Following is the final list of the stories that will appear in Sex Objects: Erotic Romance for Women, scheduled for release by Cleis Press on August 13, 2013. That’s the final title for that anthology of super alpha male stories. The order of the stories may change. Congratulations, authors!

As You Were – Alice Janell
Five Alarm Fire – Sabrina York
Renegade – Brindle Chase
Painted – Leah Ridgewood
Besieged – Elle James
Pumping Iron – Christine d’Abo
Diving Deep – Jenny Lyn
Heated Negotiations – Macy Man
Once Upon a Time in Mukdahan – Sidney Bristol
Big Guns – Michael Bracken
Natural Appetites – Adele Dubois
SEAL Destiny – Sharon Hamilton
Mountain Man – Tamsin Flowers
The Star – Tahira Iqbal
Pitch Black – Delilah Devlin

Getting Real

For the past four or five years I’ve been writing stories about Konigsburg, Texas. It’s a Hill Country town with lots of hunky guys and strong women. It’s also imaginary, which makes it really easy to write about. Need a winery outside town? No problem. Need a hideout for some inept bad guys? Got it. Towns you invent can provide you with everything you need just when you need it. All you have to do is remember what you called that street the last time you had the heroine walk up it.

But when I decided to do a trilogy of stories about a family of mediums, I didn’t want to set them in Konigsburg for a lot of reasons. I wanted someplace real and someplace spooky. Someplace you could actually visit if you were curious, and a place you could believe harbored a ghost or two. I settled for San Antonio’s King William District, one of the town’s oldest surviving neighborhoods. And there went all the convenience of having my very own town to play with.

You see, when you’re dealing with a real place, you have to respect the real details. For example, I couldn’t make up street names anymore. King William has streets and they have names. If I wanted my characters to walk along the river I had to specify that they were walking along Washington and not, say, Riverside. And they had to cross the river over real bridges, not something I concocted for the purpose of getting them over the water (fortunately for me, King William has the Johnson Street Footbridge—a really cool way of getting across the San Antonio River).

Moreover, I needed to be true to the way King William actually looks, its mixture of Victorian limestone mansions and smaller, wood frame houses from the last century. This wasn’t hard when I lived in San Antonio—all I had to do was take a drive through the District to get a feel for it. But now I live in Colorado, and reminding myself about what the District looks like required finding photos on-line of the things I needed to see (for a taste of King William, you can check out my Pinterest board).

Fortunately for me, King William is a full service location. Along with the Victorian mansions, perfect for ghostly visitations, it also has the Blue Star Arts District with its cafes and galleries and the Southtown district with its boutiques and funky clubs. And I was able to create a few things without doing too much damage to reality. Several of my characters do some research at the King William Historical Society, for example, an organization that exists only in my imagination.

In the end, I enjoyed my stay in King William a lot. I hope you’ll stop by and visit sometime, or at least visit my family of mediums.

Here’s the blurb for Medium Well:

Love At Second Sight

Real estate agent Danny Ramos has always had a knack for selling homes, but when his boss saddles him with a neglected carriage house, Danny discovers that his abilities are more than simple intuition…

On his first visit to the house, Danny is confronted with visions of a violent murder. His assistant, Biddy Gunter, doesn’t seem affected, and Danny starts to think he’s going crazy—until he gets a visit from his mother, who suggests that Danny’s uncanny talent to sell old houses may stem from his family inheritance: psychic empathy.

When Biddy reveals to Danny her own strange dream about the carriage house ghosts, they team up to investigate and discover both the house’s dark history and their own unexpected attraction. But as the hauntings turn from unsettling to downright dangerous, Danny and Biddy need to figure out how to rid the house of its ghostly inhabitants, before their budding romance meets an untimely end…

Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Read an Excerpt.

Thanks, Delilah, for having me here today!  I write a sexy paranormal romance series called Guardians of Ascension featuring winged warrior vampires.  You heard it right:  vampires with wings!  I’ve gotten more questions about this choice and my fallback position is the whole bat-vampire thing.  I decided to expand the concept and create an epic, multi-dimensional world engaged in a war that has raged two millennia.  Humans who experience a sudden onset of preternatural power go through a process of ‘ascension’ which turns a human into a vampire.  Of course, my stories feature the famous Warriors of the Blood who sport massive wings when they battle the enemy in the air.  And of course each of the warriors ends up knocked flat by love.  Of course.

