WWWW: Shameless Self Promotion

Just in case you missed it, (where have you been? Under a rock?) I'm in the midst of a blog tour for my newest release, Two Dates Max. Today's post is over at Cassandra Carr's blog, where I interview Sean Maxwell from the story. Don't forget to leave a comment there too. One winner will have their choice from my back list. Good luck!

New Release!!

I'm forgoing my usual Friday WTF? post because today I have a new release!! Two Dates Max is the sequel to Two-Week Trial. If you've read the first then you're familiar with Sean Maxwell, Mari's boss in retail hell. If not, check out the excerpt to get a taste of what he's like:

“Hey, Sean. Here a little early today, huh?”

One thick brow lifted in surprise but the scowl remained. I batted my eyelashes playfully in an attempt to make him smile, but he just rolled his eyes.

“I left work early,” he growled.

“Oh? Everything okay in the world of retail?”

He looked conflicted, as if he couldn’t decide on whether to actually talk to me or not. I didn’t know why every conversation had to be a battle with him, but we were finally making progress and I wasn’t willing to give it up.

“Yeah. No… I don’t know. I’m just a little stressed out right now.”

My smile melted into genuine concern and I placed a hand on the fist he held clenched against the countertop. He looked down at my hand but didn’t pull away.

“You know, there usually isn’t anyone in the hot tub at this hour. Why don’t you lay off the weights today and go relax?”

When his gaze returned to mine there was genuine surprise. He unclenched his fist and turned his hand up, twining our fingers for one heart-stopping moment.

“That’s a great idea. Thanks, Megan.”

I smiled and slipped my hand from his to grab a towel. The loss of his skin against mine was like a slap but it was worth it to see appreciation in his gaze. He took the towel with a nod of thanks and walked away. My heart started beating again and I remembered to breathe. Something was weighing heavily on his mind and I wanted to know how to make it go away. A glance at the clock showed ten minutes until my replacement arrived. I usually left the gym right after working an early shift to go to the bookstore. I could spend hours there and usually more money than was wise, but it’s my only vice. This time I decided to stay and take a dip in the hot tub. After all, I needed some downtime too.

Twenty minutes later I peeked around the corner of the wall separating the women’s locker room from the coed pool area. The hot tub was on the other end of the room, so Sean would see me coming. I adjusted the straps on my one-piece, black bathing suit, wishing for the millionth time I had Elle’s body. I naturally kept in shape being an employee of the gym, but I’d always been athletic. Years of softball, volleyball and soccer had given me a teenage boy’s figure rather than a voluptuous woman’s. There wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it without surgery so I tried hard not to care.

Sean had his back to me, lounging in the hot tub with the jets on high. His eyes were closed and my bare feet made almost no sound. We were alone, though there were two men in the pool swimming laps. I entered the water slowly so my body could acclimate to the higher temperature. It was divine. I didn’t normally take time to enjoy most of the gym’s perks, but this was one time I just couldn’t stay away.

I must have splashed or gasped, or something to announce my presence, because when I looked up from taking the final step into the water Sean’s intense blue gaze was on me. I froze and smiled weakly, my nerves going into overdrive at joining him uninvited. Was I being too bold after barely getting him to agree on the barbecue? He remained silent with a blank look on his face as I took a seat opposite him, a full leg’s length away. I’d piled my dark-brown hair into a haphazard knot at the top of my head. It’s so thin, I usually can’t get it to stay in a neat braid. I silently prayed it didn’t look too messy.

“Mmmm, this feels great, huh? Definitely relaxing,” I said.

He didn’t reply and I fought to keep my natural smile in place. I made a show of looking around, as if seeing the pool area for the first time. I didn’t come in here often, so it wasn’t completely for show. Sean didn’t say a word or move a muscle.

An eternity later, in reality only about seven minutes, the two men in the pool left. Sean and I were completely alone, but I didn’t expect to stay that way in the middle of the afternoon. I lounged back against the hot tub and clasped my hands behind my head, closing my eyes. I was actually relaxing and enjoying the solitude when something brushed my foot. I opened one eye to see Sean standing and my pulse leapt. I wanted to jump up and grab him but decided looking that desperate was uncalled for. If he wanted to leave, fine.

