Writing at the Speed of Life

Monday Twenty-one — General Information

2012-01-30T00:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Monday. I thought today, I would start Monday 21. So here we go.

Brynn:

1. Has a dog who snores like a human.
2. Is a Boy Scout Troop Scoutmaster and has gotten all but two boys to Eagle, so far.
3. Thinks 65 is a good temp for the house all the time.
4. Is addicted to old-school romance novels (especially old Harlequins)
5. Doesn’t particularly like chocolate unless in the mood for it, and then just a teeny bit.
6. Is a perpetual Weight Watcher who might eventually make goal.
7. Loves fried Rangoon. (see last point, and now you understand)
8. Loves, loves, loves to cook and thinks butter is awesome. (See #6 again)
9. Is a NASCAR fan.
10. Isn’t afraid of spiders, bugs, clowns, storms, dentists or needles; is mildly scared of heights, basements and the dark; is fairly terrified of rodents and snakes.
11. Has a 1950’s housewife living inside her.
12. Likes Big Bang Theory, Supernatural, Once Upon a Time and Criminal Minds.
13. Also is a Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy junkie.
14. Thinks the Keurig and the iPad are the greatest inventions in recent history.
15. Has a car decked out in Tinker Bell décor.
16. Collects penguins.
17. Never wanted to be a ballerina; always wanted to be a figure skater.
18. Can’t ice skate.
19. Mentors a first grader at a local school.
20. Thinks red is the best color and that blue is a close second.
21. Has crazy neighbors who do really weird things.

I Knew It!!

2012-01-06T09:03:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T09:27:00.010-05:00

One of my favorite lines from Princess Bride is: There is too much; let me sum up.

That's the spirit of today's post. There's a lot in here: 2012 Goals, two giveaways, an interview, some news...

First up: the goals. I thought about this yesterday, and I figured I'd go ahead and pop them up here. I've known for a awhile that 2012 would be busy book-wise for me, but I don't want that to be my life. So I thought about that too. I don't do resolutions (no one keeps those anyway) but I do have specific things, publishing and not, that I plan to do this year.

1. Write every day. You'd think this was a given, but no, it's not. Lately, because of life and the day job, I've tended to write in bursts. This is actually pretty stressful, so for my peace of mind, I'll write every day like I used to once upon a time.

2. Keep losing weight. I'm super slow about this. Maybe in five years I'll make it to my goal, but a little at a time is good for me.

3. Blog more. Seriously, I like to blog. I need to be better about getting it into my schedule!

4. Take time for little indulgences.

5. Take opportunities to spend more time with the family -- all of them, not just the ones with whom I live. I saw a bunch of my extended family members over the holidays and it reminded me of how much I miss them.

6. Spend more time at the Y and doing yoga. I love water aerobics at the Y and I love doing yoga, but I've been a lazy slacker lately. Back on track. Brynn!!

7. Keep cooking home-cooked meals my family adores. This became a 2011 mid-year goal. I'm sick of fast food, eating out and the same old-same old standbys. I've spent considerable time finding yummy recipes and learning to cook new things. The family loves it and it's been healthier too!

8. Organize all my storage spaces. I want to do this ASAP. My house is pretty orderly, but all my cupboards, closets and other storage spaces can use a really good purge and reorganizing.

So aside from goals, what does 2012 hold for me? At the moment, I have 14 books scheduled (see...I told you I had a busy year ahead, lol). My oldest son is graduating from high school and starting college. My husband and I will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. I'll be attending several writing conferences (RT, AAD, Romanticon) and taking a few trips (Gencon, Alaska and maybe this will be the year I get to go to Times Square for New Years). It's going to be a big, busy year. I'm looking forward to it!

And now... the giveaways:

First, one that isn't mine. I was emailed by the fantastic Beth Fantaskey about her new YA book, Jessica Rules the Dark Side. It releases Jan. 10. Those of you who've been around awhile might remember that I featured the book Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side on my blog in 2011. I loved the book and I'm looking forward to the new one. As part of the promotion, her publisher is giving away electronic copies of the first book until Jan 6. Here's the LINK. The download now button will take you to a place where you can get the various versions, including Kindle and Nook. Also, Beth has a free read on her site. It's a short story that goes between the two books. It's not imperative to read it before the 2nd book, but it's fun. Here's that LINK. If you read young adult, I'd highly recommend Jessica's Guide.

Second: All of the Phases authors have been interviewed by Guilty Indulgence. Lots of fun questions with snappy answers. Check it out. As part of the interview, one lucky commenter will win all 12 of the Phases books! The contest ends Jan. 7.

And finally, the news: Sybil Disobedience will be out this month on the 18th. The expanded re-release of Stealing the Bride will be out February 1st. I'm hoping to have news for you on Finding Francesca within the next two-three weeks. Here are a couple covers (!!!):

Out Today: Shifting Snows

2011-12-14T09:51:00.003-05:00

Look what's coming out at Resplendence today!

BLURB:

When photographer, Macy Lawson, climbs Mount Elbert to take pictures, she doesn’t expect to come face to face with a snow leopard, an animal that shouldn’t be roaming the Colorado Rockies, let alone the United States. The animal charges her, but Sorin Tavian appears out of nowhere to save her. He takes her home to escape a coming blizzard and introduces her to his partner, Danel and their friends Calin and Abel.

Soon, Macy discovers Sorin prefers to share his women with these men, and they all want her. Far from home and stranded in the wilderness, she decides to take the leap, live a fantasy and try out ménage.

But Sorin has a couple secrets he hasn’t shared. He didn’t save Macy from a snow leopard. He is the snow leopard. There’s a strong possibility Macy’s his mate, and if that’s true, home will be with him and Danel, not in some far off city where leopards can’t roam free.

Six Sentence Sunday - 11/13/2011

2011-11-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday!! It's Six Sentence time. Here are my six from Romero and Julian from Resplendence Publishing. It will be releasing November 16!! Without further ado, here they are:

“Pianist. Micah Julian. Kinda famous.” Micah smirked, loving Brian’s perplexed look. Brian liked him for being him, not for his fame. “I have a few albums…”

For more Sunday Six Sentences, go HERE!!

Recap

2011-11-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

Many of you might know that I blog at quite a few different places. If you don't see me here, I might very well be on one of my other blogs. But here's a recap of what I did when I wasn't here:

BLOG: Writer’s Evolution
If You Must Fail…

BLOG: Brynn’s Comfort and Joy
Day of Rest
The Struggle With Perfection
My Dog Has Fleas…
Recipe: Wok Lasagna
Accumulation
Daily Cleaning Routine

BLOG: Zed Force
Got The Cover

And Then...She Got Healthy!

2011-11-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

You know what's super cool??? I discovered that there's a place that will deliver organic produce right to my house. Right to my doorstep. It's fan-freaking-tastic! I got my first delivery this week and I'm really impressed and encouraged to eat healthy food -- after all, it's right there, waiting for me and I'm not going to waste it.

Here's the deal. The organics company chooses what they're going to send me in each batch. Do we hear variety anyone?? It keeps me from choosing the same old thing all the time, which is good. Of course, I can edit the delivery so if there's something I really, really don't want, I can substitute. For example, this week I was supposed to get a fennel bulb as part of the produce. What the heck do you do with that? I replaced it with carrots. Carrots, I know.

Anyhow, I love that I have a counter full of veggies and an overflowing bowl of fruit. Here's to helping my family eat healthy!

If you'd like more info on this place, they're located at: http://www.doortodoororganics.com/ They might deliver to your community too.

Have a great day!

~~Brynn

Supernatural - Season 7 (so far)

2011-11-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

Okay, so after the big deal I made about Supernatural last year, I'm behind giving y'all a post this year. I'm just going to come right out and say: Holy Freaking Cow!!!

I have to admit, I was worried, but wow! What a difference this year! I can't believe the change. This year is awesome. This is the Supernatural we've come to expect and it's great. So far, I've been really impressed with the direction things are going. The chemistry between the characters is there and the monsters they're fighting are reminiscent of season one without duplicating them.

I can't say much because I know I have readers who don't have the new season available to them yet, but guys! It will be worth the wait.

Well done, Supernatural crew, and PLEASE keep up the excellent work!!

Chance of Snow!! Shifting Snows!!

2011-11-08T14:31:00.007-05:00

In less than one month, I'll have a new book out from a new publisher -- new to me anyway! Chance of Snow will release from MLR Press on December 2. Here's what it's all about:

When an unexpected snowstorm strands co-workers Brennan Myers and Rory Mills just before Christmas, they reveal secret desires they’ve each harbored—desires they can no longer resist. With a little spanking and a bit of bondage and a garland of gold tinsel, they explore each other, but when the cold light of day dawns, each wonders if this will be more than just a one-night affair. Will they both get what they most want for Christmas or will it be another holiday alone?

Happy holiday, right!? It was an awesome book to write and one that's been churning around inside me for a long time. I'm thrilled that I was able to finally write it. I'll share the cover as soon as I have it.

Then, the following week on December 7, I'll have Shifting Snows from Resplendence Publishing. The book is unrelated to Chance of Snow, the similar titles coincidental. Shifting Snows is book 12 in Resplendence's year-long Phases series. This one is a super-menage featuring Snow Leopards.

The cover is below:

Six Sentence Sunday - 11/6/2011

2011-11-06T00:01:00.002-04:00

Happy Sunday! It's Six Sentence Sunday and here's my snippet of the week. It's from Orgasmatron, available at Resplendence Publishing.

“Prysm,” she told it…him…the, uh, bot.
“Prysm,” he repeated with an added growl to his voice. “Remove your clothes. Now.”
She blinked at Friday—her Friday bot, anyway.
“Now, Prysm,” he repeated, those life-like eyes probing hers.

Have a great week! For more Six Sentences, go HERE.

Updates

2011-11-02T12:23:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! It's that time of year when I've been doing all those health things. Eye appointments, dentists, doctors, immunizations, the big squish, etc. I feel as if I've been at one of the offices daily for a couple weeks, though I haven't quite. Anyhoo...making sure this author person is in the pink of health!

I'm also in the process of some home improvements. My new deck (and first) deck is being put in this week and the carpet in the "boys" bathroom is getting ripped out and replaced with tile later this month. And I need to ask... Who thought carpet in an entire bathroom was a good idea???

Beyond that, I've been busy writing. It feels as if it's been all male/male all the time at my house. It's just how the schedule fell. I'm finishing up the last one and I just completed edits on another. then I'm on to a glorious super menage! Hold your saddles! It's not Daly Way, but that one will be coming (cough cough) very soon!!

Mail-a-palooza update: mail will be going out this week. I need to get a few addresses first, so it's only one trip to the post office :-)

Have a great week!!
~~Brynn

Six Sentence Sunday - 10/30/2011

2011-10-30T00:01:00.002-04:00

It's 6 Sentence Sunday! Today's excerpt is from ALL IN by Brynn Paulin, a male/male short available at Resplendence Publishing.

“Hey, Asshole!”

Erik turned, already at the far end of the parking lot. A fist to his face took him by surprise, and he landed hard on the pavement. He stared up at the hurt face of the man he’d kissed.

The guy shook his head, the hurt turning to disdain. “Jerk,” he growled then turned away.

For more Six Sentences, go HERE!

Welcome to Mail-a-palooza

2011-10-03T14:38:00.009-04:00

It’s a mail-a-palooza! Everyone who enters wins! I’m giving away: pens, bracelets, thumb cuffs, and/or other Brynn Paulin items. I also have 2 bags and 5 books to be given to a few people, as well. What you get will be random, but everyone gets something -- or a couple somethings. This ends 10/18/2011.

To enter, email Brynn Paulin at brynnpaulin@yahoo.com.

And now for the MALE-a-palooza:

A Special Message

2011-10-02T22:50:00.002-04:00

Bronwyn couldn't come with me to Romanticon so I brought her back a special message from Angelo, her favorite Caveman :-)

Six Sentence Sunday - 10/2/2011

2011-10-02T00:01:00.002-04:00

Good morning!! It's Six Sentence Sunday! Today, I have Six Sentences from Harvest's Pride, my lion shape-shifter menage from Resplendence Publishing.

How had she gotten trapped between them?

Kaz leaned against the door, and she backed away from the feral lust in his eyes. She slammed right into Myan’s chest. His arms locked around her before she could jolt away.

“Hush,” he murmured into her ear. “We know exactly who you are, Hanna Herst, and we know exactly what you’re looking for.”

For more Six Sentence Posts, go HERE.

No, Really, Not

2011-09-27T00:01:00.007-04:00

So…before a rumor begins, I’m not switching over to writing male/male. I am still planning to write male/female romances. Lots of them. I just happen to have three male/male that fell together in my schedule—two for one publisher and one for another. Aside from those, sorry, there is at least one vagina in every book.

Did I shock you there (vagina, vagina, vagina)? Some people just get shocked by the word. That always surprises me. It’s rather clinical. It’s also a rather icky word. Seriously who said, “And we’ll call it…a vagina!” And the word-a-ticians applauded the brilliance of finding one of the most awful words on the planet for the girly part.

You know, it’s no wonder we find all kinds of euphemisms for it. We whip out the penis all over the place, but for the woman-junk there are all kinds of flowery and not so flowery terms that get slapped into place just so we can avoid the dreaded V word.

Purple prose was invented to swathe the girly part in bleeding plum-colored ink, hiding the true ugliness behind the moon grotto of passion. Only men are allowed to visit the moon grotto by the way, so ladies, back away. No lush gardens of pleasure for you. Because…I hate to break it to you, but your cats need to be draped in pretty words too.

Did you realize how sexist our language is?

And please…who first decided to call the penis a staff? Staff? Is it long enough to assist in walking? Or a pillar. Even at a very generous 9-10 inches, that is not a pillar. Perhaps an outgrowth like a budding stalagmite, but not a pillar.

But still…going back to the original word battle… Vagina vs Penis. Penis is a clear wiener in this cock fight. He struts around while the Vagina goes off to write monologues of angst. After all, she has all the abysmal words… VaJayJay (really????). Pussy (truly misguided). The “C” word (trying to keep it PG-13). Mound…

Mound? Like it’s a sacred burial place? Okay, fine. Yes, it is sacred burial grounds.

Recently, I heard it called Cat. As in: Just because you lost your virginity doesn't mean you can go around throwing your ' cat' at everyone. That was in Easy A. I have to say, I was amused. Finally, a good word. And you know what? The cat takes the cock in any fight. Hands down. (But let’s not get started on what the hands are doing)

Go forth and have fun with your hands and stuff... ;-)
~~Brynn

Let's Have WAFFLES!

2011-09-26T00:01:00.003-04:00

Do you hear Donkey's voice whenever you hear "waffles"? I do. Every single time. And in the morning...we'll make WAFFLES!!!

That seems to be my writing theme this month. And in the morning...you will WAFFLE!!! It never seems to change. Maybe it's because there's so much going on. I don't know. But I've waffled.

Will I write the medieval?
Will I write one of the male/male books? Which one?
Will I work on the menage?

All of them are due around the same time so they all deserve attention. And there's more.

Will I roll out my new male/male name?
Will I change the heat level of what I write?
Will I keep doing menage and BDSM?
Will I stop doing them?
Would people care?

That's not "woe is me". That's career planning. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth my head goes. Clarity and direction aren't my strong suits right now. Even as far as:

Should I write in my office?
Should I write in the living room?
Should I go away and write?

Perhaps I should read a book. Have I done too little research? Or have I done the perfect amount?

Can you hear the primal scream that's slowly building in my throat?

Sometimes, I feel like I'm a lone boater in a circular ship, paddling madly in circles through a mire of mud. Waffling gets you nowhere fast. Waffling gets you nowhere slowly, even. It just gets you nowhere...

I get in these wafflely ways from time to time. It's usually when I have too much going on. When I do, there's only one thing that can be done. I have to step away, meditate and draw things out on paper. It's like they always teach you in school: break things down into steps.

Sometimes, when I do that--okay, really, ALWAYS when I do that--I'll end up doing the easiest project first. It might not be the most pressing thing, but it'll get done first because once it's done, it's off my plate. Then I'll knock off the next easiest thing, and so on.

Looking at my waffle-age list, you might wonder how I'd knock them off. Well, most of them I won't. They're not tasks; they're symptoms. When I waffle, I start second guessing everything. Strangely, the only thing that remains strong and un-second guessed is the writing itself--when I can wade through the mire to get to it.

It's all part of the writing life. I envy writers who know what they're going to do all the time. They have the exact determination and precision of a surgeon. No kidding, I really do admire that lot of people.

Now...would I trade my life for theirs? No. No way. I'm thankful for what I have...

Even if it means waffles every morning.

Six Sentence Sunday - 9/25/2011

2011-09-25T09:15:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! You might have seen Six Sentence Sunday around the writer web, and I've decided to join in. I learned about this from the lovely Lucy Felthouse, so check her out! To learn more about Six Sentence Sunday and find more participants, visit HERE!!

This snippet is from my book Dick Does Jane, book five in the Taboo Wishes series available at Resplendence Publishing. Here are my six sentences:

“You’re late,” he said evenly, his tone devoid of any hint of his feelings on the matter.

This would be a good time to be a little submissive.

Jane hung her head and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Sir.”

“Hmm,” he responded, and Jane almost groaned. It was going to be like this.

Have a great Sunday!

Remembering

2011-09-16T09:28:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! I'm over at Writer's Evolution today, Remembering...
~~Brynn

Supernatural - Seas 1 vs Seas 6

2011-06-03T00:01:00.001-04:00

I'm over on Writer's Evolution today too, so when you're done here, check it out.

Yes, another Supernatural post. Hey, I need to do something to keep busy in off-season. I may even write some fan-fic this year. Perhaps something about season 6 never happening. But anyway... In an effort to do further analysis (and to procrastinate doing other things I really should be doing) I made another chart/list (click to enlarge).

To the naked eye, they look similar. Fans were promised more monsters and a year more like season one. True. There are almost the same number of monsters. What I found though in looking at this, is that I almost forgot many of the episodes because there was so much other stuff. They weren't focused on the monsters and hunting them.

In other seasons, if Lucy said: the one about Bloody Mary, I'd know exactly which one. Or if Summer said: the one about the Werewolf, I'd remember how I cried.

This year if you said, the one about the spiders, I'd be hard pressed to remember what you mean.

Pros and Con List - Church Version

2011-06-02T00:01:00.000-04:00

I sing at church regularly as one of the song leaders. We have an intern overseeing the groups this year. He shuffled up things and I ended up in a group I dislike. I had to take a serious look at whether or not to stay on. It’s that bad…believe me, you have to be involved to understand, but here’s my pros and cons list (click on list to see full size):

American Cheese

2011-06-01T00:01:00.001-04:00

You want to know why the world doesn’t respect us? American cheese. Seriously, we’re dumb enough to not know that’s not real cheese. It’s not even remotely natural. Do not get me started on cheese loaf or cheese spread (also made by the same company that manufactures most American cheese, but I’m carefully not mentioning brand names).

I personally feel American cheese is vile. Agree or disagree if you will, but there you have it. Brynn’s opinion. Hey, it’s my blog. You can’t avoid it.

But here’s a cold cheesy fact:

American cheese and cockroaches will be the things to survive nuclear fallout. My anatomy teacher once had a slice of American cheese pinned to his bulletin board for an entire year. Nothing happened to it…and I have by good authority that it was more than a year old. Would it still be there, if I visited today?

It disturbs me that we’re allowing our kids to eat this stuff and think it’s real cheese. It’s not!!! Cheese is not spit out of a machine into thin, square-shaped molds.

Below is some REAL cheese:

Plants

2011-05-31T00:01:00.004-04:00

EDIT: Guess what comes out tomorrow!!! www.dalyway.blogspot.com

I have two window boxes of pansies outside, three tomato plants and ten houseplants in front of the double living room window across from where I often sit and write. None are dead. I have to say, that’s a bloody miracle.

I have a black thumb—at least I did until recently. Every time I’ve gotten plants over the past twenty years or so, I’ve killed them. I’d try. I’d try really hard, but I’d kill them. Literally, it was “welcome to death row, muchacha.”

When I worked in student exchange, I did actually have a dieffenbachia that lived awhile but that was only because Bronwyn watered it when ever she came to visit. It was a gorgeous plant and it was the only thing that thrived in that office. When I left there, I brought it home with me.
It lasted a few years.

All other plants…RIP.

So you can see that it’s a miracle that these plants are alive—and thriving!—while I’m their sole caregiver. I swear, raising kids is easier than raising plants.

