Today, I’m heading to Little Rock to meet with my Diamond State Romance Author friends! I’ll leave you with an excerpt from something I wrote a while ago. Something dark and sexy—and written at the time New Orleans was in the midst of the cleanup after Katrina. Post a comment today, and you’ll be entered to win a download of this book!

“…The perfect holiday read! Delilah Devlin took a Christmas tale to a whole new level when she crafted SILENT KNIGHT.” ~5 Stars, eCataRomance

“…[SILENT KNIGHT] is a sizzling hot vampire story tht will take you on a short escape — the perfect read for a busy holiday season. Sexy and fun, make sure Silent Knight is on your holiday “must read” list!” ~4 Kisses, Romance Divas

“Erotically decedent and thrillingly carnal, Noelle and Magnus’ story is enough to make a person self-combust with want.” ~4 Roses, A Romance Review

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Noelle Moyaux questions her gift of sight until a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger sets her on a path to save his soul.

Magnus Thornton is a millennium-old vampire who has found evidence of an old foe’s evil at work in the demolished city of New Orleans . Weary of the fight, he decides to greet the coming dawn after a night reveling in his favorite things–a bottle of Bordeaux and a willing woman.

Noelle seems the answer, but she quickly creeps into his heart-the vampire, so jaded from life he never speaks, must now persuade Noelle to flee the city before it’s too late.

Noelle Moyaux flicked off the battery-powered Christmas lights that ringed her metal cart, folded her purple tablecloth into a small tidy square and tucked it and the folding table inside the cart before latching the lid closed.

She wheeled the cart across the busy street and waved to her friend Gerard, the owner of a small Cajun restaurant. Continuing around the back of the eatery, she stowed her palmistry kiosk in the storage unit she’d rented from Gerard since before the troubles.

Today’s earnings were slim, despite the unseasonably warm weather that allowed the thin-blooded residents of the city to roam the streets in light jackets. No one believed in a future amid the chaos–and some questioned her ability since she’d received no divination of the coming catastrophe. Indeed, Noelle questioned her gift daily as she sat beneath her umbrella in front of the embroidered cloth advertising “Noelle’s News”.

If not for the little nest egg of money she’d saved from substitute teaching before the flood, she’d be in dire straits.

Clutching her purse close to her side, she headed down the street toward home.

One last night. One last chance to lose myself in The Hunger, a fine glass of wine and the body of a willing woman. Before my last sunrise—the first I will see in nearly a thousand years…

Noelle heard the quiet, fleeting thought as she passed through the crowd ambling along Bourbon Street and spun to find the owner. The inner voice that accompanied the thought was masculine and raspy. Added to the familiar spark of connection when her skin had brushed against his was a wash of the blackest melancholy she’d ever sensed. It nearly drowned her in despair. Read the rest of this entry »

A Duke, a Billionaire, and a Superhero Walk into a Bar…

I’m an equal opportunity reader. Give me a traditional Regency, an erotic contemp with a family of super-rich playboy heroes, an urban fantasy where the characters acquire kick-ass superpowers…I’m not picky. As long as the world is well crafted and the characters grab me, I’ll follow them along on all their adventures.

Some people (read: my family) don’t understand how I can bounce around between genres like that, how I can love a rich historical just as much as a fast-paced action romance. But it’s easy. What’s interesting to me about this motley crew of genres is not how dissimilar they are, but how similar they are.

Because no matter which way I figure it, every one of the hero types found in these books is as deliciously unrealistic as the next.

Historicals love to depict dukes. And spies. And really rich landowners who don’t exploit their tenants or the slave trade in the West Indies but have an inexplicable source of income all the same. I’m not saying I won’t read one of these books (on the contrary, magically rich and handsome young men are a staple in my TBR pile), but I am saying that the reality is probably a lot more grim. I mean, I have the Internet. I can look up paintings of the ancient lords of England. I see a lot of weak chins and receding hairlines.

Contemporaries are just as guilty of this. Yes, we’re seeing a larger influx of blue-collar heroes (whom I happen to adore), but the vast majority don’t worry about money. And even when they do worry, it’s always for a noble reason. You don’t see any of these guys agonizing about car payments and paying down their student loan debt. Oh, no. They want to set their female relatives up in style, make a family business successful, give up the shackles of their millions to pursue a higher calling.

Which leaves us with the superheroes and fierce men of the paranormal world. Naturally, we have to take a leap of believability when we pick up one of these books. I know my cute UPS guy probably doesn’t howl at the moon every 28 days. I know that if my husband took up Hawkeye-style archery, he’d only end up shooting himself in the face rather than saving the world. But in my day-to-day life, radioactive spiders are just as realistic as taking up spying for my country or building a million-dollar play room.

