It was a very sad week for me. Not a single word was written. After arriving back home from LA on Sunday with a cough, I suffered a full-blown upper respiratory thing all week accompanied by horrible fatigue. I can work with a cough; I can’t create when I’m wrung out. End of story. Needless to say, I’m woefully behind on all my goals. I need to rethink my plans, which makes this my shortest report card ever. 😥

This week’s topic is characters doing something active. Get your minds out of the gutter! In my case, Shanna and Bo are dancing, and it’s the start of Four Sworn. Shanna is one of my favorite heroines because even though she’s very earthy, she’s also innocent. She’s a coltish, clumsy, vulnerable woman who won’t admit to herself that Bo’s “the one”. Enjoy meeting Shanna and Bo as we meet them for the first time.

“…what you get is explosive, emotional and endearing, something Delilah Devlin does better than anyone…” 4 Cherries, Whipped Cream

There’s a wild child trapped inside her, and they’re hell-bent on unleashing it…

As the pretty daughter of the town whore, Shanna Davies has always tried hard to toe the line. But she just can’t help it. Her boyfriend, Bo Crenshaw, has lured her untamed spirit out to play once too often. It’s time to get the hell out of Dodge and make a new start where no one knows her past. After she fulfills one last, wicked fantasy.

Shanna is Bo’s first everything. First kiss, first sexual playmate, first love. Yet he’s never managed to convince her that he accepts her—good girl and bad—just as she is. So, she wants a memorable send off? No problem. He’ll give her one that’ll make her think twice about leaving.

On the appointed night, Shanna expects nerves. Yet once she crosses the threshold, the prospect of surrendering to a night of unrestrained passion with Bo and the three Kinzie brothers makes her mouth water—and her courage dry up.

But she asked for it, and now she’s not about to blink first in this game of sexual chicken…

Warning: Four lusty cowboys prove a little domination goes a long way in breaking a stubborn woman to saddle. Lots of spanking, binding, flogging, and double-dipping can keep a girl on her toes, her back, her belly, her knees…

“Dance with me, cowboy.”

Bo Crenshaw didn’t know what surprised him more. Her wanting to dance—or her asking him. She always cringed over her inability to master a simple two-step, and she usually avoided him like the plague in public.

But he wasn’t arguing. It was Friday night after a long week of wrangling cattle. He wanted to replace the musky smell in his nostrils with something a whole lot sweeter. Giving his drinking buddy a shrug, he let Shanna Davies tug his hand and lead him onto the dance floor, pretending a reluctance he didn’t feel.

Not that dancing with Shanna wasn’t pleasurable—if a little painful. She danced the same way she lived—a little too fast and completely out of synch with everyone around her.
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You all know I love using a visual to get the old gray matter firing. I saw this truck in a parking lot. Loved the name of the business and his slogan! So tell me what sort of adventures Nick the Plumber might get up to!

Although I was sick for most of the conference last week, I did manage to stir from my room to meet friends. It’s the best part of conference, seeing old friends and making new ones. Here are some of my favorite pics.

Of course, I had to meet the man on my Moonstruck cover, Jimmy Thomas. This was his display at the booksigning on Saturday. You can see Moonstruck on the upper right corner!

I shot this after one of the panel discussions I participated in. In the picture are my BFF Kimberly Kaye Terry and the fabulous L.A. Banks!

More KKT and me! Doesn’t she look amazing?!

L.A. at the booksigning!

Just to prove it’s not all female authors at RT! I bought Jeremy’s book, Hungry for Love—what can I say? I can’t get enough of zombies!

The promo princesses themselves, Megan Hart and Lauren Dane!

I sat next to the very sweet and funny, HelenKay Dimon at the booksigning!

Richelle Mead is signing Frostbite for me!

Another very sweet lady—Taige Crenshaw!

You never know who you’re gonna meet at conference. Here’s my beta-buddy, Virginia E taking a pic of me while I’m taking a pic of her!

Virginia without the camera. 🙂

Kimmie with the rockin’ Vivia Anna!