But somehow, I’ve managed to keep these alive for months—well, the inside ones anyway.
Maybe my black thumb is turning green again…

For Real???

2011-05-27T00:01:00.003-04:00

My son and I had this giggle-worthy exchange last night...

A: Hey mom. Whatcha doin'? Are you going to sleep?
Me: No, I'm reading a book.
A comes closer and asks in shock: A paper book?!

Yes, a paper book. I actually buy quite a few eBooks from Harlequin but I still have a weakness for paper-bound Harlequin Presents. They're like like comfort food for my soul. While eBooks are storming the market (for which I'm thrilled), that moment, the bit of relaxation with paper in my hands, brought home that there will always be paper books, at least for a long time to come. Ereaders are awesome, but there are times that being able to hold a plain old-fashioned book just can't be beat.

Hey, I'm over at Writer's Evolution today discussing whether I'm in or out of the closet as a writer. Stop by!

Brynn Talks Back

2011-05-26T09:35:00.007-04:00

I usually try not to be political (and not all of what I'm mentioning today, is political) but there are a few things I'm bringing up today that affect us all. Even though two are specifically Michigan and Kansas, they could affect you too.

So, in watching the news, I have a few things to say…

1. In local news, Michigan’s governor is planning, in bare terms, to take money from school, impose new taxes on retirees, and put more taxes on the poor.

I’ll save the foul language I have for this. My words for Governor Schneider… Take a step outside your mansion for a few weeks and get a whiff of real life. Michigan is a dying state (barely inches from death in fact) and you’re penalizing the people who can least afford it.

Furthermore, with people so poor, more souls than ever are purchasing lottery tickets. If that money is going to fund schools, why are you taking money away? Why are more programs than ever cut? Why can a kid have no hope of classes like shop, mechanical drawing, art and, in some cases, music? Why do kids have to pay to play sports—sports which are known to be factors in students having a well-rounded foundation and learning how to function well in grown-up life (as well as getting them out and away from video games and TV for a bit)???? So where is that money going?

2. Newt Gingrich… He bought $500,000 in jewels from Tiffany’s. As do many places, they gave him interest free financing.

He could afford it. He paid off his bills. News media, why are we making a state case over this?

Who cares!!!

If he can manage his money to be able to do that and still live in his budget, maybe he can do something about that revenue gobbling monster we call the deficit. Maybe you should stop attacking every viable presidential candidate that comes down the pike. Pretty soon, all we’ll have left is Cletus that Slack-jawed yokel—the only one who won’t care that you rake over his whole life.

Frankly, I’d be terrified to run for president. The Today Show would be airing my secret love letters to Joe C from 7th grade. Horrors! (NOTE: This isn’t a political endorsement)

3. Elizabeth Smart: You go girl!!! I'm so glad to see how she's healing and moving past this.

4. Arnold Schwarzenegger: The man had an affair. If my husband had an affair, it wouldn’t be newsworthy. It wouldn’t be fodder for the news for weeks. The world wouldn’t get every detail of three people’s very personal lives. And the world shouldn't be privy to it in nauseating minutia, no matter who the persons involved are. And today, though I was already disgusted, News Media, you've crossed the line. Harassing the teenage daughter of the mistress. Untenable.

Note: okay, it might be newsworthy if my husband had an affair, but not because of the affair if you get my meaning.

5. Attention ladies!!! Start carrying around your spare vaginas!!! You should be prepared for being raped.

The Kansas state legislature has voted to ban insurance companies from paying for abortions. Rep. Peter DeGraaf wants to ban it even those for pregnancies resulting from rape. Rep. Barbara Bollier called him on the issue. Shouldn’t women who’ve been raped have this option.

Rep. DeGraaf told her, “We do need to plan ahead, don’t we, in life.” Bollier replied, ““And so women need to plan ahead for issues that they have no control over with pregnancy?” To which DeGraaf responded, “I have a spare tire on my car. I also have life insurance. I have a lot of things that I plan ahead for.”

WTF. I. Have. No. Words.

Well, not any I can post here.

And I’ll leave you with that horrific view.

Discuss? Thoughts?

Supernatural Season Six - The Year of Missed Opportunities

2011-05-21T18:45:00.005-04:00

Let me preface by saying three things.

1. I am a huge Supernatural fan. It’s always been my favorite show.

2. I have watched every episode of seasons 1-5 several times.

3. Do not read further if you haven’t watched season six. Unapologetic spoilers throughout.

What can I say? I was really excited for this season. I had complete faith that the remaining team could keep it great. They didn’t. They failed. We were promised more monsters; more a show like season one. It didn’t happen.

The first couple episodes lacked life. It wasn’t until Dean was kicked back to the road that it at least got back some decent music. Little very little. If I’d watched only the first episodes and didn’t know the series, I never would have watched any more of it. They were that lifeless.

Truly, it was as if the actors and directors were working with the writers’ first draft outline. It was never fleshed out. Let’s dissect:

Lisa, Ben and Dean: Use Lisa and Ben or kill them, okay? Seriously, it was okay at the beginning, although I wanted Lisa to fall off a cliff about fifteen minutes into the first show. But then it was as if the two were just randomly tossed in to give Dean some personal tension. It was so widespread it was nothing but an über-convenient plot device. C’mon writers. Dean was a complex character before this. Whatever layer you were trying to add should have been peeled away quickly like a sunburn. Instead, you muffled his personality with unnecessary detritus.

That said about the early episodes, let me just say, that the beginning of the season was far better than the rest of the season. It showed great promise in some of the episodes I’ll mention below. But back to the suck…

Sam: Really? Pick a storyline for him. I hate the phrase “hot mess” but dude! There’s no other way to describe this. He’s hot and the rest was a mess! And the mysterious he’s been back a year and he’s changed stuff. A little less ambiguity and a little more detail please. Also, Jared Padalecki is a capable actor. He was failed with his constantly shifting story this year. Pick a trauma and let him go with it. He should have gotten his soul back earlier or not gotten it back until the end. Though…let me say I breathed a sigh of relief when he got it back because OMG Sam without his soul trashed the core relationships that held the show together.

The Campbell family: This was a place where use them or kill them didn’t apply. This was one of the opportunities. They could have been an awesome addition to the show. Instead they were all jerks and ended up killed off. Giving them some likability would have at least made it better when they were killed. And you really liked jerkface Grandpa? Really? Looking back, it’s as if the writers thought “oh this is a good idea then realized it was a monumental mistake.” One episode then death would have been okay. As much as they were given…FAIL.

The Djinn: They have a vendetta. Opportunity missed.

The Changelings and the Changeling children: Interesting. Lots of options. Opportunity missed.

God’s weapons being stolen: right…this was cool. Then dropped. This would have been an excellent story to follow. But no…the purgatory thing. The writers didn’t think hell for the past two years was enough?

And Purgatory, since I brought it up: If you’re going to make a big deal about it, at least use it for God’s sake. This was perhaps the most monumental fail. Monsters being released? Not so much. It was more singular and temporary. And the obtaining of souls? We didn’t even get to see it. It was more, “Oh yeah, I’m back. Guess what? I tricked you and now I have the souls. You suck. I’m God. Ptttttttb.”

Crowley: I love him. I love his character and other than being occasionally annoying, I mostly thought he was one of the only redeeming factors this year. EXCEPT…the writers tried to make him all über-evil in places. That’s not the character he was in season five and not how he was portrayed for most of six. He’s a slimy worm and dryly funny. His evil is amusing. Yes, he tortures monsters, but even his reason for that isn’t as dark as all that. But again, the writers waffled all over the place with him. Mark Sheppard is awesome in his element if the writers will let him have it, unfortunately, they seem to like the game keep away.

The Twilight episode: This was one I loved. It was good.

The Dragons: could have been great. Missed opportunity. I liked some of the episode, but the premise and follow-through was a fail. But then, it ended with the lame opening purgatory stuff. That whole line washed out everything.

The Goddess of Truth: Good episode.

The werewolf/family dog episode: Actually, that was one of my favorites. I cried.

The UFO/Fairy episode: Meh. It had some good parts, but it wasn’t great.

The Unforgiven Episode: Round two of Meh. Could have been better.

The One with the Mannequins: Creepy! This one was good. Classic Supernatural. Classic awesome!

And that demon Meg: Can she just stay in Hell already? Please?

Appointment in Samarra (which I like to call Death Takes a Holiday): Was another classic Supernatural episode. Definitely good and I love the character of the female reaper in that show. I’ve always enjoyed her episodes.

The Unforgiven episode: I would have forgiven the writers had they skipped it. (apparently, I really didn’t like this one since I mentioned it twice — another failed idea)

The TV Show episode: One of the BEST episodes of the season. It was good. While I don’t want all the shows to be funny, more of this caliber would have been great.

The Fate episode with Ellen and Bobby as a couple: Pretty good. I liked it. It was sad too. It would have been stronger though if the shows would have had a bigger connection this year.

And that’s where it all went awry. I should have stopped watching for the season at that point, but you know how it is where you keep hoping it will get better, that it will return to its former glory? That’s why I kept at it. I kept hoping. I wasn’t gripped by the show, just by the hope.

The episode with the introduction on the Mother of All was a fail. By itself, it could have been okay, but it was part of the underdeveloped purgatory story line. It wasn’t given enough attention and everything was shoved into a small little package. When you have a small space, things can get left out. There’s just no room. To me, it seemed the writers decided to do a story arc too late in the season then didn’t have the room for development. I keep saying that, but development is a big deal for me. I was further irritated by the anticlimactic end of the Mother of All line. BIG HUGE BUILD UP, then snap! Done.

The Wild West: This episode relied heavily on one-liners. By that point, the season had spun so far out of control that the quips came off cheesy. I laughed, but I wouldn’t call the show particularly good. And the phoenix thread? Completely missed opportunity. This would have been a great monster to go against for something other than fighting the Mother of All. Perhaps the writers were hoping to resurrect a story out of the ashes? I think by that point, the story arc didn’t have the will to live — and the back to the future nod at the end? Really cheesy. Super triple, deluxe cheesy.

Let’s forget the Mommie Dearest episode. It was mostly forgettable. Oh yeah, the Mother of All offing happened here, I guess. It was lame. The entire point of the episode was handled in one line “Crowley’s alive.” Save me an hour, okay? Have a demon spout it while the boys are fighting real monsters.

And here’s where Castiel’s story line picked up. Look, I love Misha Collins. He’s great. Whoever allowed this drek for him? Not so much. Castiel’s character, which has developed so nicely over the past two seasons, was utterly and systematically destroyed. There is no other way to put it. Castiel’s character was sometimes the best character in past shows. This year, the writers… The only word I have is “destroyed”. They destroyed all the good that had been made there.

And Cas aligning with a demon? Who thought of that? A first year intern who hasn’t watched the rest of the shows?

Which brings me to the finale. Let me say, when someone yells “what the hell” at the TV when a show ends, you want it to be because they’ve been left at an earth shattering cliffhanger. You don’t want it to be because of the utter suckage of the past 2 hours. The season finale brought home with a missile point the whole of the disjointedness that over arched the entire season. First off… If you’re going to do a 2 hour finale, do one show, not two back to back. Second, you might want to think about continuity, believability and answering a few questions.

Ben and Lisa…glad to see them go. Sam fighting his memories? Could we buy a few clues? Really? The whole dream world thing was confusing, neglected and again, a missed opportunity. His showing up to try to save the day? Convenient don’t you think? It was a lot like the eagles flying in at the end of the Lord of the Rings movies. What the heck?

And for all the expression the characters had in that episode, they could have phoned in the performances. I’m being harsh. I don’t hold the actors responsible. It was the scripting and development that failed.

My opinion of the ending is, well, I already said it. What the hell.

Season Six, Supernatural F minus minus minus.

More Cygnets

2011-05-20T00:01:00.003-04:00

I'm blogging at Writer's Evolution today, but I took some new pics of cygnets yesterday. It was a rainy, dreary day, but the pics are clear.

Brynn Celebrates Her Anniversary

2011-05-19T00:01:00.003-04:00

Or “Brynn proves she’s a wine lightweight”

Yeah…lightweight. This week was my nineteenth anniversary and my wonderful husband and I went out for a few hours to celebrate on Monday. When I say wonderful, I’m not being sarcastic. He really is (most days) and as I’ve mentioned, he’s definitely the more romantic of our pairing.

So Monday night rolled around and I got ready for out date—it was a great day. It was also when I managed to write 7000 words on my manuscript. It had rained for days but not Monday, so he mowed the lawn while I ran out to get food for the kids.

I love having teenagers—most of the time. Today was one of them. The man and I were able to go for our date without worry for babysitters or much carnage from unattended children. Once he was ready, off we went…

Olive Garden. It’s one of my favorite places. Our waiter was Tyler A. At least that was his name at the beginning of the evening. My husband was sure his name was Steve and I was sure it was Dylan. Okay, right, we suck. Anyway, he comes over with the red wine he’s trying to sell and asks if we’d like to try it. No, I tell him, but we’ll sample the Chateau Ste. Michelle Reisling.

I’d like to point out that a sample wasn’t really necessary. It’s my favorite wine. I KNOW what it tastes like. That’s beside the point.

Tyler liked us so we got half glass samples. And then my husband decided we’d order some. A whole bottle of some. Did you know that Olive Garden will put a lovely wine bucket on your table? It’s cool. And the waiter will also keep filling your glass.

It doesn’t take much for my inhibitions to wane. He asks as he opens the bottle “do we save corks?” And I replied. “I’m not sure if we do. I don’t. Do you?”

He didn’t get it. Anyway, we ordered. I got my favs: Chicken Marsala, Garlic mashed potatoes, bread sticks and zuppa tuscana. My husband ordered something he’d never tried because he’s more adventurous than I am. I like to stick with what I know.

Dinner was lovely. Lots of inconsequential talk. Discussion of the cruise we’d like to take next year. Tyler filling my wine glass.

I was done halfway through my dinner. And Tyler asked if we were full. I told him “we” were taking the rest home because “we” were having dessert.

I have priorities.

I had the black tie cake thingy. I don’t know the actual name but it was sooooooo good. My husband and I also finished the wine. Please note this was a prolonged dinner. We were taking our time. About then, my head was feeling kinda swimmy. Look, I got a drink at Logan’s the other day and could only do half before I handed it to my husband. Me and alcohol…not fast friends.

Soooooo, we chat, we talk, Tyler (an excellent waiter) put the bill way over on the other side of the table. Quite the stretch. My husband and I had had some discussion over Tyler’s name. It wasn’t that we weren’t looking. His name tag was dark green with black print. I know he was Tyler from the bill. At least he was when we got the bill. When I paid and wrote in the tip, I changed his name to TYLER A+.

He did a good job.

He told us when we were leaving to ask for him when we came back again. Miss Lack of Inhibition said, “We will. Is your name really Tyler A plus?”

Ooooooh… it goes on. Thankfully, my husband has a sense of humor. My skirt twisted all around me getting in the car. I wasn’t dexterous enough to fix it. When I came home, I tripped over my feet and fell on the couch. My husband, I would like to point out, did this on purpose. He thinks it’s funny when I get dumb.

I decided I wasn’t waiting for the kids to go to bed. After I got on my pajamas—inside out and almost caught in the ceiling fan—I fell into bed.

It was immediately evident that my nightgown didn’t fit. At least in my opinion. It was all twisty and stuff. I decided my husband was BRILLIANT because he suggested I just take it off. In hindsight, I think he was just tired.

I slept like a rock. And got up twenty minutes late.

And this my friends, this is why Brynn rarely drinks. However…guess what? I have a lovely bottle of the Chateau Ste Michelle on my shelf. On Friday, Bronwyn and I are going to get dumb during the Supernatural season finale. Bronwyn is a notable lightweight as well.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Daly Way Post

2011-05-18T10:12:00.007-04:00

Hey everyone! I have a post today on my new Daly Way blog. You can find it here: http://dalyway.blogspot.com/

I will be posting several places over the coming months. Whenever I post on one of my series blogs, I'll put the link here too. This blog will be primarily for non-specific writing posts, overlap posts, and personal posts.

The sites are still in development, but there are also blogs for my other series: Taboo Wishes, Cruentus Dragons and Zed Force.

~~Brynn

My Fav Pics Since October

2011-05-17T20:52:00.021-04:00

I'm a little bit of a shutterbug, and one of the things I love doing is taking pictures of my backyard. I have a special backyard...well look below and see:

These are in chronological order from when we moved in to today.

Always - Severus Snape Tribute

2011-05-13T19:14:00.001-04:00

Another video. This one is amazing. All Snape drawings. I love the song too. Off to Zune to look it up. Okay... last video for awhile. Promise. And news! My Dragon books and Taboo Wishes books will be in print anthologies in July!! ~~Brynn

Snape Rulzzz

2011-05-12T15:30:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I know... another video, but this one is so worth it. I love Snape. I think you'll enjoy this mash-up of Harry Potter clips. ~~Brynn

Catching Up and Such…

2011-05-11T09:57:00.005-04:00

Part 1: What has Brown Done For You?

Well…in my case, UPS hit my car and crunched up the front right quarter panel, headlight, grille and hood. Guh! 100% their fault too. The kicker? I just got the car fixed in the same place from a similar accident. Just. Fixed. In March. And because it’s ten years old and we don’t owe on it, we carry the lowest, legal insurance coverage. So the car was just fixed again. You should have seen the look on the guy’s face when we had to bring it back in. But hey, he’s adorable and has the cutest dreds… Not worth the price of the damage, but definitely a plus side.

Part 2: Schedule Overwhelmed

You might have noticed slower releases this year. I’ve pulled all my planned books from the schedules and am writing a little slower. My last “prescheduled” book will be out this month. I feel it’s important to produce quality books, not quantity books. I hope you understand. I’m finding I need more thinking time between books in order to develop them. I actually took nearly a month off between mid-January and mid-February just to refresh. Kinda like a sabbatical. My sabbatical included 5 seasons of Bones. Don’t judge.
But I feel really good about my upcoming work. I’m also able to put out some longer books now without getting an ulcer.

Part 3: What Was That Giant Thud?

It might have been me falling over, lol. Last night was the All Romance eBook Awards for 2010. I feel like The King’s Speech at the academy awards! I was given awards for the 2nd and 8th Bestselling Books for 2010. I was also the 2nd Bestselling Author of 2010. My bestie, Bronwyn Green had the 3rd and 7th bestselling books. How much better than that does it get. Oh wait! It does get better! My good friend Carol Lynne was the #1 bestselling author last year. It was like a group party. I’m thrilled to have 4 awards on my bookshelf now.

Part 4: Wanna See Some New Covers?

English Teacher Harassed For Being Erotica Author

2011-04-29T12:06:00.000-04:00

Guess Who's Finally Back

2011-04-14T13:54:00.000-04:00

New Daly Way Cover!!

2011-03-31T13:30:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Check out my new cover!!! I LOVE hot cowboys!!

Interviewed today

2011-03-30T13:22:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone,
In case you haven't seen it on the email loop, facebook or twitter, I was interviewed today by Forbidden Bookshelf. Check it out and get a chance for free books!
Brynn

No longer Male Ordered

2011-03-23T15:14:00.003-04:00

The guys in Daly way are no longer Male Ordered, but the heroine is begging for them to Fill Her Up. ;-)

I got my new cover!!!

Mr. Smith's Whip!!!

2011-03-18T13:46:00.005-04:00

Hey there!!! I'm over at Writer's Evolution blogging about ooky "romance" words this week. Also, I'm super thrilled to announce my new book, Mr. Smith's Whip came out this week from Resplendence Publishing. It's book 4 in the Taboo Wishes series. This was seriously my most exhausting and consuming book to write. I'm thrilled with how it turned out and it ended up 15,000 words longer than the original plan. Not a bad thing, I think. Here's what it's all about:

Librarian Olivia McKinnion’s life rarely changes as she oversees the Brandywine community library and archives, but when Colin Smith takes up residence to research his latest book, everything changes. She’s heard whispers of Mr. Smith’s whip and his dominant ways—whispers that make her tremble with need for her secret wishes to be fulfilled. And more than anything, she wants Colin to show her the darker side of sex, bent over his knee and begging for more.

Interviewed on EVO

2011-02-18T14:29:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone,
Today I was interviewed on Writer's Evolution. Stop by!
~~Brynn

Happy Dean Day...That is All

2011-02-14T11:14:00.002-05:00

Epic Fail

2011-01-26T08:43:00.004-05:00

I'm the most klutzy person on the planet. Really, my nickname since I married my husband is "Gracie". I once sprained my ankle walking across the room. I'm that good.