Which is to say, not at all.

So when a duke, a billionaire, and a superhero walk into a bar…it’s probably just me, enjoying a mojito and searching through my Kindle to find what I want to read next. You should come say hello. I’ll buy you a drink, and maybe we can talk books.

About Playing with Fire

Fiona Nelson has always been one hot ticket—even before she took the conversion serum that gave her superhuman abilities. Fiona’s powers come at a price: lack of human contact, or she won’t be the only thing burning. When she loses control of her emotions, her fire powers run rampant…and she’s hurt enough people already.

Including herself.

But when the man behind her conversion returns to blackmail her into helping him gain power, the only person she can turn to is Ian Jones, the man who broke her teenage heart. The man determined to expose the criminal known as Fireball, whose explosive escapades are just a little too close to Fiona’s M.O.

Ian is convinced Fiona’s dangerous, convinced she’s Fireball, and convinced he’ll damn himself if he doesn’t resist a heat that’s always drawn him to Fiona like a moth to a flame—but Ian has his own secrets.

And he’ll learn far too soon what happens when you play with fire.

Available at Amazon, Books on Board, and Kobo.

About Tamara Morgan

Tamara Morgan is a romance writer and unabashed lover of historical reenactments—the more elaborate and geeky the costume requirements, the better. In her quest for modern-day history and intrigue, she has taken fencing classes, forced her child into Highland dancing, and, of course, journeyed annually to the local Renaissance Fair. These feats are matched by a universal love of men in tights, of both the superhero and codpiece variety.

You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Winners!

First Winners!
The five winners of the Hustler Magnets Contest, chosen by random number generator, are:

* Angel Shaw (August 30)
* Julianne Keller (September 2)
* Ella (September 5)
* Jen B. (September 6)
* Stacy Wilson (September 9)

I’ll load up the packages with some other promo items, too! So ladies, email me with your snail mail addresses. Congratulations!

One more winner!
The Promo Ho Contest is ongoing (see below), but the first winner is Angel Shaw!!! Angel, email me! And thanks for your support! Angel’s a very lucky girl!

New Contest — The Voodoo Doll Contest!

This one will be fun! I have these three pretty little voodoo dolls and two strings of wooden voodoo-themed Mardi Gras beads I picked up in New Orleans on Bourbon Street. So, five winners in all! Plus, I’ll be sure to fill up the packages with more promo items you will enjoy!

What do you have to do to win? Post comments on this blog from now until the contest ends! Each time you post counts as another entry!

This contest ends on September 27th!

Ongoing Contest — The Promo Ho Contest

What can you win? One $25.00 Amazon.com gift certificate, given to a new lucky winner every week of the contest!

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 Voodoo Doll 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. Send me the link!

This contest ends September 27!

Today’s Question…

So, I have plenty of things for you to be interested in here, right? Contests, special guests, fun posts. I love the questions, how about you? Here’s today’s…

What’s the funniest TV sitcom scene you’ve ever watched?
[Question from The Answer Guys]

Hi everyone.  I’m Brenna Zinn, one of the authors from the Sassy Seven, and I’m delighted to be Delilah’s guest blogger today.

I want to let everyone know about a author/reader conference the Sassy Seven Authors are hosting that we’ve dubbed The Naughty Sleepover.  Next year from February 22 through the 24th, erotic authors and readers will have a chance to get together for a weekend filled with decadent events.  This is NOT your average author/reader weekend.  Forget boring panel discussions that put you to sleep or formal conferences that limit the reader’s access to attending authors.  The Naughty Sleepover is about authors and readers getting together and having fun!  Let’s party!

For more information check out our website at http://sassyseven.com/naughty-sleepover.

In honor of the Naughty Sleepover event, the Sassy Seven Authors have composed our next series of books. It is my profound honor to share with you the e-book covers (designed by Nicole Austin) and blurbs for all seven books, which will be available from Decadent Publishing October 8 – 10th. All seven books will also be combined into a print anthology to be released in early 2013.

Coming October 8th…

Say Yes by Regina Carlysle

“I’ll make you famous.”

She’d spoken the words, clicked off a few pictures and then scampered off toward the rodeo arena leaving him more than a little dizzy with lust. J.D. Stone, owner of the Stone’s Throw ranch is in town for business but the sassy woman has him thinking of planting his boots under her bed. Luckily for him, the pretty Melissa Bell is staying at the same hotel!

At first, J.D. Stone looked like a ghost from her past but those long-ago imagines quickly disappear with the first touch of this sexy cowboy’s hands on her sex-starved body. The epitome of a man of the old-west, hard and strong, J.D. is everything she has ever wanted in a man but will a misunderstanding have him turning tail and running with the dawn? Not if she can help it.

