The winner of the signed copy of TMWD is…Cathy M! I’ll contact you so you can send me your address, and I’ll mail you a signed copy of the book this weekend.

Not much new here. My battery died, and before you think that has any reference to something powering a B.O.B., I’m talking about my car battery. It’s gone, apparently, stranding me in a parking lot post monthly massage, which really negated any soothing effects.

So I’m running off to pick car up, new battery installed!

Well, for anyone, like me, who’d been counting the days…it’s here!! TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS is finally available and I’m thrilled. I hope you’ll give the series a try. Please drop me a line if you do and let me know what you think. I’d love your opinions and predictions on future books.

I wanted to share a few things with you that you may not have seen yet. First, over at the RR@H Novel Thoughts & Book Talk blog, I conducted a little interview with Marrok of Cadbury, the hero of TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS. If you haven’t had a chance to meet him yet…this will tell you what he’s all about: Alpha with a capital A!

Here you go…

SB: Comfy? Cozy? Ready to talk?

MC: You again? Can you not leave me in peace, you infernal woman?

SB: I know you’re not interested in being the life of the party.

MC: Or even attending it.

SB: [rolls eyes] Spare me a few moments to discuss some of the major changes in your life. Recently, become involved with a group of wizards.

MC:  Not by choice. I had been living these fifteen hundred years in my solitude, wanting naught but a peaceful end. That rapscallion, Bram Rion, knocked upon my door, shared visions of coming danger and evil with me, then dragged me into his magical muck.

SB: C’mon. You haven’t entirely disliked the experience. You spent so many years as King Arthur’s captain and champion. You can’t tell me that a return to the practice and battle fields was unwelcome.

MC: [shrug] I enjoy invigorating exercise as much as the next man. The political intrigue of magickind, however, they can keep. Annoying and demanding, the lot of them.

SB: You’re just being grouchy. Be honest… After a while, you came to like some of your fellow Doomsday Brethren, Bram included.

MC: Bram does have the cool head of a tactician and the mantle of a leader. He has earned his respect.

SB: You even asked his opinion a time or two. What about the others? I know there’s a fair amount of dissention in the ranks and personal issues to overcome, but certainly some others have earned your trust.

MC: Most are good and dedicated warriors in their own way. Ice and Lucan, in particular. [frowns] I certainly hope Lucan recovers… Duke is pampered but surprising even me. Caden refuses to stay, and Shock is not a warrior I trust. Things will not be easy for Bram, should he wish to keep this bunch together to defeat an evil like Mathias.

SB: Yes, Mathias is a really bad dude. He makes my skin crawl.

MC: If that is your modern, American way of saying he is evil incarnate, then aye.

SB: He’s been very eager to get his hands on this new woman you’ve become involved with.

MC: While there is a breath left in my body, Mathias will never, ever touch Olivia. I keep and protect what is mine.

SB: Heavy words for a loner…

MC: She is both my mate and the one who can end my immortal curse. Her heart is a tender one. I, who have lived alone and by my sword, have never known her like. She is…special.

SB: What do you mean?

MC: She’s both taught and helped me…even when I gave her no reason—and she often did so against my will, saucy wench. [smile] Without her, I would know naught of dancing, have no computer to use, would never have seen modern London by air had she not coerced me onto the London Eye. Pretty wench accused me of being claustrophobic. Who likes small, confined spaces?

SB: Doesn’t bother me, but… I hear she’s helped you with another problem.

MC: [scowls] ‘Twas naught little about that problem. Aye, she is the first woman whom I’ve bedded and found satisfaction with in centuries. ‘Tis certain that I’m keeping her by my side as long as possible.

SB: Any chance what you have with her is permanent?

MC: Nay, soon I will find a way to break my curse. Then I shall find peace in death. For now, she needs me. But Olivia is a woman who will learn to believe in her strength and live well without me.

SB: [arched brow] And maybe even find another man?

MC: [growls] We are done here.

SB: Anything else you’d like to say?

MC: Piss off.

Well, touchy subject aside, Marrok is one interesting man, and the woman who tames him is both gentle and assertive enough to keep him guessing—and not realizing that his heart is tied up in knots. If you want to know how it’s going to end, check out TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS.

I’ve also got a NEW quote to share that thrilled me to pieces! It totally made my day!

“Tempt Me With Darkness is a hot, exciting romance filled with intriguing characters and a great storyline. I can’t wait for more in this imaginative, sizzling new series!” ~ New York Times Bestselling author Lara Adrian

I’m also going to be chatting tomorrow night at Romance Junkies at 9pm, Eastern. Please come join me. I’d love to see friendly faces!

