So the envelope with my copyedits came the other day, and I tore into them, knowing the turnaround was tight. I flipped past the cover letter from my editor and some of the “front matter”, as it’s called (meaning the title page, copyright page, dedication page, etc.) Then I stumbled into something the copyeditor left me: 4 pages of notes about the book itself. Not revision suggestions, but her notes, which I guess helped her to keep everything straight.

The first page was devoted to things about house style that I need to know for future reference, like serial commas (meaning X, X, and X, rather than X, X and X) and the punctuation for possessive with names ending in s (meaning s’ or s’s), and the like. Every publisher is slightly different on these things, depending on the style manual they use.

Page 2 was a list of vocabulary words. ALL of them. Anything I introduced in the book, she wrote down with a definition. Such as a laggah stone, which is a weakening stone, the Mating Call (you’ll have to read how that works for yourself), the Privileged, the Social Order, and my personal unfavorite, Terriforz, which is a particularly heinous form of torture. I knew all these terms and exactly what they meant, but it was extremely cool to see that she had captured them all in one place and given it to me. I will totally be using this for future books in this series.

Pages 3 and 4 were every single character I introduced, whether they made an appearance in the book or not. If they were even mentioned, like King Arthur, that character made it on the list. Two pages of people! I knew I had a lot going on in this book, but wow! It was cool to see all the Doomsday Brethren’s names there: Bram, Caden, Shock, Lucan, Marrok, Duke, and Ice. There were also some fun characters who are introduced now and will be very important later, like Zain, Sabelle, and Anka. And of course, our REALLY creepy bad guy, Mathias.

I realize I’m speaking a foreign language to you, since the book isn’t out until August 26. But I’m just so excited about seeing this series finally come to fruition, and seeing all this makes it seem more real. I’m really hoping that you all find TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS…well, tempting. Though you shouldn’t have difficulties, I promise that if you get confused, I’ll email you a glossary and cast of characters. I have a good one now!

Sorry for the short post. I received copyedits for TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS a bit unexpectedly yesterday and have been working my way through them since. It’s very detailed work and takes a while to figure out what your editor said, what the copyeditor said, how you want to address the comment–or if you want to. You have to really read the book again. It’s the last chance you have to make major corrections. So I’m hard at work. I will be back with the recap of the rest of my trip, I swear!

Whew! What a whirlwind few days!! I came home late last night and CRASHED. Just now getting around to downloading pictures to share with you. Here goes…

Wedensday we arrived to find lots of friends…and a hotel in utter chaos. The Hilton in downtown Pittsburgh was under reconstruction. Apparently, it was supposed to be done in time for our convention, but no. They had oversold double-double rooms (with 2 queen beds) and were trying to get people to take King rooms, which no one with a roommate wanted. My roommate again was the always wonderful Sylvia Day! I arrived about 5 hours before she did–and spent the entire time greeting people in the lobby while bugging the front desk about our room, which was supposed to be ready any minute. Ugh! A special shout out to Maya Banks, for letting me store my luggage in her room while I sorted it all out with the hotel. Smooches! Also thanks to Tracy Garrett, Jo Davis, Sandy Blair and Billie Jo of Romance Junkies for letting me hang in the bar with them and helping me find liquid relaxation while I waited.

Finally, Sylvia and I got in to our room. It was clear they were nearly finished rennovating our room, but not quite. We were missing baseboards, the room smelled like paint, the bedspreads were missing, the grout in the shower crumbled when it got wet, no mini bar, etc. But since we weren’t in the room much and the bed slept fine, we got ready for the EC ball and headed down stairs.

No matter what Joy of Joyfully Reviewed says about me, I behaved…mostly. I have evidence!

I finally remembered to take my camera, so I got a few shots:

This is Sylvia Day, Patrice Michelle and me just before the EC ball started.

Once the event got underway, it was one hopping place!

Here are Lauren Dane and Megan Hart tearing up the dance floor:

Sasha White and Beth Williamson pause for a minute to pose:

I simply HAD to be slightly wicked and mingle with one of the Mr. Romance cover model contestants, Chris Howell:

Man, after a while, I had to take a break. Sasha White took pity on me…

After a bit of dancing and a bit of drinking, I think it was lights out about 2:30am. Sylvia and I were both grateful and in need of the sleep. Had a blast, but Thursday was scheduled for multiple activities, so a little R & R was a must.

More tomorrow!

Oh, and I did bring home goodies, so comment to this blog, and I’ll give away some cool stuff I came home with. I’ll draw for names next Sunday, so you have a week. Get to commenting!

