On my iPod. I am really musically geared. I drive to it. I write to it. I dream to it. So I have to keep myself well stocked with new/different/interesting music. Here are 10 new additions to my iPod. See if you can tell where my mind is?

Better than Me – Hinder. This makes me melt. Sad, haunting and still somehow really sexy. Gotta love his gravel voice. *yum!*

Love, Reign O’er Me – Pearl Jam. Sweeping, dramatic. This remake of The Who classic pulls you in!

Pain – Three Days Grace. OMG! Biting, witty, dejected and sexual at once. Just so interesting… I already have a book in mind for this song.

Linkin Park – In The End. Part Rap, part Alternative. It’s gritty and melodious and very listenable.

The River – Good Charlotte. I had no idea when I bought this song it was Christian Rock. I just knew the song kicked butt!

What Hurts The Most – Rascal Flats. So dang poignant you want to give the guy a second chance, even though you never met him in the first place.

Tonight I Wanna Cry – Keith Urban. Ditto the above. In fact, I’d totally volunteer to dry his tears…or otherwise comfort him.

There And Back Again – Daughtry. Why isn’t this song being played on the radio yet? It seems so unabashedly sexual and hard rocking. Chris rocks my house, no matter what he sings. I’ve already got a book in mind for this song, too.

Time of the Season – Blake Lewis. So glad you can buy these songs from the American Idol site. Wish they’d go back to previous seasons so I could buy Chris Daughtry’s version of Walk the Line, but I digress… Blake’s remake of this old Zombie’s classic is fresh, contemporary and sexy. I’ve always liked the song, so now I can take it with me wherever I go.

Speed of Sound – Coldplay. Catchy little melody. A nice mellow tune to just kick back to. The lyrics don’t seem to mean a damn thing, but I love it anyway.

So that’s it for me. Has it escaped your notice the gender of every person singing the songs above? Yeah, me neither. Other than a little Evanescence, Kelly Clarkson, Cranberries, etc., nearly every song on my iPod is sung by someone of the male gender. Now why do you think that is?

What are you listening to these days?

A thousand apologies for being remiss in blogging lately. What a week it’s been! Deadlines, revisions, company, spring break… Yikes!

I prefer to work on one book at a time. Not because I get confused, as much as I enjoy sinking down into the world of one set of characters at a time so I can BE them while I’m writing about them. Well, and there is the small matter of my sanity (whatever that is).

Yeah, lately one book at a time hasn’t been an option.

First, my Berkley editor usually communicates by email. I knew something was up when I received a call last Wednesday from her. She wanted to talk. Uh oh. We discussed DECADENT and she suggested some small changes to my tweaks from the previous week. I made a few more changes to her changes. The funny thing is, the discussion took half an hour. The changes took me about the same amount of time. It really was pretty small, but I’m glad she called. She read through my changes on Thursday and officially accepted DECADENT! Now, it’s off to copyediting. So I’ll get to see it again (seems like the 10th time) in a few weeks. Um, whopee…

Books in head count: 1. Brain cell count: 100 (maybe)

I’d also promised to turn in a proposal for the next two Berkley Heats at roughly the same time I turned in DECADENT, so I worked up a synopsis and a chapter for one book, a blurb for another, trying to keep in mind that these books are starting to connect/overlap (which is apparently taxing my beleaguered brain).

Books in head count: 3. Brain cell count: 84 (on a good day)

At the same time, I finished WATCH ME, but I wanted to read it one last time before handing it over to the nice mommy/evil editor… Did I mention that I’m kind of an obsessive perfectionist? Anyway, I finally finished reading through the novella on Saturday morning and emailed it off. I was a whole week ahead of this deadline and I was busy patting myself on the back…when my Samhain editor let me know that she was going to rush to read it, so I would likely see the copyedits for it and THE LADY AND THE DRAGON next week. Really?

Books in head count: 5. Brain cell count: 64 (and dropping fast)

I tried to be productive and make good use of my weekend, so I spent some time on Saturday afternoon and Sunday trying to really nail down the plot for my first paranormal romance (which remains titleless, except to say it’s Doomsday Brethren, book 1). I spent a lot of time talking to helpful friends (thanks, Lee and Nikki!) with sticky notes scattered all around me. I *think* I have something that resembles a plot. Or at least I thought I did when I finished Sunday night. Ask me again when I actually sit down to write the book, and I may have a whole different answer.

Books in head count: 6. Brain cell count: 35 (Does this make me near brain dead?)

