Anyone live in the Charlotte area? Next week, I’ll be there attending the Authors After Dark conference. For those of you planning to attend, I hope you’ll stop me if you see wandering the halls of the Westin hotel! And for those of you who are planning on being at the booksigning on Saturday from 1-4 PM, don’t be shy about saying hello! I won’t make you buy a book just to talk to me!

Yeah, I could have flown. Might have been smarter, but my daughter is attending with me, and one of our biggest joys in life is a road trip. It’s not the destination that thrills us, it’s the chance to jabber all along the way and the opportunity for discovery. You never know what those odd, alluring highway signs advertising “America’s Only Pearl Bed” or “Quigley’s Castle” or “World’s Largest Ball of Twine”—or anything with “Flea” and “Market” in the business name—will lead you to! So what would be a one day, 12-hour drive, will take us two on either side of the conference, because we have to have our journey.

So, what kind of traveler are you? Are you like my sister, Elle James, who will drive, barely taking stops to pee, to get to her destination, or are you a dawdler/explorer like my daughter and me?

Summer is in full swing and I finally made it to the beach. I’m not much for lying on the beach, but gazing out to the ocean and listening to the sounds of the waves roll in and out is so soothing for the soul, don’t you think? Almost magical, your mind is free to wonder and create. It’s an experience I tried to capture in my latest release, Dark Velvet, which is the first part of a paranormal erotic romance series set on a remote New England island. The tormented sculptor Antoine bought a castle that was built during the tech boom in the 1990s in a medieval style. Antoine established an art colony here to bring back meaning to an existence that has lost meaning. When Savannah arrives for a residency, his game of seduction unfolds, yet his plans are derailed when she discovers his dark secret.

Dark Velvet

Chateau Seductions series

Grad student Savannah Evans is thrilled to be accepted as a resident to a prestigious art colony. Where else would she be able to focus on her craft of writing poetry in a setting like that of the medieval-styled castle? The remote New England island is a respite from her hectic city life. When she meets her benefactor, a mysterious French sculptor, her expectations for carefree days writing near the ocean are distracted by unprofessional fantasies about her sponsor.

Antoine Chevalier built Les Beaux Arts on DeRoche Island to bring purpose back to an existence that has lost meaning. He’s wandered the earth for decades and finds solace in returning to art. When Savannah applies for a residency, something about her words touches him. After her arrival, a physical attraction grows between them, which he struggles against. She deserves more than someone of his kind.

Antoine proposes they become lovers during her stay. But the situation turns complicated when Savannah discovers his secret. She had suspicions about his identity, but finds the truth overwhelming. Consumed by her desire for Antoine and faced with a tough decision, she is blind to the danger that has arrived at DeRoche Island.

New adult / paranormal / erotic romance

“Dark Velvet has a dark eroticism that makes you want to be Savannah. It is a book that is a good, quick and darkly thrilling read.” – Books and Beyond Fifty Shades

“Looking for a sexy vampire novel? If so, then this is definitely a must buy!”

“…insanely hot chemistry between the female protagonist Savannah & vampire Antoine.  Their intensity starts off right away and you’re not a chapter in before it takes off like a rocket. 

~ Paranormal Romance Junkies

Buy links:

Amazon
B&N
Kobo
AllRomanceEbooks

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Artists rendition of Cahokia Mounds in 1150 A.D., Cahokia Mounds Museum Society and Art Grossman

My husband and I are going on our tenth anniversary vacation to Cahokia Mounds this week.  What fascinates me about this site is that it’s estimated between 20,000 to over 100,000 people made their homes here as recently as European contact.  It’s the most sophisticated settlement north of Mexico.  This is similar in size to South Bend, Indiana or Las Cruces, New Mexico.

I find some of the practices of the original inhabitants to be frightening: specifically, the practice of human sacrifice.  One of the burial sites has over 300 bodies mostly of young women, who may have been killed at the time of death of a ruler, who is buried nearby.  The theory is that they may have been sacrificed to serve him in the afterlife.

I’ll know more once we visit, of course, but I’m excited about seeing something like this especially this far north.  Cahokia is near St. Louis, Missouri, which is comparatively very far north from the rest of the mound building culture, (which was mostly in Mexico, as far as current knowledge goes).

What about you?  What’s your favorite vacation spot?

