One Writer's Block Party

And the Winners Are...

2009-06-24T10:47:00.001-05:00

Fran and Amy! Congratulations, ladies -- hope you enjoy!

Enemy Overnight
Robin L. Rotham

New TODAY from Ellora's Cave...

The last time Jasmine King was aboard the Heptoral, she escaped by the skin of her teeth. This time she won’t be so lucky.

Trapped on a ship full of sex-starved aliens and out of the pheromone blocker that holds off her physical transition, Jasmine makes a desperate escape attempt...and fails. The consequences are disastrous—she’s mated to three horny warriors, and one has a huge bone to pick with her. What’s a girl to do but fall in love?

The last time Shauss saw Jasmine, the deceitful little Terran stole his bondmate from under his nose. This time he won’t be so trusting.

Finally master of his own bond, Shauss names secondary mates Jasmine feels safe with...and lives to regret it. One can’t stop puking long enough to claim her. The other challenges Shauss’ supremacy by digging into his psyche at every turn. What’s a Dom to do but fuck them all into submission?

He sets out to do just that, but his domination takes a brutal turn when he discovers Jasmine’s deadly secret...

One More Day...

2009-06-23T12:03:00.004-05:00

Enemy Overnight
Robin L. Rotham

Coming June 24th from Ellora's Cave...

The last time Jasmine King was aboard the Heptoral, she escaped by the skin of her teeth. This time she won’t be so lucky.

The last time Shauss saw Jasmine, the deceitful little Terran stole his bondmate from under his nose. This time he won’t be so trusting.

He sets out to do just that, but his domination takes a brutal turn when he discovers Jasmine’s deadly secret...

Enemy Overnight EXCERPT!

2009-06-20T23:09:00.005-05:00

Blurb:

Enemy Overnight
Robin L. Rotham

The last time Jasmine King was aboard the Heptoral, she escaped by the skin of her teeth. This time she won’t be so lucky.

The last time Shauss saw Jasmine, the deceitful little Terran stole his bondmate from under his nose. This time he won’t be so trusting.

He sets out to do just that, but his domination takes a brutal turn when he discovers Jasmine’s deadly secret...

Excerpt:

“All concessions granted Jasmine King in her mating bond are hereby rescinded,” the minister said in a dispassionate voice. “Lieutenant Shauss, as her primary mate, you’re authorized to extract whatever information you can from her and then dispose of her in any manner you see fit.”

Monica cried, “No! Father, please!”

“That’s enough, Monica,” Kellen said. “You can’t help her now.” He looked at Shauss and then they disappeared in a flare bubble.

“Keep me updated, Lieutenant.” The minister whirled and walked out, leaving behind his contingent.

“I have to commend you, aramai,” Shauss said. “You’re very good. Even after your first deception, I fell for your act completely.” He let go his excruciating grip on her arm. “Get on your knees.”

Jasmine swallowed a ball of nausea and dropped gracelessly to a kneeling position, her heartbeat drumming in her throat. Although the atmosphere was sultry, as it was all over the ship, she shook as if freezing.

When she gathered the courage to look up, he snapped, “Head down.”

He nudged her knees apart with the toe of his boot. “Cross your hands behind your back.”

Oh God, she was about to die, and that would probably be the easiest part of this.

With her head bent in submission, Jasmine looked at the blood and semen smears on her thighs and saw Shauss’ beautiful body arching over hers. Felt his hips anchoring her, spreading her, grinding her into the bed. Smelled the heady flood of his pheromones. Heard their mingled shouts of satisfaction. She’d let go completely, showing him everything she was, and in return he’d lost his vaunted control, sharing everything lovable in him.

Now he would exact revenge by showing her the true depths of his brutality.

Tears of dread and perverse excitement dripped from her eyes, disappearing as they hit the biologic pad between her thighs. Her complete vulnerability was its own terrible reward--she’d never felt so vitally alive as she did at that moment.

It suddenly hit her with crystal clarity just how much she wanted to stay that way. Shauss’ pheromones still clung to her skin and nasal passages, and edging into that dangerous subspace, she’d imagined she wanted to go to her death wrapped in the priceless scent of his desire for her. Now that attitude seemed ridiculously defeatist. She had to at least try to save herself.

When he reached for her, adrenaline exploded in her veins and she rolled away, jumping to her feet in one smooth move.

“Ooh, you’re going to fight me?” he purred. “I do enjoy a challenge--however short-lived.”

She didn’t answer, too focused on assessing everyone in the room. When Shauss swung a long hand toward her, she kicked it away with a sharp yell and then resumed her fighting stance, bouncing on the balls of her feet with her arms up in front of her.

Yes! She wasn’t panicking this time. Without the hindrance of a tight skirt, the
self-defense lessons were paying off when she really needed them.

He reached for her again and she blocked him with her forearm, following through with a side kick at his crotch. He jumped back with millimeters to spare and grinned as he grabbed for her again.

This time he managed to snare her wrist and her heart rate skyrocketed. She kicked out at his leg and he grunted when her heel connected with his kneecap. Immediately grabbing her own captured hand with the other, she yanked it free and drove her elbow into his gut with another loud kiai, and felt a surge of fierce satisfaction when the air whooshed out of him.

Dancing back, she resumed her stance and waited for his next strike.

“Every blow you land only adds to your punishment, aramai,” Shauss told her almost casually.

This was ridiculous, really, since there was no getting out of the situation even if she did manage to defeat him. But she just couldn’t help fighting for her life.

“It’s hard to get any deader than dead, Lieutenant.”

He shook his head. “You’ll only wish you were dead.”