So last night, I was innocently doing the usual getting ready for bed stuff. Washing my face, brushing my teeth, etc. I have a new electric toothbrush. Let’s just say…I have problems with it.

I have long hair and I’m forever catching stray pieces of hair in it. And I stop. And I remove. Last night, I ended up with a whole hank of hair in it wound in the brush to the scalp. Yes, I fail and I couldn’t find the off button.

Once I was detangled and toothpaste was combed out of my hair, I went to bed. I was Freezing! My husband, kind horny soul he is, decided to cuddle with me. I wear a bra to bed under my nightgown because it’s more comfortable for me. My selfless husband unhooked it so he could rub my back. Okay…we all know where he was going with that.

“I can’t sleep like this,” I tell him. “The underwires are fine when it’s fastened, but like this, I’m going to stab myself when I turn over.”

So to his delight, I started to wiggle out of it. It was stuck. Yes, I was stuck in my bra…only to find as he lifted his hand that I had managed in my wiggling to hook it to his watchband.

We laughed so hard I cried. And the moment was over. Probably good. I might have managed to fall off the bed and really hurt myself.

Feeling Betrayed

2011-01-25T09:55:00.002-05:00

Okay... It's little. It's a TV show for God's sake. But anyone who follows my blog regularly, will know I watch two TV shows: Medium and Supernatural. I fear Supernatural is in danger of ending this year. It was supposed to end last year but got renewed. Hopefully, it will go on. It's still good. But Medium... Out of the blue, it was cut from 22 episodes to 13 this year. That's not the betrayal.

What they did in that last show...

After 7 years of faithfully viewing, my heart was ripped out. And I cried and I cried and I cried.

Series finale? Series decimation.

Realease Date Announced!

2011-01-24T14:02:00.002-05:00

Good morning! I got the release date for From Croatia With Love. It will be available on February 12 at All Romance eBooks as part of their special collection.
~~Brynn

Look What I Got!

2011-01-21T08:56:00.002-05:00

Here's the beautiful cover for From Croatia With Love (coming soon from All Romance eBooks). I just LOVE it!!!

Minute Fiction - In the Past

2011-01-19T09:56:00.006-05:00

Welcome to Monday Minute Fiction. Join me every Monday for a bit of quick fiction. (Okay, so today's not Monday, but here's a story for you!)

In the Past

(this work belongs to Brynn Paulin and cannot be duplicated without permission)

“Rhaya, what’s this picture?”

I glanced at it then looked away. “Sometimes when I’m upset, I just shut up.”

“And?”

“Jake was making me feel better…trying to get me to talk.” I didn’t want to speak now, but I knew this wasn’t going to get dropped. “He was the only one who didn’t expect things from me back then.”

I glanced in the mirror. Ten years had passed in a flash…except for those long moments over the past five years when I’d missed Jake. But I would never tell this woman, Susan. In two days, she’d be my sister-in-law. She didn’t need to know her baby brother, Curt, wasn’t my first true love. He was more like my ‘I like you a lot and my biological clock is ticking’ love.

“What happened to him?” Susan asked.

I took a deep breath, fighting the pain that usually accompanied talking about him. “That was just before he went into the military. His transport crashed five years later. Land to air missile in Iraq.”

“He was special?”

“Yes.”

I’d married him when I was eighteen. Though we’d barely been together because of his constant deployments following 9/11, it had been four years of bliss before the tragedy.

I turned the page of the photo album. More pictures of Jake. Rather than keep turning, I shut it. “But life goes on, right? The living have to keep living. And I met your brother a year ago.”

“How long did you know Jake?”

What was this with the third degree? “Fifteen years. Since I was seven. He lived one street over and his family’s backyard butted up to our backyard. Our families did picnics and fireworks and stuff together. Hung out in lawn chairs at twilight. That sort of thing. His parents still live behind mine.”

She glanced out the back slider to the shadowed house behind us. My parents were in Florida until tomorrow afternoon, and I was staying at their house since my apartment had been closed up in preparation for moving in with my husband-to-be. Not for the first time, I wondered if it meant anything that all my stuff had gone to storage rather than his house.
Could it be I wasn’t quite ready for this change in my life?

Susan gathered up the pile of photos we’d selected for the board being made for the rehearsal dinner. “I think these will do. See you tomorrow night.”

“With bells,” I replied dryly. Realizing my mistake at her sharp look, I smiled. “Nerves. The rehearsal’s making me nervous.”

“It’ll be fine,” she assured. “Before you know it, you’ll be an old married lady like me.”

As I closed the door behind her, I hoped it would be that easy. It seemed I’d had a constant knot in my stomach for the past six months. Tension, fear, gnawing dread…I didn’t know. I only knew I didn’t really love my fiancé. It wasn’t a secret from him that I was only in deep like. Of course he had his own secret, one that included his friend Brian.

I was making a terrible decision.

Shaking my head, I headed back to the kitchen to clean up. Curt was just bi-sexual enough that he’d committed to making a family, but my sex life was looking sparse for the next sixty or so years. Whatever. I could find fulfillment elsewhere.

I had just finished gathering up photo albums when a brisk knock came on the front door. Susan must have forgotten something. Wearily, I tried to put on a happy face. My smile fell at the sight of a slightly bedraggled man outside the front door. No, he wasn’t bedraggled…just gaunt. Drawn. His clothing too loose and his frame too thin. Dark shadows colored the skin beneath his blue eyes.

“I object,” he said in a deep voice that had colored my life for years. My fingers tightened on the door for a moment then, suddenly, my blood was throbbing through me and my vision blurred. My mouth worked without words escaping as the world fell away.

* * * *

Jake’s face loomed over me as I woke. Somehow in his diminished state, he’d moved me to the couch. My gasping breaths were sobs as my hands touched him everywhere then finally dragged him to me. We kissed frantically. There was no tentativeness or unfamiliarity in our caresses. Somehow, impossibly, my husband was here in my arms.

“How?” I finally asked between kisses. It was several more minutes before, I repeated, “How?” I had to know before I lost myself in him. Though I wanted nothing more, five years of sorrow wouldn’t be forgotten.

Understanding, Jake sat up. He pulled me onto his lap. Sadness filled me at the feel of his bones beneath my legs. What had they done to the robust man I’d married? In my soul, I knew I’d fix him. I’d heal the hurts of the past years. He’d heal mine. We’d been destined for each other since the first time we’d met, a joint firefly hunt in the backyard.

He sighed, his hand stroking my hair. He’d always loved it. I’d cut it short the day I was told he’d died. Thankfully, it had grown out to nearly the length it had been when we’d last been together.

He just continued to touch, and I didn’t interrupt as he thought.

“Sadam still has some hangers on,” he finally said. “They’ve had me since…the crash.”

“But…how is it I didn’t hear of you being recovered. Of you not being…dead.” I’d almost ended up with two husbands! An unintentional polygamist. It could have been disaster.
Worse, I hadn’t been there for him. I should have been at the hospital after they’d rescued him.

He made a face. “The military publicize they made a huge mistake? I haven’t been able to reach you. Somehow, you managed to slip off the grid temporarily.” He shrugged. “Working from home, moving here with your parents. The powers that be finally allowed me to talk to my mom and dad. I found out you were right across the yard—I can’t stay. My ride’s out front. I know things terrorists don’t want let out and other things the military doesn’t want released.”

“What! No, Jake—”

“They’re hiding me. Sorta a military version of witness protection.”

I shook my head, horrified that he was here, and I was going to lose him.

“Come with me,” he urged.

My hand squeezed his, and I gave him the only answer I could. As we always had, we understood each other without words spoken. We sat in silence, arms around each other, contemplating our futures. The knot of dread unraveled in my middle and for the first time in six months, I knew everything would be okay.

Exciting Announcement!

2011-01-18T13:42:00.004-05:00

I've been keeping a secret, but now, finally, I can let it out of the bag! I wrote a special book for All Romance eBooks that will be released next month. I don't have the exact date, but it will be between Feb. 1 and 13. My book is called From Croatia With Love.

Blurb:

A misdirected email brought more than she expected

Over the past months, Caroline Silver has developed an email relationship with a man from Croatia she contacted by accident. He's safe and fun to talk to every night. When he wants to meet her, her body agrees but her brain screams "no!" Still, Aleksandr Lebedev knows exactly how to break down her walls and get to "Oh yes!"

Blogging elsewhere

2011-01-14T09:08:00.002-05:00

Good morning!! As you can see, my new year's resolution this year wasn't to blog more often. Still, I'm going to try. To that end, I've blogged at two other places this week.

Yesterday, I blogged about Franken-manuscript. Have you ever wondered about writer's early manuscripts and what became of them? Check out the story of mine here.

Today, I also blogged at Writers Evolution about Sex and how much is too much. You can check that out here.

And, please please please come back Monday! I'll have a new Monday Minute fiction for you.

Have a great weekend.

~~Brynn

Miss Molly!!

2010-12-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Molly Daniels my contest winner! Email me at brynnpaulin@comcast.net to claim your prize!!!

Look What Showed Up in MY Stocking!!

2010-12-15T11:11:00.003-05:00

Yay!! Yuletide Greetings, installment 3 of Taboo Wishes, is out today at Resplendence Publishing. Nothing better than a sexy holiday read after a day of Christmas rush!!

Here’s a look:

Zach Colvin never believed in Santa, so filling in as Santa at the mall for one of his friends is not making his holiday bright. He’s supposed to be on vacation, not working. When his brother promises to send him a package full of holiday cheer he never expected it to be a near-naked woman.

Kate Morgan has made a mistake. After many emails, she’s meeting a man for a near-anonymous hook up, but she stunned to find a different man opening the front door—a man with a determined grin, mesmerizing eyes, and a naughty penchant for spanking.

Now...I only give away ebooks once or twice a year, but I'm giving away all three of my December books to one lucky blogger. Leave me a comment and let me know what Taboo Wish you'd like to see me write about and I'll put your name in a hat for the drawing.

Happy Holidays!!!!
Brynn

Blood of the Wolf Finally Here!

2010-12-03T07:39:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it's been a year since the last Dragon book. Blood of the Wolf has finally arrived. Here's a look:

Once upon a time, Lucan Aventech thought he was human. Then the day of his changing arrived. As his skin ignited and he shifted to Dragon form for the first time, he was in a horrific accident—or so it appeared. He survived, but everyone, including his beloved Meda, believed him dead.

Now that he’s finally come to terms with being a Dragon shifter and he’s no longer a danger to others, he’s ready to reclaim his life and reclaim Meda. Reigniting the love between them should be easy, right? But Meda’s deep-seated anger and pain as she comes to terms with who he is and the fact that he abandoned her makes things far more difficult than Lucan ever imagined. Nevertheless, nothing can stop the passion still burning between them. Not even the Djinn who wants to claim her as his own. Now, Lucan has only to convince her that this time is forever.

Blood of the Wolf is available at Resplendence Publishing.

Pop over to Writer's Evolution today where we're talking about success.

Letters to Characters

2010-10-14T18:08:00.004-04:00

I have a few letters to write to my characters today.

Dear Mr. Smith,
I would appreciate if you'd observe office hours. They do not start until 6:30 AM. 4:30 AM is not acceptable even if you are bringing me the opening of my book.
Thank you.

Additionally>>>

Dear Ms. Francesca Cress,
I would appreciate it if you too would observe office hours. I know that you are anxious for your book, but please, office hours end at 11:00PM. I cannot help you with how Justin managed to get you tied up without you knowing it. I know you're pissed but I must insist that you visit during therapy hours. No appointment necessary.
Thank you.