I let my lid drop back down and he brushed against my calf. I’m on the short side, so I didn’t understand how my legs could possibly be in his way. However, if Sean wanted to touch my bare skin I was all for it. Even after that thought, his rough hands on my upper thighs jerked me fully upright. My eyes flew open and were filled with his lightly furred chest. I looked up to see him well within my personal space, and slowly inching slower. My breath caught in my lungs and I watched in fascination as his gaze zeroed in on my lips and stayed there. He was going to kiss me and I was going to let him.

All rational thought disappeared the moment his lips touched mine. I didn’t give a damn about being in a public place, where I worked and could potentially be seen by my boss. I wrapped my arms around Sean’s neck and pulled him in tight, afraid to let go when I finally had him where I needed him. He didn’t seem to want to escape as he explored my mouth with his expert tongue. His taste, mint and coffee, filled my senses and I moaned in delight.

His hands had moved to my hips and he tightened his grip to pin me in place. I wasn’t going anywhere, but his forcefulness ratcheted up my arousal and I wrapped my legs around his hips. He finally pulled back but didn’t try to move away. I caught my breath and looked up into his eyes.

“I really needed that,” he whispered.

Want more? Buy it today from Ellora's Cave here.Are you following along on my blog tour? Be sure to leave a comment at each stop for the chance to win your choice from my back list. I'll choose today's winner tomorrow morning via random.org. Please include your email address in your comment. Plus all commenters will be entered for the grand prize of a Missy Jane tote full of gently used books!

It's a New Release Blog Tour!

My newest erotic romance will be out on March 23, 2012, and to celebrate I'm going on tour! Below is the list of stops on my blog tour. So, what's in it for you besides reading my witty and enlightening posts? There will be a prize at every single stop, plus at the end of the tour all entries will be thrown into the hat and one lucky winner gets a Missy Jane tote full of gently used books from my "read" shelf!
So mark your calendars and be ready to comment!


March 22: Nara Malone's blog
and Rayment's Reading Rants and Ramblings blog
March 23: MY blog ;-)
March 24: Avril Ashton's blog
March 25: Ann Jacobs' blog
March 26: Karla Doyle's blog
March 27: The Silken Sheets blog
March 28: Cassandra Carr's blog
March 29: Cristal Ryder's blog (2 links for this one) http://www.cristalryder.com/2012/03/28/two-dates-max/
and Sizzling Hot Book Reviews blog
March 30: An Eclectic Author blog
March 31: Love to Read for Fun blog
April     1: Texas Authors of Romance Fiction blog
April     2: Sidney Bristol's blog
April     3: Passionate Reads blog

Lucky 7!

Cristal Ryder tagged me in Lucky 7, so now I have to play along. ;-)
The rules are, the seven authors open their current WIP, go to page 77, 7th line and copy the next 7 lines/sentences and post them. So, here's mine from my current WIP Blood Rush:

What the hell is she doing here?

“Babe, is that you? I can’t see you. Can you get closer?”

She sniffed again and I imagined the worst. Black eyes, busted nose, swollen lips and face. Had they burned her? Cut her? What the hell had Marco done to her? Staying still grew increasingly difficult when all I wanted was to touch her skin.

“I-I’m not too bad, I guess. I mean…they could have done a lot worse.”

One small foot extended into the pool of light near my feet until we were toe to toe. 



Oooh, that turned out to be a great teaser, lol.
Now my turn to tag 7 authors. Hmmm...
Dakota Cassidy 
Sidney Bristol
Cassandra Carr 
Karla Doyle  
Shelly Munro 
Del Dryden 
Carl Purdon
Tag you're it!

WWWW: Obsessive Over Music

I know it's silly, but I have the bad habit of getting somewhat obsessed when I really love a song. What that means is, I'll happily sit and listen to it multiple times in one day...every day. Not too long ago when I first listened to The Civil Wars. they became my obsession for a few weeks. I saw them perform live and fell even more in love with their music. Then finally I bought the CD shortly after Christmas. So, it seems only natural for the newest song featuring them along with Taylor Swift is my newest obsession. I swear I could listen to it over and over again all day long. What do you think of it?