* * *

For your chance to win a free download of Enemy Overnight, hie yourself to my contest page before 10 a.m. CDT on release day!

Enemy Overnight Release Date June 24th!

2009-06-17T08:51:00.006-05:00

Yeah, I know -- short notice! But that just means the wait is almost over, LOL!

Here's the blurb:

Enemy Overnight
Robin L. Rotham

The last time Jasmine King was aboard the Heptoral, she escaped by the skin of her teeth. This time she won’t be so lucky.

The last time Shauss saw Jasmine, the deceitful little Terran stole his bondmate from under his nose. This time he won’t be so trusting.

He sets out to do just that, but his domination takes a brutal turn when he discovers Jasmine’s deadly secret...

I'll post an excerpt on Friday, but you can see one right now HERE!

A Cruel Craving

2009-06-12T20:07:00.004-05:00

Life can be so cruel sometimes! Last week at Wal-Mart, I stumbled upon a new snack, Sweet & Salty Caramel Bugles. Thinking it sounded pretty darn good, I picked up a bag. I'd eaten fully half of it before I got home because, yes, it was that yummilicious. I hid the rest and ate it the next day on the way to the field. I'd intended to let Mr. Robin try it, but there wasn't so much as a crumb left by the time he got in the Suburban.

Today I went looking for more...and it just can't be had. I looked at every store in Town. I looked on Amazon. I even Googled it, and all I can find is hundreds of other people who were addicted after one bag and are having DTs because they can't find any more.

Why, General Mills...why!?

P.S. My CP, Sher, just gave me a link to a site where I can buy a whole CASE of them! Do I really want to eat 60 bags of this stuff?

My Thoughts On Grammar

2009-06-06T12:28:00.007-05:00

Hey, look what I found when I was clearing out my old files today -- it's an old grammar rant!

I think it was a response to a post from someone who was bitching about how picky some people are about grammar and how it's the story that's important, not the grammar. Don't remember if I ever posted it, but I think it bears posting here, just in case I didn't. *grin*

1) Yes, I agree that excruciatingly proper grammar can be annoying, especially when it's spoken. But I think that using proper grammar is more important in writing than in speaking because the written word doesn't include extras like body language, volume, and tone of voice to aid in the conveyance of information. We must use wise word choices and punctuation and other stylistic devices to convey our information, and if these aren't used consistently, how can we communicate accurately through writing?

2) I also agree that you must have a basic grasp of the language before you can misuse it to good effect. But like a car or a chainsaw, language is a tool -- you can know how it works without being able to label each and every part that makes it work. I've been an editor and I had to go look up the technical definition of what comprises a complete sentence last week -- it was a subject and a predicate. Do I know how to define predicate? No. Do I know what constitutes a complete sentence? Yes. You don't have to have a degree in English grammar and comp to know how to speak and write well.

3) The rule that a sentence should never end with a preposition, which often creates those silly stilted sentences that sound arrogant (like saying "That is of what I'm afraid" instead of "That's what I'm afraid of"), is not truly a rule at all. It apparently came about as a result of scholars trying to apply the grammatical rules of Latin to English, when English is, in fact, a Germanic language. Yes, a lot of high schools still teach this rule and if you get it wrong, you get it wrong. But in fiction writing, there's nothing wrong with ending a sentence with a preposition...UNLESS you're using a spare one, like "Where are you at?" The proper sentence is, "Where are you?" and the "at" is extraneous. If you can take the preposition out and the sentence still makes sense, you don't need it and shouldn't use it. UNLESS (don't you just hate that) you're using it in dialogue, where imprecise grammer is often more realistic and true to character.

4) Yes, the current trend in commas is "less is more," and leaving them out does speed up pacing, but this is another area where writers and editors must learn to exercise some judgment. If leaving out commas changes the meaning of your sentence or confuses the reader and makes them read the sentence twice to get what you're saying, then you've defeated the purpose of leaving it out. I can't think of a specific example right at the moment, but I'll try to get back here and post one.

5) My biggest pet peeve is run-on sentences, followed closely by the overuse of sentence fragments. I read WAY too many published books, mostly ebooks, that are littered with run-on sentences. The most common one I see is the joining of two complete sentences with a comma and no conjunction, and it drives me crazy. I think part of this might have to do with the various publishers' style requirements -- for instance, EC objects to the use of semi-colons and prefers to see authors use em dashes or some other method of connecting sentences, which is why I use dashes out the wazoo.

As for sentence fragments, yes, they're great -- when used to speed the pace in an action scene. But you can't use them in every paragraph! I read a book recently where the author used several sentence fragments in every paragraph, and the overall effect was that the book came off sounding melodramatic. You use a sentence fragment for effect, and if you use them constantly, they lose their punch and just start sounding silly.

In short (I know, too late for that), there are very few rules in grammar that can't be broken, but you must be deliberate in breaking them. You must have good reasons for breaking them, and you should break them sparingly or else your "style" will turn readers and editors off.

A New Favorite Author for You!

2009-05-13T11:34:00.007-05:00

If you've been looking for an emotional, character-driven love story -- ABOUT A FLAMING-HOT COP! -- baby are you in luck today. One of my very own CPs, Anne Calhoun, just released her first book, Liberating Lacey, at Ellora's Cave.

Anne is an incredibly talented writer with a knack for digging deep into her characters with sensitive and yet vividly sensual descriptions. If you don't want to lick Hunter up with a great big spoon by by the end of the first chapter, there's something seriously wrong with you. That's all I have to say about it. (Oh wait -- did I mention this is an older woman/younger man story? Slurp!)