AND>>>

Dear Dragon Community,
You do realize that I'm writing your book? Some input would be appreciated.
Thank you.

~~~Management

A Big Smile

2010-10-08T09:39:00.002-04:00

I have the sweetest one... This was an unexpected Thursday present from my husband:

Random Acts

2010-10-04T09:01:00.002-04:00

Today, I did a random act o Monday kindness. I'm not telling you this to toot my horn. It was no big deal. But I gotta say, it turned out soooooooo cool. Usually, when you do something, you don't get to see what happens after that. Not so today. By coincidence, I got to hear the results. Or the continuation as the case might be.

This morning, I went to Starbucks as I usually do on Monday morning -- Monday's kick my butt. And on a whim, I told the person at the window to charge my card for the person behind me as well. I didn't know her. The most I could tell when I looked up after that was that she looked like she was on her way to work and she had a hot pink baby seat in the back of her SUV. A mom going to work. Definitely in need of a free coffee.

Here's where it gets cool. By coincidence -- or maybe not because we're usually there about the same time -- Bronwyn Green pulled into Starbucks about five cars behind me. And this is what I found out... The lady behind me paid for the car behind her, and the person behind her did the same, and so on, so that when Bron pulled to the window, her coffee was paid for. A whole line of strangers doing something nice for the person behind them. And Bronwyn did the same. So a whole line of people got to feel good about someone doing something nice for them and then doing something nice for someone else.

I love it!

Happy Monday!!! Do something nice for someone else today. You never know what will happen!

~~Brynn

An Important Message

2010-10-02T20:35:00.001-04:00

As the mother of two teenagers, I can't say how important I find this message. Pass it on.
In case the video doesn't come up, here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B-hVWQnjjM

What the Wind Blew In

2010-09-25T13:39:00.003-04:00

It's been wicked windy here in Michigan. We were under a wind advisory for something like 36 hours. It was blowing like crazy and there were branches (and other things) all over the place. And what a radical weather change it was 82 yesterday morning. This morning...51. An amazing difference.

So, I like to say, the wind blew in my favorite TV shows last night. Admittedly, I barely watch TV at all. I take time to see two shows and that's it. This year, the TV networks have conspired to make my life easy. Thank you CBS and CW, lol. They put my two favs on the same nights, back to back. Awesome!

So...I started out with Medium. I missed most of last season because of a schedule conflict, but I have the DVDs on order. Still starting in this season wasn't a problem at all. I understood right where we were at. Patricia Arquette (Allison) and Maria Lark (Bridgette) did a great job with portraying each other's characters. They did a body switch in this opening episode, kinda like Freaky Friday. It was a good cringe-worthy Medium but fun too.

Then I switched over to Supernatural. Now the story arc they were on ended last season so I knew there would be changes. I've been trolling the news sites so I even knew what a lot of the changes would be. I was prepared. I was okay with what they said was coming. In fact, I've been excited.

I was disappointed. And now for the laundry list of dislikes... And if you don't watch Supernatural, you might was well end here. I'm gonna lose you.

Jenson Ackles and Jared Padalecki were cast in their roles for a reason. What I discovered is that Jenson (Dean) doesn't do sensitive guy as well as Sam -- this is as opposed to playing the broken hard ass which he does really well. That was little of my problem. MOSTLY, I was opposed to Jared's (Sam) portrayal. He doesn't do emotionless hard ass well. At all. It made him flat and it was as if Sam phoned in his performance. I know they're going for the whole role-reversal thing, and I thought I'd like it, but it's just not working.

I did not like the intro of the the Campbells and please God please let them be temporary. This episode felt a lot less like a great premiere and more like a professor's syllabus of 'here's all the crap you need to know this year'.

I also didn't like how the brothers weren't acting like they'd totally take a bullet for each other like they always used to. Their devotion was always one of the best parts of the show.

But I did like the yorkie in the shed. Made me laugh and think of the yellow fever episode when Dean was running terrified from the little yorkie. Looked like the same dog... And yellow fever... yellow eyed demon showing up... Hmm... I think perhaps it was an intentional gift to fans.

~~Brynn

I'm Too Sexy for My Wings

2010-09-24T06:35:00.002-04:00

Good morning!!! I got a new cover for my upcoming release, Fallen. What do you think?

Back!!!

2010-09-20T09:34:00.003-04:00

I just got back from Authors After Dark. It was a great time!!! I love spending time with my best friends. I talk to them just about every day, but seeing them is so much better. I have to say, Stella Price did an awesome job coordinating the conference. With all the snafus that were out of her hands, she still managed to keep things on track and moving along as they needed to.

I was so excited to meet one of my friends, Kris Norris, in person -- finally. She is absolutely fantastic. Just an all around superb person. I hope I get to see her again soon even though she comes to conferences all the way from Canada. Of course I got to see Carol Lynne, Bronwyn Green, Mia Watts and Jennifer Armintrout too!!!

Bronwyn, Mia, Kris and I went in to NYC one of the days and had quite the adventure. We started at the bus station, went to Times Square, then had lunch at the Jekyll and Hyde Club (which is one of my favorite places). We took the long carriage ride through Central Park - after dickering with the bike tour guys and deciding to go with the much nicer and reasonable horse and carriage.

Afteward, due to a bit of a misdirection problem, we took a loooooooooong subway ride, then finally went to ground zero. I've been there before and it made a huge impression. This time it just looked like a construction site. Then we were off to the walk through Battery Park. The battered globe that was once between the Twin Towers made a bigger impression.

Then it was off to the Staton Island Ferry and a view of the Statue of Liberty. This was where we met a hysterical guy named Jose who entertained us the whole way. He told us about the ferry crashing into the pier twice in the last year and promised to save us. Kris announced she would kayak on him and we discovered Mia has a toe fetish (sorry Mia. I promised I was not letting it go) and I decided I'd just swim for it.

Another, much shorter subway ride followed then we took the bus back to our hotel. We were exhausted and had dinner at one of the restaurants by the hotel. Bronwyn fell asleep at the table while we waited for our bill. I was ready to join her.

The next day was the official start of the conference. I meet so fantastic people there. Someone I will now list as a good friend and I was thrilled to meet was Sonya Bateman. She's a sweetheart and it was fun having her hang out with us. I haven't read any of her books yet, but I hear they're awesome. I'm going to download one today for my ereader.

All in all, it was a fun time and I know I'll have more to share, but there's the overview. And I have to say:

1. My husband told everyone the past five days how grateful he was for me and that he had no idea how much I do every day.

2. I almost cried when I saw my husband and kids coming up the concourse to greet me yesterday. Despite the fun, I was so thankful to be home. Gotta say, I love those boys.

~~Brynn

Not A Lot to Say

2010-09-13T10:19:00.004-04:00

It was an eventful weekend. Busy, fun, entertaining but, today, I'm exhausted. I feel like a nap but I'm having lunch with my husband and his friend. No time. And with the dryer situation, I'm off to the laundromat again today. Ah, the mundane...

In the non-mundane realm...bad news/good news. Yuletide Greetings has been moved. It will release Dec. 8. So...next up, for all you Dragon lovers, Blood of the Wolf, book three in the Cruentus Dragon series. To clarify, there is no wolf in this story. Wolf refers to Lucan the hero, who's also a bit of a lone wolf. I'm definitely excited for that book to appear. I hope my fellow Dragon lovers will enjoy it. Shortly, after you'll see the third Taboo Wishes book, Mr. Smith's Whip.

Well, back to work with me...and maybe to find some coffee.

Oh and go Jimmie Johnson! Congrats on the 3rd place in Richmond and being #2 in the Chase. Best of luck! My fingers are crossed!

Busy Day

2010-09-11T06:44:00.003-04:00

Well, up at the crack of dawn...

I'm posting a quick blog before I'm off to downtown for the annual Scout Salute with my Boy Scout troop. I'm tired enough that this morning I contemplated for a moment the irony that it always falls on my birthday so I always have to be up ungodly early. Um...no irony. 9/11 doesn't move every year. Derr... Yes, tired.

We have a low-key but fun day planned. Movie (Salt), dinner, hot tub. I'm looking forward to it, but I may try to fit in a nap somewhere in there :-)

This is where I'm going:

To Squee and Not To Squee

2010-09-09T23:48:00.001-04:00

First off, I want to say thanks to “D” (you know who you are) who sent me the best letter yesterday. I really appreciated what she had to say. Thank you “D”.

Okay…so, yesterday was a crazy day. My dryer is freakin’ broken. I had to go to the dreaded Laundromat! Actually, it wasn’t so bad. I used the time to do some studying. Yep, I still study. It was nice to have some downtime away from the computer.

One thing I’m studying is Dragons—specifically, my Dragons. I loaded my Cruentus Dragon books on my eReader to reread them as I settle in to work on book three in the series. I’m excited about book three. It’s my favorite theme: a reunion story. Lucan, the hero, has been separated from the heroine since he shifted into Dragon form the first time. Before that, he thought he was human. The heroine thought he was dead, and as you can imagine, she’s not pleased with him. How would you react if the lover you thought was dead suddenly returned? Stay tuned for our heroine’s reaction.

Speaking of heroines, I had a seriously girly moment yesterday—okay, I needed a segue way and this has nothing to do with heroines. Anyway. Seriously girly moment. I think Bronwyn can testify that I actually squeeeeeed at her on voice mail. I found the most perfect shoes in the whole world. This is serious business. I have big feet, not dainty cute feet like my relatives who get to wear equally cute shoes. No. Large, clunky feet. Let me tell you, finding shoes I like and that are also comfortable is nigh unto impossible. It was definitely a squee-worthy moment.

Another one of those might be cool today. Oh! Speaking of being cool...I'm over on Writer's Evolution today. Come over and say hi!

Early Morning Coffee

2010-09-09T07:01:00.003-04:00

You know, one of the things I miss during the summer is early mornings. Don't get me wrong, I think 6 AM is an ungodly hour, but somehow, when I do have to be up, I enjoy the quiet time with my cup of coffee while the kids get ready for school. Of course, that's after 'omg, omg, GOD! I have to get up? WHY????' -- that would be me, not the kids. Once I'm up though and the first one's in the shower, peace...

Believe it or not, most days, it's pretty peaceful around here in the AM. The kids have their routines; I drink my coffee and make breakfast. This morning, I enjoyed the scent of cinnamon rolls while I was able to gather my thoughts. Don't be too impressed. It was Grands.

So this morning, my considerations turned to my writing release schedule and workload. I'm seriously considering halving the number of books I have scheduled for the coming year. I want to be able to spend more time on each project. I won't lie. This comes after two Amazon reviews that in my opinion poorly judged two of my books. They weren't 'awful reviews', in fact, I got four stars on both of them, but they're bothering me. For someone who usually has steel skin, they're really bothering me. Bad.

On the matter, I'll suspend judgment for another week or so. Perhaps I'll feel differently after the Authors After Dark conference.

Head Space

2010-09-08T09:46:00.004-04:00

The kids went back to school yesterday. The "baby" started high school while my oldest started his junior year. I feel old!!!! Oh well, I did have kids as a young twenty-something. This was the plan :-)

So...kids back in school...I am so thankful. I love having them around, but my productivity is slashed during summer break. I can't think when subconsciously I'm constantly expecting an interruption. I get no head space--no time to really think. Yesterday was a day of running so I had no time to enjoy the "aloneness" but today... It's only been two hours and I've gotten so much done! That's probably a good thing since my to-do list is monumental, lol!

I'm hard at work on my next project. I need to get it to my editor asap. Hopefully, now that I can think, it will roll along smoothly. I'm enjoying the book, but I can't wait for it to be done. Next up: DRAGONS!!!

I have a new book!!

2010-09-06T09:23:00.004-04:00

My new story is out today at Total-e-bound as part of the Threefold Anthology! It's called Strangers in the Night and is part of my new series, Behind Sin's Door. And take a look who's in the antho with me! I can't think of a better line up. I'm thrilled to be with them.

Here's the blurb:

The bar, Sin’s Door, has a reputation and McKenzie Stewart knows all about it.

She’s been warned it’s nothing but a meat market, but meeting someone is exactly what she has in mind when she goes there one hot, September night.

Little does she realize that she’ll meet not one but two men and experience pleasure that keeps her coming back for more.

EXCERPT:

McKenzie Stewart knew what lay just inside Sin’s Door. Sex. Lots of it. Anonymous and hopefully hot.

Nervously, she ran her tongue over her bottom lip. Could she do this? It wasn’t exactly the kind of thing a quiet nanny usually did. Okay, it was the kind of thing a nanny never did. But at the moment, she wasn’t one. She had no charges and none lined up for a few months until the Andersons returned home from their trip abroad to Europe. They hadn’t wanted a nanny with them, and McKenzie was quite sure Mrs. Anderson didn’t want her around at all, but her husband insisted. To give the kids a sense of stability, you know? he’d told his wife, and somehow, she’d acted as if it was okay that he’d felt up the help.

McKenzie wasn’t all right with it, but at the moment, jobs weren’t exactly falling from trees. Neither were men—not that she was at all interested in Mr. Anderson. She just wanted a sexy as hell guy to keep her warm. Barring that, a normal guy would be okay.

So here she stood, staring at the green and blue neon lights of Sin’s Door. Normal did not reside beyond that portal to debauchery.

Butterflies bombarded her insides as she ran a trembling hand over her short, red plaid skirt. She’d dressed sweet, innocent, and subtly naughty tonight—not that the hint of school girl in her dress was subtle, but so be it. At twenty-five, with fewer curves that your average high school cheerleader, she could still get away with that.

She took a deep breath and pushed back her thick fall of dark brown hair. It brushed her lower back as she stepped towards the point of no return. And it was that point. She was not chickening out. Once she got through those doors, she was picking a guy and making a move and getting her brains fucked out. And tomorrow, maybe she’d do it again.

McKenzie was tired of being nursemaid to the rich and mistress to none. Her schedule left her zero time for men, and now at loose ends, she had no one to be with. And she wanted sex. Lord, how she wanted sex. Perhaps Mr. Anderson had sensed that, and that’s why he’d tried to feel her up just before his family’s trip. Or perhaps he was just a pervert. She wasn’t taking the blame for his actions.

So no man, no time—and usually no time for a man. It all brought her here, looking for anonymous sex. That would be far better than finding some poor guy who might want a relationship. Her job just didn’t allow for one. Not much. What guy would be happy with Saturdays after the kids’ bedtimes until Monday morning at six a.m.?

Yes, this was better.

Resolved as she made it across the street, she tamped down any remaining nerves. Her panties grew damp with anticipation with every step she took—and she hadn’t even set eyes on the man.

Music blared from the bar, flooding the sidewalk and street with sound as she approached. Would she even hear a pickup line if someone tried to toss one out? She’d have to rely on body language, she supposed. Just fine. If she could hear the guy, there was more of a chance that he’d tell her his name. She really didn’t want that.

She shivered at a fantasy of what she did want, a fantasy that had haunted her the last few weeks as she’d spent nearly every night with her vibrator. Her pulse raced at the thought. Her on the bar, being passed around to man after man. Fucking a parade of them as everyone watched. Loving every second of it.

Never going to happen.

She pulled open the heavy wood door to Sin’s Door, anticipation prickling her skin.

Inside was nearly as dark as outside, with crazy beams of green and blue lights slowly moving over the crowd. The interior as warm as late June, and just about as steamy. To bring out the body heat and natural musk in people, she decided as a light perspiration started to coat her skin. It wasn’t warm enough for her to really sweat—gross—and definitely more comfortable than actual summer heat. It was more like the heady warmth that took a body after particularly fantastic sex.

Sex… Where to find it? Tiny white lights lined the walkways on the floor, cordoning off the bar from the aisle and the aisle from the table area and the dance floor from it all. McKenzie had no idea where to start. Feeling a bit like a deer caught in headlights, she glanced around until she was bumped from behind by a couple entering the bar.

The man’s hand slid down McKenzie’s back to her ass and right on up under her skirt where he cupped a cheek bared by her thong.

“New?” he whispered, and his woman leaned into McKenzie’s other side and stroked her palm up McKenzie’s torso to cup her breast. The woman’s thumb flicked over the peak while McKenzie mutely nodded her response to the man’s question. His thumb traced the crease of McKenzie’s ass.

The woman’s warm, minty breath puffed against McKenzie’s ear, “Try the bar, darling. Get a drink and look available, not terrified.”

Yuletide Greetings!!!!

2010-09-05T18:02:00.003-04:00

Yes I know it's a little early, but I want to share my cover!! Coming this month: Yuletide Greetings from Resplendence Publishing!

The Chuck List

2010-08-20T14:47:00.008-04:00

First off, let me congratulate Dakota Rebel on the arrival of Rebel 2.0. I'm so happy for you!! During the gestation and anticipation of the arrival of version 2.0, I must inform all of you that there was a long, inventive but largely unsuccessful campaign by my husband to get Mr. and Mrs. Rebel to name their bundle of joy Chuck. They were having none of it.

A mistake, surely. An oversight. Chuck is a strong solid name. And here fifty of the very famous and wonderful Chucks:

Chuck Wepner – inspiration for the Rocky movies
Chuck Norris
Chuck Berry – My Ding-a-ling. Very ding-a-ling-centric. Important for a boy.
Chuck Jones – Daffy Duck creator
Chuck Yeager – General and famous pilot
Chuck (aka “Chuckie”) – determined and could wield a knife
Chuck Brown – Snappy dresser. Can rock the bald.
Chuck the groundhog – Staten Island’s Buckeye Chuck. Only slightly less famous than Pete
Chuck Taylor – All-star
Ground Chuck – feeding many
Wood Chuck – Would if he could. Very dependable. Tries hard.
Chuck Norris
Chucks – Cool footwear for sexy yuppies
Chuck the Prophet – Supernatural dude. Awesome.
Chuck the Vampire – little know Twilight vampire. Was up for Edwards spot but doesn’t sparkle quite as sissily.
Chuck Liddel – Martial artist, UFC Champ
Chuck (of Charlie’s Angels) – Please, he had women at his beck and call, willing to run into danger for him.
Chuck Chan – Ancient Chinese secret of famous detectives
Chuck means “Man”
Chuck Stapel – famous chef with famous premium knives
Chuck-e-cheese – second most famous mouse in the world!!!
Chuck Norris
Chuck – the TV series
Chuck Bukowski – Awesome poet
Chucklemayne – Also known as Chuck the Great, one of the first rulers of England
Prince Chuck – we try to forget about him, but he is famous. Likes horses.
Good Luck Chuck – awesome movie
Chuck Darwin – renowned scientific theorist
Chuck Heston – Best Moses besides the real one
Chuck-ston Chews – Good chewy candy bars in three flavors
Chuck-les – also good candy
Chuck Norris
Chuck Bronson – Tough guy actor (Dirty Dozen, Magnificent Seven, Deathwish)
Chuck Sheen – Without him the show would be 1 ½ Men. Not very snappy.
Chuck Nelson Reilly – Famous comedian/actor. Awesome on Matchgame, too.
Chuck Braxton – Power lifter, another tough guy, in Guiness Book of World Records. Hey you can’t argue with anything Guinness!
Chuck Schumer – Famous Sandwich maker
Chuck Smith – Chuck pairs well with the ordinary.
Chuck Green – Famous tap dancer. He’s got rhythm.
Chuck wagon – feeds people; feeds dogs.
Chuck roast – makes the best sloppy joes.
Chuck Norris
Chuck Chaplin – snappy hat, nice ‘stache, and a cool cane.
Chuck Dickens – A Tale of What? Two Cities. Into ghost stories too.
Chuck Daniels – Singer. Got the devil to come visit Georgia.
Chuck Barclay – Famous basketball player
Chuck – the ventriloquist dummy on Soap
Chuck Bucket – owns a whole chocolate factory. Knows how to come out on top!
Chuck the Unicorn – The only one who knows the way to Candy Mountain.
And last but not least… Smokey the Bear. His real name is Chuck.

Okay, so a few might be inventions. Or they might not be...
I'm over in Writer's Evolution today too. Check out some of my creations!! Oh and also, check out a slice of my everyday normal conversations with Bronwyn over on her blog.

Plays Well With Others by Brynn Paulin

2010-08-13T23:13:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Check out my new book trailer created by AWESOME Kris Norris!

TWILIGHT SUCKS! Emo Vampire Song : The Key of Awesome #3

2010-08-11T22:41:00.000-04:00

Okay, y'all know I like Twilight, but geez, this is funny. ~~ Brynn

Oh...and also...Plays Well With Others (Book 2 Daly Way) is out today at Resplendence.com!

Enjoy the video:

Dad Life

2010-07-17T10:17:00.001-04:00

I promised dads equal time:

Mommy Rhapsody

2010-07-16T11:44:00.001-04:00

Author After Dark Convention!!!

2010-07-03T13:23:00.000-04:00

Authors After Dark Is coming sooner then you think! Are you a blogger? or an aspiring author? a Reader with a voracious love of books? Well AAD is the con for you! Designed by authors FOR readers, AAD is the only con that doesn't break your bank! Its the cheapest con around that FEEDS YOU 5 MEALS for no additional fee! And did we mention its FREE ALCOHOL all weekend!? That's right!

Attendees this year will be treated to over 2400 free books, over 125 door prizes, several parties, mini events, workshops, tons of swag (and the good kind too!) photo opps, and tons of surprises!

And Aspiring writers? Small press authors? How would YOU like to get in front of a NY editor without the hassle of a big con's appointment schedule? This year are are lucky to have several editors from Ballantine, Kensington, and Harlequin, as well as some of the small presses like MLR Press, Torquere, Tease Publishing, Phaze, Total E Bound and More. a Full list will be up on the AAD site soon and appointments will be taken starting August 15th! The Catch? You MUST be registered by August 1st to participate, and each editor is ONLY taking 10 appointments! Be remembered! get your MS into shape!

And Bloggers? We have some fantastic goodies for you. Special goodie bags FILLED with books (ARC's, signed copies and Ltd Edition US books!) as well as the ability to engage your favorite authors for interviews and Q and A!

Check out everything on our website (http://aadromanceunlimited.com) and we hope to see you with us this year. You are in for a fantastic weekend!

Team Jasper! Rawr!!!

2010-07-01T07:32:00.011-04:00

Good morning!!! Like all good Twilighters, I went to see the new movie, Eclipse, last night. I was hopeful, but wondered how this installment’s adaptation would go. In my opinion, this was the best of the three movies. It had an emotional depth that far exceeded the other three, and though I’ve always been an Edward fan, it was nice to see Edward not looking like he was on the verge of tears or in great pain all the time. Very, very nice. The scenes with Edward and Jacob were great -- and one in particular “made” the movie. (I don't want to spoil anything by saying which one)

So… Many people in reading my Wednesday Wonder Writer interviews, have asked “Team what?” They don’t understand the question. Let me explain for the un-Twilighted. It is common for Twilighters to be either Team Jacob (the wolf shifter) or Team Edward (the vampire). My husband has always said, he's team Alice, lol. I’ve always been strictly team Edward though Jake is so hot and definitely an alpha wolf type. But I have to admit, I have always, always loved Jasper. (Funny note, just before the movie started last night, one of the teen boys sitting behind me yelled "Team Jacob". Cracked me up.)

I’m forming Team Jasper, lol. Jasper is another of the vampires (Edward’s “brother”) and in Eclipse, he was finally given legs (that’s a metaphor for those who don’t know the books and movies – he’s always had physical legs). The Jasper in this movie was great and I have newfound respect for Jackson Rathbone. I’ll be watching his scenes avidly when I get the DVD. Fan? Me? No…

