includes my short story “Sign Your Name.”
ALONG FOR THE RIDE, my first novel, a print edition from Total-E-Bound.



Please note: If a winner already has one of the books in the bundle they win, they will be given the chance to select something else from my backlist, (so long as I have a copy of it on the shelf.)

So, what do you have to do? Anyone can enter. Just leave me a comment on this post. If you've read my work, let me know which titles you’ve read. If you’re new to me, check out the excerpts and free reads via the bookshelf on my website and tell me if something in particular appealed to you there. At the end of your comment, state which bundle you’d like to win if your name is drawn.

The sort of thing I would like to find out, *for example,* is if readers first read my work in the SECRETS collections, or the Cleis Press anthologies, or the Black lace anthologies? Was it in ebooks or print? Do you prefer reading my contemporary erotic romance, my erotic shorts, or my paranormal/fantasy stories? Short stories, or novels, or both? Any reader feedback is useful as I plan ahead for the next projects I will be working on.

Don't forget to say which bundle of love you'd choose if you are the winner, at the end of your comment. You can find excerpts and reviews of the novels and novellas listed as prizes by clicking the links above, if you need help to choose. :) I’ll have my Real Life Hero draw the winners on Christmas Eve, so post your comment before then to be in for a chance to win.

What's happening with me?

So, I’ve got three things I want to get done during December, work wise. Project 1 *has* to be done. It’s a partial for my next contracted novel, and it needs to be completed and polished until it’s gleaming, and on the editors desk by January 1st. Project 2 is a short novella that had to be set aside while I worked on RAMPANT, and only needs about 4K and a thorough edit for me to finish it off and submit it. Project 3 is a 30K novella idea that was discussed with one of my editors (at the RWA conference in San Francisco) and doesn’t have to be in any time in particular.

Can you guess which one I’m working on right now? Yes, that’s right, project 3. You’d think the logical thing to do would be, 2, 1, and then 3. But, no. Hmm. I’m going where I’m pulled most, but I think another two days will have the proposal and partial for 3 out of the door, then I can polish off project 2, and still have three weeks for project 1. Let's hope it works, ay! The only problem is Christmas is in the way! Yes, I’m kidding…. :-)

I can’t complain, the last few months have been good to me, writing wise, and since RAMPANT went in I've turned around a short story that was returned (cancelled antho) and got it back out the door again. The first six months of 2008 weren’t as productive as they could have been (mostly I blame the excitement over the upcoming RWA conference ;-) and I’m determined to make up for that.

Not much news to report otherwise. We’re experiencing ice, snow, sleet, rain, sun, cloud, and fog all in one day here at the mo, so it’s batten-down-the-hatches time. I’ve done a bunch of my Christmas post, I just have to work out how and when to get it all to the post office (still in the cast, and cast +ice = brand new disaster.) Life is generally happy though and to top it all ITV4 is running all the CONAN movies over again YAY! :o) Yes, I'm easily pleased. Must be the ker-zillionth time I’ve watched them, but I’m still having the time of my life. ;-))

Hope you’re all keeping well and warm. If not, snuggle up and make it so!