Anne's sophisticated voice and smooth, readable style have already resulted in the sale of her second book to Spice Briefs. I expect great things from her.

So do yourself a favor and check out Liberating Lacey at EC today!

Blurb:

Newly divorced Lacey Meyers wasted too many years yawning through sex in the missionary position. Now she’s looking for a hookup with a man who can make her shatter. What she gets is a hot younger cop with handcuffs…and he’s not afraid to use them.

Hunter Anderson knows the score—though classy, successful women like Lacey might play with guys like him, at the end of the evening, they walk. But when one night leads to another and then another, he finds himself getting too attached to a woman he can’t have.

Lacey knows Hunter—gorgeous, hard-edged and eight years younger—won’t want anything permanent. No matter how hot and daring he makes her first public sex, quickie, backseat encounter and secret fantasy role-play, she can’t mistake adventurous sex for emotional involvement.

They both know it’s got to end, and soon, or someone’s going to get hurt. But can either of them go back to life without the other?

Reader Advisory: Lacey’s highly erotic “forced” sex fantasy comes true in this book. Lucky her!

Wild at Spice Briefs!

2009-03-01T10:29:00.002-06:00

My friend Crystal's first Spice Brief releases today and I can't wait to read it! The cover alone is enough to give me chills, LOL! Nobody does shifters like Crystal Jordan...

WILD

Marra's body burned with desire. It was Wild time, the first week of spring, when Lynx from all over North America gathered in the Sierra Nevada foothills to mate. The time when every Lynx female went into heat.

But Wild is bittersweet for Marra. She's past the age when most Lynx find their mate. She only comes to Wild for sex and always leaves as she came: alone.

Yet this year is different. A new male Lynx has come to Wild, a foreigner who will claim her in ways she only imagined...

Buy it here.
Read an excerpt here.

More Dream Interpretation, Anyone?

2009-02-16T22:30:00.004-06:00

Last night I had a very strange dream. I was attending a high school reunion event of some sort, and a guy friend of mine was acting very put out with me, giving me dark looks and pointedly not talking to me. This was TOTALLY out of character for him -- he was fun and easy-going and had never given me a cross look the whole two-plus years we were friends.

When I'd had enough of it, I dragged him into a private room and demanded to know what the deal was. He broke down and confessed that he loved me, that he'd always loved me -- how could I not have known?

Well, I was bumfuzzled -- and hugely flattered. He was an amazing guy -- book-smart and wise, creative, funny as hell, an outstanding musician, and fairly good-looking, if you like tall, redheaded and painfully thin. (If photos are anything to go by, he's filled out nicely since then.) Plus, he was quietly confident, not retiring or fumbly -- and he was a consummate flirt. His flirtatious teasing made my heart skitter more than once. In fact, when he found out I'd never been kissed, he offered to take care of that for me. But I just wasn't attracted to him that way and I don't think he was attracted to me, either, so I refused. After that, he just flirted because it was his nature to flirt, and because I think he enjoyed seeing me blush and stammer.

So again, I was very flattered and pleased, and yet regretful because, after all, we're both 25 years older now and married to other people we love. The time felt right, so I kissed him -- a closed-mouthed kiss that lasted a few seconds. No heart flutters, no angels singing -- just a press of lips to lips. Then I drew back and told him I was sorry. That's when I woke up.

Can't I even have a wild fling in my dreams?

A Vast Obsession

2009-02-06T22:52:00.008-06:00

I think I've already blogged about Smallville's December cliffhanger, the Bride episode, which closed with an absolutely riveting sequence accompanied by Vast's Don't Take Your Love Away. I went directly to iTunes and downloaded the whole Nude album, but I was pretty well stuck on that one song to help me complete Enemy Overnight -- I've played it almost 400 times.

But this week, I finally got into the right frame of mind to really explore Vast's music and downloaded three more albums. OH MY GOD, I can't believe what I've been missing for the last ten or eleven years!!! Jon Crosby, the heart and soul of Vast, is a genius. He's incredible. He's also disturbing, but God, I love him!

This video is Pretty When You Cry, a song from Vast's first album, Visual Audio Sensory Theater (which doesn't appear on their Downloads page -- I got it from iTunes). It's creepy but the music is amazing.

If you knew how much I love you
you would run away
but when I treat you bad
it always makes you want to stay...

If you need music to expand your mind, to take you into a million different worlds, this band will do it for you.

BIG gets a JERR Gold Star!!!

2009-01-26T00:42:00.006-06:00

Sunday was our anniversary -- Mr. Robin and I have been married for 13 years! -- and look what Laura Scott from Just Erotic Romance Reviews gave me...

From yesterday's JERR newsletter:

BIG Temptation is a wonderful story filled with strong, interesting characters, well-written dialogue and a healthy dose of humor. Both Barrett and Jillian have been affected by their mother’s behavior early in life, Barrett by his mother’s suicide and Jillian’s by her mother’s nymphomania and weakness of character. Initially, Barrett is unable to have a meaningful connection with the woman in his life. Jillian cannot deal with her sexual nature so she mentally locks that part of herself away and tries to deny it exists. Watching these two gradually open up to each other and heal the other’s wounds was very fulfilling. Barrett is an intelligent man who treats Jillian and the employees at the hotel with respect, but he is no pushover. He realizes that Jillian needs to be pushed a little in the sex department and finds that it adds to his enjoyment, much to his surprise. He was initially worried that Jillian was submissive, as this would have required a level of emotional commitment that he was unwilling to make. I liked Jillian’s close friend Cherry, especially when she was being very blunt in telling her that she needed to get laid in a bad way and running from Barrett wasn’t going to help her. The sexual attraction between these two is undeniable right from the start and Ms. Rotham does an excellent job of allowing it to build gradually so that by the time they get intimate you are really cheering for it to happen. The sex scenes literally scorch the pages, as Barrett is a man who enjoys a wide range of sexual pleasures and discovers that once Jillian unleashes her hidden desires, she is more than an equal for anything he can dream up including a ménage with his friend Bay. Overall, I laughed and shed some tears for the characters in this wonderful novel. For the depth of feeling and the amazing relationship between Barrett and Jillian, I feel BIG Temptation is well deserving of a Gold Star Award.