And the bad guy, who I didn't find so bad... (I won’t spoil with why) At the risk of sounding like a total, hormonal fan girl, Riley is hot. Seriously, hot. His mouth made his scenes. Okay, the guy’s not a bad actor. I’ll give him credit. In fact, I thought he did a great job. I was a little distracted though. I was picturing an upcoming hero in my books looking like him.

A bunch of the one-liners had me snorting. One of my favorites, from Edward about Jacob: Does he even own a shirt?

Perfect.

And Jacob (later in the movie): We all know I'm hotter than you.

Double meaning? ;-)

Overall, in case you can’t tell, I was very pleased with the movie. In fact, though I rarely see a movie more than once in the theatre, I’ll probably go see it again.

Wednesday Wonder Writer - Nancy Badger!!!

2010-06-30T08:35:00.007-04:00

Good morning bloggers! Yesterday, I featured a book by new author, Nancy Badger. You don't need to have out a bazillion books to be a wonder writer, and I'm sure, after you read the interview, you'll agree with me that Nancy certainly qualifies for this group of excellent writers. Without further ado...the interview:

Nancy, Author’s lives intrigue readers and other writers. Tell me about your typical daily schedule.

I am fortunate to write full time. I retired from the state of New Hampshire 9-1-1 service when we sold our home and moved to North Carolina. We made one bedroom of our new home into an office, though you can sometimes find me with my laptop, papers, and research books spread out on the dining room table. Each morning, I send my hubby off to work and then go pick up my sister’s Golden Retriever. Hilary keeps my cat, Blaze, and I company. I check e-mails and Facebook, and then get to work.

Do you have a pre-writing routine to prepare yourself to get down to business?

Not really, though I check e-mail and make sure any current commitments are handled, such as promotion requests and family inquiries. I am a member of several loops and peruse the subject lines so I don’t miss an important announcement or an opportunity to query an agent. Depending on what I am working on, I start a binder for each project plus I have a binder for each book’s release where I list promotional avenues. I have tried several methods for getting a story started. Lately I am using Alex Sokoloff’s idea of the three-act play. I have large poster boards on the wall, divided into blocks, and I fill the blocks with sticky notes; love scenes, action, fights, and other plot twists. I find it helps to see what flows and what areas are void of action. Once a manuscript is finished, then the work begins. I edit and edit and share chapters with critique partners. When I think I am finished, I print it out, find a quiet place, and read it aloud.

What’s your writing style? Slow and steady? Quick and prolific? All over the place?

I would call it slow and steady. Others think I write a lot. Again, I have time to write whereas many authors still keep their day jobs or have young families. My youngest is twenty-five. Married thirty-four years, I have a great husband supporting me.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned since starting work in this industry?

The most important lesson learned thus far was that even though I had no idea what I was getting into, I kept at it until I got it right. I started out by reading a couple of books on formatting, a published guide to agents and editors, and a stack of printer paper. I had absolutely no concept of the difficulty of this business. And it is a business going through drastic changes. E-publishing has taken off and I am happy I approached a couple of e-publishers, and then sold three stories. I still want to see my name on a book in print, and I want an agent.

What are you working on now?

I will attend the Romance Writers of America conference later this month to take workshops and meet face to face with other authors. I am polishing a Scottish historical paranormal which I thought was finished a year ago. After several rejections, I submitted it to a few contests where I received awesome feedback. I have shared chapters with critique partners. It is close to perfect. I have completed about 1/3 of the second book in the series. I am also working on a present day paranormal romance set at a local art museum. I write on my blog and on Facebook as often as possible.

What’s your favorite genre to write?

That is a tough one. I am new to all this. I started out writing contemporary romance because that is what I grew up reading. I read Harlequin stories and grew fond of authors like Nora Roberts. I began writing paranormal historicals, with a Scottish flavor, because my husband and I volunteer each year at the New Hampshire Highland Games in Lincoln, NH: www.nhscots.org. Since I have sold in both genres, I’ll keep writing both.

I find a lot of authors like to read outside their chosen genre. What do you like to read?

I am a regency historical junky. Funny, I wasn’t one until I joined my local chapter of RWA. I am surrounded by wonderful, funny, intelligent women such as Claudia Dain, Liz Carlyle, Elizabeth Amber, and Sabrina Jeffries. They all write regencies and these women are inspiring. Someday I will find the confidence to write in their genre.

Do you have a favorite author or someone you look up to in the industry?

I have mentioned a few but I also enjoy Rachel Gibson, Stephanie Laurens, Hannah Howell, Janet Evanovich, Melissa Mayhew, Diana Gabaldon, and Janet Chapman to name a few. I am a voracious reader and try hard to limit my reading to later in the day. It’s part of my reward for work well done.

Tell me your writing story…when did you decide this was what you want to do? How long did it take you to get “the call”? When were you first published? Etc.

I started writing toward publication in October 2006. Hubby and I drove from New Hampshire to Raleigh, NC to pick up our son, Eric, at the Raleigh-Durham airport. This was a mid-point for family since many wanted to welcome him back from Iraq. I remember the tears as I waved a tiny American flag and met him at the gate with my Dad. The whole fourteen hour drive home, I sat in the backseat and wrote. We also made a day-trip to visit Eric’s brother, Robert, in Burlington, Vermont, so I had another five or six hours to write. The story flowed out of me and I completed the entire manuscript in one month. I received rejection letter after rejection letter, but kept writing. I had completed my fifth manuscript when I received an e-mail from Red Rose Publishing in August 2009 that they decided to buy my contemporary romance, SECRET LOVE MATCH. While waiting to edit that book with their editor, I wrote my novella, DRAGON’S CURSE, submitted it to a couple of publishers last January and sold it in March. So, on June 25th of this year BOTH my first books were released!

How many books have you had published and for whom?

I have been writing toward publication for 3 ½ years. I have completed six manuscripts and sold three. Pretty good odds! My contemporary romance, SECRET LOVE MATCH, is with Red Rose Publishing, www.redrosepublishing.com and they recently purchased DESTINY’S MOUNTAIN. DRAGON’S CURSE is my first published book with Whispers Publishing, www.whispershome.com.

What’s your latest release? Can you tell us about the book and how you got the idea?

Since I have two out, let’s talk about DRAGON’S CURSE. I put a handful of characters on an uninhabited island off the western coast of Scotland. I researched some history books my husband has collected. He was a European history major and we have done extensive genealogy searches together. Once I picked a time frame and a piece of history I could use as my hero’s conflict, I started writing. I have never written anything with a paranormal flair, but the idea flew. It helps that I love dragons. My heroine needed something ‘special’ so I gave her the gift of premonitions, which she loathes. She is forced to use them for her guardian. She can only see the future when he asks...until she meets Draco and the visions pop up. This was my first foray into writing ‘short’. I weave lots of action, intrigue, romance, and disaster into the pages. And the book cover is hot! It actually shows the cliffs of the real Scottish island of Staffa, where I set my story.

What’s your writing space like?

I am embarrassed to call it a mess. First of all, I have a desk which I purposely faced toward the window so I could watch the birds at the feeders and see people walk by on our quiet street. The trouble is, my kitten grew into a cat and he wants to lay there. It was easier to give him the desk, and use my husband’s space. With the desktop computer, the printer, the phone, the back-up power source, the wireless router, and more, the space fills up. Add the papers, sticky notes, empty coffee mugs and you get the idea. I also shred paper as a stress-reliever, which creates a mess. My closet is organized. My darling husband added lots of shelves to the large closet and I have binders for every work in progress. I choose different colors. I have a degree in art education so color is important. I have a U. S. Army calendar and a calendar of Scottish islands on the wall. I recently printed eight by tens of my new book covers, matted them, and then framed them. I hope to add more to my walls.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I used to volunteer quite a bit when I lived in New Hampshire. I was an EMT and fire fighter in my community. I am still class agent for my graduating class at Plymouth State. I moved to North Carolina about two years ago and have volunteered in the bowels of the NC Museum of Science relabeling acid free boxes into which my two sisters and I transferred old bird bones. We finished that project so are awaiting another. I am vice president of my local writers group, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers www.heartofcarolina.org. My husband, sons, and I travel back to New Hampshire every September where we volunteer at the Highland games www.nhscot.org. We love to travel. We venture to North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains for the annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games www.gmhg.org, and to the Outer Banks when we can swim. I also read, read, read!

I’m all about ‘giving people something to talk about’. We all experience crazy things from time to time. Can you tell us something unusual that you’ve done or had happen to you?

I think joining the Rumney FAST Squad was a turning point in my life. I joke and say having two accident-prone boys made me do it. My husband and I both joined the local fire department because we happened on accident scenes too often in and around our rural community and always felt helpless. I have saved homes from chimney fires, ridden a snowmobile to an accident scene, hiked halfway up a mountain trail to carry-out a cliff climber with a broken leg, called for life-flight for an injured child, and more. It is the reason I became a 9-1-1 emergency medical dispatcher. I retired when we sold our home and moved to Raleigh, NC to be near family, and have used my medical and fire fighting knowledge in some stories. DESTINY’S MOUNTAIN, a contemporary romance coming out later this year from Red Rose Publishing, has secondary characters that are paramedic-fire fighters.

Tell us… What’s your favorite movie and why?

I love the original PRIDE & PREDUDICE with Colin Firth. It is very long, yet I find myself smiling at many, many parts while I get into Elizabeth’s head. She was a simple young woman who survived the blush of new love, the pitfalls of family, and the strengths from standing up for herself.

Last questions… Coke or Pepsi? Diet coke. I am diabetic and control it with diet. I am slowly losing weight and feel so much better since I was diagnosed.

Summer or Winter? Summer, when I lived in New Hampshire. Too much snow. Now I like winter because summers are HOT here in North Carolina!

Cat person or Dog person? Cat. I have always owned a cat. Or should I say a cat has always owned me?

Bronte or Austen? Austen, by a mile.

Star Trek or Star Wars? Wow! Tough choice! Since I grew up watching the original Star Trek, I’ll go with that.

Team Edward or Team Jacob? I love Jacob, but I wish he hadn’t cut his hair.

McDonalds or Burger King? Burger King. Grilled burgers, with lettuce tomato, are heaven.

Author Bio and Contact Info:

Nancy Lee Badger writes full time and lives with her husband in Raleigh, NC. She loves everything Scottish. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, Celtic Heart Romance Writers, and Sisters in Crime. She is celebrating the recent release of her Scottish historical DRAGON’S CURSE available from Whispers Publishing. Visit her website: www.nancyleebadger.com, and her blog www.RescuingRomance.nancyleebadger.com For excerpts and more information.

Nancy, thank you for being here today!

Featured Book - Dragon's Curse by Nancy Badger!!

2010-06-29T10:03:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone! I always love to introduce new authors. Today, I have Nancy Badger and her book Dragon's Curse.

Historical, Dragons, Scotland... Yummy! Check it out!!!! And oh! What an awesome cover too! Wow!

BLURB:

Sometimes a special gift and an unwanted curse cannot keep destined lovers apart.

Brianna Macleod has accompanied a shipload of her guardian’s friends to a remote island off the coast of Scotland. She eludes these Highland hunters to keep her innocence…and her gift of sight. Her attitude against falling for womanly desires changes when she nearly drowns. Saved by the talons of a terrifying winged beast, she awakens—naked—in a cave, beside an unusual man.

Cursed by a vengeful witch to transform into a dragon at inopportune times, Draco MacDonald hides on this deserted island to live alone: until he plucks a servant girl from certain death. Fueled by jealousy, and tempered by fear for her safety, he succumbs to an unfamiliar desire to mate. Her kisses propel him to dare to make her his own.

Set in 1592 Scotland on the Scottish island of Staffa, the cursed hero battles a ghostly witch, a hunter set on rape, and his own growing desire for a young woman with premonitions of his death.

Her kisses propel him to dare to make her his own.

EXCERPT:

The water foamed and splashed as if more than one creature fought beneath the surface. Brianna stared through the sea spray, wiping her face with a tattered bit of fabric. She stared toward whatever swam beneath the surface. The sun glinted on something very odd. Emerald-green scales and a long, barbed tail curled just under the surface before the water clouded with a crimson hue.

“Is that blood?” Nia whispered.

“Aye. I think something has come to our aid.”

“I hope the beasties are no’ fighting over who gets to eat us.”

Brianna laughed aloud. The sound startled both her and her friend. “Nay, I am no’ crazed. Fear does strange things to a person. I, too, hope we survive this adventure.”

“Adventure?” Nia shook her head, pointing to a large piece of floating debris, and said, “Look.”

“Tis probably a piece of decking. Mayhap we can raise our feet above the water and look less appetizing to the beasties.”

“Good idea. Swim for it,” Nia cried.

Brianna led the way. Numb fingers clutched the jagged plank. Pain seared up her arms as the wood scraped away skin and dripped blood into the water.

“Ye first,” Brianna insisted when she saw a shivering Nia’s pale skin. Brianna rejoiced when her companion reached the safety of the large planks.

“Now you,” Nia said.

“Move over a bit so I can—“

With a flurry of foam, she lost her grip.

Water closed over Brianna’s head. She brushed against something scaly before it pulled her beneath the waves. Talons clasped her around her waist. Suddenly, she was above the ocean surface. Wind and water stung her eyes. She kicked and struggled against the vise-like grip holding her above the waves as she tried to understand her predicament.

When she brushed damp locks of hair from her face, she stared at a horrifying reflection on the sea’s surface: a huge flying dragon with a small woman in its grip. Both her hands flew to the claws wrapped around her middle. Held fast, the flap of the beast’s great wings filled the sky with an eerie thump.

The stench of blood intruded, filling her nose and making her gag. This beast had won the fight under the sea, but what happened to Nia? What happened to Gregor, Cook, and the rest of the party? Would any survivors know of her death at the hands of a dragon? Would anyone grieve her loss?

“Dear God,” she cried. “What about Draco?”

The beast trembled at her words. It glided toward land. She recognized the steep cliffs of Staffa and the beach where she gathered driftwood. She spied the waterfall where Ranald met his death.

Clenched between the murderous talons of a dragon, she made plans to run as soon as they landed.

“Draco! Help me!” He promised he would come to her aid should she call, but he could not hear her from this distance. The man owned no weapons and no armor. Landing with a gentle bump on solid ground, the golden talons retracted. Now free, Brianna hiked up her skirts and blindly jumped over rocks and roots as she flew into the bushes. Low-lying brambles scratched her naked calves. She survived worse than this when a rope had tangled around her leg and pulled her under the sea.

“I nearly drowned. A sea beast wanted to eat me for supper, now a dragon has stolen me away to this island. What else could happen?” Out of breath, she glanced back at her attacker from the relative safety of jutting rocks and prickly groundcover. Nothing. No dragon.

Silence filled the air until a high-pitched squeal made her jump. A huge boar, bigger than any the hunters had brought down during their stay on Staffa, pawed the ground a few paces from her hiding spot.

“Nice piggy,” Brianna whispered. Great. I can turn and run back toward the dragon or be gored by an irate pig.

“Go up.”

Who said that? No matter. Turning, Brianna slipped a bare foot into a low crack in the nearest rock formation. Pushing upward, she climbed. Apparently enraged by her escape attempt, the animal’s squeals turned to angry snorts. The rock shook when he collided head-on with its base.

“Go ahead. Knock yourself silly.” The boar backed up and struck again. The boar’s irrational mood and raw strength left Brianna’s bloody fingers grasping for a better hold, but she held. She nearly lost her footing when he attacked a third time. Clinging to loosened soil, which covered the jagged boulder, she also worried about the dragon. Has it let me go, or does it plan to scoop me from my perch once I reach the top?

“Brianna?”

Shocked senseless, her grip loosened. She fell. The scrawny branches of a gorse bush, growing from a crack in one side of her stone perch, scratched her cheek and snatched at her hair. She screamed until she stopped with a thud.

A warm, male hand swept tangles from her face. The coarse skin of a masculine thumb swept blood from her painful cheek as she collapsed, with a sigh, into Draco’s chest.

“Ye do no’ fly. Do ye?” he asked.

“I certainly do no’, ye beast. Draco!” She pushed far enough away to stare up from his arms. “Be careful! A wild boar is near! He almost pushed me off my perch.”

“I should no’ wonder since I accomplished the task with only my voice.”

You can find this title at Amazon: http://amzn.to/ahwqIa

What's This? A Post About Me?

2010-06-24T10:32:00.001-04:00

I've had a lot of wonder writer posts and feature book posts lately, but few posts related to me, so here we are. What's up Brynn?

Well, a lot. Yesterday was my oldest son's sixteenth birthday!! I can't believe he's already legal driving age. Truthfully, I've been dreading it for years -- about sixteen. I've received a tiny reprieve however. He doesn't want to drive yet. He doesn't even want to take driver's ed. Works for me. He had a really nice birthday though. We made sure sixteen would be one to remember.

It will also be a day I remember. I made a trip out of town for the morning, in the midst of a crashing storm that had people driving 35-45 on the highway. Ugly!!! Afterward, I raced back to town so I could get some quick maintenance work done on the car.

Quick. Yeah, right. Stop one... An oil change. I discovered that my new-to-me vehicle, hasn't had the oil changed in an eon apparently. It looked ugly. I also discovered that my coolant needs to be flushed every thirty thousand miles. It hasn't been. And my transmission needs to be flushed every fifteen thousand miles. It hadn't been. It will be now. Lucky for me, things are still looking very good in the radiator and transmission...

Next stop, a quick recharge of the air conditioner. Nope. It didn't need recharging. After about an hour and a half, they found that a fuse was blown (they figured that out fast, but they couldn't find the fuse because it's in a wonky spot, not with the other fuses).

So then I was off to the tire place. We had discovered that one of the axle boots was leaking. I don't know the techy terms for it, but it was "slinging grease" while we were driving. After about an hour, they let me know that it wasn't one, but two that were like that, and it would be double the price.

I finally left there after three hours. It was hot and humid and I was sweaty... I turned on the air. No air. Apparently, something else is wrong that's causing the fuse to pop. Pretty much at that point, after spending over $800, I was ready to cry. I took my sticky self home with the intention of taking a shower.

Nope. My husband was borrowing my mom's car so I could get the repairs done. She was ready for me to pick her up. Off I went again. I did finally get a shower after that then we went to celebrate my son's birthday. It was a good time with lots of laughter. I was exhausted when I got home though. For the first time in years, I went to bed at 9:20.

The car is back at the shop today and I'm hopeful that the bill won't be huge!!

In other, better news, Kidnap and Kink came out last week. It's book two in the Taboo Wishes series. If you liked Punished, you'll probably enjoy this one. I had several people tell me after Punished that they wanted to see Rob's story. This is it.

In other news, I'm working with an agent on a few books so hopefully, you'll be able to find a couple of my works in the traditional print market soon -- though soon is a lot longer in print than it is in eBook, LOL.

Oh!!! And I got a Sony eReader. I love it!!! I love it so much, I ended up getting my husband one as well. He's a big reader too so it's a good investment for him. Brynn Paulin: Converting the world to eBooks, one person at a time! LOL! Last night, he was reading Punished. I loved when parts amused him enough to read them aloud to me. I never let him read the books until after they're published. Personal preference.

I've read a bunch of Lori Foster books over the last month. Now, I'm reading Flat-Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy. It's really good. I love the hero in the book. He's awesome!

Mmm... Now here's one. We just finished Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern. It's a humor book, based on quotes from his dad. He wrote the book after literary agents came across the quotes on his Twitter by the same name. It's a hysterical book. Even better, it's going to be a TV show in the fall (Thursdays CBS). William Shatner will star as the dad. Fabulous.

Otherwise, I guess there's just been a lot of work work work. The EDJ has been out of control. And I'm hard at work writing a few upcoming books. News soon!

Have a fun, good-car-karma day!
~~Brynn

Wednesday Wonder Writer - Cheryl Dragon!!!

2010-06-16T08:15:00.021-04:00

Welcome to Wednesday!!! I have a fabulous (and prolific) Wonder Writer with me today. Cheryl Dragon is one of the most versatile authors I know. Give her a genre and she'll write it--and it will be great. This is one author whose books I read over and over. So without further gushing, here's Cheryl:

Author’s lives intrigue readers and other writers. Tell me about your typical daily schedule.

Every day starts with the ritual stabbing of my voodoo dolls to curse my enemies and then my manservant makes breakfast....

Oh wait, you want real stuff???

I’m so NOT intriguing. I wake up, go to the day job, come home and write with the TV on (I need some white noise) and then there’s the sleeping. All the fun is in my imagination.

Do you have a pre-writing routine to prepare yourself to get down to business?

Not really a routine. There must be some caffeine laced beverage. A TV on for white noise (I’m the freak writer who can’t take music...I need movement out of the corner of my eye). As long as I have time to write an entire scene, I’m good to go. I can’t write a page here or a page there, it has to be a complete scene.

While I’m eating dinner, I generally watch the Days of Our Lives (DVR’d) which helps cleanse my brain of the day job. I stopped watching it for years but somehow got sucked back in when Vivian and Shane returned.

What’s your writing style? Slow and steady? Quick and prolific? All over the place?

Quick and prolific. I don’t want to lose the spark of the characters and their story. I need to get the story out of my head and onto paper, then I can polish it up.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned since starting work in this industry?

The people are amazingly generous and loyal. There women I met in the beginning of my career and who I may not see for a few years and when we see each other, it’s like nothing has changed. And some writers I chat with almost daily for moral support or venting. In a solitary business, you need that network of support.

What are you working on now?