I know, I know.  Far-fetched, but I’ve had more fun writing this series.  Here’s a sampling from the first novel, ASCENSION, about wing-release which will give you an idea where I went with this outrageous concept.

Kerrick drew in a deep breath and felt the familiar vibration through the muscles of his back, the sweet thrum, which preceded the powering of his wings through his wing-locks.  He let them fly.  He let them extend to their full height and breadth.  He stretched them and held them at the farthest reaches of full-mount until his head swirled with endorphins and a fighting sheen of sweat flowed over the entire surface of his skin.  He wanted Greaves reminded of the extent of his powers, that he wasn’t an ordinary warrior, and that if he wanted to go head-to-head, Kerrick was goddamn ready, right here, right now, this place, this time.  Bring-it-the-fuck-on…

I don’t hold a lot back in this series, as you can probably tell.  And one of my favorite characters is the leader of Second Earth, the infamous scorpion queen known as Madame Endelle.  She’s profane and has no real filters that I’ve been able to find.  But beneath her hard-bitten, fashion-challenged shell resides a compassionate heart, and we grow to love her as much for her eccentricities as for her self-sacrifice.

My most recent installment of Guardians of Ascension, a novella called, THE DARKENING, features a warrior vampire with emerging dark powers and his woman, Vela, who has the capacity to take him through an intricate maze of hidden tunnels called the darkening.   The couple stubbornly holds back, unwilling to give up their respective solitary lives.  But the chase is on and in the end they each surrender to love.

I hope Guardians of Ascension can become a new journey for you! 

You can learn more about THE DARKENING at here.

BIO:

Caris Roane aka Valerie King has published over sixty Paranormal and Regency novels and novellas.  In 2005, Romantic Times gave her a Career Achievement award in Regency Romance.  As Valerie King, she is currently releasing her gently-edited backlist and working on a Regency Historical project.  As Caris Roane, she writes paranormal romance for St. Martin’s Press and also dabbles in a few self-pubbed projects.  www.carisroane.com

Hey there! Just popping in between guests to let you know what’s happening here. I’m busy working on two new projects, a serialized full-length novel for Montlake (same folks who published Shattered Souls) and the next Delta Heat novel (Beau’s story–sorry, ladies, Mondo’s story comes last!). I have to make some hefty daily word counts to finish, so it’s a good thing I have so many guests lined up to keep you entertained.

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Speaking of Shattered Souls, I have the first two reviews in! See what Night Owl Reviews and Romance Junkies had to say…

“An intriguing paranormal tale that combines romantic suspense with a mesmerizing tale of otherworldly beings. The vivid image of the anomalous clue in the mirror is spine-chilling and the description of the subsequent investigation is filled with unexpected developments.”
~Top Pick, Night Owl Reviews

“Delilah Devlin has created a fascinating world of magic and the mundane in SHATTERED SOULS. A woman with the skills to hunt human predators and the supernatural abilities to deal with the paranormal world all around her, Cait is a captivating contradiction of ferocity and fragility… A terrific book, SHATTERED SOULS will leave you breathless for more. Don’t miss Devlin’s latest winner, a dark, paranormal romantic suspense from Montlake.”
~4 1/2 Stars from Romance Junkies

Thanks to everyone who bought the book! I truly hope you enjoyed it, because there’s a sequel coming soon!

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I have two new winners in the “Having an Affaire de Coeur Year” Calendar Contest! Mamakk (Feb 14) and Pam Howell (Feb 18) are winners! Ladies, send me your snail mail addresses and I’ll get a package in the mail!

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Now, here’s the question…

Is there a food you don’t like that you wished you liked?

I’d love to like Gazpacho. It looks delicious, smells wonderful and is full of lovely nutrients, but I don’t like cold soup! How about you?