While I’m writing the synopsis for the paranormal, I really should get started on another project, a shorter one. I have options: Dangerous Little Secret, which is scheduled with Samhain. Or my ménage book for EC, Dangerous Boys and Their Toy, which is not currently scheduled. (Hmm. I see I was on a “dangerous” kick…) Sadly, I may not have time to finish either before I have to start writing the paranormal. Still, I would absolutely start on the scheduled book…except I don’t have the plot completely nailed down yet. The ménage book is not only plotted, but I’ve also written a few chapters. I could finish that faster–except it’s a complicated relationship. Decisions, decisions! I’m looking at both now. Eenie, meenie, miney, mo…

Books in head count: 8. Brain cell count: 18 (Do I even know my own name anymore?)

Yes, I’m aware there are other characters on the radar that people email me about and I just haven’t had the chance to schedule yet. For the fans of Blade and Darius, I haven’t forgotten those awesome Alphas. They are on my list of men to do. *g* I’ll just have to get some of these other projects behind me and grow a few more brain cells first.

Musings of a stalker/friend/fan/aspiring author… by guest blogger Naughty Nikki

We’ve all seen the blogs by RAH (aka Shelley’s Romance Author Husband). I’ve had the honor meeting and even being kissed by him. It wasn’t like that. Shelley and my hubby were there, too. (Shelley, are you regretting this yet?)

Shelley: Nope, not yet. For everyone out there who thinks I lead a crazy life, the “kiss” was not in the swinging couples sense; it was the extra rum in her drink sense. Glad we cleared that up! Okay, back to Nikki…

So, the blog. Can I be as witty and funny? Can I meet the expectation that Shelley’s fans have come to expect?

Whew, the pressure is on!

Speaking of RAH, he gave me a hard time the other day about my bio, so since he wants to know more…

During a snow storm in Kokomo, Indiana, in a hospital with no wall on the North side, which of course is where the maternity ward was located, my mother suffered through a long labor that she’d waited an extra 20 days to come. Yeah, yeah. I know, it wasn’t nice of me to hang out there an extra 20 days. What can I say? I was Naughty Nikki even then. Things haven’t changed a bit. My husband has even admitted to not wanting to date me for a while. I was a tad much for him to handle, still am at times. Now we have two crazy daughters, two dogs, two cats, and one fish (poor guy’s lonely). They all contribute daily to my insanity.

I thought Shelley was so sweet to accept a mentally unbalanced writer into her life. Then, between pleasure parties, sharing a few meals, and plotting sessions I got to know her. She’s just as loony as me–a fact I’ve witnessed more than once. Did you know she eats popcorn with her pizza? I’d never heard of that – apparently it’s a California thing, and a pretty good one at that.

It’s nice to know there are people who’s lives are just as crazy as mine, and I love them all the more for it.

In my time with Shelley, I’ve learned a few of the things required for success as a published writer. One day soon, I’ll get to put them in action.

Shelley: Patience is a 4-letter word. Dammit! I’ll stop interrupting. Really. Back to Nikki…

Shelley: Okay, yeah, I said I’d shut up. I will soon. Promise. But I can’t let this one slide by. Just can’t. Nikki, lying is bad. For shame! Now personally, I’ve never thought of you as bitchy, but determined. But you know how some people can misinterpret that, right? Back to Nikki, and I really will shut up. Promise!

There are tons more attributes necessary for success, but I’ll save them for later. In the meantime…I had to kiss a lot of

But I figured you were worth it. Now I can introduce the Dangerous Detective from my work in progress. What do you think?

Just a quick post to say a few things. Thanks for your support of RAH. He’s always somewhere between baffled and tickled that he seems to have “fans.”

Second, My MySpace page is officially open, so come join the party! If you have one and would like to friend me, please do. The page can be viewed here. Also, I’d love suggestions for what you’d like to see on the MySpace page. No promises, but I’ll try to add content if y’all want it.

And now for the drinks… Naughty Nikki was kind enough to send me her Amaretto Slush recipe and I promised to share…I’m just that kind of gal.

2 cans pineapple juice (1 can makes a smaller, stronger batch)
1 can crushed pineapple
1 jar cherries, no stems
1 cup simple syrup (boil 1 cup water with 1 cup of sugar – you can add all of it even thought it’s a little more than one cup)
1 bottle (750 ml or 1 liter) Amaretto

You’ll want to make it the night before you intend to serve it. Place it in the freezer. Stir several times while freezing to keep it slushy. Put some slush in a cup and mix it with Fresca. You can also add a bit of Vodka to it as you serve it.

It’s yummy! Thanks, Nikki!! So now I’ll add the requisite message to drink responsibly and all that…

And since it’s not a party without guests, thanks for stopping by. You might want to hang out for a bit because I invited him:

Have a great day!!