Right now? Pushing Penny, book two of the Raider’s Bodyguard Service series recently sold to Resplendence Publishing. It’s a BBW with some light bd. Putting on a fashion show, plus size designer Penny Beaumont, is going to Milan and taking a bodyguard. But Raider’s bodyguards have a habit of getting very involved with their clients and Grayson’s dominant side will pull her out of her shell or there will be consequences.

What’s your favorite genre to write?

Erotic romance is a great genre. I can dabble in many subgenres, from suspense to paranormal and have a blast.

I find a lot of authors like to read outside their chosen genre. What do you like to read?
Mysteries. Right now I’m waiting for the third in the Tattoo Shop Mysteries by Karen E. Oslon....fast paced fun in Vegas. Awesome!!

Do you have a favorite author or someone you look up to in the industry?

I want to be Desiree Holt! She’s so sweet and generous, and she writes circles around me. Someday!

Tell me your writing story…when did you decide this was what you want to do? How long did it take you to get “the call”? When were you first published? Etc.

Again, I’m not very exciting. I always wanted to be a writer. I entertained myself making up things and started writing in college for fun. I got a degree in business because my family is not a bunch of dreamers who do what they love, but we have to be practical (I’m the black sheep!).

So I write on the side. I tried to write category romance and mainstream stuff. I received nice rejections that I was close but just a little outside of their guidelines or not quite right. All of them liked my love scenes so i focused on the hot and gave Ellora’s Cave a try.
They bought a bunch of stuff from me and I’ve sold to other publishers as well, but jus sold another quickie to Ellora’s Cave. Look for Catcalling Catherine Coming Soon...

How many books have you had published and for whom?

You’re making me do math?? I hate math! I’m an accountant by day. Numbers are so boring (I’m grumpy after work....I need to escape to my fiction world....if you don’t my sarcastic humor you’ve stopped reading by now anyway:)

But for Brynn, I’ll count....

Keep in mind, I normally write shorts or novellas....

Ellora’s Cave: 12

Loose Id: 9

Pink Petal Books: 2
Total-E-Bound 4

And more to come...

What’s your latest release? Can you tell us about the book and how you got the idea?

A Firm Hand (Regency, light bdsm erotic romance) [Featured HERE]

In public they are a proper couple in every way, but behind closed doors they explore rough desires that could prove more than they can handle.

Mariah and James share dark passions and are a match in every way but marriage is only the beginning of their journey.

Mariah wants more of James' intense instruction but James pulls away. She must tempt him, trust him, and prove to him that the ghosts of their childhood losses won't keep them from a long and happy marriage and unspeakable pleasure.
I got the idea because I love regencies. Occasionally I’ll need a writing challenge, to do something I don’t normally do and this was one. I wanted it not to be about money or status, but about getting past the manners and the formality to the real need and love of a couple.

What’s your writing space like?

My third bedroom....it has bookcases, a TV, a small desk with computer....Excedrin, eye drops, water and diet coke. Pens galore. Two big torch lamps, a shredder and a printer. A wall calendar from the Chinese place that delivers fast (it’s the year of the Tiger if you were worried).

I have my lucky cat on the TV...next to the bit white jar candle in case the power goes out (thunder storms happen).

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Watch TV, movies, hang out with friends, sleep, come up with ideas for writing, and of course the day job.

I’m all about ‘giving people something to talk about’. We all experience crazy things from time to time. Can you tell us something unusual that you’ve done or had happen to you?

I’ve shot a Tommy gun. I live in the Chicagoland area and when Capone ran the city, the average people didn’t fear gangs. Unless you crossed them, they were good for peace and opened soup kitchens, got people liquor during prohibition, and so on. The people who had to worry were the cops. (FYI the cops pass these stories down from those days so this comes from them and my great grandfather).

All local police stations were issued Tommy guns aka the Chicago typewriter. When Capone was coming through a city, the police radioed from town to town for the cops to get off the road, not the people. Capone’s men really did ride the sideboards of old cars with their machine guns.

Well, family friends in the police department, allowed me to practice shooting at the police shooting range nearby. My dad has a huge gun collection but an actual machine gun....that belonged to the PD. It was fun and historic.

Tell us… What’s your favorite movie and why?

Moonstruck. It’s about the characters in a romance and Moonstruck has characters that grab you, make you hope for them, care for them, and cheer for them. An amazing cast and intense performances. It’s a classic!

Is there anything else you’d like to share with readers?

Obviously I’m a total TV addict. From Bones to Psyche to the Closer. Family Guy...My latest obsession is Glee. I tried to resist but you must give in.

I took a little break from writing (family stuff and I drafted a mystery for fun) but I’m back at the writing desk for the hot stuff. Soon you’ll see a list of coming soon titles on my website. I just need to finalize some blurbs and get a cover or two...

www.cheryldragon.com

I’m dabbling in ménage +!

I’ve got new releases coming from Resplendence Publishing & Ellora’s Cave. I’m working on more so get ready to see something new from me out in August!

Last questions… Coke or Pepsi? Coke! Diet Coke with Lime to be precise.

Summer or Winter? Winter... I hate humidity.

Cat person or Dog person? Cat person. Dogs are cute as long as they’re smaller than my cat. My cat can take a dog twice her size (those claws are lethal).

Bronte or Austen? Austen. Regency addict!

Star Trek or Star Wars? Star Trek (The Next Generation) but I still love Yoda!

Team Edward or Team Jacob? Vampires Rule!

McDonalds or Burger King? Whichever is on the way...I have to get home and write.

Cheryl, Thanks for being here today!

A 16 second laugh

2010-06-11T12:01:00.000-04:00

I love Lynne Koplitz! She cracks me up, every time I see her.

Wednesday Wonder Writer - Kaenar Langford!!!

2010-06-09T14:27:00.006-04:00

Have you ever met someone you just love right away? That's how it was when I met today's wonder writer a little over two years ago. Kaenar is a fantastic, fun person and—dare I say?—a little crazy, but in the very best way. With Kaenar, what you see is what you get, and what you get is the very best.

Here's today's interview:

Author’s lives intrigue readers and other writers. Tell me about your typical daily schedule.

I get up in the morning and make a protein shake for everybody. Our younger son makes his way downstairs for breakfast and I make sure he has something with him for lunch then say goodbye as he gets on the school bus. Next hubby stumbles downstairs, checks his email while he drinks the tea I’ve made him. He heads off to work and then it’s just me. Well, actually, it’s just me, three cats and a dog. I spend the day at the computer writing. If the weather’s nice, I’ll take a break midday and go to the beach with the dog then come home and get back to writing. Hmmm, not very glamorous when you see your routine in print. Don’t forget that I’m wearing an evening gown and high heels, full makeup and sexy lingerie while writing. That goes without saying.

Do you have a pre-writing routine to prepare yourself to get down to business?

The books I’ve been writing the last year or so are all related to places or events I’ve gone to for research like the largest gay spa in Toronto, a gay bondage bed and breakfast and the largest single fetish night in the world. So I’m finding that I go to an event or a place and when I come home I begin to assemble a story in my head that is set somewhere similar to where I’ve been or uses equipment or techniques I saw. The whole book is planned in my head. I envision what the plot will be and then have specific events in the story that I write to.

What’s your writing style? Slow and steady? Quick and prolific? All over the place?

The physical writing is definitely too slow to suit me. I’m not a fast typist so I can’t write as fast as I think. That frustrates me sometimes. As for my writing style, I can’t just slap a story down and send it off. I reread what I wrote the previous session and see things I want to change. I spend a lot of time on sex scenes and figuring out positions and just what the participants are going to do when they’re together.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned since starting work in this industry?

I’m not a person who works well to deadline. I like to work away on my own projects and seldom do any anthologies as I don’t like to be pressured to finish by a particular date. The pressure to work and finish would be coming from me, not from an editor or other writers.

What are you working on now?

Last year I had a book released with Ellora’s Cave called Something Naughty This Way Comes. It’s the story of a woman who gets to spend the evening at the largest gay spa in Toronto playing and making love with two gorgeous men. The one I’m working on now is tentatively called Something Trouble This Way Comes and is the story of the manager of Seduction. I’m hoping to do another story about the owner, but who knows what will happen. I work away on something and then suddenly I’ll remember another book I was working on and head back to it. We’ll just have to see.

What’s your favorite genre to write?

I love writing male/male and male/male/male erotic romance.

I find a lot of authors like to read outside their chosen genre. What do you like to read?

I love Black Ops stuff like Cindy Gerard writes. I’m very fond of vampire stories and cop stories.

Do you have a favorite author or someone you look up to in the industry?

I think Suzanne Brockmann is an incredible woman in so many ways. I love her books, but I love the way she lives her life.

Tell me your writing story…when did you decide this was what you want to do? How long did it take you to get “the call”? When were you first published? Etc.
I attended a workshop entitled ‘How to Write a Romance Novel’ in October 2005 and began working on a book soon after that. I was hoping to be able to write at least 25,000 words. I finished in March of 2006 with a manuscript of 135,000 words. I submitted to four places and received three polite rejections. After making the changes suggested by an Ellora’s Cave editor on my first submission to her, I resubmitted the manuscript and the book was accepted in December 2006 and Lucifer’s Angel was released in April 2007.

How many books have you had published and for whom?

Lucifer’s Angel, Jude’s Choice, Absolute Trust, Something Naughty This Way Comes, Just Being Neighborly all with Ellora’s Cave. The Harder They Come, All Tied Up, Indulge Me in the Naughty Nooners anthology from Total-E-Bound.

What’s your latest release? Can you tell us about the book and how you got the idea?

Indulge Me, from the Naughty Nooners anthology was released as a stand-alone ebook by Total-e-Bound in March and came out as an audio book in April. I was at a book signing in Michigan and a bunch of authors were all together at Cindy Spencer Pape’s house for a barbecue afterwards and I said I had an idea for a bunch of male/male stories I wanted to write that would all take place over a noon hour and the anthology would be called Naughty Nooners. I realized that I didn’t want to write each of the stories myself, so I asked the assembled writers if they’d like to be part of it. They said yes. You were there, Brynn!

I wrote to the publisher at Total-E-Bound and pitched the idea and she said go ahead. It was an amazing adventure to be part of an anthology with friends.

What’s your writing space like?

A semi-cluttered desk in the corner of the living room. Our 16 year old son used to watch TV and play Wii games etc in the same room, but all his stuff has been moved up to his loft bedroom, so it’s a lot quieter down here. Usually it’s just me and Max, our chocolate lab. From my writing spot, I have a wonderful view of my shoe desk calendar. That’s my morning ritual. I sit down and change the shoe picture to the current one and ooo and aah over the new photo. I have very simple pleasures.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Walk the dog. My husband and I both play Irish music. He plays fiddle and I play concertina, so we often get together with friends to play tunes. Once a month, or once every two months, I go to Toronto to do some weird and wonderful research. That’s my favorite thing to do. I’m heading down in June for the Pride Activities and in August I go to the Church Street Fetish Fair.

I’m all about ‘giving people something to talk about’. We all experience crazy things from time to time. Can you tell us something unusual that you’ve done or had happen to you?
I got to spend the entire day at Bent Inn in Toronto. It’s a gay bondage bed and breakfast with a full dungeon in the old Victorian basement. It was incredible.

Tell us… What’s your favorite movie and why?

The second and third Lord of The Rings movies. I read the books when I was younger and loved them and I love the spectacle of the movies. I watch the series every Christmas as part of my Christmas ritual. My family is very good to tolerate me, I know.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with readers?

Thanks to all the readers who support myself and other authors. You’re the lifeblood of writers. You’re who we write for.

Last questions… Coke or Pepsi? Coke

Summer or Winter? Summer

Cat person or Dog person? Love both.

Bronte or Austen? Bronte

Star Trek or Star Wars? Early Star Wars movies

Team Edward or Team Jacob? Who?

McDonalds or Burger King? Neither-I’ve been a vegetarian since 1981.

Kaenar, thank you for being here! Readers, you can find Kaenar here:

http://www.kaenar.com/
Kaenar Konfidential
Ellora's Cave
Total-e-bound

Who makes these things?

2010-06-04T09:58:00.005-04:00

Have you gone shopping for a vacuum lately? If you have, you might have noticed what I have. If you haven’t, take a walk down the vacuum aisle and take a really good look. Check out the contraptions…

I’ve decided NASA is now making vacuums. My husband was with me and testing stuff out. On one vacuum, we couldn’t even figure out how to remove the dust cup. Another felt like you were breaking it while accessing the filter and debris reservoir. Several had high-tech, washable filters—well actually most. They’re all competing for best continuous suction, best pet hair removal, best filter. Almost all looked more complicated than I wanted to contemplate. When did housework become super high-tech?

After an intense twenty minutes of Vacuum Idol—way longer than I want to spend shopping for anything because I hate shopping—we decided on a Bissell. None cheaper or in the same price range compared.

I never thought the words “no, too complicated” would come out of my mouth so many times when talking about a vacuum cleaner. One actually had me quoting the movie, Apollo 13. “I suggest you gentlemen invent a way to put a square peg in a round hole.”

Seriously… there was a vacuum my husband couldn’t figure out how to put back together. All he’d done is take out the dust cup. I’m pretty mechanical and it looked like aeronautical mechanics to me. Honestly, how are we expected to have our teenagers clean if manufacturers make their "basic" machines so complicated?

I like the Bissell we chose. It’s smart and functional…and not too complicated for the average Joanna—oh! And it cleans amazingly better than the Kirby I was replacing. Yay!

Tuesday Feature Book - A Firm Hand

2010-06-03T00:18:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone! It's Tuesday feature book...on Thursday! With everything going on, I missed featuring this a couple days ago. I have to say this book, A Firm Hand by Cheryl Dragon, is one of my favorite books. I scooped it up as soon as it came out. Now, it's firmly ensconced on my ereader where it will stay for a long, long time. I love re-reading great books! Here, take a look:

Blurb:

In public they are a proper couple in every way, but behind closed doors they explore rough desires that could prove more than they can handle.

Mariah and James share dark passions and are a match in every way but marriage is only the beginning of their journey. Mariah wants more of James' intense instruction but James pulls away. She must tempt him, trust him, and prove to him that the ghosts of their childhood losses won't keep them from a long and happy marriage and unspeakable pleasure.

Excerpt:

Mariah felt the familiar tug of desire when James was near. Her breath went ragged and her bodice seemed too tight. Now, she was crushed to him, and her skin tingled from head to toe. The light spring dress she wore prevented her from truly feeling him. His hard form towered over her, and she pressed closer. Never in all her life had she imagined herself behaving like this. Until James, she’d always been extraordinarily proper in public because of her mother’s death. Her aunt told her very young that she needed to be better, not to let people think that the men in her family had given her bad habits. Yet here she stood, holding onto a man without a ring on her finger, and she didn’t want to let go. He smelled of leather and sandalwood. The added relief that he didn’t care about her dowry anymore than she did about his title made her certain this was right.

Their mutual affection and desires sealed the deal in her mind. Testing the muscle of his arms, she shivered and curled her fingers tighter into the fabric of his coat. “I promise you, I will not cry off before the wedding. You can’t frighten me.”

His smile warmed her, but his grip tightened. “Don’t challenge me. You need discipline. It will take a day or two to get the necessary letters from your father and the special license arranged. You will not slip from me if this is a trick.”

Did he really believe she’d play games with their reputations for Alice’s sake? “Never. We fit well, I think.” Then it occurred to her that he might want her to cry off. “Unless you wish to be rid of me. I wouldn’t blame you. I’m not the quiet and passive bride Alice would’ve been. None of my governesses ever lasted long.”

“You ran them off? Were you wild and unruly without a mother?”

She blushed and looked down. “Not exactly. My brothers were older. They normally pursued my nurses and governesses, and my father turned the women out once they were with child. They never seemed to last a year. Even the plain ones. I was indulged but not allowed to run wild. But the rules changed with each new governess.”

“Unacceptable.” He dug his hand into her hair and tilted her head back forcefully.

Mariah inhaled sharply. “I know. My aunt saved me as soon as I was of age.” Her father refused to hear of her leaving home before then. She looked like her mother, and he feared Mariah would die young as well. She was raised and overprotected in a world of men, but she didn’t want that world. “I want the quiet structure of the life of a lady. I’ll be a good wife, if you want me.”

You can find it HERE!

Wednesday Wonder Writer - Ashley Ladd

2010-06-02T08:52:00.019-04:00

Good morning everyone! First off, I'd like to say thank you for all the kind thoughts and wishes during this difficult time. My grandma was a wonderful lady and will be greatly missed. Having your support helps immensely.

Today, I'm privileged to have another wonderful lady, a kind and hard-working author, visiting the blog. Ashley Ladd's writing spans the genres and offers a bit of something for everyone. I'm very glad to have her with us this Wednesday.

Ashley, author’s lives intrigue readers and other writers. Tell me about your typical daily schedule.

Schedule?

Weekends are my main writing time and the occasional evening. As I work a full time day job, I often don’t get home ‘til 6:30 or much later. By then, I’m exhausted. Until January, my daughter played on three ball teams so I was a softball mom extraordinaire. I lived at the ball field after work. I got more writing done then as I’d take my Alpha Smart and wasn’t distracted by the Internet and promotion like I am now that she’s too old for travel and rec ball.

I’m going to have to disconnect from the internet a lot more and get intimate with my Alpha Smart again.

Do you have a pre-writing routine to prepare yourself to get down to business?

I HAVE to have a large glass of diet cola with a LOT of ice. I also have to have my music. If I forget my MP3 player or it stops working, then I have to plug in ear plugs to block out the outside world.

Sometimes I need to read or walk or swim to get in the mood to write. It’s amazing how many story ideas I get when my ears are underwater and I only hear the hum of the pool. My mind also works great when I walk for awhile.

What’s your writing style? Slow and steady? Quick and prolific? All over the place?

It’s never been slow and steady. It used to be quick and prolific.

Now it’s all over the place. I’ve been spending WAY too much time promoting, tweeting, and chatting on the loops (that’s promotion, right?)

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned since starting work in this industry?

To get over myself. And to edit.

That seems contradictory.

First, I have to polish my books as well as I can before submitting and when working with my editors.

After that, I have to remember not to sweat the small things. To remember that reviews are subjective. To remember that you can’t please everybody all the time.

As long as I do my best and follow my heart and treat people right, then I won’t beat myself up if I’m not perfect.

Being a customer service manager has also taught me this.

What are you working on now?

A couple Class of ’85 Reunion romances for TWRP. One is nearly finished. These are sweet romances that my alter ego’s working on.

I’m also working on a transgender romance. Someone very close to me has announced he’s a transgender woman and is going through the transformation. I’m capturing my feelings as well as trying to capture what he’s going through in a realistic and emotional way.

What’s your favorite genre to write?

Time-travel romance. I love to put a character in a different time period and see how they cope. Contemporary romance comes in a close second.

I find a lot of authors like to read outside their chosen genre. What do you like to read?

When I’m not reading romance I love to read Stephen King’s horrors and Stephen White’s psychological thrillers. I also enjoyed reading The Left Behind series.

Beyond that, I like to read non-fiction about how to market and promote.

Tell me your writing story…when did you decide this was what you want to do? How long did it take you to get “the call”? When were you first published? Etc.

I’ve known since I was 6 I was a writer. That’s all I wanted to do although I longed to be a journalist. Later I switched gears.

I got “the call” in 1999 from New Concepts Publishing. I’d met Madris Guiterriez at my local RWA conference and was impressed with her and her company. My first published novel was “Tigers Play” in 1999.

How many books have you had published and for whom?

Twelve at Ellora’s Cave. Twenty-three at Total-E-Bound (three more coming soon which will make it 26.) About 15 at New Concepts Publishing. Another 8 or so at Awe-Struck. One at The Wild Rose Press. One at Amber Quill Press. About 60 total. [Holy Smokes! I knew you were prolific, but wow!]

What’s your latest release? Can you tell us about the book and how you got the idea?

“Charity’s Auction” released this week, Monday May 31st. It was born when a call came from TEB for MFM anthology stories. My day job is for a charity and they have several charity auctions a year. About that time, also, my hubby was in the hospital for several days so I had hospitals on the brain. So I married the two and voila!

It’s available at:

http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=788

What’s your writing space like?

What writing space? My youngest stole my computer desk with my desktop.

So I use my laptop wherever I happen to be. That’s usually on my bed, on the dining room table, or at Border’s Café.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Be a customer service manager for a charity.

I’ve also been taking line dancing classes, going to the gym, walking and swimming. I’m also a huge movie buff and just finished watching Sense and Sensibility. I can’t believe I never saw it ‘til this week.

And of course I love to read and blog.

Tell us… What’s your favorite movie and why?

“The Mummy” with Brendan Frasier because it’s a wonderful mix of romance, comedy, horror, action and adventure. “Mulan” because I admire Mulan so much and because Li is the cutest comic strip hero I’ve ever laid eyes on. “Pillow Talk” because I love the banter between Doris and Rock, and the comedy of how he scams her then she scams him back. And now I’ve added “Sense and Sensibility” and “Pride and Prejudice” to my favorites. I love the poetry of the language and the complex characters.

Last questions… Coke or Pepsi? DIET Pepsi! I once worked for Coca-Cola and I am NOT fond of them. Personal stuff aside, Coke is too harsh and has a nasty aftertaste. However, if Pepsi’s not available I drink Coke as long as I water it down with a ton of ice.

Summer or Winter? Winter. The grass is greener, right? I live in perpetual summer so I’d love to have a change of scenery and outdoor sports. Of course if I had my own pool so I could swim every day like every other Floridian except my family, I’d change my answer to summer.

Cat person or Dog person? Both. I’ve always been a cat person and I think I’m part cat by now. I can’t live without a cat. But I love my puppies, too. They’re all my babies.

Bronte or Austen? Austen!

