The End, finally

I finished and sent off my manuscript for Creation's Control, a futuristic m/m romance. Not my idea to go m/m, but my characters demanded the story be written that way. You have a problem with that, talk to Ryen. His fault, not mine, sorry ladies.

I would have posted this earlier, but I just got home from watching Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Good movie. Not great, but a throwback to loud punches, adventure, and quirky humor with Indy. Worth the trip to see Harrison Ford reprise his role, as well as seeing Karen Allen again. That's it and good night.

Friday's here, finally

Happy Friday! Today I'm blogging over at Loose Ends, the unofficial website of Loose Id's authors. Come on over and take a peek. I'm blogging about interruptions and how I dealt with one.

TRS DIvas Round 3/ June Contest

Divas Round 3 Ends this Friday. I'm holding a contest to encourage voters, not to get votes, note the difference. Here's the info...

JUNE CONTEST

This quarter, in conjunction with the TRS Divas contest, I'm holding my second quarter bonanza. Yes, I said bonanza.

• To be eligible to win a basket filled with books, goodies and more (stateside) or a $40 online gift certificate to B&N (non-US voters), simply send me an email stating, "I want to win!" in the subject line.

Here's where it gets interesting... If you want to be entered to win more than once, you have to vote in one of the TRS Divas contest rounds, either round 3 (ongoing now) or round 4. (You don't have to vote for me. I'm not trolling for votes. Just vote.)

• In your email, tell me which round you voted in and who for, to verify your entry. For each round you enter, you get an extra name dropped in the hat. Another chance to win the prize.

Contest Ends June 27th. Good luck.

In Memory Of...

Thanks to all those brave men and women who've served our country in its time of need. You're not forgotten.

God Bless Cpl. Joe Owens, USMC, who lost his life in Beirut, Oct 23rd, 1983

Graduation Day

Graduation Day! One down, three to go...

Desk Entropy

Desk: Where I do my work

Entropy: A measure of disorder of a system

Just as nature favors entropy--i.e. when you drop a handful of marbles, they scatter randomly vice staying in a tight, neat circle--so too does my desk favor disorder. I kid you not, I've cleaned this sucker so many times I feel like I'm stuck in my own personal Ground Hog Day. No matter how many times I file bills and miscellaneous papers, they stack back up. Toys fly out of the toybox to magically land on my desk. My hapless Godzilla never stands straight. And the trashcan, which I normally hide at my feet, mysteriously reappears in sight of all and sundry at the foot of my filing cabinet.

Just another day of disorder in my chaotic life.

Random Rumblings

Can someone please tell me why I have to sign into Blogger each time when I constantly check the box that says "remember me"?

I've hit creative paydirt, finally. Beginning with the TRS Divas contest, which is really fun, I wrote a response to a fan letter that amused myself. Go me. And I'm on fi-yah tonight, ready to finally roll with Creation's Control (my latest futuristic) and finish the damned thing. Or at least wrap it up to get it nearly done.

I'm working around the "summer problem." In other words, I've gotten used to writing at certain times when family is not around. But since school's now officially out down here (and by down here, I mean the South, not hell), I have to get used to writing late at night again. No kidding, I'm fighting a yawn right now.

Time to throw on a pot of java, gobble some mini BabyRuth's and get to work.

Talk at ya more tomorrow.

Forever ??

Okay, I'll admit to being a little slow. But did you know that this stamp is good FOREVER? Yep, hence the name. So the check I've been waiting to deposit for three days (since I didn't have a freakin' one cent stamp) can now go in the mail.

Still smacking myself in the head. Postage is a real killer, especially when you're trying to run contests to include those folks outside the USA. But as prices go up, I'm going to have to rethink postage in the equation. And on that note, good night.

Contest Winner!

Congrats to Jennifer Y. for winning a free copy of No Holes Barred II.
Thanks to all who participated, and look for the next round in the TRS Divas competition. I'll also be giving away a great goodies basket for my Second Quarter Contest in June.

The Office

Right now I'm watching The Office marathon on TV and eating a rich, unhealthy brownie bite. Such is my Sunday night prior to some real work. I really love The Office because I used to work in a few places that had similar characters. Michael, the inept boss, particularly strikes a chord. He's hilarious because he's offensive and doesn't know it. He's ineffective, yet the corporate headquarters hasn't fired him. Why? Disregarding the fact that he's integral to the show, I think it's because the people that work for him do well enough to carry their boss.