Sugar Girl by Nicole Austin

A guy walks into a bar…

And finds the sweet girl he shouldn’t have left behind.

While book smart Candy Dillon went to college and embarked on an engineering career, Jeremiah Lange became a rodeo champion and country music icon. Their differences have kept these childhood friends apart until finally, the twists and turns in their individual paths lead them right back where they belong.

All work and no play has Candy aching for a thrill. Jeremiah is the perfect man to help check a few things off her bucket list. From bungee jumping to making out on a Ferris wheel and an emotional spin beneath bright spotlights, Candy’s having the time of her life.

But in the harsh light of the morning after can she really hold on to a shooting star?

When A Lady Meets A King by Brenna Zinn

Lady Pembrook went to great lengths, traveling thousands of miles and assuming a false identity, to satisfy her fantasy­­ of a one night stand with a real Texas cowboy. But can she fulfill her dream of a naughty sexual encounter after discovering a mysterious stranger in dark sunglasses threatens to expose her scandalous behavior in America?

Though riding bulls and taming wild horses aren’t the only risks Burton King has taken in a lifetime of working on a ranch, nothing scarred him deeper than falling for the wrong woman. When he finds a damsel in distress, will the oath he swore to never get involved with another woman keep him from finding the woman of his dreams?

More Than You Know by Cerise Deland

When a va-va-voom redhead walks into Luke Hurley’s bar, he vows to get to know her. But she escapes him every time, her family besieging her. Luke wants to save her. Hell, he wants to savor her if he can only figure out how to intrigue her…and nail her. Luke has his hands full of the classiest, funniest female he’s ever met for one naughty night. But will she love him tomorrow?

Overnight Sensation by Desiree Holt

Abbie Lawlor only wanted a drink with her friend at the end of a long, hard week. Her feet hurt, her head ached and she just wanted one cosmos then home to soak in the tub. She sure wasn’t looking to hook up with anyone. Her luck with men was worse than bad. Too bad with visitors flooding the town the bar at The Menger Hotel was so jammed a sheet of paper would barely fit between two people. Which was why Sam Burdette ended up pressed against her so she could feel every detail of his body. The heat the flared between them could have set fire to everyone in the bar. The invisible link between a Dom and a sub made her forget all her aches and pains. It was why she let the very sexy Texas Ranger coax her out of the bar and up to his room for some very off the wall sex that turned a casual “Hello” into an overnight sensation.

Blame It On Texas by Allie Standifer

Everything’s supposed to be bigger and better in Texas, right? Sexy plus size model Serena Morgan isn’t convinced and can’t wait to get out of the wild untamed state.

Local boy and country star Kale Winters has wanted Serena from the moment he looked into her eyes. Too bad she won’t have a thing to do with him. Or will she?

Thanks to the soft heart and match-making gene of Serena’s agent and his own swift thinking Kale has one night to prove there’s more to this cowboy than ropin’ and branding.

Together they explore the explosive passion growing between them in the majestic and some say haunted Meneger Hotel.

Come morning will Kale be able to convince Serena he’s the real deal or will the stubborn model Blame It On Texas?

Spank ‘Em Cowboy by Samantha Cayto 

Sensible California gal, Tara, is in San Antonio for her sister’s wedding. Her only hope is to survive the overdone affair without a wardrobe malfunction. Hot, cranky and breathless, she flees the reception only to be rescued by the quintessentially sexy Texas man. In town for the rodeo, Rob spots the voluptuous Tara and is delighted to help this damsel in distress. Maybe it’s her tight dress cutting off the oxygen to her brain, but Tara decides to take a chance and invites him up to her room. She puts herself in his hands and dares to reveal her secret desire to be
spanked and dominated. Happy to oblige, Rob takes her for the ride of her life.

Stay tuned for excerpts and more on this exciting new series.

Well, it’s here! I hope you enjoy it. Remember, to “like” and “tag”, and if you have time, please post a review so another reader will know what you think and perhaps be convinced to buy it. Thanks so much for your support! Muah! ~DD

Seeking sanctuary could be the hottest mistake she ever made.

The TripleHorn Brand, Book 1

A lifetime ago, Zuri Prescott kicked the dirt off her boots and ditched her small-time small town for the glam city life—and lived to regret it. When she’s framed for a bank job, she lights out for home, seeking refuge with her old high school sweetheart while she figures out her next steps. Only she discovers that the boy she left behind is the last man she should trust.

Sheriff Colt Triplehorn knows trouble when he sees it, especially when it comes in the form of a familiar trespasser, caught naked between an angry bull and her underwear. Sure she’s up to her usual no good, he grants her sanctuary at his ranch—the better to keep an eye on her, and purge her from his system once and for all.