Laura Scott
Just Erotic Romance Reviews

Ms. Scott, if we ever run into each other, be prepared for some big, slobbery kisses!

Petition for Changes in RWA

2009-01-15T14:44:00.009-06:00

Today in an email -- several of them, in fact -- I received this link to a petition asking for changes within RWA. I signed it, and I'm asking you to read it, and if you agree with what the petition's creators are saying, to sign it.

Why did I sign it? Because I believe it's unacceptable that RWA now offers a contest to recognize excellence in writing from members AND non-members published by "mass-market" publishers, and a contest to recognize excellence in writing from unpublished members AND non-members -- but refuses to recognize excellence in writing, or even the possibility of excellence, from dues-paying members in good standing who publish with small presses.

Ostensibly they made this move because of an overwhelming number of RITA entries and a corresponding lack of judges, but there are numerous ways they could deal with the problem more equitably and inclusively. Here are just a few:

1) They could close the contest to non-members, or limit the number of non-member entries, before they close it to members who publish with small presses.
2) They could require everyone who enters to judge the current contest, or to have previously judged the contest.
3) They could allow members whose books aren't eligible for the RITA to enter them in the Golden Heart.
4) They could offer a separate contest for e-published and/or small-press books.

A number of small-press members, whose books were eligible for previous contests, entered this year's RITA when it first opened, before the board clarified their position on "mass-market" (and it's far from a cut-and-dried issue -- my definition of "mass-market" would have excluded trade paperback and hardcover, and therefore, a lot of big-name authors' books). One of them is a board member in one of my chapters, and she entered the contest in good faith, not realizing she needed to get out her magnifying glass and go over the contest rules with a fine-tooth comb yet again. Now RWA is returning these entries without returning the contest fees. I think that's wrong.

(Meanwhile, I've just received my box of RITA entries to judge. If I'd had a print book out this year, it would have been eligible to enter the contest, but a lot of other small press authors' books aren't. These authors are published enough to JUDGE the contest, but not published enough to enter it. Yeah, that's fair, and makes LOADS of sense.)

As for PAN/PRO, there are many RWA members earning income writing romance novellas for small presses who are ineligible for the benefits of either PAN or PRO because they haven't submitted a full-length novel for publication. Since RWA's stated goal is to offer the benefits of PAN/PRO to the members who need them most, wouldn't it make sense to offer PRO membership to those authors, who are clearly pursuing a career in romance writing? After all, what does it cost the organization to be a little more inclusive? Nothing, as far as I can tell -- the only real benefit seems to be access to information, which is free. Our system of justice is designed to free ten guilty men before condemning one innocent man -- I think RWA should err on the side of supportiveness and offer PRO membership to ten hobby-minded members before the refuse it to one career-minded member in need.

I've taken the time and effort to submit my concerns directly to the RWA board, and more than two months later, all I've received is a terse reply saying they were busy with the board transition and would respond to my letter when they had time. Since I've since seen timely board responses to subsequent letters from other members, I have to assume my letter got lost in the transition. That's why I signed the petition. Hopefully IT won't get lost before the board can respond to it.

EC Lovefest

2009-01-09T23:47:00.006-06:00

Just because I'm tired of reading all the EC-bashing that goes on every time Ellora's Cave does something newsworthy, I've decided to make this EC Lovefest Week on my blog. If you've got something nice to say about EC, their books, and/or their authors, I'd love to read it. If you have something shitty to say, save it for someone else's blog. Seriously. If you post anything but love here, I'll delete it -- in fact, just for this week, I'm going to moderate comments, and if I don't like yours, it's outta here. It's my blog and I can do that.

EC has been absolutely lovely to me from the very beginning. I've released four titles with them so far and the only royalty shocks I've ever received were very pleasant shocks indeed. I've had three editors, all of whom have been helpful and kind, and I'd throw myself in front of a bus for any of them.

It was EC that introduced me to erotic romance. I read Lora Leigh's Marly's Choice and went crazy with joy -- it was the kind of book I'd been looking for all my life but had never been able to find. I'll love EC forever, if for no other reason than they gave me what I wanted when no one else dared.

Have they made some less-than-stellar business decisions? I have no idea -- you usually don't know for sure until it's way too late whether a decision is foolhardy or innovative (or both) -- but I do know they're probably doing a better job than I would have.

Have they picked up some clunker authors and books? Definitely -- but so has every other e-publisher and print publisher I've read books from in the last few years.

Are they hardball negotiators when it comes to contracts? Pretty much, but I understand the contract and don't have to pay an agent to get me what I want.

Do they hold the print rights to your book even when they don't plan to put the book in print? Of course they do -- just like every print publisher holds e-publishing rights when they have no intention of e-publishing your book. This issue came up on a loop of mine recently -- an author wanted to sell e-publishing rights to her book, since it was only in print, but of course, the contract gave the print publisher those rights. It's standard practice -- and it only makes sense -- for ALL rights to a book to go to one publisher at a time.