Star Trek or Star Wars? Both. You CAN’T be a member of my family and NOT like Star Trek and Star Wars. I mean, it would be criminal. But if I had to choose one I like a bit more than the other, it’s Star Trek. I’m a total trekkie. I was in love with Mr. Spock for YEARS. I thought Scottie was pretty cute, too, especially his sexy accent. I wasn’t a Kirk woman until we got to meet the young Kirk in the newest movie.

I used to want to become an astronaut and travel the galaxy with Kirk, Spock, and Bones. Really. Then I joined the Air Force so I could travel the world at least. Instead I got stuck in Omaha, smack dab in the middle of the US surrounded by prairies full of corn and Big Red (University of Omaha’s mascot – a farm boy in a red and blue overalls) staring at me from just about everywhere.

Team Edward or Team Jacob? Huh? My daughter-in-law’s the Twilight fan. I saw it once at her house and thought it was merely okay, nothing special. She’d kill me if she knew I said that. I thought Jacob was a lot cuter than Edward, though, so does that put me on Team Jacob? [Yes, it does ;-) ]

McDonalds or Burger King? I HATE HATE HATE Burger King. McDonald’s has okay breakfasts and fries. If I have to have fast food, I want a chicken salad or chimichanga from Tijuana Flats.

“Charity’s Auction” Blurb:

Although head nurse Char Reynolds is desperately head over heels for bad boy Dr. Dexter Graham, he's moved on. Still she gets caught up in bidding for him at the hospital's auction for the new children's wing and wins. His smug expression drives her to also bid on and win the very hunky Dr. Ben Price, Dexter's nemesis and to plan a very naughty, very sexy night with both men.

Excerpt From: Charity's Auction

Charity “Char” Reynolds stared at Dr. Dexter Graham, her eyes narrowed, her heart doing the cha-cha while mathematical calculations flew around in her head. He was gorgeous with his dark, five o’clock shadow, the sexy glint in his eyes, and his broad, powerful shoulders. If it weren’t for that smirk on his lips, he’d be perfect. But he was far from it. He only looked perfect.

The good doctor was a bad boy through and through. It was a tossup whether he mended or broke more hearts. His record on the operating room table was stellar. Off, however, was horrendous. He’d broken so many hearts with that killer smile and huge dimples he should be thrown into solitary confinement for the rest of his miserable life.

Amy Koch, the hospital’s chief administrator, adjusted the microphone with her only hand. Then she tapped the instrument and blew into it. “Can you hear me?”

When the sound from the mic blasted through Char’s head, she clapped her hands over her ears in self-preservation. “Have mercy, woman.”

Once her brain stopped spinning and she was able to see again, she looked over a sea of other people holding their ears. Tentatively, she removed one hand, keeping it close just in case the mic went crazy again.

So far so good. Slowly, she lowered her other hand but kept it at the ready as she warily kept her eye on Amy.

Although, she felt sorry for Amy since the car wreck that had amputated the administrator’s left arm that she couldn’t find anything to like about her caused her to war with feelings of guilt and distrust. Even before the accident, Amy had only been out for number one, stepping on anybody in her way, claiming it was for the greater good. Now people overlooked her mean tempered whining—until they came into her sights. Char had been dead centre in Amy’s far too often. As head surgical nurse, she and Amy butted heads daily.

“Welcome to our first annual charity auction.” Amy beamed at the audience and batted her fake lashes. When she moved, the spotlight made her rhinestones shoot laser beams around the room.

Amy clapped her hand against the mic and shot a grin as fake as her lashes at the audience. “I hope your cheque books are fat and happy and your fingers are itching to write outrageous amounts for the new children’s wing. Let’s get this thing off the ground tonight!”

Cheering anew deafened Char, and her lips stretched so tightly over her teeth they ached.
Her best friend, Beth, another surgical nurse, elbowed her. She rubbed her hands together, and there was a hungry gleam in her eyes. “My cheque book’s ready, willing and able. I moved money from savings to bid on Dr. Hottie.”

It was all Char could do to hold her smile in place and not growl at the sweet strawberry blonde. Since she’d never breathed a word about her brief fling with Dr. Hottie, she couldn’t accuse her friend of trying to steal her ex-boyfriend, yet her claws extended and her skin crawled. When her throat stopped constricting, she said as airily as possible, “Oh, really? Great minds think alike. Me, too.”

Their third musketeer, Jody, a surgical intern jumped up and down and waved her psychedelic-coloured cheque book in their faces. “Me three! Let’s do a ménage à trois with him and have our wicked way.”

Beth scrunched her nose at the perky child. With a duh hanging in her voice, she said, “Ew. I don’t want to see your naked tits. Besides a ménage à trois is three and there would be four of us.”

The three of them would be much too good for the louse. What she wanted to do to him involved whips, chains and video. He’d be so sorry he’d ever broken her heart…

“Aw shucks.” Jody scrunched her nose and pouted. “You two make three times as much as me. I’ll be lucky if I can buy Dr. Rob. I might as well go home since you two party poopers won’t share. It’s way too smoky in here anyway.” She covered her mouth with her hand and coughed as if to add emphasis.

Char’s gaze landed on Dr. Hunky, aka Ben Price, plastic surgeon to the rich and ritzy Boca Babes. “What about Dr. Hunky? He’s mighty cute.”

Charity’s Auction is available at:

http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=788

Ashley, thanks for being here!!! Readers, here's where you can find Ashley:

http://www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com
http://www.twitter.com/ashleyladd
http://www.total-e-bound.com
http://www.ellorascave.com

Thanks so much for having me, Brynn! ~~Ashley

2010-05-29T15:00:00.000-04:00

Rest in peace, grandma. I miss you already.

The Things I Learned From My Grandma

2010-05-28T12:41:00.006-04:00

This is a bittersweet memorial day for me. My grandmother was shifted to Hospice a week ago. Last night, three hours after I wrote this, we were called in because my grandma wasn't doing well. She's still hanging in, but we're told it will only be a day. I came home to take care of business and family obligations and decided to post this before I rush back. I hope you'll indulge me while I remember.

The Things I Learned From My Grandma

My grandma has always been old to me. I can’t help it. A fifty year age difference will do that. Though my whole life she claimed to 101, my grandma, or grammie as I’ve long called her, was fifty when I was born and to a little kid, that’s old. Her birth year of 1919 gave her a different perspective from mine, in 1969, but you might be surprised by her somewhat modern views on things.

Gram taught me not to be a picky eater (both a good and bad thing), and not to waste food, although I think it might have been a little less “clean your plate” than it was “I made this. You will eat it.” She was an excellent cook. But let’s set the record straight—I will never be thankful for liver or braunschweiger. Also for the record, I am eternally grateful she never had me eat one of her favorite things—creamed herring on crackers.

But speaking of food, she taught me heritage is important. Nut rolls, Easter cheese, and kolache. What would my childhood and adulthood have been without them? These food spell Christmas and Easter celebration. Even more, I was lucky enough to spend hours and hours talking to gram about family. I realized how important heritage is and how I should have high expectations of my children—sorry kiddos.

She taught me responsibility, even if it was someone else’s responsibility—Scott Paulin, yes I’m talking about you. My brother, Scott, and I used to do dishes on alternate days. He wasn’t very good at it—on purpose I think. Grandma made me redo his dishes. She taught me chores were important, even if I hated them. She could smell dirt. I’m not kidding. I learned from her that Murphy Wood Soap is one of the best smells in the world.

She taught me to be a straight shooter and speak my mind. Anyone who knows my grandma will tell you, she’s not afraid to tell you how it is, or how it should have been, or what you should be doing that you aren’t—like calling her or going to church or avoiding that pothole up there (that she shouldn’t be able to see because she’s mostly blind). She was pretty vocal about sex, life, religion and how she was pretty sure neither Catholics nor Protestants have the corner on Christianity.

Being old doesn’t mean not having fun any more. Actually, I’m sure she’d say it meant having fun a lot more. She got remarried in her late fifties—go grandma. She liked to go to the casino, even when she was mostly blind. She was a speeder. No really, do you know that? She was a big speeder! I had to follow her from her house to mine one time. Geez, I couldn’t keep up. I think she thought her age dictated the speed limit—she was like seventy-five and drove that fast that day! At the time, the speed limit was fifty-five. She liked to visit with her friends. Maybe since they were her age—old, remember?—she thought she had to rush to get there. And she loved books. My first romance came from my grandma, who told my mom they weren’t as racy as my mom thought. Um-hmm. And even when she couldn’t read anymore because of her eyesight, she listened to her stories on tape. She just loved them.

She believed that dreams are important and she believed in me. My gram always encouraged me. And she showed me not to be afraid of adversity. She lost many people close to her, but she went on. She lost one of the things most of us value most, her eyesight, yet she went on. She went brilliantly on and showed me that a handicap isn’t the end of the world. You just adjust and go on.

And my grandma taught me most of all to love God and that it’s important to pray. She listened to her bible every day. She listened to “church” on TV. And every night she prayed for her family and her friends. She prayed for individuals, and trust me, they were lengthy prayers…yeah we talked about that, too.

My grandma taught me the most important things: pray, love, be straight with people, speak your mind, be strong, have fun, value tradition, appreciate life (and food), be responsible, and never get old. Even when you’re old.

Wednesday Wonder Writer - Kenzie Michaels

2010-05-26T08:31:00.008-04:00

Good morning! Okay, it's been nuts around here, finishing up books and doing admin work. I have a fabulous wonder writer on deck today! Kenzie Michaels is perhaps one of the sweetest writers I know. She's fun, loyal, dedicated and hard-working. I'm pleased she's visiting us today. So here's Kenzie!

Kenzie, author’s lives intrigue readers and other writers. Tell me about your typical daily schedule.

LOL…I haven’t had a ‘typical’ schedule since last fall! My ideal schedule is to get the kids off to school, get on the internet and do my blogging and email, then put on the music and write until it’s time to pick up my youngest. However, with the husband home, any writing is accomplished after he’s satisfied I know he’s alive. Don’t laugh; I take the youngling to school; come home and get on the internet; drink my last cup of coffee and answer my email. By then, the husband is usually awake, so we talk about what we have planned, be it going to the bank, the store, or as the case right now, what last minute preparations for our oldest’s HS graduation entails. As you might guess, I love when he returns to work and my time is my own again!

[LOL! I believe this is the tale of most married writers, Kenzie. Mr. Inspiration requires the same careful care.]

Do you have a pre-writing routine to prepare yourself to get down to business?

It depends. Usually, I review what I’ve written the day before and the ideas flow. Other times, I’ll type up what I’ve written in longhand. I always have a glass of iced tea on the stove, which forces me to get up and move periodically.

What’s your writing style? Slow and steady? Quick and prolific? All over the place?

All over the place! If the story if flowing, I’ll write non-stop. Otherwise, the words have to be coaxed out of my brain like a stubborn two year old in the midst of a colossal tantrum! And that’s never fun. I do have many WIPS in various stages of development, so when the ideas are stagnant, I visit each one in hopes of jump-starting my unpredictable muse.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned since starting work in this industry?

Definitely having thick skin. And remembering that not everyone will ‘get’ my sense of humor unless I make it obvious!

What are you working on now?

Besides waiting for edits on Teacher’s Pet, I’ve been invited to be a part of an anthology called ‘1000 Words’. We were given a picture and told to write a 1000 word story based on that picture. I’m in the revision process; I couldn’t tell if it was two men and one female or vice-versa, so I wrote a MFM story. Turns out it needs to be FMF, hahahaha…and the characters aren’t cooperating.

I’m also doing research for a weird storyline which popped into my head three weeks ago. I’ve got the basic story sketched out, but am needing to fill in some accurate details. And I’m also trying to write the third chapter of my Model Behavior wip, which involves a Christian Inspy author who falls for an Erotic Romance cover model.

What’s your favorite genre to write?

Contemporary romance, hands down. I tried the sci-fi genre once and failed miserably.

I find a lot of authors like to read outside their chosen genre. What do you like to read?

I like medical thrillers, such as Robin Cook and Michael Palmer. And I also enjoy John Grisham’s legal thrillers. VC Andrews’ books. John Irving. And lately I’ve discovered a taste for shifter stories from Regina Carlysle, Brynn Paulin, and Anny Cook. I think you’ve heard of these ladies, (snicker!) [um...perhaps. I may have to do a web search ;-) ]

Tell me your writing story…when did you decide this was what you want to do? How long did it take you to get “the call”? When were you first published? Etc.

I’ve been writing stories since age eleven, and dreamed of seeing my work in the kiddie magazine Jack and Jill. I don’t know if my mom ever sent my story off or if it was politely rejected, but everyone who read that particular story loved it. All during high school, I journaled, and wrote stories in English class. But in college, I really began to seriously write, and my roommates encouraged me.

In 2007, a friend told me about an online writer’s group. I joined; met other authors who led me to other authors, who promptly sparked my interest in the Erotic Romance genre. I was soon challenged to see if I could increase and maintain the heat level, and I wrote four erotic stories. August 2008 I submitted two of them; got rejected; turned around and submitted one of them to Freya’s Bower. In October, I was offered a conditional contract; in January 2009, All She Ever Wanted was accepted and was released in May. I had hoped Teacher’s Pet would be accepted and released the same year, but the file was damaged and I ended up submitting it twice before it was accepted last December. I’m still waiting for edits to arrive, but in the meantime, I’ve already submitted two more stories and hope to hear news soon. I’d like to have two releases this year, before my name drops from everyone’s radar.

How many books have you had published and for whom?

As Kenzie, just All She Ever Wanted, with Freya’s Bower. My alter-ego, who writes Women’s Fiction, self-published two books which are on amazon.com.

What’s your latest release? Can you tell us about the book and how you got the idea?

Teacher’s Pet was my first attempt at an erotic romance. My son had an awesome history teacher in junior high, who made my heart rate increase every time I saw him. It turned out I’d met him briefly at the ball field during baseball practice, and during our first parent-teacher conference, I was praying I sounded like a mature adult, rather than a teenager with her first crush! Two years later, I decided to fictionalize that meeting at the ball field and see if I was comfortable with buzz words and maintaining a sizzling heat level, rather than sensual. I made it my NaNo project, and finally worked up the nerve to submit it.

What’s your writing space like?

My desk is the epitome of organized chaos.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Read, read, and read some more. Watch my DVR’d television episodes. Drive everyone batty because I’m creatively blocked, lol!

I also spend time on chat loops, promoting myself and raving about books I’ve read and loved. And every summer, I set up at local festivals and try to sell my print books, as well as showing off my ‘traveling library’ of my favorite authors, to bring awareness to the electronic books. This year, I’ll have my Sony Pocket e-reader, so I can show how to read the books, rather than just telling people “I download them to my computer and read them that way.” Last year, several people turned up their noses at the thought of reading books on the computer.

[I have a Sony eReader. I love love love love it!!! I hope you'll love yours, too. I use mine everywhere--including the store checkout lane]

Tell us… What’s your favorite movie and why?

Three way tie between Star Wars, The Notebook, and This Is Spinal Tap. Star Wars because I fell in love with Harrison Ford at the tender age of 12; The Notebook, because of the beautiful love story it portrays; and Spinal Tap because it’s just hilarious, not to mention the awesome one-liners in it! Yeah, I have a quirky sense of humor…

Is there anything else you’d like to share with readers?

I love hearing from you! I didn’t know All She Ever Wanted was going to end up being a trilogy until a reader emailed me and asked me to write Brian’s story. So I did…and the characters of a completely unrelated WIP showed up. Bam…instant trilogy!

Any feedback is appreciated.

Last questions… Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi

Summer or Winter? Summer! That’s when the husband is usually at work.

Cat person or Dog person? Both. I just had to put my beloved Black Lab down. We still have a Cocker Spaniel, a cat, and two domesticated rats. [HUGS! I'm sorry to hear about yoru dog!]

Bronte or Austen? Honestly? I tried to read them but found myself skimming. I’m more of a Nora Roberts fan.

Star Trek or Star Wars? Both. Like Tessie, I’m thrilled whenever a marathon of Trek episodes, and would love to own the DS9 series. Okay, who am I kidding? All the episodes…original, TNG, DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise! And yes, I own both the VHS and DVD versions of Star Wars!

Team Edward or Team Jacob? Jacob, hands down. Edward makes me shiver and I don’t like to be cold. I want to curl up with a warm body!

McDonalds or Burger King? McD fries and sweet tea; BK burgers, Wendy’s Frosty.

Teacher’s Pet blurb:

Tammy Saunders is horrified when she realizes the man who set her heart racing is her son's favorite teacher. With one bad relationship behind her, will she trust her heart again, or will she continue to deny her feminine side?

And is this particular teacher popular only with his students? Kevin has made some bad choices in his life, but sleeping with not only one, but now two, of his students' mothers, has got to be the worst mistake he ever made. Especially when he realizes he's lost his heart to one of them.

My new editor did email me at the beginning of the month, so hopefully soon I’ll find edits in my inbox. Looks like I’ll be working during the summer, as well as promoting!

Thanks so much for having me Brynn!

Kenzie, thanks for being here!!! Readers, here's where you can find Kenzie:

All She Ever Wanted: Available HEE.

My temporary website: www.mollydaniels.wordpress.com

Blog: http://kenziemichaels.blogspot.com

Wednesday Wonder Writer - Tessie Bradford

2010-05-12T09:22:00.007-04:00

Hey all! Today, I'm pleased to have Tessie Bradford with me as this week's Wednesday Wonder Writer. Read on to learn about this sassy new author:

Tessie, author’s lives intrigue readers and other writers. Tell me about your typical daily schedule.

“Intriguing” is not the first word I would choose to describe my typical day! I always aim to arrive at my office by 7am, count being there any time before 8am a victory, and thank my lucky stars that I work on flex time! First order of business when I get home is attending to my animal children. Then the phone starts ringing. I’m on call for my work until 7pm and some very important people in my life refuse to email! My husband and I both love to cook, so dinner is usually a joint effort. Trying to keep up with groups and blogs hopefully comes next. I strive to be lounging in bed, reading, and keeping an ear on a few favorite TV shows by 9pm. Notice that a typical week day doesn’t include nasty things like cleaning or laundry, nor does it include the wonderfully creative activity of working on a book!!!

Do you have a pre-writing routine to prepare yourself to get down to business?

I announce to everyone, “I’m writing, don’t bug me unless your ass is on fire!”

What’s your writing style? Slow and steady? Quick and prolific? All over the place?

All over the place! Many times I stare at a blank screen. If the mood is right and the planets are aligned, there are a few incredible times where my creative juices are allowed to flow regardless of life going on around me.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned since starting work in this industry?

I’ve learned more than one.
Stay true to your vision. Develop a thick skin. Ask for help. Listen to others. Remember how lucky you are.

What are you working on now?

I’ve gone back to a story I started last summer about an artist who runs a little boutique in a small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and the retired Detroit cop who moves into town. I’m still not exactly sure where it’s going, but I really like the characters. I’m also playing around with a story of two alien brothers who find themselves stranded on Earth.

What’s your favorite genre to write?

Erotic romance is the only thing I write. Exploring the dynamics of relationships fascinates me.

I find a lot of authors like to read outside their chosen genre. What do you like to read?

Well, I read my chosen genre the most – have to keep up with the competition, you know!! But I also really enjoy an “I’m sleeping with the lights on tonight” horror story, or a good mystery.

Tell me your writing story…when did you decide this was what you want to do? How long did it take you to get “the call”? When were you first published? Etc.

I entered a contest in the sixth grade and won for my age group. Then my English teacher in junior high school asked me to adapt the book, A Wrinkle in Time, for the spring play. I loved writing! I went off to college, majoring in English Literature. After that came life, marriage, divorce, remarriage, kids, life. When my baby girl left for college and my son and his wife announced they were expecting our first grandbaby all at the same time, I panicked!! What the hell?? All of a sudden I was an empty nester, facing middle age, wondering what would define the next phase of my life. Enter my hubby. Tired of my crying, wallowing and bitching, he tossed out the gauntlet of me taking a risk to revisit my first love – writing. I finished Ageless Desires in six weeks, had my daughter on the phone and him standing next to me when I threw caution to the wind and hit the ‘send’ button to Ellora’s Cave. 27 days later, they offered me a contract.

How many books have you had published and for whom?

Ageless Desires, Oasis of Pleasure and the newly contracted The Lady’s Not a Vamp are with Ellora’s Cave. Training Randi and Possessing Eleanor are with Resplendence Publishing.

What’s your latest release? Can you tell us about the book and how you got the idea?

Possessing Eleanor released March 23, 2010. After writing the very dominant, Argon commander Hagan in Oasis, I wanted to further explore the D/s relationship in the real world.

What’s your writing space like?

A cluttered, small desk in the corner of my family room, right next to the 35 gallon fish tank. The sound of the bubbling water is very soothing, and my freakishly personality-filled fish babies provided constant entertainment as I watch them when I should be writing!

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Besides obsessing about the fact that I should be writing? I do the bare minimum to keep my house presentable, preside over the maintenance of the family’s sometimes precarious ‘financial fluidity’, read, cook and attempt to micro-manage the lives of those I love so that said lives are made better!

All kidding aside, animal rescue, fostering and legal issues are a big part of my family’s life. We work closely with our local shelters to speak for and take care of those who can’t do so for themselves. Over the years we have been blessed to share our home and hearts with a vast array of the most magnificent, entertaining and loving souls. Currently, my household is controlled by three wonderful animals. Mandy, an older than dirt cat, rules absolutely. Rex, a 55 pound pit bull terrier of crazy macho male goodness provides comic relief until he sees a laundry basket, or garbage bag, or hears yelling, because then he dissolves into a quivering mass of shaking fear due to being abused. Maggie, our beautiful baby, just turned four years old, despite the odds against her. She is also a pitty mix, and is an innocent victim of irresponsible breeding. Her medical issues are catastrophic, but she adds such joy to our daily lives that we thank our lucky stars for having her with us.

Tell us… What’s your favorite movie and why?