The key to Michael's character is that he doesn't mean to do or say the things he does to piss people off--which makes liking him okay. The racial slurs and sexist remarks flying out of his mouth are almost innocent in their offensiveness. You want to punch the guy, then forgive him for being such an a-hole.

Of course, one of the key things about the show is the office romance between Jim and Pam. What? A romance, you say? Of course. That's what makes all the great movies and books what they are. That spark between characters, a chance at love we all want.

Just a bit of depth to a show that's not that deep.

A Sneak Peek at Creation's Control

I've been remiss lately in posting with any regularity. May is a busy month. With edits, deadlines looming, school ending, and one kid readying for college, I've been behind.

But I thought I'd post a little fun tonight. The first page of my newest, as yet unseen (and unedited) futuristic. I hope to finish the manuscript later this month for Total eBound, with a hopeful release date this fall 2008.

Take a peek at Creation's Control:

“Let it out, warrior. Go ahead, hit me.” Ryen didn’t understand his need to relentlessly pressure Drekk into battle. An instinctual urge to master another, he supposed. Though he’d been created to submit, Ryen couldn’t bring himself to bow down to anyone not his equal. Erin he tolerated with love and affection, emotions that surprised him. His other sister, Anin he wanted to protect, which usually soothed much of his aggravation. When serving and protecting others, Ryen felt at peace. Or at least, he used to.

Battling Drekk’s lure, he pulled the male close, uncomfortably aware of the press of Drekk’s hard body against his. Without thinking, Ryen gave in to impulse and head butted him, knocking him back.

Dark red blood dribbled from Drekk’s nose, and he let loose a full burst of pheromones. A clear offensive manoeuvre Ryen had been waiting for.

“That’s it,” Drekk growled and clamped solid arms around him.

In seconds, black bands of time and space collapsed on them both. Ryen hated the pressure of teleportation, and Drekk knew it. The experience ended as soon as it had begun, but instead of fighting on the run-down docks in Easfra, Ryen found himself in a shadowed room that looked like the rooms in Blue Rim he’d known all too well.

Sudden, irrational panic took hold, and Ryen began to fight for real. Drekk met him blow for blow, blocking and countering with a sudden swift strike to Ryen’s chest that left him momentarily winded. Drekk released more of his pheromone, and as much as Ryen wanted to counter it, he found himself lost in the scent.

He took another deep breath and felt Drekk push him away. Ryen stumbled, wondering what the hell Drekk had in his system that allowed for such a drugging effect. Before he could question the man who’d saved him not so long ago, Drekk lifted him over his shoulder.

Shocked Drekk could carry his weight, Ryen struggled for freedom. He stilled when Drekk landed a hand on his ass, holding him steady. That hand warmed, and a tingling sensation spread through Ryen’s body from his ass to his groin. What the f*ck is that?

“There we go.” Drekk’s voice sounded very far away. “I’ve been waiting.”

“Waiting for what? For me to...” He wanted to argue, to force Drekk to hurt him, to make him feel something besides the dissatisfaction of his life, even if it meant pain. But the incredible arousal pooling within distracted him. Without meaning to, Ryen shifted his hips against Drekk’s hard chest, groaning at the fire spearing his c**k.

Drekk tossed him onto a bed and smothered him with scent.

“What did you do to me?” Ryen rasped, blinking through slitted eyes at Drekk’s bent frame. Limp with a drowsy awareness, Ryen watched Drekk chain his ankles and wrists to bars on the head and footboard of the bed. “Tying me up like an animal? Like I’m back home,” he muttered.

“This is your home now, Ryen.” He thought Drekk might have sighed. “Get used to it.”

“What is this place? I’ve never been here before, have I?” Ryen blinked, trying to focus, but he could only make out shadows and darker forms against the five-walled room in which he lay.

“We’re back in Tekar. I should have done this as soon as we arrived last week. Stubborn drun.”

“I don’t understand.” Ryen licked his lips. A cup appeared at his mouth and he greedily drank down the sweet if overpowering liquid. Like lightning, another dose of fire shot through his groin. “F*ck. What did you give me?”

