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Archive for October, 2011



October Wrap-up
Monday, October 31st, 2011

October was an uneven, but still productive, month!

The high points were:

* ROMANTICON! Mainly because I got to take my daughter along with me. We had a blast!

* I attended the OZARK WRITERS CONFERENCE the very next weekend and had a different kind of fun—I stayed in a haunted hotel and a big cat refuge.

* ENSLAVED BY A VIKING released and I guest blogged all over the place!

* I completed editing and submitted the COWBOY LUST anthology to Cleis.

* I received acceptance for SHE-SHIFTERS from Cleis!

In November, I hope to accomplish the following:

* Write the sequel to TRUE HEART for Samhain.

* Write two short stories for Cleis collections (lesbian athletes, military erotica).

* Write the sequel to BITTEN IN THE BIG EASY.

Happy Halloween!
Monday, October 31st, 2011

Thanks to everyone who voted for A Four-Gone Conclusion over at Whipped Cream Reviews. It won Book of the Week! Whee! :mrgreen: I have to take the victories where I can. The writing end of this gig can be dreary.

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Okay, this is the third or fourth year in a row I’ve used this image on Halloween, but nothing makes me cringe and smile more! Enjoy!

Sunday Report Card
Sunday, October 30th, 2011

GO VOTE! As of this posting, I’m still holding the lead at Whipped Cream Reviews for Book of the Week, but the wonderful Cari Quinn is trying to kick my butt. If you haven’t voted, head on over there. I promise I’ll offer her a consolation prize. Wouldn’t you love to have her come here to play? :mrgreen:

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The big news this week was the acceptance of She-Shifters: Lesbian Paranormal Erotica by Cleis Press! All the authors have been notified of acceptance or rejection. I listed the names of all the authors who will have stories in the anthology, but did I also mention that Kate Douglas (you know, WOLF TALES!) is providing the foreword? More to be excited about, right?

I also completed making my initial selections and editing for Cowboy Lust for Cleis Press. I can’t let anyone know the verdict yet—Cleis has final approval—so be patient!

I finished copyedits of Five Ways ‘Til Sunday, due out November 22d!

And I’m back working on two projects now—the sequel to True Heart, which is the younger brother’s story, Lone Heart, and a short story for a collection that has something to do with lesbians in a locker room… Fun!

So, busy, busy. Not much time to chat, but I will be around. And don’t forget, I have TWO CONTESTS ongoing. Be sure to play!

New contest–a signed book, anyone?
Saturday, October 29th, 2011

A Four-Gone Conclusion is up for Book of the Week at Whipped Cream Reviews!
And it needs your vote: Vote Now!

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An Autographed Book!

Since the battery was too low to take a picture with my camera of a new prize, I’ll offer an autographed book this time around! The reader will have a choice of any of my backlisted print titles, other than Enslaved by a Vikingif I have a copy of it in stock. And I have nearly all of them other than some Ellora’s Cave books.

What do you have to do to win?
Post a comment here or on my facebook page.

This contest ends on November 6th!

Also, the Promo Ho Contest continues!

What can you win?
One $25.00 Amazon.com gift certificate

What do you have to do to enter?
See the covers below? These books are in sore need of online reviews by readers. So I’m offering a tempting bribe. You know there won’t be as many entries for this contest as for the Grab Bag contest, so you stand a better chance of winning! And wouldn’t you like to have some cash to spend on new books? And who knows? Maybe you already have these stories sitting on your TBR pile. Time to move them to the top!

Give an honest review for one of these stories on one of the online bookstores. Send me the link at del…@delilahdevlin.com. It can be the same review on three different sites, but send me three separate messages with the different links. Doesn’t matter if the review is on Samhain’s or Ellora’s Cave’s website, Amazon or Nook—send me the link to the review. Easy as that. And if you’ve already posted a review, it counts too. Send me the link!

This contest ends November 15th!

Review at Barnes & Noble
Review at Amazon

SHE-SHIFTERS is a go!
Friday, October 28th, 2011

The new contest announcement will go up tomorrow because I have news I can’t wait to tell!