So many authors are at RWA this week, I’m feeling a little jealous. Especially since RWA is in San Antonio, which is my previous home town. I’m missing friends and familiar places. Ah well…

I have a question for you. Those are always fun. I love seeing your answers, but first, I want to post a few reminders…

For Writers

I have two current Calls for Submissions for short story anthologies which will be published by Cleis Press. Pay attention to those deadline dates. I am still in need of stories!

**In Vikings’ Arms — Deadline: August 10th —  find details HERE

**Rogue Hearts — Deadline: September 15th —  find details HERE

For Readers

I have two current releases. Both of which mean a lot to me. If you haven’t ordered them, please do. If you’re read them, please post a review or tell your friends. And thanks to those of you who already have! Mmmmwah!

Click to Buy

Click to Buy

The Question

If you had time, had energy, and the money to start a new hobby…
what would it be?

I’ve known Desiree for a long time—when I lived in San Antonio. So yeah, a few years. And I’d call her an old friend, but then you’d wonder if I meant a long-time friend or whether I was referring to her age. Don’t cringe. Desiree embraces her age. And believe me, she has more vitality and youthful exuberance than just about anybody I know. She has a book coming out in September with Kensington’s Lyrical Press, so I thought I’d share the news. ~DD

You can pre-order her book now at Amazon.

Sometimes life is not fair. For Julia Patterson meeting Luke Buchanan opened the door to a new life and brought her to life as a woman. In his arms she learns for the first time how real passion and emotion can enrich your life. He claims her body with the pleasure of erotic sex and his heart with unrestricted love. But Fate was laughing at Julia, just as she is about to step over the threshold into a wonderful new life. When her almost-ex-husband Charles is diagnosed with a fatal heart condition her divorce is put on hold along with the rest of her life. Turning her back on Luke and the intense passion and emotion they shared is the most difficult thing she’s ever done. But Julia has a secret, one that Charles has discovered and uses like a club. Thirteen years later when Luke walks back into her life the passion and emotion are just as explosive as ever. Will they finally have their chance at happiness or will her secret destroy it forever?

Luke put his drink down, stood up, and took her hand. “Dance with me.” He pulled her easily into his arms, nestling her head against his shoulder, their linked hands folded between them. They moved slowly, almost in place, in the same rhythm they’d been caught up in the last time.

Here in this cabin in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by snow and pine trees, warmed by the fire, and lulled by the music, she felt the world fall away. The rest of her life fell away and for the first time since her morning arrival at the airport she relaxed, tension sliding away from her body like a cloak someone thoughtfully removed.

“You smell wonderful,” Luke murmured in her ear. “I wish I could have bottled your scent and kept it with me to open every now and then.” He pressed her to him tightly. “God, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you, Julia. One night together and I couldn’t get you out of my head.”

“I missed you, too,” she said, feeling the steady thud of his heart against her.

“Did you bewitch me, Julia?” His lips moved against her hair. “Did you cast a spell?”

Her laugh was unsteady. “I’m not sure I’d know how.”

“Oh, I think with you, no knowledge is even required.”

His words made her feel giddy, excited. It was the kind of nervous energy one got from dancing on a thin wire.

Luke kissed her forehead, then her cheek, sliding his mouth until he found her lips. Gently he pressed his tongue until she opened for him and met him with her tongue. The kiss went on and on as if they were fused together, sensations of heat cascading through her body. The music drifting into the room was a counterpoint to the pounding of her pulse.

Luke slid his hands beneath the knitted band of the top, drawing a sharp breath when he realized she had not put her bra back on.

“Tempting me already?” His voice was just a tiny bit unsteady.

“Hoping to.” Hers was underscored with the same slightly shaking timbre.

He cupped her bare breasts in his warm hands, caressing the soft flesh, lightly rubbing his thumbs across the nipples. They hardened almost painfully at the contact, and the same needy ache she’d felt the first time he’d touched her sizzled through her again. He gently squeezed the flesh of those mounds, his palms bearing their weight. His touch was so exquisite she could barely stifle the tiny moan vibrating in her throat.

As they danced, he continued to stroke her breasts, rubbing them, and teasing her nipples. The fire he’d lit in the fireplace was nothing compared to the one he ignited deep inside her. He brushed tiny kisses over her forehead, down the side of her face, along the column of her neck. He moved his mouth everywhere, tasting the sensitive spot on her neck that made her nerves tingle, trailing kisses along the line of her jaw, dusting her eyelids. His swollen cock pressed against her like heated steel and desire surged through her, enveloping her in a scorching grip.