Once again, it’s time for my husband, aka Romance Author Husband, to pontificate about whatever is on his mind. There’s never any telling what’s going to come out of his mouth. Could be anything from his favorite Andy Griffith episode to the best sniper position at 400 yards. Buckle your seatbelt and hang on…! This month is brief; RAH is a man of few words. Sometimes, very few… But a shout out to RAH today for babysitting the munchkin today, starting the laundry AND doing the grocery shopping while I started the first of what will probably be multiple laborious plotting sessions for the first Brethren book. Big hugs to RAH for being a heck of a stand-up husband today (and most days)!

Greetings from RAH!

For years, I’ve said the key to being a good Romance Author Husband (RAH) is living by the three P’s: patience, passion and persistence. I’ve now had to incorporate an additional P factor into my relationship–Party. Passion party, that is.

This took place Saturday night. Now, granted I’ve never been to a Passion Party, but when I learned it was ladies only…this scene from the movie OLD SCHOOL popped up in my head. You know, the one with Andy Dick and the cucumbers? The real kicker was one our friends actually hosted the party. And she always seemed like such a nice girl…

Well, I guess I should have been excited, since it meant I had the whole evening to myself. Or, at least it seemed that way. The munchkin and I looked in the pantry for something resembling dinner. Hmm…peanut butter sandwiches, Lean Cuisine, or the always delectable oatmeal. Therefore, we punted and went out for Pizza. MMMM…nothing like 20 different kinds of pizza served with the ever-healthful cheesy bread. We had a good time, but I kept worrying about Shelley. Poor thing. Was she cringing at the items being passed around and available for order?

When she got home that night, I was ready to talk her through the trauma of the Passion Party. I was there to hold her, comfort her and tell her everything was going to be okay. First, it was clear she’d partaken of the Amaretto slushes provided by the hostess. Second, she didn’t seem traumatized at all. She was still laughing hysterically about some game where everyone passed a rubber phallic symbol between their knees. Why that’s funny, I don’t know. *shudder*

Later, I learned from viewing our checkbook that Shelley had definitely had a good time and wasn’t traumatized in the least by anything the Passion Party dished out. Maybe I will be? We’ll see what happens to my, ahem, delicate psyche in 30 days when the order arrives.

Gang,

I’m back with a Feature Friday, and it’s a cool one!

ALLURING TALES features stories by some great friends and writers: Vivi Anna, Sylvia Day, Delilah Devlin, Cathryn Fox, Myla Jackson, Lisa Renee Jones, and Sasha White. Wow!! I can’t wait to get my hands on this book! If you can’t wait either, click the title directly above. It’s a link to Amazon.com.

Today, I’m featuring the lovely Cathryn Fox’s story. Here’s the blurb:

Centuries ago, on the eve of her arranged wedding to a man she doesn’t love, Princess Caira Montright flees her father’s castle and secretly meets her lover, Zarek. Their plans to elope are foiled when one of Lord Montright’s vassals captures them. The all-powerful Lord Montright places a curse on Zarek, banishing him to an eternity of hell inside a portrait—a portrait that finds its way back to Caira in every lifetime. Zarek is forced to watch Caira throughout the centuries yet never be able to claim her as his own. The only thing that can break the curse is for Caira to recite the incantation on the Lover’s Locket. Then she must battle the forces of evil to free him forever.

Excerpt – Look for Lover’s Locket
by Cathryn Fox
Avon Books
ISBN-10: 0061176036
Available now!

“I see you have found the Lover’s Locket.”

“What?” Startled by the woman’s sudden appearance, Caira jumped back. She hadn’t even heard her approaching footsteps.

The woman gestured toward the beautiful silver necklace enclosed behind the protective walls of the glass case and motioned for her to take a better look.

“The Lover’s Locket,” she repeated. Her aged voice cracked like dry brittle bones causing goose bumps to pebble Caira flesh.

Palms open, Caira placed her hands on the glass. She was so mesmerized by the beauty of the exquisite piece of jewelry she almost found it impossible to speak. She fought to recover her voice. “It’s magnificent.”

“You’re searching…Yes?”

“Searching?” Caira didn’t understand the question.

“For your true love.”

She was surprised at how perceptive the old woman was. Uncomfortable talking about her personal life with a complete stranger, Caira turned the discussion back to the locket. “Is it antique?”

The woman ignored her question and asked one of her own. “Should you wish to have it?”

Caira gave a quick shake of her head. “I can’t afford-”

The woman cut her off. “It is not for you to argue.” She opened the glass case, removed the locket, and placed it in Caira’s hand.