Incidentally, EC offers very competitive royalty rates rates for BOTH print and e-books, while major print houses pay dismal royalties for their e-books.

I don't know what the future holds for EC any more than I know what it holds for me. With the economy tanking the way it is, there might be a lot of publishers biting the dust here soon. That's life. But for my part, I'm going to keep selling to EC as long as they're buying because I know I'm getting a better deal from them than I would from any other e-publisher and many print publishers.

Long live EC!

Thirteen of My Favorite BIG Paragraphs!

2008-12-11T00:44:00.005-06:00

Thirteen of My Favorite BIG Paragraphs!Release Date: December 17

1. What was she so afraid of? Had his reputation proceeded him? If so, which one? He had a history of cleaning house in both boardrooms and bedrooms.

2. She could hardly tell him the truth, that getting acquainted with a man like him was rock-bottom on her list of fun things to do. Lower than visiting her brother in the state pen. Lower than getting a pelvic exam. Lower, even, than having her taxes audited. The last week had done nothing to lessen her bone-deep conviction that getting further acquainted with Barrett George would be hazardous to her mental health.

3. God, what was he thinking about all those sex toys? What was he thinking about her? Jillian groaned out loud as she trudged toward the passenger door. Life was so unfair! She’d never even considered using one of those things—well, at least until this afternoon—and now the man was probably imagining she diddled herself silly every night.

4. Jillian Fox was becoming aroused, right before his eyes. It was a miracle his hard-on didn’t knock the table over.

5. Jillian’s heart bumped as the image of a lion stalking a gazelle on the great Serengeti popped into her head. Barrett George would be right at home on Animal Planet.

6. Oh God, she wanted it so bad, she was shaking and her hands were slick as they gripped the wheel. She had to get rid of him, and quickly, before she gave in and pushed the self-destruct button.

7. Oh, crap—Barrett couldn’t have made it more clear he intended nothing civilized to happen on that mattress, which now looked more like a sacrificial altar. She looked away with a gulp. All her lovely linens and pillows lay on the floor under the window, looking apologetic. Sorry, Jill, they seemed to say, but you’re on your own.

8. If he were the decent sort, he’d find a wet washcloth and swipe her up a little before he tucked her in and let her sleep for a while. Unfortunately for Jillian, he was the nasty sort. Oh, he’d let her sleep, but there was no way in hell he was cleaning even a drop of anything off her. The idea that she was lying there marinating in the fragrant amalgam of their emissions satisfied him in some strange and no doubt perverted way he didn’t even want to understand. He’d leaned heavily toward the raunchy end of the sexual spectrum from day one, but this was… unfathomable.

9. He opened the center console and peeled a couple of antacid tablets off the roll, barely chewing before gulping them down. Christ, he hoped he wasn’t making a monumental mistake here. The fact that he’d given in to the impulse to invite Jillian along was proof positive that his gonads had seized control and were shutting down his higher brain functions. He was in clear violation of a previously unrecognized rule: What happens someplace else, stays someplace else.

10. He had to hand it to her—instead of asking about his face, as he’d expected, Jillian had homed in on his personal ground zero like a heat-seeking missile. It was time for a diversion. Unfortunately, sex wasn’t an option. In the last twenty-four hours, he’d pretty well wrung out his dick and unless he was mistaken, Jillian was hovering somewhere around the double-digit mark on the Big O scoreboard. Why the hell wasn’t she in a coma?

11. Circling the drain.
That’s what he was doing, circling the damn drain, and love was the force that was sucking him down. Jillian was in love with him. He could feel it pouring off her even when she was asleep, her nose and forehead touching his shoulder, her hand wrapped softly around his bicep. And all he could do was stand back and let it happen.

12. After the rumble of the garage door died away, she rolled to her side and hugged his pillow, savoring the salty masculine scent that clung to it. How he could sleep with it all wadded up like he did, she’d never know. Jillian liked her pillow fluffy and cool, and she often flipped it once or twice in the night, especially in the summer, just to keep it “breathing right,” as her mother had always said.

13. A whole squadron of butterflies scrambled in her stomach. Barrett wasn’t just going to do her from behind—he was going to do her behind.

So don't you want to read the book now? Go to my contest page and enter for a free download!

Thirteen Reasons I'm Celebrating!

2008-10-16T17:07:00.006-05:00

Thirteen Reasons I'm Celebrating!

1. My BIG Cover! Isn't it incredible?! I just about swallowed my tongue when I saw it, and I'm still not sure it's going to make it to publication -- Photobucket has already pulled it a couple of times. We'll see if MySpace pulls it -- if so, I'll have to ask the cover artist to draw panties and a bra on her or something. *grin*

2. BIG Temptation's got a release date:
December 17, 2008!

3. Carnal Harvest has gotten THREE 5-something (stars, pixies, bookmarks) reviews so far! Unlike Seniorella, which didn't receive a 5-star review until a year after release. It got 4.5's across the board until a few weeks ago.

4. Carnal Harvest also got a 1-star review! Woot! I've been dreading my first bad review and I'm glad to finally have it out of the way. It wasn't a big review site or anything, just one reader's opinion. She said it was one long sex scene, and I was like, "Uh, yeah..." That lady obviously does NOT like my style, so I hope she doesn't waste any more of her money on my books.

5. Alien Overnight was back on Amazon's erotica bestseller list for a brief time again last week -- over a year after its print release! I was a verra happy girl.