I’m also going to give away a free copy of Tempt Me With Darkness for anyone who comments here. 2 entries if you read the first chapter and comment about it! Winner will be drawn tomorrow, just before the RJ chat.

Last, thanks to all of you who come by and visit. I really enjoy those who comment, but I appreciate you lurkers too. My site stats tell me you exist. LOL. I appreciate all of you and hope you’ll join in with me on this new series!

Between now and mid-September, I’ll be nose to the grindstone, trying to finish SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW, Doomsday Brethren 2. But over the weekend, I added the first chapter of TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS to my Doomsday Brethren site. Click here to read it! Love to hear what you think. Your opinions will be worth something in the September contest…

The book comes out Tuesday, and I’m so thrilled! I’m really hoping you’ll give it a try and enjoy the magical adventures! 

Hope everyone has a great week!

This is going to be a picture blog primarily about my cruise. Several of you have emailed and asked, and I finally got the pictures from RAH’s camera, so want to join me on a Caribbean cruise? Here we go…

We left from San Juan, Puerto Rico on Sunday, the 10th. Somehow, we didn’t manage any pictures of San Juan. Probably because we’d been there before and ended up spending our time a) at Senior Frogs (whose food was better in Grand Caymen a few years back) and b) looking for the dang Walgreen’s. *sigh* But on Sunday evening, we sailed away on the Carnival Destiny.

Monday’s stop was St. Thomas. We opted to swim at Megan’s Bay, one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world, according to some. The rest of the island was lovely too. And they were very proud of their new Home Depot. *grin*

On Tuesday we stopped in Dominica. I had not been to this island prior. It’s somewhat unspoiled. There’s civilization, yes. People, schools, cars–but not a traffic light on the whole island. It had something of a quaint, small town feel. They have no major hotels on the island. Our guide for the day was lovely. Their botanical gardens are worth the trip alone.

Wednesday…my favorite of the bunch. Barbados. I had been previously, but wasn’t feeling well that day and didn’t explore the island. What a shame! This time, we snorkled with sea turtles and explored a ship wreck. Then we went to one of the most wonderful beaches I’ve ever visited to get our toes wet and drink rum punch. Our guide was amazing…and he had alpha male written all over him. I’m definitely visiting this island again!

Thursday a jaunt onto St. Lucia. We’d been here before and seen the island by boat and hiked to one of their semi-active volcanos. This time we did something totally different: horseback riding on the beach! Okay, I hadn’t been on a horse in…um, 10 years. At least. And I always wind up with the cranky ones. The ride and the beach were lovely, but I got sunburned. One of the islanders rescused me with an aloe vera leaf. If you didn’t know, riding bareback in the water on a wet horse…it’s harder than it looks!

On Friday, we stopped in Antigua, another island we’d visited previously. Somehow…we ended up seeing the same sights again. Not the original plan, but I was such a crispy critter after the previous day’s activities in St. Lucia that I simply could NOT go on the beach escape that we originally planned. Anyway, still a lovely island, formerly run by the British. The historic Nelson dockyards still stands. The views are breathtaking. They have 365 beaches–one for every day of the year!

Our last stop was St. Kitts, an island I’d never visited. Like many islands, they are trying to capture the tourism dollar following the collapse of the sugar cane industry. Wild cane still grows on the island, but they are also trying to burn it down and make room to grow corn for ethanol. They’ve been experiencing something of a drought, and we were on a train, snapping pics through a window, so these didn’t come out too well.

Then finally back to San Juan for a long flight home. The cool thing… We captured a stunning picture of the sky just after docking back in San Juan. It was a great way to cap off a tropical delight of a trip!

Enjoy yourself?

Sorry for the delay, gang. I got back late Sunday night from my cruise and hit the ground running. Naturally, we had zero groceries in the house. My grandmother came to visit the night I arrived home and will be with me until tomorrow. Munchkin starts school in 5 days. Oh, and I have a book due in 27 days…and half of it left to write. So I’ll apologize in advance if blog posts seem short for a while.

I will have cruise pics later this week, as soon a RAH decides to download the camera–which I told him had better be this week.

TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS comes out in 1 week. Holy cow! Release day is sneaking up on me.

And below is the reason you stopped by today.

Anyone else feel a fire coming on?

I’m late, I know! I was supposed to give you guys some man pics Monday, but things (and the week) got away from me. So, instead of one man I figured I’d give you two. Maybe you’ll forgive me.