Jeez, I need to lighten up – I’ve been agonizing over answering this question!! My father was a huge movie expert/fan. Some of my fondest memories are of us getting dressed to the nines to attend an opening night in New York or Detroit, us excitedly putting a VHS tape in the ‘new machine’, or finally, watching a DVD. His knowledge and love of the media was contagious. In honor of him, I will say, Gone with the Wind.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with readers?

Yes there is – I’m thrilled to have them!! ‘Thank you’ doesn’t begin to express how much it means to me that people read my books!

Last questions…
Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi

Summer or Winter? Winter

Cat person or Dog person? Both! The more the merrier.

Bronte or Austen? Neither.

Star Trek or Star Wars? I’m a hard core fan of both. I watch the old, the new, the movies, the TV series and even the cartoons. Back in the day, I was forced attend the opening day of Star Trek II, the Wrath of Khan alone due to my friends being weenies. I dragged my husband to each re-release of the original Star Wars movies. Despite owning all the movies for both franchises, I get giddy as a schoolgirl when a cable channel runs a marathon. Recently, I was the first in line at the Detroit Science Center for the hands on exhibit of original Star Trek sets, and have the pictures to prove it! I was completely bummed when hubby wouldn’t allow me to enter our names in the “Win a Wedding on the Bridge of the Star Ship Enterprise” contest. Oh sorry, did you want a shorter answer to this question? As my brother delights in telling me; “Take it down a notch, your geek juice just splattered me!”

Team Edward or Team Jacob? I don’t play team sports.

McDonalds or Burger King? White Castle.

Tessie, thanks for being here today! Readers, you can find Tessie at:

http://www.tessiebradford.com/
http://www.sevensexyscribes.blogspot.com

Tuesday Book - The Perfect Union

2010-05-11T08:19:00.002-04:00

Remember two weeks ago when I told you I was excited about my next featured book? Well, this is it. Today, I'm happy to feature The Perfect Union by Trina Lane. I was fortunate enough to read this book, pre-released, a few months ago and really enjoyed it. Trina is definitely one of the up and comers in the industry! Without further gushing, here's the book:

BLURB:

Two men, one woman and the desire to experience passion beyond their wildest dreams.

Calleigh Wells has spent the last three years rebuilding her life after being notified of the death of her husband in Iraq. On that darkest day of her life she met Rick Conner and Conor McGuire. Two men who share a bond beyond mere friendship.

Since then the three have become inseparable. Both men have become surrogate fathers to Calleigh's twin boys. They've created an unusual family filled with love, friendship, and support. However, lately Calleigh's dreams have been filled with feverish images of sweat slicked skin and twisting limbs. Of three. Unbeknownst to her Rick and Conor have also hungered to expand their friendship to new reaches. What will happen when all is revealed?

EXCERPT:

Rick paced the living room waiting for Calleigh to get home from her date. He was too keyed up to watch the late night news. Thinking about that other man touching her, holding her hand, or god forbid kissing her was driving him nuts. He heard Conor come down the stairs after checking on the boys, again. He could tell the man was just as much a wreck. As he turned to face the front windows he saw a car pull into the open spot in front of the house. Conor must have caught the direction of his gaze because he sprinted past him to peer out the curtain.

"Conor get away from there!" He said while walking that direction.

"Go and shite." He pulled the curtain back just enough to peak around the corner. "Damnu ort Bualadh craicinn Bastun!"

Rick stomped over to the window to stand behind Conor. "I have no idea what you just said, but it didn't sound pleasant. Let me see."

"The fecking gobshite is practically riding her!"

"Move Con!" He looked out the window "Goddamn fucking bastard is practically giving her a tonsillectomy!"

"That's what I said." he hissed at Rick.

"Yeah but nobody can ever understand you when you get riled up."

He pulled Conor away from the window before Calleigh caught sight of them. Only moments later he heard the key turn in the front door. He hoped like hell she wasn't going to bring what's his name inside. He might have a hard time restraining himself from punching the man.

"Conor get your ass over here."

He flipped on the news on and pretended to watch. Conor flopped down on the sofa just before the latched opened. He heard Calleigh say goodnight and released the breath he'd been holding. A few seconds later she was sitting between then where she belonged, but she definitely did not have the look of a woman who'd been blissfully kissed. He did a little happy dance inside.

"How was the date?" Conor asked.

Calleigh heaved out a breath. "It was okay. He was polite. Made all the right conversation. Even kissed me, but it felt like his tongue was a tentacle. No spark, nothing. Maybe I'm not ready after all."

She looked disillusioned. Rick knew there was fire in her. It just needed the right kind of spark to ignite. He looked at Conor and saw him nod. He turned Calleigh's head toward him. His hand tunneled in the silky mass of her honey blond hair. Her amber brown eyes darkened as he leaned his head forward. He touched their lips together for the first time. They tasted vaguely of cherry as he flicked his tongue out to taste the soft pillows. Her mouth opened and he slipped inside. Moaning at his first real taste of Calleigh.

Her mouth was sweet and welcoming. He turned his head to get a better angle, and sealed them together tighter. His mouth moved on hers in a slow rhythm. Her tongue came out to play with his. Slipping into his mouth as his retreated from hers. He was hard and aching. His hand moved lower to caress her breast only to find Conor's already there. He pulled back and looked into her passion dazed eyes. Conor's hand cupped her cheek and turned her head toward him.

He watched their lips meet and fuse. Their mouths were moving together in perfect synchronicity. Rick cupped her breast in his hand and molded the full mound. Her nipple was erect and stabbing his palm. He slid his other hand up underneath the hem of her dress. Touching and caressing the soft skin of her inner thigh. Her legs opened a little and he angled his fingers up to touch the edge of her panties. Skimming the fabric, but not reaching underneath. Little moans and cries were being swallowed by Conor's mouth as he continued to lick and devour Calleigh's plush lips.

It always made him hot to see Conor pleasuring the woman they'd chosen to bring home, but knowing that this was Calleigh. Their Calleigh. Made the experience ten times more erotic. Conor loved to kiss. It was one of his favorite things to do to a woman. He would kiss them all over for hours, while he was more of a touch person. He loved the feel of a woman between them. Touching her skin and slipping his fingers inside her body. His cock inside the snug wet heat of a pussy or hot velvet clasp of an ass could melt his brains with pleasure. Add Conor into the mix filling the woman's mouth or other available opening and the melt actually exploded. Hearing the screams of her pleasure echo in the room, feeling the rake of her nails down his back was the best feeling in the world. They would have that with Calleigh and they would have that soon.

Sounds awesome, right? You can pick up this book now at Total-e-bound! Check out her author profile at the publisher too. She has a free read available as well.

Monday Minute Fiction - The Field

2010-05-10T17:02:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Monday Minute Fiction. Join me every Monday for a bit of quick fiction. Then check out the bottom of my post for other authors doing Monday Minute Fiction too!

The Field

(this work belongs to Brynn Paulin and cannot be duplicated without permission)

“Where is he?” Maddie asked after she’d stopped in the kitchen to greet her in-laws.

“In the field. By the back fence.”

Maddie nodded. It was where she and Spencer, her husband, had often spent time when they’d been dating. It seemed decades ago now, when in truth it was only eight years since they’d married. He’d drawn away since she’d been deployed overseas. In a nightmare, almost worse than the war, he’d stopped communicating. He didn’t answer the phone or email or regular mail. There had just been silence.

When she’d called his parents to assure herself nothing had happened to him, they couldn’t explain his distancing. In fact, they seemed genuinely perplexed that their son who loved Maddie so much would sink into “radio silence”.

The wind whipped at her dress as she crossed the field. After sickening disappointment when he hadn’t met the plane, she’d stopped at their apartment to change before heading over here. It had been spotless, almost as if he hadn’t been living there.

In the distance, she saw his tawny hair as he sat in the dried grass. Her heart thumped with excitement at seeing him, yet ached with the pain he’d dealt her. Why, Spencer? Why did you do this?

He didn’t move as he sat there. He didn’t even jump as she crouched behind him and gave him a hug. One hand came up to cover one of hers, but he kept staring into the distance, disconnected save for the distant touch.

She didn’t bother with “I missed you”, “I love you” or anything long-parted lovers might say. “What’s wrong?” she asked. This wasn’t the man she’d left behind.

“I couldn’t tell you,” he said quietly. The dull, sadness permeating his words penetrated to her soul. His fingers tightened on her. “It was just too hard to not say it, to pretend… Not when you were over there and had bigger things to worry about.”

“Pretend what?” she asked desperately. Fear twisted with the pain.

He shook his head and she shook him.

“I’m sick,” he said. “Cancer. But they think I’ll be okay—”

“What!” She crawled in front of him, hysteria clawing up her spine and into her throat. “What?” she demanded. “How could you not tell me this? What the hell, Spencer!”

She trembled with all the rampaging feelings that tore through her, and he reached out and pulled her into his lap. She curled against his chest, comforted by his strong arms around her. He kissed her temple, her shoulder, her neck.

“I couldn’t,” he whispered. “I needed to be strong while you were over there. Then… well, I knew you’d know—you’d hear it in my voice—so I figured pissing you off would be better. If you’d gotten hurt because you were distracted by worrying—”

“Distracted by anger is so much better? And for your information, jerk, I was still worried,” she added softly. She kissed his jaw then pressed her forehead into his neck. “What kind of cancer?” she asked.

“Gastrointestinal. In the small intestine. They think they got it all. I’m doing radiation.”

“And your parents don’t know? Spencer!” Her husband had gone through this and not told her? Not told anyone? She cursed the military for activating her reserve unit. She should have been here for him.

“My doctor’s very hopeful about my prognosis,” he assured her.

“You better be doing all you can to get better, mister,” she rasped, her throat tight with reaction. “I did not live to come home and live without you.”

His arms tightened and he leaned backward, until they were both laying on the grass. He held Maddie cuddled to his side. She closed her eyes, inhaling the scent of the field and his spicy cologne.

“It scared the hell out of me,” he told her. “Still does. I couldn’t imagine how helpless you would have felt being over there and knowing.”

She closed her eyes. Her face pressed into his shoulder.

“I’ve spent a lot of time here,” he told her. “I felt close to you.”

She smiled. This was their field. Their place.

“I think we should build that house here that we’ve always talked about,” she said. “Lord, knows your parents would be thrilled. They’ve wanted that for years.”

“Are you sure? It’s not the city.”

“I’m sure,” Maddie answered, surprised at how this conversation had turned around. “I’d be with you. That’s all I’ve really wanted.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t meet the plane,” Spencer said suddenly. He pushed her onto her back and rose over her. “I better stick around for awhile, huh. I have a lot of ass-ness to make up for.”

“Damn straight, mister. Don’t ever clam up on me again.”

“I’m so glad you’re home.” As he lowered his head and their lips met, the grass of the field swayed around them. The peace of the place sent a healing balm through her raw emotions. She and Spencer had a lot to deal with, but right here, right now, she had no doubt everything would be just fine.

Thanks for reading! I hope you return next week. Leave me a comment!!!

I was super late posting last week's Monday Fiction, but if you're interested, here's eMale.

If you're an author who'd like to participate in Monday Minute Fiction, please contact me and I'll hook you up for next week and on.

Brynn…not cool

2010-05-07T08:41:00.007-04:00

Yeah, just so you know, I’m not cool. Besides being a writer and doing the housewife thing—and liking it—I’m a mom. And I have all the not cool that comes with that.

People at church don’t know what I do. Well, they know I’m a writer, and they know I go to conferences to see people and do book signings. That’s about it. The pen name is not up for public consumption. One of the ladies, a friend but not close enough that I’d give her my pen name, told me I should make sure my kids know what I do and that people read my books. That they should be proud of me. I laughed and explained that my kids know. In fact, it’s no big deal to them. They know so many writers, it’s a norm to them. I think it’s a lot like movie stars' kids—not that I’m equating myself to a movie star. Not hardly. But my kids know a lot of people in the industry. Being a writer is a completely attainable dream to them.

My younger son still thinks it’s pretty interesting though. He tells his friends and this is how it usually goes:

“So and so wants to read your book.”

“Uh no.”

“Why?”

“So and so isn’t eighteen. You have to be eighteen.”

Older son pipes in. “Hey, you were reading Harlequins when you were twelve. You told me.”

“I don’t write Harlequins.”

Younger son, “So what’s your web address again?”

“Hey, I think it’s time for you to go do the dishes.”

“Mom!!!!!”

We have various versions of this conversation several times a year. My older son is on to me. Just last night, we were talking about one of his friends. I mentioned he’s a nice kid (translation: you can invite him over. I think you should keep hanging out with him)

And he says to me (brat), “Yeah, Pablo thinks you guys are cool. I had to tell him all the reasons you’re not.”

Sigh. Thank you. Thank you very much.

I think he secretly likes me.

Anyway…a little middle school humor. Today, I got a permission slip for an end of the year trip for the younger son. It was pretty straight forward. A description of the trip and all the necessary details. Then I got to the bottom of page 2. “Please consider being a chaperon. There’s nothing better than spending the day with your child and a bus full of eighth graders.”

Somehow, I’m not sold. LOL.

Monday Minute Fiction - eMale

2010-05-03T22:25:00.005-04:00

Welcome to Monday Minute Fiction. Join me every Monday for a bit of quick fiction. Then check out the bottom of my post for other authors doing Monday Minute Fiction too!

eMale

(this work belongs to Brynn Paulin and cannot be duplicated without permission)

If you were here, I would give you a hug and drive away the pain. Then I would take you out for a drink. We would get drunk, then I’d take you home and kiss away the memories of the jerk at work. I will let you imagine what would happen in my bed. Let us just say, you would not want to soon leave. Most sincerely and with love, Alexi.

Torie groaned aloud when she read her pen pal’s vow. That man could turn her on like no other. And she’d never actually met him.

Alexi had been writing to her since they were both sixteen. Over the years—ten now—they’d gotten to know more about each other than she’d have dreamed possible. His written words enveloped her with his virtual hugs. He was her confidante and faraway champion.

At first, they’d communicated by traditional mail, but now they spoke via email, but still once a week. Every Friday, she’d sign on and there would be an email from him. She’s spend an hour replying. Strangely, the only picture she had of him was from the early pen pal days. They’d never exchanged more recent photos. She wanted to see what the adult Alexi looked like, but was reluctant to ask. Perhaps he didn’t want to share.

Today, in this letter, he was comforting her. She’d had a bad week last week.

She’d just hit reply when her doorbell rang. Of all the timing!

With a sigh, she headed for the door. A tall man, with dark curly hair and shockingly blue eyes, stood on the other side. He smiled, displaying a beautiful smile with even white teeth.

“To Rye?” he asked, in a thick accent.

She blinked at him then shook her head. “Um…no?”

“You are not To Rye.” He frowned, a furrow developing between his brows. “Perhaps I am saying it wrong.” He pulled a pen and a piece of paper from inside his jacket then scribbled something. He showed it to her. “How do you say?”

Torie.

Her eyes wide, she stared at him. “Torie,” she murmured then gasped, “Alexi?”

“Yes,” he replied with a wide smile. “I have come to bring you your hug.”

“Oh my goodness! Get in here,” she exclaimed, pulling him inside her apartment. “I can’t believe you’re here. In Cleveland.”

He looked at her, his gaze heavy with unspoken words and emotion. “It was important for me to meet you. I have come to care for you through our letters.”

A flutter went through her and a twinge of longing pulled at her middle.

“I feel the same way,” she confessed. Actually, she’d come to love him. Could she confess that? Should she? There couldn’t be much of a future for them. He lived in France where his Russian father had settled and married his French mother. She was a third generation American who had no intention of becoming an ex-patriot.

His large hand cupped her face and his thumb smoothed over her cheek. “I had to see you.”

“Alexi…”

As if they were magnets that had been kept apart but now, in close proximity, were drawn together, their bodies moved close. Torie tipped her head to look up at him, and his mouth immediately covered hers. His taste of coffee and mint exploded into her, his scent of woods and male musk filled her lungs. She groaned as his hard chest met her softness, his arms wrapping her and holding her like a long-lost lover. She followed suit.

Her body melted at his touch, need winding inside her with such suddenness it shocked her. Her nipples drew tight, pressing the cloth of her shirt, needing to be free. When his palm came up to cup one mound, she sighed into his mouth. Suddenly, as frissons of pleasure wove to her core, she realized herself and stepped backward, breathing heavily.

She pressed a hand to her face. “What you must think of me…”

“I think,” he replied, “you have been waiting for me. I know…you have not been with another in eighteen months. And when you were, it killed me.”

Torie glanced up at him wide-eyed.

“I want…” he continued, “to explore this with you. To finally have you as mine. Not on paper but in life. I have obtained employment here in Cleveland. I hope that we might…date.”

He was living here? Her emotions did a happy dance, and she grinned at him. Dating sounded wonderful. “You should know I don’t kiss on the first date,” she laughed.

“We have had hundreds of dates, ma chère,” he replied. He stepped closer and looped his arms around her waist. “And I would like to have many more. What do you say?”

She bit her lip and knew she was grinning like a lovesick fool. Who cared? Alexi was here and she felt the same way he did. “I say yes, Alexi. Remember what you wrote in your last letter?”

He nodded.

She rose on tiptoes and brushed her lips over his ear. “Show me. Most sincerely and with love, Torie.”

Thanks for reading! I hope you return next week. Leave me a comment!!! Also participating in Monday Minute Fiction:

Ashley Ladd and her story, Book Man.

Check it out!!!!

If you're an author who'd like to participate in Monday Minute Fiction, please contact me and I'll hook you up for next week and on.

RT Week

2010-04-27T07:47:00.004-04:00

It's time for the annual Romantic Times convention so this week and next the Tuesday Featured Book and Wednesday Wonder Writer are on hiatus. The Tuesday book will return on May 11 and I have a fantastic pick lined up! And the Wonder Writer will return May 12. Tessie Bradford will be visiting. It's sure to be an awesome interview.

I'll be heading out to RT "unofficially" on Saturday and will be hanging around the book signing and bar. If you see me, say hi! I'll have some promo stuff with me :-)

So...since I don't have a featured book this week, I'm going to direct you to a free read. Patricia Pellicane posted a free read on her website yesterday. You can find it HERE. Check it out!!

Monday Minute Fiction - Shifting

2010-04-26T11:22:00.009-04:00

Welcome to Monday Minute Fiction. Join me every Monday for a bit of quick fiction. Then check out the bottom of my post for other authors doing Monday Minute Fiction too!

Shifting

(this work belongs to Brynn Paulin and cannot be duplicated without permission)

A slight breeze tousled my hair as I swayed forward an back in the swing, idly dragging my Keds in the sand. The sun had gone down and the park was now illuminated by only the moon. I knew I should go home. Being out here alone at night wasn’t particularly safe, but going home seemed less safe at the moment.

A squeak heralded someone sitting in the swing beside mine. My fingers tightened on the chains attached to my seat as I prepared to stand and walk away.

“You come here often?” he asked before I could move.

“Occasionally,” I answered. My tension drained a bit and I started to swing once more. I glanced over at my companion. “How did you find me?”

“I called your mother. She’s told me you come here when you’re upset.”

“Did you tell her why I’m upset?”

He sighed. “Of course not. It’s not something I tell just anyone.”

“How about your wife? Don’t you think I should have known before we married? I mean, what the hell? You come home and tell me ‘oh gee, I might be shifting into a jaguar tonight’ and then you do! What the hell, Jayson? What the hell! Don’t you think maybe I should have been told I was marrying a shifter? That it’s knowledge you should have given me before we started trying for a baby?”

“Yeah,” he said quietly.

“Then why?”

“I was scared you’d run. I didn’t want to lose you.”

I was silent for a few moments, digesting his raw emotion and bald explanation. I looked up at the sliver of silver moon. “So living a charade was so much better? For two years?”

The last time his cycle had come to the point where he’d be forced to shift, he’d been conveniently “out of town”.

“Of course not. I wanted to tell you every day.” He took my hand and I let him hold it while I thought.

“I don’t know, Jayson.” It was as if everything I thought I knew had been blown apart. Releasing his hand, I got off the swing and paced to the merry-go-round. I sensed Jayson on my heels. I lay in the middle of the metal surface, holding onto two of the metal bars as the stars and moon slowly spun above me. Jayson gave the merry-go-round a gentle spin then kept it going so the disk moved faster and faster. The world careened dizzily around me, but I knew I was safe. Jayson wouldn’t let anything happen to me.

That was the core of it, wasn’t it? The simplicity. Jayson loved me and would do anything for me—even lie though it wasn’t in his usual nature. In the past he’d always been painfully truthful. Perhaps that was why this revelation hurt so deeply. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t understand why.

The metal under me shuddered as Jayson got the disk going as fast as he wanted and he leapt aboard. He took a few unsteady steps toward me then knelt, straddling my hips. Bending forward, he kissed me as we spun. My hand buried in his hair, and on a soft moan, I met him. Our lips caressed until the world stopped spinning, then Jayson started it all again. Eventually, he moved us so one of his legs was close enough to hang off the edge and keep us moving in the circle. He lay on his back with me cuddled close to his side as we stared at the stars.

I had a lot to deal with, but right now, in the whole scheme of things, I guessed it didn’t matter. Hadn’t I said: I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you with all your faults and your strengths. I will help you when you need help, and I will turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life.

I had chosen him, and he was still the person with whom I found the most comfort. So he turned into a jaguar… I shivered. Okay, that still freaked me out. It didn’t change the man I’d loved since I’d met him three years ago. His soul was still the same.

“Don’t ever lie to me,” I whispered. The wind swept away the sound but Jayson still heard.

“I promise I won’t. And I promise you’re safe with me.”

I nodded, remembering earlier. “I’m sorry I screamed when you changed… And that I almost ran you over with the car when I was running away.”

“You wish you’d actually hit me?” he teased.

“Jayson,” I chided him.

He kissed me softly, ramping up the peace welling inside me. I had a lot of adjustment to make, but this would be okay.

Thanks for reading! I hope you return next week. Leave me a comment!!! Also participating in Monday Minute Fiction:

Ashley Ladd and her story, Forever.

Check it out!!!!

If you're an author who'd like to participate in Monday Minute Fiction, please contact me and I'll hook you up for next week and on.