The second the locket came into contact with her flesh an odd tingling began in her bloodstream. She was strangely fascinated by the piece. Strangely fascinated by the way her pulse kicked up a notch at first contact. Curious of its origins, she stared at the antique locket in awe. She’d never seen anything more beautiful.

The woman touched her arm bringing Caira’s attention back to her. “You feel it don’t you?” she asked.

Uneasiness closed in on her as she met the woman’s challenging gaze. She felt something, an unexplainable strange pull toward the locket, but she wasn’t about to admit it. She lowered her lashes, hiding her emotions from the woman’s probing gaze.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Caira responded quickly, turning the locket over in her hand. A ribbon of sunlight burst through the window and reflected off the unusual intricate design etched in the silver. Caira squinted and stared at the inscription until the words in front of her blurred together.

The gypsy curled her weathered fingers around Caira’s and squeezed until the locket was tightly enclosed in the safety of her small hand. “With this locket comes great power, but with all great power there comes darkness.”

“What do you mean?” Caira asked, indulging her for a moment.

Her gravelly voice became as smooth as silk as she recounted the tale of the Lover’s Locket. “It is said that if one recites the incantation etched in the silver, their true love will be revealed.” Suddenly, an anxious expression crossed the gypsy-woman’s beguiling violet eyes. “The incantation also awakens the Keeper of Darkness from his eternal slumber.” Frowning intently, she looked deep into Caira’s eyes. “The person who recites the incantation is the only one who can defeat the Keeper of Darkness. It is said that death is the price of failure.”

Caira blew out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She remembered the old legend well. It was only a few years ago while babysitting her niece that she’d recounted the story herself. She almost laughed out loud at the foolishness of it all. She took a moment to recall the legend.

It was believed that centuries ago on the eve of her arranged wedding to a man she didn’t love, a rebellious princess had fled her father’s castle and secretly met her lover. Their plans to elope were foiled when one of the Lord’s vassals captured them. The all-powerful Lord had a curse placed on his daughter’s lover. In retaliation, the princess acquired the help of an old, gypsy woman. She had an incantation etched on her most precious possession, a locket given to her by her lover. Should the locket find its way to her in another lifetime, the princess could read the incantation and break the curse. But unfortunately, as the old woman had already said, with great power comes great darkness. The princess must battle the forces of evil to free her lover forever.

“You know the story…yes?” The worry in the woman’s voice gained her full attention.

Caira forced a smile and addressed the old woman’s concerns. “It’s just a legend. A story told at slumber parties. The legend also says that only the princess can unleash its power,” she pointed out. Rolling her shoulders she continued, “So if this ever fell into the hands of the original owner-”

A frown formed on her forehead as the old woman sealed her protest with her fingers. Caira repressed a shiver as a chill rushed through her. “What makes you think you’re not the original owner, Bella?”

Her skin prickled. The air almost seemed to crackle with electricity. Bella?

Obviously the old woman had her confused with someone else.

“My name isn’t Bella, its Caira.”

The woman gave a slow nod. “Yes, of course, Caira. Forgive my slip. Perhaps this belonged to you in the past, Caira.”

She met the woman’s glance and tried to placate her. “It’s ridiculous to believe the legend.” Waving her hand over her worn jeans and t-shirt she said, “Besides, I hardly think I was a princess in another lifetime.”

“Yes, well, you’ll never know unless you recite the incantation.” The look in the woman’s eyes caused her skin to grow cold.

Caira gulped, her stomach plummeted. Good Lord what was going on with her? What was she getting all worked up about? She shook her head to clear it. It was just a silly legend.

Wasn’t it?

No, not in that sense–at least not in the last 10 minutes. I mean, I’ve been a bad blogger. I know. A thousand apologies. All I can say is that life is like watching a movie in fast forward right now. AND I’m nearly done with WATCH ME, so I get a little single-minded and start to tune out everything else when I’m thiiisss close to The End. I’m hoping to finish in the next day or two.

If you’re not aware, WATCH ME is a sexy contemporary novella. I had to drag in my enjoyment of ballroom dancing somehow, since RAH is clearly not going to take tango lessons with me anytime soon. Anyway, it’s half of a two-author anthology I’m doing with my pal Jaci Burton. Her story is titled SHOW ME. These are loosely connected novellas. They’ll be separately released as ebooks in July, but will go to print together in a volume titled SNEAK PEEK in 2008. These are fun stories, IMO. Jaci just started hers, but from the bit I’ve read so far…bring an ice bucket! Whew!