The touch of his hand as he skimmed her ribs and the flat of her tummy and slipped into the waistband of her pants liquefied her bones. His caresses were like magic, turning every part of her body into an erogenous zone. And when he cupped her buttocks, sliding his fingers into the warm cleft between the cheeks she caught her breath on a rush of need. Another moan escaped her. A sigh. The more he drew his fingers through that hot place, the more rapid her breathing grew. Every pulse point throbbed with hunger, every sensitive spot begged for his attention. She wanted his touch everywhere before she exploded with need.

When at last he moved the hand around to touch her between her legs, she gasped at the electric shock coursing through her. 

* * * * *

Known the world over as the oldest living author of erotic romance, and referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, Desiree Holt is three times a finalist for an EPIC E-Book Award (and a winner in 2014), a nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, winner of the first 5 Heart Sweetheart of the Year Award at The Romance Studio as well as twice a CAPA Award winner for best BDSM book of the year, and winner of the Holt Medallion for Excellence in Romance Literature. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications. “Desiree Holt is the most amazing erotica author of our time and each story is more fulfilling then the last.” (Romance Junkies)

Learn more about her and read her novels here:
www.desireeholt.com
www.desiremeonly.com
www.facebook.com/desireeholtauthor
Twitter @desireeholt
Pinterest: desiree02holt
Also on LinkedIn and Google+

Hi, my name is, Janice Seagraves, and I’d like to thank Delilah for having me on her blog today.

My recent book, Matrix Crystal Hunters, was inspired by a trip to the Mohave Desert when I was in the sixth grade.

It was a family vacation. My dad had recently retired. He had what they now call rheumatoid arthritis. Back then it was arthritis and bursitis. Basically, his joints were worn away and what was left was badly inflamed. This is the worst news for a top body and fender man like my dad. He slowly went down the list of jobs you can do at the shop, until he was left pushing a broom. Even that got to be too much for his joints. He ached every day. The aspirin he took ate up his stomach. Even the shots the doctors gave fail to give him much relief. The trip was to discover if the Mohave was a good place to move to for my dad’s condition. It wasn’t, but that’s another story for another time.

It was a great trip for the most part. My dad modified a van. By modifying, I mean he welded in L-brackets, sawed a plywood board to set across it, and then had foam cut to fit. My mom sewed a cover for the mattress. This became a bunk bed for my sister and myself to sleep on. My parents’ bed was a full size mattress that went underneath. The ice chest my dad took fishing was our refrigerator and the camp stove went along to cook our meals on.

We headed out to Arizona and Nevada. Since my dad loved to fish, we stopped at every major lake across the Mojave Desert. And yes, the desert does have lakes. We also stopping at historical places along the way, so it became an educational experience for my sister and me.

I remember a shop called the Rock Hound and used its name for my heroine’s parents’ store. We also rock hunted along the great Colorado River, which I also mention in my book. I learned what geography means and how the desert was made. We stopped by a huge old cement building, long abandoned and roofless. It also found a place on my book.

Then it rained. We were stuck in our van for three days as it poured outside. Two young girls stuck in a van with their parents. That got a bit dicey. When it stopped raining, the desert bloomed in brilliant colors. The rain also brought out the colors of the rocks and desert formations.

Team Alpha Three’s spaceship is out of power after fighting a wormhole, and parked on the primitive world of Zenevieva. With half the team sick from radiation poisoning, the team commander entrust geologist, Maya Gladstone, to find enough matrix crystals to power up their spacecraft, so they can go home to Earth.  Vach Namaste of the powerful Clan Namaste, a native of the planet, has desired the lovely Maya since she stepped off the spaceship on that astonishing day a year ago. He’s hounded her every step since. As Hymeneal Night approaches, he makes plans to take her as his bride… willing or not.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a bow in the rock wall.” He backed up, causing Maya to withdraw. “I’m bigger than the last time I went through here, but that was several years ago when my cousin, Xeno, brought me.”

He handed her the flashlight.

“Is there another way?” She shone the light around, noting how the crevice narrowed overhead.

“Not that I know of.” He grunted, trying to remove his robe, but there wasn’t much room to maneuver.