Debbie Gould and I have been writing together for years. Hey, we’re to the point that we finish each other sentences – which actually saves time. LOL When we decided to start a new series, Debbie suggested pararescuemen. Once we saw all the training these guys go through, we knew we’d found our team of hot, sexy heroes!

Here’s the training to become a pararescuemen or PJ:

“Pipeline” Training

After completion of six weeks of Basic Military Training, we spend the next 17 months training at the following schools:

•The PARARESCUE/Combat Control
Indoctrination Course
10 weeks, Lackland AFB, TX
•US Army Airborne Parachutist School
3 weeks, Fort Benning, GA
•US Army Combat Divers School
4 weeks, Key West, FL
•US Navy Underwater Egress Training
1 day, Pensacola NAS, FL
•US Air Force Basic Survival School
2 and a half weeks, Fairchild AFB, WA
•US Army Military Freefall Parachutist School
5 weeks, Yuma Proving Grounds, AZ
•Special Operations Combat Medic Course
22 weeks, Fort Bragg, NC
•PARARESCUE Recovery Specialist Course
20 weeks, Kirtland AFB, NM

Air Force Pararescuemen, also known as PJs, are the only DoD elite combat forces specifically organized, trained, equipped, and postured to conduct full spectrum Personnel Recovery (PR) to include both conventional and unconventional combat rescue operations. These Battlefield Airmen are the most highly trained and versatile Personnel Recovery specialists in the world. Pararescue is the nation’s force of choice to execute the most perilous, demanding, and extreme rescue missions anytime, anywhere across the globe. The 500+ PJs are assigned to Guardian Angel and Special Tactics Squadrons throughout the Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve Air Force components. They operate most often as independent teams but routinely serve alongside with other US and Allied Special Operations Forces

Mission

To rescue, recover, and return American or Allied forces in times of danger or extreme duress. Whether shot down or isolated behind enemy lines; surrounded, engaged, wounded, or captured by the enemy; PJs will do whatever required to deny the enemy a victory and bring our warriors home to fight another day

Capabilities

To execute the PR mission, Pararescue teams assault, secure, and dominate the rescue objective area utilizing any available DoD or Allied, air, land, or sea asset. Their qualifications and capabilities are extensive. All PJs are qualified experts in Advanced Weapons and Small Unit Tactics, Airborne and Military Free Fall, both High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) and High Altitude High Opening (HAHO) parachute operations, Combat Divers, High Angle/Confined Space Rescue operations, Small Boat/Vehicle Craft utilization, Rescue Swimmers, and Battlefield Trauma/Paramedics. All can fast rope/rappel/hoist from any vertical lift aircraft to both land and open ocean rescue objectives. All PJs can perform both static line and HALO jump operations utilizing boats, vehicles, or other equipment from any fixed wing aircraft. In addition, 1 in 12 personnel are tandem jump qualified and can HALO/HAHO both equipment and non-jump personnel into the objective area. As required, all PJs can jump in with and utilize extrication devices to remove war fighters or civilians trapped in wreckage or collapse structures. PJs also utilize the latest subsurface technology to locate and recover submerged equipment or personnel.

Recent History

Since 9/11 alone, these elite warriors have executed over 12,000 life saving, combat rescue missions. They’ve also eliminated and captured numerous enemy combatants during the execution of these missions. Additionally, because of their unique capabilities, they have been called upon to rescue over 5000 civilians worldwide during catastrophic natural disasters and other responses.

Decorations

PJs are the most highly decorated Air Force enlisted force. They’ve been awarded one Medal of Honor, 12 Air Force Crosses, and 105 Silver Stars.

Their motto, “These Things We Do, That Others May Live,” affirms Pararescue’s dedication and commitment to saving lives and self-sacrifice. As of January 2012, 10 pararescuemen have been killed in action and paid the ultimate sacrifice during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pararescue Creed “It is my duty as a Pararescueman to save lives and to aid the injured. I will be prepared at all times to perform my assigned duties quickly and efficiently, placing these duties before personal desires and comforts. These things I do, that others may live.”