A Flash of Long Black Hair…

Story inspiration can strike in the strangest places. The other day at the nail salon, I saw a young Asian woman with the most gorgeous long black hair. I mean the kind of hair only seen in commercials. Almost blue-black, high shine, and down to her hips, her beautiful tresses tempted my poor fingers to reach out and touch. Just to see if her hair felt as sexy as it looked.

I couldn’t get the idea of the unbelievable beauty of her hair out of my mind. So of course, a story started forming.

Like a song you can’t banish from your mind, sometimes a flash of inspiration refuses to leave you alone. While the story isn’t complete, the basic set up is in my list of stories to write. Definitely another lesbian vampire story. *cackle*

Songs or music videos are another great inspiration for my stories. A Familiar Taste of Poison by Halestorm hit me several ways. First the title. I wish I’d thought of that one! Then there’s the lyrics—

I breathe you in again
Just to feel you underneath my skin
Holding onto the sweet escape
Is always laced with a familiar taste of poison

Finally, there’s the video. I mean…just wow. Fabulous visuals. Great film noir look and feel. An entire murder mystery in four minutes.

A lot of Halestorm’s lyrics strike a chord with me. No pun intended. I think I could write an entire series inspired by their music.

Friends are another source of inspiration, especially if they are also writers. I don’t mean writing about their lives. Although Delilah’s life would make for a very interesting book. *wink*

Brainstorming can start with a single word or a simple premise. Back and forth banter blossoms into stories. Delilah is one of the best at brainstorming. She’s pulled me out of several plot holes.

Then there’s the random stray thought, like the one that inspired my latest story, Consensual Infidelity.

What would you do if you found out your boyfriend were bisexual?

Would you run away as fast as your feet could carry you? Accept it but agree that part of his sexuality should stay hidden? Or would you actively pursue his fantasy of being with a man—then join in?

You can probably guess what Denise Wilder did in Consensual Infidelity. And boy, do they have fun!

Sometimes, a great story comes out of a combination of all of the above. For instance, a bisexual Asian woman murdered in the early 20th century who is resurrected as a vampire. Now I need a little help from my friends to fill in the plot holes! *grins*

Thanks, Delilah, for letting me ramble on about inspiration!

Consensual Infidelity—now available at Amazon.com

I woke up late! Probably needed the extra sleep because I came back from conference with an ugly cough. However, it means I’ll have to wait to post those pictures from the conference until Thursday (I have a guest blogger tomorrow). 😥

Thanks to everyone who sent me links to reviews/comments about Moonstruck! We still need more buzz, so we’re going to give everyone time to read the story before you review or post the cover and blurb on your blog site. The end date of the contest will be extended until April 30th. You have plenty of time to enter!

If you like this sort of collaboration, please let us know. Sis and I tend to goad each other along to get things done. It could mean more of the stories you like sooner.

In the meantime, let’s talk…

Babe Ruth, James Dean, Elvis Presley…
If you could bring back any deceased superstar for one final performance
in their respective field, whom would you choose?

I’m baaaack! The conference was worthwhile for the connections I made and the friendships I renewed, but I am soooo glad to be away from California pollen! I have pictures, but have to unpack to get to my camera. I’ll do that today, so stop by tomorrow for a peek!

Just a reminder—today’s the last day you can buy Moonstruck for $.99! It’s also the last day to enter the contest Myla and I are sponsoring. We’re offering two $25.00 gift certificates to two lucky winners. What you have to do is send us a link to where you talked about the book, posted a review, or posted the cover and the blurb. And you can enter multiple times, so if you are smart, send me a link for each individual posting to this address: Email Delilah!

Those of you who are hooked on the My Immortal Knight stories, won’t want to miss my quickie novella in Moonstruck! Here’s what one reader said about She’s All That: “Moses is a hot cop on the paranormal beat. His coworkers think it’s a super great joke. Melanie is a woman who went to a bar looking for a one night stand and ends up learning about vampires and other paranormal beings. Things go crazy from there. Now I don’t want to give away the um…big…um moment(?) but I will say that there is a sex scene. When I finished it, I backed up and read it again!… This story read with a wink and a nudge and the humor just screams out of the pages.”

Yeah, there is this one big scene I’m dying for you to read… Don’t wait. Get your copy today!