It’s funny that I wrote yesterday morning’s post, asking authors to remain patient for news about the final lineup for Beastly Babes, and yesterday afternoon, I received acceptance from the publisher! That’s the way it works, though. Put a thought out there in the ether…

Anyway, I’m extremely excited to announce that Beastly Babes, now She-Shifters: Lesbian Paranormal Erotica (with or without the hyphen, I’m not sure :)) is a go!

And just to give you a hint about what you’ll find inside this volume, this is what I said in the introduction of the book.

Usually, the idea of shapeshifting creatures is one meant to elicit shivers of horror. But imagine the possibilities if the animal lurking under the skin of a woman was searching for love. Even a demon with fangs and fur can long for a tender caress. Imagine again, a human who discovers her most erotic fantasies embodied in a wild, untamable lover.

Inside She-Shifters, you’ll discover how it feels to be embraced inside the warm, feathered wings of a phoenix, explore faded memories of a past life to find your one true love, race through a rain forest morphing from tiger to kingfisher, and watch your lover surrender her seal’s pelt to walk hand-in-hand with you along a cold and lonely shore.

Love comes running, slithering, flying—in all shapes of desire.

This is your lineup of authors and their stories:

Paisley Smith—The Night Crow
Anna Meadows—Verde
J.L. Merrow—Nine Days and Seven Tears
Angela Capterton—Sweetwater Pass
Christine d’Abo—Scorched Retribution
Michael M. Jones—Thwarting the Spirits
Adele Dubois—She’s Furry Yiffy
Karis Walsh—Totem
Giselle Renarde—Sneak
Myla Jackson—Purrfect in Venezia
Sacchi Green—The Dragon Descending
Victoria Oldham—All the Colors of the Sun
Tahira Iqbal—The Handler
Chris Kouju—Bound in Bronze
Delilah Devlin—Catnip
J.L. Merrow—Belling the Kat

Congratulations, authors! Readers, sorry to say, you’ll have to wait until Fall 2012 to find this book!

Update on Beastly Babes and The Cowboy
Thursday, October 27th, 2011

Just an FYI for writers who submitted stories for Cleis Press’s Beastly Babes (which has been renamed She-Shifters) and The Cowboy (now, Cowboy Lust) Calls for Submissions!

I’ve completed my work. Both books have been submitted to Cleis Press for their approval. Because they have the last say on whether the stories I selected are ones they want, I can’t make any announcements just yet. Be patient. Believe me, I am dying to give a shout out about the final lineups for both!

One more note. I will announce a new contest tomorrow. Haven’t decided what to offer up as a prize just yet. I have a lovely mermaid journal, a pretty fusion glass bookmark made by a local artist here, and a Strangeling Fairy or two. And books.

Do you have any preferences? 🙂

Random Sneak Peek
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Psst! The winners of the Authors After Dark Grab Bag and the first Promo Ho
$25.00 gift certificate are listed at the bottom of this blog!

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Thought you might enjoy a little glimpse of “Drive Me Crazy”, which will be featured in Cleis’s Best Erotic Romance, due out in December. Enjoy!

Just a glimpse of him standing in profile, arms crossed over his well-developed chest and leaning his firm, round butt against the dispatch counter, was enough to shore up my weakening resolve. Dressed in faded blue jeans, a black, chest-hugging t-shirt, and a red Razorback ball cap turned backwards on his dark shaggy hair, he was every woman’s blue-collar fantasy. My mouth dried as I glanced down his tall, muscled frame. What woman in her right mind wouldn’t want one night with all that ripped hotness?

And that’s all it could be—one night. I’d waited until the last possible moment to make my move.

The midnight drive to the dispatch office had given me plenty of time to argue my way out of what had seemed like a good plan earlier when I’d realized that the planets had aligned to give me this one last chance to fulfill my long-standing fantasy.

There’d never been the right time. For the longest time, I was married. When my husband dumped me, Danny had been living with a woman with two kids, and seemed to be heading down a straight road to marriage.

We’d flirted; he’d issued lazy invitations for dates or a quickie at the Motel 6 down the road. But I’d never detected even a hint of serious interest. If something was going to happen, I had to be the one to make a move. Today had been my last day at Henderson Transport. It was now or never.