Do You Know Cristal Ryder?

I’d like to thank Missy Jane for having me on her blog. It’s fun to blog hop and you will be able to visit Missy Jane when she comes to visit me on March 29th.
Yesterday was my BIG day! Oh yes. My latest release with Ellora’s Cave was unleashed on the world. Switch Me Up. It is being published under the brand spanking (no pun intended of course) new line EC for Men.
EC for Men is geared for the male reader. The story is written from the male perspective and how the boy-mind thinks. So it’s hot, visual, and very sexy. But that doesn't mean the ladies won't enjoy this story too! I’m very excited to be a part of this new line and one of the first authors to be published in it. To whet your whistle, I've included an excerpt.

Blurb:
Steve wasn’t sure how playing it safe to find a match on a dating site could have gone so wrong—or was it so right? Younger than him by ten years, Clare exudes confidence, sexuality and an erotic allure that leaves no room for misinterpretation. She wants him. And he wants nothing more than to bury himself in her heat. But she comes with some baggage. Literally. Once his predatory minx breaks open the suitcase and the toys come out, Steve knows he’s in for the wildest ride of his life.

An Excerpt From: SWITCH ME UP

Copyright © CRISTAL RYDER, 2012

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

He left her in the living room. Upstairs he tossed some clothes laying around his bedroom into the hamper, smoothed the bed that didn’t need fixing and turned on the bedside lamp.
He was about to have sex with a complete stranger.
Something so totally out of character for him it made him nervous. He may be apprehensive but he sure wasn’t dead and he wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass by. His heart started to race and his cock hardened. Sex. Tonight he was going to bang a woman ten years his junior. What did that make him?
A lucky fucking dog, that’s what. He smiled at his wit.
Once he was satisfied with the room Steve went back downstairs.
He totally expected her to be sitting on the couch waiting for him with her drink in hand. He half hoped she’d be naked or something. Instead she sat in the shadows out of the glow of the fire. She had changed clothes. Steve adjusted his balls and stiffening dick in his jeans.
What the fuck did she have on?
She stood and stepped into the light cast by the fire and lamp in the far corner. He nearly swallowed his tongue. Now he knew one thing she had in the suitcase.
“Do you like?” 
Clare smoothed her palms over her breasts, along her sides and ended her caress by placing her hands on her hips, tipping her shoulder forward with her hip cocked. Her voice, low and sultry, wrapped around him like hot honey.
Steve nodded.
“Speak, tell me you like it.”
His eyebrows shot up and Clare reached out a hand sheathed in elbow-length leather opera gloves and touched his shoulder.
“I like it,” he replied quickly.
Clare’s husky laugh didn’t seem to fit her tiny form. She circled and paused behind him, running her finger across his back from shoulder to shoulder before settling both palms on his hips. He craned his head to look at her and was distracted when her black, stocking-clad leg hooked around his knee. Steve’s hand dropped to her thigh and held her leg in place.
“I’m glad you like it,” she whispered in his ear.
He kept his gaze glued on her leg, rubbing his palm up her thigh to the scarlet top on the stockings and back down to her knee. It was a spectacular sight. He groaned when she thrust her hips against his ass and tightened her grip.
“Are you hard for me?”
Is she fucking kidding? 
“Why don’t you check for yourself?”
“Oh, what a delicious invitation.”
~~~~~
Come visit my home at Ellora's Cave
www.cristalryder.com
www.cristalryder.blogspot.com
Amazon

Friday WTF?: Let's All Play Together at Once!

If you were following my blog last year at this time then you may remember me mentioning our annual Spring road trip. Basically, every Spring Break I take my girls and hit the road in search of bluebonnets and other pretty scenery to capture with my trusty Canon. How is this year different? Well, first of all gas is $4 a gallon in my area and I drive a SUV. Normally a full tank pulls $100 out of my account but at those prices I'm afraid to fill-up. Second, everyone and their brothers and sisters are on Spring Break this week. No really. I mean EVERYONE. Normally the school districts and colleges stagger the break over two or three weeks. This year, not so much. Therefore, every attraction in Houston is jam packed this week with kids looking for entertainment. We went to the library yesterday and took the very last parking space. It was nuts. What I want to know is, what fucking genius decided this was a good idea? Not someone with kids apparently.