My blog posts are few and far between these days. Preparing for the big Romantic Times convention, which is in Pittsburgh this year, is eating up huge chunks of time. Figuring out what to pack (and realizing the contents of my closet needed updating, then shopping) has eaten up the last 2 weekeneds. Getting the things I want to bring set aside or shipped in advance, making appointments, ensuring I’ll catch up with friends, etc. I know some people will blog about things like: I’m thinking of painting my office orange or I played outside today with my cats or…whatever. I’m not good at that, admittedly. I’d rather SAY something. Or try to.

You all have been incredibly patient of late while I’ve been drowning in organizational stuff. So I’ll give you two things and promise a third!

First, here’s some man candy. I was going to save it for next week, but I figure what the heck…

Um…howdy to you too! I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I’d be happy to see him–any part…every part. Wow, drool. Off to daydream land…

Ahem. Back now. I said I’d give you one other thing. One month from today, Samhain will be releasing A Perfect Match, so here’s an excerpt:

Excerpt A PERFECT MATCH
© Shelley Bradley LLC
Samhain Publishing
Release: May 13

She climbed out of the truck and heard Mitch following suit. He followed her up the stairs to her front door, carrying her bag. Even without contact between them, his presence loomed strong, tickling her every nerve with awareness.

Dang it! Her horoscope this morning indicated it would be a great day for romance. She had hoped the astrologer was wrong.

Maybe she could still make a clean getaway. Juliette withdrew her key from her purse and opened her front door. Great. No lights on; no TV blaring. No Kara. She’d been hoping her little sister would play watchdog and ensure she kept her hands off Mitch. Instead, Kara had probably gone out with her girlfriends. Juliette was on her own.

Stay cool, calm and professional, she reminded herself, drawing in a deep breath. Knowing that attitude would be easier to maintain outside her door than inside, she hovered in the threshold.

“Thanks for a lovely time.” She held out her hand to him. “I enjoyed myself and hope you got lots of positive material for your next article.”

He set her bag down and grasped her palm. His warmth seared her fingers. An electric tingle screamed along the length of her palm, up her arm.
“I had a great time, too,” he said, his gaze riveted on her face.

He wanted to kiss her; his sultry dark stare said so with eloquent silence. All light-hearted replies fled Juliette’s mind. Instead, she stood in her doorway, her hand clasped in Mitch’s.

Wind whistled around them in a winter song. Juliette stared back at Mitch, watching the play of her porch light shadow his face. God, he was gorgeous…and kind, and fun, and smart.

He held her gaze in the snare of his own, and she couldn’t find the will to look away.

“Juliette,” he murmured. “Honey, don’t look at me like that. It’s taking every ounce of control I have right now to walk away.”

His admission sent a fire zinging to her belly—and lower.

Mitch seemed smart. Was there any chance he was right, that she was blowing their differences of security and stability out of proportion?

Maybe, as he suggested, she shouldn’t run from her true feelings, either. Living a lie would only cheat her, right? She would hate to look back at this missed opportunity and wonder what might have been. She had to know if her fantasies about Mitch had any reality.

“Kiss me,” she whispered.

He sucked in a breath. “Are you sure?”

His question only made her more certain she had to know the truth, before giving Andrew her answer…before it was too late.

“We’ve got to prove or disprove that old wives’ tale about first kisses, don’t we? For your article, I mean.” Juliette tried for flirty, but feared she sounded breathless and nervous.

At least that’s how she felt.

Mitch didn’t hesitate, didn’t ask more questions. He just slid his hands up her arms, then cupped her face in his hands. He stared for a long moment, and Juliette sank into the dark lure of want burning in his gaze. The gong of her heartbeat flooded her ears and he leaned closer, closer.

His lips brushed her temple, her cheek, her jaw, so gently, like she was the most fragile thing he’d ever touched. Her insides were clawing for more, for his mouth on her own.

A moment later, his stare made his way back to hers. His fingers tightened at the back of her neck, holding her right under him.

Then his lips crashed over hers. Sensually. Perfectly. Juliette melted as his teeth nipped her lower lip. He tasted like passion, needy, possessive, as he urged her lips apart and sank deep…

Last, I promise to come home from RT with lots of juicy details about all I saw and did!

Have a great week!

My buddy Mackenzie has a new book out today with Ellora’s Cave! This one sounds hot!

SAND ANGEL
Mackenzie McKade

Photographer and freelancer Drew Thompson is a man haunted by his decision to pursue his career instead of love. Three years ago Zoë’s innocence, her passion, and his fiery response to her scared him. Yet living a life without her has torn him to pieces.

Zoë Davis is a supercross/freestyle rider hell-bent on driving the memory of one man out of her head and heart. But she can’t run fast or far enough to forget his touch, his kiss. She walks a tightrope of danger. Speed and sometimes pain are the only things that ease her troubled thoughts of his rejection.