All the reasons why I was crazy to consider it fell away as I ticked through them in my mind:

He’s too young—He’ll be happy because I won’t have any expectations, I said to myself. Well, none beyond a really good time.

I’m management and he’s a driver—Midnight had just ticked past, so not true anymore. We were both free agents. Both consenting adults. All he had to do was say yes.

“You’ll never see him again,” I muttered under my breath as I rubbed my cold hands together. “If he turns you down, you won’t have to live with his smug smile.”

I sucked in a deep fortifying breath, adjusted the neckline of the red Lycra top to show my breasts to their best advantage, and pushed through the glass door.

His head turned at the sound, and then he straightened away from the counter and dropped his arms. “You cuttin’ my route, Angel?”

I gave him a crooked smile. “Think I’d do that and ask you to wait for me here in the middle of the night?”

His brows drew together, curiosity glinting in his gaze before it dropped to my boobs. I’d worn a bra that pretty much left everything sitting on a shelf. My nipples were outlined against the red, stretchy fabric of my top, the tips spiking because I’d given them a little tweak before I’d exited my car.

His frown deepened. “What’s this all about Angela?”

I cleared my throat and tried for a sultry look. “I think you know.”

He cocked his head and looked me up and down again. Slowly. “You don’t have to hijack a man’s keys to get his attention, sweetheart.”

I planted my hands on my generous hips. “Apparently, I do, because you sure as shit haven’t followed through on any one of your invitations.”

His lips twitched. “I thought you flirted like that with all the guys.”

“You ever see me do it? Even once?”

His jaw tightened. Fatigue showed in the shadows under his eyes. Stubble clung to his craggy cheeks.

I felt a momentary twinge of guilt over the fact I was keeping him from his bed, but that was all I’d allow. He was young and hot as hell. If he needed sleep that damn bad, he could tell his latest squeeze to come around another time. Tonight, he was mine.

“My keys weren’t in the lockbox. I know I left ’em there.”

“You did indeed,” I said nodding. Then I looked him up and down, making sure he hadn’t mistaken my intent. “Fact is, I have an itch that needs scratchin’ and I’m hopin’ you’ll help me out.”

I tried to exude more confidence than I felt, but lost my nerve on the return trip up his hard body. I paused and swallowed hard, then gave a little cough to loosen the knot lodging at the back of my throat. When I reached his mouth, he was grinning..

Shit.

“Angela, is there somethin’ you want?”

You, preferably naked and tied spread-eagle on a bed so you can’t stop me nibbling every edible part of you.

“Angela?”

“Is there something I want? Yeah, there is.”

“Then just say it.”

But I couldn’t. I felt foolish enough. I reached into my purse and drew out his key ring. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken this so far.”

“You made me wait half an hour, when I could have been home, showered and in bed. You know how long I’ve been out this time.”

“I know. I arranged the schedule.”

Still, he didn’t take the keys.

I took a step toward him and had to tilt my head to maintain the lock on his gray gaze.

His hands settled on my waist.”You want somethin’, sweetheart?” he repeated, his voice lowering to a sexy rumble.

I squeezed my eyes shut, prayed for courage and that the blush staining my cheeks would fade. “I want you,” I said, then opened my eyes.

His grin widened. “Now, was that so hard?”

“Matter of fact it was.”

He bent toward me, his gaze narrowing on my mouth, but I turned away my face. “Not here. Your rig.”

His eyebrows shot up, and he pushed me gently back. “After you. You know where I’m docked, and you have a key. Let yourself inside and get comfortable. I’m hittin’ the locker room for a quick shower. I smell like diesel.” He turned on his heel, giving me another view of that backside I’d drooled over for months.

A moan slipped from my mouth, and I heard a chuckle as he pushed through the door and left me standing weak-kneed in his wake.

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The winner of the Authors After Dark Grab Bag is…Janice Peruzzini! The winner of the first $25.00 Amazon.com gift certificate for being a stellar Promo Ho is…Crystal Hynds! Ladies, email me at del…@delilahdevlin.com to arrange delivery of your prizes! Congrats!