“Here, let me help you.” Maya pulled the robe off his shoulder. “Surely the ancients didn’t come through here?” She jerked one sleeve down over his hand and then reached to get the other side too, but found herself wedged between the rock wall and his hard body. Fighting the impulse to feel his muscles, she managed to get his other sleeve down.

“If there’s another entrance, it must have been blocked a long time ago.” He started to pull his tunic off, but struggled, thanks to his big arms and the lack of room. “Can you help me with my shirt?”

As Vach lifted his arms over his head, Maya grabbed a handful of cloth so she could lift the material high over his shoulders. “What are you going to do? Strip down and lube yourself with my cooking oil?”

“No.” He chuckled, his voice muffled by the shirt. “But that’s a good idea.”

With his arms up, Maya got a whiff of his spicy, male scent. It always surprised her that the Zeemen didn’t stink after exertion as humans did. I wouldn’t mind rubbing his body down with oil. Warmth spiraled through her middle. She bit her lip. Keep your mind on business and not on being in a tight spot with a handsome Zeeman.

Vach stuck his clothes in the tote and then sidestepped through the narrow opening. Grunting as he pushed past the bow, he finally got through.

Maya approached the bend and realized it was about breast height on her. No wonder Vach had a problem, with his deep chest and heavily muscled back.

Contemplating the aperture, she stood on tiptoe but couldn’t get high enough. Finally, she squatted down but then found she needed to keep her knees bent out sideways. Oh no, not awkward at all.

She managed a few crab steps before she got stuck. Vach grabbed her arm to pull her the rest of the way through. Her hiking boots slid over the loose gravel, while her thighs took the strain. He helped her to stand, leaving his hands placed on her waist as she leaned against the wall, panting. “I don’t know how we’re going to manage that going back.”

“At least we know it’s there.” His breath puffed against her face. It smelled of mint.

He must have used my toothpaste. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

With an electric jolt, Maya realized her shirt had risen up and Vach’s hands were resting on her bare skin. She became hyperaware of his scent, his closeness and the fact that he wore no shirt.

Moving even closer toward her in the confined space, he whispered in her ear. “I like the smell of your hair.”

His hand slid further under her shirt, gliding over her ribs.

Heat went through her as she rested her hand on his shoulder. “It’s my shampoo.”

“It’s nice.”

“You can borrow it sometime.”

————————————————————————————————-

US, Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FJ10W26
UK, Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Matrix-Crystal-Hunters-ebook/dp/B00FJ10W26/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1380662336&sr=1-3
US, Trade paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Matrix-Crystal-Hunters-Janice-Seagraves/dp/1492709751/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
UK, Trade paperback: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Matrix-Crystal-Hunters-Janice-Seagraves/dp/1492709751/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_t_1_KKW6

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Matrix Crystal Hunters is now on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/447796

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Janice Seagraves’s website: Janiceseagraves.org
Janice Seagraves’s blog: http://ladyjanice.blogspot.com/
Janice Seagraves on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Janice-Seagraves-Author/117551164948239

Delilah, here! Help me welcome a new-to-me-author, Andy Lewter. Her debut paranormal novel, Gifted, was recently released by Astraea Press! You can find a long excerpt on the publishers’ website!

The last thing Abigail Everett thought would happen over spring break was having her world shift into an entirely new perspective.

Unfortunately for her, that’s exactly what happened.

Between struggling to master her newly-formed abilities, coming face-to-face with dark, deceiving mind tricks by those that seek her leadership, and learning of a mythical world that she never deemed possible, Abigail risks everything with the future of mankind and the safety of its people in her hands.

 

“I knew I was in mortal danger.  But I was finally able to breathe again—with him by my side.  Then dangerous eyes bore into mine, and darkness overtook me . . .”

Andy is a stay-home mom with two beautiful children. Between homework, playing, cooking and cleaning, she writes on the side. Most of her inspiration comes from life experiences that have brought her both pain and happiness – both of which have helped her grow. She also gets inspiration from the wonderful people that have touched her life, accompanied with crazy dreams she has nightly. She is so excited to have finally touched the edges of her dream as an author. She grew a fond passion for writing when she was young, and this story has given her determination that she can indeed fulfill her childhood dream.

Social links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndyLewterAuthor
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AndyLewter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AndyLewter

Buy links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dSUuExJhc4