What else? I’m getting ready to start DANGEROUS LITTLE SECRET soon. For everyone who read NAUGHTY LITTLE SECRET, this is about Lauren’s sister Kat and the familiar stranger in her life. I’m so in love with this concept, so that’s going to be a ball! I think I’ll be receiving my new cover for THE LADY AND THE DRAGON soon. The book re-releases in May, and I’m really excited. The Samhain art department does wonderful work. (Thanks, Scott!!)

I’ve been frantically reading books for RITA judging. Today is the deadline…and I’m not quite there yet. I still need to get out March’s newsletter. That’s on my list for tonight. I’m still looking for a *bleep*ing creme colored sofa. We looked again last weekend. Why is this so damn difficult? Geez… I’m attending a “passion party” on Saturday night, hosted by the naughty Nikki. I can’t tell if RAH is afraid of what I’ll come home with or if he’s rubbing his hands together in glee. He’s playing this one close to the vest. I have theories, but we’ll see. I have a plotting session with my lunch buddy/sounding board, Lee Swift, on Sunday. Next week, I have company coming, along with revisions for DECADENT. Great timing… The Romantic Times convention is rapidly approaching, which means I need promo items and new clothes–not necessarily in that order!

And now I’m rambling. Lovely. Okay, to make up for posting what amounts to my schedule/Things To Do List, how about if I post a little something from WATCH ME? (Disclaimer: Angie the Nice Mommy/Evil Editor has not read this story, so she may tell me it sucks and ask me to change everything. In other words, this is very unedited.)

“I believe this dance is mine.”

Shanna followed the deep voice and looked up into an incredibly handsome face. Strong features, burning hazel eyes, hint of a five-o’clock shadow, perfectly tailored gray suit with a vavoom red tie. Her heart lurched; this one had sin written all over him.

He also looked familiar. She stared, hesitating, but the more she thought about it, the more certain she became. Somewhere, somehow, they’d crossed paths before.

“Have we met?”

He smiled, all dazzling charm, oozing Latin charisma and hot sex. “Yes. Three months ago. The juvenile diabetes thing.”

That night rushed back to her with overwhelming clarity. This sexy man with his killer smile flirting outrageously and whispering even more outrageous suggestions as he twirled her around the dance floor in a spirited tango. At the end of the night, he’d asked her out…while trying to kiss her. She’d been incredibly tempted—and that was saying something for a woman who’d easily refused every man for the past two years. But this man might as well have the word Distraction tattooed on his forehead. Go out with him? No way, no how. She’d refused him and disappeared into the crowd. She assumed she’d seen the last of him. Silly her.

“Ah, I think you recall.” A smile lifted the edges of his lips.

“Alejandro, isn’t it?”

“Alejandro Diaz, yes.”

Shanna drew in a deep breath. Just like their first meeting, he caused an unwelcome dizzying effect, complete with revving heartbeat. Warning! When she dated, which was rarely, she chose safe men—guys who were rich, too busy with their own careers to be demanding, and far too dull to keep her interest for more than an evening. She just didn’t have time for a relationship when she had a dance career that needed all her time and attention.

This one all but shouted that he’d be both fascinating and determined. He would get his way—and have his way with her.

Not if she could help it.

Steeling herself against the impact of his touch, Shanna put her hand in his. No matter how prepared she thought she’d been for the skin-on-skin contact, she’d been wrong. A wild gong of want beat through her the second her palm brushed his. She steeled herself against the rush of heat as she rose to her feet.

“The music is starting. Shall we?” He gestured to the dance floor, then eased her forward with a hand at the small of her back.

“Sure.” What else could she say? This was his three minutes; he’d paid for them, so she owed him that. But no more.

God, not a second more.

A soft Latin rhythm began to wash the room from the overhead speakers. Sensual, hypnotic, the music spoke of a humid summer night shared by lovers. Shanna nearly groaned. Great, a rumba, the dance of love. The one that most emulated passion and sex. Why now?

On a strong beat, Alejandro grabbed her wrist and pulled her against him. Shanna tried to stop herself from crashing into him by planting a hand on his chest. But her fingers only encountered hard muscle. Oh God, he was like a rock under that shirt, and given his mile-wide shoulders, she was suddenly sure that seeing him naked would be ten times better than a slice of her favorite sinful chocolate cake.

He hooked a finger under her chin. Reluctantly, she lifted her gaze to his. The heat in those hazel eyes fired molten gold. Look away. Get away! But she couldn’t. Once her gaze connected with his, she was locked in, fused to him.

That stare sizzled all through her…and settled right between her legs.

Just to give you a little extra sizzle, here’s the casting call for Alejandro. No idea who he is…but he looked mighty fine to me!

Enjoy your Wednesday!