6. My 7yo daughter won a trophy! First place in the fire department's Fire Prevention poster contest -- over about 45 second-graders in three schools. Her teacher had just been telling me at parent-teacher conferences last week how creative Jana is -- guess she knows whereof she speaks. *grin* Unfortunately, now 9yo Erin is depressed to be the only kid in the family who hasn't won a trophy. She is, however, the first to be advanced a grade for reading (she's in her 5th grade cousin's class), so I tried to buck her spirits up with that accomplishment.

7. My son completed the football season! And he's almost as happy as I am that it's over. His team finished with a 500 season, handily winning the last game over a previously undefeated team. The other team was so over-confident, they didn't bother warming up or practicing during the hour that games were running behind, and when they all lined up face-to-face for the coin toss, their eyes widened and they said, "Gee, if we'd realized how big you guys are, we'd have been practicing!" Guess they learned their lesson...

8. My son was in his first (and second) parade! And I was very proud of him. On the downside, I volunteered to parent on one of the buses and boy, did I regret it. I was the only adult on that bus -- the band director was driving the instrument van and my son was on the other bus with the well-behaved kids. Miserable little bastards. I also had to play the bad guy after the parade, when the band director told the kids they could all walk down and watch the college band play a few songs before awards were presented. These are junior high kids, and they were rowdy and inconsiderate -- spectators were actually complaining about them, but the band director was totally oblivious. If you didn't know better, you'd think she didn't even know them. She never once called on them to behave. Another parent reported to me that even normally nice kids act outrageously in her class because she has zero backbone and therefore zero control. This woman never once acknowledge my presence there -- never said hello, never said thank you, nothing. Think I'll be lending her a hand ever again? I think not. If I do, it will be ONLY for the kids' sake.

9. My son played in the pep band for the first time! That was fun -- I can't remember the last time I went to a high school football game. (Oh yeah, I can -- it was when I was in high school. :D) And our team won, taking first place in the division.

10. My mother isn't coming today! Yeah, she was supposed to. It's only a reprieve until next Tuesday, but I'll take what I can get -- it gives me that much more time to get the house clean.

11. The refrigerator is SPARKLING clean -- and I'm responsible! I tell you, when you open the door, it's so bright and immaculate, you can hear angels singing. (Oh, did I mention there were pickles in there that expired EIGHT years ago...?)

12. I'm really enjoying my BodyPump and Zumba classes! I no longer live in fear they're going to yank me out and send me to remedial classes. I haven't really lost much more weight because I've been eating too much -- something about the cooler weather makes me really hungry, BUT...

13. I'm now wearing SIZE 16 jeans!!! I haven't worn size 16 since I WAS 16! Woo-hoooo! And it's not just a fluke sizing thing -- I bought several different pairs in different brands and styles. Yay me!

So what do YOU have to celebrate?

Thirteen Songs On Enemy Overnight's Soundtrack

2008-09-18T00:01:00.001-05:00

Thirteen Songs On Enemy Overnight's Soundtrack

Elaina's topic at Romance Divas gave me an idea for today's TT. I now have a deadline for finishing EO, which has actually given my muse a huge jumpstart -- thank God. (He really needed a kick in the ass.) I've been ripping the old stickies off my plot board (it's so outdated, the characters' names are wrong, LOL!) and listening to this soundtrack and brainstorming and trying to finally get the puzzle of Enemy Overnight sorted out.

I told you I'm a puzzler, didn't I? That means I just toss out scenes in my books willy-nilly and figure out how they fit together later. I've got 45K+ worth of scenes and have been tearing my hair out for a year trying to figure out how they fit together so I could finally finish the story. And I'm discovering that some of the pieces to this puzzle were actually tossed out in Alien Overnight. I really need to read it again to see what else I'm missing.

Anyway, things are finally starting to come together, thanks to my much-needed deadline. Why do I have to have that kind of pressure to finish a novel? No idea, but there you have it -- I need a deadline. And a soundtrack, apparently. Here's EO's:

1. How You Remind Me by Nickelback -Shauss has got a little bitterness going on.

2. Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy - Meanwhile, Jasmine's got the angst thing going on.

3. Falling Down by Duran Duran - Her life sucks and is about to get worse.

4. Mad World by Gary Jules with Michael Andrews - It's really not fair of me to throw so much shit at one heroine, is it?

5. The Sacking of Trelawny from HPIV Soundtrack by Nicholas Hooper - There's a black moment lurking in this song -- I just have to dig it out.

6. Next Contestant by Nickelback - Yeah, Shauss is all about attitude and possessiveness, but he's got a rude shock coming.

7. Fight for All the Wrong Reasons by Nickelback - And he doesn't mind a good fight.

8. Lost by Michael Buble - But Jasmine needs more.

9. Hurt By Christina Aguilera - She's got all kinds of angst, and it's not all about Shauss.

10. What Goes Around by Justin Timberlake - Oh, the tangled web we weave...

11. Hero by Chad Kroeger with Josey Scott - I think Shauss will come through for her, don't you?

12. Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran - Those aliens are kinky!

13. Since You've Asked by Dan Fogelberg - You know there's gotta be soul-deep love in there, right?

So what's on your WIP's soundtrack?

Piercing the Veil at EC -- Check It Out Today!

2008-09-17T08:47:00.002-05:00

Piercing the Veil, the long-awaited second book in R.G. Alexander's Veil series, releases today at EC, and baby, you need to read it 'cause it's filled with everything I love in a novel -- tortured heroes, a lovable heroine, and hot menage sex! Here's the blurb:

Twins Hawk and Val are Fianna warriors under the vengeful curse of a scorned goddess. Following the prophecy in the Book of Veils, they search for the one who can help them retrieve the Claiomh Solais before their enemies get the chance. Their quest leads them to Linnea. One touch and there can be no doubt that they have found their match. But will she accept them once she knows the truth?