Gang,

I’m leaving today for a big family cruise. RAH, Munchkin and I are crusing the southern Caribbean with my folks and my in-laws. This is either going to be great or a disaster. Stay tuned for details…

In the meantime, I’m going to leave you with some advance reviews and an excerpt from Tempt Me With Darkness. If the lovely Naughty Nikki has time to post a thing or two for me while I’m gone, she will. I’m sending her a Manly Monday pic for sure.

5 out of 5! “TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS is fast-paced, emotional and thoroughly addicting… a very strong first installment, and I find myself panting for more of this bold and sassy new series.” ~ Romance Junkies

5 out of 5! “Tempt Me with Darkness is a fascinating tale… I loved the mix of mystical, magical and legend that was woven together to produce a first rate story that delights and entertains.” ~ Fallen Angels Reviews

“You definitely hit it out of the park!!!! I love the magic, the intrigue, the danger, the romance. It had everything you would want in a great novel.  When you finish a book and want to begin again it has got to be that good.  I am sure this is going to be the beginning of a collector set for many devoted readers and will bring many new readers to your door.” ~ Stepahnie, advance reader copy winner

Excerpt

“Still worried about your father?”
“Yes.”

All her life, she’d been told her father died before her birth. After her estranged mother’s recent death, she’d combed through Barbara’s belongings and learned that was a lie. Armed with her father’s name, last known address, and a picture that proved she’d inherited her unusual eyes, she’d been determined to find the truth. Others found long-lost relatives with less. Her search, even with Bram and the hired detective, had turned up nothing. It was as if he’d disappeared.

That worried her. Among her mother’s hidden effects had been an unopened letter her father had written nearly twenty years ago, mailed from London. Her mother hadn’t cared what it said, damn her. Not surprising. Barbara had perfected cold and unresponsive into an art form.
You have a roof over your head, young lady, because I do my duty. Do yours. Make better grades. Clean your room. Don’t touch me.

Good ol’ Mom had concealed every trace of her father. Then again, if there’d been a way to isolate Olivia or make her miserable, Barbara had pounced on it. Her suicide put an exclamation point on that fact.

In the letter, Richard Gray had begged Barbara to come back to him and bring their daughter. The poignant longing in his words had brought tears to her eyes. He’d wanted to meet Olivia, know her, love her. Her. She wasn’t a burden to him.

He’d vowed to protect them. From what? Did whatever he feared have anything to do with her inability to find him now? Meeting him would, at least, satisfy her curiosity. At best, he might help her get beyond her fear of letting people close. Please God, don’t let her be too late.

“My search is nearly at a dead end,” she went on. “I’ve got one more address I can follow up on, but if that doesn’t pan out…I’ll have to think of something else. I’m so frustrated.”

To make matters worse, business hadn’t been great, so she feared losing this little dream shop. A Touch of Magic was her one place, her center, when everything else was crap. It was her greatest achievement to date. But she lacked the money to keep paying the detective. If she went broke, she’d have to decide: Stay here or go back to the States.

Go back to what? asked the voice in her head. Here, she had made herself some roots. No more moving to a new city every three months and being the new kid in town, as she had with Mom. In England, she felt more…at home. Her flat was small. She wasn’t looking forward to the upcoming cold winter. And she hated the food. Didn’t Brits believe in good enchiladas? But the sense of history, of permanency, was to die for.
“I have a feeling he’ll turn up soon. Don’t give up.”

“Not as long as there’s still a chance I’ll find him.”

“That’s the spirit.” Bram’s warmth reached through the phone. “You tenacious American girls never fail to impress.”

Bram was a good friend. A little flirtatious, but flirting was like breathing for him. She never took his smiles and charm seriously. Besides, typically men weren’t interested in her that way.

Except, perhaps, for the broodingly sexy artist she’d met this morning.

Broodingly sexy? Marrok had been rude. An ass.

But for a brief moment, she’d sworn he wanted her. Jerk or not, knowing that had made her feel giddy and unleashed a hot tumble of desire inside her. One touch from him, and her body had lit up like a Christmas tree. Pathetic.

Ever since Marrok slammed out of A Touch of Magic that morning, a weird ache had nagged her body. Exhaustion dragged her down. Damn it, she needed sleep or caffeine—something.

“Olivia,” Bram said. “I called about Marrok. Don’t be surprised if you hear from him. I think he feels ghastly about whatever row you had today.”

“Good. I’d planned on hunting him down tomorrow.” And keeping her libido out of the conversation. “Temperamental, but wow, his talent…”

“I thought you’d be thrilled. He’s difficult and odd. But give him a chance.”

Olivia jerked on the door handle and tried to turn the key. Nothing. Some days, the old thing took an active dislike to her. Like today. Then a stutter beep in her ear made her sigh.