In My Sights

A 1Night Stand Story
Pararescuemen Series – Book 2

Six months ago, Siobhan Cantrell’s world was changed forever by a sniper’s bullet. The incident transformed her from a secure confident woman to a recluse, afraid to leave her own home. When her friends urge her to re-enter the world of the living, they suggest Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand dating service. Nervous, she signs up and learns the company is renown for in-depth background checks and safe encounters. So, how dangerous could it be?

Sergeant Bobby Martin has witnessed Madame Eve’s magic firsthand. His teammate found true love through her service. Still a skeptic but giving in to peer pressure, the Air Force Pararescueman signs himself up. When he meets Siobhan, his doubts fly out the window—unfortunately bullets start flying in them. Determined to protect her from a sniper that won’t give up, Bobby vows to keep her safe. As their chemistry ramps up, so does the sniper’s attempts.

Can Bobby keep Siobhan alive, or will the killer catch them in his sights?

Genre: Contemporary, military romance, erotic romance, suspense/thriller
Heat level: 4
Word count – 16k
Cover art by Fantasia Frog Designs

BUY:
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/My-Sights-Night-Stand-ebook/dp/B00AP83BOE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357781197&sr=1-2
ARe:  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-inmysights-1026099-149.html
Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/266141
Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-my-sights-lj-garland/1113983526?ean=2940016105130

EXCERPT:

“Look, I’m not gonna lie to you.” He loosened his hold on her while he perused her face, settling on her mouth. “I wasn’t sure about this one-night thing to start with, but after seeing you…well, I can definitely follow through. No problem.” He shifted his attention to her face, the naked heat swirling in his baby blues causing her breath to catch. “But after what all you told me, I want you to know I get it. We can play this thing any way you want. Fast. Slow. Or I can just hold you.” He trailed his fingers up and down her arms, sending delicious tingles along her skin. “Though I’ll admit, that’s not my first choice.”

She stared at him. God, he was such a gentleman. Without hesitating, she lifted onto her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, crushed her mouth against his, and…holy crap, what a kiss! Her pulse jumped, her head spun. A fire sparked deep inside her, and her breath caught at the passion winding through her. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting exactly, but not anything like this.

Before she melted into a puddle at his feet, she broke the kiss and gazed up at him. “Does that answer your question?”

A sexy grin curved his lips. “Yes, ma’am.”

Sexy, Brought to You By the Letter “E”

Thanks for having me on your blog Delilah! It’s always fun to have the chance to hang out and chat with new readers and future friends

Lately (okay, pretty much always), I’ve been thinking a lot about words and sex appeal and I’ve come to an interesting conclusion.

“E” is a super sexy letter.

Really, it’s true. When it comes to pure sex appeal, the other twenty-five letters are out of luck.

No, the shape doesn’t do it for me. In that category, “s” wins hands down. “S” takes the sound prize too. Hey, sibilance is sexy. (Sexy is sibilant too, which works nicely, don’t you think?)

If we’re talking about the letter that starts off the most words that are downright sensuous (another “s,” I know), “e” rises to the top.

How do I know this?

Recently, I was browsing through my favorite reference book, the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus looking for new and exciting words for my latest story, “Lights Out”, a short I wrote for the We Love New York: A Romance Anthology to Raise Funds for Hurricane Sandy Relief.

Well, I started to read through the thesaurus but quickly got sidetracked. It’s sooo easy for a word junkie like me. I mean, check out these great slang synonyms for abscond, a fantastic word in itself. Vamoose, skedaddle, clear out, make tracks, skip town, take French leave (huh?), scram … I never made it out of the “a’s.”

Instead, I turned to a list of sexy words I’ve compiled, loosely based on Annette Blair’s List of Sensual Words. There are a lot of hot ones there and every letter is represented. Yes, even the Scrabble 8- and 10-pointers: Juicy. Kinky. Quicken. X-rated. Zealous. (Zealous and quicken are also “bingos,” for those of you who care about such things. My husband does).

Scrabble aside, the words that really caught my eye all started with the letter “e”.

Allow me to explain, elucidate and expound.

Think about it. Of course, there’s erotic and its close cousin exotic. But how about these?