Linnea is no one special. So why is she on the run from evil faeries and her egotistical ex? Why is she suddenly spending time in the company of dragons, druids, and one kinky Viking with a split personality? All she knows is she has to keep her daughter safe from those who hunt her, and her heart safe from another betrayal.

To protect one gifted child and all of humanity from the dark god that seeks retribution, they must learn to trust each other. To have a future together, they must find the perfect balance.

Jasper Has Left the Building

2008-09-16T18:07:00.005-05:00

I'm actually kind of sad about it -- he's really a sweet, friendly little cat. But a strange confluence of events has led to Jasper's return to our foster-daughter's house.

First, Erin came down with a horrendous allergic reaction last night. I'm talking the whole nine yards -- wheezing; puffy, itchy eyes; hives; and she sneezed until she broke into a full-fledged nosebleed (twice). I had to strip her bed and wash everything, clean and vacuum her room, and banish Jasper to the yard with the rest of the cats.

Then this morning, Margo called. Her son (a.k.a. The Demon Spawn), already upset over losing Jasper, was inconsolable because his classroom hamster was found dead. (I'm assuming it died of natural causes, as opposed to being beaten to death with a ladle like his last hamster was).

Anyway, Margo asked if we would mind terribly if she asked for Jasper back. Yay! My girls were worried about Jasper having to sleep outside, and I think Jasper was pretty worried, too. He was in my son's window well this morning, scratching at the screen and trying to get in. When I opened the door to take Randy and Jana to school (Erin slept till noon, she was still so zonked from the reaction and the Benadryl), he zipped right into the front room. Randy had to chase him down and bring him back outside.

So, while it was an interesting experiment, and while it's nice to know that even Mr. Robin's hardest, fastest rules are made to be broken, Jasper the Cat is history.

Not that it gets Mr. Robin out of paying to have the cat neutered -- it costs half as much here as it does in the city Margo lives in, so Jasper had his equipment decommissioned late this afternoon at our vet's (and got some vaccinations, as well). Mr. Robin will pick him up and return him from whence he came tomorrow morning.

So long, Jasper...

It's Official...

2008-09-15T10:17:00.002-05:00

Yep, Mr. Robin came home last night with a cat. An indoor cat. My nine-year-old daughter Erin and our foster daughter ganged up on him, batting their lashes and whining "Please!" until he caved. What a freakin' pushover!

Of course, he put a couple of stipulations on it: 1) Jasper (the cat) has to stay in the basement (Riiiiiiight -- like that'll happen) and 2) the first time Jasper leaves his calling card anywhere but the litterbox, he goes outside with the rest of the cats.

Mr. Robin is already wondering WTF he was thinking -- he's going to have to pay to have Jasper neutered in the next few weeks. No doubt that'll be more of a vet bill than he's ever paid for a single animal -- and we can't even slaughter him! Well, we could, but he wouldn't even make a meal, much less fill the freezer.

The Price of Fitness

2008-09-11T23:16:00.004-05:00

I attended my first BodyPump class today, and I have one word for you -- Ow!

God, as stiff and sore as I am now, I can't imagine how I'm going to feel tomorrow. I intend to get up and take the kids to school, then walk my usual 5 miles at the track, but we'll see.

Oh, and of course the Demon Spawn and his Young Apprentice are coming tomorrow. It's going to be a long, painful weekend...

Nickelback's Releasing an Album -- On My Birthday!

2008-09-10T13:49:00.004-05:00

Nickelback's finally releasing a new album on November 18th -- WOOT! I KNEW Chad loved me! The first single, If Today Was Your Last Day, will release September 30th. Guess who'll be glued to the radio that day...?

Carnal Harvest Is Out TODAY!

2008-09-05T08:23:00.002-05:00

Today you can buy Carnal Harvest -- probably the naughtiest book I've written yet -- at Ellora's Cave. It's certainly got the longest reader advisory I've ever seen there, LOL!

Here's the blurb again, just in case you missed my TT yesterday:

Thanks to his spectacular ATV crash and lengthy convalescence, Hake Stivers missed out on a lot this fall—harvesting his crops, caring for his cattle, and most of all, giving his kinky little wife the kind of loving she deserves.

In an effort to ease his feelings of inadequacy and reward Mandy for helping out with chores, Hake asks his cousin Brent for a daring favor. Later that day, Brent and his friend Joe show up to fulfill Mandy’s edgiest submission fantasies while Hake watches from the sidelines.

But someone knows the truth—it’s not Mandy but Hake who needs to have his control stripped away, and that someone is determined to see that Hake gets exactly what he needs…whether he wants it or not.

Reader Advisory: You want it hot enough to sizzle and burn? Then Carnal Harvest has what you’re looking for. A super-hot ménage involving four participants—three men and one woman—as well as some scenes of male/male sex, voyeurism, mild bondage, spanking and a highly erotic fantasy scene of “forced” sex.

Oh, and if you want to read 14 snippets, definitely check out yesterday's Thursday Thirteen. Let me know what you think!

Thirteen Paragraphs from Carnal Harvest

2008-09-04T14:04:00.004-05:00

Thirteen Paragraphs from Carnal Harvest

Carnal Harvest by Robin L. Rotham -- Available TOMORROW at Ellora's Cave!

1. Dude, how would you like to fuck my wife? Hake Stivers grimaced as he pushed open the storm door and stepped onto the porch. Nah, that was a little too in-your-face. Besides, at thirty-eight, he wasn’t young enough, blond enough, or cool enough to be calling his cousin dude.