“Will do. I’ve got to run. My battery is dying, and I can’t get the damn door locked.”

They agreed to touch base in a few days and hung up. She tried the lock again. Jammed.

“Argh!” She pushed a strand of dark hair from her eyes. “Obstinate door.”

“Does talking to it help?”

Olivia whirled at the deep, unexpected voice. Through the darkness, a male figure towered near.

Marrok.

Though the shadows held most of his face in mystery, shards of desire needled her. He stood unmoving as pale glimmers of light splashed across his wolfish eyes. His tight black t-shirt clung to broad shoulders, worn denim to long, hard thighs. He was like an action figure come to life.

“You startled me.” A hint of accusation laced her voice.

With him near, exhaustion wasn’t a problem. Suddenly, her body pinged with life.

“Not for the first time, I think.” He stepped out of the shadows. Light from the half-moon bathed his hard face in silvery tones. “I startled you this morning as well. I apologize.”

He closed the distance between them, so quietly she understood how he’d sneaked up on her. Then he withdrew the keys from her tense grip. With a quick flick of his wrist, he locked the shop’s door. Olivia couldn’t look away from the planes of his broad back, the ripple of his shoulders.]

What would they feel like under her hands as he thrust deep inside her?

I’ll see everyone when I get back!

Hey, gang! I know I don’t usually blog again until Friday, and that’s when I post about books to try out, but the lovely and fabulous Candace Havens, who is in my local RWA chapter, had the mass market release from her acclaimed Charmed series come out on Tuesday. CHARMED AND READY continues the saga of the evil-fighting Bronwyn in her quest for peace, romance and the perfect mojito. Candy’s sense of humor sparkles, and there’s some hot magic between Bronwyn and her leading men. Here’s a quick blurb:

After spending most of her life single-practically an occupational hazard for a witch-Bronwyn’s finally found a sexy warlock to love. But it’s going to take more than a few love spells to keep him from getting jealous about her latest gig-protecting a rock star named Zane from the creepy Goth guys in cloaks who keep showing up at his concerts and zapping his mojo. Bronwyn would like nothing better than to blow them up in an inferno of Love That Red smoke, but they’re proving elusive. And in the meantime-what girl wouldn’t want to hang with the hottest man in music?

Enjoy! I adored the first in this series and I’ll be picking up the second this weekend!

Hey, gang. I’m partially recovered. It’s short-lived, however. I leave Saturday for a southern Caribbean cruise. Yeah, I know… No one is feeling sorry for me. It’s a family trip, and I’m looking forward to it, but it IS complicating my schedule a wee bit. When we planned this cruise over a year ago, who know I’d be ass-deep in deadline?

Wednesday:

Anyway, I left home last Wednesday morning with Nikki Duncan (aka Naughty Nikki). I realized immediately that I’d forgotten my camera, so I have no pics to share. Sorry! We hit the TGI Friday’s at the airport, visions of mimosas dancing in our brains. Once there, we discover they are out of champagne. What??? We settle for HUGE strawberry margaritas. At 9am. LOL.

The flight there was uneventful. After dragging our luggage on the sidewalk outside (no hardship, really, since it was a sunny and breezy 68 there, as opposed to the 105 when I left home), we located the shuttle and had a fun ride to our hotel.

Upon arrival, our room wasn’t ready and roomie Sylvia Day had already been waiting for a few hours. I met her in the upstairs restaurant and chowed down on the buffet with her, Jordan Summers and Julia Templeton. We dished dirt about current gossip, celebrating the fact conference was about to begin.

After the buffet, we finally get in our rooms, unpacked our boxes and prepared for the literacy signing at 5:30. Ran into chapter mate Ted Weems (aka Jax’s bitch), who was assumbling the last of the basket for our chapter. Got a phone call from friend L Swift, who couldn’t be there, but so wanted to be.

I fluffed and buffed a little on my appearance, then ran back downstairs for the signing. I sat between Jenna Black and the ever-fun Sandy Blair. We had a great time, and I saw a lot of old friends and new fans. Very enjoyable, but I had to cut it a bit short to head to my agency’s party. The view at the top of the hotel was divine! I got a chance to say hello to Karin Tabke, meet her husband, as well as some new friends. The food and wine were excellent, and a good time was had by all! Then, after an impromptu dinner with Sylvia and a few chapter mates, I collapsed into bed.

Thursday:

More craziness! I got up early and met my Berkley editor for a great breakfast. We had a lovely time catching up and talking about all the upcoming erotic projects, including Luc (for those of you still asking). I think you’ll see lots of exciting things in the upcoming titles.