Eager. Earthy. Ecstatic. Effusive.

Electric. Enfolding. Enigmatic. Exposed.

Now, while I don’t recommend using all of these in one sentence, every one of them evokes some very sexy ideas.

Or maybe that’s just me.

For extra credit…

Use each of these in a sentence. More than one for a bonus. (Note: not recommended for staff meetings. Or discussions with your mechanic. Unless he’s really hot like Cole Cassidy in my debut release Revving Her Up).

Any “e” words I missed? Or some super sexy words that deserve a place on my list? Got another contender – a letter you think can topple “e” from its first-place perch?

Joy Daniels writes erotic romance because she likes to expose her characters completely – strengths, flaws and scars. Although she is from New York City (and still a loyal Yankees fan), since moving to Maryland she has developed passion for southern boys and their toys. Her debut novella, Revving Her Up features stock car racing, and she’s working on a ménage story set in Nashville. Given the opportunity to help her hometown, Joy contributed a short story, “Lights Out”, to We Love New York: A Romance Anthology to Raise Funds for Hurricane Sandy Relief. Her novella Unmasked will be included in the second volume of Coliloquy’s Entwined Erotica line.  You can visit her online at www.authorjoydaniels.com.

I swear I haven’t forgotten about my naughty cowboys in Two Mule, Texas. They all seem to have a thing for threesomes, but I thought I’d let them rest a bit because a couple of the wives are expecting. In the meantime, if you haven’t read the series, Lone Star Lovers, here’s a snippet.

If you post a comment today, you’ll be entered to win
a free download of this book!

“…Put into the mix three sexy brothers who happen to be cowboys and who are hot for one lucky female? You have a sexual, erotic masterpiece!” ~5 Stars and Top Pick!, The Romance Reviews

“…Delilah Devlin just makes this type of story such an adventure as well as a hot ride… You will never go wrong with a Delilah Devlin story and you will never be disappointed.” ~5 Cherries, Whipped Cream Reviews

“Cleverly written, Breaking Leather breaks the mold when it comes to ménage stories… Highly recommend.” ~Sizzling, 4 1/2 Stars, Sensual Reads

“…The characters themselves are fantastic. All three men are alike and yet very unique. Chrissi is a strong woman and her character is flawless. Add in some wonderful support characters and you’ve got one robust set of characters and one outstanding story that shouldn’t be missed.” ~5 Hearts, The Romance Studio

One for remembrance…one for healing…and one to seal her heart forever.

Chrissi Page has tried to find one man who heats her bed the way the Kinzie brothers did one shameful night years ago. She’s failed miserably, leaving her with no choice but to bank that inner fire—and keep a lid on her inner bad girl.

She’d been weak, unable to choose between three men who appealed to her in different ways. And when they’d confronted her as a tease, anger had boiled over into a passion so wild, she’s still trying to live it down.

Since that night, Ezra, Cade and Joshua have individually sown their wild oats with pretty much the entire available female population of Two Mule, Texas. Yet nothing erases the attraction they still feel for Chrissi. And when she ends up stranded on the road near their ranch, it’s their last chance to turn their mutual obsession into an unusual proposition.

One weekend, three on one. If she can’t stand the heat, they’ll let her go on with her life. And try to find a way to live with the hole she’ll leave behind in theirs.

Warning: A girl who thinks she can’t have it all, and three brothers who set out to prove otherwise. One on one, two on one, and three on one; bondage in the wild; a bit of riding crop action. And a pickup truck load of emotion.

Chrissi Page raised her cell phone in the air, staring at the screen. No bars. Not even a hint of one skinny, green nub. “Oh, come on,” she moaned as her radiator hissed behind her. “Damn, damn, damn.”

She’d been tempted to ignore the CHECK ENGINE light when it first appeared, wanting to take the chance she could limp back into Two Mule. However, the steam seeping from under the hood had pretty much killed that hope.

Today was not the day for her car to break down. Not so far from town. Not so close to their ranch. Any minute now one of the Kinzie brothers might happen by.

They’d stop because they’d never leave a woman stranded.

They might not let her go because of their shared past. Read the rest of this entry »