“Something you should thank me for. Something that will make you forget.”

#12 on Amazon!

I Dream of Dragons vol 1 is #12 on Amazon's bestselling romance anthologies list. The book has been doing really well, and I just wanted to share!

New Cover: The Perfect Creation

THE PERFECT CREATION, coming from Total E-Bound in June.
I love the cover!

Happy Mother's Day

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Iron Man= A+

Who knew Iron Man would be so entertaining? I like comics, but was never into Iron Man as a kid. I'm not a huge Robert Downey Jr. fan. And metal heroes aren't exactly my thing.

The reviews were terrific, but I thought I'd make my own.
I have to say, Iron Man was HUGELY entertaining. Great pacing, wonderful characterization, a thrilling hero. That suit is killer!

Go see it. You won't be disappointed.

A+ for Iron Man.*

*note, a little violent for small children

*Contest Correction*

In my zest to encourage participation in the TRS DIVAS contest, I may have overlooked a few things. (Smacking head)

The point of these contests is to be judged fairly, which makes winning a real thrill. Each author is given a number associated with their entry. I had thought that after round one, I wouldn't need that number again. I was going to award readers who voted for me with a free download of my backlist, but I can't do that without revealing my number, which I learned will be used again later on in the contest.

I apologize for any confusion. I'll come up with another way to award voters later. But I have to say, I'm pleased that folks are reading my blog. I don't always get comments, so it's hard to judge who sees what. Nice to know you're out there!

Have a great Tuesday, and if you haven't checked out the TRS Divas contest, try it today.

Win a copy of NO HOLES BARRED II and more!

The Romance Studio is having a terrific contest geared toward readers. They are giving away over 50 books and prizes in addition to what the participating authors have donated! Now I can't tell you which entry is mine, but I did write one of the excerpts. Read 'em and vote on your favorite. Click here.

If you vote, you'll be eligible to win a prize, a copy of my latest print release, No Holes Barred II. Simply email me the number of your voted entry (excerpt TSD*****), to show you voted, and include your address. Put DIVA CONTEST in the subject line.
CORRECTION: I was going to award folks who voted for me, but I can't tell you if you voted for me or not, because if I do happen to make it past a few rounds, there will be another round where authors are judged anonymously. Sorry. I'll think of another way to award voters.

To read more TRS Diva details, read below.

Competition begins on May 5, 2008 and will conclude on August 4, 2008. (Please note that TRS will be closed from June 2-6, 2008 and July 4-10, 2008). It will consist of ten rounds. Each round will give romance readers the opportunity to vote for their favorites. Each round, competitors with the least amount of votes will be eliminated. After the final round, one winner will be named the TRS Studio Diva. Voting opens on Monday 5/5/08 and concludes on Friday 5/16/08 for round one.

Reader prizes will be distributed each week. Readers must vote to be entered for a chance to win.

Read More

New Review: Rachel's Totem

Marie Harte’s new short story, Rachel’s Totem, tells the story of a little town in the midst of no where which is the home of shifters and has been for hundreds of years. The scenery is beautiful and the story of how the town and the shifters became Cougar Falls is wonderful.

When Rachel’s aunt dies leaving her the house in Cougar Falls she decides to move there. After all having just been through a horribly messy divorce and just about losing her company she has nothing left to miss. Tired, a chip on her shoulder against men, when Rachel walks in to the diner for breakfast and sees a man arguing with the waitress the first thing she does is give him a piece of her mind. Not an hour later he’s giving her a piece of something up against a brick wall in an alleyway. She has no idea what has come over her but she knows something strange is going on. The people are all better than average good looking and it sure looked like “rough guy’s” eyes had changed.

An interesting take on the shape shifter tales, Rachel’s Totem, is a superb read. I enjoyed the characters. Burke and his brothers and their petty arguments were very realistic. The instant attraction between Rachel and Burke was enough to set off sparks. As usual Ms. Harte writes a very erotic story and not for the faint of heart, but for those of you who like your men strong, sexy and gorgeous and a heroine who can take care of herself you won’t want to miss this one.

~Reviewed by Lynda Grade A
Simply Romance Reviews

Loose Ends: Running Short

I'm blogging at Loose Ends today. Check it out!!!