Drew wants to protect and love Zoë, but she’s not the same girl he left behind. Winning the trust and heart of the woman she’s become, convincing her he’s back for good, will make persuading her a pleasure. Taming her reckless attitude toward life and love will be his biggest hurdle.

An Excerpt From: SAND ANGEL
Copyright © MACKENZIE McKADE, 2008
All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

Adrenaline was like acid pumping through her veins as she approached an enormous dune cut by wind and weather. The tallest dunes were two hundred feet tall and scared the shit out of newcomers.

But not Zoë, especially today.

That little hormone that stimulated her heart and increased her blood sugar, muscular strength and endurance was quickly pushing Drew to the back of her mind. All she saw was the challenge—the top of the mountain. The surface was smooth, no tire tracks announcing that anyone dared to approach it. That made it Zoë’s mountain. It dared her to conquer it. This was what she longed for—the challenge, the isolated bubble that surrounded her when she went into the zone. It was her mountain.

That is until an idiot crossed in front of her making her swerve to avoid hitting him.

Concentration blown, she circled around, preparing herself for another approach when the same lame-dick passed in front of her again. Fit to be tied, she came to an abrupt stop. Pushing her goggles down upon the rim of her helmet, she tore her headgear off and placed it on the handlebars.

“I’ll kill the sonofabitch,” she mumbled beneath her breath as she stomped toward the rider idling his quad.

When she got within several feet of the rider he pulled his helmet off.

Drew.

A gush of frustration pushed from her lungs. The damn man had changed clothes. Instead of the blue and white Fox ensemble, he now wore a matching yellow and black getup. Josh and Drew were the same size, muscular and six-two. She’d forgotten that Josh owned more ensembles then she did. It would be no hardship in sharing his clothes and boots with Drew.

Damn, he was sexy sitting on that bike.

The vibrant color was striking against his dark skin. She shook her head, pushing the thought away. She should have recognized Josh’s spare quad. Just then an identical quad passed by, and then another.

Okay. So maybe she wouldn’t have.

“What the hell are you doing?” she barked.

“Stopping you from killing yourself.” He cut the engine, threw his leg over the bike and stood up. Zoë didn’t miss the concern glowing in his eyes as he closed the distance between them.

“Killing myself? Don’t you realize that your idiotic attempts could have killed us both?”

“What was I supposed to do—ride up beside you and ask you nicely to pull over?” When she didn’t answer quickly enough, he said, “You would have tried to outrun me. Right?”

“Yeah. But—”

“But nothing. That hill is too much for you. Can’t you see no one is challenging it?”

All she could do was laugh at his attempt to protect her. “Now? After all this time you think you have a right to interfere in my life? To protect me?” She shook her head and started to turn away when he reached out, connecting with her arm, to jerk her body against his.

She didn’t have her shirt on, only the exercise bra. His rough jersey teased her skin, rasping her tender nipples against the cotton of her bra. His warm breath swept across her face. The smell of freshly applied deodorant and cologne, warm and spicy, assailed her.

When she opened her mouth to speak he stole her breath away with a kiss. Not just any kiss, but one with pressure and heat as he stroked his tongue across her now-sealed lips. She couldn’t open up to him. She couldn’t afford a taste of what she’d missed for three years.

His tongue was as persistent as she was obstinate. He nipped her bottom lip. She whimpered, the small cry parting her lips. He took full advantage of her moment of weakness and swept in to deepen the caress.

Hot and moist, his tongue stroked every inch of her mouth, breaking down her resistance one layer at a time. Arms loosely by her side, she melted against his chest. For a moment she feared she might fall if he hadn’t tightened his embrace. It took all she had not to return his affection, to stay impassive.

“Kiss me,” he whispered against her mouth. His lips were featherlight as he slid them back and forth, a wicked enticement.

“No,” she said emphatically.

“Kiss me, baby.” No fair using the endearment he had used so many years ago. It made her tremble, causing her breaths to be ragged and audible as he shamelessly continued. “Kiss me like you used to. Hungry, as if you could eat me up.” There was a plea to his voice she had never heard before.

“No.” She wouldn’t give in to him. Even when he traced the bottom of her lip with his sinful tongue, she refused him.

He had never been forceful with her, so when he cupped her head her immediate response was to pull back, to resist. More pressure was applied as his eyes grew darker with desire and their noses touched. They were both breathing heavily. No words between them, only the sexual tension that cried out for release.

But she would fight it. She had no other choice—she couldn’t let him past the barrier she had erected. Besides, she didn’t want him. She had a new life to live.

A sandpapery growl rumbled deep within his chest. His nostrils flared.