2. “Okay.” Hake took a deep breath, wondering what the fuck he was about to do to his marriage. “I want you and Joe to do a three-way with her.”

3. “Right. Women are the only item on the menu at the Maverick Ranch, which is a damn shame.” Hake huffed a laugh, shaking his head as he tucked his hands tighter into his jacket pockets. “Hell, I can’t believe I said that. It’s just a damn shame there’s no male prostitutes for my wife to fuck at the Maverick Ranch.”.

4. Hake had done a mental double-take at that revelation and then blushed like a schoolgirl. It should have been obvious that a couple of ladies’ men like Brent and Joe needed to get tested regularly, but for some reason, he’d always assumed only gay guys did, and for a minute there, he’d envisioned Joe Remke bending his cousin over the end of a bed, banging the hell out of his ass. The way his damn cock had jumped was disconcerting—Mandy hadn’t adjusted his attitude that much, for Christ’s sake.

5. Mandy slapped down the lid of her laptop with a gasp as heat rushed into her cheeks. Brent Andersen didn’t need to know that one of the smokin’ hot men in her ménage was a military version of him. Or that the other bore a strong resemblance to his friend Joe.

6. Turning the corner into the living room, she came to an abrupt halt and her jaw dropped. “Hake?” He sat in one of the ladder-back dining chairs, his dark brown hair still damp, his bad leg stretched out in front of him. Brent and Joe, apparently freshly showered themselves, crouched beside him. It looked like they were securing his hands to the armrests with…her dishtowels?

7. “I’m glad you decided to cooperate, little lady,” Brent drawled, his heavy work boots thumping softly on the carpet as he stalked toward her. If he didn’t look so threatening, Mandy would have giggled. Brent might have been from Kansas, but he didn’t usually sound like he’d just stepped out of an episode of Gunsmoke.

8. The rasp of two zippers sliding down sent shivers down her back. Brent, she couldn’t see as he rustled behind her, yanking her jeans and panties down her calves and off, but Joe wasted no time pulling his cock over the waistband of his dark gray briefs and shoving it into her face. “Open up,” he ordered.

9. But then Joe strolled toward him anyway, his long cock bobbing with every step, and Hake’s heart picked up steam. Oh, Christ! “What about it, Hake?” he asked lazily, stopping just inches away. “Care to experience the joys of fellatio from the other side?”

10. She started when he suddenly flipped down the recliner’s footrest and leaned forward in his seat. “Joe’s got a major hard-on for your husband, sweetheart. Maybe you’d like us to tie you to that chair and you can watch while Joe stretches Hake’s asshole for a while.”

11. The knife in her hand gave her an idea and a slow smile curved her lips. Surely they’d untie Hake long enough to eat a bite. She should slip him a weapon of some kind. Nothing too dangerous, of course—just something to symbolize who held the real power in this little game.

12. Eyeing him speculatively, Joe stood there for a moment and then turned. He leaned over and started toying with her pussy lips, licking and sucking. The prickly brush of his moustache felt foreign but amazing against her sensitive flesh, and she moaned frantically, wanting more. As he teased her, sliding the dildo slowly in and out, she heard something clank on the tile counter and looked over. Hake had set the gun down and was unzipping his jeans.

13. Fire raged over her buttocks and Mandy squealed, trying to grind her dripping mons against his thigh. Hake adjusted her on his lap, dropping her head closer to the floor and taking all her fun parts out of contact with his jeans. He knew she loved it when her ass was beet-red and blazing hot, and that she could come very easily from rubbing her pussy and breasts against the rough denim while he spanked her.

Bonus Hake groaned, stinging with embarrassment and ball-splitting arousal. The first time he’d let Mandy strap on that harness and fuck him in the name of research, it was mostly to humor her and prove that he was totally secure in his sexuality. It had taken her all of a minute and a half to make him bellow like a bull as he emptied his balls all over the bed, and that happened just about every time he let her take him that way. He’d always told himself it was just the intense stimulation of his prostate that made him come so ferociously, but he had a sick feeling Joe was about to prove otherwise.

So, anyone want to read the rest? :D

Chatting Today at EC!

2008-09-03T09:50:00.003-05:00

R.G. Alexander and I will be chatting at the Ellora's Cave Yahoo chat group, so if you want to read some hawt, hawt excerpts from our upcoming books, hie yourself over there today between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. CDT. Ooh, and we'll be giving away stuff -- don't miss your chance to win it! :D

I Want to Be This Woman!!!

2008-08-22T18:04:00.005-05:00

You know, I love Christine's writing and I'd have bought this book even without the cover.

On the other hand, I'd have bought this book for the cover alone, no matter who wrote it or what it was about. And even if I hated every word, I'd still buy the print book when it came out, too, just so that I could lick it and have all sorts of inappropriate contact with it.

Such is the power of Les Byerley, cover god extraordinaire.

But BONUS -- the book, which released today at EC, is written by Christine d'Abo, so it's bound to be delicious. I'm headed over to buy my copy now, and I'd strongly advise you to do the same. Here's the blurb:

Primal Elements By Christine d'Abo

The last thing Jenna wants for her thirtieth birthday is a trip to the Perfect Match dating service, but she is given little choice from her group of friends. What she doesn't expect is to be "matched" with Ben, her arrogant and handsome ex-boss. Her opinion of Ben hasn't softened much since he sabotaged her research project by pulling the funding seven years ago.

But after a night of passion and the discovery of an alien artifact, Ben and Jenna are forced to come to terms with their past relationship as the device draws them closer together physically and emotionally. They must rely on each other if they are to survive an attack from an old foe — and the force of their own wild attraction.