About 30 minutes after breakfast…it was time to meet Maya Banks for an early lunch. It was the only time our schedules coincided, so I picked at a hamburger and we left the hotel for a gritty business chat–one of our favorite subjects!

I meandered around for a bit, talked to my buddy Melissa Schroeder for a bit, then we got dressed and headed to the Passionate Ink Sex by the Bay party. To my happy surprise, Wicked Ties won the Passionate Plume for the best erotic contemporary of 2007!

Riding that high, I went on to the Pocket publisher’s party. They bussed us to a nearby restaurant. After a little bubbly on the bus, we arrived to flowing wine, lovely appetizers, and great conversation. I sat with my editor and several of her authors, like Jennifer St. Giles and debut author Starr Ambrose. We also sat with several of the Simon & Schuster sales reps and had lovely conversation about all kinds of topics, from books, to kids, to TV and everything inbetween.

This party ran long, so I missed another party I was due to attend, but I spent more time with friends in the bar. (Do you see a trend here?) We got to bed late, and I had to get up early.

Friday:

This was an INSANE day! I had breakfast with Mel Schroeder, ran into a few more friends, then had lunch with my Pocket editor. She took me to a lovely Italian restaurant about 6 blocks from the hotel. It was a gorgeous walk, a perfect day. Just wow! We had a great time talking about the series and what I plan for future installments, cover treatments for the next two titles, SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW and POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT. Soon, we were walking back and enjoying the great weather again. Her husband had just joined her the previous night, so I know she was eager to explore the city with him. Plus, I had to get back to the hotel for a speaking engagement.

Mel, Angela James of Samhain and I spoke about the myths and realities of e-publishing. Several people approached me afterward to say they found it beneficial. There are a lot of misconceptions about what e-publishing is and isn’t out there, so I’m hopeful that the folks who attended learned something new. Immediately after that, I ran to the Berkley author signing. I was sort of in the corner, hidden by two people with big lines, which was a bummer. I did sign copies of Decadent and hand out excerpt booklets for Tempt Me With Darkness.

The evening progressed with the Berkley cocktail party. I sat with Angela Knight and her husband for a bit. Spoke with Candace Havens, had a long chat with Renee Bernard, a friendly visit with Virginia Kantra and her husband and a hug with the editor. Then it was off to eat pizza with chapter mates and a few new friends. Shortly thereafter, I was approached by a friend I’ve spoken with a few times over email and had the opportunity to, I hope, help her with a career question.

I’d planned an early night…but Sylvia, that texting devil, told me to get my butt down stairs. There she was with Jo Carol of Romantic Times and former RT conference coordinator Peggy. We drank for a few more hours. Again, I went to bed too late and had to get up early.

Saturday:

Because of my late night, I skipped the Samhain author breakfast. It started at 7:30 and I just couldn’t make myself get up. At 9:45, I had to be down stairs and ready to sign for Pocket. Nope, they had no books available yet, but I took advantage of pal Bella Andre’s crowd and passed out more excerpt booklets.

Afterward, Sylvia, Jordan, Julia and Nikki and I all found ourselves at the buffet in the hotel again, energy lagging. We chatted for a while. After, I met Jenna Petersen in the bar for a drink and a quick catch-up. I wedged in a quick conversation with an RWA Pro memeber who won 30 minutes of time to pick my brain at the convention, then it was off to meet my agent, who thankfully got me one of those Starbucks’ Vivanno things to perk me up. We had a lovely chat, which in a lot of ways, ended up being the highlight of the convention for me.

Then Sylvia and I headed to the pub down the street for beer and greasy burgers. Yum! Before slipping into our dresses for the big RITA and Golden Heart ceremony. Her friend and former critique partner, Annette McCleave, won the Golden Heart for best unpublished paranormal manuscript. Sylvia accepted on her behalf, then promptly woke her up in Nova Scotia to give her the good news. After laughing about it for a bit, we skipped the end of the ceremony to take advantage of the dessert and the bar first. We sat with Sylvia’s editor, Kate Duffy, and had a lovely time.

We escaped upstairs early to pack and try to get sleep.

Sunday:

Went home. Boohoo! This year’s conference was one of the busiest I’ve ever had, but very worth the trip. Even though I’m still trying to get my voice back and sound like a frog, I’m looking to next year in Washington D.C.

Gang, I just returned from the RWA National Conference in San Francisco late last night. After 5 days of running from pillar to post, as it were, I’m beat. Even a good night’s sleep hasn’t done much, so none of my usual attempted witticisims today. I’ll give you the full rundown of the conference on Wednesday. Today? You’ll just have to settle for him…