Zoë had never heard or seen anything so primitive, so arousing. In a moment of desire, she forgot where they were. For just a second she thought of giving in, of taking what she wanted. That was until two girls in a sand rail slowed down and said, “Get a room.” A stream of laughter followed as they revved the engine and pushed forward.

Zoë trembled as she tried to reel her emotions in.

“We could, you know.” His voice was deep and coarse, his eyes flames of fire burning her up with his heat.

She couldn’t think. “Could what?” She had to keep her distance and hold onto the last bit of strength she had. There was no way she could taste him and then walk way, because that’s what would become of this moment of weakness.

“Get a room, baby.” His fingers wove through her hair. “I’ve dreamed of holding you again.” His lips brushed hers so lightly she thought that maybe she imagined it. “Kissing you.” His nose caressed hers, his eyelids heavy with desire. “Zoë.” Her name was just a whisper. “Let me make love to you.”

Zoë’s breath caught in her throat as a rush of moisture dampened her panties. How many lonely nights had she thought the same thing, dreamed that her cold vibrator was Drew’s hard and thick length slowly parting her folds, pushing deep and fast into her body?

But in the end she was always left shivering and crying, still unfulfilled, or worse—in the arms of a strange man.

No. She wasn’t about to relive this nightmare again. Heat rolled across her face. Her body tensed. She wasn’t a toy. He couldn’t drift back into her life and fuck with her head.

Damn him to hell.

I’m looking forward to a little downtime between books (i.e., 2 days). I’m going to try to squeeze reading this one in. If you read this, let me know what you think!

Yes, I’ve been on an unintentional blog holiday. LOTS to catch you up on, so here it goes…

Last Thursday, we flew to NYC. RAH (Romance Author Husband) had a dinner to attend so he could receive a work-related award. I’m very proud of him! Fabulous dinner at the Waldorf Astoria with way more calories than I want to think about. Dessert was a masterpiece of chocolate architecture!

After the dinner, we put on our comfy clothes and walked around NYC for a while, down to Times Square, over to Rockefeller Center, peeking in the windows of the news studios and ogling the Simon & Schuster building. Chilly but lovely. The place is SO alive.

Upon returning to our hotel room, I dragged out the laptop to check email. I had a message there that Berkley wants to reprint Bound and Determined as a Berkley Heat. All new cover, all new packaging. The proposed release date is September 2009. I haven’t had the opportunity to talk with my agent yet, but I should have details soon. I’m excited because the original cover for this book, which I unaffectionately dubbed “Virgin Barbie and Guido go to the Prom” had nothing to do with the book and did not help it AT ALL. So this is really exciting for me, especially since Bound and Determined has gone out of print. Now new people who never saw the book or passed it by because of the awful cover will get a chance to see what it’s about. Yippee!!

Friday was a great day! Friday morning, I had breakfast with the lovely and talented Sylvia Day, who happened to be in NYC for a convention. After that, I walked around the city (and got slightly lost), but I had a fabulous lunch with my agent and coffee with my very witty editor. I had a little tour of the Pocket offices and got to meet my editor’s assistant, as well as shake the editorial director’s hand. Everyone was very fun and friendly! That night, nice dinner with RAH, some girl time in Sylvia’s room with Sasha White, Myla Jackson, Megan Hart and Delilah Devlin. Heather Osborne of Tor hung for a while too. Very cool conversations!

Saturday was purely play day. We got up late, visited a museum or two. Walked around a lot. Miles and miles. RAH took this great picture of Bryant Park. Then we had some fairly yummy pizza. NAPPED! I have not taken a nap in years. Ahhhh! Then off to see the Broadway reproduction of Grease. I’m sorry to say that I thought the movie was better, plot wise. The actors on stage did a nice job (and I was interested to see them because I watched the You’re The One That I Want reality TV show and knew who they’d picked. But in the play (I didn’t realize this…) Danny doesn’t do nearly as much as Sandy to try to hold the relationship together. So at the end, I’m thinking it won’t last. *sigh* But at least I enjoyed the singing and watched with interest how they do the sets and whatnot.

Sunday was travel home day. Arrived to munchkin and my mom, who’d made us a great dinner and even decorate the table with flowers. Very nice!

Since this…whirlwind of activity! I finished final line edits for A Perfect Match, so it’s still set for its May 13 release. In the meantime, I also finished revisions on Tempt Me With Darkness and received word that it is now in production! My editor and I also dreamed up titles for books 2 and 3 in the series. They are Seduce Me In Shadow and Possess Me At Midnight, respectively. I’m working on print galleys for The Lady and The Dragon. Final line edits for my Ellora’s Cave release, Dangerous Boys and Their Toy are due any day. Then I start writing Doomsday Brethren 2.

(Insert big deep breath.) So that’s what’s been up with me. Love to hear what’s up with you!