Reconnection is sweet and hot, but the heat can’t hide the truth. When Colt inevitably finds out what Zuri’s running from, it’s too late to put the fire out, and he’s got a career-compromising choice on his hands. Follow the letter of the law, or follow his heart.

Product Warnings: When a sheriff captures the girl who got away, expect revenge so hot it leaves brands on two lonely hearts…

Purchase your copy now at Samhain | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

I hope you’re ready for another cowboy.

And Colt Triplehorn’s not just a cowboy, he’s the county sheriff, too. Like a lot of cowboy cops, he has a strong streak of integrity, and black-and-white vision when it comes to the law. Zuri’s just the girl to test his moral fiber.

And there’s action. Plenty of it keep the story moving along. Plenty to make you worry about the final confrontation with the bad guy. So, for those of you who like a little suspence, here’s one for you!

But you want to know whether it’s sexy, right? Want a little glimpse? How about another tease?

Pre-order your copy now at Samhain | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Excerpt:

He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me everything,” he said, his voice a deep, masculine growl.

“I want to,” she said truthfully, fingering a shirt button. “I really do. But it’s so damn complicated. And like you said, we don’t really know each other.”

Colt’s lips firmed. His chest lifted around a deep sigh. “I’ll see you in the mornin’.”

His head descended, and as though it was the most natural thing in the world to do, she relaxed against the arm cinching around her and melted into his body. His kiss was surprisingly soft and over way too quick.

She must have made a sound of complaint, because he smiled, his eyelids dipping as he studied her face. “Not enough, is it?”

Zuri shook her head.

He bent his head again, but his lips hovered just above hers. He waited until she rose up on her tip-toes to press her mouth against his. Again, like a flame licking at dry tinder, sensual heat exploded between them.

Colt turned her toward the truck, crowding her against hard metal.

She slid her hands up his chest, then snuck them around the back of his warm neck to cling against him.

The kiss deepened, their mouths circling, tongues darting inward to taste. Colt glided his hands over her— cupping one over her bottom, slipping another beneath her shirt and molding it around a bare breast.

Zuri moaned and lifted her leg, sliding it over the crest of his hip as he pushed against her, rutting gently between her legs. She broke the kiss. “This is crazy,” she whispered. Read the rest of this entry »

The winner (picked by random number generator) of yesterday’s contest is…Sasha H! Sasha, congrats, girl, and email me! ~DD

Contests

Don’t forget! The Hustler Magnets Contest ends this coming Thursday! A comment today counts toward the drawing, and there will be 5 lucky winners! On Thursday, I’ll also announce the new contest, whatever that will be. Have to go through my treasure chest and see what’s left.

Also, don’t forget the Promo Ho Contest is still ongoing. Four Amazon.com gift certificates are at stake—And I’m giving one away this coming Thursday! So if you’ve been slow to get those books read, here’s your nudge!

Sunday Report Card

This is the list of projects I began to tackle back in May. It must be conquered by January 2, 2013! Currently, it looks like this:

4 3 full-length novels (2 1 paranormal suspense, 2 BDSM) — Shattered Souls, done—and scheduled to release January 8th!
5 2 novellas (1 Delta Heat, 1 Triple Horn Brand, 1 Delta Heat, 1 Femme Noir, 1 Triple Horn Brand) — Delta Heat: Fournicopia, Triple Horn Brand: Laying Down the Law, and now Delta Heat: A Perfect Trifecta are done!
4 2 short stories — “Red Dawn”, “Johnny Blaze”, done!
3 2 anthologies I have to edit — Smokin’ Hot Firemen done!
3 novels to extensively edit & expand with my sister (it’s a secret!)
1 novella to extensively edit and publish — Dragon’s Desire, edited! Publishing soon!
1 short story anthology to edit and publish — Licks, done!

I got my mojo back this week and slammed my way through A Perfect Trifecta. It won’t be for everyone, that book. It’s all sex. Couldn’t help that. Characters speak, I’m only here to take dictation. This week, I have to wrap up a project I’m co-writing with Paisly Smith, and I have to begin work on two full-length novels. I’m going to be busy for a long, long time…

Guests

This week, I didn’t book as many guests as usual because I wanted to be free to talk about Laying Down the Law. But here’s the lineup! Be sure to drop by and see what they’re all talkin’ about!

9/12 — Brenna Zinn
9/14 — Tamara Morgan

The Question

From computers to cars, cell phones to TV remote controls… Of all the things you use that have buttons on them, what is your favorite button to push?
[from The Question Guys]

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Look to the left. See the “Subscribe to Blog via Email” notice? I added that in case you’re absent-minded and forget to check out my blog every day for new contests, guests, and events. You won’t be spammed if you subscribe. You’ll just get an email showing you what’s on my blog that day.