WWWW: Let the Games Begin!

A couple of years ago my oldest daughter read a book at school called The Hunger Games. She absolutely loved it and said she had to have the rest of the trilogy. It was close to Christmas and for that particular child to crave a book is nothing short of a miracle. So, I shopped around and found Catching Fire and Mockingjay to put beneath the tree. 
Shortly after that she insisted I had to read these books. She was insistent and persistent but I just shrugged it off. Now that the movie mania has hit the internet and brought the story into the spotlight, I thought what the hell, and finally read the books.
Oh. My. God. This was an awesome series. It's not Lord of the Rings amazing, because the tales are so different. It's not Stephen King mind boggling or even Lora Leigh sensual. It's not anything like what I've been reading the past few years. However, it took me back to when I did read tales of this type and left me craving more. It's a series that kept me awake at night, pondering all the possibilities of this world. It's the type of story not so different from the one that originally inspired me to start writing.
So, am I going to see the movie? Hell yes. I've already bought our tickets. My girls are insisting they need Mockingjay pins and various styles of t-shirts. I doubt we'll go that far, but we will be there opening weekend like so many others. You? 

Friday WTF?: It's Called Greed, Moron

If you read news online you've probably already seen a report of the Michigan woman who won a $1 million lottery jackpot in September but continues to collect $200 in food stamps. What gets me is that she isn't remorseful. She didn't even try to play dumb. She just brushed it off as if it must be okay because she hadn't been cut off yet. It's sad that there are really people this stupid in the world. It also goes to show that we have become a society lacking in basic morals, good sense, and accountability. Why didn't she take it upon herself to report her change in income? Oh, because she still has no job and two houses. Moron.

WWWW: 70 Isn't Too Old

I have more than one family member who has lived well into their seventies and beyond without letting age hinder their activities. I hope I follow in those footsteps, but I know I'll never be an Olympian.
Hiroshi Hoketsu is an Olympic equestrian and he's seventy-years old. That makes him double awesome in my book, and though I haven't watched the Olympics in years, I'll definitely be cheering him on.

Chat with Me and Win a Prize Tonight!

It’s Readers Appreciation/Read an EBook Week at the Samhain Publishing Café! Samhain Publishing is giving away lots of lovely prizes to award our readers including a KINDLE Fire!

When: March 4-10, 2012

            Sunday, March 4, 6-8 p.m. (I'm scheduled 7-8PM)

            Monday, March 5, 10 a.m.-12 noon

            Tuesday, March 6, 8-10 p.m. 

            Wednesday, March 7, 12 noon-2 p.m.

            Thursday, March 8, 2-4 p.m.

            Friday, March 9, 4-6 p.m.

            Saturday, March 10, 6-8 p.m.

All times are EST

Where: The Samhain Publishing Café (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/samhaincafe/)

*I'll have excerpts and a prize or two for the hour I'm there.*

Friday WTF?: I Know This is Texas, But...

If you've seen my posts on Twitter or Facebook then you probably already know I'm a Texan, my husband is a gun owner, and I'm not ashamed of either. However, I'm first and foremost a mom who is usually very paranoid about the safety of my daughters.
On Monday there was a horrible tragedy up in Ohio where an alleged student shot four of his classmates. It broke my heart to read the news posts and I hugged my girls a little harder when they got home from school. 
On Tuesday a boy in Texas pointed a loaded gun at a classmate in the lunch line.
So know I want to know, what the hell is going on? Why are children resorting to such violence to let their thoughts be known? Back in my day we would just beat the shit out of each other on the playground. What are we teaching our children that makes them feel guns are the answer to solve their perceived problems? I don't know about anyone else, but given the choice I would rather know my child got into a fist fight than had to dodge a bullet.